NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: The only way you can post in this thread is if you are a participant in the Konigstadt Conference, located at: http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7322821#post7322821

IC:
The Lightning Starian Port City/Pirate Haven of Kuiawa

The Happy Helmsman pub was full of its usuall crowd of rowdy pirates and soldiers of fortune. Men had tatoos in the shapes of Skulls, Burning British Flags, and treasure chests just to name a few. Most were armed with at least a scimitar or a sabre. While the age of the pirate had come to a close in the rest of the world, In the Indian Ocean the "trade" flourished, mostly due to the Lightning Star/African Pirate League Treaty of 1847, in which the Lightning Star offered haven for pirates in Lightning Starian ports and even gave them a semi-autonomous provicne of their own in return for the pirates protecting the Lightning Star against invading fleets and such. This alliance, however, had made Lightning Starian Ports(at least the areas designated for pirates) not the most pleasent place to visit.

Inside of the pub, a man in a dark cloak lurked in a corner. The cloak blocked all his features except for his height and voice. He sat there, watching the crowd. These men may be un-civilized, he thought to himself, But they are the best seamen/raiders in the entire world. I pity whoever they go against.... At around 1:00, another man in a cloak, this one a dark purple(which indicates a position of power, Purple was hard to make in those days), approached the man in the corner. "Are you Spitfire? The man in purple asked.
"Yes," responded Spitfire. "I presume you are Admiral Kathoon?"
"Correct. Let's get down to buisiness, shall we?"
"Yes, let's."
Spitfire then took out a fairly old map of the Red Sea.
"Alright, heres the deal. We used to be the major stop on the Europe-India-Far East route, correct? Ever since the British got the Suez canal, however, our trade income has been lowered tremendously."
"I think i may know what you're going to ask..." the admiral interrupted.
"Anyhow, the only way we can regain control is if Aden is taken. That way we can esentially shut-down the Suez route and re-direct all ships to take the old route, thus bringing more trade to our region."
"But what do you need us for?"
"I am getting to that. The Lightning Star CANNOT risk an open-war with Great Britain, however, you pirates have always been at war with them. We are willing to supply you with ammunition, weapons, supplies, cannon, and even men, as long as you can take the colony, which is highly likely. It would take the British Fleet at least a day to reach you, and you could overrun the colony in a matter of hours. Of course, the British Army wouldn't know you had control until too late, you would have the colony fortified with even more men, weapons, supplies, and cannon before they came."
"Whats to stop Great Britain from suspecting you?"
"Thats the other part of our plan. At the same time you are taking Aden, you will be taking the city of Zaraqi, the fort on the opposite side of the entrance to the sea, as well. The British, seeing that we were attacked also, will not suspect us."
" You are asking a big thing of us. We have raided colonies before, but never have we actually CAPTURED them."
"Yes, thats why we are supporting you so much. Also, we are going to give you a prize. Once you capture Aden, you are to raze it to the ground and steal all the weapons. You are allowed to kep wahtever you want. Women, gold, weapons, slaves, ships, you name it. It's yours."
"Hmmmm, that doesnt seem like enough..."
"We figured youd say that, so we also are going to give you the city of Zaraqi, $100,000,000 , and 40,000 men to your ranks."
"Alright then, its a deal!"

OOC> Was this treaty a secret treaty?

Governor Whitecrest sat on a balcony by the sea. He was not a particularly happy man. He had been hoping to be assigned to India, not this godforsaken fortress on a patch of desert. Whitecrest had whiled away the time nagging Whitehall for more men and more ships, neither of which had particularly been forthcoming. He felt distinctly unimportant, although his position was actually rather strategically valuable.

He idly sipped a gin and tonic. Damn this place and damn Whitehall and damn everybody but the good Queen and a good drink! He was tired of this, being assigned to a desolate sandpit in the middle of the abominable Arabian peninsula. He missed rain, good beer and his wife. But he would do his duty for Queen and Country. Now ... if only there was something to do.

OOC> Was this treaty a secret treaty?

Governor Whitecrest sat on a balcony by the sea. He was not a particularly happy man. He had been hoping to be assigned to India, not this godforsaken fortress on a patch of desert. Whitecrest had whiled away the time nagging Whitehall for more men and more ships, neither of which had particularly been forthcoming. He felt distinctly unimportant, although his position was actually rather strategically valuable.

He idly sipped a gin and tonic. Damn this place and damn Whitehall and damn everybody but the good Queen and a good drink! He was tired of this, being assigned to a desolate sandpit in the middle of the abominable Arabian peninsula. He missed rain, good beer and his wife. But he would do his duty for Queen and Country. Now ... if only there was something to do.

OOC: The treaty of The Lightning Star/AFrican Pirate LEague? No, that was common knowledge. How else could the lightning Star not be raided by pirates?

The plans to attack Aden were, of course, secret. I was gonna put "secret IC:", but i thought you would be able to tell(which you were).

