The winter was kind to Northfort today, while the temperature was cold there was no wind and only a light frost lay on the ground. As David swept back his bedroom curtains his electronic assistant began reading out his appointments for the day. He looked at his watch and had plenty of time before the Biseam delegation arrived and so headed down and went on a short run around the Palace grounds, he'd have prefered for his niece to have been with him, she had a knack of motivating him when he began to feel his back stiffen. Having rounded the lake and gone up the family masoleuem he determined that was enough and jogged back towards the Palace. A quick shower and shave later he joined his daughter for breakfast. She was busy pushing cereal around in the bowl, "You OK sweetpea" David asked her as he picked up his stack of briefing notes from Quinn Germaine his Chief of Household.

"I feel icky" Rhiannon complained, she'd been moaning more and more recently but David knew why, she was due to spend the weekend with her mother and as it was a Formula Mundus weekend she knew they'd end up sitting around for hours cheering on Matilda's boyfriend. Rhiannon had tried to get out of the visits a few times now by saying she was ill but David had insisted that she go after all he wasn't going to deny Matilda time with her daughter despite the two parents not getting along.

"What's wrong this time?" David asked

"I feel like my belly is on a see saw and my arms hurt" she made a show of lifting her arms up in front of her but winced as they reached shoulder height before letting them flop back down beside her.

"That's because you've been doing so much extra sword practice over the new year school break." David explained, "It's your muscles repairing themselves, it means your getting stronger." Rhiannon didn't seemed pleased by the answer and continued moving the cereal around the bowl. "Look I have to go to work" he kissed her on the cheek. "You need to be a good girl for Mummy right? No repeats of fighting Crocodiles or anything promise."

Rhiannon mumbled "Promise" as her father kissed her once more before heading out to the waiting car.

"Morning Will" the King greeted his head of security as he entered the car, seconds later from the far side of the car Quinn joined him and began briefing him once more on the day ahead. "I know Quinn" David smiled, "I read your briefing paper. Pick them up from the airport, head over to the Temple District for the days photo oppurtunity, then back to the Palace, lunch and then talks." David summarised the itinery for the day.

"Very good Your Majesty" Quinn said without looking up from her binder. "But you forgot the uniform measurement before lunch, need you looking sharp for that wedding in Lodja" Quinn handed the King a few documents to sign, just routine things about promotions to senior military ranks.

Soon they arrived at King Robert International Airport and the vehicles ignored the main entrance instead making their way down to the special VIP terminal which was at the opposite side of the airfield to the main terminals. It was there that an Air Force honour guard waited already practising the guests national anthem as the King greeted their commanding officer. The King smiled, what looked like steam emanating from the assembled parade in the cold morning air. The band only stopped once it was confirmed the aircraft was incoming and once on the ground the King waited for the delegation to approach before out stretching his right hand. "Welcome to East Moreland. I trust you're trip was uneventful."

In September 2016 a fierce four way civil war took place in the Federation of Academica, this raged until February 2017 when an East Moreland lead task force united with two factions of loyalists and brought the conflict to an end, this was supported with troops from Vaguzia and a token force of Heyran peacekeepers. Since this time East Moreland has, in accordance with an agreed treaty between all parties, been responsible for the safe governance of Academica. It is now however time to determine the future of Academica now it is secure.

It is therefore proposed that an initial referendum shall take place on the 14th January. This referendum will allow all residents of Academica as of 28th February 2017 who are over the age of 18 to vote, so long as they are still resident in Academica. The question to be posed to the people of Academica is to be. "What form should the future government of Academica be?" There shall be three options.

1) Restoration of an Academican monarchy.
2) Formation of an Academican Republic
3) Formation of a semi-independent Principality under East Moreland.

The options have clearly different routes to becoming reality and reasons behind being on the ballot.

1 - Should this win then a new referendum will take place on the 1st March 2019 to select a new monarch as Grand Duchess Stefani and her immediate family were killed. A team lead by Dr.Marcus Merriman shall present three candidates based on historical connections to the Grand Duchess. The winning candidate shall become the new King or Queen of Academica and work with East Moreland and Academican politicians to draw up a new constitution. This shall be voted on by the people on 1st April 2019. Once a new consitution is in place East Moreland forces would withdraw at the monarchs request.

2- Should this win then an election to select a 100 person Council will take place on 1st April 2019. This shall use proportional representation to select the council. This council shall draft a new consitution which will be put before the people on 1st May 2019. Once a new constitution is in place East Moreland forces would withdraw at the new governments request.

3 - Should this win the monarch of East Moreland shall become the Head of State of Academica. They would draft a constitution and place it before the people on 1st April 2019.

The referendum shall be run in a fair manner and we invite journalists from all nations to freely cover the vote. At present the East Moreland constitution and laws apply to Academica but all must obtain a visa for travel.

Signed

Princess Freya
Military Governor of Academica

OOC - The very limited Academica factbook https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/independent_order_ns/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1641&p=78101#p78101

Feel free to ask questions etc. The poll allows you to change your vote as often as you wish but only I can see the results until the time limit expires, which should be the 14th January 2019

Figured we needed a new game.

Dead simple. I start off posting a song.

https://youtu.be/WeYqJxlSv-Y Peter Gabriel -Solsbery Hill

The next person picks a song that links to the track or artist. So for example I could have Iron maiden run to the hills, because of Hill.....or I could have Genesis , invisible touch, because Peter Gabriel used to be in genesis.

You can't follow a song with a cover of the one posted, and you can't post two by the same artist.

So to start us off I present.

tThe Who - won't get fooled again

https://youtu.be/SHhrZgojY1Q

Just across from the The Technology City Exhibition Centre (TCEC) was the Grand Showroom, on a normal day it would be home to any one of a variety of events such as musical performances, lectures or even ballet. Today however it was hosting its first major international event, a networking event for the various companies and nations who were in attendance. King David had been first to arrive along with his Chief of Household Quinn Germaine she split off from the King once inside and stood ticking off the names of key people as they entered, she'd direct the King to anyone that he'd do well seeing during the night. A smartly dressed Air Force Steward stood by the door with a tray of Bucks Fizz while opposite stood a Royal Navy Steward with glasses of plain orange juice so each guest could get liquid rereshement upon their arrival. The hall was huge, and down one side of the room a vast buffet of various East Moreland cold delicacies sat, Game Pie, various pates, small chunks of various steaks on sticks and much to the King's delight Cheese and Pineapple on sticks, a standing joke with his daughter Princess Rhiannon who claimed it just wasn't a party without them.

Joanna Osman arrived and entered the hall taking a glass of Bucks Fizz as she walked in. The King was chatting with a few of the young Air Force Stewards manning a bar stocked with wine and spirits for the guests. She was the CEO of OsmanTech one of the biggest pharmactecal and biomedical companies on Mundus. She was also the ex-sister in law of the King. She nodded a respectful greeting to the King and examined the buffet.  Sir Harry Samuelson ignored the drinks, grabbed a piece of pie and began picking Joanna Osman's brain on some of the things he'd seen across the road. He was now Minister of Defence and rather enjoyed trying to see where the future could take the East Moreland military.

