NationStates Jolt Archive

::Marimaian Central Command, Taishita::

Marshal Kunzai traced his fingers over the computer display of the Marimaian-Myanmar border; all Marimaian deployments and all known Myanmar deployments were shown, allowing the military chiefs to direct forces as efficiently as possible. Kunzai nodded to himself, then turned to address the command staff.

"Alright everyone, here is the plan as laid out by His Excellency."

He gestured towards the larger screen display of the deployments with a laser pointer to show the decided strategy.

"Our orders are to take only what we have been ordered to take; there will be no need for further penetration past this line."

He tapped a few buttons and the proposed new border was imposed on the map.

"As you can see, in many cases we will be penetrating between 50-80 miles into Myanmar, the exception being those parts of the Shan State we are after which are just 100 miles from our current border. Now, we have made several arrangements with the ethnic insurgency forces in the areas we are attempting to liberate; the Mon and the Karen are fairly reliable, the Kayah may be able to provide some support, and the Shan will obviously want to be united with their Marimaian brethren. We were thinking of annexing the entire Shan State, but more caution will be employed in this campaign; besides, that region of Myanmar is fairly mountainous and could cause us some problems."

Kunzai bowed as Chief of Staff Shunmei Zhou entered with Defence Minister Wanfa Kong; Zhou quickly took over the briefing.

"In total, we have been permitted to commit 750,000 troops to this campaign, but His Excellency has stated that more can be made available if we require them. The terrain is mainly jungle, turning to mountainous in the north; this means that we cannot commit significant tank numbers, so we will be relying on trucks, light amphibious tanks and APCs. We will also have the assistance of the air force; our Hinds will be able to provide useful gunship support while our MiG-29s and MiG-35s handle the Myanmar air force. MariSat One will be providing satellite recon for us as well. Our more advanced aircraft will be held back until Myanmar's air defence is weakened, at which time we will swoop in and demolish them. Minister?"

Wanfa nodded and continued her points. "We were planning to move the 1st Fleet to protect our convoys to Dra-pol, but since the convoys are now on hold we have sent the 1st Fleet to conduct air support and possibly missile attacks from the Bay of Bengal. As Marshal Kunzai already stated, this line is the proposed new border which we will offer Myanmar; however, if His Excellency decides on further progress, then that is what we shall give him. Just in case anyone is thinking how we will handle a Myanmar incursion into our territory, well, such a violation would result in all necessary evils being utilised."

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As night fell, the movements began. The Marimaians launched three thrusts into Myanmar; Combat Group Alpha crossed into Tenasserim State from the south, Combat Group Beta crossed into Karen State from the east, and Combat Group Delta moved into Kayah State from the east. Moving in APCs and armoured trucks with light tank support and Hind air cover, the three groups made slow progress due to the jungle conditions, but everyone knew that this would be no blitzkrieg. The Hinds were under orders to scout ahead of the advancing troops before returning to Marimaian airbases for refueling; the Hinds had been organised into shifts so that the troops were never without air cover.

Almost simultaneously, Marimaian agents among the insurgency groups received word of the troop movements and began 'suggesting' action to the ethnic groups. These groups were not expected to cause much damage, just to help stall any Myanmar advance against the Marimaian forces. Pit traps, tunnel networks and various other tricks had been taught to the Marimaians by the Drapoel and the Vietcong; these tricks had then been passed onto the insurgents via the Marimaian People's External Security Force, as had various machineguns, RPGs and other arms.

In the Bay of Bengal, the 1st Fleet began launching air strikes against Tenasserim and Mon State in an effort to soften up the defences for the ground forces. In addition, the capital city of Yangon was being listed as a potential missile target...


(OOC: I'm not getting specific in this first post because I wanted to lay out the Marimaian strategy before getting down to major engagements. I've also done this so that Turkmeny knows what sort of attacks will be affecting each state of Myanmar, so that way I can't pull any 'troops appear magically' attacks. This is going to be a slow advance due to the terrain and the Myanmar counterattacks, but it should be fun. I've provided a map below showing the current border [in blue] and the planned new border [in red]; a map of Marimaia can be found in my factbook at http://groups.msn.com/TheSuunistPeoplesRepublicofMarimaia/home.htm )

The Myanmar map:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-10/422380/borders.JPG

The Myanmar Armed Forces had been on high alert since an enemy fleet had steamed into the Bay of Bengal. Top military minds were worried as reports of tribes being infiltrated by enemy agents, are pushed into action. These tribes had ensured that enemy armies had crossed into Myanmar unnoticed.

Karen State was the best prepared for the enemy troops, being the closest to the capital. The enemy troops had to cross the Moei River and then a mountain range to penetrate into the state. General Aung Shwe and the Twenty-First Infantry Brigade, some ten thousand men, attacked enemies fording the river. They focused on the armored support, hoping to disable it in the river, blocking the ford, and preventing future use of armor in the mountains. The attacks were bloody as hundreds of Myanmar troops, with armed grenades in hand, launched suicide attacks against the enemy. Over 600 soldiers died in the skirmishes along the river, but they successfully destroyed many of the fords, and causing much confusion. Shwe proceeded to gather the remnants of his force and retreat into the mountains.

Tenasserim, on the other hand, was all but helpless. The Third Army Group had been dispatched to the area, nearly 50,000 men, but due to logistics and transportation difficulties, they were still stuck up near Martaban. Field Marshal Tha Kyaw, upon reports of enemy troops moving near the border, decided not to advance further down the peninsula, instead setting up defenses along the Gyaing River and the Dawna Hills, hurriedly setting up barbed wire, trenches, fox holes, minefields, and other booby traps, hoping they would have enough set up by the time the Marimaians arrived so as to wage an effective defense.

In Kayah State, General Khun Htun Oo, one of the most experienced generals in the country, and one time dictator, had a different course of action for his 20,000 troops. He ordered his troops to scatter into the jungles and mountains in individual squadrons or platoons. He had a number of safe houses set up in the region, hidden in farms, or even underground, holding supplies, ammunition, and weapons. He called for unrestricted guerilla warfare against the invaders, hoping to slow them down until a larger army could be sent by Rangoon.

Meanwhile, Field Marshal Than Shwe, the dictator, began gathering his armies in Rangoon, which has a garrison of 150,000 even inpeacetime. His propaganda reals proclaimed he could raise an army of one million in short order (OOC: This is just propaganda, but do realize that your military will recieve reports of these numbers,) The air force was virtually useless against the superior Marimaians, so most of the planes were flown far inland, to be used in sporadic strikes behind enemy lines. The navy had no surface ships to speak of, but for a few hundred small torpedo boats.

During the night, the torpedo boats snuck up close to the First Fleet, having turned all of their running lights, radars and sonars off, and even turning their engines off when they got close and allowing their momentum to drift them closer. At virtually point blank range, they unleashed a spread of hundreds of torpedoes, then fled at full speed. The Marimaians were able to respond quickly enough to destroy twenty of the boats.

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OOC: Hope this is fine for the first engagements of the war, mostly isolated skirmishes.

Aboard attack submarine Aisho, Sung Hyunsoo commanding
Indian Ocean

"Destroyers detected," sonar reported, watching the screen light up. "Five of them; probably a picket screen for the fleet."

"Floating antenna registers multiple airborne contacts," sensors reported. "Missiles and several aircraft mostly."

"Red Tsunami signals readiness," communications reported. "As does Sukho Atoll. The rest of the wolfpack is scattered in and around the convergence zones, ready to cover our escape."

"Have they detected us?" Commander Sung asked.

"I dont believe so," sonar reported. "No sonobuoys in the water yet."

"Distance to convergence zone?" Sung asked.

"Two thousand meters," navigation replied. "About three-five minutes on caterpillar only."

Sung grimaced. She had to be able to get away after launching the first strike; if not, then all would be lost.

"ETA to backup forces?" she asked.

"Kurei Dome is almost a hundred kilometers away," navigation replied. "At this rate, they wont be able to send any forces to reach us in time."

"We may have to strike now," her XO, Wang Meiyi, said. "We can fire off torpedoes, and maybe use the sonic array to trip them-"

"DETECTION!" sonar yelled. "They're pinging our hull!"

"Countermeasures array!" Sung ordered, automatically.

Immediately, the hull-mounted countermeasures array began to emit whale noises, hopefully fooling the nearby ships into thinking that they were whales. Nearby, similar tactics were used by the two other submarines.

"Get me a firing solution for the sodium torpedoes," Sung said quickly. "Prepare the torpedo room for continuous fire, but do not open tube doors yet. Ready the sonic array, a submarine simulator, and an EMP, just in case we need them."

Myanmar

As the battle raged on, IL76 aircraft bearing FT2000 SAM batteries, Russian Tunguska mobile air-defence units, heavily armored, TOW-equipped HMMVWs, ground-penetrating radar, minesweeping units (huge armored things that chew up earth and shit out mines...and yes, they really do exist, but cant think of any manufacturers right now) and mobile EMP launchers touch down in the capital city.

In addition, cargo ships marked under other nations deliver thousands of polymer AK47s, and even an occasional HK32 (Heckler and Koch weapon modified to fire 7.62x39mm rounds), as well as satchel charges, night vision goggles, Dragunov sniper rifles complete with infrared scopes, grenade launchers, QW2 SAMs, fortification material (heavy spidersteel columns and kevlar plating) and even five thousand kg watergel explosives are delivered.

*********
Submarines attached to the Islandian Navy's Blue Group launch cruise missiles with watergel warhead tips against the Marimaian invaders.

::The Bay of Bengal::

The 1st Fleet was still counting losses from the surprise Burmese attack when the fleet's flagship, the Yekaterinburg-class carrier 'Premier Suun', detected what initially looked like submarine contact on the sonar.

"Admiral, I...sorry sir, it's just whales."

Admiral Santhapatri furrowed his brow. "Keep looking. These sneaky Burmans may have submarines that intelligence failed to find. How are the damage reports looking?"

"Three destroyers suffered serious damage and are being redirected back to Nakhari Naval Base. The frigate Quinjan is fighting fires below decks. Reports are still coming in concerning casualties though..."

"Damn them! Send a message to HQ; request the presence of Susanowa-class vessels. Where's our sub support?"

"They got a little held up, but nine Yu-Qiang subs should be with us within three hours."

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::Central Command, Taishita::

"Progress report."

The analysts began briefing Kunzai on the current situation.

"We've encountered significant resistance in Karen State; reports indicate over a hundred dead or seriously wounded, and we're currently trying to repair our fording of the river. In Tenasserim, our forces have joined up with the local insurgents known as the Autonomous Liberation Army; we have the town of Kawthuang within reach, and we have achieved air superiority over Mergui, Tavoy and Ye. We have identified possible enemy positions in the vicinity of Martaban and we have dispatched bombers under fighter escort to soften them up."

Kunzai nodded and ordered the briefing to continue. "Kayah State?"

"Kayah State is providing heavy guerilla resistance. We have lost approximately sixty soldiers so far, but reports are coming in every hour. In other news, the 1st Fleet has encountered a surprising level of resistance; they are requesting assistance from Susanowa-class submarines."

Kunzai immediately ordered the dispatch of three Susanowa-class subs, and issued orders for the Marimaian 2nd and 3rd Fleets to be put on hot standby. "Anything else?"

"Intelligence indicates that Myanmar is receiving outside assistance."

Kunzai grimaced. "Get me the Foreign Ministry."

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Official Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Relations, broadcast across the world:

"To those who have taken it upon themselves to defend Myanmar, we wish you to know what sort of nation you are defending. Myanmar has oppressed ethnic minorities for the simple crime of wanting more say over their daily lives; Marimaia has always accepted refugees and granted them the freedom to live their lives how they wish. Myanmar's armed forces have committed acts of brutality against innocent civilians; supporting them is showing support for casual rape and massacre. Their ruling junta held elections, then either executed or imprisoned the elected leaders. Marimaia has long been a safe haven for those escaping the slaughter in Myanmar; we are simply doing what the international community should have done a long time ago."

"Under Marimaian rule, the ethnic minorities will be treated as full Marimaian citizens; we will rebuild the wartorn areas and help the minorities prosper. The minorities realise this, and are even now assisting us in our liberation efforts. We ask the people of the world if they are willing to allow their governments to assist genocidal murderers."

(OOC: Islandia, where are those missiles launched at? Just so I know who's going to be on the receiving end. Also, sorry for not posting specific engagements yet, that's on the way)

tag

::Border villages taken by Marimaia::

The flow of humanitarian aid quickly began to the liberated settlements. With native insurgents acting as guides and escort, trucks laden with food and medical supplies began making their deliveries to the impoverished minority populations. Facilitators were sent in to evaluate each village's needs, and reports were sent back to the relevant co-ordinating authorities. Naturally, all this is being reported on live by embedded MPIN news reporters; the images of Marimaians assisting the villagers are broadcast around the world.

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::A few miles outside Kawthuang, Tenasserim State::

Lieutenant-General Fuzakaya conferred with the ALA commander before relaying his strategy to the troops.

"The ALA will head in first; they'll be more accepted by the people than us. Once the town is definately friendly, we'll go in."

He turned to his comm officers. "Signal for some Tunguska AA units. I'll want that town secured against possible air attacks."

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::In the skies approaching Martaban::

The MiG-29 escorts flew in perfect formation, protecting the fifteen Tu-160s as they progressed towards the suspected enemy positions. Hind gunships were on standby at three airbases just within the Marimaian border, ready to move in to attack any survivors.

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::Eastern Shan State, on the Marimaian border::

The Shan warlord Pao Ziyang nodded as his Marimaian liason officer reported the initial advance of the liberating forces. Pao had taken control of a much-weakened Eastern Shan State Army, and with Marimaian assistance he had built it up to a membership of 6000 fighters.

"So, we basically fight guerilla warfare against Rangoon's reinforcements?"

Mizaki Toku smirked. "Exactly. We are currently preparing a fourth Combat Group to enter Shan State, but at present it will take about another week before they are in position. It is our mission to keep Myanmar's troops off-balance in this region until our troops arrive. Naturally, we can call upon air support from the Marimaian airforce."

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::Central Command, Taishita::

"Hail Suun!"

Premier Suun thanked the command staff for their show of appreciation before getting updated on the current situation. When the issue of foreign intervention was brought up, Suun gave a cheerful smile.

"The Foreign Ministry has already begun a hearts and minds campaign to convince foreign governments that we are only doing what is right for those oppressed minorities. However, should the intervention continue, then we have another plan. All I will say is that I shall taking part in some very delicate negotiations over the next few days, negotiations which may decide this heavily in our favour."

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::Communique from Marimaia to Myanmar::

"This war could be bloody and costly for both sides, especially yourselves. You know our requests and how little it will truly affect your national sovereignty. If at any time you wish to accept our proposed new border, do not hesitate to contact us."

ooc
will post tmrw... am mad tired rite now.

OOC: Will post a detailed IC post tomorrow, just one question for now ...

What is this Eastern Shan Warlord stuff? I am not complaining, I just wanted to know why you suddenly brought this up?

OCC: Sorry about not putting it in at the start; it's just that you were asking why we weren't touching the Shan State yet. The idea is that Marimaia is going to try stalling for time in the Shan State while they move troops into position; the border area there isn't exactly good deployment terrain, so it's taken them longer than expected to deploy on the border. As a result, Marimaia has had to ask their friends in the eastern region of the Shan State to buy them some more time if Myanmar tries to reinforce the area. However, there are only 6000 fighters in the area which are loyal to Marimaia, so any concerted push by Myanmar is likely to cause some problems.

I should have explained the Shan State situation at the start, so apologies for that.

OOC: That's fine, good that you brought it up now, because tomorrow I was going to move a bunch of armies into Shan State.

[Just a tag. I'm tired of fightin' talk, just now.]

Field Marshal Than Shwe has dispatched 250,000 men of the Royal Guard towards Tenasserim, with orders to reinforce Field Marshal Tha Kyaw at Martaban, brining total troop numbers there to 320,000 men. Kyaw, meanwhile, is busy fortifying the river. Hundreds of mines have been planted on both sides of the river, buried in the mud or the river bottom, and all bridges have been wired with powerful explosives. Makeshift pillboxes and machine gun nests cover every fordable area, and hundreds of miles of barbed wire have been strung out. Kyaw is attempting to sneak heavy machinery in without being noticed by air cover to build some larger fortifiations, but with limited success.

General Khun Htun Oo is continuing an aggressive guerilla campaign in Kayah State. He has ordered his troops to dig up and block roads and set up booby traps. One especially sinister trab is called the "Sardine Can," where small anti-armor explosives designed to disable the treads of tanks are surrounded by smaller anti-personnel mines. The small anti-armor explosives set off two fuses, one which disable the treads, and the other which sets off a carefully prepared charge on a nearby tree, causing it to fall over onto the disabled tank. The anti-personnel mines go off when anyone tries to get near or away from the wreck. While deadly, they are unreliable and the tree will often fall the wrong way or simply start a forest fire.

General Aung Shwe in Karen State has been reinforced by a few thousand militia, but is still only a measly force of less then 16,000 men. However, he has managed to get his hands on some portable field artillery and mountain guns, which he is putting too good use. He spreads them out over the mountains, and fires them at spots on the river where enemies are trying to cross. After a few seconds of concentrated fire, they stop and the crew moves them to another hidden location, and fires again. This drastically reduces losses to enemy aircraft and slows enemy river crossing.

Meanwhile, the Myanmar Navy continues it's hit-and-run torpedo boat attacks on the Marimaian fleet, targeting picketing destroyers and auxilaries (oilers, ammunition ships, hospital ships, etc.), mainly at night.

The Myanmar Airforce, virtually helpless, has moved inland to Mandalay, and has planned a great sortie to demoralize the Marimaians. They are preparing long range bombers to go on a sortie, which will likely be one way, to fly at high altitudes in a long arc, going around the front lines where the enemy is focusing his forces, and bomb their capitol at Taishita. To cover this sortie, a few hundred fighters and tactical bombers, making up the majority of the active air force, will be thrown in a surprise dawn attack on the Marimaian First Fleet (I will RP this happening tomorrow night).

(OOC: You're really making us fight for this, and that's what I was after. Marimaia may be fairly advanced, but they're not invincible or anything; I have a feeling that the Marimaian leadership may get a wake-up call.)

The People's Republic of Spyr, aware of the atrocious Myanmar record for interaction with its minority citizens, places its full diplomatic support behind the efforts of Marimaia. The 'government' of Myanmar has demonstrated itself to be not merely be a feudal-capitalist conglomerate, but an immoral counter-revolutionary entity from which the territories Marimaia seeks to acquire should, and must, be liberated.

::Luozao Palace, Taishita::

"Well we know it's not Spyr interfering. They've endorsed our efforts; North Yaman and Dra-pol can also be ruled out, for obvious reasons. So there aren't that many contenders."

Suun nodded at Rongyi's analysis. "So who is it then? Sino would challenge us face-to-face like honourable fighters. Wanfa, from what we know, is there any nation that could fight Dra-pol and intervene against us simultaneously?"

Wanfa shook his head. "Not that I know of. We could try a blockade of Myanmar, but I don't know if our navy alone could manage it. Besides, with those damn hit-and-run attacks we could end up having to replace a lot of ships. Still, once the Susanowas get in position we can get some more impressive results. I'm starting to think that restricting our attacks to the regions we are actually liberating was a good idea as far as public relations were concerned, but under the circumstances we should change our tactics and go after everything. Hit every region with aircraft and missiles, carefully targeted, to cause maximum psychological trauma. Who knows, maybe the destruction of Myanmar's military will persuade minorities in the North and West to rise up."

Suun tapped his fingers on the desk. "Hm. Well, if we determine who's interfering or not, we're still going to need assistance. Spyr can't offer any assistance as they're trapped on the other side of the Dra-pol conflict; Dra-pol can't help us because they've got their own war to worry about. I still say that my plan is the most viable."

Rongyi sighed. "Maybe so, but it'll feel strange if it works out."

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In Tenasserim, Kawthuang was the first major settlement to fall to the liberators. The ALA forces went in first to check on possible Burmese resistance; sporadic gun battles continued between the town garrison and the Marimaian forces which entered afterwards. News reporters moved in under military protection to interview inhabitants; their joyous words towards Marimaia were sent out live across the homeland to further convince the Marimaian people that they were supporting a just war, and were broadcast abroad to continue the hearts and minds campaign of foreign governments. Lt.General Fuzakaya left a small garrison to clean up further resistance then continued north, towards Mergui and Tavoy. The plan was for Fuzakaya to meet up with General Braphmanu's forces at Mergui, then after that city had fallen they were to continue to Tavoy; both Mergui and Tavoy were already under targeted attack from the Marimaian airforce.

In Kayah State, the Marimaians had called in the 1st and 5th Jungle Warfare Corps and the 2nd Airborne Corps in an attempt to change tactics. The 1st and 5th JWC were the product of Marimaian training in the northern jungles of their homeland, coupled with a training program lifted from the East Islandian Counter-Terrorism College; although trained in guerilla warfare, it was still unknown if they'd be effective in true combat with a much more experienced force. The 2nd AC had been deployed in an attempt to get around the guerillas and create a slow-moving pincers movement through the jungles. The conventional Marimaian forces continued to lose people to the traps set by the enemy; approximately one hundred and ten soldiers had lost their lives so far, despite warnings from their commanders. General Lesai was cursing the Myanmar military with every step his forces took.

In Karen State, the 1st, 3rd and 6th AC were called in to assist in catching the resisting forces. General Matsura had also called in artillery support of his own; MLRS were now targeting the other side of the river, trying to take out enemy units before the AC divisions were helicoptered over. Hind gunships tried providing air firepower, but the enemy proved too well hidden; by the time weapons were locked on, the target had moved on.

In the Bay of Bengal, the 1st Fleet had to send another destroyer and a frigate limping back home to Nakhari Naval Base as a result of the continuing hit-and-run attacks, along with a hospital ship; an ammunition ship had taken several direct hits and had gone down, taking seventy sailors with it and leaving over a hundred survivors to be picked up. Admiral Santhapatri breathed a sigh of relief when his submarine support caught up with the remainder of the fleet and took up position between the Myanmar mainland and his ships, with the intention of intercepting any vessels which tried to reach the surface fleet.

In Shan State, the ESSA began laying various surprises along the border region with Marimaia; pits, landmines and machinegun positions were gradually being built up, but Pao Ziyang was uncertain as to whether it would be enough.

Meanwhile, the Myanmar dictator Field Marshal Than Shwe has made an international propaganda reel, which is being broadcast on all news stations in Myanmar, and tapes have been given to various agencies in Sino, Xiaguo, Tokarev, Dra-Pol, and other East Asian powers.

The reel shows pictures of burning houses and farms and tracts of forests, dead bodies, and various other atrocities of war. It also shows "Marimaian" troops shooting women and children in the liberated provinces (OOC: This is obviously all just a PR facsimile). Shwe has told the people of Myanmar to volunteer for the army to fight off the brutal imperialist invaders. Despite the efforts of Shwe and his government, very few provinces have sent reinforcements, only about 10,000 have showed up from Mandalay. Shwe is busily trying to organize a large force to send to the front lines.

Motor boats and river patrol craft have been hidden upriver from Martaban, in a stretch of jungle. Every night, a few more are ordered to quietly move up the river into the cover of the jungle. The idea is the enemy will not know they are there, and when they are trying to cross the river to Martaban, in addition to having to deal with the mines and enemy troops, the motor and river patrol goats will shell them.

Meanwhile, as the dawn of a new day rises, nearly three quarters of the Myanmar airforce, a few hundred of old Soviet fighters and bombers, launch from various inland landfields and make their way towards the Bay of Bengal. The largest hit-and-run naval attack yet took place to distract the fleet, as hundreds of gunboats, torpedo boats, small motor boats, and a few submarines attack at dawn. The new Marimaian submarines take the Myanmar Navy by surprise and nearly a third of the attacking force is lost, some 80 assorted craft. The rest attack the Marimain fleet feriociously then peel off. Almost as soon as the attack ended, the Myanmar air force appears and begins to engage the Marimain fleet. The old and outdated bombers and fighters are able to get the jump on Marimaia, but they are shot down by the dozen by superior enemies. However, this is all just a diversion ....

Far inland, one hundred long range bombers, the entire Bomber Corps of Myanmar, had already taken off, and is travelling on a long route around the front lines to bomb the Marimaina capital. The mass fighter attack on the fleet had been ordered to stray close to enemy scout planes to keep the air force distracted, and hopefully the bombers will reach their target unmolested ... (OOC: It is up to you whether they are intercepted or not, it barely affects the war itself, so it's your call).

Aboard attack submarine Aisho, Sung Hyunsoo commanding
Indian Ocean

"Submarines detected," sonar reported. "Five, bearing eight-eight zero, passive sonar. Range is ten thousand meters."

"Model?" SUng asked.

"Make appears to be that of an unknown submarine," Sonar reported. "Does not match any known profiles."

"Assume it to be an enemy," Sung replied. "Any word on Burmese submarines at this point?"

"They're older models," Sonar replied. "Not these; these have teardrop hulls, and seven-bladed propellers."

"Prepare the tubes then," Sung ordered. "Status of Shark Lagoon and Azuwara?"

Shark Lagoon was commanded by Sung's husband, Captain Pak, who had happened to be nearby. Yesterday, Shark Lagoon's fellow submarine, a smaller, older diesel sub, had been sunk by a Marimaian patrol, and Pak had barely escaped with his ship.

Azuwara Reiko was a newer, fifth generation craft, complete with caterpillar drive, enhanced sonar and countermeasures, as well as two new versions of a masking system that used bubbles and ripples in the water to disguise its presence.

"No word from either one," communications reported. "Wait...two taps from Azuwara, on encrypted channel."

Sung swore. The Marimaians would probably find out anyway, soon...

"Match bearings," Sung ordered. "Prepare for continuous fire, and ready two EMPs. Get the sonic array online, and prepare for a quick escape. Status of reactor?"

"At eighty percent," engineering replied.

"Prepare to push it to a hundred ten," Sung ordered.

"Torpedo room reports ready," weapons replied. "Countermeasures standing by."

"Fire!" Sung ordered.

Six torpedoes rushed out from the Aisho, followed by six torpedoes each from Azuwara and Shark Lagoon. Spools of wire trailed behind the torpedoes, spreading slowly as fire control mechanisms directed them to homing distance....

*Ottawa*

"Is there anything we can do to help them [Myanmar]?" The Hudecian President Fieldings asked. "I always had liked Marimaia, but this entire 'invading helpless neighbours' thing is getting on my nerves."

"Well, we could try to ship them some support in the form aircraft and weapons," Minister of the Interior O'Hara reported. "Hudecia Industries has an abundance of small arms and light armoured vehicles. But it might hurt of Drapol war effort if we divert transports."

"Winning or losing in Drapol will not depend on the delivery of a few hundred vehicles." Fieldings concluded after a brief pause. "If we are to win in Drapol we need help from our allies, and lots of it. Start loading the transports as soon as possible."

TAG

Any border intrusions into China (OOC: Closest at Sinoese Tibet and Chuang-Han China) or ethnic cleansing of Chinese people there will result in the Ared Republic's relentless intervention and catastrophic consequences for the guilty parties. Sinoese troops have been placed on the highest levels of alert.

OOC: I don't have much time to RP at the moment. Turkmeny, stop being such a damn sh*t stirrer!

OOC: Excuse me?

OOC: Excuse me?

OOC: Sorry. I had no time to read in detail, on the school computer and I thought you were playing the invader.

#tag#

Several Sinoese tank units have been diverted to the border to prevent the conflict from boiling over into China.

http://english.pladaily.com.cn/pic/pladaily/2004/09/14/20040914001005.jpg

::Central Command, Taishita::

Premier Suun watched as the progress map was updated, then pointed at an icon to the north.

"What's that?"

Kunzai checked with the analysts. "The force Sino has deployed to back up that warning they issued. You know Sino, they're notoriously paranoid about violations of their national territory."

Suun nodded. "I'll have the Foreign Ministry re-assure them about our intentions. We have absolutely no desire to irritate them. Marshal, I want you to..."

The sound of several alarms interrupted him as Kunzai inspected the latest reports. "Excellency, there is a large air armada inbound from Myanmar airspace! How the hell did that get past us?!"

Suun grimaced. "Who cares how it got past us?! Destroy them! Are the air defences online?"

"Of course...but I'll scramble fighters to ensure success."

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The Myanmar bomber fleet made it past the first line of air defence with relative ease; the SAM sites managed to take out five aircraft and clip another two before they went out of range. As the force progressed further into Marimaian airspace, they came across heavier resistance. The Gattling Installations, sporting substantially larger versions of the standard cannons on Marimaian aircraft, began filling the skies with ammunition as the bombers flew overhead. The two previously-damaged bombers went down, along with ten more of the armada. As the Gattling Installations ran empty, fourty-two MiG-35s, scrambled from the airbases in and around the capital, intercepted the bombers. Another twenty bombers went down as they drew ever closer to Taishita, where the citizens were being instructed to make their way to the nearest subway station or public shelter. The NeoSuun Guard Aerial Combat Brigade was scrambled from Taishita Central Airbase, flying thirty of the newly-developed Kurai Tenshi fighters. The bombers were caught in the crossfire between the MiGs and the Kurai Tenshis; combined with the AA defences of the capital, the force was eventually brought down.

However, several of the bombers had crashed on industrial areas on the outskirts of the city, causing massive blazes that were being fought by the Taishita Fire Department. Worst of all, the final bomber to be shot down had shown tremendous kamikaze spirit and deliberately crashed in Luozao Palace. Although Suun and Tian had been safe at Central Command, fifty of the Premier's personal staff lost their lives, along with thirty-two members of the NeoSuun Guard.

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

The cabinet gathered at Central Command to consider Marimaia's response to such an attempt on the Premier. While they argued and shouted amongst themselves, the legendary Suun family temper flared. The cabinet finally fell silent after Chiisu put a chair through a nearby computer screen.

"Enough! There can only be one answer to that atrocity! Raid Rangoon. See how they like it when enemy aircraft attack them in their homes! Expand our airstrikes. I want their military annihilated, and I want Than Shwe's head taken and mounted to be displayed in Luozao Palace once it has been rebuilt!"

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::The Indian Ocean::

Glorious Shining, under Commander Hiroko Kenzo


Kenzo smirked as her Susanowa-class submarine and her sister vessels engaged the mystery opponents. The Susanowas had taken several strikes but were still in the game; repair crews frantically worked on damaged areas as the subs moved into firing position....

Meanwhile, the 1st Fleet worked overtime to repair the damage caused by the dawn air assault. Two frigates had gone down, along with a destroyer; the flight deck of Premier Suun had also received damage.

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Official Communique to Sino:

The Marimaian government has no intention of angering your great nation; a great number of our citizens are of Chinese descent, and we have a great love for China. We are reacting to the genocidal tendencies of the Myanmar regime; we have no designs on Chinese territory, and we never will. If we uncover compelling evidence of Myanmar's genocidal activites affecting those of Chinese origin then we will alert you.

*Vancouver*

A convoy of 'relief vessels' left port early in the morning carrying what the press called 'humanitarian aid'. A second and third convoy were leaving port within a few days.

In escort of the convoy several small Province class destroyers were deployed, along with at least one LA class submarine.

*Ottawa*

Hudecian President Fieldings gave a statement expressing his outrage that the political leadership of any nation would be targetted in such a way as Myanmar had chosen. The destruction of a historic palace was unthinkable, he would attest on live TV.

Once the cameras were off however, he would be singing a different tune.

"Serves them right, eh?" Fieldings smirked as he sat down in his presidential office for the first time since the Drapol crisis erupted. "Maybe they'll think twice about bullying smaller nations now."

"Um, Mr. President, what about our shipments to Myanmar, wouldn't Marimaia feel that such actions would be counter to their interests?" The Education Minister asked.

"This is why you are Education Minister and not Foreign Minister," Fieldings chastised him. "They have done the same thing to us, why not return the favour... after all these are humanitarian shipments that we are sending... helping the needy army..err. I mean people of Myanmar"

The Cabinet laughed heartily, but for most it was forced.

Rangoon

As Marimaian aircraft approach the airspace of Burma, EMP launchers, missile batteries, and sonic missile launchers are activated. Under an independent unit of mercenaries (and some ex-Islandian soldiers motivated to fight in Burma) these air defence forces hold their ground against the Marimaian forces.

SPAAG units given to Burmese forces are also present at the site.

******
Aboard Aisho, Sung Hyunsoo commanding
Indian Sea

"Marimaian subs have suffered minor damage," Sonar replied. "No signs of break-up detected."

"They outnumber us," Weapons replied. "Should we hit them wit an EMP and run?"

"Then they'll know its us," Sung replied. "Only we use EMPs in this part of the Indian Ocean right now....No, instead, prepare the submarine simulators, and launch them for a three meter spread. Alert the decoy room, and have them get some noisemakers online. Fire another three torpedoes."

"Commander Pak reports damage," Communications replied. "Minor leaking in bow section; requests permission to prepare for EMP."

"Negative," Sung replied. "Have him flank them, and draw them off. Tell Azuwara to merge into the convergence zone, and fire on them from there."

"But its a blind shot!" weapons protested.

"Do it anyway," Sung ordered. "XO, have crew brace for impact."

"Damage control groups standing by," the damage control officer reported.

"Torpedoes away and tracking," weapons reported. "In acquisition mode."

"Torpedoes fired!" sonar reported.

"Evasive action!" Sung ordered. "Noisemakers, noisemakers! Caterpillars and manuevering jets only!"

The Aisho's manuevering jets fired, shooting streams of compressed CO2 into the water, and moved the submarine sideways, as a torpedo passed by.

"Azuwara reports caterpillar damage," communications reported. "They are preparing to fire a sonic wave."

"Brace for noise impact!" Sung yelled.

Seconds later, a sonic wave rumbled through the ocean, deafening anyone who happened to be in the water and hopefully destroying the warheads of any nearby torpedoes.

"Shark Lagoon reports damage to propeller screws," communications reported. "Azuwara is firing torpedoes!"

"Captain, request tactical retreat!" her XO shouted. "We are outnumbered and they probably know who we are by now!"

"Distance to Raider Group 1?" Sung asked, referring to their home unit, based in Kurei Dome.

