AN: The butterfly has come to roost at home. All persons, happenings, and locations within this update do not represent real-life people, events, or locations and are a fictitious representation of another timeline as portrayed by the author.
If conservatives cannot win democratically, they will do so tyrannically.
The United States of America is bleeding.
Little trickles of blood seep from a thousand wounds from the mighty beast as it still stands high above all things in the world, unaware of the wounds dealt to its mortal corpus.
Here, a mother weeps and wails as her child is beaten and kicked in her own home, men clad in white cloth and wearing hoods taking perverse pleasure in the resounding snaps and anguished screams of utter pain within the woman, her child left behind as they leave the inhuman scene minutes later as a warning to the others. Broken fingers cradle the bleeding corpse of the child, barely a year old yet already taken, as the mother cannot do anything but whimper through broken ribs and shattered jaw, her arms feebly holding onto her dead son. None of the men would ever be tried, allowed to return to their families and children without a care in the world. One tucks in his daughter with a goodnight kiss that same day.
There, a second world war veteran sifts through the trash, seeking any scrap of food that the large bakery might have thrown away. Spying a soggy piece of bread, the man takes the discarded piece of processed grain and scrapes off what he can before eating. No help had been coming to him from the government, and the rewards and accolades promised for his service were denied and refused. His house was confiscated a mere three months into the Vietnam war as his only son died fighting, the banks coming to collect what "they were owed" from all he had left. Not even the silver locker with the picture of his dead wife was he allowed to have, though they did not go so far as to take the picture. Nature took care of that. And nature would take care of the man, too, as his cramping, spasming fingers grasped at the air, his convulsing body twitching on the ground. The bleach poured over the piece of food had gone unnoticed long enough for his death to be sure. The woman who had done so saw nothing wrong with ensuring pests and vermin would die if they attempted to scavenge from her belongings. The police assumed he had overdosed on some drug and dumped his body in a morgue that sold the body to a medicinal school to take care of the bills of the veteran's burial.
In a city, a protest of three thousand marched through the streets, fighting peacefully against an injustice that none would remember they fought for, there was no coverage of the media present, nor any mention in the newspapers unsympathetic to the plight of the unmarried single mother, the discarded homeless son, or the deviant homosexual trying to live in peace. What it did have were words spilled like flowing blood of innocents upon pages of their print against their crimes, their rioting, the injuries the police officers sustained trying to calm them down, and the property damage incurred as they smashed windows and looted. "Is this what America has come to?" One editorial would write in Dallas the picture of a bleeding officer holding a hand out to ward off an enraged man trying to strike him with his shield. There was no mention of the three gunshots fired at the same man defending his disabled sister in a wheelchair against an officer kicking her from her chair, trying to arrest her after she could not crawl away as fast as he wanted her to.
Underneath the shielding canopy of a forest, four teenagers, a band forged in blood, adventure, and time, stared down at an older man, bleeding and crying with snot running down his face, bloody bats in their hands as a diminutive figure watches from behind a tree farther away. The screams of the man resound, as does the crack-crack-crack of bones breaking whenever immovable bats meet feeble flesh and calcium. The man will die at the hands of the four in twenty minutes, the last sight he would ever see the boot of the brother of his latest victim. Nobody in the town would know what happened to the pastor, only that he vanished one day. The mother of one of the boys admonished him for hours for breaking his bat on trees, of all things! A waste of money, one he would have to replace on his own! The boy did not mind and bought one made of aluminum, showing off the newly purchased weapon to the other three. All agreed it to be a good choice as they began to walk into town, bats secured and target in mind. Blood begets blood, and the fires of youth burn bright enough to evaporate all that fell on their righteous hands.
In an office, two men laughed and joked about the good old times, reminiscing about their youth and the dreams they held. "I wanted to fight for the poor, for free, remember?" One remarked to the other in a mocking tone, deeply buried resentment and shame about the choices he had made for selfish gain, no longer able to rise from the malaise of his blackened soul. "And I remember you talking me out of taking that case with the Unions!" The other spoke, no hidden depths long dead and stagnant and decayed buried within, only relief and enjoyment at a dozen things and a hundred others. Few would know the strokes of pen done within the room, shared and revised between the two, but millions would feel their effects. Who cared about some commies getting cheated and taken for all they were worth when there was money to be made? It was not as if these safety precautions were required; the workers just needed to be more careful, is all. Their own damn fault if they got injured.
Within a prison, a man opened a cell, and the man within looked up, sunken eyes and hollow cheeks watching warily as the white man, not a guard he knew, approached, a hand reaching into his pants. 'Is this it,' Martin wondered, 'the day they would kill him instead of having him rot and starve in a cell, far away from his family and any contact with the world?' The hand of the white man came out of the pocket, a folded piece of paper held in a firm hand. "You have two minutes," the man spoke, letting the letter switch hands. Familiar writing, oh-so-familiar words, and desperate hope bubbled forth from within the ink on the paper, his mind, and heart. She had not forgotten him nor left the fight. "Quickly," the man said once more, taking the paper from Martin, a nervous look on his white face as he left with tense steps, a key unlocking the cell once more. He hesitated, a glance shot behind. "Two months till freedom," was all he spoke, leaving a Martyr for the cause of equality behind.
Near a base of the United States Marine Corps, a man lies alone on his bed, a silver cross held aloft in one outstretched arm away from him, allowed to dangle and shift in the wind and the movement of his aching arm. The marine pays no mind to the ache, the distraction of slowly building pain welcomed by a mind clouded and left asea from years passed and events which had occurred past and present. He had been there that fateful day when the Iwo Jima had beached on Fairy Island and had to endure the humiliation and mockery made of them by the natives and the contempt the senate gave. What nation lets stranded sailors and soldiers within an enemy nation, surrounded by hostiles on every side, and does not even attempt to free them? What government willingly allowed itself to be humiliated and made a laughing stock on the world stage to avoid a war with a nation that could not fight back? And what country gives from itself millions upon millions to buy what they rightfully owned to keep the charade without ever trying to punish the deserters that fled or those who had no doubt been indoctrinated? What nation indeed, the marine thought, his worldview shaken and unsteady as his mind wandered around until it reached the tv soundlessly displaying the current president on its screen. Memories flash of seeing another president's death; the secret service's failure was only heightened by the killer being a black communist. 'What country indeed...' he wonders as a second passes, then another, and yet one more, as Rumford sits up. Thinking.
And within an office of a white house that had informed and housed men of excellence, misery, greatness, and incompetence, a puppet sat. Watching with growing dread as country after country was pointed out, marked, and information was given, tendrils of fear spreading through a mind slowly eroding under disease and age. It was one thing to know liberties had to be taken to ensure that his country would not be steered into an abyss out of the false belief of brotherhood and concord with communism. Another to realize the threat was far greater than any had anticipated as nearly half of the world now glowed red in the blood of slain innocents. He had taken the seat reluctantly to ensure stability and a return to sanity could be provided in the next four years, seeking to mend what had been wounded.
Général d'armée Maurice Malet stood in his new office in Luxembourg, the soon to be, de-facto seat of the European Parliament, home of the first Pan-European organization dedicated and devoted to peace, prosperity, and integration between states once bitter enemies, now stalwart allies. In his opinion, it was the beginning of something better for his children and grandchildren, the start of a decades-long process that would see no war reach the shores and hills of Europe and see all peoples of Europe prosper in unity rather than with knives at each others throat and daggers in their back for little gain.
Then again...turning around, Malet looked at the barren and empty office, the room having been given to him due to a rushed decision yesterday, with his staff, documents, furniture, and all other things that would enable him to perform his actual job to arrive piece-meal during the next month. His chair would arrive in two, so he had to make do with an office chair he had bought in the city. All of it screamed to him the haphazard and frantic nature of the decisions currently being made in the Parliament, politicians and diplomats trying to react to the formation of the Cybernetic Pact while formulating and planning a course for both their nations and the continent through the next couple of years. At any other time, he'd be at the front of those making jokes about the current situation while listening closely to the news, but one of the frantic decisions had catapulted him from a general in the army to his current position.
The plaque with his title, though not his name, had been the only thing ready when he arrived, not even a table present to put the damn thing on top of. 'Commissioner of the Integrated European Defense' read the thing in proud bronze letters on black, a lacquered wooden frame surrounding the title, or CIED. In a certain light, it looked almost sneering and contemptuous, as if the existence of the position itself was made to mock him personally and not an office that had, at once, drawn heavy criticism and stark optimism from each member of the EU.
The ratification of Act 17b, called the European Defense Pact (or EDP) before the adoption of the new flags and symbols of the Union lent itself to that, especially with heavy confusion from various sides about the nature of the EDP, as it hadn't been advertised in any grand manner. Its adoption and rushed implementation had almost wholly been due to the threat posed by and panic caused by CyPac since nobody liked to wake up to nearly all of North/East/West Africa, half of the Middle East, and a smattering of other countries unite together into an "Anti-Imperialist Alliance to foster Mutual Aid, Socioeconomic Justice, and Developmentalist Initiatives." Oh hey, he just thought that without laughing at the joke, progress!
Personally, Maurice Malet held no qualms about a bunch of nations trying to better the lot of their people. Still, most countries who formed a military alliance to repress and impose their regimes usually had, at the very least, the manners to outright say it within a single layer of bullshit, not seven like CyPac did. For crying out loud, the ink hadn't even dried on the damn papers when the first weapon shipments and volunteer units had left harbors around the world to repress people trying to fight for their rights and justice! And that didn't even cover th-
"Sir?" His secretary's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, her head peaking at him from the door as he scowled at his plaque.
"Yes?" He said, trying to brush off his thoughts as he brushed off imaginary dust from his suit.
"You wished to be informed about your upcoming meeting to be briefed on the Guangchou Mechanized Armor?" She spoke, deliberately not speaking the Guang name for their newest military development. Who in their right mind called mechanized personal armor "Iron Tigers?" ...well, the Guang did, but they were nuts.
"Thank you," Maurice quickly spoke, forcing himself to concentrate on the here and now rather than naming schemes. "I'll meet them in conference room 3 for the briefing." Hopefully, this would be short, or he'd have the unenviable task of drawing up a budget and seeing if his office of Commissioner had any actual pull rather than be ceremonial only.
Alexei woke up, his head pounding and mouth dry, a hand fumbling around in the dark to silence the infernal noise of his clock trying to rouse him from his slumber. He failed to silence it, though his fumbling led to the damn thing falling down and breaking apart, silenced now all the same.
With a groan, the man began to rouse himself from his sleep, fighting to unwrap himself from his blankets as he stood up, tired eyes trying to understand what they saw as feet hit the cold floor of his apartment and began to shuffle him toward his tiny kitchen where the sweet nectar of coffee awaited to fully wake him once more. Coffee, quite possibly the only drug in the world that had only positive effects, nectar of productivity and succor for the tired and overworked!
Yawning, he began to smear some butter onto a slice of bread as his cup began to cool from molten to merely scathing; the brown liquid quickly devoured in the same minute as his breakfast once he had finished.
Stretching, Alexei began to shower before dressing, his mind now, thanks to the movements and coffee, waking fully, happy to allow him to feel dread and anxiety about his upcoming day. The purges had stopped some time back, but there was still the wriggling feeling of him being the next in line because his boss had taken a bit more from the factories than he should and being blamed for the difference due to deals and old friendships in high places shielding the bastard.
He looked at the postcard his sister had sent him from Guangchou, wondering if he should take up her offer of coming to her; they apparently needed all manner of specialists and were more than willing to pay top money for any to immigrate. Then again, he doubted they had all the amenities that-
"OPEN UP!" A voice shouted from his door, their fist pounding on the same, shaking the frame.
Minutes later, Alexei walked onto the street in cuffs, the first person arrested in a new wave of anti-corruption purges in the Union.
[X] Plan: Thanks, Glushko
-[X] Guangchou Representative - Yes.
-[X] Meet-Up - Yes.
-[X] Questions - Yes.
-[x] Are Homo Lupus Human - Correct.
-[X] Ban/Condemn Sapient Gene Creation - Opposed.
-[X] Accept The Second Offer
You Offer: Gen1 Iron Tigers (Current Native Rollout: 75% Complete) to the USSR (preventing further native rollout due to industrial limitations), Technical Documents of non-military Electronic Advancements made and in progress for the next five years.
They Give: Construction of native space industry + 1 Cosmodrome in Guangchou within about four years. (~8 Turns)
Both Agree To: 5 Years of Launch Co-Op and Co-Development of Spy and Comsats.
-[X] Military
--[X] Design the Next Iron Tiger (+5 Reputation) (Bonus: +1 PttF + 2 Omake)
-[X] Military
--[X] Design the Next Iron Tiger (+5 Reputation) (Bonus: +1 PttF + 2 Omake)
8 + 3 = 11 - Boosted
Wei Mai (Communist Dictator of The Most Glorious Twink of Guangchou) sat in the Yellow Conference Room surrounded by a dozen officials from all manner of military, engineering, and scientific branches dedicated to the creation and improvement of the Iron Tigers, resulting in the current proposals for the next iteration and generation of the, for now, uniquely Guang Warmachines. As part of the military and government, it fell on her to guide these people (currently locked into vicious staring matches and passive-aggressive snipes against each other's proposals) from trying to murder each other to put their energies into helping the people better arm themselves against the oppressors of the world and working class.
Even if it meant that she had to gently let down Ma Li with her proposal of an IT-mounted flamethrower (she will murder Wei) and tell people that they could not paint pin-ups onto the machines (...for now.).
However, it did mean that she had been listening to the findings of the large-scale exercises of the produced Gen1 ITs and the various ways in which they could be improved and used.
The most apparent doctrinal use for the machines was as shock troops in Urban environments and as replacements for tanks within mountainous, forested, and otherwise tank-inaccessible terrain. Their armor, size, and ability to wield heavy weaponry made them perfectly suitable to become a spearhead for the army and infantry. They were also supremely maneuverable in rugged terrain that hindered traditional vehicles from supporting ground troops. The second doctrinal use was to use them as combat engineers. Their humanoid shapes, hands, and ability to use tools suited them to perform basic construction and destruction tasks within the field where heavy or specialized equipment couldn't be used. For example, bridges could be constructed by quickly felling a few trees and laying them next to each other for infantry use. At the same time, inconvenient walls and fortifications were dismantled rapidly, alongside digging trenches and constructing fortifications of pre-made bunkers and headquarters for troops within the field.
In contrast to figuring out how to use the ITs, how they could be improved from an engineering standpoint ranged between three factions, those who wished to radically re-design the machines to make use of non-bipedal movements and balancing for various reasons, those that wanted incremental improvements to the overall structure, and those who saw no need to do anything beyond fixing toothing problems and equipping the machines with updated weaponry and equipment, such as a combat shield, automatic shotguns/grenade launchers, minelayer equipment attached to the backs for ranged use, and some more minor changes.
In the end, it came down to this:
[] (GEN2 IRON TIGER WRITE-IN)
AN: Basically, ITs are shock troops, combat engineers, and best used in Urban/Rugged Terrain. You can now make the second generation of them, with either a radical re-design (Cyber), some changes to its structure for better use, or slap better equipment onto them while fixing most/all issues with the Gen1s.
[X] Plan: Sub-Vote Hell
-[X] Infrastructure
--[X] Fluoridate the Water Supply (Helpful) (-4 People's Opinion) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
-[X] Light Industry
--[X] (2 Actions) Cyberdize Light Industry Sector (Mega-Project - 3/3 Actions) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 2 Ambition + 1 Awe + 1 PttF = +6 Total)
-[X] Social
--[X] Found Nutritional & Pharmaceutical Standards Agency (-2 Reputation) (-5 People's Opinion)(Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
--[X] Vaccination Campaign (Disease) (Extremely Helpful)
---[X] Domestic Production And Doctors (-5 Reputation) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
--[X] Expand Medical Education (-4 Reputation) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 2 Ambition + 1 PttF = +5 Total)
-[X] Begin Public Sanitation Programs (Helpful) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
-[X] Political
--[X] Infiltrate the NLA and Make Contact With Warlords (-9 Reputation) (Secret)(Bonus: + 1 PttF = +1 Total)
-[X] Wei Jungming - (RP)
--[X] Personal Action: Attend the Guangchou International Film Festival
--[X] Lover Action: Sample Foreign Cuisine
[X] Effect of the LLDC
"And we are live from Wall Street, where ever since the official signing of the Cybernetic Pact, the stocks are falling-"
"This is an unprecedented move by the socialist and communist nations, an utter upheaval of the world and its carefully balanced geopolitical climate-"
"Several delegates in the UN, especially from the US, have sharply critized the formation of CyPac, and its severe effects on the global economy-"
"The President of the United States has officially announced a hardline against the march of "subversive global communism seeking to undermine the freedom of our fellow free men and women around the globe." This came just hours before an apparent blockade of Cuba's main port began-"
"With the aid of our brethren in the fight against capitalism and its evils, we will not merely prevail over its predations upon our people, but emerge stronger than ever, united as one!"
"Oil prices have started rising ever since the formation of the Cybernetic Pact, and they have shown no sign of stopping, despite the continued supply, due to global worry and speculation about reduced supply and increased costs by the various member nations-"
"My People. My Countrymen. My fellow workers. I can officially share the news and confirm the rumors about our alliance with our fellow brothers and sisters against poverty, injustice, and exploitation with pride and no small amount of happiness. An alliance from the edges of the Americas to the ends of Asia, standing strong and united-"
"Grenada cannot, and will not, subject itself to these demands, no matter what threats the US throws at us. Our people stand with us, and they stand proud."
[-2 Actions due to CyPac caused Global Economic Turmoil and Oil Panic, reduced by 1 each Turn until gone.]
