[hider=France] [center][img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/320px-Flag_of_France.svg.png[/img][/center] [b]Name[/b]: The French Republic ([i]La République française[/i]) [b]Government[/b]: The French government is referred to as the “Fifth Republic” and was established in 1958. France splits political authority between the President who is head of state and the Prime Minister who is head of government. The President is charged with national-level decision making while the Prime Minister runs the operations of government and its ministries. A bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly and the Senate pass legislative agendas. There are over a dozen political parties in France, with as few as one Parliamentary seat or as many as several hundred. They often fall into coalitions depending on election results, with the typical configuration being split between the “Presidential Centre”, “Parliamentary Right”, and “Parliamentary Left.” As of 1991, the Presidential Centre maintains a majority of 55% of seats. [b]Territory[/b]: France maintains official control over its European and overseas territories, the largest of which are French Guyana and French Polynesia. Algeria and Djibouti still remain officially under the control of French colonial government, and Adélie Land in Antarctica is administered as part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Unofficial or semi-official control exists in former French colonies that were granted independence in 1960, such as Mali and the Congo, although these regions are no longer represented as part of the proper French government. [center][i]French borders and overseas territories (dark blue) alongside semi-controlled/influenced Francophone colonies (light blue) and OTAN members (teal green):[/i] [img]https://i.imgur.com/tYEDkTe.png[/img][/center] [b]History[/b]: France has a long history dating back to the barbarian tribes of Europe known to the Romans as Gaul. [i]Pre-Visitation[/i]: Wartime damage to France was severe, as the end of the war led to the dismantling of Vichy France and its Nazi-run institutions. The French Resistance quickly reconstituted itself into a functional government known as the Fourth Republic, aided by immense American support in the form of the Marshall Plan. Despite this, French troubles quickly turned internal during the 1950s. Decolonization became the conflict of the decade as brutal wars in Algeria and Vietnam sent yet another generation of French troops into battle. Slowly but surely, the French lost their grips on colonial possessions in Asia and Africa. The Suez Crisis ended France’s involvement in the Middle East. A coup attempt in Algiers in 1958 shook the Fourth Republic to pieces, but Charles de Gaulle regained power and enacted reforms that established the Fifth Republic. [i]The Visitation[/i]: Already wracked by internal struggle, the world seemed to come to an end in the fateful year of 1961. Alien life visited Earth, however shortly, and changed everything. Stunned citizens across the world watched the strange beings come and stay for a short while, then leave as quickly as they arrived. Scientists tried and failed to contact them. Yet while their visit shook institutions like the Catholic Church, the aliens would leave far more worldly and permanent marks on the world. Materials left behind, perhaps spare parts or trash from the visitors, tumbled down to Earth. Mainland France was spared the damage and chaos that much of the world experienced, but this was not the same for its African colonies. Anomalous zones and New-Langium Compounds began developing across the deserts of Algeria and other regions, forming strange and terrifying phenomenon. The world did not end, but France’s internal struggles did: its troubles with decolonization were suddenly overshadowed by the visitors’ leftovers. [i]Recent History[/i]: France remained alone on the European continent after the visitation, but the paradigm was shifting in their favor. As the value of NLCs became known the world at large, the old guard of French politicians recognized their opportunity for advancement. Plans to grant Algeria’s independence were thrown to the wayside as French military forces seized and secured anomalous zones. Weak governments in Mali and Congo were powerless to stop French “treaties” demanding military and scientific bases in their land. The French Foreign Legion’s latest campaign was to spearhead the probe into anomalous zones to discover their secrets. Many of these men experienced firsthand the horror of the zones, but the survivors would go on to develop the advanced technology and tactics that are now common for zone operations. French scientists spent years studying and developing NLCs into useful technologies, the windfall of which was almost reminiscent of the original Langium discoveries. A severe break with the old world came in the 1980s, as the United States began to encroach upon its neighbors in a desperate struggle for survival. Canada became a victim of American imperialism, forcing the French into a shadow war in Quebec. Refugees were airlifted out of Montreal by French Air Force planes as forces from an American-backed