Update 2

 UPDATE TWO: JANUARY 1st 2102-DECEMBER 31st 2103 

"Bad faith likes discourse on friendship and loyalty." Mason Cooley

NORTH AMERICA:

Building on the friendship created through the Arctic Pact, the Cascadians and Quebecois, share technical experiences, Quebec providing its insights into the fuel cell technology it utilizes to capture local hydro-power and Cascadia providing technical expertise relating to its battery systems.

Canadians meanwhile continue their development of heavy industry slave and thorium-powered factories in the Calgary regions, using much of the produced product to test and develop their new stealth strike-fighter design, the ‘Shawinigan Handshake’. (new design, + industry produced, +energy spent, Canada)

Researchers at the Crosshairs research institute continue to make significant independently-financed advances into solar energy technology. The board of trustees are discussing larger then usual Christmas bonuses for the motivated and productive ‘Solar Energy’ team that has done so much with a very limited budget (+ research into solar energy technology, Absaroka)

Crosshairs is also eager to ensure that its forces are of the best quality that it can field and invests in several military bases throughout their territory. The expected result is that forces might more easily respond to threats, both internal and external, as well as train with the most up to date weaponry and tactics available. (+ army quality, + power, military executives faction, Absaroka)

The heartland union completes its development of fuel cell technology, turning their massive agricultural might into bio-ethanol and, via the fuel cells, portable electric power. (+ power, Stonecutter’s Council faction, Heartland Union)

The United States of American stratocracy completes its development of functional molten salt batteries in 2104; already the rare battery powered vehicle has been seen in the streets of the capital.

Using a system first outlined in the 1990s and their excellent understanding of solar power processes, the Californians soon begin developing ‘salt-steam farming’. This ingenious process involves pumping seawater (or allowing it to gravitate in cases where the ocean water is higher) to an arid region containing specialized greenhouses, where it is used to humidify and cool the air, then secondly, evaporated by solar heating and the fresh water used to water plants and the salt used for industry or preservation. Humidified air from the green house can even be used to improve growing conditions for outdoor plants in the area in this way. This method has been very successful and some neighbors are watching the ‘salt-steam farm ing’ process with a keen and hungry eye. (+ agriculture produced, + industry, energy spent, California)

Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just on the bottom line.Warren G. Bennis

The Californians are also keen to expand their horizons and trade with nations of any ideological bent. An exchange of technicians sees the Colombians gain insight into solar energy technology and the Californians learn about the benefits of a hydrogen economy and the ins and outs of fuel cells. The exchange does not end there however as the Californians also provide the Colombians assistance with their Peruvian conflict via use of mercenary forces of the ‘Target Corporation’ (where low prices are just the beginning). The Californians continue their investment in Pacific businesses, focusing on Cascadia, Australia, Korea, Jiangnan, AU6, and Bangladesh, where they illustrate a steely knowledge of local business practices and are soon investing wisely in local companies. To make trade easier, several sail-based warships are decommissioned and added to the corporate merchant fleets, saving on maintenance costs and providing some incentive for trade-based industries to invest in shipping. (+EP/turn, + power, Corporate council faction, - power, Military executives faction, California)

The Frisco Bay Project continues development with a major electric rail-line to connect Fresno to the sea and the remaining San Francisco bay region. Already several corporations are making extensive use of the line for shipping freight both to and from fore ign ports. (+ EP/turn, +industry, energy spent, +power, corporate executives faction, California)

Applying a strategy of ‘divide and conquer’, the Confederate States of America have begun courting some members of the Venezuelan Liberation Front least loyal to their cause and offering them positions within the local Venezuelan government. These ‘traitors to the cause’ often bring with them specific information about the rebel movements which the CSA has been able to utilize to further infiltrate and counter rebel actions (+ espionage quality, - power, Venezuelan Liberation Movement faction, CSA)

Continuing their drive to energy independence, the CSA continues to invest in low-tech bio-diesel production, converting their extensive corn fields into usable energy which they hope to develop into industrial and military strength one day (+ agriculture spent, + energy production, CSA)

Although they lack the expertise of the Californians or the Aztecs, the Los Zetas are eager to gather the energy of the sun and cartel “bosses” order the construction of a series of sun-powered energy stations that the Aztecs and others are calling ‘antique’. None-the-less, the energy is soon flowing and the Los Zetas manage to develop greater energy security (+ industry spent, +energy produced, Los Zetas)

---Using information gained from informants bribed away from the Venezuelan Liberation front, the Confederate States of America have been able to intercept and counter rebel attacks and even hit the rebels in their ‘secure’ bases, greatly decreasing their capacity to disrupt CSA slave-gathering operations in the area. The CSA is happy to report no major losses during these military procedures.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA:

In the high-lands of Peru, the people are being asked to give to the war effort against the occupying Colombians until they can give no more. As the ‘free’ Peruvians (as the military junta like to call themselves) flee the lowland cities, they take with them anything they can, primarily weapons and industrial goods so that they might rebuild their armies in the highlands. There, anyone who can carry a gun is provided with one, regardless of training or experience. It is said that the relatively tiny nation of Peru has a nearly half-million man army. Those that can’t fight, if they can stitch, they’re on sandbag or uniform duty. If they’re a farmer, they’re seeing 90% of their harvest carted off to support the general’s army. Famine and destitution is beginning to spread as the massive army consumes all it can find and every able-bodied man is enlisted to fight, and yet it is the ‘rebel’ fighters that can afford to buy food and supplies- the Peruvians military has managed to maintain some small fraction of the national tre asury and this ensures the relative loyalty of their soldiers amidst the chaos. (faction loyalties adjusted, Peru)

Forest fires strike the rapidly drying north of Brazil where the Amazonia deserts threaten to overwhelm the shrinking Brazilian rainforests. Fires have destroyed farms and villages and the people worry burnt forests may be replaced not with new growth but expanding desert. (- agriculture produced, Brazil)

While the war rages on across the border in Peru, Brazil keeps true to its word with the Colombians and their allies, distancing themselves from direct military involvement and instead assisting any Peruvians who wish to seek refuge in Brazil to do so. With prices for common goods like potatoes so high and conscription so common, many Peruvians do flee to Brazil, indeed nearly a million souls cross the Andes to seek refuge. Somehow, the ‘Free Peruvian’ generals seem willing to allow this exodus- perhaps they see it as one less factor they must worry about. (- population, Peru, + population, - power generals and elite officers faction, +loyalty, socialist rebels faction, Brazil)

Continuing its infrastructure development, Brazil invests in a series of water and wind-mills. Additionally, they invest in new farms for the Peruvian refugees (+ agriculture, energy produced, + industry spent, Brazil)

Pampasna continues to develop its farms, especially across the Pampasna plains from which their nation takes their name. Additionally they invest in roads, caravansarai, and mule-powered caravans to help improve trade with both the Andean commune and the Brazilians who soon see a reduction in food prices as a result.

