Chrisstan
26-05-2005, 20:07
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Somewhere over South East China
30,000 feet
“Four to one it doesn’t work.”
Michael Somersby looked up in surprise at his brother’s statement. He leant back from the papers he had been studying on the desk in front of him and arched his back against the blue cushion of the seat, stretching his vertebrae to make himself more comfortable. “That low?” He asked a moment later with a slight tone of disbelief.
Across the cabin, Peter Somersby smiled and glanced up momentarily from his own dossier of papers. He shrugged. “General Hu is a reliable man.” The blonde, wiry thirty-two year old turned a page and continued reading. “We’ve done business with him before.”
Michael brushed his own blonde fringe out of his eyes and considered this thought. “We’ve never asked him to do anything like this before,” he replied finally.
Peter sighed and discarded his papers, the figures on Iron Ore processing beginning to make his head hurt. “All the other things we have asked him to do so far have all been leading up to this moment.” He spread his hands. “He would have said something by now if he was against this.”
Michael chuckled and reached for his glass of Whisky. “No chance of that,” he said before taking a sip. “Hu has a lot to gain from this.”
Peter grinned. “So long as he doesn’t annoy-” He was cut off at that moment by the pilot’s voice cutting through on the intercom.
'Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking, we are approaching the final leg of our journey and expect to be landing in thirty minutes.'
Peter and Michael simultaneously glanced at their watches. Then they eyed each other. “Which one of us?” Michael asked.
Peter sighed, and after a moment nodded his head. “Okay.” He leant across and took his brother’s glass of Whisky, downing it quickly.
Michael looked mortified. “Hey!” he protested.
Peter eyed him. “If I’m going in there, I need this more than you.” He then cleared his throat and stood up from the chair, making his way towards the door at the back of the cabin. He hesitated before knocking, and then rapped sharply twice.
“Come.”
The muffled voice made Peter glance back at Michael, who was looking back at his papers rather intently. The oldest brother took a breath and then twisted the handle.
The office on the other side of the door was as big as the cabin that he and Michael shared. It was darkened due to the blinds on the windows being pulled low, and Peter squinted through the light towards the large oak desk at the other end of the room. He took a few steps across the carpeted floor, his footfalls silent on the thick material. The walls around him were covered in pictures of soldiers, photographs taken in war zones and marked with individual dates and place names. Flags adorned the wall of the same markings; green with a burgundy rectangle in the top left corner, a gold sceptre adorning it with a half circle along its rod.
Peter paused at the edge of the desk, looking through the darkness. He could see the top of a large, leatherback chair, but nothing below it. “Jake?” he enquired.
The desk light flicked on, and Peter jumped back a step at the gun.
The raven-haired man reclined lazily against one side of the chair, his left leg draped over the left arm. He stared through his spectacles with an emotionless face at Peter, his left arm gripped around the back of the chair and his right hand gripping a .45 calibre handgun pointed directly at the other man.
Peter took a breath, shaking his head in relief. “Jesus Christ, Jake!” He sighed, looking up at his youngest brother. “You want to not scare me like that?”
The emotionless face broke into a grin and a chuckle, and Jake Somersby flicked the safety on and lowered the pistol. “Always expect the unexpected, Peter.” He glanced down at the papers on his desk detailing military numbers and showing diagrams of buildings and cities. “Our father always said; expect the unexpected.”
Peter smiled. “Our father said a lot of good things.” He hesitated, and then added; “He also said never get in over your head.”
Jake looked up again, his sharp eyes looking over his older brother for a moment. “You have reservations?” he asked in a calm tone.
Peter chewed his lip a moment. “I’m concerned about General Hu,” he said finally. “I don’t trust him to keep on our side with that much power.”
Jake grinned; the sort of grin that made Peter nervous. “Let me worry about General Hu.” The youngest man sighed. “Is it time?”
Peter nodded. Jake took a breath and exhaled, looking across at the flag on the wall. “Okay,” he said finally, and reached across to the satellite telephone that sat on the desk. He pushed in a series of numbers and held the receiver to his ear. After a moment, the line connected. “General Hu, this is Jake Somersby.” Jake glanced up at his brother and leant back with a smile. “Go.”
