NationStates Jolt Archive

Suez, Egypt

The Prime Minister of Egypt was a worried man, and with good reason.

The great Union of Elias was nowhere near its former self, existing in name more than in practice. The Oil revenues of Arabia kept the Government functioning, but the people of Egypt were increasingly beginning to feel vulnerable in light of the Third World War that was raging globally- especially with the strategically vital Suez Canal running through their country.

There was, of course, a concern that one of the active participants might attempt to secure the Canal for themselves, and so it was seen as something of a mixed blessing when a "Consortium of Well-Connected Businessmen"- Roycelandians- arranged an interview and basically said they were prepared to take over the day-to-day running and protection of the Suez Canal, in exchange for cutting the Egyptian Government a "Generous" share of the profits thereof.

It wasn't like they PM had a lot of choice- it was obvious that the Roycelandians were behind the whole thing, but the reality was if the Suez didn't fall under Roycelandian Control, it would be The French, or the Communists.

"This agreement seems more than fair, but you will forgive me if I wish to consult with my advisors as well.

"Oh, that's more than fair. I'm sure you won't mind if we leave our Dreadnaughts sitting just offshore at each end, to ensure the continued security of the Canal in the meantime."

"That's, er, very... Generous of you, Mr...?"

"Wigglesworth. Martin Wigglesworth", said the businessman as he rose to shake the Egyptian Prime Minister's hand.

In Jerusalem:
The Quinntonian ambassador to United Elias, Messianic Jew Rabbi Harold Gottlieb, is continually having trouble raising anyone in the central government as it seems that in a surprisingly peaceful way, the whole Union was collapsing into its component parts. Not surprisingly, that meant that no one was willing to make any major decisions at the national level, and it seemed that most of the Executive Staff and Cabinet had either resigned or just abandoned their offices for their home nations to grasp at power at that level.

With that in mind and with their contacts, those that were still talking to them anyways, telling them that there were Roycelandians involved at the Egyptian level and more specifically in Suez, the ambassador recommended that the Foreign Affairs Minister back home speak to PM Moerike and the Pentagon about the potential for problems regarding their access to this canal. The USQ has always enjoyed unrestricted access to the canal and their economic alliances with United Elias have become very important to Quinntonia, both economically and strategically.

The Pentagon debates moving the Fifth Fleet from its position off the coast of Libya to keep a watchful eye on the Suez situation, but with the Sixth Fleet already moving into position in the Adriatic, and the Second Fleet on high alert and shadowing the movements of the battles that were occurring there and along the African coastline, the Pentagon is stretched fairly thinly, and is always unwilling to pull assets away from the Seventh Fleet in the South Pacific. There is some talk about pulling the Carrier Battle Group Peter away from the Third Fleet along the West Coast, but that would be against its operational directives, which can only be changed during times of war. A serious discussion then begins about the place of the Mexican Naval Force in USQ force projection strategies.

WWJD
Amen.

Port Imperial, Roycelandian East Africa

Governor-General Philip J. Fry was reading the morning's papers with interest, as yet another story about the gradual and almost unbelievably peaceful disintegration of United Elias. Outside the Oilfields of the Arabian Peninsular, and the Israel/Lebanon area, the central Government was becoming a lot more... self centred, preferring to focus on their own agendas at the expense of the Union as a whole.

Which was good for Roycelandia, as it meant that certain countries, which should- by rights- be in the Roycelandian "sphere of influence", were now available for the sort of discussions that were happening in Suez even as G-G Fry was reading the paper...

In Ramitha (Latakia), the Al Khali heartland and new Syrian capital, President Omar Qottar regards the future of the Suez with a great deal of personal tension.

One of the cornerstones of the Al Khali and Alawi dominated Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party is the pursuit of full restoration under Al Khali rule of a united Al Khali people... Ghawdex (Gozo) in Malta and Syria in the Middle East being unified means that only Zanzibar remains to be recovered. And Qottar (with, one can only imagine, a great level of willing delusion) imagines that the Suez will somehow be essential to his recovery of the Tanzanian island upon which rests a large Soviet military base.

Remembering positive relations in the past, Qottar is inclined to support most Roycelandian ventures where they do not conflict directly with his own aims, but, for the sake of his own popularity and power at home and through the Arab world, Omar has to express doubts about the wisdom of allowing the canal to become a Roycelandian posession.

The President has chosen to convey this indirectly, saying today that Roycelandian involvement to such a great degree could only be seen as a provocation in the Soviet bloc, and expressing fears that it could spark conflict locally in fracturing UE and globally on the scale of that which followed the Strait of Malacca controversy and lead to the collapse of the mighty Bonstockian state.

For now, Ramitha is looking to put its weight behind Egyptian factions keen to keep the canal entirely Egyptian. But Qottar also took a moment to invite Roycelandian tobacco magnates to visit possible factory sites in Damascus and to survey the potential of the Syrian market.

Raleigh, Australasia

Christina smiled to herself as she hung up the phone. Deputy Minister Spader had just called from Roycelandia, informing her of a very attractive offer indeed. She stood up, pushed in her chair and snagged her hat from the stand beside the door. She hurried out of the Foreign Ministry, up the hall and into Strathairn's private office. He wasn't there-- busy inspecting the Fourth Expeditionary Force that was being formed in Tasmania-- but that wasn't what she was here for.

On the wall behind his desk there was a map of the world lit by artistic spotlights. It was an old map, printed by Messrs. Coodge and Dunwillie of Fleet Street in 1874. It was covered by glass, upon which a neat hand had drawn six red circles around various points on the planet. There was one over the south coast of England, one over Gibraltar, one around Suez and another around the Cape of Good Hope. Another encircled Singapore, and the last Panama. Students of history would recognize them as Jackie Fisher's five points plus another, all thought to have been the cornerstones of Britain's empire. The circles denoted goals. Singapore's was surrounded by notes suggesting the Australasian Home Fleet, and Gibraltar's had a detailed force list of Spanish warships and defences tacked to it.

Christina picked up the dry-erase pen that hung from the corner of the frame and rubbed out the circle around Suez. She uncapped the pen and drew a large X through Port Said, below which she scrawled 'Happy Birthday'.

Port Royal, Roycelandia

Daniel Spader fit in well in Roycelandia. He was somewhat rotund, smoked cigars and enjoyed the idea of world domination and women, possibly at the same time. Normally attired in a dark suit-- most of his dealings were with the conservative Quinntonians and straight-laced Brits-- he had donned a blue seersucker and a beige fedora that morning. He carried with him his perpetual briefcase, in which was contained a few notes, the printout of an email from Foreign Minister Lloyd and a few pornographic magazines hidden beneath a false back. After that awkwardness in Berlin, he had bought one of Britain's old MI6 cases surplus.

He was waiting for a meeting with one of Royce's people. The Free Colony had been offered a position on the Suez Canal's board of directors, an offer which had been accepted readily. If there was a possibility of actively denying the Canal to the League, then options had to be pursued-- simple as that. Better yet, if the Free Colony controlled one of the two major waterways of the planet, even in part, they stood to make fantastic amounts of money in the old Elian style. It was money badly needed since Parliament steadfastly refused to raise taxes significantly after the outbreak of war.

Cyprus, Mediterranean fleet command

Three submarines, two Collins class boats and a Rapier class nuclear attack submarines, were dispatched to accompany the Missile Cruiser Concord to the mouth of the Suez Canal. They were to join the Roycelandian 'guard contingent' in a visible show of force against possible attacks.

Sorry for the crap post. I'm tired.

Port Royal, Roycelandia

Daniel Spader would have been somewhat surprised to discover that "One of Royce's people" was none other than Emperor Royce I himself, who outlined the proposal for the Suez Canal.

Royce I- who continually amazed people by having the time for meetings with emissaries, journalists, and random passersby in the street- explained that the bare bones of the plan was that the Suez Canal was now effectively under the control of the Suez Canal Company, which was owned by the Imperial Trading Company... whose CEO happened to be none other than His Majesty. ;)

The idea was to split the profits 60/20/20 (60% Roycelandia, 20% each to Quinntonia and Australasia), with Roycelandia assuming Defence responsibility and generally handling the day to day operations for the Canal, but Australasia and Quinntonia would have a share of the profits and perpetual right of access to the Canal, free of any charges, fees, tarriffs, duties, excises, or taxes.

Naturally, of course, Quinntonia and Australasia would be more than welcome to contribute to the Canal's defence if they so chose...

If the Suez was going to be incorperated into the nation of Roycelandia, Quinntonia would consider it under the auspices of the NATO agreement of mutual defence that they had. Also, Quinntonia would be more than willing to pay nominal fees on all vessels, if both Royce and UK/Australasia were, and the share of the profits could be where the money is re-couped, though Quinntonia is more interested in the Suez because of its strategic potential.

WWJD
Amen.

Commonwealth Ship Liam, Suez

"Well, this is another fine mess you lot have got me into..." newly-elected Captain, comrade Dewi ap Muttaiahrix, muttered more to himself than his crewmates as they all dashed about the 110 metre merchant, breaking out the Sumpit and Terrier point defence missiles and mounting-up the 17mm machinegun.

"Just chuck it over! Yeah, just chuck it over the side!" He yelled aft as a few sailors stood uhming and erming around the excess cargo strewn on the deck astern and wondered where on earth the Dhruv was going to land.

Even as they dumped the crates of field rations and tried desperately to find places to stash the hundred and twenty bottles of Geletian wine the rattle of helicopter rotorblades announced the approach of a HAL Dhruv from the Bodkin Class general warfare frigate CS Dic Penderyn out of Madagascar.

The Dic Penderyn and its helicopter informed the Egyptian authorities of the helicopter's intent to visit Liam to deposit personnel bound for Libya.

Indeed, the world was allowed to hear that Raipur was in no mood to see any change occur in the Suez without her direct consultation, and that it would continue to send shipping through and deliver payments to the national authorities at previously agreed rates until such time as those consultations were undertaken. There was no question of Roycelandia receiving a penny at this time, and any attempt by any nation or group to interrupt Soviet commerce and other normal activities would lead to direct military action in their defence, either tactically or strategically.

The Liam meanwhile had halted in the middle of the canal and was not going to move until Soviet warships arrived to take up station. GSIC agents were being flown in along with more advanced defence systems, and for now the ship would remain to act as a Soviet wedge. WIG vehicles were also en route, and would arrive with cruise missiles, mid-range surface to air missiles, cannon, torpedoes, and hundreds of troops within a matter of hours as the Commonwealth prepared to force a face-off before allowing the Roycelandians -or anyone else- to unilaterally change the balance of power.

Raleigh, Australasia

"... and get someone on the phone with Raipur!" Strathairn, originally rather pleased with being able to knock one of the six points off of his map, was rather irritated to discover that he could really only knock off 1/5th of a point and had determined that certain persons would pay for it. These persons tended to be Christina, her staff, and Daniel Spader, whose blackberry was inundated with emails and injunctions to 'boost that damned percentage... dammit!'

Christina, meanwhile, was at something of a loss as to whom, exactly, should be called in Raipur. It was most cumbersome indeed, dealing with these leaderless, anarcho-communist states. And so she sent a telegram, a somewhat cold but easily reproduceable form of communication.

Esteemed Members Soviet,
Should the Commonwealth be willing, the Free Colony is prepared to undertake diplomatic negotiations with regards to the Suez situation, acting as an arbiter between Roycelandia and the Indian Soviet Commonwealth if necessary. Dispensing with rhetoric involving phrases like 'times of trouble', and 'international union in the face of greater threats', it is in the interests of the Free Colony for the Indian Soviet Commonwealth to be granted access to the Suez canal, since we can really use all the help possibly forthcoming in dealing with the insane European monarchs springing up.

Royce, of course, will need convincing, and a Soviet battlegroup sitting in the middle of the canal will likely cause more harm than good. If the Indian Soviet Commonwealth is prepared to hold off on direct military confrontation, all efforts will be made to strike some kind of balance. As usual, we've all got too much going on to fight another war, and isn't the world violent enough these days?
Regards,
Foreign Minister Christina Lloyd

Port Royal

Spader, in an attempt to fend off the emails coming every hour or so from Raleigh demanding more percentage points, requested another meeting with the Emperor or his staff. Again pleased to meet the Emperor in person, Spader suggested that a sort of corporate partnership could be formed between the Suez Canal Company and the Middle East Company, a similar Australasian venture dedicated to trade and, you didn't hear it from me, taking over places. Of course, such a partnership would require that at least a few Australasians sit in on the Board of Directors meetings-- perhaps enough to make up twenty percent of the board-- with speaking and voting privileges to go along with that.

After all, it seems only wise that if you're giving us money, you ought to make us do some work for it. And really, in the nicest possible way, if you want us to throw in more than some AIP submarines and a cruiser then you'll need to make it worth defending.

The other subject-- that uncomfortable one-- was broached with His Majesty over a cigar and some rather nice Australian whiskey. The Soviets were getting uppity, and Australasia was simply too busy to help out in any conflict. While Quinntonia might pony up a few carrier groups, the fight would be largely Royce's to win against a very strong and characteristically angry Soviet horde. If they wanted assurances that they'd be permitted passage as they had been before, why not give it to them? Charge them for tonnage as before, give them their cursory 'consult' and send them on their way. Australasia would be glad to negotiate, and the wardroom of the FCS Royal Oak seemed to be as nice a place as any for such a meeting. Diplomats were, of course, standing by to mediate between the Soviet spokesman and the Roycelandian delegation.

The Soviets, it turned out, would hold... but only for so long as their on-site fuel reserves allowed. The larget part of the Soviet force was in international waters off Somalia, where, perhaps, INU forces were still local? The Liam remained in the Suez, at least a token item of resistance to Roycelandian rule. Certainly Royce could sink it, but if he did so it would mean declaring war on the Indian Soviet Commonwealth. And he couldn't do it with Spitfires if he sent forty of them.

Soviet forces amassed in the region, but waited, hopefull that Raleigh could make the Roycelandians et al recognise that this situation was equal to the one that destroyed Bonstock entirely. Does Roycelandia wish to be the next Bonstock? Cuba will be welcomed gladly into the Soviet fold if so. We are only a few miles away in Guyana, after all!

His Majesty selected a particualrly fine cigar from his humidor and offered one to Spader.

"Your proposal is more than amenable, and is basically what I had in mind anyway. I really don't know where everyone has the idea I'm going to close the Canal to the Soviets... I may not like them, but it doesn't make good business sense to block them from the Canal while we aren't at war."

He took a drag from his cigar. "The thing is, the Soviets have done an admirable job of thoroughly annoying me over the years. Sure, everyone needs an Arch-Nemesis, but really, even at least Blofeld had a decent wine cellar and impeccable manners."

The Emperor of the Roycelandian Empire stood up from his large, comfy, leather swivel chair and strode over the window, which looked out onto the exquisite Tropical Gardens and the Palm River which flowed through them.

"I don't even know why we're always sniping at the Soviets. I disagree with their political ideologies and I do think they're hell-bent on World Domination. Considering their citizens are dirt poor anarchists, it's long been my view that someone needs to exist as a counter to them before they drag the entire world into dirt poor anarchy. If all of us- You, Me, Quinnn, and Louis- can stop fighting amongst ourselves, and turn our efforts towards persuading the Soviets to behave themselves, and we will finally acheive peace."

As he was speaking, His Majesty picked up a Lee-Enfield rifle which was leaning next to the window, shouldered it, worked the bolt, took aim, and then fired as he finished talking. 200 yards away, on the far bank of the river, a Deer fell over.

"Excellent, a most sporting kill. Do you like Venison, Mr. Spader?"

Shipping channels. Perhaps an innocuous subject a century ago, but certainly not today. The Malacca War had involved more troops and more casualties than the so-called Third World War which now raged, had toppled a nation which stood as military equal to the USQ, and whose repercussions still shook Southeast Asia today. And all over what amounted to relatively minor restrictions on a corridor of sea between Malaya and Sumatra.

The Suez was perhaps on the periphery of Jakarta's current concern, far more relevant to India than to Sujava or Lyong. But, as long as their own actions were restricted in Malacca, it was a matter of principle to support further open passages across the globe. And, of course, as the Javanese Strainists prepared to wage a war for the hearts of the Faithful with yet another would-be Caliph, a shipping lane through to Tripoli would likely prove useful.

Not that there seemed need for action... Egypt was still home to what had been the Federal Dictatorship's powerful Third Army, and even Baghdad, notorious for its belief in centralized control, had been forced to grant substantial autonomy when faced with the strength of Egyptian nationalism.

Vanessa Moerike is once again concerned about the Soviets. “What happened to the nice economic collapse that we were promised? Do those Soviets just lie about everything?” She was exasperated, her already minority government was getting more and more unpopular due to her unwillingness to take the tough, world altering stances that Jesse Obed had done, and was one no-confidence vote away from collapse. She had no desire for war with anyone, let alone the Soviets, but it seemed that they were bucking for it. And if they started it, Quinntonia would sure finish it. Some of the allusions to Malacca, where the entire world community united against a single foe, were not really appropriate, but this had the potential to be a divisive issue. However, in this matter, it seemed as though all of the Anglo powers were united. She did ask, “I don’t remember anyone ever saying that the Soviets couldn’t use the canal. Double check that and get on the phone to Royce and ask him if that was ever communicated in any way. Though, if this keeps up, I can see why. Now, does anyone have the slightest idea as to why the Soviets are trying to pull the last of the neutral powers into WW3? Are they suicidal?”

But her General Staff and Pentagon officials did convince her to make some major orders, though she was not going to put her military on alert again, just to back down and lose more points in opinion polls. She was to place the Seventh Fleet on high alert and begin moving major assets through the South China Sea towards Andaman and Nicobar, where they will stay in international waters and wait in case they are needed for a proactive response to Soviet aggression at the canal or in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters.

The Seventh Fleet of course, consists of 5 Carrier Battle Groups, following the Quinntonian tradition for naming them after Biblical figures, with each group containing:

2 Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers (85 aircraft each)
4 Ticonderoga AEGIS Cruisers
6 Arliegh Burke Class-guided missile destroyers
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class
8 Las Angeles Class Attack Submarines
3 Sacramento Class Supply Ships (1 Outfitted as Hospital)

The Seveth Fleet consists of:
5 Carrier Battle Groups, including:
Matthew (Based in Japan- 2 Kitty Hawks)
Luke (Based in Guam- Enterprise, Jesse Obed)
John, Abraham, and King David (Based in Quinntonian Dra-pol-2 Nimitz)
5 Tarawa Amphibious Assault Ships
10 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Class Ships
8 Austin Class Amphibious Assault Docks
1 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Docks
4 Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Harper’s Ferry Class Dock Landing Class Ships
2 Ticonderoga Class AEGIS Cruisers
2 Arliegh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyers
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates
18 Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Subs
4 Seawolf Class Attack Submarines
2 Virginia Class Attack Submarines
2 Kraken Class Super Dreadnaught (Roycelandian Purchase)

Not everything will be committed to this effort, but nearly so, with Carrier Battle Groups Mathew, Luke, John and King David being brought to the fore from their respective starting positions, and meeting just north of the Phillipines prior to entering the South China Sea as a united force. Of course, some units will stay behind, with the Abraham specifically:
5 Tarawa Amphibious Assault Ships
10 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Class Ships
1 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Docks
4 Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Harper’s Ferry Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates

A request for the Japanese to help with the defense of Quinntonian assets in the region will also be lodged.

Of course, the Second Fleet is already in position in the Atlantic to deal with aggression coming from Africa or Europe, and will continue to do so, but the question does become, what to do with the Fifth and Sixth Fleets. Since the Fifth Fleets directives do include the canal, the decision is made to pull the entire fleet and its Carrier Battle group, the Paul, off of Libya and send it to the canal to keep an eye on the situation and ensure that the Soviets do not turn their little temper tantrum into a shooting war. Of course, should that occur, the Seventh will move towards the Beth Gellert engagement zone and the Fifth Fleet with its Carrier group Mark will move to support the Sixth. If the Second is engaged, of course its Carrier Battle Groups the Moses, hovering near North West Africa, and the Mary Mother of God which was shadowing the Glorious 12th of June will move in all due haste to intervene, calling on the full support of its NATO allies, UK and Roycelandia.

In the end, Quinntonia is still unsure as to what the Soviets are trying to prove, and are just making these moves because the already certifiable Soviets seem to be becoming more and more unstable all the time.

In the end, a full study is commissioned, in all due haste towards the problem of integrating the Mexican military, especially its Navy into the Quinntonian one. Also, PM Moerike decides to go into closed session with the Council of Bishops about the current situation. Befor she does that she says, “Be sure and tell Royce when you get ahold of him that I, and Quinntonia, will stand with him, but don’t get us into a war for no reason.”

WWJD
Amen.

(OOC: Sorry, last night was my last in a particular hostel, and I'd been watching the cricket all afternoon and consoling myself with AUD$4 pints, so I was really, really drunk. To clarify, only one Soviet frigate happens to be near the Red Sea at the moment, and small forces have put out from Zanzibar and India to head for the region, including corvettes and light carrier assault ships transporting men. We don't have a huge force already there or anything, and only one armed merchant ship actually sitting in the canal, with a special-forces team flown in to prevent boarding. Agh, got to log-off in five!)

Raipur continues to wait uncomfortably as the future of the Suez Canal hangs in the balance. The issue is, as surely anyone can see, that the canal coming under the control of French allies is totally and uttery ridiculous. The Soviets have not been consulted on the matter, and so are reacting with armed caution. Will Roycelandia ultimately put forces on the canal? Will it use the canal as leverage against the Soviets? Attempt to undermine the Commonwealth's economy, as capitalists long have done when their power was threatened by popular economic control.

Raipur is even happy to see the canal remain under the control of an Egyptian government for which it has no great affection... but not for it to be in the pocket of a man who lies in bed with the king of France.

Port Royal, Roycelandia

His Majesty put down the phone after the marathon call from Washington.

"That's right, the Canal is open to all civilian shipping. No military shipping, except that of Roycelandia, Quinntonia, and Australasia. And I'd greatly appreciate it if Raipur moved the warship in the middle of the Canal. No, I'm not going to sink it, but I'm sorely tempted to knock some of the superstructure off to prove a point."

Already, the Insect-class Dreadnought Grasshopper was leisurely steaming up the Canal, not in preparedness of any military action, but simply to make a point.

A couple of Spitfires had flown nearby as well, and a few kilometres away (well out of range) was a "training exercise" of several Field Guns... nothing capable of actually sinking the Bedgellen ship, but certainly putting a few holes in the superstructure. Of course, they were out of range and firing away from the Bedgellen ship, just so there could be no misunderstandings.

Finally, the Suez Canal Administration had formally asked the Bedgellen ship to re-start her engines and again be underway, as she was posing a shipping hazard in her current location.

Of course, later in the say, the Spitfires that were flying over were joined by a few Quinntonian F-22 Raptors “on maneuvers.”

OOC-Thanx for the clarification BG, my above post still stands, but it is good to know that you aren’t that keen at striking off WW3 for real.

WWJD
Amen.

A request for the Japanese to help with the defense of Quinntonian assets in the region will also be lodged.

The Japanese government is pleased to accomodate such a request from their allies, allowing the Self-Defence Forces to gain more experience in cooperating with Quinntonian forces. If nothing else, it will be good publicity and a good excuse to trumpet the virtues of the SDF.

Naturally, anything that helps score a few brownie points with Washington can only be a good thing considering some of the spending plans on the table for the SDF.

The Liam did not move, but did track the Roycelandian and Quinntonian aircraft passively, through their optically guided Sumpit missile systems. The captain and the commander of the GSIC squad aboard were under orders to stay put, and that they did, though the captain was of half a mind to propose a vote on evacuating his civilian crewmates.

Raipur has issued a stern statement over the growing crisis, again restating that the Soviets will accept no change to the Suez Canal's management without the Commonwealth's consultation. The issue is too important, and Africa will not be surrendered to imperialism.

Having wanted to remain partly detached from what most Commonwealthers regard as a largely European conflict, the Soviets express great irritation at being forced to make such statements at these, but, according to the Final Senate, action will be taken sooner rather than later if the feudal and capitalist nations do not immediately change their policies to accommodate general civility.

Goa, the statement reads, will be siezed now and never returned to Roycelandian administration, and all Roycelandian military assets there will be captured or destroyed if Roycelandia does not come immediately to the negotiation table regarding the Suez and its continued use in the passage of Soviet warships.

Soviet forces have begun mobilising over night, and four complete artillery brigades have been ordered to the Goan frontier, where Auxiliary forces are being raised in great quantity.

Zanzibari units too are on high alert, and all remaining ready Soviet nuclear submarine forces put to sea.

Losing access to the Suez may make it impossible to defend Libya against Italy's declaration of war, and the world can not be at all surprised by the seriousness with which Portmeirion regards the possible blockade of the canal to its forces, which have passed through even during the era of the Federal Dictatorship.

Port Royal, Roycelandia

"...Oh, for fuck's sake. They want a war? They're going to get one. Mobilise the Imperial Guard, Colonial Guard, Air Force, and Navy. We've spent 25 bloody years being pushed around by the Soviets, and it ends now."

Suez Canal, Egypt

The IRNS Grasshopper had been joined by the IRNS Dragon, a larger Dreadnaught.

Over 2,500 Colonial Guard were stationed along the banks of the Canal, under camouflage, and a AH-1 Zulu Combat Helicopter was hovering over the Liam.

"Attention, crew of the CSS Liam. Your vessel is hazardously stopped within the Suez canal, and as such is being deemed a Shipping Hazard. If you do not make way within three hours, your ship will be boarded and towed."

Goa

The Roycelandian garrison there- almost exclusively military, after the last crisis- were ready, once again, to fight to the last man and last bullet. Half the Naval forces at the naval base there had put to sea and were spreading up and down the coast of Soviet India, ready to open fire on anything of even vague strategic or economic value.

A statement released by the Roycelandian Government reads to the effect that the Roycelandian Government believes Portmeirion has no claim to Goa, and that, unless Beth Gellert removes her troops from the area and formally renounces all claims to Goa in 12 hours time, as well as withdrawing all forces involved in conflicts overseas, to wit The Philippines, Vietnam, South-West Africa, and Guyana, then Roycelandia will have no choice but to consider the Empire at War with Soviet Beth Gellert.

The formidiable Roycelandian Military was already mobilising for war, and the Roycelandian Navy had put to sea in full combat readiness for the first time since World War II. The Colonial Navy are patrolling the seas off REA, complete with anti-Submarine air patrols.

The Roycelandian Empire had tried to stay out of World War III. They had hoped the whole thing would be over by Christmas, and things would more or less return to normal. Instead, for the first time since 1939, and only the second time since 1914, the Roycelandian Empire was preparing for a World War. And all because of a Nation supposedly starving from an epic famine. Bastards.

Quinntonian ambassador teams in the Commonwealth begin to walk into several public Senates in order to issue prepared statements in the various local dialects asking for cooler heads to prevail in the current situation. Of course, Suez is not mentioned, as the Quinntonians are completely caught off guard and would not want to see war over what amounts to a change in management and business as usual for the economies of the world, including the Soviets. However, Goa is talked about, with the statements explaining the Goa is considered Roycelandian soil in regards to the NATO Treaty and as such all NATO members would have a responsibility to defend it and its people. They point out that the Goan people have overwhelmingly been given the option to join the Commonwealth through referendum or revolution and have chosen again and again to remain with Roycelandia. They are free people, and they are willing to die for their freedom. Quinntonia will defend them, using force if necessary, from Soviet aggression.

It should be noted that the Quinntonians are entering these Senates having made their peace with God, based upon the barbaric practices of this Commonwealth; they fully expect to die for their beliefs. Let’s hear it for “freedom.”

All over SE Asia, The Seventh Fleet is readying to be put to sea, with units moving with all due haste towards their rallying points. In Quinntonian Dra-pol, General Lee Gemby and the extremely aged Governor-Bishop Gerald Westgaard issue announcements with the local leadership that they are going to have to be ready for anything, and making sure that they have the defenses of the Protectorate at peak efficiency.

In the ROK, Japanese and Quinntonian leadership are urging a very compliant government there to prepare for invasion should Dra-pol be pushed in that direction by the Soviets.

All over Quinntonia, Mexico and in the streets of Hamhung people were taking to the streets to protest what they saw as Soviet aggression. News media and analysts were asking the question, “Why?” and answering that perhaps the massive famine and drought in the Commonwealth has forced these moves out of desperation.

WWJD
Amen.

Washington receives fairly prompt communication from Raipur, relative to the wait normally enforced by the long processes of Soviet democracy. The Commonwealth simply can not allow the Suez canal to be suddenly closed to Soviet military shipping, which is essential to the progress and even the survival of African democracy, and to the defeat of the Holy League. Even United Elias, generally an ideological enemy of the Commonwealth, saw no reason to provoke conflict in a Bonstockian fashion and allowed the Soviets unhindered access so long as fees were paid to the government.

The Commonwealth will continue to send its warships through the Suez, and the Commonwealth will not pay the Roycelandian state nor Roycelandian private companies for it while Roycelandia is so clearly opposed to Soviet participation in the defence of democracy from Royce's autocratic European allies.

CS Dic Penderyn has been ordered to pass through the Canal. If the Roycelandians attempt to stop her passage, the Soviets will have observed a unilateral and strategic change in Egyptian policy forced by Roycelandia, and will consider it an act of war on the part of the latter. There is no assurance that Egypt will be considered innocent if it allows Roycelandia to take this hostile and pro-League measure.

Meanwhile, the guns of CS Communism pointed-out Goa for anyone who was curious. Above and below Soviet aircraft and submarines patrol against the approach of foreign warships... CS Communism is believed to significantly out-reach any Roycelandian warship in terms of gunnery range, and is prepared to stand-off and swing if it comes to it.

Roycelandian warships attempting to swamp the Indian coast may want to think again as almost every one of them is trailed by an AIP Ortiagon Class stealth submarine, armed with capital torpedoes bigger than those that killed a dreadnought off New Caledonia, lingering in their noisy wake, using natural features and flows intimately familiar to the Commonwealth, or just waiting in position ahead of approaching warships, dead in the water. And the Roycelandians can all but forget airborne ASuW operations within range of the Commonwealth's overwhelmingly powerful Air Guard. Mines, too, lie anchored to the seabed, inert, waiting for activation command to split the back of the imperialist incursion. Nobody intends to allow Roycelandian shipping off the Indian coast to see the end of day one in any Soviet-Roik war.

Nobody can quite belive that Roycelandia would actually try to stand and fight in India, land of a hundred and fifty million assault rifles.

Sovietists around the world prepare for battle.

300,000 Commonwealth Guard Expert Corps personnel are currently on active deployment in Asia, at Bihar, the Goan frontier, in Nepal and Bangladesh, on the Combine border, in Laos, Vietnam, and Kampuchea, and the Philippines (the vast majority being in Bihar, and secondarily the Goan and Combine borders).

10,000 are in the former United African Republics, mostly at Zanzibar Island, while 20,000 are in Namibia (this number fluctuates as more move through), and 40,000 in Libya. Of 120,000 Soviet-sponsored International Brigades troops to be inserted in coming days and weeks into West Africa, soem 20,000 are front-line Guardsmen and women.

8,000 to 10,000 Guardsmen and women are in or approaching the Latin American communes, though most are not part of official active deployments.

Over two million active personnel are unaccounted for in these numbers, even once Oceanic Guard members are discounted, and the Auxiliaries -the ready reserve- has not been considered.

In light of Italy's declaration of war on the Indian National Union, the Soviets are likewise in a condition of war with Rome following a vote in the Senates, which hardly was necessary, passing with a 97.9% majority.

A million troops are preparing to burst forth, and it remains for the League, the Roycelandians, and others to decide whether they really want to test the dam that struggles to contain this red tide. Acquiesce on the canal -allow Soviet military shipping to continue totally unmolested as it has for years under Fedearl and Egyptian watch- and withdraw from West Africa, or face open war with the Indian Soviet Commonwealth.

Jai Hind!

Quinn, when I read your NATO TG, I hadn't read the last series of posts. Britain is not going to join NATO just yet-- Australasia probably won't fare well from this whole business. Britain, though better off than the Free Colony (which seems to have lost the most from the League War), really can't support that kind of long-distance war right now. So, sorry to go back on what I said in the TG. I hadn't expected things to get so hot so quickly.

Raleigh, Australasia

Protesters lined the streets of Raleigh in huge numbers, heckling government officials, policymakers and well-dressed passers-by near government buildings. Their message was clear: the people of Australasia did not support any war undertaken against the ISC at this time. Strathairn called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss two major developments in the last twenty four hours-- the rapidly deteriorating Suez situation and the secret list of terms sent by Louis-Auguste in the name of the Bourbon dynasty.

The Franco-Spanish war machine was suing for peace. They were willing to divest themselves of Gibraltar, New Caledonia and other island possessions, passing them off to Britain or Australasia depending upon geographical location. London had expressed its quiet support for the peace deal, as had much of the Australasian government. Selling it wouldn't be hard-- play it as a conditional surrender and the people would eat it up like Christmas pudding. Strathairn would go public later that week, until then no offensive action was to be taken by either side.

The other, far more touchy subject was that of SEATO obligations. Royce had succeeded in irritating the ISC one too many times, and was determined to fight a war over it. All well and good; the ISC had few friends in Raleigh. However, the Free Colony simply was not prepared to change enemies at the drop of a hat and continue to fight. Mothers and fathers wanted to welcome their children home from war. Women wanted to meet their husbands, husbands their wives. Children wanted to see their parents again. And Strathairn wanted to conclude one massively expensive war on a note of victory, and hopefully leave the next one to his successor, whomever he would be. He wanted to get the hell out of politics, to retire to somewhere charming, drizzly and in England and live out the rest of his days an elder-statesman.

"We have the capability to fight a war, sure," Minister Creighton of the MoD said levelly. "We just don't want to, not the servicemen, not the local commanders and not the general staff. We want to buy a replacement carrier, we want to patch our hulls and iron out the bugs in our new fighters, not fight an enemy that is ten times more powerful than we are!"

"I'm afraid we don't have a choice," Christina replied. "We have our obligations to our allies, and we simply can't go back on them. The treaty is binding, if we don't then we lose our protection from Royce, we lose our technical aid from the United States and we lose the years of goodwill built up between our governments."

"Well, there's Britain and the Indian National Union," Finance Minister Burres said gingerly. "Perhaps we can work something out with them. A sort of Post-Imperial tripart defence agreement." Strathairn sat quietly, a brier pipe clenched in his teeth. The room was filled with smoke from the cigars, cigarettes and pipes in evidence-- the Health Ministry's warnings had never really been heeded by Australasian politicians-- not even the Health Minister, who had a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. It badly needed an ashing, but he seemed unfazed by both the precarious nature thereof and the larger image that he was creating.

He mostly ignored the squabblings of his cabinet, who had advised him rightly exactly twice in his entire career. Rather, he stared out the window at the protesters and the Quinntonian embassy not far away. Its Stars and Stripes flapped cheerily in the breeze despite the crowd gathered around its gates and the Australasian Marines carrying their Enfields and bayonets that blocked their path. There were certain allies that the Free Colony simply couldn't afford to lose. Quinntonia was one of these, the INU was not. It was really that simple.

London, England

Mainwaring pressed the telephone to his ear, for once wearing a simple suit rather than his increasingly ill-fitting naval uniform. His wife had informed him in no uncertain terms that he would now consume a salad for lunch, rather than his customary St. Paul's Fish and Chips. He missed the taste of cod. Oh, the things that men do for their women.

