NationStates Jolt Archive

...With heads uncovered swear we all
To bear it onward till we fall
Come dungeons dark or gallows grim
This song shall be our parting hymn!
Then raise the scarlet standard high
Within its shade we'll live and die
Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer,
We'll keep the red flag flying here!

Comrade Bravura had sung this anthem countless times, though using an obscure Indo-Geletian dialect poorly understood by her gaolers, while locked away on the Île du Diable. Free -after an unsurprisingly failed attempt to programme her as an assassin saw her return to India via the hospitality of Yugoslavia's internal security forces- Bravura was back in action for the first time since the Coral Sea Incident during which she was originally captured. Today she was quite literally bearing the red flag, walking at the fore of an infantry unit going into battle, raising the standard while bullets flew around her.

This battle was part of a struggle that had become all the more intense this month after simmering ever since the decomposition of Marimaia. The fighting was inflamed by the arrival of Indian transport ships under escort of the Bodkin Class frigate CS Cable Street, a Dhruv helicopter flying from which had, according to the Cambodian government, launched a guided anti-tank missile against a Cambodian patrol vessel, causing it serious damage and rendering it unable to contest the arrival of the Soviet ships in what Raipur recognises as Democratic Kampuchea.

Following this incident, extra arms and supplies were delivered to the Khmer Rouge, which had increased its strength to include almost forty-thousand fighters and was in total de facto control of the north. Now, with comrade Bravura most forward amongst them, the Khmer Rouge and their Soviet allies were assaulting Phnom Penh, with hundreds of fighters attacking army positions and other security forces in the northern approaches and frantic reports suggesting that several thousand guerrillas had moved to encircle the capital.

Infantry mortars, heavy sniper-rifles, and grenades, along with long-running propaganda leading the assailed state to the understanding of limitless communist hordes mustered in the north, were co-ordinated to keep the defenders cautious and on the back-foot while infantry sections moved forward in isolated sections of the front to overwhelm local opposition and expose the flanks of others in the pressured defensive line.

While communist forces pushed on the city's outskirts further reports indicated uprisings within Phnom Penh involving sympathisers armed with Molotov cocktails, improvised explosives, and Sten guns fashioned as a now-unneeded stop-gap in India's phalansteric workshops when the Commonwealth Guard Expert Corps took temporary posession of second-line assault weapons during the transition from AKM to INSAS. The mere suggestion of such revolts behind them was causing mass surrenders and desertions in the Cambodian Army units defending the capital, and the government rushed-out urgent appeals for foreign aid.

The Indian Soviets were now desperately pressing their influence in almost every population that felt it, from Africa to East Asia and South America, concerned that time was short before the newly hyper-militarised capitalist and imperialist states turned their attention to lands and peoples of great communist potential. No less alarmed were they by the competative meddling of the Armandian Combine and of increasing Strainist activity, both of which threatened to alter the course of revolutionary populations otherwise bound for Sovietism. It felt to many Indians that soon would come the time to do or die.

Beijing

Though still potentially far from victory in South East Asia, Soviet India is already concerning herself with satisfying possible Chinese concerns. The intermittently famous comrade Chivo is dispatched direct to Beijing in an effort to allay fears and smooth any potential cracks in a slowly healing Sino-Indian relationship.

One message Chivo is most keen to convey is simply that, "Soviet India does not want China to fear any conspiracy to surround its territory or to contain its influence."

The consul wishes to make sure that a dialogue remain open between Raipur and Beijing during the Kampuchean revolution so that Beijing can express particular concerns directly and no false moves be made by either side. Items such as Soviet disinterest in Thailand, the reduction of investment in the New People's Army of the Philippines, the recognition of Tibet as Chinese, and the lack of Indian ambition in Burma are to be trotted out frequently so as to dispel any impression of limitless Indian ambition.

Kampuchea

Even as Chivo tried to down-play Indian expansionism to the Chinese his comrades in South East Asia were running into martial difficulties. The Cambodian Army was, finally, managing to concentrate some effective artillery fire in the defence of Phnom Penh, marshaling what elements of the former Marimaian military remained loyal to the Republic and attempting to evoke nationalism as a defence against foreign-backed rebels.

While material efforts were finally paying off, disrupting communist infantry assaults on a front that had been near collapse, the propaganda struggle was more challenging, as the Khmer Rouge were proving every bit as good at playing the nationalist tune... they were just able to claim powerful friends while they did it. In truth, only a handful of Soviet advisers were actually on the ground, though they were handing on useful information gathered by PCC satellites and high-flying CAG UAVs. It may not be long before the Khmer Rouge find another weak-point to exploit.

Mumbai

The war in Cambodia has not, as of late, elicited all that much interest from Parliament, whose attention is very much focused elsewhere. Marimaia's dissolution did indeed come as a shock to Hindustan, but that was years ago, and the problems that arose out of the breakdown of central authority are, it seems to Unioners, mostly local. Diplomatic contacts that existed between the INU and Marimaia have not been carried-over to Marimaia's successor states, so Mumbai doesn't have much in the way of interests in the region. Events in Cambodia, as far as Unioners are concerned, are of relatively little consequence.

