Maroonation

Maroonation is a Lac Glacei syndicated television program carried by the GlaTV network. It is a parody of geopolitics with an anti-war rhetoric that plays on states and situations happening (or have already happened) on Micras. Broadcast was recently expanded to include Nouvelle Alexandrie.

Premise

Planet Maroo

The series is set on the fictional planet of Maroo. Each season has 12 episodes. It’s very simple geography depicts and rounded mega-continent similar to Pangaea that has broken into several smaller continents and islands.

Viewers follow an ensemble cast of characters as they lead armies, diplomats and political drama across the world.

The world is divided into several major nations: Sweetdonia, Lawnada, Xcreta, Tropicalus, Yuki, Kalaboo, and Dou Dou. Most of the conflict in the series centers over the longstanding dispute of ownership over the island of Dou Dou, which both Xcreta and Kalaboo claim but which the locals want nothing to do with either of them.

The Sweetdish Prime Minister is often seen promoting world peace and fostering a sense of neutrality while secretly selling arms and building up vast amounts of wealth. The Lawnadians sit quietly off to the side rattling spears while building up a vast military-industrial complex and occasionally sparring with the revolutionary communist state of Tropicalus. In the far south is Yuki which while exerting a serene outer appearance is actually quite totalitarian and isolationist. In the meantime the empire of Kalaboo and the neo-fascist state of Xcreta are locked in a stalemate that may-or-may-not-be intentional over the island state of Dou Dou, which really just wants to be left alone. Over all this geopolitical drama the events of the series unfold.

Main Characters

• Horatio Blundvelt as the President of Lawnada

• Jakaratha Nawruba as the Emperor of Kalaboo

• Elias Whitler as the Supreme Leader of Xcreta

• Kristian Northur as the Prime Minister of Sweetdonia

• Sari Chang as the Empress of Yuki

• Pablo Esqueziel as Premier of Tropicalus

• Hank Tolette as President of Dou Dou

Episodes

Season One

Episode One - Blundt Statement

In the first episode the various state leaders are introduced via the international diplomacy forum, the Global Peace Initiative (a fictionalized equivalent of blocs such as the Raspur Pact), who are meeting to continue the squabble over the status of Dou Dou. While the two opposing leaders, Nawruba and Whitler, argue on the chamber floor, Tolette becomes increasingly agitated at being ignored as the president-elect of the island nation, eventually storming out saying he's "been flushed down the drain!". After this incident the scene shifts to Greenlawn, the capital of Lawnada, where Blundvelt is giving a speech on the lawn of the palatial mansion, the Green House. In his late eighties and struggling with his mental faculties, he absent-mindedly blurts out the blunt statement that Lawnada has joined an alliance with the Sweetdish (SLAM - Sweetdish-Lawnadian Allied Mission) which sets of a string of hostility from Tropicalus and Kalaboo. Nawruba, knowing full well he can't even force a victory on Dou Dou, rattles his sabres and threatens nuclear armageddon, much to the growing boredom of everyone else who have already heard it a hundred times before. Later on the various leaders are on a conference call together and are now jovial towards one-another, congratulating each other on how they will all profit from the military sales the growing tensions will inevitably create. Chang and Tolette, the only two to show a shred of conscience, roll their eyes and hang up on the others as the scene fades to black.