"Ten kilometers!" Navigation replied.

"Location of underwater approaches?" Sung asked.

"None in the area."

She sighed. "Fire off two torpedoes, and have all three submarines fire off an EMP," she ordered. "Shark Lagoon withdraws first, and then Azuwara, and then us. If we dont make it, tell them to leave anyway. The escape capsule should be enou-"

"Hit, HIT!" Damage control yelled. "Reactor section reports difficulty! in danger of going critical! Primary reactor is going off line!"

"Shut it down!" Sung yelled. "Switch to secondary reactor!"

"Torpedoes in the water!" sonar yelled.

At that moment, an EMP detonated, followed by two others in quick successsion. Azuwara withdrew, but Shark Lagoon stayed, and to Sung's horror, kept firing on the Marimaians.

Two minutes later, three torpedoes detonated nearby, and the sonar operator heard the sick grinding of Shark Lagoon's hull breaking up.

"Shark Lagoon is lost," the sonar operator reported. "Could not have survived five detonations within two minutes."

"Take us into the convergence zone," Sung ordered, her voice hoarse. "Fire an EMP to cover our retreat."

***********
Indian Ocean
aboard missile submarine Empress Wu

"Securing complete," the launch officer reported. "MIssiles ready."

"Fire!" the captain ordered.

Twenty missiles roared from the Empress, all equipped with watergel explosive, the most powerful type in the Islandian arsenal.

The salvo was followed by five more, each with twenty missiles, all headed towards the Marimaian ships of the First Fleet.

Bonstocknian High Command
Port Yuko, Bonstock

"Sir, sattelite reports confirm the launching of submarine missiles in the Indian Ocean. We have reason to belive that they are Islandian missiles, and they are headed at the Marimaian fleet."

"Hold an emergency confrence. I want more information about this."

A confrence was quickly assembled. "Gentlemen, we have a situation in the Indian Ocean. Marimaian forces have invaded Myanmar, and we see signs of Islandian intervention against them. I ask for the consul of the Joint Chiefs for this. What do you believe we should do?"

"Lord Harald, it is clear that we must dispatch an expedition to aid the Marimaians and clear the Islandians from the area."

"However, General Bergren, we have our hands tied by the conflict in Rufai, and I don't want to look like we're aiding invaders. Though Myanmar is a tyrannical regime, I'm not sure if Bonstock had best be seen as an invader, or the whole Azn Resistance will come with guns blazing. Sino's right on the border, and he won't like Bonstocknian boots in his backyard."

Another voice spoke. "Lord Harald, we could send bombers in with orders to destroy the Myanmar government. No boots, no problem, and it gets our message across."

"General Hoffmann, we could, but that would look to heavy handed. I don't want innocent civilians killed in our bombing, and that will happen however smart our bombs are. Plus, we run the risk of Asian intervention."

Another voice spoke up. "Well, sir, we do have a submarine in the area."

"A submarine?"

"Yes, sir. U-156. It was on patrol off the coast of East Islandia, and it decided to shadow a patrolling Islandian missile submarine. Keep tabs on them, you know? It's called Operation Riptide."

"Well, tell that damn submarine to kill the missile sub. If the Islandians complain, then deny it. They don't know it's us."

"What if they do?"

"Well..." He thought for a moment. "Some of the men on the missile sub are bound to survive a sinking. If there are survivors, bring them to the surface, and capture them. We'll offer to send them back, at somewhat of an extorted price. Some nice payback for all the hell Islandia has given us."

"But sir?"

"Do it."

"Aye, my lord."

Aboard RBS U-156, shadowing the Islandian missile sub

"Captain, we have orders."

"What about radio silence?"

"High Command says it's important. It took a few hours to get it out of code."

"Well, what does it say?"

"It's a death order. For the sub we're shadowing."

"Well, it will take a few hours to get within range. What happened to the remote observer sub?"

"Within a mile of the missile sub. Has the location pinpointed."

"Good. Sail at once. When in range, a torpedo will put the damn thing out of commission. One less missile submarine for the Bonstocknian Navy to worry about."

"Aye, sir."

Official stance of Xiaguo.

Neutrality until further notice.

::Central Command::

"Islandians...."

"Yes, Your Excellency, that is how it appears. Commander Kenzo of the Glorious Shining managed to broadcast her suspicions before we lost contact. Probably due to an EMP."

The cabinet and Marshal Kunzai stepped back as a computer monitor flew across the room.

"They just can't bear to see us succeed on our own, can they? We are on the verge of completing our national destiny, and they decide now to interfere with us?!"

An analyst cleared his throat. "It's not just them, Excellency. We are getting reports that there is a convoy heading to Rangoon from Hudecia..."

The analyst let out a surprised yell as Tian's hand shot out and wrapped around his throat. The First Spouse pulled the frightened man closer and almost hissed at him.

"Don't..interrupt..your Premier."

Tian pushed him back down into his chair. "I suggest you change your underwear as well." He turned his steely gaze on Kunzai. "Now, instead of telling your glorious leader what's going wrong, why don't you start telling him what's going right?"

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

The Marimaian land offensive was progressing with moderate success. In Tenasserim State, Mergui was under siege while Tavoy was the scene of special forces actions against the defending troops. Martaban was being left alone except for occasional aerial 'annoyances'; the idea was to get a decent estimate of the forces there before an offensive was launched against them.

In the north, Combat Group Gamma had finally finished deployment and began moving into Shan State. The mountainous terrain made it impossible for heavy armour to be deployed within Myanmar, so Hind gunships and special forces were sent across the border, followed by APCs and FAVs (Fast Attack Vehicles).

In Kayah and Karen States, the Marimaians were still having a hard time with guerilla tactics, although the presence of Jungle Warfare units and Airborne Corps divisions were easing the pressure on the conventional forces, as the defenders now had to worry about possible pincers movements.

In the skies above the besieged states, as well as Kachin State and Pegu, different tactics were being used. In an attempt to start a native uprising, the Marimaian airforce had begun to drop humanitarian supplies and native-language leaflets, in addition to clockwork radios. The native-language leaflets spoke of how this was a liberation, and told the reader that Marimaia is supplying essentials to them while their own government is slaughtering their neighbours and families. The radios were delivered to allow the population to hear the Marimaian propaganda broadcasts.

In the Bay of Bengal, the 1st Fleet's phased array radar detected incoming missiles and activated their VLS defences. While some of the incoming missiles were destroyed, the rest of them slammed into the Marimaian vessels. Five destroyers went down, along with two frigates; the Premier Suun took three missiles and repair crews were frantically trying to put out the fires which had erupted as a result.

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

::Central Command::

"Excellency, the 1st Fleet is getting massacred. Islandian missiles, Myanmar air and sea attacks, they can't survive much longer!"

Suun glared at Kunzai. "Then direct the 2nd Fleet into the area. Destroy every vessel the enemy has in the area. Oh, and Marshal, make sure the submarine escorts stay with the fleet this time. Once you get hold of Kenzo again, tell her to find those Islandian submarines. Send five more Susanowas to join her. I have a broadcast to make."

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::Central Command press briefing room::

The assembled correspondents were all guided to their seats as Suun began his address to the world.

"My fellow Marimaians, our campaign to liberate our cousins from Myanmar rule is progressing at a steady pace. However, after the attack on Taishita and the attempt on my life, I feel it necessary to make something clear. I don't need to make it clear to you, as you already know what I am about to say. To all those foreign governments intent on defending Myanmar, and to the Myanmar government itself, I say this: we will not stand down. For years the international community has turned its backs and let the minorities of Myanmar suffer at the hands of their government. Now that a nation finally has the courage and fortitude to stand up for them, we are attacked by cowardly nations who obviously wish to protect the brutal regime in Rangoon."

"I want the people of the world to know that we are finding clearer indications that the government of East Islandia may be assisting Myanmar. I wish to know how a nation which so prizes freedom and the democratic process can defend a nation so hostile to those ideas. I ask the people of East Islandia if they truly wish to be tainted with the stigma of having assisted in the massacre of innocent civilians. I ask if they wish to be hated by my people for the cowardly way their government has betrayed us and caused the death of many Marimaians, who were performing their duty in the name of liberation. I ask other nations who may be involving themselves on Myanmar's side if they wish their governments to take hypocritical stances, condemning Myanmar excesses while at the same time protecting that regime!"

"To the people of Myanmar, know this; we bear you no enmity. Your government forced itself into power and has oppressed you ever since. We offer you the chance to live your lives in the way you wish; we offer you prosperity and the chance to improve yourselves. We offer you everything that your government condemns you for wishing! Do not believe the lies that your government tells you about us; we are currently delivering assistance to you, but your government tries to stop us from improving your lives! I call on the citizens and the military of Myanmar - resist the oppressive masters of your nation. Step back, and we shall pass you by with no malice or retaliation. Or join us, and assist in the liberation of your families from murderers. We offer you the chance to govern yourselves, under our protective wing. You will make your own laws, keep your own traditions, and you will be accepted and loved by the Marimaian populace. You are our cousins; we have been held back from assisting you in the past, but now we are coming to rescue you from tyranny, isolation and oppression!"

Mere hours after the Marimaian news release, came a fresh video of the dictator of Myanmar, Than Shwe, in civilian attire (even though he is a military dictator).

"People of the world. For years, Myanmar has been left to its own devices. Mistakes have been made, yes, but I, as president, am instituting reforms and have been for some years. These 'massacres' spoken of were not performed by the government, but by the native tribes. The native tribes killed our police and troops and other tribes, and we tried to send in troops as peacekeepers, but they kept fighting. Our troops had to defend themselves, so natives were killed. But I stress, it is because of belligerent and insurgent natives, supported by the imperialist regime of Marimaia, that have been killing civilians.

As for the "liberation" forces o Marimaia, they have devastated our air and naval force, at the cost of billions of dollars to us. What we have left our a few torpedo and gun boats, and they have an entire Fleet anchored off of our coast, threatening to bomb civilians! Their troops have smashed into our territories and killed civilians, while promoting the cause of the insurgent natives, urging them to kill even more civilians.

I ask the people of the world to decide, what kind of liberation force kills civilians and devastates a peaceful, isolationist nation possibly beyond repair?"

OOC: Nothing new to say about my military, they are doing more of the same.

The Chuang-Han Government believes the Miramaia attack is most certantly justified in some cases. The Chuang, a Thai people, can see how the liberation of the Shan can be justified. However, the rest of Myanmar can hardly be considered Thai, nor can Miramaia's occupation or annexation of it afterwards be justified.

A map of the Thai peoples (Which prooves the Shan's liberation to be justified):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/YourNickname/Tai.png
(I put Chuang-Han, Miramaia, and that new Vietnam nation Sangun on it!)

The Chuang-Han Government believes the Miramaia attack is most certantly justified in some cases. The Chuang, a Thai people, can see how the liberation of the Shan can be justified. However, the rest of Myanmar can hardly be considered Thai, nor can Miramaia's occupation or annexation of it afterwards be justified.

A map of the Thai peoples (Which prooves the Shan's liberation to be justified):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/YourNickname/Tai.png
(I put Chuang-Han, Miramaia, and that new Vietnam nation Sangun on it!)

OOC:

True, but we're not annexing the whole country; we're only after parts of it. There's a link in the first post of this thread which shows how far we propose to go. Besides, most of the territory we're after was given up to the British by the Siamese Kingdom; since the British aren't there and our nation is now Marimaia, we want it back :)

As seen on the map, the Burmans will retain their homeland and in fact most of the country.


IC:

::Foreign Ministry Official Statement::

The Marimaian government would like to thank the Chuang-Han government for their words of support. We would like to reiterate the point that we have no intention of occupying the entirety of Myanmar; the territory we are seeking is no more than 100 miles wide. We are, of course, open at any time to resolve the crisis through negotiation with the government in Rangoon; however, we cannot negotiate if they remain hostile to us.

-Indian Ocean-

The first Hudecian transport fleet arrived in the Indian Ocean early in the morning, the destroyer escorts searching the horizon for Marimaian ships.

Aboard attack submarine Shark Lagoon
Minutes before break up
Indian Ocean

"All hands to survival spheres!" Pak yelled. "Blow all tanks!"

"All sections taking damage! Structural integrity is in jeopardy!" damage control yelled.

"Detonations!" Sonar yelled, just as the submarine came within five meters of hte surface.

The submarine broke up, water gushing in. Commander Pak just had time to scramble to the survival sphere, pulling the nearest officer with him (his weapons officer) into the small pod and slamming the watertight door shut.

*******
the surface

Pak kicked open the door once the pod had surfaced, and leaned his head out the window, gasping for air. His weapons officer had suffered from lacerations, and as far as Pak could tell, there was a dark oil slick all around them.

Their submarine was gone, and so were most of the crew. Here and there, Pak could make out bodies, some still wearing the blue and green uniform of the Islandian Navy, but most were fragments of bodies, and almost all were horribly mutilated.

How had he survived? Pak wondered, his eyes wild with worry. If he was caught, he would be interrogated!

Pak stifled a hoarse cry and quickly ducked back into the pod. He had more urgent thigns to worry about, particularly surviving and evading the enemy, and of course, the ocean.

He slipped back inside the pod, hoping that no one had detected him yet. He ripped off his Blue Group insignia and set it alight with his lighter, and followed suit with the markings on his weapons officer's uniform.

"Hyun-soo," he said, as if realizing the obvious. His wife would be crushed...but in her role as a submarine captain, she could not afford to feel that way. If she knew he was still alive-

-she would get herself killed trying to rescue him.

Pak gritted his teeth. He still had his Beretta Elite pistol in his holster, fully loaded and working. He slid the pistol out, and pressed it to his temple.

Shoot, a voice inside his head said.

He sighed, and closed his eyes.

***********
Aboard submarine Aisho, Sung Hyunsoo commanding
Indian Ocean

Sung Hyunsoo stared blankly at the screen.

"First officer has the bridge," Sung muttered, picking herself up and running a hand through her shoulder lenght hair. "I will be in the ready room."

Sung plopped down on the plush couch in the ready room, and stared numbly at the wall as tears came out. She knew that it was a bad idea to rendez-vous with Pak in the first place; still, she had no choice. He was under attack, and if they were to spare him the same fate as his partner, the unlucky diesel attack submarine, then they had to group together.

Sung felt a sob escape her, and put her head in her hands, feeling the warm tears gush out from beneath her fingers. She sobbed again, and released her sorrow in a torrent.

She felt the cold surface of her pistol, also a Beretta Elite, not unlike the one her husband carried, which was now probably at the bottom of the sea.

Just one shot would end it all, she knew. Just one shot.

But what about her crew? they depended on her. She couldnt simply abandon them-

-like the way her husband had just abandoned her. She felt a burst of anger, indignant at the way he had just died, but it was quickkly replaced by a flood of guilt, and more sorrow.

She put her voice over hte intercom and cleared it of all nervousness.

"Set a course for Kurei Dome," Sung said. "We're going home."

Imperial War Room
Hu-kasa, East Islandia

"Two subs of Blue Group were destroyed," Admiral Shahar reported. The commanding officer of the Undersea Warfare Force, Shahar had come straight onto assignment after serving as commander of Kurei Dome, and prior to that, as the captain of a sleek, Imperial Tide class attack submarine. "Shark Lagoon, commanded by Pak Su-kyun, and Coral Blossom, commanded by Leung Mei. Damage was suffered by three submarines, one of them commanded by Sung Hyun-soo, Pak's wife. Oddly enough, the two were on station right before Pak was sunk, due to an unfortunate turn of events."

Premier Kim Eun-jin sighed. "Poor Sung," she whispered. "How is she coping with this?"

"She is returning to Kurei Dome," Shahar reported.

"That could endanger the entire Blue Group," Kim replied. "Your unit is based there!"

Shahar nodded. "But she'd be a loose cannon running around," he said. "She knows that too. We have to take our chances, Premier. If she stays around,t hey may realize it is us who is attacking them."

"Too late," Yuki Nau said. She flipped on the television, and switched to a news channel. "This came out of Marimaia not too long ago."

The news service broadcasted footage of an oil slick, then switched to Premier Suun's speech against East Islandia.

Kim snarled. "How did they know it was us?" she hissed.

"Pak used an EMP to cover the egress of his comrades," Shahar replied. "EMPs are our primary weapon, and Marimaia probably knows that we use it alot."

Kim sighed, and leaned her head against the chair. "We're in too deep now," she said. "Cease all missile attacks. Order Blue Group to put a halt to all offensive operations for now. Cut off the flow of-"

"The Marimaians will be out in force," Shahar said. "Satellite movements show ships of the 2nd Fleet joining their beleaugered comrades. We may have to fight this one out."

Kim grimaced. She had hoped to avoid a war, but two of her captains had become a little trigger happy and destroyed some Marimaian vessels. As a result, both of those trigger happy captains were now dead, and their comrades would be next in line.

"Put the military on a war footing," Kim ordered. "Deny everything that has happened, and instead, tell them that Leung's torpedo misfired, and that Pak was fired on by one of their submarines, and demand an apology. Keep up the flow of aid, but have it delivered through ships and airplanes registered under other nations. Delete all traces. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Shahar said. He bowed, and slid out of the room.

"We are at a crossroads, Yuki," Kim said. "Something of a test. Only one can win."

"Us," Yuki said, with a casual smile.

***********
Official communique

In recent days, two submarines have been destroyed, both belonging to the Undersea Warfare Force's Blue Group, charged with patrolling the West Pacific. First, Captain Leung Mei, commanding the attack submarine COral Blossom, was killed along with her crew when a torpedo misfired.

The second instance is far more mysterious; Captain Pak Su-kyun, commander of Shark Lagoon, also an attack submarine, died along with his crew as a rsult of a 'friendly fire' incident by Marimaian forces, who mistakenly engaged his craft.

We call ont he Marimaian government to investigate the second instance, and to reign in their forces. Not only was their invasion an unprovoked attack to begin with, but it has also cost East Islandia, which is a neutral party, a fine commander and an excellent crew.

::Central Command, Taishita::

Rongyi relayed the Islandian communique to Premier Suun. "Excellency, I think we may have an opportunity here. We can apologise to them and attempt to patch up relations."

Suun looked at Rongyi with bewilderment. "May I remind you that just a few hours ago they attacked us? Why should we apologise to them when we have lost more people than them?!"

"Well, look at it this way. If we show some of the legendary Marimaian benevolence, then we could avoid further disputes."

Suun glared at his Foreign Minister. "You expect us to back down?!"

Tian noticed the harshness of Chiisu's reply and stepped into the conversation.

"Rongyi, may I have a word with Chiisu alone?"

Rongyi bowed his head and walked off while Tian took Chiisu into the briefing room and closed the door. Chiisu went to speak, but Tian cut him off.

"Chiisu, you know how loyal I am. I have never questioned a decision before, but despite every feeling I'm having right now I have to tell you that Rongyi is right."

Chiisu's face fell in disappointment. "Tian..."

"Listen to me. One enemy, we can handle. Two enemies, possible but it depends on who it is. Myanmar, we can handle. Myanmar and East Islandia, I doubt it. Islandia knows us too well, they trained a lot of our air force and we've shared secrets with each other for years. You've forgotten one of the greatest lessons of history; wars on two fronts lead to ruin. You have to get Islandia out of this, no matter how much grovelling you may have to do."

Chiisu looked at his partner in despair, then slowly nodded. "Destroying Marimaia to win a war would be no victory, but ending a battle to save her would be no defeat. I see what you mean." Chiisu sniffed back a tear. "We'll have to live with their smugness from now on, but if it gets us our victory then it'll be worth it."

The two of them walked back out into the command centre, where Chiisu told Rongyi to proceed. He then turned to Kunzai.

"Marshal, order our forces to let the Islandians go. Tell Kenzo to meet up with the 1st Fleet. If we end up at war with Islandia, we could end up with the entire Asian Alliance at our throats, which is not something we want. Continue the land offensive, and fortify the territory we've already acquired. I have a rather uncomfortable retraction to issue."

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

::Official Statement by Premier Chiisu Suun::

"My people, I previously stated that we had evidence of Islandian involvement in Myanmar's resistance to our liberation. I admit that I spoke in haste. Further evidence has cast doubt upon that idea, and our investigations are continuing. I would also like to take this time to announce that we are launching an investigation into the claim of 'friendly fire' as made by the Islandians; after all, despite the current difficulties between our two nations, we are still technically allies. If the investigation proves us to be in the wrong, then I will immediately issue an unconditional apology to the government of East Islandia and to the families of those killed."

"My dearest wish is to heal the rift between our two nations, a rift which is to be blamed on both sides. However, please keep in mind that we cannot halt our offensive unless it is because of the start of negotiation. Refugees from eastern Myanmar have long begged us to help save their people; now that we have started, we cannot just walk away from them. However, in order to prove that we are liberators rather than invaders, we invite nations to send observers to Marimaian-held territory, to see for yourselves that we are not pursuing this for territorial gain but rather for the preservation of cultures and people."

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

In Tenasserim State, Mergui 'officially' fell, but forces had to be left behind to assist in the cleaning-up of resistance. Lt.General Fuzukaya stayed in Mergui to oversee operations while General Braphmanu continued on to Tavoy. The air force kept up its buzzing of Martaban, reporting back any new information and dodging anti-aircraft fire.

In Kayah and Karen States, the JW and AC divisions had become the main force in terms of tactics; the conventional forces were now ordered to act as a distraction for enemy forces while the more specialised forces attempted to close in on enemy positions.

In Shan State, the advance forces of Combat Group Gamma met up with the ESSA, occupying the townships of Mongyawng, Techliek and Monghsat. The main body of CGG was still moving across the border, along with the humanitarian trucks for the Shan liberatees.

In the Indian Ocean, the Susanowa taskforce broke off pursuit of the Islandians and moved to join the 1st Fleet, while the 2nd Fleet changed course as well; no longer under orders to attack hostile vessels, they were moving now to reinforce the 1st Fleet and ensure that Myanmar's navy was a thing of the past. Meanwhile, the 3rd Fleet was ordered to begin deployment; although it would take a few days to have the ships on their way, the 3rd Fleet would deploy to the Gulf of Thailand in an attempt to intimidate shipping from travelling to Myanmar.

His Highness, Emperor Tamazoid I, Emperor of the Holy Isochron Empire learned of the unfloding situation in Myanmare. The Emperor, in his weekly televised address to the empire, stated that the Burmese were "oppressed peoples....oppressed by the brutal military junta. We Isochrons have a responsibility to invade, and our particular objective is to set free Aung San Suu Kyi".

Bombing squadrons have taken off from the colony of Hong Kong, whilst a massive naval fleet is also due off the shore of Myanmar. ETA 36 hours.

Around 150,000 boots will hit the ground.

OOC: Isochronous, as much as I like the idea of having another nation in the war, I would have appreciated it if you'd asked before wading in. I could be about to get some issues settled IC, but if your empire charges into Myanmar then I'll either have to oppose you (not easy fighting a country as well as another country which is invading the first one), ally with you (which would result in any diplomatic attempts I've just made being for nothing) or let you do what you want (which could clash with Marimaian interests and paint us as imperialists by association). Never mind the fact that nations which were hesitant about attacking me wouldn't have any problem attacking you.

If you're serious about this RP, as well as ready and prepared for a possible all-out war with several nations, then feel free to stay and I hope you have fun.

I would just like to know who's going to give you fly-over permission for your bombers, a rough idea of how big that fleet is, and lastly exactly where you are going to be landing when you get to Myanmar.

OOC: Agreed... Hudecia would feel obligated to try to stop you Isochronous. Right now we are only providing moral support mostly for the Myanmar government. Even the military supplies we send will be too little too late.

If you tried to get fully involved.. we'd want to step in and stop you. You are not as threatening as Marimaia.

In Dra-pol the propaganda tapes sent by Rangoon were received and, after a trip to the editing room, appeared in parts on state television -which was hardly a pervasive institution- and on the large video screens resident in cities like Da'Khiem and Seoul.

Reactionary Burmese government soldiers execute ethnic minorities for revolutionary sympathies!
-Marimaian revolutionary forces cross border in liberation attempt!

State media was finally experimenting with captions that didn't require presenters to hold-up cards!

Aware of the reactionary nature of many in the international community, Da'Khiem had not yet announced official support for the Marimaian invasion, believing that this might actually hamper the operation's image in a world where reunification and progress were seen for some reason as bad things. Inside the isolationist republic however, and across diplomatic channels to Marimaia, moral support remained strong. Some small number of tunnel warfare and other experts remained in South East Asia to continue in assissting the effort, but this was widely regarded as far too little- barely even the sort of support lent by the resented Stalinist Soviet Union to the first war for reunification.

Quite some days into the war, and after the air assault against Marimaia, the Drapoel ambassador would, in an otherwise routeen communication, state that the PAAF was willing to lend keen revolutionary pilots to the Marimaian air force, should a need exist. This was perhaps of less worth than it might have been in other conflicts as the enemy airforce was not taken to be strong, certainly after early losses, and it was not believed that the Marimaians had a serious shortage of pilots. More than that, few Drapoel were well trained or experienced in the operation of really modern aircraft, almost all having fanatical indoctrination and extensive training on the ground in theory and tactics but few having more than a handful of flying hours. This was because of fuel shortages and concerns over stress to valuable airframes that were hard to replace. In truth the PAAF was more interested in sending pilots for its own benefit in building-up their flight experience than in helping anybody else's war effort. The Drapoel pilots could certainly operate low-tech or expendable aircraft if nothing else. Still, it might at least look like a friendly diplomatic gesture even if nothing came of it.

Further approaches would be made -often largely in ignorance of Marimaian capabilities- offering means to start up production of QW-2 (or at least immitation) MANPADS, for example. Then it was proposed that the CPRD might be able to deploy small numbers of revolutionary volunteer fighters should their help be desired. It was not entirely clear how these would be deployed, or if they would be available in anything like significant quantity, but one might suppose that submarines or merchant vessels might be pressed into service transporting small numbers of troops. Da'Khiem had supposed that nobody except perhaps Myanmar itself would be keen to attack Drapoel shipping while UPA guns faced-down remaining ROK cities.


(OOC: Sorry for not being around so much here. I've just been reading up on the thread thus far. Good stuff, mostly. I'm working now under the assumption that the last Korean conflict, which was only a few hours old anyway and was working under the, well, unworkable old systems, either never happened or was just a morning of unusual tension and increased skirmishes as often happen during infiltration attempts one way or the other.)

[tag]

Kim sighed, and set her head on the table. She had not slept for weeks, due tot his crisis, but now she was glad that she could back out.

Yuki sat next to her, sipping at a cup of tea calmly. Admiral Shahar stood in the foreground, giving them an update.

".....And they have withdrew," Shahar announced. "All of their ships are gone now."

Kim nodded. "Stand down," she ordered. "It was all for nothing; re-establish diplomatic relations, and pull out our support for Myanmar."

Yuki glared at Kim. "Is that such a good move?" she asked.

Kim met her gaze without flinching. "Of course," she said. "We must avert further bloodshed; we killed their men already. This entire business was shoddy from the beginning; who would have known we would have ran into two of their fleets? I did not order a full scale bombardment of the Marimaians, and neither did you."

She turned to Shahar. "See that the commanders who ordered the bombardment are reassigned, and get me more obedient, but equally capable. And thank the Marimaians."

Than Shwe sat prone in the Mandalay Palace, staring blankly at the papers and charts laid out on his desk.

He was resplendent in the uniform of a general, covered in all sorts of combat and command recognitions he had bestown upon himself upon overthrowing the previous dictator.

The war was not going well. Tenasserim had all but fallen, except for a beleaguered and ill-equipped army at Martaban. If they fell, Marimaian troops would be within distance for staging an attack on Yangon itself.

Large bodies of troops had penetrated the defenses of Karen and Kayah States, and advance troops were rapidly advancing on all fronts. And now, to top it all off, a new army had crossed into Shan, with no enemy troops opposing them for nearly a hundred miles.

With a heavy sigh, Shwe stood up and looked at his assembled generals.

"Gentlemen ... this war is lost. East Islandia has abandoned us, Dra-pol and Isochronous have declared themselves against us. Marimaia has destroyed our navy and airforce, and bogged down our armies. Yangon is in ruins, Tenasserim is in shambled, Kayah and Karen are in flames, and now the devastating is extending into Shan. This is a war we cannot win."

"But sir, if we keep up the guerilla warfare, we can put a stop to them."

"Not without international support. Besides, I have a better idea ... surrender and order a puppet to form a new government and announce that I am dead. Say he assassinated me and is forming a new government, and is willing to give land concessions to Marimaia in order to stop the war."

"WHAT?!"

Most of the generals reached for their guns and stood up.

"Gentlemen ... let me finish," Shwe ordered calmly. He waited for the generals to sit back down again.

"We set up a puppet government, which will surrender all of Myanmar to Marimaia. The puppet government will be inefficient and in shambles, and will force Marimaia to take up some role in restoring order to the region. The army will rebel against the new government, civilians will rebel against foreign troops, natives will rebel for land rights, and so on. Marimaia's resources will be stretched, and then I will come back, assume control of the armies, and defeat Marimaia once and for all ..."

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

Myanmar International Broadcasting Corporation

"It is anarchy here in Myanmar ... General Than Shwe, long time dictator of Myanmar, is reported dead, and the self-proclaimed assassin, Dr. Sein Win, has taken the reigns of government.

The army has declared a full-scale insurrection, and large parts of the northern and western frontiers are controlled by the military, including Kachin State, Sagaing Division, Magway Division, Rakhine State, part of Tenasserim, and Kayah State, who have put their headquarters at Haka in the mountains of Chin State.

The forces under Sein Win have proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Myanmaar in the remaining parts of the country, and are beginning a war against the military. All over the nation are riots, native insurrection, civilian demonstrations, assassinations, crime, gang warfare, and general anarchy. Mandalay and Yangon are under siege by military forces, and are being ruined at the cost of thousands of lives and milions of dollars.

In less then 24 hours, Myanmar has gone from stable to utter anarchy. Dr. Win has sent a plea for help to the Marimaian armies in the east, urging them to occupy the Democratic Republic of Myanmaar and help fight against the insurrection forces and restore order."

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

OOC: I have created a new nation for this RP, and called it "Myanmaar". If you notice, they are the UN Category 'Psychotic Dictatorship,' so if Marimaia chooses the pursue this new path for the RP, there will be large scale warfare, guerilla warfare, and nice political intrigue as they try to deal with Dr. Sein Win and his government.

OOC: Just a small update for tonight, I'll be posting the major update tomorrow. Turkmeny, great idea; major props to you, but there may be more in store for Myanmar than you expect. After all, Marimaia has a Ministry of Resettlement for a reason...and that reason may have just gotten a whole lot darker with the amount of resistance that was put up (of course, no-one seems to have considered that IC). Still, it should be great fun to see how the NeoSuunist Prosperity Sphere accomodates the new populations :)

IC:

::Central Command, Taishita::

"Excellency...it's over. We won!"

The champagne corks began popping as celebrations broke out throughout Marimaian Central Command, and Suun gave an impromptu speech.

"My friends, victory is ours! However, as we know, occupying a prize as vast as Myanmar is going to take a large occupation army and constant vigilance. I don't know about you, but I look forward to it! Organise a press conference, we must anounce to the people that we have completed our national destiny!"

Bonstocknian High Command

"Sir, it appears as Marimaia has been sucessful."

"Perfect. And East Islandia?"

"Perfectly contained. I expect no more resistance from them."

"Then send this."

"What is it?"

"A communique. Top secret. To them. Make sure Sinoese intelligence does not pick this up!"

"Yes, sir."

An official and deeply encrypted communique is sent to the Bonstocknian embassy in Marimaia. It was quickly sent by hand to the Marimaian government.

Dear sirs,

The Federal Republic of Bonstock has heavily monitered the situation in Myanmar, and is willing to offer its support for the Marimaians. We are willing to deploy peacekeeping troops quite adroit at counter-insurgency. We believe that our soldiers will be able to help the situation in Mayanmar not descend into a quagmire. We ask, however, that our presence be made secret, for now. We request the use of an unoccupied airbase for our operations if our request is granted.

Several civilian aircraft from PRS airlines Lyong Transcontinental and SpAir prepare to depart for Marimaia, carrying passengers from diplomats to media reporters to 'armed observers'. In a letter to Marimaia, Premier Reiden Harsk of Spyr proposes to take the NeoSuunist Prosperity Sphere up on its offer to accept observers to monitor the situation, 'helping to ensure smooth transition from warlord anarchy to prosperity'.

-Edmonton-

"Sir it appears that Marimaia has been successful," the Hudecian defence minister reported to Fieldings, who promptly shrugged.

"Doesn't matter anyway," Fieldings responded carelessly. "Have the transports carrying military goods quietly make their way out of there, while the ones with humanitarian goods continue on."

The Central Directorature, Da'Khiem

Transcriptions of the news broadcasts from Myanmar lay spread across the big table at which two figures sat in half dark. Cheiy looked from the papers with a frown on his face.

"Yes. There is a familiarity to all of this, comrade Cheiy."

Hotan was also put in mind of Kurosian I's desperate and unsuccessful attempt to forestall the Crusader Coalition by faking his own death and creating his estranged son puppet ruler after the fall of Hamhung.

"I am sure the event would not have escaped the most alert elements of the regime in Myanmar." Said Cheiy.

"Then worry not, for the similarity will not be lost on our wise Marimaian comrades."

::Fuishiban Resort Island, Marimaia::

With Luozao Palace currently being repaired after the Myanmar bombing raid, the cabinet had relocated to Fuishiban for a short period of time to discuss the long-term plans for their newly-acquired territory. Minister of Resettlement Shugan Wei had been hard at work with his specialists, and had produced a plan for Premier Suun's approval. He was now presenting that plan to the cabinet.

"Your Excellency, fellow cabinet members, after seeking a mere part of Myanmar, we now find ourselves with the entire country. Admittedly, we still have resistance to put down, but we at the Ministry of Resettlement have drawn up a framework for Myanmar's long-term future."

Shugan called the proposed new borders up on a large computer screen and began talking them through it.

"I propose that we continue with the annexation of those regions we originally demanded, namely Tenasserim, Mon State, Karen State, Kayah State and areas of Shan State. We can then hold a plebiscite in the rest of Shan State to see if they wish to join us; after all, they are our ethnic cousins. After we've made our gains, we can then concentrate on the rest of the country. Now, we never intended to take the entire nation, and I don't think we really want to annex it, correct Excellency?"

