NationStates Jolt Archive

"Diplomacy and war spring from different philosophical wells. The underlying premise of diplomacy is that people, no matter what their differences, are wellintentioned and can work together. Warriors believe in intractable evil. Certain forces cannot be compromised with; they must simply be defeated."

The civil war inside of the Imperium of Squornshelous was very close to home. From the way it looked, the different partitions of the Imperium would wind up being randsacked by various foreign powers. The Eastasians were already making a run on Wake Island, the Cottish Realm was seizing up some Arctic islands, and the Empire of Neuvo Rica had seized up Alaska. Russian territory was just waiting to be taken and the Romans and Japanese were making their own runs on territories around the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Empire couldn't allow itself to be completely trapped. A Cottish presence on Victoria, Sommerset, and Prince of Wales Island wasn't alarming. They would establish listening posts to monitor the Empire, a nation sometimes too paranoid for its own good, the Emperor often remarked. That was a given. Having another state in the area wasn't going to be good. The Empire could live with a foreign presence in Nunavut or the Northwest Territories but the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was something different.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Silent%20Wind/canadarcticislands.gif

The Canadian Arctic Archipelago consisted of 36,563 islands. It included three of the world's ten largest islands, two of which were already in the control of the Empire. The other was Victoria Island, clearly in the grasp of the Cottish Realm. It covered 1,424,500 km², of which the Empire would control 1,149,064 km². The Empire controlled a sizeable portion of it already and the pick up of 297,947.83 km² would add only a smidge of land to the already vast Empire, bringing its total size from 12,453,744.13 km² to 12,751,691.96 km². The islands were being torn apart by civil war, something that would be easily placable. Layartebian forces, trained in Arctic warfare and occupation roles would be moving on the many, many, many islands over the next few weeks. The islands would be joined into the Province of Dnalkrad and increase its size by roughly 6%, not much, in retrospect. Because the islands were sparsely population, its effect on population would be marginal and the already 1,260,677,000 people would barely pass 1,261,000,000 when the conquest was complete.

The plan for the islands was definitely top-secret. The Province of Dnalkrad had only 71,532,686 people and over 90% of them lived in non island territories. Baffin Island was one of the few populated islands in the archipelago and its population was small. That would make things very easy for the military to conduct their mission. Since the abandonment of Heard and the McDonald Islands and the preceding failure of construction efforts, the Empire was in dire need of a new location for the project, which was called Project VALKYRIE. The Empire tasked §800 billion already for the project and about §200 billion had been spent in the failure of the project already. Now, with a surefire success in the Arctic, where building was easier and much more capable, the pricetag would only be §500 billion, money that was still lying around. The other §100 billion could be used for other projects throughout the north. With Cabinet approval, the project went ahead.

November 10, 2006 - 03:00 [MST]
Banks Island

The fighting was localized to three islands, the heaviest fighting occurring on Banks Island, in Sachs Harbor, a small but well developed city on the southern coast of the island. On Melville Island, there was considerable fighting between two opposing ideological groups, mostly around the western portion of the island. Lastly, sporadic fighting was happening on Axel Heiberg Island, at an Arctic Research station. The island was not populated regularly except by conflicting scientific teams belonging to different schools of thought. Somehow they had all armed themselves.

Banks Island and Melville Island were close to each other, close enough that a single AARG tasked could handle both of them. Axel Heiberg Island was next door right to Ellesmere Island, loaded with Layartebian military outposts. Army personnel would be largely responsible for attacking Axel Heiberg Island and only a regiment was going to be used to secure the island. Once the island was under control, the regiment would move out and continue along its mission. They would be transported from island to island by helicopter and by C-130 Super Hercules. They would join up with the rest of their brigade as they moved west to cover the islands and initiate them into Layartebian rule.

