The Land of Desera

[supremec]

Good picture    , a very good city 

[io_bg]

So realistic! Bravo!

[marsh]

Very nice work. Cedar is growing very quickly. Soon all those houses and tree-lined streets will be torn down for parking lots and cladded skyscrapers galore. 

,marsh

[sumwonyuno]

Heh, congratulations on 150,000 people!  I remember when Cedar was just a few houses!   

[nedalezz]

EPISODE TWO: CHAPTER TWO

"We're almost there, boss. Just a few more minutes."


Jim Benstrike nodded his head approvingly. It was a long trip from Frontier to this "bastion of freedom", as he heard some of his townsfolk call it, and he was getting grumpy. The Great Barrens were a very hot place to be driving through in broad daylight, and it had taken them almost twelve hours at high speeds from his town to Wildbank.


The nerve of these people. Benstrike still had not forgotten what had happened three years ago, when some upstart cowboy called Ray Black shot and wounded a number of his men. He had come down to offer his services of protection, as he liked to call it, but the foolish cowboy and his friend, Tiberius Driver, had made the biggest mistake of their lives. That fool Tiberius used to operate the motel back in Frontier, and Benstrike had allowed him to work there and make a living for so many years. That ungrateful bastard thought he could just up and walk away and resettle just like that, well, he had another thing coming.


He had heard all about Wildbank's "success", how the people lived tax free, and how everything was so rosy, colourful, and peaceful. He had heard how Ray Black had established several companies based on some farms he had, and how his influence and name had spread way beyond the borders of Wildbank. He was almost like a mythical hero to the people of Haven and Benstrike just did not get it. What was so special about a nomadic cowboy who had stumbled onto a river and decided to call it home? Better yet, what made that shanty town Wildbank so special? A few vegetables and fruits? Because it was near the water? Frontier had a cement production facility that was the envy of the entire region, with people coming from as far as the Hebert region to buy the product. THAT was a success story.


Truth be told, Benstrike had gotten sick from hearing about Wildbank and how it is the "beacon of light" in this dark world. Frontier was less than a day's drive away – after destroying Black and Driver, he was going to own the town. He had a few loyal goons he could trust to run his day to day affairs, and honestly speaking, he always wanted to live near the water.


"There it is, boss. Wildbank."

------------------------------

Ray Black could see the motorcade through his binoculars, finally. They had appeared from the northeast as expected, and he could count around nine vehicles, probably all manned with weaponry and armor. Tiberius had been informed from his people in Frontier through satellite communication twelve hours ago, at the break of dawn, that Jim Benstrike and his little army had headed out of Frontier and were planning an attack on Wildbank. They had known about this for a while, but they did not know when it was going to happen. Today was the day, apparently. Black looked towards the setting sun; it would be atleast another hour before complete darkness. The battle would be over by then.


He climbed down from the post, and handed the binoculars to Tiberius Driver. The men were all in position; with any luck, the motorcade wouldn't get close enough to Wildbank to cause any real damage. Driver was a genius with machinery, and lately he had developed missiles that would hit targets five miles away. They had a few of them all readied up, and the men were just waiting on instructions to fire them. If they failed, then it was going to be a real battle. Black had about thirty men ready to fight, all armed to the teeth with automatic shotguns and extra bullets, but they were still outnumbered.





Ray Black (talking to Tiberius): So everything is ready to go?

Tiberius Driver (nodding): They won't get anywhere near your northern farms if we launch them right.

Ray Black: Alright...give the order.





Tiberius nodded, and started speaking on his communication device to each launcher. They both climbed to the top of the post to watch the action. Ray Black was worried; there was a lot of children and women in Wildbank, and there was no telling what Benstrike and his goons would do if they managed to break through the defenses. The countdown had begun, and in less than thirty seconds, six missiles will launch directly at the motorcade that was approaching the town. There were going to be casualties, of that there was no doubt, but they had no other option. They had to hit them before they got too close.

