NationStates Jolt Archive

"Yerffej has collapsed, Prefect. And the only one responding is another nation most recently fallen to shambles from war." Somewhere along the way, Gwyneth Forsythe had acquired a harder edge. Cambrius felt a small sadness for Ms. Forsythe's lost optimism.

"Where is the Third Fleet?" Cambrius addressed his question to the Praetori Legati, specifically Command Admiral Filipus Steffanus.

"The majority of the fleet is stationed near Christmas Island, protecting the Aerie project, but there is a task force patrolling in the Indian Ocean," answered Steffanus.

"How soon can we land a presence on Sri Lanka and secure the civilian population against anarchy and riots? And more importantly, how soon can we start bringing in emergency supplies?"

Command General Davyd Hibernis looked significantly at Steffanus. The admiral nodded unspoken agreement. "Within the next twenty-four hours, Prefect. In my estimation, we can have air cavalry, and some mechanized infantry on the ground running in less than eight hours, with the Third Fleet's amphibious contigent providing immediate support four hours later."

Command Marshal Harold Richards spoke next. "I've ordered the air transport squadron on Christmas Island on standby since just before I arrived. We can have men in the air minutes from now."

Prefect Cambrius considered this.

"All right, gentlemen. Get whatever assets we can spare to Sri Lanka, yesterday. Get men on the ground and work with whatever's left of the civilian authorities to re-establish order--"

Steffanus interrupted. "Prefect? With all due respect, we've been here before, and not so long ago." The admiral took in his fellow command officers. "We think we know what you want us to do."

Cambrius' smile was slow, but genuine. Even a little self-deprecating. "So it seems, gentlemen. So it seems.

"Commence Operation Ravenwing Two. Bring order and peace to Sri Lanka."

The door closed behind the Command staff, leaving Cambrius alone with his thoughts. Or so he thought. He looked up to see his long-time advisor and personal aide staring at him, chewing her lip.

"What is it, Forsythe?"

Forsythe stopped chewing her lip, and swiveled lazily in her chair. "You know the nascent Nepalese government is going to be livid, don't you?"

The Empire of Nepal. The most recent incarnation of the tattered core of what was once The Lightning Star. There was a great deal of bitterness and hostility towards the Roman Confederacy there, and not entirely misplaced. The Confederacy had abandoned the Star to be assaulted and picked apart by her enemies, in a war that Rome and Bjornoya were unable to prevent. Though there was a prevailing attitude in the Confederacy that the Star had brought ruin upon itself with poor decision-making and complacency. The Star's government had been entirely too insular and quiet, seeming to refuse to participate on the world stage.

And now The Star was the so-called Empire of Nepal. Cambrius wondered if the nation deserved the designation. He wondered how the governmental infrastructure was stable enough to preside over its own matters, let alone launching a clearly imperialistic crusade to acquire more territory. The Nepalese government made absolutely no pretense about the state of affairs in Sri Lanka. Nepal simply wished to possess it. To reclaim some small measure of its former glory.

Cambrius fervently hoped Cymrean forces reached Sri Lanka first. Prayed that order and peace could be established quickly, so that repairs could be made, people could be fed, sheltered, and provided vital medical services. This would delay the Aerie project for a year or more. But Cambrius felt truly that before looking up to the heavens, the conscientious needed to first ensure that the ground beneath them was solid. In this case, that meant making sure that the world community did right by Sri Lanka, that Cymrea saved the island nation from imperialistic exploitation.

"Yes, Gwyneth, I suspect the Nepalese will be quite pissed indeed."

Lieutenant Shae Getheron noted with some amusement that the corporal sitting next to him looked a little pallid. A long ride in a C-130J-30 Hercules tended to do that to the uninitiated.

The corporal looked over to Getheron and smiled weakly. "How far is it to Colombo, Lieutenant?" He pronounced the rank lef-tenant; nearly all of the former British colonies maintained many of the military traditions of the old empire and Cymrea was no exception.

"A little over two thousand miles, as the crow flies." The corporal nodded. "About five and a half hours." Getheron couldn't quite smother a grin. "Only about two more hours, corporal."

The corporal looked positively sick. Getheron barked a laugh.

"This is Davies' first long-range deployment, sir," said Warrant Officer Pryce, commander of 2 Platoon, to which Corporal Davies belonged. "Came to us about six weeks ago."

"Really? Well, welcome to Alpha Coy, boyo!" Getheron gave Davies a hearty thump in the stomach. Davies puked on his boots.

Getheron laughed again, this time joined by the Warrant and some nearby toon-mates. "Better to get it out now, rather than at some inopportune time on the ground in a foreign territory overrun by potential hostiles." He turned to Davies. "Feel better, Corporal?"

Davies nodded, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Thank you, sir."

