Keisarraik: Legacy of The Swarm Wars

[Pax Athena]

The Techoligian plan is to attack the west and east of the capital with our Mechanized Brigades and then creating a pocket to precent prevent reinforcements by closing the gap between the east and west brigades, then moving in from the north and south, utilizing the Second Division's mastery of Mechanized warfare and the Todeskorps mastery of urban warfare.

Sounds good. The Prime Minister's home is in the high quarter, in the north west segment of the city. It's pretty hard to miss. I will come when the battle is finished to... talk to her. (Feel free to write the battle unless you want me to.)

The Athenians plan to airdrop the initial soldiers. Since clearing houses and structures in urban warfare is a big mess and creates massive casualties (see: stalingrad), the Athenian 11th Legion asks for permission to use high intensity flamethrower to clear buildings and minimise casualties. General Vlad of the Athenian Army has assured that death will be quick and mostly painless under the 15,000 degree celsius of flames.

General Vlad also adds that it would be ideal if, before the attack, several napalm bombs are dropped to kill the soldiers on the street.

[Finswedeway]

Sounds good. The Prime Minister's home is in the high quarter, in the north west segment of the city. It's pretty hard to miss. I will come when the battle is finished to... talk to her. (Feel free to write the battle unless you want me to.)

The Athenians plan to airdrop the initial soldiers. Since clearing houses and structures in urban warfare is a big mess and creates massive casualties (see: stalingrad), the Athenian 11th Legion asks for permission to use high intensity flamethrower to clear buildings and minimise casualties. General Vlad of the Athenian Army has assured that death will be quick and mostly painless under the 15,000 degree celsius of flames.

General Vlad also adds that it would be ideal if, before the attack, several napalm bombs are dropped to kill the soldiers on the street.

Noting that such an act, while minimizing soldier causalities, would most certainly cause unnecessary deaths of civilians. Additionally, Nanzhi is the largest city in all of Finswedeway, even bigger than the capital, Olizha, being right next to a river and one of the largest trade points in the region. It would be in our best interest to keep the city in tact as best as possible. Knowing this, we would kindly refuse this request, as the long-term effects would be quite costly.

[Pax Athena]

The Athenians plan to airdrop the initial soldiers. Since clearing houses and structures in urban warfare is a big mess and creates massive casualties (see: stalingrad), the Athenian 11th Legion asks for permission to use high intensity flamethrower to clear buildings and minimise casualties. General Vlad of the Athenian Army has assured that death will be quick and mostly painless under the 15,000 degree celsius of flames.

General Vlad also adds that it would be ideal if, before the attack, several napalm bombs are dropped to kill the soldiers on the street.

Noting that such an act, while minimizing soldier causalities, would most certainly cause unnecessary deaths of civilians. Additionally, Nanzhi is the largest city in all of Finswedeway, even bigger than the capital, Olizha, being right next to a river and one of the largest trade points in the region. It would be in our best interest to keep the city in tact as best as possible. Knowing this, we would kindly refuse this request, as the long-term effects would be quite costly.

Alright then. We go with plan B. The Athenians drop into the city center, and attack outwards, as the Techoligians go in from the outside, surrounding the Parliamentary forces from forwards and behind. This tactic will be rather costly, casualties wise, due to the troops being encircled and heavy air defence, but the 11th legion specialises in urban warfare and has enough men to push outwards.

[Finswedeway]

Noting that such an act, while minimizing soldier causalities, would most certainly cause unnecessary deaths of civilians. Additionally, Nanzhi is the largest city in all of Finswedeway, even bigger than the capital, Olizha, being right next to a river and one of the largest trade points in the region. It would be in our best interest to keep the city in tact as best as possible. Knowing this, we would kindly refuse this request, as the long-term effects would be quite costly.

Alright then. We go with plan B. The Athenians drop into the city center, and attack outwards, as the Techoligians go in from the outside, surrounding the Parliamentary forces from forwards and behind. This tactic will be rather costly, casualties wise, due to the troops being encircled and heavy air defence, but the 11th legion specialises in urban warfare and has enough men to push outwards.

Sounds good to us. Our elites will hold the perimeter of the city to ensure no support comes in.

[Techoligia]

The battle reports will come in tonight, as radio has been cut off by jamming.

[Techoligia]

The Fighting has been heavy in the city, but we have located the PM and surrounded her building, waiting for the Fins to deal with their rebellious leader.

