The Second Space Race| [OFFICIAL RP][CLOSED]

[Kazakah]

---

CNSA Headquarters, Haidian District, Beijing, China
In front of the President stood fourteen of the brightest and most determined individuals in China. And they were all under the age of twenty-five. He was once their age. He had much of the same story. He was lucky to still posses that same ambition that drove him to the place he was today. Others his age were not so lucky, they were condemned to a life at an office job and a mediocre marriage. The President was not the same. He was writing history. And with this on his mind, he spoke.
"If you are standing here in front of me. You have potential, you have destiny. You have become part of the bigger picture." The Preisdent looked around as the graduates eyes filled with pride, "But your journey has only just begun. The first twelve months of your training have been the easy ones. I can promise you things are going different to be here. China needs the best, and being the best takes hard work. But," The President took in a deep breath, "remember this. The nation that controls Mars will guide history with a firm hand. Believe me, you have already made enemies by standing here with me. China will bring peace to the world, to the galaxy, if we win. Other nations hate this and have already plots of terror formed against us. Britain, America, Ojima, Tibet," he said with a snarl, "They will stop at nothing to destroy us, to destroy the Chinese spirit. But believe me. We will not fail. We will not fail. Tomorrow, you begin the first simulations. Good luck, China stands with you."

[Romanov Alyaska]

Kenai Palace, Kenai, Alaska
Prime Minister Mikhail Rudov stood before the Council of Ministers, having discussed the Mexican Matter. "Effective immediately, I'm signing an executive order to deploy Special Forces to Mexico in cooperation woth the Mexican Government. Next on today's agenda is the matter of censorship by American media corporations..."
___________________________________
Alaskan National Space Center, Nome, Alaska
Director Josef Tarasov stood in the debriefing room among the twelve cosmonauts-to-be. "Today you leave your old lives behind," he began, "and become the heroes of our generation. Your mission will be the most important one undertaken by our nation, and that mission is the colonization and exploration of Mars." He paused, seeing if they understood. "If we fail, Our enemies will control sea, land, and space. This, ladies and gentlemen is unacceptable. Our fathers fought hard to escape communist oppression under the Soviet Union, and we cannot and will not allow the Chinese to control our destiny!"

[The United States of Nuclear Weapons]

White House:
"It's time to enact the first step of the operation..." The President quietly says.
"Yes Sir."
The President goes out to the media to speak. "We plan to go back to the moon. We wish for applications to roll in so we can travel to the moon." The President gets bombarded by questions, but leaves, because it will spark the next step. He goes back to his phone and makes a call. "Mr. Musk, it's time."

Meanwhile at NASA:
"Sir, we have found a new technology."
" What is the technology? "
"We have implemented solar panels into the rocket, so it can convert it into more explosive power, and reach Mars faster..."
" Excellent. The President has recently announced we're going back to the moon. "
"But I thought we were going to Mars?"
" It's apparently part of the plan...however it works... "
"Ok. The trainees are getting pretty close to finished and it's been two months since we chose to go to Mars. Four months left for spaceship manufacturing and tests."
" Excellent. "
Meanwhile in Mexico:
There are many people running around, and there are audible screams from inside a building.
This continues until a standoff of two men
The first speaks in Spanish translating to: "Why are you doing this? We never did anything to you!"
The second says "Because you sell narcotics to the young and old, rich and poor, male and female, ruining their lives to the advantage of yours. You have a bounty on your head, and I will kill to help others, whether or not you had a bounty."
The two fight hand to hand, until the hunter obtains a gun, and shoots him down. "This is what scum like you get..."
He goes back to the military camp and brings the bountied man's head.
"Here, the man is dead. It in itself would be nothing, but all of us taking them on will be the black market's demise."
" Sure, " the desked man says. "Get your reward, and then please leave."
The hunter does so and goes to rest before another hunt.

[Nestorian Tibet]

[] Eastern Himalayas, Tibet-Nepal Border
Palo looked out upon the vast, snow-peaked mountain range before him. The MA-TC Helicopter flew close to the Himalayas, where the next phase of training would take place.
Suddenly, Maj. General Palden Zhang's voice rang through the intercom. "Alright, astronauts. Your mission for the next two days is to test our new Type-2 Space Suits, which you'll be wearing on the Martian surface. Palo looked down at his arms. The new suit felt warm in the high altitudes and hugged confortably against his body. "If you have any questions, this is your last chance." Palo spoke up. "Sir, will we have any support from HQ?" There was a pause, then Zhang replied, "We'll send a helicopter every six hours to check on your progress. They will not provide any services unless there is a need for an evacuation. Anything else?" The astronauts gave a collective, "No sir". "Then good luck, and Godspeed." The MA-TC hovered close to a cliff face, and Palo put on his helmet and jumped out of the helicopter, followed by ghe other three astronauts.

