NationStates Jolt Archive

"It is the Sovereign and Constitutional Right of a Citizen of the Questarian Nation to travel and trade freely in any way he wishes upon the Oceans, a right that must be guarded and protected by the Government and the Military Forces. - Second Amendment of the Questarian Constitution, the Law of the Ocean"

Captain Edward Kennedy took another puff on his pipe after his eyes scanned over the text of the Second Amendment, on a plaque in the pilothouse of the ship. He smiled everytime he read them. Kennedy was a patriot - like almost all Questarians, though he was not a nationalist, again like almost all Questarians, who believed in the right of the individual and, of course, capitalism. He fully believed the Second Amendment, as it had always been upheld in the past, and generally despite the large number of enemies of the Crown, sailing under the Questarian flag was one of the safest ways to travel the seas.

He leant back in the reclining chair and adjusted his old seamans jacket. Being on watch on the Pilothouse was a tiring job, if not just because you had to say awake, but Kennedy preferred it. He was only fourty five, but he had been at sea since he was fifteen. His ship, the 19,000 ton RFA Shinkoku Maru, was chartered by Barham Shipping to transport a thousand convicts for forced labour to the colonies. It was an easy task, as the convicts were kept locked in their rooms and there were many patrols amongst the crew. Even better, Kennedy reflected, with the recent "war on slavery", the contingent of Marines posted onboard would help security. Indeed, there was little to nothing to worry about. He leant back more and cast his eyes upwards to observe the stars while the warm sea breeze of the night.

A mere fourty miles away the lights of the Aequatian protectorate island of Valla Verde glowed. The Shinkoku Maru had been spotted by the Aequatian garrison and was marked as a suspected slaver ship. As of a week ago, Questarian ships sailed in convoy, but the Shinkoku Maru was slow, and opted to hold back so the convoy could get to its destination faster. As such, it was unescorted, and only lightly armed with a pair of 20mm cannon and some old handheld SAMs, and the two fireteams of marines onboard.

The Shinkoku Maru drifted at eight knots through the night as the Aequatians watched, Captain Kennedy ignorant to the eyes laid on his charge.

Maxwell Naval Station, St. Bishop, Valla Verde

The evening air was warm as Navy Lieutenant Dan Richards sat back in his seat as he placed his cap and cup of coffee down on his console as he checked over his monitors. He had been monitoring one particular vessel as it moved closer to the waters off the island, most people had the sense not to approach Aequatian waters, however, as Valla Verde was simply a protectorate, it was not technically Aequatian territory except for the military installations.

The ship was close to the territorial lines and standard operating procedure meant to send out some of the marines from the Valla Verde Marine Expeditionary Brigade out in helicopters to escort them out to international waters. Lieutenant Richards sent the message for deployment and within twenty minutes, a boarding party of Marines were sent out onto the tarmac of Marine Base Camp Gambit as they lifted off in two UH-20D Shadowcat helicopters.

The party leader, Staff Sergeant Vincent Collins, loaded a magazine into his G72 rifle as he sat in the command seat and listened to the radio chatter over the aircraft's intercom as they moved over the water out towards the vessel. The pair of helicopters carried the usual loadout of weapons, including side-mounted 70mm rockets and 8.5mm machineguns.

OOC: Link to map. - http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5082/vallaverdebz5.png

RFA Shinkoku Maru

The skeleton bridge crew, the few that had been assigned to monitor the little systems of the Shinkoku Maru, were almost asleep at their posts. The RADAR monitor closed his eyes and began to drift asleep, thinking of his cosy home in the suburbs of Kure, when an unfamiliar beeping began to fill his ears from the padded headphones. It woke him up immediately - the Navy reservist had had little practice in manning RADAR stations and couldn't tell the differences. Nevertheless, he realised that there where incoming aircraft. Upon closer inspection, a pair of helicopters were approaching the Shinkoku Maru.

"Sir?"

"Hm?" Kennedy lifted an eye and looked at the RADAR officer.

"There's... uh, two helicopters incoming, bearing 33 degrees altitude 900 metres."

"Identification?" Kennedy sat up in his seat.

The officer shrugged. "Aequatian, i'll bet. We're passing around their island aren't we?"

"Yes, but we're not in their waters." Kennedy replied. "They have no reason to come near us. Unless its just a routine patrol, which I doubt." he mused.

The officer shrugged again. "Shall I try hail them sir?"

"Yes, do so. Get Lieutenant Hata up here too."

The Aequatian helicopters were hailed and informed that the RFA Shinkoku Maru was a Questarian vessel travelling in international waters, violating no laws, and travelling under the protection of the Crown. They were told, in, the politest terms possible, to back off. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hata of the Marine Platoon arrived on the pilothouse and greeted Kennedy, warmly receiving his cup of tea while they waited for a response. His men readied a pair of SA-7 Grails, and alongside the 20mm guns on the fore and the bridge, took up positions if the call to repel boarders was neccessary.

Staff Sergeant Collins took aim out the side door of the helicopter through the scope mounted on his rifle as the pair of aircraft closed in on the cargo vessel, he could see a number of figures rushing around on the open deck through the thermal viewer on his weapon, he knew they would be nervous with the arrival of two Marine helicopters.

The pilot replied through the radio channel they were being hailed on, "This is Flight Alfa Two, you are approaching Aequatian Protectorate waters, we were dispatched to escort you away to international waters. However, before we allow for that, it's required that we search the vessel for any illegal cargo being transported aboard your ship." The helicopters dropped closer to the water as the gunship escort hovered in position to cover the transport as it passed over the ship and circled around to take up a position over the deck as the Marines prepared fastrope down onto the ship at the side doors.

RFA Shinkoku Maru

"What do you think, Lieutenant Hata?"

Kennedy was now beginning to worry. The Aequatians wanted to search his ship. Did they know what country the flag flying from the pilothouse belonged to! This was an outrage. An international attack.

"I say we should stand by to repel boarders. They only have two helicopters, the marine contingent should be able to handle it. They probably have more waiting on the tarmac back at their base though. Its only a matter of time."

Kennedy nodded. "Moors, signal Convoy 233 to return as soon as possible to assist us. Hail that helicopter again."

Convoy 233, with four Pratchett class frigates escorting a pair of ships like the Shinkoku Maru, received the message, forwarded it, and turned around. They would be there in eight hours. Meanwhile, Kennedy sent a message, personally, to the helicopter.

"This is Captain E.C Kennedy of the Questarian Royal Fleet Auxiliary Shinkoku Maru. We understand we are in international waters, and we will damn well stay in international waters for the duration of our journey. Your request to board our vessel has been denied. We are standing by to repel boarders."

The order was actually given by Hata, and all over the ship the klaxons sounded, and the Lieutenants orders resounded through the halls and the decks. "Stand by to repel boarders. This is not a drill. Stand by to repel boarders."

The marine contingent of eighteen took up positions in the ship, six of them at the landing deck with the two SAMs. They were armed with the Doomani DAC-99 PDW and Doomani TDX pistols. Kennedy drew his ceremonial sword and his pistol and Hata began to load shells into his shotgun. The vessel would be defended at all costs.

(OOC: How open is this RP for other countries? If it's open, consider the following post or if it's not, just ignore.)

