Antria: Nation Maintenance [IC|Closed]

[Antria]

Welcome to the home of maintenance posts for the nation of Antria. Here I'll be posting a variety of in character material in the form of news, short stories, one-offs, serials, and other types of information that doesn't really warrant a separate thread in any of the Nation States forums. Please keep in mind that this thread is a closed, in character thread [though posts from other nations may be allowed after consideration... TG me to see about working this out before posting].

A directory has been included below to keep track of related posts and topics.

Thank you,

Antria

[Antria]

Index Of News Articles:

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Excerpts From Antria Monthly:

Issue #001
Issue #002
Issue #003
Issue #004

[Antria]

Index Of Stories:

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One Shots:

Take Me Home...
The Five O'Clock Train
Officer Friendly's Bad Day
The End of the Drive

[Antria]

Index Of Other Relevant Information:

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Society and Culture:

Societal and Cultural Factoids #001
Societal and Cultural Factoids #002

Surveys and Stuff From The NS Forums:

A Societal Strictness Survey
A Criminal Punishment Survey
A Freedom of Speech Survey
A Prostitution In Your Nation Survey

The Jukebox:

Disc #001
Disc #002

[Antria]

Take Me Home...

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"...Country roads... take me home... to the place I belong... West Virginia, mountain mama... take me home, country roads" he sang along softly to the extremely old song being belted out on the beat up old jukebox latched to the wall next to the door. Pausing to take a long draft from his beer helped him to ignore the erratic flicker of the lights on the bridge, and the running commentary of warning icons on the console that he was currently using as a foot rest... The large crack in the main view screen was a bit worrying too, but by now he was a good nine or ten beers in, and was feeling quite alright despite the fact that he'd likely be dead within the next few minutes or so.

"All my memories gather round her... miner's lady, stranger to blue water... dark and dusty, painted on the sky... misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye" he picked right back up where he left off; staring at the holographic view screen as it flickered sporadically. Hmm, did that crack just get a little bit bigger he idly thought to himself... Oddly detached from the idea of his own impending death. When the screen flickered back on, he was just able to make out one of the several craft he'd been engaged against. It too was adrift, though far less intact as it drifted along shedding debris just at the edge of his cybernetic eyes maximum range.

Making a finger gun gesture, he dropped his thumb... "Bang, motherfucker" he said with a dry chuckle before finishing off his beer. Fuck, John, he thought to himself as he opened another beer and picked back up with his singing... Ignoring the fact that he'd missed a verse. "I hear her voice, in the morning hour she calls me... the radio reminds me of my home far away... and driving down the road I get a feeling... that I should have been home yesterday, yesterday."

The singing wasn't doing any good for his oxygen levels, but honestly, he'd stopped caring about that after his fifth beer, or was it the sixth? Hmm, whatever he though; downing half of his current beer. He savored the flavor, and tilted his head back so he could pretend to ignore the fact that the oxygen level had just hit critical. He was feeling rather blase about the thought of death right now though, and didn't want to ruin it. Fuck it he though, might as well keep going... At least I'll have a good song to die too he thought with a small, sad grin.

"Country roads, take me home...to the place I belong... West Virginia, mountain mama... take me home, country roads." It was getting harder to sing along, and the noticeable wheeze was really cramping his style... The half finished beer slipped from his fingers as he croaked out the last two lines; though it felt like it took a Hurculean effort to do so. "Take me home, down country roads... take me home, down country roads..."

[Antria]

Antria Monthly #001 [Excerpt]

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A series of attacks on Antrian commercial vessels has been a cause of some concern and confusion in recent times. Originally, Antrian intelligence agencies were unable to determine how the attacks were being carried out as there was no noticeable pattern among the ships that have been targeted, and the locations of each attack did not match up with the available flight recorder data available; none of the ships were scheduled to make a stop where the attack upon them occurred...

However, recent evidence has come to light explaining how these attacks were most likely carried out after Navy forces used a simple bait-and-switch tactic; replacing certain merchant vessels with military ones, and then following the merchant vessels pre-planned routes... FTLi technology has long been known of in Antria, though historically such technology was not deemed to be worth the massive energy requirements necessary to make it's use truly viable or common. Unfortunately, it seems that at least one pirate group in the region has managed to somehow acquire this technology, and have begun using it in targeted attacks on Antrian; and possibly others shipping.

