«12. . .4,1594,1604,1614,1624,1634,1644,165. . .4,7724,773»
Reading a fascinating book! “Setting The East Ablaze: Lenin’s Dream of An Empire in Asia”, about British spies, Cheka secret police, Muslim freedom fighters, White Russians (including a fascinating Mad Baron), and others, all fighting and spying in Central Asia in the early 20s. Spycraft, fascinating espionage, narrow escapes, massacres, murders, revolts, counter-revolts, and more. Only 242 pages, and I’m already 177 pages in. It’s quite the page turner, focusing on the British and Soviets in equal measure, with fascinating sidebars about Enver Pasha (one of the former Ottoman leaders, he went to Bokhara, in modern Uzebkizstan, to try to make a new country after tricking Lenin into sending him there), and The Bloody Baron. Mostly takes place in Mongolia, India, Persia, and Afghanistan, and it’s full of things I can hardly believe. One of the chiefs of the Cheka (first Soviet secret police agency) blew up the gates of a jail, called the commissars for backup and claimed there was an uprising, shot each of them as they arrived, chased the Soviets out of town, freed British spies, and then fled town with millions with of gold, never to be seen again! A spy was bricked into a wall to avoid detection, and released hours later. A White Russian informant disguised himself as a “traveling bee merchant” with camels with beehives, and avoided interrogation by Soviet patrols by warning them that the bees would sting them!
Ever heard of Baron Roman Ungern-Sternberg? He’s...fascinating. White Russian officer and baron who fought the Communists after they killed his family. He was Buddhist, believed he was the reincarnation of Ghengis Khan, and swore to erect an “avenue of gallows” to hang every leftist on. He consulted soothsayers who used charred bones and dice to predict the future, and was a monster of a man; slaughtering both Soviets and the Chinese in droves. His deserters were accused of being Bolsheviks and roasted alive, impaled, or otherwise brutally killed to set an example. Nicknamed “The Mad Baron”, or “The Bloody Baron”, when sentenced to death by a Soviet court, he replied “For a thousand years Ungerns have given other people orders. We have never taken orders from anyone. I refuse to accept the authority of the working class”, refused to accept the courts authority, and that yes, he had killed thousands of people...because they were “too Red.”
Edit: Sternberg was also briefly worshipped as the God of Death!
Funnily enough, one of the cruisers in The White Fleet (Cybusian exploratory fleet) is named for Sternberg.
The total number of simulants and players depends on the DeathMatch system being used. The standard portable/home version allows up to thirty-two players and simulants on local servers (so as to not over-saturate game lobbies) and up to fifty on international servers. Custom rigs typically vary depending on the person or organization purchasing them, as private and military organizations within the Republic have their own servers that are capable of allowing over one hundred total players and simulants in a single arena, while personal rigs can often be modified to meet the standards given by the customer. It is important to note that this relates to the Republic, as foreign customers may not have servers capable of handling as many players and simulants at one time (OOC: This could be untrue. I don't know how everything would be for everyone else).
In terms of equipment, all weapons included in the simulation are those that can be purchased by individual citizens from across the world. DeathMatch rigs used by military and police forces, on the other hand, also simulate police and military-grade weapons (as well as artillery, if applicable) that can be acquired internationally from other governments (OOC: So no secret or experimental weapons). For the time being, land and air vehicles are only found in rigs used by military and police forces, and private organizations if applicable, and are limited to what can be acquired at the time of release. As Null-G technology becomes utilized in more vehicles within the Republic, some of them may be included in all versions of the system down the line.
OOC: I hope this answers your question...at least to some extent.
