NationStates Jolt Archive

( OOC thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=413615). )

In and around the port cities of Alaric (Galle) and Port Edward (Jaffna), the metal of revolutionary war gathered, drawn by the magnetic core of the largest bases available to the Soviet People's Navy.

The newly-launched assault-carrier CA-23 CS Concorde sat in her dock as little figures set about dressing her for reassignment away from the disassembled 103rd Assault Flotilla. She was soon to join with the 102nd's ships CA-13 and CA-15, the ladies Kronstadt and Degeyter, also eighteen-thousand ton Nibiru Class assault-carriers.

Ashore, more than thirteen hundred Soviet Marines milled about, discussing the unusual ignorance in which their Soviets were operating as they picked up idenfication associating each of them with one or other of the Nibirus. They were far from alone as clouds of workers swelled and surged back and forth about the water front, their form reflecting the petulant waters of the Indian Ocean that morning.

A number of the labouring comrades washed up on the flight deck of the leviathan shape of Babeuf, the India Class carrier's more than seventy thousand tons soaking-up all the effort that a hundred hands could put into servicing CF-03's emotional electro-magnetic aircraft catapult, which again was stubbornly refusing to perform in the intended fashion. Others were heading to or from frequent breaks, during which bread, cheese, and ale were swallowed by the apetites of an Igovian ocean in danger of drying up for all its industrial exertion.

Three more India Class trimaran fleet aircraft carriers, Commonwealth Ships CF-01 Belinus, CF-02 Kautsky, and CF-04 Owen were also converging on the island at the southern end of the Igovian Soviet Commonwealth as the Final Senate and Soviet Commune concluded -in a rare closed session, the details of which could only temporarily be kept from the public realm- that some yet mysterious action must be taken by the Igovian People's Soviet Defence Forces.

Over night, comrades continued to discuss the odd nature of their assignment as thousands were gathered before boarding ships that headed out into the ocean. The big carriers -Babeuf under way with work continuing on her stickier systems- mingled with their little monohull sisters as humble support vessels tagged along behind, Benefactor Class munitions ships, Rapier Class mine countermeasures vessels, Verix Class combat stores ships and Brompton Class tankers, all clustered about the fifty thousand ton Palaemon Class heavy support ship that indicated the seriousness of the operation. A pair of the very modern Hyena Class expeditionary transport confirmed to the informed observer that this was not fully a maritime adventure, as potentially tens of thousands of tonnes of miltiary vehicles and combat supplies nestled down inside the sleek transports.

Also sailing -arrived at sundown from the mainland- was an example of the much maligned Gull Flag Class of bombardment ships, being in particular B-03, also known as CS Bakunin. A clever eye might make-out a second such body by the two extra hands that raised each a trio of eleven-inch barrels as stretched fingers into the night sky, much else of comrade Captain Binney's CS Ood being for now obscured by larger transport vessels. Making almost twenty five knots in an ungainly attempt to catch the forming fleet was a third big-gun ship of the unpopular type, this time the Petropavlovsk.

Skirting all of this, at least so as the assembly hit the open sea and a proper formation began to take shape, frigates of Bodkin and Gauntlet class capped the crest of the revolution's steel wave. FD-002, CS Petrichenko; FH-01, CS Dacoit and FH-02 CS Blanqui; FD-065, CS Wyatt; FH-03, CS Perepelkin; FD-001, CS Dapper; and FD-071, CS Delescluze scanned the skies and the seas ahead for anything that might threaten the fleet and still be waylayed by their arrayed Loviatar and Red Sky SAMs, Qian Wei and Charioteer ASMs, 152mm and 30mm cannons, and 517mm and 305mm torpedoes.

Even while the fleet moved east across the lower extent of the Bay of Bengal -no doubt causing great alarm in the Nicobars- Dwrgi and monsterous Red Dragon wing-in-ground-effect vehicles taxid in to take their place at the busy militarised port facilities, and work continued.

Portmeirion hung with a very much more than usually tactile silence as the night progressed.

Comrade Admiral Teuvo Jones was more accustomed to commanding antarctic patrol flotillas and coast guard formation sorties than long range fleet actions, but Admiral Edwards couldn't command every major mission that the SPN under took, and Jones had performed well enough thus far in low-risk missions and training events. Perhaps he lacked natural brilliance and was yet to build confidence, but the tall, blond man with hair cropped unusually short for a Beddgelen was doing his best to appear sure of himself and his comrades in spite of a good level of ignorance that prevailed over the expedition's purpose.

While Jones made the Belinus his flag ship, a good section of the force's command privilege fell to Marine General comrade Michael Malkstrom aboard the Kronstadt, but he as yet knew even less than Teuvo.

Jones' advantage over his comrades was eaten up mile by mile as the fleet passed the Nicobars without incident, giving their cutters as wide a birth as was possible before the Igovian ships strung-out and threaded their distended formation through the Strait of Malacca...

[Bump so somebody notices before we get to wherever we're going]

TAG

"One inch into Chinese waters they'll rest at the bottom like the Titanic."

- Anonymous senior ARSN officer

Massive coastal defense drills were called as the ARSA was kept busy on the front. The numbers and technology available to the Marins and Navy are still strong and formidable. The Chinese are expecting a Hindustani invasion in the making.

Several nationalist rallies had contents of readying for a possible war with communist invaders from South Asia. Rumours circulate about a possible addition of twenty or so Type 092 nuclear attack subs redeployed to defend the South China seas.



OOC: Goddamn commies just love to pick fights, don't they?

Russian coastal defenses brace, although an attack is unlikely. Still, Communists will be Communists, and predicting their actions is like attempting to lose fat by going on a lard only diet. In short, impossible.

Satellites keep a close watch over Bedgellen movements.

tag

Atmospheric orbit

The covert reconnaissance sattelite Impi Scout I reacted with habitual slowness, turning its cameras to the Malaccan strait. Faster check-ups could have been made, but appearances was appearances after all, and the CAF command had no intention whatsoever of angering Beddgelen leadership; only to be ready for what the intripid Commonwealth was up to..

(Hey, there aren't Beddgelen leaders, thank you very much, we're communists! It's quite possible that the fleet could be recalled before anything happens once news gets around the Commonwealth and people tell the Soviets to react :)
I'll let people marvel at the wonder of Sino's outstanding dualism of their own accord, while his minions cut a wave of destruction through China for the umpteenth time and the Igovians sail a combat fleet out of the Indian Ocean and its immediately surrounding waters for the first time in... well, ever.
And welcome back, original-AC (as opposed to Armandian Cheese))

CSS Kolokol, the South Pacific

The visible task force was not alone in either its destination or its secrecy. Anunkai Class Nuclear Submarine Attack Squadron Cronus was, however, a little more familiar and comfortable with its cloak and dagger. The men and women aboard NA-02, CSS Kolokol were at least a little unused to such extremely low velocity in their travel. The squadron's boats were barely moving, keen to remain undetected as they moved towards points inside one thousand kilometres from their potential targets. 5knot-rated electric motors would be engaged at the slightest hint of trouble, and increasingly as a norm while in the final approaches. The eight hulls of Cronus were split into three prongs thrust far apart in the south and mid Pacific, one lead by NA-02, the others by her sisters, Communard and Aurora, each taking their share of over a hundred Mangonel cruise missiles closer to a point of readiness from which it was hoped that many would not have to be fired.

Bodkin Class General Warfare Frigate CS Dacoit, western Java Sea

"Ah! Contact! On top of us! Bearing..."
"...Yeah, we can see it. It's a Dwrgi, the Heilongjiang coming back from Mindanao."
"She's scheduled to meet a Brommie for a top-up before home... couldn't bring enough spare fuel what with all the... pamphlets, probably."

The arrival of a Dwrgi-T wing-in-ground-effect vehicle on its way back home after delivering revolutionary aid to the Filipino communists had tongues wagging throughout the fleet as sailors and marines hungered for news. Perhaps they were going to kick the Roiks out of Asia and enable the communists to set up popular communes on islands that supported them? Perhaps they'd launch on into east Asia! Perhaps the Strainists and the Kurosites were even coming the other way! Secrecy would certainly be required if that's what was being planned!

But the crew of the Dwrgi didn't seem to know much more, themselves. They'd spent their time reading-up on the Filipino left and/or learning to fly at night in a 150 ton vehicle travelling five metres from the ocean's surface at 240mph while drunk. Didn't know anything about the aim of the mysterious deployment.

The Dwrgi's awkward return to wing had passed by without event and the fleet had turned north into the Makassar Strait when intercoms gave a tone for sailors' ears and the admiral's voice followed on, Jones introducing himself once again before making more important sounds.

"...Comrades, it will not be long in days and hours before the fleet passes a point at which the reactionaries, revisionists, and counter-revolutionaries will be able to estimate our likely purpose. We hope and expect that it will be too late for those that will count, but I must never the less allow you now to hear as many details as I hold known, so that any who choose to dissent may come forward for the making of arrangements for their return to the Commonwealth: there is redundant strength in our formation, so let guilt have no part in your considered decision to object. Comrades, the fleet makes for..."

{OOC: You bastard! You're invading either former Marimaia or China! Damn, I need to find a better map, though...Trying to trigger WW3 are we?}

{OOC: You bastard! You're invading either former Marimaia or China! Damn, I need to find a better map, though...Trying to trigger WW3 are we?}

OOC: Oh well. Up in arms we go as usual. The communist virus lives only to infect.

IC:

Due to the dire situation in the hands of the Chinese, levels of attention are now focussed on possible invasion of China as the land front is slowly being contained. Round the clock patrol flights by JH-15s and JH-8s were ordered around the Chinese coast while all anti-ship missile batteries have to be manned round the clock.

http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lithuania/414/pics/572b.jpg

Communist subhumans invading China is no longer considered fantasy. Mass rallies and protests were organized with the burning of communist and Bedgellen effigies.

http://mil.jschina.com.cn/huitong/missiles/C-801K2.jpg

A task force of submarines has been sent to the Indian ocean, to stealthily monitor Igovian activity.

A task force of submarines has been sent to the Indian ocean, to stealthily monitor Igovian activity.

OOC: It was a known fact that the Cold War Red Navy had an Indian Ocean Squadron, but is it still there?

[OOC: Ahhh, Sinoese distortion of tables! Blergh. The pictures are nice as always, no sarcasm. But, you should make them smaller using paint or something, that would be nice.]

OOC: It was a known fact that the Cold War Red Navy had an Indian Ocean Squadron, but is it still there?

OOC: You're right! Yes! Alright, that is the group that is monitoring the Igovians. And it is being reinforced by a task force of subs. And yeah, Sino, could you please consider reducing the size of your photos? Where do you get them, anyway?

Southern Celebes Sea

There was a delay, here, as the fleet took up a better defensive formation and slowed as re-supply and some repair work were undertaken. India Class carriers saw tests of their troublesome catapults, which seemed finally to be in working order, though cormades could have felt better about the prospects of their reliability.

Before long, though, the expeditionary force was under way again at a healthy cruising speed, coming east across the Celebes Sea between Sulawesi and Mindanao.

The Igovian Soviet Commonwealth

Crowds gathered along several kilometres of coastline to share in the yet uncommon sight of massive Red Dragon wing-in-ground-effect vehicles hauling themselves from the water. Two of the three operational beasts departed during the day -Cordelia and Morgana-, the five thousand ton strategic transports impressing all as they lifted up four thousand Soviet Marines with hundreds of tons of supplies and equipment, carrying them to a cruising speed above three hundred miles per hour. They were soon racing across the Bay of Bengal.

OOC: _Taiwan and I can't RP until our tests are over. Probably posting by Thursday the latest. Meanwhile, let's watch the communist aggressors as they plan the enslavement of the Chinese race and the destruction of our home. From what I've gathered, the communist subhumans are unwilling to allow a unification of China. A united China will not see a divided India as a threat, but a communists subhumans are always a planning the destruction of China.

[OOC: Ahhh, Sinoese distortion of tables! Blergh. The pictures are nice as always, no sarcasm. But, you should make them smaller using paint or something, that would be nice.]

OOC: I'll just follow Xiaguo's method and post links instead.

The Igovian fleet -none of its hands having chosen to return home after learning the potential significance of their mission- crossed the Celebes Sea without incident and rounded Morotai... then continued east! Before long the formation was intersected by the Equator. New Guinea off starboard, nothing off port until distant Micronesia, the fleet ploughed on, pushing as fast as its slower vessels could manage with anything approaching reasonable fuel efficiency.

Aboard carriers and large transports, marines did their best to remain active and even to train for action, engaging in shooting exercises as did naval hands with their ships guns and aircraft.

As the Igovian fleet continued its days old eastwards advance across New Guinea's north coast, nerves were settled with significant helpings of Beddgelen ale. With the Solomon Islands coming up on starboard, the rantings of certain Sinoese figures came to look more like the childish tantrums of a sexless reactionary desperate to impress his Klansman father. It was still believed in the Commonwealth that the Chinese people had the capacity to someday liberate themselves, and there were others in need of help.

Through the fleet and the increasingly close submarines more than a hundred Mangonel cruise missiles were made ready for launch, and the big guns of the fleet's three Gull Flag ships prepared for possible action as they drew within a day of potential first targets. Aircraft patrols increased as Morrigan UAV surveillance and command drones hung over the Igovians.

While the various ships swung south through the Solomons between San Cristobal and Santa Cruz, through their big formation sped a previously concealed Dwrgi-T WIG-vehicle flying at more than two hundred knots just above the waves and hopefully below radar. Within just a few hours she was across the Coral Sea and had rounded the southern cape of New Caledonia.

With the main fleet some hours behind, the Dwrgi appeared suddenly off the coast, racing towards the shore. It came down in the shallows and ran up directly on to the beach not far from Nouméa. The odd vehicle's bow broke open enabling comrade General Kivi Eikki Paatelainen to disembark, and he did so riding a warhorse sufficiently large to carry his roughly six and a half feet.

The General had put considerable effort into pushing his ideas for this historic event before his departure form the Commonwealth, and the Soviets and Senators attending had been convinced of his logic. Paatelainen's workman-like tunic was -quite unusually- recently washed and now displayed the surprisingly vibrant colours of its chequered design, and off his shoulder he wore an impressive cape that was fixed by a centuries-old broach requisitioned from a Beddgelen museum. This jewelry was of ornate, twisting gold and set with an Indian ruby, and its remarkable design was said to be owing to its construction by the first Geletians to arrive in India, combining as it did celtic and Indian fashions and metalworking skill. The comrade General's long hair was lightened by lime, but he'd chosen not to spike it up in the fashion worn by Beddgelens in recent military interventions at Singapore and Zanzibar, and his long moustache was also coloured a sort of blonde. The Beddgelen looked for all the world as if he'd posed as the model for the statue of Vercingetorix, at Bourgogne.

It remained to be seen exactly how the Romanised catholic French would react to such a presentation, but -as the General was followed ashore by an open Landrover bearing four more comrades of whom three held up carnyces and shortly began to play the nearly six foot long trumpets, creating, "a terrible din" as some classical historians described of similar events- the hope was still to create a better and more respectable impression than would have resulted from some Igovians sauntering up dressed in casual rags and barking demands.

Paatelainen and his comrades rode from the beach directly towards the centre of Nouméa, the General with a heavy double-edged sword on his hip and the mechanised quartet in possession of not much more firepower. Comrade General Kivi Eikki Paatelainen was on his way to politely request -in light of the approach of overwhelming Igovian forces- that the French authorities at Nouméa surrender any and all forces and their own powers of administration over New Caledonia and the Iles Loyaute. As he did, the massive Red Dragon class WIG vehicles Cordelia and Morgana hurtled east at three hundred knots, bound for Wallis and Futuna, and long-range Morrigan UAVs circled high above French Polynesia while Anunkai Class submarines acquired potential targets thanks to their help.

From thousands of feet above the air, a Globalhawk UAV silently monitors the progress of the fleet, radioing it's information back home to an audience of Taiwan's military analysts.

ARSN H-6s began trooping nearly a thousand listening bouys across China's territorial waters and beyond. Many believe that the surface fleet moving away from China is only a cover for an attack by submarine launched cruise missiles. The ARSN have mobilized impressive wolf packs each numbering more than 20. ROCN reinforcements are expected to join them in the defense of the home country by communist dogs.

http://www.anyboard.net/gov/mil/anyboard/uploads/Song050227a_024.jpg

The level of activity in Guo Fu's central hub is overwhelming. Many spy satellites had been monitoring the fleets positions, but the uncanny threat of massive cruise missiles strikes cannot escape the ever watchful eyes of China.

Recent capture of the Taiwanese designed arsenal aircraft from Xiaguo were temporarily designated H-10. All seven that are fully operation at the moment have began their journey towards Tibet. It is expected that they must be in the air for most hours of the day.

[Mucks about with a Carnyx until the French are roused from their apparent slumber :) ]

As the planet continues to rotate, the Chinese have begun another phase of nuclear testing. This time, tactical warheads were put to the test on NF-7A high speed cruise missiles.

[Does Elzakor know about this thread? My military analysts are getting bored.]

OOC: I think the AMW Europe is inactive for now. Elzakor's probably sitting on some porch in Southern France with a glass of wine in one hand, watching the world go by.

(I have sent a telegram, but as yet I'm not sure that he's noticed. I'm not in any rush, because this is only urgent in curtailing French imperialism, and France can't commit any imperialism while Elkazor is busy, so I'm happy to sit back and have another measure of cheap vodka.
When Elkazor does turn up, by the way, I don't want him to take this as a personal attack: I know that he felt somehow bad about international reaction to France first time around, and this is a purely IC thing, not some sort of personal vendeta! Or we'd have sent cruise missiles instead of a dressed-up sword-wearing General on a warhorse :) )

OOC: Funny how communists often find ways to justify their aggression- liberation only to be consumed by Stalinist tyranny. Never forget that when push comes to shove, the capitalists will have the last laugh.

OOC: Funny how communists often find ways to justify their aggression- liberation only to be consumed by Stalinist tyranny. Never forget that when push comes to shove, the capitalists will have the last laugh.

OOC: Aw, hell, seriously now, get a basic education or something, mate, you're really sounding stupid, lately. Read a book or something, maybe get laid, have a drink, bump your head on something, or see a doctor. I can't take much more of your spineless servitude to statism or your total ignorance of every aspect of everything, ever. I'm going to eat some Weetabix and maybe hold a civil conversation. Have a go at being a man, you might like it.

OOC: Aw, hell, seriously now, get a basic education or something, mate, you're really sounding stupid, lately. Read a book or something, maybe get laid, have a drink, bump your head on something, or see a doctor. I can't take much more of your spineless servitude to statism or your total ignorance of every aspect of everything, ever. I'm going to eat some Weetabix and maybe hold a civil conversation. Have a go at being a man, you might like it.

OOC:

Individualism: Checked.
Basic education: Checked.
Basic training: Checked.
Marksmanship: Checked.
Engineering degree: In progress.
Tasted booze: Checked.
Been hunting: Checked.
Getting laid: I'm not married.
Willingness to kill a leftist/communist/anarchist: Unquestionable.
Bumping my head agasint something: I'm anti-communist.

You motherf*cking commies think the world belongs to you. If you love communism so much, why don't you go and live in North Korea. You might even shed off a few stones of your fat White lard. That place is practically hell with sunlight.

If you have the f*cking patience, then wait for Elzakor to finish his wine and snails. Do you have to criticize those who are more moralistic and rational compared to you? If you claim that I sound stupid then maybe, you've got Stalin's hand up your arse. Why don't you go f*ck a Rover or something, 'cos your national car icon is disappearing.

OOC: Seriously, I wouldn't want to keep you here while you could be out annoying the rest of China. Don't feel tied down to my threads while there are people out there who need you to explain why it's wrong that they don't love some country they happened to be born into while also hearing about what failures they are because one of that country's private enterprises failed after a century or so. You've got to get out there and tell the people! If I were you, I'd totally be out there shaking them by the elbows, screaming about how the end is nigh thanks to some other nationalists in some inferior country that's somehow a threat despite being inferior and oh my god I can't even be arsed taking the piss out of you anymore, just go the hell away and one day you'll step in something that cares about what you have to say. Shoo! Shoo!

OOC: I've made a new RP, rather than sitting here and half-listening to some drunken British anarchist.

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=412921

[OOC: So, while BG openly tries to 'curtail French imperialism' it seems that he and Hindustan over there are trying to also ready to help France against Spain...seems ironic.]

[OOC: So, while BG openly tries to 'curtail French imperialism' it seems that he and Hindustan over there are trying to also ready to help France against Spain...seems ironic.]

OOC: We're doing what now? [looks around] Igovians aren't interested in helping states. States give them belly aches.
You can bet that anything the Igovian Soviets do is either A) for the betterment of human liberty, or B) for fun.

OOC: How is getting your soldiers killed for no serious reason considered fun? Looks like the commies are the biggest warmongers on AMW.

OOC: How is getting your soldiers killed for no serious reason considered fun? Looks like the commies are the biggest warmongers on AMW.

OOC: You can read what I type. You can read what I type and then you can comment on it. You can't really comment on what I type without having read it. Try again.

Gah, where are those French?

((Sorry about the lag, y'all. And Sino, it was Northern France. BG, if I may ask, lets build up a bit more now, I havent the time to do it all in one post.))

Versailles was spinning with excitement.

At about five minutes past two o'clock in the morning, His Most Christian Majesty Louis XX's Herald of Arms was presented to the King.

"Sire, an Igovian fleet presses Your Majesties holdings even now in New Caledonia. What does your Majesty wish?"

Louis sprung out of bed, throwing the delictable mistress Mme. Du Barry to the floor in his daze. "War! By God, its war! Turn out my bodyguard, ring the trumpets, summon my generals!"

And so at two in the morning, Versailles time, a corps of fifty trumpeters began the morning revelry. Church bells began to ring, and in Versailles Chateau the lights were coming on. Within five minutes, the ground were ablaze with the sounds of marching feet. In His Majesties Throne room, the Council of War had assembled.

This episode in New Caledonia was frankly quite startling. As of now, HMCM Louis was content to re-colonize Algeria, a rather small effort. No one had expected such Igovian jengoism, but it was welcomed none the less. Now the Kingdom of France would have a chance to take the fight straight to those revolutionary scum.

The Generals knelt silently at the foot of the Lily Throne. This morning, Louis was in no mood for conversation. These men, his tools, were simply here to recieve orders. They listened as the Grand Almoner concluded the Invocation in Latin, and Louis grew proud in his chair.

"Today, my children, God has been slapped in the face! Slapped by those filthy heathens in Beth Gellert. We will respond in kind! At once, Ft. Martin (The 'sister fort' of Ft. St. Louis in New Caledonia) is to move the whole island to martial law. Barb wire the beaches, concrete Noumea, quickly repair the redoubts!"

Currently, on New Caldeonia, there was one division of Frenchs Guards, the 21st, stationed at Ft. Martin. These troops were aided by 2000 Royal Marines, and some 1000 local militia. It would not be enough.

"I also order a battle fleet, nay: an armada! This Armada de la Foi will set sail at once, and will be commanded by my flagship itself!" Louis stood up rabidly.

((This battle fleet will also contain the Kingdom of Frances ace in the hole of military forces, the Royal Dauphin Corps and its legions of tanks and battle hardened infantry.))

"NOW GO! SEND THEM ALL TO HELL!"

With that the generals scurried out, and the Kingdom of France prepared to engage the Igovian menace.

Three days later, the Armada de la Foi et Roi set sale from Cherbourg. It was a massive effort. No less than two Cherbourg Class titans would lead the expedition, the Mark II Louis-Auguste (The flagship) and the Mark I Strasbourg, their massive white halls displacing the ocean and their fleur-de-lys banners flying proudly. In escort would be seven Marseilles Class Light Cruisers, and ten Brest Class frigates. Included were also four light attack submarines, and about twenty large supply and troop ships. This fleet would crack revolutionary power in the Pacific...the sheer size of the fleet made its intention clear, once it had bested the reds, it would harshly subdue its former French Pacific colonies.

((Sorry about the slap dash effort. Give me a few more runs to respond well, if you will. But BG, damn good story line, Ive simply been dying for a grand naval contest of arms.))

As the Armada de la Foi et Roi, consisting of the most potent Naval Technology in Europe, began to make the break neck journey to New Caledonia (via Panama Canal and thence to New Caledonia) Governer General le Marquis de Ballincourt ordered New Caledonia into martial law.

As His Most Christian King launched nearly 1/2 of the Royal navy to aid his colony, in the colony French troops locked down.

Civilians were forced into labor gangs, and these gangs quickly began to throw up barb wire on the beaches, interposed at distances with machine gun pill-boxes. Noumea saw the set up of AA Batteries on high houses and strategic locations, as well (though far fewer) as trucks dropping of SAM stations.

Le Marquis sat back in his concrete office in Ft. St. Martin, reading the high level dispatches from Versailles. He spoke to General Kessan, Commander of the French garrison.

"Well, monsieur. It looks as though the Igovians are going to give His Majesty a run for his money." He leafed through the reports as the general rose and looked out the window. Ballincourt continued.

"M. de Saint-Germain instructs us to hold out, using a defence in depth strategy, until the Armada from France is able to relieve us."

The general nodded. "Indeed. We will do what we can, but with less than 15,000 regulars to hold the Caledonia....we must have reinforcements."

"And we will have them, monsieur. God willing. In the mean time, prepare your defenses!" Kessan saluted, and left.

The strategy was a defence in depth. The beaches would be lightly defended, but with each passing kilometer the defences would grow thicker and thicker, until the heart at the fortress of St. Martin and Noumea the capital. And so Noumea saw the contruction of numerous defensive posistions, interlaced with barb wire fields and dead falls. The citizens began a 'round the clock' air raid preparation, and the city was instructed to go dark after dusk.

Truckes were seen going along the beaches and dropping mines onto them, after throwing scrap metal into posistions before the sandbar itself. That night, the night of the first dispatch from HMCM, New Caledonias Air Defense Grid was activated, and tracers were seen to test over the Island.

On the bridge of the Louis-Auguste, flagship of the Armada, the commander of the force Le Merechal de la Tour du Pin studied naval history and exhorted his men with prayers and oaths to Louis XX. The crews drilled non-stop, and satellites from all over the globe would have no problem recognizing the bulk and power of the two Cherbourg class Battleships.

And so the sceen was set for a new Pacific war as the two largest representitives of Progressivism/Regressivism met to do glorious battle.

The Sinoese denounce this usual act of communist aggression.

The Xiannese Has filed a formal complaint of aggresion against BG. The South Fleet will be monitering the situation closely.

A very upset and distressed tag

Now I'm going outside...

The Igovian Soviet Commonwealth

From the Green Tower in The Village on The Island at Portmeirion in Raipur, Commonwealth Consul comrade Nicolas Kezo gave a shrill oration after attending the last closed session of the Soviet Commune before full details of the expedition were released into the public domain, the time for international deception having passed. The dark, wirey civil servant was known usually as something of a relic from more violent days: a decorated hero of the revolution and one-time advocate of reunification under arms, before Victoria and Salvador peacefully returned to the post-authoritarian Commonwealth. Now he looked more like a link between the people and their soldier-sailors and an unofficial lieutenant (for even in the military, the system of ranks was being slowly eroded) in the actual fight against the reactionaries.

"...now it may be that our Navy Soviets vanquish this reactionary flotilla at once and before the imperialists can deliver more harm, leaving them all but unable to strike at the Commonwealth or to return their former colonies to subservience. But this is a best-case scenario, comrades, and even it shall leave us in a state of war with the French empire. Having assumed the best, we shall have liberated tens of thousands from thraldom, but in doing so initiated the inevitible global conflict between thievery and freedom: I doubt that we will be able to rest on liberation of a few and protection of ourselves while millions in the imperialist homeland remain in subjugation.

"Either way, in victory or defeat on the seas, we commit ourselves to a long and fierce struggle. I will do my part to prepare, and it remains up to each of you throughout the Commonwealth -and around the world- to decide your own revolutionary duty!"

And Beddgelens were doing their parts. The Red Dragon was at Porthmadog's vast AshPo shipyards having a mighty anti-shipping arsenal mounted on her imposing frame. When normally the third Red Dragon Class WIG bore fourteen hundred tonnes of cargo, now workers fitted verticle-launch missile silos.

Thousands of comrades occupied themselves with extra shifts -normally, the Beddgelen work 'week' was a lot shorter than most- sometimes to help the revolution, sometimes perhaps to avoid being pestered by comrades keen to make from the Militia a national guard that would prove itself in the Commonwealth's defence and eventually negate the need for a standing army. Compared to the brutal domination of the individual by the state that was occuring in France, Igovian life was as yet little troubled by the young conflict.

Nouméa, New Caledonia

Comrade General Kivi Eikki Paatelainen's face took on a grim expression as it became clear that the Governor did not mean to surrender in a civilised condition, but wanted to make a fight of it with the Beddgelens. That was, of course, the way that the Geletian Celts liked it, and their attitudes had, over the centuries, tended to rub-off on their Indian and other comrades. It was just that Paatelainen hadn't really imagined that the frilly, perfumed royalists would want to see everything get messed-up, or to have their dainty bits and pieces blown sky high.

Kivi Eikki re-took to his horse with a stern warning to the Marquis, "Your decision is your own, comrade de Ballincourt, and so it shall be your head alone that my Marka wears under her neck come the liberation parade." He said, patting his steed's powerful neck with one hand and with the other holding up a length of golden cord. The Igovian then turned his horse away, meaning to walk her right back through the capital and aboard the beached Dwrgi-T, before returning in proper order, probably to challenge either the Governor or Kessan to settle the matter singly before the assault. The three carnyx-weilding comrades in the near-by Landrover began to blast out another haunting cry from their long Celtic trumpets as their vehicle too came about and pointed towards the beach.

The eastern Coral Sea

Relayed by radio from the Land Rover to the beached Dwrgi and then from there out to the Belinus and through the fleet, news of the French garrison's intention to resist was greeted with the briefest moment of silence before ships' horns -designed to mimic the carnyx- bellowed a warlike refrain and were followed by the shouts and hollars of men and women sailor-soldiers and the beating of utensils and weapons against bulkheads as the fleet formed for action.

Aircrews rushed to their machines as missile silos were armed. Aboard CHS Proudhon as she fell back out of formation, the Ysbyty Class hospital ship's twelve hundred hands prepared to receive casualties. Far above the French-held islands, their quiet engines burried inside radar-absorbant airframes and exhausts shielded in hopes of delaying detection, MaL Morrigan UAVs observed the breaking-out of air defences apparently not previously in place and their ship-board operators hurried to gather as much information as possible before the air became too dangerous even for the unmanned vehicles to be of worth.

With the earliest relay of information, more Morrigans took to wing in rather different configuration. Apti Parliament-C anti-radar missiles were concealed inside a thousand kilo's worth of internal weapons' stowage that in other Morrigans provided home for further fuel. From ranges up to 35km they would attempt to to engage French radar sites, delivering 90kg warheads at speeds of up to a little more than twelve hundred kilometres per hour while on-board computers remembered the location of targetted sites in case the operators switched-off their radars.

These were the only attacks yet attempted as the Beddgelens sought to disable the enemy's technology before bringing soldiers ashore to fight in the personal fashion desired by the primarily Celtic force.

Wallis and Futuna

The two deployed Red Dragon strategic-lift WIGs that had parted company with the main fleet on entering the Coral Sea now loomed large over the tiny French territory. With four thousand Soviet Marines and Marine Auxiliaries, the machines carried at least a quarter the number of people resident on the islands.

It wasn't thought that the island groups would have serious defences in place, being home to perhaps sixteen thousand people largely dedicated to subsistence agriculture and with some not even possessing fresh water sources. That the islands were surrounded by reefs might potentially have been a problem, but the WIGs intended simply to fly over them and come down in the shallows parallel to the beach. It might be a white-knuckle adventure, but it seemed worthwhile to get hundreds of tonnes of Igovian equipment ashore and prepare to meet any French counter-attack in coming weeks.

Morgana and Cordelia came crashing in, red flags raised and already slightly tattered by the speed of their platforms. Morgana arrived off Ile Futuna some minutes before her sister appeared off Ile Uvéa.

It is perhaps a testament to the state of the Hindustani intelligence services that the first the Popular Congress hears about what the Bedgellen fleet is actually up to comes from the BBC.

The Popular Congress is totally at a loss about what to do. On one hand, Beth Gellert is liberating French colonies, but on the other hand Beth Gellert is turning South Asia and the Pacific Islands into a major warzone. And with the French armada passing terribly close to the Hindustani coast, there is a real threat to both commercial shipping and the important manufacturing and shipbuilding centers. And moreover, Sino is up in arms about it for some reason and an air attack is not ruled out.

As such, the HDF is put on high alert. While it is deemed unlikely that Sino will attack Hindustan proper, considering that the Xinjiang/Hindustan border is covered by the second highest mountain on earth, units stationed in the south are moved eastward for shipment through BG and/or Matharaja if Nepal is attacked. Units on the northern border are also put on heightened alert, and ZU-23 AAA cannons, as well as Rapier and Akash SAMs can be seen deployed in the mountainous terrain. Bv-206 and Saracen carriers move additional artillery pieces into the region as well, supplementing the light R. 130 MRLs and longer-range R. 122 GRADLAR with D-30 and D-36 cannons. F-16As and Mi-8s also fly patrols more regularly near the border area, and Jaguar squadrons move to their dispersed bases. However, it is not believed that the Sinoese military would be keen to attack from Xinjiang.

Jaguar IMs flying from coastal bases make more frequent patrols over the Arabian Sea, as do the Atlantique ASW planes purchased from France before restoration and Hindustani-made An-26s modified for ASW work. In contrast to their usual SAR and fisheries protection role, the Atlantiques and An-26s brandish AS. 117 missiles and homing torpedos. On the water, Bengal and Jharkhand corvettes and Baluchistan missile FACs patrol much more aggressively, supported by Bihar and Type 209 attack subs.

The national air defense grid is brought up to full alert the quickest, and stored Akash I and II batteries are deployed across Hindustan. The powerful radars that guide HS-200 SAMs are brought on-line, and Viggen interceptors fly CAP.

But the Popular Congress doesn't commit any forces to offensive fighting. Yes, the HN's seagoing assets are alerted, but they don't head to join the Bedgellen fleet or anything like that. Hindustan will most likely not participate in the conflict unless combat takes place on the Indian Subcontinent or in Central Asia.

The government does, however, release a statement supporting Bedgellen anti-imperialist sentiment, although the method by which the Igovians go about liberating is not the Popular Congress's favorite.

The Pacific, North of Peru

On the massive bridge of the Louis-Auguste, Le Merechal de la Tour du Pin studied minute by minute satellite feeds. The Armada had just passed through the Panama Canal in a lightning journey from Cherbourg, and now the great white fleet entered the Pacific.

Nearly blocking out the horizon, and travelling in the fore, were the two mountainous Cherbourg class battleships, Louis-Auguste and Strasbourg . Armored beyond belief, armed with the worlds largest ever standard cannons, loaded with bevvies of misslery, and equipped with the finest AA system in the world (The French Royal Navy uses no aircraft carriers, subsequently the effort was shifted to massive AA defenses) the Cherbourgs were the will of absolute monarchy made visible in a maritime setting.

Following these mammoths came seven Marseilles class light cruisers; sleek, fast, AA equipped and with standard armaments...of course, more armor. At then there were the Brest class frigates, the mainstay of the Royal Navy, ten of them, with some of the finest anti-sub and anti-aircraft technology rolled into once lethal package. And then there were the tranpsorts and supply ships, a collection of different sorts from light freighters to huge troop ships, some twenty total. At the parameters of the fleet, four sleek Nantes class attack subs (A little under Los Angeles class in quality) secured the deep.

All bore massive banners, deocrated with crucifixes and fleur-de-lys of gold.

Contained in this Armada was the Royal Dauphin Corps: five divisions of battle hardened, immaculatley equipped, and crack to boot French Guards. Not to even mention a sum total of two full divisions, 800 M-1 Abrams tanks, od motorized troops...that were the gift of Tsar Wingert to his son in law, Dauphin Charles (Incidentially, the Dauphin did not join this attack).

So it was that Le Merechal de la Tour du Pin gazed out of the tower, one hand on his decorated sword as the other removed a huge plumed hat. He turned to his first officer before resuming his gazing.

"Monsieur Commander." He lit a cigarette, and sat in his plush command chair.

The Commander saluted, and bowed his head. "My lord."

"Make for full steam, I want flank speed. Set our course straight to Noumea...let those communist pigs attack the island! We will catch them in the act, and send them to hell as His Majesty instructs us, a Leyte Gulf done right, eh, Poisson?"

"Very good, my lord." With a salute, he turned to leave.

"Oh, monsieur, call general quarters, from this point on we stay at them." De la Tour du Pin then again resumed his gazing over the horizon.

"At once, my lord."

On deck, piped from Versailles, Grand Almoner of France Cardinal Prince Louis de Rohan began a Latin prayer...the men bowed on the decks. When it was finished, du Pin took his microphone and exhorted his men with wild gusto.

"Brave lads! In victory or in death, you shall win immortality, both in heaven and among your descendants! Fear nothing but God, men, and love nothing but our Louis! VIVAT REX IN AETERNUM!"

The deafening cheer returned "VIVAT REX IN AETERNUM!"

As they finished, priests came among them, and gave out rosary beads blessed by the Pope and by His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XX.