It has yet to be determined how this technology fell into the hands of simple pirates, but the growing number of attacks has become a cause of some concern, leading to harsh debate in the government as to how the situation should be dealt with. While the argument rages on, several measures have been proposed; from providing a military escort to Antria's commercial shipping vessels, to developing other methods of FTL travel that could circumvent the interdiction... There has even been mention of buying or developing "gate" technology like that used by a number of other nations throughout the Milky Way though whether or not such technology could be made mobile, and concerns over "gate fees" are likely to kill the idea of using "gates" before it can truly get off the ground.

Either way, as the death toll continues to rise, and the hit on our merchant's pocketbooks continues to go up, the demand for a viable, long term solution is only likely to increase, and the current stopgap measures, while somewhat helpful thus far, are only a temporary solution...

[Antria]

Antria Monthly #002 [Excerpt]

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The recent spate of brutal boarding operations being carried out by Antrian military forces has highlighted the need for a more diverse and effective arsenal of weapons. As such, it was announced earlier this month that plans were being set in motion that would examine the needs of the Antrian military for the foreseeable future. Rumors from several anonymous sources within the military suggest that Antria may soon be in the market for purchasing a number of foreign arms to supplement our current arsenal. Speculation, as such, has begun to run rampant in certain circles, with a number of so called "experts" questioning whether or not Antria is looking to supplement the military's arsenal with large orders of foreign made arms, or if such purchases will simply be used to develop in-house Antrian versions of foreign made arms and munitions.

As the rumors continue to get wilder, it is likely that we can expect more information on this topic in the future. Look to our next issue for updates on this topic.

[Antria]

Antria Monthly #003 [Excerpt]

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Update: The rumors from our previous issue have now been largely confirmed; the Antrian military has indeed gone shopping for foreign arms and munitions. While the exact details have been difficult to come by, it has been confirmed that the military is looking into adopting an unspecified number and variety of arms developed by a multitude of foreign powers such as the Interstellar Empire of Nyte, New Dornalia, and the Huerdaen Star Empire just to name a few.

At this time, it is unknown exactly how this process is going to be carried out by the Antrian military. Some "experts" have hypothesized that there will be some type of arms competition with entrants competing against each other for lucrative military contracts with the Antrian government. Others however, speculate that the Antrian military is looking more for weapons systems that can be modified to fit Antria's specific needs and then produced locally by Antrian arms manufacturers in order to either limit, or remove entirely, a reliance on foreign arms manufacturers. Either way, the number(s) involved, and the price(s) of these potential contracts remains unknown.

It is expected that there will be further updates on this situation in the upcoming months as the Antrian government begins to put forward a number of contracts to these potential suppliers... Look to Antria Monthly for further news on this topic in the future.

[Antria]

Antria Monthly #004 [Excerpt]

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The Esper; an experimental Antrian Navy test vessel has officially been declared as missing in action... This, after reportedly having been testing a new, highly experimental form of faster than light drive. The details around this drive remain highly classified at this time, but what is known from the limited amount of information that has been made available to us here at Antria Monthly seems to suggest some form of experimentation with extra-dimensional technology. In their statement earlier today, the naval spokesperson would not elaborate on the situation, though the possibility of sabotage was implied despite a lack of supporting evidence. When reporters brought forth questions concerning the final transmission from the Esper which was leaked to several Antrian media outlets; the graphic nature of which has been deemed to be too extreme for us to include within this article, the press conference was brought to an immediate, and largely unfulfilling end.

The Esper carried a crew of one hundred and seventeen Antrians; a mixture of military personnel and scientists... Our hearts and prayers go out to their loved ones this evening, and until the true fate of the Esper and her crew is determined.

