NationStates Jolt Archive

Warsaw, Poleski

High-rise spires dominated the sight of the grey morning skies of Warsaw, their foundations embedded in snow. Although these masterpieces of esthetical architecture dwarfed the vast expanse of low-rise structures, true power was vested in an inconspicuous grey building, curved like a crescent around an adjacent square. Dim light sources dotted its concrete framework, light rays barely knifing through the white blanket of falling snowflakes.

Inside the People’s Palace, President Aleksander Radomil brought a china cup to his lips and took a final jug of coffee before rising from his chair and grabbing a few items from his cluttered mahogany desk. He folded a number of manila envelopes and documents and stashed them in his dispatch case. He put a single scrap of paper into an easily accessible pocket of his overcoat before leaving his office. He tightly strapped a scarf around his neck and lower face as the soaring winds cut off his breath. His assistant directed him to the awaiting motorcade. Aleksander sank down on a leather seat in the second limousine and began memorising a few lines scribbled on the small scrap of paper. The motorcade sped off, police escorts providing a route to avoid most major traffic jams.

“The enroute Smoke Jaguar flight has encountered severe weather conditions. There are being redirected to a small commercial airport nearby.”

Aleksander’s assistant, a young woman in her late twenties, said.

“Thank God, that’ll give me a few extra minutes to learn these welcome words for the delegation. I wish I could have that linguist from Foreign Affairs who jotted down this ineligible writing count trees for a prolonged period. We should've kept those remote labour camps when we rose to power.”

Aleksander said, with a slight hint of sarcasm lining his words.

His assistant chuckled.

Outside, the precipitation was fading.

Aboard the Smoke Jaguar C-295, Konteradmiral Fritz Waldenberg was definately not happy. Torn away from his beautiful 11th Bombardment Group and its majestic battleships to ride this sad excuse of an aircraft through what must be nothing short of a full-on typhoon, he most certainly could be doing better. Choking down a bit of vomit, he glanced around, noting with no small amount of distress the sadistic grin his old friend Generalleutnant Takahashi Kisuke was wearing, clearly directed at his discomfort. Even those damned Heer officers seemed to be enjoying both the ride and his little display. Resigning himself, he silently prayed to god that the plane would land before he compltely eliminated any remaining dignity he had, though at the same time cursing the orders that called him here, and the knowledge that made him such an obvious choice.

Newly promoted Oberst Erma Neubruck, on the other hand, was quite enjoying herself. At 29, she was quite young for such a senior officer, but the array of medals, qualification badges, and campaign shields sewn across her uniform told the full story, leaving no doubt as to her qualifications. Though just an adjutant at this stage, it would certainly change soon enough. After all, it was already well known that they would be training the Poleski Army, and that would be the only reason to bring along the most famous tanker in Clan Smoke Jaguar. Thankfully, her 5-year stint in the light tanks of the 243rd Mechanized Airborne Division had left her quite accustomed to aircraft in bad weather, and she noted with no small satisfaction the clear discomfort some of her senior officers maintained.

And while others were lost in anger or joy, or just trying to keep their not-as-bad-as-one-would-have-thought lunch, Major Alex Walker was sleeping. After all, that was all that a big oaf like this bird was good for. His dreams were filled with the freedom, beauty, and awesome power of the F-36A Kunai, and had he had a choice, he would have flown here in one himself, rather than waste time in this old tub. Of course, command had insisted that the fighters be shipped in like everything else. "That would be easier on the planes and pilots" they'd reasoned, though Alex well knew that cost was the real reason. But whatever. He'd get to fly soon enough, and for now, he could sleep.

Six other officers crowded the plane's forward rows, totalling three for each service. Further back, there were several warrant officers and senior NCOs as well, and among the officers were several diplomats who had their own agendas, and most of these, like Major Alex Walker, were sleeping as well. Altogether, there were 31 passengers in the aircraft, though the main delegation would be just over half a dozen. The remainder were there to provide preliminary assessments of the Poleski military and infrastructure, in order to prepare for the massive training initiative that was soon to follow.

