---snip---
Triple post

"Danke." ( Thanks) Was the last thing Elias said to the officer before he ushered his men through the gate when he was out of sight he let out a sigh of relief and proceeded to move on towards the propaganda building it was at this point he realized there was another check point and he sighed aloud and said a curse "Fick" (fuck), taking the safety off his stolen railgun he walked towards the guards "Guten Morgen, ich bin Oberleutnant, Jachim Beuer mit der 1. Garde-Regiment, hier das Ministerium Gebäude zu bewachen." ("good morning, I am first lieutenant, Jachim Beuer with the 1st guard regiment, here to guard the ministry building.") Elias told the guards presenting his ID Card to the officer in command.

CARIBBEAN SEA - SONS' SEABASE BRAVO
9:37AM EST

"Jesus H. Fuckin' Christ," Brandley muttered, again, for the third time, as he slid the manila-foldered briefing across the table, out of easy arm's reach. His gaze lingered on it for a few seconds more, and then he washed away the sour thoughts it'd given him with a swig of lukewarm coffee. He set his mug aside, not too far off from the offending stack of documents, leaned back in his chair, and raised an expectant, open hand, as if to say 'well, what now?'. It was a small gesture, but it conveyed his frustration to his staff more than adequately. To be fair, they were all a little frustrated with the news too. World War 5, right on it's way, across all the headlines as plain as day.

Brandley lowered his indignant hand back to rest, flat against the table, gave the folder across from him a nasty glance, and then turned his gaze to those present. His best and brightest. The first mates of his unwieldy, forty or so years old ship, the Sons of Liberty. "Each passing day," he started, grinning bitterly, "I get a little bit more cynical about my fellow man. A bunch of Imperial Serbs and some goddamn Nazis decide that the best course of action, immediately following World War Four is to invade the rest of the world. Carve it right up."

"In all honesty, sir," one of his staff piped up, a younger man, son of an old admiral. A boy who had grown up in the insurgency, been indoctrinated into its mission. In any other situation, Brandley might call such an upbringing morally questionable, but the circumstances were different here, at least in his opinion. And, regardless of the ethics of it, and the young lieutenant's life story, he had input. " ... This is all talk for now. And maybe it'll only be talk. I'd like to see the Nazis try to secure control of Russia. Fat chance."

Brandley nodded. He figured as much himself, but that didn't make the situation any better, and he said as much. "It's still happening. It's still their intent. This is the global community now. These are the world's leaders. They make twenties America look like an angel, and what can we do about it, tied up like we are in the north? Not a damn thing."

He rose to his feet and walked a circle around his chair to the map that had been posted on the wall behind him. A map that was now woefully out of date. Someone heaved a morose sigh behind him. Another coughed. He pressed his hand against the continent of Eurasia and squinted. His fingers curled, and he yanked the map from the wall and crumpled it up. He turned back to his subordinates. His presidential cabinet, in effect, and he held his balled world map up in a stern grip. "The whole world is turning all fuckin' Orwellian and all we can do is nip at Emperor Washington's heels. You'd think someone with the sense to get himself into office over there would also have the sense to learn from the mistakes of his predecessors. Jesus H. Fucking Christ. Nazis! Nazis and Yugoslavians! Why don't we just go get ISIS going again too? Maybe Stalinist Russia?! They'd be in damn good company."

He had almost started shouting, but just as quick as the rant began, it was over. He let out a bitter little chuckle and returned to his seat. "Alright, now listen. Jameson, get triple-S on the line, I've got to conference call about our ... friends across the pond. Martinez, your orders stand. Jericho moves forward as planned. We need to make headway against the Emperor and his mooks now more than ever. Same goes to the rest of you. No change in plans, but just be aware of the new circumstances we operate under. The world needs an America now more than ever, so ... let's not keep them waiting. Hop to."

In short order the conference room was empty again, save for a crumpled up map.

SOUTH AMERICAN POPULAR UNION - RIO DE JANEIRO - SOVEREIGN SECURITY SOLUTIONS DISTRICT OFFICE AND COMPOUND
1:09PM DST

"Monica, I'm not going to say it again. This is where we thrive. This is our sunshine and our water and our fertilizer. War. Jockeying for power. You know the way I see Eurasia? I see it like the prospectors saw California. It is an opportunity unlike any other. Three superstates, two at one's throat. If they're going to point any fingers, it's going to be at each other," the side-combed fifty-something man said, fingering the triple S pin on his lapel.