"Yes, your grace?" On the other end of the phone was the Quinntonian ambassador, a charming ecclesiastic who had become a fixture of British politics over the years since he had been appointed. "Of course, God bless you to. Yes, I'm calling about the NATO proposal. Yes, of course. I did read that, thank you for sending it to me. I'm sorry, your grace. I must regretfully decline the offer of membership once again. I am aware. Yes, unfortunately the British people are simply unable to accept the idea of continued warfare at this time. Yes. You are aware of the Bourbon peace proposal? Of course, yes. You see, we British are simply unable to support this operation-- we've just fought a war, you see. Yes, it was rather an unpleasant one. Co-operation? Well, I wouldn't call it that. Not per-se, no. More that we have reached an understanding with King Louis and his lot. Yes, I know. Our allies, of course, must speak for themselves. No, I'm sorry, your grace. Yes, of course. God bless, yes. Of course, you too." He hung up the phone and sighed.

He stood up and retrieved his hat from the stand.

"Polly?" His secretary looked up. "I'm off to St. Paul's for a bite, please don't tell my wife?"

Port Royal

"Your Majesty," Spader said, somewhat hopelessly. "I really must protest! Diplomatic options remain to be explored, and the Soviets' position is not unreasonable in this matter!" He was standing in Royce's office, having made a very last minute appointment. The Emperor of Roycelandia stared at him with a certain amount of irritation, puffing on an el presidente cigar resignedly.

"If you will allow us--that is, Australasia-- to organize peace talks, I'm sure that something acceptable can be worked out. Really, if you agree to allow warships through, you might get a better deal than you thought you would. How does Mauritius sound to you, Your Majesty? I imagine that you could milk that out of them." Spader paused for a moment, taking a cooling breath.

"Just let us organize some kind of meeting-- Australasia isn't neutral, but Britain certainly is, and I imagine that we could sway something in London by which the delegations meet on a British possession or warship for the talks."

Port Royal, Roycelandia

His Majesty took another drag on his El Presidente cigar, and eyed the large Red Button on his desk. Oh, how he longed to push it and reduce all of the Indian subcontinent to radioactive ash. But he didn't. That wouldn't be fair at all.

"I am not an unreasonable man" he explained to Spader, offering him a glass of bourbon.

"The thing is, however, that we've been pushed around by the Soviets for the last- what- 25 years now? Something like that, anyway. There's been no effective change in the operations of the Canal, all civilliian shipping is still permitted- and I don't care if those civilian ships are full of RPGs and AK-47s, frankly- but what I don't want is Soviet warships meddling in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is not in my interests to allow them access to SSA. Now, if they decided to renounce all claims to Goa, and pull completely out of Sub-Saharan Africa, then I'm happy to re-open the Canal to military shipping. Otherwise, they can find out why we still arm our troops with fullbore calibre rifles and handguns."

He took another drag.

"Of course, I'm also happy to attend a Peace Conference, if one can be organised. I can't see it happening, though."

With the cigar now nearly finished, he stubbed it out in his ashtray.

"Oh, Mr. Spader... I'm to understand the Australasian Navy could do with the addition of an Aircraft Carrier. It just so happens that we have a couple rolling off the Assembly Lines even as we speak. We haven't started painting them yet, so I'm sure it wouldn't be any trouble to arrange for one of them to be painted and assigned for the Australasian Navy... a gift from the people of Roycelandia to our cousins and close friends in Australasia, if you will."

Given the Commonwealth's ABM defences and WMD arsenal, it really was in Royce's best interests to keep away from that button. To look at it may make him feel big, but Commonwealthers would be frustrated, such an ego did not make things easy when pursuing non-military resolution.

The Soviet military base on Zanzibar, clearly, is not going to be removed to make-way for Roycelandian imperialism. Namibia is out of Royce's reach. The Canal makes no difference to the Commonwealth's involvement in Sub-Saharan Africa, only to Libya (clearly not south of the Sahara) and to potential conflict or trade with Europe.

Dic Penderyn approaches the southern end of the Canal with the day's northbound convoy, which is -as ever- inclusive of many Soviet merchants (amongst the ships of other nations). Raipur intends to continue delivering payments to Cairo, but has announced that this will stop if any of the receipts are to be given to the Roycelandian government or to Roycelandian companies.

Esteemed Members Soviet,
As you have been made aware, the government of Australasia seeks a diplomatic solution to the Suez Canal Situation. Emperor Royce I has agreed to attend a peace conference organized by said government and moderated by officials of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Newry Island, a neutral party with no direct interest in this dispute. Australasian diplomats will assist in moderation. The peace conference's location is yet to be determined, but will likely be somewhere within the British Isles.

Of course, a representative or group thereof from the Indian Soviet Commonwealth is invited to attend. Without said presence, these talks will be useless, and we strongly urge the Indian Soviet Commonwealth to provide a delegate.

Regards,
Foreign Ministry, Australasia

Port Royal

"Thank you for the offer, Your Majesty," Spader said. "Indeed, we have been exploring possibilities for acquiring an aircraft carrier to replace the Stormhawk. Unfortunately, my military knowledge is spotty, at best. If you would please have someone contact the MoD in Raleigh, I'm sure that something could be worked out." He eyed the Big Red Button nervously, saw Royce's hand twitch towards it.

"Ah, I shall contact you soon regarding peace talks, but I really must be getting back to Raleigh. I expect that the peace talks with the Bourbon powers will shortly consume my time. However, if you do need to speak with me, I am at your service."

Mumbai

Parliament is, not surprisingly, furious. Roycelandia had long been mistrusted by the Unioners, but Parliament none the less tried to deal with Port Royal. For a time, there had even been a joint Indo-Roycelandian border police unit. Clearly that had been something of a major mistake. Long diatribes against Western leaders and diplomats are delivered in Parliament, invariably met by the thunderous applause of over six thousand attendant Parliamentarians and broadcast live over the radio. Effigies are burned in the streets of the capital as Mumbai's nearly twelve million citizens put a decidedly exciting cap on the end of another difficult week at work.

Still, although extremely upset over Roycelandia's epic under-handedness and barbarity, Mumbai is quite aware of the odds now stacked against India. One false move, it seems, and the whole crushing weight of NATO and the Holy League combined will fall on Asia. Parliament can denounce the West and its treachery until the cows come home, but that will not change the fact that the West is brutal and treacherous. And Unioners can, at least in part, blame themselves for not securing NATO's good graces earlier. At one time, Parliament held friendly relations with Quinntonia, and, it seems, that amicable atmosphere had been left to evaporate in the heat of renewed international tension. Diplomacy, taken for granted when it looked as though France was in the direst of straits, should now be taken-up with vigor, thinks a fair few Unioners. Or else an expanded global war stands a good chance of elevating the world's tyrants and despots to positions of power and prominence on the global stage.

That is not to say that Parliament is not determined to be prepared in the event that war does come to the Indian Ocean or Subcontinent. Within the space of hours, Colonel Ramakrishna's infantry regiment is reinforced with the whole of the battle-hardened 25th Division on the border with Goa as crossings are closed and antitank guns moved-up to cover the once busy roads leading north towards Vengurla. BrahMos TELs are driven down the coast road, headed to cover the harbor at Panaji, and if it should come to blows, the INA will be able to sink more or less any potentially hostile warship from the safety of the coastline with them. They head-off III Corps, deploying by rail from Pune to the border with Goa along with the independent 6th Parachute Regiment, its strength drawn from Sovietists living in Gujarat. The pace of construction on the IN's two planned cruisers, Sindhudurg and Derawar, is increased, with changing shifts continuing work around the clock, while Sithin is informed of the need to recall some of the warships deployed to Indonesia for duties closer to home. INS Blake, with its torpedo armament, is considered an especially important asset. Mumbai doesn't want war, and does not rate India's chances of overt victory very high, but if Royce feels the need for a showdown with his long-time rivals than he will get one, and more than what he bargained for no doubt.

At the same time a communique is shot off to Raleigh. Several pages long, it states in typical flowery language that Australasia's association with SEATO, Quinntonia in particular, seems to oblige it to join-in on any military action undertaken against the ISC. If this ever comes to pass, says the communique, the INU will have no choice but to declare war on the Free Colony. This association with SEATO, the communique goes on to state, presents an insurmountable barrier to peace in Asia as a whole, at least for as long as Quinntonia pursues its present course with regards to the Igovian Soviet Commonwealth. Mumbai is not strictly in the habit enticing other peoples to rescind their alliances (except, of course, in the Holy League's case), but the suggestion is certainly there at, should Australasia "seek a course independent of SEATO," Indian resources might readily take-up the slack left by the retraction of Quinntonian aid. There are also many appeals to Australasian officials, asking them to talk sense to their supposed allies.

Meanwhile, Port Royal is sent a very stern communique, warning "serious reprecussions" if Royce did not adopt the manners befitting a civilized head of state post haste. No Unioner is afraid of the Roycelandian soldier, a man perhaps useful for fighting enemies armed with spears and rocks, but, it seems, woefully lacking in experience when it comes to fighting against proper armies. Likewise there is little worry over the Roycelandian navy. When the nation turns-out battleships as though they were torpedo boats, there arises the question of quality.

Arabian Sea

Although Roycelandia might think itself in control of the Suez Canal itself, it is by no means afforded a similar degree of superiority south of the Bab el Mandeb. Roycelandian East Africa might serve as home base for a fair few of Royce's warships, but, of course, the ISC has its base on Zanzibar within striking distance of ports there. In the Arabian Sea and in the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Navy has the bulk of its submarine and corvette force, operating by no means far from their anchorages and under the umbrella of patrol aircraft out of Karachi. News of the de facto Roycelandian takeover of the canal sends most of these vessels to the Bab el Mandeb itself, where doubtless there will soon be a concentration of Igovian ships as well.

And in response to Royce's apparently seamless theft of Egypt's greatest national resource, Parliamentary diplomats are sent to capitals across the Middle East. In Cairo especially, Unioners warn that, as long as the imperial powers hold the canal, they hold a knife to the throat of Egypt. Independence, it is said, might as well never have come, since Royce will be administering the country as a personal fief within the space of years, if not months, if the present state of affairs continues. Mumbai's diplomats also express their surprise over Egypt's seeming inability to look out for her interests in spite of the infrastructure left by the Elian state. Certainly the Egyptian military could, if it set its mind to the task, assert national control over the Canal and break the influence of the foreign holding companies. Jordan is visited, as are Arabia and Yemen, by Parliamentary missions, and to each strongman and emir encountered on the way, the same story is told. History will readily attest that dealings with Roycelandia carry with them the near-certainty of disaster for non-European peoples. A corvette sails to Asmara, home to an IN missile boat detachment, and delivers to the Eritrean president another Parliamentary attache, while at the same time Yak-40s wearing IAF roundels touch down in Addis Ababa and Djibouti. And, of course, an altogether more impressive diplomatic mission arrives in Tunis aboard a Tu-154, escorted by a full squadron of IAF fighters. In the wake of Italy's declaration of war on the continent of Africa, and the promises made to the powers in Rome of dominion over Tunisia following the conflict, the task of swaying Ben Ali towards the leftists' side is not expected to be a difficult one.

Commonwealthers who voted against declaring war on Italy in response to its declaration against the INU (less than 3% of voters either said no or made a point of abstaining) are today obliged to eat their words -where they doubted the probability of the INU standing by the Soviets in a real crisis- or are asked whether they even want world revolution, and eyed with great suspicion.

Mumbai's good nature and high morals are again roundly applauded in South India, which, recovering from a nasty economic shock earlier in the year, is again showing interest in threats to the Union as much as to Soviet interests, and talking about the Islamist issue anew.

A Soviet delegation will indeed attend talks, but there must be some doubt as to what ground there is for them to give. The Soviets don't even like paying Egypt more than it costs to maintain the canal, and as they already do more than that, squeezing more concessions out of Raipur seems unlikely. Especially when more than ninety-four percent of citizens think that Royce should be remanded to a social education facility (and over three percent think that he should be executed).

(The Commonwealth is good with opinion polls, due to its huge direct democracy)

And there are doubts as to who exactly may be found with no interest in a globally important shipping lane.

Raleigh

Mumbai-- through some swift editing of the message destined for 'Bombay'-- is informed that recent military actions in Asia make it impossible for the Free Colony's government to justify leaving SEATO. However, a diplomatic solution is readily sought, and an invitation to the peace talks is extended to the INU. It is made clear that nobody really wants a war in Australasia, having just wrapped up their first in some forty years. The United States and the Empire of Roycelandia do not, it is made clear, represent the wishes or policies of the Free Colony. If war comes, Free Colonial forces will take part, but they will do so with protest.

To say that the Ottomans were incensed would have been the understatement of the ages.

To hear the news, of what Roycelandia had done, brought the peacefully corrupt Parliament to an abrupt halt. Their content existance was rather easily shattered by one bit of news. Not only was the Suez Canal vital to Ottoman ambitions in the region, but for it the be the hands of those crazed colonialists was, well, against everything the Ottoman government [pretended] to stand for. It was all PR, of course, but it was Ottoman PR, and with the rise of the Depkazis in Islamist circles, the Ottomans needed good PR. Not to mention those territorial ambitions that they harbored had yet to bear fruit.

Naturally, the Ottomans would ignore the fact that Roycelandia did not actually own 100% of the canal. It was good to surpress facts that could be, well, disastrous. Thus, as the Ottomans phrased a politely-worded, diplomatic, insult to the government in Port Royal (as well as similar letters to Washington and Cairo), they seemingly ignored the facts to get to the meat of the issue, claiming that "this theft has not gone unnoticed by the powers above" and that "there will be a day of reckoning". Of course, that "day of reckoning" was not mentioned as a date at all, nor did the Ottomans claim that they would be the ones to deliver it. After all, it was all PR.

That was about the strongest the Ottoman language got. Their letters were full of ambigious words and misleading phrases. This was international diplomacy, after all, an arena where it was fashionable to say nothing in many lines. The letters also politely inquired about the state of Ottoman military vessels, and whether they might ("for a small fee, of course!") venture through the Suez, with a guarantee that they would not target the recipients of the letters. There were also expensive question about the state og the Eastern Sinai, and whether the Ottoman government could, buy, rent, or perhaps be given freely those tracts of land.

In Jordan, meanwhile, the government contacted Hashemite loyalists. Despite the fact that living conditions had gotten generally better in Elian Jordan, there were always those who pledged allegiance to a previous regime. The Ottomans were easily the strongest Hashemite-descended peoples (the Sultan being one-eighth Hashemite) and thus, they approached these people with vague mentions of "the plausible rising of a new Hashemite state". These ambassadors often bore "gifts", and the contents of those "gifts" would have been easy to guess.

It was obvious to anyone with two eyes (or even one eye) what the not-so-subtle Ottomans were attempting.

Um, aren't the Ottoman Empire and Roycelandia Allies? That was certainly my impression, in which case you've really got nothing to worry about.

And in other news, the Suez Canal Authority has announced that proposed restrictions on military shipping will be implemented "at a more expedient time", and until then, things will continue to operate as they previously have.

So, Dic Penderyn did pass through the Canal, escorting Liam and several other Indian ships from the southern convoy on to Libya...

But the HAL Dhruv and several motor launches deployed sixty Soviet Marines and GSIC agents -thirty on each bank- a few kilometres south of Port Said, and furnished them with mortars, anti-tank guided missiles, IR and optically guided MANPADS, heavy machineguns, anti-material rifles, landmines, satellite, digital radio, and optical communications equipment, and considerable rations from ships in the convoy, their motor launches also remaining on hand.

The Sovietists began to dig in as commerce continued around them, and Portmeirion declared that it would maintain a presence in the area for so long as the Colonial Guard was in town. Indeed, WIG vehicles already approaching Indian ships in the Mandeb Strait were bringing more personnel and heavier defensive equipment.

No gound-vehicles were yet evident, however, and as the sixty dug-in they did not appear to be much interested in offensive operations.

I think that they would not be allowed. Royce, since we would be closely monitoring them, is there going to be a Roycelandian response? Maybe arrests?

WWJD
Amen.

A Battalion of Colonial Guard, along with two helicopters, are descending upon the Soviet landing troops and ordering them to lay down their arms immediately.

OOC: BG, technically I think that qualifies as an act of war.

A Battalion of Colonial Guard, along with two helicopters, are descending upon the Soviet landing troops and ordering them to lay down their arms immediately.

OOC: BG, technically I think that qualifies as an act of war.

OOC-I think you are right, especially in light of the tension and the clear declarations by the governments holding the canal that they are ready to defend it. You are landing troops, not tourists. I think this is the beginning....

WWJD
Amen.

Raleigh

An urgent protest is sent to Raipur, demanding that the Soviet troops remove themselves from the area south of Port Said with all speed. Raipur is reminded that while the Free Colony would be a reluctant participant in any armed conflict, it would give its wholehearted support to the Roycelandian and Quinntonian efforts in the region. Raipur is reminded in very clear terms that it has made few friends in the Free Colony, and stands to lose whatever respect or political capital it has gained if it starts a world war.

The Soviets are reminded that negotiations would be supported by the Free Colony, and that Raleigh would much rather see a peaceful solution than a military conflict occur. While peace talks with France would shortly consume all of the Free Colony's diplomatic corps, any nation willing to host and moderate the negotiations would find the Free Colony in its debt.

Mediterranean Theatre

Cyprus was a warm, charming place. So when the Second Expeditionary Force was called up and the first tanks and vehicles loaded aboard Ro-Ro transports, they were none too happy to leave. The girls of Cyprus were far more appealing than Soviet guns, but nobody felt much regard for the Indian communists and few amongst the Australasian ranks were actually mutinous. The 2EF was being transferred to Port Said, its division of Victoria AV36, both original and A1, were slated to be amongst the first to arrive.

C-130s flew round-the-clock missions ferrying soldiers from Cyprus to Port Said. While their actual capacity was dwarfed by the amphibious warships that followed behind, the aircraft permitted a few companies of troops to arrive early on and set up a defensive picquet. The Roycelandian authorities in the area were notified that the Australasians would defend Port Said in the event of an attack, and were to be attached to the local Roycelandian units as a supplementary army of nearly 30,000 that would arrive over the course of the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, the Mediterranean Fleet was placed on high alert and transferred to the Suez Canal's northern terminus as a sign of Raleigh's extreme displeasure. They were directed not to fire unless directly attacked. The Soviets were informed of its course, speed and numbers, and the vessels sailed with IFF codes and locater beacons transmitting. Should any Holy League elements still wish a conflict, they would have no difficulty aiming their missiles, nor would the Soviet warships converging on the Suez.

This, of course, was not the object. The Mediterranean Fleet was the single largest Australasian warfleet, nearly forty combat vessels of all sizes. It operated over a hundred state-of-the-art fighters from the decks of two carriers, and could assemble a punishing volley of Tomahawk anti-ship missiles if called upon to do so. The mass-produced Roycelandian battleships were, perhaps, more numerous, but the Australasian fleet was confident that it too held a certain amount of menace in its modern destroyers and cruisers. If the Soviets wanted a war, by God, they would get one.

Why everyone in the world thinks that the Indian Soviet Commonwealth wants war is information beyond the ken of most citizens there of. There haven't been more than a couple of hundred deaths in the Soviet military since the fall of the First Commonwealth, while other nations have killed and lost hundreds of thousands.

Raipur describes its position to the world as the capitalist nations once more mobilise huge forces against the Soviets. Negotiation over the Canal is fine with the Commonwealth. It just won't happen while Royce holds all the cards, and Soviet forces will remain in the area for so long as it takes.

On the ground, Soviet forces indicate that they do not intend to fire first... but that they most certainly will behead anybody who tries to arrest or evict them. And of course both of the helicopters will be shot down within a second of any attempt to fire on the Indians.

The Dwrgi WIG vehicles earlier dispatched will shortly be thundering up the Canal, and they -and obscured submarines- already have the range of many potentially hostile assets thanks to Charioteer, Vanguard, and Mangonel missiles.

Goa remains at the mercy of Roycelandian forces in Egypt, the garrison presumably aware that it will be wiped-out should the Colonial Guard open fire south of Port Said.

Soviet forces still have made no attempt to dislodge Roycelandian forces or to take control of the Canal, and any interference with shipping will come only as a result of responding directly to hostilities, so Raipur's statement assures the world.

Volunteers from the Commonwealth Guard Militia Auxiliary who have so far reported to their Phalansteric arsenals put almost five million men and women ready or mobilising in all branches of the Guard, a fraction of what would likely be the total if people actually believed that a new war was coming.

South of Port Said, Egypt

The Colonial Guard did not like the idea of Soviet troops near the Canal at all, and top level discussions were held in Port Royal, Port Said, and Port Imperial before a plan of action was decided upon.

A Lieutenant, mounted on horseback, approached the Geletians and informed them- politely and civilly- that they were trespassing, and they were formally being asked to leave. Now.

Meanwhile, several more Dreadnoughts- including at least one Kraken-class Dreadnought, and an Aircraft Carrier- had arrived at both ends of the Canal, ostensibly as part of a "Training Exercise", but in reality in preparation for the fertiliser hitting the ventilator, as it were.

The Port Royal Times ran a front-page article with the massive headline FLASHPOINT: SUEZ, and there were rumours that the Defence Reserve might also be called up. Roycelandia was taking the potential war very seriously indeed...

<QUOTE>The Seventh Fleet of course, consists of 5 Carrier Battle Groups, following the Quinntonian tradition for naming them after Biblical figures, with each group containing:

2 Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers (85 aircraft each)
4 Ticonderoga AEGIS Cruisers
6 Arliegh Burke Class-guided missile destroyers
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class
8 Las Angeles Class Attack Submarines
3 Sacramento Class Supply Ships (1 Outfitted as Hospital)

The Seveth Fleet consists of:
5 Carrier Battle Groups, including:
Matthew (Based in Japan- 2 Kitty Hawks)
Luke (Based in Guam- Enterprise, Jesse Obed)
John, Abraham, and King David (Based in Quinntonian Dra-pol-2 Nimitz)
5 Tarawa Amphibious Assault Ships
10 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Class Ships
8 Austin Class Amphibious Assault Docks
1 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Docks
4 Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Harper’s Ferry Class Dock Landing Class Ships
2 Ticonderoga Class AEGIS Cruisers
2 Arliegh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyers
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates
18 Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Subs
4 Seawolf Class Attack Submarines
2 Virginia Class Attack Submarines
2 Kraken Class Super Dreadnaught (Roycelandian Purchase)

Not everything will be committed to this effort, but nearly so, with Carrier Battle Groups Mathew, Luke, John and King David being brought to the fore from their respective starting positions, and meeting just north of the Phillipines prior to entering the South China Sea as a united force. Of course, some units will stay behind, with the Abraham specifically:
5 Tarawa Amphibious Assault Ships
10 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Class Ships
1 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Docks
4 Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Harper’s Ferry Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates<QUOTE>



Pentagon-
PM Vanessa Moerike places her Minister of Defense, Deaconess Rebekah Klages, in command of all the preparations for war. She will be leaving for England to stop one war while her nation prepares for a second one while she is gone.

The Council of Bishops have been meeting for 12-14 hours a day for the least several days, and have indicated that they will be at this for a week or more. They are preparing to have something major to announce in conjunction with PM Moerike when she gets back from her peace conference.

So, Rebekah Klages, a rather rumpled but brilliant amateur Lutheran theologian and military strategist (she wrote her capstone research project for her B.A. on Luther’s doctrine of “Just War.”) dressed in a dark blue business suite-skirt began to make provisions for the upcoming conflict.

“How soon are we going to be able to put our new Littoral Combat Ships and the Zumwalt Class Destroyers to sea?”

An older man, one of the people that engineered the naval blockade of Dra-pol, Admiral Ross Underhill, replied, “We are ready to put 2 Zumwalt Class Detroyers to sea, one into the 2nd Fleet and one into the 7th Fleet, within the next several weeks. There should be four more hulls within six months after that, and production could be upped as we go along. As for the Littorals, they will not be able to be put to sea for at least six months.”

She sighed; this was not what she wanted to hear. “And what about the project to re-commission those ships that we have designated for that purpose?”

The aged Admiral replied, “That, I can give you good news on, though initially we had doubts that we could staff and crew those ships, a recent upsurge in naval combatants that have chosen to extend their term of service, coupled with the Mexicans that are being integrated into our Navy, have allowed us to do so. The Minister can see every hull that we have in storage being brought back into active service within 2-6 weeks, with the first one being the Iowa.”

She smiled at that, it was good to finally have a Quinntonian-built battleship of the line back in the fleet. “Good, now I want you to place all foreign deployments on full alert, as well as the Coast Guard and the Navy in their entirety. We must be ready for anything. And if the Prime Minister is right, the Council may have some help for us in the next couple of weeks as well. Excellent, make sure all of that is done, and begin to stockpile war materials from the commodities market, it is time that we prepared for the worst.”

She then handed him a dossier with Top Secret written on it, “Be sure these orders for the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Fleets are given immediately.”

As she was speaking, in the South China Sea, the elements of the Seventh Fleet were finally meeting up with each other under the Command of Vice Admiral William Hutt. He took direct command of the Luke Carrier Battle Group and raised his flag making the Enterprise the command ship and flagship of the Fleet, the first ever Jesse Obed Class CVN-21 Super Carrier. He stood on the bridge looking out across the ocean with his high powered binoculars; all around him were ships, massive ones, some 8 Fleet Carriers, with a combined total of 132 main warships including the massive submarine support, and something in the neighborhood of 680 F/A-22 Raptors on board those carriers, plus further aircraft attached to other ships. It was awesome to behold. He could not even see the end of the ships in any direction as they fanned out from him, spread out in every direction. He had orders to take this fleet as a group towards Andaman and Nicobar. So far he had not received any order to move further into the Indian Ocean, and sincerely hoped that would not happen, but God help anyone who was going to try and stop them. He picked up his radio, and asked to be patched through to every ship and aircraft in the fleet, into every PA so that every man and woman of the Fleet could hear him:

“Ladies and gentleman, I know that you all wish that you could be spending this time at home, with your families, but we are going to be sailing towards Soviet controlled territory in defense of freedom and our allies, who are facing utter annihilation at the hands of the Godless Soviets. It is our job, duty, responsibility and vocation to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Today, we are putting ourselves in harms way. The Soviets believe in a world that is without God, in a world that is without individualism, without all of the ideals that each and every Quinntonian stands for. That is not why we are going. We do not force people to think like we do. Luther said, “You cannot spread the Gospel at the point of a sword.” That is not what we are trying to do. The Soviets believe that force is the answer to anyone who does not agree with their world-view, they do not believe in live and let live, they want to live and let die! We stand in the breach. If our lives are forfeit to protect the people of Goa and even the world from their aggression, so be it. Your mothers and fathers fought and died with me against Dra-pol, now the Soviets draw us out. Your Prime Minister and your Minister of Defense have stated that it is their firm position that of the Soviets visit harm of the Goans, we will do everything in our power to protect them. This is truly a righteous cause. And it is for this that I pick the theme verse for this Fleet, from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, Chapter 8, verse 31b, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” I ask all of you to begin to pray. This could be the beginning of the most wide-spread conflict since WW3. And it is ours. I praise Most Holy God on this day that I am given you to lead into battle. He has chosen to place me in command of you fine men and women, and for that I am humbled, praise be to God! Now, go about your tasks diligently and joyfully, knowing the peace of the Lord Christ. Amen.”

While all of this was going on, the decision was transmitted to the Fifth Fleet to enter the Suez Canal immediately under the command of Vice Admiral Douglas Hutt, brother of William Hutt of the Seventh and deploy in a defensive pattern in the Gulf of Bahrain with all due haste and use all measures necessary to protect the Quinntonian base there and prepare for Soviet incursions into that area. The entire Fifth Fleet is thus being moved back onto their position:

Fifth Fleet: Middle East, Indian Ocean:
Assets:
1 Carrier Battle Group, including:
Paul (based in Manama, Bahrain- 2 Nimitz)
2 Austin Class Amphibious Assault Docks
2 Ticonderoga Class AEGIS Cruisers
3 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates

The Sixth Fleet, with their Carrier Battle Group still deployed in the Adriatic Sea and under the command of Vice Admiral Andrew Hoffman, is to stay there until such time as conflict breaks out, and may be deployed internally to deal with Soviet threats within the Mediterranean.


Diplomatic overtires are continually made in Raipur, and elsewhere in the Commonwealth, with the large Quinntonian Ambassador Corps. pleading with the people to stop the madness and negotiate without a vitriolic and militaristic stance. They meet with every Soviet Council that will see them and plead with them to pull back and talk without resorting to troops. Especially, they plead with the Soviets to remove the troops landed in Suez and pull back from Goa.

WWJD
Amen.

While Soviet forces in Libya establish a new command and begin to receive reinforcement primarily by air, sending several mechanised brigades and an armoured regiment to the Egyptian border, leaving mostly Libyan forces in the west, Raipur assesses its own maritime build-up with a little less joy than Washington.

One more Chainmail Class cruiser will be fit for service in short order, but with Ood in the South Atlantic bound for West Africa, the second hull is alone amongst a proposed run of twelve in being likely to face any aggression in the Indian Ocean. The battleship Communism may be in increasingly good shape, but work on her sister Anarchism has only just resumed after several weeks of delay during 'the scare'. CS India remains the only ready fleet carrier, and she too is Africa-bound, along with many of the COG's Anunkai Class SSGNs.

The Indian Ocean's sea-lanes are clogged with Soviet Gauntlet and Bodkin Class frigates, Gujarat Class corvettes, Ortiagon Class SSK, and Nibiru Class escort carrier/assault ships, but the larger part of any Soviet engagement of foreign aggressors on the Quinntonian scale will have to occur within range of shore-based Hobgoblin and Kan-gel fighters and Springer attackers.

Not that stealthy Ortiagons aren't lying in the path of the Quinntonians as much as of the Roycelandians, huge capital-torpedoes, mines, and anti-ship missiles ready.

Raipur

The Soviets maintain that conflict is not their aim. It remains difficult to negotiate with people so different to the Commonwealthers. Quinntonians, it seems, do not even grasp the significance of the divisions within the communist world, as Sovietists are far more used to being accused of reckless individualism whenever they have contact with the Armandians. Likewise, many Indians are unsure as to whether or not the Quinntonians really believe the things that their faith professes, and some think it is a gimmick, a tactic of some sort, or a crutch for a man who shan't really be seen for himself until he stands unaided (with another split over whether this man would be pathetic or impressive, which leads in equal measure to contempt and fear).

The Commonwealth is not much afraid to admit that Goa is a side issue, merely a coincidental front whenever conflict with Roycelandia arises. "Much as Moscow put missiles in Cuba..." one Consul to Washington has said, "because your government had them close to Russia, so we put forces on the Goan frontier whenever Roycelandia takes an aggressive posture towards our interests. That is all."

The ISC does not need Goa, but it knows that the outpost is important to the Roycelandian Empire. "Which really ought to think about moving out and replacing United Elias in renting Diego Garcia from the British, instead. Too many capitalists in this Ocean, all dotted about like a rash on an elephant's rump. It's an itch that India will have to scratch, eventually." so says Graeme Igo.

His son declares that Soviet forces are, "only in and around Suez because Roycelandian and now Quinntonian forces are in and around Suez. If the Roiks leave, we'll leave. If the Roiks stay, we'll stay. If the Roiks try to kick us out, we'll take Goa. If you try to stop us, you'll need more than six or seven hundred planes, because we've got twenty thousand."

Port Royal, Roycelandia

"20,000 planes, eh? That's OK. We've got 20,000,000 rounds of Ack-Ack gun ammunition and SAM missiles in Goa alone." There was a round of appreciative laughter from the assembled journalists and newspeople at the press conference. His Majesty was in fine form today.

"The Soviets have, once again, proven their unreasonableness, landing troops in the Suez region, an act of blatant war. We are prepared to defend Goa- which has been sovereign Roycelandian territory for over 460 years- against Soviet Agression. We have no desire for war over Goa, and the Soviets constant threats against the populace there only confirm our belief that the Soviet Geletians would like nothing better than to attack otherwise innocent civillians. This is not the behaviour of a civilised country, and we call upon the international community to denounce Soviet barbarism. Further, we should like to publicly thank our closest Allies, Quinntonia and Australasia, for their invaluable support during this difficult time. It shall not be forgotten."

Suez, Egypt

The assembled Geletian troops were probably expecting to be met by the Colonial Guard, with guns and bayonets and tanks and so on.

Instead, they found several dozen police vehicles, and an impeccably dressed Egyptian sergeant, addressing the assembled Geletian troops over a Loud Hailer.

"The Government of Egypt charges and commands all persons being assembled immediately to disperse and peaceably to depart to their habitations or their lawful business, on pain of being guilty of an offence for which, on conviction, they may be sentenced to a period of imprisonment not exceeding 20 years..."

Curiously, there were also a dozen fire engines, and a small Colonial Guard presence at the outskirts of the proceedings- but it was a predominately Police affair.

There were also a couple of Blackhawk helicopters and a few transport types that were in a holding pattern some miles away, with an ETA of 3 mins at top speed, should things turn ugly for the Roycelandians.

This was in addition to the innocuous closing of the Fifth Fleet as it prepared to enter the Suez, after undergoing the prerequisite inspection by the proper Egyption/Roycelandian authorities and paying their tonnage/military fees. The 3 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates would go down first, all the way through to the other side, to ensure that the Carriers would not be endangered, and they are ordered to use deadly force should they be fired upon. Of course, the present Marines were loaded onto the Frigates in case they should be needed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Hazard_Perry_class_frigate#Ships


WWJD
Amen.

"WHAT IS THIS!"
Rashid was furious.
"Reports that have been backing up for days, sir. Our Egyptian brothers are...how to put this...at the centre of a global power struggle."
His aide Abbas had been through recent reports and found something that they would never have missed, had not the capable officers in the relevant department been administering Baghdad.
"We will tread carefully, but we must act here."
"Of course sir. What do we do?"
"First we talk to our Egyptian brothers. General Zubak commands the 3rd, does he not?"
"Yes sir."
"Good, we were at college together, he may listen to me. We want him to tell Roycelandia that anyone who is not at war with Egypt may freely pass Suez, and if he doesn't like it he can leave now."
"We're not sure General Zubak is in charge in Egypt, sir, or even still in post."
"Get in touch with him anyway. He knows its in their interests."
"Second we make our own stand. On principle the Canal must be open, and while we care not who owns it, we will use all our strength against any attempt to close it to favour any one nation."
"Who do we tell that to?"
"The usual suspects. Roycelandia, Quinntonia, Australasia, Britain, the Holy League, the Soviets, the Indians."
"Anything else sir?"
"Yes. Mobilise...hmmm...basically 1st Corps. Pull any remaining martial law units, prepare for a deployment. Not sure where yet, but it never hurt to be ready. Cancel leave for Air Force air superiority and long range strike assets as well.
Oh, and one more thing, talk to our friends in Jordan. I mean 4th Army, of course. We can at least strike deals for overflight, maybe even basing in the event of a major problem."
"Yes sir."

Of course the Sovietists still refused to stand down, and with their forces arriving in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden -within striking distance of Socotra-, and on the Egyptian-Libyan border, there really didn't seem much need. The Marines -and Sentinels themselves- knew that even if it came down to it and they ended-up in prison, they would be quickly released or GSIC would break them out even if it meant assassinating half the Egyptian state aparatus.

Raipur continues to maintain its line. The Suez isn't going to come suddenly under League-friendly military occupation, end of story.

Goa, Socotra, the US Navy, the Egyptian government, and the entire Holy League will fall before the Soviets back down and abandon Africa to the Euro-American conspiracy.

Suez, Egypt

As the statutory 30 minutes had passed and still the Bedgellen troops were in place, the Egyptian police announced that they were all under arrest for a variety of charges, ranging from immigration offences to weapons offences, failure to obey lawful instructions given by a police officer, and unlawful assembly.

With that, the police moved in to disarm and arrest the Bedgellens.

Meanwhile, Roycelandian military build-up in the area (in fact, everywhere) has increased noticeably, with many people quietly noting they'd never seen so many soldiers, planes, tanks, guns and assorted military equipment in one place.

