NationStates Jolt Archive

House Zeon Capital, Zeon, Empiricalis
Piter Zeon, the quintissential son of Marconi Zeon, stood before his Father in the massive House Zeon throne room. It was lavishly decorated, with both walls covered with pictures of the Zeonic ancestral line. All the great Zeon leaders stood immortalized in oil and paint, and their images reminded Marconi Zeon of the great House he must lead.

"Father..The Emperor has stonewalled another request of ours..We are..Unworthy..Of the Emperor's Presence..We must remove the undesirables in our population.." Piter said, relishing the presence in his Father's throne room.

"What undesirables? The Emperor has never stated to me that House Zeon is unworthy of his presence." The Baron Marconi Zeon said, looking at his son in a demeaning manner.

"I'm talking about the retards. The invalids. The people who are continuing to clog our glorious House with unusable labor power, with..waste..Eliminate these immediately and the Emperor will grant us greater Glory.."

"No, I will not begin the mass murder of my own civilians in an attempt to gain the greater 'glory' of the Emperor..This is madness, Piter, What has gotten into you?"

"If you will not see it my way..Watch House Zeon fall to ashes..I cannot allow that, Father. House Zeon will live for Eternity.." Piter reached into his jacket, and time appeared to slow down for the two occupants of the room.

Marconi Zeon rose out of his chair, pulled out his gleaming .44 caliber pistol, and both father and son had guns aimed at one another.

"Do not do this, Piter..The Emperor will drop House Zeon from his support..Stuttgart and Melwasul will invade us..You'll destroy Zeon..No!"

Piter and Marconi both fired at the same time..The whizzing bullet ripped a hole in Marconi's dress shirt, and entered his body six inches above his stomach. The bullet fired by Marconi, however, went through-and-through Piter Zeon's left shoulder, the bullet dropping somewhere near the door of the room. Piter weakly raised his gun once more and emptied the clip into his dying father.

"House Zeon will never fall..You never understood that...the House is mine, for now, for Eternity.."

Two Weeks Later
All across the lands of House Zeon, Military Police herded the people by the millions wherever was possible, for the first round of intelligence testing..

Every citizen had three opportunities to pass the test, and if they did not, they would be executed. It was expected that 94% of the population would pass it..However, that 6%..

Scared civilians and their families were pushed into 'testing zones' by the MPs, and they were told to sit down, shut up, and take the test. They picked up their pencils, and, scared out of their wits, took their mandatory intelligence tests.

Droves of citizens were forced to take physicals, looking for physical defects..From Astigmatism to Male Pattern Baldness, any and all defects were written down in a patient's medical records, to be looked over by the Zeonic Government..

Four Weeks After Death of Marconi Zeon
A family, sitting down at night in their suburban neighborhood in House Stuttgart, turned their TV on:
"Welcome to Channel 7 news, this is Jamie Ross, and this is Alberto Gonzales. Tonight's major headline..Oh my..Marconi Zeon reported dead in throne room. We're going out to Juan Gomez in the field for more. Juan?"

"I'm here, Jamie. Preliminary reports say Baron Marconi Zeon was shot to death approximately two weeks ago, by several .38 caliber shots to the chest. The body was found in a supposedly hidden storage chamber in the Zeonic Manor by a maid nearly six hours ago. It is reported that Piter Zeon will take command of the House Zeon, but he has been commanding since Marconi Zeon went "on vacation" approximately four weeks ago. Jamie?"

"More details to come.."

Camp 24

This massive structure, erected in the former "Rolling Highlands" of Zeon..It housed 300,000 people, albeit not permanently. At the top of the building were two giant smokestacks that smelled permanently of torched flesh..

OOC:Your government can react, do whatever, really..Completely open..

" You seem to fallow the ways of the Necromonger. And we say kill everyone. And convert those who wish to kill. Show them the way of death. Let thier souls search for the underverse. And if you need help we can provide assistance in this quest...." said a letter writen to the Zeon leadership. Necromonger warships stood ready to help with the mass death of the people. For the extra death would make them stronger and more open to the power of the Underverse.


100,000 Necro-soldiers
100,000 Necro-Logistics

Mirkana questions this decision, as IQ tests have often been found to be unreliable.

Encrypted Response from Noble House Preta
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/Kutulmak/bloody_rose1.jpg


Greetings from the Yurkan Noble House, Preta to your own. We are glad to see that you are taking fair measures of keeping your people more or less pure and intelligent, a noble endeavor indeed. I myself would like to send some assistance to you during the testing period, to make sure that they are as efficient as possible. However I would like to think there is some other use for most of these people rather than simply killing them, though I will not go into my own theories on the matter.

If you agree to this, I can send fifty thousand guards and teaching instructors directly from my noble house to assist you in this matter, along with a small number of defensive vehicles and transports to make sure everything goes smoothly.

I eagerly await your response.

Marcus Preta (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/Kutulmak/luciferz.jpg),
High Scion of House Preta,
Servant of the Eternal Empire

To: Government of Mirkana
From: Piter Zeon, House Zeon

I frankly do not care about your puny nation's opinion on our internal matters.

Piter Zeon

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

To: Marcus Preta, Yurka
From: Piter Zeon, House Zeon

I accept your offer! The House Zeon Military Police are unable to keep up with the one hundred fifty million people in need of testing, and your assistance could only speed matters up. You have already been granted a landing space in the Zeonia airport.

Piter Zeon

Um, we have about 700 million people.

OOC:Small militarily.

Camp 24

"March! You inferiors have no right to live on the hallowed ground of Zeon any longer.." a guard said with zeal. He kicked a cripple who was shuffling along the floor weakly, and he fell over.

"Get up!" the guard said. The cripple attempted to pull himself up, and was struggling with it when the guard struck him with his truncheon.

"Get up!" the guard repeated. This time to the cripple didn't move.

"You two! Pick that one up and bring him with you." the guard yelled at two mentally retarded people, pointing at the dead man.

They looked confused, and then figured out what he wanted them to do. They picked the dead man up, and continued their forced march to the incinerators..

Panzergruppen Zwei Station, House Stuttgart
"So Zeon has really gone through with their extermination.." a tank commander said, reading the Zeit, the daily House Stuttgart newspaper.

"Yeah. Präsident Görn has been talking about threatening war with Zeon to stop them. In my opinion, we'd need the Emperor's support to take down Zeon." The commander of Panzergruppen Zwei said, taking a sip of coffee.

"A couple of my buddies live in Melwasul, and there's been rumours flying everywhere about Melwasul declaring war on Zeon as well. The rumour is though that the Emperor would intervene if Melwasul attacked." the tank command said, bored.

"Well, we're the closest to the Zeon border, so if war breaks out, we're in first. So get your tank ready for combat now, and shine your boots while you're at it. Hochkommandant Strechen is inspecting us in nine hours."

"Yes, sir." the tank commander saluted smartly and left the room.


Zeon-Stuttgart Border

The 150km zone where House Zeon bordered House Stuttgart was one of the deadliest zones for a man to cross. Travel between Stuttgart and Zeon was outlawed in both houses, and it would be serious folly to attempt to cross into Stuttgart from Zeon, or the other way around for that matter. The Zeonics distrusted the Stuttgarts, and the Stuttgarts had hated House Zeon since the formation of the Houses and the Empire.

Today, however, would be a change. Several mechanized infantry divisions laid in wait at the Zeon-Stuttgart border, and all they waited for was a one-word command, and they would rush over the border, beginning the Zeonic-Stuttgart War.

Meanwhile, on the Stuttgart side of the border, Panzergruppen Zwei was at the ready for any invasion by Zeon. Also, an infantry division, Infanterieabteilung Vier, was being flown in on VTOL aircraft and helicopters. Both sides prepared for war, and they were within mere kilometers of each other. The massive Schwer artillery cannons of the Stuttgart defense force could very easily cover the distance between the Stuttgart lines and the Zeonic lines, and likewise for the Amazonian class Artillery Spider of the Zeonic forces.

House Empiricalis

Emperor Greil Empiricalis read intelligence reports with anger.

Zeon and Stuttgart preparing for war..Melwasul building it's military for war with Zeon..It's like they have completely forgotten I exist.. the Emperor thought.

He called in a servant, and said, "Get me High General Stevens."
The servant bowed, and left the room.

Twenty minutes later, High General James Stevens entered the throne room and said, "Yes, my Emperor?"

"Prepare the military at our border with House Melwasul. Tell them that if they do not cancel their buildup we will invade them and put them down.."

"Yes, my liege." He bowed as well and left the room.

Empiricalis-Melwasul border

The mighty Fedaykin, the Emperor's Infantry, began to station themselves along the Empiricalis border with House Melwasul. The ultimatum sent to Melwasul, the Fedaykin just waited for the Emperor's command to rush the border with Melwasul and destroy them.

The Emperor's house was strong enough to destroy any individual house, but against all of them the Emperor would be fighting a losing battle..

To: Baron Piter Zeon

First of all, I send condolences for the brutal murder of your father. Although I never knew him, he was a worthy leader.

However, the topic of my message to you is on a far more positive note. Your purges of undesirables and defectives among your population are truly a grand example to the world! I applaud you for your decisive and necessary action, although in Helfaer we prefer not to waste them and force them into slavery.

As we are so apparently similar in ideology and methods, I believe that we could help each other. However, allow our actions to speak with our words. Our satellites have detected mobilisations along your border in conjunction with similar mobilisations on the other side, a move usually heralding armed conflict. Should war break out, we are willing to send forces to assist your own.

The Fell, Monarch of the Ash Desert, Leader of Helfaer

To: The Fell, Monarch of the Ash Desert, Leader of Helfaer
From: Baron Piter Zeon

Ah, it is quite good to see another nation whos ideologies are similar to my own.
I accept your assistance offer, and you will be one of the first nations we call upon if the cowardly House Stuttgart declares war on us.

Baron Piter Zeon

___________________________________________________________________
Camp 24

The operation was going as smoothly as possible. Over nine million people had been identified for immediate execution, and people were being..processed.. in Camp 24 by the hundred thousand almost daily.

One day, however, things were different. A group of mentally disabled people, marched through the Camp to get their "Last Meal" when they began to murmur among themselves about revolt.

They were formerly wrestlers before the testing, and they were much larger than the Zeonic MPs who surrounded them. This spirit of revolt began to infect the rest of the prisoners in the "Last Meal" line, and it exploded when a prisoner punched an MP in the face.

About fifty prisoners broke from the meal line and began to beat up on the 15 Military Police who were supposed to be keeping charge of them, but this miniature riot ended as soon as 20 more police barged into the room with shotguns and opened fire on the rioters. Ten men dropped dead instantly, with the MPs firing their shotguns at rioters at every possible opportunity.

Fifty rioters, and 2 MPs died that day.

Stuttgart Hoch Befehl, Stuttgart-Zeon border

"The Emperor will not intervene, he would not want to waste so many men on us when Melwasul is clearly defying him." a high general said, pointing at troop deployments on a 3D map.

"I agree. The Emperor is mobilizing near Melwasul, not near us. It is safe to invade Zeon.."

"So it's agreed. Send the general order, begin artillery bombardment of the Zeonic lines and launch all aircraft!"

"No Man's Land"

The order circulated around the artillery crews, which then made it to the tank crews of Panzergruppen Zwei, and spread to the Infanterieabteilung Vier almost as quickly: Assault the Zeonic lines.

The mighty Schwer heavy artillery cannons, fixed in their positions along the Stuttgart fortified area, loaded their huge 205mm cannons with ordinance.

"Fire!"

As if in an orchestra, the massive noise given off by the Schwers could be heard from any city in Stuttgart...

The war had begun.

To: The leader of Stuttgart House
From: The President of The United Socialist States of Somewhere in South America

We will not tolerate this genocide being conducted by the Zeon house. Because of this we are going to start conducting airstrikes on Zeon's assembly lines, manufacturing facilities, power plants, and anything else that could hinder the Zeon war effort. If any other help is reqired just ask.

Colderon Zion recieved word of the possible intervention by the Somewhere in S American military. Such actions could not be allowed. Raven corp had other plans for the social outcasts. And needed the Zeon house to complete its task of rounding them up.

Colderon ordered the complete air defence of the Zeon land claim. But would not give the aid unless they asked for it. The defence was ready They just needed to ask.

The Trintarian Republic feels that the actions recently taken by the House of Zeon are the actions of a government gone tragically ary. We cannot allow a Government, espescially an autocratic one such as Zeon, to so belittle human life that a simple test is all that is necesary to end it. Such actions are reminicent of Stalin, Hitler and the Romanovs to name just a sampling, and we cannot in good conscious allow it to happen.
Therefore, The House of Zeon is hereby warned, to stop this inhuman genocide, or face the Might of the Modnothian Military. If, within the next twenty four hours, the killing of innocent human beings does not stop. Then we will proceed with tactical strikes (non nuclear) on vital machinations of the Zeon government.

OOC: I don't want to see any million man intervention armies, ne?


To: The President of The United Socialist States of Somewhere in South America
From: Piter Zeon

Any sort of strike within the borders of House Zeon shall be taken as a declaration of war between our states, and my state will immediately retaliate. Be warned..

Piter Zeon

____________

To: Government of Mondoth
From: Piter Zeon

Imperialistic cowards you are! Ever heard of national sovereignty, hm? If you began executing criminals in your nation, would you hear us complaining? As before, any strike within the sovereign territory of House Zeon will be taken as a declaration of war. Be warned, fools...