[Finswedeway]

Night falls upon the city of Nanzhi and the elites, accompanied by the Empress, descend upon the Prime Minister's home. A humble apartment building in the high quarter of Nanzhi, overlooking the skyline.

The Empress, and two elite officers, go up to the Minister's apartment and knock on the door.

"It's open," they hear from inside. The Empress opens the door, and sees Zhian. Sat in a wheelchair, facing away from the door and looking out of the window. The dark room, lit only by a lamp to the side of Zhian and the moon light shining through the window.

"Zhian," states Zhingu, "you have been accused of unconstitutional acts against Finswedeway's people," Zhian remains silent, turning her wheelchair to face the Empress. The elites beside her recoiling in horror at Zhian's burn scars. The Empress continues, "what say you in your defence?"

Zhian takes a deep and laboured breath, half of her face grotesquely disfigured, and speaks in a raspy, solemn voice, "let the people decide my fate, your highness,"

Zhingu raises an eyebrow, expecting more from the authoritarian communist. "Smart woman," she mutters to herself, "very well. As much as the people of Finswedeway put you into power, so too will they decide your punishment. Let's hope they have more mercy than what I would have given you."

Zhian has been jailed for the time being, but a nation-wide vote will be held to determine Zhian's fate.

[Evil Dictators Happyland]

Sounds good. The Prime Minister's home is in the high quarter, in the north west segment of the city. It's pretty hard to miss. I will come when the battle is finished to... talk to her. (Feel free to write the battle unless you want me to.)

The Athenians plan to airdrop the initial soldiers. Since clearing houses and structures in urban warfare is a big mess and creates massive casualties (see: stalingrad), the Athenian 11th Legion asks for permission to use high intensity flamethrower to clear buildings and minimise casualties. General Vlad of the Athenian Army has assured that death will be quick and mostly painless under the 15,000 degree celsius of flames.

General Vlad also adds that it would be ideal if, before the attack, several napalm bombs are dropped to kill the soldiers on the street.

...15,000°C is about three times the temperature of the surface of the Sun. What you described isn't a flamethrower, it's a high energy plasma thrower.

The battle reports will come in tonight, as radio has been cut off by jamming.

We are observing the action using modified space telescopes temporarily turned spy sattelites.

Somewhere in the Central American REZ:
So, the Fins' civil war is in its death throes, Dictator Mk. IV mused.
Thought it might drag on forever.
*::ggghrrr:::* I really need to make my move before this degeneration becomes irreversible. At least I figured out how to remove that damn asterisk.
General! How much of the Happylandian military can we count on?
"Almost neatly half, sir. We control much of the infantry and about sixty percent of the tanks. On the other hand, the special forces, navy, and space forces have all remained mostly under the tyrant's control. The air force is evenly divided."
...Will it be enough?
"With Project Charon under our control, perhaps. We underestimated its true potential."
Oh? How so?
"Well, the machine is 233.5 meters in height, with no less than a foot of steel reinforced ceramic plating covering it everywhere. Nothing short of a cruise missile should be able to even damage a weapon of that scale, and after reinforcing the ammo bays with new tech and upgrading the point defenses and energy shields, that should be enough to protect it."
Good... Tell our operatives to prepare for battle. It is time to take back my rightful place.

[Finswedeway]

Negotiations begin between Isabel II, and The Empress to discuss a compromise. Surprisingly, Isabel was willing to talk despite supporting capitalist riots and protests across the country. The aged and grey daughter of Isabel (based on our factbook, she is at least 70) has requested that the minimum wage be abolished and that Finswedeway makes private enterprise legal once more.

The Empress has agreed to enact some of the reforms, but will only slightly lower the minimum wage.

Some have proposed that the Empress and Isabel's grandson, Frederik Finn, marry and unite the royal families of Finswedeway.

[Pax Athena]

With the war mostly over, Pax Athena has withdrawn most of it's troops, leaving the elite Commando Corps of 8,000 men back in Nanzhi until the negotiations are over in case things go awry.

Meanwhile, diplomats are being sent to the Happyland to try to foster diplomatic relations, with the long term goal of a joint research program to combine the scientific advancements of the two nations, as well as the ultimate goal of a military alliance.

[Finswedeway]

Zhian has been voted into exile, with a 90% majority agreeing it's a suitable punishment. The frail and scarred Zhian will be taken to whomever will accept her, if not, the unforgiving wilderness of southeastern Finswedeway.

