“That’s… That’s awful.” Penny said, “but - forgive by naivety – if this all happened when you were a teenager, how did effect the founding of Atlantia?”
“You have to understand the impact that this event had on the world stage,” Jonathan answered, “The ‘American Bloc’ – the countries around the world who were directly allied with the US, or who relied on them for military support – disintegrated overnight. Governments who had once looked to America for military protection had watched them sacrifice an ally to appease Moscow; if they could do that to South Korea, they could do it to them.”
“Countries started looking for other means of protection.” I continued, “Europe established the European army, a military force that quickly grew to a size comparable to the US and many of the former US dependants turned to Europe as an ally or protector. Others turned to China and some switched allegiances completely and sided with the Russians. Ivanov’s plan to expand the Russian sphere of influence may not have been as successful as he had wanted, but US influence – his main opposition – had crumbled. Very few of the old ‘American Bloc’ countries remained with the US.
“this all becomes relevant when Atlantia went before the UN for international recognition.” I went on, “America were obviously flatly opposed to Atlantian statehood, but – whereas before, the American Bloc would have sided with them and blocked our recognition almost by default, just because the US did – now their influence had eroded to the point where American opinion was barely a factor in the decisions of countries who had once been their closest allies. Many of the smaller countries still voted with their respective allies, but those allies voted based on negotiations with Atlantia, not on what the US wanted.”
“Aaah, I see.” Penny smiled, finally understanding how the Second Korean War had been relevant to the founding of our nation.
“Feeding certain technologies to the international market helped a lot as well,” Jonathan added, “As countries started becoming increasingly reliant on Atlantian technology, making trade between them and us easier and allowing a greater exchange of goods became a much bigger issue. You have to remember, Atlantia had the fastest growing population in the world, so it was more than just gaining access to Atlantian technology, foreign companies couldn’t access the Atlantian market unless their government gave us official recognition.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “They were under a lot of pressure to get this decision right. But it was the African Crisis that really announced our presence on the world stage, demonstrating the true measure of our technological superiority and military capabilities. Once we became known as a potential superpower… well let’s just say negotiations went a lot differently than I had imagined.”
Chapter 29
The sub-Saharan war
Alice and I watched the news reports in horror.
“The fighting here rages on as this brutal conflict stretches into its fifth week. The forces of the rebel warlord Abud Nassan are consolidating power in the vast territory they have carved out for themselves in the centre of the African continent, an area covering parts of Uganda, the Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. We have received countless reports from refugees of the atrocities and ethnic cleansing being carried out by Nassan and his men in every area that the rebel army have attacked, with tens of thousands of civilian already killed, the people of the small city of Birao on the Chad border are fleeing their homes as the warlord’s forces approach.”
“The sounds of gunfire can already be heard in the distance as hopelessly outnumbered and woefully underequipped government forces fight a desperate losing battle, trying to give the residents of this impoverished city time to escape; both the soldiers and civilians opposed to Nassan know the fate that awaits them if they are capture alive.
“The speed of Nassan’s advance has caught most of the nation’s armies completely off guard, often appearing apparently out of nowhere and launching brutal surprise attacks on the poorly equipped and under manned garrisons before moving on to civilian targets. The BBC have been told that the attacks have been so overwhelming that entire garrisons have surrendered to Nassan – often later joining his forces – within minutes of the battle starting. We have been told that whole sections of the armed forces – either fearing for their lives, or sympathetic to Nassan’s politics – have flocked to the rebel cause, turning their weapons on the very people they were sworn to protect. These tactics, along with the absorption of many other tribal armies, has seen the rebel forces swell, with estimates putting the number of soldiers as high as 475,000 men.
“This is a part of the world were tribal and ethnic identities run deep with conflicts over seemingly minor differences often flaring up and resulting in extreme violence. This is just the latest in a decades long cycle of conflict in the area, but the speed and success of Nassan’s forces have turned a local dispute into a regional crisis with hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the cross fire – all of whom are considered fair game to the rampaging rebels if their ethnic identities or political views are not aligned with Nassan.
Footage of the crimes perpetrated against civilians are far too barbaric and graphic to be broadcast, but reports of the systematic rape and murder of all women in an occupied village, the execution of any men refusing to join the rebel army, even reports of infants being torn from their mothers arms and thrown onto fires are far too numerous to ignore. The latest estimates put the death toll at almost 90,000 but with hundreds of thousands of civilians unaccounted for, the loss of contact with dozens of villages after they have been attacked and scores of displaced refugees being chased down by the rebel army, that death toll is expected to rise significantly over the next few weeks
“The African Union - already deployed on peace keeping missions in Zimbabwe after the wars of succession following the death of Robert Mugabe - are struggling to call up forces to tackle this new threat and are appealing to the international community for assistance. The Ugandan, Congolese, Sudanese and Chad governments have echoed these desperate calls for help as their forces are beaten back and the major population centres come under threat. If the rebel army attacks one of the main cities in the area, this could quickly become one of the worst atrocities in history.