[Kazakah]

---

CNSA Headquarters, Haidian District, Beijing
Dr. Zhou had been recently promoted. He was now Director Zhou Gengxin, PhD. As the new head of CNSA he had to be very sensitive. His predecessor, Shao Jin, had not been so. He failed to bring results and hadn't been seen since. But Director Zhou was no fool, he had taken personal and direct control over the the Mars project. It could not fail. In the wise words of the General Secretary "the nation that controls Mars will guide history with a firm hand." It appeared to Director Zhou that China would be that firm hand. The guiding light in humanity's new golden age.
"So, you are sure this is the right course of action?" he asked
"Of course it is! My team and I have been developing this technology for years! And ever since the invasion of Myanmar and Laos, we have all the resources we need to build it."
"Good, begin the process immediately."

Zhongnanhai, Beijing
The Chinese President was euphoric. Everything was going as planned. Western nations were distracted and spending valuable resources and the new Director of the CNSA, whom he had personally appointed, just discovered a technology that supposedly harnessed the power of light waves radiating across the Sol system.

[The United States of Nuclear Weapons]

White House:
"Time for the important step. We will send twenty teams to the moon. And it is a way to leverage ourselves, and beat China." The President announced.
" Yeah, but what about Mexico? Wouldn't Mexico be at our throats? "
"Mexico will be exempt. This is proven from the treaty."

Meanwhile at NASA:
"Sir, the factories have made the spaceship. For both Mars and the Moon."
" Good. Time for us to go to Florida, but before, how's Cuba? "
"Built. We announced it as a missile launch site, and even let the press inspect it. If only they knew."
" Good. You're going to be at Florida for a week, so prepare for that. "
"Yes sir."

Meanwhile at a ship:
"You are being inspected, do not resist!" The navy announces to a ship.
The ship does not respond.
"You are being inspected!" The navy announces oncemore.
The Chinese ship refuses, and is blocked and boarded.
As soon as Americans board, they take cover from gunfire. They take more and more of the ship until they get to the wounded captain.
"We told you we were boarding you! Why did you try to gun us down?"
" You'll never get to know! " The Chinese Captain attempts to commit suicide, but is stopped by Coast Guardmen. They ask him again, tell him he will never leave, and he gives in. "We were transporting opiods. We were to commit suicide if caught, but I thought of my family, and chose I couldn't do that to them." The interrogator tell his captain, who gets a phone and dials. " Sir! China seems to be shipping opiods into Mexico. We even... " the captain looks through the ships contents, sees a good bag, opens it, and sees opiods. "...We have seen drugs in food." The President orders America to stop trade with China, and informs Mexico.

Three Days Later at Florida:
"Today, seventeen teams are heading to set up a moon base, due to the tragic mysterious explosion during testing yesterday. Other supplies will be launched in three days, but until then, this will be the moon base. Equipped with a month of food, enough gas for the moon, pre-made building material, and all other sorts." The announcer says. The President walks up to the teams. "You shall make history, of a civilization based off of the Earth. Wish all well, and make America proud!" The Teams walk to the ship, and blast out of the atmosphere. Due to ' miscalculations,' they go 500 miles west of their proposed location. What the public doesn't know was this was intentional.

[Imperial Anahuac]

Mexican-Cartel War
Field Command, Zacatecas
Brig. General Hector Basurto looked over the map in the command tent. In front of him was his American ally Colonel David Holland. "The United Cartel's army will pass through this neighborhood here", he said, pointing to a location off the main highway. "They will likely control the hills to the Northeast, preventing us from striking from cover, and reports say they also have anti-air weaponry. We'd shell them with artillery, but we'd put civilians directly in harm's way, and we don't have time to evacuate them." Colonel Holland bit his lip. "Damn." He then considered something. "What if send in a small team to assassinate the camp leaders and sabotage the Cartel's big guns?"
The Brigadier General considered this for a moment, then replied, "It's doable, but we'll need a squad that specializes or excells in this situation." The Colonel snorted. "We have several squads of Army rangers who might be up to the task." "Its decided then," continued Basurto, "you Army Rangers will travel behind enemy lines, sabotage the guns on the way, assassinate Cartel soldiers, and rescue the hostages, then in the morning we'll attack and secure the neighborhood as an outpost."
____________________________

Mexican Space Agency Headquarters
Fransisco Mendieta watched from his window as the trucks drove into the main courtyard. 'Assembly required, huh? I guess that's the price we pay to have our very own space shuttle.'

[The United States of Nuclear Weapons]

White House:
"So the Cartel Army has taken Northern areas? Along with what we already have, we'll have a sneak attack, like D-Day, but on all sides. Our men will help civilians, but Cartel members will be imprisoned or killed. We'll send in spies to gain information, and will crush the cartels." The President announces. "We'll also have navy around to make sure of no Chinese intervention, due to them wanting to take you down."

Meanwhile at Florida a day later:
"The second ship to send materials is ready for launch. This will provide more food and water, and the materials needed to be self sufficient. This could be a full-on space colony!"

Off in the distance:
"Ha. If only they knew, if only they knew...as soon as it gets real close to it we'll tell the astronauts that they should prepare the site. This will either give us an edge, or be able to take China out of the race together..." The President says to himself in a private room.