Earth's dispossessed are vulnerable targets for extremists: those who teach that global justice is meaningless; that satisfaction can come only in violence, division, and intellectual isolation.Abdallah II

Amazonia is a country divided- conflicting ideologies, power-structures and popular movements all make claims to lead the recovering nation. The fertile soil for foreign ideology proves too seductive for a variety of foreign powers keen to gain influence in the area. The Aztecs continue to send assistance to those municipalities they had assisted in 2100 and 2101, sending technicians, resources, and, strangely, priests. As a result the Amazonians are beginning to not only develop some energy independence but a larger population of faithful loyal to the ‘Ancient Ways’. Many municipalities begin warning the population against the danger of communist and socialist ideology, against involvement with the regional superpower of Colombia. These even begin distributing pamphlets amongst the population. While some advocate using foreign investment to develop local industries and providing some return on that investment annually in a model based on that of Absaroka, California, or Hubei, others want to take a more direct approach, seizing the nation by military means and enslaving those who do not fall into line. When some locals loyal to the communist cause try to defend their viewpoints (and often property) they soon find that the anti-communist agenda is well armed and soon anti-communist militias are not only patrolling several villages loyal to the ‘capitilist cause’ but visiting others not so loyal to their cause and ensuring that any ‘pinko traitors’ soon have the ‘red’, literally, beat out of them. (-population, factions adjusted, Amazonia)

--- The Carribea seems ready to finally tackle their domestic problems with rebels and pirates when they launch an audacious campaign of ‘search and destroy’ to intercept pirate attacks, track the pirates to their bases, and launch infantry assaults upon those bases. The result is much messier then expected. The rebels are well armed and organized and soon inflict significant losses upon the Carribea, including upon their modern navy. None-the-less, several pirate and rebel bases are destroyed and the rebels themselves sent to prison or Davy Jones's Locker (- 1 infantry, - 2 frigates, + loyalty peasant faction, - power rebel faction, Carribea)

EUROPE: Perhaps it is a sign of the further collapse of the northern Thermohaline circulation, or perhaps, as some say, it indicates a new current falling into place as the world’s oceans adapt to new, warmer, temperatures, and higher sea levels. Regardless, throughout the spring of 2102 and 2103, a series of cyclones form east of the Caribbean and migrate across the north Atlantic. Over the course of the two years, nearly sixty major cyclone-generated storms make landfall over Iberia, the Frankish Principalities and the Confederate Communalist Union bringing giant amounts of warm, tropical rain. As a consequence the once-depleted aquifers of western continental Europe are replenished like never before in the last half century and summers and autumn in the Confederate Communalist Union are not only wetter but also much warmer. It remains to be seen if these life-giving storms are freakish accidents or a sign of things to come (+agriculture Confederate Communalist Union, Iberia, Frankish Principalities)

The Iberians also continue their investment in agriculture and indeed, with these subsidies and the new rains, many farmers are finally able to capitalize and sink new, highly productive, wells in regions that were considered too dry to farm only two years ago. It looks as though the era of famine may have at long-last faded into history. In conjunction with these investments, the Iberian command also invests a small amount in local energy production, subsidizing part of the cost of municipal solar wind and hydro power development. (+ agriculture, energy produced, + industry spent, Iberia)

The Iberians continue developing their fortifications in both their southern territories adjacent to the Magreb Union border and throughout the Pyrenees. These defenses include subterranean bunkers, anti-aircraft (unguided) rocket batteries, mines, and a massive labyrinth of tunnels and reinforced command and control structures. All three nations on the borders can only hope the defense will never be tested (+ army, air quality, Iberia).

The Iberians also invest in their military with a series of training programs and ‘reeducation courses’ for problematic officers. Many soldiers who’s loyalty may be questionable soon learn many wonderful things about their great socialist leader including the benefits of hard labor, crime and punishment, and total loyalty. Amongst the lower ranks of officers there is rumors of purge but for now nothing comes of it. (- army quality, + espionage quality, + loyalty, military officers faction, Iberia)

Further north the confederate communities of the Communalist Union further develop their national army with new non-commissioned officer training, and training in various forms of irregular warfare should the worst happen and a professional hostile enemy ever invade. The tactics trained in are to maintain an insurgency and guerilla-type war in the face of a modern enemy invading. While the Confederates are not eager to take on a larger opponent head-on, they do want to ensure that any that invade will be unable to hold or conquer their lands and this training as well as a variety of infrastructure developments that remain secret will make such an effort much more difficult. (+ army, air quality, Confederate Communalist Union)

''The problem is no longer that with every pair of hands that comes into the world there comes a hungry stomach. Rather it is that, attached to those hands are sharp elbows.'' Paul A. Samuelson

The northern confederate municipalities are also eager to develop an environmentally friendly approach to community development, using a variety of efficiency-amplifying developments as simple as better insulation in homes to local geo-thermal heating in community centers to water-recycling stations, all built and developed at a local level and all with the aim to limit the environmental footprint of the people. A similar investment aimed at industrial waste, with sub-projects including the recycling of thermal waste, higher effi ciency generators and even biological ‘waste capture’ systems based on designer microflora is highly effective in reducing industrial waste. Not only do many of the investments prove effective in reducing energy and other waste but they prove very popular with the environmentally-concerned citizenry. Amongst many neighboring countries concerned with efficiency, the successes and especially knock-on economic effects are being studied with an keenly appraising eye. (+ industry produced, -agriculture, industry, energy spent, + loyalty, Communalist Ecology Movement Citizenry, Green Gaia Movement factions, Confederate Communalist Union)

