The Trifaction Crisis (Diplomacy/OOC/OPEN)

[Fascistisk State]

That sounds perfectly logical. Regularly purge the military of incompetents and disloyal officers.

That worked super well for Stalin

shit it actually kinda did

[Aterria]

That sounds perfectly logical. Regularly purge the military of incompetents and disloyal officers.

That worked super well for Stalin

shit it actually kinda did

He purged everyone. That's the difference. While he could feel a little safer than normal, the soviet military was really screwed.

[Mazanteria]

My military isn't as wanky... It just has furries. That's wank enough.

[Hydraic Empire]

Well thanks for the support Fascistisk :)

And yes Cael. The G.U.E.S.S. are my counters to you. And no, they are not magic - even though they are known as mages; this is because it's simply too much to write "Soldiers of the [Power/Death/Psionic] Division of the Genetically Ultra-Enhanced Super Soldiers" every time I'm talking about them.

[Fascistisk State]

My military isn't as wanky... It just has furries. That's wank enough.

Your furries will die just like the humans so I'm pretty okay with that

unless you use stupid power armour like the rest of this Caspian wankfest. Then I'll probably die inside.

Well thanks for the support Fascistisk

And yes Cael. The G.U.E.S.S. are my counters to you. And no, they are not magic - even though they are known as mages; this is because it's simply too much to write "Soldiers of the [Power/Death/Psionic] Division of the Genetically Ultra-Enhanced Super Soldiers" every time I'm talking about them.

Np fam.

[New Aerios]

unless you use stupid power armour like the rest of this Caspian wankfest. Then I'll probably die inside.

m8, as one of the rest of the Caspian wankfest, I have not once claimed to have power armour. Get your facts right.

[Fascistisk State]

m8, as one of the rest of the Caspian wankfest, I have not once claimed to have power armour. Get your facts right.

What.

Your soldiers all wear power amour. How else can they move around in that retarded roman stuff?

[New Aerios]

m8, as one of the rest of the Caspian wankfest, I have not once claimed to have power armour. Get your facts right.

What.

Your soldiers all wear power amour. How else can they move around in that retarded roman stuff?

Biomechanical augmentation. The armour isn't powered, their own bodies are.

[Fascistisk State]

Biomechanical augmentation. The armour isn't powered, their own bodies are.

Would that not be a huge liability for your capability to fight?

I mean people with pacemakers drop like flies when something like an electromagnetic pulse is near, and have you been on a modern battlefield? That stuff is everywhere...

[New Aerios]

Biomechanical augmentation. The armour isn't powered, their own bodies are.

Would that not be a huge liability for your capability to fight?

I mean people with pacemakers drop like flies when something like an electromagnetic pulse is near, and have you been on a modern battlefield? That stuff is everywhere...

Haven't we had this discussion in the Titanpad before? Most of the augmentations are surrounded by liquid gallium alloy sealed between two layers of rubber, and hence are protected from EMPs.

No idea if that would work irl, but fuck realism.

[Fascistisk State]

Haven't we had this discussion in the Titanpad before? Most of the augmentations are surrounded by liquid gallium alloy sealed between two layers of rubber, and hence are protected from EMPs.

No idea if that would work irl, but fuck realism.

You put GALLIUM inside your soldiers? Do they all have fucking cancer?

[Epsilon Aquarii]

Haven't we had this discussion in the Titanpad before? Most of the augmentations are surrounded by liquid gallium alloy sealed between two layers of rubber, and hence are protected from EMPs.

No idea if that would work irl, but fuck realism.

You put GALLIUM inside your soldiers? Do they all have fucking cancer?

Must have, if they think shields are any use in modern war.

[Fascistisk State]

Must have, if they think shields are any use in modern war.

They have brain tumours. Confirmed.

[New Aerios]

Haven't we had this discussion in the Titanpad before? Most of the augmentations are surrounded by liquid gallium alloy sealed between two layers of rubber, and hence are protected from EMPs.

No idea if that would work irl, but fuck realism.

You put GALLIUM inside your soldiers? Do they all have fucking cancer?

