Sniper Country
27-09-2006, 00:05
Commander-General Jonathan Szot sat at his desk, staring blankly into the corner of his office, where a cobweb slowly grew. He barely blinked; to anyone just passing by he could very well be mistaken for dead. Szot had taken over after the death of Commander-General Mark Spitz, who died of old age at 86.
At the time of his death, Spitz hailed as one of the oldest generals on the planet. He'd commanded the entirity of the Sniper Country Armed Forces from the ripe age of 55, when the Sniper Country, along with the SCAF, was founded. The man was a legend. If you'd been in a war with Sniper Country, this man plotted your demise, and he made sure you remembered his name. Some would say pride was his downfall, while others would say his unwillingness to lose troops led to his demise. However, only a few of his closest aides could tell you that after losing Speaker John Philips to the hand of Damien Dreadfire finished Spitz off. After seeing so much in his life, losing the closest friend he'd ever had was the final prick to end it all.
The death of Philips at the hands of Dreadfire wasn't entirely surprising to the Senate. Actually, it was the Senate's idea. Philips' days of being all talk and no action were bringing the respect for Sniper Country to an all time low, he'd been in control of the nation for way too long, and the simple fact that he was simply getting old were all contributing factors in the elaborate game of deception taht entailed his assassination. Several members of the Senate gathered, and in contacting Damien Dreadfire himself, put into motion one of the most elaborate attempts at a leadership change ever conceived. Philips had been asked multiple times to step down, but each time refused, acknowledging the nation's need for him. Encouraged to make a meeting with Dreadfire concerning the state of the world, Philips and three of the nation's most decorated retired soldiers flew to Automagfreek with full, peaceful inentions. However, another, Top Secret BlackOps mission was in place. Thirty of the top troops in the SCAF, or so it was thought, entered Automagfreek with intentions of engaging Sentinel troops and wreaking havoc throughout the nation itself. This was quickly quelled, as planned, and who was left but John Philips for Damien to lay the blame. Philips was sent to the utter bowels of Automagfreek, where he underwent a death not wished on even the worst of men. Of course, no one had ever intended for this to be his way to die; a quick shot to the head would have sufficed. After the assassination, Damien mobilized his troops for a supposed full invasion of Sniper Country. This was fully supported, under the table, by the Senate, who paid billions in costs and reparations to Freekish troops and the Freekish government. The entirity of the SCAF was mobilized, billions of Citizens were sent into hiding, and the nation was prepared for war. This alone cost just over one trillion dollars, but for the Senate, it was nothing compared to replacing Philips and restoring their beloved nation to glory. Plus, there was too much going to government waste. After nearly a week in waiting, Freekish warships, troops, and Damien Dreadfire pulled back, going off to fight another war. Citizens returned to their homes, the SCAF was reorganized, and the nation had been deceived. The most elaborate assassination and cover-up in history was a complete success.
None of this was really on Szot's mind, though. Sure, he knew the truth. He was one of only a handful of people that knew what had actually happened. Did he care? Not really. Speaker Drew Haltom was a good friend, and had a much better head on his shoulders that Philips did. Haltom actually stuck to his word, and when he said something, he didn't hesitate to back it up with force, if necessary. He was one of the few national leaders that still hada firm belief in Gunboat Diplomacy. If somebody pissed him off, he wouldn't hesitate to lob a few cruise missiles into his opponent's area, and then try again. Sure, this could very well lead to an armed conflict or even war, but Haltom had full faith in the SCAF. He knew that in the SCAF, legends were made. This alone set him apart from Philips. Haltom wasn't arrogant, he was cocky. Arrogance was all talk with no force; cocky was capable of being backed up.
In a recent conversation, Haltom in fact questioned Szot on the capabilities of the SCAF, specifically against an extremely overpowering force in terms of numbers. Odds were good, actually. Haltom had discussed declaring the GASN a threat to world stability and even considered declaring them an enemy of the state. But now was not the time. Not yet, at least.
CGN Szot was stirred from his daydreaming by a knock at his door. Entered two men who weren't immediately recognizable to Szot, but were certainly in the SCAF. They wore plaid shorts, skin-tight sleeveless t-shirts, and flip-flops. One was relatively clean-shaven, while the other had a beard which covered his entire face and much of his neck. They both wore baseball caps with a four leaf clover patch on the front, signifying their belonging to the 22nd SOF-D Regiment. They were unarmed, and were even smiling. Without saying a word they walked in, taking up both the chairs in front of Szot's desk. Szot sat up, crossing his hands.
"Yeah, what can I do for you boys," Szot questioned, eyeing both of them down.
"Well I'm Master Sar'nt Rodney Harris, and this here's Sar'nt Second Class Tim Arinder. How ya doing today, sir?" The two men introduced themselves casually, as was custom in the SCAF.