Piter Zeon

House Zeon Throne Room
"Double all air patrols and bring the old navy out of dry-dock.." Baron Piter Zeon said, reading over the latest messages from Mondoth and S America.

"It would take at least a month of work to get the Navy seaworthy again.." the old naval Admiral said.

"You have two weeks. Do it." the Baron said, indifferent to the need of more time.

"...Yes, my lord." The Admiral said nervously and left the room.

The Baron sat in his throne poring over maps of Empiricalis, but House Stuttgart in particular. The battle had begun! The Zeonics were caught off guard, but they returned fire. As of yet, the skirmishing had only just begun...

Stuttgart-Zeon "No Man's Land"
The skirmish continued, with heavy artillery booming almost every ten seconds. Infantry ducked in their trenches, afraid of being hit by a splinter from an incoming shell. Neither side appeared to be winning as of yet..

A "Bulldog" class Ultra Heavy Battle Tank from the Stuttgart lines loaded 4 UAVs in a special 105mm sabot, and fired them over the Zeonic lines.

Now that their aim was better, the Stuttgart artillery could end the skirmish and charge across the No Man's Land..

Warlord John Malkav looked over the report once more. It was distressing. Zeon had been a wise ally and trader. But this...butchery had changed all that. No, it could not be allowed.

ULTIMATUM

Baron Piter,

This is a warning from the Commonwealth of Nevadski, requesting you cease all cruelties to your people. You have 24 hours. Failure to comply will result in Military Action.

Warlord Malkav
Nevadski Defence Forces

[ooc: Empiricalis, do you have a map of your nation I could see?]

OOC:I'm ignoring that attack since you're godmoding to hell. You can't:

Declare my losses.
Sneak past my air defense net without me noticing.

Change it or consider yourself forever ignored.
Helfaer: I'll have one ready in about 20 minutes.

OOC:Empiricalis Map:

http://img485.imageshack.us/img485/3286/empiricalis0yk.jpg

[ooc: Thanks. Now I'll just sit back and wait for a distress call, and plot evilly to myself. ;) ]

Malkav's watch began to buzz. The time was up. It had felt like weeks more than hours, he muttered to himself. Did I even sleep? Nevermind, more important things were at hand. The invasion has begun. He speed dialled the Head of the Military Arms Productions, telling him to speed his progress up a notch. Then just a few calls to High General Haigh and the Paradyne Research Facility and Nevadski was armed and prepared. Before leaving he gazed down at a black box lying on his desk, with just a single button on it. If this war went awry, that would be his last resort. May that never happen....

"The Infantry shall move to Area 2, and will wait for the signal before begining the advance. Artillery will stay behind and the Tanks will cut off the target area's flank." High General Haigh announced to his fellow Generals. "We are setting up a radio jammer and the Strike Force are pending orders. TTs will arrive in two days. My fellow Generals, may Nevadski be with you. Fair well!" The Generals bowed before running off to their positions. Before them lay their target, the Crossing Point HQ near the edge of the borders. If it could be destroyed with no message about it being sent to Zeon, they could cross in to the outskirts undetected.

RECONSIDERED PROPOSAL

Baron Piter,

Our government have reconsidered our ultimatum. It shall be discussed thoroughly before being pended. We advise you to stop your genocide or when steps are taken you shall be thoroughly invaded.

Warlord Malkav
Nevadski Defence Forces

OOC:I'm ignoring that attack since you're godmoding to hell. You can't:

Declare my losses.
Sneak past my air defense net without me noticing.

Change it or consider yourself forever ignored.
Helfaer: I'll have one ready in about 20 minutes.
OOC: Ok deleted it. My bad.

Stuttgart house side of DMZ
5 C-130s were flying at about 1000 ft above ground level. When they sighted the DMZ where the Stuttgart forces were they opened the cargo bay doors and slowly descended to about 50 ft. The C-130s then put down the landing gear and performed a touch and go. But when the wheels hit the ground a parachute came out the rear and then out slid an M3 Bradley APC. The other C-130s did the same so there were 5 M3s on the ground. They belonged to the USSOSSA and were there to help the Stuttgart army.

OOC: You don't border me, Nevadski. You need to come in through either fleet or aircraft. If you want to do that, land in Melwasul or Stuttgart.

IC:
Camp 24
"On the double-quick!" a marshal said, high above the marching prisoners.

"The infidelic Stuttgarts are attacking us! You, my men, will become the front-line soldiers of Zeon! Have glory, defeat the invaders, and we may give you back your citizenry!" the marshal yelled, inspiring the prisoners who had the mental capacity to be inspired.

75,000 prisoners were loaded into heavy APCs, and slowly trucked their way up to the front-lines..

These same instructions were given to the prisoners in the APCs;
"This is an StG-77 assault rifle. You point it and fire at the enemies, and when you run out of ammo, you attach your bayonet like so. After that, you charge and spear your enemies in the stomach, like so." A guard in every APC gutted a prisoner using the bayonet to make his point.

"You each have three grenades. Use them wisely..."

Stuttgart-Zeon "No Man's Land"

Panzergruppen Zwei, the elite tank division of Stuttgart, unleashed their fury on the No Man's Land.

Ultraheavy Bulldog tanks rushed across the No Man's Land, chewing up barbed wire with their massive treads, spraying chaingun and machinegun rounds ahead of them. Retriever class minesweepers waved through the area, sweeping for mines that could disable the massive Bulldogs, although some hit mines themselves, spraying splinters across the battlefield.

The Zeonic response, however, did not come lightly. Huntsman and Black Widow class Battle Spiders advanced across the land, quicker than any Stuttgart tank possibly could, attempting to outflank the heavy tanks and destroy them where their armour was weak. The infantry response had been so far very little as both sides infantry preferred to stay inside the trenches..

Amazonian Artillery Spiders continued to fire ranging shots at the Zeonic trenches, although they were being diverted to the battlefield. This was the same with the Schwer artillery batteries of the Stuttgart lines.

In the main driver's seat of a Bulldog, the gunners were having a field day. Explosions enough to deafen an unprotected man were going off every second, and there were no shortage of targets for the massive amount of guns on the Bulldogs.

A gunner aimed his 105mm ETC at a Black Widow's legs, and fired, crippling the leg. It shook a bit, when a second gunner aimed his gun at the same leg, ripping it out from the Black Widow. It slumped to the ground, still raking the area with chaingun rounds..

A Huntsman, revenging his fallen comrade, fired it's dual 105mm batteries at the Bulldog, damaging the front guns and making a huge dent in the armour. Both heavy tanks continued to fire at each other, in a perpetual stalemate..

Mondoth does not execute criminals, nor does it recognize the disadvantaged as such. You prate on National sovereignty and yet you violate the natural sovereignty of your own citizens. Forcibly submitting them to inhumane testing to decide which to cull as undesirable from your population. Any nation that seeks to emulate Hitler's fantasies about a supreme racial state, guarded by some crackpot ideology of purity. Deserves the fate of Hitler and his insane fantasy. It is the duty of every right thinking human being and nation to destroy such seeds of diabolicism wherever they lie, and salt the ground in which they have been planted. The House of Zeon will put down its Iron Cross or it will be put down by force!

Meeting of the Joint Chiefs

David Meir(State): It seems we've picked the prtty fight this time, House Zeon has supporters and detractors both ont he international scene. On the one hand
Autcrats and Corporate states such as Helfaer and Raven coprs are chomping at the bit to render aid, while more reasonable nations are ready to invade at the drop of a hat.

Hasan al Jabar(Intelligence): Indeed, sources place a Raven corps airgroup just outside Zeon airspace, apparently waiting for a call for aid to move in, while Stuttgart, one of Zeons Neighbors, is already moving in from the north

Marie Goddard (Marines):Good, I want to move a reg in on the south, drive straight to the capitol before they can blink.

Muhamed Bin Zarqawi(Navy): lets set up a a decoy force, North, aiding the Stuttgarts, keep them looking north while a phantom group sneaks in fromt he south.

Garnet Hartshell(airforce): i'd like a carrier group or two to look out for Raven Corps, the can be real nasty if we don't keep a finger on them.

Muhamed Bin Zarqawi: Yea, I'll put the thirty seventh in there, float around the western side, have their fighter group play tag with Raven's.

David Meir: I want some light tac strikes on government installations, espescially the Zeon Palace, I don't care if theysucceed, I just want them on their toes and hurting.

James Gamby (Strategic Command): Can do, I'll have the boomers lay on the heat tonight. A light drizzle of Ickies is just what the doctor ordered.

Hasan al Jabar: Are we agreed ont he overall strategic objectives and means of the campaign?

James Gamby: I believe we are.

Marie Goddard: I think so.

Muhamed Bin Zarqawi:Yes.

David Meir: Then Operation Omaha Beach is a go.

*OFFICIAL IMPERIAL MESSAGE*

WE of the Imperial Shogunate are sickened by the events taking place in the House Zeon. This is nothing short of genocide and holocaust! Therefore, we have two things to say to the government of House Zeon: One: Any nation attacking you will be fully backed by our nation, and Two: you have 48 hours to halt these actions or we ourselves will declare war to save those in your nation. Be warned, we do not know defeat. Should you ignore us, your grave shall be certain.

May mercy find you,

Shogun Nakamura Himura Kenshin

To: Shogun Nakamura Himura Kenshin
From: Piter Zeon

Why so many interventionalist states? We are perfectly within our rights to do as we please within our own borders, and you have no right to intervene. What we do with the people in our nation is our business, not yours. The citizens of House Zeon are perfectly within their rights to leave house Zeon and go to Melwasul or fly to Empiricalis or Namenlos if they are so inclined.

Baron Piter Zeon

Encrypted
To: All Nations Aligned with House Zeon

The time has come, my friends, to sweep across the nation of Empiricalis and destroy the invaders..There is a port city on the western coast of Zeon that is equipped for large scale fleets and air forces, please direct yourselves there. Also, we are preparing for a large scale blockade by the interventionalists, and we will very soon need to import materials of war and food for our citizens.

For the banner of Zeon!
Baron Piter Zeon

Stuttgart-Zeon Warzone
Panzergruppen Zwei continued their push across the flatlands of Zeon; They were inching closer to the infantry trenches, and infantry with ATGMs and grenades began to pop out of the ditches and attack the heavy Stuttgart tanks, and they were successful in styming the flow of Stuttgart armour.

Until, that is, the dozens of whistles were blown for the Infanterieabteilung Vier. They pulled themselves out of their trenches, and began to advance under the cover of the slowed armour. The battle-cry of the Stuttgart mechanized infantry gave spirit to every man and woman on the battlefield that day, and demoralized the Zeonics further than they already were.

Four squads of infantry were advancing using a Bulldog as cover, when an artillery shell slammed into the top-rear section of it, causing it to stop in action. A second shell impacted, hitting the ammunition storage areas, and the tank exploded, sending shrapnel and splinters everywhere. All four squadrons of infantry were wiped out.

With the release of the infantry forces of Stuttgart, the Zeonic commanders unleashed their anti-infantry weapon, the Tarantula Light Battle Spider. It ran across the battlefield at a frightening rate, unleashing hot lead to any infantryman foolish enough to get too close.

Hiding behind a main battle tank, an infantry loaded his Javelin ATGM. He spotted a Tarantula out of the corner of his eye, and he suddenly ran out from behind the friendly tank and loosed a missile at the Zeonic tank. It impacted the crew cockpit, and the tank slid down and stopped moving.

Stuttgart was on the verge of breaking the Zeonic trenches now..

To: Shogun Nakamura Himura Kenshin
From: Piter Zeon

Why so many interventionalist states? We are perfectly within our rights to do as we please within our own borders, and you have no right to intervene. What we do with the people in our nation is our business, not yours. The citizens of House Zeon are perfectly within their rights to leave house Zeon and go to Melwasul or fly to Empiricalis or Namenlos if they are so inclined.

Baron Piter Zeon

Baron Piter Zeon,

Under normal circumstances, I'd have to agree. We normally hold national sovereignity very highly. However, there is an exceptional loss of life in this case, and in these cases, we cannot stand by and let people use sovereignity as an excuse to get away with it. As we have no "right" to intervene, you have no "right" to murder other humans for the sake of "purification" or any other such means.

Shogun Nakamura Himura Kenshin

OOC: What is the south east coast of Zeon like? Esp. defences and terrain.

Message to House Stuttgart
From: Mondothian Military Command
Via: ESL-9865G
Encryption: Public
Decryption: ********

A Naval Taskforce with a Marine Assault Regiment component has been tasked to aid in the invasion of Zeon. Any information on the current situation would be much welcomed when we decided where the troops will hit shore. We plan on being in range to commence operations in a few days.

Under water- enroute to Zeon controlled waters
The ninth fleet was one of Mondoth's oldest traditions. a small taskforce composed entirely of submersible vessels, including carriers and amphibious assault craft. The sub-sea fleet was still a few days out fro Zeon waters, but wartime conditions had jest been imposed. The already supernaturally quiet MHD thrusters propelliong the subs through the water switched to slower speeds, quieting them even more. Several sound supressing systems, including counter-soung generators' came online, giving every sound a muted, far-off quality. SHip wide alerts were conveyed with lights and headphones rather than a PA system. all in the interest of silencing the submariners one true enemy, his own sound.

