But going from their description they do seem be fond of doing this thing called "playing god."
Attempting to Shatter the Skies: An Ace Combat Plan Quest
- Thread starter grimely
- Start date
- Sci-Fi Alt. History
-
- Tags
- ace combat
So how cursed is our start going to be?
Oh this is certainly going to be an absolutely insane start.Antarctica, 1996
KnightDisciple
Brotherhood. Unity. Peace.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
Also, unfettered capitalism, and unfettered imperialism!
Crafter of War
The Dorf
- Location
- Bend
That's what confusing to me. By all right and means, NOD should fit in perfectly with Strangereal. But my brain just keeps ringing the "it feels off" bell. I'm sorry that I don't like it despite you working your ass off for it, but it is what it is.
Silencian
Seeker of Stories
- Location
- Where Stories Are Told
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Checks map: cowabunga it is!
Now the question is will the artic states work together in this time of crisis, setting aside their differences to survive. Or will we be witness to a grand tragedy as nation states war irregardless of Ulysses approaching.
Now the question is will the artic states work together in this time of crisis, setting aside their differences to survive. Or will we be witness to a grand tragedy as nation states war irregardless of Ulysses approaching.
Crafter of War
The Dorf
- Location
- Bend
Work together obviously. That way once the crisis is over, everyone goes on a mad dash to be the first to properly control the super weapon.
Or we destroy it. And then the Brotherhood immediately tries to backstab everyone else because they are all "oppressors."
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
There is quite a bit of mad science and "playing god" in Strangereal, and this quest is explicitly advertised in no small part for the desire to build some kind of terrifying superweapon and do mad things with it.
It is conceivable that if you want to play a bland and benevolent state, perhaps this quest may not be the one you'd most desire.
LucidProp
Pocky Eating MafiaDoka
For me, it's the aesthetics. Ace Combat has always leaned into the "15 minutes into the future" style of tacticool, while the Brotherhood is more campy sci-fi.
As far as C&C factions go, the Generals factions would slide more neatly into Ace Combat than any other C&C game.
grimely
Twink Death Sufferer
fwiw I'm drawing more heavily from Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert 1 than anything else
while I'm not super thrilled about being Nod, im also pretty convinced that we can and will make it work for us in a way that'll feel very AC in the end. The map helps alot and the paragraph of flavor text already put into making Nod work without tiberium is a very solid starting point.
I think the only thing really putting me off was the still immortal kane and the flag and name being unchanged but it is what is, Peace Through Power time.
I think the only thing really putting me off was the still immortal kane and the flag and name being unchanged but it is what is, Peace Through Power time.
Too late... ):
Specifically it is the Kane thing that is bothering me too. That and I have a thing about nations that love to spread their "glorious revolution" around. Even to people who don't want it.
Organization Creation 1: Big Picture
grimely
Twink Death Sufferer
[X] Plan: Peace! Through! Power!
-[X] Name: Republic of Nod; colloquially, the Brotherhood of Nod
-[X] Government Type: Social Democracy, with some elements of Totalitarian/Messianic Democracy
-[X] Flag:
-[X] Territorial Claims:
-[X] Origin: The disenfranchised and disaffected from all across the world, those who seek a work better than the current one that is bound by greed, the whims of a few hyper-rich, and the insanity of a handful of hyper-states.
-[X] Flavor Text: It is uncertain how old the Prime Minister of the Republic, a man known only as Kane, is. What is known is that he has spent the last twenty years carefully cultivating a movement that is equal parts cult of personality, and a comprehensive vision for the reformation of society on Earth. While the trappings of the Republic, and the Brotherhood before the Republic was truly founded, are exceedingly religious, in its day to day operation it is generally secular and pluralist. The core beliefs of the actual Brotherhood (a name retained by the pseudo-religious collective that many, but not all, members of the nation belong to) are cross-religious, as they call upon shared principles from almost all belief systems, though especially those of the Abrahamic faiths. Kane has purposefully cultivated a culture that emphasizes open minds and open arms, while working to build a nation who, despite its small land claims, is thoroughly intended to one day stretch much farther. The Republic stands today as a testament to those who were disgusted with the petty bickering and infighting that even Usea, threatened as it was by the incoming asteroid, was experiencing. From the roots of their communal and collectivist leanings, the Republic of Nod has morphed into a mixed-economy nation that conducts democratic elections for all positions up to the Senior Council, though said Council's members are generally elected by the larger Parliament. The Primer Minister is selected by the Senior Council, though despite seeing a few seats change even in just the last few years, the Minister has been, and is, Kane himself. He has promised to not only see the Republic, Usea, and the world protected from the imminent threat of the asteroid, but, in time, protected from the predations of autocratic kings and ruthless robber-barons. The revolution is night, and the people will sing with joy as they embrace Peace, Unity, and Brotherhood!
