NationStates Jolt Archive

Presidential Palace, Sayenna, Capital of the Federal Republic of Hamilay,11:12 AM

The President of Hamilay sat in his easy chair, recuperating from the long flight from the Vetaka Conference. It was Sunday, so he had a relatively quiet day, and he resolved to enjoy it by fidgeting with his pen, eating sandwiches and playing Minesweeper. He opened the sliding door leading out onto the balcony overlooking the Palace Gardens, absorbing the sounds of Sayenna present even here in this isolated complex. The Gardens were perhaps the only place in Sayenna where birdsong could be heard unsullied by traffic noise and passers-by.

The President heard the roar of a jet aircraft's engines and grimaced. Well, perhaps not completely unsullied. Overhead military aircraft were another fact of life in Sayenna, if an uncommon one.

A movement in the gardens caught his attention, and he was surprised to see a unit of Republican Guards walking stiffly down a path in double file. Only the Elite Corps were on-station permanently in the Presidential Palace. What are regular Guards doing here? He shrugged it off, it was probably nothing. Still, he had nothing much better to do. A few officers would probably be pissed at him for wasting their time, but he picked up the telephone and pressed the button for the Ministry of Defence, just to satiate his curiosity.

Nothing happened, except the buzz of static. The jet engine sounds came ever closer.

The President pressed the button again, irritably. Still nothing.

That was when he noticed a plume of smoke rising from the city outside the Palace walls. Several plumes of thick, black smoke. The President now knew something was amiss. He exited his office and went to look for some security or communications staff that could tell him what was going on.

A lucky thing for him he did, as this was when two missiles detonated on his office window.

------------

"Mr President! Are you all right?"
The President emerged from the rubble, coughing and covered in dust. Funnily enough, his first thought was that his thousand-dollar suit was ruined.
"I'm fine, soldier. What the hell is going on?"
The Elite Guardsman was about to answer when the Palace loudspeaker systems blared to life, and, indeed, every other loudspeaker connected to the government network in the city.
"People of Hamilay! The government of criminals and traitors is overthrown, and the terrorist President has been killed by the brave forces of the former Republican Guard. A new chapter in Hamilay's history begins. It is time to make our great nation strong again, and exorcise the demons of the past. Hamilay now returns to its Golden Age. Long live the Hamilayan Empire!

These criminals are currently at large and wanted for crimes against the state. The Foreign Minister, Mr R..."

---------------

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e267/Flaw3dLegacy/HamilayEmpire.gif

Official Statement of the Empire of Hamilay

The government of the Hamilayan Empire wishes to establish closer ties with the world. After the overthrow of the corruption of the previous regime, we hope the Empire will lead the nation to a respected place of strength within the international community. The entire central belt of Hamilay is now under the control of the Imperial Guards and their allies. We call on all nations that support opposing corruption, terrorism and weakness to send aid in assisting us to purge the remnants of this rabble from the nation, and they will win the Empire's loyalty for life, unlike the trail of lies and broken promises Hamilay has previously left in its wake.

The Interim Administration of the Empire of Hamilay




OOC: By the way, the country is in total chaos, and any agency with so much as a pair of binoculars can see that the Empire doesn't have full control over any part of Hamilay. The Imperial/Repub. guards are heavily outnumbered but they're better trained and organised at this point, the regular military is still loyal but all in chaos too. More will be revealed later, not that much time now. Not much is known about the 'Empire' but it looks to outside observers like it's going to be a military junta. Capitalist-fascist, probably.
Open to all- aid the legit government, the usurpers, or just send in forces for your own gain. Only three things:
1. MT/PMT.
2. Rather not have twenty nations yelling "GREAT JUSTICE AWAAAAAY!" and crushing the usurpers in a week. Hopefully this should be reasonably even.
3. No WMDs. WMDs bad. There may be threats with them later, if the time is right, but they won't be used.

The Great Emporer Ozwald of the Sith Clan, anounces to the International Community that he Is willing to Help The new Imperial Government. A force of some 10,000 of the Sith Clan's finest troops were sent to the Northern border to await confirmation of being able to help out.

FROM: Kansiov
To: President Hamilay

We Pledge to send about 7000 Kansiovian Marines Over. We also Pledge to send 0.9 Billion dollars to help in the damage your country has received, and $1000 to buy you Mr President a new suit.*

*Typed that with abit of humor to cheer him up :p

OOC: Oh dear, sorry. I should have specified that the Empire mostly has control of communications- no messages are getting to the legit government without a lot of trouble.

The Great Emporer Ozwald of the Sith Clan, anounces to the International Community that he Is willing to Help The new Imperial Government. A force of some 10,000 of the Sith Clan's finest troops were sent to the Northern border to await confirmation of being able to help out.
Hamilay is an island. :p I was actually just putting up a map to avoid things like this. Here it is, behold (http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e267/Flaw3dLegacy/Hamilay.jpg) the hideous abomination of a paint map! Tremble in fear, mortals.

ooc:so I take it your supporting the overthrown government?

"Yes Sir Your Marines are on their way which port do you want them to be placed?"
Rear Admiral Geoegy raidoing to Hamily.

"Sir, Mr President are you there Sir? Do you Copy Over?"

ooc:erm did I say Northern Border? Imeant not far off the West coast near that smaller Island!

Our troops are just 1 day away from landing and have heard no reply...

Our troops are just 1 day away from landing and have heard no reply...

OOC: Oh dear, sorry. I should have specified that the Empire mostly has control of communications- no messages are getting to the legit government without a lot of trouble.

ooc:erm did I say Northern Border? Imeant not far off the West coast near that smaller Island!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e267/Flaw3dLegacy/HamilayEmpire.gif

The Empire thanks The Sith Clan for their offer of soldiers. We must inform you that Bastion Island is the headquarters of Naval High Command and is therefore currently heavily defended by government loyalists, making a landing there unwise. If you would kindly inform us of an alternative landing site, Hamilayan Imperial Guard forces will move to link up with Sith marines.

Vetakan Defence Force High Command, Command Room, Theeb:

"Sir the new Light Carrier Group on a routine training mission on its way to join the Strator Operation has stopped just outside of Hamilay Waters after they noticed strange goings on the nations media. Our Comms Interception Base atop of the Rogers Mountain Range have interceptted scattered Transmissions it seems the Hamilay Republican Guard is attempting to remove the Legal Govenment from Office." informed the Watch Office to the Supreme Commander.

"Have our forces offer what aid they can to the Legal Govenment we can't divert any forces because we are overstreched as it is." replied the Supreme Commander.

Vetakan Light Carrier Group, Just outside of Hamilay Waters:

The Commondore read his orders and then briefed his staff of the new situation he then ordered his Comms Officer send the following message to the legal govenment of Hamilay

OBSAT Battlefield Communication:

To: Any Force Loyal to Legal Govenment
From: VDF Robin Light Carrier Group

This is Commondore Riker of the VDF Robin Light Carrier Group. We are aware of the situation regarding the attempted overthrow of the legally elected Hamilay Govenment. Although Vetaka is offering aid we are overstreched around the world as it is as a result we are unable to commit further forces at this time. However I do have the following Ships with a small Military Force in the poisiton perhaps we could evacuate the remaining Govenment members to a safer position namingly the Vetakan Fleet. Please contact accordingly.

<Robin Out>

1 Invincible Carrier
1 Ocean Class Helicoper Assualt Ship
1 Dauntless Class Heavy Battleship
3 Resolute Class Light Cruisers
8 Arleigh Burke Class Missile Destroyers
4 Overlord Class Anti-Aircraft Friagtes
3 Oliver Hazard Perry Class ASW Frigates

25 F37C Eurafighters
20 Hydra Naval Attack Helicopters
20 MH-60S Knighthawk

750 Military Force (including 35 Commandos & Vetakan Scouts)

occ: what about my marines? :( The country that sent u marines was me LoL :p

"Sir that is a Carrier Group!"

"What the hell? Where did that come from."

"This is HMS Constanta 7th Fleet, identify yourself."

The Kansiovian Military was unaware of the situation on forgein troops coming in due to bad communication.

Admiral Abrux paced around the Command Bridge of The Sith Clan Armada's finest ship "The Sith Lord".

"Hmm... so our planned landing site is controlled by the Loyalist Navy! Darn! This is turning out to be a horribly planned venture!
Kies radio back to The Imperialists. tell them we are setting a course for the 3 Islands to the South. We will split our forces 3,000 to each outer Islan and 4,000 to the center!"

"This is the Kansiovian Navy Entering Hamilian waters, asking permission"

Bastion Naval High Command was the only major base still firmly under the control of loyalist forces. Unfortunately, it also happened to be the only major base that had its communications torn to pieces in a surprise strike of a dozen cruise missiles launched from a hijacked ballistic missile submarine.
"Admiral, communications are shot. We're going to need new parts and a couple of days to fix it."
"We don't have a couple of days, man. We'll just have to use the back-up system, I suppose."

FROM: Federal Republic Hamilay
TO: Friendly Nations
GOVT OVERTHROWN BY REPUBLICAN GUARD STOP ADMINISTRATION MIA STOP ALL FRIENDLY FORCES ASSEMBLE BASTION STOP

occ: Permission to fire at your naval base due to lack of coummication, hope you dont get too upset :p

"Admiral we are nearing the Islands, there don't seem to be any ports" kies announced as the admiral entered the bridge.

"Well then send the transport barges and run aground! Honestly man have you no common sense!

ooc: in total there are 10,000 troops not counting the crew of the Sith Clan Armada.

Sorry, guys, I'm off to bed. Stay tuned tomorrow on NationStates International Incidents for the next episode of A Republic Betrayed. :p

BTW Kanisov the government has issued basic instructions for friendlies to land on the island to the west.

" Admiral Sir the ships have made landfall, what now?"

"Well Kies we wait. We wait and see what happens. We do what we can in the Sea and they do what they can on the Land.Of course they will probably need transport to the Main Island but they have landing barges and a fairly good knowledge of how to use them. Order the Fleet around to Portsmouth. Oh and Contact the Imperialists. Ask em what cities are still controlled by those Loyalist types!"

Emperor Kenyatta watched the news of Hamilay intently. The situation interested him, but he couldn't be sure which side he was on. He was itching to use his new special forces but he needed to do so in the best interests of Maniaca, and that meant whichever side was a better potential market. As far as he knew the old republic was buying as much Maniacan swag as any other country, and he couldn't be sure the rebels would be open to do the same. He would need to watch, he needed to know why the rebels were acting out, and he needed to know what their plans were.

Presidential Palace, 11:23 AM
The President stood on the balcony on the opposite side of the palace, overlooking Freedom Square, which was somewhat ironically filled with four Nakil 1A1 tanks and about a hundred soldiers. A collection of Republican Elite Guards and Palace employees equipped with various firearms lined the windows along the corridor behind him. A white-uniformed officer down in the square was shouting through a megaphone.

"As you can see, you are outnumbered and outgunned. There is no escape for you; the city is controlled by Imperial forces. Surrender now, and you will be treated as prisoners of war in accordance with international conventions."
"... except for me?" finished the President dryly. "No, there will be no surrender. This office and this Republic will not, and will never, bow to the will of traitors and rebels."

The officer shrugged. "So be it." The tanks' barrels rose to fire on the second storey. The President and the people around him immediately threw themselves flat, in time to hear a loud explosion. He looked around, but saw no smashes in windows or walls, indeed no damage to the outer building at all. Then he noticed the smoking tank in the middle of the square, and the plumes of dust and debris erupting around it. Five more Nakils rolled down Republic Avenue, their cannons firing steadily into the massed troops below the Palace gates. In a matter of minutes the contingent of Republican Guards out the front was destroyed. Two Legionnaire vehicles rolled to a stop behind the Nakils, which had now formed a line across the street a few metres behind the square, and half a dozen soldiers in regular Hamilayan Army uniform exited.

"Mr President? Everything all right, sir? Lt. Col. Parker, 15th Armoured Division, by the way."
"Bloody hell, are we glad to see you. What's the situation in the rest of the world?"
Parker shrugged. "The city is a disaster zone. MoD and Parliament are on fire and have Guards swarming all over them. As soon as we heard the news the division base on the outskirts sent us in to provide some assistance. We had three times as many tanks then." he muttered bitterly. "No word from HQ since then or the rest of the country. I'd imagine that Sayenna will fall to the enemy pretty soon."
"Then we'd best leave as soon as we can. Hey, Maybourne, go and tell everyone we're getting out of here ASAP."
"... if I may speak candidly, Mr President?"
"Fire away, Colonel."
Lieutenant Colonel Parker waved his hands helplessly at the carnage around them.
"This... thing. With the Guards. No one anticipated it. Is it really true? The entire Republican Guards have turned on the Republic itself? If this isn't isolated to Sayenna... the implications... how did no one see this coming?"
"I have no idea. However, I can give you my promise that when this is all over, a lot of people in Military Intel are going to have their asses fired. Let's get going. I don't fancy waiting around for some aircraft to show up."

Off the coast of Archangel, 12:32 PM
Rear Admiral Courtland, commander of the 3rd Battle Group, was not a happy man. On news of the situation in the rest of the nation his fleet had been dispatched from the Southgate naval base to support loyalist fighters on Alexander Island, to the south-west of Archangel, and after entering open water it had been immediately swarmed by a wing of A-7s. Of his original 12 warships, two were at the bottom of the ocean and three had been forced to limp back to land, in no condition to fight for some time.

And now a hostile enemy fleet had showed up and were landing troops on the islands to the south. No intelligence whatsoever from higher up, simply a "Engage and destroy all ships in area: hostile forces landing along southern archipelago". The enemy could consist of ten rubber dinghies or ten super-dreadnoughts for all he knew. Still, he had his flagship, the battleship Glorious, and five other combat-worthy vessels, and he resolved to do his duty.

"Attention: enemy warships have been sighted approximately 25 kilometers to the west. All personnel, move to battle stations. I repeat, battle stations, combat alert Alpha Red. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill."

Now, let's see who these foreigners are and how many shots their ships can take.

30 Seconds!!!
10 Seconds....
9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2

*Plop*
The Front Doors of the Hover Craft Opened

"Clear the beachead!"

"Sir, we have cleared the beach head we are currently on the Western shore of the Island and is waiting arrival from the Hailmaian Loyal Soldiers.

OOC: Ill RP coming to you off the Archangel Coast

Vetakan Carrier Group Robin:

"Sir OBSAT is showing a Hamilay Fleet is turning to engage an Unidentified Enemy Fleet. Location from our position about 50 Miles Away" spoke a very softly spoken Radar Operator

"Are they Rebels or Loyalist?" replied the Admiral

"No Idea Sir"

"Set a course. Arm all Weapons and Stand By. Comms send a message to that Fleet and attempt to raise a Legit Govenment Official" replied the Admiral

"Sir" replied a Stern Comms Officer

OBSAT Military Communication:

To: Hamilay 3rd Battle Group (Location: XXXXX.XXXXX)
From: Vetakan Robin Carrier Group

This is Commondore Riker of the Vetakan Robin Carrier Group. We are here to support the Legit Govenment and all Loyalist Forces please identify your intentions?

<Vetakan Robin Carrier Group>

OBSAT Diplomatic Communication:

To: Hamilay Govenment (All Known Emergancy Channels)
From: Vetakan Robin Carrier Group

This is Commondore Riker of the Vetakan Defence Force. This is a direct message to the Legal President of Hamilay. From what President Roxanne Wright tells me Sir you are a good man and we are here to aid you. In restoring Democracy. Does any representive of the Legal Hamilay Govenment here this Transmission.

<Vetakan Robin Carrier Group>

OOC: It's the Sith fleet.

"Admiral Sir, there seems to be a battle ahead those Hamlian Ships are firing at the forgein helpers , should we engage Sir?"

"Yes, Fire Now give them hell!"

"But.. Should we ask for permission and Confirm?"

No fire, the Cruise missles and hit them at the Port we need it cleared so our boys and move in.

"But..."

"Shut up and do your Job!"

"Sorry Sir, Fire in 10 Seconds"

5 Missles were fired at Archangel...

"Radio Kansiov Command ask them more more troops and Air Support."

"Yes Sir!"

OOC: Kanisov, no offence, but, uh, what exactly are you doing?

IC:

"Admiral, we're receiving a transmission. More ships are here, a Vetakan Carrier Group this time. They're on our side, so they say."

"Put them through. This is Rear Admiral Courtland, Hamilayan 3rd Battle Group. If you're here to help, thanks, thanks a lot. Warships have landed troops along the southern archipelago, who have engaged loyalist forces. Therefore, we're considering them hostile, but we don't know who they are or their strength. We're currently moving to engage now. If you could give us a hand, that would be great. By the way, don't bother trying to contact the civilian government; we've tried. I hear special forces are on the way to extract key personnel from Sayenna, but until then, they'll have to fend for themselves."

Occ: part of story to fire at your units for poor communication :p and our troops have landed. Wars are not according to the script ;)

"Roger that Admiral. We have Special Forces Aboard he Carrier Group being as your the highest ranking officer and under Vetakan Rules of Engagement I request your permission to deploy my Special Forces to the Capital to establish Communication and if possible rescue the President If successful we will transfer him to your charge?"

"Also deploying Fighters to establish identify of Unidentified Forces engaging Loyalist Forces. Also I offer Loyalist Forces the full use of Vetakan OBSAT System?" replied the Commondore.


As he was speaking Vetakan Carrier Fighters where taking off and moving to the Archangel Coastline to find an identify for the unidentified attacking forces.


OOC: Details of OBSAT here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=521785)

bump

The Silvado Navy 3rd Fleet sailed to the Bastion.

To: Hamilay Military Forces
From: Silvado Navy 3rd Fleet

We have come to help. We have our 6th Armored ready to land.

As a back up sailors used signal mirrors to make sure the message got across.

Raido telegram to Palace Guards
"We are in the Western shore of the island and are waiting your arrival"

From Kansioivan Marines

Emperor Kenyatta had finished speaking to Maniacan laborers when he was approached by his personal assistant Kwame Nkrumah.

"Jomo, I have been studying the situation in Hamilay, remember, with the imperialist rebels and the republican loyalists."

"What have you found?"

"The meat of the rebellion is ex-national guardsmen, which suggests that any government they install, at least to begin with, would be in essence a military dictatorship based on rank. Their chosen title suggests they're looking to expand after their ascension, but if they even win the government they'll be severely worn out from fighting loyalists."

"So they'll want weapons, and they'll need weapons, and vehicles, all cheap. And who better than Maniaca to supply them. What's the situation?"

"The loyalists are in chaos, and the rebels are messy. The rebels' main allies at the moment are a group called the Sith Clan, who appear to have sent a sizable force to aid them. Against them are the full military of Hamilay, and what appears to be a host of small groups from allied nations."

"Tell me again, Kwame, how many soldiers have we trained as Panthers?"

"Seventy Five Thousand"

"Then I want twenty five thousand of them deployed to Hamilay, accompanied by some big boats. Try not to have these big boats fire anything, ideally our soldiers will make landfall fresh."

"The coasts of Hamilay appear to be heavily patrolled."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Maybe we can sneak through. How many soldiers can fit on a dropship?"

"About fifteen hundred, uncomfortably."

"Alright, so we need a bunch of them. And they'll need food too. How long will it take to get there?"

"Probably a day or two, over water."

"And the big boats, we'll need about four of them, and load them up with guns and supplies. And why don't we move some of the Panthers from the drop ships into the cabins of the battleships, that'll save some capital. How many Panthers can fit on a big boat?"

"If you want extra supplies with them, and the regular crew, you're probably looking at just under 3000, uncomfortably again."

"Well I hope they don't sink. Where should we send them in?"

"The first blows appear to be being landed along the south coast, in an archipelago. Everywhere else is being pretty firmly secured, so it's not like we're going to slip in unnoticed."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Alright well call up Haile, tell him to get that out."

That evening, forty five lightly armed troopships and four fully loaded Maniacan battleships were deployed for the South coast of Hamilay. A message was sent, to the Imperials, it was unknown to the senders if it reached it's destination.

Dear Hamilayan Empire,
Seventy Five thousand of Maniaca's best soldiers, the Black Panthers, are en route to the south coast of your nation to facilitate the overthrow of the republican oppressors. They are being carried on a fleet of essentially defenseless little boats escorted by some really big boats. Anything you can do to ensure their safe arrival on land is appreciated, and perhaps together with our allies we can coordinate a plan of action.
-Jomo Kenyatta, Emperor, the Blessed Fatherland of Maniaca

"Admiral Sir! The troops are safely entrenched on the Islands."

"Very Good Kies now we just sit and..."

"But Sir! Enemy ships have been sighted... everywhere."

"How many?"

"I...I don't know sir."

"Well order the ships to sail away from the enemy!"

Kies nervously replied "They are all around... and It's hard to tell who is with who!"

The Admiral looks out at the Battleship around him. 'I won't lose another ship' he thought.

"Ok kies order the ships to get in between the Islands, I don't want a single Dingy in open ocean!"

"Right away sir!" Kies runs off to do as he was told.

ooc: The Sith Battle fleet that came to aid the Imperialists consists of 3 Battleships, the Largest of which is the Admirals ship. There is 1 aircraft carrier, The SC Floater, 2 Submarines, And 5 smaller gunships.

Embassy of the Chevrokian Republic
#6 Embassy Row, Sayenna Government District
Sayenna, Hamilay

"Commander, just what is our plan for leaving?" It was Tony Grisham, the Chevrokian ambassador to what was previously known as the Federal Republic of Hamilay, asking the Commander of the Republic Marines embassy detatchment.
"Well, Mr. Ambassador, you're going to load all the staff and what equipment we can take with us into the Ospreys. We'll take care of anything we can't take with is, the trucks specifically. Then we'll get onboard, and we're going to fly south to the coast and into international airspace. Once there, there'll be a few amphib tankers from the Navy seaplane tender 'Cooper' that will top us up, then we're going keep flying south and rendezvous with the Cooper. It may be a long flight, sir, they're still about 2000 miles off the south coast."
"Very well, Commander, let's get this ..." his statement was interrupted by the rumble of distant explosions and gunfire. "Christ ... OK, people, let's get moving here. I'd rather not stay here any longer than we need to."

Around the complex, the staff were running out boxes of computer equipment and whatever paperwork they could get packed up; what was left over got shredded. About half of the 20 members of the Marine detatchment were standing guard, six of the others were making short work of the armored Suburbans. Thermite grenades in the engine bay and standard hand grenades inside would render the vehicles basically useless except as scrap metal. The remaining four, the Osprey pilots, were checking the systems of their craft in preparation for a flight that might last in excess of 12 hours.

The pilots began to bring the Ospreys up and running, their two turbine engines howling to life amongst the far-off sounds of explosions and jets. The Marines began making their way down from the embassy, two of them stopping to solemly lower the flag, the blue with white/green striped Nordic cross of the Chevrokian Republic. Shortly after, they too came down the steps to the landing pad and climbed aboard. Everybody ready, doors closed, time to go.


RNS Cooper (AV-25)
Cook-class seaplane tender
2,000 miles south-southwest of St. Helena, Hamilay

Most people who saw one of the Cook-class seaplane tenders of the Chevrokian Republic Navy thought that it was a "very odd looking merchant ship." Indeed, it was a fairly long ship with a wide beam, big access doors, several large cranes, but with the bridge and superstructure well fore towards the bow, rather than near the stern as with most tankers and container ships. If one looked very carefully they could see some advanced radar systems, and a couple point-defense weapons, but most people assumed it was just a supply ship.

That is, until they got a look at the inside. When empty it wasn't anything particularly interesting, but when in service it definetly was. That day, the Cooper was loaded with eight amphibious flying boats, all members of Chevrokian Aerospace's widely successful "Dash-75" series; two CB-75 transport planes, and six KB-75 tankers. Today, the KBs would be very important, for the two Ospreys leaving the embassy in Sayenna didn't have the range to reach the Cooper, but could be refueled in mid-air.

Up on the bridge, communications were now coming in from the Ospreys.

"Navy ship Cooper, this is Embassy Flight, leaving the embassy, on course 195."
"Roger that Embassy Flight, this is the Cooper. We'll be launching our tankers here soon. Continue on course to the west of St. Helena, once you reach international airspace off the coast, the tankers should be there waiting for you. We'll keep the comms open in case anything happens."
"Roger that, Cooper, we'll be waiting to see you in a while."

The Captain then got on the ship's comm system.

"All crew, listen up, this is the Captain. Embassy mission is go. Gasser One and Two, prepare for launch, five minutes."

The first two tanker crews started on their final checks and shut the doors nice and tight. The back of the Cooper opened up, much like an amphibious assault ship would, while the planes were slowly rolled back towards the door. Once close enough to the door, they fired up their four turbofan engines and slipped into the sea, throttled clear of the ship, and then made their takeoff runs, throwing up a huge roostertail of spray as they pounded across the waves.



OOC: Just curious, would the Imperialist forces and/or their allies have an itch to shoot down the Ospreys and/or the tankers?

OOC: Doubt it, the Republican Guards are (were) the best trained branch of the Hamilayan military, so they'd be professional and disciplined enough not to blow up neutral aircraft. I can't speak for Vetaka or Sith Empire though.

IC

Bastion, Bastion Island

The 431st Mechanised Infantry Division was perhaps the only division in all of Hamilay with some semblance of organisation. Stationed around Naval High Command, it had escaped most of the initial fighting. The division was now preparing to move from Command in the hills down into the city of Bastion and purge it of the remnants of Republican Guard insurgency.

"Attention, troops: we have a green light to engage. We have three primary targets- the harbour, City Hall and the radio station on 5th Street. All units, begin the advance into the city."

Four hundred AFVs and 12,000 soldiers moved down the three main roads from Naval Command in perfect order. They encountered little resistance until they reached the centre of the city, when their columns were suddenly attacked by large amounts of infantry. The division now joined the rest of the Hamilayan Army across the country in bloody urban warfare. All the soldiers on both sides understood the necessity for the government forces to recapture a major city and reestablish lines of communication with the outside world. The loyalists had the advantage in organisation and armoured vehicles, and slowly but surely the Guards in the city were being pushed back towards the sea. Soon the city would be in the Republic's hands, the first major city in Hamilay where the guns would be silent for a time. Unless something unexpected occured...

FROM: Hamilayan 3rd Battle Group
TO: Vetakan Robin Carrier Battle Group
Hamilayan special forces are being prepared to infiltrate the capital already. However, we would welcome your assistance: if your troops could be sent to Bastion immediately after the waters here are cleared somewhat, they would be a valuable asset. We gladly accept the use of Vetaka's OBSAT system.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e267/Flaw3dLegacy/HamilayEmpire.gif

FROM: The Hamilayan Empire
TO: Emperor Kenyatta of Maniaca

The Empire thanks you for your assistance. We regret to inform you that government loyalists mostly have control of the waters, however. The Imperial Guard did not have a naval arm, and whilst the Guards Air Corps did their best to damage the Hamilayan Navy as much as was possible, we have no ships to speak of to challenge them. Therefore, we will unfortunately be unable to provide aid for your landing parties.

To: Hamilayan Empire.
From: Admiral of the Sith Armada.

We wish to have an update on what is going on. Also where do you suggest we send the troops we deployed? We currently control the South Waters but a large force of ships is reportedly heading in our direction. If you have allies or people wishing to flee from those loyalist scum now is the time to mave them through the south.

Admiral Ojo Nwosu stood at the bow of his battleship, the IMS Arowana, admiring the sunset that lay in front of him. Behind him was his ship, and over forty others filled with soldiers preparing for the first real action of their lives. The Admiral strolled back to the bridge and met with his ship's crew to discuss the situation. Someone spoke:

"Sir, landfall is about four hours away. There appears to be a fleet between us and land, a sizable one, patrolling. At this point we don't know if they're friendly or not. We have basically no trained sailors aboard this boat, if it comes down to a clash--"

The Admiral interrupted, "I wouldn't worry much about that. I'm sure the government warned everyone about our arrival, so if they're friendly they'll let us know once we're in sight, and if they don't we'll just turn around and say it's a no go."
--------------------
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace in Poppernickle, Maniaca, it just struck Secretary of War Haile Makonnen that it would be a good idea to warn his allies the fleet was on its way. He looked up the Sith Clan in the gigantic "Imperial Phone Book" (as it was called) and sent them a message, explaining that there was a fleet of just under fifty Maniacan ships carrying troops to help Imperial Hamilay, and that hopefully they hadn't already been sunk by any party involved. He said a prayer, for the sake of seventy five thousand of Maniaca's best soldiers, and for the sake of his job, that the message would be relayed from the Sith government to the Sith military before the entire operation collapsed in a heap of miscommunication.

hello can i join this

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e267/Flaw3dLegacy/HamilayEmpire.gif

FROM: The Hamilayan Empire
TO: The Admiral of the Sith Empire Armada

Our forces in St. Helena are pushing the loyalists towards the sea, if you could rally your troops and make a landing in the harbour across the strait we have an excellent opportunity to surround them and secure the city.

[glorified bump]

To Hamilayan Empire
From Admiral of Sith Armada

Will do the men are on their way. As for this sea battle We are going to see if the maniacans can give us a hand.


To: Manican Government
From: Admiral of the Sith Armada

We are delighted to hear you are coming. if you don't mind, a large loyalist naval fleet is headed twords our location. We could use some assistance. We are currently near the South of the Main Islands.

OOC: Sorry im late.

Vetakan Robin Carrier Strike Group, Heading to Bastion Island:

Open Communication to all Forces:

"This is Commondore Riker of the Vetakan Defence Force Carrier Strike Group Robin. The Vetakan Govenment is here to support the legal and might I add democratically elected Govenment of the Republic of Hamilay. Their is no evidence to suggest the legal govenment has betrayed its people nor any evidence to suggest that the people of this nation had any problems with its govenment. Evidence suggests that this rebellion has no legal or more importantly no moral grounds to justify it upon. This rebellion by elements of the Hamilay militray betrays not only its Commanding Govenment but also its Legal Govening Body that being the Hamilay People themselves. As such I call upon all members of the Rebellion to throw down your Arms and let us resolve this situation via Peaceful means at a negociating table.

I also must make clear to all nations with the intent to support rebel forces with the intent to remove the democraticaly elected govenment of Hamilay. Vetaka will not stand by to allow it to happen. We will respond with Military Force if required to ensure the Democratically Elected Government of Hamilay surivies. Inbound Foreign Fleets I call upon you to Stand Down."

Commondore Riker replaced the Microphone before turning to his operations officer and carried on.....

"Red Alert. Battlestations. Prepare for Imminent Surface Conflict. Update VDF High Command and Request Emergancy Reinforcements."

"Yes Sir" replied the Operations Officer

The Vetakan Fleet took up formation and prepared for imminent conflict at the same time a Naval Chinnok rose from the Helicopter and sped away towards Bastion Island aboard was a Vetakan Special Forces Commando Unit from 303 Army Commando Unit supported by 4 Vetakan Scout Snipers their mission was to provide support for the Loyalist Forces attempting to re-take bastion. The Chinnok's Pilot spoke over the radio:

"Loyalist Forces this is VDF 303 Commando Unit on course to Bastion Island to support the Operation to retake the city."

"Loyalist Command do you copy?"

As the Sith Clan Armada came into sight they signaled to the approaching Maniacans, and somewhere in Maniaca Haile Makonnen breathed a sigh of relief. As the Maniacan ships passed through to land, Admiral Ojo Nwosu made contact with some of the sailors on board and became aware of the means to communicate with the Sith Clan's forces. There would be a few minutes more to landfall, which would probably be kind of a mess with forty ships crashing onto a single beach. The Admiral got in touch with the commanders aboard the troopships to clarify his orders.

General Louis Showalter informed him of his plan:

"As far as we know, there are Sith camps dotting these three islands, which is ideal because they'll be watching out for us (whether they intend to or not) while we get our act together here. There's three major islands in this chain, and no major urban centers, which means for the most part we'll be all alone with the Sith troops and any loyalists who come calling. I want all of the Panthers here on the middle island, and with any luck we'll be able to jump straight from here to the mainland. If loyalists try to take on any of the Sith troops on the other two islands, the right thing to do is to help them out (besides, they're no good to our cause dead), which means the troopships should all be stashed somewhere around the islands, preferably between them. We'll headquarter our operation on this island until Imperial troops are prepared to escort us onto the mainland, which means a massive unloading project. All the guns, all the food, all the tents, need to be unloaded off these boats and taken to the other coast of the island. I just hope the brass wasn't lying to us when they said these were the bravest and most disciplined troops in the world. Take the battleships out to the Sith Clan, with any luck they'll be able to help staff you, if not, try to bring them back before you end up at the bottom of the ocean."

As the first Maniacan troopships ran up on the Hamilayan beaches, a message was wired to the Sith Armada:

To: The Sith Armada
From: Ojo Nwosu, Admiral, Blessed Fatherland of Maniaca

Hello. Unfortunately, no sailors were deployed for this operation, only ships full of soldiers. Which means we have four fully equipped battleships with only a maintenance crew. I'm not sure how much help we will be against the approaching loyalist forces. Speaking of whom, do you have any idea as to the magnitude of them? In any case, do you believe that in our current state our navy is capable of aiding you at all? If so we will do our best, if not, we will stay here to support the troops on the ground, who, we can assure you, are some of the best in the world and will not be stopped by the loyalists.

To: Ojo Nwosu, Admiral, Blessed Fatherland of Maniaca
From: admiral of the Sith armada

We thank you for coming. Feel free to join our troops in their camps. They'll gladly accept you. as for your ships, We have some extra sailors that know how to man 'em if you don't mind. Your maintence crews can command them. if they aren't the worlds best sailors they will be by the time my men are done with them!

As for intel on the incomming fleet... i have no Idea if they are friend or Foe, shoot I don't know how big they are either. We got a load of retards workin on intel. Bunch of Highly untrained rookies. I keep telling High command that we need better trained intel gatherers but no-one listens to me.

As for land forces, i haven't a clue. I'm Just admiral of the Royal Sith Lesser Armada. Seek out General Hue He may know somthing. he's on the center Island.

"Sir, we're receiving a message. The Vetakan airborne commandos are on their way to the city."
"Excellent, just what we need. Vetakan 303rd Unit, this is Major-General Adams, 431st Mech Infantry. A landing zone has been secured for you in the square opposite City Hall, marked by blue smoke. There are Hamilayan special forces on the ground who will brief you on the situation."

The 400 troops that the Sith general Hue sent to St. Helena made landfall in a hidden area.

"Ok lets try to contact the Imperials, we need to know exactly what they want us to do" said Lt. Jugger, the man put in charge of the 400 troops. "We are hidden here but we won't be for long if those Loyalist have patrols out."