IC:

Off of the Coast of Somalia, One day Away from Aden

Admiral Kathoon looked around him while standing on the deck of his flagship, the Scruffy Dog. He knew the fleet consited of 79 ships, but it was always good to count. On quite a few expeditions there would be a mutiny on a ship and then he'd have to blast it to bits. Not today, though. Today the pirates had a since of purpose. For too long had the British messed with them, harrasing their pirate fleets as they attacked merchants bound for England. Of course, tomorrow they would finally be able to get revenge. Like the British had used Pirates to burn all the major cities of then Spanish Colony of Panama to the ground, the Lightning Star would now use a pirate fleet, many times larger than the fleet of Henry Morgan that burned Panama City, to destroy Aden once and for all.

OOC> Heh, heh. Well, that just changes everything. Just one note, I think 79 ships is too big for a pirate fleet, but I'll assume that it's pretty much the entire Indian Ocean pirate fleet. Things should get interesting indeed.

Governor Whitecrest was decidedly bored. He watched his troops drill yet again. They were a small garrison, but he had managed to keep discipline and morale quite high, all considering. However, he had wanted more than the 5,700 men that were currently available to him.

However, the fortress at Aden was well-designed, having recently been modernized. It would take quite a force to successfully take it. Artillery batteries guarded every possible entry point. It was not invincible, Whitecrest knew that any thought of *that* was foolish, but he could give any attacker a fight.

But who would attack Aden?

(OOC: I imagine Algeria might be affected by this...?)

(OOC: I imagine Algeria might be affected by this...?)

OOC: Possibly.

IC:

Off of the coast of Aden, 7:00 P.M.

The Admiral stood before his men before the attack. Seeing the anticipation in their eyes, he decided to give a speach to get them all rowdy and ready.

"Allright men, this is it! Today we shall strike a blow for Pirate and Lightning Starian Glory! For too long has this base given shelter to the British Fleets that destroy our fleets! For too long, i say! Today, however, it shall end here! REady, OPEN FIRE!" he shouted, and the men went cheering towards their cannons and began to fire. The entire ocean horrizon surrounding Aden sudenly came ablaze with light. Thousands of shells began to hit the fortress, blowing huge chunka out of the wall. All during this, 30,000 Lightning Starian Soldiers dressed as pirates and just plain pirates left their ships to attack the fort.

OOC: I think 79 ships is far too many considering that its bigger than most navies of the time.

IC:

The Arabian Empress, an Elias flagged 300ft sailing barque had been northing along the African Coast, on a trading run from Mombassa. Her hold was full, mostly with tea and mail. On her way up the coast the wind had been most lacking, leaving her at sea for several days longer than planned. In need of supplies, her Captain had elected to pull into Aden for supplies, just in case their passage to their homeport, Abdullah (fictional Elias city on the coast about half way between Jeddah and Sinai, where the city of Duba would be but larger) was as longwinded.

As dusk approached, the ship slipped along in the Gulf of Aden making just four or five knots. Suddenly up ahead, spurts of orange were followed by the thumping roar of naval cannon, seemingly aimed at the city. The shillhouettes of rigged ships was then visible, clearly something was very wrong..

Immediately the Captain, himself a former Ottoman Naval officer ordered his crew to extinguish all lights and make a course for the Beb El-Mendeb straights, if they were fast, they could alert the Elias government within days.

OOC: I think 79 ships is far too many considering that its bigger than most navies of the time.

IC:

The Arabian Empress, an Elias flagged 300ft sailing barque had been northing along the African Coast, on a trading run from Mombassa. Her hold was full, mostly with tea and mail. On her way up the coast the wind had been most lacking, leaving her at sea for several days longer than planned. In need of supplies, her Captain had elected to pull into Aden for supplies, just in case their passage to their homeport, Abdullah (fictional Elias city on the coast about half way between Jeddah and Sinai, where the city of Duba would be but larger) was as longwinded.

As dusk approached, the ship slipped along in the Gulf of Aden making just four or five knots. Suddenly up ahead, spurts of orange were followed by the thumping roar of naval cannon, seemingly aimed at the city. The shillhouettes of rigged ships was then visible, clearly something was very wrong..

Immediately the Captain, himself a former Ottoman Naval officer ordered his crew to extinguish all lights and make a course for the Beb El-Mendeb straights, if they were fast, they could alert the Elias government within days.



OOC: Its an alliance between ALL of the pirates of the Indian Ocean.

And thats ALOT of ships, not to mention there are also 20 TLS navy ships in.

Captain Groppeitz felt something amiss. The modern ironclad Whutehfeckian steam-cruiser CWF Mercury was returning back to home waters after a tour of the Mediterranean to deposit fresh ambassadors in key trading ports. The weather reports coming in from Egypt and the Suez said that should be no bad storms coming through for some time, and yet the sky was black and gray... something was wrong. Groppeitz sniffed the air. Smoke.

"All hands! Prepare battle stations-- fighting ahead!"

OOC> Okay. I'm going to assume that the LS ships are going to be the only ironclad ships of any sort ... pirates don't have industrial infrastructures for non-wooden ships. Which means that he can probably tell quite easily this isn't just pirates by the presence of those nice spiffy vessels. :D

IC>

Governor Whitecrest was awoken by the sounds of cannon fire. Immediately, he rushed out to survey the damage. While it probably looked like the fortress was immediately to fall from the view of the pirates, the damage was not yet critical. However, the bombardment had just begun and he doubted he could hold out for good. He bolted down some brandy and resolved to die fighting for Queen and country, but not before sending a telegraphed alert to every station nearby.