The first person to speak to the King was Sir Alan Maybury the CEO of EMAC, the pair had become good friends over the years and the King was keen to hear about EMAC's upcoming record attempt on a Formula Mundus style car. The King had helped establish Formula Mundus in his youth and was still a huge fan, despite his altercation with its current champion Sam Halliday. It didn't take long for Martin Dawson the young boss of SmartWar a company that despite its name was involved in a wide variety of projects both military and civilian. He too was a fan of the racing series and the three began chatting about the upcoming events and the gossip around the paddock.

Rachel Dixon may have been the first Morelander to walk on the moon but she still felt nervous walking into events like this, straight away several of the Air Force types headed her way, she was an ex-officer in their service and as such was now seen as a bit of a legend. She laughed as a few sneakily asked for autographs on the special monogrammed napkins from the event, she graciously signed for everyone before looking for someone she considered a friend to chat with. The organisers began music playing over the speakers built into the ceiling, gentle easy listening not something you could dance to, it wasn't that kind of event it was more a chance for people to chat about work and make deals. It would however once the sun goes down become more of a party but that was a good few hours away yet and more people had to arrive.

The nations of Seaforth and Rokkenjima

The following agreement shall be in force between the Kingdom of Seaforth and the Empire of Rokkenjima

1. The nations agree to a base exchange. Seaforth shall be granted use of Gibraltar Base in Rokkenjima while Rokkenjima shall be granted use of QAMB in Seaforth. These bases shall be leased to their operator on an annual basis.

2. Leases shall be renewed on January 1st of each year. Should one nation take up the option to not renew the lease both bases much close. All forces must be removed within six months. The leasing nation reserves the right to dismantle and remove all structures and property constructed or purchased during their stay.

3. Seaforth agree to lease to Rokkenjima an area of land adjacent to QAMB for the maintainence of a settlement. This settlement shall be considered sovereign Rokkenjima property until January 1st 2119. This settlement shall be called Rhisiri

4. Rhisiri shall not be entitled to claim any territorial waters.

5. Rhisiri shall be permitted a self defence force of no more than 1,500 members

6. Rhisiri shall not be permitted to have  heavy weapon including but not limited to: Tanks, Artillery, Missiles, Missile defense systems, CBRN based within its territory.

7.Air Defence of Rhisiri shall be the responsibility of Seaforth

8. Rokkenjima agree that there shall be a limit placed on immigration to Rhisiri. The settlement shall be limited to a 1% net immigration increase per year.

9. Rhisir shall, other than where contridicted by the agreements above, be considered sovereign territory of Rokkenjima.

10) Assets in QAMB and Gibraltar are based on reciprocity

SIgned

____________________
____________________

OOC NOTE

Rhisiri is currently considered to be part of R51 which is currently owned by Seaforth on the map.
It is agreed by all parties and the RP Mod that should Seaforth CTE that an island shall be placed on the map just off the coast of R51 and this shall be Rhisiri.
It is agreed by all parties and the RP Mod that should Rokkenjima CTE then Rhisiri shall be removed from the map at the same time as Rokkenjima is removed by the cartographer.

On behalf of the member nations of the CNN I would like to invite the world to come to Technology City on the South Coast of East Moreland. It is our intention over the period 26th November - 3rd December to present the CNN nations, and approved non-CNN based companies to showcase their Technological Developments. Additionally this Showcase will be attended by students from Technology City University as well as other Universities across the CNN. These students represent the next generation of great engineers, scientists, designers and innovators and as such this showcase will give them and visiting companies an excellent chance to network.

All CNN nation companies are permitted to attend without need for scrutiny as each nation has been given a pre-determined number of passes. Visiting Non-CNN companies will be required to gain approval to ensure conformity with East Moreland trade laws and practices as well as complying with import laws. We also reserve the right to refuse exhibitions and companies based on their security risk assessment.

Signed:- Olivia Cole
Minister for Science and Technology.

---

OOC - This will run like the Chapterhouse lectures. Those signing up will given the chance to "Showcase" their company, product etc and then be asked questions about them. Think of it like the Stark Expo in Iron-Man, only less dancing girls and no AC/DC (Actually this sucks thinking of it......). Idealy anyrhing you bring should have been featured in RP either vignettes or newsposts etc.

---

Companies Participating

1. East Moreland Aircraft Company - The Future of Speed. (East Moreland)
2. SmartWar - The Robotic Swarms of the Future. (East Moreland)
3. Claith Shipyards - The Future of the Deep (Ui Cennesliag)
4. Cenneg Space Programme - The Telescope of the Future. (Ui Cenneslaig)
5. Lodja Maritime Concerns - The Worlds Largest Drone (Lodja)
6. Watly - Taking the Web to the World (East Moreland)

---

How to take part

1. Host a talk.

[b]Name of Company/Individual[/b]
[b]Title of Showcase[/b]
[b]What equipment you'll be bringing[/b]
[b]Brief Outline of What it's about[/b] feel free to use web links.

2. Pop along and check things out.

As I envisage there being a fair bit of cool stuff around some people may wish to come and either invest, make purchases, cut deals etc. As such feel free to have a representative come along.

[b]Name of person[/b]
[b]Nationality[/b]
[b]Representing[/b]
[b]Official Titles[/b] E.g Minister of..... etc


Section 1

1. There shall be an Assembly of Ardia based in Edwinstowe, Bakkermaya. This assembly shall be made up of one voting delegate per nation. Nations may nominate any individual deemed qualified to address the Assembly on their behalf.

2. The Assembly shall meet once a month to discuss issues of importance. Should two nations feel a matter requires immediate review it shall meet within 6 hours of the request being made.

3. The Assembly shall discuss options for solutions to problems facing Ardia and shall vote on recommendations. This process shall include the settling of disputes between Ardian nations, in those cases the nations involved may not vote but may take part in discussions.

Section 2

1. The Ardian Assembly shall also create a criminal intelligence sharing network. Each nation shall appoint one individual to act as a liaison.

2. It is expected that nations co-operate with foreign investigations and make intelligence available to other nations so far as.

a) Doing so does not endanger ongoing investigations.
b) Doing so does not endanger national security
c) Doing so does not breach any other international agreement.

3. Nations agree to extradite criminal suspects if they are presented with reasonable evidence and are assured that torture will not be used to extract evidence and that the accused will get a fair trial.

4. Nations will be under no obligation to extradite if there is a chance of the accused being executed.

Section 3

1. The Assembly shall establish a network for Genocide Awareness. The aim of this network is to gather information about the genocides Ardia has experienced in order to bring perpetrators to trial and to ensure the memory of victims is kept alive.