"Abbas, I have a plan for the Suez. How we can act."
"Very good sir. What is it?"
"Get me Hassan Javed of the FSB."
"Yes sir."
A mere few minutes later, Javed, a non-descript man of between thirty and forty years, appeared.
"Javed, I want you to use some of your men who have experience in Egypt."
"Of course, General."
"They are to instigate riots against these Royceland troublemakers. Make whoever rules in Egypt choose. What chance of success do you have?"
"Quite high sir, we may be able to persuade our Egyptian brothers to turn their backs."
"Good man. Get to it."

###

Over the next hours and days, men began slipping into Egypt. None of them stood out that much from normal traffic. All of them slipped very, very swiftly off the radars of any security assets who watched their arrival.
Well, a few were caught. After a decent pause their extradition to Baghdad was requested, for a variety of crimes they were "fleeing".
And they then began stirring up the people in the souks...tales of Royceland, of Imperialists, of hateful white men. The fuel was there, and there was every chance they would strike flame.

Chinese fleets to pass through Suez Canal?

The two carrier fleets patrolling the North Sea earlier this year to protect the British have now arrived at Egyptian waters and are awaiting permission to pass through the canal zone.

Beijing is very carefully watching the whole situation escalate and President Hu Jin Tao is bluntly put, not impressed with NATO's handling of the situation and Roycelandia's especially. As was in the Phillipines, the neutrality and safety of China's shipping lines was under threat and thus so was national security.

Back home, China navy takes an aggressive stance. Fleets originally ordered to attack Russian targets are kept on standby in case things do happen.

Beijing to take trade dispute to WEC

In the first test of the WEC's constitution and neutrality, Beijing has begun legal proceedings against another WEC member, Port Royal. The proceedings are still at an embryonic stage, mainly lawyers discussing whether China has a case against them. Bosses of Chinese companies were contacted and their stories of how insurance charges had risen three or four-fold since the buildup started were taken as evidence.

The main charge (there were many other smaller ones as well) : "Roycelandia has damaged WEC trade by unneccesarily causing military tension in the Suez Canal."

Official Press Statement

In a statement meant to show Chinese support for Egyptian soveriegnty and self-determination, Hu Jin Tao makes the usual tirades of "Western Imperialism" and appeals for calm. There is also the appeal for neutrality which should bring Beijing onside with the new Mesopotamian nation. Beijing dodges the issue of Goa completely, although China does not renounce a previous agreement to recognise Goa as Soviet territory.

"The decision to barr vessels from a certain country is not for foreign occupying powers to make. The decision lies with the owners and administrators which in this case, belongs with Cairo."

"China re-iterates her commitment to a neutral canal zone - neutral and demilitarised, where international shipping and commerce can take place without the threat of war shadowing them."

"It is my opinion that no foreign troops should not be stationed in Egypt. I also believe that no fair negotiations can take place while one side holds such a military advantage over the other."

"As such, I propose that NATO troop numbers are reduced until they are matched by Soviet troops numbers in the canal area. Then I would like to cordially invite all the world leaders to Guangzhou to discuss this in a neutral setting."

An invitation to Washington

Even while the press statement was being printed, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wen Jia Bao requested bilateral talks between China and the USQ.

OOC- Terror, Royce, I think that we either need someone that is unbiased to play Egypt and decide for them, or no one speaks for them at all. That means that Royce would have to stop using Egyptians to arrest Soviets, and that Terror would have to stop saying that sudden uprisings are occurring. I personally am trying to find a non-AMWer to play Egypt, and thus hopefully stop the arguing, but for the meantime, could we perhaps just focus on a few ground rules for moving forward if we don’t get a Egypt player soon:

1. No one speaks for Egypt, or Egyptians.
2. A thin strip of land on either side of the Suez is currently under Roycelandian control.
3. This control is at Egyptian request, though they may be rethinking it right now.

That would at least allow the RP to continue without resorting to “the Egyptians would OBVIOUSLY do this.” “What! Are you insane, they are my best buddies!” “That doesn’t make sense, clearly they would support.” Etc. Can everyone agree to that?


OK, on that note, BG, how do these ships keep appearing on this border when we are moving ships south through the canal? I am not saying that they aren’t coming, just that we should slow down, it seems like that whole Soviet troops thing hasn’t gone on for more than a few hours, and reinforcements are showing up already. I say we deal with one thing at a time. That kind of means that my ships going through the canal right now would be training their guns on the Soviets as they pass, ensuring that the Quinntonian Carrier Battle Group goes through safely, with a CAP of maybe 80 FA-22s in the air should they be attacked. If that is to be ignored by your troops, fine, I just wanted to make it clear that Fifth Fleet would be sitting at the mouth of the Red Sea in a little while, and observing the Chinese Carrier Fleet crossing though the Suez into the area to protect them from any action designed to force them into combat. And Soviet ships coming towards the Fifth Fleet will be blocked, with Roycelandian ships following the Chinese ones.



IC-The Quinntonian present were very frustrated with the Soviet position in this matter, “Surely they understood that landing troops here would completely stop dialogue, not begin it? They claim to be somewhat literate don’t they?” Vice Admiral Douglas Hutt snapped as he watched the banks of screens on his bridge, hoping against hope that his Blackhawks or his CAP wouldn’t be called to action, or even that his escorts be attacked.

He picked up his binoculars and gazed out over the massive Chinese Fleet that was sailing into holding position among strangely old-style looking Roycelandian ships. He knew they were deadly modern, but why the Roycelandians spent so much money making them look like old Dreadnaughts and Spitfires, he would never understand. He wondered when the last time this are had seen such a strange mix of military prowess and then barked, “Radio the Chinese Fleet Commander, explain that they will be cleared to move through the Suez as soon as is safely possible, as we are concerned right now about Soviet terrorists. Tell him that the Fifth Fleet will personally escort his Fleet through the Suez and out of the Red Sea, and that they can count on us if things turn violent. Also, send him a box of Roycelandian cigars from my private humidor. A gift from one old sea-dog to another. May the Lord bless him and his seamen.”


In Jesus-1, where PM Moerike was currently flying towards London to mediate over peace-talks between the so-called Anglo powers and the Holy League, she received the invitation to bilateral talks. She immediately agreed, sent a personal e-mail that asked if she should host or would they prefer to do so? She would be very much willing to fly to Beijing, but she has a few stops to make on the way there, as she is doing many state visits. Of course, her Foreign Affairs Minister could be dispatched immediately.


In Bahrain, at the Quinntonian Naval Base, Quinntonian military planes were darkening the sky as they flew into the troubles region, the commander of the base had already placed the 20,000 Marines that were stationed there on high alert, and was attempting to contact whomever was in command in the tiny ex-UE nation to ask if they needed any assistance.

WWJD
Amen.

Austria is rather taken off guard by Roycelandia in all this, wishing it thought of buying up the Suez first, and the way which Roycelandia has started a confligeration of chest pounding and metallic sounds of guns being loaded. While it is obvious it wasn't their intention to get in the way of Austrian imports and exports, that is what has happened.

To get the precious supply and demand ships through the canal without out any more delay, Austria opens up for any peace talks. Understanding the offer will stay afloat many days before being accepted, at least it shows that the Austrian government is on the ball (somewhat).

Thud... pop... thud... pop...

Infantry mortars burst smoke over and amongst the police. A soldier released a few bursts of 6.5mm rifle fire into the air. Another step closer and warhorns sounded as several Marines stood up, bare chested, and raised swords and rifles in a way clearly not indicative of surrender.

"By the authority of the Final Soviet of the Indian Commonwealth, we forewarn all present and the authorities with which they lay association: the Suez Canal is under temporary occupation by the forces of Roycelandia and Free India. The Soviet Marines do not leave until the Colonial Guard leaves!"

Another burst of rifle fire directed at nobody in particular.

Terror, which AMW nation are you again? We seem to go through players rather quickly, so I'm having trouble recalling.

Quinn, as I understand it, the Soviet troops have landed near the Suez Canal, which is currently Roycelandian controlled... meaning it's not unreasonable for the SCA to have the Soviets arrested. Besides, I'm trying to do something original here, instead of just resorting to shooting straight off the bat. So I don't think it's fair to not allow the use of Egyptian police to arrest the Soviets, as it's an entirely different kettle of fish to whatever it is that Terror Incognita is up to.

IC: Meanwhile, Port Royal has assured China that their fleets may pass through the Suez Canal, and has also politely suggested they drop this WEC suit silliness, pointing out that the only reason there's military activity in the region is because the Soviets are being unreasonable, and that they should really be suing Raipur instead. Besides, Australasia and Quinntonia are also on the BoD for the SCA, and they have troops in the region as well. If the Soviets packed up and went home, so would everyone else.

Suez

"Turn the hoses on them!"

The Fire Engines turned their powerful hoses on the Bedgellens, as the police moved in and began arrests...

OOC-I understand, and I really , realy commend your patience and your trying to use non-lethal tactics to resolve this situation. But perhap when the gunfire starts there and so on, the Egyptian police could retreat and allow the Imperial Gaurd to take over. But, if the Soviets want to open fire on the Egyptians, that sure works in our favour.

Oh yeah, shoot the dummy with the bare chest. Twice. Something high-powered. I am sick of this shit.

WWJD
Amen.

"...If you want them back, tell them to play nice!"

A Sovietists shout to the few Egyptian police who aren't currently tied-up or dead in Soviet trenches after a totally ridiculous attempt to disarm men who can -as demonstrated- easily kill them with their bare hands. You don't fight a Gelert Sentinel unless you're at least intercontinental champion of some martial art or other.

(I'm being kicked out of the internet cafe, but, needless to say, the Soviet position remains the same, boosted even by Chinese involvement and our formative talks with Baghdad.)

OOC-I just want to piont out that he has started killing people, I just want that shown for the resord, Royce, the imperialist, did everything short of give them icecream to stop the violence, just so everyone is clear. And naturally, this is all captured by QNN news cameras.

WWJD
Amen.

OOC: Shit? I'm quite enjoying this, this is perhaps one of the few RPs in NS that don't degenerate into anonymous shooting wars involving "Four squadrons of planes launch their BVRAAM missiles" or something to that effect.

Anyway, we really need an Egyptian player. I've heard that Spizania was looking around, perhaps we can offer him Egypt for the time being so he gets some practice in the "stand-off" type RPs?

IC:

The Chinese fleet passes without incident and the captains exchange gifts, although a few miles clear into international waters, the fleet slows down almost completely. It is apparent that the captain is awaiting orders from Beijing as to what to do next. With the digital age and integrated reporters now universal, Hu Jin Tao is reasonably annoyed at the latest turn of events while watching the fistfights between Egyptian and Soviet soldiers and the resulting hosing down.

Elsewhere in the financial world, government-controlled shipping hypercorporation Hutchison Whampoa has begun sending out feelers to shipping and port companies in Mesopotamia, Quintonnia, Roycelandia (those companies excluded from the government-backed canal bid), and the Soviet Commonwealth regarding the possibility of a joint-venture to outbid the Roycelandian consortium and win international and Egyptian backing to administer the canal.

(Just a quick note - the WEC lawsuit is nowhere near "lawsuit" stage, it's just a couple of lawyers deciding whether it would make a case.)

Soviet forces in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden being quite well established -this is the fringe of the Indian Ocean, the Soviet lake, and the crisis began when Roycelandia began to send forces to Egypt... if Raipur wanted it could have sent full forces days before the Quinntonians and Chinese, and as usual gets no credit for holding-off relative to the capitalist and imperialist powers- Raipur is forced to send more ships into the canal at the tail of the day's south-north convoy, after the Quinntonians with the last north-south convoy have reached their destination or passed out of the canal. A Nibiru Class light assault carrier will relieve the assaulted Soviets, and warn the Egyptians to stop bending to a Roycelandian attempt to drag them into war with the Soviet Commonwealth and its miriad allies, bearing in mind the presence of multi-divisional Soviet forces within shooting range of As Sallum.

(Unless of course the canal has degenerated into total chaos within days of the multi-national take-over and the convoys are no longer in place, in which case the sovietists will probably just walk up the bridge of hopelessly stuck international ships.)

The world's news media- The Roycelandian Broadcasting Corporation, CNN in Quinntonia, Canale Internationale in France, ABC in Australasia, and many others- recorded the attempts by the Egyptian police to arrest the Soviets, and the carnage resulting thereof.

Indeed, even as the newscrews were struggling for the best views and the reporters were trying to explain what had happened, an authorative voice called out over the sand dunes.

"FRONT RANK, PRESENT ARMS... VOLLEY FIRE!"

A volley of rifle-fire erupted from the dunes facing the Geletian positions, a fusilade of .303 bullets being launched at the Soviets.

FRONT RANK, RELOAD... SECOND RANK, VOLLEY FIRE! called the voice- belonging to a captain of the Colonial Guard.

The assembled newscrews were treated to a broadcast-perfect demonstration of the effectiveness of volleys of rifle fire from Roycelandian troops, their bayonets glinting in the sun and the sound of gunfire echoing throughout the desert. 200 men- one company alone- were firing, but with the effective firepower of ten times that many troops

Throughout the Imperial Navy, the Communication Rooms on every Naval ship came alive as a series of messages came though, encrypted so heavily that the Captain of the ship him or her self was the only one with the authority to decode the message. The code itself was eerily appropriate:

The Clay Pigeon has been launched.

Meanwhile, at Imperial Air Force bases throughout the Empire, a klaxon began wailing, and pilots and aircrews began to scramble. At least three squadrons of Lancaster II bombers were airborne from Socotra, Port Sudan, and Wadi Haifa alone, having already been made ready some hours earlier.

The Imperial and Colonial Guard were on full alert, of course, and several thousand kilometres away, in London, His Majesty answered his cellphone, having an urgent, low conversation with the person on the other end, before standing up at the table.

"Ladies and Gentlemen" he said, addressing the other attendees at the conference. "The Soviet troops unlawfully landing in Egypt, near the Suez, have violently resisted arrest by the Egyptian police force, killing several police officers as well as attacking support units- including the fire brigade and ambulance crews- with smoke grenades and small arms fire. This is a blatant act of hostility towards the Egyptian state, and further represents a direct and material threat to the Suez Canal. Accordingly, I have authorised the Imperial Defence Forces, under the command of Commander Edmund Blackadder, to take whatever steps- military or otherwise- are necessary to eliminate this threat, and the preserve the security of both the Egyptian state and the Suez Canal."

He paused for a second.

"Further", continued His Majesty, "It is both tragic and fitting that the victims of this outrage were members of the Egyptian Police, and despite an unenviable task, they did their duty to their utmost, serving their community to the end. A toast... Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Egyptian Police!"

With that, His Majesty raised his glass of bourbon, followed immediately by several other members of the Roycelandian delegation.

"They're forming up, Captain."

No need for exclamation, the Marines had chosen their position with help from the helicopter that brought some of them ashore, and they had their assorted observation equipment, inclusive of the man-portable UAVs that had been in Soviet service since the early 2000s... little more than radio controlled toys with cameras in them, made largely of paper and plastic.

The moment that the Roycelandians raised their arms in the well-known and predictable manner, a 6.5mm machinegun swept up their ranks for a second at most, spitting perhaps a dozen rounds before its crew joined the rest of the sixty in hitting the deck. The static Roycelandians were then hit from the mortar pit, a laser-guided round landing square in the middle of their ranks and bursting open, tossing bombletts through the imperialists.

Most Geletians remained prone behind their earthworks.

Another, much reduced volley, and away with another mortar bomb.

And again. And then the shields went up, the 11mm sniper-rifles and 6.5mm machineguns opened up, and, rifle grenades flying ahead, three carnyx sounding, twenty Geletians charged the ridiculous enemy, swords drawn, snipers watching the flanks and guided thermobaric-effect missiles now broken-out to obliterate any attempt to move-in more infantry.

Sumpit MANPADS made sure no helicopters or low-flying planes remained within seven kilometres of the scene.

In the Gulf of Aden, Soviet warships watched the lifting-off of Roycelandian bombers and acquired missile locks, holding fire until their intentions were clear. Satellite information meant that the preparation of the bombers was known, and surface-to-air defences were at the ready.

So far, Goa was still... Goa, but for how long the Soviets would hold-off on taking it probably depended on for how long the Lancasters gave no cause to be shot down.

Deadly accurate 25pdr shells would also be landing in the Geletian ranks, along with fired rifle grenades from one of the other companies.

Several Colonial Guard fell back as the first burst of MG fire swept the position, hit by 6.5mm bullets. Others took cover behind the mealie bags they were using as shelter, and a couple just threw themselves into the dirt, trying to avoid the bullets. All were grateful for the body armour that was standard issue to all Imperial soldiers nowadays.

.303 Vickers guns- previously concealed- opened up on the Geletian soldiers, and the twenty warriors attempting to charge the Roycelandians would have been cut down in a matter of seconds in a volley of .303 and .455 bullets from a variety of different angles.

Rockets also screamed into the fray, exploding ferociously at the Geletians, as Colonial Guard snipers picked off the Soviet Snipers to prevent them from doing the same to Roycelandian forces.

Sentry Guns- machine guns programmed to fire automatically and remotely- also opened up on the Soviets, and, without warning, a trio of IAe Spitfire aircraft roared over the dunes- no more than 8 or 9 feet above the surface- and unleashed a deadly hail of 20mm cannon fire and napalm rockets onto the Soviets, breaking off in a "bomb-burst" formation and deploying ECMS left, right, and centre to avoid Soviet MANPAD defences.

Shotguns would also be blasting the observation drones from the air, and tanks and Armoured Personnel Carriers were also converging on the area.

In short, it was a spectacular battle, and one that was being caught entirely on broadcast TV, being relayed around the world in real time, as it happened.

Gulf of Suez

"I have the beast in my sights, Miss Moneypenny" said the Periscope Operator on the IRNS Orca, one of the many submarines in the area- along with almost the entire Roycelandian Arab Fleet. If the Soviets fired on the Lancasters, the Submarines would fire on the Soviets. And if the Soviets had bought their own submarines, that eventuality was taken care of as well...

"What in the name of all things holy is happening down there?"
"Well it looks like a shooting war in Suez, sir."
"They might keep it from escalating, Inshallah."
"Can't rely on that though sir."
"Damnably you're right, Abbas. We need to plan for the worst. What do we do in the case of a general war between NATO and the Soviets?"
"Well, we can take sides, or act opportunistically."
"Hang fire for now. Just call up reserves, cancel leave in the Armed Forces, and prepare for the worst."

OOC: I'm Mesopotamia, i.e. Iraq and Kuwait.

OOC-Oh, BG, you wanted, obviously, now it has come to this, well, let's do it. FYI, let's be clear, you posted that there was what, 60 men there, right? And the Quinntonian Fifth Fleet is blocking any further Soviet ships from coming near the canal. So, you aren't reinforcing anything until you open fire on my Carrier Battle Groups.

Also, let's remember that the Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, and is one of the largest Naval and Air Force Bases under Quinntonian control. Also, I have another Naval/Air base in Southern Italy, not to mention Ramstien, the largest Quinntonian Air Force Base in the world. I don't have to fly around the world to get there, I am right there.

Unfortunatley, I don't have time to post that much right now, but rest assured that there wasa full CAP of some 80 F-22s and the moment the fighting started, the rest would be launched, as well as support from my Italian and German bases and Bahrain. And the 7th Fleet would be arriving in Andoman and Nicobar right now, wouldn't they?

WWJD
Amen.

OOC: Where is the Fifth Fleet, exactly? We have had ships in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and approaches to the Suez for days, certainly since the Roiks started sending in troops. Are you blocking the daily convoys that move through the Suez in alternate directions? Multi-national convoys amongst which Soviet warships routinely travel, and still do? You'd pretty much have to either attack or stop the convoys carrying several percent of the world's seaborne trade in order to get the Soviets out of them, hey?

The Marines who charged under cover of their comrades were glad of it when the rest of the Roycelandians exposed themselves to thermobaric missiles and 84mm mortar bombs, and more glad of their infamous shields which bore the brunt of .303 fire at least.

The situation was obviously hopeless given the odds, but the carnage displayed to the world would be weighted against the more numerous imperialist forces. Forces attempting to fire on the flanks of the charge had to do so while taking fire from the mortar pit, missiles, snipers and machineguns of the Soviet position, and the flattening of an enemy who stood in ranks to be bombed would be more or less completed by the blade, but there was no coming back for those twenty once artillery began to fall on their static comrades. Without cover for a return to their position, the survivors of the charge spent their last seconds hacking at the survivors of the Roycelandian company that began the contact and had surely borne the bulk of the battle's casualties.

Automatic sentry guns didn't greatly worry the Sovietists who couldn't see them being terribly practical or reliable, and the Spitfire attack seemed too low to have given the pilots much chance to pick targets or to dip the nose to actually fire at them... and the countermeasures were absolutely useless against the optically guided missile that flew after one of the trio as it banked away, begging to be killed, but the immobile Indians had no answer to the relatively light artillery and the rocketry falling upon them. If the Roiks had brought field guns to the job of Canal security, the position of sixty foot infantry on its banks was clearly unsound.

The only problem was getting a Soviet Marine or Gelert Sentinel to surrender. The position kept on giving fire for an incredible length of time as shells landed amongst its defenders who even kept fighting long enough to see armour arriving and have a crack at it with a Totem-3T guided missile, but the operators of the missile post were felled shortly after by heavy sniper rounds.

Presently, only the mortar pit remained in operation, the two man crew exhausting themselves in launching a bomb every few seconds for several grueling minutes before one was killed and the other wounded by a 25pdr's near-miss.

The wounded man, Cpl.Bejawada Reddy, managed to deliver two further rounds alone before finding himself without the strength to continue. Crawling painfully from the pit he surmised that all of the other officers were dead or incapacitated, and elected to raise a white flag for the sake of his injured comrades. The Marines' medic was dead, apparently the only one who managed to get hit by the Spits' attack, and the GSIC doctor was conspicuous by his absence.

In fact, as the Roycelandians surveyed the scene, they would find thirty-two dead and twenty-five wounded Sovietists (including only four who were not badly injured). And that's all. Seven of the men, six of whom were dead and one critical, wore no dogtags or rank insignia, and their kit bags would be found burned almost beyond any recognition.

Three individuals were absent when Reddy indicated the position's surrender.

Soviet State of Karnataka

Outrage spread quickly through the Commonwealth as citizens watched coverage of the Suez battle over foreign media sources. Roycelandia had moved fighters, tanks, and artillery into Egypt as well as infantry... the Soviets felt entirely vindicated in their initial outcry over the situation, and Roycelandian imperialism and aggression was in no doubt.

The CGEC -the army- did nothing but continue preparations and accelerate planning in the moments after the battle, but even while it was raging, pictures beamed into phalansteries, tens of thousands of citizens dragged their elected masters-at-arms to the phalansteric weapons lockers and ordered them broken open. While Cpl.Reddy was heaving the last mortar bomb into the tube ex-CGEC 100mm guns began firing on Roycelandian border positions at Goa before displacing and being moved under power of tractors and animals to new firing positions, worked-out in local Soviet meetings long ago.

The firings were not uniform, some communities near the border choosing to shoot and others not -though all were arming themselves- and in some places there was sniper fire directed at border guards from cover established on the Soviet side of the border during the last tensions.

This was the closest Goa had come to being invaded, with private citizens actually taking pot-shots at the Roycelandians and the military teetering on the brink, likely to go either way on the issue.

Suez

The quiet after the battle was eerie, and the smoke rising from the battlefield gave an otherworldly atmosphere

The armour that had been used in the fray consisisted of two "Scorpion" Combat Troop Carriers (very similar to the RL Bradley AFV), one of which had been knocked out by a Soviet rocket and lay burning on the side of a dune.

The other CTC had provided cover for the Colonial Guard, absorbing several hits from grenades and small-arms fire, and generally looking worse for wear.

Spitfires were sturdy planes, but a MANPAD rocket had taken the tail clean off one. The pilot had done a commendable job of ditching in the canal, and was soon clambering- completely soaked, but otherwise none the worse for wear- up the banks of the canal to a nice hot cup of coffee and a quick medical check-up, before it was back to the airbase for a round of free drinks with the other two pilots.

The Colonial Guard themselves had taken losses as well- eighteen dead, two dozen wounded, at least six critically. Several of the Colonial Guardsmen- some of them injured, but still alive- had even taken down Geletians after charging them with bayonets.

There was a stunned silence when the Geletians surrendered. Cautiously, several Colonial Guard advanced- bayonets fixed- followed by a trio of field medics, and some more police officers, unsurprisingly heavily armed given the last attempt to arrest the soldiers.

Indeed, there was a quick discussion between the Captain of the Colonial Guard, and the Sergeant from the local Egyptian police, whereupon it was decided that the Egyptian Police should take custody of the prisoners so that they might receive fair trials for the criminal offences they had commited- as no state of war formally existed between Roycelandian and Beth Gellert, they could not be taken as POWs at this time.

Interestingly, however, the four most senior surviving Geletians (including the one with no dogtags) were bailed almost immediately from the central police station in Suez. Rather than being released, however, they were rapidly hustled into Land Rover 4WD vehicles with tinted windows by a group of men wearing sunglasses and dark suits, which then vanished off into the traffic.

Meanwhile, Roycelandian intelligence specialists- flown in from Port Imperial- were analysing what remained at the scene...

The whole spectacle had been caught on camera by several newscrews, and the Suez Canal Authority had issued a statement praising the work of the Egyptian Police and the Colonial Guard, along with the fortuitous presence of the 577th Colonial Artillery Battery and 450 Squadron of the Imperial Air Force, both of whom were conducting training exercises in the area at the time.

Goa

"Fire in Self-Defence only!" Commanded the Officer In Charge as he fielded several calls from border positions. Most of the border posts were well protected against artillery and rocket fire, but there were casualties from the shelling, as well as reports of the Colonial Guard firing back with both small arms and RPG launchers at Soviets who took pot-shots at them. Those who did not attempt to shoot at the Roycelandians would not be shot at themselves, it was let known. In all other respects, the colonial outpost was on full alert, as were all military bases throughout the Empire.

The Suez Canal remained open, with civillian traffic continuing through as normal, but there were a lot of Imperial, Quinntonian, and Australasian ships at either end of the Canal now- as well as patrolling the Mediterranean, Red, and Arabian seas...

I a right at the mouth of the canal. The landing docks had disgorged their contents onto both sides of the canal opening at the beginning of hostilities, and were now quickly hurrying into the canal to take up a more safe position on the other side.

The 3 Oliver Perry Class Frigates would be doing the job of physically blocking the canal opening, and would be stopping Soviet shipping of all types at this point, understanding that there was no realistic line between military and citizen, and thus assuming that all Soviet shipping is of a military nature. They are currently asking the Soviet ships to submit to searching by Quinntonian or Egyptian authorities, but did not expect them to comply based upon the actions of their compatriots. The convoys would be allowed through, and no doubt were after they had removed themselves from the Soviet ships.

The rest of the Fifth was spread in formation at the mouth of the Aden, with the Carrier Battle Group Paul taking extreme antisubmarine measures with its CAP, attack submarines, and its escorts. There was no need seen for moving further into the Red Sea, as the Quinntonian weapons could strike well into the Indian Ocean.

The Pentagon issues orders before the ill-fated last charge even begins that the Sixth Fleet is ordered to remove itself from itself from the Adriatic Sea post-haste and make its way to the mouth of the Suez to support the Fifth.

WWJD
Amen.

Soviet warships, submarines, and UAVs continue to patrol the same waters as the Quinntonian Fifth Fleet, most of them having arrived in the area first, but the situation becomes suddenly more tense when US forces halt the day's south-north convoy and attempt somehow to block the passage of Commonwealth vessels... which of course stay in formation within the convoy and refuse to extract themselves. The whole convoy may have to wait unless the Quinntonians can physically pick-up ships and fly them out of the water.

Attempts by Quinntonian forces to push their ships between Soviet and other vessels in the convoy cause out-right uproar, with horns blasting and curses being thrown vocally and electronically.

The Gujarat Class corvette El Aaiún moved to pass into the Canal, forcing Quinntonia's frigates to physically block the way... the corvette's captain ordered his vessel to remain forward and take any opportunity to force the blockade. The US frigates could now either part and let the El Aaiún through or remain as a physical barrier to all international shipping in both directions.

And so the world economy takes another hit for the glorious Roycelandian occupation of the canal zone.

"Dosta!" Enough! Marshal Lav attempts to call time on he NATO-Soviet conflict, which threatens to destroy the world's economy and countless lives.

Lav insists that world leaders and diplomats meet in Petrovaradin, Novi Sad, to resolve key issues causing violence and hardship.

"All economies, not just NATO and Soviet, are being harmed by the Suez crisis, and as guardian of Yugoslav interests I can not permit this to continue. Either the matter must be settled by you, at the table, or by me, at the point of an M80's bayonet. You will come to Novi Sad, or I will come to Egypt through Libya, and will not expect to be nearly alone in doing so. Urgent action is required to prevent the worse of these alternatives."

Lav went on to give his estimates of the devestation that would follow Soviet-NATO conflict, predicting the destruction of the Soviet blue-water fleet to follow the obliteration of the US base on Andaman and Nicobar, the Roycelandian colony of Socotra, and likely Diego Garcia. Goa will fall, and the eventual loss of Soviet heavy equipment will only lead to the over-running of Guyana and likely the Panama Canal zone, let alone Suez, by countless communist and anarchist fighters, and one can only imagine what will happen to Roycelandian East Africa, Egypt, and Libya, but it will certainly involve the biggest battles in Africa since the Second World War. In any event, the global marketplace will certainly be ruined.

There will be diplomatic resolution or the former Time Man of the Year will get mad and throw a few hundred thousand troops and a call to the non-aligned world into the picture on nobody's side but their own.

The Chinese quietly agreed with Lav on the issue - the Roycelandian management of the canal had been utterly disastrous. Port Royal considered the canal as an extension of her foreign policy, and this was an unacceptable attitude towards a major international waterway which carried the traffic of dozens of countries, Hu thought. Roycelandia's attempt to force her foreign policy on canal traffic had provoked the entire incident, and President Hu Jin Tao could not tolerate their continued poor management.

The ROCA wasn't standing still either - it was rumoured that the Chinese intelligience service was preparing plans to overthrow the current Egyptian regime with a more workable one. That was a sign of how seriously the Chinese took the issue to be.

Of course, China didn't want to offend her main trading partners Quintonnia and Japan, and would bring the issue up with Washington in the bilateral meeting with Moerike before releasing a public statement.

"What part of "There is no change to the daily operations of the Canal" are you people having trouble with?" His Majesty has stated at a press conference in London.

"We do not regard the Suez Canal as an extension of our own foreign policy. The Suez Canal Authority had proposed- and I cannot stress enough that this was all only at the proposal stage- that the Canal be closed to certain military vessels in light of the global situation. This proposal was based on advice given to them by a consultancy firm, and was based on a number of projections, both economic and political. As it was discovered this proposal was unworkable, and would lead to undesireable consequences, it was not, and will not, be implemented."

"However", continued His Majesty, "The Soviets, acting upon leaked information, have taken upon themselves to invade the Suez Canal, which only reaffirms the joint Roycelandian/Quinntonian/Australasian management of the Canal- the three most Democratic Nations on Earth, it must be stressed- must continue, lest the most important waterway in the world fall into Soviet hands."

"Indeed, I should like to take this opportunity to publicly state that the Roycelandian contribution to the Canal's security consists of the following:

*800 Colonial Guard, comprising four Companies in three Battalions- Two Engineering Battallions, and one Defence Battallion.

*Three Field Gun Batteries, consisting of One 25pdr Field Gun Battery, One 120mm Anti-Tank Gun Battery, and One Mixed Battery comprising both Field Guns and Anti-Tank Guns of various sizes and calibres

*Six- Sorry, now Five- Armoured Combat Transport vehicles, also used as Field Ambulances and Scout Cars

*One flight of IAe Spitfire and Harrier Jump Jets, One Flight of CH-42 Bedouin transport helicopters, and one flight of Sunderland Flying Boats

*Two Dreadnoughts, Two Frigates, and Half a dozen smaller patrol boats

This is hardly an occupation force, ladies and gentlemen- but the Suez is in a delicate area, and as this latest incursion shows, it needs to be protected against the Soviet threat. Thank you".

Mesopotamia implores all parties to halt this lunacy immediately.

Royceland kicked off this crisis by threatening to close the canal to military vessels. That right rests only with Egypt, as the site of the Canal itself.

The Soviets have worsened the situation by attempting to force an impossible resolution militarily.

If all combat ceases in the Canal Zone, and all parties other than Egypt withdraw their troops from the Canal Zone, a settlement can be negotiated. Mesopotamia would be fully supportive of this.

Raleigh

"They didn't!" Strathairn stared at the digital readouts in the Situation Room below the Hall of Parliament, watching with mounting horror as the Roik-Soviet bloody-mindedness transformed a minor diplomatic incident into a shooting war. He stood, arms crossed, nibbling his lower lip in thought. The Mediterranean Fleet was within striking distance, as was the First Expeditionary Force. The First Forward Command could perform strike missions along the length of the Canal. In effect, a full third of Australasia's armed forces were either on site or en route, and the garrison at Port Said was about to become the largest in the region.

The generals were looking at him, Strathairn realized. They all had a sort of blank, unhappy look on their faces. Nobody wanted a war. Royce didn't want one, war was bad for business. The Soviets probably didn't want one, but who could tell? Even Gallup avoided the ISC, the Soviets were prone to change like fire was prone to heat.

"I suppose I'll have to make a statement, then," he said ruminatively. The generals looked nonplussed. They'd no doubt expected something more exciting. "Not as if there's more to be done besides start firing missiles," the Prime Minister said. "And I really don't want to do that." The generals looked at him some more, and then he left.

Raleigh, some time later

"... in light of recent events, the Free Colony of Australasia is bound by treaty and law to support the NATO joint-venture in the Suez. Furthermore, it seems evident from eyewitness reports, intelligence sources and, I might add, the daily news, that the Soviet militiamen began the conflict. The Soviet Commonwealth's right to navigation is not opposed, has never been opposed and will not be opposed unless further hostile actions take place.

"The Soviet Commonwealth must, however, cease immediately its attack upon the Goa, which seems to have been sparked not by Roycelandian aggression but by threescore overeager militia fighters and some policemen with firehoses. If this is to be the pretext for war between the NATO powers and the Soviet Commonwealth, so be it. But this is such a pretext, it is a sad day for humankind.

"I call upon the Quinntonian government to recall the example set by their Prime Minister Kennedy, when faced with a far more dire situation than this. Kennedy's solution was not military, although he had great powers at his disposal. His solution was peaceful, accomplished through negotiation with other powers rather than with carrier fleets. Kennedy was a great man who faced a great test. He was followed by other great men, who faced other great tests. This is Prime Minister Moerike's test, and it remains to be seen whether she will be a Kennedy or a Lyndon Johnson. I call upon her to be a Kennedy.

"Lastly, the position of my government is as follows: All measures will be taken to avert an armed conflict that will cost trillions of pounds and priceless human lives. The Free Colony does not want a war, and desires to take no part in this one. However, we are legally bound to come to the aid of Roycelandia and the United States, and the Free Colony honours its laws. If provoked, we will fight as we always fight: with determination. I know that the armed forces of the Free Colony, though tired of war, will not shirk from their duties. But the governments of this world have an opportunity to avoid forcing our young men and women to fight a war that they do not want. I take this opportunity, and extend it to Moerike, Royce and the Soviet Commonwealth's chosen representative. I have been in contact with the British government, and despite the immense strain of hosting a peace conference in London, they have dispatched an emissary who is willing to hold talks aboard HMS Courageous. My government will be in contact with the other parties, and I shall endeavor to keep the public updated.