International Waters, 24 Kilometers East of St. Bishop

The CNSS-2311 Scepter, was a heavily modified Changsha Class SSN refitted specifically to serve as an ELINT platform. Like its modified sisters, these submarines were strategically deployed in key locations around the globe, serving as powerful intelligence platforms. Although heavily modified to provide room for its electronic equipment, the Scepter was far from defenseless. Equipped with a full-load of torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, and anti-air missiles, it was more than capable of handling its own in any fight. However, the Scepter was operating with the loss of its full array of vertical launch tubes, meaning it did not carry any cruise missiles. It was in transit from an electronic surveillance mission back towards its home port having depleted its supply of perishables. Its journey took quite near the Valla Verde Islands.

On the bridge, Commander George Singer, commanding officer of the Scepter quietly peered through the periscope, waiting for additional reports on the approaching contacts. His latest mission winding down, he was looking forward to some shore leave with his wife. Two hours ago, the sonar technicians had reported the presence of a freighter and Singer had made sure that his command was nearby, hoping to mask his movements. Minutes earlier, the sonar technicians had identified the approaching whirling blades of the helicopters. The boat had slowed immediately to steerage and rigged for ultra-quiet, with a series of antennae raised from the sail along with the periscope.

Keeping an eye on the sonar, Lieutenant Commander Eric Chalmers, executive officer of the boat, sighed in exasperation at his stalled career. Nearly forty-five years of age, Chalmers had not been promoted in nearly seventeen years after an unfortunate incident during his brief tenure as the commander of an old diesel submarine. His years of service had made him an experienced, but jaded officer. Contemplating retirement, he loathed his current assignment, hating to have to serve under a younger and less experienced Skipper.

The communications technician spoke up twice, informing of the transmissions intercepted by the submarine's antennae. Commander Singer frowned at the news. The freighter was clearly outside of Aequatian territorial waters. He pondered the alternatives, considering whether to interfere or to ignore the situation. ELINT submarines were not supposed to be discovered. Singer bit his lower lip.

He picked up the internal ship phone and dialed a number. "Weapons, Conn. Are the tubes loaded? We may have something on our hands and I want us to be ready."

A soft scratchy reply came over on the receiver of the phone, Aye, we’ve got four Mk. 92s and a Seaskimmer loaded in the forward tubes, Sir. We've also prepped the Air Defense launchers.

"Excellent."

The Scepter and its crew waited for something to happen, while Commander Singer tried to think up a solution.

"Shit," Said the pilot of the transport helicopter as he brought the aircraft into position over the deck, "Charlie, keep watch on those assholes down there, I don't know what they're thinking, but if it looks like things are going to go South, waste them!" He said through the intercom. The door gunner replied with an affirmative as he took aim with the 12.7mm MG2C1 heavy machinegun against the men standing on the deck as the Marine boarding party kicked out the ropes from the side of the Shadowcat and started down along the thick rope onto the deck's surface, within seconds the ten Marines were standing ready with their G72 rifles and MP9A1 submachineguns aimed at the Questarians. Staff Sergeant Collins, his rifle aimed at one of the men as he addressed them, "I'd suggest you stand down immediately."

The gunship maintained its security position as it watched the movement on the deck, its GAU-85A 8.5mm miniguns and 70mm rockets mounted on the side of the fuselage were aimed at the ship and trained on the Questarian personnel.

"What the fuck?" Kennedy shouted. "Who the hell do these bastards think they are?"

Hata didn't show any emotion. "Do you want me to order to open fire Captain?"

"Lieutenant, give the order to repel boarders."

Meanwhile, an ensign had been discreetly filming on his camera the commotion and was continuing filming.

"Aye sir." Hata replied and mumbled something in his microphone. A second later, all hell broke lose. A pair of rockets from the SA-7s streamed out from a bulkhead somewhere into the dark sky and a moment later machine gun fire crossed over the deck like fireworks. The ship went to battle stations and the fight was under way.

The troops on the deck were outgunned, and began to fall back into the bulkheads, the two anti air rockeeters already dropping their launchers and cocking their Doomani PDWs. The four marines on the deck began a fighting retreating, both aiming and spraying their submachine guns. One was knocked down, a pair of bullets going through his leg and coming out the other side. He cried out, and his comrades pulled him back as he dropped his PDW and drew his pistol, still firing as the bullets ripped through his chest. The bulkhead closed in time.

The first hero of the war.

The two SA-7 weapons, at such a close range, did not have enough time to properly fix their guidance seekers as they moved through the air towards the escort gunship, the pilot jerked the control stick and pulled the aircraft to the left, avoiding the first missile, only to present the second with the tail of the helicopter and taking the warhead to its structure. It began to spin as it dropped towards the water, but the Marines were focussed more on those still onboard the vessel.

Collins ordered the party to cover as the Marines crouched down behind whatever they could find as they returned fire with G72 rifles and MP9A1 submachineguns, their new "Cuirass" Mark.I Lightweight Protective Vests developed by the Army protected them well against the small arms fire, although a few were wounded slightly as the overhead transport helicopter fired on the deck with its heavy machineguns before pulling up and away from the ship.

Once the enemy had disappeared below deck, the staff sergeant ordered his marines forward towards the door to move below deck, tapping a Thermate grenade to the locked door's mechanism and letting it detonate, burning through the steel without effort as they kicked it open and tossed a pair of fragmentation grenades through the door way and allowed them to detonate before advancing through.

Singer blanched in surprise at the muzzle flashes of the weapons, the launches of the two handheld surface-to-air missiles, and the crash of the tailless helicopter. He did not expect a freighter to be so equipped with such an arsenal. The Commander regarded the enlisted men and officers in the control room around him with a brief moment.

Having heard the distinctive sounds of weapons fire from his headphones contacted to the sonar, Chalmers spoke up. "Skipper, what do you plan to do? Should we intervene? No matter what happens, this situation will become an international incident. The governments of both countries will be at each other's throats."

The Skipper turned his head briefly to look upon his executive officer. Although the man had been much maligned for the disaster that had reduced his command into a burning wreck, he was an experienced officer who was undeserving of his frozen career. The Skipper respected his opinions greatly, knowing that the man's experience was invaluable and tried to live with the fact that his subordinate did not like him. Finding his voice, he spoke. "We are not the world's policeman. If we interfere, we may face the indignation of both nations. This boat lies in waters near Aequatian territorial islands and several bases. It would not be prudent to create a situation that could prove fatal to this command."

"Sir, the sanctity of international law lies at stake," retorted the Lieutenant Commander, purposely arguing counter to the Skipper's position. "We should not stand by and permit such a travesty to occur. We MUST intervene! If it comes to it, I'm sure High Command would rather this submarine be sacrificed than its principles ignored."

Singer grimaced, refusing to be outmaneuvered by his executive officer. With a sigh, he spoke, ordering his communications technicians to transmit a message to High Command.
FR: CMDR SINGER, CO CNSS-2311 SCEPTER
TO: CINCSUB

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BEGIN TRANSMISSION

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REPORT INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT NEAR AEQUATIAN VALLE VERDE ISLANDS. INTERCEPTION QUESTARIAN FLAGGED FREIGHTER BY AEQUATIAN MARINE FORCES. AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE EXCHANGED. FREIGHTER HAS LAUNCHED SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES AND BROUGHT DOWN AEQUATIAN HELIX. CANNOT CONFIRM WHO FIRED FIRST.

REQUEST INSTRUCTIONS.

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END TRANSMISSION
When instructions to ignore the situation were received, Singer quietly commanded his SSN to steal away.

((OOC: I believe they are keeping it closed between themselves, FCN.))

