Revolution! Or, A Victorian Cold War

[KitFisto1997]

A map of the Somali hellscape.

 

[KitFisto1997]

An annotated version of the Horn of Africa map.

Foreshadowing, foreshadowing, foreshadowing...

 

[KitFisto1997]

Granted the image isn't OTL Port Arthur (or Lushun City), but at least this little postcard should give ya'll a nice idea of what it's like.

 

[KitFisto1997]

A House Divided: A Treatise on American Regionalism and Federal Interference.

As written by then-Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson (L-RR).

The United States of America is said by many to be an experiment in progress, with the goal of seeing how a nation will function with a decentralised government and an open and free marketplace wherein goods, people and ideas can flow freely with as little state or corporate interventionism as possible.

But now, it seems that this experiment has failed in the utmost. The free marketplace of ideas and goods has been quashed in the name of national security, while the economy lacks the freedom needed to grow after heavy government tariffs and 20 years of needless interventionism by both Democratic and National Unionist governments. The free movement of men has been curtailed, and the south-western borders with Texas and California have been closed on the grounds of being ‘too porous’ since the end of the Cold War.

The Federal Government in Philadelphia has no right to enact these overarching laws onto both the state governments and the average American citizen. We have to take back power from the corrupt entrenched elites in our capital district and give it back to you, the people. I seek to bring back the freedoms and liberties that our great nation had enjoyed during the short-lived Kennedy Administration. I will give the State Governors the ability to allow their electorates the right to decide on the issues that matter to them and leave the Federal Government to managing defence, the judiciary and the day-to-day matters of our nation.

The National Unionists have been embroiled in corruption scandals that threaten the already tenuous relationship between man and nature. The Democrats have produced a slew of mediocre interventionist Presidents that bow down to other nations and accept their demands. The rest of our bought-and-sold government continues to choke the markets by allowing corrupt, foreign MegaCorporations onto our soil that take away jobs from the local corporates that have nigh-impeccable track records on transparency and quality of products.

If I get elected to the Presidency I will focus on America, first and foremost. We will adhere to the warnings of our Founding Fathers, especially those of Thomas Paine, the man who wrote the treatise that gave our divided leaders the spark of hope that would carry the American Revolution to fruition.

“Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.”

Paine spoke of our federal government as a necessary evil, an institution that should be kept in check by the people and their elected representatives. The only thing the government should be afraid of is its own people.

“Not a place upon earth might be so happy as America. Her situation is remote from all the wrangling world, and she has nothing to do but to trade with them.”

Paine also spoke of an America that only trades with their enemies and certainly does not make war with them. We will work on pulling these United States out of the Consortium Inner Council and will relegate our membership in the Entente to that of an observer role. We will pull out forces out of the European-related quagmires in Libya, Colombia, Cathay and the East Indies as we have no business being there. We will accept any and all refugees from these conflicts if they’ve been denied access from nearby nations in South America or North Africa. We will continue to make our nation an armed one, but only out of necessity. The Armed Forces will be downsized as power will shift from the Joint Chiefs to the National Guard heads.

The education systems and police forces will be streamlined, reducing it from a county-based approach to a state one. We will not have hundreds of education, military and economic departments. We will only have 36 of them and that is how they will and should always be - as that is the number of States in our bountiful Union, a Union that seeks a form of armed isolationism from the rest of the world.

We will stand tall amongst the European aristocracies and the Far Eastern chaos to assert our position via non-violence and commerce. We will push for a world where no nation holds influence over the disparate states of the Americans, Africa and the Orient. We will have a truly free market where men and goods shall flow freely without restrictive tariffs…

We will take America back to the Age of Revolutions. 1776 will commence again, come hell or high water. We will win this election, we will make the Libertarian movement the mainstream after decades of being forced into the halls of academia and lower levels of government.

1776 will commence again!

--

I await the Alex Jones and AnCap Ball memes in the replies.

 

[KitFisto1997]

“…You're caring too much about what I say… You're wondering too much about what I do, and baby, your imagination… Imagination's got the best of you…”

--

Location: Unknown Apartment adjacent to Prince Edward Station. New Territories, Crown Colony of Hong Kong.

Operation Name: Pearl River

Primary Goal: Protect HRH the Prince and Princess of Wales from assassination attempts. Work alongside Hong Kong P.F. and Royal Guards to minimise any potential Red Army Faction damage.

Secondary Goal(s): ████ ████ █████████ ████████ ██████ █████████████

Current Time: 8.10 am – GMT +8 – Early December 2015.

Time since Mission Start: +40 minutes

Status of Lethal Force Usage: Indeterminate, currently Denied.

Status of Agent Wright and Agent Davis: Apartment Alpha successfully secured. Awaiting orders from Sir A. Carlisle [I-V UK GOV’T] and L. Herz. [AGENCY].

--

“Gut Gott… That was easier than expected…”

Marcus allowed his head to sit against the back of a large, comfy office chair and slung his legs over the corner of the large table that sat in the conference room. The large piece of furniture was covered in a great manner of things, from small holographic projectors to boxes of ammunition, a multitude of various weapons and plenty of paperwork that gave a great swathe of information on what the Faction was planning in this little slice of the Far East.

The past five minutes had been nothing but smooth sailing for Marcus and the small troupe of riot police that had accompanied him. The bulk of the Faction grunts had gone quietly, while only a select few needed the odd 240 volt punch across to jaw, just to get them to comply with the law enforcement arm of Her Majesty’s Government. All that was left was for the Agents to get a message from their superiors on whether they were clear to move out to the creatively named ‘Apartment Beta’.

“You got any messages from Herz or Carlisle?” Alicia’s voice crackled over Marcus’s earpiece, nearly making the Prussian jump from his seat in surprise.

“Nein. They’re taking their bloody time...” Marcus sighed, glancing over his shoulder to the streets below. A few military and civilian vehicles were already on the move through the main thoroughfare, clearing a path for the convoy that contained the Prince and Princess of Wales, wich seemed to be a few scant miles away…

“Shit… The procession has started...” Alicia spoke up again, keeping a close eye on any transmissions that were coming in or out of the two other RAF-occupied apartments. “I’d say we have another 20 minutes at best, until His Royal Highness is in range of these buildings...”

“Then we need to get moving then, where’s this bloody ‘Apartment Beta’?!” Marcus exclaimed in a rush as he grabbed what weaponry he could from the table, namely a revolver of some sort, two weapons that resembled a sort of twisted hybrid between a submachine gun and an assault rifle – plus whatever assorted ammunition he could carry on his person via the ammo belts, magazines and spare bullets that were lying around on the table. The Agent then bolted toward the elevator at full speed and almost threw himself into the confined space, if it wasn’t for the fact that he dug his heels into the ground at the last minute.

“You’re treating it as if they have snipers on the roof… We don’t even know of their motives here, let alone the reason why they’re located in such a high-traffic region. One might think that they would be hidden in Kowloon, not a bunch of vacant apartment complexes in the CBD...”

Marcus mashed his fists against the elevator’s control panel, watching the doors shut with exasperated eyes as he collapsed against the guard rail, trying to catch his breath for at least a few more seconds as the elevator started to descend. “Nein… You saw those weapons, and the messages I forwarded you… They have shell companies, they piggyback off of the very capitalist system that they so vehemently oppose, even if it’s just to give themselves an edge over their competition….”