A full amphibious assault ready group was going to position itself amongst the islands and begin their missions, using a full division of Marines to secure many of the islands before the army would have the chance to reach them. Since the heaviest fighting was occurring on Banks Island, two regiments would be tasked, a total of 4,096 men, out of nine regiments in total, 18,432 men. Along with them, artillery would be trained on positions as well as heavy armor and dozens of aircraft. One Falcon City LHDN would be situated between Banks and Melville Island and an Odin Flight II would be south of Banks Island, near Sachs Harbor. On top of that, destroyers, cruisers, frigates, and the newest ship, the Independence Class littoral combat ship would all be positioned between and around the two islands.

It was in the middle of the morning when the first F-35B Ravens took off from the Odin, three of them, armed with two 1,000 pound JDAM II bombs, two AIM-120D-9 AMRAAMs, two AGM-65G Mavericks, six AGM-177A Brimstone missiles, and two AIM-204A Escape missiles. The three F-35s took up a close formation at 12,500 feet over the air and flew north, over Sachs Harbor, using their radar to spot possible enemy armor. Both rebel groups were considered hostile and both would be sufficiently subdued. In addition to them, three AH-94B Stalker attack helicopters took off as well, armed with Brimstone missiles, Wizard missiles, and rockets. They would go in considerably lower and fly assault missions over Sachs Harbor, while the Marines prepared for their landings. Marines would be choppered in and landed on the beach head with HLCACs, the Ravens, Stalkers, and Super Hueys serving to clear the way for them.

At the same time, similar landings took place on Melville Island. Axel Heiberg Island received the army soldiers as hundreds of other islands received soldiers as well. The landings went as planned and they encountered little resistance on the beach, mainly because the fighting rebel groups weren't expecting them and they were too preoccupied with their own battles. The Independence LCS was stationed right off Sachs Harbor as well and it would use its RGM-165 missiles and 76 millimeter cannon to launch heavy projectiles onto the city, in support of the Marines. An MH-60S Knight Hawk was at the ready on the Independence for SAR missions, if necessary, and RQ-8 Fire Scout UAVs were already in the air, flying reconnaissance missions over the island, identifying rebel hotspots.

November 10, 2006 - 03:10 [MST]
Banks Island

The Arctic Campaign, Operation Silent Wind was the first phase of an extended campaign. It would comprise all military operations required to take over the thousands of islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Then came Initiative Silent Wind, the second phase of the extended campaign. That would comprise all of the post-takeover operations, which would see population integration, reconstruction, and the beginnings of Project VALKYRIE. The third phase was labeled Enactment Silent Wind, the final phase. It would see the realization of the entire project and plan, which held within its grasps, VALKYRIE, VAGABOND, VALHALLA, and VERTEX. The V-Program of the Empire encompassed quite a bit now. It was fully entrenched in the War on Drugs and now the Arctic Archipelago. If there was one thing to learn about the V-Program, initiated by the Empire with the War on Drugs was that it was vile and sinister and definitely would not be one of the finer points of the Empire's history. Should it ever get out to the public, it would shake the foundations of the Empire to its core.

The Marines hit the beaches of Banks Island with their M81A2 Marine Assault Rifles and M81A3 Carbines. The M81 made its debut in combat in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, performing excellently in the humid, hot, and wet weather and environment that the islands offered. Now it would be in the total opposite, the frigid Arctic, well above the Arctic Circle. The rifles were made to operate in the most extreme of environments and this was going to be the other "extreme" and just like the M80A1 Assault Rifle and the M80A2 Special Assault Rifle, this would be the true test of its capabilities. Many other weapons would be used, all of them tested tough in the most hazard and extreme of environments, except one other one, the M82A3 and M82A4 Storm pistols, the new standard issue handgun for the military, firing the .45ACP and .43LDC rounds both of them powerful and capable. The M80 and M81 fired a 6.8 x 48 millimeter round, specially designed by the LDC.

