Piffle Publishing Contest (FULL)

[Kuronami]

NO NEW SUBMISSIONS. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME


ATTENTION AUTHORS - Are you a new and upcoming author, have a brilliant work to write, why not get see if you can get published with us? Piffle Publishing is proud to announce it's launching a new contest for new authors everywhere. We are looking for new works to publish in Kuronami from voices all over the world and this is a great chance for you. All works, fiction, non fiction, novel, novella, shorts are also welcome. We also welcome scripts for audio or visual performing arts or scripts outlining the history of a language. Top prize winners will also be invited to Sonomi to visit Piffle Publishing

1st Prize: Publishing option for your work plus 10,000NSD+Exclusive two-works-publishing deal (optional).
2nd Prize: Publishing option for your work plus 5,000NSD
3rd Prize Publishing option for your work plus 1,000NSD
Honorable Mention: 500NSD

The Rules:
-This is a contest for new and unpublished writers. By submitting to this contest you agree that your work is currently not published or not in option.
-By submitting to this contest you stipulate this work if of your own original creation or has received proper clearance or is a work of the public domain if the work is derivative in some way.
-You may submit one single work of your choosing for consideration. (puppet submissions will be allowed but I'm entrusting you folks to the honor system and being upfront about it)
-A work of multiple authors is allowed.
-All contestants will be invited to a dinner at Piffle in Sonomi to hear the announced winner. Participation at this event is NOT required for acceptance of any prize. If you are unable to attend you will be mailed your announcements, any prize money and invited to meet with our publishing staff if selected.
-Piffle will not gain any exclusive rights to your work unless you the author are chosen as winner and the author agrees to grant exclusivity rights. Prize money cannot be withheld to force any contestant to agree into any contract under punishment of civil liability.
-Contestants under the legal age of majority as defined by the contestants home nation and/or the law of Kuronami must have a parent or legal guardian accept the prize money entrust as well as consent to any legal obligations of a publishing deal with Piffle Company.
-Contestants are responsible for any tax or collection of their prize earnings to their home nation. Contestants will not be obligated to any taxes or fees to Kuronami unless said contestant is a birth citizen or legal resident of the Empire.

Contest Forms

Code: Select all


Title:
Author(s):
Type:
[] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction) 
[] Novella (Fiction)
[]  Book (expository non fiction)
[]  Short Story
[]  Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script  (non-fiction, linguist based)
Genre:
Summary: (What is this about?)
Short Passage from your work: (optional but encouraged; remember must be PG-13 NS friendly )


Current Submissions

-The Wolf-Falcons by Asteria Cleite of the Tribe of Waterford. (The Freelands The Selkie)
-The Invasion of Alpha Centauri by Kalina Elizavelar (Voxija)
-Shutting the Watchful Eyes: The Awareness and Struggle Against the AUDOSECPRO Act by Bùi Ngọc Trinh (Quen Minh)
-A Class Trip to the Green Hell by Katla Stoltensteen (Lillorainen)
-The Scars of Reorganization by LCDR Tecumseh C. Piañar (New Visayan Islands)
-William V: The Last Soldier King of Britain by William VI, Alexandra I (Hanoverian Great Britain)
-Hooves of Iron by Annabell Lang (Kuronami)
-Dabrowski's Mazurka Karl Stortebeker (Polish Prussian Commonwealth)
- The Falling of Empress Malty by Lisa Simpson (Cartoonia)
- A Head Girl's Graduation at Imperial Britannia College, Vienna (Austria-Bohemia-Hungary)

[The Selkie]

TO: Piffle Publishing, Sonomi, Empire of Kuronami.

Return Address:

Asteria Cleite of the Tribe of Waterford, Binn Boarding School Complex, Dorm 11-7, Launceston, Free Lands of the Selkie.

Launceston, Saturday, 11th of January, 2020.

Dear Sirs and Ma'ams,
please allow me to start this message with stating, that I write this message with the full knowledge, consent and blessings of my school's headmaster, the head of the Binn Boarding School Complex Sensha-Do Team and my team mates.
For the Piffle Publishing Contest, I would like to hand in my first novel, The Wolf-Falcons. It is a novel about a one of the squadron's of a Boarding School's Sensha-Do Team, their strife and struggle during a major tournament in Paísancho. It is enriched with my own experiences and knowledge of the sport, its scene and its practitioners, mainly because I am a member of the Binn Boarding School Complex's Sensha-Do Team, the Seabhac.
I hope, that my novel meets the criteria of Piffle Publishing and will be considered a valid entry into the contest. May it be victorious among equal competitors.
You will find all necessary documents attached below.

Signed,
Asteria Cleite of the Tribe of Waterford

Title:

The Wolf-Falcons.

Author:

Asteria Cleite of the Tribe of Waterford.

Type:

[X] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)

Genre:

Sports-Novel (Sensha-Do).

Summary:

Amy Bolb of the Tribe of Fermanagh, student of the Binn Boarding School Complex since she was in Elementary School, has always admired the Seabhac, the boarding school's Sensha-Do Team, and its massive vehicles, from the two massive Cosaints to the nimble Mealltachs to the Faolchú-APCs, which technically aren't even tanks. She always wanted to be a part of the team and finally, in her first year as a Middle Schooler, she joins.
Right on time, too, as II. Squadron, Fabhcún-Squadron, is sent to a tournament in Paísancho - a tournament, which the Team doesn't even consider as a possible win, but is there only as a formality - but they failed to count in the fighting spirit of the Fabhcún-Squadron...

(All persons within the novel are ficticious. Any similarities between them and real persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.)

Short Passage from your work:

