NationStates Jolt Archive

Something is rotten in the land of Cot
[ Earth II ]

[ OOC: This is the thread for the Cottish civil war. Herein, I'm going to RP the major events of the civil war. I ask that no-one but members of Earth II post in this thread, and if you wish to have this thread appear in your subscriptions folder, please use Jolt's subscribe function. Any OOC comments and TAGs will result in me asking the moderators to remove them. Thank you in advance. ]

The morning skies over Oslo bore an eerie premonition of the tides to come. Prime Minister Thomas Rothsky looked out on the blood-red sky from his office in the 29th floor of the Government Building in Oslo, thinking about the events of the previous evening and night. He had had a traitor in the middle of his staff, a person he had trusted with his life. A person who had betrayed not only him and his trust, but also everything for which Cotland stood for. And the worst part was that she was but a small piece of the conspiracy. The information she had divulged under the interrogation, which could only be described as mental torture, had revealed that of the high-ranking flag officers in Forsvarets Overkommando [Military High Command], three of the highest-ranking were traitors to the Constitution, the King and to the Realm. Three high-ranking members of the Armed Forces who had access to everything Cotland had available in terms of military hardware, save for one thing. The Birkebeiners.

The Birkebeiners were highly loyal, you could even call them fanatical, soldiers, officially dead and highly trained, sworn to protect the Realm from all enemies and taking orders only from the King himself. They were the last line of defense for the Royal House and for Cotland. This force, some 12,000 man strong, was deployed throughout the Realm, hidden in secret facilities, armed to the teeth. They were unknowns, at least up until this internal conspiracy became official. It was estimated by Nasjonal Sikkerhetsmyndighet [National Security Authority] and Etterretningstjenesten [National Intelligence Service] that some thirty-five percent of the active military might attempt a mutiny against the Realm. The remaining sixty-five percent would be on the side of the legally elected government. The Birkebeiners were naturally on the side of the government, but the thing that was the big unknown was who the people and the reservists would side with.

Rothsky sighed as he looked at his wristwatch. Twelve minutes 'til the cabinet meeting at the Royal Palace. The entirety of the cabinet would be present, along with the King and the leaders of the military. Another group of people would be at the grounds as well. A full company of Birkebeiners and a full battalion of His Majesty the Kings Guards, armed and combat ready. It was a first in the modern history of Cotland to have the Guards dressed in combat gear instead of the normal parade uniforms which always impressed the tourists. Now, they only looked menacing, with rifles loaded and kevlar helmets on the head instead of the normal hats. Sighing yet again, Rothsky turned to leave. One thing kept repeating itself in his head: The big unknown was how the people was going to respond.

[ Royal Palace, Oslo, Norway, Cotland ]

"Herre Konge." [My King.]

"Hva er det som egentlig har hendt? Jeg har fått høre om atomvåpen som har blitt avfyrt." [What is going on? I've been informed about nuclear weapons being fired.]

"Det stemmer. Vi har et stort problem." [That is correct. We've got a big problem.]

Rothsky looked at the King, then he looked over the cabinet, then the military leaders. After looking at them for a few seconds, he continued.[/size][/color]]

"E-tjenesten og Nasjonal Sikkerhetsmyndighet har avdekket en konspirasjon dypt inne i våre egne rekker. Disse forræderne har etter det jeg har blitt informert som hensikt å kaste regjeringen, kongehuset og hele Riket for så å bygge en kommunistisk stat." [The intelligence service and National Security Authority have uncovered a conspiracy, deep within our own ranks. I've been informed that these traitors intend to overthrow the cabinet, the Royal House and the entirety of the Realm before they will build a communist state.]

"Herre Gud..." [My God...]

"Ja. Og det verste er at flere personer inne i dette rommet er med på den kommunistiske konspirasjonen." [Yes. The worst part is that several persons inside this room are involved in the communist conspiracy.]

Rothsky pressed a button as he said that, resulting in the doors opening a second later. Eleven black-clad, heavily armed men entered. They spread out and took up positions behind five members in the room, two per person, training their carbines and submachine guns at the people they stood behind. The eleventh man walked up to the King and saluted.

"Birkebeiner-kompani elleve ber om ordrer, Herre Konge!" [Birkebeiner company eleven requesting orders, My King!]

The King looked at the man before he looked to Rothsky.

"Jeg går ut fra at Birkebeinerne ikke står bak forsyningsministeren, transportminsteren, Generalinspektøren for Sjøforsvaret, Generalinspektøren for Hæren og Forsvarssjefen uten grunn, herr statsminister?" [I assume that the Birkebeiners aren't behind the Minister of Supplies, Minister of Transportation, Chief of the Navy, Chief of the Army and the Chief of Defense without reason, Prime Minister?]

"Nei Herre Konge. De personene er ifølge en meget sikker kilde forrædere." [No My King. Those persons are according to a reliable source traitors.]

"Hvem er kilden?" [Who is the source?]

"Den som beordret hele nattens hendelser. Sikkerhetsrådgiveren min." [The person who ordered the events of this evening. My security councellor.]

"Hvordan er du sikker på at hun snakker sant?" [How can you be sure that she's telling the truth?]

"Hun var utsatt for intensivt forhør i tre timer av Nasjonal Sikkerhetsmyndighet." [She was intensely interrogated by the National Security Authority for three hours.] Rothsky said silently, looking down at the heavy oak table. The entire room was silent. Three hours worth of the worst kind of mental torture. The Cots had a very useful technique which, to days date, had left the most strong-willed person subjected to it capable of withstanding for two hours before giving in. Three hours was more than enough to pick out every bit of information that the security councellor had stored in her brain.

"Greit. Birkebeinere, før forræderne vekk. Kast dem i cellene i Akershus." [Alright. Birkebeiners, take the traitors away. Throw then into the cells in Akershus.] the King said after a short while. He knew very well what an "intensive interrogation" meant. Torture. The Birkebeiners obeyed the orders the King had given them. The five traitors were dragged to their feet, zip-tied, blindfolded, gagged and checked for intelligence, weapons and other items before they were dragged out. The three soldiers had been stripped of their insignia, medals, patches and anything else which had the hallmarks of the Royal Cottish Military on it before they were dragged down into waiting M2008A1 Dingo APVs and driven down to Akershus fortress. They would spend the next days in the cold, damp stone cells in the dungeon of the fortress, guarded by Birkebeiners. Meanwhile, the meeting in the Royal Palace continued.

For the better part of six hours, the cabinet members and remaining leaders of the military sat and discussed what to do with the King, protected by Birkebeiners and His Majesty the Kings Guards' second battalion [2nd BN, HMKG]. Finally, they decided to what to do. The military leaders had some clue as to who was loyal and who wasn't in their own staffs, so they would clear out those who were disloyal and replace them with loyal soldiers. Meanwhile, NIS and NSA would conduct their own discreet checks with loyal contacts in every military unit, from carriers and battleships via infantry and armored brigades to the many fighter and bomber squadrons. They parted with agreeing to meet the following day to analyze the findings and then decide on what to do. They just needed to know who was loyal and who wasn't first.

With the arrest of the military commanders supporting the rebels, it had begun in earnest. The 24th Infantry Brigade [mechanized] which was garrisoned at Terningmoen Leir near Elverum started its action. Of the 4000+ members of the brigade, only about 500 were actual rebels. They included most of the officers, and they started moving now. Those officers known to be loyal were arrested by the rebel officers in secrecy and shot, using silenced weapons, before the rebel officers sounded the alarm of the base. It was night, and most of the soldiers were asleep when the sirens started howling. Now knowing what was happening, the soldiers rolled out of bed and pulled on their uniforms as quickly as possible while getting outside the barracks'. Outside, the rebel officers waited, fully dressed in combat gear. When the last of the soldiers were out, they started informing the soldiers of what had happened, according to them.

The cover story was that most of the military had committed mutiny against the Realm and that the 24th had been ordered to Oslo to ensure the safety of the King and cabinet. According to the rebel officers, the Kings Guards had revolted against the King as well, holding him captive in the palace. The soldiers of the 24th were ordered not to trust anyone other than the members of their own brigade, and instructed to shoot anyone attempting to stop them. The men saw no reason to doubt the orders of their officers. They had served them favorably in the past, hadn't they?

Within fifteen minutes, the first of the M11A2 Viking infantry fighting vehicles were on their way out of Terningmoen and towards Oslo. Thanks to the very extensive and well maintained highway, they reached Oslo in ninety minutes. They made their way towards the Royal Palace, and the first skirmish between rebel and loyalist forces occured at Vigelandsparken, only half a kilometer from the Royal Palace. Opposing each other were 5th Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 24th Infantry Brigade and 4th Company, 2nd Battalion, His Majesty the Kings Guards.

The Guardsmen were urban warfare experts, but dangerously outnumbered. The 200 light infantrymen were opposing nearly 650 mechanized infantrymen, and they had no defenses nearby. The first gunshots rippled through the normally quiet night-time Oslo, waking the majority of the sleeping population in the downtown area. The skirmish lasted some nine minutes and resulted in six dead on the loyalist side and seven dead on the rebel side.

Immediately upon hearing the gunshots, the Birkebeiners rushed into the Kings chambers and dragged him with them down to a waiting Dingo. Sixteen Birkebeiners escorted the King down and into three waiting Dingos, which sped off to Akershus fortress which had now gone to maximum alert. The remaining 98 Birkebeiners at the Palace joined the 2nd Battalion of His Majesty the Kings Guards which had been left to defend the Palace. They took up positions in the Palace Park, the Guard House outside the Palace and inside the Palace itself, preparing themselves for a siege. Meanwhile, the remainder of HMKG at Akershus were alerted and manned the fortress walls, preparing. Inside the courtyard, two AH-94B Stalker gunships were prepared for takeoff, laden with 70mm rockets and 30mm projectiles.

The small convoy made the one kilometer drive in less than a minute, driving like crazy down Karl Johan street, ignoring streetlights and passing traffic. They entered the fortress and immediately rushed the King to the command bunker 250 meters below the ground. Meanwhile, the members of the cabinet were awoken by their security staff and taken to secure locations. Most were taken to Kolsås Leir, the headquarters of Nasjonal Sikkerhetsmyndighet and from there via the secret underground train to a more secure location an hour away from Oslo, deep within the mountains. It was manned by members of the NSA and Birkebeiners, something which ensured that it was safe.

At the palace, the fighting started with shots fired in the streets and missiles being fired against and from the Palace. The embassy quarters were only a few hundred meters to the east of the Palace, so the embassies there most certainly knew that there were shootings in the streets. It was only a matter of time before it would reach the rulers of the nations who had embassies in Cotland...

Oslo

"What the....what's going on out there?"

Ambassador Park's aide walked to the window, frowning as he heard what sounded like shots ringing out. He called Park over as soldiers ran past the embassy on their way to the palace.

"Looks like something's going down, Comrade Ambassador. I can't get a good look from here, but it sounds like there's a small battle going on."

"Go up on the roof and have a look."

"Ambassador?!"

"Go up and have a look. Beijing will want to know if something's flaring up, but I can't tell them about it if I don't know what's going on, can I?"

The Kreynorian Embassy, Oslo

The gunshots had attracted the attention of most everyone in the building, who were now watching the street fight unfold outside.

"What the hell's going on?"

"The Cottish bastards are fighting themselves. See the Vikings?"

"Why?"

"I don't know. They've all gone fucking crazy. You hear they fired a nuke at Russia?"

"I heard."

"And its about time."

Then the alarm started going off, and the embassy police were leading the diplomats and embassy staff into the basement. An encrypted radio transmission was sent to the Cottish field commander, asking if they needed the embassy police as reinforcements.

Brink Embassy-Olso

The embassies were not under direct fire not because of their location but mostly because at the moment they were of no strategic importance. As time would progress it was most definite that they would be involved in one way or the other and because of this precautions had to be taken. It was however unfortunate that this knowledge was no possessed at the moment by those who desperately needed it, in other words the occupants were clueless, for the most part that is.

