MattAtlas

The Alliance Navy Push: Carolean Expanse Under Control Once More Epilogue Part 1, Article 4 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera feed opens up to a familiar, blonde Venusian woman in a suit - none other than Céline, sat in some sort of Colettish TV studio. The room looks fairly clean and proper, unexpectedly so considering the fact that the area in question was a war zone until recently. “Good morning, dear viewers,” she says, shuffling together some papers on her desk, “This is your special SANN reporter, Céline Eylenbosch, with a new update on the war situation. Just a few days ago we landed in Nueva Isabela, and today we are beginning to see the fruits of the Navy’s hard work.” The Venusian stands up and taps the back of her hand on the holoboard behind her, which lights up and displays an intricate representation of a space battle line between the Front, the Alliance and the Shield Pact. On this representation, the Alliance has gained a significant amount of land and is inching closer towards San Colette, though the Navy is still quite far away. The Pact is beginning to push out of the system as well, although not very much. “As you can see, the Alliance’s attack is working out quite well. Seventy fleets were mobilised for this operation, making it the biggest Alliance offensive since the Interstellar War. Several major population centres were recaptured today as the Carolean Expanse was brought back under control. We have no information yet on the recovered planets, unfortunately, but early, unconfirmed reports paint a grim picture, with looting, mass killing and acts of terror being reported by the Front occupiers.” She then turns around and pinches on the Nueva Patria system, zooming in all the way. All the planets can be seen, with green checkmarks and Alliance flags over them. “The fighting in the Nueva Patria system has also come to an end. All Front troops in the system have surrendered, been taken prisoner or killed. The last of the fighting ceased yesterday, late in the evening, when one last holdout on D’Anzin finished its resistance. Solarian casualties have been very low so far - reports so far indicate a sum of less than a hundred ground casualties. That is not to say that Solarian presence is gone in the system, however: many units are remaining in San Colette and D’Anzin to carry out relief operations - whether that be rebuilding roads, running rescue operations in cities reduced to rubble or giving a much needed hand to general repairs to space stations, railguns or ships.” Céline then swipes once on the screen to close the display. “All in all, this paints an improving picture! What do you think of the work done so far, viewers? Do you think it will be enough? And do you think the Front will come back? Let us know your thoughts on the situation, and glory to the Alliance! See you in a few days!” She waves her hand at the camera, and then the camera cuts out.

Unbanned, but yes, this is why you don't toy around with VMs, they switch up your CID and you can get caught into a ban net.

The Admiral of the First Fleet Lands on San Colette Epilogue Part 1, Article 3 of the Amor Patriae arc This news service opens in the bay of a transport shuttle. It doesn’t look to be moving, and a few personnel - high ranking military officials and pilots, by the looks - are scurrying about the bay, shuffling various crates and items around. The camera, however, pans to a familiarly blonde figure, this time wearing a suit and tie. She can still be easily recognised as Céline Eylenbosch, the SANN’s chosen reporter for all things San Colette. “Welcome, dear viewers,” she says, as the bay door behind her begins its opening cycle, “to the exclusive of your life! We are the first official Solarian envoy to land on San Colette since before the Civil War. Isn’t that exciting? It should be! As you know, we arrived to this system in the SAMV Gunnhildr only a day ago, and the Alliance has secured it enough for us to land. Nueva Isabela was secured by marines from the First Fleet just earlier today, and it’s been deemed safe to land only a few hours ago. Now, let’s watch closely…” Both the camera and Céline turn to the exit, which has by now started to open. Warm sunlight - clearly that of a late summer afternoon - breaks through the cracks first, and then the scenery from the top of some sort of skyscraper, from which a good amount of the capital can be seen. The outskirts are littered with destroyed buildings and rubble, the plazas and roads filled with makeshift fortifications, sandbags, and army vehicles; the fields outside the city dotted with ashy craters, destroyed tanks and other military vehicles, barricaded and broken roads, and wreckages of jets and spaceships alike. Ships and planes traverse the sky as well, likely escorts for the VIPs that just landed. Nueva Isebela does not look like an untouched, privileged capital - but yet another victim of war, like the others. It was a clear target for destruction, rather than occupation. As the news reporting pair step out of the vehicle and onto the roof, the cameraman makes sure to meticulously record all of the previous details, zooming into all of them. Once done with his documentary, he pans to Céline, who had been occupied gazing at the scenery before her, with an uncharacteristically serious and longing look. She then turns to the camera again, forcing through her usual smirk. “This is San Colette, viewers,” she says, dropping the adjective before ‘viewers’ she loves, “A few months of fighting have reduced it to this. Nueva Isebela may be the most well-defended city, the most valuable and the most untouched - but, even so, its suffering is palpable from here. Our reports indicate that the other major cities are in an even worse condition… it is a truly horrifying thought, isn’t it? And yet, they have still made it.” The camera then pans to the shuttle, from which a previously-seen figure steps out: a taller woman in a Solarian Navy dress uniform with long, black hair. She looks to be no older than her mid thirties, but to those familiar with military affairs, her tabs identify her as a Fleet Admiral. More than likely, she is actually in her mid forties or early fifties. To anyone familiar with the Alliance military, that is none other than Ingrid von Varnhagen: Courtois’ protégée and Fleet Admiral of the 1st Battlegroup. Waiting for her outside of the shuttle, meanwhile, is a figure that is just as recognisable: an exhausted-looking woman with shoulder-length brown, greying hair, looking to be in her forties, wearing a suit with a plate carrier over it. Behind her is an armed escort of five Colettish soldiers. As the two meet just below the shuttle, they shake hands, and the reporters approach without saying a word. “President, we apologise for being late,” Ingrid says, being the first to drop the handshake and returning to attention, “but the system will be secured in the following days. You have nothing to fear.” The soldiers behind Maribel fidget a bit, as if a colossal weight had just been taken off their shoulders. Their posture remains motionless, but their hands do not, to those that pay particular attention to these details. Everyone in the bay of the transport shuttle and the other officials on the roof stop whatever it is they were doing to look towards the two officials. After a short pause, the President responds – “We understand, and we are happy to rejoin the Alliance once more.” A few smiles and sighs of relief can be seen among the people on the rooftop, as everyone gets back to what they were doing - as if they were waiting for those words to be spoken. Maribel nods, and the two, along with their escorts, move to an elevator and disappear out of sight. The focus then turns back to Céline, who seems overjoyed herself. “Well then, viewers, that’s it for today! We’ll be seeing you for more exclusives in the short future… and glory to the Alliance!” A young, Colettish serviceman can be seen saluting at the camera in the background, a gigantic smile plastered onto his face - and the feed cuts just then.

