Icenia Moves To Revive USA, Formerly Rhode Island, Unban Everyone And Release Every Pearl On Server In Bid To Defeat Chiraq

Icenia City—In what military planners called “a bold escalation” and historians called “the worst idea since the last one,” the Third Republic of Icenia on Friday unveiled a plan to defeat the Triumvirate of Chiraq. It would bring back the USA (formerly Rhode Island), ask for every player ever banned from CivMC to be unbanned, and release every pearl in its vault.

Rhode Island, one of the first large nations on CivMC, was founded on 2 June 2022 and built one of the server’s first working vaults in its capital, Providence. During the Generic War its remaining leadership renamed it the USA. Within days it declared war on the entire Elysian Pact, sacked Pavia and, on 18 August, sacked Icenia and forced its capitulation. Its entire membership was banned the following month after an obsidian bombing still regarded as one of the worst in Civ history.

“We have not forgotten what the USA (formerly Rhode Island) did to us,” said an Icenian official. “We have simply decided it would be more useful if they did it to someone else.”

The plan, named Operation Generic Freedom, has three phases: unban, unpearl and liberate. Icenia has already opened its vault and released every pearl inside, including several whose crimes officials could no longer remember. “Some of these people have been in there since 2023,” said a guard. “One of them asked who won the Generic War. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was everyone except him.”

The release did not go entirely to plan. Among the first to walk free was Slothinasuit, who had been held in Icenia’s vault for roughly 600 days and was pearled again almost as soon as he reached the exit. “He took one step outside, looked up at the sky, and said it was good to be back,” said a guard. “Then he was back.” Icenian officials described the episode as “a quick turnaround” and said it proved the vault was “still very good at its job.”

The unban phase has been slower. Icenia submitted a single appeal to server staff on behalf of “everyone.” Staff confirmed they had received it, then closed the ticket without comment.

Defence analysts have also raised a problem. According to CivWiki, players from the USA (formerly Rhode Island) were among Chiraq’s founding members. “Early modelling suggests that if we bring back the USA (formerly Rhode Island), a meaningful percentage of the USA (formerly Rhode Island) will report for duty in Chiraq,” said one analyst. “We may be about to declare war on our own reinforcements.”

The plan has also run into a property dispute. The USA (formerly Rhode Island)’s former land on the continent of Stercus was divided between Kallos and Butternut after the war and is now claimed by Apollos, which says it was not consulted. “We have lived here for over a year,” said an Apollos official. “Nobody told us we were an occupation.”

Icenian officials said Apollos would be “offered a role in the new Rhode Island,” then declined to say what the role was. Kallos, which left Rhode Island in 2022 over what CivWiki describes as its leadership’s “aggressive political ambitions,” said it had “seen this one before” and closed its borders.

Icenian officials dismissed all concerns and said preparations were on schedule. A large banner reading “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” has already been hung over Icenia City “to save time later.”

Reaction across the server was mixed. Pavia, which the USA (formerly Rhode Island) sacked in 2022, asked to be told the dates of the operation “so that we can be somewhere else.” Estalia issued a statement saying it had no view on the matter. The statement was eleven pages long.

In Chiraq, the self-styled Oracle welcomed the plan and said Chiraq “looks forward to seeing many familiar faces.” Within the hour, Chiraq’s wiki page had been updated to count every newly released pearl as a Chiraqi recruit.

Asked about the odds, an Icenian official said Icenia was “hopeful that the power of the Americans will defeat the Middle East,” and added that the Americans “have done this before, twice.” Analysts noted that Operation Generic Freedom shares a name, a banner and a worrying number of talking points with an earlier campaign in the region. The official denied any similarity, then confirmed the plan would rely on “a coalition of the willing: whichever nations are willing, and some we did not ask.”

Icenian intelligence has also reported that Chiraq is in possession of weapons of mass destruction, which officials said they were “very certain about.” Chiraq confirmed it has a large quantity of TNT. “That is what we meant,” said the official. “We checked the receipts.” Planners expect the war to be over within weeks, with no need for an exit strategy, since “we are not planning to leave.” Oil was not discussed, except once, briefly, by everyone.

Military historians noted that the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner over Icenia City has been used before, and that last time it was also hung early. “It worked great,” said the Icenian official. “For a while.”

At press time, the first group of freed USA (formerly Rhode Island) veterans had logged in, asked for directions to Providence, and obsidian-bombed 0,0 again out of habit.