-[X] Name: Republic of Nod; colloquially, the Brotherhood of Nod
-[X] Government Type: Social Democracy, with some elements of Totalitarian/Messianic Democracy
-[X] Flag:
-[X] Territorial Claims:
-[X] Origin: The disenfranchised and disaffected from all across the world, those who seek a work better than the current one that is bound by greed, the whims of a few hyper-rich, and the insanity of a handful of hyper-states.
-[X] Flavor Text: It is uncertain how old the Prime Minister of the Republic, a man known only as Kane, is. What is known is that he has spent the last twenty years carefully cultivating a movement that is equal parts cult of personality, and a comprehensive vision for the reformation of society on Earth. While the trappings of the Republic, and the Brotherhood before the Republic was truly founded, are exceedingly religious, in its day to day operation it is generally secular and pluralist. The core beliefs of the actual Brotherhood (a name retained by the pseudo-religious collective that many, but not all, members of the nation belong to) are cross-religious, as they call upon shared principles from almost all belief systems, though especially those of the Abrahamic faiths. Kane has purposefully cultivated a culture that emphasizes open minds and open arms, while working to build a nation who, despite its small land claims, is thoroughly intended to one day stretch much farther. The Republic stands today as a testament to those who were disgusted with the petty bickering and infighting that even Usea, threatened as it was by the incoming asteroid, was experiencing. From the roots of their communal and collectivist leanings, the Republic of Nod has morphed into a mixed-economy nation that conducts democratic elections for all positions up to the Senior Council, though said Council's members are generally elected by the larger Parliament. The Primer Minister is selected by the Senior Council, though despite seeing a few seats change even in just the last few years, the Minister has been, and is, Kane himself. He has promised to not only see the Republic, Usea, and the world protected from the imminent threat of the asteroid, but, in time, protected from the predations of autocratic kings and ruthless robber-barons. The revolution is night, and the people will sing with joy as they embrace Peace, Unity, and Brotherhood!
May 1, 1996
The first verifiable appearance of the man known only as Kane in the historical record came to light when the victors of the Belkan War secured records from the South Belka Munitions Factory. A 1981 memorandum related to the initiation of the Belkan Ballistic Missile Defense program simply states "Kane has some ideas" scribbled on a photocopy of a crude sketch of a pillar. From these humble origins grew Project Pendragon, and the Excalibur anti-ICBM chemical laser. Kane and his self-described disciples, a close-knit group of scientists and engineers, dot the margins of the project records, with surviving payroll and security records proving their involvement in Excalibur's research, design, and construction between 1981 to 1990.
A combination of rumor and reconstructed events from the testimony of Belkan war prisoners and former Pendragon personnel "recruited" by both Osea and Yuktobania post-war suggests that Kane began to have increasing disagreements with politicians in the Belkan Federation beginning with the Federal Law Review in 1988, and left the country with his "disciples" in 1991 after construction had begun on the main tower of Excalibur, an event which many analysts cite as the root cause of the weapons system's "technological difficulties" delaying completion to late 1993. A consistent report from nearly all sources is that Kane believed that Belkan politicians in the Democratic Liberal Party, and specifically Waldemarr Rald, would "misuse the technologies of peace" and that he could not justify remaining in the country any longer. This was a prediction that came true by 1995, with the onset of the Belkan War and the offensive usage of Excalibur.
Less concrete information paints a hazy picture of Kane leading efforts against the terrorist organization "A World With No Boundaries", though other - equally dubious - rumors suggest that members of the group instead joined him after it disbanded after their failed attempt to devastate the Osean Federation with Belka's V2 MIRV. It is additionally known that Doctor Anton Kupchenko, who was simultaneously chief engineer of Project Pendragon and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Belkan Air Force, was at one point in time counted among Kane's inner circle, before he elected to remain with Belka when Kane left in 1991. Kupchenko's own involvement in the terrorist group is by now well substantiated, but what connection this has with Kane remains unknown.