BREAKING: THE SOLARIAN ALLIANCE INTERVENES AGAINST THE RESTORATION FRONT Epilogue Part 1, Article 1 of the Amor Patriae arc All transmissions across the Solarian Alliance, at exactly 13:30 GST, cut to show the largest room in Unity Station, the Hall of History - so called due to its walls painted over with an immense canvas depicting the history of the Alliance - absolutely full of all kinds of dignitaries. Military officials, Solarian and foreign diplomats alike - wherever anyone looked, they would recognise at least one important person. On the stage, is the full Provisional Government: behind them are yet more Alliance flags. Behind the podium, decorated in a bright depiction of the Solarian flag, is Admiral Lucien Courtois, flanked by Senator Trang and Governor Strom, both standing still with their hands behind their backs. Every figure in the hall looks markedly stoic, with not a single whisper breaking the silence. The air is cleared by Courtois, who speaks in a grave tone, “For as long as we remember, the Alliance has always been at war with itself, in one way or the other. Whether that be politically, culturally, or physically - it was never within the Government’s power to stop it. Never did we learn from our mistakes. Never did the Alliance put its people first.” He pauses for a moment, then he continues, “Today, the cycle ends. Our borders have been terrorised for far too long by people who claim themselves to be Solarian - yet murder their kin in cold blood. Today, the Government chooses to act. No longer will we stand by and watch as our citizens are slaughtered - as our soldiers fight for their life. Today, we choose to learn from our mistakes, and to confront a monster of our own making.” “As of now, our fleets have begun moving into the territory colloquially known as ‘the Northern Wildlands’. We declare war on the ghosts of our past, so that they may never haunt us again. May the Alliance be reunited and prosper forevermore.” With those words, Courtois bows and leaves the podium. The room erupts into clapping, with the Government’s emissaries joining in. The Extranet has similarly erupted into a state of jubilation, confusion, exhilaration, panic, and worry all at once, from all of humanity in the Spur at large. Early reports indicate Solarians joining each other in drives on the streets in jubilation across all Alliance planets, matched by public displays of worry, pessimism and skepticism by other parts of our people. The results of today's declarations remain to be seen, but this is surely a pivotal moment for galactic history [...]

Warp Signature Nearing San Colette — Warning Lights on Gate Engaged Act 4 Article 19 of the Amor Patriae arc “Minutes ago,” Gopal begins, taking the typical role of Deschamps, “the XNS received a credible report which indicates the unknown warp signature has nearly arrived in Nueva Patria. Unfortunately, no external observer is certain of what this signature is. Delphine?” “Thank you, Ajit. Presently little information is available regarding this signature. Some believe it’s a Front vessel, while others believe it’s a Navy vessel coming to save San Colette. Other more creative, but perhaps less credible, rumors have stated the object is a vaurca hiveship, an unknown alien race, or a Gadpathurian vessel.” “How long will it be until it arrives?” Deschamps hems to herself and moves her suit jacket’s left sleeve back to reveal a watch, which she looks at for a moment before speaking. “Roughly an hour to two hours, assuming our information is correct.” Gopal nods his head and idly looks down at his PDA, then to the camera. “—in that case we’ll return in roughly fifty minutes, though other coverage will continue in the meantime. Please stay tuned to the XNS for live updates on the ongoing conflict in San Colette!” The broadcast fades out.