Perhaps the single greatest piece of news in Europe in the unification of the Prussian Kingdom with the corporate holdings of the European Trade Conglomerate. The united Fourth German Reich promises to be a major power in Europe and potentially the world as it melds the technological expertise of the corporations with the economy and population of the Prussian kingdom. The new nation is nominally led by the Fuhrer, Katherine Voight, though her power is limited by restrictions based on preserving the power of both the Kaiser as well as the Spiegal corporation itself; indeed no Prussian soldier is even allowed entry to Stuttgart as it retains many extraordinary powers relating to its corporate territoriality. Not all are happy with the massive restructuring. In the east, many polish nobles want nothing to do with the new structure and indeed entire divisions, airfields and fighter squadrons have pledged their allegiance to the Polish crown and King Miroslaw Branicki. King Miroslaw claims that the Kaiser has sold-out the ideals of the Kingdom and that he, King Branicki, will at least uphold these ideals for the eastern nobles and their serfs. Perhaps most ominously, he claims as his capital, though has little control over it, the city of Wrocław. And though many eastern nobles have pledged their loyalty to the new Polish crown, fear of the Fuhrer and the forces of the Teutonic Order has pushed them to seek military agreements with the Russians and Zaporizhians. A second problem soon to develop is that while the Bavarians can provide substantial technical, industrial and energy assistance to the development of the new state, these require substantial transport across the wide nation and decentralization of many manufacturing and energy sectors will be required if losses due to transport and transport-related inefficiencies are to be avoided; the current plan is simply not efficient- with one region serving as the manufacturing and technical hub for an entire nation but with little transport infrastructure in place to allow dissemination of goods or energy. (- Prussian Kingdom, - Bavaria, + Fourth German Reich, - 2 infantry, -2 cavalry, -1 fighter plane, +agriculture, industry, energy spent, factions adjusted, Fourth German Reich)

Despite these difficulties, the new Fourth German Reich is quick to apply the technical knowledge of the Bavarians, developing a pair of new moderately sized thorium reactors with nobles trusted by the Fuhrer. Energy demands are also supplemented with new biodiesel refineries but their concentration in Bavaria further exacerbates the energy dissemination problem. Manufacturing is not ignored, with much of the new energy produced being used to power a large robotics-based manufacturing plant in Stuttgart specializing in the production of heavy industrial equipment as well as a series of smaller factories throughout the kingdom. Meanwhile the Bavarian academy continues to develop with new laboratories, engineering bays and especially security systems. One of those attending the academy is the Austrian Princess, who is due to marry the Kaiser’s son in seven years if everything goes to plan. (+ industry, energy produced, + agriculture, energy, industry spent, + espionage quality, Fourth German Reich)

Across the Fourth Reich, many who thought union with Baveria would bring an end to their energy needs have been sorely disappointed. The development of new industries, most of them in Stuttgart, and the lack of infrastructure to disseminate energy, means that most villages have no power and many noble estates have to pay very dearly indeed for the privilege (- EP/turn, -loyalty Kaiser faction, Fourth German Reich) King Jörg Schüssel of Austria orders the continued development of windfarms across the high ridges of the Austrian Alps, coupling these developments with intentionally light industrial development. The wind-powered industries provide some small boost to manufacturing without too adversely affecting employment or transport costs. These decentralized, conservative developments continue to slowly develop the Austrian economy without unbalancing it (+ industry, energy production, + energy spent, Austrian Kingdom)

Both the papacy and the Confederate Princedoms of the Mediterranean seem willing to pretend that there was no issue with piracy and foreign attack between them. No doubt the papacy does not wish to be found out as being involved in piracy while the Princes no doubt simply wish to avoid war. Either way, both seem willing to simply ignore the matter with the Princes keen, in fact, to turn inwards, and develop their agricultural strength with new terraced farming along their eastern territories least affected by the drying climate. (+ agriculture produced, Mediterranean Principalities Confederation)

The Zaporizhian Republic sees the expansion of their agricultural sector when they found and subsidize a number of fortified farming communities in southern reaches of their territory near the Black Sea. Many of the Stanytsi, as a result, also see an expansion of population in that area as many shepherds or urbanites from the central region migrate to the area to take advantage of the farming subsidies. (+ agricultural production, + army quali ty, + power Stanytsi faction, Zaporizhian republic)

--- With both the Magreb Union and Iberians focusing their military on their shared border, it is no real surprise that the two, historically hostile, forces might engage in some spontaneous name-calling, insults and eventually even live fire. No one is sure who shot first but what is known as the ‘November Incident’ has resulted in the death of 5 Magreb Union soldiers and 3 Iberians. Luckily officers were able to bring the conflict to a quick and peaceful resolution but the incident does illustrate the dangers of having two large, potentially enemy, forces in close proximity over a shared border for an extended length of time.

AFRICA:

The Magreb Union continues to develop its economic infrastructure, focusing in these years upon their capacity for light infrastucture, greatly increasing their manfuactring base and capacity to produce those sub-assemblies critical for anything from vehicles, farm equipment, electric power stations or even military equipment (+ industry produced, + energy spent, Magreb union)

It seemed like a sign form Allah, some final judgment upon a world already found guilty. It started on Al Jazeera Al Khadra (island of Pemba) and the first to bleed was a Shia Imam. It was the Laylat al-Qadr, most blessed of Ramadan, favored by God, a night of power and, supposedly mercy. The Umma had been fasting all day, reinforcing their soul for the day when they would be judged. The local Umma had broken their fast together at Iftar and while mothers and children had retired to their homes to sleep, many men an