Suun nodded. "Correct. We need to stabilise Myanmar and then ensure that our interests are protected there."

Shugan smiled. "At the risk of sounding devious, we need to remove the government of Dr Sein Win. I for one don't like the idea of using a government like that when there is a far better alternative. We can give the Burmese what they've always wanted; democracy."

Kangtian looked horrified at his brother's statement, and Premier Suun seemed equally unsure, but was willing to hear Shugan out. "Go on."

"Well, a representative democracy carefully guided by us would be the best chance of holding the rest of Myanmar together. We would assist them with reconstruction and building their civil rights legislation, but their democratic process can be formulated by them alone. We will take over their defence until their armed forces are rehabilitated, at which point they can defend themselves with the option of calling for our help if they need it. This way, we can truly be seen as the liberators of Myanmar. I also have a suggestion regarding our choice for interim leader; in fact, our choice would probably win the elections and be around for a good long while."

Suun laughed as he realised who Shugan was talking about. "Aung San Suu Kyi. Inspired! How do we know that she'd cooperate with us? Wouldn't she see us as being just as bad as the regime that imprisoned her?"

Shugan shrugged his shoulders. "Possibly, but there's only one way to find out. If we have her in control of Myanmar, then we can use her popular support and views of peace to unite the rest of Myanmar. If we show her that we are improving lives in the regions which become part of Marimaia, we can convince her that we are genuine. Besides, we will actually be supporting her democracy reforms and promoting civil rights; if that doesn't win her over, nothing will."

Suun pondered it for a moment before nodding. "Approved. Although first we have to get her out of Myanmar so we can confirm her health."

Wanfa waded in. "We've landed two transports in Rangoon to help restore order; our intelligence agents tracked her down, and even as we speak we are extracting her." He smirked at Suun's frown. "Shugan requested my assistance on this matter yesterday."

Suun applauded Shugan's efficiency. "Excellent work, truly excellent. Rongyi, I think it's time to address the Asian community. We will ask them if they will be willing to send peacekeepers to assist us in restoring order in Myanmar; let them know that we plan to give Suu Kyi her opportunity to establish democracy. It should pull a few heart strings."

Rongyi agreed. "Just one issue, Excellency; Bonstock wishes to involve themselves in the restoration of order, but if we allow them in then it may cause others to turn away. Should I say thanks but no thanks, or let them join?"

Suun thought for a moment. "We'll accept their assistance, but they'll have to operate in those areas which are already under Marimaian control. That way, they get the good PR of helping to maintain order, but they don't run into any other nation's personnel. The rest of Asia would see their involvement as imperialism; if they are discovered, then the fact that they are operating in our areas under our jurisdiction should calm the worries of the Asian community. They can use Mergui Air Base, once we get it operational again. If they are discovered, we will tell the other nations that we will take responsibility for Bonstockian actions in Myanmar."

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::Rangoon::

Aircraft from the 1st and 2nd Fleets continued to strafe the military forces besieging the city while troop transport ships arrived at the docklands to help restore order. The troops which had been flown in by transport quickly found the home of Suu Kyi, which was lightly defended due to the chaos of the city around it. After disabling the guards, special forces found and extracted Suu Kyi then bundled her into an armoured car. After driving her to the extraction point, she was put aboard a Hind and flown out to the Premier Suun. Once there, she was given a complete medical examination after being reassured repeatedly that no harm would come to her. Marimaia had always been an enigma in her mind; always stand-offish in the past, she wasn't sure if she could trust them now that they had finally decided to take action.

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

In Marimaian-held territory, military police were brought in to take over the role of civilian law enforcement until the resistance ended. Humanitarian supplies continued to flow into the settlements, where engineers were working on running water and electricity.

OOC: Agreed... Hudecia would feel obligated to try to stop you Isochronous. Right now we are only providing moral support mostly for the Myanmar government. Even the military supplies we send will be too little too late.

If you tried to get fully involved.. we'd want to step in and stop you. You are not as threatening as Marimaia.

You obviously weren't around when I was active on the old board. I'm not a close to 3b nation for nothing!

My fleet is parked in waters near Myanmar, and as yet they have no orders to commence any official operations. Should anyone attack me, they will be destroyed.

The Emperor is waiting to see if the Myanmar Government will cease and desist.

OOC: Isochronous, if you want, you can help with maintaining order and thereby get some decent PR for the folks back home (as well as financial interests...::dangles some rubies and waves a leaflet on oil exploitation:: ).

Besides, we'll probably have to distribute Myanmar's regions to the various peacekeeping groups, so you could look after a coastal region or something. Myanmar's new government is (in theory) under the wing of Marimaia, so oppression is going to be lifted, especially when Suu Kyi is given power.

OOC: Isochronous, if you want, you can help with maintaining order and thereby get some decent PR for the folks back home (as well as financial interests...::dangles some rubies and waves a leaflet on oil exploitation:: ).

Besides, we'll probably have to distribute Myanmar's regions to the various peacekeeping groups, so you could look after a coastal region or something. Myanmar's new government is (in theory) under the wing of Marimaia, so oppression is going to be lifted, especially when Suu Kyi is given power.

Very well then.

"Rear Admiral, we have received orders direct from the Emperor!"

"What? Show me the message."

*The Rear Admiral read the message*

We are going to be one of many international peacekeeping groups in Burma. Our aim is to let Suu Kyi bring true democracy to the oppressed Burmese, who are no longer under an evil military junta. Land the men on the coast, around 30 nautical miles from your current position. Setup garrison and claim the land for the Empire.

Serve the Empire well. I have faith in you.

-His Majesty

"Hmm, okay then. Lieutenant, get the landing transports ready. Get the Harriers and F-22s on the HMIS Churchill to take-off ASAP and provide air cover. We're getting this show on the road right now!"

"Sir."

The Lieutenant went and relayed the Rear Admiral's orders. The Lieutenant thought to himself for a moment, 'I wonder if Burma is a nice place?' He then proceeded to inform the rest of the crew and mighty soldiers of the Empire.

After much communication between Da'Khiem and the Drapoel consulate in Marimaia ((well, whatever we have there...possibly one little room in a government building or something)), the ambassador delivered a communiqué to his host government. The Central Directorature was congratulatory in regard to Marimaia's noble and successful efforts in Myanmar and with concern for the rapid pace of change in the area and the weight of foreign involvement was willing to dispatch security forces in support of Neo Suunist security and reform.

After much communication between Da'Khiem and the Drapoel consulate in Marimaia ((well, whatever we have there...possibly one little room in a government building or something)), the ambassador delivered a communiqué to his host government. The Central Directorature was congratulatory in regard to Marimaia's noble and successful efforts in Myanmar and with concern for the rapid pace of change in the area and the weight of foreign involvement was willing to dispatch security forces in support of Neo Suunist security and reform.

OOC: The Dra-pol consulate is currently a fairly non-descript building just down the road from the Foreign Ministry, but we'll build you a proper embassy in Drapoel architectural style if you want.

IC:

Suun read the Dra-pol message carefully. "Hmm....Drapoel security forces. That could cause some dispute."

Wanfa nodded and cleared his throat. "However, we could allow them to deploy in Marimaian-held areas, in a similar way to Bonstock. That would free up some of our forces to assist in other areas of Myanmar, and other peacekeepers wouldn't need to encounter Dra-pol's contribution. It's a balancing act, but if we can get a lot of other nations involved it might help bring everyone closer."

Rongyi frowned. "Who made you Foreign Minister? I agree, Excellency, working to reconstruct Myanmar might be exactly what this region needs to heal some rifts."

-Rangoon-

While Hudecian warships sat in international waters, the transports filled with humanitarian goods requested permission to unload their cargo. Although they were not sure exactly who to ask permission from, they decided that they would have the best luck if they contacted whomever controlled the docks at this point in time.

- HS Alouet - AOR transport -

"It seems a little crazy on the shore right now, captain," the chief of security reported. "I'll have my men put on standby."

"Excellent idea," Captain Ming responded. "Has anyone responded to our requests? I don't want to go in there unless I know who is going to be getting the supplies."

"Not yet sir."

-Edmonton-

The official Hudecian response to the ongoing crisis was that the government was 'distressed' at the insecurity and instability in the region and 'hoped for the best'.

Unofficially, the Hudecian government wanted a quick move to free and open elections as soon as possible and a withdrawl of all foreign troops occupying Myanmar.

::Rangoon Docks Area::

"Sir! Hudecian transports want permission to dock; what should I tell them?"

Captain Angpar had only recently secured the docks, so he was hesitant about allowing people in, just in case they either attacked the Marimaian position or were attacked by insurgency forces.

"Tell them...tell them that they are welcome to unload their cargo, but they must keep in mind that this city is not safe right now. Inform them of the possible risks, and remind them that we are currently attempting to restore order and therefore cannot guarantee their safety. If they decide to leave, suggest that they can unload at a Marimaian port and our authorities will ensure that the supplies get where they need to go. It's up to them."

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::The Premier Suun, 1st & 2nd Fleets, Bay of Bengal::

"Do not misunderstand me; I appreciate your assistance. I just find it highly unlikely that Suun truly believes in the freedom of my people. I've heard his speeches; he may be honest about his views, but that doesn't make them any more compatible with mine."

Admiral Santhapatri rolled his eyes. Ever since she had been deemed 'in good health', Suu Kyi had berated Marimaia's political process and made several comments about Premier Suun himself. Santhapatri cleared his throat to get a word in.

"Madame Suu Kyi, please do not take this the wrong way, although judging by your current temperament you almost certainly will. We have liberated Myanmar from its previous regime, liberated you from house arrest, ensured your good health, and all you do is complain! Premier Suun wishes to speak with you about several matters; I don't know what they are, but he wouldn't have asked us to risk so much to retrieve you if all he wanted was an idle chat. You have a choice about where to meet him. Either we can fly you to Fuishiban, where you'll be in the lap of luxury and well-protected, or Premier Suun is willing to fly out here to see you."

"I don't think that an aircraft carrier is really appropriate for such a meeting. I will go to see him...after I have guarantees that I can leave if I disagree with him."

"Madame, I assure you that we are not like the regime which treated you so badly. Still, if it will make you feel better, I'll contact Premier Suun."

Mergui Air Base
Myanmar

Dozens of C-17 transports started flying in advance units of the Bonstocknian 6th Airborne Division, with orders to secure the airbase and surrounding airfield. More C-17s, with the rest of the division plus some support and Air Force units, are arriving in Bosntocknian Maropian Coast, and are being redied for the flight to the airbase.

ooc: don't have time for longer post.. sorry

OOC: I will post ICly for the Myanmar forces tomorrow. I don't have time now, so this is just a little note saying that I have read all posts up to this point.

Haeju, Dra-pol

Workers at the docks stole glances aplenty over their labour as the Yellow Sea Fleet's Kurosian I Class warship Hotan came around a headland and made for port under power of its cruise diesels. Her 128 hands were joined by Admiral Li-Il, arriving to over-see preparation for an unprecedented mission.

From the north, a UPA battalion was filtering into the town while from the east a detatchment of the Red Bamboo had arrived just hours earlier.

"Do you think that she'll go?" Said one comrade worker to another.
"The Hotan? I say it depends on enemy and Chinese reaction to the mission. Maybe they will support the security mission... the newsreel said that the new alliance was about stability, after all."
"But they are reactionaries."
"And those merchantmen need protecting... so maybe she'll go. We'll see!"

Those merchantmen were thus far four unassuming hulls of the modest Drapoel merchant marine that had been recently commandeered by the People's Navy. They were being hastily prepared to transport soldiers, a role for which these relatively new (but hardly high-tech) vessels had been given a basic secondary capacity. Around Haeju's port, as at Kangung on the east coast, other vessels were seen out of their pens in unusually large numbers.

They were Houjian Class missile attack boats in the main. These were some amongst the very few Drapoel warships with range enough to reach the South China Sea. Landing craft usually associated with Drapoel troop transport remained under cover, and Hound Class submarines remained... completely absent.

Communique to Marimaian Government

Dear friends and brothers in Marimaia,
we have concluded after much debate that helping in securing Myanmar is paramount to our own security due to our geographic connection to the area. If you wish, Chuang-Han armed forces shall cross the border and be responsible for the stability of the Kachin State and Sayaing.

Your friends to the North,
The Imperial Court of Chuang-Han.

~~~

"Their monopolization of Indochina is... intolerable!" General Gao growled at Court Minister Qiu.

"I know, I know... His Majesty ordered we support them though. Opposing them would only cause a stand off. If we work with them..."

"If we work with them they will only end up thinking we are with them in their endeavors! It's only a matter of time before they start to envision some Greater-Tai State, which will mean invading northern Sangun, which means the Southern Chuang will be under their control!" General Gao began to grind his teeth.

"I agree with you General, but the Emperor wishes to work with them for now..." Minister Qiu sighed. "For now we have to simply agree."

"I wont. I don't care what his majesty says, if open revolt occurs in any area under my command I will not stop it. I'm not risking Chuang lives for Marimaian Imperialism, no matter what the Emperor says!" The General stomped off.

::Official Communique to Chuang-Han China::

We are most grateful for your offer to provide stability forces, and we humbly accept. If you wish, you can coordinate with the Marimaian authorities to arrange regular humanitarian supplies. We would also like to take this opportunity to invite the Imperial Court to exchange ambassadors; as neighbours, we should have a more permanent line of communication between us.

Rongyi Bei, Minister of Foreign Relations

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::People's Daily News bulletin::

"Our top story this evening; as we all know, the completion of our national destiny was achieved after our courageous forces crushed the repressive regime of Myanmar and delivered the country to liberation. Now, the nation of Chuang-Han China has declared that they will assist us in restoring order to Myanmar, where foolish and repugnant terrorists are waging an already-lost war against the excellent forces of the glorious NeoSuunist Prosperity Sphere."

OOC: Okay, I am keeping myself updated. For now I am going to let you guys deploy and whatnot, just assume the Myanmar forces are continuing sporadic guerilla attacks. I will post a long IC post when they make a major offensive, or when I feel ready.

The People's Republic of Spyr offers the support of its military and administrative assets to Marimaia, should they be required in the restoration of stability and prosperity to the peoples of Myanmar.

The People's Republic of Spyr offers the support of its military and administrative assets to Marimaia, should they be required in the restoration of stability and prosperity to the peoples of Myanmar.

Rongyi waved a piece of paper as he entered Suun's office. "Excellency, we've got another taker! Spyr has offered military and administrative support to the rebuilding of Myanmar."

Suun grinned at the news. "I knew we could count on the Spyrans. Contact them and tell them that we would be honoured to accept their assistance. Check with Wanfa and Shugan about possible deployment areas first though. Now, I have a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi."

Rongyi frowned. "She's coming here?"

"No, I'm flying out to the Premier Suun. That woman can be irritating, but we need her. Just as long as she realises that I won't come to her for every discussion."

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

::Official Communique to the People's Republic of Spyr::

We are greatly heartened by your offer of assistance, and we would be honoured to have you in Myanmar. After discussions with our relevant authorities, it has been concluded that Spyran forces would be most appreciated in the states of Mandalay and Magwe; we shall provide you with maps, background information and deployment suggestions to help you settle in. Your forces will also be jointly controlling Myanmar's second city of Mandalay alongside our own troops, a situation which we know will work out well.

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::The Premier Suun, Bay of Bengal, a few hours later::

"Premier Suun, it is..nice..to meet you."

Suun beamed at Suu Kyi despite the obvious reservation in her voice; whether it was due to Tian's presence or her disdain for NeoSuunism, he wasn't sure but he was glad that she had agreed to the meeting. At least she showed some sign of civility. The two sat down opposite each other in the vacated admiral's quarters, with Tian taking a seat next to Chiisu.

"Madame Suu Kyi, I realise that you don't think much of us. You have said in the past that we were just another oppressor in the world; I hope that you will come to realise just how wrong you are."

"Wrong? Premier, is it not true that democracy doesn't exist in Marimaia?"

"It is true, but perhaps if you looked at our system before condemning it then you would realise that voting is about the only thing we don't allow. The Marimaian people have the ability to live however they want, and our government is always there to help them if something goes wrong. Rather than an oppressive system, the NeoSuunist state is a doting parent, ensuring that the populace don't endure hardship. If anything, we spoil them. We have provided a stable home, a stable economy, a stable existence. Take a Marimaian out of Marimaia, and they'll always return home."

Suu Kyi snorted. "You speak well, I'll admit that. So, why am I here?"

"We need a stabilising force in Myanmar to rally the people and enable reconstruction. The current government is less than desirable, so we want you to become interim President until elections can be held."

"Elections? I thought that democracy was 'the greatest blight on humanity', as you called it."

"For Marimaia, yes. Myanmar has always worked well under democracy, and the people wish it. More importantly, the people want you in those elections. We are offering you the chance to build a new Myanmar, based on your principles of freedom, equality and democracy. We will assist you in any way you need, to ensure the creation of the new Myanmar. Just think; the international community sat back and did nothing to help you and your nation, whereas we actually went in to liberate you all. We're succeeding, but you will have to finish the job yourselves.

We will protect Myanmar during the formative time, we will assist you in drawing up civil rights legislation and making contact with other nations, we will even help you in holding the elections once the time comes, but you must draw up the political processes. We will coordinate with your interim government to pacify resistance, and then once the elections are held we will step back and let you run your own affairs."

Suu Kyi frowned at these honeyed words. She was being handed Myanmar on a platter, to do with as she wished; Suun obviously knew of her desire to have a free Myanmar like it was under her father's rule. "If I refuse?"

"If you refuse, then we will find someone else, someone more accomodating. I'm certain that there is someone in the military who would kiss my feet to be given this opportunity. The thing is, we want you. The people want you. You have campaigned for democracy all your life, and now you have the chance to achieve your dream. Take what we're offering you. We Marimaians are extremely benevolent to our friends; it's time you became one."

In the PRS, forces are mobilized for deployment. In addition to several regiments of infantry, a political batallion and additional companies of engineers are included in the projected deployment.

OOC: Ooh, I just got a nasty idea. I'll wait until the elections, however ... muahahaha...

Three days following the gathering of Drapoel ships and infantry, the Drapoel wheel of life and revolutionary progress fluttered in the Gulf of Thailand for the first time in decades as a naval ensign. Six Hound Class diesel-electric submarines assembled on the surface and sent of the arrival of an advance party of Drapoel Red Bamboo Marines to organise the later arrival of a small Choson security and assisstance force.

::Rangoon::

General Shinamatra strode confidently into Dr. Sein Win's office, escorted by several Marimaian soldiers.

"Dr. Win, by order of His Excellency Chiisu Suun you are hereby placed into the custody of the Marimaian state. Anything you have to say will not convince us otherwise, so come along quietly or we'll execute you right here. You are charged with obstructing the reconstruction efforts; as Myanmar is under Marimaian control until further notice, you have been obstructing state operations, which carries the death penalty unless His Excellency is in a particularly good mood. Considering that Luozao Palace is still not rebuilt, I'd start praying right about now."

Across Rangoon, the Marimaian occupation forces continued rounding up the members of the Win government on trumped-up charges to make way for the new interim government.

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::Taishita::

"She said yes?!"

"She did. Suu Kyi knows the value of compromise."

"Where is she?"

"Still with the 1st Fleet. She doesn't like the idea of coming here, just in case we arrest her."

The cabinet congratulated Suun on a job well done, then the discussion turned to the former puppet government. Justice Minister Binrui Shen addressed the matter quickly.

"We can have them taken care of within days. Closed trials, I act as State Prosecutor, they defend themselves, we contact Chiisu by video conference for the verdict."

Suun shook his head. "Not this time. One of the many conditions Suu Kyi put on her cooperation was that the Win government be allowed to a trial under her judiciary. Since we haven't a shred of evidence, they'll walk free." He gave a look to Hengren. "Best we can hope for is a sudden upsurge in prison suicides."

Hengren rubbed his chin. "You know, I did hear something about newly-imprisoned traitors having an unstoppable desire to kill themselves. Maybe the Interior Ministry should share the study with Suu Kyi."

Suun smiled. "Yes, I heard something too. Anyway, from the discussions I had, Suu Kyi might be willing to sign Myanmar up to the SSRC, but only if we prove to be what she hopes we will be. She was also quite hesitant about being unelected at first, but she knows that the only way to bring about a decent democracy is to have a stable nation, and her presence would lead to stability."

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::Myanmar::

The Marimaian-policed zones of Myanmar were buzzing with activity. Humanitarian groups and reconstruction teams were hard at work rebuilding the settlements while ensuring the wellbeing of the citizens. Marimaian troops still suffered occasional skirmishes with resistance fighters, but not on the scale of the actual war. Agents from the Marimaian People's Internal Security Force (ISF) moved from settlement to settlement, asking about resistance fighters and if anyone had any information.

Pacified Myanmar

Dragon Lieutenant Kim Suyun stood quietly in the shade of the large tree. Dressed in digital camouflage fatigues and decked out in full combat gear, she was nearly invisible to uncautious eyes. A heartbeat masker, worn under her uniform, kept heartbeat sensors from detecting Kim's presence (either through a jamming mode or a passive mode that emitted other sounds to cover up for the distinct human heartbeat).

Underneath her camouflage paint, Kim was weary. When Myanmar had been invaded, she was ordered to take her Zero Team into the jungles and fight the Marimaians, once her allies. They had been moderately successful, operating in Kayah State, but had taken losses in an airstrike. In the resulting melee, Kim was forced to string watergel charges in order to destroy the corpses of her men, and killed several allies as well.

Now, she had orders from her commanders to hold off on the raids; instead, they had told her to remain in position and watch. She assumed they had already told the Marimaians of her presence there; if not, then there would be a high price to pay if she was discovered.

Kim remembered training with the Marimaians at the Counter Terrorism College several years ago. She had even met and slept with a Marimaian officer, the then Colonel Zhongji, in command of an elite Marimaian unit sent there for "training". In reality, they were actually quite competent, and required little training.

Kim cradled her rifle in her arm, and squinted, noticing movement in the bush. She turned slowly to her second in command, and winked twice, their signal for trouble.

He promptly put his fingers to this lips and blew a slow birdcall, nearly indistinguishable from the chittering of the jungle.

The Islandian troopers, alert now, moved their weapons to their shoulders, ready for trouble. They were interspersed throughout the nearby forest, and Kim cursed as she remembered the high volume of troop traffic nearby.

"We're Islandians," she called out, in English, slurring the words a little.

Her men grimaced and sank deeper into the bushes, ready for a firefight. After all, the Marimaians were probably incensed by the actions of their former allies. One of Kim's men readied his radio, to call in for extraction...

OOC: Ah, siezing Wein, I see ...

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

IC: Dr. Wein allowed the Marimaians to take him into custody along with most senior officials of his government. However, the Wein regime troops defending Yangon from the attacking military forces had something else in mind. Officers on both sides, besiegers and besieged, turned on the Marimaians in the city.

The foreign troops in the city itself were still mostly disorganized after the long journey over, and were taken completely by surprise when Myanmar troops on THEIR side turned around and started firing on them. Close to ten thousand troops and over a hundred tanks that had been besieging the city swarmed in to try and get the best of the defenders. Mandalay to the north was also surrendered to the Military rebels.

::Pacified Myanmar::

"Come out, slowly, lower your weapons and you will not be harmed! Hands up and opened!"

Lieutenant Kikitsu was surprised to find Islandians in the jungles; not knowing quite how to handle them, he opted for a softer approach than the other rebels had been given. His troops took up positions to cover the approach of the Islandians.

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::Rangoon::

"Shit, shit, shit!"

General Shinamatra slammed his fist on a desk in his office. The Rangoon docks were one of the few areas of the city still under Marimaian control, although 'control' was used in its loosest possible definition.

"The ungrateful swine! We liberate them and they turn on us! How secure is this position?"

A lieutenant saluted. "Sir, we have snipers covering all entry points and heavy machinegun positions doing the same. RPG units are also covering the main streets which lead here. We can last, but we'll need reinforcements."

Shinamatra rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know!"

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::Central Command, Taishita::

"Excellency, you can clearly see the situation. I request permission to send reinforcements to Rangoon and Mandalay in order to put down this betrayal."

Suun nodded to Kunzai's request. "I want you to take every Burmese soldier into custody. Relay this information to all peacekeepers and suggest that they do the same. How could we have not seen this coming? We've gone soft!"

Rongyi stepped forward. "Perhaps this would be a good time for Suu Kyi to address her people."

Suun sighed. "Yes, you're right. I'll contact her. Dianyun! I want a speech drawn up for Suu Kyi; make it good."

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"I'm not reading this. It's typical Marimaian claptrap."

Suun rolled his eyes. "Suu Kyi, it was a suggested speech. Look, your country is in turmoil again because the military doesn't want us there. However, there is something more powerful than the military."

Suu Kyi blanched. "The people. You want me to urge the civilian population into action against the military? Are you insane?!"

"Not at all. If the civilians revolt, then the military either fires on them and lights a powderkeg or they join them. Either way, this gets settled. Come up with your own speech by all means, just make sure to include the fact that Marimaians and peacekeepers are friends so therefore should not be attacked."

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::Address to the people of Myanmar by Aung San Suu Kyi::

"My name is Aung San Suu Kyi; most of you know me as a champion of the people, one that was imprisoned by the military in order to keep me quiet. I am now free. When the Marimaians entered our nation to liberate us, they liberated me from my prison and have ensured my good health. The Marimaians plan to assist us in rebuilding our democracy, something which will give us the freedom and peaceful life that we have all desired for years.

However, the military refuses to allow us that peace and freedom. Even now, they have placed Mandalay under brutal martial law, and they are trying to take our capital of Rangoon in order to do the same. They betrayed us when they demolished democracy, and now they have betrayed Marimaia by claiming to want peace before turning on them like this. I say it is time to end this once and for all! The allies of the Burmese people, Marimaia and the other peacekeeping nations, seek only to improve our lives while the military wishes to oppress and rule in fear! I call on the people of Myanmar to resist the military; do not allow them to control our lives any longer! The Marimaians and their allies will help you in this, so do not attack them, as they are responsible for allowing us this opportunity! Show the military that you are sick of their domination! Show the military that we will stand for them no longer! Show the military that this is your nation, not theirs, and they should serve you, not you serving them! Resist! Resist today, resist tomorrow, resist until the last soldier surrenders so we can continue with the rebuilding of our nation!"

-Rangoon-- Hudecian fleet-

"Rangoon has been engulfed by strife..." The XO reported himself only just recovering from the lightning betrayal by the Myanmar army.

"We have only a few dozen ships in harbour, but if the allies need any help evacuating troops they are at their disposal..." The captain replied. "Tell them that we stand ready to evacuate them if necessary."

Spyran transport aircraft, enroute to Mandalay carrying troops who had expected to assist peacekeeping efforts, find their mission disrupted by the sudden turn of events. A flurry of radio transmissions is sent to the Marimaians on the ground, requesting further instructions and a secure landing zone, while their sparse fighter escort keeps close watch for inbound hostile threats.

::Lawksawk Air Base, Pacified Shan State::

Captain Aphratu sent messages to the Spyran transports, redirecting to his facility. While it was not the best place to land such a force, it was the closest available air base to Mandalay.

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::Rangoon Docks::

"Sir, the Hudecians are offering to extract us should we require it. What action shall we take?"

Shinamatra scowled. "Thank them for their offer, but add that we would prefer some kind of support action to an offer for evacuation! We'll have reinforcements on the way, but we need assistance now."

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::Across Myanmar::

Members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), recently freed by the Marimaians before the violence erupted, began agitating against the military. Reciting Suu Kyi's speeches and stressing the free will of the general populace, they slowly began gathering civilians together. Co-ordinating through cell phones, the NLD started planning action.

A total of 30,000 men in two divisions were sent as peacekeepers across the Chuang-Myanmar Border. General Gao knew that it was quite impossible for 30,000 men to secure an area the size of Maryland, especially in mountainous jungles. General Gao also advanced every so slowly into the Burmese countryside, keeping a pace that was not slow enough to bring suspicion, but not fast enough to secure key points of interest.

General Gao set up the Chuang Peacekeeping Command at Mylikyina, the largest city in Kachin State, and then ordered units to halt any operations if resistance was encountered, then once the resistance - if possible - whipped out wait for orders from Central Command to begin advancing again. Gao wanted nothing but to sabotage Marimaia.

~~~
At Nanning

High Congressman (Prime Minister) Zeng, a highly obscured man who had no public role in Chuang-Hanm, his office was purely for legislative debate, approached Court Minister Qiu. "Have noticed General Gao is... destroying this Peacekeeping venture?"

"Of course" Qiu said, slightly annoyed at the unusual inquiry of Zeng.

"Shouldn't we stop him? This operation is being sponsored by Public funds."

"I have no place to say. I am merely run things for the Emperor..." Qiu started to walk away hoping to ditch this conversation as soon as possible.

"Then at least let us demand he use a stronger peacekeeping force!" Zeng said, pretending not to notice Qiu's effort to escape the questions.

Qiu sighed "You just said you were upset this was being paid for by public funds, and now you want to send more troops, costing us more money?"

"No... I just don't want this to fail."

"That is not up to your judgment Zeng. Go fiddle around with some education reform, that is your department. If his Majesty sees fit he will instruct General Gao to stop ruining the effort."

Qiu tried to walk off again, Zeng glared and protested "I will tell the Marimaian Ambassador that the Chuang peacekeeping expedition is being sabotaged if you do not agree with me Qiu!"

Qiu turned and stared at Zeng, almost as if he were trying to set him aflame with his eyes "And I will have his Majesty dismiss you if you even approach the Marimaian Ambassador! Do not threaten me Zeng!" Qiu gave one last defiant stare before leaving this unhealthy conversation.

Qiu filed a report telling the Marimaian Ambassador how smoothly peacekeeping efforts were going for the Chuang, but another, anonymous, report landed on the Marimaian Ambassador's desk which made subtle hints that the Chuang venture was halfhearted at best...

In Yangon, the Myanmar armies have begun launching continuous attacks on the docks, often using civilian shields and human bombs to weaken the resolve of the Marimaian defenders. Huge spotlights taken from the downtown area have been set up and shone down into the eyes of the defenders at night, while loudspeekers blast propaganda into their ears.

The Myanmar military has also opened up with a new, insidious weapon ... VX nerve gas. One night, the Myanmar forces put on gas masks and suddenly turn off the loudspeekers and spotlights, simultaneously opening up with a barrage of small artillery pieces, shells filled with gas. Fortunately for the Marimaians, most of the shells failed to go off and did nothing more then clunk down on unlucky soldiers, the few that detonated managed to reveal the new nature of the war for Myanmar.

Meanwhile, guerilla forces in Kachin State have taken to cutting off the supply lines into Mylikyina, not letting any trucks through on the roads, using mines and other hidden explosives, while troops in the jungles with machine guns and stingers try to discourage cargo planes.

Off in the nearly forgotten frontier of Kayah State, General Khun Htun Oo, leading a guerilla movement against the Marimaians, realized he will be overwhelmed if he stays there any longer. His army, once 20,000 troops and now less then 1,500, decides to disengage the Marimaians and slip south through the jungle. Once there, Oo came up with a new plan of action, to bring the war to the Marimaians. He dispersed his force into several contingents of a hundred or so men each, and ordered them to try and slip across the border into Marimaian territory, where they would reunite outside the city of Yonbin. His plan was to wage a guerilla war in their own territory, force them to divert troops out of Myanmar. The problem was sneaking around the armies in Kayah State and to the border ... for that he needed a distraction, which was provided by General Aung Shwe in Karen State, who had previously been defeated and forced to retreat to Yangon. Shwe moved to attack the Marimaian armies in Karen State, reinforced by Field Marshal Tha Kyaw from Tenasserim, to a total force of about 40,000 men.

Lawksawk Air Base, Pacified Shan State

Several Spyran heavy tilt-rotors and a pair of fighter jets set down at the base. Their cargo is offloaded as quickly as possible... a brigade of infantry and an engineering platoon, which had been considered sufficient to secure a base of operations while further units were sent in by air and sea. With the explosion of resistance in Myanmar, the Spyran military had abandoned their initial strategy, and was considering the deployment of heavier units into the theatre, but had seen no reason to pull out units already on top of their destination. What difference 600 infantry and three dozen military engineers would make was unclear, but they were present nonetheless.

Leftenant-colonel Kiran Rosh, senior Spyran officer of the detatchment, went to find the Lawksawk base commander, to find out where his men could be of use.

-Harbour of Rangoon-

"They want WHAT?!" The captain could barely believe his ears. "They have the largest army in the region and they are asking a convoy of 9 transports and 3 destroyers for aid?"

"Sir, we do have the armoured personnel carriers in 2 of the transports... we could offload them and use some of the security from the remaining ships to provide some personnel," the XO quietly reminded him.

"That would go over well.. Hudecian ships supposedly carrying humanitarian supplies suddenly offload tens of APCs, sheesh!" The captain waved his arms in the air dramatically before snatching a transmission from the communications officer. "Well, maybe there is a brain in Ottawa.."

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

6 Hudecian UH-60H helicopters were present between the 3 Hudecian destroyers. They provided some cover for the Marimaian troops as 50 Hudecian marines moved off the ships to the docks. At present their orders were only to defend the docks and to fire only if fired upon.

The helicopters would be highly ineffective as they were armed with anti-ship missiles and not the regular anti-tank missiles. Still, it was hoped their presence and their machine guns would provide some form of deterrent.

The Marimaian command in Rangoon was informed of the Hudecian actions, and the commander of the Hudecian fleet apologized that he did not have more men to send at present.

::Pacified Myanmar::

"Come out, slowly, lower your weapons and you will not be harmed! Hands up and opened!"

Lieutenant Kikitsu was surprised to find Islandians in the jungles; not knowing quite how to handle them, he opted for a softer approach than the other rebels had been given. His troops took up positions to cover the approach of the Islandians.


Kim's second in command stared out at the Lieutenant.

"Why would we surrender?" he snarled to Kim in Islandian. "Have you lost your mind, Lieutenant?"

"Do it anyway," Kim said. "They knew we were here from the beginning; unless you want another diplomatic incident on our hands, then you better put safe that weapon, eject the clip, and walk out with your hands up."