I understand what you are saying, but you were not warned for saying that and Mel was referring to the whole conversation. She will be more careful in the future, but otherwise this complaint is being locked in 24 hours.

No.

Not sure why this complaint was made - what you adminhelped was handled, in that there was an actual issue and it was taken care of. I don't typically tell people the exact details of the punishments I dish out.

The message quoted for a strike doesn't matter at all as far as a strike goes, it's not even recorded - and looking at the strike itself the reasoning given isn't the quoted message either. No real action needs to be taken here.

Ground Combat Continues in Nuevo Villaviciosa Suburbs Act 4 Article 15 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens to the XNS’ typical screen, still showing Nuevo Villaviciosa and its surrounding area, flanked by Delphine Deschamps and Ajit Gopal. The Front has gained some ground against the Civil Guard over the past day, and fighting has formally reached the city’s suburbs. Gopal speaks first. “While fighting has mostly come to a stop around Nueva Isabela, it has continued near Nuevo Villaviciosa with the Front making limited gains on San Colette itself. In the broader system, D’Anzin has continued to hold thanks to the efforts of San Colette’s railgun stations. While the Front never quite managed to reach the outskirts of Nueva Isabela they have reached the outskirts of Nuevo Villaviciosa’s suburbs, where the Civil Guard and its allies are attempting to halt their advance. Delphine’s team,” he looks over to his counterpart, “has found some footage from the ongoing combat there. Delphine?” “Thank you, Ajit,” Deschamps taps on her PDA for a moment. “This was originally captured by the Third Volunteer Battalion of the Civil Guard, and shows some of the combat they’ve experienced over the past days. This footage may be unsettling to some viewers, as it does show active ground combat.” “As you can see by that footage,” Deschamps gestures to the screen, which has switched to a map of the city, “the Civil Guard is holding its ground quite effectively. Encouragingly, they’ve managed to retain control of the skies around Nuevo Villaviciosa and, while still unusual, the naval reinforcements from Porto de Ouro are expected to arrive later today. They may, once those arrive, attempt a counterattack.” “We’ll have to see what happens, won’t we?” “That we will, Ajit. Unfortunately, for now, we must go onto a short commercial break – but we’ll be right back with more breaking news!”

Ground Combat Begins Outside Nuevo Villaviciosa Suburbs Act 4 Article 15 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens onto the XNS’ war room, with Delphine Deschamps and Ajit Gopal standing on either side of its trademark display screen. Gone are the maps of the Northern Reaches, of Nueva Patria, and San Colette itself. Now upon the screen is a map of Nuevo Villaviciosa, a populous Colettish industrial city, and its outlying towns. Gentle elevation markings note that the outlying suburbs of the city are located at a somewhat higher elevation than the industrial core of the town, which is centered upon a gentle slope which ends in the Bay of Villaviciosa – home of the massive Castrejon Space Elevator, the likely target of the Front’s invasion of this area. Both Gopal and Deschamps look relatively tired, having apparently not slept well over the past few days. Gopal is the first to speak. “Roughly two hours ago, according to Civil Guard authorities in Nuevo Villaviciosa, the Solarian Restoration Front landed on the outskirts of the city, somewhat beyond its suburbs, and is currently attempting to assault the outlying suburbs. Guard authorities have advised civilians to evacuate the surrounding area and seek shelter if unable to flee. Delphine?” “Right,” Delphine taps her PDA and several black splotches labeled as Front-controlled areas of control appear on the map. These marks have just reached Nuevo Villaviciosa’s outlying suburbs. “As you can see, the Front has landed in significant strength near Nuevo Villaviciosa – in far more strength here than in Nueva Isabela, which suggests that attack was either a diversion or an effort by the Front to distract Colettish air defenses from their landing outside the city.” “That makes sense,” Gopal responds, “the Front likely wants to secure the high ground around the city in order to bring artillery from orbit to their forces and disable the space elevator rather than seizing the city. Even if they only manage to disable it for a few days, that’s going to severely impact Colettish supply efforts for their remaining railgun stations.” “--and those have remained in operation despite this, to the best of our knowledge,” Deschamps interjects. “Despite the ongoing Battle of San Colette, Pact forces near D’Anzin have continued to hold their ground in the face of multiple Front assaults both in orbit and on the planet itself.” “Of course,” Gopal responds. “In and around Nuevo Villaviciosa the Guard is attempting to contain the Front and has had some success skirmishing with them in the temperate forests around the city. Unusually for a conflict in the 25th century, the Porto de Ouro Civil Guard has opted to send several reactivated seaborne warships from the early colonial era to Nuevo Villaviciosa to support it.” “That is unusual,” Deschamps responds, taking a moment to consider the words, “but it is a coastal city, and they may be useful.” “They may be! Before we go, one last thing –” Gopal clicks his PDA, causing the screen to shift into a paused, blurry image of the sky with the Civil Guard’s emblem in the corner. “This is gun camera footage – and audio – captured by a Civil Guard interceptor above Nuevo Villaviciosa earlier today.” At this point the tape cuts out and returns to Gopal and Delphine. “For now,” Gopal says, “we’ll have to take a short commercial break. The Xanu News Service will do our best to keep you informed of any events in the Battle of San Colette as they unfold.”

