NationStates Jolt Archive

The bloodbath in the Paradise slums was now becoming something of a form of entertainment for the rest of the citizens of the Confederacy. As dozens of factions battled for control of their region of the sprawling hell hole that was the slums, people would sit down at night, some even wearing the uniforms of their favorite faction, and cheer the fighters on as the battles unfolded. What was a horrble situation for the nation was now being portrayed as a sporting event, equipped with announcers and camera crews throughout the slums to provide viewers with maximum coverage of the fighting. This feeling of detachment, however, was about to change....

0300 Hours, Divinity City

A column of 1950's looking pickup trucks blow through the DSAM garrisoned toll booth on the main highway into the city and begin opening fire on innocent civilians and soldiers as they scrambled for cover. The trucks soon emptied out and dozens upon dozens of members of the True Communists poured out. The True Communists were members of a faction that broke away from Gen. Julius Blackhorse's Workers Party, and were bent on taking the Confederacy's power away from the nobles and executives and giving it to the working man, by any means necessary, including extreme violence.

Immediately, the TC started setting up roadblocks as the DSAM started to realize what was happening. More and more members of the TC began flooding the city, killing at random, while the DSAM soon found itself holed up in pockets around the city and utterly surrounded by a bloodthirsty enemy .

0700 Hours, Redemption

Men began going to their work at the port, and all seemed normal. That was until a massive explosion rocked one of the Griffincrest Corporations largest tankers, the Hercules, sending thousands of gallons of oil spilling into the Sea of Neptune. This was the signal, as from points all over the city, Griffincrest controlled buildings came under siege from members of the faction known as the Solar Saviors, possibly one of the more bizzare factions that decided to dive into the chaos caused by the Islamic revolt. They believed that the way to salvation was through solar power, and that oil was the source of all evil and the bane of mankind.

Here in Redemption, just like in Divinity, the forces tasked with the defense of the city soon found themselves being outnumbered and attacked from all sides. Griffincrest forces began to call in for back up, but for many it was too late, and several checkpoints and office buildings were overrun.

1200, Paradise City

The push that everyone in the capitol had feared had finally come. Thousands of fanatical muslim warriors began to surge forward, in many places overwhelming the Confederate forces. Many were in shock that the muslims would be so bold as to attack in broad daylight, and several positions were overrun. This allowed the muslims access into the rest of the city, and now the warzone had spread. In minutes, hundreds of innocent Confederates were massacred in their homes as the jihadis swept across mainly residential neighborhoods, and the Confederate response was nowhere to be found, as the majority of their forces were tied up elswhere.


Will this be the end of the Confederacy as we know it?

Imperial Palace, Vetalia City

The Emperor and Proconsul of State sat under a veranda in the palace gardens, surveying the beautiful grounds as they flourished in the warm, humid daylight so plentiful during the dry season in Vetalia City. However, this clashed markedly with their own moods, both grim as they surveyed the situation in the Confederacy with each passing moment.

"The situation in the Griffincrest lands is deteriorating by the hour, your Highness. We must do something or else this planet risks seeing its oil markets thrown in to chaos."
"And why? Our country imports most of its oil from the Londinians, and even then we're hardly dependent on it in any significant sense of the term."
"Yes, but there are a number of...additional factors beyond the economic concerns."
"Like what?"
"Well, for one, our citizens admire the Griffincrest Corporation and by extension the Confederacy as a paragon of business acumen and negotiating success. It would be disastrous if we were to stand idly by as they are consumed by an insurgency. Not to mention the vast investments their company makes around the world, which we are tangentially related to in one form or another. I have the forms here-"
"Yes, yes, I'll look at them later. However, you know as well as I do that we can't just send troops to their territory..."
"Well, then, what do we do?"
"Tell the Proconsul of Trade to contact them and discuss the matter. He would be far better suited to this than myself or the Ministry of State."
"Very well, your Highness. It shall be done immediately."

Ministry of Trade

Proconsul Trepov sat in his opulent office, the spires and bright lights of Vetalia City behind him and walls covered with LCD screens displaying financial data from around the world in front. In the middle was a blank screen that would hopefully be connected to the Griffincrest Corporation as soon as possible...

Pausing to straighten his lavish silk tie and platinum cufflinks, he rose from his chair and began to speak, his sallow features, remarkably smooth and glowing from years of self-indulgent treatment, wrinkling only slightly as he spoke in his customarily flattering and careful tone. "This is Proconsul Trepov from the Vetalian Ministry of Trade. I would like permission to speak with a representative of the Griffincrest Corporation regarding the situation in the Confederacy, if it is possible at this time."

OOC: We can only hope.:p I might be sending in spec ops, but that depends on where this is going.
IC:
The Binarian Empire condems the orginazation known as the "True Communists" for its barbarity. However, we send our thanks to anyone who manages to kill or capture Claudius Griffincrest.

The Palace, Agrabah, Deserted Territories

"Deserted Territories is in something of a state of limbo. With forces still committed to Barokin, a now quiet front, and the Federal Union invasion having been quiet for some time, our country can neither fight on nor continue business as usual. The Sultan has been indecisive the last month, he left all Deserted Territories forces on alert, neither mobilizing nor recalling any divisions. What is left of our country's space assets is being closely guarded by SAC but the rest of the military is left wholy idle."
"The Sultan, as well as the rest of the country, has been aware of the unfolding events in the Blackhelm Confederacy for some time. Our brothers in arms and allies in the Griffencrest Corporation are ravaged by turmoil in their home streets. It is time Deserted Territories does it's part."
"We cannot allow... I cannot allow us to sit back any longer! The Sultan has failed his country, it is time for a replacement."

"That is impossible," commander of the Strategic Air Command Kevin Napa interuppted. "There are no suitable replacements ready, my aids have checked. None of the applicants are ready."

"Then I will assume command." The Vizor cut back. "I will not tolerate defiance from anyone in the general staff. So, General Napa?"

"Fine, but you will not need my help unless you plan on nuking The Sultan, and I can guaruntee you he won't come willingly." the general said.

"Of course he won't, but as acting majority leader of congress, I have ordered the Congressional Guard to remove The Sultan on the grounds of his inability to lead." The Vizor turned to leave the basement room and motioned for the others to follow him.

Outside The Sultan's state room

Up the grand staircase at the center of the palace came two rows of Congressional Guard soldiers. Dressed in drab grey and beige they wore full body armour, gasmasks, helmets and carried Griffencrest manufactured M32 LMG's.

The Presidential Guard stepped in their way. Three of The Sultans sharply dressed guards barred the way. The lead Congressional guardsmen spoke, withdrawing a signed sheet of paper from his fatigues, "You are hereby ordered to stand down and stand aside by the majority leader of congress and Vizor of Deserted Territories."

"We fall under the control of neither of those bodies. If you would please come with me I will escort you off the Palace grounds to a holding cell untill you can be tried for tresspassing on government property." the lead Presidential Guardsmen said.

"You are ordered to stand aside by order of..." the filtered voice of the Congressional Guardsmen began as the Presidential Guardsmen began to talk over him, "You are in direct violation of penal code 143-subsection C..."

A heated debate rose in the halls of the Palace, a slew of Presidential guards and perimiter guards soon appeared. The perimeter guards instantly stood down, being under the control of both parties, but the rest circled around the intruders.

Finally the Presidential Guard drew their weapons, "If you do not comply with us we are authorized to use deadly force. I say again, put down your weapons and allow us to escort you to a holding cell so you may await your trial!"