Around the transport carrying Alpha Company, an entire squadron of Hercs were racing over the Indian Ocean from Christmas Island to the airfields of Bandaranaike International Airport, near the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. The first task of the Cymrean troops aboard was to secure the airport, refuel the Hercs and send them back to Christmas Island, establishing an ad hoc supply line. Once Bandaranaike was secured, an expeditionary force would move into the capital and set up a base of operations and liaise with whatever passed for local authorities. Meanwhile, reinforcements from the Third Fleet were crossing the ocean at flank speed, with more mobilizing from Norfolk Island and Cymrea, many bringing more troops and many more bringing emergency supplies.

Lieutenant Getheron glanced at his chrono. "Don't worry, boyo. We've done this sort of thing before, and we know what we're about. Just keep your head down, do what you're told, and you'll be a bloody hero before you know it."

Davies promptly puked again.

Northern Ceylon

"WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" screamed King Kunaveeran II, sovereign lord of the Nepalese Kingdom of Ceylon. After the fall of Yerffej, the Empire of Nepal had officially announced to the world that it would be taking control of the rest of Ceylon. Now, the Cymreans were attempted to steal the land that was his by birthright.

"M'lord, we must move at once," stated one of his generals. The others around the table nodded their heads in agreement. "Thankfully, we still have the old XX Corps intact. We must swarm south at once. Send half the Corps down the Western Coast, and the other half down the east. We should also send some troops down the center. We must reach Colombo before they do."

Nepalese ORBAT:
XX Corp:
1st Division (East Coast):
30,000 men armed with AK-M Assault Rifles and RPG-7's
750 Al-Khalid MBT
600 AMX-10P(Troop transport)
300 NM142 Tank destroyer [with TOW]
50 SSPH Primus 155mm self propelled howitzer
90-RBS-70 Rayrider Anti-Aircraft Artillery
100 TOS-1 Buratino 220mm Multiple Rocket Launcher
2nd Division(West Coast):
30,000 men armed with AK-M Assault Rifles and RPG-7's
750 Al-Khalid MBT
600 AMX-10P(Troop transport)
300 NM142 Tank destroyer [with TOW]
50 SSPH Primus 155mm self propelled howitzer
90-RBS-70 Rayrider Anti-Aircraft Artillery
100 TOS-1 Buratino 220mm Multiple Rocket Launcher
3rd Division (Center):
20,000 men armed with AK-M Assault Rifles and RPG-7s
20-RBS-70 Rayrider Anti-Aircraft Artillery
(Lack of vehicles due to rough mountainous terrain)

Aircraft:
30 CAF-1 "Thunder"s
200 Mi-28 HAVOC ATTACK Helicopter

"He's pissed off, all right," said Forsythe as handed Prefect Cambrius a thick folder. "The King of Nepal seems to think we're simply stealing the land that is his by birthright."

"I wonder if he made that same claim to the former Yerffeji government. Something tells me he didn't," Cambrius replied.

"King Kunaveeran has yet to so much as breathe an intent to assist civilians. He's simply sent his Twenty Corps south."

"Hmm. This begs two questions. How did he manage to hold back and entire corps of troops when the Lightning Star was under such fierce assault? And what has he left to defend his current empire?

"And we knew all along that the civvie situation concerns him not at all. Let's set up another press release." Cambrius pause for a moment, then sighed.

"Do we have an ORBAT compiled?"

Forsythe nodded. "We do. The Praetori Legati have all the information they need, Prefect." Since the end of the Cymrea campaign, Cambrius had always been much more interested in the political and humanistic aspects of government. Sri Lanka was shaping up to burst that idealistic bubble.

"Get me a copy of it, too, please, Gwyneth."

Forsythe nodded hesitantly and left Cambrius with his thoughts.

OOC:
1) He's not the Emperor of Nepal, he's the King of Ceylon. The Empire is divided into Kingdoms (and one Emirate), and Ceylon is one of them.

2) Sri Lanka used to be all mine, but I gave the southern part to Yerffej

3) The Sri Lankan Corps never got involved in the war, due to the fact there was no war in Sri Lanka.

IC:

Official Press Release by King Kunaveeran II

"My fellow people of Ceylon, our great nation is now under invasion by foreigners who have no ties to this great land of ours. As the descendant of a long line of Ceylonian Kings, stretching back to before the Carthaginian colonisation, I have the duty to restore our nation to glory. Help me oust the foreigner from our land, so that we, as brothers, can restore our nation."

OOC, in response:
1) I didn't notice the difference between the empire and kingdom. My bad.

2) Just because it used to be yours, doesn't necessarily mean you have a birthright to it. For instance, say I have a bunch of houses and I give one away to a friend. The house becomes the possession of that friend and no longer mine. If that friend later leaves or dies or whatever, I am not then simply entitled to take the house back because I used to own it. Therefore, King Kunaveeran has no birthright to a land given away, whatever his public claim.