New Caledonia

Alarms shattered the afternoon as Begdellen missles, no doubt a forerunner to invasion, smashed 3 of 8 radar stations operated by the French Army. Several Begdellen missles went off course, landing in the populated center of Noumea...the casualties were horrific, some say 3-400 dead.

Following the invasion, General Kessan ordered an immediate electronics blackout, as the French troops prepared to defend the island.

Under orders from Versailles, French troops began to distribute weapons to the citizenry themselves, who had already been whipped up by fanatical priests...martyrdom awaited them, at the hands of the godless mobof Satan. The crowds were worked to tears as they were given their last rights, after all, not many were expected to survive this invasion: but to the end, they would fulfill their oaths to God and King.

This arming had brought the Militia up from 1000, to near 6800, fighting men of all ages from the natives. The rest of the populace, armed with what was left, evacuated to Noumea, where concrete bunkers and bomb shelters had been (and were being) hastily constructed. Troops continued to make New Caledonias beaches hell. Razor wire lines were mixed with mine fields, along with thousands of gruesome dead-falls. In the sea itself, junk metal and floating mines had been placed preceding the beaches themselves...the Begdellends would have one hell of a landing.

However, French resistance was expected to be light at the beaches, but tangible. Rather than fight them there, French troops were digging in around the walls, bunkers, and incredible redoubts of Ft. St. Martin, which protected Noumea save from a sea landing. And, of course, in Noumea itself. After all, the goal was simply to hold out until the Armada arrived to relieve them.

Then, a boon arrived to raise the spirits of the French troops. Under cover of darkness, a full Wing (72 Mirage-1000's) of the ODSE, the "Kings Men Wing", had landed at Ft. St. Martins airport. They had stopped in Peru, secretly, before pushing on to New Caledonia. They also escorted about 12 cargo planes, which carried on them SAM Batteries (Self-contained radar units on board), ammunition, mines, and AA Cannons. The cargo planes, before departing on the long road back to France, took de Ballincourt and his family to safety in Peru, along with vital French documents previously held at Ft. St. Martin. Now, His Majesty would have airpower to use in the defense as well.

So the board seemed to be set. New Caledonia was digging in, preparing to fight until the bitter end.

After that days missles raid, the Island was under constant alert. That night, two radar stations were again activated, but only following the activation of the Air Defense Grid, the HQ of which was deep under Ft. St. Martin. That night in Noumea, and over the Fort, search lights reached up to the skies, and men stood by to raise the alarm. Radars hummed, watching for more incoming Begdellen missles. If they came, they would meet walls of Anti Missle fire. If the reds had the guts to follow through with an air assualt, Igovian jets would taste fire.

Wallis and Futuna Islands

Igovian troops would be shocked to find that the populations had already been evacuated to Noumea, to help support the defense of the main Island.

Begdellens would have an inkling of this, as their boats approached the Islands plumes of smoke would be visible from miles around. French troops have burned all houses and structures to the ground before departing, indeed and poisoned the wells with cyanide and arsenic.

Nevertheless, Igovians had better watch out. The Islands are riddled with dead-falls, land mines, and other little booby traps scattered about here and there.

On the only structures left standing and untouched, Catholic Churches, banners of the Crucifix and Fleur-de-lys had been hung, with the caption.

"God stands against you, all you who take up arms against his Lieutenant. All you who embark upon this fell deed, embrace despair and hellfire."

Versailles

After discussing it with his Ministers, His Most Christian Majesty Louis XX issued a proclamation to the world through his mouthpiece M. de Miremensil, Minister of the Kings Household.

"In consideration of the grave threats posed by filthy, corrupt, and demonic Beth Gellert, His Most Christian Majesty Louis XX immediatley calls a Grand Congress of the Holy Leauge, in order to plan how the associated powers might best deliever death and destruction to the wicked Igovian pit of hell. VIVAT REGIBUS!"

As well, far from the public eye, behind the glittering walls of Versailles, excitement reigns amongst the court. Bets were placed in regards to the coming conflict, and HMCM Louis XX declared that a whole series of "Masquerade War Balls" would commence on the morrow.

Needless to say, Louis XX would have the most spectacular uniform.

Spyr

Across the PRS, as news of the conflict emerges, a population which had oft wondered at Igovian reluctance to officially join the SSRC at last grasps understanding. "They didn't force us in along with them... by staying out they left us fre to decide what to do..."

This is quickly followed by ".... so, what the [Lyongian expletive] DO we do?"

Arafura Sea

The South Pacific forces of the SRA began preparations for what might be a coming conflict...However, like the SRA's Indian Ocean fleet, the force contained only three vessels, a trio of attack submarines, which would likely not turn any tides even if it was determined that Spyr would follow Beth Gellert into a war of liberation.

((Ahh, hello again all. Found the stats for the Cherbourgs, the hearts and soul of the French Royal Navy.))

Crew Compliment= 1100 (30 Officers, 1070 Enlisted men)
Displacement= 88000 (full load) tons
Perpulsion= Eight 1500-kw generators driven by 16 steam turbines
(two turbines per generator)
Shaft Horsepower= 310, 960 normal
Maximum speed= 38. 37 knots Endurance= 71,000 nautical miles
Cruising Speed= 17.31 knots Endurance= 160,530 nautical miles
Propellers= 6
Rudders= 3
Armor= 14.86"
LeClerc AF9 Radar Reconaissance Platform
LeMare SJ1 Sonor Reconaissiance Platform

Cannons
Gun 16"/12 units (3 per turret, for a total of four)
Shell Weight (lbs)= 1,535
Muzzle Velocity (fps)= 5,400
Muzzle Range (yds)= 95,600
Maximum Elevation= 45 Degrees

Offensive Misslery
25 Trident Ship to Ship Missles (not the American Nuclear Variety, akin to Harpoon)
16 Fury V Long Range Missles (receptacles for nuclear, chemical, biological or standard payloads)

AA Batteries (Computer Targetting System Operated)
32 .52" in eight quadruple mounts
32 1.46" in eight quadruple mounts
15 SAM Stations

6 Kingfisher (Seahawk) Anti-Submarine Helicopters
6 Sonor Equipped Torpedoes per Chopper

Cherbourg Mark II-

100,000 tons
Expanded, AA and Anti Sub capabilities, heavier armor

Cherbourgs:
Mark II- Louis-Auguste
Mark II- La Reine
Mark I- Strasbourg
Mark I- Roi de Soleil
Mark I- Louis IX

Woah what the hell is going on here.

(oh, and tag)

TAG, TG me if you need Roman assistance

The Xiannese, Beiyang fleet, an independent Chinese Fleet and a wide submarine front assisted by the Taiping Fleets and the Nanyang fleets.

The Beiyang revival of the Chiense Warlord Army, which was modernized and coined after the term Beiyang, meaning Northern Ocean, by Li Hongzhang, who had began modernizing the Qing Army. Further strengthening was done by Yuan Shi Kai.

The Xiannese government has refused to unify the armies, navies, and airforces of China, until all foundations have been set, fearing quick change of plans by the either side.

It was time the Xiannese defended their allies and neighbors.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/PLAN_sailors.jpg
Chinese sailors finalizing their preparations.

The Bei-Nan Fleets will sail south to pressure both sides of the conflict. The navy, remarkably new and experienced from the recent wars have left the Chinese ports. Carrying a large Red flag simply saying the words, Bei Yang, and Nan Yang, a large banner is painted on the hull, "Chinese Empire Imperial Navy"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/PLAN_Harbin.jpg
A Chinese detroyer pulls into the Qingdao Port to be rearmed before the expedition.

-North Yaman-

Director Jidoshin, recently back in Mioka Ro from the celebrations in UE, is going over the expenses on the proposed Yamani Aid Package to the Lavragerian Commonwealth when he is informed of the recent move of the Soviets. An immediate emergency session of the Strainist Council is convened on the Hill, and communications are passed across Lyong and back as the Spearguard confirms reports with the LJDC.

Statements released from the session reflect the confused nature of the parliament. Many argue for 'revolutionary solidarity', while conservatives caution that this will a major conflict, one which Yaman will not be able to greatly affect. Despite the continueing argument on the Hill, past experiences between the Lyong Treaty nations and France has prompted the SFD to contact the Igovian congress with its well wishes.

Yamani officials are also contacting Xiaguo, to hopefully learn of the intentions the Emperor has in moving forces into the conflict area.

OOC:China has no Emperor for the first time in decades as a secret meeting between General Liu, President Zhang, and Chancellor Yeh. The last Emperor of Xiaguo, Zhou II has abdicated in favor of unification. The move was by Yeh's Xiannese government, which is still Independent under law.

The Chinese ships will head toward the conflict in order to prevent the shifting of power there.

OOC- Xiagao, could you be a bit more specific about that? Whose side do you wish to support, or do you intend to battle both?

The Popular Congress calls for all parties to hold off on their current operations and calm down. First of all, argue the delegates, if Beth Gellert really wanted to fight French oppression they'd do it in Algeria. Secondly, conflict in New Caldeonia could fairly easily kill a good portion of the people who live there. At least negotiate before you start the death. Finally, the delegates condemn the French presence in Algeria and call upon Sino to not attack Nepal.

It is hoped that the Popular Congress might be able to influence just a little bit of temperation on the part of Beth Gellert, France, Xiaguo, and Sino.

"We must at least try to get these parties to agree to certain terms and limitations before they indulge in a veritable orgy of big fleet naval warfare," quoth one delegate from Baluchistan.

((Ahh, Chinese regardless BG, my last post still stands. As Louis would say in an affected pose "Cry havoc, and let loose the dogs of war."))

Having apparently done significant damage to French radar coverage in the initial scramble, the Igovians became a little more daring that night. The approach of French aircraft -though totally unexpected given the distances involved- was confirmed by air and ship based radar after disbelieving reports from the Red Dragons further east at Wallis and Futuna. Comrade Admiral Jones -the warrior looking to cut his teeth in style before the looming dismantlement of ranks reduced his name in Commonwealth society- was prompted to press home the attack more quickly than previously intended, denying Paatelainen the opportunity to issue a challenge for single combat.

Morrigan UAVs were pressed in close to New Caledonia's defences, hoping to exploit damage delt in the modest first strikes as the drones risked detection by returning to loose around a dozen further Parliament anti-radar missiles during the night's early stages, but also more importantly to -for so long as they survived- designate targets for guns and missiles in the fleet.

Jones had sat and waited as the Mirage came in from their long-haul flights only to begin launching his own aircraft just as the French planes came in to land. Four fleet and three light carriers were available to contribute, but launchings had hardly begun when it became clear that CS Kautsky was having trouble with her electromagnetic catapults, and that India Class carrier, it was eventually decided, would contribute only Puffin VTOL-capable strike-fighters until the problem was resolved. These same aircraft flew from the three Nibiru, while from the remaining three Indias came both Springer attack planes and some Hobgoblin air superiority fighters, primarily to cover the fleet against any French aircraft that may manage to scramble.

In all, eighteen Springer launched from Babeuf, Belinus, and Owen, tasked with the primary assault on the French air strip and the newly arrived aircraft, which would presumably be in over-crowded conditions and mostly grounded, hopefully in need of fuel and configured for ferry mode not for combat, and thus not equipped to contest the skies above them. With them arriving at night and French radar damaged and under continued assault, and the relatively small distances associated with the island, it was hoped that a defence would be difficult to mount against the well armed and moderately well armoured aerial warhorses. These planes carried infra-red and laser-guided Parliament missiles, and laser and satellite guided bombs of mostly 225kg and 450kg sort, including various with submunitions meant to cause maximum disruption to the relatively small target areas. They would attempt to smash the newly arrived aircraft on the ground before they could re-fuel, re-arm, or even fight back. Barbarian turbofans glowed in the night on take-off, only dimming as the aircraft slowed on approaching enemy territory.

From the Nibirus came twelve Puffin strike fighters, with twenty-four further from the Indias. These low-signature aircraft were dispersed to respond quickly to ground fire or radar locks, being armed with a variety of weapons from their integral 30mm cannon to the air-to-gorund and air-to-air missiles carried in their internal bays. Anything that tried to engage the Springers was supposedly to be pounced upon by the Puffins. UAVs were meant to designate continued or intense threats for naval bombardment, and any sustained ground-fire would soon be assailed by Mangonel cruise missiles fire from Bodkin Class general-warfare frigates, Gull Flag Class fire-support ships, and from Anunkai Class nuclear submarines sitting anything up to six hundred miles from shore (of course, these last ones, if so far out, would attack none-immediate threats that no longer presented a problem for aircraft, since the missiles would take almost an hour to arrive).

The Indias also contributed thirty-six Hobgoblin to the air, but these high-performance fighters were not to engage anything but enemy aircraft in the sky. They were armed with high-agility 112km-range radar-guided Apti L'Angelot Maudit AMRAAM and 32km range infrared guided DRAB-ASRAAM, and would not venture over enemy air defences unless forced to.

The three Gull Flaggers came forth to lead the ships advancing towards shore, moving towards the horizon from where their 11" guns could by morning be brought to bear.

Wallis and Futuna

The Soviet Marines weren't sure how fifteen or sixteen thousand people had vanished without being spotted as their machines crossed the sea at over three hundred knots, but while some speculated on the possibility of some sort of underground complex or some unknown caves hiding the population, others wondered if Nouméa had sent word and a remarkably rapid evacuation had taken people further east to Polynesia. None of it seemed very likely, and so the search of the islands proceeded with care.


Portmeirion

The Soviet Commune, Commonwealth Final Senate, and Commonwealth Professional Civil Service have sent to the Chinese advising them to stay out of the war against European imperialism unless that plague threatens mainland Asia directly. Nobody wants Chinese intentions to be misunderstood only for revolutionary forces to tear the regime down so soon after recent [sigh] progress.

Portmeirion has declared that planning for present military operations began at the height of French imperial hostility against the people and commerce of the Lyong peninsula, and was sped by the shameful events in Algeria. It has been said that if France makes the liberation a fight to the last, then the Commonwealth will also pursue war criminals associated with the French part in the invasion of Lavrageria.

In Iskra! publications and broadcasts, much is made of the latest Dwrgi-T WIG and Marathon transport plane flights carrying arms and equipment to the Choson People's Republic and to Vietnam, and the friendly relationship between those nations and the Igovian Soviet Commonwealth, usually played between screenings of Spyrian progressive cinema or such.

China wouldn't want to make itself Asia's pariah for the sake of some european imperialists, would it?


(OOC: I'm making an OOC thread to discuss concerns by both sides, bitch, banter, and lay out dry technical details on our equipment. Link pending.)

OOC thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=413615), very boring.

Port Villa, Roycelandian Vanuatu

The Governor-General of Vanuatu was not a happy woman. Her Pineapple wasn't juicy enough and her Cuba Libre had gone warm in the afternoon sun.

When the phone rang, there was brief hope that it might be one of her friends popping round to talk about shopping or perhaps to discuss how fat Mrs. Smythe-Tyncan had become since she'd had that baby with the post boy in the Admin branch despite being married for 23 years. Alas, it was not to be.

The Colonial Commander of the Vanuatuan Defence Forces was ringing to tell her the fertiliser was hitting the ventilator in New Caledonia, and could she please tell His Majesty?

In the meantime, two Spitfires and a Sunderland were despatched to the area to get a feel for the situation, take some recce photos, and reassure the French that Roycelandia was not turning a blind eye to the situation.

Meanwhile, several Sunderlands and some Transport Ships had been used in the evacuation of Wallis and Futuna, with anyone who wanted it being granted refuge in Vanuatu...

1 problem: would the frnech battleships actuallly fit through the cannal, IIRC the americans reconned that a 80,000 battleship was the biggest they could deploy that way...

Interim President Massad pointed to the reporter, and mimed being patient for a while while the newsman asked his question.

"No, we will not be going to war. I really don't see what we would do. We have, like, two modern destroyers, people. Of course we will assist the Elkazorieans in any way we possibly can. Frankly, I think this would be silly if people weren't going to die. Aside from the offensive nature of deciding to impose "freedom" on people that never asked for it, New Caledonia is hardly the epicenter of imperialist exploitation in the world. Nobody ever hears of the back-breaking salt mines of Noumea, do they? Now, Al-Ahzad will be the first to admit here are issues with colonialism, that need to be discussed in the world community."

Massad looked into the camera for this part.

"But this is not about imperialism, or liberation, or struggle or any of the nice words Beth Gellen will attach to it. This is about power. This is about dominating the pacific ocean, and this is military agression with no attempt at dialog whatsoever. That is very, very dangerous, and we consider France not only to be our ally, but to be a nation that was wronged.


Fishing Trawler (registered ACV-00855), 400km to the north-northwest of New Caledonia.

A neutral vessel in international waters could do whatever the hell it wished. It seems that, over the summer, Ahzadi fisherman had discovered an odd new fishing area that nobody else was on to! And they had sent just one vessel that had no military crewmen whatsoever.

But the crewmen could get bored out in the middle of nowhere, so it was important they had satillite TV, which meant a lot of antennas on the boat, but they just had different service providers, okay? Different antennas for each crewman. Plus the men would get lonely so they made a good deal of radio transmissions back home. You know how lonely men talking to their wives get, so these transmissions were heavily encrypted to avoid embarassment.

Sure it was just one ship, but it was the best fishing vessel around! It's fishing nets had really great top of the line, uuh, floats on them.

Floats that were made by Tompson-CSF.



It was a very odd fishing vessel.

A neutral vessel in international waters could do whatever the hell it wished.

OOC: Recent Lyong experiences vis-a-vis the French navy would suggest this principle may not be as true as might be hoped.

IC

Aria, PCR Tord

An internationlal press-conference was called following the French refusal to surrender New Caledonia. Civil and military officials of the Lyong nations... Tord, Spyr, and North Yaman, along with the Sujavan ambassador, sat before the press to release a joint statement on the issue.

"Today, a momentous moment in history has occured... one whose consequences shall send ripples across the globe, touching all nations of the world. The forces of the Igovian revoution have risen against the reactionaries currently holding Kanaky in their grasp. The peoples of Lyong can offer nothing short of gratitude for this endeavour, both for ourselves and for the greater goal of progress across the world.

The despot sitting on the throne of Versailles has made no secret about his intentions towards the world... restoration of colonial holdings across Asia and Africa. This intention has been put into practice through ongoing imperialism in Algeria... and by French actions against our own peninsula. French agents, members of the titled aristocracy no less, entered the nation of Tord and ran rampant, engaging in acts of theft, kidnapping, arson, and multiple murders. Evidence, previously released to the international community, on an air incursion over Lyong now shows all indication that those agents were inserted by aircraft involved in that incursion... aircraft which then found safe landing on New Caledonia.
The agents are now being held, facing trial... in an attempt to pressure their release, French representatives revealed evidence that they had stopped a Tordian vessel sailing in international waters, and threatened the safety of its crew should the prisoners not be immediately released, a gross violation of all international maitime conventions and ostensibly an act of war. Again, New Caledonia provided the base which made French piracy in the region possible.

Will we follow our Igovian comrades into war? War is never the desire of a progressive nation... yet how can the French be allowed to continue use of their South Pacific fortress for launching not only threats, but overtly illegal and agressive acts, against us and our citizens? It is these questions upon which we must now deliberate to find the true path forward."

The Popular Congress continues to hint, with ever-decreasing subtlety, that Algeria, not New Caledonia, should be the site of the revolutionary bloc's battle with imperialism.

"We applaud Bedgellen efforts to free Algeria from French oppression and hope that this action will show the restored monarchies that their imperialistic urges will not be tolerated...wait...did I say Algeria? No, I meant New Caledonia. Ahem ahem," said one delegate.

With the Hill still in session after many hours, and no end to the argument in sight, it is appearing more and more that Yamani policy will be directly affected by an emergency gathering of the four party leaders and Strain himself. Director Jidoshin is assaulted by the media as he is escorted from the Mioka Ro shrine to a waiting car, but has no time for their questions. Answering in his place is the Minister of Industry, Waotaka Motari.

Though unable to comment on the possibly of supporting the venture directly, Waotaka releases an official statement from the SFDNY. The document goes over the criminal nature of recent French activity in the Pacific, and urges all parties involved to resist the temptation of simply denouncing the attacks as 'random aggression from a radical state'. In summing up the Yamani position, radio hosts and news crews quote the ministers finishing phrase.

"The Revolution did not start this war. The activities of the Imperialist warmongers are the true danger to regional stability and prosperity."

((Strath, as always, point well taken. If you wish to push your issue, its legit. For myself, If BG doesnt mind, I was hoping we could just get to the fight, and grease up the particulars. Otherwise, barring my armada, I havent got a prayer.))

New Caledonia

The Battle of the Coral Sea had begun.

Following the earlier raid against French Radar stations, the Island had seemed very quiet. Families prayed in behind the defense works of Noumea, having already recieved the Last Rights. In Ft. St. Martin (Which is 10 miles due SE of Noumea, holding that strategic southern pocket, FYI), the air could be cut with a knife. Searchlights roamed the skies, more to comfort the defenders than to frighten the enemy.

Then the deep, wailing tones of air raid sirens began as multiple enemy aircraft were spotted.

At Ft. St. Martins Airfield, the "Kings Men Wing" was indeed still in various states of disrepair, only 20 aircraft at best would have been able to fly, and those without much ammo. Therefore, French engineers began a desperate rush to get the planes airbornes. AA Batteries were cranked into action, and Igovian Radar would no doubt pick up multiple SAM units going hot. All these frantic actions performed under the deafening roar of the sirens.

And then specks over the horizon confirmed that the Igovians were now arrived. They would be welcomed.

Rising in waves from Ft. St. Martin, tracers and shellbursts rent the sky. SAM missles zipped up from the fort itself, and from locations scattered about the Island. General Kessan knew images were important to morale, so he had ordered the Air Defence Grid to pour out volumous fire, more to intimidate than to hit the enemy.

And so as Bedgellen jets ripped over Caledonia on their dastardly strike, they would encounter some of the thckest and most rapid AA fire they had ever seen, the skies turned black and bright, smoky and flaming.

They would no doubt easily make out Ft. St. Martin, its huge concrete ramparts and impossibly thick Air and Ground Defenses made it stand out painfully. Those Igovian aircraft that made it through the defenses then wreaked havoc on the Mirages, none of which had made it into the air in time.
Explosions dotted the runways as the Igovian jets swooped down like birds of prey.

Some 32 jets, near half of the French Air Wing, was destroyed on the ground that day. The rest, following the attack, were moved into immediate lauch posistion...the French would not be caught twice. Thankfully, perhaps due to an act of God (or perhaps the chaotic atmosphere in which the Igovians conducted the raid) the runway was still operational.

In his HQ under Ft. St. Martin, General Kessan now anticipated the ground invasion, ordering all men to stand by for immediate assualt.

East Pacific

The Armada was now just passing French Polynesia, and the French colonists cried as they beheld the awesome fleet gracefully and swiftly cut through the water.

De la Tour du Pin had just been informed of the attacks on New Caledonia, and from the bridge of the Louis-Auguste he ordered the fleet to make break neck speed...time was of the essence. Within some twenty hours, he would be within launch range of Igovian targets.

Within a few days, he would be in a posistion to challenge the Igovian scum for New Caledonia directly.

Versailles

In a ultra-rare Royal Appearence, His Most Christian Majesty Louis XX spoke to the Estates General, which had gathered in the Hall of Mirrors. The subject could not be doubted.

Following the lavish pomp and pageantry that always accompanied His Majesty, Louis XX sat on the Lily Throne and with Charlemagnes Sceptre of Justice, addressed the audience.

"Today, this Kingdom which it is my glory to rule has been attacked."

"As we speak, thousands of the Igovian Horde are preparing to massacre my loyal and devout subjects on New Caledonia, a French possession for hundreds of years. Indeed, it is accurate to say this is a random aggression from a radical state. Moreover, this constitues an act of war against the Kingdom of France, and a unimaginable blasphemy against the Holy Catholic Church."

"Therefore, in consideration of these facts, I hereby declare a Crusade against the forces of Beth Gellert, and all those who stand with them."

"I will not, nor will the Holy Leauge rest, nor will any decent Westerner rest, until the power of the Revolutionary Blocs in South and East Asia have been utterly extirpated. I, Lieutenant of God and Defender of Our Faith Most Holy, do declare this."

"It will be a long war, not restricted to major battles, although in New Caledonia my brave soldiers now preapre to strike a blow for Christ and King. Gird yourselves, sons of Saint Louis. This war is the rebirth of the Ancien Regime, so long awaited in Europe, and it will be the establishment of the government ordained by Peter so long ago."

"Rise up, sons of Saint Louis! Rise up, brave Spainards! Rise up, Caesar Maximus! Rise up, Tsar Winger! Rise up, valiant Royce, lest you be next on this grotesque list of Communist Revolution!"

Louis then stood, and raised his Sceptre high:

"Rise up, O my God, Rise up, and send your servants a swift victory!"

The audience exploded into prayer, prostration, and cheers. One strain echoed.

"Deus Vult!" ("God wills it")

((Strath, as always, point well taken. If you wish to push your issue, its legit. For myself, If BG doesnt mind, I was hoping we could just get to the fight, and grease up the particulars. Otherwise, barring my armada, I havent got a prayer.))

OOC: Well, in all honesty, I think 'just getting to the fight' violates part of the purpose of AMW as it was originally founded, which included an attempt to eliminate 'my army appears on your borders and attacks' by binding members to static geography.

The Chinese Bei-Nan Fleets have passed the Guam and Yap Islands. As they passed, the Glorius Chinese Fleets, refitted, had the appearance of Zheng Ho's mighty Ming Armada. However, this time, the Fleets are not seeking treasures. With streaming banners of red and gold, and dragon cersted ships. The Imperialistic Fleet was now making its way to The French waters, and on the way, they resemble dozens of dragons floating in the water.

-Beijing-
The Catholic, which gained power after the Religios Sanctions have sibmitted to the French Crusade and has made formal requests to the Chinese government to step in and stop the Igovians from wrecking the peaceful island.

OOC- Point taken, Spyr. However, it seemed, well, apropros at this point for me to do that.

1- No one has proven the tonnage limit on the canal.

2- even if the Louis Auguste didnt get through, the rest of the fleet would have, so theres that.

3- in this matter, namely between BG and I, I felt that this was completely appropriate to give BG the battle against reactionaries he so desires.

4- this is clearly not modding, on all those three points listed above as well as others.

However, being the 'open minded' fellow I am, if you seriously wish to lodge an objection we can persue that. But, as it concerns me, basically I think the only valid objections in this matter could arise from:

1) Quinntonnia, who owns the Canal.
2) BG, who I am Rping with
3) or a relative quorum of dissaffected AMW members

And, for further debate, lets please use the OOC thread.

(OOC: Yeah, no offence, but I think we ought to sort this out in the OOC thread before proceeding. We wouldn't have bothered to do this instead of just waltzing into the Med and removing the Royalists from Algeria and France itself if dashing about the globe were so easy, and we certainly wouldn't have given up two battle fleets in order to fund WIG development if geography were no obstacle. This is just the beginning of an obvious new era, so far as I see it, with the revolutionary world naturally rising up against the reactionary. This isn't going to be easy for France, but then when is defending the tatters of a global empire against a nation five times your size ever easy? The Igovians have problems, too... we might piss-off Roycelandia, Sino might take advantage in S/E Asia, the Hindustanis might work themselves up into a fit of some undesirable sort if we don't pay attention to Africa... personally I like that AMW is starting to become really complicated, like a proper international community!)


Portmeirion

Commonwealth Chief Consul comrade Chivo spoke to Iskra! during the first night of combat at New Caledonia.

"Comrades in Beth Gellert and across the globe, the Commonwealth's wish is to inform you of a sea change in effect as of this night. The age of reaction is over. Tomorrow's sun rises on a world now as much about progress as about that supplement called hope as long has been fed to the people.

"Just a few years ago, France was a representative democracy and a world-renowned hub of progressive thought shared amongst free men and women. Today she makes no pretence at democracy or rights of free expression and life except to claim that her tyrants enjoy the support of the people living beneath them. But none under the blanket of the world's free information exchange are ignorant of the shambolic nature of this pretence, for we know of unparalleled numbers of expatriated Frenchmen and women living in fear of their lives in London and as well in this Commonwealth. The climate of fear had again been cast over Europe's free thinkers as liberal and intellectual peoples try to escape the continent or else face the Bastille and its like.

"As if this was not enough, French despotism has forced itself violently upon the people of Lavrageria, slaughtering by the thousand those who continued their march towards freedom; and more than that, killed freely and arbitrarily amongst the people of that nation's cities whether or not they resisted.

"They -the French leadership and their selfish supporters abroad- have exhibited the fact of their similar intentions for people in Algeria. Atrocity in three lands and against a hundred million people!

"But these figures have not satisfied the thieves! Popular revolution against the last archaic feudal regime in Lyong was opposed by the French, and petty frustration and pride have spurred the French to piracy in the free Pacific as the aristocracy lashes out against all that its people are denied. French imperial holdings in the Pacific are a haven for international piracy, terrorism, and for future imperialism.

"These capacities for destruction will be denied the autocrats, and it is a happy coincidence that such action as will curtail the atrocity will also liberate thousands.

"The sad, self-interested accusations of the world's many other authoritarians fail to consider the truth of these words, and they expect the people of the world to believe that the Igovian Soviet Commonwealth is an imperial force in their mould. If it were so, we should not so keenly criticise all that they stand for, and such self-declared enemies as the Eustace Brown regime in Andaman and Nicobar would certainly long since have fallen to our silly empire.

"Now we hear reports of the forced displacement of the entire population of Wallis and Futuna has been uprooted, possibly conscripted in the fashion of a primitive militant society or else forced into labour necessary to support the ludicrous armament of Louis' imperial fantasy, and certainly to keep the ill-regarded people from understanding their, 'enemy' in such a fashion perhaps last understood over half a century ago in the suicide of Japanese mothers and children before the advance of demonised western soldiers.

"Some of our soldier-sailors now expect to meet these poor folk on New Caledonia as they are herded into the repulsion of an invasion about which they are grossly misinformed.

"It is a tragic thing to slay a great dragon after chasing him thrashing and flaming back to his lair, even if he may resemble a hen-pecked cockerel with a temper."

((Scathing, Bg, truly scathing. Ill meet you on the OOC thread, as it were))

The Roycelandian Pacific Fleet currently in Vanuatu consists of 8 Dreadnoughts, 2 Frigates, 4 Submarines, and several Patrol Boats/MTBs, as well as the usual tenders and so on.

Some of the Pacific Fleet are on rotation to Africa, an will not be available for this conflict.

The Martime Air Service Pacific Combat Wing consists of 36 IAe Spitfires, 12 Harriers, and about a dozen SeaHawk Helicopters, as well as varying numbers of Sunderland Flying Boats in both Transport and Anti-Shipping roles.

How well they'd fare against BG is anyone's guess, but the fact is they are in the area now, and Roycelandian Spitfires are recconnoitoiring the battle area, with a warning that "Action will be taken" unless the situation cools down in the next 24 hours...

The Ahzadi "merchant ship" off of New Caledonia continues to send radio messages to Raysuz, that are in turn sent to Ft.St.Louis and the French military command there.

Military activities at the ports of Raysuz and Aden picks up in intensity- both due to the expected influx of french warships visiting Al-Ahzad on their way to the pacific, and due to recent naval infiltration by communist former regime elements.

The relationship between Al-Ahzad and Elkazor is, frankly, bizzare. A secular, majority muslim, anti-royalist republic has ended up the close ally of a staunchly catholic monarch, but such is power politics.

This is how Hikmet Bektasi, looking woefully underdressed in a suit and tie finds himself at the conference of the Holy League, with a promise to send 4th and 7th Commando Battalions (Air-Mobile) to Algiers to "free French troops to fight violent ideologies that do not respect international conventions, as well as to fight against fundamentalism and religious fanatacism in the middle east"

Hikmet Bektasi also calls for Algiers to be given "autonomy and self-government" under the French crown "once the present security situation stabilizes"

The two battalions- 600 men each of elite helicopter-mobile light infantry- are already on their way by a very roundabout route to Algeria, where they should soon take up stations in the deep desert and begin to conduct sweep and clear missions.

OOC: I would certainly hope that this RP is driven by in-character, rather than IRL animosity between Beth Gellen and Elkzaor. Al-Ahzad certainly isn't a pulpit for my own personal politics, and I sure hope the commie/religious monarch bashing isn't heartfelt. Good RP's aren't based on the fact that posters hate each others ideals. I mean, good god, my personal political paradise wouldn't be a militaristic middle eastern pseudo-democracy ruled over by a mustachioed general.


Also, let's savor the time it gets for French forces to get to the island. This is just like the falklands! But with better weather!

OOC: I would certainly hope that this RP is driven by in-character, rather than IRL animosity between Beth Gellen and Elkzaor. Al-Ahzad certainly isn't a pulpit for my own personal politics, and I sure hope the commie/religious monarch bashing isn't heartfelt. Good RP's aren't based on the fact that posters hate each others ideals. I mean, good god, my personal political paradise wouldn't be a militaristic middle eastern pseudo-democracy ruled over by a mustachioed general.


Also, let's savor the time it gets for French forces to get to the island. This is just like the falklands! But with better weather!

(That's basically what I said/thought! :) And you! Just be quiet and thankful that we didn't support the Socialists! It's not too late, you know! We've co-operated with Suloists once before! (we didn't like it, but it served a purpose))

The Roycelandian Ambassador to France found himself, like his Al-Ahzadi counterpart, to be woefully underdressed despite the face he was in a Tuxedo, has also called for Algeria to be given a Roycelandian East African style Colonial Government, with an appointed Head of State under King Louis XX, and the rest of the Parliament democratically elected (Although Louis would retain Veto powers etc).

Meanwhile, the Roycelandian Ambassador to Beth Gellert has expressed "Concerns, dear chap, Concerns" about the Bedgellen Navy's large presence not all that far from Vanuatu. "People get the wrong idea... the media has a slow news day, and suddenly it looks like you're about to invade Vanuatu as well. And that leads to rash decisions, and before you know it, the Coral Sea is covered in burning oil and you can walk to Australia on all the sunken ships and crashed aircraft. No-one wants that, I'm sure."

Then again, Roycelandia didn't want the Communists causing havoc in the Philippines, but since the Filipinos were almost certainly going to vote in favour of Commonwealth with Roycelandia, then that was something else that would need to be tended to...

Though Beth Gellert has seen some marches in favour of widening the liberation wars to halt Roycelandian incursion into Filipino political life and even to drive imperialism out of Africa, general public opinion in the Commonwealth -something especially easy to gauge in the land of open public senates that even foreigners may attend in observational capacity- is not really close to harshly enough anti-Roycelandian for anyone to consider initiating a major war against that Empire. It has few real fans in Beth Gellert, but is generally seen as liberal enough that it's hard to hate... and without being really angry, Beddgelens aren't generally predisposed to kill anybody.

Consuls try to assure the Roycelandians that the Commonwealth has no intention of getting into a conflict with the Empire or with NATO, though it must be admitted that they can't really give any convincing reasons beyond suggesting that diplomats go out into the streets of Porthmadog or Alaric and ask around.

Versailles

Both the Honorable Ambassidor of Roycelandia and the Honorable Hikmet Bektasi of Al-Ahzad are given a formal audience with His Most Christian Majesty Louis XX and his Council of State, including: M. de Vergennes-Minister of State, M. de Saint-Germain-Minister of War, M. de Theregout-Minister of His Majesties Colonies, and last but not least, M. de Miromensil-Minister of HMCM Louis XX's Household.

The distinguished conclave met at the Orangerie of Versailles, now in the full glory of spring. Louis XX, dressed in a white swansdown suit interlaced with silk and silver cloths, lit a cigarette as a liviried servant finished pouring the assemblege glasses of champagne, iced. The Gazebo they sat under was made of cedar wood, and the spot was altogether delightful.

"My dear friends, and honorable ambassidors" he took a heavy drag of the Royal Cigarette "I thank you for your concerns in Algeria, and invite you to participate..."

At this point M. de Vergennes quietly handed His Majesty a document, and Louis continued.

"Ah, yes. Participate in the 'succor' of my son-in-laws domain, that is to say Louis I. Indeed, he seemed to speak a bit harshly about democracy, no? (under his breath Louis said 'cant say I blame him') I will tell you what. Roycelandia can send a team of experts who will, after dutifully studying the matter at hand, advise His Majesty Royce I and then myself on how to implement limited democratic procedure in Algeria...under the aegis of my son, of course."

"And Hikmet, please dispatch your troops at once to Algeria. I have arranged for my General, Le Merechal de Gras du Mont to welcome then at my garrison in Ft. St. Joan, and I think it would do both our armies good to work in concord."

"Now..." he finished his champagne, and a servant rushed forward to refill it "As I am sure you both are quite aware, those bedemmed Igovians are trying to take Caledonia from me."

The King nodded to Saint Germain, a harsh man of Prussian ancestry who was singularly responsible for the power and might of the Royal military: as well as a Prussian in discipline, he was a grandee aristocrat when it came to strict devotion to His Most Christian King. Plus, one of the perks was that he got to wear fabulos uniforms, like the current gold and blue ensemble.

"His Majesty has already dispatched an Armada, to repel this affront." A digital screen was unrolled from the top of the Gazebo, and Saint-Germain.

"Will Roycelandia, can Roycelandia, deploy its Pacific Fleet to aid His Majesties Armada to repell this threat? If so, we would provide aid and troops for Royces securing of the Phillipines, and perhaps more 'direct' influence in North Africa."

