NationStates Jolt Archive

There is no honor in combat. Any attempt to place it there only allows your opponent an advantage. Fight to win, and gain honor not from the brutality, but from your reasons for engaging in it.
-Díuibhíu adh Glortha na Imin Celdru*

Searan crouched around a corner in front of the entrance to the Police HQs. A lone guard, looking extremely jumpy, paced back and forth in front of the sliding doors. Another rebel was across the hall, around the opposite corner. Searan raised two fingers to his temple and waved forward. On cue, the other operative kicked the metal walls, drawing the guards attention, while Searan slipped out from behind the wall and placed a tranquilizer in his back. Quite unexpectedly, however, a second guard waited just behind the doors. Thinking fast, Searan dropped to his stomach and rolled, the second operative firing off a quick chest shot. With the two guards down, the rebels presed their backs against the wall to either side of the door, just incase a third might come, and Searan tentatively peeked inside.

No one. The front desk was entirely unoccupied. For a moment, a wave of confidence passed through his body, until he remembered that they probably hadn't abandoned the installation- the guards were guarding something, after all- and were most likely hiding out in the armory.
Crap.
Searan's earpiece crackled with static. "Es, how's it goin'? We need to get this wrapped up fast, it's only a matter of time until something's out here to investigate."
"The lobby is clear, but there's no telling how the coppers are laid out inside. We'll have to proceed with caution. I don't suppose you could hijack the ventilation system 'er somethin'?"
"No can do. Logo isn't being very cooperative. You're on your own."
"Gotcha. Standby."
The two rebels stealthily crept through the door, looking to either side. Seeing the area clear, the pair began walking back-to-back through the doors into the administrative section, and from there to the armory. Stopping just before they entered the generaloffices, Searan unclipped a grenade from his belt and lobbed it through the door. No point taking chances with people hiding behind desks. Tear gas quickly filled the room. True to his fears, at least two distanct gasps could be heard, along with the sound of a gun, moments before aimed at the slightly-ajar door, clattering to the floor. Searan hit the transmit button and began whispering into the hand-held mic of his walkie-talkie. "Guys, this is getting way too easy. We've got to wait for some unpleasantness to clear out before going any further, please tell me you've got more men available to send down here in the next five minutes."
"I'll see what I can do."

[*Celdr Book of War]

Martin, to say the least, was miffed. He set down his mug of chocolatl with a thud on the long wooden conference table.
"Well, people, y'all heard Gansarek. Whadda we do about it? Remirez?"
The Admiral stared at the table fora moment, looked up, opened his mouth, thought better of it, and looked at the table again.
"Well?"
"Sir, I think you already know what I'm going to suggest, and I don't think you like it."
"Tell me anyway."
"First, shut down the maglevs and have the Marshals do an immediate thorough search of all cargo and passengers. Assemble an infiltration force consisting of 6 Airwalkers, transported in on Entopters to attempt to recapture essential portions of the Fern outpost, while a cover team of Crawlers waits just over the horizon to block off the most likely escape routes. Strategic settlements should be placed under martial law, and local law enforcement allowed to conduct whatever operations they deem necessary to weed out terrorist plants. Of course, that makes a lot of assumptions that may not be safe. For example we don't know whether or not the terrorists intend to retain Darmhir as a base of operations, or just disable it as a transport hub and move on. Most likely, they'll want to make sure that we're completely cutoff, which means either permanent occupation or total destruction. Either way, it seems our second priority should be recapturing Fern."
Gansarek raised his eyebrows. "And the first priority?"
"Shut down the tracks. Cripple the terrorists' ability to make any more moves."
"Ah, perhaps I should point out that that's exactly what they seem to want."
"Right you are. We just don't have enough information. Do they intend to shut down the maglev system completely, or to use it themselves to move out from Darmhir?"
Audrey spoke next. "I'd expect them to be smarter than that. They'll know we have the capacity to shut down the lines as well, so they probably have alternate transportation. I'd say we just solved the mystery of the missing Crawlers from Kajal conflict. Also, the fact that they detonated the line to Serik indicates that they probably already have operatives where they nee 'em."
"The Admiral smakked the table with an open palm. "Precisely why I suggest declaring martial law!"
Martin's turn again."Ah, let's not jump to conclusions. We don't know it was these same people that caused the line outages."
"Oh, really, Martin," said Audrey. "What else could it be? People were saying right from the start that the Dissolutionists were involved."
"Eh... electrical failure?"
"Come, now, you're grasping at straws."
Gansarek leaned back. "Perhaps he is, Audrey, but he makes a good point. We can't assume anything. Above all, we need better intel."