d women stayed at the Masjid and performed the Tariwah. Those who knew the Imam though his face pale and his eyes bloodshot but that was simply accredited to the fasting and sleeplessness; he was an older man and did not fast as easily as once he had. But as the night progressed and the congregation read one Surah after another, his eyes grew darker and redder. Dark bruises formed under them, and then finally he began crying tears of blood. It was a sign from God, interpreted differently by all, but universally understood to be a supernatural sign. By the following evening the ‘bleeding eyes’ had spread to the mainland and Dār as-Salām (the harbor of peace). All seemed to be affected and soon the “Bloody Eyes of Ramadan” could be found everywhere, amongst pious Muslims, Christians, and even the unbelievers. Panic soon swept the city and the Makuata senate soon closed the island and city, enforcing quarantine, believing the portent to be simply some sort of pandemic. Soon however the bloody eyes came to the Umma Al-Mu’minin, brought there aboard the trade ships. In desperation and panic, great fires swept the coastal cities of the Makuata state; many Umma Al-Mu’minin ships were burnt alongside shops, homes, factories and markets. The Bloody Eyes travelled to Karachi and Tehran and other great cities of the Umma Al-Mu’minin but it struck hardest at the coast of Makuata. Finally, as the people grew more zealous in their prayer, more sincere in their piety, God withdraw his portent and the ‘Bloody Eyes’ passed. And though there was carnage in the wake of the ‘great sign’, deaths could all be attributed to arson or assault or panic-induced stampede and not to the portent itself. It seemed that God had had mercy after all. (-EP, -population, -industry, energy produced, - energy spent, - loyalty, power Umma Al-Mu’minin faction, Makuata, -EP, -power merchant class faction, Umma Al-Mu’minin) The council of the New Day soon develop the single greatest natural energy resources known to the Tukufu Tanganyika with a pair of major geo-thermal plants on the ‘Great Rift Valley’. Very soon, this power is will be used to energize low energy hydrocabons to synthetic fossil fuels for distribution throughout the nation. The net result greatly strengthens the local economy and promises to make the New Day a dominant local player. (+ energy produced, + industry spent, +peasantry loyalty, Tukufu Tanganyika)

The Tukufu Tanganyika also begin preferential trade with both the Khoisan and Bantu Ubuntu and though none of these nations are well situated to export a large amount of product, a near absence of trade goods has turned into a steady trickle. One potential fly in the ointment are the Eastern Shona warlords of the Bantu Ubantu through who’s territory much of the trade must pass. To date they have been willing to leave the trade alone but if it grows too lucrative, there is certainly the threat of banditry (- power, Umma Al-Mu’minin merchants faction, Khoisan Kingdom)

In the south, the Khoisan kingdom continues to develop its low-tech alternatives, this time focusing on development of a plentitude of cottage industries. Throughout the kingdom, nobles are awarded subsidies to develop their fiefs with whatever industries best suit them, from honey and candle production, to smithing iron, to woodworking, to leather-tanning to horse-rearing or what have you. Ultimately, this results in happier, wealthier nobles and a variety of low-tech industries that are feeding into the growing, very medieval, Khoison economy (+ industry produced, + industry, energy, agriculture spent, -pow er, king’s court faction, + power, loyalty, nobles faction, Khoisan kingdom)

ASIA:

In 2103, Turkey completes the first major steps in its conversion to a hydrogen-based economy, using its extensive, though aging, thorium reactors to split hydrogen from oxygen in water and using the hydrogen as the furnace for fuel-cell based electrical engines. They immediately put the new technology to work developing high-end industries including basic electronics and even electric vehicles for the super-rich for both domestic and foreign consumption (+ industry, energy produced, + energy spent, Turkey)

In an unexpected development, cardinals leading the research development of Armenian science have stumbled upon ground-breaking findings in electronic warfare, greatly accelerating that field of research for the Christian theocracy (+ research invested in electronic warfare, Armenia)

The Mongolian Khan continues his focus on developing one of the best-trained and equipped airforces in the world as he continues to develop the Royal Mongolian air academy into a series of further decentralized satellite academies and invests in a specialized materials institute designed to investigate the way in which a variety of plane designs cut through turbulence, float on air currents and generally behave under simulated combat conditions (+ air quality, Mongolia)

Making use of the remaining snow-melt and the high-mountain rivers, especially in spring, officials loyal to the Tibetans monks design and implement a series of small hydro-electric dams- most are no bigger than a small business or school but there are many of them and their efficiencies are not too poor. All told, the Tibetans are beginning to develop the energy their nation needs for industry or military use (+ energy produced, + energy, industry spent, Tibet)

In addition to their power stations, the Tibetans also explore the construction of artisans’ workshops in a manner similar to much of India and other population-rich, energy-poor nations throughout the world. These workshops focus on developing industry from agricultural products, especially leathers from their highland cattle, yak, and sheep herds (+ industry produced, + agriculture, industry, energy spent, Tibet)

Bit by bit the Sikhs of Khalistan are beginning to return to some semblance of normal even as they battle with monstrously high degrees of aborted pregnancies, birth defects amongst their children, and a wide variety of often untreatable cancers. For the survivors however, the world, and their nation, must go on. Trusting in their high council, the people begin developing a series of limited windfarms along the tall ridges of the mountainous regions of their homeland and in turn linking the energy produced to rudimentary manufacturing centers to assist in the production of things like metalworking and textile manufacture, almost all of it entirely for domestic consumption at this point, the scale being much too small for export. Despite the limited successes, it is a step in the right direction for the determined theocracy (+ energy, industry produced, + energy spent, Khalistan)

The people of Odisha continue developing rudimentary decentralized workshops. Amongst the products produced are a wide variety of wooden and metal tools, textiles, pottery and other products produced by hand with minimal energy investment (+ industry produced, + energy spent, Odisha)

The communist leadership of Naxal suffers a set-back to their research into Thorium atomics when a group of anxious citizenry, worried about further fall-out and a new round of birth-defects, abortions and cancers, lead an attack upon a atomic research facility there, killing several scientists and destroying years of hard-work. As a result of the attacks, many scientists and their families flee the nation, seeking refuge in Naraka where their expertise and knowledge is highly valued. Indeed, under their expert guidance, Naraka soon opens it

s first thorium reactor since the events of 2038, bringing thorium-based atomic energy back to the people who first developed it (+ energy produced, industry spent, + research, Naraka, - research Naxal)

Despite the set-back, the Naxal economic planners continue with their social planning with an investment in the fishing fleets of the nation thereby hoping to avoid the worst of the fall-out damages by turning to the diluted pollutions of the world’s oceans (+ agriculture produced, +industry, energy spent, Naxal)

While Saeqeb fighters scour the highlands of Bangladesh for any signs of the slave revolt, nearer to loyalist towns and villages the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Teesta and Brahmaputra rivers continues. (+ industry spent, + energy produced, Bangladesh)

