NationStates Jolt Archive

~The city was almost completely empty. The evacuation had been going quite smoothly, but the silence instilled within Antonio Gori a kind of peace he had not known in years. Ever since the Great Southern Insurrection, the now official name of the Nueve Italian Civil War, the young fighter captain had been in battle after battle: on his own home soil, in Hataria, near the seas of Terronian; so many places, it didn't even matter anymore. All he knew was war and chaos, yet now, with the sun going down, casting a golden gleam across the glass skyscrapers of Cítta diCielo, Antonio could not help but think that it really did look like the City of Heaven.

He sighed. This would not be like this for long. Maldaathi, a nation whom Captain Gori had fought alongside during the GSI, had declared war upon the Holy Imperial Republic. Soon, this city would be under fire, the solar beams replaced by fire and smoke. Turning his head away, Antonio moved towards the door of the Emperor's office, not wanting to be plagued by such thoughts.

" To live in the now is a gift," he recalled his father saying, " That is why we call it the present, my young child." Tony only wished it were true. The palace was completely dark, and left an eerie chill upon all who walked its massive halls. Power had been rerouted to the emergency bunker and other cities, ensuring that even if the capital was destroyed, Nueve Italia could still effectively work. Stepping out into the dusk on the marble steps leading towards the great oak doors of the Grand Hall, Antonio Orsini Gori was surprised to see someone else here as well.

" Leon? What are you doing here, you're breaking evacuation procedure," quipped the heir to the Throne.

" And yet so are you, good friend. What brings you to our fair city?"

Leonardo Lucchese, known as Eroe in Antonio's fighter wing, the 104th NIRAF Squadron, made his way up the stairs to stand beside his comrade in arms and gaze upon the garden in front of the palace.

" I came to clear my mind. I have been most troubled lately, what with all this business of war, terrorists, radicals. I'm sure it weighs heavily upon my father's head as well."

" Come now, Tony, we all know the task of the Emperor is not an easy one. He would come through for us."

" . . .Right you are Leon. Vine, amigo, let us leave."

As the two headed towards the main gates, a black limo pulled up to meet them. As even more of a shock, it was Leon's own father inside the vehicle.

" Senator Lucchese? What are you doing here?"

" I heard that my boy was in the area, and thought he could use a ride. Little did I expect that the Heir could be found here as well," chuckled the middle-aged politcian. Ignatius Lucchese was a well-respected Senator in the Republic, and many knew him for his strong advocation for reform.

" Well, we could use a ride back to Aero Ginovieron, we're both currently stationed there, father."

" Then hop in Leon, and you too Antonio. I have much I wish to speak to you about."

However, the half-an-hour trip was rather boring, and the Senator said next to nothing; only to request a glass of champagne did he open his mouth. At the airbase, Leon rushed off to check in with central command, alerting them that Antonio had returned. Ignatius, on the other hand, pulled the Captain aside.

" My boy, you trust me, no?"

" Of course, Senator. . .it is as if you were my second father. My and Leon grew up together as if from the same lineage."

" So you have. . .so you have. Now, I doubt one such as you, used to leading men in combat, would have little interests in the political stage of our country, would I be wrong in my assumption?"

Antonio became a little shifty at this question. What are you getting at. . .?, he wondered to himself.

" As the heir to the Throne, the country is all I care for, Senator."

" Then surely you must realize that something is wrong, Tony."

Again, the younger of the two speaking was confused, wondering just what sort of ploy was being hatched here.

" What could be wrong. . .?"

" Think of it. Before your father came to power, this nation knew only peace, and now look at it. War, insurrection, terrorists. Nueve Italia is not meant for these things. Your grandfather knew that, and that's why he held to his power with an iron fist."

" You're wrong, Senator. Power without consideration of morality is a weakness; My father works for the good of the people, not for personal gain, as my grandfather did."

" Then I shall leave you be, young Gori, only will you ponder this; what is it to forsake personal freedom for everlasting peace?"

And with that, the Senator returned to his car, just as Leon arrived to go with his father. Noticing the slightly aghast expression on Antonio's face, his comrade questioned, " Que pasa?"

" Nothing. . nothing, but please Leon, take care. Your father. . .I believe he's planning something. . .something big."

Confused, Leon merely shrugged and stepped into the limo. It sped off, leaving Antonio Orsini Gori in a cloud of dust and deciet. . .

_____

In the luxury vehicle, Ignatius turned slowly to his son.

Now is the time to see where his loyalties lie.

" Hijo, you certaintly seem to get along well with Tony, don't you?"

" Certaintly father, he's my Captain and friend. I believe when he takes the Throne, he will bring about the peace Nueve Italia deserves."

" And what if that peace could be brought sooner?"

Puzzled, Leon looked into his father's eyes, noticing that they had somehow turned slightly darker.

"Mande?"

" What if I told you that at the snap of my finger, half the Senate, and therefore half the country, could come to our aid to depose of our corrupt Emperor and bring that age of peace we so wanted?"

Fear struck Leon's heart. I'm not hearing this. I can't be. This man. . .he's not my father. . . he would never betray the Republic. . .

" Then. . .then I would say you're a madman. . .and a traitor. You can't plot to overthrow both the Senate and the Emperor."

" But I have, my son. Join me, join us. We will bring glory back to Nueve Italia! No longer will we be a Holy Imperial Republic! A Senate merely slows down the time needed to take action, and what of holiness? Has God shown his blessings on our war-torn, battle-scarred, dying-from-the-inside nation? Not one bit! If one man could once again rule this land, we could be powerful! We could rule the world!"

Leon almost lept out of his chair, trying to get out of the car, trying to escape from these crazed dreams, trying not to hear them.

" Join me!" his father cried, and for one fleeting second, he thought he should. It would save his life, and as the son of the new Emperor, he could have all the power he wanted. For one fleeting second, he thought of that glory, and quickly dismissed it.

" Temprorary peace is not worth the chaos it will bring. I won't join you. I'll never turn on the Republic."

Sighing lightly, Ignatius reached into his suit jacket pocket and spoke slowly.

" Then I'm afraid, my son, that you are no longer necessary."

In a flash, Senator Lucchese drew the assassin pistol in his coat pocket and fired three shots into his own son; his flesh and blood, and yet, no remorse showed upon his face. The body fell in a crumpled heap, and the car sped on to the Emergency bunker, where the Emperor, the Senate, the Imperial Guard, and the newly formed Loyalists waited. In one moment, the history of the future Empire could be decided.

Ignatius smirked.

" The Senate will die out, and the people will hail me. So it begins."

At this moment, the Senator was reminded of a famous quote from a play he enjoyed in his younger years, named Julius Cesar, after the great Emperor of the Old Roman Empire.

" Mischief thou art afoot; take now what course thou wilt."~

HRSS-03 sailed above the planet, flying invisible through the night sky.

"Colonel?"

Colonel Packarden awoke from his semi-comatose state.

".....wha? What have you got?" asked Packarden, rubbing the bridge of his nose. IntelSurvel was the most boring job in the ISAF military you could get.

The corporal looked at his screen.

"I'm getting live feed from 03." He stated.

"And? Thats the one over..." the colonel looked at the map, "Nueve Italia at the moment?"

"Yes sir. Something is up," the corporal turned the monitor around, "This."

The live feed from the sattelite showed a recording of a car, a limo. "So?" the colonel asked.

"Check this out: We fast forward about 30 seconds and there! See that?" the corporal exclaimed.

"Wait, I think so. Play it again."

There it was, the corporal was right. The limo (already identified as carrying Nueve Italia royalty) seemed to be rolling along, heading (loosely) toward some hardened structure. Then there was a flash. Due to the tinting of the windows, it wasn't bright. But it was definitely there.

"Sir? What does this mean?" asked the corporal, tenatively.

"It means the target just had his picture taken, or somebody is dead. I'm banking on the latter, due to regional instability."

"But sir, there was only royalty and a driver, already identified as a non-target," remarked the corporal.

"I know. This is something different. Keep your eyes on the limo. Get me options in that area. Get some resouces over here. I want options."

~ The black stretch car pulled up to the gates of the Command Bunker. Beforehand, Leon's body was dumped out of the car in the desert surrounding the area. The sands would cover it quickly enough. Senator Lucchese stepped out of the limo and then strode over to the driver's seat.

" Wait here," he ordered in a hushed voice, " and send the signal now. Our trap will be sprung, and the nations of the world will come to our aid. This ends today."

Nodding, the chauffer turned to what would be the front passenger seat, but instead, there was a high-powered miniature radio broadcast system. It would reach all of Nueve Italia, and then blanket the world with its message. The Loyalists were riding on the success of this machine; with it, they could turn the country and the world against the Imperial Republican forces, or so they hoped.

Making his way into the security bunker, Ignatius Lucchese easily passed through security clearance, and soon found himself in the Emperor's command room.

" Ahh, Senator, what a surprise to see you here. Weren't you and your family currently in Varburri for the winter?"

" We were, but at the call of war, I thought it better to be by my Emperor's side."

Giovanni Dominicio Gori I smiled warmly, unaware of the treachery being plotted here.

" You are most welcome in my presence, Ignatius. I only hope that this new threat will blow over quickly."

Striding toward the Emperor, the Senator looked around the room. Satellite readouts, tactical overviews of the enemy army that would soon be approaching, schematics of their weaponry, overall display of Nueve Italian forces, and so on was projected from computers and viewscreens throughout the complex. Also stationed in the room were most of the other Senators, many of them loyal to Lucchese's new sect, as well as El Mano Negro, the 66th Vestaglies Neres division, also a member of the Loyalist army. Unfortunately for Luchesse, Los Ojos Blancos, the White Eyes, were also present. Led by Major Fidellio Solle, the 11th Division was the most experienced unit of the Vestaglies Neres, there from the beginning of the Gori Dynasty.

Amusing how they are here now, at its end, thought Ignatius.

" My Emperor," began the traitorous Senator, " It seems that this upcoming war with Maldaathi has caused quite a stir. I hear that there are some Radicals that are clamoring for your head, blaming you for this atrocity."

" Indeed, there are those who see fault in my rule, but most of the people remember the rule of Dictator Paolo Gori, my grandfather. They agree that the freedoms they have gained are worth some minor instability, which will be dealt with soon enough. After this battle, we may actually be able to achieve peace. Do you understand how wonderful this is, Lucchese?"

Smirking, Ignatius spoke through tight lips as he replied, " Yes, my Emperor. I do. That is why I seek to establish that peace now."

" Senator. . .?"

Speaking into a small transmitter on his suit pocket, the Traitor quickly barked out an order.

" Commence Operation Crimson Sky, Send the message."

At that, the power in the room went out, amazing since it ran on a back up generator only accessible from inside the facility. The blast doors shut, leaving the command room trapped inside. The 11th Vestaglies Neres, who had been told to guard the doors, were outside the room, unable to help the Emperor, and the 66th was inside, helping Lucchese. Half of the Republican leaders were killed in an instant, and the rest of the Senators drew pistols, all aiming at the Emperor.

" What madness is this?! Explain yourself, Luchesse!"

Smiling, the rebel leader drew his own pistol, the one he had murdered his son with, and spoke.

" We are bringing peace to our nation right now. Your reign has brought nothing but war and destruction for Nueve Italia."

" War and chaos that was forced upon us!"

" It matters not. In a matter of days, you and your son will be dead, as will all of those still loyal to the old Holy Imperial Republic."

" You. . .you bastard!"

Lunging at Lucchese in a desperate attempt, the Emperor was beat on the back of the head with the butt of a rifle. He slipped into unconciousness, unable to stop the events transpiring around him. . .

_____

The driver, meanwhile, had gotten the message, and immediately released a notice to the world using a hijacked link to a Nueve Italian International Broadcast Company (NIIBC) Satellite, something that would definitely transmit around the globe.

To: All Nations Who Believe Might Makes Right
From: The True Leaders of Nueve Italia
Re: Aid

Fellow countries of the world! We implore you for help in this desperate hour! Our Emperor has brought our nation down a path we see as a path to nothing but ruin! He has led us into war and economic despair! Help us reclaim our former glory, and become the Superpower we deserve to be! Aid us in destroying our corrupt leader, and establishing a new Empire to serve the greater good!

_____

Antonio Gori, who happened to be listening to a radio at the moment, found that the connection was interrupted, and this traitorous message replaced his programming. Recognizing it as Senator Lucchese's voice, fear gripped Antonio's heart.

" He went to the bunker. . . he has my father. . ."

Rushing off to the broadcast system on the airbase, Antonio had to get his own notice out before the nations of the world were tricked. The military had its own seperate satellites, rather than rely on the unpredictable civillian ones. Seeing as only high-ranking officers had the code to access them, Antonio was sure that this broadcast channel should be safe. When sent however, Antonio wired in a code to make the transmission override all others, making it heard around the world, no matter what else was being projected at the time.

_____

To: All Listening
From: Antonio Orsini Gori, heir to the Nueve Italian Throne
Re: Please help

The former message from Nueve Italia is false. My father, the Emperor, has done no evil to this country. This insurrection must be stopped, and my father, the true Emperor of Nueve Italia, must be rescued. I will gather what forces are still loyal to Democracy and Peace and try and stem the tide of the rebel army, but we do not have the strength to defeat the entire traitorous movement. Please, I implore you, help us.

_____

*bump for RPers*

It was 9:13 p.m. The air conditioner hummed in the background. The ambient noise only served to increase the tension in the air.

"So, what is it that we have?" asked a highly decorated man.

"What we have, gentlemen," said Colonel Packarden, "is a murder. An assasination."

One of the generals, attached to the Air Force, shifted.

"That doesn't make sense," said the AF General, "This is a dynastic government. And you expect us to believe..."

"That the Father just killed his child? That is exactly what I expect you to believe. This body," said the colonel, pointing to a red circle on a map, projected on to a screen behind him, "is believed to be the body of Leonardo "Leon" Lucchese, one of Ignatius Lucchese's sons. We do not know of any other offspring. At the moment, we are doing the best we can to explain the recent, inexplicable homicide." The colonel let out a large sigh. "We don't know what-"

The meeting doors flew open. An exasperated private stood in the door, clenching a tape.

"Sir! Erm...Sirs! You must see this!"

The private moved to a multimedia deck.

An image filled the projector screen, it read:

----------------------
To: All Nations Who Believe Might Makes Right
From: The True Leaders of Nueve Italia
Re: Aid

Fellow countries of the world! We implore you for help in this desperate hour! Our Emperor has brought our nation down a path we see as a path to nothing but ruin! He has led us into war and economic despair! Help us reclaim our former glory, and become the Superpower we deserve to be! Aid us in destroying our corrupt leader, and establishing a new Empire to serve the greater good!
----------------------

An intense silence filled the room.

Colonel Packarden sighed, "Well, there are our motives, and our aggressors."

The President, who had sat at the far end of the table the entire time, stood up.

"We need our contacts there. Now."

OOC: please join ppl, it'll be fun, I promise ;)

~ Within moments of the two broadcasts, the enitre nation of Nueve Italia went into chaos. In the streets of every city, regular, every-day people were now attacking one another simply due to political ideology. While the defenders of the Old Holy Imperial Republic did not outnumber those that favored the new Global Empire (which would give the people a stronger sense of security, a chance at being a world power, and a strong leader that would not sit and debate action, but instead just act on instinct), they did have massive support from the armed forces. Both the Imperial Navy and the Royal Air Guard and Air Force had sided with the Republic, fighting to defend democracy and the will of the people. Also, all of the Elite Guard regiments, the Vestaglies Neres, had sided with the Republic, all save one: the 66th Division. Unfortunately, many of the regular army regiments had sided with the Imperials. They were tired of defending their own lands and those of their allies. They longed for the day they took the fight to the enemy and conquered another country, although Nueve Italia's foreign policy was one of peace, and would never attack another nation without the intention of spreading world order. As the country slipped further and further into depravity, the situation going on in a closed-off area would decide the fate of the new government. . .

_____

Inside the Emperor's Command Bunker, Control Room A-1

Giovanni's head ached. When he had come to, he was strapped to a chair, facing two armed guards, not more than six feet away, dressed in all spec-ops black. The 11th Division had been locked out of the complex and been driven out of the bunker by the 66th. They had fallen back and now regrouped with the 501st Regiment on the outskirts of Cítta diCielo, trying to figure out a way to contact any more Republic forces and break into the bunker. Giovanni had more pressing problems than his own rescue though. The Collera R-11 assualt rifles that his imprisoners carried were standard issue for Elite Guard regiments. If the Emperor so much as flinched without warning, the 7.62mm rounds would tear him to shreds at such a close range.

" Ahh, our Emperor has come to!"

Lucchese's voice dripped with poison on every syllable. His plan was proceeding perfectly: The people had begun an uprising, as he was sure they would. After so many had opposed the Open Port Act and the delays that the Senate took to pass important issues, Ignatius knew that the common man would support a monarchial-society: One man who had all the answers, and could make things right with just a signature.

Striding over to Giovanni, Senator Lucchese was confident that these moments would be the last that he saw of the Emperor. Well, the old Emperor, that is.

" I wonder if our enlightened leader would care to see what has been happening for the past few hours, hmm?"

With that, the central view screen of the complex turned on to show a news report of Genovio, a city in Western Nueve Italia. An inferno raged on in a deli across a street, with people fighting one another with whatever they had. A police force arrived on the scene a few minutes later, but one of the cars was hit by a home-made moltov cocktail, causing it to explode, carrying the vehicle into a near-by crowd. Giovanni didn't see anyone get out from underneath the wreckage.

" This is your peace, Ignatius? This is your new rule? This is worth power?!"

The Emperor's voice rose in volume as his queries drew on. He couldn't believe his eyes. His people, his nation; all that he had fought to protect and serve was being destroyed before his eyes. Within minutes, however, the mass melee on the screen subsided, and over a destroyed building (it looked as if a bulldozer had been run through it), a banner rose above the chaos. Green, white, and red. The colors of the Holy Imperial Republic.

" You see, Lucchese?" Giovanni smirked, " There are those who know that power is not something to cause disorder for."

Ignatius scoffed. " But a small victory for an otherwise helpless cause. You do realize that if the Republic does not give in, I'll simply kill you and take the throne. Your son will most likely be killed in combat, leaving me, Head Senator, as rightful heir to the Emperor."

Giovanni hung his head. If this continued, the country would be torn usunder. There would be nothing for Ignatius to rule, yet he didn't see it. He was only blinded by power, at the thought of ruling what would only be a wasteland after this was over.

" There will be those who resist you, even if you do succeed."

Ignatius Lucchese's answer seemed as cold as ice when he spoke.

" Then they shall die."~

*bump* for interest

*bump* (Please join, RPs with one person are no fun :( )

*bump*

"What in the name of the Six Crusades?"

Dovur's harsh voice cut through the sound of the chopping fan blades like a wet knife, a knife seemingly aimed straight for the other one in the room. Ienek started nervously—as was his fashion—and then rotated his swiveling chair towards Dovur, glancing nervously at the high oak walls, his small black eyes rarely settling on anything.

"What is it?" Ienek asked timidly, as though testing the edge of a sword.

Dovur, as usual, didn't take any notice of Ienek, speaking to himself now. "This is for the Minister's eyes...Highly serious matter..." He selected the message on his computer screen and dragged it to a certain inbox, then shut off his computer and stepped out of the small office, still muttering to himself.

Ienek's curiosity was aroused. The Minister of Foreign Affairs only dealt with politics on the international level, usually meeting with foreign dignitaries. Rarely did a message of consequence reach him through the lowermost dregs of the Imperium's foreign office. After a few minutes of deliberation, weighing the consequences versus the rewards—knowledge for its own sake—he too put down his work and began to follow Dovur towards the Minister's office.

He made his way past other cubicles and offices along a passageway that soon turned sharply to the left, ending in the Minister's office. The door was already closed, and Ienek edged in towards the crack, trying to hear what they were saying inside.

"...between helping the creation of a new Empire—an absolute monarchy much like the Holy Imperium itself, but one that will rule over a wasteland—and preserving an old Empire that was merely a puppet government with the people holding the real power," Dovur's voice said.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, a man whom Ienek had rarely met, spoke in a deep baritone voice. "As you know, giving aid to a nation where the people hold the true power is highly dangerous. If the people were to rule, anarchy and disorder would be the only end result. Little would get done and it would be simply a mob rule, with the people voting for whoever pays them more."

"Precisely," a third, female voice which Ienek does not recognize added. "At the same time, however, if we aid the supporters of the Empire we would be giving aid to an imperialist power that might turn on us and try to conquer the Imperium itself."

"Not as though they would succeed," murmured the Minister for Foreign Affairs. He seemed to be sitting closer to the door, as his voice was much more audible even when speaking quietly.

"So why don't we beat them to the punch?" said a voice that Ienek recognized as belonging to one of the top suits in Conquest Industries, Inc.*

"What do you mean?" said the woman.

"We give aid to whichever side will be most profitable to us. Then we in turn take them over and seize the land and resources of Nueve Italia for ourselves."

A murmur passed through the room. Someone farther from Ienek spoke, but he couldn't hear the words.

The suit laughed. "Immoral? Not in the least. I am sure Nueve Italia's arms manufacturing, oil production, and uranium and other metal mining and processing industries will thrive under Conquest's management."

The Minister said, "But what about the people of Nueve Italia? They will almost certainly resist becoming a colony-protectorate of the Imperium."

"Ah, but will they?" The suit continued. "Look at it this way. Nueve Italia has suffered war and chaos for years. Do these things make people happy? They will be united under a strong government—ours. Their economy will prosper. And, of course, there is the benefit of one of the strongest and most dedicated militaries in the world on their side. Two, actually: Banduria's and Conquest Industries'."

The person in the far corner who Ienek couldn't hear spoke again.

"I am sure we can deal with them," the suit said. "Look, we both know that either option they choose will lead to war and internal strife. But with their nation as a protectorate of the Imperium, they will have both their military and ours to defend them from their enemies. I doubt they will resist too much."

"Historical evidence, eh?" Someone else, who hadn't spoken until now, said sardonically.

"Taken from the history of the Imperium itself, and many others. People value security over freedom, because many are still childlike at heart. If they have security, freedom becomes less important. And we grant our people at least moderate freedoms."

Ienek was one of the people and he knew that this was not true. Freedom of speech and expression was unheard of. Homes were wiretapped. The people had security, but only when it came to security from external attacks. From the inside there was no security: everyone knew the tales of the dissenters who had vanished from their homes at night, to reappear much later in battle, one of the drug-crazed Fanatics fighting in the vanguard of the Imperial Army. Suddenly he realized the danger of staying in the passageway and darted out, heading back towards his office in a sudden panic, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

In the office, the Minister for Foreign Affairs said, "Very well, Mr. Lorens. You can state your plan to the Emperor, and I'll draft a message to...which side did you say we were supporting again?"

"I think we should support the old Republic. They can restore stability, and they seem to have most of the army on their side. Besides, it will galvanize the people and make them believe we are fighting for freedom, instituting higher morale and increased volunteering," said the corporate suit, Maxim Lorens, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Conquest Industries' Overseas Resources Division.

The Minister, Charles Perian, nodded in assent. "Very well, I'll get the consent of the Emperor and then we can go ahead with our plan."

Apparently the Minister for Foreign Affairs was successful in gaining consent to aid the forces of the old Imperial Republic. A master of diplomacy, how he had done this was unknown, as normally the leader of the Holy Imperium would never support a democratic government. But that day a message reached the defenders of the Old Republic.

Official Encrypted Communiqué from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Greetings! We, as leaders of the Holy Imperium of Banduria, have seen your plight and decided to aid you against these vile imperialist pigs who seek to establish an Empire. You have the support of the Imperial Army, which will be mobilizing to come to your aid. We will help you restore the Imperial Republic that rightfully rules Nueve Italia.

Pro Gloria Imperium Sanctum.
Charles Perian, Bandurian Minister for Foreign Affairs

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

In international waters several hundred miles from Nueve Italia

Carrier Battle Group #15 sailed gracefully across the azure seas, slicing the waves in white streaks. One of the Imperium's unique carrier battle groups, projected around the world in case of an invasion, it had been on patrol when the call for aid to the Imperial Republic came. Now it was headed towards the shores of Nueve Italia at full speed.

Bandurian carrier groups have certain special features of note. For one thing is their size as opposed to the carrier groups of other nations. The armed supercarrier in the center of the fleet—carrying 250 planes—was accompanied by a small fleet of destroyers, frigates, and a few cruisers. In addition, even the hospital and supply ships were armed with mounted guns, and that was just the surface ships. Ten stealth SSGNs and six stealth SSBNs were accompanying the battle group. And that was one of 16 worldwide, with the total amounting to less than a quarter of the Imperial Navy. The main purpose of these battle groups was to hold the battle until the real force arrived with the Imperial Legions, headed by a vanguard of Fanatics: crazed fighters, their only purpose to kill and be killed, mindless killing machines driven by drugs. The Fanatics themselves were criminals, political dissidents, prisoners of war...they were the lowest of the low, brainwashed and tortured into submission and then injected with adrenaline-stimulating drugs such as Idelphin, numbing all pain and emotion, creating feelings of invincibility.

It was one of these carrier groups, bearing on its 25 combat and 10 noncombatant ships two divisions of the 6th Imperial Legion. Fifty thousand of the best-trained troops in the Imperium, among the best in the world. They are coming to defend the Imperial Republic against the imperialist powers seeking to overtake it, holding the combat until their backups can arrive—the mainstay of the Imperial Army.

...Or are they?

*[ooc: Ten points to the person who can name who this character is based on, and why.]

~ When the Captain got word of the aid of the nation of Banduria, he was both overjoyed and wary at the same time. Upon meeting with the new Nueve Italian commanders (most of the Military head figures were either held hostage or killed in the security bunker), Antonio addressed his concerns.

" Odd, it seems, that an Imperialist nation would lend aid to a group fighting against the creation of an Empire, but then again, not all Empires are immoral. . .Besides, any help now would certaintly help us. . .Alright, General Conccino, what's our current overall status?"

The General, who was actually only a Captain, but under the circumstances was promoted to lead the regular Republican Army regiments, cleared his throat before pointing to a three-dimensional tactical display of Nueve Italia.

" Currently, the only 'pure' OHIR cities are Cítta diCielo, Nuova Milan, Varburri, Porto Santo, and Ciudad deArena. Impero Nuovo forces are engaging our own troops and civilians in Siciliano Verde, Nueve Messino, Porto Real, Genevio, and Cítta diGhiaccio. I suggest we immediately retake these areas, and then march on the bunker. A good amount of the 66th Division is holding place there, and they have procured any equipment Los Ojos Blancos left behind, including their Mk.III Serbatoio tanks."

Antonio sighed. Those heavy weapons could have been of great use to restore order in the cities, but in the hands of the enemy?

" What did we do to deserve this. . . Ok, listen up; I want two divisions dispatched to every problematic city: One Republican Army, one Vestaglies Neres. Civilians are not to be harmed if it can be helped; arrest them if they are unarmed. If you come under fire. . .you know what to do. Air strikes are not an option: we don't want to damge the cities. As for the 501st and the 11th in the North; contact them, and have them suppress Cítta diGhiaccio and Varburri. Dispatch Admiral Perriggio and the 9th Naval Task Force to Porto Real; the NIIN can deal with the coast line. If the uprising has any vessels, sink 'em. We don't need an enemy navy, especially with allies along the way. Alright, let's move out, and hope this ends quickly."

The commanders nodded, saluted Antonio, and went out to make the respective calls. Hopefully, this chaos would subside within the week. Hopefully.

_____

Siciliano Verde, outside a Roman Catholic Church, St. Jude's

" Mario, where the hell did you go?"

Three Republican fighters sat inside a crater made by an artillery shell just a few meters away from the massive cathedral behind them. It was the last stronghold the OHIR soldiers had in the city, and they weren't about to let the enemy burn a church. Besides, it had a great strategical placement; right near the edge of city, and its stone walls could withstand quite a bit of firepower. . .for a civilian building, that is. The fourth soldier, Mario, had come dashing out of a nearby building towards his fellow troops, clutching in his hand a wooden, bolt-action rifle.

" Mira, look at this! A Carcano-17!"

The prized sniper rifle carried a 7.92mm round; devastating to infantry. With no long-range weapons of their own, the four men in the foxhole knew that this was a gift from Almighty God himself.

" Christ, where did you find that thing?!"

" A KIA'd Vestaglies Neres Corporal, up on the second floor of that apartment complex. Can you believe this?"

" Do you have any more ammo for it?"

" Naa, couldn't find any Diego, but it has a full clip in it."

Diego was skeptical as he replied, " Ten shots isn't gonna go a long way."

They all sighed. They were exhausted; ever since the broadcast several hours ago, they had been fighting non-stop. They were regular, every-day people: not soldiers. Their weapons were stolen from gun shops and department stores, or were hunting rifles that they had already owned. The men they were up against were part of the Impero Nuovo Army; equipped with the best supplies a soldier in Nueve Italia could have. Besides the Vestaglies Neres, of course. Similar displays were seen within a three-mile radius of the Church; the largest assemblement of OHIR soldiers in the area.

" So Roque, just why are you fighting for the Republic? I thought you always supported the idea of one, powerful ruler?"

" Well, yea, but if these bastards take over, it'll be just like Dictatore Paolo again, and we all know how bad that was. The Imperial Republic, while it does have some faults, is at least concerned about the people, and includes us in government. They're okay in my book."

" Heh, who would've figured."

The light conversation was instantly shattered as a gunfire burst out from a store across the street from the foxhole. The Republican forces dived for cover as a machinegun emplacement pelted the area with deadly crossfire, making it impossible to retaliate.

" Mierda, its the Impero Nuovo, no one else carries that kind of firepower here!"

Diego wasn't about to die in this hellhole in front of a Church and let the enemy take it. Sticking his head up ever so precautiously, he spied exactly where the emplacement was. Clicking a grenade off of his belt that he had scavenged from a dead soldier, he pulled the pin, let go of the trigger, and lobbed it into the store. The following explosion caused the machinegunner to stop for a moment; from death, injury, or shock, the defenders didn't know.

" Come on! Over the top!"

The four sprang out of the crater and charged the gunner, glad for a reprise to counter-attack. Mario stopped for a minute, looked down the scope of his newely-aquired rifle, and let off a shot as a helmet popped into view trying to man the automatic gun. The soldier dropped just as the other three OHIR defenders ran into the store. A Benelli shotgun went off, preceding a yelp of pain.

" Clear!"

" Clear!"

" Clear!"

The three affirmatives of no more hostiles let the soldiers relax. This small moment belonged to the Republic.~

Carrier Battle Group #15; aboard the flagship 'Steelfire'

"Are they out of their minds?" said Rear Admiral Ino Terman brusquely, squinting at the message from Bandurian Central Command.

"Are they ever anything else?" Lt.-Col. Marin, commander of the 6th Legion, 2nd Division said, sighing.

"We're apparently supposed to be giving aid to a republic. A nation ruled by the people? Have those fools in the Imperium finally flipped?"

"Personally, I doubt they were ever sane...but don't say that kind of thing. You'll be Fanaticized."

"No, I won't. The Imperium needs me." Terman grinned bitterly. "But...ah, wait, that must be this encrypted corollary." As he read the message the good-humor began to return to his face. After a time he turned back to Marin.

"We've got some work before us, old friend," he said. "A lot of work, but it'll be probably our best mission in years. Read this."

Marin read the message and began to chuckle. "I see. So that's the plan."

"We're going to be joined by some of those blundering idiots from Conquest, but it's worth it," said Terman. "Just a minute."

He opened the link and began to give a curt order to change position by 25º and head towards the Imperial Republic. Then he closed the link and looked at Marin. The two were old friends and had joined the Imperial Army at the same time.

"Shouldn't we send some kind of message out to the defenders of the Old Republic letting them know they have our support, etc.?" asked Marin.

"Of course. Also, we should tell them not to worry about any enemy ships. This battle group's the size of a small fleet here, and I doubt that any of our... 'enemies' will be able to even remotely compete with us."

"All right, I'll draft it." Since time immemorial, or at least six years ago when he first began commanding the 2nd of the 6th, Marin had always been the one to send out the messages. Terman was no good at that; he preferred to fight. And his fleet could certainly fight.

A few minutes later, the following transmission reached the headquarters of the Old Republic's defenders.

-----------------
TRANSMISSION
From: BHIS Steelfire, Carrier Battle Fleet #15
To: Defenders of Old Republic

We are currently at position 650 nm from Republican waters, please inform us re number and position of enemy targets. We are prepared to attack enemy ships, planes, cities, or any other targets within range. Our numbers are quite sufficient, but reinforcements for ground fighting are on the way as well.

Rear Adm. Ino Terman, Bandurian Imperial Navy
-----------------

Old Holy Imperial Republic (OHIR) Forces HQ; Nuova Milan

~ The message from the Bandurian Battle Carrier Group helped to ease young Antonio's mind. With the prospect of an allied force nearby, they could help deal with problems taht were out of his operational zone for the moment. Quickly, he sent a battle order back.~
_____

To: BHIS Steelfire, Carrier Battle Fleet #15
From: OHIR HQ

We thankyou for responding to our call so quickly. All further comuniques will be with me, Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori, current leader of all OHIR Forces in Nueve Italia. Your task force can be best put to use in our Northern Waters, a port called Cítta diGhiaccio, which in English means "City of Ice," so as you can imagine, expect snow and freezing waters, especially during the autumn. You will have assistance from 2 Elite Guard Squadrons: the 501st and the 11th if you decide on this COA. The enemy has obtained a small fleet from captured NIIN vessels and any naval forces that have joined the seperatists; we have information on these ships, and will relay their number to you:

Impero Nuovo Naval Forces in Cítta diGhiaccio:
11 Frigates
7 Destroyers
19 Gunships
2 Dreadnoughts (Obsolete from 2-3 Generations ago, still functional and dangerous)
4 Battleships
1 Carrier

We believe the carrier is outfitted with a naval version of MiG-21's and 29's, as such fighters were seen being deployed to the area. All fighters that were originally onboard had launched and joined our own Air Force, so if you need, our own fighters can provide air cover for your fleet. If you want to engage the enemy by yourself though, by all means, go ahead. Unfortunately however, we are unsure as to how many aircraft the carrier has, although it has a maximum capacity of 100 planes.

One more note: the entire city has pled loyalty to the Impero Nuovo, so everyone is an enemy there; All Republicans had previously evacuated. The majority of people are Impero Nuovo soldiers, so take care. Please note that the city is NOT to be destroyed; but when you take it, it can serve as a staging area for the rest of your forces.

Good Luck, and Godspeed.
_____

The message came back in to Marin, and he looked over it quickly, then tossed it to Terman with a slight gesture of contempt.

"They've got a few ships there... no submarines, one carrier. Apparently our first target is an occupied city."

"Good. Can we take it?"

"Yes...but we'd better call for some Fanatics to be flown in ahead of us..."

"The whole city is occupied?"

"Apparently."

Terman read through the message briefly. "Air cover?" he said. "Our supercarrier holds 210 aircraft, quite enough to hold all combat. Mostly air superiority IF-19s with about 50-60 IF-24s thrown in."

"Ah." Marin smiled with deep approval. The IF-24 'Wyvern' fighters were among the deadliest planes known to the Imperium, or anywhere for that matter. There were not too many of them, even in the whole of the Imperial Air Force, but even a small number was enough to hold the skies.

"Great. I'll call for the Fanatics. You radio the ... Antonio Gori, or whoever it is, and tell him that we won't need air support, also to prepare for a Fanatic landing."

--------------
TRANSMISSION
From: BHIS Steelfire, Carrier Battle Fleet #15
To: Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori, OHIR HQ

We will prepare for a strike on this fleet then. You are welcome to provide air support if you wish, although this battle group's supercarrier holds a total of 210 aircraft (the maximum capacity), primarily light Imperial fighters such as IF-19s but also with a significant force of IF-24 'Wyvern' superiority/strike fighters; you may have heard of them. Also, please make sure there is not one defender of the Old Republic left in Città diGhiaccio. Although you have previously evacuated, there may still be some left. As we are soon landing in the city, it is imperative that no friendly forces are caught in our fire.

~ Rear Adm. Ino Terman, Bandurian Imperial Navy
--------------

The Steelfire was a Demon-class battleship; while large and powerful, it was by no means the largest or most powerful ship class in the Imperial Navy, that being reserved for the Monarch-class Superdreadnaughts. Nevertheless, it was still a formidable ship on the waves, with a heavy SAM fire to deter aircraft as well as extensive countermeasures against missile attacks. It had never been hit once in 14 years of service in the Imperial Navy, for one thing.

Also escorting the supercarrier, besides the flagship, were the twelve Chaos-class destroyers. Imposing and powerful, they tended to make up the mainstay of the battle group, dealing with most threats. Eight Severance-class missile frigates and four Nightbane-class cruisers made up the remainder of the surface fleet.

But the surface fleet—crawling along at under 20 knots—was not to have the first strike. That came from the Lernea-class SSGNs under the sea, armed with specially designed Bandurian anti-ship torpedoes that could be reconfigured easily against stationary targets. Once the torpedoes were released, they would descend to near the seafloor, shooting along out of reach of most SONAR systems, too far down to do any damage.

That is, until they reached just under their targets.

Then, the engine would shut off and an auxiliary would kick in, rotating the torpedo and shooting it straight upwards into the bottom of its target, causing the ship to sink near-instantaneously. The target would have little time to detect the presence of missiles, and it would be difficult to trace them back to Imperial ships.

It was these ten SSGNs that fired now. They fired a total of 60 torpedoes (one per enemy ship, two on larger targets) from within the 540-mile range. They would along far under the sea, out of SONAR reach, for that whole distance—unless an undersea anti-missile system stopped them. if not, they would reach the harbor, rotate, and shoot upwards into the bellies of the fleet remaining loyal to the Impero Nuovo.

And, Terman hoped, any undersea missile nets were still controlled by the Old Republic...

Cítta diGhiaccio Harbor

~ The rebel fleet didn't know what hit it. One moment, the moored vessels were sitting in the cold, black waters, believing that no fighting would come to this city of eternal snow; the next, fire and explosions lit up the dawn sky. The soldiers on the docks and in the city watched as their recently created fleet was gone within minutes. No one had saw the attack coming; no SONAR sweeps had revealed any ships; submersible or otherwise. As an inferno roared across the harbor, what fighters that were on the carrier deck were launched as quickly as possible before the ship was split in half as several more internal explosions tore away at the metal that held the vessel together. All in all, about 7 planes were in the air before the carrier became completely useless. Some ships, however, had sustained only glancing blows, and were somewhat still combat operational. No matter how many watercraft were sunk, however, one fact still remained; the entire City of Ice was on full alert, ready to repel any assault that came their way.~

Losses for Impero Nuovo Fleet:
All ships sunk or inopperable except-
6 Gunships
3 Frigates
_____

Command Bunker, North of Cítta diCielo
As the insurrection dragged on, the rightful Emperor was still held prisoner by the power-hungry Lucchese. He was weak from torture, as the Senator had tried to force Giovanni Gori to relinquish his right to rule to him, but to no avail. Giant view-screens showed all aspects of the war from news and satellite footage all across the country, but what Senator Lucchese saw next shocked him.

" How could this be?!"

Giovanni awoke from unconciousness with a start. The screen in front of him was that of a giant blaze in an ocean; the port of Cítta diGhiaccio, it looked like, from all the snow in the city. The entire New Empire navy in that city had been obliterated by an unseen force, apparently.

" The NIIN has nothing capable of that. . .what is this Gio? Some kind of trick?!"

Giovanni Dominicio Gori I smirked at the accusation.

" You see Ignatius, this is why you are not fit to rule; always blaming others for your own problems, and failing to see beyond internal matters. Obviously, this attack came from a fleet allied to the Holy Imperial Republic."

Ignatius scowled. Why are others helping them and not us? His thoughts raced as he tried to figure out how best to counter this new development.