[Antria]

Societal and Cultural Factoids #001: The "I Fought The Law, and The Law Won" Edition

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01. The Antrian legal system leans more to corporal punishment [up to and including death] and terms of community service rather than long prison sentences. Fines are also popular...
02. Criminal punishment in Antria; particularly in those cases with results leading to corporal punishment, are commonly a public event as it is believed in Antria that a public display of the consequences of criminal activity goes a long way towards lowering the crime rate.
03. Antrian law enforcement officers are well known for their use of sonic weaponry [some would say overly so] to break up public disturbances and riots. This has gone a long way in protecting law enforcement officers from injury in these types of situations, but has been known to cause some detrimental short, and long term health effects among those members of the public who repeatedly engage in such activities.
04. When entering into a contractual agreement in Antria, it is common that the contract is signed and sealed in blood. An antique "paper" contract; a copy of the digitally created contract, is provided for all parties involved specifically for this purpose. This is largely for symbolic reasons; not legal ones.

[Antria]

The Jukebox #001

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In this installment of The Jukebox, we bring you a selection of classic tracks designed to invoke thoughts of war... And it's just in time to go with the recent uptick in Antrian military activity too.

01. Fields of Verdun - Sabaton
02. Star Sky - Two Steps From Hell
03. Red Like Roses - AmaLee Ver.
04. Who Wants To Live Forever - The Tenors Ft. Lindsey Stirling
05. The Show Must Go On - 2 Cellos
06. Through the Fire and Flames - Dragonforce
07. Bismark - Sabaton

OOC NOTE: I claim no credit for any of the music listed above, nor am I attempting to profit from it in any way, shape, or form. I'm simply a fan... The above songs are the property of their respective copyright holders.

[Antria]

Societal and Cultural Factoids #002: The GO FAST Edition

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There is an unusual fascination with speed in Antria... Naturally, this fascination needed an outlet, or two,...or ten. In the Antrian's case, these outlets come in the form of sport; in particular, racing, which comes in a staggering amount of varieties in Antria. The following is a list of a number of the more popular [for one reason or another]types of racing that can be found in Antria.

01. Power Armor Racing
02. Hoverboard Racing
03. "The Express Elevator To Hell" [an unsanctioned military "sport" using dropships]
04. "The Tankathon" [an annual Antrian Army event that's more of a timed obstacle course for tanks than a traditional race]
05. Snubfighter Racing
06. Illegal Street Racing [running from law enforcement is a popular subset of this type of racing]

[Antria]

The Five O'Clock Train

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"Lets get married" the sudden comment came from out of nowhere... Even the young man; or boy really as he was all of sixteen standard years old seemed surprised at having suggested it for a moment. His equally young female companion simply gave him a look...one that practically screamed "are you crazy?" at the young man for even suggesting such a crazy idea.

"No, I'm not crazy" he continued; a bit more confidently than he'd originally started. "And yes, I mean it. We could take the five o'clock train to Madirah... It's in one of the other asteroid habs. One of the Magistrates there was friends with my father back before he died... He's qualified to perform the ceremony, and he won't ask questions...well, not for me at least." There was silence for several moments, and seeing that she seemed to actually be considering it, he pressed on. "I've got more than enough credits saved up for a pair of tickets, and we can stay in one of the hotels there for the week for as a honeymoon... One of the nice ones along the beech that they advertise on the net sometimes."

"C'mon Mari" he pushed on. "I can make the arrangements in like, an hour tops. We could pack a bag or two each, and get to the station by four... We'd be checking into a hotel in Madirah by midnight as long as the train's running on time."

"You're insane Kostadin...you know that, right?" she quipped back at him with a barely contained laugh.

"You still haven't said no though" he fired right back; the small smile on his pale, thin, aristocratic looking face growing into a smirk as he spoke. The fact that the smirk made him look even more boyish didn't help his case, but at the moment, he could care less.

She huffed in reply before blowing a few strands of her long reddish hair away from her face. Tucking the errant locks away behind her ear, she replied after a moment. "What the hell...I guess I'm crazy too. I'll meet you at the station. Give me two hours."

Two hours later, Kostadin; a bag over each of his shoulders, and a pair of plastic, credit card sized train tickets clenched in his hand, walked up to the gate, and flashing the tickets at Mari with a jaunty wave; the smirk still on his face he remarked simply. "Got 'em."