From a strong position, he looked at the size of the fleet. It was plainly not a pirate raid ... two or three pirate ships could not really threaten the fortress of Aden. He immediately judged that the goddamned Lighting Starians were involved in this ... he might have been wrong, but he doubted it. Somebody had to unify pretty much the whole pirate fleet, and the cursed Lighting Star had signed a virtual alliance with the pirates.

It was plain that Aden would fall, but many of the most important parts of the fortress were placed so as to be nearly impossible to score critical hits on it from the sea. Grabbing some sargeants, he ordered that the machine guns be placed by all possible entrances. In addition, he surveyed the batteries. Batteries 3 and 7 had been nearly destroyed, but Batteries 1,2,4,5,6 and 8 were already commencing return fire upon the pirate ships.

If he was to die, it would be with guns blazing and 'God Save The Queen' on his lips. Perhaps he would become a hero like Nelson or Wolfe.

OOC: I doubt that Lightning Star would have ironclads either, I cant see any of the European powers selling them to an independant African nation.

OOC> Okay. I'm going to assume that the LS ships are going to be the only ironclad ships of any sort ... pirates don't have industrial infrastructures for non-wooden ships. Which means that he can probably tell quite easily this isn't just pirates by the presence of those nice spiffy vessels. :D

IC>

Governor Whitecrest was awoken by the sounds of cannon fire. Immediately, he rushed out to survey the damage. While it probably looked like the fortress was immediately to fall from the view of the pirates, the damage was not yet critical. However, the bombardment had just begun and he doubted he could hold out for good. He bolted down some brandy and resolved to die fighting for Queen and country, but not before sending a telegraphed alert to every station nearby.

From a strong position, he looked at the size of the fleet. It was plainly not a pirate raid ... two or three pirate ships could not really threaten the fortress of Aden. He immediately judged that the goddamned Lighting Starians were involved in this ... he might have been wrong, but he doubted it. Somebody had to unify pretty much the whole pirate fleet, and the cursed Lighting Star had signed a virtual alliance with the pirates.

It was plain that Aden would fall, but many of the most important parts of the fortress were placed so as to be nearly impossible to score critical hits on it from the sea. Grabbing some sargeants, he ordered that the machine guns be placed by all possible entrances. In addition, he surveyed the batteries. Batteries 3 and 7 had been nearly destroyed, but Batteries 1,2,4,5,6 and 8 were already commencing return fire upon the pirate ships.

If he was to die, it would be with guns blazing and 'God Save The Queen' on his lips. Perhaps he would become a hero like Nelson or Wolfe.


OOC: They could be, uh... um.... uh... They could be........ uh.... IRISH! Ironclads! Yeah yeah! Irish! :D

IC: In the desert surrounding Aden

The Raiding parties had been sent in 20 minute before the bombardment and they had one very important task to fufill. Cut the telegraph wires. Already, the lines towards Cairo had been cut, but there were certainly others left, albiet to far-away places. The men searched and searched, and finally they found the last wire. "Alright men, here it is!" the leader said. Unfortunatly(or fortunatly if you were British), a squad of Royal Marines had been sent out to check the lines, since the Cairo telegraph wasnt working. "Look! Pirates!' said a Private, and the Marine fired into the raiders. While the raiders managed to get off a volley using their Springfield 1867 Rifles, they were no match for the Marines breach-loaders.

Upon inspecting the carcasses, one of the Marines noticed something on the leader. "Oye! Lookit this! Sir! Looks to be a star, eh?"
"It appears so. If my memory serves me correctly, thats the badge of a Lightning Starian Lieutenant."
"We'd better get back to HQ then!"

OOC: I doubt that Lightning Star would have ironclads either, I cant see any of the European powers selling them to an independant African nation.

OOC: We got them from America! We even put that in our Application, and its gone by fine!

OOC> I'm willing to accept that Lightning Star has ironclads, although it's rather unlikely. But pirates don't have ironclads. Which is relatively immaterial to taking Aden itself, btw. More broadly, I think this is about the worst action that Lightning Star could have taken, although certainly not the worst in terms of a fun RP.

OOC> I'm willing to accept that Lightning Star has ironclads, although it's rather unlikely. But pirates don't have ironclads. Which is relatively immaterial to taking Aden itself, btw. More broadly, I think this is about the worst action that Lightning Star could have taken, although certainly not the worst in terms of a fun RP.

OOC: I know it would be :D Just because my country is one of the richest friggen countries in the world doesnt mean its the smartest!

(OOC: Talk about an awkward Konigstadt Conference. By the way, I was mistaken. I though Aden on the North coast of Africa, closer to Algeria.)

OOC: We got them from America! We even put that in our Application, and its gone by fine!

he has a point about the ironclads, and even though the US Navy may not have bought any, US, British and Frenchshipyards made lots of money selling first, second and even third rate quality warships to Latin American nations (plus Japan, China, and Sweden) in this time period, so no reason he couldn't have bought some earlier.

