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| AO Forum :: > Technology Archives > Xilean Scientific Venture |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 11 2004, 08:29 AM |
| "So you are sure this will be effective?" questioned President Laiur. "Absolutely Mr. President. Worst case scenario is that we are discovered with the cargo, but even this will draw all suspicion to the northern areas of the region. Of course we will set up there as well, but the pertinent strategic location is..." "...I know General." interrupted Laiur. "Send the team." ------------------------ Two battlecruises escorted the cargo ship into international waters, evidence that Xile still suspected some type of subversive retalliation. The ships had been traveling for days, hampered by two violent storms in the cove. Admiral Judias Iscarion stared out across the sea. Taking out his looking-glass he spied the Lamonian shoreline in the distance. An hour later the group encountered a small reconassaince ship approaching. Night was falling as the ship pulled alongside the Rectifier and an officer bearing the dress-uniform of Lamoni was escorted on deck. He was apparently angered by the Xilean presence, and strode briskly to Iscarion. "What brings you so close to Lamonian territory admiral?" "Scientific expedition to the north." was the curt response of Iscarion. "Pretty well armed for a scientific expedition, wouldn't you say?" The indignation was welling up inside of the admiral who stated, "Just enough to keep you bastards off our back. Or so we thought." Livid now, the officer began striding back to board his ship and remarked "I kindly ask that you remove yourself from this area immediately." Judias smirked. "In accordance with UN Resolution #74, which states that international waters begin at a distance 20km off the shoreline, we are well within our rights to be here. In fact, we decided to give the extra kilometer just to ward off hostility. So now, I kindly ask you sir, to go -explicitive removed- yourself." The officer gave a start at the very rude obscenity aimed at him, and boarded his ship in a rage. The ship began towards the Lamonian shore, doubtless to get Lamonian brass involved. Admiral Iscarion was visibly perturbed. "Damn it, all this diplomacy bull-explicitive removed- is getting to be too much for me. Prepare the dive teams. Tell them to hurry up so we can get the hell out of here." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 11 2004, 03:38 PM |
| (OOC: Guess that i'll have to bite) Lamonian sentiment against Xile had still not ebbed, and so the Lamonian government cut orders to a carrier battle group centered on the FRLS Lemnos to keep an eye on the Xilean ships. After all, the government reasoned as they heard the report from the officer who had met the Xileans, It WAS international waters. Simularly, the Xileans couldn't really do anything if Lamoni fighters were to overfly them, could they? The entire exercise was given the codename Operation Exorcism (Someone had a sense of humor, they all thought), and it was agreed that Lamonian divers would look at the areas where the Xilean ships had been. According to the UN Resolution, they could even dive right next to the Xilean operation, and Xile couldn't do a thing about it. |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 11 2004, 06:32 PM |
| A very large metal box was lifted from the cargo hold, the crane creaked with exertion upon lifting it. The divers stared in wonder at it. They had already dug out a foundation for the equipment under the water, and were preparing to secure it after the drop. They inserted the hydrogen fuel cells and replaced the protective cover, locking it into place. Replacing the cells would be difficult, not only because of the defense system that made for quite a painful shock upon touching it, but also because the defense system and lock mechanism would only be deactivated with a special transmission from Xiliean command. Adjustments to the software inside, and collection of data could also be sent and retrieved the same way. The Lamonian crew stood on deck of their ship and watched as the divers made preparations. They put on their gear and dove into the water. An interested sailor on Lamoni's ship called out to one upon the Xilean ship. "So, what is that thing?" "I dunno." He remarked. "A sonar array that tracks whale migration or something. Guys say the government is trying to test out their new sonar system, so they gave the hippies a gift out of it to make them happy." "Well, whats up with the defense system then?" the Lamonian sailor called again. The sailor sighed. "Top-secret technology in there I guess. Don't want anyone to..." "Shut up," Admiral Iscarion yelled. "Damn Lamonians. Have to stick their fingers in everything anyone in this region tries to do..." The box slowly descended into the waves, and an hour later the dive team resurfaced. They removed their gear and returned to their quarters. They had simply secured the position of the sonar, tracking the position with GPS to make sure it was in exactly the right position. The size of the box was enormous, so they had to try their best not do disturb any sea-life. Judias sneered and gave the Lamonian vessel a very impolite hand gesture, then returned to the bridge. He directed the captain to resume the course. The three ships left the Lamonians to their pleasure, and maintained their northwestern course. They had 7 more drops, and then had to build a monitoring station in the northern ice mass, where whale migration was heaviest. -------------------- President Lauir was beside himself. The operation was a great success. Now once the rest of the 'sonars' were buried, he would have a much better grasp on things. Only himself and a few of his cabinet members knew about the true nature of the operation, and not even they knew it all. He kept the military on a strict need-to-know basis, and was quite confident that leaks would not escape. In fact, he was just that. Quite confident. Especially now. |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 11 2004, 11:06 PM |
