NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Welcome one and all to the Allied States of the Lowland Clans civil war. The war takes place in the Balkan territory of the ASLC between the Serb nationalist rebels and ASLC loyalist forces. Only the following people may post here, and ONLY IN CHARACTER, all OOC will be in a separate thread, link will be here in a moment: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2832034#2832034

The Lowland Clans
Edolia
Jace
Der Angst

To those in the RP, your time of planning is up, let the bloodshed begin.

IC:
…Location: CLASSIFIED [Access Code 8H12FR-11529-KSDFA Clearance Required]
…Time: 6:13 PM, December 19th, 2005
…TRASMITTING…SECURED

Agent Raven to Agent Silent Star

It begins…

TRANSMISSION TERMINATED

…Location: SOMEWHERE IN SERBIA
…Time: 6:05 PM, December 19th 2005

The room was dark, occupied by only three folding chairs. In front of them was a TV hooked up to the cable slot behind it. It suddenly flickered, changing to the Allied States News Network, or ASNN as was popularly referred to. The Broadcast had just begun, and hundred of millions of people tuned into this broadcast. Tonight was a rather important night, with the state elections of the ‘Balkan Confederation,’ the hodgepodge of states from Slovenia to Macedonia, had taken place earlier that day.

The images changed from various polling stations across the Confederation, from Serbia, to Montenegro to Albania as people cast their votes. Many predicted it would a tight race between Balkan Nationalist Front, a latecomer that surprised everyone by taking the lead in polls across the nation from the ruling Democratic Moderate Party of The Balkans. The enigmatic Bojan Milovic, who had just entered the race and his party before the deadline over three months ago, headed the party. Now, as snow fell across the nation, ASNN was going to announce who had taken the exit polls.

{Image changes to Moore Nuk standing in front of Senate buildings}

“Hi, I’m Moore Nuk, and welcome to ASNN World News. Today we are live from Belgrade, capital of the Balkan Confederation, where state elections are taking place. The exit polls have been tight, but we are still awaiting the results from Serbia and Bosnia. So far, the Balkan Nationalist Front has continued their strong resergence in Montenegro and in earlier polls in Serbia and Bosnia, while the Democratic Moderates took Albania and Macedonia by a storm. Slovenia and Croatia where closer, but still taken by the Moderates. Unfortunately for them, should the Nationalists take Serbia and Bosnia, then they will control the Senate.”

{Camera Pans out to reveal three other men in suits around Moore, with him on the far right}

“I’m also here with political analysts from across the Allied States today. This is Kevin Foley, from Oxford University.” The man closest to Nuk nods. “He is professor of geo-politics and heads the department of history-” Someone hands Nuk a paper from off camera. “Wait ladies and gentlemen, this just in! The Balkan Nationalist Front have taken Serbia and Bosnia! This is a historic ladies and gentlemen, as it is the first true elections in the Balkans since the collapse of the Khristatatan government just over two years ago, and here to discuss this with me are-”

The TV flickered off again. The man in the middle held the remote control in his, and in his other was a lit cigarette. He dropped the cigarette and stamped on it with his foot. He motioned to the other two people sitting in the room. In a raspy, grating voice, the man said, “You know what to do.” They nodded and walked out of the room. He began laughing, and soon, the evil laughter reverberated throughout the room, filling it to the brim. He got up and walked out the only door in the room, and his laughter echoed down the long, dark hallway.

…LOCATION: Graham City, Scotland, Allied States of the Lowland Clans
…TIME: 7:34 PM, December 19th, 2005

The President-Elect stood, looking wistfully outside of the window into the snow covered park the lay in the front lawn of the Senate complex in Graham City. The complex was on the outskirts of downtown and the suburbia that went for quite a ways beyond downtown. He sighed and looked down at his work. The isolationist stance that his nation had took after the most single costly his country had ever been in had worked well. They had technological advantages galore, with their fledgling space program working well. Station Apollo had been fully functioning for quite a while now, and the new OT-5 orbital drop plane had been tested well several times. The Nuclear Particle Cannon had been the most successful of them all though.

The cannon had undergone real battlefield experience in the war against Ilek-Vaad and Copiosa Scotia, but they weren’t his biggest worries at the moment. The Allied States Intelligence Network had been spouting rumors of rebels in the Balkans, and the elections had been anything but peaceful. The ASIW had also handed a disturbing report on his desk three days ago: they had or were going to have Edolian assistance.

He turned and looked at the children playing in the park. They were having a snowball fight. One of the kids got hit, he fell down and laughed. The rest of them laughed with him, enjoying the time they had together. The President-Elect sighed, and he knew that that false hope would not last soon. He knew now it was a mistake to join Jace in fighting those people.

Suddenly the door burst open. His Chief of Staff, Toby Bates, sort fell into the room. “Sir, you need to come see this, now. The intelligence was correct.” The Presidents heart sank. So it was true: the Serbs were rebelling. And there were several nuclear sites in the Balkans, and should they get a hold of them. He looked back into the window as he rose from his desk. He watched the children, who were building a snowman. He knew, that should he fail in this task, those children would mourn: the loss of their nation, the loss of their homes, the loss of their lives. He could not fail. Now, there was no turning back. He would not stop.

This nation could not fall, not now, nor ever. He would make a stand today, and there would be no going back. The Chief of Staff interrupted his thoughts again: “Are you ready sir?” He looked one more time, at the children. He sighed, and walked out of his office, and into the hell that would follow.

…LOCATION: Senate Complex, Press Area - Belgrade, Serbia
…TIME: 7:38 PM, December 19th, 2005

The camera flashes nearly blinded Bojan. He was an experienced politician, but these journalists surprised even him with their oversized flashes and jumbo-sized cameras. He was sitting next to his minister of defense in the new Cabinet of the Free Serbian Confederate, Pedja Illianovic. It was a nice name for a rebel nation, or so he thought. His nationalist troops had already seized the bigger arms depots in Serbia, Montenegro and portions of Bosnia. Armed with Guardian II assault rifles, his troops patrolled the streets as confused civilians looked on.

This press conference was designed to do one thing: get the people on his side. He needed them, otherwise he’d be fighting his own people other than the pig Clanners. He got up and spoke as a young lady, a press secretary, announced his name and he stood up and walked over to the podium, the room was deathly silent. He coughed and began his speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, and to all those watching in their homes, I salute you, I salute this fine day, for our people are finally free.” The press corps faces all adopted a look of extreme confusion. “For we are finally free from the tyranny that is the ‘Allied States.’ They came to our land, claiming to be liberators from the Khristatatan government. We welcomed them with opened arms, hoping they would free us from the chronic poverty and oppression that came with the Khristans, but no! they were worse, because at least the Khristans did not claim to have freedom.

“But these ‘Clanners,’ they came, and they fought for our territory. They destroyed our cities, and bombed our houses, all the while claiming to be fighting these Khristans. But in truth, the Khristan was defeated long before they arrived. With their victory at Gibralter, they had defeated the ones who had shown any threat to them: Iraqstan and Endless Crimes. The Khristan government was broke, harmless and toothless. They couldn’t fight a flea. But the ‘clanners’ kept fighting. The ravaged Serbia, Bosnia, and others in our region, but then they left the homeland of the Khristans to rot, consumed by the raging fires of anarhy.

“They promised to improve our conditions, but in all reality, they have helped all but the Serbs: the ‘evil majority.’ But we are not evil, we only are large, and last time I checked, that is not a crime. But they have aided the minorities, neglecting the large part of the population. But now that is no longer. Thorugh careful planning, I have coordinated all nationalist troops under the command of my great friend and trusted advisor, Pedja Illianovic.” Pedja acknowledged the stunned press corps.

“Our troops have taken control of nearly all of Serbia, expect for a small pocket around the southern city of Nis, Montenegro, and Western Bosnia. As we speak, our troops our moving to consolidate control and prevent loyalist troops from disturbing our new nation. Unfortunately, we have received word from high ranking troops that the Allied States will not acknowledge our existence, so we must make a move to eliminate all attempts to oppress us again. To such, I have ordered nationalist troops to begin marching on Albania, Macedonia, and Croatia and Slovenia.

“Once our brothers there know of our worthy cause, they will surely join us to fight the oppression of the Allied States. I’m sorry I must cut our time short; I must meet with my new Cabinet to discuss the ramifications and possibilities of this upcoming war. Please, any questions you ask, please direct them to Miss Ivana here. May the Free Serbian Confederate prosper!” He waved and motioned to Pedja. They both stood and walked off the stage, and made their way toward the War Room, which was situated in the Secure portion of the Senate, in the underground.

They walked out into the back portion of the Press Area, and walked towards a secure elevator. Two Serbian Soldiers stood guard, they saluted and opened the secure door for Bojan. He and Pedja walked in and turned as the door closed. “How are we doing?” asked Bojan.
“Fairly well. We suffered higher than expected casualties taking military bases and the arms depots, but we have taken all specific objectives except for the missile bases,” reported Pedja.
“When do the assaults begin?”
“The loyalists managed to disrupt our communications, so the needed troops will be in place and move in about half an hour to forty five minutes sir.”
Bojan grinned, “Good, they won’t have to reorganize and get to those bases on time. Well my friend, I believe we may have done it. Soon, we’ll have free reign over the Balkans, and those dirty fools will pay for the suffering they have put our people through…”

…LOCATION: Senate Complex, War Room – Graham City, Scotland
…TIME: 7:39, December 19th, 2005

The Chief of Staff flipped off the broadcast. Everyone in the room was in a state of shock. A popular uprising against an openly democratic government was unheard of, and certainly no one had prepared for it. Everyone looked at President-Elect Graham. He had gotten them through the uncertain times of the Mediterranean War, and the whole country believed in him. His face was cold, staring at the now dark television screen.