Wut. You do realise I'm talking about regular gallium here, a mixture of Ga-69 and Ga-71, right? From what I can find, gallium has no conclusively proven negative effects on the body, and a quick search for "is gallium carcinogenic" turned up nothing but a bunch of inconclusive evaluations for gallium arsenide. Now, if we were dealing with radioisotopes like Ga-67 you might have a point, but that's not what I'm talking about...

[The Army Republic of Prussia]

You put GALLIUM inside your soldiers? Do they all have fucking cancer?

Must have, if they think shields are any use in modern war.

To be fair, I could think of one use for a shield in modern war.

If you gave your medics a shield that clipped on to their arm, it could help protect the medic and their patent from shrapnel and ricochets. I wouldn't give a shield to any combat infantry, but for field medics who try to stay out of the fight, it could be useful if some shots land near them.

However, I don't see how the horses would be useful in any way on a battlefield. There is a reason they were replaced by tanks in WW1.

[Fascistisk State]

To be fair, I could think of one use for a shield in modern war.

If you gave your medics a shield that clipped on to their arm, it could help protect the medic and their patent from shrapnel and ricochets. I wouldn't give a shield to any combat infantry, but for field medics who try to stay out of the fight, it could be useful if some shots land near them.

but standard frontline infantry? Thats dumb.

[New Aerios]

waaa shields r dumb

I would have thought you'd get bored of saying that by now. I'm certainly getting rather tired of saying "I'm not going for realism here".

[The Army Republic of Prussia]

To be fair, I could think of one use for a shield in modern war.

If you gave your medics a shield that clipped on to their arm, it could help protect the medic and their patent from shrapnel and ricochets. I wouldn't give a shield to any combat infantry, but for field medics who try to stay out of the fight, it could be useful if some shots land near them.

but standard frontline infantry? Thats dumb.

Like I said I wouldn't give a shield to any combat infantry, but for field medics it could have a use.

Besides the horses make even less sense. A shield could be used in riot police duties and could save a small amount of life, a horse falls and dies if a machine gun is pointed any where near it.

[New Aerios]

but standard frontline infantry? Thats dumb.

Like I said I wouldn't give a shield to any combat infantry, but for field medics it could have a use.

Besides the horses make even less sense. A shield could be used in riot police duties and could save a small amount of life, a horse falls and dies if a machine gun is pointed any where near it.

Not like your griffin cavalry is any better. Machine guns can still hit flying targets.

[The Army Republic of Prussia]

Like I said I wouldn't give a shield to any combat infantry, but for field medics it could have a use.

Besides the horses make even less sense. A shield could be used in riot police duties and could save a small amount of life, a horse falls and dies if a machine gun is pointed any where near it.

Not like your griffin cavalry is any better. Machine guns can still hit flying targets.

Yes that is true, but a flying target is harder to hit and our griffins fly faster than land vehicles drive. It is also harder to range a flying griffin as you have only it and it's rider for reference. In addition griffin cavalry fights in bursts. They quickly fly in from the flank and lay down a hail of automatic fire, grenades, and explosives. Then fly away while they are still disorganized.

They are also very useful for special forces. They have a small radar signature, can be feed by hunting or enemy supplies, it can fly, and is fast. You can have them fly over an enemy line due to how stealthy they are and start doing damage in the rear, messing up logistics, and picking off isolated units.

So yeah, our griffins can't take a hit either, but the enemy often won't be able to hit it in the first place.

[Fascistisk State]

I would have thought you'd get bored of saying that by now. I'm certainly getting rather tired of saying "I'm not going for realism here".

You would think I would get bored of it, but no. I still love it.

[Mazanteria]

The Azure Palace, Eastern Yolaz, Mazanteria
October 23, 2005, "The Day of Mazanteria"


