|
Post by Canton Rouge on Apr 21, 2008 20:21:52 GMT -5
President Voorjent nodded, then added, "Meanwhile, our researchers have found out something else based on satellite scans of the region. It appears that water is an excellent deterrent against Gamna, as evidenced by this photo. As you could tell, this island is surrounded by water completly, and while the Gamna has a hold on the surrounding land, the island is relatively safe. We may be able to use this to our advantage. In the meantime, we will continue with our work, and update you as such..."
"If I could add something," the general interrupted. "From what I can see, I find it hard to believe the Pacific States would resort to doing such treachery against their own people. And plus, bear in mind that the most we could find from them were nuclear weapons. Do you know who could create such potential destruction on such a scale?"
|
|
|
Post by Porcu on Apr 21, 2008 21:12:22 GMT -5
"Sir?" an aid whispered to the HTO Secretary General, not wishing to disrupt his concentration during what seemed to be an important military conference. A HTO Council Committee on Military Operations was currently underway examining all relevant details of the recently concluded war between Nakarak and the PSC and SG Seleucus was an important observer of the proceedings.
Having not received a response from Seleucus the aid stepped a little closer. "Sir!"
Seleucus jumped in his seat, obviously a bit startled from the disruption, and gazed over his shoulder at the aid.
"Sir...A mister Sangdor of Clamparapa is on secure line one..."
Not quite grasping the severity of the situation at hand right away Seleucus figured it had to be something of relative importance, for the HTO and Clamparapa had maintained a distance between themselves, especially after the HTO's economic and political influence penetrated Clamparapa's own regional influence with the result being some of Clamparapa's neighbors becoming HTO memberstates.
"Hello?" barked Seleucus into the phone given to him by his aid.
|
|
|
Post by nakarak on Apr 21, 2008 21:13:18 GMT -5
Velric Tan was still trying to reconcile himself to his role as Nakar. The biggest problem, it seemed, was getting people to acknowledge that he was in charge. He had already had Danakar Kric executed for his insubordination and outright blasphemy. The rest had fallen pretty much in line, but it was still some time before all of the facts on this Gamna had found their way to him. He immediately ordered a communication to be sent to Matthews, his one reliable contact with the outside world.
Dear Timothy Matthews,
Information has finally reached me concerning the full nature and threat of this Gamna plague, and I wish to do whatever I can to help. Nakarak has the most advanced biotechnology in the world. If anyone can find a way to develop a cure, the Tanaka can. I have spoken with the head Tanaka of the crkylkr project, and he believes the creatures could be modified to deliver whatever cure we manage to engineer, without risking harm to any survivors.
In the meantime, we've grafted some hrgk scrubbers into our tchr fighters and the pilots, giving them some measure of protection. The grafts filter out toxic substances from the environment, allowing the wearer to survive in hostile conditions, including most chemical weapons and mild to moderate radiation. They should suffice until something better can be devised. If they do not work, our warriors will gladly sacrifice themselves in the hopes of finding a cure.
But the Tanaka need more data. Send everything you have, especially concerning the chemical and/or genetic makeup of the substance. We will do what we can to fight this plague. It is the least that we can do.
Nakar Tan Leader of the Kingdom of Nakarak
|
|
|
Post by Canton Rouge on Apr 21, 2008 21:25:25 GMT -5
Hearing the message from Telric Van made Matthews know that at the very least know he had secured the loyalty of his fellow Nakarans. But when he heard he needed all the data on the Gamna plague, he could only oblige, knowing very well that unless the Tanaka got more data, then potentially, the world would be in crisis. Therefore, while the general and the president were arguing over what to do, he quickly penned out a response, and notified the two he was returning to Nakarak:
Dear Nakar (Telric) Van,
Enclosed with the letter is all the data so far that our researchers have found about Gamna, which includes that it is a fast moving plant that feeds on nutrients and minerals of plants and animals. Also enclosed is the statement that water is a key weakness to Gamna, explaining why Nakarak proper has yet to experience the threat.
