NationStates Jolt Archive

This RP is a Secret In-Character RP. I'm extending an invitation to Cravan, Wanderjar, TWSP, Praetonia, and the Macabees to participate as observers - see RP rules in the next post.

FIRST TRIVALVIAN-ACKISTANI MILITARY EXERCISE:

This exercise will be to simulate an attack on the Northern Islands of Trivalvia, as a precursor to an invasion of the Trivalvian mainland. This exercise will test the capacity of Trivalvia's coastal defense forces, as well as land and air forces to repel an invading force.

Region designated for the Simulation:

The Northern Islands are a cluster of 4 fair-sized islands on Trivalvia's northern coastline. The largest is Esther Island, which has a city of 1.2 million inhabitants as well as one air force and one naval force base. Esther Island is moderately hilly, with plenty of forests and few roads. The other islands are relatively flat, and are mostly forested.

Victory Conditions:
For the Trivalvian Forces:
Retention of control of 2 of the 4 islands by the end of the exercise. Esther Island must be one of these two. (Essential)
Simulated destruction of 1/2 of the invading force (Secondary).

For the Ackistani Forces:
Control of Esther island and at least 2 of the other islands by the end of the exercise, including capture or simulated destruction of both the air force base and naval force base. (Essential)
Simulated destruction of 2/3 of the Trivalvian navy vessels participating in the exercise (Secondary).
Simulated attack on the TNS Bivalviaton and/or on Trivalviapolis itself. (Bonus).

Timescale:

The exercise will run for 7 days, at the end of which, it will be determined what victory conditions were met by either side, and a winner declared. Afterwards, commanding officers on both sides will meet to discuss the results and take lessons back to their forces.

[OOC: For the purposes of this particular RP, we will assume that NS time = RL time. So 1 day = 1 day].

Trivalvian Forces participating in the exercise:

Naval Units

The 1st and 2nd Coastal Defense Battlegroups. (Home Ports: Esther Island NFB, Trivalviapolis NFB)

Ships per Battlegroup:
1 Guardian class Guided Missile Cruiser (CGN)
4 Asher class Frigates (FF)
5 Zeeleeuw class Submarines (SSK)

Air Units

All air assets at Esther Island AFB and Trivalvia Hills AFB will be employed.

Each Airbase contains the following:
2 squadrons of F-39 "Copperhead" multirole fighters (15 planes per squadron)
1 Squadron of A-37 "Dragonfly" light attack aircraft (again, 15 planes per squadron).

Ground Units

The 1st Mechanized Brigade Group, stationed at Trivalviapolis GFB:
This consists of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions (Trivalvian National Regiment), 1st Armoured Regiment, 1st Artillery Regiment, and 1st Combat Engineering Regiment.

Equipment/manpower per infantry battalion:
661 personnel (384 (infantry), 141 (vehicle crews), 48 (MG crews), 48 (platoon HQ staff), 24 (company HQ staff), 16 (Battalion HQ staff))
384 XM8 assault rifles
96 XM25 grenade launchers
637 6mm handguns
800 field aid kits
1,536 grenades
48 SA-18 Grouse AA launchers
96 RPG-29 rocket launchers
24 MG76A1 GPMG
48 MT-LB APCs [Note: the 3rd Battalion is classified as Light Infantry, and therefore does not have APCs attached to it].
15 Typhoon ADVs
72 Portable Command Systems
Each Battalion had 3 companies, each company has 4 platoons, and each platoon has 4 sections.

The 1st Armoured Regiment has 60 Black Eagle MBTs (3 squadrons, 4 troops per squadron, 5 vehicles per troop), as well as 12 TTD-01B Barracuda Tank Destroyers.

The 1st Artillery Regiment has 24 2S5 self-propelled artillery and 6 Ranger II Combat Vehicle Reconnaisance (3 batteries per regiment, 8 2S5's and 2 Ranger II's per battery).

General Eric Wellington will be in command of the Trivalvian forces for the exercise.

The Ackistani military will have total discretion as to the number and composition of forces they employ, but please, let's not have a 10 on 1 fight.

Terminology:
Trivalvian forces will be referred to as "Blue Army", while Ackistani forces will be referred to as "Red Army" [OOC: yes, this is an RvB reference. Feel free to run with it for a few chuckles].

Now for some RP rules:

1. I would like to see posts go in the following format: A few paragraphs of RP, followed by a list of simulated casualties and territory lost (if applicable), followed by movement orders for the units.

e.g (in the previous post, let us say, Ackistan pulls back some of its troops and lays down mines on certain roads).