Since the recent conflicts in Russia Ovambo sent her most trusted aide and former President Timothy Farrell to Cotland, an international friend. Farrell also happened to be head of foreign relations within the Brinkian government. He could frequently be found at the Cotland Embassy or enjoying the city of Oslo, because he was quite enamored by the nation. The night before he was enjoying dinner with the Prime Minister of whom he was close friends with. He heard only minor details of the situation that had taken place partly because the information at the time was shady at best and also because there was no need for him to know, privately speaking. He knew that there was something afoot but of the scale that was taking place he had no idea. Lucky for him he was sound asleep when the fighting began courtesy of a long day in the city. He awoke to find the Brink ambassador to Cotland hovering over him with a panicked look drawn over his face. Simultaneously after be woken up he heard the gunshots, unmistakable from that distance. A million thoughts rushed through his had but one stuck out most disturbingly, civil war. He had been through his own revolution and that was the only speculation he could surmise. He intensity of the firefight heighten his resolve and he quickly order all guardsmen on high alert and a Chinook inbound. Whether he would stay or not was far from his mind, he needed some answer but how? His first thoughts were for the safety of the king and more importantly Prime Minister Rothsky. He could already tell it would be too dangerous to travel, seeing as how the shots were in the direction of the palace. After much thought he came to the conclusion that they were probably safe and heading to Akershus. The only thing he could do now was wait until word came through. However the ambassador had other ideas.

Farrell tried to stop him from leaving the embassy but the little African had something else on his mind. Farrell could tell this man had been waiting for a chance to prove himself and maybe make a few headlines. This foolish and false bravado was sure to get him injured or worse killed. Farrell did everything in his power to convince him otherwise going even as far as to deny a military escort. Farrell was not about to lose good Marines on a pointless political expedition. Still the man went out looking for answers amidst the firefight taking place not far from their location. Farrell doubted very much that he would see him alive again. Politics he muttered to himself.


OOC: Can I assume i have a direct communication line with
Akershus?

Babette's Gjestehus-Oslo

Bjornoyan Ambassador Marcus Kankaanperä sat, waiting for his meal. It was once a week he let himself induldge in the finer delicacies Norway had to offer. Tonight's outting had to be made nearly a month in advance. His fiancee had arrived but hours ago, and the two were looking forward to a pleasant night.

A filet of reindeer with lingonberries, a pheasant in mushroom sauce, and an hour of talking over a fine port later the two were about to retire to the embassy, both eagerly anticipating the remainder of the night's delights. As the two were about to step out the door they halted, hearing the faint sound of gunshots in the distance close the the Bjornoyan embassy. Ambassador Kankaanperä cursed to himself and called up the embassy to figure out what was going on and to tell them to contact Esthar immediately.

Oslo, Norway

"What the...?" Marcus Claudius Tullius and his embassy staff were flabbergasted upon hearing the gunshots not far from them. "This can't be good."

At the request of embassy police, Tullius led his staff into the basement. He inquired with the police officer on what the fuss was about, but the officer replied that he knew nothing. Tullius then made a mental note of contacting Cottish officials once everything was sorted out. This isn't the Cotland I know. This just may be the end of an era.

At the Palace, the fighting kept going strong. Neither side was backing down, but the Guardsmen were running low on ammunition and they had a lot of wounded. The battalion commander had a dilemma though. Were they to surrender the Palace, the symbol of the monarchy, to the rebels, or would they defend 'til the last man? The commander decided that he would defend the symbol of the monarchy 'til his dying breath. As such, the firefight continued, with both sides taking a lot of casualties and the continued firefight and explosions in the streets.

In Oslo, the police had also gotten wiff of the firefight and responded. However, as the first squad car rolled up behind one of the M4 command vehicles, one of the rebel officers freaked out and started shooting. The 6.8x43mm rounds penetrated the windscreen of the car and killed the two police officers sitting inside, shocking the enlisted soldiers standing nearby. One called out for a medic while many rushed over to try to help the dead officers. Three soldiers, including two sergeants walked over to the officer, weapons ready.

"Hva i helvete var det kaptein?" [What the hell was that Captain?]

The officer looked at the men, not saying a word.

"Hva i helvete var det kaptein!" [What the hell was that Captain!] one sergeant repeated, resulting in the officer firing yet again, blowing out the brains of the sergeant. This resulted in the two others jumping the officer, beating him and wrestling the rifle out of the officer's hand.

"Hva i Satan var det du gjorde!?" [What in Satans name did you do?]

"Jeg forsvarer saken!" [I'm defending the cause!]

"Hvilken sak? Vi er jo her for å beskytte Kongen!" [What cause? We're here to protect the King!]

"Tror du ja... å faen..." [That's what you think... oh shit...]

"Hva mener du med det? Hva i helvete mener du med det?" [What do you mean? What the fuck do you mean?]

The officer said nothing, he just looked at the growing crowd of soldiers aiming their rifles at him. The soldiers dragged him into a CTLAV and drove towards Akershus, having a white flag up.

As they got to Akershus, the sentries were ready to open fire. The only thing holding them from doing so was the white flag and the massive crowd of civilians wanting to know what was going on.

"Holdt!" [Halt!] the sentry challenged the approaching CTLAV, attracting not only the attention of the driver, but also the guards on the walls. The two sergeants inside dragged out the now bleeding and handcuffed officer and pushed him forward.

"Vi er cottiske soldater! Vi tjener Kongen!" [We're Cottish soldiers! We serve the King!]

"Dersom dere tjener Kongen, hvorfor i helvete skyter dere på oss?" [If you serve the King, then why the hell are you shooting at us?]

"Vi har blitt bedratt. Denne personen er en av de som har bedratt oss. Vi må snakke med Kongen med en gang." [We've been fooled. This person is one of those who have fooled us. We need to speak with the King immediately.]

The sentry agreed and allowed them to pass through the gates, where a group of soldiers met them. They were disarmed, checked and identified. After that, they were brought under heavy escort to the office of the Commandant. As they entered the office, the two sergeants came to a perfect attention and saluted Generalløytnant Vikeid, Commandant of Akershus.

"Herr General! Sersjantene Dahl og Oen melder seg!" [General sir! Sergeants Dahl and Oen reporting!]

The general returned their salute before saying only one thing, "Rapporter." [Report.]

"Herr General. Vi har blitt lurt av offiserene våre. Flere av offiserene var ikke til stede da vi mottok ordrene våre for noen timer siden i Terningmoen." [General sir. We've been fooled by our officers. Several of the officers weren't present when we recieved our orders a few hours ago at Terningmoen.]

"Og hvorfor er dere egentlig her? Vet dere ikke at tjue-fjerde brigade er ansvarlig for forsvaret av Elverum og omegn, ikke Oslo? Garden og brigadene ved Lillestrøm og Drammen er ansvarlige for forsvaret av Oslo." [And why are you here exactly? Don't you know that the 24th Brigade are responsible for defending Elverum and its surroundings, not Oslo? The Guard and the brigades at Lillestrøm and Drammen are responsible for the defense of Oslo.]

"General, vi mottok order om at Garden hadde gått til angrep på Kongen og at vi hadde order fra Overkommandoen om å forsvare Kongen. De som fremdeles kjemper tror fortsatt at Garden har begått mytteri sammen med Overkommandoen. De nekter å godta ordene som er utstedt herfra." [General, we recieved orders from our officers that the Guards had attacked the King and that we had orders from High Command to defend the King. Those who are still fighting still believe that the Guards have committed mutiny along with High Command. They refuse to accept the orders issued from here.]

"Herre Gud. Jeg må snakke med Kongen med en gang. En siste ting. Hvem tror dere står bak?" [My God. I need to speak with the King at once. One last thing. Who do you think are behind this shit?]

"Offiserene. De fleste har sagt at de ikke skjønner hvorfor vi forsvarer et monarki. De som har forsvart Kongen har vi ikke sett i natt." [The officers. Most of them have said that they don't understand why we're defending a monarchy. Those who have stood up for the King have been absent tonight.]

"Takk. Dere har gjort en god jobb. Følg fenriken der ute. Han har ordrer til dere." [Thank you. You've done a good job. Follow the 2nd Lieutenant out there. He's got orders for you.]

The sergeants nodded, saluted and exited to follow the 2LT for their new orders. Meanwhile, the General exited the office and headed down to the bunker to meet the King and to share the latest news with the High Command.

Meanwhile, reports came from other major cities like Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø that military forces were fighting in the streets against each other, and that civilians chanting communist slogans were taking to the streets. Pro-royalists were also taking to the streets, and there were clashes. Violent clashes. The same was true with Oslo, and the fightings started in earnest. Something had to happen soon. Someone would have to speak up. And someone did.


*****************************************************


All television screens turned from the various programs to a single image. A white background with a Soviet flag behind a person dressed in black and red, wearing a black skimask and holding an AK-74 in front of him or her. Then she/he started speaking.

"Dette er kommandant Helge fra Arbeidernes Kommunistparti, marxist-leninistene. Vi påtar oss ansvaret for hendelsene rundt omkring Cotland. Revolusjonen har begynt, og våre kamerater er i ferd med å ta over de dekadente borgerlige maktfunksjonene. Snart er den nye arbeiderstaten her, der alle skal forenes som én klasse: arbeiderklassen! Ja, noen må dø før arbeiderstaten kan bli en realitet men de som blir drept av oss er dekadente borgerlige kapitalister uansett, så vi bryr oss egentlig ikke. Vi vil ikke gi oss før arbeiderstaten er en realitet og den såkalte 'kongen' er død! Makt til arbeiderne!"

[This is commandant Helge from the Worker's Communistparty, the marxist-leninists. We assume responsibility of the actions occuring around Cotland. The revolution has started, and our comrades are about to take over the dekadent citizen-class power functions. Soon the new workers state is here, were everyone will be united as one class: the worker class! Yes, someone must die before the workers state can be a reality but those killed by us are decadent citizen capitalists anyway, so we don't really give a shit. We won't quit until the workers state is a reality and the so-called 'king' is dead! Power to the workers!]

Then the broadcast was finished with the playing of the Internationale and glorifying pictures of Marx, Lenin and Stalin, after which the broadcasts returned to the previous. Now the loyalists knew who they were opposing. The King would have to make an announcement soon.


[ OOC: You can have a direct line to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who can patch you through to Akershus. However, things are mighty hectic there at the moment. Not many who can spare a minute to talk with him/her. ]

Hawdawg Embassy
1249 East Embassy Row
Oslo

As Ambassador Sweeny sat at his desk a young Marine sprinted into his office.

Lance Corporal Hinzer: "Sir, we have shots fired in the street. It appears to be something larger than a civil disturbance. I recommend we lock down the embassy Sir."

As the rapid fire of small arms could be heard in the distance Ambassador Sweeny reacted.

Ambassador Sweeny: "Holy Shit! Yes, by all means lock the embassy down. Seal off all entrances, arm your platoon and I will head to the safe room."

Sweeny gathered his important papers from his desk and scrambled to the safe room deep within the embassy bunker. This room was designed to be a safe haven should an unfortunate NBC attack fall on Oslo. Unfortunately for the remander of the staff, they had an adjoining complex underground that was not NBC hardened, but it did offer protection from stray bullets. Lance Corporal Hinzer gathered his platoon and issued M-4 rifles, SPAS Shotguns, and sidearms to his unit. They weren't allowed any explosives within the embassy, but the layout of the building allowed for maximum use of cover and interlocking fields of fire from the defensive bunker complex to repel any frontal assault of the embassy complex.

As Ambassador Sweeny entered the safe room, the Orange SATCOM phone was blinking, it had to be the Prime Minister's office.

Ambassador Sweeny: "Yes, PM Wales Hello. We have a situation here. Small arms fire has errupted in and around embassy row. I don't know the SITREP sir, our contengency of Marines have armed themselves and all vital employees are in the underground bunker complex. We are on official lockdown."

PM Wales: "Just listen Sweeny. We have unconfirmed reports a Coup is in the works in Oslo. We don't have any specifics but HIA has reports its linked to the nuclear launch into Russian territory. Stay safe, and we will stay in touch should something change."