Episode Two - Whitler's Mother

The second episode focuses on the longstanding conflict between Xcreta and Kalaboo. The show starts with a flashback to Whitler's youth. While vacationing with his family in Boombabwe, the capital of Kalaboo, his mother is brutally murdered before his eyes by Kalabooan extremists. He takes this as a personal vendetta against the Kalabooans and vows to wipe their people off the map. As such he returns to Xcreta and uses the wealth obtained by his parents' life insurance to build a technology empire through control of a social media platform known as BEETER. Not only is the platform immensely successful, but Whitler's BEETS are followed by millions, propelling him to stardom. He then uses his fame and money to buy his way into politics, at first obtaining a seat on the Senate. He then bribes and bullies his way into complete control of the Urania Senate, with them eventually appointing him Supreme Leader for life. With his power over Xcreta complete he transforms it into a technological neo-fascist state with a vast military industrial complex fueled by social media propaganda. Using his spies, he incites the conflict between the tiny island state of Dou Dou and Kalaboo, forcing Kalaboo to invade. Under the pretense of aiding the Douddies, Xcreta sends the Imperial Army to the island and confronts Kalaboo. With neither side refusing to back down, the dispute conflagrates into open war; exactly what Whitler wanted. As the final scene fades out, deep in the bowels of Urania, Xcretan scientists work ceaselessly on a nuclear missile.

Episode Three - A Dish Best Served Sweet

Opening on a panorama of a small frigid island somewhere in the Arctic, Xcretan scientists huddle in a bunker, the outside only visible through a small slitted window of heavy tinted glass. As they watch, the scene changes from a blustery mix of white snow to orange flame as the ground erupts into a giant mushroom cloud. The first nuclear explosion has been detonated on Maroo. Back in Urania, the floor of the Senate is awash with argument as Senators lob threats at each other; some wanting to smash Kalaboo, others warning of the portent of nuclear holocaust. Supreme Leader Whitler presides over all, calm and controlled, assured that his power is absolute now that he wields the power of the atom. He calms the Senate, placating them by insisting that Xcreta's dominance over Kalaboo (and possibly the world) is now a certainty, revealing that a dozen other nuclear missiles are already under construction. Calling his contemporaries at the GPI via a web meeting, he gloats over Nawruba that Kalaboo will be destroyed by a rain of nuclear fire. While Nawruba is livid with anger, as the Kalabooans do not have technology anywhere close to that of Xcreta, the Sweetdish Prime Minister calmly asks to speak. When he obtains the mic he calmly informs the group that Sweetdonia already has a nuclear arsenal, to the shock and amazement of the other members, having achieved fission several years ago, and that their arsenal numbers in the hundreds. He then informs Whitler that any use of nuclear weapons will result in the immediate annihilation of Xcreta, forcing the Supreme Leader to back down and rely on conventional weapons to settle the conflict with Kalaboo. After Whitler leaves the conference, he is seen having a tantrum on the floor of the Senate.

Episode Four - Tropical Delusion

Pablo Esqueziel, the Premier of Tropicalus, has secretly formed an alliance with Xcreta, the Shadow Political EleCToRAte (SPECTRA), on the basis of the Tropicans fear of Lawnada's superiority in the Western Hemisphere. Whitler has promised Esqueziel a shipment of nuclear missiles that they could use as leverage over Lawnada. Over the next few months submarines secretly ferry several nuclear missiles into Shovana, Tropicalus' capital. For his part, Whitler thinks he can gain the upper hand over Kalaboo by allying with Tropicalus and giving them nuclear superiority. He also attempts to woo Yuki into the alliance, but Chang is hesitant to commit and indecisive. Three of the four nuclear missiles make it to Shovana, with the fourth en route. Esqueziel, unable to control his emotions, begins bragging to Lawnada about his new toys, breaking Whitler's orders of maintaining silence until everything was in place. With the Lawnadians on military alert, a diplomatic disaster is caused as the fourth submarine is then detected off the eastern seaboard, identified as Xcretan, pointing global fingers at Whitler. This in turn causes Chang to back out of joining SPECTRA, claiming ignorance, and enraging Whitler. The Lawnadians, also enraged over the situation, demand Xcreta withdraw its nukes from Tropicalus and pay a hefty fine for breaking international law. Whipping out their own nuclear arsenal, the Lawnadians and Xcretans then get into a shouting match over whose missiles are bigger. Sweetdonia then steps in and threatens to spank both with their really big missiles if they don't sit the f*#k down and cut it out. Whitler, duly admonished once again, withdraws the missiles from Shovana, leaving Esqueziel in an awkward place and suddenly at the mercy of Lawnada. As sanctions from the Lawnadians and others for Tropicalus' actions fall on the country, Esqueziel depressingly opens a letter from Whitler, wherein he finds an invoice for the cost of the missiles and the fine from the GPI.