The Manchurians seem to have awoken from their slumber with a fierce determination to make things better for their ethnic Manchu majority, even at the cost of alienating and disempowering other races within their borders. In a move that surprised many but greatly pleased the local fascist movement, the Manchurian military officers have invested in a series of rails to connect their cities, using steel produced at brand new foundries throughout the nation. While this in of itself is not terribly Manchu-centric, what is segregatory about the policy however, is the source and use of that steel. While Manchus take advantage of reduced local taxes, non-ethnic Manchus are forced to pay taxes 10% higher than their non-Manchu counterparts- much of which can only be paid for via scrap metal scavenging. The scavenging is not enough, in of itself, to feed the hungry foundries but Manchuria has always been blessed with bountiful ore and many neglected mines are brought back online to feed the foundries and produce new rails. The racial favoritism does not end there however. The steel produced by the new mills are often made into new farming equipment, equipment which requires a ‘racial purity license’ to obtain, leaving many non-Macnhus with broken or ancient equipment and relatively smaller harvests than their Manchu neighbors. Additionally, the increasingly apartheid government institutes new regulations for Russian merchants and immigrants necessitating special visas and those entering without proper passes are confined to slave camps for up to fifteen years. Needless to say, the moves have done much to alienate the non-Manchu asian and Russian minorities. Unfortunately the new steel mills and rail-lines are massive energy consumers and the Manchurian thorium reactors are soon almost overwhelmed by the demands; the cost of energy across Manchuria has begun to rise dramatically and many are unsure of the worth of the new rails or mills. (+ agriculture, industry produced, + energy spent, + loyalty, power, fascist movement faction, - loyalty, power, Russian minority faction, Manchuria)

The Manchurians also invest in a series of upgrades for their military surveillance and communications systems including new radio and radar facilities. Potential future applications can easily be envisioned with the advent of a formal electronic warfare forces (+ army, air military, and espionage quality, Manchuria)

Opposite the Manchurians, the Korean cabinet proposes a bill to expand the rights of citizenry to not only include the military but the domestic police as well. The bill does indeed pass, but only barely and for some months serves to really define political dialogue for Koreans, “What is citizenry exactly and how does one earn it?” Amongst more liberal-minded freemen, there is a strong movement born to abolish the distinction between citizen and freemen, to empower those not dedicated to soldiering (- loyalty, power freemen faction, Korea)

Korea also develops their light industry manufacturing in the south of their nation employing many freemen and increasing building capacity. (+industry produced, +industry, energy spent, Korea)

In winter of 2103 an earthquake strikes in the border regions between Bingzhou and Yānzhào. As a consequence, many villages and mines are destroyed. While recovering from the damage, miners begin providing very strange reports indeed. Its seems that the earthquake has revealed a rich vein of coal running through the area and whether the coal was always there and simply revealed by the earthquake or if a deep vein was brought to the surface by the earthquake remains a mystery that may never be solved. Regardless, for the first time in over half a century, cheap, accessible, though reputably not terribly plentiful, coal has returned to China. Already locals have begun harvesting the valuable ore. (- population, + industry, energy produced, + industry spent, Bingzhou and Yānzhào both)

Yānzhào also focuses on the development of its agricultural security, taking a page from the Korean playbook, and investing in subsidies for municipal fishing villages as well as their own nationalized shipyards specializing in the construction of a fishing fleet. Many times these fishing boats have to travel far to find healthy, unpolluted waters for the waters around old Beijing are known for their high levels of fallout and industrial pollutants. As a result, energy costs are higher than expected. (+ agriculture, + industry, energy spent, + loyalty farmers faction, Yānzhào)

Though the treaty is not popular amongst the Qin, The Liangshan Yi and Qin come to an agreement over the war of conquest waged by the Yi upon the Qin over the last two years. According to the Treaty of Jintianbang, a large swathe of the industrial core of the Qin’s western territories, including sizeable bauxite reserves, would be annexed by their aggressive neighbor who would in turn provide the Qin with monies to rebuild a nation shattered by a two-front war and the fury of the seas and winds. While the numerous Zhuang, Dong, Miao, Yao, Hui, Yi, Shui and Gin people are happy to accept the conquerors’ rule, the dominant Han are not and there is a great exodus of these people eastwards to rejoin their Qin brothers in the eastern remaining portions of that territory. For the Liangshan Yi and General Su it is a great victory and no costs are spared in the resultant victory celebrations whereas for the Qin, the moment is a somber one, one overshadowed by their defensive military and diplomatic preparations to avoid renewed aggression by the Blue Suns corporation. (+ population, + agriculture, industry produced, + agriculture, industry, energy, spent, + loyalty military leadership, peasant, Buddhist monastics, AU6 merchants, Liangshan Yi, - population, - power military leadership faction, + loyalty peasant faction, New Qin Empire)

Even as peace is signed with the Liangshan Yi, the generals of the New Qin Empire train and equip new militia and infantry, build new fighters and generally prepare themselves for a second round of battle with the Hubei. Unfortunately for them however, they have not the agricultural nor industrial strength for such a large standing army and as a consequence, many farmers find that much more of their crop is being seized by the armed forces than they would like- indeed what remains is not sufficient to feed many families throughout the seasons and famine and desertion grow more and more common. Also, increasingly, the overwhelmed factories are unable to get material to the front to repair damaged planes, vehicles, or even just to produce adequate ammunition and sandbags. Things are looking increasingly grim for the Qin and many hope that a peace might soon be signed. For now the reconstruction of the Qin empire will have to wait though the Kowloon Advisory group stands ready to lend it assistance. (- loyalty, Buddhist monastics, peasant factions, - army, navy, air military quality, New Qin Empire)

The Hubei cut deals with their neighbors, selling batteries of power developed on the Yangtze river to the Pacific Island Sultanates. They also attempt to cut a deal with the Jiangnan but some misunderstanding on price prevents final sale from taking place.

The Bingzhou also sign a peace treaty with the Hubei, one that sees them willingly giving up their territorial advances within that nation for the sake of security and to prevent a FEDCO counter-assault. For the population, it causes a sigh of relief but for the leadership, there is loss of face (factions adjusted, Bingzhou)

The Jiangnan hold elections for country-level magistrates in Taiwan in accordance with a planned return to a democratic tradition. The elections are the first witnessed in the region in anyone’s collective memory but promise to change the social landscape forever. (- power military officers faction, + power New Kuomintang faction, + loyalty democratic movement faction, Jiangnan)

The Jiangnan also issue, in an attempt to raise funds, government bonds at rates that apparently seem agreeable to their more wealthy population because they soon sell and the government finds itself suddenly flush with its citizen’s private wealth.

The Pacific Island Sultanates invest in local industry with a variety of local small amd medium sized manufacturing plants making use of local limited energy (+ industry produced, + energy spent, Pacific Island Sultanates).