Ambassador Sweeny: "Yes sir, I am not worried. We have provisions for an extended stay in the bunker if necessary and our Helicopter is still functional to airlift us out if needed."

The Embassy staff huddled in the complex unsure of the outcome of this outbreak of violence in Cotland. This kind of gun play was expected in third world countries, but not Cotland.

[ Akershus fortress, Oslo ]

The King walked into the courtyard, escorted by four Birkebeiners as he headed for the communications center of the fortress. He needed to adress the people to let them know what was going on.

"Rett!" [Attention!]

The King looked up to find that all the soldiers in the courtyard had stopped whatever they were doing and now stood in attention, respecting their supreme commander in chief. Many of them were young, not more than nineteen in many cases, fresh out from school and basic training. There were people from Norway, from the Caribbean, from Egypt and from Siberia, all of them united in the Cottish uniform and in the belief that they were fighting for a just cause. They were fighting for the Realm. The King stopped to look at them, feeling their expecting looks, their confidence in him gaining control and winning this battle. They trusted their lives indirectly in his hands, and that was quite a responsibility. He needed to be their confidence worthy.

"Jeg vet at dette er en merkelig og frustrerende situasjon for dere. Det er det for meg og. Men jeg har tillit til at Gud vil gi oss styrken til å overtale de av våre brødre som har blitt hjernevasket av forræderne til å vende tilbake til oss. Dere gjør en god jobb. Jeg ber om at dere fortsetter å forsvare Riket slik dere har gjort de siste timene. Måtte Gud innvilge oss seier." [I know that this is a strange and frustrating situation for you. It is for me too. But I have confidence in God granting us the strength to pursuade those of our brothers who have been brainwashed by the traitors to return to us. You're doing a good job. I pray that you continue defending the Realm like you have for the past few hours. May God grant us victory.]

The soldiers nodded and smiled, fully aware of the seriousness of the situation. The King shook the hands of many of the soldiers, talking to them, reassuring that they were doing the right thing and that their cause was just. It all was preserved for eternity by a member of the Kings staff who took pictures of the King and the soldiers. After ten minutes, the King got to the communications room and got ready to adress the nation. This would be one of the rare times where he talked in public to the people over TV and radio, that sort of thing normally being reserved for Christmas.

The image the world now saw was that of the King of Cotland, wearing a Army uniform complete with five golden stars over a golden square plate, the distinctions of the 5-star General, the only person in Cotland holding that rank being the King. The left side of the chest was loaded with various medals and orders, fitting a King. Behind him, the Cottish flag was. The expression of the King was neutral, but it was clear that he was under a great deal of stress. Who wouldn't be in his situation? After a few seconds, the King started speaking.

"Mine kjære landsmenn.

"I natt har det vi aldri trodde kunne skje her i landet vårt skjedd. Deler av Forsvaret har gjort mytteri mot folket og fedrelandet. Etterretning som vi har viser at dette er et forsøk på en kommunistisk revolusjon. En illegal gruppering kalt AKP(ml) har påtatt seg ansvaret for dette angrepet på Riket, et angrep som bare kan kalles et forsøk på kupp. Dette kuppet har for øyeblikket holdt seg til Norge, men det kan raskt endre seg.

"Med bakgrunn i dette kuppforsøket erklærer jeg herved, med hjemmel i Grunnlovens paragraf femit-to at en nasjonal krise har oppstått. Jeg ber alle soldater, sjøfolk, luftsoldater, marinesoldater og kystvaktpersonell lojale til Riket om å kjempe mot opprørerne. Jeg ber folket om å støtte den lovlig valgte regjeringen i deres kamp mot kommunistene. Dersom de får det som de vil, så vil det ikke være noe av det dere har i dag igjen. De vil ta fra dere bilene deres, jobbene, husene, pengene, alt. De vil ta fra dere alle rettigheter som dere har. Ingenting vil være som det vanligvis er under kommunismens jernteppe. Dere hørte selv hva kommunistene sa. De blåser en lang marsj i om dere blir drept eller ikke. La dette være klart. Enhver cot som dør som følge av denne 'revolusjonen' havner på deres kappe. Dere er ansvarlige for enhver som dør, og dere vil bli stilt til ansvar for dette. Husk det. Det er deres ansvar.

"Til folket har jeg dette å si. Hold ut, be for at dette er over snart og avlyd påleggene som blir gitt dere av politiet, Forsvaret og andre offentlige myndigheter. Motstå kommunistene og støtt de lojale styrkene. Jeg ber for dere og for at dette snart er over. Vi har juridisk, historisk og folkerettslig rett til å fortsette å styre landet. Dere må velge. Kommunistene eller regjeringen som dere, folket, valgte til å styre. Velg det riktige. Velg det som er best for Cotland. Måtte Gud være med oss alle. Takk."

[My fellow countrymen.

Tonight, something we never thought possible here in our country has happened. Parts of the armed forces have committed mutiny against the people and the fatherland. Our intelligence shows that this is an attempt of a communist revolution. An illegal grouping called WCP(ml) has assumed responsibility for this attack upon the Realm, an attack which can only be described as a coup. This coup is restricted to Norway at the moment, but that can rapidly change.

With this attempted coup as the backdrop, I hereby declare, with legal grounds in article fifty-two of the Constitution, that a state of national emergency exists. I ask all soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guard personell loyal to the Realm to fight against the rebels. I ask the people to support the legally elected government in their fight against the communists. If they win, there will be nothing left of what you have today. They will take away your cars, jobs, houses, money, everything. They will strip you of your rights. Nothing will be as it normally is under the iron curtain that is communism. You heard them yourselves. They don't give a damn about if you get killed or not. Let this be clear. The blood of any Cot dying as a result of this 'revolution' is on your hands. You are responsible for anyone who dies, and you will be held responsible for it. Remember that. It is your responsibility.

To the people, I have this to say. Hold out, pray that this is soon over and obey the instructions given to you by the police, military and other official authorities. Resist the communists and support the loyal forces. I pray for you and that this is over soon. We have the legal, historical and humanitarian right to remain in control of this country. It is your choice. The communists or the government you the people elected into office. Make the right choice. Choose what is best for Cotland. May God be with us all. Thank you.]

The transmission ended with the playing of the national anthem before the screen returned to the news broadcasts which were now on all channels. This message went across the world, letting the world know of the events in Cotland. Who knew how the world would react...?

Hirgizstanian Embassy,
1250 East Embassy Row,
Oslo

The firing had been going on for hours now, Marines had locked down the Embassy some hours ago, after some of the native staff had requested to try to get home to their families. One courageous Marine Luitenant offered to drive them to wherever they needed to go in one of the armoured limousines.

The hulking black Conlin Limo had arrived back just before dusk, a few bullet holes here and there. The Luitenant had reported serious distrubances at the Palace.

The Ambassador, one Nickson Kipkenne, had reacted strangely to the news that a de-facto Civil War had broken out. A Marine Guard had run into his office and broke the news as he was having his morning breakfast. He replied, "Gunfire eh? Fantastic, I haven't heard that sound in years. All this desk flying gets boring, this should liven things up. Keep me informed, and lock down the place will you. He then got up from his desk, where a small tray of food sat, and opened up a cupboard behind him, pulling out a military pistol belt with two silver plated, ivory handled M1911 (MEU(SOC)) pistols, which he wrapped around his waist before turning on the TV and retruning to his breakfast, craning his neck slightly to hear the distant firing.

Kipkenne was a former soldier in the CHMC, with a stunning record and a bullet in the liver. He had been invalided out of the Marines and went straight into the State Department where he had contacts and sway from his days on the General Staff, reporting often to the Fuhrer himself.

The entire embassy staff and Marines, as the evening came along, watched in a stunned silence as the local News broadcast the King's message. The nuclear incident in Kalmkyia...it suddenly made grim sense to everyone in the embassy.

Two Grey Fox and two Strike Force Lightning soldiers sat in the Sub Level 3 basement of the Embassy building. They each sat ready in their CENTURION suits, listening to the broadcast and watching the news reports showing troops running here and there, not knowing who was good and who was bad at this point. The room, on the Official Plans, was just a sub-basement to house supplies, but in reality it was an Intelligence Service bunker, used by the CIA, NSA and certain Black Units. Only four were in the bunker, which was kitted out for ten. However, if the situation got worse, NSA and CIA assets would soon arrive.

A message was sent from the embassy that night by the Ambassador, from the Intelligence Service Bunker, via a secure channel, to the King. It was heavily encrypted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENCRYPTION CODE VIII (HIGH)
COH EMBASSY
AMBASSADOR'S OFFICE

TO: OFFICE OF THE KING

(REGENT'S/PM's EYES ONLY)



Sirs, our vast history together speaks for itself. You helped us once, to win our freedom, now the tables seemed turned, and we offer our help to you keep your freedom.

I have a force at my disposal that could help protect the King and defend the Palace, they can make their way from here and bring you information. The Fuhrer has also authorised me to inform you that the resources of the COH will be avaliable to the true Norwegian Government.

Nickson Kipkenne, Ambassador

COH

Beijing

Premier Zhao paced the room nervously, waiting for Security Minister Hasan to arrive. The situation in Cotland had presented the thorniest of dilemmas. On the one hand, Cotland and the UER had never had any major problems; in fact, relations between the two had been nothing short of excellent. On the other hand, the UER was a communist superpower, and the Workers Communist Party was technically an ideological brother to the Eastasian Communist Party; the idea of having Cotland under a communist government seemed too good an idea to ignore.

However, the failure of the Kreynorian revolution had shown the Eastasians how situations could change in an instant. If they committed to support the WCP and the revolution failed, then Cotland would be out for blood. Alternatively, if they stayed neutral and the revolution succeeded, then the WCP may shun the UER for not assisting them.

Security Minister Hasan entered the room and nodded at Zhao. "Comrade Premier, this WCP may actually have a chance at success. The main problem we have is that we don't know who is leading it or the extent of their support; until we know more I'd advise against choosing one side over the other."

Zhao swore. "I was hoping for something more definitive. Is anything happening in Primorsky?"

"Not that we know of. Of course, if the WCP did manage a successful uprising in Primorsky, we may face accusations of compliance since we are a huge communist state bordering that province. What do you want us to do?"

"Keep monitoring the situation, and let me know the second it looks like we might be able to take advantage of this."

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

Oslo

The Eastasian embassy staff had all retreated to the building's basement to avoid any possible casualties after informing Beijing of the situation; as representatives of a communist state, it was hoped that royalist Cots wouldn't single them out.

OOC: Do I have a embassy in Cotland
Liberty City, Brydog

Wolfgang was watching the report, Communist Party leader, Frederick Jophese was cussing at the WCP, for not using policial means. He turned to the President.

"Mr. Lichtenburg, we need to send a message to the world about this, The BLP(the president's party) may be a enemy to false communism, but not to true communism and my party. History has shown that captialism and communism must work together for the people."

Lichtenburg give his speech,

Today, the nation of Cotland has been threaten by a foe that has corrupted the people. My Party, the Brydog Liberation Party and the Communist Party of the Republic under Mr. Jophese have decided to aid the King of Cotland's forces and we fight this false communism that will lied and damage the nation of Cotland. Freedom Forever and may the Liberals and the left-wingers rise aganist this threat. Good Luck.

The situation had not gotten any better; in fact it seemed to be deteriorating rapidly. Needless to say the United States embassies was blind and for the moment dangerously deaf. Nevertheless Farrell tried to keep a positive outlook on things. The United States of Brink had long standing ties to Cotland and its royalty however if the coup was democratically oriented it would provide a very stick situation to say the least. Seeing as how the United States of Brink is one of the most democratically free nations on the planet it would have made extreme complications arise. Luckily though the rebels had made the picture clear, they were strictly communist and if there is one thing capitalists hate, its communism. The embassy was not yet on lockdown but preparations were already underway and Brink nationals began a steady stream into the complex. At the moment things were as calm as they could be with the obvious situation, but it would only take time for this to change, as things so rapidly do.