“Well then… We won’t have any back-up this time around, our little squad of riot cops are out of the picture, now that they’ve taken those RAF bastards to the cells… I guess it’s just you and me, Marcus…”

Marcus nodded to himself as the elevator continued to descend down to the main floor. “I got you a spare gun or two… We’re going to need them...”

The doors to the elevator opened up slowly, but Marcus was in too much of a rush to leave as he burst through the tight gap in the still-opening-doorway. Alicia was standing a few metres away from the entrance, waiting for her fellow Agent with a look of surprise as she noticed the belts off ammunition and weaponry slung over his shoulder.

“I’ll do you a trade...” the Prussian smirked, handing over one of the strange assault rifles to the woman, plus a few spare cartridges should shit really hit the fan. He then put his free right hand out and gestured towards her with a smirk crossing his lips as he did so.

“C’mon… Cough the old girl up, we’ll be walking into a warzone the moment we open those doors...”

Alicia complied with Marcus’s request and forked over his precious Luger, which Marcus affixed to his hip instead of his empty shoulder holster. He needed something quick and easy to get to, and it seemed that his little 9mm peashooter would be up for the task. The Prussian took a quikc swig of alcohol from his hip flask, praying to himself that he would come out of this little mission with his sanity intact and his comrades standing alongside him, not as corpses or vengeful souls that hated his very being.

“We’re fighting for a future that we’ll never come to see… All for what? Revenge? Promotions? A Greater Good? The Agency? Nein… We are fighting for all of these things… Some motives are more important to others… But what will become of us when we’re done here? What will we become? Mercenaries? Saviours? Demons? Legends, even...?”

 

[KitFisto1997]

A Quick Guide to In-Verse British Politics: Agency Edition

The British political establishment is one that is in constant flux. Compared to the relatively calm two-party system of the Americans or the dominance of Conservative or Social-Democrat factions in the mainland European states, the multi-party system of Britain has led to a flourishing democracy that has its bedrock in the values of the Enlightenment, although the respective political parties that occupy Westminster often argue over how far one should subscribe to said Enlightenment values…

–

THE BIG TWO (THE DOMINANT FACTIONS)

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY

a.k.a: Tories/Tory Party

The Conservative Party is one of the two major political parties that routinely win elections, with the Liberal Party being the latter of the two. The Tories run the ideological gauntlet of the right-wing side of politics, from moderate conservatives of the centre-right, to the reactionary wing on the more authoritarian side of things. While social policy may differ from MP to MP, the economic policies of the Tories are similar to that of the US National Unionites, being staunchly protectionist and state capitalist in their policies versus the laissez faire approach of the Liberal Party.

The bulk of Tory Party support mostly comes from the rural farmers, the aristocracy and portions of the middle class that reside outside of the more liberal cities in the southern half of England. The majority of the northern half of England, Wales and Scotland are majority-Tory strongholds, with the exception of the major metropolitan areas that mostly vote for either independent parties or the Liberals.

The Moderate Wing (ModCons)

The Moderate Wing is the dominant faction within the Tory Party, espousing a restrained form of social liberalism that still holds onto the idea of good-old-fashioned Christian Values™ and the aforementioned of economic protectionism. This wing of the Party has started to come around to the idea of non-heterosexual relationships and other more socially liberal policies, but it will certainly be a few years until those outside ‘normal society’ get their right to marry or augment themselves beyond ‘state accepted parameters’.

Despite many members of the Tory Party coming off as stuffy, aristocratic wankers from the 1980’s who can’t keep their opinions about homosexuals or other societal deviants to themselves, the winds of change seem to be blowing in a more liberal direction, causing the social and cultural fabric of the Party to be questioned by some of the more younger, open-minded members. The Moderate Wing of the Tory Party is often said to be a bastion of sanity for those in the right-wing side of politics, as their cousins in the Reactionary Wing seem to be getting plenty of wrong ideas.

Former Prime Minister Nigel Farage is the current party leader and hopes to defeat the incumbent Liberals in the 2018 Parliamentary Elections.

Reactionary Wing (TradCons)

The Reactionary Wing of the Tory Party is often lampooned as the overly paternalistic, possibly racist and moral grandstanding brother of the ModCons. This dubious title is even used by the Tory Party and their respective party rags themselves, having gotten used to the constant protests by their more loonier members over certain laws, the most famous of which include: the Decriminalisation of Homosexuality (1976), Religious Freedoms Act (Amended 1987), Open Door Act (1984) and the Advanced Interrogation Ban (2003).

The TradCons are also known for having an almost isolationist streak when it comes to economics, often pushing for economic policies that would turn the U.K. into an outright autarky if they weren’t curtailed by the Moderates and their own policies. While both sides of the Tory divide support the MegaCorporations, the TradCons limit themselves strictly to British-owned corporates and some MPs even have alliances with certain corporations by either family ties or being ex-employees of said corporate entities.

The current ‘leader’ of the TradCon wing, Somerset-based MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, Earl of Harptree, is a rather youthful, but surprisingly moderate man for his level of political standing. Mogg hopes to bring the TradCons into the 21st century, kicking and screaming if necessary, with a variety of social and economic reforms that hope to make their party more palatable to the rest of the U.K.. The general consensus of the TradCon manifesto is still that of an unbending commitment to social conservatism and a genuine attachment to Christian Values, instead of the supposed lip-service that the Tories and Liberals pay whenever the Archbishop comes to town.

--

THE LIBERAL PARTY

a.k.a: The Libs/Liberals

The Liberal Party represents the Classical Liberal wing of politics, which is mostly relegated to the centre-left of the spectrum. Although, it must be said that there are still some stragglers from the centre-right that haven’t joined Liberty GB as of yet. The Liberals stand for everything that the Enlightenment bought to Europe, namely individual freedom, free enterprise and limited government. The Libs have been behind some of the more socially liberal policies that have slowly infiltrated a once-socially conservative U.K., namely the current Swiss-style self-defence and conscription laws for one major example.

The Liberals gain most of their electoral power from the major metropolitan areas, although since the latest election, the Party has been making in-roads into the traditionally working-class suburbs that have voted for various major and minor parties over the years.

The Liberals are often stereotyped as middle-class snobs who hold a disdain for both the working classes and the upper classes, but this assumption is often only true for the most pampered of Brits who haven’t had the chance to gain a noble title or win the lottery.

The economic policy for the Liberal Party is that of a laissez faire system where the government has little-to-no interference in the economy, preferring to leave things to the corporations. As a result of the Libs winning in the latest elections, funds to the NHS have been cut, the military is being dominated by PMCs and the corporates are gaining more of a say in the government. The Conservatives have lodged many a protest, only to be shot down by the Prime Minister at every opportunity. Then again, rumours of an up-coming leadership challenge by more radical members of the Liberal Party, set to be capitalised upon by the Tories and minor parties, may bear fruit sooner than later…

–

THE TRIUMVIRATE (A COALITION OF THE UN-WILLING)

LIBERTY G.B.

Liberty G.B. is an off-shoot of the Liberal Party, formed in 2010 in response to the rise in American-style Libertarianism in the mainstream British Liberal Party. Lib G.B. follows similar principles as the 1980’s era National Unionites or the modern-day U.S. Libertarians. The Party has seen some level of success in the areas that have formerly voted for the more radical members of the Liberal Party before they broke off prior to the 2010 elections.

THE INDUSTRIAL PARTY

Simply known as the ‘Labour Party’ or the ‘Reds’, the Industrial Party is a minor social-democratic party that has always struggled through elections without having to join the Liberals in some form of a coalition. They’re often said to be the platform for worker’s rights and is extremely pro-union and socialistic in nature, albeit masked in a veneer of ‘democratic’ German-style Social Democracy.

