NationStates Jolt Archive

(OOC: This is a simple practice RP designed to do two things:
1 - gain some RP battle experience and
2 - entertain.
The RP is closed in that I'm not asking for international intervention, but observations from other nations are welcome, as well as any OOC advice or corrections :cool: )

ahem...

1. The Bridge.
September 6, 2006

Toll Officer Ryan Evarson waved as a family drove past, no doubt returning to Bivalviaton after vacationing on North Bivalve Island. North Bivalve Island and Bivalve Island itself were seperated by a channel only a hundred meters across, and the bridge Evarson helped oversee was the sole land link between the two islands.

Evarson returned to reading his paper. Segregationists Stage Protests; tensions mark one year anniversary of amalgamation said the headline. Evarson shook his head. There always had to be a few kooks who wanted to spoil a good thing.

Last year, the two nations of Bivalvia and Trivalvia had voted on and ratified the Amagamation Act; merging both nations into one. It had made sense, for generations the two countries had been on the best of terms with each other, with commerce and infrastructure becoming so intertwined that it was hard to see where one nation ended and the other began. Amalgamation was an inevitability, Evarson believed, as did most Bivalvians. And it had brought increased prosperity.

Evarson looked back at the bridge. A vehicle was parked halfway across the bridge. He put down the paper and picked up a set of binoculars. It was a semi, parked in such a way it blocked both lanes. He sighed and punched up the North Toll Booth.

"North Booth, this is South; I got a semi blocking traffic here, do you see it?"

Silence from the radio. Evarson frowned and tried again. "South Booth to North Booth, you guys awake up there?"

Still nothing.

Evarson punched a button, and the "Bridge Closed" sign lit up, with accompanying red lights in case some drivers didn't see the sign. He then radioed his situation to HQ, and got into his patrol jeep.

When he reached the Semi, Evarson noticed something new; the doors to the truck were open. He parked the jeep next to the truck and got out, one hand on his holstered revolver. "Okay, fellow, you picked a poor time to take a nap..."

He stopped when he saw the driver slumped over the steering wheel, not breathing. Blood trickled from a bullet hole in the driver's right temple.

And near the driver's body, on the passenger side, was a digital readout with wires going out the back window. Suddenly chilled, Evarson noted that the wires ended in a hole drilled into the front of the trailer. He looked back at the readout: 35 seconds.

"CRAP!" Evarson ran back to his jeep and drove back to his post, gunning the motor for all it was worth.

He had almost reached the toll booth when the semi exploded. The sudden blast slammed into the jeep, causing him to lose control. He slammed into the booth itself, saved from a trip through the windshield by his seatbelt.

Bits of metal and asphalt rained down around him. Coughing, Evarson looked back at where the semi had been...

To see the bridge sundered; a vast hole seperating both lanes. In one stroke, North Bivalve Island was severed from the rest of Trivalvia.

2. The Declaration

2 hours after the Bivalve Bridge explosion.

"...That's all, I have no further comment." President William MacKensie left the podium as reporters clamored for his attention. He walked briskly down the corridor to his office, with his aide, Samantha Perry, in tow.

"I want the National Investigation Bureau chief in my office in fifteen minutes, and a conference call with the chief investigators at that time," he told her. "The only terrorist attack in our country in history, and all I had for the press was 'no comment'?! I want something solid before the press start digging stuff up themselves."

"Yes sir. Um... did you check your email today, sir?"

"I was going to, before this mess happened." MacKensie straightened his tie, his thin face a picture of annoyance. He looked at her. "Dare I ask why?"

Samantha handed him a piece of paper. "You may want to read this, sir. It's been copied to most of the government heads and I believe to every national news agency and some international news services as well. The time corresponds to our first reports of the explosion."

MacKensie took the paper and read, his face blanching as he did so.

Declaration of Soveriegnty
Today, we mark the first step in the correction of a serious error, one that has cost the freedom of over one million Bivalvian citizens.

We, the Bivalvian Liberation Army, declare North Bivalve Island and its one hundred thousand inhabitants as FREE of Trivalvian dominance and duplicity. By destroying the Bivalve Bridge, we have insured that no military reprisal will endanger innocent lives here. If the Trivalvian government decides to press a fight, we will defend our freedom with our lives.

We call upon the citizens of Bivalvia who are still under Trivalvian rule to rise up and demand sovereignty now! We call up on other nations to exert pressure on the Trivalvian government to recognize our right to independance, and we call upon President MacKensie to recognize that this is one fight he cannot win, and to bow to the inevitable.

MacKensie crumpled the declaration in his hand. "'Bow to the inevitable'; not while I'm alive!" He paused, thinking.

"Samantha, cancel the conference call. I want the Premier of Bivalvia province, the Joint Chiefs, and our Intelligence Minister in a conference call ASAP. I want to know what kind of strength and support this 'Bivalvian Liberation Army' has. And issue a press release that I'll be addressing the nation; have that scheduled for two hours after my meeting with the joint chiefs."

"Very good, sir. Are you going to send in troops?"

"If I have to," MacKensie replied. "I hope I won't; but I am not going to just 'bow to the inevitable'."

(OOC: Okay, after taking a closer look at some of the open RP threads, it's apparent I opened this scenario a little too awkwardly... I should have summarized the situation and laid out the order of battle. Oh well, live and learn.

That said, let's move on...)