-[X] Infrastructure
--[X] Fluoridate the Water Supply (Helpful) (-3 People's Opinion) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
(8 + 3 = 11 - Boosted)
Keeping ones teeth in working order and free of caries and cavities is an integral part of keeping yourself healthy and working, as the pain of decaying teeth and their roots are distracting, produce a myriad of foul odors that repulses others, and can even lead to death in more cases than merely edge cases. The latter happens to the degree that many aren't willing to contemplate. However, it is a factor that pushed the various health organizations and unions around Guangchou to push to fluoridate the water supply. A chosen amount of the substance within the drinking water has been proven to prevent cavities in children and boost the overall health of the teeth of adults, even if some of your experts are a bit iffy about the effect on adults with access to dental healthcare products that already have the substance within them, like toothpaste. Nevertheless, any little bit helps in the long run, and any effort taken today eliminates two in the future.
-[X] Light Industry
--[X] (2 Actions) Cyberdize Light Industry Sector (Mega-Project - 3/3 Actions) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 2 Ambition + 1 Awe + 1 PttF = +6 Total)
(9 + 6 = 15 - Medium Breakthrough)
"BOW BEFORE ME, PEONS, FOR I AM YOUR GOD!"
-Young Software Engineer after fixing a bug that prevented five factories from sharing accurate data for eight months.
"Everything's in order, the prototype code seems to work according to plan, and nothing is going wrong. Success!"
-Software Engineer upon integrating a newer version of Mingxiang, improving inter-factory communication by 8%.
"If this continues at the rate we are going, the cyberization in the mills and heavy industry will be over within five years!"
-Senior Software Engineer while boasting about the rapid progress made in reducing the requirements to connect vastly different logistical routes.
"Shit."
-All of the above when the code didn't work as planned and bricked the system.
"WE ARE GODS!!!"
-All of the above when they fixed a single misspelled word after going through the entire newly implemented code, all two million lines, fixing their mistake.
-[X] Social
--[X] Found Nutritional & Pharmaceutical Standards Agency (-2 Reputation) (-5 People's Opinion)(Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
(2 + 3 = 5 - Optimal)
The Workers Agency of Standards for Pharmaceutical & Nutritional Products (WASPNP) has been created, their offices are currently being furnished, and they will begin operations as soon as they have finished collecting all the required information to establish their various groundfloors and specialists to compare and act upon.
--[X] Vaccination Campaign (Disease) (Extremely Helpful)
---[X] Domestic Production And Doctors (-8 Reputation) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
(1 + 3 = 4 - Sub-Par)
[Vaccination Adoption has dropped by nearly 48% in the last week, compounding on the losses suffered during the previous month, reducing the full rollout of the measles vaccine to another nine months, with others suffering less severe but still continuing losses in the rollout. However, we expect that with another concerted push, we will be able to bring production up to demand and see the already produced vaccines distributed without losing any time due to logistical confusion.]
-Report on the native vaccine rollout.
--[X] Expand Medical Education (-4 Reputation) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 2 Ambition + 1 PttF = +5 Total)
(2 + 5 = 7 - Optimal)
"Ladies, Gentlemen, Enbies, and all others in-between and beyond," the doctor at the front of the class stuffed to bursting with nearly six-hundred students in Das Kapital's University said, staring imperiously up at the assembled mass of people eager to learn medicine and aid their fellow workers of Guangchou. "I am Karl Chu-Ni, resident expert of virology within the GISS, and I will say this once, and only once." At their teachers' words, the room went silent, or as quiet as nearly a thousand people could be. "You are attempting to become doctors. Nurses. Surgeons. Practicioners of health. You are here because you see the suffering of your fellow people, and you cannot abide by such any longer, setting out to learn how to help them in any way you can. So let me say this first, so you may understand the future you willingly subject yourself to. You will be forced to choose who will die and live," he spoke, and you could hear a pin drop. "You will do so again and again, week after month after year. You will work yourself to death, saving a life by cutting malignant tumors out or mending broken parts, and you will be unable to do anything as they waste away. And each time you fail, you will cry and despair." Speaker Chu-Ni looked around the room, a steely cold within his eyes. "When you do, hold tight onto that despair. It means you cared. That you tried. The worst doctor is not the one who can't save an injured person, but the one who doesn't care if they live or die." He stopped, looking around the room from one side to the other, before, seemingly satisfied, taking up a piece of chalk. "Now, allow me to introduce you to your chosen suffering..."
-[X] Begin Public Sanitation Programs (Helpful) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
(5 + 3 = 8 - Optimal)
The DAF CF 75.310 produced in 1980 and put into widespread use by the nation's garbage collection services was but one way the government attempted to increase their people's health; its focus on using machinery and automated solutions wherever applicable had fascinating implications within the socio-economic framework of sanitation workers compared to other nations where they, usually, stood at the bottom of the rung since the need for such work to be done in an organized manner was recognized. Notably, the various social campaigns to raise awareness of...
-Excerpt of Healthy Life, Healthy Mind. Pay 4.98€ now to read more!
-[X] Political
--[X] Infiltrate the NLA and Make Contact With Warlords (-9 Reputation) (Secret)(Bonus: + 1 PttF = +1 Total)
(3 + 1 = 4 - Sub-Par)
Oh, you made contact with the various wanna-be warlords of the Chinese army, alright. And they even contacted those you sent out to cautiously reach out to them and see if they could hold against your favored candidate in the upcoming civil war. Contact is a euphemism for shooting them as suspected spies, by the way. Just to ensure that nobody is left behind or left wondering.
Welp. They will be highly paranoid for a while, and any attempts at contacting them will be far more challenging.
-[X] Wei Jungming - (RP)
--[X] Personal Action: Attend the Guangchou International Film Festival
(97)
"Honey?"
"Yes?"
"Are those two furries throwing magic and axes on the screen modeled after us?"
"I don't think so."
"...are you sure? I do think they are. They even have your-"
"Shut up."
"Yes, dear."
"...hey, isn't that Brezhnev?"
"...yeah. C'mon, let's see what he's doing here!" The Pathowogen Spreads... --[X] Lover Action: Sample Foreign Cuisine
(15)
"Oh glorious throne of porcelain, never leave me once more!"
"Oh, don't be so dramatic."
"You weren't the one that had to eat that curry!"
"Yeah, but unlike you, I didn't eat the hottest option they had."
"Your suffering will be legendary!"
"Not as legendary as yours was, honey."
[] CHINA CIVIL WAR VOTE (Write-in what forces/commitments you provide offer once the war gets hot.)
{+1 to all Actions (1x Professionals To The Fore!)
Awed Ambition: +2 to Space Actions (Electronics, Metallurgy, Education), +1 to All Automation Projects
Automated-Communism Manifesto: +1 to all Automation Projects (Global)}
{Plan Focus: Cyberization and Healthcare - +2 for 2 (Two) Turns.}
+2 to any Meat-Based Project
+6 to your first Civilian Rocket Project
+2 to Recover Your Sunken Fleet
+4 to any Design using Flipper Propulsion
+10 to Designing a Submarine
+2 to Designing a Torpedo
+5 to Nuclear Reactors
THE CYBERNETIC PACT
Cohesion: 10% (+5% due to Hardline Against Somalia)
Advancements: 0/?
Reputation - (45/100 Reputation - *Dies of Political Conference*) People's Opinion - (92/100 Reputation - Admiration And Jubilation By The Masses. Beware the Great Person, for you grow to be one.) History Page - (A name, several pages of your life, the Iwo Jima Crisis of 1974, links to dissertations of the Thai-Brain Drain, Iron Tiger, and Supercomputer Programs, alongside the Guang Healthcare Collapse of 1980. Several dozen pages and links to dissertations are dedicated to your advancement of multiple technologies. A dozen links and pages devoted to your influence on the Automatic Technocratic Movement (ATM). Three dozen pages and several dozen links to more regarding the Cybernetic Pact and its effects on Politics, History, and African Unity. Several dates of important milestones in your life, political and private. Some (horny) memes due to your big family.)
Light Industry - Adequate - (Slight Upwards Trend) Heavy Industry - Good - (Static) Military Industry - Good - (Static) Agriculture - Good - (Static)
[] (Optional: Write-In Commiewood Project) (No Plan)
[] Infrastructure
-[] Automate Factory/Facility/Project (What) (Various Reputation Gains)
-[] Das Capital Planned City (Mega-Project) (Trigger Sub-Vote)
-[] Build A Monument Within The Capital
--[] A Natural Park/Space/Building (Sub-Turns) (+/-??? Reputation/People's Opinion)
---[] Permaculture Gardens - Mixed-use agricultural/recreational spaces that yield both local produce for the city's population and pleasant spaces to relax and take in nature.
--[] A Statue/Art Installation (Sub-Turns) (+/-??? Reputation/People's Opinion)
-[] Improve Roads (Helpful)
-[] Expand Your Public Transit Bus System (Helpful) (-4 Reputation)
-[] Create New Housing (Helpful)
--[] Use Energy Efficient Housing (Helpful) (+1 People's Opinion)
--[] Use Large-Scale Energy Efficient Housing (Helpful) (+2 People's Opinion) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Design New Housing Concept (Design)
--[] The Universal Building (-8 Reputation)
-[] Improve Medical Infrastructure (Helpful) (-3 Reputation)
-[] Build New Police Stations (Helpful)
-[] Durable Goods Libraries (-2 Reputation) (+1 People's Opinion)
(A good way of improving quality of life without needing to produce too many consumer goods is to implement a program where people can borrow more infrequently used goods from a central storehouse - things like vacuum cleaners, specialized cookware, hand tools, etc. The libraries can also double as social and entertainment spaces by including television or radio, depending on the size of the library and the number of people served. These activities draw people to the library, increasing their familiarity.)
-[] Public Radio/Televisions (-2 Reputation) (+1 People's Opinion)
(Add TVs/Radios to specific public venues where people can get entertained and informed in a social setting. Once again, it lets you have some access to these sorts of luxury goods without needing to make a lot of radios and TVs.)
-[] Fluoridate the Water Supply (Helpful) (-4 People's Opinion)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Light Industry
-[] Increase Electrification (Helpful) (+1 People's Opinion)
-[] Expand Your Train Network (Helpful)
-[] Construct Consumer Goods Factory (What) (Helpful) (-1 Reputation)
-[] Develop Selkie Dive Suit - A standard dive suit for civilian and military divers. (-3 Reputation) (Suspicious)
-[] Reverse Engineer Western Durable Goods/Appliances (-4 Reputation)
(Acquire western goods/appliances and determine their best and worst features, then create your own - free from the constraints of planned obsolescence and the profit motive and optimized for lifetime cost and performance. "Communist cooktops for communist cooks!")
-[] Construct a food processing factory for frozen and flash-frozen foods. (Very Helpful)
(Primarily meats and vegetables. Keep expansion in mind for either biodegradable boxes for frozen meals that can be thrown away or nonbiodegradable boxes. You'll pay your people a tiny amount of the price to return those to the factory.)
-[] Build Vitamin Supplement Factory (Helpful) (-1 Reputation)
[] Develop Solar Cauldron (-1 Reputation)
-[] Develop Thermal Battery (+1 Reputation)
-[] Water Desalination (-1 Reputation)
-[] Oil Processing (+1 Reputation)
-[] Food Processing (-3 Reputation)
-[] Ammonia Production (-2 Reputation)
-[] Mineral Processing (-1 Reputation)
-[] Papermaking (-2 Reputation)
-[] Electrical Generation
[] Implement Six Sigma Methodologies (-2 Reputation)
[] Implement Just in Time Logistics (-1 Reputation)
[] Implement Continuous Improvement Programs (-3 People's Opinion)
[] Develop Lights-Out Manufacturing (+2 Reputation)
[] Generic Appliance Factory (+2 Reputation)
[] Generic Furniture Factory (+2 Reputation)
[] Generic Household Hardware Factory (+2 Reputation)
[] Establish Ateliers (-5 Reputation)
-[] Tailors & Cobblers
-[] Woodworkers
-[] Metalworkers
[] Establish Rubber Plantations (-4 People's Opinion) (Harmful)
[] Bulk Textiles Mill (-3 People's Opinion) (Harmful)
[] Generic Bulk Clothing Factory (+1 People's Opinion) (Harmful)
[] Establish More Publishing Houses (+3 People's Opinion)
[] Build Breweries (+4 People's Opinion) (Harmful)
[] Bottled Drinks Factory (+2 People's Opinion)
[] Food Dehydration Plant (-1 Reputation)
[] Petrochemical Plant (+3 Reputation)
[] Pharmaceuticals Plant (+2 Reputation)
[] Chemical Commodities Plant (+2 Reputation)
-[] Ammonia (Fertilizer)
[] Fine Chemicals Plant (+1 Reputation)
-[] Agrochemicals (Pesticides)
[] Specialty Chemicals Plant (+2 Reputation)
[] Inorganic Chemicals Plant (+1 Reputation)
[] Polymer Plant (+2 Reputation)
[] Consumer Chemical Plant (-1 Reputation)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Heavy Industry (+2/+2 to Geothermal Power (Trade/Omake))
-[X] Cosmodrome (Mega-Project - 0/8 Actions) (Automatic - No Cost)
-[X] Native Space Industrial Complex (Mega-Project - 0/8 Actions) (Automatic - No Cost)
-[] Cyberdize Heavy Industry Sector (Mega-Project - 1/12 Actions)
-[] Automate Factory/Facility/Project (What) (Various Reputation Gains)
-[] Automate Every Factory (Mega-Project - 8/12 Actions) (-7 People's Opinion) (Extremely Harmful (Job Loss)) (+1 per Turn Automatic Progress)
-[] Construct Housing Factory - (Design) (+1 Reputation) (Automated)
-[] Build Structural Insulated Panel Factory Complex (-10 Reputation)
(Steel Mill, Glass Factory, and Bamboo Mill for durable, lightweight panels that reduce the need for heating/cooling during summer and winter.)
-[] Construct A Tractor Factory
-[] Construct Another Steel Foundry (Harmful) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Construct A Heavy Machinery Plant (Harmful) (+3 Reputation)
-[] Build Rolling Stock And Rail Factory (Harmful) (+1 Reputation) (Reduced Actions For The Dragon Rail)
-[] Construct A Power Plant (Helpful)
-[] Construct A Geothermal Power Plant (Helpful)
-[] Improve Your Metallurgical Institute (Harmful) (+1 Reputation)
-[] Research The "Incidental Star Blood Development Process" (???) (Requires Improved Metallurgical Institute)
-[] Develop Hydrothermal Carbonization (-3 Reputation)
-[] Construct A (Iron Tiger Derived) Electronics Factory (+3 Reputation) (Harmful) (Steel Foundry Needed)
-[] Crack the 600 nm Process (Mega Project - 0/8 Actions) (-9 Reputation) (-5 People's Opinion)
-[] Expand Your Mines (Harmful)
-[] Construct Another Harbor (Helpful)
-[] Construct Five Merchant Marine Vessels
-[] Design A Civilian Vehicle (Describe) (-2 Reputation)
--[] Industrial IT-Skeleton (+5 Reputation) (Helpful)
-[] Design A Civilian Ship (Describe) (-2 Reputation)
--[] New Fishing Trawler
-[] Design A Civilian Aircraft (Describe)
-[] Design Cauldrons (Geothermal) (Mega Project - 0/8 Actions) (-3 Reputation)
(Mega-industrial parks that use geothermal power for thermal processes and electricity generation. Self-sufficient in terms of power needs and capable of exporting power to the grid while heating nearby greenhouses and homes.)
-[] Rail Development Design Project (Mega-project - 0/3) (+1 Reputation) (Reduced Actions For The Dragon Rail)
(Automated Track Laying Machinery, Electric Trains, and Streetcars will be heavily needed in your future projects to tie the people and their work closer together.)
-[] The Dragon Rail (Mega-project - 0/64) (Harmful)
(Lay The Dragon's Spine, The central trunk line running the island's length, the Dragon's Limbs, branching rail lines headed to major and middling cities, and the Dragon's Claws - Streetcars for the larger cities. With this, your nation will finally be able to fully utilize its breadth and width of all available industrial might!)
-[] Construct a Cosmodrome (Mega-project - 0/21) (Harmful) (+3 Reputation) (Requires "Apply to Interkosmos")
--[] Jointly Operated with Interkosmos (+2 Auto-Completion per Turn, -7 Actions Needed) (-2 Reputation per Turn)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Agri-, And Aquaculture
-[] Cyberdize Agricultural Sector (Mega-Project - 0/7 Actions) (-9 Reputation)
-[] Automate Factory/Facility/Project (What) (Various Reputation Gains)
-[] Guangchou Gyre Deep Water Fertilization (Mega-Project - 0/9 Actions) (-8 Reputation) (Extremely Helpful)
(The Bay of Guangchou has a nice enormous ocean gyre spun up by the Taiwan current as it passes by the mouth of the bay, keeping the water relatively contained. If you had enough power, you could sink pumps to the bottom of the bay and pump cool, nutrient-rich water to the surface, where phytoplankton could thrive and become food for larger fish. In addition, nutrient-rich water would help kelp grow in the shallows and regulate the temperature to extend its growing season.)
-[] Construct A Fertilizer Factory (Helpful) (-2 Reputation)
-[] Build a Herbicide & Pesticide Plant (Helpful) (-2 Reputation)
-[] Increase Farming Space (Helpful) (-3 Reputation)
-[] Increase Herd Space (Helpful) (-4 Reputation)
-[] Assemble A Fishing Fleet
-[] Construct A Cannery Factory
-[] Construct A Pre-Made Food Factory (Helpful) (+1 People's Opinion)
-[] Expand The Sea-Forest Project (Mega-Project - 0/6 Actions) (-3 Reputation) (Extremely Helpful)
(A massive area for cultivating food, resources, and scientific data, primarily used to gain and harvest kelp, fish, oysters, and mother of pearl.)