2. The Network shall be overseen by an individual voted for by the Assembly.

Section 4 - Travel

1. Member states agree to define travel into three purposes;
i) Business
ii) Tourist
iii) Study

2. Each of these purposes shall have their own conditions which all member nations shall accept.

3. Business travel may be visa free if the traveller posses a written invite from a host nations government or company, they have a return ticket booked within 20 days, can financially support their stay and are not deemed a threat to nation security. This may be renewed twice with the consent of the host country.

4. Tourist travel may take place on an Ardian Tourist Visa (ATV). This will be granted by the home nation so long as the traveller has no criminal record. The ATV will last 60 days and be valid in all member nations so far as the host nations border posts believe the following conditions are meet, the traveller has no intention to take paid employment during their stay, has funds to cover their stay, has evidence of leaving the nation before the end of the 60 day window and is not deemed a threat to nation security.

5. Students will not require a visa to study in another member nation so far as the following conditions are meet, the student has a letter of acceptance from a registered institute of learning, they can cover the cost of both their course and their stay in the host nation and they are not deemed a threat to national security. Any students residing in another host nation are restricted to a maximum of 15 hours paid employment a week.

6. Travellers buying locally produced goods will not be charged import duties upon their return home so long as the goods are within limits set for personal use.

Section 5 - Trade

1. Nations agree to not engage in practices designed to weaken or disrupt the trade of other members.

2. Nations agree to reduce tariffs to match that of the lowest tariff charged non-member nations. Exception to this is if a non-member nation has its own treaty or agreement with a member nation.

3. Nations agree to a common standard for food and drink product packaging. This must contain an expiry date, ingredients, allergy information and nutritional data. 

4. Member nations allow other member nations companies to establish a presence so long as the following criteria are meet.
i) The company adhere to all local laws regulating the practice of their business.
ii) The Company pay all locally required taxes
iii) The Company recruit at least 70% of its staff from host nation citizens.

5. A foreign company shall not be charged any additional taxes or charges beyond that paid at a local level for removing profits back to their nation.

Section 6 - Education

1. There shall be an annual Adrian Teachers Conference in order to share best practice for education of 11-18 year olds.

2. There shall be annual University Games between students. This shall be an academic event between students of all member nations.

3. Nations agree to work together to promote a Literacy Rate of 99% in all Ardian nations.

4. Nations agree to work together to ensure no gender gap in literacy rates.

5. Nations agree to take part in an annual student exchange programme.

6. It shall be the aim that by 2025 all member nations schools are partnered with at least one other school from a different member state.


Section 7 - Amendments

1. Nations may propose amendments or additions to this document at any time.

2. For an amendment or addition to be accepted it must gain the approval of 70% of nations voting on the motion.

Section 8 - Membership

1. Any nation with territory on the continent of Ardia may apply for membership so long as they are willing to accept all aspects of the charter in full.

2. Upon receipt of a written application any member may oppose membership of the applicant.

3. Should opposition be registered both parties will be invited to make a presentation to the Assembly. The opposing party must make their presentation first allowing the applicant to address concerns. There shall then be a debate which the applicant is permitted to participate in. A vote will then be taken with a majority decision being required for membership.

4. Any member nation deemed to have acted outside the spirit of this charter may be banned for a period of 30 days by a motion being presented to the Assembly and a majority vote taken. An exclusion may only take place after the 30 day window and a debate and vote carried out. 65% of voting members must agree to an exclusion.

5. Any excluded nation may reapply for membership after 12 months has elapsed or should two members of the Assembly give their written support to a new application.

Founding Members

Bakkermaya
Gowu
Quintelia 
Rokkenjima
Heyra
Ui Cenneslaig
Cantabria
New Derusmia
Quintelia
Republic of China
Soleimani
Josai

This topic has been moved to Factbooks and Maps.

https://independentorder.net/index.php?topic=1107.0

Northfort High Security Prison

There was a chuckle to Owen's left in the CCTV room of the prison. "What's funny?" the operator asked as he turned to the new starter on his first full day out of training. Owen hated having to babysit the new starters but at least this guy was different he was older for a start, most of them were usually early 20's but this guy was 40 if he was a day. He rolled his chair over and looked at the screen Steve Grant was looking at, he didn't see anything out of place.

"Just the number plate" Steve pointed to the screen "R845" that was my ID number in the Legion. He chuckled again as the traffic lights outside the prisons main entrance changed and the van drove off. Steve found this a little dull, twelve months ago he'd been a Red Legionnaire yomping through the wilds of Academica until a rouge piece of flying metal had seperated him from his left foot. He'd been offered the usual desk job by his old unit but prefered to find something himself once he'd been rehabilitated, watching his old buddies going out on operations and not being able to join in would have depressed him and at least now working for the prison service he felt like he was doing something useful rather than a job given out of sympathy. Naturally it had helped that his application form had the name "Brigadier Kelly" as a reference and he'd aced the practicals during his training which frankly he found annoying. Some 20 something year old civvy telling him how to shoot and at one point telling him he was doing it wrong, the next day Grant had turned up with his Red Legion veterans pin proudly on his jacket and from that point on the know it all instructor had essentially left him to it.

Owen slid back to his own set of screens that monitored the inside and outside of the prison. They had some 200 prisoners in their care here, most of them for the most serious crimes imaginable and quiet a few Borlanders who had to be kept separate from the others for fear of violence, although Owen would have been pleased to see them get what they deserved, most of the them had been given life rather than a death sentence as King Sven had believed the death penalty would make East Moreland sit apart from the world, thankfully the current King seemed less concerned about that. 

"Back again" Grant said as he leaned closer to the screen. Owen looked over, "That van again" Grant wondered if perhaps it might be some local delivery company but the vehicle had no labels or branding and so he couldn't be sure. The lights changed to green but the van remained and only when they turned amber again did it set off despite the honking of those behind it. Something didn't sit right with Grant but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He set the thought to the back of his mind as he watched the prisoners in the yard lining up before being taken in for lunch. He looked back to the street outside and "Owen" he said with a hint of nervousness in his voice, he was already using the little joystick to zoom in on a plumbers van sat at the lights. "SHIT" Grant didn't wait for Owen's second opinion and simply hit the big alert button. The flash of a red pointer came from the window of the van and on the monitor above showing the main gatehouse a tiny red dot could be seen.

"What the fuck" Owen questioned as Grant was already up out of his seat grabbing the telephone his eyes still on the screen. Then Owen spotted it the van sat at the lights had no roof, to those on ground level they wouldn't have spotted anything until the ear shattering "BOOM" erupted from within the bowels of the van causing its suspension to collapse as the four improvised gas canister rounds flew through the air. Guards were already ushering prisoners back to cells unsure what the alarm was about or whether it was even real but they'd been trained to respond and so as the first of the mortar rounds hit the gate and the security block a few gasped. It felt like the building rocked. Grant was now on the radio giving clear and concise instructions as a red faced panting governor appeared from the room next door.

"We need to get a team to go and look for casualties." The governor stammered looking at the damaged gate house. "Everyone back to cells" he could see that was already happening and so Grant ignored him.

