Mirkana

History: Mirkana was first settled by Russians in 1890. Two years later, gold was discovered in Mirkana, prompting the arrival of thousands of gold miners from California. The gold ran out quickly, but then they discovered massive iron deposits. Mirkana gained independence in 1917. The language was English, but Mirkanans inherited Russian paranoia.

As Mirkana was settled for chiefly economic reasons, corporations gained sizeable influence. By the 1950s, the government was beset by corruption and weak leaders. Business tycoons controlled the government, but their competing influences allowed someone else in: General Ken Remmol, who in 1972 became Minister of Defense. Remmol was known to be a military genius and an ardent nationalist. He hated corruption and had repeatedly cracked down on it in the military. He was also a man who would do whatever it took to get the job done. Virtually the entire military adored him, which gave him the chance to change Mirkana forever.

On May 18, 1979, General Remmol launched a military coup. That day, the Mirkanan government was holding an important meeting. Remmol had faked a cold and was excused. The gathering of business leaders gave Remmol the chance to take them out in one go. Mirkanan bombers took out the Presidential Palace, while cruise missiles hit business headquarters across the country. After the government AND corporations had been decapitated, Remmol sent in ground units to seize major cities. The next day, Remmol declared himself Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Republic of Mirkana. He instituted sweeping changes, chief among which were making military service mandatory and nationalizing all major corporations and businesses. Remmol was now in complete control of Mirkana.

In June, Remmol initiated what he called the "Purge of the Stupid". Incompetence became a capital crime, and over 3,000 people were put to death for incompetence and corruption. That he was not just eliminating enemies was shown by a significant increase in economic output the following year.

The final prong in Remmol's plan was the moving of the government headquarters from Redwater, Mirkana's largest city, to Mount Stronghold, a massive military fortress. As Remmol had pretty much wiped out the previous government, this merely made permanent the current situation. He joked that he had done this so he didn't have to move his office. Considering that his "office" was a command center the size of a gym, this may be partially true.

Today, Remmol remains the absolute dictator of Mirkana. He has devoted everything to one goal: increasing Mirkana's power. For Mirkana, he may be the best thing possible. For anyone who gets in his way, he may be a nightmare.