Silence filled the stairway. A saftey clicked. Shots rang. The Presidential Guard was soon falling back to block entrance to The Sultans state room. Casualties were taken by both sides. When The Sultan tried to come out into the hall, several Presidential Guardsmen rushed in, pushing him back and slamming the door behind them. Soon the sound of automatic weapons silenced the pistols and a banging was heard on the door.

"You are hereby ordered to..." the Congressional Guard repeated their order once more, then bashed the door in. They flooded in, but before any shots could be fired The Sultan took control. His presence in the room was massive and his voice easily carried over the din in the room.

"What is going on?" he bellowed, though he already knew. As if in answer The Vizor steped through the hazy door. He made a motion and the Congressional Guard lowered their weapons, The Sultan followed suite. More Congressional Guardsmen followed behind The Vizor. "You were never chosen to rule," The Sultan hissed.

"And you shouldn't have been," The Vizor responded, the malice in his voice clear. "Lock him in his chambers, I have business to attend to." And with that the coup was completed. Relativly quiet, minimal bloodshed, and The Vizor was ready to take control of the situation.


The Vizor marched straight to The Sultan's office and dialed a number into the phone. It rang once. "This is The Vizor of Deserted Territories, may I speak with Claudius Griffencrest?... No, I am not calling on The Sultan's behalf."

He smiled.

The Sat-Recon feeds where all that was needed for Grand Master "Seven" to call an Elder Council meeting. Such events could not be ignored and they could not be passed up as a chance to eliminate a Griffencrest. Since the failed attempt against thier lives the Blackaita Agentie have been awaiting a moment to present itself so another operation could begin. Since Agents have been in the city since the last attempt, it was not a difficult task to infiltrate more Agents.

The carnage was a true sight to behold as city after city began to fall to insurgents and factions who had been lashing out at one another. And now the violence has spilled into the main viens of the nation... the Griffencrest Corporations assets.

As the Elder Council gathered Seven spoke with much haste.

"As of two hours ago we started to watch as a faction calling themselves The True Communists attacked Divinity City. And not to long after another group attacked the City of Redemption.... And since then the violence has spread to attacking Griffencrest assets. Ground Reports state that Griffencrest troops are overwhelmed by the factions and are in chaos. This is something we can't pass up. We must act now if we are to eliminate any of the Griffencrest Members."

The Council muttered to themselves as they debated as to weather or not to act on the current information. But a ray of hope for Seven came as they decided to infact act according to Sevens plan. As Seven got the news he was overjoyed and left immediately to begin the operations planning. As seven watched from the halls of the Elder Councils Chambers he entered into the Mass Attack Operations Room. The Room was massive a thousands of Plasma screens gave live feeds from all over the world at any given time. As he entered the room reacted and gave him control to restricted files and commands. The first file he pulled was " The last Mission"...

1700 Hours, Paradise City

Confederate soldiers and Griffincrest mercenaries began desperately setting up roadblocks and other obstacles hoping to slow the spread of the Muslims and doing everything possible to keep the rebellion from hitting the downtown area, the financial heart of the Confederacy. Every minute, however, the Muslims were gain more ground and the situation was worsening. Dozens of other factions decided it was time to move in as well, and Paradise City found itself completely surrounded by hostile forces and cut off from the rest of the nation.

High above the city, Claudius Griffincrest watched the carnage unfold from his office. His aide, Cornelius Blueblood entered with an urgent request from the board. Claudius was needed in the board room immediately. The request had puzzled him at first, but he then realized why he was needed and walked to the board room.

Already, the entire board had gathered and was waiting for Claudius. When he entered, Jack Phoenixclaw rose and escorted him to his chair. "Sir, we have a conference call on hold with the Ministry of Trade of Vetalia, and another from our allies in the Deserted Territories. It appears their Sultan has been deposed and the Vizor wishes to assist us."

"Put them both through." Claudius said. Soon, both the voice of the Vizor and the Preconsul were heard coming from the phones in the center of the long table.

"Good afternoon gentlemen"

( Paradise city- 2000 hours-)

The shouting and celebrations of a quasi-successful attack against the Confederacy where everywhere and unmistakeable. This was the perfect cover in which to operate. It had been along time since the last attack against the Griffencrest family had taken place, and thankfully the agent who conducted the attack was still in the area. The agent had been awaiting the next time he could begin to finish his mission.

Then his cell phone rang out in the most silent way... vibrate.
The conversation was short

" Hello."

" Operation is a go, teams 1,3,and 5 will be assiting in your effort."

" Acknowlaged"

It was that short and all that needed to be said was said. Soon it would be time to meet his support teams... knowing that Elder council it was a bunch of new graduates who needed " proper field experience" which was a total crock because to graduate you must of had 200 hours of mark face time in the field. They didn't need field experience.. .they needed some action.

Thier plane was schedualed to make a fly over in about 2 hours. And he would need to set up a safe house location to take them to. But since he had been in the area for a good while that was taken care of.... The taste of completeing his mission of undeniable. The griffencrest would lose one of their own soon.

After a brief wait which The Vizor filled by doodling a little sitck figure Sultan hanging from a tree by his neck, Cladius Griffencrest's voice came through his headset.

"Good afternoon. I am sure you know I am calling to offer you aid in this time of duress, it would be a shame to lose such an important ally to an insurgency such as this. Also, Deserted Territories needs to make a move somewhere. We have sat idly on the shores of Barokin, sat behind a seaborn wall of enemy ships and deliberated and hesitated far too long."
"For these reasons, The Sultan has become the latest of our Sultans to take the permanant leave of abscene that marks each ruler's downfall from power. And thus I have taken control.
"As I speak to you, I am signing orders to send divisions of the DT army and and of the Congressional Guard to Paradise City along with ADS equiped RST-V's in our fleet of V-22 Ospreys. I would hate it if the conditions in your fair capitol city warrented more extreme measures, but if it does I will ask your permission before transporting any of the armour divisions."
The Vizor motioned for an aid to hand him a sheaf of papers and started signing as he finished, "Everything is already underway and Ospreys will begin to arrive before tommorrow's sunset. Unless you have any qualms with these plans."

The Sultan's Chambers

The Sultan waited patiently in his private study. Two of his Presidential Guards were with him, survivors of the coup. They were unarmed and locked in his chambers with him, behind a group of Congressional Guardsmen.

The Sultan was not worried, the Presidential Guard was a vast organization, and plans would already be in motion to put him back in power.

Agrabah, front lawn of the Palace

"The past ten minutes have been a flurry of activity here at the Palace after gunshots were heard coming from within. Reports are still unclear as to what has happened, but as you can see a crowd of worried citizens has fromed at the gates." said a reporter from channel 6.
"The past few weeks The Sultan has come under fire from politicians as well as the public as demands for a decisive Palace resonate. But still, even in this time of uncertainty, citizens worried for thier rulers well being flock to his side at the slightest sign of trouble." "Bullshit" the reporter though to herself as she read that last que card.

People all over sit down to watch the five o'clock news and tune into this broadcast. They see the Palace, far off across a green lawn, one of few in arid DT, and a crowed of spectators pushing against the gate.

"What's this?" the reporter says looking up towards the palace, "What looks like..." she glances back at the producer who scribbles furiously on a cue card, "Congresional Guardsmen are coming out of the Palace."

The Guardsmen start ushering the people and press away from the Palace grounds. The reporter protested to a faceless guard, "This is highly irregular. Why has the Congressional Guard been mobilized? What was the shooting about? Why are you missing two magazines of ammo?!" The camera was covered by a gloved hand as the guardsmen pushed them out of the way.