The breeze came across the trees with a gentle whisper. The sounds of birds could be heard beyond the balcony where the future queen of Mazanteria stood, her arms outstretched and gripping the railing. Carlosa Valia Narendez was simply in shock. Her father had been fine literally a week earlier, yet now his brain had finally shut down from the tumour. It was hoped he would survive, but the King of Mazanteria, Fernando Juarez Mano Narendez, had finally succumbed to death itself. Almost immediately her family had begun the process of making her queen, in the hope of avoiding power struggles. Carlosa had found herself at this point in a long, flowing white gown with aquamarine lace at the edge. Her top, similar in colour choice, was simply a cloth stretched over her modest bosom, with golden and silver trinkets dangling from a necklace around her tanned neck. She stood slightly over five feet, and was slim - with some more obvious curves. Her skin was like toffee; dark and smooth. While the soon to be queen pondered her existence and her father's passing, a shuffling could be heard behind her and to the left, and within seconds she had grabbed her personal weapon; a staff of solid oak, tipped with a scythe forged from the strongest Mazanterian steel. Twirling around to guard against her assumed attacker, she came face to face with a dark-red scaled muzzle, one that was smiling in return.
"Am I such a great threat that you must fight me whilst not wearing armour, m'lady?" The offending muzzle belonged to none other than a star dragoness by the name of Cassandra Neurza, a childhood friend and long-time mentor of Carlosa. "I do believe the least you could do is say 'hello' rather than aim a Regalest weapon at me." Cassandra simply smirked, while sitting down in a cloth chair, her tribal clothing barely covering her form. The dragoness picked at a Fuji apple, twirling her long, curled jet black hair.
"Cassandra, I tire of you sneaking up on me. Please stop, I already have to worry about my brothers, I would appreciate it if you did not make me flip out every time you show up." Carlosa sighed, looking the dragoness up and down, wondering how the seven foot tall woman kept getting in unnoticed.
"How do you feel about becoming the queen of your nation? Is it exciting for you?" the dragoness questioned, looking at Carlosa out of the corner of her eye. She continued to nibble at the fruit in her clawed hand, enjoying the savoury juices and the delectable crunch of each bite.
"It feels... Well, I am mostly in shock, to be honest. I... I never believed I would become the Queen. At least not when I was only seventeen years old..." Carlosa trailed off, her mind drifting from thought to thought. She was still coming to terms with her new position, let alone the fact that she had to rule her entire nation during what could become a major world war in the coming months.
"I do not blame you. The Caspian League is our new ally, yet I still do not believe we are totally in line with each other. They want to destroy the Third Solution; your father simply wanted to deter them, keep them from continuing their acts of violence and hatred." Cassandra began to twirl her hair more nervously, finally beginning to understand the situation her apprentice was in. Carlosa simply turned to look upon the forest; towards the old town of Lazaice in the distance. It was a bustling little place, with quite a busy market, where fresh produce, fish, and crafted items were sold to travellers. Though technology was well advanced in Mazanteria, many places were still a few steps behind when compared to the nation as a whole. Many still used older phones that could not be compared to modern smart phones, while others were still milling around with cars from decades long past.
The nation as a whole was open to the Caspian League, yet it was still a subject of debate on how far the alliance would go. Many "experts" believed the monarchy was going to give full support, yet the Royal family had many dissendents within its ranks, most of all Carlosa's brother, Nalan Enrique Narendez. He had served in the armed forces for nearly ten years before being discharged for appalling war crimes against the people of Iraq during the Mazanterian participation in the war on terror. He had willingly launched artillery fire on fleeing refugees in an attempt to flush out insurgents. This was seen as an act of dishonour to the monarchy, an act of horrendous murder in the eyes of the United Nations, and a final straw in Nalan's long record of breaking the military's rules. He was dishonourably discharged, had lost his title of National Saviour, and had become filled with rage and hatred for his own family and former superiors.
Nalan had become quite unruly, and occasionally stepped out of line with the way he worded things towards others, especially towards Carlosa. She did not particularly like how her brother treated her before their father's death, but now it was simply unnerving to see him.
"I just hope war is not the way this goes for our nation. I know the Caspian League has already stated its intentions, yet that is not how our politics work." The Queen spoke softly, quietly looking at her robes. A small knock was heard at the door, and both Carlosa and Cassandra turned their heads to see a petite servant girl, her head in a respectful bow, standing at the doorway.
"Your Highness, the rest of the guests are ready for the ceremony. The Sylvan Maiden is also here as well, along with the Maiden of the Dunes from Quavara. Are you ready?" The young girl asked, her head raised and looking the Queen directly in the eyes, a look of energy displayed on her face. Carlosa nodded, smiling in return, and she turned from the railing and strode towards the door. She took one final look behind her, watching the sun begin to set over the western horizon. I will get through this, father, just for you, Carlosa thought to her self.