OOC-

IN regards to the previous post...

Since this SL is running about as well as a Chinese motorcycle (no offense Chinas), disregard all mentions of NEw Caledonia until the situation has been resolved on the OOC thread, at which point perhaps the last post will be changed.

However, all the Algeria stuff is kosher...seems a bit strange I posted it on this SL, but, what ev.

Versailles

The Roycelandian Ambassador thanked Louis for the audience, and had a communique sent to Port Royal to the effect that there was a free holiday in Algeria for anyone in the Foreign Service, Communications Ministiry, Information Ministry, or Oversight Bureau who wanted it.

The Imperial Commission in Democratic Reform in Algeria would spend at least five days in Algeria before delivering their report, which can basiclly be summarised thusly:

Reccommendations

Whilst the total removal of Democracy is never a desireable outcome for a civilised nation, there are cases when the appearance of democracy is actually more effective than the real thing.

Accordingly, we reccommend that Algeria be given a new constitution, giving:

-Universal suffrage to all citizens at 18
-Habeas Corpus and the right to a fair trial
-Freedom of Religion
-Separation of Church and State
-King Louis I remains as Head of State with full Powers
-Louis I appoints a small group of "Advisors" to help make decisions. One of these Advisors must be the Prime Minister, the other the Leader of the Opposition
-A fair elected parliament

The Committee strongly advises AGAINST establishing "States" in Algeria. It's one small step from being a state to declaring independence. Go for a New Zealand or English style system, with lots of Counties/Shires, but only one central government.

Effectively, this will allow Louis XX to retain almost total control over Algeria whilst convincing everyone that the whole country is really a Democracy and not a puppet state/Colony...

OOC: What's Roycelandia's position on this conflict, are they supporting the French or the commies? Let's hope that this RP don't fall apart like a Chinese motorcycle.

OOC:Wait a minute, who has ever been on a Chinese Motocycle? From what I have observed, I have never seen motorcycle parts and bodies along the road..yet.

OOC: I would certainly hope that this RP is driven by in-character, rather than IRL animosity between Beth Gellen and Elkzaor. Al-Ahzad certainly isn't a pulpit for my own personal politics, and I sure hope the commie/religious monarch bashing isn't heartfelt. Good RP's aren't based on the fact that posters hate each others ideals. I mean, good god, my personal political paradise wouldn't be a militaristic middle eastern pseudo-democracy ruled over by a mustachioed general.


Also, let's savor the time it gets for French forces to get to the island. This is just like the falklands! But with better weather!

In response to your comments on our political ideologies...well...I hate to admit it, but...I wish I were a strongman...

*Begins to write Monty Python-esque 'Strongman Song'*

But seriously, I guess Hindustan is, more or less, a me-ish government. The Crooked Beat is less so, being more rooted in parilamentary democracy as opposed to counciliarry...er...democracy. An ideal me-state would, oh, I dunno...be filthy rich and murderously generous. Sort of like a Qatar or UAE.

Back to the RP:

IC:

The Popular Congress steps up its criticism of the current state of affairs in Oceania, calling the war 'Falklands-esque' and making snide remarks about this and that. Silos open to reveal the much-dreaded sarcasim missiles. And furthermore, it is entirely possible that, in the event of a major conflict, a small pacific island could be almost completely depopulated.

OOC: Roycelandia is most certainly on the French side in this one- but we have our own ideas about Imperialism, and those ideas include letting the Colonials have at least some say in how their Colony is run.

Whether or not the Emperor/King actually listens to them is another matter entirely, however... ;)

OOC:Wait a minute, who has ever been on a Chinese Motocycle? From what I have observed, I have never seen motorcycle parts and bodies along the road..yet.

OOC: I do love the prevalent Chinese electric bicycles... a great way to get around!

IC:

Spyr, while having yet to put itself officially behind the Igovians, begins substantial efforts towards calming Hindustan vis-a-vis the effort. With the Roycelandians coming to the aid of Louis, concerns have surfaced which had never been given much weight... use of the Phillipines or Vanatau for the launch of strategic bombardment against Lyongian populations and continued piracy against merchant shipping in international waters can no longer be discounted as impossibilities, rendering the utility of merely liberating New Caledonia, rather than an expansive effort to accomplish revolution against reactionary elements in the Pacific, rather moot. As such, the Spyrans feel it vital to assuage concerns amongst the other member of the SSRC. A secondary purpose is served by getting Hindustani voices into mainsteam Spyran media, with the hope of countering a dip in an otherwise spotless public opinion that has resulted from Hindustan's statements on the issue.

The Sujavan People's Republic was abuzz with discussion on the war over New Caledonia. Sujava itself had been born out of the clutches of the FRB... had experienced life both as the imperialized, and as part of a state driving forth in endless Imperial conquests. Thus, empires be they French or Roycelandian, found little succour in Sujavan public opinion, and efforts at liberation had substantial popularity. Still, Sujava would be the last nation to join the Igovians... its contitution bound it to a course of pacifism, atonement for its past membership in the imperialist FRB, and popular support was firmly behind that principle: After years of constant war under Bonstock, Sujava had prospered after independance through years of peace, experiencing open and beneficial trade with its SSRC comrades of Hindustan and Lyong, and with the markets of North America, Xiaguo, and Southeast Asia that had been closed to the Bonstockian terrorists.

French pontifications on the future of the Pacific had been cause for concern... if Beth Gellert did not achieve a victory, would the imperialists press onward and eastward into Sujava? Certainly, with ideology originally rooted in native democratic socialism and organized labour, in communion with Strainist philosophy as promulgated by the Spyrans during the war of liberation and reconstruction, Sujava was a 'revolutionary' regime.
Of even more concern was the launch by Singapore of a campaign to revive the fallen FRB.

Across the nation, shore defences were reinforced, while Viggens and Dagger FAC-Ms were readied to intercept encroachments from east or west. In towns and villages, militias were asked to be ready and watchful in case of an attack. Again, however, Sujava's constitution, and overall popular sentiment, were pacifist: They would not project themselves out to attack the surrounding territories, French or Bonstockian.

The men squinted and gritted their teeth against the light as the door opened. The French military airport was bustling with activity as they recieved the two Ahzadi commando battalions sent to Algiers via Ahzadi Airbus A-400's.

The public was being told they were going for "joint training exercises"

The commander spoke up as the elite soldiers piled out of their transports. He was a belligerent, cigar-smoking

"Alright, men- Pierre has got himself in a bit of a jam out pacfic way, and he needs to keep his A-rabs down until he gets done whooping the reds. Well guess what? You boys come right in handy. The missions will be pretty simple stuff. Air Cav sweeps of rural areas, tracking base camps, etc. We've got access to tac air and artillery. Should be just like fighting the Al-Waloud, 'cept we don't have any sort of indigenous support like the Ahzadi Bedouin Legion."

Already the battalions helicopters were unloaded and preparing to take off.

"Good hunting, boys."

The policy of the new British government on this issue has yet to be decided. On the one hand, Prime Minister Chaffin is keen to reconcile the differences between France and Britain, while on the hand is concerned about its relations with the sub-continent, and less pro-French states, such as United Elias. The UK is therefore very unlikely to get involved militarily, and will advise that all NATO states keep to the sidelines of this conflict, believing that France does indeed have to answer for its rather fundamentalist variety of imperialism, but that BG is being extremely and uneccesarily belligerent.

OOC: TBF, that raises the question of expanding NATO. Under Bull, who didn't approve of colonial holdings such as Quinntonia's Hamhung-Hungnam in Korea, NATO was formed without mandate for Asian involvement. Will the new British government seek to amend and expand its scope?

OOC: I also hope the new UK will actually contribute to NATO, since at the moment it's just Roycelandia and Quinntonia and we don't always agree on things...

I'm sorry to bug you here, but I would like to get some sort of statement about the UAE and it's relations with Al-Ahzad. Is it now a british puppet? Are they still harboring the Al-Waloud tribal fighters?

((Figured Id just post this here to answer Royce, and Ill leave it be to Lilies))

Versailles acknowledged the Commissions requests, and His Most Christian Majesty approved...with conditions. However, in order to facilitate such programs, HMCM Louis XX invited Roycelandia to send the Commission, or its Agents, to Algeria to implement all changes that were possible to make under the gaze of Louis I.

The Commission would be under the protection of Roycelandian troops, and would be given free access to the country.

These radical moves, from the staunchly orthordox reign of Louis XX, no doubt come as Versailles attempts to mobilize allies for war in the Pacific against Beth Gellert.

((Okay, so, awaiting BG I think this thread is now soon to be active, at least the invasion of Caledonia by BG...fleet battle is still in the future. However, for the mean time, I noticed that you all like to post pics of your soldiers in action and such. Since I operate a army based on 18th Century manuals (some updates) combined with flashy uniforms, it seemed a bit hard, until now. So here, courtesy of somebody who did the art -not me- is a picture of the French Military in the Restoration--please only consider uniforms 1786 or after valid for Restoration France. Please, let me know what you all think. Oh, and needless to say, horses have been replaced by tanks, muskets by M-16s and M-14s [specifics of Royal Army can be found on Progressive Restoration], and each soldier of both the Royal Army and Guardes Francais are equipped with Kevlar vests --camo types-- and matching kevlar plated steel tricorners.

Gosh, these great uniforms! BTW, FYI, Guardes Francais were the same style of uniform, but with simple blue and white coloration, usually fitted for terrain. But, for the Royal Army, what you see is what you get.

French Royal Army (http://www.uniformology.com/page15j.html)

::Hunkers down, waits for BGs response to his air raid::

))

Heh, might as well post a few pictures of Hindustani troops:

http://www.thewe.cc/thewei/&/images3/afghanistan/soldier_long.jpe

A Hindustani infantryman on manouvers. The tan uniform is one of numerous common HDF uniforms, and is found mostly in higher-altitude areas where the tropical dress doesn't provide enough warmth. The infantryman pictured carries an AKS assault rifle modified to fire rifle grenades, a chest pouch for AKS magazines, and a belt on which he has some basic gear.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Images/0236.jpg

Hindustani infantry stationed near the Afghan border, armed with INSAS rifles and the 7.62mm L4A5 light MG. They wear a wide range of clothing, displaying the lack of real standards for uniform in the HDF. They are all dressed for mountain warfare, though, and carry minimal kit.

IC:

The Popular Congress continues trying to diffuse the situation, and restates its opinion that a great many of New Caledonia's citizens could be accidentally killed in this conflict.

More citizens will be massacred by bloodthirsty communists. That's the stance regarding civilian casualties the Chinese have adopted. The attacker always have the advantage of killing civilians to get the message across.

The Chinese recommend resistance forces to slaughter off Bedgellen settlers in the most gruesome manners, should the islands fall into communist hands. Gen. Liu also recommends training up native soldiers to employ their traditional brutalities against the enemy (learn from the British). Due the nature of the Bedgellen communists being subhuman, we also recommend decapitating and mutilating any POWs then use the body parts to decorate vehicles going into battle.

OOC:This is where Xiannese Kick In.

http://www.artexpression.com/images/ARI/jpgs/OR14008.jpg
The Chinese Imperial Guards in a Training Excercise


Several Xiannese Parties and Organizations has condemned the Sinoese along with General Liu in relation to the outrageuos and horrific attempts to destroy communism. This is an attack at human beings, not communists, unfortunately, the Sinoese consider them subhuman.


Chancellor Yeh has demanded all Chinese government officials to stay neutral in the conflict. "I do not wish to see the starving of the people of New Caledonia nor their blood in vain. Crushing the remnants of European Imperialism should not be at the expense of the free peoples."


The Chinese Bei-Nan Fleets have arrived in the Coral Sea, North of New Caledonia. The Chinese government has made requests to obtain special docking rights in order to refuel and supply the ship with efficient supplies. Further supply ships will be coming in from Taiwan. Due to the Unification of the Chinas, the Ships will be under joint control by the Sinoese.

Emperor Zhang has echoed many of his countrymen's calls for neutrality in this conflict, and has begun organisation for an aid appeal should fighting actually begin.

Oh come on, Elkazor- you can't deny the awesomeness of the modern french army! That kickass gear is half the reason I allied with you!

http://www.scramble.nl/mil/1/adla/gfx/photos/voor-adla-mir2000.jpg

sweet, sweet Mirage 2000's

http://www.checkpoint-online.ch/CheckPoint/Images/N-ArmeeFrance.jpg

who doesn't love a military parade?

http://homepage.eircom.net/~steven/images/leclerc_cat4g.jpg

http://homepage.eircom.net/~steven/images/leclerc3.jpg

oh god the leclerc it's so goddamn awesome

http://www.infiltrationmod.de/waffen/famas_02.jpg

http://airsoftfast.free.fr/Rooky%20FAMAS.jpg

FAMAS assault rifle plus adorable kitten

http://netdefense2.free.fr/images/france/armee_de_terre/famas/famas4.jpg

the modern french army can imperialize tropical hellholes, too!


I mean three-cornered hats are cool for dress uniforms and all, but who doesn't want bullpup assault rifles and snazzy kepis?

The Imperial Guard still get around in a Zulu War era-esque uniform, albeit with some concessions to the modern battlefield- kevlar helmets, kevlar combat jackets, communications equipment, and so on:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/303EnfieldAU/NationStates/alix22-ig.jpg

The Colonial Guard wear Khaki, which is arguably better for general combat use:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/303EnfieldAU/NationStates/dhm_008_small.jpg

The Imperial Guard have the Self-Loading Lee-Enfield .303 rifle, whilst the Colonial Guard have the SMLE Mk III Bolt-action .303 rifle.

The Imperial Foreign Legion wear Camouflage, however.

It'd be interesting to have an OOC AMW thread about the tactics and training of each Nation's armed forced, now I think of it...

The Soviet Marines don't appear terribly orderly, having a range of uniforms and equipment available to them and the freedom to wear whatever the heck they choose. After all, they're the ones going out and getting killed, and nobody feels like they have the right to tell a comrade that s/he can't die in evening dress if he or she wants to. As a result, Igovian troops tend to appear in a clamourous mob made of Tamil girls and Geletian men and everything in between, with a foot height difference between them, every skin tone under the sun, no regulations on how hair is kept and a tradition for brightening and spiking it with lime that often leads soldier to wear no helmet. The vast majority of Marines and other regulars are towering Geletian men, who average not all that far from six and a half foot (before any spiking of hair that amy be done).

Many, especially in their (and this) hot climate still fight partly or fully naked (save reluctant carriage for munitions) while others choose to wear the body armour provisioned for. War paint is still quite common. Some fight in camo gear -not always the right sort so much as what they think looks best- others in traditional Geletian attire that usually will be brightly chequered fabric from head to toe.

Despite this appearance, and the continued use of carnyces (big fricking war horns) and carriage by many of bladed weapons (given the chance, many Geletians especially will engage hand to hand, because if someone's worth killing, he deserves killing right, so if you drop your gun, you'd better make damn clear that you're surrendering not looking for personal combat), the Soviets are not actually disorganised 3rd world militiamen. Beth Gellert's population is five times greater than that of France, and the army is apparently tens if not hundreds of percent smaller, and that is owing to how most people would get snapped in half during Soviet training and selection. Of course there's the Militia at home, which gives slightly less brutal training to whomever wants it, and provides a pool from which keen and able recruits may be drawn in the event of the sort of big war that hasn't yet come and as might lead to heavy casualties amongst the recklessly brave regulars.
Like the ancient Celts, the Igovian military probably has a disorderly reputation, but actually fights in tight units that just appear chaotic to the uninitiated outsider.

Some -in some situations- actually choose to carry long shields, especially when, for example, charging off the landing ramp of a WIG vehicle that's just raced up onto the beach, 30mm cannons blazing. These shields, of course, are rated 'bullet proof', and carried usually by the strongest and drunkest Geletians who don't mind wielding an assault rifle (or often sub-machinegun for the ease of it) in one hand until they reach wherever they were dashing to. There are plenty of stories from the revolutionary war and from antiquity through to the French, British, and other European invasions that recount how Geletians were shot, stabbed, or half blown-up and just got angrier until they ran out of blood to boil (or alcohol in its place). In the days before repeating weapons, many was the time a foreigner would shoot a Geletian only to be approached and punched in the face for his trouble while he reloaded. Of course that's something of a romantic memory since that darn Maxim fellow came along.

Initially, Igovian politics call for humanitarianism and respect. Kivi Eikki's approach to the French government on New Caledonia hoped to resolve the issue without a fight, and precision guided weapons are used while the Commonwealth's nuclear arsenal is relatively small. A large hospital ship is on hand to take casualties from any side. However, those who choose to fight to the hilt are likely to unleash the other side of the Geletians, which may well lead to such extremes as the taking of heads: members of the Victoria Salvadorian bourgeoise and their more hated constables and enforcers ended up with their heads displayed on barricades and strapped on horses and vehicles at the height of the revolution.

Generally, the Soviets are probably best suited to scaring the p*** out of irregular troops such as most of those defending New Caledonia... not that regulars are likely to have confronted anything like a Beddgelen assault before in their careers.

The Commonwealth isn't all that afraid of having the worst of this seen, hoping that if it does anything more than to terrify reactionaries and upset people that already oppose the revolution, then it will be to make Hindustanis think that the global struggle left to Igovians alone is less favourable than one that sees heavier Hindustani involvement. That is to say, that perhaps Hindustan will begin to think that it's better for them to get in there and make changes before the Geletians get around to doing it the hard way. Perhaps the future will produce clichés such as, "We can do this the Hindustani way, or we can do it the Beddgelen way [so I'd put down that engine of oppression now, if I were you]". The Pacific campaign is about more than liberating a couple of hundred thousand people.

Carnyx blown before the fleet's departure, and again [usually by threes] during Paatelainen's brief landing
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/Chivtv/NS1/carnyxhorn.jpg

New Caledonia

The strike against enemy air power had proceeded more or less as expected, with the defenders apparently having nothing tricky up their sleeves at that point, although some in the fleet were a little surprised by the volume of flak that a little backwater colony could apparently throw-up. Two of the sturdy Springer attackers had failed to return to the fleet and were presumed lost to enemy ground-fire. Several came back with varying degrees of damage owed to AAA, but were well suited to slogging back to their motherships in spite of the damage. Two UAVs had also been lost, some while pressing home attacks against air defences and another while simply loitering for intelligence purposes.

High above the southern end of the island, some UAVs continued, usually at many thousands of metres above the range of gunfire and many SAMs, to observe the French movements through the small hours of the morning, trying to pin-down the re-deployment of surviving aircraft. As this went on, half a dozen submarine-launched Mangonel cruise missiles were bound from scores of miles away for such targets and for the heart of Ft.St.Martin's defences, their payloads variously eleven hundred pounds of high explosive or cluster muntions deployed against the most obviously military concentrations. Fire directed against the incoming missiles would again lead to the launch of Parliament AGMs at the source as Puffin strike fighters continued to linger over water a couple of dozen miles from the target area.

The fleet renewed calls for the garrison's surrender with a transmission to Nouméa, hopeful that the damage given to their reinforcement would be sufficiently disheartening.

Assuming that the calls would meet with no success, the fleet's marines prepared to make landfall under the guns of Bakunin and Petropavlovsk, which were moving around towards the horizon off Ft.St.Martin and soon would unleash between them twelve eleven inch guns against its defenders. The bombardment ships took with them a number of air defence frigates
Jones was pleased by the French concentration of defences outside the city of Nouméa, which he would prefer not to raize. After all, these were Beddgelens, who were not yet of the opinion that in order to save the city it could become necessary to destroy it...

First Assault

The Soviet Marines would land on the east coast, which offered more breaks in its skirting reef and was opposite to the capital.
Between Canala and Thio, a Morrigan UAV passed over far above visual range, looking for signs of coastal defences as Rapier Class mine countermeasures vessels ventured close to shore. Hobgoblin fighters remained in the air with missiles armed and would -hopefully, with the help of a constantly airborne AEW drone over the fleet- loose missiles against enemy fighters if they so much as hopped into the air. The Soviets were determined to keep this relatively small theatre under their thumb in high-tech terms, with the enemy's heavy systems nullified as the ground fight approached.
The third bombardment ship, CS Ood, was prepared to surpress coastal defences on the selected stretch of shore as the first two large assault craft put to sea from two of the three Nibirus. They carried each four Wombat Commonwealth Infantry Combat Vehicles (bearing a total of 48 infantry) and proceeded with 17mm rotary cannons ready to erupt against fire from the beaches as the big guns of the Ood waited on the same.

After the UAV's over-flight and observation, four Merlin helicopters (amongst the few foreign-built machines still in Beddgelen service) brought 96 further infantry towards the beach, hopeful that air defences were either most likely absent here, or else spotted by the UAV and smashed by loitering aircraft of the Ood.

The eight armoured vehicles and 144 Soviet Marine infantry soldiers were meant to make sure that the ground was safe for the remaining six landing ships to bring ashore 150 Marine Auxiliaries a piece from the Nibirus while helicopters ferried ashore some more of the 2,400 Marines aboard the India Class carriers. Up to 3,300 could come ashore between Canala and Thio, though it was yet not certain that all of the Indias' troops would land immediatelly.

At about the same time as the first landing craft were due on the beach, miles to the south Bakunin and Petropavlovsk began to rain gunfire down on the defensive heart of the French Pacific.

To the east, the third Nibiru Class light carrier was launching its 450 Soviet Marines and four ICVs towards Lifou in the Loyalty Islands, hoping to land them west of Mou; and further east, one of the two Red Dragon WIGs made for French Polynesia where it hoped that two thousand Soviet Marines would be more than sufficient to make sure of a surrender, as they outnumbered the total population of most islands save some of those in the Society Islands. The Red Dragon was some time short of Tahiti as yet, and hoped to hear of complicity before the marines arrived.

New Caledonia

The battle rages.

From Vanatu, Roycelandian forces would no doubt see the massive assault waged by the Igovians against the French, as plumes of smoke and fire rose above the Island.

Igovian missles streaming towards Ft. St. Martin, which stoicly took the hits against its fields of concrete reinforced ramparts were indeed met with waves of French anti missle units, although by the smoke and fire Igovian missles were getting through. Ft. St. Martin, though, was one of the sturdiest posistions in the Pacific, and would only succumb after massive, which is to say total, destruction of its defenders. It was at this time that General Kessan launched his Mirage detail, which assumed a fighter umbrella over the Island, well within range of French defenses. Ergo incoming Igovian fighters and bombers would now deal directly with the remaining forty-some Mirage 2000's.

General Kessan stood by the runway as Igovian missles streamed in, and removed his elaborate tricorner as each jet taxied off the runway, as was done for knights riding into combat in days of yore. French defenders cheered as each knight of the sky rose to fight the Begdellen demons, probably never to return.

After the jets departed, General Kessan authorized the launch of the forts 12 "Triton II" ASM's. Using uplinks to French targetting satellites, the garrison deployed 6 missles against the Igovian carrier Babeuf while the other six screamed to the closer target of the battleship Petropavlovsk ; it was a small stab, but would hopefully show the Igovians they were in for one hell of a fight.

French forces had now fully taken their defensive posistions. 10,000 soldiers of the Gardes Francais had taken up posistions in the Fort and its surrounding trenches and fire bases. 4,000 Gardes Francais along with about 3,000 Colonial Militia manned the lines at Noumea. The remaining forces, some 1,000 Gardes Francais, 2,000 Colonial Militia, and a group of 1,000 fanatics who had been given 'upper' drugs and Psalms to encourage their fervor "Martyrs of the Faith" would deploy to counter the Igovian landing.

The French troops dug in some two miles from the shore, in a series of hilly trenchworks and redoubts that had come to be known as "First Point", the Begdellen marines would have to cross this obstacle if they wished to establish a beachhead. The "Front Point" controlled travel from the regions of Calana and Thio to the interior of the Island. This gap was perhaps the most effective way into the interior of the Island, not protected by coral, and so the French decided that a tangible effort had to be made then and there against the invaiders. The repelling force, with freshly enburmed howitzers, would shell the Igovian troops as they landed, softening them up for the Igovian charge against French machine guns. The beaches, especially at the un-coraled eastern section of the Island, were of course saturated wth mines, razor and barb wire, and dead falls contructed in anticipation of such an assault. The Igovians, with all the support they had, would still have to slog their way to the fort.

So it was that, as dawn broke, the sound of landing craft was heard. Igovian marines, looking nothing so much like savage celts to the Frenchmen, would have a unopposed landing...at first. They would progress up the beaches, and the French commander of the repelling force, Colonel de Chauvernay, grinned as he saw the first of the land mines go off, and hollored as hapless Igovians fell into pits lined with rusted nails, spikes, and glass shards. With that signal, the minute the Igovians hit the booby traps, Chauvernay ordered the howitzers to open up, and he sounded the trumpet call for French defenders to "stand by for attack." Igovian jets roared overhead, dropping bombs and making havoc, but then the defenders cheered as they noticed several Mirages swoop down upon them.

The Igovian troops, landing in the midst of this, would then see the French raise their colors on the "Front Point", and hear the screams of incoming howitzers and mortar rounds.

Under Ft. St. Martin, desperatley organizing the valiant defence, General Kassan sent signals to the Roycelandians begging them to intervene...at least until the Armada arrived, still weeks away.

But Kessan regardless had his orders, and relayed his message to Igovian High Command: "The French are done surrendering, God have mercy on you communist scum, for now his Lieutenant will come forth and give you battle."

Versailles

Now that it was clear Beth Gellert intended to bring its bloody revolution to multiple French holdings, His Most Christian Majesty could no longer hesitate. Therefore, after conferring with His Minister of War, M. de Saint-Germain, Louis XX issued a Declaration of War against Beth Gellert for its unlawful invasion of New Caledonia...making all hostilities between the powers now legal. M. de Saint-Germain spoke at the occasion:

"The Most Invincible Louis XX, by the Grace of God King of France and Navarre, Defender of the Faith, will now undertake the task of extirpating the Igovian polity from the history of the world. Beth Gellert will be torn asunder, its cities burned, and its population harshly punished for their adherence to their Godless and corrupt Satanic doctrines and heresies. This example shows us all that evil is real, and that it has a clear agenda vis a vis Beth Gellert's modus operandi. With the destruction and subjugation of Beth Gellert and its satellites, revolution itself shall be irrevocably ended, and the return to Christs order of government shall be at hand for a unchanging eternity."

"At this time I should also extend His Most Christian Majesties invitation to Xiagao and Sino...while His Majesty duels with the great enemy in the Pacific, He encourages your brave empires to begin war as well with Beth Gellert so that we both may profit from her divided weaknesses. Do this, and win the friendship of the Bourbons forever. Remeber, you may not have this chance again. The Kingdom of France and the Chinas also maintain similar views and governmental practices, lets us strike now, together!"

"I also call upon our valiant ally Roycelandia, whose possessions are threatened as well as ours in the Pacific by the Communists of Igovia, and who maintains a first rate battle fleet in Vanatu, to step in and aid the French garrison in their stuggle to save the Island."

Furthermore, an emergency Congress of the Holy Leauge was called, this time at Versailles. Louis XX summoned the Tsars and Caesars emmisaries, and most speculated that within the week, the Holy Leauge would follow His Most Christian Majesty to war against the heathens...indeed, Rome was already preparing to secure Sicily, a vital location in the dead center of the Mediterranian.

Newly-elected President Massad himself heads off to Paris to attend the summit of the Holy League as an "associate nation."

There he plans to present to Louis XX the full logistical support of Al-Ahzad to the efforts of the French in the Pacific, along with an offer of more elite troops for Algeria. The naval bases at Aden and Raysuz are busy preparing themselves for the (presumed) arrival of the French fleet after a transit of the Suez.

The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry in compliance with the Neutrality order by the Emperor, Zhang Fu Guo, no military assistance will be offered at this time. However, Yeh Zhao Feng has decided to attend a conference with the French in Versailles to further understand the French position.


Yeh is also proposing a Lend and lease Plan to allow France to obtain weaponry and equiptment from China as part of a lease plan in which they will need to pay back. A similiar offer will also be made to BG in compliance with neutrality codes. The proposal is under review by the Military Department under Liu. The passing of such proposal seems grim. However, yeh had also requested the the Ministry of War and Defense to care for the people of the seas and try to do what they can to secure their lives.

((Thanks, Al...but the fleet is going to transit via Cape Horn, so as they dont have to abutt the heathens in their journey...however, prep the ports nonetheless, more Holy Leauge will be on the way.))

At Versailles, numerous servants prepared for arrivals at the emergency Holy Leauge summit, making the nessicary state rooms available and planning the suitable sets of minuets (have to have style, even in wartime).

Zhang Fu Goa was to be given a special arrival, greeted by a Company of His Most Christian Majesties Swiss Bodyguards (uniforms found or prior post on this thread) before he would be escorted down the Hall of Mirrors to see the Sun. The good Minister would be propounded with every light and glory of Versailles in order to try and bring the Chinese into the war against Beth Gellert...or at least get them to stop selling the reds weapons.

An open invitation remained for Sino, who French strategists believe more likely to enter the war, to send delegates to Versailles.

President Massad was greeted at Paris International by the Royal Army Basque Brigade, which the Grand Prince dutifully reviewed before being whisked away by limo to meet with Louis XX at once. His Most Christian King was to host a dinner party that very night, Massad being granted the privelidge of being the guest of honor.

Meantime, the proper promp nessicary for the arrival of Tsar Wingert and Caesar Maximus was likewise being prepared, with one division of Royal Army Korean Infantry and one division of Royal Army Turkish Infantry having been moved to Versailles for the martial parades.

In Paris, Louis XX had determined to mobilize the people for war. For that purpose, he organized a massive display outside the cavernous steel gates of the Bastille. Graeme Igo (sorry if I got it wrong, BG, I am trying to attack whoever founded your ghastly ideology ;) ) had recently been declared by the Church in France, under Royal Edict, a heretic, blasphemer, and eternally damned to hell. To drive the point home, an effigy of the man was built, and dragged by a mule through the streets of Paris, where grubby poor and powdered aristocrats alike spat on it.

Once it arrived at the Bastille, Graemes effigy was dragged to a high wooden platform, where stood the Kings Executioner...a brute of a man of Sikh ancestry who wore a massive black hood. A Herald stepped forward, and read the Proclamation:

"Oyez! Oyez! Attend, gentles of Paris! Be it know that this day, our lord and master His Most Christian Majesty Louis XX declares, through his authority as a Lieutenant of God and Eldest Son of the Church, Graeme Igo to be a heretic and damned to hell. Let him be executed in absentia! Woe to those who defy the King and his lord, Christ eternal! Long live our King! Vivat Rex!"

The executioner then threw the effigy on the block, and with a swift cut of the axe lopped off its head. The crowd roared "death to those who oppose our Mighty King!" before the sad, spat upon and vile effigy was committed to the flames of a bonfire. Wine was given out, gratis.

Hopefully, they would soon have some real communists to damn.

The ECSWF (Empire of China Special Weapons Forces) has begun, transferring several MRBM units to Tibet, following the act of aggression committed by the subhumans.

The military refuses to answer media inquiries related to the nature of the warheads. Seeing the lack of discipline amongst the Bedgellen dogs in battle, the Chinese Military sees them as nothing more than government trained bandits operating into foreign territory.

Approvals for deals of supplies to the French in this conflict have been agreed upon. The supply routes must be kept open before the communists overrun the peaceful Pacific. Gen. Liu cursed at the idiots who planned to make a lend-lease plan to subhumans. Why should the Chinese aid their enemy?



OOC (to Xiaguo): Don't intrude, stick to your foreign affairs. You have no say over the military's affair. So what if Bedgellens get turned into mince and be fed to guard dogs? It's their subhuman destiny. if you're a pussy who can't stand the gore, then don't ever intrude in the military's affairs! And never look at us separately, it's one China now. Any further acts of separatism and the troops can close that corrupt parliament if they wish.

OOC: Zhang Fu Guo is still in Beijing for the coronation, it's Yeh who's in Paris.

Secret IC : In a very subtle telegram, Emperor Zhang has advised General Liu not to offer weapons shipments before negotiations have been concluded. He has also advised Liu not to publicly criticise Yeh's leadership, "to prevent China from appearing indecisive on the international arena."

"It's best not to place your cards on the table too early, my friend"

OOC: Zhang Fu Guo is still in Beijing for the coronation, it's Yeh who's in Paris.

Secret IC : In a very subtle telegram, Emperor Zhang has advised General Liu not to offer weapons shipments before negotiations have been concluded. He has also advised Liu not to publicly criticise Yeh's leadership, "to prevent China from appearing indecisive on the international arena."

"It's best not to place your cards on the table too early, my friend"

Various weapons systems suitable for proliferation has been finalized, but the as negotiations have yet to be finalized as well, they can simply sit in the warehouses of the contractors and wait.

Although Yeh's leadership has been under constant public criticism by the now-defunct Chinese Military Junta, Liu decides to pull the reins on his emotions as it is still too early for any significant action.

IRAF Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Klaxon began to wail at the IRAF base near Port Vila, causing the eight Spitfire pilots on standby to leap to their feet, knocking chairs over, and sprint to their aircraft which were parked on the runway, fuelled, armed, and ready to go.

Three minutes later, the Spitfires were airborne in to "V" formations, heading for the landing beaches.

Their orders had come directly from the Governor-General herself: Get airborne and help the French, but do not fire directly on the Bedgellens unless fired upon.

This, of course, raised a quandary. The Quartermaster who found a solution was later awarded the Imperial Medal of Commendation For Extreme Cleverness, and we shall see why presently.

Three Dreadnoughts from the Imperial Pacific Fleet had been ordered to sail between the Bedgellen Fleet and New Caledonia, and to fire a Warning Salvo across their bows in an effort to at least distract them.

Meanwhile, the Spitfires came roaring in towards the landing beach, approaching at low altitude. The last Spitfire each "V" had a camera in it's nosecone, recording the event for posterity, as the aircraft swooped in low over the beaches and unleashed their payloads on the invading Bedgellens.

Bedgellens who had faced the Imperial Roycelandian Air Force before would know of the Spitfire's reputation, as well as it's usual armament of 20mm cannon and Napalm Rockets. However, instead of unleashing fiery napalm death upon the Bedgellens below, they blanketed the entire beach in thick, phosphorous smoke, reducing visibility below to almost nothing. The Spitfires continued up the beach before flying over Ft. St. Martin, performing a Victory Roll as they overflew the French Fort.

As soon as the Spitfires were clear of the Fort, the IRNS Dreadnoughts Elliot Carver, Donovan Grant, and Hugo Drax fired a full broadside of coloured phosphorous smoke/starburst shells over the bows of the Bedgellen ships, and a Sunderland from the Maritime Air Service in Electronic Warfare configuration flew overhead at a safe distance, broadcasting interference with the Bedgellen Radar and Tracking Systems on board their ships.

Meanwhile, the Roycelandian Ambassador to Beth Gellert has formally requested (almost demanded, in fact) that Beth Gellert cease hostilties against New Caledonia pending Tripartie talks on the "Pacific Situation", pointing out that this situation isn't going to make the Filipinos very safe, and as a result the Igovians may actually be doing more long-term damage than they realise to their interests in the area...

Aboard the SIGINT Ahzadi "fishing" vessel

"yeah....I've got emissions from, lets see....yeah, I've got some large ship-based phased array radars, and commo traffic from ground forces requesting fire support"

The operator hunched over his controls as the rest of the crew paced. They all felt totally helpless, but unlike the french on the island, they couldn't do anything. At least the troops and civilians shoreside could at least put up a glorious finall resistance. But they didn't have great chances. The crew all hoped the French fleet to re-claim the islands would get there as soon as possible.

"Hey I'm getting reports of incoming Roycelandian- AAGHGD! ALLAH!"

The Bureau Six SIGINT officer threw off his headphones as roycelandian jamming sent screeching static through his headphones.

Raysuz

The six Agosta diesel submarines delivered from france were now all at sea, on training courses. The two other SSK"s that were part of the huge arms deal were still in the first phases of construction in Muscat, however.

What was currently underway was the largest and most concerted Ahzadi naval activity in over thirty years. Aside from the concentration of patrol and missile craft in the Red Sea to combat infiltration, a huge effort was underway to stockpile supplies in Raysuz and Aden. Exocet missiles, fuel oil, food and supplies are all being guarded and kept on-hand to refuel the French fleet. President Massad knows the story of Tsushima well, and also knows that if the French suffer a defeat, arms from his sponsor will not be so forthcoming.

Outside of Ft.St. Louis, the Ahzadi Army and Ahzadi Marines are studying Beth Gellen tactics and stocking up on war-paint to play OPFOR for a series of large exercises set up near Ft.St.Louis where French marines will simulate beach landings against opposition.

In the coastal waters around Aden and Raysuz, Estenne D'Ovres coastal ASW corvettes are making constant sweeps looking for hostile contacts. The Naval Air Arm's Atlantique patrol aircraft were also stepping up activity, with more MAD sweeps and dropping of sonobouys. The last thing President Massad wants is for a sucide boat from east africa to put a hole in a French warship, or for a nava battle to break out along Ahzadi shores.