| (OOC: Hmm…this looks interesting. I can’t really just stand by and be amused, can I?) The UAV skimmed above the stratosphere, peering curiously down upon the events unfolding 21 miles off of Lamonian shores, its controller mentally noting to suggest a more in-depth investigation of the developing incident. Later that evening, several analysts were pouring over the recordings in an effort to unravel what they could. “Well, it looks like they installed some sort of sonar device, judging from the composition of the container. Only sonar devices use that particular composition of alloys—hey, Wallace—take a look at these tracings! Those don’t fit in—do you know what they are?” “The pattern they’re lying in looks suspiciously like wiring to me. They might be a system to dissuade marine life from taking up residence on the detector.” “Can you prove that?” “I doubt it. They could really be anything between left-over tracings from construction and some sort of weird cloaking mechanism. But I’ll take our suspicions and write them up.” “Do it ASAP—the main office seems very interested in these results.” “Yes, Sir,” Defense Analysis Specialist Herbert Wallace said to his overseer, Major Lansing Altinga. |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 12 2004, 07:37 AM |
| Construction commenced upon the sheet of ice almost immediately after the ships arrival. Much of the structure was pre-assembled, and the construction team began drilling through the ice. The durability of the sheet could be proved, and the hole quickly broke through into the bone chilling water. An airlock was constructed into the water, and a large metal dome was placed over it. The defense system was armed and the locks put in place. Three high-ranking officials climbed into a small submarine and were lowered into the water. They moved into the airlock, unlocked the door, and entered the dome. Their supplies were handed in with them, and they prepared for their long tenure of manning the station. The group of shifts maneuvered around, avoided a large chunk of ice, and began their homeward journey. The officials within the building unloaded their leisure devices; a television, radio, deck of cards, and their small beds. They then adjusted the thermostat to a warmer temperature and removed their heavy coats. They sighed and looked at a small package. Unloading the dynamite and placing the charges all around, they looked at each other frightfully. They unloaded their weapons, and relaxed on their cots, filled with anticipation. |
| Posted by: Ainorpisp Oct 12 2004, 02:48 PM |
| In Sarmatia, the director of the National Intelligence Agency read reports that Xile had engaged in an appearant scientific mission in international waters. Lamonian Intel seemed to be a little suspicious as to the nature of the Xilean endeavor, which the NIA director understood. He hadn't expected Lamoni to just welcome such a mission so near to its waters without some suspicion. While Lamonian anger at Xile may not have ebbed, Ainorpispian anger at them had recently begun to fade slightly. Though upset over the choice of actions in the past by Xilean leadership, as a nation Ainorpisp had decided to start moving on. This new intel about Xile and its reported sonar was more intriguing than suspicious to the director, who decided to keep an eye on the situation. Who knew what scientific discoveries might be made, after all? Then again, it could be a cover-up for a hidden purpose for the sonar, which he wouldn't dismiss either. In international Intel, you couldn't just dismiss any possibility without more solid facts. ******** Meanwhile, the carrier ANS Excalibur was to the west of Ainorpisp, conducting routine training flights over the norhternmost portion of Atlantian Oceania. It was standard procedure for the pilots of the Ainorpispian Navy to make such flights, in order to ensure they were used to the F-32 fighters they flew. Many of the pilots were younger, and hence required the flights to become intimately familiar with their aircraft. Usually, they wouldn't see anything but white down below on the ice sheet, since it was... well, ice. Three F-32s were making their return to the Excalibur when they spotted something odd below. Their interest caught, they flew another pass over what appeared to be a metal dome of some sort. Equipped with a powerful recon camera, one of the jets snapped several pictures of the construction, as well as a small speck that dissapeared beneath the water not long after the pass was completed. "Did you see that, Lemur-1? Looked like something was down there," Flying Officer Jose Martinez pointed out over the radio on the AN frequency. "Probably just a whale or something, Lemur-2. Let's head back to the Excalibur and report this in to Captain Al-Shai'ib," responded the wing's commander, Lt. Hanako Dosukoii, "I'm sure he'll want to know about what we found." With that said, the F-32s marke with the Ainorpispian Navy insignia (the standard RAF-like 'target' of purple, dark blue, and black respectively, with an anchor imposed over it to represent the Navy) headed back to their ship to report a strange gray dome on the ice sheet. Captain Al-Shai'ib in turn would likely report its existence and send both a report and the pictures taken by Lemur-2 to NIA HQ in Sarmatia. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 12 2004, 05:10 PM |
| After the Xileans had left the area, it was decided that divers would be sent to see what Xile had been up to. The divers found a metallic box, and were suprised to discover that it had electronic defenses. This discovery raised Lamonian suspicions even higher, and even prompted a message being sent to Ainorpisp, to see if their sources had any better idea of what was going on than Lamoni's did. |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 13 2004, 11:44 AM |
| The Termarian Minister of Defense paced behind his desk, hands clasped at his back and brow furrowed. "Lamonia needs to know what our analysts found. Send them a hard copy of the latest data with one of our couriers, with a message that reads as follows: Most respected compatriots. Termarian analysts discovered a Xilean operation to place a sonar device immediately outside their national waters, as well as a manned monitoring station in the ices north-west of Lamonian territory. While we do not, [repeat, accent it this time] do not know what exactly the Xilean purpose is in this area, we can trust they are up to no good whatsoever. Termaria pledges its aid in whatever capacity Lamonia requires until this incident is resolved. Ok. That ought to do it. Send them that, along with a copy--censored, of course, with regards to personnel information--of the analysts' report. And do it post-haste." ================ Ten minutes later, a Termarian leer jet took off from the port outside the capitol, its passengers carrying data vital to Lamonia's safety, and set a course for the Lamonian capitol. |
