NationStates Jolt Archive

******
Chimeini Atoll
East Islandia
2004 (several years ago in Islandian time)

The Russian made Mi-171 roared over the dense jungle trees. Emblazoned on one side was the dark red cross and white background of the Islandian medical corps, and along one side, a rather detailed blue dragon decorated its fuselage, coiling its way from cockpit to tail rotor. ALthough it was rather bad for camouflage, Captain Chai Jun had to admit to herself that it was rather good.

"How long we got?" she yelled over the intercom, straining to make herself heard over the blasting techno music, which played an older but popular Korean dance song.

"Not too long," the pilot, Major Kim Sujung, replied. A tall, gawky woman of thirty something, her strictly non-regulation sunglasses contrasted with the dark green of her flightsuit.

"Of course," their gunner, First Sergeant Nguyen Van replied. "Sujung always says that."

The helo continued westward, making its way through a deep blue ocean dotted with islands and jungles. Already, Chai could hear the roar of fire beneath her, and she could see the flashes of gunfire and artillery in the distance. Mentally preparing herself, she tightened the straps on her flakvest, and made sure her pouch was secure. Lastly, she checked her assault rifle, a polymer bullpup SAR-21. Although she preferred not to use it, there were times when medical personnel had to resort to their weapons, for defense. Despite the fact that the Geneva Convention prohibited medical personnel from carrying weapons, Islandian commanders had standing orders to all medics to protect themselves if necessary, or at least be prepared to do so. West Islandian rebels were not known for their strict compliance to the Geneva Convention.

They approached the clearing, and the helo flared, coming in fast for a landing. Chai immediately unbuckled herself and jumped to the ground, grabbing hold of a stretcher and bringing the wounded man aboard. She continued, and with the help of some other men, brought some more soldiers aboard, some on stretchers, some limping on crutches, their feet shot away.

"That's it!" the lieutenant on scene shouted.

"Where's your company commander?!" Chai shouted.

He looked at her, dazed, before he spoke. "Ma'am you've got to be kidding me," he replied. "We have no company; we're pulling back."

Chai stared at him, shocked, for a moment, before the whistle of gunfire jolted her out of her stupor.

"Go!" the lieutenant shouted, pushing her towards the helicopter. He signaled to his remaining men, about thirty, to take positions in the tall grass. "We'll cover you as long as we can."

Chai took one last look at his face, smeared with dark green camouflage paint and wrinkled wiht exhaustion, before she quickly darted back to the safety of the helicopter. She grabbed a handrail, and buckled herself back in as the helo took off.

As the helo made its way skyward, however, an RPG slammed into its tail rotor. Nguyen swore, and directed the machine gun at hte source of hte firing, spraying the nearby trees with the Kord 12.7mm machine gun. in the cockpit, Su-jung did her utmost to straighten out the helo, and screamed for everyone to brace for an impact.

The Mi-171 came down in a long, spiraling arc. First, the bottom hit, scraping up dirt and spinning round. The main rotors dug into the ground as the helo slid sideways, slamming the patients around. It was a while before the helo rotors stopped spinning.

Chai opened her eyes. Her flight helmet was covered with dirt, and she sat up, gingerly.
"Vanh?" she asked. When she got no reply, she turned around to see that their door gunner was dead, with a broken neck. She shook her head silently, sighing, and got to her feet.

"Sujung?" she asked. She crawled toward the cockpit, only to find her pilot and copilot slumped over their consuls, thin trickles of blood flowing out of their mouths. Chai checked their vital signs, and although their copilot, a fresh flyer straight out of Islandian forces Helo school, had no pulse, Sujung still had a faint, though steady, beating at her neck.

Next, Chai surveyed the scene. Of the six wounded aboard, three had already died from the impacts. The ones who were alive were unconscious, and heavily wounded.

Chai sighed, and leaned against the wall for a moment to collect her thoughts. She wished htat they had brought along their second pararescueman/medic as they normally did. If he was along, they would have had an easier time.

She helped drag Sujung out of her seat and onto the grass next to the helo, doing the same to the three other survivors. She sighed, taking a moment to pause for breath, and leaned her head against the fuselage.

Chai hit her tac-radio. "This is medevac 11534-Aizu, out of Xiumen Forward Area. We have taken fire, and have been downed outside Chinoa City, in Chimeini Atoll. Requesting immediate CSAR from all available units in the area. There are four friendly wounded, and only one soldier in combat capacity."

Chai repeated that over her radio several times, but she wasnt sure if she could be heard. When she received no response, she quickly slid a new magazine into her rifle, and checked her charges again. Their medical signs werent good at all, and Chai feared that one of her patients, a Marine corporal dressed in tiger stripes, was about to lose the fight to stay alive. The hour that it would take for another medevac to arrive could well be the golden hour that it took to either save or kill the man, and Chai feared for the worst.

Bullets slammed into the fuselage, and Chai dropped to the ground. She lay beside the shattered tail rotor and began returning fire, at first wildly, then in a more calm and controlled manner.

A bullet slammed into her shoulder, and Chai grimaced, rolling back out of sight and gripping her shoulder with one hand and freeing a grenade with another. She unhooked hte thing, and hurled it at the incoming men, watching as it detonated and sent two of them into a million pieces.....

****
Imperial Palace
Hu-kasa, East Islandia
Present day

Chai woke up from her dream, panting, flushed. She quickly slid out of bed, and walked to the bathroom, as she did every time she woke up from a bad remembrance.

Once facing the full length mirror, she peeled off her tshirt and examined her shoulder. There it was, as it had been for so long; the angry red scar that the West Islandian 7.62 x 39mm bullet left.

She sighed. Lately, her previous experiences had been coming back to her, full force, and she was powerless to stop them. By day, she and her government presided over East Islandia, but at night, her dreams presided over her, often reducing her to a shrieking, crying wreck. Her Vice Premier and close friend, Park Hye-min,often rushed in to see what was the matter (their rooms were adjacent to each others'), but as of late, the two had become increasingly estranged.

Chai splashed some water over her face and turned on the shower. She stripped down and stepped in, letting the hot water run over her scars, emotional and physical, and sighed in contentment.

It was time for another day to start....

"You will do it, I hope?" the man asked her from the shadows.

"What choice do I have?" Vice Premier, now PRemier, Park Hyemin asked.
"You'll kill her if I dont; hell, you'll kill us all."

"That is correct," he replied with a twisted smile. "Most perceptive, even for an Islandian puke."

"Deceptive and dastardly," Park growled back at him. "Like every other West Islandian I had the pleasure of killing."

The man chuckled. "The Strategic Corps are mine," he said. "Think about that: three hundred DF-31 ICBMs, two hundred DF-21 MRBMs, a hundred Type 500MRN ICBMs, and another hundred JL-2 and Type 500MRN-S missiles aboard Islandian submarines. I have all that ordnance at my disposal, so why wouldnt I kill all you bastards if I had the chance?

"Of course," he continued, "ther is a reason I have to keep all of you alive. I have to gain revenge on my enemies, start a nuclear war, and then leave my enemies with the mess, so that I need not be the cause of their destruction, but their arrogance will be."

Only a devil, Park thought. ONly a devil, a West Islandian one, could have wormed his way up through the bureaucratic fools of hte Politburo and seized the position and resources he now held. Only a devil could have taken control of the Strategic Corps without actually being the officer in name. Only a devil could have engineered this coup, and forced her to betray her best friend.

"There is also the matter of the former Premier to be established," he said. "I didnt like her very much; she launched several strikes against my homeland, and for that, she will pay."

Park reached for her handgun as he grinned diabollically. Strong hands grabbed her, but she easily wrestled free, and sent the two men to the floor with powerful blows that spoke of hard conditioning, even if her willowy frame seemed anything but strong. She turned her pistol, an Italian Tanfoglio, on the man sitting in the chair, but was stopped abruptly when one of his thugs disarmed her roughly, and threw her to the ground. She made to pick herself up, but the barrel of a gun pointed at her stopped her.

The man smiled absent-mindedly. "Perhaps a peace with Bonstock is also in the process," he said. "Who knows? None in the Azn Alliance will suspect the founder of the body turning against them, will they?"