"Jonas, I didn't come here to talk realist foreign policy with you," the woman sitting across from him, also a fifty-something, dressed formally, said, "You decided, without the board's approval, to mobilize almost a tenth of the company's assets without even sending the board a memo!"

"And I apologized, didn't I? We're talking in circles. This is an opportunity I had to jump on, and besides, even if we lose all the assets I'm readying up we're still making a profit, aren't we? And," he jabbed upwards with a finger,"we've taken the necessary steps to ensure our tracks are covered. If anyone's helping poor little Cameroon it's the British and the Commonwealth."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure you apologized. Sure, you covered every base, but you do -not- run this company on your own."

"Now you're just arguing out of principle. Because you feel excluded. Or am I wrong? Because I can't think of a single thing I actually did to endanger our profit margins," he said. He looked back over his shoulder and said, "Blinds, dim to seventy five percent."

At his word, the elegant futurist suite that looked out at the Rio skyline dimmed as the window panes polarized. She was glowering at him the entire time.

"Take a moment to not be a dick. Pretend you're talking to a reporter, if that helps."

He gave her a pained sigh and clasped his hands together on his desk. "The Federales insisted we move, Monica. Half the world is poised to be set under siege. Deliberation has no place here. By tomorrow we'll be operating in Cameroon. If all goes well, we'll be sending aid to Mogadishu. At least that was the proposed outline I was given. Are you happy? It's not my fault. My hand was forced. Would you like a letter of apology?"

She gave him a flat smile and shook her head. "No, James, that'll be fine. Just keep us in the loop next time, will you? It'd be a shame if we had to pull the rug out from under you."

And, with that, she stood and walked out.

James Traxus decided now would be a good time for a drink.

NEW REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON - YAOUNDE OUTSKIRTS
2:31AM WAT

The cool, soothing voice of a woman eased Isaac Brown out of the stupor of pre-mission dozing. He didn't quite catch what she said, but he knew she would repeat herself. It was his ASTOR's onboard computer system, IFA, or Infantry Field Assistant, urging full awareness back to his faculties. He wanted to tell the machine he needed five more minutes, but of course that wasn't exactly a luxury that his mobile infantry frame provided. It was custom to sleep prior to long-distance deployments such as these, despite the cramping that being locked up in his suit guaranteed. It was like flying economy class. On a Fourth Reich commercial airliner.

"Ten minutes until drop. Ten minutes until drop. Armor systems initializing. Arming and refueling in five minutes. Pilot: Isaac Brown, Sovereign Security Solutions Deniable Ops Lance Five, please prepare for drop."

He rolled his neck left and right, eliciting a few cracks, gave a few earnest blinks to clear his vision, and curled and uncurled his fingers. He was going to feel this ride when he got back to base, he knew that much.

"Ifa, activate suit optics," he murmured sleepily.

His suit's display screen flickered to life and followed his eye movements. Left, right. Up, down. Everything was in order. He could see the CS160's cargo bay, gray, cold, and gutted of all obstructions to make room for his and his Lance Partner, Mendez's, ASTOR suits. The hunched form of her war machine sat directly in front of his, nearly balled up to fit in the back of the aircraft, just as his was. The flamboyant Aragon red and yellow stripes her ASTOR was so well known for were gone, replaced by a dull gray and a Cameroon flag. Necessary, and temporary, all for their current op, but he couldn't help but chafe mentally every time he looked at it. It reminded him of his now missing jolly roger.

"Pilot: Isaac Brown, be advised. Combat stims are now being administered. This may sting."

It did sting, but, at the risk of sounding like a junky, this was the best part, Isaac thought to himself. First there was the prick of needles in the right arm, and then the rush. Enhanced reaction time. Cold, beautiful euphoria. The frustration and stress of combat were nothing to an ASTOR-37a pilot. There was just the fight. Well, no. It was the physics. The maneuvers. The acrobatics. It was all a slow, sweet ambrosian blur of flawlessly executed wetwork. He could probably make some historical allusion, but he would just come off as unoriginal. Everyone else likened themselves to hashashin. To nordic berserkers. To the old Chinese genemod commandos. In some respects they were similar, but then Isaac Brown couldn't forget he was just fighting for a paycheck, not Odin or Premier Liu Qindu.