| Posted by: Starblaydia Oct 13 2004, 03:16 PM |
| "So what do you think about Xile's whale tracking system?" The reporter asked the spokesman of the Starblaydi branch of the Greenpeace Organistation. "I think its a great step forward by such a non-environmentally-minded nation such as Xile," said the scrawny, bearded hippy in the baggy sweater, "to see that Xile can provide help for our sea-borne freinds is an example to every other government in the world." |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 13 2004, 05:40 PM | ||
| OOC: Termaria
How exactly do you know this? Besides my own RP foreshadowing, you should know nothing whatsoever about this operation. By your own volition you believed there was no reason to be alarmed, and the defense system could have countless reasons for being present - notwithstanding the fact that it is supposedly 'top secret' sonar technology in the box. Are you godmodding, or what here? |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 13 2004, 05:48 PM |
| This is Janice Loraine for XNN. We have good news for you greenniks out there today, our executive office has actually taken some interest in nature! We have for you now enhanced readouts showing the positioning of several large groups of whales. [MAP POPS UP ON THE SCREEN] Using top-secret sonar technology, the government plans on using their sonar device to track whale migration and plan any shipping operations away from their movement to ensure their survival in the waters of Atlantian Oceania. Liberals in congress are saying the government is doing this simply to test out their new sonar device's capabilities for war-efforts, but either way the whales are better off for it! |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 14 2004, 11:17 AM | ||
OOC: The idea would be that, in the past, Xile has seldom acted with the best wishes of Lamonia at heart. Xile has the suspicious reputation of not being a model citizen. Thus, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that Xile is "up to no good." Any less would be an affront to reason. Is that a reasonable answer to your question, or do I need to explain myself further? |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 14 2004, 11:35 AM |
| "Why, exactly, should we be concerned that Xile is tracking whale movements?" "I should think that would be obvious. While their intentions in that regard are no doubt irreprehensible, their sonar is not restricted to tracking whale movements." The reporters furiously snapped pictures and clamored to ask the next question. One, a stylish looking man in a black beret and phoenix-leather jacket, succeeded. "Why do you think they planted their device so close to Lamonian territory?" The Termarian official checked his notes. "It seems they are deliberately provoking Lamonia by sinking their sonar directly outside Lamonian territory. It could be because they simple hate Lamonians but are too afraid to actually make an aggressive act against them in the current political environment--somehow that doesn't really seem like much more than conjecture. Much more likely is that they are tracking the movement of the Lamonian navy and merchant fleet, for some indiscernable purpose." "And the manned station?" This time, a different reporter had squeezed in the question--a rather attractive looking woman in a custom-tailored business suit and understated glasses. "The Termarian government believes it is nothing more than a monitoring station--a standard practice in research of any kind." The black bereted reporter thrust himself towards the official again. "And, what exactly is your position on the welfare legislature currently..." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 14 2004, 01:42 PM |
| (OOC: Just one thing, it's LAMONI, not Lamonia. Thanks.) Given the 'history' between Xile and Lamoni, Xile's 'official' explanation was not taken seriously. Especially given that Xile had been against an anti-whaling resolution that went through the UN. It was taken with some suprise that a Termarian 'leer jet' was requesting a landing at Government AFB (where the governmental officials plane's are). This was granted, and the Lamonian Foreign Minister himself was sent out to greet the arriving jet. Meanwhile, Lamonian divers were still examining the suspicious box that Xile had left near the coast. They were still working on how to get past the box's defenses, in order to see what was inside. If it was in fact peaceful, it would be left alone. If it had a military purpose, then it would be exhumed. The Lamonian government was still waiting for word from Ainorpisp on Xile's activities. |
| Posted by: Ainorpisp Oct 14 2004, 02:14 PM |
| After a long meeting discussing the findings of the Flying Lemur wing of F-32s from the ASN Excalibur, the director of NIA was prepared to complete his official report. So far, Ainorpisp was still suspicious that there might be some sort of alterior motive involved in Xile's activities, but was not prepared to say that there were any kind of hostile intentions present. Reports of defense mechanisims on the sonar pods or whatever they were could indicate a myriad amount of things. For now, the official, though inconclusive, finding was that this was indeed a scientific venture on the part of the Xileans. Just as he was about to deliver the report to Director of International Affairs - Councilor Draco Yrezinski - he was delivered a message by the Western Intel director, who oversaw Ainorpispian Intel regarding the Western part of Atlantian Oceania, which included Lamoni and Termaria. "Lamoni wants to know what we have on the Xilean venture," West Director MacLeod informed his boss, "I think they're a bit suspicious of hostile intentions." "They're our allies... very well, take the second copy of the report and have one of your agents fly it over to Nephi immediately. We don't need our closest allies jumping the gun on this," the NIA director stated, and handed his subordinate a secondary copy of the Intel report. "Yes, sir," MacLeod nodded, and knew just which agent to send with the intel. Soon, Agent Connery was on board a military transport plane with the report, accompanied by two Marines for added protection. They eventually landed at Government Airport in Lamoni, where Agent Connery's instructions were to deliver the report directly into the hands of President Matt himself. |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 14 2004, 07:12 PM |