-[] Expand Marine Farming (-3 Reputation)
(While naturally occurring kelp forests are an excellent food source, You can also improve the yield of a kelp farm by cultivating mussels, scallops, and oysters in predator-proof containers and laying traps for shellfish along the bottom.)
-[] Create the Guangchou Survey Corps (-5 Reputation)
(Form a body tasked with systematically surveying and preserving Guangchou's geological and biological resources - from undiscovered veins of minerals to plants and animals that can serve a useful purpose (or can be bred to do so). (Roll 1d20 every turn; on a 20, something valuable is found.))
-[] Solar Dehydrator Plant (Experimental) (-3 Reputation)
(Due to the low-temperature drying, solar-powered food dehydrators are simple and cheap to construct and preserve more nutrients than canning.)
-[] Develop And Test Novel Food Production Methods (Mega-Project - 0/12 Actions) (-3 Reputation)
(You can create further ways to make use of your available farming space to boost production with Industrial Mycoculture, Urban Permaculture Initiatives, Forest Farming (though you'll take full credit for that since IJ stole that idea from you!), Silvopasture, and Agroforestry)
-[] Create Insect Farms (-1 Reputation) (Helpful)
(Cricket and Mealworm Protein Cultivation are a cheap, plentiful, and versatile way to increase protein in people's diets.)
-[] Construct an Experimental Vertical Hydroponics Test-Building (+1 Reputation)
-[] Pemican Production Factory (-2 Reputation) (Helpful)
(An ancient recipe from the Americas, made of powdered meat and fat that can store for years in a sealed container. Maintaining a stockpile will be full insurance against a poor harvest.)
-[] Seed Treatment Factory (-2 Reputation)
(Seeds can be treated with various compounds to increase their germination chances and resistance to sickness.)
[] Expand Crop Breeding Programs (+4 Reputation) (Helpful)
[] Fund Agricultural Veterinary Care (-3 Reputation)
[] Develop Fish Ranching (-1 Reputation)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Military (+4 to Design A Native Ship)
-[] Automate Factory/Facility/Project (What) (Various Reputation Gains)
-[] Soldier's Councils (Triggers Sub-Vote)
(Bring communism to the barracks! And the cockpits! And the decks!)
-[] Create A Dedicated Coast Guard (Will massively piss off the navy until you get them some ships+equipment)
-[] Design Two Iron Tiger Systems/A New Iron Tiger (Describe) (+5 Reputation)
--[] The Fateful Seal IT (Iron Tiger Revolver)
(The FS-IT is a Fateful Seal redesigned for iron tiger use, developed to use 130x800mmR shells. The FS-IT, just like the FS, uses a 6-or-7-round cylinder and can shoot HE, SAP, and AP shells.)
-[] Design A Native Tank (Describe) (+2 Reputation)
--[] The Credit Where It's Due (Light Scout Tank)
(Taking inspiration from the FT-17 (shape) and T-55A (armor and suspension), the CWID is the first native LST produced in Guangchou. Weighing 28 tons, this LST is armed with a light cannon, four missiles, a coaxial machine gun, and a heavy machine gun mounted on a pintle on the turret top; it is crewed by four crew and possesses a top speed of 48km/h. Though, it is notably light on the armor for a tank.)
-[] Design A Native Plane (Describe) (+3 Reputation)
--[] MiS-27 (Multi-Role Jet)
(The MiS-27 is a Multi-Role jet aircraft, its shape inspired by the MiG-21, with the J37 providing its radical delta wing configuration. Flown by one pilot and armed with 2 Modified 25mm M/71 autocannons, this Jet also sports eight modular hardpoints to add rockets, bombs, fuel tanks, and supplies as needed or wanted.)
-[] Design A Native Vehicle (Describe) (+2 Reputation)
--[] The Police Carrier (Light Assault APC)
(The PC is a simple armored personnel carrier taking inspiration from the BTR-152 (appearance/shape), the BTR-60 (turret), and the M3 half-track (tracks). At 20 tons with a top speed of 75 km/h on-road and 50 km/h off-road, this vehicle can transport its four crew and six passengers where needed. With only light armor protecting its passengers, it utilizes an imported Soviet 2A28 Grom, eight missiles, and a coaxial machine gun for offensive operations.)
--[] The BTR-71 (Light Amphibious APC)
(The BTR-71 has the general shape and appearance of the BTR-60 but has just about nothing in common. Weighing 20 tons, this LST is armed with a light cannon, four missiles, a coaxial machine gun, and a hull machine gun. It is crewed by four crew with a place for eight additional passengers and possesses a top speed of 80 km/h on-road and 12 km/h in water.)
-[] Design A Native Ship (Describe) (+3 Reputation)
--[] The Gunagch (Destroyer Escort)
(Weighing at nearly 3kt and 100m long, the Gunagch is propelled by two electric drives/propellers, enabling a maximum speed/range of 25knots/20.000km (at 12knots). Armed with four 100m BS-4 guns in 2 twin turrets, eight modified 25mm M/71 autocannons in 4 twin mounts, sixteen 15x115mmR KPVT heavy machine guns in 4 quad mounts, and 80 depth charges.)
--[] The BS-4 (Crewed Anti-Tank)
(The BS-4 is a field and anti-tank gun, taking inspiration from the BS-3. Its primary use is for coastal defense forces with a six-meter barrel and 11-meter length overall.)
--[] The Police Carrier Anti-Tank (Self-Propelled AT)
(The PC is a simple armored personnel carrier taking inspiration from the BTR-152 (appearance/shape), the BTR-60 (turret), and the M3 half-track (tracks). At 20 tons with a top speed of 75 km/h on-road and 50 km/h off-road, this vehicle can transport its five crew where needed. With only light armor protecting its passengers, it utilizes an imported Soviet KPVT HMG, a rocket-deliver platform, and a coaxial machine gun for offensive operations. Additionally, the passenger compartment of the PC has been removed in favor of an AT Cannon with a gun shield.)
-[] Design A Native Sidearm (Describe) (Choose Any/All)
--[] Fateful Seal (Revolver)
(The Fateful Seal is designed as a top-break gas-seal revolver, using the Webley and the Nagant M1895 for inspiration. Research shows that as much as 26% of propellant gas escapes through the barrel and cylinder gap. Like more or less all gas-seal revolvers, the FS uses the cartridge case to seal the gap between the cylinder and the barrel. It uses a 13.2x55mmSR cartridge; the flat nose boattail bullet is 13.2 millimeters wide and 15 millimeters tall. It has a level on the right side, like the Webley revolver, and is used for the same purpose. Additionally, with the proposed 4.7-inch to 12-inch long barrels, the FS combines detachable shoulder stock, holster, and a 6-or-7-round cylinder.)
--[] Conscript's Friend (Cheap Pistol)
(The CF is a dead-simple integral box magazine pistol taking inspiration from the Steyr Hahn, the FN 1903, the Browning Hi-Power, and the TT-33. The FN 1903 provided the CF with its general shape and appearance, the Steyr Hahn, integral magazine and stripper clip guide, the Browning Hi-Power knowledge on double-stack magazines, and more modern safety features, and last but not least, the TT-33 gave the CF knowledge on simplicity. Cambered in an 8x40mmSR cartridge, the CF is designed to be as simple as possible while safely chambering its integral 10-round box fed with stripper clips. The handgun is supposed to be so simple that anyone who can rifle the barrel should be able to make the rest of the pistol with hand tools.)
--[] Spook's Squeak (Agent Pistol)
(The SQ is more or less a full copy of the Welrod except for its size and particular cartridge. With a total of 203mm in length, the SQ is chambered in the particular 6.5x30mmSR cartridge using a removable 8-shot magazine.)
--[] The Soldiers Pistol (Army Pistol)
The SP is a Browning Hi-Power chambered in 10x37mmSR and fed from a 10 to 20-round detachable double-stack magazine with a barrel length of 12 cm and an overall length of 20 cm, not counting the detachable combination stock.
--[] Name Pending (Flaregun)
(The NP is a small, light single-shot break-action flare gun inspired by the Sturmpistole.)
-[] Design A Native Service Weapon (Rifle, SMG, Heavy Machine Gun, Rocket launcher, Etc.) (Describe) (Choose Any/All) (+1 Reputation)
--[] The Police's Friend (Bolt-Action Rifle with shotgun+grenade capabilities)
(The PF, just like FS, is meant to be used by police and rear line units and is a bolt-action rifle design taking inspiration from the Lee-Enfield, the Swedish Mauser, and the Fateful Seal. The Swedish Mauser provided the PF with its general shape, appearance, and stripper clip guide, the Lee-Enfield magazine and sling mounts, and the Fateful Seal gave the PF the base for its unique 12 g under-barrel revolver shotgun. The PF is meant to be able to use 40mm rifle grenades such as HEAT, HE, and Smoke, with the under-barrel shotgun supposed to be primarily used for riot control in police use and rear line units. Chambered in the same 13.2x55mmSR cartridge as the Fateful Seal, the PF is fed from a 10-round detachable magazine with a 25-inch barrel length and a 40-inch overall length.)
--[] The Militia's Friend (Cheap SMG)
(The MF is a crude SMG taking inspiration from the Sten, PPS, Swedish m/45 SMG, MP 40, and MP 3008. The MF, just like the CF, is meant to be used not by the military but by the militia forces of Guangchou. The Swedish m/45 gave the MF its general shape and appearance; the MP 3008 gave the shoulder stock; the PPS, its knowledge of curved magazines; the MP 40, the safety features and sling mounts; and the Sten, its simplicity. With a fire rate of 570 rounds per minute, it is chambering the 8x40mmSR cartridge from a 20 to 30-round detachable box magazine or a 50-round drum with a 20-inch barrel and a 28-inch overall length. The MF is designed to be as simple as possible while still safely chambering its cartridge, and it's supposed to be so simple that anyone who can rifle the barrel should be able to make the rest of the "submachine" gun; using hand tools.)
--[] The Soldiers Friend (Mainstay Select-Fire Rifle)
(The SF is a relatively simple select-fire rifle taking inspiration from the AVS-36, the Fedorov Avtomat, the BAR, and the FG 42. It is meant to be used by professional forces, not police or militia. The BAR provided the SF with its general shape and appearance, the FG 42, the operational and gas system, the Fedorov Avtomat, the magazine, the dust cover, the AVS-36, and the muzzle brake and sling mounts. The SF has a fire rate of 406 to 610 rounds per minute, chambering the 6.5x57mmSR cartridge fed from a 20 or 25-round detachable box magazine while possessing a 28-inch barrel and a 40-inch overall length. The SF is designed to be a reasonably uncomplicated weapon yet modern and meant to be the main arm of the military while still being cheap to produce.)
--[] The Guard's Arm (Costly High-Magazine SMG)
(The GA is a costly high-quality submachine gun taking inspiration from the Browning Hi-Power, the MP 40, MP 5, and the Conscripts Friend and is meant to be used by the secret service and the guards of various military-industrial and laboratory installations. The conscript's friend gave the GA its general shape and appearance, the MP 5 its action, the MP 40 gave the detachable muzzle ring, and the Browning Hi-Power gave it the detachable double-stack magazine alongside modern safety features. The weapon has a fire rate of 457 to 800 rounds per minute, chambered in a 6.5x30mmSR cartridge from a 10 to 30-round detachable double-stack magazine or 48-round detachable double-stack drum. The GA is 457mm long, not counting the detachable shoulder stock, and has a detachable muzzle ring that can be unscrewed to attach a suppressor.)
--[] The Workers Might (Crewed Anti-Tank System)
The WM is a recoilless rifle design inspired by the Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle and the German 10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40. It is an anti-tank weapon meant for service with professional forces. The LG 40 gave the WM its general shape and appearance; the Carl Gustaf gave it its hinged breech. The WM uses unique 152x305mmR shells capable of firing HE and HEAT ammunition.
--[] The Soldiers Arm (Mainstay SMG)
The SA is a simple submachine gun taking inspiration from the United Defense M42 and the M50 Reising, meant to be used by professional forces. The UD M42 provided the SA its general shape, appearance, and wooden foregrip, and the M50 Reising gave the sights and sling mounts. The SA has a rate of fire of 570 to 800 rounds per minute, chambering the 10x37mmSR cartridge from a 20 to 30-round detachable double-stack box magazine or a 50-round detachable double-stack drum with a 35.6 cm long barrel and an overall length of 61 cm.
-[] Design Native Equipment (Describe)
--[] Develop Native Aircraft Engine
--[] Develop Native Torpedo
--[] Develop a Rocket Engine (+1 Reputation)
--[] Develop a Rocket (+2 Reputation)
--[] Develop an Orbital Satellite (Mega-Project - 0/3 Actions) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Design Infantry IT-Alloy Bodyarmor (+3 Reputation)
-[] Design Police IT-Alloy Bodyarmor And Shields (+1 Reputation) (-2 People's Opinion)
-[] Import (What) (-1 Reputation)
-[] Construct A Submarine Yard (Submarine) (+1 Reputation)
-[] Construct A Torpedo Factory
-[] Construct A Dedicated Naval Slipway (Ship)
-[] Construct Coastal Defences (+2 Reputation)
-[] Construct Interior Defences
-[] Construct An Airfield
-[] Construct Military Building/Factory (What) (Harmful) (-3 People's Opinion)
--[] Construct IT Electronics Factory (Harmful) (-4 Reputation)
-[] Mingxiang Astronautics Expansion (+3 Reputation)
-[] Mingxiang Rocketry Expansion (+5 Reputation)
-[] Navy Modernization (Mega-project) (0/8)
-[] Expand The Military Academy (+2 Reputation) (-4 People's Opinion)
-[] Raise A New Military Formation (What) (Harmful) (+1 Reputation) (-4 People's Opinion)
--[] Raise a (Mechanized Combat Engineer) Formation
-[] Raise A Iron Tiger Formation (Generation+Purpose)
--[] WRITE IN CHOSEN LOAD-OUTS
-[] Recover Your Sunken Fleet (Harmful) (+2 Reputation) (+4 to any Naval Action)
-[] Intimidate Taiwan (+5 Reputation)
-[] Commit Exercises (+3 Reputation)
-[] Secure Trade Routes
-[] Raid International Shipping (What Goods) (Helpful/Harmful) (Roll above five, and you won't be caught.)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Social
-[] Expand Your Television Station (New Channel Name And/Or Focus)
--[] The Social Revolution TV Channel (-1 Chinese Opinion)
(Focuses on the social aspects of communism, why they're essential, and how they tie into the broader communist project. It covers things like gender equality, the importance of contraception, why you shouldn't discriminate against queer people, readings and debates about Marx's later works where he refutes many of his earlier theories about stages, etc. (Head to Head is a popular segment where they bring the PRC and USSR ambassadors on the show to have them debate over their differing orthodoxies - people have started betting on which one will 'win.'))
-[] Arrest Dissidents (Harmful) (-5 People's Opinion)
-[] Purge Undesirable Citizens (Who) (Harmful) (+1 Reputation) (-5 People's Opinion)
-[] Search And Destroy Rebels (Harmful) (-5 People's Opinion) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Increase Surveillance (Harmful) (-5 People's Opinion)
-[] Reduce Surveillance (Helpful) (+1 People's Opinion) (-3 Reputation)
-[] Increase Social Control (How) (Helpful) (Harmful) (-3 People's Opinion) (+5 Reputation)
-[] Propagandize An Achievement (Helpful) (+2 People's Opinion)
-[] Praise Workers From (Industry) (Helpful/Harmful) (+2 People's Opinion)
-[] Boost (Social Statistic, example: Birthrates) (Helpful) (+2 People's Opinion)
-[] Propagandize Worker's Conditions (Helpful)
-[] Implement A Social Policy (Write-In) (Helpful/Harmful) (+3 People's Opinion) (-2 Reputation)
--[] Labour Reforms (Triggers Sub-Turns) (Helpful/Harmful) (+/-? People's Opinion) (+/-? Reputation)
--[] Industrial Health & Safety Policy (Triggers Sub-Turns) (Helpful/Harmful) (+/-? People's Opinion) (+/-? Reputation)
-[] Reduce Social Control (How) (Helpful) (+2 People's Opinion) (-7 Reputation)
-[] Expand Medical Education (-4 Reputation) (+3 People's Opinion) (Helpful)
-[] Vaccination Campaign (Disease) (Extremely Helpful)
--[] Native Production And Doctors (-5 Reputation)
--[] International Production And Doctors (Helpful) (-11 Reputation) (-9 People's Opinion)
-[] Begin Public Sanitation Programs (Helpful)
-[] Improve Foreign Intelligence Service
--[] Industrial Espionage in Japan (-7 Reputation) (Suspicious)
(Right now, there's a wide variance in the effectiveness of your foreign intelligence agents, which suggests a need for more effective mentorship and information transfer from the more successful ones to the less successful ones. Formalizing a training program means institutionalizing the knowledge of your best agents (with a focus on industrial espionage in Japan) should go a long way toward delivering more reliable results. Of course, industrial espionage may not be as glamorous as the political and military games the CIA and KGB played. Still, it's easier and has a better long-term payoff for the nation. Furthermore, narrowing the focus to Japan due to proximity, an abundance of high-tech industry, and ease of letting your agents blend into the population allows us to get the most optimal results for the effort invested.)