THE GREENS

Founded in the 1970’s by a bunch of unwashed social outcasts from Oxford University, the Greens Party is a pro-environmentalist movement that has made the occasional ally with the Liberals during their heyday in the 80’s and 90’s. The Greens were once responsible for pushing through legislation that effectively saved the British Empire from sinking beneath the waves after the Gaia Crisis in the 1990’s and 2000’s. After seemingly doing their bit in saving the planet, the Greens have now turned to fixing whatever social issues that ail the U.K. Their unholy alliance with Liberty G.B. has led to various campaigns on the legalisation of homosexual marriage, the freedom to augment oneself and the right for various nomadic and cultural groups to have free reign over the countryside. Time will tell when these movements will actually get anywhere…

–

THE ETHNIC VOTES (SPECIAL-INTEREST GROUPS ABOUND)

THE ANGLO-GERMAN BUND

A special interest group that advocates for the interests of the massive German-descended population in the United Kingdom. Founded in the early 1930’s, the group gained much support from the then-exiled German monarchy and continues to gain some level of support from their cousins on the European continent. Rumours of arming members of the old Free German Army aside, the party is often seen allying with the Conservatives during elections.

THE BRITISH HIND

A party that advocates for the wellbeing of the British Indian community. Sub-groups for Indian Jains, Sihks, Buddhists and Muslims work alongside the majority Hindu membership base. The Hind receives plenty of funding from all political parties in the British Raj.

THE NEW MECCA PARTY

An advocacy group-turned-political party. Founded by pro-reformist Arab-exiles in the wake of the Islamic Revolutions in the Middle East, circa 1980. Majority of funding comes in from both Iran and the Sunni clergy in the Meccan International Zone.

THE HOPE

An advocacy group for British Jews, majority of funding comes in from Israel, Gibraltar, Poland and Germany.

–

THE CELTS (ANCIENT CULTURE, NEW PARTIES)

MEBYON KERNOW

Cornish special interests group. Fights with the Tories over dominance in the Duchy’s Parliament in Truro.

PLAID CYRMU

Welsh special interests group. Also fights with the Tories, albeit in Wales.

SCOTTISH NATIONALISTS

Founded by disaffected Scottish Liberals and Tories that united under a Scottish Nationalist platform. Often accused of being ultranationalistic in nature.

ULSTER DEMOCRATS

A group dedicated to the recognition of Ulster Scots and Ulster-based Irishmen as a separate cultural group in the United Kingdom. Associations with Ian Paisley are vehemently denied. Contains both Catholic and Protestant members.

EIRIE FIRST

Pro-Irish party dedicated to further Irish devolution or even outright independence. Connections with the Red IRA are also denied.

 

[KitFisto1997]

Teletext is still a thing ITTL...

 

[KitFisto1997]

GEOPOLITICS 101: AN OUTSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE.
A.K.A: A SNARKY AGENT’S GUIDE TO THE GLOBAL GEOPOLITICAL SITUATION.
CIRCA 2015 A.D.​

PART V: AFRICA (WEST)

Western Africa is a basket case of former colonies, rogue states and almost any number of overseas protectorates and territories that you can think of. The usual culprits of Ebola, famine, corruption and military rule are present, although some of the states are certainly more developed than others…


West Africa

• The British Dominions of The Gambia, Biafra, Dahomey and Oyo are among some of the most developed states in the West Africa region, rivalling their counterparts on the East and Southern coasts of the continent for economic and social prosperity. Cities such as Lagos, Banjul and Ajashe have grown to rival the metropolises of Europe and the Americas, while a stable economy has given rise to a healthy middle and upper class that is slowly expanding as more ‘people friendly’ MegaCorps begin to flow into the area.
  
  The MegaCorporations on the African continent aren’t just mere start-ups or subsidiaries of greater international businesses – they are in fact, the descendents of the British colonial companies of old.
  
  While they’re no longer known by names such as the ‘British West Africa Company’ or the ‘Bight of Bonny Association’, these groups have since been freed from their former British mandates and now fill every niche one can think of.
  From shipping, to telecommunications and general infrastructure, these former colonial relics have been staffed by the native populaces since the mid-late 20th century and have led to the aforementioned explosion in economic growth that have turned their respective nation states into the model for post-colonial nationhood.

• The former French and Dutch colonies in the region have been a mixed bag of results, from tin-pot dictatorships to thriving republics and even a couple of Kingdoms – set up by either the first ‘democratically-elected President’ or from historical pre-colonial dynasties. These states are what gives West Africa the infamy that it often doesn’t deserve.
  
  The Dutch-led Sahelsee Project is a massive multi-national and multi-corporate undertaking that hopes to expand the shrinking Lake Chade into a large body of water that hopes to irrigate the arid Sahel region and bring in millions of jobs for the native African peoples. Plans for the outright privatisation of the region are being drawn up by the multi-nationals that have been working alongside the Dutch and Ashanti governments for the past 30 years, but these plans are already being sidelined in favour of giving the soon-to-be-opened body of water international status like the open oceans have under the Consortium’s Laws of the Sea.

• The Free African Republic of Liberia is the black sheep (no pun intended here) of the West African region, if not the entire continent. The nation was once a thriving democracy, ruled by a mixture of native Africans and Afro-American imports from the colonial era. The Liberians were once an identical copy of the United States in all but name, with a similar commitment to freedom and liberty as their erstwhile colonisers had.
  
  By the turn of the 20th century and the beginning of the African Proxy Wars in the Congo and East Africa, this attachment to democracy had been shaken by the then-recent coup in the CONUS by the US Army in response to the draconian methods of then-President Spiro Agnew. Various African-American ‘special interest groups’ both violent and non-violent, had been fleeing to the Liberian Republic since the 1960’s and were quickly voted into public office by an increasingly paranoid upper class of American-descended blacks.
  
  A sudden coup by the so-called ‘Free African Army’ - a black supremacist organisation that had ties to numerous Black Liberation and Ultranationalist groups in the US, UK and abroad – in 1983, decapitated the democratic government in Libera and instituted a dictatorship. Liberia has become a symbol of black liberation in the eyes of many radical Afro-Lib groups in the West and even Africa itself. The fact that the Free Republic boasts a small arsenal of tactical nuclear warheads makes dealing with them a difficult task. The goals of the ultranat-corporatist ethnostate is to created a ‘United African Republic’ wherein the African people can be free from ‘Euro-American tyranny and corporatist oppression’, although the ironic fact that the Liberians are half-corporation-half-nation-state is completely lost on them.
  
  Liberia is often seen by many pundits and politicians as the antithesis to Rhodesia, which follows a white ethno-nationalist flavour of governance in lieu of the Liberian model of African Supremacy.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART VI: AFRICA (CENTRAL)

Spoiler: Secret Footage of the Free Port of Monrovia, Liberia. (2014 - Colourised)

Don't worry, Rhodesia will get the same treatment in the Southern Africa GeoPol update. Don't get triggered, mmkay?

 

[KitFisto1997]

FTSE ANNUAL MEGACORP REPORT

-

United Armaments Incorporated

(U.A.I.)

--​

Name: United Armaments Incorporated (Объединенные вооружения)

Nation of Origin: Russian Confederated Republics (RCR) (fmrly. Russian Federated Worker's Republic (RFWR))

Founding: 1985 A.D.

