NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This will be a rebellion within the Reich in which the General in Portugal who controls all of the Reichswehr and the OS will somehow, which you will see, take control of all of Portugal and some of Spain. This is a semi-open RP. If you think you have something beneficiary to add, let me know.

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IC:

8:13 AM
Lisbon, Portugal
Strategics Room

An emergency message had sent Reichsleiter José Sócrates from a meeting having to deal with the lack of water in the Northern parts of the territory to a Strategic War Discussion between the head of all ground forces -- Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco, the head of all naval forces -- Grossadmiral Juan Fernando, and the head of all air powers General der Luftwaffe Tania Martin.

[Translated from Portugese]

Reichsleiter José Sócrates: "What's happened that we have been called so suddenly? Has war broken out? Who sent me the emergency message?"

Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco: "I sent the message. I need your support in the upcoming revolt."

Reichsleiter José Sócrates: "What revolt? Have you gone insane?"

Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco: "Hardly. Generals Fernando and Martin already agree that the Germans have spat upon our culture, ignored our capabilities, and disgraced our land with their God-like statues of der Führer.

"Reichsleiter, he is no longer my Führer. I offer you the guiding hand of leadership to separate Portugal from the Reich by any means necessary."

Reichsleiter José Sócrates: "You all have lost your minds. I'm sending a warning to Reichskanzler Kübler at once."

Sócrates picked up the phone long enough to get it a few inches from his ear before all the Generals in the room opened fire on him with silenced pistols.

Grossadmiral Juan Fernando: "If only the poor fool had listened... but he had been brainwashed by the Germans."

Fernando holstered his pistol and removed a single black rose from his overcoat and tossed it on the dead body.

Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco: "I take it all of your men, Fernando and Martin have become completely loyal to our cause?"

Both of the men shook their heads indicating that they had. Silvaco's plan was going exactly as he wanted. Now, it was time to clear Portugal of all the German or near-German population. A hatred due to neglect and rejection had built inside of Silvaco's twisted mind ever since he remembers the German infantry executing his father in front of his very eyes when he was a child and the Reich was in the middle of taking command of Portugal.

The Germans for long took care of the child - placed him with loving German foster parents who taught him the ways of "being German" in this Reich. Eventually he forgave them for killing his father and joined the military. But it was not until he received a position of power where he could have successfully led tens of assaults against foreign powers in Europe and had his requests denied that he realized the Germans look down on the Portugese. And he was not wrong...

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10:48 AM
Spanish/Portugese Border
Commercial Airliner

An M-107 Civilian Transport Jet was carrying 108 Layartebian citizens back to Layarteb City from various destinations in the Reich where they had been vacationing. The travellers were beginning to get comfortable just when the lights dimmed out, red alarm lights began to flash, and oxygen masks dropped down. A loud siren could be heard and suddenly the entire plane was engulfed in flames.

[Translated from Portugese]

Pilot: "Target eliminated. Returning to base."

General der Luftwaffe Tania Martin: "Good work soldier. You will be remembered as the spark that ignited the fire."

Pilot: "May God help me..."

Hours later, when the M-107 from the Fourth Reich was due into Layarteb City, people began to get worried. Transponder readings showed nothing about the aircraft and there was no radio contact with the airliner since it left Portugal. There were over 100 Layartebian citizens on the aircraft, many of them returning to Layarteb City from vacationing or from time away on the European continent. Immediately, alarms went off in everyone's head as they waited, waited, and waited. After hours it was obvious that the aircraft was not going to make it to Layarteb City. The closest base to the European continent, especially the south of the continent, was the Azores. Search and rescue aircraft could be in the air in a matter of minutes after a distress call was sent out and one was. LRAACA and Excalibur aircraft, normally on ASW patrol roaming the North Atlantic immediately went out on search and rescue missions. Perhaps the aircraft had gone down over the Atlantic and there were survivors. Its route would be traced accordingly but there was going to be very little, if anything, found, that much they expected.

Berlin, Germany
The Reichstag
12:43 PM...

Reichskanzler Kübler, Feldmarschal Heinz Guderian, Generaloberst Otto Günsche, Grossadmiral Hermann Goettel, plus der Führer's top eight military, economic, and diplomatic advisors were gathered in what was known as the Viereckraum or Rectangle Room, a huge rectangular-shaped space with an awe-inspiring pure golden eagle over eight feet tall grasping a sword in an upwards position in one talon and holding a golden flag of Germania in the other talon. The magnificent piece was located at the end of the room, as there was only one door for entry and exit. A ten foot wide golden chandelier with over forty bulbs hanging from the ceiling. On the walls were previous flags of Germany, flags of the branches of the military, and a oil painting of der Führer. In the center of the room was a polished, rectangular oak table roughly fifteen feet long with enough chairs to hold all of the Reichskanzler's staff. It was in this room where all matters of great concern were discussed.

[Translated from German]

Reichskanzler Kübler: "Gentlemen, please give me the details of what has happened."

Feldmarschall Heinz Guderian: "An M-107 holding over 100 Layartebian citizens went down somewhere over the Spanish/Portugese border."

Reichskanzler Kübler: "Has Reichsleiter José Sócrates given any details or filed a report? Has he attempted to contact me?"

Advisor #3: "No, mein Führer. Not only that, but he cannot be contacted."

Reichskanzler Kübler immediately picked up one of ten telephones and dialed directly to Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco.

Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco: "This is Silvaco."

Reichskanzler Kübler: "This is der Führer. Where in the hell is the Reichsleiter?

Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco: "Ahhh, yes. The dear Reichsleiter José Sócrates. I feel somewhat obligated to tell you that the Reichsleiter is dead."

Reichskanzler Kübler: "I don't like your tone. Change it immediately. How did he die? What is the situation with the downed M-107?"

Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco: "I will not change my tone for anyone, especially not you, Kübler. I am now in control of Portugal and Northwest Spain. Your precious Reichswehr, Reichsmarine, and Luftwaffe have turned loyal to me. It's too bad that I had to execute so many fine OS soldiers, but they just love you so much...

"As far as the plane, I had it shot down. Explain that to the Emperor of Layarteb.

Reichskanzler Kübler: "Silvaco, you yellow-blooded traitor! I will have y-"

Silvaco hung up before der Führer could continue. The Reichskanzler then went into one of his notorious rages.

Reichskanzler Kübler: "That son-of-a-bitch bastard! I want his head on a silver platter and blood dripping from his eyes! I want those traitors who claim to be part of the Reichswehr drowned in their own blood!..."

As der Führer continued, the bangs of his hair fell across his red-as-a-tomato face. His fists shook violently between slamming them down on the oak table and kicking chairs over while shattering a pitcher of water against one of the walls.

Reichskanzler Kübler: "Everyone out!"

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An hour later der Führer called all of the men previously in the Viereckraum back inside. He had calmed himself and fixed his hair.

Reichskanzler Kübler: "I will inform the Emperor of what has happened. Then we will begin a massive assault from the South of Portugal. Any citizen - man, woman, or child - who resists is to be killed on the spot. Guderian, you are in command of Operation Splitter. The land forces will consist of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Armies. I want 20 Mechanized-OS Divisions as an autonomous unit as well.

"If I know Silvaco as well as I do, he will attack first. I want readiness level raised to KRISTAT-4. Seal off the border between France and Spain. Have it guarded by the 5th, 9th, 11th, and 12th Armies supported by 8 Luftwaffe Divisions. I want the North Sea blocked off. Inform Hawdawg, Rome, Cotland, and anyone else under threat of the situation. Make sure they know that the situation is being contained. That is all."

An hour or so later, the Reichskanzler picked up one of the phones and dialed directly to the Emperor.

An aid answered.

"Emperor's office."

Reichskanzler Kübler: "This is der Führer of the Fourth Reich. I must speak to the Emperor. It has to do with the missing plane."

The Emperor: "Hello?"

Reichskanzler Kübler: "The M-107 carrying your 108 citizens was shot down by a rebel group based out of Portugal. A certain Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco has taken over the entire territory and claims he has obtained control of parts of Spain. That is all for now. I apologize for this, but I guarantee it will not go unpunished. Goodbye, my old friend."

Kübler hung up the phone and plotted his next move...

Oslo, Norway

"Videre har vi to bønner om nåde som De må ta stilling til. En mann som er dømt for langing til mindreårige, og en kvinne som drepte sin mann. Mannen hennes var riktignok utro, men det brydde retten seg visstnok ikke så mye om. Begge er dømte til døden ved henging." [Furthermore, we have two pleas for mercy that you need to make a decision on. A man who is convicted for dealing drugs to minors, and a woman who killed her husband. Granted, her husband was unfaithful, but the Court idn't care about that. Both are sentenced to death.] The aide said, handing two pieces of paper - pleas for mercy - over to the King, who sighed as he glanced over the papers. After some thinking, the King replied.

"Kvinnens straff skal reduseres til livsvarig fengsel uten mulighet for prøvetillatelse. Mannens straff består." [The woman's punishment is to be reduced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The man's punishment stands.] The King said, accepting the document the aide had prepared in advance that ordered the womans punishment altered to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, and signed it before handing it back to the aide. He had barely signed it before a sharp knock on the doors to his office got his attention. Two seconds later, it opened and a naval officer, the King's adjutant, appeared through the double doors. He bowed before he quickly approached the King, a concerned expression on his face.

"Herre Konge, tilgi forstyrrelsen, men vi har mottatt melding om borgerkrig i Germania." [My King, forgive the interruption, but we have recieved word of civil war in Germania.]

The King looked up with a concerned expression.

"Borgerkrig? Hvordan?" [Civil war? How?]

"Ambassaden ble kontaktet av det Germaniske utenriksministeriet og informert at de Germaniske styrker i Portugal og nordvestre deler av Spania har desertert og gjort opprør. Forsvarsministeriet vårt har allerede økt beredskapen og utenriksministeriet forbereder evakuering av våre borgere i Germania dersom det skulle bli nødvendig. Statsminister Rothsky har allerede sammenkalt regjeringen og står klar til å foreta de nødvendige grep for å ivareta Rikets beste interesser." [Our embassy was contacted by the Germanian foreign ministry and informed that the Germanian forces in Portugal and northwestern parts of Spain have deserted and started a rebellion. Our own defense ministry have already increased our readiness and the foreign ministry is preparing evacuation of our citizens in Germania if that should be necessary. Prime Minister Rothsky has already called the Cabinet together and is prepared to make the necessary moves to maintain the Realm's best interests.]

"Godt. Og våre styrker i Germania?" [Good. And our forces in Germania?"]