We only have to defeat the Republican forces; not this new fleet. In fact, if we learn more about them, we could possibly turn them to our cause. . .~

Admiral Terman was extremely pleased.

"So that deals with the navy," he said. "Any sea resistance after this point will be negligible, leaving us land and air force. With Fanatics incoming land is a moot point, and air force...well...the IF-24s will take care of that. Not to mention Republican aid."

Marin smiled. "Victory is assured, I assume."

"Absolutely, at this moment anyway. Then it will be a matter of surprise to use these same tactics against the Old Republic, and we have fulfilled our orders," said Terman.

"And promotions will be in order, probably," said Marin, thinking over the years he had served as Lieutenant Colonel.

"I doubt Lord Sampetra will be able to resist," said Terman. "Meanwhile, let's prepare for our next assault. Air."

~~~~~~~~~~

From the vast supercarrier in the center of the battlegroup, aircraft began to rise, scores of them: 210 in all, mainly fighters, with a few fighter-attacker craft; they ascended quickly to a height of 45,000 feet, flying towards Città DiGhiaccio. The IF-24s were in the lead as usual, their massive triple wings—resembling those of their namesake, the mythical dragonlike harbinger of war—seeming to undulate slighly as they accelerated to Mach 3, approaching the city within minutes. They did not expect too much resistance, especially considering the relative superiority of the Bandurian air force...

Cítta diGhiaccio Harbor

~"Fools. . ."

The Captain of the Frigate Avenger watched as the Bandurian fighter wing approached the city with great speed, hastening to wipe out what remained of the Impero Nuovo Air and Naval Forces in the area. What the aggressors didn't realize was that the city itself had been turned into a fortress. AA towers and emplacements, SAM sites, Heavy Anti-ship cannons, and enough infantry and tanks to hold off most attacks until reinforcements arrived. A sailor turned from his post to update the Captain on the situation.

" Sir, enemy air squadron is 6.7 miles away and closing quickly; Over 100 tracked and on radar, total number unknown. What are your orders?"

" We're not going to survive this engagement; we're just going to do as much damage as possible until Aero Octubre sends in additional aircraft. Ready all SAMs and Phalanx Guns, advise all other vessels to do likewise. Alert the city to prepare for surface-to-air warfare. Go for the fighter-bombers first."

" Aye, sir."
____

As the anti-air defenses on the sea and ground came alive, the Bandurian Naval Air Force could detect the amount of activity going on. They were walking into a trap that not all of them would survive. . .

In the skies above, the seven planes that managed to launch from the carrier were running a CAP over the Harbor.

" Rojo Leader, this is Rojo 1, do you copy?"

" Rojo Leader to Rojo 1, roger."

" Message from the Lobo Azul, enemy aircraft inbound."

" Copy that, form into attack squadron, we'll let them walk into our AA field, and then bounce 'em."

" Sir. . .there's too many, we'll never survive this."

" Then we'll take as many of the little bastards with us as we can. We have to hold off until reinforcements arrive."

" Yessir, over and out."
_____

Aero Octubre, 23 miles from Cítta diGhiaccio

The Impero Nuovo knew that air power was the key to winning wars nowadays. However, they had only managed to capture a few airbases in the beginning, and so their strength was not as large as they would have liked. Had they engaged the NIRAF or NIRAG in open combat, they would be slaughtered, so they relied on hit-and-run tactics to keep the Republican forces occupied. Unfortunately, their luck on these missions had run out. After a sortie that occured and hour before the battle for Cítta diGhiaccio, an Imperial fighter was tracked back to Aero Octubre, and plans for a counter-attack were made. The pilots on the ground at the airbase, however, did not know this.

Out of nowhere, a shrill alarm went off throughout the airfield, followed by an announcement over a loudspeaker.
"Cítta diGhiaccio Harbor is under attack! All fighters scramble immediately and proceed to the harbor! This is not a drill! Repeat-"
Those fighters wouldn't take off to intercept the Bandurian forces though. At the moment the alarm went off, a second fighter wing, consisting of 95 aircraft, appeared out of the south.

" This is Mustang, Diavolo Ali, report in."

" Flame, standing by."

" Shock, standing by."

" Soldato, standing by."

" All wings accelerate to attack speed. Hit the bombers first, then engage the fighters. Don't damage the facility; the 501st and the 11th are on their way to capture it."

" You got it Captain."

The Nueve Italian Royal Air Force dived on the enemy base, destroying as many aircraft as they could before they got airborne in one run. The result was spectacular; oil had leaked from one plane and caught ablaze, making a wall of fire across the landing strip, other aircraft were caught in explosions, and were catapulted into the sky, crushing their aviators within. Any fighters that did get airborne had to dogfight with some of the best pilots in the NIRAF and NIRAG combined; the Diavolo Ali, The Devil's Wings. Comprised of only four fighters from six (one had been shot down over enemy waters, the other murdered by his father at the start of this conflict), they led the assault; and not one enemy escaped their wrath yet. Mustang, the flight lead, was actually the leader of all of the OHIR forces, for he was, in fact, Antonio Orsini Gori; heir to the Throne. After several minutes of battle, in which more than three-quarters of the Impero Nuovo Air Force was crushed, the Captain brought his radio up.

" No aircraft are making it to the harbor. AWACS Ojo deCielo, send a message back to HQ to be fowarded to the Bandurian Fleet: Enemy airbase north of your position neutralized and captured; all Imperial reinforcements halted."

After a pause, " Yessir, Captain, message transmitted, I'm sure the Bandurian Fleet will be happy to have one less foe to deal with."~

Winging their way across the sky, the Bandurian air forces—a total of 14 squadrons of aircraft—were rapidly approaching their targets. Ground activity and the presence of anti-air batteries were duly noted, and the appropriate defenses were prepared. For the IF-24s, which were large enough to be equipped with ASMs as well as AAMs, plated armor shields strong enough to resist most small AAA and flak fire lowered, covering the underbelly of the plane. Meanwhile, anti-missile lasers for destroying SAMs swiveled into position on all of the planes. The naval IF-19s and IA-71s prepared for action as the message came in from the Steelfire informing them of the neutralization of the enemy airbase.

The IF-19s, 105 in all, noted the presence of enemy aircraft within minutes and prepared a barrage of medium-range AAMs. The medium fighters carried five each of the 10-mile-ranged missiles, which were fairly small but equipped with a powerful blast.

"Delta Six reporting, enemy aircraft approaching."

"Copied. Number and position?"

"Seven, believed inbound from T minus nine minutes, at eleven klicks and closing."

"Long-range missile fire, target all."

Thirty-five missiles exploded from their boxes and streaked across the sky in brilliant flashes of fire at speeds exceeding Mach 5, or a total of five per enemy plane. The missiles were RADAR-guided, with IR as a backup system, and shot straight for the inbound planes, which had formed an attack position. They would hit within a few minutes, most likely destroying all remaining air resistance.

Meanwhile, the attacker planes—the IA-71s—were preparing a barrage of short-range ASMs designed specifically to target AA and SAM installments. There were a total of 55 of them in the force, and each one carried many types of missiles configured for all types of duty: anti-shipping, anti-artillery, anti-air, anti-tank, and so on. Twenty of the larger planes were relegated to fire on SAM installments and fired 60 fast-moving missiles honed on specific targets; nine of them to destroy the remaining ships, by launching 18 missiles towards the nine ships still in the harbor; the remaining 21 prepared their missiles for striking at the anti-ship cannons and installments detected on radar... firing a total of 63.

The swift missile barrage would hit by the time the air forces arrived above the harbor, causing chaos and destruction on all sides. Due to the IF-24s' advanced RADAR and other detection systems, they had seen all of the enemy defenses long before the enemy had noticed their presence—more than two hundred kilometers out to sea—and had spent their time preparing their attacks for the destruction of the city's defenses...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was some very strange planes that took off from Imperial harbors earlier that day, hundreds of miles from the Old Imperial Republic. Vast, even larger than most bombers—huge black planes, with no windows, and in the front (under the cockpit) a portal. It was too large to be called a door, and more so it had no visible means of opening from outside; large, circular, and sinister, it looked more like a gaping hole of darkness than a means of entrance and, much more importantly, egress.

Nearly eighty of these planes took off from airfields and ports, escorted by 120 assorted fighters and fighter-bombers. Their cargo was something few had ever survived, and fewer had ever wanted to see again. Men were said to have been driven mad. Even the most stolid and well-trained fighters... even those incapable of human emotions... had been shaken.

What was inside the planes?

There was only one way to describe it, once seen.

Death.

Cítta diGhiaccio Harbor

~ "LRASMs inbound at 10 o'clock!"

The Avenger, as of now the largest ship in the Imperial fleet, was readying to deal with the onslaught that the Radar technician had pointed out.

" Turn ship to port side, put the attackers to the bow, don't let them get a wide shot. Begin Phalanx fire!"

Every ship in the harbor had begun to put out a dangerous stray of bullets at the oncoming missiles, hoping to at least thin their numbers, and did so with rather great success. With only two projectiles per ship, the anti-rocket cannon fire blew most of the deadly explosives out of the sky, making the Imperial Naval losses quite few.

The same could not be said for the pilots up above. 5 AAMs per plane made it hard to evade the attack. While all did try, all were shot down in the process. None had ejected at all.

As for the ground defenses, Anti-missile machine gun fire blanketed the city, trying to take down whatever it could. Tens of SAM sites and AA guns were destroyed, but the Anti-ship cannons; housed in a quickly-made concrete shielding, didn't suffer one bit. . .

Losses:
4 Gunships
7 Fighers
21 SAM sites
17 AA Towers

"Damn it!"

An IF-19 swerved slightly to get into a better attack position as the plane formation ascended to near-ceiling heights. They were very near to the harbor now, within short range, but expecting more fighters most of the IF-19s were equipped with AAMs. Now that the threat of fighter attacks had passed suddenly, the fighter planes found themselves equipped with fairly useless missiles.

However, a few IF-19s (about 30) had short-range AAMs that could double as short-range anti-shipping missiles. A total barrage of 60 of these were fired down at the remaining ships. While they were only short-range, a single one was powerful enough to destroy a large plane instantly. The total of 12 per ship would be too much for the ships to shoot down.

The IA-71s and IF-24s were preparing their own attacks on the city far below. The IF-24s started the barrage with the Firestars. A technology purchased from military industries in Czardas, the Firestars were small starlike objects, made of steel with an outer casing—consisting of carbon-tungsten alloys, designed to be hard enough to break through anything. Propelled much like bullets from specially created tubes on the plane, they were fired primarily at the large anti-shipping missiles, propelled at a starting velocity of Mach 4. Guided by the GPS/RADAR implants inside, they would break through the concrete and hit the cannons themselves, destroying them and igniting the ammunition. In addition, they were far too small and moving far too fast to be hit by any conventional system, let alone noticed. Each of the fifty planes fired about 20 of these, for a total of 1000... clear destruction.

The IA-71s fired their SFASMs straight into the front harbors of the city. The massive proxmity warheads would destroy everything within 100 meters of their impact, causing mass chaos and perhaps even some damage to the targets. Meanwhile, the whole air wing had finally reached SAM/AAA range and their defenses were ready to deflect whatever the Impero Nuovo could throw at them...or so they thought.

your highness the nation of pantycellen would like to offer its support to the republic and may we state at this time that we refuse to opperate along side your other 'ally'.

a division (10 regiments of 10,000 men and women) are available with more following, also a air combat group (1500 bombers, 1000 fighters, 750 ground attack aircraft and 250 heavy ground attack aircraft) are available as well.

[ooc: Ouch...my brain hurts. Pantycellen, could you please try writing longer and more detailed posts? And there is such a thing as capitalization, you know.

Also, you have no IC knowledge of Imperial involvement, as all we've done is send a carrier battle-group that was already deployed beforehand, and is currently about 220 km from the shores of the Old Republic.... and how are you going to get the message to the Emperor, who's being held in a bunker guarded by the troops of the Impero Nuovo?

Detail is everything...]

OOC: 'fraid I'm gonna have to agree with him Pantycellan: that communication was, in effect, to no one, and even my own forces don't realize the Imperium's true intent yet. However, you can still join; just contact OHIR (Old Holy Imperial Republic) HQ to inform of your involvement. The more people, the better.

IC:
Cítta diGhiaccio Harbor
~With their air and naval forces effectively demolished, the Impero Nuovo's last remaining hope lay in reinforcements from Aero Octubre. Unbeknownst to them, however, Cpt. Gori and his fighter wing had ensured that no plane would leave that airbase until it was back under OHIR control. A Major in charge of a great deal of the Imperial Army in Cítta diGhiaccio had realized something strange about the enemy's tactics, however.

" They send in fighters, neutralize our defenses, and don't wipe us out from the air?"

Finally, it dawned on him; the Bandurian strategy was not to lay waste to the harbor: it was to capture it, changing the situation entirely. Ground forces would have to invade the city, leaving the advantage in the hands of the Impero Nuovo; They knew the lay of the land, knew what key points had to be defended, and more importantly; they were fighting for their "home" (or at least it would be once they got rid of the worthless thing they called an 'Emperor'), making their morale sky-high. The Major sent out a communication to all AA emplacement crews;

" Don't offer up heavy resistance; take down what you can and let them go, don't waste lives trying to hold them back. Destroying the city is not what they want, over and out."

With this new information, the SAM and AA crews adopted a new strategy. The Gunners simply arced tracers into the air, hoping that something would come into the line of fire. If an AA turret was able to force a target to go a particular way, either another turret or a SAM would make use of the trap and ensure the fighter's demise. The SAMs took up a "fire-and-forget" policy; using Radar guided missiles, they launched all of their weaponry (4 missiles per site, about 75 mobile and 35 stationary turrets throughout the city) at one plane, and then abandoned the station. With 4 "smart" rockets per plane that was targeted, it could be safely assumed that it was either going to be destroyed or at least hit. . .
_____

Aero Octubre, 23 miles from Cítta diGhiaccio

" Into the control tower, go, go, go!"

The sharp order was shouted by Major Fidellio Solle; commander of the 11th Vestaglies Neres Special Forces Division. His squadron, along with the 501st Vestaglies Neres Infantry Regiment, were called upon to retake Aero Octubre from Imperialist forces shortly after the airstrike on the same base. They were restricted from using heavy weapons because they wanted the facilities intact; the only heavy firepower they had were 27 Mk.III Serbatoio Tanks (Nueve Italian standard armored vehicle: Carries a 140mm main cannon, Soviet T-72 chassis, and 1 .50cal anti-infantry machine gun and 1 20mm cannon for medium armored targets [stationary planes, jeeps, the like]). Currently, these weapons were holding the runway; preventing any vehicles from getting close to the invading force. The two groups had split up; the 501st went to take back all of the Hangar Facilities, and the 11th was in charge of capturing the Communications Array, Control Tower, Armory, and Barracks. Having succesfully taken all but the Tower, the 11th pressed on, now inside the very building, with their Major leading them.

" Gio, breach charge on the door, Sonny, watch his back, everyone else, clear the area."

As the two troopers carried out their duties, the rest of the 20-man assault force backed behind a nearby wall, away from the blast area, until the breachers came back.

" Fire in the hole!"

The resulting boom after the warning made a few heads in the 2 rooms beyond the door turn quickly. The Imperial soldiers charged towards the blown-open doorway, only to be met by another shout.

" Suppressive fire!"

The Major's voice was silenced by automatic weapon chatter; 4 soldiers that could get their rifles around the corner layed a deadly spray across the hallway, killing the 7 men that ran out of the main control room to investigate the disturbance. The rifles that the men carried were the Collerra R-11, typical of Nueve Italian Infantry. When the automatic rifle became king after the 1940-1950s era (where the bolt-action or semi-auto gun was still in wide-spread use), the M-14 had been the most popular infantry weapon in Nueve Italia. When plastics made their way into weapon manufacturing, the Vestaglies Neres requested a new, lighter rifle. The result was the R-11, with its designation, Collerra, being the Nueve Italian word for "Wrath." In it's truest essence, it was, still, an M-14, but with slight modifications. An extended barrel increased accuracy and range, an attached scope provided a 2x or 4x zoom, swapping metals and alloys for plastics made the rifle much lighter, and the ammunition was switched from the NATO 5.56mm to the larger (and more powerful) 7.62mm round. All these advantages combined, the men in the hallway caught in the bursts of this weapon fired from four individuals were no more; their bullet riddled corpses didn't even resemble humans anymore.

After the bloodshed, the squad moved forward in 4-man defensive positions. Major Solle knew it was only a matter of time before this base was theirs. Then they could push southward and retake the Capital. . .and rescue their leader.~

The fighters were now over the harbor. With naval and airforce assets neutralized, their supremacy was unchallenged...for a moment. Missiles streamed towards the harbor and whatever installments were along it—the proximity warheads soon to detonate the whole seafront—but besides that they were not firing down on the city at all. After all, they were not supposed to destroy Città diGhiaccio...

"We have missiles inbound, prepare countermeasures immediately!"

"Roger, copied! Fighters, prepare evasive action..."

The highly maneuverable IF-24s took little damage. With anti-missile shields, lasers, and chaff, most of the rockets flying at them were destroyed; only a few of the fighters fell like flaming stars into the sea. IF-19s took a worse toll. Not quite as fast as the other fighters, several of them were hit by enemy fire. IA-71s took care to stay out of the action and never came within tracer range, however.

As the missiles impacted the harbor, wreaking destruction and chaos, the Imperial attacker planes prepared another barrage against the SAM emplacements, firing hundreds of smaller missiles at the stationary and mobile turrets. Guided by RADAR, the missiles would impact and destroy batteries immediately when they hit.

Amerath rarely tried to influence its own ideals upon other countries, but it seemed.. another country was doing it for itself.

Deep inside the Intelligence Core under the capital of Primus, there sat an old weathered man sitting in a chair with wizzing gears and blinking lights. His eyes were shut tight as he pondered other events; That was, his eyes -were- closed, until an aide came up to him..

"High-Consular Kakain, I bring a communication from a far off nation that seeks to bring itself to our ideals. Well, actually, lord, two communications."

The High-Consular, lord of the Intelligence Core, looked down and took the information-slate from the aide and began looking it over. "Interesting buisness there is here, very interesting indeed."

The aide sat quietly while the High-Consular Kakain studied the two messages from the same country.

"I have decided." The High-Consular spoke, "We will help this.. new empire (The rebellion), and guide it into the perfection that Amerath's Imperium is today."

The aide quickly spoke up, "What of the Great Lords, should we not ask their advice?"

The High-Consular coughed and wheezed and spat on the ground at the mention of them, "Fine yes, tell them I advise helping the uprising."

With that , the aide was gone in a flury of heels.

----

The counsel chamber had been in session for an hour before they came out and the data slates were exchanged, one quickly being brought back to the High-Consular Kakain.

"Lord! They have agreed, they are leaving you the logistics." He handed the slate to the High-Consular.

"Very well." The consular rotated his chair with a flick of a switch and began to view a massive video screen. Contacting his communications network.

The message was thus, to the "True rulers of Neuve Italia", the senator's forces...

"We, the Grand Empire of Amerath, have seen your message, and after much deliberation, have decided your fight is just and well deserved. We will help you bring about a new age for your people. Long live the Empires.

We will need basic information if you accept this alliance, for we will not send our people in blindly, not knowing who they are to fight.

-High-Consular Kakain, lord of the Intelligence Core of the Grand Empire of Amerath."

OOC: Sorry, didnt really know who to contact or such, and was in a hurry with the post, due to the night ending eventually.

OOC: No problem, glad to have another player. If you're working with the rebellion, you're fighting alongisde the Impero Nuovo (New Empire) forces against OHIR (The Old Holy Imperial Republic). In a nutshell to get you up-to-date on what the war is basically about. . .
1.) Emperor Giovanni Dominicio Gori I takes the Throne 5 years ago after the death of his father, Dictatore Paolo, a military general who siezed the nation in a coup d'etat and ruled it as a brutal dictator. Many still remember his harsh rule.
2.) As his first action, he instates an Imperial Republic (Rule by the Senate elected by the people, but with the Emperor as the still official head of the country.)
3.) 4 years ago, a rebellion led by the Emperor's sister occurs to sieze the Palace by force and instate the previous Empire. It ultimately fails. The seeds of rebellion are sown here as some powerful political leaders realize that the government may not be as stable as it seems.
4.) Roman Catholicism is later declared the national religion, but freedom of religion is practiced in Nueve Italia. The nation's title changes to the Holy Imperial Republic. Some religious groups declare this favoritism and turn secretly hostile to the government.
5.) Nueve Italia participates in several wars aiding allies in suppressing uprisings, against enemy attacks, the like. The army is never sent to attack another nation without the purpose of protecting either itself or an ally however.
6.) Popular unrest with such an active international role leads to an isolationist policy by the Emperor for a year.
7.) Recently, the Open Port Act was passed, opening Nueve Italia's borders once again. In response, radicalists who opposed the act took a school hostage and threatened to murder children until their demands were met. Deliberation in the Senate led to a delay before the situation was handled by a counter-terrorist force. Negotiations failed, and people blamed the bloodshed once again on the Senate.
8.) Senator Ignatius Lucchese becomes the official leader of the secret society called Impero Nuovo, whose ultimate goal is to overthrow the Republic and declare Nueve Italia as an Empire.
9.) 5 days ago: The New Empire uprising takes place. The Emperor is taken hostage and internal stability collapses. Almost half of the nation, upset with either political or religious problems in the nation, join the insurrection. The other half, glad to be a part of a Republic where they had a say in a government that tended to the needs of the people, and not wanting to return to solitary rule, joined Antonio Orsini Gori, the Emperor's son, as he created a military force to defend the Republic. He calls this new army the OHIR Forces, and so far, they have the upper hand in the struggle.
10.) Banduria, for reasons known only to them, have agreed to help the OHIR Forces in suppressing the Impero Nuovo Army.

To show you where the battle stands;
OHIR Advantages:
- The Air Force, Air Guard, and Navy have joined OHIR
- The Elite Armed Forces of Nueve Italia, the Vestaglies Neres, have also joined.
- 7 of 13 major industrial cities have lent their support to OHIR
- Morale is high as they are fighting to defend their way of life and their Emperor.

Impero Nuovo Advantages:
- Over 3/4 of the regular Army regiments have joined the New Empire
- The North Eastern Mining and Industrial sectors are under Imperial Control
- 5 of 8 Ports are under Imperial Control, using captured Republican Naval vessels.
- Capturing the Emperor has put a dent in OHIR morale, and should the war come to negotiations, they have the major bargaining chip. Also, if the Emperor should die, as well as his son (most likely in combat), rule would pass to the head senator, Ignatius Lucchese, making victory for the Impero Nuovo absolute.

Sorry no IC post right now, will respond later.

Command Bunker, North of Cítta diCielo

~ When the message of aid from Amerath came to Senator Lucchese, he couldn't help but smile wickedly.

" It seems the tide has turned again, my Emperor" the sarcasm dripped from his tounge as if rain during a thunderstorm, " Another nation has joined the battle I created, this time fighting for me."

Emperor Gori couldn't believe his ears. He struggled to turn his head and look at Lucchese, but the bonds he was strapped in kept him pinned down tightly.

" What psychotic leader would help a crazed man like you?"

" Apparently a one, High-Consular Kakain, of the Grand Empire of Amerath."

Giovanni shook his head, or, at best, managed to wiggle his chin a little.

" Help may come to you, but victory will be decided by the people of this nation. They will not willingly submit to your rule."

Lucchese scowled in disgust at what he knew to be the truth, but his words portrayed a different image.

" You forget, Giovanni, that nearly half of Nueve Italia already has submitted, and is, in fact, helping me destroy your pitiful Republic!"

Blood loss caused Giovanni's vision to tunnel for a moment, and then return to to normal. His head ached, his eyes burned, and all the while, he had faith in his son and his people.

They'll pull through. For the sake of freedom, they will pull through.
_____

Cítta diGhiaccio Harbor
The air war was won by Banduria, no doubt that. With most of their AA defenses gone now, there was nothing to stop the enemy from crushing the city, but that, fortunately, was not their goal. The Impero Nuovo Army still had a chance to hold the key port if they had to fight a ground war. With enough men and vehicles, they could hold out until reinforcements arrived. At the moment where their morale was highest, however, believing that all they had to do was turn back the enemy, their commander recieved a dreadful message from Aero Octubre

" Greetings from your neighborhood enemies, the Vestaglies Neres! This is Major Fidellio Solle of the 11th Special Forces Division, informing you that the Impero Nuovo is royally screwed. A captain here tells me that you guys put in a request for about 75 planes. I'm afraid to say that your order has been cancelled until further notice due to a hostile takeover. I'd abandon the port if I were you. Have a nice day."

Lieutenant Colonel Giorgio Mencizzi went white in the face when he heard this transmission. When questioned by his aides on what to do, his resolve was firm.

" Hold the city. Don't let the enemy take one step on our soil."

Shoreline defenses were prepared, with bunkers and pillboxes everywhere. While they had no more heavy weapons to blast the boats out of the water, they could certaintly kill any soldier that dared to invade this city. . .~

Another message...
"Senator.. erm.. Excuse me, Emperor Lucchese. I believe that in order for us to come to your aide, we will require a staging point for our own little.. base. We will bring the light of the Empires to this land by our weapons or words.

You may call me High-Consular Kakain, I am 3rd in line of command of the Grand Empire of Amerath should the Emperor and Knights of the Empire fall, gods forbid, and I.. will be your ally.
-The Grand Empire of Amerath-"

Of course, High-Consulars would rarely treat someone with respect (other than those who rank above them or truly earned their medals.), but he hadn't shared the light of his Emperor for some time, and was eager to spread the merits.

His many aides stood next to him, talking, discussing, arguing, and basically.. setting up propper numbers for who was to go where to do what. Amerath was a large nation (small by most standards, only 1.325 Billion strong.) , and it could field many soldiers, although, most of them were il-trained due to criminals, rather than going to prison, were forced to serve in the conscripted corps until their debt was payed.

OOC: A little standards of Amerath

When Amerath mentions a Line Regiment, it usually means a number of around 1,500 criminals serving as soldiers, they move in numbers due to their inability to fight as effectively as regular army.
A Regular Brigade is around 4,500 people, and is composed of regular army volunteers and general army weapons.
Then you have your Mechanized Battalion , which consists of around 700 vehicles, which is composed of supply vehicles, anti-infantry vehicles, anti-armor, and other mechanized vehicles.
Also Artillary Company, consists of about 175 Howitzers or other specially designed artillary peices.
Then finally, you have the Anti-Air Company, which consists of 175 anti-air batteries.

Just so you know, if you have problems with it, I'm willing to adjust numbers and will give new statistics for any other Corps possibly joining.

"Delta Six reporting, we have air superiority!"

The exuberant voice of the lieutenant screamed in his commander's ear from the headset. He shook his head. "That was fast."

"Right, come on, launch all-out bomb attack on the defenses! Hold port until ships arrive!"

Missiles flew from the planes in a near-constant barrage towards the shoreline defenses—the bunkers and pillboxes—aiming to destroy them from above before the ships could arrive, disgorging their soldiers. From the ships themselves, still many kilometers out, waves of 16" and smaller shells were fired onto the shore in a ceaseless bombardment, aimed solely for defenses—not the city itself.

As the barrage from above continued, however, the next stage of the Bandurian assault was beginning.

Huge black planes. Blank, without windows, striking fear already into the hearts of all who saw them. Larger than bombers... equipped with one single cargo, death... and fear.... and destruction. The commander shivered slightly as he thought of what was inside the planes and knew that probably, on the shoreline people were too.

Or maybe they were not...in which case they knew nothing of the Imperium in warfare. They would learn, if any survived with their sanity intact.

The planes were approaching, coming down to land, and the air barrage intensified to prevent the troops of the Impero Nuovo from firing on the huge transport planes. They came in to land near the shoreline... in the shallows. More missiles... keep them busy down there... destroy the emplacements...

And then, the huge transport planes rolled to a stop. In the shallows. On what was left of the docks. The missile barrage from the planes, and the shells from the ships, had abruptly ended. They stopped, the huge black portals still closed.

For a long moment, dead silence reigned.

Then the portals slowly...laboriously...began to open......

Still nothing. Inside the portals was blackness... The fear in the air was almost palpable. Panic would be rising in the throats of many that day—both Imperial and their enemies...

Then a single man walked out.

He blew a whistle.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They answered the call. From within the bowels of the planes, they had not stirred, as the powerful drugs were injected and the armor and weapons buckled on. Then, with the whistle bringing the mute ones the sound of battle, of joy in blood, of destruction, of power...

The Fanatics answered.

Some were armed with simple rifles and explosives, little else. Some had armor. Many were unshaven, their faces and features blackened, burned, bloodied, ghastly. Terrifying. The most terrifying thing of all were the drugs. Injected into their veins.... all emotion and pain seemed to stop. The eyes became dull and empty, as of ones dead. Even through the most awful gashes, they would do what they were ordered to do. Fight and die.

They slowly began to trickle out of the planes. First a few fists of them, firing and waving their weapons as they charged straight at the enemy. Then hundreds, and then thousands. Screaming the same fanatical wordless shriek, like that of a hunting hawk closing in on its prey, they began to charge forward. Explosions resounded as plastic explosives and grenades detonated, as bombs blew and guns and rifles rattled. Many Fanatics carried torches with them that burned through the ice.... it was that that would come to the minds of the survivors afterwards. Fire and ice. Life and death entwined.

The Fanatics continued their relentless tide, surging against the enemy defenses. With their weapons, they would singlehandedly or in small fists charge enemy pillboxes, bunkers, or machine gun nests. Despite taking horrendous wounds, they continued their charge, firing wildly. Demoralization was the primary object of the Fanatics in warfare, and it tended to work. People didn't want to fight against soldiers that wouldn't lie down and die when they'd taken their due share of wounds...

OOC: I'll post again as soon as I get a reply from Neuve Italia

Command Bunker, North of Cítta diCielo

~Ignatius smiled. The prospect of being called "Emperor," already had served to enlighten his mood significantly. The real Emperor, Giovanni, who had already endured his fair share of torments about this recent development, admonished the power-hungry Senator.

" Only those who seek power, not those who wield it, place such importance on rank and title."

Enraged by this insolent worm, one who was not even fit to be in His Imperial Worship's presence, Lucchese whirled around to face one of the two things that stood in the way of his new Empire.

" Fool! Dare you to consul me? I'm sure you can clearly see that it is, in fact, I who wield this so-called 'power' now, and there's nothing you can possibly due to stop me."

His rage could be detected all around him: his words, his eyes, the way his body trembled as he stared down his enemy. Maybe I am crazy, Ignatius perceived for a moment, but if so, then may God help those bastards trying to end my rise to power!.

After he had calmed down considerably, the leader of Impero Nuovo relayed a transmission out to his new ally.
_____

Most Noble High-Consular Kakain,

Your aid in our founding of a new government is most appreciated. When this battle is won, your Grand Empire will see the true generosity of Nueve Italia for assisting us in destroying the remnants of the Republic. As for a staging area for your forces, Porto Real, towards the Southern Lands, should suffice. The area was recently taken under Imperial Control, so you have no need to worry about enemy forces when you arrive. A word of caution, however: Avoid the Northern Sea; an invasion force, allied to the defenders of the Republic, is currently active there, and may engage your fleet in battle should you come across them.

His Imperial Worship,
Ignatius Lucchese III
_____

Cítta diGhiaccio Shoreline

" What are these things?!"

" I can't hold them back! They're taking th-"

" Fire! Fire! DON'T LET THEM THROUGH!"

" Beachhead defenses overrun! We can't hold them back!"

Confusion and blood ran deep over the Impero Nuovo that day. These crazed, new enemies didn't know pain, fear, anything. It was as if they were machines. Entire clips were emptied into these devil soldiers before they fell. Retreating, the Imperial forces were forced to give up the beach, and ran back into the city. With it's narrow alleys and streets, the enemy could be choked into one of them and gunned down easily. On the beach, they swarmed and overran defensive positions by shear numbers. The Imperial Commander knew that this threat had to be bottled up and dealt with using superior firepower, but he also knew that those brave men on the shoreline were beyond help. They would have to be abandoned if they could not make it back to the defensive position in the city itself.

On the pale sands (now painted crimson), Imperial soldiers were undecided on a COA. Some bravely turned and attacked these horrors from the unknown; others turned and fled, only to be gunned down in the process. One soldier saw a nearby comrade get torn to pieces by the bare hands of one of the Bandurain Devils, before he too was killed.

It was a sad day for the Impero Nuovo.~

The beachhead defenses were silent and deserted. Night had long since fallen, and the Imperial ships began docking. The Fanatics had been called back to their transports by the whistle; now the Legionnaires were advancing. Every Legionnaire had been trained from birth, and they were nearly fearless... among the best-trained in the world. They looked over the abandoned defenses, quickly sizing up their position.

"Prepare for urban guerilla warfare, countdown."

Unloading RPGs, assault rifles, armor, machine and submachine guns, and explosives, each troop took their pack and began to advance into the city while UAVs were deployed overhead, evaluating the position and sending back the data to the commanders, who then evaluated the best route into the city. Gunfire erupted. The Legions had a weakness in that they were more human... but also more rational. Instead of simply throwing themselves upon the enemy, they had strategy and tactics...

In the blackness of the night, they sneaked up on machine-gun positions, quickly taking control of houses and strategic points. They began to take over the city mercilessly, gunning down the residents of houses at times and taking control, mounting machine guns at windows, exchanging fire in skirmishes with the troops of the Impero Nuovo. But most of all they were planning, preparing for their next move.

In the morning the Fanatics would be unleashed once more into the city itself. Once they were called back, the Legions would continue their advance... Soon, the whole city would be in control of the Imperial forces. A swift and merciless turnaround.

Lt.-Col. Marin, aboard the Steelfire, smiled to himself as he thought of swift victory... a strike repeated. Perhaps with more troops sent from the homeland. Word came that many Legions had been deployed to Ankhmet and elsewhere, but there were still some left who could be sent out to Nueve Italia if necessary. Along with the troops of Conquest Industries, Inc.

Tomorrow would bring great things, he thought.

Victory and defeat. Life and death. Blood and ice. Hell and heaven.

The joys of war.

Cítta diGhiaccio, Inner City
~ Field Marshal Ampezzo Marsini was posted in one of the taller skyscrapers in the city. Below him, the chaos of war shook the Earth. Fires. Flashes of Light. Screams in the darkness, echoed ten-fold into the heavenly stars.

" This cannot go on much longer. . .we won't last."

Turning to the array of commanders in the 76th story-high meeting room, the Field Marshal began his briefing.

" Currently, gentleman, our forces are pinned down with nowhere to run. the enemy controls the shoreline and most of the perimeter near there. We control the access to the roads behind us, and therefore a means of retreat if it comes to that. We also still maintain control of most of the city as of nightfall. I will not let this foe drive us back so easily. The enemy will be crushed by night tomorrow in one, swift stroke."

One lieutenant, who could not contain himself, having been on the battlefield in the afternoon as the beachhead gave way under invasion forces, rose violently out of his chair, his expression one of incredulous doubt.

" Impossible! I've seen this war up close! These soldiers are monsters; well-trained in the arts of war, skilled in every strategy and counter-strategy, proficient in procuring our own vehicles and supplies, it's almost as if we were fighting the Vestaglies Neres! I suggest we retreat immediately: who cares if they get the city?!"

At this point, the officer's protest turned into sobs of regret and fear. Through his unintelligible cries, one could hear phrases such as, " should have fought for the Republic," and " why did we even start this bloody war?"

Annoyed, Field Marshal Marsini guestured to one of his other men, saying, " Take the Lieutenant outside; maybe he should be given a leave, seeing as his heart's not where it should be."

Hearing this, the young officer's whimpers of defeat turned into outraged protests as he was dragged out of the room by two armed guards into the hallway. Moments later, his voice was silenced by three muffled thumps, followed by a sound as if someone had dropped something on padded carpeting. The guards came back in as if this was standard procedure, but it was duly noted that one had something crimson on the end of his MP5S/D barrel.

" Why, you may ask?" began Ampezzo, addressing the many queries his fellow leaders most likely had at this point, " because he was an endangerment to the cause. If you are not with us, then you are with nobody, and nobody you shall therefore be. Any doubt in the determination and power of the Impero Nuovo shall be met with a bullet, understood?"

Silent nods from around the table confirmed that the message was clear: Any suspect of treachery was a dead man. To them, it was as if Dictatore Paolo ruled once more; cries of, "All for the State!", personal freedoms meant nothing, freedom itself meant nothing. Military executions were skyhigh during his reign, soldiers feared eachother more than the enemy, and the men in the room now couldn't help but notice that history was repeating itself. In fact, half of these commanders had fought in the Republican Army to defeat Paolo Gori and his unjust Imperialism.

Strange, it seemed, how these things seemed to all come around once again. But this was not a war against a dictator; it was a war against the Senate. Different times, different people, same ideology: gain power. They set to work, and by dawn, they would have a means of gaining that power.~

Over the day the battle continued.

When the Fanatics had finished with the city, their numbers were greatly depleted, but word came that an insurrection in northern Banduria had been quelled and hundreds, nay thousands more prisoners had been taken for immediate deployment. Along with more Thought-Criminals—there were always more. Whether real or false, their public sham trials were necessary to keep the people's devotion to the Imperium strong.

The Legions fought bitterly for control of houses, lone patches of ground. Battling their way across the city, they exchanged fire in a near-constant series of skirmishes. Smoke filled the city by noon. Hundreds lay dead, mainly civilians caught in the crossfire, and Fanatics. Civilians and enemy troops taken prisoner were injected with the drugs and unleashed upon their former comrades.

There was always a supply of Fanatics in war...

Lt.-Col. Marin and Rear Adm. Terman had transferred from the battleship onto the beachhead, in a hastily thrown-together base surrounded by mines to deter enemy troops, and other defense positions. Marin was reading the latest report from one of his officers, a 1st Lt. Jorick, stationed in a temporary base in one of the former office buildings of Città diGhiaccio.

"So, how is the land campaign doing?"

"It's doing fairly well," said Marin. "Fanatic numbers are down—reports state 18,000 were killed yesterday, another 14,000 today so far, estimated, out of at least 60,000 that they brought. However, there are also nearly 7,500 new prisoners who were quickly 'converted.'"

Terman grinned ferally. "What about your legions?"

"The 61st Division has taken the heaviest losses so far, nearly 5,000 slain. 62nd Division is still doing well, thanks to a policy of 'speak softly and carry a big stick', so to speak—that is, strike quietly before the enemy knows you're there."

"At this rate, how many troops do you think we'll have left by the time we leave this shithole?"

"In all likelihood, most of the force... if things continue the way they are now," said Marin cautiously. "I feel that the Impero Nuovo may have some surprises for us. We should proceed cautiously."

Terman snorted. "Cautiously!" he said to himself. "Ha. Good old-fashioned military force is all this requires."

A new transmission was coming in. Marin pricked up his ears and put on the headphones to hear it. After a time he turned back to Terman.

"A Conquest fleet coming in. Apparently they have 100,000 Industrial troops with them and small air and naval forces with them."

"No Fanatics?"

"For some reason they believe using POWs and criminals as soldiers is immoral," said Marin, chuckling. "This is war."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Atop the carrier, Lt. Joseph Aeria Cavrus stepped off his IF-24, its dragonlike wings folded in, and waved cheerily to another IAF pilot.

"I've got the intel and camera evidence," Cavrus hailed.

The other pilot nodded curtly. "Good for you. So, where are these fuckers based?"

"Some kind of skyscraper sticking out of the middle of the city. Impossible to miss, even from nineteen klicks up."

"How did you get this?"

"Easy, find the most heavily guarded buildings, use passive radar receivers to find out where RADARs are based and intercept transmitted orders.... simplicity itself, really. Plus the visual evidence of the 62nd Division."

"Shall we launch a bomb attack?"

"Why not. Unnerve 'em a little bit." Cavrus laughed.

"Right." The other pilot, obviously a somewhat higher authority, pulled out a megaphone and called, "Squadron Delta Foxtrot Two and Delta Alpha Two, scramble all aircraft!"

Cavrus and the pilot climbed into their fighters. From the decks of the carrier, planes rocketed into the air, climbing swiftly to a temporary ceiling at 28,000 feet.

"Skyfires, approach T-zero for immediate strike. Wyverns, keep in radius T-six minus two and watch for incoming aircraft and anti-air batteries. Prepare long-range ASMs."

"Roger that."

The two squadrons of aircraft launched themselves higher, speeding up to Mach 2 as they approached the skyscraper in question. The fighters circled overhead, watching for enemy aircraft.

"Fire!"

The first Skyfire opened its bomb bays and began launching the ASMs. The powerful missiles were designed for anti-SAM and AA duty, but worked just as well against standing targets. The Skyfire launched four missiles, closed bays, and executed a complex turn back towards the carrier, speeding up to Mach 3 as it did so. The others followed suit. In all, 48 ASMs plummeted down towards the skyscraper, guided by active and passive RADARs with IR as backup.

"Cut off the head, and the body soon follows..."

Cítta diGhiaccio, Inner City
The Bandurians believed that they had won this battle. That if they kept pushing forward, the city would fall. That the leaders of the Impero Nuovo in the area had been killed. How wrong they were.

Field Marshal Marsini had known that the HQ he had temporarily established had been a prime target for the enemy. After last night, his forces had withdrew from the area, but left a sizable force to guard the building, decieving the enemy into believing that the area was still highly important.

As he watched the airstrike upon the skyscraper, Ampezzo managed so much as a shrug in respect for the men that were still in the building. " War requires sacrifice," he mused, and turned back towards the Op Center his forces had hastily constructed near the outskirts of the urban sector. His battle plan was being put into motion, and by now, it was ready. A radio emitted static nearby, and then finally tuned and broadcasted a clear feed.

" Sir, this is First Lieutenant Cionocci, in position to strike, waiting on your orders."

The Field Marshal grinned.

" Commence attack. Gain victory in the name of the Empire!"

" Will do sir, over and out."
_____

The Impero Nuovo had begun to mass its enitre force in one sector, steadily withdrawing all through last night. By early dawn today, the bulk of the army was in the Northeastern district; an industrial one at that. A munitions factory had been captured here at the beginning, giving the Imperial soldiers ammo, weapons, and, most importantly, tanks. Around 30 Mk.III Serbatoios had been discovered, as well as other attack vehicles. By 0530 this morning, the Impero Nuovo had deployed three divisions, armed with these new vehicles, at different points in the city. By mid-day, the central force had engaged the enemy head-on, doing what damage they could. Battle consumed the streets, and the Bandurian invaders were taken slightly by surprise at how the Imperial Army could strike so suddenly, giving almost no warning with which to prepare a counterattack. Alas, sheer numbers soon won out, and the Impero Nuovo was on the run, retreating back to whence they came.

The Bandurians, sensing that the end was near if they defeated this division, charged after them with a well-coordinated assault on the main position. Eventually, the Imperials were run-down, and had to make a last stand, lest they perish like so many of their fellow soldiers.

It was then that the attack intensified. The two other Imperial regiments quickly engaged the enemy, and then swung around the sector that the Bandurian force that followed the retreating soldiers occupied. They were surrounded on all sides by enemies that knew that if this attack failed, it would be close to the end for them. The tanks and armored vehicles proved their worth, however, cutting paths through the invaders' army. Light Recon Jeeps rode around the edge of the enemy formation, peppering them with .50cal fire, using both AP and Incindiary rounds, and then dashing off at break-neck speeds. The tanks, with their two .50cal guns and 140mm Main Cannon, could make short work of any soldier that came close to them. Combine the mechanized assault with the regular infantry, who had taken every spot that gave them an advantage over the enemy, such as fortified buildings, high rises, destroyed walls, and so on, and the Bandurian army was in quite a bit of trouble.

First Lt. Gregorio Cionocci was leading the left flank divison, battering the enemy forces with mortar and tank fire. Sure, a few buildings and such would be damaged from the use of such heavy weapons, but what's a structure or two turned to glass if you get the whole city afterwards? With this in mind, the 1st Lt. organized his forces with his 10 heavy vehicles (the Mk.IIIs) in front, to take the bulk of the fire. Snipers and machinegun squads had been posted in key buildings to be on the lookout for enemy soldiers with Anti-Armor weaponry. For added protection, each attack formation carried at least 5 portable SAM vehicles with them, so even if the enemy halted their advance with an airstrike, they would still suffer with the Imperial Soldiers. Both of the other commanders had arrayed their forces in similar ways, and all three were using their Recon vehicles to hit the enemy infantry hard and fast.

Although the Impero Nuovo was taking losses (a vehicle here and there, at least 6 tanks knocked out of commission, as well as a hundred or so of ground troops), they stood firm, and pressed on, begging the enemy to try and test their resolve. This was a last-ditch effort to save the city, or at least kill as many enemy troops before they broke through. Either way, the Bandurians would not make it out of this battle in one piece still.~

Lt. Timothy Jorick swore heavily as mortar fire peppered the wall behind him, coming from one of the tanks. Most of the remaining 61st Division had been led on to this position, seeking to destroy the last enemy resistance, and had discovered that that resistance was not likely to roll over and die with ease. The Imperial troops and their vehicles, while definitely well-coordinated and powerful, were no match for tanks. Dozens of troops fell to the heavy armored vehicles in just the first few minutes of combat.

Imperial soldiers had taken several important buildings at the beginning, which saved some of them. When the primary attack began, it became obvious that the troops of the Impero Nuovo were occupying the most strategic houses and positions.

A number of these positions were targeted by the planes, which flew overhead to scout out positions. One known location was that of an arms manufacturing factory outside of the city. A squadron of Skyfires had been deployed to firebomb it, a tactic which seemed to be succeeding. As missiles flew towards the factory from above, aiming to destroy whatever was left of it, the planes continued on to the next targets.

They were successful in targeting tanks with Firestars, which thrown from high above were impossible to target effectively and were aimed primarily for the heavy guns or the fuel tanks, exploding the tanks. After dropping them the planes disappeared out of range to avoid being targeted by SAM or AAA turrets atop the tanks; nonetheless, fire from below downed several of the fighter-bombers, which crashed into buildings in the city, causing massive fires. Many pilots, before ejecting, steered the planes to hit the enemy troop positions and buildings, and they crashed into the positions and occupied buildings, destroying and killing many...

The 61st Division was forced to retreat into several narrow streets, and they occupied the buildings in one square block, with machine guns and RPGs mounted on the windowsills, exchanging fire with tanks and regular infantry on the streets and houses below. More Imperial Legionnaires occupied other buildings. Fierce house-to-house fighting had erupted; every square inch was a battlefield. The Imperial troops occupied townhouses, apartment buildings, office buildings... attempting to reach higher positions to blow up other enemy buildings. The campaign had taken a turn for the difficult now. However, the last bit of enemy resistance's destruction would be assured with certain events transpiring on the shoreline...