The bright, red, star shaped flare, that told us, that now was our time.
Now, it was not on to battle, but in battle!
My first. I gulped, as I sat behind my G-80's sights, my day/night periscope being in Day-Mode - what else would it be in? It was midday in Paísancho and that meant, that it was burning hot inside of my armoured vehicle, my tank, my wolf. My turret was uncomfortable as it was, but in this heat... this was, I thought, how the roast felt in the oven!
The heavy protective equipment, the helmet and the tanker jacket of flame retardant material weren't exactly helping... the heat had been heavy and oppressive yesterday, but today... it would be a gross breach of the rules to shed anything of the equipment though, it could lead to disqualification!
"Falcon-One to all Falcon-Squadron Elements...", Caja's voice, the voice of our team's commander, sounded in my ears, "...stay hydrated girls. And let's advance!"
And with a start, we began to move.
I knew, that the field we fought on was small by comparison to what was possible, merely seven by seven kilometers - my gun had a maximum firing range of 5.2 kilometers.
One after the other, the other four Faolchú-APCs confirmed, I saw their movements - Two and Three to the left, Four and Five to the right. It was a five versus five, the enemy drove Alsuyuf I Main Battle Tanks.
Real tanks, not APCs like we did.
In a head-on fight, we were lost, Caja, everyone of us and everyone of the enemy, knew that - but Caja didn't want to be slaughtered here today. She had told us so.
"Alright, girls, like we practiced - let's make some dust!", Caja ordered and we swung to the right, onto an even more open field.
Two and Three shot ahead, creating a dust cloud one could see for miles, rising high into the air - the enemy would know, that we were here and... my tank shook lightly.
"Under fire.", Filly calmly stated from the driver's seat.
Then it dawned upon me: The enemy knew, we were here, yes, but not close enough to get a lock onto us! And even more importantly, I felt us falling into a little depression, like a river-bed - once the dust had settled, I would find us in Turret Down, I was sure of it!
That meant, that we were in an ambush position!
"Three's out.", Asteria, from Falcon-Two, reported calmly. "Enemy approaching."
"Caja, the first shots will be deciding...", Caja told me as the dust began to settle in front of us. "Aim well and aim true and..."
Then, our tank was shaken violently as someone's shell hit the mud awfully close.
"Bugger!", Caja cussed, "Filly, get us out of here!"
My eyes widened - approaching over the flat terrain in front of us were the five Alsuyufs, Main Battle Tanks. And while two of them were playing with Falcon-Two, the other three were taking us under fire!
Their larger guns had a way better penetration power then ours at this distance.
But... I felt the tank move, I aligned my crosshairs - just because it was an armoured juggernaut it didn't mean, that I was helpless.
"Amy! Fire at will!", Caja shouted over the din of a tank moving through rough terrain.
I felt the thump of my gun discharging, felt the heat and the smoke.
I felt the move of the tank, as the massive 76 millimeter gun recoiled, moving the entire vehicle. I felt the impact of a shell much larger then that closeby, a miss, but a close one. It had impacted the side of the small riverbed we were in, throwing up dirt and dust.
I peered through my sights - despite being on the move, I had hit!
Not the tank I had aimed for, but a tank, which was a start! And more importantly, I had landed quite a blow: At this distance, when aiming at the hull, we could scratch their varnish. However, other parts, like the tracks and periscopes!
I saw, through the dust, something that looked an awful lot like a white flag popping out and the machine, one of five, going silent as the caterpillar tracks on its right fell down into the dust!
Let's not mention, that I originally aimed at the hull of the centermost tank and hit the main drive sprocket on the one left of it...
Our retreat continued - next round was a smoke round, Caja yelled something to that effect. And not even a minute later, we were free.
Two down for us, one for them, three versus four.
The odds hadn't really improved.

[Kuronami]

Monday, 13th January 2020

TO: Asteria Cleite of the Tribe of Waterford, Binn Boarding School Complex, Dorm 11-7, Launceston, Free Lands of the Selkie.

Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled The Wolf-Falcons and your lovely cover letter with it. While not needed it was very much a show of excellence and quality craftsmanship on your part. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala when the winners are announced. Please look for a letter notifying of the time and date if you wish to attend. Until then we wish you more happy writing ahead.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

[Voxija]

Title: The Invasion of Alpha Centauri
Author(s): Kalina Elizavelar
Type:
[] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[] Book (expository non fiction)
[X] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)
Genre: science fiction. This work can be further subdivided into space opera, war novel, invasion piece, political satire, romance, and xenofiction.
Summary: (What is this about?) the Glaxons, a species of marauding alien invaders are invading Alpha Centauri b for gold and space to raise their cattle. A Glaxon named Uddashivo falls in a forbidden love with Tujahijik, a rebel leader fighting against the Glaxons. Uddashivo eventually defects. I will not spoil the ending, but let's just say that "comedy" is not among the list of genres.
Short Passage from your work: (optional but encouraged; remember must be PG-13 NS friendly )
Uddashivo spread their three legs on the grass of Alpha Centauri b. They smiled. Uddashivo remembered their early days at the state school, when they learned about how the Glaxons needed to rescue other planets, or else the Glaxons will be bored and destroy themselves. Uddashivo was glad that the Glaxons hadn't met that awful fate. For now.
Uddashivo walked on the grass of Alpha Centauri b. They jabbed a tentacle, a sign of approval, at the cattle grazing on the planet. The cattle seemed to be happy here. But what about Uddashivo? Although they had took part in the great goal of rescuing Alpha Centauri b, Uddashivo felt incomplete. They didn't know why, but Uddashivo couldn't focus in the hole in their soul. There was bigger work to do—holding onto the conquered planet.

[Kuronami]

Monday, 13th January 2020

TO: Kalina Elizavelar
Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled The Invasion of Alpha Centauri and have handed it over to the judges pool. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala when the winners are announced. Please look for a letter notifying of the time and date if you wish to attend. Until then we wish you more happy writing ahead.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

[Quen Minh]

Title:

Shutting the Watchful Eyes: The Awareness and Struggle Against the AUDOSECPRO Act

Author(s):

Bùi Ngọc Trinh

Type:

[] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[X] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)

Genre:

Historical non-fiction

Summary:

Shutting the Watchful Eyes recounts the actions the public and politicians took to withdraw the AUDOSECPRO Act, a legislation proposed by the Ngô Sáng Hiếu government in 2012 that would introduce pervasive methods and methodologies of surveillance throughout Quenmin. Actions undertaken include nonviolent protests, panel events, video and advertisement production, and the formation of advocacy groups that are still active to this day. The material presented is narrated in chronological order, amalgamating into one grand story of opposition and perseverance against one of the most controversial laws to be introduced in the nation. The work also includes sources from politicians and civilians who endorsed the Act.

Short Passage from your work:

(From Chapter 4: 'Galvanization', Section III: 'Advocacy and Campaign Groups')

The Association for Anti-Mass Surveillance Liberties is an non-profit advocacy group formed on 10 February 2013 by Mạch Trí Thắng, Nguyễn Bảo Hiển and Hoàng Tuyết Loan. Appealing towards individuals upholding anti-authoritarian beliefs, no matter where they fit on the political spectrum, the Association is dedicated to protecting civil liberties by campaigning against any legislation and/or actions that are classified as "mass and intrusive surveillance." In its name, mission, target audience, coupled with mounting public opposition, the group has garnered much popular appeal. As a result, the Association became the main public watchdog for any government initiative of the nature. As mentioned by the Unicorn Liberal, the newspaper for the Blue Unicorn Party, the "Association is a guardian pet that we can trust to further prevent such obtrusive measures from being implemented into law."

[Kuronami]

Monday, 13th January 2020

TO: Bùi Ngọc Trinh
Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled Shutting the Watchful Eyes: The Awareness and Struggle Against the AUDOSECPRO Act and have handed it over to the judges pool. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala when the winners are announced. Please look for a letter notifying of the time and date if you wish to attend. Until then we wish you more happy writing ahead.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

[Lillorainen]

To:
Piffle Publishing,
〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F

Return Address:
Katla Stoltensteen, Olde Heerstraat 37, 1600 Marrenager 22, Federation of Lillorainen.