Ground Combat Begins Outside Nueva Isabela! Act 4 Article 14 of the Amor Patriae arc “Earlier today,” Deschamps begins, sounding somewhat tired — it seems she hasn’t slept well recently, “Front forces landed in the fields surrounding San Colette’s capital, Nueva Isabela. The following footage has been retrieved by our analysts and, at times, provided by the Colettish government. Viewer discretion is advised.” The footage ends to reveal the exhausted-looking Deschamps standing in front of her and Gopal ‘s typical monitor. Gopal himself is off to the other side and looks as bad as Deschamps. “The Xanu News Service,” Gopal says, “will return shortly. Delphine and I will work to provide you with what coverage we can of these historical events as ground combat continues on San Colette.” Deschamps nods as the broadcast fades out.

@Loorey @Misiek1001 @TheSleepyCatmom you all should have it now @Daemon you already had access to it

The core reason why you will never be unbanned is that you never think you did anything wrong. At no point in this complaint or the other complaint do you ever take ownership of what you did. Not once do you admit that you messed up: you twist and twist and try to lay the fault to someone else. If it's a ban, it should have been a warning, and if it wasn't a warning, it was unjustified because of X or Y. Something "not being ahelped" does not make it worse or better. It has no bearing on the severity of the situation: if it's a rulebreak, it's handled in the same way regardless of it was adminhelped or not. If I break into your house with a bunch of friends and we all enjoy it, does that make it not a crime because the people there didn't care to report it to the cops? Lastly, a ban is absolutely justified for something that should be the most common of common sense. I would like to remind you of what exactly you wrote on your first complaint: This line alone means that you cannot be trusted. You, as a person, have a RESPONSIBILITY to not think like this. It is not ON OTHERS to tell you to not do these things. Just because it is not in the rules does not mean you can even come close to thinking something like this - and this is not up for debate. Your second point: I think this is once again an incredible evasion of what you actually did (use SPECIFICALLY anti-semitic language). You said "I'm not dying for the Nanotrasen Occupied Government." while playing an antagonist affiliated with the space nazi faction, and you somehow manage to reduce this to a "specific use of language which could easily be misinterpreted". Misinterpreted how, exactly? This is nothing more than a deflection. Other than that, this is pretty clear usage of antisemitic references - and people who make these are not welcome here. The ban will stay and this complaint will be closed, as nothing of value will come from further discussion.

I'll have a ruling on this within the next few days.

XNS Exclusive: Ground Combat Begins on D’Anzin — San Colette Proper at Risk? Act 4 Article 10 of the Amor Patriae arc “Over the past 48 hours,” Deschamps begins as the screen behind her and Gopal switches to a close-up of D’Anzin and its surrounding areas, with distances demarcated in units of of a hundred kilometers — a relatively small scale for interstellar combat, “Front forces have pushed Colettish forces and their allies back in the space surrounding D’Anzin, and have begun to launch limited assaults against ground facilities using their marines. What limited information we have suggests the garrison has been weakened by the fighting but has repulsed most assaults so far. Ajit?” Gopal taps something on his PDA which causes the screen to switch to a map of D’Anzin. Roughly two-dozen spots across the planet — most of them related to phoron production are marked as having been the target of Front assaults. “As you can see Delphine,” Gopal begins, “we believe the Front has launched about two-dozen assaults on D’Anzin’s surface recently. This does not count orbital strikes not involving ground combat, as there have been far more of those. Most of these assaults were not successful due to fierce resistance by Civil Guard forces, but the Front has secured some territory on the planet and is, according to what we’ve seen and heard, attempting to exploit its gains.” “Have they secured anything noteworthy?” “They managed to secure one Colettish Phoronics facility — known locally as Valle Púrpura — after an extended fight with the Civil Guard and Free Solarian Fleets marines, and were processing phoron at the facility. Unfortunately for the Front an explosive ‘stay-behind device’ left by the Civil Guard detonated late last night and destroyed most of the facility, scattering processed and unprocessed phoron across the surrounding area. With regular emergency services disrupted and the Front having abandoned the facility it’s likely Valle Púrpura will continue to burn for potentially several weeks, spreading Phoron contamination through its smoke.” “That sounds dire.” “It is,” Gopal nods. “Most of the area around it is uninhabited, but who knows how far the smoke will travel?” “Right,” Deschamps taps her PDA and brings up an image of Nueva Patria, then draws a line from San Colette itself to D’Anzin. “With D’Anzin contested, many are concerned San Colette itself could reasonably be under threat within weeks if not days. For now the defensive line appears to be holding, and rumors have begun to circulate about imminent naval intervention, but the situation doubtlessly remains quite dire for the Coletters. With the Solarian Navy as tight-lipped as ever we are, for the time being, left to only sit and observe. The Xanu News Network will return with more observations regarding the ongoing conflict in San Colette after this short break.”