DECLARATION OF STATE OF WAR
September 15, 2006
FROM: Trivalvian Combined Armed Forces Command
TO: Force Commanders,

Trivalvian Ground Forces
Trivalvian Naval Forces

SECURITY CLEARANCE: EYES ONLY

SITUATION:
At 1435 hours, September 6, 2006, a paramilitary force declaring itself the Bivalvian Liberation Army detonated an explosive device on the Bivalve bridge, destroying the bridge and severing land travel to and from North Bivalve Island. The BLA has declared North Bivalve Island as a seperate nation and has issued an open call for rebellion against the Democratic Republic of Trivalvia.

An emergency session of the Trivalvian Legislature has been concluded, with a near-unanimous vote for the uprising to be countered with force. It is the express statement of the government and of TCAFC that this is an isolated uprising, and that the majority of Bivalvians do not wish to secede.

Therefore, as of 0600 hours this morning, we are now in a STATE OF WAR. All bases are to go to Defense Condition One.

The following forces are being called for immediate deployment:

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Carlisle, commanding officer of the Third Trivalvian Ground Battalion, read through the communique one more time before he entered the briefing room. Nine men and women stood as he entered and saluted.

Carlisle returned the salute. "At ease." He stepped to the table, where a map of Trivalvia was displayed on a touch screen comprising much of the table's surface. We may not have much in the way of military might but at least our computer tech is top-notch,

"We've been mobilized to deal with the North Bivalve situation. Our orders are to proceed to the Trivalvapolis Naval Forces Base."

A hand went up. It was the Major in charge of the 2nd Light Infantry. "Sir?"

Carlisle had to read the Major's nametag. Damn, but I wish we had more time before an operation. "Go ahead Major... Kuhn."

"Begging your pardon, sir, but why not send in the 2nd Battalion? They're already there on Bivalve Island."

"Two reasons. First, although Intel is confident that the BLA has all of their forces on North Bivalve Island and concentrated mostly in North Harbour City -" Carlisle touched the screen, magnifying the island in question "- there is the remote possibility that isolated BLA units might be on the main island. If the 2nd is mobilized, they'll leave the relative safety of their base and be exposed to hit and run attacks. By keeping them on base, we insure any BLA raid there is suicide.

"Second, the first move the BLA did was to destroy the bridge linking the two islands. The 2nd Battalion can't walk or drive on air."

Major Kuhn looked deflated at this declaration of the obvious. Carlisle had to pity him, he was, after all, only new to his command. With the exception of Carlisle, who had served a stint in the Canadian military before emigrating to Trivalvia, they all were new officers, untested.

"We are planning to get the bridge up and running again; the government has contacted two civilian contractors to rebuild the bridge as soon as possible. The best case scenario is that we may be able to get one lane open in about two weeks time, and that's if the contractors work around the clock and the BLA doesn't sabotage their efforts or launch an assault.

"So, we are being sent in first by sea. We'll be using the Navy's LCAC's to make the crossing; it's roughly 30 kilometers from the mainland to these beaches along the island coastline, so we should be able to run two trips per LCAC before they need to refuel.

"Our plan of attack -" Carlisle began to use a stylus to "sketch" lines on the map "- will be a two-pronged landing. The 1st through 5th Light Infantry as well as Armoured Platoons 1 through 3 will land here, near North Harbour City. You'll secure the beach and, if possible, the southern docks. Once the area is secured, we'll ship over five APCs as well as fuel and ammunition, and set up a command post there; the beachhead will be designated Forward Base Alpha. The 5th Light Infantry and 3rd Armoured Platoon will keep the beachhead secure while the rest secure all roads leading from the city; I want that city locked down.

"The 6th and 7th Light Infantry, 1st Grenadiers, and 4th Armoured Platoon will land there, near the north end of the bridge. Your job will be to keep that end secure so that the contractors can do their jobs. Once you've secured the north end, then the 2nd Battalion will ship up two infantry platoons to keep the south end secure. After securing the bridge, we'll ship an additional 5 APCs to your location, designated Forward Base Beta, and the 7th Light Infantry and 4th Armoured will travel along the highway north until you join up with our main force at North Harbour City. Once the bridge is reconnected, and we have a better idea of the strength of the BLA in the city and elsewhere on the island, we'll sweep through the city. The 2nd Battalion will send reinforcements over the bridge and additional supplies as we need them."

"What kind of opposition can we expect?" This was Major Fielding, commanding the 1st Grenadiers.

"Intel estimates the BLA at roughly 800 men, exact armament unknown, but there have been reports of BLA soldiers carrying M-16s. We know they have 6-8 jeeps, and possibly a platoon of T34 tanks - heaven knows where they got them from. Sadly, we have no means of blockading the island by sea or air, so there is a possibility the BLA could bring in extra weapons or even mercenaries - we have no idea of their financial resources."

Carlisle turned off the screen. "This is hardly what any of us expected for our first operation, much less that we would be pressed into action so soon after formation. Our troops have only been able to have a couple of weeks of training with their weapons. Nevertheless, we joined the military to defend our country, and that is what we will do. You'll have two days at Trivalviapolis NFB to run your troops through some crash training, before we make the crossing over to North Bivalve Island.

"That is all. Dismissed."

OOC. This is not turning out the way I expected... what was supposed to be a short practice RP is turning into a long and boring story. Plus, I've been running across references to "wank" in various NS info threads, which I translate to "strutting around for no other reason than to inflate the ego", based on its usage. I fear this is becoming one of "those".

So I'm shutting this down; getting back to laying the groundwork of my nation (including a factbook), and observing other RPs carefully before I try an RP again.