Emperor Turner and UCP Secretary-General Kester Mavanga have reached a deal to resolve the current crisis. Emperor Turner has ordered the cancellation of the public execution, and has used his powers to reverse the sentences given by the High Court. All 140 prisoners, both foreigners and Imperial citizens, are no longer on death row. They will instead be administered a lesser punishment- flogging. Each prisoner will receive a maximum of 40 lashes. The personal belongings of all foreign prisoners will be confiscated and destroyed, and the foreigners will be permanently barred from Orsonian soil. As for the Imperial citizens, they will be granted the option of emigration from Orson to a foreign nation of their choosing (if said nation will accept them); however, if they choose this option, they will never be allowed to return to Orson. In exchange for this lesser punishment, the Malian and Wagain ambassadors to the UCP have agreed to shelve all proposals to kick Orson out of the organization for a period of three years, and the entire situation will return to the prior status quo.
Meanwhile in Jakarta, there has been no update on the 72-hour demand. The Inquisition has remained in force surrounding the UCP campus despite direct orders from Turner to end the siege. It is unclear what the situation is on the ground.
What year is this taking place and why were the foreigners imprisoned to begin with? I missed that part
This takes place in 2018. The entire fiasco is the result of an international incident me and Novo had been planning.
During this time in Orsonian history, the Inquisition is heavily involved in Operation Scinfaxi (launched in 2017), which is the codename for the purge and destruction of the Federalist movement. The operation was only meant to target domestic Federalist insurgents, but the Inquisition went beyond this and began targeting foreign nationals in Orson. There is an organization in Wagondia known as the "Contra-Turneristas" who work alongside the Federalists to destroy Turner's regime (hence their name), and this was used by the Inquisition as a basis for going after foreigners. The situation started in Kinshasa, when a Malian-Wagain journalist known as Anni Riqueti, alongside 139 other foreigners and Imperial citizens, were arrested by the Inquisition (me and Novo roleplayed this out about a month ago starting in this post: page=rmb/postid=39641781). These 140 individuals were then condemned to death by the Imperial High Court. The Inquisition then started to go after all Wagain citizens in Orson, causing the foreigners to hide at the UCP regional headquarters in Jakarta (currently under siege by an Inquisition task force), the Timmian embassy in Central Plaza, and all other Timmian consulates. The provocative and aggressive actions of the Inquisition prompted the wrath of Turner, who feared the incident could boil over into a full-scale war, before the preparations of his Grand Plan were completed; Turner was also angry because the Inquisition had not consulted with him nor gained his approval before doing all of this.
Oceara, Cybus1, Novo Wagondia, and Corsahnim
We have offered the Imperial citizens a chance to come our nation if they so desire. They can choose to stay in our borders or move to other EOA nations.
As for the foreign prisoners, the Embassy in Central Plaza has already made plans for their departure. Upon their release of custody from Orsonian Authorities to us, the foreigners will be taken to the Fort Victorium JW Marriott where the Embassy Medical and Mental Health team will conduct physical and mental health checks. The foreigners may have to stay the night in Fort Victorium depending on how long the Health checkups take.
Depending on the severity of medical issues they will be sent to New Caledonia for immediate treatment. If New Caledonian medical facilities are overloaded, they will be sent to Port Dagon,Solomon Islands,Cybus.
The rest of the foreigners will be flown to Seoul,South Korea.
The Novoians in our Embassy and consulates will be picked up and flown to Brussels, Dubai, and New Caledonia.
Formosa will be open to any and all Imperial citizens that desire to stay within our borders.
Prime Minister Barrachina has expressed his thanks to both parties for reaching a peaceful deal, and has offered full political asylum for all prisoners found to be the victims of state persecution (presumably all of them, excluding any violent criminals). He has also said that "Wagains everywhere owe a debt of sincere gratitude to our Timmian allies" for their role in securing the evacuation of Wagains trapped throughout the empire. A PDC Wagondia Boeing 787 is being fueled and prepared to leave for Seoul, where it will connect with the Timmian flight and repatriate all Wagain citizens to Manila, as well as all those who wish to resettle in the Wagain Empire.