The Tok Pisin King might be forgiven for thinking himself prescient, for the storm guards built only one year past are soon put to the test when a pair of two consecutive hurricanes devastates the islands of the Pacific Island Sultanates and Tok Pisin. Maluku Utara, Maluku, and Irian Jaya Barat are struck particularly hard with high winds of greater than 100 miles per hour uplifting boats and sending them careening through fishing villages huts and shops, toppling infrastructure cables and heavy rains washing out streets, homes, and entire villages. Though the hurricane strikes the Tok Pisin more directly, the protection afforded by the recently constructed barriers does much to lessen the impact and the two nations are affected approximately equally. (- population, - agriculture, industry produced, - industry, energy spent, Pacific Island Sultanates, - population, - agriculture, industry produced, - industry, energy spent, Tok Pisin)

One of the world’s largest military exercises and war-games begins in 2103 and continues throughout 2104 amidst the Pacific Island Sultanates. The war-games, involves the fleets of all the major princes as well as the national fleet of the Prince Elect. The war-games include naval warfare, land-bombardment, shore support, cooperative attacks between the navy and airforces and, unexpectedly, survival amidst a tropical hurricane. This later exercise proves too much for a single frigate and many of the sail-based warships but also provides unexpected additional experience that greatly strengthens the Sultans’ naval strengths. (+ naval quality, - 3 sail warships, -1 frigate, Pacific Island Sultanates)

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You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might also pray in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance. Khalil Gibran With no orders incoming from the Majles-e Khobregan central command, local officers are left to their own devices to deal with the Arabian uprising near Mecca. Thinking that they cannot allow anyone, for any reason, to interfere with the Hajj and the commercial and spiritual importance of Mecca, they use a combination of aerial fly-overs with their Saeqab aircraft and cavalry and armor reconnaissance to meet the rebel Arab cavalry with their Zulfiqar armor divisions. These are specialized for softer targets, infantry and cavalry and utilize a series of six synergized autocannons to destroy the enemy while their armor provides protection enough against most threats the rebel cavalry can deliver. And so the siege of Mecca and its environs is easily lifted by local officers making use of these modern weapons. The sheer number of attacking arab rebels are able to inflict some damages however and not only is the local infrastructure damaged, but many Shia soldiers also lose their lives. The cause won however, fleeing Arab cavalry is pursued by Saeqab aircraft who soon illustrate their excellent capacity for striking ground targets by decimating the remaining Arab rebels as they ride into the desert. For now the Umma Al-Mu’minin is victorious though the rebels are no doubt regrouping in the deep desert (- 1 militia, - industry produced, - energy spent, - power Arabian Sunni Bandits, Umma Al-Mu’minin)

Bangladesh executives are keen to return their escaped slaves to captivity and in so doing teach the remainder a lesson about obedience they shall not soon forget. Saeqeb fighters scour the skies over the mountains of Keokradong and Saka Haphong, two regions the rebel slaves seem keen to fortify and develop. Soon enough however, the fighter reconnaissance sorties are replaced with bombing runs. Shortly thereafter the Bangladesh military planners are sending their infantry to flush out any slaves who have taken cover from the air raids. Altogether the military strategists of the Bangladeshi can claim some successes, killing and capturing many of the rebel slaves, but of course, fighting in the highland mountains against an entrenched enemy is bound to lead to some deaths and this is the case here as well (- infantry, - power, slave faction, Bangladesh)

An attempt by the ruling Tamils of Eezham to hunt down and destroy the rebel Singalese goes horribly wrong when one of their columns is ambushed near the ancient capital of Colombo. The Tamil military planners had hoped to find the rebels holed up further south and due to the compliance of the locals with the rebels had not realized they had moved so far to the north. As the columns had moved south, thinking the enemy was still quite a ways away, rebel forces struck hard and decisively, overrunning the center of the column with a well-executed and unexpected flanking attack while the isolated southern head of the column, turning to face the flank, was struck from the rear with a second head of the assault. All told it was a heady day for the Singalese as they capture or kill nearly three divisions of Tamil infantry and reinforce their own ranks with captured weapons and local prestige. (- infantry, + power, Singalese faction, Eezham)

While the AU6 airforce rebases to the Qin Empire in an effort to shore up that regime, Malaysian rebels manage to infiltrate a AU6 military base near Bangkok and detonate a series of bombs throughout. The explosions not only kill and maim thousands, they also send a very clear message, “We are ready to escalate this conflict if you will not grant us independence.” (- infantry, - army quality, AU6)

With no peace agreement between the New Qin Empire and the Hubei in sight, the New Qin Empire have requested and received military assistance from the ASEAN United Six. So while the Hubei and the Blue Suns corporation are busy rebuilding their airforce and electric vehicles and retraining infantry the New Qin empire, using reparation payments from the Liangshan Yi are doing the same. The AU6 meanwhile, is moving the lion’s share of its airforce north to airstrips constructed in the central regions of the New Qin Empire. These are soon tested by the Hubei.

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A person is born with a liking for profit. Xun Zi