coup in Ottawa descended upon the loyalists fighting there. This was the final straw for the French, who recognized that the United States was no longer an ally. NATO itself split into two blocs, and a vote of the European nations charged France with its leadership. Reluctantly forced into the world stage, France now had to come to terms with its new role in the world. In 1984, in a gesture designed to symbolically break with the United States, France directed NATO to speak in the previously secondary language of French for all further operations and utilize its Francophone acronym “OTAN.” French influence is now undeniable as the country once again takes up its mantle in the world. For the first time since its colonial ambitions in the 18th century, the French would be a major player on the world stage. Langium and NLC-based technology fueled a boom in French and European economies, with robotics, computing, and space travel now active projects in French industrial and scientific communities. It has taken a seat at the UN Security Council and operates in the air, space, and sea with advanced technologies across the world. With the tireless work of its government institutions, France seems poised to lead the march to discover more about the aliens, visitation, and Langium itself. [b]Pressing Issues[/b]: From its position of strength, France is primed to research the anomalous zones and NLCs across the world. However, bad actors seek to utilize NLCs for their own goals. Terrorist groups from colonial possessions overseas, criminal syndicates, and even cultists seek to smuggle and proliferate NLC artifacts on a daily basis. Additionally, France’s status as a global power brings it into routine conflict with the US and Soviet Union both overtly and covertly. Only time will tell if the French can effectively manage their newfound responsibilities in a changed world. [b]Budget[/b]: Officially released French budgetary statistics as of Fiscal Year 1990. [center][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/741358347353325670/805277078566993930/Capture.PNG[/img][/center] [/hider] [hider=OTAN] [center][img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Flag_of_NATO.svg/320px-Flag_of_NATO.svg.png[/img][/center] [b]Name[/b]: North Atlantic Treaty Organization ([i]Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord[/i]) [b]Government[/b]: OTAN is an intergovernmental military alliance consisting of European member states. OTAN is governed by the terms of the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949, which lays out multiple standards of military interoperability, cooperation, conflict resolution, and mutual aid. Key to the alliance is the NAT's clause of mutual defense, known as Article 5. OTAN leadership is represented by the the [i]Conseil de l'Atlantique Nord[/i] at a political level, headed by the civilian [i]Secrétaire Général de l'OTAN[/i]. OTAN forces are commanded on a military strategic level by the [i]Comité Militaire de l'OTAN[/i] which is lead by the [i]Président du CMO[/i], the premier military advisor to the [i]Secrétaire Général[/i]. OTAN forces are then commanded and controlled by a variety of lower level headquarters and task forces. [b]Territory[/b]: OTAN consists of the following member states: Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, West Germany, and the United Kingdom. The QPG in Quebec is a military government administered by OTAN, with plans to integrate the country of Quebec upon stabilization of nation-building there. Its headquarters is located in Brussels, Belgium. [b]History[/b]: NATO began in 1949 after the Second World War as a collective defense agreement between the countries of Western Europe now facing a Soviet threat from the east. [i]Pre-Visitation[/i]: NATO was formally established on April 4th, 1949 as a collection of twelve countries signing the North Atlantic Treaty guaranteeing formal defense against a potential Soviet invasion. The expansion of NATO's command took place during and directly following the Korean War once it became obvious that Communist nations actively sought to fight against the West. This was formalized with the adoption of the Warsaw Pact in Eastern Europe in 1955. NATO did not engage in any major combat operations, instead training and preparing for a Third World War with the Soviets. Several other countries such as Greece, Turkey, and West Germany joined the alliance during the 1950s. By 1958, however, France sought to undermine the alliance by its full withdrawal and began the process of leaving the alliance. Charles de Gaulle, seeking to reestablish the French state's power after years of troubles brought on by decolonization, declared that they were to support themselves as a third party. Plans were made for all non-French NATO soldiers and materiel to leave the country, causing NATO headquarters and offices to relocate to Belgium. The process for withdrawal from NATO was never completed, however, with the events of 1961. [i]The Visitation[/i]: Along with most military forces, NATO was scrambled to full readiness when it became apparent that extraterrestrial life had suddenly arrived on Earth. Combat air patrols were