NationStates Jolt Archive

High Command
The overall situation in TPF was becoming critical to the point of complete social and economic meltdown. There were daily riots, shoot-outs with the Home Guards and police. Criminality had increased by over two thousand percent. Stock Markets were starting to crash. TPF needed resources, and fast. It was by chance that they had found a backwater, communist nation named the Northern People's Collective it was an island, full of untaped resources according to the government geologists who had been there, and suitable for conquest. Lord Grand General Molkte and his commander knew that the conquest had to be fast and somewhat bloodless. Luckily, the civil government had finally begun taking discreet aid from close allies, resources and money to buy more resources were flowing into the country. Civil officials assured the military that the country would hold up for at least a few months, long enough to conquer the NPC and start taking resources. Most of the military was deployed in TPF on martial law, so High Command only had a limited pool of manpower, but that was all they would need.

Second Fleet
Second Fleet was much, much smaller than the famed Sixth Armada that had fought in the Errikan Straits, consisting of only six full sized carriers instead of the fifty at that battle, and they also had less support vessels. But they did have plenty of Amphibious Assault Ships, of the Iwo-Jima class, these would deliver the Marines on shore, to be followed by Army troopers once the docks had been secured. The attack was also audacious, they would assault the capital city, a coastal and harbor city. Hopefully, this would allow them to secure a quick surrender from the government. The sooner resources could be extracted, the better off TPF would be.

Sixty Kilometers off the Capital City
Audax fighter-bombers and F-25's screamed as they rocketed off the carrier's decks and towards the capital city. Only around seventy planes would actually begin the first bombardments, the rest had to provide CAP, EW, and other duties. Destroyers and cruisers also fired off dozens of cruise missiles at suspected SAM sites, while others directly headed towards government buildings and the presidential palace. The aircraft would focus on eliminating the shore defenses and SAM sites in preparation for the Marine landing via helo and Armored Amphibious Transport Vehicles and tanks. It was estimated that around six thousand Marines would be onshore in the first two hours, complete with artillery and tank support. The army also prepared to paradrop one division to block Highway 10, which was the likely reinforcement route into the city.

OOC: I expected this to be longer, but I'm going out to eat now.

OOC: S'okay. This will get us started...

Early Warning Network Command, Northern Peoples Collective

Colonel Pablo Dominguez spat out the bad-tasting coffee as he saw the incoming missile tracks on his screen. "Dios! What in the...?"

As he watched, several missile tracks vanished as they met shore defense emplacements. Other tracks moved to intercept - some of the SAM sites were attempting to intercept some of the missiles in question. Not overly effective. Dominguez cursed the state of NPC's missile technology.

"Inform the Generale and El Presidente," he told an aide. "Madre de Dios, we are under attack!..."

Trivalvian Consulate

Ambassador Elaine Peterson smiled as she slid the papers towards El Presidente Micheal y Rodriguez the Third. "I'm sure you'll agree that this is a good maneuver for everyone concerned, El Presidente."

"I suppose," Rodriguez said, his voice betraying doubt. The dictator and "heir to the revolution" paused, his pen above the paper. "Still... the people have had good leadership under my father and grandfather. Are they really ready for an election?

"I am sure that you will be victorious here as your grandfather was in removing the capitalist banditos from our lands," said the President's aide.

"But that opposition bastard, Laredo... even if we play fair in the election... will he?" Rodriguez was wavering.

Elaine suppressed an exasperated sigh. Trivalvia had been conducting some careful negotiations with NPC's government to expedite open and fair elections. But the sad legacy of El Presidente's heritage - namely, paranoia - was a continuing obstacle she had to push past. "We'll be having observers present to make sure that no one attempts to fix the election," she assured him.

Moments passed. "Very well," Rodiguez said, and began to sign his name to the document--

And a NPC-uniformed soldier burst in. "El Presidente! Forgive the interruption, but..." The soldier paused for breath. "We are under attack! Someone has launched missiles at our shore defenses!"

"What?!" Rodriguez stood up, knocking his chair over.

Before anyone could say anything further, the whine of air raid sirens pierced the air...

60km off the Coast
The initial attack had proved to be very successful, the enemy was reeling from the bombardment of cruise missiles, and the shore defenses had been practically destroyed by laser guided bombs among other ordinance. The aircraft of the fleet were now moving in to attack other targets, including critical infrastructures such as a nearby powerplant and train depot.
Captain David Deck put his Audax fighter-bomber into a tight left turn, the aircraft, despite being dozens of years old, was still agile and responded gracefully to his joystick. " Yellow Pig," He spoke into the mic, referring to his wingmate's call sign, " I am seeing some movement down there, looks like military trucks. Over."
" Red Orange, I see them. What do you want to do, over."
" Go in for a low pass and confirm those are soldiers, over."
" Understood, passing by now." Deck watched as the plane rapidly descended until it was just fifty meters or so of the ground, it then pulled up sharply. Deck saw tracers nip the end of the Audax.
" Red Orange, confirmed soldiers. Those bastards even shot some AK's at me."
" Roger, Yellow Pig, I got them." Deck swung his craft around, pointing the nose of the Audax at the enemy convoy. They were speeding away, perhaps aware of what was about to happen... David licked some slobber of his lips, and the pointed the laser designator just in front of the convoy. They were dangerously close to a building. But that didn't matter. The bomb was dropped, and Deck was careful to guide it in. Suddenly, the plane jerked, hit by a 20mm bullet. The laser designator went off target, into the building, and the bomb exploded on the Trivalvian embassy. Nobody realized their mistake until days later.

Onboard the TPFS Silverstone Amphibious Assault Ship
" First Company, you're up! On the choppers! Let's go!"
Everything seemed to go by in slow motion, and it seemed as if Captain Murray could hear everything, from the clanging of his dogtags to the chopper blades. This was what every Prussian looked forward to, from day one of basic. This moment was the moment that would define their legacy. Would it be one filled with pride? Or one of shame? It felt as if his heart was about to explode on the outside of his chest. It was hard to breathe. Somehow, he managed to make it onto the Huckabee Medium Lift Transport Helicopter. The Huckabee could transport twelve men and could be armed with two door guns and had accommodation for additional armament. The helicopters, around forty of them in all, would be covered by Gecko-class attack helicopters and Sparrow VTOL fighter-bombers. As the helo lifted off, Murray was so nervous he could feel his breakfast at his throat, but he couldn't throw up, not around his men.
" Touch-down in ten! Lock and load! Give 'em hell Marines!" The Huckabee landed in a plaza near the edge of the city, and their Murray and his company disembarked from the choppers and took defensive positions. Over the net, Murray heard that Third Platoon had made contact with the enemy, and he could hear heavy gunfire in the distance. A few Huckabees passed by and hit the enemy with deadly 5.56mm gattling gun fire. " Third, report."
" Sir, we have engaged enemy forces. Two squads or more, dug in behind cover, a tank too."
" Do you need support-" He was distracted by the enemy tank blowing up due to an Anvil ATGM hit, and soon after the firing ceased.
" Sir, one enemy tank knocked out. Eight soldiers dead and the rest are surrendering."
" Good work. Alright, form up and begin to move towards objective."
Beach
While the shore defenses had been battered mercilessly by cruise missiles and bombs, it was still likely that the enemy still had forces in the area, hunkering down and awaiting the assault. The guns of the fleet began to pound the beach with sweeping fire while AATV's began to make their way towards the landing area. LHC hovercraft's would come in soon after, delivering Panther tanks directly to the battlefield. As they approached the beach, they began to sweep the beach with deadly 3cm cannon fire, and the infantry prepared to exit the vehicles.
The invasion had begun in earnest.

OOC: Oooh there's gonna be blood tonight! :D

"Good evening and welcome to 'Trivalvia at 6.' I'm David Mansbridge.

"Tonight's top story. Tragedy struck the Trivalvian diplomatic corps today when bombs dropped by unknown attackers destroyed the Trivalvian Consulate in Capital City, Northern People's Collective. Twelve consulate personnel, including Ambassador Elaine Peterson, were killed in the attack, and another fourteen were critically wounded..."

"...Presidente Micheal y Rodriguez survived the attack, and was whisked to safety by Capital Guard troops. So far he has yet to issue a statement..."

"...Demonstrations erupted into chaos outside the Legislature building within hours of the news of the unprovoked attack on the Trivalvian consulate in NPC. Riot police were called out, but so far the government is not releasing details on arrests made..."

"...This just in: it has been confirmed that the forces attacking the Northern People's Collective are indeed elements of the Holy Riech of the PeoplesFreedom. NPC forces are resisting 'with all of their might' according to Generale Inigio Montoya, but independant reports suggest that the Capital Guard are slowly being driven out of the city..."

"...Foreign Minister Robert Norris has issued a demand for an apology and for the attacking force to stand down within twenty four hours or face 'serious consequences'..."

"My fellow Trivalvians. It is with a heavy heart that I must report that the PeoplesFreedom has outright refused our demands to stand down. Their attack on a nation on the verge of democracy is indeed an affront to all peoples everywhere. We are therefore dispatching forces to restore order and repel the PeoplesFreedom's invasion..."

Trivalvian Expeditionary Force,
En Route to Northern People's Collective.

"General Wellington? We're starting to get satellite data now, sir."

"Thank you, Commodore." General Mark Wellington examined the map of the Northern People's Collective.