CEO: Mikhail Gorbachev (since 1985)

HQ: U.A.I HQ – Moscow, RCR

Products: Private Security, Cybernetics (MilGrade), Weaponry, Transport (MilGrade) and Body Armour

Consumer Confidence: High

Nations Present: Russia, Eastern/Southern Europe, South America, Africa and the Orient

PMC: No*

--

History

United Armaments Incorporated was formerly a state-owned company under the auspices of the old Communalist Russian government, going by the name of The National Arms Corporation of the Russian Federated Worker's Republic, from 1925-1985, until the entire company was privatised and purchased by Alayskan (later Russian via the Right of Return Act – 1999) billionaire and arms dealer Mikhail Gorbachev.

Gorbachev was once a relative nobody in the grand scheme of things. Despite being descended from a line of rich industrialists and Tsarist Russian nobles, his family wealth had been lost to the Russian Revolution of the 1880’s and 90’s, forcing what remained of his family to move to the bourgeoning Tsarist successor state in the Americas. It was here, in the rainy, heavily industrialised Pacific North-West of the Alayskan Tsardom, where Gorbachev rose through the ranks of various oil and defence companies throughout the 1960’s, 70’s and early 1980’s.

The Second Alayskan Oil Boom of the 1960’s was where Gorbachev made his first fortunes as a minor shareholder and later CEO of a minor company that specialised in oil extraction. His shrewd, calculating moves throughout the corporate world led to him purchasing the bulk of the Alayskan oil and gas industry by 1978, eventually holding a de-facto monopoly via various subsidiaries and supposedly ‘independent’ companies that were essentially vassal states of his informal business empire.

Most of his early ventures in the gas industry were later incorporated or outright purchased by the future U.A.I. Upon the fall of the Red Russian government in 1981, the entirety of the state-owned corporate sector of the Russian government was up for grabs in a newly free market, which Gorbachev and his fellow Alayskan billionaires wished to dominate and exploit, knowing that any local competition wouldn’t come about for at least another decade or two.

The slow-motion collapse of the Alayskan oil market, fuelled by falling consumer confidence and a dwindling oil supply caused by the adoption of renewable energy technology, led Gorbachev to investing and purchasing assets in various defence companies, chief among these, was the formerly state-owned National Arms Corporation.

The NAC was swiftly renamed to the now-(in)famous United Armaments Incorporated, which quickly swallowed the bulk of the competition in the space of half a decade, ending in Gorbachev’s near-monopoly of arms sales in Eastern/Southern Europe, North Africa and South America.

UAI now employs approximately 250,000 people worldwide, from factory workers to product designers, security teams and administration staff. The bulk of these employees are either Russians, Alayksans or other assorted Eastern European nationalities, although there is a healthy contingent of Formosans, Japanese and Indians from UAI’s Far Eastern HQs.

Services

The services that U.A.I puts out are often said to be second to none, ranging from private security to military grade cybernetics and even a small fleet of armoured vehicles that have only just come onto the market.

Private Security

Private Security is a sector that Gorbachev has only muscled into in the past decade or so, but the efficiency of UAI’s services in this region have been praised by government and corporate heads alike.

The men and women that undergo the Spetsnaz-levels of training required are said to be some of the deadliest security guards and soldiers in the world. The level of flexibility when it comes to ordering their services is almost second-to-none, one can order all-men or all-women teams speaking almost any language (fluency in English and Russian is a basic requirement for all U.A.I recruits however).

The average U.A.I bodyguard is often seen wearing a simple black suit and wielding one of the many small-scale handguns that their superiors have at their disposal, although their outfits and weapons loadouts do change depending on the mission parameters.

Apart from occasionally selling the services of some of the most deadliest men and women on the planet, U.A.I also sells the security equipment that their operatives use to other, smaller corporations and nation-states that cannot afford their full services. Typical examples of said equipment often ranges from cameras, to bugs, motion-trackers, sentry drones and even certain illegal products that one may have found on the black market, such as black-hat hacking software and apparently ‘illegal’ cybernetics.

Weapons Manufacturing

This sector of U.A.I’s expansive portfolio is what the corporation originally started from. Beginning with ramshackle, hastily modernised off-shoots of Cold War-era German military equipment, U.A.I has since overhauled and expanded their product lines to include new, native weapon designs that often paved the way for future advancements in military technology. The first so-called ‘Smart Weapons’ were forged in the automated factories under U.A.I auspices, alongside new types of powered body armour, ammunition and vehicles that can now be found on many, many battlefields around the world.

Current Status

U.A.I is an integral part of the modern war machine, feeding multiple sides of multiple conflict around the world, only interested in making a profit for the hundreds of thousands of shareholders that seek to expand their wallets and even their own business empires. Gorbachev is content with his status as trillionaire, always being surrounded by not only his most trusted and well-trained bodyguards, but also plenty of women, politicians and other businessmen that have had the (mis)fortune to meet him.

Gorbachev’s goals are multifaceted, but his primary one is to have a world that is in perpetual conflict as to keep the money rolling in day by day. Running parallel to that is another, hidden primary goal: namely the resurgence and reinforcement of the Russian State. Gorbachev hopes that the Tsars of Alayska will one day rise from their decadent palaces of New Archangel to retake their ‘rightful homeland’ across the Bering Strait (even though the Tsars have made it very clear that they’ve dropped all claims to the Russian homeland since the 1990’s).

The trillionaire’s plans seems to be beginning without a hitch, as various U.A.I sponsored groups have pushed for reunification between the two Russian-speaking nations and the grooming of the future Tsarina of Alayska has been handed over to a U.A.I bodyguard. The only thing that stands between this plan is the poor, un-democratic, destitute conditions of the Russian Confederation in comparison to the flourishing, free and secular conditions of the Alayskan Tsardom.

Many predict that Gorbachev’s plans will fail as soon as they begin...

 

[KitFisto1997]

AN EXCERPT FROM 'FIRING LINE' - AIRED LATE NOVEMBER, 1976 A.D.

-kzzt-

“We bring you breaking news of an earthquake in the southern Transcaucasian state of Armenia… A combined contingent of Ottoman, Kurdish and Iranian peacekeepers have been sent to survey the damage… A response from the CSN…

-kzzt-

“BritTech brings you the best in electronics, from digital watches to computer terminals and even the latest in newfangled video entertainment...”

-kzzt-

“Anglo-Entente forces in Siam are set to fully withdraw from the nation after almost an entire decade of fighting against the guerilla forces of the Red Siamese state...”

-kzzt-

“The Star Corps Holiday Special will be airing on CBS New York after your local ‘News At 6’ bulletin – stay tuned after these messages...”

-kzzt-

“On this week’s episode of ‘Firing Line’, James Wallace and his panel of guests give their thoughts on the British evacuation of Siam and the failure of interventionist foreign policy...”

WALLACE, JAMES: “...We’ve discussed many things here on Firing Line, but the events that have come from our British and Japanese allies across both the Atlantic and the Pacific have bought fear and apprehension to our doorstep. The announcement that all Anglo-Entente forces are to leave Siam by the end of 1976 has shaken the resolve of even the most hardened military experts…

The Dear Leader of Siam has announced that in parallel to the British withdrawal, they plan to withdraw from global affairs, essentially turning the nation into a hermit state. All diplomatic and trade relations are now cut as the last supply ships leave for British-aligned Dai Nam and Hong Kong.

