Ride the Lightning

[Layarteb]

Please note that this thread is a continuation of a Jolt thread. See the link below.

Ride the Lightning

Introduction

The history of the Empire of Layarteb begins in 1980 but Layarteb's history itself spans all the way back to 2000 B.C. when the first settlers moved into Layarteb. Until 1157 A.D., Layarteb was ruled underneath the Dominion of Tnemrot and independence was finally recognized in 1215 A.D., after a 57 year war for independence. From then until 1458, Layarteb remained a loose confederation of its four main tribes: Scythes, Grunts, Vandals, and Ontarians. The First Layartebian Civil War began in early 1458 after Scythian leaders moved the Layartebian capital to Layarteb City, which was in Scythian territory. Disagreement over a number of issues led to an attack against the Scythes by both the Grunts and Vandals on a cold, February morning in 1458. The war lasted all the way until December 4, 1791, when the Scythe's declared absolute victory over the remaining tribes and proclaimed the Republic of Layarteb. Between 1791 and the 1940s, the Republic of Layarteb prospered and grew facing very few actual wars and each one resulting in absolute victory for the Layartebians. However, as the 1950s and 1960s came, the Republic of Layarteb grew into an overly corrupt state with a government that was led by ineffective, inept, and corrupt leaders that favored themselves more than their constituents.

In 1967, the Republic of Layarteb became involved with the First Venezuelan Civil War. During the near ten years, resistance to the government and the war grew at home and it culminated in a wave of terrorist in 1976 by the Red Army Faction, a Marxist revolutionary group that caused significant damage to the country and killed thousands of people. They were ultimately defeated by military action but those who fought against the RAF were betrayed by the government. Opposition to the government grew and in 1977, the Second Layartebian Civil War broke out and caused the immediate and full withdrawal of Layartebian forces from Venezuela. In total, 23,940 soldiers were killed and an additional 16,800 were wounded in the ten years that the Republic found itself at war. The Second Layartebian Civil War was horrific and lasted from 1977 until July 4, 1980. The Republic and its government had fallen and many of its leaders were tried for crimes committed during their tenure and imprisoned or exiled. Some were executed. The Empire of Layarteb was declared shortly after the fall of Layarteb City on July 4 and the newly installed Emperor announced that the Empire would be an authoritarian republic. On the local level, such as towns, cities, counties, and states, the people would be able to elect their leaders through direct, democratic elections. At the federal level though, there would be no elections. In essence, the Emperor declared himself a dictator for life. The government instituted a policy of freedom and responsibility. Save for federal elections, the freedoms the Layartebian people experienced underneath the Republic of Layarteb were not repealed. Then, on February 16, 1981, the Conquests began. Over the next twenty-six years, the Empire of Layarteb expanded from under 200,000 mi² to nearly 6,000,000 mi² and expanded its population to nearly 1,310,000,000 people. By 2009, the Empire was up to 1,325,000,000 people.

Throughout the majority of the Empire's brief history, the Emperor had enjoyed approval ratings over ninety percent. The lowest had been in the fifties during the War in Kaliningrad, which led to a Layartebian defeat. Regardless, by 2005, this was back up to the high eighties and low nineties and it peaked to nearly ninety-six percent after the Conquests were declared over at Fleet Week in 2007. Unfortunately, elements existed within the Empire who pushed for a return to democracy all around and a return to a republic. These grew and a new wave of domestic terrorism began in 2005 with the introduction of the Republican Liberation Army. They were defeated by the end of January 2006 thanks mainly to military and police action against them. However, the RLA were minor and back and financed by a much bigger and much more powerful, global group known as the Illuminati. The Illuminati itself would be composed of only men due to its formation from within the Freemasons, the world's oldest fraternity. Good natured by heart and dedicated to charity, relief, and the ideals of liberty, the Freemasons were their own entity. The Illuminati was mainly composed of people within the Freemasons who weren't, by nature, good hearted and dedicated to charity, relief, and the ideals of liberty. Centuries old, the Illuminati, a global reaching organization, were the financiers of the RLA and many more groups as the years progressed. An organization with unlimited reach and near limitless funds, the Illuminati was controlled by a group of thirteen men known as Majestic. Majestic was dedicated to the destruction of the Empire and a return of the Republic and had been the ones to orchestrate the dawn of the RLA and mostly every other domestic terrorist act since 2005. They funded enemies abroad and created a revolutionary mind set. Now, they loom, aiming to complete the revolution that they started...

Downloadable PDF File of Original Jolt Thread [591 pages / 16MB]
Original Jolt Thread

Notes
The story you're about to read will be updated periodically and is listed as semi-open. If you wish to participate, please telegram me (do not post here) and I will be happy to give you the chance but please be forewarned, if you aren't a good RPer you won't be allowed to participate. I say this as such because I am a writer and I don't like to see stories of mine mucked up with noobishness. For further information, inquire within, as they say and let this not scare you off either. If you wish to see samples of other things I have written check the bottom links in my signature or simply click the link for my Roleplaying Guide. You won't be disappointed. Now, without further ado, here we go...

[Layarteb]

Table of Contents

Part I: The Prelude (Brothers in Arms)

• Chapter I: Faint & Numb (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter II: Frantic (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter III: Estranged (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter IV: Overburdened (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter V: Rosenrot (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter VI: Precious (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter VII: Colorblind (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter VIII: Gone Away (Old Jolt Thread)

Part II: The Exposition (Twilight Zone)

• Chapter IX: Greed & Serenity (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter X: Bleed the Freak (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XI: Goodbye For Now (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XII: Fall to Pieces (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XIII: Bleeding Me (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XIV: Stillborn (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XV: Cowboys From Hell (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XVI: Sehnsucht (Old Jolt Thread)

Part III: The Interlude (Down with the Sickness)

• Chapter XVII: Ugly & Damaged (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XVIII: Long Way Down (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XIX: Night Train (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XX: November Rain (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XXI: Kashmir (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XXII: Trapped Under Ice (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XXIII: Comfortable Liar (Old Jolt Thread)
• Chapter XXIV: Highway to Hell (Old Jolt Thread)

Part IV: The Recapitulation (All Along the Watchtower)

• Chapter XXV: The Diary of Jane & Dance with the Devil (Page 1)
• Chapter XXVI: Running Up That Hill
• Chapter XXVII: The Day That Never Comes (Page 2)

[Layarteb]

OOC Summary

Chapter One: Faint & Numb

• October 10, 2005: A massive truck bomb in the order of 2,000 pounds goes off outside a newspaper office of the LNN in the early morning hours. 7 dead.
• October 11: Missile Base 1511 undergoes treasonous insurrection. Further reports unknown.
• October 14: ILN Hunter SSN ordered to take up position off Layarteb coast. Further orders not given.
• October 15: Force Falcon Team One ordered to re-establish contact with Missile Base 1511. Boeing 777 crashes north of Athens, Tennessee. All 89 on board are killed. Investigation pending.

Chapter Two: Frantic

• October 16: Force Falcon Team One leads a strike on Missile Base 1511. During the course of the retaking, a single LGM-174A Satan is launched at Layarteb City with the intention of hitting it. Luckily, MIM-196 AABMS missiles intercept the ICBM before it could hit.

Chapter Three: Estranged

• October 18: Force Falcon Team One lands in Santa Cruz, Bolivia for the assassination of the President of GnOoLoCoPeLep.
• October 20: GnOoLoCoPeLepian President assassinated early in the morning.
• October 22: Failed attempt by terrorist group to bomb Layartebian airbase in Sunbury, PA.

Chapter Four: Overburdened

• October 23: Central Justice Agency begins Anti-Domestic Terrorist Force under the command of Bureau Chief Benjamin O'Davis. Identifies Republican Liberation Army as terrorist group responsible for bombings of Layarteb City and airliner over Tennessee.
• October 25: RLA blows up a Boeing 707 and an Airbus A300 from Layarteb Airways over Cove Neck, New York and Belle Harbor, Queens, Layarteb City.
• October 26: Emperor makes speech condemning the RLA. Raid on Layarteb City apartment nets 17 RLA terrorists and kills 3. Documents recovered tell of a plot for subway bombings.
• October 28: News media is leaked the presence of the Mayan uprising in the Yucatán state.
• October 30: Six security guards shot and killed execution style inside the Layarteb City office for Layarteb Publishers
  United.
• October 31: Secret societies meet to discuss revolutionary plan.
• November 2: Two firefighters die in a suspicious blaze in a New Jersey factory.

Chapter Five: Rosenrot

• November 5: 84 RLA terrorists seize St. Paul's Boarding School in New Hampshire and take 1,184 hostages, most of them under 18. In the fighting, they lose 2 of their own and kill 20, mostly school officials and guards. Terrorists round up hostages in the main dining hall as parents, soldiers, and police officers, including SWAT, surround the school. By 1300, a standoff ensues. At 1430, three children are executed by the RLA terrorists after a SWAT sniper shoots one of the terrorists. The SWAT sniper dies mysteriously. At 1530, Rome and Norway denounce the seizure.
• November 6: Under the threat of a severe winter storm, small group of soldiers enter school and hide in admissions office. Families begin to grow wrestless and plot their own action. Explosions go off in dining hall and a chaotic attack is done leaving 75 terrorists, 152 children, and 38 soldiers dead. Many are wounded. Seven terrorists are captured, including the leader.
• November 7: Emperor delcares national day of mourning for November 6.

Chapter Six: Precious

• December 1: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island become part of the Empire. Only Quebec remains.
• December 9: Quebecois Special Forces use VX gas against Jay, Vermont, killing 384 of 426 people.
• December 10: Quebecois invade Ontario during the early morning. Jay Incident becomes public knowledge and Quebecois SOF and RLA terrorists blamed. Quebecois forces make quick and powerful headway throughout the course of the morning, seizing North Bay. RLA base compound in Clinton discovered for its true purpose.
• December 11: Roman forces land to help the Ontarians. Quebecois clash with Roman/Ontarian forces in Alliston.
• December 12: RLA forces seize 12 MGM-212 CBRR rockets on an assault at the El Jobal Chemical Weapons Depot, in Venezuela. 60 base personnel and 18 terrorists are killed. The rockets are currently "missing."
• December 13: Roman forces repel the Quebecoi offensive, pushing them out of Ontario and towards Quebec. RLA group captured in Alliston, where Quebecoi forces devestated and forced back.

Chapter Seven: Colorblind

• December 15: Layartebian forces begin aerial attack on Quebec at 0200 loca l time.
• December 25: Ground war against Quebec begins at 0230 local time.
• December 30: Boisclair captured by Roman forces.
• January 1, 2006: Quebec War over. Montreal secure.

Chapter Eight: Gone Away

• January 21: Battle of Clinton begins. Layartebian forces attack RLA compound north of Clinton, Alabama. The battle begins at exactly 10:02, local time. 8 soldiers die initially. Full assault begins at 23:00. Assault ends at 23:40 with 52 soldiers dead and 82 wounded.
• January 22: Battle of Clinton continues. Stalemate ensues with a twenty-four hour ceasefire at 07:15.
• January 23: Battle of Clinton ends. RLA compound burned from the inside out, RLA leadership and fighters dead from suicide or gunshots. 427 die.

Chapter Nine: Greed & Serenity

• June 1: Former Minister of Intelligence dies inside of Nova Prospekt prison, Galapagos Islands.

Chapter Ten: Bleed the Freak

• June 15: Soldiers begin leaving the island of Grenada for 6-day liberty.
• June 16: Rebellion forces attack Grenada at 03:00 hours. At 05:29 hours, rebel forces shoot down Flight 2993 to Miami, Florida with 226 people onboard; none survive. By 20:00 hours, rebel forces have secured 100% of the island and suffered 3,049 losses. Layartebian casualties number 7,775 and 4,518 are captured. In the fighting, 839 civilians are killed in addition to Flight 2993.

Chapter Eleven: Goodbye For Now

• June 16: Dr. Gordon Gray of the University of Layarteb at Layarteb City is murdered by an unknown gunman.
• June 17: United Eastasian Republic publically officially recognizes the Republic of Grenada and offers supplies, funding, and aide.
• June 18: At 08:30 hours, the Emperor gives worldwide speech about Grenada and condemns UER for recognizing the Democratic Republic of Grenada.
• June 19: Imperial Layartebian Navy blockades island of Grenada.
• June 22: UER aide flight given clearance to land in Grenada. UER aide flight evacuates UER diplomatic contingent from Grenada. ILN RA-5E Vigilante conducts low-level reconnaissance.
• June 23: Christopher Allen Florence is arrested outside of Charleston, WV and questioned and held in connection to the murder of Dr. Gray.

Chapter Twelve: Fall to Pieces

• July 3: Supreme Grenadian of the DPRG secretly requests international aide to be delivered during a week long "negotiation" with the Empire, during which they hope the blockade will be lifted.
• July 4: MSgt. Brendan Williams and his family are murdered, possibly by drifters, in their Tennessee home. MSgt. Williams was due for a media interview regarding the shoot down of LA Flight 88 at 19:00 hours.
• July 6: Secret safe house in Panama is attacked by Force Falcon Team One early in the morning, just after midnight. RLA high council, survivors of the Battle of Clinton, are all killed. The total death toll is 42 in the safe house and 28 in the vehicle convoy. The Emperor agrees that the blockade shall be lifted on July 16, 2006 at 00:00 EST and reinstated on July 22, 2006 at 23:59 EST, if no progress is made during negotiations.

Chapter Thirteen: Bleeding Me

• July 11: Shoot out at Dockhouse 14 in Caracas shipyard leaves 13 dead. A mysterious cargo is stolen and the identity of all men, except two, is unconfirmed. Those two are linked with Esmeralda Cartel.
• July 13: Giacomo Benevetti is murdered by shooting and burning outside his office in Caracas, Venezuela. Suspects unknown though murder is linked with Dr. Gordon Gray. Suspect sought out is believed to be the same person for both.
• July 14: Esmeralda Cartel yacht sunk in the Gulf of Paria by ILN vessel. Eight men aboard killed. Two men founded murdered, execution sytle in Güiria. Both are linked to the Esmeralda Cartel.
• July 21: Layartebian delegation to Grenada is assassinated in their hotel in St. George's, totalling 29 individuals. Blockade resumes and the DPRG is given 24 hours from 11:00 hrs [EST] to surrender the island back to Layarteb City.
• July 22: Deadline passes. Hostilities officially begin against DPRG at 13:00 hrs [EST].

Chapter Fourteen: Stillborn

• July 22: Deadline passes. Hostilities officially begin against DPRG at 13:00 hrs [EST]. First eleven hours of fighting sees 1,600 Grenadian, 22 Layartebian, and 65 civilian casualties. Grenadian soldiers number 21,239 at the start of the war.
• July 23: At 00:15 hrs [EST], Victoria is secured. Mount Saint Catherine is secured at 03:00 hrs [EST]. Panorama and Trevellan are secured at 09:00 hrs [EST]. First thirty-five hours of fighting sees 3,839 Grenadian, 312 Layartebian, and 300 civilian casualties. Grenadian soldiers number 17,315 at the end of July 23. There are a total of 85 Grenadian soldiers captured.
• July 24: At 01:20 hrs [EST], Grenville is secured. At 03:00 hrs [EST], Saint Patrick's parish & Saint Andrew's parish secured. At 06:20 hrs [EST], the airport is secured. At 08:30 hrs [EST] assault on St. George's begins with aircraft and cruise missiles. At 11:15 hrs [EST] Gouyave is secured but massacre of civilians is found with 2,450 civilians executed throughout the town by Grenadian soldiers. First fifty-nine hours of fighting sees 7,293 Grenadian, 815 Layartebian, and 2,828 civilian casualties. Grenadian soldiers number 13,734 at the end of July 24. There are a total of 212 Grenadian soldiers captured.
• July 25: At 02:00 hrs [EST], all of Grenada is considered secured except for St. George's. At 05:00 hrs [EST], invasion of St. George's by Marines begins. At 21:25 hrs [EST], the captured Layartebian soldiers from June 16 are recovered. Of the 4,518 that were initially captured, only 3,758 remained alive. In the first eighty-three hours of fighting, 9,549 Grenadian, 1,787 Layartebian, and 3,201 civilain casualties are registered. Grenadian soldiers number 11,430 at the end of July 25. There are a total of 260 Grenadian soldiers captured.
• July 26: At 10:29:38 hrs [EST], a 5 kiloton nuclear device is detonated in downtown St. George's. The device is of unknown origin and at least 30,000 civilians and 8,500 Grenadian military personnel as well as 6,100 Marines are persent in the city when the device goes off. Possible casualties are expected to exceed 40,000. At 12:00 hrs [EST], the Emperor addresses the world about the events in Grenada. Estimates for casualties are narrowed between 20,000 and 30,000.

Chapter Fifteen: Cowboys From Hell

• July 26: At 11:30 hrs [EST], martial law is declared on Grenada and an immediate "in-house" curfew is imposed. At 14:15 hrs [EST], analysis shows that radiation is rapidly spreading towards Cottish Barbados, to the northeast, and that the device used was an enhanced radiation device. At 15:01 hrs [EST], the first fire fighting chemicals fall over Saint George's. At 17:00 hrs [EST], the bomb is identified as a W80-0 of a Tomahawk SLCM. At 18:20 hrs [EST], the bomb is identified as a Teh Ninjan weapon. At 21:18 hrs [EST], a fire storm hits the city and ravages the inner circle of the city, around the blast zone.
• July 27: At 09:30 hrs [EST], the bomb is identified as being built within the Empire of Teh Ninjas in Cuba and shipped to Madagascar for basing on a 688/I class submarine. At 11:00 hrs [EST], the fires within the city are considered "under control." Recovery efforts continue within the city.
• July 28: At 04:00 hrs [EST], the Emperor meets with President Baruti of the United States of Brink about the bombing. At 04:30 hrs [EST], two vehicles are identified on a highway heading north from Georgia and engaged by 2nd BOG forces. Two men are captured. Six are killed and their vehicle destroyed. Witnesses had little to say about the event.
• July 29: At 06:00 hrs [EST], the Emperor's aircraft and flight are engaged by twelve F-22B Raptors going rogue from the ILAF. All twelve rogue aircraft are shot down along with four F-22B Raptors and one F-14E Super Tomcat escorting the Emperor's aircraft. At 21:00 hrs [EST], the Emperor returns to Layarteb City. The engagement of his aircraft is kept "hush-hush."
• August 9: At 12:00 hrs [EST], the final casualty figures are released to include 37,221 as a result of both the blast and the radiation poisoning that followed. On Barbados, 400 Cottish individuals died.

Chapter Sixteen: Sehnsucht

• November 23: Layarteb Airlines Flight 1890 explodes in mid-air, at 19:30 hrs [EST], 8 miles south of East Moriches, Long Island. The cause of the disaster is yet unknown but all 526 onboard are presumed dead.
• November 24: Jasmine Delgado, the daughter of the Governor of the Province of Raef, is kidnapped at a market in Havana at 15:05 hrs [EST] by Luis Rendon and Javier Montenegra of the Florida Cartel. They soon meet up with Hector Pimentel, also of the Florida Cartel. Their house and car are burned and their whereabouts are unknown.
• December 1: At 10:27 hrs [EST], the chief of police for the Province of Raef is asssassinated when his helicopter is shot down trying to land on the roof of the Panama City police headquarters. Six men in the helicopter and three bystanders on the street are killed.
• December 11: Mysterious explosion around 22:39 hrs [EST] kills lead witness in Jasmine Delgado kidnapping and destroys two adjacent homes. Ten others are killed.
• December 23: Official investigation on LA Flight 1890 concludes citing that mechanical failure brought down the aircraft due to faulty wiring in the center fuel tank, which ignited fuel vapors and caused the explosion. All 526 lives were lost, making it the dealiest, civilian air disaster in EOL history.