His thoughts kept spiraling. Hundreds of years of pondering in the blink of an eye. He wasn't even deployed and he'd gone from considering the romance of being a drug-fueled killing machine to reliving the moments of his mother's death in that car crash back home in Florida. And the self-realization of his spiraling thought process brought him to considering the combat stims themselves. He could recite the chemical cocktail by heart. The means of delivery. Where it was stored in his suit. Where it was produced in Peru. The national animal of Peru.

There he went again. Not enough stimuli, audible or visual, to keep his racing mind focused. That'd change not too long from now.

He inhaled deeply as the warning klaxons, signalling an impending drop, illuminated the cargo bay. He could see the red hue of Angelina Mendez's optics coming on line. He ground his teeth together and then opened the squad line to her.

"You ready?"

He could hear her rapid shallow breaths on the line. "Yeah. Yeah. Never changes, does it?"

"Not once," he muttered.

Their voices were irregular. Trembling tones. Irregular pronunciation. They were caught up in the act of speaking. Too focused on their own voices, on trying to sound normal despite the rush of artificial hormones and endorphins. It leveled out by the time they made landfall. Usually.

"One minute until drop," Ifa stated, matter-of-factually.

Lance Commander Lagi's voice crackled through, "Alright. This is possibly going to be an extended op. Your suits have been outfitted accordingly. I've seen to it you've been supplied extra ammunition and stims. Our mission is to halt Yugoslavia's advance, as per our employer's wishes. Local forces have proven ineffective. Cameroon isn't exactly a military superpower, after all. That's where we come in. We halt their advance before Yaounde. The capital does not fall. We'll cut in and out. Remember your training. Do not present a front for them to fight against. Mobile. Hostile. Hit them where it hurts. Lance Four is on standby in the city center with a strategic artillery ARCO2, Lance Three is being deployed from the north to cut into Yugoslavian reinforcements and logistics. If we're lucky, we'll just encircle and destroy."

A chorus of 'yes sir's' echoed through the squad radio line, and Ifa joined in by announcing that the drop was imminent.

The Godhand's bay doors opened wide and Mendez's ASTOR shot out, propelled by in-bay pneumatic catapults and her sputtering VTOL pack. It was good to slow her descent, and not only that, but also gave her limited flight capabilities on the field.

Isaac closed his eyes and embraced the sickening rush of gravity as he was catapulted out right behind her.

The dark of the African night embraced him, and he was jerked upwards by his own VTOL pack roaring to life. He watched from up on high, adjusting course as needed to keep in line with his lance. The city was dark. The people had fled or gone into hiding. All that remained now was Cameroon's desperate national military, barricading itself inside its jewel city for a last stand. But Cameroon had friends in high places. It was one country, at least, that wouldn't be squashed under the heel of autocracy just yet, if this multinational corporation had anything to say about it.

Antarctic union

The two jets paused above and began to hover in place, observing the ships. The man talked slowly
"Shields? I'm a civilian, I don't even own a damned vi..." He stopped his little rant short, regaining his composure after having been shaken by being faced with a war fleet "America... Of you're going there, prepare to be destroyed. America isn't a place you want to be anymore... Hold on..." He turned to the front of the boat, bringing up the touch screen navigation and pulling up a political map, he tapped a few times on the screen, then placed a small piece of metal against the side of it. He turned, and yelled "Catch!" before tossing it up to the boat. "Hopefully that's compatible with your computer systems... Got the location of the Empire of America, it's in blue... You are at the bottom of Africa, the Commonwealth land is all Red, key's along the side, The moon and mars holdings of the nations are included in the second segment... Usually you'd click the countries to bring up a fact file and recent history for the past century... but... Given systems it might be wise to open their individual files rather than chance compatibility. No need to pay or anything just... I have no idea how long you've been away, but the world is obviously a lot, lot different if you are wanting to go to America..." He paused "Apart from some trade ships, which even then are few, most people don't brave America anymore, its nearly as dangerous as the Fourth Reich..."