After the bulkheads were breached, there was a long corridor with a stairway at the end. Rooms on either side of the corridor provided ambush possibilities for the Questarian marines and after the stairway there was a lobby, with a short circling staircase which lead to a bulkhead, behind which was the pilothouse. The Aequatians would have to act fast to secure the control point of the ship, and its captain, as the crew were now awake and arming themselves, though their quarters were some time away from the battle.

Marine Aran Jones cocked his SMG and took what little cover he could from a turned over sofa that another marine was hiding behind. There were only three left, and the Sergeant was standing without cover, TDX pistol in hand, aiming at the door waiting for the Aequatians. The long corridor was long enough for the frag grenades to only send splinters flying, which had no effect as the marines were behind cover when the door was blasted open. As the door was burst open, the marines opened fire as accurately as they could, sending bullets downrange as accurately as rate of fire allowed.

Lieutenant Hata had organised a defence with the eight marines he had with him in the lobby. The door was blocked with a sofa and tables were piled up. As much cover as possible had been garnered and the eight marines with their sub machine guns and Hata with his shotgun were prepared for the Aequatian onslaught, and no doubt if they held them back reinforcemetns would arrive. The ship had no anti air defences and would probably come under further landing.

The marines had six chairs ready to throw down the staircase into the stairwell where it bent upwards - there was no visual line of sight down itno the main entrance. A vending machine was jammed inbetween the bulkhead that led up to the pilothouse.

Meanwhile, the video of the Questarian missile taking down the helo and the orders to resist a boarding by Captain Kennedy had been uploaded to the internet and spread faster than a fire in a dry forest.

Two of the boarding party marines were knocked back by the enemy fire as they were pulled back up the stairs, their body armour had protected them from fatal wounds, but they still bled from other wounds. Staff Sergeant Collins ordered his marines to don their M93A2 protective masks and those that had not been wounded in the breaching action to prepare to assault the positions as the grenadier loaded a CS gas grenade into his rifle's attached M206A1 and fired it down the hallway, bouncing it off the corner as it split into three heads that started spitting forth the white gas. The gas hampered their vision, but provided the seven remaining marines, Collins included, with the proper edge to assault the enemy's position as they set the firing modes on their weapons to fully automatic, leaving the five wounded personnel to keep guard at the exit and on security to cut off any escape or flanking from the corridor doorways. Lance Corporal Dawson, armed with an M12A1 shotgun, took the lead position as they started down the hallway.

"Fuck! Fucking gas!"

Jones could barely see a thing. The Sergeant got off a few rounds and was shot down while reloading and his fellow marine was killed too while retreating. Jones managed to fire off a few rounds before he was hit twice in the leg and dropped to the floor. He cried out and in a split second fired another burst from his submachine gun into the advancing column of Aequatian marines. He took another two rounds and it was enough to knock him out of the fight. The first room was cleared and the eight marines and their leader on the next floor posed the only obstacle remaining.

Staff Sergeant Collins and his party had a difficult time maneuvering in the masks, but the marines had been drilled hard in being the most effective when fighting in protective equipment, as he entered the room and quickly examined the dead and dying Questarians, he spotted the wounded Jones before tapping one of his own on the shoulder, "Flex cuff this asshole," He said as the marine slung his MP9A1 over his shoulder and dropped to one knee as he applied the black plastic fasteners around the Questarian's wrists and propped him up standing as the staff sergeant looked at the bleeding man through the clear acrylic of the eye ports on the M93A2 mask, "How many more aboard?" He bellowed through the mask's canister filter, forcing the buttstock of his G72 into the man's gut as he was held up by two of the other marines now.

Jones coughed. He had never been shot before and it was the most painful, yet interesting physical experience he'd ever known. Yet Questarians are not made of weak stuff and it is said while there is still blood in the Questarian heart there is still resistance in its body. He brought himself up as tall as he could with the two bullets in his leg and the two still in his arm and heaved, spitting as hard as he could into the mask of the Aequatian Staff Sergeant.

"I'm not telling you anything, scum."

Several stairways upstairs

Lieutenant Hata and his men had heard the gunfire down below and Hata was still pondering on a course of action. If he held his position, it would surely fall (or did he know that beforehand?), whereas if he counterattacked he would at least stand a chance. Hata took the decision to counterattack. He sent three of his marines back to the pilothouse and with his five comrades began to stealthily move down the winding stairs down from the lobby to the hallway where the Aequatians had breached. Hata took the lead with his point man Thompson behind him. He checked his shotgun was full and the whole group had switched their safeties off moments before traversing down the stairway. Because of the amount of stairwells, Hata and his marines took up positions looking down on the stairway from a stairwell half way between the pilothouse lobby and the hallway room and waited for the inevitable advance of the Aequatian boarders.

Meanwhile, the ensign began to look through the CCTV footage and found the hallway entrance where Jones was being held captive. The footage of the Marine's resistance would be uploaded to the internet alongside the video of Kennedy giving the order to open fire and downing the helicopter.

Collins wiped the blood and spittle off the eye port of his mask as he smashed the buttstock of his G72 rifle into the Questarian's face, the marines letting loose their grip as they let him fall onto the floor with a heavy and wet thud as he pointed to the door and the shotgun-armed Dawson moved to the doorway and the marine peered around the corner before waving the others forward, his weapon aimed from his shoulder as he led the team down the corridor, Collins giving the now unconscious Jones a double tap from his rifle, letting the pair of casings bouce off the wall and onto the floor before taking up the rearguard on his team.

There was total quiet apart from the breathing of the marines waiting for the enemy to advance. Hata heard the gunshots ring out downstairs and knew that the enemy would engage soon. He would probably die, he reflected, but he would be a hero, and he'd take at least one out with him.

Dawson approached the doorway that led into the lobby where the Questarian soldiers were waiting and stepped forward a single step before being knocked back by a round from one of their shotguns, his vest's top layer being shredded by the pellets matched his uniform as the same round's pellets tore into his shoulder and arm. Immediately he was pulled back by one of the others as a third Marine tossed a concussion grenade through the doorway and a second later it flashed as the magnesium ignited and the detonation deafened all those within the room, upon this the Aequatians advanced into the room and trained their weapons at the stunned Questarians, each Marine choosing their targets and firing to kill the enemy rather than incapacitate.

OOC: I was given liberty by Questers to finish this off, so no complaints from outsiders on bad form.

IC:

Dawson sat with his back against the wall of the now-cleared lobby, the Navy Corpsman was examining the wound on his arm while the other Marines examined the bodies of their defeated foes, Collins knelt beside one of the fallen as he read the nametag on the shirt, "Hata," He thought as he noticed the rating insignia on the man's collar, "A lieutenant, he must have been the CO for these people," He spoke to himself as he removed his gas mask and turned to the boarding party, "Doc, stay here with Dawson, the rest of you, we're going up to the pilothouse to take control of the vessel.

The assault had been painless, eliminating the last resistance in the pilothouse of the ship resulted in a mere five minute melee and left the beleagured Aequatians nearly lost as to their next moves as the remaining helicopter worked to retrieve the survivors of the downed Shadowcat from the water and made an impromtu landing on one of the flat decks as the Marines paired off and started running patrols of the ship throughout the hours as Navy personnel were flown to the vessel from Valla Verde and set a course to bring the ship to the harbour of San Peurto where it would be interned along with the crew. The Marines collected the personal weapons of the ship's crew and secured the weapons locker before making the stunning discovery of the convicts locked away within their cells below deck.

