[MicroRP] Satellite Shenanigans (2015)

[bigbaldben]

Welcome! This is a Taijitu Role Play. Anyone can post, and all posts should be IN CHARACTER (besides this one).  This is a MicroRP, which means no more than a paragraph per post (roughly 4 sentences).  Please introduce yourself at the beginning of your nation's first post in the thread.

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*******THIS IS A VIDEO CONFERENCE********

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Karson Vitmueller, Ambassador, Republic of Megatridimensional Order

"Thanks everyone for calling in.  I will forgo formalities in order to respect everyone's time and get right to the point. 

One of our satellites in orbit around Taijitu has gone missing.  It has either been destroyed or stolen, as none of our other satellites can find any trace of it since we first lost communications.  Since things don't just disappear, our assumption is that one of our Taijitu nations has stolen it.  Confess now, acknowledge your mistake, and the Order will go easy on you."

[AwesomeSaucer]

Jason Jason, Ambassador of the True Democracy of Phoenixia

Wasn't us; I can promise that.  The TDP government has been funding a considerable amount into CAoS' new GPS technologies.  After all, they need it to properly work their new IoT concepts that seem to be a big rage these days.  All of our satellites are in perfect working order.

[St Oz]

Aelin Demid, Ambassador from the Divine People's Republic of Ozia

A screen showing the purple flag of St. Oz substitutes a video feed from the Ozian line. The People's Foreign Policy Bureau has yet to modernize the technology of the Megatrine Consulate.

"Jumping to conclusions from the Megatrines, I'm as shocked as seeing snow fall in winter. Maybe nobody stole your satellite, but it is your engineers deflecting blame. Do you have any evidence of theft or destruction other than a missing signal?"

[bigbaldben]

Karson Vitmueller, Ambassador, Republic of Megatridimensional Order

Vitmueller nods slightly in agreement.

"As the esteemed ambassador of Ozia has pointed out, and as the esteemed ambassador of Phoenixia has proven, it  apparently doesn't take advanced technology to track your satellites.  Our remaining satellites, with our hyper advanced magical technology called..." (Vitmueller makes quotes sign with his fingers) "videocameras... allow us to actually see things visually.  Our satellite is gone.  Also, we received this anonymous transition via our secure channels.  And I quote, *ahem...*"

WE GOT UR SATELLITE, SO SUCK IT!"

[AwesomeSaucer]

Jason Jason

Can you pull up some live footage of what's going on?  We never know whether they could take another satellite.

[bigbaldben]

Karson Vitmueller, Ambassador, Republic of Megatridimensional Order

"I'm sorry, you want to see live footage of our missing satellite?"

[Khem]

Grokh Kra'ki, Tsa'gum:Foreign Service Office, People's Confederation of Holy Isles

Grohk chuckled a bit, "Well that would surely makes things easier now wouldn't it? We of course would be willing to devote a few of our I.T. crew to help track your lost lamb. Course you'll have to fight the wolf yourself or pay a hunter to do it for you." From the relaxed tone in his voice Grohk has obviously punched off the clock and begun into his nightly routine of Ozian black lagers and cigars.

[AwesomeSaucer]

Jason Jason

I do sincerely apologize, Mr Kra'ki, but I must answer Mr. Virmueller's question.  And that answer is no, but I would like to see footage from a working satellite in space.  Actually, now that you mention it...how does the footage look from the broken satellite?  If you could, may you pull up both streams in split screen on the big screen?

[St Oz]

Aelin Demid, Ambassador from the Divine People's Republic of Ozia
Aelin hit the mute button on her desk phone and dialed a set of numbers on a red phone marked "ՕՎԼԷՆԻ" (SECURE in Ozian). The phone made audible clicks with a dial tone before finally sounding a ring tone, a deep female voice said on the other line "Hello, People's Bureau of Security and yadda yadda yadda, Dr. Eshkenz speaking."

"Hey Ieter! It's Aelin, I need some info on a missing satellite."

"You still owe me twenty notes!"

"I'll pay you back with Myrorian interest I promise."

"You better, what's this about a missing satellite?"

"The Megatrines lost connection to a satellite and they think someone stole it, I'm just confirming it wasn't us."

"You know Aelin, the Divine People's Republic respect the outer-atmospheric property of,"audible screams were heard in the background along with cries of help in a foreign language.

"What's that Ieter?"


Ozipol - Unknown Location

"Just television." At the office in Ozipol, Ieter was standing in an interrogation room where a couple of women hassled to gag a tied down man with tape.  Ieter waved a flat hand at her throat, "Idiots, I'm on the phone, turn it down."

A blue, latexed hand waved a salute to her, then picked up a scalpel and drew its blade across the man's throat. Blood gushed from the severed skin flowing over the cold metal table. His faced tied up with tape now oozed out blood from places the tape was folded and over the side of his face.

"No!" shouted Ieter, "Shit! I have to call you back."


