Fallout:South The Mason MK-IV IC Thread.

[Al-Ghaihr]

Islamic Commonwealth of America Roleplay

Imam's Office, Grand Mosque of High Point, ICA

The Imam begun speaking "Good, good. The President is a great man who will support the efforts of a religious conference to bring back some symbols of hope in a world devoid of hope. I believe that this can be the way to success for our two nations. Bolts of Arabia, please.. if you don't mind, fetch some dates and some tea, please." and the Mr. Handy thrusted away to fetch the required items. It quickly brought them back serving them in a professional manner.

A knock on the door was heard and one of the nearby Protectrons opened the door. Two solid-black Assaultrons walked in as the President walked in, wearing a black throbe with gold embroidery and an Islamic prayer cap. He spoke in his low voice "Oh, I wasn't expecting a United Republic delegation here. I had just finished making Salah and decided to come see the Imam to give some words to him. But it's a pleasure to see you here. What were you and the Imam discussing, if I may know?"

The Imam swirled his cup of tea as he dropped a sugar cube into it, sipping it as he once again spoke "Well. The Islamic Conference. The Grand Mosque has decided to host the event as we would love the honor of being able to host one of the first Post-War Islamic conferences. We'd very much appreciate it if you would actually sit down and join us for a cup of tea and discuss the details with us. President Mallicoat."

Greensboro, Carolina Commonwealth, Islamic Commonwealths of America

The sound of construction tools and machinery filled the air as the reindustralization of Greensboro was commencing along with reconstruction of buildings that were structurally unstable. The newly appointed mayor of Greensboro, a Somalian Muslim lady known as Aisha Mohammed was in charge of the city and was forming the first Post-War city council after the Incorporation of Greensboro and the previous government gave up their posts.

Aisha looked at the various papers infront of her on the desk and sighed as she signed another stack of papers. All for the Government, she thought. It was to help Greensboro go back to normal and to vitalize it as a major industrial city once more. Luckily, she had her office Protectron to help her in the fight against the paperwork.

---

Hannibal Gectarmahn Roleplay

Streets of Greensboro, Carolina Commonwealth, Islamic Commonwealth of America

Hannibal walked down in downtown Greensboro in his clean black suit with a formal hat. He looked around the crowded streets as people flocked to purchase merchandise in the downtown stores. He was of course annoyed too by the fact there was construction sounds in the downtown one of which was for the construction of a Museum in Greensboro. He continued walking down the street until he saw a group of regulators accompanied by the local Greensboro Police officers and an Greensboro Police Assaultron.

The Assaultron walked up to Hannibal and begun speaking "Sir, we are looking for a fugitive from the Commonwealth of Boston. A man known as John Williamson who also goes by Gectarmahn. He is a very dangerous criminal. Have you seen this man?" to which Hannibal responded "No, I've not seen any criminals. I'd be sure to keep a eye out although." and the Assaultron beeped and Hannibal cut a path to the west going down a different street.

He continued walking until the streets grew less crowded. He took his inhaler of Jet and used it swiftly as he continued walking before stashing the rest in his tuxedo. He knew that drug possession in the ICA was a strong offense. He noticed a man on a corner and Hannibal slowly approached him. Hannibal begun speaking to the man "Hello. I notice you're new in town. May I show you around?" and the man replied "I don't know. I've been hearing about some murderer walking around with fancy clothes like yours.". Hannibal laughed and said "I am sorry, but you leave me no choice." as he pulled a ripper out of his suit jacket. He turned it on as he pinned the man to the wall.

He hovered the ripper to the man's chest but the man struggled back causing Hannibal to accidently cut off the man's right arm rather than make a incision into the chest. The man screamed loudly and Hannibal took off down a alley but not before leaving a calling card behind. This was a sign of things to come.

---

Islamic Commonwealth of America Roleplay

A street near downtown Greensboro, Carolina Commonwealth, Islamic Commonwealth of America

A police car rushed to the scene of the screaming, the blue lights ontop rotating as it neared the scene of the crime with the siren blaring. The two officers got out as they ran up to the collapsed man who was clutching his shoulder where his arm once was. He was screaming in agony. The officers proceeded to use the vehicle's radio to summon a ambulance.

The ambulance swiftly arrived and the paramedics loaded the man into the ambulance and took him to High Point Regional Hospital which had the status of being a trauma center in the ICA. They managed to keep the blood loss from interfering with anything. Back at the hospital. They moved him into a room in the emergency department and what happened next was a surgery that'd last a few good hours to try to reattach the arm. It was revealed it was a United Republics citizen.

The President of the Islamic Commonwealth of America was notified along with the diplomats from the United Republic and the embassy itself.

[Routcher]

River City

The General Assembly met again today, and discussed items of varying importance. The following is a list of notable events from the meeting.

Matters of Government
-An amendment to the Constitution of the River City Republic that would automatically increase the size of the General Assembly by 1 for each settlement over 50 citizens in population was voted on and passed, with the vote being (For 11-5 Against).
-As this amendment did not cover Columbus, an proposal was made to add a seat in the General Assembly for a representative of Columbus. The motion was passed 14-2, and the General Assembly now consists of 17 members.
-An election for Grand Mayor will soon be held. Incumbent Jackson Murphy is of course re-running, and his opponents include long time General Assembly member, and eldest brother of the Grand Mayor, Brian Murphy, as well as Retired River Admiral Liam Fischer, also on the General Assembly. Current estimates favor Jackson Murphy, who has led the Republic through what some are calling a golden age. However, Admiral Fischer is well respected by the Navy and families of sailors. As the Republic expands, its need for a stronger navy becomes even greater. Brian Murphy has a fair shot as well, as being a long time General Assembly member gives him experience in government, and being a part of one of the Five Founding Families gives him connections. Whatever the case, this election is shaping up to be a fair one, as all three candidates have respect for one another.
-Future expansion targets include: Dyingburg, Hornbreak, Crutchfield, and Arlington.

Matters of Foreign Policy
-The United Republic has requested the construction of riverboats to use, and has approached River City with this demand. The Grand Mayor has ruled that production will begin as soon as possible, and an assembly line will be opened to produce these ships using knowledge gained by our current ship projects. Estimates say we can get a ship to the United Republic once every 6 weeks at current production, but as quickly as once a week once the assembly line is constructed and as more manpower and resources are sent to the project.
-Whispers of a collapse of the Osage Nation filled the chambers for a few minutes. The Republic was already at work trying to determine which tribes were worth befriending and which might pose a threat. (OOC- Ignore this if Osage is just retconned to not exist at all)
-The leader of the closest regiment of the Sons of the South, Colonel Remington Steele, attended the General Assembly meeting, and during negotiations, it was agreed that while the Sons of the South would not become members of the River Navy, they would be allowed to operate as normal within Republic lands, so long as they observed the law and paid taxes if residents of Republic towns. They are also willing to help construct a workshop in Columbus.
-Contact with the inhabitants of Fulton will commence soon.
-With respect to the citizens of Union City, we've sent an ambassador to them. While such an act doesn't benefit us much, it does increase our goodwill with them, making an eventual annexation easier.
-The residents of Samburg, fearful of the increased danger close naval training, have agreed to become citizens of the Republic, and 1 citizen has joined the River Navy South Division. Two watercraft were recovered and granted to the Navy. Despite some tension at first, things are settling down slowly, after the Samburg residents realized Republic citizens aren't rushing to take over the town. With Samburg annexed, the Republic now controls all settlements along Reelfoot Lake.


Domestic Matters
-A proposal to decrease the energy weapons tax from 50 caps to 25 caps a month failed, 7-10.
-A proposal to raise the robotic property tax from 200 caps to 220 caps a month passed, 15-2.

Military Matters
-The Marines are being sent to Cayce to prepare for interaction with Fulton.
-The General Assembly voted to create a "Buy-Your-Bot" Campaign, in which the government would pay for robots of any kind that it would then hand over to the Navy for use. The campaign is set to begin soon. Vote was 13-4.
-The General Assembly has allocated funds for the construction of Wolf Island Naval Base, which will serve as the fleet headquarters for River Navy North.

This concludes the notes regarding the General Assembly meeting. What follows is a list of various updates.
-Samburg was annexed into the Republic. The following buildings are notable:
----Super Duper Fish Market operates as store for fishermen to sell their goods.
----US Post Office to become River Express Mail Office.
----Various hotels and bars to remain in business.
-The River Navy Recruitment Drive occurred, much less successful than before. Only 4 new recruits signed up, 2 marines, 1 north, 1 south. The new recruits were sent to Tiptonville for training.
-The river steamboat is 5/6 complete. A new riverboat has begun construction. It is now 1/6 complete.
-An assembly line is being built for river steam boats. It is currently 1/4 complete. Completion of our current riverboat project will help this project develop faster.
-The Workshop in Woodland Mills is 75% complete.
-The Ferry in Hickman is once more operational. Travel between River City and Hickman is faster than ever, and more affordable. This is seen as a net positive for our economy. The government has imposed as small fee of 10 caps per ride to whoever wishes to board the ferry.

[Routcher]

The Saga of Atem Sudi
Chapter Four: Plan B

"Greetings, People of Indianapolis. My name is Deborah Grey, Lawyer, former slave-owner, and now a member of the abolitionist lobby of Indianapolis. For so long we have made the regressive mistake of treating other thinking beings as property, all in the name of prosperity, and I had made that same mistake as well..." the speech began playing on the radio sitting atop a table in the trio's hotel room. Mr. Garvey turned it up, and a look of concern spread across all of their faces.

"Former slave owner?" Sudi said, "that's just marvelous...dammit Garvey." He was angry, "There's some fucking rally going on in this town and they know we're here to buy! In the name of Set, I should end you right now," he pulls his pistol on Garvey once more, who this time panics and attempts to flee. He is stooped by Mr. Dent, who steps between the two and lowers Atem's arm.

"Let's not get carried away. There's still a way out of this. A way that gets us out of the city and gets us out of here with some workers for Cairo," Dent said.

"I'm listening, but make it fast, or I'll decorate this room with your brains," Atem said, once more putting away the gun.

"What if we were to introduce ourselves as fellow Children of Atom?" Dent began, "what if we said we have come to liberate our enslaved brethren and bring them to a promised land, and will be willing to pay caps for their freedom?"

"That could work," Garvey said, "do you think they'll buy it?"

Dent smiled, "Of course! The don't know us from...well, Atom, and as long as everyone keeps their cool," he says, looking at Atem, "we'll be fine. The anti-slavery group will be more than happy to send them off with brethren, and if we promise them a holy land, which according to their religion Cairo qualifies, I'm sure they'll be all for it themselves. Hell, we might get to do this with out paying a dime. What do you think?"

Atem thought about it for a moment. "I think it's worth a shot. Cairo must be restored, and the cheaper we can get these loonies, the better."

"Well, then," Garvey chimed in, "I'd say it's time to introduce ourselves to this Deborah Grey."

The three nodded and left the hotel to head into the city, looking around and demanding an audience with the Grey family.

[Xcom Federation]

The American Republic.

Boston Advanced Expedition recon force.
-objective secure and set up a FOB
-Recon and report on the area.

"This is Sgt Dunley reporting in from Duma forward operating base sir."

"Go ahead Sgt. Whats the situation in Boston?"

"Strange sir. We have reports that remnants of the old CIT scientists calling themselves the institute have survived the nuclear explosions and have developed new types of robots called Synths. They come in three different variants. I am sending a full report made by our engineering and scientific teams."

"Good work Sgt. I hope the mission in Arcject Systems went well."

"We encountered a few problems but nothing JSOC can't handle. We recovered the deep space transmitter and all technical documents we could find. We just loaded them into the Huey as well as a few samples of 'synths' we collected."

"Good. good. I know you boys just came back. But The DOD wants a team to investigate and set up an outpost in mass fusion building in Boston it's too important to let it fall into the wrong hands."

"It will be done."

"We expect nothing less." With a prompt salute. The screen cuts to black.

The reports were a lot more alarming than the conversation went. It wasn't that surprising considering that they are JSOC after all. Those men eat death claws and super mutants for breakfast. The brotherhood of steel was back again, they had a brief conflict a few years when the vaults first opened, Brotherhood members were at first caught trying to steal advanced tech and weapons as well as EXO suits from their vaults and very soon it turned it to a full-blown conflict. Elder Lyons and his men retreated and the republic thought it was the end of it. It now appears that the Brotherhood is nursing its wounds in Boston.

It was not all bad news however as the report marked the Saugus Ironworks as still operational although it is occupied by a gang of raiders calling itself the forged. The gunners are a raider/merc gang. they have pre-war armor and weapons but they lack training and money can easily manipulate them. The field reports have observed Gunner infighting in some areas. This could be beneficial in pacifying the area. Settlements are marked on the city maps attached to the report. Standard integration procedure should be sufficient to bring them to our fold. The reports of the CIT remnants calling itself the Institute are concerning but not would merit. Further investigation must be put into the possibility of contact .

Report on the Boston forward Recon operations. Joint DOD,CIA.

The operation to the CIA Headquarters in Langley went off without a hitch. An advanced team dropped in before the rest to secure the outer perimeter and restore the base's security systems rewired to be friendly to Republican forces. within 2 hours, JSOC and Republican guard teams have secured the building. Their only resistance coming from the feral ghouls. There were simply too many files and papers to be collected and several men from Atlas who were contracted as security was tasked with collecting and filing them. One of them being Nathanial who was tasked with filling the stacks of paperwork and files into respective boxes. He was given a room and boxes and files to sort. A trooper stood outside to search Nathanial when he enters or leaves the room to make sure he wasn't carrying or stealing anything. He is faced with three sections one could reveal the location of the Enclave but he cannot waste any time. neither can he steal any files without being detected. He would have to memorize the locations or chose not to look into it till a later date.