Park gritted her teeth. She swore she would kill this man with her own hands, one of these days, AFTER she had him humiliated publicly.

But, of course, her first priority was stopping a war, and the ruin of her nation.

Entago Forward Area
Tau Island, northern Islandia

Entago Forward Area was a large, heavily reinforced complex, one of many on the Islandian borders that oversaw the entrance and exit of thousands of ships into the nation. Being more an island nation than one of land, Islandia was more accessible by water and air then by roads, and as such, had anumber of naval bases guarding the frontier.

Still, the orders from Forces Command were anything but clear, as they usually were. The garrison of Entago were to admit the Okishima Maru, a large, Japanese registered merchant ship, into Islandia. What really perked their interest was the fact that their direct commanding officer, (Commander of Domestic Security) Admiral Hei, had not directly signed this, but rather bypassed several levels in the cshain of command. There were few levels in the chain of command already, and to be bypassed...

in the end, the garrison decided to stop Okishima Maru, and instead brought the lumbering merchantman to a halt about fifty km away from the base. Instead, Sea Dragons (Navy Special FOrces) and Border Policemen boarded the ship in a lightning fast raid, and what they found instead, were weapons.

Nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, all marked with blue snakes, the symbol of the former West Islandian republic. Doubtless the handlers of the cargo were careless in removing the insignia; possibly, they thought it would never be inspected.

The ranking officer at Entago, Marine General Vei Ting, immediately kept the secret under wraps. She ordered that the weapons be offloaded to a safe area immediately, and that Okishima Maru be put into drydock.

She then sent word to command that all was well, and that Okishima Maru had put into drydock at Entago for routine repairs.

Then, of course, she sent out a memo to all other flag-level officers in the Islandian Banner Forces, all the officers that she knew at least. Word spread quickly, and soon, the military community was communicating quietly.

What the hell was happening?

A thick cloud of fog hung over the Shaizo Corporation's large headquarters in the East Islandian capital of Hu-kasa. Housed in a large, modern looking structure of glass and spidersteel, the building itself stood in contrast to the other various landmarks and buildings in Hu-kasa, most of which were quaint, modest buildings, surrounded by layers of verdant greenery.

In his office on the top floor, Chairman Piau relaxed, sitting back at his desk, and grinned. in his hand was a cup of champagne, and across from him sat a beautiful Islandian woman dressed in Western work clothes.

"To us, my dear," Piau said, raising the glass. Unlike the other Islandians, West Islandians had never been adverse to adopting Western culture and technology on a large scale. They had also received help during the separatist war from American intelligence, which had their own motives in seeking a divided and weak Islandia. "And to the memory of our friends, and, finally, our most sacred purpose; the destruction of all that is wrong with this region."

The two of them downed their glasses heartily, and set it on the table. It was a while before Piau spoke again.

"You are certain you want to do this?" he asked her, his voice thick with emotion. "I cannot vouch for the safety of you, and although I will give you bodyguards, if they really tried, they will succeed in killing you. Or worse..."

His voice trailed off and his eyes darkened as he contemplated the possibilities.

"I understand," she broke in quickly. "Besides, you would hurl an ICBM at them if they tried, so I have no worries."

Piau nodded and sighed. "Take care of yourself nonetheless," he said to her.

"I will," she replied. She gave him a quick kiss and before he knew it, she was out the door.

Piau waited for her footsteps to recede before he hit the intercom button. "See to it," he told his comrades.

"Kill the dog that ruled East Islandia."

*******

Chai sighed as her boat floated slowly in the eastbound lane. In Islandia, highways were nearly absent; instead, what one found were boats, and plenty of them too, as waterways dotted the nation.

The morning traffic on the Xiumen Throughway was rough, as usual. The Throughway was a long waterway, if narrow, and heavily congested at this time of the year, the sunny season.

Chai sat back in her seat on the lounge and sighed in contentment. Retired already, at forty-two, and still one of the most beautiful women in Islandia...really, it could be worse. Still, that didnt help that Park was behind her ouster, and in front of the Azn Alliance also...

Still, perhaps there was more to it than that. After all, she had heard rumors in business circles and from her old comrades in the Censorate (investigative body of Islandia) that Chairman Piau of Shaizo Corporation was steadily gaining power. Chai had told her old contacts to keep in touch, and if she could pull any strings to reign in Piau, she'd do it.

Perhaps he was behind all of this?

She dismissed that with a thought. He was too public, too widely known for that. Shaizo Corporation was a major business, involved with creating medical and pharmaceutical products for Islandia, and was a major part of their nation's economy.

Nonetheless, information on Chairman Piau was scarce. Likewise, two Censorate agents investigating his case were fired on charges of false evidence and perjury, charges that CHai herself very much doubted. She even knew one of the two, and was involved in securing a job for her and her partner in the private sector, vastly more profitable, if less rewarding.

Chai frowned, and nodded to herself. Yes, she would find out what she needed to find out.

But first, some more time in the sun was warranted, she thought as she stretched out on her lounge chair.

OUt of the corner of her eye, she saw a small white wake trailing on the westbound lane, a wake heading the same way as she was.

Strange, she thought as she sat up and put her binoculars to her eyes. Doubtless, her bodyguard and good friend, Zhang, thought so, and poked his head out of the cabin, looking east.

A heartbeat later, she saw a puff of smoke and a flash from the boat, and Chai's heart dropped.

"Zhang! Qian! Get out of there!" she screamed as she ducked to the deck.

An instant later, a thud rang through the yacht as the cabin detonated. Chai cursed as she slipped into the lifejacket and made her way belowdecks to grab some weapons. She quickly took an assault rifle, some ammunition, and a pistol.

Zhang poked his head through the hatch. "Pass me an '88," he said to her.

She threw him a bullpup sniper rifle and some ammunition, and he slipped off.

"What about Qian?" she asked as she climbed onto the deck. She seemed strange, dressed in a blue bulletproof lifevest and a bikini, but he didnt seem to notice.

"Gone," Zhang said. "He was by the computer systems. I managed to slip out the window. He didnt make it."

"Oh," she said.

But they had other things to worry about, as the boat came ever closer and sparks flew out from both windows.

"Duck!" Zhang yelled as he began firing away.

Chai raised her weapon and began blasting away too, hitting areas all along the deck and felling one machine gunner where he stood. Still, they kept up the fire, and to make things worse, another boat attacked from behind.

Zhang cursed as a bullet punched into his shoulder. He fell but kept firing, aiming towards the engine.

One of his shots must have hit, as a huge explosion engulfed the first boat and sent it flyign through the air. Behind them tho, Chai saw a man with a rocket launcher poke his body through the window. She fired at him, but he was too far away to hit.

At that moment, another gun fired, this time from their front. A small swift boat, like the types that the Border Police was so fond of using, cut through the traffic and sent a rocket straight into the other boat. Then, it pulled up alongside the yacht and a man dressed in blue fatigues popped out, motioning for them to get in.

Chai hesitated for a minute, but then pulled Zhang with her into the boat, despite his protests. Although the Border Police chopper was only arriving, their rescuers hit the throttle and zoomed out of the traffic.

"Welcome aboard," General Sung Minlee said to them, a big smile on her face.

Chai stared at her in amazement, but she was really shocked when the other occupant of the boat turned to face her.

"Hey," he said.

"I thought you were dead," she said, in shock.

Palace of Governance, Heiphong:

Premier Suun finished reading Rongyi Bei's report on the recent Azn Alliance conference and looked up at the rest of the cabinet.

"So Premier Chai was just ousted in front of the entire conference? I thought a coup would be a tad more discreet. Anyway, what can you tell me about Park?"

Security Minister Kichisaburo Yoshida called up the Marimaian security profile on the large screen before the cabinet table, then got up to provide commentary.

"Our intelligence indicates that she's patriotic, with an iron will and a desire to serve Islandia to the death. Decorated military officer, just like most of their leadership. Could potentially become the 'Iron Woman of Islandia', so to speak. However..."

"Yes?"

"Well, the idea of her betraying Chai and becoming Premier herself seems a little out of character. We've dealt with the Islandians for years, and the two of them have always seemed extremely close. It would be beneficial to get a better idea of what's going on within the country, but asking them outright won't do it."