She slung her SAR21 bullpup assault rifle over her shoulder, ejected the clip, which she put in a pouch, and walked out, with her hands out.

Kim's second in command growled. He'd rather die right there then be taken as a prisoner, but orders were orders. BEsides, he had a satchel charge strapped to this pack; it would be easy to hit the detonator from his position and kill them all if htey were treacherous.

Slowly, the ten man Zero Team slid out of hte jungle, weapons on safe and empty, and walked towards the Marimaians.

::Pacified Myanmar::

Lieutenant Kikitsu nodded as the Islandians made their way into visual range.

"Obviously you don't know much about keeping out of warzones, do you? File out slowly!"

Kikitsu went to contact HQ about what action to take, then returned with a broad grin.

"You're in luck. After we confirm your identities, you are to be taken back to Taishita. Our government will tell your government that we found you and we'd like to send you home. Unless of course you'd rather stay and help out, that is. We know what you guys are capable of, and to be frank, we need every good hand we can get."

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::Rangoon Docks::

"Tell the Hudecians that there's free drinks waiting in a bar in Taishita if we get out of this."

"Yes sir. Are we sure that it's going to be enough?"

"We won't hold out forever, but the new guys will buy some more time for our boys and girls to get over here."

As he spoke, a message came over the radio. Shinamatra looked to his comm officer. "Who was it?"

The comm officer grinned. "The 2nd Fleet. Troop ships inbound, ETA three hours! Air support should be here in a couple of minutes!"

"Finally!" Shinamatra pointed out of the window towards the Myanmar positions. "You guys are going to wish you'd rolled over when you had the chance."

As he finished speaking, air-to-ground missiles ploughed into the Myanmar positions as MiG-29s flew overhead.

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::Central Command, Taishita::

"You may catch us off-guard, but when we find our footing we're even more likely to kick your asses!"

The command staff looked at Marshal Kunzai in surprise. "Sir?"

Kunzai waved it off. "Too much excitement. Let's finish this properly."

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::Mandalay::

"We want peace! We want peace!"

The NLD had been extremely successful in rousing support. Thirty thousand brave civilians took to the streets, waving anti-military banners and screaming obscenities at military personnel. The leaders of the protest carried a large portrait of Suu Kyi, hoping to draw more support from passers-by.

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::Lawksawk Air Base, Pacified Shan State::

Captain Aphratu saluted the Spyran commander. "Welcome to Shan State. We are currently massing forces to go in and liberate Mandalay; if you want to borrow some APCs and Fast Attack Vehicles for your guys, you can link up with our forces before they move in."

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::Tenasserim::

"Control, we have visual contact with Myanmar forces. Moving to intercept."

The Marimaian air patrols had not failed to notice the movement of Tha Kyaw's large force, and began strafing them as they came into range.

"Control, forces seem to be headed for Karen State; please advise."

The order came through to obliterate as much of the army group as possible.

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::Pha-an, Pacified Karen State::

Karen State's major town was put on full alert as Central Command relayed the information gathered by the air force. Artillery and heavy machinegun positions were reinforced, while elements of the Jungle Warfare Corps were called in to perform guerilla actions on advancing forces.

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::Rangoon::

"We want peace! We want peace!"

In similar scenes to the ones in Mandalay, the NLD had gathered citizens together in order to protest the military's ongoing resistance. Since the capital was still contested, the crowds were much smaller than in Mandalay, but it was agreed that civil disobedience and sabotage would be carried out in order to make the military surrender. Meanwhile, a small number of Marimaian special forces had secreted themselves into the city and were directing the NLD on what to sabotage and when.

Lawksawk AB
Lt. Colonel Rosh agreed to the proposition, and set about organizing his men to move out with borrowed APCs. The Spyran's own vehicle pool was, unfortunately, negligible, consisting of a few armoured jeeps light enough for air transport, but these were also roped into transport duty.

Naisho, PRS
A flotilla of Spyran military transport vessels, along with their naval escort, steams out of the harbour and sets course for Myanmar. On board are carried regiments of mechanized infantry and armour, combat units which,it is hoped, can help break the military power of the Myanmar warlords so the nation can proceed forward without fear of insurgency.

Yangon

Marimaian planes hammered the rebel positions, levelling city blocks. The commander of the Myanmar forces knew that staying the city would be suicide. During the night, huge numbers of explosives were set all over the city, and as the Myanmar army retreated north towards Mandalay they detonated, destroying hundreds of factories, offices, and other industrial or strategic targets. Fires were set in residential neighborhoods, and the city water supply was sabotaged to stall firefighting efforts.

Mandalay

Protesters were rounded up and confined to their homes, as a strict curfew and martial law were imposed on the city. The armies began to build stockpiles of weapons, food, water, ammunition, and power generators while preparing defenses, including anti-aircraft weaponry, sandbags, stockades, mines, barbed wire, and bomb-proofing basements of some of the thicker buildings to act as bunkers.

Karen State

The troops in the mountains of Karen State launched an all out offensive towards the border, only a few miles away. In the early hours of the morning, two diversionary attacks were made at either flank and mountain artillery launched a couple raids against the center, while the bulk of the force probed the line for a weak point, before pressing forward towards the river. Hundreds of Myanmar troops died, but they were able to reach the river, where they turned and began sweeping up the Marimaian line. Casualties were heavy in the fierce fighting, and the Myanmar troops eventually through grenades at the nearest supply depot for the Marimaians and retreated. Nearly a third of the force had been killed, and at least two dozen Myanmar troops had been gunned down trying to cross the river.

Meanwhile, on the border of Karen and Tenasserim, Tha Kyaw's army had split into a few smaller groups, each working their way east in a different direction, to try and diminish the effectiveness of the air raids.

Marimaian-Kayah State Border

General Khun Htun Oo and a contingent of about one hundred men had successfully snuk across the border, and began advancing through the jungles in absolute stealth towards the rendezvous point. Only two other contingents had made it across the border to the north. The other 1,200 troops had either been turned back, captured, or killed by the Marimaians.

Kim turned to her soldiers.

"What do you think?" she asked, in Islandian. "Personally, I feel that some should be able to go home after all we've been through, but I would like to work with the Marimaians again. After all, they have not always been our enemies, and we have been comrades at one point."

Kim's second in command sighed. "I dont know, Suyun," he admitted. "It seems confusing to me; after all, werent we juss shooting at each other? A bit sudden, and I do not trust the Marimaians, after all we've been through."

Kim thought upon this, before coming to a decision. "Very well," she said. "Whoever wishes to leave may do so, and bear in mind that nothing will be said against you. However, we who stay will expect you to submit a mission report."

Groans were heard and smiles seen all around.

"But those who stay, be reminded that there is danger imminent, and that the Marimaians, for all their noble attempts, were once our opponents, as well as our allies at another time. So choose wisely, and no one will blame you for anything," she concluded.

Most of the seven decided to stay; only Kim's second-in-command and another decided to leave.

Kim turned to Lt. Kikitsu.

"Several of my men will leave, but the rest will stay. There are some special forces units who wandered over the border, and ifyou wish, I will coordinate with them and get them out of your AO if you desire so."

Kim hesitated. Her other comment would probably not be appropriate, but she decided to ask anyway.

"Would you also happen to know a Colonel Zhongji?" she asked. "He and I are good...friends, and I have not seen him in quite some time."

Telegram to the government of Marimaia:

We are happy to see the oppressive government of Myanmar overthrown at long last. If you require assistance, we can send in several amphibious brigades to help with security operations, the training of a democratic Burmese military, the establishment and operation of medical centers, and the reconstruction of civilian infrastructure.

Again, we are very happy to see the dictatorship overthrown.

OCC: I hope you don't mind if I jump in late on this...

(OOC: Lots to respond to...)

IC:

::Pacified Myanmar::

Kikitsu almost laughed at Kim's question. "Know him? He's the head of the People's Anti-Terrorism Organisation; he was awarded the NeoSuunist Star for his services to the motherland. Everyone knows him! I'll ask Central Command to contact him for you."

Kikitsu turned to the other Islandians. "Alright, those who are leaving, we'll get a Hind brought in to pick you up and take you to Taishita. Those who are staying, if you come with me I'll get you a deployment."

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::Official Response to the LRR Government::

We would like to thank the LRR administration for their offer of assistance, and we would like to accept it. We are currently experiencing some heavy resistance in the areas around Rangoon, Mandalay and Karen State; if you are able to deploy in those regions, we will be grateful for any support you can provide.

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::Rangoon::

The troops from the 2nd Fleet were deployed as quickly as possible to help rescue civilians from buildings and fight the many fires raging in the city. Attempts to repair the water supply continued, while nearly seventy soldiers lost their lives either rescuing civilians or being attacked by retreating Myanmar forces. The Marimaians were quick to request assistance from the Hudecians in stemming the spread of the blaze; whether the Hudecians had any equipment for it was irrelevant, the Marimaians simply needed more hands on the ground.

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::Mandalay::

The Marimaian forces had gathered a few miles from the city in order to draw up a battle plan. The arrival of the Spyrans was cheered heartily, as it meant that Marimaia wouldn't be alone in trying to take Mandalay. Reports were coming in of Myanmar troops retreating towards Mandalay from the south, so the Marimaian air force was called in to strafe them while artillery was directed towards the path of the retreaters.

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::Karen State::

The Jungle Warfare Corps were being given great responsibility as even more JWC forces were deployed to locate and destroy the remaining Myanmar troops. Accompanied by forces from the Karen National Defense Organisation (KNDO), the JWC units made their way through the jungles. The JWC also coordinated with Hinds to provide air-to-ground assaults. Meanwhile, the supply depot attacked by enemy forces was being repaired in hopes that it would still be able to function effectively.

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::Marimaian-Kayah State Border::

Using information obtained through the 'questioning' of captured Myanmar troops, the border patrols had been alerted to the possibility of insurgency forces and had stepped up their readiness accordingly. The NeoSuun Guard division in the city of Yonbin was also contacted, in case heavier combat troops were required.

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::Broadcast from Aung San Suu Kyi to the people and military of Myanmar::

"This war has lasted long enough. There has been horrendous bloodshed, and the city of Rangoon is ablaze. I am aware that military forces have been retreating to Mandalay, and I ask them to think about their nation. I have been in discussions with Premier Chiisu Suun of Marimaia; if the defenders of Mandalay surrender, they will not be mistreated. I ask the defenders of Mandalay to either surrender to the liberating forces which are moving on the city, or to desert the military and return home to your families. I also ask the rest of Myanmar's soldiers to either surrender or desert. Your dedication to your duty is admirable, but you have been serving the wrong leaders.

If you are truly loyal citizens of our nation, how could you, in good conscience, attempt to raze our capital city and in the process try to murder thousands of innocent civilians. Who knows how many children have been killed as a result? Who knows how many of your own families have been harmed as a result of your own indiscriminate actions? These actions were ordered by your commanders, who seek nothing more than their own luxury at the expense of your survival. They claim to do all this out of patriotism, but the reason they give these orders is so that they can keep their tyrannical power, something which they will lose as a result of liberation. Without you, they cannot hold onto power, so remove them and join the rest of us as we move towards freedom and prosperity!"

-Hudecian Fleet--Harbour of Rangoon-

"The only firefighting equipment we have is the waterguns on the decks of our transports," Captain Howard explained to the Marimaians. "From our ships we can spray parts of the docks but no further.. and our ships are being manned by skeleton crews to give you an additional 150 men for firefighting duty."

"Any refugees can be ferried from the city by the transports."

Mandalay

Communications between Mandalay and the outside world were cut off to prevent any knowledge from reaching the civilians. Meanwhile, the city continued to strengthen its defenses as loyalists and guerillas poured in from the northern and western frontiers. The military was still telling people they were being invaded, and news of the destruction of Yangon was attributed to Marimaian forces, rather then the retreating Myanmar troops.

Somewhere in Western Myanmar

Meanwhile, General Than Shwe, the former dictator, is continuing to maintain a low profile in a temporary capital deep in the western jungles. He is secretly gathering up a new army of tithed peasants, regulars, Indians, guerillas, and just about anyone else willing (and even many not so willing) to fight. He has begun digging a vast network of foxholes and primitive underground tunnels in the jungles as a last ditch defense effort.

The SRA 9th Airborne Regiment requests Marimaian permission to deploy several brigades at a forward Marimaian airfield, from which it will be in range to send units in to support the liberation of Mandalay. As substantial Spyran reinforcements remain some distance away, moving by sea, the Spyran high command believes that the deployment of paratrooper forces can get support in on the ground, in time to assist in an advance on the city.

Kim grinned. Her previous lover had done well in life. Now, if he didnt have a wife...

Then perhaps Kim would spend some time in Marimaia.

Her men looked quizzically at her.

"How do you know him?" her second-in-command asked.

"the Counter Terrorism College we held several years ago," Kim replied. "I was sent there, back in the Eighth Guards Assault."

Her second-in command laughed, and watched the Hind as it came in for a landing.

"What shall I write in the report?" he asked.

"Everything," Kim replied. "But make sure you mark that damned thing with Level Shaizo Clearance."

He nodded, and gave someone his GPS. "See all of you back in Niago," he said.

They waved their goodbyes, and turned to the Marimaian officer.

"What now?" Kim asked.

Message to the Marimaian government:

We are happy to oblige. The contingent should arrive in several days' time.

Sakhalin'sk

The LRRN's oceangoing fleet, consisting of about 15 frigates of the Krivak MOD variety and 6 Sovremenny MODs, gathers offshore, escorting a pair of Ivan Rogov assault ships, six Ropucha class assault ships, and several type 773 large landing craft.

Soon, the 4th and 9th amphibious brigades (totaling 2,000 troops each) are embarked on the blatently russian-themed fleet, which sets sail towards Rangoon within two days. Through the sea of Japan and down past the Korean penninsula, the fleet is under the comprehensive LRR home defense umbrella, with ASM-armed Nimrods escorted by MiG-29Is never far away, and with missile boats in close call.

However, once in the east china sea they reach the limit of the relatively short arm of LRR nationally-based naval power, and have only the ship-borne weapons for defense, which is still quite a bit.

The amphibious brigades are equipped with a variety of engineering equipment and many ambulences and portable field hospitals. The fighting elements use Ikv-91 MOD light tanks and BTR-100 (locally modified BTR-50 series) APCs, as well as many lighter patrol vehicles, and Wiesel scout tanks.

::Rangoon::

General Shinamatra acknowledged Captain Howard's response. "I understand. I would like to thank you on behalf of Marimaia for your assistance during this time; we have a great many refugees moving towards the docks, so any evacuation support you can give would be greatly appreciated."

Meanwhile, the firefighters had only managed to contro a portion of the blaze. It was looking more and more likely that Rangoon would have to be completely rebuilt once the fighting was over...

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::Pacified Myanmar::

"Okay, we've been getting reports from refugees that there are enemy forces located somewhere in the west of the country; we have a few Jungle Warfare divisions moving there as we speak and Central Command wants you to accompany them. We're willing to give you a field commendation to reflect your experience and skill; you'll be commanding a division of hardened combat veterans. Show them how Islandians fight in the jungle, we may learn a few things. What do you say?"

Before Kim got to answer, Kikitsu received a message from Central Command. He smirked as he turned back to her.

"General Zhongji is extremely pleased to hear of your presence, and sends his wishes. He also hopes to see you after the war is over. He would come here in person, but he has to co-ordinate anti-insurgency operations within Marimaia."

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::Outside Mandalay::

The Marimaian forces continued to build up in preparation for the attack; elements of Combat Group Gamma had travelled from Shan State to link up with them. A message was sent to the Spyrans, welcoming the SRA 9th Airborne to Lawksawk AB; it was the only airbase close enough to allow the Spyrans any opportunity to get involved. The Marimaians began to move to encircle the city; the plan was to advance on the city from all directions, stretching the defenders to their limit.

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::Official Joint Statement by Premier Chiisu Suun and Aung San Suu Kyi (mostly by Suun)::

"We appear before you as representatives of our respective nations to make an offer. It has come to our attention that not all of the leaders of Myanmar's military regime are accounted for. In fact, we have yet to discover any evidence to prove that the former dictator, General Than Shwe, was in fact assassinated. Therefore, we are offering the sum of two million yenuans (approx. $3.3 million) for information leading to the capture of Myanmar's former junta. In addition, we would like to offer the sum of five million yenuans (approx. $8.3 million) to anyone who turns over a member of the junta to peacekeeping forces.

It is only a matter of time before we catch them; my advice to them would be to either commit suicide honourably or turn themselves over to non-Marimaian peacekeeping forces, as I cannot guarantee that our people will stay their guns if presented with the butchers of Rangoon."

Mandalay

Mandalay continues to be fortified, as troops from Yangon move hurriedly up the road, wittled away by enemy air strikes and artillery, to support their allies in defending the great city.

Meanwhile, in the city itself, the general, the former Deputy Minister of Defense, Major General Aung Hlaing, has smuggled a few thousand canisters of nerve gas into the city, to act as an extra surprise for the Marimaian invaders.

Near Yonbin -Marimaia

General Oo and the three hundred troops he snuck across the border have snuck through the jungles towards the Marimaian city of Yonbin. Oo orders the troops to launch a mortar attack on the city from three different angles, while one hundred of the troops will enter the city from a fourth side and try to do as much damage as possible.

At around midnight, the mortars commence firing into the heart of the city, focusing on military and industrial targets. The hundred troops entering the fourth side meet heavy resistance, but push as far into the city as possible, setting ries and shooting people.

The defense forces in Yonbin fight back, and eventually the troops are surrounded in the downtown area, where they are eventually subdued and captured after a huge shoot out.

The remaining three hundred troops outside the city fire one last barrage with their mortars and then retreat into the jungles.

::Mandalay::

"This has to stop. We'd be free if it wasn't for them occupying the city. Suu Kyi always used to say that we had to fight for freedom; I guess we'll have to."

"They said that the Marimaians destroyed Yangon!"

"Do you think, after all the lies they've told us over the years, that they're telling the truth now? Besides, Suu Kyi is with the Marimaians. She wouldn't side with anyone who was slaughtering her people!"

"So what do we do?"

The cell leader looked out of the window at the massed forces inside the city. "They look desperate. Listen, we can't expect Suu Kyi and the Marimaians to liberate us on their own! We need to take action ourselves!"

"It's martial law. There's nothing we can do!"

"Watch me."

The cell leader marched out of the door and grabbed some stones before heading towards the nearest military personnel. He began throwing stones and yelling at the soldiers, ignoring all orders to return home. The rest of his cell soon found their courage and joined him. The commotion drew the attention of other citizens; fed up with the occupation and the years of military control, a slow trickle began to join the group in the streets, ignoring the loudspeakers which ordered them to return home.

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::Yonbin, Marimaia::

The city was kept on full alert after the attack; the fire services managed to put the blazes out fairly rapidly after being joined by firefighting units from the NeoSuun Guard stationed in the city. A request was sent for back-up; a division of JWC troops was diverted from their planned destination of western Myanmar and made their way towards the northern jungles.

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::Western Myanmar::

Anti-military guerilla groups which would normally have had no interest in Marimaia whatsoever suddenly found their interest after hearing the rewards being offered for the former members of the junta.

After a trip lasting several days, the LRR force arrives off the coast of Mon State.

The flotilla of ships dispatches helicopters to watch for hostile missile/torpedo boats as the fleet moves in to make a landing.

A suitable beach is located, and the amphibious battalions put ashore. Most of the troops are landed directly onto the beach, and out of the ships roll light tanks, various wheeled fighting and support vehicles, and various configurations of the BTR-100, most of them engineering or medical specialties.

Opposition is not expected, but in the event, the R-112SF2 112mm artillery rocket launchers mounted on the landing ships and the various longer-ranged rockets mounted on the destroyers would probably provide ample firepower to fight off any attack on the landing.

Lawksawk AB

Spyran units begin to arrive by plane. Their commanding officers confer with their Marimaian counterparts, attempting to discern wether or not a paradrop into the city might be viable once its defences were occupied in the flanks.

Rangoon

The Spyran naval flotilla, seeing LRR forces going in to help secure Mon state, approaches Rangoon, and is shocked to see the city ablaze.
A flurry of communication is dispatched to the Hudecians and Marimaians near the docks, requesting advice on where troops might be landed to help keep whats left of the city from being consumed by the flames.

Once all ashore, the brigades head inland, into karen state, hoping to secure an airfield for reinforcements and supply shipments.

The first priority of the LRR forces, once in place, is to restore infrastructure and keep food coming to the people of the area.

Mergui Airbase
HQ, Bonstocknian Expeditionary Force, Myanmar

"Captain, we have an assignment for you. This may be pacified territory, but we still have fears of enemy action. We need to send a reconnaissence patrol to see what's out there. Especially in the town of Mergui."

"Well, we should patrol in small numbers, and on foot. We don't want to attract 'attention.'"

"True, but that may be a risk."

"A risk worth taking, by my book. The town is pacified. Right?"

"We don't know that."

"Well, we'll try to figure out."

"Assign some sergeant to lead a squad to the town. Go out, rifles slung on shoulders, and see what the hell is in that town."

"Yes, sir."

The captain went to a barracks. The men were chatting away, about their sweethearts at home or their desire to get out of this shithole and go shoot Sinoese soldiers. The captain quickly ended this. "Attention!" The men stood silently. "All right. I need volunteers for a patrol into the town of Mergui."

No one spoke for a while. The captain broke the silence. "B squad, 1st Platoon, you've just volunteered." He pointed them. The eyes of the ten men rolled back into their heads as they groaned. They collected their M-4 rifles, and made their way to a Humvee outside. The captain spoke again. "No humvees. Foot patrol. They'll take you as far as the town, and then off you go."

The men groaned again. After loading into the humvees, they sped off. With the captain well out of earshot, one of the men spoke up. "Come on. Why our squad? Why not A squad?"

"Quit whining. Besides, I've heard they've got good hookers in that town."

"We go any cash?"

"Only Bonstocknian. But does any Burman bitch have this?" He pulled a bottle of vodka out of his boot.

"Well, I guess that settles it."

Th humvees dropped them off, and the men started walking. Contrary to orders, they carried their carbines in their hands, in case of a surprise...

::Mandalay::

What started as a slow trickle became a torrent. Fed up with the constant demands of the military occupiers, acting on the frustration of all the times the military had put itself before the people, a growing crowd of citizens were hurling stones and abuse at the city's defenders. After some impromptu agitating, the NLD members led some of the braver citizens in a charge at the soldiers, wielding planks of wood, metal pipes and anything else they could scrounge.

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::Rangoon::

Marimaian firecopters were flying overhead, dumping their cargo of water over the city. General Shinamatra breathed a sigh of relief when the Spyrans arrived, and coordinated with their commander to move personnel into the city centre, where the worst of the blaze was still being tackled. In a bit of good news for the city, the water supply was finally repaired, allowing firefighters to gain access to closer water sources.

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::Central Command, Taishita::

Kunzai inspected the digital situation map and smiled.

"LRR and Spyran forces are moving in. Have our forces in Karen State turn over partial command to the LRR units, but remind them that Karen State will be joining Marimaia after the war, so we ask them not to interfere with our integration efforts. Move any freed-up Marimaian units towards Mandalay."

"Yes sir!"

"Hmm. The western regions are still pretty lawless; how long until we reach them?"

The analyst checked his information. "We should have two JWC units landing there within the next three hours, Marshal. They are to be followed by an AC division and a JWC division."

-Ottawa-

"Our troops were directly in the middle of the conflict!" Tanaka, the Interior Minister protested. "We lost 2 men and had 6 wounded during the conflict! We can't just disengage!"

"Putting more troops on the group would be a tacit approval of what the Marimaians have done," O'Hara explained. "Our troops got involved to prevent a massacre, which would have happened. Now, we need them to only act in a humanitarian role.. repairing hydro and water supplies."

"So we'll send in the 3rd Engineering Division to help smooth relations with Marimaia, and we'll keep out of the conflict to maintain our absolute neutrality," Fieldings summarized. "The engineers will take over many humanitarian roles inside Rangoon and will report to the Suu Kyi government only... not to the Marimaians if we can avoid it."

The amphibious brigades soon cross Mon state and enter Karen state. They arrive in Hpa-an, on the Thanlwin river, and set up their headquarters there.

The first place the brigades go is the town's shabby and undermaintained airfield. A base of operations is quickly set up, complete with a portable field hospital, and the airfield is made ready for operations.

Engineers and medical staff head out into the city in order to get an idea of the state of humanitarian conditions, and to mark areas for improvement. Combat units also begin to fortify the approaches to Hpa-an, as citizens look on.

Once the airfield is brought to operational capability (meaning that it is able to recieve An-72 transports), water purification equipment and agricultural supplies will be brought in.

::Pacified Myanmar::

"Okay, we've been getting reports from refugees that there are enemy forces located somewhere in the west of the country; we have a few Jungle Warfare divisions moving there as we speak and Central Command wants you to accompany them. We're willing to give you a field commendation to reflect your experience and skill; you'll be commanding a division of hardened combat veterans. Show them how Islandians fight in the jungle, we may learn a few things. What do you say?"

Before Kim got to answer, Kikitsu received a message from Central Command. He smirked as he turned back to her.

"General Zhongji is extremely pleased to hear of your presence, and sends his wishes. He also hopes to see you after the war is over. He would come here in person, but he has to co-ordinate anti-insurgency operations within Marimaia."


"I'm only a lieutenant," Kim reminded them. "But we will be willing to operate under the local commander; at most, we require another squad to aid us."

Her men nodded in agreement.

Now, Kim thought, if I could survive until everything is over....

*****
With the intensifying action in Myanmar, the East Islandian government has pledged small amounts of forces to aid Marimaia, mostly Pathet Cong Rangers (jungle specialists), small boat units, and special air units. Supplies, particularly food and medicine, have begun to arrive via cargo containers and IL76 aircraft.

Kirie Armor Technologies has offered to upgrade any Marimaian HMMVWs with spidersteel plating and special, optically tracked ATS anti-tank missile launchers or machine guns.

This appears to be a gesture by Kim Eun-jin's government to rehabilitate relations with Marimaia....

Outside Mergui

Lieutenant Pe crouched outside the town of Mergui; his ten man Zero Team formed a perimeter around him, and he grimaced as their medic, Medical Officer Jai, tended to his wound.

"Hang in there sir," Jai whispered as he finished cleaning out the five inch long gash with hydrogen peroxide. Jai then spooned small amounts of anti-biotic ointment onto it, applied a little bit of numbing lotion, and slapped on a spidersilk compress.

Pe sighed in relief, and nodded at Jai, who picked up his SAR21 rifle and returned to his position. Next to him, their communications specialist, Sergeant Cu, spoke quietly on the satellite radio wiht Sr. Colonel Tang, their mission supervisor.

Cu handed hte receiver to Pe, who spoke quickly and quietly into it.

"Sir?" Pe asked.

"Change of orders," Tang said. "Halt all attacks on Marimaian forces, and act in conjunction with them and any other allied forces in the area. Hostiles are now the Burmese loyalists. I'll probably be stopping by soon with Yu Detachment."

"Understood," Pe replied. "See you then, Colonel."

Pe handed the receiver back to Cu, and nodded at the petite Vietnamese to take her position downslope. She adjusted her pack slightly, and shouldered her rifle, heading off into the underbrush.

Pe whistled quickly, and signaled forward with his right hand. If he remembered correctly, there was an insurgent detachment nearby, one he had been monitoring. Now, with the change of orders, he would go and kill them.

Fifteen meters into the underbrush, Pe's point man whistled in a good imitation of a jungle bird, twice. The troops stiffened, and quickly took whatever cover they could find.

The point man splayed his hands, counting to ten. He then signaled htat the soldiers in sight were armed, and pointed in their direction.

Pe frowned. He switched his scope's viewing mode to infrared, and scanned through the forest. When he only saw several, he slid down his visor, hit a heartbeat sensor function, and discovered the presence of about ten blips.

He switched off hte heartbeat sensor, and pointed his scope, now in 5x magnification (normal viewing mode), at the nearest contact, about twenty meters away. He saw that the man carried an M4, and moved slowly through the underbrush, as if expecting trouble.

He frowned, and signaled for his men to stay quiet, but to also be ready for trouble. Just to be sure, he dialed up his heartbeat masker, and made sure that his infrared masker was on full power.

By the end of day 2 of the LRR deployment, the first An-72 transport carrying food aid and water purification equipment lands at the Hpa-an airstrip.

The STOL transport doesn't have much trouble, as its robust landing gear and sturdy overall construction are built for that kind of punishment, and soon after the engines are powered down several 4x4 MLV-2 trucks drive up to the jet, and begin to offload its cargo. The trucks then drive out to distribute the food aid in the city, and those carrying the water purification equipment and pumps head for the areas where engineers are beginning to construct public pumps out of the river.

A crowd of Hpa-an citizens stands around as the engineers, clad in the standard half olive drab, half DPM LRRA combat uniform, set up the new filtration and purification pumps. Driven by a small hydroelectric generator, the new pumps are able to kill parisites and bacteria in the river water, making it much safer to drink.

The engineers, many of whom are asian, show the onlookers how to work the pumps and how to repair them with several disassembled ones and manuals printed in the Burmese language.

The engineers themselves ride around in their specialist BTR-100s, escorted by light tanks based on the Alvis scorpion. The engineers attached to the amphibious brigades don't really need all of the heavy assault bridging equipment and the large tracked ferries, because their responsibilities as far as vehicles are so much less. They don't have to support all the non-amphibious vehicles and deal with the same climate as do the infantry and assault divisions. Generally a much leaner, deployment-oriented force as opposed to the defensive-oriented assault and infantry divisions, which can afford to operate lavish amounts of support vehicles and engineer detachments. In fact, the rest of the LRRA is practically an engineer unit.


On the outskirts of the town, defensive posts are set up, consisting of a squad or more of troops, equipped with a heavy machine gun and medium-range ATGMs, which will serve to protect Hpa-an from any attacks by remnants of the military dictatorship.

Also, a group of 20 troops, part of the combined peacekeeping force's recon element, board several semi-rigid assault boats, and proceed on their first river patrol.

A hand went up from the squad leader. The men crouched down. They had heard something in the jungle, and would rather not have trouble. This was, supposedly, a routine patrol. The squad leader looked into his sights. Ten people, obviously soldiers. He leaned over to another squad member. He whispered, "Hey, Frank, you speak any Burman?"

"A little."

"Well, you see those guys in the bushes?"

"Yea, Sarge."

"Well, ask who they are."

The man got up, and shouted in Burman, "HALT! IDENTIFY YOURSELVES!"

[Sorry it is taking so long to reply, I'll get around to it tonight]

::Attahuiga Palace, Shanjing::

Premier Suun seemed almost tranquil as he lay back in one of the many gardens which distinguished Attahuiga from Luozao, reading the latest romance novel to come out of Mishimi Publishing Concern. Attahuiga was geared more for relaxation than residence; it was known as 'Reflection Palace' because of Suun's tendency to unwind and meditate when there. Tian had drifted off to sleep nearby and was softly snoring, but one eye suddenly snapped open as Rongyi quietly made his way over.

Rongyi nodded at the First Spouse before continuing to Suun, who looked up with a smile.

"Isn't it a beautiful day, Rongyi? The sun is shining, there's a cool breeze, and we are surrounded by the finest blooms in Marimaia."

The Foreign Minister nodded. "Indeed, Your Excellency. If I may bother you for a brief time, I have word from Islandia. They are offering some military assistance; it would appear that they wish to heal the rift."

Suun closed his eyes and gently sighed. "Good news. Tell Kunzai to handle the operational details. How is Myanmar?"

"We appear to be winning against the resistance. Forces from LRR and Spyr are settling in well, from what Wanfa tells me. I'm sure it's only a matter of time until we are totally victorious; I have had an idea which could bring that day forward. We should officially turn over administration to Suu Kyi's government; she's proven her willingness to work with us, and it may help stabilise things even more."

Suun nodded. "I agree. Arrange a quick ceremony, and we can get it done tomorrow. Ask her to come here."

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::Official Broadcast of the Ceremony::

Suun and Suu Kyi sat at a table in the gardens of Attahuiga, both signing copies of the documents turning over official administration of Myanmar to the NLD. After exchanging documents and shaking hands, they approached the twin podiums for a press conference. Many of the press in attendance were from the MPIN, meaning that there would be no awkward questions and that praise would flow like water from the audience.

(OOC: Military update tomorrow)

With the official handover of power to the new Myanmar government, the PRS releases an official communique, giving full recognition to the government of Suu Kyi, and iterating that Spyran forces involved in peacekeeping duties in Myanmar will operate under that government's authority as long as they remain within the recognized borders of Myanmar.
The communique also issues recognition of the Marimaian territorial claims made at the beginning of the conflict.

Off the coast of Myanmar, the LRRN surface flotilla is an imposing sight from shore. It would probably be less imposing to onlookers if they had largely known that the ships they were looking at were the only LRRN ships displacing much more than 1,500 tons full load.

But still, it was a force sufficcent to keep a pretty tight hold on all coastal shipping, and had good projection capablity with the numerous shipboard helicopters.

"A little."

"Well, you see those guys in the bushes?"

"Yea, Sarge."

"Well, ask who they are."

The man got up, and shouted in Burman, "HALT! IDENTIFY YOURSELVES!"


OOC
i saw u first!
haha wutever

********
Pe rolled his eyes. By now, it was obvious that these guys werent Burmese; he could see Caucasian features through his long-range scope, and he noticed that they carried M4s instead of AKs.

On the other hand, they could shoot his troops anyway.

What the hell, Pe thought. He signaled to his troops to maintain position with two shrill whistles, and kept his rifle at firing position.

He nodded towards his language specialist, who promptly yelled that they were Islandians, and then called them idiots for shouting out who they were to the entire jungle.

::Tavoy, Pacified Myanmar::

With Mandalay still resisting and Rangoon gutted by fire, Tavoy was chosen as the temporary capital of the Burmese Provisional Government (BPG). The town was under Marimaian administration, and would become a Marimaian town once the necessary documents were signed. Suu Kyi looked around her new office, the reality finally dawning on her that she would have to rebuild her country almost completely. She also had to keep the Marimaians happy.