Recruitment drives have been largely successful as wastelanders joined the military with the promise of warm beds and hot food and of course a stable job. There have been so many people trying to enter the republic that the Immigration center in Newark was close to max capacity. Extra shifts and staff kept the line going. Registering was a simple process, consisting of a single form to fill out their name and age/birthday those that don't know their age were estimated and birthdays come up with on the fly. A minute later, a plastic card with the person's face, name, and age printed out, an NRIC code printed on the back. This entire process was to make it easier for the ARPD(American Republic Police Department) much easier to identify someone and to make things more convenient. What most do not know is that in the cards are also embedded GPS trackers that is effective up to 20 miles. A string of Signal towers built by the Republic was used to track the citizens as well as to facilitate communication so that they know each and every single one of their movements. JULIAN is tasked with managing this enormous process in tandem with the CIA.

The bustling city of New York has been disrupted by the loud wailing of police sirens. A convoy of 8 black prewar Chevy Tahoes flanked by more police cars and motorcycles rocketed down the avenue. The citizens have grown used to government motorcade with the massive massive shifting of several departments away from the capitol building. This time it was not your ordinary motorcade. In one of the unmarked suvs sat the republic's most important figure. The commander in chief of the entire American republic's military. President Tom Kirkman and his personal republican guard and reformed secret service. He had just been whisked from his new holiday villa camp echo in long island back to the capitol building for an emergency meeting.

The joint chiefs are already waiting for his arrival. Everyone stood to attention as the man in his sharp black suit walking into the command.

Thick stacks of manila coloured files covered the large oak table.

"Alright general. What do you have for me that requires my presence?"

"We found it sir. The Cerberus project's main base.it was closer than we thought. The latest intel led us to stewart international airport just off Newburgh. We sent several teams to secure the base. 7 rangers were injured in the process. In what what we could assume to be the command center was the same hologlobe we found in the office tower research facility."

"Did it reveal anything useful?"

"Well... the true purpose of why tbe Cerberus project was even started in the first place is still unknown. However. One of our engineers managed to reboot the base systems. We established contact with three satellites in geosynchronous orbit above Canada, the USA and Mexico as well as another in semi geosynchronous orbit. We could presume this to be the GPS system the US military was experimenting with before the war. Initial scans have shown heavy activity in areas and city here. Here and here." The general explained as he pointed to the map attached to the thick file. (Miami, Huston, Washington, Pittsburgh,dallas and cleveland.)

"We believe they are nations created after the nukes were dropped. Just like the SUC." The general continued.

"What are the satellite's purpose?"

"Well. From what we can see recon satellite's made to be much more stealthy than the average spy satellites but no weapons from what we can see. They seem to be put up there to look. We are still searching the base. We will have a full report soon."

"Good. I wan a full debrief and report on my desk as soon as the base have been fully secured. And get homeland security on the line. Establish contact with these nations. I want to know more about them." This was really good news in his mind. A base with untold secrets and prewar tech. Who knows what the old government hid underneath the airport.

[Dragos Bee]

Nathaniel Green

Nathaniel carefully memorized the documents he came across, focusing on the data involving the city of Washington D.C. He would have to find an excuse to return to the Capital Wasteland soon. Nevertheless, the covert NCR Agent had to be quick about it; his luck won't last forever. Right now, he would have to balance out how to read and memorize as much information as possible, while doing his job well enough that he'd be considered for promotion.

His next reports to the NCR, once he slept and activated his chip, would be that there was suspcious activity in the former Capital of the United States. There was also a larger assessment that the 'American Republic' was going from strength to strength, but had not met any serious challenge yet. Spare time other than that used to sort through documents and files was used practicing his rapport skills; how to speak, how to say the right lines, and how to seduce. He was well-aware that despite his lack of Charisma, he had a strong body, one that when combined with the correct demeanor and approach, would net him men and women.

Not just that, but he would also respond positively to any attempts by women or men to have a 'fling' with him or ask him out on a date. He won't give any deeper commitments, but Nate was going to try and cultivate a reputation as someone who can give a 'fun time'. The NCR spy would, once he had cultivated the reputation and practice, then focus on seducing office workers and guards to give him information...

[Routcher]

Dyingburg

The city of Dyingburg was once known as Dyersburg, Tennessee. Long the subject of raids from New Egypt, the population is always in flux. At it's peak, it had as many as 2000 inhabitants, but today, it only has 834 citizens, which is still substantial, but not at all what it could be. River City had been in talks with the local leaders for some time, and it was agreed that an election would be held to see if the people of Dyingburg wanted to become citizens of the Republic.

As this was such a large settlement, an election would take longer than normal to organize, and for that reason results will not be in at this time.

Hornbeak

The people of Hornbeak, a town of 46 people that wasn't too far from Samburg, had long heard of the Republic, and indeed had been trade partners in the past. Now was the time for them to decide if they wanted to join us. Any good relationship the Republic might have had with them was spoiled, however, by the military exercises on Samburg, that Hornbeak had heard about some days before the election. While many welcomed the security of joining a bigger faction, some were weary that they would suffer for voting no. This made some people bitter, but also made others afraid enough to vote yes. All in all, this was not a positive or a negative as pertaining to the election, but might spell trouble down the road if the General Assembly doesn't address it soon.

The final vote in Hornbeak was For 24-22 Against. The vote was extremely close, but the results were favorable for the Republic. However, the results caused many to be disgruntled, and 12 people left to find a new home. The towns population was now only 34. Of that number, 2 would go on to join the River Navy (one to be a Marine, the other to River Navy South) and were sent to Tiptonville for training.

Notable buildings include:
-A small water treatment building. The machinery currently does not work, but the General Assembly will certainly bring up repairs in the next meeting.
-Reelfoot Bank will become a River City Savings & Loan location.
-Hornbeak Bestway is a functional farmer's market that will now pay sales tax to River City.
-An Auto Repair shop that will certainly be of interest to our scavengers.
-US Post office will become an office for River Express.
-Baptist Church has served and will serve as a town hall.
-Pentecostal Church will serve as a warehouse.
-Methodist Church will serve as a shelter for travelers
-Black Oak Elementary School will be searched by government officials for helpful books. While elementary schools were for young children, the knowledge pre-war America considered "elementary" just might have use in the wasteland. At the very least, items there can be sold to parents of small children.
-The residents of Hornbeak had a single munitions workshop.

On the road between Samburg and Hornbeak, a "Deals R Us" store exists, and was looted long ago by scavengers. The building is now in Republic territory, and a travelling merchant has decided to settle down and open up shop there, selling general goods.

Crutchfield

The town of Crutchfield was abandoned by the time Republic representatives arrived. There were signs of a firefight not too long ago, but no bodies or notable loot remained. Nevertheless, the town was annexed by the Republic, although it may be some time before people will be willing to move into a town that was found in such a condition.

Notable buildings:
-A biker club. Mostly defunct motorcycles here, but the former residents appeared to have got one working and luckily it wasn't snatched up by whoever hit up the town. The bike has been sent to River City to be looked at, and to see if reverse engineering is possible.
-A railroad supplies warehouse.

Arlington, Ky
The town of Arlington, of just 36 people, was not too far from Columbus, and also was under the protection of the Sons of the South. The people trusted the Sons of the South, and the fact that the militia was able to strike good relations with the Republic showed the people that River City was worth considering. An election was held to see if the wanted to join the Republic. The results were For 23-13 Against. Fortunately, the citizens all got along well, and the presence of the Sons of the South made the losing side of the election feel like leaving was more trouble than it is worth. Two of them joined the River Navy (1 marine and 1 River Navy North) and were sent to Tiptonville for training.

Notable buildings included:
-A pharmacy, home to many locked-up medical supplies our locksmiths in River City would have a field day with.
-A functional city hall
-A bank to reopen as a River City Savings & Loan location.
-Church serves as a Sons of the South safe house.
-Apartment complex will be used as homes for future residents, a hotel for travelers, and a barracks for mercenary companies.

River City Republic updates
-The General Assembly will soon meet to discuss the upcoming election for Grand Mayor (including hearing their platforms), vote to allow Hornbeak to have an Assembly member, consider funds for water treatment in Hornbeak, discuss the situation in Crutchfield, meet with ambassadors, and discuss future expansion plans.
-Contact with the residents of Fulton did not go as planned. The seemed distant, and did not allow our ambassador inside the gates. What are they hiding?
-Buy-Your-Bot week 1 went okay, with a functional Mr. Handy being sold to the government. The robot is being sent to the Riverboat Assembly Line.
-Wolf Island Naval Base has begun construction. It is now 13% complete.
-The first Republic-built steamboat, the "Osage", has completed construction, and has been incorporated into the River Navy North fleet.
-The first steamboat to be made for the United Republic is 2/6 of the way complete.
-The Riverboat Assembly Line is 2/4 complete. When completed, steamboat production will be faster.
-The workshop in Woodland Mills is now complete.


NOTE TO FACTIONS WITH POLITICAL CONTACT WITH RIVER CITY: An election for Grand Mayor is coming up. In the next General Assembly meeting notes, you will be able to see the platforms of each candidate. As always, you are welcome to send ambassadors to these meetings to discuss items of varying importance with River City's government.

[Dragos Bee]

United Republic

Tallahasee, Florida

N/A

United Syndicates of the Future

N/A

Pamilco Republic

N/A

Greenville, South Carolina

N/A

ICA, North Carolina

"Indeed," Raiza Al-Sulayhi spoke, "It would be great to discuss the details of the conference, especially the joint Halal board and the Zakat fund. Both United Republic and ICA air transport will be needed to ensure the safe travel of our religious leaders to the Grand Mosque. Then we can also talk about a standardized Quran, refining the teaching and practice of Arabic, and comparing libraries of Hadith to see which ones are authenthic and which ones are fabrications stemming from post-apocalyptic lack of knowledge."

Suddenly, an aide came in, saying, "Ambassadors! President and Grand Imam! One of the United Republic's diplomatic personnel has been attacked in the streets! He says there's a serial killer on the loose!"

Abdullah Ibn Umar turned towards President Luke Mallicoat in worry and asked, "Excuse us; we have to go. I presume that an investigation will be started immidiately?"

[NewLakotah]

Chapter Three: Politics and War -- Part Two
“Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.”
-Mao Tse-Tung

---

Point Marion, Pennsylvania
Archduke of Pittsburgh Own Imperial Regiment of Infantry (Archduke’s Own)
D+3 0800 hrs

The city of Morgantown had been under constant barrage of bombing raids and artillery barrages for 24 hours, with the only breaks in the barrage coming when the artillery either rested their guns every few hours, or waited for their supply trains to arrive. Nonetheless, the city took on a devastating barrage that crushed the city and the defenses.

Now, opposite the river banks, the Erie Infantry wanted for their moment to launch their own attack. The guns had stopped firing at 0500 hrs, resting the guns for the following assault, and to bring up the last bits of ammunition for the final all out barrage. It was supposed to kick off at 0700 hrs, but bad weather and poor roads slowed the supply trains down, forcing them to delay for another hour as each gun received their supply of rounds.

The bridges were heavily defended, and the enemy were very well dug in along the opposite bank. At most of the major bridges, the enemy had dug in under heavy concrete pillboxes and bunkers, deep trenches, metal walls and sandbag walls in an intricate maze of defenses. Some of the other smaller secondary bridges had been simply destroyed, in an attempt to force the Erie attackers to assault their main defenses. Of course, the Morgantown defenders had not expected such a serious and drawn out barrage of fire, and these defenses certainly bore the brunt of the air sorties, artillery, and mortar fire that was lobbed in. Much of the defenses were heavily hit and damaged, but many others still stood firm, despite everything.

At Mt. Morris, the Erie attackers had opted for a straight-ahead assault across the bridge using smoke and artillery fire as a barrier. However, it had resulted in rather heavy casualties, against a very small defending force who was not interesting in continuing the fight after the crossing. Here, the defenders would certainly withdraw from the bridge only to continue the urban fight throughout the town, which would only add to the casualty total. Not to mention, that the defenses here were much stronger and well prepared than the defenses at Mt. Morris. So, unless the Erie commanders were willing to accept heavy losses in an all or nothing bridge assault, they would have to look elsewhere.

And of course, the Erie military was in no mood to do exactly what Morgantown wanted them to do; assault the bridge. Rather than that, the Reserve troops had, the previous day, been lugging up wagons and trucks loaded with small boats, enough to fit about a section or so of soldiers each, and they carried about 20 of them in total. That would be enough, theoretically, to bring over 2 companies of infantry in each crossing, which should only be a few minutes across and a few minutes back, so, within 15 or so minutes, one full Battalion should be across, enough to assault the bridge from the rear. Once accomplished, the rest of the force could assault through that breakpoint, and force the defenders to face that threat, and then continue to rush the bridges at the now weakened defenders.

The risk was obvious. For several minutes, the soldiers, huddled in their small boats and rowing for their lives, would be subjected to intense machine gun, rifle, and mortar fire. Those first companies across would be isolated for at least 5 minutes, enough time, potentially, for the defenders to rally enough troops to actually outnumber them and overwhelm them. However, if they could achieve just enough surprise, then the assault would certainly pay off.