| (OOC: Sorry for coming across as so hostile, but the fact that you are making assumptions about what is actually contained in this 'box' irked me. The fact that it was simply described as a large box, and that it had defense systems would basically let the fact be known that the contents were secret, and that simple analysis would not reveal any solid information. Also, in case noone else noticed, I did mention that more than one of these 'boxes' were released en route to the ice region. Please also take into account that this object may not be a sonar at all, and that releases from the government concerning them could be fabricated.) Xile would like to make the fact known now that if Lamoni continues to investigate this device, we will take action against them. This is not to say that military action will be enacted immediately, but that already strained relations could reach a breaking point. Xile understands that the objects lay in international waters, but would like to reiterate that they are property of the Xilean government and any tampering with them could cause them irreprable damage. Therefore monitoring of the devices will be continued, and nations should not be expected to act with impunity. On a more lighthearted note, does it not occour to you that it is hard to evaluate our data with countless Lamoni divers and ships around? |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 15 2004, 07:17 PM |
| "Welcome to the Evening World News on LBC. I am Scott Mortat, and with me today is President Matt. Mr. President, Xile has laid a threat at Lamoni's door today. What is the government's reaction to that?" "We wish to make it known that if Xile does somehow attack us, we WILL retaliate. Xile would do well to consider that Lamoni has the largest population in AO. We can also call up to 70 percent of our population to military service if the need ever arises. We do not wish to have a military conflict with Xile, but we won't cower, either. Xile says that these 'boxes' are in international waters. Still, we have our suspicions given the undeniably strained relationship between our two nations." President Matt went on to say: "A plane from the government of Termaria has come to Government Air Force Base today. Before this, we've never really had much in the way of relations with that nation. We are hopeful to establish diplomatic ties." Scott, somewhat surprised at the Termarian landing, said: "We will be back after these commercials." When the cameras were turned off, President Matt thanked Scott, then left to meet up with the Ainorpispan envoy that was waiting for him in his office. |
| Posted by: Ainorpisp Oct 16 2004, 01:27 AM |
| Upon the arrival of the Lamoni President, NIA agent Connery remained as serious as could be expected of a man of his stature. He was only an inch or so shorter than President Matt, and definitely looked as if his fists could be considered lethal weapons in the right set of circumstances. As soon as the door to the office closed, Agent Connery handed the report folder to the leader of the Free Republic. "Mr. President, this is the most up-to-date information that Ainorpisp's National Intelligence Agency can provide you with regarding the Xilean venture. As of yet, there is no indication that the Xileans plan anything remotely malicious with this new sonar. So far as we can determine by analyzing our information, the defensive devices on the sonar are not for hostile purposes toward your nation or any other country. It appears to be a genuinely scientific venture," he informed his nation's greatest ally, "A training flight of F-32s from the ANS Excalibur photographed what appears to be a metal construct of some kind on the ice sheet. Given the reported locations of the sonar bouys, we assume that the metal construct was built by the Xileans. Most likely to help monitor their new scientific devices." The Ainorpispian ambassador to Nephi, who was also present with Agent Connery, added, "Strong words out there for the Xileans, Mr. President. I should warn you on behalf of the Honored Leader, however, to be overly cautious in this situation. Our nation does not want to have to go to war over a mistake regarding the intentions of Xile. You know that we are not strategically located to assist you should hostile action be taken." |
| Posted by: Starblaydia Oct 16 2004, 05:06 AM |
| OOC: Lamoni, bear in mind that you can probably call up 70 percent of your population for about 3 whole days before things start to go seriously wrong in your nation. Stop throwing your vastly over-estimated weight around, this isn't a schoolyard, its international relations. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 16 2004, 04:15 PM |
| OOC: I know that this is not a playground. Besides which, we'd only call up THAT much of our population if we REALLY needed it. However, Xile needs to know that we will defend ourselves if required. We are not planning hostile actions toward Xile at this time. IC: After he has listened politely to the Ainorpispan envoys, President Matt thought for a second, and said: "Lamoni is not planning to take ANY offensive action against Xile at this time. However, we will defend ourselves if need be. If anything untoward happens, it will be begun by Xile, and not us. We will cease our inspections of Xile's 'boxes,' but we will keep a close eye on them. We simply do not trust Xile. Please convey my good wishes to the Ainorpispan Honored Leader." |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 17 2004, 07:27 PM |