----------------------

The missiles screeched and headed directly towards the motorcade. Watching from his binoculars, Ray Black saw the explosions, one after the other, followed by a sand cloud that covered where they used to be. No one was advancing towards Wildbank anymore; they were stopped dead in their tracks.


The men who had prepared themselves to defend their new home and families all looked completely shocked. They had not expected their weapons to deliver such a powerful punch, and as the fire blazed to the north of them, some were visibly shaken. Ray mentioned to Tiberius with his hands to form a group to head over to the motorcade, and Tiberius nodded. Few minutes later, they arrived the site.




Ray Black: Look for survivors. Take the wounded back to Wildbank and tend to them. Bury the dead.

Tiberius Driver (pointing towards a specific car): I recognize that one. That one is Benstrike's personal vehicle.

Ray Black (nodding): Search it.





Sure enough, there was Jim Benstrike, bloodied and bruised from the explosions all around him, but still alive. Apparently, the missiles had not hit his vehicle directly, and his companions in the car were also alive, albeit in much more serious condition than he appeared to be.





Jim Benstrike (coughing): What...in the world was that? What the hell have you people been doing?

Ray Black: Making sure we can defend ourselves from people like you.

Jim Benstrike: You're an animal, cowboy...

Ray Black: We'll get fixed you up, don't worry. Once you're strong enough, we'll put you on a bivan and send you back to where you came from. Although I suspect you won't be welcome in Frontier, anymore. Tiberius got this whole thing recorded and pretty soon, everyone in Frontier is going to see your little army getting blown to pieces.

Jim Benstrike: Frontier is mine!

Ray Black: Well, that's for the people that live there to decide.





With that, Black mentioned to his men to start clearing up the mess and tending to the wounded. The dead would be buried the next day, after they were cleaned and bathed. As for Benstrike, as Ray promised, he was taken care of, then put on a bivan with some food and water and set off. As they watched him ride off into the sunset, Tiberius and Ray both knew this was the beginning of a dark period. War had gripped Haven, and it was only going to spread. They were able to protect themselves against a tiny militia, but what happens when a real army comes rolling in? Lawfully, they were part of the Haven Republic, but would the Republic's army protect them if the Eartheners came? More had to be done. Much more.

Where Benstrike was shot and the attack repelled just north of Wildbank.



Farmlands around Wildbank belonging to Ray Black.



Wildbank City.

Resized your pics my friend. - Robin 

[Tomas Neto]

Awesome update, very nice history and fantastic pics!!!   

[rooker1]

 It's raining outside here and very foggy, not a very nice day.  But I got myself a coffee and a bagel and to my surprise you have another chapter ready to read.  The day has all of sudden got that much better!!  Thank you.
Great story and fitting pics.  I wish you would try the curved dirt roads, but other than that I love it all!!
BTW, how is married life?

Robin 

[bat]

That are some nice pictures and a really good story.

[kelis]

The last picture is very realistic  Great job mate.

[nedalezz]

Sorry for the lack of replies, I've been so busy at work and been travelling all over the place. In the past month I've been to China, the UAE, and now Ghana, so you can imagine Anyway, here is a small update on Haven, but without pictures! Sorry but I do hope you enjoy Oh, and Robin, married life is great!

EPISODE TWO: CHAPTER THREE

Ray looked up from his small plasma-ray computer at the door. He breathed out a huge sigh and bellowed for whoever was knocking to come in, and in walked in young Brett Bion accompanied by two other older gentlemen. Brett was a young orphan who Black had employed as an assistant of sorts, mostly running errands and little jobs he couldn't be bothered with. The two other men, however, were not from Wildbank – in fact, it was the first time Ray had seen them before. He tensed up a little at the sight of them, and signaled to Brett to stay in the room. They were in Ray's new office, right behind the newly constructed Wildbank Town Hall, where all the town meetings and functions took place.



Ray Black: How may I help you, gentlemen?