"Turn left, and keep going," Lt. Tucker told the driver. The Black Eagle MBT swung around a rock and trundled down a dirt road.

So far so good. The Trivalvian - that is, "Blue Army", Tucker corrected mentally - counteroffensive was going well. If the push worked, they ought to nail the Ackistani - er, "Red Army" - base by this time tomorrow, and drive the invaders off of Esther Island.

He opened the hatch and looked out ahead of the road. The weather was clearing up, and the road was drying, though there were a few patches still damp...

Check that, a lot of patches. All in a pattern...

A loud BANG! sounded from underneath, and the tank lurched to a halt. Tucker's head and upper torso snapped forward. "Oof!"

"You okay, sir?" asked the driver.

"Dammit, wrenched my neck. What happened?"

The tank's radio crackled. "Tank B-1-1, you just hit a mine. Tucker, you and your crew are now dead and your tank is a smoking ruin. Sgt. O'Malley is in command of B Squadron, 1st troop now."

Still rubbing the back of his neck, Tucker ducked down into the tank and reached for the radio. "Acknowledged, HQ. When they come to collect us 'corpses' could you have a medic shipped out?" HQ radioed their acknowledgement.

Tucker sat back and winced at the pain. So much for their counteroffensive, he thought.

Simulated Casualties: 1 tank, 3 crew.
Movement Orders: B Squadron halted. Mineclearing team called.
A squadron continues down highway 10 km.

Okay, that was a long example, but it gives an idea of what I'm driving at.

2. This RP, as stated at the start, is SECRET IN-CHARACTER; so any info anybody sees here is to be treated as confidential. I'd like to invite a few nations as "military observers", but outside of that group, IC use of information given here is forbidden.

Now if a nation wants to send in a spy to monitor things, that's okay - just TG me or Ackistan and we'll decide whether or not to let you in. However, I do request that spies restrict information gathered to a fraction of what happens. For example, if you learn locations of SAM sites, only a few locations may be considered accurate, and the rest must be wrong or missing.

Military Observers are invited from:

Cravan,
The World Soviet Party,
The Macabees,
Wanderjar,
Praetonia

Observers are free to post comments during the exercise but are asked to refrain from giving suggestions to commanders until after the exercise is complete.

Once the exercise is over, we'll open up the floor to the observers to discuss what went wrong and what went right, and suggestions on how to improve tactics, forces, etc, to better deal with the Real Thing.

That's all and happy hunting! You wish to surrender now, Ackistan? :p

(I'll provide a map of the battle area in my next post. Ackistan, if you can draw up a simple ORBAT, we can get down to business).

Greetings from the Republic of Ackistan!

We are pleased our southern neighbors have accepted our invitation to participate in these war games.

We believe this first exercise should be geared towards improving and identifying weaknesses in your outer defenses. As such, we leave it to our Trivalvian friends to determine what sort of forces they wish to practice against, and in what quantities.

However, we do wish to offer a few suggestions as to specific things we could practice:

- Ackistan could attempt to land a small Special Forces unit on one of your islands for the purpose of destroying or "lighting up" some high value target.
- Ackistan's 1st airborne division could attempt an airborne assault on one of your islands.
- Ackistan's 1st Carrier Strike Group accompanied by a number of landing craft could attempt to overwhelm your island defenses.

Regards,
Steven Jenkins
Secretary of Defense

Here are the maps of the planned theatre of operations.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n26/andrewc3/exercisemap1.jpg

The general exercise area. Esther Island has been marked, and the three islands to the east will be part of the exercise. We'll be excluding the island where TWSP has his naval base for obvious reasons.

For the bonus objective, the TNS Bivalviaton will be moored right next to Trivalviapolis.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n26/andrewc3/exercisemap2.jpg

This map shows Trivalvian SAM sites (small black circles) and the passive sonar network (light area to the southwest). Each SAM site has one 6-cell launcher with missiles capable of reaching 70 km, and 3 two-barrel 50mm AA guns . The circles show the radar radius each station employs (125 km).

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n26/andrewc3/exercisemap3.jpg

And this map shows the fighter coverage area from the two airbases that will participate in the exercise - 1000 km from each base (there's some overlap from bases outside the area, but we'll ignore those for now).

SIC:

We will gladly participate as observers, one question though, what type of ammo will you use (if any)?

Maybe lasers? Paintball? Airsoft?

Good question, TWSP:

I think lasers would be used for most long-range combat (guns on tanks and ships, assault rifles). Paintball guns would be used for more close-quarters fighting, with dummy grenades.