---

Esteemed Sirs and/or Madams,
I would like to hand my first novel in for the Piffle Publishing Contest, A Class Trip to the Green Hell. It deals with a Lillorainian school class going on a class trip to the Tropes on a plane, which mysteriously vanishes from the radars and ends up stranded on a seemingly uninhabited island, with the protagonists finding out, that their disappearance is part of the plans of a criminal organization.
It is inspired by the stories of my great-uncle Sergeant Ragnar Engholm, who has been a fighter pilot in service of the U.C. Liberation Army as a mercenary during the Revolution in the Moana Nui Islands in the 1990s, as well as by some studies on the criminal underworld of those days done by Meilani Pahoa, Student of Media Sciences and IT at the University of Camarillo. With this said, please allow me to assure you, that both are fully aware and in approval of this message being written. The rest is based on my own fantasy.
Of course, all names used within the novel are fictitious - any similarities with real persons, alive or dead, as well as real incidents of similar kind I might be unaware of, are entirely coincidental.
I hope, that my work qualifies for getting accepted to the contest, meets all standards of Piffle Publishing, and might turn out victorious in a fair competition.
You will find all necessary information attached.
Thank you in advance!

With kind regards,
Katla Stoltensteen.

Title:
A Class Trip to the Green Hell.

Author(s):
Katla Stoltensteen.

Type:
[x] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)

Genre:
Adventure/Crime.

Summary:
Merle, actually just an average schoolgirl, and her classmates suspect nothing evil when going on the plane to Inilani, Kelaina, as they simply want to enjoy two weeks of vacation in the tropical paradise. Their happy vacation mood is all but spoiled, as all of them mysteriously fall into sleep shortly before landing and, when waking up again, realize, that they have landed on another island, in the tropical woods in the middle of nowhere. Assuming, that they have just missed an emergency landing, they seek for a means to send a signal for help - not knowing, that their plane has already vanished from all screens when it was still in the air. However, it doesn't take them long to realize, that they don't only have to ensure their survival in the wilderness, but also have to keep out of the crossfire of criminals with little good in mind. A dangerous cat-and-mouse game begins, during which Merle and her friends soon turn out to not be exactly average ...

Short Passage from your work:

I woke up.
It took me couple of seconds to realize, that I was still sitting on the airplane which was supposed to bring me and my classmates away from the daily horrors of school into the tropical paradise, to finally celebrate our graduation from ninth grade. Flight AL-771, from Lysköping/Lillamala International, Lillorainen, to Inilani International, Kelaina, United Confederacy.
It took me another couple of seconds to realize, that we had obviously landed. I couldn't remember to have fallen asleep, but my intuitive assumption was, that we had already arrived in Inilani, and my body had just picked the perfect moment to wake up, so we all could leave the plane for what promised to be the most awesome trip we would ever be on together.
I threw a look out of the bull's eye - then closed my eyes for a moment, and threw another one out.
What I saw was lots of scrub, tropical palm trees and flowers from all sorts, sizes, shapes, and colors - while I wasn't anywhere near an expert on botanics, I easily identified them as plants endemic to the Moana Nui Islands. With a closer look into the dense wood, I was even able to spot a few parrots and other tropical birds, as well as two Kelainian Little Mungos at some distance.
Alright ... as regards the flora and fauna I managed to spot from here, the surroundings were pretty much akin to what I would expect in the U.C., but what I missed was some other important stuff one would find at our destination, like the promised hotel complexes, beaches, pools, cocktail bars, hula dancers with flower wreaths, music, lots of Aloha - and, first and foremost, an airport.
Had I overslept an emergency landing? Considering how loud my alarm clock had to be, and how I still had managed to sleep well with an open window even when they had begun with construction works in our street at seven o'clock in the morning, this wasn't exactly unlikely. If I really needed my beauty rest, a bomb could detonate nearby without waking me up.
I heard a yawn next to me and turned around. Roderich Kastrup, a, let's say, well-nourished classmate of mine, had just woken up.
... so, he had slept, too ...?
I sat straight, looking beyond my seat, to see what the others were doing - and saw, that obviously, no one was awake.
What, in Odin's name, was going on here?
"Are we already there?" - I heard Roderich's sleep-drugged voice inquire. He looked around, and also out of the bull's eye. "Where are all the candy shops and cocktail bars?"
I grinned inwardly. Roderich only cared about things under one particular aspect: whether one could eat, or drink them.
"I have no bloody idea" - I told him, shrugging. Yeah, I could be pretty straightforward sometimes, but he was used to it.
"Hm. I must have some chocolate reserves somewhere ..." - he said.
"Better save them for later" - I advised him. Even though I had no idea as to when this 'later' was going to be, I somehow didn't have a particularly good feeling about this. "Say ... can you remember when you've fallen asleep?"
"Nah, I don't ..." - he began, thinking about that for a moment. "... well, hang on, yes. I remember how we were above Ragnarsson's Rock, and the Stewardess brought drinks, mostly orange juice. There were some turbulences afterwards ... and then, I suddenly felt awfully tired ... and away I was. Fell asleep in no time."
I nodded. Now that he mentioned it, he was right - we all had received drinks, had taken a couple of sips or more, then there had been turbulences, not strong ones, but notable. And suddenly, I had started yawning, as if I had been up for twenty-four hours and just eaten a whole pigling on my own, and fallen into sleep at once.
I got my phone out. According to the display, it was 12:53, midday. We had been supposed to arrive in Inilani at 12:58.
And I had no reception ... it looked as if we were stranded in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, not even the usual welcoming SMS one received whenever entering another country's telecommunications network had gotten through.
"Can you see if anyone's hurt?" - I asked Roderich. He pulled himself up and started looking if everyone was okay. I followed him.
The aircraft was not big, a Kinnir 441-303 from Saressidia. We only were 27 passengers in total, mostly consisting of our class. I had spotted two businessmen, apparently from Shikonjima, or from the Sharulsi Khanate, or Yue, or ... I had no idea - I couldn't really tell them apart ... then, a few people who looked like Moana Nui Islanders, and that had mostly been it.
"Everyone looks fine!" - Roderich said.
I nodded, genuinely surprised, but also relieved. Whoever the pilot was - if he managed to land in such a heavily vegetated, scrubby place leaving every single passenger without even a single scratch - at least no obvious one -, then good job! He really must have been a professional.
But it was still mysterious, why we had all fallen asleep suddenly ...
Had there been something in the drinks? Had someone ... sent us asleep on purpose? And if so, why ...?
I would need yet a bit of time to make sense of all this. As of now, we only had two crucial facts - we hadn't landed where we would have been supposed to, and we all had overslept the landing. Whatever this was supposed to mean, I had the feeling, that something mysterious was going on here; almost like in a murder mystery, just, at least according to my current state of knowledge, without a murder. And in the middle of all this me, Merle Petersen, a total average schoolgirl with a total average name, blonde hair, blue eyes, living in Lykstad in Sigurdsland - and actually only interested in having a good time in here. Well, a good start ...
"What the shit?" - someone said, just as sleep-drugged as Roderich and I had been. "What's going on here?"
And it was getting better ... the voice belonged to Sören Emmerich, the guy with the biggest trap around - all bark and no bite, but equipped with an ego which would need its own postal area code. The best, the coolest, the fastest, the best-looking guy - according to his own statements. Congratulations, Merle! - I thought to myself. Out of all people you could end up trapped on some island with, it must be him. When I would be back home, I decided, I would go to the Priestess of the Temple of Thor and beg for forgiveness for whatever I might have done.
I left the explanation, or lack thereof, to Roderich, and went over to someone I got along with better, Lotta Kokkedal, one of my best friends. The redhead with the sparkling green eyes was going to celebrate her sixteenth birthday during this trip. Hopefully, we would already be over in Inilani by that day ...
Lotta was already awake, throwing a glance towards the landscape outside, then turning to me. "Is it what I'm thinking it is?" - she asked.
I shrugged. "Depends on what you're thinking" - I replied. Lotta never needed a lot of time to wake up and to realize where she was, if she wasn't in her own bed, which tended to be a big advantage in extraordinarily boring school lessons.
"I think" - she said and pointed outside, "that this is not an airport."
"I don't know where were are" - I explained, "I just woke up myself. Like everyone here. I suspect some soporific agents in our drinks, but I got no idea why anyone would do that."
Lotta frowned. She just wanted to respond, as we suddenly heard the smash of a door. Lotta got up and we looked towards the side door of the plane, which, apparently, was a bit harder to open for our self-appointed class superhero.
We slowly went over to him; Roderich just said, "Yeah, you'll achieve a whole lot with force!"
Sören tried again - and finally managed to open it. "That's not force, that's technical superiority!"
"Yeah, that's what you're telling the one who found the emergency opening mechanism."
"Right, and I just opened it!"
Lotta and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. Sören was such a dolt.
Roderich motioned for us to follow them outside, having to jump from the door to the ground a bit more than one and a half meters due to the lack of a gangway. Luckily, the plane was small enough, so getting back in later on would be less of a problem. Well, save for Roderich, maybe ...
As turned out, we were on an elongated forest glade, just wide enough for the plane to fit between the dense trees and bushes. I couldn't see how far the clearing went into the direction we must have come from on the plane, but one thing was for sure - the pilot had done a damn good job. I would have looked, if the pilot was still there and doing well in the first place, but I couldn't reach the side doors from the floor, and since separating walls between the cockpit and the body were a legal requirement with passenger aircraft registered in the Federation, I couldn't have accessed it.
But with a bit of luck, we would get help soon ... at least, despite the mysterious circumstances, I wasn't willing to give up on the hope too easily.
The guys had obviously decided to take the downhill path, and considering, that there was a huge, forested mountain in one direction and, most certainly, the shore on the other side, the latter probably patrolled by the U.C. Coast Guard (or whoever else might be in charge in here), who might see us easier from there, it wasn't even a dumb idea. Yes, even Sören had his moments. Rarely, but sometimes.
The idea of trying to estimate cardinal directions with the help of the sun would fall flat, though. It was midday, and in countries as close to the equator as the U.C. was, the sun was in the zenith by this time of the year. Our course had been south or south-west, logically, but since someone had been so friendly and given us all an extra portion of beauty rest, no one of us could know, if the plane had possibly turned in direction before landing.
I just realized how little we actually knew ...
"Hang on!" - Roderich suddenly said and kept standing. Apparently, he had found something. I grinned inwardly. Maybe a chocolate bar? - I wondered, considering his natural instinct when hungry. Which was basically always.
Sören turned to him, too, just as Lotta and I did.
Roderich frowned, and when we saw what he had in his hands, we also knew why.
Bullet casings.
And not exactly few of them.
"These definitely belong to something bigger" - he said, "maybe an MJR-108 or even 111. Or an appropriate equivalent thereof from other gun producers." He shrugged. "At least, they are used, so whoever has been here before, he or she seemed to be playing with their toys here."
Sören made a dismissive hand gesture. "You'll find them in the woods back home, too. They can be The-Gods-know-how-old. That doesn't have to mean anything."
Lotta shook her head. "Remember when we heard in the news, that the Moana Nui Islands are getting hit by tropical storms, and were all panicking because we didn't want to have shitty weather when coming here?" I nodded. "That was just three or four days ago. If these thingies had been around here for ages, they would certainly be muddy now." She took one of them. "And as you can see, they're perfectly clean."
Sören shrugged. Conceding to be proven wrong wasn't his thing.
Roderich nodded, though. "Sounds logical!" - he said. "So we have Good-night-drops in our juice, an emergency landing no one knows the reason for, and an island whose only inhabitant we know of so far runs around with his opinion amplifier and doesn't seem to hesitate using it for whatever reason." He let a beat pass. "You guys wanna know what I'm thinking? Wonderful! I think, we have a serious problem."
He was right. Whatever was going on here, it wasn't anything too good.