Wellington was not overly impressed with the decision to dispatch forces to this distant part of the world. The Northern People's Collective was in some ways a blast from the past; a Cuban-style communist system, with weapons to match, and a dictator who was more likely to stab someone in the back than shake their hand. Still, Wellington knew of his government's careful negotiations to stage the country's first open elections there. If he had to defend this little backwater country, it was at least for some of the right reasons.

Given the forces involved, Wellington had pulled a third of the rebuilt navy and twenty brigade groups to be deployed against the TPF invasion force. Two Court class aircraft carriers, each with 40 F-18s. There was the force's flagship, the Carter-class command cruiser, with six Defiant-class missile cruisers, 8 Phalanx-class air area defense destroyers, and 8 Asher-class frigates. Several transport ships carrying the first five brigades of the ground force were also in the group.

In the air, C-5 Galaxy transport planes were carrying another five brigades, with the remaining ten still being prepared for departure.

In total some thirty-six thousand infantry, 1,060 tanks, and 120 artillery pieces were being brought to bear. A small force, to be sure, but Wellington had selected his best-trained units.

And the latest technology. The new Raptor 1B3 tank had been introduced to the Trivalvian military a few months before. Lighter and easier to maintain than the MBT-25s had been, this would be the Raptor's 'baptism of fire'. The ships themselves had been upgraded slightly; the outdated Harpoon anti-shipping missiles being replaced by SSM-102R Scythes.

The Trivalvian forces needed a victory to regain some of their lost morale. Wellington intended to give it to them.

TPF News Cast
My name is Petite Raul, and this is the Global Security report. Today Tpfian Marines continued to push outside the capital city in NPC. It is now four days into the war and TPF has pushed over one hundred kilometers inland. According to defense officials, they would be further if not for some supply issues encountered. Major combat continues at Highway Ten where NPC forces are mounting a desperate counter-attack. In addition the Trivalvian demands have been rejected by the State Department, and their involvement is likely. Now back to Dan for the latest on the stock markets.
First Company
" Get down! Get down! Incoming!" Huge explosions ripped through the air around First Platoon, deadly, white hot shrapnel cut deep into men's flesh and the ground, fresh after a rain, was now poisoned once again by spilled blood. Murray, who was traveling with Second Platoon, was desperately digging to the soft earth was his entrenching tool. The deeper the hole got, the less likely he was going to turn into mince meat. However, no more artillery fell upon the platoon. It had already been silenced by counter-battery fire.
The enemy had finally attacked in force about four days after the initial landings. Their attacks, mounted with antiquated T-64's and T-55's, along with poorly-trained and equipped infantry, was finding little success. Murray's company was stationed in an open field a few kilometers to the left of Highway 10, and the enemy commanders had at least enough competence to attempt a flanking action. One of his men shook him.
" Sir, LP reports tanks and infantry moving ahead of us. Likely coming towards us."
" Understood. Order the LP back. Call command and see if we can get any support. I'm going to Second Platoon."
" Yes sir."
Murray then proceeded to Second Platoon's location, they were the point of the company, and the entire division. They had set up a series of slit trenches and firing pits for the platoon level mortars. The company mortars were already firing 120mm rounds into the woods hoping to cause some casualties in the lines before they closed in. The platoon level mortars were just small 60mm ones, only three of them total, but they did give the platoon a good deal of support. And so, Murray waited for the assault.

OOC: I took some liberties here, so I'll wait for you to post whether they continue the attack, what they are attacking and the like. If you want, attack Murray's position, and we can get into some small-scale tactics rarely seen on NS. =P

Here it is: the map of NPC!

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n26/andrewc3/MapofNPC-1.jpg

NPC Capital Guard

Having been driven from the capital, with with El Presidente Rodriguez now safely on his way to the other side of the country, the Capital Guard was now positioning itself to hold the enemy advance. Soldiers and civilian conscripts were busily digging trenches, while the surviving tank forces regrouped.

Colonel Juan Sanchez laid out the strategy quickly to his lieutenants. "The third and fourth divisions are currently moving their way west, but we won't see them for another two or three days. Pedro, send B and C Tank Companies to this position, twenty kilometers south of the enemy lines. A Tank company will go with the 2nd Guard Rifles and the 1st Guard Rocketeers to the other side of that open field... here. I'll see if we can get the 3rd Guard Rifles to join them."

"What about enemy aircraft, Colonel?"

"We have a few AA guns we managed to remove from the capital, and I'm setting them up here, and here." His finger lingered on one point on the map. "There is a train station west of Villa Sombrero; that's where 3rd Division will join us, so we need to protect that station with our lives, si?

"Meantime, we need to throw the enemy off balance. Manuel, how close has the 1st Guard Rifles reached the enemy lines?"

"Last report puts them 5 kilometers southwest of their lines. We have a few light mortars and machine guns attached to them."

"Set up the mortars to start firing on the enemy positions, and move the rest of the infantry out of the way before they start firing. Once our shells start raining down on them, have the 1st Guard Rifles charge into the enemy mortar positions; I want those guns silenced, Manuel."

"Si, Colonel."

* * *

"Move it, soldiers! We cannot let these counter-revoluntionary barbarians win today!"

Private Esteban hefted his AK-47, and jumped over a tree stump. The 1st Guard Rifles company was running through the forests, doing their best to avoid enemy detection, but also to reach the staging point where they would charge the TPF encampment.

Charging into a mortar barrage. This is suicide. Oh Saint Mary, Mother of God, protect us today!

"Halt!" Esteban stumbled to a stop at his commander's order. They had arrived.

The lieutenant looked at his watch. "We made good time, comrades! Set up the machine guns to cover us, and get ready!"

Esteban crouched low along with the other men in his squadron. He was sweating, and more than from the exertion.

"Any moment now..."

The sound of mortar shells being launched from behind reached them. The lieutenant grinned and raised his rifle above his head. "Now, comrades! For the Presidente! FOR THE REVOLUTION!

The scattered squads of the 1st Guard Rifles erupted from their positions with a loud battle cry. Esteban rose, yelling at the top of his lungs, and charged the enemy position, his rifle blazing.

First Company's Postion
" What in the name of God?!" Near the woods, just in front of the field, was a scary sight. Dozens of men were charging right at their positions, screaming at the top of their lungs and firing their AK's wildly. Behind them, the enemy had set up machine guns to cover their advance. But given that there was no cover between the woods and the positions, even with their support they wouldn't last long. Bullets stitched the ground in front of Murray's position, throwing up dirt, other slammed into the sand bags directly in front of his post. He saw Leutnant Halder directing two of his MG-6 machine guns from his heavy weapons squad to start firing at the enemy positions. The MG-6 was very effective, capable of firing nearly 1,200 round per minute if set at its maximum cyclic rate.

Blood and bone and guts flew from the charging soldiers as eight milimeter bullets slammed into them. Riflemen sent downrange deadly bursts of 6.7mm fire at the grenadiers fired high-explosive grenades into the enemy from their under-barrel launchers. Everything seemed to be doing well. Then he heard a a series of yells over his radio, it seems as if a tank company was flanking the left side, escorted by infantry. That area was thinly held was only a squad of men. " Leutant Miles, reinforce the left side of the field with two squads of your men. My command squad will accompany them. Soldat Herr, contact command and see if we can get some Gecko gunships and some artillery support."

After dashing from trench to trench, the three squads of reinforcements had finally reached the southern field where Unteroffizier Brown and his squad were trying to hold out against overwhelming odds. Murray jumped into the slit trench where they were hunkered down.
" Sir, I have two men dead! Three men wounded and needing evacuation! We are pinned down!"
" Clam down, Brown, we got attack helicopters and artillery on the way."
There was a loud explosions as a Spiculum armor-piercing round destroyed an enemy tank.
" This is Red Dog to Golden Sun, come in over."
" Red dog, I read you."
" We have 155mm artillery support on call. We heard you need us."
" Roger. Fire at this sector..."
Deadly 155mm high explosive rounds began to impact along the area, while other rounds, such as deadly air-burst rounds and beehive rounds, which fired thousands of tungsten balls, also impacted around the area. Two Gecko gunships soon arrived, firing at the tanks with 63mm cannons and peppering the infantry with 23mm gast cannon fire. The situation, for now, looked under control.

Overall Front
By now, more than two hundred thousand Army infantry had landed around the capital city. The Marines were still the spearhead and doing the brunt of the fighting but that wouldn't last too much longer as Eighth Theater Army, under Lord Militant-General Guderian, began to move out. The army consisted of nearly twenty mechanized infantry divisions, two panzer divisions, along with artillery brigades, air defense brigades, and other specialty formations such as engineer and medical units. The army would first move up to the frontline where the Marines were located, then branch off into smaller formations and begin an offensive.

Already, the port inside the city had been pacified of any resistance fighters and the small damage it had took had been repaired by naval engineers. Troops around the city had secured respectable amounts of steel, coal, and oil storage units. All these resources were needed inside TPF, so already there were cargo and tanker ships docking in the port to receive these goods. The sooner that TPF could show these goods to the citizens, the more they would be on their side and willing to support the war effort.

Troops had also begun the occupation inside the capital city and the surrounding towns and villages that had been captured. Medical stations were set to help the wounded citizens, which thankfully there had been few of. Food and other items were carefully rationed, but they weren't hard to get. Curfew was set to 8:00 which was fairly liberal, and people were allowed to continue their business as long as they got the correct papers. Overall TPF was trying to get the local population on their side. They didn't want to have to deal with an extended insurgency while they tried to gain natural resources. Bombing missions continued, but they focused specifically on armaments factories rather than textile or other such factories.