The shore bombardment probably wouldn't do too much except keep everyones heads down. The reason Aden will probably fall is because of the sea borne landing and lack of shore defenses in depth.

"Hans," cried Captain Franz Groppeitz, "look at those Pirate ships! See anything peculiar about them?"
Hans Peerson walked to where the Captain was standing. Squinting, he noticed it, too. "Yessir, they all seem to have a star somewhere on... sonofabitch! Lightning Star!"
Franz nodded. "Yes, I just spotted it, too. This makes the situation a lot more complicated. Firing on those vessels could be an act of war against Lightning Star, but supporting pirate groups might be illegitamite funding, and we could be fine firing on them..."
Looking again at the scene folding out ahead, he made his decision.
"Helm! 60 degrees port! Fire port broadsides!"

OOC: Just to let everyone know, Elias has ex-British ironclads, most of which are rather outdated, e.g. Warrior, Minotaur, Alexandra class vessels

On the Coastline defending Aden.

The landing detachment quickly approached the shore. All of the soldiers were veterens of the Invasion of the Comoros(1877 Where the Comoros was beaten into submission by the Lightning Starians because the Comoronian Navy kept interferring with Lightning Starian ships. Comoros was NOT added to the country, it was just defeated), and had much skill in amphibious landings. The Naval bombardment had severly weakend the British ability to attack the landers, and only 17 men(out of 40,000) had died, and THEY had died due to a cannon shell from the pirate fleet falling short of the fortress.

At 9:27 P.M., the landers hit the shore. "Move move move!" said the commanders and the men charged towards the fortress. Of course, now that they were attacking by land, the soldiers were MUCH more vulnerable and after taking over 3,000 casualties upon attacking the fort, the men hid behind rocks and sand dunes and began a deadly exchange of fire with the defenders.

OOC: Just to let everyone know, Elias has ex-British ironclads, most of which are rather outdated, e.g. Warrior, Minotaur, Alexandra class vessels

OOC: We have California U.S. Navy ships(which are a bit old, from 1870 or something like that.)

(OOC: Talk about an awkward Konigstadt Conference. By the way, I was mistaken. I though Aden on the North coast of Africa, closer to Algeria.)

nope, its the capital city of the modern nation of Yemen

nope, its the capital city of the modern nation of Yemen

Actually its the largest city in Yemen, however Sanaa is the capital...just to be pedantic for no particular reason.

ooc: 40,000 men invading one fort?!?
'nother ooc: The Mercury is a recently made ironclad cruiser, say 1877. It has one fore turret, one on Port and Starboard, and a moderate amount of broadsides (numbers would be helpful). It could take on 2 or three of the older, more patched-up wooden ships, maybe 1 or 2 Lightning Star Navy ones. Top of the Line, I tell ya.


IC: The Captain himself, as well as all available hands on deck, helped out the British. While the broadsides fired off below, the crew on deck began firing the weapons they had at the various landing parties. They managed to down several men before the squads on ground began to take potshots at them. The crew eventually had to retire to inside the ship to get more ammunition and place a few wounded in bed.

British Hannover IC Post:

Governor Whitecrest had long since taken up his combat headquarters near the magazine of the fortress. He was grateful for the help of the Whutehfeckian ship, but the situation prevented much further communication. The invading force had solidified in a perimeter around the base. It was impossible to calculate exact numbers, but he knew he was outnumbered by at least five or six times. Still, he had the advantage of a fortified position, in which nearly all the vulnerable areas had already been taken.

Any remaining batteries, that was, 1 and 5 Batteries were to reconcentrate fire on the land positions. He was aware that this was a losing battle, but the enemy would suffer heavy casualties in doing so. And via a secret telegraph line, he had sent news of his predicament. The line would eventually reach posts in India and on the other side, Egypt. Lighting Star and the pirates would eventually regret their brazen action. He would die, but he was only one man and the Empire had many like him.

Rule Britannia!

On Board the Lightning Starian Flagship

After the battle had began, command went over to the Lightning Starians. This was going surpsisingly well, but there was one major problem right now. The Whutehfeckians had deployed a ship to the area and it had already sunk the Pirate Frigate the Iron Maiden and had severly damaged the L.S.S Freeman. "Men, tell all Ironclads to focus their energy on the Whutehfeckian! We have already been discovered, thanks to that paint that, unfortunatly, wasnt salt resistant. We'd better get this over with soon!" said the Lightning Starian Admiral Hypia. A Veteran of the blockade of Mogadishu and the battle against the Italian Fleet of of the coast of Tanzania, the Admiral was the greatest naval commander in TLS history and his word was un-written naval law. "Yes sir!" said the feverant Lightning Starian Seamen, and they turned their cannons towards the Whutehfeckian ship and began to fire.

Meanwile, on the coast, Colonel R.L. Baker of the 111th Shock Regiment, the Blood Raiders, was gearing his regiement up for battle. The regiment had literally destroyed the Boer army of 12,000 single handedly at the The Battle of the Bloody River(1871), and their presense on the field did much to raise the morale of the Lightning Starians. "Alright men! This is it!" colonel Baker said. "Today we shall strike a blow for Africa! For too long have these Europeans tried to conquer the world, too long I say! Allying with traitor nations, like Egypt, they have subdued our glorious continent and virtually enslaved our people! No more i say! Today, the sun is setting on the European Empires! Today, the sun rises on the African Empire! Forward, my men, for Freedom!!" This speach was heard well away, and all that heard it took great heart in it. The two Regiments next to theirs, the 74th and the 127th, joined the Blood Raiders as they charged towards the fort, yelling Freedom!, For African Glory!, and other things like that.