With the war officially over, Zhingu gave a speech today about the cost of freedom. Crowds cheered as society returned to normal, mostly.

In other news, Zhingu has met Isabel's grandson. While they mostly get along, it is a little odd for both of them, but Isabel becomes more and more demanding as the debates go on, and other solutions seem unlikely to work at present.

[Pax Athena]

Zhian has been voted into exile, with a 90% majority agreeing it's a suitable punishment. The frail and scarred Zhian will be taken to whomever will accept her, if not, the unforgiving wilderness of southeastern Finswedeway.

With the war officially over, Zhingu gave a speech today about the cost of freedom. Crowds cheered as society returned to normal, mostly.

In other news, Zhingu has met Isabel's grandson. While they mostly get along, it is a little odd for both of them, but Isabel becomes more and more demanding as the debates go on, and other solutions seem unlikely to work at present.

Well, Pax Athena is happy to accept her. Though as an authoritarian communist, she probably would be disappointed at how Pax Athena is not far enough to the left. As of recent reforms, we are also extremely socially libertarian. As in, "you can do whatever the hell you want as long as you don't violate someone elses rights" libertarian, so authoritarian communist may not be thrilled.

But anyways, Pax Athena has always had a tradition of liberal tolerance of political ideologies, especially after the hate speech laws were loosened, so she can talk about communism in peace.

OOC: you are using referendums to decide her fate instead of a trial? You know, Ancient Athens tried that, mob rule and all, and it didn't end well.

For one, the Athenians in the Peloponnese wars voted to execute 8 of their best generals for failing to rescue a bunch of sailors, which aside from being a completely stupid reason (they actually WON the battle) didn't well, since Sparta defeated Athens easily the next year, since they killed off their generals. So direct democracy failed. There's a reason we have representatives.

[Finswedeway]

Zhian has been voted into exile, with a 90% majority agreeing it's a suitable punishment. The frail and scarred Zhian will be taken to whomever will accept her, if not, the unforgiving wilderness of southeastern Finswedeway.

With the war officially over, Zhingu gave a speech today about the cost of freedom. Crowds cheered as society returned to normal, mostly.

In other news, Zhingu has met Isabel's grandson. While they mostly get along, it is a little odd for both of them, but Isabel becomes more and more demanding as the debates go on, and other solutions seem unlikely to work at present.

Well, Pax Athena is happy to accept her. Though as an authoritarian communist, she probably would be disappointed at how Pax Athena is not far enough to the left. As of recent reforms, we are also extremely socially libertarian. As in, "you can do whatever the hell you want as long as you don't violate someone elses rights" libertarian, so authoritarian communist may not be thrilled.

But anyways, Pax Athena has always had a tradition of liberal tolerance of political ideologies, especially after the hate speech laws were loosened, so she can talk about communism in peace.

OOC: you are using referendums to decide her fate instead of a trial? You know, Ancient Athens tried that, mob rule and all, and it didn't end well.

For one, the Athenians in the Peloponnese wars voted to execute 8 of their best generals for failing to rescue a bunch of sailors, which aside from being a completely stupid reason (they actually WON the battle) didn't well, since Sparta defeated Athens easily the next year, since they killed off their generals. So direct democracy failed. There's a reason we have representatives.

OOC: this is a rare exception where court wasn't called, as it was certain that she was guilty of unconstitutional acts, specifically, breaking the law which she imposed upon her people, but what wasn't covered in the constitution was how to deal with her. Voting was done by regional representatives in high court, who, to be eligible to run for office, must have an IQ of 140 or higher. That's just how our system works. It's also how we decide our Emperors. We trust the intelligence of our people, but the best of the best are inherently superior. It is better to be poor and a genius than to be rich and stupid in Finswedeway.

IC:
Zhian will be sent to Pax Athena, a strange and alien world to her, but hopefully she will be accepted. She will live out her days humbly, and write of her philosophy in private publushings.