(OOC: Graeme Igo is probably the most influential living theorist with regards to the Commonwealth's dominant political theories, yeah, that's fair to say. If it were his son, Sopworth, who won out in the public's eyes then we'd probably just have nuked Versailles :)
Just a note that may not be of desperate importance, but whatever: the three Gull Flag Class ships are fifteen thousand tonne fire support ships armed primarily with two triple 11" turrets, so they don't really qualify as battleships. The Soviets have put too many resources into WIGs and trimaran fleet carriers to also support a worthwhile number of modern battleships, so they've gone for this (unpopular) design in compensation.
Sorry this post is so long. There's no rush, I think, read it when you have nothing to do for a week :) )

Portmeirion has issued a statement declaring the French Pacific holdings a warzone, intending to warn against reckless incursion by foreign vessels and aircraft. There have been efforts to make clear that this still does not constitute any intent to hostility against the Roycelandians, and ashore in India there have been no obvious signs of movement against China.

Off Southern New Caledonia

The Petropavlovsk had loosed over six tonnes of high explosive shells against Ft.St.Martin a minute after coming within twenty miles of the position, and also launched six 289mm rockets with satellite-guided warheads, not to mention the shortly precceding quartet of Mangonel cruise missiles. Her initially high rate of fire had not yet begun to decline when missile alerts sounded, as aboard the Bakunin which had delivered a similar payload against the defences.

It was beginning to appear to some who were in a position to observe much of the battle thus far that their expectations of French defences at the remote outpost had been underestimations, but they were gladdened by what had on realising their target been called an over-sized force, a sledgehammer to crack a 'nut'. It now seemed that the fleet's full strength would actually be required, and nobody really expected to face serious anti-ship missile batteries.

The half dozen Triton II missiles bound for Petropavlovsk were a surprise, and with relatively little flight time to target the response was set to in frantic style. Both the targetted ship herself and the Gauntlet Class fleet defence frigate FD-071 CS Delescluze launched Loviatar-S anti-missile missiles from their vertical launch silos, of which the former had sixteen and the latter twice as many (of course only a fraction were deployed). With high-agility gas dynamic control, these missiles zipped down on the French missiles with some success, but it might have been more were the ships not racing into position in order to pin-down the defenders in time for the eastern landings, for Petropavlovsk was not yet fully screened by her escort, and several of the frigate's missiles rather found themselves chasing the incoming threat, a pursuit for which there was precious little time and space.

Still, the shower of nimble rockets disappointed their masters by disabling just half of the attack before the French missiles were too close, bearing down on the big gunboat. In the dying seconds, the Petropavlovsk's two starboard BG-CIWS opened-up, tearing a split second burst of 30mm shellfire through the air, disintegrating first one missile then a second. The two posts both engaged the same target before moving to the next, crossing each with fire it could not escape and taking mere moments to move from one to the next. Unlike the Phalanx systems that had supposedly protected the old Principality's few warships, BG-CIWIS was able to look down on sea-skimming threats and to engage them at fairly close range, and its powerful 30mm shells affected greater devestation with greater accuracy.

There were too few guns and too few moments, however, as the cry went out to brace and a warhead exploded against the Petropavlovsk's starboard belt just aft of centre. Her belt was thick, offering resistance far beyond that of most modern warships, but it was not battleship thick and did not make the Gull Flaggers impervious. Localised damage was significant and the hands in surrounding sections were shaken as the bridge scrambled damage control teams from amongst the more than four hundred strong crew.

The slight under-estimation of French strength was in danger of running over into over-estimation as the damaged ship's nervous and inexperienced Indian captain contacted Admiral Jones with a frenzied report of his situation as he saw it and clearly hinted a desire to withdraw the Petropavlovsk as soon as the eastern situation permitted a southern reduction. In the meantime, her 11" guns continued to fire, but missile and rocket launches were suspended as damage control was carried out below decks. The Bakunin maintained her full efforts against the fort, the two ships between them throwing up to ten tonnes of shells per minute at a sustained rate while the damaged ship's captain continued to relay his concerns to the Admiral.

Off Eastern New Caledonia

The six missiles thrown out against Babeuf met a greater sort of resistance and from a fleet in better formation and at greater range, and their demolition should have been as a light training exercise to the Soviets. Of course, the heat of battle lead to much increased stress and held its own ramdom dimensions, and the huge eighty-odd thousand tonne carrier found itself defending at the last ditch with a trio of BG-CIWIS firing on as many missiles, two engaging one and then another while the third gun struggled to singly track the final missile, which was done only with difficulty as success was found at the last possible second. The sixth missile was destroyed on its attacking run, exploding shudderingly close to the Babeuf, so close in fact that the missile's velocity carried its shattered remains into the ship's outer hull causing much reduced damage compared to a complete and live missile and certainly nothing that the trimaran couldn't shrug-off. Fragments perforated the starboard hull and delt several casualties in the section immediately within, but the expensive vessel's armoured bulkheads prevented widespread damage. Seakeeping was apparently unaffected on the steady ship.

Still, the strike was something of a shock here, too, and the Petropavlovsk's requests for withdrawal were taken seriously once the immediate threat was passed, Admiral Teuvo Jones being afraid that the smaller southern flotilla might be unable to defend itself. He sent the Nibiru CA-15, Degeyter, now emptied of marines, with its half dozen Puffin strike fighters, hoping to give the ships off Ft.St.Martin better cover, and she made with all haste around the southern tip of the island.

Ashore on the east coast

Satellites and UAVs meant that the Soviet Marines were loosely aware of French artillery as they came ashore, and the flashes behind them and the whistles above as ramps fell down and helicopter blades clattered off back towards the fleet assured them that the Ood was already directing revolutionary steel against the batteries, which was good to know as the first French shells began to fall across the beach. The Marines wanted to get off the beach and make of themselves moving targets that artillery -already under counter battery fire from the fleet- might be hard pressed to pin-down, but the discovery of mines brought about a horrid delay as the first comrades ashore sent transmissions back to the light carrier Kronstadt (aboard which sailed Marine General comrade Michael Malkstrom) calling for the first wave of reinforcement from the Hyena Class expeditionary transports to contain mineclearing vehicles and for further helicopter deployments to occur further inland.

This second request came to look like a great risk as over-flying AEW Morrigans detected the first launches of Mirage jets. The first few launches called for a quick response as a firm demand for the French to stay on the ground, and Ood launched a quartet of Mangonel cruise missiles towards the airfield, with two Anunkai nuclear submarines firing between them four more missiles from a greater range, having both continued their erratic re-deployment. More importantly, the numerous already airborne Soviet aircraft were quick to act, firing several Apti L'Angelot Maudit AMRAAMs from various directions and far beyond the range of the Mirage's potential armaments, though still not from their own maximum range, ensuring that the weapons came in with motors burning and agility high. Perhaps Kessan would even be able to see his boys struggling against in coming missiles before they'd lifted out of his sight as the accursed cherubs dove in at Mach 4.5.

Many of the pilots responsible for attacking the first aircraft lifting off were women, the air force and naval air wing containing the Commonwealth military's highest concentration of women fighters, as they'd been deemed generally better at withstanding G-forces than were most of the lanky Geletian men (who, apart from anything else, often found it hard to squeeze into cockpits!). They flew NT4C Hobgoblin, essentially the Soviet equivalent to such machines as the Quinntonian Raptor (which I tend to think ought to be re-named Rector, or something, in AMW ;) ), and far more than a match for the Mirages even if they'd been given chance to gain height and speed and had not been denied the airborne intelligence afforded to the Soviets by their comrades' planes and by their AEW-UAVs. To the women and men, experienced against the Chinese over Kanendru, seeing French aircraft of essentially such an old configuration taking off from a single airbase watched by numerous airborne radars and attacked by much more stealthy aircraft they could almost certainly not even have detected at the time began to seem almost wrong. While they'd fought hard in the Himalayan skies, their international comrades below had fired down from all sides on Chinamen filing through the passes with no forward intelligence, and the Soviet fliers had envied the Hindustani and Kanendru soldiers. Now many would have time between launches to consider how well this personified the blips on their radar displays as they flashed, flashed, vanished.

The only tatical concern seemed to be keeping the turn-around of aircraft at a sufficiently high rate while fearing that more anti-ship missiles might force carriers into evasive action, for the Beddgelens could not know that the fort had expended all of its missiles (OOC: that's the impression I got, sorry if I misunderstood. I'm playing it as if you're out of Triton IIs so we're wasting caution on worrying about them in ignorance).

While the Soviet aircraft tried to keep the French down and cruise missiles rained on the airbase, more Merlin helicopters took troops just beyond the beaches, landing them a few hundred yards in shore and still beyond range of small arms at First Point. Though well within artillery range, of course, this meant that the guns would have targets on the beach and just inland, and all the while Ood's 279mm guns and 289mm rockets fell on the French artillery positions.

Still, for the less than two hundred infantry and vehicle crews on the beach, any shell fire was unwelcome as they struggled to clear a path through the mines with only hand-held equipment. There existed Wombat variant vehicles to deal with this in seconds, but in a significant blunder they had not been included in the first wave, and were only now heading ashore on landing craft, and from several miles out. Casualties were being suffered in ground fighting for the first time since... well... had this ever happened to the generation-old Soviet Commonwealth? The worst was when a Wombat, having emptied its six marines into the surf, had run over a mine and been quite torn apart, again proving the weakness of the vehicle based loosely on BMP-2 technology. All three crewmembers were killed outright and marines were now using the vehicle's twisted hulk for cover as shells burst around them. The few beached comrades soon found themselves crowded by some four hundred comrades coming ashore from the Nibirus, dispatched before the discovery of mines.

First Point

The helicopters landing troops further up were glad of their fighters' superior position, for if Mirage had a free hand to attack the Merlins the day might have been lost.

It was up to the Marine Auxiliaries they put ashore from the Indias (some 2,400 infantry in all) to press First Point until the beach could be cleared and vehicles brought ashore in strength. Sixteen of the big British-supplied birds brought marines ashore, each having to chance about five trips back and forth. Early on, with little more than seven hundred infantry ashore beyond the beach, comrade General Kivi Eikki Paatelainen -his long hair now spiked tall and lightened by lime, making the giant man appear seven foot tall in his newly-acquired boots- ordered a trio of infantry mortars to open-up, dropping 84mm bombs against the enemy lines from a mile and a half away. He and a squad of marines began to progress up towards First Point, hoping to get within a mile and to engage with a handful of 11mm sniper rifles and to acquire a clear line of sight for their Totem-3T anti-tank missile pack, which was able to fire thermobaric effect warheads against infantry positions. A more intense assault would only follow once more men were ashore and perhaps once vehicles got through the hectic beach.

(Yes, several of the Igovian ships are named after communards and at least one after a participant in the earlier French Revolution. New Caledonia was the destination of many thousand exiled communards, and one level of its administrative divisions are named communes, after all! If only people lived to a hundred and fifty there'd be a pensioners' revolt in favour of the Igovians :) Ah well, at least there's the sentiment.)

The eastern beach

Over five hundred Soviet Marines were clustered on the sand, most covered in it as they sought cover and were dusted by what shell impacts threw-up. One of their eight AVs was wrecked, and the rest could only go so long without being struck by incoming fire. They all bellowed in support of the Ood's gunnery teams, or else in condemnation of their efforts to disable the French artillery. While a handfull of the most skilled crawled slowly up the sand towards the far side of the minefield, marking a number of narrow escapes, the rest had nothing to do but curse and watch for new threats.
The sight of Roycelandian Spitfires appeared to be exactly such a thing, and was less expected even than the weight of New Caledonian defences that surely made the colony a losing concern for the French economy.

"Perygl, Spitfire!" Cried one comrade, pointing as others swung around the MANPADS brought ashore in each of the eight Wombats. The Marines, under fire and frustrated by their immobility and mounting casualties, saw ground-attack aircraft belonging to an imperialist power with which the Commonwealth had tangled in the past and saw them sweeping in on their exposed position. The Spitfires were obviously making attacking runs on the clustered and bombarded infantry, and the Soviets responded, most of them close to bursting after several minutes of total inactivity while they were shelled from afar. Four Sumpit and as many of the brand-new Terrier MANPADS were trained on the incoming icons of Anglo-Saxon empire. The former sort, Sumpit, built by the March Alaric Aviation Plant (MAL), threw missiles at Mach 4 against the incoming planes, under optical guidance impervious to chaffe and flares, each of which released two individually guided high-explosive darts in its terminal phase. These were quite capable of engaging jet aircraft thousands of metres away, and were able to penetrate light tank armour, let alone airframes.

The Terriers had been introduced to compliment the Sumpits with an infra-red guided partner after complaints about the scrapping of Russian MANPADS. This was the first time it had ever been seen in operation, and it had not yet even appeared on parade in the Commonwealth. With a range from 300 to 8,000 metres and a ceiling above 4,000 metres, the Terriers would find the low-flying spitfires well within range; and their Mach 2.4+ velocity and microprocessor-intelligent two-band IR/UV seekers should make such aircraft desperately easy pickings.

They too began to launch against the Roycelandian planes as they swept in, three missiles leaping forth with 2.1kg HE warheads full of tungsten pellets apt to rip-through aircraft skins. The fourth operator was alerted that the Spitfires had closed to below his Terrier's minimum range, and though he could have chosen to launch it in a ballistic fashion with minimal hope of striking home by his own aim, the Geletian gritted his teeth and swung around to engage the Spits by their tails as they retreated in what he deemed the unlikely possibility of his surviving their straffing run. When only smoke formed about him, the Marine hesitated and lost sight of surviving aircraft then lowered his weapon and joined his comrades in trying to figure out what was happening. Where others hurt? Was it gas? Masks went on for those who bothered to carry such protective gear. Was it a screen to blind them to impending enemy movements? Most now couldn't see where the trails lead towards safe ground and now felt even more stranded in their minefield. One of the rockets had set-off another mine, leading many to believe that they were indeed under conventional attack and to fire blindly skyward through the smoke, using their personal weapons. Continued shelling only compounded the misunderstanding as marines cursed the Roycelandians and began to communicate the confused details of their ordeal to the fleet.

The eastern fleet

"Roycelandian ships changing course, moving on intercept..."
"...Comrade Admiral! Signal from beachhead: Have been attacked by Spitfires! Communications now lost!"

Spitfires! Well that left few questions, and the whole beach force was now out of contact? What did that mean, five hundred casualties? The approach of Roycelandian dreadnoughts didn't fill anybody with confidence or aptitude to assume the best of the situation!

The Sunderland soon had company in the form of two Puffin strike fighters stalking near by with guns and IR-guided missiles armed (having fired their radar-guided missiles at French Mirage attempting to take-off and being due to return for re-arming... until the Roycelandians arrived).

The flagship India Class carrier Belinus tried to reach the approaching Roycelandians to warn them that they were blundering into a warzone and risked being involved in combat, and Jones was authorised in the event of this sort of incursion to tell the Roycelandians that involving themselves in the revolutionary war in the region would result in their force's destruction or capture and the seizure of the Roycelandian Pacific colonies as well as a possible removal of Roycelandian influence from the Indian Ocean rim (which meant something fairly obvious...); none of which would otherwise have been on the cards.

As the ambassador would be told, the Commonwealth viewed this as a simple operation against terrorism and piracy in the Pacific and Asia, and would view an expansion of the conflict as somebody else's fault and requiring of an otherwise unplanned counter action. Just what the hell were these reports of Roycelandian aircraft attacking Beddgelen troops, anyway?

Off New Caledonia, elements of the eight-strong submarine squadron Cronus -namely the Anunkai nuclear attack submarines Communard and Aurora- had positioned themselves according to the course of the Roycelandian ships and the position of their own fleet, and simply waited in the close waters, motionless and utterly silent, as the big dreagnoughts passed over, before the submarines came to life and followed in the noisy wakes of Hugo Drax and Elliot Carver (because, after some headscratching, nobody could remember the villain that the other one presumably represented), switching to slow but stealthy electric drive to position themselves as the Roycelandians came to rest before their fleet. In the unlikely even of detection, it was supposed, the crew of a ship would look to the co-ordinates and see their own dreadnought, of course.

The Igovians had no desire to fight the Roiks, today, and if forced into it they intended to make sure it didn't take a lot of the busy day they had planned.

(Well done, BG. I think we have finally found the rhythm of war. I will post casualities after we resolve Front Point, I think thatd be proper. You know, if I had a wish, Id wish that all normal RP in AMW could be textual, but that for war --similar to Medieval Total War-- we could use video graphics...oh, what fund thatd be!!)


New Caledonia---"Front Point"

Major Pierre de Fras screamed on the top of a trenchwork, as a passing Igovian Merlin tore him to pieces with its machine guns. As he fell to the earth, his binoculars slid over to Colonel de Chauvernay.

For Colonel de Chauvernay had no sooner given the signal for the trumpet to sound "Get Down! Dig In!" than he himself dove into a trench, only second before the damned Merlin swept over.

"Front Point" was now littered with smoke, fires were starting in several locations. French howitzers pounded the beaches from their entrenched burms, and massive naval bombardments racked the lines, causing the earth to shake...luckily, most of the repelling force had ducked before the onslaught, and were now fixing bayonets to their M-16s in anticipation of a charge.

De Chauvernay grinned as he looked through the binoculars, sand flying about him from concussic explosions. The Igovians bastards were having a hard time moving forward, it seemed! Hah, so the Commie Celties didnt anticipate a fight! Theyd soon get an education of how Restoration France respondeed to usurpers! Still, Francois was sure that before long, they would be in a posistion to attack "Front Point" en masse.

The Howitzers, firing from behind sand bag and entrenched burms, were holding up rather well. Alas, no matter how well they held, the momentum of the Igovian assault was building, and the French were loosing air cover by the minute. Already, the Mirages, after fighting toughly for about a quarter of an hour, were forced to pull back to Noumea due to simply too many enemy aircraft. They had lost another ten of their number, now down to some twenty some aircraft as they landed in Noumeas Municipal Airport (whose Air defenses, unlike Ft. St. Martin, had not been assailed yet).

Then, two events happened to inspire the defenders. First, the troops cheered as they watched a French ASM slam into one of the Igovian ships bombarding the beach, the explosion causing some men to whoop. Second, just as the Mirages were retreating, a wave of good old Roycelandian Spitfires swooped down on the enemy, and what radio signals Chauvernay could get told him the Roiks were going to help His Majesty after all, they had mobilized several of their dreadnaughts. Chauvernay thanked God, and swore that if he lived through this, hed like a candle at Notre Dame for His Imperial Highnes Royce I.

The Colonel knew he had to throw everything he had into this, now, to do everything he might be able to do to prevent a breakout into the Island. He then sent a runner to the artillery batteries, to use his only ace, with the message "Fire Gas."

And so the Igovians would be surprised for a moment, stuck there on that beach. For a second, the shells stopped. When they resumed, they did not explode so loud, and great billows of yellow smoke combined with the smoke screen the Roycelandians put down. Within a few seconds, the Begdellen marines would realized they had been attacked with Chlorine Gas.

The French troops put on their own gasmasks, and went down as deep as they could into their trenches as Igovian artillery and helicopters continued to strafe their posistions. For the mean time, though, all these attacks seemed to do was kill a handful of Frenchman, while for the majority it simply forced them to stay low. And the helicopters would encounter the random stinger missle, though by no means many. From different parts of the Island, natives armed with Stingers took pot shots at the clouds of communist Merlins attacking the beaches.

At Front Point, the defenders waited, and continued to fire a mix of HE/Gas Howitzers shells. Chauvernay told the mortars to lay into it with everything they had, to lay aside concern for conserving ammo. Francois knew well that no matter what, in hours, the mortars range would be too far and the enemy much too close. The Howitzers would be out of ammo, at their terrific rate of fire, within the hour. But they certainly were showing the reds that gentleman were taught to fight, as well as powder their faces and dance the minuet.

He clapped a young private on the shoulder, one Jean Yves Lemare, and lit the privates cigarette for him (and his own) as they sat together, the trenchwalls shaking under Begdellen bombardment. They, it turned out, were from the same city, Nice. They talked of their youth together there, of their sweethearts back home, and of the courage of their mighty King, who would never let France be disgraced again. Nor would they, if they could stop it.

New Caledonia---Ft. St. Martin

General Kessan prayed the Magnificat with Father Bezane in the Command Center of Ft. St. Martin, several hundred feet under the earth, as Igovian cruise missles and artillery slammed into the reinforced concrete redoubts of the citadel.

The fort was several square miles in size, and consisted of intricate reinforced trenchworks interlaced with low and high walls, machine gun towers, and bunkers surrounding the interior buildings. It could take much more punishment than this, and the defenders knew it would. The real test would come when the Igovians attempted to storm the structures themselves.

In the meantime, Ft. St. Martin continued to pour out its AA and Anti Missle fire to keep the troops rallied and the valiant repelling force heartened.

It seemed that the Battle of the Coral Sea was well underway.

One Hundred Miles North of Cape Horn

Le Merechal de la Tour du Pin stared out of the massive bridge of the Louis Auguste, and behind the super-battleship he gazed at the Armada, now making its way at flank speed towards Cape Horn. The battlefleet was arrayed in columns, and twas a mighty fleet that Louis hurled at the sub continental demons.

From Intel reports, the Igovians were laying into New Caledonia with vigor, and du Pin knew that every second was precious. Thank God Royce deployed a few ships to slow the Begdellens up, or the Island would be in real trouble.

He gripped his ceremonial sword, preparing for the turn round the Horn. Silently le Merechal prayed for the angels to speed him on his journey, to punish the Igovians for their heresy and gross presumptions.

His Most Christian King was counting on him.

OOC- Heres the uniforms again, damn I cant get enough of them, oh and expanded of course:

Royal Army (http://www.uniformology.com/page15j.html)
Royal Army, Added (http://www.uniformology.com/page15i.html)

Remember, standard Gardes Francais uniforms are muted whites and blues. All French troops, as a concession to modernity, are equipped with Kevlar battle vest and kevlar coated steel tricorners. Ah, but they are gallant!

The government cries foul as soon as reports reach Hindustan of the French use of chlorine gas. Hindustan knew the agent well, having lost innumerable young men to it during the first world war and many others fighting NBC-armed islamic extremists during the 1970s and 80s.

Gas is regarded as a cowardly weapon by the Hindustani military, and most commanders would rather be skewered alive than remembered for a chemical massacre.

Another souch incident could very well force Hindustan into the war on the Bedgellen side, and while the HDF is by no means terribly impressive there are still just shy of one million armed men and women on high readiness.

The Chinese government frowns upon the rench in using toxic gases. The Chinese government has asked the Hindustani Government to keep the peace for the peoples sake. As the battle drag on, the dozens of Chinese ships have arrived at the southern tip of New Caledonia. Battle scenes, they called it. The battles resembled the bombings and landings of the pacific islands in WWII. The Chinese are now at standby, with several ships joining every few days with new supplies.

Not keen to see Indian-Chinese relations break completely (for it would force the Republic either to lose aid from the Soviets or risk war on its borders), Da'Khiem has appealed to the Chinese to keep their distance from the Southern Pacific conflict. China need not entangle herself in an unrelated war thousands of miles away, especially since it would make a much greater problem than presently exists.

The CPRD has tried to balance nervous northern and western troop and aircraft deployments with more than usually polite diplomatic language towards the Chinese. While Hotan has nothing to lose by the Chinese coming to blows with France, and indeed may even enjoy a closeness between China and India; the possibility of Indian aid being cut-off by his being forced to side against them to protect his borders would mean doom for the economy which has not had enough time to diversify. Likely the rest of the world will remember that a Drapoel nation in dire financial straits is a nation prepared to sacrifice millions for its salvation.

This conflict could remain a Falklands, or easily be toppled over into the start of something awful.

Versailles

Grand Prince Massad finished the last steps of the minuet with Queen Marie-Therese, and bowed to the audience as polite applause ensued. His Most Christian King stood as the music receded, exclaiming "Bravo!" and toasting a glass of champagne with Massad---who had shown himself as an ally of excellent caliber, top notch.

The Court was sparkling, as ever, save that the nobles of France now attired themselves in various martial uniforms...loosing no sense of fashion in the process.

General Massad had arrived, the Xiagoan Ambassidor was expected immenently, and both the Tsar and Caesar were expected within the week.

His Majesties Government had no need to apologize for the use of toxic gas in defending their lawful colony against illegal attack (especially faced with forces much larger in number), and Hindustani remarks brought the Blake terribly close to an airstrike...but cooler heads prevailed. Nevertheless, Igovian Communists would not be given New Caledonia. The Most Invincible Christian King would make them pay for their heathen conquest in blood.

The Hall of Lesser Pleasures (incidentially where the accursed Revolution burgeoned) saw the erection of various banners and signs, crucifxes and tapestries. This is where the Grand Congress of the Holy Leauge would be held, to mobilize for war against the Igovian demons. A great teek table was brought in and assembled, all associated partners sitting at an equal level, under a massive fresco of St. Michael dispatching Satan and his traitors from heaven. Expected to attend in a voting capacity were Tsar Wingert I, Caesar Maximus, and King Louis XX...with Grand Prince Massad of Al Ahzad and Tsar-in-Russia Igorij attending as 'partial members'. Invited as guests were the governments of both Sino and Xiagoa, the latter already having confirmed his attendance, and the Roycelandian Ambassidor. The Taiwanese also had been delievered an invitation to sit with the Chinas.

On that note, in respect to Algeria and in thanks for the graciousness of both His Majesties allies Royce I and Massad, HMCM Louis XX declared that Southern Algeria (south of Laghouat and Ft. St. Joan) would be divided amongst the Roycelandian Empire and Ahzadi Republic each according to a "Hundred Year" mandate.

A clear sign of appreciation of His Most Christian King to two excellent friends.

((Sorry, this is a haphazard bumpish sort of post. Hello,Wingert and Maximus! A little support might be nice!))

The government continues to decry the French use of poison gas as uncivilized and barbaric, clear evidence of the malicious character of Louis XX's regime.

With the HNS Blake refueling in Tunis, Louis would have to be quite angry to attack it while in a neutral port. After all, Hindustan has a right to say what it wants about France's actions. If Louis XX considers Hindustan a trifle then thats his perogative, but with a population less than one sixth that of Hindustan, and (presumably) already tapping into its conscript base, France can't expect to be let off easy if it goes after Hindustani interests. After all, the HDF hasn't even begun to seriously recruit volunteers, much less introduce conscription.

((Oh dont worry about the Blake, LRR (What is your proper acronym?), Im just rattling you. As for the Gas, perhaps BG should not have engaged in an illegal war of conquest ;)...even I in Algeria did it through the proper channels, as Omar!))

OOC:Taiwan, Sino, and Xiaguo has unified and has formed one country, The Empire of China. Zhang Fu Guo has been coronated as Emperor of China. The representatives sent are from China, and there will be no Xiannese, Sinoese, and Taiwanese representatives.

Imperial Defence HQ, Havana, Cuba

"Commander, we have a problem. We can't attack the Bedgellens, and we can't stand by and let them invade French soil..."

Commander Sword hated quandaries. Especially this sort.

"Tell the Dreadnoughts to hold their position. Get an ASW Sunderland Airborne, and tell the Bedgellens that we have no wish to engage in armed conflict with them, but we cannot stand by and let them invade one of our closest allies. And get onto Versailles and ask permission to shell the entire island of New Caledonia with White Phosphorous Smoke. At the least, it will elminate or reduce visibility and hopefully stop the Bedgellens from causing too much havoc..."

Landing Beach

Three of the Spitfires would be taken down by Bedgellen AA missiles. The Auto-Eject in the planes ensured that the aircrew would survive, although quite who would get to them first would be anyone's guess.

A fourth Spitfire, however was seriously damaged and forced to make an emergency landing near the beach. Time was of the essence, so the pilot pancaked as close to the French Fort as he could get, which was difficult because of the thick smoke from the Roycelandian Smoke Bombs. As soon as the damaged Spitfire stopped sliding along the ground (eventually halted by crashing into a large dune), the pilot slid back the Canopy, climbed out, and started sprinting for Ft. St. Martin.

One of the French defenders on the wall had a camera on him, and snapped the now famous and iconic photograph of Flying Officer Leigh Evans charging out of the pall of smoke, Service Revolver Drawn, sprinting for safety with the wrecked plane in the background.

The Bedgellen troops who manage to get to F.O. Evan's aircraft will be surprised to discover that it has no rockets under the wings, and that the 20mm Cannon are unloaded


OOC: Donovan "Red" Grant is from the novel and the movie "From Russia With Love".

And Roycelandia has signed all manner of international Treaties against the use of Gas in combat. As such, Roycelandia has no Chemical Gas stockpiles, no Chemical Gas weapons, and would never deploy them in combat.

Apologies for the brief post, but I have to run out the door to work, where owing to "Technical Issues" we don't have any net access...

Versailles

Le Merechal de Saxe, First Lord of the Marshalry, was given the request through the War Ministry that the Roiks had it in their minds to lay down thick phosphorus smoke on the Island. De Saxe swivled in his plush leather chair, turning to a stack of maps.

Knowing that His Majesties air support of New Caledonia was in serious trouble, and that the Begdellens were going gung ho in their landing, de Saxe gave the green light to the Roycelandians plans to sheel the island with white phosphorus smoke.

This would prvide two key benefits to the defenders. First, they knew the terrain and the Igovians did not...maybe the reds had maps, but not years of on the ground experience and native guides. This would give the French a chance to slow the Igovian rampage even more. Second, and much more important, is that it would put a halt on the massive damage currently being inflicted by the red air force.

As de Saxe got off the phone with Port Royal, he concluded "Bon chasse!"

New Caledonia---Ft. St. Martin

Heroic Roycelandian pilot Donnovan was immediatley rushed into the safety of the fortresses ramparts...ere long he was escorted down a series of trenchworks, ending in stairs that curled deep below the earth.

There he would find respite from his actions, a small room set aside for lower rank officers was given to him, complete with bunk, table, lamp, and a limited selection of liquors. Every now and then the lights would flicker and the room would shake as the Igovian demons rounds hit home...but they were muffled.

When he flet rested, he would be presented to General Kessan, who would present the intrepid pilot with the ornate spurs of a Colonel of the Ordu du Saint Espirit.

The French managed to transmit that photo off the Island, in hours it was circulating the trans global news circuits.

With increasing demands for action at home, and reports of chemical weapons & Roycelandian involvement, the carrier groups Yamaki-ti and Iyarii-ti depart harbour at Gochu, heading for the joint naval base on Taminbar. While the PRS has not yet made any declarations as to wether it will engage in open warfare, analysts can no doubt make assumptions as to the debate currently consuming Party committees... a limited Franco-Bedgellan engagement over New Caledonia was not expansive enough to merit direct support, especially as the Roycelandians might interpret military buildup in the area as a danger to its own interests. But the statements bubbling out of Versailles made the situation far more dire... if France was steeling itself for an all-out battle of monarchs against the masses, then Spyr could not remain on the sidelines while Igovian forces were individually engaged by combined imperial fleets.

The naval patrol group at Belitung holds position there in case of agression against Sujava.

[Secret IC: The South Pacific submersible pack goes to full battle readiness, maintaining position in the Coral Sea. Its counterpart in the Indian Ocean does likewise, heading northward to take up a position outside the Arabian Sea.]

The eastern beach

Some of the marines on the beach had reched for their gas masks during the Spitfire assault, when they feared that the clouds of smoke may have contained poison (some but not all were aware of Roycelandia having signed treaties against its use, but none had really expected to see Spitfires attacking them on a beach they expected to easily cross, so it didn't seem the time to take chances), and others were scrambling inside the compartments of near by Wombats in order to retreive masks they hadn't bothered to carry in thier half-naked state. This certainly saved many lives when the French gas attack came, but as many cooler heads had realised that it was smoke and smoke alone, they hadn't sought to retrieve masks. More were saved by the sea breeze that quickly blew smoke and gas away from the small strip of land occupied by the Marines on the beach where it may have lingered over the force for longer were they dispersed over a larger area.

This was scant consolation to those who soon noticed burning in their throats and pains in their chest. There was some more confusion, as the poison clouds were to a degree hidden by the Roycelandian smoke, and as the peppery, almost fruity smell dawned and sent comrades scrambling for a safe route through mines and blindness. ICVs were soon crowded with men in various conditions of wellness, panic, and asphyxia as they sought NBC protection. There was room for hardly one in ten of those on the beach, and comrades who had been clearing paths through the mines tried bravely to return through the chemical miasma and to lead stranded comrades through the paths as far as they went, daring a dash of a few further yards to the far side of the mined sands. Most of those who'd been crawling along and clearing mines had gone without masks, however, and returning became impossible for some of them. One proceeded up towards the hills to update Paatelainen's growing force on the situation below, and found the Marine Auxiliaries there trying to engage First Point with long-range sniper fire and mortars placed in pits still being manually dug. The rest on the beach found themselves forced to search half blind for the paths marked for them, some falling victim to mines or succumbing to the strain of fighting for breath.

Below, another thunderous crack sounded the fate of a second Wombat, one which -carrying nine men in all- had tried to make it off the beach and had hit the last mine in a path half-cleared, killing several and wounding the rest aboard. The commander of another vehicle had already informed the fleet of the severity of the situation... to some it still seemed that the Roycelandian Spitfires had delivered the gas, and that it was being tentatively identified as chlorine gas of the sort more likely to appear in some Great War epic only appeared to reinforce the view that it was belonged to the eccentric Roycelandian military machine.

First Point

The Merlin helicopters inserting troops within a mile and a half of the defensive line hadn't been tasked with attacking French positions or personnel, but armed with 11mm heavy machineguns did open-up at targets of opportunity. They were vulnerable to Stingers (or Mistral, if the French ever used their own equipment instead of the Quinntonians'), but hopeful that the French hadn't many and that mortars and snipers would keep their heads down, they made do. It hadn't originally been planned for any of this to happen, and helicopters shouldn't have been this far inland. One Merlin, taking-off again after unloading men and supplies, was hit and brought down, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the other crewmembers.

Having flown in low from far and wide across the fleet, JaF Ja-36 Yellowbat helicopter gunships were arriving to do the airborne fighting against First Point. Armed with Parliament, Totem 3-T, and even Sumpit missiles, the Ja-36's could engage First Point from out at sea, firing laser, infra-red, and optically guided weapons from beyond the range of MANPADS in some cases, and at their limit in others. Some of Paatelainen's men were designating targets for missile strikes in hopes of breaking a hole in the line. If they could get into it, they were still supremely confident of being able to tear defenders limb from limb at close quarters. Paatelainen's men took heart to see precision strikes joining the general bombardment of Ood's guns, which was dropping-off as the fleet began to range its weapons against the Roycelandian dreadnoughts.

Off the east coast

Communication with ground troops was broken and infrequent as the Soviets tried to cope with interference. Comrade Admiral Jones was aware that both his fleet and the second had been attacked with anti-ship missiles, that Roycelandian warships had just piled recklessly between his active guns and their targets, and that his men trapped on mined beaches had been attacked by Roycelandian Spitfires and were now apparently choking on archaic poison gas. It now appeared that the Roycelandians were trying to cut his communications to prevent him finding this out, and then they fired across his bows, making his pilots and sailors feel exceptionally nervous, especially as clouds of smoke began to form around them, too. Plus, he, like most of his Soviet comrades, was a Geletian. The Admiral sent a second communiqué to the Roycelandian vessels, telling them in no uncertain terms to remove themselves from the line of fire or be shot to pieces: his comrades were trapped on the beaches under fire and choking on gas, and there wasn't a chance in hell that the Roiks were going to delay support, the Roycelandian empire was tollerated on earth only by the fullest restraint, and such restraints held only while that empire did not make an ass of itself.

Below the waves, the submarines Communard and Aurora had even more fragmented information, and then they heard the firing by those dreadnoughts that had closed on their fleet. Bearing in mind that the waters had been openly and officially declared a warzone, the Communard's bridge crew made an historic decision and loosed a 517mm Type 1-B MKII wire-guided torpedo against the Hugo Drax's hindquarters, aiming for the big ship's vital propulsion and steering. Giving herself away to Aurora and potentially to the Roycelandians as well, Communard's attack prompted the same from her sister, who launcher a torpedo of her own from close range against Elliot Carver's stern. Having a 24km range, it was also possible for one of Aurora's Type 1-Bs to be launched against the third dreadnought, while only a momentary delay existed before Communard fired a second against Hugo Drax, the first torpedo still in the water. Each had more tubes loaded and ready, with both torpedo and anti-ship missile prepared to press home the strike.

The sound of torpedoes in the water alerted the fleet to action as the horribly confused situation degenerated, and evasive action was taken in the smoke as the call went out: destroy the Roycelandians.

Puffin strike fighters swept down on the troublesome Sunderland, 30mm cannon blazing against the intruder. From miles away, another submarine of the squadron put two Charioteer missiles in the air; a method of attack reserved for the grandest and most important of targets. The shiny new missiles guided by inertia and active radar were bound both for Donovan Grant, cruising at 10-12metres with moderate stealth features and high subsonic speed until approaching the horizon where they descended to just five metres and surrendering stealth by engaging the glaring heat signature of their final engine stage and racing at well beyond Mach 2, giving defenders hardly seconds to respond and performing radical manoeuvres at wave-top height to frustrate any limited effort that may be made against them.

Perhaps their 295kg armour-piercing warheads would be insufficient to cripple the dreadnoughts, but that seemed no reason to remain apart from a fight that saw the ships under concurrent torpedo attack. Patrolling aircraft began to loose their own Qian Wei (think Harpoon) missiles and 305mm Type 3-B MKII light torpedoes against the Roycelandian ships as their incursion spiraled out of control amongst shouts of, "Gas!" and ignored conventions. General warfare frigates too loosed both sorts of missiles, 517mm torpedos (mostly guided below the waves and then up under the dreadnoughts, and automatic fire in 155mm shells.