Farrell had waited for a decent amount of time long enough, he thought, to give the king sufficient time to make it to the fortress. The embassy had a direct line to the ministry of foreign affairs which Farrell intended to use. Within moments a voice picked up on the opposite line, there was a lot of disturbance behind him.

“I assume you’ll be wondering about the situation sir,” said the mysterious voice. “Look sir, we are a bit tied up here so you wouldn’t mind if I kept this short, the phones have been going crazy.” There was a rising tension in the mans voice, obviously annoyed by the constant ringing of the telephones heard in the background. “It’s a rebellion or at least that’s what we think. Sorry sir, I don’t mean to be rude sir.” Farrell could tell the man was tired and worn down; he didn’t attend to keep him on the phone much longer.

“There is no problem here, are the embassy in danger?”

“Well at the moment I would say no sir. If that was their target they would have hit by now however they could be using the fighting to draw attention away, I really don’t know sir. I would guess though that eventually things might get hectic down there, I would suggest that all families or anything of that nature be evacuated.” The tension in the voice eased down, tactics; yes this man must have some sort of military background. Farrell appreciated the man’s calmness and intelligence.

“Thank you very much, you have been a great help,” there was no sarcasm in Farrell’s voice. “Is there any way I could be patched through to the King at the fortress?”

“I will see what I can do, it’ll take time though sir. Good Luck sir.”

[ Akershus fortress ]

The korporal at the phones was very busy and stressed, with the phones ringing constantly. Dispite the digital display, automatication and all, it still required a human being to answer. As such, when the phone rang for the xth time, he answered with the stressed yet calm voice.

"Akershus festning, kommunikasjonssentralen." [Akershus fortress, communications center]

"Utenriksministeriet her. Brinkerne vil snakke med Kongen. Jeg setter dem over." [The Foreign Ministry here. The Brinkians wants to speak with the King. I'm patching them through.]

Before the korporal could protest, the call was rerouted to Akershus. When the three beeps signalized that the line was secure, the korporal spoke again, this time in accented English.

"Akershus fortress, communications center. We're really busy at the moment so please be quick about it sir."

**********************

[ Somewhere in the Caribbean Sea ]

The Cottish Hiragi class heavy cruiser Kautokeino cruised through the warm ocean, her guns silent. In fact, most of the ship was silent after some three hundred of the crew had rioted and taken control of the ship. The people who had refused had been killed or tossed into the sea and left to die, leaving the Kautokeino in the hands of the communists. Her course was as of yet unknown, as was the fact that she had been taken. Who knew what havoc she would raise, because she was more than capable of doing so...

Esthar: Bjornoyan Capital (http://0401.netclime.net/1_5/7/3/H/33%20-%20Cid's%20Theme.mp3)

The Herrgotts had assembled to discuss the current crisis. Bjornoya had strong ties to its Cottish neighbor both economically and culturally. The Patriarch was quiet as the four took their seats in the Patriarch’s private library.

“Jacksehn, a report?”

“Patriarch, it appears thousands within the Cottish ranks have turncoat against the king and the democratically elected members of the Cottish government. Fighting has been recorded in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø.”

“Any word from Ambassador Kankaanperä?”

“Nothing sir, the embassy seems to have lost all communication lines. From above we can tell our boys have dug-in so to speak, but the leadership has been lost.”

“Son of a bitch probably took a night on the town, Christ what happened to the Bjornoyan work ethic…”

“Sedaht,” Wilhelm spoke, “As you know Visara’s Forces are stretched thin at the moment. We cannot spare any land forces at the moment, but we do have the possibility of our naval security forces.”

As the Patriarch took the information in Wilhelm broke the silence,

“Sir, I know the Cots have been our allies for quite some time, but recent events have proven Cotland is not as it used to be. Their carpet bombings and now this god-damned nuclear attack… sir maybe its best the administration failed if they are responsible for these attacks. As much as I despise communists, they can be easily manipulated and exploited…”

“Wilhelm if this revolution succeeds we will have a communist state mere miles away from our border. We all know how much trouble the quasi-communist nation of Pantheaa has caused us, who knows what a communist Cotland would do to our nation.”

“Sedaht,” Lucy spoke up, “we have over 100,000 Visaran Security forces dispatched to Pantheaa, the Federal Peacekeepers are still counting their dead and demobilizing from Australia, nearly half a million of the Feds in Africa are exhausted from maintaining the peace after your ‘cleansing’...”

Sedhat glared angrily at his sister, but saw the pained look on her face and regained his composure,

“What do you suggest?”

“Bjornoya is nearing its breaking point brother, we need to strengthen our own domestic policies to avoid any similar situation affecting our great nation and build our foreign relations elsewhere in the world. If Bjornoya gets involved on the wrong side we may end up sparking a war between the Confederacy and the October Alliance at worst. Sedaht, our troops are tired, they are not gods. They need rest.”

“You bring up a good point, considering much of October Alliance is so strongly against communist influences I believe it should be their fight, we do not want the blood of Cottish citizens on our hands. Getting involved at the moment would not lead to any security. Bjornoya will hopefully remain unaffected by this. Our embassy is however…”

“Fucked?”

“Thank you Jacksehn, we got 25 Federal Peacekeepers there along with 12 aides, the ambassador, and his fiancée. Let’s try to get them out of there alive.”

OOC: Cot, remember to respond to my Ambassador.

Layartebian Embassy, Oslo

The Layartebian Ambassador to The Cottish Realm was sound asleep. It had been a peaceful night, marked by a glorious sunset of red fire. He watched it intently before turning in for the night. The embassy was heavily secured and guarded by a company of soldiers, armed to the teeth with weaponry. The embassy had been reinforced and resecured since the last event, which nearly cost the Ambassador and his family their lives. Since then, the walls had been double reinforced, the guards doubled, their weaponry maximized, and an assault helicopter sitting on the grounds. The helicopter was a well armored UH-96A Panther, loaded with fifty caliber machine guns and 2.75" rockets.

When the gunshots echoed across the lawn of the embassy, everything went into hyper mode. The staff immediately notified the Ambassador and Layarteb City that there was gunfighting inside Oslo. In light of past events, the Emperor had no choice but to order a C-21B Learjet into the air, escorted by eight F-22A Raptors. They would have to fly to Oslo and, if necessary, evacuate the Ambassador and his family. It wouldn't take them very long to get there, since they were stationed in Ireland, dangerously close to Norway. In addition, if necessary, a full assault force was being prepared in Ireland, to fly to Norway and defend the embassy.

[************************]

Within hours it was quite evident what was happening. The televisions told the tale and it was evident, a revolution was tearing through Cotland. The messages were recorded and sent back to Layarteb City. Immediately, the Emperor ordered a full assault battalion of army personnel with supporting cavalry. The embassy had to be protected at all costs. The battalion would take between twenty-four and ninety-six hours to be fully ready, emplaced, and integrated outside of the embassy.


Security Maximum to Rothsky

The Empire of Layarteb must protect its embassy. The possibility of full revolutionary fighting in Oslo is too great for us to dismiss. The Empire is sending a full assault battalion to protect the embassy. Currently we will not evacuate the embassy but should we deem it necessary, we must be allowed safe passage through the city to the airport without hindrance from loyalist Cottish soldiers. Rebel soldiers will, in such an event, be killed on sight to protect our embassy staff and documents.

OOC: Alright we all know the Caribbean is my backyard playground so if you want me to engage and annihilate that ship let me know. I've got patrols running through there constantly and chances are my SOSUS and satellite tracking system already has the ship plotted but, obviously being a friendly, isn't engaging it.

The Emperor, in light of the situation in Cotland, immediately called in his Joint Chiefs and his Cabinet for the purpose of one thing, to discuss Operational Plan 1475, the recapture of Cottish territories in the Caribbean. Barbados and Saint Lucia were both Cottish territories, given to them by the Empire. If revolution swept through the Realm of Cotland and those territories became in danger of becomming hostile to the Empire, they would be seized by Layartebian Marines.

“The situation is it critical?” asked Farrell hesitantly. He had been monitoring ever since the first gunshots were fired, but could not get the full picture. Secondary communication lines, which included the cable, had been cut probably by a renegade ordnance from the intense firefight echoing through the streets.

“As of now, yes the situation is very critical but we have no idea how in-depth this is, it could be a full out revolution as far as we know.” The voice on the other side was rushed understandably so. “As I am telling all the embassies get into lockdown and lay low, the battle could sway in any direction right now but it should be under control eventually.” “Eventually” what the hell did that mean? “Is that all sir?” The voice was now very impatient.

“What about Rothsky is he ok, and the king?”

“The king is fine, I haven’t seen Rothsky yet but I’m sure he can’t be far from the king. Now is that all?”

“Yes…no wait! I just got wired something, but it doesn’t make much sense. I don’t have an exact time but a Brinkian merchant vessel just picked up what looked to be Cottish sailors. Most likely a ship wreck we don’t know, they are all dead. Thing is, there is no wreckage or smoke or anything.” Farrell’s voice had become quick and informal something he was usually good at controlling.

“I’ll relay that message, thank you sir and good luck.” Good luck, Farrell hated that, it never sounded good. Nobody ever said good luck when something good was going to happen.

As he hung up the phone a small aide walked into the room holding some papers and looking more frantic than anyone Farrell had ever seen. Bad news he thought. Bad news, yes but not as bad as he though; just an overview of the situation via Bjornoya telegram. Ah yes he thought, we aren’t the only embassy in this city. He turned to the aide. “Get on the horn to Bjornoya and Layarteb see how they are holding up. No point in facing any of this alone.”

OOC:I can get rid of the post about the ship if youd like.

[ Akershus fortress ]

The King recieved the messages from the Hirigzstani and the Layartebian embassies and sighed. Everyone wanted a piece of the action it seemed. Prime Minister Rothsky had arrived safely at the secret location deep within the Dovre mountains and gotten himself settled in along with the cabinet. Rothsky had relayed the message from the Layartebians to the King. The King looked over the messages once again before summoning Generalløytnant Vikeid to his location. The general entered the office after half a minute and came to attention in front of the King, his uniform hat under his left arm.

"Generalløytnant Vikeid rapporterer som beordret Herre Konge." [Lieutenant General Vikeid reporting as ordered My King.]

"Takk General. Jeg har fått flere tilbud fra våre allierte om militær assistanse. Hvor sikker er Oslo egentlig?" [Thank you General. I've recieved several offers from our allies concerning military assistance. How secure is Oslo, really?]

"Nokså sikker Herre Konge. Jeg har nettopp blitt informert om at de to brigadene som er ansvarlige for forsvaret av hovedstaden har ankommet Oslo og tatt opp posisjoner ved Stortinget og ambassadekvarteret. Brigaderene har gitt meg sine forsikringer om at disse mennene er lojale. De illojale har allerede blitt pågrepet og gitt over til MPene." [Pretty secure My King. I've just been informed that the two brigades which are responsible for the defense of the capital has arrived in Oslo and are taking up positions at the Storting and in the embassy area. The Brigaders have ensured me that these men are loyal. The illoyal have already been arrested and handed over to the MPs.]

"Hvilke enheter er det snakk om her?" [What units are we talking about?]

"Første infanteribrigade og trettisjette panserbrigade. Disse kommer i tillegg til Garden som har ansvaret for forsvaret av Akershus og Slottet. Vi har og fått beskjed om at marinesoldatene sender en forsvarsstyrke hit for å hjelpe til med forsvaret av Deres Majestet." [First infantrybrigade and thirty-sixth armored brigade. These are in addition to the Guards who are responsible for defending Akershus and the Palace. We have also been informed that the Marines are sending a defensive force here to help defend Your Majesty.]

"Jeg forstår. Hva er situasjonen for sivilbefolkningen?" [I understand. What's the situation for the civilian population?]

"Etter det politiet forteller oss så er den relativt bra. Det er gatekamper mellom kommunistene og de gode gutta, men de går for det meste i de godes favør. Sykehusene melder om at en del skadde personer bringes inn, deriblant soldater. Vi har medlemmer av Birkebeinerne i alle sykehus for å sørge for at de forblir sikre." [From what the police tells us, it's relatively well. There are street fighting between the communists and the good guys, but those are mainly in favor of the good guys. The hospitals report that quite a few injured people are being brought in, including soldiers. We have Birkebeiners at all the hospitals to ensure that they remain secured from the enemy.]