Chapter Seventeen: Ugly & Damned

• December 27: The Empire begins a secret war against Faysal Abd-Al-Malik Behnam, a major warlord in Afghanistan and drug dealer who is directly linked with Layartebian cartels.
• February 2, 2007: Layartebian forces assist the Eurasian Federation in seizing Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. They wage a "secret war" against Sepah-e Pasdaran, an Islamist-terrorist group in the region. Evidence gathered from Sepah-e Pasdaran link them to the Layartebian situation. Funding for Sepah-e Pasdaran was given through Faysal Abd-Al-Malik Behnam by Totalis (Varsolan Corporation on the Falklands linked directly to Grenada), the cartels, and the RLA. Sepah-e Pasdaran trained various terrorist groups acting in the Empire of Layarteb from 2005 - 2007 including the RLA and Free Venezuelans. An unknown "major funder" is sought out.
• February 15: Layartebian forces invade southern Neuvo Rican Mexico and seize Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, and Tabasaco in the "War on Drugs" and, effectively, end the drug trade in the region when the war is completed.
• February 18: State governor of Venezuela is assassinated, presumably by a "domestic" terrorist group related to the RLA.
• March 1: Victory is declared in southern Mexico.
• March 4: Successor to the state governor vanishes mysteriously. Street violence in Caracas escalates to its highest levels since 1988. Fueled by Illuminati Ghost Warriors, street violences peaks shortly thereafter.
• March 12: Faysal Abd-Al-Malik Behnam is killed. Evidence links him to Sepah-e Pasdaran.
• April 1: Organized protests begin in Caracas and are brutally suppressed. In total 629 people, including 55 police officers are killed when the government stepped in to stop the protests.
• April 2: Two women are killed when the State Governer of Venezuela's house is attacked by rocket fire. The governor is severely injured and is forced to withdraw from his duties.
• April 5: The "Free Venezuelans" announce that they are a pro-independence group seeking for Venezuelan independence and claim responsibility for the attack of April 2. They are linked to demonstrations going back to March and are immediately assumed to be responsible for the February 18th assassination of the government.
• April 8: The Imperial Layartebian Military begins to mobilize as unrest in Venezuela peaks again.
• April 9: The Free Venezuelans detonate a massive car bomb inside the South Eastern Virginia government building in Caracas, leveling the building. Forty-five are killed in the attack, which occurs at 01:30 hours [AST]. At 01:32 hours [AST] fighting erupts in Caracs and by 05:30 hours [AST] Venezuela is in the midst of a total revolution.
• May 5: The last of the Free Venezuelans are captured, killed, or in hiding and the insurrection ends, unsuccessfully. Fatalities include 182,500 civilians, 4,528 soldiers, and 429,040 rebels. Casualties include upwards of 300,000 civilians, 12,086 soldiers, and 200,489 rebels. There are 342,493 rebels captured.
• May 14: The ministers of Defense, Intelligence, Interior, and Justice are fired.
• May 17: Assad al Samir, a prominent leader with Sepah-e Pasdaran is killed during a failed mission to apprehend him. He is a major player in Layartebian terrorism and acts as a middleman between Sepah-e Pasdaran and Totalis. He is also linked with the unknown "major funder" sought out by the Ministry of Justice.

Chapter Eighteen: Long Way Down

• May 19: An arson fire destroys the Church of Saint Andrews in the Bronx, killing 6.
• May 23: Marjorie Williams, a prominent writer for the Layarteb City Times, disappears from her White Plains home in the early morning hours. She was working on a feature story about the rise in kidnappings since November 2006. All of her notes, tapes, and the laptop she used were taken. No suspects are immediately sought. Early on the morning of May 23, Salem Nuclear Powerplant is attacked by eight unknown terrorists. Two are killed and six captured in a firefight that also claimed the lives of one security officer and one National Guardsmen. The attack was unsuccessful.
• May 24: Thomas Deveroe, last President of the Republic of Layarteb, dies in his sleep in Kerala, Cotland. Cause is determined to be acute myocardial infarction.
• May 25: Illuminati terrorists secretly take hold of the Sky Wonder, a cruise ship in the Caribbean Sea with 1,550 passengers and 600 crew members.
• May 26: Jeremy Berms, a director in the Ministry of the Interior is assassinated by an unknown hit man in the Yucatán.
• May 27: Referendum vote favors returning the body of Thomas Deveroe to Layarteb for burial 87.63% to 12.37%.

Chapter Nineteen: Night Train

• May 28: At 04:48 hours [EST], an M-107 civilian jetliner crashes on the Spain/Portugal border, all aboard are lost, including 108 Layartebian citizens. Cause of the crash is unknown. At 08:15 hours [EST], terrorists sink the Sky Wonder ocean liner in the Gulf of Mexico with explosives. All aboard, including 400 Cottish citizens, are killed, a total number of 2,150. An assault on a police station in Cleveland leaves 8 police officers dead and 31 injured. Of the attackers, 2 are killed and the remainder escape. Open revolution begins in Portugal with the secession of Portugal from the Fourth Reich. Spain eventually joins the secession.
• June 9: War breaks out with the Federal Republic of the Amazon concerning the Venezuelan uprising of 2007 and the harboring of insurgents.
• June 17: Eighty Layartebian civilians are brutally murdered by the Portugese government. At 19:30 hours [EST], Layartebian forces begin a systematic bombardment of Portugese strategic positions relating to their air force and air defense network.
• June 19: The last two of three Sepah-e Pasdaran terrorists are apprehended secretly in the town of Guarda in Portugal. They are returned to the Empire for questioning.
• June 24: Interrogations reveal that the name of the "domestic terrorist group." They are referred to as "Ghost Warriors." Little other information is known about them except they trained in Sepah-e Pasdaran camps and are elite mercenaries.
• June 27: Manaus is secured by Layartebian forces in the Amazonian War.
• July 3: The Amazonian War concludes with a Layartebian victory. There had been 566 KIAs, 1,768 WIAs, and 7 MIAs on the Layartebian side and there were over 20,000 civilian casualties and at least 30,000 casualties of all types amongst the military forces.
• July 10: An unknown assassin kills the Mayor of Raccoon City, the CJA Field Director for Raccoon City, and an unidentified woman.
• July 18: At 05:10 hours [EST], Layartebian police and CJA officers raid an apartment in the Bronx and arrest four Sepah-e Pasdaran terrorists plotting to set off a bomb in Layarteb City. They are Eurasian citizens.
• July 27: At 17:10 hours [EST], bombs rip through Grand Central Station, Pennsylvania Station, South Station, and Union Station in Layarteb City, Falcon City, and Chicago. In total, 913 people were killed and 542 required medical attention.
• September 1: Amazonian insurgents launch a brutal offense against Layartebian forces in the Amazonian Control Zone and are defeated with over 1,000 casualties to the enemy and fewer than 60 to the Layartebian forces.
• September 3: Anarchist forces launch attacks on Layartebian border stations between Mato Grosso and the Amazonian Control Zone killing 14 Layartebians, injuring 11. Anarchists suffer just 8 deaths.
• September 4: Layartebian forces launch Operation Thunder Rain with the systematic bombing of airports and highways in Mato Grosso to cut off the Anarchist forces from waging war in the ACZ. The goal is to push them out of the border area and stop a flow of arms and soldiers into the ACZ from Mato Grosso.
• September 5: Layarteb officially invades Mato Grosso with soldiers.
• September 7: Layartebian forces secure various northern cities and Anarchists call for a temporary ceasefire.
• September 10: Anarchist forces attack Layartebian positions near Juína, ending the ceasefire.
• September 12: The ILA launches an MGM-233 Vesta rocket into Juína, striking a civilian air raid shelter killing 1,730 and injuring 48. Of them, 1,698 are civilians, many of them children. This brings upon a subsequent international condemnation of Layartebian actions.
• September 24: Anarchist forces down a CH-53N Super Stallion II, killing 69 Layartebian soldiers, the largest single loss of life in one day to the Empire in over a decade.
• September 29: Layartebian forces begin the Brasnorte Offensive, aimed at driving Anarchists forces all the way south of Brasnorte.
• October 1: Brasnorte Offensive concludes with all goals achieved. Anarchists, decimated, call for an immediate ceasefire, which is honored.
• October 6: Anarchist remnants launch a surprise attack in Juína against an oil depot, airfield, and artillery base killing 2 Layartebian soldiers. Estimates for dead Anarchists exceed 60.
• October 8: All Layartebian forces withdraw from Mato Grosso by midnight. Operation Thunder Rain concludes, essentially, as a draw. The government of Mato Grosso pledges to keep Anarchist rebels out of the border area in return for Layartebian foreign aide and relations. The war leaves 484 Layartebian KIAs, 2,139 Layartebian WIAs, almost 9,000 deaths for the Anarchists, and over 20,000 civilian deaths.
• October 9: Layartebian Minister of Defense resigns.
• October 12: New Minister of Defense appointed.
• October 13: Former Minister of Defense mysteriously disappears from Miami, Florida.

Chapter Twenty: November Rain

• November 1: Unidentified Flying Object is downed near Raquette Lake, New York.
• November 2: MOI agent Miguel Santos disappears from his Caracas residence.
• November 8: Terrorists hijack a Layartebian 777 bound for Dublin. All six are killed.
• November 13: Maritime forces of the ILDF intercept and capture a pirate vessel south of Cuba.
• November 15: Michelle Baxter, daughter of Chicago Mayor, Dwight Baxter goes missing. Her whereabouts are unknown.
• November 16: Layartebian forces seige Tapauá in the ACT. Civil war breaks out in Mogadishu.
• November 25: Hostilities cease in Tapauá with an overwhelming victory by the ILA.

Chapter Twenty-One: Kashmir

• No Activity

Chapter Twenty-Two: Trapped Under Ice

• May 10, 2008: General Hoffer, administrator of the Amazonian Control Territory is assassinated in Manaus by an unidentified sniper. Riots break out in Manaus shortly thereafter that end in violence. There are 52 dead Layartebian soldiers, 868 dead civilians, 39 injured Layartebian soldiers, and over 1,200 civilians. A curfew is imposed.
• May 11: 2 people are killed violating curfew in Manaus.
• May 12: 4 people are killed violating curfew in Manaus.
• May 13: 65 civilians and 2 Layartebian soldiers are killed when 24 teenagers hurl Molotov cocktails into an abandoned military checkpoint in Manaus. Of the casualties, 18 of them consist of the teenagers, the remaining 6 were arrested.
• May 23: Cruise liner Nord Hill is hijacked by 16 terrorists.
• May 25: Nord Hill, situation ends with all terrorists killed by a Layartebian SOF raid. Terrorists had executed a total of 224 passengers during their hijacking.
• June 1: Full blown fighting erupts in Manaus. Operation Silver Tornado commences by the Layartebian military.
• June 2: A Vesta missile strikes a soccer stadium in Manaus killing 432, of them 198 civilians.
• June 6: Rebels down a UH-60M Black Hawk killing 14 paratroopers and crew members in the Empire's most damaging single blow for the war. A further 19 Layartebian soldiers are killed on June 6.
• June 13: Insurgent leaders are captured in Manaus by Layartebian SOF raid.
• June 15: Imperial Layartebian Military reports that full-scale fighting has ceased. Insurgent forces are in full withdrawal and defeat but fighting continues.
• June 18: Mop-up operation commences by ILM for rooting out insurgent pockets and hiding personnel. By now, 62% of Manaus' eastern sector is destroyed and 39% of the northern sector is destroyed. Southern and western sectors sustain up to 10% damage collectively. Over 1/4 of Manaus is in ruins. A total of 102 Layartebian soldiers are killed during the fighting with 212 wounded. Insurgent forces suffer upwards of 2,500+ killed and possibly 6,000+ wounded. In total, 819 civilians are confirmed killed by both sides in the conflict, including the June 2 strike.
• June 21: Ministry of Justice raids capture 14 members of the Illuminati based on intelligence collected from Manaus.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Comfortable Liar

• July 21: Dr. Brian Haydn is murdered outside Norwich, NY by an unknown assassin.
• August 5: Arthur McHenry, a college student is murdered in Layarteb City in the early morning by an unknown assassin.
• August 6: Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Eurasian ambassador to the Empire, is assassinated while hunting in North Carolina by an unknown assassin.
• September 5: Thomas Anderson and his wife are murdered inside their Chicago condo by an unknown assassin.
• September 12: Luís Dyson is assassinated by car bomb in Caracas by an unknown assassin.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Highway to Hell

• December 7: A Mato Grosso Twin Otter is engaged and destroyed not far from the Mato Grosso-Amazonas border. Assault rifles are recovered along with four bodies. The kill is not made public.
• December 15: ILM-SOF raid Aripuanã as a response to weapons being smuggled into the area for eventual smuggling into the ACT. The attack leaves seventy-six anarchists dead and eight Rangers when their helicopter is shot down during egress. The event was not made public.
• January 18, 2009: Maria Pendleton, a high-ranking member of the Council for a Democratic Layarteb is assassinated while giving a speech in Washington City by an unknown assassination.
• January 22: The Layartebian media is leaked the details of the Aripuanã raid and a secret manhunt begins for Angela Hornsbry, an ex-spy with the MOI when her name is identified on January 26.
• February 1: In a well-executed raid in Caracas, Angela Hornsbry is arrested by ILDF security forces but the raid leaves 24 after her residences was blown up through pre-wired explosive charges.
• March 17: Four young girls are kidnapped by pirates and their parents killed and boat burned.
• March 22: ILDF attack on a pirate base in the Gulf of Paria kills the majority of the Los piratas de la Serpiente and destroys their base, while recovering both girls

Confirmed Body Count: 754,782
Unconfirmed Body Count: 755,197+ [415+ difference]

[Layarteb]

The Diary of Jane & Dance with the Devil

April 9, 2009 - 13:29 [CST]
Isla Nublar, Pacific Ocean

Jane Auburn had been running for hours and she was tired, weary, and sick to her stomach. Her clothes were filthy, stained with mud, blood, and whatever else stuck to her whenever she fell to the ground or brushed past a tree. Her hair was drenched with the same soot, sweat all over her skin making sure it stuck to her once soft and tender skin. She was out of breath and she stopped, bent over and nearly vomited from the exertion her body experienced the last few hours. She had been running and hiding since the sun first went down the night before, when they had come for her. She had forewarning and took off before they had come but they weren't stupid, they caught on quickly enough and the chase was on, torches lighting their way throughout the night. Now that the sun was up, there were no torches to be seen, to allow her to hide from them. They drew closer and closer and each time she stopped to catch her breath, the twenty gained on her. The closer she got to the sea to the west, the closer they got to her and thus the hunt was reaching its eventual end. This time, when she stopped, she could hear their voices in the distance. They were drawing closer and closer and even she had to resign herself to the inevitable.

*************************

May 4, 2009 - 20:00 [EST]
Layarteb City, New York

The most watched hour of primetime news during any week was the 20:00 hour time slot and the leading news network during that slot was the Layartebian News Network (LNN). Though thought of as a state-run, media organization, the LNN was entirely independent and privatized. The Emperor had established freedom of the press early on in his reign and introduced legislation banning any sort of government-run media organization, whether it was radio, television, or print. There was obviously no rule against government influence though and the Ministry of the Interior certainly influenced a story here or there. Since the rise of the RLA in late 2005, the government had been influencing just as many stories as it had during the darkest moments of the Conquests. The media organizations, though generally compliant, were highly critical and it showed, especially with the LNN. Though always rather favorable of the Emperor and his policies, the LNN had grown increasingly hostile towards the Emperor and his policies. Their first form of outright and obvious dissent towards the Emperor came during the Saint Paul's Boarding School Siege, when eighty-four RLA terrorists seized the boarding school and held over eleven hundred people hostage. The siege ended with a shootout that left seventy-five terrorists, one hundred and fifty-two children, and thirty-eight soldiers dead and however many more wounded. Only seven terrorists were captured though the leader was among them. Shortly thereafter, the invasion of Quebec began and the Empire secured the last stronghold of Montreal on the first of January, 2006. Three weeks later, Layartebian forces engaged the RLA at their main base of operations in Clinton, Alabama that resulted in the entire compound being razed to the ground without any significant captures or intelligence seized, thanks largely to the fire. The LNN was highly critical of the government for the botched assault plan.

When Grenada was invaded and Saint George's was subsequently destroyed by a nuclear weapon in July 2006, the LNN, though siding with the people of the Empire like every other nation, quickly denounced the inability of the Ministry of Intelligence to know that there was a nuclear weapon in the city. It was the LNN that publicly announced the casualty figures on August 9, 2006. The LNN was critical of the government as well when the kidnappings began, especially when Jasmine Delgado, daughter of the Governor of the Province of Raef, was kidnapped. The LNN wasn't favorable of the Empire's Conquest of the Mayan territories in southern Mexico either and was quite critical of the government during the Venezuelan uprising in early 2007, especially when it became obvious how many civilians, over three hundred thousand, had been killed during the month-long war. When the Amazonian Republic was invaded, the LNN was initially favorable because of the role it played with Venezuelan War and its history in the Venezuelan conflicts throughout the latter part of the twentieth century. As unrest continued throughout the Amazonian Republic during 2007 and into 2008, the LNN was more than just critical. When the Sky Wonder was sunk, the LNN questioned the official story and was never satisfied with the explanation either. When the Amazonian War continued into Mato Grosso, the LNN was outright against it. There was some redemption in their eyes when the Nord Hill hijacking was resolved with all of the terrorists on board shot and killed by an SOF raid.

Tensions ran high with the LNN's directors and producers whenever someone from the Ministry of the Interior called. Someone had called when the story of the downed Panther helicopter in Mato Grosso was leaked and the LNN had, reluctantly, complied. The LNN always complied, reluctantly but when the Diary of Jane, as it was called, washed up on the shores of Costa Rica and made its way to a Roman forensics lab in California, and exposed something truly sinister, the LNN put its foot down. A call had been placed by the Minister of the Interior specifically when the LNN began to assemble the story. The conversation was long and at the end of it, there was silence. The phone call had been between the Minister of the Interior on one end and, on the other end, the President of the Layartebian News Network, the lead producer of the network, the director of the news department, and several other high-level personnel with the company. The call was muted for eight minutes while the men and women inside the board room discussed the matter and when they came back on the phone, their answer was simple: "No." They would run the story and that was their final decision. The Emperor called only an hour later but he was rebuffed as well, albeit very respectfully. When he ended the call as well, he contemplated drastic measures but he knew that the LNN Was far too high profile for anything of the sort. He would have to accept that the story would be run and hope that it gained no clout.

"Good evening," the newscaster, Shepherd Smith, began. The most popular journalist in the Empire, he sat comfortably behind his news desk and spoke with a professional look, his diction clear. "The top story tonight is the so called Diary of Jane. Washed up on the shores of Costa Rica last month and now independently verified by three Roman forensic agencies and one Layartebian, the LNN has the first, exclusive look into this diary. Originally thought to be nothing more than a fictional novel, it has now been verified as an authentic work. With us this evening is Dr. Roger Carver, a Roman forensic analyst. Dr. Carver. It's good to have you with us."

"It is good to be here."

"Now you hold a PhD in forensic science, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you are currently employed by the Los Angeles Forensic Institute, correct?"

"I am."

"To provide a little background for our viewers, the Los Angeles Forensic Institute is a world-renowed agency and leader in forensic science. Various Layartebian police agencies have consulted with this institute to solve a number of cold case files and even current investigations with domestic terrorism. The Los Angeles Forensic Institute was also the first Roman agency to verify the authenticity of the Diary of Jane. Did I get all of that right?"

"You did Shepherd." The Roman scientist said with a smile. "We were approached first by a specialized group within your Empire known as the Council for a Democratic Layarteb. At first we suspected this to be an elaborate hoax created by this group. Obviously, we had our suspicions."

"Understood."

"But what we found was authentic. We contact Ms. Auburn's family and obtained handwriting samples, including copies of her own employee enrollment forms, obtained through cooperation with her employer. In doing this, we compared the various sources together and obtained a clean format, what we referred to as a control sample. When compared to the handwriting in the journal, the match is perfect. Jane Auburn did in fact write this diary and under quite a large amount of duress."

"How did you determine this?"

"Based on the style of the writing, primarily how hard the pen was pressed, the type of strokes used. You see, you can determine all of this simply by analyzing the actual way the ink spreads on the paper. Jane Auburn, when she wrote this diary, was under considerable stress. There were additional fluids drawn from the pages that allowed us to confirm both this and its authenticity, which mostly included simple tears but also perspiration and blood, the latter of which was only found on the final pages. When we referred the Diary of Jane to other sources, they returned the same findings."

"Impressive. So what really will this mean?"

"Well, we doubt, unless Jane Auburn suffered from some sort of schizophrenia that what is written here is fictional. We reviewed all of the medical documents associated with Jane Auburn and can find no evidence of this at all. All of her medical evaluations reveal no abnormalities whatsoever. We believe that everything written here is absolutely the truth, which presents a very dangerous picture of whatever happened to her after her disappearance."

"Things that seem beyond unsettling. Yesterday was the first time that anyone outside of these laboratories were able to read what was written and let me be the first to say how horrible some of them are. Jane first talks about being drugged and kidnapped from her home on July 31, 2006 and the mystery around what happened to her. She awoke in some sort of hospital or prison facility, the latter seeming more possible. From then on, she was unaware of any sort of time or what day it was. Perhaps she was underground in some sort of secret facility. Some doctor named Russell Jacobson, whom we cannot seem to trace or track down, immediately became her acquaintance and explained much of what she wrote thereafter. Medical tests reveal that Jane Auburn had been the unwitting recipient of an incurable and infectious, sexually transmitted disease, an unfortunate but truly centerpiece aspect of her story."

"That is quite correct Shepherd. Jane Auburn was held in a facility with others, men and women, dozens, she doesn't give an exact count. The important detail is that, like her, they all were infected with some sort of incurable, infectious disease, but not necessarily sexually transmitted; although, from what she writes, that was the most prevalent disease. From what Jane Auburn writes, her and the others, shortly after their diagnosis, were all drugged and kidnapped in the middle of the night by an entirely unknown agency. We researched the evidence obtained from her house and compared that with a number of the famed kidnapping cases throughout the Empire. Unfortunately, while the crime itself is the same, there is little evidence that suggests she was kidnapped by the same individuals responsible for kidnapping a number of other people across the Empire over the past three and a half years. However, we did open the field of research to a number of high-profile kidnapping cases across the Empire over the past twenty-five years and found that this crime scene and at least eight hundred others were almost identical. So we know that whatever occurred here was definitely not a unique event." The show cut to a commercial shortly thereafter and came back after just three minutes. By the end of the hour time slot it had become evident that Jane Auburn's kidnapping was a planned occurrence that coinciding with hundreds of other ones across the Empire with the oldest dating back to 1984. That individual was a young boy, just fifteen, who had contracted syphilis through very mysterious circumstances. He disappeared from his bedroom in the middle of the night and his parents and younger sister had little recollection of what happened except being knocked unconscious during the event. Medical examiners revealed that they had been injected with a heavy sedative that knocked them unconscious for at least six to ten hours, the younger girl feeling the effects worse than the others, particularly because of her age, size, and body weight. Shepherd Smith promised his viewers that he would devote his resources and research efforts to establishing just what happened to Jane Auburn and also obtained permission from her family to publish the diary on the LNN website for the public to read. They and he hoped that someone would recognize something that could tell them what happened to her.

