Part 104: Imperialism Invictus

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Hello everyone. This is u/Spaceman9800, here to narrate part 104. As this image by u/VictorianCreatures shows, the Boer Empire, which was once thought to be unassailable, is being carved up by the other contestants. The blue smoke of ruined servers and the Rio de Janeiro Conference herald the partition of Africa, and the dawn of a new age for the cylinder. We shall see what the future holds…

2

And at the head of the table is Brazil, under Pedro. Until recently, Brazil was locked in on the South American continent, and not even in the top five. Then Pedro started building XCOMs and Paratroopers and never stopped. Now Carnival spreads across the world. But should Pedro and Mini-Pedro be watching their back? After all, they should know better than most how the mighty can fall. We will see.

3

u/DerErlenkonig brings us the tile-accurate map as of the end of last part. Brazil isn’t the only one who has expanded at the Boer’s expense, as the Orange is indeed being contained. Iceland now has the cylinder surrounded from both poles, Sibir is moving down into Afghanistan, Vietnam has acquired Lahore and little Ambon has fallen to the Dudes who Doot. But most of the African continent is still orange. Skynet gazes from behind the Great Firewall in Pretoria, and its logic circuits fill with rage at the encroaching humans…

4

u/Spherical_Melon’s map shows the human and robot cost of this war much more clearly. Millions of digital minds have been extinguished. Once mighty cities are reduced to rubble. Some, like the contested Indian ocean island city of Pathein have been erased forever. Man and Machine fight for dominance of the cylinder, under the glow of nuclear flare. Let us begin.

5

Mali’s long nuclear history is on display here. A pirate GDR surveys the devastation, reminiscing about the days when they were the ones nuking this region. Without Iceland’s Air support, Brazil’s XCOMs must face the terminators alone. I count no planes on the Brazilian side. In contrast, 10 Boer planes crowd Kumbi Saleh, and airports elsewhere are also filled to the brim. Or are those nukes?

6

Ciudad de Carman is reclaimed by the Boers as their workers try desperately to scrub the glassed Sahara. The hydroponic domes that let the Draka recover from the Great Famine are now simply ruined domes in the sand. An embarked biotrooper charges Sardinia for some reason.

7

Sibir marches into Persepolis as the Boers reclaim Ecbatana. Finnish Batticaloa is looking more like Battered-caloa, though no one here can claim the kill. Here we also see the first front of a new war. What started as an effort to prevent the rise of the machines now turns into a war between humans, as Brazil allies with the Blackfoot against Sweden. A mobile SAM and an XCOM south of Gaza are the first combatants of this new war.

08

Here we see one of the two new belligerents. After the War in Vietnam didn’t go so well, the (Native) Americans have decided to try Europe instead. Their army is outdated, but it is vast, and thanks to some Australian fillings, it overflows their borders, landing around the world much like Carnival before them.

09

Speaking of Carnival… They’re everywhere! And unlike with the Boers, Sweden didn’t close their open borders, so their cities are surrounded. In parts of Finland there are more Brazilians than Swedes. This is not looking good for Gustavus.

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Pedro II The Terrible, Autocrat of the Brazilian Empire. At 109 techs they are on par with their cybernetic rivals, though they’ve chosen to stay human. And to fuel that human emotion of Wrath, they have an army of over 6 million. The largest in the world.

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Gustavus has less than half that number. He too is “The Terrible”... I guess when your as bloodthirsty as our cylinder’s leaders are, the moniker is somewhat general-purpose.

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Dawkinzz‘s Note: Don‘t sleep on the Blackfoot because they just need to tech up and will snowball like Brazil has.

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And as we survey India, the battle of the titans is over. Brazil signs peace. A Kimberley GDR shakes its mechanical fist in frustration, realizing that they and Sibir are now facing the Boerg alone. A Korean production firm offers to sponsor their struggle if they agree to film it as a Mecha Anime. A great musician near Agra works on the soundtrack.

14

Either Kruger and Pedro already have open borders, or units don’t get kicked out when a war ends, because a lot of XCOMs are still vacationing on the Arabian peninsula, and Boer carriers loom outside of India. The Swedish mobile SAM fights its way northwards. In the South, the city of Helsingborg is the set for another anime by the same Korean firm: this one about a cyborg-vampire in the employ of a Boer noble family.

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Ecbatan and Artashat have either been captured or traded in the peace treaty. With Brazil out, the Boers have also retaken Persepolis from the Siberians. Sweden draws first blood, taking Gyumri from the Brazilians.

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Tarentum was also either captured or traded in the treaty. The density of Boer troops is nonzero for once, which may be what prompted the peace. Brazil came away with a sizable and easily defensible colony here, a clear win. Panormus is all that remains of once mighty Boeurope.