--[] Western Heavy Machinery For Reverse Engineering
--[] (Write-In Target/Activity)
-[] Rationalize the Language (Mega-Project - 0/5 Actions) (+2 Chinese Opinion) (-5 People's Opinion)
(Gunagchow is an unholy combination of Chinese and Japanese, with enough loan words from Korean and Malay to make up a non-trivial portion of the overall syntax and more exceptions than English. And it's written with Hanzi characters that often don't match their Mandarin counterparts, and never mind that the grammar and word construction don't always line up. Even before the systematic destruction of the island's infrastructure by the IJN air raids, literacy in Guangchou was among the lowest in the Asia-Pacific - mainly because the language was simply a massive headache to learn. Before establishing a robust schooling system, we have a golden opportunity to correct this and grant the nation a competitive advantage in international relations in the future. Guangchou will be rationalized and streamlined to make it easy to understand, pronounce, write, and read.)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Political
-[] Leader Pushed Developments
--[] Reform Government Structure (Mega-Project - 0/10 Actions) (Triggers Sub-Vote) (-50 Reputation)
-[] Found Department of Public Health (-4 Reputation) (-8 People's Opinion)
-[] Healthcare Reform (Sub-Vote) (-7 Reputation) (-9 People's Opinion)
-[] Continued Spreading of The People's Theology (+4 Reputation) (+5% CyPac Cohesion) -[] Populists & Internationalists
--[] Have our glorified paparazzi help the Nationalists by seeing the value of ad campaigning abroad to increase the desire for our trade goods to increase their market value. (-3 Reputation)
--[] Medical Student Exchange with Cuba (Helpful) (-4 Reputation) (-5 People's Opinion)
--[] Bother the Cubans for their "Home Self-Reliance And Repair Manual" (-3 Reputation)
--[] (Gay) Immigration Propaganda (-3 Reputation) (-1 Chinese Opinion)
("In Guangchou, you will be free to be and love as your truest self, free from bigotry and oppression based on gender, sexual orientation, or race. If you want to help build a better world, come to Guangchou." The Internationalists will spread the word through their contacts abroad that Guangchou LACKS engineers and scientists, accountants, doctors, and other highly educated workers needed to fulfill the Great Leader's ambitious plans and that Guangchou ALSO has more Gay Liberation than you can shake a stick at. We can attract quite a few learned professionals fleeing persecution in their home countries.)
--[] Send Enbies To Establish A Formal Relationship
---[] The Somalia Democratic Republic
---[] New Zealand
---[] Indonesia
---[] India
---[] The Philippines
---[] Sri Lanka
---[] Myanmar
---[] Laos
---[] Cambodia
---[] (Write-In)
--[] Brain Drain Time! (+4 Reputation)
(A lot of nations are currently facing unrest or ethnic cleansing. We could exploit the fleeing populations and persecuted intellectuals to boost our native capabilities. Oh, and help the refugees too.
---[] Thailand (Easy - +5 Reputation if successful)
---[] (Write-In)
--[] Southeast Asian Communist Kinship Programm (+3 Reputation)
--[] CASEAN Outreach (+1 Reputation) (-1 Chinese Opinion)
(Establish diplomatic relations with ideologically compatible nations in your sphere of influence. (Cambodia, Vietnam, North Korea, etc.))
-[] National Consulting Services (+2 Reputation) (-1 Chinese Opinion) -[] Progressives
--[] Have their experts focus on the economic issues and suggest how to increase food supply and ideas for a healthier economy. (-5 Reputation) -[] International
--[] Promise Forces For China (What Forces?) -[] Technologists
--[] Improve the Statistics Bureau (Focus) (-3 Reputation) (Political Consequences For Their Findings) -[] Militarists
--[] Create a dedicated branch of Military Engineers (+Allies)
--[] Buy Russian Trucks for native logistics and the military (-1 Chinese Opinion) (-5 Reputation) (Knock-On Effects)
--[] Bugger the Russians for their Rockery in exchange for our knowledge in electronics (-3 Chinese Opinion) (Knock-On Effects)
--[] Armed Solidarity (+7 Reputation) (+5 People's Opinion) (International (Read: West) Anger) (Repeatable) (Target)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Cybernetic Pact (1 Action Free)
-[] NK promised Supercomputer (Promised Next 5-Year-Plan)
-[] Benin - Promised Native Mingxiang (Within this Plan required)
-[] Industrial Aid - (Mongolia, Iraq, Tanzania)
-[] Military Intervention - Iran (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Military Intervention - Syria (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Military Intervention - South Yemen (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Military Intervention - Benin (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Military Intervention - Mozambique (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Fuck The US of Middle North A - Cuba (Trade and Aid) (+4 Reputation)
-[] Fuck The US of Middle North A - Nicaragua (Show the world what the US is sponsoring) (+7 Reputation)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Egypt (Infrastructure and Housing)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Libya (Electronics)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Togo (Show 'Em We Ain't Bad)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Guinea (Industrial Aid)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Tanzania (Promised Industrial Aid)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Ethiopia (Generic)
-[] Economic Cooperation While Giving The IMF The Bird - Sudan (Direct Industrial Aid) (+1 Reputation)
-[] IMF Bailout - Madagascar (Bailout) (+1 Reputation)
-[] Famine Relief - Mali (URGENT)
-[] (Write-In)
[] Secret Projects
-[] Investigate Applications For WEISOFT Again
-[] Mingxiang CyberSyn System 1.1.0 (Mega-Project - 2/15 Actions) (-8 Reputation)
-[] Develop Native Supercomputer (Mega-Project - 0/3 Actions) (-8 Reputation) (-6 People's Opinion)
-[] Experimental Molten Salt Reactor (Mega-Project - 0/5 Actions) (???)
[] Wei Jungming - (RP)
-[] Personal Action (Write-In two things he does within the next six months.)
-[] Lover Action (Write-In one thing Wei Jungmin and Wei Mai do together in the next six months.)
[X] Commiewood: JANES "Ban. it."
-Abigail Smith, Director of the US's Moral and Cultural Standard Enforcement Board.
"FIVE SECONDS!"
-Pān Ayano, Director of JANES.
"Any resemblance the victims of JANES have to persons living or dead should be plainly apparent to them and those who know them, especially if we have been kind enough to have provided their real names and, in some cases, their phone numbers. All events portrayed herein never happened, though we certainly wished they would have. All other persons bearing any resemblance are entirely accidental and not representative of their real-world counterparts."
-Disclaimer before every episode of JANES.
"Playing in a fictional alternative universe, though closely resembling the USA in a "Five-Minutes-Into-The-Future" scenario playing out in the beginning 2000s, JANES social commentary cuts as deep as its violence is shocking, the gore and brutality of the assassins against their targets as openly shown as the violence committed by the very same to innocent people. Some may say that the sex scenes shown are detrimental to the overall plot, with the relationship between the two snipers of the team playing into overdone stereotypes. Yet, one cannot deny their artistic value in driving the animation industry forward in the various minor innovations engineered to show off the prowess of the Guang animation studios, with the Leather&Chain scene between the demolitions expert and the snipers famous for pioneering a new-"
-Review of JANES
-[X] Light Industry
--[X] Pharmaceuticals Plant (+2 Reputation) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
(3 + 3 = 6 - Optimal)
"What is that?" Sok asked, looking at the pink pill in his hand with a questioning look, a golden symbol emblazoned on the little thing.
"New medication, the first batch actually, from the recently built pharma-plant," his doctor explained with a tired look. "It will help you with your indigestion. Take one daily, and return to me if it doesn't get better after a week. Next!"
--[X] Medical Imaging Plant (-1 Reputation) (Bonus: +2 Electronics + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +5 Total)
(10 + 5 = 15 - Medium Breakthrough)
In his apartment, Lu stood over papers strewn around everywhere, a pattern that some may call chaotic but one in which he and his friend Zi Chu felt right at home. Both of them had been working on this one machine before them for years, funding by the PCFALLLSY aiding them in their goal. And now, all that was needed for them to be remembered in history was to gather their papers, organize them, and present them.
Somehow, that step felt the hardest. To be done and finished with something that would help hundreds of thousands, even millions! To be done with years of their life...
-[X] Agri-, And Aquaculture
--[X] Medicinal Crop Breeding Programs (+4 Reputation) (Helpful) (Bonus: 1 PttF = + 2 Focus +1 TffF = +3 Total)
(9 + 3 = 12 - Boosted)
Once, there was a little boy named something that didn't fit him rightly, though he couldn't explain why.
But, as he grew, he noticed things, he noticed that the things he liked to do weren't the things other boys wore or often did, and his parents noticed too.
They were not concerned, for a child needed to grow into the tree they were to be, not the one that was made to fit a mold, and so, the boy grew up with his parents at his side, knowing their support.
Until one day, he knew what he had noticed and asked his parents questions. Questions that turned into a lecture and a visit to the GISS.
He would soon turn She, though far slower in body than in society, her mind freed from an invisible weight.
Now feeling like she could fly, the girl turned into a proud, fierce, gentle, and intelligent woman. A mind of science and a heart of love.
Hearing about the plight of the people and experiencing it herself, she took the call from her comrades. She went to work, eager and diligent, eyes peeled and intellect sharp, onto creation and modification.
Her work soon born fruit and would continue to flower like she once did, helping many suffering people and even helping those who were held by invisible chains and weights...
-[X] Social
--[X] Vaccination Campaign (Disease) (Extremely Helpful)
---[X] Domestic Production And Doctors (-5 Reputation) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
(6 + 3 = 9 - Optimal)
[We are well on track to bring a basic level of protection against the most common diseases to all people of Guangchou, with the remaining percentages able to be taken care of by local efforts. However, further measures need to be made with specific targets in mind to fully eradicate diseases from our people and fellow workers in full to reap the rewards of modern medicine and the wonders it brings.]
-Report on the native vaccine rollout.
-[X] Political
--[X] Found Department of Public Health (-4 Reputation) (-8 People's Opinion) (Bonus: + 2 Focus + 1 PttF = +3 Total)
(12 + 3 = 15 - Medium Breakthrough)
Wu (no last name, fuck them) stood in his office, hands behind his back as he looked out the window at Das Kapital, the city stretching underneath him in the large tower built for the department he had been placed in charge of by vote and appointment by Leader and education. He took a deep breath, stilling his mind as he beheld all that was before him, not merely the physical but the immaterial as well, and breathed out in a slow motion. Guangchou had skirted the edge with its healthcare system nearly collapsing entirely due to a single point of failure holding it all up. He turned around, a cold fire in his eyes.
He would ensure that no single point of failure would remain within the year.
-[X] CyPac
--[X] Industrial Aid - (Mongolia, Iraq, Tanzania) (FREE ACTION) (Bonus: 1 PttF = +1 Total)
(9 + 1 = 10 - Boosted)
As expected and negotiated, convoys of machinery, goods, teachers, personnel, and more begin to leave ports all around the world, thousands of tonnes of goods being shipped all over, recipients within the deepest parts of the world soon in possession of the vitally required machines to uplift their people, and bring the prosperity they deserve to their homes. In the grand scheme of things, a small effort, not made any special by the volume, but dangerous by the cooperation and willingness to work together between the member states of CyPac. An alliance that didn't crash and burn the whole thing down as some players of the world had privately hoped, and one that seemed ever more to force their hands to bring sanity to a mad world once more...
--[X] Famine Relief - Mali (URGENT) (Bonus: 1 PttF = +1 Total)
(8 + 1 = 9 - Optimal)
Kadidi Sangare looked at the government man with tears in her eyes, clutching the packet of food close to her chest with all her might as she did her best to not fall to her knees and weep openly as other women, and even some men, had done when they were given the food. It did not mean she didn't thank the man before her profusely, for her children could eat once more, with he himself looking torn between tears and embarrassment at the sheer relief filling and flowing from this village on his route. This was the third one, with he and the others welcomed no less warmly once they started unloading the supply sent by CyPac. It would not be the last time he would visit here, nor would it be the final time he thanked Allah for the generosity and foresight of CyPac and Mamadou Dembelé had shown and been given, for he did not know how many would have died without their aid. Even so, they would need all the help they could get in the coming years, but he hoped the future could be bright.
--[X] Military Intervention - Iran (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+1 Reputation) (Bonus: 1 PttF = +1 Total)
(7 + 1 = 8 - Optimal)
"And now to Internation News," the news anchor said evenly, the background behind him changing from a lovely blue to a dirty yellow, a picture of weapons and the Iran Flag appearing at his side. "The civil war within Iran has continued to rage even as shipments of arms, equipment, and supplies stream into the country by its CyPac allies. Having thrown the attempted attack against Theran back into the desert, the government sharply critiqued the English Ambassador after he had implored them to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, calling his attempted peacemaking "the words of a coward bowing before tyrants and foreign masters" before reasserting Iran's commitment to "ridding itself of traitors to the nation and Allah's people alike." Attempts by the UN to mediate within the conflict have been rejected by both sides, with critiques of CyPac's inflammatory actions to incite the conflict defended by the ruling government.
-[X] Wei Jungming - (RP)
--[X] Personal Action: Learn Arabic
(62)
With a heavy sigh, Jungmin put the last book into his bookcase, the tome finished, and with it, his learning of the Arabic language. It was enjoyable to learn all the different dialects of the language; the differences and commonalities were fascinating! But, alas, even this must come to an end. "I think I am running out of room to put the languages I study," he mused as he looked at the twenty full bookcases, only to get whapped upside his head by his wife before being physically lifted, kissed, and thrown onto their bed.
"Speak Guang; nobody here understands Arabic. And stop ignoring me and do your marital duties, you polyglot!" Jungmin attempted to defend himself, though he was, tragically, hit by a pair of cat ears first, cutting him off. "And put these on."
--[X] Personal Action: Model Rocketry + Lover Action: Volcano Hike
(17, 13)
Wei Mai had been having that most sublime of unsettling experiences that she hated more than any other experience in her life: being finished with all work that could be done on the current day, with nothing left to do that would be productive or constructive for the people and workers of Guangchou and the world. Not in the sense that she had finished her paperwork or that all orders for the Military R&D section attached to Mingxiang were processed, approved, denied, or sent back for another round of review, or even cleaning her office, but in the sense that everything she could do was finished. She couldn't even really do things with her children; all but Ma Li, Bo Ni, and Chaoxiang were still in their schools due to various clubs or asleep, with the first two working on a "super private and secret project no grown-up can know of!" (as Bo Ni had helpfully informed her with the groaning of his sister) and the latter quietly studying in her room.
Now, usually, on such a day, with nothing left to do, all her children either taken care of or occupying themselves with no supervision needed, she would go to her daily To-Do list and visit the last point she needed to do: her Stress Relief Husband.
And with a pep in her step and a quiet hum in her mind, she had tried to do precisely that, only for reality to come crashing through the window and punch her in her heart and gut, cruelly eviscerating her plans for the evening. Mei (her eight) had come from school early with a mission: making a care package for the Lupi in Germany, roping in her father to help her pick out food that they could eat safely and what of her toys she should send for their children.
So, with her current item on the To-Do list firmly relegated to the night, she offered her help (only to be declined) and kissed her youngest on her head (to her protest at not being a "baby" even though she would always be one to her) alongside her husband (who got a less-than-chaste idea whispered to him in a way that Mei couldn't hear) leaving her alone to do...nothing much of import. She could work out or train, but she had done her daily routine, and overtraining was harmful, or she could read up on some books she had put on the backbu-"-OINT IT WILL EXPLODE!!!" Ma Li screamed in delight, laughing in that tone she used when she saw something explode or go rapidly up in flames. A tone that put Mai on instant alert, her body moving before her mind fully caught up, leading to her knocking on the door to the siblings' room nine seconds later.
"Ma Li, you better not be doing what I think you are doing. We had a talk about that!" Mai said firmly, though she didn't enter just yet.
A moment passed, papers rustled, and panicked voices quickly hid something from her. "I am not doing anything bad!" Ma Li promptly called back, her brother speaking after her: "Y-yeah! We have nothing to hide! See for yourself!" Mai overlooked the whispered 'Idiot!' by Ma Li, entering the room. True to their words, they had nothing to hide...if one ignored the lump of blankets on Bo Ni's bed, she raised an eyebrow after she stared at the lump for several seconds, causing both to look down in uneasy embarrassment, yet none willing to break.
"So...who will tell me what had you so excited?" Both twins looked at each other, one threateningly, the other timidly, a quiet conversation happening between the two before Bo Ni looked back at her and quickly raised his arm to point at his sister.
"After the rockets on our mountain trip, she asked Big Sibling Wei to help her create a bomb to make a volcano explode again, making me draw the concept of it!"
"Traitor!" Ma Li hissed, though both twitched back under their mother's now stern gaze. They shouldn't have bothered, for Mai's ire was directed not at them but at her future murder victim.
Meanwhile, in the Mingxiang Experimental Development Laboratory Section:
"Did someone else feel that sudden chill?" Wei asked, looking around while drawing their lab coat closer to themselves.
"Now that you mention it..." an aide said, looking concerned as her breath began to fog in the room.
"Oh shit, the seals broke! RUN!" The engineer responsible for the cryogenic raygun development team shouted, slapping down the safeties before hauling their ass out of the chamber, everyone else in tow.
Wei could only sigh internally. "Stupid Blue Sky experimenters..."
[] CHINA CIVIL WAR VOTE (Write-In what forces/commitments you provide offer once the war gets hot. 3 Turns Remain.)
{-2 People's Opinion per Turn due to increased demands for QoL and Civilian Goods. Increases by 2 next Turn.
+1 to all Actions (1x Professionals To The Fore!)
Awed Ambition: +2 to Space Actions (Electronics, Metallurgy, Education), +1 to All Automation Projects
Automated-Communism Manifesto: +1 to all Automation Projects (Global)}
{Plan Focus: Cyberization and Healthcare - +2 for 1 (One) Turn.}
+2 to any Meat-Based Project
+6 to your first Civilian Rocket Project
+2 to Recover Your Sunken Fleet
+4 to any Design using Flipper Propulsion
+10 to Designing a Submarine
+2 to Designing a Torpedo
+5 to Nuclear Reactors
THE CYBERNETIC PACT
Cohesion: 25% (+15% due to Industrial Aid - (Mongolia, Iraq, Tanzania), Famine Relief - Mali, Military Intervention - Iran)
Advancements: 0/?
