NationStates Jolt Archive

Chapter One: Return of the Scion


Wodenreijk Island: Under rebel control
The three submarines surfaced some distance out from the island, so that the rebel fleet could identify them. Wodenreijk stood on the horizon, a jagged white shard of snow and frozen rock, rising up out of the chilly arctic sea. The island, previously a Nimzonian naval anchorage of little significance, was now the hub of a major rebellion, base of operations to over half the Nimzonian navy, which had mutinied against the new president, Emmanuel Helstag, and rallied under the command of the former Fleet Marshall, Bjornolf Folkvadr. Folkvadr, a loyal officer in the regime of assassinated former dicator General Paulus Jaarinen, had narrowly avoided assassination himself, in the purges that the new regime had initiated.

An atmosphere of tension and uncertainty had prevailed at the Mennstein naval base, the island's major military installation. Parts and supplies were short, and although the rebels had access to around a hundred combat vessels, including five Nimitz-class carriers, they couldn't hope to maintain them for long, especially when the expected invasion by the forces of Helstag and his allies would eventually materialise. Not to mention that they didn't yet have the support of the people of Nimzonia; Helstag's propagandists had covered up his involvement in General Jaarinen's assassination, and the people considered them traitors and terrorists, taking advantage of the chaos left in the wake of the assassination to sieze power for themselves. The sight of RNS Oilslick and the two large covert transport submarines was a welcome one.

The three submarines sailed past the frigates and destroyers arrayed around the entrance to the huge, mountain-ringed fjord that guarded the entrance to the naval base, and moved into the fjord itself. There were more frigates and air-defense corvettes out on the lake, guarding the five aircraft carriers, dark metal islands that towered over the submarines as they passed.

Otto Jaarinen, son of the assassinated General Jaarinen, and now carrying the title of Marshall, stood out on the top deck of the Oilslick, feeling the frigid air on his face, and watching the naval base at the far end of the fjord draw slowly nearer. A few days over eighteen years of age, Otto's spell at the army boot camp in Nimzonian LETIreijk had improved his physique, and impressed on him a degree of discipline and tidiness that had previously been missing. He was still sore; the abdomen wound he had recieved in the assassination attempt on him several days earlier was still healing, but that was presently the least of his worries.

The sight of the rebel fleet had lifted his spirits somewhat. He had feared that he would return from LETIreijk to find only a handful of troops to lead against Helstag, but the scores of powerful vessels, and the thousands of men it must take to crew them, had made him feel considerably less alone. Of course, the covert operative Elder Whale had told him that Bjornolf Folkvadr had a considerable force under his command, but seeing was believing.

As the RNS Oilslick came to a stop in the harbour, Otto caught sight of Folkvadr, and some other men, waiting by the quayside. The former Fleet Marshall was a heavy-set balding man in his fifties. He still wore his old Fleet Marshall uniform, because of the authority it conveyed. Some of the others were wearing military uniforms; the rest simply wore sensible winter clothes.

"Otto, dear boy!" Folkvadr beamed, as Otto stepped onto the quay, "We have been anxiously awaiting your arrival for some time now! Let me tell you, I was about to give up hope, when I heard you had been killed, but fortunately Elder Whale had the decency to inform me of that deception."

Otto smiled weakly, and shook the former Fleet Marshall's hand, "In that case, I hope Helstag is as shocked as you are relieved, when he learns that I'm not dead after all."

Folkvadr chuckled, "Of course." he indicated one of the officers standing beside him, "The captain will see that your troops from LETIreijk are given quarters. I'd be grateful if you would come to the command centre with me immediately."

Otto glanced around, and saw the troops disembarking from the three submarines, all shivering at the arctic weather. Otto commented, "I hope there's some spare winter gear for them; they're equipped for LETIreijk, and that's a tropical climate."

Folkvadr nodded, "It will be dealt with. Ah, Elder Whale..." he looked up, as Elder Whale, and his team of agents left the Oilslick, and joined them on the quayside.

"Greetingsh, Fleet Marshall." said Elder Whale, a late-middle-aged man, who always wore a tuxedo, "Ash you can shee, I have brought Otto Jaarinen to you. If you would ekshcushe me, my agentsh and I are heading for the Nimzonian mainland, to shtart our operationsh there. We will keep in contact."

Folkvadr chuckled, "Yes, of course; anything you can do to slow Helstag down until we have sufficient forces to invade Nimzonia itself."

Elder Whale saluted, "Never thought the day would come I'd be helping shomeone invade Nimzonia." he smirked, and led his agents back onboard the RNS Oilslick.

"Come, Otto." Folkvadr put an arm around Otto's shoulders, and turned towards the Command centre, "If we are to get the support of the Nimzonian people, and the international community, you must publicly denounce Helstag, and declare your challenge. When the people see that you're alive, we may gain more populari- eh, who's this?" He peered at Leif Torp, who had joined them.

"Oh, this is Colonel Torp." Otto introduced him, "Torp, this is Bjornolf Folkvadr."

"Why are you wearing private first-class insignia, Colonel?" Folkvadr asked Torp, shaking his hand.

"It's... um... a disguise, sir." said Torp, uncertainly. Otto concealed a smirk.

Folkvadr nodded seriously, "Oh, yes, of course. These are dangerous times, after all. Well, shall we?" he gestured towards the command centre, and the two of them followed.
-----


Koenberg, capital of Nimzonia: President Helstag's offices
Emmanuel Helstag was sitting at his desk, consulting with his two chief advisors, General Tobiassen and General Hanstveit, two of his main cronies in the conspiracy that had brought them to power.

"Satellite images of Wodenreijk show that the rebels are digging in." Tobiassen was saying, "They don't have the supplies to mount an invasion, so we can bide our time and build up the necessary force to wipe them out efficiently and cost-effectively."

Helstag let out a breath through clenched teeth. The presence of the rebel threat had been playing on his nerves ever since he secured power, and he wouldn't be happy until they were dealt with, "Bjornolf Folkvadr, Admiral Jakobsson, Uncle Walrus... all these men have proved far too resourceful, and I cannot abide their continued scheming against me, regardless of what you assess the threat level to be. I am already having every high ranking officer in the armed forces watched, and it's too much of a drain on my resources."

He leaned back in his leather chair, "No, I want this rebellion snuffed out as quickly as possible, before anyone else thinks of throwing their hat into the ring. They must be shown that I am now president, and that I will not stand for this kind of nonsense."

Tobiassen sighed; he knew he'd be the one in charge of invading Wodenreijk, and he didn't want his neck on the block if there were complications. "Very well, sir."

Helstag steepled his fingers, "I am already imposing new taxes to pay for this operation, and the last thing I want is civil unrest in Nimzonia itself. Hanstveit, I want you to take care of homeland defence, and security. If anyone complains about the new taxes, put them in their place. I will have stability!"

Hanstveit nodded, "Yes sir." he aimed a slight smirk at Tobiassen; he'd bagged homeland security, the easy job, and that left Wodenreijk for the other General.

Helstag looked between the pair of them, and paused moemntarily, before continuing, "We've already heard from some MadderMikian Vice-Admiral, responding to our call for allies, but there has been no word on Admiral Jakobsson's rogue task-force. No doubt he is heading for Wodenreijk. Tobiassen, you will start preparing our forces for an invasion of Wodenreijk. Co-operate with this Vice-Admiral Phillipa. Meanwhile, I shall try to secure more allies for this endeavour."

