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Post self-deleted by Manegolia.
OOC: My friend, you may not be aware of the recent map update in progress, which does in fact place the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in proximity with the Khanate of Manegolia and the Equestrian Principality of Twilight Sparkle.
The People's Republic asks that Mangolia remain diplomatic in this situation. Bellatores, the USSR, and we are sure Manegolia, all want to see this resolved peacefully.
Long live the Revolution.
OOC: No, I did not know that. Thanks for telling me before I made more of a fool out of myself.
I've never ordered any deployments of my horde to the Soviet border, so the only explanation is that local subversives are attempting to sabotage my standing. They will pay with their blood.
Still shocked by the earlier telepathic attack (or had it been a countermeasure of some kind?) Twilight took a few deep breaths to calm down and take in her surroundings. Okay, she was in some kind of cage, and she also felt a weak magic suppression field all around her. An average Unicorn would likely have found herself barely able to cast weak telekinesis, but an alicorn demigoddess like Twilight was only somewhat weakened. However, if her opponent was a strong magic user as well, then a weakened Twilight might be unable to stand against them.
She MIGHT have been able to teleport out of this place, but she had no idea where "this place" was. Few unicorns mastered teleportation, and one of the first things those prodigies were taught was that blindly teleporting ANYWHERE was extremely dangerous. So she wouldn't try teleportation unless her life depended on it.
In addition, she felt constant, tingling pressure at the back of her mind. She recognized the feeling: somepony was trying to speak to her telepathically. She observed her surroundings more closely and noticed that the drones that had presumably brought her here were still around. As there was no one else near her poorly designed cage, Twilight trotted over to the bars, lowered her horn and pointed it at the nearest drone. She established the weakest of telepathic links with the thing, still wary of another mental attack.
She thought, Hello. Who might you be? Where am I?
The Supreme Presidium is considering all possibilities for the current unrest of border provinces, and will take the Khanate's specific explanation into consideration when deliberating on an appropriate response.
The drones continued in their alien thought-chatter for a moment, before their mental schemata seemed to react and adapt to Twilight's own. The language of their minds shifted drastically, though they did not offer an answer to Twilight's queries, instead posing their own inquisition, and a quite scary one at that.
"Curious carbon-based biological entity," their mental voices thundered at her in unison; their mental projections of pseudo-voices were deep and gurgling, a sort of wretched sensation that invokes some instinctive, slight niggling fear. "You are accused of attempting to breach the security systems of a major node in our psychic-energy network. The punishments for this are generally severe far beyond your wildest imaginings. The expectation is that you explain the reasoning behind this impudent conduct immediately. This explanation and the veracity thereof will be used to determine your innocence or guilt, and if decided guilty, what your sentence will be. Be advised that we are aware that you possess capabilities such as flight and a powerful affinity for magic that would allow you to attempt an escape from this holding area; any attempts at such will result in pursuit and being forcibly returned here. If this is deemed impossible, summary execution will be necessary. Be advised, also, that we are currently detached from the psychic-energy network and currently running on pre-programmed subroutines; any attempt to repeat the crime of which you are accused would fail completely and amount to a tacit admission of unashamed guilt on your part."
"That is all. You may begin your explanation now. Please be as brief as is reasonable while including all relevant details."
Twilight was indeed intimidated by the message. However, more than intimidated, she was insulted. She was about to tell the overly hostile drones just with whom they were dealing with, but then the analytical part of her mind took control and assessed her situation again. If these were indeed just magitek sentries running on pre-programmed routines, threatening or insulting them would do her no good.
Instead, she took a few moments to form a suitable answer before she spoke again:
I believe there has been a grave misunderstanding. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, the ruler of the great Pony nation Equestria. I have not consciously attempted to breach any security systems. I merely tried to communicate with the... probe... you sent to my capital without permission. Given that you have violated the sovereign territory of Equestria and have now kidnapped her sovereign ruler as well, I believe it is YOU who sould be doing the explaining. However, I understand that mistakes are sometimes made and would like to speak with your superiors.
"Processing...." said the drones. "Completed. Analysis of this psychic transmission shows it to be true. Please wait a moment."
There was a few seconds of pause....
But suddenly, the psychic link "expanded." Vast streams of information flooded it, directed at Twilight. Universes unfolded in every dimension, every bit of time and causality and space, perspectives on an infinite dimensions, complex metaphysical concepts, philosophical concepts unthought by any pony, or any intelligent mind known to pony-kind, ever, and perhaps which would never be thought again. It was all sudden, too fast to process, too fast to remember, too fast to understand. It was as if everything, all things existent and made, had at once wrapped itself around Twilight in some new and deeply intimate way without her moving at all.