scrambled and NATO forces received orders from the command to begin loading nuclear weapons in anticipation of an invasion. NATO's first war was not going to be with the Soviets, but with alien invaders. For the first and only time, NATO and Warsaw Pact planes flew joint missions in an attempt to interdict the alien ships, but none were successful. Russian and Western forces shared targeting data as nuclear weapons were targeted against the visitors. But as quickly as they arrived, the aliens left before NATO could escalate. Their leftovers, NLC artifacts, became the next issue as NATO reeled from the encounter with the rest of the world. [i]Recent History[/i]: NATO became an afterthought for the countries of Western Europe as The Visitation's upheavals replaced global war with a series of national free-for-alls. NATO was never officially dissolved, but NATO command was relegated to a skeleton crew with no real importance. Multinational drills and exercises, once a staple of NATO operations, ceased almost entirely to exist. Standardization of equipment slowed to a standstill as countries saw themselves in their own fights with Langium and NLC collection. Operations in contaminated "red zones" were undertaken by the national military forces of NATO member states alone, rather than alongside coalitions. The United States, hit particularly hard with the brunt of NLC contamination, had become a massive thorn in the side of other NATO states during the 1970s. Its government turned more authoritarian and isolationist, creating feuds with its former allies as the situation there continued to deteriorate. In 1981, the unthinkable happened, as the US invaded its Canadian neighbor in the pursuit of more resources. NATO was a shell of its former self, unable to prevent infighting between two countries who were part of the same alliance. The decision was made unilaterally by France to send military equipment to oppose American forces in Canada, airlifting Quebecois citizens out of the country as NATO floundered in providing a solution. While large-scale war never broke out, combat was reported between NATO member countries in the Canadian theater during this operation. The consequences of the Canadian conflict were severe. NATO cut out the United States and its new proxy Canada from their command structures. A vote was held without the United States to censure them and remove them from the alliance, which passed in 1983. Rudderless without the United States' massive military contributions, NATO struggled to keep above water again until Europe convened to vote on a leader. France, in a unique position of strength, was voted to lead the alliance. In an ironic turn, France switched from leaving the alliance to assuming command of Western Europe's military forces. The switch was completed in 1984, with NATO finally changing its name in official documentation to its Francophone translation: OTAN. Curiously, a joint command in the United States and Canada still refers to themselves as "NATO" despite not being considered the legitimate heir to the alliance. In light of the conflict in Canada, OTAN was once again taken seriously by the French and other member states. A process of reintegration and reorganization was undertaken, with the French government providing the new bulk of funding and military forces for the alliance. While much of this could be seen as the French utilizing OTAN as a tool for their own foreign policy goals, the alliance was strengthened immensely over the latter half of the 1980s. French soldiers began training and working with other Western Europeans, with a different focus. OTAN's old backer, the United States, became its new primary adversary. [b]Pressing Issues[/b]: OTAN's first true combat mission is in defense of the Quebec Provisional Government following the collapse of the Canadian government. Weakened by the events of The Visitation, OTAN is operating in a highly complex, cutthroat world with little experience in large-scale deployments. The question of global war supercharged by NLC-based weaponry is once again on the command's mind as it prepares to return to Canadian soil for another round of conflict. [/hider] [hider=Quebec] [center][img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Flag_of_Quebec.svg/320px-Flag_of_Quebec.svg.png[/img][/center] [b]Name[/b]: Quebec Provisional Government ([i]Gouvernement Provisoire du Québec[/i]) [b]Government[/b]: With the deteriorating security situation in Canada and the deployment of OTAN forces to maintain control, the QPG has not been formally established in any capacity. It does, however, maintain a charter of governance for when the nation is stabilized. Quebec is planned to be governed by a parliamentary system similar to its provincial government (albeit with national decision-making power) before the collapse of Canadian sovereignty in the 1980s. Leaders in the movement, exiled to France or other Francophone states, vary in political leanings. Time will tell if these individuals, local parties, and exiled government elements will form factions within the sovereignty movement or if they will coalesce into formal Quebecois political parties. The integration of