"What's the situation with Dolokion?"
"Ah, don't know that."
"Well, jeez! Find out! Unless they've got that place locked down like they've done with Fern, it's our best jumping-off point."
"Will do."
"Good. Reconvene in three hours. Dismissed."
------------------------------------------------------

Six hours later. Dusk. A quiet buzzing noise sounded, and began to get louder. Something glinted on the horizon. And a second thing. And a third. Within minutes, 20 Entopters were storming the colony of Dolokion.

------------------------------------------------------

With ten people on it, the entire executive section of Darmhir was cleared out in 30 minutes, and the former inhabitants given a couple of rover's and told to start going in a straight line, and keep on going for a long time. Searan, among others, set about gathering weapons from the armory and distributing them to the troops.
"Darmhir colony to Eagles Nest. Darmwhir is secure. Inform the plants to start mobilizing."

Hathor was a city long known to be dominated by dissolutionists. Like most, though, it had hardly any strategic value, and therefore no infiltrators.

When the City Council noticed the comms blackouts, it was not as bad a thing as it would be for many cities- it was the chance they had been waiting for. If they couldn't recieve orders from Flagstaff, they certainly couldn't be expected to follow them. And thus is was that the city of Hathor declared its independance from the Imperial Province of Kasei.

Others soon followed, Aton, Hekate, and Taueret among them.

-------------

"Dolokion?"
"Not a problem. We're just getting the final reports in, and the city is securely under our control."
"Inferno?"
"Ah... no."
"I think we all know what that means."
"Oh yes, m'Lord. Defcon 2 is in effect."

-------------

From the Inferno stations of the Oceanus Borealis came forth squadrons of submarines patrolling mainly the immediately surrounding areas- one can never be too careful, however, and monitoring was stepped up across all Kaseian territory. Any unauthorized craft and/or installations would be met with all necessary force.

From the Landports, a motley crew of salvage and battle subs made its way up to the stations north of the Tempe Peninsula, keeping well below the new cover of ice laid down by the removal of the Solletta and subsequent planetary cooling.

------------

Inevitably, the rebels eventually came across self-declared independant cities. Most were as pascifist as ever, but of course there are always the few exceptions. Three of the battleships in orbit began subtly changing their trajectories.

(tag)

As hydroplanes approached the Inferno Station off the North Tempe Coast, the crew was frantic- most of all, the atomjacks. A few quick-thinking souls began flashing morse code with the external maintenance lights, but really, would the message be believed if the pilots of the hydroplanes thought the station was in rebel hands? The only comfort was the guarantee of a stalemate- the hydroplanes can't fire, and they can't try anything less violent for fear that the inhabitants might destroy the station themselves. They were doomed to simply hover ominously.

Fortunately, or perhaps not, lines were still up between the station and Coriolanus. Of course, lines being down from Coriolanus to everywhere else, a physical envoy would have to be sent to call of the 'attack'.
---------------------

At FLAGstaff, the conference room had become a full-fledged BattleSit Center.
"...SitRep in from Kitar, all clear. Drones on reestablishing commlink..."
"...massive movement of vehicles from Taueret, converging 200 kliks west of Vernum..."
"...Aton gone dark, recommend investigatory deployment..."
"...moving southwest from Gand Akwelec, possible sleeper in Hekate..."
"Convoy departing from Coriolanus. Admiral!"

A message flashed over fiberoptics laid across the Kasei Vallis to be recieved at the city of Kono, from which departed a flight of Entopters to meet the journeyors from Coriolanus.

(OOC: Righto. Am opening thread for character stuff. Play a random citizen complaining about martial law, someone on a recon mission [Imperial or rebel], an embittered evict roving the Lunae desert with a convoy of LandMasters, whatever! Just so long as it makes sense.)