"That will be all."

"Um, sir, what do we do if this does descend to shooting war?"
"Get me out the Studies Assumption Group findings for Suez, Abbas. Obviously this was never entirely anticipated, but something close to it must have been."
"Yes sir."
After a brief perusal of the SAGs it was discovered that the Elian military had never truly anticipated a crisis over the Suez.
"I thought we had anticipated everything, Abbas. I thought that for every eventuality we had contingency plans."
"Apparently not sir."
"Right well, we hold off for a bit. We need to be ready to deal with both Syria and Egypt, potentially."
"If we have to deal with Syria, what is the plan?"
"Invade with overwhelming force, and aim to force the present government to recognise our rights; failing that re-establish a puppet-state; failing that occupy the lot."
"And then what for Egypt?"
"Keep calling for peaceful negotiation. If that fails, we drive all the way to Egypt through Jordan and occupy the Canal Zone until a suitable Egyptian government is instated."
"Can we do that while occupying Syria sir?"
"Certainly not. That is the risk; that is why at least one of the two situations must resolve well."
"I see, sir."
And Abbas did see. It was bold to the point of lunacy, but if it worked...and the plan would only be executed in its entirety if the Suez crisis escalated to full-blown war, and the Syrians were intransigent.

It would become public quite soon that the Quinntonian members of the board, using their 20% control were voting for a total closing of the Suez to all Soviet shipping of any kind, due to their terrorist activities.

The Lieutenant Commander of the Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate USS McInerney that was currently physically blocking the canal opening, Lt. Cmdr. Terry Biss, was sweating like crazy, he just didn’t know what the Soviets were willing to do, and even with support, he knew that his ship would be the first target.

As the Fifth Fleet, with heavy air support, were attempting to bring some order to this Soviet inspired chaos, suddenly a Gujarat Class corvette , the El Aaiún started to charge the Frigate’s position. Lt. Comdr. Biss sprang into action, he was green, but he knew his ship well, and had his radio-man order the ship to stand aside. Right now the orders of the Vice-Admiral was to block the Soviets until they obeyed the orders to allow searches, and under no circumstances to allow military vessels of the Soviet Commonwealth to enter into the area. While his communications officer chattered away on open channels, those orders were then repeated by Vice-Admiral Douglas Hutt, who not only ordered the corvette to stand down, but added the threat that if the USS McInerney was to come to harm, the Quinntonian Naval Command would consider that a military action and engage in a measured response. Biss then went on to order his bridge crew to sound the alert and have everyone man battle stations. With that, he engaged his formidable weapons systems and locked onto the incoming ship, with the SH-60 Seahawks ordered into the air for anti-submarine action, should they be required, and ordered the “one armed bandit” to action station. The harpoon anti-shipping missile locked onto the incoming ship as the 76mm main gun moved to position, aiming at its bridge. The Phalanx systems and the torpedoes were ready at any time, but were saved in reserve in case something should develop. The communications officer one by one listed the actions that were being taken, and radioed them t the incoming ship, as all over the Fifth and the Sixth Fleets the CAP was increased to include everything to air and moved into position.

It is at that time that Vice-Admiral Douglas Hutt radioed the USS McInerney and ordered them to only fire if fired upon, that order rang out among the fleet as well. If the USS McInerney was rammed or fired upon, the corvette would be dealt with. If not, that was fine. Douglas was quite willing to allow the Soviets to blockade their own shipping, if it should come to that.

Hutt did radio his Pentagon officials and ask for orders, and they called their counterparts in the Roycelandian Empire and asked what should be done, in their opinion. It is the opinion of the Quinntonian General Staff that no Soviets shipping should be allowed through until they withdraw militarily from the area and they submit to searches by Quinntonian authorities. However, they were willing to discuss the matter with Roycelandia. Nevertheless, they are quite adamant that Soviet military shipping should not be let through at all for now. And they do point out that in regards to searches; there is no distinction between military and civilian shipping in Soviet eyes, so every freighter could carry weapons and marines.

As far as the Australasian offer, it was met with quite a lot of favours, especially given their close alliance, and Quinntonia mentioned that they wanted peace as well, but it seemed that the Soviets were determined to instigate a war here.

The Seventh Fleet, under Vice-Admiral William Hutt, the brother of the commander of the Fifth, was currently sailing past the Andoman and Nicobar islands, where they were gathering up a few more members of the Fleet, a couple of Suezmax size freighters, whose civilian crew is replaced immediately, and are carrying food, medical supplies, and other essentials. A single Capemax freighter also joins them with a manifest that included hundreds of thousands of tones of construction materials and more supplies of the above nature. Two VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) with tanks fitted for refined fuels is brought along as well. Their manifests are forwarded to Raipur immediately. They are civilian targets, and are asked to be treated as such. Their manifests are made public to all nations, and they are going to be escorted to Goa. They will then disgorge their cargo, and move along to the Suez, except for the Capemax, which will of course, head back into the South China Sea to resume regular shipping. It also made well known that many Quinntonian Prayer Warriors and missions personal will be accompanying the civilian ships, and should be considered non-combatants. They are planning on going to Goa to help with humanitarian efforts. Of course, should all of these supplies reach Goa, they would be able to hold out indefinitely from a supply perspective.

OOC- If you truly don’t want war, BG, prove it now, if you do, prove that as well.

WWJD
Amen.

Well, nobody was listening to Belgrade. That was no surprise. Being non-aligned and having no particular imperialist agenda sets the Socialist Federal Republic apart from the Holy League, the Soviets, and, evidently, NATO, all of which have now inarguably proven themselves imperialists of one sort or another.

Yugoslavia is now looking into suing the US government for lost revenues since the blockade of the Suez Canal. The ridiculous idea that Soviet ships can be magically stopped without stopping everyone else, when the Soviets have made it clear that they'll run the blockade unless the canal is physically blocked -which it has apparently been by US frigates- doesn't change the fact that no ships have got between Yugoslavia and South Asia since the crisis began. Nor indeed between Europe and South Asia or East Africa at all.

The JNA's elite marine brigade is preparing secretly for action, Mala Class swimmer delivery vehicles and demolition charges being prepared in the Adriatic along with merchant motherships. Offering negotiation did nothing, and if threatening legal action is no more effective, Lav will be taking his life into his hands and sinking a few Quinntonian frigates.

Maybe they'll blame the Soviets, anyway.

The Roycelandian support for the USQ's position came in the form of the Empire- class Dreadnaught Guyana.

"At this stage, we proprose the Canal remain open to all shipping, Soviet or otherwise, as a sign of good faith. However, continued Soviet belligerence may necessitate a review of this position", read the press release.

The Roycelandian support for the USQ's position came in the form of the Empire- class Dreadnaught Guyana, arriving to reinforce the other Naval assets in the region

"At this stage, we proprose the Canal remain open to all shipping, Soviet or otherwise, as a sign of good faith. However, continued Soviet belligerence may necessitate a review of this position", read the press release.

With the Suez stopped up by the Quinntonians, Sithin's protests continue to gain volume... even if Combine oil might not need the canal to reach Strainist ports, the economic effects would certainly be felt on a global scale, and the Spyrans were already unhappy at this years prospects, pulled down by difficulty in African markets and costs in southeast Asia.

Strainist concerns are not entirely economic, of course... representatives in Tripoli are quick to assure the Libyans that their Sujavan brothers will pursue all available means to ensure free and unfettered trade between North Africa and Asia.

The Combine, as the Spyrian delegates had hinted at, was mightily aroused by Quinntonian blockade. Although Spyr and Dra-Pol would continue to receive their oil unhindered, the Suez blockade effectively shut down access to the Americas and Europe. Since most of the leftist South America could supply its own oil, this blockade effectively damaged those who started it the most. The Energy Minister herself suspected Russian and Depkazi oil firms, eager for a near monopoly on European energy, could be a significant factor at play, as the blockade must have sent European energy prices through the roof and left Russia and Depkazia the only major suppliers in Europe. Overall, the conformist horde of the Middle East and India isn't at all pleased, and has joined Marshall Lav's call for an immediate halt to the blockade.

While China's economy would suffer less than most other SE Asian nations since the embargo of Holy League goods was only lifted weeks ago, the blockage of the Suez is already frustrating business links especially China's investments in Austria. Several privately owned freight companies announced that they would be filing class action lawsuits against the shareholders of the Suez canal authority over the delay in service.

Meanwhile, Beijing is skeptical about Roycelandia and Washington's claims to be able to administer the canal without political agenda. The latest events have also caused another upsurge in anti-Quinntonnia sentiment back home on the eve of Moerike's visit to Hong Kong with thousands of protesters heading to Hong Kong to tell Moerike what they think.

Portmeirion, Raipur

The Final Soviet -normally the most diverse and true icon of democracy on earth- had never looked so vibrant, and rarely much more disgruntled.

A proposal to take economic action against the United States and Roycelandia had drawn delegates from the Indian Soviet Commonwealth, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the South West African Soviet Commonwealth, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the People's Republic of Nepal, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, and communes from Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador, and Colombia, and more were expected shortly.

While more minefields were sewn around Goa and troops poured into Tanzania, the Soviets attempted to lead an economic rebuke of the Anglophone imperialists before being forced to wipe them out militarily. The Strainists, Hotanites, Hindustanis, Chinese, Combiners, and just about everyone else also received petitions for action.

"This is totally ridiculous" said former Chief-Consul comrade Chivo of the Suez issue, "Roycelandia and Quinntonia are actually wilfully shutting-down several percent of the world's economy. Who can believe this? It's so absurd! If they don't stop and pull-out their forces, returning everything to normal, they'll damn well regret it and lose so much friendship around the world. Poor pariah states made out of former powers, they'll be."

OOC-I am just waiting for BG to repond to my post before I post again.

WWJD
Amen.

Raipur reiterates the fact that it can not really assure Goa's security while Roycelandian imperialism and hostility provokes the masses into independent action, and adds that Goa is under the beginnings of a blockade to prevent anything but departure. Since the Commonwealth does not control Goa's border with the INU it is accepted that humanitarian aid may pass that frontier, but the Soviets desire -essentially require- that it be managed by Hindustani personnel. The idea of more extra-Indian citizens moving into Goa during a time of potential conflict is not one that the Soviets consider responsible, and Raipur states that anyone choosing to enter against this advice should do so with the understanding that -if conflict breaks out- they have entered not just a warzone but a battlefield, and can expect to end up quite dead.

In the words of one Commonwealther, "Pray where you are. If God can't hear you in Arkansas he certainly can't hear you in Goa."

The Suez, evidently, remains completely blocked, and nobody cares a damn for the United States' bluster about the firepower it has there. El Aaiún can sink a USN frigate -or destroy a submarine and a squadron of strike fighters- just as easily as it can be sunk, but to even worry about that is to miss the point. Soviet shipping at the south end of the canal -and more ships moving towards the north end from Libya- attempts to get through every time the Quinntonians open a gap, meaning that they can't open a gap -El Aaiún will race through it like only a little ship can- and nobody can get through, Soviet or not. The Soviets don't have to fight, they're already forcing Quinntonia and Roycelandia to piss-off every nation in the world.

Raleigh

Whether the Final Soviet was democratic or not was hardly a concern for the Free Colony. Of far more concern was the fact that said Final Soviet seemed to be intent upon starting a war which they had been given every opportunity to avert, a war which nobody besides they really wanted, and one which would-- no matter who won-- lead to the deaths of many thousands, if not millions. Calls for diplomacy are several times re-iterated, and nobody could claim that the SEATO powers hadn't tried everything within their power to avert a crisis.

However, with pressure mounting and little forthcoming from Portmeirion, Prime Minister Strathairn called a council of war in the Situation Room several storeys beneath his Raleigh offices. The Situation Room was rather less glorified than its opposite number in the United States, being a simple concrete room with a bank of computers, two large TV screens and dozens of paper maps, as well as some thirty bound volumes containing the vital information regarding available forces in readily available paper form in case of a computer failure. It was staffed by some forty people at all times, but now hosted an additional sixteen-- the major departmental heads, cabinet members and military leaders.

"Well, I suppose there isn't much choice," Air Marshal Bhose said laconically. He was a trim, dark complexioned man with grey hair and shiny teeth, valuable for his encyclopaedic knowledge of aircraft, deployments and logistics routes. "I mean, we're bound by treaty, and the Soviets don't seem to be backing down." Most of the officials nodded solemnly.

"Then we'd best get to business," Strathairn replied, unrolling a map of the Indian Ocean. The Home Fleet, the only one in the area, was depicted to be holding station in Singapore, managing the collapse of the area's government. Akabania Corp. had filed for chapter eleven in the United States and was swiftly divesting itself of its holdings, selling Singapore to itself for some three million dollars. Unfortunately, they took as much infrastructure as they could when they left, and the area was falling apart around the fleet's ears. Marines and sailors were repairing the damage caused by Akabania Corp.'s swift pullout, but they were needed elsewhere.

"Admiral Valens?" Strathairn looked around, searching for his tall, sallow-skinned commander of the navy. "Ah, Dick. Here's what we'll do..."

Singapore, two days later

The Home Fleet was departing. They were being replaced by two regiments of marines from the mainland and three IMB teams specializing in infrastructure building and management. Day to day governmental operations were completed by a Special Envoy, whose term would end when elected officials from the new Provisional Republic of Singapore requested it. Elections were scheduled for early 2008. An option on the ballot would be 'Membership in the Free Colonies Commonwealth of Australasia and South America'.

The Fleet was ordered to seize the island of Mauritius pending declaration of war. It had been conquered rather swiftly by the Geletian marines, but strategic bombers operating out of Roycelandian East Africa and escorted by naval aviation would likely see off the Soviet defenders. The fleet itself carried a strong force of Australasian marines, who would likely be assisted by Quinntonian opposite numbers. The Geletians, fine warriors though they might be, were about to be outmatched.

Suez

The Mediterranean Fleet was also making preparations. The Air Wing was being marshalled for strikes against Geletian military shipping, and the fleet itself had just completed reprovisioning from Roycelandian and Quinntonian lighters and oilers, now the only source of crude and refined petroleum products available. Combine shipping was expected to stop for the duration of the conflict, leaving the fleet in need of fuel. Canadian markets were being explored, and the Federal Dictatorship's remnant would be approached with an offer forthwith. For now, though, the Free Colony was beginning to starve. Petrol prices were skyrocketing, fuel was rationed and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve had been tapped for the first time since the Second World War.

The Second Expeditionary Force was settling comfortably in at Port Said. They camped on the city's outskirts, bought their supplies on the government's pounds and generally stayed out of the way. They weren't exactly loved, but nobody was really bothered by their presence, and they mostly went about their collective day unmolested. A few 'Insurgent Elements' were popping up, mostly pre-existing communist groups that had taken the collapse of the Federal Dictatorship as a call to arms. The local police were both capable and willing, and took care of them swiftly enough.

The first regiment of tanks arrived the evening of December 20th, rolling off of three Tobruk class landing ships. They were a sight to see, and the locals gathered in some force to watch dozens of tanks and support vehicles creeping up the beach. So as not to get in the way, the armoured regiment meandered down the road out of the city at a brisk sixty kph before camping in a disused parking lot. The crews were excited, expecting to match their machines against the much-touted Hathi, purported to be the best tank in the world by the Soviet manufacturers. However, Soviets were known for talking big, and the Victoria A1 was a fine machine. The general feel amongst Australasians in the armed forces was: let them come.

The Australasians would be disappointed -or relieved, depending upon how smart they are... most people suspect the former- to learn that the Soviets' eleven-hundred MT-4 Hathi battle tanks are stationed on the sub-continent, mostly opposite Goa and North Sienna. MT-3 Peripatus (formerly Hotan), ten tonnes lighter than Hathi, serves as the Commonwealth's main deployment tank and is a visible presence in Libya.

More to the point, Soviet forces aren't going anywhere. Again, they are happy to sit and wait while the west repeatedly shoots itself in the economic foot, increasing trade with Southeast Asia, northern South America, and Southern Africa while the Suez is closed to the world. The only thing really upsetting Raipur is the plight of Libya while the canal remains shut, and airborne trade continues to be stepped-up in a less than perfect attempt to compensate.

The Soviets await the withdrawal of Roycelandian, Quinntonian, and Australasian forces from Egypt and have no intention of doing anything else until these initiators of strife take some kind of action, be it pleasingly wise or predictably stupid.

And Mauritus is quite empty of Indian Soviet forces.

Mumbai

Unioners too join in condemnation of Quinntonian policy along with that of Roycelandia, and prove very receptive to taking economic action against the two nations if the blockade of the Suez Canal is not lifted. And without a doubt Unioners will join in any military action taken by the ISC in response to Anglophone aggression. But as preparations are made for warfare in the Indian Ocean, Parliament is still eager to avoid a conflict, as its first priority remains the conduct of the war with France. Parliamentarians work feverishly to draw-up what they think might be a suitable compromise, confident in their ability to, if not eliminate the possibility of conflict altogether, at least postpone it for some time. Unioners would, after all, rather fight the Roycelandians after the sea battle off West Africa is decided.

Parliament proposes that the Suez Canal's administration be turned over to the Egyptian state in the short term and that all foreign troops and ships, Soviet-allied and NATO alike, be withdrawn from the Canal Zone. So many foreign elements, it is said, can hardly be conducive to stability within Egypt itself, and it is imperative that Cairo, newly independent as it is, be able to collect canal revenues for itself. Foreign ownership, it seems, has only served to politicize the canal and reduce traffic. With such an important waterway at stake, it is further suggested that its administration then be taken-over by a commission formed of representatives from all the major powers, barring of course the Holy League nations. This way, it is reasoned, no nation will be able to use the vital canal to further its own foreign policy at the expense of other nations. In order to add incentive to the proposal, Parliament volunteers to incur the costs of widening the Suez Canal. Mumbai's diplomats are sent across the region to gather support for the proposal, and Adirov is visited as well by diplomats with a copy of the proposal, in spite of his agreement with the hated Frenchmen. Tsar Wingert's sudden attack, it is though, might have served to change his outlook on the world situation and on the viability of non-alignment.

It is also agreed to shut the border with Goa to entry on the part of any foreigner, and not just Roycelandians. Quinntonian missionaries hoping to gain entry to Goa through the Indian National Union will find themselves very much prevented from doing so, although the flow of humanitarian aid will not be restricted. At least, not after shipments are thoroughly inspected by Parliamentary Constables and INA infantrymen. Chhattisgarh Class patrol-gunboats off Goa are reinforced by the refitted Leander INS Jaipur, named after the Rajasthani capital so lately seized from its Rajput rulers. Though its utility in anti-surface operations might be limited, its four Sea Eagles hardly cutting-edge weapons, the Leander as a class is a superb antisubmarine platform, with long sonar range and excellent hull design.

Australasians will find no Gelatians on Mauritius just yet, although Mumbai does not wait to inform Raleigh that, unless it plans to help seize the island from Austria, it best stay away.

OOC-I was actually hoping that you would respond with something more than the normal BG "Any one of my women could take on a battalion if F-22s armed with a pitchfork," bull. I was hoping to have something more constructive happen here. Like, are you going to ram my frigate like you threatened to or not?

And BTW, BG, you are not making this very fun. I am trying to have a legitimate RP here. The things you are doing, actionwise, is not what is getting everyone so pissed. It is actually your attitude when you post. Your constant claims about how better this or that things are than everyone else's are annoying and border on Godmodd.

Not only is it not true, it turns people who would perhaps even go into an RP thinking it might be fun to RP a Soviet victory get so mad that they are willing to win at all costs. It takes all of the fun out of RP. The rest of us somehow RP total wars without taking it personally, but I have watched you now for what? Three full years? And you piss everyone off when you RP.

I am not asking that you let anyone else win. I am not even asking that you alter your culture of RP. I think that it is fantastic and one of those things that makes AMW the best RPing group around. But this constant attitude is one of the reasons most of us got away from NS RP. It makes you sound like a whiney 14 year old, and you are better than that.

I am asking you, PLEASE, to tone it down. Do whatever you want in your RP, but cut out the ubermensch crap. We all know where that leads, and if you do it, I will do it. And if I do it, Nah, INU is way too seasoned an RPer, I couldn't even bring myself to say it. It's just...if you continually talk about how awesome A is, then I will be forced to claim how awesome B is to keep up. Then you claim C and I claim D...it's stupid.

You are more intelligent than you come across when you do that. I have seen you do good RPs, but as soon as a gun is involved, you seem to lose it. These are all digital and imaginary nations involved here, I think that we all need to step back and realise that.

PLEASE listen and don't take this as a personal attack, I just want fun RPs in the style of who I consider the best Rpers out here, LRR, AC and NG. These are all guys that belong to awesome RPs when they LOSE! AC is my favourite, when he was Russia he had something like 3 major factions fighting a civil war in his nation. He screwed himself over, and it was glorious to watch. Some of the best RPs AMW has ever had have involved people who are unafraid to lose.

I am not saying that you should give up on anything or that you shouldn't try and win, but cut the attitude and let it be a game again.

Well, that is all, I guess I will leave it at that and hopefully it will decompress things in here a little bit.

WWJD
Amen.

OOC: Oh, Q., I don't take it as a personal attack, because I've seen you suddenly kick-in with these unfocused whinges in the past. I can't quite believe that you described me as a whiney teenager in the midst of an unproved bout of whining on your part! Aren't you here to roleplay? Shut up and do it! If you absolutely must lay into your 'opponent' every time you have one, at least make a clear point, indicate to me exactly what you have a problem with. Otherwise stop going off like you're the wise old man of the forum, or the OOC dad in a voluntary community.

On the only half-clear and relevant point we seem to have, here, I can say of course the corvette isn't going to ram anything. I would have told you so if it had. That would be a desperate act for a desperate situation. The Soviets have the advantage of the situation, and we're content to sit on it.

OOC: This makes me tired. BG. Stop claiming that your stuff is teh super amazingzor. I'm sure that the Hathi is a very nice tank, but do you need to mention it every time the unit comes up? Quinn's rant may have been long, but it was, at least in part, true. Quinn... was that long of a post really necessary? I think that we, as AMW-ers, tend to bicker too much. Let's both of you lay off the OOC arguments unless there's something to argue about. Okay? Okay.

Edit: Forgot to do my actual post.

Raleigh

That the ISC is prepared block the Suez Canal to kvetch about new ownership is seen as childish, at best. The Final Soviet is reminded in rather terse terms that negotiation has been offered, and that the only delegation holding said negotiation up was, in fact, that of the Soviets. The message speculates that the Soviets must therefore have ulterior motives in blocking canal traffic, because they seem totally uninterested in two-party solutions. The Final Soviet is challenged directly to appear at the negotiating table. If the Soviets do not, they obviously do not desire a peaceful solution, and will not necessarily be afforded one.

Mumbai, on the other hand, is formally invited to the talks in equal party to Roycelandia, the United States, Australasia and, should they choose to accept, the Soviets. It is, if anything, a sign that Raleigh still holds Mumbai in high esteem, and hopes that the Union is able to convince the Soviets of the benefits to peaceful resolution.

Suez Canal, off Port Said

Lieutenant Commander William Bennington was not a happy camper. He commanded the FCS Maitland, an Armidale class patrol boat. This was not, in itself, a major problem. He enjoyed his job as a coastal patrol vessel's commander. He was carrying out a furtive relationship with his chief gunner, one Hanae Kimura, and was enjoying every minute of it. His shore time was rather nice as well-- one would be surprised how much a single Australasian pound sterling would fetch in the ex-Federal Dictatorship, owing to that nation's massive piles of ready cash. His non-happy camperness was due to his most recent orders, direct from the fleet's acting commander.

Rear-Admiral Wilberforce, having assumed command after Admiral Denning broke his leg in a fall, had ordered him to form Task Force Pink, and cruise by the Soviet warship in the canal at top speed in the company of another patrol boat, the FCS Albany. He wasn't happy about the name, either. To Bennington, it was painfully obvious that his orders were intended to gauge Soviet responses, possibly to provoke a conflict. Fact was, the Soviets were blocking vital commodities for the Australasian markets, and they were beginning to get highly annoying. It was one thing to sail half-way around the world to fight the French-- everyone was happy about that-- it was quite another to block innocent civilian traffic to all of Asia and East Africa. The thing simply wasn't done in gentlemanly circles.

The two patrol boats set out two hours before noon, and sighted the El Aaiun soon thereafter. They passed the three Quinntonian Frigates with a wave of hands and a large quantity of sea spray, noting with disguised awe the amount of firepower present in the smallest of Quinntonian warships. There were such vessels in Australasian service, many such. They, however, were considered to be main-line combatants. The Perry class was, if anything, an afterthought to the navy of the United States. They, however, were not the main concern of Task Force Pink.

Four hundred metres ahead, the Soviet corvette bobbed undisturbed at anchor. Its weapons were evidently armed, but there was no way to tell. It looked, for all the world, as if it were sitting in an Indian harbour and surrounded not by hostile warships but peaceful shipping. Everybody on the two patrol boats devoutly wished that it would shift itself to one side, and thus avert the third world war. It did not yield to their wishing.

The two patrol boats passed it with roughly three metres to spare. Their roostertails were tall enough at top speed to spray the deck of the corvette a bit, but would otherwise not make for much of a problem. Everybody generally resisted the urge to throw things, although the garbage did need emptying. Why wouldn't the Soviets just go away?

OOC-I was actually hoping that you would respond with something more than the normal BG "Any one of my women could take on a battalion if F-22s armed with a pitchfork," bull. I was hoping to have something more constructive happen here. Like, are you going to ram my frigate like you threatened to or not?

Honestly, I'll have to agree on this point. It's not so much the substance as the style that is irksome; I'm fine with having the Soviets themselves being overconfident, but descriptions should be a little more realistic. Almost every post of yours details how amazing the Geletians are compared to everyone else---just look at that battle, for God's sake. Sure, the Bedgellens lose, but you meticulously outline how it wasn't all their fault. We KNOW the Bedgellens are excellent fighters, and we KNOW that they lost because they were outnumbered. But we don't need it impressed upon us every single moment. Accept some fallibility, man.



PLEASE listen and don't take this as a personal attack, I just want fun RPs in the style of who I consider the best Rpers out here, LRR, AC and NG. These are all guys that belong to awesome RPs when they LOSE! AC is my favourite, when he was Russia he had something like 3 major factions fighting a civil war in his nation. He screwed himself over, and it was glorious to watch. Some of the best RPs AMW has ever had have involved people who are unafraid to lose.


Heh. Thanks for the compliment. I've actually got something similiar planned with the Combine, although I want to do a reverse this time. I want to rise to an incredible status of superpower, to the point where no nation can come even close, and then explode in a giant, agonizing fireball.

OOC: Whereas I just want to be a superpower... anywho, OOC thread! (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=513111)

d'bump

(Since it appears that the Egyptian player is almost here, I may as well hold off my post)

Petrol prices were skyrocketing, fuel was rationed and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve had been tapped for the first time since the Second World War.

"Sir, it seems the Australasians are feeling the bite of the Suez closure."
"Well?"
"Sir, we have oil, we have tankers, let us sell it to them, on a route from Kuwait City to Raleigh and points between."
"I like your thinking, Abbas. Speak quietly to someone from Mesopotamian Petroleum, will you, and get onto the Aussies."
"Yes sir."
From: The Office of General al-Rashid
To: The Free Colony of Australasia
We have seen your need, and having a route unimpeded from Kuwait City to Raleigh, would be prepared to sell you our oil, at a reasonable price. As a neutral power, we expect other nations not to interfere with our shipping, even in any coming conflict. If you accept, representative from Mesopotamian Petroleum will contact you shortly to arrange detailed routing and pricing.
Regards, al-Rashid

OOC: I don't think fuel prices are going to be skyrocketing that much- it's still quite possible to get fuel through the area, albeit via pipeline rather than tanker ship. Also, I can't see how ships travelling to Australasia with oil would need to go via the Suez anyway- what with Australia being south of the Middle East, and all...

OOC: I dunno either, I'm purely responding to what Gurg said; if he's got a crisis for whatever reason, I can use that.

OOC: I buy a fair bit of my oil from ex-Hudecia, I expect, but it's sort of a speculative panic and such. Post later. Homework now.

OOC: I don't think fuel prices are going to be skyrocketing that much- it's still quite possible to get fuel through the area, albeit via pipeline rather than tanker ship. Also, I can't see how ships travelling to Australasia with oil would need to go via the Suez anyway- what with Australia being south of the Middle East, and all...

Actually...

The political situation of the world has basically limited Russian and Nigerian oil to the Holy League at this point (others might still buy it, but because the League is cut off from the Suez it's likely the Tsar has focused on supplying his allies.) UE has collapsed, resulting in political instability, which again would raise prices. NA only sells oil to the leftists. And the Combine...well. Tomorrow morning should be fun. 'night for now.

-Strait of Lucy (Hormuz), Strait of Mandab-
The sun cast an odd shadow on the water; for a moment, the light struck the watery depths in such a way that they were entirely soaked in darkness. The Strait of Lucy has always been known for its rich oil content, dubbed by many as "the real Black Sea", but for a single, passing moment it truly did resemble a massive sea of black gold. It was an ironic little twinge of fate, for it was at that very moment that the Strait's role as a major conduit for oil transport was shoved into the world's collective face.

"Roughly 25% of the world's oil production flows through the Strait every day," began the ubiquitous Energy Minister, her hair once again twisting in that harsh, Middle Eastern wind.

"That oil is the blood of the world's economy, bringing life to the Phalansteries of Beth Gellert and the Churches of Quinntonia, and the Strait is its Aorta, the vein through which that precious dark blood flows."

She whipped around, casting her eyes across the fleet being assembled by the Combine. The Armandians had long maintained a fairly strong naval presence in order to defend its oil shipping; in terms of force projection, it still lagged behind the USQ, but its coastal defenses and littoral fleet were second to none in terms of quality. The Combine's foreign policy was, after all, closely tied to its oil trade, and thus the defense of far flung shipping routes, along with the Armandian Gulf itself, was the of the utmost priority. Flexible, fast, and cheap Armandian Littoral Combat Ships were a daily sight in the Gulf.

Aircraft carriers, however, were not.

The Combine had moved one of its Carrier Battle Groups smack dab into the Strait of Lucy, deploying a force of:

"Xiao" Carrier Battle Group, including:
1 Combine Class Aircraft Carrier
2 Teruyo Class Guided Missile Cruisers
2 Gareth Guided Missile Destroyers
2 Littoral Combat Ships
2 Jaber Class Supply Ships
2 Elzarka Class Nuclear Submarines

Dreshfield Naval Base (Jazireh-ye-Queshm Island, city of Queshm) was brimming with activity unseen since the Elian-Armandian war; the Armandians meant business. Only a few days before, they had dispatched two Carrier Battle Groups to respond to the Moroccan invasion of the Western Sahara, and now they had initiated a total blockade of the Strait of Lucy. Additionally, another Carrier Battle Group, dubbed "Sienna", was headed towards the Gulf of Aden, in order to block off all oil shipments from that direction as well. The hoped for result was that all petroleum deliveries coming through the Straits of Lucy and Mandab would be entirely cut off along with the Suez blockage, resulting in a crippling blow to the economies of the NATO powers. Indeed, combined the three passages saw over 24 million barrels of oil flow through them each day, and halting that flow should skyrocket the price of oil to levels of over $110 per barrel. The only oil that could leave the area was Combine oil, since it was the only kind the Armandians were certain would not end up in Holy League or NATO hands.

The Combine had thrown down the gauntlet; either NATO backs down, relinquishes control to a multinational Board of Directors, and allows Soviet military shipping through the canal, or it will see its people reduced to destitution. The oil of Russia, Nigeria, and Hudecia was not nearly enough to satiate the ravenous hunger of any of the League's or NATO's members, much less all of them. Thus such a blockade would deprive Western civilization of the very lifeblood it so desperately needed to survive; every hospital, every business, every automobile, every single gear and cog that was needed for the great capitalist engine of the West to survive…would grow silent.

The Roycelandian answer to the Combine's challenge is relatively straightforward: "No."

The longer version basically warns that attempting to blockade the Red Sea will have unpleasant consequences, etc.

OOC: The way I see it, NATO really is doing just fine oil-wise. USQ, Roycelandia, and Australasia all have significant oil production capabilities and a lot of the Roycelandian transport infrastructure operates on electric vehicles or LPG.

"The Armandians have done WHAT!?"
"Tell them this, damnit. We are a neutral power, and will trade as we please. If our vessels are prevented from crossing the Strait of Hormuz, they may consider themselves in a state of war with Mesopotamia. We are no particular friends of NATO, and no friend to the Holy League at all, but this is taking things too far.
Just add a little note that if they allow our ships through, or buy the oil we're transporting for market price, whatever that rises to, then there will be no war, and we might even be persuaded to assist in their blockade."
"Sir?"
"Basically we don't really want war with them, but we cannot allow them to act like this and ignore us. So if we posture and give them a way out, it should work. Just prepare the Navy in case they don't back down."
"Ah, I see sir. Of course."

OOC: NATO might be ok supply-wise, but cost-wise the cheapest oil comes from the middle east.

IC:

Beijing's politicians are privately chuckling at the Combine singlehandedly forcing NATO onto the back foot, and noted that the blockade would barely affect China's oil supply although the nature of a free market economy meant that the price of oil would still skyrocket. To that effect, Beijing asks Constance whether or not it would be possible to increase the amount of oil purchased by China at last year's contract prices and to extend any contracts that may be about to expire by a year or so.

Officially, Beijing releases a press statement calling the blockade 'unfortunate' but a necessary step towards a negotiated solution. There was no way NATO was going to give any concessions previously when they were in a militarily dominant position in the canal zone. The latest events have also cast doubt on the long-standing Tripartite Pact. During the press statement President Hu Jin Tao described the long standing Sino-Quintonnia alliance as "unproductive" and called the NATO canal operation "an attack on Chinese trade interests and matters of national security."

The gossip in Diplomatic Circles is that His Majesty used a string of... "racially insensitive" epithets to describe the Chinese attitudes towards the current Suez Crisis.

Wiggles, of course, did point out that "Chinaman" was not the preferred nomenclature for people from China, but by that stage His Majesty was regaling the President of South Africa with an off-colour anecdote involving The Minister of Internal Affairs and a Giraffe...

