((Sorry about the Info dump. I tried to make it interesting. And sorry about the delay!))
Research Earth. We don't want to walk in and be totally lost.
-
Sleep and when we wake up ask our daughters about earth.
We should also have Annie meet the unit. Inform her that without their loyalty and sacrifice we wouldn't be alive.
Also chat with General Xander. See if he's...holding back aggression from our first engagement. He may never let truly forgive us but he deserves to know we want move forward from that deadly day.
You retire to bed, mind busy. You have a dreamless sleep and wake up rather refreshed. The first thing you set your mind to is researching Earth, just to find out what people mean when they say Earth 'has changed'. After you have completed your morning routine, you jump on the nearest computer and start researching away.
Annie and Katerinka enter from their respective rooms and sit down with you and various breakfast foods.
"
What are you doing, mum?" Annie asks, obviously curious.
"Researching Earth. I want to know what people mean by 'it will be different'."
Annie and Katerinka share a look, one of sympathy.
"Mum, when you were taken it was 2014. Almost two decades have passed since then. The year is currently 2033. A lot can change in two decades....." Kat says, looking worried.
"How different can it be?" You ask, getting a sinking feeling in your stomach.
"
You'll see....." Annie says, looking away slightly.
You look puzzled for a moment before resuming your research. You decide to have a look at the Eartha s it is as the moment, as a timeline diagram may leave out a lot of details. You eventually find a Vanguard report on Earth dated 2033. You open it. Inside the file, there are many diagrams and reports on the various countries and recent histories of the planet.
You start in Latin America. What you see tend to be good. Dictatorial rulers were removed in the late 2010's and environmental conservation and aid to the various ecosystems and species of the area had fantastic success. The societies seem to have eradicated most of their corruption and stabalised their societies.
Their societies seem to be open and accepting, and they are thriving with a healthy, young population and plenty of resources. The report you are reading mentions they use for most of their power Lockheed Martin designed 2nd generation Fusion reactors and they use the latest technology for their other needs.
'
Well, that's not bad. What were people on about? Lets have a look at the rest of the planet.'
The Oceanic territories seem to also be thriving. Australia, after the disastrous Abbot government, quickly recovered and set about rectifying problems Abbot caused. Other than that, not much has changed in the area since 2014, apart from the technology used. Then you notice something, something that is vastly different to the world in 2014.
China controls Malaysia, Indonesia and other nations in the area, with the exception of Brunei. From the records, you can see that China has not been particularly kind to the people there. There are several insurgencies, at least a dozen, operating in the area, which the Chinese are brutally putting down
On the other hand, though, it seems that China finished off North Korea, and helped unite the two, followed up by aid to help develop North Korea as a gesture of good will towards the Koreans. Both nations are weary of Japan, however, who have, since 2014, undergone a significant change to their mentality. The Japanese nation is a resurgent power, and with the past between the nations of the area, there is a significant ongoing arms and economic race.
South East Asia has stabilized, although they are prepared, threatened by China as they are after the Chinese conquest of several Oceanic countries. South East Asia seems to be doing very well economically, which has helped the conservation efforts in the are immensely as well as helped improve their global standing. They provide conservation and humanitarian efforts to former Indonesia, Borneo and Malaysia.
You you grab another file, this one on South Asia. And you gasp as what has happened since 2014. Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in the 2020's ended up in a large, devastating war. India won, and united the three countries once again, but the death toll was immense. During the late 2020's and early 2030's, information surfaced that suggests wholesale killing of the Muslim populace in those countries, however the reports remain unconfirmed.
You spend many minutes looking through the videos and images from the war. They remind you of WW2.
Since the wars end in 2028, India has grown economically powerful again, the war helping to revitalize its economy. It is now a key player in the Commonwealth and the globe, although many do wonder about what actually happened in the war.
As you look at the rest of the files, things only get worse, with the exception of Canada, which hasn't changed much since 2014.
