On September 13th, 2004, a vigil was held as Francos Spain ceased to exist - for the first time - in this realm. Last year, on the 10th anniversary of the August Revolution, his nation resurfaced and reminded us all of the dedication he had during his time in this place. This dedication was inherited by many players, not only in NPO or NationStates, but across this vast and endless cyberverse.
By Elegarth
Pacific News Network
ded·i·ca·tion noun ?de-di-?k?-sh?n
a feeling of very strong support for or loyalty to someone or something; the quality or state of being dedicated to a person, group, cause, etc.
Ten years ago today, Francos Spain Ceased to Exist for the first time. During his tenure, Francos was a leader of unmatched stature, a foundation of dedication that the Order is still built on today. All of Pacifica dedicated itself to moving forward after the fall of Franco, which resulted in the continued survival and prosperity that has carried over into the NPO as we recognize it today. Today serves as the ultimate reminder that we enjoy our long-standing reign over the chaos of the world, because of the dedication of every member, and that such dedication asks us all to be part of something greater than ourselves.
It is easy to witness this dedication at play today. New citizen are always expected to be willing to dedicate their nations to the Emperor, and whether they would use it for the betterment of the Order. Take a look at all those that have rised across our various departments and become Senators. You will not find among that group a single ruler who fails to understand the importance of dedication in creating Order amidst Chaos. Every one of them provides unquestionable loyalty to Pacifica and her Emperor, and every one of them is prepared to do whatever it takes to prove that loyalty.
However, to each player, each nation ruler, and each member, to each and every one of them, dedication is a personal way of life. We asked several members of the New Pacific Order across the different realms it spans What does dedication mean to you? These are some of their answers.
"Dedication is what you get when you multiply perseverance by efficiency."
"Dedication means making the Order aware of any improvements you think can happen, and then doing everything you can to make them happen."
"Dedication to me means you believe in something so strongly that you are willing to keep working to achieve it, even if achieving this goal is not easy or seemingly obtainable. We are dedicated to obtaining Peace, Strength and Prosperity for everyone in our alliance."
"Dedication is, to the Pacifican, not mere dedication to a good. We are not simply dedicated to the parts of the Order, but to Pacifica herself. It is this pure dedication, not just any dedication, that makes Pacifica indestructible."
"Dedication is finding the niche that best applies your talents, and blowing everyone away with what you can do."
"Dedication is a giving of yourself, contributing your skills talents for a greater and higher purpose. If you're truly dedicated, you leave a bit of yourself in your work, you take ownership of it, and you resolve to keep increasing your devotion to the greater cause."
"Dedication, to me, is how the impossible is made possible. He who has dedication can move mountains using spoons and drain oceans using straws. Such dedication that Pacificans show on a daily basis, is what makes NPO a great, powerful and ever-improving alliance."
"Dedication to Pacifica means working hard in whatever capacity one serves in - be it a department(s), aiding fellow comrades, or simply fighting in wars to further the Pacifican ideals and way of life."
Franco's revolution was not done for nothing, and we do not serve for nothing. As our history has shown, Strength leads to Peace, Peace leads to Prosperity, and Prosperity leads back to Strength. None of that is possible without dedication. That is the reason we serve. Strength, Peace, and Prosperity will never come to us without our dedication. The work of these members and all of our comrades is a daily testament to Francos legacy: we are only the sum of our parts, and no part is greater than that sum.
There is no better day to remember that today.
Original work by Fereldyn, Adapted by Elegarth
Pacific News Network
An Interview with Senator Pierconium
Elegarth: How did the concept of the Revolution came to existence? Was it a natural process of nations on The Pacific, or a small group of people who took actions and the action cascaded to others looking for a change???