November 10, 2006 - 03:15 [MST]
Banks Island

Marines were advancing on Sachs Harbor with IFVs, trucks, and MBTs but not a shot had been fired yet. The rebel groups were at a sort-of stalemate in the middle of Sachs Harbor and the island itself. Perhaps they had seen the landings of the Marines and their incursions by helicopter. The F-35s and AH-94s overhead moved quickly but had few targets to actually engage. So far the first shots hadn't been fired and that was a creepy thing. The Marines expected resistance to their landings but none had come yet, that was until 03:15. The first shots that were fired came from a Marine reconnaissance unit moving in advance of the others.

About two miles north of Sachs Harbor, the reconnaissance unit took to cover as they watched a group of rebels planning a possible assault. The recon unit, which had an M80A2 Special Assault Rifle with them. The sniper hit the ground and shouldered the rifle, the suppressor fitted to the barrel to hide the muzzle flash. "Target spotted. Range 500 meters." The sniper unlocked the safety and looked down the scope of his rifle. He put the sights right on the chest of the officer and squeezed the trigger. The round pierced the silence and hit him right in the heart, dropping him instantly. "He's down!" The Marines were now engaged and the rest of the recon unit opened fire. They were facing an enemy of about twenty and they were a squad of eight. Opening fire on them, the Marines realized that they definitely had the advantage, their weapons were definitely much more accurate, newer, and they were better shots than the enemies that they were facing. The short gunfight lasted only a few minutes and they came out victorious.

As they picked up to advance, a pair of Stalkers overflew them and fired rockets at another enemy position. North of Sachs Harbor it was definitely active with enemy forces and the Marines were not going to let them get the upper hand. The Independence Class LCS had moved into a position just a few miles off the shore from Sachs Harbor and was training its gun system on the city, awaiting updates from spotters on the ground. They already had a pair of RGM-165 LASM missiles readied for a single target, the airport. The missiles would be targetted on a pair of hangars, which contained small fighter bombers that could potentially threaten the fleet and the Marines. "Missiles Away!" With the call, the two RGM-165B SM-5 Land Attack Standard Missiles (LASM) lifted out of their VLS cells on the bow of the ship and shot upwards. They arced over and headed towards their target. Both missiles cruised at 10,000 feet and dove on the two hangars, fifteen miles from the ship. The 10 mile minimum range of the missile had been modified to be just a few miles for this situation, which meant that the missiles could engage targets much closer with different attack profiles. When they slammed into the two, concrete, reinforced hangars at Mach 3.5, they pierced right through them and exploded inside, using a timed delay fuse. The warheads sent concussion waves and a fireball throughout the hangars. Because the blast doors were closed, the inside of the hangar trapped the force, power, and heat of the explosion, turning twelve fighters, between the two hangars, into useless wastes of junk metal, burning. Smoke lept out of the small holes and the fires burning inside only increased their heat, the fire suppression systems having been destroyed by the warheads.

The runway was soon to be peppered by cluster munitions from a four-ship flight of F-35B Ravens, making it useless to enemy forces. The battle was going to be far different than traditional Layartebian battles and the attack plan was centered more on the weaker enemy that just wasn't as advanced as the Marines and the Navy. It would be another ten minutes before the first armored vehicles entered Sachs Harbor but when they did, they would find that the rebel forces were still well engaged with each other and the confusion of battle would turn to the advantage of the Marines, for now...

November 10, 2006 - 03:25 [MST]
Banks Island

The Marines on Banks Island had, in ten minutes, gone from almost total quiet, to a fury of gun battles. Rebel forces weren't sure who they were shooting at the fighting groups had turned a two-way conflict into a three-way free-for-all. The Marines were cautious on who to engage and kept their positions simple, for now. They flanked enemy positions and reported in the second they were secured, to avoid friendly fire. With this many fighting groups it would be easy to mistake you own forces and engage friendlies. Marines were finding that enemy positions were well dug-in, after all, they had been fighting for weeks now. Supplies were running low and morale was, in some cases, putrid. In other cases, it was quite high. The military establishments were weakly guarded and the Marines would overrun them without much effort. Ravens and Stalkers overhead would get limited action in this conflict, all of the fighting was going to be on the ground. Artillery positions would be the most important in this war and artillery strikes could be called at any time, as the Marines swarmed into Sachs Harbor, once a bustling port city, not a warzone.