Shaking her head at how silly he was being, she took one of the tickets and swiped it through a nearby terminal. Turning back as the gate slowly hissed open she replied. "Well, come on then... You're not getting cold feet now are you?"

"Hah, not even" he replied as he swiped his own ticket through an adjacent terminal.

A few minutes of walking saw the two lined up with several hundred other people to board the train; a colossal amalgamation of grey metals and composite materials that virtually dwarfed the pair of teens who stared at it slack jawed. "I've only ever seen them in the distance until now" Kostadin remarked sounding stunned... "They never looked this...big."

Shaking her head, Mari reached back and grabbed him by the arm; practically dragging him along as he stared stupidly at the massive train that stretched a good thirty or forty cars long from front to back. "C'mon silly, we'll miss the train if you just stand there staring at it all day."

"Of course" he replied; shaking his head as he did so. "Of course... Let's go catch our train" he continued; the smirk once more appearing on his face.

[Antria]

A Societal Strictness Survey...
The following entry is this Societal Strictness Survey

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Is voting mandatory? No
Is private gun ownership mandatory, optional, or prohibited? Optional
Can citizens be required to serve in the military? No, though it is one of two ways they can earn citizenship
Can citizens be required to serve in a jury? Yes, though there are so many loopholes to this that they may as well not be
Can citizens be required to perform any other type of service?Only as a sentence for a crime [community service for example]

Is swearing legal? Yes
Is drinking legal? Yes
Is smoking legal? Yes, though it is frowned upon
Is chewing gum legal? Yes
Is jaywalking legal? No, but this is rarely enforced
Are sports legal? Yes
Are video games legal? Yes
Can video games contain sexuality? Yes
Can video games contain violence? Yes
Is there a curfew for children? Technically, no, though parents are encouraged to set one for their children nonetheless
Is there a curfew for adults? No

Are elementary students required to wear school uniforms? No
Are secondary students required to wear school uniforms? No
Are hats allowed during class? No
Are computers allowed during class? Yes, though they are intended for school work only
Is eating allowed during class? No
Is sleeping allowed during class? No

Is corporal punishment legal in schools? No
What percentage of teachers use or support corporal punishment? N/A
Is corporal punishment legal in the home? Yes
What percentage of parents use or support corporal punishment? Unknown, insufficient data exists on this topic at this time
Can corporal punishment be ordered by a court or judge? Yes
Is corporal punishment used in prisons? Yes
Is corporal punishment used in the military? Yes

Does your nation have the death penalty? Yes
Does your nation have life imprisonment? No
Can torture be used to obtain information? Only in very specific cases
Can torture be used as a punishment? Only in very specific cases
Does your nation have concentration camps? No
Does your nation have forced labor camps? No
Does your nation have extermination camps? No

[Antria]

A Criminal Punishment Survey...
The following entry is this Criminal Punishment Survey

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Does your nation use any of the following as a punishment for crime(s)?
[ X ] - Fines
[ ] - Probation
[ X ] - Corporal punishment
[ ] - Life sentence in prison
[ X ] - Prison sentence less than life
If your nation does not practice life imprisonment, please state the maximum sentence used: A maximum of five standard years. This is commonly combined with other punishments.
[ X ] - Revocation of privileges (e.g. suspension of driver's license)
[ X ] - Permanent disenfranchisement (losing the right to vote)
[ X ] - Temporary disenfranchisement
If your nation practices temporary disenfranchisement, how long until someone regains their voting privileges?: The maximum amount of time for a temporary disenfranchisement is twenty standard years.
[ X ] - Capital punishment
If your nation practices capital punishment, which methods of execution are used in your nation (mark all that apply):
[ ] - Lethal injection
[ ] - Hanging
[ X ] - Firing squad
[ ] - Electric chair
[ X ] - Other
If you selected other, please state what other method(s) of execution are used in your nation: Spacing [the criminal is placed in an airlock and ejected into space without the benefit of a space suit].
[ X ] - Penal labor
[ ] - Political reeducation
[ ] - Torture
If your nation practices torture, which methods of torture are used in your nation (mark all that apply):
[ ] - Waterboarding
[ ] - Flogging
[ ] - Mutilation
[ ] Other
If you selected other, please state what other method(s) of torture are used in your nation [Please simply state the methods or state simple explanations of how they work, do not go into detail]:
[ ] - Exile/Banishment
[ X ] - Other
For other, please state the other punishment(s) for crimes that are used in your nation: Death of Personality [the criminal is mind wiped, and a completely new personality is imbedded within their psyche overwriting all aspects of their former self].