[Ojima]

Imperial Palace, Nankyo, Ojima
"Are you sure?" Emperor Ryoma had been walking through the palace gardens with his wife, Sayuri, when Jo Suzuki came rushing over the bridge above the pond with urgent news. "I wish I were joking, my lord, but the Oniwaban have confirmed that the Chinese have been supplying weapons and opioids to the Mexican drug cartels." Ryoma looked down for a split second, then asked, "Do we know if they're going to advance their plans for Taiwan?" "No, my lord," Suzuki continued, "But I'm sure the watchers will keep our spies informed," he said. Ryoma moved his eyes to the right and saw the briefest suggestion of movement, then breathed a sigh of relief. "The Chinese are up to something, and this new president is far more ambitious than Xi Jinping ever was," he said, mostly to himself, "But for now we don't have to spend our people's lives." He gave a small smile to Suzuki, then said, "Walk with us, Suzuki. It's a beautiful day and the Empress would be disappointed if she couldn't see the crysanthemums." The Emperor's secretary shook his head. "I'm afraid I have to get back to the office, your majesty. Thank you for the invitation, though." Ryoma nodded. "So be it. I won't keep you from your work any longer. Good day, Suzuki." "Good day, your majesty," Suzuki said, bowing before he left the garden.

________________________________________________

ONASA Headquarters, Sunagawa, Hokubu Province
Fujio Domon watched as the astronauts ran the simulations another time. Moral was high at HQ after the Emperor's surprise visit. None were more affected by this than Dr. Chiyo Miyake, who until the day before had allowed herself to be burdened by her work load. "The astronauts' performance has improved since yesterday," said the aforementioned scientist. "You see it too, don't you?", began Domon, "The crew knows that the Emperor himself is counting on them, so they're willing to put in the extra work to reach Mars." Chiyo gave him a wry smile. "That's a lot of words for 'Everyone's Happy', no?" Domon jokingly scoffed. "Where's our Dutch man, Martien? His shift starts in a few minutes." Chiyo laughed. "Are you brushing me off, director?" Domon was already halfway out the door when he replied, "I can't hear you, I'm looking for Martien!" She shook her head at the Fujio's antics, then continued to monitor the astronauts in the simulator.

[Kazakah]

---

Zhongnanhai, Beijing
"So, they Americans think they can get ahead of us now, do they?" the President said with chuckle. It had been a busy morning and he was currently walking down the hall from his meeting with Dr. Zhou. He was now being briefed on new developments.
"We're not sure exactly what it is they have in store, but they've recently launched a rocket to the moon. President Michael seems very confident after this."
Well that's a good sign, thought the President. "Go on."
"Reports tell us that other countries have reached similar levels of technology that we have," as they turned around a corner, "However, estimates say that travel to Mars won't be possible for several months."
"Thank you, dismissed."
A door now opened before the President and the group of uniformed men sitting around a circular table stood up and saluted him. Inside his head, the President smiled. Today was going to be fun.

[The United States of Nuclear Weapons]

White House:
"Time to check on the astronauts..." The President said to himself. He goes to the monitor, and sees 5 astronauts at the screen. "Hello there..." The astronauts, suprised, salute. "Haha, at ease soldiers... I just wanted to see how you guys are doing, and how the site is doing..." The soldiers ease, and say that they are fine, and the site is ready. "Perfect... China will now think twice of any idea to go to Mars."

Meanwhile at Research Lab:
"If my calculations are correct, then it I do this and this, then-" The room explodes in light. This man would make a new type of power and weapon. "Is this...fusion energy? In such a small area? Huha... Well, time for others to experiment with this."

Meanwhile at NASA:
"It's been four months, how are the trainees and tests?"
" All Positive. The tests so far have all been good. "
"Good. How about the solar flare?"
" Scheduled as before. The President's plan is in full swing. "
"Excellent!"

Five days later:
"Hello, everyone! I wanted to show you what my latest invention is. It is a portable fusion energy generator." As the sheet covering it came off, it blew up in light. Everyone there was impressed. One US research officer approaches. "How would you like to get government pay?" The scientist, who wanted to have a famous invention all his life, agreed.

Meanwhile at the Moon:
"How would China react when they find out about this?" One astronaut says. "I know one thing, they'll not want to launch a rocket anytime soon."

[Kazakah]

---

Military Control Room, Zhongnanhai, Beijing
Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission, General Yang Tu, speaks first, "Sir, it appears that America is attempting to establish lunar colonies on the Moon."
"Doesn't that violate the Outer Space Treaty of, what is it...1967?!" reared General Xie.
"Its not exactly that clear...it doesn't seem they've claimed ownership or property...but if they do other nations would be forced to enact punishment."
"Well then, we must enact that punishment!" exclaimed General Xie.
"Its not that simple.." sighed General Sun
General Xie was adamant, "But we can't show weakness! We must let the world know America can't scare us from Mars with some silly space base!"
The President nodded his approval.
General Yang spoke next, "Then we must copy their actions, establish our own lunar colony. It may be a temporary solution, but President Michael will know we don't fool around."
The President of China spoke, "We are in complete agreement then. Tomorrow, we establish our own base on the Moon."