The boats had arrived on time at around 0630 hrs, 30 minutes before the assault was supposed to begin. They had been brought up on wagons and set up in preparation for the troops to embark from the northern end of the defensive point of Morgantown, at Point Marion. However, due to the delay the men assigned to the crossing simply waited around for the orders to go. 1st Battalion of the Archduke of Pittsburgh Own Imperial Regiment of Infantry had been assigned to the task of taking the beachhead on the opposite bank. Their crossing would come where the Monongahela River and Cheat River diverge and land at the very tip of Point Marion, in between both bridges there, where the rest of the regiment and brigade were waiting to storm. It would be a tough assault, more than likely under direct enemy opposition, even if the boat crossing was to catch them off guard. It would be around 140 meters to rush across, with their only protect coming from artillery, mortars and smoke that would conceal their move. In order to ensure the totality of misdirection, the entire opposite bank and the bridges themselves were subjected to a barrage as well as a long smoke screen. A Company and C Company would be the leading companies to make the assault, following by the rest of the Battalion’s companies in the following wave.

The Assault

The moment had finally arrived. The men and women of the Battalion had been restlessly waiting for the order to go, and finally it had arrived. A Chaplain had passed through the ranks, giving out a final blessing to the men and leading them in a final prayer before they would embark.

Then the opening salvo of artillery opened up. The heavy 155mm started the barrage, and the mortars and 18-pounder field guns, and 13-pounder horse artillery guns, followed suit soon after. They targeted the bridges themselves and the defenses there, as well as carpeting the entire beachhead area in a steady stream of fire. With that the soldiers rose, grabbed their gear and grabbed their boats and started to lug them towards the shoreline.

In the lead boat was Major Grover Winston. He was a tall man, nearly 6’4, with a strong build. He was the battalion commander and was certainly going to be one of the first men to cross the river in the lead boats. With about 10 soldiers per boat, and 20 boats, about 200 Erie Archduke Imperials would make the crossing. Winston was with A Company, at the far left side of the assault. A few hundred metres to the south and the right, was Captain Jean-Pierre St. Luc with his C-Company. B and D-Company would follow directly after, with B supporting A and D supporting C in taking and control both of the bridges at Point Marion. The 2nd Battalion of the Archduke Imperials would attack the southern bridge immediately after the landing pushed on the bridge, while the Erie Regiment of Infantry’s (ERI) own Battalions would storm the northern bridge across Cheat River. Then, the rest of the Brigade would press in the pocket from all sides, exploiting the breakthrough and working to cut off the rear fronts to trap the entire military of Morgantown within the actual city.

As the soldiers of A and C Company rushed towards the river line, they were met with a solid line of white smoke the stretched out for the entire line of river from the northern end of the Cheat River Bridge down all the way past the southern bridge at Point Marion. This was to keep the enemy guessing as to what was actually happening or where the assault was going to happen.
Waving his arm Major Winston urged his troops into the water as himself rushed into the water at the head of his small rowboat. The men tumbled in, with the water at the knee height, struggling in under their weight of ammo and gear.

Nonetheless, the soldiers were off, grabbing paddles and rowing desperately for the opposite bank as quickly as they could. It was only around 140 meters. Just a short distance across, so close that the soldiers could feel like they were already there. The soldiers rowed desperately and as quickly as they possibly could, fighting with the down stream current. Winston glanced to his right, he could start to make out the line of C-Company’s boats as they made for shore down the line. Ahead of him it was totally quiet. The artillery had stopped their fire, with the smoke they didn’t want to accidently fire on their own disembarking troops. For the soldiers of 2nd Battalion, the silence was extremely welcome.

However, that silence was broken as the troops were almost half-way across the river. The silence was shattered by the chattering of light machine guns and the pops of rifle fire. Bullets whizzed and popped all around the soldiers in the boats. The soldiers began to row faster. Those not rowing pulled up their M-16 assault rifles and opened up with their own fire. From behind, the light trench mortars of their support company opened up in a covering action, targeting the opposite beach with smoke and heavy fire.

However, that wasn’t the only mortar fire. The enemy’s mortars opened up with a deadly fury. Explosions rocked the small boats. One took a hit off the side of one of the boats, destroying the boat and causing several dead and wounded. Others were raked by machine gun fire and rifle fire, tumbling back or over the side.

However, fortunately, the carnage in the water didn’t last long as the first boats soon hit the beach. A-Company’s Sergeant Vernon Adams jumped out the side and was the first out alongside Major Winston. Turning back to his unit, who were clambering out of their boat just after him, Adams shouted, “Get off the damn beach!” He shouted just before a bullet slammed into the back of his skull killing him instantly.

Nonetheless the men followed that command, running up the tiny beach and straight into the park area before the town itself. The first enemy position encountered was a machine gun nest, nestled right at the very tip of the point. It laid down a heavy and constant barrage of rounds that forced the Erieites to ground. Private Vanessa Dubois rushed the emplacement and knocked it out with a hand grenade.

With their flank secure, A-Company pressed forward to the Cheat River Bridge. They encountered another machine gun emplacement, and a shallow trench with around 8 men in it. Again, the fire forced the Erieites to ground again. The fire was heavy, and 2 more members of A-Company were hit and laid their writhing in agony as the rest of the Company. The trench line was curved at the bank, leaving there no possibly of outflanking it that way. To the left were a group of houses and old ruins of houses in which several Morgantown riflemen had taken up residence and fired down on the more exposed Erieite Infantry would took cover behind the old sandbags and behind trees and rocks.

Quickly taking stock of the situation, Major Winston ordered 2 of his platoons to push right and spread out down the left flank. The company’s Bren Gunners provided covering fire, while the PIAT gunner launched rounds into each of the houses and sandbag emplacements one by one, destroying them as the flanking infantry moved in after each salvo of machine gun and PIAT fire softened them, allowing them to advance house by house towards the bridge. This finally gave the men of A-Company a little bit of breathing room. As well as a chance for their reserve companies to come forward, bringing with them their mortars and heavy mortar guns, as well as their heavy .50 Cal machine guns.

By this time, C-Company’s advance had also secured their beachhead on the opposite shore. Their ride across had also come under fire from the shore, but at a much less deadly rate, and only lost 4 men killed and 9 wounded, and no boats lost, in the crossing. Captain St. Luc was the first man to disembark the boat, jumping out the front under machine gun and rifle far, while the soldiers still were rowing in. Firing on the run, he dove in among the trees and rubble and proceed to fire and reload his gun until the rest of his company had landed. Ordering his Bren gunners to provide a steady rate of covering fire, he lead the rest of his platoon straight forward off of the grassy shoreline straight into the first row of houses. Inside a few Morgantown defenders resisted, and fierce, but short, hand-to-hand fighting broke out, but the houses were eventually cleared.

Peering out of one of the windows in the houses, St. Luc could see dozens of Morgantown soldiers closing in on his position, some coming from the town itself, and others from the bridge defenses. Ordering his Bren gunner to “let ‘em have it”, the gunner ripped into the men on open ground, killing several and forcing the rest to find cover. Leaving his men spread out among the first houses and trees, he ordered his 3rd platoon to move northward to try and link up with A-Company, to fully secure the beachhead. This was easy, since both companies were so close to each other, and the link was secure, spread out from the old county firehouse building, down to the houses just outside of the bridge to the south. This covering line allowed the follow on companies to make the crossing with little opposition, bringing with them their heavy machine guns and mortars, as well as excess ammunition.

Major Winston soon organized his now much larger force into a series of smaller units who would basically leap-frog each other towards Cheat River Bridge. Liking the tactic of utterly destroying each house with PIAT fire and Bren guns, he upped the ante, using his companies mortars to pummel the houses, before firing his PIAT guns straight into the houses. Then the soldiers of his sections would scramble across the open ground, with the rest of the men covered from their own positions, securing the rubble one house at a time. Their right flank, lead by their fresh troops of B Company, rushed straight towards the bridge through the ruins of the fire department and trenches of the enemy until they came across the first of the large concrete bunkers. Around it, Morgantown infantry did their best to hold them off, but the gun slits were designed specifically to focus fire down the bridge and were not able to get their guns around enough to effectively use them. This made it easier for the Erieite infantry to rush in behind and toss in several hand grenades.

C and D Companies also pushed deeper into the town, turning the flank of the bridge defenders more and more as they penetrated deeper and deeper. While this was happening, the 2nd Battalion of the Archduke’s Own and the ERI launched their own bridge assaults, distracted and now undermanned, the soldiers rushed with great speed and suppressing fire. Within a few minutes the bridges were secured and the entire front was linked. The enemy retreated into Point Marion deeper, but saw the gap closing for their escape south to the town as the ERI moved in from the southern Point Marion Bridge. The defenders quickly pulled out of their positions and aggressively attacked the defenders while the rest of them made for the Morgantown proper.

With that the Northern flank of Morgantown had fallen and the bridgehead was secured. But it had certainly come at a heavy price. 18 men from A-Company died in the assault, and another 25 wounded. A casualty rate of 43%. Most died on the boats and getting off the boats. Meanwhile, C-Company had lost 9 men killed and 19 wounded during their assault, suffering markedly less casualties than the A-Company. The rest of the Battalion and the ERI combined only lost 3 men killed and 13 wounded during their assaults. With the enemy facing an assault on their flank and in front of them with overwhelming numbers, there was little else for them to do but to give ground and pull back.

With that secure, the 2 regiment of infantry were soon joined by their own cavalry regiment, The Pittsburgh Light Cavalry Regiment (the Pitt Cavs). These took the far easterly flank and started to roll down the more open terrain towards the Cheat Lake bridge point, while the Archduke Imperials moved down the western bank, along the Monongahela River, keeping their flank secure on the river. The centre was the ERI’s battalions. The soldiers moved quickly, posting an advance guard to ensure they didn’t walk into a trap. However, they would have to march over 4 miles to reach the actual town of Morgantown. With the enemy withdrawing before them, they moved quickly, taking positions in the heights above the town bringing to bear their natural advantage to use their artillery, which was brought over from the two bridges to the north. Meanwhile, the rest of the divisional artillery continued to pound their targets one by one, over and over again, keeping the enemy forces pinned down as best as they could.

---

1315 hrs

At II Corp Headquarters, just north of the town itself, Major General Armstead had been anxious all day. She had continually received word about the assault and was extremely pleased to see that it had worked. Now, she would have to engage the rest of the plan. She figured, that now that they had a beachhead, the enemy would be forced to divert a large number of troops northward in order to face them and slow them down along the edge of the city. This would pull troops away from the other flanks and from the main centre of the town.

All day IAAS flights had flown over, observing and targeting enemy positions, noting as they saw lines of troops moving northward. Occasionally they would swoop down to try and strafe the line of men, causing them to dive for cover. However, with this part complete, and the battle beginning in full along the northern flank, it was time for the rest of the assault to take place straight into Morgantown.

Princess Hannah’s Erie Light Infantry (PHELI)

The men and women of the PHELI had waiting all day for their chance to go. They knew what the plan was and what they would have to do. Now, the only thing left was to actually do it. For the past hour, the artillery guns had ceased firing, at in large part. The heavy and light mortars kept up a barrage of fire, and an occasional spurt of fire would come from the artillery positions. However, for the most part, the guns were simply waiting for the next supply trains of shells to come in, as well as resting the now hot gun barrels in time for the creeping barrage action and pre-assault barrage that was standard before such an attack.

Staring across at the bridge, Privates William Walker and Daniel Smiths both only saw pure destruction. Many of the buildings opposite had been destroyed or severely damaged in the 36 hours of steady fire from artillery and air raids. Nonetheless, they were both keenly aware that the enemy were still clinging on somewhere in that hot, smoking mess that was Morgantown.
When the order to fall in arrived, the soldiers did so quietly. Each one suffering silently in the hot afternoon sun. It was quiet for now, the silence was eerie, almost artificial. Everyone knew that the silence would not last very long. The opposite side was pockmarked with shells. Black plumes of smoke filled the sky from several areas. Far off, there was a sudden chattering of machine gun fire. Pops of rifle fire responded, before explosions started to erupt. The attack was beginning somewhere.

Suddenly, the air around ripped as shells flew overhead, landing on the opposite side of the bridge. Mortars popped out smoke rounds around the entire area.

“Lets go!”

The order was out, and the soldiers jumped up and started to run at full sprint towards the bridge. The bridge was soon covered in smoke, heavy machine gun fire ripped along the flanks at the bridge, before falling silent as the men mounted it. The small masses of blue disappeared completely into the smoke.

Walker was just running. It seemed like the bridge went on forever, since he couldn’t see the end. He could see movement in front of him, next to him and behind him. Each soldier locked into their objective and mission. Silently running, panting and grunting the only sound from any of them.

Suddenly, the air around was zinging as machine gun and rifle fire opened up from the opposite side, but the soldiers were already on top of them. Emerging from the smoke and opening fire with their own M16s and Bren guns. The enemy fire was scattered, and there was little resistance. Walker rushed forward towards the first pillbox, pulling out a hand grenade as he did so. He tossed in through the firing slits and listened to the muffled-out explosion that blew out the back door. There were no survivors inside.

The men were soon past the bridges, working their way down the trench lines, firing at point blank range and using their bayonets to great efficiency. However, the enemy had little fight left in him at this point, and they were quickly withdrawing back into the town. With the bridge secure, the 4 regiments of the Brigade were now fully on the opposite bank and in Morgantown. The other Brigades, focused further south, further east, and in reserve, also started their attacks, or moved forwards towards Morgantown.

Each bridgehead fell quickly, as the Morgantown defenders had too few reserves and too much panic to be able effectively feed them into to combat in any force. So, instead, the enemy clung on to them, using them as a rearguard, to protect the rest of the retreating army as they made their way back towards the city center. With the Fairmount and Cheat Lake flanks secured, and Erieite troops advancing quickly towards each other to fully cut off the city from any chance of escape or reinforcement, the city was close to collapse, with the military only hanging on by its fingernails.
The infantry paused after taking the bridges and took the time to link up in full with each regiment and each brigade forming a unified circle all around. There was still some action, as Morgantown soldiers attempted to find a weak spot or hole in the lines to breakthrough, and instead ran into fully armed and ready machine guns and riflemen from the Imperial Army. During this time, the squadron of Corsair Fighter bombers flew sorties over the last pocket of resistance, dropping 2 500 lbs bombs each. 12 planes dropping 6,000 lbs total in weight shattered the core resistance that was backed up in the rest of the town.