<QUOTE>The Seventh Fleet of course, consists of 5 Carrier Battle Groups, following the Quinntonian tradition for naming them after Biblical figures, with each group containing:

2 Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers (85 aircraft each)
4 Ticonderoga AEGIS Cruisers
6 Arliegh Burke Class-guided missile destroyers
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class
8 Las Angeles Class Attack Submarines
3 Sacramento Class Supply Ships (1 Outfitted as Hospital)

The Seveth Fleet consists of:
5 Carrier Battle Groups, including:
Matthew (Based in Japan- 2 Kitty Hawks)
Luke (Based in Guam- Enterprise, Jesse Obed)
John, Abraham, and King David (Based in Quinntonian Dra-pol-2 Nimitz)
5 Tarawa Amphibious Assault Ships
10 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Class Ships
8 Austin Class Amphibious Assault Docks
1 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Docks
4 Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Harper’s Ferry Class Dock Landing Class Ships
2 Ticonderoga Class AEGIS Cruisers
2 Arliegh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyers
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates
18 Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Subs
4 Seawolf Class Attack Submarines
2 Virginia Class Attack Submarines
2 Kraken Class Super Dreadnaught (Roycelandian Purchase)

Not everything will be committed to this effort, but nearly so, with Carrier Battle Groups Mathew, Luke, John and King David being brought to the fore from their respective starting positions, and meeting just north of the Philippines prior to entering the South China Sea as a united force. Of course, some units will stay behind, with the Abraham specifically:
5 Tarawa Amphibious Assault Ships
10 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Class Ships
1 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Docks
4 Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Harper’s Ferry Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates<QUOTE>

<QUOTE> The Seventh Fleet, under Vice-Admiral William Hutt, the brother of the commander of the Fifth, was currently sailing past the Andoman and Nicobar islands, where they were gathering up a few more members of the Fleet, a couple of Suezmax size freighters, whose civilian crew is replaced immediately, and are carrying food, medical supplies, and other essentials. A single Capemax freighter also joins them with a manifest that included hundreds of thousands of tones of construction materials and more supplies of the above nature. Two VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) with tanks fitted for refined fuels is brought along as well. Their manifests are forwarded to Raipur immediately. They are civilian targets, and are asked to be treated as such. Their manifests are made public to all nations, and they are going to be escorted to Goa. They will then disgorge their cargo, and move along to the Suez, except for the Capemax, which will of course, head back into the South China Sea to resume regular shipping. It also made well known that many Quinntonian Prayer Warriors and missions personal will be accompanying the civilian ships, and should be considered non-combatants.<QUOTE>

Vice-Admiral William Hutt, commander of the Seventh, was now sailing into harm’s way. Things were becoming more and more tense; and he had thought the they couldn’t get any worse when he set out. His orders were constantly changing as the winds of diplomacy and foreign policy changed. But one thing was sure; he was to deliver this cargo to Goa, under fire if necessary. This action might provoke the largest conflict seen since WW2, and if that was his destiny, he would shoulder it with resolution. But he prayed often that this would not be the case, with tears steaming down his face. The old man had taken to carrying around pictures of his family, his two daughters Opal and Pearl, from his first marriage, and his wife Katie, named after Martin Luther’s wife. The lines on his face were seemingly becoming more pronounced every kilometre that they travelled toward their goal, and he ordered that all off-duty personal spend at least one hour per day in prayer for peace.

He hoped that the Naval Soviet would at least know enough to realise that they had left behind all of their landing docks, pretty much the bulk of their amphibious landing capability. Hopefully they would interpret that as a measure of their peaceful intentions. Now, he ordered his massive fleet to sail the closest they would come to the sub-continent, he was sailing about 350 kms. south of the Island of Sri Lanka, where he would turn north at the Maldives and take up a position 1200 kms. west of Goa in the Arabian Sea. That would mean that most of the fighters that the Soviets could deploy against his fleet would be unable to come, at least not fully loaded and make it back on their fuel reserves, and those with the range to do so would find themselves fighting the F-22s in equivalent numbers. And the superiority of the Quinntonian fighters to the Soviet ones was unquestioned at that level; the Raptors were superior in every aspect to every plane produced, except maybe the dog fighting capabilities of some of the Chinese ROCAF versions. Once this position had been achieved, it was planned that the tankers and transports would be escorted peaceably to Goa in order to facilitate their resistance should the Soviets invade, and when they had successfully retrieved the tankers, they would order them returned to civilian duty as the Seventh Fleet received their next phase of orders, which was still very much being debated at the Pentagon.




At Suez-

As far a the Fifth and Sixth Fleets stood, they continued to do pretty much what they had been, imploring the Soviets to move out of line so that all the rest of the shipping could be let through. The arrival of the Combine Fleet was met with dismay, and it seemed as if the worst fears of the Quinntonian experts on the Progressives were realised. The Combine was slowly becoming a Soviet client-state. But, in response, the heavily beefed up USAF and Naval Air Command presence flying out of Bahrain does make its presence felt with its large fleet of Harriers and F/A-18s as well as the occasional B-52 and Lancer. Of course, a line of B-52s were flying non-stop from Bahrain and Gaeta, Italy to Goan airspace and back with full missile and bomb compliments, much like they did during the heart of the Cold War to Greenland and back. Obviously, they would meet Soviet interceptors, and in a major disconnect from the tension on the ground, they would wave at their rivals when they were close enough to see them visually, but usually only if they chose to lower their altitude to levels comparable with the Soviet interceptors. These kinds of fly-overs were also being done along the Suez, but for the most part those were coming from Rammstien in Germany and included B-2 Spirits and F-117 Nighthawks.

The Marines that had been landed on the shores of the Suez during the Gelletian terrorist attacks were collected and rejoined the protection of the fleet as U-2 surveillance planes and fly-overs by the most advanced satellites the Quinntonian Space Command could bring to bear continued to try and get a picture of what was going on and who was involved. The Red Sea was getting quite crowded.

Roycelandia-
At the latest series of board meetings, the question about the Quinntonian blockade was raised. Of course, the Quinntonians explained that they believed that no distinction could be made between Soviet military and civilian shipping and counselled that no Soviet shipping be let through, but the majority shareholders were Roycelandian, and they were calling for all civilian shipping to be let through. Though they were being painted in the media as the hardliners, the Roycelandians were trying to acquiesce to the demands of the world community, the Quinntonians were not. The Australasian board members were asked their opinion, and the Quinntonians explained that they would abide by the decision of the board. However, they did say that they hoped that no military shipping aside from SEATO, NATO, and Tripartite Pact nations be allowed through. That, however, would mean that the Soviets would have to try and stop trying to run the blockade with military vessels every time an opening was attempted.

Washington, D.C.-
The world oil prices were reaching a fevered pitch, which was trying to the Quinntonian consumer, but the massive investment in Canadian, Russian, and Nigerian oil during the UE years, during which time there was much worry that so much of the nations dependence on oil should be controlled by another single nation, as well as the absorption of Mexico in recent years and the rather good relationship that Quinntonia maintained with Neo-Anarchos meant that the massive Quinntonian oil reserves did not need to be released to flood the market and reduce prices as of yet. Of course, Mesopotamia was contacted and it was explained that Quinntonia would pay market price or better for the duration of the conflict for all of the oil they could sell, but they would need to either transport it around South Africa or to Quinntonian South-East Asian holdings. And that would probably require some naval escort on their part to protect them from hostile Soviet attacks.

WWJD
Amen.

Mesopotamia apologetically explains to Quinntonia that all their external trade is currently subject to the Combine blockade, and that while efforts are afoot to handle this issue, either by negotiation or by force, at present no oil supplies are leaving the country by sea; given current relations with Syria none will be reaching the Mediterranean overland either.

Raipur restates that Goan traffic is to be as such:

1) anyone who wants to leave can fly or float out now, or apply for assylum/citizenship in the ISC, or go to/through the INU at Mumbai's discretion

2) aid may be delivered through the INU under INU supervision, or through the ISC under ISC supervision if Roycelandia is agreeable

3) anything else will be destroyed or detained

4) these conditions can end and normal traffic resume as soon as the Suez is out of the control of the western capitalist coalition and free of hostile forces and conditions

Across the Commonwealth, Soviets now rage in debate over the Combine, towards which just the previous day the Commonwealth had begun attempts at policy change (for the better). Some hail the Armandian move as historic and indicative of their agreement with Soviet suggestions and requests in respect of Bihar and North Sienna et cetera (see Bihar or Bust), while others credit Constance's lust for money and influence, the latter of which it has certainly lacked on the world stage when compared with the control exerted by other great powers.

Still, with a decision not to oppose Strainist activities in South East Asia and on-going attempts to reconcile with Beijing, many Commonwealthers hold high hopes for a new chapter in Indo-Armandian relations and the return to global supremacy for the peoples and ideas of Asia.

If only we can agree to legitamise Sovietism in Bihar and open the long-restricted borders of the North Siennan enclave, we can turn the tables now and forever against the military, cultural, and economic imperialists of religion, Europe, and the Anglophones, and share across the planet and beyond all the wealth and power that free people hold in Asia.

(OOC: Ah, Q, you have to quote someone or something, or that tag just does nothing, and it's a bit off-putting to look at. Sorry!)

((OOC: Guys, that's ridiculous. The US in RL already has major energy issues, and in an AMW with several more modern, oil consuming powers they're already far more severe. No matter how much you've invested in oil facilities or alternative energy, unless you suddenly broke AMW tech rules. I mean, for God's sake, I just basically took the Middle East off the map! You can't just shrug off a shut down of over 30% of the world's oil production---if we ignore economics like this then we're going to limit ourselves to military action as the only diplomatic option, and, honestly, that tends to get dull.))

http://z9.invisionfree.com/NS_Modern_World/index.php?showtopic=5&st=75&#entry1358567

Here is a link to my oil supply. I am definately feeling the pinch, but I am not sure how much. I feel that I would not have had to touch my reserves yet, but it could be close to happening.

WWJD
Amen.

Raleigh

The energy situation in Raleigh was not, as yet, dire. Controlled releases of the Strategic Oil Reserve's stockpile served to keep costs within a reasonable range. Australasians themselves grumbled about prices, but went about their lives as normal. It was approaching midsummer in the Free Colony, and heating prices were at the year's low ebb. If the crisis had to come, it couldn't come at a better time.

The government expressed outrage at Soviet demands, pointing out that if enacted, the Soviets would be free to import arms, propaganda or anything else under INU 'supervision'. If the ISC was interested in negotiation, that could take place at the conference hosted by British diplomats. If the Soviets were interested in dictating terms, they had best restrict themselves to their usual targets, poor third world nations with little infrastructure, corrupt governments and a poorly educated populace. Furthermore, it was nothing short of laughable that the Soviets attempt to paint other nations with the term 'imperialist' while they themselves have in the last six months annexed, invaded or otherwise held as client states more nations than Roycelandia, the United States and the Free Colony combined.

The Combine's naval deployment is simply unacceptable, the government protests. Attempts to reach a peaceful solution have thus far been blocked at every turn by progressive nations, and if this continues then SEATO will be forced to instigate combat so as to relieve its impending economic crisis. Let history remember that the Third World War was caused by 'progressive' greed and militarism, while the western powers attempted to reach negotiation. SEATO had offered the olive branch time and time again, and had been rebuffed time and time again. The offer of peace talks would be rescinded within the week unless the Indian Soviet Commonwealth agreed to participate, and the Combine naval blockade allowed passage of civilian traffic through the canal.

Port Royal

The Australasian boardmembers were fed up. The Roiks might be willing to compromise, but their countrymen weren't feeling the pinch that the Combine had put on the market nearly as much, nor did they stand to lose contact with a significant part of their armed forces. The Australasians called for an ultimatum presented to all non-SEATO military forces in the Suez region; stand down and allow the immediate passage of all cargo, or face the largest and most powerful naval coalition ever assembled.

Port Said

All leave for naval and air corps personnel is hereby cancelled. Officers and crew will return to their ships or transports within one week or face prosecution as deserters. If an officer, crewmember or aircraftsman is unable to attain transport, he or she may book passage on civilian airliners and be reimbursed by the government. It has come to the attention of the Provost Marshal that certain amongst the aircraftsmen of No.34 Squadron were engaged in a brawl with crewmen of the FCS Quenfis. Further such conduct will not be tolerated...

The CPRD receives most of the little oil that it burns -much of it for the military- from Lyong, and from the Combine (and new Secretary Kim has been heard saying that the Sujavans should probably liberate Brunei now that the FDUE has collapsed), and desperately hopes to receive some protection from extreme price rises, so Da'Khiem is very quick to announce full and unreserved support for Constance's actions and diplomatic position.

Far his most hostile act in his short tenure so far, Kim has deployed corvettes and strike fighters over the Revolutionary Sea, and they may now be seen regularly crossing shipping lanes used by the Quinntonian enclave on his east coast, perhaps hinting that NATO's military might may have something to lose if it pushes too hard in the Middle Eastern and South Asian theatres.

Obviously, though, Dra-pol hasn't the will or means to fight a war right now.

(Much as it hadn't the means to resist the US with WWII technology or the strength to take-on a western-backed ROKA, of course!)

Port Royal

"All in favour?"

The entire Roycelandian contingent of boardmembers raised their hands.

"Motion carried unanimously- the Roycelandian contingent agrees wholeheartedly with our Australasian cousins. Either the Soviets and the Combine depart the area immediately, or they shall taste the wrath of the combined Imperial, Australasian, and Quinntonian Navies."

"If Australasian militarism should lead them into conflict with naval elements of the Combine, then it has been determined that the Strainist Party will have to seriously reconsider the viability of peaceful coexistance with the reactionary regime in Raleigh."

-Ket Rosh, secretary (Strainist Party Revolutionary Committee), in response to Australasian ultimatum against Soviet-Combine forces.

Meanwhile a Mesopotamian VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) was approaching the Combine blockade of the Straits of Hormuz. The eyes of the Mesopotamian military were very much on this vessel, the Bounty of Allah.

As she went, she was broadcasting in clear to the Armandian ships:
You have three options. Allow us through your blockade. Buy our cargo from us. Place yourselves in a state of war with Mesopotamia. Say again you have three options...

The General did not wish to fight the Combine. But he could not stand by quietly as the Combine cut off all sea trade from Mesopotamia. So he gave them a third option - to maintain the blockade without Mesopotamian opposition, at a cost.

Australasians in the Indian National Union are of course reminded that the Soviet proposal is not different from what already exists with regards to the Goan border. Indeed, anything bound for Goa by way of the Union frontier is subject to vigorous search at the hands of Parliamentary Constables and INA infantrymen. So land routes into Goa are already very much controlled by the native Indian powers. And doubtless the last thing the Soviets would be shipping to Goa is more firearms. Unioners have a bit of trouble quite understanding what Raleigh is so upset about.

Parliamentarians also ask themselves whether the NATO powers entirely understand what they are getting themselves into. They remain steadfast and unmovable over the issue of the Suez Canal, failing, apparently, to recognize the precedent set by the Malacca War; "international shipping routes are to be interfered with at own risk" should have been the message sent by the Bonstockian state's utter dismemberment. Of course, for all Quinntonia says about its heavy involvement, none of the NATO-aligned powers had much to do with the Malacca War as it happened. What India wants, and this is stated at every opportunity to any Quinntonian or Australasian within earshot, is that the Suez area be made neutral and non-aligned, not an instrument of imperialist foreign policy. Or at least the Egyptians themselves might be given control over their waterway, so that Cairo is not denied toll revenue.

Quinntonian B-52s are met on their way to Goa by IAF fighters as well as Soviet aircraft, bristling with missiles, some of them BAe Meteors produced in the INU for Mainwaring's government before it was co-opted by NATO. The Indian OTH radar network is completely able to track the gigantic bombers, and indeed any aircraft fielded by any nation, from takeoff in Bahrain until their arrival over India. Washington will doubtless know that, should it start a war to protect its illegitimate ownership of the Suez Canal, it won't just be fighting the Soviets. It will be up against at least 770 million Indians, perhaps over a billion should the Combiners join in the subcontinent's defense as well. Doubtless it would be in Quinntonia's interest to avoid such a disastrous war, but from all the Unioners can see diplomacy is not so much their intent as is aggressive agitation.

The Quinntonian government offers to come to the negotiating table and talk about this, but the blockade will stand until the talks are completed. The talks will only be begun when all military units are completely removed from the Red Sea, perhaps into the Gulf of Aden. Once the Combine and the Soviets remove their armed vessels, Quinntonia will remove the Fifth Fleet to Bahrain, though it will leave 2 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates at the mouth of the Suez to enforce the blockade. The Australasians and the Roycelandians will remove themselves to the Mediterranean where they will join the Quinntonian Sixth Fleet. With the Red Sea thus demilitarised, it will be possible for everyone to take their fingers from the trigger and talk. No one will have lost any tactical ground, as though the Quinntonians will leave their two Frigates in place, they will allow the Combine and Soviet fleets to stay well ahead of them, as they withdraw to Bahrain.

Tactically, if battle were to recommence, the combined Quinntonian, Australasian and Roycelandian fleets would make it through the Suez well before the Prog fleets, and we would pretty much be back where we started.

This proposal allows everyone to save face and sit down and talk. The Board Members want to offer this as they do not wish war, and this is pretty much seen by all parties on this side as the last chance for negotiation.

OOC-Woot! 1000th Post!

WWJD
Amen.

Goa

There was a bit of activity in Goan territorial waters at night of late- fishing boats out, pleasure craft on cruises, and the Goan Coast Guard inspecting various navigation buoys and offshore light beacons, and so on.

Imperial Airways aircraft- notably Sunderland Flying Boats and DC-4 passenger liners- were also still making flights in and out of the area, on the theory that Indian or Soviet attacks on civilian airliners would spark an unbelievable diplomatic incident the likes of which could scarcely be comprehended...

Few in Mumbai believe that the shoot-down of a Roycelandian airliner will cause all that much trouble, given the lack of response to France's routine gassing and incineration of civilians in West Africa. That said, Imperial Airlines flights are not opposed by the IAF at least, so long as they don't stray into Union airspace. Should that occur a missile-armed FT(J).10 will likely intercept the offender and escort it out. Deliberate attacks on noncombatants are, after all, very much banned in the Indian National Defense Forces, and those who perpetrate them can expect very harsh punishments.

Parliament expresses immediate approval for the Quinntonian plan, provided of course that the withdrawal does not leave either side in the position of backing down first. And in an effort to perhaps calm the political climate, Parliamentarians express their desire to "discuss" the situation in Abassamara with the Quinntonians and Australasians.

Chances are that few civilians are attempting to fly into Goa, let us be honest, given the propaganda levelled against the Soviets and the apparently widely-held belief that the barbarians are at the gate, and given that Raipur has openly warned against travel to the enclave, and that the enclave has recently been shelled by militia.

With this in mind, the Commonwealth Air Guard is aggressive in its interception of flights coming into Goa (leaving alone any departures). NT-7 Kan-gel and NT-4C Hobgoblin appear frequently in the path of incoming flights before they reach Roycelandian airspace, and Springer, Puffin, and Sirkeer attack aircraft sortie concurrent with the interceptors, prepared to strike at Roycelandian air defences and air fields should conflict erupt.

It has been openly declared that Goa is under blockade, and warning shots have been fired over the wings of incoming aircraft. Raipur warns once again that flights into Goa will shortly be considered hostile targets and shot-down if the blockade of the Suez is not terminated. This may happen next week, tomorrow, or before the next incoming flight has time to touch down.

The United States is essentially told where to get off, and the Suez will either be open to all or to none. Soviet ships continue to hover at the blockade and will pass through as soon as it is lifted. Until then, the US continues to block all traffic, including its own, in both directions, continuing to cost the global economy billions.

Why would the Soviets negotiate from an inferior position in which they voluntarily put themselves by allowing the rest of the world to go about its business at India's expense?

Patience wears thin, but resolve remains.

Once again Unioners prove more out of touch with their Soviet neighbors than most would like to believe. But Mumbai continues to see the situation in terms of the War in Africa, with France as by far the most dangerous enemy. The sooner the situation closer to home is solved the better, so resources can be put towards what is seen as a significantly more important struggle further west. That and few believe that the Quinntonians will listen to Soviet arguments, given Washington's intense hatred of the ISC, even if they are certainly true. But whatever the Soviets do, the INU will likely stand by it. Mumbai owes Raipur far too much to not give the Soviets the Union's backing.

In the ISC some Unioners continue to present the case for restraint when dealing with the western powers, although given the circumstances the Soviets are already showing a great deal. Arguments center not so much on the correctness of the Soviet line, in which few can find fault, as on concerns over starting a second conflict and damaging operations in Africa. Maybe, Unioners say, by entering into official negotiations the Indians can secure exactly the same shipping rights through Suez as the ISC now demands, and give the west one less reason to look for an ally in the Holy League.

Australasian politicians find themselves impressed once again with Mumbai's forbearance and willingness to negotiate, but remain leery of Soviet pigheadedness. Immediate support is voiced for the Quinntonian proposals, and all nations are reminded that control of the Suez Canal is vested in a private company based out of Port Royal, rather than any collection of national governments. Should the nation of Egypt buy a significant interest in said company's stocks, Egyptian government officials would be perfectly welcome on the board of directors. At this time, unfortunately, stocks traded on the open market were not sufficient to meet that number. Should Egypt desire a controlling interest in the company, they would be obliged to instigate a hostile takeover.

Suez

As an act of good faith, the Mediterranean Fleet's one battleship and four escorting frigates were detailed to Cyprus pending negotiations. The remainder of the fleet, some twenty vessels, would remove itself if and when the Red Sea became clear of all military shipping. Rear-Admiral Wilberforce, acting commander, voiced his personal hope for peaceful resolution. He stated in a public press conference that 'any military conflict would signify in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, from those that are cold and are not clothed.'

OOC:

From what everyone has said, the voting rights and all of the shares in the Suez Canal Authority seem to be controlled by the national governments of SEATO.

The Suez Canal Authority was nationalised in 1956 and thus Egypt owns all the shares of the canal. Did the Egyptian government hand over their complete shares in the company to SEATO governments? If not, the Egyptian government as 100% shareholders can simply vote to fire the entire board if they disagree with their decisions(assuming Egypt is run similarly to western economies). Unless UE did something else to the canal, does anyone remember? This is all assuming that that everything is above board with regards to internationally accepted financial law and there are no under the table offers of cash/women/drugs to those in the Egyptian government responsible for their state-owned enterprises.

(I have a huge OOC interest in finance, commerce, and all that sorts, so ask me if you have questions)

OOC:

From what everyone has said, the voting rights and all of the shares in the Suez Canal Authority seem to be controlled by the national governments of SEATO.

The Suez Canal Authority was just a name I picked for a private company- based in Suez, but headquartered in Port Imperial for Tax Reasons- of which the majority shareholder is Imperial Shipping & Cargo, which is owned by The Imperial Trading Company, the CEO of which is His Imperial Majesty Emperor Royce I.

Yes, I do read a lot of Frederick Forsyth novels, why do you ask? :)

The Suez Canal Authority was nationalised in 1956 and thus Egypt owns all the shares of the canal. Did the Egyptian government hand over their complete shares in the company to SEATO governments? If not, the Egyptian government as 100% shareholders can simply vote to fire the entire board if they disagree with their decisions(assuming Egypt is run similarly to western economies). Unless UE did something else to the canal, does anyone remember? This is all assuming that that everything is above board with regards to internationally accepted financial law and there are no under the table offers of cash/women/drugs to those in the Egyptian government responsible for their state-owned enterprises.

The idea was that the Egyptian Government, as owners of the Canal, had delegated the role of actually running it to the SCA. The Egyptian Government would get a cut of all tolls, and because they wouldn't have to pay for the canal's defence or upkeep anymore, they'd actually end up making more money for doing no work.

It's also quite probable that something under the table like cash/women/luxury shiny things was involved in getting the necessary signatures on the necessary agreements, but on the whole it was intended to be a straight up business deal, much like how Dubai Ports World runs a lot of cargo facilities in various parts of the world in RL.

Commonwealthers can, by and large, not help but agree with their Union comrades for the most part. Now is not an ideal time for open conflict with NATO given that the organisation's cowardice has virtually freed it of concern over the Holy League.

Sopworth Igo, speaking in Kolkata to a crowd containing substantially more armed people than the Roycelandian military, tells his peers that Soviet Consuls around the world are reporting unprecedented levels of anti-western and anti-capitalist sentiment, even under many capitalist governments, and blames the economic damage being done by these nations and their total failure to resist Christian-lead genocide and imperialism. Soon, he says, the world revolution shall have crept under the noses of the autocrats and be too close for the fat man to defend the fatal blows that shall be struck. But tank for tank and ship for ship combat is not the way to victory in this environment... that shall vanquish the Holy League, but the capitalists shall fall in a different manner.

Recruiters to the revolutionary cause have rarely found such sweet pickings, and demonstrations and Soviet organisations shall no doubt appear far and wide before long.

In the Commonwealth, meanwhile, Australasia is finally noted in a small part of the national awareness as that little nation continues to produce hostility and slander while supporting or bowing to wickedness the world over. The idea that the Soviets are the pig-headed party in a situation caused and maintaned by Roycelandia and, primarily, the United States would, coming from Australasia not formally have been noticed in the Commonwealth, but now, brought to the people's attention, it feeds derision on a scale never previously seen against the Aussies.

Target dummies across the ISC, at quarter of a million phalansteric shooting ranges, are lately dressing up. Here a pith helmet, there a hat with corks strung from the brim, there a crucifix. As yet bowler hats are not so common, but for how long Britain shall remain out of the sights is yet to be decided.

With new deployments towards West Africa the Soviets have essentially given notice that they do not plan to send more forces to the Suez region, but few believe that the western powers will openly recognise the significance of that matter.

The negotiating stand-down proposal is again offered unchanged, with Quinntonia acknowledging that every nation involved, even the INU, has endorsed the plan. It is hoped that the Soviets will come to the negotiating table by making the mentioned withdrawal concurrently with the involved powers.

It is also hoped that the Soviets will relent in attacking the unarmed humanitarian aid vessels that are steaming towards Goa.

WWJD
Amen.

Raipur will negotiate for a long-term solution when all foreign (non-Egyptian) forces are removed from the Suez except those passing straight through it and Commonwealth shipping is allowed to continue through unhindered. And when assured that fees paid in transit are not delivered to anyone but the Egyptian state and people.

Until then Soviet shipping will continue its attempts to pass the blockade, and so if the blockade remains no shipping will be able to get through and the USQ et cetera will continue to win new enemies around the world, enemies quickly identified and approached by Soviet recruiters and propagandists.

Again, Raipur and Mumbai have explained the mechanism for delivering aid to Goa, and anything not going through this mechanism will be treated as unlawful and piratical, and impounded or destroyed as such.

"Can the Soviets not see that a reasonable point to begin negotiations has been offered?"
"Apparently not, sir."
"And the fact that everyone else, besides the Combine who seem to have dropped off the face of the planet, finds these conditions acceptable...? They are turning the world against them by their intransigence, and making it easy to show them as the villians of the piece.
Abbas, while I'm still thinking our long-term interests may occasionally require co-operation with the Soviets, I'm less and less hopeful of their being agreeable."

The Roycelandian Dreadnaught IRNS Le Chiffre has been withdrawn from the Suez Region both as a sign of good faith and for "Routine Maintenance", according to a statement released by the Imperial Navy...

Raleigh

It was an unseasonably chilly night in Raleigh, and Sir Andrew Strathairn was looking less than dignified in an overcoat and large knit scarf. The government offices were temporarily unheated, suggesting personal sacrifice on the part of the government and a willingness to stand beside the Australasian people in times of crisis. As a PR move, it wasn't the worst ever made. As far as internal politics were concerned, though, a large portion of the cabinet resented having to wear gloves indoors.

"What, signifying willingness to negotiate isn't enough for the Soviets?" The cabinet offices were filled with the hum of general conversation as officials, aides and secretaries shot the breeze together.

"Evidently not. Maybe they think that if they strangle the East long enough, we'll have to back down." The speaker was a comely young stenographiatrix, surrounded by youngish men with more than international politics on their minds.

"Surely, they don't think that SEATO's going to give up. I mean, we have the worlds first, second and fourth largest navies sitting pretty in Port Said! It's not like they've got the upper hand, here. The Soviet and Combine naval presence is still afloat on our patience, not the other way around."

It might have been idle chatter, but the aide's assertions were pretty much government policy in a nutshell. And he went for drinks with the girl, too.

(Thanks for that explanation Royce, Australasia's paragraph seemed to suggest that SEATO actually owned the canal, not the contractor who operates it.)

Beijing releases a quick statement regarding the most contentious issue in Washington's proposal - "The blockade will continue until the talks are complete." Would it be even possible to hold talks under such an atmosphere? Beijing announces a conditional endorsement of the proposal - China will support Quintonnia's proposal provided that no blockade remains during negotiations.

Privately, no one expected the Soviets (or anyone else in their position) to begin negotiations with an axe over their heads. President Hu Jin Tao was privately beginning to doubt the ability of his American counterpart Moerike to handle her nation in international politics and was now considering joining the Yugoslavian lawsuit against the US government for their role in the week-long Suez crisis.

"'Once the Combine and the Soviets remove their armed vessels, Quinntonia will remove the Fifth Fleet to Bahrain, though it will leave 2 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates at the mouth of the Suez to enforce the blockade.' This the US position on the Suez." Comrade Chivo, now without office, addresses the Commonwealth via satellite television broadcast. "Anyone who denies that the US is entirely at fault and believes it is an idiot. Anyone who denies regardless of their belief is an autocratic oppressor. What more can the Soviets say? Call off your goons and we'll talk. Stand them over us and we'll reach for their throats, no matter how many they may be."

The idea that the Soviets are losing support with anyone but the increasingly humilated NATO and allied governments is, clearly, absurd. The crisis continues.

In place of the rather one-sided withdrawal scheme offered by the Quinntonians, which would, it seems, provide for their ships to remain in the canal throughout the whole affair, Parliament proposes a graduated removal of naval assets, ship for ship so nobody is left in the position of backing down. But at the same time Mumbai expresses willingness to open negotiations immediately, with all the involved fleets remaining in place, since the exact scheme for the demilitarization of Suez seems itself capable of provoking armed conflict.

At the same time there is talk in Mumbai of, rather than negotiating a favorable state of affairs on the canal, buying India's way onto the Canal Corporation. Certainly if the Western powers can purchase the rights to the Suez Canal from the Egyptians, the Indians have every right to get in on the game.

Beijing endorses Mumbai's proposal to begin negotiations immediately regardless of the military stand-off. The issue now was no longer the presence of troops on the canal zone, it was the presence of naval shipping - and both sides had essentially equal forces in that regard. The stoppage in international traffic had gone on too long and losses to the Chinese economy had now topped $1 billion USD.

In a private communique to Mumbai, Beijing has floated the idea of a joint Sino-Hindustan bid.

If whispers of such bidding are heard by Strainist diplomats, it will be implied that Spyran coffers might add to such a bid, and that it is likely the Combine could be convinced to join in as well... the prospect of victory over the reactionaries in a bidding war is attractive to many Party bureaucrats nervous at the increasing power of the Revolutionary Army as global conflicts continue to flare.

Parliament is very much encouraged by the positive reception given to its proposal in Sithin and Beijing, and diplomats from both those countries are invited to confer with Parliamentarians in Mumbai. The Soviets too are visited by Unioners involved in the scheme, though many Igovians probably know about it already. Nobody, of course, knows whether buying some control over the Suez Canal would work even if it received enthusiastic support from all the Asian capitals. Roycelandian and Quinntonian shareholders still control the Suez Canal company, after all, and they could presumably prevent the sale of company stock to a party that does not impress them. And maybe the Soviets will shoot the concept down in the end.

The Indian Ocean

Quinntonian convoys headed to Goa will not be traveling alone. To the Soviet vessels and aircraft that shadow Washington's vessels are added Union corvettes and patrol planes. Elderly Shackletons, aircraft that can't do very much against modern submarines, are sent to monitor the vessels on their way to Roycelandia's Indian colony in perhaps some of their last sorties before retirement. A Bengal class corvette is guaranteed never to be far away, monitoring the convoy for any sound that might indicate a Russian or a French submarine. It would surprise nobody if an enemy vessel tried to sneak close to the Indian coastline masked in the Quinntonians' collective noise. The freighters themselves are subject to some suspicion, and many are convinced that at least part of their cargo is military in nature. No orders are given to board and inspect the vessels yet, but four Chhattisgarh class patrol ships leave Mumbai harbor ready to do just that. With Lynx antisubmarine helicopters embarked, along with several sections of marines, INS Baltistan, Hafizabad, Veravat, and Jhelum head for the Quinntonian convoy.

"We will not be intimidated, we will not be bullied, and we will not back down."

These were the defiant words of the Armandian Combine, whose ships remained firmly in place, with more reinforcements on the way. Although their public mask was a defiant one, the one they donned in private was a bit more concilliatory. While they remained firm in their call for the NATO powers to allow Soviet military vessels to pass through, claiming that any refusal was in effect a declaration of support for the Holy League and its massive record of human rights violations, the Combine's diplomats were willing to live with a canal with at least partial Western ownership.

Partial being the key word.

A brief wire transaction was dispatched to the Egyptian Government.

The Unified Combine of Armand hereby wishes to purchase a 50% stake in the Suez Canal Authority at a price that is 5% above current share value.

____________________________________________________________

In the meantime, the Armandians are busy making deals to ensure their allies don't suffer the ill effects of the blockade. China, the INU, Beth Gellert, Spyr, Dra-Pol and Neo Anarchos are all largely shielded from the market's sudden price surge, although they do pay a fee on top of the pre-crisis market price in order to cover the Combine's profit loss due to the blockade. Additionally, Mesopotomanian worries are assuaged, as Armandians simply buy off their oil shipments, although they're only willing to pay the pre-blockade price. It is explained that this is a fair deal, since otherwise UE's successors would earn a profit off of the Combine's blockade, to which they didn't contribute to.

OOC: Armand, the Suez Canal Authority is a Roycelandian company- the Egyptian Government owns about a 10% shareholding in the company, but if you guys want to stage a corporate takeover of the SCA, you'd need to direct your business proposals to Port Royal.

While the capitalists continue to constrict global trade and force-up the price of oil, Raipur makes a big deal of its first ever purchase of Armandian petrochemicals and the Final Soviet announces the creation of a body to look-into the cost and other difficulties of new pipeline projects to connect Armandian fields with both the Commonwealth and the long-isolated Combine enclave of North Sienna, its border with the Soviet Commonwealth opened with much ceremony after a long cold war.

As Soviet forces are drawn-down on the Armandian frontier so troop ships prepare to steam for Eritrea.

Long Live the Revolution!

Raleigh

"Ladies and gentlemen," Prime Minister Strathairn addressed a room full of newsmen from various organizations; notably CNN, the BBC, ABC, and NHK. "As you are all by now aware, Armandian and Soviet diplomats have refused to rethink their positions as regards the Suez situation. This is unacceptable, and the blockade of civilian shipping by Armandian naval vessels must end forthwith. I also call upon my colleague in Washington, Prime Minister Moerike of the United States, to allow free passage of the Canal to civilian shipping, including that of the Indian Soviet Commonwealth.

"I am aware that this is contrary to Quinntonian policy as regards the canal crisis, but we must all make concessions in the name of peaceful co-existence. Currently, both Combine and Quinntonian warships are engaged in the blockade of civilian traffic, and both sides must withdraw if we are to see progress in this matter.

"The Free Colony depends largely upon oil purchased from Mesopotamia and the former United Elias. Resultingly, it is vital for the economic and national security of the Free Colony that the Canal be open for civilian traffic. While I support wholeheartedly the idea of peaceful negotiation, neither I nor the people of this nation will consent to long-term closure of the Canal. If the blockade is not lifted and negotiations not joined within the next six days, we will have no choice but to consider it an act of war upon the Free Colony." The room buzzed momentarily, and Strathairn had to raise his open hand for quiet.

"I do not make this statement lightly. However, as I have stated, it is vital for this nation's security that the canal be open to civilian shipping. Parliament has voted upon this measure, and has come to the following points. Firstly, that negotiation is preferable to armed conflict. Second, that the canal be open to civilian shipping for the duration of negotiations, including that of the Soviet Commonwealth. Thirdly, that should negotiations not begin within the specified time period, a state of war is to exist between the Free Colony of Australasia and the belligerent powers.

"A special envoy will be dispatched to Raipur forthwith to meet with Soviet officials so as to determine an acceptable course of action. I call upon my Soviet colleagues to receive this envoy in the spirit that it is intended, as friends and equals negotiating a dispute. Similarly, another diplomatic team is departing for Constance within the hour, and will meet with Combine diplomats to discuss possible resolutions.

"The Suez Canal unites Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It is a vital lifeline for dozens of nations. We cannot allow it to remain severed. Not only the Free Colony, but all nations of Asia and East Africa are hurt by the continued crisis. I seek resolution, and hope that my Progressive Bloc colleagues do as well. Thank you, and good night."

(Well, the Egyptian government still owns the canal, but the SCA is the contractor that has the rights to administer and operate the canal. The Egyptian government can change contractors at the end of the contract and I assume there would be an escape clause which allows the Egyptian government to cancel the contract due to poor performance.