[Antria]

Freedom of Speech Survey...
The following entry is this Freedom of Speech Survey

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Does your nation's constitution protect freedom of speech? Yes
Does your nation's government respect its citizens freedom of speech? Yes
Are there any limitations on freedom of speech? Yes. Direct calls for/promoting/threatening violence are prohibited
Are citizens allowed to criticize the government and voice their opinions freely without fear of government retribution? Yes

[Antria]

Prostitution In Your Nation Survey...
The following entry is this Prostitution In Your Nation Survey

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Is prostitution legal in your nation? Yes
If it is, is it regulated in any way? Yes. It's taxed by the government, and regulated for safety; both that of the workers, and that of the customers.
If it is not legal, what does your nation do to the citizens that commit the crime? N/A
What is the government's stance on the issue? It's the oldest business in the galaxy... Might as well regulate it and make a profit from it.
What are your citizens thoughts on the issue? Mixed based on species, gender, and religious belief.
Are there any major groups (Religions, Businesses, Political Parties, ect) that support it? The government, casino's and brothels (Red Light Districts).
Are there any major groups (Religions, Businesses, Political Parties, ect) that do not support it? A variety of different religions are against it to varying degrees.
Is it important to the economy in anyway? Somewhat, but not majorly so. Prostitution is a profitable business in Antria, but is still more niche than mainstream.
Anything Else? Despite being legal, prostitution does operate in a grey area in Antria; legally, morally, and ethically, and it's continuing legality is a frequent topic of debate among government officials.

[Antria]

Officer Friendly's Bad Day

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Sergeant Petr Friendly shifted in the seat of his electric patrol cruiser; taking a sip of his recaff from it's cheap, recyclable cup, and lamenting, for at least the third time that morning, that he hadn't asked for more creamer. Making a disgruntled noise, he bit into the chocolate doughnut in his off hand; hoping the sugary treat might overpower the foul taste the recaff had left in his mouth.

The low murmur of the cruisers communications system was close to lulling him to sleep, and the recaff was less effective than it used to be at keeping him awake through his twelve hour shift these days... Old age he lamented to himself; taking another sip of the cheap, badly tasting recaff nonetheless. A short distance away, the sight and sounds of a group of children making their way to the nearby elementary school; St. Stephens if he recalled correctly, got him thinking that he still needed to do his Christmas shopping for his own children. The thought brought a small, tired smile to his tired face as he continued to nibble on the doughnut.

In his tired state, he payed little to no mind to the figure making it's way towards the school; quite the feat as the man? was dressed as jolly St. Nick himself; sack of goodies and all. The excited chorus of shouts of "Santa" from the younger children took a moment to permeate into his mind through the fog of weariness, and he looked up, and, after a moment, took notice of a large number of the youngest children moving to congregate towards the jolly fat man. Petr blinked a few times...rapidly, as the unusualness of what he was seeing finally sank in.

As Petr watched, the Santa Claus wannabe set down his sack and reached into it... Instead of presents however, something far less benign was pulled out... Several slug throwers. The sudden booming of the guns, and the screaming of children kicked Petr right out of his shocked state; both the recaff, and the half eaten doughnut flying out of his hands as he activated the cruisers communications system and hurriedly called for back-up.

Practically kicking the cruisers door open, Petr clumsily lunged out of the seat; fumbling for a moment from the contorted position his body was in and the sudden rush of adrenaline that was beginning to kick in. He drew his sidearm and began sprinting down the block. "Drop the weapons fat man" he roared as he raised his sidearm and took aim. In the distance, the sirens of approaching police cruisers could faintly be heard; steadily, but quickly growing louder. The gunman cursed; the exact words muffled by the intervening distance, and fired several rounds in Petr's direction as he ran for the schools front doors.