Even more fanciful rumors connect Kane with the chemist Doctor Kane of the Osean Federation, who is credited with several key breakthroughs in the development of artifical ammonia production which was used to calamitous effect mere months later at the outbreak of the Osean War in 1905. Similar stories connect him to a physicist of the same name who was instrumental in the development of crude fission piles, the results of which were later weaponized in the first atomic bomb, as well as, incongruously, the Minister Kane of Yuktobania. Some particularly fanciful tellings have it that Kane is less a person and more of a title, that "Kane" selects his successor from among his disciples or perhaps his own sons - depictions of Kane being remarkably consistent for decades - and that a lineage stretches back centuries, granting humanity an insight to improve their lives only to see it almost immediately turned into a weapon.
If true, the cycle seems poised to repeat itself anew in the shadow of Ulysses.
Despite receiving offers to teach, research, or build from nearly every university and government in the world following his departure from Belka, Kane elected to make a move that confuses intelligence agencies to this day. He moved to Antarctica in 1991, and swiftly became advisor and confidant to Her Celestial Majesty of the Antarcs, one of the few aboriginal states that can trace their ancestry back to the Osean continent, and the most prominent save perhaps for FATO.
It was in Antarctica that Kane's followers transformed a group of intellectuals, mostly those with backgrounds in the hard sciences but a notable number of historical and religious scholars, into the quasi-monastic Brotherhood of Nod, an organization that claims to be dedicated to spreading "the technology of peace" around the world. Named after a Biblical reference, many of the original members of the Brotherhood claim that their service is a penance for their failure in Belka, and openly blame themselves for the weaponization of Excalibur and the further development of V2.
By 1992, Kane and the Brotherhood had become firmly ensconced within the territory of the Antarc Throne. By 1993, he was seen attending the meetings of the Chaldean Confederation's Directory. By 1994, he had managed to negotiate a truce between both states on the matter of the large disputed islands in between their borders, and placed the territory under the direct administration of the Brotherhood - a feat that was perhaps easier done than it may seem, as the two did not in fact have incompatible uses of the territory. To the Antarcs, the islands were vital to several hunting and coming of age rituals. To the Chaldeans, they were convenient supply depots for Antarctic expeditions to the deep south of the ice-covered continent. Neither, however, would give in on their own to share the territory, the former for pride at land that had been theirs for over four thousand years, and the latter from colonial chauvinism and the belief that for the good of scientific progress they ought to have full control of the islands. Under the Brotherhood's watchful eye however, both received what they desired - albeit with new and unexpected neighbors.
Continuing his influence campaign in Antarctica, Kane pressured the Celestial Dominion to serve as a neutral arbiter for the Second Antarctic War between the Kingdom of Erusea in exile and the Republic of Antarctica, but was unable to secure talks until 1995 - a pace which he had complained was far too slow.
Come April 21, 1996, everyone knew why.
The past week has seen a flurry of activity from Kane, and in a matter of days he had managed to convince Chaldea and the Antarcs to work together to face Ulysses. The Erusean monarchists and their enemies in the Republic were on their own for the moment, though an unofficial ceasefire had been declared by the troops fighting in some of the continent's only green fields upon having heard the news of the impending asteroid strike. Some within the Brotherhood hope that both states might join in common cause, for the entire continent to band together against the danger coming towards them. Most focused on the here and now and the task at hand: building the organization that would save them all.
Kane and the Brotherhood of Nod have managed to convince the Chaldean Confederation and the Celestial Dominion of the Antarc Throne to work together to defend against Ulysses. They've created a joint department which will design and build the actual asteroid countermeasures.
An organization requires the following attributes.
A name. You know what these are.
[] Name: Write-in
Level of oversight. This controls the relative amount of freedom you will have to operate from your host governments. This can be changed in play at great effort. Select ONE.
[] Fully autonomous
You will be almost a government unto yourself receiving only limited mandates, but have limited ability to seize land required for construction and will need to justify all but the most mundane requests of their resources.
[] Semi-independent
You will receive mandates from both host governments and need to keep both states happy with your progress, but receive a measure of support from government officials.