After he had dismissed them, President Helstag drafted a message to be sent to any world leaders he could think of who might offer help, either willing or mercenary, in eliminating the rebels.

*****
The Republic of Nimzonia seeks allies in exterminating a sizeable threat to the country's stability. A portion of the Nimzonian Navy is taking advantage of the current political instability to mount an illegal rebellion against the legitimate government. First, be advised, that any aid given to these rebels will be considered an act of war against Nimzonia, and acted upon as thus. Instead, we are offering sizeable bounties for the recapture or sinking of the following naval units: <List of ships, including the RNS Overlord task force>, for the capture or elimination of the following rebel personnel <List of rebels, including Olaf Jakobsson and Bjornolf Folkvadr>, and for help in the recapture of the Wodenreijk island military installation. These bounties are entirely open to negotiation.
*****
-----


Television transmission, broadcast all over the world via Satellite.
A large Nimzonian flag, the old anchor-party flag which President Helstag had replaced after his rise to power, was draped like a curtain behind a desk, at which sat Otto Jaarinen, wearing winter camo fatigues, and a beret. A microphone was set up on his desk. Otto looked nervous for a moment, before clearing his throat and starting to speak.

"Greetings, People of Nimzonia, People of the World. My name is Marshall Ottokar Jaarinen, son of General Paulus Jaarinen, and rightful heir to the presidency of the Republic of Nimzonia."

Otto paused, to allow his name to sink in, and continued, "A grave injustice has been committed in my country. My father, the Great Paulus Jaarinen, who led our nation into its most prosperous era, was assassinated, murdered, by a cabal of scheming Generals, who even now, as I speak, rule Nimzonia with an Iron fist."

Otto's expression became a serious, determined frown, as he spoke, "Emmanual Helstag is an usurper and a traitor! His attempt to assassinate me has failed, and now I have returned to restore justice and rightful order to Nimzonia! If he has any decency left, he will abdicate in my favour. If not, my allies and I shall not rest until he is removed from power."

"Now I call to the people of Nimzonia, and to the international community for support. The usurper Helstag is not only a threat to his own people, but to the world as a whole. I implore the international community to ally with me in defeating this tyrant once and for all."
-----

"And cut!"

Bjornolf Folkvadr patted Otto on the shoulder, as he stepped down from the small stage that had been set up for press conferences and such. "Bravo, excellent! That could almost have been your father."

Otto rolled his eyes, "I should hope not. What now?"

Folkvadr shrugged, "Now we wait. I'm having a copy of the broadcast sent to all major new agencies. The world shall hear about it."
-----

Shortly after sending out his declaration of war, and call for allies, Otto also put out advertisements calling for mercenaries:
*****
Mercenary companies required to fight against the Nimzonian Government, must be equipped for winter combat. Current contracts available for one year, after which contracts will be re-negotiated. Pay generous.
*****
-----

OOC

I'm trying to include as much information as possible here, to make a highly complex RP as accessible as possible. Bear with me...

This is a modern-only, human-only RP with no fantasy elements. If you want to join in, either as a country allied with the Nimzonian government, with Otto and the rebels, or as a mercenary company (which might provide the best opportunities for RP), please TG me before you start posting. LETI/LOTI nations are automatically invited, of course. Please be sure to use decent spelling and grammar when posting, because the likes of Seph hurt my eyes.

Please take note that this will be a character-based RP (witty writing encouraged). Please don't come and throw huge forces into the fray that will completely upset the balance - keep it reasonable - this should be a fairly long, interesting war RP, not a game of paper-scissors-stone. Also, keep OOC posts to a minimum, and TG me about any issues that come up. If this happens a lot, or if a player reeeaaally wants one, I might start an OOC thread, so chill :).

For background references for this RP (not required reading, but if you're interested) check these:

Lake Ontario Tropical Islands Forum (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=281458&page=12&pp=40)
From page 12+ of this thread, (posts by 'Nieureijk Nimzonia), Helstag and his cronies hire El-Cosa-Nazi assassins to kill General Jaarinen. Also of not in this thread, is the introduction of Elder Whale and his agents, on a mission in Samotopia.

Tensions on the rise in the Arctic (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=312692&page=5&pp=40)
On pages 5 & 6 of this thread, General Jaarinen is assassinated, and Field Marshall Helstag takes control of the government. After the purges begin, parts of the navy mutiny. This thread started off as a story about a submarine hunting whalers, but ended up full of Nimzonian background info.

Lake Erie Tropical Islands Forum II (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=6611489#post6611489)
If you can pick out the posts by 'Nimzonian LETIreijk', Nimzonia's colony in Lake Erie, they include Otto's time in the army in LETI, as well as the assassination attempt on him.
-----

Maps
http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/fricasso/NS_map_2.jpg
Map of Nimzonia

http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/fricasso/NS_Map_6.jpg
Map showing the locations of Nimzonia and Wodenreijk (scale a bit dodgy)

http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/fricasso/Ns_map_5.jpg
Map of Wodenreijk Island
-----

Who's Who

This section is to keep track of all the characters involved, sorted by faction. Some of these characters may not have appeared yet, but they probably will anyway, so I shall include them. Factions will be updated as they join the war.

Nimzonian Government (Nieureijk Nimzonia)
http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/fricasso/nieureijk_nimzonia.jpg

Emmanuel Helstag
President of Nimzonia; formerly Field Marshall Helstag. Leader of the 'Nieureijk Nimzonia' cabal, which seized power after the assassination of General Jaarinen, which they secretly organised. Helstag holds extreme right-wing ideals, and has nazi affiliations (eg E-C-N)

General Tobiassen, General Hanstveit
Two of Helstag's generals.

Fleet Marshall Thorbergsson
Helstag's chief of naval operations.

Nimzonian Rebels
http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/fricasso/nimzonia.jpg

Otto Jaarinen
18 year old son of former president Paulus Jaarinen. Otto was something of an embarassment to his father, and sent to the army boot camp at LETIreijk in Lake Erie to make a man of him. Otto took part in the Huron Canals War, and survived an assassination attempt, and has returned to lead the rebels against Helstag. He has adopted the title 'Marshall'.

Bjornolf Folkvadr
Under General Jaarinen, Folkvadr was the Fleet Marshall, the highest rank in the navy, and chief of all naval operations. He fled Nimzonia when Helstag tried to wipe him out in his purges of military officers loyal to General Jaarinen, and took half the navy with him. He rallied the rebels at Wodenreijk, until Otto could return and put a reputable face on their rebellion.

Uncle Walrus
This is the codename of the former head of Nimzonian intelligence, who has gone into hiding.

Elder Whale
A senior Nimzonian spy, who always wears a tuxedo, and has some sort of speech impediment.

Sub-Zero, Glacier Mint, Ice Queen
Nimzonian secret agents, under the command of Elder Whale.

Colonel Leif Torp
Formerly private Torp, who was Otto's friend when they served in the army in LETIreijk. Otto promoted him to Colonel while drunk.

Rear-Admiral Olaf Jakobsson
Nimzonian naval officer, commander of the RNS Overlord ASW task force, targetted by the new regime in their purges, but warned by Bjornolf Folkvadr not to go back to Nimzonia.