[Nestorian Tibet]

[]Imperial Aerospace Commision Headquarters, Jangtang Prefecture
President Khando Nepali entered the Level 9 Laboratory, whose work was under such tight security that mentioning its secrets was a federal crime. The scientist lead him through the atrium of the lab into a test room, and what he found was...tiles, across the whole chamber. "Is there something you wanted to show me, doctor?", the confused Tibetan President asked. The scientist, Dr. Yama Trengwa, answered,"We've been developing this since 2010, and until we entered the Lab I couldn't speak of it." She typed something into the nearby console, then pulled a lever halfway. She then pulled an apple out of her labcoat and handed it to the still-confused President. "Throw this at the wall," said Yama. Khando threw the apple with all the strength in his shoulder, and was shocked to see the apple shatter and stick to the wall. "What on God's green Earth is this?" Dr. Trengwa grinned, then said, "We call it, 'Gravity Plating'." She paused, gauging President Nepali's shocked expression, then continued, "Each Gravity plate has a miniaturized Graviton Generator under it which draws nearby matter, even against planetary gravity."
Khando didn't know if he heard that right. "Miniaturized? You mean you have a larger version of these, uh, gravity plates?" "We'll get to that later," she quickly replied. "Now, watch this." She onto the gravity plates, then began walking on the wall, much to the President's continued surprise. "Now why don't you try it?" Khando blinked for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure?" She nodded. President Nepali slowly stepped onto the gravity plates, finding his footing, then walked onto the wall. He was still surprised, but he was now more fascinated than intimidated by this technology. Suddenly, he sprinted across the ceiling, then vaulted off the far wall back down to the floor. He looked up to Yama, smiling from ear to ear. "This technology is incredible! How soon can we have this installed onto the shuttle?" Dr. Trengwa, still standing on the wall, replied, "We're actually in the process of installing panels across the shuttle's floor. The gravity plating will be operational by next week. "Good," said President Nepali, "These gravity plates are going to change everything."
_____________________________________________________________________

Kelden began his descent down the rope. Team 7 had been assigned the Everest Route for their training, and it was hellish training. They had already needed to requisition extra oxygen tanks, and the biting cold cut right through even the insulation of their space suits. He could only hope that they would arrive at base camp soon. "Kelden, I see it!" shouted Tsomo through the comm link. Kelden looked behind him, and as the blizzard subsided he saw the base camp in the distance. His spirits rose in that moment, and he said, "We're almost home free! Don't give up now." Team 4 continued to rappel down the cliff until they reached the bottom. HQ owed them a hot meal after this.
Team 7 made their way to Base Camp and entered the MA-TC. As they flew over Base Camp, the pilot said, "You've all got drinks on me." The astronauts were confused by this statement. "Why?", asked Tsomo. The pilot responded, "I made a bet with Team 4's pilot that you'd make it down to Base Camp first. He just called and said he's now loading." Team 7 laughed with the pilot at their strange fortune. "We're never gonna let them live this down," stated Kelden.

[Ojima]

ONASA Headquarters, Sunagawa, Hokubu Province
Seiji Tanaka watched as his fellow astronaut, Kenta Izumida stood from the ceiling. "How on Earth did our nation's spies get their hands on this?", he asked, as Kenta leaped from the ceiling and innto the trampoline beneath him. Dr. Chiyo Miyake, who was controlling the machine, replied, "Trust me, even if I could say how you really wouldn't want to know." Kenta landed upright out of the trampoline laughing heartily. "I haven't had this much fun since I was a kid!" the doctor shut down the machine, this "gravity plate", the said, "Well it's not a toy, it's a highly experimental piece of technology that the Tibetans likely have over a decade of experience with, whereas we have only a few weeks." Seiji rubbed his chin, then asked, "Did you bring us here just to see the gravity plate?" Dr. Miyake replied, "Actually, I was hoping to acquaint you both with our new artificial gravity room." Seiji did not like where this was going, but he wouldn't refuse. "What kind of training," he asked, unsure of what kind of tests he would be subjected to. The scientist replied, "I want you to run a marathon around the artificial gravity chamber, or at least until we say stop, under several settings to acclimate you to the feeling of false gravity." Now he really didn't like where this was going, but unfortunately Kenta looked thrilled to run this new gauntlet. 'Sometimes I hate my job,' he thought to himself.

_____________________________________________________________

Imperial Palace, Nankyo, Ojima
The throne room was silent. Emperor Ryoma sat upon the Plumeria Throne, considering what Prime Minister Kyohei Goto had just revealed; another Jihadi cell had taken route in the Akazuna Desert, likely connected to the same group who bombed Sunagawa the year before, who took Ryoma's father and grandfather from him, whom he had personally led the raids against in the desert. It was a painful memory to recall, but it was a threat which required Ryoma to act not as a young man thrust into power, but as the Emperor of Ojima. He spoke, "We must act swiftly and decisively if we are to prevent another Mujahideen crisis." He looked to his right, his eyes falling upon General Mosuke Amari. "General Amari," he began, " I am granting you a unit of Onmitsu to root out the terrorists. They must be found before Hao Chunxing can act upon this." The General bowed, saying, "By your command, your majesty." He then looked back to the Prime Minister. "Prime Minister Goto," he commanded, "try to keep news about the Mujahideen as localized as possible. We don't need mass panic at a time such as this." Goto bowed and accepted his new assignment as well. The Emperor dismissed the court, then sighed as a figure dressed in a black suit stepped out of the shadow of a nearby pillar. "This may not be the best time, but we have recieved the information you requested," began the man, "a dossier on China's current military activities." He gave the Emperor the file, then faded into the shadows as quickly as he had entered the room.