Episode Five - A Load of Kalabaloney

Whitler attempts to avert further losses and covertly bails out Tropicalus' penalties, bringing Esqueziel back under his wing and reinforcing SPECTRA. He also moves some scientists from Xcreta to Tropicalus in the hopes of boosting their military industrial capabilities to a point where they could hold ground against Lawnada. While Whitler's attention is focused west, Nawruba announces that Kalaboo is facing dire economic pressure and has decided to evacuate their army from the half of Dou Dou that they occupy. Xcreta is then faced with a conundrum: follow suit and withdraw from Dou Dou, which would make Whitler look like a good statesman; or seize the rest of Dou Dou in the vacuum and face potential international aggression. Greedy for power, Whitler opts the latter, willing to risk annihilation for power. He begins amassing Xcreta's military in the south in preparation for the withdrawal. Kalaboo begins evacuating its forces back to the mainland, informing President Tolette that they will be handing their half of the country back over to them. As the last elements of the Kalabooan occupation are handed over to Tolette, Whitler pounces and quickly overwhelms all of Dou Dou. Condemnations pour in from the international community, with SLAM threatening war unless Xcreta withdraws to, at the very least, their half of the island. But unbeknownst to Whitler, Nawruba had been leading him on a ruse all along. Kalaboo did not have any sort of economic crisis and was, in fact, doing quite well. Chang, disgusted with Xcreta's constant antics, signed an alliance between Yuki and Kalaboo. In the meantime, Nawruba knew that Whitler would choose power over diplomacy and had only withdrawn the Kalabooan forces to the shores of the mainland. Both Yuki and Kalaboo join with the other global powers in condemning Xcreta, further destroying Whitler's public image and boosting Nawruba's. Under such immense pressure Whitler is given no choice but to withdraw from Dou Dou and hand the island over to Tolette. And in the aftermath of Xcreta's betrayal Dou Dou is pushed into Kalaboo's hands, which allies itself with Yuki and Kalaboo, even inviting them to station military units on the island. Whitler rages realizing he's been played the fool the entire time.

Episode Six - Yuki Oh

Empress Chang asserts herself as the lead in the alliance of Yuki, Kalaboo and Dou Dou. Within her own inner circle, Chang realizes that Nawruba is only interested in levying Yuki's power against Xcreta. To counter this she begins cozying up to Tolette, showering the country with aid in the form of money and materials, meanwhile investing heavily in Dou Dou's economy - in order to monopolize it. She also sends feelers to Esqueziel, hoping to win Tropicalus over to her side and out of Whitler's pocket. For his part, Esqueziel is fairly easy to win over, having already been shamefaced several times by Whitler, but seeing the aid Dou Dou is getting plays it cool to try and get the same handout from Chang. Kalaboo, for the most part, is unaware of Yuki's ploy, and is occupied with fending off a diatribe of insults from Whitler and calming down the Sweetdish Prime Minister, who is worried about the conflict escalating. Yuki continues to expand its influence through sly capital investments, seemingly boosting the economies of Tropicalus and Dou Dou, but also filling the coffers of the empire. One such hit is the state-owned card game Yuki Oh, which becomes a mad rage across several countries. The demand is so high that several factories are built in Yuki just to churn out trading cards. Riots break out in front of game stores and patrons try and vie for the best trading cards. Prices for individual cards skyrocket in online markets. And all the while Chang counts the money rolling in. The once-isolated country is shot to the top of the global economy thanks to their control of the market. This does not go unnoticed, and Whitler watches carefully, secretly plotting to win back his crown as top man on Maroo.