Indian Casino Operator
http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/fricasso/indian_casino_operator.jpg

Acting-Chief Eagle Eyes
Acting Chief Eagle Eyes, grandson of Chief Howing Wolf. Howling Wolf reportedly in his late 80s is the hereditary leader of the Adirondack Bark Eaters Tribe, founders of Indian Casino Operator. Members of the Adirondack Bark Eaters Tribe are usually named for the first thing they see. Eagle Eyes spotted an eagle far in the distance 10 minutes before anyone else saw the eagle. Eagle Eyes father was killed on a whaling expedition in the arctic.

The government of Indian Casino Operator is the Chief, however he has a council of senior braves much like the Cabinet of the US.

The main income is the casinos and trade of tobacco, buffalo skins, leather, tourism, and other cultivated smoking products.

Commodore Broken-toothed Walrus
Commander of the ICOS Wolf battle group.

MadderMike
http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/fricasso/maddermike.jpg

Vice Admiral Mike Pious Phillippa
Commander of the MadderMikian Armada. His flagship is MMS Megalomania

Dubelco
http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/fricasso/dubelco.jpg

Sergeant Matthews
Leader of the Dubelco 1st Airborne.

Admiral McArthur
Commander of the two CBGs.

OOC: It'll take me a while to read up and get fluent on everything, but given your association with Mike I might jump in. I'll TM you soon.

In Main Teepee on mainland Indian Casino Operator

Acting Chief Eagle Eyes is studying the request from Otto Jaarinen:

No doubt you know by now, I am preparing for war against the man who had my father killed. Emmanuel Helstag is not the legitimate president of Nimzonia, and it is my intention to see order restored. I implore you to aid my cause, and help me depose Helstag, and bring him to justice. Whether the aid be military, or logistical, we need all the help we can get. I will not be in a position to reward you and your countrymen if you aid me in this, unless we succeed, but once Nimzonia is secured, I will consider any price you ask for your help. My father always maintained friendly relations with Indian Casino Operator, and I would like to see them continue, but I cannot tell if Helstag is likewise inclined.

Knowing full well the mercenary nature of the MadderMikians he knows they are itching for a naval battle. If Eagle Eyes wants any kind of stability in the
Arctic Otto is probably the better choice. He sighs and picks up the secure phone, he calls his uncle Air Marshal Dancing Thunderbird. After pleasantries he lines up ten C141s with three hundred and fifty shoulder mounted SAMs, a half a million rounds of 5.56 mm ammo, and sixteen thousand Meals Ready to Eat. The entire load is packaged in drop skids to be dropped at an extremely low pass over the airfield but allows the C141s to continue without landing.

Secret encoded message to Otto Jaarinen
***Emergency humanitarian supplies being shipped to Wodenreijk Naval Base: Radio code words Foxtrot Romeo Oscar Delta***

Later that day

The huge C141s lift off and head for Wodenreijk, they are escorted by fifteen F22 Raptors one AWACS and five F35 JSFs. Six in-flight tankers left earlier today.

Wodenreijk: Mennstein Naval Base command centre

Bjornolf Folkvadr, now bestowed with the title 'Grand Admiral', was talking Otto through the current inventory of supplies. Both men wore grim expressions, as the current situation was not the most reassuring.

"We have one hundred and three combat ships, and twenty four auxillaries. Their crews, combined with the naval base personnel, the air force base personnel, the garrison personnel, and our six thousand odd marines, that's nearly sixty four thousand people." The Grand Admiral said, gravely, "That's a lot of mouths to feed. On top of that, Rear-Admiral Jakobsson is expected to arrive with his task force, which is another three thousand. And there's the civilian population of Wodengard, which is another five thousand. If anything is going to force us to play our hand, it will be a lack of food."

Otto sighed, "So... how much do we have left in the cupboard?"

Folkvadr smiled, bitterly, "Well, fortunately, the situation is not so dire that we will have to launch an attack now or starve. On the island here, a few miles down the valley from the air force base, is an underground bunker which was intended to allow key personnel to survive a nuclear war. There is a considerable supply of tinned and freeze-dried food in there, but it wasn't meant to support sixty four thousand. We'll get through that in maybe two or three weeks. Between our combat ships and auxillaries, there's probably enough supplies onboard to keep them going for another week or two beyond that. Between everyone, I expect that's a buffer of another couple of days."

Otto let out a frustrated breath through his teeth, "That's not enough time! Unless we get more support, we'll still be here hiding from Helstag in three weeks. What can we do about gaining more supplies?"

"Well, I have been looking around for allies who'll trade with us, and maybe the red cross or someone will look after the civilians in Wodenreijk. Other than that, there's plenty of fish in the waters round here, and I've already had the marines out hunting seals and reindeer. I don't know how long they'll last, since there's probably more of us than there are of them."

Otto nodded, "Looks like we're going to be eating a lot of fish, then. We need to get a foothold on the mainland as soon as possible."

"Indeed." Folkvadr agreed, "That isn't going to be easy, though. I was hoping your arrival would win us more support, but the people might not be so eager to flock to your banner until you can get into Nimzonia itself."

"I think I have an idea..." Otto began, but was interrupted by a shout from a radio operater.

"Marshall, Grand Admiral, we've just received a communication from Acting Chief Eagle Eyes, of ICO!"

Otto hurried over, and grabbed the piece of paper the radio operator was waving. He glanced over the message, and grinned, "Eagle Eyes is helping us out after all! Maybe things aren't so bad."

He handed the note to Folkvadr, who nodded, "Aye, it's a start. Still a long road ahead of us, though. I suggest you tell him we're going to dispatch some submarines to ICO, to barter for more supplies. For the time being, we have the money to pay for them."

Otto nodded, and stood behind the Radio Operator's shoulder, to dictate a coded message:
*****
"My thanks for sending aid so promptly; your friendship in these difficult times is greatly appreciated. We are preparing for an invasion of the mainland, but the current supply situation is very restricting. If an arrangement can be made, I will send some of our submarines to pick up further supplies; particularly food. At present, we can pay for these supplies in Shivs.
*****

*Tag. When I get some time (probably when student teaching winds down) I'll get involved with this...*

Koenberg, President Helstag's office

"Why is he still alive!?" demanded Helstag, banging his fist on his desk. Tobiassen and Hanstveit shuffled nervously.

"Erm... " Hanstveit began, but got no further; he didn't know either, and neither did Tobiassen.

"He was reported shot in Rondeau Park, and dead by the following morning! There's even a film of his burial at sea! Who is pulling the strings behind all this? Governor Lagerfelt?"

Tobiassen cleared his throat, "Lagerfelt is a witless moron." he said, "I daresay he is oblivious. Likewise General Borkman. I suspect the likely culprit is Uncle Walrus."

"Uncle Walrus!" spat Helstag, "He's going to be a thorn in my side. Is there no information available about him at all?"

Hanstveit sighed, "We're still decrypting the covert ops database, but dossiers for Uncle Walrus and other senior operatives are unlikely to be detailed. I have my best people working on it, but no results yet."

"I want results, and quickly!" said Helstag, "In the meantime, get the propaganda people covering up this whole mess with Otto Jaarinen."
-----

Later that day, televisions across Nimzonia showed an announcement, declaring that Otto Jaarinen was dead, and that the rebel claiming to be him was an imposter. It even showed the film of Otto's supposed burial at sea. "How dare this rebel twist the name of our beloved General Jaarinen's only son, who died tragically in heroic defense of his country?" it asked.