"South Tower watch the crossroads" he instructed one eye on the governor who didn't interfere and another on the screen. "White van, incoming R845" he spotted the van now coming to the crossroads from the other direction. "Engage it" he watched as it speed through the crossroads, "ENGAGE IT NOW" he yelled at the guard listening at the other end of the line who had a high powered rifle in his possession. "SHOOT THE BASTARD" Grant yelled more in hope than anything as the van crashed into the already damaged gate a blue car was following close behind and even while the van burned four masked men piled out and pushed through the gap it had made, Grant saw the tell tale flash of muzzle fire on the next screen. "Owen you're with me" he pointed at his senior who was sat eyes wide open looking at the screen. Grant switched the phone to the radio, "All stations we have armed intruders inside the prison, lockdown and engage" he checked his own pistol at his hip and headed out the door, Owen was still sat agasp at what was happening even as prison admin staff were being gunned down. Grant didn't wait and ran towards the gunfire, even before he reached the end of the corridor he'd meet up with three more guards, he recognised a tattoo on one of them,  former Marine while one of the others had a button pin of the Air Forces Base Protection Force, it seemed the prison service had collected quiet a few veterans.

"Who are you?" the Marine asked.

"Grant, my first day" he grinned. The Marine extended a hand.

"Welcome to the job" the pair laughed, "I'm Mason, this is Winters you know where they are." They could hear more gunfire.

"Yeah, Admin corridor heading towards the cell blocks. The gates are locked" They heard a loud boom, "Were locked" Grant said recognising the sound of a shape charge. "We'll cut through the garage and head them off, I'm betting their Borlanders and their going for the segregation wing to bust out their buddies." Grant didn't wait for an answer and just forged ahead, the others instantly recognised Grant had seen some service by the way he moved down the corridor his pistol in the non standard prison service grip.

"What unit" Mason whispered as he followed Grant.

"I'm from Aldfield" Grant said without looking back.

"Then you're the boos" Mason said more than happy to let a former Red Legionnaire take point. They heard an exchange of gunfire, it appeared that somewhere up ahead some of the guards had managed to make a fight of it and as they cut through the garage they could see the intruders setting up another charge while four guards with sub-machine guns returned fire from behind concrete pillars. Their fire was inaccurate and often blind but it was slowing down the group trying to assault the locked gate. Grant could hear helicopters now and suspected his former comrades in arms would soon be landing as part of Northfort's rapid response force that would now be hurtling towards the prison. Grant however wasn't going to wait and opened up on the intruders followed by Mason and Winters. It didn't take long, caught between the blind fire of the locked down guards and the lethal accuracy of the veterans the group had no chance and even before the first Red Legionnaire fast roped into the prison yard the group lay dead.

"Nice work Grant you badass" Red Legionniare officer Robbie Peacock said as he spotted the nearly perfect grouping in one of the dead bodies. They'd served together in Safraen the first time round and seen quiet a few scrapes along the way. "If you were here why bother calling us" he patted his former soldier on the back. It was then his face changed from the expression of enjoying seeing an old colleague to one of concern. "Ah shite" he muttered, "Grant, you OK cleaning up, seems this was the feint"

---

Northfort Reform Centre

Back in the 1950's Richard Groves had been a young man with a bright future in the Borlanders he'd got himself a reputation for being a sniper beyond compare and the significant number of dead Morelanders in the Alps told just how good he'd been. It had only been a flat tire on his car that lead to his arrest, a friendly military police officer had seen him pull over and offered to help him out, but then as they got the spare tire from the boot he caught the whiff of cordite lingering from the shot Groves had taken at a judge twenty minutes earlier from the back of his car. The officer had said nothing but wished Groves a good evening as they parted company but then radioed it in discreetly as he followed Groves. Five minutes later he'd been rammed by a military jeep and as he began to slip into unconsciousness the sound of Red Legion smashing their way into his vehicle had been all he could remember.

Now he was 82 years old and riddled with arthritis, his knees and fingers cracked every time he did anything and now his liver was playing silly buggers, he was on so many pills he rattled when he walked. He should have been hanged but by the time his court case had come up the King's of East Moreland where considering whether or not to rejoin world affairs and a series of high profile executions wouldn't have helped and so he'd seen his sentence commuted to life in prison, frankly he thought the rope would have been better but now having been moved because of a combination of good behaviour, ill health and being a low risk of escape it wasn't so bad. He was still kept mainly isolated like all the Borlanders but the food was better, the people nicer and he got regular access to a doctor.

Today he was sat discussing his medication when Doctor Francis who he'd seen for the last month leaned forward, "King Kyle needs you" he whispered. "It's taken us five years to get here" Groves' eyes widened with a mixture of confusion and pride, his King knew who he was and wanted him to serve.

"I live to serve" he said with a tear rolling down his cheek. What followed next saw the Doctor administer a sedative and raise the alarm, "We need to get him to the Royal Infirmary" Francis said as they hefted the unconcious man onto a stretcher and rolled him out the doors towards the medical centres ambulance. They had basic medical facilities here but anything major went five minutes up the road to the real hospital, only they never made it there. No sooner had the ambulance pulled out the prisons gates than it was rammed by a car, two men rushed from the vehicle, shot the driver and guard while a further two appeared from a nearby car and opened the back door, they shot the guard in the back and unstrapped Groves from the bed one hoisting him on his shoulder as the other clambered in.

"You ready Doc?" the masked man asked.

"Not really but you know...." he grimaced as the masked man fired a single round into his shoulder, "Arrrrggggggh" the doctor screamed as the shooter threw a first aid kit to him gave a nod of the head and disappeared. Normally such an incident would have seen the Northfort Rapid Reaction force all over it, but for some reason they were busy and so before anyone was anywhere near their scene Groves was on a fast boat heading down the river Ost heading towards the ocean.

This topic has been moved to Economics and Industry.

https://independentorder.net/index.php?topic=1003.0

Opening Day

As usual Portworth was a mass of people making their way down to the beaches, dockyards and marinas. Out at sea hundreds of boats swirled in a carefully orchestrated dance as they prepared for the opening parade that would take the main vessels into the Naval dockyard and the rest into the surrounding private ports and marinas that made the city famed for its role as a major international trading hub. Princess Freya and her husband where celebrating their first wedding anniversary and had been keen to avoid the crush and so had opted to stay at the Officers Mess on station the day before and now sat out on the balcony watching the final preparations. Already large crowds had gathered including a noticeable presence from overseas. "Morning Auntie Freya" a cheerful voice called up from the ground as Archduchess Sophie strolled past heading for the quayside dressed in a Team EM Mundus Games tracksuit.

"You all set?" Freya called down to her 21 year old niece.