Private Esteban screamed as a bullet punched through his leg, and he fell down. That action likely saved his life. Through tear-clouded eyes he saw his fellow soldiers cut down like wheat before a harvester's scythe.

The machine guns were still firing at the enemy positions, until grenades arced into the hastily-made nests. Esteban watched as two soldiers dived for cover. One took shrapnel in the back, the other landed unhurt and kept running into the woods.

Coward! Yet Esteban knew he would join the deserter if he could. For now, he simply lay still, waiting until the gunfire around him stopped. Further east, he could hear the whine of artillery shells and the whup-whup-whup of helicopters.

Esteban looked up to see enemy soldiers, their rifles at the ready, walking through the battlefield. Checking for survivors, he realized. One saw him, and aimed his rifle.

"All right, bastardo, all right," he moaned. "I give up." Sitting up, and wincing from the pain, Esteban put his hands on top of his head.

Port Los Cucharacha, NPC southeast coast,
One day later

As transport ships arrived and disgorged the first wave of APCs and Raptors, General Wellington took a helicopter to where the NPC military command had established headquarters. He handed ID papers to an unshaven guard, and walked into the command tent.

He was greeted by the sight of El Presidente Rodiguez, his medal-laden dress uniform marred only by a cast on one arm, browbeating his generals. "...how can you let this happen? What is Colonel Sanchez thinking? I want that traitor shot!"

Generale Inigo Montoya sighed and replied. "Colonel Sanchez is a loyal man, El Presidente. I would trust him with my life. He is doing what he has to in order to preserve his men."

"Senor Presidente," said a man Wellington guessed was the President's aide, "We must be patient. Our forces were scattered to deal with various brushfire incidents when this attack occured. Give our generals time to organize a defense before we start looking for the traitors responsible."

"I... Well... If you say so..." Rodriguez seemed to deflate for a moment, then he looked up. "Those incidents were all in support of that opposition leader Laredo! Perhaps he organized them deliberately to scatter our forces! By Dios I'll have his liver for lunch!..."

At this point, Wellington cleared his throat. "With respect, El Presidente, I doubt that Laredo is in league with TPF. In my experience, TPF has always favoured the direct approach, and rarely if ever deals with inside men." He paused, then sketched a salute. "General Mark Wellington, Trivalvian Armed Forces. President William MacKenzie sends his regards."

"Ah!" Rodriguez smiled, then frowned. "You're late!"

"We got here as fast as we could, El Presidente. However, my men are here and we are eager to do our part to restore the peace. What is the situation?"

Generale Montoya spoke up. "The Capital Guard division has taken heavy losses, and has had to fall back to Villa Sombrero." He pointed to a map with small markers on it, his finger resting on a small black dot next to a river. "It's the nearest city to the capital, and where reinforcements from the 3rd and 4th Divisions are arriving. They should be in position to launch a counterattack the day after tomorrow."

"Total force strength?"

"Combined, the three divisions will make up some thirty thousand men, and five hundred tanks. We're also setting up artillery in the hills east of the city." Montoya looked grim. "The enemy is estimated at over a hundred thousand men. Maybe double that number. No accurate report on tanks, and they are making heavy use of attack helicopters."

"And how many men did you bring with you, General Wellington?" El Presidente Rodriguez looked interested. "I'm sure a country like Trivalvia could spare a couple of million soldiers and tanks?"

"We have close to nine thousand infantry currently debarking here at Los Cucharacha, along with over 250 tanks and 90 artillery pieces. I've also got the carriers New Moncton and Bivalviaton each with two squadrons of fighters and a sizeable number of naval escorts.

"Nine thousand men?! Only nine thousand?!? Do you dare to insult me?!..."

"We also have," Wellington added without pause, "a number of C-5 transports with an additional nine thousand troops and 250 tanks currently flying further inland. General, we'll need a suitable airport for those planes to land. Where is the closest airport to the enemy lines?"

"Peso City," said Montoya, pointing to a black dot further east of Villa Sombrero. "It's a resort town and gains a lot of traffic from international sources. The airport there should be large enough to accomodate your C-5's."

"Good. Our forces can set up camp there and begin to move west to encounter the enemy, while our forces here start taking the rails to reach them. We can also use Peso City to land our additional reinforcements - another 18,000 men and 500 tanks," he said for El Presidente's benefit.

"Very well," said Rodriguez. "But your troops cannot enter our bases!"

"That's okay," Wellington replied. "We'll work on making our own. I'll also order Commodore van Hyaams to take our carriers to a point where they can engage enemy sea and air assets."

Generale Montoya nodded. "I can get the first fleet to provide additional support; it's not much, about five frigates and ten corvettes, but they're perhaps our best forces."

Which wasn't saying much, Wellington thought. "Sounds like a plan."

Peso City

The air controllers got a shock when the first C-5 Galaxy came in for a landing. The transport rolled to a stop, and within seconds the doors were open and troops and tanks were debarking. No sooner had the transport emptied than a second transport landed and began the same process.

In all, five brigades: the 32nd and 33rd Royal Bivalvian Highlanders and the 65th, 66th and 67th Trivalvian Brigade Forces. Once down, they began to move west, stopping once they had reached the city outskirts, where combat engineers began to mark out and clear a space for fortifications and base structures.

While they did so, the dozens of C-5 Galaxies were being refuelled for the long trip back to Trivalvia.

High Command
" Attention!"
" At ease. Yesterday, in the early morning hours in the NPC, our radar satellites detected numerous C-5 heavy lift transports entering NPC airspace. We have come to conclude, through various means, that Trivalvian troops have entered the country. I want this section to work hard at identifying their actions and intentions. Dismissed!"
Eighth Theater Army HQ
Guderian had made his headquarters in a large, Victorian-era house in a small town some ways from the capital city. Spread in front of him were various computer displays as well as maps that had been taken from the local populace. These maps were more detailed by over ninety percent to what TPF had. UAV and long range recce patrols had uncovered that two divisions of enemy soldiers were dug in around Maya City, a major city located around 150 kilometers from the capital. While Guderian desperately wanted to sic his panzers, that was the only major concentration of troops anywhere near. Sighing, he thought hard for a moment. He then finally drew up a lot of symbols and arrows and called the corps commanders for a meeting.
The Front
What Guderian did was fairly simple. He had split his army into two groups, the second was now called Tenth Theater Army. They would continue to sprint along the main highways, towards Peso City along with other major cities. Guderian estimated that could easily travel 150 kilometers per day, stopping every few days to wait for the logistics train to catch up. Meanwhile, Guderian lead the other group to Maya City, where the two divisions of the guard was stationed. He ordered a round-the-clock bombing campaign to commence. Air force planes had taken up stations at the Capital city's international airport, Cardinal and Audax fighters began to bomb enemy formations along with the city's vital infrastructure. Chemical attacks had not been authorized for this mission, so Guderian wanted to soften the enemy has much as he could before the bloody battle could commence.

Second Fleet
Generaladmirall Von Haven looked over the latest reports that had been gathered via radar satellite and observation satellites, each of which passed over NPC once every few hours. With him was Kapitänleutnant Shorff, of ONI, or the Office of Naval Intelligence. He was also looking at the data presented by the orbitals, he was trained to find exactly what they had.
" Sir, it looks like they only have two flattops." He said, pointing his rather large index finger at two flat shapes over the ocean.
" Any other capital ships?"
" Not any battleships or superdreadnoughts, but if you look here... looks like two or more cruiser sized ships, maybe battlecruisers or pocket battleships. Various escorts as well. We could take them easily." He added.
" Its not a matter of taking them "easily", Shorff. The navy isn't in the best shape its been since the straits."
" What do you suggest we do, sir?"
" Well, we sure as hell can't let those carriers start bugging the air force, and we don't want them interdicting our supply ships or even landing an amphibious force, however unlikely that may be. Leave a few escorts here with a cruiser, but we will begin to move the fleet to within 400 kilometers of the enemy fleets. Its within weapons range, but its not threating and we can keep them in check." With that, Haven turned to begin issuing orders.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n26/andrewc3/MapofNPC-2.jpg

Map updated with general troop positions and now city names. Missed your mention of troop deployments to Peso City, however; I'll fix that when I have a chance.

Trivalvian Carrier Group

"Sir?" A lieutenant looked up at Commodore Jarod van Hyaams. "Radar is picking up ships roughly 400 kilometers north-north west of us. They're TPF vessels."

Jarod van Hyaams grimaced. He had hoped for a chance to take revenge on the PeoplesFreedom for the defeat he suffered at the Errikan Strait. However, he also had orders, and they did not involve charging into battle guns and missiles blazing.

"Hold our position and continue to monitor those ships. Meanwhile, dispatch our planes on reconnaisance sorties. Let's get a good look at enemy positions."

"Aye-aye sir."

van Hyaams turned to look out the bridge windows at the sight of the carrier TNS Bivalviaton, grinning as he watched two F-18s leave the flight deck and fly towards land. It was too far to see details, but he knew the planes were carrying camera pods... in addition to ESSM anti-aircraft missiles.

He was ordered not to get involved in a naval battle... but that didn't mean he couldn't conduct a little revenge by proxy. Deep down he hoped TPF would try to shoot down his planes.