*After a long night of deliberating, General McDaniel sends a message to the St. Lawrence base in LOTI*

::Encypted Message::

To: Admiral Michael Schnell
From: General Andrew McDaniel

Admiral, after a long night of meetings with the military board, we have decided to aid the rebels of Nimzonia. You will be taking 2 CBG's into the Atlantic with a supply convoy for the Rebels. Move from the St. Lawrence to the base on Woodrenjik Island. Once we have a secure location, more supplies will be air-lifted in. Reinforcement troops will be sent in via para-drop when your signal is sent. Good Luck.

************

5 C-130 air ships load up in Dubelco main land with supplies including emergency medicine, MRE's, 5.56 MM ammo, and the 1st Airbourne Division. Their orders: Secure LZ and help rebels in all possible ways. Leader of 1st is Sergeant Matthews. They will flyover LOTI and Rendevous with their escort out of the Great Lakes Area, 4 wings of F-22's also escorting 2 AC-130 Gunships.

Vice Admiral Mike Pious Phillippa in charge of the huge Maddermikian battle fleet had dropped the huge weapons delivery at the Man Jayen Naval base. His request for 270 F35 fighters for the carriers to meet at Man Jayen. Require 550 standard missle block IV to await our arrival in Man Jayen. Require 250 advanced harpoon missles. Require 6,000 troops ready for Arctic invasion. had been granted -- sort of. 110 F35 fighters, 50 F14s and various support craft had been directed to meet the fleet in the Nimzonian/Greenland strait. The marines had landed at Man Jayen and were being loaded into the LHAs. They were going to be a day and a half behind the carrier fleet. The missile order was about 50% what Phillippa had ordered and loading them into the Arsenal ships in the darkness of the Arctic was painfully slow. The LHAs were going to be delayed until the three arsenal ships were ready.

Phillippa was going to soften up Mennstein Naval Base by coming in across the tip of Greenland over the Wodenreijk Island.

He sent a High priority FLASH precedence Message to President Helstag

****Proceeding to the West of Nimzonia for actions against Mennstein Naval Base request co-ordinated attack to rid the world of this vermin.***

Wodenreijk
Rebel Marines had just finished gathering in the last of the supply drop from the Indian Casino Operator C141s, when they were notified that Dubelco units and supplies were arriving to help the resistance.

A marine lieutenant, leading a perimeter patrol on the snowfields south of the Mennstein naval base, skied out to meet the Dubelco airborne troops, when they arrived on Wodenreijk.

"You guys got here just in time!" he told them, "We just got word from our operatives on the mainland, that Helstag's forces are about to begin their attack."
-----

Koenberg
President Helstag responded to Vice Admiral Phillippa:
*****
"Understood; Nimzonian units are being mobilised to aid in the assault. I want this rebel stronghold eliminated as quickly as possible; if you succeed in subduing all resistance within a week, Vice Admiral, I will guarantee you personally a $250,000 bonus on top of the official bounty, as well as membership in the elite Koenberg Military Tribunal Gentleman's Club, the most prestigious private drinking establishment in the arctic. Co-ordinate your efforts with Fleet-Marshall Thorbergsson, and General Tobiassen."
*****

Fleet-Marshall Thorbergsson, who was busy organising the Nimzonian navy for action against the rebel fleet, sent the following message:
*****
"The rebels have considerable air and sea assets, but lack fuel and parts. We should be able to wear them down, if we play our cards right. Breaking into the fjord guarding the entrance to the Mennstein naval base will be costly - I reccomend you land your troops north of the base, and advance across the mountains. General Tobiassen's ground forces will land on the south coast, capture Wodengard, and then move up the western coast to attack the base from the south. We will surround their forces, and crush them."
*****

As the C-130's fly into Woodrenjik, the fighters fly into the air base. The C-130's air drop the supplies all over the base as well as the troops. As the troops and supplies lands, they are met by Nimzonian rebels who greet them. Serg. Matthews rounds up all the closest men to get the cargo on the move.

As the C-130's head home, the Spectre's land as well. Once the cargo has been drug in, Serg. Matthews goes to find whoever's in charge.

*******

Naval fleet still 4 days out...

President Helstag responded to Vice Admiral Phillippa:
*****
"Understood; Nimzonian units are being mobilised to aid in the assault. I want this rebel stronghold eliminated as quickly as possible; if you succeed in subduing all resistance within a week, Vice Admiral, I will guarantee you personally a $250,000 bonus on top of the official bounty, as well as membership in the elite Koenberg Military Tribunal Gentleman's Club, the most prestigious private drinking establishment in the arctic. Co-ordinate your efforts with Fleet-Marshall Thorbergsson, and General Tobiassen."
*****

*****

Vice Admiral Phillippa liked the sound of the extra $250,000 bonus. "These pilots need to get some flight time in." He told the air wing boss. The F35s were loaded with bombs, the F14s were loaded with Air to Surface missiles and two F35s were loaded with photo pods, the entire wing launched towards Wodenreijk Mannstein airfield.

"Send a message to Fleet-Marshall Thorbergsson tell him we are going to soften up the airfield and get some photos of the operation." He tells the Ops Officer.

Phillippa watches from the aircontrol of the MMS Megalomania A Nimitz class carrier, his flagship. The flight climbs to altitude, finishes fueling and then head for Mennstein.

The first squadron is flying about 100 feet off the ocean, the next group in typical MadderMikian fashion fly about 50 feet off the deck. The next group about 25 feet and of course two go -2 feet. The flight leader breaks radio silence and scolds the remaining crews to get back to 100 feet and stay there.

The plan is for one group to go up a convenient canyon leading to the base and the other to come in from the north. The group in the canyon go in first and just a short ways into the canyon realize someone was expecting this.

RNS Thrym, Fleet Marshall Thorbergsson's flagship
Fleet Marshall Thorbergsson's battle fleet, consisting of six Nimitz-class carriers, and 45 assorted destroyers, cruisers, and submarines, was approaching Wodenreijk from the southeast, after heading out from Port Odea. Their main goal was to secure a beachhead for Nimzonian marines, and threaten the rebel fleet enough to keep them from engaging Vice Admiral Phillippa's battle group. The rebel fleet was larger, but with Phillippa's armada to the north, they could keep the rebels guessing as to their numbers, and discourage them from moving against either threat.

Thorbergsson reviewed the latest communication from Vice Admiral Phillippa, and responded:
*****
My fleet is almost in position. I will organise an air strike to coincide with yours; we will attack from the south, and eliminate any rebel aircraft launched to counter your attack.
*****
------

Wodenreijk, Mennstein naval base
Otto met Sergeant Matthews of the Dubelco 1st Airborne outside the command centre. "Welcome to Wodenreijk." he shook Matthews' hand, "And thanks for coming to our aid. We're expecting the first move from Helstag's forces within a day or two."

He glanced across the busy concourse outside the base, where supplies and troops were being hurriedly moved about, "My troops are dug in north and south of the naval base, and we have fortified positions in the mountain passes. However, we don't have enough men to fortify the coastline, and-"
Otto shook his head, and rubbed his hands together, feeling the cold. He'd lost a lot of his resistance to the arctic weather after being stationed in Lake Eerie, "Come into the war room, and we'll discuss the plans there."

