The World of Thalia - A Photo Space Opera

[eilif]

Thank you, sir. Paper has a strange kind of magic. Contrary to everything else, you really do see the shapes magically appearing.

Interesting. I imagine it must be similar to what I experience when building a piece of terrain from bits and bobs and toys. It always looks a bit like a riotous mush until you prime it.  After a spray of black it's suddenly reborn as a unified whole.

[Bayushiseni]

Interesting. I imagine it must be similar to what I experience when building a piece of terrain from bits and bobs and toys. It always looks a bit like a riotous mush until you prime it.  After a spray of black it's suddenly reborn as a unified whole.

Exactly.
The only difference is that you are amazed with some of the more ingenious forms created in the paper. Some of the paper model designers are just genius.

[Bayushiseni]

The World of Thalia - Facts: About the Mega nations: United States of Europa and African Protectorate

After the Fall of 2023, the Great Ebola Death and the Crash of the European Union, Europe lived terrible days. It was through an immense effort and the creation of the Pan-Germanic Trans-Nacionalist Social Dictatorship that from the ashes a new world power emerged. It was another Europe altogether. In a five years span, through negotiations, threats and wage of war, the United States of Europe emerged. Ten years after that, an immense task force sweep Africa and the North half of the Black continent became a protectorate of USE.

The new order is based on the Citizenship protocol. A citizen rises in power and rights by what he gives to the State in duties given. The most basic one is giving four years of his citizen life to the Army. The concept isn't new, the tech behind it is. Citizens have chips grafted to their spines and their services to the mega nation is recorded in it.



No full sentient AI's are allowed to live in the USE and USE uses Limited Sentient AI's in its armies. The AI nations don't have commercial agreements with USE and a state of unofficial war exists between all AI nations and USE.

The USE citizens live a comfortable life unless they turn against the state. If they do that, they don't receive the medicine to maintain the Ebola X10 dormant. In fact, all USE citizens are infected with Ebola since they are born. This form of Ebola can't infect other people. Some say that it was engineered for citizen's control. Those who ran from USE can buy an extremely expensive vaccine to cure them from Ebola X10.

"We've came to Thalia to escape USE. But now USE is on Thalia..." - Randoph Kauth, Colonist

[Bayushiseni]

The World of Thalia - Sole Survivor

Hours passed before I left the vehicle that saved my life. I emerged waiting to see dead bodies but I found none. The only proof of the battle fought was the burning vehicles, ammunition cases and blood. All bodies were taken away. Why?



I've searched the Research Station looking for other clues but i found none. Many things weren't making sense in all if this. But I hadn't time to loose. My crew was prisoner and I had to free them first. But somehow I knew I would come back to this. The soft skin military vehicles were also destroyed... And yet they hadn't destroyed the caterpillar.



I've foraged food and fuel. I've found a map. I had to find the spacedrome where my ship was parked. I was able to download the files about the investigation that was being done here. I've secured that for later. The caterpillar was working properly and I've took it. An urgency was taking down my mood and my thoughts.



"We thought that when Humanity discovered other intelligent species in the galaxy, we would unite under one banner. That nationalism and petty feuds would be put aside... How naive..." - Adam Telles, Xeno-history Teacher

[Bayushiseni]

The World of Thalia - Facts: About the Mega nations: The True Socialist Union of Nations
 
The turn to the right wing since the end of the Soviet Union lasted for 200 years. After the Fall of 2023 Russia grabbed the opportunity and reconquered almost all the land lost at the end of the Iron Curtain in the ninth decade of the twenty Century . Only Poland and the Check Republic fought back so viciously that were able remain free of Russia's grasp. The New Russian National Republic was built on fear, death and misery. As Western Europe and Canamerica were in a state of turmoil, nobody reached to defend the countries engulfed by NRNR. But it was exactly the creation of the Big Brother Digital Observation System that defeated the NRNR. But it took almost two hundred years.



The New Russian National Republic used a ingenious digital system that connected all citizens and could be used to order them around. During decades, the True Socialist Underground tried to use it to undermine the power of the state. They finally managed to do it with the help of several anarchist AI's. The Citizens revolted in in 2186 and put down the NRNR. In an unparalleled action they voted a AI to become the Head of the TSUN, in order to treat all citizen in egalitarian ways. Paradise on earth was at a hand's grasp. Ten years after that, a new Political Police was formed and a man called Yuri Vasilich became Head's Prime Minister. Soon after that, the Red Star returned as the symbol of the State.
 