~~~~~~~~~~~

Lt.-Col. Marin stepped out of the temporary tent onto the crimson, snow-flecked sands, looking over the various defenses and positions holding two thousand naval infantry and eight hundred Legionnaires, along with the Fanatics in their planes or specially built pens. The positions had been very heavily defended from both sides in case the enemy, far outnumbering the small force stationed on the beachhead, tried to attack. Now, however, more aid was arriving.

A small fleet of transports and combat ships escorting them, along with two supercarriers, was coming into Città DiGhiaccio: the Conquest Industries, Inc. army. Their mercenary infantry, defending the future positions of Conquest's factories and holdings in Nueve Italia, was made up of troops from many countries, selected to do duty in the armed forces of their workplace. All of the ships, planes, weaponry, ammo, armor, and tanks with them had been manufactured by Conquest, which issued part of its weaponry to its own army.

The troops were nowhere near as well-trained as the Legionnaires, but they were still good support on a battlefield. And they did have a slight advantage in equipment. Off one of the largest transports rolled no less than a hundred and twenty Mk IV Cn126-E tanks, affectionately dubbed "roaches" by the troops of the Imperial and Conquest armies—possibly as a reference to Roach-Busters, an ally of Banduria, or the tanks' swiftness, manueverability, and strength. Thousands of infantry descended onto the beachhead from the ships, chatting and talking among themselves and the Legionnaires already stationed there, setting up tents.

Marin got out of his tent to watch the landing as a helicopter touched down near him at a heliport set up the previous day by IAF personnel. A man got out and glanced at Marin. "Lieutenant Colonel?"

"Yes?"

"You're wanted on the capital." Marin stepped into the 'copter, which took off again towards the ships. It touched down again atop a battleship, the Commerce. Marin stepped out of the helicopter and descended a stairway, brushing back a few strands of blond hair from his face. Ahead of him was a man in uniform, probably a Major-General. Marin nodded to the man, who stepped towards him alertly.

"Good day, Lt. Col. Marin, I presume?"

"Yes," said Marin, looking over the other. "And you are..."

"Maj.-Gen. Sampson here," said the man proudly. A new promotion, thought Marin. "I'm in charge of Conquest's forces on this job."

"Good," said Marin. "I'm in charge of the Legionnaires here."

"Excellent! I trust they're doing a good job here. I've heard a lot about the Legions."

"No better than usual," said Marin. "We don't outnumber the enemy, but all of them that we can we've taken prisoner and they're serving as Fanatics." Marin smiled grimly and watched the other's somewhat disgusted reaction as he took that in. Finally, after choking down his distaste with a shudder at the thought of "those monsters" in wartime, he went on,

"Ah yes! That reminds me, there was some kind of protest of the Ankhmeti war staged by some communists, and the Thought Police had them rounded up and sent off here. Apparently there were more than twenty thousand arrests..." Sampson motioned to a huge black ship, nearly as large as a supercarrier, visible even from here in the distance. Marin thought of the thousands of people crammed into the huge hulls of the giant ships. A just penalty for breaking the laws of the Imperium. Soon the drugs would be injected, and they would be unleashed onto war as well. For now they were being kept in reserve, for after the finish of the Città diGhiaccio campaign...

Abruptly, breaking the spell, Marin asked, "How many of your men and vehicles are ready for immediate action?"

"Once the tanks are refueled, we can send them out, and even before I'm sure at least one or two divisions will be ready to send out at once," said Sampson confidently.

"Good, then. Send them out as soon as they're ready. Maybe some of the tanks will have finished fueling by then..."

"Perhaps."

Back on the beach, the tanks soon ran into a problem. They were due for deployment as soon as possible, but there was only room for ten of them at a time to fuel up. As soldiers pulled on their uniforms, picked up their weapons, and gave up the little time they had been relaxing in preparation for battle, the first ten roaches pulled out of the stations, silvery armor, guns, and SAM turrets glinting in the sunlight, reflected from the ice. They set out along the widest street they could find, in two rows of five, followed by the first group of 5,000 soldiers fresh off the transports.