The Soviets didn't plan to have dreadnoughts afloat for long enough to track their big guns.

(OOC: Just a time-fram check... I am supposing that our first missile strikes at French radar happened late yesterday, most of the bombardment was through the night, and we're now in just the second day, with the landings not more than a few hours old. If that doesn't make sense to anyone, chip in now!)

((BG, schedule looks kosher to me))

New Caledonia---Front Point

Igovian attack helicopters swooped down on Front Point, though layers of smoke and Gas firing waves of missles and machine gun fire on the earth below. Some missles scored hits in the trenches themselves, causing terrible havoc, but those were few. By and large the French troops and Colonial Militia resovled themselves, dug in harder, and awaited the inevitable and infinitely more lethal ground assault. Occasionally they looked though the trenches peep holes, seeing only billows of smoke and gas, stirred up by passing Igovian gunships.

Chauvernay continued to lob prodigious amounts of HE/Gas shells from his Howitzers into the Begdellen landing beach, the artillery always followed by a light rain of mortar shells. He knew that as soon as he saw the Igovian ships turn to face the courageous Roycelandians that he had to push as hard as he could to disperse the Begdellen landing; ere they had full coordination again. He was heart wrenched as he saw a gas blinded Igovian medic run screaming down the beach toward front line, before he stepped on a mine and was dissapeared. The sound of the Wombat popping brought him to his senses.

The the Colonel heard reports of small gun and mortar fire, much closer to Front Point than the Begdellen beach posistions. He brought his binoculars to his eyes, and lo and behold through the smoke and gas he saw the outlines of Igovian troops forming up. Thats what those damned helicopters were for!

Le Colonel de Chauvernay learned an interesting lesson about Begdellen tactics that day, and swore hed put it in his memoirs if he lived through it: the Igovians, whose brethren were trapped on a mined, dead falled, and hellish beach sent troops ahead anyway that the assault would not be abated! Let them come, he thought, at least hed found an enemy with hearts to match the Frenchmen. He turned to his ADC and barked "Stand by for imminent ground assault, prepare to open fire!"

The ADC was confused for a moment, until he heard the incoming mortar rounds and small arms fire as well. Then, all over the chaotic battle zone, the sweet trumpet played its cadences several times, and the French troops shuffled into the appropriate trenches, digging down once again, and performing a final check on their weapons. Colonial Militia troops took their posistions with sniper rifles, eyes straining to give the first sign of the Igovian advance.

So it went. The repelling force was a dug in as ever, as clouds of Igovian attack helicopters flew over and strafed it. French howitzers and mortars did not let up against the Igovian beach, firing in a frenzy to try and stop this invasion...every half hour or so the Igovian gunships would get a lucky hit, send a howitzer, moreso lightly burmed mortars, in respective entreched burms (along with the magazine) exploding into fireballs. All over Front Point, the anticipation could be cut with a knife. Overhead, the sun was reaching towards high noon, how apropros.

De Chauvernay placed his hand on his ceremonial sword, vested to him by His Most Christian Majesty himself (the only time hed seen the radiant monarch) and grinned as he anticipated the pitched battle that his noble ancestors had gloried in. He looked up and down the trench he was residing in, lined with all too young French soldiers and colonial levies.

"Keep yourself calm lads, let those Igovian pigs do the worrying. Remember your training and your faith, lads, and you will survive!" He was cut short as a mortar shall, no doubt from the newly established Begdellen posistions now too close to Front Point smacked into the earth only feet before the trench. He turned back to the men, who laughed with him for an odd moment "I almost lost my mind!"

Then, yells from a colonial sniper in a forward and upper dugout alerted them, the Colonel strained his ears to listen.

"I see something, four o'clock! Dear God!" then, down in the trenches, Chauvernay heard the sound of the sniper rifles beginning their fire...before it was shut out by another passing wave of Igovian gunships.

It wouldnt be long now.

The smoke and debris, caused from all the various elements of battle, seemed to reach up like a foul brown finger and dim the suns light.

OOC:Post in a bit, gotta go now.

Caesar Maximus I, upon hearing the cry for help from his ally, the King, immediatly boarded an awaiting transport bound for Versailles. He really hadn't been paying much attention to the Pacific conflict, as he was too preoccupied with events in Sicily, but he was quickly briefed by several advisors on the way down to the airport. As he boarded the VIP transport, Caesar One, he was in a near state of shock that the heathens had dared attack the land of God's Elect, and were succeeding...

Caesar Maximus would be greeted at Paris International Airport by the Royal Armies 1st Korean Division, dressed in their best uniforms. Heralded by trumpeters and corps of fife and drum, the occasion was designed to display the glory and prestige of the Holy Leauge at such a critical time.

After dully inspecting the troops, who in fantastic uniforms would march and parade for a bit, he would be taken by a convoy of limo's towards Versailles, where the conference of the Holy Leauge would soon be underway.

Caesar, was, of course, delighted at the spectacle of the soldiers, and was in a perfectly jolly mood upon arriving at Versailles. Caesar was eager to test his Holy Legions on someone other than Sicilians, his own countrymen, and saw this as the perfect oppurtunity to spread Heathen blood.

Perhaps a Crusade was in order...

Versailles

The Invincible Louis XX, Most Christian King of France and Navarre, Defender of the Faith, and Lieutenant of God reclined in the Lily Throne, in the Grand Assembly Hall which is found at the end of the Hall of Mirrors. He was dressed in a magnificent silver and gold uniform, with the thick cordon bleu of the Ordu du Saint Louis sashed about his chest. Beside His Majesty, on a smaller but no less glorious throne, sat Queen Marie-Therese, in an angelic white gauze/silk creation, a diadem adorning her pearl dusted wig.

The major dome rapped his staff several times to the floor, and the Court fell silent.

"May it please Your Majesties to greet His Excellency, Imperatorissimi Caesar Maximus!"

The huge gilded doors were thrown open, and to revelries of trumpets and the wind of organs Caesar Maximus was presented to Their Majesties, at which time they descended to hug their 'Royal Brother'.

He was given a full tour of magnificent Versailles, before he retired to a dinner party with Louis. News of the battle at New Caledonia periodically stepped in to dim the occasion.

"Mon ami" said Louis "In a few days, we shall issue a delcaration against the heathen, perhaps a crusade shall indeed be in order."

They shook hands warmly.

"I promise you this, my friend, above all: the Holy Leauge will march together, and victoriously...we shall win great prizes and serve the Lord mightily in this endeavor!"

All that was awaited now was Tsar Winger, and hopfully the Emporer of Spain would make a debut as well.

Maximus smiled and spoke,

"My friend, Rome's involvment in any Crusade against the Heathens is 100% assured."

The Caesar lifted his wine glass in toast,

"Deus volt!"

From analysis the political situation, even the Polynesian natives regard the Bedgellens as aggressors. At least there are more economic and social freedoms under the West than with the communists. The French may be colonizers but the Bedgellens are demons.

On Board the IRNS Hugo Drax

"TORPEDOES IN THE WATER, BEARING THREE FIVE ONE DEGREES!"

Immediately, the massive Dreadnought began to take evasive action (as much as a Dreadnought can evade anything, of course), throwing Noisemakers over the side to distract the torpedoes.

One of the torpedoes was fooled and headed off on another course, but the second found it's mark, slamming into the rudder and central propellor.

The Outer Hull was breached and sea water began to slowly cascade into the Engine Room, reducing her speed to a crawl.

The Dreadnoughts had actually been in the process of leaving the area to regroup when the torpedoes struck.

The Donovan Grant took a direct hit from the two missiles, which severely damaged the Starboard side, but otherwise had no effect on the ship's battleworthiness.

The Elliot Carver, however, was not so lucky. Despite the fact that the Dreadnoughts all had the usual array of CIWS, Anti-Missile Defences, and so on, sometimes the Gods of War are looking elsewhere and it all counts for nought. The hail of torpedoes and Missiles slammed into the Elliot Carver, destroying the rudder, a large part of the superstructure, and putting large holes in the bow. The engine room flooded very quickly, and the engineers only just managed to get out before the emergency systems sealed the hatches into it.

Realising that his ship was effectively a sitting duck and would be sunk very shortly unless a miracle happened, the Captain ordered the ship's massive guns to be aimed at the nearest Bedgellen ship and loaded with HEAP shells.

The point-blank broadside that the Elliot Carver's guns would unleash would also go down as an iconic image of the battle, snapped from the stern of the Hugo Drax. The Roycelandian Dreadnoughts realised what had happened... the Bedgellens thought they were using Chemical Gas and were firing on them. It was unlikely they could sail away, so firing back appeared to be their only option.

The skies off the East Coast of New Caledonia filled with Flak, Missiles, and shells. F.O. Evans knew that once all this was over, there was a movie to made here. Something felt wrong, drinking fine bourbon while the fort was shelled, but the alternative was being shot at by Bedgellens. He had another shot and paced, trying to work out what his debriefing would be.

Bedgellen troops in barges would pluck one of the Spitfire pilots out of the water just off the beach. He was unconscious and only afloat because his Mae West lifejacket had automatically inflated. One other pilot had been picked up by the Hugo Drax, with one still MIA.

Meanwhile, Sunderland Flying Boats are known as Flying Porcupines for a reason. The Sunderland's guns opened up on the attacking Bedgellen aircraft, filling the sky with lead as it engaged ECM and tried to evade the aircraft. The flying boat was surprisgnly maneoverable, and the gunners certainly seemed to know their stuff...

The Klaxon wailed at the MAS Airbase again, and this time it was the Dive-Bombers and Jetfires that were scrambled... only a few aircraft, of course, but if the Bedgellens wanted an Old School Air Battle, they were going to get one...

All this unfortunately coincided with the tripping of a circuit breaker in the Communication Suite in Port Vila- messages were coming through half encoded, and no-one had any idea what the hell was going on. His Majesty would later describe the situation as a Cluster-Fuck, but right now all anyone could do was try and help the 3 Dreadnoughts and distract the Bedgellens from the task, ie invading New Caledonia...

AGC Ahmet Reyis

"this is sonar, I've got that transient again, sir. it's faint but I can hear it, sonar out"

the loudspeaker on the bridge fell silent as the sonar operators awaited the captain's descision. The Georges Leygues class destroyer was one of the two modern large surface combatants operated by the newly re-formed Ahzadi navy. It, along with it's sister ship, had been patrolling the Arabian sea ever since the French fleet rounded the horn of africa. The arrival of such a large combatant naval force in Ahzadi waters was making navy command nervous that the Beth Gellens may try something.

Currently, the AGC Ahmet Reyis was moving slowly, dragging it's towed array behind it, listening for possible BG submarines. The transient contact reported was the latest in a series of faint signals that they'd been getting for the past four hours. This was the third instance of it happening, and the young captain decided to do something about it.

"Alright, sonar this is the conn, I'm going to order a turn to heading, lets see..." there was a rustle as he looked at the charts "to heading zero-six- six. Once the towed array gets done wiggling around I want you guys to start running TMA on the contact, designated sierra one. Once you get a general fix on the target area we'll get fleet to send out some atlantique's to check it out. Just make sure it's not one of ours before you make any assumptions."


U130, below the Arabian Sea

The skipper was nervous. They'd all gone through a specialized OCS back in france to learn how to fight in littoral waters, and nearer to the coastline the Agosta class diesel subs would be very, very dangerous, but out in the deep water of the Arabian Sea, their wolf pack was less confident. There were three of them- half the Ahzadi submarine force, along with the two antisub destroyers- doing this sweep. The submarines were currently creeping along on electric drive underneath the dominant thermal layer, listening with their bow sonars before they would, one by one, rise to the surface to snorkel that night.

"Conn, sonar, I got a contact...uuum...really vague"

The captain stalked over the whole two feet to the sonar console (they didn't have a lot of room on these things).

"That's, uum, pretty close to the Ahmet Reyis...you sure you aren't picking up their towed array or something?"

The sonarman ran some more filters through the TMA computer.

"Computer- and I- are both pretty sure it's sub-surface, but we just have a general bearing at this point. Could be whales, could be....anything, really, but it looks like Ahmet Reyis is checking it out."

The captain nodded. "Alright, alright, let's not get too worried here. I don't want people crying wolf."


________________________________________________________

OOC: Beth Gellen, do you still have your submarine squadron in the area? The Ahzadi sailors could be chasing paranoia and phantoms, but on the other hand.....

The Soviet fleet had never really seen action so intense as it did today in the southern Coral Sea. Anunkai Class submarines moved short distances under power of hardly five knot-rated electric motors, trying to hide under the waters churned up by exploding shells and ships and the frantic evasive actions of dreadnoughts and their own comrades alike. Torpedoes travelled at fifty knots and a deliberately considerable depth below their own ships as they tried to pick out the distinctive big Roycelandian vessels, but found all sorts of trouble in the chaotic and relatively shallow waters.

As she -like other vessels- hammered the stricken Elliot Carver with 155mm quick-fire gun, Qian Wei and Charioteer missiles, and 517mm torpedoes, FH-03, CS Perepelkin, a Batch 3A Bodkin Class general warfare frigate with 174 hands -less the crew of her Super Helix helicopter that was presently airborne- found herself in the wounded dreadnought's sights, and as part of the carriers' screen she took the brunt of that perhaps dying volley. One big shell must have missed meeting with a burst from her own deck gun by not more than feet as it clipped the turret and, exploding, flung it in two pieces on to the waves. The weight of broadside coming in against the little Perepelkin probably out-matched her own arsenal in its entirety, but still the Soviets stuck to their places, launching Loviatar-S anti-missile missiles against the big shells of the Elliot Carver's main guns, managing somehow to explode one in the air above... nobody noticed the shell fragments showering the area around the frigate moments later, for they landed a split second after the rest of the broadside erupted, hiding Perepelkin in a plume of water that fell away to reveal a shattered hull breaking in two.

The wrecked frigate's own helicopter soon returned to the scene and the crew began an emotional search for survivors, which they would be forced to ferry aboard one of the supply ships equipped for short-term helicopter accomodation.

Communications only became more and more confused as Admiral Teuvo Jones was assailed with contacts from through his fleet, from the two forces ashore, from his aircraft, from over-heard Roycelandian traffic, and all disrupted by the initial failure of the two Puffins to take out the Sunderland that was troubling the affair. They'd been forced to abandon their high-speed attacking run when confronted with more fire than expected, and as the strike fighters moved beyond gun range and armed DRAB ASRAAMs, the lead pilot tried to contact the plane, telling it to cease jamming operations and set down on the water until reached by Soviet warships; the alternative being continued attack by the two Puffins.

The Admiral was still trying to get men and vehicles ashore, realising that his comrades on the beach were dying now by the dozen and any assault on First Point might fail without proper support. Fast landing craft and big rafts were trying to keep as far from the fighting as possible: they didn't seem likely to be much safer by remaining with a fleet that was under fire by dreadnoughts, and it seemed as well to get assets on solid ground. On the way, some small vessels hauld Beddgelens and Roycelandians alike from the waves. One utility landing craft was swamped by the near-by burst of a massive shell and began to sink with several of the much needed mine clearing vehicles aboard, along with munitions, its tiny crew, and two survivors from the Perepelkin pulled to 'safety' only moments earlier.

Over the fleet, a total of sixty-six Puffins (very loosely think JSF) less a handful of losses over New Caledonia, and some eighty navalised Hobgoblin air superiority fighters took their turns to forum up against Roycelandian aircraft, the Hobgoblins engaging any larger and less agile aircraft at up to 180km with their AAELRS missiles (which were less effective against nimble fighters, especially at such extreme range). Morrigan AEW UAVs did their best to remain in the air, enabling Soviet fighters to detect Roycelandian threats at greater ranges than would otherwise have been possible for fighter radars that put other capabilities -from target handling to simple stealth qualities- ahead of sheer power. For spare hands on transport ships that could not seriously contribute to the fight, sea and sky alike provided awesome spectacle for men and women whose experience of war was limited to watching a few marines go ashore at Singapore during the first fall of Bonstock.

(OOC: Yes, we have an Anunkai nuclear submarine squadron in the area, I can't remember whether I said which one it was, though! It was probably due to depart as it became clear that the French weren't going to get access via the Suez, but then there's Socotra and the rest of Roycelandian East Africa to think about, now. As a result, the rather considerable force of eight torpedo, anti-ship missile, and cruise-missile armed subs is still around, dispersed and beginning to creep out into the western Arabian Sea, moving at only a couple of knots under electric power for a few miles until reaching more open waters where manoeuvring will be under less stealthy nuclear propulsion. They're primarily concerned with 1) avoiding detection by the Roycelandians, and 2) sinking anything French, giving the Azhadis only miniumul consideration as yet.)

Cape Horn

As Front Point was assaulted and as the Roycelandians engaged the demons at sea in a epic stugle which befat the nature of the loud shirt warrior, the gargantuan French Armada had reached the Horn.

It will go down as one of those apocryphal events of history, where for a few moments in the direst midst of war the very hand of God seemed to reach down and grant proof of the Almighty's intentions.

For, as the Armada approached the Horn, even being Spring, the fleets' weather men and satellite technicians found nothing but wall to wall storms abutting the jagged "Tierra del Fuego"; indeed, the winds were akin to level 3 hurricanes, for a brief instant it looked as though Le Merechal de la Tour du Pin would have to turn around, and abandon the mission.

That is when things got interesting.

No sooner had the fleet actually prepared to turn back then the storms seemed to part, the weather mens' and scientists' jaws hung slack as they witnessed the event...sputtering for explanations. That was not so interesting as is the manner in which they parted. Watching the massive weather layout, French officers watched as the storms pulled back---as if by mighty, invisible hands wrenched them apart, leaving a perfect corridor for the Armada to travel through.

And so they traveled through it. Le Merechal being a devout Catholic, and furthermore believing that this was a sign His Most Christian King would be triumphant, ordered Mass to be celebrated on the decks of the warships as the Armada passed through the strange, perfectly annointed calm. It was eerie, of course...the water was as smooth as glass, a true miracle this far south in such turbulent waters.

With zealous fanfare did the Armada transverse the Horn that day, in a few hours everyone would see the massive shapes of two Cherbourg Class super battleships, seven Marseilles Class light cruisers, and ten Brest Class frigates (not to mention the twenty or so transport ships) enter the Pacific, heralding their presence, and challenging the Igovian demons to war.

This transit would come to be known as "Christs Passage", and would inspire in Versailles a Te Deum in thanks to God, where His Most Christian King and Queen Marie-Therese climbed the steps of the Chapel Royale on their knees in thanks to God, Jesus Christ, St. Louis and all the Saints, and the Holy Mother.

In Front Point, the anxious defenders were given the news, which only filled them with further dedication to their cause and loyalty to God and King.

To be sure, there would be many explanations for such strange maritime phenomena, but none would suit the Ancien Regime as well as the potent hand of the Lord.

((I figured Id just respond in this way, considering there has been no further IC activity at Front Point.))

Versailles

News of the Spanish Empires entrance into the Holy Leauge was soon making its way across the world. In Versailles, Louis XX ordered four great bronze medallions to be struck, their discription is as follows, and one was to be given to each of the four Holy Leauge monarchs:

They are great bronze disks, about 6' in diameter, lined with silver filgree. On them, figures of carved porphyry are impressed. From left to right the impressments are: the profile of Caesar Maximus, titled Caesar Maximus Imperatorissmi. The profile of Tsar Wingert I, titled Vingertius Lavragerianus. The profile of King Louis XX, titled Ludovicus Formosus 'the Beautiful'. And Emporer Jonatan titled Jonus Magnus Primus. Standing shoulder to shoulder and all wearing stern faces, they were dressed alike in paludementa (the military cloak of Christianized Roman Emporers) and resplendant in their own individualized crowns marked with the symbols of their house. Behind them is a magnificent visage of the risen Christ with the caption "Conquer in my name and the gates of hell shall crumble before you"; the risen Christ's power seems to be reflected in the stance of the four Monarchs Supreme.

The title of the disks, written in gold letters at the top, reads "The Most Righteous and Invincible Tetrarchy of the Holy Leauge".

Thousands of smaller disks, copies of the four largest (intended for Louis, Jonatan, Wingert and Caesar) were going to be given out to honored subjects. The original disks are each priceless, as they must be to inagurate a new and glorious phase of Holy Leauge might.

The respective disks would be given to each monarch in person at the Grand Congress of the Holy Leauge in Versailles, but their pictures had by the time of the first minting already circulated the globe.

Hundreds of painters rushed to complete a fresco in the Hall of Lesser Pleasures in Versailles of the medallions scene, where the four crowns would meet ere long.

Though East Islandia was located in the area of Oceania, little had been done so far about the Igovian invasion of various other isles. The Premier of East Islandia, Ms. Flaherty (the first white person to rule the island nation) had been busy dealing with unrest and disorder stemming from the troublesome West Islandians, who, as usual, were raising hell in the border areas.

Nonetheless, Ms. Flaherty declared her support for the Bedgellen government, announcing that French imperialism would die within the year.

No one seemed to realize that, if Beth Gellert turned their attention to "liberating" tiny Islandia, the nation would be a massive, smoking hole, even with its formidable military...
*****
Aboard nuclear fast attack submarine Aisho
Captain Sung Hyun-soo commanding
Coral Sea

Aisho sat quietly in the warm waters of the Coral Sea, watching the battle unfolding above. Torpedoes, missiles, and munitions roared back and forth, and Sung marveled as several of the Dreadnaughts sustained damage.

It was every submarine captain's dream, really, to be able to take down ships of that magnitude. Even she had not done so, and she, at thirty-two, was one of the Islandian Navy's best female submariners. No one had sunk a battleship or anything of that sort since World War II.

Captain Sung sat quietly in her chair, monitoring her tactical display and listening as the ships battled. The submarines were not bad, really, almost as good as Islandian ones (or so it seemed to her) and perhaps they would have a chance against that massive Dreadnaught fleet.

Captain Sung shook her head as she thought about Premier Flaherty's announcement two days ago and the secret orders that had sent her submarine to the area a week ago. In her opinion, neither side were better than the other when it came to intentions, and she wouldnt trust either side further than the range of her sodium torpedoes. Still, the politicans made the decisions, and it was the duty of soldiers like her to follow.

Sung wondered if they would be discovered. Likely not, she mused, as they had their caterpillar drives on and were operating under strict noise discipline. She did not want to think about what would happen if she were to be found....

(Nb! I am tonight making my way through a litre of cheap vodka and Transformers: The Movie (set in 2005, you know!), so forgive me if I start calling you Megatron, or Paatelainen tells his comrades to transform and roll out.)

Alaric (Galle) Victoria and Salvador, The Igovian Soviet Commonwealth

Scattered reports of attack by Roycelandian aircraft and dreadnoughts drastically hastened the assembly of a second Soviet fleet following the chaos of what almost became another revolution in Beth Gellert. The deployment of a second amongst the Commonwealth's three full carrier battle fleets would be a move without precedent in Igovian history. It would put three of six flotillas into the South Pacific -two battle and one assault- leaving three (one battle and two assault) in the Commonwealth.

A total of eight India Class fleet carriers and ten Nibiru Class assault carriers would support around three hundred aircraft less losses already suffered, not to mention the helicopters carried by some other vessels. Forty-six Gauntlet Class fleet defence and sixteen Bodkin Class general warfare frigates were to be counted amongst the combined stength of the fleet already on hand and the reinforcements assembling, though at least one of the Bodkins had been lost to Roycelandian fire even as the second fleet departed.

Comrade Dejotarus of Ancyra Newydd made further history, being the first Admiral to give-up his commission while remaining on active duty. He sailed with the reinforcing fleet as a member of one carrier's bridge crew and a highly respected member of the fleet's hastily assembled soviet. His skills would be fully utilised during action and his opinion and experience voiced and heard in calm.

The fleet left in good spirits after its soldier-sailors had supported the popular movement for change, but underneath aware that the French relieving force had effectively a lead of several hours as it passed the Cape. At least the Igovians would not this time be slowed by waiting on mine countermeasures vessels and expeditionary transports.

-----

Meanwhile, relatively little thought had been previously given to the Islandians: most Beddgelens had taken them for isolationists, and, supposing that the battle would have been over rather more quickly than now seemed likely, the Igovian embassy hadn't given Islandia much information. The apparent entry of the Roycelandian Empire into the hostilities, however, and the prospect of the war's spreading prompted the Professional Civil Service to be more forthcoming, explaining that the operation had been launched primarily in response to French terrorising of Pacific trade and free popular movements in Asia, for which the French Pacific holdings were an important staging area.

There would be much talk of stated French aims in regard to the restoration of their lost empire -which was a direct threat to the Indian people, not to mention the rest of Asia and more- and the threat that posed to all free nations: especially those in proximity to strategic French bases such as New Caledonia...

News of Roycelandian involvement was as vaguely addressed here as anywhere else, since nobody in the Commonwealth was terribly sure of what had happened, though it presently appeared that the Roycelandian navy and air force had attacked the Soviets -thus declaring tacit support of French piracy, terrorism, and imperialism- and that possibly they had used poison gas in doing so. Previously, it was insisted, the Commonwealth -though not on fantastic terms with the Roycelandians- was certainly not thinking about war with that empire so long as it maintained a standard of behaviour rather better than that of the upstart French kingdom.

As in other parts of the world, Igovians in East Islandia begin to make a vocal point of how West Bengal and Jharkhand -long arguably very vulnerable, but certainly left alone- have been accepted into the Commonwealth only after popular uprisings there demanded it, and that if Beddgelens were in the habit of empire-building, they would have long ago snatched those lands by force. That was clearly meant to imply that conquest was not the aim of the adventure in the South Pacific: Igovian press had largely covered the conflict as a strategic blow against piracy and empire rather than one of liberation (which was a secondary issue raised by private citizens), since -if asked- no one could say that New Caledonia et al would associate themselves with the Commonwealth after France's king was driven out. Certainly the kingdom of France would be made unable to use the islands for bases from which to export terror, but for all anyone knew, the islanders may choose to hold on to the primitive economic and political systems they presently used.

(I'll get back to the battle at First Point later. A bit sleepy with drink to be writing a fast-paced close-combat post at the moment!)

Hindustan, while slowly drifting towards accepting the Bedgellen reasoning for attacking New Caledonia as a base for attacks on Tord, continues to maintain its neutrality in the New Caledonia affair at least. The government refuses to accept Louis I's rule in Algeria as legitimate, but is unable to do anything about it. Western Sahara is another matter, and if Louis sets his sights there he might very well find a sizable and quite upset concentration of Hindustani aircraft headed towards his base in Al-Ahzad.

The government also finds the Ahzadi and other neutral parties' lines of reasoning difficult to understand. If Beth Gellert is interested in conquering an empire, why is Andaman And Nicobar still a soveriegn state, and a voraciously capitalist one at that? The world is happy to let Louis XX add Algeria's population to his empire because he wants to, but is up in arms over Bedgellen attacks on French holdings in New Caledonia, known to have been used as a base for operations in the Lyong peninsula.

Perhaps if the international community condemned involuntary annexation across the board and not just selectively such comments would carry more significance.

Meanwhile, in Gwadar, the Viraat is towed into port. Sans aircraft, radar antennae, weapons systems, and gas turbines, it is the first member of the HN's old guard to bite the dust. On the drydock, numerous workers with torches and safety equipment prepare to cut the old carrier apart. A recent fire destroyed any last vestiges of servicability that the old ship still had, in addition to taking the lives of twenty crew.

The old carrier is given a mighty send-off as the skeleton crew disembarks, as shipyard workers sing and making noise with their tools, a tribute to the vessel's long history and illustrious service. A flight of its old Sea Harriers passes overhead, performing aerobatics.

Always a transitional vessel, the Viraat could not hope to compete either with the rearming European imperial powers or with other Asian nations. With luck, Hindustan would be able to aquire another escort carrier from somewhere, although this looks more and more unlikely given the nature of relations with England and Quinntonia's disapproval of Hindustan's closeness to Beth Gellert.

OOC
Pshh my nation's not primitive. Though I suppose from your viewpoint it probably would seem so.

*********
As usual, Islandian arms merchants quietly put out an offer to Hindustan to sell a new catamaran light carrier.

Long distrusting any European powers (the Islandians had fought lengthy wars with Dutch and French marauders in their history), the Islandian government announces its condemnation of France, though it shies away from supporting Beth Gellert outright.

Meanwhile, as the fighting breaks out in Oceania, The Chinese Unified Fleets have expanded due to the increase of hundreds of ships. Somehow, the presence of the large and comparable French Armada, which lies just a few hundred miles away have made the Chinese Bei-Nan Fleets.

The Chinese Navy now had sufficient forces to station forces around the world and has made much efforts in promoting peace and cooperation with Japan, Australia, Europe, and many countries since the coronation of Zhang Fu Guo.


-Beijing-
As the Beijing International conference, which will continue for a week, begin to gain attention, neutrality is also mentioned as China's stance toward the war in Oceania. China considers France as a respectable European country, and does not wish to stir trouble with the India's.

The Battle of The Coral Sea

The Battle of the Coral Sea would probably go down in history as one of the biggest misunderstandings in military history.

As the Donovan Grant and Hugo Drax withdrew from the warzone, the situation was not good for the Elliot Carver. Under a constant Barrage of gunnery, rocketry, and torpedoes, the Dreadnought had developed a noticeable list to her stern and starboard. It was obvious that the ship was sinking.

The Sunderland, meanwhile, switched off the Communications Jamming equipment, finally allowing communications to be restored.

Port Vila Command was ordering the Dreadnoughts to withdraw from the area, and aircraft were being ordered to return to base, with repeated orders to disengage.

Meanwhile, the Roycelandian Ambassador to Beth Gellert has briefed the Beth Gellertens on the Smoke Bomb attack, assuring them that Roycelandia has no Chemical Weapons of any kind, has signed a list of treaties as long as the Emperor's Arm forbidden their use, and words will be had with the French about their quite frankly unsporting use of such weapons.

Bedgellens trying to engage the Roycelandian Aircraft would find themselves falling prey to a favourite trick of the Maritime Air Service's Combat Wings: flying 6ft above the water, with the Harrier Jump Jets performing their patented 180 degree mid air turn, causing the Bedgellens to fly straight into their guns and missiles.

The Spitfires, being slower than the Jetfires and Sea Harriers, didn't come off as well against the Bedgellens, but acquitted themselves surprisingly well.

One of them, badly damaged by AA fire and missiles, knew that his plane would never return home. He pulled the Ejection Lever, with no effect. A .50MG bullet had jammed his canopy closed, and his plane was leaking water and losing manifold pressure badly.

Kamikaze attacks were not part of the Roycelandian psyche, which made the pilot's decison to turn his Spitfire into a piloted high-explosive bomb all the more surprising.

It would be even more surprising to the crew of the Bedgellen Warship that the Spitfire slammed into at full speed, trailing thick black smoke and exploding spectacularly as the plane ploughed into the superstructure.

"I did NOT see that coming!" remarked a junior seaman on board the Hugo Drax.

Meanwhile, the Elliot Carver was clearly sinking. The stern was awash, the pumps no longer able to keep the tide of seawater at bay. The engines were partialyl submerged.

Captain Dave Lister had been her captain for over 10 years now, and he knew that his duty, after his duty to the Emperor, was to his crew.

Having given a good account of themselves thus far, he felt his duty to the Emperor had been upheld, and his next duty was to his crew.

"Now hear this, Now hear this. This is your Captain Speaking... Ladies and Gentlemen, we have fought a good fight, and we have acquitted ourselves remarkably. However, those we have engaged with have put up a most spirited fight of their own, and whilst superior in numbers, have not bested us easily! Alas, the damage sustained by the barrage is such that I fear we may not be able to remain afloat much longer. It is with the deepest sadness and regret that I must issue the final order a Captain can give to the crew of his ship- Abandon Ship. I repeat, Abandon Ship. Long Live the Emperor!"

The Communications suite on the doomed Dreadnought began broadcasting an unencrypted SOS, along with a message to the Naval Command in Vanuatu, and the process of abandoning a Dreadnought under attack began. The Ship's Log was entrusted to the Seafire pilot, whose plan was successfully launched just before the list to starboard would have prevented the use of the Steam Catapult.

The injured and wounded were taken to the boats first, and a pall of thick smoke began to rise from the stricken ship.

Amazingly, the two Forward Batteries were still in operation. Some wounded crew had ignored the order to abandon ship, and were still firing the massive guns manually.

"Captain Lister, Sir... We should be going". The 1st Officer stood next to Lister, who had tears in his eyes.

"No... I'm staying with the ship. "

"Sir, I..."

"I'm sorry, old friend. No Captain has lost a Dreadnought in combat since World War II. I cannot face the shame of being the first person to lose one since that time, especially not as a result of this horrible... misunderstanding. Please, there is still time for you to leave with the others. I am staying withe my ship. Tell my wife and children my last thoughts were of them, and I send them my everlasting love."

The 1st officer knew there was no way Captain Lister could be persuaded otherwise, and went off the ship in the last lifeboat, along with some peronal effects and Fleet Insignia and miscellanea. The ship was well and truly sinking now, and the list to stern was getting quite steep.

The Forward Guns of the Elliot Carver continued firing as a hail of missiles and rockets rained on them. The foremost turret was silenced by a direct hit from a Bedgellen missile, but the Number Two turret kept firing aimed rounds at the Bedgellens until she slipped below the waves with the rest of the ship.

For a moment there was silence on the sea, as the 180 or so crewmen and women who had got to the lifeboats, as well as the crew of the IRNS Hugo Drax and the IRNS Donovan Grant spontaneously and simultaneously stood to attention and saluted the Dreadnought as she slipped below the waves.

Then the task of rescuing the survivors in the water became paramount, especially as the oil from the Dreadnought's fuel tanks began to form a slick on the surface...

Aboard Ahzadi SIGINT vessel

"This is fucking insane"

That drew a glare from the captain.

"I mean, this is fucking insane, sir"

The resident Bureau Six cheif was none to happy about all of this. He got less happy as a nearby errant shell threw water all over the bridge crew.

"Now, now" intoned the captain. "We've got large national flags everywhere, and we're broadcasting on every frequency that we're a neutral vessel. All the intelligence you've gathered has been sent back to Raysuz, so we don't need to fear loss of intel if we're captured. Furthermore, there are sailors in the water that need help and we are close enough to give it."

So the merchant ship sailed onwards, into the insanity of the battle of the coral sea, to rescue the crew of the Elliot Carver.

Given the relations and history between Roycelandia and Al-Ahzad, as well as present diplomatic trends, what happened after this would be...interesting.

Initially, the apparent attempt by the Roycelandians to retreat had a greatly encouraging impact on the Beddgelens who had for a moment begun to feel extremely worried by the armour piercing weight of the dreadnoughts' shells, for -as the total loss of the Perepelkin had shown- most of the Soviets' missile-age ships were not well protected against heavy gunfire, having never expected to engage seriously at such close range.

The short term effect was an increase in fighting spirits and an intensification of attacks pressed home against the withdrawing Roycelandians, as Puffins and Hobgoblins had a good time of it against slower and less stealthy Spitfires and Harriers and felt glad to have a boost while fighting rather more respected Jetfires.

Presently, though, with communications beginning to come through in a more orderly and reliable fashion, and with the battle by now growing quite old, the soldier-sailors and pilots began to hear calls to break-off pursuit. They had thought to press the advantage they had all the way to Vanuatu and to finish the age of empire in all the Pacific, but were now hearing something of a mistake, it seemed. Aircraft began to break off and move into defensive postures over the fleet rather than attacking sotries towards the Roycelandian island, engaging only those foreign aircraft that moved south-west beyond Vanuatu's own waters.

In the fleet, helicopters took men -of both nationalities- from the water to the nearest available Igovian ships, and often then on to the massive white hospital ship Proudhon resting just a few kilometres beyond the battle.

The frigate Perepelkin remained the only Soviet ship to have been totally destroyed -excepting for a swamped landing craft- but others were taking shrapnel damage with every dreadnought volley that fell near by, and two of the India Class carriers had been hit by secondary batteries that perhaps were better suited to the relatively close-range fighting. Both were still operational, but their outer hulls wore scars that might have crippled conventional vessels, and repairs alone would be long and expensive when this was all over.

That suicidal Spitfire pilot was probably dead already when his plane hit the Nibiru Class assault carrier Kronstadt aboard which sailed Marine General comrade Malkstrom, for the ship's 30mm CIWIS guns had shredded the incoming plane. That didn't save the surprised vessel from seeing her flight-deck strewn with burning wreckage that would force her deployed air wing to step into the boots of deadmen, landing on other carriers in places left by downed comrades now floundering in the Coral Sea.

Soviet ships continued to fight, but the fleet was evidently moving to give the surviving dreadnoughts an escape route, the frigate screen swinging clear.

(Again, sorry that I've not got around to advancing the land battle, Elkazor, but I must dash: I really should have left already!)

((BG, I know you had quite a Naval battle, not the last one on this thread I daresay, but I am ever so anxious to begin some damned fast close quarters combat RP at Front Point. Anywho...))