Randolf Cross (Introducing himself): Howdy, Im Randolf Cross, and I hear you're the leader of this here town.

Ray Black (Agitated): How are you, Mr. Cross. You didn't answer my question, though. How may I help you?

Randolf Cross: We're from the Haven Republic. Here's our credentials if you'd like to see them. We've come to make sure everything's in order and to inform you that starting next month, we'll begin collecting tax on income and a general fixed tax. Furthermore, the Haven Republic is claiming back all land, and will also become a majority shareholder in all private businesses. Please fill out this paper work and make sure everyone in the town does the same.

Ray Black (Looking over the papers, then calmly hands them back): I ain't filling out anything, Mr. Cross.

Randolf Cross (Eying Ray): Mr. Black, it is not a matter of choice. These are laws that have been implemented by the Haven Republic under approval of His Excellency, the President Hans Drake. This is going to happen. Not filling these papers and signing them will be a breach of the law, which is punishable by jail sentences and even death.

Ray Black: What you are proposing is basically taking away all of our income and profiting more from our businesses than we are.

Randolf Cross (Yelling): Mr. Black! I am NOT proposing anything. I am ORDERING you by the power given to me by the Haven Republic government to fill out these forms or so help you...

Ray Black (Jumps over his desk and grabs Cross by the neck): Listen here, boy. Where the hell was the Haven Republic when we warded off attack after attack from crooks like you, and where will you be when, inevitably, someone else comes in to cause us harm? I'm not signing anything, and neither is anyone else in this town. I bought my land fair and square from your government, and I have worked my ass off making sure these businesses provide for me, and the people I employ. You are not taking anything away from us. Now get the hell out of here before I get angry.

Randolf Cross (Choking): You have just attacked an employee of the Haven Republic, and you have just made the biggest mistake of your life refusing to sign these papers. We will get what we want, a lot sooner than later. Good day, Mr. Black.

[rooker1]

I can feel the tension in the air now.

Robin 

[Tomas Neto]

Great story!!! Fantastic my friend!!!

[marsh]

"Now get the hell out of here before I get angry."  Because he wasn't already? 

Great story. It's coming along nicely.  Can't wait for more soon. And exploring the world must be really interesting for you.

,marsh

[nedalezz]

marsh: Thanks I'm having a lot of fun creating a world revolved around the story I can't wait to see your next update, btw!
Tomas Neto: Thank you for commenting and reading
rooker1: Tension is mounting all over Haven!

EPISODE TWO: CHAPTER FOUR

Tiberius Driver: I doubt the Haven Republic has the resources or the interest to send troops so far out from Janneh City to collect a little bit of money from such a small place. I wouldn't worry too much about it, cowboy.

Ray Black (nervous and antsy, walking around the room): Say they did...then what? We gonna attack the army? This ain't like dealin' with Benstrike and his goons.

Tiberius Driver: Relax, Ray. I've been doing some work with our radar, and we can track anyone approaching the town from two hundred miles away. That fool was bluffing. He just wanted something for his own pocket.

Ray Black: You sayin' that Hans Drake didn't issue all those new laws?

Tiberius Driver: I didn't say that. From what I know, he did, and he's been upholding them, violently even, all over Janneh City and its surroundings. He's trying to fund his war with the Eartheners. He's got hold of some tilkan gas rich land and he's been selling them in the black market to Earthen traders stationed in New Liberty City. From what I hear, he sends his men in there and sells the gas for dirt cheap. They take it back to Earth, to other colonies, but he's making a fortune. Problem is, the Earthen forces have been bombing the crap out of him in the north, and he needs all the funding he can get, because obviously he ain't paying nothing out of his own pocket. But like I told you, he can't afford to send the type of force that you're thinking about out here. He needs them on the frontlines.

Ray Black (sighs, then looks at Tiberius): You realize we've developed our own frontline to the west and north. We need to protect our borders.

