Top Story: Raining Hellfire - Re-testing the STBM

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Total range  of the STBM

Reizen fishermen fumed as the heavens over the eastern seas of Reizen Island roared from the explosive missile tests. At 10am exactly, a Submarine-launched Tactical Burst Missile (STBM) was launched off the coast of Frost Island. 30 minutes later the skies above Reizen island were reportedly rumbling with explosions. Military officials requesting anonymity described the blast as if the sky was raining molten rain. Dummy ships and unmanned aerial vehicles were used to test the capabilities of the STBM, and were subsequently destroyed. When recovering the debris the officials noted that the ships were riddled with shrapnel and sunk. U.A.V.s were also ripped into several pieces and almost impossible to recover. A second dummy missile was launched afterwards and splashed down harmlessly off the coast of the Antarctic sea where it was picked up by a recovery ship escorted by two attack submarines.

The moves comes as part of the empire’s random testing to  ensure the working condition of its weapons systems. Defense Minister Tadamichi “Guren” Kimblee was far more pleased with the monitoring and intelligence gathering of the weapon as opposed to its destructive might. When asked for a comment from the Imperial Tribune, Minister Kimblee said, “While the STBM is a powerful asset to use in war, I must stress that we will never be the aggressor, but we must ensure that we can deter most if not all naval invasions by a rogue nation, or a nation that is drawn into conflict with us.”

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Artist’s rendering of the effect of an STBM

Meanwhile a fisherman of Reizen island said, “While its nice that they’re thinking of protecting us, We hope that the Imperial military will actually inform us in advance before keeping us from our jobs. I mean, first it was Governor Rei-fohm and his blasted reforms keeping us away from traditional Ecori fishing grounds, but now the military is keeping us from the lucrative east sea citing ‘national security’.” When asked for a response for the complaint of the fishermen, Minister Kimblee also responded, “We understand that the fishermen weren’t able to fish in the usual areas, but they must also understand that the province of Reizen has recently fallen under increased scrutiny after the murder of the venerable Governor Rei-fohm, and tacit support of EFA traitors. Nonetheless we will endeavor to find alternative sites in the near future to test.”

By Grand Admiral “Guren”

I have learned at a young age that the world is lawless. That the only thing you can do is to protect yourself by any means necessary. You cannot trust the other nations to uphold their end of the bargain. You cannot trust other countries to cooperate. No, you have to deceive them. Make them believe that they are helping themselves by helping you. The foreigners are nothing more than sociopaths who embrace the hypocrisy of morals. They make you believe that they have morals, laws, honor, or that they’ll cooperate in the name of security, or peace, or cooperation. No… the reality is that their morals, laws, and conception of honor are completely incompatible with each other. The reality is that they care only about enriching their own countries, and they will do so by stabbing us in the back by entangling the Empire in a string of economic and political maneuvers so that her might cannot save her.

The other countries underestimated the simplicity and paranoia of the elders of Senran High Command. In spite of their mandate to administer the Senran Isles, the Senran High Command are not politicians. No, the High Command is a military bureaucracy without a delicate touch for international politics. Coupled with the intense desire for ensuring its safety and a lack of concern for other countries, the high command has focused its strategy on self-defense. I will admit the way they did so was much too heavy-handed even for my liking since they bred additional enemies where none had existed before. Nonetheless, what is done is done, and I will move every expendable asset, including myself, to ensure that the Islands stay safe for the Empire. Even if it means displeasing the foreigners. Even if means dying the seas red with blood.

My opponents will inevitably demand for a “return of the seas” and that the Senran military council obey international law and order. When neither exists, however, what is the Empire to do but ensure its own security? I, myself, am responsible for the lives of one hundred twenty thousand settlers scattered across the territories with more coming in every day. In the coming years these settlers will inevitably outnumber the Senran Army Group tasked with protecting them and maintaining control of the seas. An Imperial officer’s duty is to lay down his or her life to protect Imperial citizens. Ergo, I will ensure that these settlers are protected no matter the costs.

I expect that my opponents will resort to cheap displays of power, such as deploying a warship instead of a diplomatic ship to bring in their delegations to the negotiating table. There is no doubt that such a move will satisfy their base. After all, it is too far too easy to posture against perceived aggressors. Yet, such a move will undoubtedly draw the ire of the High Command, and in turn bring us closer to war. Why? Because they failed to consider certain variables. Variables that have forced the High Command to take such drastic actions to defend their own. The other countries may have overlooked these variables after wrongly assuming that strength is the only language we speak. Yet, their dismissal of these variables… That is what makes these foreigners predictable.  Because when faced with perceived aggression, men, or women of peace, will forget about the other side, and will lash out against the other side. This in turn hardens their resolve to not compromise with the “enemy”. I do not expect much from these negotiations, but in the event they fail… Well, ask your leaders  if they can live with themselves after slaughtering innocent people, with the stroke of a pen?

By Jina Edea-Qasso
Published in Anturin Vrassad.

It is the first of May, 2017, and outside a small house in the village of Varsyerwa, on the outskirts of Ciria, an old woman is weaving a basket, just the same as she has done most days of her life.  Indeed, if we were to rewind a hundred years or more, it would not seem that much had changed at all.  There are still chickens roaming the yard, still children playing around the corner, but I don’t have to speak to this woman to know that her life has been greatly impacted by the New Year earthquake.  Half of her house is still no more than rubble.