"Vi har den 158. Infanteridivisjon i Barcelona, i sør-Spania. Den er allerede satt på høyeste beredskap. Ti tusen seks hundre og førti soldater fordelt på fem kampgrupper, en helikopteravdeling og divisjonshovedkvarteret under ledelsse av generalmajor Rasch. Videre har vi en jagerving og en logistikkving i Nice i sør-Frankrike, med hundre jagerfly av typen F-20/A Enforcer; tjuefire C-12/J Super Hercules taktiske transportfly, seksten C-15/A Kondor strategiske transportfly, fire VC-17/A Gulfstream VIP-transportfly, åtte KC-21/A Robin tankfly og fire E-3/A Bataleur luftbårne kontrollfly. Totalt tre tusen soldater fra Flyvåpenet under ledelse av Brigader Rasmussen. Marinens femte hangarskipkampgruppe er til vanlig stasjonert i den Germaniske marinebasen i Barcelona, men er for tiden på operasjoner i Middelhavet." [We've got the Army's 158. Infantry Division in Barcelona, in southern Spain. It's already placed on highest readiness. Ten thousand six hundred and forty soldiers divided into five battlegroups, one helicopter unit and the divisional headquarters under the command of Major General Rasch. Furthermore, we have a fighter wing and a logistics wing in Nice in southern France, with one hundred fighter jets of the type F-20/A Enforcer; twenty-four C-12/J Super Hercules tactical transports, sixteen C-15/A Kondor strategic transports, four VC-17/A Gulfstream VIP transports, eight KC-21/A Robin refueling jets, and four E-3/A Bataleur AWACS. All in all, three thousand airmen from the Air Force under the command of Brigader General Rasmussen. The Navy's fifth carrier battlegroup is normally stationed in the Germanian naval station in Barcelona, but it's currently on manouvers in the Mediterranian Sea.] The adjutant said. He had looked over the deployment roster just before he entered the office, having anticipated this question from the King.

"Utmerket. Dersom dere unnskylder meg mine herrer? Jeg må ringe statsministeren. Takk." Excellent. If you'd excuse me gentlemen? I must call the Prime Minister. Thank you.

The adjutant and aide both bowed deeply before quickly exiting the King's office.

*****

Official Communiqué

On the behalf of the Realm, I would like to offer the deepest regret for the situation that has unfolded in Portugal and Spain. His Majesty's Government has the utmost confidence in the Germanian ability to stabilize the situation, but nevertheless I have been authorized by His Majesty and his Council to offer the use of the Cottish forces stationed in Germania in the restoration of the situation.

Furthermore, we would like for the Cottish citizens currently in Portugal and Spain to be evacuated from the hotspots. According to the latest count from the Foreign Ministry, we have some 8,037 citizens in the mentioned areas. The safe extraction of our citizens would fall favorably with His Majesty's Government.

Again, we have confidence in the Germanian ability to contain and stabilize the situation.

[signed]
Thomas Rothsky
Prime Minister
The Realm of Cotland

*****

16 kilometers outside Barcelona

The four M65A1 Arrow armored personnel carriers came to a screetching halt right outside the chainlink fence, the rear doors opening to dismount their ten-man infantry squads. The platoon of forty soldiers and eight vehicle crews quickly deployed to the prepared defensive positions, manning their sector of the defense zone around the Cottish base. The platoon sergeants barked out orders as the riflemen and machine gunners got into the positions while the platoon officer was on the radio with the company commander, informing that they were in defensive positions. It was probably an unnecessary precaution, but the Cottish forces in Barcelona had been ordered on maximum readiness, which meant that until they recieved deployment orders, they would assume that an attack on the base was imminent and the necessary precautions therefore taken.

A total of ten thousand six hundred and forty soldiers, of which some forty percent were nineteen and twenty-year olds serving their eighteen months of mandatory military service with the 158. Infantry. That didn't mean that they weren't well trained though. The Cottish Army didn't deploy any conscripts overseas until they had served in the Army for at least six months after their three months of basic military training, so the conscripted men were experienced, despite their young age. They were also equipped with the finest the Cottish military could offer of equipment and weaponry, adding to their lethality. It would be these men who were offered to the Germanians for helping sort out the problem in Portugal.

Hirgizstan City, Cape Verde State

"At this time the North Germanian Government have not yet released any more information pertaining to Flight M107 or the rebel forces reported to have taken power in Portugal. What they will say is that they are dealing with the situation and will provide information whenever possible. This is Roselie Perudku, Hirgizstanian News Corp, from Berlin."

The Fuhrer picked up the large remote and hit mute as the HNC logo flashed and a view of the 'Wake up Hirgizstan' studio came back on. The three anchors began to discuss the situation, but the Fuhrer had already turned to the two men in front of him. One was the SECDEF, the other was the SECSTATE.

The Fuhrer spoke first, "Business' and tourists, all citizens basically, located in Portugal are our main priority. We have no military prescence in Portugal, so as the Joint Chiefs have suggested, we'll send in a Carrier Battle Group, keep them off the coast of Lisbon in case. Send out a memo on the State Department website and liase with the North Germanians at the embassy and set up a video meeting with your counterparts in Berlin."

The two men nodded. The SECSTATE spoke up, "My Fuhrer, I drafted a memo that should be going online now, the information is simple and clear. Before I arrived I was informed that there are still outgoing flights from Portugal on schedule for today, mostly bound for Libya. So, we can hope that that will continue, as it will save us having to act. However, we cannot hope they will be safe, flight M107's fate is a brutal reminder of that. There are around 2400 tourists in Lisbon alone, and another 2000 or so spread throughout the rest of Portugal. Then we have around 6000 people living there running business' etc. As for business' themselves, there aren't that many and we won't suffer economically, but its not ideal either."

The SECDEF was scanning a file which he put down and started in to the conversation, "Contingency plans are simply enough, if we're not allowed to send planes and boats for our citizens, we simply establish a beach-head near Lisbon and get our people out in hovercraft and helicopters. And if that isn't enough we storm an airfield and get them out by force. I think I speak for all of us when I say that leaving anyone is unacceptable."

The Fuhrer mused for a few seconds before nodding. "I learned this morning the Cots have troops on the Spanish border, so make sure to include in any State Department memo that citizens could also head to the border with Spanish Germania, that would certainly be easier. But be sure to remind people that intelligence reports these 'rebels' are also reported to be in control of parts of Spain" Both the men scribbled that into their files.

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OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION

TO: Der Fuhrer, Reichstag
FROM: The Fuhrer, White House
RE: Portugal

Der Fuhrer,
I have sent a copy of all Hirgizstanian proceedings regarding Portugal to your offices via our Berlin Embassy, our only concern at this time is to get our citizens out of Portugal. The copy includes all contingency plans should normal aviation out of Portugal be cut off or threatened. We will not, at this time, be offensively participating against the rebels, but we will use our military if it is necessary to safeguard the lives of our citizens.

If, however, you would like the support of the Commonwealth against the rebel forces then do ask. Portugal is very close to Libya and we would not want to see a rogue regime pose a danger to our shipping in the Mediterranean.

The Fuhrer

COMMUNICATION ENDS

OOC: This should set it up for you NG.

The phone call was surprisingly brief and the Reichskanzler had said what the Emperor feared from the get-go. Intelligence sources put something funny happening in southwestern Europe but there was nothing to pin yet. Communication into and out of the area was surprisingly out of capacity. Intelligence agents and other Layartebian citizens living in the area weren't reachable and, immediately, things were feared to be the worst. When the Reichskanzler called, the Emperor knew that the situation was dire. "Angela. Get me the Minister of Defense please." He said into the intercom, looking at his watch. It was almost 06:00 hours and the Defense Minister was definitely not in his office. He would be at home, sleeping. His secretary yawned, just getting in herself at 05:30 hours and complied with the request.

"Yes sir?" The Defense Minister said into the phone with a sort of groggy but alert tone.

"We are currently in a de facto state of war with the Fourth Reich."

"Sir? What do you mean?"

"Our missing airliner has been found. It was shot down by rebellious forces within the Reich. Portugal and parts of Spain have ceded and are in control of someone who is obviously hostile to the Empire and, undoubtedly, hostile towards Berlin. How soon can you be here?"

"I'm on my way now sir."

"I am calling a principles meeting for 07:00 hours. I want options."

"Yes sir." He hung up the phone and relayed the message to his secretary.

May 28, 2007 - 07:00 [EST]
Governor's Island, Layarteb City

"As if we don't have enough to deal with, now there's this..." The Defense Minister commented to the Minister of Intelligence as the Emperor called for order in the meeting. It was purely a principles meeting, which translated to essential military and defense personnel only. It had far less people than a Cabinet meeting but the consolidation of power was higher.

"Alright. This morning, at about fifteen to six, the Reichskanzler called me to inform me of the following. And this is a direction quotation, taken from tape logs. 'The M-107 carrying your 108 citizens was shot down by a rebel group based out of Portugal. A certain Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco has taken over the entire territory and claims he has obtained control of parts of Spain. That is all for now. I apologize for this, but I guarantee it will not go unpunished. Goodbye, my old friend.' Now the conversation was terse to the point and we know that we're in trouble. We have one hundred and eighty dead Layartebian citizens. Obviously we can call off the search planes currently combing the Atlantic Ocean. Satellites have already found and confirmed the wreckage. It is extensive and I doubt that we have any survivors. Now. Let's get through this as fast as we can. We are in a de facto state of war with the Fourth Reich. Obviously I'm not going to launch strikes against the Reich but this rebellious group has initiated war upon the Layartebian Empire and its people so I want options. First of all, how many Layartebian citizens live in the affected areas?"

"Sir. Between 6,000 and 8,000. I don't have exact figures." The Minister of Foreign Affairs said as he looked at his notepad. It was still a little blurry to him.

"By noon I want exact figures. I want them out of there. If we can. Intelligence. How many agents do we have there?"

"Four sir. None of them are reachable. We've been trying."

"Alright. Keep on it. Let's hope they aren't in custody. The Reich probably know who they are and if they knew, so do the rebels. Defense. Where do we stand?"

"Well sir we could launch a massive aerial strike against the affected areas by 20:00 hours tonight, using the cover of darkness. That's 20:00 hours their time, which puts it at 13:00 here. They're seven ahead with the switch to DST."

"Alright. What do we have in the Atlantic now?"

"Sir. First Carrier Strike group is in the Azores and they can move immediately. We have the 2nd Amphibious Group, the 1st Carrier Battle Group, and the 4th Carrier Battle Group all at sea in the Atlantic. The Amphibious Group is near Saint Helena and the two carrier battle groups near the Arctic Ocean and near Bermuda. They could be there quickly but not as fast as the Carrier Strike Group. Obviously, sir, the arament is different. Sir we do have a Venom group, in full, six ships, in the Atlantic but two of them are nuclear only. The other four carry conventional and nuclear strike missiles. Voodoos and Imsdals sir."