Pierconium: It was more or less just Francos Spain and his RL friend Poskrebyshev. In NS the old concepts of Delegacy (pre-Influence) in the feeders (game created regions) meant that whoever was able to swap their way into the seat held all the power. For the initial few months of NS the Delegacy swapped among several nations: Onolongo, Sudetenland, Thedoc and others. But none of these nations really made use of the position. No one exerted power over the masses and took up the position of leadership that was inherently entrusted to the role. Sudetenland made use of the new ejection feature but was haphazard in his enforcement. Thedoc attempted to have a friends society but was easily manipulated by outside forces (in this instance, the ADN, precursors to the CN ODN). Francos Spain was able to not only swap his way into the Delegacy, but also immediately went about solidifying his power by establishing the New Pacific Order, creating the institution of the Senate and removing threats to his authority (i.e. Thedoc and his followers). The ideological position was one of revolution against the growing hegemony of defender groups like the ADN, ALL, SCDT and others, which were predominantly controlled by user-created regions (thus the idea of the userite). The idea of the feeder being autonomous was new to the NS world and sparked what is still remembered by many as the Golden Age of that games lifespan.
Elegarth: How were you handling the spread of conspiracy and need to protect it from de-conspiration? How was the Revolution protected from its enemies while it happened???
Pierconium: In the initial stages of the New Pacific Order, I was a leader in the ADN. It was tasked to me to spy on the NPO directly and thus the nation of Pierconium was created in the earliest stages of the revolution to be a mole within the ranks. However, I quickly saw the error of my ways and after a few conversations with Francos Spain and other members of the NPO Senate, I decided to turn the tables and instead provide intelligence on the internal ADN activities. As far as the conspiracies were concerned, they didnt arrive until later, once Francos Spain had left the game and the fabrication of his demise was introduced. There were (and still are) ongoing smear campaigns on both sides. As far as protection of the revolution is concerned, that fell almost solely upon the position of the Delegate. As the wielder of ultimate authority, it was the responsibility of the Delegate nation to protect the citizens of The Pacific against outside influence and threats. The ADN (again, the precursor to the ODN in CN) utilized several underhanded (i.e. cheating) tactics that were either discovered and thwarted or caught by the game moderation and handled. The NPO also created a wide network of spies and intel gatherers from various regions and planted moles within many ADN regional governments in order to keep tabs on their activities.
Elegarth: What exactly was done when the Revolution was set in motion? Was someone coordinating it all???
Pierconium: Francos Spain decided to take the Delegacy of The Pacific and once he had it he decided to maintain that control.
Elegarth: How were the spirits before and during the Revolution???
Pierconium: Generally, high. At no point did the ADN et al pose a real threat to the position of the Delegate and it should be noted that at no point in the last 11 years has any other form of government except that which was created, organized, and controlled by members of the NPO held power within The Pacific.
Elegarth: Once Franco was in place, and the Order was starting to walk its first steps, how did government came to be? Who step out with ideas? How was the meritocratic system born?
Pierconium: Francos Spain created the Senate and placed several active and strong-willed individuals within it. The Senate then created the Provincial system, in which the region was divided into separate provinces alphabetically by nation name so that members of the community could take part and assist in the monitoring of the region. This was the initial creation of the Praetorian Guard. The Guard itself developed out of this as the first (and still best) line of defense against unrest and sedition. The NPO developed its own news-reporting network to counter the userite claims and we had security and intel branches as well. It should be noted that the initial NPO did not survive Francos Spains departure from NS. He held The Pacific under an iron fist and like many dictatorships, it faltered without its leader. The Peoples Republic of the Pacific (PRP) which arose after the initial NPO, was perhaps a truer ideological factory in regards to CN influences than Francos NPO. Unlimited, Mammothistan, Mussolandia, BlackAdder, Sir Paul, many others, and myself did more formative work during that period of Pacifican governance than was ever accomplished in the relatively few months of the first NPO. After the dissolution of the PRP, the NPO was once again re-established by myself in NS as Delegate of The Pacific. This NPO, with governmental institutions like the PG and Court, finely tuned within the PRP, has been in continuous governance of The Pacific since and was the bedrock upon which I created the initial institutions within the CN version of the NPO.
By Elegarth
Pacific News Network