The Sea of Regret, Naez Province, Mazanteria
October 23, 2005, "The Day of Mazanteria"
1935 Hrs UTC -2

"Victor-Two-Six flight of three, cleared weapons hot on range. Switch to Range-Seven channel, over."

"Victor-Two-Six flight of three, wilco." Captain Leonardo "Sparks" Vasa swiftly called, swinging his F/A-18F multi-role fighter alongside his two wingmen. "Eclipse, weapons release in thirty seconds. Do you have a lock on the target drone yet?" The other two aircraft were part of a testing mission for a new weapon to be used in air-to-air combat sorties. One other Super Hornet was being used to help understand the new weapon and how it worked in high-speed environments, while the other was the actual launch craft for it.
"I have a lock. Ready to launch test weapon, Control. All systems check good. Do I have a green light, over?"

"Victor-Two-Six, Control. Cleared hot for weapons release. Target drone still has good signal. Over."

"Roger. Weapons release in three... Two... One... Weapons dropped, turning hard right!" At that last radio call, 'Eclipse' made a sharp right turn and banked up and away from a larger, somewhat rectangular object that fell from the centre pylon. The object started to fall, then four micro-thrusters made short bursts of propellant, spinning the object, giving more directional control. Small winglets began to extend, giving more control to the object. Finally, the rear burst open in a bright flame, launching it forward at high speed, close to Mach 3. As the object began to rush forward, four longer guidance fins popped out and angled backwards, giving more aerodynamic thrust. After twenty seconds, four hatches ejected away from the object, dispensing four cylinders. The same cylinders began to fire small boosters, beginning a spiral around the object. After thirty-five seconds, the cylinders began to speed up, heading out in front and suddenly branched off into different directions, before detonating seventy-pound high explosive fragmentation warheads, each one shredding a QF-4J 'Phantom' target drone, while the rectangular object slammed into a retired autonomous 'Hellbeast' arsenal aircraft, tearing through its outer composite-alloy skin and ripping the large craft's internal electronics and avionics. The first use of the new HAAM-150 was more than a success. It was a wake-up call.

[Hydraic Empire]

waaa shields r dumb

I would have thought you'd get bored of saying that by now. I'm certainly getting rather tired of saying "I'm not going for realism here".

Guys, isn't it clear yet that Snape set his nation in a magical fairy land where medieval tech is rationalized by placing carcinogens in their bodies?
That being said, good for you Snape! I didn't think such a works existed before you showed up.

[Caelestiam]

The Azure Palace, Eastern Yolaz, Mazanteria
October 23, 2005, "The Day of Mazanteria"