And above all else, there was the pilot, a little worried about being diverted to an alternate airport (you know how these diplomats and military types are), but a lot more worried about the weather, and hoping there wouldn't be any trouble getting down, safely.

The small commercial airport, hemmed in by a number of sharp rock cliffs and ridges and massive pine tree forests, had been completely evacuated by police and security forces to guarantee the safety of the Smoke Jaguar delegation. A number of airport tractors had been outfitted with snow plows and salt distribution tanks to clear the runways.

Still slightly anxious, Aleksander watched the C-295 gracefully touch down on the cleared tarmac. He was still out in the mind-numbing cold, desperately attempting to soak up the heat emitted by the engine of a tractor nearby. The airport was devoid of a modern terminal, so a stairways was raced into position by maintenance personnel.

As the aircraft door swung open, the Smoke Jaguars slowly emerged from the aircraft and descended the stairways. They seemed slightly uncomfortable in the cold and they were quickly rushed to a heated departure hall inside the main structure of the airport. Aleksander clenched his fist in his pocket and crumpled the folded sheet of paper. Some mispronounced words of welcome in Japanese and German would make him look like a fool anyway.

"It is an honour to have such distinguished guests in our humble presence. Please, accept our sincerest apologies for these horrid facilities. You are most welcome. Unfortunately, weather conditions are severe at the moment and if there is anything else I could do to make your stay more comfortable, please do not hesitate to ask me or any of my staff."

Aleksander began shaking hands and making personal introductions. Slowly the entire group was guided outside, towards the awaiting motorcade, now containing dozens of vehicles.

OOC: sorry for such a long wait here. My internet connection died over the weekend and we just got it up again :(

IC:
With the introductions done, the head of the Smoke Jaguar diplomatic group, one Andrzej Wysocki, was one of the first to really observe the surroundings. He had waited most of his life for a chance to visit his ancestral home, and even if this was business, he would certainly make the effort to take in every detail he could. The ride in the vehicles was mostly in silence. The Smoke Jaguars were of course tired and a bit jet lagged after such a long flight, and the real business didn't start until tomorrow anyways. As the vehicular procession sped off with the Smoke Jaguar personnel, Andrzej found his gaze repeatedly drawn to the lovely countryside. Certainly he had seen such things in photographs, but pictures can hardly convey the true beauty and splendor of a scene. Already, he was enthralled with what he'd seen, yet he hadn't even touched on the splendor of the old cities. He knew then that he would certainly do anything to get a permanent posting here.
A few cars further down, another pair of eyes was drawn to the scenery. But, while the beauty wasn't lost to her, Oberst Erma Neubruck was not interested in this. Instead, she took note of every rise, and every depression, and every defensible location. An airport, even a small one, was a major target during war, and as one who would help advise on deployments and organization, every detail she could take in would be important. Maps, after all, can only give so much information.
A few other personnel, predominantly Heer, but a few Luftwaffe as well, were also noting the various aspects of the terrain, though certainly with nowhere near as much intensity as the other two.

The Smoke Jaguar delegation were conveyed to the President's countryside estate, where a lavish banquet was arranged to allow for further informal mingling between top Poleski government and military officials and Smoke Jaguars.

After a good night of sleep, the highest ranking officers and diplomats were transported to a meeting with the President in the capital, while most warrant officers were given a tour of Poleski military facilities, able to make preliminary assessments of terrain and infrastructure.

Warsaw, Poleski

Three top Poleski dignitaries, a few loyal staff members of President and the Smoke Jaguars crowded the cramped quarters of the Presidential office. An odour of cigars, coffee and sweet chocolate creams mixed with a scent of expensive perfumes and was twirled around the room by softly buzzing fans.