OOC: Kazakah, I hope you don't mind that Nestorian Tibet told me Winnie the Pooh's name before you could. Thanks for clearing that detail up earlier in the RP, though, otherwise everyone would be negotiating with a dead man.

[Kazakah]

---

CNSA Headquarters, Haidian District, Beijing
Hao Chunxing, General Secretary of the CPC and President of China had been feeling a mild annoyance growing in the back of back of his neck for weeks now. And everyday it bothered him more. Now he knew what that annoyance was. Tibet. Somehow, for seemingly months on end, they managed to stay one step ahead of China. He could deal with other countries, they were only mild distractions to him. But Tibet was somehow leading the race, and it made Chunxing furious. He had been called down to the CNSA on matters on national secrecy. They'd better have good news, thought President Hao.
"What do you have for me doctor?", he queried
"Well," said a nervous scientist, "It appears the Tibetans have devised a way to use superconductors and particle accelerators to create a sort of magnetic field that draws in interstellar matter and-"
"I don't care how it works," interrupted the President, "What does it do?"
"Basically it creates artificial gravity."
"Dammit. How long do you need to develop this technology?"
"I don't know, sir. I-it take years. The Tibetans have had it for over a decade!"
"You're hopeless." snarled President Hao

President's Office, Zhongnanhai, Beijing
General Yang Tu entered the dimly lit office and saluted the man sitting before him."
"At ease solider."
"Yes sir."
"Please, sit down", invited the President, "I hope the...information dig...was successful."
"Very, Sir. We still don't know how the Ojimese originally got their hands on the Graviton Generators, but we were able to acquire the basic schematics. Its not complete, but I'm positive Director Zhou's teams can come up with something."
"Excellent! You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir!"

OjimaI don't mind at all.

[Romanov Alyaska]

Puebla Army Base, Mexico
The TA-07 hovered over the landing pad for a moment, then landed confortably. Major Dmitriy Rudin was the first to step out of the VTOL, followed by his seven compatriots. Even through his BK-4 Armor he could feel the heat of the Far South, although he hid it well.
After a moment a Mexican officer stepped out of the flight control tower and made his way to the landing pad. He looked to the Alaskan Spetsnaz Operators with a mix of awe and fear, but somehow kept his professional composer. "Welcome to Mexico," said the officer, "I heard you were coming, and we're glad to have you down here." The Major shook the man's hand and replied, "I am Major Dmitriy Rudin, Alaskan Special Forces." The officer rubbed the back of his head, then continued, "Your first assignment begins at dusk. Be ready for debriefing at 4."

[Nestorian Tibet]

[]Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet
President Khando Nepali kneeled in the Chapel of Yasuwa (Jesus) with Yöhan, the Tsenpo of Tibet. This Chapel, though a house of worship, was also where he felt most comfortable speaking with the Tsenpo. As they finished their prayer for the future of their nation, Yöhan spoke first, "So a security breach was discovered in our Mars Program and you want my advice on this matter." Khando replied, "Yes, my Tsenpo. I've already heightened security, though we can't say for certain who was really involved with the Ojimese spy, other than the scientist who admitted to it." The middle-aged Yöhan stood up, then looked to the President. "I may be able to offer a distraction that'll be too tempting for foreign spies." Khando was suddenly afraid for the Tsenpo. "What do you mean?" Yöhan smiled, then said, "If we reopen certain diplomatic relations, then the enemy will want to know what knowledge we might have to share."
Khando blinked for a moment, then sighed in relief. "So, we're finally going to do it, then?" Yöhan nodded. "Look at it this way: it will also help us make amends with our neighbors." The President gave a short laugh. "Former neighbors, your excellence." The Tsenpo could only give him a wry grin. "Prepare the media. We'll really give the spies something to watch."
___________________________________________________________

Tibet Central News
Tsenpo Yöhan IV: "I understand that some of our neighbors on the Asian block may still harbor resentment towards our empire, and I don't blame any of them. But today, I wish to formally make amends with the nation my father wronged many years ago. To the Republic of China, or Taiwan, the Government of the Empire of Tibet returns to you the small islands which were taken as air bases by the Tibetan military, and we invite you to join our Mars Program."

[The United States of Nuclear Weapons]

White House:
"What are you telling me?" The President yells. "What you wanted to do is against a treaty we're in..." The intern says, terrified. "All right then..." He makes a short call to congress to leave the treaty. "...We're going to leave the treaty. We're going to say that the treaty is outdated, and needs to be remade...something like that..."