Meanwhile, I will be heading back to Nakarak for the time being to serve as an updater to the Tanaka via our scientists in Paris. Hopefully, with the world at work, we will find a way to remove the Gamna threat.
Timothy Matthews Canton Rouge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the helo sped back to Nakarak, Timothy knew all too well that within the week since he had been brought back, already he had killed a bunch of Pacificans, saw the effects of Gamna, returned to Canton Rouge, and now, was back to Nakarak. He tried to get as much sleep as he could, for he knew that once the helo landed in the capital, he would be back at work...
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Durandal on Apr 21, 2008 22:04:01 GMT -5
There was an aid at the other end of the line and he began speaking to Seleucus. "I'm sorry that Sangdor could not be with you, but, he has been shot. I will give you the best of what I know. A few days ago, a missile was launched at the PSC former territories. The attack crippled the entire Western Seaboard. That wasn't even the worst of it. An alien plant, Gamna, was unleashed on the world. It consumes all minerals in the soil, mutates living things, and spreads very rapidly. Already, millions of people are speculated to have been killed by this plant. We need all the help we can get to catch the bastards who did this and kill the Gamna..."
Sangdor Maff knew in his mind who it was. Kane had always hated him and always threatenedto kill him. He had always said Gamna was the way of the future and there was no avoiding it. Now his brother had tried to asassinate him, the only family member he had. As Maff lay in his coma, he tried to get his mind straight. Why did Kane want his own brother dead?
|
|
|
Post by Porcu on Apr 22, 2008 14:30:26 GMT -5
"I see..." Seleucus managed to respond with thinking of how exactly the aid was able to directly contact his secure line. That detail was irrelevant at the moment and Seleucus drew his attention back to the Clamparapan. "This is certainly something within the HTO's jurisdiction and I'll immediately contact the Council in order to have them convene. If you have any authority within your government I ask that your military begin to send over whatever details or observations you have at this point..."
Not even allowing the aid on the other end of the line to respond Seleucus abruptly terminated the conversation before quickly making his way to his office, conveniently located only two stories above the level he was presently at. Not bothering with the elevators, Seleucus took the stairs and upon arriving on the level he ran into one of his secretaries.
"Julia, please send out a message to all Council delegates calling for an emergency meeting...Also contact the military and have them connect directly to the Clamparapan and Canton armies as of now..."
Progressing through several set of polished wooden doors Seleucus finally made it to his office, the sun's light shining through the large window bordering the back of the room. Sitting himself down Seleucus began drafting up an executive order, an order that did not need Council approval and was usually reserved for times of war. Seleucus soon dialed for the Field Marshals, the military elite, and quickly provided the HTO Security Forces with express permission to complete this new mission as they saw fit. He also informed the Intelligence Wing of the military of their job to update themselves and continue to provide the military with accurate and detailed information. Project Amun-Ra's lenses now turned to the North America, the usually green continent now slowly being covered by the red tide of the Gamna.
The HTO Security Forces were proud of plenty of things, one being their rapid response time to critical situations and now was no different. By providing the HTO's Field Marshals with an executive order to carry out their plans without worry of constraint by the Council the Field Marshals had managed to put together a rudimentary plan of action while also contacting the Clamparapan and Canton armies about possible cooperation; all within two and a half hours. Seleucus would handle the politics of it all and the HTO was now just waiting for a response...
|
|
|
Post by Canton Rouge on Apr 22, 2008 17:09:22 GMT -5
While General Leuster and President Voorjent were arguing over how to deal with the Gamna threat, an incoming transmission arrive from the HTO. As soon as they opened up the second channel to allow the communication, they saw the face of the head of the HTO.
"Mr. Seleucus, an honor to speak with the head of the HTO," President Voorjent started. "I'm not sure exactly why you wanted to discuss with us right now. We are busy..."
"I know what he wants," General Leuster argued. "You may know by now that this Gamna threat is easily spreading over the entire western zone of North America. You'll also be wondering whether we can spare any manpower to help out."
"You can't possibly say that..." the president tried to point out.