The bombs effectively flattened the remaining buildings still in Morgantown control, causing fires and mass devastation, and killing dozens of enemy soldiers, and even civilians, those that had chose not to flee out of the city. Immediately after, the artillery started up again, beginning their rolling barrage, as if in preparation for yet another infantry assault as was the standard tactic, which was a feint to draw the enemy out, or cause them to worry that the final assault was coming, despite there being no infantry troops massed for such an assault. That was the last straw for the shattered and shaken soldiers.

It started as a trickle, then it grew, as dozens of dirty and broken Morgantown soldiers exited the ruins with their hands up. They were desperately short of ammunition during the nearly 3-day long siege of Morgantown and badly shaken during the nearly nonstop barrage of fire that had rained down on them for over 40 straight hours.

Medics and aid personnel were rushed forward to begin giving out food and water to them, and bandaging their wounds, as well as helping those citizens that had also come out from hiding. Makeshift tents and aid stations were set up, triages and mass casualty stations set up in the centre districts. Refugee tents were set up wherever they could, for any of those whose houses were destroyed, and many houses were and there were simply not enough tents to go around.

Meanwhile, however, the soldiers who had just conquered the town, were celebrated wildly through the town and camps. Cheering crowds marched down roads singing old marching songs and regimental songs, as well as cruder soldier’s songs rang throughout the streets. Standard field kit issued rum flowed freely, only adding to the joyous chaos and singing.

The Siege of Morgantown was officially over, and it was a resounding success for Phase One of the operation as a whole. But it had come at a cost. Between the Battle of Mt. Morris, and the follow up Battle of Morgantown, 72 Imperial troops were killed. Another 155 were wounded. And they still had a lot of work to do, securing the surrounding towns and villages. Between the 2 divisions, the entire region would be separated off, and bits of resistance rooted and the small towns and village officially take and captured. Government officials would soon spread out, taking with the town leaders, former government officials and other key figures to get a bearing on how the newly conquered territories would enter into the Empire, and for the appointed leaders to sign the official peace treaty allowing for the annexation.

For Morgantown, the city was in ruins and hundreds were dead. The city’s tough defense was always terribly outnumbered, and badly outgunned, but had put up a surprisingly stiff resistance, showcasing tactical prowess and a fierce bravery and courage in combat. Something that came at a rather shock. However, the price had been paid in their blood. 109 Morgantown soldiers were killed, another 238 wounded. 400 soldiers surrendered or were captured during the fighting. However, that number was rather disconcerting for the victors. It meant that two to three hundred armed and trained Morgantown fighters had managed to escape the stranglehold and leave the city.

While some would probably attempt a guerrilla campaign in the mountains, it was expected that most withdraw far to the south, to Charleston, the last remaining major city of West Virginia, next to the other major city of Huntington, both right south of the Ohio’s armies, where they would add their numbers, and their government leaders who had fled and not stayed behind, to the growing military force there.

The move to swing south with II Corps, while I Corps delivered the straight knockout blow from the north, would come within the next few days, as the II Corps troops needed rest and recovery for the wounded, especially those who would be able to return to the fight. It was also needed to have the troops secure their hold on the front. For this, 2nd Division, whose force had done most of the fighting, securing the area, setting up checkpoints, building small makeshift forts and other military bases. Meanwhile, 4th Division leapfrogged them, and moved south, spreading out in several arms, moving into the various small towns and settlements around the area, before actually beginning their assault south.

However, they knew that it was important to strike as soon and as powerfully as possible. Many of the small settlements, even this far north, were missing families and especially young fighting age men, who were probably heading south to Charleston-Huntington, ready to fight and join the cause. The real battle for West Virginia had only really just begun.

---

Indianapolis, United Erie Empire
The Revolution

For the Emperor, the situation in the rather faraway city of Indianapolis had gone, thus far, remarkably well. The private militia leaders moved quickly and effectively, even utilizing Grey’s own small detachment of National Officers to the task of setting up and executing a full coup of the leadership. It had worked out well, and Deborah Grey was yet again proving herself to be a valuable ally, as well as one of the more dominant leaders of the city and the new revolution that was at hand.

There were, of course, several major issues that needed to be handled. As that Indianapolis was now, or really, will, be apart of the Erie Empire, it needed to be protected by them. This was of course hard, since, one, there was no military base nearby and two, it wasn’t exactly right next door. It was certainly close, and the region in between the two hardly hostile. But the road network and towns in between would have to be fully accepted into the network of the Erie Empire in order for trade, service and military personnel to freely travel back and forth between the various parts of the Empire risk free.

However, this was not as much a threat of war with military powers in between, but making sure that everything would be clear and understood for all the settlements in the area. Thus, it was not necessary to send a very large military operation towards Indianapolis. But a military force would be necessary. One, to show the bewildered, yet still powerful, leaders of Indianapolis that the Erie Empire meant business and that stepping down would be vital. It would also be there to support the private militias in securing the city from internal and external threats, until the Indianapolis region could fully sustain and form its own defense structure. This would take time, as dealing with private militias and leaders used to giving out their own commands often struggled with the more rigid, traditional structure of the Empire. Training would have to commence and standardization a must. So, for this purpose, the 4th Brigade was dispatched under the command of Brigadier Lady Angela McCarthy, the Duchess of Kent, who would be in the rather unenviable position of working with the brand-new government and acting as its military force for the time being, as well as working with the current militias and attempting to form some form of combined Imperial military force out of them. Considering that violence could breakout in full at any moment, and her military force would have to be rather spread out over a series of towns and checkpoints between the “old” border and the new Imperial-Owned city of Indianapolis. As such, her situation was rather precarious.

However, for the Duchess of Kent, she was certainly willing and able to give it her best ability. For her, this was a major turning point in her military career, and a chance to prove her political aptitude and diplomatic mind.

Born to a high-brow and ancient noble family line, that extended back to the Vault days, she was born with a rich history and a rich family. She was privately tutored her whole life, on top of attending regular school. Or rather, regular private school. Despite her privileged upbringing, she remained surprisingly down to earth and did not grow overly haughty. She soon became an avid amateur historian and found a deep love of politics and law. Throughout most of her early life, she was never really interesting in, nor was it pressed on her, a career in the military. She pictured herself rather in politics or diplomacy. The McCarthy line had a deep and strong history of support of the Williamson dynasty, and as such reaped many of the benefits of such an alliance of enjoying good political support for any of their endeavors.

As such, it was rather surprising when, one day, she announcing to her family that she would be attending the Royal Military College. For her, it was less about the glory or honour of being a soldier, rather the fact that the RMC was arguably the best university in the Empire and provided countless opportunities after completing her service. For her military service was simply a smart and tactical political move.

She performed well at her studies and well in her military studies and received her commission in the logistical corps as a Lieutenant. Seething at her duties, she eventually managed to find a transfer from rear work to front-line duty, seeing that as a far better opportunity for leadership opportunities. She was right, and was placed in the Empress’ Imperial Horse Guard Regiment. The Horse Guard was one of the elite cavalry regiments of the Empire, and her placement there was in no little part due to the support of the Emperor.

Nonetheless, she had managed to prove herself a capable cavalry commander, and at the age of 29 was made a regimental commander as a Lt. Colonel. She saw minor actions in border skirmishes to the south with the West Virginian various governments and small militia leaders. The cavalry was often used in anti-raiding and anti-bandit actions, and she proved herself competent under fire several times in such expeditions. Her promotions, of course, were also in part thanks to the leanings of the Emperor, however, there was no doubt that she herself could have earned the same promotions, albeit at a slightly slower rate, of course.

6 years later, she was named Brigade commander and given her promotion to Brigadier. It was her first star, and her a real major opportunity to prove herself as a valuable commander. For her now, she saw herself nearing the end of her military career and this move a serious opportunity for her as her last act in the military and first act as future political leader. Perhaps for her, a longstanding agreement could be reached for her to remain as one of the political leaders in Indianapolis. However, for now, her focus was solely on completing the task at hand, march on Indianapolis, secure the new government, secure the militia forces and secure the region in and around the newly minted city of the Empire.

[Nuka-Cola Corp]

Vault Nuka, Underneath Nuka-Cola Headquarters

The dream kept replaying in his head... he'd constantly hear the sirens and remember the military Vertibirds hovering above as well as the panicked faces of people. Suddenly the cryogenic freezer opened as Bradberton stepped out of the freezer. He stumbled around a bit disorienated due to the long freeze.He wore a Vault-Tec jumpsuit that had been customized for Vault Nuka which instead was red and white with "NUKA" on the back instead of a vault number and of course the corporate logo on the front.

A red Mr. Handy emblazoned with the words "Nuka-Cola" came over and performed a medical diagnosis on Mr. Bradberton and determined he was fine. It began speaking to reassure him "Welcome to the err... Future Mr. Bradberton! I trust you enjoyed your cryogenic sleep. The year is currently 2283 and the month is August!"to which Bradberton mumbled something incoherently.

The Mr. Handy continued. "Quite a few of your employees have disembarked a few days or weeks before you and have resumed the bottling production in the attached factory in the Vault. We have enough supplies to make a decent amount of Nuka-Cola along with Quantum. It may theoretically be the end of the world, but you could still. Well, fulfill Quantum's goal of being a top soda. A few Mr. Handys that we sent up has indicated precisely that Nuka-Cola is still liked and highly traded." and Bradberton looked at the Mr. Handy in disbelief.

He himself spoke at length in a coherent manner "I realize you are overjoyed by my awakening but I'm still recovering from the terrible fact that the civilized world I knew has been bombed to hell. But I am delighted that even after everything that's happened. Nuka-Cola is still universally liked on the surface."

Nuka Factory, Vault Nuka

The conveyor belts brought down empty rocket-shaped bottles to a sorting machine where the standard bottles were carefully sorted to promptly go to the filling machines. The empty rocket-shaped bottles sorted to the filling machines as the Ice-cold Nuka-Cola poured into the bottle filling it just below the rim and from there the bottles were moved to the capping area. The bottles filled with Nuka-Cola went carefully underneath a bottle-cap presser which pressed the Nuka-Cola bottlecaps on tightly to prevent spillage and then went to a labeling machine which applied an adhesive Nuka-Cola label to the rocket bottle. The gradual process, at last, was sufficiently completed for bottling that is.

The bottles were sorted onto a conveyor belt where they arrived at the former shipping area. The bottles were moved by human employees and some Mr. Handys into small six pack crates to large bulk crates and wrapped with a industrial-grade wax-paper before being stacked up.

[Dragos Bee]

United Republic

River City

The United Republic Ambassadors would request a meeting with River City's government, having received the next set of instructions. At the start of the meeting, the young man then cleared his throat and offer, "Considering the lasting need for fighters in this Wasteland, we, the United Republic, wish to offer River City the services of a small platoon of twenty-five to fifty special forces; Pathfinders led by Micanopy of the Seminole. These will be armed with Anti-Materiel Rifles, Trail Carbines, Brush Rifles, Riot Armor and 9mm Pistols, as well as the customary cleavers and knives and are experts in fighting in any terrain. They are also trained to teach their skills as infantry and special forces to friendly military forces and allies."

And with that, the old woman said, "And yes, we will be paying them even in foriegn territory." A pause for effect. "Note that in exchange, we merely wish a mutually beneficial bargain; missionaries from the Catholic Dicoese of the Southern United States, Progressive Islamic Sects, and Reformed Seminole Animism would like to be allowed to preach here and set up congregations. Not merely that, but the United Republic's traders are more accustomed to Credit Unions than Banks."

The young man added, "No offense to your Savings & Loan meant, of course! Either way, we wish to set up a Credit Union to serve your expanding population and worker base; the United Republic will provide the start-up funds - 600 caps for each person who joins, provided that they deposit at least half of it in the Credit Union itself. I presume that with the aforementioned expanding populace, there's enough room for such activities, right?"

Credit Unions were a cheap and mutually-profitable way of spreading the United Republic's influence and ideology to other nations; River City was no different. The young man then continued, "Oh, and we're willing to send engineers and raw materials to further refine your steamboat assembly line; we all stand to benefit from it."

Pamilco Republic

The male and female ambassadors would ask for a meeting with the Pamilco Republic's Secretary of State and Finance Minister, and the female ambassador, her pixie cut immaculate, said, "As you know, Charleston, South Carolina, is un-liberated territory, held by patriachals and slavers. It is also a trade port that competes with ours'. So, in the interests of liberty and mutual benefit, we wish for incentives to be offered to your traders and sailors to boycott that city as a destination if a full embargo is undesirable."

The male ambassador then interjected, "Although of course, if an embargo is viable, we'd ask for it as well. We'd also ask that vessels from Charleston, South Carolina, in Pamilco Republic waters are to be searched for slaves, and if slaves are to be found, that they are to be freed. Again, only if this is viable. In exchange, we are willing to offer several thousand tons of ammunition and weapons; add that to the fact that despire Cuba's tariffs on us, we can purchase and sell more Cuban Coffee and Cocoa from them and to you than Charleston can."

Fallen Star

A Piasecki Helicopter would carry two ambassadors to Raleigh, a man and a woman. The man was named Barack Shadow, a black person, and the woman was named Helene de Guzman, a Hispanic. They radioed the Fallen Star authorities beforehand, messaging them that they were a diplomatic embassy from the United Republic, and asked multiple times for permission to land and arrangements for security. They would carry several gifts of gold and fine art (the latter with Maya Blue pigment), as well as Anti-Materiel Rifles and ammunition for them. Barack Shadow would then say once he had achieved a meeting with Fallen Star's Elder, "We wish for the continuation of trade between the United Republic and Fallen Star, as well as carry a request."