Contrast this image with that of Vallano Parlid.  Whilst there is still a lot of restoration work ongoing at the administrative heart of this ancient city and several Embassy facades are obscured by scaffolding, it is clear than an enormous amount of time, effort and money has been poured into this plaza to return it to it’s pre-earthquake glory.  Opposite the embassies, the Mena Parlid stands, imposing as ever, as the symbol of Erinoran government.  The north wing of the building has only recently reopened after the collapse of the roof and several of the upper storeys and again scaffolding abounds, but the operations of government continue here as if there had been no earthquake.

In Cata vanyea, the picture is different again.  Here the challenge of restoring the ancient centre of the city, parts of which date back to the twelfth century, has always been an uphill struggle, but never more so than now. I spoke to the archaeologist, professor Arkhando Alra-Virakhao, who oversees the team working on the impressive Draqin Syarkhod, Syarkho Qenarid’s medieval fortress overlooking the valley in which Cata vanyea rests.

Specialist masons help to restore the ruins of Draqin Syarkhod.

“The problem with such ancient buildings is that, not only were they not designed to withstand earthquakes, but they don’t even conform to the standards of building safety which were around during the nineteenth century.  It’s not just age which has meant that Cata pulea fared much better.”

But it’s not just the issue of repairing fragile stonework that makes the restoration difficult.

“We have faced opposition from archaeologists and historians from across Pacifica who believe that it is morally wrong to return these buildings to the condition they were in before the earthquake.  For many, history should be preserved, but where preservation fails they believe we should not attempt to undo the damage which time has wrought on the stone.”

Given that many of the buildings affected remain people’s homes, then the moral quagmire grows ever more complex.

Down in the valley itself, it is the Amlassar of the the Mena Tacirid who appear to be doing most of the restoration work.  Even four months later, there are some houses where the hard graft of placing stone back on stone is only just beginning, but the Amlassar make it appear like light work, serving as a human conveyor belt to bring the building back to it’s foundations.

It is here that I found an unlikely partnership at work, with the obvious pale skin of a foreigner in dust-stained, sweat-soaked shorts and a t-shirt, contrasted among the darker-skinned, grey-clad Amlassar.  This woman, I would learn, was Tem Rassonienn, a retired doctor now serving with the Sedunnejj Krisstusset Runngissti, the Sedunnic Christian Community.

“We just want to help,” she told me during a brief break from carrying the massive stone blocks that characterise the old Varsan style of architecture.  “There have been groups of us coming over since the earthquake and we’ve been doing whatever we can to help, even working with other religious groups, like the Amlassar.  I guess we’re all just showing how out faith works out into action.”

Back in Varsyerwa, that old woman is still weaving her baskets and her house is still a partial ruin.  Despite what might be happening in the heart of the capital, it doesn’t seem like that’s a situation that is going to change anytime soon.  Such is the extent of the damage caused and such is the nature of even the most liberal, socialist-leaning democratic movement.  We prioritise our infrastructure, our leadership, our heritage, whilst the poor and rural communities have to make do, as they have always done, for as long as it takes.

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The face of philosophical old age.

“I don’t expect any help,” the old woman, whose name is Cafulila, tells me when I ask her for her point of view.  “Others have strong sons to do this for them, but even if I had them, I do not think the fields could spare them the time.”

Our Ura’sia wants Ciria to be a beacon of social democracy, but there’s more change needed in Erinor than there is the money, power, or perhaps the will right now.  The earthquake has set many things back and, perhaps, without it, we would be seeing change at a faster pace , to match the bold promises given to us last year by Roalwim Tavalad. For women like Cafulila, however, any real progress still seems a long way off.

OO
CCC
The Official Out-of-Character Column

There’s not a lot that’s especially new happening in TSP RP since the last issue [which is probably because the last issue was really late - conveniently fictional Ed.], so I thought I would focus on the one piece of exciting news we do have.  We have a new regional cartographer, who is none other than the Ministry of Regional Affair’s very own Director of Roleplaying, Qwert!

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Our glorious region, mapped in all it’s beauty!

Qwert promises to keep the map up-to-date more frequently than we have become used to, which will hopefully result in a few more nations sticking around to see what this whole RP business is all about.  He has also begun inquiring about the possibility of giving proper names to the region’s continents and is keen to take suggestions from anyone who might have them.

The issue with naming the continents in any terms other than currently, where each landmass is named according to its placement on the map, is that to give names in English we would have to come up with some kind of plausible etymology as to why that continent got commonly referred to as X and with very few obvious moments of historical crossovers between nations, and especially with native Austral/English speaking nations, it’s difficult to imagine what those etymologies could be.  I could name all the continents in Syaqin aren, but then why would any other nation know them in that language, or even based on that language.  The same argument can be made for nearly all the languages in use in TSP RP.

So, if you have any ideas as to how we might solve this dilemma, let us know right away and, perhaps, you might have your idea immortalised on the map [Continenty McContinentface, and all similar variations will not be accepted - spoilsport Ed.]!