" Sir the general wans me to notify him of the sitiation as soon as tis possible, in case we be needin reinforcements, so if you don't mind hurryin." replied Radio operater Fred Glammens.

"Just shut up and get me radio contact with the Imperials!"

"Roger that General Adams. ETA to Position is 1 Minute" replied the Pilot

The Vetakan Chinnok sped over the City before it came to a hover at the Blue Zone marked LZ. It touched still keeping its blades at full throttle so it could take off again. In total 35 Vetakan Soilders ran from the Chopper 31 of them where 303 Commando and the remaining 4 where Elite Vetakan Sniper & Recon Scouts. When all 35 where clear of the Helicopter it rose again and sped off back towards the Vetakan Fleet. All 35 ran to what looked like a welcome party and the Vetakan Unit Commander began:

"Hello I am Unit Commander Diggums of 303 Commando who is in charge here?"

Vetakan Carrier Strike Group Robin, Off Bastion Island:

"Sir Incoming Message via OBSAT From VDFCC" shouted the Comms Officer over the dim of the Bridge.

Supreme Operational Commander Stone the Operational Commander directly below the President in terms of Command for the Vetakan Defence Force appeared on a Screen he smiled and began:

"Good Afternoon Commondore we have not forgot about you. We are sending the Carrier Group Owl to your aid from Strator it will have a troop deployment of 5000 men and some Armour and Artillery. It will be their in 12 Owls. Because you are the Commander on the Scene they will be under Your Command as such to reflect this I am promoting you to Admiral Congratulations?"

"Yes Sir. Thank You Sir" replied the newly promoted Admiral

OOC New Vetakan Inbound Deployment Details. This will take 12 NS hours to arrive:

1 Nimitz Class Supercarrier
2 Helicopter Class Carriers
2 Chieftern Class Pocket Battleships
3 Dauntless Class Heavy Battleships
5 Ticonderoga Class Missile Cruisers
5 Daring Class Air Defense Destroyers
5 Arleigh Burke Class Missile Destroyers
5 Seawolf Class Attack Submarines
1 ASDS Advanced SEAL Delivery System
2 Safeguard Class Rescue and Salvage Ships
2 Supply Class Fast Combat Support Ships
50 Sea Knight Helicopters
25 SH-60 Seahawk Helicopters (Blackhawk naval variant)
16 AH-64D Apache Longbow Helicopters
90 EuraFighter F37 C's

3rd Army Group Detachment: 6000 Strong Deployment

Through the Hamilayan technicians and troops surrounding the landing pad strode an officer in navy blue uniform, followed by eighteen soldiers in grey urban combat camouflage gear, except with their faces concealed with full-face visors.

"Good to see you, Commander. I'm Brigadier General Antonin, CO of 209th Spec Ops. If you have no objections, I'll be your commander on this flight." He cracked a weak smile. "Since you're here, I'm assuming we can count on your help- Major Rowlands here will brief you on the situation."

One of the Hamilayans wearing a black beret stepped forward and saluted.

"I'll get straight to business. We're going to follow the division to take the int'l airport. Most enemy resistance is eliminated, so we should be there and have the place under control in an hour or two. Once the field is secured, an IL-76 will come for us. We're going to drop into Sayenna by HALO and locate key government personnel. You'll be briefed further on the plane.

"However, I should warn you; as you probably know, we have no communication with the continent, and it is not unlikely there are no areas of significance under friendly control. There are therefore no reliable extraction plans. At the moment we hope to get out by the Zenith choppers, as they're reasonably stealthy, but this depends on a secure landing site, of course. If they can get in at all. We're on our own from when we jump out."

A long line of armoured vehicles rolled by the square and abruptly came to a halt. The turret of the lead tank popped open and a soldier waved his hands at the group standing in the middle of all the activity, obviously intending for them to follow the convoy.

Rowlands' demeanour suddenly changed and he spread his hands and smiled.

"So, you chaps still in?"

"Damn Right we are still in. In to the death. Of course Commander. This is your country it is only right that you lead us. As for extraction the Vetakan Fleet has a 2 Chinnoks, 4 Apache and 4 F-37C on standby to extract us should things get hot. The fleet can also provide limited Air Support. We are as I speak also moving 2 OBSAT Satellites into position to provide Communications, Obersation and Long Range Missile Targeting. It sounds like a good plan. I have 4 Elite Vetakan Recon Scouts with your permission Id like to send them to scout ahead and provide us with information regarding anything unexpected. Scouts?" replied the Commander Diggums

As he said the final word 4 men came and stood next to him:

"Its your call Sir? If not the Scouts will move through the buildings and watch out for Snipers and any Ambushs?"

The government of Droskianishk has been watching recent developments as one of its MEU's was passing through the region. The MEU commander General Klanz has been given permission to lend aid to the rightful government of the Island Republic and has been frantically trying to get in contact with that government. Droskianishk spy planes and unmanned drones have been flying over the island for the past 3 hours.

Sincerly Yours

General Klanz

"Excellent. Glad to have you. The scouts won't be needed as of yet; most of the city to the airport is secure, so we'll move as fast as possible in the IFVs. They'll be very useful when we get to the airport, though."

Bastion International Airport

The airport was a hive of activity, the main stronghold for the Imperialist forces in the area. Most of this activity now consisted of helicopters landing and evacuating men and materiel.

"Sir, the loyalists have advanced to less than 3 kilometers away. We need more reinforcements, not less."
"You cannot hold the airport. If we do not evacuate, your battalion will be destroyed."
"We will hold the airport. If we can't, we'll inflict enough losses on the enemy so as to make our sacrifice worth something. Cancel the evacuation."
"... I hope you know what you're doing. Very well. You will have no air support. I can leave four tanks and half a dozen IFVs with you. Good luck. Dulce Et Decorum Est."

The Imperial Guards 102nd Battalion set about preparing defensive positions for what would be their last stand.

bump

To: Loyalists [Posted on OBSAT]
From:Freedemgov

We shall give you $20 mill to rebuild your nation. Also use of our Ion Cannon is available,if necessary.

Good Luck, Filii Aururae
Luke Monahan
Undersecretary of Defense for Revolutions and CounterRevolutions

As the Combined Loyalist Forces now arrived on the frontline the Airport was in sight. Commander Diggums signalled the Scouts to get an update on the situation as a result they stealthy moved down the road and into a building where they observed the situation from just outside the Airport. One Scout spotted a Rebel Sniper within less than a Second the Scout had aimed and fire. The Silent Shot raced to its target the unfortunate Sniper never heard nor saw his killer. After 5 minutes or so the Scouts updated their commander after hearing this update Commander Diggums turned to his Hamilay Counter-Parts and gave the update:

"The Enemy has the Airport Loosely Defended. Evacuations are still proceeding by Helicopter their is little in the way of operating Anti Air Weapons so we could benifit from a Preliminary Strike from the Vetakan F-37C's. It believe those that are intending to Defend the Airport are somewhat Fantical as their Evac is more or less complete and it would be pointless and somewhat stupid to attempt to hold the Airport with so little troops. The Trade and Delivery Enterance is barricaded with 2 Machine Gun Nests. As for the Terminals they to are loosly defended. The scouts have counted no Visible Fighters or Attack Choppers and have counted 2 Visible Tanks and 4 Visible IFV's I recommend we call in Fighter and Apache Support to Pin them down while we move in to neutralize and secure the Airport. As such I humbly request Orders Sir?"

"Have you contacted those Imperials yet?" Lt. Jugger asked

"No sir, our radio seems to be inoperable"

"Damn, now what do we do? We can't just strike out at the loyalist without knowing where they are! Well send a messenger and find them!"

From: Empire of Olmedreca
To: Empire of Hamilay

We would like to support you. Mobilization of intervention force has already started. Could you give us short overview of situation and current location of frontlines? Also where would be best place for our forces to make contact with you? If we need to make landing on hostile territory then we also need information about shore-defences.

"No AA? Heh, you may as well have just dropped in here instead of having to drive halfways across the city. I'll call in some gunship support, but I'm not too keen on overdoing the air strikes. We need to use the runways, after all, so I don't want them full of craters. We'll-"
A nearby soldier holding a pair of binoculars held up a hand and gestured to the group of officers to take cover.
"Sirs, the tower? I think I saw something move."
All eyes turned to the airport control tower.
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised. Hell, they can probably see everything we're doing from up there. We'd better take it out. Command, this is Antonin requesting support. I need one rocket strike at the top of the control tower, some gunships if possible. All units, establish a perimeter opposite the enemy positions. Hold fire."

The tanks and IFVs moved to form a single line opposite the enemy, who had dug a trench line in front of a sandbag wall, behind which were their heavy vehicles and some towed howitzers. Suddenly, two of the tanks started forward, rolling over the sandbags and heading straight for the loyalist troops. A dozen turrets turned to fire on them, but they halted when the hatch of one popped open and a frantically waving white flag popped out. The Imperials had caught on now as well and began firing at the vehicles, with their remaining tanks moving through their defences to fire on them. One fleeing tank hit by a shell and ground to a halt, billowing clouds of smoke. A few figures jumped out of the turret and ran with their heads down through the clouds of smoke. Some Imperial forces were now in range of their enemy, and began to open fire. In a few minutes a few bullets had escalated into a full-scale tank battle, with the loyalists returning fire on instinct.

"Dammit, that's torn it. All right then, fire at will. Repeat, all units may fire at will. Commander Diggums, the specforces are going to take the terminal building over there on the right. There are about twenty or so guys holed up in there."

We will Tomahawk Cruise Missile the rebel bases known to our intelligence starting immediately.

We could gas them too if you want. Please respond


Luke Monahan
Undersecretary of Defense for Revolutions and CounterRevolutions

P.S We will also mobilize forces if you so request and we see the frontlines like Olmedreca, but instead we will help loyalists not rebels.

OOC: People supporting, just land your troops somewhere. ;)

Somewhere in Sayenna

Chancellor Alexander Fitzgerald woke up to a throbbing pain in his head. The first thing he noticed was that, well, he couldn't notice anything, as there was something covering his eyes. He reached up and gingerly touched it- a blindfold. He moved to take it off, but footsteps suddenly echoed throughout the room he was in and a hand slapped his away.

"Sir? Number Two is conscious. Would you like me to proceed?"
A voice answered, obviously through a radio, marred by static.
"No. I'm on my way."

The Chancellor tried to speak, but no words came out. His mouth was too dry and cracked. After moving it for some time without any sound being produced, the footsteps sounded again and he felt some drops of water being poured into his mouth. Nothing had ever tasted so good in his life.

"Enjoy, Chancellor. You'll need it."

He managed to force out a few words.

"W... wh... where am I?"
"You're in the Ministry of Defence. Now-"

There was a swish as in front of him an automatic door slid open.

"Sir?"
"Thank you, Captain. You are dismissed."

The door slid open again and footsteps indicated someone leaving.

"Good evening, Alexander. How are you feeling?"
"B... bad. It feels like I've been... who are you?"
"All in good time. I suppose I should update you on the situation. Hamilay has been... purified, for lack of a better word. Frankly, we in this nation have lost our patience with decades of rule of imbeciles and fools. Are you one, Chancellor?"

The Chancellor suddenly froze. He had been suspecting something like this ever since... the doors of Parliament had exploded and soldiers had poured in. Yes, that was what happened. It was still a shock to hear it, though. His mouth opened slightly, and all he could do was shake his head. His visitor chuckled softly.

"Good, good. You can take off the blindfold now, by the way."

Fitzgerald slowly did so. He was in a bare room, by the looks of it some prison cell or... he froze again. Or a Department of Military Intelligence interrogation room. He began to shake, but still tried to look around. He was sitting in an ordinary wooden chair, and across from him was a tall man in his late forties or so. Obviously someone important, from the way he was talking to him, but he'd never seen him before. Or an Intelligence agent. He tried to halt this line of reasoning.

"Now, Chancellor Fitzgerald, to business. You will support the New Order which is sweeping over Hamilay. You will do so, because you love your country and you love its people. You will also do so because you love your family and your life. Do I make myself clear?"

In his 51 years, Alexander Fitzgerald had never been so frightened. But this scenario had been prepared for, even if it was just seen as paranoia and no one ever thought it could happen, and he knew what he had to do.

"N.... n.... no. Never. I... I swore an oath, upon... upon taking this office, and I pledged to uphold the laws and order of... Federal... the Federal Republic of Hamilay. Not... not the Kingdom of Hamilay or Dominion... or... No."

The man sighed.

"Very well. It's your funeral. I shall give you twenty-four hours to reconsider. You will have some food and more water brought to you soon. Oh, and take this."

He handed him a manila envelope. The Chancellor opened it and was dismayed to say the least that it contained numerous photographs of his wife and two children with soldiers waving gun barrels in their faces. After a few minutes of looking at this depressing album, he spoke up again.

"You... you still haven't told me who you are."
"Heh. You were close with Kingdom. Try Empire. You may address me as 'Imperial Majesty' from now on. The last of the Hamilayan Imperial Dynasty. Yes, don't look so shocked. You didn't get us all in 1880."

Without another word his visitor turned and strode out of the room, the door sliding open for him.


http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e267/Flaw3dLegacy/HamilayEmpire.gif

FROM: The Hamilayan Empire
TO: The Empire of Olmedreca

The Hamilayan Empire thanks the Olmedrecan Empire for its support. There are currently no front lines to speak of, as disorganised fighting rages throughout the nation. You will most likely need to make a landing on enemy territory. Defence emplacements along the coast generally consist of 500mm guns as well as some missile batteries (DMG Military Industries models, for specifications). Most of these are inoperable and disabled, due to crew personnel now being shifted to combat duties, but some may still be in operation. Unfortunately, we cannot give any concrete information on the locations of these defences in operation.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/6980/nsvapp7as2.jpg
Official statement:

We have closely watched recent developments in Hamilay and have reached conclusion that imperial forces are standing for real interest of Hamilayans. Empire of Olmedreca officially recognizes Empire of Hamilay as only legal government of Hamilay.

Signed,
Vesse Põhjakotkas, First Citizen

--------------------------------------------------------
SIC:
From: Empire of Olmedreca
To: Empire of Hamilay

Our intervention force with 2 divisions is attacking Chernaya soon to establish permanent base of operations there. Also we have sent total 30 attack submarines to attack loyalist shipping all around Hamilay. Preparations for sending another division to Hamilay has already started.

---------------------------------------------------------
Olmedrecan intervention fleet, North of Chernaya

Olmedrecan fleet was approaching to Chernaya with only moon shining in sky.
“Admiral, Hamilayan coastal defence guns are at range of our missles”, said admirals’s aide.
“Good, send bunkerbusters against all of them, considering the situation at mainland they may be not operating, but im not going to try my luck,” said admiral Jaak Tammehiis. “Also inform our army friends, that we are approaching to landing zone”
As missles started taking off from ships, soldiers of 6th division started preparing for landing. Considering the anarchy at Hamilay and suprise moment of foreign invasion from north, minimal resistance was expected.

--------------------------------------------------------
ooc:
oob:
Main battle group:
3 x County Class CVN (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=10447055&postcount=4)
6 x Dragoon Class CAN (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=10447058&postcount=5)
9 x Praefele Class DDN
12 x Knight Class DDN
20 x Minister Class FFN (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=10447066&postcount=6)
10 x Seawolf Class Attack Submarines

6th and 18th Olmedrecan army divisions: 40,000 troops

Northern area submarine raiding group:
5 x Seawolf Class Attack Submarines

Eastern area submarine raiding group:
10 x Seawolf Class Attack Submarines

Southern area submarine raiding group:
10 x Seawolf Class Attack Submarines

Western area submarine raiding group:
5 x Seawolf Class Attack Submarines

Btw Hamilay, Vetaka announced pulling out from here as he is close to civil war: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12526853&postcount=11

The Commonwealth of Irixia

The Commonwealth of Irixia condemns the overthrow of the democratic government of Hamilay and will be taking action within the 1st International Peacekeepers to reinstate the overthrown government. Once the government is reinstated, the aggrieved party can make their complaint in a diplomatic fashion, without resorting to needless violence.

HM Queen Atani I

Crowned Sovereign of the Commonwealth of Irixia

The great dome of the New Manthian Corporate Council rises like a glittering white gem over the sprawling city of Imecia, New Manth's capitol and greatest city. Sophisticated security cameras and the omnipresent White Robe Guardsmen guard the Council from outside enemies; within, security is less visible but no less monolithic; especially so considering that the Council is currently assembled in a full emergency session. Deep within the Council Building's halls, the ninety-eight members of the Corporate Council listen to the Vice President's opening address:

"Gentlemen as you are no doubt aware this Special Session of the Corporate Council has been convened to set policy with regards to the situation in Hamilay. Council members, be advised that Central Control in cooperation with the CRSA is uploading a situation summary to your personal vidlinks. The ground situation in Hamilay is a mess, but thanks to our Satlink system and the commendable efforts of our Hamilar operatives in the CRSA, we've compiled a fairly complete picture of the strategic situation. Be advised that the floor will open for debate in ten minutes. Please use the intervening time to review the situation summary."

A buzz fills the room as the Vice President steps down. The substance of the actual debate is simple. There is no question which group tNew Manth will support; as one of the most militantly right-wing and anti-democratic states in the region, the Manthians had been on poor terms with the democratic government for years and several Councilmen express relief that someone is finally 'doing something about those nutcases.' More substantive is the question of how far to go in support of the Imperialists. Debate on this matter continues for some time; the Industrialist Bloc firmly in favor of all-out military intervention, the Tradesmen's Coalition and their allied parties favoring diplomatic meaasures, and the Home Industry Front in its characteristic in-between position. Everyone can agree that some kind of action is required, though, given the extent of foreign intervention which had already occured and the danger of the new Imperial government coming under attack from international foes before it could solidly establish itself. Eventually a compromise is reached; New Manth will extend diplomatic regognition to the Imperial Government, and the Second Fleet will aid Imperialist forces with long-range artillery support and air superiority missions. For the time being, though, the Second Fleet's marines will remain aboard their ships, nor is the Fleet authorized to engage international forces - even those supporting the democratic government - unless first fired upon. At the time, New Manth remains wary of extending a local conflict onto the international stage.

Official Statement of the New Manthian Corporate Council

The Corporate Council welcomes the new government of Hamilay to the internation stage, and wishes to extend both official recognition and firm sentiments of friendship. We wish to encourage all parties to the current conflict to avoid unnecessary hostilities and loss of life and property, with particular emphasis to those bent on those engaging in counterrevolutionary actions intended to upset the newly formed legitimate government of Hamilay. We invite the government of Hamilay to send representatives to New Manth in order to establish normalized diplomatic relations, and are willing to arrange for safe travel.

Even as the announcement went out over the ethernet, the Second Fleet was steaming at top peacetime speed - about 26 knots, and still several knots under what the Fleet was capable of in a wartime situation - towards Bastion, where they hoped to provide artillery support and air cover for the Imperial defenders. Though the Fleet's capital ships were nearly an hour from effective bombardment range at that speed, Bastion is already well within range of the Fleet's A2-R Jackal-class fighter-bombers, and the Fleet launches a dozen on a raid against the loyalists attackers of Bastion to, in Admiral Sash Arvando's words, "shake 'em up a little" while the main body of the fleet closes in. Other fleet aircraft perform short-range reconnaissance and air patrols around the fleet; with an unknown but undoubtedly large number of both friendly and enemy ships in the waters around Hamilay, Arvando was not about to be taken off his guard.

Individual Communications

From: New Manthian Central Command
To: The Hamilayan Empire
Status: ENCRYPTED

We wish to inform our friends in the Hamilayan government that New Manthian forces are preparing to engage loyalist targets around the city of Bastion. Estimated timetable for general fleet engagement range is one hour twelve minutes, though your men can expect air support half an hour after you give the O.K. for us to intervene. If you have any tactical data which could aid our pilots and men we would appreciate it, and we will of course reciprocate with our own intelligence. Satellite images have lead us to believe that the main battle at this point is for control of the airport - please confirm as it's a fast-changing situation and satshots aren't always up to date. If so perhaps we can help swing the battle back in your favor.

Below please find contact codes for Admiral Sash Arvando of the Second Fleet.

Respectfully,
Commander Halys Reisschart.
New Manthian Central Command

Of course, the air support is already on it's way, offical O.K. from the Hamilayans or no. But the Manthians don't honestly expect to be refused anyway.

From: New Manthian Army Corps of Diplomacy (OOC: yes diplomacy is a division of the army ;) )
To: All nations which are currently fielding an intervention force (too lazy to look em all up at the moment)
Status: Unencrypted

We wish to inform you that the New Manthian Second Fleet has moved to the area with a view toward supporting the Hamilay government in resolving its current internal dispute. Our concern is with Hamilay and not directly with any foreign nationals in the area, but the Fleet is prepared to defend itself if attacked.



[OOC]

Composition of the Second Fleet:

NCC Heracles, heavy (and state-of-the-art, being only a year old) aircraft carrier and Fleet flagship: main armament: 1 5-inch gun, 78 assorted aircraft.
2 Crandor II-class light carriers: main armament: 1 5-inch gun, 48 assorted aircraft.
2 Diomedes-class battleships: main armament: 4 19-inch double turrets, various missile systems
2 Nicola-class battlecruisers; main armament: 2 14-inch double turrets, various missile systems
5 Nasser-class destroyers; main armament: 2 7-inch double turrets, missile systems and torpedoes
2 Ouratos-class escort subs: main armament: 6 Python torpedo tubes.
2 logistics ships; one of which carries troops, the other carrying fuel and munitions. Both are armed with 5-inch guns and stay in the middle :)
18,212 assorted sailors and pilots.
4,210 NM Marines

Losses in initial engagement:
Various aircraft (replaced)
1 destroyer
1 battlecruiser

Reinforcements since arrival:
4 submarines
1 destroyer
1 battlecruiser

Chernaya

Half a dozen coastal guns along the sea wall spectacularly exploded, flaring orange against the night sky and sending debris raining down on the temporary headquarters of the loyalist resistance in the city.

"What the hell is shooting at us?"
"General Walker, sir, we've picked up a fleet inbound a few kilometers from shore. They appear to be deploying landing craft."

General Walker was the highest ranking Army officer, to his knowledge, still alive in this godforsaken mess, and he pounded the table with his fist and cursed. Just when we had a chance of taking the city, foreigners show up. If he acted quickly, he might still have a chance of saving his command, though.

"That's all we needed. We can't hold off a seaborne invasion, not with the troops we have now. All right, everyone, spread the word. We're pulling out of the city. Brigadier General Conrad, you will remain and fight a rearguard action to cover our retreat, your 77th Grenadiers are the most cohesive unit we have at the moment. The 19th Engineers Regiment will assist you. All forces will proceed to the III Corps command base northeast of Cartania, you all know the coordinates. Send a message to the naval bases along the north coast that an enemy fleet has arrived off Chernaya. It's a long shot, but maybe they can do something about it. So, is everyone clear?"

The heads around the table nodded and saluted.

"Excellent. Good luck, everyone. We'll see you back at base."


"Hamilayan soldiers of III and IX Corps of the 9th Army, all forces are falling back. Repeat, we are falling back. All units are to proceed in an orderly fashion to the outskirts of the city."

The Hamilayan engineers marked to remain behind were now running along the main highway, as well as other major roads leading out the southeast of the city, laying sandbags, tank traps and barbed wire. The infantry spread out in small groups through bombed-out buildings, although several hundred moved to form lines across the roads.

"All right, men. This is the last chance we're going to have to fight for this city, for the time being. Your orders are simple: hold the line, and give up not a step of ground until it is soaked in blood. We are slightly outnumbered, but we can still put up a fight. Remember your oaths to the Republic and to Hamilay. You may fire at will."

Bastion

"Incoming aircraft, incoming aircraft. All personnel, take cover."

The wail of air-raid sirens punctured the silence after combat in the city began to draw to a close. The few SAM sites in operation whirred to life and moved to track the Manth fighter-bombers. A few missiles were fired before the positions were engulfed in flame. The strike left a trail of wreckage in its wake, with the Hamilayan troops at the rear unprepared for an attack and busy establishing defences. The Manthian pilots would have been very satisfied with their work, as over a dozen tanks were burned-out shells and the whole Hamilayan division attempting to secure the city was stirred up and in chaos like a nest of ants.

"Grand Admiral, sir, a hostile navy has arrived and is on course for Bastion. Our troops have been attacked by their aircraft, reporting heavy casualties."
"Thank you. Tell Fleet Admiral Harper that as many warships of the 1st as are ready for combat are to exit harbour and move to engage the enemy. I also want as many planes as we can get in the air, A-7s and the Sukhois to attack the fleets and some F-19s to cover Bastion from further air attack."

The flagship of the Hamilayan Navy, the Prince of Wales-class superdreadnought RHS Adjudicator, was finally ready. It had been the first target for Imperial aircraft during the uprising, but it had escaped major damage. Some were slightly uneasy over sending it out when not in best condition, but it was determined to be worth the risk for the boost in morale it would bring. With it came the combat ready warships of the 1st Fleet Battle Group, slightly over one normal battle group's worth of ships, with two other battleships and a large array of cruisers, frigates and destroyers.

FROM: The Hamilayan Empire, Western Theater Command
TO: Admiral Sash Arvando, New Manthian Second Fleet

The Hamilayan Empire thanks you for your support. The battle for the Bastion airport is drawing to a close in favour of the enemy, unfortunately. Our troops on the island have mostly been forced to retreat. If you wish to land your forces on Bastion, advise you hold a defensible position, as Imperial aircraft and paratroopers will try to assist you. If not, suggest you proceed to Beferen or the surrounding coast and make a landing there.

You should also be advised that we have detected Prince of Wales-class dreadnought Adjudicator in port on the west coast of Bastion, and we believe it is at combat readiness. Unless you have many aircraft and/or heavy warships with you, advise your fleet vacates the area.

OOC:If this is now closed disregard this post.

"More rebels?" Empress Kristina Schraepl II asked Derrick. He nodded.

"The old government was corrupt and they were overthrown." Derrick explained. He already knew what his wife would have him do. He allowed himself a slight smile.

"Send them some help. We dont want some corrupt government in control of a country." The Empress turned and grabbed a drink from the snack table at the free trade confrence in Alexandria Ptolymias.

"Of course." Derrick said. He put pressure on his ear and explain the situation to Fredrick Mannstein. Afterwards he walked back over to his old friend and said. "Our ride home is going to be a little less comfortable." The Super Dreadnaught waiting in Alexandrian waters was being sent with the third fleet to assist the Imperial Guards.

OOC:Fleet Composition

1 Omega Ship
S.I.N Samantha (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/S.I.N_Samantha)-18 30inch Guns (Read Link For More Info)
1 Super Carrier
S.I.N Titan-2 8inch guns, 180 Aircraft
3 Escort Carriers
Nimitz Class-Full Various aricraft compliments Roughly 220 Aircraft
5 Battleships
2 Duke Class-9 22inch Guns
3 Ajax Class- Over Two Dozen Missle Arrays
10 Cruisers
7 Redemption Class-4 16inch Guns,Multiple Missle Systems
3 Revival Class-6 16inch Guns, Shakal T.L.S
12 Frigates
12 Fr-12 -Small Missle Batteries
32 Destroyers
20 DD-12- Anti-Submarine Weapons
12 DD-14- Better Anti-Sub Weapons
4 Logistics Vessels all in the center of the fleet. 1-Fuel, 1-Supplies, 2-Troops
1-Super Tanker Full Of Fuel also in inside of fleet.

15 000 Shakal Infantry Troops (3 Brigades)

Olmedrecan submaries were reaching to their destination areas around Hamilay, orders were simple: "sink everything that has loyalist flag, but avoid attacking passenger liners."

Chernaya

Lieutnant-General Puskar, commander of land forces in Hamilay intervention was confident, missle attack had been highly effective. Olmedrecan landing craft were approaching to beach close to eastern border of Chernaya town. As landing craft aproached to beaches fleet started giving them covering fire. Both Dragoon Class CAN’s with their 11" turrets and smaller ships like destoryers and frigates with their 6" turrets were in action. 5th Marine regiment was going to be first unit to hit beaches, fastly followed by other units of 6th division. As soon as beachhead has been secured troops will advance to city. 18th division will go in immediately after them. Port of Chernaya was going to be first target.

Twenty Five thousand Maniacan Panthers were camping out on the north coast of the central island in the southern archipelago. They had been there almost a week, and had heard nothing from the Imperials on the mainland. And there was no way in hell they were going to be landing alone. Based on bits of news being communicated over the radio, the loyalists were fighting out of an island off the West coast of the nation. Over the last six days twenty-five thousand of the strongest men in Maniaca had turned a few square miles of the island they'd landed on into something of a fairgrounds. The battle seemed very far away, and the soldiers did not let the prospect of war interfere with their overseas fun. General Showalter spent most of the time studying maps and listening to the radio. He talked to his colonels, who talked to their majors, who talked to their captains. Everyone was fully prepared to land and to fight, but they began to assume they never would.

Second Fleet

"What, MORE ships? The Imperialists clearly didn't do as good a job at damaging this fleet as we hoped they might have. If they did anything at all, which I'm beginning to doubt. And why am I only finding out about this now!

...no, don't bother answering that."

Arvando sighs as the Heracles's computers add several newly-spotted ships to its projection of the enemy formation bearing down on his much smaller fleet. New Manth's Satlink system had revolutionized military intelligence, but it still has its share of glaring weaknesses. Such as the high-altitude cloud formations which were currently obscuring both fleets from New Manth's space-based spy satellites.

Fortunately Arvando had been careful and information is coming in now from the Fleet's reconnaisance planes. Unfortunately that information is distinctly discouraging; including the Adjudicator Arvando is counting three enemy battleships to his two outdated Diomedes-class battleships, and a complement of cruisers and smaller ships that badly outnumbered his own two cruisers and handful of destroyers. He is still trying to ascertain if the enemy had any subs. There is good news too though, and that was that the enemy appears to lack carriers and as such will have to rely on far-off ground based aircraft for whatever air support they can get. Possessing not one but three carriers, Arvando is counting on overwhelming air superiority to balance the odds.

Arvando briefly considers withdrawing to the south. Word has it that a Sith fleet was in the waters off St. Helena, and though they are currently pinned behind the outlying islands Arvando suspects that with New Manthian aid, a combined Sith-Manthian fleet might defeat the enemy forces holding the Maniacans down. But the Sith fleet is one more unknown quantity in a situation already full of them, and Arvando, as a former carrier captain before reaching the Admiralty, knows very well what uncontested air power can do to even a large surface fleet. Resolving to show the Hamilayans the 2nd Fleet's teeth, Arvando sends out his orders via radio:

"All ships break off cruise formation and form up to face enemy fleet approaching from Bastion. Carriers reduce speed to 22 knots, and rearm planes for air-to-ship. Dominant and Alexandria,* front and center. Destroyers form a perimeter, cruisers follow up in the center. Subs 43 and 84, run in silent mode ahead of the fleet and see if you can spot any enemy subs. You have permission to fire if fired upon or at targets of opportunity. Imperial Sun and Pensula, get a squadron of bombers in the air ASAP and let the enemy see 'em. They'll pick up planes before our ships come up over the horizon, and maybe we can scare 'em off with knowing we've got carriers. Then we could get back to the business of bombing these bastards in Bastion out of their holes.

Stand by to receive known enemy locations and headings. Arvando out.

The Manthian fleet begins the complicated set of maneuvers needed to shift from a sailing formation to a battle line. Within the three carriers, now slowly falling back to a safe position in the rear, crews hastily remove antipersonnel and incendiary bombs from planes already fueled and ready to fly, but armed with weapons for attacking shore targets, and replace them with antiship missiles and armor-piercing bombs. Dominant and Alexandria lead the Fleet, their crews hurriedly arming the ships' missiles and readying the main batteries.

*the two battleships. Both are rather outdated, and were intended for shore bombardment and not fleet action, but they still pack a punch with a primary armament of 19-inch guns & numerous secondary weapons. ;)

OOC: There is good news too though, and that was that the enemy appears to lack carriers and as such will have to rely on far-off ground based aircraft for whatever air support they can get. Possessing not one but three carriers, Arvando is counting on overwhelming air superiority to balance the odds.
Aren't you reasonably close to the island? Air support shouldn't really be that much of a problem, should it?
Maniaca, only a couple of days have passed so far.
"Send them some help. We dont want some corrupt government in control of a country."
Well, talking about the corruption of the old government was pretty much just propaganda and political posturing. Ehh, just send your fleet in somewhere, still wide open.

IC:

Chernaya

The Olmedrecan marines landing in the city may or may not have been surprised to find resistance essentially nil and plenty of friendly troops waiting for them. Unknown to Hamilayan Army General Walker, in a strange twist of fate, the head of the Imperial/Republican Guards was also in Chernaya, who decided to greet the Olmedrecan troops as they arrived.

Commandant-General Sharpe, surrounded by a dozen Guardsmen, strode purposefully towards the Olmedrecan marines assembling inside the remnants of the port. He headed for the officer who appeared to be most senior. Whichever one had the most decoration and fanciest insignia was his rule of thumb.

"Are you in charge here? I'm Commandant-General Sharpe, Head of the Imperial Guards, acting CINC of the Hamilayan Empire. The loyalists are abandoning the city, apparently upon detecting your landing. They're withdrawing to the southeast. The Guards here are trying to speed this up. If you'll kindly follow us?" he finished dryly, and perhaps somewhat disdainfully.

RHS Adjudicator, off the coast of Bastion

"Admiral, the enemy evidently has several carriers. Light bombers are launching and are approaching our formation rapidly."
"Damn it. Lieutenant, signal a full stop to the battle group. Notify the AA destroyers Guardian, Watchkeeper, Defender and Sentinel that enemy aircraft are incoming and to prepare their SAM batteries for some action. Get me Grand Admiral McIver. We're not moving another inch unless we can fend off those bombers, is that clear?"
"Affirmative, sir. I'll inform the rest of the fleet to halt."
"The Admiral? Certainly, sir. Putting you through now."
"This is Grand Admiral McIver. Harper, what do you need?"
"Sir, enemy has significant air cover, we count three carriers. Since the city is mostly in our hands, I need as many F-19 interceptors as you can send over here right away before I can engage, or before the Manthians decide to hit us with one of their own."
"The division is slightly jittery after the Manthians hit us, so I need some air cover to keep Antonin happy. I can send... hmm, maybe one wing. A bit less. You'll get about 90 planes, anyway. Enough?"
"That will do nicely, sir."

In a few minutes, F-19 Knight interceptors began slowly appearing in the skies over the Hamilayan 1st Battle Group. A squadron of Tu-160s followed behind, readying cruise missiles for use against the Manth carriers.