[Kuronami]

Monday, 13th January 2020

TO: Katla Stoltensteen
Olde Heerstraat 37, 1600 Marrenager 22, Federation of Lillorainen.

Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled A Class Trip to the Green Hell and have handed it over to the judges pool. And thank you for your splendid cover letter, while not necessary, it does show already a great degree of professionalism. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala when the winners are announced. Please look for a letter notifying of the time and date if you wish to attend. Until then we wish you more happy writing ahead.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

[New Visayan Islands]

TO: Piffle Publishing
Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F

Return Address: LCDR Tecumseh C. Piañar, VCN
Office of the Head Chaplain, NAS Guiuan
Tagporo District, Guiuan, SM 6809
Visayan Confederation

To whom it may concern,
I would like to submit my entry to the Piffle Publishing Contest, The Scars of Reorganization. It deals with people who survived systemic persecution on account of their religious beliefs and how they handled the resulting fallout.

Inspired by the testimonies of members of religious groups that fled persecution by government entities and organized non-state actors alike, the book is set after the fact in an alternate history where the hardliners of the Marcos regime clamped down harder, establishing a junta patterned after the National Reorganization Process and engaging in a campaign of repression targeting religious groups deemed subversive for harboring dissidents.

While the events are be definition fictional, the circumstances are not; the Confederation takes in an average of 7500 refugees fleeing religious persecution a year. In 2019, this accounted for 25% of the entire year's combined quota for refugees and asylees. To that end, I wish that any cash prize that I may be awarded should go to Caritas Internationalis.

Attached is the submission form for my book; I hope for your kind consideration.

Yours in Christ,
(Sgd.)
LCDR Tecumseh C. Piañar, VCN
Head Chaplain, NAS Guiuan

Title: The Scars of Reorganization
Author(s): Tecumseh C. Piañar
Type:
[X] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)
Genre: Alternate History
Summary: A compilation of testimonies collected in the Cebu Trials of 1994 archived by the Philippine Reorganization Memorial Museum, these testimonies proved to be crucial in seeing to it that the people responsible for the Reorganization were either locked up or executed.
Short Passage from your work:
Branding. That's what the junta calls having your religious affiliation and your SSS number tattooed on your forearm the way the Nazis did with every inmate of the Camps. With so many religious having to deal with the junta's state atheism in many ways, it boggles me that the junta decided to take notes from the same red bastards they claimed to oppose...but those men were no Falangists. Say what you want about those Spanish jackboots, but not for no reason did Spanish Catholics side with Franco in their Civil War.
My Civil War began in August 1987 when I was liberated by an armed group calling itselves Los Cristeros Nuevos. They raided the camp I was interned in to liberate prisoners; I had been in for only two weeks, so I wasn't as frail as some of my fellow inmates. LCN saw this and offered a spot for me; I accepted, and the first thing I did was help some of the weaker inmates out of the camp.