Behind the Palace, same time

The street was relativly quiet. Most of the tourist attractions were on the other side of the Palace, where the arcitecture on the facade of the building could be seen, rather than the dank service area in the back.

A block from the Palace a man watched as a line of uniformed guards and Presidential Guardsmen were escorted out a door by armed Congressional Guardsmen. The prisoners had their hands above their heads while the Guardsmen held their automatic weapons at the ready.

As they climbed into two unmarked vans, few others on the street noticed. The scene was mostly hidden by a high brick wall, and the one witness watched through an open gate that the vans were poised to roll through. Just as the last of the prisoners started to enter the vans, one of the Presidential Guardsmen swung his raised elbow into the facemask of one of his captors. In one motion he pushed that guard down and grab his weapon.

Making for the gate he fired behind him for cover. A quick burst of automatic gunfire cut him down and his carcass slid to a stop right before the gate. Others turned to see what the commotion was, but the solid gate had already closed, hidding what had just taken placed.

The one witness left, unphased by what he had seen, standard issue Presidential Guard Mateba Model 6 Unica auto-revolver now clutched in his pocketed right hand.

*Cringes*

I think I'll have to pass this oprotunity for my own version of project mayhem...
That or include this in with the tangled web that it is...

So how are those guys in Redemption handling their LSD/Ergot withdrawl pains?
(I'm pretty sure I'd remmember the location where I last used biological weapons)

I would also like to wish the best of luck to TBA in his goal.
Griffencrest is a notorously difficult target.

Upon being put through, a smooth, cautious, and quietly obsequious voice spoke, tinged with a distinctive Vetalia City accent.

"Greetings, Mr. Griffincrest. I must say we are honored at your decision to listen to our appeal personally, and I hope the issues we discuss prove to be productive."

"It may seem odd that we are concerned about your company and the situation in the Confederacy, given that we consume little oil, but our concern is not with your company's oil assets. Rather, it is with the effect on the financial markets that concerns us, especially given the share of our economic output that relies on said markets."

"Naturally, trouble in the Confederacy means trouble for your corporation, and trouble for your corporation means trouble for our financial markets. If this problem gets out of hand, we may be facing a rather serious disturbance and that is unacceptable...of course, that is not all. For fear of sounding fawning, our people have quite a strong admiration for your company and its success, and public support would likely force our hand at some point."

"So, the question is simple: what is the situation exactly and what can we do to help? We cannot risk the kind of destabilization or chaos that this insurrection poses to your corporation or the economy it supports."

"There is nothing going on here that our own security forces can't handle" Claudius said defiatnly, as if the offers for aid were insulting to him. The looks from the rest of the board, whoever, soon made him change his tone.

"Well...I suppose some assistance could be needed....but I am not the one who is capable of making the decision to allow foreign fighters here. Jack, please put us through to Chancellor Lucius Blackhelm"

A short time later, yet another voice came from the phones arranged in the center of the table. This was the voice of the aging Chancellor of the Confederacy, Lucius Blackhelm. The old man had seen the fall of Exponent to plague, and countless failed invasions against him, and now all that he wanted to do was retire. He knew, however, that his time here was not done, and spoke up.

"We could use you assistance in a number of areas. Paradise City is on the verge of being overrun and many valuable assets are being moved to Sacrament, a city where rebellion has yet to reach. Divinity City is also at the breaking point, and even the Griffincrest capital of Redemption sees itself besieged. Gentlemen, I ask for what ever you can give to assist us in the time of need. Thank you."

"That is entirely possible, Chancellor Blackhelm. Our forces, should you authorize them, would likely focus on securing the capitol and then move out from there towards Paradise City. This would presumably be the safest route and would enable you to secure the capitol, which would be at the least an important moral victory for your forces."

"Of course, if you are hesitant to have our forces operating in the capitol, we could also besiege Paradise City and starve them in to submission. From there, it would only be a short amount of work to secure the city and put down the remaining threats. This would be quite dramatic, but would also have the effect of showing the rebels that we have no qualms about using any means at our disposal to suppress them."

"It is entirely up to you, of course. Once you have made a decision, I will begin submitting my reports to the Praetor and other officials on the Proconsular Council to approve force deployments to aid your government."

I'll delete after my message is sent, but could Vetalia get on AIM? Quick question. Thanks and sorry...:D

Stories went out to every news media about DT's involvment in the BC insurgency.

V-22's and V-29 ospreys were mobilizing across the country. Soldiers and Congressional Guardsmen (CG) loaded into them along with supplies and DT's newest toy: ADS equipped RST-V's. A non-lethal yet extremely able crowd dispersent.

They were heading for Paradise City, a beacon of the BC. The Vizor had plans for the club he once accompanied The Sultan to. The long-abandonded International Empires club was soon to be a command center for DT's efforts in Paradice City.

Undershi City, Undershi Province, The Undershi Empire

Aleksander Miller was tired of emergencies. It had been too long since he'd last had a chance to leave the Leader's bunker complex underneath the capital...

And now this. He sympathised with the Blackhelm Confederacy, they were one of Undershi's best allies...

He glanced at the latest lists of Undershi units that were ready for deployment. It was encouraging. After the near-war with Perimeter Defense, he'd had everything on full alert... a state which, he admitted, he did not want to maintain for long. So, a deployment of a smaller force...


He called up a file on his computer, checking a report, a couple of months old - the 123rd IIS Storm Trooper division was ready... he smilled, and began to assemble a list of forces to deploy... but, first he needed to have his offer of help accepted.

FROM: Aleksander Miller, Leader of the Undershi Empire
TO: Chancellor Lucius Blackhelm
RE: Assistance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Greater Empire of Undershi is prepared to offer assistance to our long-time ally. We have already prepared an Expeditionary Force, consisting of the 123rd IIS Storm Trooper division, the 14th, 15th and 16th Second Line divisions, and the 73rd, 82nd and 92nd airborn divisions.

These units are extremely experienced in counter-insurgency operations - they would be of great help to any efforts made to reestablish control. The 123rd in particular has distinguished itself - it has taken part in the annual purge sweeps through Southland Province every year for the last thirteen, each time achieving great successes against the rebels.

We await only your approval before we deploy.

"The sea lanes are still open, and are the safest route into the nation. The pirates operate only small craft and are easily dealt with by the Confederate navy. The problem, however, lies in the landing. Paradise Harbor has been cut off and the men we have holding it are running out of supplies fast. We are unsure of how much longer the men will have before their position is over run by these....jihadis. The sooner your men can arrive, the better. Please, try to make haste, as trade is the blood of the Confederacy, and without Paradise Harbor, the nation will be crippled."

As he spoke, and aide came in with the letter from the Undershi. He ordered the aide to immediatley send a response.

Undershi forces would assist Griffincrest mercenaries in Redemption, and once the rebellion was crushed they would march up the coast together eliminating the opposition faction by action until linking up with DT/Vetalian/Confederate forces at Paradise City. They would then form a massive force to sweep the slums once and for all, before making the final push north and liberating Divinity.

All seemed to be working in favor of the Confederacy, at least for now. Polarus, the Confederacy's only remaining neighbor, however, began to take notice of the growing situation in their rival.

The 5th Vetalian Task Force and its land counterpart, the 17th Corps, were the avenging arm of the Vetalian Empire, units ready for deployment around the world at a moment's notice, permanently mobilized to the height of combat readiness. They were a remnant of the old days, a more brutal time when the Vetalian people carved their nation out of the unforgiving jungle and built an army capable of subduing the lands they surveyed.

