Peace For Our Time?

On February 14th, 2122, the Treaty of St. Petersburg is finally signed in the eponymous city, bringing almost five years of pointless slaughter to an end. Despite the desirability of peace–or at least a temporary ceasefire, as militarists on both sides try to sell it–the signing itself is treated as one last opportunity for defiance. Its location is therefore no accident, but rather an attempt by the Europeans to crown themselves the victors: "you Eurasians may have won your independence, but we will deny you this historic city". The tsarists, for their part, are treating their lack of St. Petersburg as no great loss. The city is a nest of degenerate europhiles, and was named for one too. No wonder the Russian Revolution started there.

Resolved The New Crusades

Don't Cry for Me

As the essentialists lick their wounds, more dire reports have come from the south, where the Negation has finally attacked a non-UN power. For reasons yet unclear, it is the nation of Argentina which has caught their ire. Just as strangely, it seems that the Negation's forces are only targeting a portion of the Argentinian state and population. More specifically, they have decided to take up the banner of Peronism, an old staple of the country's politics. As the civilian population is captured and scanned, those who possess some sympathy for the old order are spared, and incorporated into its regeneration. Most of them are assimilated into a great pantomime of the past two centuries, an indistinct palingenesis where Everything Is As It Should Be. A select few, the most diehard adherents, are made into the missionaries and ambassadors of the regime, ready to spread the good word about the land of silver. Some of these emissaries have even made their way into UN territory, where they present themselves in a far less belligerent fashion than their Negation brethren. We do not yet understand this difference in disposition. It might be that the Argentinian 'branch' of the Negation phenomenon is an autonomous entity, a mutated offshoot. Or it could be the case that Peronism itself has imbued its essentialist programming with a degree of political flexibility. Either way, the Argentinian situation, however tragic, is not something we can concern ourselves with in the short term. At best, we can continue to accept the rising influx of refugees.

Gained Argentinian Refugees: -5 per die on PALA-based projects

A Butlerian Jihad

One of the principal points of inspiration for the Barsoomian Ideology–besides the same cosmist strands which produced the present Eurasian scourge–is the late 20th century teaching of Earthseed. This pseudo-spiritual doctrine, first set out by science fiction author Octavia Butler in her work Parable of the Sower, maintains that the foremost duty of humanity is to 'take root among the stars'. It's not hard to see why this idea would appeal to our Martian comrades.

However, amidst the ravages of the 21st century, an important modification was made to this core principle, one which became known as the 'Terran Corollary'. Its common explanation was somewhat paradoxical: "In order to avoid terran exceptionalism, we must acknowledge the Earth's exceptional features". The elaborate version was far more understandable, consisting of the idea that any universal mandate to spread and preserve life would surely need to prioritize the bountiful biospheres of Earth. So yes, the Earth was somewhat exceptional, but only because of its metabolic proportions. Over the course of centuries, these were to be equalized across the known universe. Just not yet.

In the short term, all the Terran Corollary did was keep more Earthseed followers earthbound, as they prioritized their care for this planet instead of moving on to another. In the past year or so, however, the idea has seen a considerable revival among the revolutionaries of Barsoom. As they see their comrades brought low by the assaults of ecocidal essentialists, it's becoming clear to more and more Barsoomians that the fate of the Earth cannot be left to the earthlings. And so, when one of their own is killed in the brutal assault on the Haudenosaunee, this sentiment is catalyzed into a proper casus belli. For the first time ever in their capacity as a revolutionary regime, Barsoom will go to war.

Given the distances involved, it takes some time for an interplanetary task force to be assembled and sent out. Its components are all at the cutting edge of human spaceflight, though focused more on space-to-ground logistics than space-to-space combat. Nevertheless, its approach is quickly declared a military threat by GTO authorities, which scrambles its own forces to interdict the Barsoomian fleet. A tense few weeks ensue as the two formations approach one another. In the end, beyond a few threatening missives and warning shots, nothing much comes of it. The Barsoomians' angle of approach lies outside of the range of most GTO mass drivers, and the basing rights granted to them by the UN allows for another layer of orbital security. Warlike as they might be, the essentialists won't risk WW5 over this. Thank the stars for that.