“What about The Facility?” the President broke the silence.
General Daniel Bearfoot, an Iroquois, responded in a quiet tone, “It is secure. We believe that no one outside those working there and myself that it even exists.”
“What about her wares? Would they be ready to use should I call on them?” The room was stunned once more. The President had just told them that he may intend to use biological weapons on his own population. Bearfoot nodded. “Alright, good. General, I want you to fly to Otranto and begin to land troops in Albania to reinforce loyalist troops there. Also, I want our nuclear sites there secure. Begin orbital transport drops and paradrops to reinforce those sites. Get on the phone and tell them to begin using the deactivation codes. The Khristan ICBMs fitted with our nuclear technology will have to be shot into space. Begin to make those preparations as well.”

He looked over at Admiral James Graham, his brother. “Admiral, I want you to take the 3rd through 5th fleets to reinforce the Mediterranean deployments already there. Get our aircraft ready for strategic strikes on military bases and airfields in Serbia. You’ll take the Britain as the flagship for the fleets. Get there are soon as you can.”

“Listen people, this will not be easy. This is the first civil war since the beginning of this alliance back in the 1500s. I need your dedication and sacrifice if we are to keep this country united. Let’s get to work people, meeting adjourned.”

…LOCATION: Apollo Station, Geo-synchronous Orbit above The Balkans
…TIME: 7:45 PM, December 19th, 2005

The orbital paras stood ready to depart. Their destination, Missile Site BC-2, about 15 kilometers outside of the city of Bor. The site lay about another twenty kilometers inside of rebel territory. The closest military base was likely to be under siege with in the next couple of days, so they couldn’t count on any help. But they were EAS Orbital Paratroopers, the best of the best. They were considered the best combat troops in nearly the entire world.

The group leader, a Colonel Jack McGee called everyone to attention. “Alright guys, the other two groups just left. They are to reinforce the other sites against an attack from the rebels. We’ll be behind enemy lines men, and it wil be hard, no question about it. We’ll be holed up in an underground location with few supplies. Because of the level of assault we’ll be seeing, we’ll probably destroy any known surface entrance. This will be on of the hardest assignments given to anyone, but I believe in you. Let’s go go go!”

They all rushed onto the orbital transport, and readied themselves and it lowered itself and detached itself from the station, and moved toward the planet below.

…LOCATION: Approximately 3 KMs away from Missile Site, Serbia
…TIME: 8:03 PM, December 19th, 2005

The group, consisting of nine Elite Advancement Squad orbital paratroops, advanced through the dense forest surrounding the missile base and the city Bor. Their TechWarrior suits on full infraread, they moved swiftly and silently through the dense forest. Sergeant Lucius Jovanovic was a native Serbian, and had gladly joined the army when the Allied State forces liberated his town His face was cold and he had been silent once they had received their assignment.

They turned and saw the base as the forest began to clear. They also noticed five bodies approaching from the west. They turned the Colonel McGee and he motioned for sniping. They all switched their vision to targeting as they laid down in the snow. Privates Gordon Pryor, Henry Salé, Kevin Dolor, Lawrence Cothran and Sergeant Patrick Wythern quickly lined up their targets and fired. They all dropped as soon as they pulled the trigger. McGee smiled and they moved towards the missile base.

As soon as they arrived, he signaled to the airbase just outside of Nis. The lone FJ-27C Highlander III then took off and approached the missile base. The pilot dropped the payload and eliminated the bunker that sat on top of the extensive nuclear armament in the base. The word reached the president quickly: all the bases were secure, and the preparations being made to disable the missiles.

The first battle has been fought, and won by the Allied States. Now, the land will be bathed in crimson blood, and the land will be scared for long after this generation is gone…

It begins…

Map of Civil War:

OOC: apologies for the map sizes, I'm going to try to get it fixed.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid105/pc4e03880a259829717963b0a2d14da02/f97c42b8.jpg

The shot was loud, like an explosion, and the sound of the brain splattering against the walls of the room was almost stomach- turning... So was the very look of it, for that matter.

Ivana stood in the middle of the room, watching the corpse in front of her, a warm feeling embracing her... But she kept control of herself.

"Fool." The missile sites had been a primary target, their guarantee for quick success... And this idiot had ruined it.

Well, at least she claimed he had. She had delegated the work to him, hadn´t she?

"Ok, first plan didn`t work. Inform Pedja that he has to dispatch troops to secure the areas. Just in case... And he has to make sure the local population helps with retrieving the missiles. No matter how..." She hesitated, stopped. Quickly, her minions left the room, sending the necessary messages.

Ok... This makes it much harder... We will see how the rest works... she smiled, or rather, grinned, evilly. UIf the hacking worked, they could hit the Clan. Really hit it...

---

"Ok. How the f*ck did they get down here?" Pedja was, simply, enraged. And he most certainly didn´t know how this had happened.
"It´s obvious. Orbital drops. Planes entering our territory. Say, WHAT do you t´hink is our air defence for? Like, anti air missiles? Ever heard of it?"

His rant continued for a while, but eventually, he was finished. He quickly gave out orders, to make sure it would work now. For the future, nobody could be allowed to enter them by way of air or orbit...

Meanwhile, their forces continued. There were several positions inside their territory hold by loyalist forces, by Clan troops, and so on...

But it wasn´t too important, they would soon run out of supplies, so they didn´t risk too much by attacking them directly, knowing that time was on their side. Simply surrounding them was certainly enough.

The attacks on Croatia, Bosnia, Albania and Macedonia were a lot more troublesome.

The first units crossed the 'borders', scouting the regions, searching for possible enemy positions...

Occasionally, a few shots were fired, light crawler tanks firing a few shells...

However, it wasn´t yet a big battle...

Although it would begin soon enough.

---

Bojan didn`t know much about the details for the military campaign. He had other things to care for...

From: Free Serbia
To: Edolia
Subject: Our independence

Finally, our people decided to take care of their own fate, rather than being enslaved, controlled and abused by the filthy vermin from The Lowland Clans.

However, The Monstrous regime of The Lowland Clans refuses to acknowledge our independence, our freedom, our future.

We know that your nation, a paradise for all who want to be free, had it`s 'problems' with the Lowland Clans, and I, being oppressed by this subhuman filth, ask you for your help, for your compassion is known everywhere around the world.

Everything that helps us to defeat the oppression and slavery of this darkness from the north is welcome.

I`m sure you wont disappoint the people that believe in you."

~ Bojan

The War Council of Edolia shuffled into the Room. Waitin for them was Erik von Blatterschplitt, Imperator of Edolia. As was his style, he wasted no time getting to the point. Nodding to the assembled Council, he began.
"Comrades. As you may or may not be aware, the Socialist Empire of Edolia has been in close contact with Balkan revolutionaries seeking to overthow their corrupt and oppressive rulers. Over the last few months, we have provided money, services, logistics and even targetted assassinations -all covertly of course. As I am sure you are all aware, the President of the Balkans, Bojan Milovic declared independence yesterday and is now engaged in open war with the forces of the Allied States of Lowland Clans. They have requested further aid. The question that I wish to present to this Council at this time is this: 'shall we continue our support to the Balkan rebels?' I want to hear from Thomas von Leafric and Johannes von Clesiburg first." The Imperator sat down. All eyes were on the Minister of War.
"Comrades," Thomas von Leifric began, "comrades... The way I see it, with the military budget cuts that are going to be going into place soon, now would definetely be the time to act... We probably wont have an opportunity to take those bastards down anytime in the future, so why not now? I say we recognize the independence of the Balkans and sign an alliance with them. Anything the Allied States tries to pull... We blow them to hell." Grand Marshal Johannes von Clesiburg's face had been growing steadily more worried. Now he spoke.
"I must disagree completely, sir. First of all, the popular support is not behind a big war. If these rebels were Communist... That would be one thing. Second, a war between Edolia and the Allied States would result in the deaths of millions... tens of millions... It's not worth it and we'd be fighting in the Mediterranean -their territory. However... The first step is to recognize the sovereignty of the Balkan Federation. After that, we can begin covert aid shipments. Even send them some of the Gerbils... We don't even have to be all that subtle about it. The Allied States knows that if they even tried to move against Edolia, they'd half a dozen countries in Haven sniping at their fleets with Titan guns." The Imperator nodded thoughtfully. That's an idea. General Zhang, what do you think of the logistics of this...?

---

Secret message to Bojan Milovic from Edolian High Command:
"You have the support of the Scarlet Empire. Logistically speaking, however, this will be an extremely difficult operation. At least for now, we are willing to supply you with heavy weaponry. We may even extend this into limited troop deployments, though those would have to be kept under the table."

---

Press Release; December 20, 2005
Edolian Mininstry of Information
As of 0963 today, the Parlaiment of Edolia, in an emergency meeting, voted 342-152 with six absentions to recognize the independence and sovereignity of the Balkan Federation with its democratically electioned President, Bojan Milovic. The Government has warned the Allied States of Lowland Clans to back out of this and allow the independence of the Balkan people. There was no talk of possible Edolian military action and the Imperator has vowed that Edolia will avoid a war with the Allied States at all costs.