St. Helena Airfield

Major-General Karr ground his teeth in frustration. Thousands Maniacan invaders had simply strolled in with essentially no resistance and were probably enjoying themselves looting Alexander Island. Well, it was time to put a stop to that. They're not going away, but perhaps we can show them that we can still hit them. A squadron of two dozen Su-47s roared off the tarmac, loaded with rockets and incendiaries. Hopefully they should be complacent by now. We're doing them a favour, really, putting them on their guard he chuckled.

Chernaya

Olmedrecan Colonel shaked hands with Commandant-General, “Good morning, I am Colonel Kivinen, commander of 5th Marine regiment. Lieutnant General Puskar, Commander of Olmedrecan intervention force, is already on his way to ground.” He looked towards remnants of the port, “our engineers will start repairing it immediately as they get to ground so that we could use it as naval base for our fleet and submaries which are hunting loyalist shipping. But now we are ready to follow you. By the way, it is really good that I met you, so we can be sure that we will not hit friends with our airstrikes.”

Soon 105 Harrier II’s took off from Olmedrecan carriers and headed towards retreating loyalists forces.

ooc: about those subs, just assume that every loyalist ship that is not very well escorted may be torpedoed

OOC:
Aren't you reasonably close to the island? Air support shouldn't really be that much of a problem, should it?
Maniaca, only a couple of days have passed so far.

OOC: Sorry for my misunderstanding... Only a few posts before my first one, the Imperialists were digging in at the Bastion airport and preparing to make the loyalists grind it out... And that was only a half hour or an hour ago I thought, and before the airstrike stirred things up, so I figured that the loyalists did not have it under control yet. Much less had already taken it over and landed 90+ fighters there! :p

I started the Manthian fleet about an hour and ten minutes away from bombarding Bastion, with bombard range being 12-15 miles off shore. Since then I figure maybe 30 minutes had passed, and the first airstrike has just finished. So the fleet would be well within range of Bastion airport but, I think, further away from stuff anywhere else. Not out of range certainly given how far aircraft could fly, but far enough away that the Manthians could get off a few strikes before having to deal with enemy air. That's how I'll play it for now but if you disagree I'll be glad to edit.

Back IC:

"Admiral Arvando, sir! Sensors indicate formations of land-based aircarft heading our way!"

Arvando's response made the staff officer blush. A veteran of the old Manthian navy before the Corporatists took over, Arvando still knew how to curse like a real sailor. He glanced at the tactical display, which indeed showed a large number of aircraft closing in on the two fleets.

"We've just run out of time, lieutenant. Get everything we have in the air right now, I don't care what they're armed with... We wait any longer and those planes will make our day a whole lot worse."

The first few squadrons of fighter-bombers, already armed with antiship missiles and armor piercing bombs, were soon joined by larger numbers rolling off the carriers with whatever they had been armed with previously - incendiaries, antitank missiles and air-to-air weapons, among others. Better to hit a ship with an antipersonnel bomb and come home safely than to get shot down trying to hit it with the proper weaponry, after all.... and having your bridge and deck covered in flaming petroleum jelly could cause its own problems. Manthian pilots arm what weapons they have while streaking towards the Hamilayan fleet. On the surface below, the crews make final checks as the fleet steams towards the Hamilayans.

OOC: The airport is just to get an extra landing strip for the larger planes- there are still plenty of military airbases operational on the island. Sorry for not making that clear. By the way, what fighter bombers do you use?

IC:

Chernaya

"Hey, Cap, do you hear that?"
"Yeah... I hear it. Oh shit. Everyone get to cover! Move! COVER! Incoming aircraft!"
"Take cover, incoming aircraft! Get those Stingers out!"

The Hamilayan rear guard scattered from their lines across the roads and into the bombed-out ruins of the city. Stinger missiles were loaded and began to track the sky for the incoming Olmedrecan Harriers. The long columns of retreating armour provided an easy target, and as many aircraft needed to be taken out as possible.

"What the hell are we going to do, sir?"
"Okay, okay. Get the retreating Tunguskas and Avenger Stingers to the rear behind the 77th. At the very least they'll provide more targets to distract the enemy from our tanks. Dammit, we need those if we're going to retake the city! Well, there's nothing much here we can do except get the hell off the roads ASAP. Can't this piece of junk go any faster?"

14 Tunguska mobile flak guns and 31 Avengers halted and turned around, moving to forming small clusters scattered throughout the city. Engineers hurried from the ruins, attempting to build defences around them.

"Enemy aircraft identified as Harriers. Airborne targets in range in approximately three minutes. All units are weapons free."

Off the coast of Bastion

"Oh, brilliant. They are launching their attack. All right, everyone, this is it! AA destroyers, don't fail us now. Where the hell are those interceptors?"

The sounds of explosions and cannon fire started up from outside. Dozens of missiles streaked through the air towards the Manth planes, who responded with a vast array of munitions. The crew on the bridge of the Adjudicator, complacent in their fortress, winced as the occasional particularly loud explosion outside the windows signified one less ship. Suddenly everyone threw themselves flat, as the windows exploded inward. Screaming ensued.

Fleet Admiral Harper was sheltering behind the tactical display table. He gingerly poked his head above it, and resumed shouting orders.

"How many have we lost so far?"
"The cruiser Peregrine is gone. We've lost about another three or four smaller ships, I can't tell which ones, sir. Too much smoke."
"We can't keep this up much longer. Where are the bloody F-19s?"

The wing of 92 F-19 Knight interceptors streaked across the sky, directly towards the flashes and explosions.

"All right, men, there are a lot of Manth fighter bombers down there. Our job is to keep them off the ships. If they want to scurry back to their carriers, let 'em go. Pick your targets and engage, looks like the Navy boys need us."

Olmedrecan Harrier II’s crossing Chernaya:
"Ok gentelmen, stay at 9,000 meters while crossing center of town to avoid being targeted with cheap mass-produced stuff like Stingers. Those guys probably have quite a few of them down there but those are not our targets. We will stay high as long as possible until we get close to target. Those retreating columns moving out from the town are sitting ducks, time to give them lesson that they will remember for some time."
As Olmedrecan Harriers II got close to columns and went lower to attack, enemy anti-aircraft fire opened fire. Decoys were launced to reduce losses, still 12 planes didn’t make it to target, but the remaining 93 opened fire on loyalist columns.

ooc:
Reinforcements for intervention force, ETA 12 NS hours:

1 x County Class CVN
2 x Dragoon Class CAN
3 x Praefele Class DDN
4 x Knight Class DDN 1575
6 x Minister Class FFN

26th Division and 13th Engineers Regiment: 23,000 troops

btw, im not really big expert in war and this is my first one so if I have unrealistic losses, then say so, and I will edit my post

mental note: do not have two NS windows open at the same time.

Admiral Quarters, S.I.N Samantha

Grand Admiral Conners sat reading several new intel reports about various forces coming in to support there own sides. The Grand Admiral set the papers down and began to think. The troops were readying for a landing in the south of Hamilay. The Grand Admiral sat and heard the phone ring.

"Sir, I have good news." Captain Martini adressed.

"I sure hope so." The Admiral said.

"We have found a good place to land the men." The Captain told his commanding officer.

"Why havent we landed already then?"

"The Hamilayan fleet and airforce know that were here."

"We can deal with that." The Conners said. "Change our heading."

"Yes sir." Captain Martini hung up the telephone. The Grand Admiral set the phone in its resting place. Conners looked out the large window on the wall at the fleet as it slowly began to change its course heading for the suitable landing area. The Admiral walked over to her desk. Her orders were to inform the Empress when the troops made landfall. Samantha looked back out the window from the ship that had been named after her.

OOC: The airport is just to get an extra landing strip for the larger planes- there are still plenty of military airbases operational on the island. Sorry for not making that clear. By the way, what fighter bombers do you use?

OOC: OK, got it. Thanks.

The Jackal is just something I made up and the name doesn't correspond to any real fighter that I'm aware of - if it does (I don't really follow military development that much) then it's a coincidence.

The Jackal is a medium-size two person plane designed to carry out both air to air and ground attack roles. It sacrifices a bit of maneuverability and stealth for increased durability and payload.

Jackals make up most of the 2nd's air complement, but there are also some anti-sub helicopters, dedicated air-to-air fighters, and reconnaisance aircraft which are more lightly armed but heavy on stealth and countermeasures.

And now to sate my own curiosity... am I correct in assuming that the F-19s coming over are dedicated fighters, i.e. have no ground attack capability? Arvando (and I) are both understandably a bit nervous about losing a large chunk of the Manthian navy right now, and if the Manthian ships were to come under air attack that would probably be the cue to skedaddle and fight another day ;)

Also any chance that, now that I've engaged them, I could get a head count of Hamilayan ships?

IC:

Above the Hamilayan fleet the Manthians continue to rain ordnance down on the unlucky ships below. Surface-to air missiles account for several Manthian planes and leave more still damaged in some way or another, but the Jackal's sturdy construction, along with effective jamming and other countermeasures like chaff, keeps losses manageable. Meanwhile the Fleet below is taking a pounding, though undoubtedly less than it would have with proper armaments. Manthian fliers have already reported four to five kills, including one large cruiser. Many other ships have sustained nonlethal damage or near misses.

As the Hamilayan fighters close in, the Manthians begin to break off their attack and return to their carriers for refueling and rearming. Engaging the enemy air was not out of the question, but not while also having to worry about antiaircraft fire from below.

Meanwhile, well in advance of the Manthian surface fleet, the commanders of Boats 89 and 65 can clearly hear explosions from the conflict up ahead carrying through the water. With luck all the noise would help to conceal the already quiet subs from detection. The commander of Boat 89, Kamys Alemo, gives a tight grin.

"That's the cue, boys. Hit 'em while they're busy lookin' at the sky. Any luck an' they won't have picked us up yet, and between our planes and the ships behind 'em I'm bettin' they've got plenty on their minds already. Let's give these bastards one more thing to worry about.

The two subs slide through the water towards the enemy fleet, searching for targets.

Back on the Heracles, Admiral Arvando paces nervously. His submarines should be making their presence known any minute now. The front line would not be far behind them - the 2nd Fleet was only three or four minutes out of range with its long-range antiship missiles. He has to assume that the enemy capabilities were similar, and so battle will undoubtedly be joined soon. The Manthian planes had performed well so far, but enemy air cover will make subsequent attacks much more difficult. He scowls as he picks up the radio.

"All ships prepare for long-range engagement. CIWS stations stand by for missile defense. Get up to maximum speed, everyone."

Arvando sets the radio down, then after a moment's hesistation picks it up again. By now the Manthians had pretty well figured out who was who in the current conflict, and Arvando transmits a message to the governments of the Sith Clan, Maniaca, Olmedrica, and Shakal. Not yet possessing military contact information, the message goes out on their official government channels.

"Attn gov'ts allied to the Hamilayan Empire. This is Admiral Sash Arvando of the New Manthian Second Fleet, engaged in operations against loyalist forces. The Second Fleet is preparing to commit to a major engagement with a large loyalist fleet off of Bastion. If you have any forces near the area, any support would be much appreciated."

Arvando sends out one final message, to the Imperialists themselves.

"This is Admiral Arvando of the New Manthian 2nd Fleet. We are preparing to engage the Adjudicator and the loyalist fleet off Bastion - we can transmit exact coordinates upon request. You mentioned that you might be able to provide some air support earlier. If that offer still stands... now would be just peachy."

The Admiral grins the grin of an overstressed man as he concludes the final transmission.

Chernaya

General Walker could have wept at the scenes of destruction along the roads below the hills. Over two hundred and fifty tanks, APCs and infantry fighting vehicles were still lined up in neat columns, except they were all smoking wrecks. Troops were running around in panic and trying to drag comrades to safety as some remaining Harriers hovered overhead making strafing runs. He could only assume the armour of the 77th left behind suffered the same fate, although hopefully their men were better off than his due to the cover of the city ruins.

"Colonel, this changes everything. Regroup your soldiers. All of you officers, go do the same. Let's get some order back here."

The General's subordinates duly brought out their radios or tentatively moved down to the road from the cover of the trees and began barking orders. Walker took his own radio and turned it on.

"Conrad. What's the situation?"
"We're still intact, sir. The enemy mostly bypassed us to hit the retreating columns. It looks bad from back here. Sorry, General. Well, we got a few of the bastards for you."
"Glad to hear it. Get those flak tanks and Avengers you have into cover in the buildings, wherever you can find an easily camouflaged place. IX Corps is on the way back to assist you. Our planned counterattack after the retreat is badly compromised with the loss of so much armour, so we'll just have to hold the city, won't we?"
"With all due respect, sir, is that wise? Our regiment at least isn't expecting to get out."
"Maybe 30,000 men or so will have a chance, though. It's either this or get picked off by enemy aircraft on the roads."
"Glad to hear we'll be seeing you again, sir. We'll hold down the fort for your arrival."
"Roger that. The Imperialist traitors and their foreign friends will regret ever hearing the name of Chernaya."

Off the coast of Bastion

"Sir, friendlies coming in from the north! Enemy planes are disengaging."
"Thank God. All right, how many did we lose?"
"We have three ships sunk. Survivors are being collected now. Three more look like they're out of action."
"Dispatch two destroyers from the reserve to cover their retreat back to base. Well, could have been worse, I suppose. Now the tables shall be turned. Time to launch our own strike. Major, are your bombers ready to engage?"
"Affirmative, sir, all systems are ready."
"Glad to hear it. The F-19s will cover you. Give 'em hell."

The 16 massive Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, painted snow white, made an impressive sight through the smoke and chaos below. Clusters of fighters moved to surround their formation, circling around the larger aircraft like insects.

"Enemy fleet in range in T-90 seconds, sir."
"Your primary targets are the carriers. As many as possible must be destroyed at all costs. Hit the battleships too if you can."
"Fleet Admiral? Requiem is reporting possible underwater activity. Could be subs."
"Send three of the Flanker destroyers to investigate. The captains have full clearance to engage if there are subs."

FROM: Hamilayan Empire Imperial Guards Air Corps
TO: Admiral Sash Arvando, New Manthian Second Fleet

Air support is now available. At this point, we cannot offer you the primary frontline aircraft- the Su-47 or the A-7 strike fighter- but 48 Su-37 Super Flankers are being dispatched. The Republic-Manth engagement has been given top priority and new aircraft will be dispatched as soon as more airfields are available.

Admirals Quarters S.I.N Samantha

"Captain change course. We are going to help the New Manthian Second Fleet. Our guns will be a nice addition.'' The Grand Admiral ordered over the telephone. She felt the ship change course and a bell ring singalling that it was going forward at over 30 knots. An amazing speed for a ship over 2 million tons.

To:New Manthian Second Fleet
From:Shakal Expiditionary Fleet

We shall aid you. We can only send a limited number of aircraft to help you. As of right now 45 Bn-IV Fighters and 5 B-2 Bombers are on they way to assist. Our ships will arrive in just under 4 hours.

Arvando gives a tight grin as he receives several incoming messages from the other major belligerents.

"All right then." he informs his commanders. "We've got surface support from the Shakal Expeditionary Fleet heading our way. ETA is four hours. We've also got air support on the way which should be here much sooner. Let's try and keep the Hamilayan air cover busy over our own fleet - that way, when friendlies show up they'll have a clear shot at the Hamilayans ships. When they show up the odds should swing decisively in our favor."

"Till then, let's give as good as we get."

With battle only moments away, the air becomes thick with radio and satellite signals going this way and that.

"Enemy air formation on its way in! Coming at eleven o'clock. Arm SAM batteries!"

"This is Dominant reporting three ships nearing outer missile range. Looks like destroyers running ahead of the rest. They may have picked up our subs."

"All aircraft this is Heracles. Cease landing procedures and prepare to engage enemy air. Repeat, break off landing procedures and prepare to engage enemy air."

"Alexandria here confirming Dominant sighting. Three destroyers out in front of the pack."

"This is Lt. Conners to 3rd Squadron. All right you heard that men, let's give 'em hell! Form up on me and climb to 25,000 feet."

"Bridge to Flight Deck. This is Arvando here. I want everything that's just landed off the decks and our interceptors in the air ASAP!"

"Heracles to Dominant and Alexandria. You may fire when ready."


Most of the damaged Jackals had been the first to land, for obvious reasons. Eighty-odd planes are still in the air, and alter course to intercept the enemy formation as they begin to come within range of the 2nd Fleet's SAM batteries. The Jackals are probably outmatched by the enemy's dedicated fighters, but the lack of normal ordnance (just recently dumped on Hamilayan ships) would make them more maneuverable. That and support from SAM missiles could help to even the odds some.

Meanwhile flight crews desperately clear planes off the Heracles' deck to make way for the Fleet's own F-19 fighter complement - sorely outnumbered on its own at 16 planes, but capable of giving the Jackals already in the air a solid core of support.

Out in front of the surface ships, the Manthian subs prepare to fire as soon as the enemy destroyers get within range.

Chernaya

"Well, how that air raid went?" asked Lieutnant General Puskar from his aide at recently set up headquarter near port of Chernaya.

"From early reports I assume that it was quite successful, we probably got some few hundred tanks and other vehicles at those columns. So it probably harmed them quite a lot."

"Good, send to Navy boys my congratulations, now there are two possibilities, either loyalist main force continues their retreat, in which case no need to worry about them, or they will try to defend town at all costs which could mean quite costly fighting. I want majority of our own armor concentrated outside the town at north-east and north-west, I currently need only very limited amount of them in here. Pressure inside the town must continue of course, our imperialist friends need support there. By the way, how far are our reinforcements from home?"

"Less than 12 hours."

"Ok, now send someone to find that Commandant-General Sharpe and ask him what and where are his forces at this area around Chernaya, I need some damn overview."

Flight Deck Of Titan

"All aircraft you are cleared for lauch. All aircraft cleared for launch." The order resounded othrough the fleet. Screen contact had been made with the Loyalist fleet only moments ago. It looked back for thr Manthians, they needed some help. Immediatly all of the expiditionary forces aircraft began to head off to assist them as the fleet headed for the engagement. The Point position was held by the S.I.N Samantha, it dwarfed even the Shakal Supercarriers accompanying it. At almost 2km long it had the power to intimidate the enemy as well as utterly destroy them.

En Route Aircraft

"Arabian Knights we have clearence for full engagement. Set weapons to armed and go." The Wing Leaders formed up the aircraft as the B-2's headed for the Hamilayan loyalists with 15 Bn-IV as escorts the rest went to cover the Manthian fleet. The Aircraft turned on there sirens as they approached the Loyalists. They could be heard above the noise of engines and missles. Regardless of actual use the Shakal liked to intimidate.

Sorry for the delay.

Off the coast of Bastion

"Sir, we have multiple hostiles inbound. A Shakal Imperial Navy fleet has arrived and is announcing their intention to back up the Manthians... It appears they have a super-dreadnought and several carriers, sir."
"Damn. Grand Admiral, this is Harper. Did you get that? We need all the reinforcements we can get, now. How many more ships of the 1st are operational?"
"Battle group Avenger has been recalled from the north, but they won't be here for several hours. The Home Fleet West is rallying between Bastion and the mainland, but they won't be organised for a few hours either. I can send more aircraft, but that's all. Maybe a few more smaller ships."
"Sir, that won't be enough. We're outnumbered two to one now, and if Imperial reinforcements from the mainland arrive the enemy will have total air superiority. Requesting permission to withdraw?"
"Permission granted. If the fleet forms a cluster around the island we can use our coastal defences and put up more of a fight for the air. I'll send half a dozen subs to cover your retreat."
"Thank you, sir. All right, this is Fleet Admiral Harper to all Hamilayan forces. We're withdrawing from the area and falling back to the rally point off Bastion. All aircraft, continue your attack run against the Manth carriers and return to base. Vanguard destroyers, follow the fleet back, but keep an eye on those subs. Do not engage."

Absurdly slowly, the Hamilayan fleet rotated as one and headed back in the opposite direction. The white Tu-160s above continued on their dead straight course. Flashes of light indicated dozens of cruise missiles firing on the Manth warships.

Chernaya

The forward Imperial Guards battalions were now in heavy urban fighting with the 77th Grenadiers and returning elements of IX Corps. Commandant-General Sharpe watched as a line of APCs rolled by when he was interrupted by an Olmedrecan officer.
"Our force composition? In the city we have one corps, three divisions for us. The 11th Guards Army is on their way from the east, but the 4th Army is apparently engaging them. Any reinforcements will probably depend on the outcome of that."

Admirals Quarters, S.I.N Samantha

"Sir, they are retreating. Shall we pursue?" Captain Martini asked. The Grand Admiral sat quietly for a split second.

"Permission to pursue granted." With that the Samantha fired its frontal main guns, all 16 30" aimed at the ships in the behind of the Hamilayan navy. The Destroyers moved ahead to guard against subs as the fleet surged forward leaving the Supercarrier Titan behind along with a sizeable screening force of the 3 Nimitz Class Carriers, all 5 Shakal Battleships, 7 Redemption Class Cruisers, 8 Frigates and 12 of the Destroyers.

The aircraft continued to engage overhead as the sector broke off of the Shakal fleet. The Samantha used its hundreds of anti-air guns to try and distract the Hamilayan pilots. Beneath the decks the VLS missle launching systems were loading 72 Sea Superiority Missles for launch on the Hamilayan fleet. The main guns would keep firing until the Grand Admiral decided that the risk of pursuit proved fruitless. The troop tansport vessels were heading towards shore with the carrier force to land the men. If this war escalated the Shakal would have to end up pledging a larger chunk of the navy to the Operation.

Flight Deck of the Titan

Captain Martini watched as the SuperDreadnaught broke away from the main fleet along with 3 Cruisers, 4 Frigates, and 20 Destroyers. He also watched the sky as the planes fought for supremacy of the air. The Hamilayan planes launched there missles and immediatly he radioed the bride from the flight deck. "Get those missles out of the air!" He said. On the bridge the crew sent a call to a Redemption Class Cruiser to launch its sparse anti-missle weapons. It obeyed and as the system came online the deck got covered in smoke. At most it could knock out 6 Cruise Missles, if it was very lucky. More likly it would knock out 3 or 4. In the meantime Captain Martini radioed the New Manthian fleet and informed them that the Samatha was pursueing the Hamilayan vessels. Air support was key. If those carriers were knocked out the Shakals newest rubber ducky would only be of use under the protective umbrella of the carriers.

ulberny is sending a special forces platoon of 1500

including 170 tanks

mini birds 30

black hawk helecopters 40

these forces will help the new imperial government

OOC: Hey Hamilay im back and ive fixed my ruddy problems with Jolt for now. Where are things at? Are my people dead?

Olmedrecan HQ, Chernaya

"Imperialists have three divisions here?" Lieutnant General Puskar smiled, "Just perfect, I was afraid that they may not able to hold line if we pull out for a moment but now that should not be a problem. Inform Sharpe that I am going to dance with loyalists outside the down."

"We are going to flank them?"

"Exactly, Chernaya can work for loyalists as fortress, but at same time it can work as deathtrap. We have inflicted huge losses to their armor, we have air support from our navy, and finally our troops are still completely fresh, as they have seen only little fighting here so far. We have enough advantages to make it work. 6th division will attack from west and 18th division will attack from east. Good that we already started concentrating armor to flanks, that saves time. Also inform admiral Tammehiis that I will soon need his airsupport around the town, to encircle loyalists."

ooc: vetaka, it is quite unlikely that they are dead, as you simply recalled your forces then riots started, so they are most likely back on vetaka or on their way to there. Your participation at Hamilay civil war on loyalist side was main reason why Olmedreca secretly leaked information about kidnapping nationalist leaders to keep riots going and by that Vetaka out from Hamilay ;)

OOC: Shakal, how are your ships shooting at mine when Manth says you're several hours away from the fighting? Same with stopping my missiles, they're directed at the Manth fleet not yours.
Good to see you're back Vetaka. Nothing has really happened with your commandos, I decided to wait for you as it wasn't needed for the rest of the fighting to progress. The airfield battle is pretty much one sided so if you want we can skip that and go straight to the mission.

Chernaya

Corporal Martinez rested his PSG-1 sniper rifle on the ledge of a smashed window, over a hundred metres above ground. The city was damaged so as to make many landmarks unrecognisable, but he thought this used to be the Hamilayan Bank tower. He'd never been to Chernaya before his division was rotated anyway. He took off his pack and signaled to the other two soldiers on the stairwell to come up. A man and a woman appeared and began to set up radio equipment.

"Okay, people, let's get comfortable. We're- get down!" he hissed.

All three crouched down, peering over the window ledge, watching column after column of Olmedrecan troops and vehicles file by beneath them.

"This is bad. Get that radio working right away. The regiment needs to know there are loads of bad guys moving around to flank them. I'll keep watch and see if I can hit an officer or two."

He raised the rifle's scope to his eye and waited for the soldiers below to move past.

OOC: Shakal, how are your ships shooting at mine when Manth says you're several hours away from the fighting? Same with stopping my missiles, they're directed at the Manth fleet not yours.

I'm just quoting Shakal on the ETA figure. I'll wait till I figure out who's where before making an IC reply. :)

Vetaka, your guys are all right... they left, didn't they? So they would be safe and sound back home. Nobody tried to attack them as they were going.

OOC: By the way, it appears we only have 4 or so active participants (and none larger than me, no offense) so this is still wide open.

OOC: Shakal, how are your ships shooting at mine when Manth says you're several hours away from the fighting? Same with stopping my missiles, they're directed at the Manth fleet not yours.


OOC:Well, with the huge guns on my flagship it can shoot around 100km accuratly. And time wise, Im sorry I didnt really know how long had passed. Besides, if you know im coming then I know whats going on too. Ill post another one later with an IC. Im busy at school right now.

Chernaya

Street next to Hamilay Bank tower

Column of Olmedrecans was moving through Chernaya, distant shooting could be heard. Suddenly single shot came from very close. Lieutnant Tamm understood immediately what happened because person who was shot, captain Kuusk, had been just in front of him, "Shit! Sniper!" He realized that this shot must have come from one of buildings next to him, at right was low building, its original purpose was hard to know as building had been repeatedly hit by artillery, but building was clearly too low. But on left was high tower, sign "BANK" was still readable at main door. Leitnant fastly ran to batallion commander vecicle. "Sniper! Most likely from high tower at left from us."

Lieutenant-Colonel Toomas Meri looked up and sweared: "Fuck! This thing is more than 100 meters high, searching it through manually is not an option. Order units that are next to tower fastly move on and units that are farer behind them must use another street, should not be a problem for them, now give me radio contact with batallion commander that is in front of us!"
"You have some problem Toomas?" asked Lieutnant-Colonel Tuuleveski through radio.
"Yeah, fucking sniper in tower, little too high for cleaning manually, and in too good position to be left alive. He sees our troop movements too well. You should have nice view on that high tower just next to me, I want it down as soon as we have passed by!"
"Whole tower? Alright, not a problem, sniper will be dead before he can even fart."

Very soonly MLRS from Tuuleveski’s batallion aimed towards Hamilayan Bank tower with simple order from Lieutnant-Colonel: "Fire as many times as needed to bring this tower down!" First missile took off.

Olmedrecan HQ

Lieutnant-General Puskar was looking at map
"How is our little manouver going?"

"Just as planned, we are soon ready to launch attack."

"Good, call to our navy friends that it is time."

Soon 140 Harrier 2’s took off from Olmedrecan carriers and soonly splitted into two groups and started moving around Chernaya. Half of Harriers were going to clean way for 6th division at west of town and other half was going to do same for 18th division at east. Plan was to surround loyalist main forces at South-Chernaya.

Chernaya

Martinez pulled the trigger and the rifle cracked. One of the Olmedrecans slumped to the ground and he nodded with satisfaction.
"Hey, nice shot, Corp."
"Thanks. Oh, shit. I think they saw me."
The enemy on the ground were visibly agitated, shouting and gesturing to the tower. One was speaking into a radio."
"Dammit, it's hit the fan. Sorry about that, guys. Let's go, let's go!"
The three soldiers grabbed their equipment and ran down the stairs as fast as they could. A minute later a deafening roar sounded above them, and shards of glass tinkled around their feet.
"Artillery, get down!"
More explosions sounded, getting progressively closer, it seemed. The private running behind the others had time to scream before he was flung several metres down the stairwell, landing with an ominous crack.
"Shit! Owen, are you okay? Owen!"
The woman laid a hand on his wrist, checking for a pulse.
"Alive, but out cold. Come on, we'll have to carry him."
They hoisted the unconscious man onto their shoulders and resumed the descent.

"General! Those Harriers are coming back!"
"All right, everyone, this is it! Get those Stingers ready, it looks like they'll-"
"Sir, they're not attacking us, they're moving around the outskirts to flank us. 732nd Battalion CO reports a recon unit has sighted enemy armour and infantry moving in the same directions."
"So, they're trying to surround us. What's our strength that's not in place in the city yet?"
"22nd Mech Infantry is still moving."
"Good, tell them to halt. I want Knight- Knight? Yes? to position his forces, infantry only, mind, with plenty of AT weapons and Stingers, along these routes."
General Walker took a red marker pen from a table and drew two ovals on the map of the city hanging on the wall of the command post, to the left and right of the rear of the Hamilayan positions.
"His orders are to ambush the enemy and fall back along this line once losses are too heavy. We need to keep a supply line open."
Walker highlighted the main highway out of town to the south-west, the same road his forces had taken on the unpleasant retreat.

"All right, soldiers, we have our orders. Set up defensive positions! Defensive positions!"
"Good news, Lieutenant General sir. We've reestablished contact with air base INCIDENT, and we have air support to help thin out those Harriers."
"Great. It appears any operational airbases have been concealed from our Imperial friends, and I expect we can assume we have the element of surprise on the Olmedrecans. How many fighters?"
"Um... four F-19s, two MiG-35s and two Su-37s, sir."
"Eight planes? That's really going to strike terror into the hearts of a hundred Harrier pilots. Still, hopefully we can try and challenge their air superiority, feeble though our challenge may be. Tell INCIDENT base to send them out as soon as they can. Obviously, we need all the aircraft we can get, so tell the fly boys to be careful."

ooc: Is this still open..most of my other rps are slow or dead and I'm an ally of Olmedreca..we're both from the same region.

OOC: What is the current situation? I am considering re-entering as my domestic situation has calmed down. Obviously id be supporting the loyalists as they are the legal government? However if they are as the French say "fucked" I am more inclined to leave it.

OOC: Sure, still open!
The loyalists are on the back foot at the moment. They still have the numbers though and aren't dead by any means.

OOC: Excellent this will be last post till around 11ish (GMT)

25 Miles to Bastion, Vetakan-Hamilay Task Force, Vetakan Flagship VDFNS Black Thunder:

The Battleship Black Thunder a massive Questarian built Prince of Wales Class Battleship was the chosen Flagship of the Vetakan Deployment to Hamilay the ship like the entire Force was under the Command of one of Vetaka's most Veteran Captains. Newly promoted Admiral Steven Clowes had been practically forced to take promotion to the rank of Admiral as well as a new ship from the Vetakan Admiralty. Clowes although sorry to see the loss of his beloved first Command the VDFNS White-Rose Clowes had pulled strings to ensure the beloved White-Rose was assigned to his Fleet. As the Navigation Officer of the Black Thunder reported that the Vetakan Fleet had arrived off Bastion. Admiral Clowes smiled before ordering his Comms Officer to put him live over the Airways for all to here:

"Attention all Combatants and Units this is Admiral Steven Clowes of the Vetakan-Hamilay Task Force we are here to restore the Democratically elected Government of Hamilay as elected in the last legal election of Hamilay. Although Bloodshed we hope can be avoided this is a direct message to any military force that intends to support the Illegal Coup of the Hamilay Government. Vetaka has no intention to spill blood nor do we have the intention to make enemies however if attacked I will retaliate with anything I have at my disposal. The Hamilay Government is the legally elected Government and nobody not even the Hamilay has the right to pervert the Hamilay Constitution and the Hamilay. I call upon the Imperial Hamilay Forces to withdraw from their current campaign."

Signing off the Admiralty turned to his Operations Commander and began:

"Red Alert Battlestations. All Ships Prepare for Imminent Conflict."

Deployment Details:

(Vetakan-Hamilay Task Force)

- 1 Prince of Wales Class Battleship
- 2 NORAD Class Battleships
- 5 Chieftern Class Pocket Battleships
- 4 Southampton Class Cruisers
- 20 Woundwort Class Destroyers
- 20 Sandleford Class Destroyers
- 4 Junyo Class Aircraft Carriers

- 4 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ships
- 2 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Ships

Fighter Based Carrier Airforce: Harriers, F-37C Eurafighters

40,000 Strong Military Force
Special Forces Capable

Chernaya

East group Olmedrecan fighters were preparing to clean way for ground troops. “Gentlemen, enemy probably does not have much armor left, for infantry we have brought nice amount of napalm with us, use it wisely. Also keep eyes open, aside from grilling our enemies we also need to give our ground forces some intelligence about enemy positions. Now prepa… “Commander! Unfriendly planes incoming! There seems to be eight of them.” … Damn! Okay, 4th and 5th flight, engage enemy, the rest continue on target!”
11 Harreirs splitted from eastern group to engage incoming enemy aircraft. The remaining 59 planes prepared to attack enemy ground units, at same time western group of 70 planes were doing same.

Bridge Of The S.I.N Samantha

"Sir, we have new contacts."

"The Vetakans?"

"Yes."

"Regroup the fleet tell the men to land ashore asap. We need to ready for combat positions. Order our fighters to NOT engage unless fired upon first. I dont think the Empress wants another war right now." The Grand Admiral ordered. Immediatly the message spread through the fleet. The Infantry were already heading to shore ready for a landing covered by the bulk of the fleet. The group around the Samantha would stay at sea to cover the landings.

Official Imperial Message to Olmedreca

The Empire has taken notice of the events unfolding in the Hamilay and has decided to deploy forces to aid you in your operations there enroute is the 3rd Imperial Fleet accompanied by the 4th Imperial Army under Archduke
Marshal Voraz along with 4 Had Jemzi Divisions. Our forces will be approaching from the North to support you and should arrive within 12-14 hours..

