Liedl Region Cooperative Alliance Military
In a scene repeated on millions of television sets across the globe, Christopher D. Liedl, Hereditary Grand Duke of Liedl and Speaker of the Liedl Region Cooperative Alliance, makes a bold statement.
Seeing as how we are a region of 800 million, with nothing but the fighting spirit of our brave and noble people to defend ourselves from foreign agression, we have taken it upon ourselves to encourage entrepeneurs within the borders of fourteen sovereign nations. Since we first began this program a few short weeks ago, already I am proud to announce the formation of four new companies which will make it possible for us to stand on our own.
Based in the verdant hillsides of Cork County, New Limerick, Rosslare Manufacturing, Inc., will be clothing and arming the troops of our great region.
From the coastlines of Archenia, the newly completed Imperial Yards will produce ships with which we can deter invasion.
In the Lynchester's capital city of Jonathan, Frederick Aeronautics has already begun to produce a prototype fighter which they have tentatively named the Shillelagh.
And right here in the heart of Liedl, not ten miles from where I stand now to address you, Anderson-McDwyert has the plans for this great region's first armored vehicles nearly completed as I speak! Truly my friends and fellow denizens of the Liedl Region, this is a great day for all of us! Today, we sail through uncharted waters and take the first step towards playing a greater part in the world around us!
Mere hours later, unbeknownst to Grand Duke Liedl; not to mention nearly everyone else in the Liedl Region...
"So this is it, eh?" Sultan Abdullah al-Aziz said with a nonchalance that betrays his childlike eagerness.
"Yes your emminence," General Raheem bin Latif replied deferently.
"Excellent," the Sultan nearly cackled, throwing his feigned indifference aside and running a hand slowly across the smooth sleek metal. Already the 1,500 men of the Sultan's Own had been equipped with the latest shipment of assault rifles, smuggled across the border from parts unknown. Now, the General had come through and already the first half dozen were done. The Sultan stepped back to admire them once again and he felt a predatory grin spreading out on his face.
"What is it called again General?" he asked, knowing full well, but yet just wanting to hear that name said aloud one more time.
"They call it As-Srab, My Lord," bin Latif replied, "the FS-1 As-Srab." He let the Sultan revel in the glory of his new stealth fighter for another moment before moving on, "And if you'll come this way," he gently urged, "I'll show you what our nuclear researchers are coming along with."
Somewhere off the coast of Archenia
High Imperial Admiral Marquis Alonsyius Lord Dreeve leaned casually against the bulkhead and let out a deep sigh.
"Is something the matter My Lord?" Dreeve's chief of staff, Captain Rodrigo Pascuez inquired.
"No, nothing Rodrigo," he replied as he stared a hundred yards across the waves to the IAS Divinity, the sister ship of his own Infallible.
"No," he repeated slowly as he glanced at the bridge chronometer, "Just wondering where our counterparts from Unum Veritas are. The Yudini are here," he nodded in the other direction where he knew four miles away lay the Yudini flagship Soyuz and the rest of their diminutive fleet. Though on second thought, even though he was in command of unquestionably largest fleet in the Liedl Region, he knew for a fact that his strenght paled in comparison to that of real first class navies around the globe.
Suddenly something rocketed by a few hundred feet overhead and towards the horizon. "What the hell was that Rodrigo?!" Dreeve demanded.
"No idea My Lord!" he replied, his hands still clutching his ears.
"Well get CIC on it dammit!" he barked.
"Yessir!" Pascuez replied as he scurried off to find the ships CO. Mere seconds later, a pair of the aircraft screeched by at the same altitude. Dreeve was irate.
"CIC doesn't recognize them as anything New Limerick has been putting out, and they certainly don't match any of the profiles we have of Unum Veritas' planes!" Pascuez informed his admiral.
"Who the hell are they and why didn't we pick them up?!" Dreeve demanded.
"We were on passive, My Lord, they appear to be using some sort of stealthing technology we weren't prepared for!"
Dreeve angrily picked up the bridge phone. "General Quarters dammit!" he shouted. "This is not a bloody drill!" He slammed the phone back into its cradle and turned to Pascuez. "That Ellmann is a bloody incompetent!" he roared over the noise of the howling klaxon and another pair of fighters screaming overhead. "How in the hell does she get the job of commanding my bloody flagship!"
"Yes, My Lord," Pascuez muttered in reply. The phone rang and the chief of staff shot a pointed glance at the admiral's communications officer who quickly got up and answered the phone.
"We are at battle stations, My Lord. Captain Ellmann has relayed the General Quarters order to all ships of the fleet," she informed the admiral.
"It's about time. Do we not have any planes of our own to put up?"
"No, My Lord," Pascuez responded, "This was to be a purely naval maneuver."
"Dammit!" Dreeve cursed angrily. "Put an order into LRCA Ops Central ASAP! We need as many of those bloody Shilelaghs out here as we can get! I don't know what the hell is going on here! Also, get someone to broadcast some sort of threatening message to these imbeciles telling them who we are and asking what the hell they think they're doing!"
"Yes, My Lord," Pascuez replied and immediately began making sure his admiral's orders were carried out.
At an altitude of 2,000 feet
Clouds or fog obscured his vision as Lieutenant Sakhr Tayeb tried to pilot his stealth fighter above the ocean. Suddenly his threat reciever began to whoop loudly. He looked at it increduously and continued on his path. Then he saw it. Sitting there placidly on the surface with the sunlight glinting off of them ever so slightly was the Archenian fleet.
"Damn!" he swore out loud, and then again for good measure. This was supposed to be a shakedown, a trial run for the Sultan's secret air force! Not a showcase for the entire region!
"Unidentified aircraft this is the Imperial Archenian Ship Infallible!" the voice crackled over his radio. "We have you on tracking, I repeat, we have you on tracking. Identify yourself immediately or we will open fire!"
Tayeb didn't even bother cursing this time as he banked to right and pulled the nose up so that he settled nicely into the fog bank. His hand automatically went to his EW panel, but he hesitated for a moment. He was under strict orders not to reveal his full electronic warfare capability just in case it was accidentally observed by someone it wasn't supposed to be observed by. Basically, anyone. To hell with it, he thought, maybe I can lose them.
"Unidentified aircraft!" the voice spoke again. "Identify yourself immediately or we will open fire! I repeat identify yourself or we'll fire upon you!" Tayeb weighed his options. He was under strict orders to maintain radio silence, but he had no desire to be a martyr. Besides, as far as he knew it wasn't as if the Sultan were planning some sort of secret invasion of the rest of the region...at least he didn't think so. He hesitated for another moment.
"Unidentified aircraft! This is last warning! Identify yourself or we will shoot you out of the sky. I repeat, this is your last warning!"
Tayeb glanced ahead for a second or two, then down to his radio and back ahead before finally reaching down and flipping the switch.