Helene would then take up the discussion. "Our request would be that as you do business in South Carolina, that you serve as a conduit for a 'buy-and-free' operation among the slavers and slaves there. Namely, we give you Caps to buy, then free, members of the slave population there and then transport them to United Republic territory to live lives as free people."

Nuka-Cola Corporation

A Piasecki Helicopter would carry two ambassadors who, after radioing Vault Nuka beforehand, would land, carrying rich gifts of Citrus Jam, Dried Citrus, and preserved Citrus Juice that had been treated with all-natural anti-yeast drugs to stop it from fermenting. Oh, and also Caps, Pre-War Money, and Gold. The Ambassadors, a man and a woman, carried a message to Vault Nuka's Overseer/CEO, offering an agreement in which the United Republic would provide Caps and raw materials to create an Organic Sugarfree Non-Radiated Soda with Citrus flavoring, which they would provide. They would also point out that the United Republic had a population of 2.1 million who presented a potential market; they would say the word 'market' with some contempt...

[Al-Ghaihr]

Arabia-Cola Factory, Winston Salem, Islamic Commonwealth of America

Glass bottles were dumped carefully into a receiver end as the machine sorted them to the various filling stations. The glass bottles went underneath filling machines which filled each bottle with Arabia-Cola Classic which was a Dr. Pepper tasting soda. The filled bottles then went underneath a bottlecap pressing machine in which bottlecaps were firmly-pressed onto the Soda bottles.

The filled Arabia-Cola bottles were then moved to the labeling machine where they were labeled with the Arabia-Cola logo which was a beautiful blue with white letters (both english and Arabic.) along with the ingredients on the back. The drinks were then moved to the shipping area where they were boxed in bulk crates after being put in six packs. They were then wheeled to Cargo Vertibirds that bore the Arabia-Cola paintjob. They loaded the crates into four Cargo Vertibirds which took off from the plant.

From there, the Arabian-Cola Cargo Vertibirds flew to the United Republic's Arabia-Cola Receiving Plant where from there, they would be distributed to stores in the United Republic. It was marketed as a Halal soda that'd satisfy any thirst.

Arabia-Cola Boardroom, Arabia-Cola Headquarters, Winston Salem, Islamic Commonwealth of America

The CEO of the company Hassan Da'shak looked at the projections for sales in the United Republic and nodded his head. He begun speaking in the crowded board-room, "Soon. We'll begin distribution of our two new flavors. Arabian-Cola Spicy Cherry and Arabian-Cola Cherry. Thompson, I believe you were working on a new flavor correct?" and Thompson replied "Yes sir, I've been working on quite a few new candidates for Arabian-Cola. Arabian-Cola Grape, Arabian-Cola Quantum minus the radiation and using a safe ingredient to make the glow."

The CEO smiled and gave a thumbs up to the last one as he muttered these words, "Arabian-Cola Quantum is the one we'll be producing. Get your men in R&D to begin work on the ingredient for the glow. Advertising, you handle the labels and bottlecap design and of course, the advertising in the ICA and United Republics."

[Cavendian States]

Republic of Pamlico

The Center
Tryon District
New Bern
Republic of Pamlico

Secretary of State Keaton and Secretary of Finance Jacob Hayes listened to the ambassadors' proposal closely before speaking. Certainly, the Pamlico Republic abhorred slavery -- it was contradictory to the society of hard-fought liberties and freedoms that the Founder had always envisioned. Yet while the government never dealt officially with these southern slavers, various merchant groups, such as the Coopers, did. It was partly out of greed, and partly out of necessity. Charleston was a port that was utilized extensively by Pamlico merchants coming to trade south, since it served as a half-way point between Pamlico and the United Republic. There was also a variety of goods to be bought and sold in Charleston, a fact that the Coopers used to consolidate their monopoly on the southern trade.

Keaton began, "Slavery is banned in the Pamlico Republic and our policy has always been to eliminate any vestige of its presence in our borders. However, while an embargo on the port of Charleston would fall in line with that policy, there are other matters to be considered. Economic matters, especially."

Hayes cleared his throat, before continuing Keaton's statement, "Charleston is a valuable port, used by our traders to bring our goods to the United Republic's markets. Without access to it, the trade between our nations will be severely disrupted. That is, unless there is a viable alternative. Preferably another port on the South Carolina coast -- a port that can handle our traffic, while condemning slavery as a despicable practice."

Keaton chimed in, "Even if such a port can't be found, however, the other parts of your proposal can be adopted. We can and will offer subsidies for merchants to avoid Charleston. The Pamlico Navy will also try its best to crack down on slavery within our waters, although it is already overstretched as is. Slave ships will, unfortunately, continue to fall through the cracks."

Operation: Deathclaw
Outpost 253-58
Ruins of Jacksonville
North Carolina

It was finally time for the operation to begin.

In the early hours of the morning, the typical hubbub from the operation had stopped. An eerie silence fell over the outpost. That silence was broken, almost as fast as it had come -- the army's battery of howitzers had launched a devastating salvo, aimed at the Camp and the river banks where the gators and ghouls were concentrated. In doing this, Colonel Dewey hoped that it would avoid a lot of unnecessary hassle for the troops going forward; every gator, every ghoul that died in the artillery barrage would be one less enemy for his marines.

With all of his dislike towards the DST, Dewey had ironically adopted a strategy that emulated them -- slow, methodical, and cautious. He had divided the Camp into a grid, where each section would have to be cleared out before moving to the next. The strategy was designed to keep casualties to a minimum, with the drawback that the Operation would take weeks, if not months, to finish. Dewey planned on exterminating every last gator in the Camp, securing it for future settlement and allowing Pamlico to establish a base on the southern Frontier.

Currently, the troops were on stand-by, with many choosing to stand and watch the fireworks. Dewey had chosen to relax discipline in an uncharacteristic way -- but he reasoned that the troops needed the morale before a grueling campaign.

[Nuka-Cola Corp]

Broadcast Center, Vault Nuka

A qualified technician merely pressed some buttons on a console which activated Relay towers across the Wasteland stretching from Texas to Maine. He carefully inserted a holotape that was specially prepared by Mr. Bradberton to play over the local radios of the Wasteland and the holotape begun playing and soon the airwaves filled with the holotape. The precious contents of the Holotape were instantly revealed to be The Nuka-Cola Jingle would instantly begin playing and then a pleasant voice would speak gently "It may be respectively 200 miserable years after the Great-War but let me undoubtedly tell you. Nuka-Cola is even now in official business from our exclusive Vault in a undisclosed location. Nuka-Cola is the ultimate thirst quenching drink."

The broadcast continued."Even with our newly released Quantum, the direct competitors like Arabia-Cola undoubtedly have nothing on Nuka-Cola! The excellent taste is superior and the unique flavor... don't get me started! mmm! so good and bubbly! Properly place a direct order with the Nuka-Cola Corporation for your own six pack of freshly produced radiation-free Nuka-Cola Classic and soon Nuka-Cola Quantum!"

[Routcher]

River City

The General Assembly held its special session today, to discuss the upcoming elections, deals with the United Republic, and of course the regular business of running the Republic. The ambassadors of the United Republic met with the General Assembly and proposed sending up to 50 highly-trained troops to assist the development of the Republic's military.

"I thank you for the most generous offer," River Admiral Wyatt Booth, who was also in attendance, said, "and before the members of the General Assembly or the Grand Mayor discuss your offer, I'd like to provide input. What we really need are five-to-ten Marine instructors for Tiptonville and Woodland Mills each. Their job at Tiptonville will be to oversee basic training for the Marines and provide additional knowledge to our future combatants. At Woodland Mills, the instructors should advance the training of our current Marine Corps. I'd like to see additional training in night raids, recon, ship-to-ship boarding, and beachhead assaults."

He took a drag from his cigarette, and went on, "Additionally, I'd like up to five naval officers to train my officers and cadets, in order to help them better understand the capabilities of their vessels and learn leadership for experienced sailors. These men would also be based in Tiptonville. Joining them, ideally, would be up to five naval instructors who would oversee the basic training of all naval recruits, marine or sailor. Finally, with recent scouting parties into Reelfoot Lake Wildlife Refuge, an old civilian airport was discovered, along with three intact, but very neglected pre-war civilian aircraft. Aircraft I'd like to see used for scouting. If you can spare it, I'd request one or two flight instructors to teach us how to operate these things, since no Republic citizens have any knowledge pertaining to aircraft. Additionally, an aircraft mechanic would also be required, as we are not sure how capable these birds will be of flying until they are properly inspected. Whatever equipment you send along will be appreciated, but is not necessary. I also do not plan to place your troops in harm's way, as they serve much better as trainers than frontline patrols."

The Admiral sat back down, and continued smoking as the General Assembly talked among themselves. Finally, the Speaker began, "Mister Grand Mayor, it is the opinion of the General Assembly that you take the Admiral's suggestion, and make that counter offer."

Without hesitation, the Grand Mayor said to them United Republic ambassadors, "What the Admiral has requested from you is also my request. River City is better served with competent trainers in several fields, rather than a force of rangers that will only provide useful training to a handful of our navy. Does the United Republic accept these terms?"

The two ambassadors of the United Republic agreed and signed the necessary documents stating as such. Word would soon go to the United Republic with the request. (OOC: I had Dragos Bee's permission to post for his ambassadors)

"In regards to the missionaries and the credit union," the Grand Mayor went on, "Nobody in this chamber has an issue with either, provided that all Republic laws are followed, and taxes and fees are paid where applicable. Do note that the Republic taxes religious organizations based on income. You'll also find many here are already members of Baptist or Methodist congregations, and may not be willing to convert. They will, however, not be stopped from trying by the Republic government."

"Finally, I'd like to thank the United Republic in advanced for being kind enough to help our assembly line. As you said, this benefits us both, but your investment in the Republic in the form of economic, logistics, and military aid are certainly welcome. We are happy to call you partners in trade."

Election Platforms
After the meeting with the United Republic Ambassadors concluded, the meeting moved on to discuss the upcoming election for Grand Mayor. Below is a summary of the stances held by each candidate.

Taxes- "I want to keep taxes as low as possible to encourage personal wealth, growth of business, and increased employment for our ever-growing population. I understand River City has infrastructure needs and a Navy to fund, but we can utilize our trade networks to bring in the resources needed for those projects without costing the taxpayer additional money."

Expansion- "Of course, under my administration thus far, the Republic has grown greatly in area and population. We have plenty of smaller communities surrounding us and along the river that would love to join us for security, caps, and a bit of fun. Expansion has been my number one priority from day one, and it will continue to be."

The River Navy- "As we grow, so too does our presence on the Mississippi River. We simply cannot expand without a River Navy to protect our ports and our shipments. It is important that we fund our navy enough to protect us, without spending too much on fancy items we don't really need, or building too many bases or ships. I want to strike a balance between quality and affordability."

The United Republic- "Our friends in the U.R. are providing us with many resources needed to become a greater presence on the river. I wish to deepen our partnership to find more ways we can help each other, and therefore profit."

Taxes- "My brother gives a good speech about the importance of low taxes, and for the most part I agree. However, with a growing religious influence in River City, as well as the increased presence of drugs like Jet, I think it is reasonable to slightly raise taxes in those areas to bring in a bit more money to send to our infrastructure and the Navy, as well as to use as buying power from our citizens and neighbors."

Expansion- "I agree that expansion is a big part of our current success, but if you ask me, we are currently spread out too thin. We have a lot of land, but less than 2,000 citizens. If something happens in Bogota, how long before we respond? We have plenty of land, let us use it and grow our food and numbers before we stretch too thin and pay for it."

The River Navy- "I would like to see the River Navy funded better using my tax plan outlined earlier, so that it may grow and protect the land we have to aid in the issues outlined in my expansion concerns, also outlined earlier."

The United Republic- I see no problem in continuing a working relationship between them, but expanding just so we can meet their needs is foolish and should not be taken lightly."

Taxes- "I understand the importance that River City's economy and how it pertains to our success, so I would certainly not wish to raise taxes so greatly, but the fact is our navy is not being funded enough. We need more vessels, more sailors, and more equipment if we are going to as efficient and as lethal as possible."

Expansion- "I am a big fan of further expansion, and I think that communities that do not join willingly should be forced to join at the end of the gun, if such communities have something of value to us. I think only by expanding along the rivers can we provide security to our citizens and our shipments, as the response time of ground troops is far slower than that of our boats."

The River Navy- "Simple. Give them more ships, more guns, more men, and allow them the funding needed to maintain it. The River Navy is critical to our success"

The United Republic- "I'll be honest. I don't trust them. I wouldn't kick them out, or cancel existing deals, but they are being awfully friendly. Doesn't sound right to me."

The election will be held just before the next General Assembly meeting, where the votes will be counted and the results revealed.

Matters of Government
-The General Assembly voted in favor of allowing Hornbeak to have a spot on the General Assembly, despite falling short of the Constitutional requirement of 50 citizens. The result was 14-3. The General Assembly now includes 18 members.
-Future Expansion Targets include: Clinton, Hayti, Obien, and Marston.

Matters of Foreign Policy
-Ambassadors, sent along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Kentucky Rivers, arrive in Frankfurt to meet with Nuka Cola executives (see below)

Domestic Matters
-The General Assembly has voted in favor of funding a restoration of the water treatment equipment in Hornbeak. The vote was 18-0.