November 10, 2006 - 04:00 [MST]
Banks Island

Layartebian Marines gained ground quickly as they advanced on the outer edges of Sachs Harbor. Air and artillery strikes against dug-in positions were more than effective. Rebel forces engaged each other but soon began to realize that a third enemy force was attacking them. This wouldn't arise much cooperation between them here, perhaps elsewhere, but it would throw them off and put them much more on the guard. They kept careful watch to their flanks and when they saw tanks and heavy armor coming, each side believed that it was the other side coming at them. They didn't realize much until they got a clear look at the roundel markings on the tanks and vehicles.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/General/roundel.jpg

That was when their worst fears came to realization. They knew the roundel, everyone knew that roundel. The two-tone blue circle with the notorios Grim Reaper in the middle of it was the sign of the Empire of Layarteb. Forces fighting against the Empire during the conquests wrote notoriously that the symbol of the Empire was the symbol of death to them. The more that they saw the roundel approaching them, the more that they rushed for cover. Helicopters, aircraft, arm patches, etc. tore through towns and through villages back then, leaving the symbol etched into the minds of many people.

Now the people of the former territory of Squornshelous would see the same and meet the same fate. The resistance that they could put up against the Empire, just as the lands conquered, would never be enough.

Morale among the rebel factions was now extremely low. Before, they'd been fighting what they saw as a winable battle for control of their homeland. Now, with forces of The Empire of Layarteb in the area, even the most optomistic and foolhardy rebel was having second thoughts. Many of them were either throwing down their guns and going home to their families, or surrenduring to the Layartebians as they advanced. The old naval base and airfields had been hit hard by airstrikes, and were completely deserted, ships left unattended at their berths, those aircraft that remained sitting in hangars, slowly starting to gather dust.

The only truly organized faction that didn't suffer from massive desertions was what had been two battalions of Squornshelan Marines, the creme of the local garrison. They had been somewhat depleted by the constant fighting, and didn't really have a clear objective, with no chain of command above the Colonel who was the local CO. The marines had been operating from a small army base in the Sachs Harbor suburbs, but with the appearance of Layartebian troops, they had packed up and moved to a secret bunker system outside of the city. Here there were massive storerooms and armories. A small force like theirs could easily hold out for months against overwhelming odds.

Deep inside the bunker system, the CO and his company commanders met to discuss their course of action. It was obvious that they had no chance whatsoever of repulsing the might of Layarteb, and that if they remained here without some attempt at talks, they would eventually be discovered and destroyed, however long it might take. After long discussion, they decided to wait and watch for now, but to contact Layartebian forces about a cease fire as soon as it appeared the bunker would be discovered.

November 10, 2006 - 06:00 [MST]
Banks Island

The Marines weren't prepared for the degree of surrenders that they were witnessing. They were expecting a serious fight with the rebel groups and the remnants of the Squornshelan military. They had seen little fighting with the actual Squornshelan military and those who they encountered were being detained for information, for now. They would eventually be released. They weren't criminals and they weren't going against the Empire, for the most part. The rebel forces that surrended to the Layartebian forces would be treated humanely and properly but those who fought would be engaged, detained, and destroyed.

Marines continued to engage the rebel forces as they pushed into Sachs Harbor. Documents recovered and intelligence gained would show that the Squornshelan military had a number of facilities throughout the islands in the Arctic Archipelago and all of those would be explored, thoroughly.

News spread that on Melville Island and Axel Heiberg Island were going to be secured by midnight and that was good. Banks Island wouldn't be so quick but that was where the worst fighting was.

OOC: Wow talk about a forgotten RP.