The breeze came across the trees with a gentle whisper. The sounds of birds could be heard beyond the balcony where the future queen of Mazanteria stood, her arms outstretched and gripping the railing. Carlosa Valia Narendez was simply in shock. Her father had been fine literally a week earlier, yet now his brain had finally shut down from the tumour. It was hoped he would survive, but the King of Mazanteria, Fernando Juarez Mano Narendez, had finally succumbed to death itself. Almost immediately her family had begun the process of making her queen, in the hope of avoiding power struggles. Carlosa had found herself at this point in a long, flowing white gown with aquamarine lace at the edge. Her top, similar in colour choice, was simply a cloth stretched over her modest bosom, with golden and silver trinkets dangling from a necklace around her tanned neck. She stood slightly over five feet, and was slim - with some more obvious curves. Her skin was like toffee; dark and smooth. While the soon to be queen pondered her existence and her father's passing, a shuffling could be heard behind her and to the left, and within seconds she had grabbed her personal weapon; a staff of solid oak, tipped with a scythe forged from the strongest Mazanterian steel. Twirling around to guard against her assumed attacker, she came face to face with a dark-red scaled muzzle, one that was smiling in return.
"Am I such a great threat that you must fight me whilst not wearing armour, m'lady?" The offending muzzle belonged to none other than a star dragoness by the name of Cassandra Neurza, a childhood friend and long-time mentor of Carlosa. "I do believe the least you could do is say 'hello' rather than aim a Regalest weapon at me." Cassandra simply smirked, while sitting down in a cloth chair, her tribal clothing barely covering her form. The dragoness picked at a Fuji apple, twirling her long, curled jet black hair.
"Cassandra, I tire of you sneaking up on me. Please stop, I already have to worry about my brothers, I would appreciate it if you did not make me flip out every time you show up." Carlosa sighed, looking the dragoness up and down, wondering how the seven foot tall woman kept getting in unnoticed.
"How do you feel about becoming the queen of your nation? Is it exciting for you?" the dragoness questioned, looking at Carlosa out of the corner of her eye. She continued to nibble at the fruit in her clawed hand, enjoying the savoury juices and the delectable crunch of each bite.
"It feels... Well, I am mostly in shock, to be honest. I... I never believed I would become the Queen. At least not when I was only seventeen years old..." Carlosa trailed off, her mind drifting from thought to thought. She was still coming to terms with her new position, let alone the fact that she had to rule her entire nation during what could become a major world war in the coming months.
"I do not blame you. The Caspian League is our new ally, yet I still do not believe we are totally in line with each other. They want to destroy the Third Solution; your father simply wanted to deter them, keep them from continuing their acts of violence and hatred." Cassandra began to twirl her hair more nervously, finally beginning to understand the situation her apprentice was in. Carlosa simply turned to look upon the forest; towards the old town of Lazaice in the distance. It was a bustling little place, with quite a busy market, where fresh produce, fish, and crafted items were sold to travellers. Though technology was well advanced in Mazanteria, many places were still a few steps behind when compared to the nation as a whole. Many still used older phones that could not be compared to modern smart phones, while others were still milling around with cars from decades long past.
The nation as a whole was open to the Caspian League, yet it was still a subject of debate on how far the alliance would go. Many "experts" believed the monarchy was going to give full support, yet the Royal family had many dissendents within its ranks, most of all Carlosa's brother, Nalan Enrique Narendez. He had served in the armed forces for nearly ten years before being discharged for appalling war crimes against the people of Iraq during the Mazanterian participation in the war on terror. He had willingly launched artillery fire on fleeing refugees in an attempt to flush out insurgents. This was seen as an act of dishonour to the monarchy, an act of horrendous murder in the eyes of the United Nations, and a final straw in Nalan's long record of breaking the military's rules. He was dishonourably discharged, had lost his title of National Saviour, and had become filled with rage and hatred for his own family and former superiors.
Nalan had become quite unruly, and occasionally stepped out of line with the way he worded things towards others, especially towards Carlosa. She did not particularly like how her brother treated her before their father's death, but now it was simply unnerving to see him.
"I just hope war is not the way this goes for our nation. I know the Caspian League has already stated its intentions, yet that is not how our politics work." The Queen spoke softly, quietly looking at her robes. A small knock was heard at the door, and both Carlosa and Cassandra turned their heads to see a petite servant girl, her head in a respectful bow, standing at the doorway.
"Your Highness, the rest of the guests are ready for the ceremony. The Sylvan Maiden is also here as well, along with the Maiden of the Dunes from Quavara. Are you ready?" The young girl asked, her head raised and looking the Queen directly in the eyes, a look of energy displayed on her face. Carlosa nodded, smiling in return, and she turned from the railing and strode towards the door. She took one final look behind her, watching the sun begin to set over the western horizon. I will get through this, father, just for you, Carlosa thought to her self.


The Sea of Regret, Naez Province, Mazanteria
October 23, 2005, "The Day of Mazanteria"
1935 Hrs UTC -2

"Victor-Two-Six flight of three, cleared weapons hot on range. Switch to Range-Seven channel, over."

"Victor-Two-Six flight of three, wilco." Captain Leonardo "Sparks" Vasa swiftly called, swinging his F/A-18F multi-role fighter alongside his two wingmen. "Eclipse, weapons release in thirty seconds. Do you have a lock on the target drone yet?" The other two aircraft were part of a testing mission for a new weapon to be used in air-to-air combat sorties. One other Super Hornet was being used to help understand the new weapon and how it worked in high-speed environments, while the other was the actual launch craft for it.
"I have a lock. Ready to launch test weapon, Control. All systems check good. Do I have a green light, over?"