Vidura Dabaransi was an intimidating young man who was just over a head higher than Suu Kyi; he was also the Marimaian liason to the BPG and supervisor of all Myanmar operations involving Marimaian personnel, military or otherwise. He was tasked with keeping Suu Kyi in line and ensuring that she followed Marimaia's lead in important issues. As one of the Foreign Ministry's top experts on Myanmar, he was expected to do a good job.

Suu Kyi gazed out of the window at the Marimaian troops parading through the town centre, the population cheering them wildly. She fought to hide her unease at the sight, then turned to Vidura.

"We need to sort out this Mandalay situation. I've heard that there is widespread rioting, yet your troops still haven't moved in to assist the population!"

Vidura raised an eyebrow. "Madame President, I can assure you that the Mandalay situation will be dealt with. We will not allow Myanmar's second city to resist change, and we will not allow your citizens to die unnecessarily. You have my word."

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::Mandalay::

General Phutak was pleased when his forces were finally ready to advance. Intelligence indicated civil unrest in the city; Phutak was eager to use it while it lasted. Having heard the reports of gas use in Rangoon, Phutak had ordered his troops to don protective gear; it would make them less mobile, but at least any gas attacks would be of limited effectiveness.

"Send the order. All units, advance."

The Marimaians began closing in, entering the outskirts and meeting heavy resistance. Soldiers were cut down on all sides of the advance, but they slowly began to advance further.

Meanwhile, the rioting crowd continued to grow, hurling projectiles while trying to defend themselves from the Myanmar forces.

Coordinated with their Marimaian counterparts, Spyran troops advance on Mandalay.

Overhead, a Spyran UAV probes air defences and tries to discover the current status of the civilian uprising within.

While all the fighting goes on around Mandalay, LRR forces continue to bring in food aid and humanitarian equipment via An-72 STOL transports. It is distributed throughout Hpa-an and the surrounding areas.

So far, no hostile forces have been encountered, but the LRRA is still on the alert...

"Sarge, they say they're Islandians, and they told us to pipe down."

"Islandians?" The Sargeant got up and half whispered, "Don't shoot, we're Bonstocknians. Friendlies, I believe, in this situation." The rest of the squad got up, somewhat frightened by the whole experiance, but relieved to know these were allied troops. Some slung their M-4s over their shoulders. The Sergeant came over to the Islandians. "Hey, you guys found any guerrillas around here? We got back up if you need it."

-Ottawa-

Officially the Hudecian government recognized the Suu Kyi government as the one and only representative of the people of Myanmar. In accordance with this came an offer of humanitarian assistance in the form of food and military engineers to help rebuild the country. As well, the Myanmar embassy in Ottawa was officially turned over to Suu Kyi.

::Tavoy::

"It's refreshing to see that the rest of the world has not forgotten us here in Myanmar."

Suu Kyi read over the Hudecian request again before turning to her Foreign Minister. "Send Ottawa our profound thanks for their offer, and inform them that we welcome Hudecian assistance in rebuilding our nation. Also inform them that we will send an ambassador in due course, but at present we have urgent domestic matters to attend to."

As the minister left, Vidura turned from the window and smiled at her.

"Excellent news, I think we all agree on that. However, I feel that once the Hudecians arrive you should make it clear that, as Myanmar's protector, if Marimaia deems an area off-limits then the area is not to be entered under any circumstances. I hope you can understand the wisdom of such a decision."

Suu Kyi frowned. "I suppose that is acceptable."

Vidura smirked. "I am pleased to hear that. After all, where was Hudecia when you were being oppressed? Never forget who liberated you, as we will always take care of you."

"Don't think we're not appreciative of your intervention. Without you, I would be under house arrest and my people would still be under military oppression."

"Hey, you guys found any guerrillas around here? We got back up if you need it."


Pe crept up to the Bonstockian, rifle butt pointing down. He looked at their uniforms, and surveyed their team, and then whistled to his men, who jogged over.

"Guerillas by the river," he said. "We were monitoring them for a few days; we dont have enough firepower to hit them though, and cant exactly call in an airstrike, since the Marimaians dont know we're here. Can you boys help us out wit that?"

Some of the men exchanged cigarettes or granola bars, although no one else spoke. The others kept a perimeter around the small group as the leaders conversed quietly.

"Not enough anti-tank weapons," Pe said. "I think they may have a bunker or two; we were due for resupply in a day, so we were going to hit them then."

********
Kim looked out the door of the helicopter as it flew over occupied Myanmar. She didnt hear much over the din, and there was not much to do, so she re-checked her rifle, and took out her mirror. She applied some more camouflage paint to her face, and sat back.

WIthin minutes, the helicopter touched down, and Kim jogged out. She was surprised to see Ka-60Ms alongside her craft, and even more shocked to see Colonel Tang greet her.

"We're here to help the Marimaians," he said. "PRemier Kim is acknowledging her mistakes."

The two of them walked to find the unit commander as troops unloaded their gear quickly.

The Sergeant turned to Pe. "Well, we've got A-10s and artillery at base, some B-52s and B-2s on call in Maropian Coast, and we could probably put some bunker busters on anything they have, but that may be overkill. I think we can get some Javelin missiles if we need to go up close." He pulled a canteen out of his shirt. "Want some vodka?"

::Chin State, Western Myanmar::

Major-General Nitaya nodded to the two Islandian officers as he looked up from his map.

"Glad to have you guys back on our side. Now, we've been receiving intel from refugees and local anti-military insurgents that there's a heavy anti-liberation resistance presence in this region. It's possible that this is their base of operations; it's far away from the front-line and the terrain doesn't exactly lend itself to vehicles."

He stopped in order to receive a report from one of his subordinates before continuing.

"Some local fighters claim that they have spotted movements in the mountains; they have offered to take us there in exchange for food and money. I would like you to send some of your people with the fighters to assess the size and threat level of any enemy forces, so that we can gather the necessary firepower and take them out. Once these guys are cleared up, we should be able to assume peace-keeping duties and you guys can head off home."

[OOC: Does anyone know where Japannese Islands is? It's becoming a bit difficult continuing without him.]

-Ottawa-

"They have accepted the offer of Hudecian engineering teams," O'Hara retorted. "And we all know that Hudecian engineering teams are armed well enough to take take of themselves."

There were more cracks within the LDP cabinet as warhawks and doves stared each other down. The issue right now was security in Myanmar, in an hour they would be arguing about the Marimaian 'protection'.

What most people and indeed most countries still did not realize was that a Hudecian 'engineering' division was armed as well as a marine division. Only difference was that the engineers drove bulldozers, marines flew in helicopters. These weapons were always concealed for obvious reasons, but the were still there.

At this point however, it was good that Suu Kyi accepted the offer because the teams had already been silently dispatched.

"Why should we trade one tyrant for another?" was the common refrain in Hudecian newspapers with regards to the Marimaian 'protection' of Myanmar. In the long term, Hudecian politicians were expecting Myanmar to become another Xinjiang.

North Yaman praises the liberation of Myanmar by the forces of the Marimaia government. Unfortunately the SFD can give no assistance, due to the ongoing Operation Red Plain, where Arrowguard and Spearguard troops are moving to end a Warlord uprising in northern Helekar. The Council does send its wishes for an end to the counter-revolutionary forces within Myanmar, and its possible joining with the SSRC with Marimaia as a protector state.

"Want some vodka?"


Pe looked at him quizzically.

"Vodka now?" he asked, shaking his head. He shrugged and refused.

His communications specialist walked up to him and whispered quickly into his ear. He nodded, and turned to the Bonstockian.

"She says some of my countrymen are nearby, and will assist if needed. We can show you to their hideout. but first, we may wish to call in the location of the base, so if we cannot destroy it, at least we can mark it for our comrades."

As Pe spoke, he tweaked hte laser designator on the bottom of his rifle, setting it on 'ordnance guidance' mode. He grinned.

These dual function lasers were something, he thought. Better than having a separate, heavier weapon for designating targets.

One of his men whistled, and held up a fist.

Pe hissed at the Bonstockians and slid his visor down. He toggled through the modes, and noticed two heartbeats nearby.

"Scouts, maybe hostiles," he whispered. He whistled to his men, a higher tone, and waved his fist.

****
Colonel Tang nodded to the Marimaian commander.

"Lieutenant Kim, you take your team and Lieutenant Xiu's squad and patrol around here, the easternmost trail. Senior Lieutenant Ku and I will take the west, and one of Major Rang's Zero Teams will follow the fighters. Major Rang's other team will stay behind, and serve as a reserve element aboard the Ka-60Ms.

"I want comm silence at all times, and if you engage the enemy, make sure you kill them all. Travel light, and keep your weapons cleaned and your facepaint dark."

Kim nodded, and ran off to direct her men. Soon, they were aboard a Ka-60M, and inbound for their assigned sector. Within minutes, more Ka-60s had left.

They deposited the troops several kilometers from their designated ambush points; Major Rang's Zero Team had to walk up the mountain, behidn the fighters.

If the fighters lied about the enemy or led them into an ambush, their village would be destroyed.

OOC: As we all know, poor JI is experiencing a difficult patch and therefore can't continue RP'ing as the Myanmar military. So what I was thinking was this:

Mandalay surrenders to liberation forces, as the soldiers there can't fight both the attacking troops and the civilians who are revolting. Meanwhile, efforts in the west intensify until finally the liberators have a final showdown with Than Shwe and his last defenders.

What do you guys think? It solves the major siege and then allows some good ol' insurgent hunting.

OOC:
Hmm... do you want myself or EI to RP the insurgent's POV?

OOC:
Hmm... do you want myself or EI to RP the insurgent's POV?

OOC:

EI is currently RP'ing people who are on the frontline; I have no doubt that he can pull off RP'ing both sides, but since Hudecia is less involved in the insurgent hunting, it makes more sense for you to RP them.

-Mandalay-

The city was in more or less a state of confusion as the Myanmar army fought against its own citizens and prepared to fight the liberators.

The citizens could not put up much resistance against the army, rocks could not stop guns. Within hours, news of a massacre might reach the outside world. Inside Mandalay, the protests would mostly cease, merely because people still valued their lives, and those who didn't would quickly lose them.

The chief commanders of the armies would slip out of the city before the liberators had completely encircled the place.

-Outskirts of Tavoy-

In a demonstration of the reach that the army still had, about 50 loyalists attacked Marimaian forces just outside the city. Of course they were quickly chased back taking heavy casualties, but they had made their point. For Suu Kyi, it would have been safer in house arrest than now.

Mandalay

As troops began their approach to the city, Spyran fighter-bombers and paradrop aircraft took off from Lawksawk AB and sped towards the city.

The fighters arrived first, making a pass over the city and targeting AA defence points with light laser-guided bombs... the ordnance would not be as effective against armoured targets, but the price was worth reducing the potential for collateral damage.

"Ah, come on, vodka's good!" He popped the top and glugged some down, before closing the canteen and putting it back in his field jacket. "Anyway, where were we?" He then listened to the Islandian's remarks.

He looked over, and noticed some movement in the woods. He took his M-4 in hand, and took aim, trying to get his sight on an infrared setting. He finally got it on, and then looked. Suddenly, it went dark. "Damn, batteries ran out," he whispered to himself. He turned to another soldier, and whispered, "Hey, you got any batteries?" The soldier didn't respond. The sergeant tapped him on the shoulder. The soldier looked over. The sergeant said, somewhat louder, "Do you have any batteries?"

The soldier pulled an his an ear-piece out of his ear. "What?"

"Do you have any batteries?"

"No."

"I thought I gave you some before the partol, remember?"

"Yeah."

"What happened to them?"

"Uh, I needed them."

The sergeant noticed the earpiece dangling from a chord. He siezed it, and held it to his ear. He heard something playing very loud.

...Give me a sign... Hit me baby one more time!

Furious, the sergeant loudly whispered "What the hell are you doing with this? We're in a god damn warzone! Give me that..." He pulled at the chord, hoping to get at whatever was playing the music. He pulled an I-pod out of the soldier's pocket.

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Pipe down! The whole god damn jungle can hear you!" He grabbed the I-pod, and pulled out the batteries, and then inserted them into his rifle sight. He handed back the I-pod. "Save this filth for base, or I'll have you back down to private before you can say..."

"Sir, I am a private."

"Well... then I'll make a new rank for you. Designated latrine private. How would you like that?"

"I'm already a designated latrine cleaner."

"Then what the hell are you doing in my squad?"

"I came along to see some Burmese women."

"Well, take your rifle and shoot them!"

"But I traded my ammo for a night with a hooker down in Mergui."

The sergeant put his hand to his head, and pulled out some ammo. "Use this. And no more paying hookers with ammo. We don't want that ammo falling into the wrong hands. How much did you give her?"

"Five magazines worth, and two RPG shots."

The sergeant shook his head, and thought, So this is what has become of the proud Bonstocknian army.

"They were better when we fought them," Pe said quietly to a subordinate.

"Now they'll kill us," she replied. "By giving our positions away."

Pe hissed at them. "I hope you're ready to die!" he snarled, his voice barely above a whisper. "If you're not, then shut the hell up and hunker down; I hear them closing in around us."

The soldiers quickly shut up. Though, Bonstocknian conscripts had always been merely reckless 18 year olds, all of them in combat for the first time. The sergeant looked into his scope, and saw the movement. He signaled his troops to get down. He signalled the radioman, and whispered very softly to him, "Get on the line. Ask for re-enforcements and an artillery strike." He turned to the soldier he had just reprimanded. Again, in a very, very soft whisper, he said, "Hey, how far are those objects over there?"

He took his scope, and looked into the laser range finder. In another whisper, the soldier replied, "Probably 50 meters."

"Good." He turned to the radioman. "You have the coordinates?"

"Yes."

"Good. Lets see if they're hostile, if not prepare to call in artillery and air strikes, and reinforcements."

"I just called. None are avaliable. The Air Force is awaiting spare parts for A-10s, and they'd take too long anyway. And reinforcements will take at least an hour to get here, and using their humvees they'd be useless anyway. But artillery is avaliable."

"Well, I'd hesitate to ask for that. I don't want to be hit by friendly fire. Ask them to get two A-10s in the air ASAP, and get them to patrol around incase we need them." He then signaled his soldiers to be ready. By now, all saw the figures approaching. They prepared their M-4 carbines, and took careful aim, waiting for an order to fire. Some looked around, just in case someone approached from behind.

(OOC: Sorry about the lack of updates, I've just been a bit busy; an update is on the way though)

::Tavoy::

"I don't believe it. We have superiority in every way, yet they still refuse to accept defeat. Was there some form of communal lobotomy procedure introduced for your armed forces?"

Suu Kyi almost chuckled. "Vidura, they're desperate. Desperate people don't often think, they act. There are only three ways to end this conflict: kill all insurgents, make a deal with them, or surrender to them."

Vidura gave her a sarcastic smirk. "Such helpful advice; maybe we should just pull out of your nation and leave you to clear up the mess. Oh, wait, you need us. Our forces and the other peacekeepers can only do so much; it's your country, why don't you try helping?"

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

::Official Broadcast by Aung San Suu Kyi on all media::

"This message goes out to those military personnel still opposing liberation. We are offering you an amnesty; by 'we', I mean the Burmese Provisional Government. You performed your patriotic duty in defending your government, but that government has fallen and won't be coming back. Perform your patriotic duty once again by laying down your arms and assisting to rebuild your nation. With your efforts, we can create a new Myanmar, more prosperous and free than it has been before. Stop the bloodshed. Stop the deaths of innocents. Let us move forward, hand-in-hand. Your people need you to assist them; do not turn your backs on them by continuing this struggle."

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

::Across Myanmar::

Combined units comprised of JWC and AC troops began moving in on suspected insurgent bases and supply dumps, acting on intelligence gathered from local citizens.

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

::Mandalay::

The citizen mob was shrinking as many lost their initial nerve; the NLD members decided that discretion was the better part of valour and joined the civilians. Their decision was assisted by the Spyran aircraft attacking the AA positions. Meanwhile, the advancing forces were encountering difficulties in penetrating further into the city. General Phutak sent a message to Central Command requesting further assistance; an AC unit was diverted from its previous position and put on standby for deployment to Myanmar's second city.

-Mandalay-

Indeed many of the Myanmar soldiers, even the most veteran of them were beginning to lose their nerve for this fight. However, the most pressing point for them was the fact that they were still fighting foreign forces. But firing on the civilian population had broken the spirits of many of the men, causing desertion to become a rampant problem.

The hospitals were overflowing with wounded, and many people died waiting to see a doctor or nurse. The Myanmar army personnel pitched in where they could, allowing military doctors to work in the hospital.. and use the basement as an ammo dump of course.

In many cases desertion did not automatically mean that the men were through fighting. Resistance could take on many different forms, and army loyalists persisted in portraying the Spyran and Marimaian forces as occupiers rather than liberators.

Stories about Suu Kyi being held against her will and forced to support the Marimaian oppressors were slowly circulating around. Tales of the Marimaian forces destroying Rangoon and of the Spyran air attacks on the city of Mandalay were spun, exaggerated and disseminated.

-Rangoon-

The persistent problems with food shortages, insufficient clean water and the general unsatisfactory life in the former capital city of Myanmar were reaching the breaking point. People were totally unhappy and were abandoning the city in droves.

OOC: Ok.. here was my plan for the resistance more or less.. and you guys can have your say in how it goes down... the military is using the delay at Mandalay to start organizing its resistance more formally. They will start using kidnappings and executions of foreign personnel to scare the occupiers.

Suu Kyi will be the target of assasination attempts if she comes out of her bunker. Once/If she dies, Marimaian forces will take the brunt of the blame for failing to protect her.. and maybe even be accused of orchestrating the entire event.

OOC: but first... to remove any posibility of Hudecia benefiting from this...

IC:
-Rangoon harbour-

It was twilight, and the rubber boats slowly paddled their way closer and closer to the Hudecian freighter near the shore. Once there, the climbed the outside of the vessel up onto the deck.

The sentry on duty yelled a warning before he was cut down by a hail of automatic gunfire. The invaders then split into 5 teams of 4 and hurried down into the ship. Moving quickly and efficiently, they attacked the Hudecian sentries and caught many of them still in their PJs.

Three minutes later, a brief signal could be received from the freighter.

"This is the HS Buffalo ... we have been attacked by heavily armed forces.... at least 3 of our men are dead..... 16 captured... *shots heard in the background*... we can't hold them off for much longer... requesting immediate assis*BANG*......................"


-Ottawa-

"HS Conrad Black reported seeing several bodies being thrown overboard.. 5 they said... they recovered them all but there was 26 sailors and soldiers on board," defence minister Ingelton told Fieldings quietly at the Cabinet meeting.

"Alright, who did it and why?" Fieldings asked calmly.

"We don't know."

-Near the Bonstockian and Islandian positions-

"Keep your heads down! I think I hear something!" The squad commander hissed at his men.

The advantage was clearly on the side of the Myanmar troops in this case, but that didn't necessarily mean that they had the ability to fully realize their potential.

This group had been fleeing the fighting at Mandalay and attempting to escape to Taunggyi where they had been told that a resistance cell was organizing. In the process, most of their heavy equipment had been lost, heavy machine guns, a lot of ammo and even their helmets in some cases. Still, they were carrying explosives and grenades under orders that no matter what those needed to get through.

OOC: Bonstock.. I know you have an aviation base somewhere in Myanmar... do you mind if I RP the capture of one or two of your more.... adventurous privates? They'd be held hostage of course.. and I'd like to see how you respond.

OOC: Ok.. here was my plan for the resistance more or less.. and you guys can have your say in how it goes down... the military is using the delay at Mandalay to start organizing its resistance more formally. They will start using kidnappings and executions of foreign personnel to scare the occupiers.

Suu Kyi will be the target of assasination attempts if she comes out of her bunker. Once/If she dies, Marimaian forces will take the brunt of the blame for failing to protect her.. and maybe even be accused of orchestrating the entire event.

OOC: Sounds good. The Marimaians have a few more plans up their sleeve for trying to bring about a peaceful resolution, as well as a couple of plans for leaving the nation in total chaos. There's also the plan which would result in most Asian nations slapping sanctions or worse on Marimaia, but obviously I'm hoping not to use that (although it might be interesting to see it implemented).

Anyhoo, I'm off to bed in a minute, so I'll get my stuff up tomorrow.

Mandalay

Having achieved some apparent success at suppressing anti-aircraft positions in the city, and with forces pushing from outside slowing down, Spyran paratroopers drop onto the city just before dawn, aiming for points behind defensive fortificatons, or around ammunition dumps (though, in the case of the latter, they likely have little success... if the Myanmar military is hiding ammunition in schools and hospitals, the Spyrans aren't likely to try and storm through civilian infrastructure to get them).

The goal of the paratroopers is simple: force units away from the defences to tighten patrol within the city, and damage defensive points from the inside, so that troops outside might be able to break through and flank the rest of the defences.

Rangoon
Spyran forces complete the offloading of their armoured units from transport vessels, allowing them to join the infantry currently trying to assist in alleviating the difficulties in Rangoon. Some food supplies are distributed, and field hospitals turn themselves over to serving the civilian populace... but the Spyrans have only limited resources available on the ground.

-Rangoon Harbour-

The captured Hudecian vessel began making erratic manouvres at the entrance of the harbour, obstructing Spyran vessels who were trying to get into or out of the port.

All the while, the Hudecian frigate Conrad Black was fully recrewed and was following the transport intently. Should any other vessels attempt to move in on the ship the Hudecians would fire warning shots and warn them away.

All militaries in the area were promptly warned of the captured Hudecian freighter and of the 21 hostages on board.

-Ottawa- PRESS CONFERENCE

"This morning, the Hudecian frieghter Buffalo was boarded by members of the Myanmar Resistance Corps who promptly killed 5 of the Hudecian soldiers on board and captured 21 Hudecians including the captain of the vessel," Fieldings appeared visible agitated and worried in making the statement. "In the last 60 minutes, I received a message from these militants, stating their intention to execute the hostages and scuttle the ship should their demands not be met."

The press corps sat in more or less astonishment as Fieldings took a quick gulp of water from a nearby glass, his hand shaking perceptibly.

"Never in Hudecia's history have we been faced with such a crisis, on one hand are the lives of 21 of our citizens. On the other we face an almost equally destructive choice... giving in," Fieldings put his hand on the podium to stop it from shaking. "I promise you and the Hudecian people that I will do what is necessary to defend this nation and its citizens, at whatever the cost."

-Mandalay-

Indeed, troops from the front lines had to be diverted to combat the paratroopers deep inside this city. However, this had the expected side effect of totally destroying much of the inner city.

Fires ran almost unchecked as Spyran and Myanmar forces battled back and forth inside the city. Firehouses and hospitals were completely overwhelmed. The police force was almost completely obliterated, and for a good portion of the city, gangs were beginning to take control.

Spyran air attacks had destroyed what AA defences they had, but in the process had destroyed a lot of civilian infrastructure.

With the city in shambles almost as bad as Rangoon, the Myanmar armed forces in the city, in a move that could prove to be troublesome for Marimaia and its allies, made a public statement:

"In order to lessen the suffering of the people of Mandalay, we, the defenders of Mandalay and the people of Myanmar have decided to surrender the city to the occupying forces. We ask nothing except that their armies halt their unceasing attacks on the city and its population which have ruined this city."

The Socialist Federal Dominion condemns the terrorist organization that comprises the Myanmar insurgents and recognizes the Burmese Provisional Government as the official administration. Once there is a better transport system for Spearguard troops to enter the warlord controlled areas of Helekar in Lyong, certain Arrowguard units may be assigned to assist Spyran efforts against the terrorists.

OOC: Bonstock.. I know you have an aviation base somewhere in Myanmar... do you mind if I RP the capture of one or two of your more.... adventurous privates? They'd be held hostage of course.. and I'd like to see how you respond.

ooc: Hmm... I'll think about it...

ic:

Mergui Air Base
Barracks, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 6th Airborne Division

The room was loud with men talking. Many were gathered around the television, watching the Bonstocknian news. Some hissed, some wisecracked, all noted that there was only a small section talking about their mission. "In other news the Defense Department has reported the completion of the deployment of the 6th Airborne Division and the 145th Tactical Fighter Wing to Mergui Airbase, Myanmar. Their mission is to stabilize southern Myanmar against possible, but unlikely, guerrilla attacks in the wake of the Marimaian invasion, and to participate in reconstruction efforts. Now to our top story tonight, the growing crime wave on the streets of Port Yuko..."

Some of the men were sitting on their bunks, waiting for a chance to deploy. They were drinking, and playing poker. Ammo poker. He who won got more ammunition, which could be quite useful, many had found, with buying 'services' in Mergui.

"All right. You guys better read 'em and weep... Three aces!"

The group looked on, disappointed. Except for one. He showed his cards. "Full house."

He smiled, and said, "Damn you, Frank!"

"Thanks, Bill!" He smiled back, and took the pot of ammo. "Say, who wants to go jack a humvee and go blow this on some hookers!"

The group, with five soldiers, said in unison, "Yeah..."

They exited the building, and got into one of the battalion humvees, and drove to the exit. An MP asked them their purpose. "Patrol orders." one said. The MP, to interested in a magazine to care, let them through.

They saw small groups of soldiers patrolling around the base on foot, though all within a mile or so of the gates. "Hey, when's our patrol?"

"Three in the mornin'. Long as we're back by then we're fine."

"Good."

It was about six. The Humvee sped, rather fast, meeting no cars on the way, only villagers on bicycles. They entered the Mergui village, and left two soldiers to guard the Humvee while the other three went in the building with the red lantern. The others would then have their turn, then they'd all get drunk, and then they'd go back to base in time for their patrol. So long as they were back by then, all was fine.

::Attahuiga Palace, Shanjing::

Premier Suun sipped at his tea as the meeting came to a close; the rest of the cabinet seemed pleased with the decisions made.

"With Mandalay's surrender, we have all major settlements. Undoubtedly there will still be resistance, but none of us thought it would be easy. The security agencies will coordinate with the People's Anti-Terrorism Organisation and functioning Burmese authorities to contain insurgents until Suu Kyi has her own security forces trained. The Defence Ministry will send officers and training personnel to help forge the new Burmese Defence Forces; the Economics Ministry will help them get their economy back on its feet through economic assistance loans. The Concerns have agreed to open up business in Myanmar, working with local authorities to best situate themselves. We will also help the PBG establish an efficient bureaucracy, as well as assisting in the national elections."

Suun nodded as Fanrong went over the plans. "Elections which she will win, I am certain. To accomodate ethnic minority concerns, we will suggest to her that the states of Myanmar should have more autonomy, allowing the various groups to essentially govern themselves. How are integration efforts going in the states which will be joining Marimaia?"

Shugan Wei flicked through his dossier. "The Shan are warming up to us greatly; the other minorities are still hesitant about joining our nation, but humanitarian and reconstruction operations seem to be winning them over. At some point, we will have to ask non-Sphere nations to remove peacekeepers from those areas so that we can annex them fully."

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

::Myanmar::

General Phuket was ecstatic at the siege's end; he ordered his troops to enter Mandalay and clear up any lingering resistance. All Marimaian forces were ordered to exercise restraint and deiscipline in this matter.

Meanwhile, preparations to establish refugee camps outside Rangoon and Mandalay continued quickly; Marimaian specialists were also working on plans to rebuild the cities now that they were under Marimaian jurisdiction.

-Mergui-

The agents had seen the three Bonstockians enter the tavern. Regardless of which gals they chose to have, the result would be the same.

Six members of the resistance corps stood by ready to pounce on them and catch them 'with their pants down' both in the literal and figuremental sense. Using baseball bats and the butts of their rifles, the Bonstockians would be sufficiently 'subdued' before they would be transfered.

"Damn white pigs..." the one agent swore as he watched the two others waiting outside at the Humvee. "Can't wait to get between the legs of our women..."

"Don't be too harsh.." the commander warned. "If they did not have such a soft spot for our women they would have never given us such an opportunity. We shall.. how do they say .. hoist them on their own petards yes?"

The commander signaled three girls, who promptly made their way over to the Bonstockians guarding the humvee and began flirting with the two men. Once they were sufficiently distracted and disarmed, four men would jump them and beat them senseless.

-Rangoon Harbour-

The unfolding tragedy took a dramatic turn as the deadline neared.

Three Hudecian helicopters filled with marines attempted to storm the HS Buffalo with tragic results. Despite being able to land on the ship, explosives on the deck of the ship were detonated, killing 7 and destroying 1 of the helicopters. As well, 3 more marines were captured.

In a show of force, the MRC videotaped the execution of 5 of the prisoners including the ship's captain, a marine, 2 seamen, and the ship's communication officer. Their bodies were tossed over the side of the ship for the Conrad Black to confirm and the video was fed through Hudecian satellites to the Hudecian Star, the principle newspaper in Ottawa.

Spyran troops in Rangoon continue to assist in security and relief efforts (while ships in harbour remain at a wary distance from the occupied Hudecian vessel). The same occurs in Mandalay, and engineering platoons set about making what repairs they can to buildings damaged during the fighting. Although the Spyrans suffer from having only a handful of officers who have any knowledge of the native language, political sections attempt to establish a rapport with the populace, and undo damage caused by the Myanmar military's surrender statement (which is being characterized in mainstream Spyran media as 'a criminal deception over where responsibility lies for the difficulties occuring during the liberation of Mandalay').

Aboard nuclear attack submarine Pechang
Rangoon harbor

"Surface action," the radar officer reported, listening through his scopes. "Missiles, helos...everything. Several helicopters shot down."

"Command says that hostages have been executed," communications reported. "They're telling us to prepare for a raid."

Captain Shuang sighed, and ran his hand through his thinning hair. "I suppose," he replied glumly. "Get the Sea Dragons ready for combat, and tell them that they're going to bag a few terrorists. Ready some EMPs, and see if you can fix up some ways to frazzle detonators."

"EMPs should do the trick," Weapons replied. "Depending, of course, on the fuse the terrorists are using. But EMPs should do the trick."

"Now if we can only get permission from Ottawa," Captain Shuang said. He looked over at the display screen, and frowned. "How many Sea Dragons do we have?"

"Thirty."

"Terrorists?"

"Unknown."

"Get the ranking Dragon here," Captain Shuang ordered. "We need to work a plan. And communications, ask Ottawa for permission...rather, tell them we're leaving in an hour or so, if our government hasnt already told them of the situation."

********
Outside Mergui

Pe crouched and his mouth nearly fell open in horror as he noticed the blips that showed up on his heartbeat sensor. He shook his head, and raised his rifle, aiming it in the direction of one of the blips, and magnified.

He saw an Asian, dressed in camouflage, and armed with the ubiquitous AK47 (Im assuming thats wut ur using). He moved his scope to the right, and saw a satchel charge hanging off someone's belt, and shook his head.

Pe knew he was outnumbered, and had to fight and kill them first. He snapped his fingers at the Bonstockian leader, then pointed to the left. He then whistled to his heavy weapons specialists, one armed with an ATS antitank missile, and the other with a CIS Ultimax machine gun.

Pe motioned around the bend, and balled his fist, and pointed to his underbarrel grenade launcher. His troops nodded, slipped grenades into their launchers, and fanned out.

Pe checked their positions, switched his scope to infrared view, and put his visor to the up position. He aimed carefully, took the safe off hte grenade launcher, and pressed the trigger.

A 40mm grenade shot from the weapon, followed by seven more. Soon, an ATS missile rushed into the underbrush, and automatic weapons began to open up.

With the capture of the Buffalo, the LRRN myanmar task group diverts to cover Rangoon harbor.

The outlines of frigates and destroyers become visible from high-rise buildings, combat-ready with 130mm cannons occasionally tracking passing vessels. Sailors armed with what appear to be derivatives of the Ak family stand watch on deck, and Kamov helicopters constantly circle.

Back on land, in Karen state, aid shipments hauled by 4x4 trucks, escorted by scorpion-family light tanks, are distributed to outlying villages. So far, no armed resistance had been encountered...

(a chance for anyone who wants to RP the old guard junta troops to jump in and perhaps attack LRR troops).

OOC: Don't need to tell me twice =P

IC:

-Karen State-

Hiding in the long grass and behind the tress about thirty men waited as the LRR convoy began to pass by their position.

The signal was a simple one. An anti tank missile would be fired at both the first and then the last vehicles in the convoy, hopefully causing enough of a problem for the other vehicles in the convoy that they would be temporarily incapable of effectively combatting the attackers.

Then, the men would rush the convoy from both sides with guns ablaze to take out anyone who resisted. Grenades would be dropped down the hatches of the light tanks if necessary. Survivors would become hostages.

The self proclaimed captain of this resistance cell was in actuality no more than a sargeant in the old guard, but none of the members of this cell outranked him or could prove that his claim to have been a captain was false.

As the two missiles were let loose on the convoy, the sargeant wasted little time in picking up his AK-47 and yelling to the others to attack. Of course, he waited behind a little bit, no need to recklessly endager his own life.

-Ottawa- Emergency Cabinet Meeting

With the news of the failure to retake the vessel and the loss of 5 hostages fully sunken in, it was only a matter of time before the rest of Hudecia learned of the abismal failure.

"The Islandians are offering to help retake the vessel for us..." O'Hara said meekly, afraid to breach the silence too much.

"Can't Hudecia defend itself?" Industry Minister Machiowski said quietly his head staring at his lap. Usually, Machiowski didn't say much, but when he did, it was of great depth. "That's what they'll say. The press, the people, and most of all... the opposition."

Fielding's glare did not leave the solid oak table. He was a broken man. It was a day of great disappointment and loss for him. Slowly he got up and walked out of the room, much to the shock and amazement of his entire cabinet although no one dared to speak. They all knew what he was going to do next.

-Rangoon Harbour-

Helicopter pilot Aaron Howes sat silently in the corner of the room along with the other 18 hostages. Despite the intense pain his face was still in because of the burns he received when his helicopter crashed, he dared not say anything let alone whimper.

The iron latch creaked noisely as the metal door opened and 8 of the MRC terrorists entered the room. No one looked at them. No one said anything. No one even breathed.

The leader looked around the room with great pleasure. His eyes caught Aaron's for only a fraction of a second, but he made up his mind based on that.