None were better suited to crushing these subversive rebels than they were, having built their own reputation on the brutal destruction of Vetalia's enemies at home and abroad. Most surprisingly, they volunteered for this deployment, a rare move, especially when contrasted with the timidity of their fellow citizens. They boarded their ships and transports with nary a parade, nary a decadent officers' ball, without the lavish send-off that other units received when sent to fight for Vetalia abroad. Only the grim determination and resolved quiet that made them far more dangerous than the cringing civil servants or greedy businessmen whom they fought for.

Setting sail from Petrovsk, they moved out at full speed towards Paradise City, their many ships gleaming in the steamy morning sunlight.



5th Naval Task Force

2 Kensington Class Heavy Battleships
6 Kirov Class Cruisers
8 Resolute Class Light Cruisers
10 Sovremenny Class Missile Destroyers
8 Adreneline Class Guided Missile Frigates
6 Overlord Class Air Defence Frigates
8 Amur 1850 Class Submarines

36 Pomornik class LCACs
10 Ivan-Rogov Landing Craft

4th Infantry Division

20,000 infantry

77th Armored Division

2,000 Nakil Main Battle Tanks
450 BTW-90 Armoured Personnel Carriers
350 AS 90 Braveheart Self-Propelled Artillery Peices
150 9k58 Smerch Anti-Aircraft Systems
350 URAL-43206 Trasports
75 AMX 10RC Wheeled Armoured Recon Vehicles

100 Ka-50 Hokum Attack Helicopters
65 Mi-8 Hip Transport Helicopters

34th Mechanized Division

125 Nakil MBTs
250 Warrior Light Armoured Vehicles
200 Mk. II Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicles
300 UAZ-469 Light Wheeled Vehicles
100 9k58 Smerch Anti-Aircraft Systems
75 AMX 10RC Wheeled Armoured Recon Vehicles

75 Ka-50 Hokum Attack Helicopters
45 Mi-8 Hip Transport Helicopters

Undershi troop ship Vienna, BC Territorial Waters

IIS Sergeant Matthew McCune watched his squad secure their Viper IFV for landing. He'd just heard the news about the homeland invasion, but there was nothing he could do - there was no way that the Undershi Expeditionary Force would be able to break the enemy blockade and return home to fight. So they'd fight on foreign soil, and do their best to take pressure off of their homeland, and to free up help. They'd do their best. It would have to be good enough.

The Undershi Expeditionary Force was coming up on its landing zone - soon it would deploy... and then they'd start advancing, and fighting another nation's battles while their own homeland fought for its life. But they were Undershi - they would do their duty, and would live for their Honor and their Glory.

The klaxons began to wail, the deployment hatches clicked open with a hiss of escaping gas... the Vipers were already in the landing craft, and the soldiers were now boarding the Vipers...

An Undershi landing craft was designed to carry a Viper and a squad of mechanized infantry, or a Drake MBT or a pair of trucks and some supplies and so on... or any number of other load-outs. They were lightly armoured, and armed only with the passanger's armaments. But they would do the job. It wasn't as if he was landing on a defended beach - this was hardly Undershi's Iron Coast...

At that thought, he imagined what it would be like in Undershi now. The fighting had already been joined... he imagined enemy dead piled up twenty deep on the beaches, in front of the guns of the Iron Coast, burned-out tanks and IFVs and APCs littering the sand, shattered landing craft forming new walls amoung the tank traps...

All of that awaited anyone foolish enough to attack Undershi. For a moment, that thought calmed him, but only for a moment. He thought then, of air strikes and missiles and napalm and tactical nukes... fixed defenses were no longer what they had been...

But Undershi was far away, and there was nothing he could do.

The shock of the landing craft dropping into the water made his cogitations seem of little importance, and they were quickly pushed aside as he prepared his men for landing. But, pushed aside. Not forgotten.

Flying high above the landscape of the Blackhelm Confedaracy, the V-22's made for Paradice City. They understood Paradice Harbor was in need of reinforcement and that would be one of their first stops.

Positioned high above the International Empires Club, 5 of the V-22's hovered and moved into formation. Far from the slums, they doubted any rabble to be around to make trouble, but no one really knew the situation inside the city yet, so all precuations were taken. On command, the 5 V-22's dropped rapidly from the sky. Slowing thier props they "fell" a few hundred feet before powering up the rotors again to stabalize just before the ground.

Guns under the nose, behind the tail and protruding from slots along the fuselage swept back and forth waiting for the tell-tale smoke of rpg fire. The doors opened before the fall ended and several smoke grenades flew from the back of each V-22, seconds later the guns left the slots and the sound of zip lines could be heard. 60 Congressional Guardsmen zipped into the haze, one by one.

They spread out quickly, sweeping through the club, adjacent buildings, and down the street. Several lazy occupants who had moved into the abandoned district after the fighting started and the upper class left were rudly hustled away at gunpoint. Dragged several blocks towards the slums and giving a hardy kick for good measure.

As soon as the Guardsmen had left the V-22's crates rolled out the back, smashing into the pavement and they powered away, gaing altitude and distance from the slums quickly, they wouldn't go unnoticed. As the men on the ground pushed outward around the club more V-22's prepared to land as well.

One of the first of these to land dropped a RST-V armed with a grenade luancher. Four Guardsmen hopped in and sped off towards Paradice Harbor at 112km/h screetching through city streets prepared to blast throught the fighting and set up a landing site for supplies for the tired Confederacy soldiers.

(ooc: more later)

The Undershi Expeditionary Force has deployed fully, and is now advancing to secure a perimiter around Redemption. They would surround the city, cut it off... and then attack it, and crush whatever rebel forces were to be found within. Undershi strength would come to the aid of their Griffincrest allies.

The allied forces were recieved graciously. Hopefully now things would swing in favor of the Confederacy.

(I had a 3 page post and lost it because I am an idiot. I am pissed.)

The Vetalian fleet drew closer and closer to Paradise Harbor, ready to deploy and crush the rebels that threatened the Confederacy's grip over its territories. Rearranging itself in to formation for landing, the transports and LCACs moved forward to begin the efforts to reopen the port and aid the beleaguered Confederate defenders. One of the two battleships served as the flagship for the fleet, carefully designed to appear identical to the other battleship and to confound attempts at specifically targeting it.

Like any Vetalian ship, the command ship's bridge was richly appointed, especially for a military ship, with black leather seats and sleek metallic paneling on the instrument panels. On the far walls were screens displaying tactical readouts, and a large map of the port was on display, with small dots representing the units moving towards shore. There was even a small dining area, where a buffet was laid out for the civilian officials and high command to watch the battle unfold.

As the ships approached the mouth of the harbor, Admiral Chazov issued a coded order to the rest of the ship. Within seconds, the sounds of soldiers moving quickly towards the bridge, and shortly thereafter two squads arrived, one taking position in the hallway and the other within the bridge itself. Once they were in place, he pressed a button on the control panel of his chair, sealing off the bridge with a pair of heavy blast doors. In the center of the bridge, the commanding officers stood on the bridge watching the landing craft move out like a swarm of bees from the protective hive of the larger fleet. With them were civilian officials, mainly from the Ministry of Trade, who watched the forces move out with nervous quiet. They became considerably less anxious once the bridge had been sealed off, comfortably taking seats to watch the "show" unfold.

An initial landing force of 20,000 would establish the beachhead, secure a landing zone, and then hold their ground while the rest of the forces moved ashore. Once in place, they would link up with the Confederate forces and begin taking back the city.