The US, on the other hand, has changed. For the last 20 years the US has had to deal with extensive unrest due to various domestic policies and the lobbying of the government by self interested corporations that has made the lot of the majority worse, or not allowed improvement. Things have not improved and there are still large weekly riots. With ever more draconian laws. The Vanguard have reports of some citizens even going so far as to try and declare Citizens Militias who would try and fight to government. But nothing has come of that talk....yet. The US's ever insular look has reduced its stature on the world stage, although it maintains one of the worlds largest militaries.
You shake your head. Things have gotten worse. You carry on regardless.
Africa has managed to develop more. Its nations are more cohesive, economies are improving, leaders are changing and conservation is having a drastic effect on the continent. However, there are still plenty of dictators, civil wars, wars and other terrible things ongoing with no sign of stopping any time soon.
The report on the middle east shows that the entire area fell into a massive sectarian and nationalistic war in 2015 which is still ongoing. Massive parts of the area have been depopulated due to the fighting. None of the many sides want to let up. There is no foreseeable end to this war. The Vanguard report nicknames the war the Muslim 30 Years War.
Russia has rebuilt itself into a powerful nation. In the 2020's it seized the Central Asian -stan countries, as well as Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. It also annexed Ukraine after the Crimean crisis of 2014-2016 and Belarus two years later. It now looks towards Europe to rebuild its former circle of influence, which should be easy due to the US pullback and the US's domestic problems.
The biggest changes have been in Europe, however. During the mid 2010's, there was already a rise in the centre-right and, more disturbingly, the far right. In 2014 and 2015, the rise of Centre-right parties and the more extreme far right parties in Europe led to uncertainty. With their continued rise, and the seizure of power by many in southern continental Europe and the subsequent exit of most of the EU's members, the EU collapsed. Countries kept the laws they wanted and dropped the ones they didn't.
However things didn't stop there. Several parties played on old grudges and differences between the different peoples of Europe. Some Vanguard observers noted that, ironically, the EU caused the perfect breeding ground for the type of ideologies and political parties Europe as a whole said 'Never Again' to in 1945.
Now, the continent is split. Eastern Europe now looks towards the rebuilt Russian Bear. Southern Europe looks inwards, but also looks north with annoyance. Many blame Germany and France for their economic collapse and what they see as their subsequent humiliation by corrupt Eurocrats. Northern Europe (Germany, france, Britain, Holland, Scandinavia etc) do not look inwards, and their economies are booming.
Britain rebuilt itself into another resurgent superpower, and re-solidified ties with the Commonwealth and built the old alliance of nations in the worlds largest and most successful trading block. However Britain has changed. It is no longer the friendly-to-all nation it was. Now it is a firm but fair neighbor, an iron fist in a velvet glove, reminiscent of its old Imperial days.
It was needed, as now Norther, Southern and Eastern Europe/Russia are in a three way cold war, with the potential to explode any time.
You turn away from the digital reports on the computer screen and look at your daughters.
"What the hell happened? How did the world get so messed up! Most of the world is a powder keg waiting to blow." You ask, shocked at how different the Earth is.
"You want to know the worst part? The reality on the ground is even worse than those reports make out." Katerinka says, a frown on her face.
You shake your head, astonished your old home world has gone to shit in such a short time.
Deciding to move on from looking at reports, you have an idea. Why not introduce Annie, Kat and your new section to your old Brood. You check your watch, and find that your old friends will be having lunch right about now. Smiling, you grab your daughters and start for the Broods mess hall.
After a short walk in which you ping your team as well, you all arrive to a scene of happy feasting. Your old friends notice you and come over, smiling. Ari hugs you, as do the other brood leaders. Kaleetra pats you on the shoulder and smiles, greeting you. You set about introducing your daughters, your team and your fellow brood sisters to each other, which takes far longer than you thought it would.
You can tell there is a little bit of distrust between the Vanguard troops and Kaleetra, but the Slinkar soon diffuses the situation by challenging them all to a drinking contest. You all have a good time eating and drinking, essentially partying, although no one really knew why.
Your mind then drifts to Xander Berginstaff. He seems cold towards you still, so you get in contact with him through your communication implant.