<<OOC: Expect more after school. I'll just post though this time instead of editing.>>

POST 2 – Shadows Upon the Wall

…LOCATION: ASS Ireland, Strait of Ortanto, Jacian Italy
…TIME: 4:05 AM, December 20th, 2005

Admiral James Graham stood on the deck of one of the newest aircraft carriers in existence, unable to sleep. He admired the sunrise and it slowly began to rise over the horizon. He turned and then surveyed the beauty of the Ireland. A new Republic class Battle Carrier, the Ireland’s carrier group had enough firepower to control the entire North Atlantic. But the military was all a bunch of unintelligent lugheads as some far-rights made them sound, and they had placed the most advanced carrier in the fleet in the Mediterranean, hoping to dampen the powder keg that had now exploded regardless.

The 3rd and 5th fleets were scheduled to arrive sometime around Christmas, and he knew that this uprising would not produce a happy holiday for the nation that had very little (modern) military competition. They were so big and so technologically advanced that anyone who dare challenge the Allied States, would most likely end up in the Allied States by the end of the month.

ADK had obviously not learned that lesson very well, and after loosing pretty much everything in the first war besides Turkey and Yugoslavia, they still decided to wage war upon the mighty clan war machine. The admiral had led his naval forces to a stunning victory over those of Iraqstan and Endless Crimes, but not without their fair share of casualties. But the naval battle for Gibralter had decided the war. Without their support and Endless Crimes defeat in Portugal, ADK had no military might. The massive invasion of the former Yugoslavian nation had finally driven the government to the end, and the land descended into anarchy.

But history had not and would not help him here. The massive influx of troops and supplies into Albania from the huge Clan military base at Ortanto was going to make things much easier, but these guys had nearly the entire Balkan army fighting for them, and it was only a matter of time before they managed to capture a nuclear missile base, and then it could be all over. An ICBM at Limassol, Athens, or even London or Graham City would surely doom them, but the ASLC would be weakened to possibly a state beyond repair.

No, he told himself he was being overly pessimistic, a strike on even Graham City couldn’t devastate the nation, as they had many other places to house government and such functions…but the millions of civilian deaths would certainly do either two things, tame the tiger or make him rage beyond control. He wasn’t sure which to fear more, but he knew that it was coming, and when it did, it wouldn’t be pretty…

…LOCATION: War Room, Senate Complex – Graham City, Scotland
…TIME: 7:48 AM, December 20th, 2005

The President-Elect stared grimly ahead, his vision fixed on the representation of the ‘combat zone’ that lay on the digital screen. The military, support, sea-based, and nuclear missile sites all appeared, giving him, commander-in-chief a good idea of what he wanted to do. “So you see Mr. President, we have sufficient forces to launch a strike to possibly regain the missile base near Bor. Our analysts say that this is the missile base with the biggest chance of being targeted,” said General Bearfoot.

“Our EAS-OP squads have already secured the two missile bases in enemy territory, and without exterior access thanks to a bombing run by the new FJ-27Cs, it will be difficult for them to get in without doing possible damage to the warheads that reside in the bases. We also suggest shoot the one Khristan ICBM from the Kukëk missile base, the one we still have under our control. Without it, they won’t be able to hit anywhere outside the Zone.”

The President-Elect nodded thoughtfully. “Very well. I also believe that the Bor Site will be the one under the greatest threat. You have permission to use three of the five infantry divisions, the tank division, and any aircraft you need from Vranje in this endeavor. But once we hit the base, stop. I want to make sure that we can hold what we have. You also have authorization to shoot off the ICBM.”

“Thank you sir.”

"One more thing, General."
"Yes sir?"
"What do we know about Edolian Intelligence?"

…LOCATION: War Complex, Unknown Location, Somewhere in Serbia
…TIME: 10:09 AM, December 20th, 2005

Officially, she was Ivana Hellenov, press representative for the new regime in Serbia. Unofficially, she was Ivana Jostrov, head of Bojan’s new secret police and second most powerful person in the country. A convenient cover, she thought. It allowed her to do a small amount or cover work and remain at a low enough level to avoid suspicions by the excellent intelligent services of the Allied States. All the rhetoric and what Bojan actually believe was very different from what actually was.

The Clans could easily destroy them with their military might once they got organized, and the only way they could survive is if Edolian assistance came fast and furious. Unfortunately, she knew that the ASLC would soon be on the lookout for everything coming from Edolia. Didn’t matter whether it was civilian or not, it would be shot out of the sky. Their only hope then, was to gain enough nuclear weaponry to damage the ASLC to the point where they would be unable to strike back.

A call came to her from a monitor. She walked over, the technician was incredibly high level. He was Ronadio Yukovil, and he had been working on the hack of the Allied States famed ASLCAF.net, allowing them access to vital military information. “Ma’am, we’ve got a partial hack. Right now it involveds guidance systems and such, and won’t be of much use to us considering it would immediately expose our position. But I believe this maybe worthy of such an exposure.”

He pointed to a dot on the screen in front of them. “That ma’am. Is a nuclear warhead, an old Khristan warhead.” The implications hit her instantly. The new ASLC ICBMs wouldn’t allow them to change target after launch, only self-destruct, and only then after going through extensive security checks. But this would allow them to hit any target in the combat zone. Anything else to far out would immediately arouse suspicion, destroy their attempts to covertly hack the combat network, and accomplish nothing.

“Well ma’am, what am I to do? We have to do this now, or the missile will already be out of effective range. What do I do?”

…LOCATION: Camp Dujos, Vranje, Loyalist Serbia
…TIME: 9:49 AM, December 20th, 2005

The massive military base was in full swing, and soon, the mass of people, tanks, support vehicles, helicopters, and combat jets would take off, and move towards the Bor Site, the biggest nuclear site of the three in the Zone.

Soon the word filtered down to the troops. The orders: move out.

And the massive amount of people began moving towards Bor. Within hours, they’d hit the border. The airbase to the north was likely to begin bombing them heavily. Now, it was just a matter of time before the first big battle of the War began.

But there are still things, things that are hidden in shadows, shadows that lie upon walls of homes, of planes, and of tanks. The worst is yet to come.

Secret message to Bojan Milovic from Edolian High Command:
"You have the support of the Scarlet Empire. Logistically speaking, however, this will be an extremely difficult operation. At least for now, we are willing to supply you with heavy weaponry. We may even extend this into limited troop deployments, though those would have to be kept under the table."


From: Free Serbia
To: Edolia
Subject: Your help

"Your help is... appreciated, this is more than we hoped for.

I`m sure that our common interests will succeed in a free, liberated balkan, free from the capitalist oppression the Lowland Clans enforced upon us after they defeated ADK.

We will be ready for your transports, transport by way of central or easter europe is preferable.

~ Bojan Milovic

---

“Well ma’am, what am I to do? We have to do this now, or the missile will already be out of effective range. What do I do?”


"Give me a quick overview of TLC forces in the area."

The man obeyed, and she checked them...

"Their naval forces would be nice, but nuclear warheads aren´t exactly useful against them... What about their forces near Vranje? Yes... yes, that should do it."
"But..." The man looked at her, scared. "I mean... a nuke... In a territory that belongs to us..."
Ivana almost laughed. What lame excuse for a man was this? Certainly not one hard enough to do his job... she would need to replace him soon. "Just do it. My order. Or do you prefer to..." Her voice was threatening, and the man in front of her knew that his live was at the stake...

He did it.

---

At the nuclear silos sites, the very ones that had been disabled just a short while ago, soldiers were arriving.

It weren´t the best ones, but they did their job: Rounding up civilians, and forcing them to work on the sites. To dig them out, to gain the missiles, no matter how.

It would take a while, but it would succeed...

---

The croatian and bosnian borders had been scouted... Now, the main part begun.

With a heavy artillery strike, going on for about an hour, the invasion of the loyalist territories begun...

Dejan Mikonov was one of the soldiers lying next to the 'border'. He could see the fire, hear the sound... Watch planes, bombers, flying over his head, to bomb enemy positions...

It almost killed his ears.

But eventually, it ended.

Now was their time to begin.

He jumped, and ran forward, a group of others following him...

He could see light transporters, even a few crawler tanks near to him...

Soon... soon they would hit resistance... He feared the moment they would encounter it.

---

Bojan yawned. He had finally finished the necessary orders.

"So... Major changes will need to wait until the war is over, we do not want to make our own people our enemies. Still... The heathen minorities need to be taken out. The socialist programs will begin immediately. 'Anything for the people!', as Ivana expressed it. Oh, and keep it secret, we are in no need for bad press... No, not the socialist thing, the ethnic cleansing..."

In the streets, soldiers, as well as civilian guards, the 'glorious heros of the revolution', as Bojan called them, patrolled. Bills on the walls informed everyone that they< had to be careful.

"Spies are everywhere!" and "Be careful: The enemy is within!" were the ones one could see frequently. Bojan had already legalised anonymous complaints about illoyal citizens, and the enemy seemed to be everywhere, judging from the amount of information they got from the populace.

And then, Bojan`s speech could be heard:

"People of Serbia! People of the greater Balkan! People of the world! Hear my word!

We, the people of Serbia, finally decided to choose our own fate, rather than being ruled by foreigners! The people decided, and the decision was obvious!

But the evil that lies across the seas, in the north, decided not to accept it!