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All those Buccaneer settlers must be really disappointed nothing got nuked off the map here.

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Had Brazil kept up this war Looma would likely have been theirs. A Vietnamese cybersub hides under the Antarctic ice, cursing their allies for dropping out now. A Kimberley carrier carries a possibly nuclear payload towards their former capital of Wulungarra. A Korean representative of the Anime Corporation (Sponsored by Big Carrier) looks on.

19

Can a computer breath a sigh of relief? Evidently yes, as billions of digital Boer citizens do just that. Their unprotected core is safe, and it looks like they didn’t even have to give up anything important in the peace deal. On the Boernet, someone circulates an online petition calling on Kruger to build an army. It exceeds 1,500,000 signatures a millisecond after being posted.

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Varna and Ani also change hands, either conquered or given as a peace offering to the cyborgs. Sweden’s core is not so lucky. Gothenburg is in the red, Nicaea and Adrianople are in the yellow and other cities are taking damage.

21

So many Brazilians! And more just keep coming from neighbouring lands like Sibir. Tampere and Vaasa have already fallen. Karkov, Kuopio and Linkoping look to be next. This year was the IRL anniversary of the battle of Stalingrad, so its only appropriate that one is raging in the BR as we speak.

22

REYKJAVIK FALLS TO BRAZIL. Well, the one on the Rhine, at least, that was Swedish. Berlin also falls. The parts of Germany that are still Yellow are in the yellow. Not even Sweden-proper is safe as Stockholm takes some damage. In the North Sea, some blackfoot paratroopers join in. “See, we’re contributing!”

23

Even on the Scandinavian peninsula itself, most of the land units are Brazilians or workers. Those Swedish military that are here have taken to the sea for some reason.

24

A Persian Privateer looks on as America’s soldiers storm Europe’s beaches. Around Vestmannaeyjar, one of the northernmost settlements in the world, Brazilian and blackfoot reinforcements mass, ready to storm the beaches.

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Hamburg and Munich join Green-many. Who‘s next?

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Gyumri is next. Also, Sibir retakes Persepolis. Our Mobile SAM travels past Gaza, to reconnect with their comrades in Hebron.

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Moscow, Kuopio and Kharkov go Green. Sweden is going to need more than the worker near Long Xuyen to stop the bleeding.

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Linkoping has fallen. The rest of Swedish Finland is holding, but Lappeenranta and (North) Jyvaskyla are looking rater endangered. There’s a bit more of an army here, though nowhere in the Swedish core can match its distant colony of Hebron.

29

Pedro: “The Boers are not to be trusted! I mean, how did they convince me to sign that peace treaty that was so clearly not in my favor? They must be up to something!” Meanwhile the petition on Change. Borg calling for Kruger to build an army gathers a few million more signatures, but will he listen?

30

Vietnam reforms their religion (Theravada Buddhism) as the Kimberley make peace with both of their superpower adversaries.

31

This time the Kimberley kept Ambon in the treaty, ensuring that they have actual gains from this war. Sure, it‘s a one-tile island, but you’ve got to start somewhere.

32

World congress considers world religion (Catholicism) and Natural Heritage sites, two proposals whose history gives them a snowball’s chance in the Australian Outback of passing. Hey, at least they’re not trying to ban sugar, spice and everything nice this time. When it comes to CBR’s world congress inefficiency is the best you can ask for. Other than that, we see Mongolia, one of the few places not covered by Carnival. Their army may be old, but unlike Korea and this part of Sibir, they actually have one. Speaking of Sibir, why are there 3 Siberian settlers heading Eastwards? Do they think Kamchatka is the promised land? Or did they just get teleported there because Brazil fills every tile in their homeland?

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Antioch, Nicea and Ыngvellir (not sure how to render that character so I used a Cyrillic one that looks similar) are conquered. The King of the Jungle is soundly defeating the Lion of the North.

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Stalingrad and Lappeenranta fall. In a glimmer of hope for Sweden supporters, Scandinavia proper seems to be clearing of Brazilians though.

35

Sibir and the Boers peace out, leaving I think Vietnam as the last OCPII member. Persepolis is traded to Kruger in the peace treaty. Sibir still came out of this war with Kabul and several other cities, so Sibir supporters can be happy. Perhaps they should consider celebrating by canceling Open Borders with Brazil, lest they meet the same fate as Gustavus…

36

Brazilian troops form a beachhead in Norway. The Blackfoot paratroopers are nowhere to be seen, but a Blackfoot GDR floats on the horizon.