"While we're busy rcovering from recent operations with the PSC, we can afford to send the Fourth and Twenty-Third Armies to cooperate with whatever you have. I hope that unlike the PSC with people arguing against direct action, you have a way to remedy that problem." ________________________________
The helicopter landed right in front of the palace, a surprise to many Nakarans, but they had seen many surprises in the last few days. But when Matthews exited, their fears were at least lowered, considering all he had done for the people in the last few days.
He immediately proceeded to the palace, where he identified himself to the guards, who in tandem, allowed him entry. He immediately ran to where Nakar Tan would be, and said, "Here, this is what we have so far. I hope that the Tanaka will appreciate our hard work so far. Like I said, if you want, I can stay here and assist them as well, updating them and our research team back in Canton Rouge..."
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Durandal on Apr 22, 2008 18:55:06 GMT -5
General Commander Christof Adaala of the Eighth Combined Army, made his way to the comm office. An HTO general was waiting for him. Adaala had been tasked with beating back the Brigands and now was counter-ordered to assist the HTO in evacuation. As he approached the comm room, a Major came up to him. "Sir," he said. "We have very disturbing news." Adaala stopped. "Our satellite scans indicate that within the Gamna outbreak, there were some survivors. These people were horribly mutated, though. I know this is expected, but we discovered suited men within lower concentration Gamna fields, kidnapping the mutants, and taking them back to, we think, test facilities. Sir, these poor innocents are possibly being tested on by the aggressors of the attack. I suggest bombing runs of these facilities."
"I'll bring it up with the HTO," Adaala responded. He walked into the comm room and punched up the screen.
A grizzled old man appeared. "You are General Commander Cristof Adaala?" he asked. Adaala nodded. "We have a lot to talk about," he said. Adaala would make sure to bring up the disturbing incident with the General...
|
|
|
Post by Porcu on Apr 22, 2008 20:00:48 GMT -5
Seleucus could not help but chuckle out loud at the pathetic attempt by the Canton General to read the HTO Secretary General's mind. "Please excuse me but that was not why I am talking to you right now. Your time is very precious, as is mine, and so without further delay I shall get to the purpose of my call.
"While I thank the humble general in his offer of fine Canton military men I can say with absolute certainty that the HTO is more than capable of compiling a suitable force. What I am here to ask is an official declaration, from you Mr. President, stating that your nation will stand by the HTO in countering this horrendous threat. I'm not entirely sure if you are familiar with the particulars of HTO politics, however I do have a Council meeting to attend to and your cooperation would be most appreciated in streamlining the entire political process for me. I should also mention that the Clamparapan government has already hopped on board..."
Reveling over exactly what he had said in the last thirty seconds or so Seleucus decided that it might be best to accept the Canton offer. After all, less HTO deaths meant happier regional delegates whose constituents wouldn't bicycle and moan regarding causalities.
"I would also like to apologize to you, General. The situation is pressing and I did not mean to be so frank. If you are still willing to provide the two armies then I shall pass the information directly to the Security Forces, whom should hold regular contact with you from this moment on. Do you gentlemen have anything to add?" ====================================
"General Adaala, I am General Alexi Sartovich. I'm sure you have plenty of information already regarding the alarming rate of expansion this particular plant has shown and so I am not going to bore you with those details. What I think we should discuss, at least at first, is the matter of evacuating anyone we can. Now, I realize that you and the Cantons have already begun that process and so while I allow the Intelligence Department to catchup on recent events I do ask that all pertinent information be routed to the teams of rescue crews, which should be over the middle of the Atlantic at this point. Their specific base is located along the East African coast and so any survivors or persons taken away for safety will be transported in that particular base. Logistics are of no concern, simply the finer details regarding population locations..."
OOC: Damn censorship...
|
|
|
Post by Canton Rouge on Apr 22, 2008 20:32:05 GMT -5
General Leuster nodded, then responded, "Of course, we will provide the necessary manpower to assist the HTO forces with necessary operations. After all, you need the additional manpower, and so do we."