In the war room, Otto, Folkvadr, and some other senior rebel officers went through the defences, over a large map of Wodenreijk.

The rebels had been digging in for over a week, by this point. The marines and the small army garrison, had been trying to dig trenches and foxholes in the hard, frozen earth, and build fortifications to conceal their artillery pieces and machinegun positions. They had covered the northern and southern approaches to the base.

The Erik Mennstein naval base, where the command centre was based, was located at one end of a huge fjord which opened onto the sea, surrounded by mountains on either side, which offered the area a measure of protection, and surface-to-air missile sites had been built on the high ground around the area back when the island was originally fortified.

The destroyer RNS Geist, had been so badly damaged in a previous skirmish in the Nimzonian Sea, that Bjornolf Folkvadr had desided that it wasn't worth the expenditure of parts to save it, and it had been run aground by the entrance to the fjord from the sea, and now served as an artillery platform.

Beyond the naval base, a glacier valley continued across the island, into a long, high-walled network of canyons, which ran for fifty miles. Rebel defence planners had identified the valley as a weakness, because enemy aircraft could drop into it and get a clear run at the base, so he had a large portion of his marines dug in along the canyon, with man-portable SAMS, and heavy machineguns.

Although there were observation posts all around the coast, and ski patrols ranged across the open snowfields of the island, the southern and eastern areas of Wodenreijk were largely open. A small garrison was based in Wodengard, and Otto reccomended that Sergeant Matthews have his men re-inforce the garrison of Wodengard, and fortify some of the routes up from the southern tip of the island. Thanks to the harsh terrain and climate, a lot of the island was impassable, and the rebels could choose which positions were most convenient to fortify. They had set up explosives on some mountainsides, with a view to setting off avalanches when invading troops arrived.
-----

Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Wodenreijk
The RNS Overlord task force, led by Rear-Admiral Jakobsson, was approaching Wodenreijk at last. The crews of the eleven ships had had some tense moments throughout their escape around the eastern coast of Iceland, but the increasing proximity of Wodenreijk was beginning to calm their nerves. Otto Jaarinen's announcement of his intention to fight Helstag had lifted their spirits greatly, and put to rest any doubts they had that they were choosing the wrong side just out of loyalty to Jakobsson.

"Although our dangerous voyage is almost over, the war still has not yet begun." Jakobsson had reminded them, "But once we have reinforced Marshall Jaarinen's fleet, the fighting will surely begin in earnest. Remember, although we will be fighting our countrymen, the fate of Nimzonia is in our hands, and we must see this through."

As the task force approached Wodenreijk, RNS Warspite reported detecting a large battle group on radar, as well as a number of aircraft.

"Marshall Jaarinen's fleet?" Jakobsson asked.

Shortly after, the response came, "Negative; it's Helstag's!"

Jakobsson immediately put the task force on full alert, and diverted away from the enemy fleet at full speed. He radioed ahead to Wodenreijk, reporting the position of the armada.
-----

Wodenreijk
On the fjord, the five aircraft carriers began launching F14s, carrying air-to-air missiles, to intercept attackers from the Government fleet. The air base's JAS-39s were also prepared with air-to-air missiles, to cover Rear-Admiral Jakobsson's force from air attack. Air raid sirens began wailing, and personnel hurried to secure areas; the bunkers at the air force and naval base, and the old nuclear bunker further along the canyon. The military installations made use of natural caves in the mountainsides, hollowed out by old glaciers. The marines hurried to their dugouts and foxholes in the canyons, and their mountain top pillboxes, and waited.

Shortly after, a patrol on the north coast reported sighting a group of aircraft, flying low to avoid radar. The marines manning the positions north of the Mennstein naval base prepared themselves, finding good firing positions for their RBS-70 laser guided man-portable SAMs.

Grand Admiral Folkvadr ordered the carriers, which were still launching aircraft, to send the first half of their F14s (50 aircraft) out over the north of the island, to patrol and search for the attackers, which were currently evading radar.

Then, all hell broke loose in the canyon, when the undetected first MadderMikian air group descended into the waiting air defences. As well as numerous 50 cal heavy machineguns lining the side of the approach to the air force base, there were five Bofors TRIDON 40mm air defence guns at intervals along the canyon floor. Here and there, where the canyon was narrower, cables taken from the ships were suspended across from edge to edge, giving an extra obstacle to negotiate. Marines were camped around all over the approach, manning the machineguns, and armed with guided missiles should any of the invading aircraft pull out and take to the open sky.

Hurrying to the secure command bunker at the naval base, Otto Jaarinen and Bjornolf Folkvadr paused as they heard the canyon air defences kick up a hail of fire in the distance. Folkvadr fixed Otto with a grave look.

"The first blow of the hammer. Here's where we find out whether or not we have the mettle to take this war all the way."

The two of them hurried down the steps into the bunker, as the air raid sirens continued to wail outside.

The first wave of F35s hit the canyon and roared about 5 miles down the canyon. This is going to be a cakewalk. Exclaimed the squadron leader to his squadron. This was about 20 seconds too early as the canyon walls erupted into AA fire. The squadron leader took several hits before he hit the thruster control and shot almost straight up. His wingman crashed into the canyon wall. Miraculously the squadron leader, Mike Jabra's plane was still flying. He screamed into the command link to climb out of the canyon it was a death trap. Three more F35s succumbed before the rest climbed out of the canyon. Two F35s decided to battle it out in the canyon. These two each had two gun pods mounted on hard points and they were blazing away MadderMikian style.

Mike Jabra knew the element of suprise was over and ordered the flight to Mennstein at mach 1. They wanted to hit the ships in the fjord before they could move into the open sea. Their orders were to hit the Aegis cruisers first, then flattops then anything else.

The flight coming in from the north spotted the F14s coming out to intercept. Twenty-five F35s began to climb rapidly the remainder of F35s and F14s stayed low and increased speed. When the approaching F14s were within range the F35s fired their AIM 120s.

The canyon flight was now approaching the Mennstien Naval Base. The pilots began picking out their targets among the ships in the fjord.

Commodore Broken Toothed Walrus' task force had been tracking the MadderMikian armada from about 150 miles back. With all of the radio traffic he was pretty sure where Vice Admiral Phillippa's fleet was located. Walrus had six advanced MadderMikian cruise missiles onboard the ICOS Bear. Almost exclusively the targeting for these missiles came from the Indian Casino Naval Command. But Walrus had an edge. LCDR Drizzling Rain was onboard the Bear and she was the foremost targeting engineer the Indians had.

Walrus and Rain studied the map of Nimzonia and the Nimzonian/Greenland strait. They set the targeting on the six missiles to follow the coastline of Nimzonia at 100 feet up and 100 feet out. When the missiles were even up with Phillippa they would cross the strait and go for the fleet.

The MadderMikian cruise missiles would search out the largest radar signal and target that ship. Walrus twirled his huge handlebar mustache and thought how ironic that MadderMikian missiles would hunt out MadderMikian ships. With that he gave the order "Lets hunt the White man."

The skies above Wodenreijk

Squadron Leader Reuben Davidsson had originally become a naval aviator specifically to pick up girls. He had cultivated what he believed was a stylish curly moustache, and acquired a genuine world war I leather bomber jacket. Joining the rebellion had not been a particularly good move, as far as his prospects of picking up girls was concerned; less than 15% of the rebel personnel were female, and most of those were warrant officers in their forties, who weren't exactly his type. He preferred the airhead waitresses in the sea-front bars in Port Odea.

