BOMBS WRACK MICROROOSTER!
GOVERNMENT IN CHAOS!
Listeneisse Offers Aid & Assistance

DAS KAPITAL, USSM -- A large series of bombs detonated today, devastating the national government of the United Socialist State of Microrooster (USSM) by eliminating senior government leadership and causing over a thousand casualties.

The national assembly was in open session when the building exploded, utterly destroyed by one or more military-grade bombs. Simultaneously, senior government members, including the President, were believed to have been sequestered in a secret emergency leadership meeting at a separate location when a massive bomb detonated. Over a dozen other bombs were unleashed across the country over the next hour in a coordinated attack on national government sites, leaving hundreds of other casualties in their wake.



The two devastating bomb blasts in the capital were estimated to have killed 580 people and wounded at least 910. Casualties were estimated by a surviving member of the health ministries, who reported his own superior was missing and presumed killed in the senior committee meeting.

The figures were based on actual confirmed deaths and reported casualties as well as government estimates of the numbers of workers in each building. The health ministry official admitted the figure could be higher, depending on how many tourists or visitors were in the national assembly building at the time. Bodies were still being recovered from the ruins, and many persons were reported missing.

BUILDINGS OBLITERATED

"It just evaporated," said Mrs. Edith Broome, a shaken tourist, describing the national assembly building's explosion, "I was with my husband and children taking pictures when the whole thing went up."

Mrs. Broome's video camera was taken from her by security personnel. She was told it was to be used as evidence. She and her husband and children were first questioned by authorities then barred from the scene. The press were denied access to the video. But the results of the carnage were clear, as the blasts could be heard throughout the city.

While the fires were still being extinguished and bodies recovered, wreckage fragments were taken away for chemical analysis. According to one anonymous source, experts readily detected traces of a military-grade explosive in at least three of the blast sites. Both capital explosions, and another at a regional taxation office, were caused by an explosive known as PBX Composition B. Other bombs were said to have been made soley with traditional explosives like TNT.

USSM officials refused to answer detailed inquiries as to the source or nature of the blast, but did not refute the Times-Herald's information.

"Whoever they were, this was not an amateur operation," said Harold Torpex, a munitions expert for Listeneisse Chemical, a leading provider of explosives for the Ministry of Defense. "PBX, or Polymer Bonded Explosives, are made from rather rare materials. Composition B, for instance, is comprised of TNT but also cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, professionally called RDX. If you want it to really burn hot, you might mix it with some aluminum. You won't get this from your neighborhood chemistry supply shoppe."

Brig. Chester T. F. Pounder, retired ordnance chief for the Royal Army of Listeneisse, estimated the size of the bomb that devastated the USSM national assembly, "Looking at the pictures of the scene, I'd say we're talking about two, three or more tons of explosives to bring a building of that size down that fast."

He said it was too early to speculate the entirety of the damage. "I hear there were seventeen sites in all. Not all of them were as large as the national assembly, and I haven't seen pictures of the other attacks, mind you, but this likely took tons -- and I mean tons -- of explosives. If they could do this in one day, there's still likely to be more tons of military-grade explosives they have laying around."

THEORIES ABOUND

No known demand or claim has been made public by any terrorist organizations. It is unquestionably a mass assassination of government officials unprecedented in recent times. But beyond that, there are vast differences in the theories circulating.

Political demagogues immediately began to cast blame on foreign powers, claiming different international rivals paid for the assassination. Some have even listed Listeneisse among potential sponsors of this terrorist act, though the Kingdom was widely regarded as being on good terms with the USSM prior to its collapse.

Regional separatist movements in the USSM have long wanted to break away from the centralized government, but no one gave serious credence to such threats. Most separatist movements were frustrated with the irresponsive central authorities yet presumed peaceful in nature.

Another theory being put forth was that one or more senior leaders decided to flee rather than face internal security scrutiny, which might have led to their criminal arrest, and set up an elaborate 'terrorist' scenario to cover their departure. It was long-rumored a senior-level investigation was occurring, up to the highest levels of government. According to these speculations, some number of conspirators may have been behind the explosions, to cover their escape and to eliminate political rivals and proof of their crimes.