Aelin slammed the red phone back on its hook, "Some fucking help they are."

She turned the mute button off again to hear the incessant gibberish of other Ambassadors. She opened a lower drawer at her desk and picked out a bottle of gin, then poured herself a generous bit of medicine in an empty mug next to her.

[bigbaldben]

Karson Vitmueller, Ambassador, Republic of Megatridimensional Order

Vitmueller rubbed his temples.  This was going worse than he thought possible.  He had told the PM this was a stupid thing to do.

"This is a stupid thing to do," he had said.

"Don't care," said the PM.  "We can't go declaring war willy-nilly like we used to."

Vitmueller wasn't sure if he was bothered more by the "don't care" shrug or by the use of the word "willy-nilly."

Regardless, Vitmueller was stuck with the ambassador from Phoenixia asking for random things, the ambassador from Khem clearly off-the-clock and the ambassador from St. Oz doing god-knows-what given the sounds and yelling coming from the line, at least until the ambassador mistakenly put herself on mute.  Again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please.  Look, if none of you were responsible for stealing our satellite - that, remember,  we cannot show you because it is no longer there - that's fine.  But I would hope at least one nation would have some intel on what might be happening and be willing to share it in a gesture of good will.  It's not outside the realm of possibility - though my superiors would not like me saying so - that this was  NOT the work of a government proper.  Is there any intel on organizations in your country with the money, technology and motive to pull this off?"

[AwesomeSaucer]

Jason Jason

"Alright, I think I can pull up some footage from space.  I just have to access this file...and drag it over here...and there we go."

A live video feed of what looks to be space appears on Jason's screen.  It shows a slightly moving picture of a top-down view of Taijitu.

[St Oz]

Aelin Demid, Ambassador from the Divine People's Republic of Ozia
"I will submit an incident report to our People's Bureau of Security, etc., but information will take a few days to come back. We'll let you know what we find Karson."

[Myroria]

Baladis Semnevanoth, President of Research, National Space Agency

"Demid is right," Baladis said, adjusting his coiffure. "Obviously the Engineering Department used apothecary measurements instead of metric, or fixed a vital computer component with some shoddy soldering, or tried to do an AMA on Roteit with the satellite and fried the communications panel. I'd do an internal audit of your own procedures before accusing any of us of tampering with your technology."

[Khem]

Grokh Kra'ki, Tsa'gum:Foreign Service Office, People's Confederation of Holy Isles[/i]

Wiping his moth of froth, "We will likewise get to asking some questions and get back to you when we know something."
The screen cuts to the Khemish flag as the audio cuts out.

Picking up his cell-phone Grokh swiftly pulled up the number he needed, "Khel'ed, I need all the information your crew can gather on the movements of Megatrine satellites within the last 48 hours, track down every last packet and find this damn thing." Quickly hanging up and summoning a more professional mindset he dialed again, "I need to know if the Vinnana'Datu or any subsidiaries were involved with this satellite debacle. Make damn sure to flash your rank when you ruffle their feathers, I want them to know it's my girl they're dealing with and our name they're fucking with!" Tossing the phone down Grohk began thinking into his drink bet it was the damned Ozians...

[bigbaldben]

Karson Vitmueller, Ambassador, Republic of Megatridimensional Order

From one video conference to another, the PM and the Presidium were keen on being updated.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, I will protest one last time and suggest that you allow me a few days to cobble together some information..."

"Which country has our satellite?" interrupted the Rudbert "Raging" Rudlow, the current Order PM.

Karson winced.  "No one has claimed responsibility."

"This is outrageous!" said Rudlow, awkwardly pounding his fist on the table - like a child the first time mimicking the actions of a parent - wholly unbelievable.

"Sir, I don't believe we should have asked and I don't believe we've properly researched the other two possibilities - that it malfunctioned, or that this was the work of a non-government entity."

"Preposterous!" said Rudlow.  With the face of a beaver and the body of a walrus made almost everything he did comical, and struggling to his feet was no different.  "I would suggest, Mr. Vitmueller, that you keep your focus on our enemy nations, especially the Ozians!  I know they're behind this - goddamn technophobes!"

"Sir, I..."

"Here's what you're going to do," said Rudlow.  Karson cut the transmission.  He'd pay a small penance later, no doubt, but the PM did not garner much respect throughout the entire government, and he knew it.

Karson thought for a minute, devising a plan.  He could be done as far as he was concerned - as Ambassador, he needed to be the one to make contact with the other nations. Frankly, he didn't care what had actually happened - he would deal with that when he came to it.   But following up on this investigation - solving this investigation, would serve him well in his political aspirations.  Besides, being Ambassador for the Order was kind of like being tailor for the Emperor without any clothes - full of lots of fancy motions, but no actual production.  He had time, he had the drive, and this could be a big win. 

Ok, first order of business is to check on the things the PM told him not to - get the story from Space Division and get a list of internal suspects from the Order Guard.