[Layarteb]

May 8, 2009 - 10:00 [EST]
Layarteb City, New York

The Layartebian News Network was known around the world long before it ever aired Jane Auburn's story. Countries around the world carried the channel and intelligence agencies watched it whenever the Emperor or any government official gave a televised speech but on average the daily viewership, while number one in the Empire, was only fourteen and a half million. That was barely one percent of the Empire's populace and not all of its viewers were in the Empire. Still, even with such low figures, the Layartebian News Network was the second most watched cable channel in the Empire. CNN was the second most watched news channel in the Empire with barely five million daily viewers, putting the LNN far ahead of their rivals in Atlanta. Based out of Layarteb City, the LNN was second in the world behind the Roman Free Press in average, daily viewership but its own records were about to be broken. On May 4, when the story first aired, Shepherd Smith's show, which averaged five million viewers of the fourteen million that the LNN received eight and a half million by itself, boosting the LNN to a record high over seventeen and a half million for the day. It didn't take long for the Diary of Jane to become a viral hit and word spread throughout the world, mostly by chat forums about the diary and its free download. In the first twenty-four hours, six hundred million people downloaded the PDF file, crashing the LNN's server eighteen separate times. The high demand was the most that the LNN had received all year long. On May 5, when the second segment aired, an astounding forty-four million viewers tuned into Shepherd Smith's show, setting every possible record there was to set. In the next twenty-four hours, the LNN's server crashed another forty-seven separate times as the downloads of the file increased from six hundred million to clear over three billion. On May 6, when the third segment aired, the record of forty-four million was smashed when eighty-eight million viewers from around both the Empire and the world tuned into his show and it was increased by another hour. After three airings and four hours, the show had established the authenticity of the journal, the condition and stressors Jane Auburn was under when she wrote it, analyzed the locations she wrote about, explored the processes she endured, and theorized everything there was to theorize. The LNN had only intended to air three, one-hour segments but the popularity was too much to pass. Thanks to the large viewership the first night, advertising rates for the second and third nights skyrocketed and after the second and third airings, the LNN had made more profit than it had in the entire year of 2008. Popularity pushed the LNN to make two more, two-hour segments. Research was conducted and experts were brought in from all over the world. Only sixty million people tuned in on May 7 and the trend was most likely going to continue for the 8th but the ad space was booked and so were the guests. Not even the Roman Free Press could touch the LNN during this week and every news agency throughout the world caught on after the first show. Everyone was talking about the Diary of Jane, even the Emperor.

"This is fucking nonsense!" He swore in his office in a rare use of profanity. A soldier, he was no stranger to profanity but, because he was a respected dignitary and the leader of the most powerful Empire in the world, he took on a professional persona unlike any other leader could. Rarely did he curse and when he did, it was always in private, occasionally at a Cabinet meeting. Thus when he swore to the Minister of the Interior this morning, it was for good reason but completely hypocritical. The LNN's story alleged that the island of Isla Nublar off the Costa Rica coast was the setting for the final entries of Jane Auburn's diary, a correct allegation. Isla Nublar was completely off-limits to everyone except certain authorized personnel under the guise that the island was home to a top secret medical research facility run by a partnership between the Umbrella Corporation and the Layartebian government. "Where do they get the nerve to accuse anyone of this!" The Minister of Intelligence was also present and the closed door meeting was held between only those three.

"With all due respect sir, they're truth." The Minister of Intelligence said with a matter-of-fact expression on his face. "We've looked," but he was cut off by the Emperor.

"I don't give a shit whether it's true or not. There are secrets that we hold because the public cannot handle the truth. You understand the concept of that I'm certain," it was almost as if he were scolding the Minister of Intelligence but he wasn't, he was speaking his mind. "The general public cannot cope with the measures and lengths we go to provide them with safety, security, freedom, and prosperity. If they could, I would be out of a job! This isn't some news story anymore, it's a worldwide phenomena. When we first stepped in to stop the story we stepped in because we knew what was to come of it but still, the Layartebian News Network persisted and we figured, 'why the hell not, nobody will buy it anyway, it's too sensationalist.' It's four days later and guess what, they bought it! The entire world bought it, even our closest allies. Do you know they had a demonstration in the Commonwealth of Hirgizstan demanding the truth about the Diary of Jane just yesterday? I don't call that 'sensationalist.'" The Emperor's tone objectified the anger in his mind.

"Sir, if I may," the Minister of the Interior spoke aloud for the first time since sitting down in the Emperor's office. "Our initial assumptions were obviously false. There's no denying that and we plain and flat out, 'fucked up' sir."

"You can say that again. Go on!"

"Sir. We have investigated every possible aspect of this story and I am afraid to say that we have absolutely no leaks. Nobody credible within this government or within the Umbrella Corporation, with inside knowledge, is giving any. Nobody is talking except researchers. Nobody with first-hand, actual insight is talking and that is the success in the story. They don't even have a source because if they did, they would be parading it all around. Their own source is this diary, which washed up on the shores of Costa Rica. How this 'Jane Auburn' snuck it in there is beyond me sir."

"Is she still alive?"

"Based on the diary, no." The Minister of the Interior answered the Minister of Intelligence's question and proceeded back to the main point, "The best advice is to maintain the same story we have since the inception of the islands. This is a medical research facility of a classified and highly contagious nature. We will not allow anyone to go there nor will we speak off or on the record about it. Anyone who does can be charged with violating national security and they'll find themselves on that island as well."

"How many are presently alive on the island?"

"Eighty-five at the minimum, two hundred and sixteen at the most. Based on records sir." The Emperor pondered a few thoughts and looked at the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Intelligence. He had the floor now.

"Exterminate them all within the next twelve hours. I don't want any fucking evidence, do you understand? Burn the goddamn bodies and make sure nothing remains."

"Sir?"

"Is there a problem with that order Minister?" The Minister of Intelligence smiled. This had been what he wanted all along.

"Sir I just think that's a little harsh."

"Minister do you understand the repercussions if the truth of Isla Nublar got out?"

"I do sir."

"Very well. Then you understand why I must give this order. How many are in processing right now?"

"Four hundred, give or take sir." The Minister of Intelligence chimed in, having reviewed the figures just before coming to the meeting. These four hundred were in the same facility that Jane had come from and they had yet to be transported to the island.

"Exterminate them too and begin preparations to review the program and enact any fail safes we have. I want this completed before that show goes off the air tonight. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir." The Minister of Intelligence was quick to agree but his colleague was slower, much slower.

"Minister I must have your full cooperation on this matter. I don't ask for sycophants but there is no room for disagreement here."

"Understood sir. I'll pass on the order."

"I want an update in two hours and every two hours thereafter. This better be resolved by 22:00 tonight."

"Yes sir," and like that, the lives of between four hundred and eighty-five and six hundred and sixteen men and women were thrown to the winds. The Emperor had ordered executions before and this was no different but if the truth about these got to the press and the public, the reign of the Emperor and the validity he used to rule the Empire would instantly be undermined and worthless. He couldn't allow that to happen, too many people would suffer. It was a decision he would suffer for the greater good because that was all he could do, that was the only choice he had.

[Layarteb]

May 8, 2009 - 22:30 [EST]
Layarteb City, New York

The Emperor put down the phone and though he had been given good news, the expression on his face would have suggested otherwise. He put the phone down and stood up, pushing his chair back. His office was empty and he had four windows open, blowing in a cool breeze that was sucked through his office thanks to the fire that continued to burn in the magnificent fireplace. He straightened his tie and walked over to a cabinet next to one of his four bookshelves. The cabinet wasn't locked but he looked at it with a sense that it was, that it was locked with a code that he didn't remember. He stared at the cabinet for five minutes before opening it and pulling out a glass bottle full of brown liquid that resembled iced tea more than anything else. It was really twenty-five year old scotch and he was getting a little low but he had enough for three more, full glasses. That would last him quite a while. He pulled off the cap and emptied about two ounces into a crystal glass that sat inside the cabinet. He put the bottle away and closed the cabinet as he looked at his book shelf. On the top shelf he stared at a book that looked almost as if it had never been opened but it had, plenty of times. Written four hundred and ninety-six years earlier, the book he had was a few hundred years old too. It had been given to him as a gift by Reichskanzler Kübler of North Germania. The book was written in Italian, the original. He lifted it from the desk with his scotch in one hand and opened it to where the bookmark was. "A ruler who wants to maintain his power is often forced to act immorally." He said aloud to himself. His doors were open and his voice echoed to his secretary outside who heard him. She didn't respond. He continued, flipping past a few pages, reading again, translating as he read, "No government should ever believe that it is always possible to follow safe policies. Rather, it should be realized that all courses of action involve risks: for it is in the nature of things that when one tries to avoid one danger another is always encountered."

He paced around his office, waiting for the end of the last special on the LNN. He had the television on but its volume was low enough that he could hear it but no one outside of the office could. And the decisions I've had to make... He looked at the book and closed it, putting it back in his shelf. The call he just received was the Minister of the Interior telling him that Isla Nublar had been cleaned. Its evidence was wiped clean. The scene on the island was horrific. Soldiers on the island moved through its dense jungles with assault rifles, sniper rifles, and machine guns wearing MOPP suits. They used thermal imaging from satellites to locate the packs of people on the island. They executed everyone horrifically and anyone who was wounded was shot right in the head. There would be no survivors. The bodies were collected, put into yellow body bags with tag numbers on each and every one of them. They loaded them onto trucks and brought them back to the main compound, where the evidence was burned in gigantic furnaces situated a hundred feet below the main compound. The bodies were burned constantly and by the next morning, there wouldn't be any left. The operation wasn't necessarily fully over but there weren't anymore people alive on the island. At the same time, the three holding facilities around the Empire, just like the one that Jane Auburn had been sent to, underwent their own cleanings. Doctors and officials visited each and every cell, injecting everyone with a cocktail drug so potent that it guaranteed death. The cocktail included a fast acting, strong barbiturate that caused them to go unconscious, the same barbiturate used in lethal injection, sodium thiopental. Normally, two to five grams were given in lethal injection but the dosage given to these patients was double. The second drug in the cocktail included pancuronium bromide and a few hundred milligrams were given. The third drug was potassium chloride, which helped lead to cardiac arrest. Everyone was dead in hours and those bodies were handled the same, burned in massive furnaces in the holding facilities. An eerie silence filled each and every one of them.

For the day, the dirty deeds were done. They were enough for a lifetime but the Emperor had made many in his past and the future guaranteed that there would be more. In a single day, four hundred and eighty-five people were executed by order of the Emperor. Four hundred and eighty-five people who were doomed anyway but their lives had been cut abruptly short by the Emperor, thanks largely in part to the popularity Jane Auburn's diary gained in just one week on the LNN.

[Layarteb]

May 13, 2009 - 13:30 [EST]
Layarteb City, New York

"This is the third day of 'legal' demonstrations about the Diary of Jane. What in the hell did these people open up here?" The Minister of the Interior commented to himself as he shut off the television in his office. The demonstrations in the Empire's capital had been done the right, legal way and left the Interior Ministry with their hands tied. The Emperor had watched the demonstrations himself and shook his head as the demonstrations grew. The Minister of the Interior explained, more than once, that he could do nothing, that the demonstrations were legal, that doing something would only draw more attention to the cause. They had to just accept it but the Emperor had other plans, plans that the Minister of the Interior reluctantly agreed to, plans that involved yet another false flag operation. Two agents with the Ministry of the Interior's Interior Ministry Forces had been drafted for a clandestine mission that was to be undertaken in the heart of the capital. As the demonstrations began on May 13, they joined the crowds tasked with just one mission, to make the demonstrations violent. As the demonstrations passed the mayor's office, the violence began with simple acts of throwing glass bottles at the police forces standing guard. The reaction was swift and decisive. As the police responded to the threat, the demonstrators pushed back. Violence always begets more violence and this was absolutely no different. News cameras rolled as demonstrators and police officers clashed.

The Minister of the Interior looked outside of his office, across the capital and lifted the phone to his ear. He knew that he was going to be getting a call and it had come right on time. The phone rang and he lifted it to his ear. "Sir." He answered as the Emperor opened his mouth. The Emperor spoke briefly and hung up the phone before he could say anything more. It had been congratulatory but there was no way to spin what was happening as anything good. Chaos was going to ensue in the city and the Ministry of the Interior was responsible for overseeing the mess. It had been a plan that the Emperor had reluctantly offered, knowing that the consequences were too great to allow otherwise. Billions of lives were at stake if the Emperor's authority were perceived as weak and perception was crucial, absolutely crucial. Inside the Interior Ministry building, not far from where the demonstrations were being held, panic ensued. Analysts were scurrying about, trying to get a handle on the situation as a full-on riot ensued. Soon, helicopters were overhead, providing police with support as tear gas filled the streets and dozens upon dozens of people were thrown into police vans in handcuffs.

The peaceful demonstration turned riot made international headlines as fast as it made national ones. All-in-all, there were three hundred and seventy demonstrators there against nearly a hundred police officers, who donned riot gear. Eleven police officers were seriously wounded in the melee but that paled in comparison to the one hundred and forty-nine demonstrators who were brought to the hospital with wounds that were legitimate. Despite the fact that the demonstrators acted violently first, in the eyes of everyone reviewing the situation, they were still the good guys. There to get their fifteen minutes of fame, the Council for a Democratic Layarteb went on every news broadcast they could. Lucas Henning, the president of the organization condemned the police response as brutality and called for the Emperor himself to address the matter, which he never would. Henning played the situation up as best as he could and embellished whatever he could. Yet, it was bought hook, line, and sinker. The populace had seen the videos, they had heard the commentary but yet there had not been such an incident like this in over a decade. Strikes by workers were handled calmly and demonstrations never turned violent. This one was sort of the straw that broke the camels back. People felt that if the demonstrators risked bodily injury for their cause, it must be a true cause. The false flag operation, though successful in its immediate goal, was an abysmal failure. Support for the Diary of Jane nearly doubled overnight and demonstration requests were received by the Ministry of the Interior for every major city in the Empire save for Manaus, where the military still controlled the situation.

That evening, the Minister of the Interior took another phone call from the Emperor and explained what had changed. The Emperor bit his tongue, an odd occurrence but it had been his call, his plan and though his gut feeling had told him otherwise when he first proposed it, he went ahead with it anyway. Now he would have to face the music. Opinion polls drastically reduced ten or more points overnight and the Emperor was facing his lowest approval rating ever, as it hovered just under sixty percent. The people of the Empire had seen an ugly face that reminded them of the days of the Republic, when demonstrations against the government frequently turned violent, usually at the behest of the police and riot forces overseeing them. Despite the fact that the demonstrators fired the first shot, they were the innocent ones and that wouldn't change. The media hailed them to be and government officials all over the world had an opinion on the matter. They called the protests a desperate act by a people who craved democracy. Critical of the authoritarian type system in the Empire, these officials were all too happy to put the Emperor on the chopping block. Perhaps the most vocal critic of the demonstrations was the United States of Brink, which had grown increasingly unfavorable with the Empire over the previous decade. Relations weren't yet strained but soon, they would be, if the criticism continued.

[Layarteb]

If there was ever a breaking point it was now. The recent actions of the Empire of Layarteb had been growing increasingly brazen. These actions didn't go unnoticed especially in the States. Perhaps the biggest critic of the Empire the United States had repeatedly openly denounced the Empire for the ‘mishandlings' of certain events. The Mato Grosso Incident had really drawn heat from the States and ever since public demonstrations had been growing in numbers. Pressure was steadily increasing on the government to take stronger action against Layarteb. While direct action was obviously not possible, something was going to have to be done to keep the population happy.

All of this was well known to Baruti. Nearing the end of his term, he was caught in a tough situation. Openly critical of Layarteb he was being forced into a corner. With that being said the US and Layarteb had strong ties beyond government. The two were huge trading partners, joining the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans together. Not to mention the US's biggest ally (Hirgizstan) was close allies of Layarteb and TOA members to boot. Furthermore, because he was at the end of his presidency, he didn't want to start something that he couldn't personally finish.

Nevertheless he had to do something, and while in the grand scheme of things it wasn't much, it had to be done. He thus sent out an official message to Layarteb and the World.

To the Empire of Layarteb and nations of the world, the recent actions taking place in the Empire of Layarteb are unsettling. The Empire has been developing a long list of human rights' violations. Yet the world simply looks on, refusing to challenge the power of the Empire. They, along with others like them, must be held accountable for their actions.

Peaceful demonstrations, legal in the Empire, have been met with violence on the part of the police and government. Protestors voicing their opinion, the opinion of the people, were brutally silenced in typical authoritarian fashion. The Diary of Jane, as it has since been named, highlights a seemingly long tradition in Layarteb of waiving human rights'. Kidnappings, torture, and murder. These are only a few of the activities described in the Diary.

At what point can we, as civilized people, not look in the mirror. Such actions must be met with justice and accountability. As the first step the United States of Brink is formally issuing an Embargo on all Layarteb goods. In effect trade with Layarteb has been halted. We ask that other nations to issue their own sanctions in an effort to force Layarteb to deal with their internal problems. We must bring these matters to the forefront and deal with them as intelligent, civilized individuals do.

[Layarteb]

When the Brinkian announcement and boycott came, the Emperor was more than furious, he was insulted. President Baruti had become a vocal critic of the Empire as his term wound to a close but the Emperor wasn't too certain he was really a critic and not just appeasing the people of his country. He was obviously someone who had yet to read The Prince. President Baruti had crossed the line here and it was unforgivable. The Emperor had forgiven him and his country when a thermonuclear weapon wound up in Grenada and detonated, killing tens of thousands. Justification for war, the Empire had chosen to move past it and put it up to terrorism that the United States could not control. When Somali arms dealers were found to be shipping weapons to the Ghost Warriors, the Empire moved past any sort of diplomatic sanctions. The Empire only responded diplomatically when the Brinkians stuck their nose in domestic affairs with the Amazonian Control Territory. The Emperor had misjudged his Brinkian counterpart and words would get him nowhere. The Brinkians were treading in deep water filled with sharks loyal to the Empire. They were cutting off one of their largest trading partners and possibly alienating the October Alliance; although, the Emperor had yet to call to council any discussions with his most trusted allies.

The Emperor had not yet issued an international, diplomatic communique but he was close. Instead, he would call and speak, personally to President Baruti, if he would accept the call. When he did answer, the Emperor was mildly surprised. He half expected the old man to ignore his call, which would have been a prelude to decisive action. It was in his favor to answer and he did, "Mr. President I assume you know why I'm calling." The Emperor said, his tone obvious with seriousness.

Baruti was actually pleased. He knew that what he had said was political dynamite. It could have been taken in any direction. The fact the Emperor had chosen to call him was a step, at least in his mind, in the right direction. "I am actually pleased you are doing this," replied Baruti in a disarming fashion.

"Mr. President, before we begin, let me remind you that the domestic happenings of the Empire are, in accordance with the Doctrine of Sovereignty, our sole responsibility. Embargoing the Empire is counterproductive as we are among your largest trading partners and would do more harm than good. I must know why you have chosen this route. If it is concerning the demonstrations in Layarteb City, may I remind you that video evidence has shown the demonstrators grew violent first and the police were responding to that violence. It is a shame what happened but it was unavoidable. We handled the situation as best as we could and I am not critical of our law enforcement services for how they acted."

"Moral responsibility is, at times, an unfortunate virtue. Sovereignty has its limits. We cannot simply sit by and continually allow for such violations to basic human rights. The videos, in the eyes of the world, are inconclusive. These protests took place peacefully for three days. What changed…I ask you?"

The Emperor enjoyed the comments by President Baruti, it was furthering his resolve for the situation. No nation would dictate to the Empire how it would handle its own business, not even if they stood at its doorstep with its entire army. "The eyes of the world are the least of my concern President Baruti. They see the evidence through biased eyes. Nothing pains me more than to see violence in my own capital, so close to my own doorstep but it is a fact that I must deal with personally. What changed? I am uncertain myself but we are currently interrogating those who were arrested. They will be charged for their crimes accordingly and thanks to video surveillance, we have an unbiased eye to refer to in our courts. There is no heresy here, there is only the truth. The videos clearly show that individual demonstrators responded by launching a projectile towards police officers, injuring one of them severely. Those felons are currently in custody with the Layarteb City Police Department and being interrogated as we speak. Their motives have yet to be divulged but when they are, the world will know. There are organizations within the Empire that stoke fires with the aim of causing a conflagration. We believe, at this moment, that this was a staged event by the Council for a Democratic Layarteb, one such organization. We believe that this organization used these demonstrations to put police in this exact situation and garnish this sort of international response. They seek unopposed, unchecked, absolute power within the Empire under the guise of a democratic republic. Let me assure you that if they were to obtain such a thing, human rights will mean nothing to them.