BREAKING: RESTORATION FRONT FORCES BREAK THROUGH COLETTISH LINES — D’ANZIN CONTESTED Act 4 Article 8 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera zooms in on, as always, Mariska van den Soeterik, the dedicated host of XNS’ foreign news segment. Her augmented eyes glow slightly as she reaches across the table for her PDA. As before, she appears to be somewhat stressed — an unusual emotion for the veteran newscaster. “Just now,” she begins, “the Xanu News Service has received credible information which indicates the defenses of San Colette have been breached, and the system itself is now contested. Pact forces are currently engaged near D’Anzin — a distant planet within the system — in an attempt to repulse the Solarian Restoration Front and force them back into the area surrounding the system. Delphine?” The camera switches to a view of Delphine Deschamps and Ajit Gopal in front of a map of Nueva Patria, San Colette’s home system. Gopal taps his screen and causes the screen to switch to a view of D’Anzin and its surrounding area. “Thank you, Mariska,” Delphine gestures to the map. “As you can see by our map — which has been updated with the most accurate information available to us — elements of the 34th and 33rd Fleets with support from the remnants of the 32nd Fleet have managed to break through Colettish defenses near D’Anzin, though they have certainly suffered losses in the process. It’s likely that the relatively fresh 31st Fleet, recently returned from the fight against the League, with some support from the 35th, will do much of the fighting in the system.” “Right, right,” van den Soeterik responds from off-screen, “what positions does this leave the Front and Pact in?” “Neither of them are doing well,” Deschamps responds. “The Pact is doing its best to hold and the Front is, if rumors from the Alliance are true, potentially about to be involved in a two-front war against the remnants of the Pact and the Alliance. They might be able to occupy San Colette, but they’re not going to be able to defeat the Alliance. Back to you, Mariska.” The camera switches back to the stressed-looking van den Soeterik behind her desk. She clears her throat and begins speaking. “As always, the Xanu News Service will attempt to keep you updated with the latest news from the Wildlands. For now take care, and stay safe.

you both should have it now @ImmortalRedshirt @N8-Toe

XNS Exclusive: The Volunteer Tapes, Tape Six Act 4 Article 7 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera opens to an Elyran man seated in a very worn-looking armchair inside a room lit by artificial lights. The windows of the room have sandbags on them and tarps draped across them to catch shattered glass. Prior to the Collapse, and the outbreak of war in the area, such a sight would have been unthinkable in the Alliance. The Elyran is clad in a Solarian Army uniform with an orange-yellow armband, and appears to be in his middling thirties. Offscreen, Liao Qi clears his throat and begins speaking. “We’re recording. You can begin speaking.” “Right, right. I am Khaliq Akhtar, formerly of the Najada Phoron Dogs and now serving in the First Colettish Volunteer Battalion. Before mercenary work, I was in the Army.” “What made you become a mercenary after your service in the Elyran Army?” Akhtar laughs briefly, and it has something of a bitter edge to it. “I couldn’t really go back to my office job on Bursa after the Incursion, so I figured I’d do something with what they taught me. Plus, we always need phoron, don’t we? Both the Republic and the Spur, right?” Akhtar leans back into his recliner. “What does it matter if a little bit of it’s got blood on it?” “Right, right,” Qi clicks his pen. “What brought you to San Colette?” “Money, what else? My company was hired to escort a few Elyran-flagged tankers which were doing business with the Coletters. Were they probably doing it to dodge regulations? Probably, but what do I care if I get paid? A Pound’s a Pound and a Credit’s a Credit,” Akhtar shrugs, then leans forward. “Now, you’re probably wondering why I stayed, right?” “For money?” Akhtar laughs again! “Right you are! Sure, there’s a degree of idealism or fighting extremism for a lot of people, hm? But for us – the Phoron Dogs – we follow our noses,” Akhtar demonstratively taps his nose, “to where profits are. This got us put under somebody from Biesel, but does it matter? The Solarians are still paying us to stay here and guard facilities on D’Anzin – now we’re just seconded to another group stationed here.” “How has this made your, ah, Phoron Dogs feel?” “If they’ve protests, they keep it to themselves. There’s a lot of Volunteers and they’ve been useful on San Colette while we get to stay nice and pretty on D’Anzin — the weather’s just like Bursa here! If the Front comes, they’ll stand – and so will we, assuming the Credits stay flowing.” The tape cuts out.