"YOU!" He yelled as he pointed at Aaron. Aaron's heart raced as two of the men beat their way to his corner. As a soldier and pilot he had thought about all the ways he could die but this was not even in his wildest nightmares.

Be strong, be strong, be strong, he repeated to himself as his hands were tied behind his back roughly and he was led out of the room towards the 'execution room' where a video camera was set up.

Be strong, be strong, be strong.

His mind raced as his thoughts matched the pace of his feet and the pace of his heart. The closer he came to that awful room, the faster his heart beat and the faster it seemed that he moved towards it.

Be strong, be strong, be strong.

He closed his eyes as he was led into the room and placed on his knees infront of the video. His kidnappers did not ask him if he had any last words or to make any pleas for help, they just let him kneel there for what seemed like an eternity.

Be strong, be strong, be strong.

He had heard the others die. The gunshots and their screams had rang out through the hull of the ship. He began to tear up. He didn't want to die this way, he was screaming inside, but gripped by an awful fear he could not move his mouth except to whimper.

He felt the barrel of the pistol against the back of his head for a second and a tear trickled down his cheek. The gunshot was loud, and he instinctively he fell down on his face, before realizing that the shot had missed him. His kidnappers laughed in unison as they kicked him over so they could point the gun between his eyes.

He was crying now. His tears streaming down his face as his mind turn to his family, his wife, his mother... the man stood there for another second, which to Aaron seemed like an eternity.

The cell phone rang suddenly, almost causing Aaron's heart to stop. The leader was slow to answer it and when he did, he spoke harshly and curtly.

"Do you agree?" Were his only words. The answer must have satisfied him because through Aaron's tears he thought he saw the man smile before signaling the others to take Aaron back to the hold.

Aaron was half carried, half dragged back to the room where he was promptly dumped, his hands shaking so badly he could barely hold himself up. As soon as he heard the metal door slam shut he began crying uncontrollably. He put his head against the cold floor and cried and cried.

Although everyone looked at him and pitied him, no one dared to get up to console him. Strangely, Aaron's face had stopped hurting.

-Outside Mergui-

The launch of the grenades was half exected but still shocked the group of Myanmar troops who promptly hit the ground and began crawling frantically through the long grass to change positions before their attackers could pulverize the entire region.

Almost half of their number were dead before they hit the ground, but the other half quickly fanned out in the grass and returned fire only when they were sure of a kill.

::Attahuiga Palace::

"Bastards."

"Well put. Fighting to defend your government can be somewhat understood, but resorting to these actions shows just what kind of foe we're dealing with."

Premier Suun finished reading the reports about the Buffalo before turning to Security Minister Kichisaburo 'Kichi' Yoshida.

"Suu Kyi was also targeted a couple of days ago. This is no random coincidence; it's gone from conventional warfare to terrorism. If there's one thing we can't allow, it's hostile terrorists. I think we need some consultation."

"Anyone in particular?"

Suun nodded. "As insane as my father was, he had tremendous cunning. He always used to tell me that in the long run, the only people who can really handle terrorists are terrorists. Tell Zhongji to contact Mika Petros; I think the Genyosha Liberation Front might be able to help in some way."

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

::Tavoy::

"Why? Why kill them? It makes no sense...unless they are trying to drive out the other nations to bring about a final showdown between them and Marimaia."

Vidura snorted at Suu Kyi's suggestion. "They must be insane to want that. I have assurances from my government that action is being taken to ensure long-term success; we will deal with this situation, just give it time."

"Time? Time?! Try telling the families of those people that you just need more time!"

"I wasn't referring to the vessel, as that is being concluded by other parties. I meant the situation in general; we will be victorious, I guarantee it."

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

::Marimaian-claimed areas::

The local populations seemed quite bewildered as special engineering teams arrived and began installing large screens on several buildings in every town and city. Once activated, the newly-installed Suunitrons began showing various propaganda reels about the future for these people under Marimaian rule. The reconstruction teams and humanitarians operations continued their work; the areas that were to be annexed by Marimaia soon began to surpass their pre-liberation standards of living. Admittedly it wasn't very difficult for the Marimaians to achieve this, but it seemed to make the locals more at ease with the Marimaian presence. The Marimaian armed forces were heavily concentrated in these areas; although resistance still existed, it was not being given much of an opportunity to act.

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

In Mandalay, the Marimaians offered to do the speaking for their Spyran allies as they had many fluent translators. Experience of public works back home meant that the Marimaians were able to assist with the reconstruction efforts while more specialised teams were transported in. In Rangoon, Marimaian specialists had succeeded in restoring the airport to a low level of functionality, allowing transport planes to begin delivering aid and further personnel.

In the north of the country, Marimaian facilitators were sent to coordinate with the Chuang-Han forces leading the peacekeeping efforts there. In the west, Marimaian special forces acted on intelligence gathered from the local population, hunting down resistance bases and capturing fighters when possible.

OOC: Here's pretty much the list of hatred for the terrorists:

1) Bonstock (expect to be continually hit until a full withdrawl occurs)

Justification: They are white... what more needs to be said? =P

2) Hudecia (will withdraw after this incident)

Justification: The 'white' rule again.

3) LRR (fairly heavy attacks on personnel and civilians)

Justification: wow... white again...

4) Spyr (sooner or later you will be hit)

Justification: You bombed Mandalay (I know you were being careful), and the military surrender statement did not help you PRwise. Kinda like Fallujah in Iraq... the harder the US pushed into it.. the more problems it caused.

4) Marimaia (they'd be crazy to directly hit you yet)

Justification: Well... you are occupying the nation.

5) Chuang-Han (no major attacks yet, they will after the 'white' people leave.. hehe.. get it 'white'.. right.. *sigh*)

Justification: Mostly Chinese nation... entering the country.. hmm... enough said.

6) East Islandia (if you give them the chance to capture you they will)

Justification: well.. no justification here.. but if they catch you.. they will hold you hostage and create an international incident.

OOC: Everybody likes a good hate list...

Mergui

The Bonstocknians outside chatted with the ladies in what little Burmese they knew, while holding their M-4s in hand just in case something happened. However, the other three inside had made the un-fortunate error of leaving their carbines in the humvee. They got into the brothel, and paid for their service.

Outside Mergui

As the Islandian showed him where to fire, the sergeant looked into his scope. He signaled his troops to prepare to fire. The men looked out at the insurgants, and aimed carefully. The sergeant heard a grenade fired, and he squeezed the trigger, at the heart of an enemy guerrilla. He heard automatic fire everywhere, and the screams of the enemy. The sergeant was pleased, until he recognized one of those screams was that of one of his men.

"Medic! Medic!" the soldier screamed. The sergeant got up, and ran over, taking a bullet in the arm while doing so.

"AYE!" He screamed, and stumbled forward, finding the wounded soldier. "You all right, Willy?" He looked down. The soldier had taken a burst of Kalishnikov in the stomach, and was bleeding badly. The sergeant called for the radioman. He looked over, and saw the radioman on the ground. He turned him over, seeing a bullet hole in the man's throat. He was already dead. The sergeant grabbed the radio.

"This is Patrol Foxtrot Delta, we got two men down, I repeat, two men down! Need medevac!"

"We can't go there, we might get shot at!"

"God dammit send a chopper! We need reinforcements and medevac."

"I'll see what we can do."

At Mergui Air Base, five UH-60s had their crews scrambled. Orders went out in a barracks for men to get in. Four of the Blackhawks had 12 soldiers each in them; the other had a medevac crew for the wounded. Hopefully, they would even the odds. But it would take 5 critical minutes to get there.

Sithin, PRS

SRA generals send a deployment plan to their North Yamani counterparts, apologizing for deploying so rapidly and not arranging for Yamani units to participate. However, it is explained, once major combat operations appear complete the PRS will be happy to assist in deploying Yamani troops to replace Spyran ones for longer-term peacekeeping, so that their brethren can gain honour and experience through active service.

::GLF Headquarters, an undisclosed location in Southeast Asia::

Mika Petros tapped a button on her videophone to be greeted with the features of General Kazuo Zhongji, head of the Marimaian anti-terrorism forces and her point of contact with the NeoSuunist government.

"Kazuo, what the hell are you doing? You never call me!"

"Mika, how much do you know about the Myanmar situation?"

"Marimaia stomped in, wreaked havoc and smashed things up. Now the peacekeeping nations are experiencing terror troubles. Those guys you're up against are good, but they seem a little amateurish."

Zhongji smiled. "That's why I'm talking to you. His Excellency wants your assistance. I know you'd rather blow up capitalist scum, but we're confident that you'll help out when we show you our offer."

-Mergui-

The Burmese ladies were not interested in merely chatting with the Bonstockian guards, and hung all over the two men like ornaments on a Christmas tree. It wouldn't take long for even the most diligent of men to be fully distracted by what the Burmese ladies were doing.

The timing wasn't exactly perfect between the movements outside and the movements inside. In fact, the MRC troops stormed into the rooms where the Bonstockians were expecting to be pleasured a bit in advance of when the men outside were ready to take out the guards.

Although one or two of them managed to get of a cry for help it would not help them. The two men outside were jumped from behind and the Burmese ladies in front of them were more than willing to either kill or incapacitate the men using the knives they had concealed.

-Outside Mergui-

Now that the Myanmar troops had fully recovered from the shock of having several grenades fired in unison at them they began to use the natural cover to make a fighting withdrawl from the area. They had neither the ammo nor the time to waste on this.

OOC: Don't need to tell me twice =P

IC:

-Karen State-

Hiding in the long grass and behind the tress about thirty men waited as the LRR convoy began to pass by their position.

The signal was a simple one. An anti tank missile would be fired at both the first and then the last vehicles in the convoy, hopefully causing enough of a problem for the other vehicles in the convoy that they would be temporarily incapable of effectively combatting the attackers.

Then, the men would rush the convoy from both sides with guns ablaze to take out anyone who resisted. Grenades would be dropped down the hatches of the light tanks if necessary. Survivors would become hostages.

The self proclaimed captain of this resistance cell was in actuality no more than a sargeant in the old guard, but none of the members of this cell outranked him or could prove that his claim to have been a captain was false.

As the two missiles were let loose on the convoy, the sargeant wasted little time in picking up his AK-47 and yelling to the others to attack. Of course, he waited behind a little bit, no need to recklessly endager his own life.


The lead and rear scorpions are both hit by the missiles aimed at them, but the six remaining armored vehicles in the convoy spray the sides of the road with 30mm and 12.7mm fire.

Marines traveling in BMP-2T IFVs also engage the attacking rebel forces with their Ak-74s and Sterling SMGs as the carrier vehicles bring their 20mm cannons to bear. The well trained and prepared marines, at the very least, put up a stiff resistance.

The radio operators inside the light tanks and IFVs immediately report the attack to the Hpa-an command post, and before long a trio of kamov Ka-27 series helicopters, escorted by two of what appear to be derivatives of the A-129 attack helicopter.

Aboard attack submarine Pechang

"Hallucinogenic gas," the weapons officer announced, a bright smile on his face. "Newest little toy from the boys at the labs in Biotechnica; squirts clouds of condensed fei mushroom powder."

The commander nodded. "How will we be delivered to the Buffalo?" he asked, slapping a clip into his SAR21 and screwing in a silencer.

"Small boat or torpedo tube," the Captain replied. "Your choice."

The commander grimaced. Though the aft tubes on the submarine were specially crafted for silent insertions, there still was a risk factor, and men had lost their gear every so often.

"Can we use the airlock?" he asked.

The Captain nodded. "Didnt think of that," he admitted. "But if you like. We have three of those little torpedoes if you like, the little things with the quiet motors and an onboard EMP."

The Commander nodded. "Perfect," he said. He looked at the canister of hallucinogenic gas and frowned. "But how do we deliver those?"

"40mm grenade," the weapons officer said, chucking him a smaller canister, covered with Islandian markings and painted matte green. "Tests say it works like a charm, drives the hostiles nuts."

The Commander nodded again, and slapped one into his grenade launcher. "Hand them out to the men," he said. "The schematics are as Command said they were?"

The officers nodded.

The Commander sighed, and checked his rifle again. "We move in ten," he decided, slipping the rifle into a spidersilk, waterproof sheath, and slinging it over his back. he hefted an H&K underwater pistol, and made sure his semi-auto crossbow, which fired underwater, was in working order.

The rest of his men carried specially modified P90 submachine guns, which Islandian companies had modified to fire underwater; it fired a mercury-filled round, so it ensured death no matter where it hit.

The Commander was satisfied. "Load up," he ordered the men, as they headed towards the airlock, built into the submarine's former missile room.

Ten minutes later, three torpedoes silently motored away from Pechang, and towards the Buffalo's still hulk.

-Karen State-

As the ambushers moved in closer to the convoy they took heavy casualties from the heavy machineguns of the LRR armoured vehicles. Despite this, they pushed forward, using their grenades to systematically take out the armoured vehicles and shot anyone who they could.

The ambushers did not want to waste any more of their anti tank missiles, but if the fighting continued at the pace it was, they might be required to in order to succeed.

The helicopters would take minutes to get there, and hopefully, at least for the MRC, the entire battle would be done by then.

-Buffalo-

"They have agreed to our demands," the commander announced to his men. "They will deposit the arms and explosives at the inlet as stealthily as possible. If they fail, we will kill more of them, if they succeed... we surrender ourselves to them."

The group stared in shock for a moment at their fearless leader. No one expected to surrender, what would the Hudecians do to them? Noticing their anxiety, the commander laughed.

"They have been told, that if they harm us, we will take the fight to their land and that we will kill 10 for every one of us harmed."

The conovy's light tanks quickly push through the wreckage of the destroyed lead vehicle and continue foreward at a fast speed. AGS-17 grenade MGs are brought to bear on the attackers from the turrets of armored vehicles, and marines continue to pour fire into the attackers from open hatches and firing ports as the vehicles pull away.

Behind them, two Scorpion tanks and three trucks burn on the road.

Realizing that they were outgunned badly, the ambushers tried to retreat. After all they have left 20 of their number in the field behind them.

OOC: Sorry for the short post.. but I'm not sure what else to update on

::Attahuiga Palace::

"So they agreed?"

Zhongji nodded. "Indeed. They seemed eager once they heard our offer. Your Excellency, may I suggest that we only tell Sphere allies about the GLF's presence; they will understand our plans, while other nations may accuse us of sponsoring terrorism and leave."

Suun sighed and closed his eyes. "Agreed. I think it best if we don't tell Suu Kyi either; she'd probably lose it if we told her that our pet terrorists were running around in Myanmar. If any GLF members get captured, I trust that they won't let slip about the arrangement."

"They know better than that."

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

A small number of GLF cells managed to enter into Myanmar through various means; whether smuggled in by the Marimaians, crossing the borders at night or already existing in the nation, the terror group began to spread out. The plan was for the GLF to establish contact with the Myanmar resistance in the name of 'liberating the people from Marimaian oppression'; in actual fact the GLF would relay any and all information about the resistance to the Marimaian security agencies.

If that failed, then the GLF would be used as yet another offensive tool in the war against the Myanmar resistance,

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

::Marimaian-claimed areas::

The Marimaian assimilation continued with the deployment of NeoSuunist Party personnel, who spoke directly to the population about what they could expect under Marimaian rule. Preaching about prosperity and security, the Party members also began talking about the 'natural greatness' of their audiences and about how they clearly deserved a better lifestyle. After years of oppression from the military junta, the ethnic groups were clearly interested in NeoSuunist doctrine. NeoSuunism was making great inroads in Shan State, where ethnic ties with the Marimaians ran strongest. The Shan were now openly collaborating with the Marimaians; Marimaia introduced liberal civil legislation and poured many resources into rebuilding Shan State, so that the other states would see the benefits of cooperation.

OOC: Marimaia has control of my peacekeeping efforts until I get back from vacation in about a week. Just use them in an apathetic manner, with absolute minimal cooperation with anything, because my General Gao wants your venture to fail. I know I already said this on the regional message board but I'm reiterating it.

The helicopters arrived, and carried away the wounded and dead. The Bonstocknians regrouped, saddened by the loss. Re-inforcements secured the area, and soon helicopters flew in a whole battalion, with orders to secure that patch of territory.

ooc: sorry not much time

::Attahuiga Palace::

"So, what's the current situation?"

Suun looked at the members of his cabinet, waiting patiently before Kangtian began to speak.

"This whole operation is sticking more or less to my spending plan, except for the unforeseen stuff like the terrorism. Fortunately I can provide some more funding from the surplus. The Concerns are providing resources for the rebuilding, and Zhang Construction Concern has gained some pretty big contracts from the Burmese."

Wanfa cleared his throat. "Militarily, our forces and the peacekeeping contingents have control over most of Myanmar. There's still some opposition in the west, and the Chuang-Han aren't living up to expectations. We have to keep prodding them into action; combined with that anonymous report our ambassador received earlier, I reckon we should give them something to think about once this is over."

Suun nodded. "Yes, they are proving to be a disappointment. To think, they're our ethnic cousins; it's sad how the bloodline has deteriorated in some areas. Perhaps they require a fresh infusion of Marimaian genes."

Kichi smirked. "In the long term that would be a great idea. Anyway, the ESF is still hunting down terrorists alongside PATO; the ISF is spreading goodwill among the population while garnering good information. Zhongji reports that the GLF have begun their fun."

Rongyi leant forward. "Suu Kyi is, as we all know, a testing ally but Vidura assures me that she's playing ball at the important times. It looks like the 'guided democracy' idea may work out after all. The Hudecians are looking increasingly uninterested in staying though; they might pull out."

Suun shrugged. "Let them. We can rely on our Sphere allies, and East Islandia is being as impressive as always. How are domestic affairs going?"

Hengren rubbed his chin. "Our claimed areas are starting to accept the idea of joining Marimaia, especially the Shan. The Shan are openly cooperating and are proud of it too; as a result I've had the civilian administration in Shan State relax a few laws to reward loyalty."

"Excellent. Dianyun?"

The Information Minister stopped chewing his pen. "Suunitrons are up and running, broadcasting our various messages and information about how life will be when they're Marimaian citizens. We're still broadcasting the radio propaganda to keep those with radios happy until we can deliver a Suunitron. In the Myanmar areas, we're broadcasting messages of peace and trust; it's winning a few people over but Suu Kyi is the real key to their hearts. I'm going to ask her to start making weekly addresses in an attempt to keep the populace updated on the good that Marimaia is doing for Myanmar."

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

::Western Myanmar::

Marimaian troops continued their campaign in the western mountains; backed up by Hinds as well as MNR-1 assault bombers, forces acted on intelligence gathered from locals and launched attacks on suspected resistance bases. Progress was slow though; for every base that was destroyed, another seemed to pop up. Interrogation of the small number of captured enemies yielded no groundbreaking information, further frustrating the Marimaian High Command.

Outside Mergui
2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Airborne Division

The boys had all come in on their helicopters, and secured this forsaken patch of hell that had claimed a Bonstocknian life earlier this day. Night had fallen now, and the boys were busy throwing a party, greatly pissing off their Islandian counterparts, who figured this to be a perfect mortar target. Indeed, more then one shell landed as the boys drank and surfed in a nearby beach. It reminded them of home. Problem was, the more they got used to it, the more they missed it.

The colonel, a wild fellow from Zecrostrand, Bonstock, was busy drinking his fill, while some aids showed him a map. Still wearing an officer's bus cap, without a care that he was in a warzone, he was briefed by his subordinates.

"Colonel, Division just gave word that a couple of Bonstocknian helicopters were flying over some town near Mergui, on a beach. They say its a guerrilla base. A helicopter got shot down."

"What's the place called?"

"Sakanthit."

"Sakan what?"

The subordinate pointed it out on the map.

"Sakanthit, Sakantit, ah to hell with these Burman names."

"Anyway, sir, Division says steer clear. They say it's really hairy in there, although they may assign someone for a raid on it."

The colonel turned to another subordinate. "Hey, you ever heard of a town called Sakanthit?"

"Yeah, some hooker said they had six foot swells each day. Perfect beach and everything. We could take off soon and be there by dawn, catch the tide..."

"Six foot?"

"Six foot, sir."

"Well, then dammit, tell Division we're goin' in anyway."

The other subordinate interjected. "Sir, you've got to be kidding. Division says the Air Force is gonna bomb it for a few weeks, and see what happens then."

"Division said they wanted someone in. We're goin'."

"Sir, it's really hairy in there!"

"Well, I ain't missin' out on those six foot swells."

"But sir, they say it's real hairy."

"Can't be to important!"

"Why?"

"Cause Burmans don't surf!"

The order was given. Division reluctantly approved. UH-60s began gathering in the Daisy Cut field that was the Bonstocknian forward base, again to the horror of the Islandians, who saw the colonel as out of his mind. But dawn began to break over the mountains, and the Blackhawks began taking off with the battalion. They flew fast at tree-top level, making their way to the village they were to assault.

The colonel, sitting on one of the helicopters, looked out beyond. A subordinate asked him, "Sir, how much farther?"

"A few miles. In a minute we'll turn the music on."

"Music?"

"Yeah, Wagner. Scares the hell out of the enemy." He turned to the guy with a CD player attached to a loudspeaker, and gave a signal. Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries began to play. The Blackhawks were over open water now, approaching the village. Men loaded their M-4s, checked their miniguns, prepared their rocket launchers, and sat worrying about what the mission would bring.

Meanwhile, in the village square, children were playing and singing. Suddenly, a messanger came. After a few shouts, the children ran inside. Oustide the town, men rushed ammunition to sky-ward aimed machine guns, preparing for the coming assault.

The Blackhawks flew low, straight at the town from the sea.

"Roger we've got the town in sight."

"Preparing to open fire."

"Closing."

"Commence fire."

Rocket pods opened up on the village. Huts blew up in fiery balls, and smoke billowed from a town which had been at peace but five minutes before. Machine guns opened up on anything that moved below. A single anti-aircraft post on the ground begain firing wildly at the helicopters.

"Hey, we got a triple A post on the ground, taking fire."

A Blackhawk was hit. An explosion rocked it.

"Roger, I'm goin' in to check it out."

One of the Blackhawks hovered over the gun. A few rockets silenced it and scattered bodies on the ground below.

The Blackhawks began landing on the village square. Troops jumped out, and fired their M-4s at guerrillas with AK-47s. One was hit in the leg, and fell. As others fended off the enemy, some of the soldiers gathered to aid him. The colonel, observing this, said to his subordinate, "Get a Blackhawk down there and get him out. I want that man in a hospital in fifteen minutes, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

A Blackhawk landed in the village square. Soldiers loaded the wounded man onboard. A Burman woman ran up with a hat in her hand. She rushed for the helicopter screaming. Soldiers, figured that she was wounded or something, got out of the way. She threw her hat into the Blackhawk. The soldiers figured out. "She's got a grenade! She's got a grenade!" they screamed. But it was too late. As soldiers scattered, the grenade blew the chopper in half. The woman ran away as the wounded man jumped out, his body on fire.

"God dammit, we've got a chopper down!"

"I'm gonna shoot that bitch!"

Another helicopter flew over, and shot a machine gun into the woman and several bystanders. They died screaming, as the Blackhawks flew around and shot rockets and machine guns into surrouding huts, causing maginificent explosions.

Another Blackhawk landed the colonel on the beach. Mortars plopped down everywhere, causing everyone except the colonel to hit the deck. "Come on," the colonel said, "Lets get surfing."

"Sir, its a little hot here still!" A few mortar explosions backed this claim up.

"Nonsense. Here, take this swimsuit. Lets get changed. I don't wanna miss these six foot swells."

"Sir, I think we should wait a bit!" More mortar rounds hit.

"Either you surf or you fight. We'll have these jerks cleaned out in a jiffy." He took a surfboard out of the Blackhawk, as a radioman made a call.

"This is Foxtrot Echo to Gold flight. We need you to put some ordinance down here."

"Roger, we've got four ships in the area. What's the target?"

"Couple of enemy mortar positions in the woods." Some soldiers shot off smoke to mark the spot. "We need you to put down some napalm or something."

"All right. The A-10s are on the way."

Four A-10 Warthogs flew low and slow over the enemy position. As the colonel watched, they each dropped two napalm canisters over the enemy mortars. The jungle erupted in flame, and the Warthogs flew away.

The colonel turned to his subordinate. "You smell that? That's napalm, son. Most distinctive smell in the world." He paused for a moment. "I love the smell of napalm in the mornin'. It's that gassy smell... it smells like... victory! Yes. You know what, someday this war's gonna be over!" The colonel looked out over the ocean, noticing that the waves were not as good. "Dammit, what happened to the surf!"

"Napalm, sir. It's disturbing the air, causing bad surf."

"Dammit they didn't tell me the napalm would do this! Let's wait twenty minutes."

Mortars fell down again. "Sir, I think we better get out of here."

"Come on. Just twenty minutes!"

More mortar explosions.

"Sir, we oughta get out of here!"

"All right. Everybody out!"

A Blackhawk dropped a patrol boat into the water off shore. The sailors got into it, and then went to shore. They picked up some of the men, and sped off as the colonel and his men got aboard their Blackhawks and went home. Perhaps the war would end. Indeed, any Bonstocknian soldier would be glad to find a way home. Then again, home to them would never be the same.

ooc: yes, that entire sceen was taken straight out of Apocalypse Now with no shame. If I violated any copyrights in making this parody (which I did, but hey, I'm not selling this!) please feel free to tell me so.

From the LRR foreward base in the Irrawaddy River delta, a pair of CB-90H assault boats, carrying two groups of LRRN naval infantry, near the source of the smoke. Overhead, a pair of Gazelle scout helicopters provides cover, evidence of the presence of regular army units, in the scouting role at least.

As the assault boats come nearer, the figure of an officer, probably a navy lieutenant, dressed in the standard tropical climates uniform, becomes visible on the bow of the lead boat.

"Attention...er..., who are they? Bonstockian?"
"Blackawks...yeah, Bonstock."

The conversation between the pilot and observer is barely audible over the radio, but an eastern european and west African accent could probably be picked out by sharp ears.

"Attention, Bonstockian forces, this the LRR Myanmar expedition. We are wondering if the river is still accessable, over."

-Rangoon Harbour-

Early in the morning, a group of Hudecian marines peacefully took control of the vessel HS Buffalo and captured all the hostage takers and hostages alive. The hostages were transfered to a supply ship on its way back to Hudecia while the 'militants' were transferred to the HS Conrad Black, and their status was withheld from all foreign offices and news crews.

In a private communique to Suu Kyi, the Hudecian government apologized and humbly withdrew their offers of aid to the newly installed government 'for matters of national security'.

Secretly, the Hudecian government would release the hostage takers along with several tons of ammo and explosives. A one time deal of course, which is the way the Hudecians would only accept it.

*Jaw drops*

No you just didn't!

*Readies missile boats*

OOC: As I said.. that would be secret.. so you wouldn't know about it even if I wanted to tell you..

Besides... in the Hudecian government's mind.. what good are a few tons of ammo and explosives against the full might of Marimaia?

Besides.. I have to keep this interesting somehow.

Lieutenant Pe watched the Bonstockians with horror. Next to him, his troops shook their heads, and sank deeper into the forest, hoping that no one would target them.

Pe had lived all his life in the jungles of Islandia, and he had learned many things. Foremost among them was not to stand out; standing out was fine in urban areas, but in the jungle, it only made one easy prey for the predators.

Pe watched as the men celebrated drunkenly, before crawling back into his tent. The firefight from before had busted his heartbeat masker, and his team was out of spares, as several other people had had theirs fail.

Pe reminded himself to file a report to the manufacturer, requesting that they create better heartbeat maskers; the things worked well, but broke easily also.

As he read the after-action reports from the Bonstockians, he couldnt help but shake his head. The raid had been sloppy, and civilians had been killed; the essence of the raid resembled Vietnam, with chaos, undiscipline. That would undoubtedly bring some more local recruits.

Pe shook his head. The insurgents were a smart bunch, he knew. They grouped women and children with their soldiers, just as insurgents everywhere from Vietnam to West Islandia had done.

Pe heard a rustling outside his tent, and grabbed his pistol, a Beretta Elite, and frowned.

"It's me," his communications specialist whispered. She opened the tent slipped the sat-phone through the opening quickly, and closed it.

"It's Colonel Tang," she added.

Pe quickly put his pistol down, and put the phone to his ear.

"Colonel?" he asked.

"Good to hear from you," Tang replied. "How are operations in your area?"

"Not too good," Pe replied. Outside, another mortar shell fell on the camp's outskirts, and he sighed. "the Bonstockians are not the best at jungle warfare. Earlier today, one of their troops was killed."

"Ah," Tang said. "Well, I have...disturbing news. Several of our men yesterday raided a weapons cache. We found substantial amounts of weaponry and explosives, and none that are used by the Burmese, either. They're all American issue weapons."

Pe frowned. "Who would have supplied them American weaponry?" he asked.

"We dont know," Tang replied. "What have you found on your end?"

"Not very much," Pe replied. "Standard AKs, RPGs, and old Soviet-style grenades. I suspect that's all they have in the area, though there may be another few weapons caches we havent found."

"Well, you know what to do if there are weapons caches," Tang said. "Destroy them all. Dont leave any behind; all of the allied troops are low on manpower, and we cant let the insurgents gain the weapons. Otherwise, we may face what the Americans are facing in Iraq."

Pe nodded. "Am I going to receive reinforcements?" he asked.

"The First Swift Boat Detachment will be coming up to your area soon," Tang replied. "They're just getting their craft ready. You should also be joined by a helicopter detachment. I'm assuming you dont want to live in the same base camp as the Bonstockians?"

Another mortar shell landed nearby, shaking the ground. Pe laughed ruefully. "A few bombs to clear another landing zone would be nice," he admitted. "And a few more bodies to help us patrol this area. And maybe some women too, while you're at it."

Tang snorted. "I'll see what i can do," he said. "But dont count on the women."

-Rangoon-

An anonymous package had arrived at the Hudecia Post's correspondence's office, hand delivered by a young Burmese child who only knew that some older fellows had paid him a whole $1US to deliver this.

Opening the package with trembling hands, the correspondant feared a bomb or worse, maybe a body part. Instead, inside there was only a few tapes, both audio and video.

In the tapes, there was shown 5 Bonstockian soldiers, all in bad shape, their faces bruised and bloodied. It was announced that not only were these deviants occupying their nation, but they were attempting to have carnal knowledge of any women they could.

The kidnappers demands were simple enough. If Bonstock did not fully withdraw in 48 hours, or announce their intent to, the hostages would be executed one at a time.

It was also said that the kidnappings would continue but that from then on, no negotiations would occur, prisoners would lose their ability to contaminate the Myanmar women, then they would lose their lives.

OOC: Forgive me for interrupting, I was just musing over whether it is too late to join this RP? So far it looks realistic and interesting so if it is possible for my nation to become involved I would appreciate just a very brief summary of the situation at the moment. Thanks.

OOC:

Hi Elias, if you want to join the RP you're more than welcome. Here's a summary of what's happened so far:

After a surge of nationalism followed by the introduction of the ideology of NeoSuunism, Marimaia launched the 'liberation' of Myanmar, it's neighbour. The rest of Asia pretty much either supported Marimaia or covertly supported Myanmar. The Marimaian military made fairly good progress while Myanmar's backers bowed out for various reasons; as a result, Myanmar's dictator General Than Shwe had his own death announced and a supposedly pro-Marimaian coup took place. The General's plan was to force Marimaia to spread her forces too thinly across the nation, at which time he would reappear and defeat the invaders; however, Marimaia arrested the new government which caused him to launch his plan too early and the conventional Myanmar military ceased to exist.

As it stands, Marimaia has installed renowned pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi as the Interim President of Myanmar in an attempt to unite the people and ultimately create a 'guided democracy' which will recognise their territorial claims in Eastern Myanmar. The areas claimed by Marimaia are currently being integrated unofficially while the rest of Myanmar is being rebuilt. The vast majority of Asian nations have sent peackeeping forces to Myanmar to help establish democracy and rebuild the nation, but the former Myanmar military have now gone underground and are fighting a terrorist/guerilla campaign.

It could turn a number of ways. Marimaia is currently implementing the less bloody of their occupation schemes, but if the guerillas continue for long enough then that could change. Hudecia has already withdrawn its assistance to Suu Kyi after guerilla actions, and Bonstock has now been targeted.

OOC: Who is RPing the guerillas?


IC:

President Suu Kyi,

Noting that you and your government are attempting to install democracy in what has been a most troubled state in recent history, and that in this objective you have been resisted by a minority of extremeist guerillas, we wish to offer the assistance of United Elias.

If so desired, The President of our great nation has authorised that limited military assets be deployed for the purpose of augmenting current peacekeepers in their noble goal. The forces we would deploy would at first constitute a single Army division with some Air and possibly Naval support and we would like to know which area of Myanmar these forces should be assigned to.

Sincerely,
Ibrahim Zibari,
Minister of Foreign Affairs


Federal Dictatorship of United Elias

http://img12.photobucket.com/albums/v36/United-Elias/ueflag6.jpg

OOC: Originally Japannese Islands, but he had to pull out due to RL problems. Hudecia is now RPing the guerillas; his nation's withdrawal allows him to do so without a big conflict of interest.


IC:

::Tavoy::

Suu Kyi re-read the message and turned to the aide who delivered it.

"Please contact the United Elias government and express our thanks for their generous offer. Vidura, where do you recommend they deploy?"

Suu Kyi frowned. Her Marimaian liaison seemed distracted about something. "Vidura?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, Elias. They can deploy to Arakan State and perhaps support our efforts further north in Chin State." (OOC: see the map linked to in the first post)

Suu Kyi indicated her agreement to the aide. "Please dispatch the message as soon as possible."

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

::Attahuiga Palace; Shanjing, Marimaia::

"United Elias? That's interesting. Where is Vidura having them?"

Rongyi checked his notes again. "Arakan State. He believes that having them there will release some of our forces for deployment to Kachin and Sagaing. The Chuang-Han forces are proving quite unacceptable, so we'll have to supplement them with our own. Wanfa told me to tell you that current estimates show that we could raise a new Burmese armed forces before the year is out, but equipping them all would take longer."

Suun smiled. "Good. The renovation and repair of Luozao Palace is nearly complete, construction of our new governmental buildings is going well, and the surveyors say that the new project for Ayutthaya is feasible. Oh, how is the quest for recognition of our claims going?"