Military Matters
-Rooms for the additional staff from the UR are being prepared.
-The Grand Mayor has ordered the Marines in Cayce to be on full alert. The situation in Fulton seems to be heating up.

This concludes the General Assembly meeting notes. What follows are general updates:
-Buy-Your-Bot week 2 went amazing. The government was able to buy a functioning Sentry Bot from a traveling mercenary company looking to cut costs and gain caps in between jobs. The bot was sent to Cayce, and will function as part of the Marine Corps.
-Wolf Island Naval Base is now 22% complete.
-The riverboat assembly line, thanks to assistance from the United Republic, will be completed soon.
-The first riverboat made for the United Republic is half-way complete, and thanks to the soon-to-be-functional assembly line, will be ready in about a week's time.
-A heavy weapons workshop is being built in River City. It is 13% complete.
-An advanced weapons workshop is being built in Columbus, with help from the Sons of the South. It is 8% complete.

Frankfurt, Kentucky
Chuck Barnes had traveled with his dog and wife, Jenny, along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Kentucky Rivers for some time, eager to meet the people who claimed to be producing fresh Nuka Cola. If successful, he'd want to discuss a deal with them that would not only bring the drink to River City, but also allow his upstart company, Barnes Beverages, to distribute the drink along the Mississippi and connected rivers. He was already fortunate enough to be given an ambassadorship from the General Assembly, meaning he had government support. Now, he hoped his luck continued.

Barnes, with the help of some locals, found his way to the vault, where Nuka Cola was being produced, and attempted to get the attention of whoever might be inside, so they would open up and let him in.

[Nuka-Cola Corp]

Vault Nuka, KY

The Red Vault door with the words "NUKA" in dazzling white slowly opened as an alarm blared. The marked door finished opening as Mr. Bradberton stood in a red-tuxedo clutching a cane with a Nuka-Cola rocket bottle ontop ready to greet enthusiastically the humble United Republic folk and the River City Diplomats. He spoke eloquently with a gentle voice as he ushered them in "Come in, my dear children. This is a ideal world of pure imagination." and as they came eagerly in the Vault-door carefully closed behind them.

He escorted them down a private hallway which also served as a private museum of sorts which had all sorts of historical Nuka-Cola memorabilia until they came across three doors. He instantly opened the three airlocks and began to demonstrate precisely each room "The room on the left is our tasting room which has Nuka-Cola and it's various flavors like Nuka Grape, Nuka Dark and many more. Feel free to grab a reusable cup and try whichever one you sincerely want and we also have our innovative product Quantum here to taste too. The room to the right of us is the executive quarters which have more historical memorabilia and also my private quarters along with the Board of Directors room and much more. In front of us is what I'm sure you're here to undoubtedly see our bottling plant.

He led them through the main door into a massive bottling plant that was intentionally built into the Vault, one could see Nuka-Cola rocket bottles going carefully to the filling machines to be carefully filled with Ice-Cold fresh Nuka-Cola and also Ice-Cold fresh Nuka-Cola Quantum. They could also see the bottlecap process and the labeling process. He once again spoke "How we traditionally make Nuka-Cola remains a well-kept secret but we're always working on new flavors even if the surface is hell. Our most recent idea is Nuka-Cola Caffeine Free and of course a new secret I can't divulge. It'll give those Arabia-Cola bastards a run for their needed money."

He turned the other way to look at them in his red tuxedo while clutching his Nuka-Cola cane eagerly awaiting any questions from the tour-group of Diplomats and trade representatives.

[Versail]

Texan Republic

Liberty, Texas

Major General Robert Hernandez

---

In most nations he would be considered a monster due to his actions. Enslaving entire towns of people in the Dallas campaign, signing off on the killing of thousands of ghouls who ran from their homes, and many other deeds. Yet in Texas he is a hero and one given a role and it is one he plays perfectly. To destroy the enemies of the Republic is an honor and a privilege for him.

Which is why his forces were among those chosen for the invasion of Louisiana and given a vital role in the weeks to come. If his division of ten thousand souls could not reach the landing zones the Marines created in time the loss of Texan life would be catastrophic. However the tools given to him for this task were immense. The pride of the land forces, a force of ten 122mm howitzers, would alongside one hundred M2 mortars and groups of fighters from the first fighter wing provide fire-support for the advance.

The first target for the hammer to fall upon would be the Louisianian held town of Grayburg. Recon teams from the ninth Ranger battalion say the town is very much well defended with trenches, machine guns, and multiple layers of defense. All of this is much too much for raiders to overcome, but the men and women of the seventh national guard division are no raiders. Quite the contrary in fact. Despite being conscripts they are hardened warriors of years of fighting and are willing to follow any order unto the death if need be.

“Sir, preparations are complete and we await your order to commence the preliminary bombardments of the enemy,” a staff officer informed him.

Shaken from his musings he replied, “Blow the cajun bastards to hell, once that is done storm their lines, leave nothing to chance kill any who refuse to give up, am I understood?”

“Perfectly sir,” Moving to relay his orders the staff officer left the Major general to resume examining the map and thinking of his forces next actions.

---

Alto, Texas

Ranger Brigadier General Willow Hope

---

The Texan Rangers were monsters to some, heros to others and examples to all Texans who wish to serve their fatherland. Responsible for many great deeds of the republic including but not limited to blunting the Brotherhood nutcases advances into Texas a century ago and ripping the heart out of the ghoul rebellion by gunning down the ringleaders and their zombie followers who tried to claim Austin as their own.In recent times the Rangers have also been sent against roman cosplayers who came from the lands west of the Republic. But that is neither here nor there as the task at hand is Lufkin. A former Texan city under the oppressive yoke of the Cajun menace. A situation that is soon to be rectified.

Hearing a noise outside her command tent Hope called out “Get in here, whoever you are”. Eyeing the tent flap she was greeted by the site of her subordinate of the National Guard general in charge of the sixth division.

“Ma’am, the scouts have returned with some grim news.” pausing for a moment. “It appears that the Cajun boys knew of our preparations and have reinforced their trench lines, while we do have the troops needed to crack the defenses and the fire-support to make it relatively painless it will be a problem if they don’t break under the bombardment and retreat to the town.”


Thinking a while before responding to him,”We’ll just have to encircle the town then won’t we, order the mortars to fire upon on the pre designated targets and prepare the troops for a siege once everything is in place around the city. Make sure the mortar crews are ready to move, dismissed.”

“Understood Ma’am, right away.”

---

Tyler, Texas

Corporal Miles of the National Guard.

---

Most people who fight for Texas consider the job to a good, but a boring one. Miles on the other hand would say different due to the recent orders and actions of his unit. Tyler was a town that normally held several hundred people and farmers who tilled the land. Yet as of now it’s playing home to over ten thousand military personnel and as a result merchants came following the mass of troops to provide goods.

For the past several months Miles and his squad had been ready and chomping at the bit for the chance to liberate Texan land from cajun hands. Only recently however has the order been given to advance on Longview. The mood in the camps was ecstatic, for finally was there change in the monotony of military life. Many knew they might not return home, but it would be worth it cleanse Texas clean of the cajun taint.

---

Galveston, Texas

Private Green, 3rd Marine Brigade.

---

Green was one among many thousands of elite fighters gathered for one last speech before departure. The mood of the crowd can only be described as elated, as the Marines were happy to soon be unleashed upon the enemies of the state who oppose them. As time went on the General of the Marine corp marched up a ramp that led onto the podium for the speech for three thousand men and women of battle.

“I have never been bewildered for long in any fight with our enemies — I was armed with insight. In the worst of surprises we found our training and education had prepared us well.”

Because every Marine, if he was in a tough spot — whether a bar fight, or tonight in New Iberia, our fellow Marines would get to us, or die trying.

So long as our corps fields such marines, Texas has nothing to fear from tyrants, be they Ghouls, Communists or Tyrants with medieval ideology. For we serve in a corps with no institutional confusion about our purpose: To fight! To fight well!

So go and purge the land of any cajun soldier you see, go out there and kill the enemy, go and make Texas proud of her marine corps. Semper Fi!”

With a cry that made his teeth vibrate Green and the rest of the brigade replied in kind, “OORAH!”

[Dragos Bee]

United Republic

Tallahasee, Florida

Co-President Sedna Hill now finally appreciated just how difficult a regime that built itself on prestige and earned authority can be. It took all the persuasive skills of her faction in the United Republic to activate the 'self-defense provisions' in the Constitution. Even then, several amendments had to be made to the bill in order to make it more palatable to the towns and cities, one of which is that most of the 'conscripts' are not to be used outside of the region, especially in foriegn wars. A sub-provision to that was that most of the newly-raised troops have to remain close to their home towns and cities, even as they received the same armament and training that existing troops had.

A sigh as she rested in her modest (it didn't even have air conditioning) residence. It seemed as though the United Republic will not have the offensive force needed to liberate the rest of America, let alone the world. A look at the map in her room, and the Co-President was reminded that diplomacy worked well enough when one had a big beating stick or buffer states and a superior defensive position. She smiled; everything ought to be all right; as long as the troops were enough to defend the United Republic, it ought to be enough.

Chattanooga

Chattanooga was a peaceful farming town whose feelings with the United Republic were neutral, which in turn made it a desired destination for the United Republic's small traders, who found the inhabitants eager to buy tools, children's toys, mirrors, and glass bottles, along with canvas and nails.

River City

In the United Republic Embassy, the young man said to his older counterpart, "The election... Should we meddle? The Admiral Guy is suspicious of us already. The incumbent is a friend of us and so is his brother, so perhaps -"

The older woman shook her head, "No, if we meddle too soon, we'll lose the goodwill we cultivated. And it's not as if our deals are in danger. No, I think we should stop asking things of them for now. Let them get used to having us as friends..."

Fallen Star

N/A

Nuka-Cola Corporation

The ambassadors would nod and do as the Mr. Handy said, then, should they get a meeting with the CEO, repeat their pitch; that the United Republic would provide Citrus flavoring for the Nuka-Cola Corp if they create an Organic, Sugarfree, Radiation-free version of Nuka-Cola for distribution to the United Republic population. If this pitch was met with refusal, the Ambassadors would leave their gifts behind and go back to their helicopter and go back to the United Republic. But if there was no refusal, the Ambassadors will shake the CEO's hand and begin the process of sealing the deal with a written contract...

United Syndicates of the Future

One of the Siege Engineers sent to the USotF would suggest the building of small forts up north, which, when combined with a system of 'trading/exchange posts', would be instrumental in spreading hard and soft power across north-central Mississipi. Cartographers would suggest the town of Winona as a site for such a fort, while the United Republic troop contingent's commander, Laura Myers, would also recommend that refugees and wanderers who came near USF territory were to be given a chance to settle in the Syndicates' holdings... After any rapists, raiders, and slavers were filtered out, of course. That, and the USF could erect a radio station to advertise its opposition to slavery and attract runway or freed slaves.

Pamilco Republic

"We Understand," the female ambassador said. "Thank you for your time. Note that as you yourselves expand south, we hope that the economic situation changes." A smile. "We will then provide you with all possible help in expanding south; a friendly power occupying the coast of North Carolina can only be an economic boon."

ICA, North Carolina

"Indeed," Raiza Al-Sulayhi spoke, "It would be great to discuss the details of the conference, especially the joint Halal board and the Zakat fund. Both United Republic and ICA air transport will be needed to ensure the safe travel of our religious leaders to the Grand Mosque. Then we can also talk about a standardized Quran, refining the teaching and practice of Arabic, and comparing libraries of Hadith to see which ones are authenthic and which ones are fabrications stemming from post-apocalyptic lack of knowledge."

Suddenly, an aide came in, saying, "Ambassadors! President and Grand Imam! One of the United Republic's diplomatic personnel has been attacked in the streets! He says there's a serial killer on the loose!"

Abdullah Ibn Umar turned towards President Luke Mallicoat in worry and asked, "Excuse us; we have to go. I presume that an investigation will be started immidiately?"

------

A junior member of the United Republic diplomatic staff would send word to the Arabia-Cola CEO and Board of Directors: Congratulations; Arabia-cola promises to be a huge hit.

Disposition of Forces

N/A

Casualties

[Nuka-Cola Corp]

Nuka-Cola Laboratory, Vault Nuka

Mr. Bradberton headed the exclusive group as he listened attentively to the Diplomats to an private elevator which hauled them down to a private lab of sorts where they carefully observed talented people working on new flavors and much more. He walked leisurely to a nearby stand that contained a finished bottle upon it and said eagerly "Taste the glorious future with Nuka-Blast, an organic soft drink that copies, the Quantum's luminous glow but uses a non-radioactive ingredient to do so and as you instantly noticed it's blue just like Quantum. Nuka-Blast is undoubtedly an excellent choice for your wealthy nation despite undoubtedly containing organic sugar. We've already worked on a Nuka-Blast sugarfree version." as he smirked before promptly resuming his motivational speech.

"Before the Great War obesity was precisely a major concern with soda and fast food, at the precise time when the radioactive bombs dropped we were working carefully on a Nuka-Cola Diet which I positively assure you possesses all of the excellent taste as a regular Nuka-Cola. In fact it indeed has the same taste as Nuka-Cola Classic minus the organic sugar and I can't confess to you how we have done that unfortunately as it's naturally a trade secret but it is naturally a great fit for your wealthy country."

"But we'd traditionally prefer it if we could export all of our successful Nuka-Cola products to your prosperous region and would of course include nutritional labels on products like Quantum that sufficiently indicate it could possibly be a health hazard or more and that they are sugar-filled. We would all the more make them Organic to willingly comply with your developed nation's economic regulations."