As the extraterrestrial force begins to dock at Daedalus station, it takes another couple of weeks for it to fully 'unfold' into its full configuration, becoming a lattice of various hangars, headquarters, and field fabricators. It is at this point that "Operation Earthseed" officially begins. Great barges begin to descend from their high orbit, installing long space tethers above the densest layers of space junk. Once counterbalanced with a piece of satellite salvage, these tethers can survive as reverse skyhooks, quickly deorbiting a shuttle while also expelling some trash from orbit. It's a smart piece of design, and the Barsoomians have already promised to sign the structures over to the UN after their operation is complete. This will surely enhance our orbital capabilities.

First, though, the skyhooks are put to the task of deorbiting the Barsoomians' landing parties. Before long, bulky combat shuttles are screaming through the atmosphere, each of them aimed at a distinct site of Negation activity. The nightmares themselves do not let the landings go unopposed, and so the skies above are quickly filled with corrosive clouds, drone swarms, and all kinds of exotic ordnance.

While future observers may wonder how any troops could make it through this pandemonium, some do, and begin to establish a beachhead. This is the kind of operation which will come at a huge cost regardless of its success. Only about two out of three landings are successful altogether, and there is no chance for evacuation in those all-too-common failures. Wherever they don't secure their landing zone, the Barsoomian troops are simply cut down where they stand. But where they do, an important breach is made.

Overall, the landing sites are as scattershot as the initial Negation flareups. Major operations areas include Dodoma, Brasilia, and Los Angeles; all the great abandoned cities of UN territory, in short, and many more besides. Most importantly, however, about a third of the landing forces are dedicated to a strike at the hydra's heart, setting down in the ruins of the Tokyo Metroplex. That this landing succeeds at all is a testament to its sheer audacity, and to the constant barrage of EMP strikes which supplements the operation.

Even at present, losses on the Tokyo front continue to be heavy. But with its basic viability secured, we can begin to learn more about the origins of the Negation phenomenon, and of the mysterious 'Amaterasu' entity which is said to lead them. Further cooperation between the Barsoomians and the DPO will be paramount to this effort, as will UNIDA's infrastructural work by extension. Thankfully, our red comrades stand ready to assist us.

New project unlocked: Operation Earthseed

Meanwhile, in Frank Wong's office:

"Cheryl, Gabriel, thank you for coming in today. I am here to tell you that you've both been shortlisted for the UNDP deputy position. Yes, that would make you third in line on the UNIDA council, like Giovanna used to be. She's sorry she can't be here, by the way, you have no idea how busy she is now. Well, okay, you were both in government during the Emergency Period, so I guess you do know.

Anyway, I'll be honest here, we're having some trouble choosing between the two of you. It was easy enough to reject more 'experimental' options–no, I won't go into that–but you are both more than qualified for anything we might throw your way. Hell, the problem might be that you're so damn complementary; there's hardly any basis for comparison between you.

So, here's the deal: do you want to share the job? With the new Galina architecture, we could easily split the workload between you. You'll be working in different areas, most of the time, but we can set up some cross-departmental meetings if that's what you'd prefer. It's just an idea, and if one of you doesn't feel like it, we'll just get back to the usual procedure. But personally, I think it could be kind of fun. Don't you?"

[] Cheryl Khan
[] Gabriel Ndambuki
[] Both (separate departments)
[] Both (coordinated departments)

Turn 7: Deus Ex Martia (2123)

Yesterday, you were the owner of a small coffee shop in downtown St. Louis. You read the daily papers, and were looking forward to volunteering for president Perot's reelection bid. Your main worries were taxes, child support, and the absurdity down in Mexico.

Today, you and the rest of your clientele watch in disbelief as the television shatters your sense of reality. Some mad scientist at the UN is claiming that your world is a simulation, cooked up by 22nd century 'vampires'. This is not how things really happened, and your lives are just the punchline to a piece of historical entertainment. As you ridicule the man on tv, along with whatever UN flunky thought to let him speak, he rebukes your unheard skepticism with a live display of his powers. The sky outside turns a darker shade of blue, and the clouds spell out multilingual pleas to not be alarmed. While the meddling ends here, your fear does not. To you and everyone in the cafe, it appears that the apocalypse is here.