"I'm pretty good, I reckon. I won't really complain," replied Szot.
"Well, see, we're from Vibram Platoon, 22nd SOF-D. Well, while the reorganization of the SCAF is coming to a close, we thought it might be in the best interest of the SCAF as a whole, as you know, sort of a - moral boost - if you will, for us to actually show some folks what we got to offer. See, what me and my faithful companion here was thinkin', we was thinkin' that maybe we could offer to take on some other country's top unit in a match. Like we do all the time against each other. Heck, our unit'll be more than happy to take all comers. The best they got against the best we got. Then, when we kick their tails, folks all over the world's gonna know that we're the best of the best," Master Sergeant Harris said in a slow, Southern drawl which was a trademark of Sniper Country Citizens.
"Is that a fact?" CGN Szot replied, intrigued to say the least.
"Well, yessir, that's a fact," replied Harris, smiling. He lifted a small cup to his lip as he spit a wad of chewing tobacco into it. Some landed in his beard, which he promptly wiped away with his hand. "If you'd just post something on the internet, or whatever you leadership folks use to get the word out, I'm sure you'll get a reply pretty quick."
"Alright, guys. I'll put something up. I'll get to you as soon as I know something. Preciate it, and have a good one out there," Szot said as he leaned toward his computer. The two stood and left, in the same manner they walked in. Szot laughed to himself at probably the most redneck man in the entirity of the SCAF. And that was saying something. He began to type on the computer, hopefully sending an e-mail out to variuos nations would grab attention.
-----
To: Whomever It May Concern
From: Commander-General Jonathan Szot, Commander, SCAF
Subject: The Best Of The Best
To Whomever It May Concern:
The Confederacy of Sniper Country and the Sniper Country Armed Forces make the offer to any nation in the world, on a first come, first serve basis. The SCAF makes the offer for a match between twelve of the best troops in your nation, against twelve of the best from our ranks. The match location is of your choice. However, we will be utilizing the AIMES equipment used in SCAF training. The AIMES, much like the MILES, detects when the soldier has been shot, and, depending on where the shot is taken, the system sends an electrical shock, which can temporarily paralyze anything from a single finger to the entire body for up to an hour. The systems has been in use with the SCAF for just over a decade, and there has never been a recorded death as a result of system use, and is completely safe. The prize for winning? Bragging rights, of course. However, the losing unit's commander must surrender his unit patch to the winning unit's commander.
So, if you're a taker, please reply. If not, stay out of the way.
-CGN Jonathan Szot
SCAF, Commanding
At the time of his death, Spitz hailed as one of the oldest generals on the planet. He'd commanded the entirity of the Sniper Country Armed Forces from the ripe age of 55, when the Sniper Country, along with the SCAF, was founded. The man was a legend. If you'd been in a war with Sniper Country, this man plotted your demise, and he made sure you remembered his name. Some would say pride was his downfall, while others would say his unwillingness to lose troops led to his demise. However, only a few of his closest aides could tell you that after losing Speaker John Philips to the hand of Damien Dreadfire finished Spitz off. After seeing so much in his life, losing the closest friend he'd ever had was the final prick to end it all.
The death of Philips at the hands of Dreadfire wasn't entirely surprising to the Senate. Actually, it was the Senate's idea. Philips' days of being all talk and no action were bringing the respect for Sniper Country to an all time low, he'd been in control of the nation for way too long, and the simple fact that he was simply getting old were all contributing factors in the elaborate game of deception taht entailed his assassination. Several members of the Senate gathered, and in contacting Damien Dreadfire himself, put into motion one of the most elaborate attempts at a leadership change ever conceived. Philips had been asked multiple times to step down, but each time refused, acknowledging the nation's need for him. Encouraged to make a meeting with Dreadfire concerning the state of the world, Philips and three of the nation's most decorated retired soldiers flew to Automagfreek with full, peaceful inentions. However, another, Top Secret BlackOps mission was in place. Thirty of the top troops in the SCAF, or so it was thought, entered Automagfreek with intentions of engaging Sentinel troops and wreaking havoc throughout the nation itself. This was quickly quelled, as planned, and who was left but John Philips for Damien to lay the blame. Philips was sent to the utter bowels of Automagfreek, where he underwent a death not wished on even the worst of men. Of course, no one had ever intended for this to be his way to die; a quick shot to the head would have sufficed. After the assassination, Damien mobilized his troops for a supposed full invasion of Sniper Country. This was fully supported, under the table, by the Senate, who paid billions in costs and reparations to Freekish troops and the Freekish government. The entirity of the SCAF was mobilized, billions of Citizens were sent into hiding, and the nation was prepared for war. This alone cost just over one trillion dollars, but for the Senate, it was nothing compared to replacing Philips and restoring their beloved nation to glory. Plus, there was too much going to government waste. After nearly a week in waiting, Freekish warships, troops, and Damien Dreadfire pulled back, going off to fight another war. Citizens returned to their homes, the SCAF was reorganized, and the nation had been deceived. The most elaborate assassination and cover-up in history was a complete success.