Commonwealth action

The Commonwealth has embargoed the Yugoslavian Empire and their allies in the Fourth Reich and threatened war with them should they not retreat to their own borders and drop all claims to land outside their own. The Commonwealth has moved some of its forces to the borders. Several nations have requested assistance, including Egypt and Portugal, and the coastal African nations, including Morroco and Egypt Due to the importance of the Spanish buffer, the commonwealth has stationed forces there with agreement of the Spanish government to reinforce the Spanish against any foreign powers. In addition, the Navy has blockaded the straits if Gibraltar, slowing supply movements to Yugo forces beyond the straits. Commonwealth weapons have been found in the hands of African and European soldiers fighting for their countries, and the Commonwealth has given assistance to them through funding. The Commonwealth has proceeded to use its security network in an attempt to locate any dissident factions within their opposition in order to offer them support.
The Commonwealth has began planning for "Operating Falling Angel" as well, and have announced that they are willing to offer protected status to any nation fearing foreign invasion... And its quite clear what they mean by "Foreign invasion". The Commonwealth has presented an ultimatum to the opposition

-Withdraw to within your own borders
-Drop claims to nations you do not own at the current time
-Commit to assistance in paying for the repairs of the damages your invasion has conflicted
-You have 24 hours to comply.

Reich Response to the Commonwealth
1. The Reich does not currently operate outside it's borders.
2. The Reich currently only lays claim to Poland and refuses to drop said claim.
3 . The Reich has not invaded anyone and thus will not pay for any repairs.
4. The Reich feels threatened by Commonwealth aggression in the form of Economic disruption and the movement of military forces to the Spanish border.
5. The Reich has no knowledge of a treaty with Yugoslavia and asks that sick outrageous claims be dropped. ((Lie))

Political District Checkpoint
The Officer at the gate stepped forward. He was dressed in a Winter Officers Coat and wore a Crushers Cap atop his skull.
"So haben wir gehört ... Sie etwas seltsam aber das wissen? Das Propagandaministerium behauptet, nichts über dich wissen. Warum ist das so denken Sie?" (So we have heard... you know something strange though? The propaganda ministry claims to know nothing about you. Why is that do you think?)
The Officer said looking straight into the lieutenants eyes.

Reich Activities
Reich Ambassadors has been dispatched to the Empire of Japan, Yugoslavia, and The Empire of America.

Defensive emplacements have begun construction on the Western coast of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. As well as the Northern Coast of Germany and the Southern Border of France.

40 Reich U-boats have been deployed to the Baltic Sea as protection against the Commonwealth threat.

1 Million Reich Soldiers have been stationed for the defense of the Reichs borders. They will man the Defensive emplacements once they are completed.

500 Thousand Reich soldiers have been deployed secretly to the Polish Border along with 30 Thousand Panzers.

On the Coast of Washington, Sandy Shores-Hotel Reserve

"This is fucking ridiculous" said James "Why the shitheads in Cali' going around shooting down planes for no fucking reason, and we're stuck here doing jack". Sandy Shores was, in fact, remote from the rest of the region. It served the purpose of a retirement community by the shoreline until the socialists came.

"There's more to it then that, James" said Caleb "We're going through the whole thing tonight, we wont be here long". They walked across the gray Washington shorelines, and if one were to be there, it would look as if no civilization was present at all. The beach was isolated from the houses and buildings. What stood between these two fates were a few hundred yards of tall, grassy hills. An underdeveloped community, well off the map for the Americans.

"I hope we aren't, it's fucking cold, man"

"Then put on a jacket for God's sake" Caleb replied.

"Shut up" James muttered."Say, when we leave this shit, put it all behind, yeah? You think it'd be better?"

"I don't know, all I know is that if we gotta get our shit in order" Caleb said. He stopped in his place, as the tide came a few inches from his boots. James looked behind him and turned towards Caleb. "It's all we can do sometimes, get our shit in order. It's all we really have done. We've set things up, true, but...they all got botched. Every one of them, fuck ups in their own special nature. And yeah, it isn't easy without the money like the rebels down south get, but can we really complain about that? We have the side of the working class, which makes up a large chunk of the population. We can get the guns, we have the spirit. We are just missing something, which puts everything down the toilet."