"Takk General. Jeg har fått beskjed om at Layartebianerne sender en bataljon for å sikre ambassaden sin. Sørg for at de får fritt leide for våre soldater, kan du?" [Thank you General. I've been instructed that the Layartebians are sending a battalion to secure their embassy. Please make sure that they aren't disturbed by our men, could you?]

"Som Deres Majestet befaler." [As Your Majesty wish.]

The General bowed and exited the office while the King drafted up responses for the Hirgizstanis and Layartebians.

Maximum encryption
To: Layartebian embassy, Oslo
From: King Haakon VII of Cotland
Subject: RE: Embassy security

As the ruler of Cotland, I have no objections against your forces coming, but Oslo is being secured as we speak. Two loyal brigades have moved into the city and are moving into position to stop the rebel brigade. We cannot guarantee that the passage of forces from the airport to your embassy will occur uninterrupted, but no loyal forces shall be responsible for any potential interruption. Good luck.

I have also been informed of what might be a rouge Cottish warship somewhere in the Caribbean. We are attempting to contact it, but we have no idea where she is.

Maximum encryption
To: Hirgizstani embassy, Oslo
From: King Haakon VII of Cotland
Subject: RE: Assistance

Ambassador, I am most grateful for your offer of assistance, but there really is no need for assistance in the defense of Oslo. As we speak, two brigades are moving into the city and the Guards are already defending the Palace and the fortress. My loyal Guardsmen are more than capable of defending me, so I must respectfully decline your offer. As for the resources of COH, I hope that we shall not need them. If we do, I shall inform you. Thank you for your offer.


************************************'


[ Somewhere in the Caribbean ]

The heavy cruiser Kautokeino was manned by a skeleton crew, but she was still capable of fighting. The cruiser was armed with long-range cannons, cruise missiles and other dangerous weapons. The communists who had taken over her laughed as they listened to the frantic attempts by Naval Command Carib to try to contact her. They were still in international waters, but that was no guarantee that the Layartebians wouldn't try anything cheeky. That was why the rebel commander pressed the red button in the CIC which fired all fourty RGM-203 Imsdal cruise missiles and six RGM-218B Voodoo heavy anti-shipping missiles the heavy cruiser carried. The Imsdals [28 -A, 8 -B and 4 -E] were fired against the Layartebian island of Grenada while the Voodoos with a range of nearly 885 kilometers were fired at a Layartebian carrier group within range. At the same time, the Kautokeino headed towards the nearest Layartebian island with her 12-inch cannons loaded and ready. A open transmission was sent out from the communications array of the Kautokeino.

"This is the WCP(ml) ship 'Marx'! We have fired the first shots against the great capitalist Satan! Power to the people!"


************************************'


[ Oslo ]

The fighting came to an intense peak now that the two friendly brigades entered the fray. Heavy tanks of the type M39A1 Mekhev II and infantry fighting vehicles of the type M11A2 Viking, all of them proudly flying the Cottish flag rolled into position along with loyal infantry. The first shots from the tanks were fired from positions near the Storting against APCs and IFVs near the Palace. The 120mm shells left little intact of the enemy vehicles, and the 12.7x99mm rounds fired from the mounted MG26A1s on the M38 CTLAVs slammed equally fast into the bodyarmor of the soldiers. 66mm LAWs and 127mm Javelins were fired from both sides, and bullets riddled the area. For the next hour, this continued before finally six M39s and seven M11s escorted by nearly six hundred infantry moved up to the castle. What remained of rebel soldiers surrendered at the superior firepower and were detained by the loyal forces. Over the next couple of days, intense interrogations by Nasjonal Sikkerhetsmyndighet and Etterretningstjenesten would reveal the sinister plot the communist officers, who all died during the fighting had pulled off.

In cities around Norway, the fightings continued but all were praised with victory for the loyalists, even though in the case of Alta, it would take five days, six brigades and massive air bombardments before the last of the rebels would surrender.

The leader of the communists knew even as the first day ended that the first phase had been unsucessful. Still, the leader had many more cards up his or her sleeve. Many more...

The aircraft carrying the battalion had taken off and was heading towards Oslo quite fast. They were making best speed towards the main international airport to get on the ground and reinforce the embassy, despite what anyone said about the city being secured. They were under the strictest orders to engage any hostiles on sight, should they be shot at, and to reinforce that embassy at all costs. A pair of Stalkers, two Little Birds, and a pair of Black Hawks would be brought in as well to assist with evacuation of the embassy, should an aerial operation be necessary.


Maximum encryption
To: King Haakon VII of Cotland
From: Emperor of Layarteb
Subject: RE: Assistance

The Empire is greatly appreciated for the cooperation and understanding. We trust that Oslo is secured and we only wish to take every precaution possible. We cannot gamble with the lives of our embassy staff again. As far as your ship goes we are currently tracking any number of vessels throughout the Caribbean bearing the Cottish flag. What is the name of said vessel and we will reference it with our engine plant noise tracks that we use for recognition.


[*************************]

Within minutes of the coded reply, the launch warnings spread throughout the Emperor's office. A Cottish cruiser, the Kautokeino, a Hiragi class, had launched some forty missiles, all Imsdal type missiles, at the island of Grenada. There was little hope in stopping them because of the sheer closeness of the launch but what could be done would be done. Air defense systems, namely point defense SAMs, were tasked with the shooting down of as many missiles as possible. SLAMRAAM and ground-launched BVRAAM missiles were also fired off, towards incoming missiles. However, it was almost too late and the missiles tore through the air defense net of the island, shattering the main communications headquarters for all Caribbean operations and peppering the airfield with submunitions. It was unlike that either would be operational any time soon.

Nearly 500 nautical miles away, a CVEG task force was moving slowly through the waters on a routine patrol. Tied into the whole air defense, anti-stealth, monitoring network of the Empire, the CIC was shocked when the call "VAMPIRE" erupted from three panel operators. Six, high-speed, Voodoo-type anti-ship missiles were barrelling towards the task force at Mach 3 and a mere 5.5 feet off the water. The missiles tore up the water and created a mist and wake so amazing that it couldn't be believed by mere description. Within seconds of the launches, missiles were already being plotted to intercept. Because of the closure velocity of the Voodoo missiles, interceptor missiles could be launched almost immediately and they were. Four RIM-185B Standard SM-4ER Block II missiles were tasked per missile with two set for proximity blast and the other two set for direct-hit. At the same time, distress signals were relayed throughout the network. Unfortunately, with Grenada being out of commission, the distress signals would never get very far but the main CIC for the air-defense/surface-monitoring system knew what was happening. The Emperor would know within minutes.

Tasked with self-defense, the carriers of the CVEG prepared to get as many of their aircraft in the air as possible. This was an attack, a full-on attack that meant one thing, survival! The first to take off were the F-26B Typhoons, armed with air to air and anti-shipping missiles, F-35B Ravens, armed with anti-shipping and air to air missiles, as well as over-the-horizon targetting craft. The thirty-aircraft armada of F-26Bs and F-35Bs were sent immediately towards the location of the launch and they were tasked with engaging the ship that launched the missiles. They would be firing Harpoon II and AMESM missiles at near maximum range, as well as covering their asses against any launched aircraft.


Maximum encryption
To: King Haakon VII of Cotland
From: Emperor of Layarteb
Subject: Caribbean Ship

Caribbean vessel has launched attack against Grenada. Missiles launched against carrier escort group 550 miles northwest. Ordered to sink the ship! Damage reports unconfirmed.

Hawdawg DoD
Stockholm, Sweden

The broadcast from a rogue Cottish ship was rushed to Defense Minister Wells. The unthinkable had happened, they fired on the Empire of Layarteb.
As the Staff Sgt. in charge of monitoring the Carribean, broke the news to DM Wells, his reaction said it all.

"Holy Shit! My god, this is bad. Certainly we have something of our forces in the area? I can't believe this is happening. We have to get a message to the King. Offer our support and ask for permission to engage the Cruiser."

-----------------------
Flash Message Max. Encryption

To: King Haakon VII of Cotland

From: Defense Minister Gordon Wells, Hawdawg Defense Department

Re: Apparent Rogue Crusier in the Caribbean Sea

Honorable King, we have intercepted a troubling message from the Kautokeino. She has apparently been overrun by Communists and renamed the Marx. Even more troubling is the detection of several Imsdal launches on Layartebian targets within Grenada. We have verified through HORAD these launches took place. We ask permission of the King to actively engage and destroy this vessel, before she launches another attack on Layarteb or Hawdawg possessions. We currently have (4) Orca SSN's in the Caribbean Sea on patrol that can eliminate this target if authorized.

Signed,

Defense Minister Gordon Wells
Holy Republic of Hawdawg

----------------------------------
Flash Message Max. Encryption

To: Empire of Layarteb

From: Gordon Wells, Hawdawg Defense Minister

Re: Rogue Cottish Vessel


We have intercepted a message from the Cruiser formerly known as Kautokeino. Apparently Communist sympathizers have seized the vessel and renamed her the Marx. We also have detected a launch on Layartebian Grenada. We have (4) Orca Class SSN's in the area that wish to assist in this potential threat. We have asked the King for permission to engage and destroy this target. Please be advised, in case your SOSUS net missed detecting our presence in the area.

Signed,

Gordon Wells
Hawdawg Minister of Defense

Flash Message Max. Encryption

To: Gordon Wells, Hawdawg Defense Minister

From: Emperor of Layarteb

Re: Rogue Cottish Vessel

Indeed these launches have taken place. We are responding en force. Six Voodoo type anti-ship missiles are currently engaging our CVEG 550 miles northwest. We have launched aircraft to engage and destroy this vessel but would not have any quams about sinking this vessel sooner.

Flash Message Max. Encryption

To:Emperor of Layarteb

Re: The Marx

We have the devil's of the deep close by and will engage when in proper ranges.

Signed,

Gordon Wells
Hawdawg Defense Minister

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

Close to Grenada
Carribean Sea

The newest and deadliest weapon of the deep in the Hawdawg Navy, the Orca Class SSN's of Combat Group Surfside knifed through the water towards there intended target. As the Cottish Cruiser began to return a signal on the long-range Sonar,at a range that the earlier Submarines in the fleet could only imagine, the towed array was slowly methodically strung out behind the Submarine to allow for Satellite Communication with the DoD in Stockholm. A simple coded message was sent to DM Wells. "CHUM" was encrypted and sent via SATCOM to the awaiting office. The only thing necessary was authorization and the closing of the proper ranges to unleash the fury of this newly acquired beast of war.

[ St. Lucia ]

The mood in the control center wasn't too good. A small rebellion had been attempted at Barbados, but the six hundred Marines stationed there had effectively strangled it in the beginning. Of all the branches in the Royal Cottish Military, only the Marines could say that none of their members had attempted to revolt against the Realm. This was in part due to the strict selection process each Marine underwent. They were then brainwashed to think, display and preform absolute loyalty to the Realm and its legally elected Government over a duration of five months (basic training). The result was fiercely loyal, obedient and brave (some would say stupid) soldiers willing to die for their country. Six hundred of these had stopped the rebellion by simply shooting the leaders dead as they tried to rally the crowds. A brutal and efficient way of stopping the rebellion before letting the police arrest whichever communist survived. Now, they were looking at a broadcast from a rouge cruiser. The launch of the cruise missiles lead to one thing and one thing only on the Cottish agenda: Sink the Kautokeino!

That was why sixteen F-37G Razor fighters were scrambled from a carrier operating northwest of St. Lucia with orders to head quickly towards the position of the launches. They were armed lightly, with each fighter having four AIM.1 AMRAAMs, four AIM.3 IRIS-Ts and six AGM-205A AMESMs loaded. Having been airborne for fifteen minutes, they were flying at Mach 1.2, the fastest they could fly due to the missiles underneath.