Tomorrow, the real apocalypse will arrive. A virus infecting reality itself, its RNA made up of long-dead political obsessions. The war against its agents is measured in minutes, and soon you are another plaything for the Empress of the Sun. You come out of it well, all things considered; there is a pressing need for camp commanders, and you fit the profile. As some of your former patrons are driven into the enclosures, the rejects of a perfect America, you promise to do whatever you can for them. It won't make a difference. In this new world, history can repeat endlessly.


Negation Crisis Progress: 54% resolved

A d20 will be rolled every turn to determine the progress made in fighting the Negation. Various bonuses can be added onto this through your emergency projects, speeding up the overall resolution of the crisis.


Negation Emergency Projects:

• ***Operation Earthseed (0/400) (takes UNDP, UNODOS, and DPO dice): Talk about the tail wagging the dog. Just a few years, we considered ourselves the stewards of the Barsoomian Revolution, guiding our Red Comrades away from the dangers of essentialism and escapism. Now they've come to repay the favor in the form of their Anti-Negation Expeditionary Force, performing some daredevil landings in support of our own offensives. This is just the start of your cooperation, however; cognizant of our recent troubles, they have offered their own kind of developmental assistance in the form of Operation Earthseed, an eclectic collection of aid packages and research projects. If we can overcome our own sense of shame at being helped by these junior revolutionaries, their assistance could prove really useful.

UNDP: 5 Free Dice

• Free Dice can be used on any project within or outside of the Core Group, but will be discounted in the latter case. This malus can be overcome by having the UNDP permanently adopt the project, but this in turn takes a policy die.

UNEA: 6 Dice (+10)

• Project Cambrian (200/900-1100)
  • Sea Shepherds (119/200): It's always a bad idea to grow anything unsupervised, especially when it has the potential to replicate exponentially. Such is the case with these new MEBRs (Marine Electro-Biological Reactors), which you're hoping may be used to clean up the UN's coastal waters. In order to oversee their operations, you'll therefore need to recruit a new class of seaborne shepherds, stewards of the new ecosystem. For now, their job will mostly consist of cleaning the MEBRs' solar panels, which tend to get covered up by the chronic algae blooms. Over time, though, their job could evolve into a more diverse and creative endeavor, becoming the gardeners of the revivified oceans. Wouldn't that be nice?
  • Adaptive Plankton Programs (59/250): The base of the food chain is where our efforts at ocean revivification must inevitably begin. Once we can get the plankton flourishing, the rest of the ecosystem should follow. This set of programs would be specifically aimed at modifying these microorganisms for our present environment, one of relative heat and hypoxia.
• Project Lovelock (200/700-900)
  • Develop HERA (108/300): While the elements of ecology are relatively easy to track on either the microscopic (individual behavior, molecular biology) or the macroscopic (climate forecasts, population trends) level, it is on the intermediate scale that its most vital and interesting interactions take place. Thus, to take note of such fascinating phenomena as plant cognition or micro-symbiosis, we will have to develop new research tools and methodologies. Enter the Holistic Ecological Regimen Architecture, or HERA, a hardware/software suite designed for exactly this purpose. While this basic machine won't have much in the way of personality (that comes later), at least it will help us to establish a proper basis for effective ecological communication and human-computer interaction.
  • Build the Biodomes (0/200): No plan survives contact with the enemy, and no program survives contact with nature. Still, we must have some set of protocols, some model of the basic principles of ecology, if our Gaiic designs are to have any chance of succeeding. This requires a controlled environment, a hermetic locale where the prototype AI can be tested. By building some dedicated biodomes, we can meet this initial condition.
• Project Penglai (550/700-1000)
  • Liminal Cultivation (80/350): As any student of ecology will tell you, biomes aren't built in a day. An entire process of ecological succession must first take place, and this is all the more true for the denuded environments we're working with here. Now that these spots are marginally habitable, though, we can at least begin that complex trajectory. Time to build some soil.