BREAKING: Front Incursion Repelled Act 4 Article 6 of the Amor Patriae arc At 4:54 Galactic Standard Time this morning, the 25th Fleet stationed in the Lumina system registered an incursion by an unidentified battlegroup later identified as the 33rd Fleet - belonging to the Restoration Front. Our sources report that they hailed the intruders for approximately twelve minutes before delivering an ultimatum to leave the system or be shot down, at which point the Front forces opened fire. The skirmish lasted approximately two hours and fifty-four minutes, ending with the Alliance pushing the Front into a retreat. Casualties were taken by both sides, with the Front taking a much heavier share. Preliminary numbers show 314 casualties for the Alliance fleet and slightly more than 1,000 for the Front. As part of our investigation, we have managed to get in contact with a Lieutenant serving aboard a destroyer that took part in this conflict. “The [explicits] just didn’t wanna talk to us,” the Lieutenant tells us, “Nothing we tried worked. They just kept moving. At which point, we had to try to stop them, somehow. We were more reticent than we should’ve been, since we knew those ships were Solarian – San Colettish design, to be precise – and we’re told to try and confirm who they are first, since we often get refugees from the Shield Pact or wherever else. But their IFF was off, and we couldn’t tell who exactly they were. We had to make a choice. And when we did, they started firing at us.” “After that, it was a bloodbath. You’re told to expect it when you sign up for the Navy, but it’s never a possibility to you until it happens. Any second that passes could be your last one alive - you don’t know you’re getting blown up until the shell explodes in your ship. And looking out from the windows was grim, too. Explosions everywhere, and most of the time you can’t even see the enemy with the naked eye. But we made it through, still not knowing for sure who we were fighting, even if everyone had a clear idea by the time the shooting started.” “Once the salvage crews went to the wreckages, we knew for sure. Front gear and decor everywhere. Black-striped voidsuits, posters of Hopper, Frost, Ozdemir, Keyserling, Verglas... photos of Lycoris… personal recordings of all the [explicit]-up things they did… the list goes on. The black boxes we recovered had some horrid stuff – even if I could talk about it, I wouldn’t want to – just know that shooting them down was the right [explicit] idea. They’re [explicit] animals, that’s what they are.” In response to this incident, the Government scheduled an emergency meeting, of which we have received the results just now. All battlegroups near the northern border will enter an increased state of readiness and begin preparing for maneuvers. The Navy has additionally announced that the families of its servicemen in these areas should be ready for long periods of no contact.

XNS Exclusive: The Volunteer Tapes, Tape 4 Act 4 Article 5 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera focuses on a severe-looking man in a Solarian Army uniform with an unusual, non-Colettish garrison cap upon his head. The badge upon its front marks it as a Schiffchen of the now-defunct Visegradi National Defense Force. The man looks at the camera with the same intensity as Lieutenant Colonel Kaohi did earlier. He looks off to the side of the camera briefly and his mustache twitches slightly, then he begins speaking. “I am Willerich Kozak, formerly of Visegrad’s defense forces and now serving as the commander of Third Colettish Volunteer Battalion. Prior to coming to San Colette I was roughly equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel in our forces and fought against other traitors to the Alliance. This conflict is simply the next step for me in ensuring our nation can reclaim its former glory.” “Right,” Qiao responds, “can you tell us a bit about the Third?” Kozak nods in response. “Boze,” Kozak sighs briefly, “it’s a bit of a hodge-podge. Our core is made up of NDF — Visegradi civil defense — soldiers and officers. Below that’s a mix of other Solarians and Coalitioners like you. Hale might disagree with me when I say this, but you Coalitioners can become fine soldiers with proper guidance.” “Why would he disagree?” “He’s a gold commander, but he’s got a lot of personnel behind him — he can make choices regarding who he brings in while I really can’t. There’s only two things I won’t bring into the Third.” “What are those?” Underneath his mustache, Kozak grins. He holds up one finger. “No communists,” the second finger goes up, “and no kigyo.” “Kigyo?” Qi asks after a momentary pause. “Lizards,” Kozak responds. “I haven’t seen any in my time here, but I have seen a lot of communists — mostly through our gunsights, but I’ve still seen them. It’s not a surprise they’re just as murderous here as they’ve always been.” “Right, right. That aside, do you think the Pact can hold without the Alliance?” “I’m not going to answer that. If it holds, it holds. If not, we’ll fight until we can’t.” Qi can be heard flipping a few pages before speaking again. “What do you think of the other battalion commanders?” “Hm,” Kozak’s mustache twitches slightly as he considers his words. “Hale’s a good soldier and I trust him to have my back. Forsythe’s from the Legion so he’s not my equal in terms of training, but his unit was the first to get boots on the ground. His X-O does most of the heavy lifting, I imagine. She’s Martian, he’s not.” “What has the Third been doing since the encirclement began?” “Training Pact troops, especially the Coletters, in urban operations. During the Collapse and its aftermath, right during the start of the Civil War, we ended up having to fight hard battles with secessionists on Visegrad, and most of my personnel saw action in Sloboda — sight of the hardest fighting. Not all of them took up the Navy’s call to arms when they dissolved the NDF and some of them — the synthetics the NDF used to own — didn’t want to get wiped. We ended up here.” “How has the training been going?” “It’s difficult to learn, but hopefully we’ll prevent some of them from getting killed by Fronters or by friendly fire from some kretyn. A lot are still going to die — that’s just the nature of it — but some won’t, and they’ll pass the lessons on.” At the point the tape cuts out.