Of course, since the Egyptian government is probably still recieving monthly payments from the SCA and under-the-table transactions from Roycelandia, so in all likelihood Cairo is probably going to like the current arrangements, blockade or no blockade. It would be the shareholders of the SCA that would be making calls to sack the board since the SCA hasn't been able to charge ships transport fees and would probably be heavily in the red at the moment.)

IC:

Beijing again calls for the immediate cessation of the NATO blockade and the resumption of diplomacy with all aggrieved parties. President Hu Jin Tao is now out of patience with SEATO's seeming disregard for Beijing's economic interests and the organisation's arrogance in dealing with the whole situation which had doubtless prolonged the blockade.

Hu proposes that Chinese voters participate in a referendum on whether to withdraw from the Tri-partide accord with Japan and the USQ. The bill will be sent into parliament and if it is successful, then a referendum will be held. And based on a poll conducted immediately after the announcement, it would be successful by a substantial majority.

The Indian Final Soviet, Portmeirion, Burha Talab, Raipur, Chhattisgarhi Soviet State

Tamils, Bengalis, Geletians, European exiles, hundreds filled the vast debating chamber at the head of the greatest democracy in history. Busts, statues, portraits in the corridors leading here remembered Bose, Brennus, and a hundred less famous Celts and Indians who served India, revolution, and a hundred other protectorates and causes. Red flags are draped all around. Wine -stronger than Roycelandian rum- is served from a huge earthenware vessel in the middle of the floor. Carnyx horns sounding in a room above fill the chamber with an incredible drone and some sort of order descends.

Foreign delegates from as many countries as have condescended to dispatch representation to the Indian Soviet commonwealth have already taken their sensory fill, obliged to tour the capital while awaiting the Soviet's assembly.

The Shaheed Smarak Complex advertised to them both the uniqueness of Indian architecture and the virility of the sub-continent's miriad freedom fighters, the presence of three-hundred rice mills explodes any memory of near-famine, quarter of a million Commonwealth Guard Militia Auxiliary Corps volunteers show a portion of their strength and the super-modern radar of one amongst only three operational CS-500 Arawan anti-ballistic-missile systems points to the eternally Soviet sky.

The great railway station connects Raipur with Mumbai -though one has to change trains at the border due to the stubborn Soviet use of vastly superior wide-gauge tracks that make the delegates' journies faster, safer, and smoother than they would have been upon trains in their own countries- Kolkata, Bangalore, and so on and so forth.

170 steel rolling mills, 250 steel plants and a huge construction industry exhibit Soviet industrial muscle and remind the world that to trifle with India is no longer to beat-down tribesmen and nomads.

A big-screen shows another space-launch. The Buran orbiter Tempest is prepared along with the rocket Soviet Energy in an impressive display advertised as putting a better-than-the-Shuttle-fleet ship aboard a bigger-than-Saturn-V rocket for the next stage in Luna colonisation and research.

Text running at the bottom of the screen, repeating in numerous sub-continental languages, tells of a massive lead for the pro-accession lobby in preliminary voting in Bihar and predicts that by the morrow India will house only the world's second half-billion-plus national population. With recognition recently given by the Soviets to the Armandian Combine, the newsreel reads, it shall not be long before the world's free socialists outnumber reactionaries and their prisoners.

Finally, delegates are invited to speak on the Suez issue. The Soviets are not impressed, and have it on good authority that, in fact, most of the population of earth is dead set against the ridiculous provocations of Cairo, Washington, Port Royal, and Raleigh.

The Soviets have had their citizens tortured and displayed, their allies gassed and burned, their democracy ridiculed, their commerce blockaded, their environmental and de-nuclearisation programmes ignored, and their liberation efforts confronted, and patience is worn unbearably thin. There is visible loathing in the eyes of many men and women as they regard the foreign guests, and many Guards men and women around the room wear their knuckles white as they clench fists around their INSAS rifles.

This doesn't look so much like a negotiation as a calling to account.

OOC: So, what? We go to war?

IC:

Portmeirion

Franklin Ritchie observed the whirlwind 'tour' of the city with interest, noting that the Soviet guides cheerfully called attention to each and every industrial centre, plant or factory within a twenty-mile radius. While fairly impressive, the display had an air of desperation about it. Why bother to showcase industrial strength when the entire world knows that you have it? The obvious answer was that the Soviets were feeling the heat from NATO a bit more than their rhetoric might imply. Ritchie shelved it away for later recall as he entered the Final Senate.

For an Australasian, the Final Senate's meeting hall was rather loud, chaotic and wild. Horns of some kind whined in the upper galleries and senators drank freely of an evil-smelling wine. Ritchie refused a goblet of the stuff, preferring to face his rather hostile audience with a clear head. He noted with some alarm that a number of Guardsmen in attendance carried their weapons, but figured that the murder of an Australasian diplomat was something that even Soviets wouldn't dare-- at least not in their own capitol building.

Discussion about this, that and the other thing consumed much of the morning, and Ritchie was unsurprised to see that the Bihar referendum had passed with a rather large percentage of the vote. Whether the election was as open and fair as the Soviets claimed was open to debate, and the alternative for the Bihari people-- attempting to remove a massive Soviet army via popular vote-- wasn't especially realistic.

When Ritchie's turn finally came, the Soviets had managed to whip themselves into a self-congratulatory frenzy. The Australasian delegate suppressed a sigh as he rose to his feet and approached the rostrum, briefcase in one hand and hat in the other.

"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the Final Soviet," he began steadily. "I regret that I cannot come before you with a more auspicious message. Our nations stand on the brink of total war, a war that would mean the death of millions and the destruction of all that we have striven to build. We stand here, our two nations, because of a dispute over the ownership of a waterway known as the Suez Canal; a name that is no doubt familiar to you all." Ritchie scanned the faces of his audience, noting impatience, fury or outright disdain. Ah, well.

"Our two nations are very different, it is true. The Free Colony is a member of SEATO, the Fourth Commonwealth is an anarcho-communist nation dedicated to the spread of the Revolution. However, this difference is not irreconcilable. We have seen how two such states may reach an accord in the past. Prime Minister John F. Kennedy of the United States and Premier Nikita Krushchev of the Soviet Union showed us that. For thirteen days in October of 1962, the world hung in the balance. Had Kennedy listened to his staff, the world would have been bathed in thermonuclear fire. Had Krushchev not accepted the terms laid out by Robert Kennedy, we would have similarly been annihilated.

"Today, the situation is not so different than it was in 1962. A corporation affiliated with NATO and SEATO powers has acquired operational authority over the Suez Canal. Quinntonian warships blockade its entrance and Soviet warships are attempting to run the blockade. Both sides are massing weapons of fantastic destructive power. Should they be released, there is no telling how high the dread spiral of escalation may climb. The fate that we avoided forty-five years ago may come for us again. It is our charge-- yours and mine-- that this not come to pass.

"I am here as a formal representative of my government, empowered to speak on its behalf. My statements should not be taken to reflect general SEATO policy, which is determined by committee. With the authority vested in my by the Prime Minister of the Free Colony, I formally invite the Fourth Igovian Commonwealth of Beth Gellert to send a delegation to peace talks planned for next month. As of now, all nations involved in this crisis have formed diplomatic teams for such a purpose. All of these nations have registered with the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which is hosting the event. Only the Fourth Commonwealth remains.

"As an official member of my government, an Australasian and a human being, I entreat you to send a delegation. Nothing can be achieved by further grandstanding or troop buildup. Nothing but death on a massive scale. We stand at a fork in the road. Down one path lies co-operation and peace, down the other lies only havoc, doom, destruction and decay. I ask you to choose the path of life, as we have done.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Ritchie said heavily. "I thank you for your time."

A member of the Strainist delegation cannot help but snipe from the gallery.

"Strange how it is the Commonwealth, and not those who choose this 'path of life', that has chosen this time of tumult to commence unilateral reduction of nuclear stockpiles."

A Soviet woman had been about to shout the same thing, in more openly hostile terms, when the Strainist's voice was heard, but a comrade clasped a hand on her shoulder, apparently anticipating the gist of the statement. Better to have a non-Soviet citizen say it.

Still, as soon as the foreign comrade is finished there is a roar of support from the assembled Indians, and Sopworth Igo stands to restate the matter. "Yes, as our ever-astute Strainist friends indicate, the Commonwealth Guard has -during the course of this diplomatic crisis- announced the end of its strategic nuclear deterrent and all four of our ballistic missile submarines -a fleet of genocidal capacity already several hundred percent smaller than Quinntonia's alone- are in or awaiting refit as tactical cruise missile platforms and submarine transport vessels. Our single class of warhead-carrying intercontinental ballistic missile is being disarmed and assessed for its value to the space programme and other areas of scientific research.

"Does this strike Australasia as the act of a people bent on your destruction? In a world that has seen missile attacks fall on your own cities and has witnessed the gassing and burning of more civilians in Accra, Gibraltar, Buenos Aires, and Ulanger alone than suffered by the British in all of the Blitz, does it not seem even like an act of incredibly good faith?

"The capitalist world speaks too freely of war with the working masses and not nearly enough of the unparralleled brutality of the Holy League."

Of course the Soviets were feeling the heat. The remote Indians and hapless Africans appear to have been left to stand alone against the Holy League, which tortures prisoners, targets civilians, denies democracy, and even executed without trial a hero of the international right-wing. And now, fighting France, Tulgary, Spain, Italy, and Russia, and soon likely Abassamara, the governments of Roycelandia, Australasia, and Quinntonia lead what may end up a coalition including the likes of Britain or even Japan in positioning themselves to make the resistance to this League atrocity quite impossible. India sweats from the worry of a world about to be broken and bowed and from the strain of resisting it with ever decreasing help.

Raipur will indeed take every oportunity to remind the capitalists that India is no longer of the under-developed world and, more importantly, it is not going to just go away like the USSR did. It is of great importance that the potential enemy realise just how hard he will have to fight if he is not more pragmatic... for the Soviets to back down means a victory for autocracy, and what is the point in surviving if only to see that come about?

"The world can't take much more of Quinntonia blockading 8% of the world's shipping traffic. Egypt has lost already tens of millions of dollars and has a clear motive for kicking-out just about the least-successful company in history. The capitalists will back down in this issue, we are simply waiting for you to lose enough money and give-up on the whole sad affair." Graeme Igo was far calmer than his son and their comrades.

"You think that we want war, perhaps? We already have war, with the counter-democratic butchers of mainland Europe. When, next year, three or four billion dollars in receipts and twenty thousand ship-loads of commerce have been lost, and we have defeated the Holy League, then we can sit down and talk about war. I trust that your friends won't bring their nuclear missiles."

OOC: I didn't say anything in character (because then I'd be hard pressed to criticise Q. for doing the same thing to me re. the moon), but if you're referencing the Cuban missile crisis, there, I think that it may be a hard point to counter... I can't see the Ottoman Empire at the time hosting US missiles, and I'd certainly be surprised to see Soviet missiles based in the Roycelandian heartland of Cuba! =)

The Quinntonian Diplomatic Corps., the largest of its type in the world, had been designed to work within the direct democracy of the Third Commonwealth. That meant that if the USQ had to debate something within the Commonwealth, more than a hundred “ambassadors” all over India would walk into Senates and make announcements. Of course, a debate was currently raging as to whether this was necessary now that the Fourth Commonwealth had been shown to be a Republican style Representative Democracy, if with exaggerated oversight by the people. For now, though, many Quinntonians were listening to the debate. This did not an official Quinntonian delegation make, and every time they walked into the Senate they knew the risks. In the past, Quinntonians had had acid thrown in their faces, been shot, disappeared in the night or killed/beaten at the hands of an angry mob. Tonight was no different.

One of them stood and reminded the assembled while clutching his rosary under his shirt, his beard bristling, “Talking about unilateral arms reductions while shelling the Goan border regions and just months after you detonated a nuclear device rings a little hollow with us. Quinntonia has not used a nuclear device in sixty years, and then it was used to end a war, not simply to fight one. The Quinntonian people welcome any arms reduction by any nation, but simply will not allow ourselves to be naked and defenceless while Soviet and Quinntonian warships face eachother at Suez. We would welcome entering into a dialogue with the Final Soviet on these and many other issues; we have much to learn from our Soviet, Strainist and Combinist brothers, but real negotiation cannot occur when pointing guns at eachother. God be with us.”

“Is it the mark of great society,” he thinks, “that when he voices his opinion, he feels as though he is taking his life in his hands?” The dictatorship of the mob is dangerous thing indeed.

WWJD
Amen.

During the Quinntonian's address some in the Senate notice the departure of Adiatorix, who apparently has more important things to be doing. Significant things, it will turn-out.

Of course the Soviets quickly attack the speaker's criticism of the nuclear event over Libya: that event killed a few dozen would-be war criminals, and if it had not been carried-out France would have killed tens of thousands of civilians. Like all others to remain -in the short term- in Soviet arsenals those weapons were of defensive utility only, small -compared to Quinntonia's thermonuclear arms- and not designed to strike. The Commonwealth has clearly begun to break-down its ability to fight a nuclear war.

If he'd brought it up he would also have been reminded that an unwelcome missionary had been 'pranked' in a fairly cruel fashion and soaked with mildly salty water, not acid.

And a few pot-shots had been taken on the Goan border after endless provocation abroad on Roycelandia's imperialistic part. What was that next to targetted chemical attacks on civilian population centres, the nuclear reduction of cities, the practice of capital punishment, of torture, of sentence-without-trial, conscription, slavery, or the stockpiling of weapons of genocidal design? The border skirmishing at Goa is symptomatic, not causative, so says Graeme Igo.

"Ah! He's bringing God into it, again! This isn't a theatre!"

Sopworth breaks in, "This is all very well, but when exactly are you going to stop blockading tens of billions of dollars worth of international commerce and depriving Egypt alone of millions each day? We are just going to wait for you, of course, and fight for democracy and equality in Africa while you choke-up its key waterway and feast with the kings of Europe."

"The new Suez company has failed." Graeme restates, "Once this is accepted, and security, profit, and management returned to Egypt, we can all get our warships out of there and start sending our trade ships through again. The venture is dead in the water, excuse the pun, and the longer this stand-off continues the more that the capitalist world looks like the child who would rather take the ball and go home than stay and risk losing a game. What are you afraid of? We promise not to invade Egypt when Royce leaves, don't we, comrades?"

Some laughter and ayes.

And a few pot-shots had been taken on the Goan border after endlehttp://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=12287026#post12287026
[AMW] Gunboat Diplomacyss provocation abroad on Roycelandia's imperialistic part. What was that next to targetted chemical attacks on civilian population centres, the nuclear reduction of cities, the practice of capital punishment, of torture, of sentence-without-trial, conscription, slavery, or the stockpiling of weapons of genocidal design? The border skirmishing at Goa is symptomatic, not causative, so says Graeme Igo.

A minor OOC: Roycelandia does not condone the use of chemical weapons, we're staunchly anti-capital punishment, torture, and slavery, take Habeas Corpus very seriously, and the Imperial Defence Forces are entirely made up of Volunteers.

Don't confuse us with France- we may be Allies, but we don't always agree with their methods.

(OCC: Indians I think will probably not make the distinction, since, if Royce really disapproved of what the French were doing, he would ask them to stop it rather than provide them with the bombers and attack helicopters that they use to drop napalm and gas cannisters on the heads of noncombatants. Either way proven Roycelandian connections with the hated French are enough to turn Indian public opinion entirely against Port Royal.

Eh, also, this (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=471053&page=2) might be of interest to some of you.)

IC:

Raipur

Unioners too are present in the Final Senate, although they are not quick to speak, being not as sure of their position as the Soviets. Dissatisfaction with the NATO powers is, however, a sure thing. One Sindhi shouts from his seat, "Might the West show that its supposed commitment to the 'path of life' is not an outright lie by opposing France's massacre of West Africans?"

Another Quinntonian delegate, actually a Gelletian born convert, a former marine, who had then travelled to Quinntonia and been educated further and decided to come back to work among his people stood up behind his Quinntonian brethren and barked for silence from behind his great braided beard. He then yelled, “The blockade of the Suez is not advantageous to anyone, least of all Quinntonia. But we are labouring under some heavy pressures. First, it is the Roycelandians that hold the majority shares and seats on the board, not us. Second, the Soviets have made the situation worse than it needed to be by refusing to leave the lines and trying to force the blockade, as well as murdering the Egyptian authorities that tried to arrest them. Almost every ship captain has asked the Soviets to remove themselves from the lines so that shipping of their cargo at least, is allowed through, but they seem content to fabricate an international incident by forcing all shipping to a stop, instead of just yours!”

He took a mighty drink of the goblet that he had in his hand, showing the massive Celtic Cross that had been tattooed on his bicep and continued with droplets of wine punctuating his speech, “At first, there was to be no stoppage of shipping at all, let us all remember. Even Soviet military shipping was to be allowed through. But the Soviets, objecting to even having that company present landed troops there. That was the first act of aggression. Let us be clear on that. In response, the Egyptian authorities were called by the company representatives and asked to arrest the trespassers who were by all reports heavily armed. Unfortunately, the Soviets refused to submit to arrest and opened fire on the Egyptian policemen, killing several of them. This lead to a firefight in which the Soviet presence there was destroyed. That is all well-documented by the many cameras that captured the occurrence, I think. At that time, fearful of terrorist activity, the Quinntonian Navy was asked to patrol the canal in case of Soviet bombs or attacks, so that they would be directed at us instead of innocent civilians. It is at this time that Soviet military shipping was asked not to proceed through. The Quinntonian board members did ask though, knowing that there was no line between military and civilian in our society, which all Soviet shipping would be blocked, but the board refused. So, remember, the Roycelandians who you now attack across the border were refusing at this stage. Since that time, the situation has escalated, with more and more threats of violence coming from India and the Roycelandian protectorate of Goa coming under shelling in the past days. Time and time again, the NATO/SEATO powers have offered to negotiate, and when even the INU has applauded the plans, the Soviets have refused. We are at a loss.”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his mighty hand and threw his goblet onto the floor. “What if we could find an agreement today? What if we, brothers and sisters, could make peace? The NATO/SEATO powers are worried about a military escalation. If we choose not to ship, by our own volition, any military equipment or warships through the Suez Canal, and submit to searches, we could most likely come to a similar agreement with them on Goa. They could stay their military traffic for Goa to an agreed upon amount of surface warships and coastal defences, and submit their shipping to INU searches on demand. Now, I have not the authority to speak for neither my government nor the government of Roycelandia, but this could be the kernel that leads to peace.”

WWJD
Amen.

OOC: Christ, whoops. I blame lack of sleep for that. Would perhaps the USSR have placed missiles in Neo-Anarchos or somewhere, and the US done the same in Depkazia or something? Perhaps this can be worked into the '66 RP somehow.

Portmeirion

Ritchie waited patiently as the catcalls and soapboxing came to a close, hands clasped behind his back. The speakers' rostrum was a lonely and very exposed place, he noted. It was little wonder that those present frequently spoke from their places in the Senate rather than making the long journey to the lit podium. On the other hand, he who could actually stand his ground on the floor would probably appeal at least a bit to the warrior-ethos of Beth Geletian culture. That the rostrum doubled as a fountain of moonshine was undesirable, but there you go.

"Whether or not the esteemed Final Soviet is aware," Ritchie said at length, "the Free Colony of Australasia maintains exactly one intercontinental ballistic missile armed with nuclear weapons, and some dozen air-deliverable thermonuclear devices. All of these are compliant with relevant treaty restrictions, and no new nuclear weapons are being produced. If we are to bandy words about nuclear arsenal reduction here, I think it is safe to say that the Free Colony has little to be ashamed of.

"The actions of the Holy League are reprehensible, and nobody in the Free Colony condones said actions or the policies of hate that drive them. Exactly no trade takes place between the Free Colony of Australasia and the Kingdom of France or other League nations. In point of fact, more trade goes on with the Peoples' Republic of Spyr than with the entire League or its puppet states, much to Australasia's financial detriment. We were the first to stand against the French, and remain the only power, excepting Great Britain, to have lost civilian and military lives both fighting them.

"In the end, though, the responsibility of my government is to its people and its allies. Australasia fought France because France attacked Great Britain, not because of their atrocities elsewhere. We are not an interventionist people by nature, we believe in the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law. We have fought our battles with France, and prefer now to focus on freeing the people of the world through peaceful exchange of ideas, rather than the exchange of missiles.

"The Free Colony has called for the lifting of the blockade in Suez. If the Commonwealth insists upon painting three disparate nations with the same broad brush, that is its own business. The fact of the matter is that the Free Colony has requested that the blockade of Suez be lifted, and diplomatic efforts are underway there as well. However, this is not an issue to be debated between four governmental representatives of NATO and the entire Final Soviet. I have come to request Soviet presence at a conference to be held in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, where this issue might be discussed more fully and in an atmosphere far more conducive to discussion than the meeting place of a party's government."

Washington, Dominus Christi

A charming day in the Rose Garden, Strathairn reflected as he rubbed the trans-Pacific sleep from his eyes. He understood well the demands upon a head of state, and was perfectly willing to wait while the United States government managed to fit him in.

Washington was not a pretty city, not like London or--God forgive them--Paris, but it had a certain grandeur that those ancient capitals lacked. Its buildings were utilitarian and concrete, built in the last century to house the ever growing bureaucracy that ran the largest superpower on the Earth. Its streets were dirty and not, perhaps, as safe as Quinntonians would have one believe, but its people carried themselves proudly. How could they not, citizens of Washington?

Across the street, a slightly insane old woman emerged from her tent. She carried a hand-painted sign that proclaimed God's condemnation of nuclear weapons and reminded all who would listen that the Lord could level cities in an instant, and was likely irritated that humanity had chosen to be so presumptuous as to imitate His powers. She was politely ignored by most passers-by, but she had been there as long as Strathairn could recall.

He checked his watch. Two-thirty in the afternoon. He'd been waiting for roughly five minutes. It was a glorious day.

"Yes, yes, we're aware of the limitations of the Australasian nuclear force, that's probably why comrade Graeme said..." Cerys of Great Chilaw looked to the meeting's elected secretaries, one of whom read back, "'I trust that your friends won't bring their nuclear missiles...'." "Yes, thank you, comrade."

Graeme waved off the exchange and creaked to his feet once more. The Grandfather of the Revolution was knocking on a bit in years, now, and had more stress in his life than most people do.

"Never mind that, comrades." And then to the Quinntonians, "You know that it is not realistic... everyone knows that it is not realistic... to expect... that Soviet ships alone should remove themselves from the convoys and disadvantage themselves simply because of the whim of a corporation backed by foreign governments. We'll do that when you give the Panama Canal to Costa Paz and stop sending your ships across the Indian Ocean. And so you can imagine that you have a wait on your hands.

"We still are in the same position. You are going to have to back-down, and are giving nobody any cause to consider a different result realistic."

"Do you want a lolly-pop to lessen the sting, or something?" said Sopworth, "Look, I'll give you a ruby. A nice one. You can put it in the Oval Office or something."

OOC: Hm, yeah, maybe Costa Paz and the US-occupied Panama Canal could somehow replace the Cuban aspect of the crisis, but Depkazia was part of the USSR in '66. What was going on in Armand and North Pakistan at the time? Or maybe the pre-Yugoslav Balkans. Supporting a -presumably wildly unpopular!- anti-Russian government in Serbia or such would have made Moscow livid.

OOC: I need to brush up on my AMW geography. I rather thought that Depkazia was just southward of the former USSR, since much of it seems to include the ex-Persian empire. Or does it? Am I, in fact, talking out of my arse? Yes, yes I am.

Portmeirion

"My good sir," Ritchie said, relaxing his stance somewhat and pouring himself a bit of wine. "I have no real desire to see the Soviets come off worse in this situation, our concern is the League, not you. So long as you leave us and ours alone, we're content to do the same. That is official government policy, even if I condensed it somewhat. So here's what I'm proposing." He took a swallow of the wine, and managed not to wince as it slithered down his throat.

"Hmm... do you think I could bring a bottle of this home? Anyway. I propose resumption of normal canal operations, exactly as they took place under the former United Elias, with the sole exception that all vessels, including the Soviets, be required to submit a request for passage. These requests will be handled in the same fashion as they were under the Federal Dictatorship-- to wit, they'll be allowed through unless their nation is at war with someone on the board of the Suez Company. Since the canal was subject to British or Australasian blockade from Cyprus before the collapse of the Federal Dictatorship, this is essentially the same as before.

"You are not going to have it all your way, that isn't how diplomacy works. I'm sure that you, Graeme Igo, know that as well as anyone in this room. You've been a statesman for decades. At some point, it becomes necessary to accept the facts of life. Let's reach a compromise and move on, shall we?"

OOC: Depkazia-proper was Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, in reality all former Soviet Socialist States and in AMW all part of the Depkazi Soviet Socialist State. Since starting out, the Depkazi Caliph has conquered, by various means, much of northern Afghanistan and the former Republic of North Pakistan, and is trying for more of Afghanistan and for Balochistan (which just seceeded from the Indian National Union and lies in RL southwestern Pakistan). The Armandian Combine is centred in Iran and includes the former Soviet holdings of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan (at least I think that it incorporates all three of those) as well as part of northern India formally cut-off from the western part by the INU and ISC. But that still gets complicated when looking back at what authorities prevailed where in the past! Recently we've re-opened our borders with that Armandian enclave, and improved our relations with Armand, which is another good reason for recent Soviet bluster against everyone else... we've drawn-down thousands of troops from a formerly tense border and got ourselves more petrochemical access in the process.

Graeme didn't get chance to speak, for as he closed his eyes for a moment in that oh, no sort of way his son started-up once more.

"We aren't going to submit to the whims of some foreign directors who've already shown themselves to be completely inept!"

Another comrade, introduced even as he began to shout from the rear of the hall, chimed in.

"Comrade Getafix of Galle..."

"...Why do these private citizens of nations A, B, and C, operating in Nation X, get to make political decisions to the detriment of Nation Y?"

"We..." said Graeme, "can blockade the Suez from the south, and will do so forever if that is so long as this corporation holds the same power over us.

"Remove the corporation, return the canal to Egyptian management, protection, and ownership, and then we will be equal, you able to blockade from the north, we from the south, and, knowing this, neither of us shall bother."

"Just as we could shoot-down the satellites Russia uses to locate Yugoslavian targets, but do not because we know that they could respond by shooting-down some of ours, and neither can prevent the other from doing it." Says Sopworth. "A venture at corporate imperialism in Suez has failed, and we in opposition to that venture will not bear a bit of the political cost."

OOC: Beej, are you really going to stonewall the entire negotiation process because your diplomats don't think it's worth their time? It's getting tiresome. How about we move on, no?

A fair few Unioners nod in agreement to the Quinntonian proposal. For them the Suez issue has always been seen as a distraction at best, and doubtless Mumbai would have been content if left to its own devices to accept Royce's earlier offer, to let all Soviet shipping through, SCA or no SCA. Libya, it is felt, needs reinforcement more than Egypt needs the canal nationalized.

Biswas Gokhale of Vadodara, a radio engineer by trade, stands and addresses the Final Senate, albeit with a fair bit of trepidation.

"That foreign ownership of the Suez Canal Authority is detrimental to Egypt as a nation is certain. Cairo must have full control over its most valuable asset in order to become viable as an independent country. But we must not forget that we are engaged in a far more important struggle in Africa that must end in victory for India. The longer this Suez crisis drags on, the longer India is prevented from heavily reinforcing Libya, set-upon from Niger and Algeria. India, I am sure, would rather see a Suez Canal Authority controlled by NATO than another nation added to the list of Holy League conquests."

Ritchie nodded sagaciously at the words of his Unioner opposite number, carefully steepling his fingers on the crest of the rostrum. Standing in the centre of a stone amphitheatre for twenty minutes and being shouted at by communists made for hot work, and he was glad that he had worn a light coloured suit.

"I feel that it should be pointed out that Egypt's national government sold the rights to the Suez Canal to the SCA. If this is imperialism, it is a very civil and legal way to go about it. The SCA provides a service to the Egyptian government; the smooth running of the Suez Canal. The Egyptian government takes a cut of the profits made, but the majority are kept by the SCA as payment for services rendered. If this deal wasn't in the interests of Egypt, why would Egypt's government sell the Canal rights freely to the SCA?"

Ritchie took a sip of the wine and forced himself to breathe. It was like fire! "Were we dealing with a tinpot dictatorship somewhere in Europe, I can understand how one might imagine that the government was being bribed or coerced into selling rights to the canal. This, however, is Egypt. Late of the Federal Dictatorship, possessed of a highly-educated population, a robust military and a political system as free of fraud as any. This is a deal between a powerful first world nation and a company. It does not involve the Soviet Commonwealth, and the only reason that trade remains blocked is because of Soviet refusal to negotiate. When all nations involved express an interest to discuss a peaceful resolution save one, it is clear enough who to blame. If you of the Final Senate believe that you are acting with the support of the world, I submit to you that you are sadly mistaken.

"However, my esteemed colleague from the Union is correct in one sense. The entire world would benefit from an Indian victory at sea, and there is no love lost between the Free Colony and the League. The Mediterranean was once a meeting place for East and West, where peoples came to trade goods and information for the good of all. It is in all of our interests to see it become that again, but we cannot have open trade routes if the Soviets continue to blockade the canal. We are not leaving. The Egyptians have sold the SCA the Suez Canal in a mutually agreed-upon deal. India has no right to dictate to the Egyptian people how they run their internal affairs, and if India is as committed to freedom as it claims, you of the Final Senate will recognize that Egypt is acting within its rights as a sovereign nation."

"We" said Sopworth, "are not blockading the canal! The United States Navy is blockading the canal! We are trying to send traffic through it! I will beat the next man who seriously claims that the Soviets are blockading the Suez Canal!"

His father continued, "What is there to negotiate that has not already been said? We are not going to pay money to Roycelandia while Roycelandia supports the Holy League. And we are not going to sit idly by while Roycelandian forces militarise the friendly passage that is the Suez. And we are not going to be the only nation on earth to suffer under of an act of western economic imperialism in the guise of something disgustingly called a negotiation.

"We have the high ground and will not come down until the capitalists drop their requirement that we adhere to different rules on the road down.

"Either you're going to have to admit the failure of the Suez take-over and take your lumps like honourable men and women, or you're going to have to destroy every ship -of commerce or war- in Soviet India... and take the much bigger lumps that come with trying that."

At about this time those with satellite phones or internet access -non-Soviet mobile phones, being totally different to the Commonwealth's on a fundamental level, are not serviced in this part of India- may learn of the landing in Eritrea of Soviet WIG and aerial forces and the sailing of troop-laden merchant ships that normally would have been carrying goods through Suez right now. Half a million Commonwealth Guards are spread between Eritrea, the ports of southwestern India, or the air and sea between those places. Burning effigies of General Gabrice Aiyana tell of their intended destination, and the departure mid-meeting of the great warrior Adiatorix makes a little more sense.

"The United States navy is blockading the Canal specifically because the Soviets are attempting to pass through with military vessels during this period of crisis, while all reasonable parties involved have agreed to wait until the start of negotiations for this to happen." Ritchie quirked an eyebrow at Igo's 'threat', but said nothing more on the topic.

"I do not know how I can be more clear. The United States Navy is acting without the consent of other parties involved, and has been asked many times to cease the blockade immediately. You are not the only ones suffering from this blockade, and much as it may comfort you to believe that this is some kind of imperialistic attempt to control the world's waterways, it is a purely business decision by a multinational corporation.

"Yes, Royce I owns a number of shares in the Suez Canal Authority, and it is a Roycelandian company by origin. Do you propose that all Roycelandian companies with government shareholders be barred from doing business outside of Roycelandia? Perhaps it has escaped your notice, but shortly after the attack on Accra, IAe ceased sale of the Lancaster II bomber and spare parts thereof to the crown of France. Perhaps it has also escaped your notice that African freedom fighters are armed not only with Enfield Mk. IIIs stamped with the Imperial Small Arms factory seal, but also with some sixty Australasian Leopard I tanks. Perhaps it would behoove the Commonwealth's leadership to read the news more frequently.

"Perhaps you have also failed to notice that the Roycelandian military deployments to the Suez amount to little more than a few regiments of Imperial guardsmen, some artillery and a few Spitfires. Perhaps you have failed to notice that your own forces demonstrated why it is important to deploy NATO troops to such areas by their unprovoked attack on civilian authorities and Roycelandian troops alike. Perhaps if the Soviet Commonwealth had not deployed combat troops to Egypt before attempting to paint itself as a fount of reason, my government would be content to agree with you, Graeme Igo.

"Australasian-flagged civilian vessels will begin crossing the Suez Canal immediately-- we cannot wait for the Soviets and the United States to come to an accord. Neither will we force the SCA and the Egyptian government to accept Soviet demands when said government has clearly registered its desire to sell the operating rights to Suez, and certainly not simply because the Final Senate cannot behave in a calm and rational manner. You are doing yourself no service by appearing to be the spoilt child who refuses to speak to his parents because they will not give him a cookie. NATO does not exercise any direct authority over the Suez Canal, the SCA does. The SCA policies are identical to those of the Federal Dictatorship, the only exception being that the Soviet Commonwealth must request entry like everyone else. If that is too much to ask, I suggest that you of the Final Senate refine your expectations of the international community."

Suez

A fairly large group of tankers and cargo vessels destined for the Free Colony had gathered at the mouth of the Suez canal, forming what appeared from the sky to be a regularly spaced chain of tiny islands, as if one were to press a large colander into blue play-dough. Their leading edge tapered to a point at which three Australasian frigates and a number of patrol boats created a sort of crescent, like sheep dogs herding gigantic sheep. Regular overflights by helicopters off of the FCS Quenfis were performed to note new arrivals.

The order was passed down from Rear-Admiral Wilberforce's flag, pursuant to which the frigates broke formation and gave the go-ahead signal to the Australasian-flagged cargo vessels. The USQ's commanding officer in the region was informed that the Free Colony was unable to continue regular economic life without trade currently being bottled up in the Mediterranean, and that the Quinntonian frigates present in the Suez were formally requested to allow passage of the inbound vessels.

Suez

Most Soviet merchants had by now quit the region, unable to wait while crews grew restless, hungry, and irate, and were steaming home to help in the sealift of the Soviet 3rd Corps to Eritrea, from where General Aiyana would be attacked and deposed and the borders of Egypt and Roycelandian East Africa would be increasingly encircled by Indian forces, due to others being already stationed in Tanzania and Libya.

A handfull of ships remained, and amongst them was the corvette El Aaiún, still at the fore of the southern convoy within shouting distance of the United States' frigates. If the Australasian ships are given an opening, the nippy El Aaiún will certainly be motoring into it.

And then there was a mighty spectacle as a Soviet Dwrgi-T transport WIG came thundering into view, flying at several hundred metres altitude as the class can over short distances, the crew attempted to contact the belligerent Quinntonian warships, indicating that the vehicle -armed only with twin 30mm cannon mounted on top of the fuselage and unable to point downwards- was en route to Libya and did not intend to observe the illegal and unfriendly US blockade of Egypt's waterways.

El Aaiún trained its 76mm quick-fire gun on one US frigate an turned a 30mm CIWS towards another, and its helicopter lifted off with anti-ship missiles affixed and headed further south.

The Quinntonians were not told, but Cairo received a message indicating the gathering of funds to pay transit fees after the resolution of the NATO-Australasian lead crisis.

The Final Soviet, Raipur

"Yes, this is a time of crisis, and that is exactly why Soviet warships are attempting to pass through the Suez. African liberty is at stake, and with it the safety of the world.