"The Empire has responded to threats posed to the safety and security of not just our populace but the entire world populace as well. You accuse us of violating human rights but we have violated none. Never yet have we violated the laws of our Empire in order to secure any situation. This Diary of Jane is speculation. I personally believe it to be a hoax, carefully orchestrated by such an organization as the Council for a Democratic Layarteb. The conditions the writer was under could be easily reproduced by any kidnap victim and we are opening an investigation of missing persons with the Council for a Democratic Layarteb as one of the suspects. We believe that in their quest for unbridled power, they have committed the crimes they accuse this government of committing. Those who yell the loudest often have the most to hide Mr. President." The Emperor awaited President Baruti's response. He had placed the President in a careful scenario.

Baruti was well aware that personally he wasn't going to be able to change the tide of current world affairs. His country, with no force to project its principles, was but a voice drown out by the hum of jet engines and armor clad tanks. You can never underestimate a voice though. "The biased eye belongs to you. Your reign at the top of world affairs has strained your resources and your principles.

"We would like to launch our own investigation of the incidents regarding both the protests and the Diary. If there is nothing to hide, as you have alluded to, then this should not be a problem. I have already heard reports that those suspected members of the protests who started the violence were not known to the others already present. It begs the question I am afraid." His last statement was somewhat of a bluff. Initial reports did back up his comment but nothing had been made official and as such the reports were unreliable.

"I will not allow such an investigation at all. I too have seen this and I too questioned it myself but I looked outwards at the scenario Mr. President. Plausible deniability. Of course they don't know them, if they did it would implicate them. Strangers would certainly not cast a bad reputation upon anything. It changes nothing. My resources and principles remain exactly where they were twenty-nine years ago, when I first took this office. That is to ensure the safety and well being of my people, which number one billion, three hundred and twenty-five million. Our domestic affairs remain ours. We have long kept silent about the lawlessness in Somali and we certainly forgave the Grenada incident Mr. President. We have already sacrificed too much for the world and we have only our sovereignty to stand on at the end of the day. I will never relinquish that, not to anyone. Mr. President you ask that I consider logic but yet your actions are not logical. These do not seem to be the actions of a President but rather the actions of someone who is being pushed. Tell me Mr. President, are these words your own?"

"Such a response saddens me. These words are my own; they are the words of my people, the words of my nation. I stand for what the people believe in, that is my job. I was expecting the same from you. If you wish to clear your name I hope you will reconsider. Doubt is a powerful tool but so is truth. A notion you seem to be well versed in."

President Baruti's comments weren't gaining him favor with the Emperor. "I too stand for what my people believe in and my people believe in many things, all of which I provide for on a daily basis. I speak for the Layartebian people when I defend our sovereignty and defend the actions of the Empire. There have been, in the past, times when I have had to choose between two horrible choices and I alone must live with them but they are my choices to make. This was a decision I did not have the opportunity to make, the Layarteb City Police Department did and I stand behind them. Mr. President, an embargo on the Empire will not cause us to change our policies but it may bring support from aboard and it may bring resentment. The Empire exports to practically the entire planet and some nations rely on us for their sustenance. If you embargo the Empire Mr. President, you are embargoing the world. To me, this is an attempt by the United States to oust us on the global trading market to make up for a number of faults within your own country, faults that we may need to become critical about in the future. It just so happens that this event within the Empire seems to provide you with a catalyst. I know that the world will see through this but if they should become entranced, I would like to point out, ahead of time, that the Doctrine of Sovereignty would be employed." The Emperor meant business. He wasn't being threatening but he was making his point quite clear. There could be no room for mistake.

Baruti knew that through this altercation there would be no military action. Words were simply words. Even escalation through global support wouldn't bring about action, at least not on part of the United States. This was a debate on the political stage, not the battlefield. Nevertheless Baruti knew he was treading on thin ice. There was a fine line he was walking but he too wouldn't back down. "If you are to become critical of my nation then that is your right. Certainly we too have made our mistakes. Though in your position to point the finger elsewhere would undoubtedly send four others pointing back to you. I know you are smart enough to realize that.

"The Embargo was a hasty decision and repercussions will be felt. We can maintain it for some time though without significant loss. You understand why I did it. There is nothing more to say on that subject."

"If that is so Mr. President then I am forced to act accordingly. First and foremost, any Brinkian vessel caught within the previously declared waters of the Empire shall be immediately detained and its crew held as criminals to the Empire. This will take affect in twenty-four hours from this moment in time. Secondly, having previously accepted fault for the unwitting supply of the thermonuclear device from Madagascar to the Democratic Republic of Grenada, the United States of Brink will be made to pay reparations for the lives lost on the order of eight hundred and fifty thousand shingrots to each family affected, which shall be equal to the relief previously paid by the Layartebian government. Thirdly, should arms continue to flow out of Somalia and into the hands of the enemies of the Empire, the Empire shall turn its attention to Somalia and to Windhoek for aiding and abetting enemies of the Empire, whether domestic or foreign. Fourthly, all vessels of the United States of Brink shall be barred access from the Panama Canal. Fifthly and lastly, all citizens of the United States of Brink shall be given fourteen days to vacate their residencies in the Empire. Consequently, we will be restricting visas to the United States of Brink to its lowest historical levels. Mr. President, I am angered that you have forced my hand like this but I do not have any other choice. As you say you have no other choice either." The Emperor had made his terms, his point, and cast his die.

Baruti could do nothing but sigh. It had thus been taken to its furthest point. He didn't expect this sort of rapid escalation but that was the way the cards been played. "In order to prevent any hostilities, which you seem so insistent to begin, we shall increase our activity in Somalia. Our residents and vessels shall leave your jurisdiction. I cannot, however, agree to the payment of reparations. I don't know why you would even suggest that knowing full well I would not comply.

"Further the United States will enact no such measures. I will offer to lift the embargo if I am allowed to conduct my own investigations. I would like to suggest, Emperor, that you slow things down a moment."

"Mr. President if we were to allow you to conduct an investigation we would set the precedent for every other nation to have a say in our internal policies. We have not asked your embassy to vacate just yet but let me remind you of Article XI, Section II of the Doctrine of Sovereignty. 'The Empire considers all actions it undertakes within its borders protected under our sovereignty. No foreign power, whether friendly, neutral, or hostile, is permissible to interfere with internal affairs of the Empire of Layarteb, regardless of actions. Any interference will be met with serious repercussions.' In the past these repercussions have been met with war, if you will recall the former Amazonian Republic. Now in the interest of world peace we have not quickened to such rashness but we must remain firm on our own defense. Because the United States of Brink was unable to account for the warhead and because of its use against the Empire, the United States of Brink is guilty of, at the very least, gross negligence in the matter. Until now, the Empire had paid, from its own pocket, restitution to eighteen thousand, eight hundred, and forty-one families. We must recoup our losses. If the United States wishes to embargo us, we too shall impose our own sanctions and terms. Opportunities await Mr. President. We are both too old for illogical nonsense but as you have moved your pawn so too shall I respond." This was a game of chess and while President Baruti had opted for the white pieces, the Emperor played his best as black.

"You have no warrant for war here. I wish you wouldn't toss such a powerful word around. It is that very doctrine that has protected you thus far. I know I cannot undermine that. I am not asking to. If need be we can make a public statement on the matter that will allow only my team to investigate. I want to help. I want to remove all doubt from the equation. The Johannesburg Courts will lead the investigation as an internationally governed body. I must insist. If there is nothing to hide, there is nothing to lose."

"Our Ministry of Justice is fully capable of investigating this matter. The Empire shall submit to no international courts. If we were to do such, we would be no better than the Republic we replaced. Our populace remains aggressively against it all the same and there is warrant. An embargo upon a nation has, traditionally, been considered an act of war unto itself but, for the time being, I am willing to stay on diplomatic grounds but we have much to lose here. Mr. President you condemn us for many things but what say you to the forced imposition of one nation's will upon another? Surely you have sought to speak out against the Empire for 'imposing our will' and our 'policies' upon other nations, the Amazonian Republic for starters. Yet, you are doing the same here."

"I have asked only for an investigation. The Courts hold no actual power, I understand that. Our investigation will be unable to impose any will. Its only purpose is to uncover the truth. Surely…that should not be a problem?"

The Emperor hated beating the same drum again but the policies of the Empire were not up to discussion. "The truth will be uncovered but it will be uncovered the way it always had. From within. The Empire has never recognized the authority of the Johannesburg Courts nor shall it ever and to allow even an investigation would require the Empire to force some recognition to the court. We will not restep upon our previous statements in this conversation and in history. Mr. President, there is no more room for discussion on that matter. Your terms borderline blackmail and the Empire shall not be blackmailed, regardless of the situation." The Emperor was far from accusing his Brinkian counterpart of blackmail but he was certainly giving him a reckoning. The Empire had cause, the Empire had justification, and the Empire had historical precedent.

Baruti understood that this conversation, for now at least, was coming to an end. It wouldn't be the last though as this story was just beginning. "It seems for now that we have reached a stalemate. We will have to wait and see what the world does. It won't be long before we talk again." There was nothing more to say. The phone call had ended and the Emperor made another one quick. Within four hours, the Empire would release its statement to the United States of Brink and the world.

Official Communique

Priority: High
Recipient: United States of Brink, Global Community
Origin: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Classification Level: Encrypted
Subject: Brinkian Embargo


The Empire is more than disappointed by the embargo called fourth by the United States of Brink. The Brinkians, seeing an opportunity within the Empire in this troubling time, have set fourth baseless accusation against the Empire that are unfounded, unwarranted, and unnecessary. They accuse us of violating human rights but they do so based on a piece of literature that the Empire believes to be the most elaborate, expensive, and well purported hoax in the history of our great nation. They condemn the actions of our police forces who have responded against violence. Demonstrators who are currently in custody fired the first shots at a peaceful, legal demonstration and must now suffer the consequences accordingly.

This embargo called by the United States of Brink is more harmful than helpful. They demand that we submit to the Johannesburg Courts for investigation but our own courts are more than capable of deciding our own justice. The Layartebian people have never accepted these courts and neither has this government. They demand that we submit to them as conditions for lifting the embargo, twenty-first century blackmail. The Empire will stand firm against this and respond accordingly.

Enacting the provisions allowable to this government through the Doctrine of Sovereignty, the Empire hereby enacts the following, specific charges.

• Article VI, Section II: Passage to the Panama Canal may only be done by two approved routes, which will be monitored by the Imperial Layartebian Navy. Any foreign vessels disguised as civilian vessels committing acts of espionage will be capture or sunk accordingly. Passage to military vessels remains restricted. Passage by any foreign vessel requires the approval of the Layartebian government.
• Article XI, Section II: The Empire considers all actions it undertakes within its borders protected under our sovereignty. No foreign power, whether friendly, neutral, or hostile, is permissible to interfere with internal affairs of the Empire of Layarteb, regardless of actions. Any interference will be met with serious repercussions.
• Article XI, Section IV: Any foreign, sovereign state found to be aiding and abetting an insurgent group within the Empire or acting against the Empire will be regarded as hostile and these acts shall be regarded as acts of war.
• Article XI, Section V: Any trade by the Empire or with the Empire of a legitimate and legal subject shall not be infringed upon by any foreign, sovereign state.

Traditionally, embargos have been acts of war but the Empire shall remain diplomatic for the time being. We therefore impose the following conditions upon the United States of Brink and any other nation that joins the embargo against the Empire. Should the United States of Brink or any other party agree to repeal the embargo, the Empire shall re-evaluate the following conditions.

• All Brinkian flagged civilian and military vessels currently within the maritime boundaries of the Empire, set fourth as twenty-four nautical miles from our coast, shall be immediately detained and its crew held as criminals. All Brinkian flagged vessels will have twenty-four hours to comply with this order, effective immediately.
• Having previously accepted fault for the unwitting supply of the thermonuclear device from Madagascar to the Democratic Republic of Grenada in July 2006, the United States of Brink shall be made to pay reparations for the lives lost on the order of §850,000.00 to each of the eighteen thousand, eight hundred, and forty-one families affected.
• Should arms continue to flow out of lawless Somalia and into the hands of the enemies of the Empire, the Empire shall turn its attention towards both Somalia and Windhoek for aiding and abetting our enemies, whether domestic or foreign.
• All vessels of the United States of Brink, flagged as either civilian or military, shall be barred access from the Panama Canal, effective immediately.
• All citizens of the United States of Brink living within the confines of the Empire shall be given fourteen days to vacate their residences and return to the United States of Brink with the exception of those citizens holding Layartebian citizenship.
• The Brinkian embassy shall be placed under careful watch and should further acts be made, the Empire shall remove its mission.

Sincerely,
The Emperor

Classification Levels

Standard: Standard classification is the normal level of encryption. It is equivalent to the standard levels of encryption seen on most secure e-mail clients.

Confidential: Confidential classification is a higher level of encryption than "Standard" but it is not heavily encrypted. It is used mostly for flash traffic to foreign countries and requires some additional decoding time. It uses 512-bit RSA encryption methods and has several key ciphers that change unpredictably.

Secure: Secure communiques use 1024-bit RSA encryption and several key ciphers within them that change unpredictably to ensure that message traffic is not hacked or decoded. Access to said messages would require heavy cracking software and significant resources but it is not "uncrackable." It can be a viable level through 2010.

Encrypted: Encrypted classification is the second highest level of classification. It is uses 2048-bit RSA encryption and multiple key ciphers within it to ensure that cracking it would take such a significant amount of time to accomplish that, should it be done, the message's usefulness would have already expired. Though anything is crackable, because of the methods employed, this level is often considered "uncrackable" by current capabilities. To ensure revolving protecting, ciphers and encryption algorithms will change unpredictably. This level is sufficient until 2030.

Maximum: Maximum classification is the highest level of classification available. It uses 3072-bit RSA encryption and multiple key ciphers that change unpredictably. It can provide protection past 2030.

Experimental: Currently not a fully recognized level, experimental denotes a category using 15360-bit RSA encryption and multiple key ciphers that change unpredictably. It is not in full operational use as of yet.

[Layarteb]

May 25, 2009 - 20:00 [AST]
Manaus, Amazonian Control Territory

As a darkness swept over Manaus, another type of darkness swept over an apartment building on the southern side of the city. Still in disrepair from the violence since June 2007, when the Empire first invaded in response to a bloody uprising in Venezuela. Half of the buildings remained battered. Battle scars from bullet and shrapnel holes to dried blood decorated most of those buildings. The other half were mostly new construction and the reconstruction efforts were slow coming. The southern section of the city was thus a dangerous place. ILDF soldiers conducting operations in the city conducted more than sixty percent of them in the southern sector alone. It was all for good reason. Since the war was declared over on July 3, 2007, there had been thousands of incidents of violence in Manaus alone. Sixty-two percent of them were in the southern sector of the city. Rebel leaders met there and planned their insurgency against the Empire and the Imperial Layartebian Defense Forces. They forced the hand of the Empire on more than one occasion and left the sector in ruins behind them. They wouldn't accept the Layartebians in that sector and in the last spat of violence, the southern sector had been the most brutal.

Now a new wave of violence was brewing in the southern sector. A new rebel insurgency was growing at the hands of the Amazonians. Still determined to fight the Empire, a group of fourteen insurgents, young men aged eighteen to twenty-nine, met inside the fourth floor apartment of a building in the southern sector. The building was known for prostitution and thus it had already been on the radar of the police forces but it was harmless otherwise. It born the scars of battle. Over the previous two years, the building had been peppered by small arms fire, infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, and shrapnel from guided bombs striking nearby. Most of the holes had been repaired over time and the structural integrity of the building remained sound, despite the pounds of metal it had taken over the years. Just six floors high, the building contained a number of apartments. On the first floor, there were four two bedroom units. On the second and third floors, there were six one bedroom units per floor. The fourth floor had four three bedroom units and the fifth and sixth floors had four two bedroom units per floor. Aside from prostitution, the apartment building was of little concern otherwise. It was dirty and dingy inside and homeless people slept in its stairwells, using the walls for their bathrooms.

Like most of the southern sector, the building exuded poverty. More than eighty percent of the sector was unemployed and crime was higher in that section than anywhere else in the entire Empire. It was unsettling and military leaders had contemplated bulldozing it to the ground several times but knew that such an operation wasn't an option. The ILDF stationed military personnel throughout most of the sector, wherever they could but there was no hiding them. Insurgents weren't stupid enough to conduct their business in front of them so the ILDF also stationed several units of undercover agents throughout the other parts of the sector. Equipped with powerful electronic listening gear, they eavesdropped on known apartments day and night. High overhead, an EC-21C Learjet 80 flew a specific orbit over the city using its powerful ELINT gear to listen to cell phone conversations being conducted. Additionally, the ILDF moved a variety of marked and unmarked vehicles throughout the sector with more listening gear. Intelligence gathering was crucial in that sector, which was why it was no surprise when the rebels met in the apartment building that evening.

Normally meeting in the wee hours of the morning, they caught the ILDF off guard with an early meeting, which was part of the intention. Nonetheless, they had not been as careful as they could and were marked earlier. These fourteen men constituted the entire leadership of a new insurgent group, which had yet to announce itself. It had not committed any acts of violence yet and it had not yet violated any laws except conspiring to wage an insurgency. Intelligence gathered on them revealed them to be dangerous and dedicated but their organization had yet to be pieced together. It was the perfect opportunity to strike for the ILDF and they caught a break. Locked onto the meeting, they waited for all fourteen to arrive, using thermal imaging equipment and microwave receivers. Gathering their evidence, they finally declared the mission to be ready at 20:00 hours, just as the sun began to go down and curfew came into effect.

Assigned to that particular building were two soldiers with the 5th Special Operations Group, "Green Berets." They were masters at counter-insurgency operations but most of their operations were in the field rather than in such a setting. They had adapted well though and were more than capable with the ELINT gear that they used. Codenames were assigned and everything went through encrypted frequencies. Anyone listening wouldn't have any clue what to look for and half of their conversations were nonsensical, just placed in the airwaves to confuse anyone listening. When they actually did speak, they varied their techniques daily. With everything heightened, the ILDF commanders in the secure zone of the city watched everything proceed in their city. The ILDF had put an MQ-9A Reaper into the air hours earlier, controlling it from thousands of miles away, equipped with a pair of AGM-230A Harbinger anti-tank guided missiles. Equipped with a twenty-four pound, triple HEAT warhead, the AGM-230A Harbinger was designed to defeat the most modern main battle tanks and nothing, not even a Sabertooth, could defend against it unless they had some sort of anti-missile defense system. Supersonic, the missile could be guided by semi-active laser, millimetric wave radar, or imaging infrared, whichever the situation called and its range envelope from a rotary winged aircraft was between a quarter of a mile and nine miles. Fixed wing aircraft moving at high velocities could get as much as twenty miles out of the missile but received a one mile minimum range. The two missiles on the Predator were more than enough to destroy the targeted apartment twice over but that was for good reason. If one failed, the other wouldn't.

The Reaper loitered at twenty thousand feet, five miles from the target building, orbiting over the city on a predefined route. It could stay aloft for thirty hours continuously as high as twenty-nine thousand feet and as fast as one hundred and fifty miles per hour. On cruise though, they were moving much slower and this one was barely pushing eighty miles per hour, well above their stall speed but slow enough to keep from requiring length turns, which could defeat their mission. Whenever they were conducting an assassination mission such as this, timing was absolutely crucial. A situation could change in as little as five minutes and unless something was overhead, equipped for the occasion, the window of opportunity could close abruptly. This wouldn't be a failure scenario though. The ILDF had prepared for everything ahead of time and every scenario was envisioned. The UAV was in the air, its pilot and weapon system's officer sitting in a comfortable building at Guaranda Air Force Base in Ecuador, thirteen hundred miles away. On the ground, in a safe position away from building was a strike team of twelve soldiers, armed and equipped for the occasion.

The first cue for the mission to begin was the arrival of all fourteen targets. The second cue came from the ground team, who reported no contact with anyone outside. The third cue was up to the two Green Berets watching the apartment. Their apartment was dark and they kept their equipment in place while one of the soldiers opened one of the windows just a few inches. He placed another piece of equipment there. He had first placed a tripod there and then attached a small laser designator on top of it, raising it just above the windowsill. He activated the designator and an invisible beam shot across the street and down the block, right into the open window of the apartment. Everything was set. That was the third and final cue. Everyone was ready and, in the command building at Guaranda Airfield, the pilot leveled out the Reaper, now six and a half miles behind the target. The weapon systems officer locked onto the laser signal and fired the Harbinger.