On March 3rd of 2103, the Hubei strike again at the New Qin, their first attack a series of fighter-escorted bombing runs very precisely placed upon the New Qin infantry fortifications, obviously once-again making use of very precise intelligence to locate vulnerabilities in the Qin defenses. Unfortunately for them the AU6 and Qin have been busy moving their airforce into precisely that theater and while they are unable to intercept the initial assault, they are ready for successive attempts. The Qin and AU6 have a decisive numerical advantage in the air and quickly use that to locate the Hubei airforce, and despite the later’s greater training and superior equipment, punish it thoroughly. Meanwhile the Hubei move quickly with their electric trucks and jeeps, taking advantage of the surprise initial bombing run to establish opportune positions near the Qin capital. The move is an audacious one; the Qin have a much larger army, though greater than half is militia, and, with the AU6, a commanding aerial superiority. This later advantage is suddenly countered however when on March 6th, the Pacific Island Sultanates launch an assault on southern AU6 territory, with the AU6 withdrawing nearly eight squadrons of fighters and several bomber squadrons to defend from that attack. None-the-less, the Qin/AU6 air-force remaining continues to dominate the air, numbers telling the story with even the lesser trained Qin air-force almost doubling the number of fighters of the Hubei. None-the-less the Hubei land forces are mobile and attempt several times to flank the much less mobile and much less disciplined Qin army, several times bloodying the Qin in this manner. But the numbers simply are not sufficient for the Hubei and with the air securely commanded by the Qin, these assaults quickly become very expensive for the Hubei. Attrition quickly favors the Qin, so much so in fact that the Hubei are quickly forced back to their own lands, into which the Qin do not trespass. None-the-less, with a long trench-line manned by over 400,000 Qin infantry and militia lined up against slightly over 120,000 Hubei and with the skies commanded by the Qin, it is more a matter of logistics (and perhaps central command) that prevents the Qin from overrunning the Hubei line and taking their countryside by storm. Or perhaps it is the Korean forces that lie in wait within Hubei, no doubt biding their time for when the Qin cross the border and provide a casus belli for the Korean forces to engage the Qin. This doesn’t stop the Qin air-force however and with AU6 escorts, these make long sorties into Hubei territory, even as far as Sandouping and the Yangtze infrastructure itself. These raids are damaging not only to the command, energy and logistics structure of the Hubei, they reinforce the damage being inflicted upon the Blue Suns stock prices by the failed invasion. By fall stock prices have dropped to nearly one-tenth of what they were three years ago. What is truly amazing though is that as desperate stock-holders unload their devalued corporate holdings, someone seems willing to buy them. But as corporate executives flee the capital and the daily Qin fly-bys, rumors of ‘penal population’ rebellions across the countryside continue, and massive conscription slows economic growth, no one pays too much attention to the ‘who’ or ‘why’; they are only too happy to be rid of what they consider a toxic investment. Soon however, the buyers are outnumbering the sellers and stock prices begin to gain value, even as the war continues to go very poorly indeed. By December stock prices have reached 15% of what they were three years ago and the remaining corporate executives begin wondering where it is going and indeed, in some corners, there are whispers of ‘hostile take-over’. With dividend payments drying up, many executives who had once been desperate to sell their stock bet on increasing price-gains from the take-over attempt and get back into the game; the result is a tit-for-tat stock price rise even as the value thereof remains shockingly low. Soon the executives identify many companies, most operating from Jiangnan who are very eager to invest in the Blue Suns and obviously believe that with a little capital investment the rickety state can recover and soon begin developing a profit. Almost 55% of corporate bonds now lie in foreign hands though how much lies in any one share-holder’s portfolio, including that of Jiangnan, remains a mystery. And so, with the Qin in command of the air and a massive force on the border, the Hubei find their situation not so untenable; with the recent investments, their capital is massive and their trade agreements are assuring them continued access to resources. Perhaps they may win this war after all. (+ EP, -EP/turn,- population, -industry, agriculture, energy produced, - industry, energy spent, -2 infantry, -3 electric infantry, -1 cavalry, -3 propeller fighter, -2 propeller bomber, Hubei, -2 infantry, -2 militia, -2 fighter, Qin, -2 fighter, AU6, +EP/turn Jiangnan)

There is much jubilation amongst the Islamic rebels of southern AU6 in the wake of the successful attacks upon the AU6 garrisons and these are only increased when an unexpected assault by Pacific Island Sultanate forces force the AU6 airforce in Qin lands to return to the south and defend against this much more immediate threat. A force of two infantry divisions lands on the peninsula near Myelk, while an offshore destroyer provides support and fighters and other aircraft make use of the absence of a local AU6 airforce to punish the AU6 local command and communication structure. As the AU6 scrambles its forces and rebases its airforce to responds to the threat, a fighter squadron of the Pacific Island Sultanates is locally outnumbered and downed while the isolated and relatively unsupported infantry are surrounded and forced to surrender. The destroyer takes a direct hit from an AU6 bomber but retreats to friendly harbors for repairs successfully. Very soon however the Prince-elect of the Pacific Sultanates opens radio contact with the AU6 military executive. Emergency diplomacy between the two nations does much to diffuse the confusing and still unclear solution and very soon the Sultanate forces, with the exception of the captured infantry, withdraw completely. Was this an attack by one, overly enthusiastic sultan-prince without the support of the confederacy? Was it a mistake in communications arising from the Sultanate war-games? Or was it something else? (- industry, agriculture produced, - industry, energy spent, AU6, - 1 infantry (with one more remaining in AU6 territory as POWs), -1 fighter, Pacific Island Sultanates)

And finally Winter, with its bitin', whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow. Roy Bean In December of 2103, the Manchurian forces north of the Korean border, in the midst of upgrading their radio-communications equipment receive an unexpected order to raid the Korean city of Hyesan. Obediently these forces (2 divisions of infantry) cross the frozen Yalu river and march directly into the heavily fortified city. Somehow the Koreans seemed to be aware of their immanent arrival and had prepared elaborate defenses including barb-wire-reinforced trenches, artillery guns, and machine-gun nests. The initial assault was a massacre with nearly 2000 Manchurians losing their lives on the first day. Local Manchurian commanders, realizing the trap, quickly return to Manchuria, fleeing across a the ice of a river increasingly broken up by artillery and mortar strikes. Many more lives are lost though both divisions remain largely intact- a testament to the excellent training and discipline of the Manchurians rather than the ineffectiveness of the Korean defenses which were indeed substantial. The Koreans are quick to retaliate for the Manchurian aggression, the later, despite their aggression, seemingly unprepared for a war on the Korean front and having to recall many forces on distant borders. The Yānzhào, true to their word and the spirit of the FEDCO agreement, are quick to aid their allies, joining with the Koreans in a joint naval and air offensive against south-western Manchurian ports and airfields. In the first two days of aerial and coastal bombardment, the cities and military garrisons of Ishangga gašan hoton (formerly Yingkou), Huludau, Jinzhou, and Panjin all suffer a brutal beating, with many Manchurian ships caught in port as well as many aircraft caught on the ground. By the afternoon of the second day however the new Manchurian radio relay system has allowed an organized defense to begin developing with Manchurian aircraft superior quality and training quickly reversing any initial gains that allied Korean and Yānzhào air forces may have had and fighting the retaliatory allied forces to near-equal back and forth scramble over Manchurian territory but unable to extend their command to the Yellow Sea or over Korea. The same is not true of the territory over Yānzhào, which despite their numerous aircraft are easily outclassed by the Manchurian fighters. At sea the Korean navy, though not as disciplined or trained as their Manchurian counterparts command a larger navy and can make greater use of both Yānzhào and their own airforce to support and so begin to make decisive inroads against the Manchurians. Korean infantry had hoped for some sort of blitzkrieg attack upon Manchurian forces and while they do manage to make some quick territorial gains, these are quickly brought to a halt as the Manchurian army organizes a defense and entrenches. The spring, summer, and fall of 2104 see a much slower conflict, one of long trench warfare and slow attrition slowing turning in favor of the more numerous Koreans with the overhead aerial war proving consistently indecisive, the logistical, training, and disciplinary superiority of the Manchu doing much to equalize the numerical inferiority of the northerners. At sea however the vengeful allied forces continue to dominate, despite their inferior training, and manage to strike decisive victories against the more lightly armored Manchurian navy and soon the coastal cities of the Manchurian Liadong Wan and Korean Bay are threatened though do not yet suffer coastal bombardment. (- population, - 5 infantry, -2 cavalry, -5 sail warship, -2 frigates, - 1 destroyer, -4 fighter, -1 bomber, +10 militia, -2 militia, Manchuria, -7 infantry, -2 cavalry, -4 frigate, -1 destroyer, -5 fighters, -1 bomber, Korea, -population -1 infantry, -1 cavalry, -3 sail warship, -4 fighter, Yānzhào)

