NationStates Jolt Archive

An Ancient Secret Revealed

First of all, this is an Earth II RP, and as such, closed to members of Earth II. Comments and constructive critizism is however welcome. This thread is basically an introduction RP, where a previously unknown branch of my military is revealed to the world. Therefore, bear with me, as this will turn from action into politics soon. Lastly before I let you read, thank you for reading.

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Bergen, Norway

The news crew had just finished filming their story, well within the deadline for the six-thirty news broadcast. Now, they were talking and drinking a cup of coffee while waiting for the editing people in the van to complete the editing of the story. It was a nice story about a local school getting new computers from a local wealthy businessman as a gift for their education. A nice shift of focus from the constant preperations for the war which seemed to be looming. Just then, chattering from automatic weapons broke the relative silence in the school-building the news crew had just filmed from. The newscrew immediately dove for cover, but the camera-man shoved a new tape into his camera and started filming. The images he got were extraordinary. A group of nine men wearing balacavas and donning AK-74s stood in the street and shot at the school. The shooting was returned by a couple of men in suits with pistols, but it was clear that they were ill equipped to handle the masked men. They were simply put outgunned.

The men were from the illegal political grouping Rød Valgallianse, who wanted Norways royal family killed, the national assembly and all civil freedoms banned and for Norway to shift to Marxist-Leninism. The Norwegian government considered them a terrorist organization, thanks to an earlier attempt two years prior to kill the King which had resulted in five terrorists and nine soldiers from the Kings Guards dead. Now, carrying their favorite weapons, the nine, no they were down to seven now, two having been shot dead by the police officers that protected their target. Didn't really matter, as the police officers were gunned down by the remaining terrorists. They then stormed the school, shooting people who tried to resist or who were simply in their way. Inside, more police officers were, but those too were shot dead with another dead terrorist. Didn't matter. They just had to reach their target... there he was! The terrorists stormed into the classroom and put three 7.62x39mm rounds into the chest and head of the teacher inside, leaving the seventeen nine-year olds inside without any adult watching over them. And there, in the middle, their target was. A full-blood prince of Norway, the Kings cousin and heir to the throne, attending school in Bergen. His attending school here was kept away from the medias and press, and the members of the Royal Police Escort Service from the Oslo Police Department guarding him didn't expect anything special to happen. No one did. Untill now.

Before he died, one of the police officers had called the special response unit nearby. These men weren't police officers, but they weren't really soldiers either. They were members of a secretive special unit called the "Birkebeiners", and responsible for the protection of the Royal Family. The Birkebeiners had a long and special place among the Norwegian royalty, being the sworn defenders of the rightful King to the Norwegian throne. They had been responsible for getting several Norwegian kings on the throne in the past, all of them influencial and important in shaping Norway in the way it was now. They had faded from official Norwegian history around 1320, but they still sticked around, secretly protecting the King and his family. That was why the three M2010A1 Bushmaster IMVs and two M2008A1 Dingo APVs, all painted black and with a MG15A2 heavy machine gun on top drove like crazy through the narrow streets of Bergen. Inside were 45 Birkebeiners, dressed in black combat uniforms and protection gear and armed to the teeth with advanced weaponry and equipment. This secret unit usually got the best equipment a long time before that equipment reached the regular military. The soldiers had all been hand-picked, volunteered and sowrn to give their life without hessitating if it was necessary to ensure the safety of the monarchy. They were all officially dead, with fake military funerals and the whole nine yards given, and trained extensively untill they had no other purpose in life than to protect the Royal Family and the safety of the Kingdom, and the means to ensure that safety. Now, it was time to do as they had pledged and to earn their pay.