Defence Minister Wanfa Kong raised his hand. "So why don't we ask someone other than their government? If I remember correctly, Colonel Zhongji had a somewhat close relationship with an Islandian officer."

Kichi nodded. "Yes, a Sgt. Kim if I remember rightly. I guess it's possible that we could use her fondness for him to get some information; I'll order him to contact her. Your Excellency, am I right in believing that the Sky Dragon Triad might have someone in Islandia?"

Premier Suun grinned. "Very probably. I'll give Kuaitian a call; they may know if anything suspicious is going on."

Newly-appointed President Matsuda paced back and forth in his office on Parliament Hill. It had been a whirlwind ride which had brought him to this point. The Asian Alliance, the war on the Korean Peninsula and now the coup of the East Islandian government led by Chai.

Although he wanted to help desperately, since Chai had been supportive of the Hudecian position during the war. But politically his hands were tied, as only an interim President, he could not authorize any action independently. All his motions had to be veted by Parliament.

He paused for a moment before picking up the phone and calling the Conservative House Leader. Perhaps there was something he could do.

tag.

Nothing funny to say, too busy to RP something.

"This is quite an interesting development... I do hope East Islandia goes communist... it would be a quite good revenge if they do. The bastards deserve it anyways... for what they did too us."

"So you want me to call Kim out of the blue and say 'hi, long time no see, by the way what the hell is going on over there'?"

Kichi smirked at Zhongji's attitude. "Well yes. Not as bluntly though, try to slip into the conversation."

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

"Zhang Construction Concern, this is Kuaitian Zhang. How may I help you..oh, it's you Chiisu. What's up?"
"Do you have anything going on in East Islandia?"
"Islandia? We've done a bit of business there, but nothing substantial. Why'd you ask?"
"Just wanted to know if you'd heard anything out of there."
"Can't say we have, but if we do, you'll be the first to know."
"Appreciated. Talk to you again."

Premier Suun terminated the video conference before contacting Kichi.
"Yes, Premier?"
"I want you to increase surveillance of the Islandians at Mingzao Air Base. I don't know if they know anything, but we have to be cautious. Don't make it too obvious though."

"WHO THE F*CK DOES THAT BITCH THINK SHE IS?!!" Piau roared, slamming his fist on the table. His close comrades, gathered around him, looked at him neutrally. Piau never really lost his temper, as he was the sort that ended up releasing his anger through target practice (with crossbows and firearms at a small shooting gallery not far from his home) and martial arts, notably the Islandian art of sariya. Interestingly, common martial arts and similar language were the real only thing that the two nations shared, and the West had separatist tendencies for years.

"We dont know that it was Premier Park," an aide said to him. "From preliminary reports, a small speedboat had destroyed our two attackers-"

"I TOLD YOU TO GET MORE!" Piau yelled. "Islandia is armed to the hilt; true, we defeated them in the last war, but that was only due to the help of the Americans and divisions within their own country! Chai is a veritable Fa Mulan! I told u not to underestimate her!"

"Whatever the case," a woman beside him said, "we need to find who did this. My sources tell me that General Sung Minlee, Islandian Forces Pacific Commander, was absent at her post for a few weeks before it began, although she did schedule a vacation well in advance for this time period. Also, the small boat in question was reported stolen, in the early morning, from Tei-Tei Naval Base, home to several Navy Swift Boat squadrons."

"You dont know these bastards as I do," Piau said. "It's harder than hell to steal something from them; Trust me. I've tried."

He paused for a minute, sighing. "Whoever the culprits are, report to me on the state of the Okishima Maru."

"Still in drydock at Entago Forward Area," another aide replied. "The captain cites engine difficulty and major systems malfunctions."

"Try and get in touch with the crew, preferably one of the cargo masters," Piau said. "I know them from my days in the West Islandian resistance; they will know what happened, if they are not being detained. Other news?"

"The ouster of chai in front of the leadership of the Azn Alliance was a bad move on our part," someone replied. "The fact of the matter is that they are beginning to get suspicious, and worse, we have no well-placed penetration agents in their nations, except for maybe one or two sleeper cells in mid-level government positions."

"They should be enough to inform us," Piau replied. "Who's leading them?"

"Green," the woman replied. "We knew you wouldnt settle for anyone else."

Green was possibly THE West Islandian agent; in the Islandian wars, he had been an agent within the government, but after the end, he had simply slipped away to another country on orders of his government. Now, Piau thought, it seemed that his superiors back then had the foresight to put him in the nation of a potential enemy.

"Good," Piau said. "So find out who did it, why, and try to get the Okishima Maru back as soon as possible.

His aides nodded and filed out of the room.

*****
"I thought you were dead," Chai said to him again, blankly, looking into his eyes.

Yang Sei-shien grinned and shrugged. A naval special operations Commander in the Japann wars, his swift boat was lost with all hands aboard when Japanese ships raided their operating base. He and his crew had been awarded a posthumous decoration for bravery.

He had also caused Chai her share of sleepless nights. Few knew it, but the two of them knew each other since the Islandian wars, when he was ferrying troops between Xiumen and the border region of Chimeini Atoll, a heavily contested battleground. He had also became her lover several years ago, and when he had died, it was as if part of her had died also.

They had planned to be married when he returned...

"It wasnt Hye-min's fault," General Sung said, breaking in quietly. She was dressed in a casual wrap top and shorts, a bulletproof blue life vest on her torso. In her right hand, she held a still-steaming Islandian issue ATS rocket launcher, doubtless the same one she used against the boat.

"Then who did it? The West Islandians?" Chai asked cynically. it was not in her nature ot speak in cynicism, but she had been through too much for that. "Their nation was wiped out years ago, and all that's left are some islands and a shattered republic that is a shadow of its former self.

"The Bonstockians? They're undergoing a revolution right now, and I'll be damned if they did anything," Chai continued. "Red Tide? They were wi-"

"Its the West Islandians," Sung said. "Or so we think. General Vei, commander of Border Area Central, found a shipment of VX and GB gas, nuclear warheads and backpack nukes, mustard and chlorine gas, and weapons-grade biotoxins, including concentrated Botulinum, Anthrax-even experimental samples of Ebola, a mutant strain."

Zhang whistled softly. Even his normally blank face seemed to widen in amazement.

"Who would do that? Aside from the Americans, who havent bothered our country for a while, the other nation in our region with these weapons is Agrigento. And I doubt that they would try to infiltrate loads of WMDs into our nation randomly."

"The West Islandians," Sung replied. "on each American-made container, we found a blue snake and a green wreath. In fact, i have photos."

She held up a snapshot of the containers.

Chai breathed in surprise. She had seen that symbol dozens of times in her time as a pararescuewoman in West Islandia, and knew what it symbolized.

"No," she said. "It can't be."

"It can," Yang replied.

Zhang and Chai looked at him in disbelief.

"Pending my 'death,' I was found by troops from a Japanese unit, and shuttled off to prison. They beat me like hell, and refused to let me go even after the war was over. It was only when Sea Dragons rescued me that i found my way back, and even then, first things first, Deputy Minister Shi refused to let me contact you. He put me, instead, to work as a captain aboard a merchant ship. It was there that I was exposed to the plot, and all the better; no one knew who i was, since i was technically dead.

"Still," he continued, "with the death of Minister Shi from a heart attack, i realized that my knowledge was pointless without someone to act on it. So I contacted Minlee; we've known each other since...well, since forever, and we thought of a plan."

Chai's face darkened. "And you didnt call me all this time?" she asked acidly. "I LOST MY F*CKING MIND THINKING ABOUT YOU! I WASTED THREE YEARS OF MY F*CKING LIFE JUST PINING OVER YOUR DEATH, AND NOW, YOU WORTHLESS BASTARD, NOW YOU SHOW UP ALIVE?"

Yang smiled sadly. "Standing orders," he said to her. "Any reaction from you could have compromised my life; remember, everyone knew that we were going to be married? It would have made my position a lot less tenable if they knew."

Chai sighed. He was right of course; he was always right.

"So what did you find?" she asked.