"And we will support the HTO diplomatically in countering this growing threat, Mr. Seleucus," President Voorjent added. "There is one more matter. One of our men, Timothy Matthews, is in the area of Nakarak, potentially aiding their scientists. He can provide more information if needed. Otherwise, I think that is all we have from this end." __________________________
Sean beckoned for Kara to follow him, wondering if she would take his advice about offering his protection. He knew he could just leave her aside and go on his own. But he also knew that if he left her alone, more of those creeps would come by and do something to her. Whether she realized it or not, she finally accepted Sean's offer to accompany him, for at least she would be safe with him.
"This place is a nightmare," Sean commented, as the two headed north on foot. "I'm not sure why you didn't evacuate beforehand. You could have saved yourself all this trouble. Really, it wasn't safe to be in the capital during war, especially in this day and age."
"You know a lot, why didn't you join a college?" Kara asked.
"I'll be honest. My family couldn't afford the high tuition costs of college. So they sent me off to the army. Ten weeks after basic training, I finished, only to have the capital ionized the next day, and have Gamna destroy me after that. What's your life story?"
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Durandal on Apr 22, 2008 20:52:08 GMT -5
"General Sartovich, I need to tell you something of great importance. Recently we have discovered an unknown faction within light Gamna fields. They are carrying out tests on the mutant population and we are to commence in bombing runs of their facilities. A warning to your troops: they may not be the only ones in the area. If this hostile force sees your men, they may open fire.
"We are willing to give you as much info as possible and I will transmit a list of known populated areas after this conversation. We are commencing with Agent Orange spraying in densely wooded areas to kill the food of Gamna. Please stay clear of these areas. These locations will also be present on the list. Anything else, General?"
Sangdor Maff, immediately after exiting the hospital, got into a taxi and drove to the airport. Noone knew of this excersion, not even his wife. He was going to confront Kane and get him to stop this, whether he had to kill him or not...
Kara looked at the land in front of them and started. "Well, my family moved here from Clamparapa. Too freaking cold. It was much warmer and prettier here. We didn't live in the capital either. Did that town look like the capital?" Crossing her arms as she walked, the 14 year old was suddenly acting more and more like a 6 year old. It appeared as though the Gamna was devolving her mind. Soon she would become a mindless wreck. However, just the opposite was true. They had walked out of the Gamna fields and the lack of Gamna was lowering her intelligence. Before long, Kara was telling Thompson about her stuff pink elephant she had and how "prettiful" it was. If Sean realized this de-evolution in time, he could get them back to the Gamna. However, the same was happening to him...
|
|
|
Post by nakarak on Apr 22, 2008 20:57:48 GMT -5
Nakar Tan nodded appreciatively to Timothy Matthews. The ancient leader of Canton Rouge had proved himself a powerful ally in Nakar Tan's brief tenure as Nakar. He said, "My aides will take this data to the Tanaka research team we have assembled to deal with the Gamna threat. This will greatly enhance our ability to assist you in combating this peril. Please, if you have no other pressing duties, your presence would be most welcome. I need all the help I can get right now." The young Nakar seemed weary beyond his years. The Sword of Nakana was strapped to his back, but at his belt hung a small hammer, similar to those used by the Duna workers, but finely crafted and made for war. But no weapon would stop the threat now enveloping the world around the island sanctuary of Nakarak, and eventually , the wide sea would prove no protection.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lircan Dal was a junior researcher on the Gamna team. As the raw data came in, he was assigned to categorize and file the information for easy access by the senior Tanaka. As the data came in, though, he began to see things that the older scientists hadn't. Little things at first: connections between pieces of data that confirmed or refuted a budding theory, things like that. Over time, though, he began to perceive the pattern in the genetic structure of the plant. The next portion of the code seemed obvious to him, even before he saw it. He understood the plague's nature, its structural harmony. And it was Lircan Dal who would shape the future of all of the western hemispehre.
|
|
|
Post by Canton Rouge on Apr 22, 2008 21:19:59 GMT -5
Matthews confirmed to Nakar Tan that he would be staying to assist the Tanaka in their endeavours to counter the Gamna threat. He knew that because he was but a man now, he no longer had to answer to pressing issues and crisis as when he was once a leader. He then proceeded to head off to the research center where the other Tanaka were hard at work. ________________________________
As soon as Matthews arrived, he noticed the Tanaka hard at work, and beginning to transfer the papers of data collected from the Canton Rouge scientists to their records. Amidst cries of new discoveries, something shocking came up to Matthews via his comm set...