3) Are you seriously telling me that in a war against however many nations, in which you lost the vast majority of your territory, that you refused to send any Sri Lankan reinforcements, instead holding them back with amazing foresight against a potential future land claim?

IC:
General International Press Release

Recently, King Kunaveeran of the Kingdom of Ceylon has laid claim to the central and southern territories of Sri Lanka. He bases this claim on the fact that it was gifted to the nation of Yerffej, and now that Yerffej is no longer, he resumes ownership. This claim is untenable and illegal.

It remains clear that King Kunaveeran cares nothing for the people of the former Yerffej, as he still has yet to make any statements concerning their welfare.

Kunaveeran may thump his chest and make his claims. But Cymrea remembers what a monarch is, and that his responsibility is first to his people, then to his interests. The King of Ceylon has shirked this responsibility and Cymrea will not permit him to exploit a people he cares nothing for.


Ever in service,

Meredith Aurelia Rhys-Jones,
Praetor Extraterritorialis of Cymrea
19 Maius MMVI

OOC, in response:
1) I didn't notice the difference between the empire and kingdom. My bad.

2) Just because it used to be yours, doesn't necessarily mean you have a birthright to it. For instance, say I have a bunch of houses and I give one away to a friend. The house becomes the possession of that friend and no longer mine. If that friend later leaves or dies or whatever, I am not then simply entitled to take the house back because I used to own it. Therefore, King Kunaveeran has no birthright to a land given away, whatever his public claim.

3) Are you seriously telling me that in a war against however many nations, in which you lost the vast majority of your territory, that you refused to send any Sri Lankan reinforcements, instead holding them back with amazing foresight against a potential future land claim?

IC:
General International Press Release

Recently, King Kunaveeran of the Kingdom of Ceylon has laid claim to the central and southern territories of Sri Lanka. He bases this claim on the fact that it was gifted to the nation of Yerffej, and now that Yerffej is no longer, he resumes ownership. This claim is untenable and illegal.

It remains clear that King Kunaveeran cares nothing for the people of the former Yerffej, as he still has yet to make any statements concerning their welfare.

Kunaveeran may thump his chest and make his claims. But Cymrea remembers what a monarch is, and that his responsibility is first to his people, then to his interests. The King of Ceylon has shirked this responsibility and Cymrea will not permit him to exploit a people he cares nothing for.


Ever in service,

Meredith Aurelia Rhys-Jones,
Praetor Extraterritorialis of Cymrea
19 Maius MMVI

OOC:
1) No problem

2) It's not a legitamate claim OOC, of course. He's just trying to use it to win popular support.

3) Actually, I never sent my forces from Sri Lanka for multiple reasons:
1, My navy had just been trashed, so I had no ability to move the troops quickly.
2, I had 7 Corps in Pakistan, which I thought would have been enough
3, The war happened so quickly, I never thought of moving them.

"It looks as though the Colombo Treaty is agreed to by Kunaveeran, if not already signed," said Forsythe, smiling. "Minister Rhys-Jones managed this one in record time."

Gwyneth Forsyth and Prefect Cambrius strode down the corridor from the Senate chambers toward the main entrance. A car was waiting there to take them to the ferry to Port Imperial for a formal inspection tour of the brand new advanced naval base. As they rounded the final corner, they were nearly swamped by Cymrean press. The Azurian Guards that stood on hand kept the reporters at a respectful distance with the hard-edged glares that reminded people of the Guards' reputation for indomitability. The press were nevertheless able to cause the prefect and his aide to pause, which was fine. They were expected. Cambrius wished to deliver a message directly to the public and this was the simplest and fastest way.

A battery of shouted questions assaulted the prefect the instant he stopped. Cambrius held up his hands, palms out in a kind of surrendering gesture, and laughed indulgently.

"Prefect! Prefect! Richard Octavius, CBC News. What's the situation in Sri Lanka?"

Cambrius took a deep breath and put on his serious face. "Cymrea is again victorious upon the world stage. We have secured the Colombo Treaty with the Empire of Nepal, returning our two nations to peace."

"What were the terms, Prefect?" Octavius, a veteran reporter with the Cymrean Broadcasting Corporation, managed to blurt the second question before any of the other correspondents, drawing frowns and glares from rivals. Octavius has the good grace not to look smug.

"The terms will be explained in more detail shortly, but I will say this: Sri Lanka is equally divided and presided over by both Nepal and Cymrea. Now if you will please excuse me, I'm running late."

Immediately, questions assailed Cambrius, followed by microphones that jabbed at him like spears. An Azurian Guard stepped in front of the prefect and Forsythe and cleared a path to the outside, cleaving the media mob down the middle. Another Guard moved behind them and secured their escape.

Outside, the sun shone brightly, as though sharing Cambrius' feelings of elation and triumph. Something would surely bring a new disaster tomorrow, but for today, all was well again.

Nepal accepts the proposition made by Cymrea.