"Yes?" he asks as he answers.
"Hello General, this is Katia Heartwood. If possible, would you give me some of your time? There are things we need to talk about." You say, trying to be as friendly as possible whilst also staying formal.
"What is it you want to talk about, Heartwood?"
"Well, sir, I would like to ask if you harbour any ill feelings towards me about our first engagement? I feel we need to get any differences between us sorted out before we go into combat together." You say, hopeful.
"Katia, whatever gave you the idea I would hold a grudge? You inflicted heavy casualties on my troops, however that was to be expected due to your position. I could also have performed better as a leader in that battle. I hold no ill will towards you."
You sigh, and smile even though he cant see you. "Thank you General. That is at least one worry off of my chest."
Xander chuckles. "Do not worry, Katia." After a pause. "Is that all? I fear I am running out of time to complete this paperwork the High Marshall sent me."
Now you laugh. "Yes sir. Have a nice day."
"You too, Katia" And with that, he severs the communication channel connection.
***~~~***
Go shopping?
We're going to need clothing to cover up our glow lines..
You think about going shopping to cover up your golden tattoos, but then you realise that the Vanguard ships dont have clothes shops.
Pondering your predicament, you have a different idea.
You think you may be able to hide your tattoos. You concentrate on them and will them to disappear temporarily. Nothing happens, however you do feel a tingle. You try again, and get better results. They fade until you would have to really look for them to see them.
However, you dont want them to be visible at all, for now. But however much you try, you cant get any better results. But the current visiblity will do, you suppose.
*
((I have not lost interest! I just dont have much good suggestions at the moment, although i guess...))
> Do we remember even approximately what area our powers might be in? Like, it's likely to be some subtype of psionics? Anyway, we should go to some elite vanguard scientists - not just medical personnel that happen to be on the same ship - and get THOROUGHLY scanned and examined, for clues and maybe ever for vanguard reverse engineering or amplification.
As your friends party, you start to think about just what you powers may be. You know you have psychic powers, that much is evident, but what else?
You try to remember is anything you have done does not fit in with the 'standard' psychic package, however you cannot remember any time you used anything other than the already well understood psionic package.
You decide that you need specialist help.
Saying your goodbyes to your friends and making excuses for leaving early, you make your way towards the science wing of the craft. You find the psionics wing quickly enough thanks to the detailed sign system the Vanguard have. Unfortunately, the receptionist tell you that all specialists that could help you are currently involved in various experiments and meetings, so you will have to come back later.
*
We could probably do with some more research on what the vanguard are looking for in this system. Maybe ask some of the psychics to help us figure out our involvement with it, see if we know precisely where it is? It doesn't seem like something that we are interested in right now though, we have lost and murdered and mimicked family issues to deal with which are probably more relevant to us at the moment. Though we missed the chance to break down over that so I guess we will just move on and try to decipher our history, and starting with whatever super-weapon or whatever we are apparently the key to would not be the least appropriate way to go about doing that...
Having another idea, you try to find someone who can tell you more about what the Vanguard were looking for on that planet.
Asking around, you find that there is a small lab in the science wing in which the specialists on the mysterious technology now known to be from the Tarlaithans reside. You make your way there and as luck would have it, the three specialists inside have just gone on their break.
"Hi! You say, giving them a wave.
"Hello yourself" Is the response from a tall, but unusually thin individual. "What can we do for you?"
"I was wondering if any of you could tell me about what it is you were looking for and/or what I am apparently the key for?"
"You're Katia Heartwood? The Alien?" Asked another one of the scientists.
"Yes." You reply, annoyed slightly at being called an alien despite the label being true.
The three nod. The first one who spoke speaks again.
"Well, we are not entirely sure what it is. We know it is some sort of weapon, however what it does, what it looks like or where it is are things we do not know. As for you being the key, we will have to wait until we return to the system, but I would think that, should you set foot on that planet again in your current state, you could possibly lead up to it and activate the weapon, or at least power it up so we can have a look at it.