"Victor-Two-Six, Control. Cleared hot for weapons release. Target drone still has good signal. Over."

"Roger. Weapons release in three... Two... One... Weapons dropped, turning hard right!" At that last radio call, 'Eclipse' made a sharp right turn and banked up and away from a larger, somewhat rectangular object that fell from the centre pylon. The object started to fall, then four micro-thrusters made short bursts of propellant, spinning the object, giving more directional control. Small winglets began to extend, giving more control to the object. Finally, the rear burst open in a bright flame, launching it forward at high speed, close to Mach 3. As the object began to rush forward, four longer guidance fins popped out and angled backwards, giving more aerodynamic thrust. After twenty seconds, four hatches ejected away from the object, dispensing four cylinders. The same cylinders began to fire small boosters, beginning a spiral around the object. After thirty-five seconds, the cylinders began to speed up, heading out in front and suddenly branched off into different directions, before detonating seventy-pound high explosive fragmentation warheads, each one shredding a QF-4J 'Phantom' target drone, while the rectangular object slammed into a retired autonomous 'Hellbeast' arsenal aircraft, tearing through its outer composite-alloy skin and ripping the large craft's internal electronics and avionics. The first use of the new HAAM-150 was more than a success. It was a wake-up call.

Somebody has no idea what the IC is.

[Fascistisk State]

The Azure Palace, Eastern Yolaz, Mazanteria
October 23, 2005, "The Day of Mazanteria"


The breeze came across the trees with a gentle whisper. The sounds of birds could be heard beyond the balcony where the future queen of Mazanteria stood, her arms outstretched and gripping the railing. Carlosa Valia Narendez was simply in shock. Her father had been fine literally a week earlier, yet now his brain had finally shut down from the tumour. It was hoped he would survive, but the King of Mazanteria, Fernando Juarez Mano Narendez, had finally succumbed to death itself. Almost immediately her family had begun the process of making her queen, in the hope of avoiding power struggles. Carlosa had found herself at this point in a long, flowing white gown with aquamarine lace at the edge. Her top, similar in colour choice, was simply a cloth stretched over her modest bosom, with golden and silver trinkets dangling from a necklace around her tanned neck. She stood slightly over five feet, and was slim - with some more obvious curves. Her skin was like toffee; dark and smooth. While the soon to be queen pondered her existence and her father's passing, a shuffling could be heard behind her and to the left, and within seconds she had grabbed her personal weapon; a staff of solid oak, tipped with a scythe forged from the strongest Mazanterian steel. Twirling around to guard against her assumed attacker, she came face to face with a dark-red scaled muzzle, one that was smiling in return.
"Am I such a great threat that you must fight me whilst not wearing armour, m'lady?" The offending muzzle belonged to none other than a star dragoness by the name of Cassandra Neurza, a childhood friend and long-time mentor of Carlosa. "I do believe the least you could do is say 'hello' rather than aim a Regalest weapon at me." Cassandra simply smirked, while sitting down in a cloth chair, her tribal clothing barely covering her form. The dragoness picked at a Fuji apple, twirling her long, curled jet black hair.
"Cassandra, I tire of you sneaking up on me. Please stop, I already have to worry about my brothers, I would appreciate it if you did not make me flip out every time you show up." Carlosa sighed, looking the dragoness up and down, wondering how the seven foot tall woman kept getting in unnoticed.
"How do you feel about becoming the queen of your nation? Is it exciting for you?" the dragoness questioned, looking at Carlosa out of the corner of her eye. She continued to nibble at the fruit in her clawed hand, enjoying the savoury juices and the delectable crunch of each bite.
"It feels... Well, I am mostly in shock, to be honest. I... I never believed I would become the Queen. At least not when I was only seventeen years old..." Carlosa trailed off, her mind drifting from thought to thought. She was still coming to terms with her new position, let alone the fact that she had to rule her entire nation during what could become a major world war in the coming months.
"I do not blame you. The Caspian League is our new ally, yet I still do not believe we are totally in line with each other. They want to destroy the Third Solution; your father simply wanted to deter them, keep them from continuing their acts of violence and hatred." Cassandra began to twirl her hair more nervously, finally beginning to understand the situation her apprentice was in. Carlosa simply turned to look upon the forest; towards the old town of Lazaice in the distance. It was a bustling little place, with quite a busy market, where fresh produce, fish, and crafted items were sold to travellers. Though technology was well advanced in Mazanteria, many places were still a few steps behind when compared to the nation as a whole. Many still used older phones that could not be compared to modern smart phones, while others were still milling around with cars from decades long past.
The nation as a whole was open to the Caspian League, yet it was still a subject of debate on how far the alliance would go. Many "experts" believed the monarchy was going to give full support, yet the Royal family had many dissendents within its ranks, most of all Carlosa's brother, Nalan Enrique Narendez. He had served in the armed forces for nearly ten years before being discharged for appalling war crimes against the people of Iraq during the Mazanterian participation in the war on terror. He had willingly launched artillery fire on fleeing refugees in an attempt to flush out insurgents. This was seen as an act of dishonour to the monarchy, an act of horrendous murder in the eyes of the United Nations, and a final straw in Nalan's long record of breaking the military's rules. He was dishonourably discharged, had lost his title of National Saviour, and had become filled with rage and hatred for his own family and former superiors.
Nalan had become quite unruly, and occasionally stepped out of line with the way he worded things towards others, especially towards Carlosa. She did not particularly like how her brother treated her before their father's death, but now it was simply unnerving to see him.
"I just hope war is not the way this goes for our nation. I know the Caspian League has already stated its intentions, yet that is not how our politics work." The Queen spoke softly, quietly looking at her robes. A small knock was heard at the door, and both Carlosa and Cassandra turned their heads to see a petite servant girl, her head in a respectful bow, standing at the doorway.
"Your Highness, the rest of the guests are ready for the ceremony. The Sylvan Maiden is also here as well, along with the Maiden of the Dunes from Quavara. Are you ready?" The young girl asked, her head raised and looking the Queen directly in the eyes, a look of energy displayed on her face. Carlosa nodded, smiling in return, and she turned from the railing and strode towards the door. She took one final look behind her, watching the sun begin to set over the western horizon. I will get through this, father, just for you, Carlosa thought to her self.