Versailles

His Most Christian Majesties Ministry of War issued a statement in regards to the authorization it gave for French forces to delpoy Chlorine Gas in New Caledonia, one Lt. General le Prince de Soubise spoke for the Ministry:

"When a small, relativley indefensible colony---whose population is nearly entirely civilian---is attacked, moreover by a vast 'flotilla' of barbarous thugs, they have every right to use low grade chemical weapons in their defense. I remind you that these Chemical weapons are being directed against military targets, not civilian, and against agressive offensive military forces at that. If anyone is guilty of war crimes in these affairs, it is surely the Begdellens, who by their actions guarantee nearly a total projected loss of life amongst New Caledonias civilians."

Meanwhile, the Grand Congress of the Holy Leauge was scheduled presently to meet, and discuss its plans to halt and eventually push back revolutionism in Asia, wealthy Asia.

Les Champs des Mars---France

The surprise attack against New Caledonia by Beth Gellert, not even having to issued a Declaration of War first, caused His Most Christian Majesty Louis XX to order a increase in Naval Armaments Production and Ordu du Saint Espirit to buy more fighter craft. As well, both the Gardes Francais and Royal Army were to be expanded.

These expansions actually did not require any tax increases. The War Tax, a 4% tax on all income (Nobles exempted) in addition to standard taxes more than covered the bill...as well, as, well, other advances in French economics.

Tsar Wingert was buying up tons of French goods and services, filtered the massive complex of Royale Ltd. in Sebastopol. Trade within the Holy Leauge between Italy, Spain, France and Estenlands on the whole was rising exponentially, and General Massad provided cheap oil and excellent investment oppurtunities in Al-Ahzad.

Of course, all these ventures pailed in compasion to the bucket loads of money the French were raking in from the Kingdom of Algeria, and its colonial master, Louis I.

Ergo, all these factors allowed for His Most Christian Majesty to expand the Armed Forces even further, and he had to remember the troops needed to secure both Algeria and Ft. St. Louis in Al-Ahzad, not to even mention the manpower he had used to launch a mighty Armada half way around the world.

In Les Champs des Mars, recruitment tents for the Gardes Francais had been raised again, lines were beginning to fill up, owing to the Kings generous bounty. The expansions are as follows:

Royal Army
- 2 Swiss Regiments of Foot (4000 men)...5 Regiments previously.
- 1 Turkish Division of Foot (13,500 men)...2 Divisions previously.
Grades Francais
- 5 Divisions of Foot (60,000)
...24 Previously [5 compose Royal Daupin, 5 stationed in Algeria, 1 in New Caledonia, remainder stationed in France]
Ordu du Saint Espirit (RAF)
- 2 Wings Mirage-2000's (144 aircraft)...7 Wings previously [1 in Algeria, 1 in New Caledonia, detachments in Al-Ahzad and Lavrageria, remainder stationed in France]
- 4 Groups Dassault Rafales (80 aircraft)...5 groups previously
Order of the Golden Fleece (Tank Corps)
- 2 Battalions...7 previously [2 in Algeria, remainder stationed in France]
Royal Navy
- 6 Brest Class Frigates, Mark III...25 previously
- 6 Nantes Class Submarines (LA class comparable)...6 previously
- 4 Marseilles Class Light Cruisers Mark II...16 previously
- 1 Cherbourg Mark II...5 previously

Easter Island

Natives, and a variety of International Media correspondants, stood on the beach of Easter Island by those strange statues, looking out into the pre-dawn fog.

As the sun rose, the fog began to break, and howls of excitement broke out. For, in the distance loomed massive shapes. The French Armada was cutting at full speed past the Island, like giant ghosts.

Then it became visible, leading the fleet and practically leaping out into the sunlight. Looking like a gargantuan iceberg, she was the Cherbourg Class Mark II Super-Battleship Louis-Auguste. Her monumental keel sliced through the water, sending typhoon like waves against the 100,000 ton vessel. Incredibly, though she was gigantic, the ship was moving at 35 knots, nearly her full flank. Her 6 perpellers and 3 rudders ensured smooth sailing.

Her conning tower was fat and armored, like a keep in the center of the iceberg. Four impossibly large turrets held the ships 16" guns, themselves as large as many not so tiny tugs. From the ships superstructure the Louis-Auguste bristled with AA weaponry.

The Restoration Navy had pondered the idea of France using aircraft carriers, then scrathed the idea...but not the budget set aside for them. Rather, the AA offensive and defensive power of an aircraft carrier had been molded into the super-battleship, giving the Louis Auguste claim to the title "King of the Seas". The superstructure was laced with 40 .52" CIWIS Batteries, computer operated and lodged in ten heavily armored quadruple mounts. For heavier AA power, she held 40 1.46" computer operated rapid fire cannons, lodged in ten heavily armored quadruple mounts as well. Besides these AA systems, she held no less than 15 fully automated SAM stations, with misslery mid and short range...for both enemy aircraft and missles. The armor on this behemoth is 20" thick, another 5" inches on the Cherbourg Mark I. To power this monstrosity, the authority of absolute monarchy made visible on the sea, the Louis-Auguste has eight 1800 kw generators, driven by no less than 16 steam turbines.

On her sides were eight Kingfisher anti-sub helicopters, and she flew a fleur-de-lys some two stories tall.

Following her came the somewhat less potent Cherbourg Class Mark I Super-battleship Strasbourg. Much smaller than the two giants, but still large by normal standards came the Marseilles Class Light Cruisers, 7 total. They are: Grenoble, Indominable, Lilles, Hunter, Foam Runner, Valiant and the Couger. Armed with three sets of 8" guns, two per turret, and still advanced AA technology (remember, the Royal Navy used Carrier budgets to give the French fleet the most advanced AA tech in the world on the seas).

Then came the Brest Class Frigates, all ten. They are: Gauntlet, Claudette, Tiger, Hawk, Invincible, Blade, Cutter, Darer, Savage and the Shark. A standard frigate, comparable with the Perry class. Sorrounding the fleet were four Nantes Class Submarines, comparable with the Los Angeles Class, surfaced as they sailed by Easter Island. Following them were the twenty three transports, victualers, and tankers which supported both the Armada and Royal Dauphin Corps.

Now the whole world had images of the power, the first time a Cherbourg Mark II was seen sailing on film and in public, with which His Most Christian Majesty would battle the heathen...on the beach, the spectators were awestuck. The Louis-Auguste gave them a volley of three batteries as they passed, blanks and 3 miles from shore. It shook the Island, and made the sky explode into flame for a few seconds.

Trumpets followed, as the Armada sailed into war.

The Chinese government has offered to transport civilians and anyone who wishes to leave the islands safe by boarding the Chinese Bei-Nan Yang ships.

The Chinese government understands that most of the already small number of people on that island can be completely wiped out if the war was to drag on longer. The Chinese ships have offered to take them to East Islandia's Chinese Embassies.

Coral Sea

Any Bedgellen aircraft that got too close to the Roycelandian Dreadnoughts would find themselves on the receiving end of a barrage of 40mm Flak cannons, whilst the two remaining Dreadnoughts took potshots at the Bedgellens with their massive guns until a greater sense of order was restored to the area and the two sides stopped shooting at each other...

Imperial Palace, Port Royal, Jamaica, Roycelandia

His Majesty watched the video footage of the Naval Battle again, a Bourbon and Coke in his hands.

Wiggles, Foreign Minister Lebwski, and Commanders Sword and Blackadder were beside him as well.

"Gentlemen?" His Majesty asked when the tape was run.

"A sad misunderstanding" said Commander Sword.

"Still" said Lebowski, "A profitable one."

"How so?"

"Well, the Bedgellen ships are clearly vulnerable to Shellfire from our Dreadnoughts. And we have the Pacific Fleet in Vanuatu. Look at it this way: It took them their entire invasion fleet and a small air force to sink the Elliot Carver and damage the Hugo Drax and Donovan Grant. The Elliot Carver took out the Bedgellen ship on it's own... not only took it out, but actually broke her back quite spectacularly"

"Go on..."

"The Bedgellens now know that the Roycelandian Navy is more than capable to beating the crap out of them, IF we apply ourselves. Look at the havoc 3 ships and a couple of aircraft have caused to them. It's brought valuable time for our French allies, and we still have the rest of the Pacific Fleet available should anyone else get any ideas."

Commander Blackadder decided now was not the time to mention that at least 8 Spitfires had been shot down over the course of this Battle (including the raid on the beach), and the sum total of damage that they had inflicted appeared to be a couple of Bedgellen landing craft and putting the flight deck of a Carrier out of action for a while.

"Get on the blower to the French and find out if there's anything they need in New Caledonia... medical supplies, food, or the like."

Meanwhile, a flight of 3 Roycelandian Sunderlands and 2 DC-4 Transport aircraft bound for Vanuatu has overflown the French Armada in formation, and the Roycelandian Ambassador to Versailles has just handed King Louis XX a series of DVDs containing the Battle of the Coral Sea, as viewed from the Sunderland Flying Boat overhead, the Cameras on the Spitfires, and from the decks of the Hugo Drax and Donovan Grant.

His Highness would no doubt enjoy the spectacular footage of the Elliot Carver unleashing a broadside on the Perepelkin, sinking her in the process, but the DVDs contained the complete battle and would show that the French defenders were putting up a heroic fight, making the Bedgellens pay for every centimetre.

Approximately 118 crew from the Elliot Carver have been plucked from the water by the Ahzadis and Bedgellens, along with a smaller number- around 50- that were picked up by the remaining Dreadnoughts.

There are about 180 crew in lifeboats floating around, with some heading for the shores of New Caledonia (away from the landing beach), and others trying to get to the two Dreadnoughts, and yet others quite content just to watch the battle and catch a breather. Suffice it to say, the whole situation is chaos, and there are over 114 crew MIA from the sunken ship...

The three Spyran submarines in the Coral Sea began to move towards the engagement after the first sonar signals of torpedo impacts. As the situation became more clear, the lead submersible surfaced on final approach, signalling the Igovians to ask how they might assist.

New Caledonia

Part of the sea battle could be witnessed from the slopes leading up to First Point, and the Marines sat there between the suffering beach and the enemy lines were at first greatly sunken in spirit by realising that Roycelandian dreadnoughts had opened fire. It seemed as if reinforcement would not arrive, and indeed a number of armoured vehicles were lost to the Coral Sea when a landing craft sunk on the way to shore.

It was hardly seconds before someone called out their joy at realising that one of the dreadnoughts was sinking, and carnyces blasted out a din that could be heard over weapons fire and even as far away as the beach and up to the French positions as the Soviet Marines began to move forward, heading into small-arms range. Three sections were made of the seven hundred-odd men presently ashore beyond the beach. One continued digging in lightly, firing mortar rounds against the enemy and loosing a few anti-tank guided missiles at their positions in an attempt to suppress French fire, watching out with MANPADS.
Two further sections moved up towards the enemy. After a couple of hundred metres, one of these began to take cover as they found it, advancing slowly and giving expertly aimed fire with rifles, light machineguns, and under-slung grenade launchers at any Frenchman who raised his head. The third and final group of perhaps two hundred marines broke into a sprint, a good many carrying long bullet-proof shields that by their weight restricted their dash's full speed to just the last few dozen metres. Many of these men -almost exclusively six-foot-plus Geletians with lightened hair long or spiked and bodies covered in warpaint or nothing at all- weilded assault rifles of sub-machineguns with one hand, while others made do with pistols or a grenade soon discarded as swords were drawn on approaching the static defences.

The rapid charge didn't aim to overwhelm the whole line, rather it headed towards a single point hit just moments earlier by 11" shells from the Ood and considered as a result a potential weak point in the front line, at least until defenders re-deployed. While the third section charged, the second continued its much slower advance, trying to engage defenders in other parts of the line at ranges of several hundred metres.

-----

Below, some marines were finally moving off the beach, but they were no longer part of effective fighting units. Generally, they were trying to deal with dozens of wounded and to make sure that comrades could see a way through the mines as more and more vehicles were brought ashore while the dreadnoughts moved off. It was all the more important that French artillery be silenced since naval gunfire had been temporarily re-directed from counter-battery to anti-ship duty and assets on the beach increased in number.

Still, the defenders at first point now faced crack troops in skilled marksmen and revolutionary fanatics in a wild charge with blades flashing and skin exposed, and could probably see a mighty dreadnought succumbing to Igovian fire as two more turned tail and abandoned the theatre, and the deadly quagmire of the mined and gassed beach was just beginning to bleed Soviet reinforcements onto the slopes. Though as yet none landed by boat had assembled to join the fight, one utility landing craft had just expulsed from its deck a sixty-tonne MT-4 Hathi (pronunced haw-tee and being Hindi for elephant) main battle tank, never before seen in real combat and touted by boastful miltiary soviets and workers unions as the best tank in the world. If the fight continued for long, one presumed that Soviet armour would soon be thundering up towards the defences.

The Coral Sea

Comrade Admiral Teuvo Jones -in the fleet's remoteness he was yet to officially surrender his commission as had officers back home- was, like his comrades, delighted to see friendly vessels, and keen to learn just exactly how far the Spyrians were prepared to go. The gradual approach of a French fleet was major cause for concern, and any help in penetrating the battleships' destroyer screen could be invaluable in defeating the potentially troublesome beasts. Jones was planning -as the Roycelandian threat subsised at least for now- to send Anunkais to interpect the French and attempt to sink or cripple their battleships before they arrived, seeking the best waters in which to make a stealthy intercept.

This left him potentially lacking cruise missile support to shore operations, and with reduced cover against a second Roycelandian intervention.
It was thought that the Beddgelens were already better equipped to deal with rescue missions, compared to a few Spyrian submarines, so Jones' concerns were relayed without any specific request being made of the Spyrians whose level of commitment was yet unknown.

Whilst the Dreadnoughts were disengaging from the Bedgellens, no such restrictions were being directed towards the Spyrians.

As soon as the first submarine surfaced, the two remaining Dreadnoughts locked on Anti-Submarine Systems and ordered the Spyrian vessels to heave to and desist from joining in the fray. Whilst they were damaged, there were plenty of aircraft left in Vanuatu, and the RYPACFLT also included Submarines and Torpedo Boats, amongst other things...

The Roycelandian threat immediately caused another transmission, this one prompting the launch of two Mangonel cruise missiles from a point several hundred kilometres north east of Vanuatu. Bursting from the waves, the agile missiles cruised at almost Mach 1, destined to attack Roycelandian ports.

Further east, as the comrade Admiral would remind the Roycelandians in a concurrent transmission, were Red Dragon Class WIG vehicles carrying several thousand Soviet Marines who were quite prepared to invade Vanuatu from the east while his fleet continued action in the west, if the Empire insisted on joining in the French policy of attacking Lyongian progressives.

The missile strikes were clearly not a full scale return to action, for such a thing would have involved dozens of remaining missiles and hundreds of aircraft moving to obliterate Roycelandian presence in the Ocean, and would have shortly followed with a likely reinforcement to Beddgelen troops in Lusaka. They were simply what results from taking up an arrogant aggressive position against Asian progressives when one is not required.

The Mangonels would, of course, be intercepted by Anti-Missile Systems, but the point was taken.

The Dreadnoughts eventually gave up on their insistence that the Spyrians withdraw, but even so, messages were relayed to the imperial HQ that the situation in the Coral Sea needed monitoring...

New Caledonia---Front Point

The Begdellen charge roared up the beach, preceded by the demons naval bombardment. They would reach the distance of about 100 meters previous to the trenchworks, and then the defenders would meet them. Right after the Begdellen marines entered the final approach to Front Point, they beheld a great ditch, lined on either side with thick bunches of rusty razor wire and crude iron spliter spikes. Then they heard fifes and drums strike up a tune from behind French lines ("A World Upside Down") and so were finally confronted directly with the gloire of France.

Like flowers blooming on the hill, the defenders raised their colors, and as one three thousand and some defenders (Gardes Francais, Colonial Militia, Martyrs Brigade) unleashed a withering M-16 fire, and heavier emplaced batteries, on the charging Igovians. The sounds of life were blocked out as de Chauvernay told his boys to lay it on with everything they had, which is precisely what they did. Up and down the line, it looked as if hundreds of spouts were spitting fire directly on the Igovians, who looked nothing so much as enraged and barbarous Celts.

At this point Chauvernay discreetly told his artillery man, Captain Plenthreve, to evacuate the howitzers and mortars to join those at "Second Point", a line of trenchworks and dugouts that surrounded Ft. St. Martin itself, and controlled the way into South Province and Noumea itself. At any rate, their ammunition had been spent, and there were more fights to make ere His Majesty would concede His Colony to the heathen.

Yet the Igovians continued their march, some hurling themselves with abandon through the fortified ditch, and making it all the way up the other side, no matter how many were dissolved by French machine gun fire. Before too long, the furious Celtic Marines would be in a posistion to scale the trenchworks. Chauvernay played for time, knowing that if he could just force the Begdellens back some more, he could inflict greater casualties on them while still holding the incalculably valuable "Front Point". Speaking to his ADC, he told the man to order the "Martyrs Brigade" (made up of dogmatic natives, absolved of their sins, fanatic in their devotion to Louis XX and the Holy Catholic Church) to get into the posistion, and stand by for full charge.

The trumpet played, the kettle drums pounded. The Igovian marines, worked up by their blood fury, took little heed.

They were then confronted by the visage of 800 screaming soldiers, dressed in white kevlar vests embossed with a simple red cross. They were armed with bayoneted M-16's, and as one they yelled a defeaning "Deus Vult!", even as a few were shot down as they stood proudly on the ramparts. Without futher ado, they howled for victory, and flew down like white lighting upon the Igovian charge, giving the French regulars much needed time to set up further.

Colonel de Chauvernay watched in amazement as a Brigade soldier hurled himself on a Begdellen marine, easily two time his size, running his bayonet under the mans chin and through the top of his head before the communist demon could blink. Such was the closeness of the enemies at this point that the Brigade members use blade more than bullet, in a few minutes the approach to Front Point was the seen of small gun battles, and a large maelstrom of hand to hand combat. The Martyrs Brigade and Begdellen marines forgot all semblence of civilization, it was chaos on the approach to "Front Point", white uniformed Brigade members fighting tooth and nail against war painted Begdellens. The painted marines would find out presently that Marytrs Brigade would not give them an inch.

Chauvernay watched, knowing that if the Brigade could not force the Begdellens back, "Front Point" would be tested fully. He drew his sword, and made sure that along the line, French forces were ready to repel a massive assault.

On the approach to "Front Point", war fever reigned.

South Pacific---100 Miles NW of Easter Island

The Armada continued on, like a great white lance, pointing towards New Caledonia where the heathen was to be punished.

Forces attempting to surprise the French would have no easy task. Besides being fitted with some of the worlds best sonor equipment, the Armada had with it four Nantes class attack subs, i.e. sub hunters, whose job it was to secure the fleet from just such a threat. They sailed on.

If anyone wanted to surprise the Louis-Auguste and her escorts, they had better do so in overwhelming force.

Versailles

His Most Christian Majesty ordered the Roycelandian film taken of the Battle of the Coral Sea to be played on a twenty four hour cycle on RNN, in order to 'inspire the French subjectry against the Begdellen menace and to inspire ordinary Frenchmen of the greatness of their valiant King and cause for Christ."

The Roycelandian ambassidor was assured that Louis XX was beyond grateful for all the Roiks had already done, giving the French relief force vital transit time. In the mean time, there was little the Roiks could do, except perhaps...

In a flurry of motion, Versailles asked Roycelandia if it would like a ten year mandate on French Polynisia, after which they would return it to the Lily Throne. The intent of such a move was clear, the French would ask Royce I to safeguard their remaining hold in Asia.

OOC:Well, the China's are just watching this as countries all around fight each other, while we start rebuilding.


As the French soldiers began an offensive for a forst, the Chinese ships began to sail around the French ships to get a better view, no matter what, anything can be part of gambling.

From the Chinese ships, they sent messages to the forces on the island whether evacuations or transportation is needed. The Bei-Nan Armada already outnumbers the French and the carriers probably outnumber the cities in New Caledonia. The trip was to make sure that no foul play was called forth, especially when the BG, a hostle country to the Chinese is involved. The Chinese wanted to make sure that they can keep everything above their nose than under it.

Chinese cargo planes began dropping medocal supplies in New Caledonia. The supplies were targetted at the civilian populous.

Any and all forms of humanitarian aid are much appreciated, however His Majesty Louis XX asked that supplies be dropped only directly over Ft. St. Martin and Noumea, where the greatest number of French deaths (military and civilian) are expected to occur.

Oh, and additionally, Roycelandia is asked to use its considerable air and intelligence resources in the South Pacific to help the French Armada stay alert for red submarines.

(Oh, BG, I was wondering. Would you like to have a personal combat RP between Colonel de Chauvernay and Paatilien, it mike make for good fun, the commanders fighting on the ramparts hand to hand as their troops do the same.)

OOC:Might as well get off my ass...

IC:

In preparation for the Caesar's almost assured involvement in the Pacific conflict, the 3rd Legionary Expeditionary Force, which was stationed in the Pacific, changed course and headed towards the battle. Aboard the vessels were 5,500 Roman Legionaries, fully trained and equiped. This would be one of the first tests of their abilities in combat.

Each man had gone through no more than one year of basic training alone, continuing the Roman tradition of well trained professional soldiers. These men, of course, were VERY heavily indoctrinated, swearing to fight to the death in the name of God and the Emperor.

OOC:Sry for the shitty post, but I must go now.

Tsar Wingert was buying everything he could from Royale Lmtd., trying to financially compensate the French monarchy for their support during the Lavragerian conflict. Tsar Wingert also begins communicating with Rome, asking if they have large force-projection capabilities, as Wingert is more than happy to offer the use of his army, but has not way of getting them there, though he does announce that one of his two nuclear Los Angeles Class Submarines has been ordered into the Indian Ocean in support of Estenlands closest friend and allies, the French.
Wingert is however, fully committed in Lavrageria, and is rebuilding the war materials that he would need to field his military for any major length of time again. This is including the massive and super-fast reconstruction of Tsarist Lavrageria.
The governments of Tsarsit Lavrageria, Tsarist Russia and Etenslands/Ukraine all condemn the blatant Imperialism of the evil Beth Gellert Conspiracy.


OOC-If I don't say it, someone else will, France, you imposed a war tax of 4% on income, but exempted the nobility, who by your own admission control 90% of France's wealth, what can you really expect to gain from such a symbolic move? If you don't exempt the nobility, it would make sense, I have no tax exemptions at all for the nobility. But, I have a flat income tax, wgich favors the wealthy.


Tsar Wingert I.

Prime Minister Jesse Obed, sitting in his wheelchair at his desk in Washington, was watching QNN reports about the conflict when reports started coming in about the use of WMDs, the absolute pet peeve of the Quinntonian government.
Immediately, a call is sent off to Versialles, saying that if there is any more use by any party of WMDs, the Quinntonian government will consider that nation a threat to national security and a state of war will exist between them!!!

WWJD
Amen.

OOC:Wow, China for the first time is trying to stay out of foreign affairs, but the United States is willing to step up to plate because of French use of dangerous gases directed toward the Indian army because of the overwhelming numbers of enmies in which they were forced to use it, in determination for the will to survive!?

The Chinese dropped dozens of crates, only containing medical and food supplies, with the occasional water filtration items, the Chinese are willing to help by throwing bottles of water and drinks from the sidelines.

((Ah, thank you, Wingert. BTW, did you see the post about the bronze medallion and such? I thought Vingertius Lavragerianus was quite inspired, myself. The nobles pay direct contributions to the King regardless of taxes. For example, nobles paid for the raising of the news gardes Divisions and such. What perks do they get? They pay for it, they get to command it. Standard Ancien Regime MO. So why should they have to pay 'taxes', when they are in reality funding the french military per se. It is a matter of semantics, of course, but one very important in Restoration France...just like Nobles being the only ones allowed to wear swords and such, status. Quint, my God....

You can scream until you are red in the face for all I care. BG invaided me! Yes, invaided me! I didnt take anything from them, thats a fact. And I hardly think chlorine gas used against offensive MILITARY targets constitues a threat, let alone bloody WMDs. If it angers you that Christian French colonists are doing everything they can to stop a vastly superior communist force then: TAT PIS to use a French term! And I hardly think that Mr. Obed is the 'Iudex Maximus" when it comes to issues of International Convention, didnt you launch an illegal invasion of Dra-pol? I wish to point out that, far more so with France than any other nation, you have biased attitudes. Is it beacuse their Catholic? Hmmmm....

I am not going to use any more WMDs, if Chlorine Gas was ever a WMD to begin with. But that was certainly not because of the pontifications of some rabid Protestants nor a self-sense of ill-doing...but because the French in new Caledonia used em all up on the Igovians!))

Roman Troops were told to make sail for Ft. St. Louis in Al-Ahzad. They would do better to prepare there with growing Holy Leauge forces than dash off straight into the middle of a maelstrom.

OOC: Sorry I haven't gotten very involved here...It's just that I have an intricate master plan ready, and need a lot of time and precision to craft it, neither of which I have now. Damn APs! DAMN THEM!

OOC- hey AC no thing, those APs are no joke. I hope you will delight us with your presence a little longer ere you zip off to Poland...there is much fun to be had. I sent the Dauphin to Moscow...did you ever happen to respond to that?

[OOC: I would respond, but I'm wayyy to lazy to read all these pages. If someone would be so grateful as to provide a lazy man a general revision of the current combat and such. At least a fourth of my fleet should be ready in Chinese ports, although none of these would be the larger capital ships.]

There is much relief from the surfaced Spyran submarine as the Roycelandian anti-submarine systems ceased to target them. Truth be known, the assistance they would provide to the Igovians was as unclear to them as it was to the other powers... in the greater conflict of progress against imperialism, Spyr's position was clear, but this particular battle was one they approached with caution.

Still, the imagery of the scene revealed the deepest connections between the subcontinental superpower and its east-asian peninsular cousin: the surfaced submarine flew the military ensign of the Strainist Revolutionary Army, a banner of unadorned red which also flew as the national ensign of Beth Gellert... united by true principles, revolutionaries one and all.

The Roycelandian Ambassador received the following reply from his query Re: the temporary administration of French Polynesia:

Does a High-Ranking Religious Figure evacuate his bowels in a wooded area?

The Ambassador indicated Roycelandia would be delighted to temporarily administer French Polynesia, to allow France the ability to focus her energies more constructively elsewhere.

The ROYCESTARSUB satellite system in the pacific is already on alert for Soviet submarines, and long-range Sunderland Flying Boats are patrolling the route that the Armada is taking to prevent any "surprises".

In fact, the French Armada would be very surprised to see some of the Roycelandian ASW aircraft were, in fact, Airships.

Even more suprising was the deployment of one of Roycelandia's famous Carrier Airships- the IRAS Terrordactyl, which drifted gracefully over the French Armada to provide Air Support for them, should anyone get any ideas. The 24 aircraft (12 Spitfires, 12 Harriers) on the Carrier Airship could be launched surprisingly quickly, should they be needed...

The ROYCESTARSUB satellite system in the pacific is already on alert for Soviet submarines
OOC: Satellite submarine detection? Can you explain how it works?

OOC: The technology is classified, but it works on a combination of Thermographic Imaging, Ultrasonic Beams, Digital Capture, and some other technical jiggery-pokery that I don't fully understand but the science lads no doubt do.

Or, in layman's terms, since satellites in RL can read the label on a packet of cigarettes from space, I fail to see why it's outside the realms of possibility that they can detect Submarines as well...

OOC:Why not just call it, the everything that works slap on, submarine. The reason that satellites need special technology other than the already provided is because water is in the way, and that's what sonars are for. For a small reference, Sonar sends out sound waves, and it recieves the waves bouncing back from objects. Radar sends out radio aves, which will bounce off the water. Especially when its pitch dark. Hmm, interesting submarine...I think we may need to purchase a few of those. Emperor Zhang?

OOC: A paper on the subject.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/slbm/detection.pdf

As the Holy League nations rally for major operations against Beth Gellert, the Hindustani Navy steps up patrols along the coastline. It is not unknown that Tsarist Ukraine possess some kind of nuclear deterrant capability, and the HDF would rather not see it used. And while intelligence is scratchy on the subject, it has long been assumed that Tsar Wingert has some number of ballistic missile submarines. Class unknown and location unknown, but its a fair bet that, relations at present being what they are, at least a portion of Wingert's boomer fleet is close to Beth Gellert. SIGINT ships and attack subs are bound to be about as well.

Bengal and Jharkhand corvettes patrol the waterways, protecting merchant traffic while looking for submarines and potential SIGINT ships. Equipped with capable sonar, both classes are formidable anti-submarine platforms. The handful of Atlantique (pre-restoration) patrol planes operated by the HDF also make a showing, complimented by patrol variants of the An-26. They are significantly more fearsome in appearance than usual, carrying ASMs underwing and covered by airforce fighter jets. Hindustan remains neutral with regards to New Caledonia, but an invasion of the Indian Subcontinent itself would not be taken sitting down. Despite the apparent Bedgellen mistake (as far as Hindustani is concerned) of invading New Caledonia, which appears to be a much tougher nut to crack than expected, a Holy League presence in India could not be tolerated.

The far side of New Caledonia

The IRNS Swordfish surfaced less than a hundred yards offshore near a small cove on New Caledonia late that night. The grey submarine bobbed gently in the darkness as 25 small figures quietly slipped into the Zodiac Rafts with their equipment and made their way to the shore.

They were members of the Roycelandian Imperial Foreign Legion, operating on a strict Volunteer basis (OOC: Excactly like the Flying Tigers in China during WWII).

They had been tasked to assist the French defence of New Caledonia, and were skilled in all manner of Combat Techniques, including sniping, demolition, sabotage, general tactics, and, of course, escape and evasion.

Their presence was more than practical- it was also symbolic. Roycelandia was in there with the French, helping out.

Of course, if the IFL troops were ever captured, Roycelandia would deny all knowledge of them being there... standard procedure for Special Operations Command's deniable ops...

Front Point

As the third section rushed forward in a manner not seen since workers came out from behind their barricades during the revolution, the second section advancing more steadily behind was treated to the battle's full display.

Rifleman Getafix of Galle crouched on one knee, resting his elbow on the other as he held up his 6mm bullpup assault rifle -a Jos BGR Carnyx named for the iconic warhorn- capping off 1,800 round-per-minute bursts in two shots per pull of the trigger, making sure that each target was dead as he fell. Some soldiers found the fifty-round drum too awkward in the bullpup arrangement, but Getafix favoured it over the conventional box arrangement.

He thought that he'd got four Frenchmen for certain, so far, as the defenders paid more attention to the screaming charge of third section. He remained crouched, loose checquered trousers tied at the ankle around good quality boots, satchel full of vital supplies hanging low over his rear and his arms and torso bare showing a wonderfully elaborate tattoo pattern that combined Celtic and Indian styles to good effect. A little of his brown hair could be seen sticking out from under his ornate helmet; which was topped by a brass sculpture of a stylised leopard from his homeland, and on that animal's back was what on closer inspection would appear to be a screaming monkey holding up a bright red star in its little hands that must have been crafted with great skill. The whole headpiece was of impressive size and made the already big fellow look a foot and a half taller than most of his opponents.

The rifleman watched as his comrades in third section drew remarkably near to the enemy positions without suffering serious casualties: his second section was able to follow closely and make better than exected progress, coming almost within effective sub-machinegun and hand-grenade range let alone rifle before the French suddenly opened-up in a serious way. Getafix saw men ahead in third section taking the brunt of it, the first falling to a machinegun just a second after throwing a grenade in another direction.

Another was pinned down behind his long shield, stooped over as the big guard shook and fractured slightly under a hail of bullets. A third ran right past him, expending the twelve rounds of his pistol's magazine in hardly more than a second before tossing it in the air and raising a short single-handed axe. He got close behind his own shield before being hit from the side only because he was so close as to be level with some French soldiers. Getafix couldn't watch for long as the second man bared his teeth, frustrated at being made to cower behind his shield, and the rifleman realised that his comrade would lose patience and break from cover rather than remain pinned much longer. So Getafix leant back and after a momentary pause released a 40mm grenade from his weapon's under-slung launcher, and a second later the machinegun fell silent, releasing his comrade into a renewed advance.

When the white-uniformed slaves to a distant imperial elite revealed themselves as challengers in close quarter combat, the third section seemed to rally even more keenly, the Soviet Marines being inarguably massively more capable than some downtrodden subjects of an empire's very small Pacific outpost. The front-line Soviet Marines accounted for one in every twenty thousand Beddgelens where the fanatics where one in every few hundred of the New Caledonian population, and prepared within that little society in contrast to the great means of the Geletians' millenia of warrior tradition. But as third section's significantly outnumbered warriors killed freely amongst the Martyrs Brigade, often striking heads from their bodies in a single sword's blow while clattering men to the ground with shield and letting off rounds with sidearms, they were unaware that they were losing sight of their objective as the French regulars established themselves and the advance essentially halted, bogged down in blood and bodyparts.

Over head -now that enemy aircraft were few and doomed to destruction whenever they showed themselves in the sky, many radar sites were down, and infantry were engaged in heavy fighting- Springer fighter bombers began to return, their Barbarian turbofans screaming hellish as they raced over and released laser-guided cluster munitions against re-locating artillery pieces and positions just beyond the close fighting.

(OOC: I just had to add that last paragraph after being woken-up by RAF Tornado thundering low over my house at high speed... eesh, I mean really woken up! I was ready to curse the Roiks before I realised where I was :) )

The coast

On the beach, now free of enemy aircraft and with the French artillery apparently pulling back to avoid capture, the clearing smoke reveals to the defenders a large assembly of Soviet troops making progress in collecting their wounded (though the dead are much less hurridly attended to, being a long-term health issue and little more once life has left their bodies) and clearing mines. Wombat-based vehicles can be seen launching rockets too and fro, trailing behind them tubes that later explode across the sand, detonating whole lines of enemy traps.

Scores are dead from shell fire, mines, and a few from gas. Most injuries are gas related, and fatalities may yet rise.

Now though, the massive stomachs of the Hyena Class expeditionary transport ships are spewed empty over New Caledonia, and the fight seems all over but for formalities. The Soviets would have liked to secure a port facility and unload much more quickly and easily, but New Caledonia's reefs and the position of defences, that hadn't happened. It was only now with hours and hours of fighting behind the Igovians that the Hyenas were putting vehicles ashore. Between them, the two transports had an impressive thousand vehicles, and it seemed that Soviet servicemen and women would soon outnumber the locals as battletanks began to storm up towards Front Point along with troop-crammed infantry combat vehicles. In fact, the third section and the martyrs would only be engaged together for a matter of minutes before the two miles of ground were covered by forward armour units, moving with helicopter gunships back overhead, loosing missiles towards French artillery as it relocated.

-----

Elsewhere, as the Soviet reinforcement fleet raced with the French, the former having just barely reached the western end of the Java Sea as the latter passed Easter Island, Soviets discussed the French movements. "35 knots? How can her escorts have the range to sprint with her all the way? Surely no supply ships can sprint half the globe at 35 knots!" "We should ignore the battleship and escort and just wait until their support is left alone and take that apart!" "Yes, yes!" "Lets just rip the escorts apart with Dwrgi-Ps and remind the French that this is the C21st, and nobody cares about their empire, their fragile king, or their imaginary friend in the sky!"

In the end, a squadron of MaL/AshPo Dwrgi-P surface effect vehicles was dispatched, some armed with twin Charioteer missiles on top plus 305mm torpedoes, and others with four Qian Wei missiles plus torpedoes, while two mounted surface to air missiles instead. There was some worry that dispatching eight of the machines at once would compromise home security, but this was generally dismissed as unrealistic. As it happened, setting off now meant that the WIGs should catch the Soviet releaf fleet just short of their maximum range, and could re-fuel before moving on to the fleet already in action to re-fuel again and moving to intercept the French fleet still several hundred kilometres short of New Caledonia. Depending on the dispersal of the fleet -whether the escorts and support ships could somehow keep up with the sprinting battleship- the Dwrgis hoped either to destroy the screen leaving the battleship relatively exposed, cripple the battleship if they were unable to destroy it, or wipe out its support. Their torpedoes gave them a way to tackle sub-surface targets as well.

-----

Portmeirion was now quite firmly insisting that the Chinese must withdraw from the combat area, given the horrible confusion that has surrounded the involvement of Roycelandian forces. There is no reason to suppose that continued reckless incursion by third parties will not drag Chinese forces into the conflict, and the Commonwealth is losing patience with irresponsible foreign governments escalating the confined conflict while having in most cases not even bothered to register so much as a diplomatic complaint at the French annexation of Algeria or the Russian invasion of Kazakhstan. "If all the armies of the world are destroyed, let it be known that the blame lies at the feet of their nations' politicians." Said one Soviet speaker. "Let them die in central Asia and north Africa as well if they will die in the south Pacific!"

In response to the French complaints about the Quinntonian condemnation of WMDs, the Quinntonian gives a prepared and official condemnation to the medias of the world of the "illegal invasion of New Caledonia," and delivered an official diplomatic complaint to the BG dilomats in their New York Consulate. However, it is widely told that the Quinntonian government does not wish any conflict in SE Asia.

The Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Rev. William Hutt; immediately communicates with the Chinese fleet, politely requesting that they remove themselves from the combat area, for fear of escalating the conflict.

OOC-Eberyone should really check out my QNN announcement.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=403650&page=6&

WWJD
Amen.

South Pacific---Approach to French Polynesia

The loudspeaker of HMCMS Louis-Auguste flared to life, within a second the decks were resounding with the sound of a trumpet revelry.

When the trumpet subsided, the voice of le Merechal de la Tour du Pin came on, piped throughout the entire Armada.

