NationStates Jolt Archive


Thunderball!

Roycelandia
15-05-2004, 15:25
IRAF Glimmer Valley, Roycelandian Colony of Glimmer Twins

The Ground Crews had spent the morning winching the AT-42 Nuclear Torpedoes into the bomb bay of the Lancaster Bomber for the flight to Coral Palm Island, another of Roycelandia's colonies.

The AT-42 was one of the newer developments in Naval Warfare for Roycelandia- a 1kt Nuke in a Torpedo, ideal for taking out Capital Ships, Gigantic Submarines, and Undersea Research Facilities. As such, it was still classified, but initial tests were extremely promising. A live-fire demonstration was to be undertaken in one of the remote, abandoned islands well offshore from Coral Palm Island in the Pacific ocean, hence the flight on a Lancaster.

With the two torpedoes loaded safely in the bomb bay, the ground crew retreated to the warmth of the main hangar as the Aircrew came out of the Ops Room and clambered aboard the giant 4-engined Turboprop Bomber.

Given clearance to take off, the engines sputtered into life one by one, and the Lancaster hoisted itself of the end of the runway and turned south, to better weather and it's eventual destination.

Approximately 250 nautical miles North-West of Coral Palm Island

"Skipper, Number One Engine's overheating." The Flight Engineer looked up from his instruments. The flight had been totally uneventful, including two mid-air refuellings from a "Poseidon" AirTanker. Now, with less than an hour of flight time left before their destination, the outer Port engine was acting up.

"Ok, Shut it down, Spanners. We can manage just fine on 3. Adjust our ETA by another 15 minutes and let CPI know, OK?"

"Done and done."

WHUMP

"What the hell was that???"

"Birdstrike, Skipper- number 3 engine. We should be... uh-oh, she's trailing smoke."

"Birds? This far from land?"

"Probably an Amphibious Albatross. They're all over the show. And we're trailing smoke quite... FIRE! FIRE ON NUMBER THREE ENGINE!"

"Extinguishers on!"

"Fire's going... going... gone. Along with number three engine."

"We're going to be really late, you know that?"

"Thank you, Sparks. Notify CPI."

"Uh, Skip? The electrics are dead. The radio isn't working, and Number two and number four engines are losing power."

"Chances of making land?"

"Absolute Zero."

"We're losing altitude... number four engine gone. That bird must have knocked out one of the alternators, sending a surge through the electrics."

"We can't keep going on one engine- we don't have enough fuel."

"Jettison the Torpedoes, Skip?"

"No, they'll be easier to find if they stay with the plane. Ready the life raft and gather the emergency rations. Then assume Crash Positions..."

It wasn't long before the Lancaster pancaked into the clear blue waters of a coral lagoon somewhere in the Pacific. Clouds in the sky suggested Islands just over the horizon, but the crew of Four (Pilot, Navigator, Radio Operator, and Engineer) didn't have time to get exact bearings before taking to the Life Raft and watching as the bomber sank below the crystal blue waters.

"There should be land nearby- we should head there and wait for someone to come get us" Said the Navigator, a sensible course of action that was soon undertaken.

Coral Palm City, Roycelandian Colony of Coral Palm Island

"The Lancaster hasn't arrived yet, Sir" the Tower Radar operator commented 30 minutes later. "They've only got another hour and a bit's fuel left."

"If they don't arrive in two hours, notify the IRAF, AirSea Rescue, and IIS. And make sure the Media don't get wind of this. We need to make sure those Nuclear Torpedoes don't fall into the wrong hands..."
Roycelandia
16-05-2004, 03:11
Bump... if anyone's interested...
Roycelandia
17-05-2004, 07:00
anyone?
New Manifoldia
17-05-2004, 12:08
Comment overheard shouted from NM Presidential Office

"They've lost a nuclear what?!?"
Transnapastain
17-05-2004, 12:11
you're people went down in the Pacific right....would you like them picked up, by chance, or have you done that yourself, I, and my allies, have considerable holdings in the Pacific
Roycelandia
18-05-2004, 05:33
Coral Palm Island AirSea Rescue HQ

"Sir, they've sighted a distress flare on an uninhabited island a couple of hundred miles north-west of here. We've got a Sunderland En-Route to get them now."

"Excellent. Any sign of the Lancaster?"

"No, not yet. Just the distress flare."

"We really need to find that bomber before someone else does, you know..."

"Yes, we're aware of that."

"Well, why are you still here? Get searching!"
18-05-2004, 05:45
---Post deleted by NationStates Moderators---
United Elias
20-05-2004, 19:22
tag

BTW where exactly is Coral Palm Island?
Roycelandia
21-05-2004, 01:46
At the moment, it's located in The Pacific.

Geographically, it's somewhere off to the west from Africa- Roughly further west from where the Cape Verde Islands are in RL, despite the fact that Coral Palm Island is a pacific island... you get the idea. CPI Is also Roycelandia's major Refuelling point for our Sunderland Flying Boats, and most of the supplies heading into Gabon are being flown in via Coral Palm Island.

Roycelandia, for the record, is geographically located about where Jamaica is in RL. We all know where Roycelandian East Africa is, I hope... :D

RBC World Service

"And this just in, the Maritime Air Service has rescued the crew of a Lancaster Bomber which went down in the Pacific Ocean a few days ago. The Crew reported a bird strike just before the loss of electric and engine power, and were forced to abandon the plane.

With the electrical systems damaged, the plane's transponder isn't working, making the recovery of its ordnance extremely difficult.

Suggestions the Lancaster was carrying a Nuclear payload have been dismissed as, quote "Lies! Vile, Odious, Heinous Lies!" by the Imperial Defence Bureau, meaning they're probably true.

More information as it comes to hand..."
United Elias
21-05-2004, 09:43
OOC:

Okay I'm confused, the Cape Verde Islands are in the Atlantic yet CPI is in the pacific....
Roycelandia
21-05-2004, 11:15
Like I said, it's complicated. You see, CPI isn't in The Pacific as we know it, it's in the Region of The Pacific, because there isn't a region that it fits into, at least not in the geographic sense of the word.

Does that make sense? Even I get confused trying to explain it sometimes...
United Elias
21-05-2004, 17:14
Okay so for all RP purposes I can assume its located off Africa in the Atlantic?
Roycelandia
22-05-2004, 10:42
Yes, basically.

I just realised that if I'd said that earlier, I would have saved a lot of confusion.. :D