OOC: You don't border me, Nevadski. You need to come in through either fleet or aircraft. If you want to do that, land in Melwasul or Stuttgart.

OOC Sorry, you put up the map after I posted.

IC As the transport ships neared the coast, High General Haigh send his message to the Melwasul Government, asking for freedom to land. It would be quite a thorn in the Warlord's hide if they were to be denied access when everything was set up.

To: Whom it concerns
From: High General Haigh

We request permission to land at your border, regarding the immoral genocide produced by the House of Zeon. We will be reinforcing the large movement against them and need access ASAP.

Sincerely,
High General Jonathan Haigh
Nevadski Military Regime

The message from Baron Zeon was recieved with anticipation, and in the War Room a meeting was called almost immediately. The issue of sending forces to Empiricalis was a pressing one- satellite reports from above the border between Zeon and Stuttgart suggested that the battle was not going in the Baron's favour.

The round table at the centre of the War Room was surrounded by military leaders from all over Helfaer. The surface was strewn with satellite images, force rosters, and intelligence documents on all parties involved. At one end of the room, the screen showed a map of Empiricalis, highlighting various spots of importance, the greatest of which was the port at which the Baron had said they could land their forces. As the highest ranking among them, General Brinksmann called them to order.

"First of all, we need to choose our commanders for the attack. We will send two expeditionary land forces, a small fleet charged with the escort of the landing parties, and air forces for assisting in both air superiority and bombing campaigns. However, we expect that Zeon will have sufficient air power, so our sea and air forces will be small. As this is a small campaign, neither myself nor Admiral Drassich will be involved. Instead, I have decided to choose some of our less experienced commanders for some battlefield experience."

The room fell quiet at that, the younger commanders in anticipation and the older commanders in boredom.

"General Amon, you will take the first expeditionary force."

"Yes, sir! It would be an honour, sir!"

"General Merasus, you will be in command of the second."

"Yes, sir! I will do my duty!"

"Admiral Tyrsis and Air Marshall Gen-Agat will command the sea and air forces respectively."

Three days later...

The mobilisation had been long, but now two-hundred thousand combat troops sailed towards Empiricalis, to battle an unknown foe in an unknown land. Would they survive? Who knew?

[ooc: Ouch. That was a pretty awful post. If you want me to redo, say the word.]

OOC:No problem, Helfaer. Mondoth: Southeastern coast of Zeon is very cold, lots of iceland, but most of it is flat with some hills here and there. You may be interested to know Camp 24 is in the southeastern corner, but it's one of many such camps. The defenses are sparsely set up, so essentially anywhere on the Zeonic southeast coast is fine for a landing. Every 25km is a dual 18" naval battery and some AA, but not much else.

To: Shogun Nakamura Himura Kenshin
From: Baron Piter Zeon

Why must you interfere in matters that are not of your State? We are purifying our populace by any means necessary, and Zeon will come out stronger and more secure for it. Your nation's opinion does not matter in the slightest to me.

Baron Piter Zeon

To: Governments of Mondoth and Nevadski
From: Präsident Helmut Görn of Stuttgart

My allies! The House Stuttgart push into House Zeon has commenced, and we are asking you for assistance! The first priority of the Panzergruppen attacking Zeon is to free Camp 24, but we are quite far from the Camp and will be unable to reach it before hundreds of thousands are killed. We ask that the Allied advance into Zeon proceed from the southeast, so as to liberate Camp 24 from Zeonic hands. Panzergruppen Zwei and it's infantry division behind it will attempt to seize Zeon's House Capital and capture Piter Zeon. I ask that the Allies hold off the Zeonic armoured columns moving in from the southeast and southwest.

Nevadski, your forces are cleared to land in the city Torsieg on the southeast coast of Stuttgart.
Für Stuttgart!
Präsident Helmut Görn


Zeon-Stuttgart Warzone

All hope appeared lost for the Zeon armoured brigade, when a sonic boom was heard over the heads of the advancing Stuttgart army. In Zeon's posession were a number of hypersonic capable UCAV aircraft that were used for air patrols, but in this combat situation, they would become huge kinetic weapons. One thousand pounds traveling at Mach 3, which was a little over one kilometer per second, would deal a massive amount of damage to even the heaviest tanks of Stuttgart.

The SAM batteries on the Bulldog Ultraheavy tanks locked onto the oncoming Zeonic UCAVs, and they opened up with their limited stock of missiles. Nearly the entire stock of Zeonic combat drones were unleashed here, and nearly one half of them were destroyed by the Bulldog anti-air systems alone. That still left about twenty-five Zeonic UCAV drones traveling at hypersonic speeds into the Ultraheavy tanks.

Inside a tank, the gunners never saw it coming. The impact of the drone completely crushed the cabin of the tank, but luckily it stopped long before the tank would have exploded. Some Bulldogs were lucky enough to survive impact, although crippled and half it's crew dead, they still faught, a tribute to the hardiness of Stuttgart armour.

The infantry, however, were unaffected, as they fought through barbed wire and enemy machine-gun nests, attempting to break the Zeonic lines early before they could bring in reinforcements. A second armoured brigade of 50 tanks entered the battle, and the light and medium tanks charged forth at maximum speed, with all mines and tanktraps cleared..

Behind the Zeonic lines, the first of many waves of cargo planes touched down, unloading makeshift soldiers from Camp 24. One thousand soldiers were set down in the first wave, and that number would only increase.

The thousand people looked at each other nervously, clutching their StG-77s nervously. Finally, one peeped up with, "Shouldn't we...charge?"

A commanding officer of the Zeonic army looked at his new recruits with disgust. "Yes, you should charge. Go!" he fired his rifle in the air, and yelled, "CHARGE!"

The Zeonic infantry in the trenches immediately launched their counterattack, 7,250 soldiers in the trenches, bolstered by 1,000 civilians with guns, ran at the Stuttgart armoured division and infantry battalion.

The Stuttgart infantry opened fire using their assault rifles, and several light machine gunners opened fire, raking the Zeon lines with inaccurate yet deadly rivers of lead.

The Zeonic armour was basically crippled and out of the battle, as the Stuttgart armour was widely regarded as the most advanced on the continent. Broken spider legs and burned out shells of destroyed tanks littered the battlefield, and still Stuttgart advanced on..


Orificio, House Zeon

This port city was one of the most important cities in House Zeon, as it housed a large number of civilians, and more importantly, had the biggest naval shipyards and docks on the continent. Engineers and sailors worked around the clock to bring the old Zeonic Navy online, as they had been threatened by several nations already and could not be defenseless at sea. The Zeonic Navy was 250 ships, with it's capital ship being the Marconi, named after the late Marconi Zeon. It was an older dreadnaught, the first and only of it's class for that matter. It was still a major combatant at sea, although many modern designs surpassed it in capabilities.

The Navy was expected to be ready within four days, although nobody was quite sure at the Orificio Shipyards whether they would have that long. All along the coast of Zeon, engineers set up traps to slow down advances. They fortified everywhere they could, except the thin ice areas, where they would attempt to lure enemy armour inside to sink the expensive tanks. Camp 24 had around-the-clock air patrols, and an additional infantry brigade put in to guard the complex.

Melwasul Palace
First Citizen Findecano Melwasul, known as "Finde" to people who knew him well, read the ultimatum from the Emperor over and over again, so many times that he could see it when he closed his eyes.
War with the Emperor would mean the destruction of House Melwasul..Stuttgart is too busy with Zeon, and Namenlos is keeping out of the conflict altogether. I will not back down...The nations aligned with Stuttgart will help me defeat the Emperor for sure..

"Get me the High Generals in here, now." he said to a servant, waiting obediently for any orders from the First Citizen.

"Yes, First Citizen." the servant gave a fast salute and left the room.

Ten minutes later, all the High Generals of the Melwasul Army were sitting along a large circular table, looking at maps of the Stuttgart-Melwasul-Empiricalis border intently.

"If we force the Emperor to direct his invasion force at that border, Stuttgart will be forced to intervene!" one general said, while another raised his voice and said,
"The Emperor will not be dumb enough to draw Stuttgart into the conflict. Stuttgart's armour is too good for the Emperor's Fedaykin to defeat easily. House Empiricalis must be stopped at our borders and by us alone!"

"No. If we wish to defeat the Emperor, Stuttgart and Namenlos must enter the conflict."

"Namenlos is keeping out of this business with Zeon, although that may change if the Emperor asks their leader to invade Stuttgart. Remember that Greil Empiricalis isn't siding with Zeon, he's siding against us. My bet says the Emperor is pissed that Piter Zeon has drawn so much international attention, and needs to go through us to shut Piter Zeon up."

"Then why not use his fleet and air force to join Stuttgart? They're making excellent headway.."

"He needs to make a point to Piter Zeon, that the Emperor still is the strongest House on the continent..Sadly, we're in the way of him and Zeon.."

"We will hold. There will be no give, no leeway given to the Emperor. All available troops are to hold at the New Glasgow fortress on the Empiricalis border.."

Mondothian Sixty-Eighth Naval Task Force
The fleet slithered across the sea, 28 Modular Combat vessels with assosciated support vessels and several dozen corvettes. A single corvette squadron, 4 ships, ran well ahead of the task force, with ASW helicopters and passive EW gear to detect threats before they could hit the main bulf of the fleet. It was these four ships that first passed the imaginary line the described 'the combat zone' in Mondothian Military doctrine, 20 nautical miles from the edge of a potentially hostile nations sovereign waters. just close enough to be really noticed, and potentially close enough for long range shore to ship missiles.

"Commander, we're breaching the wall now."

"Very well, signal the squadron on the shadow net*, we're under tight EMCON from this point on. Console lights only above decks."

the messgae went out to the other three corvettes in the advance squadron and with a flicker, all the lights went out except for the dim squares of command monitors, essential to running the ship. Coupled with the low rcs of the small ships design, this measure, plus the restriction on non shadow net communications, made the corvette group very hard to spot on any conventional detection system. in about half an hour, the major surface combatants would be taking the same precautions. and although larger, the purposefully stealthy design of MCV ships gave them only a slightly higher RCS.

Beneatht he waves, the Task Forces submarine complement had been running as quietly as possible already fro days. under water, sound could travel much farther than light or RF signals, and the threat to ship that could only be seen by sound was much higher than for surface ships.

Mondothian Thirty Seventh Task Force

The Thirty-Seventh was much less careful, its point was to be seen, staying outside of the potential 'combat zone' The fleet would soon begin launching fighters, trying to locate and harass the Raven Corps. air group already in the area, drawing them out and making forcing them to take a defensive stance. Hopefully keeping Raven Corps. out of the fight, at least temporarily.
The task force is equipped with eight light carriers and four pocket carriers, a total of 240 fighters, mostly IF/A-14 Thunder-Cat interceptor/deep interdiction fighters, with a few squadrons of 'Red Kite' Air superiority fighters.

OOC: Are you going to try and stop my fleets or should I just land?
* Shadow-net is based on a RL type of experimental Wi-Fi network. it uses ultra-low intensity RF to carry information over frequncies that are already being used for other traffic. becasue of the low intensity, it requires specialized equipment to detect, and if the frequency is already in use for other purposes, detection will be doubly hard.

*IMPERIAL DECLERATION OF WAR*

We have given you a chance to halt your actions. We have stated previously that your actions are genocidal, and while we respect national sovereignity, we draw the line at genocide. Therefore, we have no choice but to declare war against the government of the House Zeon in an effort to save lives and remove unstable men from power. In 6 hours time, three of our naval fleets will be diverted from their normal patrol routes to head for your nation to begin offensive maneuvers. We shall show no mercy to any government agent or to those who oppose us. You had your warning, and you have ignored it. We have no choice, lives are on the line.

Shogun Nakamura Himura Kenshin


==============================================
OOC: I'm at a school right now, so I don't have time for any other type of post. Give me, like 8 hours, to get a good post off later.

Zeon:
As seeing that you have heeded none of the others requests to cease and desist, we hereby declare war.

Louise Rack, Minister of War

Foriegn Minister of Admiral-Bell

Moderator of Admiral-Bell

Mondoth:
Please give us a tie in to your communications. We do not have expierience at making war. We will take whatever plans you may lay, and we can land 200,000 troops wherever you wish. Air support and capital ships are also available in large numbers. Where do we land?

Sincerely,

Louise Rack

Honimishu Castle, Crisis Center,
Honimishu, Pschycotic Pschycos...

Shogun Nakamura Himura Kenshin sat behind a large, cruved redwood desk in a comfortable, black leather chair. In front of him, forming a semi-circle around his desk were his various advisors. The most of important of which, Advisor of War, also the Commanding Officer of the navy, was not present. In his stead was Admiral Edward Elric. The other advisors there were not terribly important, but were there for tradition and standard. The room around them was fashioned in bamboo panel walls and tatami mat floor. Despite the traditional look, there was several inches of gundanium alloy reinforcing them.
"Admiral Elric," the shogun said, beginning the meeting, "we have a crisis on hand. What is the navy's status?"

"Your Excellency," Admiral Elric replied, "currently, our closest assets to the region are the 8th Surface Fleet, 7th Surface Fleet, and the 9th Submerged Fleet. All three are currently returning from other theaters, namely support of troops in Antanjyl. Since the beginning of this crisis, we've had three transport fleets on standby, along with several other Surface Fleets."