Mid-ranking officials concede today's secret briefing of cabinet was going to be on matters of internal security. But whatever happened in those meetings remains a mystery, at least to the public. All of those who were thought to be present for the briefing are either dead or missing. Anyone monitoring the meeting within the room was killed in the blast.

There are many rumors and hot debate over what happened to the senior members of government. No bodies have been identified with senior USSM leaders. With the utter destruction of the building, it is unlikely that the mystery will be cleared up any time soon.

Suspicions of others who might have committed the act, or cooperated with its conduct, now cast a pall over members of the military and intelligence services of the USSM government, as well as members of the military-industrial suppliers who may have not been paid recently by the faltering government.

No explanation was forthcoming on how massive quantities of explosives were delivered to so many key government installations without a significant internal conspiracy. No visible attackers were reported, and no vehicles were seen approaching or leaving the bombed sites.

Surviving members of the national government have formed a joint civil-military authority (CMA) to handle affairs, but the situation is chaotic, and conflicts between government members have already been reported. The CMA includes representatives of both the USSM military and a few members of the national assembly who were not present for the session. Regional leaders have decried that they have been left out of the new CMA, and that it equates to no more than a military coup.

Talk of a coup, or martial law, has alarmed the nation. Many wonder if a civil war might result. Tonight, there are roadblocks set up across regional borders between the once United Socialist States of Microrooster. State governors, unprepared for this sort of national emergency, are stopping domestic traffic crossing regional borders to perform spot-checks of cars and trucks. National airports are closed.

FRACTURED NATION

It had been commonly joked in this mostly apolitical country, "National Apathy would have been the largest party, but no one decided to register." But today few joked, and the people were far from apathetic.

The "United" Socialist States were long-ignored by their central ruling committee, and for the most part, the average citizen ignored their government.

For many, today's devastation was the final straw. Rather than rally together, with the elimination of so many senior officials, popular sentiment is to devolve the state entirely.

Separatist leaders hope to now see the fruits of their efforts to break the USSM into smaller regional states. Ethnic and regional tensions remain high, but hostilities have not broken out yet, and civil order is being maintained.

Yet in some scattered towns, there were actual celebrations of the fall of the government. While most in the capital or the affected cities mourned the deaths, hard-hit rural and industrial communities waved local flags, spontaneously marched or rallied before other national government buildings, or held up placards with slogans like "USSM RIP" or "The Nation Formerly Known as USSM."

"What government? We have no government!"

So declared one regional separatist leader who refused to be named for interview. "I'll give you my name when I am sure we have a real government again. I don't want the police to come get me. We should not have to fear to say things like this. We had a government who took our money. We had people who promised great things. I haven't seen any great things in a great while. Forgive me for speaking ill of the dead, and I grieve for the families of those killed, but we needed a new government. Maybe now we might get one."

The USSM is, or had been, a nation with a population of 130 million, roughly comparable to the size of Listeneisse. It joined the Warzone of the Defenders (WD) just prior to the Kingdom of Listeneisse's entry into the defensive regional union, but was rather inactive in international affairs. In recent years it had devolved economically, causing many immigrants to come to Listeneisse in search of opportunity.

LISTENEISSE OFFERS AID

Tonight, in a widely-televised speech, King Parzival XIV declared the neighboring government of the United Socialist States of Microrooster was on the brink of chaos, and offered to respond, "with all civil and military means available to the Kingdom of Listeneisse."

The King made the case for international intervention, "We need to act swiftly, to prevent the situation from deteriorating, as it has done in other regions around the world."

The King was likely referring to the situation in those nations which fell to civil war in the International Democratic Union, to which the government responded by supporting relief missions through the Church.

"We have already been in contact with national and regional authorities of the CMA to establish what assistance they wish from us. Right now, we are preparing to respond with medical assistance and law enforcement agents to help in investigating this crime of heinous proportions. We have sent our own son, Prince Kardiez, along with one hundred and fifty knights to assist our stricken neighbor."