Meanwhile at the Department of Defense:
"Officer! What have you found for defense?" The officer shows the scientist he found at a science conference, and thinks that it will be good for weaponry. The officer shows a prototype gun from the fusion technology they created. "Let's try this against a robot!" They do this, and it blows up. "Huh, how about a robot that can't explode?" This robot, instead, deactivates. "Huh, that's weird..." The scientist, amazed, walks up and says, "Great scot..." He realized this could deactivate machinery, including weapons. "Put this in every tank, gun, grenade, any weapon!" The general and officer ask why, and the scientist explains. "Wow..."

Meanwhile at NASA:
"It's a week from the end of Mars being close..."
"Don't worry...All tests have been completed, in fact, we learned how to bring some extremely radioactive materials safely, but won't for a while. The crew is ready, and all we have to do is set sail."
"All right, let's go."
"First, let's have the President announce a missile test in four days, due to a plane-ride taking four days to go to Cuba..."
"OK."

Four days later, in Cuba:
"Today, we will see a Missile launch! it's been a long time since the US has done one of these..." The announcer rambles.
"Ready team?" For a few seconds there is no response, followed by a "Yeah." "All right, fifteen seconds... 14, 13, 12, 11..." The decoy Missile is taken away, to show a spaceship nose pointing out of the ground. "...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, thrusters start, 4, 3, Main engine start, 2, 1, Launch..." the ship launches out to the viewers' amazement. It has slight slowing, but leaves the atmosphere quickly. The astronauts find a gas leak in the cabin afterwards, but after investigation realize that it is only the cabin, so they patch it up. They will have a long ride to Mars, but that is the cost to go to Mars.

[Imperial Anahuac]

Zacatecas, Mexico
Alfonso woke to the sound of a thud. He grabbed his rifle, a QBZ-95, and slowly walked out of the house that had been claimed as the barracks. He stepped over a woman who had been abused by the cartel soldiers and patroled the outer perineter of the house, but saw nothing. Yet he could smell something horrible, a smell which he was not unfamiliar with. He checked the bushes behind the house, where he knew the smell was strongest, and as he squinted in the darkness he began to make out the familiar outline of a man, or rather a corpse. This was one of their own men. Before he could scream, however, a gloved hand covered his mouth, and in an instant he felt cold steel plundge into his throat. Alfonso was dead.

[Nestorian Tibet]

Four days later, in Cuba:
"Today, we will see a Missile launch! it's been a long time since the US has done one of these..." The announcer rambles.
"Ready team?" For a few seconds there is no response, followed by a "Yeah." "All right, fifteen seconds... 14, 13, 12, 11..." The decoy Missile is taken away, to show a spaceship nose pointing out of the ground. "...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, thrusters start, 4, 3, Main engine start, 2, 1, Launch..." the ship launches out to the viewers' amazement. It has slight slowing, but leaves the atmosphere quickly. The astronauts find a gas leak in the cabin afterwards, but after investigation realize that it is only the cabin, so they patch it up. They arrive successfully on Mars after a few days, and start making a base, but just after announcing they reached Mars to the world...

OOC: Hey, can you ease off the power gaming? I can understand if this is your first RP, but everyone else is still developing interesting tech to use on Mars. I think we'd all appreciate it if you walked back a bit on your Mars Mission progress and focused on either getting through the Mexican-Cartel War or further establishing your Lunar Base. Remember, the conflict makes the RP more interesting.
Also, a trip from Earth to Mars would take at least 5 months (150 days). You would need to take fuel, oxygen, and food into consideration as well as the average flight time.
Edit: The fusion weapons seem too overpowered. Remember, this isn't an "lets bash China" thread (Although I'm no fan of the CCP), and I don't think that the other players would appreciate having to use bare hands against tanks and machine guns. I'll let the fusion reactor slide, however. Remember that advanced technology still requires time, resources, and effort to develop, otherwise I would have introduced Bolters and Chainswords already.

[Kazakah]

---

Personal Residence, Zhongnanhai, Beijing
Once again, Hao Chunxing was furious. Just when China had reached even footing with Tibet, Yöhan thought he could pull this off. He watched the footage once again. The rest of the world thought he was being gracious, perhaps even kind. But the President could see the smugness hidden behind the Tsenpo's eyes as he humiliated China. Those islands rightfully belong to China, thought Hao, as does Taiwan... Unfortunately neither would happen soon, ever since Alaska and America had increased their military presence on the island nation, all hopes of invasion had been lost. The President would find a way to get back at the Tibetans, but first, he must complete his daily Xing Yi practice.