Thirty minutes later, another group of ten tanks set out. This time, only 3,500 troops followed. It would be enough to start out...

~~~~~~~~~~

Jorick reloaded, keeping his eye on the jeep. He'd taken up residence with four or five of the best Legionnaires in the division on the residential a crumbling brick wall that had once belonged to a townhouse firebombed by Imperial planes, setting up a kind of sniping nest. He sighted along his machine gun, aided by the 'scope, and fired. The bullet sang along its trajectory just as the jeep turned, and the high-cal rounds pierced its fuselage. The jeep exploded in a massive fireball.

"Sweet," commented Sam dourly from Jorick's left, aiming an RPG towards a nest on the opposite side of the street and bracing himself for the kickback as he prepared to fire. "Now all we've got left are the other thirty thousand of them..."

"Where did they get those vehicles from?" A Sgt. Farren swung her rifle around angrily to bear on an enemy soldier about to hurl a grenade. The bullet pierced his helmet, knocking him back a few paces as the grenade exploded in his hand.

Jorick laughed. "It's not fair," he mimicked. "The enemy doesn't follow the Imperial code of honor and is actually starting to do something."

A man named Genaro on Jorick's right ducked a high-cal round from another jeep and fired back through a crack in the bricks of the shattered wall. "I can hardly blame them; we were taking them out so quickly they wouldn't have a rebellion left by the time we were through with them."

Farren tucked long brown hair under her helmet and peered through a crack in the bricks. "Great, more of those tanks. When I get back home I'm going to kill High Command for not sending out at least two mechanized divisions with every single carrier group..."

"That'd kill the Imperial Army," said Genaro. "We haven't got so many mechanized divisions, you know."

"I mean, they could have deployed the 64th with us," said Farren. "But no. Infantry and that's all." She swore and fired upon a charging enemy troop, downing him.

Jorick fired off another round of bullets, spraying several troops with high-powered fire, and waved cheerily across to an armoured Bandurian jeep firing its way along towards them, before ducking as 140mm fire blasted past him. He didn't see what became of the jeep as he turned back to Farren. "We were all the Imperium could spare. The 64th is currently helping troops in Neoma."

"Still, they could show us a bit of support every now and then. Where do those ten trillion dollars a year go after all?" She shook her head and loaded another clip, counting how many she had left. Five.

Jorick's radio began beeping with notice of an incoming transmission as he lifted it to his ear and moved off to the side. Sam fired his RPG at the tank just moments before a mortar hit the wall just above him. Sam and the others jumped back as bricks began falling, punching holes in the crumbling wall.

Farren turned to the other three and said, "This is where we run."

Seizing their weapons and quickly dismounting the guns, the other two followed Farren to a fire escape alongside another building. Pulling out their short-range grapplers, they began climbing towards the first level as another mortar slammed into the wall, causing the whole thing to topple. Atop the fire escape, the four Legionnaires began firing down upon the enemy soldiers as they flooded the narrow, blackened space.

Jorick turned from his radio to the others. "Good news—they're sending a few thousand Conquest troops in as support, with tanks."

"Finally..." Farren had no time to finish her response, as a round from a high-cal rifle took her in the shoulder. Genaro, the medic of the group, quickly pulled out his equipment and went to work as Sam and Jorick covered them, firing down upon the multitude below. Due to the debris the tanks had not been able to move across into the small space, and the Impero Nuovo troops were packed in, unable to escape. The next clip Jorick loaded was incendiary rounds, and he peppered the enemy below with an appropriate result of screams and moans of agony.

Sam was preparing his RPG for another shot when he clutched his throat and toppled over, crimson squirting out from between his fingers. Without a cry, knowing that it was pointless, Jorick scanned the troops below, searching for the one who had fired the fatal shot. He would never know.

He resumed swift fire almost immediately. Jorick had seen enough death in warfare already to cease to have any revulsion for it. It was to him as part of life. The life of a soldier.

Genaro rose from Farren a few minutes later, taking up his RPG and firing it at a tank outside the wall. It scored a hit, destroying the 140mm gun in a blaze of fire. Another round from the RPG scored a rare hit, incapacitating—if not destroying—the vehicle.

Even as the tank ground to a halt with severe damage, the familliar sound of 200mm roach fire could be heard and the sounds of renewed fighting from the street out of Jorick's line of vision. Conquest's first round of reinforcements. The swiftly-moving tanks avoided RPG fire, destroying the enemy tanks from far out of range. Unlike the enemy, the Bandurians had no qualms about destroying buildings. Tanks fired on known enemy positions, destroying some buildings with tank fire, some with mortars, some with heavier movable cannons. The infantry followed, part of Conquest's group. Meanwhile, the 61st Division renewed its assault, striking out from its occupied sector towards where the rest of their force, the 62nd Division, was stationed (the other part of the city).

The 62nd, and another group of ten tanks, was making its way down the streets towards its comrades, battling from house to house. The battle across Città DiGhiaccio would be remembered in army folklore for years afterwards. With swift and merciless tactics, Imperial Legionnaires began their ruthless march across the city, destroying houses with tank fire, killing hundreds and taking hundreds more prisoner. This offensive was no longer the limited war that had been going on until now. It was total war. Everything of value to the Legionnaires was taken; everything else was destroyed. High rises were destroyed so the enemy could not use them as bases. All tanks and weaponry seized were used by the Legions themselves, or destroyed if they had no need for any.

All through that day, and long into the night, the 62nd continued its offensive as more and more of Conquest's troops and tanks and Fanatics arrived from the beachhead, mercilessly marching across the city. It could not hold out much longer as the tactics took their toll on all forces. The city would be cleansed of Impero Nuovo troops and supporters. Those who surrendered would be taken prisoner and used as Fanatics. Those who did not surrender would die.

A message was broadcast to the Impero Nuovo from Lt. Jorick that day...

>>> Rebel traitors, you had your chance to survive long ago. You could have stayed loyal to the true Emperor of Nueve Italia. But you chose to rebel, and there is no more turning back now.

You can surrender now, in which case your lives will be spared. Or you can choose not to, and die.

If you leave the city, we will find you and kill you all. Choose your path now, rebels. Our last offensive is beginning, and we promise you your lives will not be spared if you do not surrender.

That is all. <<<

OOC: Assuming Porto means "port" hahaha. Sorry.

As the message from the Lt. Jorick went out, a sudden loud screeching appeared over the Porto Real. Soon, it was joined by several more as a flight of small Amerathian interceptors flew over the port, taking a quick look over the land and then retreating back out to sea. Under the flight-squad was a low "humming" sound.. Amerath was on the move.

This humming sound originated from 4 landing craft ships moving into range of the city for deployment.. This force was the labor of logistics that had been planned since the beginning of the first message.

On the bow of the front-most landing craft, stood a man clad in a red coat with black webbing. The brim of his cap was pulled down over his eyes, which made the attention of any viewer being drawn to the Amerathian Commissar Badge around his neck. He was one of the leaders of a line regiment, and there was one in each Landing craft on this run. Later, there would be more ships, with better trained soldiers, but right now, it was a fast response group. Behind him, a slow figure moved up to him, also in red coat and black webbing...
"Comrade-Commissar, it looks like a good night to have a long walk along the beach."
The commissar made a small laugh,"Of course, we won't have time to enjoy it as much as we would want, we must move to secure what we can of the territory under the control of the 'neo-empire' of Neuve Italia. We'll have to move north to stop the enemy's advance there; our intelligence says a landing force is attacking a port town to the north, so I want all the APC's unloaded and moving, we will hold ground."

Behind him, the soldier saluted, "It will be done, Comrade-Comissar.", with that, the soldier turned and disappeared into the hull of the ship.

The waves crashed against the sides of the ship, which was chugging to the docks that were surely to be in this land.. A loud sound hailed from the lead ship..

"Hail the Empire! We come to give aide!"

Cítta diGhiaccio, Impero Nuovo HQ

~ The message was clear: surrender, or die. With their last offensive on the run, and no reserve troops to pull forward to stem the tide of invaders, surrendering to the Bandurian Imperial Army didn't seem like a bad idea. Field Marshal Ampezzo Marsini was debating the issue with his fellow commanders when a blood-stained soldier burst into the office. His face was one of panic, and his automatic rifle hung loosely by his side, smoking. He had to shout to be heard over the sound of explosions, gradually coming closer to the field HQ.

" Sir! Enemy forces are 5 miles away and closing! The 42nd and 13th are trying to hold them back, but we don't have the manpower! New enemy reinforcements have arrived with heavy armor; our mechanized force has been reduced by three-fifths!"

With this new information, Ampezzo knew he didn't have a choice.

" We must surrender than, or face destruction. There is no other option."

At this, a Sargeant who had kept quiet up until this point spoke up.

" Sir, permission to speak freely, sir?"

" Permission granted Sargeant."

" Sir, with all respect, I believe we should retreat instead of surrender. We must not surrender."

Puzzled as to why this officer wanted to condemn his army to annhilation, the Field Marshal challenged his decision. The Sargeant quickly explained, " Sir, I've seen what they've done to our men that have given in. Half of my squad was forced to throw down their weapons the first day. The next, I saw them with my own eyes in the enemy ranks. Heard some Bandurian prisoners talkin' about what they do to POWs; they capture them, pump them full of drugs to make them killing machines loyal to their own forces, and send them back out against their ex-comrades. If we surrender, they'll do the same to us. It's a trap, sir. No matter what, we're going to die, but personally, I don't feel like becoming some sort of attack dog for the enemy to use to their own advantage, sir."

Ampezzo's look of horror was evident; to know that he had sent thousands of his own troops to a fate like that had struck him hard now that the truth was revealed. Not only was this a breach of the Geneva Convention in terms of warfare, but it was also a direct violation of the Humans' Rights Act.

" The monsters. . .no. . .no, you're right, Sargeant. If we surrender, we'll be forced upon our fellow brothers. . .forced to kill them. I'll send a message back to them. Rally all nearby forces, we're withdrawing to the North, to Mt. Vallia; there's a garrison of the 66th Vestaglies Neres there."

" But what of the 501st and the 11th stationed near that sector?"

" We'll deal with them if we have to. I'd rather face men that actually have honor in combat than these maniacal savages."
_____

To: Invaders of Soveriegn Nueve Italian Land
From: The Most High Defenders of the New Imperium

This is Field Marshal Ampezzo Marsini, commander of Impero Nuovo forces in Cítta diGhiaccio. We shall not surrender to your forces in the area. We will continue our defense of the city, and refuse to give in to your army to suffer a fate worse than death. Turn back now, lest the entire Imperial Army in Nueve Italia fall upon your soldiers. I'm sure the strain upon them would cause them to break easily.
_____

Front Lines, Cítta diGhiaccio

An explosion went off to the left of Pvt. Luigi Rinnono. He knew his life in the army was most likely going to be over in the next few minutes, but it mattered not. His only thought right now was to destroy that damn tank that had fired at him.

" Santiago! The RPG, now!"

The soldier next to him unshouldered the Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher and handed it to his friend, unslinging his Steyr Aug assault rifle and unleashing three bursts at two advancing troopers. Three bullets caught the one in front right in the chest, taking him off his feet. The other, in a blind rage due to the death of his fellow soldier, charged the two Impero Nuovo defenders, only to be met with a round to the head, piercing his eye and exitting through the back of his skull, splashing grey brainmatter on the already red-stained pavement. The RPG Luigi had now was fired at the approaching Bandurian tank, and, by some miracle as yet to be forseen, made a direct hit down the barrel of the turret. Luigi was still in shock to see the armored vehicle explode internally that he didn't notice the sniper across the street taking aim. He heard the report of the bullet, and then nothing more. He had lost his helmet earlier, possibly the one thing that could have saved him, but that was no reason to worry now. In fact, Luigi didn't care about much at all at the moment. He didn't even feel death, for the bullet had ripped through him so fast that his brain didn't have time to register pain before it was severed from the spinal chord by a rather large round.

Santiago proccured his fallen comrade's RPG, slung it over his shoulder, and made a mad dash to a building across the street. He left his foxhole just in time, as a mortar shell fell right into the ditch he was in just seconds ago. The sniper, however, hadn't been dealt with, and wasn't about to let his second kill run away. Following the soldier's path across the street, he pulled the trigger. Half of a second later, Santaigo fell; dead.

The Bandurain marksman, proud of his work, did not realize, however, that the tank engine behind him was not that of a Cn126-E, but instead of a Mk.III Serbatoio. .50cal fire riddled the sharpshooter's body, keeping him standing just from the force of the bullets, until finally, he dropped as soon as the trigger was let go. The tank rolled on, leaving this sector behind. All tank crews had been called back to the field HQ for immediate evacuation of the city, and no one wanted to be left behind. This tank, however, led by Sgt. Paco Lorenzo, would not make it back. Just a few more hundred feet after it had dealt with the enemy soldier, it was hit from behind by a rocket. The force of the explosive crushed the rear of the tank, killing its occupants near instantaneously. Thus the game of cat and mouse in the streets continued; soldiers and vehicles killed only to in return be killed, which then their murderers were also struck down, and so on. The cycle of death never ended, and the streets truly did seem to look as though one were headed down the River Styx, preparing to enter Hell itself. Bodies lay strewn about; buildings were shelled to non-existance, infernos raged unchecked, and the roads were painted a deep red. Even though this scene could never be redeemed in the eyes of anyone who had witnessed the battle, there was something strange that happened here.

It began to snow. White, powdery snow started to cake the ground. Winter was fast approaching, and for the Impero Nuovo, this hopefully meant reprisal: During the winter, they hoped that the enemy would take time to regroup, establish its position in this city, and then wait until spring to launch the next offensive. But such thoughts need not concern the regular ranks at the moment. The addition of snow to the already chill weather simply meant that the soldiers must fight the elements, as well as other men. The light snowfall did not last though; within several minutes, the winds picked up, and indeed, a strong blizzard was upon the city within a moment. The afternoon turned quickly to night as fast moving clouds blotted out the sun. Percipitation fell harder and harder, and at least an inch and a half of snow had accumulated in half and hour. High winds dropped the temperatures to freezing, and by 1730 hours, the battle raged on as soldiers donned heavier clothing and gloves to protect themselves from the harsh cold. Vehicles began to stop working, as engines and gears froze, and even weapons, chilled to their inner-parts, started to decieve their owners and cease to fire.

It couldn't have lasted much longer. Using the afternoon and sunset to gather its remaining forces in the area, the Impero Nuovo was massed in seven remaining sectors near the outskirts of the city, trying to hold on until the retreat could commence. The 66th was already informed of the situation, and was on the march to Cítta diGhiaccio. As a frost-bitten Private looked out from the apartment he was guarding, he could truly see why this was called the City of Ice.

Nightfall had come, and yet still, the war continued. One could be reminded of the massacre of Stalingrad if they peered at the city from above; fire, ice, and death, all swirled into one. But this time, the defenders would have to take that one step back.~

[ooc: Your intelligence has some problems then, or you're used to fighting with small armies... not too many other people would call one carrier battle group, one small naval fleet, 160,000 soldiers, 120 tanks, ~500 planes "massive". Then again, every single enemy troop that gets taken prisoner is tortured and beaten into submission and then forced into the army, so I could be wrong.

Also, maybe I shouldn't disillusion you. You'll fear us more. ;)]

Marin, Sampson, and Terman were in council atop the battleship. Marin sat closest the edge; he scanned the city, the beachhead, then the sea itself, the scores of ships and submarines bobbing lazily at port. He brushed his overcoat loosely. It was warmer today. The ice might melt for the first time in a while.

Water and blood.... no, that doesn't work.

Sampson opened the meeting. "According to intelligence someone's decided to give aid to the Impero Nuovo," he said. "There are forces landing in the south."

"Pity," said Terman, lazily flicking a speck of dust from his otherwise immaculate uniform. "One more person to kill. They won't be all too happy with us."

"Exactly," said Sampson. "We don't know much about their numbers, but RADAR showed only four ships and some interceptors—landing crafts primarily—and against our force they won't be much."

"But they could send more troops later on," said Marin. "As yet this is no measure of how far things will escalate."

"Rear Admiral, what do you say?"

Terman straightened up and said, "I think we should send some Lerneas to harass their shipping, perhaps knock out a few combat and transport ships—staying as stealth as possible, of course. I trust you brought a few with you?"

"As a matter of fact, I did not..."

Terman glared at Sampson. "Ah well, we still have sixteen from the initial landing force. I'll deploy twelve of them to the south to attack any ships they can find."

"What if they capture a sub?"

"They have orders to self-destruct if captured.... and at any rate we'll deny any knowledge of them."

Marin nodded. "Standard procedure of course." He enjoyed making a fool of the less experienced Major General, who he felt had been unfairly promoted. Marin himself was much better deserving of the other's rank in his own eyes.

"Right, of course," said Sampson a bit nervously. "So what do we do now?"

Marin's answer was simple. "We wait."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the harbors under Città DiGhiaccio, the submarines submerge and begin traveling underwater out of the harbor and south towards their targets, keeping slow and deep to avoid SONAR detection. They stayed well out of Amerathian SONAR range, turning towards Amerath itself to harass any ships leaving it. Within several hours they were about 500 km from Nueve Italian shores, waiting to intercept any Amerathian ships that would approach.

[ooc: If you're less than 500 km from Nueve Italia, or if this would be in your waters, let me know so I can change it.]

Snow swirled out of the sky, first in flurries and then in massive whirls and gobs of white, blanketing the streets long before it could be pushed out of the way by soldiers. Tanks ground to a halt in their positions. Planes continued in the air, still trying to lock on enemy targets, but ice coated their missiles and mechanisms, preventing them from moving. Eventually they came back down to land on the carriers.

The Bandurian forces eventually stopped where they were, occupying the territory they already had and passing on POWs. They were eventually sent on to the hellish 'interrogation centers' in the lowermost decks of the black ships. No-one but the people who worked there, and perhaps the Fanatics themselves—as they became—knew what was inside. But it was known that people went in humans and came out machines.

People who inadvertently even looked into one of the chambers were said to have been driven insane afterwards. The Fanatics who came out of them were impervious to pain, fear, cold, heat, anything... They were the ones that were sent out to ruthlessly kill their former comrades. The ones to whom death was the only end.

But it was noted that a new trend was beginning. Rather than be sent to the 'interrogation centers', enemy troops and supporters were committing suicide, jumping out of windows or turning their weapons on themselves before Imperial troops could arrive. The Legions were seeing more and more evidence of 'scorched-earth' tactics, and it was frustrating them.

The march of total war ended that evening, at about 2130 hours specifically. What territory the Bandurians occupied, they held, the fighting over for the day. What they did not occupy they did not pursue. Both sides continued regrouping, readying for the next day of fighting.

If it came...

OOC: Banduria, your army seems large to the Impero Nuovo in the city since a rather small force was left to defend it: They thought that nothing would happen where they were stationed, and if so, that reinforcements would come and quickly strengthen their numbers. Those reinforcements were cut off quickly, however, so only the original small garrison was left. Sorry for the confusion.

Porto Real, Beachhead

As the allied forces landed to aid the Impero Nuovo, General Francisco DeVeras went out to meet their commander. Covering a great amount of distance with each stride, he soon reached the red-garbbed man that he presumed to be in command quickly. Francisco himself wore standard Nueve Italian Army Tan, with two black pauldrons addorning his shoulders. Several medals strapped to his chest served to enlighten others as to prior service, notably, however, in service of the Republic.

" Good Evening Commander, welcome to Nueve Italia. I'm General Francisco DeVeras, commander of the Southwestern Impero Nuovo Division. I assume the journey went well? Ah, there is time for such idle talk later, come, please, to our headquarters; your troops may rest, and we can establish our general battle plans."

The General led his counterpart up the beach towards a nearby building. It was an office complex, linked to a barracks and armory through an underground tunnel network that the Impero Nuovo had been secretly constructing. The (Amerathi? Amerathian?) commander was shown to a large room that contained viewscreens on nearly all sides; obviously the nerve center of the hive before him. General DeVeras held out his hand towards the Commissar.

" Sorry we haven't been properly introduced, but time is of the essence. I would, however, be most grateful if you would please share your name."
_____

OHIR HQ

The successful capture of Aero Octubre served to bolster morale for the Republican forces, as did the new update that the Impero Nuovo was almost completely driven out of Cítta diGhiaccio. The report of a new fleet entering the fray, though, in the Imperial-held city of Porto Real, was disturbing.

" So," Captain Antonio Gori mused, as he continued his briefing in the War Room to his fellow commanders, " they have allies as well. No matter, gentleman; priorities first. I have a new sortie lined up for the morning. The 42nd and 13th Impero Nuovo Divisions holding Cítta diGhiaccio are almost vanquished, but the 66th Vestaglies Neres is on the move to support their position. Their carrying heavy weapons, including hundreds of tanks and artillery pieces. We're not going to let them make it. The 501st Vestaglies Neres will work with a coordinated air-strike to defeat this garrison, and ensure victory in the North. The operation will begin at 0600 tomorrow. Goodnight, and sleep well."

The officers bid eachother goodnight and good luck in battle, and retired until the morrow. Antonio, however, couldn't sleep. He had an ominous feeling that something terrible was going to happen. In his dreams, he kept seeing a faded image of his father dying, with Antonio powerless to stop it. He shook his head. The stress of the past few days had been a burden on him that he knew that no one else could have taken. Outside of his room, he was spied by General Vincent Larenzi, Supreme Commander of all Nueve Italian ground forces, whom approached him quietly.

" Having trouble sleeping?" he inquired softly, not wanting to disturb the young Gori.

" Slightly, Vincent. It just seems unreal that all we have built, all that we have done, is coming crashing down around our ears."

" But aren't we doing something about that, Antonio? I mean, were it not for you, the Republic would have been replaced at the very beginning. You are leading us all to your father's dreams of democracy and peace."

Antonio's expression changed at the mention of Emperor Giovanni Dominicio Gori.

" My father. . .Vincent, we have to rescue him. If Ignatius were to kill him, then-"

" Then the throne would pass to you, and as leader of both the nation and the Republic, the people would have to listen to you."

" No, no they wouldn't. That's both the beauty and the flaw of freedom. The people can believe and say whatever they want. Unfortunately, it is because of that freedom that we are now involved in this war. . ."

" You can't blame the Republic for starting this; the Emperor did his best to lead this country to prosperity, and if you think about it, Nueve Italia has never been more powerful and stable than it was before this insurrection. Your father did a lot of good for the Holy Imperial Republic; don't let his work go to waste. Fight on, my young leader. It is all we can ask of you."

Antonio sighed. His eyes closed slowly and he began to think of what the future could possibly hold in store for Nueve Italia. Two images came to mind; the return of the Republic, and a glorious age of peace and growth, or the rise of an Empire, with his own body hanging in front of the Palace. War and fear would return to Nueve Italia. That was the last thing that Cpt. Gori would let happen to his nation, to his people. He had fought to protect it before; he would fight to protect it time and time again.

" You're right, General. The nation is counting on me, and I will not fail them."

The resolve in Tony's voice was clear; his determination to reunite the country and bring order back knew no bounds. He would save the Republic. . .or die trying.~

OOC: Banduria, your army seems large to the Impero Nuovo in the city since a rather small force was left to defend it: They thought that nothing would happen where they were stationed, and if so, that reinforcements would come and quickly strengthen their numbers. Those reinforcements were cut off quickly, however, so only the original small garrison was left. Sorry for the confusion.
[ooc: Oh, ok. That would explain it. ^_^

There is a difference in our division size, isn't there? One division of the Imperial Legions is 30,000 troops, and I'm not sure how much it is for the Impero Nuovo... Different systems I guess.]

OOC: For clearance.. every soldier in this particular army is wearing red and black.. Just that the General-Commissar has a nifty hat... Also.. it's Amerathian

Also, for the fleet thing, I forgot the numbers you had landing, so wasn't sure?

IC:

The General-Commissar looked at the Neuve Italia general..

"I am General-Commissar Karak, these three.", he motioned to 3 other people behind him, similarly dressed in red coat and black webbing, except they had helmets with the Commissariat badge on it,"Are the Commander-Commissars of the other 3 Line Regiments."

The three commander-commissars saluted.

The general-commissar continued.. "At the moment, we are an understrength force sent here to primarily deter the enemy movement until the main fleet arrives, and trust me, it'll get here shortly, but at our corrent disposition, we only have enough APC's for one of our Line Regiments, the other 3 will have to become defensive or slow moving."

----Meanwhile, far off in the ocean---
The waves were calm, it was a typical oceanic day.. with clouds.. It would have been even more perfect if not for there suddenly being a large ripple in the water as an overly large submarine (Think gigamouth of sharks). It was beautifuly black and blue, with the Amerathian Imperial Crest on its bow.. What was most unique about this submarine was that the conning tower was not in the center of its bulbous hulll, but off to one side and what looked like.. run ways.. were running down the length of the submarine.

Yes.. This submarine was taken from a WW2 (If you use actaul history.), when the Japanese created a submarine carrier to move dive-bombers into the ocean to launch away from the enemy. The Amerathians expanded on this idea, and instead of sending surface ships.. this fleet consisted of more submarines, hidden in the depths..

And from the sky, the small flight of interceptors came.. landing atop the Submarine and disappearing in one of the many bumps along the deck that signified an elevator to lower decks...

The Amerathian army was moving under the waves, and it would be another day or two before they were brought to the shore.

OOC: One division of the Impero Nuovo is 15,000 infantry. While this seems like a rather small number, picture trying to attack and hold an entire nation with just one army. Their forces are too spread out to mount any significant defense. The reason Cítta diGhiaccio held out as long as it did was due to the fact that ALL of the civilians in the city (think London here) were loyal to the Empire, and thus sent into battle, as well as the discovery of several munitions factories, which provided heavy weapons and armored vehicles. The Imperial battle plan is simply to hold onto each city they conquer until the Republic gives in, or until the Emperor relinquishes his rule. They expect that victory is only a matter of time. Also, every Impero Nuovo-occupied city only has about 5 divisions (75,000 infantry), but near these cities and villages are other garrisons, airbases, barracks, and the like, with which additional soldiers can be called forth if needed.
_____

45 miles South of Mt. Vallia; 66th Vestaglies Neres Base Camp

~ Sgt. Alexi Federov shivered slightly. The cold here in the North could chill a man straight to his heart; it was almost unnatural. He thought of back home, his own freezing Slavic nation, but not even that was as unnaturally low-temperatured as this place. Kneeling by a fire inside his tent with a blanket wrapped over his shoulders, Alexi shuddered again as a chill wind blew through, shaking his makeshift shelter violently. Two more men entered the refuge, both fellow soldiers in the 66th, both Slavic as well. While it might puzzle others as to why Russian immigrants were in a natively Italian and Spanish nation, one need only check the history books: Nueve Italia had experienced a massive immigration wave from 3-5 years ago, flooding the country with many people of Slavic descent. They were immediately recognized as citizens, and treated with the utmost kindness by the Republic. In fact, three years ago, the Emperor stated that Russian, in addition to Italian, Spanish, and English, would be added as one of the major languages of Nueve Italia, and that all educational centers must teach this new tounge as well. Concerning the military, thousands of these immigrants joined up as soon as they gained citizenship, and two special divisions were created; almost entirely made up of Slavic soldiers. They were the 66th and 78th Vestaglies Neres. The 66th had joined Ignatius when the rebellion started, seeking to empower the Russian people even more in this nation, but the 78th, loyal to the men and women who had allowed them to live peacefully in this nation, fought against their own kind.

Alexi shivered again, gazing almost drunkenly at his fellow comrades.

" Nikanor, Dmitri, what brings you here?"

The two soldiers were in full combat gear, R-11s slung over their shoulder. Dmitri seemed to be out of breath.

" Gather your equipment, comrade. Radar has picked up an enemy air strike force inbound."

Astounded that the Republic would even think of striking this far north, Alexi disregarded his doubts and grabbed his rifle, rushing out of the tent with the other two. Gazing at the sky above him, Sgt. Federov kept his head on a swivel, trying to pinpoint this new aggression.

There they were; an OHIR air attack formation, led by four planes it seemed, approaching from the Southeast.

" Has any backup been called for?"

" Yessir, allied air force inbound, should reach here in about two minutes."

Alexi swore under his breath. " That's not enough time, get the portable SAMs ready, do whatever you can to stop them from destroying the tanks!"

It was too late. The Republican fighters bounced the enemy position, and in one run, the 60 jets had succeeded in putting a major dent in the Imperial mechanized force. The SAMs were ready for the fighters on the second pass though, and the next moment, the star-lit night now glowed with rocket trails, explosions, and tracers.
_____

" Pull up! All craft pull up!"

The fighter wing followed their Captain's orders, and quickly disengaged, climbing quickly to avoid enemy fire.

" New attack plan: Flight A; pound the enemy SAM sites. Flight B; go for enemy structures. Flight C and Diavolo Ali; we're going for the enemy ground forces. Use whatever you have left and then return home."

Several affirmatives were heard over the radio as the Captain in the AE-7 Furfante pitched his aircraft into a dive, straight above an enemy tank. Releasing an ASM at about 5,200 ft., he kicked in his air brakes and banked up and away, watching the armored vehicle explode with a certain satisfaction, it could be added. His smile was replaced with a stern face when a pilot from his squadron had something to say.

" Mustang, this is Flame; Enemy fighters approaching, bearing at this position's 2 o'clock."

" Number and type?"

" About 37 fighters, mostly MiGs, led by a squadron of 7 F-16Cs."

Checking his IFF, Cpt. Gori saw that his wingman, First Lieutenant Catalina Ortega, was correct.

" Mierda. . .Flight A, are those SAM sites silenced yet?"

A pilot inside of an NA-74 Spada (A Nueve Italian Air Superiority Fighter, extremely similar to that of the Typhoon), responded after a slight pause.

" Yessir, this is Flight A Leader, callsign Hawk, last SAM site destroyed."

" Flight A, engage incoming fighters, keep them off our back for just a moment more."

" Yessir, Flight A, moving to engage."

Twenty aircraft broke from their ground attack role and rose to meet the new enemy, with rather excellent results. Within the first minute of battle, the OHIR pilots downed 8 planes, to losing only three. Obviously, the enemy was desperate for pilots; the more experienced NIRAF soldiers could tell that the Imperial pilots were probably just out of basic training, using manuevers that wouldn't decieve a child. After a few more minutes, both the enemy's Air Force and soldiers in the area were in complete disarray. The Captain had one missile left, and was dogfighting with one of the enemy squadron leaders inside a Fighting Falcon. The Imperial pilot banked left as Antonio dived on him from above. Following with expert precision, the OHIR commander didn't let the fighter out of his sight. Finally, the F-16 pilot put his airframe under too much stress by trying to climb out of his reach. He stalled slightly, and Cpt. Gori saw his chance.

" Ali 1, Fox 2."

The following wreckage careened back down to earth as Mustang pulled a victory roll of the left of his kill.

" This is Mustang, I'm winchester, pulling out."

" Copy that, all craft, RTB immediately. This day is ours."

And with that, the OHIR squadron retreated back to its respective airfields, leaving destruction and fire upon its enemies. Within a few more hours, the 501st Vestaglies Neres would arrive to clean things up. . .~

"We've got some real pickings here..."

The sub commander watched the dozens of blips on radar as they appeared, one by one. Still more than 300 km away... but that was close enough, especially with the long range of the torpedoes.

"What did those fools do—send out a completely submarine force?" An aide sniggered, thinking of the destruction soon to be wreaked upon the enemy.

"So it appears. Huge submarine carriers and transports... We'll target just those for now, I'd say."

"Right. I want locks on the capital subs. Let's target that big carrier... and maybe a few transports as well."

The torpedoes began swinging down into place. Once fired, they would shoot out, arc down out of SONAR range, and then stream out across the sea until they reached their targets, where they arced upwards again to plunge into the belly. No enemy submarine or ship would have enough time to prepare for the torpedo attack.

Each Lernea-class submarine loaded and prepared four torpedoes, all active and passive stealth measures on. They were virtually undetectable, and that would give them the advantage of surprise...

"Fire."

Forty-eight torpedoes plunged down into the depths, their guidance programmed to avoid sudden shelves or canyons, out of most SONAR range. Within minutes they would shoot upwards once more to hit their targets: the submarine carrier, several transports loaded with troops and tanks, and a few combat submarines.

And this was just the first wave.

OOC: Sorry bout the delay, things came up (Thanksgiving, work, school. . .the usual)
_____

Cítta diGhiaccio, Edge of urban developments

~ The snowfall had stopped a few hours ago, but the cold still remained. Impero Nuovo troops had been steadily trying to withdraw under the harsh elements, but to no avail. 3 Divisions out of 5 were still left inside the ice city, and the two that had managed to escape were advancing slowly against the elements. Field Marshal Marsini had stayed behind so far with one of his detachments; a group of about 1,000 elite troops intent on stopping the enemy from reaching them. Already, the only 2 bridges in the city and several roads that lead towards the development that the Impero Nuovo had been stationed at were being destroyed. As far as the Imperial forces were concerned; the fewer Bandurian tanks that could reach them, the better. The fighting had resumed, but it was only small skirmishes here and there; nothing major yet. However, with no real recon data aside from what mobile squadrons reported in, the rebels had no clue as to what the enemy soldiers were up to. No notifications of mass movements helped to ease the minds of the Imperial Commanding Officers, but other than that, it seemed like a lost cause to hold the city. With resources and men dwindiling, it was only proper to retreat, regroup, and strike back when time would allow.

When the first wave of soldiers fleeing Cítta diGhiaccio reached the camp that the 66th Vestaglies Neres was supposed to be holding for them, they came across a surprise they could not have guessed. The 501st, one of the most feared regiments in the Republican army besides the 11th, had already captured the area and had eliminated any Imperial forces in the camp. As Empire-loyal division reached the base, they were under fire once more. Mortar and artillery shells fell upon them, and anyone that got too close to the main gate (which was just a gap between two walls of sandbags covered in barbed wire that had been set-up to provide only temporary cover), they were torn to shreds by sustained .50cal fire. The Imperial forces fell back, until they realized there was nothing to retreat to. With Cítta diGhiaccio ready to fall and a Republican Army ahead, there was nothing the 42nd or 13th Imperial Battalions could do. They didn't have the manpower or the equipment to hold onto the city any longer, much less sieze this new emplacement from the 501st. It was hopeless; they were at a loss on both sides. There was, however, one thing that could be done.

In the future, they would be regarded as wise heroes. Or possibly traitorous cowards, depending upon the outcome of this war. But it didn't matter to the men and women of this Imperial contingent on this day. They wanted to live, by any means. From the 501st's position, a white flag could be seen rising slowly over the enemy ranks. A cease-fire was ordered, and a squad of Vestaglies Neres moved out of the base to secure their new POWs. When the commanding officer of the 42nd, Major Raul Tiello, spoke to Major Juan Carlos deModri of the 501st, an interesting proposition came up. After a half-hour of conversation in the command tent of the Republican Officer, the two men shook hands and stepped outside.

From that moment on, the survivors of the two divisions that left Cítta diGhiaccio were officially members of the Army of the Republic. Transports immediately were called for an evac, and the men and women of the 42nd and 13th were shipped to Siciliano Verde, in the south, to guard against a possible Imperial attack on the city. They did so gladly, ecstatic that once again, to them, things seemed mended. Here they were, back where they were supposed to be in the first palce; fighting alongisde the Republic.~

And the first battle was over. The city had fallen.

With the constant snowfall and increase in ice and darkness, this was not made obvious for a time. Bandurian troops continued moving onwards, the Legions moving in a terrible machine of death... but soon they realized there was no point.

Finally, routine sweeps found no more signs of enemy activity. The city had been evacuated and lay empty and bare, covered in a white blanket, the snow deeply covering the ground. Air recon reported the destruction of bridges and roads leading out of Città diGhiaccio; UAVs launched from the carriers sent back images of a battle around one of the former Imperial camps outside the city.

The sky was a pale bluish-grey color on the day Città diGhiaccio fell. The last offensive had begun the day before, the day of the snowfall... Imperial troops and tanks moving across the city in an unending wave of death. An Empire against an Imperium...

Now the Legions began to move silently, under a brilliant ice-blue sky. At dawn they struck, pounding the remaining enemy positions with mobile mortar and artillery fire as they awaited the clearance of a path for the roaches. Their fire was not intended for any purpose but as a distraction to prevent the Impero Nuovo forces from finding out about the next mass movement the Bandurian legions would execute. Some hours passed before the mobile tanks arrived, along with the commercial armies, well-armed mercenary soldiers, although not quite as prepared for the ice as the Legions, used to the cold climate of Banduria, were.

However, the enemy base had yet to experience even the faintest inkling of the destruction to follow. Perhaps they recognized the huge black planes overhead as the last offensive went on. Perhaps they did not. The planes approached as inside, men injected drugs...

Then the planes unleashed their deadly loads. First came heavy concrete bombs simply to knock in part of the roof. Then, the planes began to airdrop Fanatics. Hundreds, nay thousands of them...

Leaping from the planes, their parachutes opening as they fell—or not opening—and screeching wild inhuman cries, they opened fire downwards as they dropped into the base, seeking out the enemy in a wild wave of destruction—firing at them with weapons, clawing at them with their hands. Each one had plastic explosives sewn into their clothes, and when shot at, the explosives would go off, killing all surrounding them as well as themselves. As the destruction went on the Bandurian soldiers massing on the line—almost all of the 62nd Division—lowered their weapons, and then their heads... a silent gesture of respect for the doomed Città diGhiaccio and the thousands of soldiers that would soon be giving their lives for an ideal...

Despite what some might think or say, Banduria had its own twisted sense of honor...

OHIR HQ, Nuovo Milan

Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori, now given the title of Supreme Republic Military Commander, though he much prefered the simple rank of "Captain," was glad to hear of the great success in the Northern Campaigns. About half of the 42nd and 13th Battalions, formerly enemy divisions, had joined the Republic, and whatever remained of them had been swept away by the Holy Imperium of Banduria, making Cítta diGhiaccio the first city to be retaken from the Imperial forces. The Northern 66th Division had been wiped out by the 501st, and they had even marched farther into the freezing ice to take a military base, Ineffio, in the Alino Moutain Range, the farthest northern point in Nueve Italia.

Imperial resistance above Cítta diCielo had been silenced, and several important facilities had been liberated, such as a major factory of Emanuele and Garibaldi Military Industries, the main supplier of Nueve Italian weapons, including the Collera R-11 Assault Rifle, the Carcano-17 and Carcano-19 Sniper Rifles, the Mk.II Inferno Light-Armored Combat Vehicle, the Mk.III Serbatoio Main Battle Tank, and many aircraft, including the AE-7 Furfante Multi-role aircraft, the NA-74 Spada air-superiority fighter, and the Y-3 Mezzaluna stealth fighter-bomber.

This, coupled with the fact that the Republic could redirect its attention south, was a huge victory, Antonio figured. However, more pressing matters than defeating an army were on his mind. With the fact that about 1/7th of the Imperial forces were destroyed, the Supreme Commander thought that maybe, just maybe, the crazed Senator Ignatius Lucchese would give in and end this without further bloodshed. Upon further debate, he knew this was absurd; He wouldn't give up even if he had one soldier still loyal to him left, and now that an allied fleet of his had showed up, identified as belonging to the nation of Amerath, the Captain knew that he was in for a long war. His ultimate goal was not a campaign south: It was to retake Cítta diCielo and the Command Bunker North of it; free his father, capture Lucchese, and restore order to the country.

Such dreams, however, would take some work before they became a reality. Tony sighed heavily, the breath escaping him slowly. If only this came to an end tomorrow, he mused, I'm sick of fighting, sick of war, sick of death. To kill a man of another nation is one thing, but to slay my own bretheren?

The pain weighed heavily upon him. Not only had he seen long-time friends die, he had killed some himself. The last pilot he had downed over the 66th division in the North was a fellow graduate from his Combat Flight Academy. Having to kill him in the name of peace was too much irony to bear. Antonio was on the point of breaking, but he had to preserve the stance of a man full of courage and strength. He didn't know how much more he could take it.

His room felt crampt, stuffy, and all-in-all, just plain uncomfortable. Antonio Orsini took a walk around the base, trying to clear his head, filled with thoughts; thoughts of the past, the present, and what was to come. He saw himself as a child at his mother's funeral; as a teenager becoming the youngest flight lead in two decades, as a young man, fighting for the skies over his own country, and now, as the last hope for the Republic. If he were to die in combat, Ignatius would kill his father, and then he would rule. The nation would become an Empire, its people oppressed, and that would be that. It would be the end of peace for Nueve Italia. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't.

As he strode along the brightly-lit, glimmering polished white corridors with a soft blue carpet, a familiar voice sounded faintly behind him.

" Orsini. . .?"

Only one person would call him by his middle name; First Lieutenant Catalina Ortega. What she was doing out at this time perplexed him, but Antonio welcomed the company.

" Shouldn't the El-tee be getting her rest?" he jested warm-heartedly. He and Catalina had known eachother for a long time, and he was surprised that when he joined the Air Force, she also followed him. Eventually, they had fallen in love throughout their years of service. Quite an odd war-story, but during combat, there have been stranger things.

" Well, I should say the same about a certain Captain then, shouldn't I?" she coyly suggested, her green eyes emitting a bright emerald glow, or so it seemed so in the light.

Antonio shrugged. Looking at her gave him yet another reason why he hated this war. Before it had all happened, the Captain was planning to propose to Catalina within the week. Now, not knowing if he were to die within a day or an hour, Antonio couldn't put her through the thought of losing her future husband.

" Come on, Orisini, it's late. You need your rest; if you were to start to fall apart, just think what would happen to everyone here. You carry them, you inspire them. The Republic is hailing you as a hero; it wouldn't be wise to disappoint them."

The captain nodded solemnly. A hero, he thought. My father is the hero; founding the people's government, taking this country out of chaos and into a golden age. I'm no hero of the Republic, but I sure as hell am gonna defend it.

" Fine, you're right then," Antonio paused for a moment, staring passionately into her eyes. In that moment, he wanted all fighting to stop, just so the two of them could be together and not have to worry about anything, just eachother. It was utterly hopeless now, but someday. . .someday.

He slowly bent forward and kissed Catalina softly, and then made his way back to his quarters.

His reasons for fighting at all, even though he despised this conflict as much as he hated death in general? Far and wide. Defend the country. Protect the Republic. Save his father. Watch over the people. Kill Lucchese. Avenge his slain comrades. But there was one reason that stood out more than any, one that not even Catalina knew about: Bring peace, not only to the country, but to himself, and in doing so, marrying the woman he loved. To do so, Antonio swore that no harm would come to her ever. If it did, it would surely be the fatal fissure that broke the Earth.~

OOC: May I add that no torpedo is completely stealth? Propellers or rocket engines. Whatever is moving those torpedos are making noise. And any good listener can get those.

IC:

Amerathians were no fools. The submarines closest to the enemy fleet suddenly vamporized as they were hit, turning into nothing but massive fireballs under the sea. Torpedo Diversionary targets.

However.. Above the water, a ripple went out across the water. It was a SeaKing Helicopter moving quietly above the fleet. Yes. The Amerathians had also spotted this threat and would never let a small sub-carrier become caught so unaware. Inorder to keep their carriers away from the danger of getting hit in a naval conflict, they moved their carriers away from the main fleet. And thus, the main fleet would be far away from the carrier, preventing the drawing of attention to any one place.

This helicopter was outfitted with a small "arm" , which it lowered into the water with a small "plung" sound. It was a sonar.

These helicopters were used by conventional militaries to find submarines and destroy them with depth-charges or torpedos, and each SeaKing carried 4 of either.

As soon as the helicopter gave off it's active sonar, it spotted the enemy movement which caused it to release its depth-charges in rapid succession down upon one of these submarines. Of course, it was only one helicopter, and it was more of a revenge killing for there suddenly being a lack of a carrier in the nearby waters. The decoy subs continued their prearranged course on a small patrol route.

The Main fleet, far away from sub-warfare area.

The fleet moved fast, skimming underneath the surface towards the port where they would link with the small task force of Line Regiments. Hopefully, they would be left alone for another two days, in which time, the army would be there to support the new empire.

Bandurian forces held the city of ice in the remote wasteland of the north, constantly reinforced every coming few days with new fleets bearing the 63rd and 64th Divisions, fresh from Banduria, and thousands more corporate troops and their tanks. The 64th Division, fully mechanized, contained hundreds of tanks, enough to swarm the whole Impero Nuovo in combat. Another carrier battle group and a small armada of submarines also arrived within several days, reinforcing the Bandurian forces in the north to a fleet of more than 60 ships and 72 submarines, along with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and Fanatics, their numbers growing daily.

Resistance within the city was almost nonexistent, even after its official "fall". Many citizens had evacuated at the first sign of attack; many more surredered to Bandurian forces and were taken in as Fanatics, or committed suicide. A few skirmishes lessened the strength of the 61st Division, down to only 20,000 Legionnaires, but they were few and far between.

Two or three weeks would pass before the Bandurian army in the city would prepare for further operations, but in the meantime a new war was going on...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[ooc: Amerath... I was targeting carriers and transports, not these decoy submarines. That means the torpedoes wouldn't have hit them, even accidentally, unless they were pretty far down.]

The twelve submarines had done their best to disappear from their positions as soon as they struck. Despite these precautions, a helicopter soon appeared on their screens, following them. The anti-submarine usage of SeaKings was known to the Bandurians—having fought many 'conventional' militaries—and as depth charges rained down on one submarine, ten guided missiles shot upwards from the submarines, streaking into the air swiftly and accelerating downwards to speeds of more than Mach 5 upon the helicopter.

Captain Joseph Somnius of the Darkhound, one of the Lernea-class SSGNs, watched in triumph as the missiles descended, but his triumph was short-lived as he heard the familiar sounds of depth charges exploding against his submarine. Lerneas were very sturdily built, but the rain of depth charges was enough to damage it. He avoided the complete destruction of his submarine only by recovering and moving his submarine out of the way before the last depth charge hit.

When his crew recovered enough to begin repairs, Somnius assessed the damage. One depth charge had barely dented the armor, but / second and third ones had hit the back of the submarine, crushing the outer layer of armor and denting the inner layer. The crew was sent to begin repairs as Somnius guided the Darkhound away from the Amerathian fleet at the highest speeds he could manage.

The remaining eleven submarines, in a kind of revenge, began to advance towards the Amerathian fleet, more than 200 km away—avoiding the patrol route of the other submarines they had noticed earlier, which seemed to be going the other direction—and targeted the sub-carriers, firing 88 torpedoes primarily at them. Then, stealth measures off, they turned around and began to head north, hoping to draw off the Amerathian fleet or escorts towards the Bandurian forces in the north.

Air forces would be linking up with the submarines soon, their targets the Amerathian submarine fleet.

Command Bunker, North of Cítta diCielo

The loss of Cítta diGhiaccio was a hard blow towards "His Imperial Worship" Lucchese. The area was a valuable port and strategic base: From there, he could have mounted assaults of Porto Santo, in the South, if he wanted; decimating what remained of the Nueve Italian Imperial Navy there. The NIIN, however, was currently out and abroad: hunting and destroying what it could of the Senator's water-based forces.

Now, the only power he truly had were the Southern lands. The varied terrain there, however, would help the Imperialist forces. The deserts, mountains, plains and lowlands, even the jungles and forests, all would be familiar to his men but not the the Republic's allies; the Bandurians. This posed a rather beneficial strategy for Ignatius Lucchese.

Antonio would have to attack me himself, he believed, lest he risk the lives of his allies. He feels too much for his fellow soldiers: unwilling to expend them at all, no matter the gain. When he does attack, he will die; with the help of the Amerathians, nothing can assault the South. Then I can kill his father and be done with this.

He smiled wickedly, his grin full of hatred and fury.

" The following weeks will be glorious: We have seen the end of the Senate; now we will first-hand witness the end of the Republic."
_____

Southlands, Sector Designated by Republican forces as (Rodrigo, Mar), Imperial Weapons Facility

It was crazy. Impossible. Most likely suicidal. But it would win the war sooner, and to that, Antonio thought that it was worth the risks. Leading his strike formation barely 500 ft. above sea level, the Captain knew the importance of this mission was incomparable to anything else. His target was a moutain region deep in enemy territory where Imperial forces had been hoarding weapons and military ordanance. To avoid detection, his flight group of 105 aircraft had launched from a carrier close to the shoreline. Flying low, they hoped to convserve fuel so they had more time to make the hit, and possibly avoid detection by enemy radar. The IFF of Antonio's AE-7C Furfante (Whereas C is designated as Naval Outfitted) began to show signs of enemy activity several miles ahead.

" This is Mustang to all aircraft: Prep ASMs for firing. Approaching target, we are live in 4 minutes."

" Sir, this is Verde Squadron, Flight Lead, area is hot, repeat, heavy enemy AA systems in target area. Recommend mission abort."

Antonio shook his head as he drew closer to the tunnels that housed enough weaponry to level Nueve Italia.

" Negative Verde Lead, continue with the mission."

" Wilco sir, We'll be above the target in 1."

It seemed as if the calm before the storm all of a sudden became a raging torrent. Enemy soldiers hiding in the woodlands below them were carrying portable SAM missile launchers, and had spotted the NIRAF squadron. while the rockets were mainly designed to take down helicopters, they could be just as dangerous to a careless fighter pilot.

" Disperse! All flights disperse! Your targets are the tunnels and munitions dumps. Go empty as fast as you can and RTB immediately!"

The winged bearers of destruction climbed slightly, to about 1,500 ft., and then dived on their prey. Air raid sirens pierced through the Captain's cockpit, combining with his own warning alarms to make a shrill, annoying buzz. Planes were attacking the Imperial facility with everything they had: UGBs, Napalm, "Smart" bombs, ASMs, unguided-rockets, cannon fire, everything. Within minutes, the area was ablaze, and the explosions had sparked a forest fire that engulfed the base in a destructive inferno that engulfed everything it touched.

After sealing the tunnels, blowing up the enemy's vehicles and heavy weapons, and destroying anything that looked hostile (or didn't), the fighters returned to their respective carriers before a coordinated air resistance could start.

They had lost 27 planes. Far too many, as far as Antonio was concerned. War is hell, as the old saying goes. If only it didn't have to be fought. . .~

[ooc: Nueve Italia, do you have a map?]

Lieutenant Colonel Marin was not a happy man.

He had many reasons to be. His first campaign had succeeded, even with such a small force; with the reinforcements the revolt could be crushed easily, and the turnaround accomplished. He sincerely doubted that the Captain Gori... or whatever his name was... would suspect the Bandurian intentions until it was too late. He might even allow Imperial troops into the command bunker in Nuovo Milan.

But Marin was still not happy. It was not as though he believed the mission was unjust or dishonorable. Nueve Italia would prosper under Bandurian rule, and it would be protected by one of the strongest armies for a nation the size of the Imperium. He was unhappy because he was not satisfied... and partly afraid.

Città diGhiaccio had fallen easily—too easily. The Imperial divisions stationed there had been few and easily overcome...but according to intelligence they controlled most of the army. Was it a trap? Was it designed to lull the Bandurian forces into a false sense of security? Marin shook his head. Why was he so nervous? Like a feeling of impending doom...

The four divisions of the Imperial Legions and the corporate soldiers had rested at the city for some time. They had finally finished clearing a path through the snow, and were preparing for their next move.

Marin stepped across the white ground on the reinforced beachhead and issued his orders to the assembled troops, numbering into the hundreds of thousands.

"Corporate troops are to remain at Città diGhiaccio for now. Search for any and all weapons and equipment you can find in and around the city. Eighty thousand corporate troops will accompany the Legionnaires and Fanatics on our campaign, as well as three-quarters of the mechanized force. The remainder of you will follow us whenever Republican forces arrive to retake the city—if they do."

Rear Admiral Terman, beside him, nodded. "As for naval forces, we will remain here at Città diGhiaccio until further orders arrive. You're in charge from here on, Colonel."

"Right," said Marin to the troops. "We're heading south, to the nearest Imperial-occupied city, to cleanse it from all resistance. So get ready, prepare... we intend to leave before this day is over. I'll send out a message to the base in Nuovo Milan asking for instructions."

When Marin and Terman were alone in the command tent, Marin added, "Our aim is to take the command bunker at Città diCielo, where we will ... 'accidentally' ... kill the Emperor along with this traitorous Senator. Then we march triumphantly to Nuovo Milan, sadly inform the young captain of his father's most tragic death, and take him prisoner, forcing him to surrender the rest of the nation. I have a few ... ideas on how to do this."

"Good, keep me updated."

"I will. I've had some experience with this kind of warfare." Marin smiled humorlessly.

>>> Message to Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori, OHIR HQ:

We have forces ready to march on the next enemy target. What is the nearest city or base occupied by the Impero Nuovo, and what kind of forces are stationed there?

~ Lt. Col. Andrei Marin, 62nd Division, Imperial Legions <<<

OOC: Sorry guys, no map (unfortunately) Will try and work on that, for now, just try and work with the locations that are already given.

Carrier Salvatore, just off the coast of Siciliano Verde

" Captain, message for you, from the Bandurians."

On the flight deck of the largest carrier the NIIN had in its fleet, Antonio thanked the Seabee that had informed him of the communique from Lt. Col. Marin, and immediately made his way to the radio room of the floating airbase. He quickly relayed out a new objective for the Bandurian army.
_____

To: Lt. Col. Andrei Marin
From: Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori

Your success in the North is to be congragulated. In three days time, a division of Republican forces will arrive to secure Cítta diGhiaccio for your men. If you're up to it, there is a new threat towards the south. A large enemy armor column has been reported to be moving from a base near the city of Alosino to reinforce a garrison at Nueve Messino. Having intercepted Imperial transmissions, we know now that once forces have reached a sufficient number in Nueve Messino, they will march on Nuovo Milan. It is imperative to attack Nueve Messino before the enemy masses here. Our own forces will engage the armored column and then march on the city itself. We are asking of you to engage the city defense forces, defeat them, and retake the city. Engage any enemy forces you find along the way as well. By ground at 60mph, the journey will take around 32 hours. Good luck, and Godspeed.
_____

The carrier had begun to set sail once again. Antonio had planned a daring operation that could shorten this war by a long-shot, but the risks were high, and there was no guarantee of surviving. The ship was sailing North, towards the Riviera delSol, on which the great city of Cítta diCielo lay. When they reached the mouth of the river, a flight of helicopters would bring Antonio, a hand-picked squadron of the 11th Division, and any soldiers that volunteered, to the Command Bunker where the Emperor was being held. Of course, the war was still continuing in the South, but if this illusion held, then Ignatius Lucchese would never see this strike coming.

The objectives were simple: Get inside, free Giovanni Dominicio Gori I, kill the traitor Lucchese, elimante any of the 66th that gets in the way. However, everything wasn't going to be as simple as Antonio made it seem. The 66th had turned the Command Bunker into a fortress: Artillery, machine gun posts, tanks, and soldiers everywhere. In order to draw some of the heavier firepower out, two regiments of the 78th and 501st would attack the city and facility, hopefully drawing out the enemy. Whatever happened though, it was imperative that Antonio made it into that bunker. He would settle for nothing less.~

OOC: I would like to mention that both my posts showing submarines and carriers.. were in fact.. saying that 1. No transports were with the carrier. and 2. It was a fleet of submarines...

I drew upon an Idea of a Japanese Submarine in WW2, where it carried aircraft and surfaced to launch its crew. I took "attacking transports" as "shooting at submarines and the carrier.". I therefore stated that I lost my carrier and the fake submarines moving around the carrier were also lost....

IC:

The Helicopter exploded. Simple as that.

As for the rest of the Fleet, which was holding surface-floating ships, it was closer to land than it should be. It held enough ships to move a small army.. which it kind of did. But not so much to rival the ally of the old republic's.

On land.

Commissar-General Karak stared at a map in one of the few vehicles that were unloaded from the 4 landing Craft. He was impatient, and he wanted to see combat.

The General was watching the force details from the North, mostly in the wilderness outside the cities...

"Comrade-Captain.."

"Sir?"

"Would you please get that.. DeVeras fellow in here? I have an outlined stategy that may secure the southern beachheads until the main fleet can arrive."

"Yes Comrade-General.", with that, the Commissar-Captain took off for the HQ that, hopefully, DeVeras would be in.

The Strategy was thus..

They were planning on leaving behind 2 of the Line Regiments while taking another 2 North, but only as far North as the territory under the New Empire's control extended. They were hoping to create a trench line in which they could keep as a fall back line should the New Empire's fighters begin to lose the North. Any soldiers who were in retreat could hit the trench line and link with the 2 Amerathian Line Regiments that would be there, creating a wall of people to hold out the opposing army until the main Amerathian army could arrive.

To: Lt. Col. Andrei Marin
From: Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori

Your success in the North is to be congragulated. In three days time, a division of Republican forces will arrive to secure Cítta diGhiaccio for your men. If you're up to it, there is a new threat towards the south. A large enemy armor column has been reported to be moving from a base near the city of Alosino to reinforce a garrison at Nueve Messino. Having intercepted Imperial transmissions, we know now that once forces have reached a sufficient number in Nueve Messino, they will march on Nuovo Milan. It is imperative to attack Nueve Messino before the enemy masses here. Our own forces will engage the armored column and then march on the city itself. We are asking of you to engage the city defense forces, defeat them, and retake the city. Engage any enemy forces you find along the way as well. By ground at 60mph, the journey will take around 32 hours. Good luck, and Godspeed.
_____

Marin read through the message, and smiled. There was a faint hint of wickedness in that smile...

"Nueve Messino, eh? Of course we're up to it..."

The beachhead was roiling with activity. Jeeps, trucks, tanks, and transport planes bearing hundreds of Imperial Legionnaires and corporate troops were preparing for the long journey south. The information had stated that the journey would take around 32 hours... or two days accounting for eating, drinking, sleeping, and so on.

Two days, not accounting for any engagements with enemy forces along the way...

The vehicles began to roll through the deserted streets of Città diGhiaccio, with helicopters and planes whirling off overhead, and UAVs serving on recon missions, reporting back any enemy activity in the area. The army began to move south from there along the best routes, scouted out by recon planes and scout missions. The Fanatics were marched along in a long line of pitch-black transport vehicles, each crammed with dozens or hundreds of Fanatics.

The Bandurian war machine was on the march, and little could stop it now.

The fresher 63rd Division was at the front, along with the 64th Mechanized. They were followed by several divisions of corporate troops and the 62nd and 61st Divisions, holding the back lines as they regained their strength. They were the most valuable, having dealt with Imperial troops before, and the division commanders would be invaluable to Bandurian war efforts.

For five hours they continued to march south, resting little... meeting little or no resistance. All enemy spying teams that could be identified were swiftly eliminated. The war was on...

Porto Real

Upon hearing of the Amerathian plan for extra fortification in the Northlands, General DeVeras gave praise to the sound tactical advance that the Comrade-General had advised.

" Indeed, you are most wise in the arts of war. From this line, however, we could also use it as a base to halt our enemies."

Grabbing a map of Nueve Italia, the General began to rapidly circle and highlight locations using a black marker.

" This city here, this is Nuovo Milan, so far, the Republican forces HQ. Here," he pointed to a spot to the southwest of the first mark, about day's travel non-stop, " is the 902nd and 903rd Mechanized battalions."

The area where these two, massive divisions lay was a pass called Gato's Grottos. The underground caverns here were an important Imperial base, and the force that controlled them also had possesion of Twilight Canyon: the only ground passageway from Nuovo Milan to Nueve Messino. Around this canyon were Los Montaños Rojos, the longest moutain range in the country, stretching from coast to coast; in effect, seperating the North and South. This chokehold could destroy any advancing force that was caught in its grasp.

" Now, Comrade-General, if we were to create two lines: one comprised of my soldiers, and one of yours, here," a spot North of the canyon, about 15 miles away, " and here," another spot, this 10 miles to the south of the passage," We can effectively ensure that any friendlies coming through this point will be safe; but any attacking armies will be decimated by three defensive positions. No army would be able to march South without first engaging this position."

The idea made strategical sense: bottle the enemy up, and pound them with whatever they had until they were either routed or destroyed. DeVeras waited anxiously upon the Amerathian commander's approval.
_____

Riviera delSol, River's Mouth

The Salvatore sat peacefully in the sun's gleam. An image so serene seemed almost illustrated from a fairy tale in a time of war. Around the vessel, gunboats, picket ships, cruisers, destroyers, and four very large battleships stood guard for the carrier. It was not the entire Salvatore CBG, but it would suffice to keep the Impero Nuovo at bay. The presence of the fleet also had another purpose: the Bandurian march south could be protected by air cover if need be. Reconaissance planes were running continuely from the flight deck over the main land, and if any large enemy presence was reported, fighters could be dispatched at arrive at the problem area from anytime between five to eighteen minutes, pending.

By now, a small base camp had been set up by the Republic on the shoreline of where the river met the ocean. Cpt. Gori was passing time by going over his plan over and over again in his head. The 501st and 78th would engage the facility at dawn tomorrow. They would feign retreat under mass attack, draw the bulk of the enemy force out, regroup at the outskirts of Cítta diCielo, and commence battle on the Silver Hills. A helicopter squadron, once given the "All-Clear," sign by the attacking divisions, would land inside the enemy base, which, by now, would be lightly guarded. The Chinooks and Nighthawks would then dust off, and their escorts, a group of AH-60 Longbows, would flank the enemy divisions that attacked the 78th and 501st. Antonio and his squadron of the 11th would take control of the facility and route what remained of the 66th in the building. They would then find Senator Ignatius Lucchese and his traitors, capture them (if at all possible), and then send out a broadcast to the Impero Nuovo to throw down their weapons.

Tomorrow would be the day that either brought the Holy Imperial Republic salvation, or eternal damnation.~

As the Bandurian force traveled, meeting little resistance, Marin sat with an aide inside one of the command trucks, looking over an array of maps as the heavily armored vehicle bumped along. From ice and snow, the Bandurian forces had moved into milder terrain, but with winter coming on it was still cold.

"A roundabout route like that? Well, that will cost us time... but give us an element of surprise," Marin mused.

The aide nodded. "Sir, latest reports mention enemy forces massing throughout the south. Therefore, if we try to attack Nueve Messino from the south, we will do better."

Marin said thoughtfully, "But attacking from the south... there's a greater risk of being hit from the other side. Just a moment. I know Rear Admiral Terman has had experience with this kind of thing. Could you get me a link?"

"Yes, sir," said the aide. Within moments a link had been opened, and Marin dismissed the aide as he spoke to Terman.

He outlined his plan in a few swift sketches. Initial airstrikes on Nueve Messino would serve to take out heavy artillery and tanks. They would be followed by a daring pincer movement by the rest of the Bandurian army. The 63rd Division would attack on the eastern flank; the 62nd would attack from the center; and the 61st and 64th Mechanized would attack on the west flank, all abetted by corporate troops and Fanatics, which would be airdropped into the city ahead of the Legions and corporate troops.

Terman approved of Marin's plans. "Oh, and I certainly hope our glorious republic's troops come along to relieve us soon. It's getting deadly dull around here."

Marin laughed. "Your call. You chose the Navy, didn't you?" He smiled wickedly.

"Right. I see your point," Terman said mock coldly.

"Very well... I hope to see your force in action soon," said Marin, smiling. He killed the link.

Terman was, in fact, planning action. The Bandurian naval fleets would soon be leaving Città diGhiaccio. As soon as the Amerathian forces had landed in Porto Real, Bandurian naval and aerial forces would assault the port from two sides.

Terman had orders not to destroy any of the cities. But military ports were an exception.

The Amerathian Navy had spent many centuries fine tuning their combat abilities. And even they knew that no point was safe, despite how it may have appeared. They were planning on deployed some 10 miles away from the port. Hoping to hide in a forest or somewhere where they could deploy camoflouge for the troops until they were sent out..

Until then, it was up to the Karak and his Line Regiments..

The general nodded at the New Empire's plan...

"This is a good idea. We will send our two Line Regiments with your forces as soon as you are ready to set this in motion...However, I have just thought of another safety. I'll move another additional Line Regiment halfway between our port and the two lines. Then it can act as a supply and Tactical planning base for operations in the area."

Cítta diGhiaccio

The first of the Republican forces had finally arrived at the City of Ice. Having taken a tranport to Aero Octubre, the soldiers were able to arrive sooner than planned. A division of troops, tanks, and combat vehicles began to pour into the city. Major-General Fazzo Eringio led the army to the beachhead, the standard of Nueve Italia unfurled behind him. The Bandurian Navy sat in the port, like a menacing tiger ready to pounce. For some reason, Fazzo had a chill run down his spine, some sort of sixth-sense seemingly whispering that something about this scene wasn't right, something out of place.

He shrugged it off quickly as a Bandurian occupier came up to him and questioned his purpose. Upon explaining that he was here to relieve the rest of the Bandurian force, Fazzo was told to wait while the CO was notified.
_____

Riviera delSol, OHIR Temporary Base

" Sir; It's time."

Roused from sleep, Antonio quickly woke and thanked the Private for his message while still half-dosing off. Standing slowly, he dressed quickly once he was aware of just what "time" it was. He grabbed his combat gear with great haste: an all black uniform, and the traditional black and midnight blue cloak of the Vestaglies Neres. His pistol, a 9mm Beretta, lay near his bed. Grasping it, he checked the clip, grabbed five more, and then holstered the gun.

Stepping out of his tent and into the sunlight, he squinted as the first, bright beams hit his face. Antonio watched as the rest of his men already out and about; checking equipment, preparing in anyway possible, or just relaxing. Today was the day. Do or die, so to say. Either he and his troops gained victory, or failed. The two extremes would decide the fate of the country, possibly forever.

The 501st and 78th had already begun their part of the operation, codenamed Cielo e Inferno. The Command Bunker had been attacked, and the enemy had taken the bait. However, the Republic intelligence had been a little off. The enemy forces were staggering at the Bunker, and now, the OHIR forces were in over their heads. Reinforcements from the Carrier would be arriving, but they couldn't take-off until the Insertion Force took control of the bunker. With this in mind, the 11th Vestaglies Neres were ready for deployment within fifteen minutes of the call for help. The helicopters were ready, and soon, Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori, his personal squad of soldiers that had chosen to go on the mission, and Major Fidellio Solle of the 11th, along with his troops, were en route to their target.

Hopefully, everything would go according to plan.~

Admiral Terman watched the advance of the Nueve Italian troops from atop his ship, docked near the beachhead. He shook his head as he saw the triumphant unfurling of the Nueve Italian flags and banners, the march of the divisions onto the beachhead amid the corporate encampments and Fanatic emplacements.

"Poor bloody fools..."

A summons reached him informing him that the Nueve Italian relief force had arrived brought him back to his senses. He gave a few swift orders, and within minutes a helicopter whirled upwards from aboard the battleship at the center of the port, touching down at a heliport constructed near the edge of the beachhead encampments.

A lieutenant stepped out of the helicopter and walked over to the Nueve Italian CO, courteously. "Admiral Terman desires to speak with you. Right this way, sir," the CO was directed to the helicopter and climbed in. The 'copter took off over the beachhead, touching down aboard the massive battleship, where Terman was waiting for the commander, a slight smile on his otherwise emotionless face.

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

Marin tended to be an early riser, but even he was unused to being woken so early. The urgent call came in at seven in the morning as a UAV's report returned to the mobile command centre from over Città diCielo, and a frantic aide rushed straight to Marin, waking him unceremoniously.

As he roused himself groggily, the aide hastily explained the situation. Portions of it came through to Marin's ears, enough to give him a good idea of the situation.

"Republican forces are engaging the Impero Nuovo at Città diCielo... vastly outnumbered...suicidal...the Emperor's son..."

Marin sighed. "We're too far away to send ground aid... unless..." He spoke a few orders into the link.

Within minutes, the pilots were awake and four squadrons of IF-24s and three of IA-71s were being scrambled. The huge fighters, their multiple switchblade wings unfurled, and the attacker planes swept into the sky, a total of 84 planes, more than enough to ensure air superiority and take the field. They hit Mach 3.2 in a few seconds, going from zero to fifteen thousand feet and winging their way across the dark sky towards Città diCielo and the command bunker where the battle was going on.

"Reporting incoming attacks, do you copy?"

"Squadron Delta Foxtrot Six, strike SAMs, prepare to spray artillery."

"Launch guided fire, unload hull 30s!"

"Lock on arty positions, blast those gates open!"

"Surround T minus sixteen seconds!"

From the ground, the rising sun was spliced through with dozens of black lines as guided missiles burst from the planes, aimed across artillery and SAM positions of the Impero Nuovo. The planes, traveling almost as fast as the missiles themselves, immediately broke formation, disappearing into the clouds and making the enemy work hard to get back at them, nearly impossible with the blurring series of maneuvers they were going through. It was primarily a distraction to draw manpower away from defending the gates and towards SAM positions, ineffective against the Republican troops.

OOC: Banduria, remind me how many submarines you have after me?

As for the Amerathian troop fleet. It was running at full speed for land, after losing contact with a Carrier Submarine, they were determined not to end the same way.

The Amerathians had come ill-prepared for sea combat. Especially against a small attack force of Submarines. They would have to call in support once their flight from the seas to the land was complete.

Meanwhile.. On land, the Amerathian soldiers were checking their equipment, stacking up on supplies, unloading other supplies (mostly MRE's) for the Porto defenders. And above all else, organizing for a march into the canyons.

OOC: Banduria, remind me how many submarines you have after me?
I had 12. They've fired torpedoes upon your main fleet and then retreated, trying to draw you off to the north.

Cítta diGhiaccio, Bandurian Occupying-Force's Main Battleship Deck

The Major-General shivered slightly as he stepped out of the helicopter, the sea-winds tossing his hair about underneath his winter cap. His blue eyes met with those of the Rear Admiral's, and instantly, something struck him as peculiar. The grin seemed friendly enough, but something about the man's features struck him as hostile.

War does these kind of things to men, he presumed, and offered out his hand when he was close enough.

" Major-General Eringio, here to relieve your forces from the area. You have our most deepest gratitude for taking back this city."
_____

Porto Real

The Impero Nuovo troops were ready to move. Alongside their Amerathian allies, 4 divisions took off towards Gato's Grottos, ready to defend the pass till the death. General DeVeras led his men in his own MBT towards the front of the formation, setting an example for all of his troops to follow.

When they reached the pass, however, they would come to find that there was little time to prepare. . .
_____

Command Bunker, North of Cítta diCielo

The helicopter strike squadron was over the enemy target right as the Bandurian planes made their assault. The result was a frantic rush to touch down before the newly-manned SAM sites shot them out of the sky. The 501st and 78th had withdrawn succesfully to the city outskirts, bringing more than 4/5ths of the enemy guard force with them.

Two choppers took heavy enemy fire, and crashed into a heap upon Impero Nuovo forces below them. The others all managed to land safely, and, with the help of the AH-60 Attack Helicopters take out the SAM missile sites.

Antonio hit the ground hard as a grenade sailed over his head. The fighting was surreal: explosions, gunshots, the smell of smoke and death everywhere. The Captain's R-11 barked three times, and within a fraction of a second later, an enemy sargeant fell to his knees, his shirt stained crimson. The 11th and Antonio's detachment had taken the outer courtyard after five minutes of nonstop combat, in which the Imperial forces constantly sent out reinforcements to hold the base. As they came running through the door of the bunker, a stolen .50cal emplacement was turned upon them, cutting down any soldier foolish enough to follow his comrades into the never-ending maw of death.

The Republic's soldiers regrouped and pressed on, finally heading into the main structure. Resistance was light; as since a good deal of the enemy forces had been killed on the battlefield outside or against the OHIR squadron at Cítta diCielo. In a pristine-white corridor, Antonio stopped his troops.

" Alright, here's where we split up. Major Solle?"

A man in full combat gear, his rifle hung loosely in his right hand, stepped forward. A gash on his left cheek signified a melee-encounter in the tight-nit pathways inside the base.

" Sir?"

" Take your men and route out whatever remains of the Imperial Army here. Then, I want you to get in contact with whatever remains of them outside of here, including their allies. Tell them that their leader has been caputured and to surrender. If they deny, gather what you have left and march out towards the city and assist our men their. If they accept, gather what you have left and march out towards the city anyway."

Major Fidellio Solle gave a silent nod, knowing why the group must split-up, and then turned towards his soldiers. Using hand-signals, he explained what squadron should go where, and in a minute, it was as if The White Eyes had never even been here.

Antonio Orsini Gori turned to what remained of his soldiers, including his three wingman of his fighter outfit: Catalina Ortega, Jose Cruz, and Amletto Perrone, and explained what was about to happen.

" All of us are going to continue on towards the main control room. When we reach there, we're going to rescue my father, and try and subdue the traitors. If anything goes wrong, kill them all: Do not let one escape, or this will drag on forever. Clear?"

The chorus of, " Crystal, sir!" affirmed Antonio's beliefs that everything would go according to plan, and, with his head held high, he set off for the blast doors that held the country's fate behind them. . .
_____

Main Control Room

Ignatius Lucchese had watched the OHIR squadron's progress throughout the base from the cameras hidden everywhere. He had seen his loyalists die; his dreams of power and domination crashing all around him. In anger, he turned on Giovanni Dominicio Gori I; weak with exhaustion and mal-nutrition.

" You!" he sneered, " this is all your fault!"

One of the Senators, fearing the rage that was now before him, thought that compromise could be an option.

" Sir, maybe if we surrender to the Republic-" he began, but no one would know what happened if they gave in, for Lucchese turned his Beretta 9mm on the coward and pulled the trigger eight times. The Senator's body crumpled underneath his dead weight, and fell; his white uniform now red. The rest of the leaders had realized that Ignatius had finally snapped, and thought it best merely to remain quiet.

At that moment, there was an explosion at the main entrance, and, stepping triumphantly through the blasted door, was the "Savior of the Republic."

Ignatius Lucchese stared in horror.

" Antonio. . .?"~

Terman saw the mistrust in the other's eyes and was friendly and open enough, shaking hands firmly.

"Thank you... it was really all in a day's work for us, the Imperial Legions are used to all types of warfare," Terman said. "And thanks to your aid in wiping out the surrounding airbases and military bases, we managed to pull it off with only light casualties.

"The Bandurian Navy is going to begin operations against the southern coast, so if possible we'll use this city as a base to return to and continue operations. In addition, I hope you don't mind that we'll leave a few battalions of Imperial Legionnaires here to help guard to the city. Just in case." Terman indicated a few soldiers standing on deck of the battleship, watching with the same emotionless eyes... long years of training had numbed most feeling.

"As you probably know, Bandurian soldiers are marching southwards as we speak towards Nueve Messino to launch an assault on it. However, the rest of the Bandurian troops will be accompanying my fleet... we will assault and land in the south." Terman did not outline his plans any further.

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

As the morning sun rose, the Bandurian troops began to approach the fateful canyon. Still more than 40 miles away, their mobilization would nevertheless be noted by any enemy recon forces. UAVs had detected the enemy mobilization by that time, and Marin had been informed that enemy lines were reported forming some 15 miles ahead of the canyon. But he was confident that he could win with a mix of superior strategy, equipment, and numbers, even in a bleak situation such as this one.

The air squadrons assaulting Città diCielo were recalled and given new orders, which they duly fulfilled. Winging off at Mach 3, the 48 'Wyvern' IF-24s and 36 'Skyfire' IA-71s, missile banks still mostly full, passed across the sun in formation, approaching the first line within minutes.

"Enemy line reported forming below, launch frosties on three! Lock on all targets..."

138 'Hellstrike' proximity-warhead ASMs targeted across the entire Imperial line shot from the hardpoints. The incendiary missiles would incinerate everything and everyone within about 60 m of the target. Their purpose would be to cause mass chaos and havoc on the enemy lines. However, as the missiles were launched, the cry went up from the squadron leader.

"More enemy forces inbound, attack!"

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

Marin's army was beginning to approach the lines as well. Hundreds of tanks and APCs rumbled along the ground, heading for the line. Above them, planes and helicopters whirled by, some transport, some fighters. And, of course, the huge, sinister black planes bearing hundreds and thousands of Fanatics.

They were approaching the battlefield, and destruction was soon to be wreaked upon the Impero Nuovo on a scale none of them had ever seen before... or would live to see again.

OOC: I figure we should wait for Amerath before the battle starts at the canyon; after all, i can't command his troops
______

Cítta diGhiaccio

The Major-General nodded his head in agreement to the usage of the city as a base of operations for the Bandurians.

" There will be no trouble in leaving a small garrison here to watch over the place, but I assure you; my own troops will have this place locked down tight within 12 hours, so don't bother sparing men from the front lines. After all, the more soldiers we can get south, the better, no?"
_____

Twilight Canyon

The Impero Nuovo advance-guard had detected the presence of a rather large Bandurian force headed on their position. While they had not had enough time to prepare all of their new defenses, there were enough men, artillery pieces, armored vehicles, and other forms of support to hold the area, especially at such a narrow pass. If the enemy attacked by ground, they would be forced to pack together, making them easy targets for artillery. If they attacked from the sky, the caves and walls of the canyon would shelter the Imperial Forces.

All they could do was wait and see what would come to them. . .
_____

Command Bunker, Main Control Room

The Imperial leader didn't waste time for words. His pistol rising from his waist, Ignatius was about to end the life of his hated enemy when a sudden jolt shook the gun out of his hand. His eyes focusing ahead, he saw the smoking barrel of Antonio Orsini's own SOCOM .45. Lucchese's hand was bleeding from where the bullet had passed through, but he felt no pain now; not with the prospect that was before him.

" Well done Antonio," he began coldly, " but futile in the grand scheme of things. What you sought to accomplish you have just failed in: for right now, I could kill both you and your father, having the role of Emperor pass to me."

Antonio saw this coming, but it didn't matter. Gunfire was heard outside of the door, as the last of the troops the Captain had come with were trying to stem the advance of Lucchese's Radical Guard Forces. Striding forward two steps, the young leader shook his head.

" It's over, Senator," Antonio's voice holding nothing but pure hatred for this crazed man, " You're surrounded on all sides, Cítta diCielo is being liberated as we speak, and all of the Republican forces are advancing towards the South: your last stronghold. Give in, and you will be spared a prolonged death for your crimes."

Ignatius scowled. The tension in the room grew thicker and heavier, and the two minds of polar opposites were battling with one another in a war that no one could see. The other Senators had been trying to steadily make their way out of the room and escape, but to no avail.

" My fellow patriots!" Ingatius called out, " come to me and kill this traitor to the New Imperial State!"

One of the white and red clothed men stepped forward and shook his head.

" We had a dream of peace for this nation, and it seems that we were on the wrong side to achieve that dream. Good bye, Senator."

The mockery hit home for Ignatius as he realized that he was stranded: no help, no refuge, no nothing. His goal of ruling the nation had come crashing down in one, swift stroke.

A raspy chorttle was heard from behind Lucchese.

" You see?" Giovanni coughed, his throat dry and scratched, " I told you; power without consideration of morality is a weakness. Your ambitions have been your undoing."

In a rage, Ignatius turned on the weak Emperor, words failing him as he tried to express his disgust. In a final action as to show who was the more powerful, Ignatius bent down to where his fallen Beretta lay, grabbed it, and, at point-blank range, squeezed the trigger four times into Giovanni Dominicio Gori I's chest.




Antonio watched on in horror, fear gripping his heart and throttling it. His combat instincts told him to move, take cover, stop this madman, but his muscles seemed to not interpret the signals. Fear turned to sorrow; sorrow to anger; anger to a maddened fury. He charged the traitor with his pistol outright; firing off rounds while on the move. He emptied an entire clip at the man, only to achieve in hitting air. Ignatius ducked and rolled out of the way, firing back.

At the end of the engagement, neither had any more ammunition left, but the battle was not over.

" You. . ." Antonio's voice was barely audible, " you will pay for these atrocities. . ."

Tossing off his cloak, the Captain reached with his right hand down to his opposite waist, and grasped the handle of his officer's sabre, drawing it and readying himself into a dueling-style in one, graceful move. The weapon was to be used as a symbol of rank and as a last resort. Now, it would be used to strike down the enemy of the state. The blade gleemed as flourescent lights struck it, the tempered, folded stainless steel eager for blood. Etched into the bottom of the edge were the words Spada diDio, or "Sword of God."

Lucchese, also an excellent duelist, drew his own rapier that he carried on him at all times.

The scene was as if from a movie: the champions of good and evil engaged in one, climatic battle: the winner determining the fate of millions.

Antonio dashed towards Lucchese. Ignatius, in turn, ran towards Orsini Gori. They both brought their weapons down into a striking position, and as they passed, swung upwards and diagonally towards the opposite side.

Ignatius Lucchese let out a faint cry. A gash ran across his chest, whilst Antonio remained untouched. In fury, he turned and attacked again. The exchange of blows went back and forth, the balance swinging both ways rapidly. In a desperate attempt to end this quickly, Lucchese pulled his boot back and struck out towards the Captain's chest, sending him on his back. Closing for the kill, a maniacal grin upon his face, Lucchese's expression soon turned blank as Antonio forced his weight back, and then forward, flipping him on his feet and driving cold steel into Lucchese's head.

The rebellion was finished.~

I had 12. They've fired torpedoes upon your main fleet and then retreated, trying to draw you off to the north.
OOC: Not my main fleet, the main fleet is somewhere else, I keep my carriers seperated from the main fleets. Also, I'm guessing "attacking the Empire's lines" was for both of us?

IC:

The Amerathian Lines were almost "slow" in responsing to the air attacks. As many were dying, some found courage in the Line of the Amerathian Empire to man their small number of quad 50 calibur anti-air guns, sending up waves of ammo up. Of course. The Amerathians hadn't taken much anti-air equipment in an attempt to reach the objective on time with their allies.

Enemy positions, front lines

As the first wave of planes began the offensive, more fighters began to swirl in, many inbound directly from the North. The battle is going to get heated soon with the arrival of ground forces. Transportable mortars and the massive mechanized force approaching the canyon will serve their purpose well; the mobile 155mm and 185mm artillery pieces, manned by corporate soldiers, were already beginning to bombard the canyon walls. Some of the shells were fired directly at the cliffs themselves, hoping to dislodge heavy boulders and bring them down upon the Imperial lines stationed above them...