The possibility of further Communalist uprisings throughout South East Asia have become a frightening reality… The recent civil unrest in Southern China and the fall of the Bharatan government to a military coup has opened up more opportunities for Communalist states to arise in both India and Cathay, which may bring a new front to the Cold War.

How does the panel see the winds of change blowing in the Western World, now that the British have withdrawn from SE Asia?

Senator Paul, you first”

PAUL, RON: “Well I think that the interventionist policies of the Liberal government in Britain have certainly driven the people against them, as you’ve seen with the latest popularity polls. Whether the war was fought for good or bad reasons is not what I’m arguing here, instead, it seems that the status quo between the British public and Westminster has been broken and the public are now a hell of a lot more comfortable with questioning the actions of their government...”

WALLACE: “So you’re saying that the anti-war protests and the subsequent withdrawal have apparently opened the eyes of the British public to the misdeeds of their own government?”

PAUL: “Yes. I know the idea of questioning one’s overlords seems to be going out of fashion, even here in the United States, but it is an ideal that must be embraced throughout the Free World...”

WALLACE: “Our very own President Agnew has stated that the Siamese War will be the very last one that the United States will be in against her will. I now ask the British ambassador to the United States, one Benedict Goldwasser, on his opinions of the strained Anglo-American Friendship.”

GOLDWASSER, BENEDICT: “The relations between our two nations have indeed been strained over this sordid war. Your President wishes to tow the line of neutrality, at the expense of internal party support, while our Prime Ministers wish to finish the fight at the expense of internal public support. I am glad that the war is over and that our men have finally gone home, but I do fear what will happen to the people of Siam at the same time...”

WALLACE: “How do you think that Anglo-American relations will be restored then?”

GOLDWASSER: “As long as we stay out of these proxy wars whilst keeping a keen eye on the Germans across the English Channel, I think we can manage going with or without the United States. What President Agnew does is his own prerogative, but if he does choose international neutrality, we may have to seek better trade and diplomatic ties with the Mexicans or even the Brazilian Empire…”

WALLACE: “A very interesting idea, Ambassador Goldwasser… Firing Line will now return after these messages...”

 

[KitFisto1997]

I've decided to revamp the US Presidents list for the third (and hopefully final) time.

The new rule of thumb I have with the butterfly effect ITTL is that anyone born prior to 1930 makes it more likely for an OTL version of themselves to appear, although there will be some people who do pop up due to the fact that they simply cannot be retconned.

I'll do a little infographic on it as soon as I'm done fixing up the British Prime Ministers list too.

---

List of Presidents of the United States (1775-Present)

• Benjamin Franklin (1798-1797) - Independent
• Thomas Jefferson (1797-1809) – Democratic-Republican
• James Madison (1809-1817) – Democratic-Republican
• James Monroe (1817-1825) – Democratic-Republican
• John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) – Democratic-Republican
• Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) - Democratic
• Martin Van Buren (1837-1841) – Democratic
• William Henry Harrison (1841-1841) (Died in Office) - Whig
• John Tyler (1841-1845) – Whig
• James K. Polk (1845-1849) – Democratic
• Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) (Died in Office) – Whig
• Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) – Whig
• Franklin Pierce (1953-1857) – Democratic
• James Buchanan (1857-1861) – Democratic
• Abraham Lincoln (1861-1869) – National Union
• Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) – National Union
• Abraham Lincoln (1877-1881) (Died in Office) – National Union
• Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885) – National Union
• Grover Cleveland (1885-1889) – Democratic
• Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) – National Union
• Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) – Democratic
• William McKinley (1897-1901) – National Union
• Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) – National Union
• John J. Pershing (1909-1917) – Democratic
• Woodrow Wilson (1917-1921) (Died in Office) – Democratic
• Herbert Hoover (1921-1929) – National Union
• Franklin D. Roosevelt (1929-1942) (Died in Office) – Democratic
• Douglas MacArthur (1942-1945, 1945-1951) – National Union
• Harry S. Truman (1951-1961) – (Died in Office) – Democratic
• John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961-1967) – Democratic
• Spiro Agnew (1967-1978) (Deposed after second coup attempt) – National Union

-- Military Administration until late 1978 Elections --

• Irene Rici (1978-1984) – National Union
• James Sowell (1984-1989) - National Union
• William Jefferson Blythe (1989-1992) – (Assassinated) – Democratic
• Daryl Hall (1992-2000) – Democratic
• Donald Rumsfeld (2000-2004) – National Union
• Robert Redford (2008-2012) – National Union
• Albert Gore Jr. (2012-2015) -(Incumbent) - Democratic
• Gary Johnson (2015-Present) – (President-Elect) Libertarian

 

[KitFisto1997]

Here's the British PM list, revamped.

---

List of British Prime Ministers (1915-Present)

• H.H Asquith (1915-1916) - Liberal
• David Lloyd George (1916-1922) - Liberal
• Stanley Baldwin (1922-1926) -Conservative
• Winston Churchill (1926-1930) - Liberal
• Neville Chamberlain (1930-1934) - Conservative
• Winston Churchill (1934-1938, 1938-1942) - Liberal
• George Haig (1942-1946) - Conservative
  
• Anthony Eden (1946-1950) - Conservative
• Alec-Douglas Home (1950-1954, 1954-1960) - Conservative
• Harold Wilson (1960-1964) - Liberal
• Nigel Hawthorne (1964-1966) Conservative
• Christopher Carandini (1970-1974) - Liberal
• Enoch Powell (1974-1978) - Conservative
• Ronald O’Reagan (1978-1982, 1982-1984) - Conservative
• John Marwood (1984-1988, 1988-1992) - Liberal
• Francis Urquhart (1992-2002) Assassinated - Conservative
• John Winston (2000-2004) - Conservative
• Anthony Hopkins (2004-2006) Resigned - Conservative
• Kenneth Branagh (2006-2008, 2008-2010) Resigned - Liberal
• Nigel Farage (2010-2014) - Conservative
• Nicola Sturgeon (2014-Present) - Liberal

 

[KitFisto1997]

 

[KitFisto1997]

-- A DECLASSIFIED GUIDE TO THE BRITISH EMPIRE --

GIBRALTAR
​

Overview

Gibraltar is one of the oldest and most-well-known British Overseas Territories that span the globe. The modern-day territory of Gibraltar was once a small naval base that belonged to the then-Hapsburg Spanish, until it was transferred ‘in perpetuity’ to the British Empire in 1714 at the Treaty of Utrecht. Gibraltar has since prospered under the rule of the British, serving as a major choke point for both military and commercial traffic as the territory hosts many state-owned, private and Royal Navy ports.

The Rock of Gibraltar Panopticon

The Panopticon is the new unofficial headquarters of the SIS (Secret Intelligence Service), where the foreign intelligence arm of the British government intercepts every phone call, fax or UseNet post that is available to them. After a direct attack on their old London-based HQ in 1994, MI6 was granted further powers to investigate international terrorism ‘by any means necessary’. This sudden switch from foreign espionage to tracking down terrorism meant a large amount of ‘downsizing’ was needed. The old Century House headquarters was then hastily handed over to private use as the SIS packed their bags for the sunny shores of southern Spain, choosing to hide in the numerous warrens and tunnels that were previously carved throughout the Rock of Gibraltar during the Cold War.