Guided missile systems would be simulated by computers tied into the launchers.

Ackistan, I'd say that our plans for the first military exercise work well together; the invasion simulation will give you a chance to try each of the exercises you mention.

OOC: Ok, looks good. Tonight, I will think about what I want to do, and see if we can't get started tomorrow.

OOC: I will only post noting the activity, and perhaps to giggle with my conference with Ackistan why hes military is performing practice.

Greetings from the Republic of Ackistan!

We regret to inform you that our 1st Carrier Strike Group and 1st Amphibious Assault Group will be unable to participate in this exercise. Duty has called them elsewhere. We regret this may limit our abilities in our mock engagement. However, we are able to commit to this exercise the following units:


Air Force
- 47th Air Squadron “Wild Weasels” – 16 aircraft (mixture of F-16’s and Prowlers)
- 21st Air Squadron “The Talons” – 16 aircraft (F-14’s)
- 33rd Air Squadron “The Kings” – 16 aircraft (F-15E’s)
- 2 E-3 Sentries AWACS
- 2 KC-135 Stratotankers

Naval Units:
- 4 Sea Shadow High Speed Catamarans
- 4 Navy SEAL teams

Airborne
- 4,000 men from the 1st Airborne Division
- 20 M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks
- 40 Stryker APC’s
- 40 HMMWV Humvees (various configurations)


If this is agreeable, please let us know. Also, keep us informed if you wish to make any changes to the scenario. Otherwise, we are ready to begin when you are.

While we are sure you have done so already, we recommend you advise your civilian population of these war games. We would hate to terrify your populace or have them start shooting real weapons at us.



OOC: Regarding that real operation I mentioned in my telegram. Four nations have signed on. If you want to join us, it isn't too late. This is where my navy is going of course.

OOC: I don't see a problem with the air or ground forces you're contributing... but Sea Shadows? The info I found on them suggests the Sea Shadow was nothing more than a test-bed "stealth ship", with no weapons or landing capacity.

How are you planning to get your "airborne" forces to land? If by air (since your amphibous assault group is not available), then you should mention any transport aircraft you're planning to use to get your men landed.

Also: While I've named the primary island intended for the activity, I didn't name the other three. So, from north to south, the three islands will simply be referred to as "A", "B", and "C" (I can think up proper names for them after the exercise).

Lastly, should this be a surprise or anticipated invasion? If surprise, my ground forces will remain at their base on the mainland, to be mobilized when the simulation starts. If anticipated, they can start on the islands themselves, and make defensive preparations.

Other than that, I think we're just about ready to go. Once the above details are settled, you can post your first orders, and we'll go from there.

High in orbit the Clandonian spy satellite locked onto the positions of the Ackistani fleet detecing their movement from port they tracked them to the Esther islands near Trivaliva.

Unknown to inteligence experts what was occuring down bellow with such a large force growing, they dispatched a close orbit shuttle flight to get closer views.

The photographs were sent into command as a priority, the exercises had worried Clandonian commanders, a military flex of Ackistani forces. Clandonian forces were stationed with over 300,000 troops and a large proporation of the naval force, they were alerted to dispatch recon Nimrod MR4 flights to get real time information.

OOC: I don't see a problem with the air or ground forces you're contributing... but Sea Shadows? The info I found on them suggests the Sea Shadow was nothing more than a test-bed "stealth ship", with no weapons or landing capacity.

How are you planning to get your "airborne" forces to land? If by air (since your amphibous assault group is not available), then you should mention any transport aircraft you're planning to use to get your men landed.

Also: While I've named the primary island intended for the activity, I didn't name the other three. So, from north to south, the three islands will simply be referred to as "A", "B", and "C" (I can think up proper names for them after the exercise).

Lastly, should this be a surprise or anticipated invasion? If surprise, my ground forces will remain at their base on the mainland, to be mobilized when the simulation starts. If anticipated, they can start on the islands themselves, and make defensive preparations.

Other than that, I think we're just about ready to go. Once the above details are settled, you can post your first orders, and we'll go from there.

OOC: I've been toying with the idea of using Sea Shadows to deploy special forces. They wouldn't land themselves, just deploy rigid inflatable landing craft.

The Airborne forces would land using Globemaster transports. I haven't done the calculations, but I am guessing 100 or so will be required.

A, B, and C works for me.

High in orbit the Clandonian spy satellite locked onto the positions of the Ackistani fleet detecing their movement from port they tracked them to the Esther islands near Trivaliva.