~~~~~~~~~~~
Command bunker, Città diCielo

Behind a red-orange sky, streaked with smoke from missiles and fires burning around the Command Bunker, transport planes began to touch down, disgorging squads of Legionnaires which spilled out onto the desert ground of the now-abandoned position. Troops of the 61st Division began to surround the bunker. They knew their orders well, like good soldiers... despite the strangeness. A few knelt outside the base briefly, before returning to their feet. Squad leaders seemed to be setting up some kind of equipment around the base.

Meanwhile, Lt.-Col. Marin himself and his command squad—the Imperial Elite Platoon of the 61st Division—descended out of several helicopters touching down amid the ruins of the SAM sites. Marin and the troops around him entered the base themselves to secure it...

A few minutes later, Marin himself pushed open the door into the control room, swiftly appraising the situation with his merciless, icy blue-grey eyes. The true Emperor of Nueve Italia lay dead, his raiment littered with unholy powder; at his feet, also slain, was Ignatius Lucchese, the leader of the revolt. And exhausted, standing over him, was the new Emperor... the Captain, Antonio Orsini Gori.

Or was he the new Emperor? Marin smiled curiously as he thought of his orders. Antonio looked up as he stepped in, and Marin himself spoke courteously, kneeling and watching Antonio almost gently...pityingly, the strangely haunting icy look still in his eyes. Years of war had done that... or years of deception.

"Captain Gori... or should I say Emperor?" Not for too long. "I stand at your service with the Bandurian Army behind me," Marin said softly. "We have but the southern rebellion to wipe out now."

Command Bunker

~Exhausted by the events that had transpired, Antonio didn't care for or want company at a time like this. His father lay dead, the traitor by his feet, he himself kneeling in pain and weariness. He shook his head: he had to continue on. There was still the problem of the rest of the enemy army here, but it was no matter; they could be dealt with later. For now, Antonio wanted his father's body out of here. Standing, he looked into the cold, frigid blue eyes of the Bandurian Officer before him. One look told him all he needed to know. Merciless, he thought, were he here, everyone in this building would be dead.

Raising a hand to his forhead, Antonio felt a warm liquid above his left eyebrow. He had been cut, but not badly. His chest, however, was a different story: two slashes, one just grazing the skin, and the other cutting quite deep without causing a mortal wound. Blood loss would sap his strength later if he didn't get some sort of gauze or something to cover the gash.

Antonio felt cheated by this new "allied," army before him: yes, they had been a great assistance to preserving the Republic, but now, what of the Republic was left? More than half of the Senate was dead, and now he, Antonio Orsini Gori, would take over the nation with emergency powers until an election could be held when the nation was unified. And now, after the death of his father by Lucchese's hand, and the traitor's by his own, now the Bandurians show up?

Of course, it was all just bottled-up hatred and anger that had to be released ever since he saw his father die not more than twenty minutes ago, but nonetheless, it had to be directed at something. The Bandurians, the Amerathians, the whole of the damned Impero Nuovo, something had to suffer right now, no matter what it was. Something, someone had to feel his anguish.

Taking a deep breath, Antonio Orsini calmed himself slightly, and faced the Lt. Col. in front of him. Behind the Bandurian force here, Antonio's own soldiers stood, waiting for orders. They had good news: Apparently, the 11th's message had gotten out, and the Imperial Army at Cítta diCielo had given in, and had been inducted into the Republican Forces once again. The problem with the southern army would have to wait: Perhaps they could be talked out of a final conflict? Antonio wanted the war to end immediately: for the nation to be whole again.

He spoke softly, almost unsure of himself now, with the new responsibility of leading the entire country on his shoulders beginning to take hold.

" I thank you for your arrival, Bandurian Officer. Your men are to be commended for their actions in our nation once this is over. For now, yes, we will deal with the Southern Insurrection, but there may be a non-violent solution to this, and I don't want to attack unless we have to. For now, I would like to evacuate this area and place a Republican Guard in control of the building. Now that this bunker is in our hands again, we can continue to direct our forces without fearing major retaliation."~

*bump*

Intelligence Briefing Room #26
Czarna, Czardas

Airya Wong sighs as she looks over the latest incoming reports. With most of the Foreign Ministry Staff engaged in preparing for the diplomatic conference beginning in Czarna in a few days, the burden of looking through all of the international affairs in the nearby region has fallen upon her, as Vice-Director of National Intelligence, and her own staff.

After leafing through a series of reports on the Kraven conflict and war in Generia—neither of which directly concerns Czardas or will prove of interest—a sheet headed by the words "Anarchy and Civil War Outbreak Reported in Nueve Italia" catches her eye, and she picks it up and begins to read through the 26-page report.

It reads almost like a novel. I knew Sosprigi was the right man to send to that part of the world, she thinks as she reads through the account of the conflict between an old republic and a new faction seeking to create an empire. Looking over the participants in the battle, her finger rests at a single name, and she raises her eyebrows slightly.

Putting down the sheets, she flips open her cell phone and dials an old friend...

"Hello? Airya here."

"Hi, what is it?"

In a few terse words Airya Wong tells the person on the other end the story.

"I see," the voice says thoughtfully.

"Exactly. We've got a republic here, and then who comes to its aid? An Empire... in fact, an Empire that has frequently denounced democracy as an evil, vile, corrupt system... oh, I'm sure you know what kind of propaganda they put out."

"I do, in fact. They're allies of Roach-Busters, for one thing."

"A known human rights violator... exactly. So why would they turn around and help their worst enemies? It's unreasonable."

"Perhaps they finally decided to change their ways and see the light..."

"No... I'm cynical and I've found that it's a bit more accurate with nations like Banduria. I'll bet the National Intelligence Department they're up to something."

"You've no evidence."

"Exactly. That's why I've called you. We have to stop them before they... they... oh, I don't know what it is they're planning to do, but we have to stop them before they do it."

"They might not be planning anything."

"Exactly. But a foe of democracy won't suddenly turn around like that... and there's been no change in leadership or government policy recently."

"All right," the other's voice sounds skeptical. "I'll look into it."

"Thanks. I just need a clear conscience. I'd never forgive myself if I let another democracy fall to dictators."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the other end, Special Operative Cpt. Alma Finlay puts down the receiver and sits there, thoughtfully, for a minute.

She is younger than Airya Wong, and taller (5'10"), with shoulder-length black hair, piercing green eyes, slender with an expression of calm sarcasm. The twenty-eight-year-old woman looks younger than she is, but despite her appearance she is one of the most experienced officers in the Special Operatives, head of the infamous 14th Division.

With abrupt resolution, Finlay stands, radios a few swift orders to the members of her division, and enters a nearby elevator, which emerges on the roof of the complex in the suburbs of Czarna, home of one of the largest IT networks in Czardas. On the roof, six or seven small-to-medium blue VTOL planes are docked; Finlay climbs into the nearest—a modified long-range SM Kestrel—and flicks a switch. The plane ascends to 3,000 feet in thirty seconds, hitting Mach 2, and turns towards Nueve Italia, joining seven more SM Kestrels to form a flight of the most advanced stealth aircraft in Czardas's air force.

Besides being leader of one of the greatest Special Operative Divisions, Alma Finlay also happens to be an expert pilot, having trained in the Air Force prior to her inception as an officer in the 14th CSOD.

The flight wings out over land, then gray-blue sea, keeping at an even height of about 80,000 ft (undetectable on all but the most advanced systems). As the planes approach Nueve Italia, Foreign Ministry personnel begin to write up a message destined for Captain Antonio Orsini Gori's hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Encoded Transmission
to: Command Bunker, OHIR HQ, Nuovo Milan
To be delivered to Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori immediately upon receipt

Greetings from the Concordance of Czardas!

We wish to aid you in your struggle against the Imperial forces, and will be sending you military aid to help defeat what is left of the insurrection. We have been following your civil war but do not yet know the status of the Imperial Republic in its war against the new Empire. An update would be greatly appreciated.

In addition, we wish to warn you against your "ally" in this matter, the Holy Imperium of Banduria. Banduria is a known enemy of the Concordance and a human rights violator, as well as having shown imperialistic intentions in the past (such as invading or threatening invasion of smaller nations on small or non-existent charges). While they may have changed their ways, we still suspect their motives, and urge you to do the same.

~Airya Wong, Vice-Director of National Intelligence
acting for Kari Alhoun, Czardaian Foreign Minister
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Command Bunker, Nuovo Milan

~ Antonio had arrived at the main Republic HQ minutes after the transmission from Czardas had come through. His father's body was put inside a small wooden boat and pushed out into the Cello Sea, which runs into la Riviera deSol. The entire crew of the Salvatore stood by during the quick ceremony, some weeping openly, others feeling nothing but anger and hatred, and yet others had displayed their confidence in their new leader: the Emperor's son, Antonio Orsini. So young to have taken such a burden, and yet he showed no signs of stress or worry. . .yet. On the battlefield, and in war time in general, the Captain was reknown for keeping a cool head. When all of this blew over, the problems and issues of running a nation could possibly overwhelm the young Gori.

After the funeral procession, which Antonio would have made proper where it not a state of war in the country, the Captain and his squadron returned to Nuovo Milan HQ, intent on ending this war. The Bandurians had been asked to leave the Command Bunker and proceed to meet up with the 501st at Cítta diCielo to continue south. A small Republican guard was left in the Command Bunker, and though they succeeded in establishing communication with the Impero Nuovo, they failed to come to terms with them. The Imperial Army believed it was still numerically superior to the Republic, and would hold out until the defenders of the people's government wore out their resources.

When the Captain arrived in Nuovo Milan, the urgent message from the Concordance of Czardas was given to him by General Freddo Conccino. His face was white with fear and anxiety; he had suspected Banduria's intent for the longest time, and the message seemed to confirm his beliefs. The General waited patiently for Antonio's response as he poured over the comminique, its contents both horrifying and real.

" Well," began the Captain, " it seems that there is indeed someone out there who cares for the Republic's well-being. It all makes sense now too; the Imperial soldiers who re-joined our OHIR defenders talked to no end about what the Bandurian Army called 'Fanatics,' POWs who had been tortured and drugged to fight against what was their own comrades. I suspect that now, with my father and Lucchese dead, they will be after myself next; with no direct chain of command after me, since the Senate is in disarray, they could easily usurp the nation."

General Conccino nodded. His suspicions confirmed, Freddo was more on-edge than usual, his paranoid nature reaching almost its peak due to this intelligence. While it was from a nation that the Holy Imperial Republic had never had contact with, it could not be disregarded: the truths were evident. Upon researching their "ally," the defenders of Nueve Italia had come across some rather horrific finds, such as "thought-police," and how Banduria was against people's rights entirely: all the things that the men and women of OHIR stood for was considered weak and unlawful in Banduria.

" My Captain," Freddo started uneasily, " these people from Czardas could help us if the Bandurians turn on the Republic; we could use the assistance anyway against the rest of the Imperial forces."

Nodding, Antonio set out to contact the Concordance.
_____

Secret Encoded Transmission-
To: Airya Wong, Vice-Director of National Intelligence of Czardas
From: Antonio Orsini Gori, Supreme Commander of Republic Defenders in Nueve Italia

From the deepest gratitude of the Holy Imperial Republic,

You are to be thanked for your actions, Ms. Wong. Our forces had suspected Bandurian intent on aiding our struggle for sometime, but we dismissed these thoughts as the war dragged on. Banduria has proven a valiant ally in the fight, but this new information cannot be ignored. Your nation's assistance in our fight for democracy (as well as any battle that may occur afterwards) is most appreciated in this dark hour for our countrymen.

To update yourself and your people on our plight, I will explain the events of 24 hours ago.

Myself and a volunteer group of soldiers and marines had gained control of the security bunker that my father had been imprisoned in since the beginning of the war. At the same time, a strike force set out to recapture our Capital City, boosting morale and securing the Northern half of Nueve Italia. Upon arriving at the Bunker, Nueve Italian forces captured the outside area and nearby airbase, and then worked our way inside.

In the main control room of the bunker, my father, Emperor Giovanni Dominicio Gori I was shot and killed by the head traitor, Senator Ignatius Lucchese. I engaged him in battle, and succeeded in killing him. With the area secured, a small Republican force was left to assume command of the building, and a Bandurian task group that showed later was ordered to work with the 501st Elite Guard Regiment to attack South. A small funeral was arranged for the Emperor, and then the 104th Tactical Fighter Squadron, my own wing, returned here, to Nuovo Milan. Currently, it would seem as though I, as the Emperor's only son, am the rightful heir to the Throne, and therefore, Emperor of Nueve Italia. Once this is over, a national election will be held to see if I will retain this title, but right now, this makes the Republic vulnerable. If I am killed, there is no direct succession, either through blood or the Senate. The Bandurian Occupying Force, if it is their goal, could easily take over the government.

Therefore, We of the Republic implore your nation for help in defeating our foes, however many their are. Once again, you have the gratitude and and appreciation of many people here for your aid, both mentally and physically.

Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori, Current Soveriegn Ruler of Nueve Italia
_____
~

[ooc: Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have finals this week. It's the only time I really need to put any work in (the rest of the time I'm pretty much free to post ;)).]

Unfortunately for the Old Republic, the message from Czardas had already been too late. The Bandurian plan had been set in motion the moment Marin saw the old Emperor lying dead, with the only thing between him and a new colony being the slim youth in front of him.

He had obeyed Gori's words for that moment... he had left the Command Bunker, where he could have had a chance. He had his own reasons for this.

Marin had ordered the forces to split up and disregard the second order of the Emperor's son. The corporate troops and their forces would accompany the 501st Division south (in order to better surround them and destroy them—or better, take them prisoner—when the order came). Meanwhile, the 61st, 62nd, 63rd, and 64th Divisions were summoned to Nuovo Milan instead.

The strike would be swift—within minutes. The same tactics that had worked on Città diGhiaccio with such devastating effect would be repeated here. The Bandurians would prevail now...

But before the main offensive began, a small strike team was dropped into the city. This could be finished fairly quickly if it worked.

The strike team was in no way a typical Bandurian troop. They were dressed in Impero Nuovo uniforms, each with pounds of C4 sewn in. They carried few weapons; they would not need many. The leader bore a prominent white flag of truce. In the light they approached the OHIR HQ, almost arrogantly, and hailed and saluted the guards on duty.

"What do you want?"

"We've got an urgent message for Cpt. Antonio Gori, from the Impero Nuovo forces. We'd like to speak to Cpt. Gori as soon as possible," the leader said.

"Why?" the guard eyed him coolly.

"We're coming to negotiate terms for surrender. While the commanders may not want to surrender, we, at least, have seen the right way for this country," the leader said confidently...

[ooc: Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have finals this week. It's the only time I really need to put any work in (the rest of the time I'm pretty much free to post ;)).]
[ooc:] Haha. Probably the only advantage of being a high school student is that my exams aren't until February. :p



Secret Encoded Transmission-
To: Airya Wong, Vice-Director of National Intelligence of Czardas
From: Antonio Orsini Gori, Supreme Commander of Republic Defenders in Nueve Italia

From the deepest gratitude of the Holy Imperial Republic,

You are to be thanked for your actions, Ms. Wong. Our forces had suspected Bandurian intent on aiding our struggle for sometime, but we dismissed these thoughts as the war dragged on. Banduria has proven a valiant ally in the fight, but this new information cannot be ignored. Your nation's assistance in our fight for democracy (as well as any battle that may occur afterwards) is most appreciated in this dark hour for our countrymen.

To update yourself and your people on our plight, I will explain the events of 24 hours ago.

Myself and a volunteer group of soldiers and marines had gained control of the security bunker that my father had been imprisoned in since the beginning of the war. At the same time, a strike force set out to recapture our Capital City, boosting morale and securing the Northern half of Nueve Italia. Upon arriving at the Bunker, Nueve Italian forces captured the outside area and nearby airbase, and then worked our way inside.

In the main control room of the bunker, my father, Emperor Giovanni Dominicio Gori I was shot and killed by the head traitor, Senator Ignatius Lucchese. I engaged him in battle, and succeeded in killing him. With the area secured, a small Republican force was left to assume command of the building, and a Bandurian task group that showed later was ordered to work with the 501st Elite Guard Regiment to attack South. A small funeral was arranged for the Emperor, and then the 104th Tactical Fighter Squadron, my own wing, returned here, to Nuovo Milan. Currently, it would seem as though I, as the Emperor's only son, am the rightful heir to the Throne, and therefore, Emperor of Nueve Italia. Once this is over, a national election will be held to see if I will retain this title, but right now, this makes the Republic vulnerable. If I am killed, there is no direct succession, either through blood or the Senate. The Bandurian Occupying Force, if it is their goal, could easily take over the government.

Therefore, We of the Republic implore your nation for help in defeating our foes, however many their are. Once again, you have the gratitude and and appreciation of many people here for your aid, both mentally and physically.

[i]Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori, Current Soveriegn Ruler of Nueve Italia
~
Airya Wong reads through the return message, and rereads it. In most cases, it would prove to be the end of her novel. But, of course, there is someone who has interfered in the middle. Banduria again. Like the incidents in Stoddenia and the Silver Sky. She sighs. Banduria has been on Czardas's "hit list" for a long time, now.

Airya Wong cannot arrange for a mobilization against anyone yet... there is not enough concrete evidence to prove her hypothesis. It is all circumstantial. And yet she is continually convinced of its veracity...

451st Stealth Flight, over Nueve Italia

The eight Kestrels have descended from their celestial heights of over 90,000 ft. towards ground level. Cpt. Finlay, serving as the flight leader, banks right and speaks a sharp order across radio. "Requesting groundscan report."

A few minutes pass before the Special Operative Sergeant known only as Red Wolf returns the call. "Groundscan reports show evidence of massive New Empire mobilization... preparations for a battle appear to be occurring at a canyon some fifty klicks southwest."

"Relay current location?"

"Over city of Nuovo Milan, OHIR HQ."

"Relay Bandurian force status?"

"Individual units cannot be detected at this height range."

Alma Finlay shakes her head impatiently. She should have known. But descending farther than 55,000 feet might make the Kestrels visible on enemy radars despite their highly advanced stealth measures—ladar- and lidar-absorbent paint, appropriate shape, silenced engines, jamming capabilities, ARC... Well, the Czardaian planes could easily escape if detected. Spiraling downwards to some 44,000 feet, the groundscan process is repeated, with sat uplinks returning other necessary information.

"Bandurian forces appear to be accompanying Republican troops," Red Wolf reports back across the radio. "We can't see much else, except that they outnumber them by a large margin—probably almost ten to one."

"Shit." That proves nothing. What was Airya so concerned about? "Let's get closer to that battle over the canyons. Any aircraft reported in area?"

"Seven fighter squadrons."

"O-kay. Go easy on them," Finlay radios back. "Finlay out."

The air flight begins approaching 'Twilight Canyon', where the main Bandurian force appears to be already engaging the Impero Nuovo...

[ooc: You do know that no aircraft can be completely stealth, right?]

The sky was aglow in crimson. Whether from haze, a strange phenomenon of nature... or perhaps even a premonition of the carnage to come on this day... Marin thought grimly, smiling. He stood bareheaded, the winds tossing his silver blonde hair in the wind, encircling his head like a strange halo, but it was a halo garnering the head of a demon... watching the corporate troops and part of the mechanized force engaging the enemy lines.

As he did an aide called him over to the mobile base and showed him the RADAR screens. "Sir, we're detecting some kind of signal."

"What kind?"

"It's very faint... a heavily stealth plane, I think... or more accurately a flight or two of heavily stealthed planes." He showed Marin the blips scattered across the screen.

"What are they?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Probably just a malfunction," Marin said, and he was starting to walk away when another aide ran up, seized the sheets and yelled wildly after Marin. "Sir!!!"

"What is it?" Marin glowered.

"Sir, I was stationed at Dornuva before returning to this legion... that was when we had the tension with The Silver Sky..."

"Yes? And what?"

"I'd recognize these anywhere. It's a type of Czardian aircraft operating under heavy stealth measures..."

Marin's face set in grim lines. "Czardas, eh? Messing in our business again? We'll deal with them." He picked up the comlink and barked out a few orders to the air squadrons leading the assault.

"This is Ground Commander in, inbound aircraft reported, do you copy?"

"Copied, we have detected aircraft, awaiting orders."

"All inbound aircraft noted are to be considered hostile, I repeat, all inbound aircraft are to be considered hostile, and to be dealt with appropriately at once. Ground Commander out."

Marin killed the comm with a look of grim satisfaction as two squadrons of IF-24s broke away from the main fighter formation and whirled upwards towards the Czardian planes, and turned his attention back to the main ground battle against the Imperial forces holding the line.

"They're sending fighters to engage us now... the poor devils."

With these unofficial words from Alma Finlay, the Kestrels form by unspoken consent into a defensive formation, all attacks and countermeasures ready for action. While Banduria may know something of Czardas's planes, they have never seen them in action... which will prove fatal to them.

While the Kestrel fighters are outnumbered three to one, they will prove their worth in battle...

"Guys... I'm sure you can figure out who the enemy is, and why they can't exactly negotiate diplomatically at this time," Finlay radios. "Just do your stuff."

"Righto!" Red Wolf answers. "Prepare all fire!"

Each Kestrel launches one decoy bomb, which will extend similarly shaped wings and countermeasures to maintain the radar signature of the plane, allowing the planes themselves to escape unnoticed. However, the decoy bombs have their own offensive purpose. Besides releasing smoke to hide the Kestrels (and themselves) from view, when they are close enough to the enemy planes their speeds will increase suddenly to Mach 5 and the missiles will explode, releasing hundreds of small shaped bomblets at high velocity which will rip the enemy planes apart or at the very least disable their radars.

The Kestrels arc upwards towards the sun, skimming through a burning sky. The engagement, however, is far from over...

[ooc: I don't think that would work... missiles and planes have different RADAR signatures... then again, I don't have too much experience in these matters, so oh well. I'll assume you know more than me about this and defer to your judgment. Besides, it'll make for a more interesting story.]

As the Czardian "planes" came in, the IF-24 'Wyvern'-class fighters launched a volley of 48 MRAAMs at the incoming missiles. Aimed to target planes, they would manage to maintain their locks. Some of the AAMs missed and plunge ddown towards the mountains below, but most of them would hit.

However, more blips began appearing and disappearing on the fighter RADARs... and the pilots realized they had been tricked. It was one of the Kestrels' many countermeasures. They nosed upwards, the 24 fighters closing in on the Kestrels like so many of their namesake, the harbingers of war and despair... hitting Mach 3.4, they would certainly outmatch their Czardian counterparts. Almost to emphasize this, the fighters launched 72 MRAAMs (RADAR-guided) at the fighters, to destroy them all. Even a Kestrel wouldn't have enough countermeasures to knock off nine missiles each...

[Czardas, TG.]

[ooc:] Responded, thank you. Oh, and it's "Czardaian".

[ic:]

"Incoming contacts registered, probably missiles."

Finlay allows herself a feral smile. Now the real fun will begin. The multilayered countermeasure systems of the Kestrels will spring into action now, full force.

First, each Kestrel looses four AMMs, a total of 32, to knock out the first wave of incoming missiles. They hit, destroying 16 of the incoming missiles in a series of brilliant explosions lit up in bright orange against the sky, leaving 56 to be dealt with.

The Kestrels activate radar jamming next, throwing many of the missiles off course and sending them plummeting downwards towards the plains. Despite this, at least 30 more missiles remain, entering their terminal phase now as they shoot upwards.

The third system comes online once the missiles reach within 25 km of the Czardaian planes. Like many AWACS, Kestrels are EMP enabled, allowing them to focus a strong magnetic beam across a narrow range. The systems come online, knocking out all remaining missile guidance and sending them too precipitating downwards, falling towards earth.

Keeping radar jamming on, to prevent further detection, the Kestrels launch a volley of 48 XSRAAMs at the Bandurian planes below. The missiles are shielded against EMP and guided by RADAR with IR as a backup system (against flares). Then the Czardaian fighters break formation swiftly, disappearing into the clouds with radar jamming on, virtually undetectable...

"Holy shit..."

Still tailing the Kestrels, the IF-24 pilots gaped in amazement as, in rapid succession, all seventy-two missiles disappeared from their RADAR screens. This only put a mild damper on Bandurian morale, however, as they too had a "secret" weapon they will use on the Czardaian [happy now? ;P] fighters as soon as they can — home-on-jam technologies.

This technology was designed primarily to be used against stealth fighters. It scans the area for any patches of RADAR jamming and guides the missile specifically towards those patches. In addition, the warhead is proximity, incinerating everything within the patch of jamming as soon as it hits (acting as a countermeasure against chaff, flares, and other non-jammed entities).

Sixteen of the fighters fired off two each from their LRAAM missile hardpoints—the missiles being as large as LRAAMs—for a total of thirty-two missiles streaking across the sky towards the Kestrels.

However, more pressing concerns alerted them as the 48 missiles are detected. The IF-24s bring in all of their own countermeasures. Their superior maneuverability will play an important part in this battle. As missiles flew in, the Bandurian planes released chaff and dove, descending to insanely low altitudes or swiftly ascending and turning in mid-air, attempting to throw off the missiles. Despite their extreme evasive maneuvers and countermeasures, three fighters were hit in the sky and simply became massive fireballs. A fourth streaked out of the sky like a comet, the pilot slumped over in front of a shattered cockpit.

Twenty fighters still remained, hard on the chase still. This new threat would be eliminated at all costs.

[ooc: Ok, I have to go for the night. See you all tomorrow.]

The whole time the 2 armies were fighting in the air. There sat a Line Trooper in the Amerathian team in the canyon. They had started burrowing ever since the assault against them from artillary. They were waiting for the enemy column to move into the canyon before attacking. Until then, the only thing left was the sound of shells crashing into the canyon walls above.

This particular Line trooper was named Gomok, he had committed grand theft auto thirty times, and was now sitting in this damned burrowed out tunnel because of it.

Gomok sat next to a line of other troopers that had made a mad dig downwards inorder to escape the enemy. Every now and then, a commissar would walk past him, shotuing out encouragement to his soldiers as he tried to keep loyalty in the line.

Gomok looked to the young female trooper to his right, Ima or something like that....