West of Peso City

Brigadier-General Lewis Simon MacTavish of the 32nd Royal Bivalvian Highlanders was a Scottish-Trivalvian, and leaned heavily on his cultural heritage. No other field commander would be daft enough to wear a clan tartan over his green-and-cobalt uniform... or insist his men eat haggis almost. Every. Day. The joke among the rank-and-file was that you got assigned to MacTavish's brigade as a punishment.

It also meant headaches for his lieutenants, whenever they had to translate his burr-blurred orders into English. Today's strategy session was no different.

"Aye, so the wee peefers are pushing their way up to us, eh?" MacTavish grinned. "And what does th'General wish us to do, laddie?"

Lieutenant-Colonel Halstead took a second to translate, then replied. "Wellington's left that up to us. The priority is to keep our lines of supply open, but we do need to break TPF momentum. There's no methanol infrastructure here, so fuel will be our big limiter. A quick victory would be best."

"Ach. So we need to break them, do we?" MacTavish looked over the map. "Seems to me that th'best way t'do this would be ta set up our artillery and tanks... ah, how fast are th'peefers advancing?"

"Fast, sir. They've covered one hundred and fifty kilometers past their last reported lines in a single day. If they keep up this rate, we can expect them here within a week."

"Aye, thankee. How about we place our arty an' tanks here, in these hills, and scatter infantry in positions all along this road. Set up a bonnie killzone for them t'walk into, eh?"

"Sounds good, sir. Perhaps, we might also want to bring in artillery from the 66th Trivalvian Brigade?"

"What? An' let those mainlanders steal our glorry?" MacTavish waved a hand. "Aye, invite the 66th in and set them up as a reserve force. Right here, six kilometers behind us, and get those NPC troops on their way ta Villa Sombrero t'circle around behind th'enemy. A strike in the back ought t'unnerve th'peefers a bit, aye?"

"Um... yes sir."

"Well, then, get t'it, laddie! We'll only have a day t'set this up, now."

Maya City

Colonel Sanchez grimaced. The bombing campaign had taken a toll on his defenses; most of the AA and AT guns he had deployed were now so much scrap metal. So too were any tanks and artillery units left in the open.

He had, managed to secure three platoons of T-55s in parking garages, safe from prying eyes, and most of his infantry forces - now reinforced by the 4th Division - were intact. And the 4th Division carried some heavy weapons - RPG launchers, especially.

The 3rd Division was overdue, however. The sargeant that carried the news was apologetic, but he stated that their orders came from Generale Montoya himself. "All we were told was they were involved in another operation."

Sanchez grimaced. So much for extra armour support. He looked at the map before him, and then up at his lieutenant. "Manuel... are the civilians still being evacuated?"

"Si Colonel, at your order."

"Very well... Order our men to swap clothing with fleeing civilians. Try to do so without enemy planes seeing us do so."

"Colonel?"

"I want to give the impression that we are fleeing, that the bombs have broken our resolve."

Manuel grinned, catching on to what the Colonel was planning. "Ah... and when the enemy moves into our city, they will find our troops in civilian clothing, and we catch them by surprise!"

"Just so. Get moving... and give a few AK-47s to our new 'troops' to make it look convincing. And make sure our 'civilians' stay indoors."

"Si Colonel!"

Maya City
Lord-Militant General Guderian was pleased by the progress of his units. They had arrived in Maya city in a little under two days. They had gone slower to secure towns and supplies along the way, as well as to let the air force bombing missions continue. According to the recent UAV reports, along with the recce battalions, the enemy military and civilians were retreating. Still, Guderian had to assume that there were at least some units in the city. He wasn't quite sure how many, but he would commit a fair amount of troops anyway. He tagged four divisions for the primary assault. One Marine and three Army divisions. This would be that around 40,000 men would penetrate the city. Plenty even if the enemy had some surprises. At 8:00, the artillery of the divisions opened up on the city. Given that the civilians had been evacuated, the officers thought it would be safe to pound the city into hell. Over one thousand artillery guns and MLRS systems pounded the city for over three hours before the attack commenced. The men entered the city had over five points, wearing gas masks as artillery rained down tear gas shells onto the city to disorient any surviving enemy troops. Air Assault battalions were on standby to be deployed to any danger zone.

200 klicks from Peso City
After three days of long, arduous travel, Tenth Theater Army had arrived to within 200 kilometers of their goal: Peso City. They had stopped only because their fuel situation was becoming critical. The railways were there, but they were poorly run, and so most of the supplies had to come via truck from the supply depots in the capital city. The army had secured a regional airport and so Bovis transports were also flying in supplies, but they still had to stop. The men were also tried from three days and nights of nonstop traveling, and they needed a rest. General Hartmann, however, also sent elements all the way to Peso city. Recce Battalions, such as the famed Seventh Reconnaissance Battalion, or "Rudy's Raiders" had penetrated all the way to within twenty kilometers of the city. They, along with UAV scans, had confirmed that Triv and NPC forces were setting up a defense here. Unfortunately, there was little Hartmann could do in the meantime. No aircraft were in range, and his attack helicopters still needed sometime to catch up. It was nerve racking to not have any air support, but he had to put faith in his SAM sites.
Second Fleet
They had now closed into within 400 kilometers of the enemy fleet, and Second Fleet intended to hold this position. The Trivalvian fleet did not know that Haven had been ordered not to engage unless the situation was attacked. Not a single new ship had been built since the end of the battle, and even loosing one ship was a risk the navy did not want. Haven was then told by an aid that they had detected two Trivalvian F-18's apporching their position. Given that it was only two, Haven doubted it was an attack, more likely they carried cameras. But they could be carrying deadly missiles, and if they let them come to close, then they could have a sunk ship.
" Contact those fighters. Order them to turn around. If they come within 100 kilometers, order the CAP to shoot them down." It was a heavy choice, but he saw no other option.

Maya City

From his vantage point on one of the rooftops, Colonel Sanchez watched as TPF vehicles and infantry filtered through the city.

The tactics the enemy employed had shaken many of his plans. Artillery strikes had claimed an additional thousand men, and wounded hundreds more. Now that the enemy had switched to tear gas rather than explosives, Sanchez had to order what forces he could to take to higher floors on buildings.

The tanks, so far, were still safe. But against this many forces, Sanchez had no illusions; they would not win this battle.

But they would make the enemy pay for the city.

He watched as more troops poured into the square nearest his building. There was no chance to pull out now.

Sanchez pulled back far enough away that he would not be seen when he stood. He took a flare-gun in his hand, and raised it high.

We'll make them pay.

He pulled the trigger.

* * *

As the flare rose high above the city, those soldiers that could raised their weapons.

The Capital Guard troops, wearing poorly maintained gas masks, had opted to stay on the lower floors of most buildings. Fighting their own nausea, their aim was poor, but they managed to keep their fire continuous, with a few soldiers managing to take better shots.

The men of the 4th Division, weakened and shaken by the bombardment, took a little longer to get their weapons ready. But, this one moment, they too were able to fire a single concentrated volley at the various soldiers and vehicles below them, with hundreds of RPGs fired at the same time that rifles spat bullets out.

They took casualties even before the enemy returned fire. Two squads were wiped out when their RPG launchers detonated rather than fired. A third suffered shrapnel damage when one of their number fired his RPG backwards into their ammo supply.

But the rest managed to pick their shots. For one brief moment, the NPC army was almost professional.

Discipline dissolved shortly thereafter, with later salvoes becoming more piecemeal. But no-one ran: Sanchez had ordered his squad commanders to shoot anyone who tried.

As the battle was joined, Sanchez himself took an AK-47 in hand, and, after taking careful aim at an enemy officer, opened fire.

In the Air:

The message in the open caught Eagle Lead by surprise. Rather than acknowledge the message, he opened a secure channel back to the command ship. "Command, this is Eagle Lead. We've just been spotted by enemy ships; they are warning us away. Over."

"Roger, Eagle Lead. Continue on mission, but give those ships a wide berth. We need that intel on enemy ground forces. Over."

"Roger, Command." Eagle Lead banked his fighter, leading the plane on a northeast vector. His wingman followed suit. Their path would take them over Maya City within the hour.

Maya City
" Fuck! Get down! Get Do-" An AK bullet embedded itself with its fury into the poor Unteroffizier who had tried to rally his men. Within seconds, dozens of men that had moved into the plaza were dead or wounded, many severely so. Other troopers had managed to make it down to prone positions, but bullets still slammed into the turquoise stone of the plaza and the old stone walls, and they occasionally found flesh. Blood was now winding down the cracks like water on a more peaceful rainy day. However, a number of Leutnants were able to rally their men, and they popped smoke, and, using this as cover, dragged the wounded and withdrew from the plaza. Artillery fire soon came down on the plaza, dozens and dozens of high explosive rounds, demolishing buildings. After this was done, the troops moved in again, weary of enemy attacks. Helicopters came into to evacuate the dead and wounded, while other men carefully scoured the city, weapons at the ready.

OOC: Sorry for not posting yesterday. Work was murder...

Excerpt of the "World in Depth" broadcast

"Welcome back to 'World in Depth'. I'm David Mansbridge.

"Before the break, we covered the recent events in the continuing conflict in the Northern People's Collective, as TPF forces occupy Maya City. We're going to have a little look at some of the events leading up to this conflict and why our own forces are there now. Joining us in the studio is our regular International Politics panel. Phil Rice, Statist-Conservative Foreign Policy Critic, and Dalton Dyer, Professor of Military History at Bivalviaton University and noted political columnist. Gentlemen, thank you for joining us today."