They are an empire, filthy imperialists, nothing but worms trying to suck out the life from their slaves!

They are already preparing to attack us, trying to end it all... Our freedom, our culture, anything.

We ask you, people of Serbia, to fight against the oppression, to win this war, for our freedom is at stake!

We ask you, people of the Balkan, to rise, to stand up against the Empire you´re a part of, to fight for your freedom, for the future! We could do it, and I am sure you will follow!

And... We ask you, nations around the world, to force the filth that is The Lowland Cland to give up upon their ridiculous imperialism, to enforce freedom, to enforce equality in the world, for we are but humans... Just like you.

Throats had been slit and palms had been greased to get the caravan, codenamed "Hyena-1" to the Balkan borders but there it was. It was small -only half a dozen large trucks and twice that many light jeeps- but there were twenty more just like it moving to penetrate the border in as many places. Coming down through Russia, Muldovia, the Ukraine and Poland, the convoys had been travelling for some time and the men and women on the trucks were ready for a break from the travelling. As they approached the Free Serbian basecamp they were to rendevous with, the troops kept up their guard...

Meanwhile, somewhere in the cavernous bowels of the People's Intelligence Agency...
"Sir! Our first convoys are penetrating enemy territory now..."
"Excellent. What are the total inventories?"
"As it is sir, we're giving them the standard 'deluxe' rebel equipment. Each of the twenty two convoys carries two heavy Echidna-6 mobile SAM batteries, some sixty four Miniwasp shoulder SAM batteries, 512 G-17 multi-pupose assault rifles, an assortment of grenades and mortars... and enough ammunition to last for a little bit."
"Not bad. They'll like the G-17s... as good or better than anything the Allied States use, certainly... What about standard troop contingents?"
"Every convoy is crewed by thirty six men and women sir. All Gerbils. And all, for whatever reason, of a wide range of ethnicities."
"I wonder what the Lowlanders will think of the 13th Rabid Gerbil Legion... Give them a bit of surprise, no? And yes... orders coming from the top say that all troop deployments must consist of a wide range of ethnicities. We've got Elven, Neko, Chinese, African, Blatterschplitti, Edoliani... Seems that some of our intelligence suggests our friends might not be the most... tolerant of other ethnic groups. I guess the higher-ups want to set a good example. Excellent work, Leftenant. Go write up the report."
"Yes sir!"

---

<<OOC: I don't have the map so I am not entirely sure how much territory the rebels hold. If I get something wrong, don't yell at me.>>

Message to Bojan Milovic to be reprinted and given to top commanders:
"Comrade. The first wave of shipments is coming in. Meager as they may be, we hope that they will be of use to you and hold you over until greater numbers can be given. In order to be able to continue shipments in greater numbers, the borders to Hungary and Romania must be completely secure. We don't want Lowlander bombers taking out our convoys. Aboard each convoy, we provide ample weaponry as well as the technical crew to properly use the SAM batteries. Furthermore, each and every crewman in the convoys are trained specialists -the best of the best of the best of Edolia -and in a country our size with only 600,000 soldiers, these are very elite men and women. Casualties must remain light. We would also appreciate it if weapons were not to fall into enemy hands, though this is quite the tall order. We are providing you with general-issue Edolian equipment -easily traced back to us. We are confident however, that the Allied States would not dare move against Haven and the UnAPS. Enjoy your weaponry. The next shipments will be much larger."

The next part is only for the President:
"What weaponry is needed by the people of the Balkans?

We would also like to warn you that the Edolian government cannot support war criminals. This is not an accusation... merely a warning. Keep the warfare clean, comrade."

Dictatoral Palace, Century City, Australia, Military Republic of Jace
Time: 2:26 PM, December 20th, 2005

[i]Matthew Hogges sat behind his desk, attending to the daily operations of Jace.
It had puzzled everyone across the world why he, out of the blue, had suddenly become the new Dictator of Jace, or by his more official tital, Overseer of State.
Many assumed that Jace himself was dead, either assassinated, or killed on one of his many crusades, which it wasn't uncommen for him to lead personally.
Oblivious to the world, however, it was all a lie, a deception, all proven by the man who had just walked into the office...
"You highness!", Hogges said, raising quickly and bowing his head.
The other man simple ignored him, and walked up to the opposite side of the desk, and in a dark, cold voice, simply said "You in my chair".
"But sir..." Hogges began to protest, "What is the meaning of this?, why have you returned?".
And suddenly, there it was, that cold, sinister breeze from behind him, as a soft female voice whsipered into his ear "Do we have to explain this again..."
"You know how this works", the other man said, "Your nothing but a publicity stunt, Matt, someone to put a diplomatic sheen on the Republic, the reality is, you where never Dictator, never will be, I still pull your strings...and I can cut those strings too if I feel like it, now, stop blathering, and get the hell out of my chair".
Hogges didn't hestitate, he knew he'd kicked the nest, and if he persisted, would incure the wraith of the swarm...
He scrambled to the other side of the desk as the other man walked calmy around and seated himself, easing himself back and taking a deep breath.
"My appologies, sir, but may I at least have an explaination for this sudden return?".
"You don't keep up very well with current affairs, do you...", the other man said, "The mediterrainian is about to erupt into war, and you know full well I can't allow the fighting to reach a point where it endangers our assets there...now, get me a phoneline to Venece".

The other man, Jace, as he prefered to be called, spung his chair around to face the window, he got up and walked over to the window, looking out at the marvelous city before him, and then, he looked at the calender hung on the wall...

"Merry Christmas Everyone", he murmered to himself, allowing himself to snicker at the thought.

OOC: More later, just doing something to show my presence.

As they approached the Free Serbian basecamp they were to rendevous with, the troops kept up their guard

The chaos had been... massive, the revolution left anything in uncertainty, and it wasn`t really possible to guarantee safety from enemy strike over the entire area.

However, aside from possible groups of dissidents, there wasn´t much that could endanger them. And the units patrouling the area grew from day to day.

In any case, most convoys were safe, and enthusiastically greeted by the Free Serbia forces.

"Excellent! Truly excellent!" The General waiting at one of the camps greeted them. "Wonderful. Yeah... the material is... it will be extremely useful! Welcome in the Free Serbia! May victory be ours! I`m sure you can`t wait to kick some Claners ass... PLease, follow me, we prepared a separate sections of the camp exclusively for your needs..."

While he let a few aides take care of the rest, he talked to his second in command, in private. "Abominations, inferiors, subhumans... What do this Edolians think they are doing?"
"It doesn`t really matter. Better they die than some of our own kind. Lets play nice... For now."

Still, more than one of the 'Free Serbs' looked at the new arrivals with suspicion.

However, others greeted them enthusiastically, having joined the whole thing after it succeeded in the first place, not yet being indoctrinated by the ideology of hatred and death.

---

Broder between Free Serbia & Romania

Pavel took another puff from his cigarette, blowing blue dust into the air. I wonder if this is actually necessary...

He was one of the soldiers that were supposed to secure this sectors against possible TLC Airstrikes against the Edolian convoys. Right now, they were weak, but their number grew with every day.

So, the numbers weren`t the problem... Something else was.

He looked around, watching the other three men in his group.

One was old, at the end of his fifties... Granted, he was a veteran, and he knew stuff... Still, it wasn`t too good. The other, Miroslav, was part of the National Guard, as Bojan called them. The first of the first, the heros that made the revolution possible!

Unfortunately, this guard was barely trained, their main weapon was their nationalist fever.

And then, the last one, Pedja, same name their glorious military leader had... Pavel shaked his head. Only sixteen... but already carrying a gun and willing to shoot at everything he sees...

He watched the SAM battery they had. He knew that there were more of them, along the borders were the Edolian convoys would come in.

He also knew that their crews looked just like his own group.

He didn´t like it.

---

"What weaponry is needed by the people of the Balkans?

We would also like to warn you that the Edolian government cannot support war criminals. This is not an accusation... merely a warning. Keep the warfare clean, comrade."

From: Free Serbia
To: Edolia
Subject: Weapons

"Mainly Anti- Air weaponery, since this is the sector we`re most vulnerable.

Also mines, general ammunition, light and medium artillery. Light and medium transporters would be useful as well.

And don`t worry. We aren`t war criminals. We`re in the process of kicking them out of our nation.

Bojan sighed when he signed the message. Annoying. How long to I need to play the nice guy?

---

Belgrad

"What? I have done nothing! I-"

He couldn`t continue, the gun the school drop- out aimed at his face worked fairly well.

"You`re accused of subversive propaganda and espionage for foreign powers trying to infiltrate and destroy our people. Any resistance will be considered evidence that the accusions are true. One wrong movement and you´re meat." The boy, perhaps seventeen years old, smiled. "It`s nice to see you again, Just this time, I am on top. Not the subversive philosophy teacher."

"Excellent! Truly excellent!" The General waiting at one of the camps greeted them. "Wonderful. Yeah... the material is... it will be extremely useful! Welcome in the Free Serbia! May victory be ours! I`m sure you can`t wait to kick some Claners ass... PLease, follow me, we prepared a separate sections of the camp exclusively for your needs..."

Saluting smartly, one of the Edolians stepped forward. "Leftenant Geog von Taft; 13th Rabid Gerbil Legion. We're the best Edolia has to offer. I don't think you'll be dissapointed with our performance. Freedom and equality, comrades. Tell us what you want destroyed and it'll happen. Tell us who you want trained and they'll be trained."