The Vetalian fleet drew closer and closer to Paradise Harbor, ready to deploy and crush the rebels that threatened the Confederacy's grip over its territories. Rearranging itself in to formation for landing, the transports and LCACs moved forward to begin the efforts to reopen the port and aid the beleaguered Confederate defenders. One of the two battleships served as the flagship for the fleet, carefully designed to appear identical to the other battleship and to confound attempts at specifically targeting it.

Like any Vetalian ship, the command ship's bridge was richly appointed, especially for a military ship, with black leather seats and sleek metallic paneling on the instrument panels. On the far walls were screens displaying tactical readouts, and a large map of the port was on display, with small dots representing the units moving towards shore. There was even a small dining area, where a buffet was laid out for the civilian officials and high command to watch the battle unfold.

As the ships approached the mouth of the harbor, Admiral Chazov issued a coded order to the rest of the ship. Within seconds, the sounds of soldiers moving quickly towards the bridge, and shortly thereafter two squads arrived, one taking position in the hallway and the other within the bridge itself. Once they were in place, he pressed a button on the control panel of his chair, sealing off the bridge with a pair of heavy blast doors. In the center of the bridge, the commanding officers stood on the bridge watching the landing craft move out like a swarm of bees from the protective hive of the larger fleet. With them were civilian officials, mainly from the Ministry of Trade, who watched the forces move out with nervous silence. They became considerably less anxious once the bridge had been sealed off, comfortably taking seats to watch the "show" unfold. Quiet piano music and the dim chatter of a roomful of bureaucrats, financial officers, and accountants completed the surreal scene.

An initial landing force of 20,000 would establish the beachhead, secure a landing zone, and then hold their ground while the rest of the forces moved ashore. Once in place, they would link up with the Confederate forces and begin taking back the city.

Lt. Christopher Faber of the 15th Second Line division watched from his perch on top of a Viper IFV as the sky line of Redemption came into sight. It was... impressive, in an abstract way. But mostly his thoughts were on his besieged homeland. How the fighting was intensifying, how it looked more and more likely each day that the actual invasion would begin... how he feared for the future of his homeland. Feared that it would not have one, or that if it did it would be short.

The terrain they were crossing was bothersome, but there had been no major opposition so far. He'd heard that some IIS men had crucified a local they'd found for no particular reason, with accusations that he'd been spying... but that was probably a myth. If it was true, then that would be the first local the Undershis would have seen. It was almost too quiet here, considering that this was supposed to be the heartland of an ally of Undershi... where were the fortresses defending road junctions, the Security outposts, the massive farming projects that would sustain a nation? He'd seen some evidence of farming, but not as much as he would have expected. A lot of land seemed to be unused, and that was a touch unsettling to him. Undershis did not waste resources. Could not, when there was a continent still to conquer, and the Western Steppes were almost unsettled...

The Undershi collumn continued on, tightening the noose around Redpemption. Undershi soldiers would come to the aid of their allies... and hopefully their allies would soon come to theirs.

OOC: BC, could you re-post that map you made a while ago?

The Guardsmen in the drivers seat pulled a futuristic-looking visor rig over his helmet. It cut down the clutter in the streets and mapped out lines over the road so he could tell where he was going. Some sections were sheathed in smoke and rubble it was easy to get disoriented while speeding around.

The man in the passengers seat had a battle-hardened laptop with him and was recieving a singnal from a plane high above sending video feeds and pictures of the streets ahead, along with directions through the battered and barricaded city to the port.

In the back, one guardsmen manned the grenades, crouching slightly in the cramped trunk section. His face was pushed into a periscope view wich protruded about a foot from the cars roof. The driver also had access to the view he was seeing (as well as out the windshiled), but it was his job to call out threats. His buddy in the back was looking out a thin gun slot pointing backwards with a .50 cal propped on the floor. He sat amongst supplies and was pretty tightly wedged in.

The Shadow RST-V pulled a corner and the driver looked down a rubble-filled dead end. Not surprising as they had been seeing this ever since they entered the slums. A few badly aimed potshots had been taken at the Shadow but so far their speed had been letting them slip by. Before the driver could ask the guardsmen next to him said, "End of the street, hang a left. We'll need to open the wall over there."
"I'm on it," said the gunner. He swiveled his periscope around and as the Shadow drove nearer the turn, he moved his sights on it an squeezed off a grenade at the wall. A cloud of smoke appeared. As the driver's vizor filled in what he couldn't see, they came upon it. It was too late, he went for it.

The Shadow smashed against some rubble, but they blew through into a digny square in the center of the slums. "Threats 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock!" several grenades popped off.
"Far side of the square, alley between an old brothel and some projects." the driver ajusted accordingly.
"We got bullets whizzing up the lane behind us!" was barely heard before the hum of the big gun filled the car.

Flying through the alley it got a little quieter. A small congregation of men dove out of the way. "How far?" the driver asked.
"Just another dozen blocks." the man in the side said, pattering away on his computer.
"Oh boy, just a dozen." the guardsmen in the back said, emphasizing the word "just" by cocking another belt into the .50 cal.
"Well, give or take five or ten." The Shadow burst with luaghter for a second untill a rocket streaked out and set the car slightly off-kilter for a minute. The experienced driver regained control as the gunner said, "4 o'clock."

The crew would spend the next twenty minutes like this, weaving around the slums trying to get to the port. Every second awarness of their trip would grow and they would face more resistance...

The Undershi artillery began to fire almost as soon as it was deployed. It didn't have targets, not really - it was just shooting at the areas marked on their map as not belonging to the Blackhelm or Griffencrest troops.

They were hitting the city as a whole, walking rocket and 135mm fire up and down the blocks...

The spotters and infantry were deploying as well, digging in in a perimiter, cutting the city off from the rest of the country. Setting up barricades and trenches and bunkers and mine fields... they would be ready, if anyone tried a break-out attack from inside the city.

On the other side of the Undershi positions, those facing away from the city, a looser perimiter was set up, so protect the supply dumps and the artillery parks.

While, within the perimiter, Undershi forces prepared to assault...

Undershi Combat Group Grunwald

IIS trooper William Smith grinned as his Salamander scout car raced ahead towards the city. Artillery was firing all-out just a little ways behind him, and the sound was deafening.

The breeze coming in from the city smelled of smoke and ashes and cordite and all the other scents of war, the stench of rotting flesh and the cooking-pork scent of roasting human flesh not excepted...

He loved the Salamander scout cars, loved how they could move and shift and race ahead... this model had a 20mm auto-cannon in its light turret, with a coaxial Gauss automatic. A nice little load-out of weaponry, more than making up for the scout car's light armour and open-topped light turret... its speed was its protection, not any thickness of chobham.

A trio of Salamanders followed closely behind, a pair of Vipers hanging back... the Vipers, with their heavy armour and 88mm light cannons would be perfect if any determined opposition showed itself... the fact that each carried a squad of IIS Storm Troopers would help too...

But this was a scouting mission, a probing attack. Nothing more, for now. They were supposed to move in and find the enemy, then fall back and call artillery down on them... well, that or find their friends and see to it that the Undershi troops linked up with them... either one would do, he reckoned. Either one would do.

The Undershi circle on the city of Redemption was soon going to find itself under near constant hit and run attacks by nearly a half dozen factions. Mortar shells would be falling within seconds of the Undershi artillery strike, and the sound of AK-47's would begin to fill the ears of every Storm Trooper. Attacks would come from both the front and back of the circle, and the factions, as uncoordinated as they were, fought well against the highly trained and well equipped Undershi. Rebel casualties would undoubtedly catastrophic, but the men did not care. They were not thinking, many were high, others filled with religious zeal, and others just crazed with blood lust, and so they attacked, never in great numbers, but in small groups. They would be like hornets to a great beast, inflicting pain here and there and hopefully, if enough pain is caused the beast will leave.