"Then let's hope we pick up on this 'something' before we lose another few hundred." James said, putting his hands into his jeans.

"Let's"

Berlin Political District 7:05
Elias felt his hand reaching for his sidearm just in case as he started flatly at the other officer and in his calmest voice said "Es war eine Art Last-Minute-sie Grund zu glauben, dass es einen Verräter in ihrer Mitte, und wir wurden gesandt, um Uhr für etwas Außergewöhnliches an der Pforte zu halten." ( "It was kind of last minute they have reason to believe there is a traitor in their midst and we were sent to keep watch for anything out of the ordinary at the gate." Then Elias put his hands behind his back and gave the covert signal to flick off any safeties on their weapons.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber 7:05 Am

Jachim had gotten word from other resistance groups the Commonwealth is seeking allies in the Reich, and Der Krähen being one of the more successful groups in the Reich, due to how effective they were with cracking down at first Jachim was hesitant incase it was a trap from The Reich, but desperate for help he and a group of some of the best the crows have to offer went off in search of this Commonwealth agent.

Global Communication originating from the CIS New Point
"Greetings international communities, we are the Ceres Independence. For those of you who know of us, you know that we're in space, on an asteroid, with a space station in orbit. One of the largest and most advanced space stations. We come proposing a trade agreement to any who will attempt to honor and accept it. The Ceres Independence, as you may know, originated in America, where we can no longer operate safely from. Our landing pad and central groundside facilities are lacking in required resources, and have been damaged from unmentionable activities. We are currently in a state of discomfort and danger, as our only routes to the surface and back have been damaged beyond use.

We require a new partner to assist us in our supplies and in our reconstruction groundside. In return for land and a runway built with specific specifications that we can send, with adequate facilities and transportation from the facilities, we will, in turn, start trade through our more advanced technologies that we have previously reserved. Oh, and a fifteen percent discount on bulk orders of resources that we provide. We remind those of you that are listening that we have very advanced technologies, and are the only ones possessing an off-world settlement, with off-world facilities.

That is all, thank you."

Ceres Temporary Command Center
Commander Johnson leaned back in his chair overlooking the small room, with consoles on the left and right side, an extra-large screen at the very front with 4 more smaller screens arranged on either side, with the holographic display in the very middle. The display showed a view of Earth, the Moon, and far more distantly, Ceres. One of the shuttles was approaching them at high speeds [though considered very slow because of the distance], and was halfway through the route. On the shuttle was the Ceres Independence President John Walker, who has spent his entire life furthering the New Horizons Corporation, and later the Ceres Independence. Johnson was in charge of the private military they had on the asteroid, and the security of their various ships and outposts.

He traced the shuttle's projected flight path to Ceres, and its previous path from the New Point. Apparently, some group or something had raided their main landing base, and managed to force all 400 personnel to flee to the Ceres Independence's American Facility, where they would be fine for the time being with the automated defenses.

He knew that someday, they would be the great pioneers, remembered as the people who took the first steps into a new era, and that while everyone else continued squabbling, they rose.

But that was later. Right now, he was watching several civilians enter the room and approach the holodisplay. After receiving permission from Johnson, they began muttering amongst their small group around the small railing/table the surrounded the display, and began designing the new plans for Ceres, and for future ships and extensions.

He left the room to the quiet humming of enough computer power to handle anything a computer geek could possibly come up with, and headed towards the gym. The lower gravity was a little hard to get used to; while more experimental artificial gravity devices had been installed, it was still low enough to mess with anyone unused to it.

District Checkpoint
The officers eyes narrowed.
"Dann zeigen Sie mir Ihren Ausweis. Sie wurde Bezirksabfertigung wenn, was Sie sagen, wahr ausgegeben haben." (Then show me your ID card. You will have been issued District clearance if what you say is true.)

The officer held out his hand waiting for the card to be placed in it.

Message to Cere
The Reich would be happy to assist I'm your endeavors provided we have the ability to.