The modern tunnel system is often said to be an unassailable labyrinth by those that were lucky enough to escape with their lives. All elements of SIS operations are managed here, although a few ‘above ground’ bases still exist in the United Kingdom and a few overseas territories. Secret bunkers that are filled to the brim with modern and Cold War-era equipment clash with massive quantum supercomputers than can break the latest computer terminals in a matter of minutes, then there are the massive hidden hangers that hold all manner of vehicles extend from the soft limestone rock down to the harder rock that’s closest to the sea bed.

Despite the massive amount of techno-wizardry and other items of interest that dot the Gibraltar HQ, a frequent topic of discussion on both conspiracy theory UseNet sites and the UK Gov’t in Whitehall, is the massive prison complex that exists at the deepest level of the base. SIS’s reputation for extra-judicial/extra-governmental operations, extraordinary renditions and other morally dubious acts has attracted plenty unwarranted attention from both within the organisation and beyond it, but they’re all supposedly ‘in the name of the Queen and the Empire’.

Orbital Launch Facilities

Much like the previous Hong Kong entry, one will indeed notice the presence of a few spaceports that remain under the auspices of the British government, since they often double as bases for the RAF and the RN. These areas do often serve commercial traffic, but are sometimes relegated to certain time periods, making a trip over the Gibralto-Spanish Border a necessity.

Mega-Corporations

BritTech

BritTech is the dominant MegaCorp on the Rock, excluding the monolith that is the Cardini Corporation’s massive holdings in the gambling industry. BritTech was attracted to the region by the various deals that the SIS were putting out for defence contractors and the like. BritTech supplies the bulk of the computers, aircraft guidance systems and new SmartGuns™ to both the SIS and other civilian/private/government organisations on the Rock.

Cardini Corporation

The Cardini Corporation, run by ex-British Prime Minister and CEO Christopher Cardini, is a multi-national entity that mainly services the gambling industry, although some strides in the aerospace and personal defence industries have been made over the past decade or so. Cardini owns a multitude of casinos, race tracks and stadiums all over the world – although the bulk of their ‘territory’ is based in the British Empire. From the sunny shores of Gibraltar and the Caribbean Federation, where private jets, casinos and other amenities await the super rich, to the snowy peaks of Bhutan, Sikkim and Kashmir where ski resorts, sherpas and thousands upon thousands of carefully preserved native artefacts await, the Cardini Corporation is especially designed to cater to those that can afford their luxurious services.

 

[KitFisto1997]

Corporate Extraterritoriality: An Agency Primer

Corporate Extraterritoriality is the act of a non-state actor holding the same level of political autonomy as a sovereign state or occasionally as an autonomous state within a larger sovereign entity. The history of corporate extraterritoriality goes back to the Red Bloc, wherein various ‘Industrial Collectives’, which were large plots of state-owned land, originally set aside for industrial/rural development, were established throughout the Red-side of the Iron Curtain.

The failed reforms of the Helmut Kohl government in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s ended in the hardline Communalist state taking on a softer approach to economics, as small efforts at outright privatisation ended in Western MegaCorps coming in as the German state sleepwalked to Civil War mode.

The first rumblings of this growing private intrusion into the governmental sphere was the successful purchase of the former Mexican state of Cuba (now known as Cuba Inc.) by American multinational United Tobacco in the late 1980’s. Of course, knowing how the MegaCorps operate already, the independence referendum was framed as being supposedly ‘democratic’ and ‘in the interests of the Cuban people’, although, it is often noted that all the advertising, debates and candidates were bought and paid for by the ‘Corps. Candidates with contrarian opinions were later found washed up on the shores of Guantamo Bay or even the coastline of the Hatian Empire, but any evidence was later found to have been expunged.

Cuba operates today as a borderline rogue state, with the massive Camp Omega Naval Complex, (read, massive GITMO-esque Navy base in South-Central Cuba). Replace the prison camps with massive shopping complexes and even a small amusement park for both military and on-base civillian R&R) being home to some of the more infamous Private Military Companies that operate ships and other military tech that would be at home in the British Empire’s fleet of weaponry. The island corporate state acts as the launch pad for both statist and corporate military incursions into North and South America, since the British, Americans and Mexicans have rented out various ports or sometimes even graciously ‘donated’ to them by (read, heavy rent fees and taxes apply) the Cuban Board of Directors.

A few more famous ‘Corporate States’ are Port Arthur and the Kingdom of Afghanistan. The former is a city state, located on the Liaodong Peninsula and shares a heavily armed land border with Manchuria. The history of the corporate-owned city state has an entire entry in itself, but will take some time to properly hash out.

The latter, aforementioned Afghanis meanwhile, can be crudely described as the nightmare combination of the hedonistic, drug-addled absolutism of your average Gulf Monarchy (minus the Islamist zealotry, however) and the profit-motivated zeal of a stereotypically corrupt Fortune 500 CEO. Greed is indeed considered good in the sprawling metropolis of Kabul, while the shareholders (read, uneducated peasants) toil away in the opium fields that exist just outside of the city limits. The King of Afghanistan is also considered to be the CEO of the various ‘Royal Corporations’ that exist under his belt. These corporations were established in a similar way to the old colonial corporations such as the East India Company or the Bight of Bonny Association, acting as liaisons to the various territories that were under their control, although in the case of the Afghans, territory can easily be swapped out for government ministries and even entire industries that seemingly look like they’ve been made public, as they are technically under state control, but are in fact de-jure private entities due to the dual role of the King as Monarch of Afghanistan and CEO of the Royal Corporations.

The Afghan government enjoys the friendly relations with the British Empire on the grounds that they supply both London, Bombay, Sydney and other major Indo-Pacific cities within the Empire with some of the purest opioids available on the market, all of which are used for medical uses, although some shipments have been going missing for the past few months…

Other corporate governments include:

1. The Free Peruvian Republic
2. The Republic of Bulundi (formerly the Kingdom of Burundi)
3. The Merina Kingdom (A theocratic monarchy under heavy French corporate influence)
4. The Cantonese Republic
5. Republic of the East Indies (The last remnants of the Dutch East India Company. Mixed-Raced Protestant Indo-Dutchmen CEOs ruling Apartheid style over the Native Muslim peasants)

 

[KitFisto1997]

 

[KitFisto1997]

The Kingdom of Hawaii: A Solo’s Guide to the PMC Capital of the Pacific

Featured in: ‘Solo of Fortune: Summer Edition’ and 'The Corporate Report: Summer Destinations for R&R'

-- --

The Kingdom of Hawaii is a relatively small country located in the Pacific Ocean and is made up of eight main islands (Hawai’i, Maui, O’ahu, Kaua’i, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Ni’ihau and Kaho’olawe) and a smattering of smaller ones throughout the Oceania Region. The island nation is unique in the fact that it has a very high population density and is heavily urbanised, mostly due to the presence of numerous MegaCorps on the island, both foreign and domestic. The four main languages of the state are English (British Standard), Hawaiian, Japanese and Tagalog.

The capital city of Hawai’i is the thriving port city of Honolulu, which is host to a massive Royal Navy port facility (by virtue of Hawaii acting as a British Protectorate and full Imperial Commonwealth Member), various hotels and other centres of leisure and not to mention the miles upon miles of pristine beaches that have even more areas for rest and relaxation than the city itself has.

The population of Honolulu now stands at a mind-boggling 2.1 million denizens (almost a third of the island nation’s 5.4 million Hawaiians), almost all of which are packed into mile-high skyscrapers, underwater/underground dwellings and the remnants of suburbia – with most of the latter having been turned into nice gated communities for the uber-rich or torn down for the more environmentally-friendly skyscrapers that will replace the old homes of yesteryear.