"Now hear this, now hear this. You lads have acquitted youselves admirably, in this legendary journey. No one has shown more dedication to King and Country than you...except perhaps our brave brothers fighting to the death on the beaches of New Caledonia. And now our mission approaches its long awaited crucible. We are making this final approach to the theatre, an approach that will command history's admiration for millenia. Now is the time of heroes and of martyrs! All stations, General Quarters! All ships, battle formation! For St. Louis and our King!"

The trumpet played again as the message ended, the men cheered for a few moments, and then rushed to their stations as the trumpet was replaced by alarms.

The fleet, heretofore in cruising formation, pulled together and reduced its speed to a manageable twenty knots.

The battle formation resembled a great delta formation, surrounded by the destroyer screen and in its tender middle containing the relief force and transports. On all Armada ships, from the mighty Cherbourgs to the agile Brests and Marseilles to the ponderous transports, CIWIS systems came to life.

From the C&C of the Louis-Auguste de la Tour du Pin had complete command of the fleet, and watched with pride as the Armadas vast layers of AA defense and missle control flared to being.

The Roiks were informed as well, and le Merechal got on the horn to Vanatu, begging the Roycelandians for more in depth air cover on the final approach to New Caledonia, where the remainder of the "Kings Men" Wing of the ODSE could take the air cover over. Also, French Satellites combed the South Pacific, together with Roycelandian Strategic Services, looking for anything the reds might send against the Armada ere it arrived to fight. Also, the Armada was planning on passing by Vanatu itself, where the supply ships and Royal Dauphin Transports would request berthing and protection until the battleships had cleaned up the Igovians.

The Armada would soon be ready to make the approach to Caledonia, now only some 600 miles away.

New Caledonia---Front Point

Colonel de Chauvernay vowed that the bravery with which the Martyrs Brigade fought would never be forgotten.

Against the barbarous Igovian marines the Martyrs Brigade fought tooth and nail, dieing in the dozens and refusing to grant the second and third sections one inch. Indeed, as they pushed, they even seemed to be forcing some Igovian marines back into the razor wired and iron spiked ditch. At first they had suffered ghastly casualties, charging as they did into the dead center of the Igovian line. However, as time progressed, they seemed to establish a salient against the Begdellens, holding strong while at the fortified points of "Front Point" the Gardes Francais and Colonial Militia dug themselves in, now quite able to deal death at another Begdellen charge up the slopes.

Chauvernay watched as a quartet of the Martyrs Brigade fell on a stranded Igovian Marine, taking their time to run him though, again and again, with their bayonets. On the approach to the bluff, most Martyrs Brigade soldiers only fought with bayonet, to close to get off shots. Yet the Begdellens were giving it as good as they got, and the Colonel knew that soon the charge would loose momentum, he told his ADC to prepare the recall signal.

Yet they had accomplished their mission. Their charge had disrupted the Begdellen advance, giving the Gardes Francais and the Miltia adequate time to entrech and prepare to repel. From various locations, hearing the rumble of engines in the background, Anti-Tank TOW missle units were set up.

So it was that the trumpet played, and the Martyrs Brigade began a fighting retreat back to French lines, and when they fell they fell on their backs. As they Martyrs Brigade began their strategic withdrawel, the French Regulars, now in pefect posistion, began an unrelenting fire against the Igovian demons, who would now have to charge a French 'defence in depth' against wary and prepared opponents.

Chauvernay breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that at least some Martyrs Brigade members had lived, the first elements of the fighting retreat reaching French redoubts. No matter what occured, His Most Christian Majesties Armed Forces had showed the world this new French mettle, this spirit of bravery. No one would dare laugh at French courage anymore, he thought, eyes looking out over hand to hand combat and ferocious Igovian marines.

At "Front Point", French defenses were fully alive, throwing everything they had against the Igovian groups, who had to deal now with an intense fighting retreat by the Martys Brigade in addition to volumous fire flooding down from the trenches. Igovians would find that, if they managed to scale the intial burms, the faced percarious drops and narrow trails (tough for big tanks to navigate) until the other end of "Front Point"...for the whole length of travel placing Igovians always against heavy fire.

Enemy aircraft over New Caledonia remained subject to SAM fire, and if they passed over South Province (heart of French defense, including "Second Point", Ft. St. Martin, and Noumea itself) they would be greeted with clouds of flak, AA, and stinger fire (for helicopters).

Colonel de Chauvery donned his immaculate plumed tricorner helmet, steel coated with kevlar. He drew his sword and stood, waving it in the air and rallying his troops. His uniform was blue and white, laced with cordons and medals, and his eyes seemed to burn of their own accord. He ordered the Fife and Drums to play their focusing marching tunes on the loudspeaker, to give rhythm and inspiration to French troops. Within minutes, the rhythmich tunes of "A World Upside Down" propounded the field of battle.

"Do not give them one inch!"

The ADC, who had been hit in the shoulder with shrapnel, looked up at the magnificent Colonel, seeing his back. In front of Chauvernay, looking down from over the trenchworks, stood legions of howling Igovians.

New Caledonia---Ft. St. Martin

The Imperial Legionaires were put to work immediatley, helping their frantic French allies mine and booby trap the approach to "Second Point" and Ft. St. Martin itself.

At Ft. St. Martin, the defenses as well were getting geared up. Armed with numerous enforced trenches, concrete bunkers and pillboxes, tank traps and tunnels, walls and redoubts, Ft. St. Martin was the heart of the Islands defence.

The artillery, machine gun fire, SAM power, and dangerous paths the Igovians would have to take (not to even mention the intensity of AA defenses) in storming Ft. St. Martin would make the deadly "Front Point" look like a simple commune orgy.

After they had finished their work, the Roiks and French troops would head back to Ft. St. Martin, even as several thousand Gardes Francais and Colonial Militia prepared to initiate a defence at "Second Point".

((Ah, Quint, I appreciate your objectivity, thanks. BG, didnt answer me, can we have a duel between Chauvernay and Paatelien, I think it would be apropros.))

The Chinese fleet had moved back from the island about 120 miles away from new Caledonia, and has instead moved on to a crescent block surrounding the Southern coast of New Caledonia. The naval fronts consisted of 4 rows.

The Chinese will move no further and will announce further plans to assist the island inhabitants.

The Hindustani Parliament promises to dispatch two hospital vessels and associated medevac wings to New Caledonia as soon as the conflict there is over, emphasizing Hindustani neutrality concerning the issue.

The Parliament still calls for peace, or at the very least a cease fire, and promises from both sides that this war will not continue past its current locale. A full-fledged war between Elkazor and Beth Gellert would not benefit anybody, least of all Hindustan.

HDF commanders are a little bit surprised about the Bedgellen marines' failure to take the island so far. Much of this lack of success is attributed to 'Bedgellen over-reliance on shell artillery, absence of sapper units in initial waves, unsuitable infantry tactics, and failure to deploy close-support aircraft quickly.' It is certainly a surprise how long its taking the Igovians to crack Front Point, or the French fortifications as a whole. Of course, the Bedgellens don't have the same armaments as Hindustani troops, but still...in all honesty...frontal charges? Seems a bit silly to most HDF officers, more a way to sacrifice troops and deplete your force than to take an objective.

(OOC: Sorry, I forgot about the duel idea, but yeah, that could happen. He did rather hope to have it out when he came ashore initially and settle the matter without having to kill everybody, but never mind :) Anyway, there's been a bit much OOC here, recently, and we've got a thread for that. I was tempted earlier to respond on how inapropriate I thought things were getting, but let it pass... anyway, cont. OOC thread...)

Front Point

At first, members of third section had run with the opposition as they pulled back, and had almost thought to go with them into the French lines, fighting hand to hand to negate some of the French fire, but after many blasts from their chilling trumpets and a frenzy of electronic communication they had been pursuaded to disengage, and returned towards second section with their numbers significantly depleted.

The Marines and the entrenched French were again for a moment engaged in exchanges of fire from a few hundred metres apart.

That condition didn't long persist as reinforcements ate up the two miles from the beach and arrived in the sort of order that should have been the case initially, had French defences not been so surprisingly strong. A couple of big MT-4 Hathi battle tanks screeched and clattered their way into action for the first time ever, and of course attracted the attention of French anti-tank missiles. For this the Soviets were now quite prepared, and as the missiles came head on from static positions well known to them, the communards reacted properly. A TOW rushed over the heads of engaged infantrymen, now stooped and prone rather than drawn up and resplendent.

Spotters had indicated the presence of such weapons during the close engagement, and the Hathi crews selected their method of defence accordingly. Mirror systems responded to any laser designation by searching out the source and attacking its electronic or human optics with their own high-power lasers while Marines looked over their shoulders towards the approaching tank support and saw missiles closing fast. Then the missiles exploded short of Hathis, killed by their JOS-VAPS grenades, and heads swung back the other direction as if at Wimbledon, this time watching as Totem-3T and Parliament missiles powered down on to the missile launch posts; coming from tanks, helicopters, UAVs and jets alike.

The French defence of such a little and remote colony was much stiffer than any officers or soldiers had expected, but the fleet deployed anticipated possible international reaction and contained redundant strength enough to take New Caledonia many times. After initial confusion and a surprisingly damaging stand by the French at Front Point, the weight of the Soviets was coming down as a super power on an outpost. Armoured vehicles accelerated up from the beach towards positions that saw their best weapons showered from land, sea, and air whenever they revealed themselves; artillery had been bombarded while it redeployed and surely all but obliterated; and now the Soviets prepared to tackle some mounds and ditches, which they did with tank guns thundering from platforms that shrugged off infantry's attempts to waylay them further. Wombat vehicles from the fleet's thousand or so ground machines approached with bridges, fascines with which to fill trenches, and all sorts of apparatus for negating the geographical hardships presented while Hathis and 'combat Wombats' ripped static positions and men to pieces with many times more fire than could be returned by what was on hand.

Aircraft flew quite freely over much of the northern and eastern reaches of the conflict, and whenever radar did light up as a threat it was attacked with AGMs, cruise missiles, and shell fire.

Helicopters were now swinging around the French north flank to insert GSIC commandos and Paratrooper units behind Front Point -still well short of the capital or the fort- using the battered state of French radar and the rises of the island's middle in an effort to avoid detection: it wasn't as if the French had airborne radar now if they'd ever had it. Once aground, these teams -just a few dozen strong- would attempt to approach Front Point from the rear to make sure of a surrender.

Solomon Islands

The second Soviet fleet raced the French with as much speed as its supply ships could muster. This was becoming an almightily expensive venture, but as hundreds of front-line combat aircraft and thousands of anti-ship missiles and torpedoes were brought to bear, it was hard to escape the conclusion that the French were about to lose most of their navy, and it remained to be seen whether the Roycleandians would throw their Pacific strength in the dustbin too. Certainly their dreadnoughts would be unlikely to catch the Soviets at close quarters a second time if they thought to try it.

The French -still hundreds of miles away from the battle themselves- might beat the Soviet second fleet by a couple of hours, but all were confident none the less. The French were hopelessly out gunned in most regards, and nobody planned to let the battleship close to gunnery range.

Africa

Quietly, a Soviet Consul in Lusaka to observe the Igovian mission to round-up Tendyala-regime elements crossed into Roycelandian East Africa to personally discuss the situation with the Empire. She would contend that Roycelandia did not perhaps have much to lose by seeing the French empire knocked out of the Pacific. France had been dormant for years, but her reawakened ambition for empire would soon lead to competition with the Roycelandians, even if the two empires could see to it that it never came to blows. Beth Gellert was not and never had been an imperial power, and did not intend to make colonies of the French Pacific holdings. It was primarily, after all, a counter-piracy operation. No need to so seriously hurt the Roycelandian Pacific empire over this.

Of course, these were the last of the world's free Celts, those who escaped Rome's empire and went on to play a leading role in world revolution, and they did have already more than five hundred combat aircraft in the Pacific, so it was not as if the Beddgelens were seeking to avoid further conflict because they felt unable to win. It's just that they'd prefer not to make a mountainous world war of a molehill police action.

At about the same time, Iskra! was failing to keep secret an apparent plan to re-arm Igomo's Lusaka after neglect under Tendyala, or even to avoid leaking the fact that the Soviet Commune hadn't decided whether to simply help Lusaka repair and maintain what it already had -scrape off the rust and replace worn parts, you know- or to hand over the MT-3 Hotan battle tanks replaced by MT-4 Hathis and some of the eight the Nibiru Class assault carriers withdrawn at the advent of BG's WIG age. Igomo'd never had the means to conduct simultaneous land and amphibious operations before, had he? Funny thing to suggest! Of course, Lusaka would need long-term help to operate assault carriers, so it wasn't yet decided whether the offer could be made [and thumbs twiddle].

The Igovian Soviet Commonwealth

While praising the wise Chinese decision to pull back -even if not far- from the warzone around New Caledonia, the Council of the Communards has stated that any hardship felt by the people of New Caledonia at this time is due to excessive militarisation and feudalism enforced by the illegal French government of dictatorship. Militarisation required only since the new regime's decision to export piracy and terror to Africa and Asia.

It is hoped that the people of New Caledonia -many French amongst them having an heroic history of communist defiance to autocracy, being sometimes descended from exiled communards captured during the bloody week in Paris- will recognise that their comrades have come -all be it a hundred and thirty four years late- to repay the debt owed by the world revolution, and will embrace liberation rather than making a stand for subjugation.

Portmeirion points out that if New Caledonia can afford to train hundreds of soldiers and feed thousands more, it ought to be able to look after its population. If not, that population will find more than mercy in the advancing Soviets, no less in fact than equal treatment and share in the force's ample rations.

More than that, the Soviets have deployed precision weaponry and almost exclusively against military targets such as Front Point and the fortress, with the only possible exception being missile strikes on the capital's air port once French fighter aircraft began to arrive there.

It is made clear that the Soviets intend to treat people as people: these are Communards, not Fascists, Bolshevists, or Contras.

French Armada

The IRAS Terrordactyl's complement of aircraft was soon joined by 12 SeaHarrier Jump Jets and 3 Sunderland Flying Boats in an ASW capacity, to provide cover on the approach to Vanuatu.

French Ships will be more than welcome in Port Vila, but were advised to keep their AA systems manned at all times.

Behind Front Point

Bedgellen Commandoes trying to get behind the French will find themselves under long range Sniper Fire (from Enfield Enforcer rifles in .308), and the IFL troops also bought a number of RPG-7s and LAWs with them. No fancy laser wizardry, no technical widgetry, just point at the Tank and fire. Of course, they were keeping a low profile, having helped in the construction of the 2nd line of defences, but their Camouflage uniforms were a contrast to the French ones...

A major Naval Battle was looming in the Coral Sea, that was obvious. Unfortunately for Beth Gellert, the Roycelandians had a RADAR station in Vanuatu and were thus tracking the Bedgellen aircraft with relative ease, no doubt passing the information onto France in the meantime...

OOC:I try not to meddle with the Chinese navy as it is Liu's job and I don't want screw up his plans, so I'll just have them moved back.

OOC: The Chinese have a surprising lack of interest in this war, about as much interest as the Americans in the Laos-Hmong conflict. The recent media coverage is mostly about the Emperor's tour, the British Conservative victory, some new "sciency" news, and the Lions tour. The BG-French war comes somewhere after the weather.

Also, would there be any interest in a Chinese-brokered peace conference?

OOC: The Chinese have a surprising lack of interest in this war, about as much interest as the Americans in the Laos-Hmong conflict. The recent media coverage is mostly about the Emperor's tour, the British Conservative victory, some new "sciency" news, and the Lions tour. The BG-French war comes somewhere after the weather.

Also, would there be any interest in a Chinese-brokered peace conference?

(Maybe after we're done winning ;) )

The lack of interest simply reflects on the populous allying themselves with the French, but also sympathizing for the island natives.

New Caledonia---Front Point

French posistions remained firm, the firing manic and battle beyond intense. The burm was assaulted by shells and missles, Igovians at various points scaling the front emplacements. Red helicopters and aircraft renewed their assault...by this time "Front Point's" defenses had been worn to the nub. It was clear to Chauvernay that once the tanks and AVs began to arrive in force, the jig was up. Nevertheless, his troops held.

Front Point was under siege, obviously soon the French repelling force would be cut off, despite their most desperate attempts to hold the line. The artillery corps under Plenthreve, with at least 2/3 of the force still in tact, had managed to make good the escape to "Second Point", at least there was that. At any rate, Chauvernay thought, the only thing that assured victory was the relief force, and he and his men paid in blood to hold out as long as they did.

Therefore he made his last decision as the commander, summoning his temporarily patched up ADC to relay his orders. The Force was to make a fighting retreat to Second Point, taking with them the wounded. Chauvernay would remain behind with the remainder of the Martyrs Brigade and two companies of Gardes Francais, God willing them enough time to slip away.

::Queue The Terminator sound track::

Fire flared behind Chauvernay as he and his select force, for the last time, charged and actually re-took the remparts in toto from the shocked Begdellens. No words were needed for this charge, Chauvernay simply raised his sword and with his men released a primal howl.

He led the charge, sword held high, his spectacular (but kevlared) uniform making him a clear and easy target. The Igovian marines would see the noble Frenchman grab a Begdellen and in on swift movement cut him straight down the middle, kicking the corpse down as he moved to engage more incoming Begdellen soldiery; pistol in one hand-sword in the other, and emblems of the fleur-de-lys obvious on his uniform.

Some miracle of fate, perhaps divine intervention (or a Roik camera ;) ) was able to intercede on the occasion, allowing Chauvernays heroic charge to be captured on film and relayed to France.

::Turn up sound track::

Left and right the valiant "Last Stand of Chauvernay" was assailed. Igovian tanks rumbled forward now, in large numbers. The Igovian marines were dug in, and advancing along all points. Only Chauvernay and his picked men prevented the Begdellens from storming the devastated lines.

And while Chauvernay and a few hundred Martyr's Brigade holdouts and equal numbers of inspired Gardes Francais fought the good fight until the bitter end, the remaining force made good a 'ordered retreat'...fighting as they withdrew to Second Point in good form.

On the burm of Front Point, Chauvernay and his men fought on, fire and death surrounding them.

South Pacific---Approach to New Caledonia

The Armada was in full battle array, picking up some signals coming from Caledonia on radio at this point.

Begdellens would no doubt find this fleet, much like the French garrison, a tough nut to crack.

Its ships had the best AA technology, arguably, in the world. French Satellites together with Roik Intel gave the Armada minute by minute updates on the situation, with live feeds. The fleet had tough armor, lots of missles and shells, and best of all good leaders.

As the gargantuan fleet made the solutions for a final turn towards New Caledonia and the Coral Sea, its sailors were flushed with pride. Two super battleships, seven Marseilles Class light cruiser, ten frigates, four subs, and piles of weaponry would not 'bite the dust' as easily as the reds hoped.

OOC: Yo, Elkazor, I updated the Moscow Conference. Just to let you know. Now, back to studying for AP Euro...Tomorrow is the test, so I'll be finally free then.

Al-Azhad

The Ahzadi Joint General Staff had been watching the goings-on in the pacific quite closely. It did seem that the French ground forces were by and large defeated at this point- that came as no suprise- but their resistance had held up large parts of the Beth Gellen fleet near the shore. The navy was awaiting the coming fleet battle with great anxiety. The outcome of the battle will probably determine long-range Ahzadi naval planning.

In Islandia, panic is almost among the populace; with the massive fleets of BG and France nearby, the Islandian navy finds itself activated, and reservists are wrenched from home to fill vital positions. Rapid reaction forces, particularly Islandian airborne and Marine troops, are readied for a fast-response should a situation develop in local territory.

In the meantime, refugees who wish to seek asylum are granted temporary asylum (in small coastal fishing villages) for two years. Should renewal be necessary, the Refugee Aid Council will approve it.

Chinese Military Ships have already offered refugees free and safe transport to East Islandia.

The Loyalty Islands

(OOC: Correct me if I missed something, but I didn't get the impression that these were to be seriously contested when we sent secondary landing parties there on the first night.)

Soviets ashore just a short distance away from the frantic fighting on New Caledonia were doing their best to make sense of the strange condition of submission and subservience. Geletians had a history several times longer than the French nation, and never once had really surrendered themselves to another's authority. Two thousand years ago, as they cut apart classical Greece and played merry hell on its structures, Geletians had rolled about in laughter at a people who supposed themselves to resemble their gods, and had continued on to fight for their own rewards in Asia Minor. Each unit of their thousands strong society sent delegates even then to put forward local and personal concerns on a society-wide scale, and though their manner of democracy sometimes required violent conflict before a popular recall was finally enforced upon a representative, it was more enduring than the Greek model. When the Romans vanquished their allies in the region and sent armies larger than the Geletians' whole civilisation, the Beddgelen ancestors up and left rather than listen as their fellows had to the likes of Paul and then submit themselves to another's empire. When the French, English, and others came to India, the Geletians picked sides and fought as mercenaries against half-holy Indian rulers and French soldiers alike, ridding the sub-continent of both. Later British impositions lead to revolution and independence, and the following Principality was assaulted from within hardly a generation later.

That these people -so close to the point of exile for seven thousand Parisian communards little more than one little century ago- could bend their knees before absent rulers and personified deities wasn't just strange but out right inexplicable nonsense in the minds of most of the Igovians come ashore.
At first some would give supportive cheers to anyone who took a shot at them or spat defiantly, for at least it seemed to indicate some sort of backbone, but then before long confusion would return as the Beddgelens tried to reconcile that defiance with the pathetic submission it represented.
"Where's the, 'Welcome, welcome!'?" Said one soldier-sailor, smiling. He and his comrades looked to the homes of the subjugated people, and one commented with a shrug, "Always mistook fists for flowers."

The Coral Sea

With the reinforcement fleet a few hundred kilometres away at the northern end of the Coral Sea as the French approached from the east, the Soviets tinted the sea red with eighteen fleet and assault aircraft carriers, sixty one fleet defence and general warfare frigates, eleven assorted WIG vehicles, twenty-four concealed nuclear attack submarines, three fire-support ships, and a profusion of support vessels and transports.

Now perhaps preparing to defend the sea against French and possibly Roycelandian incursion, the Soviets invited their Spyrian comrades to stand with them and to strike an epic blow against the capacities of world imperialism.

With the approach of the newly democratised reinforcement fleet, comrade Admiral Teuvo Jones was about ready to give-up his rank as well, and broadcast an address from the bridge of the Belinus, sent out for all to hear across the region.

"There is today at light a torch, borne by the God-fearing in hope of empires new... but it flickers timidly under the long shadow of world revolution! By tomorrow, comrades, the indignant fist of the world's towering free shall have closed about the torch and suffocated its wicked flame that burns only to deprive emancipated men and women of their oxygen!"
The prospect of meeting the enemy with full force was a materially expensive one, but since it would neuter Louis beyond the confines of the European stage and involved the possibility of hobbling Roycelandian incursion into Asia -newly begun in the Philippines- should Royce decide to lie down with the foppish rooster it had been decided by the newly functioning democratic Soviets sailing with the reinforcement fleet that full force would indeed by applied.

One hundred and fourteen Ka-32BG Super Helix helicopters, seventy-seven Morrigan UAVs, thirty-six Ja-36 Yellowbat helicopter gunships, sixteen Preston anti-ship/submarine planes, one hundred and thirty-one Puffin VTOL strike fighters, sixty-two Springer attackers, and one hundred and sixty Hobgoblin air superiority fighters remained operational with the two fleets now divided by distances within the range of many aircraft. With thousands of tonnes of reserve munitions carried in the fleets, it would be possible -if less blunt tactics failed- to sink the enemy's arrangement by irresistable weight of fire alone.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/Chivtv/NS1/coralseamap.jpg
The Soviet reinforcement fleet can be seen moving in from the north. The X marks indicate the approximate position of support vessels. The square marks indicate surface combatants, mainly fleet defence and general warfare frigates. The circle marks indicate individual attack submarines waiting silently.

At present, the broad plan calls for aircraft from west and north to strike the enemy fleet as it approaches past Vanuatu, for WIGs to follow up with hit and run missile and possibly anti-submarine torpedo volleys, and then for western surface ships to withdraw in order to keep out of gun range. Submarines will then engage at whatever passage the enemy choose to take, being presumably hard to detect initially as they ought to be static or at most utilitising electric drive. Secondary air attacks and surface ship fire would engage the enemy as they press for gun range: the northern reinforcements arriving in time to cover any withdrawal up the coast and behind the outer reef.

Soviet meeting halls in the Commonwealth and in both fleets

The Beddgelens were still quite confident of the inferiority of the French tactical position. Their bias towards gunnery and their lack of aircraft carriers as well as the pressing need for them to advance left few doubting that the only potential difficulty would be in finally sinking the thick-skinned battleships, which weren't really credited with providing a major threat unless allowed a free hand against ground-forces.

But this no longer seemed to be the most important aspect of the situation, so said many Igovians. Victory could be attained, the French would be ruined as an imperial power, and there was a possibility that the Roycelandians may lose most of their Pacific strength as well. Steps were being undertaken to keep the Roycelandians out: simply threatening to destroy their Pacific base was one element; hinting at major military aid to Lusaka, and the possibility of long-term stationing of Soviet forces and missiles in the United African Republic was another; and now a tentative deal to place Soviet troops, aircraft, and perhaps warships in Neo Anarchos threatened to bring any war that Roycelandia started with the Commonwealth unfold right on the Emperor's doorstep- the prospect of having Soviet warships in the Caribbean was especially exciting since presently they had to travel all the way around South America to get there. But that didn't mean that the Roiks could be absolutely certainly relied upon to remain relatively uninvolved.

The possibility of NATO being dragged in was deemed remote, owing to Bull's stipulation that the treaty not bind signatories to action in the Pacific (except to defend the USQ proper), but Bull's government had been replaced by a more reactionary one so that too no longer seemed a safe bet in matters of life and death. If NATO became involved, the Commonwealth would be forced to act against the UK's naval base at Diego Garcia, and this would in turn drag United Elias into the war. That would likely disrupt the Middle East's oil industry at some point, as well turning the Arabian peninsula into chaos. Battle would be joined in all corners of Africa, and the Holy League would see total war rather than a skirmish. Neo-Anarchos would become a Roycelandian-Soviet battlefield, and there would be a need to gain access to the Panama Canal, and even without that it was possible that Quinntonia would be already involved with NATO. With the world so distracted and none-Middle Eastern oil likely to be earning bigger sums, one agenda had most to gain: reactionary Russia with its declining leader.
The Soviets were drawn to conclude that there was a real -though hardly certain- risk of sparking the greatest war in human history, and not one fought primarily for world revolution. Probably it would ruin all the great civilisations but perhaps Russia and China -unless the latter also was drawn-in- and not more than a few thousand of the world's billions stood to gain from that.

So close to making the Pacific safe and crippling the French Empire, the Soviets were now considering that it might be best -for the sake of the world's masses- to withdraw without further engagement. Opposition cried shame with a possible famous victory in sight and warned that Louis might strengthen his domestic position, but most Beddgelens were prepared to bite their tongues and stand down rather than run the risk of seeing the campaign spin out of their control. When one is no longer in control of all the essential factors, a battle is perhaps best put-down.

The first Soviet fleet remained in battle formation and the second continued its approach, but WIGs from Wallis and Futuna had already departed, and landing craft were moved back to collect troops from the Loyalty Islands. At Front Point, the defenders were spared the final assault that would have over-run them. Helicopters began to extract GSIC teams as the main Soviet Marine sections began to withdraw under covering fire from ships, armour, and aircraft more than sufficient to ward-off what the French had on hand.

Initially there would be no signals to the French, but if their fleet continued its advance it would be advised that a departure was under-way and that it should hold position or withdraw. As ranges closed, that signal would not be repeated but the French vessels would all be sunk and the operation would be forced back on. The Soviets were not far inland and not heavily emplaced, and expected a speedy return to their ships to be complete before the French fleet arrived off shore, but it was entirely possible that the French would reach the frigate screen's engagement range if they continued at speed and did not hold-off. The point of no return would come before the battleships closed to gun-range, of course.

The Parliament is quite alarmed when it first comprehends the possible implications of the Igovian actions in New Caledonia. Beyond the Holy League, of course...there is little love lost between Parliament and Reactionary Europe. But a war between Beth Gellert and NATO would by all means be a world war, to be avoided at all costs.

Therefore, when news starts to trickle in of a possible Bedgellen withdrawl, Parliament is relieved to an extent. While nobody pretends that they wouldn't want to see Beth Gellert give Elkazor a solid roughing up, the setting and the circumstances don't necessarily seem to call for it. Now Algeria, on the other hand...

But, of course, Louis might just want a glorious war against communism. In such a case, the Igovian soviets' leanings towards pulling out won't mean much. At the same time, it would probably remove most of France's legitimacy for war and ruin one of the combatants...by all accounts most likely Elkazor and the holy league.

House of Commons, London

The second Prime Minister's questions of the new parliamentary term was in full swing, and Chaffin stood, poised and relaxed over the dispatch box, the view was quite different from this side of the house, but he had quickly adapted to defending, rather than than the offensive attitude he had to take during his three years as Leader of the Opposition.

Just as the Prime Minister finished brushing off some ridiculous question about his proposed Ways and Means Bill, the speaker cut in, "Mr. John Stroud."

A short figure rose from the BID ranks, dressed in a cheap suit, and wearing the most distasteful plychrome tie, "Does the Prime Minister intend to abide by the NATO treaty, specifically stating that Pacific territories do not fall under the obligations for mutual defence?"

"The honourable member seems to imply that the NATO treaty forbids a member nation from acting in defence of another if it is not expressly covered by the document. It is the view of my government that we should view our obligations, not in terms of legal small print, but with common sense and informed judgements." Chaffin smirked, on the inside at least, he had been sufficiently vague so that he could keep up the uncertainty in Beth Gellert, and cautiously threaten them without effectively declaring war.

With the situation rapidly changing, the Spyran submarine group recieves its orders: support and defend Igovian withdrawal.

Given the fact that such a withdrawal is by no means guaranteed, the full implications remain vague.

House of Commons, London

The second Prime Minister's questions of the new parliamentary term was in full swing, and Chaffin stood, poised and relaxed over the dispatch box, the view was quite different from this side of the house, but he had quickly adapted to defending, rather than than the offensive attitude he had to take during his three years as Leader of the Opposition.

Just as the Prime Minister finished brushing off some ridiculous question about his proposed Ways and Means Bill, the speaker cut in, "Mr. John Stroud."

A short figure rose from the BID ranks, dressed in a cheap suit, and wearing the most distasteful plychrome tie, "Does the Prime Minister intend to abide by the NATO treaty, specifically stating that Pacific territories do not fall under the obligations for mutual defence?"

"The honourable member seems to imply that the NATO treaty forbids a member nation from acting in defence of another if it is not expressly covered by the document. It is the view of my government that we should view our obligations, not in terms of legal small print, but with common sense and informed judgements." Chaffin smirked, on the inside at least, he had been sufficiently vague so that he could keep up the uncertainty in Beth Gellert, and cautiously threaten them without effectively declaring war.

OCC: Ah, Prime Minister's questions. What would sunday night be without them?

House of Commons, London

The second Prime Minister's questions of the new parliamentary term was in full swing, and Chaffin stood, poised and relaxed over the dispatch box, the view was quite different from this side of the house, but he had quickly adapted to defending, rather than than the offensive attitude he had to take during his three years as Leader of the Opposition.

Just as the Prime Minister finished brushing off some ridiculous question about his proposed Ways and Means Bill, the speaker cut in, "Mr. John Stroud."

A short figure rose from the BID ranks, dressed in a cheap suit, and wearing the most distasteful plychrome tie, "Does the Prime Minister intend to abide by the NATO treaty, specifically stating that Pacific territories do not fall under the obligations for mutual defence?"

"The honourable member seems to imply that the NATO treaty forbids a member nation from acting in defence of another if it is not expressly covered by the document. It is the view of my government that we should view our obligations, not in terms of legal small print, but with common sense and informed judgements." Chaffin smirked, on the inside at least, he had been sufficiently vague so that he could keep up the uncertainty in Beth Gellert, and cautiously threaten them without effectively declaring war.

A Parliament member (From an obscure British Party that had a tiny percentage of the vote) that was secretly on the payroll of the Russian government stood up.

"Prime Minister, how can we maintain this degree of unsteadiness? Our loyal allies, the Roycelandians, have been attacked! Their men and ships have been annihilated by the attacks of the vicious Bedgellen beasts! How can we sit by and do nothing?!? I demand that this parliament acts! Or shall Britain again be reduced to irrelevance on the world stage?"

(If it's an obscure party like that, it probably didn't win a seat in Parliament in the first place, but that's a fairly minor nitpick for now)

(If it's an obscure party like that, it probably didn't win a seat in Parliament in the first place, but that's a fairly minor nitpick for now)
OOC: The Parliament is fairly large, so I'm guessing a local party might get a seat in.

(Well, with Labour and the Lib Dems and the Tories and BID and Plaid Cymru and all the Irish nationalist and unionist parties and the Scottish nationalists, I'm not sure how much room there'd be for more minor parties, given that they'd have to engage people locally and win them over in what would traditionally be someone else's seat, but yeah, I suppose that this isn't for me to decide here. Never mind.)

(Hmm. Well, I'll let TBF decide. Just had to get my meddling in there somehow! I've got to find a way to keep your paws off of my Eastern European plans...)

(Hehe, dastard!)

(Hehe, dastard!)
I'll bring the entire world upon India, while I innocently scoop up Eastern Europe....MWA! HA! HA! Ahem. Roik was right; Imperialism is a good thing! Well, not to the people on the receiving end...But who cares about those peons? ;)

(The peons care! Igovian thought is all about getting people to straighten their own spines, and the moment you hit one Eastern European nation, GSIC will descend upon the rest to ready the people -not the brittle institutions- for the storm. Ought to be a show-down. Ideally we'd get a few people in to play EE nations before it's all over, I suppose. (I am likely to get confused: Beddgelert, my other nation, is a long-term member of the insular-Eastern Europe region and well used to causing trouble there: in that reality, Graeme Igo is a fallen dictator who killed 21million people and invaded Russia :) ))

(The peons care! Igovian thought is all about getting people to straighten their own spines, and the moment you hit one Eastern European nation, GSIC will descend upon the rest to ready the people -not the brittle institutions- for the storm. Ought to be a show-down. Ideally we'd get a few people in to play EE nations before it's all over, I suppose. (I am likely to get confused: Beddgelert, my other nation, is a long-term member of the insular-Eastern Europe region and well used to causing trouble there: in that reality, Graeme Igo is a fallen dictator who killed 21million people and invaded Russia :) ))
Oh I know they do. I am one, after all. I'm actually a huge believer in democracy, and part of it is why I am invading. I've been to much of Eastern Europe, and the sheer disconnect between the nation and its leaders is sickening. A good example is Poland. After the fall of Communism, huge amounts of government industries were sold off. But where is the money?

Well, wouldn't everyone like to know. But Mr. Kwasniewski and his buddies sure seem to like nice cars....

Oh, and it'll be an interesting showdown. Me, the HL, Roycelandia VS BG, Hindustan. I've got to woo the Chinese and NATO...

((Not to ignore the American super-rich/tens of millions of Americans under the poverty-line situation or anything...) And -when listing sides- don't forget whatever proportion of the eastern European masses we manage to englighten! At the moment we're not making any attempts to aid the Itakchi commune because it would mean conflict with an EE nation... if conflict starts there anyway, we'll make darn sure their ideals survive :) )

((Not to ignore the American super-rich/tens of millions of Americans under the poverty-line situation or anything...) And -when listing sides- don't forget whatever proportion of the eastern European masses we manage to englighten! At the moment we're not making any attempts to aid the Itakchi commune because it would mean conflict with an EE nation... if conflict starts there anyway, we'll make darn sure their ideals survive :) )
You do realize that in comparison, those under America's poverty line have a higher standard of living than those in the average of many other nations? Which explains why the Green Party (closest thing to socialists here) got less than 1%...

Of course some of the Eastern Europeans will side with you. But you've got to remember, many of them (especially Poland) hate anything vaguely resembling Communism and are incredibly Catholic. Of course, you'll tell them that Bolshevism wasn't true Communism, but you probably won't find many willing to listen...

(Yeah, and slaves in the early C19th were better off than slaves in the early C18th. Rock! We probably won't hit them with words like communist, but go for words like, Russian, instead :) )

(Yeah, and slaves in the early C19th were better off than slaves in the early C18th. Rock! We probably won't hit them with words like communist, but go for words like, Russian, instead :) )
You do realize that the American poor are better off than the middle class...in socialist nations? That the American poor live so well in comparison to other nations because the US is one of the most capitalist nations in the world?

BG? Appealing to nationalism? Hmm...The EEians aren't going to be as friendly to Russian control as the Kazakhs...Well, that's what Fuel Air Bombs are for! :)

(The Russians thing will probably be brought out if the imperialists try to derail our efforts as, "communist". That'll just force us to say, yes, damn Russians! Now, Igovian democracy, that is something to think about!

There is in socialism no middle class as understood by the modern world. Surely no class with better education or other prospects where such basic things as the means of production, distribution, and exchange have been snatched back by the people. Certainly not in Beth Gellert.