Unknown to inteligence experts what was occuring down bellow with such a large force growing, they dispatched a close orbit shuttle flight to get closer views.

The photographs were sent into command as a priority, the exercises had worried Clandonian commanders, a military flex of Ackistani forces. Clandonian forces were stationed with over 300,000 troops and a large proporation of the naval force, they were alerted to dispatch recon Nimrod MR4 flights to get real time information.

OOC: Where are your 300,000 troops? What nation let than many of your troops into their nation, and where are they relative to me?

OOC: Where are your 300,000 troops? What nation let than many of your troops into their nation, and where are they relative to me?

OOC: Its a colony, a small island in the Scandanvian island chains. Its a colony of mine, a stepping stone for any possible military action I must fortake.

OOC: Its a colony, a small island in the Scandanvian island chains. Its a colony of mine, a stepping stone for any possible military action I must fortake.

OOC: As this colony has never before existed in your map or wiki entry, I do not recognize its existance. Sorry.

OOC: Ackistan - Okay, that sounds fine. Keep in mind that Globemasters will require a landing strip for you to bring in armour so you'll probably have to have paratroopers secure something that will serve. Only existing airstrips in the exercise zone lie at the Esther Island AFB and the north edge of the city, so you may have to improvise something.

Are you going with a surprise or the open invasion scenario? This will determine if I have ground troops on the islands or the mainland at the start of the exercise.

Clandonia Prime - I've extended an invitiation to only a select number of people, and sadly you are not one of them. If you do decide to bring troops into this exercise they will be ignored.

If you want to continue with your spying, I would respectfully ask that you TG myself or Ackistan as I initially stated in the RP rules (post 2).

I leave it up to you to decide if you want it to be a surprise attack or not. Otherwise, I am ready to begin.

Ah, Okay then.

We'll operate under the assumption that this is an open or anticipated invasion - the defenders know an attack is coming, but do not know the size or the exact method of attack.

Day 0

'Blue Army' Command, Trivalviapolis GFB
General Eric Wellington glanced at the clock. It was almost time for the exercise to begin. A nod to the radio operator beside him, and he was connected to the field commanders for the exercise.

"This is General Wellington. In a few minutes, our first joint combat exercise will begin. While you know the basics of what we're about to do, let me take a moment to fill you in on the specifics.

"The Ackistani forces participating in this exercise, which we will refer to as the 'Red Army' will be staging a mock invasion of the Northern Islands. In a real combat situation, this would be a prelude to attacks on our mainland so I cannot stress enough how vital it is for our forces to be ready to repel such an attack. The goal of the Red Army is to occupy Esther Island and at least two of the outer islands. It will be our goal to repel this invasion, and by the time this exercise ends, to have retained control of at least two of the islands in the exercise area, Esther Island being one of these two. Since we will know the attack is coming, our ground forces will have a chance to put our defensive preparations into practice.

"As a bonus objective for our Ackistani allies, we've stationed the TNS Bivalviaton off the shores of Trivalviapolis itself. The Red Army will have the opportunity to score a 'kill' of this battleship; it should prove an interesting test of our sonar network and brown-water assets."

Wellington turned to the Ackistani officer near the table. "Good luck to you and your men, sir. May the best army win." They shook hands, and the Ackistani officer left the command room.

The time had arrived. Wellington said into the radio, "The exercise begins now. Good luck, men. Fight well."

Switching off the radio, he turned to the two colonels he chose as his command aides. "Is 1st Brigade on Esther Island now?"

"Yes sir," said one of the aides.

"Good. Have the 3rd Battalion divided among their companies and deployed at our SAM sites on the outer three islands. Company 'A' will head to Island A, Company 'B' to Island B, and Company 'C' to Island C. They'll tighten security there and assist against a ground assault on the stations. The 1st Combat Engineers should start prepping defensive positions along the beaches on Esther Island. Those positions should be ready within 48 hours."

"That's not going to give them a lot of time, sir."

"Consider it a challenge for the engineers," Wellington replied. "The 2nd Coastal Defense Battlegroup should set sail from Esther Island NFB; deployment should give enough coverage to monitor the waters around the islands. And have our airbase there get a squadron in the air on patrol. Keep the remaining squadrons on alert."

As the aides scurried to relay his orders, Wellington looked the battle map over once more. Now what was going to be the Ackistani commander's first move?