The soldiers sent from the Deserted Territories would soon find that they were in the center of what was perhaps the most powerful force in the rebellion. Roadside bombs and RPG's would pound any vehicle unfortunate to enter the slums, and gunfire of all sorts would fill the sky the moment any form of low flying aircraft made its presence known. Many jihadis marched through the streets wearing a helmet or vest from a Confederate soldier, or carrying an AR-22A3, the standard assault rifle of the Confederate military. Any vehicle that was lost in the slums would likely be found riddled with bullets, its crew mutilated and hanging from windows, many with the word "Infidel" carved into their bodies.

The situation was deteriorating even more rapidly than any had hoped, and it was only a matter of time before Polarus would be involved.

"Let brutality be your guiding principal today. Let cruelty be an end unto itself. Slaughter or take as prisoner every norm you find who does not fight for our ally and fellow Corporatist state the Blackhelm Confederacy. Impale, crucify or burn with flamethrowers any you capture who took up arms against their government. These norms were born slaves. Let them die slaves as well." - General Order Four, Undershi Expeditionary Force, Blackhelm Confederacy.

Combat Group Grunwald

IIS trooper William Smith shouted in joy as his Salamander wove amoung the wreaked cars and other debris along the roadway, firing its guns wildly at anything that moved or looked likely to move...

The other Salamanders followed closely behind, adding their own weapons to the weight of Undershi fire. Vipers were behind them, and a Drake MBT was around here somewhere...

Someone was firing a mortar at them, he noticed almost absently as he traversed the turret across the facade of some grand building that was not marked as being in the hands of their allies. It had reached the point of mindless destruction, a determined sack on the part of the Undershis was almost inevitable by now...

A Viper shot something with its 88mm gun, a harsh crack under the constant din of small arms fire. He smilled, imagining rebels perishing horribly... as they soon enough would, if the Undershi caught them...

Undershi Base Camp

IIS Interogation Specialist Sammuel O'Laughlen smilled quietly as he examined his tools. Scalples, pliers and all sorts of little metal toys that would reduce a man to a quivering mass of blood who would gladly do... anything. Anything at all to end the torment.

And this would be his favorite sort of... operation. He had been told to prepare himself to recieve a few rebel prisoners to play with. He would not be looking for information. He would be punishing them for rebeling, making them into examples... he'd been told that his work would be photographed, and videotaped, and that the photos would be distributed as warnings against further resistance, and that the videos would be shown to prisoners to encourage obedience. He liked that thought. The worst part of his job was that he hardly ever got to let others enjoy his work...

Many of the groups were cowards, and shied away from the fighting with the Undershi for fear of what would happen, but these men were not true Confederates. The true Confederates only became more enraged at the sight of their fellow descendants of Rome so mercileslly executed. The sight of this not only caused factions to fight harder, but it caused previously neutral factions to take up arms against Griffincrest and their Undershi allies. Columns of pick up trucks packing massive machine guns rolled towards the Undershi, and thousands of mortar shells and homemade rockets began to pour down upon the enemy, hopefully covering the advance of the insurgents. It was now apparent which factions were the dominant ones in Redemption. The fanatical Solar Saviors fought on with religious zeal, many using high tech Griffincrest technology, and there were at least a half dozen reports that enemy forces had managed to steal an AV-18 Luna and were using it against Griffincrest positions. Solar Savior gunboats also zipped throughout the harbor in Redemption, althought their effects were limited due to the presence of the massive Confederate and Griffincrest naval ships.

Within the city, the situation was hell on earth. Snipers hid in the mounts of rubble that were once portside tenements, and almost every basement was now an RPG pit. A number of Doomani made RPG's, stolen from a Griffincrest supply depot, had made their way into the hands of the insurgents, and were causing severe problems for the Griffincrest Mercury's. The insurgents were determined to control the city, and nobody, Confederate, Corporate, or other, was going to stand in their way.

Outside the city, striking at the other side of the Undershi circle, were perhaps one of the the best trained and equiped factions in the war. The soldiers of the Confederate Nationalist Party were trained and supplied by the now defunct government of the Black Reich, long ago during the Exponential Civil War. No these men, nearly eight thousand of them, began coordinating mortar strikes and ambushes on Undershi scouts, stripping the dead of armor and weapons to be either used or taken as souvenirs.

The drivers view was breifly obstructed as two rpgs zipped infront of the Shadow and slammed into an adjacent building. He turned the wheel sharply as the gunner popped off another two grenades and the sound of the M60 filled the car. As he came around the corner a man stepped off the curb into the Shadows path. His body made a sickening crunch as the car hit him and the shout that was about to escape his lips was squeezed out.

The body flipped over the top of the Shadow, whipped into the periscope, rolled over the grenade luancher andjust before it landed a few feet behind the speeding Shadow it exploded. The shadow gave a lurch and there was a spat of gunfire from a nearby building as it slowed and the driver regained control.
"Holy shit!" the guardsmen in the back seat swore as he pulled a nasty piece of shrapnel out of the brim of his helmet and pulled off a solid burst at the rapidly disappearing insurgents.
"Periscopes down, I'm gonna need a second with this turret," the gunner shouted, pulling himself up through the roof a bit to fix the gun.
"Turn right," the passenger said and the driver sent the shadow flying down a broad street, not too far in the slums.

"OK, gun is up" the gunner said briefly.
"Just in time," the driver said as he swerverd to dodge an rpg.
"I've got it," a resonding *thud* marked each grenade and soon the hum of the machine gun joined it. An open section sat off the the side of the walled-off road, as if a large cafe or open air market had once stood there, tatered awnings still marking it.
"On your left," the driver warned of the place.
The gunner swiveled over and started sending more grenades out.
Feet from the left side of the Shadow a bomb detonated as they came upon the market. The drivers quick reaction kept the Shadow from going over, but as the gunner pulled off a grenade during the explosion, the shock jammed it up.

The gun exploded, mutilating the mans helmet and severely injuring the top of his head and shoulders. He fell back on the man in the back who cursed as the gun was pushed form his hands tearing a hole in the back of the Shadow from the inside out.
The weight of his comrade pushed him over into the supplies piled in the back which fell into the back panel, pushing it off. Both men fell from the vehicle. The Shadow was alredy slowing down the explosion blowing away the top of the roof and the driver was alerted by the man in the passenger seat of what had happened.
He spun the shadow around blocking the fallen men from view. Both guardsmen got out of the car adn moved around into its relative saftey, already bullets whizzed down upon the car and soon rockets would follow. The uninjured guardsmen grabbed the M60 and pilled several ammo cases onto his unconcious friend as the other two prepared to drag him back to the market area.
The driver hoisted his rifle, let a few bursts off and sent two grenades flying out of the under-mounted grenade luancher. Then he and the passenger dragged the wounded into saftey. The guardsmen from the backseat propped his M60 on the car and laid down some cover fire.