[Hanoverian Great Britain]

Title: William V: "The Last Soldier King of Britain"
Author(s): William VI, Alexandra I
Type:
[] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[X] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)
Genre: History, Biography
Summary: (What is this about?) A classical yet detailed, and a 230 pages long biography writing focused on the life of Britain's celebrated "Soldier King", William V who reigned from the year 1853 until 1913, a staggering period of six decades. The biography's contents are exclusively based on historical records and words of William V's peers during his lifetime, which was later continued by the likes of his son and grandson, George V and Edward VIII respectively.

Short Passage from your work: (optional but encouraged; remember must be PG-13 NS friendly )
From the Chapter "Between The Two German Statesmen":
"While I do heed and respect the demands of Bismarck for Hanover to be incorporated into the new German Empire, it is not my sane duty to simply forfeit my ancestral home", stressed the young, 36 year old king. In regards to that matter, he had already defied the advice of his Prime Minister Ewart Gladstone to not cause an unneeded war by agreeing to cede Hanover. Besides, it came to his knowledge that should his expectations be right, Bismarck himself would not be so desperate for a military conflict. The crisis facing him was certainly not like Alsace-Lorraine's. William himself, in contrast to Bismarck's pro-German rhetoric had extremely strong claims and legitimacy over Hanover itself as it was from there that his predecessors, starting from George I came from. Though not their official capital, it was their main seat of power when compared to London. As his private secretary stood straight facing his sovereign, William's expression remained stern, and silent.

[Kuronami]

Thursday, 16th January 2020

TO: CDR Tecumseh C. Piañar, VCN
Office of the Head Chaplain, NAS Guiuan
Tagporo District, Guiuan, SM 6809
Visayan Confederation

Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled The Scars of Reorganization and have handed it over to the judges pool. And thank you for your splendid cover letter, while not necessary, it does show already a great degree of professionalism. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala when the winners are announced. Please look for a letter notifying of the time and date if you wish to attend. Until then we wish you more happy writing ahead.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

TO: William VI and Alexandra I
Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled William V: "The Last Soldier King of Britain" and have handed it over to the judges pool. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala when the winners are announced. Please look for a letter notifying of the time and date if you wish to attend. Until then we wish you more happy writing ahead.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

[Kuronami]

TO: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F

Return Address: Annabell Lang, R.R. 12 Homestead #12
Thunder Creek, Clarines, Kuronami

Dear Sirs and Ma'ams,

Hearing about this contest for people at home and all around the world, I was at first really unsure of myself if I could really have anything to write, but a good teacher of mine said if I have something to put to paper then it's worth reading and thus I submit my work to you, my first novel since I decided writing was really my calling. I really did wrestle over many possible subjects both fiction and non fiction and of all types of work but I finally settled on something. As pure coincidence I have been looking into my family's history and learned about my great grandmother, a truly noble woman, not of great wealth or high pedigree lineage but an earnest desire to serve her country in a time before women were conscripted into the armed forces in the Empire. She served as a Mounted Police Officer in the country domain I call home, in the early part of the 20th Century. Before motor vehicles became common, when the trains could only carry you from big city to big city she mounted her steed to enforce the law and help her community. This is a fictionalized account I created from learning more about what she did then and what many other women did at this time.

I look forward to your response,
Annabell Lang

Title: Hooves of Iron
Author(s): Annabell Lang
Type:
[X] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)
Genre: Adventure
Summary: In the early 1900s a 19-year old Cordelia Braun has just arrived in Clarines. She isn't here to farm the land or work the railroads but here to become a law enforcement officer. But does the countryside really need the law like the big cities of Caloris, for sure not really but as the seasons roll by and months slowly evolve into years, Cordelia learns there is more to being a police officer than simply chasing down bad guys. She learns the value of serving entire villages, and farmsteads. Rounding up loose livestock and being communal with neighbors. But the countryside isn't always a simple and idealistic paradise of God fearing folks because there's just as much of a seedy side as anything the cities have. Bandits, outlaws are par the course but also being the fine barrier between a civil and just society and one ruled by fear and mob mentality. Cordelia and her horse partner, Sunny, will experience all that.

Short Passage from your work:

The winter of 1906 had set in and a cold one it was. As Cordelia sat atop Sunny, overlooking the snow covered fields it all seemed just a like a quiet serene paradise. Honestly she couldn't imagine having gotten used to this when she came out here in the warm spring sun. A brisk and chilly day, the moisture of her breathing forming a distinct white cloud every time she exhaled and the same could be said for Sunny as she did the same, almost in sync with her partner. All seemed so quiet and just peaceful on this January morning but the silence was shattered soon enough.

A rose faced curly haired Tina had ridden up beside Cordelia in a seeming awful panic. Her face was red from the cold and from her tears, no matter how bundled up she was it was apparent. "Miss Braun, Miss Braun!" The little girl shouted at her pulling on the reins a bit harder than she might, honestly Cordelia was fretting this little girl might be bucked or fall off and be seriously hurt. "Miss Braun, please you have to help, my papa he's hurt himself, real bad!"

Cordelia's face went sullen and serious, she gripped the reins on Sunny ready to quickly about face or race forward after the details. "What happened, Tina?" Cordelia asked.

Tina panted out again, "My papa. Please."

"What happened?" It wasn't going to be helpful if the little girl were to panic all the way through, this seemed urgent.

"He-he-cut his leg! Read bad, I tied it up best I could before I went to find Doctor Samueles. But he needs help, he can't walk and I'm not big enough to get him onto Betsy."

"Don't worry, I'll get him for you! Where is he?"

"Down in the grove where the creek splits into a fork! He's against a tree. He just can't seem to get up on his own, I tried, he tried real hard!"

"It'll be okay. I'll get him, you go on and tell the doc to get ready."

"Yes ma'am!"

"Go on as quick as you can but be careful with Betsy there." Cordelia gave a mighty, ya as she slapped down the reins to head down the ways to the forest grove. A common spot for gathering wood, fishing, playing, it was a spot Cordelia learned very well but this was now her first medical incident she was having to pull someone out. She was told this would happen sooner or later and today was that day. With the icy air, cold snow she'd have to be quick before the little girl's poor father froze to death. Each clop of Sunny's hooves hitting the crunchy snow sounded louder than the next, the cold blast of wind in her face stung with what felt like the force of many bees, her heart beating fast from the race of adrenaline she was feeling made her breath and chest feel tight. In a flash she found him. "Andrew," Cordelia called out pulling back on the reins enough to slow and make a small leap off. Andrew was fairly in okay sense he was nodding and looking at her, groaning a bit. Cordelia got a look at his wound, it did look pretty bad, the blade of his axe next to him stained with his blood. It was wrapped up, probably as good as a child could do.