However, that is of secondary importance.
You are more important. You could help us gain another ally in this war and their technology is even superior to ours, so there is no doubt they would be powerful allies. That is why we are returning to the Vanguard home system now, so we can try and make contact with the Tarlaithans, or at least petition the government to send a scout party to try and find them."
"Why am I so important to contact with the Tarlaithans?"
"You
are a Tarlaithan. That will help them trust us, and you can vouch for our position. If we can find them, that is."
"So i am supposed to play a diplomat? I'm not sure I can do that, at least not very well."
"Dont worry" the scientist says, chuckling. "You wont be doing it alone."
You nod and thank the scientists for their time. They tell you to come back if you have any further questions, before moving off to have their break.
*
Right let focus on english lessons and disguises, our Brood and a few of the vangourd should go down incognito to check out the theses "changes".
You think about preparing for a visit to Earth. You can already speak English as well as you could before you were taken, but disguises will be a problem. Style changes often, and you have no idea about what the style on Earth is. You make a mental note to check the Vanguard logs about that too.
You deem this a problem of secondary importance at the moment, as a visit to Earth is a bit of a ways off at the moment. You will need to go there soon, but the Vanguard seem to have other plans for you.
***~~~***
What do you do now?
Status:1. Demeanor/Status: Calm.
2. Mental Condition: Mentally fit and stable.
3. Physical Condition: Extensive Scarring.
4. Clear thoughts and currently inactive mental factions.
Inventory:1. Mark 21 Phantom Powered Exoskeleton Suit (Wearing) (Casual Mode)
2. Mark 21 Phantom Powered Exoskeleton Helmet (Wearing) (Casual Mode)
Available Equipment:1. Mark 21 Phantom Powered Exoskeleton Suit (Wearing)
2. Mark 21 Phantom Powered Exoskeleton Helmet (Wearing)
3. Mk3 Plasma Beam Pistol (sidearm)
4. Mk 29 Mass Driver Sniper Rifle
5. Mk 32 Pulsed Hyper-Plasma Assault Rifle
6. Combat Engineering Equipment and explosives.
7. Various Vanguard casual clothes.
Implants and Augmentations:1. Vanguard Multi-range optics (Thermal, magnetic, IR, UV, multi-stage magnification etc) implant on eyes.
2. Vanguard Command and Control (C&C) nano-module implanted in head.
3. Vanguard Communications array nano-module implanted in head.
4. Phantom-Spec 28th generation Bio-nanomachines and bio-picomachines in blood stream, bones, muscles, tendons and organs.
6. Vanguard Nano-memory modules in the Cerebrum, holding all relevant non-personal data and nano-supercomputers throughout the brain aiding mental capabilities.
Brood Composition:1. Forward Command and communications: 10 Vat-born.
2. Field Combat Medic: 37 Vat Born
3. Long Range Specialists (Snipers): 48 Vat-Born
4. Heavy assault: 148 Vat-Born
5. Light Assault: 127 Vat-Born
6. Infiltrators: 27
7. Heavy Support: 77
8. Combat Engineers: 69
9. Scouts: 80
Allied Characters:1. Ala-Shar
2. Ankara
3. Ari
4. Elianna
5. Kaleetra
6. Talli
7. Dornishi, Morey regular Commander
8. Tirl-kha, Morey Commando Commander
9. Quish-ka, Morey Regular Commander
10. Annastasia
11. Levinia
12. High Marshall Veldin
13. Major General Hopfield
14. Kilroy
15. Emma
16. Willhelm
17: Matriach Belessa
18: Morey Grand General Ferray
19: Former-Presidentess Karista
20. Brigadier Xander Berginstaff
Enemy Characters:1. Kirish, the Presidentess's assitant. (Deceased)
2. The Senatorium (Deceased)
3. New Guard Generals (Deceased)
Currently Neutral Relations:1. Cecilia, the Medic.
Author
Topic: (SG) Starfire: War and Politics - Enemies Old and New - UPDATE 03/07/2014 (Read 87166 times)