2-Yakkov Class Aircraft Carriers
3-Saro class Aircraft Carriers
2-Vital class Helicopter carrier
17-Revenge class Battleships
16-Victory Class Heavy Cruisers
18-Typhoon class light Cruisers
5-Backlash Missle cruisers
19-Imperial class destroyers
16-Provience class destroyers
6-Hammerhead Amphibious assault ships
4-Husky class Amphibious assault ships
9-Cuda class attack subs
5-Assassin class missle subs

75,000 Troops-complete with medium and heavy armor

Aircraft-
F/A 37-Talon-Carrier based fighter bomber
Harrier II
Apache Attack Helicopters
Viper Attack Helicopters
HLVTOL Supply Helicopter-Heavy lift Vertical Take off Landind craft
F-35 Viper (Carrier based fighter)
GAI-45-Sundevil-Carrier Based fighter bomber

Imperial 1st Fleet In reserve..awaiting Deployment

2 Champion Class Supercarriers
2-Eternal Class Supercarriers
4-Peter the Great class Battle Ships
10 Agamemnon Class Battleships
10 Ticonderoga Class Missile Cruisers/Arsenal Class Stealth Missile Cruiser
16 Zumwalt Class Stealth Missile Destroyers
16 Daring Class Air Defense Destroyers
16 Brandenburg Class Stealth ASW Frigates
6 Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Submarines
20 Allegro/Virginia/Seawolf Class Attack Submarines
2 ASDS Advanced SEAL Delivery Systems
6 Safeguard Class Damage Control Ships
6 Supply Class Fast Combat Support Ships
6 Osprey Class Mine Hunters
10-Imperial class destroyers
17-Provience class destroyers
4-Hammerhead Amphibious assault ships
4-Husky class Amphibious assault ships
50 SH-60 Seahawk Helicopters (Blackhawk naval variant)
38 AH-64D Apache Longbow Helicopters
20 CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopters
10 CH-53 Super Stallion Helicopters
116 F/A 401 Birds of Prey
110 F-35 Lightning II’s
110 F-18E Super Hornets
6 E-2C Hawkeyes
110-F/A 37 Talons
105-GAI-45-Sundevils

Additional 45,000 troops



ooc: Had Jemzi are basically super elite paramilitary troops very very fanatical like SS troops in WWII they make up the Emperor's Personal Army and certain elements help with state secret police units.

Sorry for the delay.

Off the coast of Bastion

Absurdly slowly, the Hamilayan fleet rotated as one and headed back in the opposite direction. The white Tu-160s above continued on their dead straight course. Flashes of light indicated dozens of cruise missiles firing on the Manth warships.

Just as the leading Hamilayan warships are coming within missile range from the 2nd Fleet's surface ships, the gunners realize that the enemy is turning around and retreating. Several sailors cheer as the Manthians and their Shakal allies are left in control of the sea once more. The Manthians send a few salvos of antiship missiles and torpedoes from the Fleet's subs to chase the retreating Hamilayans before the enemy pulls out of range again and makes good their retreat.

Meanwhile the air battle remains as fierce as ever, Manthian surface-to-air missiles aiding the Jackal fighter-bombers and the small squadron of F-19s. The carriers are relatively safe, in ther rear of the fleet and with formations of friendly aircraft in between them and the enemy, and the advance ships take the brunt of the attack. The Dominant seems to take the brunt of enemy attacks, and though the old battleship's CIWS systems manage to eliminate most of the missiles aimed at it, the Dominant still suffers several hits. Two missiles impact the armor belt and cause minimal damage, but a third impacts the deck just forward of the ships' engines, causing extensive damage and leaving the battleship with only a single working engine our of the normal four. Smoke billows from the ships' stern as firefighting crews move to contain the damage.

Elsewhere, the Alexandria also suffers several hits, but the battleship's heavy armor minimizes damage The smaller and more modern destroyers and cruisers of the Fleet fare well in shooting down missiles, but one Manthian destroyer is the victim of an unlucky hit and is left dead in the water as the sirviving crew abandons the flaming wreck.

Back on the [I]Heracles, new intelligence is arriving.

"Admiral Arvando! A fleet has appeared between us and Bastion! They're saying they are from Vetaka and here to fight the Imperial government!"

"What the hell... Intel was that the Vetakans went back home! How did they show up in between us and Bastion without anyone noticing?"

"Er..."

"...Forget it. Once we shake these planes and meet up with the Shakal fleet we can discuss options there, and we also owe them a thank-you for their help."

"Yes sir. [I]Dominant is reporting heavy damage and loss of engine power. We may need to arrange for tow cables if we want to move her at anything resembling normal speed."

"First things first, Officer. We still have the enemy to our front, and Imperial planes will be hitting them from the rear. Once we've chased off these planes, get our own rearmed and ready to sortie again. We'll avoid fighting the Vetakans for now, but if we can catch the Hamilayan fleet in an attack from 3 directions between us, Shakal and the Imperialists, we could wipe them out in one sharp action."

OOC: Scribbled up a map in order to help with visualizing... Does this seem right? Sorry about the cheesy MS Paint stuff :)

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s20/Coriat/navalmap.jpg

Voraz stood with Grand Admiral Fizer on the bridge of the Flagship Liberator The fleet was now just 200km off the coast from Castell...Fizer Radioed over secure communications to the Olmedrecan forces.." The Empire of Gataway has arrived to support our Mediterranican allies..we are begininng our assault on Castell now."

No sooner had his last words been spoken then the loud roar of hundreds missles from the five backlash cruisers thundered out towards the beaches and city of Castell..At the same time 100 Talons took to the air followed closely by another 50 Harriers to conduct precision bombing runs against any coastal defenses and targets within the city...Along with the first strike group were 80 f-35's to provide escort incase of any enemy aircraft..The fleet continued to press on closer towards the city firing several more Missle Salvos as they progressed.

Bridge Of The Samantha

"Are the troops ready for landing?" The Grand Admiral asked.

"Not yet sir. ETR is 2 hours. By then we will have landed them on a secluded
area a few miles away from Bastion to set up a beachhead."

"Make sure they get there safly captain." The man bowed and left quickly. The Samantha had become oddly quiet. The noises of men hurrying about remained but the odd hustle of a friendly trip had dissappeared. Everyone knew that this was a perfect chance to strike some fear into the enemy forces. The Samantha's twenty eight huge 30" guns would reak havoc on anything they shot at.

Assult Deck, Transport TR-5532

"Our orders are to make a landing on a quiet bit of land north of Bastion. We will have full air cover and the ships will be well guarded." The Lt. Col stopped speaking for a moment. "This area is expected to be unguarded or held by only minimal forces."

"Easy as pie then." Laughed a man. He was silenced by the glare from Lt. Col Alexander instantly.

"This landing isnt the war." Alexander nodded and immedialty a Shakal SS (Shakal Security) soldier stepped forward and hit the man in the stomach with his own rifle. War was not a glorious thing and the Grand Admiral may be all fun and games when she was with the Empress and the High Field Marshall, but here she tolerated nothing. Alexander was the same way. The man that recieved the butt of his rifle kneeled and hung his head.

"Fur Die Kaiserfrau!" He said with his head hung. He stood a second later and resumed his position.

"Anyway. After the beachead is secure we are to await any developments that unfold. If things start to get out of hand the Empress has given us orders to not become scum like the rest of these rats the Hamilayans call soldiers. We are to fight as our ancestors. To the last."

"Fu Die Kaiserfrau!" A SS soldier said giving the Imperial salute. The raising of the right hand in the Fascist style with a sudden turn at the elbow bringing the hand back to the ear.

OOC:Imagine that just off the top of Manths map is where my men plan to land.

Sayenna

The convoy of armoured vehicles rolled along the river, against an impressive backdrop of burning skyscrapers. The driver of the Bull Warrior IFV gave a start when his distinguished passenger suddenly sat up with a jolt.
"Turn right here."
"Ah... Mr President? That way leads back into the city. We need to get you out of here ASAP."
"Change of plans, soldier. Signal the rest of the troops. The President says we're turning around. We're turning right. Hate to pull rank, but if that's what it'll take, this is a direct order."
"... Right away, sir. All units, this is Lima-Victor-One. Number One orders the convoy to turn right at the next road."
The President took the radio microphone.
"As the President of Hamilay, my mind is made up. We are not going to run from our own capital. We're heading to the Ministry of Communications. We're going to take the Ministry of Communications. Everyone clear?"

The major and his platoon standing outside the red-brick building watched as the column of armoured vehicles rounded the corner. They weren't unduly worried; almost all resistance had been scoured from the city, and there were reinforcements due to secure his position here, weren't there?

The last thing he ever saw was the Bull Warrior's barrel, swivelling directly towards him.

Chernaya

"Squadron, we have targets incoming. Arm weapons and fire at will."
The eight Hamilayan fighters roared through the air directly towards the swarms of Olmedrecan Harriers. A small detachment peeled off and moved to intercept, and were struck by air-to-air missiles and cannon fire. As soon as the Hamilayan missiles launched, the fighters immediately turned around and headed for base, pursued by enemy fire. Various countermeasures stopped most of the incoming missiles, but one Su-37 exploded spectacularly in mid-air, a MiG-35 taking several cannon rounds and crashing in the hills, its pilot lucky enough to eject.

Lieutenant-General Knight sat by the radio, listening to the reports from his battalions. The reports were not good. Although the casualties from the napalm were probably better than if regular ordnance had been used, gigantic orange infernos were bad for morale, and it showed on the panicked and muddled reports coming through over the radio. The division isn't going to hold. We're going to have to fall back to our rear lines even before we've had a chance to hit the enemy tanks. The speaker tower on the street beside him suddenly blared to life. I thought that was offline. We really don't need any more Imperialist propaganda... He halted in midthought.

"Citizens of the Federal Republic of Hamilay! This is your president speaking. The traitors and usurpers of the Guards have failed to silence me, and they will fail in their nefarious goals, if the people have the courage to stop them. Will you stand by and watch democracy in your great country die? Will you watch your government, the government of the people, be destroyed by terrorists and oppressors? The soldiers of the Republic, the soldiers of freedom, have done great deeds under much pressure so far, but they require your help to preserve Hamilay. I am hereby mobilising the National Guard. The whole National Guard. Every Hamilayan citizen with a rifle will take it up, and they will stop the Imperials and their foreign allies where they stand now. Dulce et Decorum est Pro Patria Mori! Do not desert your nation in its hour of need!"

The Lieutenant-General smiled. He deduced the same message was going out on the public loudspeaker system established through the whole country. This was as good- no, better- news as a hundred aircraft carriers sailing to aid them. All right, the National Guard was woefully trained, everyone in the professional army knew that. But every Hamilayan citizen took six months of service, and they had the spirit enough to fight. He thought back to the motto of Hamilay, and his good humour left him. The National Guard could be just what we needed to turn the tide, but teenagers and middle-aged men with rifles could not stand up to professional troops. This would be a bloodbath to rival any the world had seen on the Western Front, or in Stalingrad. Stalingrad. Yes, he would turn Chernaya into another Stalingrad. There was no other way to hold the city, was there? If it was lost, the foreigners had a clear route all the way down to the heartlands of the country. Much like the famous city. He took the radio's microphone.
"22nd Division soldiers, you heard the President. Hold the line."

Bastion

"I expect an amphibious invasion from the west and the south-west, unsurprisingly. All your forces are to be placed on full alert, General. What's our strength?"
"I have approximately eleven divisions on the island. Most are under sixty percent strength, though. It will take time to relocate them to prepare for invasion; they're still moving through the city."
"Do it. What divisions do we have, though?"
"Two armoured- mostly intact- four motor infantry, three mech infantry, one cavalry, our gunship support mostly, and one support. It's our support division I'm concerned about, Grand Admiral. We have plenty of medical staff here at Command, but we desperately need more artillery. As you know, most of our heavy guns are empty as the personnel are manning the coastal defences. The engineers are at reasonable strength, but we need as many as we can get. Probably can't do much about that."
"I'll see if I can pull some gunners off the ships to crew the guns, but I can't make any promises. Get your men into position ASAP. By the way, have you heard the news?"
"Yes, I heard the broadcast. The civvies are already turning out in droves. I'm assigning them to defend the city, mostly, in case the enemy moves to land there. Won't be much help on the beaches."
"Keep at it, General. Dismissed."

Castell

After several Salvo's of missiles and numerous air strikes the Amphibious assault against the city was ready to commence..The first wave of amphibious assault craft roared off towards the beach..while the other 3 waves continued to load up...the heavy guns off the battleships continued to pound the beaches, the air seemed to rip open as shell after shell flew over the first wave of attackers..escorting the wave of amphibious troops were some 140 attack helicopters.

Captain Howard sat calmly inside one of the Amphibious craft..Like many other soldiers in the 1st "Nadov's Wrath" division he had experienced several conflicts and now seemed Immune to the horrors of warfare.."40 meters..till we hit the beach, check your gear and be ready for anything."

Howard turned away from the range finder...and looked back at his men..all battle hardened the "click" of safety switches being turned off seemed to echo throughout the landing craft, just before another roar of shells flew over head

Meanwhile Voraz sent another secure communication to the olmedrecans

Our forces are assaulting Castell now...upon our victory here if needed we will advance to Chernaya to aid your forces there. If not Our forces will press on to Cartania and will await for you there. Best of luck I await your reply and request to know what the situation is like in Chernaya

Chernaya

Eastern group of Olmedrecan harriers saw some serious fight, enemy air attack resulted loss of four Harriers, anti-air fire from ground rised that number to eleven. Finally airstrike was not as succesful as expected. On the other hand western group of Harriers lost only three planes and very accurately napalmed enemy lines.

Lieutnant-General Puskar's HQ

Reports were coming from front there ground forces had engaged the enemy.
"Enemy seems to be putting up very agressive resistance for our attack, we have advanced a little but we are completely slowed down at the moment," an aide said

Lieutnant General Puskar looked on map and said:
"We must use our advantages, enemy has only infantry at there, they are without any serious artillery support. Use our MLRS’s and self-propelled artillery to clean corridors for our tanks and lets do some good old blitzkrieg. We don’t need to kill them all immediately, they have no offensive capabilities, just break through and surround groups them. If they try to break out they will be massacred because they have only infantry there. Our main target is still that Highway at south-west. How far are our reinforcements?"

"They are coming on ground at the moment."

"Good, send 26th armoured division to front at west of town to support 6th mechanized there, we are closer to that highway there and I want it to be cut off as soon as possible. As we also got new carrier arrange some airstrikes there too to make our armor breakthroughs easier. 13th Engineers Regiment must get to work at damaged port to get it fully operational as planned."

"General, we just got message from Gatawans."

"Let me see, hmm, interesting."

Puskar sent reply to Gatawans:

"We are currently trying to surround enemy forces and next few hours are decisive. Still even if surrounding operation is succesful cleaning town will probably take some time, as that message from their president clearly rised loyalist morale. But I think we can arrage contact with you and Commander of Imperialist forces, so you can more effectively cooperate with imperialist forces at your area."

After sending message he turned towards aide and said:
"Now send someone to find that Commandant-General Sharpe and inform him that more allies have arrived at Castell, I suggest him to arrange cooperation between them and imperialist forces at area, if there are any."

At same time 48 Harriers rised from newly arrived carrier and headed to clean way for armor at west of Chernaya.

Office of First Citizen, Drasgard, Olmedreca

Vesse Põhjakotkas, First Citizen, read latest reports from Hamilay. Vetakans had returned, that was bad. Even worse, it seemed that Hamilaian president had survived the assassination and was now rallying people for loyalist cause. "Damn those incompetent imperialists could not even get this bastard killed properly" he though. Another group of reinforcements were going to leave soon, now some changes needed to be made. He took phone and called to Tharapitian Guard heaquarters, "Yes, Vesse?" asked Tabelinus Läänemeri, High Elder of Tharapitian Guard. "Good morning Jaak, you definitely know about our intervention at Hamilay, I have decided to give guards fresh combat experience what they requested, division „Silver“ will be part of next reinforcements group we are sending to area. I assume you have no problems with this?"
Tabelinus smiled "not at all, it will be pleasure."

OOC:
Reinfrocements to Olmedrecan intervention force. Going to arrive in some days.

1 x Duke Class BTN
2 x Nimitz Class CVN
4 x Dragoon Class CAN
6 x Praefele Class DDN
9 x Knight Class DDN
16 x Minister Class FFN

8th and 22nd army divisions and Tharapitian Guard division "Silver", total 65,000 troops

Off the Coast of Bastion, Vetakan-Hamilay Task Force, Vetakan Flagship VDFNS Black Thunder:

Now in full position to deploy the Vetakan Force and although outnumbered by the Rebels and their Foreign backers Vetaka would not withdraw until ordered to do so by the Legally Elected Hamilay President. As such aboard the massive VDFNS Black Thunder Admiral Clowes sent yet another open message as he had no idea whom to contact regarding the Loyalist Forces.

"This is Admiral Clowes of the Vetakan Fleet we request a situation update and possible mission orders from the Legally Elected Government please contact the Vetakan VDFNS Black Thunder on Encrypted Frequency Delta 2.45.67"

Signing off his Operations Officer piped up over the chatter of the bridge:

"Admiral Sir. Fleet is in attack Formation. We are ready to deploy. Orders?"

"Move to secure the Port of Bastion lets see it the Imperialists have a bite behind their Bark. Helm move off Steady as she goes. All Ships hold Postion do not fire unless Fired Upon. All Plane Patrols hold position. All Planes Stand By and Prepare for immediate deployment" replied the Admiral

With that the VDFNS Black Phoenix and the rest of the Vetakan Fleet began to move to the Port of Bastion.

ooc: Aliquantus my strongest ally will be sending a force for aid as well..

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w109/Orexins/AliquantusCO2small.png

Official Statement

Having been informed by our allies of the situation developing in the Empire of Hamilay, the Empress has decreed that The Empire of Aliquantus will actively assist its allies, The Empire of Olmedreca and The Empire of Gataway during the conflict.

Signed,
Coventina
Constable-General Coventina

--------------------------------------------------------

Arrival of the fleet

After waiting for acceptance from Olmedreca and Gataway to join them in the deployment zone, the Aliquancian fleet entered the seas north of Hamilay and spent the morning deploying the first Aliquancian soldiers via helicopter and landing craft to come under control of the Gatawan commanders assaulting Castell.

In the noon the fleet then moved and joined the Olmedrecan fleet out to sea from Chernaya to await instructions and a situation report from the commanders. Through the flagship communications room came the message "Olmedrecan fleet under Admiral Tammehiis's colours, we are aproaching West-South West, please inform us of the situation and your recommendations" and to that, the Aliquancians had arrived.

--------------------------------------------------------

OOC:
Fleet:
Amphibious Assault Vessels (1F): HMS Black Princess (Flagship)
Destroyers (6): HMS Rhododendron, HMS Royal Samovar, HMS Reprisal, HMS Repentance, HMS Royalist and HMS Raider.
Frigates (8): HMS Saxifrage, HMS Scimitar, HMS Scythe, HMS Sickle, HMS Sexual, HMS Sovereign, HMS Sapphire, HMS Styx and HMS Sirius.
Attack Submarines (2): HMSubmarine Legislation and HMSubmarine Literature

Accompanying Ships:
6 Mine Countermeasures Vessels, 1 Armed Tanker, 1 Replenishment Ship and HMS Ever Station, a hospital ship.

Land Forces:
XX Brigade
Adepta Mere Brigade

Air Support:
3 FAA Squadron
1 Shard F7 Squadron

Other:
Accompanying logistics units.

Forces loaned to Gataway: Three Adepta Spectrum Battalion's, one Adepta Spectrum Recce (reconnaissance) Battalion, 4th Mobile Support with the BV10S Viking, 16th Signals Battalion and for Dedicated Air Support, 2nd Lift Squadron utilizing the Merlin HM-04.

--------------------------------------------------------
MILITARY INFORMATION: HERE (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Aliquancian_Military)

Voraz still on the bridge of the Liberator, read over the report of the Aliquancian "tribute" force which would be placed under his command and radioed to the Aliquancian commander.

"The empire thanks you for your continued support..and is honored to fight along side Aliquancian forces good luck to you and the Olmedrecan forces, if needed elements of our fleet and ground forces can be re-directed to assist you."

OOC:Unless I missed something my landing will meet only minor resistance I hope. Tell me ifim wrong so I can fix this post.

Deck Of TR-5532

Lt Col Alexander stood ready with the men in an assult boat. They were due to launch in only 30 seconds. The entire force would land at the beack in one large push. Overhead buzzed 12 MaRk IV Tiger Gunship helicoptors that scanned the beach for any enemy positions and relayed the info to him and the other commanders. The landing would be a walk through hell.

"Landing In 3-2-1-0" A voice boomed over the speakers. The Assult ships came to life and zoomed forward over the lowered ramp of the large assult carriers. Beside him Alexander saw a Leopard 2A6 roll along using a ingenius Shakal Armored Assult boat. It was essentially a barge with a pontoon on each side. Assults were always made so that the barges only had to travel a hundred meters before the tank just zoomed off into the Shallow water. All Shakal tanks were modified to be watertight and had AC. Just a second later the coastal guns started firing at the larger assult boats. One went up in flames.

"Get ready." Alexander ordered staying low in the boat. Shots rang out overhead from the enemy defence positions. A armored assult boat sank after it was hit by a shore gun. The landing was covered by the airplanes and gunships that fired at any and all enemy strongpoints. The expected casualties of the landing were around 20%, or 3000 men. Alexander hoped that he wouldnt be one of them.


Samantha Bridge

"Sir, the Vetakans are trying to position themselves between us and the city." Reported the Comm officer.

"Fire two shots at them, airm to miss." The Grand Admiral ordered. "And make sure we stay between them and the city. I dont care if they try and ram us out of the way." She added. The officers went to work and two minutes later 2 Shakal shells flew from there guns as a warning to the Vetakans.

"What about our fighters?"

"Tell them to watch for approaching aircraft and be ready to engage if necessary. I want all those damn pilots in there planes waiting for the order to go."

OOC: Shakal, not all of my troops are in position but I have eleven divisions on coastal defence and loads of coastal guns. I was expecting heavier resistance.

Chernaya

"Name, rank and unit?"
"C. Miles, Private First Class, 188th National Guards Batt., sir."
"One M-16, one helmet, one clip of ammunition. Over there on the right. Name, rank and unit?"
"James Fischer, corporal, 265th National Guards BN."
"The 265th? Seems you're the ranking officer, Corporal. Just wait here, we'll tell you where to go when more of your unit gets here. M-16, helmet, ammunition. Name, rank and unit?"
"PFC Jennifer West, 403rd Guards Battalion, sir."
"One M-16, one helmet, one clip of ammunition. Assembly point is first building on the left. Name, rank and unit?..."

"General, good news! Reinforcements are here."
"Excellent. What have we got?"
"Just over one National Guards division. No armour or mechanized support, though."
"So, essentially cannon fodder. This won't be pretty. Still, perhaps I'm too hasty to write them off. We'll have to see what these civilians can do."
Lieutenant-General Knight left his command post to see several unfamiliar officers outside and lines of soldiers marching down the streets to the post.
"What are your units?"
"Brigadier-General Cohen, CO 99th Guards Brigade."
"Captain Lee, 403rd Guards BN."
"Brigadier, I assume you're in charge of this lot. Move all your men north-west and support my division fighting the Olmedrecans. My staff will give you further orders on site."

Castell

"Archduke Marshal Voraz? Lieutenant General Schroeder, V Imperial Corps, 20th Guards Army. To update you on the situation, most organised resistance has been eliminated-
The radio transmission was punctuated by gunfire, explosions and screaming.
"What the- this is Schroeder! Command post is under attack! Baker, get your regiment back here now!"
Suddenly, all was silence again.
"Um... sorry about that. Most organised military resistance has been neutralised, in part thanks to your bombardment. You should find only white flags when you land. Unfortunately, we are having some trouble with partisan activity here."
More shots sounded.
"I hope we can speak in person once you land. All right, this is getting annoying. Lieutenant, get me 6th Guards Cav. We need gunships at the command base."

Bastion

"Admiral Clowes? This is Grand Admiral McIver, CINC Hamilayan Navy. Good to have you back. We have mostly reestablished communications, as you may have noticed. The fleet is still undergoing repairs, and our seaworthy ships didn't have the firepower to confront the combined Manth and Shakal fleets. As such, we're docked in base, generally on the north coast, and we hope to launch an attack as soon as battle group Avenger returns from the east when we've worn them down a little with air attacks. In the meantime, we have complete control of the island, but enemy amphibious attacks are anticipated as our major threat. Our forces are moving into position to defend the coast."

Castell

Howard's landing craft finally hit the beaches, there was a loud clang sound as the rear door opened and the troops began pouring out..on the larger transport craft tanks and other armored units began to deploy...a few soldiers fell..but thus far resistance was sporadic...the helicopter gunships roared overhead engaging areas where they saw muzzle flashes with their hellfire rockets..

Howard was yelling to his men as he ran up the beach "Keep moving!...into the city, form a perimeter" Howard continued running until reaching the outskirts of the city and several mostly demolished buildings, there he and most of his men took up positions while the armored units took up protected positions near their infantry support, engaging targets using their thermal sites..Howard then had his forces form a crescent shaped defensive line and began waiting for the second wave of assault troops to land and reinforce him...he radioed back to Voraz.

"Resistance sporadic, bombardment successful, light casualties, defensive perimeter established...Howard out"

several minutes later the second assault wave with the Aliquancian detachment arrived on the beach..and the third assault wave was already underway..Voraz radioed to general Schroeder..

"We now have enough forces on the beach to make an advance into the city...our attack choppers and carrier strike craft are available to provide air support...requesting the positions of your forces in order to prevent friendly fire..our third wave will arrive shortly..we will begin our advance then."

Helicopters flying over head blared out messages from their loud speakers:
"Surrender to Gatawan forces now and be spared your life..continued resistance will only lead to your death and further destruction of your lands"

Off the Coast of Bastion, Vetakan-Hamilay Task Force, Vetakan Flagship VDFNS Black Thunder:

"Sir Incoming. 2 Warning Shots" shouted a Radar Operator.

"Raise all Fighters. Fleet to Attack Formation. All Fighters Form Up and Prepare to Engage. But they are not to fire until Authorization to do so. Helm turn to Vector 234. Prepare to Fire". ordered Admiral Clowes

"Aye Sir" came the reply.

"Fire 1 Warning Shot and Send the Following Message" ordered the Admiral

"Attention Shakal Fleet Commander. If saving the Legal Govenment of Hamilay and ensuring Continuing Hamilay Democracy and Freedom means the loss of Enitre Fleet and every Person aboard this Fleet then that is what will be done. We urge you to do what is right and support the legally elected government of Hamilay by allowing the Vetakan Fleet to pass" spoke Admiral Clowes into the Microphone which in turn sent the message to the Shakal.

"Prepare to Fire. Move to Full Speed and Continue on Course. Hold for my Order to Fire" ordered the Admiral

The Vetakan Fleet fully prepared to Fire continued on course if ordered to do so they would ram the enemy. Vetaka was famous for suicidal missions. If it meant the loss of the Shakal Fleet and the Smanatha it would be a success and the Legal Hamilay Govenment would have a chance at suriving.

West of Chernaya

Major-General Jääkirka, commander of 6th Mechanized division, was on small hill. Next to him were few burning Olmedrecan tanks that had been hit by loyalist anti-tank fire. Hamilayans had defended this position fiercely and ground near tanks was covered with dozens dead bodies from both sides. Next to him were remains of loyalist soldier who seemed to have been crushed by tank track. A meter away was body of one Olmedrecan, it was very bloody, probably hit by many bullets from strong machinegun fire. About 100 meters from Major-General were several his MLRS’s that were bombarding loyalist positions. Hamilayans had anti-tank weapons and some stingers but lacked any means to reply to Olmedrecan artillery, they could only stay low and hope to be lucky, or run. Olmedrecan bombarding was not random, it was concentrated to positions where tanks were going to break through. Below the hill on what Jääkirka standed, group of tanks moved towards front. Noises of incoming aircraft could be heard, those were another group of Harriers, this time little less than fifty, who were going to help creating holes in loyalist lines. "Exactly in timetable" though Jääkirka as artillery fire became also more intense. Tanks were going to attack as soon as airstrike has moved over loyalist frontline.

OOC: Shakal, not all of my troops are in position but I have eleven divisions on coastal defence and loads of coastal guns. I was expecting heavier resistance.

OOC:Ill fix up the post.

From: New Manth Denomination of The Navy
To: Admiral Sash Arvando

Naval Command has determined that it is too dangerous to keep the Marine detachment accompanying the Second Fleet in their transports in the current situation. Should the Fleet find itself under attack by the Vetakans, their ship would be unacceptably vulnerable. Therefore, this Denomination has excercised its authority under Section 14 of the Constitution and, deeming it "necessary for the safekeeping of military personnel or resources" as stipulated in Section 14, now waives the restrictions imposed on the Second Fleet's personnel by the Corporate Council. You are directed to land your troops and fortify them upon Bastion. We suggest that this be done in cooperation with the Shakal fleet.


Arvando considers the message for a few moments before turning to his overworked communications officer.

"Contact the Shakal fleet. Inform them that we will be linking up with their fleet to provide a united front, and will support their landing. The Hamilayan fleet has retreated to port, so unless the Vetakans want to start a full-fledged war, we should have clear path to pound the Hamilayans from the sea and make a nice clear path for our men. Contact the Alexandria and tell them to prepare to bombard Hamilayan positions on shore, and coordinate our men with Shakal. A friendly fire incident is the last thing we need."

Arvando turns to another officer.

"What's our situation with the Dominant?"

"Far too much damage to repair at sea, unfortunately. She's only capable of making a few knots under her own power, but we've arranged for tow cables. Major weapons systems are undamaged with the exception of a few of the smaller stern guns, so she's still got her teeth, sir. But she's not going to be making any evasive maneuvers anytime soon."

"See to it that she is protected, then. We have several thousand men aboard that ship. I want F-19s in the air running air superiority missions at all times."

"Yes, sir!"

The New Manthian fleet sails northwest towards the Shakal fleet, at a somewhat reduced pace due to the crippled battleship in its midst. Flames still rage on the Dominant's stern, and several fire control crews are sent over from the Alexandria in order to supplement the embattled crewmen as they battle to keep the blaze from spreading.

Bastion

"Sir? Enemy forces are landing on beach Sierra-Four to the west. 37th Rifles Brigade is reporting heavy enemy casualties, but their position is being overrun. The CO requests reinforcements immediately."
"Tell the 37th Rifles to abandon the beach and fall back to the second line of defense. All forces currently in position are to hold and be on alert for further attack. Is 122nd Armoured ready?"
"Yes, sir, Major General Williams estimates he can be at the site of conflict in less than two hours or so."
"Good. The Shakalans [?] must be driven back into the sea before they can establish a foothold. Tell Williams to get his division moving now."

One by one the fourteen 500mm guns covering beach S4 fell silent, either after being struck by fire from the Shakal capital ships or sabotaged by the outnumbered Hamilayan troops as they fell back. Although their losses had been heavy, the Hamilayan retreat would have alleviated this. The defending troops of the 37th Rifle Brigade, still relatively intact, made a dash for the second trench line two hundred metres inland. Now further Shakal troops arriving on the beach could do so in relative safety. But not for much longer. Two hundred Nakil 1A1 tanks moved down the roads around the coast to push back the Shakal divisions, accompanied by a hundred and fifty older DMG Tigers and an assortment of other transports and IFVs carrying infantry. To cover the Hamilayan armour, a dozen Tunguska anti-aircraft vehicles concealed under netting behind the second line whirred to life and started firing missiles and cannon on the enemy helicopters, whilst a battery of howitzers was now forming up further inland, preparing to rain 155mm shells on the invaders.

Castell

Three men in civilian clothes calmly walked out into the street in front of the lead elements of the Gatawan forces, holding M-16s out in front of them. They dropped them to the ground and knelt with their hands in the air. The 'prisoners' were being watched, though. In the buildings lining the street hundreds of eyes followed the scene outside. The owners of the eyes were cradling assault rifles and shoulder fired anti-tank weapons, preparing to strike. Throughout the city, others holding sniper rifles were positioned on their own, at the tops of skyscrapers or in bombed-out buildings.

Chernaya

"General, forward lines report enemy air and artillery fire, and tanks have been spotted advancing. The Olmedrecans seem to be preparing for a push."
"Time to use the land mines?" General Knight received a bemused glance in reply.
"May as well. Get the engineers to step up mining the roads. Our troops will fall back once the engineers have done their job. Send the Nationals in to cover our forces' retreat."

Vetakan-Hamilay Task Force, Vetakan Flagship VDFNS Black Thunder, In Attack Formation and moving to Engage the Shakal Fleet:

"Open Fire" barked Admiral Steven Clowes

"But Admiral Sir?? They have yet to fire upon us??" replied a rather Worried Operations Commander

"I accept that XO but look at the OBSAT Screens they are in attack formation and they are at battlestations. The Shakal are overunning the Hamilay Front Lines. We must respond. Cruise Missiles to attack the Samantha. Open Fire. Eura Squadrons 1 through 3 Attack the Samantha. All Other Squadrons Attack and Engage Enemy Air Power. For Vetaka!!! For the Dominion!!! For the very Ideal of Freedom!!!" ordered the Admiral

"Fire" shouted both the Admiral and the Operations Manager.

At that moment the Vetakan Battlefleet opened Fire. Almost at the same time the Vetakan Ships opened Fire. Their Big Guns Firing in Anger. The Eurafighters and Harriers Swopped down and attacked their targets. The Samantha flagship of the Shakal took a battering especially.

OOC: Steven Clowes Admiral of the Fleet is a rogue and well this very post is forming a back story for a future RP I have in mind.

Bastion

"Grand Admiral, the Vetakan fleet appears to be engaging. Request permission to support them?"
"Damn it! Do not engage, do not engage. I have aircraft on the way. You have permission to move to attack once the air strike has hit. T minus eighty seconds. Further reinforcements are also on the way."
"Affirmative. This is Harper to all personnel. We are moving to engage the enemy in two minutes. Battle stations, battle stations!"
Almost a hundred fighter-bombers as well as several Tu-160 strategic bombers swarmed to the Manth and Shakal fleets. The recently repaired battleship Shieldbearer and four escorts moved to join the Hamilayan 1st Fleet, which began to move to face the enemy.
"This is it, everyone. We kill the enemy warships here and now."
"Admiral Harper? Wing Commander Robinson. Beginning our attack run."
"Affirmative. Captain, full speed ahead. All units, you may fire at will."

Chernaya

"General, forward lines report enemy air and artillery fire, and tanks have been spotted advancing. The Olmedrecans seem to be preparing for a push."
"Time to use the land mines?" General Knight received a bemused glance in reply.
"May as well. Get the engineers to step up mining the roads. Our troops will fall back once the engineers have done their job. Send the Nationals in to cover our forces' retreat."