"Well, we sure pulled the short stick on this one."

"Ya, no kidding, I'm just hoping we get to shoot back soon, damn us for not bringing any artillary into the fight."

"You know how it is, rush in, secure the beachhead, then get the fun stuff. Hopefully the enemy will approach us soon, and then we get the party started.."

"Ya"

Sensing that the young trooper didn't want to talk anymore, he quickly pulled out the letter he promised to send to his wife back in Primus City..

OOC: I havn't been able to fire a shot, you people keep shooting us with planes, carriers, and artillary.. when do I get to get some infantry on infantry here?

"Goddammit... release AMMs, NOW!"

Finlay virtually screams in frustration as the incoming missiles are registered. Another 32 anti-missile missiles streak towards the Bandurian home-on-jam missiles, sending many of the larger missiles plummeting out of the sky. Thirteen continue to shoot towards the Czardaian planes, and the Kestrels (on Finlay's orders) do the only conceivable thing possible: switch off radar jamming, and move....

Some of the planes dive; others rise into the air, trying to get away from their last position before the missiles can strike. The maneuvers are mostly successful, but one of the missiles detonates just a few meters from one of the Kestrels, causing it severe damage and sending it spiraling downwards. It manages to regain its balance a bit violently nearer the ground, and makes its way towards the OHIR HQ for repairs, notifying the base of its presence...

Down to seven planes, Finlay asks, "What's our ETA on that air support?"

"Two hours and closing. And that's only because they're launching from a CBG patrolling outside the eastern ocean..."

Finlay swears heavily. "Great. We've got to hold the enemy forces for two hours, running short on missiles and fuel, outnumbered three to one... just keep maneuvering and launch the odd AAM, we want to keep them on their toes..."

She hastily reports back to Airya Wong a very confused and haphazard account of the recent events, now convinced that the immediate Bandurian hostility is a sign of their intentions towards the Holy Imperial Republic...

OOC: I havn't been able to fire a shot, you people keep shooting us with planes, carriers, and artillary.. when do I get to get some infantry on infantry here?
[ooc: All right, here you go.]

"Fuck, this isn't working!"

From the top of the hill, as the air battle raged on, Marin watched the artillery battering the canyon far below. The imprecise range of the shells sent many of them slamming into the walls instead of the narrow canyon itself. This would require hand-to-hand combat, mobile mortars, and tanks to deal with.

As the air cover swooped overhead, barraging the Imperial and Amerathian positions below, the whole Bandurian line began its infamous charge, the Death's Head.

At the front of the formation were the Fanatics, thousands of them. Firing wildly at the enemy, screaming an inhuman shreak, they dashed headlong down the hillside into the canyon, some stumbling to the ground, never to rise again along the long descent... some still alive until being trampled to death by their comrades in arms, their only thoughts for blood. Immune to fear and pain and all feeling, they hit the line of soldiers below like a tidal wave, ripping and tearing, firing their weapons and mobile mortars, falling, dying...

After the Fanatics came the ranks of corporate troops and tanks, and a few squads of Legionnaires. .50 cal fire and 155mm shells from the tanks and mortars pounded the thickly packed enemy lines, tearing great holes in man and tactic alike, as the main infantry body descended into the canyon, wreaking infinite destruction on a scale rarely seen before or since in the history of mankind.

Behind the crimson sky the advance continued, the merciless attack and charge, the ruthless slaughter of thousands. APCs and transport planes followed, bearing even more troops.

Few would remain alive to relive the horrors of this day wrought by man upon man, and yet those who fought the Impero Nuovo and Amerath that day were not men...

Fewer would remain outside of a Bandurian Fanatic camp...

The Amerathians, upon hearing of the attack, came running from under the earth, quickly occupying their fortifications. Every once and awhile, a mortar shell would hit home in the trenches, sending bodies and shrapnel flying into the air. Sometimes even more soldiers would be injured from the falling dead.

So rather than wasting valuable shells upon them, the Pyro's of the Amerathian line started to earn their pay. They could be seen in smooth black uniforms amongst the Amerathian line, unleashing naplam into the attack groups. Of course, the quad 30mm cannons of the Tunguska Anti-air the Amerathians had would help with these fanatics too, and hopefully they could get rid of them without meeting in hand to hand combat.. But it seemed a part of the line was already threatening to crumble under the weight..

As for the rest of the armor of the Amerathian's BTR-90's (The APC the 2 Line Regiments rolled in on. They fired 30mm's as well.), they began taking potshots at the APC's and Tanks of the Banduran line, hoping to dislodge their armor ability.

OOC: wow, I leave for a little bit and look what I miss. . .

IC:
Command Bunker Entrance, Nuovo Milan

~Lt. Micci Ferrio was no fool. Having fought in the Great Southern Insurrection, In Hataria, Terronian, and against the current rebellion, he had learned a few tricks to keep himself alive.

The Impero Nuovo soldiers before him bore the mark of an eagle grasping a spear in its talons; the badge of the 42nd Nueve Italian Army Infantry Brigade. True, they had joined the traitors, but after the debacle of Cítta diGhiaccio, that particular regiment (or what hadn't been destroyed by the Bandurians) had joined the Republic again. Also worthy of mention was the fact that Captain, or, more correctly, Emperor Antonio Orsini Gori had advised all Nueve Italian personnel to be wary of Bandurian treachery.

These had to be imposters, most likely Bandurians who had aquired these uniforms off of dead soldiers, as since the Bandurian Occupying Force was the only combat group that had engaged the 42nd.

" Sure," he replied to the imposter's request, his features emotionless, " I'll just check with security to clear you first."

Stepping inside the complex and sliding the blast door shut quickly behind him, the electronical locks in place, Micci questioned one of the gate guards about the men, a member of the real 42nd Brigade.

" No sir, never seen them in our group in my life."

That was all he needed to know.

" Prepare defenses, we have a situation. Alert High Command."
_____

Inside the same Command Bunker Main Complex

" What?"

The entire group was huddled around the Surface to Air active RADAR system, watching the strange occurences that were displayed.

" Right here sir, unknown air formation approaching our position."

Within minutes, that same squadron was bounced by Bandurian fighters, and now, the two groups were involved in a deadly struggle.

Antonio, who was watching the battle at the moment on the same tracking screen, was unsure of what to do. The unidentified fighters could have belonged to the Imperials, or possibly Amerath. It was hard to tell.

" Sir! Clear fix on unidentified fighter wing! Apparently they're Kestrel-class stealth fighters, used typically by the Czardaian Air Force."

The Emperor nodded. Obviously, Ms. Wong's admission of Bandurian-Czardaian tensions was correct. Could this mean that the Holy Imperium was planning a hostile take-over of the nation?

At that moment, a call came in from the forward guard post. It was brought up on loudspeaker so the entire control room could hear it.

" Sir, this is First Lieutenant Micci Ferrio. A group of soldiers claiming to be allied to the Imperial Army is here to request a cease fire, but it's odd. . ."

Antonio Gori sensed confusion and tension in the El-Tee's voice.

" Just what exactly is odd?"

" These men are bearing the insignia of the 42nd Infantry Brigade, a squadron now fighting under the Republican banner. Previously, they fought for the Impero Nuovo at the Battle of Cítta diGhiaccio."

That was all the Captain needed to know.

" Prepare defenses, do not grant them entrance. Weapons safe, understood? If they fire, you have permission to engage."

" Copy sir, Over and Out."

Well now, Antonio pondered, that settles that. Banduria is planning to overthrow the rightful government of Nueve Italia after this conflict.

With this new information, the Captain relayed a message back to his contact in the Concordance of Czardas.
_____

To: Airya Wong, Vice-Director of National Intelligence of Czardas
From: Antonio Orsini Gori, Supreme Commander of Republic Defenders in Nueve Italia

Greetings again from the Holy Imperial Republic of Nueve Italia,

It appears that your suspicions are indeed true. An act of Imperialism is indeed being planned against our nation by the Holy Imperium of Banduria. Our forces will try and concur with the Imperial rebellion on a cease fire so that this immediate threat can be defeated. Already, we have detected an act of hostility from Banduria against what we have presumed to be a scout squadron from the Concordance. We are dispatching forces as I write this to protect your own soldiers from a needless death. If you are able to, we would most kindly appreciate assistance in driving this new enemy away from our borders. You have our most heart-felt thanks for your information once again.
_____

Twilight Canyon

The Amerathian and Imperial forces engaging the charging Bandurian Fanatics made for an awesome scene. Explosions, tracers, fire and death everywhere. The enemy kept advancing, even under heavy losses from tank fire, flamethrowers, mortars, and the like. It was unseen before in modern combat; the enemy bottled into such a small corridor with nowhere to run, and yet, they simply would not retreat.

General Francisco DeVeras watched the display from his MBT on a ridge overlooking the canyon. .50cal and 140mm fire from the Mk.III Serbatoio tanks were more than enough to keep the enemy at bay, but with heavy assistance from the Amerathian forces, the Fanatics weren't making so much as a dent. With no room to run and operate, they had lost their effectiveness. A soldier such as the ones the Bandurians were using only inflicted hysteria and demoralization when the defending army was overrun. If they could keep the charging, crazed fools at bay, then what was there to fear?
_____
Aero Retundo, North of Nuovo Milan

It was risky, but it may have been the only COA that made sense at the moment. A fighter wing was being prepped and ready to take-off and engage a Bandurian squadron. Up until recently, these Republican pilots had regarded their allies quite highly. When they had been informed of treachery, their steel resolve to protect their nation became even harder.

The flight's orders were to establish contact with the Czardaian Air Force, prevent their destruction from the Bandurian Air Force, and lead all friendlies back to this air base.

Yes, it was risky. Possibly deadly, but everywhere, similar scenes were pictured across Nueve Italia. Republican and Imperium forces marching side by side were now pitched into combat, the defenders of Nueve Italian soil showing rage and anger that knew no boundary. They would not let this deception destroy them: they would kill their enemies. All of them. Already, the 501st had surrounded their treacherous allies, intent on crushing this new enemy beneath their boots.

Within minutes, the 202nd Tactical Fighter Squadron was airborn, and headed towards the combat zone. . .~

*bump*

*bump* again

The Fanatics were not retreating, but only because they could not retreat.

Driven on to frenzy, despite withering fire they fought on, screaming the same mindless cry until the last one tottered to the ground, dead.

Some made it as far as the trenches, where they wreaked horrendous damage upon whatever enemy forces they found in the area... but they caused little damage to the defences if any, staining the ground red with their blood. It was a massacre, but it was not a loss.

After all, they were nothing but convicts and POWs...the Impero Nuovo was killing their own former comrades...

The rest of the advance was manned by tanks, APCs, mortars, and the soldiers of the Imperial Legions. They did a good deal more damage, advancing upon the Imperial lines with an awe-inspiring display of firepower. 155mm shells slammed into the ground trenches as the 40mm and .50 cal guns shivered the air with bolts of fire...Flamethrowers, mobile mortars, and anti-tank fire from the planes above rained down upon the enemy lines...

Marin however, had better things to do than watch the battle. The next stage of his plan was being put into motion, whilst unknown to him a counter-plan was being formulated by the Holy Imperial Republic and its allies...He began writing up a transmission to the OHIR HQ.

>>> Greetings! I would simply like to warn you that a squad of Bandurian Legionnaires escaped from the Bandurian camps several nights ago. They are believed to be in possession of several stolen Impero Nuovo uniforms, and were headed towards Nuovo Milan when last seen. As morale is declining among the Bandurians—seeing as many soldiers do not support fighting for a nation with a different political system—they may be planning to take action against the Republic.

If you find these rule-breakers, please seize them and hold them in custody immediately until Bandurian personnel can arrive to transport them to prisons within the Imperium. We apologize for this and will try to keep our soldiers in line in the future.

In addition, planes hostile to the Bandurian forces have been detected within Nueve Italian airspace and are being neutralized. This is an unrelated conflict and we would advise you not to participate in it. More air forces are currently in the process of being transported from Banduria in order to deal with this threat.

~ Col. Marin <<<

The Bandurian fighters were beginning to run low on missiles. As they tailed the Czardaian fighters ahead of them, they noted that their stock of MRAAMs and SRAAMs were way down. Radioing home base for more support, they fired off a final volley of MRAAMs (32 in all) at the Czardaian planes and then winged off towards the ground, two more fighter squadrons replacing them in the air within minutes.

Meanwhile, fast approaching the aerial battlefield were no fewer than twelve squadrons of fighters, launching from the CBG moving south from Città diGhiaccio... more than enough to hold air superiority in the coming battle. The new Czardaian threat would be eliminated swiftly before it could spread...

Even as the battle in the air intensified, the Bandurians on the ground were one step ahead of the Republican 501st Division. The 501st had been surrounded and outnumbered long before the OHIR knew of the Bandurian treachery, and had even willingly piled into trucks and APCs manned by Bandurians, which swiftly drove straight into the makeshift POW camps for a Level 1 Interrogation and conversion into more and more Fanatics. This was all to be done swiftly and without the knowledge of the commanders.

But it seemed some of them had noticed something amiss, because shortly thereafter fighting broke out as the 501st attempted to break out of the formerly protective Bandurian circle. The Bandurians had orders not to fire until fired upon, but when the 501st tried to make its move, they found themselves being cut down from all sides by Bandurian firepower...

Command Bunker, Nuovo Milan

~ The transmission from Colonel Marin confirmed the unprecedented doubt that the Holy Imperium was, indeed, not as loyal as it had once seemed.

" Ignore that message," Antonio barked out, " and redirect a flight of the 202nd to Cítta diCielo; assist the 501st remnants there. The rest of the 501st Division not engaged with the enemy is ordered to Cítta diCielo to break through the enemy line there."

The scene in the Main Control Complex was full of frantic energy. People bustling about, keyboards clacking away at the surrounding ambience, and military commanders raising their voices to be heard over the racket in the building.

As for the Imperial imposters, 1st Lt. Micci Ferrio was given the command to have them terminated. The room they had stood in was sealed on all sides, and then gassed. Quick, painless, and efficient. When the bodies were searched, C4 explosives were found strapped into the stolen uniforms.

" So," Micci pondered, " they meant to assasinate the Emperor with a plan like this? Amatuers," he mused, much to the enjoyment of the other soldiers helping him gather what clues they could from the corpses.
_____

501st Battle Group, Surrounded sixty miles South of Cítta diCielo

The damnable din of battle surrounded the Republican 501st Regiment as they were engaged on all sides by Bandurian forces. While in the beginning it seemed as if they had gotten the upper hand, the soliders of the Nueve Italian division soon found that it was not the Bandurians who were encircled by the 501st, but it was, in fact, the reverse situation. The tanks, light-, and medium-combat vehicles the Republican soldiers had with them were intricate in keeping their users alive, but for how long? Cut off from reinforcements, the 501st looked as if it were on the verge of defeat. If so, this would be the first Vestaglies Neres Division to have ever been wiped out in battle in the history of the Elite Guards' creation.

It was not to end poorly for these defenders of freedom this day, however. A flight of 45 fighters soon soared overhead, causing mixed feelings to the men watching below. Some thought that they were Bandurian fighters, and that this was the end of the 501st. When a gleam of sun struck one of the planes, it was soon determined that these aircraft were, in fact, Nueve Italian, apparent from the Green, White, and Red decal on the right wing of the fighters. They swooped down on the enemy, unleashing a barrage of missiles, bullets, and bombs. Entire Bandurian combat groups were caught in the path of multiple attack runs, and then ceased to exist. When the planes had expended all their ammunition as quick as they could, they retreated before they could be intercepted by a Bandurian squadron. Not one plane had taken a hit from AA fire, so quick and decisive was their strike.

To further bolster morale, the remaining 2/3rds of the 501st was on the way to the battle site, intent on saving their brothers in arms. . .
_____

Skies above Nuovo Milan

While some of the 202nd Tactical Fighter Squadron had gone to help their comrades on the ground at the Capital City, the rest of the detachment had gone to the aid of its new allies, the Czardaians. When they arrived, a new Bandurian air group was arriving, determined to destroy these new aggressors. The NIRAG pilots were not going to stand by idly while their last hope of retaining the country was attacked by a treacherous combat group.

" This is Angelo 1 to Angelo Squadron; you know the drill. Halt the Bandurian Aggressors and provide safe passage for the Czardaian pilots to Aero Retundo."

A few replies came back in to the lead pilot, but most chose not to respond. Their eyes were set upon the battle in front of them, and at the moment, they had the element of surprise. These Bandurian pilots had not been informed of Nueve Italian Aerial Activities in this sector, and therefore, did not know if these pilots were friend or foe. They payed dearly for that seconds hesitation where they deliberated on a COA, as soon, the NIRAG fighters pounced upon their enemies; missiles and cannons gliding through the sky and into the traitors' planes. There were 70 Nueve Italian pilots total, all in superb aircraft such as the AE-7 Furfante Multi-Role fighter, NA-74 Spada Air Superiority Fighter, and the Y-3 Mezzaluna Interceptor (an enhanced version of the McDonnel Douglas F-15C Eagle; Emanuele and Garibaldi Military Industries found ways to lighten the airframe, increase its durability, provide for better thrust output, higher manueverability, and an increased payload, making it a deadly ATA combatant).

Immediately, Angelo 1 tried to contact the aircraft of the Concordance;

" Unidentified pilots of the Czardaian Air Force, this is Angelo 1 of the Nueve Italian Royal Air Guard. You are to disengage here and land at the airbase Aero Retundo. If you understand, drop to 5,000 ft., and a flight of the 202nd Squadron will escort you there."~

OOC: I'll leave it to Amerath to continue the ground war w/ Banduria at the Twilight Canyon

Airya Wong reads the new incoming transmission with some interest. Manning the post of Foreign Minister for a few days is proving to be a much more interesting task than she had previously thought...
_____

To: Airya Wong, Vice-Director of National Intelligence of Czardas
From: Antonio Orsini Gori, Supreme Commander of Republic Defenders in Nueve Italia

Greetings again from the Holy Imperial Republic of Nueve Italia,

It appears that your suspicions are indeed true. An act of Imperialism is indeed being planned against our nation by the Holy Imperium of Banduria. Our forces will try and concur with the Imperial rebellion on a cease fire so that this immediate threat can be defeated. Already, we have detected an act of hostility from Banduria against what we have presumed to be a scout squadron from the Concordance. We are dispatching forces as I write this to protect your own soldiers from a needless death. If you are able to, we would most kindly appreciate assistance in driving this new enemy away from our borders. You have our most heart-felt thanks for your information once again.
_____

"Gave themselves away, did they?" she says softly. "I have a thing or two to say about that."

Raising a microphone to her lips, she speaks a single, chilling sentence in a tone of voice that makes enemies view this little woman as a much more formidable opponent than they could have ever imagined.

"You have your orders. Now go."

Over Nueve Italian waters; 300km from main combat

The Czardaian air armada reinforcing the stealth mission is certainly adequately prepared to deal with the Bandurian threat. 432 assorted planes, mainly fighters with a few bombers thrown in, are making their way at Mach 2-3 towards the battlefield, in three wings of 144 planes. However, the northernmost wing has already detected new targets.

"Bandurian planes identified incoming, do you copy?"

"Copied, how many?"

"One forty four, at three fifty klicks."

"Permission to intercept, over."

One of the wings of 144 breaks away towards the Bandurian squadrons, launching a rain of 432 'Jinx' AIMX-420 LRAAMs towards the enemy planes from 340 km as they approach, defenses ready for the Bandurian counter-attack.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the planes continue to make their way towards Nueve Italia and the battefield, passing over the sea on their way in...

Aerial Battlefield

As the AAMs come in, the seven Kestrels deploy further countermeasures, sending most of them plunging towards the ground. Nevertheless, one missile hits another Kestrel, sending the plane flaming towards the ground as the pilot ejects towards Nueve Italian territory.

"Shit, that's Sharpton lost... he was a good one..." Finlay instructs the planes to retaliate against the Bandurian planes. But before they can fire their missiles, a hail of black and orange streaks shoot across the sky towards the two Bandurian squadrons engaging the Czardaians, as more and more planes appear on the SM Kestrels' displays.

"Radar fix on those planes?" Finlay asks.

"Top-of-the-line NIRAG fighters. Their pilots are almost as good as ours." The SpecOp known only as Red Wolf answers after a moment's hesitation.

"Hold on, we're getting an incoming transmission."

Unidentified pilots of the Czardaian Air Force, this is Angelo 1 of the Nueve Italian Royal Air Guard. You are to disengage here and land at the airbase Aero Retundo. If you understand, drop to 5,000 ft., and a flight of the 202nd Squadron will escort you there.

"Five thousand feet?" Finlay looks doubtful. "All right. At least it'll be better than being shot at by those incompetents." She indicates the Bandurian combat group engaging the Czardaians.

As the planes drop towards the 5,000 ft mark from over 40,000 ft, Finlay sends a message back to the NIRAG pilots.

"Angelo 1, this is Cpt. Alma Finlay of the 14th Czardaian Special Operative Division. We read you perfectly and are currently approaching Aero Retundo. Intelligence reports that a much larger Bandurian air force is on the way to Nueve Italia; they are currently being engaged by Czardaian fighters, so you need not worry about them."

[ooc: Nueve Italia, I have some problems with your air attack on the Bandurian line. It's protected by tanks with mounted SAM batteries along with their artillery rounds, as well as air cover. I'll RP it anyway, but just for you to know.]

Corporate line, ~100km south of Città diCielo

The Bandurian armoured columns were beginning to engage the Nueve Italian 501st Division in a final offensive when the planes were registered, swooping overhead. As the barrage rained down, the Bandurian air cover—a total of 58 assorted fighters (primarily IF-24s)—swooped out of the sky in a swift motion, a barrage of 174 AAMs erupting from under the triple switchblade wings of the fighters towards the Nueve Italian planes.

A wing of about 20 IF-24E interceptors broke off from the main formation after this, scanning the ground for signs of more troops movements. The squadron swiftly detected the column of the 501st, and launched a surprise attack, sending dozens of missiles and bombs towards the ground as their triple rotary 30mm cannons pounded tanks and APCs with .50 cal fire from even more mounted guns.

The Nueve Italian air squadron would escape far from unscathed, if it would escape at all.

Aerial Battlefield, Twilight Canyon

The twenty-four Bandurian planes that had arrived as backups quickly realized that they were hopelessly outnumbered by the 70 NIRAG pilots fast approaching them. Some tried to use the IF-24's wide-ranging countermeasures to dodge the attacks, utilizing maneuverability along with releasing flares and chaff to throw off other missiles, but in the long run they were all doomed. Fighter after fighter streaked out of the sky, crashing on the ground in massive bursts of fire. One fighter slammed into the Imperial and Amerathian lines below, starting raging fires in the mouth of Twilight Canyon. The six fighters remaining managed to make it out of missile range and return to the makeshift airfield near Marin's camp.

Or what had once been Marin's camp. The Colonel himself, and the vast majority of the 16th Legion—only a token force had been left to defend the former Bandurian lines—was traveling north towards the lines of corporate troops to aid in the defeat of the 501st. Not as though it would matter...

Marin had failed, and the Imperial Legions never failed. Nueve Italia would pay dearly for this, and Czardas would be the next target after Nueve Italia and its former rulers would become just a page in a history book. In the chilly winter winds, below a crimson sky, Marin sat in the back of a truck, speaking into a radio with an emotionless voice.

"Marin reporting in. Mission unsuccessful. Abort Operation Utah at once. Commence Operation Icy Dawn. Over."

The air force launching from the CBG received word of the destruction of the Legionnaires' air cover and increased their speeds, hitting Mach 3 within minutes. However, before they could reach the Nueve Italian mainland, the carrier RADARs picked up the Czardaian air armada approaching.

Admiral Terman's ships were relegated to deal with the planes and missiles. The solution was a fairly simple one. As the massive volley of AAMs approached the Bandurian planes, the twenty frigates accompanying the carrier launched a single missile each—an AAAM. Once it reached the vicinity of the missiles, it would detonate, releasing an EMP that would knock out the missile guidance and send them plummeting towards the sea.

However, the presence of planes was itself worrying. Terman, however, had yet another solution to this. The two SAM turrets mounted on the frigates, three atop every one of the thirty-six destroyers, four on each of ten cruisers, and eight on the Steelfire itself blazed into life and delivered their payloads, sending 196 high-velocity missiles screaming towards the incoming wing of 144 Czardaian planes.

Terman, however, had more important work to deal with than an interfering air armada. The six 20" cannons on the Steelfire and the two other battleships rotated towards the Nueve Italian mainland, launching volleys of shells at targets within Nueve Italia as far inland as Città diCielo. 16" and 12" cannons atop other ships also began hurling shells inland, some targeted at the coast, others at military installments farther inland.

The ships began to launch hi-velo tungsten core cruise missiles as well. An initial volley of 192 cruise missiles rocketed into the stratosphere and shot through the atmosphere at Mach 2.7. As they reached their targets, they began to drop, the velocity increasing exponentially as the missiles descended towards their targets. The missiles had reached speeds in excess of Mach 10 by the time they approached AMM range, traveling far too fast to be intercepted by any traditional means. On reaching their target, the tungsten core would bore through the surface and the warheads would explode, releasing pressurized flammable gas that would cause the air to literally explode around the point of impact. Destruction would be total.

Of the first volley, 64 missiles alone were targeted at the Command Bunker in Nuovo Milan and surrounding area; the collective mass of explosions would replace everything for many feet around with a smoking crater and a few remnants of metal. Antonio Orsini Gori, and all of his top aides, would certainly perish. Even if they somehow managed to evacuate the bunker in two minutes, the entire warning time they would have, the remaining 128 missiles had been distributed liberally around power plants and large residential sectors of Nuovo Milan and Città diCielo.

When the Imperium failed, people would suffer. Nueve Italia could have become a protectorate of Banduria with the opportunity for eventual independence... full equality for its citizens... a powerful military guarding its shores... a prosperous and thriving economy...

But it had chosen not to take that path. Instead, it had chosen, foolishly, to fight on until the death.

For that, the Imperium of Banduria had turned the conventional war in Nueve Italia into a Total War. Cities would be razed to the ground; all military and civilian installments would be systematically targeted and destroyed. It would not be quite as impressive or threatrical as the leveling of mountains into valleys and making the rivers of those valleys run blood, but it would be nearly as effective.

By the next crimson dawn, Nueve Italia would be but a memory in the minds of those who remembered it...but a page in a history book.

Death.

OOC: Not gonna be able to respond until after christmas, goin away for the Holidays, this is my last post. Merry Christmas everyone (or Happy Hanukuah or Kwanza, or Ramadan, whatever you practice).

IC:
Siciliano Verde

~Antonio Orsini Gori watched the fires erupt around the nation. Even from thousands of miles away, they were visible; a mark of atrocity the likes of which the people of Nueve Italia had never seen. Having known that he had been found at his command bunker in Nuovo Milan, Antonio knew he had to move. He did, and now, he realized how determined the enemy was to kill him.

" They will pay dearly for this. . ."

From a small command post in the city of Siciliano Verde, Antonio had done the impossible. Within an hour after a meeting between himself and the leaders of the Impero Nuovo, an agreement was made. The Bandurian threat was too great to be cast aside for petty differences.

Nueve Italia was whole, once more. However, with the destruction of two major cities, one of them being the capital, it was determined that the Bandurian aggressors had to be wiped out. The entire population had turned to war; every man, woman, and child capable of fighting had enlisted in the army. But first, a bit of revenge was in order.

With the Bandurian Navy, and therefore, most of their main battle force, stationed in Cítta diGhiaccio, there was a way to wipe most of them out. In every Nueve Italian command Bunker was a firing switch for an experimental weapon that was destructive to anything it touched. Antonio, inside such a bunker in Siciliano Verde, prepped this weapon to fire. In seconds, the Bandurian CBG would be in a massive amount of pain, if not entirely wiped out.
_____

Space, Satellite Designated XXII, over Cítta diGhiaccio

There were two metal pieces floating in space above the Earth, both kept secret from anything that could have detected them. They emitted very low heat signatures, and RADAR didn't exactly accurately pinpoint spacial objects. One was a guidance and targeting satellite. It picked where it would strike, accurate to within a 5-meter radius. The other satellite was just a large disk with 10 rods jutting from its sides, almost like spears being ready to be cast down towards Earth. One of those rods did just that, as the targetting satellite recieved a transmission and firing code. The metal rod released and dropped straight down towards Earth's gravitational pull. Normally, metal would simply burn up in the atmosphere, making a weapon such as this ineffective. However, with the metal Tungsten having such a high melting about (just over 3,000 degrees Celsius), it was perfect to make these rods.

The weapon fell, gaining speed as it did; its target: a large metal structure in the water, identified by the NIIALDS (Nueve Italian International Air and Land Defense System) as the Bandurian Battle Carrier Steelfire.

The warning was nil. With no heat signature emitted from the weapon, it was almost impossible to detect. The kinetic energy it carried, however, was most powerful. It struck the ship in the midsection, tearing it in half and then hitting the ocean floor. The seabed split, causing a massive wave to be cast up from the depths, much like a tsunami. The Bandurian fleet would be hard pressed to survive this, and Cítta diGhiaccio would be destroyed as well, killing any Bandurian forces there.

Revenge is sweet.
_____

OOC: If you think that this is FT, or even PMT, it's not. The United States program of Star Wars (which was scraped anyway) relied on a similar system, and it is being developed once again by the US Military. It should be completed within 3-5 years, and is completely pheasable. The introduction as Tungsten for the casing of the rod ensures that it won't burn in the atmosphere (the same materials are used for Space Shuttles), and the kinetic energy of such a weapon can be just as destructive as a nuclear weapon, except more so. Where a WMD will hit and explode, a weapon that uses kinetic energy (such as a bullet) to cause damage will hit and then carry on. If it strikes land, the resulting shock waves from such an impact are deadly, and if it hits the ocean floor, (as described above) the impact will produce the similar causes of a tidal wave, which is just an underwater earthquake.

[ooc:] Merry Christmas (I take it that's what you'll be celebrating).

[ic:]

The Czardaian AAMs have their own defenses against EMP devices. When the pulse knocks out their guidance, RADARs back on the AWACS and planes launching them will pinpoint the approximate locations from which the EMP was launched and guide the missiles there instead. After a few moments, the missiles begin hurtling down towards the frigates that have fired the EMP volley, soon to cause utter destruction.

Meanwhile, the incoming SAMs have been registered, and the planes take out their countermeasures: lasers, flares, chaff, evasive maneuvers, and the decoy planes formerly used by the Kestrels. The assorted countermeasures knock most of the missiles into the waves long before they reach the Czardaian planes, but a few make it to the air wing, downing 8 planes. The rest continue on towards Nueve Italia to defend their comrades...

Even as the three air wings approach Nueve Italia, they see the massive explosions. The air flight approaching the Nueve Italian airbase quickly circles over the former cities, examining the damage, and reports back to Alma Finlay, still leading the Kestrel flight.

"Destruction was total... Casualties are estimated at upwards of five million... All life may have been exterminated..."

Alma Finlay feels the world spinning about her in disbelief. So they did this? The bloody cowards. We'll make them pay...

Abruptly, she speaks into a link. "Get me all updates on Bandurian naval power in the vicinity, and launch our SBs." With a satisfied smile, she wheels her plane around and begins searching for Bandurian forces to vent her anger on...

Locating the Bandurian CBG, two squadrons of Daggers detach from the main air armada and launch themselves towards the battlegroup. Peppering the ships with everything they have—missiles, bombs, cannons—they finally extend their needles and push a small blue button. The pilots eject as their planes spiral out of the sky, smashing into Bandurian ships, sending them to the bottom even as the Nueve Italian superweapon descends from the sky...

Lt. Col. Marin watched from a transport plane as the cruise missiles struck their first targets. Nuovo Milan and Cítta diCielo were no more. But this had just been the initial strike of Operation Icy Dawn. If the Nueve Italians were shocked at the utter destruction of two cities—as they undoubtedly were—the first stage of the death of Nueve Italia was just beginning. Rear Admiral Terman was fulfilling his next orders.

"Destruction confirmed. Launch Strike Two."

From the CBG outside Cítta diGhiaccio, a further 192 cruise missiles launched into the atmosphere, these targeted between Porto Real, Nueve Messino, and Siciliano Verde. Terman was just giving the order for another 192 missiles to be launched at Porto Santo, Genevio, and Ciudad deArena, when he saw the radar displays.

The Czardaian AAMs struck the frigates first, with more than 20 missiles hitting each ship causing massive damage, sending them to the seafloor within moments. Then the kamikaze planes struck, and the CBG began to sink towards the bottom. By now Terman and his top commanders had realized that it was probably not the best idea to remain aboard, and he gave the order to launch the missiles as helicopters arrived to pick him and his fellow officers up. The third volley of cruise missiles launched into the air as the godrod struck the carrier, tearing a massive hole in the huge ship. Seconds later, the tidal wave erupted from under the carrier, capsizing the already damaged battlefleet. Ships managed to radio their last distress cries before vanishing beneath the waves, which went on to hit Cítta diGhiaccio, washing away both the Bandurian garrison and the Republican troops holding the city.

Terman watched the nearest RADAR screen anxiously. But the cruise missiles had been successfully launched. There were 384 hi-velo tungsten core missiles descending upon the six large Nueve Italian cities remaining. While Terman believed Antonio Orsini Gori to be dead already, he knew that even by removing the leader of a problematic nation one does not destroy the nation. It takes far, far more than that.

"Terman here, reporting loss of carrier battlegroup. Commence launch of bio agents ATK 34 and 37, chem agents TZS14 and OT4D. Over."

From the Conquest Inc. backup fleet stationed outside Nueve Italian waters, a small flight of drones rocketed out of their stations, shooting through the sky swiftly. Each drone contained two objects inside: a separating plasma ballistic warhead, with a 10kt blast, and one of two possible smaller warheads, but with just as deadly cargo. Six of the warheads contained compressed poisonous gases that on hitting their target would emanate out over a vast area, spreading vile smoke and gases causing choking, asphyxiation, and swift death to both human and animal. The other six contained a highly contagious virus that would blight and attack everything in its path—plant, animal, human—which would swiftly cause the extinction of all life within Nueve Italia's borders within a month.

While it was true that the international backlash against the launch of chemical and biological weapons would be withering, there would be no hint that the weapons launched were anything other than traditional plasma warhead missiles. That is, until all contact with Nueve Italia was lost...

The loss of the carrier battle group was "only a minor victory for an otherwise hopeless cause", in Senator Lucchese's words... but this time the operation was a very different one.

OOC: Sorry it's been quite awhile, was away visiting family. Btw, Happy New Year everyone.

IC:

150 miles off of Nueve Italian Coast, onboard the Nueve Italian Battlecarrier, the Salvatore

~The destruction the Bandurians had wrought upon Nueve Italian soil could never be forgiven; never forgotten either. Their home decimated, their loved ones dead or dying, the men and women of the NIIN were in a dangerous situation. They could return to their island and attack and destroy what remained there of the Bandurian invaders; they could leave the land, find a new home, and try and rebuild. Whatever their actions, the Bandurians could never be forgiven.

There was some hope. Thousands, swelling to millions of people had already left the nation, travelling to allied lands, overseas embassies, the like. The greater part of Nueve Italian citizens were now refugees in distant lands; struggling to survive. Some had gone to Czardas, others to Mondoth, more to Hataria, anywhere they could escape.

When the nuclear and chemical weapons had been detonated, Nueve Italia was already a dead land; its people fleeing it with all haste. A good deal of them had joined the military: bolstering the Air Force's and Navy's manpower. Now, all that was left as a militant force in Nueve Italia was its Navy: The Nueve Italian Imperial Navy, sailing far away from the coast. Thousands of vessels strong, with a large compliment of fighters as well, the Imperial Navy could defeat the Bandurians here. But that was not up to the independent ships; that was up to one man.

On the flight deck of the Salvatore, the Emperor still lived. Antonio Orsini Gori was indeed a hard man to kill. After his last attack on the Bandurian forces, he had left Siciliano Verde, knowing that all of the major cities would soon come under attack. He had taken a helicopter to the main NIIN fleet, and watched the destruction of his home from afar. To see the land itself be attacked: to watch countless people die for no reason. . .

Antonio was debating a difficult decision right now. He still had control over Satellite XXII from the command deck of the Battlecarrier. He could use it to bring the destruction he had seen to the Bandurian homeland. Right now, the super weapon lay in wait over The Holy Imperium of Banduria. With the touch of a button, Antonio could make his enemy see and feel what he did right now. It would be so easy, yet he could not go through with it. To kill in the name of revenge was not right, and he would only be hurting the innocent civilians of Banduria if he went through with his act. Antonio would not sink to the level of his warmongering enemy.

For now, the situation was desperate. Cut off from land, the enemy hunting them at every turn, it seemed that the light of Nueve Italia had begun to dim. But there was something very peculiar transpiring. In such an instance as this, the men and women of Nueve Italia should have been demoralized, afraid, and bloodthirsty for revenge, yet they were not. The soldiers of the NIIN and NIRAF were both calm and ready to fight if need be, but no one knew what would happen.

In times of great peril, it was said there was a divine influence that would affect the people of Nueve Italia. Call it superstition, call it blind faith, call it what one will, but there was something odd that enemy soldiers had seen far too often when a Nueve Italian force was at its breaking point. Stories of one NIRAG fighter engaging and destroying seven others. Tales of one squad holding off an assault force for several hours before help arrived. The legendary exploits of the Angelo Santo, a battleship in the NIIN, that fought its way through an enemy fleet, destroying 13 enemy vessels by itself. No one knew why, but there was some strange act of courage and sheer will that overtook Nueve Italian forces when defeat seemed inevitable. Hopefully, this amazing bravery could be exploited in the upcomming struggle, and used to defeat the Bandurians.

Antonio knew that his forces had a good chance of winning against their invaders anyway. Aside from having a much larger force, now that all of the military branches had been assembled into one, and a great deal of people had joined to help the Armada, swelling the ranks. Also, there was the matter of the perception of the war: the Bandurians were invading unknown territory simply because their superiors told them to, while the Nueve Italians were defending their homes, their families, and, most importantly, their own lives. Such a boost in morale would certaintly show upon the battlefield, and it would when the fleets finally engaged eachother.

For now, Antonio had more pressing matters than the final confrontation between the Armada of Nueve Italia and the Bandurian Invaders. He needed to get into contact with the Czardaian Fleet, consolidate their forces, and then drive Banduria away from the Nueve Italian shores forever.

As to not give away his position, Antonio requested that a weak transmission be broadcasted out towards where the allied navy had last been contacted, and hoped for the best.
_____

Weak encoded signal broadcast to Czardaian Fleet:

Switch to Secure Radio Frequency 103.1MgHz~

[ooc: Nueve Italia... these cruise missile volleys are being fired within minutes or hours of each other. How is everyone leaving your country so quickly?]

From aboard the Corporate fleet far from Nueve Italian Waters, Admiral Terman watched the grey waters from his cabin window grimly. Recon UAVs had scanned Nueve Italia from on high, reporting back the inevitable conclusions. All life reported dead or destroyed. Nueve Italia, as a country, was no more.

Terman did not regret the destruction of Nueve Italia... after all, they had caused Banduria's first failure in wartime in the last millennium... but yet...

Never before had Terman fought so close to an enemy, learned about them, lived their lives. For perhaps the first time in his life, and very probably the last, he was putting himself in the shoes of others... feeling compassion for the millions who lay dead, unrecognizable in the wreckage...

Facing Nueve Italia as the fleet returned towards Banduria, he raised one arm in a silent salute to the brave men and women who had died for a cause they truly believed just... as the harsh winds whipped his long crimson cloak around his body. He felt a wave of pity for the poor naive martyrs they had become, unwilling to accept the inevitability of domination...

Then the spell was broken abruptly as an aide tapped Terman on the shoulder and whispered, "Admiral, I have news for you."