The ship shook again. "Captain, I dinna think she cannae take much more!" yelled the Chief Engineer, Scott Montgomery. "She's taking it pretty bad down here, and one of the boilers is b--"
KRA-BOOSH
"All hands! This is captain Franz Gerreitz! Abandon ship! The Mercury is going down! I repeat; the Mercury is going down! Try to bring all the rifles you can, we'll try help the British from the shore! Scatter once you're on the ground, and try to join up with any friendly troops you meet!"
... and with that message, the captain jumped overboard with his revolver and the Mercury never sailed again.

The ship shook again. "Captain, I dinna think she cannae take much more!" yelled the Chief Engineer, Scott Montgomery. "She's taking it pretty bad down here, and one of the boilers is b--"
KRA-BOOSH
"All hands! This is captain Franz Gerreitz! Abandon ship! The Mercury is going down! I repeat; the Mercury is going down! Try to bring all the rifles you can, we'll try help the British from the shore! Scatter once you're on the ground, and try to join up with any friendly troops you meet!"
... and with that message, the captain jumped overboard with his revolver and the Mercury never sailed again.

OOC: Nice sound-effects!

IC:

All aboard the Lightning Starian ships there were cheers going up from all the crewmembers. That ship had sunk three good vessels, and they deserved what they got. However, the celebration was short-lived as seeing how the bombardment had lightened a little, a British cannon had managed to fire a shell that sunk the ship the L.S.S. Ironride(which was already severly damaged) within 5 minutes.

Governor Whitecrest noticed the passing of events, which was less than positive. The Whutehfeckian vessel had been blown up after a valiant fight. And casulaties were beginning to add up in his fortress. Although they were not yet critical, it would not be long before vital positions would begin to be unmanned. He gave orders to spike the cannons (making them useless) and retreat to the most heavily fortified area, setting up a few light cannon and machine guns to guard it.

But before he retreated, he wanted to set up a nasty little surprise. It would be simplicity itself to blow up the aft magazine with a bit of wire, easily hidden in the sandy terrain. Furthermore, he would instrcut his men to scatter sharp objects throughout the approaches to the main fortress. And use as many of the new mines as possible. This would hopefully slow down the Lightning Starians and their pirate allies and make them vulnerable to machine gun fire.

But pulling this off would be difficult.

OOC: You should read the main thread. Theres something important there.

Ic:

On the outer wall of Aden

The Regiments of the 111th, the 74th, and the 127th had finally breached the wall after a long and fierce battle in which Colonel Baker himself had died. However, that was the event that turned the tide in favor of the attackers, seeing how his death enraged the Lightning Starians into a blood-lust. When they finally stormed the fort, even though they took 60% casualties. They killed every British soldier they saw, wounded or able bodied, because they were so enraged. After discovering that the cannons were spiked, they turned to go farther in. However, on the way they saw a bloody man holding a switch. Before he could be shot, he said "For Britannia!" in a proud voice only the British could have in the face of death, and flipped the switch, blowing up the entire sector.

Aden, 6:17 A.M. The next day

The Lightning Starians had taken the outer-fort, but at a high cost. Over 7,000 men had been killed, and 16,021 wounded. The majority of casualties were caused by the clever traps set by the British Defenders, causing massive devastation among the ranks. However, the explosions did do one thing in favor of The Lightning Star. They created massive amounts of rubble where the sharpshooters and cannon could be placed to bombard the fort. Shouts of "Give 'em lead, boys!" or "Fire in the hole!" where heard all along the line as cannon fired in great numbers. The Naval fleet had turned from bombardment mode to either floating hospitals(the Lightning Starian hospitals were alot nicer and actually quite modern, at least more so than the pirate hospitals.) or they were watching the horizon for the eventual attack by British Warships.

Back on shore, the citadel continued to get pummeled. At one point, it looked as if the fort had been put out of commission. However, when a regiment of riflemen was sent in it recieved fire from all sides and they were virtually un-defended. They lost 70% of their men.

Governor Whitecrest walked with a slight limp, as he had had a bullet removed from his leg. The wound was relatively minor, however, and he was able to carry on the fight. Unfortunately, many of his men were not. Approximately 6,000 men had been garrisoned in the fort, and about a thousand had died, and another two thousand were wounded in various ways. The remaining troops were exhausted but were managing to carry on the fight.

He was glad that he had recieved the machine guns from Whitehall only a few months before. They had proved remarkably efficient in a defensive purpose. Along with the natural advantage of defending a fortress, they were the main reason that he had lasted so long.

The pirates and Lightning Starians had been smart enough to generally avoid charges on masse, which would be suicidal, as machine gun fire could simply annhiliate them. One thing worried him. He had had eight machine guns, and only five were left, one being out of commission outside of the fortress. Where were the other two?