Phil: "Pleased to be here, David."

Dalton: "Thank you, David."

Mansbridge: Phil, let's start with you. As we speak, our troops have been in the country now for a few days, yet so far the TPF invasion continues almost unabated. What are your thoughts?

Phil: This is yet another example of President MacKenzie and his PDF party not really taking the threat of nations like the PeoplesFreedom seriously. I mean, look at the size of the force we sent compared to the troops that TPF tossed into the fight! If we're going to be serious about this intervention, we need to start kicking asses and taking names, or we may as well bring our boys home."

Mansbridge: Dalton?

Dalton: I don't know where to begin exactly, because there are just so many things with Phil's statement that I have to disagree with. But I suppose we need to start out by saying that a war is more than just dropping troops in and sending them to fight. Much of our army is spending its time learning the lay of the land, setting up lines of supply, integrating with local armed units as best as they can.

"That said, by now, both sides are aware of each other. I would not at all be surprised to learn that shots have been fired between our forces and theirs before this show is over."

Mansbridge: Dalton, you called this a 'war', yet neither side has issued a formal declaration.

Dalton: And I doubt either side is going to. Officially, this will be an 'annexation' on TPF's side and a 'police action' or, as Phil called it, an 'intervention' on ours. Nobody's going to use the 'w'-word at any decision-making level because it means committing to a fight neither side is ready for. But, once the shooting starts, it will be, for all intents and purposes, a war."

Phil: I'd say we're ready for a major fight, if TPF wants one. We've been building more ships - thanks to an S-C campaign in the Legislature, I might add - and we've got new technology just waiting to be used! If MacKenzie has the balls for international politics like his fans say he does, he should just declare war and wipe TPF off the map! Bring 'em on!!

Mansbridge: Dalton, I see you shaking your head there, so I'm guessing you don't agree with Phil's assessment.

Dalton: No, I don't, David. A total war like what Phil - and other Statist-Conservative backbenchers - are proposing would be the worst thing to happen, on both sides of this conflict. Phil is right in that we've been modernizing and expanding our military forces; we are at a stage where we can defend ourselves comfortably. But we're nowhere near ready to wage a total war for any great length of time, primarily because we lack the power-projection of a strong navy.

The PeoplesFreedom, has the opposite problem. They have a massive military, but their economy is on the rocks right now. For them to declare total war on us would have their government bankrupted before their troops march into our capital. So just as it doesn't make sense for us to declare war on TPF, it doesn't make sense for them to declare war on us. Both sides know this, and both sides don't want to expose themselves to such a crippling mistake.

Mansbridge: But you did say that this is going to be for all practical purposes, a war.

Dalton: Oh yes. When you've got tanks shooting at each other it's hardly just a disagreement. But the actual fighting itself will be limited to NPC by unspoken agreement.

Mansbridge: So right now, most of the movements in NPC have been along the lines of setting up. What do both of you think the next moves will be?

Phil: Pretty simple, David. Hit them before they hit us. A good bloody nose should send the peefers packing.

Dalton: This war could turn out one of two ways, David. In the immediate future, we'll likely see skirmishes and raids by our forces on TPF supply lines, and at least one attempt to deflect their advance. By the way things are shaping up, I'd say that Peso City would likely be the site of the first battle where our forces will play a key role. Ultimately, we'll see essentially one or two major confrontations between Trivalvian and TPF forces, and depending on their outcome, one side or the other will back down. The shooting could be over inside a month.

Mansbridge: What if it doesn't end in a month? What if those confrontations you mention either are inconclusive or don't happen at all?

Dalton: Then we'll likely see a Vietnam-style situation develop, where both sides keep pouring forces into the region and NPC becomes a charnel house. If that happens, both TPF and Trivalvia will likely suffer huge hits to their economy as a result; the war might end when both sides simply become too spent to fight. Better for both sides to get it over with quickly.

Mansbridge: What about afterward?

Dalton: It's very likely that the next five to ten years after this fight, both TPF and Trivalvia will probably glare at each other and rattle their sabres now and then. But after a while, both sides might come to some understanding. In a decade's time, this war will just be a bad memory. We might even see some limited trade and peace negotiations between our two nations by then.

Mansbridge: We just have a few more minutes, so a little question on the local political scene. Obviously with TPF forces in the country, plans for an open NPC election are on hold. Do you think we'll see democracy emerge in that country afterwards?

Phil: Not if TPF wins, David. Which is why we need to give this fight our all.

Dalton: I think that democracy in NPC is a nonstarter. Don't get me wrong I'm glad we were able to mediate an agreement between dictator Presidente Rodriguez and the populist opposition leader Laredo Lombardo, but the truth is that their feud will just pick up where it left off once the invasion is over.

If TPF wins, Rodriguez is a dead man and he knows it, although Laredo might have a place in whatever government TPF installs there. If Trivalvia wins, and repels the invasion, Rodriguez will likely try to get our forces to stay there and prop his government up; he's inherited the paranoia of his father and grandfather, and will likely try to frame Laredo for weakening the country prior to the invasion. If he tries something like that while the shooting starts, he'll likely drive Laredo right into the TPF camp... and Laredo will take half the country with him. So an election won't happen while both candidates are trying to kill each other or keep from being killed themselves. Either way, our best option would be to pull our troops out and start the negotiations at square one once more.

Mansbridge: Thank you Dalton, Phil. And we're out of time...

* * *

Trivalvian Field HQ, Los Cucharacha

"...MacTavish has established artillery and tank positions roughly 80 kilometers west of Peso City, along the only good road and rail line leading into the city from TPF held territory. With the rate the enemy is advancing, there might be combat there today."

Wellington nodded at the lieutenant. "What about Maya City?"

"Our flyover has confirmed that TPF has wiped out both divisions that were present there. There's still some isolated fighting; one NPC platoon of tanks is still mixing it up; but there's no real resistance there anymore."

"Which means that we can expect enemy forces to start expanding from Maya City soon. They could reinforce the forces moving to Peso City, or expand further south." He paused. "What about the rest of our forces?"

"Our remaining ten brigades are in the air and en-route to Peso City; they should start arriving in six hours. We have the 106th Air Wing escorting them, just in case."

"Good. What about the 12th and 19th?" Wellington had ordered the 12th and 19th Brigade groups to take the rails up to Peso City the day before.

"Running into difficulty. Parts of the rail system are in serious disrepair. Our forces are having to dismount and travel by road at certain points. They should reach Peso City in about two weeks. Oh, and we've got both aerostat and AWACS coverage now, both here and at Peso City. The AWACS are busy tagging enemy attack helicopters; we should have an accurate number of enemy air assets within a day."

"Good. I think it's time we made our first moves. Order Commodore van Hyaams to start airstrikes at Maya City. Targets are rail and road connections into and out of the city; I want to contain that force. After that, they are to concentrate on the rail lines from TPF-held zones to Villa Uranium, Villa Sombrero, and Peso City. See if you can get the 106th Air Wing to refuel and engage in search-and-destroy missions on enemy air assets once they arrive."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Trivalvian Carrier Group

"Tern Lead, you are 'go' on Operation Linecutter. Give 'em heck, Captain."

"Roger that. Tern Lead out." Captain Pierre Savard grinned as his F-18 was loaded onto the catapult. A real mission at last!

Within minutes, all twenty planes in Tern Squadron were in the air. Savard linked up with them. "Okay, mes amis, here is the plan. Alpha Flight, you will handle rail and bridges southwest of Maya City. Beta Flight, take road connections northeast; watch for anti-air. Gamma Flight, you're on guard duty for Alpha. Delta flight, you're on guard duty for Beta. Our AWACS eye in the sky is callsign 'Asgard'; take their words like gospel.

"Let's go ruin the peefer's day!"

OOC: Will have a reply tomorrow, just got home from school trip and I'm bone tired. This post will be edited later. Sorry.

Outside of Peso City
UAV reports and recce units had confirmed that a Triv' battalion had set up positions such a mere several kilometers from the foremost scouting units. They had set up a strong defensive position, complete with tank and artillery support units, and the infantry had entrenched themselves in the dirt and a few towns around the area. Hartmann received orders from Guderian the previous day. They were leaving Maya City to strike at the south. A small garrison remained behind. Hartmann's Army had been ordered to attack and take Peso City, and encircle the enemy armies there. A defeat of the Trivalvian army here in such detail would mean the end of the Trivalvian involvement in NPC, allowing for the war to be over in days. To that end, Harttmpan ordered Operation: Firecatch. The primary task fell to the 17 and 21 Panzer Divisions, whom would flank on the right and leftmost flanks, meeting up in the rear of the city and encircling the enemy. They could do it in just few hours, as the roads near the city were wide and in good shape, and it was flat with some hills, allowing them to get off the highway if needed. Each panzer division would be supported by one armored calvary division along with an independent brigade of panzer grenadier's. At the same time the sheer bulk of the army would attack frontally. With the strength of that attack, Trivalvian forces would have to be occupied by this thrust and pay little attention to the attack on the western and eastern flanks.

The attack started promptly at midnight. It was hoped that the night would given additional advantages for the surprise attack. The defensive positions were bombarded horribly by hundreds of guns. Then a walking barrage covered the advance of the thousands of men and machine surging forward. Geck gunships also flew over enemy positions, targeting enemy tanks primarily. The 63mm gun attack the roofs of the enemy tanks, it was easily able to penetrate and fired eighty rounds a minute. The 23mm gast guns swept enemy infantry and light vehicles, if greater range was required it had Helios II ATGM to use. As men sured forward, they used FLIDOR rocket launchers to kill enemy potions. These launchers were man-portable and fird 70mm thermobaric rounds, ensuring that bunkers and trenches had little chance. A lot of things could be said about the conduct of TPF, but nobody could say that they weren't efficient killers.