"Matthews speaking."
"This is President Voorjent. The Clamparapans have a method for trying to stop the Gamna."
"What is it?"
"Agent Orange."
"Agent Orange?" Matthews shouted, alerting the Tanaka to his conversation. "It's a 100 plus year old chemical. Will it even work on this plant?"
"Right now, it's our only option, unless you want more of it to spread."
"Alright, I won't stop it, but something tells me this won't go as planned." ___________________
"Hmmm, you're acting different than you were in the Gamna. Maybe you need it. But, it's so uncolorful. But look at the lights from it. Maybe we should follow it." He was also forseeing the de-evolution of the lack of Gamna, and he too was victimized from it. But he was able to react well enough to lead the two to a nearby deposit before it was too late. As soon as they returned, they felt like they were returning to normal.
"Anyways, that was the capital over there. Nice city, when it wasn't being threatened by the world. It's funny how many enemies the PSC had. Between a long standing rivalry with Clamparapa, a hatred for Canton Rouge because of the defeat in 2052, and generally the whole world. But I could never see why we didn't try and patch things up with the world."
"Funny how I almost could have gone to Clamparapa. But my father wouldn't allow it. He said that 'until they apologize for sinking our gunboat and stop acting like Americans', he would never forgive them. He also hated the Canton Rougians with a strong heart. Apparently, they were responsible for the loss of his right leg in the 2052 war. He said if he ever found the fool who did that to him, he would give him two prosthetic legs."
"You know, I'm glad you can trust me," he continued, as they wandered through the Gamna. "I could never trust anyone throughout my days in school. They called me a worthless geek who would spend his time in a library. And in the army, they wondered what the hell I was doing here. I wasn't even planning on going into infantry work. I had my heart set out on foreign relations studying, but I guess that will never be."
|
|
|
Post by nakarak on Apr 22, 2008 21:36:18 GMT -5
Lircan Dal jerked upright from his work at the mention of Agent Orange. He knew something of the basic structure of the chemical, and he realized that it could have grave consequences if used on the Gamna. The plant was unlike anything he had ever seen, and the potent chemical could cause irreversible harm if deployed without proper testing.
He shouted out, "No!" Everyone stopped working to look at him. He withered under their gaze, but kept speaking, knowing the importance of what he had to say. "Gamna cannot be exposed to that chemical poison," he said, gaining confidence as he went. "I can't tell for sure how the two would interact, but whatever the exchange, the odds of it working out in our favor are slim. More likely, the plant will integrate the toxin into its own genome, enhancing its ability to kill off competition. This plant is unlike anything we have ever seen before, and we must proceed with caution. At least," he concluded, "don't deploy Agent Orange without a carefully contained test to determine the potential side effects. The last thing we need is to create a mutant super-strain of this plague."
He slowly sat back down, awar e of all the eyes on him. It took him a moment to realize that the others had not seen this possibility immediately. A few ran some mental calculations, then nodded in agreement, but he was the only one to understand this from the first. He quietly went back to his work, as did the other Tanaka, but they treated him with a bit more respect than before, respect he knew he had earned.
|
|
|
Post by Canton Rouge on Apr 22, 2008 21:44:29 GMT -5
Matthews heard the Tanaka's claim, then told Voorjent, who was still online, "In case you didn't hear, the Tanaka don't want Agent Orange deployed unless it's a secure test to see the results of using the chemical."
"I'll see what I can... wait. The Agent Orange is already inbound to the area."
Matthews then cursed out something in Dutch, so as not to wary the Tanaka. After hanging up, he told the Tanaka, "Well, bad news. The Clamparapans have already begun sending in the Agent Orange, and there's no stopping them. It may work, it may backfire. Now, I can't stop it, but I can monitor the results via satellite scan and relay any updates."
|
|