Deployment:
2nd Coastal Defense Battlegroup deployed between Esther Island and Island A.
3rd Battalion deployed to Islands A, B, and C
Combat Engineers begin positioning anti-tank barricades, barbed wire along beaches, and preparing dug-in positions for infantry from 1st and 2nd Battalions. Time given to completion: 2 days.

[OOC] Your move, Ackistan.

OOC: Just one last question before we get started... I just want to know if it is alright with you if the Sea Shadows start the exercise reasonably close to Easter Island? Those ships move pretty slowly. If you wish for me to start far away, I may want to choose a slightly different troop deployment...

OOC: My colony has been well publised before, in previous threads. And I wont be bringing any troops in, I just want to watch out for your military style and tactics.

OOC: Ackistan - having the sea shadows start relatively close is fine by me - probably just outside the radar range of the SAM sites would be a good reference distance (125 km). Oh, and it's Esther Island, to differentiate it from the RL Easter Island :p

OOC: I apologize in advance that this post is going to be short and a bit short on the role-play. I kinda got wrapped up in figuring out who our neighbors are today, but I didn't want to leave you hanging, so I am writing this right before I go to bed.


IC:

Admiral Jennings had hoped to have the 1st Carrier Strike Group and 1st Amphibious Assault Group available for this exercise, but those groups were in route to the Khornate Tribes. Ackistan's congress was secretly debating the merits of sending a humanitarian/peacekeeping force to that unfortunate nation, and wanted to be prepared should they decide to act. Still, he would make do with what he had, which wasn't terribly much in this case.

The four Sea Shadow Catamarans under his command were a far cry from the large fleets he was accustomed to. The Sea Shadows were slow and their armaments were non-existent. The craft were experimental, and completely unproven in war. Their only real asset was their stealthy construction and ability to deploy smaller rigid inflatable watercraft.

The maneuvers were to start at dusk. Due to the slow speed of the Sea Shadows, they had been moved into position well before the exercise began.

OOC: I borrowed one of your maps to mark their starting positions (red dots).
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p119/Ackistan/exercisemap2.jpg

As darkness set in, the exercise began. The four Sea Shadows set out towards their targets, the four SAM sites on the south side of Esther Island. Provided they manage to approach within 50 miles of their targets, each Sea Shadow deploys two rigid hull inflatable water craft carrying 8 Navy Seals apiece...

[OOC] An interesting first move...

[IC]

(no rping here, as my troops are still getting set up).

Deployment Update

SAM sites on Islands A, B, and C have now been reinforced by a company of light infantry each.

Combat engineers are still working on setting up barricades on beaches against a possible amphibious landing. They are concentrating on the northwest beaches on Esther Island for now. Time to completion: 1 day.

The 1st Armoured Regiment has just arrived at Esther Island AFB, where they'll remain until called. 1st Artillery is being loaded onto C-5 Galaxy Planes at Trivalvia Hills AFB.

As the four Sea Shadows approached their waypoints, 50 miles from their target SAM sites; the Navy Seals checked their equipment & prepared to disembark. Soon, they were aboard their rigid inflatable craft, moving 40 knots towards the Esther coastline. Their watercraft was sleek, fast, relatively quiet, and featured the latest in technology. A onboard GPS system guided them through the darkness towards their destination. If everything went according to plan, they would make their landings in roughly an hour.

Leary of coast guard vessels and coastal defenses, a SEAL with night vision goggles kept his eyes out while manning a 50 caliber machinegun.

Meanwhile, the four Sea Shadows began to make their way back to their initial positions.

OOC: Just wanted to make sure you aren't planning to intercept my troops before role-playing their arrival on your beach.

(OOC) A valid question - your troops will make it to shore, but the Sea Shadows might find more trouble as the 2nd Coastal Defense battlegroup starts to spread its net.

(IC)

TNS Resolute, flagship for the 2nd Coastal Defense battlegroup

Commodore Julien Boudreau frowned while looking over the map. Over the past hour, the Resolute's "Hawkeye" radar had picked up intermittent echoes from a particular region of the water. The echoes were faint, and always vanished as quickly as they came, and even the nearest frigate to the location, the TNS Naiad had not picked up anything.

It could be, as his second-in-command suggested, a glitch in the radar - the Hawkeye Sea/Air Search Radar was a Trivalvian design, and only partially tested. Boudreau hated to think that was the case - this might be only an exercise, but he hated to think he might not see an enemy coming.

The lieutenant next to the comm station finished talking to the comm tech and stood. "Sir? The Nereid and Triton both report reaching their assigned positions."

"Very good, Mr. Ellison. Any reports of Red Army ships?"

"Nothing yet, sir."