Meanwhile in Medan, nearly 1,000 employees remain trapped within the complex, surrounded by local police and Imperial Inquisition units. The Director-General of the UCP in Southeast Asia, a Filipino of Korean ancestry named Benigno Hoy, has risen to prominence as a spokesperson for the besieged compound. As he nears the 72-hour ultimatum on surrendering the 60 Wagains in his custody, Hoy has asked the Inquisition to extend the time limit and allow all non-essential personnel, including a large number of groundskeepers, janitorial staff, and low-level bureaucrats, to safely leave the exclusion zone. About 200 peronnel would remain by choice, including the complex's security detail and a number of Wagain, Malian, and Timmian workers who fear they will be kidnapped if they leave the safety of the complex.
Oceara, The Orson Empire, and Cybus1
Planes from Ethiad, Air France, and Emirates have landed at Christmas Island. If a UCP evacuation from Jakarta is allowed by Orsonian authorities, the planes can land in Jakarta in one hour. After that, the UCP staff and their family members will be taken to Dubai and Paris to meet up with UCP staff from those HQ’s.
Embassy officials from Central Plaza have arrived in Jakarta to prepare these plans. The second plan a separate plan to only evacuate TC nationals and permanent residents if they are restricted from taking passengers of other nationalities. The third plan is to fly everyone to Singapore or Manila and connect from there. Obviously, if time is of the essence, the third plan will come to fruition.
Director-General Hoy has received no response from the Inquisition. The siege continues.
The Timmians have been prohibited from conducting an evacuation in Jakarta at this time. No reason has been given by Orsonian authorities. In Central Plaza, numerous unmarked vehicles transporting dozens of Inquisitor agents have begun to swarm Central Plaza, arriving from Fort Victorium via the Akaran Highway. Several vehicles are now blocking all sides of the Timmian embassy, and the Inquisitors are stopping anyone else from entering or leaving the embassy.
Meanwhile...
Emperor's Office, Senate Complex
Turner sat at his desk in frustration. All his attempts to make contact with the Inquisition task force in Jakarta were met with radio silence, and the task force seemed to be completely disregarding his direct order to end the siege of the UCP campus. It was a rare moment where he actually felt powerless. He looked up at the corner of the office where a television had been mounted to the wall. It was showing one of the national news channels, currently doing a live broadcast of the situation in Jakarta. A helicopter flying near the campus was filming the positions of the police and the Inquisition below, when suddenly the footage cut, and the screen went black. Turner rose from his desk to check if there was a problem with the TV, but it was still on and functioning- perhaps there was a problem with the news network itself?. He then paced the room for a bit before moving to the balcony behind his desk, deep in thought and fearing that the worst was about to happen. From the balcony, Turner had a view of the entirety of the small capital, and what he saw confirmed this fear. A convoy of unmarked vehicles had arrived off of the Akaran Highway through the main gate, deploying Inquisitors as the vehicles stopped in front of all major government buildings. The Timmian embassy, which was very close to the Senate Complex, was completely surrounded by these vehicles, and it appeared that the Inquisitors were trying to force their way inside of the embassy. Turner surveyed the scene for a few more moments, all while having flashbacks of the 7/7 coup. He then rapidly swung around, preparing to contact the Imperial Royal Guard, but saw the door to his office open before he had the chance. Inside stepped an Inquisitor, well-dressed in a black suit; Turner could tell by the rank on his left sleeve that he was a senior agent.
"Inquisitor, would you mind telling me what the hell's going on outside?" Turner asked, getting right to the point.
"My Emperor...I am placing you under arrest," The Inquisitor responded.
Turner was quiet for a moment, and slowly approached his desk. "You don't know the magnitude of the mistake you are making, Inquisitor. You and all your conspirators have just signed your own death warrants."
The Inquisitor also began to move towards the desk. "I'm afraid your reign is at an end, my lord. Your weakness and appeasement for the foreigners has become apparent during this crisis. It is time for better leadership in Orson."