The massive urban farms that cover thousands of skyscrapers in not only Honolulu, but other cities such as Hilo, Pearl City and Kailua, grow a diverse amount of crops, although what is often considered to be the unofficial staple of the rural plantations in Hawaii – coffee and pineapples – cannot be grown vertically. Additional industries that contribute to the Pacific heavyweight’s booming economy include tourism, whaling, military and other industrial R&D startups.

The demographics of Hawaii are as diverse as the forms of income that the island lives off, with the various ethno-religious groups filling numerous roles in the nation’s governing structure in an almost unofficial class system. The Native Hawaiians, which make up only 8% of the population (approx. 432,000 as of the latest census), are often said to be the ruling aristocratic class, as the Royal Family and the bulk of the nobility are of Native ancestry. The Japanese come next as the unofficial administrative class, filling the niche of bureaucrats and other government officials, the massive diaspora of approx. 1.8 million in total can be found in other areas, but it is the day-to-day management of the Hawaiian state where the ‘Nips (local slang that was appropriated from the derogatory term of the same name). The Anglo-Celts (and a smattering of assorted mainland Europeans) are another major group, this time filling the roles of bankers, economists and other money-related areas of Hawaiian society.

The thousands of British Jews (numbering at about 50,000 in total) that emigrated to the island in the late 1880’s and late 1910’s (large portions of island of Molokai was set aside in a deal between the British government and the Hawaiian monarchy for Jewish settlement – all of this being prior to the establishment of Israel) have encouraged this rather harmless (in the eyes of the Hawaiians at least) stereotype to grow to an unofficial in-joke between the Hawaiian Jews and the Goyim that work alongside them. The common stereotype of the Jewish community in Hawaii is either that of a cattle rancher, pineapple farmer or a rich banker due to their presence on Molokai and the financial sector.

Other groups that are of note are the Filipinos (commonly shortened to just ‘Filos’ or ‘Filowaiian’ if you really want to be creative) who escaped the destitution of the Martial Law Period (1948-1982) under then-ultranationalist dictator José P. Laurel. They’re often seen working in the pineapple plantations or serving in His Majesty’s Royal Marines, but some strides into the business sector have been noted as of late. The various Filipino-majority neighbourhoods (often referred to as ‘Little Manillas’ or ‘Little Davaos’ - the latter is used as a prejoritve for the ones with a higher than average crime rate) in the both Hilo and Honolulu are noted for the restaurants that fuse both European, Japanese and traditional Filipino and Hawaiian cuisine. The rest of the Hawaiian population is split between the Chinese, Siamese, Californian (mixed Anglo-Hispanics predominate), Portuguese (a mix of Brazilian and European Portuguese) and a few stubborn Anglo-Africans who emigrated from Rhodesia as to set up subsidiaries of the various PMCs that originate from Salisbury.

The military of the Hawaiian Kingdom is reinforced by the naval and air force assets of the British, Australasian and Joint Mexican-American Pacific Fleets, alongside a smattering of native and foreign-built ships that are under the direct control of His Majesty’s Hawaiian Armed Forces. The Air Force is of a similar shape to the Navy, having been reinforced by various foreign powers that pledge to protect Hawaii from outside aggression. The Army and Royal Marines however, use native-built and equipment and recruit from the Hawaiian population. 18 months of conscription is mandatory (but can be deferred due to family, work or school commitments) from the age of 18 and military age lasts until 65 years.

The presence of MegaCorporations on the island chain goes back to the 1980’s when the first of the Japanese zaibatsu (family-owned corporations) set up shop in Honolulu, which was quickly followed by the British, Americans and more recently, the Australasians. Various native companies have recently reached MegaCorp status, such as the entertainment monolith (and pride of Hawaii) Rosen-Okawa Games (often shortened to just RoKawa Games), originally the brainchild of Hawaiian-Jewish entrepreneur Steven Rosen and Japanese migrant Hatoshi Okawa, RoKawa Games has expanded into the Pacific market and beyond, creating the latest home consoles, computer terminals and other pieces of entertainment technology for distribution.

The areas of Honolulu, Hilo and other major urban centres that were graciously handed over to the various corporations over the years are fraught with corporate espionage as the various PMCs or even the personal security forces of the warring corporates in question continue to do their ‘heavy lifting’ for their bosses. Numerous hacks of data storage centres, physical, military-style attacks on corporate headquarters and even open assassinations of CEOs and secretaries occasionally make the news of the ‘Finance’ section of the latest e-Paper edition of the Honolulu Times every other day or so. Various Solos[1], organised PMCs and even mere criminal gangs often have their stakes in the bustling Honolulu Financial District, profiting off the lax gun laws, the neutered Honolulu P.D. and the growing attacks by the RAF in the far-off Hawaiian Kingdom.

All in all, the Kingdom of Hawaii is the diamond in the rough swells of the Pacific Ocean, being home to a diverse population, an even more diverse financial sector and all the corporate espionage and hiring opportunities your average Solo would absolutely die for. Order those Stratojet tickets while they’re cheap as space is limited and those security jobs highly sought after.

[1] – Solo is a term for mercenaries that aren’t tied to any one organisation or government, opting to run their own missions out of their own pocket. Solos are often spotted doing the more lucrative jobs, such as guarding the children of the ultra-rich as opposed to guarding the downtown headquarters of some lowly corporate entity.

Spoiler: Downtown Honolulu, circa 2015

Spoiler: The Garden Island Resort - Cardini Corporation, 2015

 

[KitFisto1997]

Corporate Report Travel Guides: New York City, USA.

Introduction and Basic Overview
​

New York City is often said to be the symbol of the slow burn that is the industrial, social and religious decline of America. The largest city in the CONUS has been lambasted by political, religious and military figures alike (not to mention NY’s own cynical citizenry) as ‘The Big Rotten Apple’ - a den of every vice, ‘Insert-ethnic-group-here Mob’ and terrorist organisation imaginable. NYC has certainly come a long way from it’s economic troubles that took the city down a peg in the 1960’s and early 70’s, showing a remarkable resilience in the face of Red Army Faction attacks, MegaCorp vulture capitalism and the ever-present Mafia bosses that run entire neighbourhoods. But the problems of the City will be stamped out by the corrupt, lazy NYPD of legend, surely an incorruptible institution if there ever was one.

New York City has almost been abandoned by the Federal, State and City Governments, with the former being apathetic to what goes on in the City, by virtue of the cold hard e-cash that comes into the Federal Reserve via corporate taxes. Meanwhile, the latter of the three layers of government has since been bought out by a number of corporations, with the City Council acting more like a stock market than an actual administrative system. Members are elected by the corporate CEOs, which usually end up being their respective second-in-commands, while faux-elections that are held for the common masses usually end up going to some corrupt official that merely governs the borough as opposed to the city as a whole.

The skyline of New York is as impressive as any other city, although the rusting, semi-abandoned hulks that are the Empire State Building and the New World Trade Centre are the perfect symbol of the urban rot that has set into the old Central Business District of yesteryear. Old apartment blocks and business headquarters have been torn down, replaced with gated communities that combine a bog-standard corporate headquarters, a shopping mall and an average salaryman’s apartment into one massive complex that stretches around a kilometre into the sky at the most, and three-quarters of that at the least.