Things had looked up, though, when flight sergeant Magna Hummerheilm had defected from the airforce a few days earlier, and flown a stolen Hawk 100 series trainer from Sentry Isle to Wodenreijk. She had been immediately attached to Reuben's squadron on the carrier RNS Farbauti, bringing them back up to full strength after one of his junior officers had gone mad and hanged himself.

Reuben was convinced that she liked his moustache, so he had started putting an extra curl on it. He had reorganised the squadron so that she was his new radar intercept officer.

He was just contemplating what the best angle to show off his moustache in the confines of their cockpit was, when another pilot shouted, "Bandits, twelve o'clock low!"

The rebel F14s appeared to have spotted the MadderMikian attackers at about the same time they spotted them; they launched their AIM-9 sidewinders at about the same time the attackers launched their own missiles.

"These aren't government aircraft!" Reuben yelled, as his wingman took a hit from a MadderMikian missile and went down. He managed to avoid picking up a missile himself, but was frustrated to see quite a few of his flight either explode or veer off trailing smoke.

"Canyon defences report attacking aircraft are MadderMikian." came a response from the air command centre on RNS Farbauti.

Reuben cursed the MadderMikians, and ordered the rest of his squadron to increase speed and engage the F35s.

"Time to show Mike Hunt who rules the arctic skies!" he told them; Mike Hunt was the generic derogatory term for MadderMikian military personnel. There were a few hoots and whistles, as the F14s closed on the MadderMikian F35s; the rebel pilots had been itching for a dogfight for some time now.
-----

Over the fjord, the second group of F14s had launched just in time to meet the first wave of MadderMikian air units from the canyon, and broke out of their holding pattern to meet the attackers. As a huge fur-ball broke out over the fjord, the defenders were left wondering where the expected government units were going to strike. The carriers started preparing their FA-18s to join the air combat as well; if Thorbergsson's F-14s and FA-18s showed up now, they would be seriously outnumbered in the air.

Meanwhile, the JAS-39s moving to cover Rear-Admiral Jakobsson's task force had found the first wave of government FA-18s moving over south-eastern Wodenreijk, and broken off to engage them. The rebel air force was stretched thin across Wodenreijk, and this was barely the first skirmish of the war.

Fjord attacking group

Wing Commander CDR Mike Hoppington saw the F14s appearing on his HUD radar when the buzzers went off signaling incoming missiles. He fired countermeasure flares and began evasive maneuvers. The other pilots followed suit. Those that flew the F35s with a gentle touch letting the computer do its job were successful, the cowboys weren't so lucky. Six went down quickly, all but one of the pilots bailing out. The group that went high continued to engage the rebel F14s, the low fliers targeted the Aegis cruisers. The first wave dropped a pair of 500lb bombs each. Twenty targeted various cruisers, ten flattops. After dropping their loads they didn't have time to target any interceptors. They rapidly climbed to their ceiling and headed home at max speed for the carrier variant of the F35. The group engaged in the dog fights had to break off and head for home too.

Canyon attacking force over Wodenreijk

Mike Jabra had lost a few planes to the ambush in the canyon and he was wary. He spotted the incoming F14s as they spotted him. He targeted as many as his computer would allow and fired.

There were planes everywhere a lot closer than any simulator mission. This was more like a video game except there was no reset. The third squad was armed with gun pods and began straifing the ground and then any nearby ships.

Inevitably a missle, AA fire, a shoulder mounted SAM would hit one of the MadderMikian planes and it would go down. The final wave of Mike Jabra's flight headed for the ships in the fjord and quickly turned back as they had already dropped their bombs on the base.

The two camera carrying F14s had shot their film and headed back. Mike Jabra called off the attack and everyone that could climbed to altitude, hit the afterburners and headed home at max speed. They had to fire countermeasure flares continiously to escape.

In the Nimzonia/Greenland Strait

The six Indian missiles appeared to come from the Nimzonian shoreline and headed for the MadderMikian Armada. The missiles started evasive zig-zagging but the sheer number of CIWS cut them down. One did explode over the aft end of the MMS Oldsmobile one of the Nimitz class carriers and took out all but one of the arresting cables. It was going to be difficult to land planes on her.

Vice Admiral Phillippa was incensed "What in the hell are those Nimzonians doing? Why are they firing on us?" He drafted an urgent message to Nimzonian command in plain language asking what the hell was going on.

Wodenreijk
On the fjord, the rebel ships trying to escape the harbour to the open sea had taken a beating. Pillars of black smoke plumed into the sky, and the fjord was scattered with listing wrecks. In the underground bunker at the mennstein base, Otto was reviewing the first damage assessment reports of the attack.

Ship losses
RNS Manipulator, Nimitz class carrier, lost with 976 survivors
RNS Hakon II, Ticonderoga class, lost with 47 survivors
RNS Intolerable, Ticonderoga class, lost with 123 survivors
RNS Icepick, T42 destroyer, lost with 11 survivors
RNS Order of the Crow, T42 destroyer, lost with 48 survivors
RNS Black Ice, T42 destroyer, lost with 87 survivors
RNS Hypothermia, T42 destroyer, lost with all hands
RNS Gotterdammerung, T42 destroyer, lost with 76 survivors
8 air defense corvettes had also been blown out of the water, with only a handful of survivors between them.

Other losses
86 marines and other ground personnel had also been lost, some in the canyon, others in the naval base, a large part of which had been completely flattened. Fortunately, the airstrip at the air force base had survived, thanks to the canyon defenses which had prevented the MadderMikian fighters from getting a good approach on it. Of the 100 F14s, 29 had been shot down, and 42 FA-18s had also been lost in the attacks on the carriers. As well as the carrier that had been sunk, three of the carriers had taken heavy damage, and their aircraft had been forced to land at the air force base. 37 of the 48 JAS-39s had been lost, but they had inflicted significant losses on the government air group, and forced them to turn back.

Otto sighed, and passed the report back to Grand Admiral Folkvadr, "We're not going to be able to do this, are we? They can just blockade us, and hammer us with impunity."

"I wouldn't give up hope just yet. Rear-Admiral Jakobsson's task force has arrived, and given us a vague indication of the location of the government fleet. I suggest we make a retaliatory strike, as soon as possible."

Otto shrugged, somewhat depressed, "I'll leave that to you, then."

He sat, for some time, while the personnel in the bunker departed, to begin cleaning up the mess that the MadderMikians had made of the base. After a while, he seemed to reach a decision, and hurried off to find Folkvadr.

"I can't stay here; I need to get to the mainland, and begin gaining support there." he told the Grand Admiral when he found him, "How many submarines can be spared, to take me and some troops to Nimzonia."

Folkvadr frowned, "Otto, it's a big gamble... I'm not sure-"

"This whole rebellion is a big gamble!" Otto snapped, "While your fleet is distracting Thorbergsson's, I'll take as many troops as we can carry by submarine to land on the Sudreijk coast. If I can raise support from the militia, and start disrupting operations at Port Odea..."

Folkvadr regarded Otto for a moment, "Three submarines. That's all I can spare, realistically. Be careful, Otto."

Otto was already running off to start gathering a squad for this mission.