| Lord Virig sat behind his desk, running his fingers back and forth idly along the polished ironwood surface. He appreciated Lamoni’s offer, and was contemplating the best way to accept and establish firm diplomatic ties. With Lamoni’s aid, Termaria should be able to establish itself as a powerful nation with little resistance from any but the Xileans. He had already considered a number of options, including sending of a nice fruit basket to the Lamonian president Matt, perhaps with some chocolate truffles and a nice dessert wine. Then he had an idea—why didn’t he investigate the Xilean devices with a covert team? To give the Lamonians information would be an unmistakable expression of his good will. He began composing the orders he would give to the covert team. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 17 2004, 09:01 PM |
| OOC: This could get interesting. Thanks, Termaria. |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 18 2004, 05:30 PM |
| OOC: That would be the goal, Lamoni. |
| Posted by: Abattoir Oct 18 2004, 05:35 PM |
| Abattoir would like to display its belief in Xile's ability to use international waters within any reason that the nation may seem fit. In a resolution which this region supported, it was established that international waters be considered any distance 20 miles outside the coastal border of any nation. Therefore, any attempt to dishonor the said agreement would be considered hostile action, and can be dealt with accordingly. The boxes which Xile placed throughout the region were not concentrated around Lamoni, but in random areas which can be shown in the first post. Considering these "boxes" to be hostile at this moment in time would be considered irresponsible, and more of an offensive rather than defensive move. Tampering with these objects to find what secrets they may hide may make you a few powerful friends, but it will also gain you a few unfavorable terms as well. This I assure you. |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 18 2004, 07:28 PM |
| (OOC: Go from not wanting a war to wanting to incite one. I love this region!) [IC] Confident after the show of Abattoir's support, President Lauir instructed the foreign affairs team to become more forceful in any communications with the now alienated nations. He also asked his generals to begin greater observation of the sonar equipment. He didn't like the way this was panning out. Every time he tried to do something that could benefit the region, he was met with hostility. Kind of late to break out of molds though, he had to concede. Atleast Anoirpisp is keeping a level-head throughout the proceedings. Those Lamoni sure are some cocky bastards. Well, they could afford to be a little cockier. They had a new ally. The president didn't like that either. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 18 2004, 09:32 PM |
| President Matt was in the middle of a cabinet meeting when he asked the question, "How can we expect Xile to react to our alliance with Termaria?" Since this was the Foreign Minister's area of expertise, he responded with, "Xile will not like this development. I don't expect them to start hostilities over an alliance, but they most definetly will not like it. We don't really like Xile, and they don't seem to like us any better." "We all know that they are going to have to apologize for killing our athletes before we will even BEGIN to renormalize relations with them. One amusing anecdote is Abattoir's support of Xile, but I don't expect anything concrete to come from that. They distrust each other too much for that. Don't forget the recent South Cove conflict." President Matt added. "Now," President Matt added, "let's get back to business." |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 19 2004, 02:07 PM |
| Major General Whyte stood in front of the team, hands clasped behind his back. He knew that not one of them would back down from the mission--his program would never recruit men and women who would--but he had to ask them nonetheless. "You all realize," he said, "that this mission will be extremely difficult and dangerous. There is a high probability that at least one of you will not return from this mission." His eyes moved slowly from one side of the room to the other, briefly pausing on each of the operatives. Their faces, without exception, were grim and focused, their eyes focused on him. "As I realize that you all have families, I can not require that you go on this mission. Instead, you have all been offered the option to volunteer. If you choose not to go, no one will look down upon you, and your record will not be tarnished in the least." Their faces hadn't changed, but he sensed an eagerness to be done with this formality and completing last minute preparations for the mission itself. He paused, waiting for any response. None came. "Very well, then. You will report at 2100 hours to commence the mission." As the operatives filed out of the room, Trevur Whyte reflected that they would need every ounce of grace they had stored for them in heaven to both survive the coming ordeal and to gather the necessary data. Xile would not be pleased by Termaria's actions, nor by their new alliance with Lamoni. |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 19 2004, 05:23 PM |
| Pleased to be back in his element, Judias Iscarion orders his crew to the location of the sonar device. The observation orders from the president were finally being carried out, although he did not quite grasp the man's intentions. The international tension greatly intrigued him. His glory days in previous conflicts flicker for a moment in his memory, spectres of his now tarnished past. The ship moves into position and stops. The crew prepares for an idle wait. All across the sea ships are moving to positions similar to this, probably sharing the same thoughts. This was his position, and he was happy to have it. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 19 2004, 07:13 PM |
| At NIA, the recon satelites showed the Xilean ships moving into various positions. When the ship positions were marked on a map, they noticed that the Xilean ships were in positions to gaurd their 'boxes.' The director was even getting reports on the Xilean ships closest to Lamoni. He realized that he had to take this information to President Matt, so he headed for the Presidential Palace. President Matt was touring a nearby part of the country, so the NIA director had to wait. |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 19 2004, 11:34 PM |
| OOC::Man that was so funny! :D--I like that. |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 20 2004, 09:50 AM |
| OOC: Huh? |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 20 2004, 10:35 AM |