UNIEEC: 4 Dice (+10)

• New Colossus (700/800-1000)
  • Operation Red Pill (185/300): The protocols have been codified, and our diplomats stand ready: first contact can officially begin! This initial operation will focus on the low-hanging fruit among our stable of simulations, worlds where our presence is thought to be welcome or expected. While the potential for mass panic will never entirely vanish, even this should be manageable if we stick to our scripts. Or so we hope.
• Road Warrior (150/600-800)
  • Aid the Caravans (153/200): In hindsight, maybe we should have offered some material aid to our nomadic comrades before trying to surveil them. That might have made for a better opener. Oh well, at least we have a better idea of what they actually want now. Time to go play santa.
  • Build the Rest Stops (0/250): The neo-nomads are a hardy people, but they are not invincible. They often suffer casualties when trying to cross the ecological dead zones along their routes, which is an impressive feat in itself. With this in mind, an easy way to build both infrastructure and goodwill would be to establish some well-stocked caravanserai along these dangerous trails. They would do wonders for the general logistical traffic in these areas as well.
• Libertalia (350/500-800)
  • Even More Communes (198/300): Not all UN initiatives are equally glamorous. Sometimes, you just need to do more of what you were already doing. That's what's going on here; with the basic designs for our interstitial settlements resolved, all we can do is continue to build them. With sufficient effort, we can make Popular Consolidation into more than a bureaucratic buzzword.
• Project Gaki (0/400-700)
  • Pantarheic Diplomacy (175/250): Throughout this crisis, it's become clear that the Negation's control over their own domain is not as absolute as they'd like it to be. Not only have several of their simulations fallen into your hands, but you've found some bona fide backdoors into their insidious network. Through these assets, you can begin the long and uncertain work of resocializing the Negation's members, many of whom were just the first victims of this all-consuming apparatus.

DPO: 4 Dice

• Operation Kublai Khan (1000/1400-1600)
  • ***Operation Taigyaku (86/300): While foolhardy to the extreme, the Barsoomian assault on Tokyo has opened the way to our own offensive. Negation propaganda speaks incessantly of the goddess who resides here, the leader figure who gives them their purpose. Cybernetically speaking, this is just a single head on a viral, decentralized hydra. But cutting it off would still be a huge blow to their morale, and that makes it worth trying.
• Operation Augeias (650/900-1100)
  • Send in the Drones (0/300): The Near Earth environment is not going to clear itself up, at least not in any reasonable timeframe. Now that Daedalus is up and running again, though, you can send out the requisite fleet of mass produced salvage drones. These will be intelligent enough to make automated cost-benefit decisions regarding their de/re-orbiting strategy. And if enough of this junk proves salvageable, you'll even be able to make new drones out of it! Just be careful, or you might make the Kessler syndrome worse. That's always an option.
• Operation Van Helsing (0/600-800)
  • Operation Blood Bank (44/200): Pitched as a classic honeypot maneuver, Operation Blood Bank is aimed at establishing a series of easily hackable power distribution networks, entirely legitimate if not for their nature as vampire bait. When placed around areas of likely vampiric activity, it will only be a matter of time before their automated siphoning algorithms hit upon these irresistible resources, allowing us to trace the hacks back to their source. Easy as pie.
  • Operation Analog (44/200): The easiest way to lure a vampiric enterprise out of hiding is to force them to re-establish their parasitic connections to the wider power network. To do so, we will arrange for a series of rolling blackouts in the most afflicted regions. While we should notify the resident populations about these disruptions, we must refrain from doing so through digital communications; these would likely be tracked by vampiric surveillance bots. Instead, we must resort to old school means: physical notices, public announcements, even telephone calls. While obvious to the physical populace, the online world might not even notice until the moment of disconnection is there. And that's exactly the plan.

UNATCO: 2 Dice

• Operation Van Helsing: See above
• Operation Sweated Brow (250/500)
  • Silver Bullets (92/200): To combat the submarine scourge of Atlantic piracy, you'll have to get creative. These techno-fetishists tend to be too clever for their own good, and you can often undermine their 'weird tricks' after a careful analysis. So let's draw them out, and see what they can't do.