During the press questions after the briefing, a USSM journalist from a separatist-leaning newspaper forthrightly asked whether the Kingdom would be interested in annexing any of the states of the USSM, since many of them adjoined Listeneisse's southern border.

"Let us not consider capitalizing on the grief of the people of the USSM. While we understand there may be some who would wish for that to happen, there are many more who would be opposed to a break up of the nation," the King replied.

"Let me be clear that We wish to see the situation stablized peaceably. Today is a day to seek out survivors and answers. To reassure our southern neighbors We care for them during their time of crisis. The people of the USSM should know that they have a northern neighbor who is ready to stand by them. We urge the people of the USSM to support the Civil-Military Authority in the days ahead."

Regardless of the King's answer, speculation spread over whether it would be a possibility to annex some or all of the USSM border states. Some separatist movements in the USSM would not be adverse to the idea, while others clearly wish to create wholly independent nations themselves. At the same time, the question further polarized debate about whether Listeneisse was behind the explosions.

The Minister of Defense raised the level of alert in the country to the highest level, with troops of the Royal Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy all on standby. Government buildings were searched by bomb-sniffing dogs. Airports, bus, train and ferry terminals remained opened, but all transit to the USSM was cancelled.

Border checkpoints were closed by the USSM military, apparently under orders of the CMA, but the Foreign Minister was trying to contact the CMA to establish a fair system to allow passage across the border.

The Kingdom of Listeneisse maintains an embassy in the country. For now, visitors are advised to avoid travel to the USSM until the situation stablizes.

See also: International Incidents (Roleplaying Thread)

PLAGUE CURE ONLY FOR RICH?
Critics Denounce Incomplete Funding Policy

CASTLE CARBONEK -- Government funds were used to help develop the cure for the Spon Plague, but the control of the cure, and the profits therefrom, remain in the hands of the company who recieved the grant.

The Royal Institute of Health (RIH) was unable to persuade the King that innoculation from Spon Plague should be universal and free. Admittedly not everyone is likely to contract Spon Plague in their lifetime, but many had hope that treatment would have been made part of childhood immunization.

"No one should have to suffer what I suffered!"

Chauncey Brigadoon once could dance a merry caper. But after suffering a debilitating bout of Spon Plague, he can barely walk without his cane. "No one should have to suffer what I suffered! Why can't everyone get shots when they are young?"

Parents have wondered whether to homeschool children to avoid exposing them to Spon Plague carriers. However, in affluent neighborhoods, children have no such fear. With the new cure, it is easily treatable if caught at the onset. While it can be expensive and embarrassing to face, Spon Plague is easily treatable. If you are from a family of means.

The poor and uninsured have no such recourse. For them, unless the case of Spon Plague is life-threatening, doctors tend not to administer the cure, citing its cost and general unavailability.

Blame the Ministry of Finance?

"It's covered under regular medical benefits for most companies with health insurance," said a spokesman of the RIH. "It is also not a cure that lends itself to regular vaccination. In fact, let us be clear, this is a curative -- for those already suffering from Spon Plague. It is not a preventative vaccination."

When questioned why this drug was not universally available, the spokesman said, "Spon Plague is a serious threat to life, but it is still relatively rare, and the drug relatively new. The costs are still exorbitant as it presently exists. If you want to blame someone, I'd suggest taking up issue with insurance actuarials in the Ministry of Finance who convinced the King it would cost too much."

The Lord Minister of Finance was unavailable for comment.

Charitable Contributions Welcome

At Charity Hospital, administrators said they would welcome private donors to the Spon Plague Foundation (SPF). While government programmes may not have afforded universal coverage, private citizens are encouraged to donate what they can.

Popular music and television stars have begun to take up the cause. This month, they plan to hold a "Stop the Spon Telethon." Rumors have it members of the Royal Family, displeased the King did not see fit to fully fund the programme through the Ministry of Health, may even privately sponsor and donate to the project. Others say they may be doing it out of sincere interest for the well-being of Spon Plague sufferers. Whether any members of the Royal Family will appear on the telethon is not yet known.