---

Back in the War Council Room...
"The second wave of convoys is being landed in Northern Europe, sir. We expect them to be hitting the border within a matter of days. We've got plenty of ammunition, as well as tank busters and SAM batteries. Another 250 Rabid Gerbils as well."

---

<<OOC: Short post but I don't want to get ahead of Lowland Clans. When he comes back, I'll make another longer one.>>

Post 3 – 2366 Feet

…LOCATION: War Room, Senate Complex – Graham City, Scotland
…TIME: 10:11 AM, December 20th, 2005

The President sighed reluctantly. The last Khristatatan warhead ever to be used in the world was finally being shot towards the sun. He watched the missiles trajectory as it flew up into the sky. Suddenly, there was a loud screeching sound and he watched in horror as the missile changed trajectory and headed toward Camp Dujos. The whole room was up in arms. General Bearfoot lunged toward the phone next to him and dialed up ASLCAF Command. He barked orders like a rabid dog. “Listen, get that thing headed back into space. NOW! What do you mean you can’t do that? Bullsh*t. You don’t get paid as much as you do to say that.

“Listen, I want you to keep that thing from blowing up on Dujos. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?” he slammed down the phone, and everyone heard the crunching of the phone breaking beneath the massive weight of Bearfoot’s hand. He was not happy, and neither was anyone else in the room. They all sat down again at the Presidents motion.

“People, what we have today could change the face of the Balkans today. If that nuke goes off in Clan territory, I have no doubt that the Senate would authorize the use of the NPC and Firestorm warheads to glass the entire region. With the new anti-radiation technology coming out, we could theoretically protect our territory while allowing for total and complete destruction of the Free Serbian Confederate.

“Not only that, but military action could be taken against Edolia with them marked as the aggressors. Such would probably make them lose any international support in an ensuing war. But that would still result in the loss of tens of millions of troops and seamen in an attempt to pacify Edolia. But I don’t want to expand this outside of the Mediterranean for fear of other foreign powers.

“At this moment, we men and women stand on the brink of the biggest disaster the nation has ever seen. Should this missile hit, I doubt I will be able to avoid nuclear annihilation of the Confederate. I think at this moment, what we need is prayer. While I know that not everyone in here follows my profession of faith, but at this point in our nations history, we need to pray.

“I’ll begin. Dear Lord…”

…LOCATION: Classified, ASCLAF.net Command [Level Command Clearance Required]
…TIME: 10:13 AM, December 20th, 2005

Roger Worchester was sweating immensely. The Balkan rebels had somehow managed to commander a nuclear missile and make it go rogue, targeting the military base Camp Dujos. Unless he could stop the nuke before it was a half a mile above the base, then there would be no stopping it. His quick mental estimates put it at over six hundred thousand immediate casualties, and with radiation factored in nearly one-point-five million people would perish if this nuke went off.

‘No sweat, I can do this,’ he thought to himself. He had tried changing the coordinates, but they were locked in with Confederate Security codes, and intelligence didn’t have a clue what they were. Then, he thought of something. The Khristatatans used very primitive circuitry, easily damaged by heat. He realized he could do it, and then began smashing at the control panel with reckless abandon.

His boss, Brigadier General Joseph Malter, soon ran over to him. “How are you going to stop this thing son?” he asked nervously. Roger could feel his shaking hand as he rest it on his shoulder.

“Listen, the Khristatatans used very basic circuitry and circuit protection, so I decided that with our ASLCAF transmitter on there, that a mass of signals would cause a huge overload, sending a power surge throughout the nuke. If it hits the right breaker, than the thing goes boom,” he explained manically as his hands continued to fly over the keyboard. “There, done!” he yelled as he hit the enter button. Everyone in the room looked up at the nuke’s vitals that were on display in the big screen in front of them.

There was a tense moment as the circuit energy and heat spiked. The bar went slowly up, approaching the red zone. Roger glanced at the distance till ground: 4200 feet, 4100, 3500, 3250, 3000, 2900, 2750, 2700… the bar hit red just seconds before it crossed the half-mile barrier. For a split second, he thought it hadn’t worked. Then, the visual monitor turned white. The massive, seven hundred and fifty ton warhead exploded in a bright flash.

The distance factor: 2366 feet, just one foot away from the deadzone. The whole room exploded into cheering, hugging and kissing. The general just stood, hand on Roger Worchester’s shoulder. “Son, I think you are going to be the hero for approximately 1.5 million people after today…”

…LOCATION: War Room, Senate Complex – Graham City, Scotland
…TIME: 10:15 AM, December 20th, 2005

The whole war room, cabinet, generals, admirals, even the usually stoic President jumped up with joy. They had just saved over half a million people from certain doom. Of course, the radiation from the explosion would result in the evacuation of Camp Dujos and the surrounding area, so in all reality it was a victory for the Confederate, but no one anywhere could count it as one, thanks to the heroic little stunt pulled by a senior technician who no one had known his name until now…

…TIME: 3:09 PM, December 20th, 2005

The joy at stopping the nuclear weapon did not last too long though, after a quick analysis, everyone told the President that it would mean the evacuation of the whole area, something only the military could deal with. This would mean the surviving infantry battalions would be taken up with the evacuation process, and that would take at least a month. But they had averted a crisis, but soon another one appeared. Confederate forces began charging across the Bosnia/Confederate border, with nothing but one aim: capture Sarajevo, the capital of the Bosnian Republic.

…LOCATION: Sarajevan Suburb, Bosnian Republic (Allied States Territory)
…TIME: 10:36 PM, December 23rd, 2005

Tactical Incursion Squad Private Goering Jolanov crouched in the doorway of the abandoned building. The suburb had been hit heavily during both ADK wars and this last artillery bombardment that occurred for just over an hour. Unable to stop it, the half a million civilians in the city began pouring out towards the Croatian border, but only to come under fire from Confederate artillery. As the approaching armored column came closer, he motioned towards the rest in his squad.

He spoke quietly into his microphone: “This is Squad Blue to Squad Green, prepare to move on my mark.” The squad moved into position in the abandoned buildings around the main street, with C-2M and C-2L tanks positioned inside buildings ready to move. The armored column began passing by, the C-2T transports began to unload their troops. Jolanov saw their chance, and he motioned for the squad to begin.

“GO GO GO!” he yelled across the comm as the thirty or so Tactical Incursion Squad marines and three C-2M and five C-2L tanks charged out of buildings. The C-2Ms clung to the first floor walls of the buildings surrounding the avenue. They pressed their weight forward, collapsing the walls and bringing them crashing down on top of the tanks and troops. The C-2Ms crashed down on two transports and the heavy tank in the column. Though heavily out numbered and outgunned, the TIS Marines had superior training, and solidly crushed the column. The C-2M Crawlers quickly unleashed their guns and disabled three other tanks. The troops rushed forward, yelling at the top of their lungs, planting C4 on the tanks, blowing holes in them.

All over the outskirts of Sarajevo, ambushes like this one were taking place and the Confederate forces crashed into a wall of hastily constructed ambushes and roadblocks. The quick and somewhat unprepared charge across the border resulted in the repelling of the attacks on the northern Croatian and Bosnian borders, but the assault across the southern Croatian border penetrated over seven kilometers, and causing nearly a hundred thousand casualties, destroyed 100 C-2L tanks, 71 C-2M tanks, 24 C-2H tanks. Also, the air casualties were rather heavy as well. 94 FJ-27C Highlander III air superiority fighters and 48 B-9C Kearny Bombers were destroyed in air raids.

…LOCATION: Outside of Bor Site, Free Serbian Confederate, Serbia
…TIME: 3:28 AM, December 25th, 2005

The night cloaked the movements of over three hundred thousand troops as they converged on the Bor military site. The line of troops was about four or five kilometers long, with armored columns and lots of air back up from the Mediterranean Fleet. Over 150 FJ-27C Highlander III and F/B-14C Dragontooth II fighter/bombers each were covering their attack on the site around Bor. Not only that, but 100 B-9C Kearny bombers were converging on other military sites in the area. One of the largest movements of troops since the Portugal Movement, this is the kind of assault the ASLC Army had specialized at, all out assaults without letting anyone know they were coming.

Inside the Edolian High Command, the Imperator spoke with this aides...
"M'lord! We just have confirmation! It seems our friends in Serbia managed to comandeer a nuclear warhead and targetted it at... um... 'Camp Dujos...' Where ever that is... The Lowlanders were able to take it down though before it could do too much damage."
"What!?" The Imperator was incredulous. "We can't let this get into full-fledged nuclear conflict. Do we think our friends have much a chance of getting a hold of another one?"
"No sir... Chances are slim-to-none..."
"Good. This is a war of freedom. We don't want millions of deaths on our hands. What is the military situation?"
"The Lowlanders are launching a new offensive. A large body of troops is moving on Sarajevo. It's doubtful that the Serbians can hold it back. They may require direct Edolian assistance."
"That's not going to happen. Aside from special ops and supplied, Edolia cannot help them. Let's make that clear. But I would like more support going to their cause. Double the number of Gerbils in the region. I want an additional thousand fighting on Serbian soil within two weeks. Also... schedule a meeting with my top advisors... There is something that should be discussed..."