UNPFII: 2 Dice (+10)

• The Dreaming Initiative (500/1200) (AmPlan Project)
  • ***Initial Embodiment (84/300): With the basic model designed, it's time to start building and deploying it. This mass incorporation will no doubt reveal a whole host of practical issues with the model, but we cannot afford a delay. These people deserve to be a part of the world.
  • Spirits of the Land (0/250): It's still going to take a while before the bespoke bodies of the Dreaming Initiative are designed, let alone deployed en masse. In the meantime, you still have a lot of idle Indigenous souls who are eager to get to work, virtual as they may be. As a temporary solution, you could upload them to various drones and automated systems. While they won't enjoy the full benefits of embodiment, at least they can bring a human touch to the work of popular consolidation and ecological remediation.
• The Zomia Program (200/700-900)
  • There and Back Again (0/250): To Serve the People, one must go to the people. Unfortunately, the regions that are to be served by the Zomia Program are incredibly remote, partly by design. Instead of trying to bring our global team of specialists to them, we have opted for a remote work solution. By instructing these regions to each build an RUF (Robotic Unfolder-Fabricator), they can stockpile the capacity for several cadres to load in at once. This will allow our experts to be anywhere and everywhere, and to scale our involvement as needed. It will take some time to set up, though.

UNODOS: 2 Dice

• Operation Augeias: See above
• Project Anarres (0/???): With all the recent hubbub around Mars/Barsoom, it's easy to forget that the UN has a far greater presence on the second planet from the sun. But as its name suggests, the Scientific Autonomy of Venus prefers to be left alone, and its relation with the international system has always been a bit tenuous. Still, their relative independence does not absolve the Silver Scientists of any greater responsibility, and we could sure use the help. Time to pay them a visit.

UNOCHA: 1 Die

• Project Barefoot (150/400-600)
  • Thunderbirds are go! (128/250): While our numerous bands of misfits have done a lot of good out in the sticks, there were many instances where their help proved insufficient. To overcome this lack of quick-response assistance, we can set up an auxiliary service of emergency caravans. These would be called on when needed, crossing vast distances to aid whatever particular cadre is running out of tools, resources, or expertise. The folks at UNOCHA HQ have taken a liking to the idea, and have even dug up an old sci-fi franchise to name this service after. Curious.

ILO: 1 Die

• Project Pannekoek (250/400-600)
  • Internal Exchange Programs (0/150): Our workforce is eager to break down the managerial barriers of our projects and agencies. As it is, they sometimes encounter other cadres in the field while being entirely surprised to find them there. This sort of ignorance and inefficiency should simply be eliminated. As an initial step to more internal cooperation, we should send elements of one agency to apprentice with another, and vice-versa. In this way, they can learn from each other's methods, and build the informal connections we'll need if any official mergers are to be realized.

Policy: 2 Dice

• Project Management
  • Add a project: If we feel that a certain part of our mandate is not being met, we can always try to add a project directly to the UNDP. It could either be a bespoke initiative developed in-house, or else one adopted from outside of the Core Group. All of this is entirely within the Vice-Chairman's power, and would allow them to spend some of the UNDP's discretionary resources on a project that would otherwise go neglected.
  • Augment a project: When a failing project is not so useless as to be worthy of canceling, a drastic reorganization is our only option. While such an effort requires some initiative from our core organizations, it's usually better than doing nothing at all. We can't always wait for the next ten-year plan, after all, not when we're actively wasting our resources.
  • Cancel a project: If a given project is not delivering an adequate amount of progress, or if it is distracting us from more important goals, then it can always be canceled. While this would incur a small short-term political cost, the higher-ups will appreciate our turn to more efficient efforts in the long run.
• Core Group Management: Unavailable Until Next QCPR (Currently Scheduled For 2125)
• UNIDA Management
  • Satellite Offices (0/200): A good manager knows when to devolve their own authority. In this case, trying to manage our translunar assets directly will only lead to friction and miscommunication. At the same time, by promising a degree of autonomy, we might actually draw some independent organizations into the UN's orbit That could help us to align the wider development of Humanity, and keep the eccentrics on Venus from spinning off their axis entirely.

Politics: 3 Dice

• A Meeting with the General Secretary: Despite their evident work ethic, it seems there was at least one initiative on offer which Starhawk deliberately neglected. While you don't know the particulars, you have at least an inkling of what the GenSec's offer might be about. This is something you'll want to hear, to say the least.
• CONFIDENTIAL: THE LINE
• CONFIDENTIAL: XUANZANG
• CONFIDENTIAL: TI KALLISTI
• CONFIDENTIAL: LISAN AL GAIB