Turner and the Inquisitor were now barely just a foot away from each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Turner had already done so, pressing the panic button underneath his desk to alert the guardsmen of the situation. For about 20 seconds, the two stared at each other, before the Inquisitor finally made a move towards his pistol. Turner's old training from his days in the Imperial Brotherhood kicked in, and he grabbed both arms of the Inquisitor and pulled him over the desk. A shot was fired from the pistol, which went through a nearby wall.
"Not today, you bastard!" Turner yelled as he attempted to rip the pistol out of the Inquisitor's hands while punching him. They continued to wrestle on the ground until the Inquisitor managed to get off another shot. The bullet would graze Turner's right arm, before impacting and destroying the TV. Finally, three guardsmen stormed into the room and fired six shots at the Inquisitor's with their rifles. One of the rifle rounds went through the Inquisitor's body and struck Turner in the leg, causing him to yell in pain. The Emperor then managed to use his raw strength, fueled by his anger, to push the Inquisitor towards the balcony and hurl him over the railing, where he met his grisly end on the pavement below.
"My lord, are you alright?!" one the guardsmen yelled out as all three ran towards the Emperor. "He's been shot! We need an ambulance!" another yelled.
"No, no! It's just a flesh wound, I'll live," Turner replied, grasping at his leg. The wound was bleeding profusely, clearing indicating the wound was severe. "Listen- the Inquisition has betrayed us. I want the guardsmen to assemble a team and head to Jakarta. The task force there has been marked for extermination. I also want a security detail to escort me out of this city- we must abandon the capital for now, until the military can intervene. Go- now! I can fend for myself!"
The guardsmen nodded and quickly exited the office. Turner managed to raise himself up and walk, though still in great pain. He topped one of his bookshelves over and felt the wall for a loose tile. He then ripped the tile off, revealing a hidden cache of a bulletproof vest, an assault rifle, and ammunition; Turner had created this cache in case of a situation like this. Turner put on the vest and loaded the rifle with ammunition before leaving the office, heading towards the guardsmen post in the basement.
Oceara, Cybus1, and Novo Wagondia
It was decided, while they didn't like turner being in power longer -- that it would be far worse for the Inquisition to take control of the country. The Army would be instructed to mess up their encryption on a couple Field HQ radios near the border so that the Orsonian Military's listening posts can decode messages talking about the satellite imagery of central plaza and the risk assessment about the Inquisition taking power and what that could mean for the risk of invasion. Handing the Orsonian military directly intel that things are coming to ahead with the Inquisition right now.
It's just like the Inquisition from Warhammer 40k - never trust them.
The Panopticon, Arcadia:
Forge pored over the intelligence reports, and conferred with the deputy head of Section Two, Felix Borodin, a handsome and charismatic Evolved whose charm hid his skill with his .45 and his very high body count.
“Director, as you know, an unstable Orson works to our advantage. We have a greater chance of inserting agents into their intelligence and military apparatus, and opportunities to prepare for further operations in the future. Tensions between Orson and the Malians should be encouraged wherever possible.”
“Yes, but if Turner were to fall...the Inquisition is full of psychopaths and would-be James Delta’s. They are unpredictable and dangerous. They will also likely fight for power, reducing the Empire to fragments that will easily be swept up by the Malians and Mamarans...and that is not in our interests.”
“Of course sir. I’ve already got a Prowler ready to insert new operatives into Australia, backgrounds and documentation already prepared by our informants, agents, and AI. Shall I give the go-ahead?”
“Yes. Blunt Inquisition operations wherever possible, and try to discreetly feed intel to MOSS. And of course, find out all you can about any operations Orsonian agencies have in our territory, if any, and in Wagondia.”
Post self-deleted by Timmy City.
Embassy personnel were not concerned about what was happening outside. As a precaution, all Embassy staff and visitors had been moved into secure areas inside the Embassy that were secured by locked Blast doors. On the Embassy roof, security teams A and B took up positions and began firing tear gas at the inquisitiors. Security team C went to the entrances and exits and manually pulled down nuclear proof blast doors (that acted as an extra layer of security to the outside doors )and assumed interior positions.