* * *

A short time later, Terman, Col. Marin, and the other Bandurian commanders were gathered in the stateroom of the pocket battleship, discussing the plans and maps surrounding them.

"So basically, we seem to have a Nueve Italian naval armada estimated at over 1000 ships approaching our position?"

"In a nutshell," an aide responded. "However, that is apparently all that remains of Nueve Italia. There are no more naval bases or airbases for them to refuel at or take on reinforcements. This is it. Their final hope."

Marin had a very strange look on his face as he looked over the plans. He was muttering to himself, "They can't have done this on their own."

"What do you mean?" asked Terman sharply.

"I know he's behind this... The new Emperor, I mean. Antonio Gori."

"But he can't..."

"Exactly. He's supposed to be dead...but I've met him. No-one else in the whole goddamned place could mobilize an entire country in eight hours. It's him for sure."

"I don't understand how..."

"Look. I know. And I think I can find him."

Marin pulled up the nearest RADAR screen and his finger traced across the line of pips, recalling what Orsini Gori himself had told Marin, going over the plans of the campaign against the Impero Nuovo. His finger came to rest on a battle-carrier, the NIIN Salvatore.

"That one."

Terman looked. "How do you know?"

"His squadron always launched from there. He was an air force captain, remember? That was from where they launched that mission against the bunker."

"If you think so..." Terman said doubtfully and shrugged. "I'll get a sat strike on it as soon as possible. It'll help when we get rid of that troublesome godrod blaster the NI's manged to put into the sky."

"Ok. You do that," Marin said.

"Very well. What about reinforcements?"

"Well, as you know, the entire Bandurian Imperial Navy has been mobilized for the conflict with Czardas, to which we are devoting 1900 vessels along with the additional CAD forces." The aide read this off a sheet of paper dutifully. "This leaves another 2600 vessels available for deployment. As for air forces, a total air complement of approximately 12,000 is being deployed to Czardas -- consisting of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Air Forces -- leaving the 1st and 5th through 8th, or a total of 20,000 aerial assets we can use to combat the Nueve Italian fleets."

"Excellent."

"And if they do approach Bandurian waters, we can add the 1400 vessels of the Coast Guard, the 8,000 aerial assets of the Air Guard, and over 20 million ground forces if the war ever comes to our shores... which I severely doubt."

"Very good."

"Then there are the Corporate forces, which, Conquest Industries Inc. being what it is, are absolutely massive and even more readily deployed. I think we shall find the Imperium very well prepared for this attack."

OOC: This is open? otherwise /ignore the following
IC:

Mondothian Prime Ministry
"Sir, reports from Nueve Italia, the situation has apprently escalated rapidly after our intelligence assets went off line (OOC: See thread Nuclear Standoff-Mondoth (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=448192&page=7)) we have reports of nuclear and chemical weapons detonations perpetrated by the nation of Banduria."

"Damn it, We lose a few satellites and all of a sudden our ally is under attack and we're totally blind. I want a fleet dispatched immediately with aid and trasnsport for the refugees. If any Nuve Italian Government officials remain we are to immediately seek to defend them from further attacks. Put me on line to Banduria all expedience.

Message to the government of the Nation of Banduria
Message
To: Bandurian Government
From: Mondothian Offices of the Prime Ministry
Via: Trans-Oceanic fiber optics
note: Appologies for poor conection
(Static) (Image quality is fuzzy)

<Seal of the Trinitarian Republic of Mondoth>
<The Prime Minister>

Although recent tragedy has disabled much of our sattelite network and has rendered international communications spotty at best. Recent actions taken by your nation against an ally of Mondoth could not be easily missed. Not only have you openly assaulted our ally Neve Italia, you have done so with weapons abbhorent to this nation and its populous and for which the consequences will be most severe. Our own military is currently tied up in rounding up rebels but I assure you, our Strategic Arsenal is still online. Cease hostilities immediately and prpeapre to pay heavy reparations or prepare to be wiped cleanly from the face of this planet. You have twelve hours to think on it during which the launch of any further nuclear, Biological or CHemical weapons will result in instant retaliation. Our sattelite coverage may be limited but what we have is more than enough to keep a close eye on the region for now.
<Fade to Seal of the Trinitarian Republic>


Message to the Remaining Government of Nuve Italia
Via: ESL-1209a
Encrypyt: Public
Decrypt:**********

Due to recent tragedies we have only recently heard of your current situation. We deeply regret that the actions of a small number of terrorists has allowed you to be placed in such a position. While nothing we can now do will return your nation to its former power we can help save your people and the soul of your nation. A Mondothian War Fleet has been dispatched with aid and transport ships for refugees. We should be able as well to rescue any of your government or royal family that are accesable by air within the hour if locations can be provided. We are equipped to deal with post WMD conditions for officials that may be trapped in affected areas. Expect our fleet within three days, it is the best we can do.

OOC: A mondothian War fleet is roughly 230 ships including Dreadnaughts, Fleet Carriers and Cruisers . The fleet is accompanied by roughly 80 submarines including Hunter/Killers, SSGNs, fast defense subs and occasional submersible vessels such as carriers and amphibious assault ships.

Official Imperial Responce

Your strategic arsenal? Mr. Prime Minister, your intelligence failure must be quite severe if you think we will tremble at your laughable threats of retaliation. In that case, let me inform you that the Bandurian NBC arsenal is not only active, and in all likelihood much larger and deadlier than yours -- although we know little of your own nation -- but we are prepared to use it, and many other weapons at our disposal, at a moment's notice. Threaten the Imperium and you will find your nation wiped out in a nuclear holocaust. I think we should be the ones warning you and not the other way around.

Charles Perian
Bandurian Minister for Foreign Affairs

As soon as Lord Antor Sampetra received word of the Mondothian message, he began giving his own orders. Satellite Uplink #24 would position itself close enough to Mondoth to launch a strike, although out of range of most of their satellites (still monitoring Nueve Italia). This uplink consisted of six "suicide satellites" armed with 50kt nuclear warheads, although most of their damage was caused by pure kinetic energy from their terminal velocity of Mach 20, several recon satellites, three ortillery satellites armed with tungsten rods (much like Nueve Italian superweapons), and a number of attack satellites with conventional and EMP-equipped ICBMs to take out any enemy satellites that happened to approach too close to the Bandurian sat group.

Meanwhile, Uplink #16 moved towards Nueve Italia, positioning itself over the armada. This one differed from that of #24 in that the suicide satellites were armed with chemical, not nuclear warheads. First of all, the attack satellites fired a rain of 16 conventional ICBMs towards the troublesome satellite that had destroyed the carrier battlefleet, presumably wiping the satellite off the map permanently. One of the ortillery satellites then launched tungsten rods towards all of the capitol ships of the Nueve Italian fleet: aircraft carriers, battleships, anywhere the young Emperor might be aboard. The attack would be completely unexpected and probably would sink the entire armada or at least cause massive damage, leaving the Emperor adrift in a lifeboat or plane, easy to be picked up by Bandurian forces and submitted to fates far, far worse than death....

Radiation? Sir you mistake me, Mondoth does not use Nuclear weapons. Our strategic arsenal is so much more subtle than that. As for your 'superior' stocks of NBC weapons, they do not worry me in the slightest. As your attacks have apparently not ceased as requested, I am forced to show you the strength of my position.

Mondothian Temporary Strategic Command
"Ma'am, the sattelites you requested for fast track decrypt are now online, we have located what we believe to be most of the Bandurian sattelites over the Nueve Italia Theater including Ortillery and missile sats. Our defensive sattelites have picked up some movement but until a few more signals can be matched we don't know who it is."

"Good job, get those defense sat up and running pronto. The PM has given us total orbital clearance and I want those hostile Sats in pieces."

"Aye sir, I'll have the Arms Master deploy a suitable message."


Minutes later, the Mondothian Guided Missile Submarine "Masamune"

"Sir, fire mission! Forty anti orbit missiles to provided intercepts."

"Confirmed Mr. Goldmeir, we are go for fire mission. Watch officer, arm launches twenty through sixty, program coordinates from strategic comand."

"Ready launches twenty through sixty Aye capt'n... Launches ready, Missiles armed and hot."

"Fire on my mark. Three. Two. One. Mark."

"Missiles away capt'n."

The sea bubbled as jets of compressed air shot from around the missile tubes of the Masamune. Quickly the doors opened on the forty designated missiles tubes and the jets of air turned into a forty, elongated bubbles wrapped around forty Ares type Anti Sattelite Missiles. The bubbles encased the missiles all the way to the surface, protecting them from sea water and carrying them up until they're rocket boosters ignited. The sea evaporated under the assault of the missiles boosters. In minutes the boosters fell away and the missiles were proppelled into the Ionosphere by SCRAMJET thrusters. As one the missiles breached the outer edges of the atmosphere and were slammed bodily back against it reigniting the SCRAMJETS for less than a second until the missiles skipped back out of the atmosphere. The missiles skipped over the atmosphere for less than ten minutes before they were on their targets. The missiles detonated just outside the average dfensive perimeter of a defended sattelite and sprayed their targets with a dense spray of tungsten cubes moving at nearly eight thousand kilometers per second. The dense spray was designed to blow through fragile solar panels, damage sensitive electronics and, if all else fails, simply force the satteilites bodily out of orbit.

Nueve Italian Armada, en route towards Shores of Mondoth

~ With the broadcast of the nation of Mondoth to the Nueve Italian Fleet, hope soared among the last soldiers the Republic had to offer. Immediately, the new Emperor sent out a broadcast to his old ally.
_____
Message to Mondothian Government
Satellite Uplink Confirmed
. . . Recieving Signal
. . . Transmitting

To whomever recieves this message, this is Antonio Orsini Gori, newely proclaimed Emperor of the nation of Nueve Italia. Your aid is of most appreciation in this desperate hour. As of now, there is little to no Nueve Italian presence in our homeland, due to a brutal civil war, in which many of our citizens fled our borders, and the following strike by the sadistic nation of Banduria, which has destroyed the land of our nation to a state that many cannot bear to view. As of now, the bulk of the Nueve Italian Imperial Navy and the recently created Nueve Italian Republican Air Force are at sea, heading towards your nation's dispatched fleet. So far, we have been unsuccesful in contacting our fellow ally, Czardas, and have been forced to retreat from our home. When our fleets link up, we should be able to drive back these invaders, and possibly find a new home. Once again, never in our history has our entire nation owed so much to one country. You have our deepest gratitude.
_____

Good news was not to follow this recent turn of events, however. Reports had come through that Satellite XXII had been destroyed, remarkable since it transmitted little to no heat, and had almost no markings upon it of any kind. Immediately after the report, a Seabee ran forward, a look of worry upon his face.

" Sir! We've been intercepted! Tech Officer says several satellites are homing in on our location!"

Antonio swore under his breath. One satellite was usually just used for GPS tracking, but it could carry weapons. Many meant that they were used extensively for attack. A quick response was needed.

" Contact the submarine Neptune, order the launch of a AOBM."

" Right away Emperor."

An AOBM was the Nueve Italian designation for a missile designed to counter threats from space. Standing for " Anti-Orbital Burst Missile," it was used primarily to knock incoming projectiles from space off course, or destroy them if need be. Knowing the Bandurians, who would hardly fight fair, these weapons were designed to kill, not crippile, and an explosion might release their deadly cargo, so it was decided that the burst would use a non-lethal sonic explosion to blast the incoming threat away.

Seconds later, the AOBM took off, rocketing towards the sky. Upon intercepting metal objects advancing towards it at speeds that registered as an Orbital Projectile, it exploded, sending a sonic wave out from its warhead. The wave would push any incoming objects out away from the main fleet, scattering them and sending them harmlessly into the ocean. It was simple physics, as well as martial arts: a force moving in one direction can be easily dissuaded from that course from a small force from another direction. However, the sonic missile was no small force, and its blast skewered the missile's aim, taking them away from the fleet. The deadly projectiles were moving too fast, even if they did have a tracking mechanism, to return to their present course and destroy the NIIN Armada. For now, Antonio's fleet was safe. Next stop: Mondoth.~

Czardaian Air Wing, within Nueve Italian Airspace

The Czardaian air armada arrives too late to block the Bandurian missile attacks. By the time the air forces reach Nueve Italia, the land below is already uninhabitable, and the citizens of Nueve Italia who survive are evacuating onto the massive naval armada now leaving the blasted and ruined ports. Cpt. Alma Finlay surveys the area in her SM Kestrel, her voice a grim whisper.

"They'll pay for this... they can't do this..."