Spon Plague survivor Chauncy Brigadoon is one of those scheduled to appear onstage during the live performance.

Source
Government Report, 22 Sep 2005, Part 1
Government Report, 22 Sep 2005, Part 2

Grey Nuns Welcome in Groot Gouda and ULF Protectorate
President Michel Personally Welcomes Religious Order and Relief Workers

NORTHERN ISLE, ULF PROTECTORATE OF GROOT GOUDA -- The sounds of the last chirping beetles of summer are dying off in the woods and fields. So are the sounds of automatic small arms fire in the distance. For the past few months, life was difficult for the people of the former state of United Liberator Front (ULF). The archipelago nation saw civil war and piracy swiftly overcome civil order when the government fell into anarchy.

The nearby state of Groot Gouda, another member nation of the International Democratic Union, swiftly responded, moving in relief and security forces to keep the country from falling into all-out civil war.

The populace welcomed the international intervention on the northernmost island of the archipelago, but reports of piracy off the southwestern coast, and fears of civil strife on the island kept relief workers at bay.

Groot Gouda President Clears Way for Nuns

President Michel of Groot Gouda openly welcomed aid sent from the Kingdom of Listeneisse. Through his personal direction, a team of nurses sent from the Order of Grey Nuns was onboard the first relief vessel to arrive from Groot Gouda.

With the President's personal encouragement and approval, a new daughter chapter of the Order of Grey Nuns (OGN) was established in the Groot Gouda capital city. Additional chapter houses have also been opened in the region bordering the former state of King Ca, as well as on the northern island of the former ULF Protectorate.

"The women I have met on the island here are very brave, very sturdy, and very generous," spoke Sister Mary Magdelene, who led the organization of the chapter in the ULF protectorate. "We missed the worst of it all by the time we arrived, but the stories of those first days were simply harrowing."

Reports small arms fire by looters, would-be warlords and criminal gangs ripped through the once-idyllic tourist destination. Murders, arson, theft, and rape were widely reported to have occurred, but not as widespread as first believed. At least on the northern island.

"We have yet to get to the southwestern island," admitted Sister Mary Magdelene. "We've been advised not to go. So instead, we wait here. The women show up. Word is spreading. For many, we're their beacon of hope. We're all they would have left."

Many of the new sisters are widows, orphaned teen girls, runaways and women who left abusive relationships to find peace and calm in the sanctuary of a Christian monastic order. But not all of them were expressly victimized by the current conflict.

"Some volunteered out of pure goodness!" So spoke Sister Helena, who also arrived from Listeneisse on the first relief ship from Groot Gouda.

Sister Joan

Sister Helena introduced a moon-faced smiling woman dressed in the comfortable grey habit of the order as Sister Joan Happiness.

She was a ULF islander who had sought out the sisters when she first heard about them. Word of their arrival had spread to her village, which still suffered without power restoration. So she walked twenty miles to the main port city of the northern island to find the sisters at work.

"I wanted to change my name when I joined the order," she explained. "Who I was before is not as important as what I want to create now."

Fighting had been reported in her town during the early days of the government collapse. When asked, she admitted she had not personally suffered, but she saw plenty who had.

"I saw the boys with guns shooting. Women were hiding from them behind a car. It was like a game to the boys. So I yelled at them to put down their guns. These were real guns. This was no game. Those were not toys. I told them that their mothers' spirits watched them, even if they were not around. Then I went to the women, and told them not to be afraid. I took them away. The boys did not shoot us."

"She chose Joan after Joan of Arc," explained Sister Mary Magdelene, "Like the historical saint, she's a very brave woman!"

Rapid Growth of Chapters

The new monastic chapters are growing rapidly. There are over fifty sisters in the Protectorate, twenty more on the capital of Groot Gouda, and nine by the King Ca border.

They have also opened schools for children, and have almost a thousand attending classes. They charge nothing for their instruction.

