The Alexander Archipelago isn't the choicest piece of ground, but the people who live there apparently consider it worth fighting over. At least that's what it looks like to the Pacifica air patrols that have been soundly thrashed by a newly formed Alexander Archipelago Air Militia.

Annexed two years ago by Pacifica, the Alexander Archipelago is intended to act as a buffer zone between the wilds of Alaska (infested by pirates and warring Russian factions), and the nation of Pacifica. Needless to say, this isn't a role that the residents of the area necessarily like—now it seems they're going to make their discontent known by force.

Recent Pacifica patrols have been run off their routes, engaged in combat, and turned back by a flight (or flights) of Devastators and Defenders bearing the insignia of "The Alexander Archipelago Air Militia." Neither side has yet lost a plane, but Pacifica aircraft have been severely damaged in the altercations and forced to retreat. The Pacifica patrols were permitted to withdraw without pursuit.

Governor Chester Haskell is unimpressed by the incidents. "If the locals want to send up some hardware and show their teeth, I can accept that—we're all proud folk up here in the northwest. But this can't go on for long. The moment we lose a plane I'm going to have to come down hard on those fellows. I'm hoping they can get some sense into their heads and accept my invitation to form a militia attached to the Pacifica Air Service. We can work together and that area can prosper as a territory of Pacifica. But if they want to play rough, I will too."

No official political demands have come out of the Alexander area—just the statements made by Alexander pilots while dealing with Pacifica patrols, which amounted to "get lost."

—Lee Wong, Pacifica correspondent