There would certainly be a most interesting week coming for the Aequatians and citizens of Valla Verde.

After the footage was displayed around the internet and on various newspapers, public reaction was immediate and volatile. Aside from rallies and marches deploring the Aequatian actions, villifying the conduct of their marines, and overnight Lieutenant Hata, his marines, and Captain Kennedy had become heroes. The action amounted to piracy in the Questarian eye and every newspaper save several encouraged action to "punish the Aequatian aggressors." Despite the fact that the Questarian vessel had shot first, it was agreed by almost all that this was a just act to defend the Constitutional rights of a Questarian vessel.

In Parliament, the debate didn't last long. The decision to counterattack to defend the constitutional rights of the Questarian nation was passed immediately and signed by His Imperial Majesty Konoye I three days after the incident. A task force was assembled the next day and began to mobilise. The Navy was put on top alert and the whole Questarian Commonwealth was in a State of Emergency. Every naval station across the world, every ship, to the corvette on the random meditteranean island to the battlecruisers of the Aralonian station to the mighty carriers of the Kido Butai was ready to fight to protect the liberty that their forefathers too had taken up arms to defend. The ships were seen off from Portsmouth by thousands of cheering citizens.

The conscenstious objectors and the dove lobby had kicked in their dissent from day one. Clashes and riots in the streets were common and the Government began mobilising the population to defend its actions. Many of the minor parties disagreed with the war and with the help of the Social Labour Party petitioned to end the war but where struck down by a majority in Parliament. The constitution, the right to free travel across international waters would be defended no matter the cost.

Two fleets were assembled and the troops loaded -one for taking the islands adn one for establishing a perimeter to ensure that no further Aequatian fleets could advance. On top of that the Navy was deploying in massive force to crush any Gholgoth fleets that would try to relieve their Ally. However, the Government had almost pushed its luck. As the dove lobby grew, any more attacks would be political suicide. Any further conflicts would be purely defensive for some time.

Aequatian Republic Joint Eastern Command (ARJEASTCOM) Headquarters, Verdan, Aequatius Secundus

The television sets and newspapers on the Eastern coast spoke of nothing but the "Valla Verde Incident" involving the Questarian vessel, its crew and cargo. The sailors were described as cruel captors while the convict passengers were named potential slaves and were being held in more modern facilities in Valla Verde's stockade alongside the interned crew of the RFA Shinkoku Maru. At this point, a conflict was all but looming as the island's garrison prepared itself for the coming invasion by the Questarian kingdom, which was being named a "bloated, corrupt tyranny ruled by those who struggle to maintain grasp over their tired citizenry" by one of the many magazines covering the event.

The Eastern Command headquarters had been abuzz with activity as they organized the forces under their command and rehearsed operational plans and trained the units most likely to be deployed from the mainland to Valla Verde to support the island's defenders. Unfortunately, due to recent organizational changes within the Navy, many of the capital vessels which usually made up Eastern Fleet were not available as they were either without crews or already earmarked for other commands, leaving most of the responsibility for operations on the Republic's Air Force to help in defending the island. In the end, the garrison, mostly consisting of the 61st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, readied themselves on the island as the ocean was watched with the electronic eyes of radar and satellites from above.

800km from Valle Verde

The opening shots of the war where fired on a misty sunday morning. Two weeks afterwards the task group was approaching Valle Verde and Operation: Ocean Liberty was officially enacted. Sixty G4M7s from No.332 Hikojo Chutai had set off early afternoon the day before and where loaded out with their anti-installation weaponry. Covered by CAP aircraft from the carriers they could fire their weapons from a thousand kilometres out and still hit their targets with a fair amount of maneouvrability power from anti missile weapons. The objective was to knock out the capability to launch fighters from Howards AFB via three waves of missile strikes from several altitudes and directions. No.332 Hijoko Chutai was equipped with the AG4A missile - six to an aircraft, and it was split into three wings. Each would come in from the north, the northwest, and the west. The west would fly its missiles low over the sea underneath RADAR detection and the north and northewest groups would fire from maximum altitude and come down fast onto the AFB. The main targets where the control towers, the runway, and the hangars. At 7:33 the west group let loose with its missiles and the other two followed later. In total, barely over 300 missiles where streaming in on Howards AFB.

The pilots headed for home at top speed, fingers at the ready for their advanced ECM. Given a fighter escort from the carriers Battler and Bellorophon, it was clear that the carriers of the battlegroup where in full aircraft readiness and weren't taking any chances. The Aequatians would have detected them coming long off and so far the number of aircraft in the sky at any one time had proved an efficient deterrent from an attack. From this the intelligence officers in the fleet could assume the air presence on Valle Verde wasn't significant enough to challenge the carrier group advancing on them.

600km from Valle Verde

After the missile impact, the next job was to remove the naval arm of Valle Verde. The carriers Hurricane and Hyuga where tasked with removing the ships in Valle Verde. As the intelligence officer, Hashimoto Shimada, onboard the Hyuga understood, there where four vessels there - three destroyers and a frigate. The pictures where hastily taken and blurry. He had requested that more be taken but the threat of ASATs was too high and so the aerospace command had judged the current pictures where good enough... Hashimoto shook his head. The Navy had to get some satellites... but that could waitl. He had taken the fair estimation that that larger ship was still a destroyer.

The most obvious form of attack was to hit while the ships where still in harbour, limiting their vulnerability. Two squadrons of eighteen B3M6 Tenzan bombers, loaded out with 21" torpedoes held position not so far off the carriers in anticipation that the Aequatian ships would make a run for it. If it looked as if they did, the aircraft would drop their torps into the harbour to close the escape.

The main attack consisted of four squadrons of eighteen M4F4 Shokaku missile bombers, each loaded with two AS4A missiles each with a usable range of 250km. The aircraft closed in in a spread formation with fighter cover overhead from a squadron of fighters. When within 230km of the ships, the M4F4s launched their missiles in a series, two planes at a time one missile at a time, with different altitudes and speeds programmed. The missiles would quickly accelerate to mach 1.3 before hitting their target at mach 1.5, burning through with a somewhat light 225kg warhead. The bombers kept up their position and raised their altitude after firing so as to stay as far out of missile range as possible and to guide their missiles to their targets for the short time until inertial would kick in. More fighters accelerated up in case the runway had survived the initial attack.

The Aequatian Republic Air Force massive phased-array radar stations used their electronic eyes as they scanned the horizon and managed to track the Questarian vessels on the surface while the airborne early warning aircraft tracked the enemy aircraft and weapons, scanning them from above with their radomes. Air defence being the focus of the Air Force's mandate in the Aequatian constitution, the personnel at Howards Air Force Base were well-prepared for the coming onslaught of cruise missiles. The weapon crews worked quickly as technicians prepared power output levels and computers ran quick diagnostics before activating their weapon systems to engage the incoming weapons as the air was filled with high frequency microwave radiation as the directed beams intercepted a majority of the cruise missiles, allowing for almost half of the weapons to fall short of their targets into the ocean or pass inland and detonate as they struck the ground. The second phase of the defence network involved the medium-range MIM-120K missiles which were launched to engage a number of the surviving weapons, using their fragmentation warheads to neutralize another sixty of the incoming weapons, although many of them already effectively disabled by the directed energy weapons. The last weapons to respond were radar-directed 25mm vulcan cannons and laser close-in weapon systems procured from the Navy years back which allowed for several more of the missiles to be engaged and destroyed, leaving those left to strike the base at several points, including hangers housing Air Force F-28A Black Eagle air superiority fighters, one of the ground phased-array radar stations and a number of other buildings holding munitions or mechanical equipment. The airmen of the ground support crews worked furiously as they opened the surviving hangers to launch the remainder of the garrison's fighters, twenty F-28A aircraft, as the pilot taxied to the main runway and took off in pairs while others used the smaller back-up runways to scramble against the now incoming enemy aircraft. Captain Roger "Red" Cardigan, squadron commander for the 102nd Fighter Squadron, led the remaining Aequatian fighters against the enemy aircraft.