"What's their time on station?"

"We have one in the general area right now and a second boat could be there within hours."

"We have to take into account that the Azores is, territorially, Portugese. So that means if we're out there, so are they and they'll see our movements."

"That is understood sir. Our preferential attack is to neutralize the Azores. We have forces already on the islands, Marines, special forces, and black forces. We could land paratroopers and more Marines sir. The 1st Amphibious Group could sail in forty-eight hours sir."

"Alright. That's progress. What about their defense network?"

"It hinges on the Azores. We neutralize the Azores, we neutralize this rebel force from seeing us. Our Air Force can take care of the rest."

"How hard are we talking?"

"Sir. We could put over 10,000 missiles in the air."

"Pummelling."

"To the stone age. We could hit everything this rebel has before the Germanians even mobilized a tank."

"Understood. Let's move up to REDCON 3. I want contingency plans on everything and prepare our forces in the Azores. I want that island group to remain OUT of rebel hands. Is that understood?"

"It is sir. Encryption will be higher than standard TOA."

"Experimental?"

"Not as of two hours ago sir." The Minister of Intelligence said. Layartebian hackers and computer analysts had been toying with the idea of 3072-bit encryption. Standard TOA communications and internal communications requiring the most amount of security were regulated to 2048-bit but that wouldn't provide security much past 2030. After 2030 you would need, at minimum, 3072-bit but 4096-bit was in the works. It was just taking time. Now, with 3072-bit encryption, the Azores could be securely informed. The cypher was important and that could be delivered properly, without it being known and that could be done through direct-line communications. Fiber-optic cables had been laid underneath the North Atlantic and provided a back-up, should satellite communication be broken into by an enemy force. The fiber optics were untaped and painfully hard to crack into, especially when they sat at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.

"Well that's good news. I want them informed right away. That way!"

"Yes sir. We're working on it right now."

"Good. Good. Where do we stand otherwise? What do we know?"

"Very little sir," the Minister of Intelligence continued. "What they know. We know. That doesn't say much. I'm sure the Reichskanzler is as shocked as we are."

"They picked a hell of a day to mess with the Empire!"

"Yes sir!" It was a hell of a day but that wouldn't be the only thing happening on May 28.

Official Communique to all TOA Member-States:

"The Azores are still under Fourth Reich control. To enforce the islands already in our position, we are dropping eight Fallschirmjäger Divisions to make sure this 'Splitter' group does not obtain control.

"As far as any of your citizens located in Portugal and Northwestern Spain, inform them by any means you prefer to report to Eurasian Passenger Line Station 47 in West-Central Spain near the Portugese border and Eurasian Passenger Line 68 in Southern Spain near the Portugese border. They will be personally escorted by the Schwarzenjäger (Black Ops) once out of Portugal to Paris where they will be flown to their respective homelands. If Silvaco refuses foreign citizens from leaving Portugal, we will begin military operations.

"I advise all members not to under-estimate Silvaco. Consider any attack on him the same as an attack on Reich forces, as essentially they are the same. He has the same firepower as I do, just not as many troops, vehicles, or equipment. You must also understand the sensitivity of this situation. There is a risk of killing Germanic citizens and innocent Portugese citizens if attacks on Splitter-held areas are indeed launched.

"Another problem is the terrain in Portugal. It ranges from hilly in the Southern, to deep, sloping valleys and huge hills in the center, to mountains in the North. The soldiers in Portugal know the land better than our best intelligence. If a military exercise is to take place, it must be led by Generals familiar with such terrain. I have already called in the 1st Kazakhkorps and stationed them in France, along with the 3rd Alpinkorps.

"It is my opinion as the former top General of the Reich and the current Reichskanzler to neutralize Silvaco's air and sea assets if he will not agree to standing down. Fighting the Reich at sea is dangerous, fighting the Reich in the air is also dangerous, but fighting the Reich on land given the right circumstances can be suicidal. I must insist that if a situation arises where any TOA nations have the right to attack Silvaco that their forces be directed, not commanded, by Feldmarschal Heinz Guderian or Generaloberst Hermann Heissler.

"That is all."

End Communique

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This space saved for more to come.

Official Communiqué

With the permission of the Fourth Reich, the Royal Cottish Navy shall begin to blockade Portugal to prevent any rouge naval or air units from spreading. Our rules of engagement shall be simple: Fire only if fired upon.

We are also willing to place the 18. Commando Regiment at your disposal if you should require it. The 18. Commando consists of some 3,600 personnel, of which some 1,152 personnel are highly trained and skilled Special Operations Forces personnel. The 18. Commando can be deployed and ready on the ground within five hours once the order to deploy is issued.

[signed]
Thomas Rothsky
Prime Minister
The Realm of Cotland

Lisbon, Portugal

The situation was, so far, calm. The troops were out in force, but so far, they hadn't preformed any agressive actions against anyone but the OS forces that now were being transported away on trucks. The agent frowned. He was certain that the Germanians knew his identity, which meant that these rebels knew his identity, so he had cleaned out the safehouse and left shortly after he learned of the rebellion, and was now effectively hiding from the authorities.

The agent had learned of the rebellion the hard way, through watching the firefights in the streets, but it wasn't until he got contacted by his government through the extensively modified PDA he carried with him at all times that he understood the big picture. The communication also told him that he was to round up all the Cottish citizens he could and get them to the extraction point. To that end, he would be assisted by loyal Germanian Black Operations Forces. They had already been informed of the agent's existance and his mission., but they had been told that he had been part of the consulate staff in order to seek out potential traitors within the consulate ranks, not to spy on the Germanians. As far as the Germanians were concerned, that was the cover story. With the number of rebellions and uprisings involving Cottish government officials in the later years, it was a plausible cover story.

Most of the Cottish citizens had already been contacted by the Cottish embassy in Berlin, the Cottish consulate in Lisbon or by the Foreign Ministry itself of the situation and told to make their way to hastily selected rendesvouz-zones where friendly forces would extract them to safety. The zones, which had been selected by the Schwarzenjäger Kommando had been hastily scouted by the Air Force thanks to reconnaissance satellites and deemed safe. However, a substantial number of citizens hadn't been reachable, which meant that they had to be physically tracked down and notified. That was the job of the agent.

Armed only with a silenced L122A3 Storm pistol chambered in 10.92x28mm LDC, with one magazine of ten rounds in the weapon and four in his backpack, and a SEAL 2000 knife, the agent was undergunned to say the least. Still, he would rely on stealth and distraction to get past the various military checkpoints and find the citizens. He had their last known addresses on the PDA, and he would start methodically seeking them out and getting the citizens to safety.

May 28, 2007 - 11:30 [UTC-1]
Azores Layartebian Command, São Miguel

The North Germanian communique came over the secure channels as the Azores was being informed directly about what was happening. Layartebian bases and positions buttoned down their hatches and everyone without a weapon got one. Perparations were made to surge the ships in port and put all of the aircraft on immediate patrol. The 1st Carrier Strike Group would have to move out of port but it would take another hour or two to get them ready to move out and at least two more after that to get them ready to go and moving. That was, at best three or at worst, four hours before the ships could move out of port. That left a lot of room for catastrophe.

The Layartebian Command was just one of three main command centers. The other was North Germanian Command and the last was Central Atlantic Command, where both commands unified into one. As Germanian paratroopers landed at the airports and floated down from the skies, the Layartebian forces already one the island, which consisted of one Marine regiment of 2,048 soldiers, one Special Operations Forces regiment of 2,048 soldiers, and one Black Operations Forces company of 128 soldiers bringing the total to 4,224 foot soldiers, in total. There were also pilots and sailors on the island chain as well but they weren't as highly trained as the Marines or the SOF or BOF soldiers. The BOF soldiers were the least known and they hid amongst the SOF soldiers, keeping to themselves for the most part. Everyone knew that BOF soldiers were on the islands but that was about it and everything semed like a rumor. If the Portugese decided to make an attempt on the Azores, they would learn first hand about the Layartebian BOFs hidden on the island chain.

As the word passed across the time zones, Layartebian fighter aircraft, particularly Tornados and Typhoons, took up their own barrier CAP missions as B-10 Badgers and EB-10 Badgers were loaded with a wide array of anti-shipping weapons, just in case the Portugese decided to come for a picnic. The 2nd Maritime Patrol Group, permanently stationed in the Azores, ran up their own engines. The group consisted of three Avenger MCMs, six Barracuda SSs, three Dnalkrad Flight II FFGNs, three Indefatigable Flight II DDGNs, four Leopard Flight II PCs, six Loke SSs, four Raef PCs, three Verrazano Flight II DDKNs, and four Vindicator Flight II PCs. There were several Sea Hawk and Fire Scout aircraft to look both over and under the horizon for long-ranged bombers and submarines. Germanian submarines were potent and they were deadly, which was why the Loke, the world's best AIP submarine, was the first line of defense against them. SSNs were too far away and noisier than the Loke's when it came to machinery. The Loke's could, effectively, hide in the shallow waters around the islands or the deeper waters, and wait and listen for enemy submarines. A SOSUS net deployed around the Azores and throughout the North Atlantic would provide them with the necessary capabilities to do such a task.

The biggest defense against aircraft was the deployment of the Layartebian anti-stealth system, a highly classified network of radars, satellites, and turbulence sensors deployed throughout the mainland but extended to the Azores. It could see well over-the-horizon and through any type of stealth, including the deadly and capable UCAVs being developed by the LDC. There was also the Dnalkrad FFGN, a specialized air defense frigate armed with over a hundred missiles of medium and long range capabilities as well as theater missile defense. If the Portuguese were going to come to the Azores, they would have to fight through the Layartebians to do it!

OOC: Forgot to post this the other day but NG hasn't had power due to some storms but he's not gone.

The Splitter group was wise in its decisions. Right now the ball was in their court, but they had yet to make a move. They were well aware that the Cots had formed a blockade and a sizeable Layartebian naval force was guarding the Azores. The Splitter's best bet against both in combat, if it came to that, was to use the notorious and constantly-upgraded U-300 Class Stealth Attack Submarines. As of now, their plan was to attack foreign shipping.

Not only were there plans in motion to attack trade ships, but Generaloberst Haníbal Silvaco, now calling himself Rei Silvaco - King Silvaco - had contacted a militant force in East-Central Algeria called Al-Haddaq. Simply described, they were a poorly-equipped band of raiders who gained their only income from stealing from farmers and traders. The Reich's Soldiers did not venture into Algeria past the borders or the coastline, as there was nothing of interest there, thus the country was left to govern itself.