militias and armed resistance fighters into QPG political and military organizations will require significant reintegration and moderation to return to civil society upon the establishment of a Quebecois state. [b]Territory[/b]: Quebec claims its former provincial territory in Canada, which represents the limit of advance for French and OTAN peacekeeping forces. [center][i]Quebecois borders (light blue) co-located with the OTAN area of operation (dark blue hashes):[/i] [img]https://i.imgur.com/NTDp0Vo.png[/img][/center] [/hider] [hider=Characters] [b]Government & Politics[/b] > [i]Executive Branch & Cabinet[/i] - [u]Antoine Renault[/u]: Minister of Economy and Finance, or [i]Bercy[/i]. Blind and old, he still shows cunning skills to manage the complicated macroeconomics of France. - [u]François-Jean de Mer[/u]: President of France. - [u]Frank Chirac[/u]: Minister of Ecology. His struggle to balance environmental concerns with NLC contamination reaches the tipping point during the SS [i]Faure[/i] disaster. - [u]Jacques Perrier[/u]: Minister of the Overseas, the French ministry for overseas territories. Politically ambitious, he seeks a stake in the production and transport of Langium materials. - [u]Laurent Fortin[/u]: Minister of Defense. Secretly directing the application of NLCs to military research and development and a big proponent of French military dominance. - [u]Richard de Normandie[/u]: Prime Minister of France. A hard worker loyal to President de Mer and his political party, keeping the ministers in line and in lockstep to run the government. - [u]Roxana Masson[/u]: Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation. She, along with Doctor Delacroix, manage a new era of NLC research. - [u]Simone Mooradian[/u]: Minister of Foreign Affairs. Instrumental to organizing worldwide cooperation via the UN with Brazil. [b]Industry and Economy[/b] > [i]Chantiers de l’Atlantique[/i] - [u]Paul Bernard[/u]: Chief engineer for the design of the SS [i]Camille Alphonse Faure[/i]. An industry veteran and a strict manager. - [u]Pierre Laurent[/u]: Langium engineer on the SS [i]Faure[/i] project. An old petrochemical engineer who retrained himself to get into the business of Langium-based energy. - [u]Mohammad Zardani[/u]: Lebanese-born electrical engineer on the SS [i]Faure[/i] project. Young and inexperienced, he becomes central to an investigation after the catastrophic accident onboard. [b]Military[/b] > [i]Brigade des Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris[/i] (Paris Fire Brigade) - [u]Alex Lejeune[/u]: Officer of the BSPP emergency response unit, a first responder to the SS [i]Faure[/i] disaster. > [i]2e REI, Légion Étrangère[/i] (2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment) - [u]Charles Zalewski[/u]: ZR-23 patrol drone operator. Hailing from Eastern Europe, he escaped to the West as a teenager and, being unable to hold down a job, joined the Legion. - [u]Jacques Dumont[/u]: ZR-23 patrol master driver. A former Quebecois resistance fighter who fled after the Canadians capitulated to an American invasion. - [u]Patrick von Möller[/u]: ZR-23 patrol systems operator. Not much is known about his childhood, besides mentions of trouble with West Berlin street gangs. - [u]Gerard Lemas[/u]: ZR-23 patrol NCOIC. Natively French, he is a stern no-nonsense [i]adjutant[/i] and a veteran of many deployments to the Zone. > [i]3e REI, Légion Étrangère[/i] (3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment) - [u]Leon d'Avout[/u]: ZR-10 patrol NCOIC. Another French NCO, accustomed to the violent and brutal realities of the mutated South American jungle. > [i]Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord[/i] (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) - [u]Arthur Kohl[/u]: West German attaché to the OTAN Canada operations staff. -[u]Clara Fillion[/u]: Staff officer in OTAN headquarters. Operations officer heavily involved with the OTAN task force deployment to Canada. - [u]Guy Depree[/u]: Senior OTAN staff OIC for Canada. [b]Science & Academia[/b] > [i]CERN[/i] (European Organization for Nuclear Research) - [u]Arthur Delacroix[/u]: Head of Langium research. The utmost subject matter expert of French Langium research, with an important chair position in CERN and an advisory role to the top levels of French government. - [u]Émile Verne[/u]: Chief of Langium space science applications. An up-and-coming veteran of the French space program, focused on the application of Langium physics for power generation and propulsion. [/hider] [hider=Technology and Equipment] [b]Consumer Electronics[/b] > [i]PDAs[/i]: PDAs and palm-pilots remain popular sources of personal data management. Able to interface with computers both at home and work, PDAs are common amongst the general population. This explosion in popularity has led to advancements in internet-based personal communication including electronic mail and SMS messaging. PDA technology featuring navigation aides and maintenance assistance are even featured in personal automobiles. > [i]Robotic Pets[/i]: Robotic pets have become popular amongst French urbanites as technology allows for increasingly lifelike behavior. They began as replacements