Soviet involvement in fighting between the Khmer Rouge and the Phnom Penh government does cause Parliamentarians to pay closer attention, though. Lacking a proper understanding of the situation, it is decided to defer to the Soviets on the matter, and military aid is quickly pledged to the Khmer Rouge forces. What use they will have for more of the notoriously utilitarian Sten Guns and Browning Automatic Rifles in 7.92mm Mauser is anyone's guess, of course.

Hindustanis also join in the effort to satisfy China of India's good intentions. A diplomatic mission, often discussed and needed for a long time, is finally formed and prepared for the trip to Beijing.

Beijing has been more concerned with the internal politics between the now disharmonious coalition government lately than the Holy League or NATO or anything else, but on issues of foreign policy the Chinese are keen to at least present a united front. The delegation from Raipur and Hindustan is welcomed and would be hosted by President Hu Jin Tao himself in Beijing. After all, he was an ardent "Market Socialist" and would be able to handle the lingo more fluently than his vice president/foreign affairs minister James Chang (whom he secretly hated anyway).

Raipur and Mumbai have reason to expect many things to come from this trip - after all, China had passively supported the strainist invasion of Indonesia. All that Beijing generally wanted was an exchange of sorts, and Beijing was about to call in a favour or two regarding Central Asia.

Being relatively disinterested in Central Asia since absconding with half of the former USSR's space programme and the largest planes in the world, the Soviets just hope that Mumbai hasn't yet dug itself into any holes in dealings with the Caliphate...

Karnataka Soviet State

Even before the latest news -of a British attempt to militarily intercept Soviet traffic to Libya- Indians were beginning to feel the oppressive gathering of dark storm-clouds over head. And that was why this high-level meeting was taking place at one of the People's Cosmonautical Co-operative's major facilities, the joint headquarters at Bangalore.

Along with the current CPP Chairman sat the Commissar for War Production, the Wartime Development Secretary, and a quartet of Generals of the Guard.

The topic of discussion was no less than total war.

"Best as GSIC can tell me, comrades, the rest of the League has negligible capabilities next to our own, but the Russians still probably maintain enough relevant capacity to hurt us on a strategic level. If the Quints were to get involved this would be an entirely different proposal."

Sopworth slid a few files across the table to the Generals, his father, and the CPP Chairman, a Dr.Singh.

"We think" said Graeme, putting a faint stress on the second word, "that we can, 'win' this, near as it's possible to apply that term here, and that we can probably put them up faster than Russia can shoot them down since we, well, took advantage of her space agency's remaining dignity during the Kazakh annexation. But knocking out their launch facilities reportedly can't be done all at once without starting something that none of us are willing to face. GSIC may have to attempt something long-term until they just give up on even trying to orbit anything else."

"So, this is going to cost us billions." Singh wasn't really asking so much as informing the assembly.

"Are we going to take the hit ourselves?" Queried a General, "Or could we perhaps spread the blame, and the retribution, by hauling somebody else along? The Armandians already threw one punch. If they go with us, this time, it'll probably look like it was their idea, anyway, and there'll be more targets than Russia has anti-satellite weapons to begin with."

"I'm glad you asked, comrade!" Sopworth recovered both the smirk and the haughty tone of his '80s premiership. "Page two. Again, yes, comrade Doctor, it will hit the pocket rather hard. Comrades? Why so quiet? We had already decided not to use the warheads ourselves, why not let comrade Kim look after them?"

A second General piped up, with some hesitation, "It... would be wise to give Washington something else to worry about. Keep them fearing for Hamhung and the Republic rather than contemplating interference with our affairs."

Two or three in the room nodded and murmured approval.

"Good. It is already agreed. If we have quorum I shan't need to phone in a last minute cancellation to the Directorature!"

"Well, it's going to happen eventually. Best we hit them hard and first rather than wait to be hit ourselves as they become inevitably more desperate." The last hold-out shrugged and gave his somewhat unhappy approval.

Across Soviet India

Bangalore, Galle, and Sriharikota all see a particular kind of activity. Their satellite launch facilities are gearing up for action. Ballistic missiles begin to queue up, some of them modified Agni once used to bear nuclear payloads and now retired from that role.

CS-400 Red Sky and CS-500 Arawan batteries sound alerts, sending thousands of personnel racing to action stations against the possibility of enemy action.

Far above, lasers painted numerous French, Russian, Spanish, Italian, and Tulgarian-owned orbiters, and PCC 'mothership' satellites show energy surges as micro-orbiters prepare to detach and advance.

Seemingly unrelated, Porthmadog docks at Madras are another hive of activity, three of the four reportedly laid-up Liopleurodon ferox Class SSBNs seeing heavily guarded and shielded tubes dropped into their lately-empty missile silos. One boat is already under-way, heading east. At the same time, funds approximating one billion US dollars undergo transfer from Kolkata to Seoul.

Within minutes something will happen.

Abroad

Concurrently in Roycelandia, the US, Hindustan, Britain, China, Spyr and many other non-League nations, heads of government, state, military, or diplomacy receive similar notifications. The Soviet Consul wishes an urgent audience...