Splitter had managed to smuggle huge stockpiles of relatively modern small arms and armored vehicles -- the ones that the Reich would only use if they were on the brink of complete destruction. Old Soviet-made tanks, IFVs, and tank-destroyers. Included were a handful of 155mm mortars. They were armed primarily with G4 Assault Rifles, AK-47s, AK-74s, RPG-7s, pre-Reich MG-10 Machine Guns, and Stingers. While they had uniforms, their equipment was outdated and often jammed. Mainly the troops rode in pre-Reich or Soviet-era trucks while doing their pillaging.

However, now that Splitter had sent them a massive assortment of weaponry, they were recruiting soldiers by the hundreds. Before their armament, they stood at approximately 1,250 soldiers. After several days, their ranks had grown to 2,390 and they had been given an order by Rei Silvaco -- attack the Reich Naval Base in the small city of Annaba, on the coast of the Mediterranean.

http://img.timeinc.net/TFK/media/news/2001a/010228_sudan_hor.jpg

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Annaba, Algeria
12:13 AM
Reichsmarine Naval Base Annaba

Three U-300 Class Stealth Attack Submarines sat docked at the base, along with the Annaba Class Battleship, and six FkS-119 Missile Ships. Guarding the base were 120 Reichswehr Soldiers and 60 OS Soldiers. This night seemed to be as normal as any other until a Schütze spotted numerous headlights headed towards the base. He quickly informed his Platoon CO who informed the base commander. He assumed it was just a group of native Algerians who wanted to look at the base and told the men to keep an eye on them and fire warning shots if they came too close.

Unfortunately, the base was hit hard six times by 155mm mortars and twelve times by RPG-7 rockets. One of those rockets had hit a stack of barrels containing ship fuel, which detonated and lit up the base like a gigantic flare, setting a dozen or so Reichswehr soldiers on fire. Naturally, the Germanian soldiers fired back with machine guns, sniper rifles, and assault rifles. Mortars were fired towards the Al-Haddaq rebels, but the Germanians were simply outnumbered. After eight hours of fighting, the base was in the hands of al-Haddaq and the only soldiers who would be captured were OS and had killed themselves before that was possible.

The leader of the rebel attack force sent a video out to the world stating that they were in alliance with Splitter and would continue their attacks. The man speaking named Mombata also made it quite clear that they were growing in numbers by the hundreds daily. Now, al-Haddaq was not some small band of raiders, but were beginning to become an organized military force with a small navy and armored force.

In Portugal, Splitter had begun to fire artillery into Reich-Occupied areas of Spain, aiming at military and civilians...

OOC: We sorely need to redo the Azores/Atlantic ORBAT.

Information coming out of Portugal was, at best, spotty. The Portugese factional group had seized power, that much they knew but to what extent was a big unknown. If they controlled the military elements of the Reich in Portugal it meant controlling some very advanced aircraft, ships, and tanks. Any type of land invasion was simply out of the question for the Empire, it was the Reich's job to handle that detail. Aerial and naval bombardment, on the other hand, could commence but would only commence if requested by the Reichskanzler. It wasn't enough that they had to be on their toes, watching out for what was going on across the Atlantic Ocean though. Terrorists had seized a cruise liner in the Caribbean Sea and turned a tense and unusually hellish situation into a full blown hurricane of nightmare. As the Azores were reinforced, Layartebian shipping in the Atlantic went on high alert to expect incoming attacks from rebel controlled, Germanian weaponry. It made for something more than just a headline, it made for a war. The Atlantic Ocean had long since been a safe haven for peace and prosperity. The Reich and the Empire controlled both sides of it and patrolled it equally as heavy, which meant nobody could do anything wrong without a couple of million tons of warships bearing down on them in a matter of hours. Now, with one side of the equation thrown into a catastrophe, the whole balance seemingly came undone. The Empire would have to pick up the slack from the Reich, which meant that more ships would be deployed, further weakening the Empire's own defensive abilities, should something go afoul and someone take dire advantage of the situation.

Eurasian Line Passenger Station #13
Berlin, Germany
9:23 AM...

Over 700 German and Polish passengers had boarded Train #413 headed for various locations in Poland. Some were going on business, some going home, some for vacation, and others moving. OS-Rottenführer Schwudel opened one of the Cargo Compartments above the Train Rooms where the passengers sat or slept. What he saw was something unusual. A backpack with a wire leading to the right into the next compartment. Thus, he opened the next -- the same thing. Then the next. And the next. Until he heard the sound of a beeping.

[Translated from German]

OS-Rottenführer Schwudel: "Everyone out! Get off the fucking train now! Go! Go! Go! Now! Hu-"

Before he could finish, over 30 pounds of E-14 explosives detonated, instantly killing 314 people and wounding 165 more. Directly after the explosions, Rei Silvaco sent a video to all Germanian news channels of him speaking.

[Translated from German]

Silvaco: "What has been done today is only a taste of things to come. I am prepared to launch an all-out war with the arrogant and repugnant Fourth Reich. I know you underestimate me, Kübler, which is why I have proven to you today that I am capable of far more than you thought. A bombing of your own capital, of your own Great Eurasian Line of your conception and realization.

"I eagerly await the day when I will face your forces in direct combat. The Fourth Reich will fall! Long live Portugal!"

The video cut off and all that remained was carnage in Pankow, Berlin...

http://www.knowledgedrivenrevolution.com/Profiles/Madrid_Bombing/Multimedia/Madrid_Bombing_Train.jpg

The Ministry of Intelligence, paying extra attention to the Fourth Reich picked up the video tape immediately and satellites overhead doing whatever business they were there for picked up the flash from the explosion. As minor as it was, in retrospect since these satellites were better tasked with detecting nuclear explosions, large bomb blasts, and missiles launches, it still registered. When the video was aired, it was evident that the Portugese rebellion was not out for just themselves, they wanted revenge as equally as they wanted their own sovereignty. More warnings went out to the Azores and now, as the rebel leader mentioned the Eurasian Line, all Layartebian forces throughout the Reich, especially in Kazakhstan, where the Great Eurasian Line began, were put on full alert. Layartebian forces joined other October Alliance forces guarding specific sections of the Great Eurasian Line but the largest concentration of Layartebian forces in the Reich, aside from the jointly controlled, military-only Azores was Kazakhstan where the Empire operated an air force base, an army base, several air defense sites, and a SIGINT site. It was the largest foreign detachment the Empire had and it was the most vital and the furthest away from the sea, meaning that any Layartebian "naval" assistance would be subject to serious limitations. The closest forces outside of the Fourth Reich were in Turkey, Iran, and Siberia. Those all went on high alert too as Layartebian aircraft began their necessary steps towards self-defense of all Layartebian assets within the Reich.

The Royal Cottish Navy had always maintained a strong presence in the North Atlantic Ocean, always prepared for whatever might come their way. Thus, the Cottish were able to quickly surge forces to the area around Portugal in the form of two Light Carrier Battle Groups, each group centered around a Ynoga class light escort carrier, and one Medium Carrier Battle Group, centered around a Hermes class conventionally-powered fleet aircraft carrier. Additionally, a Submarine Patrol Group consisting of four Tigerhai class nuclear-powered attack submarines had been deployed to the area to assist the Cottish carrier groups.

All in all, the seventy-one warships, which included three aircraft carriers, a battleship and ten submarines, that the Cottish had surged were to create a blockade around Portugal with orders not to let any civilian vessel past without first having been inspected by the Cottish, and to stop any warship that might try to pass. Overall command of the task force, which had been codenamed Task Force DAGGER, was given to kontréadmiral Danielsen aboard the Ragnarok class battleship Finnmark, which acted as the flagship for the task force.

Task Force DAGGER

Officer Commanding: Kontréadmiral Danielsen
Task: Blockade Portugal to prevent Splitter terrorists from escaping the current Area of Operations

2. Medium Carrier Battle Group
Personnel (Sailors): 11,550
Personnel (Marines): 0
Demon class DDG: 4
Forsakelse class AE: 1
Forsyner class AOEN: 1
Heimdal class CGN: 2
Hermes class CV: 1
Hordaland class CBGN: 1
Indefatigable class DDGN: 8
Moengen class AO: 2
Ragnarok class BBG: 1
Smertebringer class FFN: 8
Tigerhai class SSN: 2
B-29/A Vestavind: 8
C-30/B Trofast: 4
E-30/C Trofast: 4
EF-20/F Enforcer: 8
F-20/B Enforcer: 36
F-25/B Typhoon: 12
H-23/A Merlin: 42
H-23/B Merlin: 11
K-30/F Trofast: 4
Q-37/A Mariner: 4
Q-40/A Fire Scout: 37
S-30/A Trofast: 8
1. Light Carrier Battle Group
Personnel (Sailors): 3,788
Personnel (Marines): 0
Demon class DDG: 3
Forsakelse class AE: 1
Forsyner class AOEN: 1
Heimdal class CGN: 1
Indefatigable class DDGN: 4
Moengen class AO: 1
Smertebringer class FFN: 4
Tigerhai class SSN: 2
Ynoga class CVLN: 1
H-23/A Merlin: 23
H-23/B Merlin: 7
F-31/A Savage: 16
Q-37/A Mariner: 2
Q-40/A Fire Scout: 18
3. Light Carrier Battle Group
Personnel (Sailors): 3,788
Personnel (Marines): 0
Demon class DDG: 3
Forsakelse class AE: 1
Forsyner class AOEN: 1
Heimdal class CGN: 1
Indefatigable class DDGN: 4
Moengen class AO: 1
Smertebringer class FFN: 4
Tigerhai class SSN: 2
Ynoga class CVLN: 1
H-23/A Merlin: 23
H-23/B Merlin: 7
F-31/A Savage: 16
Q-37/A Mariner: 2
Q-40/A Fire Scout: 18
2. Submarine Patrol Group
Personnel (Sailors): 408
Personnel (Special Forces): 64
Tigerhai class SSN: 4

The ships spread out, with the three carriers and the majority of their escorts grouped some 100 kilometers from the coast, while detached destroyers, frigates and submarines roamed and patrolled the coast, using their powerful ANDOSS sensor suites to keep an eye on the shipping and aerial traffic. Meanwhile, fighters and patrol aircraft from the carriers were in the air as well, patrolling and covering the Portuguese coast effectively. The Cottish were well aware that this Splitter group was highly capable and highly dangerous, something the bombings in Berlin had shown. This resulted in the Cottish forces being on high alert, with radars searching the skies constantly, passive SONAR suites being used extensively to hear if any submarines were in the vicinity, missiles and point defense systems being on hot standby, meaning that they could be activated with the turn of a key, and the crews being on Readiness Condition Two, which meant that they were alert and ready to do their jobs at any given moment, which would be when the ships went to Readiness Condition One.