Rongyi frowned. "Unfortunately only our Sphere allies have recognised them, Excellency."

Islandian embassy
Heiphong

"It is my government's wish to request a mandate for the withdrawal of Marimaian and allied troops," the Islandian ambassador said. "Of course, we should wait until stability is restored, but we must leave at the soonest possible date.

"Furthermore, my government is curious as to why Suunitrons have been placed at various urban areas. Marimaia is not thinking of annexing Myanmar, is it?"

Ambassador Hei had purposely used Myanmar instead of burma as a small barb in his statements. If Marimaia was to annex Burma, there would be displeasure in his government. ALthough they would know better than to threaten outwardly, there were other means to achieve one's goals...

(OOC: just an aside; Heiphong was renamed Taishita)

::Taishita::

Deputy Minister Juyi Wang sighed as he explained the Marimaian plans to the Islandian ambassador.

"We have no desire to annex the entirety of Myanmar. The Burman people have their own state and that's how it's staying. However, we are going through with previously stated plans to absorb certain border regions into the NeoSuunist Prosperity Sphere. We have ethnic ties to the inhabitants of said regions, and if you remember, we declared war with the expressed intention of liberating them. Do not worry though; there will be more than enough land left for Myanmar to be a viable state."

Juyi adjusted his tie before continuing. "Regarding the requested mandate; we shall consult with Suu Kyi's government about when she wishes us to leave. If she decides that she requires our presence, then who are we to argue?"

Quickly, the sight of Bonstocknian hostages brought the war home. What had been buried on the fifth page of the Port Yuko Times a day before had now taken up the first page, and the entire first section. Images of Bonstocknian soldiers being held against their will laid bare the harsh realities of the 'routine deployment.'

Lord Harald got on the television, and said, "These terrorists shall not be allowed to dictate Bonstocknian policy. We shall never give in to terrorism. Bonstock will double troop levels in Myanmar if the insurgants do not release Bonstocknian hostages."

Cries for withdrawl were quick in the Riksdag, however. Several members called for an immediate withdrawl of all troops. Indeed, many pointed out, the deployment had no Riksdag approval. Lord Harald, bound by the Constitution he had put in place, was obliged to withdraw troops if their deployment was not authorized within 60 days.

Meanwhile, a Bonstocknian Blackhawk helicopter patrolling over Mergui was shot down by a US made Stinger missile. Six Bonstocknians died. Also, an unarmored Humvee was shot at by an RPG near a rubber plantation. Four more Bonstocknians were killed, and six were wounded. Partols into Mergui were stepped up, but RPGs and AK-47s continued to plague Bonstocknian movements.

A public opinion poll showed that 60% of the Bonstocknian population disapproved of Bonstocknian military action.

COMSEA (South East Asia Command), Bandar, Brunei

Ten minutes prior Lieutenant-General Zahrat Amir had been a Major-General in charge of 'Strategic Planning' for COMSEA. It had been a tedious six months stuck in the tiny yet important colony of Brunei but by chance it had put him in the perfect position to command 'Operation Burmese Sunrise' which had the unfortunate abbreviation of 'BS'. Together with a promotion, he had also been given written orders to organise a stabilisation force for Arkan State on the West Coast of Myanmar. If he suceeded, command of COMSEA would be the logical next step and from there he could even be an eventual candidate for Field Marshall of The Army; failure on the other hand would probably mean he would get scapegoated resulting in a dishonourable discharge as a best-case scenario.

Now in the roomy air-conditioned office which he was shortly to vacate, he examined maps, notes and force readiness tables. The plan was relatively straightforward in theory but rather a logistical nightmare: Firstly two Bruneian Army Parachute Battalions would secure the air and sea port in Sittwe augmented by a squadron of Bruneian special forces. That much was obvious, Brunei Army troops were the most suited to unconventional war especially in the tropics and they were more...expendable than their Elias equivalents but they lacked significant numbers. With those two points secure, the 4th Expeditionary Infantry Division would start its deployment, and being on 24hr combat readiness alert on The Persian Gulf coast, this would be completed within a week. As soon as elements of the 4th EID arrived they would spread out into the city of Sittwe and gradually all of the State, as they reached full strength. Deploying simultaneously with the Army division a carrier battle group, which would remain on station to provide photo recon and, if necessary, air and naval gunnery support.


Sitwee Airport, Myanmar, Fourteen Hours later

Taking no chances the first wave of EA-80 (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=275100) Transport Planes touched down in the dead of night, lights extinguished. Even though the area was being secured by Marimaian troops that would soon be moving North, the troops of the elite Brunei Special Forces 'Tiger' Squadron and the 2nd Battalion of The Brunei Parachute Regiment immediately rushed out as the rear ramps dropped, spreading out in all directions. Within minutes they had given an all clear notification and the planes taxied carefully to pre-assigned parking positions where more cargo would unload. As the night continued, more waves of EA-80s touched down on the darkened runway unloaded their troops and cargo, refuelling then taking off again. By morning just over 1,100 soldiers were on the ground, split between the airfield and the harbour.

Offshore, the LRRN surface flotilla continues to sit, imposing itself. This display of modified soviet naval hardware, most of it a good 20 years old, was meant to keep insurgent activities on the coast down to a minimum. It was questionable as to if it was actually working.

Obviously, large surface vessels were not the LRRN's strong point. To offset this, several detachments of patrol boats, with naval infantry (LRR special forces) platoons interdispersed. While the LRRA was having quite a bit of success in Karen state, that was probably due to the fact that they had kept to the towns and villages and not engaged the rebels until they had to.

The regular LRRA units were, on the whole, performing somewhat poorly in the jungle. Trained for fighting tanks and large attacking armies either on the steppes and tundra or through taiga and mountains, they found the tropical climate disagreeable at best, and are ill-suited to counter insurgency operations, considering how entire LRRA companies routinely chased one or two Dra-pol spies across large tracts of land. The LRRA troops are simply not well prepared to fight an offensive war against an insurgency.

The naval infantry troops would hopefully change that.

The two CB-90s, having entered the Irrawaddy delta at high tide, drop anchor by the side of a small, densely wooded island in the marshland, and the crews camoflauge the boats. Each craft carries ten naval infantry troopers, plus three regular LRRN crew.

Sub-Lieutenant Avram Belinski sits on the bow of his boat, wearing a broad-brimmed hat to protect against the sun, and watches the clouds go by. The 20 naval infantry troopers embarked on the boats either sleep down below or keep watch in the reeds.

Avram looks at his watch. Six o'clock at night.

Hopefully, that detachment would be back with more native-looking vessels soon...and sure enough, through the reeds comes what appears to be a relatively large sampan, with a machine gun placed on the bow.

-Rangoon-

The first tape depicting the death of a Bonstockian soldier emerged. It showed how the Burmese men first castrated the poor soldier and stuffed his face with it before they finally put an end to his tears with a single bullet to his head.

"His life bought you 6 more hours to decide," Were the only words said.

-Karen State-

Nearby a LRRA base.

A single mortar shell was fired at the LRRA base, but it overshot by nearly 100 m, landing harmlessly on the other side. It was a dud. Closer inspection would show that the warhead was missing entirely, but that the shell mimicked the weight and dimensions of a live shell fairly closely.

Obviously, the insurgents didn't want to waste a real shell.

The next day a second live shell would be fired at the base. But it would undershoot by a few metres because the winds were heavier that day. Increased patrols around the base would delay the next strike by several days as the insurgents became accustomed to the movements of the patrols.

Realizing that the LRR were using sampan for transportation gave the insurgents a daring idea. The idea was crazy but it just might work.

They set a watch on the sampan that came back and forth from the LRR vessels, timing their length away, what time they left, what time the arrived back and tried to make some guesses as to how the LRR arranged the patrols.

They readied a sampan to look almost identical to the LRR ones.

::Attahuiga Palace; Shanjing, Marimaia::

The cabinet watched the video uneasily, with several members looking away as the Bonstockian was castrated. Premier Suun quickly left the room; Tian promptly followed and ensured that no-one heard the young leader throwing up. After a few minutes they returned to find that Rongyi had left just before the gunshot. The Foreign Minister returned after a moment and retook his place. Kichi said what they were all thinking.

"This can't stand."

Suun nodded. "These terrorists will do more if they aren't stopped. Contact the GLF operatives, tell them to move with more haste. Rongyi, send a message to Lord Harald expressing our condolences and reassuring him that we are doing everything we can to hunt these people down. Does anyone have anything less traumatic to share?"

Wanfa cleared his throat. "I'm afraid not. We lost three soldiers today in Chin State after a mortar attack, and five more are in hospital."

Dianyun tapped his pen on the table. "Fortunately, the nationalism we whipped up isn't going away anytime soon. The people want us to finish this war and come out of it with the land we said we wanted. Your visits to the families who have lost soldiers has been very well-received, as well as the compensation you ordered. Sakano's fundraising concert also helped matters; I think we can keep the support quite high for this, but I'd still recommend solving the guerilla problem as soon as possible."

Sittwe Airport, Arakan State

Lieutenant-General Zahrat Amir had arrived in-country only hours previously and already his command centre in one of the pre-fabricated airport buildings was more or less ready. The hum of mobile generators gave power for banks of radios, phones and computers as well as air-conditioning. His staff passed notes back and forth confirming departure and arrival of personnel and equipments which would be needed in Operation 'Burmese Sunrise.'

Outside, Air Force ground crews flown in from Brunei turned around the transports as Bruniean soldiers kept guard. So far patrols had only gone to just beyond the airfield's permiter, after all there was no sense in spreading too thin until reinforcements arrived.

Meanwhile at the Harbour, nearly 500 Bruneian troops positioned themselves, guarding the port of Sittwe in preperation for the arrival of large sealift ships carrying Elias Army regulars.

So far morale was good, the climate was similar to their Bruneian homeland and the news of the Bonstockian hostages was largely put down to incompetence and poor force protection,nd generally not something that could possibly happen to them.

-Outside Sitwee-

The arrival of yet more international troops was of great concern to the insurgents as they were trying to get the message across to the international community that anyone who came to Myanmar was a target.

Of course, the troops arriving at Sitwee had caught the MRC off guard, but bases of operations were slowly being manouvred closer to Sitwee to begin a major operation there.

The MRC had not attempted a major offensive against the occupying forces, but they were anxious to try one now. Organizing the hundreds of insurgent cells would be quite a feat to be done and was inherently risky. (OOC: hint hint)

-Near Mergui-

With anger directed at the Bonstockian forces growing daily, finding recruits in these parts was getting progressively easier for the MRC. Lutlut and Pyingyi were now almost completely in rebel hands, with weapons and ammo being hidden and moved by the citizens of the towns. Bonstockian patrols that neared these two cities would come under heavy sniper and mortar fire.

In the city, under the leadership of Soe Nyunt, a former colonel in the army, recruits were being trained in the basics of fighting and plans for an ultimate attack on Mergui were made.

Insurgents had begun to use a bunch of M120-120mm mortars in their attacks. With a range of over 7km, pinpointing the location a mortar attack came from would be challenging.

-Tavoy-

With Suu Kyi having gone underground the last few days, the MRC was active in whispering around that she had been displeasing her Marimaian masters and refusing to endorse certain policies. Of course once she made a public statement, if Suu Kyi looked even the slightest bit tired or weak, it would be whispered that she was being tortured.

Of course, few people would believe it at first, but if a lie is told long enough, it just might become the truth.

-Sitwee-

At first it was just a single dud. Just like at the LRRA base. It undershot by over 300m. If anyone was close enough to examine it they would be able to tell that it was from an 81mm mortar.

Then, a second one came, only a minute after the first landed. It too was simply a dud. But it landed inside the UE base.

The Unitied Elias troops probably realized by now that someone near their base was directing the attack. Reporting back if they shots mised. Although who could it be, they were very close to a city, and potentially everyone was an insurgent.

A third live shell would hit the base within a minute of the second. But that would be all. Two duds and one live shell.

Inside Sitwee, the MRC whispering reached a crescendo as talk of a full fledged occupation by dozens of foreign nations wandered from ear to ear. Why else would so many nations come here? It was asked. People were beginning to wonder.

Sithin, PRS
The President flinched and looked away from the television screen as the fate of the Bonstockian played out.

"That was... inhuman..."

"Sir, perhaps we should impose war censorship on the press? There will be great consternation amongst the people should such brutality be openly displayed, especially if directed at our own forces."

"Deception is counter-revolutionary... no better than the brutality of the Burmese guerillas! We shall not limit the flow of knowledge. We must instead take every action to transform the truth into something acceptable."

"Sir?"

"Have our units operate only in large, escorted groups, based from fortified positions... and, inform the media that though Bonstockian imperialism is fading, but without revolutionary reform they cannot help but trigger hatred amongst the feudal-capitalist hierarchies they loom over."

Sittwe

Even from within the CP Lieutenant-General Amir still heard the resonant 'crump' of a live mortar shell landing near the permiter. Radio calls quickly confirmed that no damage had been done but nonetheless it was clear that the patrols inside the city would have to start before the main force arrived, to prevent a power vacum as the Marimaians moved north.

Soon after, citizens of Sittwe would notice small convoys of two or three armed Land Rovers manned by Bruneian Paras patrolling main streets within the city, generally giving a friendly impression while being ready to open fire if necessary. Just outside the airport permiter, six man special forces teams advance on foot, searching for the guerilla mortar spotters.

A few hundred feet above the city a Hermes 1500 (http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/aircraft/uav/hermes_1500/Hermes_1500.html) UAV circles, watching for insurgent activity and giving real time intelligence.

-Near a Spyran Military Base-

The resistance had noticed the change in tactics that had resulted from the execution of one mere soldier.

The larger convoys were more heavily guarded, but they were still not invincible. Mortar attacks were becoming common, although for now they were not as dangerous as they could be. The resistance was still learning how to use the mortars that they had 'acquired' from Hudecia. With ranges that varied from 5km to 7km, they could strike at moving convoys with relative protection.

However, a spotter or two were always required to help the group target the moving groups of troops. The mortar groups made it practice to fire one dud and then two live shells at the groups before they ceased their attack.

-Sitwee-

For the most part the city was going about its normal business as the UE troops rolled down the streets in their armoured vehicles. With the protection of their vehicles it made it difficult to do any damage to them, but that did not stop a sniper from taking a pot shot at the convoy.

As the bullet deflected harmlessly off the metal hulk, the sniper withdrew. One shot was all he was willing to dare take. For now.

-Lutlut-

The second taped execution of Bonstockian prisoners was more gruesome than the first as this time, 3 Bonstockians were forced to perform all sorts of demeaning things to each other, much to the laughter of the MRC members. Finally, one at a time, the three men were castrated and then, their right hands chopped off. The men who passed out from the pain were the lucky ones, for they were only shot. The one who, unfortunately, managed to stay aware, would be kicked and beat to death in front of the camera.

The four dead bodies and the one living one were deposited outside Mergui. The surviving soldier, still physically intact, was emotionally a wreck because he had been forced to watch each execution. With him was a note, stating that the MRC had mercifully decided to release this hostage so that the people of Bonstock would know that should they agree to their demands, that they would cease their actions.

The foreskins were sent overland to the nearest Marimaian base.

-Marimaian military base-

The young child holding a brown box tugged at the Marimaian soldier's uniform. His eyes filled with wonder and a little excitement he pushed the box into the soldier's hands and stood there with a little smile on his face.

"A man this big gave me a dollar to give this to you sir," the kid smiled jumping up and down with his hand reached as high as he could. "He said you would give me candy too!"

The child was blissfully unaware that inside the box were the 'family jewels' of the four Bonstockian hostages, along with a note:

'Myanmar will not be Marimaia's whore'

::Attahuiga Palace::

Suun snorted at the news of the delivery of the foreskins. Wanfa Kong read out the message.

"They say 'Myanmar will not be Marimaia's whore'."

He smirked at Wanfa. "We don't pay for what we're getting, so Myanmar is already not our whore. She's our obedient bitch, a lesson which will be taught in the fullness of time. What's this I hear about rebels taking control of towns in our territory?"

Wanfa bowed his head. "Pyingyi and Lutlut have all but fallen. The Bonstockians are less effective than we were led to believe."

Suun plucked Tatsuko Sayo from its resting place and ran his finger along the blade.

"Inform the Bonstockians that we are assuming command in the area."

He shook his head. "We have Bonstockians and LRR forces running security in areas which are to join Marimaia. No wonder resistance is growing. Request that all foreign forces in our regions find new bases of operations, and move our troops in to replace them. We shall show these bastards that we are not to be toyed with."

Wanfa nodded and left. Suun turned to Kichi, who had attended in order to update the Premier about the security situation.

"Are any of the fighters we captured going to talk?"

Kichi shrugged. "Those that were going to have already squealed. Why?"

Suun swung the blade around before answering. "Execute them, and send a tape to the resistance."

"We don't know where they are to be able to send a tape to them."

"Well, make a few copies and drop them over suspected resistance strongholds. I'm through tip-toeing around; if they want to play rough, we'll play so rough that they'll be screaming the safety word at the top of their voices."

Tian chuckled. "What's the safety word?"

"Mercy. Only they won't get any from us."

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

Directive from Marimaian Central Command to all peacekeeping forces

We hereby request that all non-Marimaian forces withdraw from the areas of Shan State, Mon State, Karen State, Kayah State and Tenassarim State. The Marimaian Peple's Army will assuming enforcement duties in these areas; we ask that you transfer yourselves to positions in Kachin State, Sagaing State, Pegu State and Magwe State. These positions have already been in use by Marimaian forces, so they are fully operational.

The soldier was quickly withdrawn to a medical hospital in Maropian Coast, along with other Bonstocknian wounded and dead. An order was given for a phased withdrawl, after a code-named "Operation Monte Cristo" took place.

Night fell as C-17 aircraft began flying into the Bonstocknian base, for the impending withdrawl. Suddenly, a low drone could be heard coming in the distance. It sounded like more C-17s, so as to not alarm anyone.

Instead, it was 120 B-52s from Maropian Coast, with orders to level Mergui to the ground.

First a C-17 flew over. It dropped thousands of leaflets, with pictures of the slain Bonstocknians. Under it, the caption read, "You brought this upon yourselves. You have killed our sons, we will kill yours. You have five minutes to flee."

Five minutes later, to the second, the B-52s flew over. Each dropped over 100 incendiary bombs on Mergui, causing an enourmous firestorm. Seventy-five 105mm howitzers from Mergui Air Base opened up a quick, brutal barrage on what was left of the city.

Finally, Humvees began rolling into the city, with 9,000 Bonstocknian soldiers aboard. They had seen the images of dead and mutilated Bonstocknians, and had vengence in their hearts. They shot at everything that moved, razed and looted shops and homes, and took turns raping Burman women. Within an hour, they killed every man, woman, and child in Mergui, save a few which were allowed to flee, to tell the others of Bonstock's revenge.

Then, with their trucks brimming with loot, the Bonstocknians went back to their base, and C-17 aircraft withdrew every last one to Maropian Coast. Finally, timed detonation charges were set to Bonstocknian bases, and they destroyed what remained of Bonstocknian facilities and supplies, lest they fall into enemy, or Marimaian, hands.

Pe shook his head as his men boarded the riverboat. Several days ago, the town of Mergui was totally leveled; doubtless that would bring more recruits to the insurgent cause.

But there were good news. Several more Islandian units, mostly at brigade and battalion level, were coming to Burma, mostly volunteer units from the Pathet Cong Rangers, Pearl Guards, and the First Ghost Brigade. All of them were jungle specialists, and all of them had fought in combat.

Pe checked his rifle as soon as he was aboard the riverboat, slapping in the rubber ejection guard. Unlike stock SAR21 rifles, Islandian ones had special rubber guards, similar to what was on the Steyr AUG, in order to render the rifle ambidextrous.

"Next stop is a town several kilometers upriver," the flotilla commander said. "Get you boys some rest, and we're picking up some others and heading back into the bush."

"Whos due to replace us?" Pe asked.

"Sergeant Kim's unit," the commander replied. "And some Rangers, probably. Heard there was an entire battalion moving up into these areas."

Pe whistled. A thousand men was uncommon, at least for a unit such as the Rangers.

he shrugged. "Well, thanks for the ride," he said.

The captain nodded.

********
Suspected insurgent stronghold
Rangoon

The HMMVWs rolled quietly through the night, their engines at a low hum. Next to them were Agrigentian made armored cars, and several kilometers back were some A129N attack helos, as well as two or three AY8 gunships.

The troops were out in force that night, almost two commando companies being committed to the raids, reinforced by several more companies of regular troops.

The firing began just as they reached a street on the outskirts of Rangoon. First, antitank missiles roared into buildings, then followed by 100mm cannon fire from the armored cars.

The helos fired smoke rockets, and fireteams on the ground popped smoke mortars into the midst. The troops, from the First Ghost Brigade's 12 and 13 Commando, slid their visors over their eyes, switched them to heartbeat sensing and low-light imaging, and rushed into the darkness as smoke grenades slammed in through windows.

******
Lutlut

Shadows rushed through the jungles outside the town as the missiles began to fall in the city. Fired by missile batteries, many of the projectiles were aimed at reinforced positions, and any targets of opportunity found by spotter planes circling overhead.

The missiles were followed by AY8 gunships, which unleashed cannon and rocket fire onto rebels. One was shot down, but its crew crashed it into a building, sacrificing themselves, and ending the prospect of any Islandian hostages being captured.

The Rangers closed in slowly, ever vigilant for enemies in the thick underbrush, aided by HMMVWs and small amounts of IFVs.

::Attahuiga Palace, Shanjing::

"I don't believe it..."

"I know. They did it though."

Suun stared at the table in shock; Mergui was to become part of Marimaia, but now it lay in ruins. He looked up at the cabinet, with what looked like a snarl on his face.

"Expel all Bonstockians from our territory. Inform Harald that we unconditionally condemn him and his government for their actions; also inform him that any Bonstockian aircraft found in our airspace will be terminated, as will any Bonstockians found within our territory."

"What about Mergui?"

"Order all forces in the area to protect the refugees; try to guide them to towns under our jurisdiction. Then I want Pyingyi and Lutlut brought under control."

"What about the Burmese? They'll hear about that massacre!"

"Issue a statement reiterating our response to Bonstock's actions; also vow that we will take care of the refugees and restore order."

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

::Tavoy::

Suu Kyi wept openly as Vidura told her of the massacre; a few hours later she gave a heartfelt public address, condemning Bonstock and calling upon Marimaia to provide assistance. Vidura was satisfied with the way she carried herself, and quickly announced the assistance that Marimaia was offering.

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

::Western Myanmar::

Thanro was getting close, he could tell. He'd been able to convince the resistance that members of the GLF had arrived to assist in their great struggle, and was on his way to Sittwe as part of some movement. He hadn't been told what was happening, but he had a feeling that he and his GLF comrades could have a big role in the upcoming days.

Sittwe

On the opposite coast of the country, the Bruneian soliders were taking quite a different attitude to their Bonstockian counterparts as they patrolled the city centre. Despite being fired upon, one patrol simply decided to ignore it, after all stopping their vehicles and getting out to look for a sniper was an invitation to be picked off one by one. Elsewhere military police officers used vehicle mounted megaphones to tell the populace that the Elias government was there in the interests of the people of Myanmar and to help in the formation of a democratic government, not out of a desire to occupy. Whether they believed it or not, only time would tell.

The destruction of Mergui is seen as something distinctly stupid by the LRR government. In fact, several SAMs were shot up at Bonstockian C-17s as they passed towards home. While they were probably out of range, it is still a strong message of disapproval.

A diplomatic message is sent to Bonstock, which might be described as a re-worded certain three-letter abbreviation.

"What on earth were you thinking? You total idiots! As of now, all trade with LRR will be cut off. We also demand that you pay restitution to the government of Myanmar for what your troops looted, damaged, or destroyed, in full."

Outside Pa-an, the primary city of Karen State, the 5,000 or so troops of the 2nd, 5th, and 6th amphibious brigades beef up security around the city's perimeter. Mortar attacks cause great concern, and small artillery locating systems are moved into better position. LRRA mortar and recoilless-rifle teams are also brought in, ready to return fire on any bombardment. R-112SF2 MRLs, while very useful and mobile, are not well suited to such small-scale engagements.

LRRA troops also start training Burmese troops, and as a sign of goodwill the LRR government transferrs around 4,000 BTR-50PKB (BTR-100) APCs to the government of Myanmar.

Back on the Irrawaddy Delta, Belinski climbs aboard the Sampan, along with six naval infantry troopers. By this time, the sky is dark, and their movements can be masked more easily. While it is possible that insurgent troops saw the Sampan, it would be unlikely that they saw the CB-90s.

"Ok, four of you take the oars, I'll steer, and two keep watch. Fedorivich!"
"Aye, sir?"
"Accompany us to the end of the delta. Drop of the observation team there, and then head back, hey?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good."

Meanwhile, a line of dark shapes emerge out of the water off of an isolated site on the Burmese coast. Boats lie overturned on the beach, and further inland a concentration of huts sits, concealed in part by the jungle. Recent aerial reconissance had noted the presence of a relatively large arms depot in the area, and a raid was in order.

A soldier's account of the Mergui Massacre

It was midmorning. All the boys were watching the Bonstocknian news at six, due to the time difference. Rumors within the camp had told of some of our friends from 2nd Battalion got held hostage. We all figured they'd be released.

The news came on. The top story was brutal: images of Bonstocknian soldiers, being tortured and mutilated. The anchor explained that they were on patrol, and had been captured. I almost vomited. I knew all five of those men.

There was more rumors. Something big was about to happen. And perhaps a withdrawl was in order. Of course, most of the boys weren't content with goin' away quietly after seeing those images. The conversation quickly turned to what we were going to do to those damn bastards who killed our buddies.

We wouldn't have to wait long. Orders came quickly. The battalion commander got us gathered in the barracks. We knew something was up. He read some orders that were said to have come directly from Lord Harald. "There is an order in force, for a withdrawl of all Bonstocknian troops from Myanmar. This will take effect immediatly. But first, it is time to exact full revenge for the recent killings, Bonstocknian style. Raze Mergui to the ground. Leave no man alive, no woman un-raped, no child un-enslaved. What you cannot loot, set to the torch. And be sure to let some people flee. We want the whole world to know what Bonstock is capable of."

Of course, seeing as those Burmans killed our people, this blatant war crime was perfectly acceptable to us. In Bonstock, there are laws. The most important one, besides never dishonor a guest, violate a woman's chastity, and always respect elders, was that of vendetta. If someone kills your father, it is your duty to find and kill him, and take revenge. This of course, will mean his son will go after you, and your son will go after him, and so on and so forth. If you cannot live up to this duty, you are seen as a coward, a traitor, or both. Indeed, this goes back in our history far, far back. It was said that Bonstock was founded by two brothers, both sons of a Viking explorer and the daugther of a Mongol khan. They got into a squabble over how to divide their sisters. In a fit of rage, one took his sword and killed the other. One of the sisters ran off, being pregnant with the son of the slain brother. Eventually, it was said, the son of the slain brother explored for many years before settling into modern-day Taiwan, in a place called "Maropian Coast." The living brother would found Bonstock. The pattern of death began here.

Back in the Bonstocknian civil war, a man named Lieutenant Alfred von Strauswitz killed Colonel Robert Hu. Colonel Hu's daughter, Hu Li, was witness to this, and set aside any love she may have harbored for the man. Though von Strauswitz spared her life at multiple points, Hu Li, now President of Bonstock, flew up in a space-pod with a T-1 bomb attached to her. She piloted herself into von Strauswitz's space ship, killing Strauswitz, herself, and about 40,000 others.

Go further in time. Von Strauswitz was a guest of a man named Montgomery Burns. Gustavus Adolphus, the military leader of Bonstock since the civil war, had aided in his downfall. Burns assasinated him and took power for himself. The death was never forgotten by Adolphus's young son, Harald. Young Harald would come to avenge his father in time.

So, we, as Bonstocknians, were in no position to let these deaths go un-avenged. These were merely young conscripts, our friends, with no children to avenge them. Therefore, we as friends must avenge them. It was our duty.

So day became dusk which became night, and we prepared for the battle. After locking the ammunition in our rifles, and putting our helmets on, a firm and unimaginable rage overtook every Bonstocknian soldier. We loaded into our Humvees, and sped out. Overhead, we heard drones. The Air Force was coming to help us. Off in the distance, we saw the town of Mergui. We saw the bombs drop from the planes, and the town explode into a mighty fireball. We cheered to the tune of artillery which helped decimate what was left of the town.

As we entered, some punks with rocks got in our way. Rather then shoot them, the lead Humvee ran them down, and hit them at high speed. They were still alive. The rest of the humvees ran over, and helped put their screams to rest. We began firing at everything and anything that moved. People with Kalishnikovs, old men, children, even cats and dogs. They ran, but could not hide. Some went into houses. We got out, and started taking fire. Some grenades helped put an end to that. I kicked down the door to some shop. A liquor store it seemed. A man was behind the counter. He started yelling at me. I aimed my rifle at him. He got on his knees and yelled.

"Shut the f--k up!" I yelled. But he kept screaming. Fed up, I put a burst between the eyes. He fell over. I noticed some stairs leading up. A couple of buddies and me thought we might go see what was up there. Some kid threw rocks at us. Again, a burst of M-4, and he fell down. I heard women screaming in the back. A mother, wailing, holding a teenage daughter in hand. Me and my buddies yelled, "Get down! Shut up!" They kept wailing. I pulled the girl aside, and another soldier pulled the mother away, and knocked her out with the butt of his rifle. Paying no attention, I started ripping the girl's clothing off. Poor bitch, she was probably only twelve or thirteen. I tore her blouse off, and then her pants. She screamed. I tore off her bra and panties, and forced her to the floor. Again she screamed, but it was dying down. Her breath was out. Mad with rage, I got on top of her. Then I got off, and stood guard as the others took their turns. After a few minutes, we let her go. She ran into the countryside, screaming. I shot some bullets into the air, to scare her.

We proceeded to loot the place, taking everything we could carry. Alcohol mostly. Someone found some gas. After taking everything we could get our hands on, we dumped the gas onto the floor, and lit a match to it. We left, and saw the store become engulfed in flame.

We saw others setting fire to a house, and then machine gunning the occupants as they ran out. A common sight. We saw some soldiers forcing a group of young girls out of a building. I turned to a buddy. "What are they for?"

"Young girls. Lord Harald ordered for fifty of them delivered to him, un-raped, so that he may participate in the vengence."

We both smiled, and went to what looked like a Buddhist temple. After executing the monks, we took everything of value, and loaded it into Humvees. Then we set it aflame. Around us now was a burning inferno. The streets were quiet now, save isolated gun shots and the sounds of fire. We drove alongside a stream of hundreds of prisoners, all working age men, being led to the Bonstocknian base. Slave labor, no doubt. We began drinking, and singing, as we departed this burning patch of hell, knowing full well our mission was accomplished. We got back to base, packed our gear, and left aboard cargo planes. All Bonstocknian planes were away from Marimaian territory before word got out. We rounded Vietnam, and flew back to Maropian Coast, back to civilization. A few days from now, I'll be discharged. I'm not sure if I'll be branded a hero or a criminal, though I will say, I was merely doing my duty, exacting revenge that all Bonstocknians seek.

-Lutlut-

Every able bodied man and woman were now up in arms. The news of what had happened in Mergui had turned every single person against the occupation, whether it was by Bonstock or by Marimaia.

Across the country, the story was being circulated about what the Bonstockians had done. The story needed no embellishment. The only thing added was that Marimaia had asked Bonstock to come, and it was even speculated that Marimaia had allowed it to occur.

The videos of Marimaian troops brutally executing Myanmar resistance members (said to be mere citizens), were given around cities further inflaming the people's anger. Now they were certain, if Marimaia would film such executions then they surely condoned Bonstock's actions.

-Elsewhere-

Rangoon erupted into brutal revolt.

Sitwee, where all feared that United Elias troops would do the same as Bonstock, had become a terrorist stronghold in hours. Whatever guns could be found were used to attack the United Elias troops in massive human wave assualts.

In Tavoy, protests crescendoed as the people demanded that Suu Kyi send the bastard Marimaians away.

In the Shan provinces, fear of Marimaia now outweighed the happiness of being liberated from the brutal military rule.

As for the LRR attempts at hiring Burmese citizens, they would find that for the most part the people of Myanmar had no intent of joining the occupation as it was now being referred to.

OOC: Wow... I didn't expect that... I must admit... I am shocked and awed that Bonstock would do that... wait.. this is Bonstock we are speaking of

-Hudecia-

With the massacre on the front page news, whatever hatred for the insurgents had been prominant now had turned to disgust for the occupation.

Thousands were marching in the streets demanding harsh action against Bonstock, but it seemed like the government was paralyzed by fear and indecision. Not even an official statement was made.

-Rangoon-

Although the raid would be successful, and they would cease many weapons and explosives. THe raid itself would prove to be explosive. As soon as the Islandians were leaving the house, they would be fired upon by crowds of angry citizens.

The people of Rangoon were in a rage.

Spyr
After news of the Mergui massacre reaches Spyr, domestic media explode in a frenzy of anti-Bonstockian feeling, reawakening the hatreds bred in the propaganda of the Japann war. The government takes no direct action to punish Bonstock... as the laws against trade with Bonstock and entry of their citizens into Spyr were never lifted after the war, there is little more that can be done. However, ranking figures in the bureaucracy are heard to make comments on the Azn Alliance's error in not pressing the battle and eliminating Bonstock during the Japann war.

Quietly, in the Ministry of Commerce, the authors of the Asian Pacific Economic Strategy (a plan for the formation of a trade sphere along the Asian Pacific coast, including Bonstock) are removed from their posts and sent to re-education camps.

A communique is sent to Premier Suun from PRS President Strain... it is quite obvious in depicting Spyran displeasure with Marimaia's choice of allies, though it maintains a veneer of politeness by not actually mentioning any nation by name... instead, phrases such as 'those who lie with imperialist dogs wake up to find their legs being devoured' and 'to suppress morality for access to counter-revolutionary power is to invite the collapse of revolutionary morals completely' are liberally scattered throughout.