The fourty-five men were divided into seven fireteams of five each, three sniper teams and two machine gun teams, as well as the crew of the vehicles. The fireteams got out as the vehicles stopped at the entrances to the school and got into their positions. This was an exercise they had rehearsed a lot of times, and they knew exactly what to do. Two fireteams got into position to cover the two entrances while three teams of five prepared to enter. The men were armed with AG5A1 Special Forces Carbines, AG4A3 Assault Carbines and MP6A2 P90 submachine guns, as well as pistols and hand grenades. However, first they needed to confirm the orders. Local police were also arriving, and since all Birkebeiners had police authority equal to that of the Police Director within the Kingdom, the local police force were ordered to ensure the perimeter, something they did with the normal Norwegian zeal. Those who disobeyed the single order to move away from the area were brutally put into the ground and arrested for obstructing police business. Apart from the brutal way of being detained, they would get to spend the rest of the afternoon in a 2 meter by 3 meter by 3 meter cell in the main police station before they were released with a hefty K8,000 fine (K1 = $1.65). A few people did disobey, and they were thrown into the ground, often breaking the nose and a few teeth of the detainee as it crashed into the brick road. Another reason why you shouldn't mess with Norwegian police. The best part was that the camera crew filmed everything, from the black-dressed people in soldier-ish clothes and equipment bossing the police around, and the police accepted it! Something important was going on here, but no one knew yet. This was exactly what the Norwegian government didn't want to happen, but they could do very little with it as the news broadcast was now live, on an international news channel, and the fact that there was a little thing called "Freedom of Press" in the Constitution.

OOC: You think that Rød Valgallianse would cooperate with my nation if i offer help?

OOC: You could approach them, but they're all going to be dead or arrested soon anyway...

Oslo, Norway
The news of the attack reached the Kings desk seven minutes after the attack started, leaving King shocked and angry. The Kings Guards, the elite Army regiment officially responsible for guarding the King stood at a higher alert, while the Birkebeiners, the unofficial protectors of the Realm were on their normal alert level, which was always max. They always expected an attack, and the reports from Bergen were that the Quick Response Force had responded according to training and regulations.

“Herre Konge, Birkebeinerne ber om ordrer.” [My King, the Birkebeiners are requesting orders.] the General said respectfully to the King, who was the supreme Norwegian military commander. His orders superseded even four-star generals, and that along with the love and respect of the people warranted him a certain amount of respect.

“Få nevøen min ut derfra. Stopp terroristene, sporenstreks!” [Get my nephew out of there. Stop the terrorists, now!] the King answered, still shocked at the news of the attack.

“Javel Herre Konge.” [Yes my King] the general answered before he relayed his orders. The school was about to become even bloodier.

Bergen, Norway
“Svartfot 4, Svartfot 6. Engasjer fiende, gjentar, engasjer fiende.” [Blackfoot 4, Blackfoot 6. Engage the enemy, repeat, engage the enemy.] The orders were quite clear for the Brikebeiners. They hadn’t been given orders to take prisoners, so they would kill the terrorists when they saw them. Blackfoot 4, a team of five Brikebeiners armed to the teeth with weaponry slowly entered the school building, being on the first floor. The terrorists were on the second floor, with 17 hostages. Intel was sketchy, but the two dead terrorists, the Birkebeiners considered anyone attacking their protectees terrorists, outside gave a good hint as to the armament and affiliation of the remaining terrorists. They were likely to oppose AK-74s, a formidable weapon but no match to the weaponry and armor of the Birkebeiners. All the Birkebeiners wore NCS Mark III lightweight armor, capable of stopping bullets in calibers up to 7.62x51mm NATO, Level IV ballistic projectiles, a threat that was non-existant as the AK-74s were chambered either in the 7.62x39mm Soviet round or the 5.45x39mm round, both Level III ballistic threats that the NCS was capable of stopping with relative ease. Ensured of their protection, the teams moved relatively quickly through the building, checking every room as they passed. The sweeping was done methodically and efficiently with two men entering one room, two more entering a second room and the fifth person standing guard in the hallway, ready to come and assist either of the two teams in case that was needed. Svartfot 4 cleared the west wing within ten minutes before they met up with Svartfot 3, another Birkebeiner team which had cleared the east wing. Together, the two teams moved up and started the encirclement of the classroom where the terrorists were housed.

On the outside, three sniper-teams had taken up positions overlooking the school and its entrances, covering the teams on the ground while the remaining two had positioned them so that they could provide intelligence by looking into the classroom. The snipers were for the most part armed with SG92A2 Super Magnum rifles, but one was armed with a SG25A7 sniper rifle chambered in the 7.62x51mm round, the lightest of them all. The spotters carried for the most part AG5A1 SOFCARs chambered in the 6.8x43mm Remington SPC round, fitted with ACOG red-dot sights, as well as their spotter scopes. Right now, they saw their protectee huddled around the rest of the kids, placed up against the wall while the terrorists loomed over them with their weapons, AK-74s pointing right over them. There were five of them in the classroom, terrorizing the children. The information was passed on to the two teams, who were now in the corridor, hiding around the corner from the doorway from the classroom in question. A scope had been poked around the corner, allowing the Birkebeiner to see on his visor what was in the corridor without having to expose himself. He counted a single terrorist, toting a Scorpion submachine gun with a silencer. The door to the classroom was closed though, so they wouldn’t have to worry about the enemy hearing them when they took out the terrorist.