---

Reth von Turner didn't move a muscle. The winter air was cold and the wind biting, but the special operations soldier didn't feel a thing. His full-body kevlar and nylon combat suit protected him from the elements -and gave a certain level of protection from the shrapnel that flew around him, the products of Lowland Clan artillary. The fighting in the suberbs of Sarajevo was fierce. Many men on both sides had already been killed and the city was slowly being turned into rubble, but still Reth and his comrades fought. Firing off half a dozen rounds, Reth rolled to the side as bullets ricocheted around him. The Lowlanders were intent on taking the city. Suddenly, the rumble of tanks broke through the sound of battle. Shit... Reth's hand shot up to his helmet. The radio was on. "This is 0632... We've got enemy tanks in the fourth quarter. I need back-up!" Hopefully the anti-tank squad he knew was nearby would arrive soon...

---

Open statement from the Imperium Socialistum Edolia to the people of the Lowland Clans:
"We send our condolences to those killed in the unsuccesful nuclear assault upon Camp Dujos and are pleased that the death toll was kept down. We furthermore wish to reiterate that though we sympathize with the people of Serbia, we refuse to offer our military support to either side and shall not in the near future. We are still considering the possibility of recognizing the Balkan Federation as an independent state."

---

Message from the Edolian High Command to Serbian commanders:
"How long do you expect to be able to hold the line against the Lowlanders? We are attempting to deploy more special operations forces and supplies, but as this must be kept secret, we cannot send a large deployment."

Voice of Belgrad

"Finally, the evil that is the Lowland Clan has shown it`s true face! They claim to stand for the good of humanity, for wealth and freedom, yet they used nuclear weapons against the free people of Serbia!

Yes, this dogs, this monsters, this genocidal, subhuman filth claims that WE fired it... AGAINST OUR OWN PEOPLE!

Who in his right mind would believe that?

We call upon the nations of the world, we call for our socialist brothers and sisters, we call for justice!

How long is this madness to continue? This is our freedom, and rather than giving us what is inevitable, they decided to salt our soil with radiation!

We call upon you, people of serbia, slavs of the world, people of the world!

Stop this before it`s too late!

---

Message from the Edolian High Command to Serbian commanders:
"How long do you expect to be able to hold the line against the Lowlanders? We are attempting to deploy more special operations forces and supplies, but as this must be kept secret, we cannot send a large deployment."

From: Free Serbia
To: Edolia
Subject: The plan

"Itis impossible for us to succeed in conventional warfare. We would probably be able to win in the first weeks, but once the clan uses it`s entire potential, we will be doomed to loose.

That is, if we are doing it that way. But we wont.

We will try and capture as much land as we can, then, when they strike with their full force, we intend to use guerilla tactics.

They will bleed to death, and be forced to retreat. The people are with us, they cannot win."

~ Bojan

---

"But... that would be... the casualities... It`s our people!" Pedja exclaimed. Ivana looked at him, annoyed.
"Look. Their military is occupied with evacuating the people from Camp Dujos. This is our chance to hit them, hard."
"But... I do not have the necessary forces in the region. We`re attacking in Bosnia, in Croatia, in Macedonia and Albania. We simply do not have the ressources, only enough for defence..."
"I didn`t ask you for ground forces, did I? I said Ais strikes. Don`t worry about the civilians, we need to clean out the scum, anyway. Why not making the job easier by exterminating some of the liberal scum... now?"
"But..."
"Look, Pedja." Ivana didn`t look annoyed... not anymore. Now she looked... threatening. "You are on our side, aren`t you? If not, just tell me, and Bojan will find a sufficient replacement."
"I..." Pedja hesitated. "The airstrikes will start in the morning."
"Good." Ivana smiled, almost like an innocent girl at christmas. "Very good. See you at the victory celebrations."

---

Southern Croatia

Fedja was proud. He was young, nineteen years old, but holding his rifle like a professional. He watched the frontline... Three he had killed... The first two were easy, he was far away, hitting them more... accidentally..

The third one, however, died in hand to hand combat... When he stood there, seeing the bloody mess, the throat of his victim cut off, its right hand shredded into pieces, the bleeding wounds in its chest, parts of its bowels visible...

It had been felt good. It had felt like... Like he had finally grown up.

"There, others!" One of his comrades, an experienced soldier, shouted. Immediately, they begun firing...

And then they continued their attack, having hit the enemy... Hard.

Of course, they didn`t know about the large plan. The original plan had been to run through Bosnia, then attacking Croatia, and finally taking Slovinia, while the southern fronts would be... guarded, offensive defence.

Of course, now, the majority of the forces that were attacking Bosnia had been stopped, while the relatively weak forces in Croatia were quite literally sprinting through the area.

So the plan was changed, the forces attacking Croatia were supposed to move southwards, to surround the Loyalist Forces in that area...

And then, the air attacks started... Not too many, but they could be seen, could be heard...

Finally, it begun.

---

Sarajevo

Occasional gunshots could be heard. It snowed. However, all around the city, as well as in the city itself, the snow wasn`t always white...

Occasionally, near to the corpses of old women, of young girls, or dead, young men with guns in their hands, the snow was red.

The streets were almost empty, only occasionally, a few people could be seen... Then, explosions, a tank burns...

The siege goes on...

---

Bor

The night was cold, dark...

There wasn`t much that could be heard. Only occasional noises from guns and knifes, some quiet talking...

Of course, it is impossible to hide 300000 men being deployed in a region, so they knew who was there... out in the dark.

However, they didn`t really believe they would attack now, or anytime soon...

They just needed to prepare for it, or they would fall in a giant chaos. Well, at least that was what their commanders believed.

Moaning could be heard, from one of the trenches they had build during the last days. A few soldiers were amusing themselves, and with the war being there, and the people already suffering shortages in their food supplies, it wasn`t too hard to get the older girls in the villages to be more... comforting.

They didn´t know, yet, that this was about to change.

Post 4 – Quoth the Raven, Nevermore…

…Location: Bor, Free Serbian Confederate
…Time: 4:05 AM, December 25th, 2005

TIS Marines and EAS Orbital Paratroopers advanced through the woods. The firelight that illuminated the front lines of the defenses to the nuclear base near Bor guided them as they moved towards the trenches. Lieutenant Howard McAllister motioned to his men to move towards the front of the first trench. He whispered into his mic, “Silent kills, we want to able to take them by surprise.” With the motion of his hand, the TIS Marines slipped into the Serbian camp around Bor. The Lieutenant was with two of his sergeants – Mike Hollard and Jason Motin. They crawled through the snow, with their vision goggles on infrared. They moved down towards the area where the small camp met the woods. They raised themselves and tiptoed quietly into the trench.

They walked down the trench, approaching an intersection where the trench was about seven or eight feet high. They heard a groaning, and they turned quickly to see what it was. It was a Serbian soldier, who was kissing a topless girl from the chest up. McAllister motioned to his men. They moved in, barely making a sound. Motin grabbed the girl, covered her mouth. Hollard grabbed the man, and shot him several times in the back with his silenced GM-45. The girl’s eyes went wide, and she looked at the three men. Hollard looked pleadingly at McAllister. His answer was to put a bullet through her head. His response was: “We have more important things to do.”

…Location: 3rd Fleet, Adriatic Sea
…Time: 4:15 AM, December 25th, 2005

Admiral Graham stood on the bridge of the ASS Britain, another Republic type Carrier. With over 100 planes sitting on it’s deck, many called it the moving airfield. He was sipping his forth cup of coffee, going over the intelligence about the Bor area strike when the word came to him. A young petty officer delivered the orders to him in a thin, manila envelope marked ENCRYPTED. He thanked the petty officer, who stayed to watch the admiral open the envelope. The admiral glanced suspiciously at the officer, but opened the envelope anyway. He quickly saw why he had stayed. He motioned to the officer who quickly went to the navigation station. Admiral Graham sent a ship-wide announcement across the PA, “All hands, to battle stations. I repeat, all hands to battle stations. Pilots, report to the briefing room. This is not a drill, All hands report to battle stations…”

…Location: Bor, Free Serbian Confederate
…Time: 4:25 AM, December 25th, 2005

The watch-guard yawned. It was early in the morning, but the base was unusually quiet, with the morning gibberish from morning patrols remarkably absent. They all knew that the massive amount or troops lay out there, in the dark of the forest, hiding in the snow and in the bush. Suddenly, he started hearing a quiet humming coming from the west. He got out his binoculars and looked over in that direction. There was what looked like a wisp of dark cloud coming his way.

The guard cocked his head to the side. The cloud looked a little strange. He focused in on the cloud. He saw the hundreds of fighters and bombers heading right at them. HE turned to sound the alarm, only to stare right down the barrel of the gun. The last thing he remembered was him trying to sream as the bullet went through his head.

…Location: CLASSIFIED [LGX4-UJ21-90OL Code Required]
…Time: CLASSIFIED [LGX4-UJ21-90OL Code Required]

The Admiral watched the screen as the cells of the human body mutated. Suddenly, the ‘volunteer’ convulsed, collapsing on the ground in pain. His temperature to one-hundred-and-two, and he broke out in a sweat. He no longer had control of hid extremities, with his arms and legs flinging wildly. He looked at the scientist, “So this is totally non-lethal?”
The scientist nodded, “The virus dies down after a couple of weeks. This was a large dose, so no one will ever get this sick. But it will prevent people from functioning for three to four weeks.

“Good, prepare it for release. I want this thing loose by New Years.”