Shogun Nakamura nodded. "Excellent. I want the three transport fleets loaded with soldiers as soon as possible. In the mean time, divert the 8th, 7th, and 9th fleets to that area and begin offensive carrier operations. What is their ETA, admiral?"

"Sir, all three can be in place in 2 days time if they run at flank speed," answered Admiral Elric.

"Good, put out a message to divert them." He turned to another man, who was sitting next to Elric, "General Oda Ichairo, what is the state of the army?"

The man addressed as General Oda stood, bowed, and saluted. "Sir, we have 3 million m en of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Armies waiting to board the transport fleets. They are reinforced by 250 M1A2 Tanks and 150 SAH-4 attack helicopters. Sir!"

Shogun Nakamura motioned for him to sit. "Thank you, General. Your preperations are flawless, as always. I want those fleets to sail when the Carrier Fleets report on station. When that happens, we shall meet again. Thank you. Dismissed." The group of men stood and exited the room, the tatami mats rustling softly under their feet.
=============================================
ICS Honor,
XXX* N, XXX* E...

The bridge of the massive superdreadnaught was clear in the midday calm. Outside, the seas were flat and the sun was bright and high. Grande Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto III, CO of the Imperial Navy sat in a chair on a raised platform over the CIC pit. They'd soon be home after another tour in Antanjyl, and he was looking forward to seeing his family again. However, a sailor climbing a ladder out of the CIC beside him jolted him back awake. "Sir! Message from Command! Things have boiled over in House Zeon. The Shogun has declared war. We're being diverted."

"Let me see that!," snapped the admiral bitterly. He quickly scanned the message printout. "Helmsmen!," he yelled loudly across the bridge, "come to heading XXX, all ahead, flank speed!"

"Aye, Sir!," they replied. Slowly, the massive ship began leaning against the turn as she turned to starboard to begin heading for battle. The carriers and dreadnaughts of the rest of the fleet, also receiving the message, mirrored the move. Two days time, and they'd be in carrier range.

Message to Admiral-Bell
From: Mondoth
Via: ESL-14980S
Encrypt: Public
Decrypt: XXXXX

Due tot he unique nature of Mondoth's inter-fleet communications, we would need to dispatch a technician with specialized equipment for sending and recieving messages via our 'shadow-net'

For now pelase direct your attentions to supporting hte Stuttgart front. although we may need eventual reinforcements in the south-east portion of Zeon.

Ninth Fleet, Off Shore roughly 200nm north and east of Orificio

As the fleet reached position the 28 submarines slowed their engines to a steady halt. While most Submersible fleets were designed to surfae before carrying out operations. Modnotian submarine fleets were designed not to. The four Lore class Submerisble assault ships opened the clam shell outer airlocks, releasing two SFDS landing craft apiece loaded with equipment to make the initial landing. The landing craft would stay under water until the sea close in to shore got too shallow to minimize the chances of detection.

Several miles farther out, a solitary Fable class Amohibious assault ship surfaced. barely breaching the surface, only the very top of the fligh deck was visible, waves lappd ove the edges periodically, spilling into the open elvators from which lifted slowly the Fable's native air lift squadron. loaded with more troops and euipment, the helicopters lifted off as soon they were clear of the elevators, skimming the wave tops they were trying to stay under shore radar coverage. barely stopping to drop off their payloads before returning to pick up more. At this rate, The entire landing force of 1,200 marines would be on shore by morning, the sun rising to a muted field of camoflauged armor and troops entrenched and preparing to begin major combat operations.

Sixty-Eighth Task Force

From four landing operations configured Quicksilver class Cruisers spread a multitude of landing vehicles. Amphibious Landing Vehicles spearheaded the movement, skimming in on the surface at speeds in excess of 50 knots, with 20mm cannons ready to fire upon any enemy. Following was several groups of heavier and slower Tempest Assault vehicles, armed with a plethora of deadly weapons (in five configurations) ready to support the faster troop carriers as soon as they hit the shore with hevier armor and weapons. The last wave, and the bul of the movement was STSCs (Ship to Shore craft) carrying loads varying from Self propelled artillery, to infantry and supplies necesary for establishing a forward base of operations.
Over head, Helicopters were already combing the area for potential resistance, ready to call in a missile strike from the fleet or a smaller operation mounted by what ever forces were already on shore.

The lower need ofr secrecy lent the Sixty-Eighth fleets landing speed and efficency, but the nearly doubled scale meant that both landing operations would finis at the same time. just a few hours before morning.

Ocean, 200nm from Zeon

The Helfaer fleet had made slow progress in the advance on Zeon, and although they were now within two hundred miles of the shore, reports detected a large amount of ships up ahead. Correlation of surface radar, AWACS flights, and surveillance satellite photography and real-time video feed had given the Helfaer fleet advance warning of the threat ahead. The targets were believed not to belong to their allies on the land ahead, and although none of the coalition of nations ranged against Zeon had declared war on Helfaer, that could change at a moment's notice. The escorts had redeployed around the transports to form a double-line picket, the first made up of anti-submarine warfare ships and the second made up of anti-aircraft vessels. This formation slightly compromised air coverage for the first row, although the second could provide defence with long-range SAMs, but the first row could prevent subamrines from slipping into the centre.

The centre, meanwhile, was made up of the troop ships, as well as the two light carriers and five guided missile cruisers. This would provide protection to the expeditionary forces, as well as allowing the longest range elements of the fleet to enjoy the protection of the escort lines while still being able to launch deadly strikes against targets.

With the possible hostile forces detected, the entire group was running at full combat readiness. Weapons systems were armed, and AWACS aircraft and ASW helicopters were providing constant vigilance over air, surface, and below the water. Their estimated time of arrival was eight hours, and every hour of that could be used for a strike.


Zeon

Meanwhile, the air wing had sucessfully reached their destination thanks to in-flight refuelling. Fighters and bombers had been inspected, refuelled, armed, and were now ready to fly. Their objective was simple. The Zeon-Stuttgart front was currently being battered hard by Stuttgart armour, which was far superior to that of the Zeonic forces, and despite a hard-fought counterattack by Zeonic troops, they had failed to halt the advance. The Stuttgart forces would break through into Zeon, and with the fleets amassed in its waters it would crumble rapidly.

With the expeditionary forces still being transported, the options were limited. The Stuttgart forces were apparently relying on advanced armour to break through the lines, so destroying either the armoured vehicles or their ability to use them would provide the Zeonic forces with a distinct advantage. By wrecking armoured divisions or their sizeable logistics tails, the bombers could wreak havoc and blunt or possibly cripple Stuttgart on the Zeonic front. As a bonus, satellite images revealed that Stuttgart had deployed many superheavy tanks, expensive targets but unable to survive bombing. The resulting sluggishness of their armoured divisions would allow easy aerial raids on them. Reports that the enemy tanks carried SAMs were noted, but believed not to be a threat to high-altitude bombing or precision low-altitude strikes from strike bombers. However, strike bombing was deemed to be too risky, so it was decided to destroy them from above the range of their SAMs.

Twenty heavy bombers and sixty fighters acting as an escort soared into the sky, climbing rapidly then levelling out at high altitude. Their objective was simple. Due to the rapid advance of the Stuttgart forces their logistics lines would likely be stretched, so destruction of those would severely hamper their invasion of Zeon. On the return flight, any excess bombs would be dropped onto enemy armoured columns, the heavy bombs eradicating the tanks. They flew towards the front lines, ready to destroy some Stuttgart forces. Radio silence was maintained.

100,000 combat personel were loaded, with all equiptment and vehichles, and this was just the preliminary landing force. The reinforcements, special ops, and air force were being loaded elsewhere. The thousands of troops marched into their landing craft and various ships, and left. All this was observed by Louise Rack.
"Our first real war." she sounded near the norm, but there was ice in her voice. "Come with me admirals, we must report to the Republic."

Mondoth:
We await your technicians, and our fleet has set sail. I believe we will win this war.

Secret IC:
Department of WAR
Top Secret Memo

Go to Nuclear Launch Status 2 (Tactical weapon use Permitted).

Signed,

Louise Rack

OOC: Helfaer.. you talking about my ships? becasue the ninth fleet is a lot closer to Zeon than 200nm. Its landing troops on shore 200 NM north east of the southernost point of Zeon.

IC:

Message to Admiral-Bell
From: Modnoth Naval Command
via: ESL-34509F
Encrypt: public
Decrypt: XXXXXX

Our technicicans are en route on a VC-210 naval transport and escorted by a double flight of PC-21 UCAV aircraft. Please expect their arrival with the Shadow-net gear within the hour.

OOC:Admiral-Bell, if you nuke ANY of the Houses of Empiricalis, EVERY house will return fire.

Stuttgart-Zeon Warzone

With the Zeonic counterattack stymied, the armoured advance could continue again. Heavy Stuttgart machineguns raked the battlefield, and as a Light Battle Tank squadron rushed across the battlefield, killing every Zeonic infantryman, the morale of the Zeonic men dropped to an all-time low.

"Commander, the counterattack has been pushed back! We barely dented their advance!" a private said with the jitters.

"Give the order for retreat, but order the 24 Division to continue to press the attack, anything to slow down the Stuttgarts while we wait."

"Wait for what, sir?"

"The nation of Helfaer is bringing in assistance, their air wings are well on their way to destroying the Stuttgart advance and buying us time.."

"Yes, sir." The private saluted and went to the command station. He picked up a radio and said,

"All units, I repeat, all units are to retreat, repeat, withdraw!" He repeated this twice, and said another command,

"24 Division is to charge at the enemy now!"

On the battlefield, the retreating infantry ran cowardly, with their figurative tails between their legs. They ran as far as they could on their bare legs, looking for an APC or helicopter with which to escape the hell they were in.

However, the 1,700 "Soldiers" from Camp 24, had differing orders. They threw grenades at the oncoming superheavy tanks, to no effect. They attached bayonets to their rifles clumsily, and charged.

Anything to slow down the Stuttgarts..

Stuttgart Military Command, Stuttgart side of Stuttgart-Zeon Border

"Satellites report unknown air contacts coming in from the Zeon side. We know they aren't of Zeonic origin, and they're bearing down on our assault group."

"Scramble five fighter wings to intercept. We must not allow the Zeonic allies stop our advance!"

Stuttgart Airstrip

Five wings, or sixty fighters, of "Axim" class Air Superiority Fighters were being prepared at a fast pace by dozens of aircraft technicians.

Their pilots jumped into the cockpits, and preflight checkups were complete. The fighters leapt off the runways and into the sky, hitting their maximum cruising speed of Mach 4.5 very quickly. They rocketed to intercept the unknown air wing, and would reach them quite quickly..

ICS Island SDN-Carrier,
300 miles Away from Zeon Naval Forces....

The day was dawning in a pink-grey cloudy sky. A fine fog had settled over the fleet, and it was now hard to see the other ships. White steam billowed across the central flight deck from the four forward catapults, consuming the lower parts of men scurring back and forth. *schchschshhhs*"Bravo-Charlie, Lift one rising, over"*schchssshchchhh* Heavy gears ground as an elevator brought up two F-14Z jets. As the whine of their engines echoed into the fog, the rolled up to two of the forward catapults. Heavily clinking, the catapults were drawn back and attached to the forward gear of the jets by several men. *sschchcssshhh*"AlphaZulu, deflectors coming up, clear deck, over"*sschchhhsch* As the dozens of men scurried off the deck, large steel blast deflectors came up behind the jet engines. Off to the side, one man in a flight helmet was standing, three fingers raised into the air. The nozzels on the engines widened as the thrust increased until a steady roar was echoing into the distance. The man flashed two fingers, and the pilots in the cockpits gave a positive thub's-up. The control man to the side flashed one finger, and then waved his arm in a circle. Suddnely, the catapults released, and the two crafts rocketed down the runway and off the bow into the sky. Without warning, multiple lifts on the three flight decks began kicking into action, ferying fighters up and down. Fighter after fighter was brought up and launched.

On other carriers, the process was the same. Quickly, the air was filled with 200 F-14Z fighter jets, each armed with 3 Harpoon anti-shipping missiles and 3 sidewinder air-to air missiles. Utilizing real-time satellite data, they circled the fleet until they were heading for the enemy Zeon fleet. They'd be making the first strike in this conflict.

OOC: sry for the incomplete post, was in a hurry

Ninth Battlegroup

Shadow class SSGN 'MNS Missionary'
"Sir, Sonar is picking up some odd readings, looks like a convergence zone, contact, about 100 nm or more seaward, could be ships."

"Aye, signal to 'Jurisprudence' we don't want anybody sneaking up on us now do we."

"Aye sir."

Shadow Net communique to 'Jurisprudence'
convergence zone contact, possible hostile vessel, please be aware.'

Fable class Submerisible Amphibious Assault Vessel 'MNS Jurisprudence'
"Cap'n shadow-net from Missionary, they've pickued up a possible contact, want us to stay alert."

"Send confirmation, and raise the EW mast, if anybody is trying to sneak up they'll have to light off on radar to spot us."

"Aye sir, raising the EWM, preparing to pipe the feed."

On the wide, flat deck of the only barely surfaced ship, the selnder array of antenae that made up the electronics warfare mast slid out of its protective fairing into the night sky. As soon as it was raised to its full three meter height, it began scanning for the tell tale RF signature of naval search radars.

The Aircraft based radar bands were several dozen cycles into the search when a passing sweep from what had to be an AWACS set brushed across the antenna, showing up as a blip on the EW officers console below in the CIC.