| OOC: Nothing. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 20 2004, 04:18 PM |
| OOC: Xile isn't the only one who's wondering what Termaria was talking about. Anyway... IC: When President Matt returned from 'meeting the people,' he found the NIA director waiting for him in his office. Without comment, the NIA director handed the President the Sat shots, which President Matt looked over. "So," he said, "Xile is now watching his 'boxes.' Have the Navy watch the Xilean ships closest to Lamoni shores." "Yes sir," the director said. |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 20 2004, 05:08 PM |
| OOC:I found something funny there. Forget about it. Once securely underneath the waves, the team began to set up the high-tech tools they would use to determine the contents of the Xilean boxes. A set of multifrequency spectroscopes and spectroscopic recievers to determine both the composition of the interior as well as the exterior as the initial analysis had since been shown to be dubious in accuracy, an autonomous probe to identify the nature and effect of the box's defenses, and several secondary ones which they would use to attempt to actually identify the nature and function of the box's interior. While the team rested secure in the knowledge that their presence could not be detected by any method of detection beyond a close visual, they nevertheless had lookouts posted who would send visual signals to the rest of the team if need be. It was imperative that they maintained radio silence--despite the dampening effects of water, minute signals could still be picked up by surface ships or nearby submarines. Their variety of readings secured and the gear successfully packed away into the small vehicle they had brought with them, they began to slowly and cautiously ascend towards the surface. It occured that perhaps a better course of action would be to travel towards the shore a few miles before rising, but orders were orders, regardless of their intelligence. |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 20 2004, 07:21 PM |
| Tobias Vanion stood brooding over the ships railing. He was no high ranking official, and his thinking most definately did not reflect back upon his paycheck. However, the current situation perplexed him greatly and even disturbed him somewhat. He did not understand why they had been sitting here for three days for no apparent reason. What's more, he did not understand why there was no end in sight. He looked out again upon the water, his mind full of these thoughts. A peculiar looking black streak sped below him. Follower by another. Then another. Without thinking twice, he was running to the bridge to inform the admiral. -------------------------------- A yellow dot and a loud beep crashed the silence that had deadened the room over the past week. Cameron quickly switched off his television set and rolled his chair to the screen. Koren simply scoffed and fell back into his bed. "Probably just another damn fish swimming into it." He laughs. "Probably got a hell of a shock too." Cameron isn't so quick to dismiss the alarm. He stares at the screen another moment before rolling his chair back to his television set. "You're probably right..." he mutters across to Koren as he reaches to switch the set back on. The yellow light returns. The extremely loud beep returns, this time becoming an annoying tone. The tone does not stop. All of the crew of the artic command center quickly jump up and rush to their various stations. Cameron snatches his direct line to military command off the wall and begins stammering orders furiously over the phone. -------------------------------- Admiral Iscarion rushes through the door with lightning speed. It nearly flattens Tobias against a wall. A steady stream of officers follows him out. He calls quickly, fearing his voice may be lost in a moment. "I saw something in the water admiral!" It was too late. Iscarion was already barking orders to his subordinates. "DEPTH CHARGES IN THE WATER NOW! GET DIVERS IN THE WATER AND SEND OUT RECON BOATS! I WANT SPECIAL FORCES STARING AT THAT WATER UNTIL THEIR EYES CHANGE COLORS!" -------------------------------- With a loud gurgling noise the depth charges are dropped into the water. Loud booms alert the crew to the occourances on deck. "If the explosions didn't kill them, the sound would probably shatter them." Judias Iscarion thought as he paced the deck. The black uniformed members of special forces trained their assault rifles on the water. The divers were lowered and began to search things out. The recon boats sped around outside the ship, three black uniformed men on each. Iscarion turns around, anxious of further news from command. He begins the long walk back to the communications room. The tatter of rapid fire from an assault rifle breaks the silence of his walk. More and more rifles break into the cacophony. He rushed back on the deck. More work for public relations probably, but atleast the bases were covered from his end. The recon boats sped toward the scene as the black uniformed men continued to unload their guns into the water, in some places now shades of red. His own divers began chattering over their radios. Another reason to return to the communications room. He broke into a frantic run. Screw looking professional. |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 21 2004, 02:45 PM |
