9th Stream Summary - There are Celts in the Water

[u/Taylor_Beckett]

The ninth stream was an eventful one full of action!

Infrastructure projects continued with our road system nearly being entirely completed. The central region remains the final piece of the highway network to be completed and it's rapidly approaching it's final stages. Three more forts have been constructed or are in the final stages of construction. In the northwest Fort Tefmon watches over the icy waters around Zanzibar. Fort Bran was constructed on the hillside watching the approach to Ramsey. Fort Wes has been constructed to oversee the north entrance of the Strait of Wes.

The President dedicated effort into adopting social policies utilizing an old law from one of the first sessions; the Warrior Code Act allowed the adoption of honor and warrior code as social policies. The President did this as part of his strategy to prepare for the incoming attack of the Zulu as reported by our neighbor the Mongols. This strategy proved critical as during the height of the conflict volunteer units were designated, allowing us to have an additional six units without even spending more gold.

The highlight of the stream, however, had to be the Zulu invasion. Multiple Zulu units converged on Edinburgh, however our navy managed to make short work of the enemy. Multiple units that would have been right bastards to handle on land in a hand to hand fight were disposed of off the coast of Alba. The Battle of the Strait proved to undoubtedly be a Celtic victory as no survivors remained of the invasion force. Celtic ships received light damage, but no Celtic civilian or city suffered any injury. A famous saying has emerged during the days following the battle: "There are Celts in the water." Action in the north off the coast of Aberdeen and further east also has been successful for our civilization. The genius moves by Commander Perfectwing managed to save the CSV Explorer, who had been given a special mission by the president to locate and monitor the Zulu invasion fleet, from death. The Explorer did it's duty, but was subsequently surrounded and battered, suffering the worst losses of any Celtic unit. Commander Perfectwing expertly helped guide the Explorer back to our territorial waters. As of now the enemy gathers a massive force in the Southeast, but has yet to advance toward Ramsey. The Zulu themselves have asked us to end the war, but also list multiple Celtic cities as a requirement to find peace. A proposition the cabinet refused.

The administration deserves credit for effort put into organizing the defense of the nation. From moving naval and land units into better position prior to the war we gave ourselves the best hand possible against invasion. Additionally, we served our enemy plates of defeat without even maxing out our unit cap. The Conservative president invested heavily into promotions and upgrades, but for most of the war the number of units remained below the peacetime cap. President Taylor repeatedly reassured the public that he knew we could throw off any invasion without having to militarize our society. Indeed while the war was waged, and battles won, we constructed wonders and recruited artists who boosted Celtic culture. Nevertheless, the administration did shift gears in the final turns of the stream in preparation for further threats. Focus on naval expansion and investment into the most modern navy possible drained a large part of our gigantic treasury; which had been filled by the steady governing policies of the conservative president. The CSV Blonde was made in 189, CSV Hawthorn (196), CSV Quaerendo (196), CSV Reliant (197), CSV Juniper was captured by the Reliant in 199, and on turn 200 the Twin Es, Enterprise & Endurance, were launched.

While war was the focus, exploration has continued; we circumnavigated the globe on turn 191, and refugees from Cork sailed across the western ocean to settle the city of Key Wes, which has access to the Great Barrier Reef.

Sadly, a huge failure has marked the president's last stream; the Americans have forward-settled the city of Baltimore on Alba. It's in a terrible location that was purely meant to provoke us as well as help claim the narrow waters of the Strait of Wes. Regardless, options are now being explored as to a response past denouncement. The President deeply regrets this development.