"NOthing you will believe," Yang replied, and proceeded to tell her the story.

"So, Kichi, what do we know so far?"

Kichi handed each cabinet member a dossier before beginning.

"As we all know, Park Hye-min took power in East Islandia after ousting the former Premier, Chai Jun. Since then, we've uncovered surprisingly little. The Islandian commander at Mingzao Air Base doesn't know anything, Kuaitian Zhang of the Sky Dragon Triad doesn't know anything, and Colonel Zhongji is still attempting to contact his acquaintance. Kuaitian has no reason to lie, since it's because of our reluctance to sign extradition treaties that has saved him from prison. The Islandian commander has worked closely with us for years, I trust him. If we're to know what's going on, we need to get someone inside Islandia."

Premier Suun sighed deeply before continuing. "Rongyi, do you have anything?"

Rongyi shook his head. "I tried asking their ambassador, but he knows nothing either."

Suun tented his fingers. "What we really need is to either get some reassurance from Park or to find Chai. I assume they're keeping her held somewhere, unless they've had her executed. Okay. Rongyi, keep annoying them, try to get reassurance from Park that this coup won't affect our nations' relationship. While you're at it, offer her the opportunity to send Chai to Fuishiban Island. Let her know that we can book Chai into the Fuishiban rehab clinic 'until she recovers from her illness'. Since Fuishiban security is tight, we can keep her indefinitely."

Tian Yao smirked. "In reality we'd be keeping Chai safe from her own government, allowing us to get some more information. When did you get so devious?"

"I've been hanging around Kichi too long. By the way Kichi, I want you to draw up a list of groups and/or people who may have had a reason to see Chai overthrown. As you said previously, Park overthrowing her seems a little odd, so there may be someone else involved."

"Does anyone know anything about the coup in Islandia other than myself?!" Dr. Matsuda couldn't stand incompetence. He stared angrily at the cowed Secretary of Defence.

"Well.... we don't have a policy of infiltrating our allies with spies... so we pretty much.... know nothing..." The Secretary of Defence finally stammered. "We believe it might be a result of the war in Drapol or the medical condition of Chai. But so far you are the only source of information we have."

Dr. Matsuda sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair putting his hand to his head, feigning a headache. "Go find something."

Dr. Matsuda picked up the phone and called the House Leader MacNally. "Looks like we'll have to do it."

"I'll have the house vote in secret on the issue. We should have authorization by noon."

"Are you sure that our agents can do it?"

"They are the best we have... I don't want to discuss it any more on this line."

"This line is secure."

"That's what Maetova thought too..."

Matsuda's skin crawled as he hung up the phone. MacNally was a devious one, even if he was sincere about his intentions. He'd have to walk on eggshells from now on.

Voices burst in from the anteroom, as Premier Park sat down at her desk, exhausted form the day's work. Minutes ago, she had been on a secret line to General Sung, who was on leave, and Sung had reported to her that Chai was safe.

She sighed. AT least not ALL the world had gone mad; she knew she could count on Min for that. Still, if Piau's perps found out, her life would be in danger.

She turned towards the source of the voices, and walked out. Outside, her guards, dressed in full battle attire, stared down black suited men in sunglasses, each refusing to budge. Park stormed out and stood firmly behind her guards, yelling as loud as she could.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she shouted, pulling out her pistol. Her guards tensed and scowled at the men, who were inscrutable behind their dark sunglasses.

"Nothing really, Premier," a smooth, silky voice said behind the guards as a beautiful woman stepped out, dressed in Western clothes. "Though I do believe that we have...issues to settle."

Park clenched her teeth and willed herself to be calm and not give her guards the orders to cut the intruders all down on the spot, which they were very well capable of doing. She wished that they could face each other openly, but circumstances called for her to be calm, especially when dealing with the poisonous bitch in front of her.

"Of course," Park said smoothly, all traces of anger disappearing. "We shall discuss this inside, amongst the two of us, woman to woman."

The other woman grinned. "I knew you would see it that way," she said. "Where are our manners? Take a seat everyone," she said to her escorts.

They silently sat down in a row of seats, but Park's guards continued to grill them. Park nodded to them, and they saluted in return, placing their palms over their fists before returning to their duties.

The two of them walked towards Park's offices, and as they did, Park pulled out her file on Xi Xinyue. A thirty year old, former West Islandian intelligence officer, Xinyue was at the top of her class when she graduated from the Islandian intelligence program. She went on to become a deep cover agent in East Islandia after the outbreak of the Islandian wars, and although her identity was compromised after the war, she managed to escape back to her home region of Chimeini Atoll in West Islandia. Interestinly, she returned, with a new identity, several little details (retinas, fingerprints, eye color, and distinct features) altered, and managed to successfully infiltrate a major Islandian company, coming to prominence as a corporate CEO before she merged with (who else?) Piau's business, Shaizo Corporation. She was known to be carrying on a relationship with Piau, and Park grinned.

Worse come to worse, Park knew that she could hold Xinyue as a hostage. Of course, she didnt know that Xinyue carried a small vial of poison, disguised as an amulet, in order to kill her and her captor if necessary and allow for a retaliatory strike by Piau's forces.

The two of them entered Park's simple, but elegant offices, and Park sat down at the blue-tinted maegana wood table, a special wood that grew only in Islandia.

"I'd like you to declare me your Vice President," Xinyue said bluntly when the two of them reached the offices.

Just like a Westerner to say what everyone did not need to hear, Park thought, keeping her pretty features blank. "Of course," she replied, her voice sarcastic. "I will hire a CEO who knows nothing about running a country, and, it appears, also happens to be a West Islandian intelligence agent."

Park laughed derisively and returned to her work. "Get back to me when you have a workable proposition," she said, continuing her scrutiny of several documents.

"Perhaps the media will be most interested in these pictures," Xinyue said coldly, dropping them onto the table. "Or at least your husband will."

Park stared, wide-eyed, at the photographs. In one, she was seen holding a man tightly, as she smiled and slipped her hands down to his pants. In another, she was seen in a suit of lingerie, in a hotel room....

All in all, they were pictures that, however compromising, were from her past, well before she had met her husband and well before she had become Premier, even before she was a Marine officer. Nonetheless, she would be publicly shamed, even ruined; after all, she was the second woman leader in nearly 500 years (Chai was the first) and she would be disgraced utterly, as the people looked to her as proof that women could govern.

Park smiled grimly at her. "So you expect me to sacrifice my nation just to keep my reputation clean? These photos are from years ago, well before I met my husband and well before I became-"

She was cut off as a paper envelope landed on her desk. "We have the entire Islandian nuclear arsenal at our disposal too," Xinyue replied. "So why dont you go ahead with the plan, and declare a Vice Premier?"

"Who can we trust?" General Vei asked. her voice, normally cheery and vibrant, seemed to sag a little.

Sung, Yang, Zhang, and Chai all sat in Vei's quarters at Entago Forward Area. Luckily for them, Xiumen led to a couple of quiet waterways along the back of various main islands, and they had been able to slip into Entago undetected.

"Amongst our allies, I would say Marimaia or Hudecia," Chai replied. "We werent the best of people, and we did not always act kindly to them, but we always looked out for each other."

"Of course," Sung retorted. "They would remember losing nearly three billion dollars in weapons purchases to us all those years ago."

"All of the money was returned," Chai said, "from the CEOs' personal assets, need I remind you. And several of the assets were priceless relics that couldnt have been found anywhere else."

Among them was a rare set of Korean sabers, dating from the reign of King Sejong, and a full size replica of a Chinese treasure ship of Zheng He (later 1400s).

"We should contact them anyway," Vei said. "One of my...acquaintances is the commander of the Islandian contingent at Mingzao. I trust you all know General Xue?"

Sung snickered, and Chai blushed. General Xue was a notorious womanizer, and was rumored to have had trysts almsot every other day...

Apparently, one of his trysts had been with General Vei..

"Alright," Chai said. "see what you can do."

********
Mingzao Base
1st Training Brigade headquarters

"Suyun!" General Xue yelled. "SUYUN!"