**************

Meanwhile, in an airbase in the Isle of Man, the men of the 18. Special Regiment were patiently waiting for further updates and orders. The special operations forces had been placed on a heightened state of alert along with the rest of the Cottish forces in Europe on May 28th, when the Splitter group first started their terrorist activities, with talks about deploying to Portugal to help their Germanian TOA-brethren root out the terrorists, but so far, nothing had been decided. So, the men waited patiently, triple-checking their weapons and equipment, going over possible insertion points, watching the breaking news coverage that was flowing in over the various news agencies, and waiting to be told what to do.

The Reichstag
Berlin, Germany
11:19 AM...

The Reichskanzler, Generaloberst Heinz Guderian, OS-Obergruppenführer Rudolf Heissler, and commander of the Kazakhkorps, General Czarkov, all accompanied by their advisors were gathered in a room known as the Kriegzimmer, literally "War Room". Der Führer was in a raging frenzy over the terrorist attack that had occured not even two hours ago.

[Translated from German]

Reichskanzler Kübler: "This is the first terrorist attack on Germanian soil ever in history and it occured while I am governing this great and impeccable nation! These Portugese scum will drown in their own blood! In their own blood! Do you hear me?!

"I want Silvaco captured and brought to me personally! Now is the time for retaliation! It will be swift, it will be devastating, and it will be righteous! We are the Hammer of God, not some measly side-nation to be walked upon like the Balkan States before they were put under my command! The Kazakhkorps will be responsible for the invasion of Portugal. General Czarkov, you will lead your troops. I am leaving it up to you to come up with a battle plan, but I must approve it."

General Czarkov: "Mein Führer, we will devastate these Portugese scum!"

Reichskanzler Kübler: "Guderian, I want you to command the Armored Divisions of the Kazakhkorps, but you will obey General Czarkov's orders, is that understood?"

Generaloberst Guderian: "Jawohl!"

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9 days later...

The mess of the bombsite had been cleaned up already and trains were running through Berlin as they were before the explosion already. But more importantly, the 1st, 3rd, and 9th Kazakh Armies were on train cars carrying them to the Portugese border.

The force consisted of 750.000 combat-ready soldiers and 230.000 logistics soldiers. Accompanying them were 350 T-90C Main Battle Tanks, 120 T-95 Heavy Battle Tanks, 400 BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and 250 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers.

The soldiers were armed with AK-101 Battle Rifles, AK-74M Carbines, RPG-26 Anti-Tank Rifles, PS-92 14.5mm Anti-Tank Machine Guns, GmG-7 12.7 Heavy Machine Guns, and PKM Machine Guns.

The armies were now positioned in three points near the Spanish/Portugese border. The 1st Kazakh Army in Southern Portugal, the 3rd Kazakh Army in Central Portugal, and the 9th Kazakh Army in Northern Portugal. The Reichskanzler gave the order to attack.

A barrage of artillery and tank fire from each three armies began to tear Portugese strongholds apart from over a mile away. Overhead, the sounds of Luftwaffe Precision Bombers and Air Superiority Fighters could be heard. The Reich fighters went into dogfights with the Portugese Fighters, creating a light show of carnage in the air.

Luftwaffe bombs began to fall on their targets... the flaming remains of jets smashed into the ground... Kazakh and Portugese soldiers exchanged fire...

Operation Splitterschreck had begun...

"Reichskanzler Kübler," the Emperor said as he got on the phone. "I know this is short notice. The Portugese have been making your life hell and this, only hours after the bombing of the train in Berlin, is an important matter. Our Intelligence Ministry has uncovered a connection between these Portugese rebels and our own terrorist organization. The information will be sent over to you immediately but it is important. There are three people mentioned in the cables, three who I need to capture, alive. Their names are Daniel Murphy, an unusual name for a Portugese man I know but nonetheless a Portugese man, Vanessa Fernandes, and Martin Cabral. I need these two men and one woman alive and hence this is the nature of my call and my request. I need you to please allow me to insert, clandestinely, a team of men to extract them and bring them here for interrogation. If they don't yield anything we'll simply return them to you, in whatever fashion you want but we must be allowed to do this. The fate of our own Empire rests on their truths." Knowing full well that the Reich was preparing to go to war with the Portugese, he knew the weight of his request but he also knew that time wasn't on his side either.

Official Communique

"Dear Emperor,
No matter what is happening within my own Reich, I will never hesitate to help you and will never prevent helping you. Send in your men. Undercover OS Agents will help protect them and fifteen of them will be in your command. They know their way around Portugal and especially the Splitter hotspots. There are a total of sixty soldiers. Get your men into Lisbon and a man wearing a black overcoat and black top hat holding a cane going by the codename 'K' will escort your men in a truck disguised as a tomato sauce truck to an OS hideout on the outskirts of Lisbon where you may set up your headquarters.

"I know this is much to ask since you are dealing with your own terrorist problems, but I request that you eliminate the Splitter air force. It is estimated they are in control of approximately 25 various Luftwaffe Divisions. We will have no birds in the air during the time of your attack, if you choose to accept, so you will not be in danger of hitting friendly planes. The reason I ask this of you is because we drastically underestimated their ground forces. Apparently over half of the Spanish soldiers defected and joined Splitter.

"I thank you for being a solid and consistent ally and hope you will accept my request."

-- Reichskanzler Kübler

End Communique

June 13, 2007 - 03:37 [GMT]
Portugal

The cargo ship drifted slowly through the glassy waves off the coast of Portugal. It was the dead of night there and the Fourth Reich had blockaded the coast of Portugal. The cargo ship managed to slip through, using falsified documents and codewords, all of which flagged it as a Layartebian ship, bound for Sines. The ship was really under the command of Illuminati agents who flagged it as an NGO for the humanitarian rights group, Human Rights Watch. They claimed the vessel carried only food and medical supplies and though an inspection would have normally taken place, everything seemingly fit into place. HRW agreed to its vessel being there, unaware as to the true nature of the volunteers aboard, who had managed to hush up the regular crew a few hundred miles east of Bermuda.

The cargo ship had over 20,000 tons of supplies on it and food and medicine only accounted for 25% of those supplies. The remaining 15,000 tons included a significant amount of weapons, including plastic explosives and anti-aircraft missiles, and a significant amount of blank paper, which could be used to make money. The Illuminati weren't just supporting the Portugese rebels, they were supplying them.

A vast worldwide group, the Illuminati had money, wealth, and power. While they affected change in the Empire, they sought to add external pressures upon the Empire and force their will further. The Portguese rebels could do just that and a plan to have them attack Layartebian naval assets around the Azores wasn't just an idea, it was a full-blown operation.

As the cargo ship sailed into the port, under its false colors, a Layartebian cargo plane, bound for Berlin, flying high in the air, passed just north of Portugal. It was being escorted by F-50A Cardinal fighters, armed with medium and long-range missiles as well as dogfight missiles. The Portugese wouldn't attack it as they were being attacked by the Kazakhs. Their focus was elsewhere, not to their north. As they concentrated on Kazakh positions, the cargo plane let out eight men, one of them being BG. Jack Delaney, the rest being his team, Force Falcon Team One. They HALO'd into Portugal with a mission, capture and extract three Portugese individuals linked to the terrorism campaign in the Empire. Their names were Daniel Murphy, Vanessa Fernandes, and Martin Cabral, two men and one woman. They needed to be captured and brought back to the Empire for interrogation and nobody was better suited than BG. Delaney and his men.

In addition, the Imperial Layartebian Military was making preparations to unleash a powerful bombing campaign against airbases in Portugal, at the request of the Reichskanzler. The attack date wasn't set for another five days though, June 18.

On the ground in Portugal, things were scary. Bombs were falling from up high as the Reich bombed the rebels to oblivion. Missiles streaked up from the ground and fly skyward as troops frantically ran around, digging in positions as the Kazkahs moved into their territory. The Portugese forces were dug-in deep and they were dug-in strong. They had Reich-quality weaponry and they were evenly matched against their OPFOR. They knew their terrain though and they were setting up ambushes everywhere, waiting for the Reich to come through certain parts. They didn't know that the ILAF and ILN would soon be waging war on them as well nor did they knew that the most elite military unit within the EOL was within their borders. On the ground, the men of Force Falcon Team One were supposed to go to Lisbon to meet up with a Germanian spy. They had other business to attend to first and that meant the capture of one of their elusive three suspects. They dropped in wearing Portugese Army fatigues and carried their weaponry. The men were elite and they brushed up on their Portugese before they dropped in and before things went sour. With the disaster in the Amazonian Republic taking over the focus of the Layartebian military, it was easy to neglect these eight men but not easy to ignore their mission.

The closest target was Martin Cabral, who lived in the northern region of Portugal. He was expected to be in his home and they would need to get that far first. They moved throughout the night to a small army base that wasn't far from his residence. The base was carefully guarded and they used falsified documents to get into the base without a problem. Their Portugese accents gave them the final edge as they moved onto the base and looked to seize two vehicles. One of them would be a Cobra APC, armed with a Layartebian M31A1 15.5MM HMG and a Fuchs armored transport armed with a powerful 7.62MM LMG. Between the two vehicles, they could easily transport themselves and the three prisoners. If they had to abandon either vehicle, they could still move within one vehicle.

The two vehicles were locked up in the motor pool, which was also guarded but by only one soldier with an assault rifle. The eight men approached him and stood there, BG. Delaney obviously outranking him as a Colonel. His documents put him and his seven men as an elite SOF team of the Portugese military and they needed the vehicles for a classified mission. Who would argue with them when the penalty could mean death? The lowely corporal was intimidated easily by Delaney and gave up the two vehicles without much of a fight although he didn't really want to fight him. They drove out before the sun ever rose and were on their way to their target.

They arrived just a few hours after the sun rose and parked their vehicles outside. Disguised as the Portugese Army, the eight of them didn't cause him to run, although he was jittery. He spoke English and when they knocked on his door, he was reluctant to open it, although he was pursuaded eventually. "Good morning." BG. Delaney said with a smile. "You are Martin Cabral?" He asked in English.

"Yeah. What do you want?"

"May we come in?"

"I want to know why first."

"This is an army matter. We have received a tip that some Kazakh soldiers came through here last night and we want to know what you saw."

"Nothing. I was asleep early last night."

"Still. We'd like to come in. May we?" He tapped his assault rifle and Martin had little choice otherwise. They knew it was him but they still wanted to see what they could find in his house. "Thank you," BG. Delaney and four of his men entered as the other three guarded the vehicles. "So. Not a Portugese by birth?"

"No. I'm English."

"With a Portugese name?"

"Yes."

"How long have you lived here?"

"Am I suspected as being someone else?"