Reputation - (34/100 Reputation - *Political Grumbling*) People's Opinion - (76/100 Reputation - A Happy People Await The Fruits Of Their Labors. Beware the Great Persons, for they may return...) History Page - (A name, several pages of your life, the Iwo Jima Crisis of 1974, links to dissertations of the Thai-Brain Drain, Iron Tiger, and Supercomputer Programs, alongside the Guang Healthcare Collapse of 1980. Several dozen pages and links to dissertations are dedicated to your advancement of multiple technologies. A dozen links and pages devoted to your influence on the Automatic Technocratic Movement (ATM). Three dozen pages and several dozen links to more regarding the Cybernetic Pact and its effects on Politics, History, and African Unity. Several dates of important milestones in your life, political and private. Some (horny) memes due to your big family.)
[Statistics Bureau]
Housing: -1 (Lacking) / +/- Food: -1 (Lacking) / -- Healthcare: -4 (Currently Collapsing) / ++ Fuel: -1 (Lacking) / - Available Recruits: +2 (Overwhelming) / +/- SB Note: We are beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel for many projects that require higher education once more. Attempts to acquire learned specialists should be made to ensure sufficient personnel in critical industries.
Light Industry - Adequate - (Slight Upwards Trend) Heavy Industry - Good - (Static) Military Industry - Good - (Static) - (Slight Downwards Trend) Agriculture - Good - (Static) - (Slight Downwards Trend)
[] (Optional: Write-In Commiewood Project) (No Plan)
[] Infrastructure
-[] Automate Factory/Facility/Project (What) (Various Reputation Gains)
-[] Das Capital Planned City (Mega-Project) (Trigger Sub-Vote)
-[] Build A Monument Within The Capital
--[] A Natural Park/Space/Building (Sub-Turns) (+/-??? Reputation/People's Opinion)
---[] Permaculture Gardens - Mixed-use agricultural/recreational spaces that yield both local produce for the city's population and pleasant spaces to relax and take in nature.
--[] A Statue/Art Installation (Sub-Turns) (+/-??? Reputation/People's Opinion)
-[] Improve Roads (Helpful)
-[] Expand Your Public Transit Bus System (Helpful) (-4 Reputation)
-[] Create New Housing (Helpful)
--[] Use Energy Efficient Housing (Helpful) (+1 People's Opinion)
--[] Use Large-Scale Energy Efficient Housing (Helpful) (+2 People's Opinion) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Design New Housing Concept (Design)
--[] The Universal Building (-8 Reputation)
-[] Improve Medical Infrastructure (Helpful) (-3 Reputation)
-[] Build New Police Stations (Helpful)
-[] Durable Goods Libraries (-2 Reputation) (+1 People's Opinion)
(A good way of improving quality of life without needing to produce too many consumer goods is to implement a program where people can borrow more infrequently used goods from a central storehouse - things like vacuum cleaners, specialized cookware, hand tools, etc. The libraries can also double as social and entertainment spaces by including television or radio, depending on the size of the library and the number of people served. These activities draw people to the library, increasing their familiarity.)
-[] Public Radio/Televisions (-2 Reputation) (+1 People's Opinion)
(Add TVs/Radios to specific public venues where people can get entertained and informed in a social setting. Once again, it lets you have some access to these sorts of luxury goods without needing to make a lot of radios and TVs.)
-[] Fluoridate the Water Supply (Helpful) (-4 People's Opinion)
-[] Develop a Tourism Sector
-[] Increase the alloted numbers of Restaurants (+2 People's Opinion)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Light Industry
-[] Increase Electrification (Helpful) (+1 People's Opinion)
-[] Expand Your Train Network (Helpful)
-[] Construct Consumer Goods Factory (What) (Helpful) (-1 Reputation)
-[] Develop Selkie Dive Suit - A standard dive suit for civilian and military divers. (-3 Reputation) (Suspicious)
-[] Reverse Engineer Western Durable Goods/Appliances (-4 Reputation)
(Acquire western goods/appliances and determine their best and worst features, then create your own - free from the constraints of planned obsolescence and the profit motive and optimized for lifetime cost and performance. "Communist cooktops for communist cooks!")
-[] Construct a food processing factory for frozen and flash-frozen foods. (Very Helpful)
(Primarily meats and vegetables. Keep expansion in mind for either biodegradable boxes for frozen meals that can be thrown away or nonbiodegradable boxes. You'll pay your people a tiny amount of the price to return those to the factory.)
-[] Build Vitamin Supplement Factory (Helpful) (-1 Reputation)
[] Develop Solar Cauldron (-1 Reputation)
-[] Develop Thermal Battery (+1 Reputation)
-[] Water Desalination (-1 Reputation)
-[] Oil Processing (+1 Reputation)
-[] Food Processing (-3 Reputation)
-[] Ammonia Production (-2 Reputation)
-[] Mineral Processing (-1 Reputation)
-[] Papermaking (-2 Reputation)
-[] Electrical Generation
[] Implement Six Sigma Methodologies (-2 Reputation)
[] Implement Just in Time Logistics (-1 Reputation)
[] Implement Continuous Improvement Programs (-3 People's Opinion)
[] Develop Lights-Out Manufacturing (+2 Reputation)
[] Generic Appliance Factory (+2 Reputation)
[] Generic Furniture Factory (+2 Reputation)
[] Generic Household Hardware Factory (+2 Reputation)
[] Establish Ateliers (-5 Reputation)
-[] Tailors & Cobblers
-[] Woodworkers
-[] Metalworkers
[] Establish Rubber Plantations (-4 People's Opinion) (Harmful)
[] Bulk Textiles Mill (-3 People's Opinion) (Harmful)
[] Generic Bulk Clothing Factory (+1 People's Opinion) (Harmful)
[] Establish More Publishing Houses (+3 People's Opinion)
[] Build Breweries (+4 People's Opinion) (Harmful)
[] Bottled Drinks Factory (+2 People's Opinion)
[] Food Dehydration Plant (-1 Reputation)
[] Petrochemical Plant (+3 Reputation)
[] Pharmaceuticals Plant (+2 Reputation)
[] Chemical Commodities Plant (+2 Reputation)
-[] Ammonia (Fertilizer)
[] Fine Chemicals Plant (+1 Reputation)
-[] Agrochemicals (Pesticides)
[] Specialty Chemicals Plant (+2 Reputation)
[] Inorganic Chemicals Plant (+1 Reputation)
[] Polymer Plant (+2 Reputation)
[] Consumer Chemical Plant (-1 Reputation)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Heavy Industry (+2/+2 to Geothermal Power (Trade/Omake))
-[X] Cosmodrome (Mega-Project - 1/8 Actions) (Automatic - No Cost)
-[X] Native Space Industrial Complex (Mega-Project - 1/8 Actions) (Automatic - No Cost)
-[] Cyberdize Heavy Industry Sector (Mega-Project - 1/12 Actions)
-[] Automate Factory/Facility/Project (What) (Various Reputation Gains)
-[] Automate Every Factory (Mega-Project - 9/12 Actions) (-7 People's Opinion) (Extremely Harmful (Job Loss)) (+1 per Turn Automatic Progress)
-[] Construct Housing Factory - (Design) (+1 Reputation) (Automated)
-[] Build Structural Insulated Panel Factory Complex (-10 Reputation)
(Steel Mill, Glass Factory, and Bamboo Mill for durable, lightweight panels that reduce the need for heating/cooling during summer and winter.)
-[] Construct A Tractor Factory
-[] Construct Another Steel Foundry (Harmful) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Construct A Heavy Machinery Plant (Harmful) (+3 Reputation)
-[] Build Rolling Stock And Rail Factory (Harmful) (+1 Reputation) (Reduced Actions For The Dragon Rail)
-[] Construct A Power Plant (Helpful)
-[] Construct A Geothermal Power Plant (Helpful)
-[] Improve Your Metallurgical Institute (Harmful) (+1 Reputation)
-[] Research The "Incidental Star Blood Development Process" (???) (Requires Improved Metallurgical Institute)
-[] Develop Hydrothermal Carbonization (-3 Reputation)
-[] Construct Electronics Factories (+4 Reputation) (Harmful) (Steel Foundry Needed)
-[] Crack the 600 nm Process (Mega Project - 0/8 Actions) (-9 Reputation) (-5 People's Opinion)
-[] Expand Your Mines (Harmful)
-[] Construct Another Harbor (Helpful)
-[] Construct Five Merchant Marine Vessels
-[] Design A Civilian Vehicle (Describe) (-2 Reputation)
--[] Industrial IT-Skeleton (+5 Reputation) (Helpful)
-[] Design A Civilian Ship (Describe) (-2 Reputation)
--[] New Fishing Trawler
-[] Design A Civilian Aircraft (Describe)
-[] Design Cauldrons (Geothermal) (Mega Project - 0/8 Actions) (-3 Reputation)
(Mega-industrial parks that use geothermal power for thermal processes and electricity generation. Self-sufficient in terms of power needs and capable of exporting power to the grid while heating nearby greenhouses and homes.)
-[] Rail Development Design Project (Mega-project - 0/3) (+1 Reputation) (Reduced Actions For The Dragon Rail)
(Automated Track Laying Machinery, Electric Trains, and Streetcars will be heavily needed in your future projects to tie the people and their work closer together.)
-[] The Dragon Rail (Mega-project - 0/64) (Harmful)
(Lay The Dragon's Spine, The central trunk line running the island's length, the Dragon's Limbs, branching rail lines headed to major and middling cities, and the Dragon's Claws - Streetcars for the larger cities. With this, your nation will finally be able to fully utilize its breadth and width of all available industrial might!)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Agri-, And Aquaculture
-[] Cyberdize Agricultural Sector (Mega-Project - 0/7 Actions) (-9 Reputation)
-[] Automate Factory/Facility/Project (What) (Various Reputation Gains)
-[] Guangchou Gyre Deep Water Fertilization (Mega-Project - 0/9 Actions) (-8 Reputation) (Extremely Helpful)
(The Bay of Guangchou has a nice enormous ocean gyre spun up by the Taiwan current as it passes by the mouth of the bay, keeping the water relatively contained. If you had enough power, you could sink pumps to the bottom of the bay and pump cool, nutrient-rich water to the surface, where phytoplankton could thrive and become food for larger fish. In addition, nutrient-rich water would help kelp grow in the shallows and regulate the temperature to extend its growing season.)
-[] Construct A Fertilizer Factory (Helpful) (-2 Reputation)
-[] Build a Herbicide & Pesticide Plant (Helpful) (-2 Reputation)
-[] Increase Farming Space (Helpful) (-3 Reputation)
-[] Increase Herd Space (Helpful) (-4 Reputation)
-[] Assemble A Fishing Fleet
-[] Construct A Cannery Factory
-[] Construct A Pre-Made Food Factory (Helpful) (+1 People's Opinion)
-[] Expand The Sea-Forest Project (Mega-Project - 0/6 Actions) (-3 Reputation) (Extremely Helpful)
(A massive area for cultivating food, resources, and scientific data, primarily used to gain and harvest kelp, fish, oysters, and mother of pearl.)
-[] Expand Marine Farming (-3 Reputation)
(While naturally occurring kelp forests are an excellent food source, You can also improve the yield of a kelp farm by cultivating mussels, scallops, and oysters in predator-proof containers and laying traps for shellfish along the bottom.)
-[] Create the Guangchou Survey Corps (-5 Reputation)
(Form a body tasked with systematically surveying and preserving Guangchou's geological and biological resources - from undiscovered veins of minerals to plants and animals that can serve a useful purpose (or can be bred to do so). (Roll 1d20 every turn; on a 20, something valuable is found.))
-[] Solar Dehydrator Plant (Experimental) (-3 Reputation)
(Due to the low-temperature drying, solar-powered food dehydrators are simple and cheap to construct and preserve more nutrients than canning.)
-[] Develop And Test Novel Food Production Methods (Mega-Project - 0/12 Actions) (-3 Reputation)
(You can create further ways to make use of your available farming space to boost production with Industrial Mycoculture, Urban Permaculture Initiatives, Forest Farming (though you'll take full credit for that since IJ stole that idea from you!), Silvopasture, and Agroforestry)
-[] Create Insect Farms (-1 Reputation) (Helpful)
(Cricket and Mealworm Protein Cultivation are a cheap, plentiful, and versatile way to increase protein in people's diets.)
-[] Construct an Experimental Vertical Hydroponics Test-Building (+1 Reputation)
-[] Pemican Production Factory (-2 Reputation) (Helpful)
(An ancient recipe from the Americas, made of powdered meat and fat that can store for years in a sealed container. Maintaining a stockpile will be full insurance against a poor harvest.)
-[] Seed Treatment Factory (-2 Reputation)
(Seeds can be treated with various compounds to increase their germination chances and resistance to sickness.)
[] Expand Crop Breeding Programs (+4 Reputation) (Helpful)
[] Fund Agricultural Veterinary Care (-3 Reputation)
[] Develop Fish Ranching (-1 Reputation)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Military (+4 to Design A Native Ship)
-[] Automate Factory/Facility/Project (What) (Various Reputation Gains)
-[] Soldier's Councils (Triggers Sub-Vote)
(Bring communism to the barracks! And the cockpits! And the decks!)
-[] Create A Dedicated Coast Guard (Will massively piss off the navy until you get them some ships+equipment)
-[] Design Two Iron Tiger Systems/A New Iron Tiger (Describe) (+5 Reputation)
--[] The Fateful Seal IT (Iron Tiger Revolver)
(The FS-IT is a Fateful Seal redesigned for iron tiger use, developed to use 130x800mmR shells. The FS-IT, just like the FS, uses a 6-or-7-round cylinder and can shoot HE, SAP, and AP shells.)
-[] Design A Native Tank (Describe) (+2 Reputation)
--[] The Credit Where It's Due (Light Scout Tank)
(Taking inspiration from the FT-17 (shape) and T-55A (armor and suspension), the CWID is the first native LST produced in Guangchou. Weighing 28 tons, this LST is armed with a light cannon, four missiles, a coaxial machine gun, and a heavy machine gun mounted on a pintle on the turret top; it is crewed by four crew and possesses a top speed of 48km/h. Though, it is notably light on the armor for a tank.)
-[] Design A Native Plane (Describe) (+3 Reputation)
--[] MiS-27 (Multi-Role Jet)
(The MiS-27 is a Multi-Role jet aircraft, its shape inspired by the MiG-21, with the J37 providing its radical delta wing configuration. Flown by one pilot and armed with 2 Modified 25mm M/71 autocannons, this Jet also sports eight modular hardpoints to add rockets, bombs, fuel tanks, and supplies as needed or wanted.)
-[] Design A Native Vehicle (Describe) (+2 Reputation)
--[] The Police Carrier (Light Assault APC)
(The PC is a simple armored personnel carrier taking inspiration from the BTR-152 (appearance/shape), the BTR-60 (turret), and the M3 half-track (tracks). At 20 tons with a top speed of 75 km/h on-road and 50 km/h off-road, this vehicle can transport its four crew and six passengers where needed. With only light armor protecting its passengers, it utilizes an imported Soviet 2A28 Grom, eight missiles, and a coaxial machine gun for offensive operations.)
--[] The BTR-71 (Light Amphibious APC)
(The BTR-71 has the general shape and appearance of the BTR-60 but has just about nothing in common. Weighing 20 tons, this LST is armed with a light cannon, four missiles, a coaxial machine gun, and a hull machine gun. It is crewed by four crew with a place for eight additional passengers and possesses a top speed of 80 km/h on-road and 12 km/h in water.)
-[] Design A Native Ship (Describe) (+3 Reputation)
--[] The Gunagch (Destroyer Escort)
(Weighing at nearly 3kt and 100m long, the Gunagch is propelled by two electric drives/propellers, enabling a maximum speed/range of 25knots/20.000km (at 12knots). Armed with four 100m BS-4 guns in 2 twin turrets, eight modified 25mm M/71 autocannons in 4 twin mounts, sixteen 15x115mmR KPVT heavy machine guns in 4 quad mounts, and 80 depth charges.)
--[] The BS-4 (Crewed Anti-Tank)
(The BS-4 is a field and anti-tank gun, taking inspiration from the BS-3. Its primary use is for coastal defense forces with a six-meter barrel and 11-meter length overall.)
--[] The Police Carrier Anti-Tank (Self-Propelled AT)
(The PC is a simple armored personnel carrier taking inspiration from the BTR-152 (appearance/shape), the BTR-60 (turret), and the M3 half-track (tracks). At 20 tons with a top speed of 75 km/h on-road and 50 km/h off-road, this vehicle can transport its five crew where needed. With only light armor protecting its passengers, it utilizes an imported Soviet KPVT HMG, a rocket-deliver platform, and a coaxial machine gun for offensive operations. Additionally, the passenger compartment of the PC has been removed in favor of an AT Cannon with a gun shield.)
-[] Design A Native Sidearm (Describe) (Choose Any/All)
--[] Fateful Seal (Revolver)
(The Fateful Seal is designed as a top-break gas-seal revolver, using the Webley and the Nagant M1895 for inspiration. Research shows that as much as 26% of propellant gas escapes through the barrel and cylinder gap. Like more or less all gas-seal revolvers, the FS uses the cartridge case to seal the gap between the cylinder and the barrel. It uses a 13.2x55mmSR cartridge; the flat nose boattail bullet is 13.2 millimeters wide and 15 millimeters tall. It has a level on the right side, like the Webley revolver, and is used for the same purpose. Additionally, with the proposed 4.7-inch to 12-inch long barrels, the FS combines detachable shoulder stock, holster, and a 6-or-7-round cylinder.)
--[] Conscript's Friend (Cheap Pistol)
(The CF is a dead-simple integral box magazine pistol taking inspiration from the Steyr Hahn, the FN 1903, the Browning Hi-Power, and the TT-33. The FN 1903 provided the CF with its general shape and appearance, the Steyr Hahn, integral magazine and stripper clip guide, the Browning Hi-Power knowledge on double-stack magazines, and more modern safety features, and last but not least, the TT-33 gave the CF knowledge on simplicity. Cambered in an 8x40mmSR cartridge, the CF is designed to be as simple as possible while safely chambering its integral 10-round box fed with stripper clips. The handgun is supposed to be so simple that anyone who can rifle the barrel should be able to make the rest of the pistol with hand tools.)