Xue knew that Kim had carried on a relationship with a Marimaian officer, and had specifically requested that she be assigned to his command several months ago, citing her 'familiarity with allies" as his primary reason. He had received her and several other lovely ladies from her unit, but now he needed her presence as he was going to be arriving at a secret meeting with Marimaian officials soon.

Kim Suyun, a Dragon Sergeant in the 8th Guards Assault Division's First Independent Reconnaissance Platoon, scrambled in front of General Xue and stood at attention, saluting him with her palm and fist.

He did likewise and motioned for her to follow. The two entered a nondescript car, and drove to a small building nearby for their meeting.

The G-Battleship made its way into East Islandia waters. Its AA cannons had been replaced with sensors. The ship though was old... it dated back too the last Red Tides first war... the Al Anabar war, although involvement in that war was VERY short. Never the less the reactor was prone too have some kind of nuclear disaster: explode, go critical, leak, etc etc etc. The ship had not been maintaned very well due too funding problems. The Red Tide insignia lay printed on the fronts side of the ship. Then the reactor blew... it was absolutely chaos. The ship sunk so fast that it didnt have time for ANY of its crew too get off. Those who did survive would succumb too high levels of radiation. The invisible radioactive cloud blew towards East Islandia.

OOC
wuts a G-battleship?

*******
The weird REd Tide ship is sunk before it makes its way into East Islandian waters because we have better coastal defense systems than people gives us credit for having. So its a gift for the stupid WEst islandians... too bad they dont have a country anymore, so they cant do sh*t.

Of course, no one really knew anything about the radiation until nearby Geiger counters start ringing off the hook.

so, putting two and two together (hmm... Red Tide battleship sunk, sudden reactor splurge) Park orders a retaliatory strike.

Thirty ICBMs are launched at Red Tide to make sure that they stay dead.

Of course, this takes its toll on Park's leadership too, since people start to lose confidence, even though hazmat troops cordon off the rusty ship with underwater equipment and a minimal loss of life (although pollution will persist in the border regions for a little bit,s ince it is the worst radioactive disaster since Chernobyl).

Juss for good measure, another fifty ICBMs are launched. twenty of them contain some of the worst known toxins (no cure except for mayb special mutagens or samples in the Tropical Paradise regional research center), and they are programmed to hit Red Tide.

The three Hudecians boarded the plane for East Islandia normally, clearing security with the normal amount of hassle. Robert Feng, Marissa Liu and Danielle Wang were all fully documented and recorded as making the trip for 'vacation' purposes.

Robert Feng is recorded as a 23 year old medical technician with a criminal record for possession of marijuana. But it was expunged on his 18th birthday. His home town is the port city of Pila.

Marissa Liu is recorded as a 25 year old nurse at Hudecia City General Hospital. Her hometown is also Pila. She has several overdue parking tickets.

Danielle Wang is a 26 year old Master's student in Biotechnology at Pila University. She is the only one of the three with a clean record.

Their plane was scheduled to arrive in East Islandia in a few hours.

"Now this takes me back."

Major Lin frowned at Zhongji's words. "Sir?"

"Secret meetings and conspiracies. Reminds me of my days in the Marimaian People's Internal Security Force. Ah, here they are now."

After the four exchanged brief pleasantries, four armed Marimaian agents approached them and ushered them to the waiting limousine. Zhongji smiled at the Islandians' apparent concern.

"You have to remember, Marimaia is a lot more secure than we let on. Besides, His Excellency wants to meet you, and you might as well travel in style."

The Suunitrons were blaring the usual messages as the limo sped through the streets of Heiphong; even those who preferred shopping at night could not escape the Suunist Party's propaganda. Every half hour, the advertisements gave way to a prerecorded message from Premier Suun; the Ministry of Information had twenty four of them, with each playing twice a day. The limo pulled into the palace grounds, where they drove past the Proletarian Guard patrols before parking in the underground garage. Zhongji held the door for Kim as she got out, then the four of them entered the elevator.

The doors opened to a brightly-lit corridor where the group was met by Suun's butler, Michio. The middle-aged man bowed respectfully.
"This way please; His Excellency is waiting for you in the study."

Michio escorted them to the study and smiled before opening the doors. As they entered, they saw the entire Marimaian cabinet sitting around the room on various high-backed chairs and couches. At the far end of the room, flanked by his four personal 'problem solvers', Chiisu Suun sat behind his ornate desk with his spouse and chief bodyguard Tian Yao at his right, perched on the edge of the desk. Chiisu stood and nodded to Zhongji and Lin before addressing the guests, while Tian kept his eye on the new arrivals just in case.

"Greetings! Welcome to Luozao Palace, I can assure you that this is probably the most secure building in Marimaia, so anything you say will be strictly between those of us in this room. I understand that you have some information which we may be interested to hear."

shit... my other reply got lost

i'll reply tmrw when i get bak

General Xue, Dragon Sergeant Kim, and Sergeant Ain snapped to attention, giving the cabinet members the traditional Islandian salute, consisting of a palm over their fist, before standing at rest.

"Greetings to the Marimaian cabinet," General Xue said in his most formal voice. "We are here today to present to you communications from our Premier, in Islandia, and to brief you on the situation within our homeland." He nodded to Sergeant Kim, who gave Premier Suun an envelope, passed around several more envelopes (and gave Zhongji a quick glance) before walking back towards the center.

"I regret to say that we have not enough copies, as the situation is very sensitive and our intelligence staff decided to keep the copies to a minimum. Likewise, we are unfamiliar with Marimaian security protocols, but please do not leave the room with these envelopes, except for Premier Suun.

"Alright then, to the briefing. Three months ago, our agent, Pheonix, discovered evidence of a massive illicit operation involving Weapons of mass destruction procured from former East Islandian strongholds in the breakaway public of West islandia. Although we had thought we destroyed these weapons years ago in the Islandian wars, this evidence suggested otherwise, so we raided the place and discovered more evidence that such cargoes were makign their way into Islandia.

"As a result, our intelligence services began investigating into the matter, seeking possible West islandian agents in our businesses, our military.. even our government. However, nothing was found, and the agents who did investigate were fired, on a petty charge of misconduct in interrogation.

"Afterwards, Vice Premier Park was contacted by Chairman Piau Ren of Shaizo Corporation, a major business conglomerate in our nation, and although it was unclear what transpired there, we realize now that a coup was formulated by the two traitors. Premier Chai was removed within months."

"We now realize that Piau was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, the very ones we found before, and that he is using them against our current Premier as a bargaining chip," Kim said. "An assassination attempt occured days ago, on former Premier Chai, but Premier Park stopped this by dispatching General Sung and some backup to pull her out of the way."

“So here we are, at an impasse,” General Xue said. “We are threatened with nuclear destruction by a West Islandian agent, and anything we do will only hasten the inevitable end.”

Xue took a deep breath before continuing. “We will fight to the death,” he said. “So are my orders. My men will have to depart from your territory soon, and we will have to find a way back into Islandia and a way to disarm the rebels.”

The three visitors from Hudecia arrive at Jade International Airport in the capital.

If Islandian security searched the three thoroughly they would find only some high powered digital cameras with telescopic lenses, clothes, money, their identification and other items typically carried by travellers, including a first aid package.

The three quickly booked into a local hotel and began 'touring' the city. More it was to familiarize themselves with their surroundings and search for a source of weapons.

The cabinet looked around the room at each other before looking to Premier Suun, who sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he sat back up.

"Alright. I want you to tell Chai that Marimaia is behind her. If she needs any support to retake her nation, we shall answer the call. We may have a couple of ways to help you out immediately but I would prefer that they be kept between those of us in this room."

"We don't like to broadcast this fact, but this government has friends in places where governments shouldn't have friends. We've acquired them through various means that I won't go into here, but they may prove useful in this."

"We have some friends known as the Sky Dragon Triad. Smuggling you back into Islandia should be child's play compared to what they're used to doing. They'd probably also be able to help smuggle people out of Islandia if it becomes necessary. They may also have some weapons which aren't entirely legal, but if you ask nicely I'm sure they'd be willing to loan them to you. I believe they're no strangers to demolitions and assassinations, so if you need anything like that carried out, just tell them that you're friends of mine."