Unbanned. Make sure to read the rules and all.

XNS Exclusive: Pact Announces Victory Over Second Front Assault! Act 4 Article 4 of the Amor Patriae arc Following the typical XNS jingle the camera focuses on a screen flanked by analysts Ajit Gopal and Delphine Deschamps. Rather than all of the Northern Wildlands their screen now solely displays the system of Patria Nueva, which contains San Colette. All of the system’s major bodies — Nuevo Hispaniola, San Colette, San Colette Minor, and D’Anzin — are featured on the map, as are rough approximations of its defenses. The planets slowly orbit Nuevo Hispaniola until Deschamps clicks something on her PDA which causes them to first stop, then reverse before shopping again. Outside of Patria Nueva forces marked by the black-white-gold flag of the SRF are stationed in preparation for an assault. Inside, a mixed force of Pact units and Free Solarian Fleets mercenaries stand in formation with Civil Guard defenses. “Here are the Front’s forces and the Pact’s defenders as they stood roughly thirty-six hours ago,” Deschamps begins. “Through analytic work the XNS war room has managed to reconstruct some of the assault repelled earlier today by the Pact. Deschamps mods to Gopal, who hits something on his PDA and sends the entire system model into motion. Front forces stream through four paths cut in the Field of San Colette — a massive stellar minefield — and begin to slowly advance through the Colettish Belt, starting to take losses as they pass a faint circle labeled “Spear Range.” One of the advances — the 32nd Fleet’s — buckles under pressure in the Belt and retreats, having taken noticeable losses. The assault sections of the 33rd and 34th Fleets make more progress into the Belt before also being pushed back, with the 34th nearly breaking through into inner San Colette. The 35th Fleer’s assault detachment, the most experienced of the Front’s five fleets, managed to break through the belt and forms a small “beachhead” which is quickly repulsed by a combined Civil Guard and FSF force. As the final 35th Fleet forces return to their previous positions the display stops moving and Deschamps clears her throat. “The attack was repulsed effectively by the Pact, but not without losses. The Front, however, was similarly mauled in its advance, particularly the 32nd Fleet. It was badly, badly mauled by railgun fire during its retreat.” “It was the force behind the initial assault, wasn’t it?” Deschamps nods her head in response. “It was, yes. Its Admiral, Renart Paquet, is suspected to have died during the retreat when his flagship, the Mumbai-class battleship Implacable, was hit by a railgun round and suffered a critical reactor failure which resulted in its detonation.” “And the Pact?” “They’ve lost a lot of their mines and automated defenses but their inner defensive lines remain stable. It’s entirely possible the Front’s sole purpose behind this assault was to ‘soften up’ San Colette for future assaults by more modern vessels. While San Colette is an intimidating target to most attackers it’s cut off and entirely unsupported currently, and there are some points in their defenses where modernization efforts weren’t as widespread as hoped. The Colettish government has never disclosed that information but we can, at the very least, assume the Front is attempting to exploit weaker areas.” “Any other news?” Deschamps ponders for a brief moment before speaking again. “According to rumors the Front has begun work on repairing some of the Pact’s destroyed warp gates, such as those in New Peoria. Most were totally destroyed by the Pact as they retreated but some are at least partially intact.” “Are they going to use them to teleport into San Colette itself?” Gopal seems to be incredulous at the mere thought of doing this. “Probably not,” Deschamps responds, “since they’d need the relevant codes from the warp gates in San Colette. But if they do get those, hm, they might try it.”