"Hey, Cordee." He chuckled but inhaled sharply. Trying to keep his spirits up no doubt. Cordelia didn't need to ask, she had a good idea of what probably happened, his axe got away from him or the blade broke away. Either way he was hurt bad he was still bleeding. Cordelia pulled the scarf from around her neck and used it to try an extra bit of pressure around his leg. "I guess my little Tina got to you?"

"She did. I told her to head for town and get the Doc. I'll get you back." She was looking for the best way to lift him up onto horseback. Andrew as a big guy, plenty of muscle and plenty tall so it would take a good amount of effort for just Cordelia but she'd get him.

"Come on, face it." Cordelia could argue how strong she'd grown but this wasn't the time, Andrew continued still doubtful even Cordelia could get him back. "I'll be with Annette soon enough."

"Not on my watch. You got a little girl to take care of, you're damn sure I'm gonna make sure you're gonna keep taking care of her. All right this is probably gonna hurt a lot but I gotta get you onto Sunny and I gotta get you to town. If you're gonna scream, I won't think you less of a man but I might have have to gag you."

"I'll try my best." Andrew exhaled sharply again. Cordelia tried to get him to his feet and while he wasn't screaming he just couldn't get up long enough to get balanced even for a moment. She then had an idea maybe this would work. Snapping off a few branches she quick make-shifted up a split. She she could keep his leg still maybe it could at least manage the pain a bit. It wasn't a break as much as deep cut wound but it might still work just enough. "All right let's go for it again. On three. THREE." Why make him anticipate it when she could just go for it and with all that effort she got him onto the horse, admittedly he looked like a big sack of meat lumped over but trying to get him to sit up seemed like a lost cause. But with him on the horse getting him back to town should be easy. She hoped.

[Kuronami]

〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Dear Contestants,

We hope you are doing well in your writings and we know you are still eagerly awaiting the results of our contest. We're thrilled to announce our evening dinner party will be hosted the night of February 1 where you will be treated to a pleasant evening of good conversation and good food as you get the results. For those looking for a long visit and a little sight seeing a list of hotels and hostels are provided with this letter but we would encourage you to stay with our corporate partners at The Prince Park Hotel in downtown Sonomi. Participants in this contest will get 30% off room rates. For short term visits, Piffle will reimburse your travel expenses regardless of your outcome in the contest. Once again we want to stress that attendance of this event is not required to accept any winnings or deals with Piffle Company. Be mindful it is currently summer in Kuronami so dress and pack appropriately. Cultural dress is acceptable as attire for this event otherwise plan on formal.

Our submission pool remains open for new writers around the globe to submit but until then we are awaiting to see you folks. Do note that submitting a cover letter is not required but does show a great degree of professionalism with our editors and literary agents so it is certainly appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you soon,
Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

[Krainin]

To: Piffle Publishing,
〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F

From: Danica Samson,
11-2124 Route 32
Pakinsview, Ashos, The Krainin Isles

---

To whom it may concern,
I would like to submit my entry to the Piffle Publishing Contest, The 1996 Shezana Crisis; What Really Happened. It’s a book using firsthand accounts of me and my squad mates experiences leading up to and during the unofficial war called the 1996 Shezana Crisis.

I’ve been trying to get this book published for about a decade now and local publishing agencies refuse to publish it. They’re worried the government might try to silence them. I want people to know what truly happened back in ‘96 rather than the sugar coating that the government says.

Signed,
Danica Samson
Retired Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Naval Air Division

Title: The 1996 Shezana Crisis; What Really Happened
Author(s): Lt. Cdr. Danica Samson (ret.)
Type:
[] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[X] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)
Genre: Historical Non-Fiction
Summary: The 1996 Shezana Crisis, What Really Happened covers the skirmishes of the late 80s and early 90s that led up to the crisis, along with the crisis as well, from firsthand accounts from the 142 Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Division.
Short Passage from your work: We got sent over as part of the second Carrier Strike Fleet. The only thing we really knew was that Shezana, a former colony of The Isles, has become increasingly more hostile towards Krainin military personal in the region and threatened the sovereignty of the Free City of St. Michaels. We really didn't know how bad it was going to be until we had our first couple of sorties.

[Kuronami]

Monday, 20th January 2020

TO: Danica Samson,
11-2124 Route 32
Pakinsview, Ashos, The Krainin Isles


Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled The 1996 Shezana Crisis; What Really Happened and have handed it over to the judges pool. And thank you for your splendid cover letter, while not necessary, it does show already a great degree of professionalism. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala when the winners are announced. Please look for a letter notifying of the time and date if you wish to attend. Until then we wish you more happy writing ahead.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

[Kuronami]

-bumping for any more applicants who wish to join-

[Voxija]

Can I have a puppet nation join?

[Kuronami]

Can I have a puppet nation join?

Yes so long as you say it's you.

[Ruritane]

(Ha ha ha, it's a puppet nation of Voxija, ha ha)

Title: Sappy Romance Novel
Author(s): Joseph Dreyfus
Type:
[] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[x] Novella (Fiction)
[] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)
Genre: romance, parody
Summary: (What is this about?) Jacob and Melanie meet in a coffee shop and then they fall in LURVE!
Short Passage from your work: (optional but encouraged; remember must be PG-13 NS friendly )

Melanie's eyes met Jacob's across the counter. Melanie was a frankly stunning barista working at du café to pay off her student loans, and Jacob was a college football player who had a hidden intellectual streak. Surely, they were meant for each other.
Melanie giggled. Jacob giggled. They both said, "who are you?" at the same time. And then they both giggled.

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

To: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F

Return address:
I. Seebattallion, regimental HQ, Westerplatte, Gdansk, Ducal Prussia, Kingdom of Poland, Prussia-Poland
21/1/20

To whom it may concern:

I would like to submit something I've been working on for awhile- Dabrowski's Mazurka. It deals with an alternate-universe Prussia-Poland, as well as the European part of the Cold War. In it, the Autumn Forge 83 exercises coincide with the start of a mass revolt and worker's strike in Prussia-Poland, igniting Soviet fears that this is the start of a NATO invasion. In response, they mobilize their own troops, and after a border incident, Europe plunges into war.

While partly inspired by real events, most of the book's plot is entirely fictional.

I hope you enjoy my work.
Sincerely-
Lance Corporal Karl Stortebeker, I. Seebattallion

Title: Dabrowski's Mazurka
Author(s): Karl Stortebeker
Type:
[*] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)
Genre: Techno-thriller/War novel
Summary: In 1983, NATO prepares for Autumn Forge 83, a military exercise that involves large amounts of combat troops from the United States, the Netherlands, and Britain. Over 30,000 troops, almost 2,000 armored vehicles, and the massive amounts of supplies associated with such an army descend upon Western Europe, culminating in escalation drills that simulate a nuclear exchange.