Shortly after noon, on November 12, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was considered to be fully under the control of the Empire. The Marines and paratroopers had done a fantastic job securing the three main islands, where rebel forces were fighting. Surrenders numbered in the thousands and casualties were relatively low. In total, the Marines had 16 KIAs and 138 WIAs. The paratroopers suffered only 6 KIAs and 20 WIAs. Enemy casualties were numbered to be around 300 KIAs and about 500 - 800 WIAs. Rebel forces had laid down their arms when the vicious roundels of the Empire came upon their eyes. Sabertooth tanks had done the most damage, turning armored units into wrecks of smoldering metal.

The islands would all be inducted into the Province of Dnalkrad but few of them would support life. The Canadian Arctic Archipelago, in all of its 1,149,064 km² had only 374,146 people living within its bounds, making it one of the least populated areas of the Empire. Only Greenland had a lower population density, aside from those areas with 0 people living in them.

Quite some time had passed since the marines had first taken refuge in the old bunker system, and now their commander judged the time was right for them to stop hiding. Layarteb had taken complete control of the old Squornshelan islands, and the bunker and its occupants would surely be found out in a matter of weeks, or even days.

The marines' CO wrote down a brief message and had his radio officer send the message out, broadcasting in the clear on several frequencies with no encyptions being used.


This Message is intended for the commanding officer of the Empire of Layarteb forces in the Arctic Archipelago. I am Colonel Per Hansson, commanding officer of two battalions of Squornshelan Marines. My troops and I have taken shelter in an old bunker system to weather your conquest of the islands, and would like to discuss an agreement by which my troops and I may be accepted peacefully into the Empire. My staff and I will be in Sachs Harbor at the front gate of the old naval base in two days. Hopefully, you will see fit to meet with us.


The message repeated three times.

The message from the holdout Marines was good news. Reports from rebel fighters indicated a Marine holdout on the island and that wasn't good. Guerilla warfare was not something that they wanted to have here so the commanding officer of the invasion and annexation, Brigadier General Thomas L. Moose would be there, at the naval port, in two days time. He wouldn't go alone though and he would be taking an entire squadron of armored vehicles, just in case it was a trap.

When he pulled up to the gates of the naval base all he could see was haze and smoke. It was early in the morning and it was cold. His breath rose in the air like smoke from a cigarette, which he contemplated lighting, just to get warm. The Squornshelan Marines, so long as they didn't put up a fight, would be accepted as such. They would be given citizenship like the rest of the conquered lands and they would be treated fairly.

ooc: Sorry about not posting, just got back from 6 days in Philadelphia.

ic:
A jeep marked with the red and black sunburst of the Former Squornshelan Imperium pulled up slowly through the haze. The man in the passenger's seat stood up through the open roof and stepped out of the vehicle.
"I am Colonel Hansson. We are prepared to follow to whichever meeting place you would choose."

"Colonel Hansson. My name is Brigadier General Thomas L. Moose. I ask that you and your men please come out from hiding with their weapons over their heads. No harm will come to those who offer no harm in return. I have snipers placed accordingly but they are only ordered to fire if I give the order. I assure you that unless we feel hostility, we will not engage your men. We are here to negotiate a surrender, not conduct an execution. First I must ask for an accurate count on how many men you have here, if any are in need of medical attention, and what conditions your are in otherwise? We want to give proper medical attention to those who need it and I am sure you are low on supplies. We have food and water with us."

Hansson smiled very slightly. "Brigadier, I did not rise to this command by being a trusting man. There are only the five of us here in this jeep. The rest of my men are sheltering in an old bunker system and await my return and my orders before they will emerge."
He spread his hands apart. "We who are here have come unarmed as a gesture of good faith, but to bring my entire command into the open to surrender would destroy my negotiating position. As it stands right now, we can both stand to benefit from negotiations. If I surrender completely, you will stand to gain nothing from further negotiation."