"Sir, we have an <> band set pulsing like an airborne search, coming in from the east"

"Missionary said they're contact was probably about 100 nm away, if we're just getting airborne sets then we should have enough time to finish landing operations. Ping 'Nautilus' and let them know we made need someone to run interference, have the boomers set up a line and prepare to defend in case something goes crazy. I want this landing op finished so we can skip town fast."

"Aye sir, preparing dispatches."


Within minutes the submersible fleet was scrambling into action, SSGN missile subs and SSN hunter killers prepared a defensive line between the approaching ships and the landing force. A pair of Legend class submersible carriers slowly rose to the surface and began bringing fighter on deck in preparation of a fast scramble in case of enemy aircraft.

The landing operations continued at a faster pace, the SFDS landing craft no longer waited until the last minute to rise to the surface, but instead rose almost immediately to take advantage of faster surface speeds, speeding up the landing operation considerably.

On shore the beach-masters struggled to keep up with the increased flow, directing the landing operations they had to shift the main gathering point farther inland to make room for incoming troops and equipment

Encrypted Response from Noble House Preta
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/Kutulmak/bloody_rose1.jpg


Greetings from the Yurkan Noble House, Preta to your own. We are glad to see that you are taking fair measures of keeping your people more or less pure and intelligent, a noble endeavor indeed. I myself would like to send some assistance to you during the testing period, to make sure that they are as efficient as possible. However I would like to think there is some other use for most of these people rather than simply killing them, though I will not go into my own theories on the matter.

If you agree to this, I can send fifty thousand guards and teaching instructors directly from my noble house to assist you in this matter, along with a small number of defensive vehicles and transports to make sure everything goes smoothly.

I eagerly await your response.

Marcus Preta (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/Kutulmak/luciferz.jpg),
High Scion of House Preta,
Servant of the Eternal Empire

OOC: Why do people bother encrypting trivial messages? It will just make decrypting important ones easier.

OOC: Due to the fact that most of Yurka is more or less opposed to acts of genocide, our noble house system uses it so that they don't come under too much heat. There are also different classes of encryption used.

Stuttgart-Zeon Borders

With official clearance from Stuttgart, the ships docked. Immediately the soldiers went to their positions. Satellite showed that the the Crossing Point Headquarters was on top of hill. This would make it difficult to take them by suprise. However, if the jamming signal worked they'd have no way of contacting the House Zeon, and would be cut off instantly. As the last regiment of tanks came off, the ships slowly started to disembark from the coast. No point in letting Zeon discover it was Nevadski that launched this attack. The last tank went into position. Now, they had to wait for the signal. The signal that took its shape as guided missile....

On board the battle ship 'Destiny'

Navy Commander Yin paced about his room. It was him who would be launching the missile. It was his order, his call, which could potentially bring Nevadski into a raging war. He sighed, and picked up the intercom.

"Captain Doe, launch the missile." he slowly announced into the microphone. Within two seconds, the missile was in the air and heading to the base...

Lieutenant Parker looked up, and saw the missile glide swiftly overhead.

"ADVANCE!" he yelled as the infantry ran towards the hill. At the same time the air force flew off the cruiser 'The Queen', bombs armed and ready. The tanks started to drive behind the lines, shooting shells at the base as they passed.

The Stuttgart fighters were spotted easily, the vast friction caused by their great speed giving them IR signatures that lit them up like beacons to the Helfaer fighter escort. The enemy pilots had not yet fired, either because they had not yet had time to register the Helfaer forces as hostile, or because the massive gravitational forces of climbing at an estimated speed of Mach 4.48 were doing their best to turn the pilots into damp stains in their seats.

Either way, the escort would not give them any time to recover. Breaking away from the bomber formation, the fighters immediately launched missiles. Six air-to-air missiles immediately streaked from each fighter, locking in on the enemy at a ratio of six missiles to every enemy. The objective was to obliterate the enemy fighter wings before they could close with the bombers, and the missile launch should go a long way towards that. Even if the enemy attempted to jam the missiles, they would home in on the jamming signals, forcing the enemy to either outfly them, which would be a monumental task at best, or die.

[ooc: Mondoth, my ships are heading for the port made available, so in hindsight I'm probably not within range of you. I've probably just spotted another fleet, or possibly even just a yacht club. My commanders are a little paranoid, so they'd react that way to any unknown radar contact. Was your recent post directed at me?]

OOC:Empiricalis:
Nuclear weapons will only be used if deemed impossible to win the war any other way.

Louise Rack stood on the deck of the Republic staring out at the sea. The Mondoth technicians should be here soon. Then there they were on the horizon. She went and alerted the hief engineer to be ready for installation.

The final approach to the Stuttgart front had begun. Subs sweeped the area, destroyers and cruiser watching for subs, and planes taking off one after anothe, the invasion was to proceed. However the Helfaerian air offences were somewhat unsettling. A large contingient of planes left to assist the air war.

OOC: Helfaer: my people are probably as paranoid as yours. Must be some big yachting weekend in Empiricalis :)

Message to Stuttgart
From: Mondothian Sixty-eighth Task Force
Via: ESL-9804F
Encrypt: Public
Decrypt: XXXXX

We have begun landing operations near the Zeon-Stuttgart border. Please advise as to current operations so we can coordinate our operations.

OOC:Perdonenme señores for not responding as quickly as I should. And Admiral-Bell, ANY use of nukes on the Empiricalis continent equals MAD. Don't try it. Oh, and you can assume there are a bunch of private yachts floating around if you so desire :) Some yachting weekend, eh?

IC:

Zeonic High Command
"Incoming missile!" an officer said, sitting at his console nervously.

A soft computerized voice said, "Phalanx-A system activated."

Hundreds of 30mm Phalanx-A class CIWS guns locked onto the single oncoming missile, blasting it out of the sky.

"Who launched the attack? It didn't come from Stuttgart's silos.."

"It must have been an ally of Stuttgart. We know Nevadski, Mondoth, and Pschyotic Pschycos have sided with Stuttgart, and we think there's a Nevadski fleet in New Hamburg." a general said.

"Launch missiles at the Nevadski fleet and send a warning to them to withdraw or else we will target their mainland."

"Aye, sir. Any other orders?"

"Not at the moment. Dismissed."

The private left the room.

"General, satellite intelligence indicates a small amphibious infantry division has landed 200 kilometers north of Orificio. Orders?"

"Send the 9th Mechanized to crush them."

"Aye, sir."

In a tank depot, hundreds of light tanks and main battle tanks prepared, along with a division of infantry, roughly 4,000 soldiers, got ready for battle. They would rush to the enemy landing zone to prevent any enemies from gaining any further foothold..

One hundred fifty Tarantula Light Battle Spiders and twenty-five Black Widow Main Battle Tanks were ready for immediate departure, along with dozens upon dozens of Carrier APS Spiders, carrying 3,850 soldiers. They left the tank depot at three, and it would only take them three hours to reach the landing spot. They received constant intelligence updates from the High Command, and they would certainly crush the tiny enemy presence on the beach before advancing to the Stuttgart front.

[OOC: If you want me to tone down the numbers I will. Better post to come tomorrow.]

OOC: I'd have to know the capabilities of your troops and what those "tarantual' things are. Otherwise, I feel supremely confident that my marines, outnumbered four to one, but with support from off shore missile subs, will be able to put something of a dent in your defenders.

OOC The fleet, missille and all troops are unmarked. How would they know that it was Nevadski?

The missile had failed, but that didn't stop the airforce. They flew up to a high altitude before flying down ands skimming the base, dropping bombs near the entrances, barracks and one final one for the HQ. The infantry ran in, guns armed and ready. The tanks had positioned themselves in a semi-circle, the opening place heading toward the coast where the battleships had set up their guns. Ready to kill any survivors. The battle, at the moment, was a success. It would be here where the foundations of the major army would arrive.

Admiral-Bell's troops began their landing operation. Though still one of the smaller players in this war, 100,000 troops and all their equiptment wwas a sight to see. 2 field commanders were also unloaded, ready to lead the troops. There was no fire from enemies as they uloaded, not far from their Mondothian counterparts, but the captains were ready if that was to change.

The Helfaerian fighters were far superior to the F-35s of Admiral-Bell, but the pilots engaged anyways. 1000 fighters charged into the air war. How many would emerge at the end, none knew.

[ooc: Was 1000 fighters deliberate, or was that an extra zero?]

"Leviathan's fucking tail, look at that!"

The radar screens of the escorts had suddenly lit up like nuclear explosions, contacts spilling over each other in a hurricane of red blips that would surely sweep all before it. In that instant, all of the fighter pilots knew that they were dead.

"How did they get one thousand JSFs up here?"

"Ours not to reason why."

"Ours but to do and die."

The bombers fired their pitiful AAM load, four missiles each. They had been designed for ground attack, not acting as flying arsenal ships, so their air attack capabilities had been seen as unimportant. After all, they were operating with escort coverage in a warzone with apparently small air forces. The mission was hoped to be an easy one- run in and out, leaving destruction behind, not a suicidal fight from which they had little option of backing down.

The fighters also added to the missile barrage, firing their remaining missiles. Having believed that the sixty earlier fighters had been all of the air defence ranged against them they had expended most of their ammunition, being left with only four missiles each.

The formation then split in two. The bomb doors on the bombers creaked open, gaping maws spewing high explosive death onto the front line. The barrage was unaimed, more to reduce weight than to actually destroy anything. With theur payload gone, the bombers turned tail and fled as fast as they could back to the airbase, crews muttering silent prayers.

Meanwhile, the fighter pilots too made their peace with Leviathan. They prayed not for escape for they knew that there could be none. Their prayers were those of the cornered warrior, alone and ranged before impossible odds with only the sword in his hand for company. They prayed not for survival, for that was a fools hope, but that they could slaughter enough of their foes to carve their names into history.

With the missiles gone, they attacked. One flick of a switch to start ECM, another to activate afterburners, and they charged towards the enemy interceptors. The sheer density of the enemy formation would actually render such an attack fairly valid. The missiles would likely have inflicted heavy damage to the enemy through having a great selection of targets to attack, and if the fighters could break into the midst of the formation the sheer numbers of the enemy would turn against them in the resulting skirmish. Their numbers would provide radar clutter for the Helfaer fighters, and any missiles that missed would possibly destroy their own fighters. Of cause, the death of the brave Helfaer pilots was inevitable, but they could at least take something with them.

A lady with long black hair a hooded cloak a face mask sits at a table with several cloaked figures many from important military and industrial families. They sit silently for several minutes. Nobody is supposed to know who exactly each other is. Their movement is growing. Even if it is shut down, it will not be stopped. It has been 45 years in the making.

Then the lady reaches out and presses a button. A signal is sent out to several web sites, a pirate satellite television station, and two pirate radio stations. Several web sites materialize with propaganda on how to leave the country nobody is safe first it will be the disabled, then the dissidents, then the deviants. The message draws from previous history.

It is a message aimed at convincing the more technically, intellectually, and scientific able to leave the country and come to the Commonalitarianism. It shows doctored images of scientists in gas chambers dying, and major potential dissidents who will be rounded up. The images are graphic, disturbing and violent. They show previous countries where atrocities have occurred.

Sums of money are sent to whatever dissident papers and companies they can find to advertise how to leave the country. Pictures of refugee camps are shown with people starving from nuclear fallout and wounded civilians.
They have contacts into many of the more dissident left to help them out.

The defense network is put on high alert. The lady taps her contacts in the military and small stealthed anti-sonar, anti-radar cargo submarines are sent in to pick up the ones they can screen out as useful to the Commonalitarianism. They will screen out the able bodied ones and set up civilian style Great Depression work camps for those not so able to do large projects build island housing, government buildings, roads, recycling stations, help build wind farms, etc. Those less able will be given simple housing and food with cleaning and light service jobs if they are able. Screening centers are put in place for entering people to check for disease and weapons.

The process has begun.

OOC: entirely deliberate

The F-35s were stealth planes, but Helfaerian missiles were far to advanced. 50 planes were shot down, falling onto their own positions. The second tactic, however, was less successful. The group broke formation and unleased a wave of heat seeking and radar missiles. 950 streaked at the advancing wave. Their damage assumed done, the super squadron turned, and advanced on the enemy lines.

All 100,000 troops of the Federation had been unloaded. Now they marched to the front in the interior. The second wave of troops was also on its way, the possibly, later, a third. Still, our troops are unharrased.

The first to die was Pilot Phaeron. Streaking ahead of the group behind him, his mouth opened wide in a battlecry that tore across the radio channel, he slid past two missiles with agile curves that would have been the pride of any other pilot, then met the third head on. The impact at a combined speed of around Mach 6 utterly destroyed the plane. One moment there was a young pilot in an elegant silver machine, sure in his abilities and still hanging onto the belief that he would come out of the other side of this fight alive, and the next: superheated dust. His battlecry was replaced with static across the channel, chilling the hearts of the remaining pilots for what little time they had left.

The Wing Commander died next, and he was not granted the immolation that Phaeron had been given, a death so quick that he would never have registered it. Diving to avoid a missile, he moved a fraction of a second too late. The missile detonated just behind his plane and snipped away his tail as if it had never been there in the first place, leaving the cockpit to spiral towards the ground. He reached for his ejector seat lever, but found that he couldn't move. The heat from the blast had melted his flightsuit to stick to his chair, leaving him immobile. As he plummeted toward the ground below he was screaming, screaming for a death that wouldn't come until he had completed his fiery descent.