Twenty thousand feet in the air, the missile detached from its pylon, shaking the UAV slightly as its powerful, gel-fueled rocket motor fired. The missile quickly accelerated to Mach 1.65 or twelve hundred and twenty miles per hour. The missile would have a flight time of just nineteen seconds, not nearly enough time for anyone to do anything inside the meeting. Only the Green Berets could cancel the fire mission by turning off the laser, in which case, the missile would go mad dog and eventually crash into the ground or self-destruct in midair. Collateral damage could be had at that point so the Green Berets had made sure everything was in order before they ever lased the target. Now, everyone waited. The pilot and WSO watched the FLIR camera of the UAV and the missile camera as they fed data back to the base via satellite. Command in Manaus was fed the same information and silence filled every room where someone was watching the missile soar towards its target. Before the timer clicked down to zero though, the screen went to static. The missile had certainly hit, despite the fact that the screen never showed it hit. The first confirmation of the strike came from the FLIR on the Reaper. On the ground, the Green Berets had taken some cover in the event that shrapnel and debris became airborne and came through their windows. That didn't happen and their guidance had put the missile right through the living room window of the apartment, where its twenty-four pounds of Arckell plastic explosive detonated inside. Equivalent to almost forty-seven pounds of TNT, the warhead of the missile instantly tore the room and its inhabitants apart. Flames shot out of the windows just before they shattered. The explosive force blew the apartment's walls down and ejected the front door off its hinges, embedding it in the concrete wall across the hall. Flames shot out of the open door and the building shook. Had it not been constructed of concrete, it would have certainly suffered more damage. The Green Beret's confirmed destruction seconds later and the strike team on the ground was given orders to investigate the apartment. The remains they found were barely describable as such.

[Layarteb]

June 1, 2009 - 22:00 [EST]
Layarteb City, New York

"Good evening, I'm Marcy West,"

"And I'm Harvey McAllister." The two reporters for Fox 5, a local television station in the Layarteb City metro area, said, introducing themselves. It was time for the late night news and the leading story was something that had been unfolding since late Friday, May 29. It was a story that brought back the echoes of Jasmine Delgado, who was kidnapped on November 24, 2006 under mysterious circumstances. No ransom had been made and she had yet to be found. Presumed dead, justice authorities still searched for her throughout the Empire but had little success thus far. Harvey led off on the story as television screens tuned into the news channel. "Layarteb City Police Department is still searching for eighteen year old Summer Andrews, who disappeared late Friday night during prom. A police spokesman said today that there are few clues but many leads in this investigation. A photograph was found just before dawn today when police searched a vehicle believed to have been used in the getaway of the crime."

"The man in the photo remains unidentified," Marcy added, beginning her part of it. "We ask that anybody with information pertaining to this case please contact the Layarteb City Police Department or the Domestic Justice Agency right away." The news reporters continued on with the next story. Three days earlier, Summer Andrews, a high school senior was dancing at her prom with her boyfriend, another senior who ran track in the winter and played baseball in the spring. She had left the dance floor shortly before 21:30 to go to the bathroom. Oddly enough, she left alone without her friends accompanying her. She never returned to the dance floor and police were called in before the prom ended. There weren't any signs of struggle and the surveillance cameras of the catering hall revealed nothing useful except what appeared to be a tall man out of a random corner. The police had barely anything until they investigated a car left on the side of the Hutchinson River Parkway and found, inside of it, the photograph that the news had. It had been taken in that spot in the middle of the morning and no other clues were left. There were no foot prints at the site, no finger prints in the vehicle, and nothing else left. Whoever they were, they were professionals who probably intended for the car and its photo to be found.

[Layarteb]

July 3, 2009 - 01:25 [EST]
Long Island Sound

The one hundred and twenty-six ton yacht drifted slightly in the one foot swells on the Long Island Sound. Anchored just seven and a half miles north of Harbor Beach in Port Jefferson, the one hundred and six foot long, multimillion dollar yacht was the site of the latest Majestic meeting. Except for Mr. Carpenter, all of the men were aboard, dressed casually for what was billed as a poker game to anyone who was nosey enough to ask. There had not been a meeting since before the Diary of Jane was made public. It had been they who got a hold of the diary and they who released it to the public. Perhaps the most sinister of any group of powerful men, they had watched, individually, as the world looked upon the Empire and frowned. The United States of Brink had even gone so far as to issue sanctions against the Empire. Sadly, nobody joined with them and it was uncertain how long the embargo would truly last. Without access through the Panama Canal, Brinkian flagged shipping would, undoubtedly, be paying a high price to transport their goods around the world. Granted they were in Africa with access to both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, they could do so only from one end rather than multiple.

The twelve men were playing poker, a big game of poker with multiple decks and plenty of money at stake. The buy-in for the game was §1,000 and while that was chump change to some of the world's most powerful men, it really was plenty of money. With "winner-take-all," the person who won would come out §11,000 ahead for the night. Thus far, General Delaney had the biggest lead and two of the twelve players had already lost all of their chips. Three more were down to less than §20 and the nearest foe to General Delaney was §1,285 behind him. Jack was presently bluffing a §850 pot with a pair of fours but he had done so successfully twice already. A third time wouldn't be any sort of monumental achievement, especially not for him. "I'll raise you one twenty." Delaney said as he plopped two blue and one yellow chip onto the middle of the table, putting the pot up to §970. He stared across the table at the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Your bet." The Minister peered at his cards and then the display of cards before him. There were four cards out already and none of them made any sense unless someone was holding a straight. All he had were a pair of aces.

"Fuck it, I fold." He put his cards down and Jack pulled the pile of chips into his own. Sipping his whiskey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stood up, out of chips himself. The conversation continued though as the men discussed what was going to happen next. Cigars were lit and glasses kept from being empty. The yacht crew were all Illuminati members but they weren't allowed to get into the playing room either. Anything that was needed came up through a dumbwaiter and that was the end of it.

"Well for the next topic, we must address Operation Cobra." The General of the Air Force began as he put a new set of chips onto the table. "Where are we with procuring the arms?"

"They're already done." John Patrick said with a smile as he put his own chips onto the pile. He was the closest behind Delaney but still far from reaching him. What they were talking about was a small procurement operation for ten thousand assault rifles from Somali arms dealers. They funneled the purchase through a subsidiary company that was another Illuminati front but that none of them were linked to and that wasn't actually based in the Empire. It was a company that was based in the United States of Brink. The company was called Lightway International and they were rather harmless when it came to the world. Fortunately for the Illuminati, they were a profitable venture that pulled in millions of dollars in profit each year, mostly from exporting illumination products out of the United States, where they were produced for cheap prices. From there, they were sent all around the world and with the recent embargo placed on the Empire by the United States, they had to find a new primary market. The purchase of the assault rifles was just a few million dollars worth of spending and it was moved through so many subsidiaries and filtered and laundered so covertly and so professionally that, in the end, they were just paying for a new design for the incandescent light bulb. The ten thousand assault rifles, various makes and models, were crated up and put on a ramshackle boat, which left port in Mogadishu earlier that morning. "The rifles left this morning. It'll take some time before they ever get there. It's ninety-one hundred nautical miles, approximately and they'll only be moving at about sixteen knots the whole way. They're going around Afrika and we figure they'll be arriving in three weeks, maybe another week if they run into bad weather. They've got plenty of cargo and they're going right through the Caribbean to Caracas only they won't get that far. The cargo will be seized long before it ever arrives and because the ship will be flagged from the United States of Brink, we'll have ourselves a feast."

"Good work." The game continued for another few hours until it was finally over just after the sun began to rise. Exhausted, the men retired from the yacht once it pulled back into port and the twelve men went their separate ways, Delaney with an additional §11,000 in his pocket than when he arrived.

[United States of Brink]

Failure. That’s the only way there was to look at the embargo. Its main goal wasn’t to cripple the Empire’s economy, nor anger it (though an obvious side effect). The main objective was to gain international attention. It gained nothing. The world, in perhaps its greatest statement, did nothing. The world didn’t even bat an eye. It was more frightening then anything. Regardless of the nations diplomatic stance the fact that an economic powerhouse had embargoed the most powerful nation on the planet and not a single alarm bell went off says a lot. The Empire had not been put under the microscope and the Republic didn’t gain any support in any way, shape, or form. Failure indeed.

There was only one thing left to do. The United States had to lift the embargo. Without anything accomplished they would clearly look like the losers in this bout. Pride, however, would not get them very far in this battle. They had gambled, and lost. Tensions would still be high between the two nations, but at least trade would begin to flow smoothly again. Each nation was vital to the other in terms of trade so the transition would most likely be streamlined.

It was yet another failed attempt by the Republic to draw the world’s attention. It was yet another instance of a nation going unquestioned and unpunished. The thin line between right and wrong was growing weaker by the day.

[Layarteb]

July 18, 2009 - 13:00 [EST]
Governor's Island, Layarteb City

The United States had announced the end of their embargo only hours earlier as the sun came up over the western hemisphere. Throughout the Layartebian government, it was being hailed as a victory but the Empire's upper echelon, the Emperor and his Cabinet were not so cheerful. Outside of the October Alliance, the United States was the Empire's largest trading partner, followed by the Roman Empire. Since the end of the Eastasian Republic, a major void had appeared in the Asian market and the Empire sought to fill that market, perhaps with the Confederate States of Spizania yet nothing was written in stone just yet. The Emperor and his Cabinet were wary of the United States now and they had shown themselves to be untrustworthy though they remained unthreatening. Militarily speaking, the United States' entire armed forces couldn't hold a candle to that of the Empire. Economically speaking, the Empire had more resources and its manufacturing sector was more than double the size. The only advantage the United States had over the Empire was its focus on deregulation. The Empire was a mixed economy rather than absolute free market and the United States had that going for it.

"What exactly are they doing?" The Emperor polled his Cabinet. "They issue an embargo, repeal it, all the while gaining nothing and really only losing. Our entire economy dipped less than a point and we're still well in the positive. It was like a paper cut to us. Was their whole hope just to bloody us, even insignificantly? There was no worldwide support and our domestic affairs remain as such. We've given in to none of their demands and they really accomplished little to nothing. Yes it was a failure but what kind of a failure really was it to them? What did they hope to gain? Is Baruti senile or something?" The Emperor continued, attempting to get a full grasp on the situation.

"Sir. We believe that was exactly what they wanted, just to bloody our nose, even if they accomplished nothing else. They created diplomatic tension between us and even they know that things will never be the same again. Our demands remain unfilled and their demands remain unfilled. It was as if nobody won and nobody lost. What really did they win? What really did we win? Sure we got the embargo dropped, indirectly of course. What really was achieved sir?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing except headache." The Emperor said to the Minister of Foreign Affairs who had been the one to speak. "What do we respond with?"

"Well we should drop our demands on the contingent that they drop their own."

"Obviously but yet we still lose."

"Sir, the only way to win in this situation is to fulfill everything we demanded. They can keep the embargo and yes we'll suffer but we'll never drop out of the black, we've got too much vested elsewhere. All of our interests aren't vested in the United States so really, we'll suffer, in the African market and that's about it. We'll drop a little in Asia since we use plenty of their resources to ship across Africa and into as well as throughout Asia."

"Very well. In response to their dropping the embargo and if they are to drop all of their demands for inquiry into our domestic affairs we'll drop our own demands of them and return to how it was before the embargo, economically speaking. We'll keep them under tight watch and we'll certainly make sure we keep an eye on them! If Baruti has a cold sore on his ass I want us to know about it. Everything there is to know about the Brinkians I want it in a folder and on my desk. We cannot trust them anymore and their own domestic shortcomings have great potential to destabilize more than just Somalia."

"Absolutely sir." Before the meeting had concluded, the message would be transmitted to the United States and to the world. If they were to give up their demands, the Empire would drop its own and allow the United States access back to the Empire's markets as well as travel through the Panama Canal, amongst other places.

The dropping of the embargo was a major hiccup to Majestic's Operation Cobra plan. The freighter wouldn't be turned back though and, instead, the vessel would be seized not because it was violating the conditions of the embargo but rather because it was carrying arms destined for the Amazonian Control Territory. That bit of intelligence would be passed into the Ministry of Intelligence and therein to the Imperial Layartebian Defense Forces. Set to enter the Caribbean Sea on the twenty-fifth of the month, they still had a week before they had to act but everything was ready. The freighter was going to be intercepted by a Ra class corvette, captained by an ILDF officer who was, himself, an Illuminati member but he wouldn't actually act until he got confirmation from command. Too much was at stake for him to tip his hand.

[United States of Brink]

OOC: I do have a quick question. You mention trading assests elsewhere. May I inquire as to who? Soviet Bloc doesn't exist. Hirgi has 'fallen'. Maria left. Ottoman isn't around. Cotland has been crippled. I think that just leaves me.

[Layarteb]

July 25, 2009 - 07:00 [AST]
Caribbean Sea

"Stop your engines immediately!" The loudspeaker of the Huascar Flight I class fast attack boat boomed as it sped up to and came alongside the Brinkian flagged freighter. Carrying assault rifles and other small arms, the freighter had finally passed through the Lesser Antilles and into the Caribbean Sea just before 07:00 hours. It had been detected hours earlier, coming through the Atlantic Ocean by an airborne B-6B Demantor maritime patrol bomber equipped with a powerful AN/APG-70(V)-7 AMAR radar and uplink to the extensive Layartebian satellite and defense network. Clunking along at eighteen knots, the freighter moved through the waters all but gracefully until it finally entered the Caribbean, its flag flying high in the wind. The personnel on board were going about their normal tasks, keeping the freighter clunking along as it headed for Caracas, way in the distance. The freighter had passed between Dominica to the north and Martinique to the south and now it was just four hundred nautical miles from the ports north of Caracas. It would never get there and panic gripped the personnel on board the freighter as the ILDF fast attack boat paced it, right along its port side, less than fifty meters away. If they had been armed themselves, they might have contemplated firing at the Huascar, not that it would have done them any good. The main armament of the Huascar was a three inch, eighty-caliber ETC gun and it was equipped with enough secondary armament to send the freighter to the bottom of the sea in milliseconds. Twenty-two sailors, including four officers manned the boat and they were backed up by eight soldiers of the ILDF, specially trained and equipped for boarding freighters and searching them, seizing anyone on board and the ship if they needed.

The captain of the freighter didn't know what to do. He knew what cargo he was carrying but he didn't expect this. He had been assured by well-dressed men, who paid him quite handsomely, that there would be no hiccups, that all he had to do was get to Caracas. The way would be paved for him and he was assured that there would be no police. He was at sea when the embargo was dropped and he might have thought differently about it in the first place had he not been given §500,000 in cash before he took the job. Little did he know, the money had disappeared from his hiding place back in Mogadishu. Now he was all alone with a crew that were as petrified as they were innocent. "Damnit!" The captain cursed as he pushed the throttles to maximum effort. He half-expected that his dinky freighter could outrun the fast attack boat, which could do thirty-seven knots, even in rough seas. His dinky freighter could barely make twenty-two knots, unloaded. With a full cargo, she'd be lucky to get twenty.

"Well he's not stopping sir." The XO joked as he watched the freighter increase speed. Both he and the captain were on the bridge of the four hundred ton vessel, watching the proceedings unfold before their very eyes.

"No he's not. Well let's make sure he does then." The captain smiled as he looked out of the windows. "Get us in behind it, two hundred yards. When we get there, let's put a few twenty-seven millimeter rounds through the engine room. It shouldn't be a hard target." The Huascar had a twenty-seven millimeter revolver cannon on its forward deck just in front of the bridge. A navalized version of the M304A2 Impulse Revolver Cannon, the main aircraft gun used by in the Empire's aircraft, it could fire up to seventeen hundred rounds per minute as far as forty-three hundred meters. Each round delivered more than one hundred and eighty kilojoules of energy, enough to turn any aircraft into shreds. The rounds would tear right through the hull of the freighter just as easily and now it was just a matter of time before the freighter came to a halt on the high seas of the Caribbean.

"Aye sir! Helm. Decrease speed to one-zero knots, let's get in behind her shall we." The order was repeated by the helmsman from the XO and the boat shifted course. In the firing room just below the bridge, the CIC. Down below, the targeting system was top notch and the man in charge of firing the forward weapons of the vessel brought up his thermal imaging sights. The engine room was the hottest part of the ship and he quickly targeted that portion of the ship with just a few clicks of a pen mouse. He put the cannon into active mode and unlocked the safety. The weapon was now armed and it tracked the ship independently, keeping itself locked onto the target even as both vessels bounced around. A laser was being used to provide the pinpoint designation for the weapon and now a red button illuminated before him beneath a plastic lid.

"Captain. Target is locked. Awaiting permission to fire. Range is six-zero yards. Opening."

"Aye! At two hundred let her rip!"

"Aye sir. At two hundred yards disable the vessel." The range opened up quickly as the freighter accelerated up to just under twenty knots and the Huascar slowed down to sixteen knots. The nearly four knots difference meant that every second, the freighter gained just over five yards. Thirty seconds later, the freighter was at two hundred yards and the gun was let loose. "At two hundred yards!"

"Fire!"

"Firing!" The cannon spit out a quick burst of twenty-seven millimeter, armor-piercing, high-explosive ammunition. The burst was only a half second and it let out nine rounds at thirty-six hundred and eight feet per second. The rounds ripped right through the rear of the freighter and pierced the engine room and its components easily but still, the freighter kept clunking along. After another thirty seconds, the freighter was at three hundred and seventy yards and it was evident the first shot was ineffective. "Sir. First salvo ineffective. Recommend second."

"Range?"

"Three-seven-one."

"Engage!"

"Aye sir firing salvo number two." There was another half second burst and nine more round tore through the air and pierced the back of the freighter again. This time, it was effective and thick, black, caustic smoke coughed from the rear of the vessel as it immediately began to slow down. "We've got a proper hit sir! Freighter is slowing down."

"Good work. Let's get ready to board her."

[Layarteb]

July 25, 2009 - 07:35 [AST]
Caribbean Sea

The twenty minute encounter with the freighter had ended with it being fired up from the Huascar fast attack boat. It was only now coming to a stop in the water, fifteen minutes after the second batch of rounds tore through the freighter's engine room. Both ships danced just two hundred and fifty yards away from each other, with the Huascar's weapons trained on the freighter's bridge and deck. The three inch main gun could easily reduce the bridge to a smoldering mass of metal with a single shot and that was all it would take, especially at this distance. Only a minute earlier, a pair of RHIBs left the aft deck of the Huascar with the eight armed soldiers aboard. Carrying their M112A1 Viper submachine guns, M109A1 Advanced Combat Shotguns, and M81A2 Marine Assault Rifles, they came alongside the freighter from both sides and tied their RHIBs up to the rungs on the port and starboard hull ladders. On the Huascar, sailors manned the M31A1 HMGs that faced port and starboard even though the port side gun was the only one with a shot. There was plenty of cover for the ascending boarders, their weapons around their backs while they climbed up the ladders. This was a tense time for them. They couldn't see the deck and they were trapped on the ladders, one man at a time. The first two men on deck would be coming up blind and be charged with holding the deck until the next two men came and those few seconds could be an eternity during a firefight. In training, they had used smoke grenades to overcome adversity and generally preferred to board at night but this was a daylight situation and while smoke grenades were available, they would hinder as much as help them in this scenario. From the deck of the Huascar, sailors watched the freighter and communicated back whether or not they were about to walk into a firefight. Thus far, it didn't appear to be developing into one but that could change at any moment. A thorough search of the ship found the arms without much effort and the crew members were quickly put in handcuffs and rounded up to one part of the boat, even the captain. They had thought about making some sort of stand against the boarders but knew that it wouldn't get them anywhere.

Over the course of the day, the news had broke about the capture. The Layartebian Ministry of Justice had already put the entire crew and their captain into interrogation in Layarteb City and the United States of Brink had been notified, given that they were Brinkian in citizenship. They would be given a fair trial with a lawyer of their choosing but the penalty they were facing was definitely severe enough to take seriously. If they were found guilty, the captain would be sentenced to life in prison while the crew would be facing between five and twenty-five years behind bars, depending on their level of culpability.

[Layarteb]

August 1, 2009 - 18:20 [EST]
Layarteb City, New York

Seven days after the Brinkian flagged freighter, the Charlotte Hill was boarded and seized west of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, the Empire released its first, official, public statement. The United States of Brink had been informed the moment the crew members were put under arrest and brought to interrogation. They could be held for seventy-two hours without charges and that maximum time was used in order to break them. The Empire was not necessarily anti-torture but it acknowledged that torture wasn't necessarily the best course of interrogation. The crew members weren't tortured but they weren't treated perfectly either. After their arrest, they were flown to Washington City and subsequently to Layarteb City where they were placed in the care of the Ministry of Justice. Seventy-two hours later, after they each slept for less than two hours, they were finally charged and the international community looked upon the Empire to see its course of action. The official charges were severe and carried strict penalties. For the crew members, they were each charged with conspiracy to aide terrorists amongst other charges. If they were found guilty, they could be sentenced to a minimum of twenty years in prison. The captain, on the other hand, was facing stricter charges that could see the use of the death penalty. He was being charged with aiding and abetting terrorists, fleeing the Imperial Layartebian Defense Forces, and dozens of other charges. The first was the most severe and that was the one that carried the death penalty. This was something that didn't make the United States of Brink happy. Fresh off the end of the embargo, relations between both nations was fragile, at best. The captain and his crew would be given access to lawyers and they would receive a fair and impartial jury in front of a Layartebian judge but their case didn't look good. Intelligence found on board the ship showed that the captain knew what he was carrying, why, and where, obviously. The crew only knew what they were carrying, perhaps and that was something that their lawyers could fight. The captain was in deep water and his trial was scheduled to begin on September 28, 2009, the normal time for trial within the Empire.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," the Minister of Justice said as he stepped in front of a crowd of reporters behind a podium. The news briefing was being held in the press room of the Ministry of Justice. "The Ministry of Justice has formally finished its process of filing charges against Captain Ahmed Maalin and his crew from aboard the Charlotte Hill. The United States of Brink has provided lawyers for the captain and his crew and they are meeting with them presently. The Empire is prepared to fully press this matter to the fullest extent of Layartebian law. The captain and his crew are formally charged with aiding and abetting terrorists, conspiracy to aide and abet terrorists, fleeing inspection, violating the Doctrine of Sovereignty, and smuggling. At this present time the Ministry of Justice cannot comment on what Captain Maalin and his crew have told us but we can say that torture was not used. There have been rumors amongst the press that such practices were used and we assure the public, both global and Layartebian, that no torture was performed. All interrogations were conducted within the bounds of the Layartebian law. Questions?"