-----

All around the canyon, and the northern and southern approaches to the mennstein base, rebel marine patrols began searching for MadderMikian pilots reported to have ejected during the fighting. Maybe they could be pressured into revealing the size and strength of the MadderMikian presence in the area.

-----

RNS Thrym
Fleet Marshall Thorbergsson reviewed the communication from Vice Admiral Philippa. He quickly set about making a response.
*****
We have no record of missiles having been fired by any military units in your vicinity; Be alert for the presence of rebel submarines. Nimzonian air force units will conduct a search of the greenland channel, to attempt to locate any threats in this sector.
*****

-----

Western Nimzonia
At air force bases along the western coast, JAS-39s with reconnaisance pods and P3 Orions were being launched to search for the source of the missiles.

*As the ships sink the harbor. Serg. Matthews is working with some of his men to clean up the the mess that is the base. In the attack, a 3 pallets of ammo exploded from enemy fire, killing 20 men and injuring several others.*

"I can't believe it was over so fast, we couldn't even get our Raptors into the sky..." said Matthews to his second, Lt. Helmnick. "Could even 5 of them made a difference?"

"I don't think so sir, by the time 2 got off the ground the carriers were being hit. We might have shot down more Maddermikians, but that would have been it. And besides we need those planes for whatever offensive purposes as well, with whatever Jaarnin does." stated Helmnick.

"I know this isn't what I'm supposed to say, but did Confed make the right choice in siding with the rebels. We just got our ass's kicked by 2 full blown military's. We're an airbourne brigade and a band of outlaws." Matthews said quitely.

Just then, a radio officer ran in from the supply station.

"Sir! We just received word. Admiral McArthur's fleet is on the horizon!"

"McArthur! Well hot damn we're not dead yet!" Matthews went from solemn to hopefull in a second. The other troops looked up and smiled, a few cheered. For whatever reason they forgot about the hell that just happened. Matthews ran off to find Otto and tell him help had arrived.

Vice Admiral Phillippa was watching anxiously as the planes began to return. He had sent out 100 F35 fighters out of 110 and 10 F14s out of 50. Two had nosedived into the ocean early on. The MMS Oldsmobile was having trouble landing anything but the best pilots and undamaged planes. All of the damaged planes from the Oldsmobile were diverted to the MMS Megalomania . When all was totaled up 74 F35s returned, 3 F14s two of those camera carriers.

The MadderMikian Armada was almost out of the Nimzonian/Greenland strait and heading to the west of the isle of Wodenreijk. Repair crews were working around the clock to patch up the damaged aircraft.

In the photo processing center onboard the Megalomania

"Sweet Mother of God what is that fleet doing just outside the entrance to the fjord?" Asked Mike Kodak First Class Photographers Mate. He and his partner examined the film and came to the conclusion it was from Dubelco.

"Take this to the Admiral on the double." Kodak told his workmate.

On the Bridge

Vice Admiral Phillippa studied the photos and called the radioman over. He quickly drafted a message to Fleet Marshall Thorbergsson:

Large fleet approaching Mennstein Naval Base. Suspect it is those treacherous Dubelcans. We must renew our attacks on the Dubelcans. Once they take some casualties they will surely sue for peace.
s/Vice Admiral Phillippa

On the Northern end of the Nimzonian/Greenland strait

Commodore Broken Toothed Walrus took his little squadron out of the strait at top speed after launching the cruise missiles. The squadron didn't notice the LSD with 1,500 marines lagging behind. Due to strict radio silence and the thick Arctic fog severely reducing most radar signals the ICOS Ugly Boar could not report her engine trouble and was not seen by the rest of the ships.

When the pathetic event known as an Arctic winter dawn broke, it found the ICOS Ugly Boar all alone still deep in the strait with the sky clearing. She was steaming at three knots barely able to make headway in the heavy seas. Her radar reported several aircraft approaching. The ship went to battle stations.

RNS Thrym

Fleet Marshall Thorbergsson was standing out on the flight deck, catching some fresh air, and watching some crew hurriedly repair damage that was caused by a failed landing. A couple of amphibious carriers were visible, moving closer to the Wodenreijk coast.

"Sir, message from Vice Admiral Phillippa." A radio man handed him a slip of paper. Thorbergsson read it, and frowned, scratching his monobrow. He headed back inside, and dictated a reply.
*****
"The air force will make an initial sortie against the arrivals from Dubelco, and test their resolve. Perhaps if we sink a few ships quickly, they will think twice about getting involved. General Tobiassen's troops are landing on the southern coast of Wodenreijk. How long before your marines get here? If Dubelco is reinforcing the rebels, we need to make our strike quickly, before they can land sufficient numbers of troops."
*****

Wodenreijk
On a frosty beach a few miles outside Wodengard, the first amphibious landing vehicles arrived on the beach, and started offloading government troops, dressed in warm parkas and white camouflage. A rebel patrol on the ridge above the beach took a few potshots, to keep the invaders on the hop, before retreating to Wodengard.

"Everyone, get to your posts!" a gruff sergeant was yelling in the town centre, as rebel marines scurried to and fro, and the civilians headed for their cellars, "This is it!"

The sergeant hurried over to the highest ranking Dubelco soldier on the scene, "Government forces are landing a few miles down the beach. We'll need a group to hold the town, and another group of skirmishers to slow up their advance."

-----

Otto was hurriedly rounding up volunteers and equipment from the wreckage of the naval base, with Colonel Torp and some of his loyal troops from LETIreijk. They had found a dusty old marine flag from the 60s, with a picture of a crow on it, and were now calling themselves the Stormcrow Brigade. Currently, it was well below even company strength, because Folkvadr insisted on keeping most of the men for the defense of Wodenreijk.

Otto nodded as Sergeant Matthews told him about the arriving Dubelco fleet, "That is good news. We should be able to hold Wodenreijk." he cast a brief glance at some wreckage that was still subsiding in the harbour, "I'm heading to the mainland via submarine to start organising the rebellion there. It seems the people will need to see me in the flesh to overcome their doubts. We will be trying to sabotage the navy base at Port Odea, and some of the coastal airstrips, to keep the air force off your friends out there. If you can spare some troops for this mission... well, I need all the help I can get."

-----

Air force bases along the south coast of Nimzonia, and Sentry Isle
A large strike force of JAS-39s were being launched in waves, to strike against the arriving Dubelco fleet. They were divided into waves of 48. The first three waves, armed with anti-shipping missiles, would target any Dubelco and Rebel ships in the vicinity. The second three waves, armed with air-to-air missiles, and air-to-surface tactical missiles, would provide air cover. There were 288 aircraft altogether. They would have to head around the southern coast of Wodenreijk, and would meet a squadron of fuelers on their way back. Fortunately for the rebels, the limited range of the JAS-39 Gripen would give them a limited amount of time in the air.

Above the Nimzonia-Greenland strait
A single JAS-39 tracked the ICOS Ugly Boar, while its squadron mates split off to search the surrounding area. After a few minutes, they concluded the ship was on its own.

A message was transmitted by one of the trailing aircraft, for the indian ship to come right 120 degrees, and prepare for escort to Vaadenbruk, or be sent to the bottom.

Admiral McArthur sat on the main deck of the CSS St. Helens. A large, floating fortress is what he called his favorite Super Carrier in the fleet. The fleet was nearing the isle, and the supply convoy was making for the fjord to off-load supplies.