--[] Spook's Squeak (Agent Pistol)
(The SQ is more or less a full copy of the Welrod except for its size and particular cartridge. With a total of 203mm in length, the SQ is chambered in the particular 6.5x30mmSR cartridge using a removable 8-shot magazine.)
--[] The Soldiers Pistol (Army Pistol)
The SP is a Browning Hi-Power chambered in 10x37mmSR and fed from a 10 to 20-round detachable double-stack magazine with a barrel length of 12 cm and an overall length of 20 cm, not counting the detachable combination stock.
--[] Name Pending (Flaregun)
(The NP is a small, light single-shot break-action flare gun inspired by the Sturmpistole.)
-[] Design A Native Service Weapon (Rifle, SMG, Heavy Machine Gun, Rocket launcher, Etc.) (Describe) (Choose Any/All) (+1 Reputation)
--[] The Police's Friend (Bolt-Action Rifle with shotgun+grenade capabilities)
(The PF, just like FS, is meant to be used by police and rear line units and is a bolt-action rifle design taking inspiration from the Lee-Enfield, the Swedish Mauser, and the Fateful Seal. The Swedish Mauser provided the PF with its general shape, appearance, and stripper clip guide, the Lee-Enfield magazine and sling mounts, and the Fateful Seal gave the PF the base for its unique 12 g under-barrel revolver shotgun. The PF is meant to be able to use 40mm rifle grenades such as HEAT, HE, and Smoke, with the under-barrel shotgun supposed to be primarily used for riot control in police use and rear line units. Chambered in the same 13.2x55mmSR cartridge as the Fateful Seal, the PF is fed from a 10-round detachable magazine with a 25-inch barrel length and a 40-inch overall length.)
--[] The Militia's Friend (Cheap SMG)
(The MF is a crude SMG taking inspiration from the Sten, PPS, Swedish m/45 SMG, MP 40, and MP 3008. The MF, just like the CF, is meant to be used not by the military but by the militia forces of Guangchou. The Swedish m/45 gave the MF its general shape and appearance; the MP 3008 gave the shoulder stock; the PPS, its knowledge of curved magazines; the MP 40, the safety features and sling mounts; and the Sten, its simplicity. With a fire rate of 570 rounds per minute, it is chambering the 8x40mmSR cartridge from a 20 to 30-round detachable box magazine or a 50-round drum with a 20-inch barrel and a 28-inch overall length. The MF is designed to be as simple as possible while still safely chambering its cartridge, and it's supposed to be so simple that anyone who can rifle the barrel should be able to make the rest of the "submachine" gun; using hand tools.)
--[] The Soldiers Friend (Mainstay Select-Fire Rifle)
(The SF is a relatively simple select-fire rifle taking inspiration from the AVS-36, the Fedorov Avtomat, the BAR, and the FG 42. It is meant to be used by professional forces, not police or militia. The BAR provided the SF with its general shape and appearance, the FG 42, the operational and gas system, the Fedorov Avtomat, the magazine, the dust cover, the AVS-36, and the muzzle brake and sling mounts. The SF has a fire rate of 406 to 610 rounds per minute, chambering the 6.5x57mmSR cartridge fed from a 20 or 25-round detachable box magazine while possessing a 28-inch barrel and a 40-inch overall length. The SF is designed to be a reasonably uncomplicated weapon yet modern and meant to be the main arm of the military while still being cheap to produce.)
--[] The Guard's Arm (Costly High-Magazine SMG)
(The GA is a costly high-quality submachine gun taking inspiration from the Browning Hi-Power, the MP 40, MP 5, and the Conscripts Friend and is meant to be used by the secret service and the guards of various military-industrial and laboratory installations. The conscript's friend gave the GA its general shape and appearance, the MP 5 its action, the MP 40 gave the detachable muzzle ring, and the Browning Hi-Power gave it the detachable double-stack magazine alongside modern safety features. The weapon has a fire rate of 457 to 800 rounds per minute, chambered in a 6.5x30mmSR cartridge from a 10 to 30-round detachable double-stack magazine or 48-round detachable double-stack drum. The GA is 457mm long, not counting the detachable shoulder stock, and has a detachable muzzle ring that can be unscrewed to attach a suppressor.)
--[] The Workers Might (Crewed Anti-Tank System)
The WM is a recoilless rifle design inspired by the Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle and the German 10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40. It is an anti-tank weapon meant for service with professional forces. The LG 40 gave the WM its general shape and appearance; the Carl Gustaf gave it its hinged breech. The WM uses unique 152x305mmR shells capable of firing HE and HEAT ammunition.
--[] The Soldiers Arm (Mainstay SMG)
The SA is a simple submachine gun taking inspiration from the United Defense M42 and the M50 Reising, meant to be used by professional forces. The UD M42 provided the SA its general shape, appearance, and wooden foregrip, and the M50 Reising gave the sights and sling mounts. The SA has a rate of fire of 570 to 800 rounds per minute, chambering the 10x37mmSR cartridge from a 20 to 30-round detachable double-stack box magazine or a 50-round detachable double-stack drum with a 35.6 cm long barrel and an overall length of 61 cm.
-[] Design Native Equipment (Describe)
--[] Develop Native Aircraft Engine
--[] Develop Native Torpedo
--[] Develop a Rocket Engine (+1 Reputation)
--[] Develop a Rocket (+2 Reputation)
--[] Develop an Orbital Satellite (Mega-Project - 0/3 Actions) (+8 Reputation)
-[] Design Infantry IT-Alloy Bodyarmor (+3 Reputation)
-[] Design Police IT-Alloy Bodyarmor And Shields (+1 Reputation) (-2 People's Opinion)
-[] Import (What) (-1 Reputation)
-[] Construct A Submarine Yard (Submarine) (+1 Reputation)
-[] Construct A Torpedo Factory
-[] Construct A Dedicated Naval Slipway (Ship)
-[] Construct Coastal Defences (+2 Reputation)
-[] Construct Interior Defences
-[] Construct An Airfield
-[] Construct Military Building/Factory (What) (Harmful) (-3 People's Opinion)
--[] Construct IT Electronics Factory (Harmful) (-4 Reputation)
-[] Mingxiang Astronautics Expansion (+3 Reputation)
-[] Mingxiang Rocketry Expansion (+5 Reputation)
-[] Navy Modernization (Mega-Project - 0/8 Actions) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Expand The Military Academy (+2 Reputation) (-4 People's Opinion)
-[] Raise A New Military Formation (What) (Harmful) (+1 Reputation) (-4 People's Opinion)
--[] Raise a (Mechanized Combat Engineer) Formation
-[] Raise A Iron Tiger Formation (Generation+Purpose)
--[] WRITE IN CHOSEN LOAD-OUTS
-[] Recover Your Sunken Fleet (Harmful) (+2 Reputation) (+4 to any Naval Action)
-[] Intimidate Taiwan (+5 Reputation)
-[] Commit Exercises (+3 Reputation)
-[] Secure Trade Routes
-[] Raid International Shipping (What Goods) (Helpful/Harmful) (Roll above five, and you won't be caught.)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Social
-[] Expand Your Television Station (New Channel Name And/Or Focus)
--[] The Social Revolution TV Channel (-1 Chinese Opinion)
(Focuses on the social aspects of communism, why they're essential, and how they tie into the broader communist project. It covers things like gender equality, the importance of contraception, why you shouldn't discriminate against queer people, readings and debates about Marx's later works where he refutes many of his earlier theories about stages, etc. (Head to Head is a popular segment where they bring the PRC and USSR ambassadors on the show to have them debate over their differing orthodoxies - people have started betting on which one will 'win.'))
-[] Arrest Dissidents (Harmful) (-5 People's Opinion)
-[] Purge Undesirable Citizens (Who) (Harmful) (+1 Reputation) (-5 People's Opinion)
-[] Search And Destroy Rebels (Harmful) (-5 People's Opinion) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Increase Surveillance (Harmful) (-5 People's Opinion)
-[] Reduce Surveillance (Helpful) (+1 People's Opinion) (-3 Reputation)
-[] Increase Social Control (How) (Helpful) (Harmful) (-3 People's Opinion) (+5 Reputation)
-[] Propagandize An Achievement (Helpful) (+2 People's Opinion)
-[] Praise Workers From (Industry) (Helpful/Harmful) (+2 People's Opinion)
-[] Boost (Social Statistic, example: Birthrates) (Helpful) (+2 People's Opinion)
-[] Propagandize Worker's Conditions (Helpful)
-[] Implement A Social Policy (Write-In) (Helpful/Harmful) (+3 People's Opinion) (-2 Reputation)
--[] Labour Reforms (Triggers Sub-Turns) (Helpful/Harmful) (+/-? People's Opinion) (+/-? Reputation)
--[] Industrial Health & Safety Policy (Triggers Sub-Turns) (Helpful/Harmful) (+/-? People's Opinion) (+/-? Reputation)
-[] Reduce Social Control (How) (Helpful) (+2 People's Opinion) (-7 Reputation)
-[] Expand Medical Education (-4 Reputation) (+3 People's Opinion) (Helpful)
-[] Vaccination Campaign (Disease - Specifics Required) (Extremely Helpful)
--[] Native Production And Doctors (-5 Reputation)
--[] International Production And Doctors (Helpful) (-11 Reputation) (-9 People's Opinion)
-[] Begin Public Sanitation Programs (Helpful)
-[] Improve Foreign Intelligence Service
--[] Industrial Espionage in Japan (-7 Reputation) (Suspicious)
(Right now, there's a wide variance in the effectiveness of your foreign intelligence agents, which suggests a need for more effective mentorship and information transfer from the more successful ones to the less successful ones. Formalizing a training program means institutionalizing the knowledge of your best agents (with a focus on industrial espionage in Japan) should go a long way toward delivering more reliable results. Of course, industrial espionage may not be as glamorous as the political and military games the CIA and KGB played. Still, it's easier and has a better long-term payoff for the nation. Furthermore, narrowing the focus to Japan due to proximity, an abundance of high-tech industry, and ease of letting your agents blend into the population allows us to get the most optimal results for the effort invested.)
--[] Western Heavy Machinery For Reverse Engineering
--[] (Write-In Target/Activity)
-[] Rationalize the Language (Mega-Project - 0/5 Actions) (+2 Chinese Opinion) (-5 People's Opinion)
(Guang is an unholy combination of Chinese and Japanese, with enough loan words from Korean and Malay to make up a non-trivial portion of the overall syntax and more exceptions than English. And it's written with Hanzi characters that often don't match their Mandarin counterparts, and never mind that the grammar and word construction don't always line up. Even before the systematic destruction of the island's infrastructure by the IJN air raids, literacy in Guangchou was among the lowest in the Asia-Pacific - mainly because the language was simply a massive headache to learn. Guang will be rationalized and streamlined to make it easy to understand, pronounce, write, and read.)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Political
-[] Leader Pushed Developments
--[] Reform Government Structure (Mega-Project - 0/10 Actions) (Triggers Sub-Vote) (-50 Reputation)
--[] Healthcare Reform (Sub-Vote) (-7 Reputation) (-9 People's Opinion)
--[] Create a Commission for the Upkeep and Conservation of Guangchou's Natural Spaces anf Habitats for the Workers Health and Enjoyment (Helpful) (-1 Reputation) (+1 People's Opinion)
-[] The Dragon's Den - The Dragon Rail Network is looking ever more like a thing that can be put off "for now" every time you seek to begin work, and with a year already having passed, you'd rather begin work now, than have to force a shock labor order later. By wrangling everyone behind the project, you'd be able to complete not only it, but expand the urban and agricultural spaces of Guangchou by making use of convenient sites on the way, further increasing its positive impact upon the people of Guangchou. (Mega-Project 0/99 Actions) (-17 Repuation) (+1 Automatic Progress per Turn once taken.)
--[] Continued Spreading of The People's Theology (+4 Reputation) (+5% CyPac Cohesion) -[] Populists & Internationalists
--[] Have our glorified paparazzi help the Nationalists by seeing the value of ad campaigning abroad to increase the desire for our trade goods to increase their market value. (-3 Reputation)
--[] Medical Student Exchange with Cuba (Helpful) (-4 Reputation) (-5 People's Opinion)
--[] Bother the Cubans for their "Home Self-Reliance And Repair Manual" (-3 Reputation)
--[] (Gay) Immigration Propaganda (-3 Reputation) (-1 Chinese Opinion)
("In Guangchou, you will be free to be and love as your truest self, free from bigotry and oppression based on gender, sexual orientation, or race. If you want to help build a better world, come to Guangchou." The Internationalists will spread the word through their contacts abroad that Guangchou LACKS engineers and scientists, accountants, doctors, and other highly educated workers needed to fulfill the Great Leader's ambitious plans and that Guangchou ALSO has more Gay Liberation than you can shake a stick at. We can attract quite a few learned professionals fleeing persecution in their home countries.)
--[] Send Enbies To Establish A Formal Relationship
---[] The Somalia Democratic Republic
---[] New Zealand
---[] Indonesia
---[] India
---[] The Philippines
---[] Sri Lanka
---[] Myanmar
---[] Laos
---[] Cambodia
---[] (Write-In)
--[] Brain Drain Time! (+4 Reputation)
(A lot of nations are currently facing unrest or ethnic cleansing. We could exploit the fleeing populations and persecuted intellectuals to boost our native capabilities. Oh, and help the refugees too.
---[] Thailand (Easy - +5 Reputation if successful)
---[] (Write-In)
--[] Southeast Asian Communist Kinship Programm (+3 Reputation)
--[] CASEAN Outreach (+1 Reputation) (-1 Chinese Opinion)
(Establish diplomatic relations with ideologically compatible nations in your sphere of influence. (Cambodia, Vietnam, North Korea, etc.))
-[] National Consulting Services (+2 Reputation) -[] Progressives
--[] Have their experts focus on the economic issues and suggest how to increase food supply and ideas for a healthier economy. (-5 Reputation) -[] International
--[] Promise Forces For China (What Forces?)
--[] Video-Wha??? (+1 Reputation)
(Videogames? Arcades? Heh?) -[] Technologists
--[] Improve the Statistics Bureau (Focus) (-3 Reputation) (Political Consequences For Their Findings)
--[] Vocational Shock Effort (Helpful) (-4 People's Opinion) -[] Militarists
--[] Create a dedicated branch of Military Engineers (+Allies)
--[] Buy Russian Trucks for native logistics and the military (-5 Reputation) (Knock-On Effects)
--[] Bugger the Russians for their Rockery in exchange for our knowledge in electronics (Knock-On Effects)
--[] Armed Solidarity (+7 Reputation) (+5 People's Opinion) (International (Read: West) Anger) (Repeatable) (Target)
-[] (WRITE-IN)
[] Cybernetic Pact (1 Action Free)
-[] NK promised Supercomputer (Promised Next 5-Year-Plan)
-[] Benin - Promised Native Mingxiang (Within this Plan required)
-[] Military Intervention - Western Sahara (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Military Intervention - Syria (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Military Intervention - South Yemen (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Military Intervention - Benin (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Military Intervention - Mozambique (Optional: Volunteer Forces) (+2 Reputation)
-[] Fuck The US of Middle North A - Cuba (Trade and Aid) (+4 Reputation)
-[] Fuck The US of Middle North A - Nicaragua (Show the world what the US is sponsoring) (+7 Reputation)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Egypt (Infrastructure and Housing)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Libya (Electronics)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Togo (Show 'Em We Ain't Bad)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Guinea (Industrial Aid)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Tanzania (Promised Industrial Aid)
-[] Economic Cooperation - Ethiopia (Generic)
-[] Economic Cooperation While Giving The IMF The Bird - Sudan (Direct Industrial Aid) (+1 Reputation)
-[] IMF Bailout - Madagascar (Bailout) (+1 Reputation)
-[] Inter-Alliance Culinary Exchange (+2 Reputation) (+2 People's Opinion)
-[] (Write-In)
[] Secret Projects
-[] Investigate Applications For WEISOFT Again
-[] Mingxiang CyberSyn System 1.1.0 (Mega-Project - 2/15 Actions) (-8 Reputation)
-[] Develop Native Supercomputer (Mega-Project - 0/3 Actions) (-8 Reputation) (-6 People's Opinion)
-[] Experimental Molten Salt Reactor (Mega-Project - 0/5 Actions) (???)
[] Wei Jungming - (RP)
-[] Personal Action (Write-In two things he does within the next six months.)
-[] Lover Action (Write-In one thing Wei Jungmin and Wei Mai do together in the next six months.)
[X] Plan: Inhumanism
-[X] [Who will be sent?] Onishi Uma & Co.
-[X] [Meet-Up] CyPac/USSR/(India?), East Germany, West Germany, USA
The first impression in Germany Onishi Uma got was that, despite it being talked up by everyone and her wife included, the Mile High Club wasn't anything to write home about. Way too cramped. She preferred space to actually move and do things that weren't guaranteed to end with her muscles cramping and making her feel like she had to put in thrice the effort for half the effects. And they needed to be silent too. That ruined things a bit for her. What are you even doing if you don't get a noise complaint the morning after? Certainly not-
Moving on.
The first impression of Germany Onishi got (that was actually relevant to the country) was that you could say what you wanted; when the Germans did something, they certainly didn't half-ass any of it. Ever since touching down, she had been figuratively drowning in a sea of security and police personnel, hundreds of the uniformed officials securing everything in the airport alone, a speculated two-thousand standing guard and keeping the various protestors, visitors, and sight-seers from simply charging at the highest echelons of humanity arriving to meet in a meeting that would chart a path forward for not one, but two species now conjoined in fate and home alike.