"Sir?" A reporter from the Layartebian News Network stood up and beat everyone else. Quick and savvy, she wasn't about to lose her chance to get the first question. When the Minister of Justice acknowledged, she began. "Sir. Torture is within the bounds of the Layartebian law."

"Torture is within the bounds of the Layartebian law only in conditions of national security, conflict, and capital crimes. Though the crimes of Captain Maalin and his crew meet all three of these requirements, they are not considered as foreign operatives. Our goal is to extract information from them that is true. Under torture an individual will agree to anything, sign anything, and admit anything just to get the torture to stop. This is proven and is counterproductive to our goals. Next."

"Sir. Does this incident strain our relations with the United States of Brink?"

"I would certainly like to answer that question but I am not in the proper field to do such. That question would be better directed towards the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yes?"

"Sir. Has the United States of Brink requested a new trial date?"

"They have but this has been denied. Under Layartebian law, no trial can begin sooner than sixty days after charges are filed. We have allotted that time frame and we are concluding our investigation into the matter."

"Sir. Are the Brinkian citizens given full access to their lawyers?"

"Yes."

"Can you confirm whether or not domestic terrorist organizations are responsible for this?"

"We are not at liberty to discuss that at this present time. Last question."

"Sir. Do we know if this is a single incident or not?"

"The Imperial Layartebian Military has not commented on that at this time. Thank you." The press conference wasn't anything spectacular but that was generally how the Ministry of Justice was.

[Layarteb]

Emperor's Approval Rating Hits 50%!!!
By Austin Smith

(Layarteb City) THE results of the latest poll regarding the Emperor's job approval rating have been released. The Independent Research Institute, based in Windhoek, has announced that the latest results show the Emperor's approval rating amongst Layartebians is just 50%. This is the all-time low for the Emperor who enjoyed ratings in excess of 90% throughout the large majority of his tenure in office. Since the appearance of the RLA in late 2005, the Emperor's approval rating has been declining overall.

Since October 23, 2005, when the Ministry of Justice first acknowledged the Republican Liberation Army, the Emperor's job approval rating has declined from 95.2%. Until 2009; however, his approval rating has generally hovered in the mid-70s. Between 2005 and the end of 2008, the lowest rating the Emperor experienced was 60%, just after the atomic bombing of Saint George's on July 26, 2006. During the Second Venezuelan Uprising, his approval rating averaged 71% with a low of 65% and a high of 81% during operations. Following the Amazonian War, the Emperor's approval ratings reached 87% but declined back to 67% at the onset of operations in Mato Grosso. Despite low approval ratings during the war, the Bras Norte Offensive pushed him back over 78%.

The decline in the Emperor's job approval rating this year can be directly tied to domestic terrorism. Piracy in the Caribbean, continuing kidnappings, and domestic terrorist threats continue to hamper the Emperor's approval rating. Despite assurances that the Empire remains safe and secure, the majority of the Empire's citizens feel differently. The latest kink to the Emperor's approval rating is the newly released Diary of Jane and the subsequent embargo by the United States of Brink. Trends show that the Emperor's approval rating could spike as high as 85% this year or drop to a mere 30%, depending on how events play during the year.

[Layarteb]

OOC Summary

Chapter One: Faint & Numb

• October 10: A massive truck bomb in the order of 2,000 pounds goes off outside a newspaper office of the LNN in the early morning hours. 7 dead.
• October 11: Missile Base 1511 undergoes treasonous insurrection. Further reports unknown.
• October 14: ILN Hunter SSN ordered to take up position off Layarteb coast. Further orders not given.
• October 15: Force Falcon Team One ordered to re-establish contact with Missile Base 1511. Boeing 777 crashes north of Athens, Tennessee. All 89 on board are killed. Investigation pending.

Chapter Two: Frantic

• October 16: Force Falcon Team One leads a strike on Missile Base 1511. During the course of the retaking, a single LGM-174A Satan is launched at Layarteb City with the intention of hitting it. Luckily, MIM-196 AABMS missiles intercept the ICBM before it could hit.

Chapter Three: Estranged

• October 18: Force Falcon Team One lands in Santa Cruz, Bolivia for the assassination of the President of GnOoLoCoPeLep.
• October 20: GnOoLoCoPeLepian President assassinated early in the morning.
• October 22: Failed attempt by terrorist group to bomb Layartebian airbase in Sunbury, PA.

Chapter Four: Overburdened

• October 23: Central Justice Agency begins Anti-Domestic Terrorist Force under the command of Bureau Chief Benjamin O'Davis. Identifies Republican Liberation Army as terrorist group responsible for bombings of Layarteb City and airliner over Tennessee.
• October 25: RLA blows up a Boeing 707 and an Airbus A300 from Layarteb Airways over Cove Neck, New York and Belle Harbor, Queens, Layarteb City.
• October 26: Emperor makes speech condemning the RLA. Raid on Layarteb City apartment nets 17 RLA terrorists and kills 3. Documents recovered tell of a plot for subway bombings.
• October 28: News media is leaked the presence of the Mayan uprising in the Yucatán state.
• October 30: Six security guards shot and killed execution style inside the Layarteb City office for Layarteb Publishers
  United.
• October 31: Secret societies meet to discuss revolutionary plan.
• November 2: Two firefighters die in a suspicious blaze in a New Jersey factory.

Chapter Five: Rosenrot

• November 5: 84 RLA terrorists seize St. Paul's Boarding School in New Hampshire and take 1,184 hostages, most of them under 18. In the fighting, they lose 2 of their own and kill 20, mostly school officials and guards. Terrorists round up hostages in the main dining hall as parents, soldiers, and police officers, including SWAT, surround the school. By 1300, a standoff ensues. At 1430, three children are executed by the RLA terrorists after a SWAT sniper shoots one of the terrorists. The SWAT sniper dies mysteriously. At 1530, Rome and Norway denounce the seizure.
• November 6: Under the threat of a severe winter storm, small group of soldiers enter school and hide in admissions office. Families begin to grow wrestless and plot their own action. Explosions go off in dining hall and a chaotic attack is done leaving 75 terrorists, 152 children, and 38 soldiers dead. Many are wounded. Seven terrorists are captured, including the leader.
• November 7: Emperor delcares national day of mourning for November 6.

Chapter Six: Precious

• December 1: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island become part of the Empire. Only Quebec remains.
• December 9: Quebecois Special Forces use VX gas against Jay, Vermont, killing 384 of 426 people.
• December 10: Quebecois invade Ontario during the early morning. Jay Incident becomes public knowledge and Quebecois SOF and RLA terrorists blamed. Quebecois forces make quick and powerful headway throughout the course of the morning, seizing North Bay. RLA base compound in Clinton discovered for its true purpose.
• December 11: Roman forces land to help the Ontarians. Quebecois clash with Roman/Ontarian forces in Alliston.
• December 12: RLA forces seize 12 MGM-212 CBRR rockets on an assault at the El Jobal Chemical Weapons Depot, in Venezuela. 60 base personnel and 18 terrorists are killed. The rockets are currently "missing."
• December 13: Roman forces repel the Quebecoi offensive, pushing them out of Ontario and towards Quebec. RLA group captured in Alliston, where Quebecoi forces devestated and forced back.

Chapter Seven: Colorblind

• December 15: Layartebian forces begin aerial attack on Quebec at 0200 loca l time.
• December 25: Ground war against Quebec begins at 0230 local time.
• December 30: Boisclair captured by Roman forces.
• January 1, 2006: Quebec War over. Montreal secure.

Chapter Eight: Gone Away

• January 21: Battle of Clinton begins. Layartebian forces attack RLA compound north of Clinton, Alabama. The battle begins at exactly 10:02, local time. 8 soldiers die initially. Full assault begins at 23:00. Assault ends at 23:40 with 52 soldiers dead and 82 wounded.
• January 22: Battle of Clinton continues. Stalemate ensues with a twenty-four hour ceasefire at 07:15.
• January 23: Battle of Clinton ends. RLA compound burned from the inside out, RLA leadership and fighters dead from suicide or gunshots. 427 die.

Chapter Nine: Greed & Serenity

• June 1: Former Minister of Intelligence dies inside of Nova Prospekt prison, Galapagos Islands.

Chapter Ten: Bleed the Freak

• June 15: Soldiers begin leaving the island of Grenada for 6-day liberty.
• June 16: Rebellion forces attack Grenada at 03:00 hours. At 05:29 hours, rebel forces shoot down Flight 2993 to Miami, Florida with 226 people onboard; none survive. By 20:00 hours, rebel forces have secured 100% of the island and suffered 3,049 losses. Layartebian casualties number 7,775 and 4,518 are captured. In the fighting, 839 civilians are killed in addition to Flight 2993.

Chapter Eleven: Goodbye For Now

• June 16: Dr. Gordon Gray of the University of Layarteb at Layarteb City is murdered by an unknown gunman.
• June 17: United Eastasian Republic publically officially recognizes the Republic of Grenada and offers supplies, funding, and aide.
• June 18: At 08:30 hours, the Emperor gives worldwide speech about Grenada and condemns UER for recognizing the Democratic Republic of Grenada.
• June 19: Imperial Layartebian Navy blockades island of Grenada.
• June 22: UER aide flight given clearance to land in Grenada. UER aide flight evacuates UER diplomatic contingent from Grenada. ILN RA-5E Vigilante conducts low-level reconnaissance.
• June 23: Christopher Allen Florence is arrested outside of Charleston, WV and questioned and held in connection to the murder of Dr. Gray.

Chapter Twelve: Fall to Pieces

• July 3: Supreme Grenadian of the DPRG secretly requests international aide to be delivered during a week long "negotiation" with the Empire, during which they hope the blockade will be lifted.
• July 4: MSgt. Brendan Williams and his family are murdered, possibly by drifters, in their Tennessee home. MSgt. Williams was due for a media interview regarding the shoot down of LA Flight 88 at 19:00 hours.
• July 6: Secret safe house in Panama is attacked by Force Falcon Team One early in the morning, just after midnight. RLA high council, survivors of the Battle of Clinton, are all killed. The total death toll is 42 in the safe house and 28 in the vehicle convoy. The Emperor agrees that the blockade shall be lifted on July 16, 2006 at 00:00 EST and reinstated on July 22, 2006 at 23:59 EST, if no progress is made during negotiations.

Chapter Thirteen: Bleeding Me

• July 11: Shoot out at Dockhouse 14 in Caracas shipyard leaves 13 dead. A mysterious cargo is stolen and the identity of all men, except two, is unconfirmed. Those two are linked with Esmeralda Cartel.
• July 13: Giacomo Benevetti is murdered by shooting and burning outside his office in Caracas, Venezuela. Suspects unknown though murder is linked with Dr. Gordon Gray. Suspect sought out is believed to be the same person for both.
• July 14: Esmeralda Cartel yacht sunk in the Gulf of Paria by ILN vessel. Eight men aboard killed. Two men founded murdered, execution sytle in Güiria. Both are linked to the Esmeralda Cartel.
• July 21: Layartebian delegation to Grenada is assassinated in their hotel in St. George's, totalling 29 individuals. Blockade resumes and the DPRG is given 24 hours from 11:00 hrs [EST] to surrender the island back to Layarteb City.
• July 22: Deadline passes. Hostilities officially begin against DPRG at 13:00 hrs [EST].

Chapter Fourteen: Stillborn

• July 22: Deadline passes. Hostilities officially begin against DPRG at 13:00 hrs [EST]. First eleven hours of fighting sees 1,600 Grenadian, 22 Layartebian, and 65 civilian casualties. Grenadian soldiers number 21,239 at the start of the war.
• July 23: At 00:15 hrs [EST], Victoria is secured. Mount Saint Catherine is secured at 03:00 hrs [EST]. Panorama and Trevellan are secured at 09:00 hrs [EST]. First thirty-five hours of fighting sees 3,839 Grenadian, 312 Layartebian, and 300 civilian casualties. Grenadian soldiers number 17,315 at the end of July 23. There are a total of 85 Grenadian soldiers captured.
• July 24: At 01:20 hrs [EST], Grenville is secured. At 03:00 hrs [EST], Saint Patrick's parish & Saint Andrew's parish secured. At 06:20 hrs [EST], the airport is secured. At 08:30 hrs [EST] assault on St. George's begins with aircraft and cruise missiles. At 11:15 hrs [EST] Gouyave is secured but massacre of civilians is found with 2,450 civilians executed throughout the town by Grenadian soldiers. First fifty-nine hours of fighting sees 7,293 Grenadian, 815 Layartebian, and 2,828 civilian casualties. Grenadian soldiers number 13,734 at the end of July 24. There are a total of 212 Grenadian soldiers captured.
• July 25: At 02:00 hrs [EST], all of Grenada is considered secured except for St. George's. At 05:00 hrs [EST], invasion of St. George's by Marines begins. At 21:25 hrs [EST], the captured Layartebian soldiers from June 16 are recovered. Of the 4,518 that were initially captured, only 3,758 remained alive. In the first eighty-three hours of fighting, 9,549 Grenadian, 1,787 Layartebian, and 3,201 civilain casualties are registered. Grenadian soldiers number 11,430 at the end of July 25. There are a total of 260 Grenadian soldiers captured.
• July 26: At 10:29:38 hrs [EST], a 5 kiloton nuclear device is detonated in downtown St. George's. The device is of unknown origin and at least 30,000 civilians and 8,500 Grenadian military personnel as well as 6,100 Marines are persent in the city when the device goes off. Possible casualties are expected to exceed 40,000. At 12:00 hrs [EST], the Emperor addresses the world about the events in Grenada. Estimates for casualties are narrowed between 20,000 and 30,000.

Chapter Fifteen: Cowboys From Hell

• July 26: At 11:30 hrs [EST], martial law is declared on Grenada and an immediate "in-house" curfew is imposed. At 14:15 hrs [EST], analysis shows that radiation is rapidly spreading towards Cottish Barbados, to the northeast, and that the device used was an enhanced radiation device. At 15:01 hrs [EST], the first fire fighting chemicals fall over Saint George's. At 17:00 hrs [EST], the bomb is identified as a W80-0 of a Tomahawk SLCM. At 18:20 hrs [EST], the bomb is identified as a Teh Ninjan weapon. At 21:18 hrs [EST], a fire storm hits the city and ravages the inner circle of the city, around the blast zone.
• July 27: At 09:30 hrs [EST], the bomb is identified as being built within the Empire of Teh Ninjas in Cuba and shipped to Madagascar for basing on a 688/I class submarine. At 11:00 hrs [EST], the fires within the city are considered "under control." Recovery efforts continue within the city.
• July 28: At 04:00 hrs [EST], the Emperor meets with President Baruti of the United States of Brink about the bombing. At 04:30 hrs [EST], two vehicles are identified on a highway heading north from Georgia and engaged by 2nd BOG forces. Two men are captured. Six are killed and their vehicle destroyed. Witnesses had little to say about the event.
• July 29: At 06:00 hrs [EST], the Emperor's aircraft and flight are engaged by twelve F-22B Raptors going rogue from the ILAF. All twelve rogue aircraft are shot down along with four F-22B Raptors and one F-14E Super Tomcat escorting the Emperor's aircraft. At 21:00 hrs [EST], the Emperor returns to Layarteb City. The engagement of his aircraft is kept "hush-hush."
• August 9: At 12:00 hrs [EST], the final casualty figures are released to include 37,221 as a result of both the blast and the radiation poisoning that followed. On Barbados, 400 Cottish individuals died.

Chapter Sixteen: Sehnsucht

• November 23: Layarteb Airlines Flight 1890 explodes in mid-air, at 19:30 hrs [EST], 8 miles south of East Moriches, Long Island. The cause of the disaster is yet unknown but all 526 onboard are presumed dead.
• November 24: Jasmine Delgado, the daughter of the Governor of the Province of Raef, is kidnapped at a market in Havana at 15:05 hrs [EST] by Luis Rendon and Javier Montenegra of the Florida Cartel. They soon meet up with Hector Pimentel, also of the Florida Cartel. Their house and car are burned and their whereabouts are unknown.
• December 1: At 10:27 hrs [EST], the chief of police for the Province of Raef is asssassinated when his helicopter is shot down trying to land on the roof of the Panama City police headquarters. Six men in the helicopter and three bystanders on the street are killed.
• December 11: Mysterious explosion around 22:39 hrs [EST] kills lead witness in Jasmine Delgado kidnapping and destroys two adjacent homes. Ten others are killed.
• December 23: Official investigation on LA Flight 1890 concludes citing that mechanical failure brought down the aircraft due to faulty wiring in the center fuel tank, which ignited fuel vapors and caused the explosion. All 526 lives were lost, making it the dealiest, civilian air disaster in EOL history.

Chapter Seventeen: Ugly & Damned

• December 27: The Empire begins a secret war against Faysal Abd-Al-Malik Behnam, a major warlord in Afghanistan and drug dealer who is directly linked with Layartebian cartels.
• February 2, 2007: Layartebian forces assist the Eurasian Federation in seizing Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. They wage a "secret war" against Sepah-e Pasdaran, an Islamist-terrorist group in the region. Evidence gathered from Sepah-e Pasdaran link them to the Layartebian situation. Funding for Sepah-e Pasdaran was given through Faysal Abd-Al-Malik Behnam by Totalis (Varsolan Corporation on the Falklands linked directly to Grenada), the cartels, and the RLA. Sepah-e Pasdaran trained various terrorist groups acting in the Empire of Layarteb from 2005 - 2007 including the RLA and Free Venezuelans. An unknown "major funder" is sought out.
• February 15: Layartebian forces invade southern Neuvo Rican Mexico and seize Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, and Tabasaco in the "War on Drugs" and, effectively, end the drug trade in the region when the war is completed.
• February 18: State governor of Venezuela is assassinated, presumably by a "domestic" terrorist group related to the RLA.
• March 1: Victory is declared in southern Mexico.
• March 4: Successor to the state governor vanishes mysteriously. Street violence in Caracas escalates to its highest levels since 1988. Fueled by Illuminati Ghost Warriors, street violences peaks shortly thereafter.
• March 12: Faysal Abd-Al-Malik Behnam is killed. Evidence links him to Sepah-e Pasdaran.
• April 1: Organized protests begin in Caracas and are brutally suppressed. In total 629 people, including 55 police officers are killed when the government stepped in to stop the protests.
• April 2: Two women are killed when the State Governer of Venezuela's house is attacked by rocket fire. The governor is severely injured and is forced to withdraw from his duties.
• April 5: The "Free Venezuelans" announce that they are a pro-independence group seeking for Venezuelan independence and claim responsibility for the attack of April 2. They are linked to demonstrations going back to March and are immediately assumed to be responsible for the February 18th assassination of the government.
• April 8: The Imperial Layartebian Military begins to mobilize as unrest in Venezuela peaks again.
• April 9: The Free Venezuelans detonate a massive car bomb inside the South Eastern Virginia government building in Caracas, leveling the building. Forty-five are killed in the attack, which occurs at 01:30 hours [AST]. At 01:32 hours [AST] fighting erupts in Caracs and by 05:30 hours [AST] Venezuela is in the midst of a total revolution.
• May 5: The last of the Free Venezuelans are captured, killed, or in hiding and the insurrection ends, unsuccessfully. Fatalities include 182,500 civilians, 4,528 soldiers, and 429,040 rebels. Casualties include upwards of 300,000 civilians, 12,086 soldiers, and 200,489 rebels. There are 342,493 rebels captured.
• May 14: The ministers of Defense, Intelligence, Interior, and Justice are fired.
• May 17: Assad al Samir, a prominent leader with Sepah-e Pasdaran is killed during a failed mission to apprehend him. He is a major player in Layartebian terrorism and acts as a middleman between Sepah-e Pasdaran and Totalis. He is also linked with the unknown "major funder" sought out by the Ministry of Justice.