Tiberius Driver (laughs): You're talking like we got our own country.

Ray Black: Well, we don't belong to the Eartheners, and we sure as hell don't belong to no Haven Republic. We're on our own, Tiberius.

Ray Black's office on Cross Street.



Where Cross Street meets the ferry wharf, looking south.

[rooker1]

 A great birthday morning for me so far.
First I get an extra large special coffee and now another update from you.  What's next for me?

Another great chapter and interesting pics.  I wonder if you are a writer and if not you should see what you can do with this story.  It really is top notch so far.

Robin 

[nedalezz]

In honour of your birthday, Robin, today I'll get two updates up! Happy Birthday!

The State of Nesara: Update Thirty-Six

With James Brooks stepping down as President of the State of Nesara at the end of the year, election campaigns have been in full swing around the state, with millions being poured to help promote the candidates. The elections have easily become the biggest internal event in the history of Nesara, and it has not been without its fair share of controversy, either.



The first big story broke when James Brooks formally and officially announced the creation of the Nesara National Party, or the NNP, just mere days after stating he was to step down at the end of the year. However, Brooks did not announce the candidate of the NNP, which at that point was widely assumed to be Bassem Safek, head of the Department of Transportation, immediately. Confusion led to rumors which led to assumptions that Safek would not be named as the NNP candidate, which, given Brooks popularity, was predicted to win the elections in a landslide.



When Brooks finally announced the candidate, much to the surprise and shock of the public, it was not Bassem Safek, but Dominique Dionne, the head of the Police and Fire Department. Safek was outraged, and announced publicly a couple of hours later that he was defecting from Brooks' NNP and forming his own political party called the Nesara Democratic Party, or the NDP. In a fiery speech, Safek claimed that the NNP was running a borderline socialist administration, and it was only going to get more secretive and controlling under the hard hand of Dionne. He suggested that Brooks was looking to keep power in his own clique, and he continued by stating that Brooks was looking to kill him off politically because he did not agree to carry out projects that he thought would only benefit corrupt contractors and their governmental sponsors. Safek finished up the speech stating that he would serve the remaining few months as head of the Department of Transportation and would step down once the elections was over no matter what the outcome. Heads and directors of the five departments of the Nesara Executive Council are assigned by the President of Nesara. The NNP did not issue any comments after the speech, but a spokesperson of the party did state that the NNP denies any accusations of corruption and that Safek's record of authorizing failed projects and dwindling popularity with the public were the reasons why he was not chosen to head the NNP campaign.



While Safek has a near impossible chance of defeating Dionne in the elections, his defection will questions to surface around the NNP's handling of the situation and their lack of transparency, which has always been the biggest knock on them. Safek will surely play up the fact that the NNP operates and makes decisions before announcing them publicly, with accusations of socialism and party centered politics already being thrown at them. Safek's main ally is the outspoken and controversial Bakrat Rohan, who was looked over by Brooks for the post of head of the Nesara Properties Authority, and also had a much publicized speech where he accused Brooks of much of the same things Safek did. Between them, they can make a lot of noise, but whether they convince enough people to make the NNP atleast take notice of them is yet to be seen.



Safek's last project as director of the NDT was the Brooks Avenue development, a four lane road that connects the northern part of Cedar to the its south. It is situated on the eastern edge of the town, crossing through Country Road and Washington Avenue. As part of the traffic decongestion initiative taken by the NDT, Brooks Avenue was built as a solution for both current and future developments. Northern Cedar, the industrial hub of the city, is connected to Brooks Avenue through Station Street, a road that heads east from the factories and crosses over the rail tracks before converging with the avenue. Residents of the eastern neighborhoods of Cedar will now be able to use the avenue as an alternative to Intersection Street, easing traffic pains on the congested street.

Brooks Avenue, with the direction of the picture looking west.