OOC: Hmm. Artillery started already earlier (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12587657&postcount=103). In my last post planes flew over general Jääkirka who was very close to frontline so practically planes were already at front. Tanks will move in immediately, so tanks will be crossing first trench only few minutes after airstrike has moved over it and bombing of your troops at farer positions is still going at that moment. So by the time your general receives that report tanks should have already started their attack. Whole plan was to use concentrated artillery and air support in few chosen locations to make fast breakthrougs and surround more static loyalist troops before they can retreat. So I have serious doubts that your troops have time to do any noticeable mining then even retreating in time should be quite problematical(as they have no armor, only anti-tank weapons and stingers). Also I doubt that National Guard already managed to reach to front because my 26th armoured division started moving there earlier but they are still on the way, as it was decided to attack as fast as possible to cut down time that loyalists could use for digging in.

btw, artillery is also bombarding your troops at east of town but as there was no air support given there at the moment they are not yet ready to attack there

Vetakan Defence Force OBSAT Space Command, Location Classified, Same time as the Shakal-Vetakan-Hamilay Battle:

As the Naval Battle Thousands of Miles raged between Vetaka and Shakal deep within the the Rogers Mountain range of Theeb. Vetakan Space Command was preparing to intervene. In the Space Operational Command Room OBSAT Observation Satelittes beamed the battle in real time to the HD Screens mounted on the wall.

Commander Charlie Walker smiled it was time to test Vetaka's latest weapons these being the Excalibur Weapons System and the newly purhcased and built God Rod Thor Weapon System. He cracked his fingers before barking orders:

"Authorization is Granted to Engage. Lock Excalibur onto the S.I.N Samantha." ordered Commander Walker

"OBSAT Lock on Confirmed. Ready to Fire. Final Authorization Requested." replied a young Officer.

Commander Walker picked up a Red Phone waited before speaking rather quickly:

"Final Authorization Required Sir Do you wish to deploy?" spoke Walker

"Thank You Sir" he replied after listening for a moment.

Turning to the room Walker spoke rather softly:

"Authorization Granted. Launch Code 0-1-5-6-7-9 ALPHA 7-5."

"0-1-5-6-7-9 ALPHA 7-5 Confirmed, Ready to Fire." replied the Young Officer.

"Fire" replied Walker

At that moment the Excalibur Weapon System fired its devasting power and accuracy hit the S.I.N Samantha with devasting accuracy. It was like time had stopped still. The Pilots be they Vetakan, Shakal and Hamilay scattered flying away from the Devastation the Ships rocked slowly all eyes where now pinned on Samantha which was now covered in Water Spray.


OOC:

God Thor Weapon System is a Oribital Space Based System Details are Here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11988049&postcount=49)

Excalibur is a Huge Orbital Weapons Platform Details are Here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=523984)

OBSAT is Detailed here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=521785)

Again although it looks like it as the RP progress's it will become clear that the President never authorized the Excalibur Attack. I am building up back story for a future Vetakan Style Coup.

OOC:My people are just called 'Shakal'

Bridge Of Samantha

"Return Fire!" The Grand Admiral said noticing the income attacks from the Vetakans. Immediatly the 28 81cm guns opened up aiming for the Vetakan Flagship. THe VLS missle system let loose a salvo of 80 High Payload Anti-Ship Missles. The Ajax class Battleships sent waves of similar missles numbering around 150 at the attacking force. Just off the side flames sprung up where a destroyer was taken out by shell fire.

"Sir, our radar is getting a strange reading." The comm officer said.

"What is it?" The Grand Admiral asked.

"It looks like an orbital attack system." He replied.

"Evasive manuvers." She yelled. A second later the hit came. The entire vessel shook and nothing could be heard over the noise of the impact. The Grand Admiral fell and metal fell also.

Deck of Titan

"DAMNIT!" Captain Martini yelled as the Excalibur hit the Samantha. It would survive, it hade been soley made to survive just such a hit. THe problem was that the other Shakal ships werent.

"Tell all fighters to engage and see if we can get some help from the Manthians." He ordered running over the deck. Planes were taking off 3 at once all ready for combat. The Captain ran inside the Bridge and ordered the fleet to continue engagement. The Cruisers now launched almost 200 missles at the enemy fleet. They would hopefully do major damage to the capital ships of the Vetakans.

Shakal Beachead

Alexander saw the laser come from space and cringed. This would be bad. They may have taken a beachead but reports showed that Hamilayans were coming to throw them back to see. General Beltram wouldnt let that happen. Already the majority of the armor was surging forward with many of the troops. Air cover was given by Apache and MaRk IV Tiger Gunship helicopters. Anti-Air would be a problem, but that would be dealt with in time. Alexander watched as Beltram led the attack of 12000 men, 500 armor, 1000 IFV and 350 of the SPA. It would hopefully be enough to overwhelm the Hamilayans and claim a victory.

OOC: My Numbers just to help.
1 Omega Ship
S.I.N Samantha (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/S.I.N_Samantha)-18 30inch Guns (Read Link For More Info)
1 Super Carrier
S.I.N Titan-2 8inch guns, 180 Aircraft
3 Escort Carriers
Nimitz Class-Full Various aricraft compliments Roughly 220 Aircraft
5 Battleships
2 Duke Class-9 22inch Guns
3 Ajax Class- Over Two Dozen Missle Arrays
10 Cruisers
7 Redemption Class-4 16inch Guns,Multiple Missle Systems
3 Revival Class-6 16inch Guns, Shakal T.L.S
12 Frigates
12 Fr-12 -Small Missle Batteries
32 Destroyers
20 DD-12- Anti-Submarine Weapons
12 DD-14- Better Anti-Sub Weapons
4 Logistics Vessels all in the center of the fleet. 1-Fuel, 1-Supplies, 2-Troops
1-Super Tanker Full Of Fuel also in inside of fleet.

15 000 Shakal Infantry Troops
750 Armor
1500 IFV
375 SPA

OOC: I bet nobody on NS has been asked this lol. I am in a wee bit of a rush but Shakal after my next detailed post would you mind Sinking the Flagship of this Fleet? Its forming really great Backstory for my Future RP.

OOC:Im not really into its sinking, I kinda wanted a hunt for it where you had to chase it to its doom (Think Bismarck) I wouldnt mid losing it excpet that this is its first mission and I would have hoped that it would last a bit longer. Ill lose any of my other ships though if that works. And if your going to chase it down to kill it tell me and ill make a diffrent thread about it.

OOC: Sorry Shakal I was meant to ask if you would Sink my Ship. It would form fantastic Backstory for a Future RP I am designning. You could sink my Flagship and then I could sink the Samantha bringing her down at all costs just like the Bismarck or it could like to tell the tale. Either way I just want one of my Flagships Sunk. lol Detailed Post will be up tomorrow im just snowed under with work.

Howard yelled out from his position towards the three men...

"Keep your hands raised and turn around, then take six steps towards me!"

The rest of the men in Howard's unit were sceptic of the three men..reports of men being lost to sniper fire had been heard all day..and relatively few loyalists had surrendered as of yet...further still there had been no reply from General Schroder...meanwhile over head carrier strike craft straffed enemy lines with napalm and cluster muntions while more armored vehicles rolled up off the beach.

((OOC: Olm, I need a starting point mate, tell me where to land and the plan.))

Vetakan-Hamilay Task Force, Bridge Vetakan Flagship VDFNS Black Thunder:

"What the Fuck? incoming Excalibur Strike? All Units Evasive Maneuvers. All Ships Brace for Shockwave". shouted the XO

The Excalibur Strike was devastating it was trully a spectactular sight to see a Laser extend down from space. Like a finger of god. It was soon followed by a trully destructive Shakal barrage:

"Status Report Now" shouted the Admiral

"The Samantha took a direct but she is still afloat but damanged. The other ships took hits but are still afloat." replied the XO

"All Planes attack the Samantha. Lock Cruise Missiles on her and Fire. All Ships continue firing on the Enemy. Damange Report?" ordered the Admiral

"We are still afloat but the fleet is taking a pounding 5 of our Destroyers are sinking. The Enemy's Cruise Missiles are ripping us apart." replied the XO

"Command is hearby transfered to the VDFNS White-Rose. Helm move to Ramming Speed and hold fire until we are 200 Meters from the Samantha. Ram Her" ordered the Admiral.

"What are you mad?" replied the XO

"Thats an Order" barked the Admiral

"No thats suicidal. Under Article X of the Naval Protocal. You are hearby relieved of your Command of this Ship and Fleet. Step down Steven" shouted the XO

Clowes showed a trully meanacing smile before drawing his Pistol and firing 4 Shots into the XO he turned to Helm and levelled the Weapon:

"Do it" snarled the Admiral

At that moment the Prince of Wales Class Battleship stopped firing and sped up moving to Full Speed she turned onto a Collision with the Samantha and steamed towards her.

OOC: Some what of a Suicidal Attack but if you have the Samantha turn hard to the Port Side and turn her Guns hard to Port you will sink the Black Thunder without ever presenting a target.

Bridge of the VDFNS White-Rose:

"Captain Sir. Admiral Clowes has transferred Command of the Fleet to you. The Black Thunder seems to be attempting to Ram the Samantha." shouted the Comms Officer

"What the hell is he mad? Send a distress message to VDFCC. Send a message to all Ships. Keep firing request a second Excalibur Strike to the rear of the Fleet?"

The Distress message never reached Vetakan Defence Force Central Command it was intercepted by a Black AWAC Aircraft just off the Vetakan Capital aboard was a man dressed in only black he was ex Vetakan Security and Intelligence Commander Barrett a man kicked out of the Vetakan Military for gross misconduct. He was the true enemy of Vetaka.

Vetakan Defence Force OBSAT Space Command, Location Classified, Same time as the Shakal-Vetakan-Hamilay Battle:

Commander Walker answered the Phone yet again and listerend intently before turning on his heel:

"Second Excalibur Strike to the rear of Enemy Fleet. Fire"

The Second beam of light fell from the sky this time it fell behind the Samantha and onto the smaller ships. This single battle would have far reaching implications for Vetaka than anybody could ever imagine.

OOC:Sorry about that. I missunderstood your post.

Bridge Of Samantha

"Damage report." Samatha said standing up. To the side laid a few dead crewmen crushed by falling metal beams. She had looked out the window to check on the frontal damage. The Excalibur system hit them in the rear of the ship.

"We lost Rear Turret 3 and Rear Turret 2 has its guns bent out. Water coming on on the lower decks. Containment systems active..." The comm officer paused. He was bleeding from a hit on the head. "The engines are ok, but one of our drive shafts is gone. We wont be able to manage more than 16 knots."

"Keep firing." Grand Admiral Samantha ordered. "And tell our carriers to watch out for another shot."

"Sir." The comm officer said.

"What is it?"

"The Vetakans flagship is coming in for ramming!" He said.

"Thats crazy he wont even dint our armor... Turn hard port and fire all guns at incoming target."

"Yes sir." The comm officer said realaying the order. Almost instantly the massive ship began turning and the guns were focused in on there taget in just under a two minutes. Soon after the 20 remaining 30" guns began to fire at the Black Thunder.

The Grand Admiral stood silent for a moment deep in thought and also indecision. She was debating whether to fire a tactical nuke at the Vetakans or not. She stood unblinking for several moments until a voice broke her out of it.

"Sir, incoming missles!"

"Maintain countermeasures and send another salvo at the Vetakan fleet. Focus on there missle ships and cruisers." She ordered.

"Yes sir." Comm spread the order and not a minute later another 80 Anti-Ship Missles and around 200 anti-air interception missles. "Sir, I have captain Martini on the line."

"Grand Admiral is all ok over there?" The voice crackled."We read heavy damage to the rear of the ship."

"We are ok for now, just focus on sinking some damn ships with those flying toys." Samantha said back.

"Good to see that you remain uninjured. I think the Empress and High Field Marshall would find that a worse loss than the Ship." Martini joked. It was well known that both the Empress and the new High Field Marshall, Derrick Braun, enjoyed Samantha's company at all hours.

"Glad to see your alright to." The Grand Admiral responded. The explosions appeared as the Shakal intercept missles hit several of there targets, however 20% got through and hit the Samantha. Luckily, the armor took the brunt of the hits. A SCUMAG gun station exploded when it got hit by one of the several that got through. Around 8 more also got taken out. The second Excalibur shot was a total surprise. It hit behind the Samantha instamtly taking out 2 Destroyers and making a cruiser visibly shake and lose its tower effectivly making it a floating hull with missles inside. "Casualty report now!''

"The Excalibur shots are hurting us sir, the BB-12 is afloat but lost 6 of its guns, 2 DD-12 are gone, 4 DD-14 are gone, CL-101 is missing its tower but it still has missle capabilities, and the Frigate Fr-9346 is dead in the water. Our carriers seem to be ok but our planes are taking some hefty casualties."

"What about the land forces?" The Grand Admiral asked.

"They are pushing ahead to meet the Hamilayan counter with full air cover." The Comm officer replied.

"Good, I want them to have that air cover maintained until absolutly necessary." She said. The fleet was still in ok shape and the landings were doing well. "Tell the Ajax classes to fire all missles at the enemy fleet. Order the Frigates to focus on intercepting incoming missles."

((OOC: Olm, I need a starting point mate, tell me where to land and the plan.))
OOC:
Well, you have 3 options:
1) land at chernaya as im there, probably getting on land there is fastest as my guys have been repairing a port there for some time
2) land at Castell, Gataway is there
3) choose your own landing location

short overview of Chernaya situation:
http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/6505/chernayawi1.jpg

gray - Chernaya town
Olmedreca - black
Imperialists - red
Loyalists - blue
black line at south-west is highway and main loyalist supply line

At west Olmedrecan 6th mechanized division engages parts of Loyalist 22nd mechanized(only infantry with anti-tank weapons and stingers)
At east Olmedrecan 18th mechanized division engages other parts of Loyalist 22nd mechanized(only infantry with anti-tank weapons and stingers)
At north-west 26th armoured Olmedrecan division moves to support 6th
At south-west Loyalist National Guards division(only infantry) is moving to support 22nd mechanized
At town Imperialist corps(3 divisions) engages main group of loyalist IX corps.
At sea is Olmedrecan fleet
At port(not pictured) Olmedrecan engineers regiment is repairing port.

Vetakan Defence Force Central Command, Operational Command Room, Theeb, Vetaka:

The President had nearly knocked an Officer over as she burst into the War Room. She immediatly barked:

"Who fired Excalibur? Have the Fleet withdraw Now."

The room fell silent. President Scarlet Rogers frowned before turning to the only person in the room that could of fired Excalibur without Presidential Authorization:

"Mr Stone. You are hearby suspended from active duty as such you are hearby arrested for the Illegal use of a Weapon. Guards escort Mr Stone to the cells.

Stone although understandably angry accepted he drew his pistol and placed it on a nearby desk for leaving the room escorted by Guardsman. Rogers with a single tear in her eye turned to the rest of the Commanders:

"Have the Fleet withdraw try and get a Cease Fire."

Vetakan-Hamilay Task Force, Bridge Vetakan Flagship VDFNS Black Thunder:

All hell had now broken loose on the bridge of the former Flagship the crew seeing their own fate had tried to kill the Admiral but he had retaliated and killed most of the bridge crew and had locked the Helm Control and the Gun Control so much for the "Idiot Proof Navy". The Black Thunder although struck with everything the enemy had it just kept going the Samantha was turning hard and it would be close. The Black Thunder hit just clipping the Samantha's rear this final knock was all the Black Thunder could take she capsized and began to sink. The Samantha although some what out of control soon regained control.

Newly Assigned Vetakan Flagship VDFNS White-Rose:

"Sir the Black Thunder has capsized she hit the Smanatha but failed to cause any impact. Also message from the President herself we are to fall back." spoke the XO

"All Ships withdraw from the Battle. Cease Fire. Send a message to the Enemy Fleet Commander" ordered the Newly promoted Admiral Sheen

OBSAT Battlefield Communication:

To: Shakal Fleet Commander
From: VDFNS White Rose

WE ARE WITHDRAWING TO FALL BACK POSITIONS WE REQUEST URGENT CEASE FIRE OF ALL HOSTILITIES. URGENT. WE WILL NOT ENGAGE AGAIN UNLESS YOU APPROACH THE FLEET. THE BLACK THUNDER WE BELIEVE HAS SUFFERED A MUTINY. DID YOU RECEIVE ANY MESSAGES FROM HER BEFORE SHE CAPSIZED?

Isle off the coast of Castell "RearGuard"
With the regular ground forces deployed Voraz turned his attentions on the small island off the coast..it seemed undefended and would serve as an excellent base for heavy bombers, space to store supplies, and as a safe area to withdraw troops and treat the wounded...it was also large enough to build a small prison complex on to house enemy combatants...Voraz ordered the deployment of the two Had Jemzi divisions to secure the Island codenamed "Rearguard" ...a few carrier strike craft conducted continuous fly overs as the Had Jemzi units advanced cautiously inland.

Bridge Of Samantha

"Recieving the message sir." The comm officer said.

"WE ARE WITHDRAWING TO FALL BACK POSITIONS WE REQUEST URGENT CEASE FIRE OF ALL HOSTILITIES. URGENT. WE WILL NOT ENGAGE AGAIN UNLESS YOU APPROACH THE FLEET. THE BLACK THUNDER WE BELIEVE HAS SUFFERED A MUTINY. DID YOU RECEIVE ANY MESSAGES FROM HER BEFORE SHE CAPSIZED?" The comm officer opened a signal to the remaining Vetakan vessels.

"All vessels fire only at the Hamilayan aircraft. I want our fleet saved." The CL-101 had sunk by taking on water. The only other ships that sunk was another DD-12 class. Right now rescue efforts were underway to save the 800 men now flaoting in the water. The Samantha had taken a fair amount of damage. The last ram by the Vetakan vessel had done nothing to really harm the ship. Out of the regular 28 000 crew some 4200 were now casualties. The ships would be repaired in just a few weeks, it was always perpared for everything.

The slow speed of the Manthian fleet, thanks to the Dominant, had saved the Vetakans even more trouble, as the Manthians were just getting into position to assist Shakal when the ceasefire message came in. Manthian contribution to the brief fight had thus been limited to providing air cover for the Shakal fleet.

"Admiral, sir. Orders?"

"Hmmm... We hold off from hitting the Vetakans for now. If this stuff about a mutiny is true, then there's no need to attack further, and it they are just trying to cover themselves after the failed attack, then there's no point in calling them out on it - unless they're truly nuts they won't try an attack twice after it failed once. In the meanwhile, keep a close eye on the Vetakans for any signs that they're preparing for another attack. And hit those incoming Hamilayan aircraft hard! They've just had their surface support yanked out from under them... leaves them rather out in the breeze, wouldn't you say so Officer?"

"Indeed sir. I'm sure they're getting an unpleasant surprise right about now. One more thing, sir. We're receiving reports of a number of Shakal crewmen in the water following that orbital attack.

The Admiral considers for a moment.

"Send the Nasser and the Ali Haider to aid in picking up survivors, if the Shakal will have them. Moving on, what's the word from Navy Command?"

"They've calling up a few ships which were on tours of duty in the region, mostly roaming subs, but unfortunately plans for large-scale reinforcements are on hold, sir. Seems there's been a nuclear attack on an allied city near the homeland, and we're geting reports of orbital attacks on Manthian home defense ships and enemy submarines in Manthian waters. Reports coming to us out here are a bit confused, sir, sorry, but the Navy has frozen plans for reinforcement and is beefing up home defense instead. We can count on replacements of lost or damaged aircraft, but nothing else from New Manth proper at the moment."

"Well then. I suppose we shall have to make do with what we have. Firepower properly applied is worth much more than it would appear on paper, after all. Get our troops ashore immediately."

"Yes sir!"

Two Manthian destroyers peel off to aid the Shakal fleet, as the Fleet's interceptors move to engage the Hamilayan planes. Jackals are going back up in the air to support just as soon as the flight crews can roll them onto the deck.

OOC: Reinforcements on the way:

4 submarines
1 destroyer
2 cruisers

Which will arrive one by one according to how far away they were, the nearest being 4 hours away and the furthest ~14.

Newly Assigned Vetakan Flagship VDFNS White-Rose:

"Admiral Sir we have a message from the Admiralty we are to hold position and exact repairs ASAP. We are not to engage Shakal unless engaged by them. Rescue all Crewman whithin the water." read the Comms Officer from the Screen.

"Make it so. Have the Mercy 212 move out to the front no Air Cover or Sea Cover. Tell the Shakal the mercy is moving to rescue any within the water"

"Aye Sir" replied the Comms Officer

The only Hospital Ship the Vetakan Fleet had arrived with and thankfully the only ship not in the battle. It moved forward into no mans land picking up any that moved or was dead regardless of nationality.

OBSAT Battlefield Communication:

To: Shakal Fleet Commander
From: VDFNS White Rose

ALERT: OUR MERCY CLASS HOSPITAL SHIP IS MOVING INTO NO MANS LAND TO RETRIEVE SAILORS REGARDLESS OF NATIONALITY PLEASE DO FIRE UPON HER WE WILL TRANSFER ANY SHAKAL SAILORS TO YOUR SHIPS IMMEDIATLY IF WE PICK THEM UP.

VDFNS White Rose

Vetakan Defence Force Central Command, Operational Command Room, Theeb, Vetaka:

"Status Report?" ordered the President

"Both sides have withdrew to fall back positions and the recovery of sailors has begun" replied an Admiral

"Deploy the First Fleet to Hamilay we need to regroup, the sixth fleet to Animarnia and all other fleets are to return to Vetaka" barked a very upset President Rogers

PLEASE DO FIRE UPON HER
:p

Off the coast of Bastion

"Impressive," said Fleet Admiral Harper to himself as he saw the column of light in the distance. He turned to the navigation station, alerted by a commotion there.
"Captain, you need to see this right away!"
"What the hell is going on there?"
"The Vetakan dreadnought appears to be breaking off and moving directly at the Samantha, sir!"
"Are they insane? Is this the Middle Ages? Fleet Admiral, should we abort the advance?"
"No. The advance continues. Comm, send a message to the Black Thunder. I want to know what arcane tactic this is."
"Sir, the Black Thunder is not responding to our hails."
"Keep trying. Bring up a spy satellite, I want a visual on the Thunder."
The Hamilayan officers on the bridge stood riveted, as if watching a horror movie, as the Black Thunder continued on its course towards the Samantha at top speed.
"Turn, dammit! Why aren't they turning?"
"Possible engine malfunction, sir?"
"Well, the Shakal are apparently still sane, unfortunately. They're still going to crash, though."
Every watcher winced as the Vetakan ship smashed into the rear of the Shakal dreadnought. They watched in further horror as the impact pushed the Thunder on its side.
"Christ, it's going to turn turtle..."
And so it did, with a spectacular spray of water.
"Sir, we're picking up a distress signal from the Vetakan fleet. They're calling for a cease-fire, the double-crossing bastards!"
The captain swore profusely. "You have permission to convey that sentiment to them, Lieutenant."
"Overruled. Though I appreciate your elan, we're fighting a war here and can't afford to irritate our allies. Continue the attack."
"Admiral, without Vetakan support, we're significantly outnumbered."
"We have two hundred pilots out there. If we do not attack now, both the laser strike and every dead Air Force recruit will have been in vain. The Vetakans can run, but we will not. Unless I receive direct orders from High Command, the attack continues. The Avenger will be here in a few hours, besides. Inform the Grand Admiral we are engaging the enemy promptly. "
"As you wish, sir."

"We have the Shakal warships in our sights."
"Fire at will."
The Hamilayan fighter planes and bombers homed in on the damaged Shakal fleet through a storm of anti-aircraft fire, amongst the smoke and chaos of the Excalibur strike and the collision between the dreadnoughts. Dozens of missiles and bombs found their targets on damaged Shakal warships, though just as many splashed into the sea. The Hamilayan planes had achieved their objective, but at terrible cost. Over fifty of the two hundred fighters and fully half of the bombers were vaporised in mid-air or fell burning into the sea.

[ffs, sorry. Mental note- do not leave posts till late at night. Address the land battles tomorrow]

Bridge of Samantha

The Grand Admiral ordered all vessels to hold fire. The rescue was taking place she had just got a promise from Derrick and the Empress that help would be sent her way. Samantha sat in what remained of the command chair. The ship still had enough firepower left in it for a good fight and right now the bent guns were being replaced. She looked at the paper that detailed her assistance forces. The hamilayan aircraft attack had just sunk another 2 destoryers as theywere trying to rescue the drowning crewmen. The 200 Shakal fighters not engaged or protecting the land forces began gto chase the hamilyans down determined to defeat them.

Heres a little gift: The top line read. Samantha smiled.

1 Ragnarok Class Superdreadnaught
1 Titan Class Supercarrier (180 Aircraft)
2 Nimitz Class Carriers (140 Aircraft)
3 Ajax Class Battleships
4 Redemption Class Cruisers
6 Fr-12 Frigates
21 DD-12 Destroyers
25 Strike Submarines

They will arrive in three days.


Samantha read it over. That was more than ample to replenish there losses. Along with that were another 5000 troops and all related equippment. So far the landing forces hadnt met much resistance but it would come soon. The hamilayan attack was being fought back. The 20 remaining 30" guns on the Samantha fired endlessly along with hundreds of missles from the cruisers and missle Batteships. This would be over soon.

500 Miles from Bastion, Vetakan Defence Force 1st Battlegroup, Supreme Flagship of the Vetakan Defence Naval Force, Bridge of VDFNS Theeb:

After the disater of the of the Battle of Bastion it had caused mass outrage in the Vetakan Senate as such the Vetakan Government had been forced into action as such the entire Vetakan Defence Force 1st Battlegroup had been deployed to the Hamilay Operation. The most Elite Naval Fleet of the Vetakan Navy the best of the best and the most Loyal of all Vetakans. The Theeb herself was a massive Preatonian Built Dreadnought Flagship of the Vetakan Fleet and commanded by the most Senior Naval Commander in the Vetakan Navy, he was Supreme Chief Naval Admiral Charles Hornblower Sent with the order to win the mission and investigate just what the hell had happened with Black Thunder he was not a man to be an enemy of.

The Vetakan 1st Battlegroup had the most funding and was the most loyal of the Vetakan Military. If anybody could win this war it would be them. On the Bridge Hornblower was damn pissed off he immediatly sent a message to all forces within the Hamilay Conflict. He broadcast live both audio and visual, his voice very educated and commanding his person filmed he was 6ft in heigh with brown eyes and a very proud uniform a sword showed from his back he looked serious and above loyal:

"Attention all Forces within the Hamilay Conflict I am Supreme Chief Naval Admiral Charles Hornblower of the Vetakan Defence Force 1st Battlegroup. I am currently 500 Miles from Bastion. I am here to finish the job the Black-Thunder started. I make this clear to all sides now I am not a man to be messed with. I am here with the Full Authority of Madam President & Lord-Govenor Scarlet Rogers of the Free Dominion of Vetaka. I demand that all sides not supporting freedom and democracy leave the area now. The Rightful and Legal Govenment of the Republic of Hamilay and its Free People will be saved, Freedom will prevail "

The Vetakan 1st Battlegroup moved on 250 Ships and 250,000 Thousand Troops would soon arrive off Bastion and finish the job. Vetaka was angry and so was Hornblower a terrible Combination to say the least.

OOC: These are my hardcore troops and ships. Ill post stats on them when they arrive unless you want them now.

The Vetakan 1st Battlegroup moved on 320 Ships and 250,000 Thousand Troops would soon arrive off Bastion and finish the job. Vetaka was angry and so was Hornblower a terrible Combination to say the least.

OOC: These are my hardcore troops and ships. Ill post stats on them when they arrive unless you want them now.

OOC:I think that 320 ships is a little much unless most are destroyers. I dont mena to nitpick on it. I just thought I should point it out.

OOC: Sorry that is my mistake. It should actually be 250 and most are. Sorry thats my fault.

OOC:I didnt mean to nitpick. BTW is that flagship a Royal Soverign Class? I just bought 4 from him... I only brought it up because the USA nowadays only has around 150.

Bridge Of Samantha

The Grand Admiral listened to the Vetakan message come through, 250 ships. The fleet was in no condition to fight that large of an opposing fleet at the moment. Even with Derricks reinforcements the Grand Admiral had only around 100 ships to fight it with. The Samantha was also in no real fighting condition, repairs to the guns would be completed before the Vetakans arrived, but numbers would overrule them. Unless she convinced Derrick to call off the Shakal Expiditionary force to The Peoples Freedom and give her full naval support she was doomed.

Imperial Palace

Derrick listened to his friend ask for help. He now made to make his first hard decision as High Field Marshall. This would require deep thought and an insight his own youth lacked. Derrick called for a meeting of the war cabinet. A few minutes later High Feild Marshall Mannstein was there with him and the other heads of the military.

"I need your help men." Derrick said as they quieted down. "Ill make this quick. Hamilay or The Peoples Freedom?" Derrick said sucinctly. The men looked at him confused.

"I say we go to The Peoples Freedom." James Entwark said. He had always been the first to speak up. As head of the Airforce one had to be decisive. Everyone knew that Samantha thought they should stay in Hamilay. The decision came down to Mannstein. He sat quietly for several minutes before speaking.

"Hamilay." He said simply. "We can still send some help to TPF but not all 25 divisions. Send 20 divisions to Hamilay and make sure a smaller group of 5 divisions reaches TPF." Derrick nodded in agreement. He didnt want to betray either of his new found allies. Immedialtly the almost ready SEA began to ready for the trip to Hamilay. Along with almost all of the Shakal Fleet.


OOC:Numbers Of My Fleet Present At Hamilay

1 Omega Ship-S.I.N Samantha
1 Superdreadnaught
2 Super Carrier, 360 Aircraft
5 Escort Carriers, 370 Aircraft
8 Battleships
13 Cruisers
16 Frigates
46 Destroyers
4 Logistics Vessels all in the center of the fleet.
1 Super Tanker Full Of Fuel also in inside of fleet.
25 Strike Submarines

Back Up EnRoute
2 Super Deadnaughts
1 Super Carrier, 180 Aircraft
2 Escort Carriers, 140 Aircraft
2 Battleships
7 Cruisers
24 Frigates
80 Destroyers

20 Divisions (400 000)
I know this seems big but my nation has 1.2 billion people and a 50% defence budget.

75 Miles from Bastion, Vetakan Defence Force 1st Battlegroup, Supreme Flagship of the Vetakan Defence Naval Force, Bridge of VDFNS Theeb:

The Vetakan Defence Force 1st Battlegroup was the hardcore Vetakan Military Group. The Veterans of the Civil War and the best People Vetaka had. They where the Homeland Defence Fleet but did deploy on the International Scene when a situation like a possible Muntiny had occured and Vetaka needed to do Damage Control. The VDFNS Theeb named after the nations Capital was the Flagship of the entire Vetakan Navy commanded by a very experienced Crew to serve aboard the Theeb you had to have a personal recomendation by your Previous CO and have at least 4 years service in the Navy. A Preatonian Built Royal Sovereign Class Dreadnought the Theeb rarely left Vetakan Waters but she had travelled to Hamilay to investigate possible Mutiny as well as finish the mission. Mutiny was somthing worse than death in Vetaka as it broke the Oath of Loyalty that ruled all Vetakans.

The VDFNS Theeb sister ship was the VDFNS Pearce again a Royal Sovereign Dreadnought named after Vetakas First President Daniel Pearce the Vetakan War Hero. As the fleet reached the 75 Mile marker Supreme Chief Admiral Hornblower rose from his Command Chair and began:

"Tactical Amber Alert. Increase Air Patrols and Ready the Fleet for imminent Conflict".

"Aye Sir" came a number of replies.

Vetakan Defence Force 1st Battlgroup:

250 Ships
250,000 Men

2 Royal Sovereign Class Dreadnoughts

- VDFNS Theeb (Flagship of the VDFN)
- VDFNS Pearce (Second Ship of the VDFN

1 Prince of Wales Class Battleship

- VDFNS White-Thunder (Third Ship of VDFN and Sister Ship to Black Thunder)

2 Duke Class Battleships
5 Ajax Class Battleships
10 Valiant Class Battleships
15 Dauntless Class Heavy Battleships
15 Agamemnon Class Battleships
30 Chietain Class Pocket Battleships
19 Allegro Attack Submarines
1 Vanguard Class Ballistical Submarines
25 Woundwort Class Destroyers
25 Sandleford Class Destroyers
20 Type 45 Air Defence Destroyers
10 Zumwalt Class Stealth Missile Destroyers
10 Brandenburg Class Stealth ASW Frigates
10 Arsenal Class Stealth Missile Cruisers

1 NORAD Class Super Battleship
4 Junyo Class Aircraft Carriers
2 Gerald Ford Class Supercarriers
2 Whirlwind Class Supercarriers
2 Empire Class Battle Carriers

10 Escorting Iroquois class guided missile destroyers (Carrier Escorts)
9 Peoples Class Supply Ships
5 Peoples Class AU1 Ships

5 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ships
5 San Antonio Class Amphibious Assault Ships

2 Mercy Class Hospital Ships
2 Osprey Class Mine Hunters
1 Safeguard Class Rescue and Salvage Ships

Bridge Of Samantha

"Sir we have a full report of what the Vetakans are sending at us." The officer said handing over the paper to the Grand Admiral.

"91 Capital ships?" She said shaking her head. "That isnt good. Even with our help we cant stand against a force that big." The Grand Admiral stood quietly for a moment. "Hurry repars on the ship and tell our fleet to stay with the Manthians. We may get lucky and attack them from both sides." She said taking the paper and using it to AC her face. The fleet headed for the Manthians and wouldnt leave until the help came and the men were unloaded. Then the Shakal fleet would leave.

OOC:We cant do more until Manth and Hamilay start to do something. I need Manths support for the upcoming naval battle.

OOC: Sorry for the slow replies, my net access is somewhat limited for the time being.

As the New Manthian Marines spash ashore in the wake of the Shakal assault, formations of Manthian aircraft descend upon the already embattled Hamilayan planes. Despite the currently successful comflict, however, all is not well upon the bridge of the Heracles, where Admiral Arvando is receiving reports about the incoming Vetakan fleet.

"250 ships. And just when things were starting to look up. Get me in contact with the Shakal, now. And it seems obvious that the Navy is unwilling to send us further reinforcements... Contact the other Denominations for support. Air Force would be the best bet."

Arvando says this last without bothering to conceal his distaste... the rivalry between the relatively small Denomination of the Navy and the bloated Denomination of the Air Force stretched back to both Denominations' foundings, and had only been exacerbated by the Air Force snapping up the lion's share of funding and materiel in recent years. But there was only so far Arvando would take an internal rivalry when faced by an enemy fleet that, even when reinforcements arrived, would outnumber his own ships by over 10 to 1, and the combined Manth-Shakal fleet by about 2 to 1.

"Let them know that we want a hell of a lot of air power. They'll It might be good to get the Air Force in for more than just this one engagement, which means they'd need land bases. The Imperials have a lot of airstrips on the mainland, it seems... Contact them and see if they'd be willing to let us borrow some extra space. What's our situation with the Hamilayan air force?"