In The Air, Maya City
A Red Robin AWACS aircraft glided gracefully in the sky. Given the recent arrival of enemy air assets in the region constant AWACS patrols in addition to JSTARS patrol were a top priority. It wasn't long before they got their first excitement other than normal traffic control.
" 3-2, I am just now seeing twenty or so blips. IFF says they're not ours. Too far out to get accurate ID on what they are yet."
" 4-1, understood. Wait for ID..."
" 3-2, enemy fighters detected. F-18's. Trivalvian, most likely. They are whats stationed on their carriers."
"4-1, order CAP patrols to intercept vector."
" Red Angel, come in."
" Read you, Overwatch."
" Be advised, 25 enemy F-18's spotted in these locations... Ordered to intercept."
" Understood, Overwatch"
A squadron of 14 ASF-70 super stealth fighters banked hard-left, towards the enemy. They were incredibly hard to detect, even AWACS the Trivalvian's were having would have a hard time. The ASF's would be just 20km from them, basically on top, before they engaged.

OOC: Just a reminder. Trivalvian forces at/near Peso City are divided into two groups:
1. An advance defense position covering the road and rail line going into Peso City from the west. Distance from city: 88 kilometers. The 32nd Royal Bivalvian Highlanders (1,800 troops, 53 tanks, 18 artillery units) has entrenched itself here, along with the 66th Trivalvian Brigade (same size) as a reserve force. I am assuming your frontal assault is hitting this group.
2. Peso City itself is currently home to the 33rd Royal Bivalvian Highlander and the 65th and 67th Trivalvian Brigades, and, by the time of your attack, 5 of those ten brigades have landed. Plus, elements of the 106th Air Wing (I'm assuming roughly 25 of the 100 aircraft in the entire wing) are either on the ground and being refuelled or just taking off. Granted, the 5 "fresh" brigades will be a little travel weary and might not fight as well.
Also: in addition to AWACS, an aerostat has been deployed. This is a Mk 1 aerostat, similar to what was deployed in our last RP, so expect a 100 km radius for visual and IR surveillance. Aerostat holds steady at 1.1 km altitude.

Lastly, I am operating under the assumption that, given the time of Wellington's order; there are still some TPF forces in Maya City preparing to move... feel free to correct me though.

Maya City

"Tern lead, this is Asgard."

"This is Tern lead, go ahead, Asgard."

"We're showing some ground activity near some of the target sites. Looks like the enemy is starting to move, over."

"Roger Asgard. Any change in plans?"

"Negative but be prepared for possible AA fire. Some of those sites are crawling. We are transmitting final target data to you now. Happy hunting."

Captain Savard clicked off the connection and checked his computer. "Tern lead to all planes; we just got the final go-ahead and target data and a weather watch; expect some stormy conditions near some of these locations. Just pick off your targets and worry about the smaller fry later. Starting final approach. Call out locks and fires."

They flew over the next hill... and Maya City lay before them.

Or rather, what was left of Maya City. Savard took in the scene of smoke rising from several areas. He could see various vehicles moving; APCs, tanks, trucks. None of them looked to be NPC.

Right then. To work.

Savard's headphones crackled. "Alpha Lead, this is Alpha Four. Got a bridge in sight; looks like a welcoming committee too. Lots of groundpounders... Target lock on bridge... Alpha Four: Fox One."

More reports started coming in.

"...target lock on rail station. No activity. Beta Lead: Fox One."

"...overpass targetted. Alpha Two: Fox One."

"...Lead, this is Alpha Five. Negative on target; but I'm picking up enemy tanks. Permission to engage?"

"Negative, Alpha Five, proceed to your next target."

"...target lock on rail bridge, looks like they're trying to use it. Beta Five: Fox One."

More reports came in. All ten planes assigned to ground targets had gotten shots off, and were preparing to move onto their next targets. Savard was a little uneasy. No opposition so far. "Asgard, this is Tern Lead, any reports on enemy air activity? We got to be lighting up their scopes by now."

"Negative on air activity, Tern Lead. You're the only air show in town."

For some reason, this did not soothe Savard.

* * *

32nd Royal Bivalvian Highlanders

"...Incoming!" The private's yell was muffled by several explosions as artillery shells started to rain down."

MacTavish, who had been trying to catch an hour's sleep, rolled out of his bunk. "What the devil?" He stuck his head out of the tent. "Report!"

"Enemy artillery, sir! They've started their attack."

"Bloody hell. They're early; those peefers must be English!..." MacTavish buttoned up his uniform and ran to the command post, passing a group of soldiers trying to put out burning tents.

"We're getting reports from the aerostat," said a major to MacTavish, saluting as he saw the general enter the post. "Multiple IR signatures, some of them in the air. Intel thinks they're gunboats."

"Och, so it begins. Get our anti-air launchers going, laddie, and ring up Peso City; let's see if some of those fighter planes are around."

"Yes sir."

"Another volley incoming!" Several explosions followed the warning.

"How's our artillery?" MacTavish asked another aide; the Lt. Colonel in charge of the Artillery Regiment.

"We lost three units in the first volley; I'm trying to get confirmation on the status of two more. The remaining 13 are ready to return fire, sir, and we have Shrews on recce detail..." the Lt. Colonel paused. "We have some targets, sir. Not artillery, but it looks like their main strike. Shall I open fire."

"Aye. Fire." MacTavish grumbled. So much for his plans, but then they were always the first casualties of battle. The satisfying sound of several artillery units sending 130mm shells into the air soon reached him.

"32nd HQ, this is Beta Flight, Heron Squadron, 106th Air Wing. I understand you need our assistance?"

MacTavish grabbed a headset. "Aye, this is General MacTavish, 32nd Royal Bivalvian Highlanders. We've got some gunboats lighting up our screens here. D'ye think ye kinna take care of them for us?"

"Understood, General. We'll do our best. Be advised, Gamma Flight is being fuelled and prepped now; they should be along in ten to fifteen minutes."

"Another volley!" More explosions, then the Lt. Colonel swore; a single heartfelt silibant. "Seven confirmed artillery unit losses. We're evacuating wounded. The Mobile Artillery regiment from the 66th reports they will be in range in the next ten minutes the rate the enemy is advancing."

"What about our losses, overall?"

"Reports indicate roughly 15-20% casualties among our infantry so far. The Raptor tanks are holding up; but... check that. First gunboats are engaging the Raptors. They're aiming for the turret roofs. Four tanks gone from 'C' Company." Another pause. "Anti-air units are responding."

MacTavish looked up and saw rockets rising in the distance. He did a quick mental calculation. Each Company had three infantry sections - one for each troop, dedicated to anti-vehicle operations, an each section carried two SA-18 Grouse anti-air rocket launchers. Assuming 20% casualties were evenly spread out... that left 14 launchers still active. He hoped it would be enough before their air support arrived.

Outside of Peso City
" Sir! Our forces have engaged the enemy and all is going well. Their artillery has responded against ours, and we have lost two dozen Lion's. Our Gecko gunships also report that they are now being engaged by enemy anti-air defense. We also have news by our AWACS that the enemy is scrambling fighters and bombers.
" Damn." The enemy aircraft would complicate things, especially if they started to bomb the flanking divisions.
" What's our status on the Skyguard (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=539827) SAM systems?"
" Sir, one battery is up. The other two won't be ready for another hour-"
" They said it would be done now!"
" They had to repair some problems, sir. One hour is what they said."
" Oh well. Proceed with the assault. If the enemy aircraft do get too low to the ground, our Acer and Lynx systems should handle it."

The attack on the Highlander positions continued, MG-6's, with their murderous rates of fire, covered the infantry formations as they moved up. Heavy mortars ranging from 82mm to 120mm, also pounded enemy positions, and they provided accurate fire support to any formation that needed them. Formations that were being hit by too much firepower were covered by smokescreen that the artillery launched. Several Gecko gunships had gone down, but their countermeasures, armor, and maneuverability allowed them to quickly target enemy MANPAD or SPAAG units with Helios II missiles (http://z4.invisionfree.com/NSDraftroom/index.php?showtopic=1157) or 72mm rockets.

On the flanks, the divisions had circled around the Highlander's position and were screaming down the roads at full speed. They expected to see combat soon.

Maya City
The enemy F-18's had managed to kill a number of men, close to one hundred, and destroy two dozens vehicles. It had been a surprise, but the small amount of fighters meant it was a nuisance at most. The AWACS had lost them as they entered the city, but now the ASF-70's (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12755481&postcount=1) spotted the enemy fighters and engaged, each of them firing a total of three Nightfall (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12914309&postcount=12)
missiles at the enemy. They then banked sharply away. If the enemy fighters managed to survive, they would come around for another pass. But, as the commander of the squadron knew, that was unlikely.

OOC: I'm not normally one to complain when my units score kills, but... my fighters were targetting bridges, rail stations, and major roads i.e. cutting off access. Were the vehicles and infantry killed on said bridges and roads when the missiles hit?