It was also a testament to the Germans that they managed to pull this kind of event off within a mere two years after the reveal of the Lupi. Organizationally, that pace was glacial for something of that magnitude; politically, though? Blindingly fast, almost enough to induce whiplash in those politicians more used to even the simplest tasks taking months to be completed, not to speak about any vote in the UN usually taking place a whole year during which it was being thoroughly debated.
Though, in the end, all that didn't matter all that much to Onishi, as her wife and she had gotten a place to sleep, a schedule to roughly keep to, and a way to communicate the current happenings back home and receive instructions if something had changed. For the love of her life, this meant a whole week of being able to tour Germany at her leisure, incognito, and kept safe by bodyguards. For Onishi, it meant she had two days before the Congress would start in earnest, days she intended to use to their fullest. It also meant that she would then have two days of mind-shattering revelations happening, first by a panel of scientists, soldiers, diplomats, and dignitaries (alongside Chancellor Helmut Schmidt) answering questions about the whole...well, absolute clusterfuck that was the entire situation, while informing them about the finer details. And all that would then be topped off by multiple Lupi being also there to answer any questions from the world and humanity.
Onishi Uma glanced at the thick folder packed with microscopic writing that contained all the questions she had been ordered to ask, both the panel and the Lupi, before sighing as she looked at the other, much thicker, folder that held her orders for the first two days. She would have all her hands full talking to all the various dignitaries, diplomats, and assorted people of interest, wasn't she?
Then again, only a few meetings would be of interest to others and to history. Her conferences with the diplomats of the CyPac, the USSR, East and West Germany, and the USA would be the ones remembered, for they were the ones that captured one's imagination.
Onishi Meets The World
[][CyPac Meeting] (Write-In: What do you want to do/achieve/ask/hash out?)
[][USSR Meeting] (Write-In: What do you want to do/achieve/ask/hash out?)
[][East Germany Meeting] (Write-In: What do you want to do/achieve/ask/hash out?)
[][West Germany Meeting] (Write-In: What do you want to do/achieve/ask/hash out?)
[][USA Meeting] (Write-In: What do you want to do/achieve/ask/hash out?)
AN: I sat before a blank page for nearly two weeks due to the utterly cold opening with little to write on you gave me. Suffer as I have and give me something to work with, won't ya?!
PS: I'll also be moving apartments on the 16th of next month, so expect drastic update slowdowns around that time.
1982 - H1 - Congress of Humanity - Before The Drop
-[X][CyPac Meeting] CyPac, the USSR, and possibly India will hash out a bunch of stuff ahead of time to present a united front. This would have been done back at the Lake Laogai Conference, so HC can probably skip it?
-[X][USSR Meeting] As above.
-[X][East Germany Meeting] Talk to East Germany to see if they've uncovered anything about the situation - it's long odds, but maybe there was a side lab or some records kept in East Germany before the Soviets captured it.
-[X][West Germany Meeting] West Germany, we must figure out what happened and what they plan to do? We're particularly interested in what they intend to do with all the ancillary bioscience - will they horde it for themselves, or will the medical technology be shared?
-[X][USA Meeting] See what their diplomats want out of this whole mess so we're not caught too off guard.
The air was far different here than in New York. Perhaps that wasn't that surprising, seeing as Onishi was in another country altogether, but it wasn't merely the taste and smell of the air around here; it was the charge and feel of it too. In the UN, there was an air of holier-than-thou mixed with the seriousness of it being a meeting place of all nations of the world. Here, in Germany? Less a meeting place where things would slowly meander in the ebb and flow of worldwide politics and more a conference that would decide things for humanity within the next week, even if people didn't act upon the things decided here. That governments weren't the only ones represented here didn't hurt the feeling of a bustling and charged conference either, as everything from religious representatives to NGOs mingled with politicians and reporters, the latter everywhere like a swarm of locusts.
Yet, for Onishi, those things were more akin to distractions, as she had meetings in large and private planned and crammed into every minute of the time before the Congress would begin in earnest to ensure no last-minute changes were needed for either her people's allies in the Cybernetic Pact or made by the side of the USSR. She had hoped to gain some time with the Indian representatives too, but they had been too busy dealing with various representatives of NATO and the US to do more than assure her that they would not suddenly decide to base American nukes out of their cities. However, sacrificing any free time had enabled her to secure several meetings with those the Great Leader had placed priority on so that they could plan for the future without having to stumble across what decisions would be made on their sides.
Her meeting with the East Germans had been...unusual, as they appeared tense and anxious from the start, though she could sense that they weren't all that happy that Guangchou had been the one able to rise on the geopolitical stage due to the breakthroughs in electronics and computers made from the discovered Laufpanzer program by Nazi Germany. She couldn't blame them for that, as it had been quite the upset, especially as it had led to the realization of automated centralized planning becoming ever more real and achievable within her lifetime. But the questions and probing regarding the Lupi had yielded little, as they had been aware that there had been a "Bio-Augmentation Program" that was being funded, yet believed it to be nothing more than one of the few dozen other Wunderwaffen projects being undertaken at the time and abandoned like all others. That the scraps of documents they had regarding it also talked about literally grafting parts of animals onto humans as one solution hadn't helped endear them to the idea that it was real or could ever be successful. Though they did share that they uncovered several more crimes against humanity done by the regime because of their efforts, nothing of technical worth was discovered.
The meeting with West Germany proved to be...she'd like to say condescending, but they acted far too cagey for it to be an intentional snub, especially as the duo meeting with her were made of politicians from Die Pinke Partei. Most of her questions regarding what had happened to even allow this to happen were reflected to the later portions of the Congress, as well as their plans on what would be done in the future, speaking about how "this is a highly complex topic that requires more than a few weeks of debate to adequately discuss." In other words, they were floundering and were having screaming matches behind closed doors when they didn't have public screaming matches in the open. But she did manage to get them to open up about the ancillary bioscience required to create the Lupi and their intentions regarding them. They weren't intending on hoarding the medical advancements made. The problem here wasn't any lacking willingness to share the progress made in nearly every field; the problem was that their experts had begun looking through the notes, documents, machinery, and experiments and returned with a clear-cut: "We do not even understand the tools they made to build the tools so that they could build the entire thing." West Germany didn't need to block any attempt to share the technology, not because they were confident that nobody else could use the information, but because they were in desperate need of aid to decipher and make sense of it themselves. An internationally overseen commission to work through the technologies wasn't exactly Onishi's dream or the solution she had hoped for. Still, any amount of bureaucratic-nightmare-stricken worldwide cooperation was better than a pure NATO/First World-based initiative that the people of the world would need to claw out of their vaults and grasp, scrap by scrap.
In contrast to her meetings with the two sides of Germany, her meeting with the diplomat sent by the USA was the direct opposite of politeness. Oh, sure, the man didn't say that "she was an immoral whore that dealt with demonic things, and she would burn in hellfire for all eternity for her sins against mankind and the glory of the One True God Mammon," but she could sense the bullshit and fake smile from a mile away. And she sat in the same room as him, no farther away than a few meters, so she was pretty confident that the veiled insults and utter blocking of a productive talk were intentional and only not said outright due to people likely watching him. So that was a bust.
AN: Interim update because of RL stress. Send help or a bullet, I'll accept both.
1982 - H1 - Congress of Humanity - The Story So Far
-[X] [Questions - Congress]
--[X] What's the history of the Nazi genetic engineering project?
--[X] How much effort (in terms of resources and person-hours) was used to create the Lupi?
--[X] By what process was the genetic engineering accomplished? Nobody has even mapped the human genome yet, for crying out loud.
--[X] What ancillary technologies and techniques were developed to make the process possible?
--[X] Why canines? Why hybridization? Why not just enhance human physiology directly?
--[X] How many Lupi are there?
--[X] Is West Germany going to guarantee them the same rights as all its human citizens?
The din of the auditorium was at once a deafening clamor of noise and yet oddly quiet for the several hundred people within, with hundreds more on the sidelines, above, and behind, camera crews and photographers jostling even now with journalists of all stripes for spots to document the conference. The global broadcasts began hours before the start of the conference and before the arrival of the politicians, soldiers, and scientists who would be answering the questions of the world and its people. Yet, that hadn't stopped hundreds from taking and giving interviews, what they thought would happen, giving calls to action for one position or another, and a thousand things more, some related to the topic at hand, yet most were not, as people used the opportunity to jostle on the geopolitical stage for deals, statements, and pushing their agendas in one way or another.
For Onishi Uma and her team, this chaos of pre-conference activities revolved around projecting the image of Guangchou as an emerging leader of electronic production and a bastion of sapient rights, alongside showcasing the vision of the nation for a better world united under social equality, scientific progress, and prosperity for all. It was hard to guess how many people would be swayed by their efforts, but if even one person was, she would book it as a success in her view; the Revolution never happened in one day, after all. Yet, it also meant that she had to field questions from predominantly Western journalists more concerned with the Iron Tigers than the social, scientific, and economic advantages brought to the countries that had joined together to form the Cybernetic Pact. Regrettably, especially those reporters from NATO countries, had begun simply calling the Iron Tigers "Mecha," an abbreviation of "Mechanized Armor."
That the new generation of the Iron Tigers was being called 'Steel Leopards' had probably not helped cement that name for the First World. Nonetheless, fielding those questions was second nature to her, as the Capitalist Nations somehow always found fault in the Communist ones sending people the means to free themselves but never even bothered to talk about or mention the various massacres and atrocities committed by capitalist forces in the name of capital.
Yet, all those hours before the conference spent talking had made the wait bearable until the whole thing would officially begin at precisely 13 o'clock. This led to Onishi sitting in her assigned seat, microphone before her, and various attaches surrounding her with a multitude of documents and papers everywhere in controlled and organized chaos, as several dozen people walked onto the stage, among them President Karl Carstens, Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, and the Minister of Defence Hans Apel, followed by a gaggle of scientists and other people Onishi could only recall due to the various papers and photographs depicting them being given to her when she had arrived. Then, the flash and noise of cameras began to rev up as people started to quiet down, eager to receive answers to a thousand different questions, and the conference started in earnest.
Dr. Ludwig Steiner stood before the assembled mass of political power and journalistic might, the most collected concentration of hard and soft power he had ever had to stand in front of, and he could only look back at his twenty-three-year-old self standing before five professors as he defended himself and his work, thinking that this would likely be the most stressful day in his entire life. Oh, how wrong he was, and how good those days were, because this? This was decidedly the third most stressful day in his life. The first was racing his daughter to the hospital when she had impaled herself on a knitting needle when she was four, and the second would either be when he gave his wife the yes, or when he stood before a Lupus for the first time. He hadn't decided yet, and he was sure that if he made the wrong one, his wife would add another day to this consideration.
Taking a breath, Ludwig began the conference with his role in the play after all the necessary showmanship had been done, starting the entire thing by beginning at the start of it all. Or the beginning they had been able to uncover, the "scientists" in the complex had been less than forthright with information, and more than one had done their best to destroy what they could, if not in machinery, then physical documentation.
With the hum of a projector somewhere above him, he began as pictures and documents began to be projected onto the wall behind him, high enough to be seen but not high enough that he couldn't point at things he needed to point at.
"As far as we know," he began to the murmur of the entire too-full room, the attention of a suggested two to three billion people now listening to his words, with far fewer looking at the photograph behind him depicting seventeen men with the caption: '1874.' "This project pre-dates the Nazi regime by at least half a century, proven by various records and photographs recovered from the laboratory, with an unknown amount of time being worked on before 1874, this one depicting the earliest form of the group who would eventually create the Lupi. They called themselves 'The Society of Biological Rationalism,' founded on the principle of studying human biology to dispel myths, pre-conceptions, and 'the irrational superstition of race' that, ironically, led to them publishing a letter that utterly rejected the then popular and accepted notions of human biology, calling the assumption that African people felt less pain utterly ridiculous, that Jewish people were the masterminds behind a world-wide conspiracy laughable alongside several dozen other theories they dragged through the mud as they should," Ludwig spoke, ignoring the look an aide gave him to keep him on topic. With a click, the picture behind him changed to the document; what burned snippets had survived with highlighted portions. "It shouldn't be surprising that this letter was ignored, despite the surprisingly thorough and detailed notes published alongside them. Details and documentation regarding the next twenty years are very spotty, not helped by the destructive actions taken by the "scientists," he couldn't help himself and sneered at the notion of considering these men as men of science "when the army moved to capture them and liberate their works. The group's focus had floundered after the failure of establishing themselves in the scientific consensus, with some leaving and others entering the group over the years. Yet, one member joined the group in 1886, which would see them walk down the road to the creation of the Wolfsmenschen."
With a click, the projector changed to show a young man, between his waning twenties and early thirties, with slicked-back black hair, no beard, and an elaborate monocle over his left eye. Beside him stood another version of the same man, with '1939' under the picture, near ancient and with grey hair. "This man has only ever been identified as "Dr. Schugel," a moniker that we have yet to confirm, as no documentation regarding the man, or his doctorate, exists. Perhaps time or effort has managed to cover his past, but what is important is that he entered the society with a thesis focused on the benefits and potential usages of "grafting" various species together to create viable hybrids." With another click, another slide showed various plants that bore different fruit on opposing sides, flowers with multi-colored and shaped petals, and trees of diverse species mixed into one, growing taller in a series of photographs. "Initially, this practice was focused on the botanical side, mainly for the various benefits the combination and hybridization of crops could achieve, with an eye toward greater prosperity for humanity by eliminating hunger." More slides followed as Ludwig spoke, images of crops changing followed by sketches of imagined endproducts of the effort, each fantastical yet surprisingly grounded in their aim. "While his research showed promise, he stopped pursuing this ambition in 1893, on the 7th of August; his recovered diary revealed that he had a "prophetic dream" regarding the future."
The projector clicked again, and the hall erupted in murmuring, hundreds of people looking at the sketches behind Ludwig in surprise. He couldn't fault them, as they were shockingly similar to how the Lupi looked, if more bestial and more...unrefined, he guessed was the right word. Alongside them were more sketches showing plans or ideas regarding more hybridizations; these focused on multi-limbed humans, with other, more muscular or shaped individuals besides the depicted Wolfsmensch.
"At this point," Ludwig continued into the still ongoing murmur,
several people having already pressed the buttons to be allowed to speak. He ignored them as he had been instructed to do; they would either have their questions answered within his presentation or be able to ask any follow-up questions afterward. "The mental health of this Dr.Schugel begins to deteriorate if his diary can be believed, as he began to turn the society he had entered to help humanity into nothing more than a bank and shield for his sudden obsession, acquiring animal corpses and living specimens by the dozens, then hundreds, finding assistants and people that were brought into the fold of the subverted society, and who themselves committed nauseating experiments in their newly acquired goal of grafting not merely plants, but animals together. Unsurprisingly, these efforts were abysmal failures, with any attempt at performing any successful xenografting procedure ending at either the total rejection of the attached limbs or the eventual death of the tortured animals as their new non-functional "limbs" began to turn necrotic."
Pictures followed as Ludwig talked, turning the hall into a lightning storm in miniature, image after image depicting the madman's torture victims in detail, living, dead, vivisected, dissected, reassembled, attached to electrodes, every possible way one could commit sins against innocent beings in the name of progress. And those were the sane ones; Ludwig had seen all the evidence found and hadn't eaten any meat since then. If there had been any party in Germany that wanted to outlaw all meat consumption, they would have had his vote had they had an election that month.
"Yet, their efforts weren't for naught, as they managed to rapidly progress biology, discovering basic blood types in 1898, fully mapping them in 1901, alongside fully mapping their human counterparts in 1902, before they would make another discovery a year after they ceased their fully animal-only experiments." This time, the hall stood silent momentarily as the following picture showed a colored sketching of a helix every person knew, annotations scribbled densely on the edges of the image, some highlighted and put underneath. 'Building blocks of life?' Was Miescher beyond even us?' 'STUDY IMMEDIATELY!!!' 'Create better detection methods as soon as possible!' 'How were we so blind?!' Some groups were now talking among themselves, a few even loudly asking questions into the hall. Ludwig ignored them, preparing to drop the bomb that would turn the hall into pure chaos. "The discovery of the connection of DNA as a building block and blueprint of all life changed their entire method, away from life trials with surgery, to attempts at manipulating, changing, and altering DNA itself at a base level, alongside studying and mapping it fully." Ludwig took a breath, a momentary pause in time, several seconds stretching into eternity for the world. Then he opened his mouth and shattered the illusion.
"They would broadly succeed in that goal in 1936-" There was no silence anymore. Everyone was shouting now, from politicians to scientists, with journalists and reporters talking over themselves to be the first to deliver that news to humanity. At the same time, Ludwig stood, unmoving and unfaced by the sharp verbal assault suddenly directed at him.
It took President Karl Carstens and Chancellor Helmut Schmidt several minutes to calm the gathered people down, promising that all questions would be answered in time if only people would listen first and ask later once they had been given the information necessary to understand everything in the broadest sense. Then, finally, when adequate silence returned, both men looked at Ludwig and nodded, giving the metaphorical reigns back to him.
"As I said, They would broadly," he deliberately emphasized the word broadly, "succeed in that goal in 1936. With the help of a machine and process created by the French biologist Philippe Baillieu, they managed to alter the coat of a mouse from white to a riot of neon colors," the click echoed in the hall, showing the mouse, now immortalized before the press of an entire planet, nibbling on a strawberry, "after it had been born. Then, using the 'Baillieu Scissors,' this success of gene editing was used to perform the next step: acquire funding...and subjects." He paused for a second, taking another shaky breath. This part had sickened him. All that, just because... "They approached the Nazis with their technology, securing an audience with Hitler. What we know of their conversation is that they promised him a German population free of disease, of ailments derived from age, and the creation of the Übermenschen he so desired, all according to his designs. He accepted."