OCEANIA:

The king of Tok Pisin seems eager to expand his navy as he develops a bio-diesel powered shipyard as well as new bio-diesel distilleries throughout the nation in the wake of the great hurricanes that strike his nation. Presumably in the years to come he will also set about repairing the damages caused by the storms (+ industry, energy produced, + agriculture, industry, energy spent, + naval quality, Tok Pisin)

SPOTLIGHT: PERU

''Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.'' John Kenneth Galbraith

In January of 2103 ‘Free Peruvian’ forces, as they call themselves, had fled to the highlands, leaving the lowland coasts to the Colombians and their communists allies, who, through their superior navy, which includes elements from as far away as Iberia, are able to effectively control these areas with little difficulty. As they fled, these forces take everything they can with them, including the national treasury and the products of many low-land munitions factories. Going from village to village they conscript all they can and seize whatever food or treasures they feel they need to continue their resistance. Needless to say, this does little to maintain the support of the population and indeed many Peruvians are sympathetic to the communist invaders, their ‘people first’ ideology and indeed their mercy towards the population of the nation they are occupying helping to make the point.

Brazil, whom Peru had thought might support them, is not; indeed they have limited their involvement to opening their borders and inviting the Peruvian population that wishes to flee across their borders to do so. And so the ‘Free Peruvian’ generals find themselves increasingly isolated both diplomatically and militarily. Indeed, while they can afford to provide their soldiers with an ample wage, many within the ranks are beginning to doubt their loyalties nonetheless.

Meanwhile the allied forces of Colombia and the Andes find support from not unexpected quarters, with Iberia providing soldiers to assist as well as an unexpected quarter, with Californian mercenaries swelling the Communist ranks. These forces, as well as a greatly increased Colombian and Andean military presence provide the stability and security the Communist need to begin developing a friendly local government based in Lima.

The nascent government is formed from a number of what was once communist rebels and socialist intellectuals from the Peruvian government and is led by the General Secretary Adriana Mariátequi who has the distinction of being directed descended from José Carlos Mariátegui La Chira. Indeed, much of the new government is based on his ideologies and writings and his famous quote, ” The fight is long and tough, but together we can make it.” has become the rallying cry of the communist government and its struggle. Additionally, the Peruvian Communist military has taken the name of the ‘Shining Path’, a reference to the military communist struggle of variable reputation from the 21st century. Both the government and the military are greatly assisted by both advisors and military strategists of the Colombian and Andean communities.

As the communist government stabilizes in Lima there are a number of attacks by specialists forces loyal to the former government as well as more conventional assaults on villages and towns captured by the communists, attempts by the “Free Peruvians” to recapture lost territory and resources. Fortunately for the communists, the former communist rebels turned Peruvian government is very knowledgeable regarding where and how to hide out in the high mountains; they have been doing so for a long time. Additionally, popular support is increasingly with the communists in the wake of the conscription and theft of the guerilla forces. Together these ensure that the Peruvian, Colombian and Andean forces are able to intercept or turn many of these attacks.

The communists are not content simply to defend neither- their command of the skies and the greatly increased communist airforce, boasting not only local fighters but Californian mercenaries as well, ensures that their reconnaissance missions are mostly uncontested, though some rather unfortunate anti-aircraft small arms fire does manage to down an occasional unexpecting aircraft, and many of the ‘loyalist’ bases are easily located. A combination of fighter strafing and bomb drops ensures that these forces must constantly relocate and avoid open areas.

Ultimately however, if the communists are to secure Peru, they will need to engage the enemy’s massive army in its mountain fortresses. The task is no small one and the Peruvian ‘Shining Path’ military and its allies prepare themselves for a long and grueling campaign.

Numerically the ‘loyalist’ are actually the favored party but their lack of air support, an increasingly unfriendly peasant population, and spotty communications infrastructure (due to communist bomber activity) results in a number of impressive victories against superior numbers and fortified military encampments. These victories not only reduce the numbers of ‘loyalist’ forces directly, they increasingly encourage defection to the communist cause; indeed with every victory for the communists, with every village conscripted by ‘loyalists’, with every farm’s produce stolen, the communist army swells while the ‘loyalist’ one withers.

By the end of 2104, the ‘loyalists’ number but a fraction of what they did before but their numbers and the terrain have cost the communist forces dearly in men and material. Regardless the Colombian-led war can be said to be a success, with a friendly communist government in power in Peru, the ‘loyalist’ military backbone thoroughly broken, and the population increasingly supportive of the new governing power. Despite these successes, it is clear that the Communist government is not ready to stand alone against the ‘loyalists’ and the Colombians and Andean forces may need to remain for some time. (- population, New governance, factions, military, Peru, -population, -5 infantry, -1 fighter, + power, Communist Party, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, factions, + loyalty, Communist Party, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, factions, Colombia, - population, -1 infantry, California, -4 infantry, -2 fighter, + loyalty, Generals and Elite Officers, Socialist Republcan Purists factions, + power, Generals and Elite Officers faction, - power, Socialist Republican Purists faction Andean Commune)

