Author Archives: James - Page 117
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Nineteen Years in Public Service
Nineteen years ago I started work, at Her Majesty's pleasure according to my job offer letter, as an Executive Officer with the Department of the Environment. I was a graduate entrant on the DOE's Management Development Programme and was paid an annual salary of £12,200, including London Weighting. That was quite good money at the time, the average graduate starting salary was £10,000 and in today's terms it would be about double that (using the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to update it). The expectations that I had were of relatively rapid promotion to Higher Executive Officer (HEO) after about 3 years and then skipping past Senior Executive Officer (SEO) straight to Grade 7 in about five years after getting to HEO. I also got told that I would have compulsory retirement at the age of 60 and that I would…
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Megagame: Invasion from Mars – the end
Dateline General Buck's HQ, BRADLEY It's all over bar the talking. Army Group West is now all back on the East Continent. With due pomp and ceremony (we got a band in) the Mech Brigade left by sea and then my HQ flew out. I was the last member of the DRC forces to leave the East Continent having handed over FAREAST to the MAFC Marines I got on the last flyer out and flew back to BRADLEY. Troops evacuated from the West Continent have been deployed into our cities in the western part of the East Continent. If the negotiations break down then all forces have been withdrawn to defend the homeland, and most of the losses have been made good using the Repair and Maintenance Points (RMP). --- As a conclusion, the DRC are all very surprised at…
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Megagame: Invasion from Mars 11
Dateline General Buck's advanced HQ, FAREAST The political negotiations continue, there is much discussion of setting up a supra-national bode to co-ordinate trade, although I do not believe that our government is terribly keen on this idea unless there are appropriate safeguards in place. I have done another deal and persuaded the New Cydonia Station head of security to help me evacuate a tank brigade (3rd, at full strength) by providing an additional shuttle unit to supplement my transport flyers. The Brigade is flown to BRADLEY which now means that we have a Division plus there (three brigades, and AIR support). Another Mech Brigade and a Tank Brigade get shipped out of FAREAST back to the East Continent, leaving only my HQ and the last Mech Brigade (which I could have shipped out as well, but thought I'd string it…
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Megagame: Invasion from Mars 10
Dateline General Buck's advanced HQ, FAREAST, West Continent, Cydonia Having brokered a deal via the Earther Military Attaché the Infantry Brigade near ENSEMBLE is flown to BRADLEY (the DRC capital city) by the shuttles of the North Continental Company. This happily bolsters the defences in the capital just in case there is any unpleasantness if negotiations break down. No danger of an internal coup or revolution though, the people seem delighted by our performance and (rightly) credit the President's leadership for this. A Mech Brigade and Logistics Base A are evacuated by sea, the remaining forces are converging on FAREAST. My HQ is set up in FAREAST. All available air assets are covering the port to ensure evacuation continues to go smoothly.
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Megagame: Invasion from Mars 09
Dateline General Buck's Advanced HQ on West Continent, Cydonia The cease-fire holds and the politicals keep on talking, apparently the discussions have been focussed on the acts of terrorism against the DRC and that this was a legitimate casus belli. The NCC and DMC have been taken to task over their refusal (so far) to outright condemn these actions. The sea logistics base has completed its move back to SOLENT so we can start the sea evacuation across the narrow FREEDOM STRAITS. Logistics base B flies back to the West Continent too. We abandon the front line and move almost 2,000km to the East, also handing back the cities of BLACKBERRY and FOSTER. The Infantry Brigade in FAREAST is evacuated. At this stage all the remaining forces on the West Continent (other than the Infantry Brigade near ENSEMBLE and logs…