LIVE: Coalition Special Committee Discusses Wildlands Crisis Act 3 Article 10 of the Amor Patriae arc The camera switches on and reveals a quite lively room featuring the previous members of the special committee in a very heated debate. Pravin Thaman, Gadpathur’s representative, is currently banging one of his shoes into his desk. “You must lift the warp restrictions immediately!” Thaman shouts to the committee, still banging his shoe on the desk. “You will doom us all if the League falls to the Hopperites!” (redaction's note: Hopperites refers to 'followers of Terrence Hopper', the Admiral responsible for the mass bombing of Gadpathur) “Absolutely not!” Mi-Hi Gim, representative for the Konyang Armed Forces, stands out of her chair on the opposite side of the room and stares down Thaman. “You would bring us into another Interstellar War where Konyang is the frontline!” Thaman stops banging his shoe and looks at the Konyang delegation. “Of course the Solarians oppose me! Can my fellow Coalitioners not see that Konyang is cut from the same cloth as the Hopperites? Can they—“ “How dare you compare the men, women, and synthetics of the Konyang Armed Forces to the Solarian Restoration Front!” Gim shouts back. “If it wasn’t for Gadpathur supplying the League, the Pact may have held the Front back!” Thaman slams his fist into his desk! “Do not accuse Gadpathur of causing this, Solarian!” Thaman storms over to Gim and Kwan Seok’s desk. “You insult the honored dead of Gadpathur!” “And you insult the sacrifices we have made to defend the Coalition! Our Coalition, Representative Thaman!” Gim shouts back as Rohan Magar, Xanu’s representative, bangs his gavel in an attempt to reestablish order. Thaman looks at Kim for a moment, eyes burning with hatred, and opts to slap her across the face! Kim barely reacts and a sickening crack is heard from Thaman’s hand before he begins screaming in pain. Kim shoves the Gadpathurian away from herself as two Xansan police officers stationed in the room rush over and grab onto Thaman, one tackling him onto the ground and the other moving to restrain his hands. “This session is now in recess!” Magar shouts from his podium. The feed cuts out shortly after this.

XNS Exclusive: Interview with an Officer of the Konyang Armed Forces Act 3 Article 7 of the Amor Patriae arc A Himean male is the sole host for this segment of Interviews and News, one of the most famous Xanusii services. It revolves around interviewing both exceptional and ordinary people. The host of the show is sitting in a rather cosy sofa, while on the holoscreen behind him one can see a Konyanger naval officer. The officer appears to be in his early middle age and is starting to go gray, though there remains a sharpness to his eyes and face. He appears to be in a well-decorated office with a painting of a ship in flight behind him. “Welcome, our faithful guests, to a special episode of Interviews and News! I’m Jude Scholes, and today we have a special guest with us — Captain Jung-Hee Eum of the Konyang Armed Forces!” “Thank you for having me on,” Eum replies. “Now, Captain, Konyang has been at the Coalition’s frontline for most of the War in the Nortthern Wildlands. Has it seen any impact?” “I would be lying if I said we hadn’t been impacted by the conflict, Jules. But thanks to the KAF, and our partners in the Coalition, we’ve been able to endure the conflict without it impacting our civilian population. We’ve had to fight off cross-border raids by the ‘anti-corporate’ League but they’ve never gotten past our vessels.” Scholes nods along. “Seems like you’ve got it in the glove, then!” Scholes cheerily responds. “On the subject of the Coalition, do you have any thoughts on Gadpathur’s alleged involvement with the League?” Eum grimaces for a moment, but recovers his neutral expression — and tone — before speaking again. “Gadpathur has contributed ships to the Coalition’s unified fleet in Konyang, and we appreciate this. I’ll leave any discussions of politics to the politicians.” “Right, right. Wouldn’t want to act as coalheaded as the last officer we had on,” Scholes briefly laughs. “How has life been for a naval officer since you hung up your gloves with Sol and joined the Coalition?” Eum looks at the camera with an expression of confusion for a moment, then looks at something offscreen, then back to the camera. “Are you asking how we’ve transitioned to being part of the Coalition as a military? I’m not familiar with Himean Common.” “I am! Sorry if it’s hard to get around it — it’s a habit hard to get out of.” “Right. It’s been easier than we expected to integrate into the Coalition and to bring positronics into our ranks, even if the logistics of it means we have to have separate units. Positronics have proven effective, and the KAF is happy to have them.” Scholes pauses and looks down at his watch. “And that’s all the time we have for now! Captain, thank you for your time!” “Thank you for having me on. I’m glad the KAF could present itself better than Gadpathur’s navy.” Scholes laughs in response! “You can’t fault their master of begrudgery, that’s for certain! Up next is the latest from Light’s Edge, so stay tuned!”