The Navy did not have the same detection capabilities as the Air Force, but being put on alert thanks to the joint nature of the Aequatian military complex, they were ready to receive the enemy missiles as they came in over the water towards the harbour. The Triumph, Chapman, Logue and Higgins had been placed as a picket within the harbour parallel to the coast as their own radar suites linked as the computers aboard each vessel worked to prioritize the targets and allocate the weapon systems on each ship as they let loose their own missiles, RIM-154D Sea Comet high-speed intercept missiles as they screamed from the vertical launch decks, spitting fire like a dragon's tongue as they streaked into the sky towards the incoming weapons. It was not enough though, even will a full loadout of Sea Comets in the various VLS decks, there would not be enough weapons to intercept all of the enemy missiles as the task of defence fell on the close-in weapon systems as only thirty of the enemy AS4A were felled by the MIM-154Ds at long-range. A hundred missiles still streaked in as the rest of the ships prepared their defence weaponry of RIM-118B Improved Rolling Airframe Missile and High-Energy Laser mounts, however, they did little to stem the tide as several of the weapons hit home, over a dozen of them punching holes in the side of the Higgins before it began to list and capsize to port in the harbour as its crew attempted to abandon the vessel while the other destroyers took their own damage, taking them out of action quickly, the Triumph taking the most hits although remaining in the fight, her crew powering down the systems to act disabled, leaving the passive radar to watch the horizon for the coming storm.

Fogerty Air Force Base, Verdan, Aequatius Secundus

Commanders, operational planners and intelligence officers examined satellite images provided by Space Command as they prepared for the coming retaliatory strikes against the enemy task force that had assembled off the Western coast of Valla Verde.

OPERATION: IRON BUTTERFLY had commenced.

Republic Air Force F-28A fighters in squadrons supported by flights of EA-74B Electric Arrow electronic attack aircraft took off from the runways of the airbase and set a course for the now-declared 800-kilometre exclusion zone around the island of Valla Verde, where any Questarian vessel or aircraft would be freely engaged. In all, ten squadrons of a hundred twenty fighters equipped for air combat supported by forty EA-74B aircraft were in the air en route to the Exclusion Zone.

Across other airbases around Verdan, Air Force units were mobilized as they prepared for their roles in the operation. The massive B-12A Vanquisher strategic bombers, not used since the Kubra Incident against Tocrowkia, were rolled out onto the tarmac of their concealed bases and each bomber was equipped with a pair of AGM-200A Typhoon high-speed anti-ship missiles, each with a 450-kilogram warhead, and awaited the call to take off alongside the workhorse EA-74B electronic warfare aircraft.

No.142 Squadron, No.332 Hikojo Chutai

The leader of the assault was worried, to say the least. He, nor his commanding officers, had believed that the Aequatian aircraft would be able to get into the sky to intercept them. While No.332 was a fair distance from the island they where only expecting an escort at 2000km out, and the G4M7s where slow aircraft. In minutes the F28s would be able to shoot them out the sky. The Air Company leader, Commodore Yamashita, wiped the sweat from his forehead. Glancing down at the picture of his young family propped up against the side of the cockpit, and looking over towards his copilot whos nerves where shot from the radar operators message of incoming bogeys, he felt a pang of horror. Within twenty minutes he could be dead, his two beautiful daughters left without a father, and his co-pilots child left to be born alone. he evaluated his options and considered that there where two: survive or die trying. At this point in the proceedings, they weren't all that far apart.

"All units, follow me." he ordered down the comm, and his aircraft banked hard to port. The rest followed quickly and 175km off the island the air formation was moving round to escape over the air umbrella of the capital group, or at least their air defence destroyers. They couldn't hide, or outrun the enemy fighters, so either leading them into overwhelming firepower or scaring them off was the best option. He knew that the battlegroup was mantaining a steady cap of at least sixty aircraft and had reserves ready to launch.

"Papa One One, Commanding, to Hyuga, we're being chased by enemy and are changing course to come about over you. Need immediate air support, out."

There was a brief buzz and some silence, then a reply. "Papa One One, Commanding, this is Hyuga, understood. Air support inbound, hold tight out there. over and out."

Yamashita sighed. He looked over to his crew and smiled before broadcasting a message to No.332 Chutai. "Air support inbound, will be arriving soon. Hold on out there boys and girls. Good luck. Papa One One, Commanding, over andout."

He breathed in again. It wasn't over, but now they had a a chance of living.

"Papa One One, Commanding, to X-Ray One through Four, begin engaging with your e-double you, over."

"X-Ray One Leader to Papa One One, Commanding, roger wilco, over and out."

In each Hikojo Chutai there where four aircraft with added ECM and ECCM capabilities instead of missiles, mostly they acted as AWACs but had a fairly large electronic warfare capability. They attempted jamming on the F28s, each taking five at once, but as soon as missiles where let loose they'd switch to ECCM, which they'd already prepared for, to try and knock down as many missiles as possible before, and if, the F28s closed with their guns.

Meanwhile, thirty aircraft from the CAP where moved off to engage the F28s - these where the SuF-8 redesignated as the A5H1 Akatombo, the best naval fighter the Questarian Navy had to offer. Twenty more where launched off the reserve catapults and more where readied. In all five wings of ten aircraft where moving in four-plane diamond formations, slightly staggered to allow greater flexibility on ones wingman, where launched in a large delta pattern to intercept the Aequatian aircraft attacking the G4Ms.

Port

As the attack ended, the M4F4s broke off and the B3M6s launched their torpedoes into the harbour, over 180 long range 21" torpedoes splashed int the water, spreading out in a pattern suited to the harbours geography, with another wave behind them to make dodging somewhat harder. The torpedo bombers then broke off and returned to the carriers.

HIQMS Hyuga

"Er, sir?"

Hashimoto Shimada looked over.

"Aye?"

The radio reporter onboard the Hyuga looked over towards the naval planning officer.

"If one of our aircraft suddenly stopped responding, what would you assume?"

Shimada shrugged. "Mechanical or electronic problem?"

The RADAR operated nodded. "Well we've lost contact with Hotel Fourteen Two."

Shimada shrugged again. "Contact with rest of the flight?"

The RADAR operator tried. Before he could, information came back from one of the aircraft. "Hotel Fourteen Three to Hyuga, come in, ove-"

"Shit." Shimada swore. He signalled over Fleet Admiral Chūichi Nishimura who walked over and he too swore at the information before lighting up a large cigar (again).

"Well, its obvious gentlemen." Nishimura looked to Shimada and Commodore Fuchida, his XO, who had come over. "Our forward AWACs are being jammed. They're under orders to return if they do so - if they're not already dead."

"Launch all our fighters. Scan out and find where they're coming from, counter-jam it with our own and overwhelm their attack." Nishimara suggested.