Blasted pirates! thought Franz Groppeitz, no longer Captain of the good ship Mercury, Blasted Lightning Star! Damn them to Hell! How'd they manage to get a machine gun? He quickly fired off another shot from his revolver, trying to hit the gunner. Missed again. Blast it, why--
Suddenly, he noticed a single metallic object half-buried in the sand. Picking it up, he recognized it as a British-made grenade. Quickly, he pulled the pin out and threw it over the small earthen enbankment he was hiding in towards the gun.

KRA-BAM!

British IC Post:

Buckingham Palace:
Queen Victoria heard the news and looked positively sour. 'What unpleasant people. We are not amused. I hope the Government shall take swift and meaningful action.'

Portsmouth:
The Royal Navy had been preparing a massive armada to send out against the Lighting Starians and their pirate allies. Over eighty vessels would be in the Naval Expeditionary Force and they were composed almost exclusively of the most modern and powerful vessels in the Navy, all of them modern ironclads and cruisers and including eight of the largest and newest battleships in Her Majesty's Fleet.

The fleet would sail to the area in question and unless the Lighting Starians immediately surrendered, their entire navy would be wiped out. Then their country would be blockaded, all of their coastal cities besieged and an Expeditionary Force prepared to invade their country. It was also possible that they would recieve aid from other nations, although it was not explicitly necessary.

If they persisted in their unacceptable behaviour, they would recieve a severe lesson in why it was said that Britannia ruled the waves.

British IC Post:

Buckingham Palace:
Queen Victoria heard the news and looked positively sour. 'What unpleasant people. We are not amused. I hope the Government shall take swift and meaningful action.'

Portsmouth:
The Royal Navy had been preparing a massive armada to send out against the Lighting Starians and their pirate allies. Over eighty vessels would be in the Naval Expeditionary Force and they were composed almost exclusively of the most modern and powerful vessels in the Navy, all of them modern ironclads and cruisers and including eight of the largest and newest battleships in Her Majesty's Fleet.

The fleet would sail to the area in question and unless the Lighting Starians immediately surrendered, their entire navy would be wiped out. Then their country would be blockaded, all of their coastal cities besieged and an Expeditionary Force prepared to invade their country. It was also possible that they would recieve aid from other nations, although it was not explicitly necessary.

If they persisted in their unacceptable behaviour, they would recieve a severe lesson in why it was said that Britannia ruled the waves.


OOC: "We are not amused." lol. I always found that...well...amusing :p.

IC:

The fort of Aden, 5:28 P.M.

The Lightning Starians had made little progress in taking the fort, although they could tell the fort would fall by the end of the next day. The Lightning Starian Commander, sensing that the Federation Shock Troopers were coming under increased stress, decided to enlist the help of Pirate raiding parties. The pirates agreed to send in 15,000 of their men to help taking the fort. They were also going to bring further suplies and weapons, as well as change the dynamics of the battle. The British were now going to go up against a force that, unlike the Lightning Starians, had NO sense of honor at all. These men would use the most devious measures ever.

This was soon proven once the pirates had reached the fort. They soon began hauling up mortar and posistioning them to go over the wall. The mortar shells, however, had one brutal twist to them. They were loaded with shrapnel, which was ironically enough invented by the British themselves. Once into position, the mortars began firing their deadly cargo from the safety of being behind buildings which the machine guns couldnt hit. The screams of British wounded were carried far away on the Arabian winds.

Port of Abdullah, Red Sea

The masts of the Warrior class armoured cruiser were silhouetted against the sunset as she sat alongside the pier, motionless in the calm waters of the harbour. Tied up alongside of her, a coal hulk, heaving with activity as hundreds of people set about fuelling the beast. The warship, the third of The Warrior class (there were only two in reality) differed from her sisterships in having an armour belt on the stern and a larger rudder, making up some of the deficiencies of the first two. However, she was now eighteen years old, transfered from The Royal Navy one year prior, as they had no use for a broadside cruiser in the days of turret ships. When she had been commisioned in the Elias Navy and made flagship of The Red Sea Fleet, the decision had been taken not to change her name and the old lettering on the stern still read and would always read Judea, 'Do or Die' (no guesses as to where I got that from).

All across the port, other navy vessels were also preparing for sea, orders coming in from Baghdad to make all haste to The Gulf of Aden to 'interdict and if necessary destroy' pirate vessels or any other warships expressing hostile intent. The fleet would leave at dawn.

Governor Whitecrest snarled in dismay as the mortar shells began raining down. There was relatively little he could do now. The only way to make his troops safe was to deny them the ability to shoot back. His casualties were rapidly building up and it would not be long before he would have to give up Aden.

It was unfortunate that he still had a lot of ammunition left in the interior magazine that he would be unable to fire. There was really only one thing left to do. There was a small exit route that was still secure, that would allow many of the men a chance to escape. He and a few brave men would stay behind and sabotage everything in the remaining part of the fortress. Then he would explode the magazine, hopefully taking as many of them to an early death as he could.

Governor Whitecrest snarled in dismay as the mortar shells began raining down. There was relatively little he could do now. The only way to make his troops safe was to deny them the ability to shoot back. His casualties were rapidly building up and it would not be long before he would have to give up Aden.