"No. No. Just chit-chat."

"We aren't here to round up Germans. We're here to find Kazakhs."

"Well there aren't any here."

"No. We don't suspect there are."

"Then why are you here." BG. Delaney nodded and two of his men, within a flash, slammed him down onto the floor and restrained him. "Hey! Hey! What you doing!" He protested at the top of his voice.

"Mr. Cabral you need to be quiet or else we'll cut your throat to make you quiet."

"I told you there..."

"This isn't about Kazakh soldiers. What do you know about the Pasdaran?"

"The what? Nothing."

"What do you know about Faysal?"

"Who? Why are you asking me about Arabs?"

"Arabs are your business. You see Mr. Cabral you're a wanted member of an international terrorist organization linked to both of these groups and men."

"I'm what? That's a lie!"

"We'll see about that!" They drugged him and threw him in the back of the Cobra while they searched his house. There wasn't much to find except a safe, which they opened and raided. Money wasn't what they wanted but they took it anyway, in case they needed to bribe someone. They did take one thing of serious importance though, which was his computer. They searched for parts of his computer that would be hidden and when they opened his computer, they pulled out two, high-capacity hard-drives, both of them encased in the same material that black boxes were made out of, strong stuff. When they left, they left with four hard-drives, a pile of folders, and some other documents here and there.

June 17, 2007 - 09:00 [GMT]
Portugal

The Portugese countryside was calm, unlike the front lines, which were being battered by artillery, tank fire, and helicopter assaults. June 18 loomed over the horizon as Layartebian naval assets put their positions off the Portugese coast. The plan to decimate the Portugese Air Force was going to be a sea and air attack. A powerful Imsdal strike against the airfields would, in essence, render them combat ineffective. Once that was done, the skies would be relatively safe, perhaps. Smaller airfields would be attacked as well and the Empire benefited from the fact that these airfields were all once part of the Reich. Information sharing was essential to the strike and the Empire knew now about airfields it never had known about before. Air defense sites would be a secondary target, engaged with cruise missiles as well but, because of the essentially mobile nature of most of them, jamming aircraft armed with anti-radiation missiles would have to fly. Due to the lack of naval necessity in the Amazonian war, the Imperial Layartebian Navy could focus on the Portugese problem. The Empire had, in the 1st Fleet, its Atlantic Ocean fleet: two amphibious groups, four carrier battle groups, two submarine attack groups, and three submarine missile groups. Stationed off the Portugese coast, below the horizon, scattered around north of the Iberian Peninsula, west of Portugal's coast, and west of the North African coast were three carrier battle groups, one submarine missile squadron, and one submarine attack squadron. The amphibious groups, both of them, were further out in the Atlantic and the fourth carrier battle group would be setting sail within two days, on June 19. Of the two remaining missile squadrons, one was tasked solely with nuclear strike and it was not tasked for the fight and the other remained in port. The other submarine attack group was in port as well.

Between the three carrier battle groups and two submarine groups, there was a total of 2,598,900 tons of Layartebian warships. The submarines were much closer to the coast than the carrier groups were and constant fighter patrol made sure that they weren't too vulnerable to air attack. They would use their missiles and aircraft to launch a punishing strike on the Portugese military but, at the same time, they would be joined by elements of the Layartebian Air Force. Long-range, stealth bombers such as the B-4 Magnum, B-7 Incubus, and B-9 Sphinx would fly across the Atlantic and use their weapons against the Portugese rebels with punishing power. Cruise missiles, both subsonic and supersonic, would pummel the Portugese rebellion and their air force and air defense net. They had little hope now that the ILAF and ILN had been called into action against them. The initial missile strike alone would include over 600, hypersonic cruise missiles, launched from the sea.

While Force Falcon Team One snuck through the Portugese countryside, looking for their targets, they tried to avoid Portugese rebels. They had checkpoints throughout the countryside and though their documents were top-notch, they couldn't help but arise some suspicion. They had their story carefully crafted. They sought out dissenters to the Portugese rebellion and hauled them in for justice. Inside of the Cobra, Martin Cabral was kept bound and hooded and if anyone asked, they had to present proper clearance to see him. Nobody could present that so they would move along. Each time they were stopped at a checkpoint, BG. Delaney felt as if the previous ones had given away his story. He and his men were careful not to slip.

Strategics Room
Lisbon, Portugal
7:22 PM...

Rei Silvaco and his entourage of assistants and assistants' assistants and generals gathered together to come up with some way to launch a punch-through attack against the Kazakhs. The Portugese were generally limited in knowledge concerning Kazakhstan and had no idea the Kazakhkorps was such a fierce force.

[Translated from Portugese]

Rei Silvaco: "I am of the opinion we punch through the pocket between Central Portugal and Northern Portugal and open a three-pronged attack."

General Martin: "Sir, if we punch through and make a three-pronged attack, the German 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Army could flank us and completely annihilate three armies."

General Fernando: "I disagree. Satellite imagery shows that the German Armies are no closer than Eastern France. If we used the Germans' oh so brilliant Blitzkrieg tactics, it could work. So far the Kazakhs have yet to use the Blitzkrieg."

Rei Silvaco: "That's because the Kazakhs are trained in Russian tactics. Why do you think they have so many artillery pieces?"

There was a slight laugh in the room and Silvaco spoke again.

Rei Silvaco: "I want to begin Operation Banhar."

The men's faces in the room grew pale.

General Martin: "Sir, this could put the international community against us."

Rei Silvaco: "That's what the bunkers are for. Commence the operation immediately. If the Layartebians want to bomb our airfields, we'll give them something to cry about."

What Silvaco was referring to was the execution of 80 Layartebian citizens that refused to leave Portugal. The SX-Splitter Special Forces rounded them up, gagged and blindfolded them and transported them to underground bunkers where they were filmed being executed. The video was sent to the Emperor with a solitary message: "For your crimes against our freedom, this is our reply."

June 17, 2007 - 19:30 [EST]
Layarteb City

The Emperor silently viewed the videotape, and its entirety. The Minister of Intelligence had brought it in just an hour before the ships were scheduled to begin their cruise missile attacks. Air force bombers were already over the Atlantic Ocean and would be firing their missiles in less than ninety minutes. "Gentlemen. They know we're going to attack them." The Emperor said calmly. "There is a double agent within the Germanian government, if not several. There may also be some within our own. I believe that the possibility of a Germanian double agent is much more probable than in our own but we can never be too cautious. I want him or her or them found and jailed, if they are our own." The Emperor's tone remained calm, indicative of his level of anger, so high that he was calm, a dangerous state.

"Sir. We have identified the eighty people." The Minister of Intelligence said. Just he and the Emperor were in the office. "They refused to leave when we issued the alert."

"Well. I cannot give them too much respect for staying when we told them to get out but it was their personal choice so that, perhaps, I can and will respect. Inform the kin."

"Yes sir."

"Get a secret cable to Reichskanzler Kübler. If he doesn't know of this he will now. Also stress to him that should we locate the whereabouts of this rebel government, the Imperial Layartebian Military need only the coordinates and the target data and this rebellion can be finished in just a few minutes."

"Yes sir."

"We're proceeding with the strike." It was half past midnight in Portugal and the missiles would be on their way by 01:30 hours. When the time came, the Imperial Layartebian Navy unleased a force of attack so monumental that it would have definitely scared even Reichskanzler Kübler. The main force came from three Venom SSGNs, who launched, in total 600 Imsdal missiles from their main launch tubes. In addition to those 600 Imsdals came another 480 missiles from various other surface ships. Aircraft in the air, protecting the battle groups, launched several long-range missiles themselves, mainly Storm Shadows and other light cruise missiles. In total, 1,284 missiles were on their way towards the Portugese coast with the first wave. When the air force bombers launched their own Imsdal and ACM missiles, they would add an additional 1,152 missiles from just forty-eight bombers. When they hit, they would send a clear message, the Empire wasn't playing around. The missiles were aimed, primarily at airfields, airbases, and air defense sites. The various warheads of the Imsdal would ensure the proper warheads fell on the proper targets, all moving at speeds in excess of Mach 6. The warhead options were easy: blast & penetration, cluster, fragmentation, incendiary, and thermobaric. A total of 2,436 missiles would strike their targets in the first wave of attacks, enough to cripple most countries ten times the size of Portugal. Whatever was left aftwards would be hit in follow up attacks. The careful part of the operation was making sure that the fleet remained defensive. Aircraft and radars made sure to watch for incoming missiles (vampires) or aircraft.

UGH!!! My post got deleted.

Here, I can't write it over again. Spain has seceded from the Reich and joined the Portugese. The three Kazakh Armies were eliminated. Right now, the German 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Armies are pushing into Spain through France. Since the onset of the war, there have been over 1.2 million deaths.

Right now, the Kazakhs are extremely pissed and are looking for revenge. The German Armies couldn't get to Portugal in time to reinforce them, so they're kind of pissed at Germany. However, four Austro-Hungarian Armies are mobilizing East to prevent a Kazakh attack in case they get too mad. Kübler is in the process of calming Czarkov down and informing him that Reich tanks can't be moved as quickly as Kazakh tanks, etc., etc.

Bad situation. 1/3 of the German 9th Army has moved into Kaliningrad in case they get any smart ideas.

Work with that gentlemen.

Task Force DAGGER
Off the coast of Portugal

So far, the Cottish warships had intercepted and turned back seven merchant ships, two after having fired shots off their bow with the 155mm bow guns of the destroyers that had preformed the actual intercept, but no rouge warship had attempted anything against the task force. Below the surface, the four Tigerhai class submarines of the 2. Submarine Group were operating independently closer to the shore, tracking surface and sub-surface contacts and providing intelligence for the allied forces as well as inserting special forces troops to extract the Cottish citizens that hadn't gotten away from Portugal or Spain yet. So far, sixty-nine citizens had been rescued and been transfered to the Hermes class aircraft carrier for further transport back to the Isle of Man in a C-30/B Trofast carrier-based transport aircraft. Apart from that, the Cottish maintained a policy of non-interference, letting the Germanians handle the situation in Portugal.

158. Infantry Division
Outside Barcelona

Unfortunately, the situation was deteriorating rapidly. In a few days, the 158. Infantry Division outside Barcelona would be on the front lines. Not because they went to the front, but because the front came to them. This wasn't good, as the Cottish forces had little chance of fighting off the entire rouge army with only 13,060 soldiers and airmen. The Major General commanding the division was holding a war council with his brigade and battalion commanders, considering the tactical situation and deliberating over what to do. The soldiers had been on maximum alert for days now, which when combined with the devestating reports they were recieving from all over Spain and Portugal were pushing down their morale. Many of the young soldiers had local girlfriends, and the thought that they might be killed in this uprising was further demoralizing. The NCOs and officers were trying to keep them occupied by having them prepare defensive positions, cleaning their weapons and doing other relatively menial tasks to keep them from sitting still and having a chance to think.

