Quote:And yes, what is the international response to the sudden replacement of North America? The US has more than a few enemies who might just take advantage of a moment like this, that's obvious, but what about allies and neutrals? Surely Fenspace isn't that much quicker on the uptake than the international community.
That... sounds like the perfect call for a scenelet!
November 19, 2016
North America
14:00 GMT (07:00 EST)
The broadcast was sudden, it overrode all wireless stations in the United and Confederate States with a sudden burst of loud, pompous music.
(music_LOAD: “The Throne Room / End Title” John Williams, Star Wars Episode IV Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
The music played for a minute, grabbing the attention of every waking person in the displaced section of North America. Then, it faded and an unearthly voice filled the air.
“THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS. WE KNOW YOU CAN HEAR US EARTHMEN- OW!”
A pause.
“(Stop that! If you can't be trusted to take this seriously we'll find somebody else!)”
“(I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please put down the newspaper!)”
“(You two do realize that we've got a live mic, right?)”
“(We what? OH SHI-)”
Another pause.
“AH, ER... SORRY ABOUT THAT, LET ME TRY AGAIN... and fix the volume. There. *ahem* Ladies and gentlemen of the United States of America and, er, the Confederate States of America (and wow does that sound weird): Good morning. I'm sure that many of you noticed the big flash of light that occurred last night. More of you have seen strange lights on the borders and in the sky. Well, there's a reason for that.
“To steal a phrase, I'm Simon Jones, and I'm here to tell you the truth. The truth is, this is a long story, so please sit back and remain calm. If you're sitting comfortably, then we'll begin...”
***
November 19, 2016
Emerson, Manitoba
16:03 GMT (10:03 CST)
Constable William MacGregor, RCMP had had strange days before. Life on the border of the US pretty much guaranteed that. Of course, nobody back at the academy had prepared him for the sight of a tank column rumbling across the border without a care in the world.
MacGregor let out a startled “Huh!” and hopped into his patrol SUV to flag down the convoy and find out what the hell was going on. As he got closer, he noticed that these tanks weren't the shiny M1s favored by the US Army. In fact, these tanks looked... older. Much older, like Second World War vintage or perhaps earlier. Weird, he thought. Maybe somebody put 'em together for a museum up in Winnipeg and the joker thought it'd be cute to drive 'em up like Patton. Best put a stop to this foolishness now.
Meanwhile, the barrel commander was just as confused. The last time he'd been through Emerson, the town didn't exist. It had been one of the first casualties of the Great War, and nobody had bothered to rebuild it afterward. And considering he'd been through Emerson less than six weeks ago, this clean and shiny new town was a complete mystery.
“Are we lost?” he asked his driver.
“No sir,” the driver replied. “We followed the checkpoint out of Minnesota, and far as I know we're on the road back to Winnipeg.”
“That's great,” the commander said. “So where the fuck did this town come from?”
So obviously the next-door neighbors know Something is Up pretty much from the word go, probably even earlier than this scene since a good chunk of urbanized Canada can be seen from the border, and the Mexican government is going to want to know where the hell Juarez and their northern tier of states got off to. Things are going to be more than a bit confused for the first day or so as US occupation forces filter north and are - politely - turned back by the local cops. The Mexican authorities will probably make some forays into the Confederate states of Sonora and Chihuahua, so expect lulz from the south.
Internationally, everybody knew something was wrong when a good chunk of the intarwub vanished along with the lower 48. It wasn't until planes bound for the coasts started diverting to Mexico and Canada that people knew the old US was missing. As of 11-22-16 the UN - or at least the rump Security Council - is scrambling to meet in Geneva, NATO is doing much the same in Brussels along with the commanders of US EUROCOM and CENTCOM, ANZAC's teleconferencing with PACCOM and all these brass types are leaning on TSAB at Franklin Station, since the uniform consensus is that this is somehow the Fen's fault. Good times.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
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