Unrest has begun in east islandia as military units loyal to former Premier Chai have demanded the return of the ousted leader to power. Among them are several elite Ranger Brigades, five Guards Divisions, and the First Ghost Brigade. They have threatened to march on the capital and kick out Premier Park or conduct guerilla warfare in border and central territories to achieve their aims, if possible.

Meanwhile, Premier Park has chosena new successor, Xi Xinyue, the prominent CEO of Zi Industries, who recently completed a merger with the largest defense and high-tech weapons firm, Shaizo Corporation. It remains unclear exactly why Park chose her, but the people seem to be satisfied, as Xi has been heavily involved in various social and technical programs which have increased Islandian prosperity

-Michael Rosen, New York Times

**************
"We thank you for your help," General Xue said. "But are you sure you can infiltrate tanks, airplanes into Islandia?"

"We may not even need that General," Sgt. An interrupted smoothly. "All we really need to do is assassinate CHairman Piau, and the business is over."

"No," Xue replied quickly. "Even if we destroy him or his company, he still has those arms. Although we seized his weapons aboard the cargo ship two days ago, he still has substantial amoutnso f weapons hidden away."

"We should wait for Madame Chai to return," Kim said. "We have men picking her up from Central Islandia now, as we speak."

"Very well then," Xue said. "I just hope teh West Islandian dogs have not found out about this."

ooc: *TAG*

Suun leant forward. "There is something else which might be of interest to you. Wanfa, you tell them."

The Marimaian Defence Minister cleared his throat. "Well, we're not proud to admit this, but before we both became signatories of the Asian Alliance I ran several war simulations involving a Marimaian invasion of East Islandia. If this situation erupts into civil war, we could, with a bit of tinkering to our plans, deploy forces to East Islandia in support of Chai. However, doing so would require assistance from Chai's loyalists in terms of disabling coastal defences in conjunction with our special forces. Naturally, we'd pay for any damage we cause to the infrastructure or buildings."

Sunn nodded to Wanfa as he sat back down. "Of course, we hope there's a way to resolve this without deploying forces."

Kichi raised his hand. "I don't suppose you three know much about Shaizo's computer security, do you?"

General Xue smiled. "No worries," he said to Minister Suun. "We do the same thing with some of our allies, if only for practice."

Sergeant Kim gave Minister Suun another packet, this time a thick bag of disks. "This is what our agent gave us to work with," she said. "Regrettably, we dont have very many computer specialists with us."

"Our plans, for now at least, are to disrupt the traitor's command system," Xue said. "Since he in essence commands the Strategic Corps, which has target taskings all over NS, he can very easily deploy nuclear or biological weapons to new targets. However, we know of failsafes within the system that he doesnt know of. After all, I was one of the officers tasked with finding ways to defeat untimely or accidental missile launches years ago, and the failsafes are still the same today.

"That aside," Xue continued, "we must assassinate Piau. We have agents in place for that purpose, but for now, we have to wait; even his bodyguards think he is only a businessman, and nothing more. If the truth were to come out, then he could be ruined forever. And then, we can overwhelm his handful of troops stationed at various points throughout Islandia. We already have loyal troops stationed in various places taht would support us, but only if they knew the truth."

"We could take over the comm and media grids," Kim said. "Provided Piau doesnt turn one of our own EMPs against us, it would be easy to break out news to everyone about the real state of affairs."

"But at the same time, we must protect Park," General Xue said. "She and I graduated from the Imperial Military Academy in the same class, and she is a reluctant player in this scheme. I know it, since I fought alongside her and I know her and her husband very well."

"We can also count on Park's husband," Sgt. Kim said. "He leads a fighter brigade, Musa Brigade, based in the capital. He can be relied on to keep air superiority; if he declared his loyalty, many others in the air forces will follow."

**********
That night, Chai arrived in Mingzao via MY8 transport. sadly, she had to leave her nation in the very same type of airplane that was used for covert operations, an irony that was not lost to her.

Wihtout fail, she was rushed to the palace, and she requested entrance.

ONce before the cabinet, Chai began to speak.

"I thank you all for hearing me today, and for responding so promptly to my nation's call of distress. Although it pains me to say so, today, our allies and our nation is under threat from a scheming bastard who has seized, through decidedly covert means, our Strategic Corps, in charge of our Weapons of Mass Destruction, weapons which were not totally dismembered, and although there may not be enough warheads, they are still capable of inflicting immense damage.

"Although my loyal officers have informed me of your loyalty to us (which moves us greatly), we do not ask, nor do we wish to request that the precious lives of your men be wasted. Therefore, we only require certain things, such as transport back to Islandia and possibly four or five specialists.

"However, on th ebehalf of Islandia, I thankyou greatly for this undeserved help that we receive from our close, close ally."

With that, Chai bowed deeply.

Suun slowly stood, walked over to Chai and hugged her, much to the amusement of the Marimaian cabinet.

"Anything for Islandia. You helped us become what we are today; besides, we don't have many friends internationally, so those we do have are more valuable to us than you could imagine."

Kichi cleared his throat. "Those disks have been sent to the Ministry of Marimaian Security; we should have them cracked soon enough."

Suun nodded and turned back to Chai. "The Sky Dragon Triad can handle your transport back to Islandia; as for specialists, I think that one of our Zeta Teams will suffice. Kichi, have you got anyone in mind?"

"Actually, Zeta Team 137 would be perfect for this. If you don't mind, Excellency, I'll call them from here."

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

Zeta Team 137 soon arrived at Luozao Palace and were ushered into the Premier's study, where they were faced with the assembled high-ranking Marimaians and Islandians. They bowed on one knee before Premier Suun.
"We are here to serve, Excellency."
Premier Suun smiled and gestured for them to stand up. "You know why you are here?"
The team leader, a young athletic male called Kunhua, nodded. "We are to accompany Premier Chai back to East Islandia in order to assist with the liberation of her homeland, Excellency."
"Exactly. Before we continue, you should introduce yourselves to her."

Kunhua and the rest of the team bowed their heads in Chai's direction, then took turns addressing her.
"I am Kunhua, team leader. Specialities are command and coordination, as well as hand-to-hand combat."
"I am Sakeda, speciality is demolitions."
The large hulking Sakeda nodded to the slender female next to him.
"My name is Biaoren. Speciality is assassinations."
Finally, a well-built man bowed in Chai's direction. "They call me Xianshen. Speciality is information warfare."

Kichi nodded to them before speaking. "In addition to their personal specialities, the entire team is proficient in the use of most firearms and espionage techniques. We have a number of these teams on 24 hour notice at all times. They should prove most useful."

Hudecian Foreign Minister Anderson has requested an audience with Premier Park as soon as possible. The CEO of Hudecia Industries will be accompanying the Foreign Minister to this meeting.

Park has agreed to the request, and will be bringing the new Vice President, Xi Xinyue along with the meeting. She has requested a location in Hudecia.

*****
Entago forward area
Islandian border
0500 am

The shift officer frowned as the sensors suddenly flickered, then snapped off. He punched in a call to his superior, a Captain, and asked him if there were any anomalies while he toggled the backup. Next to him, his friend, at a station with overlapping coverage, frowned as several dots came on screen.

"COntact!" he shouted, seconds before his screen was cut off too. He was shocked for a moment, but then quickly hit the klaxon.

Oddly enough, the blare of the alarm wasnt heard, and he frowned.
A door opened, and he turned to look at the man in the doorway.

"Wha-" he started to say, before him and his partner had sleep gas squirted into their face

the two slumped over, unconscious, and the masked assailant sighed.

"That'd make a good prank," he said to his partner, who shook her head.

******

Nearby, masked, camouflaged men unloaded boats and quickly slid them into the underground storage areas at Entago. THere were approximately twelve catamaran craft, small ones used for fast transport.

"We're in," Xue said over the intercom to Xianshen. "Thanks for that."

Everyone slipped off to the hidden quarters, unsure about the next day. Kunhua, however, was called, along with his team, to General Vei's conference room..