Chapter Eighteen: Long Way Down

• May 19: An arson fire destroys the Church of Saint Andrews in the Bronx, killing 6.
• May 23: Marjorie Williams, a prominent writer for the Layarteb City Times, disappears from her White Plains home in the early morning hours. She was working on a feature story about the rise in kidnappings since November 2006. All of her notes, tapes, and the laptop she used were taken. No suspects are immediately sought. Early on the morning of May 23, Salem Nuclear Powerplant is attacked by eight unknown terrorists. Two are killed and six captured in a firefight that also claimed the lives of one security officer and one National Guardsmen. The attack was unsuccessful.
• May 24: Thomas Deveroe, last President of the Republic of Layarteb, dies in his sleep in Kerala, Cotland. Cause is determined to be acute myocardial infarction.
• May 25: Illuminati terrorists secretly take hold of the Sky Wonder, a cruise ship in the Caribbean Sea with 1,550 passengers and 600 crew members.
• May 26: Jeremy Berms, a director in the Ministry of the Interior is assassinated by an unknown hit man in the Yucatán.
• May 27: Referendum vote favors returning the body of Thomas Deveroe to Layarteb for burial 87.63% to 12.37%.

Chapter Nineteen: Night Train

• May 28: At 04:48 hours [EST], an M-107 civilian jetliner crashes on the Spain/Portugal border, all aboard are lost, including 108 Layartebian citizens. Cause of the crash is unknown. At 08:15 hours [EST], terrorists sink the Sky Wonder ocean liner in the Gulf of Mexico with explosives. All aboard, including 400 Cottish citizens, are killed, a total number of 2,150. An assault on a police station in Cleveland leaves 8 police officers dead and 31 injured. Of the attackers, 2 are killed and the remainder escape. Open revolution begins in Portugal with the secession of Portugal from the Fourth Reich. Spain eventually joins the secession.
• June 9: War breaks out with the Federal Republic of the Amazon concerning the Venezuelan uprising of 2007 and the harboring of insurgents.
• June 17: Eighty Layartebian civilians are brutally murdered by the Portugese government. At 19:30 hours [EST], Layartebian forces begin a systematic bombardment of Portugese strategic positions relating to their air force and air defense network.
• June 19: The last two of three Sepah-e Pasdaran terrorists are apprehended secretly in the town of Guarda in Portugal. They are returned to the Empire for questioning.
• June 24: Interrogations reveal that the name of the "domestic terrorist group." They are referred to as "Ghost Warriors." Little other information is known about them except they trained in Sepah-e Pasdaran camps and are elite mercenaries.
• June 27: Manaus is secured by Layartebian forces in the Amazonian War.
• July 3: The Amazonian War concludes with a Layartebian victory. There had been 566 KIAs, 1,768 WIAs, and 7 MIAs on the Layartebian side and there were over 20,000 civilian casualties and at least 30,000 casualties of all types amongst the military forces.
• July 10: An unknown assassin kills the Mayor of Raccoon City, the CJA Field Director for Raccoon City, and an unidentified woman.
• July 18: At 05:10 hours [EST], Layartebian police and CJA officers raid an apartment in the Bronx and arrest four Sepah-e Pasdaran terrorists plotting to set off a bomb in Layarteb City. They are Eurasian citizens.
• July 27: At 17:10 hours [EST], bombs rip through Grand Central Station, Pennsylvania Station, South Station, and Union Station in Layarteb City, Falcon City, and Chicago. In total, 913 people were killed and 542 required medical attention.
• September 1: Amazonian insurgents launch a brutal offense against Layartebian forces in the Amazonian Control Zone and are defeated with over 1,000 casualties to the enemy and fewer than 60 to the Layartebian forces.
• September 3: Anarchist forces launch attacks on Layartebian border stations between Mato Grosso and the Amazonian Control Zone killing 14 Layartebians, injuring 11. Anarchists suffer just 8 deaths.
• September 4: Layartebian forces launch Operation Thunder Rain with the systematic bombing of airports and highways in Mato Grosso to cut off the Anarchist forces from waging war in the ACZ. The goal is to push them out of the border area and stop a flow of arms and soldiers into the ACZ from Mato Grosso.
• September 5: Layarteb officially invades Mato Grosso with soldiers.
• September 7: Layartebian forces secure various northern cities and Anarchists call for a temporary ceasefire.
• September 10: Anarchist forces attack Layartebian positions near Juína, ending the ceasefire.
• September 12: The ILA launches an MGM-233 Vesta rocket into Juína, striking a civilian air raid shelter killing 1,730 and injuring 48. Of them, 1,698 are civilians, many of them children. This brings upon a subsequent international condemnation of Layartebian actions.
• September 24: Anarchist forces down a CH-53N Super Stallion II, killing 69 Layartebian soldiers, the largest single loss of life in one day to the Empire in over a decade.
• September 29: Layartebian forces begin the Brasnorte Offensive, aimed at driving Anarchists forces all the way south of Brasnorte.
• October 1: Brasnorte Offensive concludes with all goals achieved. Anarchists, decimated, call for an immediate ceasefire, which is honored.
• October 6: Anarchist remnants launch a surprise attack in Juína against an oil depot, airfield, and artillery base killing 2 Layartebian soldiers. Estimates for dead Anarchists exceed 60.
• October 8: All Layartebian forces withdraw from Mato Grosso by midnight. Operation Thunder Rain concludes, essentially, as a draw. The government of Mato Grosso pledges to keep Anarchist rebels out of the border area in return for Layartebian foreign aide and relations. The war leaves 484 Layartebian KIAs, 2,139 Layartebian WIAs, almost 9,000 deaths for the Anarchists, and over 20,000 civilian deaths.
• October 9: Layartebian Minister of Defense resigns.
• October 12: New Minister of Defense appointed.
• October 13: Former Minister of Defense mysteriously disappears from Miami, Florida.

Chapter Twenty: November Rain

• November 1: Unidentified Flying Object is downed near Raquette Lake, New York.
• November 2: MOI agent Miguel Santos disappears from his Caracas residence.
• November 8: Terrorists hijack a Layartebian 777 bound for Dublin. All six are killed.
• November 13: Maritime forces of the ILDF intercept and capture a pirate vessel south of Cuba.
• November 15: Michelle Baxter, daughter of Chicago Mayor, Dwight Baxter goes missing. Her whereabouts are unknown.
• November 16: Layartebian forces seige Tapauá in the ACT. Civil war breaks out in Mogadishu.
• November 25: Hostilities cease in Tapauá with an overwhelming victory by the ILA.

Chapter Twenty-One: Kashmir

• No Activity

Chapter Twenty-Two: Trapped Under Ice

• May 10, 2008: General Hoffer, administrator of the Amazonian Control Territory is assassinated in Manaus by an unidentified sniper. Riots break out in Manaus shortly thereafter that end in violence. There are 52 dead Layartebian soldiers, 868 dead civilians, 39 injured Layartebian soldiers, and over 1,200 civilians. A curfew is imposed.
• May 11: 2 people are killed violating curfew in Manaus.
• May 12: 4 people are killed violating curfew in Manaus.
• May 13: 65 civilians and 2 Layartebian soldiers are killed when 24 teenagers hurl Molotov cocktails into an abandoned military checkpoint in Manaus. Of the casualties, 18 of them consist of the teenagers, the remaining 6 were arrested.
• May 23: Cruise liner Nord Hill is hijacked by 16 terrorists.
• May 25: Nord Hill, situation ends with all terrorists killed by a Layartebian SOF raid. Terrorists had executed a total of 224 passengers during their hijacking.
• June 1: Full blown fighting erupts in Manaus. Operation Silver Tornado commences by the Layartebian military.
• June 2: A Vesta missile strikes a soccer stadium in Manaus killing 432, of them 198 civilians.
• June 6: Rebels down a UH-60M Black Hawk killing 14 paratroopers and crew members in the Empire's most damaging single blow for the war. A further 19 Layartebian soldiers are killed on June 6.
• June 13: Insurgent leaders are captured in Manaus by Layartebian SOF raid.
• June 15: Imperial Layartebian Military reports that full-scale fighting has ceased. Insurgent forces are in full withdrawal and defeat but fighting continues.
• June 18: Mop-up operation commences by ILM for rooting out insurgent pockets and hiding personnel. By now, 62% of Manaus' eastern sector is destroyed and 39% of the northern sector is destroyed. Southern and western sectors sustain up to 10% damage collectively. Over 1/4 of Manaus is in ruins. A total of 102 Layartebian soldiers are killed during the fighting with 212 wounded. Insurgent forces suffer upwards of 2,500+ killed and possibly 6,000+ wounded. In total, 819 civilians are confirmed killed by both sides in the conflict, including the June 2 strike.
• June 21: Ministry of Justice raids capture 14 members of the Illuminati based on intelligence collected from Manaus.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Comfortable Liar

• July 21: Dr. Brian Haydn is murdered outside Norwich, NY by an unknown assassin.
• August 5: Arthur McHenry, a college student is murdered in Layarteb City in the early morning by an unknown assassin.
• August 6: Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Eurasian ambassador to the Empire, is assassinated while hunting in North Carolina by an unknown assassin.
• September 5: Thomas Anderson and his wife are murdered inside their Chicago condo by an unknown assassin.
• September 12: Luís Dyson is assassinated by car bomb in Caracas by an unknown assassin.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Highway to Hell

• December 7: A Mato Grosso Twin Otter is engaged and destroyed not far from the Mato Grosso-Amazonas border. Assault rifles are recovered along with four bodies. The kill is not made public.
• December 15: ILM-SOF raid Aripuanã as a response to weapons being smuggled into the area for eventual smuggling into the ACT. The attack leaves seventy-six anarchists dead and eight Rangers when their helicopter is shot down during egress. The event was not made public.
• January 18, 2009: Maria Pendleton, a high-ranking member of the Council for a Democratic Layarteb is assassinated while giving a speech in Washington City by an unknown assassination.
• January 22: The Layartebian media is leaked the details of the Aripuanã raid and a secret manhunt begins for Angela Hornsbry, an ex-spy with the MOI when her name is identified on January 26.
• February 1: In a well-executed raid in Caracas, Angela Hornsbry is arrested by ILDF security forces but the raid leaves 24 after her residences was blown up through pre-wired explosive charges.
• March 17: Four young girls are kidnapped by pirates and their parents killed and boat burned.
• March 22: ILDF attack on a pirate base in the Gulf of Paria kills the majority of the Los piratas de la Serpiente and destroys their base, while recovering both girls

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Diary of Jane & Dance with the Devil

• April 18: The Diary of Jane washes ashore on Coast Rica.
• May 1: The Diary of Jane is verified as authentic and is published to widespread support. It includes allegations that the government of the Empire is responsible for murder, kidnapping, and dozens of other horrible crimes against its own citizens. Demonstrations begin on May 2.
• May 4: The Layartebian News Network airs the first of five episodes about the Diary of Jane. During the five-part series, the LNN receives record viewership throughout the Empire and the world.
• May 8: Clandestinely, the Emperor orders the extermination of all individuals forcibly relocated to the Isla Nublar Medical Research Facility. Within 12 hours, 485 people are killed. Demonstrations from the Diary of Jane continue.
• May 13: The United States of Brink calls for an international investigation into the Diary of Jane and condemns the actions of the Empire. The Empire does not conceede to any demands from the United States of Brink, which imposes an embargo upon the Empire.
• May 26: Fourteen insurgents in Manaus are killed by a UAV.
• May 27: The Emperor's approval rating reaches an all-time low of 52%.
• June 1: Summer Andrews is kidnapped at her high school prom in Layarteb City. The Emperor's approval rating dips to 51.2%.
• July 18: The United States of Brink lifts the embargo due to "admitted failure."
• July 25: ILDF warships board and seize the Charlotte Hill, a Brinkian flagged freighter from Mogadishu carrying arms to Venezuela.
• July 28: The crew of the Charlotte Hill are formally charged.
• August 10: The Emperor's approval rating hits 50% for the first time ever.

Confirmed Body Count: 754,796
Unconfirmed Body Count: 755,696+ [900+ difference]

[Layarteb]

Running Up That Hill

February 1, 1988 - 01:00 [EST]
Centralia, Pennsylvania

Heavy, thick snow fell from the heavy, thick clouds well above the surface of the Earth. The blizzard had started a few minutes before noon and hadn't let up yet, already having dumped four feet of snow onto the ground in rural Pennsylvania. The weather forecast called for the snow to continue until dawn but that report was already eight hours old. Revisions were being reviewed that would change that until noon. Six degrees below freezing, the blizzard brought not just snow but ice and strong winds as well. The town was already sacked in and all of its emergency personnel were on station in the town's one fire house, one police station, and small hospital, which was more like a clinic. This was a town with just one pumper, one aerial ladder, four police cars, and one ambulance. It hadn't snowed his hard in over a decade and nobody was prepared when the storm descended upon Centralia. Centralia had never been more than a speck on the map but this morning it would become more for the first time ever.

Layartebian radar had, forty-five minutes earlier, detected an unidentified, aerial contact flying from the Arctic at a high rate of speed an a high altitude. The contact appeared on scope traveling at faster than Mach 15 and at an altitude of over two hundred thousand feet. Thirty minutes into its re-entry, it was above central New York and it had slowed down to subsonic velocity and descended to sixty thousand feet. The Imperial Layartebian Defense Forces had, in response, scrambled a pair of F-15C Eagle interceptors armed with AIM-120B AMRAAM and AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles to investigate what the contact was. Fifty miles north of Centralia, they finally caught up to it and leveled off just one thousand feet below and two miles behind the contact. Even to the pilots it was unidentifiable and the lead pilot reported that it looked like an unmanned reconnaissance drone. An IFF squawk revealed that it wasn't friendly and at 00:52 hours, they were ordered to engage it. The lead pilot engaged it first with an AMRAAM but the missile failed to track when the drone rapidly accelerated past Mach 2 and sped away. The Eagle pilots were stunned but followed, accelerating their own aircraft to maximum speed. They caught up to it south of Centralia and re-engaged with another AMRAAM but it too failed to track. The drone began to initiate air combat maneuvers, something no unmanned drone running on an autopilot would know to do unless it was being remotely piloted or it had an actual pilot inside of it. A third missile was launched, an AIM-9M Sidewinder and it homed in on the infrared signature of the contact, which wasn't much larger than its radar signature but, thanks to the cooler temperature at sixty thousand feet and the fact that it was night, there was enough heat radiating off it for the Sidewinder to track. It exploded moments later and the fireball lit up the sky. Both Eagle pilots watched as the contact fumbled in mid-air but seemed to remain in stable flight. A second Sidewinder was launched and it tracked as well, impacting the craft in the same location. This time, the fireball was much larger and the craft immediately lost control, entering a diving spin, trailing flames and smoke as it darted towards the surface.

The contact smashed into the ground a mile west of Centralia and instantly lit up the blizzard-rich skies when it hit the ground at over twice the speed of sound. The fireball instantly melted the snow for a half mile and set fire to the dense forest around the town. The impact site was only a few hundred yards from the main highway. As the fireball lifted into the air, it lit up the whole town. However, it was seen before it was heard. The sonic boom followed from the supersonic craft and shattered dozens of windows throughout the town, awakening most of its residents. The sound of the explosion followed and it was even louder. Residents of the town were shocked and stunned and they had little idea what it could be and within minutes dozens of phone calls flooded the 911 switchboard for Centralia. The firemen, policemen, and EMTs didn't need the calls to know that something had happened. All of them heard and saw the fireball and within ninety seconds, all of the town's emergency resources were on their way to the crash site. Because of the snow though it would take them eighteen minutes to reach it as they traveled, in convoy, down the snowy, icy, treacherous roads. Initially, the radio reports were frequent and they reported a massive fire in the forest possibly from a crashed airplane. By 01:25 hours, seven minutes after they arrived, the radios fell silent and repeated attempts to contact the emergency workers were never responded to, filling the air with eerie static.

Nobody in the town, save for a few residents listened in on scanners, knew what had really happened. They looked outside of their windows and soon fell back asleep. Those with broken windows didn't or moved to parts of the house that were still shielded, where the heat wasn't escaping rapidly. As far as everyone could tell, something had happened but the emergency services were handling it but some noticed that the fire didn't abate and, for those listening to scanners, the silence was creepy. Some switched channels but the silence spilled over to their channels just the same. Hours later, soldiers from the Imperial Layartebian Defense Forces and the Ministry of the Interior forcibly evacuated the town stating simply that an air force bomber had crashed and that it had been carrying a thermonuclear weapon that, while it did not detonate, was leaking radiation and that they were all going to die unless they left immediately.

August 17, 2009 - 00:20 [EST]
Centralia, Pennsylvania

Footsteps echoed down the hallway of Centralia's public school. The town remained abandoned and nobody had dared go there since 1988 save for a few individuals who were never seen from again. Conspiracy theorists had long since questioned the official story and suggested that what had actually happened was the crash of a UFO or that the government had conducted a secret missile test. The official story remained and the Imperial Layartebian Air Force had, on multiple occasions, shown photographs and provided serial numbers to show that a B-1A Lancer carrying a thermonuclear B83 gravity bomb had crashed that night. Serial numbers for both the bomb and the aircraft matched and the official story was iron tight. Still, those who dared to question did and continued even in 2009. If only they knew now that seventeen men had entered, at various times and through various locations, the ghost town's public school between 20:00 and 00:20 hours on the late evening and early morning hours of August 16 and August 17. They would have had volumes upon volumes of new material to formulate entirely new theories that hypothesized absolute insanity. The footsteps this time were footsteps from Brigadier General Jack Delaney, the last to arrive. Dressed in a tailored, well-made, and quite expensive business suit, the sound of his shoes on the floor was impossible to hide.

He had entered from the door outside of the basketball court, which was now overgrown with weeds. Walking down one of the many hallways, he walked to a flight of stairs that was being guarded by two men, both in business suits and armed with submachine guns. "Sir. You must stop right here." One of the men said as he held out his hand and brandished the weapon. The other had it trained on him and stood motionless in the darkness. They could barely see each other's faces in the darkness and identification was impossible. Jack recognized them from their voices and though they were expecting him, there was no room for error. "Do you wish to proceed?"

"I do." Jack answered and they recognized his voice but they still had a test to give. "I wish to travel down the steps to the inner door."

"Where stand you now?"

"At the outer door."

"Why is it the outer door?"

"Because it opens inward."

"And which way does the inner door open?"

"It is opened already."

"How do you know this?"

"I feel the wind from its hinges."

"That's a metaphor."

"It is so said and so written but never so believed."

"What is the password?"

"Odyssey."

"You may pass." The men lowered their weapons and Jack passed between them, taking a flashlight from the hands of one of them. The exchange was part of Illuminati cipher, reserved for secret meetings of a specific nature. There were several ways to answer each question but once the first answer was given, the path was chosen and an individual would have to maintain the path or else they would be deemed hostile and the men would either shoot or detain the intruder. Jack walked down the two flights of steps to the basement. It was even darker here but the flashlight lit his way as he sidestepped debris that had been blown into the school over the past twenty-one years. Jack wound around the hallway in the basement and finally came to another set of men, these guarding a heavy, steel, reinforced door. They were armed with submachine guns and wore night vision goggles that allowed them to see in the hallway. As Jack approached, they pointed the weapons at him and he turned off the flashlight. He could see them, somewhat but they could see him very well.

"Who are you?"

"A traveler."

"To where?"

"The inner door."

"Where is the inner door?"

"Always ahead of my horizon."

"Why?"

"It can never be reached by those who aren't worthy."

"What makes a man worthy to reach the inner door?"

"Seeing light in the dark."

"Have you seen the light in the dark?"

"I have not."

"Then how do you expect to gain admittance?"

"With the password."

"What is the password?"

"Apollo."

"You may enter." Jack walked up to the door and the men opened it for him. Instantly, he was bathed in light bright enough to make him squint but not so bright that he couldn't see. Jack entered the room and saw that he was the last arrival. There were twelve other men seated at a long table inside of what appeared to be a fallout shelter. Florescent lighting above illuminated the room and wherever it was receiving power was a mystery. The power had been completely cut to Centralia along with the plumbing in May 1989, when the final clean up efforts were completed.

"Please sit General. We may begin." Mr. Carpenter said. He rarely ever met with Majestic as a whole but this was a truly special meeting that warranted the presence of all thirteen members. Jack peered at his watch. It was 00:30 hours and he was right on time. Seated with him was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Victor Trumbell for the Imperial Layartebian Army, the Admiral of the Imperial Layartebian Navy, Dr. Donald Bush with the Umbrella Corporation, Dr. James Perry, a political theorist and philosopher within the elite ranks of Layartebian academia, the General of the Imperial Layartebian Air Force, Dr. Victor Michael with the Layartebian Defense Corporation, the Governor of the Province of South Eastern Virginia, Ethan Hunter with the Ministry of Justice, John Patrick, CEO of Manchurian Global, and the Director of the Central Emergency Management Agency. Together with Mr. Carpenter, they made up Majestic, the most elusive, secretive, and powerful organization in the Empire and also the world.

Majestic was a dedicated group of men who were members of the Illuminati, a secretive and clandestine organization within the ranks of the Freemasons. The Illuminati, unlike the Freemasons, were not dedicated to charity and service but rather they had become corrupted by the quest for power, wealth, and so on and so fourth. Within the Empire there were one billion, three hundred and twenty-five million people. There were, roughly, twenty-five million Freemasons in the Empire and, within them, just one hundred thousand or four-tenths of a percent were members of the Illuminati. There were just thirteen men in Majestic. However, those four-tenths of a percent were part of an organization that, collectively, amassed over ten trillion dollars in wealth.