[ Cruiser Kautokeino/Marx ]

The powerful ISAR radar on the Kautikeino/Marx picked up the incoming aircraft and locked their missiles on. The cruiser was loaded with self-defense missiles, RIM-161B SM-3ERs and RIM-162E ESSMs in addition to the Mk.102 CIWS and RIM-116C RAMs. Moving at 30+ knots also helped. However, as the aircraft/missiles came within range, the cruiser started opening fire, sending RIM-161Bs after the incoming targets. A total of 36 missiles were fired in the first volley.

Hawdawg DoD
Situation Room
Stockholm, Sweden

It was clear to DM Wells that the Layartebian Defense Force had responded in kind to the initial bombardment from the Marx. He also knew that the capabilities of the Voodoo and what it could do to a vessel. Still he wanted to be sure that all was handled in this situation. If any nuclear armaments where on the Marx, she needed to be sank before they were unleashed. As DM Wells studied the intel the Flash Message he had been waiting for arrived. The computer operator manning the Carribean Desk handed the message "CHUM" to DM Wells.

DM Wells: "Which ship responded with this?"

SSGT.: "SSGN Scorpion Sir, she's the closest to target. I have her range at 35km's from the Marx. SSGN Nade, Shogun, and Legion are at a range of 55 km's from the target sir."

DM Wells: "Just like Captain Spinner to be out in front. Damn I swear he watched the movie Troy too many times growing up. SSGT. send our authorization code "BAIT". All SSGN's are authorized to engage. Maximum use of force necessary to eliminate the threat."

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

On board SSGN Scorpion
31 miles from the Marx

Captain Spinner had pushed his crew all morning, when the alert message came across the horn from the DoD he naturally expected the worst and judging by the events that unfolded so far, the day was stellar. When the authorization code "BAIT" made it to Spinner he wasted little time in doing something most would never have expected, attacking a Cottish Cruiser.

Capt. Spinner: "Authorized attack. Okay men this is the real deal, no F**king up here. Do as you are told and all will be to glory. Torpedo Room set the speed for the Mk.158's @ 75 knots. Flood tubes one through three when the fish are loaded and hurry up about it."

Seamen moved with diligence as they carried out the task ordered by the gruff Captain. Three 28 inch Mk.158 torpedoes were readied for the ride of a lifetime. Designed to destroy carriers, with an estimated speed of 75 knots at the 30km range these communist sympathizers wouldn't know what hit them when they arrived. In what seemed like hours to Spinner, the all clear message was given and scratchy voice came across the ship's com.

Torpedo Room: "Conn, Torpedo Room tubes 1-3 ready for launch, sir."

Capt. Spinner: "About bloody time, fire on my mark 3, 2, 1 Mark"

Torpedo Room: "Fish 1 away, Fish 2 away, Fish 3 away"

Sonar: "Conn, Sonar. Three fish away, running true and straight. Nine other fish in the water sir. Our three trailing ships have a slightly different angle of attack and are deploying there Mk.158's at max ranges sir."

Capt. Spinner: "Very well. All stop. Silent mode. Now we sit and wait."


Twelve 28 inch torpedoes were moving downrange on The Marx with the sole purpose of destruction on there minds.........................

http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/3742/oslo0cn.png
Downtown Oslo - areas of interest

[ Kautokeino/Marx ]

The cruiser was at max alert, firing missiles and manouvering heavily to try to avoid the enemy. It even fired the chaff dispensers, creating a massive radar decoy image to try to fool the incoming missiles. Jammers were also working overtime, distorting everything in the area on all bands. Hopefully, they would survive long enough to make it to the island so they could start shelling the shit out of something.


[ Oslo ]

The situation was coming under control. Communist sympathisers were arrested and the soldiers which had surrendered were being disarmed, stripped and searched before being restrained and taken out of the city. Nasjonal Sikkerhetsmyndighet were in the area around the Palace, investigating what had happened while medics and emergency medical techs were busy trying to keep the few surviving members of 2nd Battalion, HMKG alive. The Palace itself had been riddled with bullet holes and explosions, and members of the Oslo Fire Brigade were busy trying to put out the last of the flames, supervised by soldiers carrying loaded weapons. A few tanks had taken up position around the Palace, and infantry were now posted at every official building in the city, protecting it.

In the embassy quarters, soldiers were still present, protecting the diplomatic missions from any communist rebels. A few M38A1 CTLAVs with heavy machine guns mounted on top stood in the middle of the street, watching the area. A few loyal officers went from embassy to embassy, informing the security personell very briefly about what had occured.

"A terrorist plot to overthrown the Government and impose communism on Cotland has been stopped by the military. Fighting has ended, and we're in the process of securing the city. Please remain calm and stay in your embassies for the sake of your own personal security. Thank you."

Fourth Reich Embassy
Oslo, Norway
3:41 PM...

The gunfire could be heard clearly from the Reich Embassy in the primary Guard Station, located at the top-center of the embassy building. There were three 15mm HMGs aimed out of the window, all armed by OS soldiers. On the ground, a total of ten OS-Polizei men were armed with StG-33 Assault Rifles, their bodies covered in armor and their faces covered by black rags, black goggles, and black helmets.

After the gunfire and explosions were heard, the ten soldiers followed protocol and ran inside the R-21-reinforced concrete building and manned their gun ports. It took them by surprise, as this was the last thing they expected in Cotland!

Farther inside the building, the Oberst in command of the embassy ordered an immediate report. Two Leutnants and a Major entered the Oberst's office, followed by five OS-Schützes.

[Translated from German]

Oberst Schenck: "Major Reinkel, tell me what is happening to the best of your knowledge."

The Oberst was calm -- he was a veteran of several conflicts and a born leader. He sat at his chair, calmly listening to what the Major had to say.

Major Reinkel: "Herr Oberst, we have no confirmed reports of what is happening; however, there are rumors from the Hirgizstani Embassy that there has been a rebellion."

Oberst Schenck: "A rebellion? In Oslo!? Very well. I want the two Predator AAAVs in front of the embassy manned and ready, but do not move them. Set our security level to maximum. I will contact the King of Norway."

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

Encryption - Maximum
Message From: Oberst Ernst Schenck; Reich Embassy; Oslo
Message To: King of Norway
Subject: Rebellion?

[Translated from Norwegian]

"As an ally of the Kingdom of Norway, the Fourth Reich would like to know what is occuring in Oslo and Norway. Our embassy is considered under threat of attack.

"We will not leave our embassy. All personnel will stay, unless ordered otherwise by you. Nevertheless, I, Oberst Ernst-Günther Schenck of the Reichswehr request a full report of what is occuring in Oslo."

Caribbean Overlay Control, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

"Sir, the sea is alive! We've got multiple vampires inbound towards our fleet, interception missiles against them, more missiles against those, torpedoes launched from Hawdawgian vessels, and, to top it all off, enough aircraft in the air that we can't count. Sir. We need to go to a new REDCON level." Major Vallentine said, the chief advisor to the Joint Chiefs. He was responsible for much of the oversight of the Caribbean Sea and was second in charge of the whole region. His superior, Colonel Henry, was currently on Grenada but his condition as well as the condition of that island was a massive unknown. Satellite reconnaissance had show serious damage from the Imsdal hits and the EMP fried the island. Currently, he was on a conference call with the Joint Chiefs, who were all, very curious about what the hell was actually going on, especially with the Marx.

"Are you suggesting that we declare war on our ally?" The General of the Army asked.

"No sir. I'm suggesting that we ready our forces incase these rebels are in control of further ships, especially ones with nuclear munitions, that is if this one doesn't have them."

"Major. We are in a grave and delicate situation here."

"I understand. But right now I've got the entire Caribbean Command out of commission, God knows how many dead and wounded on the island of Grenada, a Cottish ship firing anti-ship missiles at my carrier escort group, a Hawdawgian sub group launching its torpedoes at them. What would you like me to do? I have scrambled as many aircraft as I can but REDCON condition 4 doesn't permit much. I suggest we upgrade to 3 immediately!"

"Major. We will have to discuss this."

"Discuss it all you want. The missiles will be at that ship in a matter of minutes and it won't survive a single hit."

"Understood Major." The call ended and the Major ordered a new flight of aircraft to take off and head towards the Marx. They were ordered to keep an extremely low altitude and high speed and to pop-up and fire their anti-ship missiles at maximum range. Four B-6A Dementor bombers, twelve F-31B Tornado GAV fighter-bombers, and four F-37E Razor fighters took off from the nearest airbase, which was Cuba, and immediately went to high subsonic speed at barely 100 feet AGL. They were armed with Harpoon II, Imsdal, and AMESM missiles and they had order to engage and destroy the Marx if she was still floating after the Hawdawgian torpedoes hit. Nearly three minutes later, the REDCON level was upgraded to 3.

Oslo

The aerial armada touched down in Norway and the 30 - 40 kilometer trek to the airport was being made by a massive ground convoy, equipped with light armor and vehicles, as well as soldiers. Armed to the teeth, they were moving slowly, unfortunately. A result of all the traffic, congestion, and general disorder inside Oslo was the main contributing factor. For now, the embassy was fine, but who knew for how long.

"What's the route sir?" The lead driver asked the ground force commander, Lieutenant Colonel Olivera. They were in a lead Dingo, armed with an M31A1 HMG on the roof with 140 rounds ready. The 15.5 x 115mm rounds would devestate any enemy and the beautiful M31A1, a byproduct of the LDC, had been widely exported due to its extreme power, popularity, and reliability.

"Take E6 to 190 to Prisens Gate. Make a right onto Dronningens gate, left onto Karl Johans gate, a right on Kirkegata, a left on Grensen, a right on Ullevålsveien, a right onto Akersveien, and a right into the embassy."

"I'll try to remember sir."

"That's why we have them written down."

"Yes sir."

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Something%20is%20rotten%20in%20the%20land%20of%20Cot/oslo-01-airport.jpg

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Something%20is%20rotten%20in%20the%20land%20of%20Cot/oslo-02-area.jpg

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Something%20is%20rotten%20in%20the%20land%20of%20Cot/oslo-03-area.jpg

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Something%20is%20rotten%20in%20the%20land%20of%20Cot/oslo-04-fortress.jpg

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Something%20is%20rotten%20in%20the%20land%20of%20Cot/oslo-05-embassy.jpg

Aboard the SSGN Scorpion

"Do we have impact yet?" Spinner anxiously said as he paced about the Conn. "Where are those firing solutions at Fire Control?"

"Here sir, the computer estimates impact in 30 seconds on our fish and at 10 second intervals on the remaining torpedoes sir" the fire control officer proclaimed.

"Very well"

"Conn, we have a flash message from CENTCOM Command."

"Go ahead with the message."

"Yes sir, CENTCOM reports large amount of Layartebian Aircraft scrambled to intercept the Marx. Danger to Carrier Group imminent. CENTCOM is unable to communicate with Grenadian Layartebian Forces. They are requesting our SITREP sir."
"Report fish in the water, pending impact in 15 seconds will advise."

The initial wait for impact seemed like years to the crew of the Scorpion. After the long wait which seemed like an eternity Sonar finally came with good news.

"Conn, Sonar. We have detected two impacts. Scratch that we have five impacts sir."

"Comm, send that to CENTCOM detected five impacts."

Captain Spinner wanted to confirm what his sonar room had heard.

"All ahead full. Take us up to 75 feet, I want to close distance and take a look at our handywork."

The SSGN Scorpion slowly gained speed as she rose to 75 feet and slipped towards the Marx.