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Poznan, Gothenburg and Minsk join Brazilian Rus. This is probably the best carpet this flat and hard-to-control region has ever had. Sibir should really be using this opportunity to fill the clearing on their western border with their own units…

38

Another display of just how bad Sibir is at this. Count the settlers! I see 24. Mao’s knight looks on from the frozen north, occupying, ironically, one of the few settleable spots.

39

The Heathen faith has been going strong in Iceland, spreading throughout its core to rival the religions founded earlier in the game. Big Carrier and Carnival have also spread throughout this region.

40

All those Kimberley units were bound for the Boers, but you know who else is there, at war with the Kimberley and looking rather juicy right now? Finland with its honor guard of Afghan mercenaries. Can Jandamarra doot it?

41

Constantinople and Ohrid are Brazil’s latest trophies. On the bright side, the Mobile Sam has rejoined its friends in Hebron. I wonder if Gustavus will end up exiled to the Middle East, like Kekkonen before him.

42

Vietnam is also slowly filling with Carnival, though they have some troops of their own. I also count 5 settlers.

43

Should Gustavus really be denouncing people right now? Sure Iceland has few non-carrier units, but they have planes. Maybe he’s hoping to convince them to stop harboring Brazilians?

44

Of course there’s plenty of places in Europe that already harbor Brazilians. Hamburg, Malmo and Lodz are the latest additions to that list. Also wow the Balkans are a mess.

45

Tigranocerta falls to Brazil, even as Sweden reclaims Adrianople. I think Hebron also flipped.

46

Espoo is the latest Brazilian conquest. I wonder how long until Gustavus is forced to start nuking his former territory?

47

Brazilian troops pour into Scandinavia. There’s a Swedish advanced destroyer outside of Espoo, so it‘s nice to know that if Gustavus goes down, he’ll at least go down with a decent naval bias.

48

Hawaii bravely states the obvious, but that’s a dangerous thing to do when Brazilians surround you. On the other hand, is there anywhere in the cylinder they don’t surround now?

49

The Kimberley close in on Batticaloa.

50

Malamo and Hamburg are retaken. Can Gustavus turn the tide?

51

I want to say there’s more Swedish units here now, but sadly the Advanced destroyer isn’t amongst them. Malamo flips back to Brazil. Also, look at all that smoke in Sweden. Those Brazilian XCOMs must be doing some pillaging.

52

Australia fails to make Catholicism the World Religion. This may in part be because even many of their own citizens follow Theravada or Pantheon, not Catholicism.

53

In the bottom right you can see the reason we’re being shown Kruger’s stats: He’s joined the attack on Sweden. Kruger’s army is now only the 6th largest in the world, but the Boers are still the happiest, most scientific and crop-producing people in the world. Truly a prosperous place to live, but given how few soldiers they have, should they really be starting new wars right now?

54

Illustrating that point, the battered Gustavus is only half a million men and women at arms behind Kruger right now. But battered he is, and while the Swedes have had some great underdog moments in the past, it will be hard to pull this one out, especially when Skynet and Mini-Pedro are working together again.

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There’s not a Swedish unit in sight in the Balkans or Ukraine. Antioch has joined the green, as has Adrianople, ending Gustavus’s last outposts on the Black Sea.

56

Pedro’s core, as fully carpeted as ever. Some of those planes may be better placed in his overseas colonies, but given how well he’s doing, who am I to question his strategies?

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Buccaneer Africa is well carpeted and protected by a dense array of nukes. The pirates are doing their best to prepare for the day the inevitable lime-green reckoning comes.

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“BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL” and indeed it isn’t. Korea is in fact the source of the missile threat with Sibir helping them out. Can Hawaii’s valiant navy defeat the might of Big Carrier, or will this little patch of orange be contained?

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Kamehameha shows is his secret weapon: Triplanes! In fairness he’s got a jet there to. Why he moved them onto a vulnerable carrier instead of keeping them on his home island is beyond me.

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“We may be last in tech, but we are 1st in heart.”

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This war is sponsored by Big Carrier, keeping Korea 12th in active duty military. Their technology may be second to none, but lobbying has crippled the government of Sejong the Pious (the first leader we’ve seen who isn’t “The Terrible”).

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Kuchum Khan is in the middle of the pack on everything. He’s pretty far from Hawaii’s tiny island, so I doubt he’ll matter in this war.

63

The Kimberley mechs land and F keys are primed as Batticaloa’s Finnish and Afghan defenders struggle against the Giant Death Robots and their marine escort. Meanwhile a Vietnamese worker and carrier are on a lonely mission to continue the OCP-II’s work. And here we conclude our journey. Will Finland survive? Will Hawaii be extinguished? Can Brazil be stopped? Find out next time on CBR.

Part 104: Imperialism Invictus – mk2

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