As they drill, the Iron Curtain begins to crack. An increasingly bold Prussian-Polish Underground State forges an alliance between the anticommunist partisans, based primarily in the South, and Solidarity, an anti-communist worker's union in the North.

On November 11, the last day of Autumn Forge 83, a general strike begins that cripples daily life in Prussia and Pomerania. 2 hours after the strike is announced, heavily-armed partisans attack and seize a prison camp, freeing the prisoners, before evacuating. Smaller-scale attacks happen across Prussia-Poland, and even across the border in the German Democratic Republic.

Fearing that this is the start of the long-awaited invasion, the USSR moves considerable forces to East Germany and Prussia-Poland, both to fend off any attempts at invasion and to quell the uprising. In response, NATO cancels the withdrawal of troops that would have normally occured at the end of an exercise and rushes them back to the border.
Any attempt at defusing the situation is lost when a firefight erupts between NATO and Warsaw Pact patrols that escalates into a conventional war.

Short Passage from your work:

Chapter IV: Ignition
Rise, Kościuszko, strike in hearts,
Which dare to deceive with mercy.
Did that murderer know about mercy,
Which bathed Praga in blood?
Let he now repay for that blood in blood,
Let he, a malicious visitor, sprinkle it over the ground.
Martyr laurels of our brethren
Will grow more magnificent on it.
-Song of Warsaw(1831)

"You don't look so tough."
The old Silesian ran his gnarled hands over his bolt-action. It was an old, rugged thing, just like it's bearer. It had seen plenty of action...and was ready to see more.
"How many?" he inquired of his companion-a younger man, armed with an M14 from a NATO airdrop.
"At least four." he replied.
"And with that fancy peashooter of yours to boot? Peh. But a gun's a gun. Let's go, the others are waiting."

The pair made their way through the woods. It was a clear, frosty night-winter had come early this year.
Eventually they came upon a much larger group-two dozen, at least. They were a motley crew-some dressed in rags and armed with old rifles, others in crisp and clean uniforms looted from the Volksarmee, with shiny new AKMs seized from the cold, dead hands of their previous owners.

But they were all united in purpose and will, and in this they were connected with hundreds of thousands of others. Other insurgents, creeping along the shadows of the Carpathians, or dockyard workers who refused to toil as slaves any longer. They were but a little part of the greater whole that was Prussia-Poland, acting in concert with thousands of other little bands like themselves.

And act they would.
As one unit, the band of insurgents packed up, and marched off, to destinations unknown.

---

Communists, if nothing else, are extremely good at setting standards. Prison camps are no exception.

Camp VII, as it was known to the insurgents, was your stereotypical camp. Square-shaped with electrified fences, and guard towers at the corners. Each tower was manned by a single fireteam, with a DShK heavy machine gun and a large searchlight at their disposal. If a prisioner wandered too close to the fence, they would get a single warning-shot. The next one would go through their head.

Within the camp there were several blocks, each separated by checkpoints and fencing. There were the guard barracks, the cell blocks(three of them, in the case of Camp VII), and a single squat, ugly administrative building that resembled a hunch-backed imp if one looked at it the right way. Finally, there was a single entrance at the western side of the camp.


The insurgents had spent some time plotting various courses of action. Tunneling into the camp, cutting or blasting a hole in the side...eventually, however, they had decided on the simplest, loudest plan possible.


First, jam communications. Next, hammer the towers, and then the gate with the half-a-dozen RPG-7s they had. After that, make good use of those M2 mortars that NATO had airdropped to them to bombard the guard barracks, while they flooded inside. Hopefully, the shock of having the perimeter being abruptly breached by heavily-armed and angry insurgents would shock the guards-many of them ill-trained and unwilling conscripits-into surrendering.

____

Part 1:
Prologue: Ashes(General historical information about Prussia-Poland and the Cold War up to this point)

Chapter 1: Kindling(The beginning of Autumn Forge 83)

Chapter 2: Compression(Plans for joint action between insurgents and Solidarity)

Chapter 3: Spark(Start of general strikes, Able Archer 83)

Chapter 4: Ignition(Insurgents raid a prison and get away with minimal losses after freeing everyone, Soviet Politboru tries to make sense of what's going on and fails miserably.)

Chapter 5: Escalation(Deployment of Warsaw Pact troops to GDR and Prussia-Poland, NATO cancels troop returns. Soviet submarines begin leaving their bases, while NATO scrambles to protect the Atlantic.)

Chapter 6: Stroke(A border incident causes the start of a conventional land war in Europe. Warsaw Pact troops overrun West Berlin, and begin their offensive into the Federal Republic of Germany. The Prussian-Polish Underground State offically declares an Insurrection against the occupying communist government.)

Part 2:
Chapter 7-10: Crimson Tide(An account of the War at Sea. Soviet submarines initially inflict massive losses among shipping in the Atlantic. However, the Sino-Soviet split is currently in full swing, allowing America to redeploy elements of the Pacific fleet to convoy escorts in the Pacific. Crucially, this includes two carrier strike groups, and the anti-submarine aircraft associated with them.)

Chapters 11-14: Fulda Fury(Warsaw Pact troops initially make massive inroads into Western Europe, seizing much of West Germany aside from a few holdouts in the South, and are entering the Low Countries and Scandinavia. This is helped in no small part by the fact that the Soviets plopped down a shitton of submarines in the Atlantic. However, an Atlantic that's increasingly free of Soviet submarines allows for massive amounts of supplies to be landed, which also means that America can now fly over troops without worrying about them starving. In addition, the Prussian-Polish insurgents begin to step up their game, wreaking havoc and confusion behind enemy lines. Finally, NATO manages to gain the upper hand in the air, thanks to the fact that they aren't starving for fuel anymore and because of the arrival of the aforementioned carrier groups. The Warsaw Pact offensive stalls, and then begins to reverse, harried from all directions by NATO and NATO-aligned troops.)

Chapters 15-18: Unconquered(Inspired by the stubborn and suprisingly effective resistance of the Prussian-Poles, several other countries in the Warsaw Pact begin revolting. Nationalist, or at least anticommunist, revolts break out in the Baltic States, Ukraine, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Romania, to name a few, pouring fuel on the tire-fire that is the Soviet logistical train. The offensive crumbles under the combined weight of a shattered logistical train and the reinvigorated and reinforced forces of NATO.)

Chapter 19: Risen from Ruins(The Soviet Union falls. The "Peace with Honour" is signed, and a ceasefire is put in place. The novel's primary characters end up in the same bar in Riga, where they all drink to a better future...hopefully.)

Epilogue: Left entirely blank, save for a single map of Europe post-war.

[Estado Novo Portugues]

To:
Piffle Publishing,
〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F

From:
Valência Conceição
1300, Praça Cerejeira
Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal

---

Dear Judges,

I would like to submit my novel, The Adventures Aboard the S.S. Estrela, as an entry for your Publishing Contest. I've written shorter texts before as a hobby, but this is my first time writing a complete book. This is a science-fiction piece that takes place in a future Portuguese Empire with spaceships and space colonies.