<><><><><><><><><><>
Vientiane
Laos
Simultaneously
The Lao People’s Army, like most South East Asian nations, suffered from shortages of fuel, equipment and supplies. It was therefore only in the most unusual of circumstances did a large section of the Army conduct training manoeuvres.
General Hu had managed to convince a reluctant President General Khamtai that these were such circumstances. Increased border movements by the Vietnamese, he claimed, suggested that they were gearing for a push towards Laos’ larger Iron ore deposits in the east.
That had been a lie, of course; the Vietnamese were in no way intending to hit Laos, even if they could. But General Hu controlled the listening posts and border patrols, and the heightened paranoia shared by high government officials thankfully included President Gen. Khamtai.
It was shortly after this telephone call that the First Infantry Division of the Laos People’s Army, on training exercises south of Vientiane, was ordered to take the capital. Surprised field officers were informed that General Hu was declaring martial law against a President that had become ‘criminal in his pandering to the West.’ Few resisted, particularly after seeing those claiming loyalty to Khamtai be shot dead by rebelling soldiers.
The firefight was over in almost twenty minutes. The First Division had taken the capital completely by surprise, and was in control of three quarters of the key installations before the Government even realised what was going on. A desperate Khamtai called for support from the Air Force, but the officers refused; they feared a rebellion against their command if they showed any sign of attacking fellow soldiers. So the Laos Air Force remained grounded.
Ten minutes later, the newly designated Air Force One was descending towards Laos’ main airport with the new leaders of the country.
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Reuters News Report
VIENTIANE: It has just been reported that there has been a Coup D’etat in Laos, the neighbouring country of Thailand and Vietnam.
Reports are sketchy at this time, however it appears that the rebels control most of the country.
Information from sources inside Laos suggests that General Hu, the military’s second ranking officer after the President, has undertaken the Coup. However, other sources describe Hu as merely a ‘mercenary’ in this event, working for another person or persons unknown.
UPDATE: New sources of information tell us that a man named Jake Somersby has declared himself President and renamed the nation The People’s Republic of Chrisstan. Martial Law has also been declared, and there are reports that the Army has been given ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ orders on those regarded as acting suspiciously.
Information on the new President is scarce, however there are reports that he is wanted in Europe on charges of tax fraud and treason against several governments.
We will keep you updated.
Somewhere over South East China
30,000 feet
“Four to one it doesn’t work.”
Michael Somersby looked up in surprise at his brother’s statement. He leant back from the papers he had been studying on the desk in front of him and arched his back against the blue cushion of the seat, stretching his vertebrae to make himself more comfortable. “That low?” He asked a moment later with a slight tone of disbelief.
Across the cabin, Peter Somersby smiled and glanced up momentarily from his own dossier of papers. He shrugged. “General Hu is a reliable man.” The blonde, wiry thirty-two year old turned a page and continued reading. “We’ve done business with him before.”
Michael brushed his own blonde fringe out of his eyes and considered this thought. “We’ve never asked him to do anything like this before,” he replied finally.
Peter sighed and discarded his papers, the figures on Iron Ore processing beginning to make his head hurt. “All the other things we have asked him to do so far have all been leading up to this moment.” He spread his hands. “He would have said something by now if he was against this.”
Michael chuckled and reached for his glass of Whisky. “No chance of that,” he said before taking a sip. “Hu has a lot to gain from this.”
Peter grinned. “So long as he doesn’t annoy-” He was cut off at that moment by the pilot’s voice cutting through on the intercom.
'Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking, we are approaching the final leg of our journey and expect to be landing in thirty minutes.'
Peter and Michael simultaneously glanced at their watches. Then they eyed each other. “Which one of us?” Michael asked.
Peter sighed, and after a moment nodded his head. “Okay.” He leant across and took his brother’s glass of Whisky, downing it quickly.
Michael looked mortified. “Hey!” he protested.
Peter eyed him. “If I’m going in there, I need this more than you.” He then cleared his throat and stood up from the chair, making his way towards the door at the back of the cabin. He hesitated before knocking, and then rapped sharply twice.
“Come.”
The muffled voice made Peter glance back at Michael, who was looking back at his papers rather intently. The oldest brother took a breath and then twisted the handle.