*****
"We're in a fix," Vei said. "We have five battalions of Pathet Cong Rangers, guerilla warfare specialists, in locations throughout Islandia, and five more at locations in the capital, ready to strike. The Tao Guards have pledged their loyalty, and they're in Erdana right now, ready to stage a takeover of the Strategic Corps' assets. THe Border Police, Pearl Guards and the Yalu Lancers are at the border, ready to stabilize and keep out any further West Islandians or Bonstockians if necessary. The First Ghost Brigade is ready to take out the Strategic Corps' southeastern Rugola complex if necessary, and their comrades in the Fifth are ready to knock opposition in the southwest if necessary.

"The problem is, we have around 60,000 men altogether in this plan. Their high ranking officers are fully informed, but their men are not; there is a high chance that they will mutiny upon knowing their true mission, since rebellion is not something they like, no matter how desperate the circumstances. Furthermore, there may be the case of other units opposing our men; several divisions have declared hteir loyalty to Park, but more troubling, two elite units have declared their loyalty to Xi, which complicates things. WE may have to fight a civil war here.

"And also, the Strategic Corps has hidden assets, assets which few except Park and her cabinet know of. We tried to access these assets, but the most we can do is station spies and sleepers throughout the country. We have to find a way to neutralize these weapons and our own comrades, with a minimum of damage. Ideas anyone?"

President Matsuda has agreed to host the meeting in scenic Banff, high in the rocky mountains.

"What do we know about this new Vice President? And if you don't know you ... (Matsuda caught himself).. better get on the phone to the Marimaians and find something out!" Matsuda was losing his patience.

"Yes Dr. President!" The Foreign Minister ran off to call the Marimaians.

Matsuda wondered about the location of the meeting. He wanted it somewhere out of the way, in case anything happened. But he didn't want it to seem too obvious, so Banff was the perfect choice. It was the most scenic ski resort in the entire country, high and deep in the rocky mountains.

Security would, naturally, be tight. A whole Hudecian regular army corp and a division of special ops would be assigned to the area. Park would, of course, be allowed to bring her own security, but it would pale in comparison to the sheer numbers that Hudecia would have.

Matsuda was still curious though as to why Park asked to have the meeting in Hudecia. Surely she realized the danger. Matsuda leaned back in his chair deep in thought. First thing is first... he needed to contact Suun in Marimaia, see if he knew anything about where Chai had disappeared to.

Stats on Park:
38 years old
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 130 lbs (65kg)
Eyes:Brown
Hair: dark brown

A decorated officer (First General) in the Islandian Forces (Yalu Lancers Division), Park served with honor and bravery, and was a pivotal voice in speaking against the corrupt government. She came to power as she aided her longtime comrades, Qu Yingzi and Chai Jun, against the military junta in a daring coup, displacing the corrupt dictator, President Sorenson, and installing themselves as the new government.

Born in Central Islandia to Korean immigrant parents, Park's maiden name was Jung Hye-min. She attended Bonoro High School, a tough locale known for its epidemic violence, and as such, began to take tang soo do and Chinese shuai-jiao as to better defend herself. Apparently, she had plenty of practice, as by age 18, she was a champion in tangsoo do and sanshou tournaments.

At age 19, she enlisted in the Islandian Marines, completing basic and intermediate training. Three years later, she applied for Officer School, and graduated as a second lieutenant, just in time for the five-year long Islandian wars, whcih saw her as a General by the year's end, due to the horrible attrition faced by both sides.

In any case, Park is married to General Park Jae-mo, commander of Musa (warrior) Brigade, an elite fighter unit in the air force. She is known to have a fiery temper, but she is also quite skilled at hiding or pushign away her anger, and very rarely does she let it affect her decisions, a skill learned as an officer.

http://myhome.naver.com/tmddlf/igg/v4.jpg

Xi Xinyue
Age: 36 years old
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 120 pounds (60kg)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: dark brown

http://www.mm52.com/chineseidols/wangjingying/wangjingying035.jpg

[OOC]
shes actually a west islandian intelligence officer, but we dont know that....

[ic...fake identity]

Born in northern Islandia, Xi Xinyue is the epitome of a 'rags to riches' success story, the type that Americans always claim for themselves, although it is not limited to their country only. Born to a poor, immigrant Chinese family, Xi attended North Bayu High School, a shabby, poor school, and later the illustrious Li Hongzhang INstitute, where she earned her degree in business.

Following a merger with Chairman Piau Ren's Shaizo Corporation, Xi is now the richest woman in Islandia, as well as the most desirable. However, rumors abound of an alleged romance with Piau, although the truth of such a story remains to be seen...

"Your Excellency, there is a President Matsuda of Hudecia on the videophone for you."

Suun nodded to his secretary. "Thank you Hengrou, you can put him through. Any chance of some tea for when I'm finished?"

"I'll get to it right away."

Suun swivelled in his chair to face the video conference screen, which Tian was leaning against. "What do we reckon he wants?"

"Let's find out. First their Foreign Minister calls about Xi Xinyue, and now this."

He tapped a button and the screen flared into life. "President Matsuda! What can I do for you?"

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

Kunhua clicked his tongue. "Neutralising your comrades is best achieved through using gas. Nothing lethal, just something to render them unconscious until we've finished with the weapons. Xianshen, any initial thoughts?"

"It depends. If we're talking strategic missiles with a central command centre, we could introduce a virus into that centre's computer system. Shut down the computer, they don't go anywhere. If we're talking mobile launchers..."

Kunhua took over again. "If we're talking mobile launchers, then we either steal them or we destroy them. Sabotaging them could take too long if there is a large number of them. As for your men, perhaps we could take a different approach. Have you ever heard the saying 'control the media, control the mind'? Your men may be possible mutineers, but if we managed to get out a single broadcast to your people informing them about Xi and Piau, then we may be able to spark off a revolution."

tag

"Greetings Premier Suun." Matsuda began cordially enough.

"I thank you for all your nation's most generous support in uncertain times."

"As you may know my nation is holding a bilateral meeting with Premier Chai.... err... I mean Park.. Premier Park and her Vice-Premier Xinyue. Sorry about that, I guess when leaderships change as quickly as East Islandia's did, my aging mind can't keep up."

The mistake was intentional and intended to give him an opening from which to probe Suun. But first, not to make the mistake seem so obvious..

"We are concerned about a possible cultural problem. As I understand it East Islandia is a fairly warm and tropical nation, however, the bilateral will take place high in the Rocky Mountains, near a ski resort. My advisors were concerned that such a change in .. well.. surroundings may be unwelcome by the Islandians."

"Normally I would not feel embarrased to ask Chai about the issue, however, with a new premier I am ... *cough* .. concerned about it. And I have been unable to contact Chai about it. She seems to have disappeared..."

Xue grimaced. "We could get General Park in trouble if the people find out the truth...that is, they may turn against her. But she'll be in Hudecia by then...hopefully."

He paused. "Returning to the issue of hte launchers, they're lhighly decentralized... back when we were designning the system, we decided that it would be harder for hte enemy to track, and easier for us (in terms of survivability, not mainetanance andcommand, which was still a b*tch). Still, I think if we can hit theregions with electromagnetic pulses, shut down the railroads or sealines, then we can find them."

Xue checked his watch. "We're slated to move the day after tomorrow," he said. "We have to since we cant keep this under wraps for too long, and i thinkt he government is beginning to have an idea of what is going on... Park at least, but i dont think she'll tell anyone yet."

*********
Two days later
Strategic Corps locations throughout Islandia

The men swarmed the launchers in the night, first detonating an EMP to knock out security measures, then shooting stun gas into the windows. Of course, most of the security detachments guarding it were in on the plan too, and as a result, most of hte strike teams were allowed in with a minimum of trouble.

Elsewhere, however, particularly in motor pools containing the mobile launchers, troops found themselves in a bit of a fix. They had to use specialized codes provided by General Xue in order to disable the launchers and security systems, and render htem useless until detailed repair could be applied (days away).

In the midst of all this confusion, however, five mobile launchers, two in Rugola, one in Erdana, and three scattered throughout the Western borders....

*****
Later that day, television stations all over Islandia noticed a loss of regular television programming. Those watching the Music Channel found themselves suddenly cut off from BoA, and instead subjected to a view of General Sung..which was not so bad, since Sung was hot too.