"What an A.I. doesn't know, she can't act upon. It's not the fault of our beloved Head. It's the fault of the corrupt bureaucracy that the Socialist Miracle doesn't work." - Anna Brushenko, TSUN Officer

[Bayushiseni]

The World of Thalia - Facts: About the Mega nations: Canamerica

The United Sates of America almost didn't survive the Fall of 2023. The American economy suffered so much with the Fall that massive riots started all over the 50 states. The Federal Government lost it's grasp over the population. The imposed martial law wasn't accepted and the threat of a civil war loomed over the entire USA. Production faltered quickly, famine and lack of fundamental resources loomed over the nation. It was the economical and humanitarian relief sent by Canada that saved North America to become an area of humanitarian catastrophe. But the mighty USA would never be the same. The demands of the people and the power of big corporations clashed in a mighty political combat that lasted for twenty two years. It was aptly named The Unveil. When it was over, the major Corporations became transnational and Canamerica was born. The one and definitive Giant Democracy. It would never again trust the Corporations, it would never again put all its trust in the pure economy systems and speculation. The leaving of the major Earth Corporations from the continent left Canamerica poorer and yet, as never before in its History, people were feeling fulfilled and happy.



But Corporations don't forget nor they forgive and much money was invested in stating clear that life wouldn't be easy without them. Canamerica is one of the least active Meganations in planetary colonization and they suffer from a non official embargo implemented by the Corps that is implemented for more than two centuries now. The only nation that openly refuses this embargo and sells technology and ships to Canamerica is... Cuba.

[Bayushiseni]

The World of Thalia - An Encounter in the Wild

I knew things were wrong as soon as I became aware of the silence around me. I had lost my ride twenty or so miles ago, after the hydrogen engine of the caterpillar decided to die on me and nothing I've done short of praying mad it start again. Alone in the half gone dirt road I looked around and slowly I raised my machine pistol into position.



I walked a few more yards and I've reached an opening where I found the remains of a construction site abandoned long time ago. The forest was still silent with just a solitary sound of some arboreal creature now and then. I knew that something was about to happen and frankly I was happy with that as hunger was already undermining my determination.



Then they revealed themselves, appearing like reddish ghosts from their hiding places. Three of them. Perfect killing machines. I've measured my odds. I knew that I would be probably dead before I could kill the second one. They were that fast. But unlike the first time in the Investigation Center they didn't use the surprise to attack immediately. Why?



"One cannot wait to prove the universe that we're right in some questions. One must act or risk the future as a whole." - Sylvie Harmond, Eco Warrior of Thalia

[Bayushiseni]

The World of Thalia - The telepath

I decided that I would sell dearly my life. "Don't do that", I heard a voice inside my head. "Put down slowly your weapon. They don't mean to attack you..." And I felt some uncertainty in the voice in my head. "At least for now." The voice added. And a young blond woman came out of the forest mounted in some kind of dinosaur. She was armed and pointing the hand weapon at me. I pointed down my machine pistol. The creatures were her allies?! I was starting to understand less and less about this planet.



"You have many question", she said aloud, "and yes, my legs are beautiful, but at this time is more important that you answer my questions, since you life is at stake." A telepath! A telepath riding a dinosaur, in friendly communion with vicious beasts and demanding to know my thoughts. Outlandish. And yet, I accepted without much reflection...



"At what level will you decide that your actions against nature are criminal or not? You would imprison a person who stole the heritage of someone else wouldn't you? Isn't the biodiversity of a planet someone's heritage?" - Sylvie Harmond, Eco Warrior of Thalia

[Predatorpt]

Who makes that dinosaur? The lady is a Heroclix, right? But I never saw that dino before...

[former user]

games workshop

[Bayushiseni]

Who makes that dinosaur? The lady is a Heroclix, right? But I never saw that dino before...

The lady is indeed Heroclix.
The dino is a Cold One from 4th Edition Warhammer Dark Elves.

[Predatorpt]

Thanks to both. Never was a big of GW's fantasy range 

[former user]

the new plastic Dark Elf cold ones are great

[Amalric]

Bayushiseni, this is fantastic!
I am really enjoying this story.
Please keep it coming.
Thank you,
Amalric

[Bayushiseni]

Bayushiseni, this is fantastic!
I am really enjoying this story.
Please keep it coming.
Thank you,
Amalric

Thank you, Amalric.
I will.