"Without Vetakan support they're getting cut to pieces, sir. It's likely that Hamilayan air will be a significantly reduced factor should it come to battle with the Vetakans."

"Excellent. See to it that we inflict as much damage as possible. Now get me the Shakal."

"Got that sir. Hailing the Shakal now."

Arvando strides over to the communications station and personally relays the message to the Shakal Fleet.

"This is Admiral Arvando of the New Manth Second Fleet. In the face of the approaching Vetakan fleet, I suggest we have a quick chat about strategy. I'd suggest we strike quickly to take out the Hamilayan naval forces which still remain in the area. Better to take them out one by one than let them link up with the Vetakans and outnumber us even more. Regrettably, on our side of things I can expect few naval reinforcements, but I'm trying to arrange for massive air support. What's your situation?"

His eminence Mr.Jones sat in his plush leather seat in a massive building overlooking a large sector of commercial and industrial buildings. Quietly he tapped his pen on his desk, the noise of the t.v blaring out before him. News undoubtedly was out of the massive uproar of Rebels in the Hamilayan region. It was of great interest to him though of what the rebels had said before hand..their obvious demands to the people and the alligence of others. However..should they fail in their coup and United Corp was found on the losing side..it would be quite devestating to both their international standing and of course, oversea's profits. Pressing a botton on a large intercom system, the mid twenties dictator slowly leaned in forward and leveled his eyes on the screen to his side as a squat, rigid man in military uniform stared back.

"I want to help our comrades overseas. A hush operation though..Provide food, Ammunition, Vehicles weapons and men. Nothing is to be tied to Corporation United..no emblems or logo's. Transfer unmarked money as well. See that our friends are given what they need, given our resources. Ah..and as well..See to it we keep our operation small. I want things in and out..disable any communications you can to disrupt them. Report back to me as soon as possible commander. See that you do not fail..."

Withen hours, a few Carriers begain to load on supplies. they would not go fully by sea..obviously it was a very hectic place. However by land they may air-drop what was nessesary. Already however they had sent Undercover envoys to the rebels to secure their relationship. Mr.Jones reclined in his chair, smiling slowly as he pressed another botton.

"Ah yes. The matter of our brothers in the U.N.."

OOC- Corporation United will be providing money, supplies, and small groups of Spec Op forces to suppliment the existing rebel forces. Air-drops by night most likely, with brief aircraft raids to cover them. As well, they will be attempting severe damage to any and all targets that they can, given they are not affiliated with the rebels. Comminications, civilians, ships off the coast..infastructure..these are all targets.

Samantha listened to the message from the Manth admiral. The fleet was already joined and the smaller vessels had made reapirs. The reinforcements were now only a day away.

"Wire this message back to Avando." The Grand Admiral ordered. She was still shaken from the battle, but in better shape than most.

"Admiral Arvando, our situation isnt looking to good. With the Samantha so damaged she cant take on more than 2 of those Vetaka SD. We do have reinforceents on the way to help us a little though. At the moment our air support numbers are fairly high, 1000 flying planes. Im sure that with your air support we can have air superiority over the Vetakans and Hamilayans. I agree with your plan. We will launch an attack on the remaining Hamilayans and the remaining Vetakans in the area as soon as you are ready for it. If we can wear them down some before that fleet gets here our chances will go up."

The Grand Admiral ended the transmission. Maybe now the Vetakans would get a taste of there own medicine. Samantha no longer had qualms about using the nukes her ship still carried. Not in a situation this desperate. She began the transmission again.

"Admiral Arvando, I must ask. Do you have any reservaions about our forces using tactical nuclear warheads against the Vetakans?"

With that last question Samantha ordered the men to begin firing the guns. The Vetakan fleet was now just in there accurate range.

50 Miles from Bastion, Vetakan Defence Force 1st Battlegroup, Supreme Flagship of the Vetakan Defence Naval Force, Bridge of VDFNS Theeb:

Supreme Chief Admiral Charles Hornblower the highest ranking Naval Commander of the Vetakan Navy hated leaving his home nation. As a member of the Vetakan High Command and one of the most respected men in Vetaka. Hornblower had the word of the President he had the authority to do what he wanted.

"Sir Shakal Fleet has opened fire" relayed the Operations Commander

"Red Alert Battlestations. Have the Fleet on Scene withdraw to our position immediatly. All Ships hold Fire until my order. Prepare for immediate Conflict. Lock Excalibur and Thor on to the Samantha do not fire until ordered" ordered Hornblower his natural ability to Command shining through.

He looked at the Radar Screens and OBSAT Screens and sighed he hated conflict he turned to the Comms Officer:

"Get me Shakal Admiral on Actual Comm Link?"

A Comms officer hit a few buttons before looking at the admiral raising his thumb and saying:

"Your on"

"Attention Shakal Admiral this is Supreme Chief Admiral Charles Hornblower the highest ranking Naval Commander of the Vetakan Naval Defence Force aboard the Flagship of the VDFNS Theeb, My Noble and Honourable Opponent I am here to primarily discover what the hell happened to one of my most capable ships commanded by most capable Commanders. Although I may not agree with the mission set to me by the President I am also here in Defence of Freedom and Democracy. I ask you what are you doing here? Its obvious your not here to save the people of this nation but regardless of your motives I ask you not to choose the bloody choice nobody wants a conflict we both know that if our fleets clash here today both our fleets will end up upon the bottom of the Ocean it will do neither of our nations any good. Please I urge you to withdraw and allow freedom to preveal?" spoke the Admiral

Hornblower respected the Shakal and wanted nothing more to call the Allies but he was bound to do his Job.

"Commandant-General Sharpe?"
"And who exactly are you, Major?"
"Not important. I have direct orders from the Emperor recalling you to Sayenna." The man produced a sheaf of papers. "A helicopter is waiting for you."

Three hours later Sharpe was in Sayenna, in one of the Presidential Palace's spacious boardrooms. Across the table from him was the ruler of the Hamilayan Empire.
"Ah, General. To cut to the point, we have some extremely bad news from the south. General O'Reilly has appeared to have had an... attack of conscience."
"Your Majesty?"
"The 19th Imperial Army has completely gone. O'Reilly handed over his command to the Federal Republic this morning."
"But that means..."
"... the south has completely fallen to loyalist forces. Yes. To top it all off, we have enormous troop mobilization reports from our operatives there. Details are sketchy, but somewhere between 400 and 700 thousand soldiers will be on the Sayen in a few weeks. You see why you have been recalled, of course."
"Indeed I do. What is the situation here in the capital?"
"The city is secure. We have one army at full strength stationed here."
"We're clearly outnumbered, of course, but I am confident we can stop them here long enough for the North to fall to us or for these Shakal troops to arrive. I shall organise the defence straight away."
"Very good, General. Do what you do best. There are some other things, however. Firstly, I have decided to go public. We're losing the propaganda war, due to that irritating Presidential broadcast you must have heard, and I will add some legitimacy to our cause. Secondly, we have captured the individual responsible for the irritating broadcast in question. Bring him in!"
The President of Hamilay entered the room, with two Imperial Guardsmen shepherding him.
"Glad you could join us, Mr President. You may be pleased to know that your bodyguard put up a good fight at the Ministry. The officer in charge reported eight hundred casualties."
"It's good to be back home, Your Worshipfulness," the President quipped, dryly. "So, am I here to be mocked or released?"
"Neither. I'm re-introducing you to Commandant-General Sharpe here-"
"Harry P. Sharpe, actually. Officers who commit high treason are stripped of rank and awards, naturally."
"Quite. Commandant-General Sharpe, the ex-President of Hamilay. Ex-President of Hamilay, Commandant-General Sharpe. You will also be making a TV broadcast in an hour, stating how much you love us all. Take him away."
"I'll be sure to look my best. Have fun celebrating with the Presidential liquor cabinet whilst you can. I suspect soon I'll be presenting it to some Hamilayan Army soldiers in thanks."

Naval High Command, Bastion

"Grand Admiral, excellent news from the south! Field Marshal Bennett has turned up, alive, and he's brought the whole country and its garrisons south of Aubury with him. They're planning a major offensive on the capital with five whole army groups."
"Truly? That is excellent news. What else have you got?"
"Fleet Admiral Martin reports the 2nd Battle Group Avenger is fully assembled and on the way. The full complement of 160 or so ships is there, and Martin has also managed to rustle up a couple of our Tribute-class Doujins from Beferen harbour. Should be here in about three hours or so."
"Brilliant! Now, got anything to ruin my day, Commander?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Sorry, Admiral. The enemy is scheduled to make an apparently important broadcast in five minutes."
"Let's see what they have to say. To the television!"


"This is Hamilayan National News, now the official news agency of the Hamilayan Empire. Tonight we bring you a special broadcast from the Empire's great leader himself, until now unknown to the world. All rise for His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Hamilay, Defender of Justice, Bringer of Truth."
[national anthem plays]
"People of Hamilay and of the world! I am the ruler of the newly reestablished Hamilayan Empire, Emperor William VI. I am a direct descendant, the great-great grandson in fact, of the last Emperor Frederick, overthrown in 1880. As such, this makes me the rightful ruler of Hamilay. My predecessor as leader has broadcast his message to the world, and it is only fair to do the same. The President has told the people to resist. Resist what? Resist the dawn of a new age for Hamilay? They claim we come to destroy freedom. This is a lie. I can promise to you right now that no current freedoms that do not threaten the security of the Empire will be curbed. Hamilay must remain a free nation if it is to maintain its international standing. We are simply replacing a weak and corrupt government with a strong one! The Empire is an instrument of the people's will. I call on all supporters of the old regime to stand down and respect a great nation's right to take its place. I extend my thanks to all who have aided the soldiers of the Empire in their crusade. Thank you."
[national anthem plays]
[exit]

[B]Beach S4, on the coast of Bastion Island
"Forward!"
The first line of twenty Nakil tanks accelerated over the flat scrubland towards the now rapidly dissolving Hamilayan defensive line, followed by columns of mechanized vehicles and further lines of tanks. The Hamilayan infantry parted to let them pass, and the tanks rolled over the trenches towards the advancing Shakal troops. The Tunguska flak guns followed them in, firing on the Shakal gunships overhead without too much success, as they were still mostly out of range. The tank line advanced to a few hundred meters, halted, and opened fire, tanks being struck by their guns and flaring up impressively. The IFVs lined up between them, firing TOW missiles at the Shakal Leopards and disgorging infantry, who began their slow advance over a field already covered in wreckage.

2nd Battle Group:

1x Prince of Wales Class Superdreadnought, Avenger
2x Tribute Doujin Class Dreadnought
5x Empire Class Carrier
6x Admiral Class Carrier
4x Valkyrie Class Helicopter Assault Carrier
12x Hunter Class Submarine
10x Nautilus Class Submarine
10x Dolphin Class Submarine
24x Stingray Class Cruiser
24x Thunder Class Cruiser
20x Flank Class Destroyer
20x Search Class Destroyer
14x Lord Class Battleship
12x Chieftain Class Pocket Battleship

"Right. Let the Vetakans know that they've had plenty of time to pick up the wounded by now, and that we consider it somewhat duplicitous to use a humanitarian cease-fire as a cover for bringing in more troops... Actually, scratch that last part. I'm sure they're aware, and it's not like most people wouldn't do the same. They get a two-minute grace period from the time that the message is sent - enough to get that hospital ship out of immediate danger, not enough to get into battle order. Then we begin the attack."

Admiral Arvando pauses as the Shakal reply comes in.

"This is Arvando. Let's get moving, then. The Second Fleet will be striking at the Vetakans first. If we move swiftly we should be able to hit the Vetakans here, then the Hamilayan fleet based in Bastion, and if all goes well we may even have time for an air strike against the Hamilayan reinforcements coming in from the north before the main Vetakan fleet arrives.

On tactical nuclear weapons..."

Arvando pauses briefly as he considers his response.

"The New Manthian military observes a strict rule that its nuclear arsenal is only to be used either in retaliation or else in defense of the homeland when no other means is apparent. As such the Second Fleet's nuclear weapons are unavailable for this conflict. However..."

Arvando hesitates again, wondering just how frank he ought to be. In the end, he decides that there is no reason to be circumspect in such a situation. Nevertheless, he switches the Heracles's automatic transmission recorders off before continuing.

"...Between you and me, I wouldn't give a rat's ass if some of the Vetakans found themselves on the wrong end of a few nuclear warheads. It could certainly go a long way toward making this a more even fight."

OOC: Vetaka how long would you say it would take for your ships to mobilize, load up the 250,000 troops and then sail to Hamilay? I ask because I'm trying to figure out how many reinforcements of mine owuld have arrived by that point.

OOC: Personally I have no objection to the use of Tactical Nuclear Weapons being used against me as I have Excalibur as well as Thor Weapons and Nuclear Weapons however Hamilay stated in his first post he didn't want WMD's used I know Excalibur has the same Destructive Power as WMD's but its classed as a Precision Destructive Device. I don't want to be a sour pear but if you guys RP using Nuclear Weapons you really need to get the permission of Hamilay as it is his Nation? On the as for a time period to mobilize troops I personally operate a Standown system with my Battlegroups so it allows me to be a wee bit quicker.

Also I know its not very clear and apologise but my Hospital Ship has already withdrawn to the main fleet. Hamilay whats your decsion on Tactical Nuclear Weapon deployment also who do you want to win the loyalists or the imperialists I dont really mind It would just be good to know so I know how to RP lol? Am I the only government supporting the Loyalists?

ooc: Hamilay, im still waiting for your reply. I can't continue until you rp how my attack went, did I my forces succesfully break through, or your loyalist troops managed succesful retreat, or my attack failed tottally, you need to decide what happened to your forces, I can't continue before that. btw I hope you did not miss that post (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12595742&postcount=118), and here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12599770&postcount=128) I explained my understanding of current situation.

OOC: Sorry about that Olm, was planning to post on that now. Really. Really! ;)
I'm not sure about nuclear weapons. If you're just going to lob tacs at each other then that's probably okay, but the thing is I didn't want either of my sides to be forced into nuclear retaliation, as a) I don't want my nation to become a wasteland and b) the side that nukes a million civilians will be pretty much screwed. I have a similar doctrine to Manth. Up to you though.

IC:

Chernaya

Mines? thought the commanding officer of the Hamilayan engineers. Now he tells us to use the mines? When Olmedrecan tanks are two hundred bloody metres away?
"General, this is Colonel Serov. With all due respect, it is not possible for us to mine the roads at this stage. The Olmedrecan assault at the front is much more vicious than you seem to appreciate, the Harriers especially are causing heavy casualties. The last surviving officer of the division at the front is a mere lieutenant colonel, and he requests I inform you that he has been overrun and is in full retreat. My engineers are currently moving back with the remains of 22nd division towards the highway. If you have reinforcements to send, send them now."

On the other end of the line, Lieutenant-General Knight sighed. He had underestimated the Olmedrecan armoured strength. Still, he supposed was no more he could do, being outnumbered many times over and with no air or artillery support to speak of.

"99th Guards Brigade is moving to cover your retreat. You ever command line infantry, Colonel?"
"Yes sir, two years ago I was an LTC for the 220th before transferring to engineers."
"I'm placing you in command. How many casualties?"
"General, I have a hundred or so engineers left. The units left to guard the western approach have taken over 90 percent casualties. No more than five hundred or so are still standing, and I cannot say how long they will hold."
"Five hundred are remaining? Seven thousand dead in how many minutes? Jesus..."
"If it's any consolation, General, our troops were overrun very quickly by Olmedrecan armour and aircraft. They had no time to fight for every inch of ground, contradicting our given orders, I regret to say. At least the enemy have several thousand prisoners to cart around."
"The Corps will have to make do with what supplies we can scavenge in the city. Fall back to the CP, Colonel. We're pulling back to the main defense line with the rest of our troops. Good luck."

The newly promoted colonel of the 22nd Infantry Division looked at the now silent radio transmitter in
his hand, resisting the urge to throw it to the ground and stamp on it.

"All right, soldiers, we're falling back. What the hell are you waiting for? The Olmedrecans are right behind us! Get moving!"

Castell

Captain Peterson watched in horror from an alley opposite the Gataway vanguard as the three civilians dutifully put their hands on their heads and marched forward. He'd seen something similar one hour prior, when one 'prisoner' had clicked a button in his jacket and blown up half of his platoon. Damn his orders, he had to warn them. He jumped into view, waving his arms wildly. The two soldiers with him trained their sights on the three men between them and the Gatawayans.

"Shit, that imperialist knows what's going on!"
"Or at least he thinks he does. That's blown it. Fire at will, fire at will!"

The partisans in the buildings had lost the element of surprise and they knew it, but despite shaking hands and knees they raised their weapons and opened fire on the troops below. A dozen anti-tank missiles lanced downwards to the Gatawayan vehicles, and three machine guns were being set up in panic.

OOC- Just reminding Himilay that The Imperial forces will be receiving Shipments of both Weapons/Supplies(Tanks, Anti Tank, Mines, Guns, Rations ect) and as well as up to two Thousand Specialist forces Air dropped across the North for their deployment. As well a standing of one Hundred Aircraft will be given to support their effort.

OOC: Well here's for a bunch of OOC stuff. Back to IC next time I promise.

On nuclear weapons, I didn't really pay attention to the rules on 'em since I wasn't originally intending to use any anyway, so sorry if I have stepped on your toes Hamilay by advocating them. But we do need some sort of counter to that space-based weapon of Vetakas, since that sort of thing is otherwise very hard to deal with in MT. New Manth has a few experimental antisatellite lasers, but nothing that's been tested and no space-to ground stuff (being a firmly MT nation). BTW Vetaka since it would be public knowledge (what's the use of a deterrent if it's secret? ;) ), New Manthian policy allows for use of nuclear retaliation in the case of a nuclear power level space based attack, even if it's 'precision' :). So attacking the 2nd Fleet with that space based weaponry would open the locks on the Manthian nuclear arsenal.

And of course I'm not suggesting we nuke Hamilay proper into a radioactive wasteland. That sort of thing tends to put an end to most RPs, I'd guess :)

As for whether to use nuclear weapons at all level I will leave that up to Shakal & Vetaka. Though the tactical situation isn't looking great for us right now. But with massive air superiority we could maybe make up for being outnumbered on the sea. Don't know how else to make up for the space weapons, though. :)

Also Vetaka could I get an answer to the question in my last post?

Am drawing up another map since I would like to clarify the naval situation in my head again, lol. A lot more on it than the last one! Tell me if there are any inaccuracies. ;)

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s20/Coriat/navalmap2.jpg

Ooc: No problem. I just got worried that maybe you expect me to make next post then in reality im still waiting your reply. ;)

IC:
Chernaya:

"Major-General, how is advance going?" asked Lieutnant-General Puskar in radio.

"Very well, enemy is on full retreat, we have inflicted them heavy casualties and captured several thousands prisoners." answered Jääkirka.

"What are your own losses and do you want to wait for 26th armoured that should reach to you very soon?"

"No, we need to use the initiave so I have no time to wait for them. Our own losses are relatively low, probably less than two thousand casualties, but I have lost few dozens of tanks to their anti-tank fire. Airforce lost 4 planes in their last strike. But I have that prisoner problem, I need every truck and man at front so my troops will guard prisoners at the moment but transportation of them needs to be done by 26th."

"Alright, I will arrange that, good job so far, continue pushing."

"With pleasure, Sir!"

As Jääkirka ended his conversation with Puskar one of his aides approached:
"Report from 67th batallion, fresh enemy infantry has arrived to front, our batallion captured and fastly interogated few of them. Looks like this is that national guard, poorly armed and poorly trained, but fiercely patriotic."

"Hmm, interesting, well I want to continue advance as fast as possible, so that enemy would have less time to prepare their defences near higway. Also more retreating enemys we capture now, less we need to fight later. So we need to try out how capable that National Guard really is. Continue advance, if we leave them minimal time for digging in then they may be very vulnerable for our mechanized forces. Can we arrange any air strikes?"

"Im afraid not at the moment, navy wants to keep enough planes ready all the time just in case."

"Those bastards should grow some balls. We will advance anyway, no time to waste."

Port of Chernaya:

Olmedreca had given no public response to recent provocative Vetakan statement, but that did not mean that actual military response was not planned. Engineers regiment at harbour were setting up several Khan (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11984706&postcount=1674) missile batteries.

OOC: Personally I have no objection to the use of Tactical Nuclear Weapons being used against me as I have Excalibur as well as Thor Weapons and Nuclear Weapons however Hamilay stated in his first post he didn't want WMD's used I know Excalibur has the same Destructive Power as WMD's but its classed as a Precision Destructive Device. I don't want to be a sour pear but if you guys RP using Nuclear Weapons you really need to get the permission of Hamilay as it is his Nation? On the as for a time period to mobilize troops I personally operate a Standown system with my Battlegroups so it allows me to be a wee bit quicker.

Also I know its not very clear and apologise but my Hospital Ship has already withdrawn to the main fleet. Hamilay whats your decsion on Tactical Nuclear Weapon deployment also who do you want to win the loyalists or the imperialists I dont really mind It would just be good to know so I know how to RP lol? Am I the only government supporting the Loyalists?


OOC:Sorry, I was unsure about that. Anyways this changes things, i thought your hospital ship was still between our fleets. So I hate to change this and look stupid but if your Hospital ships wasnt there i wouldnt have fired. So unless its a big problem can you just ignore that I opened fire?

Shakal Landing Force

Alexander watched a the front line of Shakal Tanks began to take hits. Many were taken out. Then came the TOW shots from the Hamilayan IFV's. Seval hits missed but every once in a while they hit a truck making it explode. Immediatly the Shakal tanks utilized there FWM (Fire While Moving) systems and took aim at the Hamilayan tanks. The SPG focused on the infantry landing multiple hits simulatiously thanks to raising the gun each shot. The infantry got out of there veichles and spread out firing as soon as the enemy got in range. Alexander lept from his truck and ordered his men to spread out. Two set up the machine gun and like the hundreds spread around the Shakal strike group, opened fire.

"Move to the left!" He ordered crawling and taking cover. His orders where to make sure that the advance wasnt a disaster. Men took cover as they moved up. The men used granades and utilized fast firing and accurate weapons to devastating effect. The Shakal takns and IFV kept manuvering yet advancing. From the air it looked like someone had set an ant hill on fire. They zoomed in formations, very much unlike ants, and had total precision to it. Alexander watched as the Javlin anti tank missles zoomed forward to hopefully devastate the enemy forces. In the meantime the helicopoters zoome din low aiming for any armored veichle they saw. Above them were 20 B-2 and 20 F-117 bombers. They unloaded with the cover of over 110 fighters. Hopefully the Shakal could break the Hamilayans quickly or hold until the help came.

Castell

Howard dove back behind some rubble and took cover...several of his squad members were not so lucky...the explosions and screams of agony from the men attempting to escape the now burning APC's brought back memories of horrors witnessed in other conflicts...Howard had his men begin returning fire...while he got on the radio..
" This is scout 1...I need air support at coordinates Delta Fox 5152...I say again air support needed at Delta Fox 5152..we have been ambushed...rpg's and small arms fire we have casualties."

Several attack helicopters roared in over head firing their hellfire rockets into the now given away enemy positions..fast attack planes followed them up with precision munitions and napalm strikes..the remaining APC's and other vehicles returned fire as well while others fell back to help the wounded... behind friendly lines several medevac choppers touched down and were quickly filled with the wounded and the dead before setting off for the medical facility being established.

Howard made his way carefully over to where Captain Peterson and his men were he had to shout just to be heard over the firefight raging on around them..
"Nice to finally link up with some friendlies around here... names Howard Captain Howard Gatawan 1st infantry division..We've been taking sniper fire and the like all day...where's your command post? General Voraz has plans to discuss with your commander."

Meanwhile at the secure HQ on beach Voraz looked over the reports of his Olmedrecan and Aliquancian allies. Voraz was pleased at their progress and hopped soon his forces would experiance similar success although for now they were somewhat bogged down...soon he hoped that would change as reports from the Had Jemzi units had reported no resistance and already a medical and prison facility had been established with a port and air strip still under construction..soon Voraz would have the support he needed to make a real push into Castell. Under a new directive Voraz had issued order code Mako 55...Gatawan forces would no longer be taking prisoners except for priority targets..

"RearGuard Island

The Had Jemzi forces had by now secured the island and had already established a medical facility and small prison camp..even tho no prisoners had been taken yet and the new orders had been announced. The true work however was the construction of the airfield which now had one operational runway...Voraz had already called in for the super heavy bombers and the new super heavy supply craft to bolster his forces..

After several days inactive, the fleet finally gained the clearance to land the Aliquancian land forces in support of the Olmedrecan forces at Chernaya.

And so, in the morning the ships began to land troops and systems ashore by LCU Mk.10 vessels and various helicopters. By noon the ground forces had come ashore and where already constructing a military base just east of Chernaya.

Message: Olmedreca
At four o'clock the commander of the Aliquancian ground forces, Thistle-General Arethusa landed by Merlin helicopter. After an initial summary from the various subordinates she then entered the already erect commander's tent and phoned the Olmedrecan CP and asked for the commander.

Off Bastion Coast, Vetakan Defence Force 1st Battlegroup, Supreme Flagship of the Vetakan Defence Naval Force, Bridge of VDFNS Theeb:

The Vetakan Battlegroup now combined with the Remanents of the Black Thunder Carrier Group slowed and eventually came to a halt off the Bastion Coast. Its Guns Bristleing and all Hands on every ship ready for action. Nobody wanted Conflict not least Supreme Chief Admiral Charles Hornblower, turning to his Operations Commander:

"Run Out the Unarmed Scientific Helicopter"

"Sir?" asked the rather confused Officer

"I do not want a conflict neither one of us nor does the President or the nation. I intend to do all I can to avoid it at all costs ready the Chopper. Jim I have to do this we both know it. Operations Commander Jim Blair you are hearby Proviosnally Promoted to Supreme Admiral You have the Bridge Admiral. Do Not Fire"

"Yes Sir" came a rather proud reply.

Hornblower left the bridge flanked by 2 VDF Diplomatic Bodyguards he walked to the Hanger and out into the Open Air the Helicopter a converted Blackhawk was used by the Theeb to ferry people usually Military Leaders back and forth from the ship to land. Hornblower turned to his Bodyguards:

"I am sorry old friends I must go alone"

Although it went against all Protocal the Bodyguards understood, nodded and moved away. Hornblower climbed aboard and started her up one of the perks of being the highest ranking Naval Commander was that you could take Helicopter Lessons an experienced Pilot now Admiral Hornblower rose from the deck of the Theeb and turned away towards the Shakal now in the air and totally exposed the Admiral began speaking:

"Shakal Fleet copy? Flagship Samantha Copy? Request Clearance to Land?"

OOC: Sorry Shakal I am rather unpredictable like this

OOC: New Mantha my Fleet operates a Stand down Procedure it moblized when Vetaka heard of the Black-Thunder Incident usually it takes 24-48 hours or so.

Bridge Of Samantha

"Sir, the Vetakans are coming in adnrequesting landing permission aboard the ship."

"Give them clearance." The Shakal help had arrived an hour before and already men were disembarking to support the Shakal forces already on the mainland. So far only a division was ashore leaving 19 more to go.

"Vetakan aircraft, this is the Samantha. You have permission to land aboard the vessel." The Shakal fleet now remained stable holding all fire. The Grand Admiral didnt want this to escalate.

Helipad of the Samantha:

Hornblower skillfully landed the Unarmed Blackhawk on the Helipad he desended to the Deck and smiled as he approached an Officer showing his hands to show he was unarmed he began:

"Hello I am Chief Supreme Admiral Charles Hornblower of the Vetakan Naval Defence Force I request an audience with the Commanding Admiral of this Fleet?"

Samantha Helipad

Grand Admiral Samantha walked slowly out to the helipad to meet with the Vetakan admiral. He didnt notice her at first, or at least he didnt show it. To him she looked like a normal petty officer.

"I see you are unarmed." She began. "Its not like I dont have bodyguards, or a clone for that matter." Samantha added. "I am Grand Admiral Conners, Supreme commander of the Shakal naval forces." She said bowing her head.

Samantha Helipad:

Hornblower turned to face the women although he kept his main gaze on her he sweeped the helipad with his peripheral vision 6 Armed Guards on the Helipad he looked up pretending to admire the Ship 3 Snipers on the upper gangway besides being a High Ranking Naval Officer Hornblower like the entire Vetakan High Command had actively fought in the Vetakan Civil War he smiled to the Women:

"Its a fantastic ship you have here, Its a pleasure to meet you Supreme Admiral Conners can we talk in private? oh and tell your Snipers to to Aim slightly to the side of their proposed target the side wind at the moment is ruddy awful."

Chernaya:

Olmedrecan HQ:

After hearing that Aliquantians had landed lieutnant-general Puskar ordered to send message to them:

Message to Aliquantus:
I am pleased to hear that you have arrived. As you forces seem to be mainly east of Chernaya I suggest you to support our 18th mechanized division which is engaging loyalists there. Currently front is stable there because our air support was concentrated to west of town. But loyalists at east are armed mainly only anti-tank weapons and stingers, so they are currently on heavy artillery fire by 18th and we expect soonly to go on offensive on that side of town too.

Olmedrecan fleet near Chernaya:

Admiral Jaak Tammehiis looked at fresh satellite images about Vetakan movements. Intelligence had noticed Vetakan Helicopter landing on Shakal flagship. This could mean new problems.

ooc: Btw Hamilay, have those subs which I sent (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12536177&postcount=59) to attack loyalist supply lines got any kills? Or all loyalist supply lines are on ground in which case I will recall them?

OOC: New Mantha my Fleet operates a Stand down Procedure it moblized when Vetaka heard of the Black-Thunder Incident usually it takes 24-48 hours or so.

OOC: OK thanks, that should be enough time for all my reinforcements to arrive.:D

Hamilay, any word from the Imperials on whether they'd be willing to lend out some airstrip space to my air force? Or on the Imperial air power that was on the way to Bastion?

Admiral Arvando paces the bridge of the Heracles. Over the past hours, his fleet had swelled to around 20 craft - still small compared to the armadas of the Shakal and Vetakans - but more importantly, the Denomination of the Air Force had largely competed the mobilization of aircraft in New Manthian airbases within range of the conflict. In the face of 250 Vetakan ships, it is comforting to know that should the Vetakans start something they will find themselves on the wrong end of a rather vast amount of air-to-ship munitions.

"Admiral, sir, the Vetakans are sending an unarmed helicopter to the Shakal flagship... It looks like a diplomatic mission, sir."

"Huh... maybe not all the Vetakans are as crazy as those other bastards. Open up a live communication link with the Shakal flagship. I don't want to miss anything right now."

OOC: Requesting to be virtually present at this little meeting.;) Via video link if the Shakal have the capability (which I would assume they do?)

OOC: Requesting to be virtually present at this little meeting.;) Via video link if the Shakal have the capability (which I would assume they do?)

OOC: I am happy with that my people are abit like Vulcans, Elves, Clingons and Humans all mixed together lol. Respect, Honour, Loyalty, Bravery and Freedom are the main concerns of my people. Vetaka has no desire to fight but it will do so to Protect Freedom to the last.

OOC: Sorry guys, but I have exams in a week and as such am rather busy of late. Damn real life, what a nuisance. So I won't be posting that often for a while. (as a departure from my normal diligent, punctual schedule :rolleyes: :p ) Apologies.

OOC:can we skip the 1.3km trip to the confrence room. I assume we did with this.

Samantha Confrence Room

The comm officer whispered into the Grand Admirals ear as they reahced the room. She whispered back.

"Here we are." She said motioning for him to enter the room. It looked like a boardroom. Only the most traine deye could tell that the entire room rocked ever so slightly. As they walked in the sceen came to life and the Manth Admirals face popped into view. "Admiral Arvando wishes to be present during this. I hope you dont mind." Samantha said. By now Hornblower didnt really have a choice. Only 5 meters behind them followed a group of 6 guards just in case.

Samantha Confrence Room

Hornblower walked in although he had already been searched he was searched again obviously his Shakal Hosts were not very trusting none the less he kept smiling the 6 six guards were massive however Hornblower was not scared after training with the Vetakan Scouts you knew how to handle yourself. He joked:

"Not at all the more the merrier will anybody else be joining us?"

Hornblower scanned the room instantly noticing a small CCTV Camera he smiled directly at it he thumbled with his Watch all tho his Shakal Hosts would never know the entire meeting was about to be broadcast to the VDFNS Theeb

"Can we begin?"

Samantha Confrence Room

"Dont worry about them, they will be outside." She said waving the guards away. After she closed the door behind her she looked at Hornblower. "Now that we have privacy, why exactly are you here?"

Samantha Confrence Room:

She looked at the women and then at the HD Screen showing Admiral Arvando he sighed before beginning:

"My honourable oppoents I am here to try and avoid Conflict. we both know that if our fleets clash here today not only will our nations loose ships thousands of good people will die and Millions if not Billions more will feel the pain and anguish for years to come. Enough Blood has already been spillt today don't you both agree. The Free Dominion of Vetaka is here to support a Sovereign Ally and a Friend we are here to protect the legally elected government and to preserve freedom and the legally elected and accepted constiution of the Republic of Hamilay what intrest do your nations have in this conflict?"

Arvando coughs, and his image on the screen shakes slightly as a formation of Jackal fighter-bombers roars off the Heracles.

"If I may, Grand Admiral Samantha? It is the position of New Manth that a democratic government is not automatically more legitimate than a monarchy. And surely the democratic government of Hamilay, founded upon violent revolution and massive purges of supporters of the monarchy, has a quite shaky claim to legitimacy in any case? As the Emperor of Hamilay has recently pointed out, it is his intention to restore the rightful government, not overthrow it. And may I also point out the Emperor's assurance that he has no wish to destroy the freedoms Hamilayans have enjoyed in the past."

While the naval situation is in tense standoff, the land battle on Bastion is, so far, moving ahead right on schedule. As the massive Vetakan army begins to disembark, New Manthian Marines (after a quick landing, thanks to their small numbers), roll forward to support the Vetakan front line. Though the small Marine contingent can't offer a huge amount of traditional firepower to aid the Vetakans, the Marines do bring great versatility to the battle - each squad is designed to be relatively self-sufficient, and is equipped to fight against tanks, aircraft, fortifications or infantry as the situation requires.