"Soviet forces were landed in Egypt because of the provocations of the Roycelandians, and the force's small size and clear lack of motorisation made it no threat. The Roycelandians, allies of France, had deployed military forces to a waterway of global importance, and had done so without forewarning nation such as our own. Justifiably fearing a bias in the future of the canal's operation and a threat to Soviet relations with Libya and other nations, and encountering a lack of co-operation in righting an act perceived as hostile, we resolved to have our own presence in the region until sense could be seen.

"The west hastened to gang-up against us and Roycelandia to attack the little mission, wiping it out. It was clearly seen as a threat, just as was the Roycelandian deployment to us."

Walking from the Soviet -he was to address troops leaving for Abassamara- Graeme added that the Commonwealth hasn't had a leader since 1989, and wondered how many newspapers had been printed in Australasia since then.

EDIT: Double post

OOC: Christ. Have you actually decided to declare war on the entire western world? How... insane of you. I suggest that we wait for Quinn to post... I can't speak for his navy, but I'm tempted to start shooting. Can you seriously expect a bunch of frigate commanders not to fire at incoming warships that seem intent upon attacking them? At any rate, I recommend that we take a day or two to chill.

On Board the IRNS Blofeld

"INCOMING SOVIET SHIP! BATTLE STATIONS, BATTLE STATIONS!"

The crew of the IRNS Blofeld were ready for the approaching WIG craft.

"If they cross the Quinntonian ships, blow them out of the water... sky... you know what I mean!"

Two of the ship's Seafire Pilots clambered into the cockpits of their planes, sitting on steam catapults above the forward and aft gun turrets...

Cairo, Egypt

"Mr. Prime Minister, you must realise that the Soviet presence in this part of Afria is a threat to both our Nations. Soviets in Libya, Soviets in Eritrea... You can see how this situation is not helpful for anyone. It's only a matter of time before you've got Soviet tanks rolling across the borders. They've already staged a landing once- and were beaten back- but I think that the Egyptian Government may need to take a stronger stance with the Soviets."

General Abdul al-Muntaqim al-Rashid today issued a formal statement that Mesopotamia will no longer be dealing with the Soviets. He said "While we are still open to trade and agreements with the INU and the Combine, the Soviets have shown themselves to be intransigent and uninterested in constructive negotiations."
He later continued "This is disappointing as we share their distaste at the actions of the Holy League, and would have appreciated being able to work with them against this threat to liberty and peace; however we will not ally with the mad, even to fight the tyrannical."
Coming with a US state visit imminently expected (not sure how this matches up in timescale with the US diplomatic tour), this has been taken by commentators to be a hint of a change in the hitherto neutral stance of General al-Rashid's Mesopotamian government.

Mumbai

Boldness on the Soviet side is upsetting, but not at all surprising to Parliament, members of which have been more or less expecting the ISC to run the blockade since NATO refused Raipur's terms. A fierce debate rages in Parliament; the minority holds that the INU should not support the Soviets in what seems sure to result in no small war with NATO, a sentiment by no means popular with most Unioners. Difficult though the Soviets may be, no upstanding Unioner would think to violate the strong ties between the ISC and the INU over such a flimsy pretext. Says one Parliamentarian, a grizzled old infantrymen covered with campaign medals, "We shall not abandon India for those treacherous dogs and cowards who live in Raleigh!"

Those visiting the ISC are, however, sure to indicate their displeasure over the Soviets' running of the blockade. Couldn't they have at least waited a bit longer, to see whether anything might have been coaxed out of negotiations? Certainly a conflict over the Suez Canal puts the war effort in Africa in a difficult spot. No doubt Roycelandia and Quinntonia will jump on the situation, a pretext for them to wage their long-awaited war on Soviet India, and they probably won't stop until either one of them or India lies bleeding on the floor. And all the while the dastardly Frenchers will be off raping everywhere else. A war that could perhaps be decided within the year might take several to accomplish, should India allow itself to be distracted by other priorities.

Parliament confirms its support, conditional on the Soviets' willingness to return to the negotiating table once any Suez conflict comes to endanger the war effort in Africa. At the same time Mumbai encourages the withdrawal of the Soviet Dwrgi, citing the likely loss of that particularly valuable piece of gear and the men inside of it, should it continue on its present course.

The Combine urged the Soviets to back down---although they were morally in the right, fighting a war with NATO and the Holy League at once is simply not viable. Combine ships slowly began to withdraw from the area, ending the now month long blockade, and oil shipments slowly trickled back onto the world market. Their vessels remained nearby, however, in case negotiations did not go as planned...

There is of course little question of the Dwrgi Jaimini backing down, and the transport vessel continues on, flying at several hundred metres and closing at over one hundred knots. As it approaches red five-point stars may be seen on its stub wings and fuselage. As most Indian Soviet vessels and aircraft bear a yellow star (sometimes joined by a red fist) one can observe the medical implication of Soviet India's answer to the western red cross and Islamic red crescent. The vehicle's purely defensive armament is a consequence of French piracy, apparently.

In fact, more WIGs -Dwrgis and smaller machines- are beginning to appear on long-range radar looking across the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf as India asks the question: are you going to let normal commerce resume or are you going to start a war to prevent it?

The Final Soviet's position is that the United States has no right to blockade the Suez Canal, and so the blockade will be run.

...or the WIG will be attacked, possibly by Roycelandian forces, and total war will eliminate Goa, half the US navy, the Incorporated States of Andaman and Nicobar, and quite possibly the entities of Egypt and Roycelandian East Africa before Soviet outrage is contained and the Guard's forces confined to a wounded India.

And while all of this menace hangs in the air, Commonwealth experts are drawing-up proposals for energy co-operation with not only the likes of Armand and China but also coal-rich Australasia, as the Soviets, recognising the economic motivations of coal exporters and users such as Australia and China, consider ways to get everyone else to pollute less and save a world that even now is looking to destroy the revolution. The Fourth Commonwealth apparently is unwilling to back-down when in the right, but does not make conflict with the west its express aim.

NATO is politely informed by the Combine that "if we find a single f*cking scratch on that humanitarian vessel" then NATO promptly find itself at war with not only the Unified Combine, but the entire Co-Prosperity Sphere.

The Roycelandian Dreadnaught holds fire, but the Imperial Government points out that the Egyptian Government has an absolute right under international law to search the WIG vehicle to confirm the humanitarian nature of its mission, and that failure to comply with this would be a breach of the International Red Cross Treaty...

snippet

Finally, start the war already.

<QUOTE>The Seventh Fleet of course, consists of 5 Carrier Battle Groups, following the Quinntonian tradition for naming them after Biblical figures, with each group containing:

2 Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers (85 aircraft each)
4 Ticonderoga AEGIS Cruisers
6 Arliegh Burke Class-guided missile destroyers
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class
8 Las Angeles Class Attack Submarines
3 Sacramento Class Supply Ships (1 Outfitted as Hospital)

The Seveth Fleet consists of:
5 Carrier Battle Groups, including:
Matthew (Based in Japan- 2 Kitty Hawks)
Luke (Based in Guam- Enterprise, Jesse Obed)
John, Abraham, and King David (Based in Quinntonian Dra-pol-2 Nimitz)
5 Tarawa Amphibious Assault Ships
10 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Class Ships
8 Austin Class Amphibious Assault Docks
1 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Docks
4 Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Harper’s Ferry Class Dock Landing Class Ships
2 Ticonderoga Class AEGIS Cruisers
2 Arliegh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyers
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates
18 Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Subs
4 Seawolf Class Attack Submarines
2 Virginia Class Attack Submarines
2 Kraken Class Super Dreadnaught (Roycelandian Purchase)

Not everything will be committed to this effort, but nearly so, with Carrier Battle Groups Mathew, Luke, John and King David being brought to the fore from their respective starting positions, and meeting just north of the Philippines prior to entering the South China Sea as a united force. Of course, some units will stay behind, with the Abraham specifically:
5 Tarawa Amphibious Assault Ships
10 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Class Ships
1 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Docks
4 Whidbey Island Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Harper’s Ferry Class Dock Landing Class Ships
4 Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates<QUOTE>

<QUOTE> The Seventh Fleet, under Vice-Admiral William Hutt, the brother of the commander of the Fifth, was currently sailing past the Andoman and Nicobar islands, where they were gathering up a few more members of the Fleet, a couple of Suezmax size freighters, whose civilian crew is replaced immediately, and are carrying food, medical supplies, and other essentials. A single Capemax freighter also joins them with a manifest that included hundreds of thousands of tones of construction materials and more supplies of the above nature. Two VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) with tanks fitted for refined fuels is brought along as well. Their manifests are forwarded to Raipur immediately. They are civilian targets, and are asked to be treated as such. Their manifests are made public to all nations, and they are going to be escorted to Goa. They will then disgorge their cargo, and move along to the Suez, except for the Capemax, which will of course, head back into the South China Sea to resume regular shipping. It also made well known that many Quinntonian Prayer Warriors and missions personal will be accompanying the civilian ships, and should be considered non-combatants.<QUOTE>

Vice-Admiral William Hutt, commander of the Seventh, was now sailing into harm’s way. Things were becoming more and more tense; and he had thought the they couldn’t get any worse when he set out. His orders were constantly changing as the winds of diplomacy and foreign policy changed. But one thing was sure; he was to deliver this cargo to Goa, under fire if necessary. This action might provoke the largest conflict seen since WW2, and if that was his destiny, he would shoulder it with resolution. But he prayed often that this would not be the case, with tears steaming down his face. The old man had taken to carrying around pictures of his family, his two daughters Opal and Pearl, from his first marriage, and his wife Katie, named after Martin Luther’s wife. The lines on his face were seemingly becoming more pronounced every kilometre that they travelled toward their goal, and he ordered that all off-duty personal spend at least one hour per day in prayer for peace.

He hoped that the Naval Soviet would at least know enough to realise that they had left behind all of their landing docks, pretty much the bulk of their amphibious landing capability. Hopefully they would interpret that as a measure of their peaceful intentions. Now, he ordered his massive fleet to sail the closest they would come to the sub-continent, he was sailing about 350 kms. south of the Island of Sri Lanka, where he would turn north at the Maldives and take up a position 1200 kms. west of Goa in the Arabian Sea. That would mean that most of the fighters that the Soviets could deploy against his fleet would be unable to come, at least not fully loaded and make it back on their fuel reserves, and those with the range to do so would find themselves fighting the F-22s in equivalent numbers. And the superiority of the Quinntonian fighters to the Soviet ones was unquestioned at that level; the Raptors were superior in every aspect to every plane produced, except maybe the dog fighting capabilities of some of the Chinese ROCAF versions. Once this position had been achieved, it was planned that the tankers and transports would be escorted peaceably to Goa in order to facilitate their resistance should the Soviets invade, and when they had successfully retrieved the tankers, they would order them returned to civilian duty as the Seventh Fleet received their next phase of orders, which was still very much being debated at the Pentagon.

QNN New Report:
The Pentagon was in the process of announcing the largest expansion of the fleet that had happened since the end of the Cold War. The massive decommissioning process, which saw work on the advanced ship types grind to a halt in the short term, and faced major logistics problems in the manning of so many ships. The officer corps of the “new” additions of the previously mothballed ships are an even grouping of both some of the most experienced officers that Quinntonia could pull out of retirement to the rawest rookies out of Annapolis, with the entire graduating class being brought into active service early, to continue the last of their studies via long distance from their posts. It is hoped that the relative strengths and weaknesses of two such groups will balance each other out, but that remains to be seen.

The recommissioning is as follows:

Iowa Class Battleships-4 decommissioned/only two being recommissioned, the others are too far gone
Kitty Hawk Class Aircraft Carriers-2 decommissioned
Tarawa Class: each carrying 2,000 marines-2 decommissioned
Austin Class: each carrying 900 marines-2 decommissioned
Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates-10 decommissioned
Las Angeles Class Attack Submarine-8 decommissioned

http://z9.invisionfree.com/NS_Modern_World/index.php?showtopic=5&st=60

Their new destinations will be as follows:
2nd Fleet

1 Iowa Class Battleship

5th Fleet

2 Tarawa Class Amphibious Assault Docks
2 Austin Class Amphibious Assault Docks

2 Kitty Hawk Aircraft Carriers
8 Los Angeles Class Attack Submarines

7th Fleet

1 Iowa Class Battleship

These ships will all be steaming out to meet their new assignments, with of course the bulk of the ships being assigned to a fleet that had never been that high a priority before, but was proving to be more and more important, the 5th. The 2 Kitty Hawks will be added to the Carrier Battle Group Paul along with the elements that are currently serving there for the time being, to provide an over-sized and over-powered force projection capability in that theatre. Of course, with this launch, the totality of the military shipping industry is engaged with making sure that the actually new additions to the fleets will be ready in something resembling on schedule. Vice-Admiral Hutt no doubt had mixed feelings about his new importance in the strategic policy of the administration, but old, previously mothballed ships with officers of questionable capability could prove to be more headache than they are worth. He was heard to comment, “And I didn’t even get a battleship out of the deal!”

Critics of the move say that these ships could have been crewed with the manpower that the Pentagon has set aside for the new Zumwalt and Littoral Classes of ultra-modern ships, but the Pentagon has always maintained that the personnel that are earmarked for these vessels are not to be diverted to other craft for any reason.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister continues her diplomatic tour…



Now, Vice Admiral William Hutt had his orders, based upon the belligerence and the refusal to negotiate that was being shown by the Soviets, they were going to reinforce Goa with Humanitarian Aid, and that was final.

The INU ships that has come close the massive Quinntonian fleet were warned off to a respectable distance, but shortly informed that they would be welcomed as an escort of the tanker that they intended to send into the embattled conclave soon. The first VLCC was readied, with the fleet going to battle stations. The INU ships were warned off the course being plotted, and broadcasted, for their safety for a period of not less than two hours before they set out, and even the Soviets were given that time to prepare, should they choose, to destroy the tanker and its refined fuel cargo.

Then, in conjunction with Roycelandian authorities in Goa, who had been responsible for the many reports of fishing and pleasure as well as patrol craft in the waters around Goa the Quinntonians revealed what they had been so feverishly working on while here. Navy SEAL teams and Marines in diving units had been operating in conjunction with the Roycelandian military and even for the entire time the 7th Fleet was on its way. They had done a flawless job meticulously tagging with a transponder and a small explosive device, each and every mine that could be found. Upon the movement of the vessels out of the way, a massive chain reaction of explosions was unleashed, though confined to those mines that were projected to cause harm to any ships going into and out of Goa. This, however, included a great deal of the underwater mines that were moored by chains to be deployed, they exploded one after another. Apparently, Roycelandia had been doing this for years, just in case. It is at that time, and after the Vice-Admiral explained via open radio transmission, that the first tanker was ordered forward. Behind it, the 7th Fleet watched and waited, with their full ASW capabilities present and CAP in place, along with generous amounts of activity coming from every ship in the fleet, and each Carrier beginning the process of disgorging its F-22s into the air in case things should turn sour.

As was mentioned, the INU ships were welcomed as escorts, as the Quinntonians wanted nothing to go wrong with this humanitarian effort, and was doing this in good faith. If this went well, the other VLCC refined fuel tanker would be launched, and the last would be the two Suezmax and Capemax cargo ships carrying the majority of the supplies. At this phase, the ships in the 7th maintained their position. The ball was in India’s court now. But it was made clear that any attempt to attack the vessel would be considered a completely arbitrary declaration of war by the Soviets and would place the Quinntonians on a total war footing as well as creates a global conflict scenario.

OOC-One good humanitarian effort deserves another.

WWJD
Amen.

The Port of Goa Fire Brigade have sent out Fire-fighting ships to welcome the Quinntonians, sending plumes of water above the ships.

In the meantime, Port Royal is condemning the Soviets for their "Breaches of Protocol" by effectively ramming the blockade with a "Humanitarian ship" which had failed to announce itself, as one would expect of a Humanitarian Vessel...

Unable to get involved directly with the Suez Crisis (so Da'Khiem would have the world believe), the Choson People's Republic remains frustrated by even the smallest inconvenience to its limited trade networks, and a even just a couple of millions of dollars worth of yearly commerce between Dra-pol and the nations of Libya, Syria, and Yugoslavia is cause for alarm when lost.

A shadow of its former self, the Unified People's Army feels something of a moral boost in Quinntonia's aggravation of other socialist powers and the increasing distraction of its forces and other resources.

Strainist and Combine investment, today proves, has enabled at least some regeneration in some sectors of Choson industry: one of Hotan's Dragon's Talon canons today successfully destroyed the CPRD's first orbiter, famously launched during major tensions with the United States in the last decade. Quite useless from a military, economic, and scientific perspective once orbited, the little satellite was reportedly about to enter a critical phase in its gradually decaying orbit, and Da'Khiem claims that the interception was carried-out in order to prevent the satellite crashing into others in lower orbit.

Sensors indicate that the 340mm projectile detonated a low-yield nuclear warhead in orbit, seemingly leading to the complete obliteration of the small orbiter.

Apparently Da'Khiem has not enjoyed the recent western assessment of the Soviets as the world's leading brinksmen and as breakers of new confrontational ground, and looks accordingly to conduct nuclear blast experiments in space.

Speaking from Sithin where he now spends much of his working life, Comrade Doctor Oamarii-Il called the operation a success from a safety standpoint and a significant achievement for the Choson people and for Sphere science.

Doctor Oamarii-Ill laughed off preliminary reports of electronic damage to other satellites, saying that the Choson People's Republic knew exactly what it was doing and how to do it properly.

Da'Khiem intends to step-up space-launches from the larger Dragons Throat gun on behalf of Strainist and Combine space programmes, and is still in very limited contact with the space agencies of Union and Soviet India, both nations which have broken with the Korean revolution since the 1980s but which Comrade Secretary Kim Hyun-Ki hopes to court during his term as head of the Korean Communist Party.

The (limited) Choson economic revival and high-profile space operation coincides with a condemnation from Secretary Kim of western disregard for history in its bloody-minded handling of the Suez waterway, and in far his most confrontational language so far (Kim has been far less militant than any of his predecessors, recently furthering UPA downsizing) the Secretary drew parallels with the restrictive waterways leading to and from the Revolutionary Sea, essential to the survival of a certain controversial enclave of US theocracy.

As the F-22s take to the air, joining the CAP that is already over the two Quinntonian fleets present, a pair of them comes up from behind on the WIG, not that its sensors would be able to tell. Vice-Admiral Douglas Hutt orders his fleet to full battle stations, as it was hard to expect anything but an attack at this stage.

Here was a “humanitarian plane” that doesn’t announce itself, doesn’t radio ahead at all, decides to fly over the most hotly contested piece of real estate this side of Korea, obviously has real support from Soviet military vessels, and is armed with 30mm cannons. It was hard to believe that this was a non-combatant.

Vice-Admiral Hutt radioed the Pentagon for orders. This set off a flurry of communiqués as the WIG drew ever closer which ended with a phone call to the Combine embassy. The ambassadorial team there was asked the question, on behalf of their government, what they would do in this situation. They were told that Quinntonia was willing to radio it, ask it to land, and conduct a search to assure its humanitarian nature, disarm it, and then, assuming it was actually a humanitarian vessel, allow it through. The Combiners said in that creepy way of talking in unison that they thought that was reasonable. When asked what they would do if the plane refused to submit, they simply looked at each other and said in one voice, “We would shoot it down.”

When the Pentagon got back to Vice-Admiral Hutt, he was simply told that he should go by protocol, and do what he thought was best. The Pentagon and the Prime Minister’s Office would back him all the way.

Then the radio calls started coming in, broadcast on an open channel, asking the WIG plane to land at a nearby Roycelandian landing strip to submit for a search and disarmament. If their humanitarian nature was confirmed, they would be allowed to continue. This is in full accordance with international law and practice.

At that time, the diplomats to the INU were waking up their government contacts in order to ask what was going on, if they knew of any attack, what they thought an appropriate response would be.

As for the Soviets, aside from the plane itself, they were not contacted, as they were largely being seen by the world community as more and more collectively insane.

WWJD
Amen.

OOC: Opps looks like you forgot the [/b]

The crew of Jaimini exchange disbelieving glances as the Quinntonians reply to their communication to inform them that they've neglected to contact the Quinntonians.

"Quinntonian broadcaster, this is the medical air-frigate Jaimini, say again, you did not receive our prior broadcast?"

The crew shrugged to one another, once again, and spoke with the radio on receive-only.

"Do we submit to searching by authorities that we don't recognise here? That sounds fricking stupid."

"Yeah, but we've not got anything except two clips of 30mm ammunition and three thousand doses of two kinds of treatment for chemical warfare afflictions. If they question that I'll break a couple of necks before they stop us getting that lot to Tripoli's hospitals. And it'll be all right to see their faces when they realise that we did contact them, they fudged up the blockade like they fudged up the corporation, and we are exactly what we claim."

The pilot mumbled something that indicated some displeasure in spite of his comrade's words, and sent his intention to co-operate, adding that he'd appreciate it if someone else paid for the extra fuel he'd have to burn by landing and taking off again in such a massive machine, and even better if they'd sign a Soviet document covering responsibility for traffic management contrary to the environmental provisions of the Final Soviet's 2006 Climate Protection Protocols.

Relieved that the Soviets have backed down, at least for now, the Combine sends over one million dollars worth of oil to the nearest Soviet port with a giant ribbon attached to it.

Relieved that the Soviets have backed down, at least for now, the Combine sends over one million dollars worth of oil to the nearest Soviet port with a giant ribbon attached to it.

OOC-That would be one goopy ribbon. I would suggest attaching it to the tank that the oil was in. I will be posting soon on this.

WWJD
Amen.

It is notable that Soviet warships off India have moved to board Quinntonian vessels bound for Goa, signaling stand ready or abandon ship and expecting co-operation in light of Quinntonian expectations of Soviet traffic through the Suez. The Indian Ocean may be international waters at the point of intercept, but then the Soviets recognise no Quinntonian military authority over the Suez, so will be dismissing any protests on such grounds.

Soviet Marines and Gelert Sentinels are in fact under orders to remain aboard any ships that insist upon docking in Goa and to prevent any aboard from remaining in the enclave. Raipur still insists that aid should be sent to the Indian National Union, cleared by Mumbai, and then transported by approved bodies across the Union-Goa border, but in light of lacking co-operation from the United States the reality is to be on-board escort or else sinking or capture.

OOC-That would be one goopy ribbon. I would suggest attaching it to the tank that the oil was in. I will be posting soon on this.

WWJD
Amen.

I meant...the barrels...

Soviet Marines and Gelert Sentinels are in fact under orders to remain aboard any ships that insist upon docking in Goa and to prevent any aboard from remaining in the enclave. Raipur still insists that aid should be sent to the Indian National Union, cleared by Mumbai, and then transported by approved bodies across the Union-Goa border, but in light of lacking co-operation from the United States the reality is to be on-board escort or else sinking or capture.

Any Marines or Sentinels on board vessels when they enter Goan Territorial Waters will be treated as invading military forces, and, at best, can hope to be returned to Beth Gellert minus their weapons. Resistance on the Soviet part will be considered an act of war.

Suez

The incoming WIG was ordered to fly, escorted, to a nearby landing strip (assuming they had conventional landing gear) and would be greeted by the sight of Quinntonian Marines and Hummers when they landed, as well as Apache and Blackhawk helicopters in the air as they came in. When they landed, they would have many weapons trained upon them, and be asked to disembark immediately to be personally searched and held for the few moments it would take to search their craft. They were instructed to come out of the craft, unarmed, with their hands over their heads, palms forward.

Off Goa

With the INU ships alongside, the incoming Soviet ship would have received plenty of requests to stand off and explanations that any boarding would be considered and act of war. However, as per they previous proposal, the INU personal were more than welcome to search this craft, the Quinntonians were actually quite surprised that they had not requested to do so before now.

But, the Roycelandian declaration was given the force of the 7th Fleet when the incoming Soviet ship was informed that any intervention on the ship in international waters was also piracy, as well as would be considered an act of war. The ship could easily be searched, and we even had welcomed the INU escort that was near the ship, but aid would be delivered directly, that is all.

WWJD
Amen.

Recent promises given by Quinntopian PM Vanessa Moerike to Günter Shultz that the Holy League would not be involved in this conflict made a significant impact on German decision making. The second half of the German 9th fleet began moving to Quinntopian forces blockading the Suez,

The forces reinforcing Quinntopia were:

Carrier Battle Group-Jonathan
1 Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier (85 aircraft) Eurofighter TyphoonB (naval variant with reinforced undercarriage for landing on aircraft carriers)
2 Ticonderoga AEGIS Cruisers
3 Saschen Class Frigates (Destroyers)
2 Bremen Class Guided Missile Frigates
4 Los Angeles Class Attack Submarines
2 Sacramento Class Supply Ships (one outfitted as both supply ship and combination hospital)

AND

1 Bismarck 2 Class Battleship Martin Luther
2 Saschen Class Frigates (Destroyers)
2 Bremen Class Guided Missile Frigates
2 Los Angeles Class Attack Submarines
1 Sacramento Class Supply Ship

Off Goa

Union warships do indeed approach close to the Quinntonian supply convoy, although as they draw nearer freighter captains will doubtless be able to spot heavily-armed marines marshaling aboard the four Chhattisgarh Class gunboats fast approaching. INS Baltistan, with the flotilla commander embarked, raises the Quinntonians on the radio. They are told that, unless the convoy allows itself to be searched for weapons, it will not be allowed to continue towards Goa, or, rather, the Unioners will let the Soviets at it. Parliament is not prepared to allow the Roycelandians to further fortify themselves in their Indian colony, which could quickly become a springboard for an invasion should Royce finally opt to side with his French associates. The Indian National Union's border with Goa is particularly poorly-fortified and Unioners are working feverishly to solve that problem. And there is really no telling as to the volume of ordnance that the Quinntonian freighters might be carrying in the towers of shipping containers stacked high on their decks.

The gunboats begin to lower their motor launches when they come close to the convoy, filled with boarding parties. Marines dressed in steel helmets and flak vests, with loaded Sterlings and L9s, come aboard each of the Quinntonian ships. Rarely are there fewer than twenty men allotted to the task, given the amount of cargo space that needs to be checked, and even then it is a process that will likely take hours. Overhead a pair of Lynx helicopters and one Sea King keep a close eye on the convoy as a whole, and on the boarding parties. Should the marines run into trouble, there are two commando sections embarked aboard INS Jhelum, and these might be deployed directly onto a Quinntonian ship by helicopter.

INS Jaipur motors some distance away, close enough to intercede in the event that the gunboats run into trouble but sufficiently remote as to simultaneously watch the surrounding waters for submarines. Nobody, after all, knows the strength and disposition of the Russian and French submarine fleets, and it has been suspected that the NATO powers are more than a little bit sympathetic to the Holy League.

And should things go very badly, there are BrahMos batteries on the coastline that could make short work of both the convoy and its escorts, and IAF fighter squadrons on alert. Quinntonia's navalized F-22s might be fine aircraft, but the IAF's newly upgraded F(J).4 can detect them on its own (albeit at relatively short range), and can know the disposition of every aircraft in theater through data sharing with ground radar stations.

Meanwhile Unioners prepare themselves for the possibility of a shooting conflict coming out of the Suez tension. IN submarines, corvettes, and patrol aircraft maintain a presence throughout the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea alongside their Soviet neighbors, looking for hostile or potentially hostile submarines, or shadowing Quinntonian and allied surface vessels. Militiamen begin to closely monitor Union beaches, on alert for signs of enemy saboteurs, while coastal gun and torpedo batteries are manned and readied. Lines of concertina wire go up along the coastline and ASM batteries, either using the large BrahMos or the far smaller and cheaper Sea Eagle, are shifted up and down the coast on perpetual training exercises.

Suez

The Jaimini sets down with great care and is an impressive sight. The machine's two great turboprop motors stand proud on the reinforced tail section, and a vehicle large enough to carry a couple of armoured fighting vehicles comes to rest.

Two comrades step out, looking pretty nonchalant, and one warns in a shout that many of the vehicle's key components have been rigged with demolition cord enabling he or his comrade to sabotage their technology should they suspect any attempt at espionage (especially now that the Quinntonians are actively and apparently quite seriously playing catch-up in WIG technology). There aren't enough explosives to destroy the entire machine, let alone anything surrounding it, but key components -and anybody handling them- would be fairly well blown-up should hostilities commence.

One of the Sovietists wears a ceremonial knife on his hip, but the duo are otherwise unarmed. Their vehicle's twin 30mm cannon have never been fired in anger and there isn't actually a crewmember spare to operate the turret in which they are located.

Off Goa

Soviet forces are happy to let Unioners search the Quinntonian vessels for contraband, but a fundamental issue remains unresolved for the Commonwealth. Raipur suspects that Quinntonians aboard the ships will not leave Goa, and may join hostile forces there (even if they have to use Roycelandian arms) or may act as human shields in the event of fighting between the forces of democracy and colonialism.

It is for this reason that Soviet forces wish to escort the ships and their passengers and crew into Goa, or better yet to see aid goods delivered by the Union.

Until the matter is resolved the Soviets will not allow the Quinntonians to pass, and Goa will not get its relief aid.

Raipur is generally disinterested in Roycelandian bluster, confident that the Empire poses at best (or worst) only a minimal threat to Soviet power. It is the United States that causes concern.

Some of the Roycelandian Merchant Marine stationed in Goa have come out to meet the Quinntonians. If the Indians are going to be difficult, well, then it's time to be a bit difficult back.

It's worth mentioning that the Roycelandian Merchant Marine routinely carry 40mm Ack-Ack Guns, 2pdr guns, .303 MGs, and sometimes even catapult launched aircraft, as "Defence against Pirates"- said with a completely straight face.

To those remembering declared Indian policy on the matter it will be no surprise to see the Roiks allowed out of port. Nor will it be a surprise when they're interdicted and blocked from returning. A 40mm gun doesn't compare well with a 406mm rifle, and Goa's situation in a shooting war between India and NATO does not compare well with that of a car stuck on a railway crossing.

It remains perfectly obvious that nobody is getting in to Goa without satisfying Raipur. Not unless they're wearing Commonwealth Guard insignia.

Well, the Merchant Marine will simply run the blockade. Seeing as there are also civilian airlines flying into Goa, there's no way you can militarily enforce this blockade without shooting down an airliner full of civilian passengers, or incurring the wrath of the Imperial Navy- almost the entire Roycelandian Indian Fleet is based in Goa, you know.

Vengurla, Maharashtra

Overall command of the UDF forces assigned to the blockade of Goa falls to General Arun Singh, commander of III Corps in Ali Khan Marakkar's absence and head of its land army component. Headquartered in the town of Vengurla, perhaps a dozen kilometers due north of the Goan border, Singh's first priority is the improvement of defensive works around the Roycelandian colony. INA engineers are quick to raise a relatively low earthen berm along the frontier, topped by concertina wire, with large iron caltrops positioned in back of it. Roads headed towards the border are left intact, but at the same time are fitted with large removable roadblocks, often backed-up by machine gun or recoilless rifle emplacements.

At Vengurla's train station, additional battalions of INA infantrymen arrive from Pune almost by the hour, putting quite a strain on the town's infrastructure. All in all there are about 15,000 men, one light infantry division, in and around Vengurla, guarding the best road north. Should the Roycelandians try to break out of Goa following a Soviet invasion, this force will meet them, and militia levies are apt to inflate that total significantly. Indeed, residents of Kolhapur Province are increasingly seen going about their business armed, as Sten guns and 2A1 rifles are distributed in their thousands. These militiamen also keep an eye out for any Roycelandian saboteurs that might try to cross the border and breech Union defenses. A unit of 20 Centurion/75 tanks, the 3rd Guards Tank Regiment, is also immediately on hand, although Roycelandia is not expected to have many tanks of its own in Goa. Another fifty thousand Union soldiers are not far north, and another hundred thousand wait in Pune, but commitments in Africa and in the Punjab put a necessary cap on the amount of forces available to counter an enemy invasion from Goa.

The fact of Roycelandia's heavy naval presence in Goa isn't received altogether badly in Mumbai. General Singh can call upon at least as many ASM batteries as the Roycelandians have dreadnoughts, and should hostilities break out these, along with rocket artillery pieces, will attack Panaji from well within the Indian National Union. Most of Roycelandia's naval losses in any conflict will, therefore, likely occur in port. Likewise, Goan merchantmen moving out from Panaji are tracked by Sea Eagle fire control radars, the Unioners happy to demonstrate their ability to interdict anything coming in or going out of Goa from well within their own territory. Further IN patrol gunboats, and occasionally small tenders and coastal minesweepers as well, are assigned to shadow these vessels and have armament at least comparable, if not superior, to the merchantmen.

Off Goa

OOC-Remember, it is a single ship, we are testing this, and if it goes well, we will send the rest. There is no US Naval cover, just one ship, with a lot of air support. I am going to throw some character stuff in here, go with it or not if you want to. I just want to reference a different, more cooperative time in INU/USQ relations.

IC- The INU ships were radioed to come alongside, and assuring that the marines that they wanted to board with were not Soviets, they were welcomed on board by the skeleton crew. The entire crew of this refined fuel tanker was at best a couple dozen, and for this mission, it was replaced with a military crew of only 8. Vice-Admiral Hutt was quoted as saying, “If the Soviets are that afraid of 8 Quinntonian able-bodied seamen that they are willing to risk war over not letting them stay, then we have already won this engagement!”

Of course, there were prayer warriors that were paired with each crewmember, raising the amount of people onboard to 16. When the marines came on board, they would be greeted with the sight of the “captain” of the tanker, who would walk forward smiling at his counterpart. It was Rear Admiral Brad Hoffman, veteran of the blockades and naval air strikes of Dra-pol. He had come off of a desk job in DC for this assignment, and requested to talk to General Arun Singh, with whom he fought with in South Korea. If he was allowed to contact him by radio, the plan was described to him that the Quinntonians would, under his command, move on ship at a time away from the fleet, and once it reached the 200 km to shore mark, they would allow the INU marines to do as thorough a search of the crew and its cargo as they deemed necessary, provided that none of the crew were harmed and the cargo and ship would be also unharmed. At that point, they were welcome to escort them to the international waters line outside of Goa, where they would dock, release their cargo, and go back to the fleet. This would be repeated until all of the transports/tankers were allowed through and back to the fleet. Of course, given the tense situation, it was asked that INU surface warships did not come within 500 kms. of the 7th Fleet, but only as a show of goodwill. He apologised for involving him directly, saying, “Well, I daggume know dat you ain’t up to yer nose in this one, but I needed to yak over the fencepost to a feller that I could trust, I hope ya git muh meanin’.” The old Texan warhorse prayed that this would go well, but was unsure how the insane Soviets would react.

Meanwhile, the Soviets were reminded that interfering with Roycelandian shipping, military and otherwise, within their territorial waters would be construed as an act of war, and that this was not the Suez, where the blockade could be done physically, and if the Roiks ran it and were fired upon, that also would be an act of war.

Near Suez

Of course, the Soviets were immediately told to lie on the ground, and marines would run to them to search and totally disarm them including the knife, but trying to be as polite as possible in the meantime, and explaining that they would receive their property back when they were ready to leave. At this point, they would have their hands gently pulled behind their back, with the ever present rifles pointed at them, and “field cuffs” would be applied, though again, they were told that this was for their protection.

With the mention of a bomb, the local demolitions squad was brought in, and a robot was readied to go into the craft for a thorough search. It was regrettable that they had done/said that, as now the search would take far longer than it otherwise would have. They had to know that they were safe, and the word of a couple of Soviets were not going to cut it.

WWJD
Amen.

Suez

Of course the Sovietists, one of whom wears quite evidently a silver torque*, are not keen to be cuffed, and take up defensive stances when approached by individuals carrying such bindings. The armed one offers to remove his knife, in its scabbard, and lay it down until the inspection is complete, and his comrade holds up a small item that he indicates as a detonator associated with the demolition cord aboard the WIG.