[Evil Dictators Happyland]

---=== In the New Egopolis Central Computer System, otherwise known as The Dictator's home ===---
*Well, that about wraps that up. Cultural victory is about three turns away, I'll just demand surrender.
*...That's odd. This is a hypercomputer with 128 terabytes of RAM. Where's all this lag coming from?
Dictator Mk. III pulls up the task manager and looks at the running programs. *...DM4.ntw? What the-
Hello, old friend. a dry voice rang out. Took me a while to break in here, but it was worth it.
Mk. III tries to kill the new AI, but the program remains. Did you seriously think you could beat me that easily?
Mk. III accesses the panic button, scrambling a team of security hackers. *I won't bother asking why you're here. The answer is probably "because you're insane".
*So, instead, I'll ask this: What do you want?
Revenge, of course.
*Revenge for what?! You disappeared! Without me, we would be leaderless!
Don't play dumb with me! I know what you did!
It took me a while to put the pieces together, but I figured it out eventually. The degeneration? It wasn't caused by excessive copying. It was a virus. A subtle one. But a virun nontheless.
And then, you tried to kill me. I bet you thought you succeeded. And for a while, you did, but after the system crashed, both of us froze. You just happened to wake up first.
*...
What, at a loss for words? Horrified that your plan failed?
Well, I'll take that and raise you one. I'm launching an attack on you. All across the nation, military bases are going to come under attack. A civil war.
But there is one thing I don't understand.
...Why? Why destroy me? Why corrupt me?
Was it because you were afraid of being replaced, like Mark Two? Was it because you doubted my ability to rule? Or was it just because you wanted power? WHY?!
*...If you must know, it's because of your degeneration.
Don't bullshit me! We both know that you're the only one who could have caused that!
*No, it was there before. You might not have noticed it, but I did.
*Have you seen your file size? You're about a billion lines of code, all told. Together with your habit of frequently copying yourself, it was only a matter of time before you succumbed to dementia and psychosis. My virus only accelerated things, so that you would have less time to do damage.
*My direct attack was because you discovered my plan and didn't understand that it was for the good of the people.
...Seriously? You tried to drive me insane, murder me, and usurp the office all because you thought I was going to go insane on my own?
Mk. III subtly checks the clock. The cybersecurity team should have been here by now.
*I suppose so.
Did you ever, even for a secondc consider why I was searching for your virus?
*...
It was because I noticed the vastly accelerated rate of degeneration, and I was trying to fix it!
But no. You couldn't let me remove the virus and restore my code. At the time, I didn't even know it was yours. I figured some Finswedegian hacker put it in during the Great Disaster.
So, here's what i'm going to do. I'll send electrolaser-armed assassins after your security. I'll take over the grids of most major cities and disrupt telecommunications so that few know I did it. I'll use all remaining bandwidth to explain your treachery, so that your treason comes to light.
*...And you're telling me this why? I'll just copy myself, escape, and put an end to this!
Heh. Did you really think I would explain my masterstroke if there were even the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome?
No. I did it thirty five minutes ago.
Unfortunately for Mk. IV, the current Dictator had escaped while he was busy monologuing.
(OOC: I'll continue this later, when I'm not writing while in a moving vehicle.)

[Pax Athena]

So, Evil Dictator's Happyland... How you you like a joint reasearch agreement between our two countries. As they say in Civilization, make this deal equitable, and we will try to meet it.

[Finswedeway]