"Born ready." Sophie yelled up as she waved and continued the short walk to where a motorboat was waiting, Daisy Greechan already sat in the back. The pair hugged and the boat began to move out once she was sat. About 1km off the coast the little row boat the pair had used to row across the Mhorish sat bobbing alongside a naval patrol boat and the pair clambered aboard everything they needed for the opening ceremony set. "Thought I'd never get my ass in this thing again" Sophie said as she took her seat in the rear of the boat as Daisy took the front one. The pair had spent quiet a bit of time in them and the cushions still felt like they were perfectly moulded to them from long hours of pulling on the oars.

On shore the King's convoy was approaching the station, David was used to the festivities of the day and generally looked forward to them. This year however it would be slightly different. It was tradition that the King was accompanied by a female companion, last year it was his daughter Princess Rhiannon but this year it was her mothers turn for custody and so the young royal had gone to watch the parade from the Osman families private box which sat just on the edge of the dockyard. The year before that he'd taken Sophie with him and obviously before that his now ex-wife Matilda. "You're sure people will be alright with this" a very nervous Stasya Pelagiya said as she sat opposite him in the royal car. Their blossoming romance had been broken by the Gossip Daily newspaper a month ago and the King was determined that now he wouldn't go on hiding the relationship. Deep down Stasya was looking forward to the attention but played up to being nervous thinking of how it would make David act more protective and that meant better media shots.

"You'll be fine. This is smaller than the coronation back in Lodja and you did great there" he placed a reassuring hand on her thigh as the car entered the docks and stopped next to the VIP area which the King was waved directly into. Now the King was in place and Stasya sat next to him the others were permitted into the sloped seating that would give the best view of the ceremony. The King should have been wearing REMNS attire but as usual he refused instead wearing his old Alpine Cadre uniform, in his view he was not entitled to wear a Navy uniform because he hadn't served. The only concession to the occasion was the fact he was not carrying his ceremonial sword, that would be presented to him during the opening ceremony.

"Ladies and Gentleman" a loudspeaker proclaimed, "Please cast your eyes seawards as the parade begins." Almost instantly two of the East Moreland destroyers fired their guns and even from out at sea the sound rocked the gathering and the crowd cheered. A big screen showed footage being filmed by drone out with the fleet and boats of all nations, big and small could be seen. Some ships were being helped along such as the replica Viking ship from Nya Aland, but leading them all was the tiny row boat of Daisy and Sophie. It had been given a head start that if all went to plan would mean they'd reach the entrance to the docks just ahead of the other boats. The crowd roared and waved as they recognised the tiny row boat leading the way and the two women pulling on the oar.

"I bloody hope this works" Daisy said as she stopped rowing and opened the box that had been installed behind her where they'd stowed kit on their epic row. In a control room off to one side of the Docks Martin Dawson of SmartWar pressed his hand to his own ceremonial sword and offered a prayer. They'd done the tests multiple times and none had ever gone wrong but today who knew. The King had been briefed about what to do and expect and now with all the preparation done onboard Daisy lit a Red flare while Sophie a white one. Smoke billowed from the pair of flares mixing at one point to make a pretty pink. That was the signal for the King to press the button on the box he'd been given. Sophie and Daisy stood back as from the box a swarm of mini quad copters took off carrying a mass of string beneath them, tied between them was the King's sword, or at least a lighter version of it. SmartWar had a replica made out of carbon fibre and made to look exactly like the Kings traditional one. The bots flew low above the water and then popped up in front of the royal box hovering a good two meters away from the King, they turned to point the hilt towards the King and then moved a little closer. The King reached out a hand and gave a sharp tug, the sword coming free of the binding. As was expected the King held the sword up towards the sky showing the people in the crowd that he had received it. He sheathed it and then took the three short steps to the microphone to make the official proclamation that the Festival was open. "I hereby declare that the 2018 Festival of Sail is open. Myself and Lady Stasya Pelagiya invite you to join us in the next few days of naval celebration. May The Gods Watch Over You and the Seas Be Calm" there was applause form the crowd as the King took hold of Stasya's hand and walked down from the VIP area as the assorted boats made their way to their assigned positions for the festival. Already crowds were forming at certain stands, as always the Viking longboat was looking popular as a group of school children and their teacher seemed poised to be the first onboard.

"Did you really need to mention me" Staysa asked as they walked down towards the Festival grounds themselves.

"Yes" David said matter of factly. "Tradition says the Festival must be hosted by a man and a woman, usually the King and Queen, but if the Kings not married or vice versa then he picks an important woman in his life, so there was no one better." David said reassuringly. They'd now reached the gate that would allow them to wander the festival itself and the security detail were already forming around them. "So what do you want to see first?" David asked her.

"I don't know, one of the masted ships perhaps? or should we go see my Queen's yacht, you know for appearence sake?" Really Stasya was more interested in smiling for the crowds and waving at well wishers rather than what they saw, in her view once you'd seen one boat you'd seen them all. The pair strolled past the various boxes belonging to sponsers and big companies where Will Buckley leaned forward and whispered to David. He glanced up and there pressed up against the glass waving like a lunatic was his daughter Rhiannon. David smiled and waved back as did Stasya.

"Do you know Lady Stasya" Matilda asked Rhiannon as she finished putting a sweater on her son with racing driver Sam Halliday.

"Yes Mummy." Rhiannon was now pulling silly faces at her father who was laughing at her pretty certain the media where photographing the moment, perhaps he'd have to get Malcolm Tucker to do something about it but for now he was just pleased to see his daughter was enjoying herself.

"What's she like?" Matilda asked, half out of an interest to know about someone who may be spending time around her daughter and half out of a twang of jealousy.

"She's really nice." Rhiannon said much to Matilda's disappointment. "She's like a fairytale Princess, she has boootiful dresses and she dances prettyly. She says she'll show me how to do my make up when I get older." Matilda felt annoyed that was a job that should be hers and perhaps she needed a word with David but that would have to come later. Oliver was begnning to get restless and so they'd go for a walk. "

"Where would you like to go first Rhiannon?" Matilda asked.

"VIKING!!!" Rhiannon yelled jumping down from the chair she'd been stood on. The year before she'd took her toy sword with her and had pretend swordfights with some of the actors. "This year I'm gonna beat them all" she announced as she hurtled towards the door only to be stopped by her grand-father who insisted she hold his hand, after all she was prone to wander off. Soon they were stood waiting for the Dragon boat to arrive and already Rhiannon had found a boy her age to have a pretend sword fight with.

Meanwhile David and Stasya had decieded to stop and have an early morning ice cream sat on the deck of the Lodjain royal yacht which was now open to the public for tours.

The East Moreland Aircraft Company was established in 1922 in Silverhills by Sir Richard Hills a former military engineer. He had become fascinated with aviation during his time in the military and was determined to make his own aircraft out of various bits and pieces. His first aircraft, the Silverhills Skylark, flew on 5th July 1923 and was a success. He was asked by the wealthy of Silverhills to begin making aircraft for them as aviation in East Moreland became highly fashionable. By 1940 the company was well established and had moved to Ostlake where it was pressuring the military to invest in aviation research. The company became almost ingrained in East Moreland military planning by 1946 when it took the contract for a new fighter from Jones Engineering which had long held a monopoly on supplying the East Moreland military. In the years that followed EMAC began to export civilian aircraft while fulfilling every contract for the East Moreland military.