The flood of missiles swept the escort away as if they had never been there, then continued their flight into the desperately fleeing bombers. The bombers too were not spared, and those that were not obliterated by the explosions were left tumbling towards the ground, flames streaming from their torn fuselages. What had once been an air wing to be reckoned with was now torn to pieces. There were no survivors.

Meanwhile, the ships arrived in port. Unloading immediately began of tanks, men, and materials. First to be unloaded were long-range heavy SAM launchers. If the air armada pressed their attack, they would find more than they had bargained for.

Dear House Zeon
We are withdrawing our ambassador until further notice. Nothing against you, but our ambassador has a family and doesn't want to die.

..::Official Statement From The Deck of Duchess Asiya Saleh, Director of Foreign Services::..

Intelligence Quotient tests, indeed. I sincerely hope that the government of the House of Zeon realizes that the base point of any IQ test, 100, is entirely flexible and designates the mean reasoning ability of adult humans in a given population. It would be most comedic to see the reaction of people who would be geniuses anywhere considered merely average in the territory of House Zeon. But, then again, the instigator of this policy would probably have already fallen victim to his own atrocity in one manner or another. Such is the stupidity of petty tyrants.

Unfortunately the Imperium does not have the time nor inclination to engage in idle amusements such as crushing a single province in a rather small nation. The effort and gain would be disproportionate to the monetary assets expended. In any case, it appears that others are already participating in the grunt work and the Imperium sees no reason to intervene. However, rest assured, if those seeking to stop the atrocities and tyranies fail, the Imperium may see fit to make of object lesson an the House of Zeon and its supporters. Pray this doesn't come to pass, the Imperium is not a kind master to those that would abuse power while engaging in vainglorious pursuits.

After a brief period the Citizens Assembly decides to act. All House Zeon commercial vessels traveling through the Paxarific (Pacific) Ocean would be seized and an embargo would be put in place for House Zeon vessels entering the Pacific ocean. They contacted the espionage arm of the government and a small trained crew of black cyber operatives attacked the ocean transportation networks hopefully gathering the destinations and travel locations of all ships owned by House Zeon leaving House Zeon ports. They would seize them.

Note: This is based on what happened between the Athenians embargoing the Spartans.

Location: We are heavily armored and defended R. Buckminster Fuller domed cities floating around the Paxarific ocean (Pacific). Fuller had a design for domed waterborn cities in the 1970s. The average size of a domed city is 4 million citizens. The capital is a collection of 5 linked domes comprising 20 million people. There are two new underwater cities near the Marianis Trench (Mariana in the real world).

The 950 planes turned and headed to the front lines of zeon. They planned a simple hit on enemy positions, then a large convoy was detected behind the enemy lines. It consisted of what appeared to be... a large number of spiders. The commander of the group, Rear Admiral Tokowuga, decided to attack the spiders. The fleet of planes turned, and moved toward their new target.

The unloading of the first 100,000 was done. Those troops grabbed any vehichle available, and journeyed to the front lines. The second wave now arrived and another 100,000 began to unload. The process was also expected to take place again, another convoy was leaving the Federation. the war machine was begining to get into gear.

The Helfaer Armed Forces, although not particularly large, more than made up for it in discipline, training, and occasionally outright bloodlust. Two-hundred thousand men, supported by tanks and heavy artillery, advanced on the front line, covered all the way by heavy SAM vehicles. The advance was slow work, vehicles moving at efficient, safe speeds rather than racing ahead. A headlong rush would end in defeat, either from blundering blindly into an ambush or simply outrunning lines of reinforcement and supply.

Most of the AWACS planes had been called down due to the interceptor threat, although a patrol was still being run around the dockyards and ships. The expeditionary force was instead relying on satellite data and data gleaned from ground-based radar. The interceptor squadron would have to be brought down quickly if the war was to be fought successfully.

The advance was lead by scout vehicles. Using their small size, low profile, and advanced sensors, they plotted the course ahead and gave warnings of any enemy activity or geographical hazards ahead. Although they would probably be useless in combat with only a .5 machine gun mounted, that was not their role. Roving ahead of the main advance they scooted from cover to cover, their crews watching carefully for any signs of danger.

Behind the rapid scout vehicles came the main thrust of the advance, mechanised infantry supported by heavy tanks. This was the sledgehammer of the Helfaer Expeditionary Force, a force designed to hit hard and shatter all resistance. IFV and MBT engines growled, and commanders watched the path ahead from crew hatches. The same sort of force also guarded the flanks of the advance, ready to fend off any threat from there or in an attack race around onto the flanks of the enemy for a decisive blow.

Behind this, air defence vehicles placed the entire force, save for the scout cars, under their protective umbrella. Armed with heavy SAMs and equipped with advanced radar, any air force would quickly find itself under a barrage of missiles.

Further back still was the final wave. Groups of artillery prepared to deliver a crushing bombardment, mammoth guns raised like a challenge to all who would defy them. With their long range extending out in front of the mechanised advance, they would be able to smash enemy fortifications asunder in a burst of thunder and flame. With them were the ELINT vehicles, and although the tanks and artillery were the fists, these were the brain. Any enemy communications, any break in radio silence, would alert them that the enemy lay ahead. Once the enemy codes were broken the battle would be ripe for the taking, yet even before that any enemy transmissions would be lit up like beacons for the artillery.

And so the force advanced, hoping to tip the balance of the front line.

Meanwhile, a transmission from a satellite to the command centre back aboard ship showed Admiral_Bell forces amassing on the other side of the battlefront. Driving an apparently ragtag collection of vehicles, they were racing towards the front line like lemmings over a cliff. The time was ripe for an object lesson, and the general gave his orders. From the three guided missile cruisers, ninety cruise missiles took off to smash down on the enemy on the other side of the trenches. Although armed with conventional warheads, they would still wreak havoc among the foe, smashing vehicles like matchstick models.

OOC: ragtag?

The Frigate Ramius picked up the missiles. Its computor sent the information to the watch officer and field command. The on duty Commander ordered the ussage of long-range SAM in an attempt to take down the missiles. The SAM battaries fired, taking down 63. Of the 27 remaining, 2 missed, the rest hitting some concentration of the federation's forces. 253 died. The command was immediately given to return fire, and send a dispatch of fighters, which were now scrambling. 30 tomohawks were sent in return to take out the missile cruisers.

The first 100,000 had reached the lines, the second had finished unloading, and the third was just shipping out of port.




DoW Top Secret Memo

Begin total blockade of Zeon.

Louise Rack

OOC: ragtag?

[ooc: Well, you said that they were advancing in any vehicle that they could find. To my commanders, at least, it looks disorganised. OOCly, I respect your army. ICly, I'm an arrogant son-of-a-bitch. ;) ]

The tomahawk missiles, flying at subsonic speed into the Helfaer fleet, were picked up on radar at around 200km out. Anti-missile systems were immediately brought online to counter the threat, and once in range anti-missile missiles were launched from batteries to destroy the threat to the ships. As thirty cruise missiles were picked up by the radar, 120 missiles were launched to intercept them. These missiles picked up all but two of those incoming, destroying them effectively. The second ring of defence then came into play. The CIWS mounted on the outer ring of the fleet had plenty of time to engage the remaining missiles, as they were aimed at the guided missile cruisers in the centre. Locking onto the approaching Tomahawks, they fired, tearing them out of the air.

Had it not been for the missile launch, the Helfaer fleet would most likely have not noticed the Ramius. However, its strike had drawn the cold electonic eyes of an orbiting targetting satellite. The VLS mounted on the guided missile cruisers fired. The frigate was not much of a threat, so only ten missiles were fired. However, this was intended more as an object lesson than an attack.

OOC:Eek! I have a lot to catch up on. Where ARE you guys, geographically, anyway?

The frigate shot the missiles down. this back and forth was over, the Admirals decided. The big ultra-dreadnaught was on its way, and the assault on the Helfarian fleet was to begin. The outer pickets got ready, more planes took off. All the troops had landed, so the transports weren't tied down to the landing points.
The sea war ends now Thought the Admirals, it would certainly help.

OOC: Mondoth, how big is your fleet.
Empiricalis: I am about to bomb your spiders and Mondoth and I have fleets off the coasts.

OOC: I have three task forces, two are on the west side attempting to aid Stuttgart while the other is int he south east. All three are standard reaction force, 28 Major combatants (frigate or larger).

OOC: I meant the Helfaerian fleet, sorry.

The Helfaer expeditionary forces arrived at the front line together, and immediately the artillery began laying down a heavy barrage against the enemy lines. Shells screeched through the air in massive arcs, slamming into the ground and detonating with thunderous crashes. Meanwhile, the tanks and infantry hung back, waiting for the artillery to complete their task of obliterating fortifications before continuing the push. Helfaer doctrine did not favour blitzkrieg, instead using a slow but forceful push that crushed everything ahead of it.

Another burst of shells tore from the artillery, crashing down across the enemy lines. Meanwhile, AWACS planes guided volleys of MLRS fire to any enemy artillery positioned from outside the enemy's range, hopefully eradicating the enemy's long-range capabilities. With enemy artillery gone, the Helfaer forces would have free run over the battlefield.

Assuming that the enemy didn't have an air presence in the area. Currently the AWACS planes flying high above the front line detected nothing- however, the Helfaer forces would be a tempting target for strike bombers after the apparent defeat of the Helfaer air wing. Of course, there were still fighters back at the temporary bases set up near the port city, it was simply that they had flown no sorties since the disastrous encounter with the Admiral_Bell interceptors. As soon as the AWACS detected an enemy air wing, however, the air defence system would come into play. Long-range heavy SAM launchers provided the first layer of defence, then if the outer perimeter was breached the enemy would have to contend with the shorter-ranged launchers that followed close behind the armour and mechanised force.

[ooc: Admiral_Bell, what are the specifications of this ultra-dreadnought if you have any? Also, what kind of escorts does it have?]

OOC: Size of Helfaeriann fleet?
specs:
Has an escort of a few carier battle groups.

IC:

The artillary fire was all they needed, as interceptors in the area rushed at the AWACS readying to fire, the enemy position was known. Everything from the small 6" guns, to the massive 30" guns, to the Tomohawk missiles streaked to the enemy position. The rationale was simple, knock out Helfaer. It was obvious that without their support Zeon would fall. The tanks and men were better dug in than in the first attack, but it wasn't over, casualties were unknown.

OOC: Empiricalis: we need Zeon to do something or me and Helfaer wil just sit and lob artillery at each other forever.

[ooc: Two carriers, five guided missile cruisers, fifteen each of destroyers and frigates, plus landing ships.]

Artillery fire blossomed across the Helfaer lines, smashing aside man and vehicle alike. The six-inch artillery, similar to Helfaer's own 155mm guns, battered away at the expeditionary forces. The naval bombardment, although less accurate than the artillery, was still causing casualties. Many men were killed by the attack, bodies flung like ragdolls through the air, limbs blasted clear of charred bodies. Sergeants called out to their men to rally, although they could not always see them through the gunsmoke, and fortunately the soldiers held fast. Still, casualties were heavy, and with shells raining from the sky and casualty rates escalating rapidly, morale was dropping with numbers. Something decisive would have to be done, and quickly.

The enemy artillery fire had lit them up like beacons, as had the communications between them to co-ordinate their attack. Even now, the ELINT vehicles were nibbling away at the Admiral_Bell Forces encryption. For now, though, they used direction finders, coupled with data trasnmitted from the AWACS, to direct the fire of the rocket artillery counter-fire. Rockets blasted into the air, tearing towards enemy artillery postions in swarms.

"That should silence of few of those batteries," muttered General Amon from his HQ back in the port city, watching the battlefield over realtime feeds from an AWACS plane.
"Now we have to prove our superiority over this front."

The gun artillery continued to fire, mainly targetting any enemy artillery within range, belching smoke and fire as heavy shells were flung into the air.

Meanwhile, in the air, not all was well. An AWACS plane had detected interceptors closing in on the edge of its radar coverage. Immediately, the pilot passed on the information to the long-range SAM batteries. Missiles sprang into the air, aiming for the enemy formations. These SAMs were not light, like the Stinger, these were heavy missiles capable of destroying several planes in a single blast. Meanwhile, the AWACS plane began to fall back, although it could not buy itself much time by doing so. As the enemy had probably already seen it, it activated jamming, hopefully stopping their radar signals.



Back in port, satellite data arriving at the HQ revealed a whole new threat. Admiral_Bell naval forces were currently closing in rapidly, several battlegroups of them. And at the centre was a ship out of legend. The superdreadnought swept forward majestically, lord of all it surveyed. And with that mighty fleet around it, the Helfaer fleet would be crushed, wiped from existence. Unless a miracle happened, the fleet was dead, and without any naval force the enemy could land more and more reinforcements until the expeditionary forces were wiped out.

OOC: That was a naval bombardment, sorry I didn't make it clear. Also the super dreadnaught is a reinforcement, I already have a large navy on site. (Actually a big ass one, I probably did a lot more damage.fleet size (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9570565&postcount=256)

2 standard super dreadnaughts, 10 carriers, 10 battleships, 20 cruisers, 40 frigates, and 40 destroyers all made their way towards Helfaer's fleet. The Admirality was surprised by how little the fleet was. Intelligence reported only about 50 ships, laughable.