The Sea of Regret, Naez Province, Mazanteria
October 23, 2005, "The Day of Mazanteria"
1935 Hrs UTC -2

"Victor-Two-Six flight of three, cleared weapons hot on range. Switch to Range-Seven channel, over."

"Victor-Two-Six flight of three, wilco." Captain Leonardo "Sparks" Vasa swiftly called, swinging his F/A-18F multi-role fighter alongside his two wingmen. "Eclipse, weapons release in thirty seconds. Do you have a lock on the target drone yet?" The other two aircraft were part of a testing mission for a new weapon to be used in air-to-air combat sorties. One other Super Hornet was being used to help understand the new weapon and how it worked in high-speed environments, while the other was the actual launch craft for it.
"I have a lock. Ready to launch test weapon, Control. All systems check good. Do I have a green light, over?"

"Victor-Two-Six, Control. Cleared hot for weapons release. Target drone still has good signal. Over."

"Roger. Weapons release in three... Two... One... Weapons dropped, turning hard right!" At that last radio call, 'Eclipse' made a sharp right turn and banked up and away from a larger, somewhat rectangular object that fell from the centre pylon. The object started to fall, then four micro-thrusters made short bursts of propellant, spinning the object, giving more directional control. Small winglets began to extend, giving more control to the object. Finally, the rear burst open in a bright flame, launching it forward at high speed, close to Mach 3. As the object began to rush forward, four longer guidance fins popped out and angled backwards, giving more aerodynamic thrust. After twenty seconds, four hatches ejected away from the object, dispensing four cylinders. The same cylinders began to fire small boosters, beginning a spiral around the object. After thirty-five seconds, the cylinders began to speed up, heading out in front and suddenly branched off into different directions, before detonating seventy-pound high explosive fragmentation warheads, each one shredding a QF-4J 'Phantom' target drone, while the rectangular object slammed into a retired autonomous 'Hellbeast' arsenal aircraft, tearing through its outer composite-alloy skin and ripping the large craft's internal electronics and avionics. The first use of the new HAAM-150 was more than a success. It was a wake-up call.

Somebody has no idea what the IC is.

Well it is their introduction post isn't it?