In private conversations, the Spyran President is heard expressing anger at his own failure to make such points to the SSRC sooner... "the light of new Revolutionary cooperation, and the hope that Bonstockian imperialism was fading, blinded us to the truth of their counter-revolutionary nature... and, humanity has paid for it. We shall not allow ourselves to fail again."

OOC: I'm not having a good week on NS am I? Thank you very much Bonstock. I was really enjoying this, but now either a miracle has to occur (not bloody likely), or Operation Dominion is going to be put into effect. Operation Dominion being the 'worst-case' plan formulated by the Ministry of Resettlement. Anyhoo, I've got to go to work in 30 minutes, so this a quick update.

IC:

Across Myanmar

Marimaian forces were given orders not to fire unless absolutely necessary; the discipline of the MPA meant that very few soldiers opened fire, and those that did only fired warning shots. Myanmar's government-controlled media broadcast Marimaia's condemnation of Bonstock's actions, as well as the details of Marimaia's assistance to the survivors. Suu Kyi appeared to remind the people that if it hadn't been for the Marimaians, they would all still be living under the junta's brutal regime.

In the areas Marimaia was planning to annex, the NeoSuunist propaganda machine went into overdrive; the Bonstockians had betrayed Marimaia, and they would be punished for it.

Sittwe

Lieutenant-General Amir cursed, his plan to capture the 'hearts and minds' of the locals and triumphing over the resistance by proving that the peacekeepers was acting on behalf of the people, quite simply lay in ruins after the events in Mergui.

Predictably but nonetheless suddenly an adjutant reported that the UAV had pictures of resistance fighters gathering in the streets, in fits of rage with no one to direct it at, besides him and his men. Amir's response was to order that all patrols immediately return to base and all troops to prepare to be assaulted.

Within half an hour, the perimeters of both the Port and Airport were being charged by rabbles of poorly armed militia, all desperate to avenge the Bonstockian war crimes against any foriegn force unlucky enough to be around. The highly disciplined and organised Bruneian troops, behind sandbags and other fortifications waited unti the last possible moment to open fire, while lightweight 60mm mortard rained down CS gas and smoke on the guerillas. With methodical precision the Bruneians took down the now confused enemies one by one using the sights on their Tavor assault rifles and Minimis. At the port, two Bruneian special forces became the first casualties of the war as an RPG slammed into a low wall they were using as cover.

The first waves of enemy combatantants now either casualites or retreating, the defenders quickly switched to offense, dashing forward to hunt down
the remnants and recover weaponry. At the same time messages was sent out on local radio explaining that the guerillas had been killed were nothing more than servants of the old tyrannical regime whose wrath they had all been freed from.

OOC: Well.. since the MRC doesn't want a bloodbath...

IC:

-Sitwee-

The MRC had nothing to do with the recent attacks on occupation forces and in a public statement appealled for calm and order. They announced that until the current unrest was settled, that no more attacks on occupation forces would occur as long as occupation forces did not assault them.

Through their GLF operatives Marimaia would soon be able to confirm that indeed the MRC was in no way prepared to launch such an assault so quickly. Although the entire countryside was in revolt, the actions were simply the those of an angry populace, not the MRC.

The attackers of the United Elias base were citizens of Sitwee, and the local leaders knew this full well. In their reply to the UE forces they stated that any foreign devils that tried to enter their city would be killed and strung up in the market square.

OOC: If you pull back, Sitwee stands the chance of becoming a rebel stronghold, if you push in, the people of Sitwee will join the MRC even more whole-heartedly.

IC:

-Lutlut-

The MRC was not ready to take control of any major civilian centres and until Mergui was barely in control of Lutlut. Now, Lutlut's citizenry, fearing for their lives would fight to the last man and woman against the East Islandian attack. Missiles strikes, although physically damaging only served to reinforce the idea that the entire city would be demolished.

"We will not die as sheep!" - Graffiti on a wall in Lutlut

OOC: If you want to take Lutlut, you may very well have to kill every man and woman in the town now.

IC:
-Tavoy-

In front of Suu Kyi's fortified bunker a group of MRC sympathizers organized a small event with focused on the playing of the video which Marimaia had distributed around to MRC strongholds.

They held their silence and sat blockin the street while their portable TVs showed the execution over and over again.

-Sitwee-

The MRC had little to no stockpiles in the city, and what few there were had been completely looted.

General Than Shwe watched from his protected safe house in Sitwee as the citizens cheered when the UE forces retreated. Now, as news of their defeat at the UE base came, he sent off his personal guards to help repel any counterattack. Joining with what trained MRC folks were in the city, they would use the heavy equipment they had saved, such as 81mm and 120 mm mortars, M60 machine guns and 40mm grenade launchers. These were all in short supply however, and the resistance would go to great lengths to recover these arms if lost.

Of course, sending away all but a few of his guards would leave him almost unprotected. (OOC: wink wink, hint hint!) But at the moment he felt he had little to fear as none but a few MRC members knew where he was.

Sittwe

With the attack on the bases repulsed, there seemed to be no other choice open other than to pursuee the geuerillas and assert control over the city, after all they couldn't just wait for reinforcements while the enemies regrouped and rearmed.

Just after dark the raid began, The Bruenian Paras spearheading an advance in heavily armed Land Rovers along main streets to flush the guerillas out, while elite special forces followed on foot to eliminate them. By waiting for nightfall, the chances were that few civilians would be on the streets so identifiying targets would be that much easier. In addition, every time one of the assault convoys turned a corner the commanders would have already seen infrared images of the next block, beamed down from the circling UAV, making an ambush much more unlikely.


Baghdad, United Elias

Deep within the corridors of power, the news of casualties and large attacks by guerillas had prompted for a complete review of force-depletion projections showing that the casualty rate for forces in Myanmar would be considerably higher than previously imagined. Immediately the Minister of Defence and other cabinet members started to backtrack, knowing that if United Elias soldiers were sent in they would be under fire and troops would be coming home in caskets. A decision was made soon after, that The Bruneian troops currently deployed would be reinforced by more 'soldiers from the colonies', principally Brunei rather than UE nationals. The methodology was that the Bruneians were conisderably more suited to 'low-intensity' conflict with their smaller units and flexible structure not to mention being generally more restrained and less trigger happy. While these reasons were good, the unspoked yet critical one was that Brunieans were to a larger degree, expendable.

Submarines attack Bonstockian shipping, and missiles are fired at Bonstockian positions outside Mergui.

However, the Islandians cannot worry about the Bonstockians; for now, all their focus centers on survival.

Rangers besieging Lutlut are repulsed with heavy losses, and have moved to a perimeter several kilometers away. The last reports from commanders several hours ago state that the insurgents were counterattacking, and front units were being overrun.

Reinforcements sent to aid the Rangers are promptly blown out of the water, and helicopters are downed almost as easily. Due to heavy jungle, an airborne relief attempt is infeasible, and armor columns have no chance of penetrating the thick forests.

The only hope for rescue are night time evacuation attempts by special operations air units.

In Rangoon, commandoes are faced by an angry mob. Some retreat inside, and others split for their armored vehicles as gunships lay down a hail of automatic fire and smoke grenades to cover the exit of their troops. HOwever, roadside bombs kill many before they reach the base, and any stragglers are promptly surrounded.

All straggling soldiers, holding true to tradition and orders, use their poisoned needles on their enemies, saving one for themselves. No hostages will be taken out of this action, as there are only corpses to be captured.

However, about twenty soldiers are trapped within downtown Rangoon. even as reinforcements make their way there, many more city blocks begin to become a warzone, and gunships are not plentiful enough to cover the entire city. Reinforcements are holed up, and some destroyed, as insurgents begin to rise up against foreign forces.

The death toll, not counting the Rangers (whose last reports indicated at least fifty to sixty percent casualties) is about a hundred fifty soldiers. The fighting is ten times more difficult and bloody than the worse fighting in Iraq.

Premier Kim faces calls from an angry people to pull their troops out and send them home; instead, she ordered five light divisions to reinforce their comrades in Burma.

-Sitwee-

The UAV becomes the target of several anti-air missiles as the insurgents realize the full breadth of the attack.

Without many weapons, but with strength fueled by anger and fear they fight the UE troops bitterly. The initial thrust made by the paratroopers in Land Rovers find themselves under attack by grenade launchers, however, the insurgents retreat further and further into the heart of the city. Mortars begin to open up on the Land Rovers, however their accuracy is limited. The principle reason for the use of mortars was to awaken the citizenry.

The further the UE troops push, the more resistance they encounter. And special operations groups begin to find themselves increasingly attacked from the rear as the citizenry are alerted to the UE movements. Further into the city, tires are piled and lit on fire to help 'guide' the vehicles into traps.

-Surrounding Mergui-

In a suprisingly aggressive move, the forces based out of Lutlut and nearby towns were flooding towards the Mergui. With Islandian subs targeting Bonstockian shipping, and MRC forces targeting all aircraft attempting to reach the area, the remaining Bonstockians were more or less cut off as MRC forces controlled all the roads into the area.

Tens of thousands of them came, from kilometres around, all with one plan; vengeance. Armed with all the weapons they could muster they would attack the Bonstockians feverishly, in human waves at times, in strategic groups at other times. The attacks may have been erratic, but they were continuous and fervent. The Bonstockians may have armoured vehicles but they would not stand against the firepower that was now being focused on them.

Bonstockians who were captured, would be dismembered limb by limb until they would die.

In a rare move, the MRC delivered a note to the allied commands (except Bonstock):

"Although we blame the Marimaians as much as the Bonstockians for the 'Massacre of Mergui', at this time our hatred is focused on the Bonstockian men and women who have commited these atrocities. No foreign troops will be targeted unless they give aid to those who commited crimes not seen since Nanjing or Auchwitz.

For the Bonstockians, there will be given no quarter, there will be given no warning, all of them must perish. Tens of thousands of the citizens of Myanmar have joined us in our assault and many more are on their way. Interfere with us at your peril."

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

GLF agents would note that the MRC ammo reserves would be poured into this assualt. Perhaps even suggesting that they should let the battle run its course before getting involved.

More firey messages are sent to Bonstock over diplomatic channels, some using obscenities, most relatively civil. Thanks to Bonstock's superb tactical sense, thousands more insurgents joined the cause.

The war in Burma had turned from a liberation to an occupation. The LRRA troops in Karen state are dissappointed to find so few recruits for an interim army, especially after the distribution of almost a thousand tons of food aid, and the establishment of valuable infrastructure.

Back on the shoreline, the LRR raid progresses. The 20 naval infantry troopers spearheading the assault crawl up the beach in the dark, SMGs in hand.

They finally reach the treeline, and then scatter into the jungle, headed for the site of the arms cache. Offshore, in BTR-100s, 500 LRRA amphibious troops wait for the signal to go ashore. They sit in absolute silence, a few hundred meters off the beach. Colonel Anton Hess sits on the back deck of his BTR-100, next to the two recoilless rifle crews who have their weapons set up on the deck. Commander of the 1st battalion of his amphibious brigade, he gets ready to go ashore. Wearing reversible grey or yellow life preservers, the battalion's troops look somewhat ragtag, especially with their Ak-family weapons and smattering of RPG-7s.

On the shore, the crackle of gunfire, from the MP-5s of the commandos and from Ak-47s, can he heard. A flare leaps up from the jungle.

"That's it, go!" yells Colonel Hess into the driver's compartment. The vehicle lurches foreward and motors towards the beach, along with the rest of the vehicles. Offshore, destroyers and helicopters prepare to give fire support.

As a chaotic day of fighting finally draws to a finish, news leaks from commanders on the front: of nearly six hundred Rangers involved in the assault on Lutlut, almost half their number are missing or dead. The rest retreated to allied controlled territory, leaving behind booby-trapped vehicles, burning hulks, and booby trapped bodies.

Nearly a hundred Rangers are trapped behind enemy lines, and river crews and special operations air units have come to their aid, withdrawing them under heavy fire. However, the evacuation is not complete, and the action has taken a high toll on the Islandian attackers.

*******
Lutlut

Even the Rangers, some of the best jungle fighters in the Islandian forces, had not had a chance. THe jungle had simply swarmed with insurgents, outnumbering their six hundred men by four to five times. Even women and children pitched in, rendering the fight a chaotic and confusing one, with the Rangers and their vehicles being thrown into a hasty retreat.

First, another gunship had gone down, and a team had gone in to rescue the crew. However, they drew heavy fire, and soon, the bulk of Ranger forces found themselves advancing into Lutlut without proper support and with men unsuited for urban operations.

Then, the guerillas had pounced, swarming over them, barragging them with small arms fire and mortar fire...

In fortified Spyran camps outside Rangoon and Mandalay, morale is wavering. The most basic Spyran military doctrine, revolving around the revolutionary ideal of 'fight the feudal-capitalists, join with the people', seemed a hopeless dream as the people of Myanmar rose up in great numbers against the idea of foreign occupation. The soldiers had expected to be tilling fields and drinking in bars with the Burmese citizenry, not separated from them in case guerilla fighters chose them as targets. Worse, while they believed that Marimaia would uplift the people of Myanmar through its efforts, they had never felt the same about Bonstock. Bonstock was an enemy, untrustworthy and vicious... few Spyran soldiers would willingly suppress the justified rage of a people against the imperialist foe. As the situation continued to degenerate, Spyran propaganda loudspeakers broadcast messages outlining their good intentions and hopes for Burma's future, interspersed with the occasional tirade agains Bonstock, common enemy of all Asians.

The Spyrans had not been defeated militarily, but they had been stalled ideologically. They were trapped in confusion, and as the hours ticked by, they simply didn't know what to do.

-Rangoon-

"The people are in arms! Victory is near!" The young militant shouted at the group of MRC leaders that had hastily met in the middle of this devastated city. The older ones glared at him silently.

"If we support the common revolt we could end the occupation, or we could increase it," the only 'captain' in the room declared. "If we don't, we risk being estranged from the people."

"How is the situation in Sitwee?"

"Sitwee can hold its own, but we are running out of arms and ammo," the regional representative declared. "We need more help."

"You will have what help you require, we are sending 100 of our best men armed with 81mm mortars, M-16s and M60 machine guns, along with as much ammo as they can carry," said the representative from Rangoon.

"What about the Spyrans here?"

"As long as they stay in the forts, they will be safe... for now. If they leave them, we'll kill them to a man."

Sittwe

Being pinned down by incoming mortar rounds and facing barricaded roads swarming with guerillas, the order was given to abandon the vehicles and take cover in buildings. Leaving their Land Rovers, many of which were burning or destroyed, the soldiers rush to the sides of the road occupying the nearest structures, sometimes having to eliminate enemies within them. With a few minutes most of the Bruneian forces have vacated the streets and instead defending their positions rather than advancing into the city. After all enough guerillas were coming to them that they quite simply had no need to push forward. Unfortunately the Hermes drone had been struck by a shoulder-fired IR missile and slammed into the heart of the city, exploding in a fireball, spraying debris so the UE forces had to rely on the smaller Skylark (http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/aircraft/uav/skylark_r/Skylark.html) man-portable UAVs to provide advanced warning of enemy movements.

At the airfield, transport planes were finally landing with reinforcement soldiers, in fact an entire battalion of the Bruneian Royal Dragoon guards, mechanised infantry that would soon be ready to assault the city.

-Lutlut-

Unlike the Bonstockians, the Islandian bodies were treated with relative respect and honour, when they were retreived by the MRC. Some attempts were made to coax Islandian soldiers inside Lutlut to surrender, but for the most part, the MRC was more than happy to see them dead.

-Mergui-

The attacks were continual upon what forces remained in this destroyed city. No one would be spared.

-Rangoon-

Having pinned down the Rangers, but unable to fully excise them from the area, the MRC took over and offered to negotiate a way for the Islandians to withdraw safely. The principle concession point desired by the MRC was that the Islandians would leave their weapons and ammo, unsabotaged, in the hands of the MRC.

-Mandalay-

The already devastated city was in a state of confusion. Without proper international presence the city was divulging into a brutal civil war as gangs fought each other for control. The MRC began to establish itself more fully as they gained support among the populace.

Supporting the MRC was very favourable since the MRC would provide protection for the urban dwellers. Food, on the other hand, was still in short supply, but there was thousands of tons inside allied bases the people were told.

-Near an LRR Base-

The old man came slowly up the road to the LRR base waving a white flag over his head and holding his arms in the air. Once he had advanced into shouting distance he stopped and yelled at the LRR troops.

"We know that you and the devils of Bonstock are two different countries," he began. "But the people's anger is unsatiable, and you and those demons look the same. Leave now! While you still can!"

-Sitwee-

As the UE forces were holed up in the urban area, the MRC began taking great lengths to fully secure the area before launching a full assault on the neighbourhood. UE bodies that could be taken by the rebels were strung upside down in the market square for all to see.

After hours of incessant attacks, even during the dead of night, a messenger from the MRC approached the UE troops. The deal would be similar to the Islandians, the UE would be allowed to withdraw safely, IF they gave up their arms and promised not to return to the city.

Also included in the deal would be all the dead bodies recovered by the MRC forces. If the UE refused, the people would be allowed to have their way with the bodies.

-Tavoy-

The people were now demanding an end to the attacks. First Mergui was destroyed.. then Lutlut was attacked unsuccessfully, Rangoon was turning into a warzone, and Sitwee was already one.

The people in Tavoy were nearing the end of their patience too. As reports of attacks and counterattacks throughout the country came slowly in to this city, the people took the streets in increasing numbers to demand that Suu Kyi stop the Marimaians and their allies.

However, in the midst of the tragedy, groups of peace activists were organizing trying desperately to end the violence quickly. However, they realized, the populace must work out their anger first before they could ponder the future.

Over Mandalay, Spyran tilt-rotors began to see use once again, air-dropping supply packages to the city. along with messages encouraging peaceful demonstrations and solidarity between 'All Asian peoples, who must unite together in the Great Effort to Expel the treacherous Bonstockian demons'.

Loudspeakers outside Spyran camps in Rangoon and Mandalay repeat similar messages, and ask for calm and cooperation with Spyran forces, who are present in Myanmar on behalf of Suu Kyi, to help maintain peace and comfort during the transition from brutal military junta to a free and prosperous state. It is asked of the Burmese people that they attempt to act in a peaceful manner, and that former junta soldiers give their loyalty to Suu Kyi's government, so that it might better maintain stability in this time of crisis. the more rapidly calm can be restored, the more quickly humanitarian and reconstruction efforts can resume.

::Across Myanmar::

All government-run media in Myanmar halted normal programming to show an address to the Burmese people by Premier Suun:

"People of Myanmar, you all know me. Some call me hero, others call me occupier; to some amongst you, I am a murderer. I admit that my nation was foolish to trust Bonstock; they assured us that their efforts would be beneficial, but recent events have proven otherwise."

"I am here to assure you all that Bonstock's actions will not stand. I have already ordered Marimaian forces to hand over any Bonstockians found in your territory to the people, so that popular justice can be dealt out. All Bonstockians have been expelled from Marimaia on pain of death; all Bonstockian aircraft which enter either Marimaian or Myanmar airspace will be terminated. All Marimaian trade with Bonstock has been terminated. I guarantee you that you will gain your revenge on the butchers of Mergui, and Marimaia will assist you should you want us to. If you find any Bonstockians by yourselves, by all means rip the bastards limb from limb and enjoy the sensation!"

"I would also like to address the issue of the execution tape we released. The men we executed were terrorists, intent on destroying your freedoms and returning you to the rule of the junta. After the flow of execution tapes from them, we thought it would be fitting to return the favour. We have made a mistake in displaying the death of these people so openly, and we apologise for the distress it has obviously caused the general populace."

"We realise that you want us to leave. If that is your wish, then so be it; however, you yourselves must realise that your government cannot be expected to restore order on their own. You are angry, and rightfully so, but anger must not be allowed to give rise to terrorists who will only continue the suffering and poverty. Allow us to do our duties, allow us to distribute food and medical supplies, allow us to help rebuild your nation. What would you rather live in; a harsh brutal dictatorship, or a prosperous free democracy where you can live how you want? We never said this would be easy, but in the end we will all emerge with a better standard of life."

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::Sittwe::

Thanro glanced around as he quietly slipped out of the room to contact his Marimaian allies. A short message, sent in code, was received by Central Command; translated, it basically read:

"Than Shwe found. Assistance requested."

Three squads of the Internal Security Force's elite troops, the Sukhothai, were dispatched towards Sittwe with orders to capture Than Shwe alive if possible; if not, a body was all that was asked for. Marimaian Central Command contacted the UE forces in the city, requesting that they steer clear of a specific area of the city which was to be the site of 'vital strategic operations'.

OCC: I would like to remind everyone that LRR is very multiethnic. Its not there's no one ethnic group that comprises more than 20 percent of the population.

IC:

The old man is confronted by an Indian Captain.

"Our mission here is humanitarian first and foremost. Surely, you have noticed the new bridges, better roads, improved water pumps, and agricultural aid distributed throughout this province. We are not here to occupy you, we are here to help!"

Meanwhile, a convoy of heavy ships leaves Sakhalin'sk, headed for Myanmar. Aboard the freighters is tons and tons of food aid, as well as prefabricated shelters bound for Mergui.

The beleaguered commandos in Rangoon agree. Just in case, however, theykeep their poisoned needles nearby, and call for unarmed helicopters to evacuate them.

Rifles and assault weapons, grenades, and anti-tank missiles are thrown out the window, and the soldiers hunker down inside, keeping their knives and fighting batons ready, in case the MRC decide to rush into the compound. Helicopters arrive on scene, and a voice blares out, telling the crowd that the craft are unarmed and are here to pick up their comrades.

Meanwhile, rescue forces disengage, pulling back. They are. however, ready to continue fighting, and more than willing to kill everything in the way if their comrades are betrayed.

In Lutlut, Rangers trapped inside the city attempt to make their way out, as airstrikes and smoke rounds blanket the place. With heartbeat sensors and low-light imaging devices, they have an edge over their foes, though not as much as they would have liked. Reinforcements were still far away, and air support did not help very much.

-Rangoon-

In a very public display, the MRC was true to its word. They cleared paths for the Islandians to be escorted straight to their lines.

After all, the MRC got what it needed most; legitimacy and weapons.

-Tavoy-

The Marimaian appeal and apology was received coldly, but most people listened regardless. Listening provoked thought, thought provoked calm, and calm was beneficial.

The anger of the people was subsiding, however, Mergui would be hard to forget.

In Rangoon, the senior Spyran officer remained cautious... he had a substantial number of infantry and tanks at his disposal, but had no intention of sending them out into the general populace until he was sure matters had calmed down.

In Mandalay, with many fewer troops and a much more idealistic commander, the Spyrans had decided to take a chance. Loudspeakers announced that the Spyrans would place their trust in the people of Myanmar, and hoped to recieve trust in return. Several squads of unarmed troops left the security of the camp, accompanying army doctors and nurses, with the intent of locating a hospital facility in the city, and restoring it to operation.

OOC: Okay, since I was gone and everything, I'll just sum up the area I have peacekeeping duty in for right now. Then I'll try to work back into this. My vacation was at an inopportune time for getting involved in this RP....

General Gao had successfully maintained the appearance of just an overwhelmed peacekeeping force. Unable to secure any wilderness outside major cities in the area the Chuang were 'peacekeeping'.

Gao had left over 90% of the territory designated to him in Anarchy. He had made it clear, without direct communication, to the leaders of local towns still in Anarchy that the Chuang had no intention of trying to occupy them. They wouldn't interfere with the areas in Anarchy if the local populace didn't interfere with the cities under Chuang peacekeeping forces. This did not stop, however, the violence which was ripping through the rest of the country from occurring here as well. Well over 1,000 Chuang-Han soldiers had died thus far.

Tavoy

"Well my dear, it would appear that Premier Suun hauled you out of a fire."

"Vidura, if it hadn't been for your government I wouldn't have been in that fire to start with."

Vidura chuckled. "Believe what you want to, my dear. Now that things are settling down a bit, reconstruction can continue. However, as a gesture of Marimaian good intentions, we will commence recruitment and training of an elite bodyguard unit for your esteemed person."

"Oh? What of a regular army? How will we function without one?"

"If you will let me finish...we will also begin constructing a military academy for Myanmar's use, as well as assisting you to develop an efficient fighting force."

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Attahuiga Palace, Shanjing

Kichi carefully made his way around the pool and knelt down to wait for Premier Suun to reach him; the young leader swam over and grinned at his Security Minister.

"Kichi! Why don't you get into your Speedos and join us in here!"

Kichi smiled and shook his head. "As much as I appreciate the invitation, I have a situation to monitor. We had intel from one of the GLF that Than Shwe has been located. Sukhothai units are inbound to 'collect' him."

"Excellent news! Kichi, I could kiss you! After all the crap we've had recently, things might start working out."

Kichi was about to respond when Tian suddenly emerged from the depths; sensing the inevitable, Kichi quickly said farewell and left the First Couple to their business.

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Sittwe

The three Sukhothai squads had arrived in Sittwe at night and made their way to the safehouse where Than Shwe was reported to be hiding. They moved in quietly, assaulting any guards they discovered.

Thanro heard some muffled sounds of combat and made his way to 'guard' Than Shwe's position.

-Sitwee-

Than Shwe at first was surprised to hear the fighting getting so close to his location, until he realized that his guards had been taken out. Drawing and pointing his pistol, he stood beside the door and waited for the inevitable assault on his room.

Tag

Tag

Tag

OOC: I appreciate the three tags; hope you're enjoying the show. If you want to join in, I'm afraid that all slots are currently full.

IC:

Sittwe

"Than Shwe! Give yourself up! It's time for you to face justice!"

The Sukhothai commander grimaced as no reply was heard; he made a few gestures, and his men swung into action. Donning their gas masks, they kicked the door in and tossed a tear gas grenade into the room. After a few seconds, they followed it.

-Sitwee-

Than Shwe shot out the window and jumped into the street below, twisting his ankle upon landing. He tried to hobble down the street to a nearby car which he had the keys to.

He had dropped his gun upon the fall, no need in giving them more reason to shoot him then they already had.

Sittwe

"After him!"

Several Sukhothai troops charged back down the stairs to give chase on foot, while their officer contacted the rest of the unit. Overhead, a Hind located the escaping general and slowly descended until it was just above the roofs of nearby buildings. It shone a bright spotlight down at him while five Sukhothai troops dropped down on ropes; they drew their weapons.

"It's over; you lost."

The Sukhothai troops who had given chase caught up and tackled the general to the floor.

-Sitwee-

For a moment Than Shwe felt fear. Seeing the Hind helicopter descend and the men climb down the ropes sent a chill through his entire body. His leg was in so severe pain that he could not even attempt to flee again.

Regaining his composure he stood there and allowed his attackers to tackle him to the ground.

While crowds of people looked on, the former dictator was dragged away by Marimaian special forces.

Rangoon

The Spyran naval flotilla in port at Rangoon was not an insubstantial force... enough ships to move a military division and supplies, plus relief foodstuffs and medical goods, and appropriate escort vessels. The Spyran ships had remained at anchor in and around the harbour, movement limited first by the hijacking of the Hudecian vessel, then by the explosion of unrest in Rangoon.

Matters had suddenly become a bit more severe, with the Bonstockian blockade and tariffs at Malacca. The PRS government had no intention of paying a toll to pass through the straits, but Malacca was the primary route in for aid from Spyr... and, the flotilla risked running out of fuel if they attempted to return home by an alternate route. Uncertain about when they might have to depart, the Spyran naval commander sheepishly began asking his Marimaian counterparts if there might be spare fuel reserves from which the Spyrans could borrow, should a return home become vital.

Tavoy

All media stopped their normal broadcasts in order to bring a special announcement from Aung San Suu Kyi.

"My people, I bring you joyous news! Last night, acting on information gained from various sources, a joint Myanmar-Marimaia operation succeeded in the capture of General Than Shwe, former leader of the junta which oppressed us all for so many years! He is currently being examined by medical personnel, and will be held in custody until trial proceedings can take place. One of the major stumbling blocks to our freedom has now been removed; he will now face the justice of those he has oppressed and murdered!"

Across Myanmar

The media ran the the general's capture as their top story, using photos released by the Provisional Government. The photos show Than Shwe in captivity, being examined by medical personnel and also a few shots of him being interrogated.

-Across Myanmar-

There were muted celebrations concerning the capture of the dictator, however, MRC agents took the opportunity to compare Than Shwe's rule to that of the Marimaians. The utter lack of security, the fact that the country was overrun with foreigners, and the missing rule of law were primary complaint points.

Still, the MRC, now without any firm military leadership was becoming more muted in its support of the former dictatorship and was beginning to shift its allegiances. Infiltrators by the Marimaian allies had softened most of the MRC's hard liners (or simply eliminated them), leaving behind a softer, gentler MRC.

That did not mean they were not a force to be trifled with. With decreasing weapon supplies but increasing ability to coordinate attacks they were becoming both a military and political force that would have to be dealt with sooner or later.

OOC
bonstockian blockade? Marimaian tariffs? wuts going on?

*****
Aboard assault cruiser Shin Mei, Nguyen Hong commanding
several kilometers off Burmese coast

"Cargo has been secured," the first officer reported. "Ready for testing."

"Launch," Captain Nguyen ordered immediately.

Five D9 missiles roared out of the aft tubes, tracking targets on the nearby water that had been set in place twenty minutes ago. The targets were remote-piloted boats, and each weaved through the water quickly.

It was to no avail. The missiles impacted onto the boats, all save for one, which was remotely detonated when it came within twenty meters of one boat.

"Good," Nguyen said. "Now, fill the tubes up again, and tell command taht we have been successful. We set sail in an hour, for Malacca."

"Sung Shiren reports accuracy ratio of five to one," the communications officer reported.

Nguyen smiled. "Good. Very good."

In minutes, the ships left the area and headed for the Straits of Malacca.

******
In Rangoon, an Islandian supply depot gives the Spyrans some fuel for hteir return home. It is unknown if the Islandian fuel, a derivative of plants, animal waste, and petroleum, is suitable for use in Spyran engines.

The number of LRRN vessels on the coast of Myanmar decreases visibly, as ten Sovremennys and all but three of the frigates head for home, a precaution to any Bonstockian action against Spyr.

North Yaman would like to know before which court Than Shwe will stand trial to answer for his crimes? Will a regional court be set up, or will Marimaia hold Shwe until the people of the Union of Burma can prosecute him themselves?

North Yaman would like to know before which court Than Shwe will stand trial to answer for his crimes? Will a regional court be set up, or will Marimaia hold Shwe until the people of the Union of Burma can prosecute him themselves?

Current plans are for the Union of Burma to prosecute him themselves, with other nations providing testimony against him concerning various crimes which he has committed. Officially he is being held by Burmese authorities; unofficially, the Marimaians are taking care of him.

Chuang-Han would like to send to the eventual trial; several witnesses to testify of the Burman genocide of Chinese Hans near the border during the 1970s and 1980s and an expert who has documented these crimes against the Han in detail.

Sittwe

With the arrest of Than Shwe, the opposition and resistance to the patrols by Bruneian soldiers throughout the city had relaxed slightly. In response, more soldiers were tasked with providing assistance to locals, i.e giving medical aid and distributing food. Meanwhile the special forces assigned to the taskforce carried out lightning fast night time raids on suspected weapons caches, usually with little sucess other than arresting informants who were generally unreliable.

Spyran forces around Rangoon begin to emerge and, like is already occuring with their comrades in Mandalay, start the distribution of food and medical care. Engineers investigate local water systems, seeking to keep them purified so that the spread of disease is kept at a minimum. Soldiers disseminate in small groups, going into the countryside to assist local farmers with their agricultural tasks, while others put their backs into shifting rubble and laying brick alongside those involved in reconstruction. Conflict with Bonstock has made it even more vital for the Spyran garrisons to establish friendship with the local Burmese... as long as Bonstockian ships roam the seas between Myanmar and Lyong, it is unclear when they will be able to effect a withdrawal.

The Marimaians had instituted training of Burmese nationals as soldiers for the new Burmese army; while it was progressing, it was doing so at a slow rate. The situation in the Marimaian-claimed areas slowly returned to a degree of normality, with the NeoSuunists continuing their indoctrination efforts. As the areas stabilised, Marimaia began withdrawing some of her troops for deployment in anticipation of other situations. The Bonstock situation was being covered by all media services, and the general population was demanding that Suu Kyi take some form of action.

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Tavoy

"Do I have your support?"

Vidura sighed. "If I say no, would it stop you?"

Suu Kyi shook her head. "Of course not. Besides, it's not as if you won't get anything out of this. The population is slightly more favourable towards your annexation of the eastern states now that you captured Than Shwe for us; supporting us in this will help your case greatly, and we may be able to sign the relevant documents sooner than we thought."

Vidura chuckled. "You're a canny one, I'll give you that. As it turns out, His Excellency has given permission for us to act, so you can rest assured that Burmans and Marimaians will be fighting side-by-side."

OOC: Sorry .. been a little busy lately with RL life.

IC:

The MRC had gone almost totally quiet in the last few weeks, no more mortar attacks, no more snipers, no more mass protests.

Although on the surface this may appear to be a good thing for the occupying nations, in truth, the MRC was regrouping and allowing their political wing to gain more support. Many candidates were already being selected and were active in promoting more reconstruction aid, going abroad and seeking support and active in denouncing Bonstock as an 'evil empire'.

As well, the MRC was in secret negotiations with Suu Kyi regarding Bonstock and the crisis concerning them.

The LRR government has approved the transfer of 500 BTR-100 (heavily mod'd BTR-50PK) APCs to the Burmese army.

Following the victory over Bonstock, Suu Kyi was granted a lot more freedom in her actions. The Marimaians gave over coordination of reconstruction efforts to the Burmese government, and the training of the new Burmese Army continued. The Marimaian Defence Ministry also began looking over their inventory; as the Marimaian armed forces continued to upgrade, surplus hardware would be transferred to the Burmese forces. In addition to this, the Concerns began opening offices and subsidiaries in Burma.

However, there was a price to be paid for this. The much-anticipated plebisite in Shan State was held, with over 80% voting to join Marimaia. In addition, Suu Kyi's government signed the Treaty of Mandalay; this treaty formally recognised Marimaia's war gains, ceding Shan State, Tenasserim, Mon State, Karen State and Kayah State to the NeoSuunist Prosperity Sphere.