One thing; I had to do some re-reading on the F-18 to get some idea on weapons that Tern Squadron was loaded with. So here are the loadouts; feel free to tell me if I got something wrong. Alpha and Beta Flights had their fighters fitted with 2 AIM-120 AMRAAMs and 4 Mavericks for the ground strike mission (I considered bombs, but decided against it this time out), while Gamma and Delta flights had their fighters fitted with 8 AIM-120 AMRAAMs for their guard role. I should have declared that at the start, sorry for any confusion.

Maya City

"...All right," Savard said to his squadron. "We've got all road and rail access on the eastern side cut. Beta Flight, you should still have some air-to-ground missiles left; move on to take out rail and road connections between Peso City and the Capital..."

"Alpha Lead, this is Alpha Three! I've got incoming missiles! No sign of a launcher--*" Static filled the line.

At the same time, the MISSILE LOCK light flashed on his display. "Merde!" Savard put his fighter into a steep climb, firing off flares.

Three explosions told him the fates of some of his fighters. "...flares aren't working!... flares aren't--*" was one transmission out of the area.

"Asgard, this is Tern Lead! We are under attack! Do you have a fix?" Savard fired off chaff. One missile went down, but a second was still on his tail.

"Tern Lead, this is Asgard. Negative on radar track; we're showing missiles but no launcher. Suspect stealth fighters... Be advised, Falcon Squadron is scrambling from the carriers; arrival in thirty minutes."

"Tell them to hurry, Asgard. We've lost seven fighters so far." Damn, that missile wasn't shaking! Savard reached for his ejection system...

The missile exploded, as another fighter swept in, it's Vulcan cannon blazing. "Alpha Lead, this is Gamma Lead. You still in one piece?"

"That's affirmative, Gamma Lead, thanks for the save."

"Alpha Lead, this is Beta Lead. We lost two fighters and all of Delta Flight, but we are still good to go on the mission."

"Roger, Beta Lead, good luck. Gamma Lead, can you give them cover?"

"Against stealths? Better we start hunting them, Alpha Lead."

"Roger that." Savard checked his fuel readout; they could probably maintain a dogfight until Falcon Squadron got here. "Window is thirty minutes, then we get some friends to help. Let's try to thin those stealths out some. All planes, report in."

"Alpha Five here, sir."

"Gamma Two here."

"Gamma Three, ready."

"Gamma Five here, sir."

Six planes hunting an unknown number of stealths. Savard gritted his teeth and started scanning the sky for some sign of the enemy planes.

West of Peso City

'A' Company of the 32nd Highlanders' Armoured Regiment had fared best of the tank companies, losing only two of their 17 tanks. The Raptor 1B3 tanks had managed to find some cover under a tree-lined dirt-road running along the main road. The cover would not last though, though hopefully long enough to get behind the enemy's center line.

Major Tucker grumbled as he led his tank along the road. The attack, while not entirely unexpected, had certainly been worse than he thought. Intel had assured them there would be no enemy aircraft this far out!

The driver spoke up. "Night scope is picking up something ahead, sir. Looks like artillery of some kind." Tucker touched a button on his little screen, and the forward-facing camera near the main gun displayed a false-colour image.

"Hm... luck seems to be with us for now," he said. "Calling 'A' Troop."

"'A' Troop. Lieutenant Stokes, sir."

"We've got what looks like enemy tanks ahead of us. Move up and take them out."

"Yes sir."

The five tanks of 'A' Troop moved ahead of Tucker's tank. As they got in range, loaders fitted HEAT shells into the 105mm cannons. The lead two tanks fired in unison, while the trailing three scanned for enemy activity.

Behind them, 'B' and 'C' Troops prepared to break through the cover. If they followed this path right, this should take them behind one section of the enemy lines. What eight tanks hoped to do against an enemy force was uncertain, but Tucker hoped the sudden push might disorient the enemy force.

* * *

Elsewhere, the infantry positions along the northern side of the road were starting to buckle. Casualties had reached forty percent for one battalion, and it was looking like the enemy might break through at that point.

MacTavish ordered that battalion to fall back, while the other two battalions held their ground. Meanwhile 'D' Company from the 32nd Armoured Regiment was busy trying to reach disabled tanks. Some of the tanks might have to be destroyed; MacTavish wasn't too keen on leaving an intact Raptor for the enemy to capture.

In the Air, Maya City
The enemy had been lucky. While they had lost a good amount of planes, some had survived. Rare when one was attacked by the Black Death, as was the nickname of the ASF-70's. The fighters still had a good amount of Nightfall missiles left, but command had detected another wave of enemy F-18's en route, so several Audax squadrons were being equipped with missiles. But for now, only the ASF remained in the air. Guided by their AWACS, they once again found seven enemy fighters, they were looking for the Black Death. Six of the sleek fighters broke off of the main formation and closed within 20km of the enemy. They attacked the enemy again with three missiles, they only had three left. However, they did not bank away again. Instead, they prepared to kill any survivors with their cannons.
Peso City
By now, the enemy position was crumbling. Just a few more minutes of pressure and they would start to fall back. The panzer divisions reported good progress. Within three hours they would complete the encirclement of the city. Then they would have to hold against enemy counter-attacks until the main thrust arrived to reinforce them. If things got really bad, they could be reinforced by two air assault divisions, but given enemy fighter presence the commander did not want to risk the precious choppers. Once the city was encircled, it would be the beginning of the end.

Sergeant Davis grunted as the large 155mm main artillery cannon recoiled, rocking the chassis once again. The huge gun had quite a bit of the recoil, and the chassis wasn't always up to it. He had expended over thirty rounds of ammo already. The Lion only held 28 round ready in the autoloader, and an additional 28 in the chassis. they had ceased fire to load the new ammo, and it was likely that would be gone in just a few minutes. Then, he hear a load explosion. And another. There was loud yells from outside. Davis opened the hatch and looked outside to see enemy raptors attacking his battery. Three units were already down. "Shit!" Davis ducked back inside, the radio chatter already was alerting nearby infantry divisions. " We are not sitting here," he yelled to his crew over the roar, " Depress the gun and engage these bastards!" The driver lurched the Lion forward, while the gunner lowered the cannon into howitzer position. It was loaded with a HE shell. Davis wasn't sure if it could kill the Raptors, but he had to do something! "Fire!" A direct hit, but was the tank destroyed...

Captain Murray and his company was in the reserves for the assault. Their job was to take out anything that managed to sneak this far back. It seemed that around eight enemy tanks had done so and were now attacking a artillery battery. " Let's move!" His company had plenty of anti-armor firepower. They ran up a small hill to where the combat was taking place. He watched as the first six LAC-5 (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12859027&postcount=142) and Anvil (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13301167&postcount=279) missiles exited their tubes, heading straight towards the enemy.

'A' Company

One tank in 'A' Troop exploded as the 155mm HEAT shell hit it on the turret, leaving only the chassis. Two other tanks turned their turrets to face the enemy Lion, sending HEAT shells into the unit. The remaining two tanks turned their attention to any other enemy artillery units.

'B' and 'C' Troops found themselves facing enemy AT rocket fire. Some of the shots hit frontal armour, either head-on or glancing blows. One driver winced, only to grin in relief when he realized the armour had held.

Most, however, aimed for the tops of the turrets. The ARENA-E systems activated, killing some of the incoming rounds, but 'B' Troop was reduced from three tanks to one, and 'C' Troop took its first losses, with two tanks of the five being destroyed.

The surviving tanks pivoted their guns up the hill and began to fire at the infantry; their 15mm coax machine guns delivering short, precise bursts.

Trivalvian Field HQ, Los Cucharachas

Wellington continued to listen to the reports that came in from the battle. "...we cinna hold out here much longer, sir," MacTavish's trademark burr was thicker than usual, a sign the man was disturbed. "Units in the city proper report they'll be enclosed entirely; as it is, we can either reinforce our position here or we can leave the city, but we cinna do both."

"What about the remaining brigades enroute?"

"It's no safe for them here. I've ordered them your way; if ye got an airfield ready for them they'll be allright."

"Personal assessment, Brigadier: can your people hold the city?"

"No sir. We'll barely be able t'get out of here with our skins intact. But we gave them a bloody nose, allright."

"And it wasn't enough to stop them." Wellington sighed. "All right, MacTavish, get your men out of there, and make preparations to fall back to..." he consulted his map. "...Villa Carumba. We have some forces there already. It's far enough away that it will take some time for TPF forces to reach us, longer if you burn your bridges on the way."

"Aye sir. There's a rail station we can use for that purpose... the line looks steady enough. We'll pull out as soon as we're able. MacTavish out."

Wellington looked at the map once more. So much for his 'victory'. But hopefully the damage they did would be enough to sate the vengeance-seekers in Legislature. He opened another secure channel. "Get me the President..."

Maya City

Falcon Squadron reached the sight of the air battle... to find no fighters present. The lead pilot was unnerved. "Falcon Lead to Tern Lead, do you copy?... Falcon Squadron calling any friendly planes, respond please..."

After a moment a single F-18 appeared on their scopes. "This is Tern Lead. Tern Squadron's gone; I'm the only survivor."

Falcon Lead whistled when he saw the fighter up close; burn marks showed where Savard's plane had gotten a little too close to missile flashes. "Geez, you've been through the wringer. How are you still flying?"

"Wing and a prayer, I think," came the response. "I'm out of missiles and I have enough fuel to make it back to the carrier. Command should know... give commendations for Gamma Lead, Lieutenant Herman Rossof; he took a missile meant for me."