[ Folkets Hus, Oslo ]

The situation was coming under control at last. Prime Minister Rothsky had managed to assemble the cabinet at a secret underground facility somewhere in Southern Norway, and contact had been achieved with all Defense Commands. Southern Norway, Northern Norway, Murmansk, Sinai, Sibir, Carib and Space Command had reported in. The military had automatically gone to BERSTAT-3 when they recieved word of the treason, and maintained that readyness. Now, it was time for the Government to start charging people. Since the Realm was officially under a state of national emergency, that meant that the punishment levels were a lot higher than normal. Things that you'd normally get 15 - 25 years imprisonment for would now give you a cigarette and a firing squad, and that was if you were lucky! The authorities had already arrested a lot of officers and civilians, and many of the civilians would be trialed within the end of next week, having been caught redhanded with paraphanilia which linked them with WCP(ml), which had been declared a terrorist organization a long time ago. Assisting terrorists in Cotland in peacetime would mean up to thirty years imprisonment or a rope around the neck, or, if it was a foreign national, five years imprisonment and the person being declared persona non grata in Cotland for the remainder of his or her life before he or she was deported to the country of origin. In wartime or times of national emergency, this equalled a firing squad. This harshness in terms of punishment was because in Cotland, there is nothing in the criminal codes of justice that's called 'assisting terrorists', there's just 'treason' / 'being a threat to the internal security of the Realm'.

That was why thirty-six members of Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste [Police Security Service] and Politireserven [The Police Reserves] moved into the building owned by Sosialistisk Venstreparti [Socialist Leftside Party], a far-left political party, very late in the evening, armed with submachine guns and wearing full riot gear. A few representatives to the Storting from SV were present in the offices, clearly discussing something important when the doors bursted open and four armed police officers rushed in, training their MP5A2s at the politicians. They were followed by a man dressed in civilian clothes but wearing a black windjacket with large yellow capital letters, POLITI [POLICE], written on the back. He was carrying a P99 pistol, the standard issue weapon for Cottish police officers, in a holster on his right hip and holding his police I.D. in the left hand.

"Det er fra Politiet. Dere er under arrest, mistenkte for medvirking til landssvik." [We're from the Police. You're all under arrest on charges of suspicion of participating in activities which constitute a threat to the internal security of the Realm.]

"Hva i helvete er det du innbiller deg at du gjør?" [What the hell do you think you're doing? one of the socialists asked with an outraged voice.]

"Jobben min. Vi har skjelig grunn til mistanke om at disse lokalene benyttes for å støtte aksjonene mot Riket som har pågått i dag. Det er nok til at dommer Enebråt ved Oslo Tingrett har besluttet å innvilge Politiet en ransakingsordre og arrestordre på alle som befinner seg i bygget. Dere har rett til å tie. Alt dere sier kan benyttes mot dere..." [My job. We have probable cause to suspect that these premises are used to support the activities which have been undertaken against the Realm today. It was enough for Judge Enebråt at Oslo City Court to grant the Police a warrant to search the premises and to issue an order for the arrest of everyone in the building. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say may be used against you...]

"Jævla fascist-svin!" [Fucking fascist pig!]

"...dere har rett til juridisk assistanse ved alle avhør og rettsmøter. Dere har rett til en rettferdig rettssak. Har dere forstått rettighetene deres?" [...you have the right for legal assistanse during all interrogations and court meetings. You have the right for a fair trial. Have you understood your rights?]

"Jeg annerkjenner ikke din rett til å arrestere meg, ditt småborgerlige svin!" [I don't recognize your right to arrest me, you non-Socialist bastard!] one of the younger members of the socialist group shouted out. The police officer simply looked at the man before stating in a calm voice, "Jeg minner dere på at dersom dere motsetter dere arrest må vi benytte den makt det trengs for å pågripe dere." [I remind you that if you're resisting arrest, we must use whatever means necessary to detain you.]

"Aldri! Makt til folket!" [Never! Power to the people!] one of them shouted, something which sparked the fighting spirit in the rest of them. They too started shouting out "Power to the people!" and other slogans against the current system. After looking at the socialists with an amazed smirk, the police officer raised his right hand and motioned for the eight police-reservists outside to detain the potential traitors. With MP5s on the back, telescopic metal batons on one hand, shield in the other and with riot helmets and armor on, the eight reservists moved forward and started arresting politicians. A few of them tried to take a swing at the cops, something which lead to the cops retaliating with their batons with the inevitable result. A swing or two at the torso, arms or legs quickly subdued the fighting spirits, and within five minutes, the thirteen politicians inside the room had been detained, reread their rights and brought out. Being forced to lie face down in the cold Norwegian winter night, the photographers waiting outside had a field day, or should I rather say 'field night', taking pictures of the restrained socialists. After twenty minutes, the thirteen and an additional fourty found in various locations inside the building were being placed inside large police vans and driven to the Police HQ where they were processed into the criminal system, charged officially and placed in a cell measuring three meters by three meters by three meters inside the first, second and third sublevel of the Police HQ. Charges: 'Suspicion of participating in activities which constitute a threat to the internal security of the Realm'. If the suspicion would be found to be true, the charges would be upgraded to 'Treason against the Realm', an offense which was punishable by death.



[ Prinsens gate, Oslo ]

"Innkommende kjøretøy!" [[color=gray]Incoming vehicle! someone shouted near Stortinget. Immediately, the soldiers around the building where the national assembly gathered dashed for cover while two men started preparing their Javelin guided anti-tank missiles, relatively hidden in the rubble of what was once an office building just opposite Stortinget on the left side, overlooking Prinsens gate. A sersjant looked at the incoming vehicle through his infrared binoculars and immediately recognized the shape of the M2008A1 Dingo all-purpose vehicle. Up until recently, it had been the main vehicle of the Realms armed forces before it was decided that it was far too expensive to fully equip the entirety of the military with it. One Dingo costed somewhere between five hundred thousand and seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and considering that in order to fully equip the armed forces, it would take some three hundred thousand, it was way too expensive. The replacement vehicle for most of the forces was the M38 CTLAV, Cottish Tactical Light Armored Vehicle, which cost about twenty thousand per basic unit, and up to fifty thousand if one included absolutely all the upgrades. Far more cheaper than and just as protective as the Dingo was. Still, the military kept quite a few in storage, the sersjant knew, and the rebels might have gotten their hands on some of them. He therefore didn't order the Javelin-crew to stand down, but rather told them to wait for it... Wait for it...

Just as he was about to give the order to open fire, he saw the Layartebian flag over the vehicle. Realizing what he was about to order, he called out for the Javelin-crew to "Hold your fire, friendlies inbound." The crew stood down and the soldiers came back out in the street, wary of the approaching vehicles. They felt that this was a Cottish problem, not anything that the Layartebians needed bother with. Therefore, they looked with mixed feelings at the approaching vehicles, but they made no attempt of stopping them. They had gotten very clear orders from Generalløytnant Vikeid, the Commandant of Akershus and thus the Commandant of Oslo to let the Layartebians pass uninterrupted. They were loyal soldiers, so they did as they had been ordered to do. They stood to the side and watched as the Layartebian vehicles passed.


[ [size=1]Embassy district, Oslo ]

"B" Platoon, 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Tank Regiment, 36th Armored Brigade held their ground in the embassy district, keeping it secured. The fourteen M39A1 Mekhev IIs, four M11A2 Vikings and thirty-two dismounts did as ordered, supported by a company of one hundred and sixty infantry, six M2008A1 Dingo APVs and four five-ton trucks from District 1036 of the Home Guards. They maintained a strict area control of the embassy area, having orders not to let anyone in or out of the area. They had orders to use deadly force if anyone tried to disobey the orders.


[ Somewhere in the Caribbean ]

There really wasn't much left of the Marx / ex-Kautokeino. She didn't just get her keel broken by no less than five heavyweight torpedoes. She also had a shitload of missiles after her. The Cottish fighters entered the area and engaged from maximum distance, 322 kilometers, firing their ninety-six AMESMs at the vessel. Aware that they were entering an extremely dangerous area, they made sure that their IFFs were on. The lead aircraft opened an open radio channel.

"This is Royal Cottish Navy Revenge flight to any aircraft in the area. We are loyal to the Realm and engaging the vessel 'Kautokeino'. She has been taken over by communist mutineers. Please cease all hostile actions against our ship immediately as the Realm considers this an internal matter. Over."

While he spoke, the ninety-six missiles flew straight for the enemy, skimming the surface at five meters while they flew at the target making Mach 3.6. They moved quickly for the remnants of the hull which still lingered on the surface, half submerged and lying on its starboard side. Within minutes, the missiles started slamming into the armored hull just at the water edge, penetrating the thick armor after a while and completely obliterating the remants, sending it to the bottom of the Caribbean. It was a grand display of explosions for everyone to see, especially when one of the missiles ignited the storage space where the shells for the cannons were kept. The fuel had started to spill into the sea, but it too was ignited by the many missiles and burned brightly. It was good bye Kautokeino, or Marx as the communists wanted her to be known as.

bump

The Caribbean Sea was alive with blood and fire. The Layartebian aircraft were moving quickly and they had the sinking ship locked up and were not going to waste their missiles on a sinking hunk of scrap metal. However, they weren't going to turn back either. They wanted to make sure she sunk and that these fighters weren't going to get trigger happy, betray the Realm, and engage the Empire. "Cottish flights. Cottish flights. Layartebian aircraft cannot turn back until we have confirmation, visually, that the ship has been sunk. We are requesting a weapons hold status." The Voodoo missiles, on the other hand, slammed hard into the naval CVEG group. The devestation was massive as two Heretic, one Odin, and one Liberty II ship sunk into the Caribbean Sea. The loss of men was severe and the Empire wasn't about to let this one go unanswered.

Official Communique to Cottish Realm

Given the state of affairs in the Caribbean and the threat of rebellion succeeding further we must enter a de facto state of war with the Cottish Realm. The loss of four naval vessels, an entire command base, and thousands of lives has forced us into a situation with no easy exit. We will be securing our embassy in Oslo with our forces and should any attempt by made by any non-Layartebian force desire to hinder our efforts, they will be engaged. Should any further losses by taken in the Caribbean we will move on both Saint Lucia and the Barbados and resecure them for the Empire. Until this rebellion can be safely squashed and safely removed, the Empire considers the Cottish Realm a possible enemy.

Official Communique to the Layartebian Empire

The Realm cannot accept that a Layartebian military force be allowed free passage through our capital city. We shall not hinder your passage to your embassy, but we shall maintain our military presence in the embassy district, prviding protection against all the embassies in Oslo. Should any Layartebian military personell act in a manner which we feel to be a threat to either our own forces or foreign embassies, they will be dealt with. We find it regrettable that the Layartebian Empire now considers the Realm an enemy, and we urge the Empire to reconsider and to remember the long and strong friendship between our two nations. We also need to inform the Layartebian Empire that St. Lucia and Barbados have been secured by the Royal Cottish Marine Corps which is the only branch of the Royal Cottish Military to have proven their undying loyalty to the Realm. If any attempt of annexation by the Layartebian Empire is undertaken, the Marines will use deadly force in order to defend the sovereign property of the Realm. We urge you to keep your heads cool and to allow us to sort our internal affairs without any outside interference. Thank you in advance for your understanding.


*********************


"Layartebian aircraft. Copy, stand by." the lead Razor said to the open channel before contacting Carib Control.

"Layartebianerne krever at de får visuell bekreftelse på at 'Kautokeino' er ødelagt, over." [The Layartebians demand that they be allowed to recieve visual confirmation that the 'Kautokeino' has been destroyed, over.]

"Mottatt, avvent." [Copy, stand by]

The Admiral in charge of Carib Command in the command bunker somewhere on St. Lucia looked at the radar readouts and sighed. Twenty planes, four of them relatively large according to the secret Anti-Stealth System. Long-range MIM-211 Salt batteries were tracking the planes, but were out of reach for the SAM batteries. As if that wasn't enough, he recieved flash orders from Oslo. They were to go to maximum war readiness. The risk of the Layartebian Empire invading, however absurd that sounded, was extremely real. He looked down at the listing for forces in Carib.

Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is the largest island in the Dominion of Carib, and holds the Cottish military command centers of the West Indies. The island holds a naval base and a substantial Marine garrison, as well as an Air Force Base.

The Naval Base is located at Gros Islet, and can hold up to two carrier battlegroups. In addition, it contains four Marine companies for protection.

In the capital of Castries, the command centers are located. A total of 300 soldiers and officers work here, protected by a company of Marines. A NASAMS III Unit outside the city help protect the city.