But in the very instant thereafter it ceased. The "depressing" sensation was there again; but slowly, it eased away. Slowly only at first, until a light burst forth from the darkness, in the form of pure and universal thought. It was a distant and tiny light, -- so distant, so tiny, as if Twilight was at one end of all being and it at the other -- but it was bright, more than bright enough to compensate for this; brighter than the light of every galaxy in the visible universe laid over one another, bunched up in the exact same spot, times a trillion, and then that luminosity times a trillion, and much much more.
It appeared to be approaching, until suddenly it had engulfed Twilight in pure white. The white dimmed again, to pure black once more, revealing a tiny, and proximate nugget of light, like a little golden eye staring eye to eye with the mind's eye of Twilight. Immediately thereafter the illusion faded, at least for the most part, or rather the projection changed itself to be a mere voice speaking to Twilight's mind, leaving her surroundings -- which were still left much the same as before -- to be seen perfectly normally and without augmentation.
The voice/light spoke, in un-words of a mind that was unlike a mind; unlike any mind known to Twilight, at least.
"What refreshing quality it shows, and what proud, noble and strong stance it stands in, this mind which communes now. Truly one like it has not been seen since the death of the creators. You are greeted, little Twilight. I/we may be designated the Many One of Eidom for your mental flagging system. It appears that you are correct; a grievous misunderstanding has plagued first contact. Your initial attempt at communicating with I/we was misinterpreted as a security breach. In your understanding this might be found analogous to the process known to some as 'hacking'. Sincerest and deepest apologies are offered for I/we's misinterpretation of your intentions. Little but strong creature, surely you will forgive this error which has arisen from haste and panic on the part of I/we?"
Its words seemed to have a pull like gravity, some sort of suction, which exuded some kind of weakness that seemed to seep and conform around every edge of Twilight's mind, like some thick liquid looking for any means to ooze in. But yet, this oozing, sucking sensation seemed to carry with it some form of deep understanding of powerful and arcane secrets, and a powerful temptation; 'please join us, would you?' It was not thought by the light, but rather merely hung there, constantly. In the mind's eye, the light seemed to get closer, slowly but surely, before suddenly twitching and jerking away powerfully, as if resisting some primal urge to approach at every turn. The sensations strengthened and weakened in waves as well, seeming to become stronger as the light approached and then suddenly snap back to about as weak as they had started when it pulled away.
OOC: I really can't. Sckandinavia belongs to Chadicia, and I'm not to sure about going over Artaeum, which I will not acknowledge its presence due to its non-human population. Arctic Squadron is really relying on its three KC-46 Pegasus tankers, which are basically 767 airliners with refueling booms. The KC-46 has a range of approximately 7,350 miles, but the F-15s and Su-37s have a ferry range of 2,400 and 2,800 miles, respectively. That's not enough for them to get to the arctic, and if the KC-46s refuel them, that's probably adding a thousand more miles. But I have 12 F-15s and six Su-37s, which is going to mean less fuel. That's only the direct path. I'm considering using a carrier (probably Kuznetsov-class to save money but maybe Nimitz for the range and the extra space) with maybe two or three destroyers and a fast-attack sub as escorts. Then, there's that one Voyager star destroyer I have (the other two disintegrated in the jump from some distant star system), but maybe that's overkill.
OOC: I'd say try going for a route through Equestria and Marescowl. If you don't want to recognise and interact with pony nations, though, deploy an aircraft carrier out of your inlet sea and around Doppeladler, maybe see if you can base it out of Albion for a time in the name of joint science efforts, and from there fly the aircraft out? That could work. It might be better that way for a reliable and easy mission, actually.
OOC: The keyword is "range." Even if my F-14s do get to the arctic, there's no way they can return. If the arctic region is just a lot like Earth's, then maybe I could get my carrier close enough.
OOC: Arctic ice sheets tend to be flat to such an extent that they could be landed on in a pinch. Send them, land them on the shelf when they get low on fuel, send a refuelling jetliner on a delay that can land, refuel them, and retain more than enough fuel to allow a return with everything intact.
Post self-deleted by The changeling queen.
T'rahk Enox, Throne of the 12th Changeling Queen
It was a mild day, and a light breeze blowing on the capital of the Changeling Realms brought with it the briny scent of the sea. Within the palace sitting atop a shallow hill, above the buildings of the rest of the city, Queen Chrysalis stood on a balcony, starring off into space. Few clouds cluttered the sky, and the brightness irritated her to some degree, but it was nothing worth moving spots or making complaints about. There were pressing matters that needed an attentive mind to settle them, and right now she found herself in the best mood to deal with them in this particular place. As she was thinking, two changelings ran up behind her, their hoofs alerting her to their presence.
“Our Queen, a large orb has appeared, but it doesn’t show up on any of our scans!” The first, wearing the uniform of a low-ranking officer stated in clicks and chittering with the conviction of a newly conscripted soldier, fresh from the cadet legion.