The F-35s began to attack the AWACS and missles flew. Intent on taking total air superiority. This time in smaller 6 plane formations, they hunted down the enemy.

Now the land bombardment began, artillary opening up. This was the second of 4 waves. First was naval bombardmest, now land artillary, third was planes, fourth was a land attack. The repeat as often as nesecary to win.

To Helfaer:

Care to surrender?

[ooc: Ah, that explains it. And also, what happened to my SAM attack on your planes? I find it hard to believe that they took no losses at all. Same goes for counter-battery fire. Still, I'll edit my previous post to include losses from the 30" guns. Also, what’s your policy on tactical nuclear weapons?]

The message from the Admiral-Bell commanders was met with mixed reactions. Although the Helfaer leaders knew that they were outnumbered vastly, with death surely on the way, if they surrendered and retreated they would surely be executed when they reached Helfaer. Although the battle across the Zeon-Stuttgart front could still be won if the Helfaer forces held out, this would be impossible with the Admiral-Bell fleet hammering away at them. The naval bombardment was truly taking a heavy toll at the front lines, and unless something could be done about the threat from the sea the battle would surely be lost.

Currently, the expeditionary forces were heavily outnumbered and outgunned, and with Admiral-Bell control of the seas both problems would only get worse. Reinforcements were most likely already arriving for the enemy, and with insufficient naval assets to combat them, and Helfaer several days away by sea, the war was most likely lost. It was time for some delaying tactics.


To: Admiral-Bell

While we cannot as yet accept or reject your offer of allowing our forces to surrender, allow us to make clear our dilemma. We accept this war as pointless, however we cannot make any decision to surrender until have petitioned our Emperor. Hence, to avoid any further loss of life, we suggest a twenty-four hour ceasefire. During this time, both forces will retreat back to a city of their choice: Helfaer forces to a city within Zeon, and Admiral-Bell forces to a city within Stuttgart. Both naval forces currently deployed may remain in Empiricalis waters, but we ask that you have your reinforcement fleet hold position in international waters.

We will signal our troops to stand down upon confirmation of the ceasefire, and they will withdraw immediately.

General Amon

ooc:
Losses:

3600 men
78 Erragal IFVs
30 Enkidu MBTs
32 Tonnehammer self-propelled artillery

OOC: oops, didn't see that. Losses, will be in post. Put yours in to.

Plane losses:
As the SAM streaket towad the F-35s, the squadrons broke formation, stopped mid-air, and dropped to 50 feet. They left no heat signatures, the turbofans face down, and radar is hard to aquire at 100 feet off the ground, still 37 of the 500 were lost. then they rose and began to attack the AWACS, attacking 3 of them, then the ceasefire order came. The planes turned around and headed back to the carrier.

Land losses:
2034 men were lost, and the return fire came, all batteries were able to launch about three rounds. Then, the cease fire order came. All troops began to withdraw to some nearby border town and wait.

To Helfaer:

We accept. 24. no more no less.

The missiles struck the three AWACS planes, knocking them out of the sky with contemptuous ease. Three flaming airframes, their crews already dead, dropped from the sky to crash-land on the battlefield below. Artillery continued to stike both sides of the lines, smoke and flame giving the battlefield a hellish appearance.

Then suddenly the smoke and flame cleared, and blue sky was once again visible to the soldiers scattered across the front line. The battered and bloody Helfaer soldiers looked up in surprise to see the fighters that had attacked the AWACS planes turn around and sweep back to wherever they had come from. And then the order came loud and clear over radios, or shouted to men by their officers.

"Cease fire and pull back to the port!"

As one, the Helfaer army turned around and left the battlefield. The remaining AWACS planes hung in the air for a second, monitoring the situation and seeing that the enemy too was retreating, then they broke off their patrols and flew over the heads of the retreating infantry. Below them, IFVs, MBTs, artillery all drove in the trackmarks that they had left on the way here.

The air was subdued: the men knew that they were backing down from the fight, but worse still they knew that it was a fight they couldn't have won. Morale was understandably low as the forces headed for base. Few of the troops talked to each other, instead sitting in their vehicles with their heads down and eyes staring at the floor. The smoke and thunder of the front lines, the impossibility of victory, the smell of blood and death, all would find their place in the soldiers' dreams.

The retreat took around three hours, loading onto landing vessels a further four. However, the fleet did not leave. The Admiral-Bell forces were not supposed to know of this retreat. No radio signals were made about the retreat, and instead several misleading broadcasts were made about remaining in the city and continuing the fight if the order to surrender was not given.

Then, with six hours of ceasefire left, the fleet left port. Accelerating to full speed while still close to the shore, they would be able to outrun the Admiral-Bell forces due to a lack of heavy ships. However, there was one final order left to give.

"Kiss them goodbye."

The war had not originally been against Admiral-Bell, Helfaer had joined the conflict to assist Zeon in their fight against Stuttgart. Indeed, no official declaration of war had ever been made. The plan currently being set in motion hinged on helping Zeon to help themselves. The Helfaer forces would be useless where they were, and would instead be a bodycount. However, if a decisive blow could be delivered to knock Stuttgart out of the war, Admiral-Bell may be convinced to leave the conflict when their reason for joining it was gone.

It was a simple matter of using a databurst transmission to Helfaer. Even if the enemy could pick it up, which was decidedly unlikely, they would be unable to decode it. In Helfaer, the message was recieved, and orders given.

And then, like mighty arrows fired from the bows of the gods, ICBMs rose from their silos across Helfaer. Although they only carried conventional explosives rather than nuclear warheads, they would still be able to severely damage Stuttgart. With twenty missiles targetted at each major city, and forty at the capital, their will to fight would hopefully be broken.

"Sir." it was a lietenant.
"What is it." said the on duty Admiral of the fleet.
"There are hundreds of ICBMs streaking towards Stuttgart."
"How long till they hit?"
"A few minutes sir."
"We do nothing, we cannot waste our ABM defences when we may need them the most. Call all senior officers to the war room."
"Yes sir."

After the meeting all of Admiral-Bell's Zeonic front troops turned heel, and began the final assault on Zeon. The chaser fleet turned back and headed at full steam to Admiral-Bell. At the Federation it self, a large fleet of subs left port, and set course to Helfaer. Also, all overseas battle ready troops were assembled, what was once a 300,000 man march, was to become a million man march.

Helfaer:
I believe a peace treaty, or even just a more permenant ceasefire is in order. Do you care to end this war?

Sincerely,

Moderator of Admiral-Bell

The Modnothian Sixty-Eighth Battle-Group
XXXXXX-Flash Encrypted Traffic-XXXXXX
To: Flt 68
Frm: Empr Thtr Cmdr
Via: esl-12897
Encrypt: ********
Decrypt:<censored>
text:
Balistic thrt inbd via Hlfr, tk al ncry actn to dfnd

trjtry nclsd
XXXXXX-msg end-XXXXXX

"Sir, flash traffic form theater, we have a ballistic threat inbound from Helfaer, we are ordered to defend at all costs."

"Aye, Ballistic Threat inbound, we have trajectory from Sattelite sources. Missiles will impact in <Helfaer? A time table, or should I make on up> Minutes."

"Order all Radar to go active Ballistic, launch the AAWACS(sic) with all possible expedition. Set condition Two throu-out the fleet."

"Aye sir, condition two through-out the fleet."

"Aye, Aye cap'n, AAWACS are airborne and hot."

"Cap'n Jamesson, All transmitters are active-Ballistic threat."

In seconds the whole fleet was a ablaze, RF frequency radar poured out of every transmitter, straining towards the sky, searching for the inbound missiles. SIelence descended as the search continued, waiting for the missiles to enter engagement range.


Secret Location, International Waters, The Mondothian Scientific Research Vessel "Hinterlands"
"Sir, HF/I array is picking up readings consistent with a ballistic attack. trajectory appears to be Empiracalis."
"Aye, monitor that, get me an updated trajectorya s soon as it becomes available."

"Aye sir."

"Commo, get me Central Command."

Encrypted Sattelite Communication between Capt. James Hunnicut of the Vessel "Hinterland" ANd Zarqawi Bin Takwa of Mondothian Strategic Command

"Mister Takwa, we have detected a ballistic threat heading toward Empiracalis. Please Acnowledge."

"Confirmed Captain, we have already identified the threat. it is headed towards the allied province of Stuttgart and youa re to engage the threat with all necesary force at your dispossal."

"Confirm that last one sir."

"Confirmed, you are to attempt to disable the missiles on current heading toward Empiracalis."

"Aye sir, orders recieved."

Link Terminated

"Mister Zarafwi, pleae engage the targets."

"Aye Aye cap'n warmin' up the zapper now."

The "HGinterland" Was a large ship, true, not as large as say a super tanked or a super-carrier, but not exactly a Panamax class ship either. She was the third in a series of sixty ships ordered publicly by the Mondothian Meteorological SOciety (In assosciate=ion with the Federation of Mondothian Scientists) For the purpose of mapping the upper atmosphere using a unique phased array of High0frequency/Very High Intensity radar transmitters.

Secretly however, the ship, like her sister ships, scattered throughout the world, she was designed with a secondary function; using the powerful array of radar transmitters like a MASER, a Microwave gun. Powered by four Nuclear Reactors, the beam was powerful enough to easily carve a small hole in the moon, burning several dozen Missiles into space dust, while more ocmplicated, was just as easy. Using the powerful array first as a radar to locate precisely the target, and then focusing the beam until it was no farther across thant hte diameter of the missile, andpumping the full several dozen gigawatts of available energy down that focused pathway, yielded an impressive result. The beam could easily keep up with the missiles and, unless the missiles had some tricky maneuvering capabilities, could eliminate each missile in only five seconds. If, for any reason not all of the missiles were eliminated efore they began entering the atmosphere, the Hinterland, and her sister ships, had another trick, using their impressive power, they could actually energize the Ionosphere, causing a distortion of the upper atmosphere that missiles would slam into as though it were a solid wall.

OOC: Finally, I get to do something, been forced to wait for Empir until now.

[ooc: About twenty-five to thirty minutes between launch and impact. Also, wouldn't energising the ionosphere be dangerous and unworkable?]

The flight of ICBMs slid through sub-orbital space like sharks through the ocean, pointed noses cutting gracefully through the cold, empty space beyond the atmospheric shroud. Below them was the vastness of the earth, although up here, where blue skies became black emptiness and silence, it was dwarfed by the incomprehensibly huge yawning darkness of the interplanetary void. Had it been philosophers on this lunatic ride beyond the fringes of the exosphere, they would doubtless be reflecting on the insignificance of man in the vastness of space.

However, these were not men but missiles, and their electronic brains, although incapable of pondering deep questions on the place of mankind within the universe, were furiously calculating entry trajectories and timing their journey so far.

An unspoken command deep within the circuitry of each missile, and suddenly decoys detach from its spear-like shape. Suddenly their numbers are multiplied sixfold, each missile dumping five drones. The drones, guided ballistically, are also heavy kinetic energy weapons in their own right. Chaff is also released, and the missiles leave sparkling, radar-confusing trails across the heavens.

And then, as one, the missiles and decoys dip their blunt snouts and plunge back towards the planet spread beneath them.

OOC: Only in high levels, at lower levels it would just cause the ionosphere to expand, creating a sort of 'bump' in the upper atmosphere. Placed correctly, the 'bump' could cause an incoming ballistic missile to 'skip' off the atmospere, either causing it to descend much later and far off course, or sending it into space.

Aboard the 'Hintrlands'
"Cap'n, the missiles are deploying decoys. Five per missile, it looks like they're heavies."

"Did you lock on the original missiles trajectories?"

"Aye Cap'n, there was just enough time."

"Excellent, continue engagment, targets matching original trajectories first, decoys second."

"Aye cap'n. slottting the protocols now."

As the missiles began dipping towards the atmosphere, the transmitters broke off from their targets, one by one as taking out the missiles became more and more unlikely before they hit atmosphere, the beams retrained on the section of Ionosphere. unleashing a cascade of greens, reds and blues, an artificial Aurora shimmering like an evanescent curtain in the high upper reaches of the atmosphere. Within seconds the curtain was all blue, denoting the much higher energy state it was now in, and up, dozens of miles above the surface of the planet, the Ionosphere began to bulge, not much, but enough to hopefully cause the missiles to bounce off the atmosphere, missing their target completely.

The Mondothian Sixty-Eighth Battle Group
The decks of the ships were supernaturally still, no crewmen stood on deck, shuffling their feet or their clothes russtling in the stiff sea breeze. In fact, the entire scene was as if out of some story book, a floating city, all of the inhabitants frozen in soem spell. lit only by the sun lensed through the weirdly warped, glowing blue sky, corruscating with shimmers of bright white plasma.
Under the surface, beneath the shells however, the 'floating city' was humming with activity, linked by the Shadow-Net network, the actions on all twenty eight major surface ships were linked as though the small task force was some sort of hive minded organism, with the 28 CICs as the pulsing hearts and minds of the single hive-fleet-creature.
Almost as one, the radar screens began blinking with threatening splotches of light, denoting the inbound missiles and decoys. Lines of text noted the size and type of the incoming missiles, as well as their speed and trajectories. A little cluster of digits indicated that Chff had been deployed by the targets, but was being ignored, a quick computer driven examination easily clasifying the non threatening bits of radar reflective material.
The ships had already been set to condition two, and the automated defenses took full advantage of the 'free fire' order implicit there. As the collective radar arrays locked on to the missiles positions, they launched misiles of their own, lighter and agile Rolling Airframe Missiles, designed to home in on a target with pinpoint accuracy, automatically calculating the necesarry lead for a solid hit. The missiles rose on slender columns of ethereal smoke and deep, angry orange and yellow flame, striking out on a fatal journey that would hopefully end wat the tip of another column of flame and smoke, this one descending like Zeus's lightning from the heavens, two mirrored columns, moving with careful and deliberate speed, one towards the other. The fleets 8 and 4.2 in. guns had their own say in the matter as well, swivelling and elevating to the proper position and firing deadly flack projectiles that exploded leavign a cloud of deadly shrapnel hanging in the air direcly in the path of the missiles, a wall of deadly razors.