[] Direct oversight
The organization will be an organ of both states through and through, and have joint mandates passed down by a political body specifically tasked with oversight and control, but the full power of both states is at your back.
Economic mobilization. Separate from but related to oversight, this reflects the control the organization will have over the private economies of the member nations for the duration of the crisis. This can be changed in play at moderate effort. Select ONE.
[] Business as usual
Both Chaldea and Antarc will pretend that asteroid-fragment-propelled tidal waves might not kill all of them in three years, and will charge market prices for goods and services, but maintain an illusion of normalcy.
[] Price control boards
The organization will have the power to set certain price minimums and maximums, potentially stabilizing the economic situation (and reducing its own expenses) but at the cost of actively meddling in everyday affairs.
[] Direct mobilization
Both states might see their population centers scoured clean if someone doesn't do something about Ulysses, and trusting Usea to coordinate long enough to do so is folly. The economy serves at the pleasure of the state until the risk of annihilation has passed.
Regional affairs. The amount of proactive work the organization will do to see the other two Antarctic states join, as well as the rough outlook taken. This can be changed in play at minimal effort. Select ONE.
[] We must all hang together
Anyone fighting for fields that might be swept away in three years is either blinded by hate, or is an idiot. Either way, they need to be convinced to stop shooting each other and do something about Ulysses, they can get back to killing each other late.
[] The first step to something more
While dealing with Ulysses is of immediate importance, the crisis presents an opportunity to see the Antarctic states welded together permanently, not just for the duration. Lasting peace can be had, if one tries.
[] Get out of the way
You don't care what the monarchists and republicans are up to, so long as they don't interfere with the work being done.
[] Peace. Through. Power.
If all else fails, more direct methods can see the resources of the east brought to bear against Ulysses. It may take a measure of bloodletting, but omelettes and eggs.
Please create draft Plans during the moratorium period.
Example:
[] Plan Jeb!
-[] Joint Emergency Board
-[] Fully autonomous
-[] Business as usual
-[] We must all hang together
Last edited:
- Location
- The Middle of the Howling Wilderness
Yeah, seconding the praise for the political situation; it's all very twisty and convoluted and feels like the perfect scenario to worm our way into a position of immense institutional power without either government really noticing, which feels very Kane.
thinking about a combo of:
[] Semi-independent
[] Price control boards
[] The first step to something more
to try to maximize behind-the-scenes soft power while keeping our public facing profile as minimal as possible while still actually addressing the problem at hand.
thinking about a combo of:
[] Semi-independent
[] Price control boards
[] The first step to something more
to try to maximize behind-the-scenes soft power while keeping our public facing profile as minimal as possible while still actually addressing the problem at hand.
The new question is what happened in the First Antarctic War?
…I really shouldn' be awake at 1:20.
…I really shouldn' be awake at 1:20.
grimely
Twink Death Sufferer
I was going to mention that in the post but didn't get around to it/couldn't make it flow right. The Republic of Antarctica was colonized by the Osean Federation prior to the fall of the Erusean monarchy, after it fell and went into exile in their Antarctic colony the First Antarctic War was fought (much later) when after the Osean War, Osea seized Erusea's northern stretch of the continent at the peace table. The issue was that the treaty was signed by the Republic of Erusea, which the Kingdom does not recognize, and so has insisted into the modern day that the seizure was illegal. When the Republic of Antarctica was given independence, they used that as their opportunity to try and take the land back.
LucidProp
Pocky Eating MafiaDoka
[] Direct oversight
[] Business as usual
[] Peace. Through. Power.
These would be my preferences at the moment. Direct Oversight gives us the greatest access to state resources from both countries which we'll absolutely want to ensure steady progress. Business as usual is needed to keep the populace pacified and help obfuscate that we're preparing to use our budding superweapon on our squabbling neighbors!
[] Business as usual
[] Peace. Through. Power.
These would be my preferences at the moment. Direct Oversight gives us the greatest access to state resources from both countries which we'll absolutely want to ensure steady progress. Business as usual is needed to keep the populace pacified and help obfuscate that we're preparing to use our budding superweapon on our squabbling neighbors!
[] Direct oversight
[] Business as usual
[] Peace. Through. Power.
[] Business as usual
[] Peace. Through. Power.