| "Oh, God," Colonel Venganza moaned to himself. He was suspended in a froth of his opererative's destroyed flesh, swimming through a sea of red. Every few seconds, another bullet would come streaking down through the water in his vicinity--he had already been hit by one, and several others had been extremely close calls. He still didn't radio for help--that would have been suicide--but he swam down as fast as he could--safety lay in the depths, or so he hoped. Eventually, he cleared the cloud of gore above him, and became aware of several more figures in the water below him--his men and women, also hiding from the carnage above them. He made his way down to them, and--using hand signals, because their ears were still ringing from the depth charge, which they had been far away enough from to have survived--communicated that they should swim a few miles towards Lamoni, then surface and radio the pick-up crew. They made for the shore, traveling several miles--extremely difficult with the wounds they had sustained during the conflict. They were only 15 miles from shore when they decided to surface. One of them went up, and the other watched in horror as his body was shredded by Xilean bullets. Laden with fear, the others swam towards shore--it would be a long journey, but preferable to certain death. Venganza suspected that international tensions would flair over the incident—he didn’t realize how little he understood. This was the end of a tenuous peace between Xile and Lamoni, albeit a peace always underscored by violent conflict. Xile had entered Lamonian territory—strictly in contravention of regional policy—and, what more, had actually attacked a Lamonian ally on Lamonian territory. What had begun as little more than forgivable and expected Xilean aggression would soon erupt into explosive conflict. The XiLamonian War had begun. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 21 2004, 10:59 PM |
| The news was slow in coming, but when he heard it, President Matt demanded to see the Termarian crew that was presently in a Lamoni hospital. He wasn't mad at what the team had tried to do, but he was mad that Xile had broken international law, and shot up Lamonian allies IN LAMONIAN WATERS!!!!!!! He had already sent a message to the Xilean leadership demanding a public apology and investigation into the incident, but he knew that Xile would just laugh it off. If Xile did laugh it off, then there would be no choice. War would have to be declared. President Matt was sure that the right wing politicians would love the chance to get back at Xile for the murder of the AOlympic athletes, but had genuinely not wanted things to go to hell like this. The declaration of war was already written, all that would have to be done is to confirm it in the Senate. President Matt was not looking forward to this war. It would be Lamoni, Termaria, Ainorpisp, and possibly Wapahkoneta against Xile, NA, and possibly Abbatoir. This would make the South Cove conflict look like a sand-table exercise. Lamoni forces were already at the border with Novvs Atlantis, and the rest of the military was ready to fight. "Only Xile can stop this war from happening now." President Matt thought as he met the leader of the Termarian squad. |
| Posted by: Ainorpisp Oct 22 2004, 01:18 AM |
| Honored Leader Elana Kain had returned to a room in the national capital that she had come to know all too well - the war room. Once again, she and the commanders of the Ainorpispian military, along with Councilor Yrezinski of the International Affairs Department and High Priestess Alexandria, gathered at the table to discuss a potentially hostile situation. She had hoped dearly that neither side in the odd Xilean scientific venture would resort to using force. Now that Xile had reportedly fired on Termarian divers, Lamoni was likely considering war as a viable option. Kain shook her head and took another look at the map of Atlantian Oceania on the table before her. "So it's boiling down to this again," she sighed, "Lamoni will want an official apology, Xile may not give them one - and most likely won't, and Lamoni may very well declare war. This puts us in a very stressful situation." "Lamoni has always been our ally, ma'am, and to not support them now would be nigh treasonous," stated Air Marshal Harrington, "If they request our aid, we must be ready to join in their cause for better or worse. They have always been ready to do so when we required assistance, and we must live up to our end of the bargain. It's as simple as that." "Begging your pardon, Air Marshal, but this is not our fight. The incident occured far off from our Motherland, albeit reportedly... and I stress reportedly... in Lamoni waters. I fail to see how any of this involves us," countered Councilor Yrezinski, who had lost most of his family in the War of Liberation, "Yes, we have a signed alliance with Lamoni and Wapahkoneta, but this nation Termaria is... another matter. Technically, since we have not officially signed an alliance with them, we can say that because it was Termarian divers who were attacked, this doesn't involve us." "We don't need to be involved in an all-out war, to be harshly honest. Though we may want to be involved, we can not afford war, not with the likes of an alliance the caliber of Xile and Novvs Atlantis. Even with our Lamoni allies and their Termarian comrades, I am skeptical as to the likelyhood of victory. I know that we have never lost a war, but I will not in good conscience authorize our fighting men and women to commit to this conflict, likely sending many to their death, and for what? Revenge? I know that some of you are hungry for it after what happened at the AOlympics and the Peace Conference, but shall we sacrifice the safety of peace for a war that is not our own? Are you ready to deal with the great burden of informing countless Ainorpispian families that the High Council regretfully informs them that their son, daughter, sister, brother, father or mother died in this war?" Elana Kain concluded her own thoughts aloud as she looked to each of the people at the table, "For the time being at least, the Sacred Land of Ainorpisp is to remain neutral. We will see what both sides do before taking actions ourselves." She turned to General Quong, the Ainorpispian Army's CinC, "Send a message to Starblaydia asking permission to send a naval force to the area under the banner of AORDO. If Lamoni and Xile intend to make war as things stand now, we will not let them shed blood for a petty disagreement that may end up being a misunderstanding anyhow. We must keep all of our options open." |
| Posted by: Starblaydia Oct 22 2004, 04:30 AM |
| OOC: My reading of this is that Xile is guarding its 'boxes', which have been placed outside Lamoni's territorial waters. Termaria has somehow displaced them to inside the boundary, chasing after his divers, which I think is wrong. Unless Xile has said he'll pursue you, which I don't think he has (correct me if I'm wrong), you can't drag his ships into Lamoni 's Waters, where he wouldn't want to go anyway, rendering the last three posts since Xile started firing absolutely useless. |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 22 2004, 08:28 AM |