---

500 Kilometers from Mexico, Pacific Ocean
Captain Jiang Rushan loved serving in the navy, or at least, he used to. Granted, he had been recently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant commander, but this position held no honour. He should be in the South China Sea, fighting off the last of the Malaysian Navy, reclaiming what rightfully belongs to China. Or he should be patrolling the East Sea and fending off Japanese warships from the Korean peninsula. Instead he was reduced to long trips across the Pacific ocean, his noble vessel disguised as lowly trading craft. No one on board, including Captain Jiang, was briefed on what they had been continuously shipping for months. But everyone knew. Filthy opioids. They along with dozens of other warships.
That's when was brought out of his thought, "Sir, you might want to take a look at this."
"What is it ensign?"
"Incoming warship, sir."
Jiang couldn't believe his eyes. An Alaskan destroyer. He has always wanted see one, but not like this. Not when his ship was disguised like a coward's. "What the hell are they doing this far south?"
"Intel from command-central says the Alaskans may be involved in the cartel war."
What feels like a shard of ice stabs Captain Jiang in the gut. They knew. The Alaskans knew. The Alaskan warship was much bigger and stronger than the humble Chinese cruiser. With maneuvering they might be able to land a few hits on the destroyer, perhaps even severaly disable it. But the Captain Jiang's crew wouldn't walk away alive. "Remove all cloaking."
"But, sir, they'll know!"
"That's an order, ensign! They can't shoot at us now without risking international war. Open up a communications channel."
"Yes sir."
He took a deep breath, and then spoke, "This is Captain Jiang of the CNS Pianshu. Identify yourself."

[The United States of Nuclear Weapons]

Four days later, in Cuba:
"Today, we will see a Missile launch! it's been a long time since the US has done one of these..." The announcer rambles.
"Ready team?" For a few seconds there is no response, followed by a "Yeah." "All right, fifteen seconds... 14, 13, 12, 11..." The decoy Missile is taken away, to show a spaceship nose pointing out of the ground. "...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, thrusters start, 4, 3, Main engine start, 2, 1, Launch..." the ship launches out to the viewers' amazement. It has slight slowing, but leaves the atmosphere quickly. The astronauts find a gas leak in the cabin afterwards, but after investigation realize that it is only the cabin, so they patch it up. They arrive successfully on Mars after a few days, and start making a base, but just after announcing they reached Mars to the world...

OOC: Hey, can you ease off the power gaming? I can understand if this is your first RP, but everyone else is still developing interesting tech to use on Mars. I think we'd all appreciate it if you walked back a bit on your Mars Mission progress and focused on either getting through the Mexican-Cartel War or further establishing your Lunar Base. Remember, the conflict makes the RP more interesting.
Also, a trip from Earth to Mars would take at least 5 months (150 days). You would need to take fuel, oxygen, and food into consideration as well as the average flight time.
Edit: The fusion weapons seem too overpowered. Remember, this isn't an "lets bash China" thread (Although I'm no fan of the CCP), and I don't think that the other players would appreciate having to use bare hands against tanks and machine guns. I'll let the fusion reactor slide, however. Remember that advanced technology still requires time, resources, and effort to develop, otherwise I would have introduced Bolters and Chainswords already.

OOC: OK, edited so they will take a few months to get there, and the fusion power isn't going to be used as a "Let's bash China," it will be in small quantities of weapons for the Mexican-Cartel war.

White House:
"So your saying fusion power is possible in some weapons?"
"Yes sir."
"Then why don't we have a ton of them?"
"Sir, the required elements are extremely rare in the required state of matter."
"Alright then, how many do we have?"
"20 guns and 2 tanks."
"Alright, that will be enough, send them to the front lines in Mexico."
"But sir, they're experimental!"
"Just do it."

Meanwhile in Mexico:
"We're doing good with taking out members of the cartels, but we need something else, since some cartel members have resorted to guerrilla warfare."
The door blows open. "Sir! Sir!"
"What is it, Private?"
"We have been alerted by the President of experimental weaponry being shipped to us."
"What does it do?"
"It blows combustible things up, but for noncombustible things, it sometimes deactivates it."
"Huh. How many have been shipped?"
"20 guns, and 2 tanks."
"Huh. I think we'll share the weaponry with Mexico, half and half."
"Yes sir!"

[Kazakah]

OOC: Hey, can you ease off the power gaming? I can understand if this is your first RP, but everyone else is still developing interesting tech to use on Mars. I think we'd all appreciate it if you walked back a bit on your Mars Mission progress and focused on either getting through the Mexican-Cartel War or further establishing your Lunar Base. Remember, the conflict makes the RP more interesting.
Also, a trip from Earth to Mars would take at least 5 months (150 days). You would need to take fuel, oxygen, and food into consideration as well as the average flight time.
Edit: The fusion weapons seem too overpowered. Remember, this isn't an "lets bash China" thread (Although I'm no fan of the CCP), and I don't think that the other players would appreciate having to use bare hands against tanks and machine guns. I'll let the fusion reactor slide, however. Remember that advanced technology still requires time, resources, and effort to develop, otherwise I would have introduced Bolters and Chainswords already.

OOC: OK, edited so they will take a few months to get there, and the fusion power isn't going to be used as a "Let's bash China," it will be in small quantities of weapons for the Mexican-Cartel war.

White House:
"So your saying fusion power is possible in some weapons?"
"Yes sir."
"Then why don't we have a ton of them?"
"Sir, the required elements are extremely rare in the required state of matter."
"Alright then, how many do we have?"
"20 guns and 2 tanks."
"Alright, that will be enough, send them to the front lines in Mexico."
"But sir, they're experimental!"
"Just do it."