All Consuls would wait, even if admitted, staring at their watches until the proper minute is displayed in their particular time-zone, before informing their hosts of a Soviet strike against orbital League assets. Raipur is attempting to knock-out the reactionaries' (Soviet definition, not necessarily Strainist) ability to target weapons and direct and track forces from space, and to communicate with its forces on imperialist missions around the world.

India expects Russia to lead any counter-attack against Soviet orbiters, but the Kremlin's much depleted space capability is not believed to be any match for India's, and replacement satellites are being prepared for launch even now. Activity in the Choson People's Republic, specifically related to the 'space guns', may be considered part of the KCP's contribution to the fight against reaction (and no mention is made of any incentive pushed on Da'Khiem) and is, according to GSIC, not likely to represent a threat to any of Dra-pol's neighbours.

"No, no!" some consuls will likely be prompted to argue, "If anything, this is a demilitarisation of space!" at which point they may well laugh heartily.

((Just a quick statement here. BG, I am extremely dubious about your use of technology here to destroy satellites. I have no voiced loud reservations over your WIGS, because although they smelt of it they did not smack of god-moding. I more or less ignored the impact Armand had in his post as it too was much accused of God-moding, limited it to several satellites, i.e. 3 non-important units. If you attack my space satellites then I get to blow yours up too, it complete equity of proportion. That is really a moot point however since I say the whole thing is unrealistic, hence moding itself. I am not being a jerk here, just pointing out a glaring fallacy in AMW. If the rules are so rigid that France cannot even have an expanded population IC and must remain at IRL levels, something, BG, that as you know I feel very strongly about, then it is impossible that the Soviets can zap other nations’ satellites out of orbit with the push of a button. In my judgment, that would be no less a step than taking over the moon, in that both operations occur in the same Theatre, space. Until we discuss these factors in detail, granted we can agree that no time will pass IC, I will ignore any such attempts and consider this modo flagrante. Wont take up any more room, and if you wish continue this debate, which I am completely amenable to, I suggest we do it on the off-site forums. Ciao.))

(OOC: Well then, you'll be glad to know that our WIGs are merely demonstrated 1960s machines with demonstrated 2000s electronics, and our anti-satellite weapons are primarily 1980s technology =)

There really is no debate to be continued elsewhere, so far as the existence of these Soviet technologies is concerned. I can clear it all up for you right now.

To be more specific and totally satisfy your concerns, in reality the following nations all have -or demonstrably had- anti-satellite missiles:

*USA,
*Russia,
*China,

*India claims to have the capability though it has never to my knowledge carried out any tests.

That's why GSIC is talking about its concern that Russia may retaliate once we start blasting League satellites out of orbit. Fortunately Russia's space programme was neglected for years in AMW and then stripped by Soviet India, and must currently be a shadow of its real self, let alone the Commonwealth's capability.

The USSR developed air-launched anti-satellite weapons in the 1970s, tested its first kamikaze satellites in the 1960s, and reputedly used lasers to blind US satellites as early as the 1970s. From the late 1960s the USSR was able to test ground-based missiles to engage satellites. By the 1980s the USA was just about catching up. This year China demonstrated the same capability. Soviet India is using lasers as part of its targeting of League satellites, and I'm not even claiming to try blinding anything because I'm not sure that it can be absolutely proven to have worked in reality.

So, workable ground-launched anti-sat missiles are pushing forty years old, and, in AMW, the USA, Russia, China, and the ISC have them. Maybe United Elias did, too, I dunno. Maybe Roycelandia does, I dunno. Kamikaze satellites are equally old, and the ISC has them, Armand evidently has them, and Russia had them but may or may not maintain any notable capacity in that regard.

Either way, I expect Russia at least to try launch some ground and perhaps aircraft-launched anti-satellite missiles against Indian satellites, and the Soviets are preparing their recently decommissioned ballistic missiles as delivery vectors for replacement satellites wherever possible. As Singh implied, we expect this to hurt, but recognise that if we don't do it now, Russia might do it later.

Meanwhile, the USSR's Lun Class WIGs entered service in 1987, and the first Orlyonok was built way back in 1972. The USSR planned to have more than a hundred large WIGs in service before things went (literally, in AMW) south.

As you can see, we're using technologies demonstrated practically by -at the latest- the 1980s. It's all stuff that has been referenced to some degree or other in AMW in the past, establishing the basis at least of Soviet capacities. The same may be inferred for the HL via Russia's RL legacy, but that's about it. I see no evidence of -or room for- similar capabilities in France, Spain, Italy, or elsewhere in the League.

Hopefully that satisfies your concerns in full. I am also holding out some slim hope that you might rethink the free and easy application of the god-mod tag, considering just how ridiculously far wrong you were about, well, everything. It might be nice, is all.

In the end it's only likely to make warfare more your style, anyway, isn't it? Less real-time intel, less precision weapons guidance, and so on. More room for battle-fleets or commerce raiders to hide on the high seas, less chance for army groups to be discovered hiding over a terrain feature, less chance for them to be blasted from half the world away.)