for service dogs, with robotic animals able to provide more robust aid to the blind or sick. Over time, they have been adopted as mess-free and talkative alternatives to traditional pets. > [i]Smart Homes[/i]: A frequent amenity available to French homeowners or renters is the adoption of smart home technology in an "Internet of Things." Smart homes are able to link every facet of life together through a miniature central mainframe per apartment or house. Air conditioning, telephone and internet communication, scheduling, personal data maintenance, and even appliances are able to be linked to a primitive artificial intelligence that automates daily life. Often assigned personas by their owners, these AIs are able to take telephone messages, make coffee, and wake up their homeowners in case of emergency. [b]Ground Vehicles[/b] > [i]Hovercars[/i]: A top secret, experimental program of record within the French [i]Armée de Terre[/i] to produce an armored vehicle capable of hovering over mines and explosive hazards on the ground. While NLC compounds can produce lift in specific vehicles, French engineers have been unable to develop sufficiently agile control of antigravity technology. The hovercar project has stalled and is in danger of cancellation, pending outside assistance in its engineering challenges. > [i]Red Zone Cruisers[/i]: Massive, twelve-wheeled armored all-terrain vehicles that function as mobile bases for French forces in permissive Red Zones. Inside, crews of eight are able to live and patrol limited only by the food they can bring with them in a cruiser's storage compartment. They exist in several variants designed to accomplish any mission in NLC-contaminated zones. They are heavily armed and armored against extraterrestrial threats, weather, and disturbances. These vehicles are easily three-to-four times as large as contemporary MRAP-type vehicles like the South African Casspir. > [i]Red Zone Unmanned Ground Vehicles[/i]: Derived from rovers sent to explore extraterrestrial planets such as Mars, the French forces in Red Zones frequently utilize robotic vehicles to exploit and analyze NLC artifacts. Capable of being equipped with any permutation of sensor and manipulator, the UGVs are piloted remotely. There are often one or two in a Red Zone patrol driven out of a cruiser's drone terminal. [b]Personal Equipment[/b] > [i]CED Suits[/i]: Officially designated the [i]Combinaison pour Environnement Dangereux[/i], or Hazardous Environment Suit, the CED suit was developed for Legionnaires operating dismounted in the Red Zones. The design has matured since its initial introduction in the 1970s to become a sleek exoskeleton and survival suit for a variety of tasks. They are mostly seen equipped by military units or civilian rescue personnel operating in contaminated areas, and provide protection against the elements. Armor plating is able to protect personnel against mutant creatures and physical attacks inside a Red Zone. > [i]FÉLIN System[/i]: The FÉLIN program is the formal grouping of all French future soldier technologies. Various technologies involving the integration of data with the infantryman exist in various forms, from heads-up-displays to soldier-worn sensors. The most iconic implementation of the FÉLIN system enables a CED suited soldier to combine data from across the battlefield and utilize his PAPOP rifle to outmatch any foe in range. > [i]PAPOP Rifle[/i]: The PAPOP rifle is a radical new fusion of small arms and direct-fire explosive projection. Inspired by the American OICW program, the PAPOP rifle combines a standard OTAN rifle caliber with a 25mm smart grenade launcher that directly links to FÉLIN infantry computers. This allows the operator to effectively engage targets in the open and behind cover. It is considered the most cutting-edge infantry weapon in the French inventory and is typically only issued to CED suit-equipped elites. [b]Space Infrastructure[/b] > [i]GALILEO GPS[/i]: GALILEO is the OTAN global positioning system. Developed initially for military use, GALILEO powers everything from blue force vehicle tracking to personal FÉLIN soldier sensors. GALILEO has been further developed and refined to provide unclassified but less precise data to consumer markets, which frequently are used in all modes of transportation from the personal to the industrial scale. > [i]SÉMAPHORE COMSAT[/i]: SÉMAPHORE is the codename for the French government's orbital network of satellite communications and satellite internet. While its name is derived from the French invention of the optical telegram, SÉMAPHORE allows for French and OTAN communication in a near-instant fashion across the entire globe. > [i]Space Stations[/i]: France operates space stations of varying size in both military and civilian capacities. While the true number and nature of the stations, nicknamed [i]Les Quais[/i], remains classified, it is estimated that France maintains a number in the teens with sizes varying from small research habitats of less than a dozen crew to a handful of massive stations with upwards of 100 personnel aboard. These represent the pinnacle of French aerospace engineering and are her foothold in space. [/hider]