As news footage from the Timmian embassy siege filters into Wagondia, it has become increasingly clear that agents within the Imperial Inquisiton have been leveraging Operation Scinfaxi to launch a sort of power grab (it is unclear right now that they have gone so far as to order Turner’s arrest). Fearing a coup attempt is in the works, the Prime Minister has postponed a scheduled address at the UCP headquarters, instead calling together his military commanders and national security advisors for an emergency meeting. Fearing the Inquisition will retaliate against the Wagains in Medan and Central Plaza, our government has held back on raiding suspected Inquistion cells in the country, but has nonetheless arranged to protect key Orsonian figures. Santa Catalina police have set up a defensive cordon around UCP Ambassador Dara’s residence in the city, and Federal Police agents have taken several leading Federalists into temporary protective custody.
(OOC: Indeed. The Inquisition from 40k was actually a major inspiration when I first created it.)
The Imperial Military's Department of Army Intelligence would forward this information gathered from listening posts up to Imperial High Command, allowing the organization to become aware of the coup attempt before the rest of the government and the media. High Command immediately began planning for an operation to secure Central Plaza and stop the Inquisition before they had total control over the nation.
Having now provoked the Inquisitors, security teams A and B would be fired upon with live ammunition to eliminate them once and for all. With the Timmians having sealed themselves inside the embassy using the blast doors, the Inquisitors would remain in position around the embassy to ensure there could be no escape. All tunnels beneath Central Plaza were also sealed to ensure the full lockdown of the capital. The electric power and water supply to the Timmian embassy was also shut off.
In Jakarta, the Inquisition would finally issue a further demand to Director-General Hoy. All staff would be required to exit the campus, in groups of 50 at a time, where they would then be taken into Imperial custody; Hoy was required to be the first to exit, to ensure he could not further rally the staff around him. If Hoy does not agree to this demand within the next 60 minutes, the Inquisition will storm the campus and kill everyone inside, no matter their nationality.
Meanwhile, Turner has managed to escape the capital with the aid of the Imperial Royal Guard, fleeing the city through a secret underground tunnel before the Inquisition could seal it off. The tunnel connected the capital to Fort Victorium, where the Emperor received treatment for his gunshot wound at the Imperial Palace. The Palace grounds, alongside all of Akara Square and nearby areas of downtown Fort Victorium, are on a complete lockdown, with all residents required to shelter-in-place; additionally, no Inquisitor will be allowed inside Akara Square. From the Palace, Turner would order a complete media blackout regarding the coup attempt, ensuring the civilian population was kept totally in the dark; the Emperor still had to appear from a position of strength, and news of a coup would only embolden the Federalists and other dissident groups. Turner ordered a battalion-strength unit of the Imperial Commandos to deploy into Central Plaza and recapture the city from the Inquisition. He also sent a general alert to the Imperial government, Imperial Military, and the Inquisition (deliberately left unencrypted so other national governments would be aware of Turner's response):
"Due to the current crisis unfolding in the Capital District and throughout the rest of the Emperor, I hereby issue this royal decree. The leadership of the Inquisition and the Ministry of State Security must report to the Imperial Palace within the next 24 hours. All national funding provided to the Imperial Inquisition will be suspended until further notice. All Inquisitorial agents, no matter the rank, will lose their above-law status until further notice. All Inquisitorial operations are suspended until further notice. All Inquisitorial agents will be required to report to their nearest post and surrender all firearms and body armor in their possession; failure to comply with this demand will result in associated units being marked for extermination. All elements of the Inquisition currently involved in the attempted unilateral takeover of the Empire will be marked for extermination. The Imperial Military and the Imperial Royal Guard are ordered to mobilize and prepare for a full-scale purge of the Inquisition. Long live the Empire, long live Orson."