"It isn't even enough to destroy the whole machine" he says, "but if you're worried about going inside while I stand here with the switch, I'll go in with you. My comrade will wait out here, I expect. We simply can't allow you to put us in a helpless position. Think what will happen if we give up everything and end up betrayed, deliberately or due to some cultural misunderstanding. Goa will be flattened and we'll be at war. We aren't going to lie on our bellies, bound and unarmed while you stand over us and finger our technology. We must continue the spirit of compromise."

*In the event that the Quinntonians do not understand the significance of this it shall be briefly explained. The Torque is a decorative necklace brought to India by the Geletians. It is solid in construction, and is worn as is a noose around the neck, but is open at the front. The two ends do not join, and thus signify that the wearer is a free man.

Goa

The idea that the Roycelandians should still be flying civilians into Goa seems incredible. The authorities had already indicated that the civilian population was being, or had been, largely evacuated, and now, since rogue auxiliaries shelled the outskirts, people are coming back? Absoutely ridiculous.

Commonwealth Air Guard fighters do indeed intercept inbound flights, flying aggressively, close, directly in the way. Doubtless most Soviet military pilots have more grit about them than civil pilots drawing a wage and responsible for innocent lives, and in this manner the CAG attempts usually to force aircraft to divert before reaching Goan airspace.

Any that fail to comply, as has been said numerous times over quite some period of time, will indeed by shot down.

That anybody would board such a flight of their own free will seems quite unlikely.

Goa is under blockade, and not liking it won't change anything.

Mines are frequently sewn just outside Roycelandia's territorial waters, and submarines, corvettes, and aircraft patrol the fields against removal efforts. CS Communism rests less than 200km off shore, moments away from being able to obliterate most of Goa on her own if required to do so.

Ashore, the Soviets continue to move forces up to the frontier, relieved by the drawing-down of units on the increasingly friendly Armandian border.

By civilians, I mean reporters, aid workers, and other people that aren't "Military" in the conventional sense of the word- not Fred Bloggs and his wife Mary, going to Goa to visit the sights.

Of course, the flight of four IAe Lancaster II bombers heading for Goa were clearly not civilian aircraft, but the Imperial Government had simply said "ENOUGH!"

There were also reports of at least two Roycelandian Fleets- the 18th and 19th Fleets, respectively- on the High Seas, with orders to intercept "unauthorised" shipping...

Off Goa

Union marines, about forty in all, come aboard the Quinntonian freighter in good order. It should be apparent to the crew that they mean business, carrying as they are a wide assortment of firearms. The leader of the boarding party, an Indian Navy commodore, is quick to make it clear that, should the boarders find any weapons aboard the freighter (beyond of course those deemed reasonable for personal security), they will seize the ship and arrest the entire crew, and any freighters that follow will be interned or sunk. An eight-man marine section, plus the commodore, is posted to the bridge, while the rest of the boarding party fans out across the ship.

Admiral Hoffman is indeed allowed to contact Arun Singh at his headquarters. The Union general is of course quite displeased with the Quinntonians, who may very well be delivering mountains of arms to Roycelandian Goa. Indeed, there are few Unioners who have much patience for Washington, or NATO as a whole for that matter. While Indians are off fighting to keep the Frenchmen out of Africa, fighting slavery in Africa, Quinntonians are colluding with the Holy League and planning on reinforcing the Aiyana regime in Abassamara. Most IN commanders would like to stick a few torpedoes in Quinntonia's carriers now and save the trouble later, since NATO will, they are sure, only ever come out in support of the Frenchmen. Despite his intense hatred for Roycelandians and an equally strong dislike of Europeans trying to exert their influence over Asia, General Singh acts with the courtesy and civility that ought to be expected from a Union commander.

"Admiral Hoffman, I regret that we do not have the opportunity to speak under less tense circumstances. You must realize that, as commander of Union forces opposite Goa, I cannot afford to let military aid reach the Roycelandian garrison. Our measures may strike you as somewhat heavy-handed, but in the event that this dispute turns into a shooting war my people consider the prospect of a Roycelandian invasion of the Indian National Union from Goa likely. Before I withdraw my warships close to your fleet, I must ask you to move your fleet to where its embarked fighter aircraft can no longer reach India. I am however able to inform you that Parliament has consented to your shipping scheme."

Meanwhile, Quinntonian diplomats operating in the Indian National Union are greeted with considerable hostility on the part of Unioners. First on the list of grievances is Quinntonia's rather blatant willingness to ignore French actions in West Africa. Versailles has more or less decided to enslave a large portion of the African continent, and that should be apparent to just about anyone, and yet NATO is quite willing to sit by and watch it happen. Particularly disgusting to Unioners is Quinntonia's abandonment of Liberia, a nation that only recently saw the end of a crippling civil war and the termination of a long line of corrupt dictators. Liberia was established by Quinntonians and that legacy is quite apparent to this day, but so far Washington hasn't shown any real concern over its fate. At the same time Quinntonians talk about providing active support to Gabrice Aiyana's dictatorship in Abassamara, the same regime that recently conducted a high-profile massacre of those infected with AIDS, and which has proven itself every bit as brutal and as downright evil as the Frenchmen. If Quinntonia wants to associate with these kinds of governments, Unioners say, Washington should say it, so Indians can get on with waging war on Quinntonia. Unioners don't have any time for the trouble that NATO is causing, especially not while India is very much involved in finishing a war that NATO ought to have made immediately winnable.

Where, ask Unioners, will NATO's cowardice and spinelessness stop? Portugal restored to independence and Gibraltar restored to Great Walmington, for both those places utterly devastated, tens of thousands slaughtered and France in control of all West Africa? Ex-soldiers and sailors, who fought for the Union's independence in a war that lasted almost forty years, puzzle over how NATO allowed itself to be cowed by a single, extremely indecisive battle at sea, without avenging the deaths of Portugal's and Gibraltar's slain. And for Quinntonia not to support the Indian war effort is one thing; to actively oppose and obstruct it is another thing entirely. The longer NATO threatens India from Goa the longer India is forced to divert forces from far more important missions in Africa. The closure of the Suez Canal to Indian shipping keeps badly needed reinforcements away from Libya and Yugoslavia, exposing both those places, and indeed every independent nation on the Mediterranean, to League aggression.

Goa, it is said, would doubtless have been invaded by the Indian National Army if Roycelandia did not take it over. Portugal was relieved of Daman and Diu by Union soldiers and only Goa's proximity to the Principality saved it. No part of India can rightfully be ruled by anyone besides Indians, and Goa, an imperialist outpost on the shores of the most violently anti-imperialistic region on the planet, is apt to provoke strong emotions. That Roycelandia has developed it into a major military base is especially bad, and Quinntonians, Unioners say, ought to be thankful that the Soviets didn't take it out a lot sooner.

At other local councils Unioners begin to float a new idea; Indians recognize the SCA's control over the Suez Canal and lift the blockade on Goa, and NATO ends peace negotiations with the Holy League.

Goa

The Soviet consulate, assuming that it has not been recently expelled, is given the task of presenting to Roycelandia a request for most grave discussion on the future of the world.

It appears that the Soviets, with their 3rd Corps deploying to Eritrea and already across the Abassamari border, strong units in Tanzania and the African Commonwealth, multi-divisional forces in Libya, and their home defence forces increasingly concentrated opposite Goa, wish to take this difficult moment to change the future in a drastic manner.

Raipur wants Goa returned to India, under either or several of its three legitimate governments (those of Raipur itself, Mumbai, and Constance), even if it does not become Soviet. This will put paid to one of the greatest and eldest causes of Indian hostility to Roycelandia and Roycelandian ambitions. In return the Soviets are willing to lend financial and transport aid in the relocation of residents wishing to remain under Imperial rule, and to sign an agreement to prevent Indian action against Roycelandian East Africa, which at this time is increasingly surrounded and vulnerable.

Consuls even suggest buying into Diego Garcia with the British, who are accustomed to sharing the facilities there with the forces of a now defunct United Elias, to compensate for the loss of Goa's military facilities, "which, anyway, would not last past the first five minutes of a conflict with India". Quite true given that countless guns, rockets, missiles, and mortars have the position and range of said facilities every moment of every day, for them to last even as much as five minutes would in truth be quite a spectacular achievement.

Few expect Roycelandia to even consider discussing the matter further, and so plans for long-term hostilities remain in place and the Soviets continue to draw-up plans for the invasion of East Africa's vast borders from several fronts, and for the necessary associated destruction of Roycelandian and potentially other forces in the Indian Ocean. Satellites spend a lot of time over Andaman and Nicobar, and liason with Union and Combine forces remains constant.

As even the unfailingly reasonable Unioners have demonstrated vocally the seriousness of conditions caused by the Holy League and exacerbated by NATO, and so Raipur is keen -if not optimistic- about any means of improving relations sufficently to allow the defeat of League-sponsored genocide and dictatorship.

British ex-pats in India, many former BID Party members and supporters, call for sportsmanship from Royce, saying that Britannia would have returned Goa honourably by now, and adding that practical aid in the handover's spin-off expenses would be favourable to losing a war.

The Roycelandian Government- more specifically, the Governor-General of Goa- points out that Goa has been an Overseas Territory of Roycelandia for over four hundred years. The territory is run democratically, and is hardly "illegitimate". Further, the original treaty documents ceding the territory to Roycelandia granted the land "in perpetuity".

He does, however, have an offer to put on the table to both the INU and the Soviets:

End the blockade of Goa and withdraw from Lusaka and Eritrea, and we'll have the blockade on the Suez lifted by Friday afternoon at the latest. Soviet shipping will be allowed through the canals just like anyone else, and we can all get on with our lives.

Otherwise, well, the entire Roycelandian military is mobilised, along with the NATO forces, and India is likely to come off second best when NATO and the Holy League descend upon the subcontinent. The French would probably like the idea of having Pondicherry back, no doubt...

Maharashtra

Union divisions, usually III Corps, continue to deploy south along the INU's extensive rail network, in support of the small contingent of border police and the division already there. As UDF analysts place their estimates for Roycelandian strength in Goa higher and higher, Parliament becomes ever more paranoid. Could not the Roycelandians simply pass out of Goa and into southern Maharashtra in response to a serious Soviet attack, after all? Within the week, Parliament hopes to have at least a hundred thousand men, four divisions with supporting tank regiments and organic artillery, in place along the Goan border to cut short any Roycelandian attempt to break out into Union territory.

Should Quinntonian diplomats end up in the southern part of Maharashtra State, they'll see more than the usual percentage of Unioners going about their business armed. Farmers work in their fields with SMGs slung over their backs and chest pouches full of clips, while at factories and workshops personal weapons are stored in the open. Travel might be a bit daunting, Washington's representatives forced to ride trains surrounded by people armed with the express purpose of shooting Roycelandian soldiers. The train stations themselves are often protected by L/70 or Rapier batteries. Small armories continue to pump out Sten copies at a high rate, although advances in terms of body armor make 2A1s preferable.

Parliament's offer to allow the evacuation of Roycelandian civilians through Union territory still stands, though. Unioners, for the most part, regard the killing of civilians as the pinnacle of shameful acts, and try to avoid it wherever possible. It is conduct very much unlike France and the Holy League, which seems to slaughter and pillage as a matter of course, although few expect NATO to recognize just how bad their almost-allies tend to operate. Of course, it might not be so bad from the Roycelandian point of view, and, as long as they aren't white, Quinntonia seems to be alright with it as well.

Patience continues to grow thin with NATO, which seems set on actively supporting the Holy League sooner rather than later. UDF commanders rush to bring new equipment into service while submarines and corvettes begin to shadow Roycelandian warships. Mumbai is not, after all, quite ready to allow the enemy to come right up to India's doorstep before declaring war. At the same time Unioners advocate a peaceful settlement ever more strongly, pointing out that, should NATO declare war on India, essentially the entirety of West Africa will be, for the immediate future, lost to France, and Yugoslavia, as well as Libya, and indeed every independent nation in Europe and the Middle East, will be put in an extremely exposed position. Unioners suggest that the blockade on Goa be lifted as a show of good faith, and that all parties commit themselves to gradual demilitarization along the shared frontier. Many question the logic of abandoning the West Africa campaign over a piece of land occupied for centuries by Roycelandia, and pretty heavily assimilated. Let the Roycelandians have it, and let us get back to vastly more important business, or at least so goes the popular argument in the Indian National Union. Most think outright NATO cooperation with the Holy League extremely likely in light of the present situation, but, by making some concessions, it is thought that this could be avoided.

Surat

While troops on the Goan border are being further reinforced, a smaller unit of Marines is embarked on three freighters turned troop transports at the Indian Navy's main anchorage. Unlike the majority of UDF troops, this unit does not head west. Instead it makes for Cape Comorin in the company of INS Brave, a new Lion Class submarine chaser. It ought to be clear, by the time the force passes Goa, that its destination is not Africa, but, rather, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Unioners, to be sure, are not apt to abandon their countrymen in need, and Parliament has decided to answer the call of Indian Nicobarese in a fashion no less spectacular than an outright invasion of Eustace Brown's domain.

Soviet intelligence on unrest in the Andaman and Nicobars, and satellite reconnaissance, is quietly handed to Mumbai (along with the usual position and routeen of the government's eight Chinese-made fighter aircraft, its pair of coast guard cutters, and, what, five SAM posts?), while Raipur posts the Roycelandian Governor-General's comments across the Soviet intranet and the world-wide web.

Roycelandia wants Somalia and Eritrea to be put to the Abassamari bayonet, read electronic and printed headlines, and thinks to dictate to India and Africa as to the nations with which they can associate and how.

Opinion polls show that over 87% of Commonwealthers are now totally convinced that Roycelandia intends to conduct further imperialism in the immediate future in direct alliance with the Holy League, and less than one percent believe that Royce represents absolutely no threat to life and liberty in the non-Roycelandian world.

Certainly nobody is impressed by Roycelandian defences and demands, and Soviet citizens have begun popularly to mock Roycelandian Goans as squatters. The blockade is only tightened by the deployment of more submarines, corvettes, mines, ground-forces, and patrolling aircraft.

A flight of four NT-7 Kan-gel interceptors and four NT-4C Hobgoblin air superiority fighters is mustered hurridly of Goa when Roycelandian bombers are detected at a range of some hundreds of kilometres (and probably some time after the Unioners had picked them up), armed and ready to engage with force in the event of being ignored.

Out at sea Soviet shipping is increasingly convoy-oriented and escorted by corvettes on lanes patrolled by UAVs and WIGs, and work has begun on further Nibiru Class warships to act as escort carriers.

The Soviets are actively dicussing the invasion of Roycelandia's African territories, and the limitations of the NATO treaty -used by the US to excuse itself of any obligation to protect Africans against Roycelandian imperialism- make it look a thoroughly inviting prospect.

Beijing has been quiet recently over the issue of the canal and of Goa as negotiations with NATO and the Holy League continue, but the latest statement by the Unioners and Soviets causes Beijing to make a public statement. It was an open secret that Beijing was secretly rooting for the Soviets on the issue of Goa, having supported the previous Soviet blockade during the Filipino crisis and sick and tired of having to deal with the results of western expansionism in Asia - which included losses to the Chinese economy due to the canal crisis.

Beijing releases a statement, likening Goa to Hong Kong and Macao, holdovers from last century's imperialist ways, and publicly endorses the idea of Goa becoming a SAR (Special Autonomous Region) under an Indian government. Beijing also takes the opportunity to call for Progressive dialogue with the Holy League. The way the rather cautious President of China saw it, the best way to improve conditions in West Africa was work with the League instead of sending more lives into the meatgrinder called war.

While Beijing took a 'hands-off' approach to Europe and Africa, she took a completely different stance with regards to Asia. While the minor parties and the Vice President in parliament (who was in a 3 day conference with a representative from Quintonnia) were largely indifferent towards the issue of the Tri-partide and NATO, President Hu Jin Tao continues his agenda and issues a warning.

"The Republic of China will not tolerate an invasion of the Indian subcontinent or any further escalation on the part of NATO or the Soviets. We are firmly opposed to the deployment of additional forces to the Suez and Indian ocean. The canal crisis can only be solved through peaceful means, and the recent deployment of excessive NATO firepower to the Indian ocean is an extremely provocative move and will further destablize the region."

---------------------------------------

German embassy in China

Beijing sends a rather ambiguous letter to Berlin, but implies that sending vessels to the Suez canal would prolong the blockade and harm international trade - and by extension, Beijing would not like that to happen.

Some of the more... moderate Roycelandian news outlets have run a number of editorials on the difficult position "Soviet Unreasonableness" is creating for everyone, not least of all Roycelandia.

By constantly threatening Goa and Roycelandian East Africa, the Soviets are creating a situation similar to the that started the War in The Pacific in 1941.

More interestingly, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Royce I has made a televised address in which he has roundly condemned Holy League "Brutality", and announced that, effective immediately, Holy League military vessels will not be permitted to anchor or resupply in Roycelandian ports.

Most notably, however, the Suez Canal Authority "bowing to considerable pressure from the shareholders", has decided that the shipping of all nations- military or otherwise- will be permitted through the canal, subject to the payment of the usual tolls, tarriffs, duties, and charges (calculated on gross tonnage, as has always been the case).

Goa, Roycelandian Goa

That night, the first rockets fell on Goa.

These were not, however, laden with explosives or chemical/biological agents- rather, they contained food, mail, clothing, and sundry supplies for the garrison at Goa. To the uninformed- which meant everyone outside the Roycelandian Government and the Roycelandian Military- it appeared that the Soviets, or the Indians, or both- were launching rockets at Goa...

China and Germany
Beijing’s letter to the German embassy sparked interest but was ultimately ignored. Germany imports more than it exports and trade wars between China and German could be devastating to Germany but would also devastate China. Furthermore trade repercussions to China could go beyond Germany given the close relationship that existed between Germany and the United States of Quinntopia. Whatever the case, Germany had already indicated that it was playing hardball, given the recent threats to the Holy League, and no trade threats from China would sway Germany from helping an ally.

So in the end, German warships continued to travel towards Quinntopian positions.

Roycelandia, Suez, and Trade Union

Germany sent letters of encouragement to the Roiks and told them and that the German nation was firmly behind its soon to be NATO allies. The Holy League and Soviet menace needed to be, if not stopped, at least halted and the only way to do so was by resorting to the only language they understood. Force. Shultz recommended that the Roycelandian government convince the Suez Canal Authority to continue the embargo and extend it to include Holy League ships. He also queried the Roik government if it would be amenable to a trade union, given the current state of affairs with Holy League nations.

German ships were far from Goa so could only express their outrage at rockets falling in Goa. They did however, prepare their ships for battle readiness.

If not stopped, halted? The sort of doublespeak and nonsense coming from autocracy these days. Encouraged by Beijing, and the ineptitude of their rivals, the Soviets pressed on.

The Suez Blockade, if the USN chooses to continue it in spite of Roycelandian moves to end it, one should note, hurts exporters like Germany when markets like China are put several thousand miles further away by sea.

Raipur today announced a change to its relationship with Port Imperial as the Soviet Consulate in Goa is reformed as the South Indian Liason Mission to Occupied Goa, a title that Raipur maintains is civilian but one that essentially confirms Soviet non-recognition of legitimacy in Roycelandia's presence on the sub-continent. "If the Portuguese and Tulgarians came back to Sri Lanka", says Graeme Igo, "they would be no more welcome to rule there than are the Roycelandians who came to Goa in the same pre-British timeframe."

Soviet India looks to continue increasing trade relations with the Republic of China, the Final Soviet finding that Asian economic solidarity is increasingly important when the wider world proves so incapable of maintaining its own integrity and stability. The Strainist nations too receive more attention, even as trade with the Combine is opened-up for the first time.

Soviet State of Karnataka

Buttons pressed and switches flicked, digital and vocal information zipped around the southwestern Commonwealth at a phenomenal rate as rockets were detected. Aircraft were scrambled even in the seconds before Soviet counter-battery radar pinpointed the origin of the rockets and control assets directed multiple interceptors in the right direction. Whoever launched the rockets was potentially in a lot of trouble.

Meanwhile CS-400 Red Sky and, where range allowed, less costly Loviatar batteries flashed into action, big, agile missiles rushing from their self-contained tubes to engage what could prove to be rockets bound for Indian -Union or Soviet- forces on the Goan frontier, blasting them from the sky even before they reached the coast as more missiles spat from ships in the blockade and fighters on CAP.

Beijing

Soviet diplomats in China, though alarmed by Beijings negotiation with the League and its apparently callous treatment of West African liberty wonder if the acquisition of Chinese holdings in the embattled region might lead to a safe-haven for local and Indian forces fighting to eject the League.

Most important for Raipur is that Beijing see how certain is an anti-League victory given the incomparable strength of combined Indian forces from the Commonwealth, Union, and from Armand. The obliteration of an Abassamari division on the Eritrean border, completed virtually without loss by an under-strength Soviet unit and in the space of a few minutes, is cited as evidence of the worthlessness of planning for a future that includes colonial holdings in Africa.

Raipur is prepared to co-operate with Beijing in a liberated African continent when it comes to rebuilding economies.

The age of Christian domination of the world's resources is coming to a close, and the Soviets are keen to see that China realises it and does not make contradictory plans.

Suez

The Soviets don't go so far as to applaud Roycelandia or the Suez Company over the recent decision, but do suggest that the blockade on Goa may be relaxed in coming days. For now Raipur remains opposed to the arrival of further military assets largely because Soviet India objects to paying fees to companies associated with national economies in which the Commonwealth wants no dealings.

Resting currently on the brink of war, Soviet India is encouraged by any Roycelandian move away from the Holy League but expects to see more before relations can be normalised and forces stood-down from the Goan frontier.

Maharashtra

It is with increasing frustration that Parliamentarians regard NATO and the west as a whole, with the possible exception of Great Walmington and Australasia. Why, they wonder, can't collective disgust and anger with the Holy League be harnessed and channeled against that very real threat? Surely all parties must realize that the powdered wigs in Versailles are giggling with delight about now, having, it seems, dodged the artillery shell that was once destined to impact right between France's figurative eyes. While India and NATO slug it out, France and the League will grow stronger (or so one line of thought goes; another, probably more correct opinion, holds that the cost of fighting a guerrilla war many times the scope of that once encountered in Vietnam will bring France complete financial ruin and a likely change of government). Certainly there are few who expect a NATO invasion of India to succeed, even if NATO bothered to try it in the first place, but at the same time NATO is without a doubt capable of torpedoing Indian efforts in Africa. India may end up having to fight two unnecessarily costly and long wars where India only really should have delivered a massive smackdown on the Frogs.

Either way, Unioners double and redouble their calls for a peaceful settlement to the Suez and Goa crises, reiterating their confidence that these grievances should not, and indeed cannot, be solved through costly and indecisive warfare. At the same time Unioners roundly support Roycelandian condemnations of the Holy League's methods and Royce's refusal to allow Holy League ships to dock at his ports. Royce is, many have now come to think, if far from an ideal ruler, one who is trustworthy and honorable, in stark contrast to the French and Russian sovereigns. Likewise the SCA's lifting of restrictions on shipping is met with widespread approval, and it is not long before a pair of Union submarines, Bihar Class vessels, are given orders to proceed to the Bab el Mandeb, pending a transit of the Suez Canal itself.

A Parliamentary communique does not take long to reach Washington, pointing out that, in light of the SCA's recent ruling, the Soviet WIG ought to be allowed through without any further obstruction, since Raipur did, after all, pay for its transit already.

Of course, the sudden and unexpected launching of Roycelandian rockets, things that look every bit like ballistic missiles, is met with considerable alarm along the Goan frontier. Akash SAM batteries go active, and IAF Golkonda squadrons are scrambled from their forward bases. L/70 and Polsten batteries are also manned and ready, waiting for their fire control radars or human observers to pick up enemy targets. Akash batteries, for the most part similar to Igovian Loviatars, launch their payloads at what certainly look like incoming ballistic missiles where they are in range.

UDF personnel are quite confused when it becomes apparent that, rather than impacting within India proper, the Roycelandian rockets, at least those ones that weren't downed by Soviet missiles, land within Goa itself, and not on the Indian front lines, as was expected. Immediately suspicion is raised over Roycelandian intentions. Why, after all, would they want to rocket their own colony, unless to play the agent provocateur? Unioners are quick to point out that they themselves have no such weapons, and satellite information should confirm that no IRBM or ICBM launches took place in India at all. Parliament takes the opportunity to restate the fact that the Union frontier with Goa is open to humanitarian supplies, and, if Roycelandians or Quinntonians want to deliver food and medical aid, they can move it through the Indian National Union with a lot less hassle.

Beijing's pledges in support of India do much to counteract dissatisfaction over Chinese willingness to negotiate with the French. Indeed, Mumbai promises its support for Chinese policy in Central Asia as a show of gratitude, and the government of Hu Jintao is invited to establish a permanent embassy in the Union's capital. China is, Unioners are now quite sure, an essential ally, one whose assistance could very well tip the balance of any conflict, and keeping the government in Beijing on India's side has become a high priority.

The Unioners are once again proving that Bull did one thing right by keeping relations open and friendly with Mumbai. Sure, their policies and views didn't always jibe with Whitehall's, but by and large the Union was showing itself to be a voice of reason and stability in an otherwise highly charged crisis. Nobody in London is unhappy with the choices made that have kept Britain out of the Suez crisis as a whole, and not a few pointed jokes are made to the Australasians still in London over their 'unfortunate choice in international crises'.

For Australasians, though, the crisis was neither dire nor particularly threatening. After a series of communiques between Raleigh, Port Royal and Washington, Prime Minister Strathairn declared that the Free Colony would restrict itself to patrol and escort duties if a war between the Soviets and NATO were to occur, thus freeing more light combat and ASW warships from the Roycelandian and Quinntonian navies for direct-combat duty. In such an event, the Free Colony will also provide basing rights and repair to allied units, as well as logistical support and transport.

The launching of Roycelandian rockets came as a surprise to the Australasians, and queries were sent off to Port Royal immediately after the first reports came in. Forces in the Suez were placed on high alert and all military personnel were advised that a conflict may begin within the next few hours.

Suez
Lt. Commander Terry Biss finally got the order, based upon the wishes of the Roycelandians. The stoppage was to be lifted. The first thing to be done was to move a few of the warships that were in the vicinity closer to the mouth of the Suez, between the Soviets and the Frigate in the way, in order to allow everyone through in an orderly and not likely to get fired at kind of way. When that was done, in a matter of 40 mins from start to finish the Egyptians stated to take orders for ships to be moved into convoys. Of course, the USQ Navy stayed in position for the first day or so as traffic got moving, so as to block the Soviets should they try and force ships into the breach. If they ran the breach, the blockade would have to resume, protecting the canal itself from being overrun, but should everyone wait their turn, decided by the Egyptians by lottery, they would be part of a convoy by the end of the first or second day, depending on their place. Interesting to note, would be the Soviets and Tsarists passing each other in one of the locks later that day.

Some time before that-
The Soviet pilots are taken into custody, by non-lethal force if necessary, using tasers and concussion grenades to knock them out before manhandling them to the ground. Should they decide to detonate the controls, the same process would be taken, with a robot and bomb squad taking time to make sure the plane is free of explosives, disabling any they found and removing them, and then disarming the plane by removing the ammunition and using a sledgehammer on the barrels of the cannons. If it is disabled, then the Quinntonians will simply radio that they have it and if the Soviets want it, they should send a cargo helicopter or something to get it.

It is hoped this goes smoothly, but it is really up to the Soviets present. If the Soviets attempt to use lethal force against the highly trained Marines present, they will find themselves on the losing end of a short fight.

However, if they cooperate, they will find that the Quinntonians want nothing to do with their technology, just disabling the explosives, disarming the plane in the manner above, and checking the WIG with every imaging and diagnostic sensor system they have available, assuming it is found to be non-military, they will be let through with nothing more than snapshots taken of their control panels. They will be treated well, and the Marines may even joke with them as they wait, giving them a cigarette and allowing them to take off their restraints after the initial arrest. It will be very laid back, but will take awhile; they will also be fed and in order to pay for the damage to their cannons, fuelled up.

Goa

One after another do the tankers and cargo ships move in and dock with the Goan Port Authority, supplying them with every non-military item they could possibly need, from MP3 Players to foodstuffs and medical supplies.

Admiral Hoffman replies to the good General Singh, “Ya’ll be consertnated with me ‘an da rest of muh kin right now, I git that. But ‘member dat it wuz muh pilots who pulled ya’ll outta ur bind in Dra-pol, ind I am just asking that ya ‘member dat we ain’t bad guys. Put yourself in muh boots, willya? Now, we gotta a job ta do, and we’ll do it. I just want you tuh give me ur word as an old warhorse yerself, ‘We will work with you to resolve this, don’t steer us into tha mud patch, ya hear?”

WWJD
Amen.

Chinese merchant ships begin cheering as news of the end of the blockade unfolds, and Beijing applauds Roycelandia's recent softening of her stance towards the canal.

Beijing is still unhappy with any militarisation of the canal and sends a message to Port Royal encouraging them to continue their pullback.

Suez

Soviet ships in both convoys -south-north and north-south- take their turn in passing through the canal, but will shut the whole affair down in an instant if the Quinntonians attempt to stop their passage. Soviet officials are careful to keep track of exactly how much they pay in fees, keeping in mind the possibility that refunds may yet be sought from the controversial company presently running the canal and compensation delivered instead to the Egyptian government, which has lost countless millions of dollars in this sorry affair.

Meanwhile the WIG crew, when confronted with force, do not hesitate to explode the key systems aboard their machine. Quinntonian protestations about having no underhanded ambition regarding the machine are unlikely to be widely believed when the tasers and grenades come out. The two Sovietists, though, are in no position to offer resistance to such weapons, having only the modest military training of Militia Auxiliaries and no military-grade weapons to hand.

Investigations will reveal the damaged WIG to be apparently what was claimed, the twin 30mm cannon the only armament and lacking a dedicated operator amongst the crew. Protective drugs for a Libyan populace threatened by French NBC attacks constitute almost the entirety of the cargo.

Goa

Some Soviet protestations here remain. If the Quinntonians enter Goa and refuse to leave, they may not be treated as civilians in the event of conflict between India and Roycelandia (which, in light of Royce's latest moves, at least seems a little less likely than it did yesterday).

Suez

The Soviets will not be stopped, warships are just there to make sure that they wait their turn, and not try and run the blockade as they have threatened to so many times, if they wait until the moment they are told, in the order they are given by lottery, commerce will resume, if not, Quinntonian warships will block their passage. If they behave, all is well.

The WIG crew is treated very well, if they do not resist, and after the inspection, which is the first and only that they will have to endure assuming that they pay their canal fees, now that the blockade is over, the Soviets are informed that their cargo will be delivered at Quinntonian expense via military transport ship and ask what they should do with the WIG and the pilots, who are in perfect health.

Goa

OOC-There is a crew of 8! INU has 40 marines on board!

IC-No Quinntonians stay that arrive on these craft, and once everything is delivered, the 7th just continues their position for the time being, after explaining that they cannot move, and must remain in a position to defend Goa with their entire arsenal should conflict come. They do request that the blockade of Goa be lifted in its entirety, now that the same has happened in the Suez. Should that occur, the 7th will not tarry long.

WWJD
Amen.

The Soviet Commonwealth declines to fully lift the blockade of Goa until Soviet assets are seen to be moving smoothly through the Suez, the possibility that the conservatives may be attempting to get through even a single convoy before once more excluding the Soviets has not been completely dismissed.

However, so long as Quinntonians are not seen to be arming or remaining in Goa after delivering their aid, these shipments will not be interdicted, and things ought shortly to return to relative normality.

Raipur maintains that the company presently managing the Suez is an international impropriety and -along with the US military- to blame for lost revenues in recent days. It is still hoped that control of the canal will be returned to Egypt and foreign forces withdrawn. The Roycelandian commitment to the canal's defence is, in any event, puny next to Egypt's own means.

Mumbai

The arrival of Quinntonian freighters at Goa prompts Parliament to issue a very strongly-worded communique to the Quinntonians, pointing out that, on the basis of the SCA's most recent ruling on the issue, the Soviet WIG crew must be immediately set free and allowed to continue its transit of the canal. Though the 40 marines themselves are not exactly in a position to enforce it, Parliament threatens to stop aiding the relief convoys unless the Soviet WIG is released immediately. Few think this is an unreasonable demand, on account of the SCA's recent lifting of all the restrictions on Indian shipping, which seems to render the WIG crew's detention and the detention of the craft itself baseless, if there was ever a proper rationale for it in the first place.

At the same time, as western attention is diverted back to Europe, Parliamentarians look forward to the Suez and Goa crises simply going away, with the Western leadership occupied with what Unioners at least see as far more important matters elsewhere. Though most Unioners are certainly intent on defending the nation's most important ally and trade partner, they would much rather not have to, and instead spend their time fighting the French. Opinions regarding the Anglophones at least are mixed. France, on the other hand, is the subject of near-universal derision and hatred.

The WIG crew is treated very well, if they do not resist, and after the inspection, which is the first and only that they will have to endure assuming that they pay their canal fees, now that the blockade is over, the Soviets are informed that their cargo will be delivered at Quinntonian expense via military transport ship and ask what they should do with the WIG and the pilots, who are in perfect health.

The Soviets are not detained, after the initial arrest, and their commanders are just asked where they would like the WIG and their pilots. They are even willing to deliver the aid themselves to make up for the rather rash decision by the pilots to destroy the WIG’s controls. Of course, this started prior to the stoppage of the blockade, and now that the blockade is over, no further WIGs or anything else will be detained, some searches may occur and fees will have to made, as well as armed vessels be monitored, but that will not be oppressive, just a return to regular business.

And again, assuming the Soviets at the canal behave themselves, business will return pretty much to normal within a couple of days, and the Fifth Fleet will only tarry in the Red Sea for long enough to meet up with the two new Kitty Hawk Carriers that they have been given and ensure that business is flowing well, before the bulk of them pull back to their main HQ and Base at Bahrain for refuelling and re-supply. Of course, the Sixth Fleet will remain in the area around the mouth of the canal on the Mediterranean side for a couple of weeks before pulling out, but will not interfere with normal business practices.

As for Goa, they still suggest that a treaty between the interested parties should be negotiated defining the size and type of military assets that should be allowed in Roycelandia in return for promising to never attempt a blockade of the free people their. Of course, the Soviets are reminded, with all of their bluff and bluster about trying to “free” these people that the people there overwhelmingly approve of Roycelandia’s government, in fact they are known even to the USQ as some of the most loyal to Roycelandia in the world, and every referendum and poll that has ever been placed on them has confirmed and reconfirmed this. In fact, it was the native Goans that were arming themselves and preparing to fight to defend their homeland, regardless of whether they were cut off from Roycelandian help. If “Freedom” is to come to Goa under the Soviets, it would have to be “Freedom” against their will. And what kind of freedom is that? Should people choose to live in whatever ways they want, who are the Soviets to attempt to force, through a bloody campaign, to do otherwise, and then proclaim them to be “free?”

WWJD
Amen.

The German cry to continue the blockade apparently went completely unheeded by both Quinntopia and Roycelandia. Shultz was disappointed that his allies continued to fold before the demands of the evil Soviets as he was looking forward to testing the German navy against its aggressors. However that would have to wait for another day. Although he would never admit it, he was glad to see trade beginning to flow again through Suez to China and other trading partners.

Goa

Seeing as the Soviet forces are freely moving through the Suez, the Quinntonian government again offers to remove the massive 7th Fleet if the blockade around Goa is lifted. Of course, there has been no cessation of the supplies that have moved through the blockade into Goa, with each being inspected in what is becoming an almost routine manner by the INU.

WWJD
Amen.

OOC- I am just going to assume then, that the blockade is lifted, as was the intention of everybody, I think, and I will be removing the 7th Fleet.

WWJD
Amen.