The fleet of escorts arrived and the already prepared transports set out. For no nation such as Zeon should ever have the right to so crminally assault a people.

The fleet continued to bombard enemy lines, the planes to bomb and the artillary to fire. As soon as the reinforcements come, the push would begin.

Zeon:

Care to surrender?

The transports set out, troops at the ready. Bombardment continues.

The missiles slammed into the ionosphere, ricocheting off the energised portions like kernels in a popcorn machine. Mostly they either bounced back to continue their spaceward voyage, or were deflected slightly to splash into the ocean. Only three missiles and three decoys made it into the ionosphere.

They plunged towards the land below like birds of prey diving towards a startled rabbit. Except this rabbit had some defences. The missiles and decoys alike plowed into the shrapnel screen, blasting apart as they struck. The explosions blasted away shrapnel around them, leaving the way open for one solitary decoy as it burnt its firey trail towards the capital of Stuttgart.

OOC: Empiricalis waiting on you

Troops have arrived on front, will attack soon.

Bump.

In the confusion, it was hard even for the computer's to tell what exactly had happened> With missiles moving at hyper-sonic speeds on both sides, and the air filled with Flack and then of course the explosions. The single flaming trail of the emaining decoy was lost amid the confusion and by the time it was picked up, it was too late. The decoy had too much speed built up and there was no way a RAFM could reach it in time.
Hoping the one last target had been somehow deflected int he confusion and was maybe evr so slightly off course, no matter how unlikely, the commanders and crew of the fleet settled back and began post action checks, searching for any problems and reloading the expended missiles.

Meanwhile, overhead, the sky slowly returned to normal. the trails of smoke terminating in exlosions slowly dissipated while the Flack wafted back towards the sea. Higher up, the Ionosphere was returning to normal, blue edged with wight slowly became solid blue, then orange and eventually yellow,r ed and back to pale blue.

On shore, the two invasion forces were waiting. The Two-twenty-third regiment (Stuttgart/Zeon border) were waiting for some word from the Stuttgart command so they could move to where they were needed while the Five-Forty-Second regiment (200nm from southern tip) were waiting less patiently for the oncoming Zeon defenders, setting up a fluid defense of camoflauged positions and artillery batteries just waiting for the enemy to wander into the kill-zone.

Now it was a waiting game, waiting for the last missile to strike its target, waiting for the Stuttgart forces to update the Mondothian ones on the situation and waiting for the Zeon forces to get in range of the artillery. Waiting

[ooc: You mind if I use fluid time to get my leaders back to Helfaer, seeing as no-one seems to be doing anything about their retreat? I've got something lined up for them...]

OOC: I don't mind, but take all the time you want, I'm going to be using my own brand of 'fluid time' and fluiding myself away for a week, access will be limited if available at all for that time. Have fun and I'll see ya' when I sees ya'

The War Room fell silent as the condemned entered. They shuffled out, chained together at the ankles, their hands manacled behind their backs. They still wore their military uniforms, although they were stained with dirt and blood. Each one had a black sack tied over their head with coarse rope that bit into their neck. As they couldn't see, they were sheperded forward by six Helfaer soldiers, who dragged them by a leash attached to the first man. They were led past the round table and up to the platform in front of the screen, where they faced the crowd of military leaders below, although they could not see them.

The Fell stepped out of the dim lighting, and all those who could see him held their breath for a second and averted their eyes. He walked up to the stage with long, slow steps, allowing his boots to strike echoes from the floor.

"General Amon, General Merasus, Admiral Tyrsis, Air Marshall Gen-Agat. I expect you realise why you have been summoned before me?"

Without waiting for a reply, he continued.

"Recently you commanded a combined force with the task of protecting the lands of House Zeon in Empiricalis from the agression of the neighbouring House Stuttgart. You were granted a task force of two-hundred thousand men plus military vehicles, a sizeable air wing, and a fleet. However, rather than completing your objective, you fled back to Helfaer where a true soldier would have fought and won. Now I ask you, why did you not achieve victory?"

"We would have crushed the Stuttgart army, swept them like chaff before the hurricane, but they had powerful allies. The nations of Admiral-Bell and Mondoth both joined on the side of Stuttgart with armies that far outmatched our own. With such numbers ranged against us, defeat was inevitable. Admiral-Bell also achieved air superiority and was able to bombard our forces from the sea."

"Air Marshall? Admiral? What do you have to say on this matter?"

It was Admiral Tyrsis who replied, a note of fear in his voice.

"Our naval force was also far outmatched, our heaviest ships being light carriers and missile cruisers. Admiral-Bell brought battleships, and was bringing reinforcements of multiple battlegroups when we withdrew. Although we could have called for reinforcements, by the time they arrived it would be too late. As for the air war, we came into contact with vast amounts of carrier-launched interceptors. Our bombing raid was wiped out by a group of around one-thousand interceptors."

"And the ICBMs? Who orchestrated that attack?"

"I did."

The Fell stared at Merasus with fury.

"Do you have any idea what your foolish attack has cost us? Not only have you squandered men and machinery in an unplanned, incompetent fight, you may well have irrevocably damaged our position on the international stage. An ICBM launch while retreating and supposedly under ceasefire will almost certainly make nations less friendly to us. You have already made us powerful enemies, and now we stand to make more. Men, remove their masks. I want everyone to see what happens to those who fail me so spectacularly."

The soldiers stepped up behind the condemned leaders and tore the sacks from their heads, uncaring of the pain that the ropes caused. The Fell stepped up to Merasus, sword in hand. Then, in a movement so quick that few people even saw the motion blur, he severed the young general's head. It hit the floor with a heavy thud, a look of terror still frozen on its face. The body, blood jetting from the neck-stump as its heart still pumped reflexively, fell forward and off the stage. Then, stepping up to the head, he brought his boot down on it, crushing the skull. Fluid leaked through the torn flesh and shattered bone, pooling on the floor below.

"Soldiers, take this maggot's body away."

Two soldiers took the headless body and carried it out of the door. It would either be incinerated or minced and fed to the slaves.

"The rest of you, escort Amon, Tyrsis, and Gen-Agat to the torture chamber. I'm sure that Kor will have a use for them."

Amon and Tyrsis looked pale at the thought. Kor was infamous throughout those high up in Helfaer society as a master of the bone saw, the skin flayer, the nerve brander, and a host of other terrible instuments. Gen-Agat screamed, and one of the soldiers stepped forward and smashed the stock of his rifle into the back of his head. The Air Marshall slumped to the floor, his weight almost bringing Amon and Tyrsis down with him. The soldiers began to drag them from the room.

"No."

Everyone turned in their seats to see who had spoken to contradict the Fell's orders. The Fell also turned, his attempts to hide his anger failing.

"High Priest Tehenazzar, once again you overstep your mandate. These men are mine, to do with as I see fit, and I command that they are to be taken to Kor."

"No, my Lord, for once you are mistaken. The law allows me to declare these men under the protection of the Church of Leviathan. They will become lay workers for a while as penitence for their failure, and then they will be free to go."

"That law hasn't been used for a thousand years!"

"But it still stands. Ask General Brinksmann if my word doesn't carry enough weight."

The Fell turned his head to look at Brinksmann, who nodded.

"Very well, take these men. But they will never again find themselves in a position of command."

Helfaer:

Do wish for a peace treaty, we do.

Admiral-Bell

Although a peace treaty may well be in order, we would like to know what it would entail. Would this be a conditional ceasefire? Know now that we will not give up any of our nation's sovereign rights, and any attempt to take them from us will merely escalate this war.

Also, would this treaty be extended to Zeon and Stuttgart, should they choose to sign, or would this be a simple matter between us alone?

Helfaer:
A simple matter between our two nations, no strings attatched. If you wish embassys can be established, or we can just leave you alone.
Foreign minister of Admiral-Bell

Very well then. We will cease all military actions against your forces. However, we must decline your offer of an embassy exchange: although this option may be considered in the future, for now we would like to keep diplomatic channels closed due to resentment caused by our brief conflict.

Helfaer:
We will leave you alone as long as you stay out of our interests. If you ever wish to open relations, we will be happy to do so.

Admiral-Bell

OOC: Sry bout that, spring break and all...

Diplomatic Dispatch to Helfaer
From: Mondothian Ministry of International Affairs (Sec. State)

We have recently recieved word that several ICBMs of indeterminate load were launched from your homeland at an ally of Mondoth. Given that all of the actual missiles were destroyed by Mondothian defense assets in the theater and only a decoy actually impacted Stuttgart, We are forced to believe the attack to have been nuclear in origin. You are extremely lucky that we are not a nation that follows the 'Muttually Assurred Destruction' nuclear policy that is found throughout the planet. Else this dispatch would have been preceeded by a nuclear retaliation.

We now find it appropriate to offer Helfaer a chance at peace. To this end we request that Helfaer repay to the Stuttgart people the full cost of the damage caused by their attacks single hit, including survivor benefits to the family left by those killed. Addittionally, we request that Helfaer repay to Mondoth the cost of the missiles and man-hours used to defend Stuttgart from the attack. Furthermore, we Request a disarming of no less than two thirds of the remaining ICBM sites in Helfaer to be verified by a neutral third party.
We are willing to negotiate these terms and will send a diplomatic envoy to discuss peace terms. Failure to accept negotiations or the profferred terms, will result in continued hostility between our nations.

To: Mondothian Ministry of International Affairs (Sec. State)

Although we are a peace-loving nation, we find your demands ludicrous and hence are forced to reject them. Although we will accept negotiations, these will come to nothing unless your demands are not severely reduced. We refuse to give up our sovereignity and become a mere vassal state.

Firstly, the missile strike was not nuclear. A heavy nuclear bombardment would be counterproductive to our goals as it would eliminate our allies in Zeon as well. However, as there is no evidence, this will have to be taken on trust.

Secondly, although we will pay compensation for all civilian deaths caused by the decoy impact, we refuse to reimburse you for your interception of our missiles. The interception was entirely your own choice- we forced you to take no such action, and because of this the burden of financial responsibility falls squarely on your shoulders.

Finally, we absolutely refuse to disarm any of our ICBM sites, let alone a full two thirds. Such a blatant attack on our national right to defence is a travesty of civilised negotiations and is instead a move towards imperialism. Know this: we are no colonial savages to be subdued, their lands colonised, their women raped, and their men murdered. An attempt to bring us under outside control will bring only death.

A sensible nation would accept these new terms, or at least come to negotiate on them, avoiding further conflict.

K. Almarxa, Foreign Affairs Minister, Helfaer

We have no wish to make a vassal state of Helfaer over this incident, however, due to the nature of the attack we must see to our own safety. Analysis shows that the Helfaerian Strategic Arsenal is far greater than that needed to maintain a defensive and deterrant capability. A minimum dissarmament of one fourth of the Helfaerian arsenal has been determined to bring the arsenal to more reasonable levels while two thirds disarmament would allow and optimal number for both defensive purposes and as a deterant force. Mondoth is willing to cooperate with Helfaer in providing funding for the disarmament and developing weapons capable of delivering a suitable conventional load without the capability for use as a platform for nuclear weaponry.
Furthermore, we may be willing, once analysis of the debris left by the destoryed missiles is complete, to admit full financial responsibility for the defense of Stuttgart, however, if the analysis proves that the missiles were nuclear, then they would have posed a substantial threat to the Mondothian forces and full payment by Helfaer will be required.

Despite your feelings on our strategic weapons arsenal, we feel that it is currently too small to present a true deterrent. Our ICBM launch against Stuttgart represented around a third of our conventional strategic weapons, with our nuclear arsenal being far smaller. We note with some worry that our ICBMs, before now thought to be sufficient as a deterrent, were in fact obliterated by Mondothian defensive elements. With such defences our smaller nuclear stockpile must be no deterrent against invasion, as we cannot ensure any kind of destruction, let alone mutually assured destruction which is essentially the only deterrent against invasion.

Mondoth is willing, provided the succesful conclusion of peace negotiations, to work with Helfaer on designing a more capable detterant force. Mondoth has found, as you have no doubt noticed, that a powerful ballistic defense network is a much more effective detterant than all the offensive missiles that can be deployed. Mondoth itself maintains a minimum ballistic arsenal and an even smaller nuclear arsenal.

Analysis of the debris left over from the destruction of your missiles has determined that the missiles were most likely not of nuclear origin and we will not require payment for the materials expended in defense of Stuttgart

Your offer of helping us to develop a more capable deterrant force and ballistic missile shield is most welcome, and we are glad to accept. May this be the start of a new age of peace and co-operation between our nations.