It wasn't far in the open to get to the market and they settled the wounded man in a safe spot on moved out through a small area, pushing obstacles in paths and making sure no to stay still for too long. A grenaded vaporized a section of the awnings, but it was a wide area and there was lots of cover. Nevertheless bullets whizzed everywhere.
The guardsmen with the M60 dashed for the relative saftey of the market and crept next to the passenger side guardsmen.
"Lenny! Get us the hell out of here!" he screamed.
"Can do, Butch" he yelled back. He turned towards the driver and made some motions with his hand, a quick nod and Lenny started furiously typing on his laptop.
Butch moved to find a view and gunned down two insurgents aiming a rpg from across the street, scaring several more from the windows and doors they were firing from. "They're everywhere," he though to himself "like one of those optical allusions with the white lines and the dots (http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/lum_herGrid/hermannGridNegative.gif). When you look at them, they aren't there, but if you can see them out of the corner of your eye when you look away." "Move." he said, this time out loud.
Lenny dove as Butch rolled to the next section of debris. The place they were previously shattered with gunfire and then a badly thrown grenade that fell short but still did its part.

The Undershi troops used their supperior fire power effectively, and in fact launched a quick counter-attack against the CNP on the outside of their siege circle. The Undershi had given up on attacking into the city - they were now content to let the enemy come to them.

And they did. Their collumns of Technicals made excelent targets for AT missiles, each hit was a kill... artillery could smash them too, and the Undershi had plenty of that...

The rockets claimed a few dozen Undershis, but the rest fought on. Any civilians found were being interned within the Undershi base, within perimiters of razor wire. They were being given water, and were being treated... well, their treatment was not up to the Geneva Conventions, but it was at least superior to that which a confirmed rebel faced...

Undershi had long had a problem with rebelion amoung its repressed norm population, so it had developed methods of control. It used them now. No insurgents were allowed to surrender at this point - they were all shot on sight... acts of excessive cruelty were still common, but less so than before. A few Undershi troops took to wearing necklaces of human ears, or to hanging the severed heads of rebels as decorations on their positions or from their vehicles... at one forward trench, a dead rebel had been crucified behind the Undershi position, facing towards the city...

Things were becoming bloody. Very bloody. Very bloody indeed.

Agrabah, DT

The Sultan had stayed in his room several days now. Certaintly The Vizor was to busy to be bothered with him, setting up his own regime to his own specific standards would take time, but more than that The Vizor was hunting the Presidential Guard.

The Vizor suspected they were out there, plotting to rescue The Sultan, and he was quite right. Six men in black overcoats and fedoras walked up to a rear entrance way. The lead man produced a set of impressively detailed keys and unlocked a plain, hardened door.

The six men thus walked effortlessly into the palace.

Winding through a service area, they strided quickly over to a group of security guards and support staff taking a break around a beat-down old television. Before any of them turned Mateba Model 6 Unica auto-revolvers were drawn and a quick hum and click of machinery leveled them all. The Presidential Guardsmen all pulled out speed loaders and re-stocked their weapons, they would need every bullet.

They moved quickly and effeciently, stopping only briefly at the door that lead to the hallway that The Sultan's room opened off of. The first man stepped through. He pulled the trigger, aiming at the group of guards down the adjoining hallway. As his overcoat flew out behind him, it shielded the two men behind him who rushed across and headed for the Sultans room. After they had passed he ducked down the other hallway himself and the next three repeated the manuveur.

When they reached The Sultan's door, the hum of 8 bullets broke through the hinges, the door came down. The Sultan and the two guards with him were ready. Three revolvers were passed to them. Instantly, The Sultan started out the door. "Where is that sniv-" a shout from the hallway cut him off. He spun and fire only two shots at the approaching Congresional Guardsmen before his guard swalloed him up in their overcoats embrace and rushed him to saftey.

Two stayed behind at the door, and were subsequently murdered. Another was killed as they ran to the exit and entered a light blue sedan. Two more were injured and, falling behind, were left at the palace, forced to hide in the crowds and make it to saftey on foot.

Undershi City, Undershi Province, The Undershi Empire

Aleksander Miller took three small white pills with water, the glass shaking in his hand as he brought it to his lips. He'd been up for... more than four days. Almost one hundred hours without sleep. Even for a True Undershi, that was pushing it. The pills helped, although the doctors had said he should not use too many of them, or they would probably give him a heart attack...

He looked at the papers in front of him, and the words seemed blurred for a moment, until he focused on them, and willed them to solidify as they ought to. And they did. What he saw was, perhaps, less pleasant than the blurr. Things were going badly, with Undershis siege...

He flipped through the papers, looking for anything that might prove useful as a moments distraction. He found it quickly enough - a report from the expeditionary force he'd been sending to help the Consumer Technologies board in their overthrow of their government... he smilled, and made a little note. The 1st Urban Ranger MOUT division would prove useful in the Blackhelm Confederacy, of that he was sure. And it wasn't like he could send anything else, with Undershi besieged...

Besiged in the market area, the four Congresssional Guardsmen fought on. It look like a scene from Blackhawk Down. The three men scurrying behind cover, pulling off a burst at anyone who showed their face for more than a second.

Shortly, Lenny stopped his tapping and an Osprey, one of many staged off a base near the Confederacy, beat its rotors for their position. It flew high, wary of the danger in flying near the embattled city. A second Osprey, standing by outside Paradise City, made way for the place as well. In its hold was a second Shadow.

As the first Osprey reached the area above the pinned down Guards, it hovered before begining its slow descent. The hold opened and several microwave arrays could be seen in the hold. A variant on the Active Denial System (ADS) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Denial_System), its multiple arrays allowed it to target a wider, broader area than the tradional equipment. If anyone poked a body part from out behind the wall they were behind they would be in for a nasty surprise.

Just two houses down from the market, a man heard the rotors beating and fetched his homemade rpg. A complicated and effective number he was quite proud of, he had already taken down a Griffencrest helicoptor earlier in the fighting. He hoisted the weapon into firing position, clicked some switches on its exterior, listened for the direction of the helicoptor, phsyced himself up and stepped over to the window. Instantly his face, chest, arms, and everything that could be seen through the open widow felt as if it were on fire. He yellped, spun out of the way and accidentaly fired his weapon. The grenade bounced around for just a second before it exploded. Blowing most of the man apart, his neighbors rushed out of the building, thinking it was being attacked. The hum of machine guns and the crack of rifles resounded from the Osprey as the exposed insurgents were gunned down. Similar things happened along the boulevard.

Fighters, startled by the pain let of rounds into their unker, injuring comrades, yelling, and creating confusion. This suited the downed Guardsmen as most of the action was directed away from them. As the people were hit by the ADS they panicked and tried to run from their houses where the pain became more intense. Only directly under the Osprey or behind a solid wall did the ADS not reach. The guns on the Osprey and the snipers in its hold thinned out the crowd that hadn't thought to stay inside and shortly the gunfire from the insurgents ceased altoghether.

Now the second Osprey came, slowing as it move down the bulevard before dropping off the new Shadow next to the market and powering away, guns blazing from start to finish. With the cover from the Osprey and the ADS, the four Gurdsmen loaded into the Shadow, dragging the wounded man into the back with Butch getting in the machine gun turret now and Lenny and the driver, the missions commander, up front. It was surprisigly calm with the insurgents confusion and the Shadow rolled away, the Osprey departing shortly after.

Hesitant to emerge even though the Osprey's rotors had died away, they people left behind came out slowly, staring quizically into the sky, wondering what had just happened.

International Empires Club

Above the slums, the International Empires Club was quickly becoming a functioning command center. Allready made sturdy enough to protect a host of distinguished leaders and with a heliport it was a perfect spot. Congresional Guardsmen swept through the surrounding urban landscape quickly dealing with any unwanted inhabitants. Perimeters were set up, using blocks of houses as walls, entrances facing away from the club being barricaded and sealed. Soon regular army arrived as massive V-29's made vertical landings on the spacious bulevard in front of the club. With them came Shadows of all roles, armoured ones, almost tanks with grenade luanchers and small canons. Lighter combat Shadows with .50 cal machine guns, several more recon Shadows like the first to arrive that set off towards other areas, circling the slums.