[Al-Ghaihr]

Arabia-Cola Lab, Arabia-Cola Headquarters, Winston Salem

The sound of scientists working around the clock was heard in the Lab as they struggled to create an competitor to the Nuka-Cola Quantum. Arabia-Cola Quantum would be a hit with it's non-radioactive glow but they struggled on how to make the glow. Suddenly, a scientist came up with an idea to use the same ingredient in glow-sticks that make them glow but a food-safe version with no short-term or long-term health effect through extensive research.

The mixture was made and poured into a glass and given to willing test subjects. After said product was consumed and no ill-effects were seen for 24 hours even beyond that. The product was greenlit. Arabia-Cola decided to start it's own radio campaign.

Suddenly, you could hear radio advertisements in both the United Republic and ICA saying "Arabia-Cola Quantum, the newest drink of Arabia-Cola. Made safely with ingredients that are safe completely for food. It glows just like Quantum and is priced cheaper than Quantum. Taste Arabia. Taste Quantum."

---

Grand Imam's office, Grand Mosque, High Point, ICA

The President looked shocked as he heard the news of the attempted murder. He immediately replied to the man who burst in, "Yes. There will be a formal investigation. Do you have any details on who it could be? Or even any identifying marks? Anything at all?!" to which the man replied "The attempted murder matches what some Regulators were saying a man in Boston did. A man by the name of Gectarmahn who is a cannibal."

The President hovered over to a trashcan as he leaned and vomited quite a bit after hearing the last words. He took a moment to compose himself as a Miss Nanny robot came in and injected him with an anti-nausea medication. "R-...r..right, we'll need to get to the bottom of this immediately. We can't have a serial killer running lose in Greensboro or High Point and Winston Salem. It's bad for tourism, business and more."

---

Gectarmahn Crime Scene, Greensboro

Detective Mark Williams walked onto the scene accompanied by two Greensboro Police officers and a United Republic detective and a Forensic Mr. Handy. They examined the crime-scene and the blood splatters carefully. The Detective remarked "The blood splatter implies that this was performed with a device that could possibly amputate a person's arm. When we say that, we're looking at quite a few different weapons. Ripper, swords, knifes and much more."

And when he finished saying that, he noticed small blood droplets leading down a nearby alley. He motioned the gang to follow him as he unholstered his service-weapon. The Mr. Handy raised it's plasma gun as the gang carefully went down the slightly bloodied alley.

They came across a door that had a lot of blood pooling underneath. The detective shouted "Cover me!" as he kicked the door open and rushed in with the rest of the gang. What they saw was a horrendous sight. There were human bodies hanging by meat-hooks and a large butchering machine for butchering entire bodies. The conveyor belt was off for now and there was a body on it. On the other side of the machine was some examples of what the machine did.

There laid human meat of various portions and cuts. Even some bones. And if that wasn't shocking enough, there were guts and internal organs in refrigerators along with some dismembering weapons on a nearby rack. They had uncovered the temporary den of Hannibal Gectarmahn but he wasn't here, yet or maybe this was a message to send to the authorities?

[Solisian Union]

United Syndicates of the Future

At the suggestions of the siege engineers and most of all, of Laura Myers, the USF began to call to refugees outside to come to the USF and to the UR while also establishing full control and use over a radio station that was within the borders of the USF, broadcasting messages to the wastelands that the USF and UR are offering sanctuary against the slavers, the rapists and the raiders and all the other scum of the wastelands.

It was all approved by the USF government and most of all, it was promoted. After that, orders were distributed to various battalions at the borders of the USF. Another great set of raids against the scum of the lands would be conducted once again.

---

Transmission to the ICA

Hearing reports of a certain cannibal criminal, the USF sent a message and a team to the ICA, hoping to join them in their investigation and hunt for the vicious man. In the message, the government requested permission from the ICA to send a team to help them find that criminal while within the USF, the government was starting to get to work on making new factories for their weapons and ammunition and also on another message, appealing to the ICA for a meeting between their governments to see if the USF and the ICA can trade with each other and allow the USF to get new weapons and ammunition while the ICA was offered training and the services of the USF against raiders and slavers.

---

USF

In the land of the USF, more workshops were ordered by the government to be set up or to be upgraded. Others were told to make new ones while the borders were strengthened and manned by more USF DG troopers. A recruiting campaign was now in effect as the USF government also promised the syndicates and their people less taxes for now.

[Xcom Federation]

New York Times: The Senate today in a 40:5 vote approved a further 50 million dollars for the northwest expedition. The expeditions are the first of many planned to reclaim the wasteland and rebuild the once great United States of America. Its aim is to absorb surrounding areas and settlements to the Republic. Most of the settlements have been receptive to this move as Republican engineers embedded with frontline soldiers with the objective of restoring prewar buildings and facilities which benefited the locals greatly as well as helping them clear out raider and slavers in the region.

The Morea act. Championed by senator Josph Monrea and President Tom Kirkman passed in the Senate with a close vote of 23:17 much to the disappointment of human supremacy groups who called for a complete purge of all ghouls from the Republic. This law effectively recognized ghouls as American citizens and equal rights as humans. This law also removed the Shalow act which was made when the republic first founded in 2256 which restricted ghouls from entering Manhatten Island and place of residence to only the city of jersey.

American Republic Department of Defense Report:
Operation reclamation has been largely successful. Long Island has been fully reintegrated into the republic. Most of the surrounding regions are only occupied by raiders and slavers who fleed new York when the republic first revealed itself. The Small settlements accepted Republican rule. Atlas forces have been effective in clearing out pockets of raiders and slavers. Prisoners have been as per regulation handed over to homeland security and are sent to Rikers Island for processing totaling the current amount of captured to 600. Some have been given the choice of a better life and are recruited into the Republican Military. Those considered to be either forcefully recruited into the gangs or other special cases are to be investigated and reviewed where if they are found not guilty are to be released. Those found guilty are trialed under American Republic laws and also to work as laborers as a form of community service, rebuilding the infrastructure and buildings of the cities and at occasions the outlying regions of the Republic.

The Route along the 1-87 and the Hudson River to Newburg have been successfully pacified. For now, the settlements are left on their own. Small groups of men are left close by to provide assistance to the settlements should they require help or fire support in the event they are attacked by hostile forces. This is to build up rapport and trust between Republican forces and the independent settlements. Only those that desired to be part of the Republic are absorbed and dealt with as per regulation. Those in strategic locations are given compensation and relocated. Most of these cases are relocated to New York city where free housing is widely available. Newburg and Beacon are largely inhabited by raider gangs and a few communities living in gated communities to protect themselves against the raider gangs. They welcomed the American troops and have accepted our control over the region. Urban fighting is proving to be slow with gangs hiding out in the suburban houses. ATF and FBI tactical forces have been instrumental in clearing the more challenging enclaves.

Stewart air force base has still retained most of its prewar caches of equipment and weapons. we have recovered essential spare parts for our existing operational aircraft as well as several C-5 and C-130 and A Boeing KC-135 Strato tanker. The main airport has yielded us significant data and materials. The Engineers have found several aircraft that still could be recovered. They are 3 Gulfstream G550, two have been identified to be of the AWE military version. Used to provide early warning and control. These two were meant for the nation of Singapore before the great war. One Dassault Falcon 7x found in one of the airport's hangers. It is still in relatively good condition considering the years, it had been protected from the elements and the engineers have deemed it to still be flightworthy. I would recommend it to be transferred to Newark International for further analysis. One A-330 cargo variants have also been recovered but weather damage has destroyed most of its electronics and rust in areas have severely affected structural integrity. Extensive repairs would be needed to restore it.

Forces in New Haven are meeting much heavier resistance especially from the Quinnipiac River Marsh Wildlife Area and the settlements from Branford. They are xenophobic and distrustful of other people. Several of them have fired upon republican patrols nearby. Measures must be placed to keep these 'rebels' in check. The strategy drawn up by the CIA might be an effective tool in bringing them into our fold.

Edison: Work began to fortify Edison and also areas along the Raritan River in case of a SUC attack a series of buildings have been fortified into military outposts and firebases set up. Automated Turrets and remote control guns are placed in strategic locations. some of the troops are equipped with mine dispensators to be used in an event of a large-scale attack. The 25th Infantry battalion made up of mostly freshly trained soldiers guards the city defenses and mans the checkpoints to the Republic.

Under the orders of the president, a series of scout expeditions are set up to scout the wasteland and contact new nations that now inhabit the East Coast USA.
A total of 4 8 man Recon teams are made for this very purpose comprised of elite soldiers and scientists/engineers, their objective to contact other nations and establish diplomatic relationships. Two C-130s took off from JFK each carrying two teams, each team is given 20,000 caps and 2 humvees. They are stocked full with extra supplies and fuel as well as several RPG launchers just in case. The Humvees are armed with a .50 cal machine gun and the other has its gun removed to make room for additional equipment such as a long-range radio and systems to monitor radio signal as a means of finding local settlements. A QRF and fire support are ready at all times just in case as well as resupply missions. Preplanned drop points have been marked each team had their own regions to investigate and a 1-month long deployment. Afterward, they are to return back to new york. Air patrols equipped with surveillance equipment have revealed several areas of interest where recon forces are to verify.

One landed close to I-95 highway in the abandoned town of Red oak, another to highway 29 just off Danville, another on I-68 around the Savage river state forest the last one in Cave city. Activity has been picked up by the air patrols originating from Rode island. A UH-60 carrying a diplomatic team and escort have been sent to investigate.

Production of new F-15s, Ah-64Ds, and the V-22 osprey as well as refitting all V-22 ospreys with the IDWS total of 10 each are planned. Production for the M777ER as well as additional ammunition. 5 Small patrol boats are also planned to be built to patrol the rivers or fire support if needed.

[Routcher]

Vault Nuka

Chuck Barnes was blown away by the contents of the Nuka Cola vault he had found himself in. He had never before seen things looking so...clean and...functional. He was enthralled with the soda operation going on, and was amazed at Mr. Bradberton's talk of diet and organic sodas to the United Republic diplomats. He couldn't wait for his time to speak.


When at last he had a chance to talk to Mr. Bradberton, he offered to shake hands as he introduced himself. "Mr. Bradberton, I am Chuck Barnes, here for two reasons. The first and foremost to me personally is that I run a business called "Barnes Beverages", and I'd love to distribute your drinks all along the Mississippi River, and all the great rivers it connects to. Deal with me, and you'll see fresh Nuka Cola selling in places like the River City Republic, the Texan Republic, New Egypt, the Kingdom of Louisiana, the United Republic, and more! We can operate on one of two different kind of deals."

He went on, "The first, is that I send a barge up here and it buys as much Cola as it can hold in bulk at a discounted price, and I go and sell that to all of my contacts. The second, is that our companies become partners. We bring your drink to customers, in exchange for 30% of the profits. I might be a little flexible on the percentage with you, given your status, but I can't afford to go too cheap. This allows you to charge whatever you want for the drink and not have to worry about transport to far-off places, or paying transportation employees. All of that is on me. This is the usual deal drink companies sign with me, although a few prefer the first one as it's less complex for them I guess."

"The second reason I am here, is that I and my wife are ambassadors from River City. My government has sent me to, with your permission, live and work in Frankfurt to keep our people in touch, and potentially bring more trade deals between our peoples. Surely a manufacturer like yourself needs raw materials? River City is just the kind of friend you need."

River City Updates
-A temporary pause on expansion projects has been put in place in order to prevent any interference with the upcoming election.
-A mechanic has been dispatched to Hornbeak. It will take some time for him to examine the water treatment machinery.
-The Marines in Cayce got into a small skirmish with assailants suspected to be from Fulton. Nobody was injured, but it has put everyone on edge. The next night, the Sentry Bot sent by the government arrived to assist the Marines stationed there. The Naval leadership is weighing their options. Republic citizens are forbidden to approach Fulton at this time.
-Buy-Your-Bot week 3 went poorly. Nobody was willing to sell a robot to the government.
-Wolf Island Naval Base is now 36% complete.
-The first riverboat made for the United Republic has been completed. It is being delivered to Florence.
-The next riverboat for the River Navy is being built this week. The next UR boat will be built after that.
-The heavy weapons workshop in River City is now 19% complete.
-The advanced weapons workshop in Columbus, being assisted by the Sons of the South, is now 28% complete.
-The General Assembly will meet soon, to discuss the election, taxes, and to hear the Inaugural speech of whoever wins the election.
-The Naval High Command will meet with the winner of the election to discuss matters of Republic security.

[Nuka-Cola Corp]

Vault Nuka, KY

Mr. Bradberton stood in his red tuxedo as he listened attentively to Chuck go on about his specific proposal as he smilingly shook his mighty hand. Bradberton than spoke eloquently "I naturally take it you're a diehard fan of my tireless work then. Most aware people are after all! Nuka-Cola is undoubtedly a excellent beverage and is even more so great Ice-cold. We would be more than happy to work out the specific details of such a plan. But I naturally have a counteroffer." as he instantly reached to a fresh Nuka-Cola Classic off of the automated production line and used a nearby bottle-cap opener to instantly open the soda as he drank eagerly some of it.

He instantly resumed speaking positively after quenching his thirst "We would like to carefully establish a Nuka-Cola Bottling Plant in River City. We would be overjoyed to voluntarily send the syrup and the glass bottles along with bottlecaps. We have skilled technicians who are to tell the truth qualified experts at setting up beverage equipment along with building experts. The Nuka-Cola Bottling Plant in River City will be undoubtedly a massive hit. Furthermore, try a brand new Ice-Cold Nuka-Cola Classic fresh off of the automated production line." as he pointed eagerly his cane to the automated production line.