[Layarteb]

August 22, 2009 - 21:00 [EST]
Outside Raccoon City, West Virginia

Eighteen miles outside of Raccoon City, suburbia dropped off and turned into dense forest. Snaking through the countryside were a combination of narrow unimproved and paved roads, most of them just two lanes wide. There were few posted speed limits and the nearest anything was miles upon miles away. State troopers patrolled infrequently and never in force. In its remoteness was also its beauty. The countryside was a favorite spot for hikers and naturists who wanted to get out of the big city and they were rarely ever trouble. Every now and then one of them would pass out because of heat stroke or break their ankle on a trail. Ambulances were never quick to come and cell phone reception was limited. In reality, the countryside of West Virginia was the perfect place to hide something and the Ministry of Defense had plenty hidden throughout the rural state and its neighbors. Command centers, missile silos, bunkers, storage sites, and so on and so fourth were buried throughout West Virginia. Abandoned mines served as massive hubs for data collection and storage and nobody was the wiser. No satellite had ever seen what the Empire had done in West Virginia and even its silos were hidden. However, the Imperial Layartebian Military didn't have a monopoly on hidden sites in West Virginia. The Illuminati had their own assets in the countryside and one of them was on an eight hundred acre estate just thirty-seven miles outside of Raccoon City. Hidden from the road, the estate had several structures on it and a wall standing eight feet high boxed it in and protected it from intrusion. Atop the wall was a row of barbed wire and the only visible access to the estate was along an unimproved, dirt and rock road that snaked beneath giant oak and walnut trees.

A half mile from the road was the main structure of the estate, a giant mansion that dated back to the 1500s and was a beautiful display of Elizabethan architecture. A three-floored mansion, it was over eight thousand square feet. It had more than enough space for a small army and that was no coincidence either. The Illuminati had stationed what was now officially called the 71st Special Tactics, Operations, and Maneuvers Brigade, abbreviated as "S.T.O.R.M." This was the most elite paramilitary unit that the Illuminati had fielded. It was led by Mary McGuire, a stunningly attractive woman in her mid-thirties who's beauty was just one of the many weapons she possessed. She was a small woman, only five foot six but she could make men double her size cower in shame, fear, and pain. She always wore a pair of black sunglasses whenever she was outside and walked with a gait that told everyone around that she was really the alpha male, despite being a female. She spoke with an Irish accent but it was a ruse. Her past, present, and future remained a cryptic mystery that not even the Illuminati fully comprehended and understood.

She had appeared on their radar in 1999 when she strolled into a bank in Dublin dressed like an elderly woman and assassinated the owner of the bank in front of nearly two dozen people. She walked out after neutralizing both guards in hand-to-hand combat and the police could never get a proper ID on her and even though the weapon was left at the scene, there were no prints to be had and the serial number of the weapon had been filed off very well. She had only one round in the weapon and the brass casing had melted in the gun when it was fired. The police didn't know what to think about this and the case remained a mystery. It caught the attention of the Illuminati simply because the bank owner had been someone who, while he was part of the elusive, secret organization, he wasn't very trustworthy anymore. His assassination came at the perfect time for them and they, ten years later, still had no idea who contracted her to do the job. The best hypothesis was the most absurd, that the bank owner himself hired her to do the job to keep himself from being tortured by the Illuminati. Now, she was in charge of the single most elite unit the Illuminati had ever fielded, in history. This was a unit that was trained in every aspect of warfare, including those that were less than reputable. They were going to be the tip of the spear for the Illuminati when the revolution began and they were ready. After years of intensive training, they were finally unitized and given their base of operations. It would be this mansion and their target would be Raccoon City, primarily. Subsidiary units were being put into position outside of Falcon City, Layarteb City, Washington City, Chicago, Caracas, and dozens of others.

The 71st "S.T.O.R.M." Brigade consisted of a total of twenty personnel, including Mary McGuire. Eleven of those twenty were men and the rest were women. All of them were, in essence, mercenaries. They excelled at asymmetric warfare and that was what they planned to dish out to the Layartebian populace and military when they received their orders. For now, they would just lay low inside of the massive estate, disguised as part of the work staff. The estate was not open to the public but should anybody get nosey, the Illuminati wanted to make sure that their main weapon remained unknown. If any of the police were to show up, they would leave with the knowledge that nothing significant was happening there. The whole estate was geared to their further development. Underneath the massive estate there were three shooting ranges, one for rifles and two for pistols. There were a total of eight structures on the estate including the mansion. The other seven were used for a variety of purposes and they practiced storming them against one another with paintball guns. They watched videos and read lesson books on how to conduct their asymmetric warfare and they even kidnapped people for training in their methods. When the war broke out, "S.T.O.R.M." was going to unleash the most horrific atrocities the Empire had ever seen.

As the clock struck 21:00 hours on August 22, another session of asymmetric warfare training began. This was a practical test that had started on May 29 in Layarteb City. Two of the men of the unit, who went by the alias's of Williams and Trilogy, had taken a bus from Washington City to Layarteb City earlier that day and made their way to a beautiful reception hall along the Long Island Sound in the Bronx. A private reception hall, it was the location of a high school prom and they were there for only one reason, they needed a practical, operational test of their skills. Both men disguised themselves as waiters and nobody was the wiser. For two hours they scoped out the building and everyone inside of it. They wore cosmetic masks that made them look different than who they really were and that was part of the test. Their finger prints were burned off and they wore gloves like every other waiter in the hall. Finally, at 21:25 hours, they found their mark. She was a beautiful senior with blonde hair, beautiful green eyes, and a dress that would surely make her boyfriend happy he was dating her. She was just five foot four and left to go to the bathroom all by herself, a mistake. Both men followed her down the hallway towards the bathroom and pushed her into a closet in a place where there were no cameras. She tried to scream but she was drugged quickly by the two men. The drug was a fast acting sedative that would last only a half hour. Stashing her inside of a laundry bin, they pushed her out of the back of the hall without ever being spotted and without arousing any suspicion. She was flung into the trunk of a beat up, stolen, four-door sedan and they drove off, heading north. The men pulled off the highway a little while later and waited and waited. Shortly after the clock passed to May 30, they exited the car and pulled her out of the trunk. They dragged her into the woods and posed for the photo they would leave in the car. Williams stood her up, positioned himself behind her, and while she cried, they snapped a Polaroid of her. Williams looked downright demented and the fear in young Summer Andrews' eyes was obvious. Moments later, a car pulled up and they shoved Summer Andrews into it, blindfolded, gagged, and bound. She was drugged again, this time with a long-lasting sedative that would knock her out for hours. The photo and the car were left on the side of the road, to be found by police and searched on June 1.

She had been in the basement of the estate now for eighty-four days and she had been subjected to more than just emotional torture. She was pushed into what was more or less a dungeon and left there with barely any food or water for thirty days before anyone ever spoke to her. When the mansion had first been built it was the home of an aristocratic land owner who was more than just a landowner. He was a fiend. For kicks he enjoyed kidnapping children and teenagers, abusing, torturing, and killing them in his basement. The dungeon they threw Summer Andrews in was where he had kept his victims after abusing them. In a way, Summer's story was now part of their story's, even though those were four hundred years old. "What a pretty young girl," a voice echoed in the darkness of the dungeon. Summer couldn't see them nor recognize the voice but she knew they were talking about her. The voice was a man and what was in his voice brought fear into her eyes. "She looks innocent. Real innocent."

"Not yet. In time we'll play with her."

"Good." The dungeon suddenly grew cold and Summer began to shake as she stayed in her corner. A pipe above her head dripped water into a dirty bucket that she drank out of and food came down the same pipe once a day. The pipe was dirty and rusty and the food was leftovers from whatever the brigade had eaten that day. She ate every scrap of it and had been sick on more than one occasion. The dungeon smelled and was more than horrific. "I can't wait." A door slammed shut and the voices were gone. Thirty more days passed before anybody ever said anything to her again and this time the conversation was more of the same. She cried at night and feared sleep. She hadn't seen sunlight since the day she was kidnapped and the unknown was scaring the life out of her. On August 6, she awoke to find a man standing in front of the dungeon cage. She couldn't see him but she could feel his presence. She could hear his breathing.

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice trembling. At first the man didn't answer her, he just remained standing, breathing deeper. "What do you want?" A grunt came moments later and she realized what he was doing and it made her sick. He laughed and zipped up his fly. "Why are you doing this?"

"You'll find out soon enough." She continued to tremble. Footsteps echoed and the door slammed shut again and she cried in the basement dungeon.

Why are they doing this? What do they want? She thought to herself as the fear welled up inside of her and the crying resumed. Beginning August 12, the torture began. She was first brought up from the dungeon and into a room inside of the mansion that was pitch black. Dropped into a chair, she was visibly weaker than when she was kidnapped. Her body was frail and she showed cuts and scrapes over most of her body. The dungeon cell wasn't exactly soft and she had tried to escape a few times. "What do you want? Let me go..." She cried and everyone left the room. Moments after the door was shut, the room was instantly bathed in bright light. The light came from overhead, from bright, flights that were flicked on, casting whiteness all over the ten by ten room. Summer screamed in pain as her head instantly began to throb. She hadn't seen light in more than two months and her eyes weren't used to it. She writhed, screamed, cried, and begged for an hour while her head exploded from the inside out, thanks to the bright light. The torture continued every day, for hours at a time. They would interrogate her, beat her, drug her, do horrible things to her, throwing her back into the dungeon when they were done. Each time a little bit of her would die and now there wasn't much left.

Tonight, when they brought her out of the dungeon it was for another particularly brutal round of torture. This time they would give her medical treatment, clean her up, and feed her. It was brutal in that it was the opposite. Her frail body would be revived. Her wounds would go away, she would be brought back to life and all just so they could continue the terrifying.

[United States of Brink]

"You know what's interesting," questioned newly appointed Secretary of State Samuel Briddick?

Briddick was a slender man with a pointed nose, and boney cheeks. Thick black glasses with wide frames slid up and down on his face as he talked. His eyes were set deep giving the impression of a very thin angled face. He talked an odd mix of both proper and slang British. Born in a small town just north of Canterbury, he moved with his family to Port Elizabeth when he was fifteen. He later studied at the University of Windhoek and had befriended the elder statesmen Baruti. It was Baruti's last appointment before his term would end.

Baruti said nothing, just looked at Briddick. It was a rhetorical question, something Briddick asked a lot.

"This damned bloody ship was given sailing orders during the embargo! Something seems a bit off, yea? Off indeed I do say. This whole situation is bullocks!"

Many foreigners who weren't familiar with South Africa could often mistake the accent with that of a true British one. One would only need to listen to Sam to clearly understand the difference.

Baruti nodded in agreement. This was quickly turning into a mess. While he half expected it to, this wasn't the plan. Somalia had long been a thorn in Baruti's side as well as the country as a whole. It was, for all intensive purposes, lawless. Several attempts to gain control had turned into political blunders. The city has deep roots in organized crime including gun running and drug smuggling. It had proved on more than one occasion to be a cause of tension between the Republic and the Empire. With the Commonwealth cracking, Somali exports had increased tenfold. In short the city was only getting stronger. Not to mention several intelligence reports had indicated that several nations, both new and old, were making plans to expand in Africa to fill the void that the Commonwealth was leaving behind. What they didn't seem to understand was the type of people that lived in the former Commonwealth. If nations hoped to expand and spread their ideals it was going to turn into a messy affair, right on the doorstep of the Republic.

More and more it was looking like Baruti would have to do what he never dreamed of doing, wage war against his own country. To be fair though, Somalia, or more specifically Mogadishu, was nobody's country.

Sam didn't enjoy silence very much and the brief paused made him uncomfortable. He quickly filled the silence with his enjoyable, albeit constant, British accent.

"Well then mate, what do we do about those sailors?"

Baruti looked at him, "There isn't much we can do besides try to get them extradited back here and try them Johannesburg. They were caught on foreign soil smuggling arms."

"Poor bastards," replied Briddick somewhat seriously.

"Poor nobody," snuffed Baruti. "I have to make a call. I need to speak to the Emperor."

"Ask him why he seized our ship without warrant."

"Oh and Sam," he called back before leaving the room, "get everyone together for a meeting. I need to speak to congress."

[Layarteb]

August 28, 2009 - 12:00 [EST]
Governor's Island, Layarteb City

The Emperor reviewed his notes one last time as he checked over the room. He was in the press briefing room and in front of him were two dozen reporters from two dozen media outlets, whether radio, television, or newspapers. In front of him was only a podium and the microphone was on his lapel. Television cameras panned in on the room and the reporters alike and the audio levels were checked one last time. Lighting was already set and the only thing that remained now was for the Emperor to say when he was ready. Then the cameras would begin to broadcast. Every major news network would carry the speech but this wasn't a bulletin that interrupted every channel. He wasn't doing anything other that informing the people of the Empire and the world what was being planned, especially in regards to the approaching trial of the Brinkian sailors caught smuggling arms to the Empire the previous month. There had been some sort of outrage in the United States of Brink that the captain could be put to death and lawyers and spokesmen from the United States called him an innocent pawn in the game of something larger. They practically exonerated the sailors before the trial even began and never quite named what larger force was driving this but certainly hinted that the Empire was part of it.

The Emperor nodded to the technician who instantly gave a thumbs up to the control booth in the rear of the room. The news feeds switched and the Emperor was given the five second countdown as he stood, completely composed, behind the podium. When he got the thumbs up himself, he began. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Empire, I stand before you today to speak to you about two unrelated but equally important topics." He had already informed the reporters that questions would be saved until he was done. They would respect this and to interrupt the Emperor meant one would never again work in the media business again. There was a certain decorum and level of respect every journalist and every person was expected to uphold in the presence of the Emperor, despite their own personal beliefs. By and large, there were few incidents that acted in contrary to these established rules and regulations. "The first concerns our armed forces. In light of the internal collapse of the Hawdawgian Republic and Commonwealth of Hirgizstan, the dissolution of the Fourth Reich, the disbandment of the Armed Republic of Soviet Bloc, and the Cottish Flu Pandemic, the Empire and the Eurasian Federation remain the only stable, coherent states within the October Alliance. While no state has left the October Alliance out of ill will towards the alliance, internal struggles within each nation have caused their ultimate, political demise.

"It is therefore the duty of the Empire and the Eurasian Federation to carry the beacon of the October Alliance in this time until any of these nations see fit to restore themselves and until the Cottish Realm becomes a coherently established entity again, as it was before the flu pandemic, which claimed three quarters of a billion people. I have directed the Ministry of Defense to increase the size of our armed forces by twenty percent increasing our total, peacetime military to just under twenty million persons. In doing so, the Empire will increase all four branches of the Imperial Layartebian Military. The increases will be released by the Ministry of Defense when they are finalized but I can share our biggest development today. The Imperial Layartebian Navy will increase from ten marine divisions to twelve with provisions for three more should we find it necessary. We will add an eighty carrier strike group and two more carrier battle groups to our First Fleet and Second Fleet. We estimate that it will take less than one year to achieve this, two if we add the additional Marine divisions. We shall continue building the next four ships of the Overburdened class and expect them to be in service by 2011.

"The Imperial Layartebian Air Force shall be increased by no less than five percent with increased production of fighter, bomber, and attack aircraft. We are currently in negotiations to increase the size of our B-9 Sphinx force from nine hundred to nine hundred and sixty-four and our B-11 Zeus force from sixty to ninety-six. Fighter aircraft will receive new upgrades and we shall be putting newer aircraft into service, retiring older aircraft. At current production rates we expect this to be completed within the year.

"The Imperial Layartebian Army shall receive updated equipment and an increase in infantry troops to support the overall increase in our military and the Imperial Layartebian Defense Forces shall see their own proportional increase including more B-6 Dementor bombers and anti-submarine patrol aircraft.

"The second topic of discussion is the upcoming trial of the Brinkian sailors. I have reviewed the evidence put fourth and I have given my approval for this trial to commence. The evidence against these smugglers is overwhelming. They will be given the same trial under Layartebian law as any non-Layartebian caught within the boundaries of our Empire. They will be allowed legal representation from the United States of Brink and we implore the Brinkian government to follow this investigation and trial intently as our resolution will be binding. At this current time, should the captain of this vessel be found guilty, the prosecutors will seek the death penalty, as allowable under Layartebian law. The sailors are not eligible for this penalty but they do face strict jail sentences. Smuggling in the Empire is not a minor infraction. We have determined that the weapons on board were destined for the Amazonian Control Territory and we will be launching an investigation to see how culpable the Brinkian government is in this matter, which, at this present time is ongoing and thus I have no comment on its findings yet.

"It is a shame that relations between our two nations have soured so and it is my hope that the outcome of this trial will be accepted both by the United States of Brink and the world itself. Thank you."

[Layarteb]

September 2, 2009 - 04:00 [EST]
White Plains, New York

"How are we looking?" Asked a black faced man, no more than twenty-four years old. The face paint on his skin felt weird and only the whites of his eyes provided a contrast. The rest of him was covered in black just the same and so were the two women and one other man who knelt beside him. They were all the same age and from the same group for the same cause. He looked over to his right and saw three sets of thumbs. The moon was out that night but clouds had moved overhead so it was difficult to see but it wasn't pitch black, partly thanks to the massive amount of light coming from the White Plains skyline. "Alright. Let's get back then. We've got eight and a half minutes." Only ten minutes earlier, the four of them had knelt on the one side of a chain-link fence, topped with razor wire. Every twenty or so feet there was a sign hanging that read, in big, bold letters, GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. NO TRESSPASSING. The property was government owned and leased and it wasn't very big, maybe one hundred and fifty acres, at most. There were only five structures on the whole plot of land and the rest was all preserved forest. Of those five structures, four were radio towers, each standing over two hundred feet tall. Guy wires stabilized them and they were attached to massive, concrete slabs that stretched more than fifteen feet underground. A hurricane couldn't topple the towers and that was done by design. Massive cables ran up and down the towers and then underground. All four towers ran cables to the fifth structure, a small concrete building on the edge of the property. That building was locked and inside of it were all of the controls linking the four towers to the outside world, including the power.

They had knelt in front of the fence for only thirty seconds before they produced two pairs of bolt cutters and worked quickly, cutting their way to the other side of the fence. It was easy for them to do so and there weren't any motion sensors or electrical conduits running through the fences that would warn anyone of an intrusion. The secluded area was just north of White Plains atop a high but still within the city limits. State patrols drove by once a day, peeked in, and headed on their merry way. Occasionally, technicians from the networks leasing the towers would come to check up on them and run diagnostics but, by and large, the towers were left to their own. Between the four of them, they broadcast radio and television signals for the entire metropolitan area of Layarteb City. They reached more than fifty million people and they were being operated by the largest media outlets in the Empire.

After the four of them showed up and cut their way into the area, they made their way to the four towers and each of them went to work, quickly, quietly, and efficiently. They had to make fast work of the towers and they each had two bricks of plastic explosive and a simpler time-based detonator. This wasn't like some cheap action film with a blinking detonator to tell the whole world there was something there, this was real. Each brick weighed just a pound a quarter and it was two inches wide, an inch and a half thick, and eleven inches long. The dense plastic explosive was C-4. Its pressure wave moved at over eight kilometers per second and C-4 was 1.34 times as powerful as TNT. They put the two blocks on each tower on their support legs. On two of the towers they put the blocks diagonal from one another and on the other two, the blocks were placed on the same side. They had done a lot of research into this demolition and now that they had everything planted they waited, hoping that their research would pay off and achieve the results they wanted. The ten pounds of C-4 they brought and placed on the towers was military-grade and not bad in some basement laboratory by chemists. How they got their hands on it was a story in and of itself but it was evident in the tale of the Empire and its burgeoning civil war that fast approached.

Eight minutes seemed like an eternity as the four, black-covered men and women waited a few hundred yards away from the perimeter of the fence. They watched their wrist watches and impatiently waited. At precisely eight past four in the morning, the fruits of their labor instantly began to pay off as the ground shook underneath their feet. The explosions happened simultaneously and then came a symphony of destruction that was more than just dissonance, it was pure hatred and anger. Creaks, groans, cracks, and screams echoed into the night as the metal on the towers twisted, bent, buckled, cracked, snapped, and tore itself apart. Guy wires began to snap in rapid succession and the towers' stability was exponentially altered in negative ways. The towers with two supports blown out diagonally from one another collapsed quickly, to the weaker side with the heavier load, smashing hard into one another as they came down in a twisted wreck. The other two collapsed straight over, falling to the weaker side, which happened to be right into the control building. It was durable and it was definitely well constructed but the tons of metal crashing down upon its roof was too much for it. Sparks lit up the sky more than the explosions had and the night suddenly became much brighter but far quieter as the four towers lay in ruins less than a minute after the blocks of explosive were detonated. The four men and women cleared out just as quickly as they had come and stuck to their feet for a few miles, heading in the direction away from the roads. The explosions and crashing towers could certainly be heard throughout the city and police and fire services were dispatched the moment the explosions were reported. Investigators wouldn't take long to piece together that the fall of the towers was a demolition and certainly not a controlled, approved one. All four towers were down and the control building was shattered by tons upon tons of falling steel. No one had been hurt or killed but millions of dollars in damage had been done in just an instant and media service was instantly affected. Television stations became snow and radio became static. Millions of people wondered what had actually happened.