Little fighting had happened, but what did was centralized on the area closest the slums. Already several groups had ventured to see what all the comotion up at the club was. Those groups never returned.
The area was becoming increasingly battle scared. Scorch marks from grenades and rpgs could be seen along the barricaded road. Shadows, street cars, benches, furniture, tables. Anything sturdy was loaded into the wide street that ran into the slums and soldiers armed to the teeth waited behind them.
The wreck of a burned out pickup marked the failure of the first frontal attack on the position. After that, they moved through the buildings lining the street, making passages through them. DT shored up the buildings around the line well though, so noone could get passed the blockade unnoticed, everyone would have to fight to cross. The beauty of the position was two hiden MG nests in buildings outside the barricade. On either side of the street, they were closer to the slums, but faced away from them. When each group emerged to attack the line, they cut them down from behind, and none of the other insurgents ever suspected becuase they couldn't see them untill it was too late.

The DT soldiers worked hard to hold the barricade though, DT would need this road when the order came to sweep the slums and irradicate the uprising.

The Undershi troops have begun a savage campaign in their area of opperations around Redemption. A single division of Undershi reinforcements have arrived, but those soldiers are specialists in Urban Warfare, and should prove useful. The perimiter has been strengthened, with mine fields, more bunkers, trenches and razor wire. Huge numbers of citizens are being rounded up and intered within the Undershi base camp, disarmed and held behind razor wire. A few examples are being made - when some prisoners tried a revolt, they were crucified, but mostly the inhabitants of Redemption are being held for later processing by Griffincrest, or proper Confederate authorities.

Now it is time to resume the push into the city center. Now it is time to show the world here, thousands of miles away from the raging battlefields of Undershi itself, just how tough Undershi troops can be, and just how brutal they can make a fight...

Undershi Combat Group Aleksander

An IIS Salamander Scout Car spun out of control from a hit, it had been a high quality AT missile, probably looted... even as the Salamander lost control, the gunner kept firing, screaming not in pain but in rage, pumping 20mm rounds into the building the shot had come from.

IIS trooper William Smith watched the Salamander spin, and cursed - Grunwald had been reformed as a heavier group under the name Aleksander, after the Leader, and was now pushing into the city... it was hard going. He'd seen some Undershi VTOLs overhead, it looked like the rumors were true and the VTOL-carrier Blutcher had indeed arrived along with the transport carrying the 1st Urban Ranger MOUT division. Which was good - it was always good to have air support, especially Crusaders, those huge VTOLs that were the terror of light troops...

As if echoing his thoughts, a Crusader passed overhead, firing its automatic grenade launchers as it passed. It was using a mixed load, it looked like half incindiary and half fragmentation, but he wasn't sure... what he was sure of was that it was having a wonderfully devestating effect on the buildings around their position, a thought reinforced a moment later as the Crusader fired off a pair of AT missiles into the glass facade of an office building, a hit to something crucial inside brought the entire building down... William wondered, for the smallest fraction of a moment, if there had been innocent people inside of that building. But then he decided that it didn't matter. Until he recieved different orders, he would continue to do as he did now - assume every norm not in the uniform of an Undershi ally was an enemy to be hunted down and killed or forced to surrender.

As he had that thought, he heard a voice on the radio:

"Attention all Undershi units, masks on now. We are deploying chemical warfare agents in the southwest sector. These agents will include lung and eye irritants - they're non-fatal, so should not violate any international treaties - " he paused for the laughs that would surrely follow any reference to the treaties Undershi had never been a signatory to, and would never respect... " - but they will decrease the fighting efficiency of any units caught in their effect who do not have their masks on. So, masks on! We've informed the Griffincrest and Confederate troops in the area, so they should be prepared as well. Hopefully, this will make the situation easier to manage. Good luck, Undershis."

And then the Salamander was turning, and William was distracted by the present, and was using his guns, and there was no time for thought or words...

Redemption was no longer able to fight on, and rebels, now incapacitated by the gas, began to throw down their weapons and surrender en masse. Griffincrest and Confederate soldiers began resecuring portions of the city that were formerly owned by the rebels, and citizens began to poke their heads out of their smoke and debris filled homes. The fight, however, was far, far from over. The Nationalist party still continued their assault on the Undershi forces from the jungles surrounding Redemption, and the pathway along the coast was teeming with militias, all waiting for the chance to kill a True Undershi, and forever have a story to tell. Forces began digging in and preparing for the storm to come.

Meanwhile, in Paradise City, jihadis began swarming the DT forces trapped in the slums. RPG's began filling the sky, downing several Confederate Mi-24 helicopters as they made their runs over the area. The armor of a DT soldier now had a bounty on it. Several of the Muslim warlords had set out prices of up to a thousand credits for a piece of DT armor. This, of course, was very enticing for the starving Muslims, who now fought with increased ferocity.

The situation in the Confederacy was soon to change.

Undershi Expeditionary Force HQ, Redemption

Major Othniel Rawlingsen stood stiffly at attention inside the still-standing building the Undershis had commandered to use as a command center. It looked, as far as he could tell, to have been an apartment complex, and a rather nice one at that, but now it was nothing more than an Undershi base. To see a transformation like that made him remember a passage from a school text, a history book:

"First there were the nomad tribes, then some settled down to farm, and displaced the others. Then those nomad tribes became nations, entire nations, Southland and all the other Asiatic nations that originally inhabited our continent. Then came the English and the Dutch and the Spanish and the Germans, and they made of the earlier peoples colonies, Northland and Saint Rynald and Paxton and the many nations of the Western Steppes, and then came the Kaiser's war, and Hitler's war which was its sequel, and in our continent there came Undershi, and Undershi conquered, and then there was nothing more than Undershi. Undershi forever, Undershi came last and Undershi will last forever." or something to that effect. Although here they were actually going to give the norms back their country, which was all well and good - Undershi needed allies more than it needed more rebellious slaves.

As if on que, he heard screams, retching and vomiting from one of the larger rooms off the hall, a storage room at some point, he guessed. He looked into it - there were about three hundred norms packed into it like sardines, and the IIS men had shown them one of the videos - one of the older ones, from Paxton, when it had first been occupied. A reminder of what would happen to all of them if they tried to resist being returned to their natural state... he looked away. He'd seen that video before, during indoctrination, when it had come with the reminder: This is defeat. Avoid it.

He walked on. Redemption had fallen, soon it would act as a base from which the Undershi Expeditionary Force could expand to aid its allies... he wished, suddenly and fiercly for a moment, that he could be back in Undershi, defending his home. But it was not to be. There was no way to make it back, so he would fight for another nation while his own one was torn apart. Ironic. Ironic as hell...

Official Communique

The Undershi Expeditionary Force will recieve two more divisions as reinforcment, from the 122nd IIS Storm Trooper division and the 19th Heavy Infantry division. This will result in the Expeditionary Force now being comprised of all Undershi forces not now involved in the defense of the Undershi homeland.

With Redemption almost secured, the Undershi Expeditionary Force awaits its next objective.

Defending the Perimiter

Undershi troops are digging in and preparing to hold onto Redemption, although the Expeditionary Force is already assembling an armoured spear head, to be deployed against whichever target is next suggested by the Confederate government.