The war council finally reached a decision, especially after having learned that Spain was in the process of ceeding from the Reich. After the Cottish High Command in Oslo and the TOA High Commands in Oslo, Stockholm, Berlin, Layarteb City, Hirgizstan City and Ankara were informed of the decision, the static radio equipment was destroyed along with all other equipment and documents in the base that couldn't be brought along and the arsenals that couldn't be brought along were booby-trapped and the rest of the base mined while the troops assembled with their units and prepared themselves for the next couple of weeks. From now on, the soldiers were told, they were operating in hostile territory, and that they were in a de facto war and therefore the rules of war applied. That meant that the troops were to shoot to kill if they felt threatened and to remember their training and drills. As one sergeant said to his squad, "This is the shit that we've trained for. You know what to do and not to do, so get it done."

At 05:36 hours on June 18th, the three flags in front of the headquarters building - the Cottish, the Germanian and the TOA flags - were lowered by a small honor guard with the war council and an infantry company presenting arms, all dressed in full combat gear complete with helmets and weapons, and quickly folded and stowed away inside one of the M65A2 Arrow command vehicles before the division commander gave the order. By 06:00 hours, the last of the Cottish forces - an engineering vehicle - had left the base after arming the booby-traps and passive defenses. Any rebel who tried to get access to anything in the base would find himself dead, blown up by the atrociously massive amount of Composition C4 that had been used to booby-trap the whole base and wired in sequence. If only one of the booby-traps were triggered, the rest would be triggered almost simultaneously, blowing up most of the buildings, the fuel dumps in the heliport and motor pool, the underground weapons bunkers, and the officer's club (there were still a lot of booze there), just to mention a few.

The Cottish units - two motorised infantry brigades, one artillery brigade, one aviation brigade and one engineering battalion - proceeded to fan out and proceed at best speed towards the Spanish-French border where they were hoping to link up with the German 2nd Army. The Cottish were operating totally under the radar, moving with speed and determination. The Cottish used their attack helicopters to scout out the area ahead to make sure they weren't moving into a trap or something they couldn't handle. The Cots had no intention of falling to an ambush, but they were prepared to fight their way to France if they had to. Barring any unexpected encounters with rouge military forces, the Cottish expected to link up with the 2nd Army within two days.

158. Infantry Division

Personnel (crew): 5,448
Personnel (dismounts): 6,748
Personnel (airmen): 864
M19A2 Brobygger AVBL: 4
M20A2 Samaritan ARV: 4
M22A1 Deployer MDV: 6
M22A2 Deployer MCV: 6
M24A1 Grizzly II BV: 4
M52A2 Haubits SPH: 36
M54A2 Boar MLRS: 54
M57A1 Terrier CEEV: 26
M58A1 Resupply RSV: 36
M65A1 Arrow APC: 434
M65A2 Arrow C4I: 54
M65A3 Arrow ADU: 48
M67A1 HEMTT: 24
M67A2 HEMTT: 6
M67A4 HEMTT: 54
M67A9 HEMTT: 6
M68A4 MTV: 418
M68A5 MTV: 74
M68A9 MTV: 14
M68A11 MTV: 76
M68A12 MTV: 10
M68A16 MTV: 86
M70A1 Dragoon IFV: 20
M70A3 Dragoon C4I: 10
M71A1 LW155 ART: 36
M72A1 Namtaru LBT: 96
M74A1 CMPLV: 94
M74A2 CMPLV: 118
M75A1 Scimitar RT: 72
M76A1 Striker AT: 128
ARTHUR II Art.RADAR: 10
AH-11/A Reaper: 80
CH-21/B Super Stallion II: 64
RH-30/A Svartbjørn: 16
UH-29/A Lord: 96

OOC: How'd the strike go?

OOC: This seemed feasible to me. Let me know if it's not.

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

The Azores Islands
Blockade 2
4:16 PM...

While Hell reigned down fire and brimestone above on land, 400 feet underwater there was peace, tranquility, and only the sounds of fish and the new U-500 Class Hunter/Killer submarines. In one of the Reich's most proudest moments, a team of its Military Engineers came up with a complex but worthwhile solution on how to make a more deadly submarine: use an Air Independent Propulsion system, making the engine quieter than any in the world. That way, there would be so little engine sound coming from the ship it would be virtually impossible to hear, there would be a faster horizontal turn radius speed, a more agile ship, and a ship 5x as quiet as anything the Reich owned.

In a moment of pure metaphorical myopia on the part of The Korps of Engineers, they neglected to forsee the fact that a good number of Portugese sailors served as low- to high-ranking officers, and only officers in this particular case. Now, twenty-three U-500 Class Submarines were in the hands of Splitter. It was not even clear whether or not the SOSUS net would be able to pick up the sound of the submarines with all the other noise from multiple fleets. Realizing this, Captain Tomâs Celabro took advantage of the situation.

Stopping at a 45 degree angle, the U-504 opened up sixteen torpedo tubes and fired on the first enemy carrier it saw. The rest of the renegade ships followed suit and began firing on Cottish and Layartebian ships. With the brevity of the land battles, the Portugese hoped to draw TOA forces into long, drawn-out battles to slow them down. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. With the new engine technology, the submarines could out-maneuver them with ease and hide before being successfully fired upon.

The Wolfpacks had turned on their owners...

The sounds of opening torpedo tubes and the resultant firing had alerted the Layartebian vessels immediately. Verrazano class ASW destroyers had been running active SONAR runs and that enabled them to find some of the Portugese submarines before they got into firing position, although few of them were caught in such a way. The naval threat presented by the Portugese was not dismissed when the Layartebian vessels entered the area. SOSUS nets laid between Portugal and the Azores and around the Strait of Gibraltar were being watched intently. P-7 LRAACA and P-8 Excalibur ASW aircraft were flying patrols regularly and dropped sonobuoys constantly. When the submarines left port many of them had been noticed although tracks stopped shortly afterwards as they went into their AIP modes. The fleet wasn't too close to the coast yet. They were all well over the horizon with the carriers the furthest back, between 150 and 300 miles away. They had not yet been called to bear on the Portugese as the missile strikes continued.

Submarines protecting the fleet made sure that they were between the Portugese coast and the fleet at all times. The Layartebian Hunter and Scythe class attack submarines protecting most of the fleet were among the quietest, if not the quietest, nuclear powered submarines in the world. Some had tracked the Portugese boats as they got too close to the Layartebian submarines but tracking them was difficult. It was definitely something new for the Layartebian Navy, a new class of vessel that had yet to be categorized or even seen. Intelligence sources told them that the Germanians were working on newer types of submarines but there was nothing too conclusive about the intelligence.

The few that had been tracked by the Verrazano destroyers through active pinging were engaged immediately. They weren't Layartebian, that was a given. Using Mark 50 Mod 2 Barracuda torpedoes, the Verrazano destroyers launched both ASROCs and plain torpedoes against the submarines, two per submarine. They would use active pinging, seeking out their targets at close range. Sea Hawk helicopters helped engage them with further Mark 50s and aircraft did a similar attack profile, using torpedoes of their own.

Those that managed to get into position and fire on the surface vessels did so with a surprise. Layartebian vessels had been moving around, none were static, and now that there were torpedoes in the water, they immediately began maneuvering and dropping their own noisemakers and other assorted jamming devices into the water. All of them had been running under five knots and had their submarine masking systems already activated. They were running quiet and they were running cautiously. The Portugese were, in essence, firing blindly. They were firing against faint echoes and targets. The masking systems worked to create false echoes at various points. The torpedoes homed upwards on various targets and false targets. As the ships increased speed, the masking systems became less and less effective, unfortunately. However, the noisemakers were louder and if the torpedoes were running on passive mode, they would home in on those. Then there were other decoys deployed, meant to confusing active homing torpedoes, known as SCUTTER during their development programs. Based on the characteristic signature of the torpedo, the decoy sent a deception signal to it and for unknown torpedoes, the decoy will employ an appropriate deception technique from its portfolio, including Doppler, elongation and range gates, as well as highlights discrimination. Dozens upon dozens of these were released into the waters by the various vessels as retalitatory strikes began.

Regardless of how quiet they were, the submarines had become known now. Immediately, submarines and surface vessels launched their own weapons against them. Mark 76 Advanced Heavy Torpedoes from the various submarines and Mark 50 Barracuda torpedoes from the surface vessels meant that the Portugese submarines wouldn't get too far. It was around that time that a second strike wave was underway using cruise missiles launched from various airborne bombers and surface vessels not being engaged. More Imsdals and ACMs were now on their way towards targets in Portugal, several including the naval ports.

The Portugese torpedo launch was capable though. One Enterprise CVN sustained heavy damage from four torpedo hits and though it was afloat and flooding controlled, the vessel's propulsion systems were offline. It would need extra protection now. Two Unforgiven CGNs were struck as well although they were floating still. One Herectic FFGN was sunk and an Indefatigable DDGN was sunk as well. Two supply ships, one Emperor ASN and one Supply AOE sustained heavy damage as well and were listing severely. Lastly hit, an Earthquake BBGN sustained several torpedo hits on its port side but damage control teams were working hard to control its listing.

The silence was deafening inside the darkened CIC, where officers and enlisted men sat in the various consoles, listening to the outside environment, making sure the various combat systems in the destroyer were functioning as they should, or making sure the destroyer was uplinked with the rest of the battle group. The crew of the Indefatigable class nuclear-powered guided missile destroyer D362 was well trained and well motivated, knowing that the rest of the fleet depended on them to keep them safe and alive.

It was one of these men, a kvartermester manning the main SONAR listening post that first detected the unmistakable sounds of a submerged submarine flooding its torpedo tubes in the distance and firing them. The powerful SONAR arrays the destroyer were equipped with picked up the sound and started the process of identifying them, but the kvartermester already knew what the high-pitched sound was.

”Kontakt peiling 3-1-6, torpedo torpedo torpedo!” [Contact bearing 3-1-6, torpedo torpedo torpedo!] He shouted out, breaking the silence before calling out additional information that the SONAR arrays and data processing computer told him.

The Captain, whose combat station was in the CIC, looked up with an outwardly calm exterior but with fear visible in his eyes, looking over to the officer manning the weapons station. That officer was already hard at work, punching in the data the SONAR array had given him about the location and estimated distance and depth of the enemy contact, which by now was confirmed as a submarine, preparing a proper response.