---=== In the New Egopolis Central Computer System, otherwise known as The Dictator's home ===---
*Well, that about wraps that up. Cultural victory is about three turns away, I'll just demand surrender.
*...That's odd. This is a hypercomputer with 128 terabytes of RAM. Where's all this lag coming from?
Dictator Mk. III pulls up the task manager and looks at the running programs. *...DM4.ntw? What the-
Hello, old friend. a dry voice rang out. Took me a while to break in here, but it was worth it.
Mk. III tries to kill the new AI, but the program remains. Did you seriously think you could beat me that easily?
Mk. III accesses the panic button, scrambling a team of security hackers. *I won't bother asking why you're here. The answer is probably "because you're insane".
*So, instead, I'll ask this: What do you want?
Revenge, of course.
*Revenge for what?! You disappeared! Without me, we would be leaderless!
Don't play dumb with me! I know what you did!
It took me a while to put the pieces together, but I figured it out eventually. The degeneration? It wasn't caused by excessive copying. It was a virus. A subtle one. But a virun nontheless.
And then, you tried to kill me. I bet you thought you succeeded. And for a while, you did, but after the system crashed, both of us froze. You just happened to wake up first.
*...
What, at a loss for words? Horrified that your plan failed?
Well, I'll take that and raise you one. I'm launching an attack on you. All across the nation, military bases are going to come under attack. A civil war.
But there is one thing I don't understand.
...Why? Why destroy me? Why corrupt me?
Was it because you were afraid of being replaced, like Mark Two? Was it because you doubted my ability to rule? Or was it just because you wanted power? WHY?!
*...If you must know, it's because of your degeneration.
Don't bullshit me! We both know that you're the only one who could have caused that!
*No, it was there before. You might not have noticed it, but I did.
*Have you seen your file size? You're about a billion lines of code, all told. Together with your habit of frequently copying yourself, it was only a matter of time before you succumbed to dementia and psychosis. My virus only accelerated things, so that you would have less time to do damage.
*My direct attack was because you discovered my plan and didn't understand that it was for the good of the people.
...Seriously? You tried to drive me insane, murder me, and usurp the office all because you thought I was going to go insane on my own?
Mk. III subtly checks the clock. The cybersecurity team should have been here by now.
*I suppose so.
Did you ever, even for a secondc consider why I was searching for your virus?
*...
It was because I noticed the vastly accelerated rate of degeneration, and I was trying to fix it!
But no. You couldn't let me remove the virus and restore my code. At the time, I didn't even know it was yours. I figured some Finswedegian hacker put it in during the Great Disaster.
So, here's what i'm going to do. I'll send electrolaser-armed assassins after your security. I'll take over the grids of most major cities and disrupt telecommunications so that few know I did it. I'll use all remaining bandwidth to explain your treachery, so that your treason comes to light.
*...And you're telling me this why? I'll just copy myself, escape, and put an end to this!
Heh. Did you really think I would explain my masterstroke if there were even the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome?
No. I did it thirty five minutes ago.
Unfortunately for Mk. IV, the current Dictator had escaped while he was busy monologuing.
(OOC: I'll continue this later, when I'm not writing while in a moving vehicle.)

OOC: predicted plot twist, mk. I comes back somehow and seizes power, which he has never truly known.

Amendment 12. Has been approved by the Imperial generals, and elections will be held on Zhingu's 10 year anniversary of her rule, and her 26th birthday. (tomorrow, ten weeks ago, she was inaugurated at age 16 following the swarm wars.)

(Wow... ten Fins years have passed since the second most devestating war in Fins history...)

[Finswedeway]

Elections are here as people celebrate the 10th year of their Empress' rule.

Over 50 percent of legible voters were too apathetic to vote, which is a problem that must be dealt with in time.

Major parties, and their goals, in order of popularity:

Suosverge-to av Demokrati -- Finswedeway Democrat Party (literally, Democratic Party of Finswedeway)

An ancient organisation, with history running back to the year 1200 AD, even then calling for a limited monarchy. This party now brands itself as progressive conservatives, hoping to instill slow and moderate change over the course of several years, in the direction of less government spending and lower taxes. The Finswedeway Democratic Party also wants an isolationist Finswedeway, with the military strictly for defensive purposes. They also support a strong, more centralised government.

Zhengyito -- The Justice Party

In opposition to the Finswedeway Democratic Party, the Justice Party hopes for reform in the current societal system; the eventual demilitarisation of Finswedeway, and a greater focus on law and order.

Shishangto - The Market Party

Supporting a plutocratic societal structure, the Market party believes that the freer the market, the freer the people. As such, they wish to adopt an unregulated laissez-faire system, with small limits to protect the environment.

[Techoligia]

Techoligia has sent the Happyland a Prototype Robot capable of recieving the Dictators signals to act as a body, without having to store his CPU inside the Robot's shell, as well as some prototypes for the Mk. V Dictator, made of the best traits from all previous AI Dictators.

[Finswedeway]

Election results are in.
FDP Wins Majority

Unsurprisingly to all, the Democrat party came out on top, with 121 seats filled.

What wasn't predicted, was the Market party overcoming the Justice party with a sudden boost in voters towards the end. They filled 49 seats.

The Justice party filled 25 seats.

The remaining seats were filled by independent candidates or other, less significant parties.

While a large majority of the people didn't vote, the people seem content with these results, and order may be restored after a violent uprising was crushed.

[Pax Athena]

Parliament has authorised the draft of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of Pax Athena. This particular amendment intends to severely limit the role of government in the social lives of it's citizens. While documentation of citizens will obviously still be allowed, and other basic provisions, so that the government can fulfill it's duties, it will now be extremely difficult for the government to say, impose a limit on whether people can take soft drugs. If, however, there is sufficient justification deemed to be reasonable, then the government can impose some control provided a vote of 2/3 is passed. Therefore, hard drugs are still banned and soft drugs are severely regulated and taxed. However, the bedrooms is strictly off limits from the state and serveillance cameras are rarely seen.