There are American poor without homes. American gaols (or jails) are the most populated in the 'free world' (with a prison population relatively six to ten times higher than typical EU nations, last I heard). The American poor typically is a term that takes no account of how hundreds of thousands who would otherwise be unemployed Americans are conveniently in prison or employed in supporting the prison system, sufficiently that perhaps unemployment would be a couple of percent higher without this strange condition, relative to Europe.

That aside, the poorest millions of Americans are worse off than the poorest Canadians or Europeans, inarguably. Last I knew, the US had the most unequal distribution of income of any developed nation. And those conditions are with only the barest skeleton of socialist progress considered. We won't be pushing state capitalism any more than we'll be pimping the mind bogglingly stupid modern free market.

The idea that socialism props up the poor who're lazy and useless is downright sick and, in my estimation, perfectly equal to Nazism. Needless to say, most Igovians are rather more vitriolic and better armed, and on a tradition of warfare and relative democracy dating back before any of these upstart empires, will certainly be ready to derail your leaving party :) )

(Meh, I could debate you <Considering that our crime rates have fallen significantly thanks to the prison system, and how many prisoners are illegal aliens, and how the living standard for the American poor is actually quite high <the income definition for poverty line could afford a small apartment with appliances and such>, but the OOC thing is happening again...

Ruin my leaving party, will you! How rude! ;) Well, not if Sino has anything to say about it...For once, I'm thankful for mad Chinese nationalists...)

Hey I need the huge unwashed masses of the first world to sell crappy TV's to, so go out there and defend capitalism, guys! Ahzadi factory workers need you! ;)

The Cult Film circuit in Roycelandia is waiting for the Azhadi versions of "Star Wars: Episode III", "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory", and any dodgy porn they might have... ;)

Neo-Anarchos

As news of the violent conflicts between Beth Gellert and France with allies filters into the Neo-Anarchan nations, the foreign councils have begun to express discontent at both Beddgellan and Roycelandian foreign policy. It would seem that Royce has propped up Guyana to be a buffer between South America and himself, and that the soviets just might see the eastern Neo-Anarchos as a place to fight the Roycelandian close to their home ground, rather than just be a deterrence as they had discussed - But if course, they would never do such a thing, right?



OOC

Beth Gellert / Armandian Cheese >> Don't start with the OOC banter again, it derails RP - If you must talk OOC about the proceedings, there's a thread for it; and if you want to talk ideology, we DO have a perfectly fine forum for it on the AMW invisionfree 9.

Foreign Minister Jeff Lebowski is quick to suggest that the obvious solution is for ALL parties to adopt a Hands-Off approach to Guyana. The Anarchists call off La Revolucion, the Roycelandians will pack up and go home, and the Bedgellens will hopefully follow suit.

Of course, if the Anarchists insist persist in their revolution, Roycelandia will have to stay in Guyana, and that's bad for everyone...

((I will reply to this now in the Neo-Anarchos intro thread, as Neo-Anarchos, so it doesn't clutter up here, aight?))

A Parliament member (From an obscure British Party that had a tiny percentage of the vote) that was secretly on the payroll of the Russian government stood up.

"Prime Minister, how can we maintain this degree of unsteadiness? Our loyal allies, the Roycelandians, have been attacked! Their men and ships have been annihilated by the attacks of the vicious Bedgellen beasts! How can we sit by and do nothing?!? I demand that this parliament acts! Or shall Britain again be reduced to irrelevance on the world stage?"

(More likely to be a Conservative MP with a renegade streak, and that is possibly pushing his luck)

The Prime Minister stood, turning, most embarrasingly to face the government benches and stare down one of his own. Chaffin looked down his nose, half angry at the fellow and half amused. This was one of the newer generation, a fiery youth, of barely thirty, terribly earnest but lacking a certain wisdom that only political experience and a session with the Chief Whip could provide. Chaffin started his answer calmly, but with his trademark slightly theatrical tone, "I assure my honourable friend, the member for Thannet South, that it is the intention of the government to do all in our power to maintain peace and security, but of course without compromising our interests or those of our allies. Your loyalty to our Roycelandian friends is noteworthy..." Chaffin paused, making the poor MP aware of that there was an unspoken subtext, i.e what about loyalty to your own leader? "...and indeed commendable, but it should be the policy of the United Kingdom to carefully consider its position before becoming involved in a colonial war, in a region that could not be further from our own soil. That is not to say we condone acts of communist belligerence, or that we are intent on appeasing aggressor states, but that it is fundamentally better to avoid a potentially massive conflict over what is a relatively minor issue. However, rest assured, Great Britain, whilst being tolerant of other ideologies, is not tolerant of bellicose regimes, and this situation which will be monitored closely by this government."

The speaker rose, ending the seesion with two words, "Time's up," as members of all parties waved their order papers at each other.

-London-
Alex Last politely thanked the PM, smiling confidently as he sat down. He hadn't expected the Prime Minister to actually be convinced, of course, but although he'd been slightly outmaneuvered with the subtle challenge of his loyalty to Britain, his goal had still been achieved.

The fires had been lit, and the idea of Britain involving itself had become now a possibility. A small possibility, yes, but a possibility nonetheless.

His pale mop of hair fluttered in the wind as he strolled outside, and entered his limousine. Whilst fixing his sunglasses, he pulled out a cellphone.

"Everything is going according to plan, Commander."
"It betta, foo! You know we gotta distract dose crazy Bedgellen foos!"
"I realize that, Commander. That is why I shall spend the next few weeks rallying against the Bedgellens. But sir, with all due respect, I need more."
"Mo' what, foo?"
"Justification! The whole Coral Sea thing was an accident, and the Communists are withdrawing! This is no justification for war!"
"...."
"Commander?"
"Shut up foo! I'm thinkin'. Hmmm...I need to go drink some milk. I'll figure out somethin' later. Out."
"Out."

Alex was in an interesting position, really. Here he was, on the payroll of a foreign nation, yet he still considered himself a patriot. Indeed, only with the destruction of the damned Communists could England rise again as a major power, or at least he thought that way.

_________________________________________________________
-South Pacific, Near New Caledonia-

"Commander, bearing on target. Tagging as Sierra One."
"Bear in closer, slow down a couple of knots. We have to be extremely quiet for this operation."

A newly minted submarine, fresh out of Russian shipyards approached the Chinese refugee ship slowly. What was odd about this ship was that despite being fully funded and created by the Russian Navy, it was built upon...Bedgellen designs. It mimicked a Bedgellen submarine in every way, right down to the torpedoes...

(OOC: I'll wait and see if Xiaguo detects me or not...)

Versailles

"They're doing what?" said His Most Christian Majesty, putting a gold fork spearing a plump morsel of quail back on the Sevres dinner service.

Le Marquis de Miromesnil, Minister of the Kings Household, plumed tricorner tucked under his arm, repeated what he had just said:

"Sire, from all appearences, they seem to be suggesting a withdrawal."

Louis was flustered now, and his face seemed confused. The Queen's jaw hung slack...she had bet her lady in waiting, the Princesse de Lamballe, ten thousand Louis d'or that the French would loose the colony. Despite valiant defenses and an immenent naval battle, Marie-Therese had not really doubted the outcome.

"But, Miromesnil, why?"

The Minister flushed, if that was possible between the layers of powder and rouge.

"Perhaps, Sire, Your Majesty gave them a fight they could not stand against." Miromesnil seized the moment, ingratiating himself with Louis XX for years to come, he learned close to the King--"Sire, they could not gainsay your will."

Louis practically squeeled in delight, and in a robust command shouted "On our knees to God!" Without any delay, the whole assembly (which had gathered in the evenings to watch the Royal Family dine in Versailles as per custom) dropped to their knees.

After a prayer, Louis sent his heralds zipping around. First on the agenda, Louis ordered that for the next day, Paris would be turned out to celebrate. His Majesty decreed a Te Deum to be sung at Notre Dame.

But for now, the Royal Family and their entourage retired to the Grand Park of Versailles, where His Majesty ordered the canons to fire salutes, and the bells to ring.

New Caledonia

News of a Begdellen withdrawal triggered negotiations at once. General Kessan opened up lines of communication with the Begdellens, seeking to confirm whether a cease fire had in deed been ordered.

The French Armada stood down in its course, now nearly within sight of Vanatu. It was still on General Quarters, but after no attack yet by the Igovians, they halted and strained their ears.

From Ft. St. Martin General Kessan, the provisional Governer of New Caledonia since Marquis de Ballencourt fled with his family, sent Priests out to the Begdellen lines under white flags of truce, offering to assist any Igovian wounded, and asking return of any Frenchmen hurt in the line of fire.

Indeed, at the remains of First Point and at a panic striken Second, French forces would cease fire as soon as hearing the news. Of course, if fired upon, they would return.

Now, while Versailles tried to contact the Igovian Senate to determine what was going on and ask the same thing of its Roycelandian allies, everybody just waited to see what was going on, and could further battle be avoided?

And were the Igovians just offering the French a chance for conditional surrender? French authorities were baffled, why would hard core communists invade New Caledonia, slugging it out at the beach with only great effort, only to give up when they were in line to sack Noumea?

One thing was for sure, at least. Despite what the talking heads and pundits had believed, His Most Christian Majesty Louis XX had taught them a lesson.

France was a power again, with valor and skill to support her. The ghosts of World Wars One and Two, in France, had been exorcised. Louis XX, despite what anyone believed about he himself, had become a French Hero.

-London-
Alex Last politely thanked the PM, smiling confidently as he sat down. He hadn't expected the Prime Minister to actually be convinced, of course, but although he'd been slightly outmaneuvered with the subtle challenge of his loyalty to Britain, his goal had still been achieved.

The fires had been lit, and the idea of Britain involving itself had become now a possibility. A small possibility, yes, but a possibility nonetheless.

His pale mop of hair fluttered in the wind as he strolled outside, and entered his limousine. Whilst fixing his sunglasses, he pulled out a cellphone.

"Everything is going according to plan, Commander."
"It betta, foo! You know we gotta distract dose crazy Bedgellen foos!"
"I realize that, Commander. That is why I shall spend the next few weeks rallying against the Bedgellens. But sir, with all due respect, I need more."
"Mo' what, foo?"
"Justification! The whole Coral Sea thing was an accident, and the Communists are withdrawing! This is no justification for war!"
"...."
"Commander?"
"Shut up foo! I'm thinkin'. Hmmm...I need to go drink some milk. I'll figure out somethin' later. Out."
"Out."

Alex was in an interesting position, really. Here he was, on the payroll of a foreign nation, yet he still considered himself a patriot. Indeed, only with the destruction of the damned Communists could England rise again as a major power, or at least he thought that way.



OOC: Hehe, a British backbench MP in a limousine, that really would spark suspicions. This is not America, not Russia for that matter, Conservative MPs take taxis, Liberals ride bicycles and Labour ones take the bus. Generalisations of course, but generally true... ;)

OOC: Geez...Don't they pay your MPs? Hmm...Well, I'll just say he come from a self made businessman before running for Parliament.

OOC:Wow, I missed alot...summary?

OOC: Geez...Don't they pay your MPs? Hmm...Well, I'll just say he come from a self made businessman before running for Parliament.

They do pay them, but not too well...

OOC:Wow, I missed alot...summary?
BG invaded New Caledonia (French posessions), accidentally got in a skirmish with Roycelandia, and withdrew, hoping to avoid entering war with NATO.

The Russian Submarine continues to gain a bead on Xiannese ships...

Though this whole situation is continually putting Quinntonia into an awkward position, it should be noted that Quinntonia, again, states that they have no desire to see a conflict blow up enough to involve Quinntonia itself, however, lines need to be drawn, Roycelandia is A member of NATO, and will be defended as such, that, coupled with the fact that Quinntonia does see this BG action as an invasion of another political entity that is obviously not requested by the people involved. Thus, imposing a form of government that is not requested on a people that don't want it, by force of a foriegn power, thus, this is imperialism and tyranny. The tyranny of the many, but tyranny nonetheless. Explaining to the people of New Calcedonia as a 6 foot tall, powerfully built Celt Warrior comes screaming down upon them firing and slashing and bombing and burning their homeland, that they are here to help "enlighten" them.
So, the Quinntonian government asks that this conflict be contained, and WMDs are absolutely not employed by either side, and we will not become involved.
However, it should be noted that the Western portion of the Pacific is going to be heavily patrolled by Quinntonian fleets, and should BG war vessels come too close to Quinntonian holdings, they will be turned away, by force if necessary, as Roycelandia is both an ally and has major stragtegic importance to Quinntonia.

WWJD
Amen.

As the war is resolved, Chinese ships head for East Island, and restock their necessities before heading out, a first in many decades of Chinese history to expand it's military naval borders.

The Chinese Admiral of Unifed Chinese Fleets, who is in charge of Naval Expeditions, Li Qing Hua, will be docking in New Caledonia and will offer New Caledonia Chinese Monetary aid, in which China has pledged 45 million dollars in reconstruction.


China had also wished for talks with the French in plans that the Chinese wish to build Chinese naval bases and to invest money in building roads and the cities and villages around the base. Due to the expansion of the Chinese navy, they will need permanent lease bases in which they may dock and operate ships.

As a result of the great trouble almost caused by the attack on New Caledonia, Parliament begins to stir. If reports are to be believed, the Hindustani Parliament might very well be debating a new foreign policy doctrine.

According to preliminary indications, the new policy will come quite close to declaring Hindustan neutral. Motivated primarily by a desire to avoid a disastrous and costly international war, the likes of which seem to loom ever closer by the day, the new policy will probably declare Hindustani good intentions and desire to allow the nation itself, as well as other associated nations, the right of self-determination. The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Al-Ahzad, Vietnam, Afghanistan, the South American Anarchists, and several other states are contacted and asked about their feelings towards a mutual declaration of neutrality.

The Hassam Doctrine, as it might come to be known, does not look to alienate Beth Gellert and Lyong, but simply to raise a bulwark against potential aggression on the part of Reactionary Europe. Hindustani efforts to associate nations formerly on the Hindustani aid list with Quinntonia and TBF have been well-publicized, and attempt to erase any excuse that Louis, Juan Catalan, Wingert, or Putin might have in invading them.

While the proposal could very well be defeated in voting, Parliament has opted to wait and gauge international reaction before making a decision...

As the Xiannese ships steam towards East Islandia, the submarines Aisho, commanded by the lovely Sung Hyunsoo, and Death Tide, commanded by Lee Bang-il, contact Admiral Li Qing Hua. They are headed home after an unusually long (6 month) cruise, and are ready for some company on the lonely trip home.

OOC: Xiaguo...
1. Check your TGs.
2. I posted something on this page that should probably interest you...

LRR>>

The Federate Anarcho-syndicalist Communes of Neo-anarchos has pondered the proposal, and by way of a number of foreign-political councils communicated their agreement to Hindustan. Their position as principial pacifists argues in favour of neutrality, and holds that autonomous government(that is, total self-determinism and -government) is the right of all peoples - Of course, Caledonian or French assault on Anarchist nations(such as Guyana or Venezuela by way of French Guiana), will disrupt the agreement and prompt war; but this is seen as unlikely unless allied nations like Roycelandia steps up agression in South America.

New Caledonia

Chinese offers of aid are greatly appreciated and accepted, as a tense pall hangs over the torn island...what are the Igovians up to?

The Chinese interest in acquiring a South Pacific Naval base is noticed by Versailles, which hints it might be agreeable to such a plan. Wallis and Fortuna Islands could very well be sold, but the French would no doubt wish for a sumit for such talks.

The French Armada arrived in Noumea's harbor with no small amount of fanfare, delievering supplies and aid to the besieged civilians.

Within hours, the Royal Dauphin Corps had landed in the capital, and was dispatching teams to Ft. St. Martin. Noumea International Airport, relativley undamaged by the Igovian assault, sees around the clock landings of jumbo jets and cargo craft containing French docors and engineers, there to begin the daunting task of rebuilding the Islands infrastructure.

Versailles now becomes quite vocal that the Begdellens present terms for a cease fire, angered that the communists had not even bothered to declare war porperly in the first place. Furthermore, there is talk (not unsubstantiated) that His Most Christian King will demand that Beth Gellert pay war reparations for their grossly barbarous actions.

Furthermore, it has just been learned that Louis XX himself will arrive ere long with his entourage to visit the Island and its brave defenders, awarding some of the bravest with high peerages and orders of chivalry. This is the beginning of a Royal Tour, where His Most Christian Majesty and Queen Marie-Therese will visit: New Caledonia, French Guyana, Port Royal in Roycelandia for a conference with His Imperial Highness Royce I, the Kingdom of Algeria, and stopping off in Madrid to meet with Emporer Catalan for the final segment before going home to Versailles.

The garrison had acquitted itself admirably, but of course took grevious casualties in the fighting. Louis would give out many signs of valor to his brave subjects.

Casualties
Gardes Francais-
12,568 stationed at Ft. St. Martin
-394 died at Front Point, out of 1,000 defending the lines.
-92 died in air raids on Ft. St. Martin
Colonial Militia-
7,000 stationed in Ft. St. Martin and Noumea
-240 died at Front Point, out of 1,000 defending the lines.
-103 died in air raids on Ft. St. Martin
"Martyrs Brigade"
1,000 stationed at Front Point
-771 died defending the lines.
Ordu du Saint Espirit
One Wing (72 craft) Mirage-2000's stationed at Ft. St. Martin
-47 shot down or missing over the battle site.

To commemorate the ghastly battle and display French loyalty to God and King, His Majesty's Academy of Art has released the following print, copied and distributed by the thousands. The largest version, the original, has been shipped to New Caledonia from Paris and is being posted on the Palace of Governence. It is a massive, black and white, relief...showing His Most Christian King metaphorically representing the might of France while offering comfort and succor to his besieged subjects in New Caledonia, and Christs light and angels attend His Most Christian Majesty Louis XX in the effort.

The print is no doubt already circulating amongst Holy Leauge nations and Roycelandia, soon to make its way to Britain and Quinntonnia...dare it be said a few copies may even trickle into Beth Gellert and or Hindustan. It has already won great acclaim for emotion and style, a fine example of Restoration art.

"Defending the Right" (http://persweb.wabash.edu/facstaff/lamarlec/f306/fontenoy.louisXV.allegorie.jpeg)

Dozens of Crates dropped from Chinese planes. The crates, full of food, clothing, and medical supplies have been dropped in the outer areas from the cities and villages.


The Chinese is indeed interested in buying or accepting a lease deal with the French for the Wallis and Fortuna Islands. China is also seeking much foreign colonies and countries in which they may invest in building a military base, along with the many benifits brought to the area.

The Chinese are seeking possible leases and purchases of foreign land in the South Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. China has vowed to expand their navy to the seven oceans. Not only is the navy involved, but a possible overseas Chinese military force are being included in the lease deals.



Chancellor Yeh and several Chinese Ministers and Officials are seeking a conference with their French counterparts in closing military and naval expansion.

OOC: Reposting it since Xiaguo didn't notice..
-South Pacific, Near New Caledonia-

"Commander, bearing on target. Tagging as Sierra One."
"Bear in closer, slow down a couple of knots. We have to be extremely quiet for this operation."

A newly minted submarine, fresh out of Russian shipyards approached the Chinese refugee ship slowly. What was odd about this ship was that despite being fully funded and created by the Russian Navy, it was built upon...Bedgellen designs. It mimicked a Bedgellen submarine in every way, right down to the torpedoes...

(OOC: I'll wait and see if Xiaguo detects me or not...Also, Elkazor, DO NOT allow the Chinese to purchase/lease bases...unless they agree to the EE arrangement.)

Hindustani art critics are somewhat surprised by the work's lack of any kind of color.

"Looks like a bloody woodcut!" some would say.

"I could've drawn that on a napkin! Its all shading!" say others.

The art of the Ancien regime is colorful, decadent, grandeose...not some drab little newspaper clipping.

In a standard orgainzation of ships, the Chinese refugee ships are all surrounded by frigates and destroyers before it can reach hospital, refugee, supply, and flag ships.


"Captain, we've detected a submarine heading toward our ship."

"Load the chambers, and contact nearby ships. Send a message to the incoming submarine" said the captain of of the Imperial Chinese Ship, Xinyang.

OOC: Damn, spotted me!

IC:

"Ladies and gentlemen..."
"Captain, our orders were to retreat if detected."
"No...Crew...My son was named Oswald. He was the Secretary Of The Treasury, and those bastard Xiannese took him out like he was nothing!"
"Didn't they target Liu?"
"Yes! My son was so unimportant he was just a dust speck to them, simply in the way! Fire at will men! FIRE!"

The Russian sub (disguised as a Bedgellen one) launched several torpedoes at the Xiannese aid vessels, aiming at one deemed especially vulnerable. Several noisemakers were deployed, and the Submarine began to retreat...

OOC:Ok, this is when Liu comes in, so I'm out.

OOC- drab my ass. Anywho, AC, dont worry, China is not going to get a free lunch, there is to be much negotiation before anything is signed.

When the hell is Putin coming to Versailles?

OOC: I need to wrangle with the Chinese a bit before I can go. Their assistance is key.

Base or not, China is looking for permanent, or Chinese operated bases. Either way, The Chinese are able to dock ships right next to French Colonies or Allied harbours and waters.

The Imperial Roycelandian Government has greeted news of the Bedgellen withdrawl with jubilation, and the Imperial Airforce, Imperial Navy, and Maritime Air Service are organising a parade through Port Vila, Port Royal, and Port Imperial to celebrate (with the lead marching band playing John Philip Sousa's Liberty Bell March).

Meanwhile, Flying Officer Evans has been named the new Governor-General of Franco-Roycelandian Polynesia and Captain Lister's son Jim has suddenly gone from being a University Student and Video Store Clerk to Governor-General of Southern Algeria.

Also, the surviving members of the Elliot Carver will receive medals, along with the Maritime Air Service pilots and Foreign Legionnaires who participated in the Battle...

OOC: I typed up a really long and detailed post, but Jolt ate it, so you all get the edited highlights...

OOC
i assume that the refugee ships were headed to my nation.

*****
Following the attack of the submarine on the refugee ships, the Islandian banner navy immediately begins escorts of the convoys.

In the meantime, Captain Sung's submarine is dispatched to hunt and destroy the rogue submarine which fired on the refugee convoy.

OOC: Liu is busy, so I'll just have them search for the ship.

After the refugee ships were safely escorted to East Islandia, the dozen of Chinese submarines and a few destroyers are now tracking the enemy ship.

No damage was reported as the Chinese ships simply repelled the attacks, which in no way could of scratched an Armada, especially when this submarine is trying to be under a low profile.

A portion of the Nanyang fleet was escorting seven hospital and destroyer-turned-refugee ships, with an additional, two supply ships heading for a final re-supply before heading to New Caledonia to drop off treated French troops who were picked up by the Chinese. The ships will be headed for Malaysia.

As the Nanyang ships chase the enemy submarine, several Beiyang fleets near New Caledonia heads South to sandwich the submarine, the ships are capable of surrounding the area completely.

Aboard nuclear attack submarine Aisho, Sung Hyunsoo commanding
South Pacific

As the klaxons flashed an unsightly red, the crew leaped to action. Sailors ran to their duty stations, closed watertight doors, prepared for damage control, and armed torpedoes.

"Go active," Captain Sung ordered her sonar officer. She nodded and began scanning the oceans with their active sonar, a towed array.

"Caterpillars," Sung said to the Engine Room.

"Yokai," came the reply.

"Contact was illuminated for two tenths of a second as we tracked the torpedoes it fired," the XO reported. "Its acoustic signature matches with known Bedgellen submarines."

Sung swore. It would be hell if her country got involved in this....the Bedgellens were many times their size and all Islandia could do if invaded was to make the war costly for the Russians...unless the seismic weapons were used.

"Prepare torpedoes," she ordered. "Two sodium torps in the forward tubes, and two in the aft tubes. Load two noisemakers, one in the forward tube and one in the aft tube. Status of countermeasures array?"

Her countermeasures officer checked his control panel and nodded. "Countermeasures array ready to go, ma'am."

"Save it for when we are discovered," she replied. "Sensors, release floating antenna and scan for any airborne targets."

"None," the sensor officer reported.

"Retract floating antenna," Sung ordered. The damned thing was useful, but also made her sub vulnerable as hell too.

At the moment, a channel was opened from the other Islandian sub. Captain Lee came through.

"Hyunsoo," Captain Lee said, his smooth voice coming through on the channel. "We have damage; the bedgellen torpedo detonated a few hundred meters too close."

Sung swore. "WHat's your status?" she asked.

"Caterpillars and silent running is down temporarily. The explosion triggered our emergency thrusters and almost blew away much of our hull," Lee said. The emergency thrusters, the newer ones at least, were tanks of explosive material placed on eight hardened points in the hull. When triggered, they detonated and blasted the submarine on a new course--and often out of the path of torpedoes. Aisho's emergency thrusters were tanks of compressed air, so they were not as damaging as the ones on Lee's craft. "We were going to take the torpedo for the ship, or try and distract it with noisemakers."

Sung shook her head. "Thank the gods that you are alive, Bang-il," she replied. "I have my orders; I will hunt for them."

"Good luck," Lee replied. "Nearest submarine is Meisho, a day away."

Sung sighed. "Thank you. Aisho out."

With that, the sleek submarine peeled off from the convoy and headed into the murky blackness of the sea, its caterpillar array pulsing quietly.

OOC: Liu is busy, so I'll just have them search for the ship.

After the refugee ships were safely escorted to East Islandia, the dozen of Chinese submarines and a few destroyers are now tracking the enemy ship.

No damage was reported as the Chinese ships simply repelled the attacks, which in no way could of scratched an Armada, especially when this submarine is trying to be under a low profile.

A portion of the Nanyang fleet was escorting seven hospital and destroyer-turned-refugee ships, with an additional, two supply ships heading for a final re-supply before heading to New Caledonia to drop off treated French troops who were picked up by the Chinese. The ships will be headed for Malaysia.

As the Nanyang ships chase the enemy submarine, several Beiyang fleets near New Caledonia heads South to sandwich the submarine, the ships are capable of surrounding the area completely.

OOC: Erm...not to quibble, but can you describe how they "repelled" the attacks? Four torpedoes don't just bounce off a hull....

Surface Ship Torpedo Defence (SSTD). The system uses highly sensitive sensors to detect incoming torpedos and can help the ship decide the next step of maneuver and also, to deploy decoys in which enemy torpedos would move awy from the official target.

Got to love British Technology.

(ASW mortars, electronic countermeasures, decoys which generate a large sonar return, kinda like underwater equuivalents of chaff)

Especially when there are several ships accompanying the centered hospital and refugee ships. Its just a matter of time before the submarine is captured or destroyed.

OOC: Erm, I guess...I still find it hard to believe four torpedoes could be deflected at such a close range...But meh.

IC:

The submarine, realizing that escape was impossible, began to surface, issuing surrender transmissions in whatever language the Bedgellens use, along with a heavy dose of typical revolutionary rhetoric.

OOC:How can your submarine even get close enough? The mission was either a suicide disaster, a risk that can bring China and Russia into hostilities, and a total failure.


"Sir, it appears they are Indians." said a messenger, the captain signaled for a Hindi over.

"Translate this."

"Sir, they are surrendering peacefully."


As the enemy submarine surfaced, they found themselves surrounded with ships pointing their guns directly at the submarine, which now looks like a toy ship.

The whole crew was taken as prisoners and are held secretly. The Chinese contacted the East Islandians that the submarine was sank after the hostile submarine retaliated.

Officials from the ships then went into the submarine and took apart the needed equiptment and had collected maps, files, and anything they could get their hands on.

Aboard the ship, the prisoners were interviewed. A more brutal future is ahead for these prisoners as they make way for China. The submarine was obliterated as a security measure.


The prisoners were chained and their mouths were checked for poisons before locking them in several chambers. They will keep them well for the 'investigations' in China.

"Xiannese report hostile submarine sunk," the XO reported.

Captain Sung frowned. "Sonar officer, review your tracks and see if you can find a detonation and breakup of underwater contact."

"Breakup found at minus four minutes," the sonar officer replied. "But it is suspicious..."

Sung walked over to the sonar station and put a headset on.

The submarine was destroyed, sure enough, but it was certainly strange, as her SO had reported. According to the tapes and the transmissions, it seemed that the Xiannese ships had boxed in the submarine, waited a while, and steamed away before destroying the submarine.

The screens showed that the ships had stayed in the box formation for a strangely long time....perhaps enough time to affect a prisoner transfer?

Sung shook her head. "Stand down from combat alert," she ordered. "Unload mobile submarine simulators, but keep one torpedo in one tube forward and aft each. Extend floating antenna and make a quick encrypted report to Undersea Warfare Command."

(Well, things seem to have moved on a fair bit without me, so I suppose that I'll just have to assume that we've moved off, since the French have reached port in something other than lifeboats...)

The Commonwealth has continued to point out that aid delivered to the civilian population of New Caledonia -if needed at all- is relieving hardships imposed by the dictatorship in the pursuit of luxury for an elite and mass militarisation in the cause of expanded tyranny. The Soviet assault did not directly weigh upon the civilian population, which was never attacked and which lived on an island under siege only for a matter of some few short days. Focus on aid efforts is reported in the Commonwealth as an obvious attempt to distract from the reality of the situation, and in the Chinese case to ingratiate those authorities for the future establishment of aggressive military bases.

Through out the crisis, anybody paying attention to Igovian media will have noted that the south Pacific conflict has never been regarded as anything but a reaction to French piracy, terrorism, and imperialism, and has nothing to do with spreading the revolution. As has been said many times before, if the Commonwealth were interested in forcibly spreading the revolution, it would have gone a lot further: the Andaman and Nicobar islands would have been annexed after they declined the offer of Commonwealth memebership after the revolution, Soviet influence in Hindustan would be greater, General Tendyala would have been arrested or assassinated when he attempted a coup against Igomo, and the Ahzadi socialists would probably have driven MT-3s into Raysuz.

The Coral Sea

The Soviet fleets were withdrawing in good order, disappointed that they'd not had the chance to destroy the French fleet but recognising the wider implications of staying. Most comrades were content to celebrate the destruction of several hundred million dollars worth of French military aircraft, and threw-in a drink for the Perepelkin and the fairly iconic sinking of a Roycelandian dreadnought, even if that wasn't what they'd come here to do.
Even if the French despot used the Soviet withdrawal in propaganda, the Igovians supposed that it was only the small minded and the followers who should be taken in, and they were to be as easily de-programmed when the time comes for progress. More important than that was the hope that the loss of a really significant part of its airforce strength almost over night and the sinking of a battleship -even if foreign- would leave the French leadership with the correct impression. Unless Louis was really the limp fool he outwardly appeared to be, the message ought to be received: there are free people in the world who punish imperialism.

The Soviets had landed less than four thousand marines, auxiliaries, and commandos on New Caledonia. Over four hundred amongst these had been stranded on the beach and seventy-four of them had died out right, though more than that number were hurt or more often made sick by gas and were now aboard the hospital ship Proudhon. It might have been many more but that French artillery positions had essentially no defence against counter battery fire. Five of eight Wombat ICVs were lost with those men.

Further up towards Front Point sixteen men had fallen dead giving long-range fire in One Section, with thirty-six dead in Two Section, and a hundred and forty in Paatelainen's own Three Section: almost its full strength. The then-General himself had received superficial injury to his left arm, apparently caught by a bayonet in close fighting with the Martrys.

At sea, the heaviest loss was that of the Perepelkin, where few escaped the ship's massive and sudden destruction. One hundred and twenty-nine hands -forty-one of them women- went down with the broken frigate. Damage to carriers and to one of the fire-support ships was rather less dramatic, but none the less means lengthy repairs and caused several dozen injuries of varying sorts and severities. A fairly serious loss was that of a utility landing craft that bore several specialty ICVs and was swamped by a near-miss from a dreadnought's primary battery while trying to make the beach. Eight crewmembers -seven men and a woman- are recorded as missing, but hopes remain high that they may have been picked up by foreign rescue vessels at work in the battle area.

In the skies, three high-tech Morrigan UAVs were destroyed early-on by French air defences while attacking radar sites. Two Springer attack planes were lost in the same missions and in striking Nouméa's airfield, while three Puffin strike fighters were lost attacking the airfield's grounded fighters and fighting the few that managed to intercept. Of seven airmen and women shot down there, only two have been extracted after meeting GSIC teams near Front Point, and the rest are recorded as missing.

A Merlin helicopter shot-down -apparently by a MANPAD- while returning from a troop insertion near Front Point had become a grave for two of its three crewmembers, while the other was seriously injured.

323 Igovians were left dead in the Coral Sea and upon the shores of New Caledonia, their comrades making no attempt to recover bodies once they were confirmed as lifeless. Five pilots (three Indian men and two women, one a Geletian) and eight soldier-sailors (one Geletian women and men Geletian, Indian, and an east African immigrant) were still missing in action.

The operation -in munitions, fuels, repairs, and losses- had cost several billion rupees already, hastening calls for the sale of mothballed Nibiru carriers.

Versailles

Preparations and packing were underway for His Most Christian Majesty's Royal Tour, the first leg of which would see him land in Noumea.

His eight jumbo jet entourage, to say nothing of Monarch One itself, would have a several day often stopping journey until finally arriving in New Caledonia.

His Majesty would decorate troops, comfort civilians, and give the natives a vision of His Glory to reward them for their valiant stand in his name, and the name of Louis' own boss---God. There were to be many medals, peerages, and tangible gifts given to the brave stock and garrison of New Caledonia,
and Her Majesty Marie-Therese was to host a country dance for the Islands girls.

New Caledonia

The Grand Square of Noumea saw the raising of a great print, 70'x70', of His Most Christian Majesty, copied after a new Court Portrait of His Majesty.

"Ludovicus Formosus" (http://www.wallacecollection.org/c/w_a/p_w_d/f/jpg/p477.jpg) (Ancien enough for you, LRR?)

It would hang opposite to a massive print of Louis comforting New Caledonia.

"Defending the Right" (http://persweb.wabash.edu/facstaff/lamarlec/f306/fontenoy.louisXV.allegorie.jpeg)

The arrival of the Monarchs comes in the midst of furious rebuilding efforts, with the 'body cleanup' largely out of the way now. Noumea had been lightly damaged, but the other cities on the Island were relativley untouched. Ft. St. Martin, the main structure to be attacked, had bulldozers and trucks clearing the rubble from the area, getting the long preparation to actually rebuild the scarred fort in its entireity underway.

The havoc caused at Front Point was another matter. After sorting through the dead and giving them proper funerals, it was decided that a monument would be built on the site, an equestrian statue of His Most Christian King. In the mean time, however, it was enough to have tractors pull away the barbed wire and anti-mine crews clear the remaining mines from the beach...Louis XX would tour the site.

This is not to say that New Caledonia had stepped down from alert. The Royal Dauphin Corps had taken up posistions around the Island, along with their munitions and equipment, and was on alert. The Fleet in Noumea harbor was on stand by as well, conducting regular patrols and radar scans. Especially with Louis XX's imminent arrival, no chances were to be taken with the wily Igovians. The future of the Island would no doubt see a larger garrison, heavier fort, and more intense defenses in all respects, as well as a standing naval fleet of war. The French would not be bushwacked again.

In much more secret and clandestine news, twenty nine Begdellen prisoners of war had been captured in the fighting. By personal order of His Majesty, their dog tags were removed, and they were loaded onto a cargo plane. This was done in the highest levels of secrecy, to the degree the prisoners were dressed as aid workers (though shackled with white handcuffs ;) )to avoid the lens of any high power electronic equipment. The plane, done delivering supplies to New Caledonia, would fly to French Guyana. There, as per His Majesty's orders, the prisoners would be taken to Devils Island. In the dungeons of the tropical hell known as Devils Island they would learn the true meaning of pain...Louis XX sent His finest torturers from the Bastille just to work on them for their troubles, and gain valuable work experience as well. More to come on their adventures, of course.

OCC: Most Christian King indeed...

OOC: Well, while the mission was not fully successful, it was a desperate stab at ruining Bedgellen-Chinese relations. And before you start complaining, don't make me remind you of a certain nation that sponsored a terrorist attack on a certain country's soil...Ah, and the crew only said they would surrender...

IC:

As the Chinese ships came near the disguised Submarine, they would notice that it had begun to convulse. Inside, the captain had ordered the torpedo exit hatches sealed, and then fired the torpedos. This resulted in a tremendous internal explosion, that sent shrapnel and flames everywhere. The Chinese of course, would likely escape the suicide blast, but damaging was not really the point. The crew had decided that surrender was simply not an option, as rumors of Sinoese concencration camps and the possibility of a fiasco for Russian had convinced them.

Meanwhile, the Roycelandian Government has contacted the Bedgellen Government to arrange a crew transfer... in the chaos surrounding the sinking of the Dreadnought and the Bedgellen Missile Frigate, it's more than likely that both sides picked up survivors from the other's ships.

Any Bedgellens rescued by Roycelandia have been taken to Vanuatu and are being held in an old Quarantine Station. As per the Geneva Convention, their details have been passed onto the Red Cross, they are being fed and looked after, have received medical treatment, and are allowed to contact their families and loved ones through the Red Cross.

The Imperial Roycelandian Government has requested that the two crashed Spitfires on the Beach/First Point area be left where they are- a monument to the Roycelandian Pilots and Aircrew who fought in the conflict.

The Imperial Government has also formally suggested that the wrecks of the Perpelkin and Elliot Carver be left as a memorial to all the Naval personnel on both sides who lost their lives in the conflict, and that a Memorial Service might be in order if the Bedgellens would like to attend.