It had been two seconds since the torpedo contact had been discovered and announced, and as the alarm klaxons started sounding and red combat lighting substituting the normal lights all over the ship, the Captain spoke in an eerily calm voice as he slipped a key into a socket and turned it full over.

”Slå klart skip, tillatelse til å åpne ild er innvilget.” [Sound action stations, permission to return fire is granted.]

The weapons officer didn’t even nod to the order, instead just selecting the forward vertical launch cell magazine and choosing cells #12 and #15, both of which were equipped with the same weapon.

In the foredeck of the destroyer, which by now was starting to increase speed and manouver radically along with the rest of the battle group, two weather hatches covering cells in the Mark 51 Vertical Launch Cell System that equipped this destroyer and just about every other warship in the Cottish fleet flipped open. A second later, it appeared that the foredeck erupted into a hail of fire and smoke as first one, then a second object streaked out from the VLS cells and towards the sky in a ballistical trajectory. The objects were RUM.8/D VL-ASROCs, which had been produced under license from the Layartebian Defense Corporation for many years.

As the weapons were starting to bear down on the sea again, the forward part of the ASROC separated from the booster, with a small parachute deploying behind it to slow it down. Just over the water surface, the parachute was released and the weapon – a Mark 50 Mod 2 Barracuda lightweight 324mm anti-submarine torpedo – slipped into the water and started actively searching for its target through the use of active SONAR and information from the D362 that had been fed into the torpedo’s guidance computer just before launch.

Two Mark 50s were in the water within thirty seconds of the destroyer detecting the submarine launching its torpedoes, meaning that the chances of the enemy submarine surviving this attack was severely reduced. The re-attack ability of the torpedoes, meaning that if they missed the first time around they’d turn and try again meant that the Portuguese sub commander had to be very capable and very lucky in order to avoid the torpedoes that quickly locked on the target and streaked towards it at speeds of nearly 60 knots.

Meanwhile, the Cottish battle groups that had been attacked were manouvering like crazy while firing off sound countermeasures and decoys in an attempt of fooling the torpedoes away from the real ships and onto the decoys and countermeasures, which were designed to create a far more tempting target for the torpedoes.

The Cottish escort warships all took steps to try to protect their protectees – the aircraft carriers and battleship – with every means at their disposal, which included VL-ASROCs, Mark 50 torpedoes fired from the Mk.3 Triple Torpedo Tube Launcher mounts and from the hull torpedo tubes of the warships, and Mk.68 Sjøorm heavyweight torpedoes from the larger surface combatants and the Tigerhai class SSNs in the area that were also attacking the enemy ships. The Tigerhais also fired UGM.40/A Stallion anti-submarine missiles, which were basically an underwater version of the ASROC, designed to allow a Cottish submarine to attack an enemy submerged submarine from distances that were too great for normal torpedoes. Additionally, the crews of the battleship Finnmark decided to try something that had worked rather effectively against submarines during the 1930s and 1940s.

The three large triple-gunned turrets of the Ragnarok class battleship turned towards where the enemy submarine was suspected to be located, elevated the guns to the appropriate bearing, and opened fire. Simultaniously, nine 406mm and six 155mm projectiles were flying in a shallow ballistic trajectory towards the submarine was believed to be, slipping under the waves and hopefully hitting something. It was pretty much a shot of chance with little success of scoring a hit, but the gunners figured that even if the shells didn’t explode on impact, a 1,700 kilogram object hitting the submarine would still create a lot of damage.

Then the torpedoes struck. Fortunately, only a few enemy submarines had attacked the Cottish ships, but it was more than enough. The light Ynoga class carrier R41, which was the flagship for the 1. Light Carrier Battle Group, was hit directly by three torpedoes and took severe damage, eventually listing over to her side and sinking two hours later. Three frigates and one cruiser were sunk, all as a result of moving directly in the way of the torpedoes in an attempt to block them from hitting their escortees. An additional two frigates, three destroyer and the Hermes class aircraft carrier Magadan were hit, the Magadan by three torpedoes, but all still remained afloat.

The Cottish losses were bad, but there were still more than enough ships left to maintain the blockade of Portugal. Five ships sunk, an additional six damaged, but there were still sixty intact Cottish warships in the area that would maintain the blockade.

It had been a lesson for the Cottish though, one that they were intent on rectifying. So, six hours later, when all the damages had been brought under control, the wounded transferred to the hospital facilities aboard the battleship Finnmark, the aircraft carrier was confident it would remain afloat and the waters cleared of enemy submarines, six destroyers, two guided missile cruisers and the single Hordaland class heavy guided missile cruiser in Task Force DAGGER turned up against the wind and unleashed a hellstorm against the Portuguese and Spanish naval facilities within range of their missiles, sending more than two hundred and fifty RGM.6/A and RGM.6/C Imsdal missiles and over twenty RGM.7/A Voodoo heavy strike missiles towards them.

The missiles were loaded with high-explosive warheads and Thermite-TH3 incendiary warheads, and were meant to turn night into day and life into death for the poor unfortunate sods that were in or near the target zone. Vengeance would be had.

June 19, 2007 - 09:00 [GMT]
Guarda, Portugal

Daniel Murphy was next on the list and he was suspected to be around Guarda. BG. Delaney and his men, inside their two vehicles, drove through vast war torn reaches of northeastern Portugal towards Guarda. They stuck to military routes to make sure that the Portuguese didn't suspect anything. Twice along the way, they were stopped at military check points but the falsified documents pushed them through. If trouble arose, BG. Delaney would accuse the Portuguese guards at the roadblocks, who were usually young and scared, that they were Germanian sympathizers and sympathizers could be shot on sight. Their throats lumped us as BG. Delaney stepped from his vehicle with his pistol in his hand. They'd wave him by moments later.

Guarda was a town of almost 30,000 before the war and it was quiet. Its architecture dated back to the Middle Ages in some areas and in others it was as new as a decade or two. The town was flooded with Portuguese soldiers, all preparing to repel back an army attack through Spain. Spain had joined them just hours earlier and the Kazakh Armies had been resoundingly defeated, surrounded on all four sides by the enemy. With the German 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Armies are pushing into Spain from France, the Portuguese had a lot on their plate. When BG. Delaney and the two vehicles rolled into Guarda, they did so with many smiles. To the people there, they were backup but, in reality, they were there for a snatch and grab.

It wasn't long before they found out where he was. As people were evacuated out of the city, BG. Delaney and his men held up a picture of him and asked residents where they might find him. Some asked why but others just shook their heads. Whenever someone asked why they were told that he was a spy for the German Reich. Some people tried to spit on the picture but BG. Delaney would have none of it, he needed the pictures intact. Finally, after two hours, they caught a break. One weary resident, walking out with her baby spotted the picture and walked up to BG. Delaney. "Ma'am que você sabe este homem?" [Ma'am do you know this man?]

"Por que você tem um quadro de Daniel?" [Why do you have a picture of Daniel?] She asked.

"Pensamos que ele spying para o Reich. Se sabe onde é, necessitamos achá-lo." [We think he's spying for the Reich. If you know where he is, we need to find him.]

"Eu não o vi em dias. Três dias. É um vagabundo!" [I haven't seen him in days. Three days. He's a bum!] She said with disgust.

"Ma'am que você sabe este homem?" [Ma'am do you know this man?]

"É meu ex-marido essa puxão." [He's my ex-husband that jerk.] BG. Delaney's eyes lit up and he knew that he struck gold. He pulled her aside and motioned for his men to keep searching through the crowds.

"Necessitamos achá-lo. Onde quer que você pensa que ele talvez esteja?" [We need to find him. Wherever you think he might be?]

"É provavelmente com esse vagabundo Vanessa. É sempre ao redor dele. Têm negócios e eu sou partido com este bebê. Nenhum dinheiro. Nenhuma ajuda!" [He's probably with that tramp Vanessa. She's always around him. They have affairs and I am left with this baby. No money. No help!] Sobs welled up in her eyes.

"Onde posso achá-la?" [Where can I find her?]

"No hotel. Lugar 303. É sempre aí esse vagabundo!" [In the hotel. Room 303. She's always there that tramp!] That was all he needed. He returned to his men and told them what he heard. Could this Vanessa be the same one they were looking for? They had to check it out and they drove through the crowded streets to the hotel, which sat far from where they had been.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Splitter/hotel.jpg

The hotel was a mess. Papers and luggage were everywhere and it was being evacuated in a hurry. Since Guarda was so close to the Spanish border, everyone expected that it would be a major entry point for the German soldiers, if they broke through Spain. The Portuguese weren't going to take any chances and they were fortifying the town for a major fight. They dug trenches along the outskirts, filled them with gasoline and other flammables, and prepared to make a stand against the Germans, if they broke through Spain. Anti-aircraft systems were already in place and firing constantly overhead at suspected targets, which were mainly cruise missiles being launched from the Layartebian fleet far off the coast.

BG. Delaney stepped out of the Fuchs 2 and checked the magazine on his G36C assault rifle. His men did the same and they entered the hotel while four of them stayed with the two vehicles. BG. Delaney and three of his men entered the hotel, which was bustling with activity. The front desk, which was staffed only by a young girl telling people to go away, was their target. She looked scared as the men approached her and showed her the picture but she was cooperative. Room 303 was on the top floor, in the back of the building and they walked up the stairs with their weapons on their shoulders. People scurried about, most of them ignoring the four armed men.

When they got to the door, BG. Delaney dropped to his knee and fed a snake camera underneath the door. He looked into the lens and twisted the camera around, to see if there was anyone inside. At first glance, he saw nothing but, when he panned the camera all the way to the right, he could see a woman, lying on the bed, motioning for someone to come towards her. He pulled the camera away and looked up at his three men. "All the way to the right. They'll be fucking by the time we get in this door," he laughed. "Flashbang them." On three, he kicked in the door and one of his men threw a Flashbang grenade all the way to the right. It went off on the floor and threw the man on the ground, covering his eyes and ears. Stunned, the woman only held her ears closed from the ringing. BG. Delaney and his men jumped into the room, weapons draw, and stood over the two naked individuals. They were both the targets. Restraining them, both of them quickly forced the two of them to dress themselves and then carried them downstairs, to the first floor and threw them in the back of the Cobra. They, like Martin, were hooded and the team had accomplished the snatching of all three targets. Now they just had to get them out of enemy territory.

Guarda was only one hundred and sixty something miles from Lisbon, where they were to meet with a man named "K." They hoped they could escape from there and they set off for Lisbon, telling the roadblocks as they left Guarda that they had captured a spy of the Reich and they were bringing them to Lisbon for interrogation. Soldiers cheered and saluted, unaware that the men in the vehicles were Layartebian and the three captures were all linked to the Sepah-e Pasdaran terrorist group that the Eurasians had decimated only months prior.