[NewLakotah]

---

Pittsburgh, United Erie Empire
The Centre of National Assembly – Imperial and Foreign Affairs Section

The city seemed fuller and more busy today than others. With the invasion ongoing, there were more soldiers milling about, and the military factories there were almost all working overtime. The advance south had moved the frontlines and border away from the city by several kilometres, where the Border guards had set up checkpoints, for customs and security and such, along the major roads. Other units patrolled the area occasionally, and others still worked on constructing more permanent security stations and military encampments and fortifications that the border guards would inhabit and would act as the defense against raider and bandits attempting raids into their territory, or as a first barrier in the way of an invasion.

The main highway into Pittsburgh was the most busy and as such, it was the most well-defended. In line with the military conquest of sorts that had taken place, albeit a bloodless one, the checkpoint included more than normal regular soldiers, sandbagged machine gun emplacements, and several engineers working on constructing a larger station for the main road.

It was on this setting that the diplomat from the Provincial States of Rhode Island arrived with his small escort. The Border Agents there were rather surprised to find a diplomat requesting entry into the city, especially from a state they were rather unfamiliar with. However, they were granted entry and taken to the Constable Captain, a Morgan Williams, who proceeded to check with the diplomat and his envoy for their stated purposes, before contacting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs station in Pittsburgh and sending the Rhode Islander and his escort there, with his own small escort team.

Secretary Lady Samantha Bathurst was the one who was in charge of the affairs for Pennsylvania and the Empire. She was the Second Secretary of Affairs, and the one who was in charge of the Pennsylvania region, while the First Secretary was stationed with the Emperor in Cleveland. While most might consider this a slight, as a proud Pennsylvanian, she considered it more a privilege to work in her city rather than in Cleveland, with the same relative authority.

36,short and fair-haired, Bathurst was one of the “new blood nobles”, or even “Imperial Noblility”, as they were called, those whose tradition of nobility did not extend back generations to the vault days or the early days of Pittsburgh, but whose line began with the unification of the two kingdoms. After immediately establishing herself as Queen of the Pennsylvanian Commonwealth, and soon as Emperor of the United kingdoms, Queen Marissa IV realized the importance of establishing dominant political power and powerful friends of the Queen within the kingdom. Archduke Armstrong agreed, him being on the ground in Pittsburgh was a much more treacherous ground to be on, so he readily pointed out richer and militarily powerful names and families for him and the Queen to appoint as the new dominant political powers of the region. Among these was the Bathurst Family.

The Bathurst family was not only a new blood noble family, but an immigrant family, coming down from the Northeast of the former United States, and settling within the Commonwealth. In order to prove themselves to the nation and prove their loyalty, nearly all members of the family joined the military. 2 of them would be killed in fighting, and the rest, for the most part, proved themselves as solid fighters, having spent many years living on the road more or less. This began a military tradition within the family that would continue on to this day.

This military prowess and seemingly unquestionable loyalty won favour with the local noble Lord of their area, which was north of Pittsburgh at the town of New Castle and the surrounding region. The Commonwealth, at that time, operating under more of a levy military bases system, and the Lord New Castle’s role within the kingdom was a vital one of defense. The Lord New Castle greatly appreciated having such a fine military traditional family in his lands, especially an immigrant one, since it made them rather easier to control. Based on their immigrant status, he ensured that they couldn’t leave the area, but he also promoted the head Bathurst, Henry, to be his Colonel-Commander of his Levy Militia. With the rest of his sons, daughters, cousins and other family filling in various key roles.

However, for the family line, they grew successful, but were always limited in upward mobility based upon the control the New Castle Lords had over them. That, however, would change when The Ohio Kingdom arrived on the scene. During the wars, the New Castle line was weakened financially and militarily, and the Bathursts surprisingly only grew in strength. The New Castles were fiercely loyal to the King in Pittsburgh, and were unwillingly to negotiate for a peace and were on the Thomas side of the rivalry game, opposed to the Armstrong claim. This conflict split many of the large reigning noble families on each side, it what amounted to a Cold Civil War, that even went hot a few times.

The Bathursts, having worked with the Armstrongs extensively and decided to throw their hat in with them, in a chance to gain more power and a higher status. This wound up working when the Armstrongs took the throne with the help of the Queen of the Ohio. When he started looking for new allies to call up, the now Archduke Armstrong didn’t have to look far. He had the lead family members all knighted, and had him established as the Lord Bathurst. Since the Earls of New Castle were one of the most dominant, politically powerful and rich families in the region, the Archduke could not given them the territory to own, but instead installed him as the Lord Earl Bathurst, establishing the name as a symbol of authority.

With this, the Bathurst line now only grew evermore in strength and power. They also managed to put all hostilities aside with the Simmons line (The Earls of New Castle). The Lord New Castle and now the Lord Bathurst continued to be close friends, working together to create a powerful practically united noble family front.

It was in this line that Lady Samantha Bathurst was born and raised. She, of course, had served as an officer in the military, as was the standard, even serving in the Royal New Castle Fusiliers, the traditional regiment of the Bathursts which perpetuated the old New Castle militia that the Bathursts had done so much to create and form into a fine military order. After, she began her work in law in the Pennsylvania government, explicitly choosing not to go to Cleveland to advance her career, preferring intensely to remain in Pennsylvania.

She soon entered into politics, first in the National Assembly, before, at the insistence of the Archduke, took a position in the National Parliament. The Archduke prodded the Prime Minster to appoint her to the position of Foreign Secretary of Pennsylvania. The Prime Minster, noting her legal mind and bright and vigorous energy, agreed and submitted it to the subject of the Emperor. This was of course approved by the Emperor, and Samantha Bathurst took on her new position. A role that she was still just beginning to get the hang of.

For her, the idea of beginning negotiations with a foreign diplomat was an exciting role, something that she had yet to properly do. She had quickly informed the Archduke of the matter, who in turn passed it along to the Emperor. However, for the interim she would be in control. The first line of representation, as it were. She would maintain a role of authority in the matter, as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, she bore the stamp of approval from all branches of government, the Prime Minster, the Emperor and the Archduke, and she was ready for whatever this Rhode Islander wanted. She had heard of the nation, of course, but was rather unfamiliar with its politics, something she regretting not learning about more now. She had heard that it was some form of a Republican government there, but beyond that was rather unsure. It was a small nation, though, that she was sure of.

Nonetheless, it could be an important one, she thought, as she rose to greet the diplomat as they entered her office, the Constabulary escort in tow behind. She smiled and moved to shake the diplomat’s hand.

“Hello, and I should say welcome to The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the Dual Monarchy of the Kingdom of the Ohio and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Though I am sure that you are more familiar with the colloquial usage of the United Erie Empire.” She laughed softly a bit, a chance to ensure that their would be no awkwardness or any veiled forms of hostility or anything of the sorts here. She motioned for them to take a seat, and seat opposite.

“You seem to have come a long way, if you wish to take a rest or freshen up before beginning any formal meetings, I understand, or if you wish to continue now, that is just as well. All can be provided, but I wanted to get the introductory formalities out of the way first you understand. However, what does bring you this far?”

[Elerian]

Building A Better Tomorrow

Months had passed since the establishment of cells in New York and the surrounding areas. Columbian agents had seeped into their cities like a disease, multiplying as bacteria did, slowly spreading throughout the working classes. They preyed on the distraught and desperate, of which there were many, and they had been remarkably successful.

No matter what the government agreed to do to remedy the crises that faced them, they caused irreparable damage in the minds of many. Quite a few citizens went back to their mild grumbling, but there was always the small few who had more than the flimsy attention spans of their peers. For the rest of their life, they would refuse to place their confidence in a government labelled incompetent and ineffective. They didn't care what measures Kirkman or his cronies implemented; their opinions would never again be swayed in their favour. Such was the way of politics.

Those who joined the cell's ranks, owed their loyalty to the cell and its Commandant. Plans were moving ahead faster than schedule, news that had been received well by Union Intelligence. A small but specific message from Philly and the Interior Minister spurred the original members onwards to continue with as much fervour as always.

With the success that the New York cells were having, the Interior Ministry approved of the establishment of more cells in Upper Jersey. The areas immediately adjacent to the Union were rife with Columbian informants, agents, and collaborators. In some cases they could even be considered more apart of the Union than not. The Interior Ministry was tasked with using its considerable resources to set the stage for a change in leadership. Many of these towns would resist, but with the writing already on the wall they would surely acquiesce. And if not, their defiance wouldn’t be able to save them.

---

The State of Things

Philadelphia had once been the most important city in North America, the site of the Founding Father’s first and second Continental Congress, and the Constitutional Convention. Situated in the Lower Delaware Valley, the city had been a place of political discourse since before United States was ever born. Now, Philadelphia’s influence was cemented as the seat of Columbian power, fanning out like spokes to the rest of the Union. The buildings that housed the facilities of the inner workings of the Union spoke volumes to the history and the power of Philadelphia. Thousands of buildings, ranging from vast apartment blocks to refurbished pre-war skyscrapers, spreading out from the nucleus that was Philadelphia. The conflicts of the Union’s foundation, now seemed so far away. Though, they had still taken their toll. Federalist purges had buried entire districts in rubble, destroying major neighborhoods like Kensington and Lawncrest. The rioting had begun immediately afterwards, leaving behind scars that still showed to this day. A glorious revolution was needed to end the suffering. The extermination of the Federalists had been the ingredient needed to bring peace, and what a peace it had been. Decades of prosperity and progress, only to be brought down by a single single man with delusions of grandeur. The dominoes had fallen before anyone even realized what had happened. The house of cards that was the Union blown into the dustbin of history.

In the old city center sat the government sector, and within that sat the seat of power for the new Union. The Chancellor looked out over the city from his office in the old City Hall, his aged face reflected in the glass. Unlike many of the rebuilt city structures, the Chancellery building was very nouveau riche in design. The founders were either unwilling, or unable to rebuild the structure in a new image. The office of the Chancellor however, was very much utilitarian in design. A simple desk sat behind him, decorated with little more than a computer terminal and an aging photo frame. He glanced back at it, catching a glimpse of the woman in the photo. Even after all these years, she was still as beautiful as he remembered. Sometimes, late at night, he wondered if she was still alive out there, somewhere. He knew it was unlikely, of course. He knew exactly what had happened to the DC expeditions..

His teeth clenched. Someday, he was going to burn that damnable city to the ground.

Redding looked out, not just at the city, but at himself. His hair had fallen out years before; a product of radiation treatments. His face was wrinkling, tired eyes covered by a pair of thin rimmed glasses.The quiet bleep of the elevator cut the silence of the room. Blair turned to see his Ministers stepping out, and he moved to greet them.

The Ministers were his inner cabal, a pack of men and women assembled to maintain the Union’s new government. Captains of Industry, Generals and Technocrats, all handpicked and assembled by the Chancellor. Each followed Redding to the center of the office, where a large circular conference table sat. As each took a seat, Redding took stock of the notables. The foreign affairs minister, Leon Bridges, sat across from Redding. The Bridges family could trace their lineage back to the founding of the Union. They’d once been Federalists, but had switched sides during the civil war and now served the Union as Diplomats and Policymakers. With an old suit and hair slicked back, he looked one part old world ad man and one part Southern Gentleman. Redding's military advisor was Rachel Abaroa, hero of the Union for her part in the battle of Atlantic City. She was a battle scarred woman, dressed sharply in full military regalia and a wolfish face that looked ready to kill without hesitation. She put Redding on edge. Sure she was loyal, there was no doubt about that, but she was also a radical. She eyed him down as she sat. Redding just tried not to stare at the scars that criss crossed her face.

Redding kept a close eye on the two of them. Bridges was the kind of man that would quickly go turncoat if he got a whiff of a better deal. Abaroa worried him for more practical reasons. Not that she would leave, but that she would stage a coup and take power for herself. Clearing his throat, Redding began. His voice betrayed his age.

"Welcome, everyone. I've called you here today because we now stand at a crossroads. As I'm sure you're all aware, efforts by the Interior Ministry are underway to spread our influence abroad. Preliminary reports indicate potential targets for the spread of the glorious revolution. These easy victories would surely give us a significant boost in approval, freeing proles from the Burghers is always popular. It would however put us in conflict with the Burghers up north in New York. I would advocate that we proceed as planned, and divert some military resources to the north to help keep things stable"

He went on, flicking a switch on the conference table. A bright fluorescent light illuminated a map of the region, with indications for the various nations and states.

"Additionally, I've approved the acquisition of resources for the pacification of Dover, they’ve been a thorn in our side for far too long. Comrade Bridges, I expect you to oversee the integration of the Upper Jersey settlements."

Bridges nodded, leaning back in his chair. Redding turned his attentions to Abaroa.

"Comrade Abaroa, I'd like you to personally oversee security operations while Dover is being handled."

She didn't respond, merely giving the Chancellor a cold stare.

"If there are no questions, we'll be moving on. Regarding the current state of the economy..."

---

Outskirts of Dover

The battle seemed to last an age, as battles always did, with a horde of screaming faces, and with a great deal of dying. And then the enemy was running, leaving their dead scattered over the field. He looked around and figured that the platoons he’d assigned to strike the flanks must have cut through and panicked them, putting them to flight. He heard, but didn’t see, the thunderous hooves of cavalry at gallop. He smiled a very self satisfied smile. His lieutenant had obviously gotten into position and was dealing with the escapees.

"Havoc!"

At this word of command, his orderly platoons disintegrated as every man rushed after the fleeing soldiers, already being chased by the riders. Soon, he knew, all the fighting men would be dead or have fled. It was just a question now of using this small victory to push their advantage home. They were operating out of Dover but had little means to exert their influence much further. That said, they had been a thorn in the Union’s side for sometime. Attacking Union settlers, caravans, and army patrols. With the Dover raiders on the back foot, it was only a matter of time before their headquarters was discovered and overwhelmed.