It was unfortunate that he still had a lot of ammunition left in the interior magazine that he would be unable to fire. There was really only one thing left to do. There was a small exit route that was still secure, that would allow many of the men a chance to escape. He and a few brave men would stay behind and sabotage everything in the remaining part of the fortress. Then he would explode the magazine, hopefully taking as many of them to an early death as he could.

OOC: I hope the route is underground or something, because as you know ive surrounded the entire city.

OOC> *nods* Someone's got to survive to tell the glorious story of the siege of Aden!

Governor Whitecrest watched as a select group of officers left through the secret tunnels, hopefully to find safety of some sort. He then turned to his remaining troops and gave orders for a final all-out assault on the enemy, during which a few would remain behind to destroy the fortress and anything valuable inside. He had ordered the men who were to escape to take any small valuables with them.

Each man was to recieve all the ammunition he ever wanted, as well as grenades and knowledge that they were going to die. However, he looked at them and knew that they would fight and die bravely. He took out two revolvers as he had decided he would lead that final charge. He loved Tennyson's portrayal of the Charge of the Light Brigade, possibly they would do one for him and his men as well.

The whistle signal came and the British moved to meet their deaths like the brave sons of Britannia they were. They would fight like madmen. Absolute madmen.

OOC: Well, y'know, not just the British are the Glorious ones.

IC:

The Lightning Starians were exhausted. Thousands lay dead, and many more wounded. The 111 regiment, the most feared on the battlefield, was entirely wiped out. This battle was much more costly than anticipated. However, the Lightning Starians would not give up. They had come so far. They had proven that Africa could, and would, defend itself against foreign oppression. There was something important that had happend as well. The Lightning Starian Commander, General Haka, had arrived with the legendary 1st regiment. The first regiment of the army, it had served for over 33 years. It had thwarted the Portugese, the Boers, the Ethiopians, and the Somali. Their regimental colors had so many names on it you could barely see the mark.

All of a sudden a deafening roar was heard all throughout the city. "The British are coming!" yelled a sentry before he was filled up with lead. The General was quick to respond. "Soldiers of the Federation, Atttttaaaaaaccccckkkk!!!" and another loud roar went up.

Two large masses of trained men charged right into each other. Small arms fire, hand-to-hand combat, machine gun fire, and even cannon fire took place. The pirates had already fled the battle back to their ships, so all that was left was the proud Federal Shock Troopers. The Lightning Starians had the upper hand, but for each inch of land they gained they payed a heavy blood price.

General Haka saw a man wearing an elite officers suite commanding a group of men that was killing many of his soldiers. The British officer turned toward him, and they looked each other straight in the eyes. Each could tell they had found their rival, and that one of them would die. After a moment of silence, the General charged at the british officer with his scimitar out, screaming an ancient Kenyan war-cry.

OOC> But of course.

Governor Whitecrest saw his enemy. Although he was not superlatively knowledgeable about Lighting Starian ranks or uniforms, he knew a general when he saw one. Seeing him charge towards him with a scimitar, he pointed his pistol towards him and fired. He also had picked up a sabre, and was ready to prove his swordsmanship if necessary.

His men were losing the battle as he knew they would, but they were exerting a heavy toll. The Lightning Starian troops were brave enough, unlike the pirates. He commended their valour if not their aims. Whitecrest's thoughts went by like a runaway train. Would this man kill him? Or would another?

OOC> But of course.

Governor Whitecrest saw his enemy. Although he was not superlatively knowledgeable about Lighting Starian ranks or uniforms, he knew a general when he saw one. Seeing him charge towards him with a scimitar, he pointed his pistol towards him and fired. He also had picked up a sabre, and was ready to prove his swordsmanship if necessary.

His men were losing the battle as he knew they would, but they were exerting a heavy toll. The Lightning Starian troops were brave enough, unlike the pirates. He commended their valour if not their aims. Whitecrest's thoughts went by like a runaway train. Would this man kill him? Or would another?

OOC: :D

Ic:

General Haka knew he was dead, or was going to die very shortly. One doesnt take a bullet to the gut and live very long. It was surprising he was alive at all, but it was time to stop thinking about that. He kept runing forward, but 20 feet away from the general he began to stumble. In that split second, he knew once he hit the ground he would perish, but he had one last thing to do before he died. He summoned all the energy left in him, and gave a tremendous cry:

"For AFFRRRICCCAAAAAAAA!!!!"

He then hit the floor, never to rise again, and from that day onward that quote would be in Lightning Starian History books for the rest of the countries history. The Lightning Starians nearby that heard the cry(and that was quite alot) turned their head in that direction. Once they saw that their commander had died, something in their head went off. Their departed generals final yell awoken something deep inside of the men. The man who was a hero, who had done so much for them and for their people, had died, and they were pissed off. They all turned towards the group of men and the officer, and screamed like wildmen. They would get revenge, for the general. For the Lightning Star. For Africa!

The Governor heard that piercing cry and froze for just one moment. It was enough for a bullet to hit him in the mouth, sending him staggering to the ground, bits of bone and flesh flying everywhere. He cried in surprise and pain before falling and being hit again, fatally, in the chest and throat. Just before he died, he thought a last thought of home.