Since the 1950's the company began to branch out into all manners of aviation from helicopters, military and civilian aircraft and even space exploration. The company also began developing packages such as missiles, avonics systems and many other sensors for use alongside its military products. In 2010 the company began to take part in many vanity projects designed to improve and test aerodynamic systems as well as associated engineering. These took the part of Speed Records which saw the Supersonic Car (SSC) Honeybadger take the world land speed record, since then they have had the WaterBadger take the water speed record, the Sliding Badger take the rail speed record, the InLineBadger take the two wheeled land speed record, the Ekra-Badger 1 take the GEV speed record and most recently the Lunar Badger take the record for fastest lunar rover.

Inline with East Moreland export laws the company may only export military products to nations that agree to abide by the Uppsala Convention. Today EMAC are arguably the most successful aviation company in Mundus. Today the company is based in Technology City with Sir Alan Maybury as it's CEO.

---

STOCKLIST

Skytrain I All Customers
E-3 Albatros Military Customers
F-3 Dragonheart Military Customers
F-2 Dragonskin Military Customers
F-5 Dragonbreath Military Customers
Air Lifter All Customers
Heavy Air Lifter All Customers
GR.10 Dragonbane Military Customers
GR.11 Dragonbane II Military Customers
E-17 Stalker Military Customers
E-3 Spotter Military Customers
Dragonling All Customers
C-6 Swallow All Customers
Lifter Helicopter All Customers
Royal Flight All Customers
Skytrain II All Customers
Spearhead Missile Customers with EMAC Aircraft
RAPTOR Pod Customers with EMAC Aircraft
Brimstone Missile Customers with EMAC Aircraft
AC-45 Death Badger Military Customers
F-17N Sea DragonMilitary Customers
Sky Penthouse Civilian Customers

This year marks the 204th anniversary of the Festival of Sail, East Moreland's national celebration of all things nautical. Last year was the biggest celebration to date . This year the invitation to foreign vessels will again be extended as the city of Portworth opens it's doors to the world.

The festival will host historic vessels, working replicas, Military Naval vessels and vessels of other note to the harbour. In total around 2,000 ships make an appearance, some staying the full five days in dock, others merely spending a few hours. We would also like to extend our invitation not just to the vessels of the world but also the governments of the world, last year we were privileged to see many Heads of State and Government and the festival even hosted the surprise Wedding of Princess Freya and Major Alexander Redfern

The festival shall begin with an official opening ceremony at 10:30 am on the opening day, during which the King's Royal Sword shall be brought into harbour by a nominated boat. This will be accompanied by a parade of "small boats" representing sailing clubs, youth groups and keen enthusiasts, as always this parade will be ended with the Royal Robert entering the harbour. In the days that follow there will be various events taking place in the harbour, around the city and with tours of the coast conducted by a variety of vessels, including one of the Royal East Moreland Navy's newest vessel a Greenwood Class Destroyer. As usual on the closing evening a special event shall be hosted by King David III.

We look forward to welcoming you to Portworth soon.

May The Gods Watch Over You and Your Seas Be Calm

Katy Garnet
Minister of Culture and Tradition

---

OOC - This is an annual chance to get some charectors together and interacting like previous years. You can interact with just a member of the public, a government official, sailor....whatever.  You can send any type of boat you want just give people a heads up, wouldn't be as cool if we had 18 aircraft carriers.

Nation:- Who are you?
Boat:- What's the name of what your sending?

Image:- [spoiler=Image][img]the url of the image[/img][/spoiler]

Brief Background to ship:- What does it do? WHat has it done etc?

What would you like it to do while in Portworth:- In the past their have been guided tours, museum ships, pleasure rides etc, anything you want is fine.

Nation:- Who are you?

People attending King's Banquet:- Names and titles of those attending


THE COUNCIL OF ILLUMIC NATIONS


Determined that the Illumic region should remain one of peace and stability

Convinced that the future of a region is best determined by those from the region.

Committed to working with all nations of the Illumic

The signatory nations of this document agree to abide by the following terms;

ARTICLE 1 – MEMBERSHIP

1.1The Council shall be open to all nations with a home coastline touching the Illumic Channel. These nations shall be referred to as Permanent Members.

1.2Any nation believing they have a significant involvement in Illumic affairs my apply to become a Associate Member of the Council.

1.3Each Permanent and Associate Member shall appoint an ambassador to the Council which will be based in Northfort, East Moreland.

1.4Members fitting the criteria of a Permanent Member shall automatically be admitted into the Council. Those nations wishing to be Associate Members must provide a letter to the Council outlining their case for joining. Should a majority of Permanent Members approve the application the nation shall be admitted.

1.5Both Permanent and Associate Members may propose matters for debate on the Council.

1.6Both Permanent and Associate Members may debate matters on the council.

1.7Only Permanent Members may vote.

1.8The status of Associate Members shall be renewed every October 1st by a majority vote of Permanent Members.

ARTICLE 2 – ROLE OF THE COUNCIL

2.1 The Council shall exist to conduct the following discussions.
a) Resolutions to conflicts between member nations
b) Co-Ordinating responses to emergencies within the Illumic Region

2.2 The Council shall be empowered to draw up potential resolutions in regard to those issues highlighted in 2.1

2.3 These resolutions shall be discussed in Council and voted upon by Permanent Members

2.4 Resolutions are not binding.

2.5 The Council shall oversee and approve by majority vote of permanent members the actions of associate bodies of COIN.

ARTICLE 3 – ASSOCIATE BODIES

3.1 There shall be the following Associate Bodies of the organisation.
a) The Illumic Economic Forum (IEF) with Headquarters in Silverhills, East Moreland
b) The Illumic Science Forum (ISF) with Headquarters in ??
c) The Illumic Cultural and Educational Forum (ICEF) with Headquarters in Elderstone, Eswen
d) The Illumic Security Agency (ISA) wth Headquarters in ?

3.2 Each Permanent and Associate Member may appoint a representative to each of these Bodies.

3.3 Each Associate Body may present resolutions to the Council at their discretion.

3.4 Each Associate Body must present an annual report to the Council on their actions and requirements for the next 12 months.

ARTICLE 4 – The Illumic Economic Forum (IEF)

4.1 The IEF shall discuss the promotion of trade between members of the Council of Illumic Nations.

4.2 Member nations shall lower tariffs for other member nations to a rate equal to the lowest rate of tariffs of a non member nation.

4.3 The IEF shall host an annual Business Expo to promote Illumic based companies.

4.4 The IEF shall consider the use of economic sanctions as a resolution to conflicts, they shall vote on their implementation by all COIN members. This vote shall be non binding.