The so-called ‘New Business District’ is a haven for the super rich and their lucky underlings that are graciously allowed to stay there, taking up most of Times Square and spanning a good chunk of what one would stereotypically know of as ‘New York’ prior to the Crisis of 1992, when the city went bankrupt and the MegaCorps steamrolled in, promising easy money at the expense of tearing down the old, detritus-stained mass that is know affectionately known as ‘Old Times Square’ - which just so happens to have an exact replica built just outside of the walled-off Corporate Zone. The replica of the ‘Old Times Square’ is a mere tourist trap with all the old ‘comforts’ of the site, ranging from gun stores to peep shows and is the home of the more 'ethnic' portions of NY such as Chinatown, Dublinistan (where the Irish and Arab Exiles clash on a bi-weekly basis) and Little Bangkok.

The current conditions outside the New Business District (not to mention the rest of Manhattan and NYC) are a world away from the flashy neon signs, high-tech Italian suits and ‘safe’ nightclubs. This is the home of the unwashed masses, the so-called 95% of New York’s staggering 12 million mass of human traffic. New York is certainly a diverse city, with each borough being known for at least having one major minority and the baggage of stereotypes, jokes and crimes that come with them. The Greek-Americans in Queens rub shoulders with their Italian, Bulgarian and Polish neighbours, while the German, British and French billionaires call the NBD in Manhattan home. The ever-rising numbers of Ukrainians, Ruthenians and Lithuanians fight the descendent of the Irishmen, Anglos and Russians over the last scraps of territory or the last vacant seats at the nearby Church in the rest of Manhattan, while the Chinese, Siamese and Cambodians count the cash from their less-than-legal endevours in their respective Chinatowns or Little South East Asias.

The rest of New York City shall be covered in future guides, looking into each of the boroughs and what makes them tick. From the rich wunderkinds of the now well-established European/American/Japanese billionaires, to the ordinary Americans and illegal immigrants (Ellis Island is often considered the gateway to the American human trafficking network) who are trying to scrape by on nothing but a basic job at the dockyards and a cheap apartment to their name.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II: MANHATTAN ISLAND.

--

Who wants Mario Cuomo expy to be a ruthless mob leader?

 

[KitFisto1997]

Location: Unknown Apartment adjacent to Prince Edward Station. New Territories, Crown Colony of Hong Kong.
Operation Name: Pearl River
Primary Goal: Protect HRH the Prince and Princess of Wales from assassination attempts. Work alongside Hong Kong P.F. and Royal Guards to minimise any potential Red Army Faction damage.
Secondary Goal(s): Find and apprehend Heinrich Kohler (R.A.F Leader) [NEW OBJECTIVE!]
Current Time: 8.15 am – GMT +8 – Early December 2015.
Time since Mission Start: +45 minutes
Status of Lethal Force Usage: Indeterminate, currently Denied.
Status of Agent Wright and Agent Davis: Apartment Alpha successfully secured. Awaiting orders from Sir A. Carlisle [I-V UK GOV’T] and L. Herz. [AGENCY]. En-Route to Apartment Beta.

“If I ever get out of here… Thought of giving it all away, to a registered charity… All I need is a pint a day, If I ever get outta here… If we ever get outta of here…”

---

“How far are we from Apartment Beta?” Marcus hissed to Alicia through his earpiece, trying to keep his wits about him as he bolted through the tight alleyways that separated the towering apartment blocks from one another. The maze of concrete and steel would’ve disorientated Marcus if it wasn’t for the fact that he was constantly checking the small holographic display that was giving him what seemed to be the most optimal route through the back streets and alleyways of Hong Kong’s Central Business District.

“200… No, wait… 180 metres in front of us… We just need to keep running, we’ll get to it eventually...”

“Anything to escape the crowds, right? It’s not like this world isn’t used to the sight of a firearm or two...” Marcus fired back with his trademark snark, glancing behind his shoulder every few seconds to check if Alicia hadn’t gotten lost.

“Her Majesty’s Government is on a need-to-know basis for this Operation… We can’t risk running into some mob of trigger-happy Rhodesians or Gurkhas. I also don’t think that running into a crowd of civilians with a veritable arsenal strapped to your back is a good idea...”

A sudden pop of static, followed by a grating hiss that one would easily expect from a radio that was out of tune, overwhelmed the pair’s earpieces as two familiar voices came through the interference before the static petered out to a low background hiss…

“My sincerest apologies for not being able to get back to you two since mission start… Your superiors were awfully tight-lipped about keeping communications to a minimum. Our intelligence services are very interested in your communications networks…” Athelred Carlisle’s voice came through the static, only to be followed by Logan Herz’s gruff Austrian German accent.

“A small contingent of Her Majesty’s Royal Guards has been redirected to secure Apartment Delta and any other remaining RAF strongholds that may be nearby...” The Senior Agent spoke over the pair’s earpieces, taking a visual note of the two Agent’s movements on a holographic map of the city.

“Apartment Beta is in sight, Sir. Do we have permission to storm the building?” Marcus replied to his superior as he and Alicia stepped out of the alleyway and onto another backstreet. What was labelled ‘Apartment Beta’ was now in front of them, seemingly an old, abandoned office building that had become home to any number of gangs, terrorist groups and any other organisations of ill repute in the past and was now one of many bases that the Red Army Faction used to strike terror in the hearts of their enemies.

“I hereby give you two permission to proceed into Apartment Beta. I’ll now leave it to you two with how you see this mission to the end. Lethal force is only allowed for self-defence and self-defence only. We needn’t another security scare on our hands like last time...”

“We’ll do our best sir. For Queen, Empire and the Agency." Marcus smirked to himself as the comms link cut out. The Prussian then unhooked the strange assault rifle from its shoulder harness and held it over his right shoulder, just as Alicia walked up beside him with her own weapon unhooked, sitting comfortably in her arms.

“Let’s show some Red wankstains who’s boss…”

 

[KitFisto1997]

The Republic of Formosa is an island nation located off the coast of the Eurasian continent. The state shares maritime borders with the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the Cantonese Republic and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The population of Formosa stands at around 41 million as of the 2014 census, with a quarter of the population (approx. 12 million) residing in the Greater Táiběi Metropolitan Region. Most of the population is split between the Han and Cantonese ethnic groups with a small minority of native Austronesians coming at a close third at approx. 2.4 million.

Most of the major metropolitan areas in Formosa are connected to one another via the Azalea Belt, a series of high speed Maglev lines that wraps around the coast of the island nation. The remaining amount of conventional rail lines have since been reconfigured to handle high-speed traffic. Other forms of transport, ranging from ordinary cars and buses to the more exotic such as StratJets (read: suborbital ramjets) and Hydrofoils are also available to those that wish to take other forms of transport around both mainland Formosa and the nearby Penghu Islands.

Formosa is one of the manufacturing hubs of the Orient and is one of the Four Asian Tigers (the other three are Canton, Dai Viet and Korea, with Japan being the unofficial ‘Fifth Tiger’). Various MegaCorps have since made their homes in Táiběi, mostly due to the lax corporate taxes and American-style free market policies. Rumours of both native and international MegaCorps using Qing and Taiping citizens as slave labour and Rhodesian PMCs for state and corporate espionage are only just that, rumours.

The Formosan government is that of a republican form of governance with a unicameral legislature. Votes are open for all citizens who perform at least 6 months of civic or military service upon reaching the age of 21. The majority of the populace holds what would be considered mainstream conservative viewpoints while also supporting economically liberal policies. Rumours of MegaCorp infiltration are as unfounded as the aforementioned rumours of child slavery and racist PMCs.