The slide clicked again, showing several men in coats alongside Nazi officers and Hitler himself shaking hands with Schugel. Notes annotate the others, though they were dead, in the USA, USSR, or rotting in prison for all eternity. Underneath the picture, another notation showed '1936 - Baubeginn von Installation Kruskos.'
"The projected resources poured into this project cumulate to an estimated 18% of Germany's then yearly GDP of industrial products in the first three years, dropping to less than 4% in 1945. What we know of their research efforts at that time focuses on human experimentation on unwilling participants, mainly political dissenters. However, Jews, Romani, Homosexuals, and other people who would otherwise be sent to concentration and extermination camps were also included. The images from the experiments and plain torture they subjected these people to were not deemed safe for release, as they are nightmare-inducing, caused two suicides from those assigned to identify those depicted in them so their families may be given a chance at peace, tenuous as it now may be, and are vile in the extreme. Those who still wish to review them can request a full copy of all pictures recovered from my colleagues at the end of the conference; you cannot miss them; they will receive your requests at a marked stand."
Ludwig paused here, taking a quick few sips of water before continuing. "Some of you may have realized that the creation of Übermenschen does not require them to be covered in fur or mixed with clearly canine DNA. The reason for that is simple: Schugel and his now-called 'Sonderkommando Untermensch,' named so to confuse enemy spies in the event of detection, were nothing more than a way to acquire the means by which they could achieve their actual goal: the creation of a new human species. What little they managed to accomplish in the time before the fall of the Nazi Regime was nothing more than corpses and seven unviable hybrids sent as a demonstration forced by Hitler in 1943 onto the island of Utisra off the coast of Norway, which had been liberated by a resistance movement. Unfortunately, there are no documents regarding the outcome, the fate of the seven hybrids, or the resistance members. Even the Norway government has no records of the event, with investigations on Utisra still underway."
"When the Nazi Regime fell, Installation Kruskos remained a secret due to the group's effort, burning and deliberately bombing what archives they knew held actionable data of their existence, with further disinformation seeded to obfuscate their location. An effort that succeeded, as nobody knew they existed until 1977." A rumble of shouted questions rang through the hall at that admission, questions studiously ignored by the panel of people facing what could realistically be called the judgment of humanity. "During the time from the end of the Nazi Regime and until the storming of the Installation, the scientists working within managed to, over the decades, perfect their methods, leading to them decanting the second generation of Homo Lupus before they were permanently shut down a few years later. This generation, the second, took them several years to create, as the first one is utterly sterile," Luwdig spoke over the growing din, unfazed and somewhat drained by the memories of learning all this in the first place, now out in the open for all to see. "An escaping defector managed to alert the authorities to the existence of this group, alongside details of their detainment methods, leading to the hesitation to stop them when they were uncovered, as any attempt to storm the facility could have resulted in a second, but this time utterly permanent genocide perpetuated by the German people, unwilling as it may be, due to the scientists choosing to destroy the Wolfsmenschen capable of reproduction, as they had planned to do to the first to harvest genetic and biological data for a third generation. And that is the truth as we know it," he finished, sitting down again.
"You may now ask questions," the Chancellor spoke, and the hall erupted into utter chaos.
It took nearly half an hour after the presentation to begin having any semblance of order; people screaming over themselves, arguing, threatening, and generally doing everything but reacting and acting in a manner befitting the history they were writing. Still, Onishi mused that perhaps that was precisely the reaction they should have and the one she should have. Instead, she just...stopped. It was too much to take in, too many things to suddenly rearrange inside her head, too many sharp turns in history, and too many whiplashes for her to accommodate...but she managed to unfreeze herself from her internal crisis when order returned, and questions began being fielded.
Naturally, Onishi had already indicated that she had questions, but she had no doubt that she would need to wait until hers were answered; political considerations alone enforced that, but the wait ensured that she could right herself and project the image she needed to project. It also struck several dozen questions for this panel from her list, the big ones answered in the presentation, alongside smaller ones she had been given or asked herself over the years, such as the projected lifespan of the Lupi (unknown, but thought to be similar to sapiens), their diets (human-like, but with a higher amount to accommodate their bigger bodies), psychology (as human-like as they could determine. Onishi wondered if they were complimenting themselves with that question, or the Lupi), and some more, until she was allowed to speak.
"I only have two questions left that haven't been asked and answered by others before me," she began, knowing that her words would echo down history, even if only in dissertations of students studying this period. "Those are: How many Lupi are there? And will you guarantee them the same rights as all your citizens?"
To her surprise, Chancellor Helmut Schmidt answered and not the President. "There are 984 Wolfsmenschen that we know of in Germany as of the latest counting. 78 are sterile First Generation, and 906 are of the Second Generation. Furthermore, the Second Generation has 468 females and 438 males. As to your second question," he spoke, folding his hands as he looked into her eyes before looking into the room. "Article 1, Paragraph 1 of our Constitution: Human Dignity Shall Be Inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority. They are people, crafted or not, and they shall be safeguarded by the full force of our country's laws and its armed forces." A murmured hush fell over everyone as the implied threat and open declaration once more spoken ran through everyone before yet more questions were fielded and answered for the rest of the day, and the day after, until all had had their turn, with even select media fielding questions. But all that didn't matter when the fifth day since Onishi had arrived rolled around.
This time, the Lupi would answer questions directly.
Their appearance was...Onishi didn't know how to describe it; words seemed to fail the sight before her. They were...different than she had thought, yet so heart-wrenchingly familiar in a way that she couldn't begin to grasp, their motion and behavior so human-like yet subtly off in a way that neither seemed threatening nor indicative of abuse as she had thought it would be. And, under an utterly silent mass of spectators, the female one walked up and began to speak.
"Hello," she said in the voice of a young woman no older than twenty, "this is Markus," she continued, gesturing to her male counterpart, "and I am Tanya. A pleasure to meet you. We are here to answer your questions."
-[X] [Questions - Wolfsmenschen]
--[X] What was their life growing up?
--[X] What do they think about the world they've entered into? What about the world have they been exposed to?
--[X] What do they (or at least the representatives present) want from this? What justice, what reparations? How can we help you right now?
-[X] [Are Homo Lupus Human?]
--[X] That is the wrong question. The better question is: why does it matter?
(Why should they be human? What right does this assembly have to decide what is and is not worthy of dignity and respect, like some Victorian aristocrat-scholar measuring skulls? Because that's what this definition is really about: drawing lines in the sand and saying that you're not a person if you don't fit our expectations.
What if we create sapient computer programs? Or little green men from space come by to say hi? Or if humpback whales turn out to be sapient? Are we gonna have a little skull measuring party every time a new form of sapient life comes around?)
-[X] [Ban/Condemn Sapient Gene Creation]
--[X] No, genetic engineering is a tool that can be used for tremendous good - this attempt to ban the technology is nothing but another attempt to enclose and restrict the means of production to maintain the status quo as it serves those already in power.
The first thing I can remember is feeling the cold floor underneath me as I sat, carefully picking up a grey block from beside me. It had nothing special about it, nothing that would mark it as anything grand or exciting, yet I, somehow, knew that it simply was. And I needed to put it into the correct place. So I picked it up, looked to the front of me, and placed the cube on top of the right hole, seeing it fall in without anything happening beyond the sound of metal falling onto metal.
I can still feel the tension in my muscles when I wake up from dreaming about that day again some nights when nothing happened as I dropped the cube...and reached for the cylinder next. Like the cube, it was grey, yet it had a spiral of white running over it, twisting and going around and around, never stopping. I felt the urge to look at it, to rotate the cylinder, but suppressed it due to...some vague feeling. Something would happen if I didn't. And so, I looked at the box, stretched out my hand, and...dropped the cylinder into the correct hole. Metal struck metal when it stopped falling.
The pyramid was next. To my delight, it was blue, not grey, and I can still vividly remember the colors, the slight imperfections of darker and lighter blue all across it, the places where the paint didn't take as much hold, or something happened. I still wonder if it was intentional or accidental because all other objects were grey. But at that moment, the coloration didn't matter. What mattered was that I knew that it needed to go into the correct hole and that good things would happen if I did so. My arm stretched out as I felt my ears twitch in giddy anticipation of what could come next. I let go of the pyramid. It fell. Metal struck metal.
Above the door before me, a buzz sounded as its lamp turned green, and the door opened, letting one of the coat men into the room. The smell of meat filled my nose, and I stared wide-eyed at the towering man, noticing his smile and relaxed posture. I had done good. Otherwise, he wouldn't smile. 'But why does he have a piece of meat in his hand?' I thought at that time, standing up when I was given the indication to do so. Then I paused as he showed me the piece of fried bacon, still warm, in his hand. I felt my mouth water at the smell and the taste I had rarely tasted, and my hand reached out before I could stop it.
Metal.
Struck.
Flesh.
I still have the scar from that time. It is only noticeable if you know what you are looking for; people only notice if I show them the place. I do not know what to make of their faces when they react after I tell them how I got it; after all, I deserved it. I acted without permission.
"Our upbringing was one of rules, observation, and training," Tanya said, bringing me out of my thoughts after I had answered my question, wondering who had asked her or what they had asked her. Our childhood? "We were tasked with taking care of ourselves, cleaning, solving tests, learning, running, climbing, donating samples, and performing to the expectations of the scientists," she continues in her even voice, uncowed and unbent before the intimidating mass of people here. This is why I admired her. No matter what happened, what the situation or demand of us was, she remained collected, calm, and attentive. She never lost her thoughts, nor did she waver. "The older we got, the more demands were levied upon us. Longer runs, faster times, more weight, better reaction speeds. We were tasked with taking over more functions in the installation and given more freedoms to develop self-reliance," she said, looking at a woman that seemed to be halfway between anger and sorrow. People had that weird emotion when we told them how we were treated. I never got why. "And when it became apparent that we were sterile after tests and examinations, we were tasked with caring for the next crafted generation as one. We were given the tools and food needed to live and work, alongside clothing and medicine when we were sick. There was nothing to complain about," she finished and nodded at me.
I wondered why she didn't mention that she was the one who did the most work, the one who cared for us all and gave over medicine or food she had "saved for later" to those hungry or sick. She never talked about it, but wouldn't doing so now be good for her? These people liked shows of generosity. Then again, she may not have been asked to explain her childhood, but all of ours. She wouldn't talk about that then; she has always been a stickler for rules. "Thank you, Tanya," the woman who still looked torn between two emotions said, taking a breath before looking at me. "This question is also from the people of Guangchou," she began, causing a memory to surface. Guangchou...Guangchou...that was that backward deviant kingdom, right? "We would like to know what you think about the world you've entered? What about the world have you been exposed to? What have you liked, what not?"
I hummed at that. That...wasn't really a thing I had ever thought about. When we were...freed, I had felt fear, being out underneath the 'sky,' this impossibly large not-ceiling that stretched into eternity, feeling the rain upon my fur and body, the mud on my feet, the new smells and the fear I felt when that soldier held me at gunpoint. I had been afraid then and had been fearful for the children after that when all these people showed up to poke at them, to look at them, the hundreds of people trying to catch a glimpse of us beyond the fences the soldiers had put up for our safety as the hundreds became thousands and we were moved. Maybe I should start there? "I was afraid," I began, trying to ignore the murmuring in the room and the click and whirr of cameras from the back. "It was...new, everything was. We had been told about the world, had been shown pictures, but the sheer size was...frightening. Back underground, we had been able to walk from one end to the other within an hour, but up here? I am told that there are cities that you can walk through and not reach the end after a day and walk for weeks more before leaving the country you started in altogether or that it can take months to pass through a continent. How large everything was...it was scary. Not only the length but height. It took days for some children to walk out of tents or buildings, afraid of falling into the sky," someone laughed. I ignored them, pressing on. "We have also been taught some history, but with every passing day, we are told or learn about another thing that further shows that we know nothing in truth. For example, I did know that humanity started with stones as their tools, yet I had never known the numerous tribes that existed or the hundreds of places where monuments to the gods were created with little more than them. We were told about the pyramids, but not about the temples to Ra, the Parthenon, the shrines of Japan, and the African peoples' dances and festivals. Everything we learn only shows how little we know and what we have missed, and it is intimidating yet somehow fascinating in the same breath."
I paused, trying to order my thoughts. Then, taking a breath, I pushed on. "We have also learned about your wars," I said, a whisper falling over the hall like a silent blanket, eyes staring at me with intensity and curiousness. "In the facility, we had been told about the time it was built, but it seemed...not real. There were less than two hundred people there, us not included, and a conflict that would see millions dead? None of us believed it. Even when we were shown images and videos of the various wars you had and have, it still seemed fake to most of us, like a lie told in the dead of night between two people unable to sleep yet, and eager to make up stories for their amusement. But to some," I said, looking away, "it was the most horrifying thing they had ever seen. If you were willing to do those things to each other...what were you willing to do to us?" I took another breath and looked back at the silent hall. "You asked what we think about this world? It is big. It is scary. We do not know what we don't know, and what we know only tells us how little we do. Many things about how you do things do not make sense to us in the first generation, while things we took for granted have baffled you. We have been exposed to many things that were only barely understood before we came to the surface, like religion. Many of us have taken comfort in it," a murmur swept through the ranks of humans at that, some more friendly than others. The woman that had asked me looked slightly angry. "The idea of Creators that have shaped everything is not alien to us, and it is comforting that you have the want for such stability. We know who created us; I cannot imagine what it is like to not do so. Or to be faced with the uncertainty of your purpose. Does this answer your question?"
The woman shuffled her papers, taking several seconds to organize her things, before she looked at me again. "Yes, it does. But if you would humor me, we have one more question." Looking at Tanya and the Chancellor, I see the latter nod and the former nod minutely, making me look back. "What do you want from this?" She began, sweeping an arm out to the Conference. "What justice, what reparations? Tell us, how can we help you right now?"
I...blinked at that. I had never thought about this, nor did I ever question that we could have that option. What did we want out of this? Yet, before I could open my mouth, Tanya answered for me. "Purpose," she said into the hall, shifting the attention of everyone present to her. "We were made to prove a point, to show something, and we cannot ignore that part of our existence. We know for what we have been created, and our creation is the point, nothing more. The idea of nothing coming after we have proven to be viable is taboo among my siblings, and so is the idea that there is no purpose to be had for us. You ask how you can help us right now?" She asked, looking at the woman with a look I had never seen on her, "then give us time to find a purpose and become useful. Give us the tools we need to build ourselves a future so that we can become people in our own right and not dependents living off of the goodwill of others. We adults do not know what our lives will be, beyond caregivers to the next generation, but we know that they will be able to create a better future as long as we can give them the means to do so. Some are entranced by the soldiers that protect us, imitating them," she spoke, confidently and unbowed, the center of attention, "while others eagerly learn all they are given. One wishes to learn how to become a doctor so that she can heal any sick or injured, while another wishes to become a librarian after learning what they were, spending his time surrounded by books and stories. You want to know how you can help us? Give us the time needed to adjust. You want to know what we ask? A chance to live freely, without fear. That is all," she said, ending with murmured silence in the air and a complicated expression on the face of the woman.
Then, the questions continued, some more difficult, others easier, though the questions about love or sexuality were awkward to answer before so many people. The silence hangs thick enough that, if you just reached out your arm, one could effortlessly grab fistfuls out of the air. And yet, as heavy as it was, it was also fragile and brittle, like glass taking on a bullet, shattered by a single point, like a woman standing defiant, speaking once more to the world, ignoring the leering gazes of politicians and diplomats eager to exploit the words she had just said.
"You hear me," Onishi Uma said, her face set in stone and path set. "The people of Guangchou do not believe the Homo Lupus to be Human," she spoke again, emphasizing the last part of the scientific name. "It is evident to one and all that they are not Sapiens. And before my colleagues and friends in diplomacy and news try to spin this as us denying them their rights and freedoms; we do not." The American delegation didn't seem all that much heartbroken over her words, some eagerly writing things out as she spoke. Vultures. "Rather, our vote in the negative is a protest against the presumption of this assembly to give itself the right to decide what is and is not worthy of dignity and respect, like some Victorian aristocrat-scholar measuring skulls? Because that's what this definition is really about: drawing lines in the sand and saying that you're not a person if you don't fit our expectations. You'll be treated as nothing if you don't meet the silent criteria to be counted as one of us. History is full of times when one group declared another to be "Nonhuman" and committed atrocity after atrocity upon them, from genocide to slavery, again and again. It should not matter if they are human," Onishi spoke with anger in her voice and fury in her eyes. "They are sapient beings and deserve all the respect and rights we have thus far reserved only for ourselves. And what should happen if we create sapient computer programs? Or little green men from space come by? Or humpback whales turn out to be sapient? Are we gonna have a little skull-measuring party every time a new form of sapient life comes around?" Some laughter came from the hall, but she ignored it all. "To be human is not a pre-requisite to be treated with respect, and I am ashamed that this question is one that has ever needed to be answered seriously, and not by students of philosophy arguing for the sake of arguing. They are Sapient, and that is all that is needed for Guangchou to hold open its ports and arms for them should you ever decide to tighten your decision of what a human is, once more eager to cast out those that don't fit neat little boxes or cannot be exploited anymore." The hall was now a mess of voices, people talking over each other to talk with one another, though Onishi bulled onward. "And in the same vein, Guangchou will not be a signatory nation for any attempt to ban genetic research. This attempt to deny the technology to the world is nothing but another attempt to enclose and restrict the means of production to maintain the status quo as it serves those already in power!"
After that, the hall descended into open arguing, nothing worth being decided or produced for the entire day.
The next day was the same. What had been hoped would be a show of unity by humanity had instead become another front to be fought on, yet more disunity and conflict growing from seeds sown onto fertile soil.
Only 71 Countries would unite to ban and condemn any research and attempts to create new sapient species.
AN: I am moving the coming weeks, so things will get hectic for me. But have the last part of this event!