Elias looked at the guard "Scheiße," ("Shit.") He grabbed the officers hand and pulled with all of his might and turned him around midway so the officers back was against his chest and put a pistol to the officers head "Alle von euch drehen aller Kommunikationsgeräte und das Tor öffnen, wenn einer von euch offenen Feuer werde ich Ihr Kommandeur zu töten." ( "All of you turn off all communication devices and open the gate if any of you open fire i will kill your commanding officer." ) He shouted at the other guards, his men proceeded to back him up by raising their weapons.

Response to the Fourth Reich's Offer, twenty minutes after receiving it
"The Ceres Independence recognizes your offer. Standby; we await other possible offers. Request; what have you to offer the Ceres Independence? We would require additional military support in case of an armed attack or terrorist action against ourselves, and supplies, namely food, water, and electronics.

District Checkpoint
The officer's eyes widened in surprise as realization dawned on his face, before he could even think about drawing his own Luger he felt the cold steel of one against his Temple.

"Machen Sie es wie sei sagt!" (Do as he says!) The officer yelled at his troops.

The guards dropped their rifles and removed their helmets. Some appeared young, barely out of training while others looked as if it's post was all they had ever known.

"Dieser Beitrag ist unter Beobachtung ihr Narren!" (This post is under surveillance you fools!) Spat one of the younger guards.

A bearded man cuffed him over the head as his eyes seemed to scream shut up.

But no alarms blared, no guards burst into the street.

In fact it was eerily quiet now aside from the heavy breathing of the men in uniform.

A light snow began to fall.

Reich Response to The Ceres
The Reich is willing to provide Protection to the Ceres but cannot afford to give away food or water until it can secure more Farmlands.

Reich Activities
An Ambassador has been Dispatched to the Commonwealth in an attempt to remove the Embargo placed upon them.

ETA on defensive project. 13 months if the project stays on schedule.

The Eagles Nest, the Reich sole orbital station has been Positioned over Europe.

Commonwealth
"Empire of America? Fourth Reich?" Said Fergus "What? Is the universe specifically trying to make our job harder? And here I thought it was on our side."

He tried to connect it with his tablet, made a confused face, then tapped a few buttons and tried again. Whatever he did seemed to work, as he smiled and handed the tablet off to another officer (who had a much more normal skin tone).

"Thanks for the map, hopefully we'll be able to do something about this Empire." He turned away, and yelled at no one in particular. "TUN DESACTIVAR!"

The glowing plasma shields collapsed back into their emitters, and the fleet moved away. The ships faded into the mist, leaving only a railgun shell sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

Washington State, One Day Later
Dozens of fighters and multiple transport aircraft flew through the air, waiting to see land. They were all capable of landing without a runway, they were made for Antarctic use after all. Suddenly, the navigator on one of the transports called out.

"Unidentified settlement! Inputting coordinates!"

He tapped away at his console, sending the coordinated to the pilots of all the aircraft. After a few more minutes of flight, they reached the settlement. The ground troops, comprised entirely of City Guards, jumped out of their respective transport aircraft and plummeted to the ground. At the last possible moment, they pulled their chutes and began to slowly drift down. Unfortunately for them, the white coloring of their parachutes made their locations obvious.

The group landed just outside the city, about two hundred soldiers in all. The original plan was simply to scout the area on foot, but with such an isolated settlement with no apparent defenses, the opportunity was far to good to resist. They moved into defensive positions, and the leader took out the megaphone that every AU leader seems to have. Knowing the group would have already been spotted, she decided using it wasn't a bad idea. Besides, after seeing their weapons and shields, only a fool would refuse to surrender.

"This is Commander Yuuki Sora of the Antarctic Union City Guard, your communications are being jammed and we have aircraft waiting to attack. All Imperial soldiers will be taken prisoner no matter what happens, but we would prefer it if you would surrender. Civilians, we have come to free you from the Empire of America, stand with us and together we can bring them down!"

Message to the Ceres independence
"This is Spokesman Neriys of the Antarctic Union. Your offer is lucrative, an ally in space would be extremely useful. We can give you our advanced technologies as well, and we are already beginning to attempt spaceflight. We can give you technology to shield you ships from micrometeorite impacts, radiation, and even weaponry. We can arm your troops with the most versatile weapons known to us, and perhaps we can even work together to get your American facilities back."