Carefully, the Birkebeiner carrying a silenced MP6A1 P90 submachine gun leaned over and took up his aim. The terrorist had his back to the team. That would be his last mistake, the first one being to do anything to involve the Birkebeiners. The Birkebeiner aimed for the skull and squeezed off two shots. The deadly 5.7x28mm projectiles exited the P90 at a speed of 712 meters per second, covering the short distance of 9 meters in no time at all before slamming into the terrorists head, splattering his brains all over the corridor. Birkebeiners rushed forward and grabbed the lump body before it could fall onto the ground and make any noise, placing it quietly against the wall. Then, six men took up position outside the door to the classroom with weapons and G68 flashbangs ready. The guy with the P90 stood ready along with others who had either AG5A1 SOFCARs or their silenced P33A2 pistols ready. The rest of the team stood guard outside in the unlikely event that any other terrorist stumbled into the corridor. The operation had lasted for less than 30 minutes, and the teams were already prepared to enter. The terrorists had not stated any demands, nor would they.

At exactly 25 minutes after the two teams entered the building, a Birkebeiner quickly opened the door and in went no less than four Flashbangs. The grenades flew across the air, and before the terrorists knew what hit them, they detonated into the faces of the terrorists, who had all been attracted to the area of the grenades because of the sudden movement. 1 million Candela made the terrorists temporarily blind while the 180 decibel “bang” deafened them, giving the six men who entered easy targets. Four of the terrorists were killed by the Birkebeiners while a fifth one, the one closest to the door was knocked unconcious by a surprised Birkebeiner who reacted instantly by hitting the man in the head with the butt of his P90. At exactly 25 minutes and eleven seconds, the area was cleared. Two Birkebeiners kept their weapons trained on the unconcious terrorist who was now ziptied, disarmed and unmasked, wondering what the heck they should do with him. Kill him, or detain him? The decision was made by the team leader, who decided to keep him alive. He could provide vital information.

The children were checked by the Birkebeiners before they were escorted out by the Birkebeiners and civilian police, who were now rushing into the school to help out. They were kept well away from the living terrorist though, who was dragged after his arms out of the school by two Birkebeiners while a third one kept his rifle trained on the terrorists head. That image was shown all across the world as they appeared in the courtyard of the school. It showed what might have been Norwegian SWAT officers with weapons restricted to military personell only, something which didn’t add up. That would be commented on in Norwegian medias later, along with the fact that military vehicles were used as transportation by the SWAT. It was unavoidable that foreign medias and intelligence agencies also picked up the obvious: the Norwegians had a secret, well-trained military unit.

"Secret Military Unit Revealed!"

OSLO (NTB): Yesterday, a terrorist group attacked Kronengen primary school
and after a short firefight with police officers present at the school, took an undisclosed number of children hostage. The terrorists were masked and armed with military-style assault rifles, but no demands were made.

Shortly after the occupation of the school, a substantial force which can only be described as soldiers arrived at the school and sealed it off. The soldiers were armed with military-issue weapons and vehicles, but were masked as well. Immediately after arriving, the soldiers sealed off the school and evacuated whoever they could. The following events are uncertain, but after less than half an hour of the first shots being fired, the hostages were released and the soldiers brought out one surviving terrorist. The fate of said terrorist is as of yet uncertain.

The use of the weapons and vehicles, as well as the tactics has lead to specualtions concerning the identity of these soldiers. The black uniforms and special tactics has lead several experts to believe that the unit which intervened was an up till now unknown unit, a so-called "black operations unit." Former Colonel Jens Stege said that "the tactics these soldiers used are tactics taught to special forces." Colonel Stege was the leader of a unit from Hærens Jegerkommando for twelve years before he retired. "The professionality and tactics surpass even those of my old unit."