Petr returned fire; cursing profusely as he missed. He didn't take long to think however before pursuing the man into the school...back-up was likely still several minutes away, and who knew what this psychopath would be able to do with those precious few minutes; that, and the sound of more gunfire from within left Petr no real choice in the matter.

Petr slipped through the doors in a crouch, and stumbled. Hitting the ground, he risked a quick look back to see what had caused him to trip, and immediately wished he hadn't... A young girl with a small, almost doll-like body: a hole where her right eye should have been and a look of terror frozen on her tiny, dead face... Petr vomited; the taste of stomach acid, cheap recaff, and doughnut permeating his mouth, but he ignored it as he regained his footing and pelted down the hallway. Slamming his back to the wall, he risked a quick look around the corner; the sounds of more gunfire and screaming was drowned out by the rush of the blood thundering in his ears. He didn't bother to speak this time. There was no demand for the gunman to drop his weapons. Peter strode out from around the corner, took aim, and squeezed the trigger of his sidearm again and again, and each time, the fat man jerked from the impact. Even as the guns slipped from dead fingers, Petr continued firing until finally there was a click...the magazine in his sidearm finally running dry.

He continued to stand there for several minutes nonetheless; breathing heavily with his empty sidearm still pointed at the clearly dead gunman lying in a slowly spreading pool of crimson blood, so fixated, that he didn't even react as his back-up finally arrived in force...

[Antria]

The Jukebox #002

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In this installment of The Jukebox, we bring you a selection of classic tracks to help you cope with that break-up you've been drowning yourself in alcohol over...

01. Without Me - Halsey
02. Bye Bye Beautiful - Nightwish
03. I Hope - Gabby Barrett and Charlie Puth
04. While Your Lips Are Still Red - Nightwish
05. Unfaithful (cover) - Exit Eden
06. Push - Toby Turner
07. Synchronicity (cover) - AmaLee

OOC NOTE: I claim no credit for any of the music listed above, nor am I attempting to profit from it in any way, shape, or form. I'm simply a fan... The above songs are the property of their respective copyright holders.

[Antria]

The End of the Drive

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The high pitched whine of the electric engine was almost soothing; though barely audible what with the crooning of some vapid tart moaning about love and loss blaring through the radio. The lights of the city flickered and blurred on by around him under the backdrop of the night sky; fake of course, just like everything else in this shit hole he though sluggishly to himself through an alcohol induced haze. He took another deep swig from the bottle of cheap whiskey clenched in his fist; the vice-like grip he had on the bottle leaving his knuckles a bloodless white color. Draining the bottle of the last few drops of the amber liquor, he dumped the empty bottle on the floor, and grinned bitterly as the speedometer on the dashboard ticked up past 140mph; the engine screaming in protest as it did so.

He didn't give a fuck though... Not anymore.

He laughed...cried; maybe a little bit of both at once really, and flipped off the swarm of police cars moving to try and box him in again. From the trunk of the car, a woman screamed and pleaded incoherently; though her cries were mostly drowned out by the sound of the engine whining as it finally hit it's limits, the 'tart' still singing through the radio, and the wail of the sirens on the police cars as they closed in once again.

"Shut up bitch" he yelled drunkenly over his shoulder. "You should have thought about that before fucking him in our god damned bed" he continued. "But don't worry...dear" he growled out; though the word dear was definitely not spoken with even a single shred of affection; rather it spilled out like the most vulgar insult imaginable instead. "You'll be joining his sorry ass in hell soon enough."

He hit the on-ramp to the I-2 at full speed; driving straight through one of the 'Road Ends In 2000 Feet' signs blocking the highway entrance in a shower of reflective neon orange and black warning material and flimsy, hollow metal rods... The car bucked hard; going airborne for a moment and twisting wildly as it slammed into and over the sandbags that had been holding the sign in place.

The car came down sideways...directly into a cement barrier and virtually disintegrated on impact with a spray of plastic, metal, and fiberglass parts before finally screeching to a halt some distance from the edge where the highway simply ceased to be...a lone, desultory tire bouncing on and over the drop as the police cars screeched to a stop and the officers moved towards the wrecked remains of what had once been a car and the human remains within.

They had no illusions about there being any survivors...