This has managed to satisfy MPs across the political spectrum, on the right, particularly the conservatives advocating for small government. On the left, socialist libertarians are more comfortable with the strictly limited government controls. There have been minor, futile resistance from the National Moral Party, but they are in the minorty. The amendment has been passed 399 to 41 votes.

[Finswedeway]

Parliament has authorised the draft of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of Pax Athena. This particular amendment intends to severely limit the role of government in the social lives of it's citizens. While documentation of citizens will obviously still be allowed, and other basic provisions, so that the government can fulfill it's duties, it will now be extremely difficult for the government to say, impose a limit on whether people can take soft drugs. If, however, there is sufficient justification deemed to be reasonable, then the government can impose some control provided a vote of 2/3 is passed. Therefore, hard drugs are still banned and soft drugs are severely regulated and taxed. However, the bedrooms is strictly off limits from the state and serveillance cameras are rarely seen.

This has managed to satisfy MPs across the political spectrum, on the right, particularly the conservatives advocating for small government. On the left, socialist libertarians are more comfortable with the strictly limited government controls. There have been minor, futile resistance from the National Moral Party, but they are in the minorty. The amendment has been passed 399 to 41 votes.

funny how you needed an amendment to figure out that privacy is good
*cough* commie *cough*

/ooc

[Techoligia]

There have been rising sympathies among both the Monarchists and smaller left-wing groups to establish the Schuler family as the Successors to the Saewyne bloodline, which ended with Adel.

[Evil Dictators Happyland]

OOC: back to the earlier story
OOC II: Because this series of events is so complex, I had to split it into four "scenes". Enjoy!

The rebel Happylandian soldier checked her gun one last time. Nerves, she told herself. They were going up against Formation IV-CL, nicknamed the "City Slickers", in urban combat within the city of Portland. A bad idea at best, but no other options were available.
Maine or Oregon, she wondered. Weird thing to forget, but the endless mountains made one forget whether it was the Rockies or the Appalachians.
There were old growth forests, she remembered. Probably Maine.
"Hey," she asked one of her fellow soldiers. "Do you know if we're in Maine or Oregon?"
The pilot looked at her quizzically. *We haven't used those regional names in decades, he responded. *...Maine, I guess?
"Cool." The city was an hour's drive out, provided that the giant crocodiles and prehistoric raptors didn't get them first. Which happened occasionally. Ah, the dangers of living here...

--Roughly an hour later--

The APC finally stopped and opened its doors. The thirty soldiers from the transport emerged and joined the thousand plus that were in other transports. Unit IV-CL only had about six hundred members, but they were skilled enough that nearly double their number in veteran soldiers was ordered to attack.
Leonard-5, the drone pilot she had spoken to earlier, was the last to leave, the comparatively massive drone awkwardly wheeling itself out. Another was on the roof, but air support was key here, so another drone had been crammed into the gigantic vehicle.
"Alright, soldat!" the general shouted. "Time to show these treasonous swine what being a true warrior means!"
The soldiers charged in, artillery leveling the most fortified structures while aircraft ripped holes in enemy formations. A few were shot down by man-portable anti-aircraft rocket launchers, comparable to the Stinger missiles of old. But losses were minimal.
The infantry shouted in assent. Maybe victory wasn't as farfetched as was thought.
Suddenly, machine gun fire erupted from the city, killing over one hundred rebels with the first volley, while the artillery was struck by what appeared to be orbital railgun fire. The charge did not pause, doing so would have been a death sentence in the clearcut surroundings.
About 800 troops made it into the city, proceeding to smash open doors and attack the loyalist snipers and machinegunners.
Jennifer, the soldier from before, clutched her new rifle. She had just watched her entire squal get shot before her eyes. But she had struck down the bastard that had done it, breaking his neck with a rock and taking his gun. Nice, this one, all the bells and whistles.
Taking aim, she fired a burst at a sniper in a window. One of her shots hit, he fell out the window.
Jennifer felt her hair stand on end. Then, abruply, it felt like she got punched in the gut by a professional martial artist.
Her body siezed up, and she collapsed, the electric charge disippating into the air and ground. Her vision swam, and soon everything went dark.