The Smoke Jaguars were gathered around the imposing mahogany desk of President. The President himself had scribbled several queries out on paper and read them out.

"I wish to enquire what progress has been made since our first request for assistance. Could you summarize recommendations for doctrine, training and organization and such for the Poleski military?"

"How will our current forces be transformed and how will Clan Smoke Jaguar aid this effort?"

"What CSJMI equipment should be procured and will this give us a leading edge over potential opponents?"

It was Andrzej who spoke up first to address the President's inquiries. "Well," he said, "the primary goal of this excursion is to determine exactly what path to take. We wish to be thorough here and thus will take our time to ensure that you get as much out of this effort as is possible." He took a brief pause and waved his hand around, directing attention to the senior officers present. "The men and women you see here, and those who were with them, have been tasked with determining the specifics of what you need based on your own doctrine and requirements. Each of the soldiers in this group is a specialist hand picked to help train and advise your troops. They include some of our brightest and most renowned minds, including Oberst Neubruck here." His gaze directed the president and his entourage to the young Colonel, her dress uniform showing off a vast array of decorations. "She is the first soldier since the campaign in Hongazgrad to attain the Knight's Star with Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds for combat performance, and will impart her considerable knowledge and experience in the task of reforging your armored forces." "Konteradmiral Waldenberg . . ." he directed his gaze towards Fritz ". . . has long been considered one of our best naval analysts, and even our own senior officials seek his counsel in determining the needs of our fleet." His gaze then rested on Alex. "And Major Walker here is our third highest ranking active-duty pilot, with fourteen confirmed kills, all in the F-36, which your military is already acquiring." "General Takeyuchi is the senior officer here, and will be in charge of writing up the final recommendations. He was formerly commander of one of our most important defensive formations, and thus would be an obvious choice for determining the tactics and equipment your army should be formed around." "And of course, Generalleutnant Takahashi here will be a key player in forming the air force and setting up interservice support."
"Our remaining personnel include numerous representatives for various combat and support formations, who will observe your forces and determine where improvements should be made, and will later head the training initiative."
"Regarding specifics, that would probably best be handled by General Takeyuchi." With that, he gave the General a nod, ignoring some comment about diplomat's he'd said under his breath."

With all eyes on him now, General Takeyuchi couldn't help but feel a little nervous. The impact this stint could have on his career could be enormous after all, though it could be in either direction. "Well," he said, "we're still in the preliminary stages, but we do have some things already put down."
"For starters, we've determined that the army should be divided into to Army Groups, one active and one reserve, and each of these will have two 4-division corps. This will give a force of eight active and eight reserve divisions, with numerous independent support units. According to the original requirements, this should be primarily a mechanized force, and the core of this will definitely be armored divisions though we will also include a number of varied infantry formations to take advantage of terrain such as forests and cities that invaders may need to pass through. The focus is on mobility and heavy firepower, and will involve a combination of powerful placeholder units and faster striking units for counterattacks, the key being to force the enemy to adopt an air of caution, slowing him down enough for reinforcements to bring overwhelming firepower to bear.”
“The air force will be primarily dedicated to supporting ground operations, with denying the skies to the enemy a secondary role. To that end, the vast majority of combat aircraft will be capable of both ground attack and air-to-air combat, allowing overwhelming power to be concentrated in either area. We will also see a significant increase in force multipliers such as AWACS, JSTARS, ELINT, and airborne jamming units, whose goal will be to ensure that you can follow your opponent’s every move. Communications and cooperation with other services will also be paramount for this branch, as it is the only one that will regularly support both other services.”
“The Navy is one we’re still not entirely sure about, but we’re looking at a few heavy units such as battleships and carriers that can project power if need be, and also meet opposing forces far from your shore, but based on the defensive nature, a strong emphasis on littoral combatants such as fast corvettes and missile boats will be the key. Land-based naval aviation will also be extensive and will be routinely supporting naval operations through the use of interceptors and strike aircraft.”
“Where training is concerned, we’d like to start with classes held here by our experts, who will work to set up a training program your own forces will use, but we certainly wouldn’t mind if you wish to send some key personnel to some of our own established schools. We’ve long been known and respected for our recon, submarine, and aerial combat schools, among others, and have a long established tradition of military excellence, with a high proportion of combat veterans throughout our training command.”
“As far as the equipment goes, there is a lot of leeway with that, but as we’re drawing up recommendations for organization and tactics, we will make note of our own suggestions. Your military of course should decide on the final selection on its own, but we will certainly make an effort to guide them to the best tools for the job.”