The office on the other side of the door was as big as the cabin that he and Michael shared. It was darkened due to the blinds on the windows being pulled low, and Peter squinted through the light towards the large oak desk at the other end of the room. He took a few steps across the carpeted floor, his footfalls silent on the thick material. The walls around him were covered in pictures of soldiers, photographs taken in war zones and marked with individual dates and place names. Flags adorned the wall of the same markings; green with a burgundy rectangle in the top left corner, a gold sceptre adorning it with a half circle along its rod.
Peter paused at the edge of the desk, looking through the darkness. He could see the top of a large, leatherback chair, but nothing below it. “Jake?” he enquired.
The desk light flicked on, and Peter jumped back a step at the gun.
The raven-haired man reclined lazily against one side of the chair, his left leg draped over the left arm. He stared through his spectacles with an emotionless face at Peter, his left arm gripped around the back of the chair and his right hand gripping a .45 calibre handgun pointed directly at the other man.
Peter took a breath, shaking his head in relief. “Jesus Christ, Jake!” He sighed, looking up at his youngest brother. “You want to not scare me like that?”
The emotionless face broke into a grin and a chuckle, and Jake Somersby flicked the safety on and lowered the pistol. “Always expect the unexpected, Peter.” He glanced down at the papers on his desk detailing military numbers and showing diagrams of buildings and cities. “Our father always said; expect the unexpected.”
Peter smiled. “Our father said a lot of good things.” He hesitated, and then added; “He also said never get in over your head.”
Jake looked up again, his sharp eyes looking over his older brother for a moment. “You have reservations?” he asked in a calm tone.
Peter chewed his lip a moment. “I’m concerned about General Hu,” he said finally. “I don’t trust him to keep on our side with that much power.”
Jake grinned; the sort of grin that made Peter nervous. “Let me worry about General Hu.” The youngest man sighed. “Is it time?”
Peter nodded. Jake took a breath and exhaled, looking across at the flag on the wall. “Okay,” he said finally, and reached across to the satellite telephone that sat on the desk. He pushed in a series of numbers and held the receiver to his ear. After a moment, the line connected. “General Hu, this is Jake Somersby.” Jake glanced up at his brother and leant back with a smile. “Go.”
<><><><><><><><><><>
Vientiane
Laos
Simultaneously
The Lao People’s Army, like most South East Asian nations, suffered from shortages of fuel, equipment and supplies. It was therefore only in the most unusual of circumstances did a large section of the Army conduct training manoeuvres.
General Hu had managed to convince a reluctant President General Khamtai that these were such circumstances. Increased border movements by the Vietnamese, he claimed, suggested that they were gearing for a push towards Laos’ larger Iron ore deposits in the east.
That had been a lie, of course; the Vietnamese were in no way intending to hit Laos, even if they could. But General Hu controlled the listening posts and border patrols, and the heightened paranoia shared by high government officials thankfully included President Gen. Khamtai.
It was shortly after this telephone call that the First Infantry Division of the Laos People’s Army, on training exercises south of Vientiane, was ordered to take the capital. Surprised field officers were informed that General Hu was declaring martial law against a President that had become ‘criminal in his pandering to the West.’ Few resisted, particularly after seeing those claiming loyalty to Khamtai be shot dead by rebelling soldiers.
The firefight was over in almost twenty minutes. The First Division had taken the capital completely by surprise, and was in control of three quarters of the key installations before the Government even realised what was going on. A desperate Khamtai called for support from the Air Force, but the officers refused; they feared a rebellion against their command if they showed any sign of attacking fellow soldiers. So the Laos Air Force remained grounded.
Ten minutes later, the newly designated Air Force One was descending towards Laos’ main airport with the new leaders of the country.
<><><><><><><><><><><>
Reuters News Report
VIENTIANE: It has just been reported that there has been a Coup D’etat in Laos, the neighbouring country of Thailand and Vietnam.
Reports are sketchy at this time, however it appears that the rebels control most of the country.
Information from sources inside Laos suggests that General Hu, the military’s second ranking officer after the President, has undertaken the Coup. However, other sources describe Hu as merely a ‘mercenary’ in this event, working for another person or persons unknown.
UPDATE: New sources of information tell us that a man named Jake Somersby has declared himself President and renamed the nation The People’s Republic of Chrisstan. Martial Law has also been declared, and there are reports that the Army has been given ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ orders on those regarded as acting suspiciously.
Information on the new President is scarce, however there are reports that he is wanted in Europe on charges of tax fraud and treason against several governments.
We will keep you updated.