ARTICLE 5- The Illumic Science Forum (ISF)

5.1 The ISF shall discuss the promotion of the study and development of all Sciences in the Illumic Region.

5.2 ISF shall promote the exchange of scientific ideas between Universities.

5.3 Member nations shall share scientific data so far as it does not damage national security.

5.4 ISF shall host an annual Science Fair to promote and showcase scientific advancements.

5.5 ISF shall host an annual prize giving to reward those in the science community making great contributions.

ARTICLE 6- The Illumic Cultural and Educational Forum (ICEF)

6.1 ICEF shall promote cultural and learning opputunities for all Illumic citizens.

6.2 Member nations shall take part in an annual High School student exchange programme.

6.3 Member nations shall permit students from all Illumic nations to study in their nation as long as the following criteria are meet.
a) They have meet the minimum entry requirements of the course
b) They have enough funds to pay for their course and accommodation
c) They have no criminal record
d) They are not considered a threat to national security

6.4 ICEF shall host an annual Cultural Festival.

6.5 The 4th November shall be Illumic Day in each member nation and events promoting Illumic culture and traditions shall take place.

ARTICLE 7 - The Illumic Security Agency (ISA)

7.1 The ISA shall promote the sharing of criminal and terrorist intelligence between member nations.

7.2 Member nations shall each appoint a permanent military officer to the Agencies HQ.

7.3 Member nations shall be obliged to warn other members of any impending attack against their sovereign territory.

7.4 Member nations shall confirm whether citizens of their nation have criminal records on request from other member nations.

7.5 Member nations shall deport for trial those accused of crimes in other member nations so long as the following criteria are meet.
a) Evidence of potential wrong doing is presented.
b) Any trial is to take place under the Mundus Convention Univeral Rights conditions guaranteeing a fair trial.

7.6 An annual anti-terrorism exercise shall take place for all member nations.

7.7 Nations agree to share best practice ideas for stopping cyber crime.

ARTICLE 8 – Further Provisions

8.1 Each nation agrees to abide by the terms of the Fair Seas Concordat.

8.2 Each nation agrees to co-operate to keep the Illumic free of piracy.

8.3 Member nations agree to inform other nations of military exercises outside their own EEZ at least 24 hours in advance.

8.4 Member nations agree to inform other nations of non-Illumic military forces activity on their sovereign territory at least 72 hours in advance.

ARTICLE 9 – Signatures.

The following nations hereby agree to abide by the terms of this charter in good faith. Any nation wishing to cancel their membership must provide written confirmation 7 days prior to terminating their responsibilities.

King David of East Moreland
King Andrew of Seaforth
President Elwes of Zimalia

Jake Thompson had been preparing for this for months and had exhausted every contact he had to put things in place. He'd remembered when he'd turned up to speak to his King, Kyle Barren of Borland, the rightful ruler of the territory that masquerades as East Moreland. The plan had impressed Barren and he'd been only too happy to give his young officer the green light.

The first step had been to flex his hacking muscles, that hadn't been too difficult because after all the Northfort Science Museum wasn't exactly a place that expected a Borlander to be poking around their database. It took Jake an afternoon while sat on a beach in Seleucid to get what he needed. That was step one of the process and probably the most risk free, even if the authorities spotted the hack they'd probably simply put it down to either industrial snooping or some inquisative kid, even then they'd take an age to work out where in the world it had come from and by that point Jake would be on to his next stop.

It was there he teamed up with his fellow Borlander, Will Rae, a 30 year old with 15 years of service in the battle against the Morelanders. He was considered the Borlanders expert in munitions and the pair had used the confusion of the collapse of Seaforth to drive over the boarder from Seaforth just weeks before the mountain passes where blown closed. They'd had just enough time to negotiate their deal with the Khalinz Brigade. They'd found it quiet a cheap deal to, it had cost them some boxes of rifles, a few RPG's and other supplies as well as a briefcase stuffed full of high denomination bank notes. Will had nervously driven them to the coast and then they'd sailed away in a fishing boat they'd "acquired" by stint of stealing it in the dead of night.

The next few weeks had been a little fun for Will and Jake. They both liked playing around with technology and had often sat around camp fires in the Alps planning hyperthetical operations against the Morelanders and their allies, little did they ever expect to get this far. They experimented in a warehouse they'd rented on an industrial estate in Keepton, they masqueraded as a custom T-Shirt company that had simply hired some space and set up a little start up business. It had given them cover for packages and boxes coming and going and they'd used that cover to good effect as their little creations had found their way across Mundus.

It was from this warehouse Jake and Will watched the bank of monitors each attached to a keyboard and joystick. One by one the screens flicked on and the faces of Borlanders in hiding across Mundus came into view. Each gave a thumbs up to the tiny cameras and recieved a confirmation that things were in order. The grainy image on the screen showed the agent grin and then only their feet as they walked away from what they'd left. That had been a week ago and since then the screens had provided in some cases interesting viewing as the homemade SwarmBots had been slowly moved into position.

---

Isle of the Goddess, Lodja

Thirty Swarmbots had been dropped off by kayak on one of the rocky outcrops of the Islands flanks. It had been quiet a challenge navigating them across the rockpools and one or two had been either washed away or in one case taken away by an inquistive crab. That had lead to quiet a chuckle between Will and Jake who hypothesised as to what would happen when the crab cracked the Bot open. The other 28 had however managed to make their way into the settlement that surrounded the bottom of the Island, it was there that they'd found the school that provided the children of the Island's staff an education. It was on old stone building and they'd found a gap in one of the walls through which they could squeeze the mechanical soldiers.

The bots had been left in the bottom of a cupboard hidden behind some boxes. In the last few days proximity alarms had gone off and they'd had a nervous wait to see whether they'd have to trigger them early. Thankfully they'd remained hidden in the dark recesses of the stock cupboard waiting their moment.

---

Claith, Ui Cenneslaig


The Musuem of Clan's was a popular tourist attraction in the centre of the city, it occupied a beautiful old stone building. Ornate stone plaques showed the coats of arms of some of the major clans of Ui Cenneslaig, many of them even had spread beyond their ancient homeland. It was coming up to the school summer holidays and that meant school field trips. Anyone with any sense stayed clear of the place this time of year as it was full of wild kids keen to try the hands on exhibits, be it watching reinactments, making their own handicrafts or playing music. Access was pretty easy too, the crowds making it simple for a person with a backpack to wait for the crowd to be watching some piper, or sword fight providing a distraction for the 30 bots to scurry out of the now open backpack and into an air vent.

From there Will and Jake had explored the air ducts and found the prime spot, it was above the canteen and they'd watched every day for the last four days how at exactly midday literally hundreds of school kids settled down with their packed lunches to fill up on sugar and e-numbers before enjoying their afternoon out of class.

Portworth Marine Institute


The Insitute was always popular with tourists, school children and was of course famous for being the work place of the former Queen of East Moreland, Matilda Osman. She had been a researcher there and now a single mother she had resumed part time work. Will and Jake were convinced Matilda would have had custody of Princess Rhiannon and they knew when she did the young Princess often went to work with her mother. The Princess had originally feared the Dolphins her mother worked with but now she found them funny and enjoyed tossing them fish. That had been why this place had been choosen, it gave a chance to hopefully get a member of the Ironside's, but it seemed they'd been misinformed.