“With no reports of foreign nationals killed in the conflict yet, individual governments are reluctant to involve themselves in what they are calling an African internal matter, instead calling for restraint on the part of the rebels and offering to mediate negotiations, appeals which have been ignored by the rebels. Abud Nassan, for his part, seems to be making a conscious effort not to attack international commercial interests such as mines and factories and has avoided tourist areas all together, probably in an effort to dissuade international attention. The UN Security council have called an emergency session to discuss the crisis but with the impoverished state of these countries and a lack of strategic resources, there is little optimism that their calls for help will be answered. Meanwhile, this brutal civil war rages on.
“This is the BBC world service, reporting from Birao.”
“I don’t understand.” Alice said slowly as the news network moved onto their next story and she switched off the feed. “why wouldn’t the security council act?”
I huffed as I paced around the floor of my office at the top of the recently completed Speakers Tower. “Because there is nothing in it for them,” I snorted in disgust, Alice cocked an eyebrow at me. “If the US, or Russia, or Britain, or anyone else intervenes, they are putting the lives of their soldiers on the line in a conflict that has no bearing on - and no economic value to - their country, especially if the rebels are leaving their interests alone. When some of those soldiers are killed, there are questions asked as to why there were there in the first place. These countries aren’t long standing allies, they are not trading partners whose trade benefits the economy, they don’t produce strategic resources – like oil – that are essential for a country to run, they are just extre
mely poor people in a distant part of the world who seem perfectly happy to kill each other. At least that’s what they tell themselves.”
“but… they’re people” Alice questioned, “poor and far away maybe, but they’re still people. If that was happening in their homes or to people they loved, they would want other countries to help…”
“And if they were oil producing countries, or were rich and could reimburse the helping nations, or if their trade was vital to another nation’s economy, they would probably get that help… if they weren’t – like the central African countries – they wouldn’t.”
Alice was silent for a moment, pondering the same dilemma as the one running around my brain. “Is that the sort of country we are going to be?” she finally asked. It was strange, I hadn’t decided what – if anything – to do about the situation in Africa until Alice asked that question. But hearing it being asked aloud forced me to confront a question that the Atlantian people should also be asking themselves.
“No Alice,” I smiled, the answer not only forming in my mind, but feeling right in its realisation. “No, it is not. Call a special session of Congress, they deserve to know their country is going to war.”
Calling a session of Congress – unlike the US equivalent or the UK parliament – was a surprisingly simple task. Due to the efficiencies of public transport, senators were able to commute to the People’s Congress from anywhere in the country daily, meaning that instead of having offices in their respective districts and coming to the capital when needed, the vast majority of senators operated out of the offices provided for them in the huge domed building at the south end of the National Mall. Calling congress to an emergency session was akin to ringing a dinner bell; within 90 minutes I was stood in front of an almost full house of domestic leaders.
There was no legal requirement for me to consult congress about my decision. In fact, being a foreign policy decision, it was already far outside their remit to debate, but addressing congress was tantamount to addressing the people so doing it on their territory always made unsettling news that much easier to deliver. As with every sitting of Congress, the whole spectacle was being broadcast live to the whole population. One of the other statistics that had surprised me over the past two years was the number of people who took an active interest in the politics of the nation, most of the people who had emigrated to Atlantia had done so for political reasons and a huge number of the population paid close attention to the broadcasts from congress. The audience for this address would be huge.
“Esteemed senators.” I started, “People of Atlantia… Friends. Thank you for attending this special session of the People’s Congress as I bring a very important matter to your attention.” There were almost 200 Senators sitting in the auditorium, each of which had his or her own desk and was accompanied by at least one aide. “For a number of years now, we have been travelling the road towards full international recognition, an acknowledgement by the world that we are more than an Island with a population… that we are more than the sum of our parts… recognition that we are – in fact – a true and independent sovereign nation.” There was a spattering of applause as the Senators – although accepting of my opening remarks – knew that the reason I had called them there was for more than just pleasantries.
“But… before we take any more steps along that road to nationhood, we must decide what sort of nation we will be. Will our justice be fair and equal, will our friendship to other nations be conditional, will our mercies and compassion only stretch as far as the shores of our own home, or will we take action to aide those who need it?” A murmur rippled through the crowd as – no doubt – some of the members started to understand where this speech was headed.
“The situation in Central Africa is critical; The leaders there have asked the international community for help and they have been ignored. So, I ask myself - as I ask you – are we the kind of nation who turns our backs on those in need? Almost one-hundred thousand civilian casualties and they aren’t even finished counting, mass executions, ethnic cleansing, war crimes the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Second Korean War and the world is ignoring them.
