Captain Nemo II

In March 1987, around one year before the 1988 Presidential Elections, a letter arrives at Stravaraland's Presidential Palace. Opened by undersecretary to the President (for around the last 27 years) Patroclos Stavrou, the letter included an explicit threat on the future generations of Stravaralanders. Immediately, the President of the Republic was summoned to go over the letter. Here follows the exact letter that was received on that fine spring day, when the flowers blossom, and the grass begins to grow...


Written: 13/03/1987. Dispatched: 20/03/1987. Ref: CN/FM-PSK/CY.


Dear Mr. Kyprianou,

As Head of State, the safety and welfare of the Cypriot people should
undoubtedly be your primary concern. In an emergency, whatever you
decide to do, governs the fate of Cyprus and your place in its' History.
Cyprus is now facing a Crisis of enormous magnitude.
Cyprus is in a state of seige, your Country is under Attack and this
is a formal Declaration of Intent. Chemical Weapons have been deployed
in strategic positions throughout Cyprus, covering the major population
centres, tourist resorts and agricultural areas.
These Weapons will activate automatically in a few days. Only you
have the power to stop them. If you allow them to activate, you will
leave your Country a legacy that future generations will curse you for.
The After-Effects will be comparable to those of a Nuclear War; land,
water, crops, livestock and people will be contaminated for Centuries.
As you will realise, further on, this will affect you, your colleagues,
family, children, and friends. This is something you can personally
relate to.
The only way to stop this Attack is by the payment of U.S.$15 Million.
The rest of this communication deals with the finer points of Chemical
Warfare. We hope that you will handle this matter promptly and
in the strictest confidence, any media coverage will force the issue
regardless of your intentions. Be especially careful when using
any form of telecommunications as they may be tapped.
If you cannot evaluate the significance of our message, invite your
experts to provide an independent validation to enable you to decide
quickly, otherwise Cyprus will suffer a fate worse than Death!
yours sincerely,

COMMANDER NEMO
FORCE MAJEURE.



P.S.
The recent bad weather has caused some delay in our plans. Unfortunately,
we cannot turn our clocks back, therefore, you do not have as much time as
we originally intended. The Countdown has started, you must move fast!


To be continued...