((Thanks, BG, you prove once again that you fail always to be civil. Kudos. You cant respond without personal digs, can you? Firstly, you used nukes, which is a radical measure, but I took it without much complaint. The question is not if it is possible, I suppose most anything is in theory. Yet there has never, IRL, been any anti-satellite moves. AMW is based on a real world, not a real world employing the deployment of strange theories, if that were true Spain via Mac should have been allowed to have the super high tech battle tank. You are the only nation in AMW that is allowed to slide with such things, which is to say you get super high tech battle tanks, WIGs which I still call suspect, and I say that it does not add up. Moreover, you continually deploy radical responses to conventional attacks, regardless of your tech-oriented diatribe. Everyone else in AMW attacks only with conventional means, and responds to them as such, regardless of nuclear threats or testing. When I broke that barrier with a mass-chem attack, I let you stop it, as it was tit for tat. I apologize. Basically I am not going to stant by while you continually draw theoretical aces from your hat to 'suddenly and completely win the war' in a few short posts. I dont care how many figures you conjure up, I am no authority on military minutiae and military minutiae ought not be allowed to disrupt a steady and coherent flow of RP. Until we get a consenus from all of AMW then, saying it is ok for you to use these aces that cannot be responded to, specifically this satellite warfare, I am going to ignore it. It is as simple as that. I know I am not the only person who is uncomfortable with this, and I want to hear was Quinn, China, Japan, etc have to say about this. I am still, being myself civil, not going to let that affect the IC timeline. If you get approval, then you can do what youd like at the appropriate time. In the mean time I suggest you try RPing on regular terms, slogging it like everyone else has instead of Eureka victories. I am still amenable too to this being discussed on the off site forums. Bt until consensus, you will be ignored, no matter how 'right' you are in your own mind.))

((On second thought I retract my statements about WIGs. Just because I am not comfortable with them doesnt discredit them, having already been accepted by AMW at large. Apologies. They do, however, stand in marked contrast to this satellite plan of yours and illustrate my point: WIGs are conventional and unanimously AMW approved, now including myself...Sat attacks are neither conventional, nor approved unanimously by AMW. I am not trying to be a jerk here, please understand that, but I want the approval because what you plan definitley has reprocussion en masse for AMW, and not just for the current war.))

(OOC:

[Sound of hair being torn out]

You accuse me of god-modding and paint yourself as a noble victim who has gallantly let-go this and that, then I'm the one who's getting personal? Hrm!

I responded with facts, and, at the end, I added a dollop of sarcasm because your first post was a little holier-than-thou while being wholly inaccurate. I'm pretty sure that I only drifted from reporting dates and facts to respond to your unjustified god-mod insinuations, and that I only did so because you seemed to be trying to revise the history of similar disagreements. If there was something else, I probably didn't mean it and do apologise for it.

Still, what irked me was, well... you can't let things go when you are wrong to start with. You don't get to take that road. You probably shouldn't pick fights when you've nothing to stand on and there's nothing to fight over in the first place.

I'm going to try repeating myself one more time, addressing as closely as I can the things you've tried to identify as particular problems.

"Yet there has never, IRL, been any anti-satellite moves."

I'm pretty sure that I just typed out reference to the fact that this very year China shot-down a satellite. Before that the USA was able to demonstrate the ability for years, and the USSR since before I think any of us in AMW were even born. Do you dispute the fact that missiles have been used to shoot-down satellites?

"Moreover, you continually deploy radical responses to conventional attacks"

Now I must be missing something! You continually used WMDs and strategic-scale bombing. Playing a bit of a villain it was all right, to a point. Then I at least, and I suspect others, started to get the impression that it was being used as a standard tactic that left no room for much RP, no room for resistance, no chance to fight back except by WMD strikes on France, which, as you made it quite clear, would only lead to more of the same. None of us wanted to do that.

In one incident I responded using real-life Soviet doctrine such as would have been adopted by a Libyan military supplied and trained by the Soviets.

That effectively refutes your -in context somewhat sensationalist- terms, "continually" and, "radical", doesn't it?

What you must understand is that I only launched those nuclear interceptors on that one occasion in hopes of conveying to you that a certain age of warfare is over. You can't go around flattening everyone with bomber wings, fire, and gas and assume that's the end of it. You're now supposed to realise that you have to use, in your own words, "conventional attacks". That's the whole point of the Libyan incident!

"Basically I am not going to stant by while you continually draw theoretical aces from your hat to 'suddenly and completely win the war' in a few short posts"

I have to ask, what does this have to do with whether or not basic, decades old technologies ever existed, or can exist in AMW?

Then, again, I have to say, issues such as the Libyan incident were designed to stop you trying to bomb everyone into stupid submission within a few short posts.

Have I not, for some time, been building Soviet India for a long haul conflict?

Jean, mate, you are being WAY too defensive!

Don't panic and react right away. Look at the situation. The Soviets have just started a mass recruitment drive that won't bear most of its fruit for months of game time. They're backing an on-going insurrection in South East Asia. They're deploying long range to two sides of Africa. Do you really think that I'm trying to stomp this RP into a quick victory for the Soviets?