I have attached four excerpts from my first chapter. I hope you'll like reading them.

Valência C.

---

Title: The Adventures Aboard the S.S. Estrela

Author(s): Valência Conceição

Type:
[x] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)

Genre: science-fiction

Summary: The setting is a fictional, technologically advanced Portuguese Empire that spans multiple star systems. Marco is a new recruit in the Imperial Space Armada, the Empire's formidable fleet of space-going warships and exploration vessels. Initially he's excited to take to the cosmos, but would he regret it once he was actually aboard a spaceship? This story follows Marco's daily life on the frigate Estrela including his mishaps, triumphs and adventures.

Short Passage from your work:

"Número vinte e cinco," a computerized voice called. Number twenty-five. Up until that moment, the young man had been sitting down, eyes glued to his smartphone screen. When his number was announced, he stood and walked up to the counter at the front of the brightly lit room. Behind the counter sat an agent in a navy-blue uniform. In front of him was what looked like a large pane of clear glass, but in actuality it was a holographic display visible from only one side. The young man handed his biometric identity card to the agent, who tapped it on the counter surface. Underneath, a wireless reader scanned the information from the card, and in a matter of seconds, all of his details were visible to the agent on the display. Having verified this man's identity, the agent handed him back his identification and pressed a button. The door behind him automatically opened. "Continua," he said. Go ahead. He motioned towards the open door, and the young man walked in.

***

Ever since he was a kid, Marco had always wanted to be a Spaceman. Who didn't? The Imperial Space Armada was the scourge of the cosmos, striking fear into the hearts of Earthlings and extraterrestrials wherever its vessels prowled. Thanks to the invention of warp drive, Portugal was able to break free from its earthly chains and expand its domination to multiple star systems—a colossal empire where the suns truly never set. And Marco wanted nothing more than to be part of this elite class of crusaders at the forefront of planetary conquest, carrying the flag ever further, glorifying the Emperor's name for generations to come. Today, his dream would become reality. After months of intense training, Marco was now ready to be assigned to a ship with his fellow freshly-graduated Spacemen.

***

Marco walked through the open door into a smaller room. A cylindrical glass pod stood in the middle. It had two openings for entry and exit, and glowing arrows on the floor to direct users. Marco followed the illuminated path until he was inside the pod. "Pare aqui," a female computerized voice said. Stop here. The machine immediately got to work, scanning Marco's body proportions with invisible laser beams. After ten seconds, the measurement was complete. A robotic arm descended from the ceiling with a crisp new Spaceman uniform in exactly the right size. "Continua," the machine then said. Go ahead. Marco excitedly grabbed his uniform and exited the pod. He was now officially a full member of the Space Armada.

***

The briefing room had a futuristic look to it. The walls and ceilings were jet-black with blue hexagonal patterns. One wall had a large projector screen, and the center of the floor contained a 3D holographic display, though it was not activated at present. Marco and his fellow Spacemen sat in the rows of airline-like seats, chatting while waiting for the Captain to deliver his welcome speech. He entered the room not long after. "Atenção, Marinheiros d'Espaço!" barked the Captain. Attention Spacemen! At once, the briefing room fell silent. All fifty Spacemen immediately stood up and saluted the Captain, who returned the salute and began his speech in Portuguese.

"You may all be seated. Welcome to the Imperial Space Armada. I am Captain Rafael Vasques, and I am pleased to serve as your commanding officer aboard the frigate Estrela. Being a Spaceman is very different from civilian life, and it is also very different from life in the other military branches. Ships of the Space Armada spend months or years at a time in space, away from the safety of this planet. Once in the vacuum of space, there is no way off the ship. The people you see around you right now will be your crewmates and neighbors, and potentially buddies in combat, so it is important that you all demonstrate teamwork, cooperation and leadership. I expect all of you to leave your differences and disagreements on Earth—fighting is not acceptable at any time. As your Captain, I assume full responsibility to ensure your safety and the safe operation of my ship. All orders from me or my officers must be obeyed without question or delay. I do not tolerate any disobedience, disrespect or laziness on my ship, and violations of military regulations will be punished severely. Is that clear? Good. Be back here at exactly eight o'clock tomorrow. You may all be dismissed."

[Besmenien]

Title: Ulrich's failed life (Das gescheiterte Leben von Ulrich)
Author(s): Herbert-Karl Balbmann
Type:
[X] Novel (fiction)
[] Novel (prose styled non-fiction)
[] Novella (Fiction)
[] Book (expository non fiction)
[] Short Story
[] Script (fiction, auditory or visual performance)
[] Script (non-fiction, linguist based)
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Summary: The book tells the life of the farmer Ulrich Ulm, who wants to make a career in the big city, but is terribly divorced.
Short Passage from your work: "I wanted to do something that will be remembered in a thousand years. Maybe I should give up my life on the farm and go to Helmfurt. But what will become of my farm? What do I do with the animals?"

[Kuronami]

Tuesday, 21th January 2020

TO: Joseph Dreyfus

Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled Sappy Romance Novel and have handed it over to the judges pool. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala on the night of February 1 to hear the announced winners and meet with our staff.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

(I know you say it's WIP, PPC, but honestly looks pretty good so I'm happy to accept it)

Wednesday, 22nd January 2020

TO: I. Seebattallion,
regimental HQ, Westerplatte, Gdansk, Ducal Prussia,
Kingdom of Poland, Prussia-Poland

Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled Dabrowski's Mazurka and have handed it over to the judges pool. And thank you for your splendid cover letter, while not necessary, it does show already a great degree of professionalism. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala on the night of February 1 to hear the announced winners and meet with our staff.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

Thursday, 23rd January 2020

TO: Valência Conceição
1300, Praça Cerejeira
Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal

Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled Aboard the S.S. Estrela and have handed it over to the judges pool. And thank you for your splendid cover letter, while not necessary, it does show already a great degree of professionalism. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala on the night of February 1 to hear the announced winners and meet with our staff. Until then we wish you more happy writing ahead.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

Tuesday, 21th January 2020

TO: Herbert-Karl Balbmann

Return Address: 〒180-0004
1-12-13 Kichijoji Honcho, Sonomi City, Amaterasu, Kuronami
Saikawa Building 3F


Thank you for your submission to our contest. We have received your manuscript entitled Ulrich's failed life and have handed it over to the judges pool. We thank you for your participation in our contest and wish you great luck and hope to see you at our lovely evening gala on the night of February 1 to hear the announced winners and meet with our staff. Until then we wish you more happy writing ahead.

Sincerely,

Elma Fujieda
Contest Administrator

[Estado Novo Portugues]

OOC: Looks like you've got a name mix-up in the replies. Herbert-Karl Balbmann (not Joseph Dreyfus) is the character of Besmenien, and the author of Ulrich's Failed Life. Valência Conceição (not Herbert-Karl Balbmann) is my character, and the author of The Adventures Aboard the S.S. Estrela. Could you please fix this? Thanks!