“All of us came to this Island to form a new nation, a nation that was different to the ones we left behind… better than the ones we left. I can understand a nation not wanting to send men to their deaths, I can understand nations who don’t have the resources or capabilities to help… what I cannot understand are nations who are perfectly able, but completely unwilling to stop these atrocities, nations who see no value in either the lives, or the countries being destroyed by this conflict, So I ask you again? Are we that kind of nation?”
A few Senators called out ‘NO!’ as another more enthusiastic trickle of applause rippled across the crowd.
“Our Spartan soldiers allow us to deploy military force anywhere in the world with no risk whatsoever to the men and women of Atlantia. Will we hold them back while civilians are killed by their thousands?”
A more emphatic “NO!” came from the crowd, a much larger number of whom were joining in with the chorus and the more energetic applause.
“I know I can make this decision on my own, I know that these people may live or die by my order, but this isn’t about me, this is about us! This speaks to the very nature of our country, the morality of our nation and the compassion of our people. So, I ask you again! Will we stand by and do nothing?”
This time the whole auditorium joined in with the chorus as a rapturous applause echoed of the walls.
“Then I am here to tell you, with the full weight of my authority, that this nation will be the protector of the oppressed and the defenceless, a bastion of honour and justice… The Spartans are going to war!”
There was not a filled seat in the house as every chair was vacated in standing applause and cheers. I couldn’t tell you if I had expected a different result, maybe less enthusiasm but the question had been asked and I had been given my answer. It was the first time that I felt like an Atlantian – not a displaced American, or a stateless and fleeing criminal, but a member of this new and great nation – and I had never been prouder.
A short time later I was in my office. The press was already making the announcement on every news channel and “a bastion of honour and justice” had become the rallying cry of a nation outraged by the situation on our nearest continental neighbour.
“What is our military situation?” I asked Alice as I entered. Alice – who now spent most of her time processing and controlling the infrastructure of the nation, as well as the production of new carbonite and its usage and so was very rarely ‘around’ in the sense that she always had been before – faded into existence next to the plush leather sofas in the middle of the office.
“Production is coming along nicely,” she answered with a smile. “The number of Spartans currently stands at 262,000 and there are enough dropships in the fleet to transport about 75,000 at a time. The air force is up and running, the Broadsword class air-superiority fighters, and the Longbow class ground attack bombers have all passed testing and are ready to be deployed, although I would strongly recommend most are held back for national defence until we can produce more. I’d say we can spare about 150 of each at the moment.”
These new types of aircraft were extraordinary, the Broadsword was small and incredibly agile fighter, its thin fuselage sprouting a pair of forward sweeping wings from the rear of the aircraft and a smaller set of back facing fins from the front gave it unmatched manoeuvrability in the air. Coupled with vector-able thrust from its two plasma jet engines behind the wings and smaller thrusters at the front, it was capable of manoeuvres never before seen outside of cartoons. The longbow was a more traditional, albeit larger looking aircraft bearing a passing resemblance to the Russian SU-27 Flanker. Although I had never seen either in action, they promised to be incredibly capable aircraft.
“What about the Mechs?” We had identified a need for our own version of long-range artillery
when the cabin had been attacked, but as the problem was looked into, a very different kind of military hardware took shape. The Mech was a bipedal, 15ft walker, armed with larger, rapid fire and heavy-duty variations of the X1 and a new, different type of plasma launcher; the X2. The X2 was similar to the heavy-duty bolt firing mode of the Spartan rifles, except with a massively increased amount of heat to be retained in the bolt and a much more fragile constrictor shield wrapped around it; instead of being designed to penetrate armour, this projectile was designed to cause massive explosions on impact.
The walker itself had heavier armour – it was almost guaranteed to be a priority target for enemy combatants - specifically designated anti-aircraft weaponry and a vastly improved load baring capability, but – more importantly – its redesigned legs allowed it to traverse any type of terrain with ease. They could also be folded down – its legs rotating to become parallel with its body - this decreased size allowing it to be slung under the fuselage of a standard condor dropship and be deployed at the same time as standard Spartans. The Mech had basically become the Atlantian answer to an armoured division. One of these at the cabin could have held off the military indefinitely.
“the Mechs have also passed testing but only recently been put into production. I can probably only spare about 20.” Alice replied.
‘Only’ 20 of the most advanced fighting machines on the planet. I’m sure that would be enough.
“Excellent,” I nodded with a smile. “Start loading them up ready for deployment. In the meantime, is there a way for me to contact the African leaders who asked for assistance?”
“Yes, although the connection will not be what your used to. They are quite far below the technical specifications and connection quality to be able to handle my system, plus their respective infrastructure has taken some damage from the conflict. But I might be able to clear it up once the connection is made.”
The Rise of the Speaker Page 32