Even if I were, that'd be what you'd have to face IC, a Soviet attempt to claim quick victory. You'd have no legitimate complaint.

But it's not even the case. I'm going for a protracted conflict, even if France disappears!

This is not some god-mod, and other players will support that, I'm sure, because I'm confident that AMWers know a thing or two about the world they actually live in (well, most of us go outside at some point, I think!). It is just the conduct of modern warfare. I was rather looking forward to finding out how it'd go.

AMW so far has really only had skirmishes and low-intensity conflicts since the Drapoel war, and even there one side lacked modern capabilities. Mainstream NS uses ridiculous uberweapons that don't or won't exist in real life.

This war is neither. It is now a real third world war set in the early C21st. People's satellites will be knocked out, it's a given. If China attacked Taiwan and the US decided to get involved and strike directly, China would shoot-down US satellites over the theatre. Likewise, if the USSR had survived and Moscow hadn't scrapped its WIGs, they'd be used to deploy Naval Infantry to suppress anti-Soviet insurrections in Africa, or to warn US battle-groups to stay well clear of Soviet interests lest they get a Moskit up the spout.

Once again, to conclude, all the basic systems being used by the Soviets are proper, and you just need to feel less defensive and you'll see that I'm not even close to what you imagine by your assumption that I'm trying to !win teh AMWzorz! before teatime.)

(OOC: Ach, edit and new post? What's changed while I was going bald? Oh, it's too late to re-read, I just hope it hasn't put my reply out of context. Sleep. Wait, Kylie, then sleep.)

((Fair enough, BG. Fair enough. I admit that I must have taken your posts as being more gigantic than they really were. It is one thing to say you will fight satellite warfare, on the scale you described. In that war you will cause damage, and get a first strike. Even though due to Armand it will not quite be any surprise. In that war AMW will adapt to the circumstances, and France even would be able to respond in some fashion. On the simpler level launching more satellites, and maybe striking back, although as you stated Russia would have to lead. Well then, in that scenario, it is conventional and not a god-mode. It is a steady campaign, and not a 'one move win'. I thought your move would be more, well, incredible. E.G.: Soviet missile strike obliterates all Holy League space assets in one fell swoop, Graeme Igo elected Commisar of European Re-education.

Fair enough then. ))

Soviet consuls will be greeted with extreme displeasure by their British counterparts, and informed in no uncertain terms that the destruction of the world's informational infrastructure will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The Soviets are reminded that Britain shares many of the League's commercial satellites, which in turn have secondary military purposes. If they are destroyed, Britain will view it as an act of war, and a commensurate military response will be forthcoming in the Mediterranean, where British naval superiority will almost certainly halt Indian troop movements.

As for the demilitarization of space quips, Indian Soviets are reminded that this issue concerns the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide, who depend upon these dual-use satellites for broadcast, navigation and a host of other needs. While the Soviets may be content to joke about it, Britain will take any attack very seriously indeed.

Singapore

"Present arms!" A squad of marines in full dress snapped their Enfields against their gloved palms, eliciting a snapping sound. "Shoulder arms!" At the sergeant's command, the marines brought their rifles crashing painfully against black-coated shoulders, and the tune of God Save the King began to play. A union flag rose up the empty flagpole, replacing the Australasian naval ensign that had flown from there before.

Colonel Avery Rhede stood at attention, feeling uncomfortable in her new Royal Marine blacks. Military governor was an unpleasant post, especially given the rhetoric put forth by Sithin on the matter. Tensions, fortunately, were decreasing with the resolution of the Suez crisis, and even Mumbai's minehunter had limited itself to patrols and the like. It would not have encountered much in the way of contraband cargo on British (or formerly Australasian) flagged vessels, since all sensitive cargo and personnel were being transported by air, if at all.

Singapore itself was coming swiftly back to life, accepting its role as a temporary protectorate of Britain with little fuss. For a nation that had seen its best economic times begin under Britain, the union flag was a symbol of prosperity and legitimate authority rather than, as in Africa, long-past colonial usurpations. A plebiscite, scheduled for September of 2007, would determine whether Singapore joined the Empire or remained an independent state. For the moment, few in the small island nation considered the question one way or another.

Akabania's departure had been sudden, but the characteristically Singaporean industriousness of the island's inhabitants had caused little disruption in daily life. Aid, in the form of the Great British Pound, flowed as necessary, but few partook of the handouts. They were in the form of ultra-low interest loans, and the relatively affluent Singaporeans saw little need to line their pockets. State services, interrupted by the handover of power, were seeing a resurgence under joint-Singaporean/British control.

Certain particularly unsavoury war criminals were, after a month or so of 'investigations' produced for trial in the INU or Spyr. Notably, these were frequently not people who occupied posts vital to the success of the Singaporean economy, although a corporate figurehead or two was included so as to prevent accusations of favouritism towards the elite. More were promised 'as investigations continued to yield evidence'.