| (OOC: You are correct in this assumption, I never intended to enter Lamoni waters) Adonis Lauir paced the room furiously. "This is nothing but propaganda from a nation trying to advance itself in an alliance with a more powerful one. Admiral Iscarion did not enter Lamoni's waters. We can back this up with not only his highly-esteemed testimony and the testimonies of numerous other officials on the ship, but also sattelite feeds that show the ship well beyond Lamoni's jurisdiction." "Send this data to Lamoni immediately. We do not wish for a war right now, especially based on these unfounded accusations." "Contact our allies, and inform them of the situation intimately. As for Termaria..." His voice trails off. "We will not apologize. They tried to obtain data we deemed top-secret by clandestine and subversive means. We issued the statement that we would protect this data by force. We have done simply that, and they could by no means have not expected this result. They are trying to pull the region into a war it does not want, and this international occourance was just the vehicle they needed to do it." He threw the reports in his hands violently upon the ground. Breathing heavily, he began to recompose himself. "Issue a statement to the same effect I just pronounced. Contact Ainorpisp and offer this explaination. This seems to be out of our hands for the moment. Let it be known if war does erupt, we did everything in our power to prevent it." |
| Posted by: Ainorpisp Oct 22 2004, 11:42 AM |
| As soon as the Xilean message was recieved, it was brought immediately to the Honored Leader's office in the Hall of Government and placed directly into the hands of Elana Kain. At first, Kain was skeptical about anything coming from Xile, especially their President (OOC: is he a President or something else? can't remember) Adonis Lauir, but she decided it was her duty to have an open mind about this. Unless you considered everyone's point of view, you don't really know what the motivations behind certain actions would be. It was not a mistake that Ainorpisp was going to make, especially right now in a time when peace had seemed to be settling. Once she'd read it, Elana Kain turned to look out her office's window that overlooked the Plaza, just as rain continued to pour down from the sky. After a long moment of thought, Kain turned to High Priestess Alexandria I, who had also come to the office for another purpose entirely. The decision was there in Kain's questioning eyes, and a nod from Alexandria confirmed it. "I know the Xileans may have been less than admirable in their actions during the recent past, and that many Ainorpispians still feel anger towards them. We may never entirely offer forgiveness, but we have begun to move on. Our country has put what happened in the past, and we are progressing as both a nation and a people. Holding a grudge would be taking a step back, and more importantly, cloud this potentially violent situation. Therefore, it is our duty to take the Xilean information into consideration," Kain stated to the aide who had brought her the message, as well as the High Priestess, "And in this case, the information that we have gathered matches up better with the Xilean case than the Termaria/Lamoni case. There's no proof that the devices were anything but scientific, Xilean ships never intruded upon Lamoni waters, and war would be pointless and bloody at this point. Tell Xile that we believe them - for now, and that unless circumstances change, we intend to remain neutral." |
| Posted by: Xile Oct 22 2004, 12:11 PM |
| OOC: Yes he is an elected President, although a former general. Traditionally, generals and other high ranking military officials rise to political power in Xile after a general - Aidan Cannonite - reformed the government. I will respond in length after I see the responses of the other involved parties. |
| Posted by: Termaria Oct 22 2004, 01:38 PM |
| Colonel Venganza, lying in his Lamonian hospital bed, reacted with outrage to the inquires of the reporters. "What do you mean those weren't Xilean bullets? Who else would have shot my man? The truth is that he is now dead, and I have to write a letter to his family telling them that their father is dead. Those bullets came from somewhere--I ask you again. If Xile didn't shoot him, who did?" The throng of reporters communicating with the Colonel via a closed circuit channel hummed with interest, furiously scratching away at their pads. Meanwhile, in Termaria, ======================== "If you will notice, Xile said nothing about preventing operatives from countries other than Lamoni from inspecting the boxes," said the minister of law, Steven Occulto, protesting to Lord Virig and the rest of the council, "we were perfectly within our declared rights to perform the inspection!" "It's no use picking at inane details." said Rafael Montanegro, the Termarian Minister of War, "What is done is done. The only option that remains to us is to protest the immediate Xilean use of extreme force, and to attempt to determine who attacked our operative, if it was not Xile." The rest of the council, with the exception of Lord Virig, nodded at this emphasis of the situation soon to be released in newspapers from around the world. Lord Virig sat and looked mildly perturbed, his brow wrinkled and his fists clenched. "Soon," he said as he stood from his seat at the head of the table, "this conflict will need to be addressed. Hopefully we can do so without the use of force, but, if the situation requires that we respond, we will respond swiftly and without hesitation. Charles, make sure that the newspapers here about our decision." The minister of news, Charles DuGalle(of no relation to the Gaulic statesman), nodded and made a note on his pad. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 22 2004, 03:35 PM |
| When the information from Xile was recieved, it was brought to the attention of President Matt. After reviewing the Xilean data, and comparing it with Lamonian data (Lamoni doesn't trust Xile, but we do trust facts). It was discovered that the Termarian team COULD have been mistaken. As to who was shooting at the Termarian team, it was still thought that Xile was a likely candidate for that, but Xile would not want to start a war by entering Lamonian waters. "Draw down the military alert to peacetime operations." President Matt ordered. |