"Idiocy." Shimada replied. "They could have more EW than us - or more fighters. No sense in risking it all when we don't know whats up there. I say launch more CAPs, send them out to scout and keep a large contingent up. Probe the darkness, if you get my meaning, but make sure we're ready to strike."

As it was, three groups of thirty fighters where launched, with twenty carrier based EW aircraft to probe the darkness in the RADAR coverage. Another two hundred aircraft where put up which patrolled and where ready to strike in large numbers when there was information on the break in RADAR coverage around the fleet.

The commander's lead fighter banked as he changed course, reading the movement of the Questarian bombers as he ordered a flight forward, "Alfa Flight One, move forward and engage bandits with husky-one-five-fours."

"Roger that, Alfa Six, throttle up and we're off. Tally ho!" Came the reply as the four aircraft broke formation and sped forward, lighting up their targets with their aircrafts' collective APG-100 AESA radars which were connected to the entire AirWatch Network provided by the AWACS aircraft on overwatch. "This is Alfa Flight One One, fox three." The other three aircraft called out as well as each fighter launched a pair of AIM-154I long-range air intercept missiles towards the fleeing bombers before banking hard to return to the squadron's formation. The missiles streaked forward as their scramjet engines ignited and they sped forward at a speed close to Mach 9.

Captain "Red" ordered the rest of his fighters to pull back when his channel flashed, "Alfa Six, this is Azure Eye One, incoming three-naught bandits, possible fighters, over."

"Roger that, Azure Eye One, Alfa Squadron is returning to home plate, over and out," Cardigan replied as the twenty fighters set a course that set them back over the island and towards Howards Air Force Base.

Alfa Squadron moved towards the island, as the mainland-based F-28A fighters, supported by the EA-74B aircraft which were now performing barrage jamming of the Questarian airborne early warning aircraft and radar systems, closed range with the Task Force as they started to light up targets within the CAP groups with their own radar suites and each of the hundred twenty aircraft loosed four AIM-120G Starbuck AMRAAM weapons against the patrolling Questarian fighters, their own radar systems locking onto targets individually and tracking them with LIDAR suites as they screamed a smokeless trail across the sky, the missiles would engage millimetre wave RADAR suites once they were close alongside a redundant inertial guidance system before detonating their fragmentation warheads.

The massive B-12A Vanquisher bombers, their wings swept back tight against their fuselages, screamed over the water with the supporting EA-74B aircraft flying above, providing barrage jamming along the same frequency bands used by the Questarian ships' air search radar systems, as the bombers tracked the picket line of air defence destroyers and the sixty bombers each fired their pair of massive Typhoon missiles out towards the enemy ships as they skimmed the sea-level altitude, tracking the targets with their own radar systems.

HIQMS Hisatsuke

"Ashtray, ashtray!" The RADAR Naval Intercept Officer screamed, yanking the alert cord hard and shouting again "Repeat, Ashtray, motherfucking Ashtray!" Throughout the ears of communications officers onboard the heavy destroyers several more cries of "Ashtray" would resound through the padded headphones.

"Alright weapons, you're free to engage." The CO lit up another cigar and looked over the RADAR operators screen. A wave of missiles was hurtling towards the task force and it was their job to stop them.

The weapons officer began his job. Slowly the VLS cells cycled through, each picking up a target, and then the routine launch began. From the first cell the cover hatch burst open and flew into the water as the missile shot up, igniting its boosters shortly afterwards.

"Missiles in the air sir."

"Whats your lock like?"

"Low sir. They're attacking our RADAR." the weapons ensign replied with an air of professional worry.

"Electronics? Start hopping our frequencies and polarise our targeting. Return fire."

"Aye sir!" the ensign replied and began the process of initiating the RADARs to switch between the large range of usable frequencies quickly and then switching slowly increased the polarity of the first targeting RADAR and by slowly decreasing the other backup targeting RADAR. The detection sensors themselves where having their polarity adjusted to try and counter the Aequatian attacks.

In fact, this was being repeated across the fleets destroyers with some even choosing to broadcast random noise to make the Aequatian jammers begin to have to evaluate their targets more clearly.

His aide too began the process of turning the ships own ECM against the incoming bombers and behind the picket line the heavy EW systems of the three 'Myonmyo' class Battle Destroyers began to attack the enemy bombers directly with jamming and long range missiles. Their EW systems where the largest and most powerful in the fleet aside from the single Barham class heavy battleship and they began their electronic counter attacks by using their full electronic warfare array to barrage and sweep jam the bombers themselves.

VLS cycled through the entire picket fleet, targeting the missiles and loosing off missile after missile. The direct link between ships and the skill of the officers and their coolness under fire meant that coordination was employed very effectively in targeting the missiles correctly between different ships. If a missile had been dodged or jammed then it was usual for another to take its place quickly. The enemy attack was defeated by simple cyclic attack of ant missile missiles and the well trained officers of the Imperial Questarian Navy.

Lastly, as the missiles approached, direct countermeasures where used to engage them such as CIWS, chaff, minor jamming and RAM. All in all a hundred of the missiles where shot down by more penetrated. One hit the Hisatsuke's sister ship, the Yamazuki, slicing clean through its amidships and hit a boiler, exploding inside. The explosion was tremendous and the Yamazuki, after having its amidships blown out, cracked and with a mighty crack the boat's back snapped and it sank with massive loss of life.

More missiles hit and sank three more heavy destroyers, including the flagship of the 129th Destroyer Division, HIQMS Kizumasuke. The rest of the impacts sent four Shirune class light destroyers to the bottom.

After that, the actual retaliation began. Twelve Hayasuke class heavy destroyers of the battle line aimed their long range heavy surface to air missiles at the retreating bombers and engaged, firing four high velocity "Comet" class SAMs per bomber.

Losses:
4 Heavy Destroyers
4 Light Destroyers

No.142 Squadron, No.332 Hikojo Chutai

"Aw shit, shit shit shit"

Yamashita said over and over again as the missile launch ignitions popped up on his RADAR. Already the EW of the four attached specialist aircraft began attacking the missiles, dropping two, but some where bound to get through. Yamashita shuddered and broke out in a cold sweat as he heard his rear mounted autocannon opening fire.

"Prepare to bail, seriously, we're getting the fuck out of here." the captain said, a moment after the "Incoming missile" sound flashed up on the G4M's screen.

"Alright alright."

"Missile inbound" it flashed again getting quicker and quicker and redder and redder. The autocannon kept firing and kept missing.

"Fuck this, eject, eject!" Yamashita shouted, pulling back the ejection lever with all his weight. The cockpit flew open and two seconds later, just before he pulled the lever, the missile impacted. It blew off the tail and the subsequent fire raged around the rear of the bomber, then tearing off the rear fuselage. The scream pierced through Yamashita's ears as the plane began to drop out of the sky. He glanced around and another five bombers met the same fate, falling out the sky like giant weights, twirling and turning. Yamashita pulled his eject lever and the three second charge kicked in. He looked to this co pilot whos face was one of blank terror. His ejector was jammed. For three seconds Yamashita could see right inside the young man's head. His family, his unborn baby. Yamashita didn't have anything to say. All he could manage was a salute. His co pilot returned a shaky salute. Three seconds later the ejector kicked him and his chair shot him up in the sky, falling down and opening its parachute.

The face of that young co pilot would not leave Yamashita as long as he lived.

The fighters escorting the bombers banked off and would follow the bombers home until they had to return.