With Soviet deployments to the north, the militarization of Singapore continued apace. Surrounded on all sides by unfriendly territory, the tiny island nation's air defences saw a sudden improvement in the form of two squadrons of Tornado GR.4s. Flown in from Britain via Russia, Japan and the Philippines, the aging aircraft bolstered Singapore's small contingent of AF/A-18 Super Hornets. While not exactly top of the line fighters, the Tornado Air Defence Version could still see off an attack by older Soviet or Hindustani designs.

Naval deployments to Singapore remained fairly sizable, in the form of the HMS Adamantine, first in the class of fleet carriers built by Australasia in the late 1970s. Her escort group of destroyers and submarines formed the core of the Australian Fleet, Britain's largest Southeast Asian deployment force.

The Soviets seemed intent upon causing a war with Britain. If it was war they wanted, they could easily be satisfied.

[OOC: Time-wise, when is all this unfolding? I've been losing track of movements and events and temporal markers, and I'm hoping to avoid having anything in two places at once.

This happens with the Soviets becoming determined to press on in Africa despite French withdrawal/retreat/consolidation/what-have-you? Which itself happens following the League-Indian naval engagement in mid-July? Obviously, it takes time for the French to accomplish a consolidation, a few days or weeks... do Anglo-Soviet relations collapse as withdrawal is occuring and peacekeepers are beginning to arrive, or is the escalation something which happens afterwards under the new state of affairs (particularly relevant as events in Cambodia seem attached to a sentiment in Raipur that there will be a more general revolutionary war, rising out of frustration with NATO support of France)?

Meanwhile, RP in Indonesia is still in midsummer, which might be several weeks/months behind the main temporal stream of RP around Africa? Regionally, Akabania Corp. took over Singapore after Strainist invasion of Indonesia (hence no military threats from Sujava at the time), and UK/Australasians moved in after the fall of the corporation, so one wonders how long Akabania controlled the city before it went bakrupt, and when do Australasians arrive there in comparison to events in Cambodia and Indonesia? And events in the Nicobars, with changes in government and declaration of Quinntonian ships enroute, would seem to need fitting somewhere into the timeline as well?]

((I think you hit everything on the head there Spyr. That is to say all the elements, just not a timeline. And the fleet battle, that really needs to get resolved somehow, as I think subsequent events would need to have influenced it. Maybe you could help all out, as you are so good at doing, by perhaps forging a coherent timeline? And sorry about rampaging through BG's thread with all this OOC banter. I am done now, goodbye.))

(OOC: Hey, Gurg, if the British are helping to operate Holy League military-use satellites then you'd already essentially declared war on ECOWAS, the Soviets, the INU, the Combine, Strathdonia, Libya, and others. That seems pretty darn important, to me!

Spyr, I think you're pretty much on song. Erm, the Soviets announced their War Communism almost concurrent with the French withdrawals, so I imagine that British peacekeeping efforts and the beginning of the deployment of the first wave of new Soviet troops, and the beginning of French movements and new League forces heading for Africa, are also roughly concurrent. The first Soviet wave of course is made-up of experienced Auxiliaries who need no basic training and will complete and particular refreshers once in Africa... if they get the chance!

Indo-British relations are breaking down as the first wave is in transit, so in the first days and weeks of the French consolidation.

I think that the Kampuchean conflict started before any of this, but the move against Phnom Penn with direct Soviet, Lao, and Vietnamese aid only begins, I suppose, after War Communism, the French withdrawal, and the rise in hostilities with Britain.

Uhhhm.

I suppose we should assume that the naval engagement will have concluded by the time all of this is in swing. Best let people attend to that, really. It should be over before the British come to blows with the Soviets, right?)

OOC: League satellites (as in RL) probably have dual uses, as to British ones. Really, neither France, Russia nor Britain is rich enough to have dedicated military and civilian satellites, and so I imagine that UK civilian corporations use HL satellites for some things, and that the reverse is also true. Essentially, I'm trying to provoke a war without actually provoking it, or at least claiming plausible status as the aggrieved party. But that's done with via the missile attacks, so it isn't a big point.

At any rate, London will be seriously pissed if you start blowing up UK satellites, and will probably respond with its limited ASAT arsenal.

Near Paektusan

Rigidity and silence hold fast in the dark chamber, men with battles behind them and fiery power at their fingertips now motionless, respectful or fearful of the unassuming character in peasant's clothes now walking amongst them in their place of labour.

"I have received no cancellation order, comrade Captain. I suggest you begin operations. Timing is vital, as I understand it?"

"Yes, Inspector!"

A series of orders are barked in that twisted Korean dialect we call Drapoel, and little men and women zip about like mice in the dark, double-quick without seeming to expend extra-ordinary efforts in doing so.

A count-down has already begun, and sirens wail through the mountain complex as blast-doors rumble together.

The whole operation runs to Drapoel timing, even in India. Soviet missiles can orbit the earth several times before striking a League satellite, but the Dragon's Throat requires a little more precision. A Russian military communications satellite is moving into striking distance even as the last kilos of propellant are jammed into place.

The Captain nods, and a blast equivalent to a small atomic detonation fills the barrel of the world's biggest cannon, forcing a mighty payload into the sky, into orbit, straight towards the satellite in question, shy of which it detonates, hurling hundreds of pounds of metal pellets towards the mark.