In Desruissau, the Army has a Rapid Response Unit stationed. The unit is cruical in the defense of St Lucia and can deploy to anywhere on the island relatively quickly, using the road connection. Desruissau also contain a heliport and a NASAMS III Unit.

As for the Air Force, in addition to having AWACS, tankers and tranports stationed at Hewanorra Int’l Airport in the south of the island, they have four fighter squadrons, an attack squadron and some transport aircraft stationed in the Air Force Base at Cap Point. At the international airport, a NASAMS III Unit protects it against aerial threats. The Air Force Base is protected by a Salt Unit.

A number of defensive fortifications is in place, including a number of hidden shore defense 127mm ETC gun mounts at likely landing sites, the city included. The guns are manned by 600 sailors from the Navy and a company of Marines.
Barbados

In Bridgeport, the capital of Barbados, you can find several military locations. At Princess Alice Highway and Prince Alfred Street, you will find a small Marine Barracks, housing a total of 160 Marines in a five story building. These Marines are responsible for the urban defense of Bridgeport, and can supplement the local police should it become necessary. They are equipped lightly with a few M2008A1 Dingo APVs, M2012A1 Marauder APCs and a M2012A4 Marauder C3.

Down by the pier, a bit outside downtown Bridgeport, you will find a small Naval Station which can handle up to twenty destroyer-size ships, or three carrier-size ships. The manpower of the naval station is no more than 3,400 sailors and officers plus the crews of the ships. The Naval Station has a few SH-86A Merlin helicopters for transport and search and rescue operations. A total of 500 civilians are also employed by the Naval Station. The permanent vessels assigned to Barbados consists of a patrol boat squadron of six Devil class fast patrol boats and four Tennessee class submarines, as well as a Moengen class oiler.

There is an excellent anchorage off Bridgeport as well as the harbor itself, which is constantly kept at a depth of at least 11 meters, allowing for ships with a draught of up to 10 meters to anchor in the harbor.

At Gun Hill, you will find the majority of the artillery on Barbados. Five M777A2 LW-155 howitzers can reach any target on Barbados from this position, and is manned by a platoon of 40 Marines.

On the international airport of Grantley Adams, the Air Force has a relatively small station where they maintain their forces on the island. Fighter Squadron 336, a detachment from Transport Squadron 963, a detachment from Command Squadron 43 and a detachment from Refueling Squadron 121 are stationed there, along with a NASAMS III site. The Air Force station the fighters in underground hangers, capable of housing up to four fighter squadrons. The AWACS, tankers and transports are stored on the tarmac or in the six large hangers the Air Force maintain. The base employs roughly 1,150 Air Force personell and 230 civilians.

At North Point, the large Marine Barracks is placed. A total of 480 Marines are stationed there, and are equipped with M2008A1 Dingo APVs, M2012A1 Marauder APCs, M2012A3 Marauder TDs, M2012A4 Marauder C3s, M2012A6 Marauder EWs and M2012A7 Marauder ATs. They also have four M777A2 LW-155 howitzers for close defense, eight M6A7 Gramstad ADUs and four M14A1 Gepard ADUs for air defense, and a small heliport which can house up to twelve helicopters. A small dock can accept up to six small vessels and LSTs.

A MIM-211 Salt site from the Air Force is also placed near North Point, providing long-range air defense along with the Salt site near Mount Hillaby, the highest point on Barbados. A NASAMS III site is also placed near Bathsheba.
The summaries said nothing about the five Special Forces teams on the isles, nor the five Murmansk class submarines lurking in the area. He had to send a reply to the fighters.

"Greit. La dem få se." [OK. Let them see for themselves.]

In the air above the burning remnants of the Kautokeino, two F-37s flew low while the rest kept up high, providing cover.

"Layartebian aircraft, you are cleared to enter area. We will hold our fire, we expect the same from you. Over."


*********************


The situation in Norway was rapidly becoming more like normal. Many people had been arrested, but many had been cleared out as having simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time. However, quite a few had been arrested for serious crimes. They would be trialled and executed as soon as possible. Until then, they were held in very small cells with minimal rations. The Government didn't see fit for them to get sufficient to survive when one looked at the long-term picture, but then again, if everything went as it should, they'd be shot in fourty days or less...

Communique to Cottish Realm

Until this rebellion is squashed and the threat to the Empire completely subsides we must take these actions and measures in order to prevent further loss of life and equipment. We understand the history of our two nations but we cannot be caught off guard if, all of a sudden, the rebellion gains strength, force, and popularity.

....

[OOC: Just fast-forwarding a bit so that I can move on with it. Please do finish the movement of troops/ships/planes and such from the first IC-day.]

[ Twelve days later ]

The courtyard at Akershus fortress was still and deserted, with only the normal sentries positioned in the normal positions. A few vehicles moved to and from various parts of the fortress, but other than that, everything was in order. That was until the doors to the main building of the fortress opened up and a group of officers and journalists walked out. The first of the court martials had just been concluded, having lasted seven hours complete with sentencing and all. The man at trail had been a oberstløytnant and battalion commander of the first battalion, 24th Infantry Brigade [mechanized] and most likely the brain of everything which had transpired in Oslo. The brigader in command of the brigade had been found shot in his quarters at Terningmoen along with two other higher-ranking officers and a number of junior officers, all of them later proven to be loyal to the Realm. Anyway, the oberstløytnant was escorted out under heavy armed guard and taken to the cells where he was stripped of his insignia, distinctions and other signs that he was an officer of the Royal Cottish Army before the doors slammed shut in the cold, wet and small stone cell. He didn't sit long though. A priest came in and tried to give him his last rights, but the condemned man refused. He was a die-hard communist and atheist, and thus didn't need any forgiveness for something he believed had been the right thing to do. The priest nodded and walked out again, leaving the man to think about his actions.

At 0500 the next morning, the doors bursted open and two men rushed in. They were dressed in black uniforms with no distinctions and pulled the former officer up and hand-cuffed him violently, smacking his head more than a few times before pulling him up and out of the cell. The man was still wearing his black Class-A uniform pants and a white shirt, so they didn't bother trying to dress him up any. He was pulled out of the detention center of the fortress and into the courtyard where a small crowd was gathered. Most of them were officers, but there were some civilians too.

Those civilians were none other than the entire cabinet, led by Prime Minister Rothsky. They had been gathered here to witness the first of many finishing of the sentences issued by the courts. The former officer was dragged to the wall and restrained to it with a few leather straps around his arms. Then, a detail of soldiers, all carrying AG11A1 assault rifles marched in a steady beat over to the site, led by an officer with an open pistol holster. As they came closer, the officer called out a set of orders.

"Avdeling holdt! Høyre om!" [Halt! Right face!]

The ten soldiers did as ordered, turning right to face the restrained man. One of the officers in the crowd then walked over to each soldier and took his rifle, loading it with one round only. One of the ten was given a blank round, something each soldier of the firing squad knew would be given. It helped them cope with the fact that they were executing a man, because they didn't know if it was they who fired the deadly shot or if they fired a blank. It was good for the minds of the men. After the soldiers had their weapons loaded, the same officer walked over to the condemned man.

"Viktor Hube. Du har blitt funnet skyldig i landsforræderi av en krigsrett og dømt til døden ved skyting. Dommen har blitt funnet å være gyldig, og Kongen har avslått din bønn om nåde. Dommen vil nå bli fullbyrdet. Har du noen siste ord?" [Viktor Hube. You have been found guilty of high treason by a court martial and sentenced to death by firing squad. The sentence has been found to be valid, and the King has refused your plea for mercy. The sentence will now be carried out. Do you have any last words?]

"Jeg gjorde det for folket! Makt til folket!" [I did it for the people! Power to the people!] he said in a loud, almost screaming voice. He would have said more, but the officer gave the man a blind-fold over his eyes and jabbed a cigarette into the mans mouth, shutting him up while he puffed out smoke. The firing squad and everyone present waited until the man had finished his cigarette before the next set of rapid orders were issued.

"Eksekusjonspeletong, lad våpnene! Legg an! Avvent!" [Firing squad, load your weapons! Make ready! Wait for it!]

The men did as ordered and took their aim at the torso of the man, all of it done while a single camera crew filmed the whole thing for the morning news. Then, after about ten seconds, the last order was issued.

"Ild!" [Fire!]

Ten rifles fired in unison, sending one fake round and nine live 6.8x43mm projectiles straight into the torso of the condemned man. While the soldiers checked their weapons, a military doctor and the officer in charge of the firing squad walked over to the bleeding body hanging limp from the restrains. The doctor checked for the mans pulse and was surprised to find it still there, albeit very weak. Still, the man was still alive.

"Tre til side doktor." [Step aside doctor.] the officer said while he pulled out his P33A1 sidearm and pulled the slide back, ensuring that a .45ACP round was in the chamber. He then trained the pistol on the head of the limp body and fired a single shot, piercing through the mans brain and severing his spinal cord, spraying blood and brain mass all over the wall behind the body of the man and finishing his life. The coup-de-grace had been delivered and the first of the traitors had been executed. It was just over 0520, and the sun was just rising. The execution would be on the morning news which started at 0628. A press release was also prepared.

Official Press Release

At 0520 local time, former Lieutenant Colonel Victor Hube of the Royal Cottish Army, the leader of the attack against Oslo almost two weeks ago was executed by firing squad at Akershus fortress after having been found guilty of High Treason against the Realm in a military court martial. The evidences against Hube were overwhelming, and he was found guilty after twenty minutes of deliberation. The Supreme Court approved of the execution in an extraordinary assembly last night with a vote of 15-2 in favor of the execution.

[OOC: Very well. I'll wrap this up then]

[ Alta ]

A week after the first shots had been fired, the last of the rebel forces surrendered in Alta. Six full brigades had been engaged in bitter and intense hand to hand fighting for every building of the city, taking massive casualties. Close air support aircraft and helicopters had poured munitions into the city for days while tanks, IFVs, APCs and mortars had assisted the infantry in mopping up the resistance. In the end, the sixty-nine survivors of the rebel brigade, which had started with more than four thousand men capitulated and were taken prisoners.

Generalmajor Holthe looked at the devestated city as infantrymen of 4th Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade escorted the prisoners out at gunpoint. The prisoners were without exception wounded, defeated and broken, and to ensure that they would try nothing, the Cots had stripped them naked to ensure that they didn't have any hidden explosives on them before they were marched out to a waiting convoy. The temperature was just over +10°C, but the Cots didn't really care. These traitors were going to be shot anyway, so what did it matter if they froze their balls off?

The generalmajor pondered what he would put in his report. That he had ordered a Cottish city demolished and forcefully removed its ninty-five thousand citizens? The High Command wasn't going to like that. Still, he would have to put that in. That, and his recommendation for the city. He'd have to recommend that they cleared everything of the city and rebuilt it from the ground up. It was the cheapest and easiest way according to the Combat Engineering Regiment under his command. He smirked. That was how people would remember the final battle in the attempted rebellion. That demolishing whatever remained standing of Alta was the cheapest way of rebuilding the city. Oh, the irony.


[ Oslo ]

The situation was calming itself. The soldiers in the streets had now started patrolling without helmets and with less protective gear, instead wearing their berets. The police were starting to take more and more control, but some institutions such as the Royal Palace, the embassy area, Akershus fortress and Stortinget were protected by the military. Engineers were surveying the various battledamaged areas in Oslo, figuring out what needed to be done to fix the damages.

Investigators from Kriminalpolitisentralen, or KRIPOS for short, were investigating the various ties the detained people had with WCP(ml). If anyone had any, they would be procecuted. If they didn't, they were released but secretly placed under surveilance by Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste [Police Security Service]. All in all, the Cottish rebellion, or civil war as some were starting to call it, had been quashed.


Encrypted Communique to the Layartebian Empire

The Realm hereby offers its surrender to the Layartebian Empire and requests that the defacto state of war which exists between our two nations be ended. We are hard at work trying to find the perpetrators of the attack on your vessels and island, and we may be willing to discuss a possible extradition of the responsible persons after justice has been served in Cottish courts. We are willing to offer economic compensation for the damages inflicted upon your nation by rouge Cottish munitions. We await your reply.