In other news, construction has begun on the new Police and Fire Department headquarters opposite the Nesara Executive Council Building on Intersection Street. The NPFD Headquarters will serve as the central base for all five police and fire stations in Cedar, as well as the Gateway Beach station. It is also rumored to be the new base for the Nesaran intelligence, an organization that the council denies exists but is rumored to be headed by James Brooks himself. The NPFD HQ will cost almost $5 million upon completion and will employ up to four hundred people in several fields. If Dominique Dionne wins the election, her successor will have his or her head office in the building as well.

Construction begins on the NPFD Headquarters.

[kelis]

Amazing shot !!! Very realistic 

[bat]

It's looking really great.
And nice two new chapters of your story...

[marsh]

Love to see more growth in Cedar.

,marsh

[nedalezz]

EPISODE TWO: CHAPTER FIVE

Tiberius knew Ray was right. What they had started had become much bigger than they could ever imagine. Wildbank wasn't only a town, it was a legend amongst the folk of Haven, the last bastion of freedom in a desolate world. The war between the Haven Republic and the Eartheners was engulfing large parts of the north of the only landmass on Haven, a large continent that was about double the size of Asia back on Earth. (Wildbank was situated on the southern end of Haven, with only the Wildbank River and some desert separating it from the Blue Ocean, named for its strikingly rich navy blue color.) The little towns that scattered the Great Barrens, which covered almost the entire landmass, all were run by crooks and gangsters, smaller versions of Hans Drake, but with the recent surge in rediscovered technology, people were getting rich fast. The official currency of Haven, the Kosmo, or "K", was the currency of all the Earthen colonies and Earth itself, a united currency for all humanity. It was highly sought after in Haven, and it was coming in a lot more thanks to the increase in trade out of New Liberty City.

Tiberius had heard that Hans Drake was stockpiling all his kosmos in Janneh City and was using it to buy black market weaponry from space pirates, as well as luxury goods for himself. He couldn't confirm it, but he had heard that Drake had opened up a space station for pirates and black market traders in the city, something which the Earthen Alliance would not take lightly at all. If they didn't control it, then it had no right to exist, and anyone caught trading with the Haven Republic was to be punished by a life sentence on the prison planet of Coron.

A fair number of traders had begun passing through Wildbank on a daily basis, mostly interested in Ray Black's fish, vegetables, and fruits – a rarity in what was now the desert world of Haven. Tiberius' underground irrigation system had worked wonders for Black, even managing to grow a few farms away from the river bed and its lushness. There were a few smaller traders who had built up some stores alongside Wildbank's Main Street, but they were mostly barterers – they'd trade something for something else, and try to sell every other item. The Homestead family, however, had developed their own profitable business, selling livestock and separate meats to guests of the town. As for Tiberius, he owned Driver Energy, a company he registered which owned the solar towers that provided electricity and energy to the town. He would collect revenue every month from each household depending on how much energy they had used, and it had become quite the profitable business for him. On the side, he spent his days developing weaponry for the men of the town, and they had come in handy when they repelled the Benstrike attack.

Ray Black now wanted to construct two outposts to the west and north of the town, fully equipped with the latest of Tiberius' guns and machinery. Although Tiberius had told him that his satellite radar could spot any movement up to two hundred miles from Wildbank, Ray was still nervous. The outpost would require men to man them, and Ray said they would offer jobs to some of the unemployed men of Wildbank as guardians of the town. Each outpost would hold four men, and they in total Ray would hire twenty four men, with daily shifts being taken between them. Sheriff Turner Tower would be put in charge of the defensive operations, and all the new men under his command. While Tiberius didn't think the outposts were necessary, he was not about to argue with a man who was clearly passionate about the town and all it meant to its people. He was right about one thing, though, and that was that Wildbank was on its own. Although he doubted the Haven Republic would send troops to occupy Wildbank and enforce its law on it, there was no one left to defend it but its people. The town was founded on the principles of freedom and escape from tyranny, and he knew Ray would do all he could making sure those same very principles would stay alive in these times of darkness.