Sandy Shores

"The fuck is the Antarctic Union?" said James. He sat in a tunnel of muck, mud, and diseased rats along with his comrades. Though the tunnels themselves were encased along the roads interlinking city between city, they held openings in certain places for quick movement and assault. It was extremely unusual to see soldiers in this part of Washington, normally they stay in the comfy city of Seattle.

The citizens locked themselves inside, as ordered by the commanding Southpaw in the nearby area. He warned them not to come out of their houses until he tells them to, and to prepare for the worst. The worst: gunfire and bombs. The preparation: weapon stashes being supplied, along with explosives of their own.

Several platoons dispersed into the forest. While the roads connected the cities, what layed beyond the roads-around the roads- was nothing but the dense, lush forests of pine. The darkness created a gloomy effect, yet still struck the beauty and grace that it held when one would see the deer. Inside the darkness laid the soldiers, who messaged back what they heard from the obnoxious, loud megaphone to the rat tunnels below. Inside one of those platoons was Caleb. His captain, a scruffy fellow who would have a mid-age crisis right about now, called him forward.

"I need you to go to them and tell them we aren't Imperials" said the Captain.

"Are you shitting me? You want me to saunter over to those people... and tell them we aren't the enemy... what if they shoot me?"

"I got the rest of the platoons on their ass. One wrong thing and we'll blow them to kingdom come." said the Captain. He grabbed the shoulder of the young boy, and threw him out of the platoons position, out of the darkness that encased the heart of the forest, and into the edge of it all; the light. Nearly 20 feet away, the open grass of a park, and over 100 feet away, the unknown that called themselves Antarcticans. Caleb went into the grass, screaming at the tops of his lungs, begging them not to shoot him. He flailed his arms into the air "We aren't the imperials, you idiots! We're not your enemy, you crazy bastards! There's no imperials for miles!" One of the soldiers turned to the Captain.

"Can we afford using our explosives on these people? We don't exactly have an unlimited supply on this shit, it's not easy to come by. We need it for Seattle."

"I don't think we'll be going to Seattle if things go south here. Hell, we might lose Washington altogether" the Captain replied.

Communications to the Antarctic Union, the Fourth Reich
To the Antarctic:
"Antarctic Union, we designate you 'Emperor Penguin.' Emperor Penguin, the chances of us aligning ourselves to you are high. Standby for higher ranking members to decide. May possibly take from a few hours to several weeks. We appreciate your offer. Spacer-1 out."

To the Fourth Reich:
"Fourth Reich, we designate you 'Tiger Tactic.' Tiger Tactic, the chances of us aligning ourselves to you are decreasing. Food and water are vital to our survival, as we are low and we are not able to sustain ourselves. Standby for higher ranking members to evaluate. Spacer-1 out."

Ceres Independence Station New Point.
Three Communications officers were giggling in their alcove from their designations.
"Tiger Tactic? Really?"
"Yea, well what'd you have called them?!"
"I dunno. Hitler?"
"You know who Hitler is, right?"
"Yea, wasn't he some German commander or something?"

Commonwealth
-We will stop our invasions of other African nations, but we will not halt the invasions of Egypt, Italy, and Portugal.
-We will pay reparations to the nations we aren't invading anymore
-The Commonwealth will have free access to the Suez canal.

Message to the Ceres Independence
"Yugoslavia recognizes your sovereignty and independence. If you so choose, we have several spots within our desert lands perfect for launch sites."

Communication to the Jugoslavia
"The Ceres Independence recognizes and has filed your offer. Some time in the near future, we may take you up on such an offer, if we remain neutral and may use the landing sites as groundside storage facilities and for Ceres Independence trade hubs.

Yugoslavia

That is unacceptable. You will withdraw from all nations which you have invaded. This is an Ultimatum, it is not open to negotiation.

Der Krähen

The agent wasn't easy to find, that was for sure. Operating in a foreign country and looking fir allies to destabilize that country generally forced one to be very careful and cover their tracks well. When they did locate him, it was a bit of a surprise to him, though being based in the city the resistance group likely knew the right people. Clearly he hadn't bee covering his tracks as well as he thought, which aroused his nerves. If the resistance could find him, the Reich might discover him as well... He would let them approach first, just to be sure of their identity... It would be a cock up if he turned around and admitted it to the secret police...