"Interesting. I am certain this force will provide solid defense of our homeland. Further details should discussed with top Poleski military staff and the Ministry for Defense, as I am not knowledgeable on this subject. Still, you have my full approval for the entire program and furthermore, I wish to express my sincerest gratitude for your helping hand. May a bonding between our two nations last."

The President shook hands with Andrzej and handed him a sword, folded in a large Poleski flag.

"This is my gift for Khan Kabrinsky. It is an ancient curved hussar saber once wielded by the Savior of Vienna and Western European civilization, King Jan III Sobieski of Poleski, who brought the assault on Europe by the Ottoman Turks in the 17th century to a halt and repelled them from our lands. His patriotism and courage have inspired our people throughout history. This sword represents his legacy and I present it to your Khan as a sign of our gratitude. With your aid, our foes will never succeed in breaching the sovereignty we hold so dear."

As the meeting drew to an end, President Radomil shook hands with all Smoke Jaguars and guided them towards their motorcade, lights flashing outside as the national press had taken notion of the visit. The entire delegation was again transferred to the President’s estate, where a quick lunch was organized. Afterwards, the delegates were separated. Smoke Jaguar military personnel were all transported to meetings with command staff of all three major military branches to discuss further plans. The diplomats were en route to a meeting with the Smoke Jaguar ambassador for Poleski.

Andrzej showed no small amount of gratitude in the President's offering of such a treasured possession, and briefly wondered what the Khan would send in return. It would be interesting to see. But his thoughts quickly turned to the matter at hand. Things were shaping up well, and most of the rest would be in the hands of the two nations' soldiers. But even that thought was pushed away when he remembered who was part of the embassy staff. It'd been two years since he'd last seen Alex, and wondered how the old dog was doing.


Among the soldiers, there was a general sense of relief in their diplomatic part being done. Now that they were no longer dealing with civilians, but rather other soldiers, they could at least act a little more, well, soldierly. To those who would present the organizations being drawn up, the vital importace of their role was not lost. Even those who were to be primarily involved in training were prepared to answer questions and back up assertations that would naturally run contrary to much of the Poleskian military's past and current practices.
This meeting would be mainly for introductions, with the next day seeing the first of the true meetings, which would include three series of gatherings, and would solely look at the army's organization and equipment. First up would be the army, mostly because that was the closest to completion at the moment and would be the more rigid of the three. A defensive armor-based force had already been requested. The next series would go over the air force. And finally the navy. After these were completed, and the forces were finalized, at least to a degree, each service's entourage would go out to observe facilities, equipment, training, and if possible, the troops in action. It would be through the information gleamed here that the training and reorganization initiatives would be determined.

For now, it would almost be a social gathering where the officers would get to know each other. Tomorrow, General Takeyuchi Shinnosuke, Generalmajor Dennis Hoffmann, and Oberst Erma Neubruck would lead the way.

[TAG] for my entrance into the role-play. And yes, I have been approved by Poleski.

Bump

Apologies, CSJ and Southeast Asia, for my unannounced dissapearance from NS. I hope you are both still willing to continue this roleplay. I will post IC later today.

[OOC: No worries, no worries - RL has to take precedence. Not to be nosy, but where were you?]

OOC: No problems here. I was a bit disappointed to see this fade away, and would be happy to start it back up again.