Samantha Confrence Room:

"A ruling Monarchy does not allow a nation to be trully free, a nations freedom is defined by Elections not by the use of an AK-47. Yes I accept that the Emperor of Hamilay is restoring what he sees as the rightful government of Hamilay however the people whom trully matter in this situation are the Hamilayans themselves, I have no desire to dictate Hamilayan Future however Vetaka cannot stand by and allow the Democratically elected Leader of Hamilay be brushed aside by at this moment a Rebel. What evidence is their that confirms he is the Emperor? Vetaka has no Tactical, Military, Diplomatic or Economical Interest in Hamilay the only reason why we deployed was to ensure Democracy and Freedom. If the Emperor stood in an election and was legally elected to Govenment Vetaka would withdraw its forces without question."

OOC: I havent actively disembarked my forces as of yet.

Samantha Confrence Room:"I have no desire to dictate Hamilayan Future however Vetaka cannot stand by and allow the Democratically elected Leader of Hamilay be brushed aside by at this moment a Rebel.

Arvando raises an eyebrow.

"Ah... "Democratically Elected" because those who might have disagreed had been purged, yes? I must also reiterate that the Hamilayan democracy is not somehow magically more legitimate than the monarchy, simply by virtue of being a democracy. Such ways of thinking, and the populist demagogues who preach them, have been the cause of much needless bloodshed both in Hamilay and New Manth, and indeed in many other nations near and far."

The Admiral pauses for a moment.

"However, now that I have made New Manth's position clear I shall defer to our Shakal allies, who have yet to speak their thoughts on the matter."

OOC: Got that. Hamilay has fairly significant forces on Bastion, though, I believe.

"I agree with the good Admiral. Simply because a nation is a democracy doesnt make it any more fit to rule than a monarchy. The Shakal Empire is a dictatorship, yet the people enjoy just as many, if not more, freedoms than most of those living under Democracy." Samantha said simply. As she spoke the 20 Shakal divisions continued to unload. So far 6 divisions had disembarked.

Samantha Confrence Room:

Hornblower hated Diplomacy but it was somthing he wanted to work upon it wasn't going well. He look around from one to the other standing up he paced around the room:

"Vetaka's only concern is the preservation of Freedom for the Hamilayan People as I have said before we have no other interest beside investigating what the hell happened aboard the Black-Thunder. If you satisfiy my next question then I will do all I can to convince my people back in Vetaka to leave. If you both can give me your personal assurances that Hamilay Freedom will not be compromised and that we dont see Genocide or some other form of Evil, If you can assure me the Emperor will not be as bad as other Monarchs that seem to become Power mad and abuse their powers then I will do all I can to convince my people to trust you. If you can give me your assurances Vetaka or her Allies will not be back in Hamilay again restoring Freedom because the Emperor lied to us we will withdraw. If you have both done your research you will know a Vetakans main quality is Loyalty and Honour if you lie to me then Vetaka will return with as many ships and men as we can muster we will also return under a United Federation of Allied Nations and a Dominion Commonwealth Banner Can you give me your personal assurances Hamilayan Freedom will remain and be preserved?"

OOC: I am going to be out of the game till around 12 Midnight GMT and I really Respect You Both for doing this Thanks!!!

"Of course this shall not happen. Since the beginning of the Empire no genocide has ever been commited by the forces of the Empire. We wouls also return to assist you if the Emperor did such a thing." The Grand Admiral responded honestly. "I shall give my absolute word that the Shakal forces here will never compromise the freedom of these people."

Samantha Confrence Room:

Hornblower Sighed:

"Do you have a Secured Phone Line? That I can contact the Vetakan High Command in Theeb. If they accept it most of the 1st Battlegroup will withdraw to Vetaka however a Fleet will remain in the Area to investigate the Black-Thunder Incident this Fleet because of the War will be armed but they will not be getting involved their Mission will be to recover the Black-Thunder and if possible tow her to back to Vetaka if this is impossible we will be removing anything of danger and sinking her as you know she has capsized and is posing a serious danger to fishing."

Castell

The partisans had rapidly begun to disappear when the sounds of attack helicopters began getting louder, leaving two hundred dead and wounded behind. More Hamilayan Imperial troops began arriving on the scene, moving towards the mostly destroyed buildings lining the road to collect weapons and secure the few prisoners. Three officers, two majors and a captain, were engrossed in a heated argument over whether to pursue the retreating enemy, but it was too late for them to do much in any case. Captain Peterson darted across the street towards the Gatawayans with a dozen soldiers, watching the buildings nervously and dodging the occasional parting shot.
"Captain Peterson, Guards 68th Armoured Division, 219th Battalion. Division CP is two streets across on your left. If you want the central command in the city, though, you'll have to keep going forward down this road for six or seven k's or so. I can take you there, if you need it."

Chernaya

At the moment the Olmedrecans were attacking the Hamilayan left flank, the Imperial Guard troops were preparing for their own offensive along the full front of the lines inside the city.
"Advance!"
Across 30 kilometers of front, neatly ordered ranks of Guards marched forward in step towards the loyalist defences, spread throughout a relatively straight line of buildings, with trenches and bunkers in various places. As soon as they got in range, machine guns began to fire until the noise reached a crescendo, added to by rifle fire. Advancing Imperial soldiers fell to the ground, but the columns marched steadily forward until they got within a hundred metres, when they yelled, broke ranks and charged. In a minute fighting had consumed most of the city buildings, with bayonets and submachine guns being used in abundance. The Imperial troops were proving the steadier, and the loyalist soldiers began to slowly give ground.

Sayenna

The first the Imperial government knew was when ordinary policemen throughout the city began reporting gatherings of people moving towards the city centre. At first the headquarters dismissed the reports, as the government was fighting a war, after all, but soon they had to admit that this was something serious. The newly installed Chief of Police contacted the Presidential Palace.
"What? Civilians moving towards Freedom Square? How many? About ten thousand? Ten thousand? I want every riot unit you have at the front of the Palace right away. Yes, every one you've got. Get to it right now!"

The square was now full of civilians and, hovering around like carrion birds, several foreign news crews. Most of the mob carried angry anti-monarchy signs, and several were waving firearms menacingly. They faced three lines of riot police with shields and tasers across one edge of the square, but neither side had dared to cross the road separating the protestors and the police. Behind the police on the gentle slope below the palace were platoons of Imperial Guards, with several armoured vehicles, simply standing and watching.

"I don't like this," muttered the Emperor watching the tense scene from the balcony. "Look at all those news crews! This is not good PR. If we let them protest, it's bad. If we fire, or if just one policeman with an itchy trigger finger does, everything goes to hell. Any advice, General?"
"What if the protestors attacked first?"
"Doesn't look like they will. They seem to be holding themselves in check. Sure, they have guns, but most people in Hamilay who go out of doors will be carrying their guns with them. Who can blame them, really?"
"Perhaps we could force them to attack first?"
"Oh, yes, because coming out of the palace and taunting them about our revolution will look really classy on TV... wait, an inside job?"
"Precisely. I can have a dozen of our operatives in the crowd in ten minutes. They shoot at us, cops shoot back, situation escalates, IFVs move in to clear the square. Then we pass it off as violent extremist elements in the populace."
"Getting your soldiers to shoot at each other? Will they agree?"
"My men are highly disciplined, your Majesty. Pardon me, but if they decided not to follow orders at this point, they wouldn't have followed along with our little uprising."
"Very well. See to it."

Although some gave them sidelong glances, no one in the angry mob paid much real attention to twenty or so fellow protestors pushing their way through the crowd, two with an RPG. After all, the other armed protestors had had the presence of mind to hold their fire so far, hadn't they?

The rocket lanced through the air and created a fireball where a Legionnaire light vehicle used to be. This was accompanied by accurate rifle fire into the ranks of the riot police, with a few M-203 grenades as well. Instantly the tensions in the square erupted into chaos. The riot policemen scattered, dropping their tasers and bringing out submachine guns, whilst the Guards and their armoured support moved in perfect order towards the chaos, facing some sporadic fire from the crowd but not much. An RPG fired again, destroying one of the infantry fighting vehicles. The 25mm cannons of the remaining four swiveled towards the source of the rocket, opening fire into the packed crowd and creating immediate carnage. The news crews watching would be loving this.

Bastion

The Hamilayan advance against the landing Shakal troops had proceeded well, until the wing of bombers had arrived. The field was instantly cleared of every Hamilayan vehicle moving, leaving surviving infantry standing in stunned shock, although the enemy had probably taken some friendly fire. However, the Hamilayan commanders reacted speedily. The advance could not be allowed to lose momentum, and so the second group of Nakils, supported by Tiger tanks, rolled forward at top speed into the temporarily silent battlefield.

"First Fleet, this is Second Fleet Group Avenger. You there, Harper?"
"Good to hear from you, Paul. Is the attack a go?"
"Apparently so. Command reports there is some kind of conference being held between the Vetakans and others, though, but no orders otherwise."
"Too bad. The Shakal fleet is damaged, and I don't want it to get away. Our pickets have started skirmishing with the enemy ships, but no full engagement as of yet. You have AA destroyers with you?"
"Yep, twenty of the babies. Fifty missile crusiers too. Why, are aircraft a problem?"
"That's putting it mildly. We should have enough AA to fend them off, though. Shall we?"
"Yes, yes we shall. For the Republic, for democracy!"
"Republic and democracy! Celebratory drinks on my bridge or yours?"
"We'll see whose is more intact. You have no subs- yes? Mine should be a surprise, then. I'll send them ahead. You crack the Shakal fleet, I'll send ships to help you. The rest of the fleet will cover your left against the Manth."

Admiral Arvando's image nods.

"I can assure you that New Manth will use whatever influence it has over the Hamilayan Government to help them maintain Hamilay's strong and respected status in the international community, and that includes maintaining Hamilayan freedoms. On that you have my word, Admiral..."

Something appears to be going on offscreen, and Arvando's attention is momentarily distracted as he turns to an officer in the background.

"Pardon me, Admiral Hornblower, but I shall have to take my leave now. It appears we have company. Any ships that remain to investigate the sinking of the Black Thunder will be accorded the full rights of neutral shipping by New Manth, and we shall assist your investigation if we are able. Admiral Samantha, I have arranged for our commuications officers to maintain tactical communications with the Samantha. You know my number."

The Admiral winks at Samantha before the transmission cuts out. He then turns to devote his full attention to the several problems competing for his attention.

"Admiral, the Hamilayan relief fleet from the north is nearing engagement range. We'll be caught between them and the Vetakans..."

"The Vetakans have pledged to a cease-fire, Officer. We must wait a final confirmation from the Vetakan admiral after he confers with his own commanders, but we should be able to focus on the Hamilayans. The Vetakan admiral seems an honorable man."

"Sir, is it wise to trust them? They've, er..."

"Gone off the rocker once already? Yes, indeed. We shall await Admiral Hornblower's confirmation before lowering our defenses against the Vetakans. In the meantime, prepare to engage the Hamilayan fleet. I want every plane that is flyable in the air right away! Cruisers and light ships form up on the Alexandria, subs to range in front of the fleet and try to get some early kills. Carriers to fall back to a safe distance behind the fleet. Any word from the Imperials on air bases or that air strike that was on the way?"

"No sir, but we are getting something else from the Hamilayan capitol. Looks like a standoff between police and protesters has turned violent. People are shooting the place up, the news media was coviering it heavily and there are all sorts of reporters out there running for cover."

"Shit! This is the last thing we need at this delicate stage of negotiations! Who started the firing?"

"The protesters attacked the police, sir, who are firing back to defend themselves. Several foreign media have clearly documented that the first shots came from within the crowd of protesters and that the first casualties were definitely police."

"Well that's a relief at least. Hornblower might not like it, but if the police are defending themselves that's perfectly legit and he can't complain. Same thing would probably happen in Vetaka if crowds shot at the police. Still it's terrible timing. Are there any New Manthian news crews there?"

"There were, sir, but we're not sure anymore. They were getting close ups of the protesters when the shots broke out, and the cameraman was attacked by protesters before the police could rescue him. He's confirmed dead. There's been no contact from the rest of the crew since then, but Central Command is looking into assembling a rescue team if we don't get word soon."

"Very well. Keep me up to date, Officer."

Ethiopia & Somalia United Air Command, Baidoa

The Denomination of the Air Force had assembled nearly 1700 planes to help rescue the Second Fleet and their Shakal allies from the Vetakans, which were now on alert in bases across southeastern New Manth. Now however as it looks like the Vetakans might back off, it appears they might not all be needed. Controllers however are keeping pilots on alert and rready for takeoff, in the event that the Vetakans change their mind, or something else comes up.

Samantha Confrence Room

"I am pleased to hear it Admiral." Samantha said. Right after a knock was heard and the alarm bells wrang. The Hamilayan force had arrived. "My men will escort you back to your aircraft after the call has been made. We shall not fire on any of your vessels." She added. "Now, I have a problem to handle." She finished bowing as she left the room. As she made her way to the bridge she called out orders over her radio. All Shakal aircraft were to beware of missles but take to the sky. The disembarking of the 400 000 Shakal troops on the beachead had just finished and the full force of the navy could be brought to bear. The 20 remaining guns on the Samantha opened fire on the Avenger and over 300 missles soared through the air. Then came the missles from the Ajax Battleships and the missle cruisers. In all nearly 500 missles headed for the Hamilayan navy.

Shakal Landing Forces

Mannstein was the last to embark from his transport. All of the men had arrived on shore and were moving forward to support the outnumberd Shakal frontguard. Already 15 divisions were moving out. This force would move down the flanks of the Hamilayan army and hopefully encircle them.

OOC:Shakal Naval Presence
1 Omega Ship-S.I.N Samantha
3 Superdreadnaughts
3 Super Carrier, 540 Aircraft
7 Escort Carriers, 490 Aircraft
10 Battleships
20 Cruisers
40 Frigates
126 Destroyers
4 Logistics Vessels all in the center of the fleet.
1 Super Tanker Full Of Fuel also in inside of fleet.
25 Strike Submarines

OOC:Shakal Land Forces
9 Infantry Divisions
-180 000 Troops
-900 IFV
-315 SPA
-1900 Towed Artillery
6 Motorized Divisions
-120 000 Troops
-1200 IFV
-420 SPA
-2100 Towed Artillery
4 Mechanized Divisions
-80 000 Troops
-4000 IFV
-800 SPA
1 Panscrier Division
-20 000 Troops
-1000 Armor
-2000 IFV
-500 SPA

Castell

"Nice to meet you fella's" Howard nodded his head towards Peterson..."Thanks for what you did back there...saved all our asses...hopefully we'll get the chance to repay the favor...look me up sometime before we depart and I'll buy you a round of drinks over at HQ....I think we'll be fine moving on to central command..I have no objections if you wanna come along anyways though...I'll be sure to put in a good word to your CO's too.."

Howard was interupted when his radio operator chimed in

"Sir..the Isle off the coast is secured..We've got more air support..Heavy bombers and the air force are going to arrive shortly...along with tons of supplies."

"Well that's damn good news...radio back to HQ and tell them most of the enemy if falling back..see if some of those fly boys can pick a few of em off while they run...it'll mean less to fight later..and its obvious these boys are gonna put up a fight where ever they go..carry on." Howard nodded towards his radio op as he immediately began relaying the desired message.

Meanwhile in the wake of the enemy retreat armored elements swept to the east and west sides of the city forming a classical pincher movement...while the Infantry units advanced carefully but steadily up the middle..Morale was high and casualties were relatively low...the official order to not take prisoners was repealed for now and several dozen had been taken already enroute to the small prison camp established on the now secure island..

Vetakan Defence Force 1st Battlegroup, Supreme Flagship of the Vetakan Defence Naval Force, Bridge of VDFNS Theeb:

"Sir Incoming Message from VDFCC This is it" replied the Comms Officer.

Hornblower back from his mini peace conference snatched the Clipboard from the Comms Officer and began to read this very message would decide whether or not Vetaka would fight on this battlefield:

OBSAT Military Communication of Orders:

To: VDFNS Theeb <SN Admiral Hornblower>
From: VDFCC <High Command>

Subject: New Operational Orders

PEACE ACCEPTED STOP WITHDRAW 1ST BATTLEGROUP WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PRESET FLEET TO NEWMAN ISLAND TO STRENTGHEN HOMELAND DEFENCE STOP HATARIA SITUATION WORSENING HOMELAND DIRECTLY THREATENED STOP CARRIER GROUP ROBIN TO REMAIN AND INVESTIGATE BLACK THUNDER FULL STOP

The Admiral looked up and began barking orders while the fleet prepared to withdraw a message was sent to the Shakal and New Manth Fleets:

VETAKA IS WITHDRAWING. ROBIN CARRIER GROUP REMAINING TO INVESTIGATE BLACK THUNDER GOOD LUCK AND REMEMBER FREEDOM IS PARAMOUNT MAY WE MEET AGAIN ON MORE FRIENDLIER TERMS

OOC: Shakal, how are 400,000 troops starting to land on the beach when the combat between my armoured counterattack and your vanguard hasn't been resolved?

The Aster River, 300 kilometres south of Sayenna (yes I know it's not marked on the map, I only whacked in the rivers to show that major city x has a river running through it)
Field Marshal Bennett looked out the turret of the Advancer APC through his binoculars, surveying the river and the lead columns of tanks advancing towards the three highway bridges. He nodded in satisfaction. At this rate, they'd be in Sayenna in a few days, and morale was high after taking almost no casualties. Suddenly, the bridges seemed to disappear in flares of orange and yellow. He froze, his cigarette dropping from his mouth. A few unlucky tanks at the front splashed into the water, and the distant sounds of gunfire began to echo across the Hamilayan countryside. This was the moment he'd been dreading, although he hadn't really expected it for some time.

"This is Lieutenant General Avalos. Lead elements of XXV Corps are under attack, bridges have been detonated. Requesting reinforcements and engineers to get pontoons up."
"Copy that. Field Marshal Bennett to all units; advance at full speed. I, IX and XIII Corps are to move up and form line across the length of the river, reaching from Hill 19 east to the edge of Lake Torrens. The offensive continues. 124th Engineers, get up to the river and repair those bridges for XXV right away. Bennett out."

The largest and bloodiest battle of the Hamilayan Civil War so far was about to commence.

Bastion

"Sir, more Shakal troops are landing on the beach in force. Request as many divisions as can be released to move east to support us."
"Granted. Nine of our divisions are now ready to move. Your orders are to fight a holding action, falling back onto the mountainside if necessary. Our motor-infantry will move up to support you in the hills whilst the mech divisions will move to intercept the Shakal flanking advance. Armour is in reserve. We're securing the city and we've managed to form some cohesion in four more divisions, in addition to our thirteen, although they're woefully understrength. These nine divisions are all the reinforcements you're getting for some time. Use them wisely. Good luck, General."

[naval battle up tomorrow]

OOC: Shakal, how are 400,000 troops starting to land on the beach when the combat between my armoured counterattack and your vanguard hasn't been resolved?


OOC:They are unloading as my other men are fighting. I messed up a bit in timeline. Only around 4 divisions have landed. Sry about that.

"Admiral, sir. The Vetakan fleet is withdrawing!"

Everyone on the bridge breaths a sigh of relief, notwithstanding the Hamilayan fleet about to attack them. Arvando cracks a smile.

"Who said these Vetakans were all crazy? All right, contact the Air Force. Since we don't need to hit the Vetakans, we might as well bomb the shit out of this Hamilayan fleet."

"Got that sir, cont-"

The young officer is interrupted as the bridge's radio crackles to life. A priority message.

"Admiral Arvando, this is Commander Mohammed Rashidi, Denomination of the Air Force High Command. Denomination of the Air Force planes will not be available for the coming battle."

"What? Why?"

Stress is clearly audible in the reply, even over the radio's crackling.

"Hostile fleets in the Mediterranean and Red Seas are moving towards the homeland. Unidentified planes of unknown number and make are inbound towards the Sinai and the Suez Canal. Also... We've experienced a nuclear detonation. Detonation north of Alexandria, near the Third Fleet's base. Under the circumstances Central Command has canceled any further reinforcement of the Hamilayan peacekeeping operation. You are on your own, Admiral. Excuse me, I must attend to matters here."

The message cuts out as abruptly as it began, leaving a moment of stunned silence in its wake. The silence is quickly broken, however, by low alarms that signal the Hamilayan fleet is entering engagement range. Instinct takes over as the Heracles's officers spring to battle stations.

"Alexandria and sister ships report that long range missile systems are aquiring targets! We're also getting reports of Hamilayan radar painting our ships..."

Admiral Arvando shakes his head slightly, still a but stunned.

"Tell them to fire as they acquire targets. Focus on antiaircraft vessels and small craft until the enemy is within range of our heavy guns, the capital ships are likely to have armor enough to absorb anything but a lucky hit from a missile. What of the Dominant?"

"She's been moved to the rear, sir. They've got another engine up and running, but she's still making only eight knots or so."

"Jackals?"

"In the air, sir, and our interceptors, too."

"Move them in and start attack runs. Now!"

Chernaya

Olmedrecan HQ

“General”, said aide, “First Citizen wants to speak with you immediately.”

Lieutnant-General Puskar realized what it was about, reinforcements had arrived, so probably new supreme commander is also sent. He had rised to position of Lieutnant-General very recently, so another promotion so early was very unlikely.

“Yes, Citizen Põhjakotkas?”

“Good morning, Lieutnant-General Puskar”, said Vesse Põhjakotkas, First Citizen of Olmedreca, “as you probably know your reinforcements have arrived. As result our Hamilayan forces will be formed into full army known as Olmedrecan 1st Intervention Army. Now as you know armies are commanded by full generals, not by lieutnant-generals.”

“Yes, Sir, im ready to give my position to my successor immediately, I assume he arrived with reinfoircements?”

“Actually I have little different plans, I have analysed your operations personally, and I am highly satisfied with your perfomance, as result I promote you to general, you are given full command over our new army, I expect you to keep up good work.”

Puskar smiled, so good day showed that Tharapita liked him:

“Yes, Sir!”

Port of Chernaya

Olmedrecan reinforcements were marching to ground, among two ordinary mechanized divisions was Tharapitian Guard division “Silver”. Tharapitian Guard is undisputable elite of Olmedrecan armed forces, known for their high proffessionality, high morale and also for fanatical decisiveness to follow orders and fulfill them at all costs. There is only limited amount of such divisions. Those units consist purely of volunteers, who receive not only harsh military training but also political indoctoration.
Critics call them “Waffen-SS of Olmedreca”, but general populance loves them. News of “Silver”’s arrival to theatre quickly spreaded to all Olmedrecan units, morale rise was notable because everyone realized what deployment Tharapitian Guard means. It meant that Supreme War Council takes conflict with full seriousness, and plans to win it at all costs.

West of Chernaya and Olmedrecan navy at sea

At west of town units from 26th armoured division started catching up with advance of 6th mechanized and joined the attack on retreating loyalists. With arrival of reinforcements 2 Nimitz class CVN’s also arrived, rising total number of Olmedrecan carriers to six. Admiral Tammehiis was prepared to launch new airstrikes. 120 Harrier 2’s, 25 F-99 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=10405337&postcount=2056)’s and 60 A-7 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11393405&postcount=3467)’s took off from carriers and headed to support Olmedrecan advance at west of town.

Admiral Tammehiis was confident, loyalist anti-air was now probably even weaker then earlier as now their poorly armed and trained national guard was on front. Planes were armed with napalm again, as Military Intelligence believed that breaking national guard morale should be a lot easier compared to ordinary enemy divisions. And killing all enemys was not needed, breaking their line, capturing them, and continuing fast advance was currently preferred approach.

East of Chernaya

Thistle-General Arethusa was now unable to move, the military base east of Chernaya was still under construction and the MLRS artillery was not even out of the port, let alone ready to support an advance. The troops where unable to move as the construction of the base needed protection and the lack of air power meant that troops had almost no support at all.

However, makeing use of her force was a trait that Arethusa had perfected, she sent out section sized patrols to gather information, meet locals and provoke a responce. She also made use of the ships out to sea as fire support.


OOC: I need a map Hamilay please.

ooc:http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12476602&postcount=4

Off the coast of Bastion

As the rain of Shakal missiles approached, the Hamilayan CIWS systems on the warships as well as anti-missile ordnance from the missile cruisers sailed into the air. The skies above were filled with small bursts of light as missiles were shot down. The CIWS systems managed to destroy two-thirds of the Shakal weapons, but the others got through, either finding their marks among the Hamilayan fleet or splashing into the sea. Twenty warships were crippled or destroyed, and the Avenger was struck by twelve missiles in all and numerous shells. Explosions rocked the gigantic ship, and plumes of smoke began to billow from various parts of the hull. The firefighting crews on board got to work immediately, but the warship temporarily ground to a halt, leaving the rest of the fleet to continue on ahead. The Hamilayan warships answered the Shakal attack, with their own salvo of shells and missiles arcing towards the enemy fleet. The 2nd Battle Group had brought carriers this time, and squadrons of interceptors and attack planes were taking to the air. Every asset Command had was being thrown into this battle, the end result of which two hundred aging Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft were heading from Bastion towards the Shakal fleet as well.

Castell

The Gatawayan officers entering the large red brick building serving as the Imperial command post were greeted by a hive of activity, as soldiers were packing sensitive equipment and moving it to a column of trucks waiting outside. An officer with general's stripes met them at the door.

"Gatawayans? Lieutenant-General Schroeder, Fifth Corps. As you can see, we're packing up. Our forces have been recalled to the capital, and from there back to the south. One division remains behind to pacify the city. The railway lines are secured and our troops are loading onto trains now. It seems there's a major battle going on down there, and Sayenna is under threat. If you'll kindly come with us, we need every rifle we can get. There are four or so armies' worth of loyalists moving north. We've currently halted them on the Aster. I can have a train ready for your troops and vehicles in two hours."

Chernaya

The battle for the city was lost. The rear had completely collapsed, and the front lines were being pushed back. The Imperial Guard troops not three hundred metres away from the Hamilayan Army central base saw, in the distance, the Hamilayan eagle joined by a plain white flag. A radio message went out to the Hamilayan troops, instructing them to follow suit.

[This is gradually moving to a more 'organised' war, with a defined front between North and South]

Castell


Voraz adjusted his helmet before speaking..

"Yes we shall join you on your drive south...A united front is stronger than a divided one..We shall inform our Mediterranican allies of our move..I also offer the support of our air forces which have just recently arrived, super heavy bombers, fighters and other attack craft I'll order them to begin recon and harassment missions immediately...
Also our heavy armor divisions should be arriving shortly as well along with 50,000 more troops...
Furthermore..personally it is an honor to fight along side you in your cause now I must go to relay our new orders to my staff best of luck to you."

With that Voraz departed getting back into his command Diamondback vehicle..before riding off to his own HQ..

Meanwhile..

Howard now aware of the new orders was busy organizing men into vehicles and onto the train...He knew the fighting they had experienced in Castell was going to be a cakewalk compared to what they would soon be enduring.

Chernaya

Olmedrecan HQ

At recently promoted Genral Puskar’s headquarter Olmedrecan officers rised toast of vodka for victory.
General Puskar said:
“I would like to congratulate everyone here for acting proffesionally and demonstrating quality of Olmedrecan Armed Forces. Our succesful flanking manouver which cut off main loyalist supply line combined with imperialist advance inside the town forced loyalists to surrender, resulting importnant victory.”
He turned towards Admiral Tammehiis,
“and of course special thanks go to our friends at navy for effective air support, I am afraid that situation may demand us to start operating inland, far away from your fleet.”

Admiral answered:
“I was very pleased to have so succesful cooperation with Army, and I hope we will have future chances to work together. Navy wishes you good luck.”

Puskar said:
“And good luck for you too. But now gentlemen, back to work. I want all loyalists we have captured to be transferred immediately to imperialists, let Hamilayans deal with Hamilayans. Also everyone, get your troops ready to move. Battle of Chernaya is won but war still continues."

Colonel Tõnisson from Military Intelligence stepped forward:
“Military Intelligence believes that most likely imperialists will call us to Sayenna. Our analysis shows that both sides prepare for decisive battle there.”

Puskar looked at map:
“Well, that is quite far from our current location. I want imperialists to be contacted immediately to know where they exactly need us and what transportation methods we need to use. Hopefully they have some working railroads there. 13th Engineers Regiment will stay at Chernaya. Repairing port is still going on. Also Chernaya will most likely continue to function as main arrival port for all supplies and reinforcements we get from Olmedreca.“

OOC: Hamilay, could you be more exact where that north-south frontline exactly is? I need to know which ports are controlled by friends and which by enemys before deciding where to send my fleet.

Is the war over?The fiefdom of Pwasune,as well as our allied nations of Abdalqa,Muwassa,Baow,Ckub and Awdara-Bawar would like to support empiere loyalists and donate money to local empiere support groups-for gurila warfare and such.

Also,we would like to buy from any government that ruler the country,rights to a radar station on Bastion or the unnamed island by Castell-in witch case our six nations will either support the curent ruling government,if it is the empiere,or will NOT donate money on guerila warfare.

Off the coast of Bastion

The Hamilayan respons eto the attack had been fierce. The anti-missle defence systems couldnt stop all the shots being sent. Half got through and delivered powerful blows to the Shakal ships. 12 Destroyers went down and two cruisers were sitting ducks. The Shakal Superdreadnaughts got the worst of the shells and rocked from the hits. The control teams sprang to life. Three SCUMAG guns were taken out by the shots along with around a dozen AA guns. One hit blew away the entire frontal defence platform sending up flames. Fire was returned again. The Shakal ships sent more missles and sheels at the Hamilayans. In the meantime the Shakal airforce of around 900 planes took to the air for support. 300 went off to beat back the Hamilayans coming in from Bastion, 400 went for the Hamilayan fleet and the remainder circled the fleet to intercept missles and take hits for the ships if necessary.

OOC: For the rest of my fleet's actions, see previous post.

Off the coast of Bastion

Six submarines slide through the water towards the enemy fleet, even as missile volleys are exchanged overhead. These subs are hunter-killers, optimized to attack enemy submarines and surface vessels with light missiles and torpedoes, rather than to carry long range ship-to-shore missiles or strategic nukes. Aboard, the tense silence of a submarine crew going into action has settled. Each crewman knows very well that while a crewman on a surface vessel might survive its destruction, a submarine's crew has no such hope. Even when speaking is required, the crewmen do so in hushed, nervous tones.

"We're acquiring targets... No sign of enemy subs so far, but we are keeping a sharp lookout sir."

The captain wipes his brow. A little bead of sweat nonetheless trickles down the side of his head. No submariner ever wants to put his crew in danger of sinking, but there is duty to do..."

"Let's give the others time to acquire targets as well. Fire in twelve seconds, Lieutenant."

"Got that sir. Torpedoes armed and ready. Nine seconds and counting."

Nine seconds later, the first volley of torpedoes leaves the tubes.

East of Chernaya

After initial delays the Aliquancian Adepta Mere Brigade lead the advanced south east leaving the newly built Camp Fiver military base witch is just east of Chernaya. The target is Serinnha, securing the eastern flank of the Gatawan and Olmedrecan advance south.

After several miles had been passed the force divided, the 20th AS artillery regiment fielding the MLRS, the XXV Air Defence Battery, the XVI Signals Battalion and an engineer detachment set up a fire base in order to support the advance and eventually the attack on Serinnha. After another several mile tab further, the men dug in so they could rest and prepare for the final advance to the FUP and the assault on west Serinnha.

Camp Fiver Military Base

The large rectangle 4x8mile base supports the Aliquancian contribution to the Hamilay conflict, the base is protected by a large force and contains a military hospital, the Aliquancian Forces Headquarters Hamilay (AFHH), the air support and the logistics centre.

>>MAP<< (http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w109/Orexins/Hamilaycopy.jpg)

SECURE TRANSMISSION
PRIORITY 1-BLUE
TO: Commanders, Aliquantus/Olmedreca/Gataway forces aiding Hamilayan Empire

A major loyalist offensive is currently being launched to the south of the capital. Your presence is urgently requested in Sayenna. Helicopters will be dispatched to provide transport.

Ministry of Defence
Empire of Hamilay

Off the coast of Bastion

The Hamilayan navy was standing up reasonably well to the Shakal fire. Many ships went down, but as the fleets closed on one another losses were beginning to equalize the enemy's. Two hundred F-19 interceptors took off to engage the Shakal aircraft, and the ample collection of Hamilayan anti-aircraft destroyers readied themselves. The attack planes from Bastion, whilst having a hundred or so Sukhoi fighter bombers to support them, were easy targets for any Shakal interceptors and everyone knew it. They would have to mostly fend for themselves, with their escorts causing enough distraction to unload enough munitions on the enemy fleet. Eight warships in the Hamilayan vanguard take fire from the Manth submarines and two sink instantly. 12 of the attack submarines sent in front move to hunt them down, as the surface ships cannot afford to break formation to attack the submarines.

OOC:

maps of the south.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e267/Flaw3dLegacy/Hamilay_frontlines.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e267/Flaw3dLegacy/frontAster2.jpg
The attack in the west is not particularly large, and the empire needs all its troops south of the capital anyway. Shall we skip the flight to allied generals landing in Sayenna? (if they have no objections, of course)

ooc: wouldn't it be more reasonable to use railways for transport? You need lots of helicopters for transfering 125 thousand Olmedrecans with heavy weaponry. If we add up Gatawanyans and Aliquantians it gets even worse. And yes, am fine with skipping transportation part, we can simply assume that road to Sayenna is under imperialist control so no notable fighting.

Olmedreca;12659559']ooc: wouldn't it be more reasonable to use railways for transport? You need lots of helicopters for transfering 125 thousand Olmedrecans with heavy weaponry. If we add up Gatawanyans and Aliquantians it gets even worse. And yes, am fine with skipping transportation part, we can simply assume that road to Sayenna is under imperialist control so no notable fighting.
whoops. The armies are being transported by rail, but helicopters are being sent for the commanders to discuss war plans and suchlike.

OOC: Did you finish adressing our land battle? I cant do much until you do.

OOC: Did you finish adressing our land battle? I cant do much until you do.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12627442&postcount=177
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12632331&postcount=182
Mostly, I guess. Off to bed, sorry, but I can do more tomorrow. Hurray for Fridays. :p

AAGGHHH EXAMS IN FIVE DAYS AAAGH CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP

Bridge Of Samantha

The Shakal fleet continued to fire missle savlos at the Hamilayans. The 30" shells from the Samantha were large enough to do heavy damage to all known Hamilayan vessels engaged. The airforce went in and took a hard initial hit from the Hamilayan missles and AA defence. Two dozen went down easily. The primary mission of the Shakal fighters war to cripple the Hamilayan carriers and battleships. Several Bn-IV dove towards the decks of carriers and sent there bombs down with stunning accuracy as the F-22s covered the sky with the reliable Su-37.