Following this announcement, in Ravenwood, at the nearest non-Inquisiton intelligence facility, a packet of files, all copied from Inquisition sources from across Orson, would be placed on the front door by a man wearing all black, several layers, and a mask to conceal himself from facial recognition; a local citizen aligned with the Federalists, but unknowingly working as an informant for a Torchwood Orsonian operative posing as a Federalist cell leader. These files would contain information on heavy weapons and vehicle caches hidden across Orson for Inquisitorial use, disguised as military facilities to avoid detection, and one file was entitled “In The Event of The Emperor’s Demise”; seemingly an ordinary contingency plan, this actually revealed protocols developed by the Inquisition to use their forces imbedded in military units to seize control of the armed forces and purge commanders deemed insufficiently loyal or potentially problematic under the pretext of eliminating conspirators, along with a host of other things. The original documents were no doubt in the process of being destroyed.
Torchwood assets began to go on lockdown. Due to the efficiency of the Imperial security services, the actual Torchwood agents within Orson were very few. However, their handful of contacts within the Inquisition began to take advantage of the chaos by searching for information on foreign cells, and, in some cases, uploading malware into local Inquisition systems to try to hinder their efforts, figuring that amidst the chaos they could skip away and vanish.
Post self-deleted by Timmy City.
As Embassy Security Teams A & B were being fired upon they received a text from the French Commander of New Caledonia. " White Phosphorus use is approved." As a result, some of the security team that were able to move, moved to secondary positions and began calling for other members to withdraw inside where the Embassy's air filtration system would protect them.
A speaker from the Embassy blared to Inquisition forces," Stop firing or prepare ." As this message went out, in two backrooms White Phosphorus was being prepared for use in mortars.
....you keep White Phosphorus in your embassies Timmy?!?
Having been kept informed of the coup attempt by satellite phone (with reports relayed by Wagain and Malian intelligence), Hoy decided it was far too risky to turn 1,000 potential hostages over to the Imperial Inquisition. If a power struggle were to erupt between the Inquisition and Imperial Military, civilians could be caught in the crossfire, or used as human shields as had been documented in the African campaigns.
Hoy needed to guard against an Inquisition assault, which would certainly cause widespread casualties, while simultaneously looking for a route for his 1,000 employees to escape their grasp. With all road access cut off, he resolved to organize an airlift out of the compound, trusting the mixture of Inquisition and territorial forces wouldn't dare fire on UCP aircraft loaded with foreign citizens. All personnel were given an option to either remain hunkered down in the compound's basement, or submit their name to be randomly drawn for the first airlift.
The Tietê, a Wagain frigate which was being held just outside of Orsonian territorial waters, had been joined by the Aconcagua, a Cordillera Class Amphibious Assault Ship which had been patrolling the South China Sea before being dispatched to the region. Aboard the Aconcagua was a flight of four Chinook helicopters, which could each airlift 55 civilians to safety. All operating at the same time, they could expect to rescue 200 people for every 25-minute round trip to the compound. In advance of this operation, all externally visible weapons were removed, and several warnings were issued over both civilian and military radio frequencies to ensure the airlift wouldn't be mistaken as an attack.
Back in Medan, all those who choose to be airlifted out of the city were organized and brought to the roof of the tallest building, with the compound's security forces setting up a defensive perimeter around the ground floor. To prevent access from the outside, all stairwells were blocked and the elevators disabled, effectively isolating Hoy and the security team so they could deal directly with the Inquisition.
Only in our Orsonian Embassy and Consulates. All the other diplomatic missions are pretty low on security. Given Orson’s volatile past, it has been a priority since the Harper administration to arm the diplomatic missions in Orson to the teeth to withstand any armed threat.
Which is also why the Embassy has multiple nuclear proof safe rooms with blast doors built into it.
But, the thing with White phosphorus or chemical weapons is that they can act as a deterrent to potential aggressors. Are we mad enough to use it? Using white phosphorus won’t just hurt them, it will hurt everyone in the radius of where it was launched/
Cybus1 and Novo Wagondia
This is where the fun begins
Quite true.
Very risky of you. This should be fun.
«12. . .4,1594,1604,1614,1624,1634,1644,165. . .4,7724,773»
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