The skies over the fleet

The fleet was under attack from multiple angles but when the bomber attack was beaten off the picket line turned its attention to the AWAC jammers, respnoding with every kind of jamming imaginable at high strengths. In the air, the hundred twenty aircraft launched their retaliation attacks. Each aircraft engaged with six AIM-511B Starburst II Extremely Long-Range Air-to-Air Missiles built by Space Union. Their aircraft, again built by Space Union where some of the best in the world and where highly maneovurable with excellent electronic anti missile systems. As was with Questarian doctrine, the Space Union aircraft where extremely maneouvrable and easy to fly. Nevertheless twenty of the ninety fighters dropped like flies, though only several pilots died thanks to the escape mechanisms. The first group of aircraft that had just loosed their BVR weapons closed the distance between them and the Aequatian fighters.

The attack on the ninety aircraft brought the attention of the main air group that had held back and let the ninety move forwards. These squadrons quickly accelerated and in a wide wall pattern moved towards the Aequatian air fleet, which was now confronted at odds of 2-1. Twenty seconds later they where in BVR range and let loose two of the same missiles each, firing exactly four hundred of the missiles towards the Aequatian aircraft.

This would be an expensive battle.

HIQMS Hyuga

Fleet Admiral Chūichi Nishimura peaked his cap and tapped some more tobacco into his deep bottomed amber stemmed pipe. The tobacco smoke rose and drifted into the ventilation panels mimicking the smoke of the planes dropping into the sea not so far away from the safety of the command bridge.

"Launch the e-double-you drones." Nishimura commanded with nods from his two subordinates, Fuchida and Shimada.

With that order twelve drones where shot out of the bays of the County class cruisers, six per cruiser. They rocketed into the air and held behind the main air battle. Their EW systems where used directly to attack the AWACs supporting the Aequatian fighters. Furthermore six AWACs where raised onto the carrier decks and launched into the battle to support the drones in their EW efforts.

"What now?" Fuchida asked.

"Better to give our pilots in the field more flexibility. As long as they push back the Aequatians we can get our warning circle up and put more patrol aircraft in the sky. I think, given the bomber strike earlier, it'll be neccessary to keep our carriers better protected." Shimada suggested.

"I'll agree with that." Nishimura replied. "Keep moving the task force closer to the island. Once we've established local and strategic air superiority we'll start the landings. For now, put more aircraft up. Another sixty on CAP should do."

[OOC: Four cups of tea later...]

The wings swept back on the EA-74B Arrow as it moved low, pushing hard on First Lieutenant Terry "Bolter" Winters as he monitored the modulation of frequencies the Questarian Royal Navy ships were retaliating with against the electronic attack, he scrolled through his station's menus as he initiated the computer control of the jamming pod as it spread its power over the broad spectrum of frequencies in an attempt to jam the guidance radars of the incoming missiles against the bombers. The V-12A bombers themselves activated their own countermeasures, both electronic and mechanical in the form of barrage jamming and massive clouds of chaff ribbons, exploding from cluster packs from the tails of the massive aircraft. While normally effective, the larger number of weapons against aircraft proved that countermeasures are not fully effective as the large birds were struck by the missiles, a few exploding in flames as crew escape mechanisms fired, allowing many to escape while others were killed outright. Those who escaped now faced the unforgiving ocean, although they also waited for the eventual rescue via long-range helicopter.

The Black Eagles, although designed to be difficult to detect and engage, had the usual set of difficulties in avoiding the advanced weapons, as their numbers began to drop, but those that survived the barrage closed with the Questarian fighters and engaged with their own AIM-132E "Apollo" ASRAAM missiles, each aircraft loosing a pair from their large internal arsenal. They lit afterburners and screamed to close distance with the QRN fighters for the knifefight.

OOC: More coming in a short while.

The warm air around the dockyards helped to calm most of the sailors as they marched off to their vessels from the arriving transports, Verdan had seen a massive influx of military personnel since the start of the operations of Valla Verde, the publicly seen white uniforms of the Aequatian Republic Navy ratings, midshipmen and women and officers now replaced with the gray utilities and khaki respectively. Commander Sylvester "Sly" Johnson stepped out of the black Navy sedan alongside his executive and operations officers as they approached their boat, the hydrogen cell and electric-powered RNS Wraith, the last Aequatian submarine in service to have confirmed torpedo kills. The steel catwalk across to the vessel was lined with the crew as they boarded, each with a small pack of belongings as they boarded the vessel, the previous day spent taking on stores and ammunition, including the 810mm Mark 70 Mod 1 supercavitating heavy, nicknamed "Cap Cracker" by the weapons crews for the weapon's known ability to sink even aircraft carriers at times. The night hours provided better cover from the enemy observation satellites as they small Phantom boats slid out, followed by the larger Avenger class attack submarines. The next morning afforded the surface vessels, destroyer squadrons, their own opportunity to launch from the yards and sail to their positions outside the Exclusion Zone before moving to engage the Questarian vessels.

A klick east from Windward North

Yamashita sighed a sigh of relief. "Shitting hell." he burst out aloud, sending a few birds from nearby tries scattering into the air. He had landed in perhaps the only patch of open ground for what could be miles, a testament to his parachute skills. Yamashita considered the fact that he had no weaponry but a flare pistol and a knife that his father had given to him upon joining the forces. Now his survival skills would really be tested, the training invested in the IQN's pilots would be put to the test.

Another thing he had was a map, but he was unsure of where he was - he guessed it was somewhere near Windward North, so the sensible thing to do would stay on the outskirts of the city, he figured. Maybe if he found a farm he could steal from that, but Yamashita reflected that he had to get out of the rainforest quickly. He had served terms of training and combat fighting insurgents for the East Haven Company in their ever expanding mandate of the Transhaven and he knew what the rainforest could do.

Air Battle

The Questarian first wave of aircraft, having taken initial losses, was determined to become the victor. Their backup missiles, a pair of the short range air to air missiles designated the AA2A Short Range Air to Air Missile and once they'd achieved a target lock they loosed both missiles against the Aequatians before closing in with their extremely agile craft to do battle with their 22mm Questarian produced cannons.

The backup two hundred fighters that had been scrambled and finally organised and waiting behind the battle. They fired another pair of BVR missiles at the Aequatians again, but as the first group of fighters closed for the knife fight they daren't fire more BVR and so they too, or most of them, closed to engage with their short range missiles where they could achieve closer locks.

Another fifteen fighters dropped out of the sky from the Aequatian missile attacks just as they closed the range to engage with cannon.

From the main group of fighters closing to engage with the Aequatians twenty four aircraft split off and soared upwards and hopefully over the battle that was raging. They spread out in the finger four formation in groups of six to hunt for the EA-74Bs that where providing RADAR coverage to the Aequatians.

HIQMS Jesselton

The Jesselton was a Barham class battleship which was leading the First Amphibious Assault Group. In this group three destroyer divisions and a submarine squadron with two escort carriers, as well as the Jesselton, were guarding six LPHs and six LPDs that carried the five brigades of Questarian marines and the single Azahan marine regiment, as well as three LSTs that housed the Armour Battalion that was being brought to Valle Verde, with self propelled artillery, the Macabean Arca Nakil IV, anti air tanks, trucks, tractors, and other logistical assets. The loss of a single one of the LPH, LPD, or LSTs would be a severe loss to the task group and would have to be replaced ASAP. There where already reinforcements being laoded onto similar ships and task groups being assembled in case either one, or worse, two, where sunk, or reinforcements where needed on the island.