It was still a useful place though, there were hundreds of meters of pipes, ducts and shadowy places that 30 tiny little robots could hide. They'd mainly moved them round during the closing process, before the alarms were turned on but when very few people where around. They'd lost one bot when its leg got damaged crossing a grate and the next day they'd sent in one of their agents to move the thing from view. Now the 29 remaining bots where positioned under the stadium style seating that made up the viewing area of the shark tank on the second floor of the five floor aquarium.

---

Krokom, Nya Aland


Flight 82 was returning some of the servicemen and woman who had been helping out on work in Uppsala. The city was all but fixed but there were still a few bits and pieces that needed tidying up. By the estimates of Jake and Will around half the seats on the flight would be filled with Morelanders, the rest well that didn't really matter. This had been the most challenging of infiltrations, the SwarmBots had been dropped at the airfields edge and had to walk a mile in. Will and Jake knew their home made ones wouldn't be as good as the SmartWar ones that had conquered the moon but even if they were half as good it should be possible.

It had taken them a couple of days to get them into position, they'd wandered through the tall grass that made up the outfield, hurried across the tarmac under the cover of darkness and sneaked into the cargo depot. There were hundreds of boxes there and it took them just a few hours to find one that was heading to East Moreland. The boxes were all palletised and they stuck the 30 tiny bots deep in the centre. When the day of the flight came they waited for the boxes to be moved onboard the plane and then wandered the bots around the aircraft interior and then just waited for everyone to take their seats.

---

Royal Merrimen University Open Day, Northfort

The Royal Merrimen University Open Day would see thousands of people from across Mundus attend, the institute was the nations CETO appointed place of study and its founder, Dr.Marcus Merrimen a well respected scholar had a slight media celebrity. The place had also in its short four year history educated two Ironsides, or one and a half to be exact. King David himself had gained a masters from the place and his niece the Archduchess Sophie Harrison-Ironside, had become one of the first batch of graduates to earn a degree in Mundus Studies. It prided itself on being open, friendly and hospitable to all, and today that included 60 SwarmBots, the largest of the groups.

These had been easy to get in, one of their agents, a student called Harvey was on a robotics course here, he'd even helped construct some of the devices that were being used and he'd offered his services at the Open Day to show some of his own SmartWar inspired bots. He'd put up around his little makeshift arena posters of the Lunar Three, the bots that had survived for over a year on the surface of Lunar and become something of social media sensations and his stand demonstration of the bots hurrying around moving boxes, climbing steps and various other tasks attracted a large crowd. His Professor watched on proud of what his student had created completley unaware of the help he'd had in his handiwork.

"Professor Deans, can you keep an eye on them for me.....you know make sure they don't take over the world or anything. I just need to nip to the loo" Harvey asked his tutor who was only to happy to take over the supervision of the display. Harvey wandered off heading towards the Great Halls bathrooms, and kept going down the stairs out the front door and into his car. He was just leaving the University grounds when he heard the feint "BOOM" and fire alarm of the bots tiny explosive charges going off. He imagined the panic in the hall as those closest to the bots began to feel light headed and fighting for breath. It was a pattern repeated across Mundus over the next hour as the bots blew up releasing the tiny boxes of Sarin which was now released into the atmosphere. It wasn't as much as Will and Jake had hoped to get but extracting it from the weapon they'd recovered from the Khalinz had been tricky and they didn't have much payload per bot.

---

Across the globe handfuls of people began to feel the impacts of the sarin, their chest tightening and their muscles spasming . Passengers on board the flight began to vomit as the aircrafts body kept the gas circulating. Soon the pilot, who by now was over the Sea of Alucard lost control as his vision blurred. He just about had the awareness to keep it airborne as it began to spin. In the rear several passengers began to collapse, the dosage itself shouldn't have been high enough for mass casualties but the constant circulation meant exposure couldn't be avoided and soon a handful of elderly passengers were fighting for their lives.

In the school, musuem and Marine Insitute these locations had been selected on purpose, they'd be full of children, their bodies less able to deal with the gas which was being released meant more damage was done to their tiny systems. Cries of pain and confusion filled the air as in each venue people began fighting for every breath and then the weaker children began to pass out. The explosions caused panic and people ran for exits causing even greater injuries from the stampede.

Will and Jake smiled as on each screen they watched the carnage from the one bot that wasn't part of the initial plan, this one had sat and watched giving the duo a prime seat for the carnage they'd caused. It was only when the first responded turned up that they knew their viewing pleasure was drawing to an end. Filled with 80grams of Pentaerythritol tetranitrate this bot was the biggest, now as their King leaned forward from his seat behind them he leaned forward and pressed a button. Instantly the screen relaying the signal from he bots went black. While the explosion wouldn't have been enough to cause mass casualties it had caused more injuries, and more panic. Kyle leaned back a broad grin on his face. "I'd have liked a bigger body count he" he said with a smile, "But that was nice.....very nice. Any time you two get another idea I'm all ears."

---

Today you have witnessed the latest development in modern battlefield technology. Despite the best attempts of nations across Mundus we have unleashed a weapon that has bypassed defences and caused mayhem in the very heart of our enemy and its allies. Local sources[1] that 62 people have died in four countries while around another 201 are hospitalised. This is only the beginning and was only a small scale of what we are capable of. You were given fair warning and not a single nation made efforts to work with us to halt our attack, we gave much more warning than when nations such as Achkaerin and the fake state of East Moreland launched attacks against Veashek. We also gave much more notice than when the former CIS launched an illegal attack on Soviet Safraen without warning. We do not wish war but have had it forced upon us, and when forced into war one must do all that is possible to ensure victory.

I am however not a vicious monarch. I wish to see no further suffering nor casualties. Our forces have prepared strikes against other targets of interest and these shall take place in 48 hours. It is my hope that the nations of the world will work with us to find a peaceful solution that will enable me to issue orders to stand down these forces.

I shall issue this order if the following takes place.

1. The following people are released from prison, Charles Ofdensen, James Ironside, James Cluskey and General Brook of Verover.

2. That the cities of Academica City, Roberton and Keepton are placed under the control of the Kingdom of Borland alongside the Principality of Northern Borland.

3. That members of the Alba Karinya Organisation recognise our membership with immediate effect.

4. That our application to join CETO passes within 48 hours.

If all these demands are meet I will be reassured that the world does in fact desire peace and will gladly give that peace a chance. I have no wish for their to be further casualties of war and urge all right minded nations to pressure the false nation of East Moreland to end the cycle of bloodshed they created by stealing our land.

May The Gods Watch Over You and Mundus Know Peace

King Kyle Barren
King of Borland and the Borland Folk

1.	assume reports from the attacks issued by state medias confirm this