None of this was really on Szot's mind, though. Sure, he knew the truth. He was one of only a handful of people that knew what had actually happened. Did he care? Not really. Speaker Drew Haltom was a good friend, and had a much better head on his shoulders that Philips did. Haltom actually stuck to his word, and when he said something, he didn't hesitate to back it up with force, if necessary. He was one of the few national leaders that still hada firm belief in Gunboat Diplomacy. If somebody pissed him off, he wouldn't hesitate to lob a few cruise missiles into his opponent's area, and then try again. Sure, this could very well lead to an armed conflict or even war, but Haltom had full faith in the SCAF. He knew that in the SCAF, legends were made. This alone set him apart from Philips. Haltom wasn't arrogant, he was cocky. Arrogance was all talk with no force; cocky was capable of being backed up.
In a recent conversation, Haltom in fact questioned Szot on the capabilities of the SCAF, specifically against an extremely overpowering force in terms of numbers. Odds were good, actually. Haltom had discussed declaring the GASN a threat to world stability and even considered declaring them an enemy of the state. But now was not the time. Not yet, at least.
CGN Szot was stirred from his daydreaming by a knock at his door. Entered two men who weren't immediately recognizable to Szot, but were certainly in the SCAF. They wore plaid shorts, skin-tight sleeveless t-shirts, and flip-flops. One was relatively clean-shaven, while the other had a beard which covered his entire face and much of his neck. They both wore baseball caps with a four leaf clover patch on the front, signifying their belonging to the 22nd SOF-D Regiment. They were unarmed, and were even smiling. Without saying a word they walked in, taking up both the chairs in front of Szot's desk. Szot sat up, crossing his hands.
"Yeah, what can I do for you boys," Szot questioned, eyeing both of them down.
"Well I'm Master Sar'nt Rodney Harris, and this here's Sar'nt Second Class Tim Arinder. How ya doing today, sir?" The two men introduced themselves casually, as was custom in the SCAF.
"I'm pretty good, I reckon. I won't really complain," replied Szot.
"Well, see, we're from Vibram Platoon, 22nd SOF-D. Well, while the reorganization of the SCAF is coming to a close, we thought it might be in the best interest of the SCAF as a whole, as you know, sort of a - moral boost - if you will, for us to actually show some folks what we got to offer. See, what me and my faithful companion here was thinkin', we was thinkin' that maybe we could offer to take on some other country's top unit in a match. Like we do all the time against each other. Heck, our unit'll be more than happy to take all comers. The best they got against the best we got. Then, when we kick their tails, folks all over the world's gonna know that we're the best of the best," Master Sergeant Harris said in a slow, Southern drawl which was a trademark of Sniper Country Citizens.
"Is that a fact?" CGN Szot replied, intrigued to say the least.
"Well, yessir, that's a fact," replied Harris, smiling. He lifted a small cup to his lip as he spit a wad of chewing tobacco into it. Some landed in his beard, which he promptly wiped away with his hand. "If you'd just post something on the internet, or whatever you leadership folks use to get the word out, I'm sure you'll get a reply pretty quick."
"Alright, guys. I'll put something up. I'll get to you as soon as I know something. Preciate it, and have a good one out there," Szot said as he leaned toward his computer. The two stood and left, in the same manner they walked in. Szot laughed to himself at probably the most redneck man in the entirity of the SCAF. And that was saying something. He began to type on the computer, hopefully sending an e-mail out to variuos nations would grab attention.
-----
To: Whomever It May Concern
From: Commander-General Jonathan Szot, Commander, SCAF
Subject: The Best Of The Best
To Whomever It May Concern:
The Confederacy of Sniper Country and the Sniper Country Armed Forces make the offer to any nation in the world, on a first come, first serve basis. The SCAF makes the offer for a match between twelve of the best troops in your nation, against twelve of the best from our ranks. The match location is of your choice. However, we will be utilizing the AIMES equipment used in SCAF training. The AIMES, much like the MILES, detects when the soldier has been shot, and, depending on where the shot is taken, the system sends an electrical shock, which can temporarily paralyze anything from a single finger to the entire body for up to an hour. The systems has been in use with the SCAF for just over a decade, and there has never been a recorded death as a result of system use, and is completely safe. The prize for winning? Bragging rights, of course. However, the losing unit's commander must surrender his unit patch to the winning unit's commander.
So, if you're a taker, please reply. If not, stay out of the way.
-CGN Jonathan Szot
SCAF, Commanding