SGNS.309, off Valle Verde

The SGNS.309, a Guided Missile Nuclear Submarine of the Kurakaze class, was lying in wait off Valle Verde, the crushing depths of the ocean bouncing off its hull at 200 metres under water. Its Captain, the venerable Phillip Gladstone, was a veteran of several conflicts and had at least more than three frigate kills under his belt. Gladstone adjusted his ancient mariners cap adn tapped some more tobacco into his pipe. The order feed ran through and take a puff on his pipe read it out:

"You are ORDERED by ADMIRALTY LONDON to ENGAGE with SELECTED ARMAMENT the MARINE CORPS AIRBASE off VALLE VERDE. Orders to be carried out WITHIN THIRTY MINUTES. Feeding map data through now. GOD SAVE THE KING."

He screwed it up and tossed it into the bin and addressed the crew. "Alright boys, this is it. Its no problem, launch our missiles and we're out of this God damn war."

There was a small cheer as the crew set about their working, typing in commands and using all the data the Admiralty had sent them through their ORBNEL-16D secure datalikn upload. Little did they know their big brothers, the Type 833 BALLISTA SNSA's would be lauching similar attacks on ZMI installations in North Haven's Haleigh Sea later that day as part of the Milton conflict that ZMI had initiated. The three guided missile subs in the group with SGNS.309 each launched 16 SS-N-62 missiles at the airfield, targeting mostly the hangars and the fuel stores that the GPS data had given them, wishing to leave the runways intact - they would need repair anyway but there wasn't too much concern on what was hit, as long as the airbase could no longer station fighters.

As the 48 missiles initiated their boosters and shot low over the Valle Verde rainforest, locals and natives alike looking up as they heard the whoosh of the missile before it disappeared out of sight, they flew across the rainforest and the moutains and the flat land before striking the base at mach 2 with their 450kg warheads.

Three hundred kilometres away the three submarines slipped away into the closing darkness and away from the conflict. The first part of Operation: Eagle's Eye was complete, hopefully. With the airbase no longer able to launch fighters, the paratroopers being prepared and put onboard their aircraft on the Questarian mainland for the long trip to Valle Verde, escorted every step of the way by naval air stations, escort and fleet carriers in mid-ocean and by landbased fighters, would be able to land and capture the airfield and make a beachead before the main fleet arrived in three days time.

Air Operations, Valla Verde Exclusion Zone

Many of the pilots had detected the incoming missiles and jerked their aircraft violently as they initiated evasive maneuvers and started countermeasures as they detected the incoming BVRAAM weapons. With afterburners lit and the fighters screaming through the air and their fallen comrades, almost a dozen lost to the effective short-range weapons, the pilots chose to close range with the QRN interceptors, hoping their own weapons would lock onto the allied fighters in the fog of the knife fight. Each Aequatian fighter loosed another pair of AIM-132E weapons at the QRN aircraft before closing to gun range, firing with their 25mm vulcan-style cannons.

Lieutenant Winters was warned by the airborne early warning and control aircraft about the incoming fighters and his crew switched their jamming away from the QRN ships and started aiming the aircraft's frequencies against the enemy fighters, using the same frequency bands as were relayed by the Joint Intelligence Corps concerning the SuF-8 fighter. The jamming would affect the aircraft's air search and weapons tracking radar, forcing them to rely heavily on their other weapons, simultaneous with the F-28A Black Eagles' attack on the enemy fighters.

Fogerty Air Force Base, Verdan, Aequatius Secundus

The returning B-12A Vanquisher bombers which could be reloaded with Typhoon missiles were done quickly as the crews prepared for the hasty sortie against the QRN forces. This time the aircraft outfitted with the full loadout of six missiles each, accounting for almost three hundred weapons among the bombers as they lined the runways, the aircraft being hurriedly refueled on the taxiways as the first took off, their supporting EA-74B aircraft catching up as they prepared for a second attack.

The secondary fields, responding to the requests of the E-14C Capricorn AEW&C aircraft in the air monitoring the battle, were buzzing with the sound of additional suqadrons of F-28A Black Eagle fighters to aid in the defeat of their aerial forces. Fifteen squadrons of a dozen fighters each were soon scrambled towards the Exclusion Zone, afterburners engaged at full throttle in order to reinforce the fighters already in the air battling in close combat with the QRN SuF-8 fighters.

Marine Corps Base Gambit, Valla Verde

Once it had been confirmed of the amphibious forces off shore, the soldiers of the 61st Marine Expeditionary Brigade were mobilized from their ready positions and sent to the high security areas of the island, M20A1 Mackall tanks along with entire companies of truck-mounted infantry drove along the roads as they moved to Howards Air Force Base and the island's government buildings within the inner districts of San Peurto, Marine Corps Air Station Gambit having been rendered useless by the QRN cruise missiles strikes, determined to have been launched by missile submarines within the Exclusion Zone. Major Alex Merivale, an artillery battery commander, sat with his forces in a former schoolyard in San Peurto with their eight 155mm M343 guns as they awaited the radio calls for fire missions against the coming invasion. At this point, it seemed merely a matter of hours.

Windward North, Valla Verde

Marine Peter Mills sat in the gun turret of his section's Rhino armoured truck, the MG2C1 12.7mm heavy machinegun loaded with a belt feeding from the 500-round box as the platoon's convoy traveled outside the city and along the major roads surrounding the city. Kilo company, the marine company on garrison duty on the Northern island, had been informed of the coming invasion and had increased its patrols, hoping to spot amphibious forces before they managed a foothold onto the island's soil. His eyes were kept on the treeline as the vehicles drove, each gunner keeping their hands on the triggers of their massive wapons.

Exclusion Zone, Valla Verde

The total of a dozen Hawkins class frigates supported by almost a score of Hurst class destroyers as they lined in their perimeter just outside of their standard engagement zone, 250 kilometres from the QRN vessels as they prepared their air defence missiles for launch against any enemy weapons or aircraft which came under their umbrella of fire. Below the surface, much closer to the Questarian veseels than the surface ships, lurked the nearly silent Avenger and Phantom class boats slid through the water as their satellite uplinks provided them with an almost real-time picture of the enemy, with updates provided every fifteen minutes thanks to the tireless work of the Space Command personnel and their intricate network of observation and reconnaissance satellites in orbit above the Exclusion Zone, many being removed from their normal duty stations and relocated for the operation.

Commander Johnson in the Wraith prowled closer to the island's littoral zone with its partner boat, Banshee, as they tracked the amphibious group approaching the island, the skipper himself eying the unknown battleship, really the Jesselton, as he monitored the course of the amphibious assault ships and sent orders down the command channel, "Weapons, ready two Mark Seven-Oh Fish for launch, along with the Mark Six-Oh Fish and Typhoons in the Vee-tubes. Fire on my command," He said into the handset as he monitored the "BLUEFORNET" terminal before him as Banshee moved into its strike position, Wraith itself laying silent in the water, its signature mimicking that of mere rocks as the other boat released its quick barrage of supercavitating torpedoes against the battleship while its smaller standard torpedoes split through the water towards the escorting destroyers in tandem with the vertical launch of the UGM-200A Typhoon anti-shipping missiles, in all, two pairs of 810mm "Supercavs", four pairs of 540mm standard torpedoes and a dozen Typhoon weapons streaked in towards the amphibious group's destroyer and battleship escorts.