Meanwhile in Mexico:
"We're doing good with taking out members of the cartels, but we need something else, since some cartel members have resorted to guerrilla warfare."
The door blows open. "Sir! Sir!"
"What is it, Private?"
"We have been alerted by the President of experimental weaponry being shipped to us."
"What does it do?"
"It blows combustible things up, but for noncombustible things, it sometimes deactivates it."
"Huh. How many have been shipped?"
"20 guns, and 2 tanks."
"Huh. I think we'll share the weaponry with Mexico, half and half."
"Yes sir!"

OOC: Dude, maybe just don't go to Mars yet. The great thing about RPs is that they're nice and slow. They're supposed take time to naturally develop. Remember, in real life, President Kennedy didn't give his We choose to go to the moon speech until 1962. The moon landing was in 1969. Its okay for it to be a little slower.

Just follow Nestorian Tibet's lead. He's the OP and he knows where he wants the RP to go.

[Nestorian Tibet]

Chamdo, Tibet
Tang Bo stood upon the bridge, admiring the River Khong. He could tell the Tibetans loved the beauty of the natural world, a sentiment which was not shared by the mainlanders. Even the city was a wonderful sight to behold, as the Tibetans had gone against the grain of modernist architecture and reimagined such utilitarian megaliths as manmade wonders designed after their traditional style of architecture. 'It's like taking a walk through Epcot', he mused to himself.
Pit of the corner of his eye, he two figures approaching. He looked to his right and saw a man and a woman, both in military dress, and stood upright: his escort had arrived. "Welcome to Tibet, Mr. Tang," said the man. "I'm grateful to be here," replied Bo, shaking his hand, "and I'm thankful that your government has reaffirmed their recognition of my country." "Yes," the man paused, "I hope you're ready to join the program, because the training regimen will not be easy, I assure you." Bo gave a wry grin. "I wouldn't have become an astronaut if it was."
_________________________________
Sumeru Castle, Ngari Prefecture
"Yes sir, we'll have a full aerial escort ready by tomorrow." General Iliya Khon hung up the phone, then turned to the officer behind him. "Captain, prepare a squadron of MA-JF fighters and two MA-SB Bombers to escort the Space shuttle tomorrow." The officer blinked. "Sir, I thought the shuttle wouldn't be ready for another week." "The IAC boys are ahead of schedule," replied the General. "I apologize, sir," the captain responded, "I'll prepare the pilots now."

OOC: Don't worry, I'm not sending men to Mars yet. I'm just preparing the first test flight of the Tibetan space shuttle.
Edit: Here is the design of the Tibetan Shuttle:

[Ojima]

Imperial Palace, Nankyo, Ojima
Emperor Ryoma was in high spirits today. Taiwan was saved, at least for now, by the unlikely intervention of the Tibetans. Still, he would have the Army and the Navy prepared in case Hao Chunxing made a move against the island.
He entered the meeting room, where the leaders of the various branches and departments of the government were gathered, and took his seat at the head of the table. "Gentlemen," he began, "I apologize for intruding upon your day, but we must discuss new plans for the Oniwaban's operations." The gathered heads were surprised by his mentioning of the secretive organization, most notably the lower ranking officials who didn't believe they actually existed. "Our efforts to spy on Tibets space program were fruitful, but now we must turn our attention elsewhere. I believe that China may have their own spies in our country, and we must shift to counter-espionage operations." He looked around the room to see the reactions of the officials, noting that many of them were still in some degree of shock. "Of course," he continued, "unless we have a more valuable target for our operations."
General Mosuke Amari spoke first. "Your majesty, while we deal with the Mujahideen here I believe we should focus on China's allies." All eyes were upon him, including Ryoma's, who already knew where this was going. "And which ally would that be, General?" Amari took a moment to compose himself, then answered, "What if I told you the North Korean ambassador is willing and ready to assist?" The Emperor was about to dismiss this hair-brained scheme, but now he was interested. "Continue."
"Using the ambassador, we intend to infiltrate the North Korean government for the first time in order to acquire state secrets, most important being the method which they use to create their currency." The whole room followed along now, and the Emperor himself began to realize what the General was actually suggesting and grinned. Amari continued, "If we are able to counterfeit the North Korean won (Yuan), then we could send Onmitsu disguised as lawyers, journalists, tourists, and doctors into the country and begin spending the counterfeit money in order to devalue their currency. Alternatively, we could drop the counterfeit money upon the population via airstrike, whether by ours or an ally's means, in order to reate the same effect."
Ryoma considered this plan for a moment, then said, "We cannot dedicate our spies to this plan, but it's a good plan. General, I'm going to grant you several Onmitsu in order to carry out this endeavor." "Thank you, your majesty," said General Amari, bowing. "Now, do we have any more suggeations regarding our spy program?"

________________

ONASA Headquarters, Sunagawa, Hokubu Province
The frame of the OSC Nobunaga was now complete. It was time to install the hardware for the shuttle's flight to Mars, which would take place several months from now.