The islander women are obviously not yet fully trained in Christian doctrine and divinity. They are first offered baptism and communion by a reverend minister, and take Third Order vows to the Order of Grey Nuns.

Matters are still makeshift. Many of the nuns from the mother house in Listeneisse still need to learn the local dialects. Textbooks written in English, though donated with great Christian goodwill, do little good for children who have yet to master the language.

As Third Orders, the new members of the Grey Nuns are free to live in or leave the monastic community as they wish. They wear the same habits as the other sisters, but are free to depart at any time. Some of the women admit wanting to marry, remarry, or resettle if the opportunity presents itself. Some of the girls in their teens wish to leave when they reach maturity. For now, the Grey Nuns are their safe harbor.

Yet others will eventually take the traditional lifelong vows once they have undergone full training.

"Yes, I know this is what I want to do now," spoke Sister Joan Happiness. "This is what God wishes me to do. And I would do it again and again, so long as I live. To save the women and help the boys to grow up."

"This was how Christianity grew so rapidly in those early centuries after the life of Christ," spoke Mother Mary Elaine Sarrasinte, Abbess of the Order of Grey Nuns, when reached by telephone in Listeneisse, "In a world filled with uncertainty and despair, the safe harbour of a nunnery was all that some had, but it was often precisely what was needed. It was an anchor in a storm. Indeed, an old term for a monastic was 'anchorite,' which means 'to make room for,' or 'to retire or withdraw.' We let these women withdraw from the chaos, and we make room for them at our table."

Food had been donated from many sources. A local widow volunteered her home to be the first convent. Chairs and tables for meals quickly packed the living room on the first floor and then spilled onto the porch. Soon they had outgrown the location.

A proper building for a growing chapter house was purchased from selling the home, along with additional funds sent from Listeneisse. Building materials for prefabricated classrooms were donated, delivered by relief flight to the island, and assembled by the Grail Templars. The soccer pitch was still a dusty lot, but at least the boys played with balls instead of guns as the sun set.

Tonight, Sister Joan led the prayer over dinner at the chapter refectory. "May we all find peace, and bring peace to others, and God bless the President of Groot Gouda!"

To which the assembled women gave a hearty, "Amen!"

Cloning Feather-Bellied Questing Beasts for Cancer Research
Scientists Convinced Formerly-Extinct Species Holds Cure for Humans

CASTLE CARBONEK, LISTENEISSE -- Dr. Thomas Wu firmly believes that the once-extinct Feather-Bellied Questing Beast may hold vital clues to cure cancer in humans. The species once freely roamed throughout the region up until the 6th century AD, when the Dolorous Blow was struck and the ecological disaster referred to historically as the Wasteland spread across Listeneisse and into neighboring nations.

Paleontologists and biologists were amazed two years ago when a specimen was found exposed on a mountain glacier rapidly melting due to global warming. They quickly moved to secure the creature, and have been considering what to do with it since. Originally the creatures died due to a form of cancer of the feathers. To date, no one knew how to cure feather cancer, since it is a disease that does not appear in any other species.

This was where Dr. Wu beame involved. As Chief Oncologist at the Listeneisse Cancer Research Center, and an avid proponent of human cloning, the doctor considered the plight of the once-extinct creature. While cancer was an unstoppable killer in the 6th century, today it can be cured by barrages of treatments, both chemical and radiological.

Research funded by the hospital was able to contain the pathogens that caused feather cancer. Copies of the creature could then be safely cloned from the preserved tissue and raised. This produced a commercial spin-off, QBTesting, which now commercially reproduced the creature as the Feather-Bellied Questing Beast Oncological Test Module™.

The doctor referred to various charts with lines pointing up and down, "Imagine what this can mean to the human race?"

"Probably nothing," countered, Jennifer Wu, Director of the East Listeneisse Questing Beast Sanctuary, the doctor's sister, and a well-known critic of the plan. "When was the last time a human ever suffered from feather cancer?"

Source: Government Factbook, 21 Sep 2005