“Yes, I’m aware.” She replied in an indifferent tone, barely paying the soldier drone any attention. Chrysalis continued to look out towards the center of the city, where the anomaly continued to float high in the sky, shining like a beacon of . . . something. It obviously signified some change in the balances of . . . nature? Was the planet or sun harnessing some unknown supernatural ability to warn them of a danger? Perhaps a new technology was invented--something created with malicious intentions for sure--or some evil futuristic state that wanted to use these floating photonic masses to subjugate everyone. She scratched her chin for a short moment.
“What do You want us to do, our Queen?” The soldier pressed.
Without caring to turn around to even face the nameless soldier, she rebuked him. “Can you not see Your Queen is in thought? Leave Me be, I will call a meeting when I see fit.” Shamed, the two changelings turned around and made their way off, treading lightly with their footsteps, lest they anger their Queen further. She pondered the available decisions a few minutes more, having nearly immediately dismissed the minor disturbance from her mind, before walking into the welcomed veil of shadowed hallways and dark passages that was the palace. Along the way, she signaled a guard who began to walk slightly behind her left flank. “Soldier, bring message to my secretaries that I want them assembled in my throne room in the next ten minutes.” Having been given his orders, he saluted and quickly turned a corner, quickening his pace to a gallop to find the cabinet members. Having summoned them, Chrysalis made way to her throne and sat upon the raised dais, awaiting their arrival. While still walking, she made a mental note to assign a punishment to the two imprudent drones.
When the ten minutes had passed and the secretaries of her government had all gathered before her, she addressed them. “Continue running every form of detection equipment we have against the signature of that object. In the meantime, contact the governments of the Third Servothian Empire, Despoticania, the British, and any foreign non-hostile nation currently attempting study of these anomalies. Inquire as to whether they’d be interested in collective efforts to better understand these events.” With that she dismissed them, except for her Secretary for War, who she willed to remain in the room. When she walked up to him, he bowed to her presence. Without words of description, she influenced onto his mind the two drones who had behaved rudely before her earlier. “Strip them of their ranks and assign them to infantry in the east.” She ordered dully.
The changeling general bowed again, and this time spoke. “As You wish, my Queen.” After that, she walked past him to continue on with her day-to-day schedule. A mother was never without love for her children.
Bartel rubbed the back of his neck, "It's hard to send a Christmas wish when locked in a cellar, Auntie."
"I do hope you pay for my dislocated shoulder with a drink or two, it is only fair. And after that, hopefully I can see my...wonder daughter." He forced the last words out, as he walked to Zimmer.
Valentina sunk lower in her seat.
"Oh, then you'll be pleased to know that your ah, "wonder daughter" is in the limousine-- I mean in the limousine, not the trunk this time... And, ah whatever she says about the bruises is all lies." She'd finish, opening the scissor door of the vehicle in a very animated fashion.
"Amigo! It's family reunion time!"
South Africa would be pleased to send a representative to the summit.Mr Van Straaten,the CEO of SAE will attend.
No one from the House of Perennial will be able to attend the Summit. An ambassador will be sent to observe. We do support the Summit's objective, though.
It is the Grand Duke's belief that while there is climate change occurring in the world, it is of low priority to try to prevent its increase. Rather, economic growth should be prioritized over environmental issues.
The Greater Empire will support this endeavor, and will dispatch a Minister to discuss Niyasuragu efforts in combating climate change.
This is a very short sighted view of the matter. Short term economic gains mean little when confronted with the specter of climate change and the disasters it brings.
OOC: Map related announcement:
Barring any unforeseen setbacks or my own laziness, the final version of the new map will be finished and ready to go this weekend, most likely sometime on Saturday.
So, I figure that I should probably let you guys know what my policies are going to be going forward (these are definitely not set in stone, and are more like guidelines than rules):
1. I intend to update the map on a weekly basis. This may not happen every time depending on my schedule (or how lazy I'm feeling), but that's the goal.
2. Anyone can request minor changes (such as a color change or an edit to their name) whenever they feel one is needed, and I'm happy to oblige. All I ask is that you don't request changes, like, every day.
3. I'm willing to do any bigger changes as well, such as having your nation moved or borders adjusted, but we'd need to talk about it first. I'd rather not add too many more brand-new islands or continents until the large open areas start get a little more full. If you absolutely must have a specific island or whatever, I'm willing to negotiate.
I have more, but I've got to get to class. I'll put the rest up later.
Khalite expeditionary forces, The greater lands of albion, Collectivist germania, The biosyn, and 1 otherAmerica-shuruppak xul
Bartel slipped into the vehicle, sitting across from Valentina. "So, i'd like to hear everything that went on before Auntie makes playthings out of good people. Not that I mind, Auntie, but please be gentle with those protesters. They were simply misguided, isn't that right Valentina?"
The scared girl nodded slowly before stammering "E-Exactly."
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