She sends back the report to the Czardaian main command links in Czarna. Airya Wong, on the other end, listens, horrified at the account of Bandurian atrocities in Nueve Italia: the uses of chemical and biological weapons along with the killing of civilians and ortillery attacks against the fleet. She begins writing a message to whatever is left of the Nueve Italian government...

~~~~~~~~~~~~
To: Emperor Antonio Orsini Gori or acting leader of Nueve Italian people
From: The Libertarian Concordance of Czardas

Greetings from the Concordance! We have heard of the virtual destruction of Nueve Italia and were greatly shocked to hear of this atrocity, yet another proof of Banduria's complete disregard for all that is good and just in this world. While we would love to offer you asylum in Czardas itself, our nation has recently come under attack from a massive coalition of Banduria, The Warmaster, Shenyang, Parthia, and Freudotopia, and Czardaian waters are surrounded by hostile fleets preventing any entrance. However, we can dispatch stealth transport planes to pick up any refugees or government officials still alive and transport them to relative safety, whether in the Concordance or in one of its allies.

We apologize for not being able to respond sooner, but the upcoming invasion took up most of our attention at this time.

~Airya Wong, Vice-Director of National Intelligence
acting for Kari Alhoun, Czardaian Foreign Minister
~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~
To: The Holy Imperium of Banduria [OPEN TRANSMISSION]
From: The Libertarian Concordance of Czardas

Due to recent atrocities perpetuated by Banduria in Nueve Italia and elsewhere, including the use of utterly abhorrent weapons, you leave no choice but for the Concordance to declare the following:

That a state of war now exists between the Concordance of Czardas and the Imperium of Banduria, to an even greater degree than before.

Any further hostile actions taken by the Imperium of Banduria will result in swift and merciless retaliation to avenge those who died in Nueve Italia. That is all.

~Secretary General Andreas Caverra, Governing Council
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, the air armada itself begins tailing the Nueve Italian fleet, waiting to link up. A fleet of transport planes is rumored to be on the way from Czardas, and the air forces will serve both for escorts and to deal with the Bandurians, as well as picking up any lifeboats or refugees in case the Bandurian fleet attempts another strike.

To Nueve Italia

We are glad to here you, we had almost thought none of Nueve Italia's government was left. Our fleet is advancing at full speed to your position, Fast Attack Subs are movign ahead of the main force to provide additional escort to your fleet until we can rendezvous, These Bandurians must be made to pay dearly for their cowardly attacks. The thought amongst our military advisors is that Banduria would make a good new Nueve Italia once it was cleansed of its infestation, perhaps this goal can be achieved with our combined forces and the aid of Czardas.

The NIIN Battlecarrier, Salvatore

~ Antonio watched the fleet across the horizon. From the bridge of the massive carrier, a view unlike any other he had seen before sprawled out in front of him. Thousands of ships: the entire Nueve Italian Naval force. From the West, he spied what looked to be a floating Armada. It's glory was reflected off of the rising sun, blinding the sea below with a golden glow. It was the aerial force of Czardas, and it was most welcome.

" Comm Officer," he began softly, " get into contact with those fighters, give them clearance to land any they need. Make it important that at least one of their commanders speaks to me in person. We need to establish friendly communication now: without it, I fear the upcomming battle will not go well."
_____

Broadcasted over radio frequency 103.7 MgHz (secure line)

Czardaian Air Force, this is the NIIN Battlecarrier Salvatore, trying to reach the acting commander of your force. If need be, all Czardaian aircraft have clearance to land on any carrier in our fleet; I assure you, we have enough room to accomodate at least 750 planes due to losses of our own pilots. Also, our Emperor, Antonio Orsini Gori, requests that your commander land and meet with him. Please respond back if you understand, and we'll transmit the landing signals for each carrier.
_____

It wasn't just Czardas that the Nueve Italian fleet was in contact with. Mondoth had also responded to their plea for help, but had suggested a strategy that seemed too vengeful for the people of Nueve Italia.
_____

To: The Government or Representative People(s) of Mondoth
From: Emperor Antonio Orsini Gori, currently instated ruler of the People of Nueve Italia

Your assistance in this matter, as well as your offer of escort, are welcome in such a dark hour. However, It must be stated that the Mondothian plan to take Banduria after their forces are driven from our homeland goes against the spirit of the Nueve Italian people. While it was the nation of Banduria that has committed such unspeakable acts upon us that we were forced to flee our own land, we believe that the average citizens of Banduria had nothing to do with this, or hardly even know of its existence. Therefore, to conquer Banduria would be attacking innocent civilians. We will instead have one more final engagement with our pursuers, and then, our people must find a new island to inhabit. Though it may take some time, it was decided as the best course of action amongst our people. We expect that the link up between our fleets will be in one more day. Our soldiers are more than honored to stand by your armed forces once more in battle. May victory bring us the peace that is so deserved in our day.
_____

Hangar inside the Salvatore

There it lay: an AE-7 Furfante, translated as Rogue in English. Captain Antonio Gori's fighter lay dormant in the brightly illuminated hanger, the nicks and scrapes of battle apparent on its body. Bullets, pieces of metal and earth from nearby explosions, flack fire, even a missile once. The plane had seen it all. On it's right wing was the flag of Nueve Italia, painted as if it were unfurling from the main fuselage. On both of the tails, there was the Gori Family Crest: a Blue shield with white stripes running horizontally across the field. In the center, two golden keyes crossed, connected by a silved link at their base. The link itself was a cross, and it bore the letters PLRLP, standing for Per la Repubblica e le Persone, or "For the Republic and the People."

The fighter would take off one more time, and then be put to rest. Antonio had decided that after this, he could no longer be a fighter captain if Nueve Italia was to have a strong government. Should he be elected as Emperor, it would be time to give up war, and embrace peace.~

[ooc: Hehehe... Mondoth, Banduria is a nation of icy frozen tundra, nuclear wasteland, barren mountains, and little else... I somehow doubt Nueve Italia would like to settle his people there. ;)]

[Satellite uplink over Nueve Italia]

As the Mondothian missiles approached the Bandurian positions, satellites sprung into action, releasing a fine beam of electromagnetic particles towards the incoming missiles. This technology, designed from AWACS capabilities, would simply knock the electronics out of the ASAT missiles, sending them harmlessly back to earth. Harmlessly for the Bandurians, that is.

The godrods were not quite so lucky. The sound waves perpetuated by the missile sent them off course, preventing them from hitting the fleet. However, due to their original tracking positions, the heavy rods simply slammed into the sea around the Nueve Italian Fleet, sending up huge waves that could capsize smaller boats and ships. They landed in a rough circle around the Nueve Italian Fleet. All the waves generated by the massive explosions would meet at the center of the fleet...

[7th Corporate Armada]

Rear Adm. Terman watched as his projectiles were thrown off course by the missiles. Those cursed Nueve Italians and their luck. He immediately gave his orders and the 15" railguns aboard the three pocket battleships commanding the fleet blazed into life, hurling massive shells aloft towards the Nueve Italian capital ships and anything else within range. The shells were deadly and powerful, but they were not all.

The Mondothian submersibles and surface ships were also noted in due course, and the approximately 160 attack submarines in the Bandurian armada took immediate action, launching a rain of 640 torpedoes towards the enemy ships, primarily capital ships and submarines. The torpedoes descended to over 400 m, where they ran near-silently on their efficient engines, until almost under their targets, when the main fuel engine shut off and an auxiliary underwater RAMjet activated, sending the torpedoes up through the keels of their targets, the tungsten tips piercing all but the heaviest armour, with explosives doing the rest. The estimated reaction time was 5 seconds, nowhere near long enough to destroy the torpedoes before they wreaked their deadly havoc.

Finally, SAM batteries aboard the ships of the Corporate Armada began launching missiles towards the Czardaian planes. Within moments, 1,440 missiles were shooting through the air at Mach 3.5 towards the Czardaian planes. 300 km from their targets, SCRAMjet engines activated, pushing the missiles to Mach 7. The enemy would not detect the missiles until they were approximately 160 km away from their targets, giving the Czardaian planes only a few seconds to respond before the missiles hit.

The Imperium would not let the Nueve Italian people escape unscathed...

Having pioneered much in the way of EM band weapons for its own military use. The Modnothian Missiles were well shield from all but the most pwerful of EM burst defenses. And even if an EM attack managed to knock out guidance and control systems the unique flight pattern still guaranteed a hit. Although the missiles would not detonate to spread tungsten death to their targets. being slammed by several hundred Kilo's of missiles is enough to ruin any sattelites day. WHile the missiles were no longer immune to physical defenses such as CIWS or Electron Laser Defenses that would forcibly de-orbit them, they remained quite deadly.


On the surface of the pale blue planet below the orbital war, a mirror of that fight was occurring under water. With such a large number of torpedoes inbound, the fleet had only one chance, the largely experimental Broad Wave Undersea Defense that had been installed on a number of the BARRIER configured defense ships as well as the larger Dreadnoughts. As the system activate, huge pistons secure in shafts below the waterlines of the equipped vessels drew back and quickly rammed forward, creating an overwhelmingly powerful shockwave that practically destroyed sensitive SONAR equipment, confused and temporarily blinded more strudy systems and was powerful enough to outright destroy torpedoes within a few tens of meters of the ships witht he system. Even while this was going on the more conventional defences were on overtime. Decoys were deplyed frantically while the SubMarine Point Defense turrets sprayed 40mm Super-Cavitating 'mini torpedoes' at anything that looked hostile. In seconds, before even damage control could be considered the fleet switched from defense to offense, the Battle Cruiser class vessels began firing their deadly 12in. guns at the enemy ships while offensive torpedoes were launched from ever ship in the fleet. Fighter's began to fill the sky from the numerous Fleet carriers and in the final stages of the first attack, the dreadfull Arsenal configured ships began to burn with the fires of hundreds of Shrike sea skimming anti shipping missiles entering boost phase. quickly the smoke and flame would disapear, replaced by the eery flameless trajectory if these high speed, low level missiles. Pseudo randomly placed solid rocket bossters providing only brief spots of bright flame to denote the dark green missiles against the dark green sea as they jinked and juked at less then 12 meters above the surface carrying their deadly payloads towards their targets while intermittantly jamming enemy electronics inorder to both confuse enemy defenses and to avoid being locked onto from the signatures of the jamming signals

Even with state of the art defenses and heavy armor, 640 torpedoes was a lot to deal with, luckily the Mondothian ships modular design limited catastrphic damage to most ships. EVen so 6 submarines simply disintigrated under the onslaught, bubbles and shredded metal the only markings to their final resting places. Of the surface fleet 30 Destroyers suffered damage to either the Hull section or Superstructure. A Crocatoa was quickly tasked to swapping parts until 15 whole ships remained and 15 ships were sent home for major repairs. 10 ships sufferred damage to both Hull and Superstructure, 3 were able to make due with spare parts and pieces stripped from the ships heading home but seven more destroyers were ultimately sent back for overhauling. Of the heavier ship, miraculously therew as little damage, their thicker skins and more protected positions saving the day this time.

In the Air already 240 fighters were gathering and another 240 were being prepped for launch. AAWAC Aerial Attack/Warning And Control aircraft circled lazily, the distintive E/A-20 profile of large radome, and thick nose clearly distinguishible among the nimble SX-24's and deadly IF/A-14's while VF-12 multirole fighters huddled in tight formations at the edge of the forming air group.

To the Nueve Italian Government

T'was an offer made in jest. Assuredly no conquered land could be made to even approach the Nueve Italian Homeland. Unfortunatley we have no land to offer for the rebuilding of your nation. We also look forward to once again standing by the valiant Nueve Italian people in a time of their great need. May This be the last time such aid is needed!

OOC: What are your feelings (Banduria) On Tactical nukes. the AAWACs (And some IF/A-14's) are armed with tactical Anti Air nuclear weapons as a defense against large coordinated groupds of enemy aircraft (Kinda like the group my Fighters are forming actually) DOn't wan't to end up in some sort of escalation (You don't either but for entirely different reasons I assure you)

Broadcasted over radio frequency 103.7 MgHz (secure line)

Czardaian Air Force, this is the NIIN Battlecarrier Salvatore, trying to reach the acting commander of your force. If need be, all Czardaian aircraft have clearance to land on any carrier in our fleet; I assure you, we have enough room to accomodate at least 750 planes due to losses of our own pilots. Also, our Emperor, Antonio Orsini Gori, requests that your commander land and meet with him. Please respond back if you understand, and we'll transmit the landing signals for each carrier.
>>> We have received your message. The acting commander of the Czardaian Mobile Nueve Italian Task Force, Cpt. Alma Finlay of the 14th Special Operative Division (CAF), will presently be landing at the carrier as well. However, we find it safer to remain in the air to defend against any Bandurian threats we might encounter.

~ Blue Robin, Wing Commander Delta Foxtrot Three <<<

From out of the armada of Czardaian planes circling over the Nueve Italian fleet, five SM Kestrels begin to descend towards the battlecarrier, having already picked up its location using their passive receivers. Gaining clearance to land, they simply touch down atop the carrier, the SpecOps jumping down from the cockpits onto the deck. There are nine in all; the obvious leader is perhaps the tallest of them all. Unlike the others, who are wearing jackets or windbreakers over their uniforms, Finlay wears little other protection against the cold, her uniform half dark blue and half silver, the traditional Czardaian colors. Her jet-black hair falls in a long line over an orange sports headband, descending beneath her shoulders. Her cool and oddly unsettling green gaze flicks across the various people standing atop the carrier, sizing them up and appearing to 'read' them. From simply looking at her one gets the feeling that Finlay can be a dangerous enemy...

She has also never been known to use titles, or concede to any authority whatsoever. One could even say she works independently of Czardas at times...

She fixes her catlike gaze upon the nearest helpful-looking person—according to her astute observation, some kind of top-ranking aide—and inquires straightforwardly, "I'm the acting commander of Czardaian forces in Nueve Italia. The Emperor apparently requested to speak with me?"

Aerial Forces

While missiles traveling at Mach 7 have their own specific advantages, primarily related to their tremendous velocity, at such high speeds they are also nearly impossible to maneuver, especially when reaching close range. Thus, the Czardaian planes try a few tricks unique to their own air force. The missiles come in fast, and at the last possible second the Daggers they are targeting simply dive in one direction or another, releasing various countermeasures as they do. The rather risky but effective tactic works for them, but other, less maneuverable planes have more difficulties. Strikers and Peregrines launch decoys giving off a similar RADAR signature towards the missiles, hoping to confuse them, and the AWACS use their own EM systems to knock out missiles one by one, sending them plummeting towards the sea. Nonetheless, a total of 12 planes are lost, six of them simply exploding and six more forced down, damaged, towards the Nueve Italian carriers below.

Retaliation is swift and merciless. The 16 Hailstorm heavy bombers immediately all launch their full complement of anti-shipping missiles and guided bombs. Considering the sheer size of a Hailstorm, these come to a large number of missiles and bombs, a total of 80 missiles and 28 proximity bombs per plane. 1,280 missiles are soon approaching the Bandurian ships at near-hypersonic speeds, with 448 proximity bombs also descending on the enemy ships. The 16 Hailstorms immediately return to their bomber carrier, part of the battlegroup from which the Czardaian air armada initially launched, to restock on missiles and bombs as 16 more Hailstorms take off into the air to replace the former group.

OOC: Banduria, just how close our your forces to mine? (Need to know in case a strike is called for) Thanks.

IC:

On board the Salvatore

~ The Carrier was pitching back and forth to avoid cannon fire from the Bandurian fleet. Glancing blows and such, but nothing serious to the main fleet. Ships on the outskirts, however, were not as lucky. 27 were destroyed instantly upon being hit; other smaller vessels capsized as the resulting shockwaves from the weapons crashing into the ocean so near them caused massive, quick swells. As for the satellite attack from Banduria before, the main fleet was relatively safe from any side-affects, such as waves from the epicenter of the strike, because they were no where near land. Massive waves that can travel long distances, such as tidal waves, can pass under a boat in the ocean without so much as a tremble. The same was said of the Bandurian weapons: where as the Nueve Italian strike against their fleet was near land, the city of Cítta diGhiaccio, the Bandurian attack was in the middle of open water. Only the vessels near the spacerods' entry points were affected severely, the worst being a small cruiser tilting into the ocean as the weapon pierced the water and carried the ship with it as it drew the liquid around it down.

On deck of the battlecarrier, 1st Lieutenant Catalina Ortega found herself addressed a question from one of the Czardaian fighter pilots. Captain, she figured from the patch on her counterpart's uniform. She snapped a salute off to Ms. Finlay before responding.

" Emperor Gori has been expecting you. Follow me to the Bridge, your fighter wing may accompany you if you or they so wish."

With that, she whirrled around and led the way into the massive ship's infrastructure. After twisting through corridors and passageways that would confuse any person who had not been on this gargantuan battlecarrier before, the group arrived at the bridge, where 1st Lt. Ortega announced the presence of the Czardas commander.

" Captain, the Czardaian Commander is here to see you, sir."

From looking out of one of the windows of the carrier's bridge, Antonio Orsinim Gori slowly turned his heel to face his visitors. Of medium height, though slightly on the tall side, a muscular build from his training and time in combat, dark-brown hair that was now combed back and let lie, in typical Nueve Italian style, and with a cloak of Royal blue and striped with gold and silver, the colors of the Gori Dynasty, Cpt. Antonio Orsini Gori truly looked as if he were ready to take on the responsibilities of leading a nation. Though only in his twenties, the people loved him and respected him as a leader and champion of their government. He was possibly the last hope of Nueve Italia.

He extended his hand towards the Czardaian Captain, his cloak falling to the floor revealing a combat flight suit of navy blue.

" I am Emperor Antonio Orsini Gori. You may have noticed that I am also addressed as Captain at times, but you may feel free to call me what you will. A pleasure to meet you, though I'm not sure what your name is Miss. . .?"

He paused as he waited for his guest to respond in turn.~

Finlay follows the other woman, taking careful note of the route. She may have to defend it later if the enemy chooses to attack the carrier itself. Eventually they emerge onto the bridge, where Finlay glances across at the new Emperor of Nueve Italia, quickly sizing him up. A capable leader, although perhaps a slightly impatient one... but this was wartime after all. She also notes the deep lines of sorrow etched in his still-young face -- perhaps due to the death of his father, or the destruction of his country...

Finlay shakes the hand that is proffered her and responds, "Captain Alma Finlay, 14th Special Operative Division. I'm also quite pleased to meet you, although the circumstances ... are somewhat less than ideal?"

[ooc: I'm about 100 km from your main fleet, and heading out.

Also, Mondoth, I have the following policy regarding nukes: You tacnuke me, you get wiped out by 6,000 strategic nuclear warheads with assorted biological and chemical warheads thrown in, aka MAD. Basically, I wouldn't recommend it. ;)]

[Satellite Uplink]

As the Mondothian missiles closed, the Bandurian satellites launched their next line of defence. Small guided AMMs were released towards the incoming missiles. Those that survived the barrage of over 150 would then meet lasers and CIWS systems of the satellites themselves. All in all the chances of destruction of the satellites were very low.

[7th Corporate Armada]

The 160 Lernea-class SSGNs now turned their attention to the Nueve Italian armada itself. Having launched 4 each of their 24 torpedoes, each submarine proceeded to launch eight more each. A total of 1,280 torpedoes descended into the depths, to re-emerge in the hulls of their targets. Unfortunately, the Salvatore itself was far out of range for the torpedoes.

The SSGNs also began launching their guided missiles, 3 each, targeted at larger escorts such as heavy destroyers and cruisers. 480 missiles rocketed into the air and began picking up speed as they plunged back towards their targets.

Meanwhile, the massive 20" and 24" guns began launching shells towards anything within range of the enemy fleet, hurling the massive projectiles into the air. Even as this new barrage began, the incoming Czardaian missiles and bombs were registered. The ASMs were hit not by EMP bands -- the Bandurian ships had seen what the Czardaian technology did to that -- but by an onslaught of lasers, CIWS systems, AMMs, and anti-missile fire from the Bandurian planes in the area. Many of the missiles were destroyed, but nonetheless 16 ships were damaged or sunk by the attack. The proximity bombs caused somewhat more damage; three of them hit a lone destroyer, causing it to explode in a massive fireball.

An air wing of 576 planes launched from the carriers of the Corporate Armada towards the Czardaian planes, unleashing a pre-emptive strike of 1,152 LRAAMs towards the enemy aircrafts. But this was getting the Bandurians no closer towards their object: the utter destruction of all memory and evidence of Antonio Orsini Gori...

[Officer's cabin, HIS Saracen, Command Pocket Super Dreadnaught]

Rear Adm. Terman and Lt. Col. Marin sat together in the best-defended ship in the Bandurian-Corporate Armada, sketching various plans which all ended in failure. There was still the one unspoken possibility that hovered over their heads, which they were still unwilling to consider. Terman idly threw out a few more suggestions.

"We've tried subs, missile attacks, godrods... How about tactical nukes?"

"Too risky. We'll get a shitload of allies down on our heads before you can say snap," Marin said. "Any other suggestions?"

"Fanatics?"

"No use for a job like this one. This requires stealth and cunning, not just brute strength."

Marin threw down the folder he was holding. "Face it, Terman, we've got only one choice here. Shadowers."

Something clunked into place with the mention of that word and a chill seemed to pass through the room. Shadowers.

The elite troops of the Bandurian military. They were the most advanced soldiers found in a modern army, and by far the most secret project. Slight genetic alterations to remove any susceptibility to disease, fear, cold, and so on made the Shadowers fearsome already, but more so was their covering. Each Shadower wore a massive exoskeleton of steel, with optical mags to help coordinate their fire even through gas attacks or night, turrets firing .22 armour-piercing rounds sticking out all over the body, and their normal weaponry -- machine guns, RPGs, incendiary bomb launchers, anti-tank weapons... the list went on.

They were always accompanied by minitanks, which resembled huge metal 6' x 4' x 5' spiders with mounted turrets. The minitanks wielded a great incendiary punch, firing weapons hot enough to melt through steel... there was no need to go through passageways when they could just blast through the walls.

Terman sighed, as one resigning himself to a great burden. "Very well. Deploy two teams."

Far above the battle, a large dropship rises into the air, surrounded by a menacing fleet of UCAVs that completely hide it from outside view...

The Salvatore

~Antonio nodded at Cpt. Finlay's comment.

" I could not agree with you more. Hopefully, this will be resolved soon, allowing rest for the both of us."

He sighed. The war dragged on, the Bandurians ceased to be reconciled with, and there was no other alternative except to attack. Already, the Grand Fleet, as it was now named, was suffering losses from Bandurian engagements. No more. Antonio shook his head, and prepared to order what would bring outright war between the three fleets in the area.

" Excuse me if you will for a moment Captain Finlay," Antonio turned towards a comm. officer that was linked to the rest of the entire fleet before he spoke again, " Prepare the aeromars, deploy a third of our Seaking 'copters, and ready all vessels to attack on our mark."

With a quick, "Yessir," the order was sent out. The Bandurians would be in for quite a surprise.
_____

The Grand Fleet

As missiles and shells rained down, countermeasures were deployed with all haste. Phalanx guns, Anti-missile missiles, anything possible to stop the oncoming attack. The ships were quite effective against anything in the sky, as their combined firepower and range could efficiently destroy any projectile sent at them, besides shells of course, but the same craft were powerless against their underwater enemies. . .

That was where the Aeromar came in. A revolutionary design that blended the technology of both submersibles and airplanes, the Aeromar was, in effect, an underwater fighter. A Nueve Italian scientist had designed the weapon when he realized that both air and water have similar properties in relation to how something moves in them. Flaps could be just as usable in the sea as they were in the sky. However, a jet engine was out of the question, but if it was easily replaced with a propeller, it would be fine. Thus, the Aeromar was born.

A sleek, black vessel housed in the lowest levels of Carriers or other large ships, the underwater plane carried several torpedoes for both anti-sub and anti-ship warfare. Its manueverability outmatched anything else it would go up against, and due to its small size, it was hard to hit. 92 of these ships dropped into the ocean, and prepared to engage the enemy sub fleet. The pilots, specially trained to handle these strange machines, were encased in suits the could withstand the water pressure around them, and air filters helped them stay alive inside the vehicles. Extremely durable and high quality plastics made up the cockpit, and the vessel itself was built to ensure superb speed, handling, and durability.

They would reach the enemy subs quite soon, and then, the shooting gallery could begin. . .

As for regular weaponry on the surface, Nueve Italian ships began to fight back against Bandurian attacks. Cruise missiles, shells from Battleships, LRASMs, everything they could manage was fired in one, masive volley. No matter what, it was bound to do some damage.
_____

Onboard the Salvatore, once more

Antonio watched this display of power from his fleet, knowing that it would show to the Bandurians that this was not over yet. His determination to save his people brought him no peace now that they were threatened to extinction. This would either be the damnation or salvation of Nueve Italia. There was no other road. Now that the attack was underway, his resolve was committed; Banduria had to be forced to retreat.

Antonio turned towards his counterpart from Czardas. In times like this, he still wished that he were only a fighter Captain; it made things seem alot easier when only the lives of his squadron were on his shoulders. The lives of an entire nation was something much more, and it was crushing him to know that not every one of those people would live. Nueve Italians had seen enough bloodshed and death to last several generations. He hoped that after this, they would finally understand what peacetime was like.

" Well Captain," he began solemnly, " I need your assistance to plan a counterattack. What do you suggest we do to break this monster's back?"~

[ooc:] Submarine fighters. Hmmm... that reminds me, I ought to start planning designs for an amphibious fighter... *digs up link to NS Draftroom*



Aerial Battle

As the incoming missiles are registered, Czardaian countermeasure systems go into overtime. The 420 or so planes remaining in the air begin taking further evasive maneuvers and launching more extensive countermeasures, but getting through 1,152 missiles is a difficult task for even an air force as powerful as Czardas's. Decoys and EM bands help take out many of the LRAAMs, but still over 30 planes are destroyed by the enemy missile attack.

Now the true destruction will begin. Strikers and Peregrines begin launching their own 'Jinx' LRAAMs, with a range of 375 km—enough to outdistance the Bandurian planes long before they can attempt a retreat. Each of the 96 Strikers and 96 Peregrines launches three LRAAMs, a total of 576 missiles, or one per plane.

While these incoming missiles distract the Bandurians, the 200 Daggers leading the formation launch their 'Triton' MRAAMs, 2-4 each, for a total of 720 more med-range missiles approaching the Bandurian planes from another angle, confusing them further.

Finally, the six destroyers, six frigates, and two heavy cruisers escorting the carriers launch a volley of SAMs (four per destroyer, three per frigate, eight per cruiser), for a total of 58 missiles per volley. Six volleys of missiles, or 348 in all, are fired towards the enemy air forces before the batteries run out of missiles and begin to restock, just in case they happen to be needed again. Which is highly unlikely, as by then the Czardaian Air Force will have closed the distance between the two air groups...

Anyway, the 1,644 missiles currently incoming will give the Bandurians something to think about...

Naval Battle

Meanwhile, the four arsenal cruisers and two arsenal destroyers also escorting the battle group have their own little surprise for the Bandurians. They open up with their VLS cells and full missile banks. VLS cells, 64 on the cruisers and 36 on the destroyers, launch their complement of anti-shipping missiles at the Bandurian fleet, while more turrets fire off shells, cruise missiles, and anything else with enough range to hit the enemy fleets. 328 anti-shipping missiles and hundreds of shells and cruise missiles erupt in fiery streaks through the wintry sky, soon to descend upon the enemy fleet like so many falling stars.

Nueve Italian Battlecarrier [i]Salvatore

Finlay watches the Nueve Italian Emperor as he commands his nation in battle with a somewhat critical eye. Tactics and strategy seem to take a back seat to force to defeat the Bandurians. True, the Bandurians appear to be numerically and possibly technologically superior, but that never stopped Czardas during the Imperial Galactican or Scellian wars... or any of its other conflicts for that matter... If she, a far more experienced leader, were in command, she would have the main surface fleet occupy the enemy vessels with barrages of missiles and shells while sending submarine and air forces to strike at the enemy fleet from the sides, before waiting for them to attack first. Why wait to see if they will show mercy immediately after they killed millions of civilians with NBC attacks? It ought to be plain common sense... although she had to admit the submersible fighters were a good idea...

Emperor Antonio Orsini Gori turns back to her annd speaks. She smiles slightly... now is her time to show why she is one of the most feared military officers in the entire Czardaian Armed Forces and beyond...

"Let's see... It looks like Bandurian air assets are targeting Czardaians and will target Nueve Italian forces if they are sent up, so target their carriers and anything capable of bearing aircraft. With no place to land, it'll be easy for us to maintain air superiority and co-ordinate strikes against their main force if necessary. You've deployed those things for anti-submarine warfare, which will keep them occupied; try engaging their force head-on with as much of the main armada as you can spare while coordinating a pincer movement with the Mondothian Navy. That will leave the Bandurians only one direction to go to avoid being hammered to death, backwards, and out of our hair.

"However, first we should concentrate on gaining air superiority. The Dagger superiority fighters will help with that, but first take out their carriers, then proceed to the main fleet. Let us deal with the aircraft; that's our specialty. If we had enough teams we could send SpecOps to hit their capital ships, but my group's orders are to guard this carrier anyway. Otherwise, good work so far."

Repost:
the dreadfull Arsenal configured ships began to burn with the fires of hundreds of Shrike sea skimming anti shipping missiles entering boost phase. quickly the smoke and flame would disapear, replaced by the eery flameless trajectory if these high speed, low level missiles. Pseudo randomly placed solid rocket boosters providing only brief spots of bright flame to denote the dark green missiles against the dark green sea as they jinked and juked at less then 12 meters above the surface carrying their deadly payloads towards their targets while intermittantly jamming enemy electronics inorder to both confuse enemy defenses and to avoid being locked onto from the signatures of the jamming signals
/repost
OOC: I hope you realize your escalation policy is more likely to kill you than me...

IC:
Orbit

With no power, the missiles were decimated in seconds, rapidly deorbitting and burning up in the atmospherem nothing but pretty streaks in the sky. On the ground the failure was noted and a new tasking was sent out.

MNS Hrunting
"Cap'n Fire mission from NavCom. Anti-sat, heavily defended."

"Allright, Watch officer, arm missiles one through eighty."

"Arming One through Eighty Aye sir... Missiles one through through eighty armed and ready for firing."

"Watch officer, please key launch orders to synch code 1104."

"Missiles keyed for synchronized launch aye sir."

Back on shore another missile was being prepped. Seconds after the confirmation was recieved the missile was airborne, raising into the air on a column of flame. Streaking towards orbit. Once it reached orbit it began a skipping approach similiar to the Anti-Sat missiles that followed close behind. However, instead of tungsten cubes the warhead was filled with small EM transmitters and chaff balls. When it reached the point where the earlier strike had been accosted, instead of continuing it detonated, spraying chaff and jammers into orbit, totally masking the approach of the second wave which was equipped with even more powerful EM shielding than the first to prevent being so easily thwarted as the earlier attack.

Command Bridge of the Salvatore

~ Antonio nodded to Cpt. Finlay's strategy. True, he had been hasty in ordering the quick strike, but the purpose was not entirely to cause damage or defeat the enemy. Many other things besides strategy and the amount of soldiers one side has can effect a battle. In the Nueve Italian strike, Emperor Antonio Gori was determined to show to the Bandurians that nothing would come without a price. The barrage was meant to show that the Nueve Italians would fight back with everything they had, and if Banduria finally decided to truly engage them, the losses would be off the charts.

However, Banduria would not get that chance.

" Your plan is sound, Captain Finlay, yet to go straight for their carriers from the sky would endanger our fighters, as they would be within range of the Bandurian Navy's air defense network. What I propose is an attack from beneath the waves: our Aeromars could destroy those ships while avoiding enemy fire. If we send up a fleet of our fighters at the same time and continue shelling their fleet with our own guns, the Bandurians will have three seperate problems to try and counter. At the same time, if the Mondothian Navy targets their anti-air Cruisers and other ships, your fighters will be free to target their larger battleships and destroyers. Their naval forces will be decimated quickly, and many more of our soldiers will be guaranteed to survive."

As Antonio let the Czardaian Captain ponder over the plan, he brought up a transmission to the Mondothian fleet.
______

Broadcast to Mondothian Flagship
Encryption . . . 23% . . . 47% . . . 65% . . . 98% . . . Done
Signal Verified
Transmitting

Admiral of the Mondothian Fleet, this is Nueve Italian Emperor Antonio Orsini Gori. Your assistance in this matter will bring a quick resolve to this horrible situation, and God willing, will allow us peace for some time. We have devised a plan to strike against our aggressors, and finish them for good in our waters. With our other ally, the nation of Czardas, we believe that the upcoming battle could bring swift retribution in one stroke. In order to make this work, we ask of you to position your fleet to the Northwest of our fleet. This will allow your forces to come crashing down upon the enemy when we request your military aid. Our plan is to have each seperate nation engage one part of the enemy forces; divide and conquer, if you will. Our own fleet will target the enemy's carriers and main fleet. Our ally of Czardas. Will target the enemy Air Force and their larger escort ships. We ask of your naval forces to eliminate their Anti-Air vessels and then engage the bulk of their naval forces. If this strike is timed at the same time, the enemy will have no chance to defend against such an assault. If you agree to this strategy, or have another plan, contact our flagship, the Salvatore.
_____

Under the Waters

" This is Azul Lead to Azul fleet, report in."

As the Aeromar pilots responded in to their Captain's request, the submersibile fighters were poised to strike at their targets.

" All pilots, ready torpedoes, fire on my mark. Divide targets."

" Wilco."

An Aeromar carried at least six small torpedoes, three in each wing, and one special weapon in the undercarriage: a drill. The weapon was launched, and it would speed through the water until it came into contact with an enemy vessel's hull. The drill would then do what it was designed to do and drill through the hull, sinking the ship. Simple, and effective.

The pilots could now see the submarines. Maybe they were detected too, but it didn't matter. They were too small and too quick to be hit by the enemy's weapons.

" Fire."

Every Aeromar pilot launched at least one torpedo, aiming for the enemy's propulsion system. Is that was hit and damaged, the submarines would just sink. Easy kill.~

[7th Corporate Armada]

As the massive rain of firepower from the Nueve Italian fleet soared across the sky in countless streaks of orange towards the Bandurian fleet, Admiral Terman simply raised his eyebrows and smiled. Like the inexperienced fool he was, Captain Antonio Gori had walked straight into the trap. The rest would be simple.

Countermeasure systems activated, knocking out more of the missiles and shells than Terman cared for Gori to know about, because the real genius of the plan was coming soon. Ships began turning on radar jamming and shielding, disappearing from Nueve Italian radar screens. While twenty or thirty ships were sunk or damaged, this move would make it seem as though Bandurian losses were far heavier.

The Mondothian missiles were also noticed. They seemed slightly more troublesome, if only because they were jamming AMM systems, but the same couldn't be said for CIWS systems, lasers, the return EMP bursts, and of course the Bandurian anti-sea-skimming torpedoes, all of which were launched towards the incoming missiles to knock them out of commission. A few ships were hit, but that was all part of the plan...

Part of the reason for the massive number of radar contacts was the presence of over 100 surfaced submarines. These began dropping towards the seafloor swiftly, descending into the depths like sinking ships, and cutting off the main engines to make them stealthier. Instead of touching the bottom they leveled out at about 600 m and ran silent and deep towards the main submarine formation, which had come under attack.

The small Nueve Italian underwater fighters had walked straight into yet another Bandurian trap. As soon as their launch was detected from under the carriers with underwater unmanned recon vehicles scouting the area, the Bandurian submarines they were targeting formed a circle tipped at an angle of about 30º, letting the enemy vehicles towards a small portion of the Bandurian submarines. To avoid undue losses, the submarines the Nueve Italians were targeting were in fact unmanned decoys with only token countermeasures. As soon as the Aeromars fired their torpedoes, Bandurian submarines came up from the depths on all sides, forming a circle of iron 120 strong and opening their 40mm underwater cannons, covering the submarine fighters and their torpedoes with armour-piercing rounds that would simply punch through the metal of the vehicles, sinking them. In addition, short-range torpedo tubes based on the tops of the Lernea-class SSNs launched a total of 360 small torpedoes towards the vehicles.

It was rather a pity that the Nueve Italians had chosen to waste these innovations fighting against a vastly technologically and numerically superior foe...

[Air forces]

With the presence of incoming missiles from the Czardaian Air Force detected, the Bandurian planes radioed their ships for backup, which was provided promptly. Two hundred large blast radius fuel air missiles were launched by the Firestorm-class heavy arsenal cruisers, each one removing a good portion of the incoming AAMs and SAMs outright. The few that remained were swiftly taken out by various countermeasures and prominent usage of EMP, shorting out the electronic systems.

The IF-24s were now approaching the Czardaian air fleet, and the true destruction would begin soon, with the MRAAM launch of 3,288 Archonate-class air-to-air missiles towards the Czardaian air forces...

Meanwhile, the dropship and its UCAV escort were now passing over the Nueve Italian fleet, steadily approaching the Salvatore....

[ooc:] Radar shielding? I'm somewhat curious as to how that would work on ships. ;)



Nueve Italian carrier [i]Salvatore

"Oh, I didn't mean to target the carriers from the sky," Finlay says. "A single 24" or 20" shell to the flight deck can put one out of action permanently. We've got the range—then again, attacking with the Aeromars isn't a bad idea, but remember, you'll have to deal with the Bandurian submarines." She brushes him aside and pulls up a SONAR monitor, counting the contacts. "At a rough estimate, I'd say they have over a hundred subs out there, probably fairly high-quality ones, considering their military spending. I'd recommend going under their subs, if you have the range—they won't notice your presence if the Aeromars keep quiet enough, and the sub signatures will mask the surface-based sonar—and hitting the carriers that way."

2nd Lt. Red Wolf, one of the SpecOps accompanying Finlay, taps her on the shoulder at that moment. His approach is so silent that she does not notice him until he reaches her shoulder, surprising both her and the Nueve Italian Emperor, although her surprise is very quickly masked.

"Yes, what is it?"

"We've got an unknown aircraft approaching from the north, probably Bandurian, with UCAV escort."

"Dammit. Order squadrons D through F to intercept."

"Right." Red Wolf transmits the orders on his radio to the air wing over the Nueve Italian battlefleet, but in the background the calls of "Missiles incoming!" can be clearly heard.

The 3,288 Bandurian missiles are quickly noticed by the Czardaians, who begin launching missiles and bombs at the incoming contacts. Hailstorms launch proximity bombs, which turn large numbers of missiles to dust, and all Peregrines and Strikers carrying them launch cluster munitions, destroying even more. EMP bands short out large numbers as well, but due to the sheer number of missiles fired a large number get through, destroying nearly eighty planes. The swiftly weakening Czardaian force looses their own MRAAMs at the Bandurians, firing over 2,000, and a single Hailstorm stocked with LRAAMs and MRAAMs fires these too, launching over 400 missiles into the air, before the three squadrons break off from the main formation to attack the Bandurian dropship and its UCAV escorts.

[ooc: Well...um...I... Look behind you! *runs*

Seriously... I guess I goofed on that one. Bleh. -edits-]

As the Czardaian air-to-air missiles came in, the Bandurian IF-24s opened up with their 30mm rapid-fire cannons, using them as a CIWS to destroy the incoming contacts. EW and EM systems also came online, shorting out some of the incoming missiles, but twenty Imperial fighters were destroyed, plunging from the sky in orange fireballs.

The Bandurian fighters launched the rest of their MRAAMs, 2,112 in all, while firing at the Czardaians with their 30mm cannons. This was going to be one hell of a dogfight.

Meanwhile, four squadrons of IF-24D interceptors and twenty of the UCAVs escorting the dropship broke off to engage the Czardaian fighters, winging along at well over Mach 3 towards the enemy...

[ooc:] Lol, it's no problem. Happens to the best of us sometimes (like me for example :p).

[ic:]

The fighters are more prepared for the Bandurian missiles this time, and AAWACs wideband ECM packages begin knocking out the missiles in wide swathes, sending them plunging into the sea. Only a few ever make it to the Czardaian formation, which by then has long dissipated, the Czardaian planes vanishing into the sky and turning on Active Radar Cancellation (ARC) to hide them from enemy radars, their ladar- and lidar-absorbent paint and low infrared emissions also helping them disappear completely from enemy screens.

The fighters re-organize in small groups, each group launching missiles at and targeting a specific Bandurian group, and then vanishing back into the skies, making many evasive maneuvers and making them that much more difficult to tail and lock. In addition, their EW packages play with enemy electronics, intermittently jamming and generally making life diffficult for the Bandurian Air Force.

Meanwhile, the incoming fighters from both directions are registered, and the 36 Daggers form a circle, launching 72 MRAAMs and opening up with their 30mm cannons as the enemy fighters come in.

Aeromar Squadron, underwater

~ The Bandurians took the sea pilots for fools. While yes, any other submersible vessel could have been tricked by unmanned decoys and the like, an Aeromar provided something that other underwater ships didn't: the ability to see. Submarines are designed to be able to attack and move by instruments only. They have no actual vision of the outside world. An Aeromar does. Using a slightly different heavy plastic for their cockpits, the bubble that surrounded the pilot was, in fact, not opaque, but clear. They had a clear view of the ocean around them, and with Nueve Italian waters known for being rather clear, this was a huge advantage. However, as the depths ate the light that the pilots could have used to find their enemy, they simply engaged another feature of the Aeromar: lights. Headlights on the vessel helped to brighten the water around them, making their job of locating enemies with visual scanning that much easier. As since the water around them was frigid, especially at these depths, the small heat signature these lights emitted was nothing compared to the Aeromar itself, but the vessel was deemed to be targeted anyway, so whether or not the Bandurians knew that the Aeromar pilots could see underwater was of little factor to the enemy. To the pilots, this was a huge advantage, as they used these systems and their own trained eyes in the deep to find the Bandurian subs. Sure, their targeting systems may have registered the decoys as actual subs, but a true pilot learns to trust his eyes, and not his systems. The unmanned decoys were different than the real Bandurian Submarines, and alot smaller, as were most decoys anyway. To play along with the Bandurian trap, and make it appear as if they were ensnared, half of the Aeromar pilots actually did target the unmanned vessels, and destroyed them easily. The other half had picked up the submarine fleet approaching, and had targeted them instead, holding their torpedoes until the last minute. When it became evident that the sea fighters were being targeted, the pilots that had placed their weapon systems on the Bandurian subs unleashed hell and then quickly engaged in a vast number of manuevers to keep from getting hit. Their timing was almost perfect; the fighters dived and climbed, the sea around them lighting up from enemy fire. Of course, in war, there are always losses: 17 naviators (as they were called) were killed in the depths, but revenge would follow, no doubt that. The ships that had escaped had one small problem though, as the thirty torpedoes the enemy had launched were tracking some of the fighters. They began to move as one, however, in an effort to shake these weapons and do some damage to the enemy fleet in the process. Charging towards Bandurian submarines with underwater missiles on their tails, the Aeromar pilots that were under attack pulled up at the last minute as they charged for their targets. The torpedoes following them couldn't match the manueverability of the little water fighters. 30 Bandurian torpedoes were gracefully returned by Nueve Italian forces to the same Bandurian submarines that launched them. Needless to say, the irony in the situation was killing the naviators. Unfortunately, that statement also held true. In the resulting explosions, four more pilots didn't pull out in time, and went down with their attackers. As for the rest of the squadron, they had propelled themselves out of the enemy circle and towards the surface. They then flipped over, dived, and rained fire on the enemy fleet, once again using one torpedo per pilot.
_____

Salvatore Command Bridge

" Sir, odd readings from the enemy fleet."

The radar operator had signaled the Emperor over, showing his readouts of the Bandurian Armada.

" Well? What is it."

" Well sir, after we launched our first attack, enemy ships have been disappearing off of my display."

" Of course they would, that means we hit them-" started Antonio, slightly angered that he had been bothered from war for a small problem like this.

" No, but that's the thing sir. Our first barrage was launched expecting the Bandurian fleet to scoff it off, right? With their immense number of ships, they have a pretty tight defensive perimeter. Now, I know that with something like that, the losses that are being depcited here can't be right. According to this readout, we've just destroyed about seventy-five to around one hundred ships. I've seen the Bandurians fight, especially against aerial assaults like this. There's no way in hell they were caught unprepared, and there's no way they would let that many missiles and shells get through."

Antonio wasn't as skeptical as before. " Jamming signals, then?"

The Radar operator nodded.

" Yessir, our Radar is being made to interpert false data: I don't know if we're going to be able to rely on it much more."

" There's a problem. . . Well, at an estimate, how many ships do you think we hit?"

" Well sir. . .from the size of their fleet, the number of vessels they have that are capable of repelling air attacks, and the amount of firepower sent over . . .I'd say we hit maybe twenty five ships, maybe a little more, maybe a little less."

Antonio sighed. Not good news, but then again, it was what he had expected. After all, one doesn't defeat an enemy fleet in one attack.

" This is beneficial to us anyway. The Bandurians now believe us to think that they are weak, and that we can strike out as we wish. If we do, we fall into their trap, and they pounce with the vessels they "don't" have. We hold for now, but send out a transmission to our pilots on our carriers. Tell them to launch and aid our Czardaian allies in the skies above."

" Yessir."
_____

Nueve Italian Aramda

Aircraft began to be prepped for launch and sent up as quickly as possible. As the Armada slowly bolstered the amount of Coalition fighters in the air, the Bandurian attack force would be forced to turn around. With both the Air fleets of Czardas and the expert pilots of Nueve Italia, the Bandurians would be outnumbered and outgunned quickly. By the time the four new enemy squadrons had reached the Czardaian planes, around seventy Republican fighters were in the air from the Carriers of the NIIN. More were coming, and air superiority would be turned over to the allied fleets.~

*bump*ness

where'd everybody go . . . :confused:

*bump*

[ooc: It's 360 torpedoes, not 30, and they're actually more maneuverable than you might think, being fairly small...]

Unfortunately for the Nueve Italians, all Bandurian equipment was designed with an adage in mind: the ability to withstand an attack from something of the same type. Therefore, the armour composite on the Bandurian submarines was more than sufficient to allow the torpedoes to cause little damage, if any. However, even such a defence would be unnecessary. The submarines simply cut their engines, leaving the Aeromars as the only sonar signatures for the torpedoes to follow. The 360 torpedoes simply adjust course, tailing the submarine fighters as the 30mm cannon fire is joined by hundreds of slugs from the "underwater CIWS" 35mm guns under the ASW configured destroyers, cruisers, and frigates.

Meanwhile, the Corporate Navy has prepared a counterstrike of absolutely massive proportions. The VLS systems aboard all ships of cruiser size and larger—including the Firestorm-class heavy arsenal cruisers—launched a massive volley of 10,800 anti-shipping missiles arching through the sky at Mach 5 towards Mondothian and Nueve Italian shipping. Almost immediately, a second wave of 10,800 missiles screamed into the air as the guns of the fleet began lobbing more shells into the air.

[Aerial Battle]

The ECM and countermeasure systems of the IF-24Ds engaged the incoming Czardaian missiles as the fighters loosed their six MRAAMs each at both Nueve Italian and Czardaian fighters, firing a total of 288 missiles. The UCAVs also added their fire, or 160 more MRAAMs, for a grand total of 448 missiles aimed at about a hundred fighters, or four per plane. The missiles traveled at Mach 5, far too fast for a missile or gun to intercept, and nothing but a miracle or exceptional skill would save the allied fighters now.

However, that would no longer be necessary. The dropship had finally reached position—over the deck of the Salvatore. As the UCAVs countered any SAM or AAM fire that could target the dropship with XSRAAMs and cannon fire, a large black object, guided by retro rockets, its fall slowed by a drag chute, plummeted from the sky towards the deck. [ooc: Think a less futuristic version of Dawn of War.] As soon as it hit deck, a crash was heard and the steel door buckled under fires of immense heat, collapsing in a steaming heap on the deck. Immediately from within, RPGs, .22 armour-piercing rounds, and .50 cal machine gun fire erupted, guided with IR smartlinks, wiping out anyone foolish enough to remain on deck. Three figures stepped out of the pod.

Two of them appeared human, but far taller and stronger than any human could ever be. It soon became apparent that this was due primarily to their armour, from which projected a number of turrets, each automatically fed from clips installed within the suit, firing .22 armour-piercing rounds at the flick of a switch. Along with this deadly fire, they carried custom-made machine guns, RPGs, and other heavy weapons, which they turned on any survivors who had not already entered the carrier.

The third figure resembled a spider, a massive six-legged spider, standing 5' high. It was in fact a minitank packing a powerful incendiary punch, strong enough to melt through almost anything with a concentration of long enough. Along with the twin incendiary turrets, it sported a 76mm gun and two missile launchers, each carrying five small guided missiles for use against personnel or tanks.

Even as this first group began making its way across the deck towards the heavy blast doors separating them from the route to the bridge—which had been spotted already using UCAV imaging from the dropship—more pods were landing atop the carrier deck, some even impacting Czardaian or Nueve Italian planes that had failed to take off, turning them into small craters. More and more groups of three figures—two Shadowers and one minitank each—began emerging, moving across the already blasted and ruined deck towards the entrance, more and more minitanks adding their fire as the door simply began to buckle under the intense heat...

The Bandurians were unstoppable, now.

OOC: Banduria, how in the hell did those dropships get through my entire fleet unscathed? Sure, they may have had cover, but there's no way that even one of them wasn't hit. My naval forces would have torn those things to shreds the moment they were detected approaching the carrier.

Also, how come none of your submarines took damage from my attack? (not using your own weapons, but my aeromars used their own torpedoes. . .)
_____

Underwater battle

~Aeromars, thankfully, were equipped with countermeasures for situations like this. The fighters broke off, had the weapons tail them for a bit, and then released an underwater mine which then proceeded to emit a wave of sound and heat throughout the ocean, something the torpedoes would definately pick up. The aeromars then powered down their engines, and drifted for a bit. The Bandurian weapons, as predicted, went straight for the mines, and destroyed them, leaving the pilots unharmed. Once again, they quickly flipped around, dodging projectiles that the lumbering submarines continued to fire, and sent out yet another volley of torpedoes. The enemy guns were of almost no use against the sea planes, as the submarines were too large to move into effective position to attack. Nevertheless, seven more fighters fell to Bandurian fire.
_____

The Grand Fleet

One the dropships had been picked up heading towards the Salvatore, every aerial weapon the fleet had was turned on those that still remained. Fighters, SAMs, Phalanx fire, everything. The transports had to be stopped from landing, but despite their efforts, some did get through. It was up to the crew of the Salvatore to contain these soldiers, and it didn't seem to be much of a problem. The 11th Vestaglies Neres, as well as an extremely large amount of sailors and marines, were on board the vessel. The ship would not fall so easily.

Meanwhile, the attack by the Bandurian fleet was detected, and preperations were made to intercept. Lasers, bullets, rockets, missiles, everything was deployed to stop this attack. The missiles were coming in quite fast, but some brave pilots committed the ultimate sacrifice, taking these weapons into their planes to save the carriers, dreadnoughts, and battleships. The massive covering range of the fleet made almost any attack by the enemy vessels nigh-ineffective. With over one thousand ships at their command, the NIIN was quite safe from ship-to-ship attacks. To help in stopping the missiles, a sub launched 2 EMP burst missiles towards the first and second wave of enemy munitions. Upon detonation, it would fry the circuits of the weapons around it in a one-mile radius. At the same time, the Nueve Italian Armada made its own attack on the enemy. While losing 93 ships in the assault, 6 battleships included, they returned fire with 11,000 long-range anti-shipping missiles. A rocket and cannon bombardment followed suit, launching an additional 6,000 projectiles.

In the sky, NIRAF planes were few in number when the Bandurians launched their attack against aircraft. Therefore, only about 76 fighters were shot down. A lucky 4 managed to evade the enemy missiles by deploying decoy flares as they dived towards the water's surface, and then pulling up at the last minute, the flares shooting below them. The missiles tracked the fighters, confused the two targets, and then plummeted into the ocean. Perhaps a Bandurian defunct in their weaponry? Or perhaps the superiority of a few elite Nueve Italian airmen? No matter, for it was now time for NIRAF to strike back. A few more minutes allowed 41 fighters to be hastily launched from the many carriers' decks. Quickly locking on to Bandurian fighters, they joined their fellow warriors of Czardas and launched an all out blitz on the enemy. Republican fighters fired off four missiles each, each fighter tracking a Bandurian pilot. 4 missiles per enemy fighter, and with four shots, it was unlikely they would miss. A chance, but unlikely. Then again, a few Nueve Italian fighter pilots got lucky . . . but that wasn't a worry on the soldiers in the air now. The projectiles dropped, and then fired off at speeds reaching up to Mach 5. A dent in the enemy air force, but there were many, many, many NIRAF fighters left as well. The Nueve Italians would not give in. Even if all they did was force the enemy to at least retreat and let them rest in peace, now that they had no home, no land, no true purpose for living. The men and women of the last great stand of the current Republic of Nueve Italia were fighting only to save their lives. They knew that many of them would die. They knew also, however, that they would triumph. Emperor Antonio Gori had broadcasted a message out to those still following him when the fleet was first formed. It went something like this.

" My people . . . my fellow countrymen and women . . . my friends. We have been forced into a situation from which there is no escape. We have been forced into the one thing we despise most: war. Look out before you; look at what remains of our great land. Look at the scars across Nueve Italia. Look. See what the Bandurians have wrought upon us: death, destruction, and chaos. All of it, meaningless and unjustified. They have killed our fathers and mothers, our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, and for what I ask you? For what in all of God's Holy Name? They burned our towns and cities to cinders, attacked our very Earth. We will not let such an attrocity go unpunished. We will not stand by while we are hunted to the point of extinction! We will NOT let these monsters take from us the last thing they can take! We will NOT die here today! My fellow soldiers, I ask of you, I beg of you, I implore of you to stand with me; Raise the Banner of Defiance! Raise the Banner of Pride! Raise the Banner of Courage! We are still here, and we shall make that known to our enemies! My people, I stand with you not as your leader, but as a man who simply seeks that God's thunderous vengeance comes like a bolt from the Heavens upon those that deserve it! Nueve Italia, in the following hours, I ask of you to think of only one thing. Care not for how strong the enemy may be: we are stronger! Care not for how many soldiers they have: we have more! Care not for how well they are trained: we are better! Nueve Italia, I ask of you to undertake the only act that will save us: Kill the enemy! Stand fast and destroy those that attack us! Make sure they never underestimate a Nueve Italian's resolve again! Do not let up until every last one of them is dead! DEATH TO THE BANDURIAN AGGRESSORS!"


The Nueve Italians, fiery, brash, and emotional after hearing this message, realized that everything Antonio asked of them, they would do. They would defeat their enemy. They would make them regret every single second they spent on Nueve Italian soil. They would not die. Not yet. Not here. Not now.~

*bump*

*bump*

OOC: Sry, Seem to have lost touch for a little while, Will IC post as soon as I figure out what I missed

[ooc: I mentioned them in 3-4 posts; you had several opportunities to intercept them, but you didn't. Really, it's your loss.]

The Bandurian submarines realised quickly that they could play target-the-countermeasure all day with the Nueve Italian fighters, with no effect whatsoever. It was obvious that drastic measures would need to be taken.

The submarine battle was taking place some distance from the main Bandurian fleet, about five kilometers or so. Submarines began to move out and down, away from the Nueve Italian fighters, while a token force of about nine remained, launching further torpedoes and using their own countermeasures and decoys. Two submarines were destroyed by Nueve Italian torpedoes, sinking into the depths and trapping the crews under a thousand meters of water, but the rest remained, preparing the final move.

A single 635mm torpedo was loaded, bearing a nuclear warhead with a twelve-kiloton burst. The warhead was fired into the middle of the Aeromars, detonating and destroying everything within a large blast radius. Including several of the Bandurian submarines, to be sure, but they had plenty more where those came from.

[7th Corporate Armada]

The Nueve Italian volley was registered almost immediately. The Bandurians were beginning to grow tired of the missile tag as well and the Dominis-class SSBNs fired eighteen ballistic missiles, all armed with EMP warheads. Two would strike the Nueve Italian missiles and shells, disarming them completely and sending them plummeting into the waves; the other 16 were placed evenly around the fleet and detonated, the effect calculated to knock out every circuit in the Nueve Italian armada. Immediately afterwards, the Bandurian ships fired a volley of over 30,000 missiles towards the enemy armada. It was timed so that the vast majority of ships, especially air defence ships, would have no electronic means of countering the assault.

The Shadower teams now swarming the deck were launching a full-scale offensive, blasting their way into the midst of the battlecarrier with massive incendiary fire. The carnage around the entrance was horrible; Nueve Italians were slain left and right with horrific brutality, on a scale far, far worse than anything seen up to that point in the war. Shadowers dismembered their still living enemies, cutting off body parts and forcibly feeding them to their comrades, blasting holes in walls with their incendiary fire, their path leading them straight towards the bridge, which they had pinpointed using UCAV intel. Three Shadowers and a minitank were disabled or killed during the first stage of the attack, but it was not enough.

Meanwhile, six of the UCAVs, packed with high explosives, plunged out of the sky towards the bridge of the Salvatore. The pure kinetic energy caused by hitting it at speeds exceeding Mach 10 would probably destroy the bridge at the very least and split the carrier in half, sinking it. One UCAV burned up in the air while falling, but the others would hit within moments, missile fire simply adding to the fires raging around the tails of the aircrafts.

[Aerial Battle]

As the 164 AAMs shot towards the Bandurian pilots, the IF-24Ds began engaging in a massive number of evasive maneuvers and loosing assorted countermeasures. The Interceptors' sophisticated ECM systems shorted out many missiles, and the expert Bandurian aviators, trained to fly from birth, managed to evade most of the incoming missiles, with only eight planes falling to enemy fire. The 40 remaining launched four missiles each, or 160, before turning around and returning to the main Bandurian air armada, still engaging Czardaian forces in the skies.

OOC: Banduria, my air defenses would have picked up those EMP missiles and dealt with them accordingly. RPing that your attack automatically succeeded is godmodding. You have to give the other players a chance to retaliate or counter your own moves. Otherwise, what's the point? And anyway, those EMP missiles would also disable all of mine, Czardas', and your fighters in the area as well.

IC:

Undersea

~ The Aeromar fleet was wiped out. Simple as that; living through a nuclear explosion was not something most things could do. However, there was some hope. A single Aeromar had escaped, by some grace of God. One sub-fighter, out of 96. The pilot had used a grapple that came standard on the small, underwater aircraft, powered down every single one of his systems, and then attached the grapple to a Bandurian submarine as they retreated back to their fleet. Emitting no sound, heat, or anything for that matter, the small watercraft was practically invisible in the ocean. The pilot, 1st Lieutenant Mario Ortega, brother of Catalina Ortega, a member of the 104th Tactical Fighter Squadron, was drifiting along with the Bandurian submarines back towards their fleet. He had wasted all of his weapons, save one: his drill torpedeo. He had been formulating a plan that was crazy enough to work, and hopefully, with a little luck, it would. The submarines carried Mario back towards the Bandurian main fleet when he saw it: the main carrier of the enemy armada. It was too big of a target to pass up. Deattaching the grapple and turning slightly, the Aeromar pilot floated towards the carrier, still invisible to most enemy sensors. When he was about 100 yds. away, he struck. Mario powered up his Aeromar, ran a brief systems check, and fired off the torpedeo. It sped towards the hull of the enemy carrier, and Mario guided the remote controlled weapon with a presicion unknown to anyone else around him. Yes, he was going to die within the next few moments, but if he could sink this weapon, the enemy was going to suffer greatly.

The Salvatore

Poor, foolish Bandurian soldiers. They thought that landing on an enemy carrier was a bright idea. How wrong they were. Why, one may ask? Because carriers have defensive systems. Turrets. Locks. Lots and lots of marines. Weapons. And that was just the deck. As soon as the enemy dropships touched down, ten 30mm CICW point defenses turned on the deck, and fired continously. These weapons would cut the enemy down right where they stood, no matter what. Other turrets, aware of the enemy presence, also turned and began firing before the Bandurian soldiers could get into one of the main doors, which had been sealed anyway. Sure, the Bandurians could try and get through the blast doors, yet nothing short of high-grade military explosives or a plasma torch would cut through. Inside the ship, nothing awaited the Shadowers except endless passages and T-junctions, where many ambush parties would await the enemy. The Shadowers would be slaughtered within minutes aboard the Nueve Italian ship: It just isn't possible for a small group of soldiers, even if they were super-soldiers with mini-tanks, to take over an enemy ship. Logic would tell anyone that.

As for Antonio, however, he knew that the Salvatore would be targeted anyway, and his escape had already been planned and executed. When the dropships had reached the Battlecarrier, he, the bridge crew, Admiral Faggio Perriggio, and Captain Finlay of Czardas had gone towards the Hangar levels to get off of the ship. Some would say that they needed to reach the deck to take off, but there was where even more Nueve Italian ingenuity took over. VTOL craft were stored in the hangar bay, which the crew immediately jumped in, Antonio in his own, unmarked fighter. The side doors of the hangar had opened, showing the vast fleet of the NIIN Armada, and the fighters lifted off the ground slightly, and then roared out of the vessel, heading towards another carrier, the Spada diCielo, where they were quickly recieved and brought towards the Bridge to command the fleet once again.

NIIN Armada

EMP weaponry was always a hazard in the modern battlefield, but that was what R&D departments were for. Nueve Italian submarines had been informed of the enemy attack, and quickly prepared to counter it. They were holding a perimeter outside of the fleet when the reports of the weapons came in. The NIIN subs then launched a special missile into the air, one that was still slightly experimental technology. It soared to the sky quickly, and then detonated, moments before the Bandurian EMP missiles hit. These sub-launched weapons were a prototype missile that Nueve Italia had hoped to market before this entire war: A missile that produced an Electronegativity Field that could stop against EMP weaponry. Electromagnetic Pulse weapons were designed to destroy electronics by shorting out their systems upon coming into contact with the sensitive instruments and wiring of those systems. The Electronegativity Field Missile was designed to counter these weapons. It produced an electric field upon detonation that could actually absorb EMP blasts. The weapon simply used chemistry to its advantage: It was full of atoms that were common in the atomosphere without a full set of valence electrons that, when released, would seek the nearest source of energy and bond to it to become a stable atom. The EMP burst was a source of energy, and the atoms would seek it, bond to it, and negate its effect entirely. Those bonded atoms with enough energy to become stable would then become harmless gases in the air, and whould be threatening to absolutely nothing. 16 of these weapons were launched, one for each Bandurian missile, meaning that when the next Bandurian attack came, Air Defense Systems were still active. The attack was stopped easily, protecting the Nueve Italian ships through the use of technology rather than force.

The same was used for the attack on the Salvatore When the UCAVS had first been registered as setting a course for the Battlecarrier, another Concussion Missile, the same type that had stopped the enemy satellite attack, was loaded into a sub. As soon as the aircraft were posted over the carrier, the missile was launched, just as the enemy kamikazes dropped. The concussive burst from the weapon threw the enemy UCAVS aside, but not without some side effects: One threw up a wave that flipped over a nearby Corvette, and two more slammed into a Battleship, completely sinking it. The rest plunged harmlessly into the ocean, except for one more, which had hit the ocean, and then, for some odd reason, skipped, and hit a destroyer, tearing the vessel in half.

As for the Nueve Italian attack that had previously been launched on the Bandurian fleet, the EMP burst had detonated and knocked out the missiles' guidance systems, but shells do not rely on electronics: they are simply fired from cannons that recieve trajectory and coordinates from the ship whence they came from. The shells themselves carry no electronics, and therefore, were not harmed. The Bandurians probably didn't realize that, and were now paying for it, as those same shells continued to fall towards enemy ships since they had not been dealt with accordingly.~

Admiral Yeltsin of the Mondothian Battlegroup realized that if he didn't act quickly, this battle would pass him by, leaving the Nueve Italians Vulnerable. Quickly snapping to he began barking urgent orders.

"Helm! Close position on the Nueven fleet, I want our defenses in between them and the Bandurians!

Intel! I want drones In the air, those Bandurians are playign a smoke and mirrors game so I want visual confirmation on every surface target before we start shooting at the water instead of at ships.

Signals! Full EMCON, if the opfor can play shell games so can we, deploy all decoys and turn the jammers on full, I want any enemy missile in five miles to go deaf dumb and blind, jam seeker and otherwise.

CAG! I want the air wing running interference up there, dispatch strike teams to do some damage to the Bandurians, set the rest of the force as back stop to put the hurt on their air group.

Subs! Those Opfor boats are getting on my nerve, I want them crushed like soda cans at thebottom of the ocean before they can pull another salvo."

The orders were followed by a ast round of Ayes and the various officers he had addressed got to business.

The engines of every ship in the fleet came to full military power, rapidly accelerating the ships towards the slice of ocean between the Bandurian and Nueve Italian fleets. meanwhile idle crew men were dumping huge gray block overboard that slowly began to inflate into huge radar reflectors with integral speakers and radar jammers, as the inflated they began to act just like Mondothian ships, even sending out radar jamming signals and the sounds of active engines. About a dozen of the largest included small engines and one or two CIWS pedstals so they could move and shoot down enemy aircraft and missiles.

From the decks of a few of the ships lifted several RS-12 recon drones, equiped with a variety of cameras including Ultra Violet that coudl easily identify targets among decoys that might appear perfectly identical to real ships under other spectrums. The little RS-12s were highly stealthy, only a meter or two across and made of strictly radar transparent materials the little drones floated above even the air battle, taking pictures and locating the real enemy ships among the myriad of false signals.

Under the sea the Mondothian Submnarines fired a small barrage of what appeared to be torpedoes, but once out of range of the subs that launched them, they began pinging on active sonar, 'lighting up' the sub surface battle gorund, revealing the positions of enemy submarines so that the Mondothian subs could fire a barrage of real torpedoes, armed with ADCAP seeker arrays capable of 'intelligently' ignoring enemy decoys and homing in on real targets.

In the sky the Air group moved out into the air over where the Modnothian fleet was more slowly heading. Before the fighters got there though several groups broke of, five teams of four PC-23 UCAVs broke away, diving towards the Bandurian fleet, as soon as they were targetted by the Bandurian air defenses they almost disintegated behind massive salvos of HARM missiles that homed in on RADAR and LADAR signals back to the sensors where they detonated just out of range of CIWS and other point defense systems, showering the sensors with hundreds of little tungsten cubes that would smash through radar domes and pulverise the delicate lenses of LADAR, even thermal imaging systems were vulnerable, although their passive nature meant that they wouldn't suffer a dirrect strike, there was enough of the little deadly fragments to go around. Follwing the wild weasel strikes groups of AF-39 CAS fighters would move in with more powerful missiles to take out ships vulnerable with only damaged and barely functioning missile defenses.

Meanwhile IF/A-14 Thundercat interceptors played a deadly game of sharks and minnows with the Bandurian missiles and fighters, using their powerful radars to identify targets and fire AAMs and spray 20mm explosive shells with deadly accuracy at them.

RP Ended

Story continued here

The Rebuilding of Nueve Italia (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=10463779#post10463779)