It's that time of year again. The time of year when the leaves begin to turn, when the air becomes crisp and chilled, and when the Infection takes hold: Z-DAY. We all know it approaches. We can all feel it. At night, we can hear the leaves rustling and the sirens blaring; between all of the racket of night, we can hear the low groaning in the distance. Hordes are already forming. We know it's only a matter of time.

As with many regions in the world cosmos, preparations are being made... Of course, unlike many, the Procuratorate has a rather... non-interventionist policy when it comes to the shambling afflicted sapients. Much like prior years, a similar non-interventionist approach will be taken this year. In other words... YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. That's right: there will be no refugee camps, no checkpoints, no aid packages being dropped from orbit - at least not officially. This time of year, it's every sapient for themselves.

To put this another way... THE PROCURATORATE WILL NOT BE UTILIZING THE Z-DAY BORDER CONTROLS. The Local Cluster will not be placed under lockdown during the Z-Day festivities. Nations, like every other day of the year, will be free to come and go as they please. This means that extermination squads will be roaming, researchers will be doing their best to stymie the constant vectors of affliction, and the Infected will all be free to come and go; each nation will be on their own - unless they manage to band together with like-minded nations - without assistance from the Procuratorate. Everyone is advised to make their plans now, not later, if they wish to make the most of the event.

As a bit of a refresher based on prior experiences:

• All effects on your population are limited to the event only.

• Choosing to EXTERMINATE kills the Infected, causing your population - at least, the Infected - to expire. It works, but the mass graves start to overflow rather swiftly; it also can become a rather futile effort once the government and armed forces have largely turned into minced meat. The sooner you choose a plan of action, the better.

• Choosing to RESEARCH A CURE is the altruistic approach, allowing you to develop weapons which will offensively cure the Infected. It also decreases The Local Cluster's infection rate. Please keep in mind: deciding to research a cure once your top scientists and researchers have been consumed by the hordes greatly diminishes this route's effectiveness; research a cure as soon as possible if you intend to do so.

• Choosing to EMBRACE THE HORDE is much like it sounds: running, open-arms, into oblivion. While hordes of the Infected will pour from your borders, you'll also become a target for anyone who has chosen to, in some way, fight the blight. This will also increase The Local Cluster's infection rate.

• If you intend to try and work with other nations in The Local Cluster, do so sooner, rather than later. Not everyone will be online at the same time, so if you intend to work within a group, divide-up the tasks that need to be done, work together, and plan ahead for the inevitability of being overrun.

• Though the Procuratorate will not be providing assistance, you may expect semi-regular updates from the safety and security of our undisclosed, heavily armed location about regional Z-Day statistics.

• Though The Local Cluster Regional Message Board (RMB) is Out-of-Character, it is perfectly acceptable to become immersed in the spirit of the event and post snippets, accounts, or other In-Character/semi-In-Character posts on the RMB.

• Remember: the purpose of this event is to have fun.

With that, it's time we get back to our preparations and ensure we have no stowaways on our shuttle to our safe and secure, undisclosed location. Good luck folks!