The Government has denied any comments, citing national security concerns. This only fuels the speculations that this was a operation conducted by previously unknown special operations forces. We have as of yet not been able to obtain any information concerning the identity or origins of the unit. One thing is certain though. The ability of our government to defend the people is very much intact. As is its ability to keep secrets from the people. This leads to the next question: what other secrets does the Government harbor?

OOC: This meeting is Top Secret IC

Oslo, Norway – two days later

The King sat at his normal place at the top of the table where he had a good view of all the ministers. To his right, Prime Minister Thomas Rothsky sat, with the various ministers down along the table. The further away from the King you sat, the less important you were. However, every single minister had his or her eyes glued on the King, who had just ordered everyone but the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense Jon Alvheim, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jo Benkow, Minister of Finance Siv Jensen and Minister of the Interior Sigurd Frisvold, as well as Chief of Defense General Thomas Archer to leave the room. The ministers did as ordered, untill the five ministers and one general were the only ones left in the room, save naturally the King himself. He heeded them all over and pulled out a few dossiers. Without a word, he handed the dossiers out, one to each person, then he sat down and waited. After about five seconds, General Archer cried out, “A secret Army?!?”

“Yes General. A secret Army. One which can do just about anything we, or rather I, wish to have done, and it’s perfectly deniable. The soldiers in it are all there of their own free will, and we have taken every precaution to ensure that their identities remain unknown. If anyone were to find out the name of the soldier, they would find that he had died in an accident or in battle earlier.” The King answered confidently. He had gone over this himself with the people who had suggested it in the first place.

“Still sir, it’s something I should have been informed of earlier!” General Archer said out loudly. He had been made Chief of Defense three weeks prior, and was still learning the ropes. The Birkebeiners had been the brainchild of the former Chief of Defense, the now retired General Sverre Diesen, but their existance was so classified that even though they had existed for more than a year, it was first now that the Government was informed of them.

“This wouldn’t happen to be the people who sorted the terrorist attack two days ago, would it?” PM Rothsky asked.

“Yes, it would.”

“How many soldiers are there all in all?”

“Eleven thousand two hundred, spread out across the Realm in four regiments, eight battalions and ten companies. All of the units are independent of each other.”

“Eleven thousand! How much does that cost?” Minister Jensen cried out.

“The annual budget for the Birkebeiners is around thirty billion dollars. I remind you that our secret nuclear stockpile cost a hell of a lot more to maintain.”

“We have a nuclear stockpile?” Minister Benkow asked. “That was new to me.”

“Yes Jo, we have a healthy, secret nuclear stockpile.” Minister Alvheim answered quickly. He emphazised the ‘secret’ bit, knowing that Benkow was a smart enough man to keep him mouth shut.

“Anyway,” the King said. “I just thought I should inform you about the troops. They’re already deployed, so if any of you have ideas to cancel the programme, forget it. They’re going to be a great asset to us in the future, as they can do anything we ask them to do without us having to confirm their existance. I also remind you that the contents of this meeting is highly classified. Now, any questions before we part?”

“Only one sir. Who do they report to?” General Archer asked.

“Me. The Birkebeiners answer only to me.” The King answered. A few of the minsters were about to bitch and moan when PM Rothsky spoke up.

“Lady and gentlemen, keep in mind that the Constitution gives the King the right to take the decisions necessary for the security of the Realm, including military action. He is also the supreme commander of all Cottish armed forces, and since the Birkebeiners after all are soldiers, His Majesty has every right to order them around without us interfering.”

That silenced everyone. Rothsky was a highly respected man, and his word was often the final word in any debate, even when that debate was at the Kings table. Then Minister Frisvold got the last comment.

“So I guess we won’t tell the people or the press about this unit.”

“No, we won’t. Now, anyone else have anything to say about this issue?” Silence. “Very well. I thank you for coming. Have a safe trip home.” The King said, signalling that the meeting was over. The minsters left, knowing perfectly well that this could not be mentioned to anyone outside the trusted circle. Ever. The cover on the dossiers they had read had been marked with “Strengt Hemmelig”, the highest level of secrecy in Cotland. This was one of those cases that would be classified till at least 100 years after the unit was disbanded. And the press would ask their questions, not get any answers and conclude that the Government had a new, secret unit operating. It was the truth, but no one would ever confirm it without being arrested, trialled for treason and executed, or just simply executed.