…Location: War Room, Senate Complex – Graham City, Scotland
…Time: 6:12 AM, December 25th, 2005

“Yes Mr, Prime Minister, we will make sure that this war will not get into Greece. And I thank you again for the use of your ports and troops. I’m sorry about the trouble you’ve had from Turkey. Yes, thank you too. Goodbye.” The President-Elect hung up the phone and rested his head in his hands. The mostly empty room looked at him with a little pity.

“Listen, we need to get Jace involved now. They have enough forces to begin an invasion of Montenegro, and without much assistance from us either. Get me the Dictator as soon as possible,” he said. He wiped his eyes, full or crud from all the sleepless nights. Of all days, he thought. Christmas day…

General Bearfoot walked into the room. “The attack has begun. We should have results in the next couple of hours. Also, The Admiral reports that the package will be ready for delivery by New Years. We also have a report from Agent Raven.” He walked over to the president, and handed him the paper. It read: “QUOTH THE RAVEN, NEVERMORE…”
The president-elect chuckled. “This oughta teach Edolia a lesson, prepare the team. They leave in two weeks.”

Classified Intelligence Briefing Report
Distributed to all War Council Members
Free Serbian forces are under heavy attack on all fronts. Faced with overwhelming superiority in numbers and equipment, they are retreating on all fronts. Despite Edolian support, they may not be able to hold on to actual territory for much longer. However, reports suggest that they are improving in the art of guerrilla warfare. It is reccommended that the role of Gerbil special forces should change to better support guerrilla operations and train fighters. Without full support by Edolia, they have little chance of holding down actual territory for much longer. Casualties among Gerbil forces are relatively light. The only troops the enemy has that can match them in combat are their elite Orbital Paratroopers and it is believed that those are in relatively small numbers. The 2,000 Gerbils currently fighting in Serbia are finding themselves spread thin by the onslaught of Lowland Clan forces. If Jace joins the war, we are looking at an even greater strain on our forces. More heavy equipment is needed if the Free Serbians are to compete with enemy forces. However, regardless of the support given to them by Edolia, we do not estimate that they will be able to use heavy equipment as it is far too cumbersome for hit-and-run strikes. Instead, heavy infantry weaponry will be most useful.
On another note, People's Intelligence Agency reports have suggested recently that a covert operation may be launched against the Socialist Empire of Edolia within the near future. Beyond that, nothing can be determined but it will most likely be a strong attack on a governmental or military target. Due to previous warnings, the Imperator has been put on heavy guard but lower ministers are still vulnerable. All high-ranking military personnel are urged to be on their guards.

-----

Memo from Imperator Erik von Blatterschplitt to Johannes von Clesiburg, Grand Marshal of Edolia:
"While we do not wish to see this war intensify, is it with some reluctance that I believe we must increase our support for Free Serbian forces. Within the next few weeks, I wish to see a deployment of 5,000 Tactical Combat forces by HALO drop. Although this is a serious escalation of the situation and we will have to make an official statement regarding it, we have already invested quite a bit into these rebels and do not wish to see that investment go down the drain."

Dictatoral Palace, Century City, Australia, Military Republic of Jace

"I see", Jace replied to the Lowland Ambassador, "Very well, I'll see what I can do".

The Ambassador bowed his head and left the office.

Jace then moved into a thinking possition before he himself left the office, and headed for the elevator down the hall.

The elevator went down to an underground passageway, which went under the city and lead to the Headquarters of Global Military Operations.

He arrived in the Global Operations Room--the nerve center of the Jacian Military, a huge, aircraft hanger sized area, feeding in data from all over the world, with direct satalitte uplink and capable of issuing orders anywhere in the world, from this one room, Jace could oversee any ongoing conflict in the world.

Taking his chair at the center of the room, he began bringing up all relivent data on the current war in the Balkans, and ordered the techs to display an overview of the combat thearter on the main monitor.

As if by magic, his head military honcho, General Armus N. Nuket, spawned at his side, absorbing all infomation.

"Getting involved are we?", Armus said.

"It was my intention to all along, them asking for our assistance was simply a convenient excuse...gives us the opertunity to road test our new toys...what's the status of Project: Skyfire?", Jace replied cooly, still looking at the monitors.

"The prototype is in testing stages, we've conducted a number of dud firings with success, although we've set to see how a live fire scenario will play out".

"Good enough, I'm not going to escilate this that far yet...we'll just keep it as trump card, incase the Serbs need to be controlled...now, order the 2nd Mediterainian Fleet into the Adriatic Sea...put our bases in Switzerland and Italy on alert for mobilization...and have the 12th Razor and 16th Bobcat Units deployed to Albania..."

"As you bid, my lord", Armus then shuffled off and began barking orders to various substations.

The stage was set, it was time to make his grand entrance...

Bor

Tatyana just watched the soldiers. She was frightened. Yes... yes, she wanted to live... Her eyes looked at them, pleading, hoping...

Then she saw one of the soldiers raising his gun.

She knew it was over, and closed her eyes, her bare breasts feeling cold, the wind teasing them.

She remembered her parents who died during the ADK wars, the hardships she went through with her younger brother...

She didn´t feel the bullet hitting her, but despite her life being nothing but misery... she feared it.

Then, suddenly, it all became a single, menacing darkness...

---

Of course, the serbians weren´t stupid. Radar and hacked satellite reconnaissance picked up the approaching force...

And their own fighters started.

However, they were outnumbered, a mere 110 fighters were in the air, approaching their enemy... But they were fairly capable, having the same tech base and training their enemies had...

This will be our revenge for enslaving us...

Covered by the anti- air defences they had set up... well, everywhere, they attacked...

Quickly, the dark, black sky of the night was filled with explosions, like a thousand artificial stars... Stars of destruction.

More than one pilot lost his life, while on the ground, the soldiers watched, watched the SAMs heading towards the approaching mass of planes, watched the battle...

Soon, the first bombs and missiles crashed into the fortifications and trenches near Bor, however, so far, the damage wasn´t overly bad, the fortifications, despite being fairly new, seemed to protect them fairly well...

Still, many lost their lives, their hopes... Anything.

Belgrad

Pedja looked at the reports. he didn´t like them.

"We need to move. The attack on Bor is... dangerous. Our reserves in the region?"
"About fifteenthousand men, 400 crawler tanks. The same amount is at the front."
"It would be insane to move them into this hell... no, let them stay behind the front, the front will need to defend where it is. Enemy units will break through, but as long as we keep a few units holding the line, they will have trouble with their supplies. The units we hold back can then destroy the ones breaking through."
"It´s a risk, since our own supplies..."
"Yes, I know, but having a single line defending would mean that we will be overrun by their tanks, not to mention that they have air superiority, concentrating our forces is suicide. Troop concentrations over a thousand men are suicidental and not allowed. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Now... Bosnia... Croatia..." He hesitated, pondering the whole thing. "No new reports?"
"No. We´re working fairly well with the Edolians... well, at least for now. We´re still stuck at Bosnia, Sarajevo, and ijn northern Croatia... Heavy artillery is brought into place, but with the invasion of Bor, we wont be able to give enough air support."
"Ah... Southern Croatia?"
"There we`re still moving forward, minimal resistance."
"Well... not too bad. We will see what happens next."

Sarajevo

He felt cold, covered in snow, as he was... He just watched, waiting for a worthwhile target... minutes, hours, entire days.

It was boring, but occasionally, there were worthwhile things...

Prey.

Like now.

The shot couldn´t really be heard, it was quiet, as if he didn´t want to disturb the rats... Rats that would soon eat from the corpse lying on the street, the being that had been a human being, a young man, just a couple of seconds ago...

And again... he waited.

Waited for his prey.

Belgrad

"So, to put it simple... you´re an enemy of the state. Not because you actually something, but because you... well, [i9could do something. Your attitude is... questionable. And it is my duty to take care of questionable, of dangerous elements in the nation. Do you understand this reasoning?" Ivana smiled, watching the individual in front of her. It was already broken, didn´t struggle, didn´t fight, didn´t try to resist... a dozen names, they had gotten from him... It was a very, very satisfying result.
He didn´t even look up, didn´t risk looking at her eyes. He just... nodded. "Y... Yes, I understand perfectly. Now..." For a second he wondered... should he try and resist, spit into her face, calling her what she was?

But he couldn´t do it. This grey walls... no windows, just the one light illuminating the room... it was just too depressing. "Now... could you... I mean, I understand what I did wrong... Can I..."
Ivana showed her innocent, friendly smile. "Be turned into a useful member of the society? Yes. Yes, we can do that. And with your cooperation, we will surely be successful." She watched the man, who looked up, almost unable to believe her words, hope in his eyes... hope for his family, his wife, his children... "Unfortunately, right now, we do not have the time. i`m sorry."
With that, she raised her gun, and fired. Watching the brain of her victims splattering against the wall always gave her some sort of satisfaction... she would need a strong man, this night. "Next."

Post 5 - Release

…Location: CLASSIFIED [LGX4-UJ21-90OL Code Required]
…Time: CLASSIFIED [LGX4-UJ21-90OL Code Required]

The Admiral stood upon the raised platform that overlooked the control room of the Facility, the biggest secret ever kept by the Lowland government. Essentially a giant manufacturing plant for biological weapons, it serves a dual purpose. To come up with a varied supply of biological weapons and to cure them should they ever be used against the Clan government. They stood ready to release their newest creation, dubbed the Lily Syndrome, onto the population of Serbia. By no means deadly, it was designed to do one thing: incapacitate, giving the army vast manpower advantage were it lacked it.