To make a long story short, Sung told hte people about what was happening, insofar as they knew it, and called for them to rise up against the illegitimate government, which was, coincidentally, away on business.

*******
"So it has begun," Chairman Piau snarled, watching the broadcasts carefully. "They call for their doom, dont they?"

An aide broke into his office. "Sir we have news from numerous missile batteries in Rugola! They have just been taken over!"

At that time, klaxons began to blare, and Piau swore. He grabbed an assault rifle and ran to the roof, followed closely by his aides, who quickly loaded aboard a military-painted Ka-60M.

"The military's revolting!" the aide yelled over the din of the rotors. "Who would have known?"

Piau sighed. "Of all the times," he said.

"Fighters!!" his pilot yelled.

"This is General Park Jae-mo, commander of Musa Brigade," a voice said, coming over hte intercom. "My men and I respectfully suggest you land and get out of the helicopter before we decide to use other means to remove you."

As to underscore his warning, one of Park's men buzzed the helo at low speed, shaking the rotary craft.

"Tell General Park I have enough weapons systems to wipe out East Islandia if necessary," Piau said. "And I believe they have forgotten about the Okishima Maru."

Xue grimaced. "We could get General Park in trouble if the people find out the truth...that is, they may turn against her. But she'll be in Hudecia by then...hopefully."

He paused. "Returning to the issue of hte launchers, they're lhighly decentralized... back when we were designning the system, we decided that it would be harder for hte enemy to track, and easier for us (in terms of survivability, not mainetanance andcommand, which was still a b*tch). Still, I think if we can hit theregions with electromagnetic pulses, shut down the railroads or sealines, then we can find them."

Xue checked his watch. "We're slated to move the day after tomorrow," he said. "We have to since we cant keep this under wraps for too long, and i thinkt he government is beginning to have an idea of what is going on... Park at least, but i dont think she'll tell anyone yet."

*********
Two days later
Strategic Corps locations throughout Islandia

The men swarmed the launchers in the night, first detonating an EMP to knock out security measures, then shooting stun gas into the windows. Of course, most of the security detachments guarding it were in on the plan too, and as a result, most of hte strike teams were allowed in with a minimum of trouble.

Elsewhere, however, particularly in motor pools containing the mobile launchers, troops found themselves in a bit of a fix. They had to use specialized codes provided by General Xue in order to disable the launchers and security systems, and render htem useless until detailed repair could be applied (days away).

In the midst of all this confusion, however, five mobile launchers, two in Rugola, one in Erdana, and three scattered throughout the Western borders....

*****
Later that day, television stations all over Islandia noticed a loss of regular television programming. Those watching the Music Channel found themselves suddenly cut off from BoA, and instead subjected to a view of General Sung..which was not so bad, since Sung was hot too.

To make a long story short, Sung told hte people about what was happening, insofar as they knew it, and called for them to rise up against the illegitimate government, which was, coincidentally, away on business.

*******
"So it has begun," Chairman Piau snarled, watching the broadcasts carefully. "They call for their doom, dont they?"

An aide broke into his office. "Sir we have news from numerous missile batteries in Rugola! They have just been taken over!"

At that time, klaxons began to blare, and Piau swore. He grabbed an assault rifle and ran to the roof, followed closely by his aides, who quickly loaded aboard a military-painted Ka-60M.

"The military's revolting!" the aide yelled over the din of the rotors. "Who would have known?"

Piau sighed. "Of all the times," he said.

"Fighters!!" his pilot yelled.

"This is General Park Jae-mo, commander of Musa Brigade," a voice said, coming over hte intercom. "My men and I respectfully suggest you land and get out of the helicopter before we decide to use other means to remove you."

As to underscore his warning, one of Park's men buzzed the helo at low speed, shaking the rotary craft.

"Tell General Park I have enough weapons systems to wipe out East Islandia if necessary," Piau said. "And I believe they have forgotten about the Okishima Maru."

The three Hudecian agents were quick to contact Foreign Minister Anderson via satellite phone.

President Matsuda had only just begun the bilateral discussions, which ranged from a comprehensive trade agreement between the nations to military arrangements in Japan and Okinawa.

Hudecia seemed keen to nail down a formal agreement between Hudecia Industries and East Islandia over the silk-steel technology and was looking at the possibility of establishing a permanent base near Japan.

The recent revolt would not be known to the Islandians... as soon as it became known to Anderson all communication, satellite or otherwise was cut. Officially the cut in satellite services was due to the concern about a remote controlled bomb being detonated.

OOC: looks like my reply from last night was eaten :(

IC (before the Islandian broadcast and the Hudecian 'blackout')

Suun smiled at Matsuda. "I have a strong belief that Chai is alive and well. She's a survivor, and I personally have no worries about her current situation. I'm sure she has friends who are taking care of her."

Suun tapped his nose before continuing. "I'm certain that Park and her entourage will be comfortable in Hudecia; who knows, they may enjoy it so much that they may wish to stay a bit longer than originally planned. After all, Hudecia is known for its hospitality. Anyway, I'm afraid that you'll have to excuse me, as I have a scheduled meeting with the Marimaian Suunist Congress. Give Park my best wishes when you see her, and please do everything you can to make her feel at home."

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

(after said events)

"Bring me up to speed."

Wanfa seemed quite pleased to finally get the Premier and the cabinet into the brand new war room, and wasted little time answering Suun's request.
"Zeta Team 137 sent a situation update not too long ago. The Chai faction managed to broadcast a message to the general populace and are awaiting an outcome. They also believe that they have removed the threat from the Park faction's strategic assets, but once again they are waiting for confirmation of that."

Rongyi stood up to continue the briefing. "Communication with Hudecia is down. With exquisite timing, I might add."

Wanfa tapped a few buttons and activated the large map which dominated the room, displaying all Marimaian military movements and any known movements of other nations. "As you can see, the 3rd Battle Group is on fleet exercises approximately five days' travel from Islandia. We could provide some air support for the Chai faction and..."

"No. Chai doesn't want massive military intervention from others. Probably because her detractors would play her up as a puppet of foreigners, but there's probably an element of pride involved. Provided she is victorious, Marimaian assistance will probably be kept out of the official history, and that's a lot easier without our jets flying sorties over Islandian territory. However, inform the admiral in charge to keep things for a bit longer, just to be on the safe side."

Umm.. err... umm... BUMP!

shit sry about before
stupid tests

***************
As the Airbus A380 arrived in Hudecia, news of the coup d'etat reached Park and her delegation.

Interestingly, ther was little they could do except proceed to businesss...

******
However, in Islandia, nothing seemed to be normal. Units loyal to Park's government were rolling around, declaring martial law and resistance, but the truth of the matter was, due to skillfull placement of Pathet Cong guerillas, most of the units had really nothing to work with, and surrendered quickly. Park also issued a communique for her troops to stand down, and accept the new government AFTER she came back.

In the air, however, it is a different story. Piau still had control of two mobile missile launchers, and fully intended to use them.

"SHOOT THEM DOWN!" General Park screamed. When his men, normally quick to respond, replied with indecision, he armed a missile and aimed it at Piau's helo.

SAMs slammed into two of his men.

the survivors immediately rolled into evasive maneuvers as more SAMs were fired.

Park cursed as the helo sped away, and two F22s rose to meet them. Although the F22s were signing their own death warrants, they could still buy time for their commander to get away.

Of course, Park should have known; intelligence said Piau was a West Islandian, and the West Islandians loved to use American technology.

Pigs, Park thought.

"Uz-1, Uz-2, on them!" Park yelled. "Uz-5, SEAD! Piau is mine!"

The flight split up and Park loosed his missile as one of his men called for backup.

"You are playing dangerously, General Park," Piau replied. Park saw a flashing dot on his radar and cursed again.

An IFF transmitter. The missile Park launched wouldnt hit Piau's helo, because of a fail-safe builtinto all Islandian missiles; if they detected an IFF transponder on a certain frequency and emitting a certain code, they couldnt destroy it.

The missile self destrcuted a safe distance away.

*****
dam.. im tired.... gonna finish this later, boys... if u two are boys....

k gnite