Elsewhere, in two other mountains, the smaller Talons follow a similar procedure, targeting other Holy League satellites. These smaller guns reload quickly and attempt a second shot each, Dra-pol being responsible for the immediate destruction of five important orbiting bodies.

And a little task it is, considering the size of the booty en route from India! Soon all four key Drapoel cities will be ABM-resistant, and Da'Khiem's new nuclear arsenal will give Hamhung's rebel authorities pause for thought.

A difference occurs in the second Talon salvo, sudden and unexpected. The explosion doesn't sound right, the shockwave is different. People are knocked from their seats. The siren changes pitch and orders join its wail, "Emergency crews! Emergency crews to the breach room!"

"A misfire! We had better be able to fix this! Open the blast-doors! Open them!"

Chaos underground, but four satellites at least face near certain destruction, for now.

Unioners tend to look with a great deal of enthusiasm upon the Soviets' decision to undertake a serious anti-satellite operation. Certainly the Holy League depends very heavily on its own orbital assets for targeting and surveillance, robbing opposing armies of the element of surprise and restricting freedom of movement. Satellite-less Unioners have nothing to lose in the enterprise, so they are not exactly inclined to complain, although a few Hindustanis do grumble about the Soviets filling orbital paths with clouds of debris, the likes of which could doom future rocket launches and seriously obstruct the use of space for peaceful purposes.

Not many Hindustanis say it publicly, but, at least in private, Soviet efforts receive considerable encouragement, and a few high-power telescopes in the INU are given over to the task of locating and tracking Holy League satellites. Lacking much in the way of a serious space program, there is not much more that Hindustan can contribute, and the filling-up of orbital space with debris might postpone Mumbai's long-awaited rocket launch, expected between 2015 and 2020, even further.

UDF commanders rub their hands together in anticipation of the time when their potential opponents no longer have spy satellites to rely on, at which time INA troopers will doubtless impress the world with their Morse Code skills and knowledge of semaphore.

In a somewhat perverse move, the British grant League powers temporary access to their satellite network, which itself piggybacks heavily off of that of the United States. Accordingly, the League may actually see an increase in its ability to gather information from orbit as a result of this, however all requests will have to be approved by London. No overt statements are made regarding the anti-satellite attacks, but the Royal Society receives a quiet grant with the charge to 'study the capabilities of Soviet ASAT technology, and ascertain whether or not a similar system would be feasible for the Empire at a later date.

Britain's supply of ASM-135 ASATs was located, with a few units being dispersed to airbases around the world. Should the Soviets be tempted to attack British satellites to further deprive the League of its intelligence-gathering ability, their own communications, intelligence and geosurvey orbiters will come to a quick and fiery end.

Raipur's propaganda machine receives a bit of a start when London throws up another skywriter to print We're in it with the genocidal dictators! across every nation's sky, and the Final Soviet quietly asks that the British, "reconsider their military alliance with the league of the dictators".

British satellites are now frequently 'painted' by Indian targetting lasers as more anti-satellite missiles and orbiters move along with all manner of potential replacement satellites to the Commonwealth's three major launching stations.

The Soviet economy is presently estimated to be on course for growth in the hundreds of billions of dollars for 2007, mostly represented by war production. This has been blamed for several incidents in the last week in Bihar, where development plans have received lower than promised priority, giving some ammunition to Patelist and religious factions opposing the Soviet power.

Lancashire, England

Old Labour country, probably one of Social Labour's best chances in any major resurgence, is also home to a significant ex-pat community from the sub-continent.

Mrs.Ghosh, AKA Comrade Joyeeta, grew up as a member of one such community, her parents arriving from communist Bengal during the Principality's over-running of the region, mother heavily pregnant with little Joyeeta.

She has somehow found the funds to establish a major business in the county, and is now advertising nationally.

Initially Mrs.Ghosh opened a cafe and tea-room, which eventually acquired a 24hr liquor licence and became a cafe-bar. It then over-took a neighbouring bookshop and began to sell imported Indian books. In time a small press was set-up to publish original works -mostly political- and translate Indian texts, including some of Graeme Igo's early scribblings, such as Notes from Costa Paz. All the while Comrade Joyeeta flew the red flag from her establishment, and, when she took-on employees, she advertised for volunteers willing to profit-share. Given local unemployment levels she hadn't a hard time finding recruits.

Now her small business has, somehow, managed to buy-up several derelict buildings in the county, including an old mill and a warehouse on the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Of course, here start-up capital came from the India-based League of Communists, supported by the Soviet Commune.

Mrs.Ghosh has now asked her employees to vote on accession to the League of Communists, essentially the new Internationale, and she has already sponsored two Indian comrades for citizenship based on their particular skills as she sets-up a film studio in a warehouse and a food-processing plant in a mill.

...The Burnley Red Collective is just one of several dozen increasingly worker-run enterprises receiving LoC sponsorship in Britain today.