Bastion

Alexander got into the IFV. The Shakal aircraft run had devastated the Hamilayan attack. The initial Shakal vanguard had suffered hefty casualties, over 6000. Luckily for Alexander Mannstein and the other Shakal help was unloading and had already met him in the rear. Mannstein had ordered a careful advance straight to Bastion that would encircle the leftover Hamilayans. Now that the enemy army had to march on foot the Shakal would take them prisioner and move on.

Sayenna

As General Puskar’s transport helicopters approached to airfield general asked from aide: “Any news from Olmedreca?”

“Actualy yes, we will most likely get soon our own air arm to compensate the fact that we are far from our fleet and to avoid getting dependant of imperialists. Still exact size of it has not decided.”

“Good, well looks like its time for us to get up”
Helicopters had finished landing and General Puskar with several aides on other officers came out.

Ooc: oops, now I understand.
Btw, I think we can skip the part where generals move from airfield to whatever place where you want to have that discussion.

Voraz stepped out of the helicopter escorted by several Had Jemzi guards and members of his staff...Turning to them before carrying on to the designated meeting area..

"Gentlemen, this will make or break us defeat is not acceptable and I expect nothing but a total victory here...relay this to the division commanders make sure they understand what is at stake and then meet with me for our allied command briefing."

"Right away sir." The officers saluted then went off to report the general's expectations to the field officers

Voraz continued on towards the meeting area spotting the Olmedrecan commanders across the field there was an air of confidence about his walk as he had heard the reports that all of the heavy bombers and air support craft had arrived at rearguard island along with tons of supplies and other military equipment...Still being a veteran of many conflicts Voraz knew the war was far from over and that fortunes in wartime could change unexpectedly and very quickly..The coming battle was the moment he was waiting for.

Thistle-General Arethusa's aircraft began a quick decent to the airfield as was common practice dureing wartime the helicopter rapidly decended, she was the last to arrive. Takeing off the helmet, she exited.

Seeing the other present commanders, she knew that she would not have to wait for talks to begin. She issued her final orders to her subordinate commanders "Make sure that you only call my comm line if it is an emergancy, I will call you when the conference is done, over" after a quck muffled reply of "wilco" she then walked towards the other commanders.

Sayenna

The fires throughout the city had mostly died down now, and rebuilding efforts were already underway. The new government wanted to present a positive face to the inhabitants of its capital. The Mi-26 Halos carrying the commanders were met by a company of guardsmen, lined up in full parade regalia in welcome. The Hamilayan soldiers guided the arrivals to separate Legionnaire armoured cars, who drove to the road outside the terminal, where they were joined by more armoured vehicles and split into three separate groups for security reasons. Fifteen minutes all three convoys pulled up outside the fifteen-story concrete Ministry of Defence, where workers were already tearing down the diving Republican falcon over the entrance and replacing it with the Imperial one. More soldiers inside ushered them into a large boardroom, with a table in the middle upon which was placed a map of Hamilay, and, with typical Hamilayan practicality, a large bowl of pretzels. There were three figures seated, two men in suits and two in military uniform. A woman in military uniform stood in front of a projector screen, bending over and tapping on a laptop.

One of the officers stood and saluted.
"General Puskar. Archduke-Marshal Voraz. Thistle-General Arethusa. I am Commandant-General Sharpe, head of the Imperial Guards," rattling off names and titles briskly. He gestured to the other men around the table.
"Imperial Minister of Defence Dawson, General Kosov, and His Imperial Majesty William the Sixth, Ruler of the Hamilayan Empire. Have a seat. Lieutenant-General Lucas here is deputy to Commander-in-Chief South, here to give us a report on the situation on the Aster. Fire away."
The woman smiled and saluted as well.
"I am pleased to report that the line is being held. The enemy have not managed to create significant threats as of yet. A reasonably large attack- division size or so- was launched through Asterna last night, but the enemy were wiped out, although this does not dent their numbers. Many heavy artillery pieces have been spotted moving to the front, and these will prove to be a problem when a large attack comes. Our light artillery and transport crews are performing admirably, being skilled and fast enough to avoid being counterbatteried, so our own artillery remains a significant obstacle to enemy attack. As you know, we are outnumbered three or four times, and the enemy also has superiority in attack aircraft. However, this is not as large a problem as it may seem, as we have better interceptors and have managed to deny them air superiority, but we aircraft are not being particularly decisive on either side."
"And you think you can keep holding the line?" asked Dawson.
"To be honest, the battle could go either way at the moment. We can certainly repel them, but we cannot launch our own initiatives, and unless you can release half a million troops, this is unlikely to change. CINC-South urgently requests reinforcements, regardless."
"He'll have them. This is what the Olmedrecans, Aliquantans and Gatawayans are down here for. If they have no objections, of course." The Minister directed a questioning look at the three foreign generals.
"General Kosov here is bringing two corps to assist you. This is all I can spare from the defence of the city," spoke up Commandant-General Sharpe.
"Minister, what is your assessment of the strategic situation?" asked the Emperor.
"If the enemy force a decisive breakthrough, we are finished. The Aster must be held at all costs. Supplies are not much of a problem for either side. Here, a victory is pushing the enemy back, regardless of casualties. They are looking for a quick end here, and this is as many troops as they will ever commit. If they lose, it is possible they may sue for peace. If, in addition to a victory on the Aster, the Shakal take Bastion, a total Imperial victory in the near future is highly likely."
"Ladies and gentlemen, you see the stakes here. Defeat is not an option."

Bastion

The importance of Bastion was understood by the Hamilayan defenders as much as the importance of Sayenna, and despite a lack of tanks, they fought ferociously, with enough light armoured vehicles to prolong their resistance. Some gunners had finally been found for the support division's self-propelled guns, and over a hundred now opened fire on the advancing Shakal.
"My men are taking heavy casualties from Shakal tanks. I need those armoured divisions to be released now! And get us some damn air cover!"
"Both armoured divisions are prepared. I'll inform them we are counterattacking now, then. Air cover is also an affirmative."
The Hamilayan tanks in reserve rolled forward towards the battle to the west, with fifty interceptors cruising overhead. The infantry in front parted to let them pass, and the tanks flooded through the openings in the line firing steadily.

Off the coast of Bastion

The chaos in the air, especially over the carriers swallowed many Shakal dive bombers, but the aircraft got through the screen over three carriers. One took four bombs and exploded, whilst the others were damaged but remained afloat.
"Heartland Shield is gone! Guardian Angel and Liberty Star are taking hits from bombers. Damn it, Conqueror is hit and burning too, from the dreadnought."
"Get those planes over the Shakal fleet back here now to clear the skies above the carriers. Lieutenant, bring all guns to bear on the Samantha. Our aircraft have damaged it, and it's the Navy's job to finish it off. Relay an order to the rest of the fleet to target it as well."

OOC: YAY I've been sig'd! :fluffle:

Though I am slightly worried as to over whether I was sig'd for the first part or the second part :D

Sayenna
OOC: YAY I've been sig'd! :fluffle:

Though I am slightly worried as to over whether I was sig'd for the first part or the second part :D

OOC:A little bit of both :fluffle:

IC:

Bridge Of Samantha

"Sir! They are concentrating fire on us." The Grand Admiral heard before a shell hit the top of a frontal gun turret. The armor was holding the smaller shells and missles back, but the ship was taking a beating.

"Fall back behind the line. We cant risk losing the ship, and our guns can easily shoot over out allies." The Grand Admiral ordered. The ship immediatly began a slow turn into the deper fleet. The screening units coved it with anti-air missles and continued to send more at the Hamilayans. "And get some more cover to out land forces. The Hamilayans are well outnumbered in the air, send all we can spare."

Deck Of Supercarrier Titan

Captain Martini watched as the frigate cruising beside the carrier went up in flames. The fleet hadnt faced a fight this hard in years. He just hoped that the aircraft he had ordered kept in reserve would be enough cover for the ground forces. 40 planes took off and headed for the island joined by another 20 from the air.

Shakal Mobile HQ

"Sir, it appears the Hamilayans are countering with there armor." Mannstein smiled when he heard it.

"Continue the pincer movement and tell the men to fight them back. I dont want this taken to the civilian populace." He said. "Ensure that our men are on schedule." The Shakal Panscier divisions were on the move of the flanks hoping to encircle the Hamilayan forces . The mechanized and notirzed forces moved up the center to face the Hamilayan counter. They had the support of a third panscrier division and 1000 armor. The armored forces faced the enemy. Then the enemy planes came, they took a heavy toll on all of the Shakal forces. The entire front line was defeated by the barrage. Mannstein knew help would come, but it had damn well bteer be soon.

Bastion

Morale remains high among the New Manthian Marines despite their puny numbers in comparison to the other two combatants - each squad is equipped with a fortune's worth of gadgets, weapons and assorted gear, and each man is well-trained and well-paid. More to the point, casualties have so far been light, though it looks like that might change in the future. Most of the Marines are reaching the front lines in the face of what looks to be a large Hamilayan counterattack.

No soldier is easily convinced to charge an enemy tank formation, and cover-seeking is the order of the day, as men seek shelter behind stone walls, trees, and in ditches. Javelin antitank missiles and self-propelled mortars greet the Hamilayan advance, while other soldiers lay down small-arms fire against the remaining Hamilayan infantry and snipers scramble for position. Further back, the Marines' mobile AA is forming up in case it is needed, and a few Hyena tank killers and Nakil 1A1s on loan from the Army roll forward.

Off the coast of Bastion

So far it is still hard to tell how well the Manthian strategy is working in this section of the naval battle, but it's already nearing time to change it. The Hamilayans are coming within range of the Alexandria's 19-inch guns, and further back the Dominant is preparing to act as a floating battery. For now, the gunners are ordered to continue to target smaller ships and AA craft preferentially, as Arvando hopes to make things as easy as possible for the allied aircraft.

Fortunately the Fleet aircraft lost earlier had been replaced during the lull between the two battles. About 140 Jackals speed towards the Hamilayan craft, escorted by a much smaller wing of interceptors whose main function is to distract and delay any enemy air cover.

"Skies are clear in our area." reports one pilot.

"Looks like the Hamilayan aircraft are still focusing on the Shakal." replies a controller back on the Heracles. "Make 'em regret it."

"Confirmed. Beginning attack runs."

"Your escorts are doing their best to damage enemy AA. Your job is to hit the carriers if you can, but don't take too many risks. You see a juicy target, you take it."

The Manthian leader grins. Unlike in the last engagement, this time Manthian airmen are properly armed. The earlier engagement had given the Hamilayans just a taste of Manthian firepower before the battle had been broken off. But this time, the Manthians have no intention of retreating before doing all the damage they can.

Voraz stood and began to speak to the other generals and the Emperor...

"Our forces will be more than willing to reinforce your forces along the Aster...we have heavy artillery and armor..I am also glad to report that Gatawan forces were successful in capturing the Island off Castell and we have established an air base there. Currently we have 150 heavy bombers and 230 fighters/attack craft plus what we have from our carriers...If air superiority and escort can be provided I would suggest we use our heavy bombers to first attack the enemies supply routes..and then bomb them directly..while our heavy artillery can help repulse any enemy advances..

Once the enemy has taken significant losses launch a counter offensive with my forces swinging out around the west, Olmedrecan and Aliquancian forces swinging out from the east and your Imperial forces advancing up the center...My forces and the Olmedrecan/Aliquancian forces will swing towards each other thus we will completely envelop the enemy in a classical pincer movement"

Voraz sat back down and awaited the reply to his proposal from the allied commanders

General Puskar looked at map and said:
“Well, I like agressiveness of Archduke-Marshal Voraz plan, but I would like to put another plan on table. We can use that lake at east for our advantage. Also that foothold imperialists have at southern banks of Aster river is very useful. We should keep Gatawan airforce behind at first so enemy would not know about it. By the way, I should be able to get some Olmedrecan airforce also to area, but I am not sure about details yet.

Now to plan, firstly imperialists start using Asterna extensively in their propaganda, declaring that this town will not be lost at any costs. But at same time imperialists will slowly start losing ground to enemy at Asterna. Of course retreat will be very slow with regular counter-attacks, every inch must be given only after fierce fight, and enemy must be forced to constantly call new forces to battle to keep up their slow advance. Then enemy will feel extreme political pressure to continue advance inside town and use everything possible there to achieve that victory. Perfect Stalingrad scenario.

Now comes time to close the trap. Firstly imperialists will make diversionay counterattack inside the town to keep enemy attention in the town. Then Olmedrecans, Gatawans, Aliquantians and all imperialists who can be spared will hit at west of town with main aim to reach to lake and that way surround enemy main force at South-Asterna. At same time we will bring into game Gatawan and Olmedrecan airforce, as enemy has not prepared for it then it will hit them really hard making their movements a lot slower. If everything goes as planned we will have very large enemy force surrounded at South-Asterna.”

OOC: Dammit, sorry. The imperials have no foothold south of the river, the line is just placed there for easier viewing. The lesson here is to never trust my paint skills, ever. :p

Ministry of Defence, Sayenna

Sharpe shook his head. "No good. The enemy has a lot of fixed AA, but apart from that all the land from the Aster to the coast is flat, open and developed. Although we could disrupt supplies somewhat by attacking the major rail and road links, it's easy enough to send supplies by the minor roads or by air so as to make it a waste of time."

"Marshal, I'm not sure launching our own mass offensive is viable at this time. We are outnumbered two or three to one, although our soldiers are of higher quality," said Lucas.

The Minister for Defence raised his hand tentatively. "I'm liking General Puskar's plan..."

"An excellent strategy, Minister, but there is a slight snag. The terrain in Asterna is atrocious for fighting, and the enemy took significant losses when they attempted an advance through there, as I said before. There are indications they're shifting away from the city, so we might not be able to lure them into it again. We could exploit this, but then they have the defensive advantage, and the enemy can afford to take casualties much more than we can."

"There is another tentative plan," said Sharpe. "Minister, can you unearth some river monitors, perhaps?"

"I may be able to rustle up some patrol boats and landing craft, although as you know we don't have many. Why? Ah, the lake."

"Yes, the lake. We can put troops in Asterna to support a general advance in the future once enemy numbers are depleted."

"Although there won't be much point if the city is full of enemy troops after trapping them in there..." spoke Kosov for the first time.

"Perhaps we will need to see the situation first hand, as it develops. In any case, I wouldn't advise launching an attack for a while yet. With Gatawan artillery, we should be able to hold the line for plenty of time."

The Emperor clapped his hands. "Very well, then. Anything else, Commandant-General?" He gave a look to Sharpe which conveyed some boredom, although none of the others saw it.

Bastion

"Hey, more Nakils? What the hell?"
"They're Manth, genius! Why the hell would our own tanks be moving right up the centre of the enemy lines? Shoot at them!"
"All right, all right. Geez, calm down, Sarge. APFSDS is firing."
The 120mm gun boomed and one of the enemy tanks ahead exploded.
"Nice shot."
"Damn, I see a lot of tanks moving up on our left. A Troop is in trouble."
"Call it into HQ, then."

With the help of air support, the advance in the centre continued steadily across a field now obscured by smoke grenades. The Hamilayan mechanized infantry on the flanks were being pushed back by the Shakal armour, though, and the Hamilayan commanders decided to alleviate this with more air support. The so far unused attack helicopters would now be sent into battle, and 50 Black Panther and 20 Zenith gunships flew to the Hamilayan flanks and started firing rockets into the advancing Leopards.

Off the coast

"The Samantha is falling behind. Incoming Manth planes, sir."
"Inform the AA destroyers we have more targets, as if they needed them. Our planes are returning from their attack on the Shakal fleet, I want them to form a line around the perimeter and hit the Manth fighters with their remaining ordnance from the left as they return."

Aster River

First Lieutenant Blake, of the 292nd Airborne, Hamilayan Army, sat in the back of the IL-76, with the other 20 members of his squad. Bridging vehicles and engineers had arrived at the front, so in about four minutes the paratroopers were going to drop behind enemy lines to support a general advance. The battalion rally point was a town a mere seven k's behind the front- Ashfield, he thought it was called. They'd take it and crack the Imperial rear guard in two, hopefully linking up with 70th Mech as they crossed the river.

At least, that was the plan. If they were unlucky, they could drop smack bang in the middle of the Imperial lines, or if they were even more unlucky, an F-19 would slip in and kill their transport before they managed to do anything at all.

"Paras, be advised, the Wraiths are occupying most of the enemy's attention, but a small wing of interceptors is coming after us. Hang on, this could get unpleasant," said their pilot over the intercom.

Damn. Speak of the devil. He gripped his rifle tighter, although he knew it would do no good, and peered out of the small window at the formation of aircraft. Hundreds of feet below he could discern smaller planes firing at each other. That would be the A-7 Wraiths bombing the imperialists below. Blake was suddenly blinded by a flash of light and a deafening explosion, and instinctively threw himself flat. The intercom system was filled with yelling and screams, but his aircraft seemed to be continuing as normal. He poked his head above the wall to the window and saw the Candid to the left in the formation drifting to the ground almost lazily, plumes of smoke billowing from its left engines. At that moment, he was grateful that he hadn't been informed whose squad was in which aircraft. The mood among his squad had unsurprisingly changed abruptly, with worried faces and some prayers all round. The lieutenant gritted his teeth and readied his rifle. This was his second jump into combat, the first being during the short-lived Pythogria-Kraven War. This would not be so easy.

"Approaching target zone in two!"
"All right, squad, you heard our driver." He realised how much his voice was shaking, and tried to steady it. He still had more real combat experience than most of his soldiers, he thought bitterly to himself. "You all know your duties. The fate of this offensive rests on us. Don't let your country down."

The ramp of the aircraft swung open.

"Go, go, go!"

The Hamilayan paratroopers jumped. As Blake was in freefall towards the ground, he took one last glance at the aircraft above him. Another explosion and flash of light sounded, and it was gone.

On the ground, four Tunguska gun vehicles were firing madly at the swarms of attack planes, mostly modern A-7s but with plenty of reactivated Su-25s as well. It was something of a mismatch, with the Tunguskas facing about fifty planes in their sector, but they were mostly being ignored, with the incoming aircraft dropping their weapons haphazardly along the banks of the river and hitting the infantry there. The commander of the troop, one Major Allen, knew the most likely reason for this was an attack. She winced as two APCs ahead were destroyed by a rain of 30mm cannon rounds from three Su-25s which sped over the horizon. The gun turret she was sitting in spun to track them and fired a burst of rockets, and one of the Su-25s wobbled, dove and struck a tree, creating more explosions.

"That's a kill, Sergeant."
"Affirmative, ma'am. How many is that now, five planes down?"
Allen laughed. "You only got two, I counted them myself!"
"Come on, major, there must have been more than that. What about on the first flight ten minutes ago, when all those A-7s came over with cluster bombs?"
"That one was Unit Three's, not yours."

A misshapen object on the other side of the river caught Allen's eye, and she lifted her binoculars to get a closer look. Before she could, a plate of metal sprung out and crashed to the ground on the other side of the river, and dark shapes suddenly appeared and swarmed over it. The major grabbed her radio.

"Command, this is the commander of A Troop, 678th Air Defence Battalion, we have tank launched bridges and enemy infantry at Sector Echo-Niner! Command, come in!"

She was answered by only static. "Shit. All right, everyone it looks like it falls to us to hold the line. Troop, advance and open fire on that bridge."
"What? This is an anti-aircraft vehicle! Made for fighting, uh, aircraft?"
"That's an order, Sergeant! 30mm cannon rounds from Tunguskas will do as well as rounds from IFVs. There is no heavy support to stop the loyalists from taking the sector except us. I said advance, troop!"

ooc: To get this straight there are Imperial paratroopers attacking the loyalists..

OOC: vice versa. Edited for clarity.

ooc: Yea...I knew after i typed it that I said it backwards but it was 2:30am and I was about to pass out so i didn't edit it..I was like "they'll get it" lol n went to bed...I will post tonight

yay, exams over! bump

ooc: lucky bastard, mine are still going on.
btw, may I assume that my troops start arriving to front now?

Yeah, sure.

OOC Posting in a rush, sorry for less RP and stuff. Any mistakes let me know.

Bastion

The New Manthian Marines' forward command center buzzes with activity. Most of the Manthians have reached the front and engaged, but two companies of reserve infantry wait nervously behind the lines, ready to plug up any gaps if the front begins to sag.

"General Hamad, sir! Enemy helicopters and air power inbound. Mostly attacking the Shakal, but we're also taking fire from enemy armor and antitank weapons at the front."

"Radio the AA contingent and tell them to open fire, but keep a stock of missiles in reserve. 50% fire rate will do for now. It may be some time before the naval battle calms down enough that we can start landing more missiles from the supply ships. As for the front, they will have to hold on their own for now."

"Got that sir.... Look out!"

A stray shell lands very near the Manthian command tent, sending officers scrambling for cover.

"Shit. THey're getting too close. We have to help the Shakal infantry hold the center here until the Shakal are finished wrapping up the flanks. Send all our reserves forward."

Gun and artillery fire intensifies in the center as the remainder of the Marines roll forward into the fight. Here and there, a surviving Nakil tank provides supporting fire against the enemy advance, though the enemy advantage in numbers is showing. The Hyena tank killers are proving more effective - true to Kriegzimmer advertising, 'simple but deadly' - though enemy numbers still take their toll. About half of the original 50 Hyenas have been reduced to wrecks already, and several more are disabled. Still, the remainder continue to stubbornly pour rounds into the Hamilayan advance.

Further to the rear, thirty-five Praetorian II missile trucks begin tracking Hamilayan helicopters and aircraft. The operators loose missiles as quickly as targets can be acquired - four volleys of thirty-five missiles each, before the rate of fire is cut to preserve the remaining ammunition.

Off the coast of Bastion

"Enemy is taking heavy losses from Manth-Shakal combined air power, sir. Our long-range missiles have been less effective, but sub picket looks to have scored several kills. Alexandria reports entering gun range, firing rangefinding shots."

"Dominant?"

"Several minutes behind."

"Very well. Retarget missiles from AA craft to enemy heavy ships. What help we can give our aircraft is given. Time to look after ourselves."

The Manthian ships switch from sending missiles after enemy AA craft and small ships to targeting enemy battleships and other large craft with multiple missiles each, as the Alexandria's 19-inch guns open up on the flank of the Hamilayan fleet, supported by gunfire from the Manthian cruisers and smaller escorts.

Air

As per the plan, the Manthian interceptors peel off to engage the Hamilayan plans coming in from the Manthians' right (Hamilayan left), while the Jackals skirt the enemy air formation and begin to rain missiles and guided bombs down on any enemy capital ships they can target. Quite aware of their inferior numbers, the Manthian F-19 pilots speed towards the Hamilayan planes at top speed, aiming to get into dogfighting distance as quickly as possible and minimize the effect of long range AAMs.

Submarines

"Confirmed hit!" an officer whispers as, even from this far distance, the sound of one of the Manthian heavy supercavitating torpedoes striking home carries through the water."

"Reload and fire a second volley..."

"Sir, enemy ships aren't breaking formation."

"What? They must realize we're here by now?"

"If so, they aren't doing anything about it."

"Keep up fire, then. If they won't protect themselves, their problem."

A second volley of torpedoes lances out fvrom the Manthian submarines, as yet unaware of the enemy subs even now preparing to pounce on them.

Aster Area

Trains full of Olmedrecan soldiers and heavy weaponry were arriving to Aster area, their travel from Chernaya had been uneventful. Major-General Jääkirka said to aide:
“Contact imperialists and inform them that 6th Olmedrecan Mechanized division has reached to area and the rest 5 divisions are also arriving, so find out where they exactly need us to bolster their defences.”

Off the coast of Bastion

"Sir, we're picking up multiple undefined contacts in the target zone."
"Got it. Adjudicator, this is Commodore Pauling of Task Force 7. Possible hostiles have been detected at the rally point. Permission to engage?"
"Damn right you have permission to engage, Pauling, and make it quick. Those subs have already hit half a dozen ships."
"All right, guns, you heard the Adjudicator. Get me a firing solution on that one there." Pauling pointed to the closest red dot on the radar screen. "Task Force 7, you have permission to engage."

Two groups of three Hunter-class submarines on the left and right of the Manth submarine force swiftly and efficiently found targets within the enemy and launched a volley of four torpedoes each from their forward tubes. Without waiting for their shots to strike the Hamilayan submarines turned and dived straight for the bottom to avoid detection. Half a dozen A-7s armed with depth charges took off to disorientate the enemy further.

Now freed from the primary targets of Manthian fire, the remaining Hamilayan AA destroyers focused their full attention on the incoming Jackal attack aircraft. The flagship Adjudicator, though well protected by metres of armour and innumerable missile defence systems, offered a both unmissable and highly desirable target in the middle of the fleet. Three bombs got through the storm of bullets and some lasers around the dreadnought and smashed into the port side of her conning tower, the warship beginning to list and billow smoke. Both the Hamilayan Prince of Wales-class dreadnoughts were now moderately damaged, but the two newer although smaller Tribute-class Doujin dreadnoughts had now arrived at the rear of the battle, and the trimaran design carried aircraft reinforcements. These moved to the main body of the fleet to chase away the Shakal and Manthian air attack. The returning A-7 Wraiths moving through the Manthian fleet were struck by their F-19s hard, and many went down in the sea. The close-quarters dogfighting, however, allowed their spartan air-to-air arms to have some use against the enemy interceptors. The Hamilayan F-19s remained to fight with their counterparts, but the outclassed attack aircraft forced their way through the maelstrom back to their carriers. Several broke through to the enemy fleet and fired off their remaining missiles and bombs, but they generally didn't come back out again.

Aster River

The train station was very quiet, like all the other train stations where troops were now arriving along the river, but the sound of heavy guns could be heard in the distance. There were seven Guards and some civilian personnel, but not much in the way of a higher-ranking welcome party. The First Lieutenant in command of the group stepped forward and saluted smartly.

"Sirs! I regret to inform you we have lost contact with headquarters. The enemy has disrupted our communications, and we have received no further orders. Our standing orders are to direct allied forces to the division command post for this sector, E-9. Enemy forces have crossed the river and reinforcements are urgently needed to turn them back."

The lieutenant produced a map and a pen, circling their location and the 158th Guards Rifles command post, five or six kilometers to the south. His soldiers gave him dark looks behind his back, irritated at his crisp and calm tone whilst the battle was on the brink of disaster, at least to their knowledge. Unknown to the Olmedrecans, the troops arriving at the train stations along the river would all be given conflicting directions, as the orders of each of the garrisons there was simply to direct the allies to the closest sector and there was no headquarters to alter these orders. It didn't really matter to the Imperial forces, as defences needed to be bolstered in all the areas.

Another soldier poked his head out of the station house and jumped slightly at the impressive sight of the Olmedrecan general staff.

"Lieutenant, radio call for you."
"Ah, the radio is back online. What orders from hea-"
"Lieutenant, headquarters is still off the air, radio from General Kosov. "

Without a further word the lieutenant all but ran into the building.

"I have been informed the Olmedrecan general staff is arriving at this station. I wish to speak to their commander personally."

The lieutenant ran out again.

"Major-General, the General wishes to speak with you."

"Major-General Jääkirka? General Kosov, currently moving to take over the Hamilayan command here. Good to hear from you. I expect I am somewhat better informed than lieutenant here, so I shall brief you on the situation. Communications have cut off along river, and enemy forces are pushing across in multiple sectors. Imperial reinforcements as well as Gatawans and Aliquantans so we hear are arriving to assist you. Request you move your troops down to the river as fast as possible. They shall find something to shoot, no doubt." A dry chuckle. "I hear you have heavy guns, this is good. Deploy them as you wish, ammunition will arrive down railway lines. I am currently in helicopter proceeding to theater headquarters. My engineering staff should reestablish communication in few hours, so headquarters should be contactable then. I inform you on situation as it develops.

Oh, yes, one more thing; watch out for paratroopers, they land behind our lines last night. Out."

Well, this has wound down. Ehm, if people are dropping out, I might tie this up on my own. Sorry, but I kinda needed more people on hand, and I was planning some other things RP-wise, which can't really be organised if I'm in the midst of a civil war. Any objections?

ooc:I wondered that the heck happened to this thread..If you have other things you wanna do rp wise I don't have a problem with you sorting everything out on your own

Oh, the other things can wait, but just at this rate, they'll be waiting for a very long time. :p

ooc: I know..and I think a lot of people have dropped the RP..I would just end it if I was you

ooc: Still around but highly curtailed posting due to new job with fairly long hours. If you decide to continue this, I can still participate, though.

If you do decide to end this right now, though, which way would it go? Seems like if Shakal and I can kill off the navy headquarters at Bastion things might tilt in the Imperial direction, but no word from Shakal lately. I was planning on sending a lot more of my forces here since a couple other RPs I was in have died down, so if there is still no word from Shakal I could maybe pick up a little slack in that area. But if you want to end this now then thats OK too.

OOC: The fleet and base at Bastion is more of a longer-term measure, its destruction would be extremely useful to help the Imperial govt. survive as a legitimate state but at the moment it's not really doing anything useful in terms of, well, the massive offensive.

I think I might shut this down, then. Sorry, guys. Thanks for playing. Over the next couple of days the loyalist forces will break through the Imperial lines and take the capital, stay tuned if you're interested.

Aster River

The two Mi-26 Halo transports touched down in the field outside the large farmhouse, formerly the headquarters of the Imperial army in the area. An eerie silence lay over the building, with half its roof caved in and the lands around pocked with craters, some still smoking. General Kosov and his detachment of staff and troops moved gingerly through the field, stepping over the occasional body. Amid protests from his guards, Kosov rapped on the door of the building.

"Open up! This is General Kosov, here to relieve General Carmichael of command. Open this door!"

The door opened and a face covered in grime appeared.

"Thank God you're here, sir! We thought you might be enemy paras or air assault. Lieutenant-Colonel Vickers, on the General's staff."
"What the hell happened here, Lieutenant-Colonel? Where's the General?"
"Artillery happened, General. A few hours ago we were hit by a full barrage, maybe a hundred guns. I don't know, I don't know. Then some A-7s hit us and General Carmichael was wounded. An Advancer took him to the rear assembly point. You didn't see him there?"
"No. I suspect something unpleasant has happened to the General. I will make enquiries. Is that all?"
"Well, after that we were attacked by paratroopers. A company or so. We fought them off, but maybe ten men are left."
"We must get communications back online. Major! Get your techs into the building. Vickers, get your staff to help them. Move, people, move! There is no time to waste!"

Fifteen minutes later

"All right, the green wire... there!"

The last of the usable computer terminals in the farmhouse dining room flickered to life. The static of the three or four radios in the room began to change, suddenly resolving itself into fractured words.
"... sector Echo-Seven! Hostiles... across the river... brigade strength! Command... the hell is Ninth Armoured?"
"Headquarters, Sergeant... 581st... air... air cover now! Su-25s... look out!"
"I need an artillery strike at grid coordinates- INCOMING, INCOMING!"
"Enemy forces have taken Bridge Two-Three-Alpha! Repeat... en... forc... thr... ph... re... ments... SAP!
"Tanks, tank division sighted sector Ch... n... rep... sector Charlie-Nin... b..."
"Thi... cho-Seven... anyone hear me? Repeat, does anyone hear me?"

"General, simulated display is back online."

Kosov leaned down to a screen displaying a brightly coloured representation of the battlefield and swore under his breath. The arrows representing the enemy had crossed the river in over a dozen places and swallowed up the small pockets of blue and green in a mass of red. Small spots of red were also visible behind the the pitiful thin line of green remaining, some of which were rapidly getting larger. He looked at the radio bank once more, listening for a second to the panicked calls emanating from them, then picked up the microphone.

"This is General Kosov. General Carmichael is missing in action and I am now in command of the theater. All Imperial forces are now in full retreat. Repeat, all forces have orders to retreat with all speed."

Ashfield, on the Aster River

Lieutenant Blake took out his binoculars and surveyed the main road leading down to the river bridge. The Imperial troops were falling back, and they'd be passing right through the town here. For all he knew, the remains of his platoon were all that was left to stop two or three brigades from escaping, and a small voice inside told him that this was the end. Through the night a battalion of paratroops had held the mid-sized town against all comers, although that wasn't very many, but in the end weight of numbers told and
cohesion broke down. He'd managed to rally twenty or so frightened and shellshocked paratroopers, but they had three or four anti-tank rockets between them. Not quite enough to stop an armoured division.

A sihoulette of a vehicle, an infantry fighting vehicle, appeared through the foggy day.
"All right, guys, this is it, this is-" He stopped as the radio crackled to life.
"292nd Airborne, this is the 70th Mechanized Division. We're here to relieve you. Good work back here."
"What? Where the hell did the Imperial lines go?"
"Surrendered. The way is clear to Sayenna. Sit tight, we're on our way."

Ministry of Defence, Sayenna

"General Kosov, what the hell happened out there?"
"Minister, our forces were overrun in all sectors. Far more heavily outnumbered than we predicted. Our estimates of six hundred thousand maximum were off by a factor of fifty percent or more."
"How is the retreat faring, then?" The Defence Minister's eyes narrowed and his voice took on a dangerous tone.
"Minister Dawson, I cannot say."
"Give me your honest prediction, General."
"Reports indicate that a large amount have already surrendered, and those falling back are being slaughtered by enemy attack aircraft. It goes badly, from what I hear. Perhaps if I had-"
"Perhaps if you hadn't run like a f**king coward in your Mil we wouldn't be in this mess! Without a representative there Sayenna has no damn way to coordinate any actions for shit!"
Kosov's face turned beet red and his knuckles whitened on the grip of his service pistol.
"Tovarisch Minister, you wrong me. There is no possible way I could have saved the situation. The enemy had superiority in the air, in artillery, in armour and in numbers. Napoleon himself could not have won this battle. If I had not flown back here to Sayenna, I would be dead or a prisoner, and the Empire would have no intelligence on-"
"You are a defeatist! If you had stayed you would have died on the Aster, as did General Carmichael! You would have died as a soldier! Your predecessor-"
"Was killed from the air by attack planes whilst lying wounded in a Shalmaneser! Tell me, tovarisch Minister, what would it have achieved? Why do you wish death upon good soldiers of Hamilay?"
"So it is Hamilay now, not the Empire, comrade General? Is the General losing his will? Get out of my f**king sight. You are to coordinate the defence of Sayenna immediately. The Republican troops will be here in a few days. Sayenna will be a fortress. We will stop them here."
"How many men are there garrisoned in the city?"
"There are three corps still remaining. Get to work now."
"Three corps?" exclaimed General Kosov, incredulous. "Two army groups on the Aster were massacred by the loyalist armies! How the hell am I supposed to stop them with three corps?"
"Not another word, Kosov! You are going to stop them because the Empire orders you to! I said get out of my sight!"

ooc: I also dont have any problems with you shutting it down, and I appologize for being quite inactive recently but I have been very busy in RL.