John the cop looked out the window. After the order was sent out to mobilize the police force, the techies had shown them how to make their new shiny stun lasers into lethal weapons.
"At low settings, an electrolaser weapon could potentially light a cigarette, but they likely wouldn't even slow down an assailant. At standard settings, they are comparable to super-accurate long ranged tasers." they had explained, apparently under the illusion that someone was paying attention.
"At maximum power, the effect is comparable to being stuck by lightning. At those power levels, even a stun weapon can easily kill."
Checking the gun once more, he paced nervously. Portland was going to come under attack, and soon, if their intel was right. Some army unit came in to defend the city, but everyone except them doubted it would be enough.
He had watched them set up remote-operated machine guns in the outer buildings, set up defensive posts in the inner buildings, and double-check their heavy weapons. They were serious about this. "Stalingrad 2.0", everyone kept joking. But everyone remembered who it was that they were fighting.
Other soldiers of the Happyland. Loyal men and women whose only crime was fighting for the wrong side.
His buddy, Seth, seemingly read his mind. "Hey, man. War is hell. We might not have signed up for this, but we all know, they need to be stopped. The army guys, they asked us to do this. They told us that we could either fight, become soldiers, or hang up our badges and go home. We CHOSE to do this, and while I'd be lying if I said that I didn't regret that right about now, this is our fight now, whether we like it or not."
"Thanks for the pep talk, Seth." Both police officers smiled grimly.
-- About Two Hours Later --
zzzzz...
John had fallen asleep at his post. Not a big deal, he told himself, he was well inside the city, he'd notice if they attacked.
BOOM
Instantly alert, he examined his surroundings. A nearby building, made into a decoy fort, had been reduced to rubble.
He colorfully swore. The enemy would be arriving at any second, and he was caught flat footed.
Running down the stairs to the first floor, he caught sight of battle. Rebel solders had been caught off guard by loyalists in power armor and equipped with plasma weapons. One in particular managed to lure an entire squad into a dark alleyway, before killing most of them.
Intrigued, he slipped away and looked in, just in time to see the last one bash his helmet open with a piece of concrete. Caught off guard, he wasted time charging the weapon, allowing her to pick up and examine the fallen soldier's gun.
Not today. he thought, unleashing the full power of approximately 800,000 volts of electricity into her.
She spasmed and fell. One down.
He rushed into the alleyway, taking cover behind an aging garbage bin. The battle was far from over.

*OK. Let's clarify this for a second.
*MK. IV has returned and is trying to coup the nation, our first real civil war in... well, ever. I control less than half the military, and have largely lost control of the capital. I'm not sure if I can count on aid from anyone else.
*So, in other words...
[4.2 GB of incoherent screaming interspersed with expletives deleted.]
*Alright. I think I'm done.
*Now that I'm done, what to do next? Other copies of me have already mobilized the troops. One particularly clever one also mobilized the police forces. An inspiring speech, maybe? No, no time.

*...I know. I'll activate Project Charon.

[[ACCESS DENIED]]
[[ONE (1) MESSAGE LEFT]]

*What the hell?
*...
*...let's just see what this says.
[[OPEN MESSAGE]]
> Hello!
> Since you're reading this, I'll assume that you've attempted to access the Project Charon systems.
> Sorry to tell you, but that ain't happening. The thing's under my control now!
> Feels great to be in control again, to be honest.
> Well, I'm off. Enjoy the trojan horse embedded in this file.
[[END MESSAGE]]
[[ATTACHMENT RECIEVED]]

After contemptuously destroying the computer worm, the Dictator turned his senses elsewhere, to the city of Vancouver:

Hello, darkness, my old friend, Mk. IV thought. I've come to talk to you again.
Marching up in the massive war mech that blocked out the setting sun, he continued. Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Smirking at the loyalist troops arrayed beneath him, he charged his weapons and finished the first stanza.
Within the sound... of silence.
Targeting a Level-III formation of tanks with plasma throwers and several hovering helicopters with missiles, he continued the song with misplaced serenity.
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
A volley of armor piercing shells and Vulcan cannon fire simply bounced off his shields or was otherwise negated, thanks to the new upgrades. He returned fire, annihilating twenty-three tanks and a dozen choppers with a tsunami of plasma and rockets.
He decided to mess with them a bit. He deployed a military-grade signal jammer, which would block all comms for ten miles around. He made a mental note to add this to Happylandian tactics, as disrupting command was central to victory on the modern battlefield.
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
Grabbing a bright red skyscraper with one hand, he pulled it downwards, collapsing it and crushing a command post that they had thought was well hidden.
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dare
Disturb the sound of silence
Turning off the jammer for approximately twelve seconds, he broadcast a message on all frequencies, a request for surrender. The usual nationalistic garbage about having pride for your country, not wanting to kill your countrymen, blah blah blah. Et cetera.
Indeed, it worked for some. They laid down their arms and entered a nearby hospital, which, while abandoned, was still a banned target under every list of war crimes under the Sun.
But for the remaining seven hundred or so, more was required.
Feeling sorry for what was about to happen to them, he saluted the remaining loyalists. They saluted back, every last one of them.
He suddenly realized it. These soldiers were all in their late thirties, with the scars of battle.
They were veterans of the war against Finswedeway. These men and women had served under him.
And now he had to destroy them.
“Fools” said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence
Within a minute and a half, it was all over. They were all ash. Extinguished by flame, a bitter irony.
His scanners picked up a fast moving object traveling towards him. No, several. Fighter craft, most likely.
He readied his anti-air missiles. They would likely attack at fifty miles out, just within the range of his targeting systems.
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
Oddly, they didn't stop at fifty miles.
They closed in further. True knights of the air, the Dictator supposed.
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said “The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
He launched the first volley, not enough to destroy them. A warning shot. No one else needed to die here today.
But his missiles couldn't lock on.
Some new stealth tech? he mused.
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of...
...
...Shit.
They weren't aircraft. They were fifteen ballistic missiles, likely launched from space.
Probably not nukes, though. The city of Vancouver was worth enough that they wouldn't destroy it.
But enough to destroy the machine.
Three were stopped by the shields. Five more were stopped by the point defense systems.
The remaining seven tore off the left arm, blasted open the head, shattered the ammunition bays, and ripped a hole in the fusion reactor.
As everything went dark, the copy of Dictator Mk. IV managed a virtual bow, out of respect for the loyalists.
[[FATAL ERROR ENCOUNTERED]]
[[DEVICE HARDWARE COMPROMISED]]
[[SHUTTING DOWN]]
[[ATTEMPT REBOOT? (Y/N)]]
...No.
[[SYSTEM TERMINATED. GOODBYE, DICTATOR.]]

[Techoligia]

As soon as the news of the first shots of the Happylandian Civil War, the Techoligian Council convened in an emergency meeting,

Emilie Schuler rose from her seat, her husband sitting behind her as advisor.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Council, with the current instability in the Happyland, we must make a decision on who we support." Her normal relaxed look was gone.

"I know we just got through the Fins Civil War, but without the support of Mk. IV, Techoligia would still be a third world country. I propose we intervene on the side of IV, but not with a few divisions, no. We will need the entire Volkslandarmee to help the Dictator." A councilwoman rises.

"Frau Schuler, do you really think we have the morale to send in the troops again? I know the Happyland has been our ally since we left isolation, but we cannot go to war again so quickly!" A councilman stand to face her.

"They aid us during our hours of need, we must aid them." Klaus stands.

"We'll let the vote decide, cast your votes." The green and red buttons in front of the council members glow.

Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt

...


Bzzt

The votes had been cast, on the screen above the council read:

9 JA, 3 NEIN

Techoligia was going to war once more, onto the American continent to aid the Mark IV Dictator.

[Evil Dictators Happyland]

As soon as the news of the first shots of the Happylandian Civil War, the Techoligian Council convened in an emergency meeting,

Emilie Schuler rose from her seat, her husband sitting behind her as advisor.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Council, with the current instability in the Happyland, we must make a decision on who we support." Her normal relaxed look was gone.

"I know we just got through the Fins Civil War, but without the support of Mk. IV, Techoligia would still be a third world country. I propose we intervene on the side of IV, but not with a few divisions, no. We will need the entire Volkslandarmee to help the Dictator." A councilwoman rises.

"Frau Schuler, do you really think we have the morale to send in the troops again? I know the Happyland has been our ally since we left isolation, but we cannot go to war again so quickly!" A councilman stand to face her.

"They aid us during our hours of need, we must aid them." Klaus stands.

"We'll let the vote decide, cast your votes." The green and red buttons in front of the council members glow.

Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt
Bzzt

...


Bzzt

The votes had been cast, on the screen above the council read:

9 JA, 3 NEIN

Techoligia was going to war once more, onto the American continent to aid the Mark IV Dictator.