(OOC: Edit! I just want to clear-up one or two things. That last bit, about Britain, shouldn't be taken the wrong way. I figured that it was something I could post quickly and that wouldn't require fast-paced RPing, which I can't do for the next couple of months (now hoping to be back at the very start of October, we'll see), unlike the war stuff. Also it's supposed to give a flavour of... what Igovian socialism tries to accomplish in capitalist countries that can't easily be over-run by the military. I didn't ask Gurg's permission, but I don't think it went too far, eh? Key is that, for example, Mrs.Ghosh asked her 'employees' to vote, as will other Soviet-sponsored ex-pat agitators, but how the workers react is still there for Gurg to decide. It's probably harder to attack the Soviet system in an equivalent way, I know, because it's a system that can't be seen and explored so easily by other players, where as Britain's is based partly on the pre-existing work of WoS, TBF, and of reality. Anyway, anyone in the west, more or less, can have Igovian movements like this receiving LoC sponsorship if they want some way of tackling Sovietism while I'm not around to actually fight you on the beaches, you know? Anyway, hope you didn't see it as going too far, it doesn't have to come to any real result.)

OOC: No biggie, I don't mind at all.

Lancashire

"Ms. Ghosh?" The police inspector looked slightly uncomfortable on the doorstep of the Cafe Sociale, his neon-green jacket standing out uncomfortably against the brick architecture. He eyed the red flag suspiciously for a moment before knocking again. "This is Inspector Brimley, from the police department!"

The door opened and Brimley was faced with a surprising sight, a well muscled ex-pat Geletian with innumerable celtic-inspired tattoos and a distinct Soviet accent.

"Ah, you wouldn't happen to be Ms. Ghosh, the owner of this establishment." Brimley's pale attempt at humour was lost on the Geletian, who was quickly joined by other youths of both British and Indian extraction. Brimley fingered his nightstick surreptitiously and hoped that the rumours of violence and coercion practised by the Red Commune were false.

"No, what tipped you off?" The Geletian's tone was confrontational, but that was no surprise to Brimley. Cultural differences were no new thing in Britain, home to some of the most proudly multinational citizens on the planet.

"I don't suppose she would be available to speak with me?" The Geletian and his comrades bristled a bit, no doubt imagining handcuffs, police brutality and general oppression. "I assure you," Brimley said quickly, "that I only want to talk with her." The Geletian looked wary, but waved the inspector inside.

The interior of Cafe Sociale was rather charming, in a hipster sort of way. Men and women of all ages and ethnicities drank coffee, played boardgames and perused economic texts. Smith's Wealth of Nations was present beside Igo's Notes from Costa Paz and Marx's Das Kapital. Red was the colour of choice for decor, but was liberally joined by black slate, unfinished wood and Bauhaus-inspired concrete and glass. A middle aged Indian woman stood behind the counter in deep conversation with a young man about the merits of competition in the communal economy.

"Comrade Joyeeta," the Geletian said. "This fellow wants to speak with you!" Heads turned towards Brimley, who tried not to squirm. Nobody carried an obvious weapon, but there were several young people who looked like they could handle themselves in a fight. Joyeeta--Ms. Ghosh-- excused herself from the conversation and made her way over to Brimley, whose hand she shook.

"Let's go into the back, less chance of disturbance." Brimley nodded and followed her through a door marked 'employees only', taking in the sight and smell of bags of Neo-Anarchan and Sujavan coffee. Joyeeta waved Brimley to a couple of chairs in the back. He took a seat gratefully, eying the rolled up sleeping mats with a bit of confusion. Joyeeta took notice.

"Some of our employees sleep here, yes," she said laughingly. "They don't have stable housing elsewhere." Brimley nodded. "Now, inspector, what can I do for you?"

"I'd just like to get a few things straight," he replied amiably while fishing for a notepad. "I'm aware that you're receiving funds from the League of Communists, especially with regards to some of your other ventures. I'm referring to the Burnley Red Collective?" He paused for a moment, and saw no surprise in Joyeeta's eyes. "At any rate, I'd just like to understand exactly what your goals are with the Collective, and how that might affect the smooth running of government here in Britain?"

London

Sir Andrew flipped through the file on York Socialist League, one of several small communes springing up across the country. Apparently the League itself was making no particular attempts to dislodge the local government of York, although it protested fiercely against labour bills passed by the local council. It was a propaganda machine of the Soviets, to be sure, but there was nothing to be done about it without curbing the right to publish and speak freely in the Empire. Andrew sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

So long as the communes and collectives refrained from advocating for the violent overthrow of the government-- and so far they had-- local authorities had no particular justification for opposition to them. Indeed, lessons learned by the Quinntonians in the cold war suggested that people were more apt to ignore dissenters when dissent was allowed rather than punished. And so far, people were largely ignoring them. Certainly, bastions of Old Labour were prone to supporting the communes, but Old Labour's own popularity had diminished after the various economic difficulties of the postwar period. For the moment, it seemed, the communes were an annoyance rather than a real threat.

On the other hand, it showed a disturbing new insight amongst the Soviets in Raipur. Britain was not likely to support an actual revolution, but it was absolutely vulnerable--as all democracies are--to internal change. Funds flowing from the League of Communists would have to be monitored carefully, Andrew decided, and set about typing up a memo.