The few remaining British soldiers fought on, but with this new surge of confidence, they were being isolated and picked off, one after the other. It was not long then until the were all dead, except for a few bravely suicidal men in the central citadel, waiting to destroy the main ammunition stores.

Off of the coast of Aden, 2:28 A.M

The Lightning Starian ships slowly passed out of sight of the smouldering fort that was Aden. After the men had killed all of the British soldier, they moved into the center of the city. Unfortunatly, there were around 20 men there setting the ammunition. The Lightning Starians tried to shoot the men, but they fought back. After 3 minutes, the ammunition stockpile exploded, killing over 1,000 men.

After the battle, the fort was handed over to the Pirates. Over 22,143 Lightning Starian Shock troopers had died in those two days, including the famous war heros Colonel Baker and General Haka. The man who was now in-charge, Colonel Kaiso, was furious. How could the president order such a waste of life?. He thought to himself. He was as patriotic as any other man, but such a move was stupid. Sacrificing over half of the Federation Shock Corps was NOT a good idea. There has to be a way to end this before it escalates even further... he thought as Aden went from being a prick on the horizon to not being there at all.

OOC> Changed it, realized that taking the Mediterranean route would be shorter and wiser.

Portsmouth:
The British Naval Expeditionary Force left the port, bearing towards Aden via the Mediterranean. It had been decided that the Royal Navy would systematically besiege every coastal city in Lightning Star as well as seek out and destroy the pirate fleet. Regardless of the vaunted ability of the Indian Ocean pirates, the massive guns of the HMS Glorious, HMS Hood, HMS Victoria, HMS Portsmouth, HMS Discovery and HMS Enterprise could destroy an entire fleet. Backed up by nearly eighty other modern vessels, it was a huge force.

Britain intended to make an example of Lightning Star. The Royal Army was being gathered for an assault against the country if it did not immediately surrender and make reparations.

Portsmouth:
The British Naval Expeditionary Force left the port, bearing towards Maputo. It had been decided that the Royal Navy would systematically besiege every coastal city in Lightning Star as well as seek out and destroy the pirate fleet. Regardless of the vaunted ability of the Indian Ocean pirates, the massive guns of the HMS Glorious, HMS Hood, HMS Victoria, HMS Portsmouth, HMS Discovery and HMS Enterprise could destroy an entire fleet. Backed up by nearly eighty other modern vessels, it was a huge force.

Britain intended to make an example of Lightning Star. The Royal Army was being gathered for an assault against the country if it did not immediately surrender and make reparations.

OOC: YOu know all of the pirates are in Aden, riiiiiigggghhhhttt???

In the Lightning Starian Capital of Maputo

President Smitt was too meet with the commander of the returning Lightning Starian forces in 5 minutes. I shall make him a hero! he thought to himself. He had defeated the British Army, one of the finest in the world! He had brought the British in Arabia to their knees! Yes, this was a great day for the Lightning Star.

President Smitt opened the door to find the newly appointed Lt. General. "Ahh, Kristof Kaiso! How good to see you!" said the president. "Yes, good to see you too, sir."
"Is something wrong, Kristof?" said the president in a worried voice. He sensed that the general was unhappy.
*sigh* "I'd better get this over-with." said the general.
"Whatever do you mea--Hey...whats that revolver for?" said the president.
"I am sorry, sir. But for the continuation of the Lightning Star as a nation, you must be desposed of. Goodbye."
"Wha--" started the president with a quzicle look on his face, but it was too late. The General had pulled the trigger.

Telegram to Cairo

This is the newly appointed President Kaiso. We wish to negotiate a peace-deal with youl.

OOC> *realizes it would be easier to take the Mediterranean route, slaps self on forehead*

Cairo:
The Governor of Egypt recieved the telegraph, just after he had been informed of the arrival of a huge British fleet to the area. He sent his reply to Lighting Star.

'I am sending this to Konigstadt, to our Prime Minister. The conditions for peace will be met there. A British fleet is approaching your territory. Do not fire upon them, or your cities will be invested. We also request that our ships recieve supplies if requested.

We fully intend to annhiliate the pirates. We expect that you will not aid them to escape. Full compliance to these present demands will spare your country a most unpleasant fate.'

OOC> *realizes it would be easier to take the Mediterranean route, slaps self on forehead*

OOC: Lol! :D

OOC> *realizes it would be easier to take the Mediterranean route, slaps self on forehead*

Cairo:
The Governor of Egypt recieved the telegraph, just after he had been informed of the arrival of a huge British fleet to the area. He sent his reply to Lighting Star.

'I am sending this to Konigstadt, to our Prime Minister. The conditions for peace will be met there. A British fleet is approaching your territory. Do not fire upon them, or your cities will be invested. We also request that our ships recieve supplies if requested.

We fully intend to annhiliate the pirates. We expect that you will not aid them to escape. Full compliance to these present demands will spare your country a most unpleasant fate.'


Maputo: We will follow these actions.

Good day.

OOC> Alrighty. I think it's time to move this to the Konigstadt Conference.

OOC: Yup,lets just mosey on over...