The Admiral smiled as the vats began to empty, and virus released. Soon, people at random all over the Free Serbian Confederate would be experiencing a dehibilitating virus, disabling a majority of population. Soon, they will experience manpower shortages. Then, the onsluahgt of the Clans will break their bodies, their will, and just maybe, their soul

(OOC: I'm soory, I don't feel like doing a huge RP right now, more to come later)

Post 6 – Firestorm

…LOCATION: War Room – Senate Complex, Graham City, Scotland
…TIME: 6:09 AM, December 30th, 2005

The President-Elect groaned as the reports came in. The attack on Bor had stalled slightly, the original plan had been to overcome the ground defenses, then pound the unguarded fortifications around the nuclear site with little resistance. Unfortunately, an early-warning radar had been hastily set up, detecting the mass of planes now heading toward them. It had resulted in the fortifications being only moderately damaged, meaning either one of two things: that the elite EAS Orbital Paratroops had to be sent in to infiltrate and eliminate the personnel operating those massive anti-air batteries, or to bomb them with an incredible amount of unstoppable firepower.

He and the commanders of the SCOT, or Serbian Combat Operations Theater, were in deep conference. The President slammed his fist on the table, “WHERE DID THESE AA DEFENSES COME FROM!?!” yelled the President. Supreme Commander General Bearfoot sighed wearily.
“It appears that the Serbian rebels have had outside help equipping their forces. From the looks of casualties and analyzed captured weapons, they’re Edolian built.” The President-Elect’s facial expression turned to one of complete hopelessness. “It appears sir, that elite Edolian ‘Rabid Gerbil’ squadrons have been fighting amongst the chaos in Sarajevo and Bor.”

“Well then, you have authorization to commence both plans. Deploy five hundred thousand EAS Orbital Paratroopers to areas where you see fit. Contact Jacian command, and coordinate a cohesive strike with them on the most vulnerable areas. Deploy the Tactical Incursion Squad Marines as soon as possible. Land them at Ploce and have them aid in the reorganization and counter-attack on the Serbian Task Force there. As a diversionary move to increase pressure on their manpower needs, move approximately another three hundred thousand troops Vlore and Tirana to the front here,” the President pointed to an area on the western Albanian/Kosovene (???) border, where no significant troop deployments were made.

“I want them to plow through as soon as possible to attack the towns all the way up to Novi Pazar and Bijelo Polje. If they succeed in luring troops from Podgorica, inform Jace immediately.”

“Very well sir, any other orders you’d like us to know about?” asked naval commander Admiral James Graham, who was in on the conference via videophone.

“Yes, you are authorized to use non-nuclear Firestorm weapons of all size as you see fit.”

…LOCATION: Apollo Station, geo-synchronous orbit over the Balkans
…TIME: December 31st, 10:24 PM, 2005

The mass of paratroopers running throughout the station with full armed gear, ready to be deployed via drop shells or orbital drop planes, quickly surprised station commander Admiral Josh Honnigan. He’d never known that there were even this many people on the Apollo, let alone the paratroopers. Soon, he saw jettison cannons fire, with drop planes leaving the massive station. Soon, a small portion of the most elite warfare units deployed by the Armed Forces of the Lowland Clans would be deployed to hot drop zones around the Serbian battlezone. He pitied whoever got in their way.

…LOCATION: Bor, Free Serbian Confederate
…TIME: December 31st, 11:57 PM 2005
Heinrich dove around the corner, spraying fire from his GM-30 rifle into the three Clanner soldiers around the corner from his bunker. They all were hit, and fell back, dead. Suddenly, a loud bang went off, and he felt a sharp pang in his leg. He had been hit by a sniper bullet in the leg, going right through his combat armor and into bone. He cried out in pain, and dragged himself under cover next to the bodies of the Clanners.

One of them coughed and rolled over, now with his face up. Heinrich could not move, and he resigned himself to getting past this dead soldier. The soldier looked up at him, cringing in pain while he turned his head. “Hey kid, what’s your name?” he mumbled out. Heinrich looked in shock at the soldier. He laughed quietly, cringing once he started getting loud enough. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. I just want to talk. I mean, neither of us are looking to get out of this alive. I’m Lieutenant George Powell, Allied States Army veteran, fought here during the ADK wars. And your name?” he asked again.

“I am Heinrich,” stammered the scared teen soldier.

“You can’t be more than what, seventeen?” asked Powell. Heinrich nodded. There was a quick burst of static in Powells headphones, then suddenly a widebeam announcement came over the radio: “All soldiers retreat from Bor area, Firestorm saturation underway, I repeat, Firestorm saturation under, all soldiers retreat…”

Powell’s face became resigned, and he sighed. Tears were streaming from his cold, dirt caked face. “What is wrong?” asked Heinrich.

“Have you ever heard of Firestorm weaponry?” Just after Heinrich nodded, the wave a missiles impacted the ground surrounding Bor. The heavy fortifications were bathed in white hot flame, and the New Years was wrung in with a giant flaming spectacle seen from the Apollo station in orbit of the Earth.

…LOCATION: Blatterschplitt, Edolia
…TIME: 12:07 AM, January 1st, 2006

John Gallagher yawned as he approached the customs desk for the Blatterschplitt International Airport. The blonde woman at the desk smiled at him as she took his Copiosa Scotian passport. He looked at his watch. He knew that in other lines, there were about nine other people all like him. Quiet, unassuming, and each carrying some of the most powerful minute weaponry ever. Disassembled now, but when they were to be ordered active, Edolia would wish it had never gotten involved with the Allied States. Ever.

“Thank you sir and enjoy your visit in Edolia, Happy New Years!” said the bouncy clerk. Gallagher laughed and thanked her. He knew one thing, this would be anything but a happy new year for those in power in Edolia…and the fireworks show was going to be incredibly impressive…

Bor

The damage was... considerable, that much was for sure, and General Anton Inovic didn´t like it.

He watched the remains of a plane their defences had shot down, the pilot lying next to it, dead.

Interestingly enough, the pilot had obviously escaped the missile that destroyed his plane, and landed svaely with his parachute. However, the soldiers under Inovic`s command didn´t overly like the pilots bombing them... Headshot.

Can`t they keep them alive until the interrogations are done? idiots.

However, it wasn´t that bad, a couple of pilots had survived, they stood there, now that the interrogations had been done, dirty, a few of them seemingly wounded, the interrogations hadn´t been pleasent.

"Ok, we know all we need to know. End it."

And moments later, brain splattered on the ground...

However, Inovic wasn`t overly concerned with it, he had other problems. Although the Claners had paid a high price, the damage that had been done was, as mentioned, considerable, many trenches simply unusable, heavy artillery destroyed, and many, many brave soldiers were dead...

"We wont be able to stop a tank assault. Slowing it down, yes, but not stopping it."
"We could try and hide in the cities." His Lieutenant, a man in his mid- thirties, answered.
"Inacceptable. They would get the land, and it doesn`t look like the world cares about us."
"Well... Let them come, break through our lines. We will wait, hide... and once the infantry follows, we strike. And without supplies, the tanks will run out of fuel and... be ours."
"Mhm..." He thought about it for a moment. "Ok, we will do it. Give out the necessary orders, and prevent any concentration of forces on our side."
"Will do."

---

Hours later

The firestorm attack came in as a surprise. And despite missile defences killing a few of the approaching missiles, anything ended in a sea of flames and terror...

However, due to the decentralization of the forces in the area, despite being hit hard, defences were remaining... although weakened.

And soon enough, the commanders heard of it.

"This is enough! End it!"

This was Bojan`s order, and Pedja intended to enforce it.

"The Lowlanders are concentrated. A significant naval force in the mediterranean, massive ground forces in the south... We will hit their naval force."
"But our casualities from the last airbattle are too high. No one would return."
"This is why we wont use our planes. We stay to defend. But we have considerable amounts of anti- ship missiles... A few waves of them..."
"Understood. Next problem: Apollo."
"Isn´t a problem. Orbital drops have a problem, called ground to air defence. Any drop in a defended area will result in disastrous casualities. And despite their attacks weakening our air defences, there are still enough of them to salughter any attempt on an orbital drop. A few will probably come through... But not enough of them.

The others in the room nodded.

"So... Gentlemen, lets do it!"

---

Despite Pedja`s claims, there weren`t exactly many anti ship missiles. And the ones they had couldn´t be fired in one wave.

And, of course, once warned, it was unlikely the second and third wave would have results comparable to the third wave.

Still, Private Anton Ruvic was fairly certain that his eight missiles (Three in the first and second, two int he third wave) would do their job... And their job was to Kill as many as possible.

And then, they were fired. One after the next, white hot flames coming out of the missiles, slowly, they vanished, heading for the horizon... Take that, bastards.

And when they reached the open sea, they joined with other missiles, dozzens of them... About fourty missiles for the first wave, thirty missiles for each of the following waves.

For they shall be punished for their sins

Croatia/ Bosnia

They continued their attack, and by now, they were fairly successful... Private Gela smiled, as he saw the border between Bosnia and Croatia...

Finally, we´re here

He knew, the others in his group thought the same. He also knew that their assault in northern croatia, as well as against Bosnia had failed, but that would change. With them attacking the back of the Lowlanders in Bosnia, their resistance should son end... They would punish them for taking away their freedom.

He watched at the officer leading the group. He admired him, idolized him... And he didn´t disappoint him.

"Forward!"