Ceres Independence

"The United Commonwealth of Nations, (from here on referred to as The Commonwealth) would like to strike an accord offering access to its extensive space programs and accepts trade. The Commonwealth is an economic and military super power, composed of such notable powers as India and the United Kingdom. In addition, it possesses multiple colonies on the moon and mars, with five military space stations and multiple civilian satellites. It has access to some of Earths most advanced warefare and civic technologies, thanks in no small part to the large and well funded scientific center. It has no shortage of resources and industry, thanks to its extensive member nations and its massive work force."

A secret proposal to Gendarmerie Internationale,

Of course, sending a phone call and asking to be put through ti as high up as you can go might not be the best way to keep a secret proposal a secret, but the Yugoslavian forces aren't going to wait politely for the Commonwealth to say 'Alright, I'm ready'.
"The Commonwealth has need of your assistance in dealing with the Yugoslavian invasion of Egpty, Portugal and Italy. The situation is to delicate for our forces to intervene with directly, we need someone who has no affiliation with the Commonwealth, someone who will be able to keep any agreement we reach a secret. The Commonwealth is willing to throw a money at the problem, name your price."

"Why do you glorify your past wars? Like World War Seven, why celebrate all the death?"
"Because it was necessary, without that death, oppression would have continued."
"The fact that it was necessary says something about your species."
-Excerpt from Haven-Alanar: Allies in the Sky, Antarctican Science Fiction Series.

Sandy Shores
Seeing the soldier, one of the Antarctican soldiers opened fire. A single pulse of blue energy flew just past the soldier's ear, the heart burning him. The moment the first shot left his rifle Yuuki Sora took out her pistol and shot him directly in the head. her weapon was set to stun, but to anyone who didn't know of the capabilities of the Neural Disruptor, it looked like she had just killed him in cold blood. She simply sighed at his reactionary behavior, and rolled her eyes. This did nothing to help their status, bringing her image from that of a ruthless commander to a complete psychopath.

She walked up to the man, with seemingly no fear of the fact that the situation could easily be an ambush. It seems she had decided to give him her trust in the hope that the rest didn't attack her.

"I apologize for that idiot soldier." She said "So, you must be rebels then." A devilish smile appeared on her face, seeing a great opportunity. "Why are you rebelling?"

Ceres Independence
"Acknowledged, Spacer-1.We await your response."

Communications to the Emperor Penguins, the United Commonwealth of Nations
To the United Commonwealth of Nations
Received. We are now designating you as 'Unified Health.' You have stated a convincing proposal for one that has few resources, but I, personally, would like to point out that we have mining operations all throughout the Asteroid Belt and the Moon, and that we have much more advanced space-centered technology. Speaking for my people, we appreciate your offer, though what we need is mainly complicated items on request and supplies to keep our people alive. The probability that you'll be selected is equal to only one other. Standby for decision; our impatience and hunger are our driving deciding factors. Spacer-2 out."

To the Emperor Penguins, several hours later
"Another offer has come by with greater benefits to our survival, and our supplies are reaching critical levels. We regret to say that we will not align ourselves to your primarily, though our higher ranking members would like to extend a more neutral offer of mutually-beneficial trade, with a discount on our side, should you decide to construct landing bases. Note that we will take any attempt to study our technology or ships without a Ceres Independence ranking officer present and observing without permission from a high-ranking Ceres inhabitant will result in a break of any ties we have with you, as well as our withdrawal from any Antarctic-Union-related actions, activities, or agreed-upon decisions. Spacer-2, out."

To the Unified Health, right after the Emperor Penguins
"The Ceres Independence would like to accept your offer and decide upon an agreement to further relations between our two nations. Currently, we are in dire need of supplies. As a first order of business, we will attach schematics to this message as a datafile to be used on a 2-D or 3-D screen, or a holographic table, should you have the technology. Afterwards, two of our shuttles will land, one landing and taking supplies back up, and the second bringing down a Ceres Independence Official to discuss the agreement and a current project. If you are so inclined, we will allow three of your brighter space-capable technological researchers or scientists to come aboard Ceres. We currently will not allow any foreigners to enter the CIS New Point,. Is this acceptable? Spacer-2, out."