"Comm officer, send word to C&C we have reached Woodrenjik and secured the fjord. After an attack by the government on the rebel base we can see no further movement and are proceeding on plan." He dictated.

"Aye sir." the comm officer began punching in numbers, when a call came in from an AWACS on patrol on the south side of of the island.

::We have just got on radar extremely large force headed for fleet's location recommend immediate countermeasures.::

"Large force? It must be the Nimzonians, trying to force our quick removal. Full alert, all vessels! Battle Stations, launch all defense fighters! Begin AA screen's, all ships bring AEGIS systems and CIWS online! Send word to Woodrenjik we have engaged Nimzonia!" McArthur screamed this as he was punching numbers into a panel in front of him. He was sending an encrypted message back to Confed.

All over the fleet, ships went to battle ready status. Catamarans began moving into place around the carriers and setting up the AA screens. 2 Super Carriers, the St. Helens and Vesuvious, began launching their prime fighter defense, their Archangel fighters, 20 a piece. The 4 other Nimitz carriers began launching their 20 Archangels as well. After all Archangels were launched, they would launch all 20 F-14's they each had.

As the planes showed up on the first Carriers radar, about 6 Archangels were already in the air from each ship, with more on the way out.

*****************************

In Woodrenjik, Matthews heard the news about going ashore. He wandered over to the comm terminal and punched in some codes. Hopefully, whatever he was sending would get a response. As he was coding, a soldier ran up to him and told him 5th platoon on the southern edge was going to be defending the city with the rebels.

"5th platoon will hold their ground, but god save them from the hordes they face." Matthews looked back at the console and a response was begin decrypted. "Will proceed on....send coordinates when ready." was all the code said. Matthews smiled and went back to find Otto, more help was on the way.

OOC: I'm going away for a couple of weeks over christmas, so I might not be able to get internet access until the new year. So, I guess, we'll continue then. Merry Christmas, people, and all that.

Wodenreijk
The rebel air force had barely been refuelled and rearmed, when they were recalled to action stations, to intercept the air superiority waves of the government strike force. The majority of the rebel aircraft taking part in the sortie were the carrier-based FA/18s, which had taken less of a beating in the last dogfight.

Reuben Davidsson was leading a rag-tag squadron made up of surviving JAS-39s, FA/18s, and F14s from the sunken aircraft carrier. The squadron moved out to the south of the island, to hit the government forces landing near Wodengard.

Atlantic Ocean, outside the Wodenreijk fjord entrance
Wing Commander Thorfinnr Lutsen, leader of the government strike force, was closing on the Dubelco fleet. He noticed the aircraft carriers launching defence fighters, but only a single squadron of escort fighters seemed to be accompanying his strike aircraft.

"Where the hell are your fighters?" he demanded of Wing Commander Landt, the leader of the escort group.

"We just got intercepted by rebel fighters. I'm going to have m- Oh sh---krrkrkrkrkrkrkr"

Lutsen frowned as the transmission was replaced by a hiss of static.

"Oh well. Alpha group, with me, we're going to find their carriers. Bravo group, Charlie group, engage the AA screen, and pull back to base when you've fired off your missiles. We haven't got long in the air."


OOC
Sorry I haven't posted in ages. Haven't had the time or inspiration, as is probably evident in the quality of this post. After I get posting again, things will probably pick up.

In Khorlingsbad Prison

Jim Frod liked the Khorlingsbad prison much better than Keonberg prison. He had been moved here when there was a huge influx of prisoners. Many said it was a coup and the old general was killed.

Jim Frod was playing his normal afternoon poker game with the guards when he noticed they were much more on edge than usual. "What's up guys, you know I don't get to see the news."

The taller of the two guards looks around and just above a whisper says "I heard Otto is coming back to claim his father's birthright."

The shorter uglier guard adds "Things could get real sticky around here." He too looks all about before continuing. "We are just peons but the higher ups are worried, they fully supported President Helstag. If Otto gets back in power he would probably clean house. They say he is braver than his dad and his dad was one crusty old dude."

Jim whispers back "If things get too hot here you guys get me out and I'll take care of you."

OOC:Just a warm up post:)

*tag* I'll get back to this later.

To the West of the Isle of Wodenreijk

Vice Admiral Phillippa still wants to attack via the long canyon leading right to the rebel base. He starts calling MadderMikian Consolidated Command (MMCC) via the secure phone. The MMCC coordinates all military commands and is the logical place to get high altitude bombing of the canyon. The Commander of MMCC is MadderMikian Airforce General Mike "Hapless" Arnold. Hapless is a veteran B52 pilot and believes every problem can be solved with an armada of B52s.

The MadderMikian B52 fleet has gone through many many upgrades, from auto cannons to ecm gear designed to take out the most sophisticated targeting radars. They even have anti-laser speckle paint making it very difficult to laser target the huge planes. But they are slow, sub-sonic and huge.

MadderMike has about three hundred B2 bombers but Hapless likes the almost three thousand strong B52 fleet. Most are between forty and fifty years old but with care at least half of them are air worthy.

Hapless listens to the long sob story his sisters second cousin, Phillippa has to say and orders a saturation bombing of the entire canyon.

Deep in MadderMike seventy B52s are loaded and take off. Thirty-five are loaded with 51 anti-personnel cluster bombs apiece, each cluster bomb has 650 bomblets. Thirty are loaded with eighteen 2,000 lb smart bombs apiece. The five remaining B52s are loaded with targeting software, anti-attack equipment and cameras.

The refueling planes are readied in Newfoundland. The route to Wodenreijk will take them far north of the island and then follow along the Greenland coast to attack the canyon.

Chapter Two: Rules of Engagement


Wodenreijk harbour
Marshall Jaarinen was inspecting his troops, ready to board the submarines and head to the mainland. They were mostly his troops from LETIreijk, along with a handful of those marines and navy personnel who were without a job since their ships had been sunk in the air strike on the fjord.

"We should be expecting support from the Dubelcans, but if they don't show, we'll have to make the best of it ourselves." he was saying to them, as he walked up and down the line, "If all goes well, we should be put ashore along the south coast, where we will move out by squads to avoid detection, and then rendezvous near the village of Rotteheim, near Neumenholm. The password is Facut gaudeam. I have a way to get in contact with Elder Whale and his squad, and they should be able to brief us on the situation."

He stopped, and regarded the silent group again. They had a slightly nervous look to them, torn between respect and duty for their leader, and simple self-preservation. Colonel Torp locked eyes with Otto for a moment, and nodded. The Marshall went on.

"How successful we are depends entirely on the mood of the people; if they don't support me, then our chances of success are slim. If they do, then we'll kick Helstag's ass from Neumenholm to Kjorstvik. Duty and honour compell us to make the attempt, and I for one will die trying to restore order and stability to Nimzonia. Now, are you ready to enter the lion's den?"

"Yes sir!" the troops bellowed in unison.

Otto grinned, "Right! Let's get this show on the road!"

The troops boarded three of the five submarines allocated to the operation. They sailed out of the mouth of the fjord, before diving, and heading around the northern coast of Wodenreijk, hugging the shoreline as much as possible, and heading for the coast of Nimzonia south of Neumenholm, hoping to bypass the enemy fleets.


OOC
Chapter two, for those who thought I'd forgotten I was going to do this in chapters. :D