"Very well." The general made a gesture to one of his men, who walked away, whispering something into a microphone. He didn't trust the situation and the morning fog and haze made it difficult to do much but he had a reconnaissance helicopter with a FLIR on its way. "What are your terms?"

"Well the main issue is that my men would like to remain members of the armed forces. Squornshelan Marines are all career soldiers, and we would like to be somehow incorporated into the Empire's military as a home guard of sorts for the islands. Layarteb would benefit from this, as it would save the Empire the expense of training, equipping and transporting a garrison here. We can also furnish you with detailed and decoded data files of all former Squornshelan military projects in the islands, like the bunker where my men are staying, as well as several WMD labs and storage facilities."

"The alternative is not particularly pleasant for either party. Should I be taken prisoner, my men will not be surrendering, and will probably cost the Empire quite a bit before they are wiped out. They will destroy any information they can find, and make themselves as much of a thorn in your side as possible. I am sure that with the Empire's resources, they would eventually be tracked down and destroyed, but that choice benefits no one."

"I understand that my requests may take some time; doubtless there is a lot of political red tape and beurocracy to get through, but I think it is in both of our best interests to take that path."

"We can somehow accomodate that. I'm afraid that Layartebian training differs significantly so they will have to go through a special training course to bring them up to speed. I would be proud to have them serve under my command if they are as loyal and honorable as you say they are. The information you say you can provide will be the most useful data and for that we will reward you handsomely. You will be flown to the Ministry of Intelligence in Layarteb City with your men and you can provide us the details there.

"You are certainly correct, there is a lot of red tape we will have to cut through. For the time being, return to your men and I ask that you please make yourself available to be reached, however that may be. We will contact you in a few days time when we can be assured that you and your men will be treated properly. In the meantime, are there supplies that you are in need of? Perhaps water or rations? Medical supplies?"

"Thank you for your concern, but we are quite self-sufficient." He quickly pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. and walked over to the Layartebian jeep. "We'll be recieveing and broadcasting on that frequency. I'll return to my men with the good news."

Hansson got back into the jeep and it turned and drove back off down the road out of the city.

"Thank you very much." Brigadier General Thomas L. Moose returned to the command center and forwarded the findings up to the Joint Chiefs and from there it went further, to the ministries of Defense, Interior, and Intelligence. All of them were in agreement with the idea of letting the marines join the ranks of the ILM but they would definitely need their own indoctrination. Brigadier General Thomas L. Moose was ordered to return to them findings that they would appreciate. They would be integrated into the Layartebian military providing of course they could pass a training course and boot camp that would ready them for service with the Layartebian Marines. They would have to pass background checks and they would have to prove their loyalty to the Empire before they could be trusted with their own unit. However, they would have to surrender properly and trade in their weapons for the surrender, where they would be processed and flown down to a Marine base in Connecticut. From there, they would go on to help the ministries of Defense and Intelligence find the ex-Squornshelan military facilities on the islands, intelligence that was worth more than anything else in this theater of operations. The broadcast to them included that and the surrender information. The Squornshelan Marines would have to meet the Layartebian Marines at an airport with their weapons over their heads and prepared to accept the surrender.

Everything went exactly according to the instructions. Colonel Hansson replied to the Layartebian message with a time and date that his troops would meet at the airport outside of Sachs Harbor. They arrived under the watchful eyes of Layartebian Marines, about 900 soldiers in a convoy of trucks. Slowly and carefully, they laid down their weapons and equipment in neat stacks of assault rifles, machine guns, knives, body armor and various other items. Once everything had been set aside, they stood at parade rest in their black fatigues and awaited orders.

Brigadier General Thomas L. Moose stood at attention and watched the processor and waited for Colonel Hansson to approach him. They would not salute, this was a defeated foe, so to speak. "Colonel. It is my duty to inform you that you and your men will be transported to Quebec where you will undergo processing. You may keep your sidearm and if you wish to address your men we would be more than happy to wait."