So whatever the Ackistanis were planning, it might not involve a sea assault.

But still... Boudreau thought about that blip. He could have it investigated, but doing so might leave an opening on his southern flank.

Decisions, decisions...

"Contact the Naiad," he said to the comm tech. "Have them dispatch their helicopter on a circular search pattern. Here are the coordinates..."

(OOC) Your move, Ackistan... I should note that the 'blip' will probably correspond to only one of the Sea Shadows (the closest to the battlegroup would be the one on the upper right of your map). Whatever happens to it, the other three will probably get away clean.
Weather report for the Northern Islands: worsening. Fog is developing along the islands, and visibility is gradually being reduced. Among other things, the fog ought to let your seal teams get ashore without being seen.

*bump* due to forum troubles over the weekend.

It was two in the morning when Ackistani Special Forces began to land on various beaches on Esther Island. They were here to target Trivalvia’s air defenses, thus they had chosen landing sites two to three miles from their targets.

As the first SEAL approached their landing spot, men aboard the two inflatable watercrafts donned their night vision goggles, and scanned the beaches for activity and obstacles. Satisfied, Lt. Dan Markel gave the order to land.

As their crafts hit the beach, each vessel deployed a four man fire team to secure the perimeter while their colleagues drug the watercraft onto the beach. They proceeded to hide their boats as best as they could using whatever was available. After collecting their equipment, twelve men were soon on their way towards their targets.

The four men, who remained behind, had a number of duties. Two would patrol the LZ perimeter and guard the boats. The other two were technicians. Cpl. Travis Young was responsible for setting up and maintaining radio communications. Cpl. Lance Noregon was charged with operating a small remote controlled helicopter with various optical sensors. In short order, radio communications had been established, and the tiny helicopter was scouting out the path between the LZ and target.

OOC: Hehe had to crank this post out fast before Jolt croaks on me.

[OOC - forum troubles aside, we seem to be taking more time than I anticipated. We're 5 days on yet still on the 'first day'. Let's see if we can pick up the pace on this...]

TNS Resolute:

Two hours into the search, the helicopters dispatched from the Naiad and the Resolute found the source of the echo. Images of the intruding vessel were now on the screens on the bridge.

"What kind of vessel am I looking at, Lieutenant?" Commodore Boudreau asked.

"We're running a double check, but initial match suggests it's a Sea Shadow."

"Care to elaborate?"

"A frigate-sized catamaran... the US government built one as a testbed for stealth ship technology. To our knowledge they never went into production; no weapons, slow moving..."

"And yet the Ackistanis have chosen to use this as part of the exercise."

The lieuntenant shrugged his shoulders in response. "One more thing, sir... it's moving away from Esther Island."

"Away? Not towards?"

"Yes, sir."

Boudreau frowned. "Well, whatever it's tactics, we can't let it go unanswered. Have the Naiad intercept the vessel, and move us in line... I'd like to keep that ship from escaping."

"We're still having trouble keeping any kind of radar fix on it."

"Then we'll need to rely on the helicopters until the Naiad reaches visual range. Have them land and refuel, then get them in the air again. And contact Blue Command. The General needs to know what we've found..."

Blue Army Command, Trivalviapolis GFB

"...Thank you, Commodore." General Wellington hung up the phone. "Looks like the 'Red Army' has made its first move," he told his aides.

"That's an odd move to make," said one, looking at the map. "A single stealthed ship behind our lines?"

"With no sign of airstrikes or a naval assault so far," Wellington added, glancing at the clock. Fifteen hours had elapsed since the start of the exercise. "Analysis: what do you think they're trying to accomplish?"

"Reconnaisance?" ventured one aide.

"Maybe, but faster ships or aircraft could accomplish the role. And given the time involved, a rather slow way of accomplishing the objective."

"Well, the Sea Shadow contains no weapons, so we can rule it out as part of their main strike. Recon would be the only role it could play."

"Or distraction," said the other aide. "If we divert ships from our line to capture or sink it, could it create a hole Red forces could exploit?"

Wellington glanced over the map. "Not that I could see... the Naiad is the southern most ship in the line... a hole created there would still leave aircraft cover to intercept enemy vessels." He frowned. Just what were the Ackistanis planning?

Movement:
TNS Naiad now pursuing 1 Sea Shadow vessel.

Greetings from the Republic of Ackistan!

Trivalvia, given the current real crisis threatening both of our nations, we request this military exercise be put on hold. We propose our troops current positions be recorded, so we may pick up where we left off once our nations' safety has been secured.