"Falcon Lead, this is Beta Lead," came another report. "No radar echoes, but I'm picking up faint IR signatures dead ahead. Looks like Tern Lead brought some playmates, over."

"Roger that, Beta Lead. Can you buy us some time?" Given what happened to Tern Squadron, Falcon Lead knew it would be a death sentence.

"We'll give them a good show. You get our wounded friend back to the carrier. Beta Lead out."

"Godspeed."

As Beta flight sped ahead, the rest of Falcon Squadron turned and formed up around Savard, escorting him back home.

OOC: The Anvil and LAC-5's both have top attack rounds. Since I didn't mention that in my post, then Its my fault. However, could you kindly increase it by a few losses? I'll make it more clear next time.

Sure. At least that will give the ARENA-E's a workout...

Rear Lines
The smiles that flashed on the men's faces didn't last long after they destroyed some of the Raptors. Almost immediately, 15.5mm MG fired smashed in the hill in front and into the flesh. It was not pretty when a person was hit with a 15.5mm, it smashed the internal organs and created a big fucking mess. If you survived, it was only because God saved you. "Fuck! Fall back!" Murray's company retreated, and fired a few more LAC-5 rounds at the enemy. " Helo Command, enemy tanks have broken to the rear. Request immediate reinforcement, over!"
" Roger, be advised, two helos heading your way."
With that, Murray hunkered down.

" Lead, IR has spotted enemy Raptors."
" I see them, Ice Man. Let's kill those fuckers."
The two choopers, as heavy as light tanks, moved into position, targeted the enemy, and fired MLSS-21 (http://z4.invisionfree.com/NSDraftroom/index.php?showtopic=1223)missiles into the enemy, these were near impervious to APS and could penetrate the heaviest armor. They each launched four at the enemy tanks, if they survived, they could finish them of with more missiles or their 63mm cannons.

Maya City
" I feel sort of sorry for killing those bastards." Said Captain George, commander of the squadron of ASF's that had raped the Triv squadrons.
" They sent in another two squadrons. One is leaving accompanying our lone survivor."
" We'll let them go, and we'll hide from this squadron."
" But sir! We can't let them get away! We have to kill the bastards!"
" Shut the fuck up. We have already killed a dozen of them. We don't need to kill the rest. We have already won the war. And if you shoot, I'll kill you myself. Understood?"

OOC: Okay, let's try this again.

Peso City: Strategy Session

With Brigadier General MacTavish still at the front, the remaining eight brigades of Trivalvian forces in Peso City proper were under the field command of Brigadier General Torrence. As enemy forces continued to circle the city, he called a strategy session.

"Within the hour, we expect TPF forces to have cut off all access between Peso City and the rest of the country. Our last rail line link was lost ten minutes ago. Aerostat and satellite images confirm that the enemy is setting up artillery and SAM sites to contain our air assets."

"Given the results of the battle between the 32nd and enemy forces, it is reasonable to assume we cannot hold the city. With a high civilian population still in the area, we certainly cannot wage an urban battle. Therefore, we will concentrate on getting what forces we can out by land."

Torrence set his tablet computer on the table and brought up a map of the region. "This is our latest map based on our aerostat intel; it will likely be the last time we can count on the aerostat as I expect it will be the first thing the enemy takes out when they launch their assault.

"We will attempt to break through the enemy encirclement in two locations. While the 32nd attempts to stall the enemy advance, the 66th Trivalvian Brigade will fall back to the city. It's largely intact, so will attempt to break through the enemy positions on the west side. The 65th Brigade will assist in forcing open a hole on this side. Artillery is already in place and will commence bombardment in fifteen minutes. There will also be isolated strikes by the planes of the 106th Air Wing on several locations along the enemy lines. The 67th Brigade will send in its Mechanized Infantry and tank regiment as reinforcements for our push on the west.

"Once the battle on the west side commences, we will direct all of our remaining forces southeast. The 33rd Royal Bivalvian Highlanders will lead the charge and open up a hole. While the infantry keep that hole open, our tank regiments will move through and start to destroy any enemy tanks and artillery they can, as well as push as far back as possible to reach enemy SAM sites on that location.

"Once the SAMs are down, we'll evacuate our C-5 Galaxy transports first, then bring all of our forces through the southeast hole and leave the area. Any bridges into and out of the city will be destroyed; Demolition teams with C-4 will take care of those as our forces fall back. We'll also have our heavy and light machine gun teams set up at these locations -" Torrence pointed to several spots on the map "- to slow down any enemy advance into the city proper.

"Note these areas I've highlighted in green; civilians have clustered there, so keep your troops out of those locations while maneuvering. This will make what troops we have on the north side more vulnerable, but it cannot be helped."

"We will regroup our forces 112 kilometers southeast, and connect with Wellington's forces as they move north. Window for this operation is two hours; by that time we should have all of our forces out and enroute to the rally point. Questions?"

Carrier Group

While plans were made for the evacuation of Peso City, Commodore van Hyaams made plans for the navy's part in the operation.

Enemy air activity was the primary problem; assault craft were a significant threat to ground forces, and stealth craft had proven remarkably effective against their fighters when away from the carriers. So, van Hyaams planned to occupy as much of the enemy air assets as he could, the only way he knew how.

At the same time Torrence was wrapping up his strategy session, van Hyaams ordered the carrier group to close with the enemy ships. When they got within 200 kilometers, they would launch the first salvo of SSM-102R Scythes at enemy ships. With luck, van Hyaams would force the enemy to launch their aircraft and draw them to his ships. The ESSMs aboard his Phalanx destroyers and Defiant cruisers would, he was sure, make short work of most of the enemy planes. If they can keep up a good attrition rate against enemy aircraft, TPF would have to reinforce its air forces with planes from land.

Peso City, 21st Panzer Division
Sergeant Keller listened intently to the radio reports. The enemy was now trying to break out of their encirclement, and they had begun to rain artillery down on the defensive positions. To the south, there were reports of another attempt, but Keller's focus was here. Enemy infantry was already pressing ahead. Leopard IFV's with dismounts were defending heavily, their 30mm cannons and MG-7 machine guns complemented the TPFian dismounts. Casualties were mounting as the enemy artillery continued to crash down. TPFian artillery soon responded with 155mm airburst shells and MLRS rockets designed to kill the enemy personal manning the artillery. Mortar positions also began to engage the advancing enemy infantry. Soon, Raptor tanks were spotted moving up. Artillery quickly began to fire at the enemy, unloading their G-3 AT shells. Each shell had six explosively formed penetrators guided by IR sensors to attack the roofs of enemy tanks. Given the raptor had no ERA or armor on their roofs, the EFP's would likely destroy them. However, soon Sergeant Keller's platoon was ordered into combat, to destroy any enemy tanks and assist the infantry divisions.

Southern Front
The southern front was hit harder and by even more troops and artillery, and initially the enemy made a large salient into the front, penetrating ten kilometers in depth and and five kilometers wide at the widest point. Then, however, they began to face a tenacious defensive line that guarded a large field. The enemy had to move across the fields to attack, which meant that the TPF forces could rain down extremely deadly fire. Panther tanks, supported by Gecko gunships, began a vicious counter-attack against the enemy, determined to throw them back. Two battalions of Air Assault loaded into their Bellicus helicopters and took off, they swept east behind the enemy lines and forced an LZ and landed. The Bellicus and Gecko's provided extremely deadly fire support, with gast cannons, rocket, and Cornix and MLSS missiles attacking enemy soldiers and vehicles.

All this fighting came at a heavy cost as over two thousand soldiers were killed or wounded. Medical APC's and helicopters evacuated wounded troops to MASH and Trauma centers behind the lines, while medics struggled to keep up with the wounded.

Second Fleet

" Sir, the enemy fleet is moving towards us, sir. Most likely they are going to engage us as there forces on land have begun an offensive."
" Understood. Move us back, but not too much. If they continue to follow us then we will know that they meant to engage us. Then we will come up with a plan."

OOC: I wasn't aware that my attack had actually begun. But anyway...

In case you're wondering, Torrence's background was as a commander on the Nationalist side during the Nine Day Crisis. After suffering defeat there, he is determined to prevent another defeat, even if it means a huge body count. I don't expect him to survive the engagement. Trivalvia's lack of general-calibre officers is sadly starting to show, when people like Torrence and van Hyaams are kept on the payroll... :/

Southeastern Front

The 33rd had managed to penetrate through the TPF line; and while the Light infantry battalions sought to hold the hole open while the Mechanized infantry and Armoured units moved forward.

The sight of the field, complete with enemy tanks and approaching enemy gunboats, was not pleasant. Cover was scarce, and the enemy tanks were moving ahead. Images revealed the tanks to be TPF "Panthers", a nationalized version of the Nakil.

"Nakil 1A1+, we think," said one of Torrence's aides. "Essentially a heavy tank by comparison to the Raptors, sir. If they stick to HEAT, our Raptors should be able to survive a hit on the front, but if they use KE rounds..."

"I understand. Are they vulnerable to artillery fire?"

"Should be."

"Very well. Have the 33rd Royal Horse Artillery begin firing on the enemy tanks; forward tanks will serve for artillery. Forward forces should be able to use their smoke grenades to obscure enemy fire. And get those anti-air troops in action." Torrence was not going to have a repeat of the 32nd's attack. "Meanwhile... have our armoured regiments close with the enemy; SABOT rounds only; I doubt 105mm HE rounds will be effective. And focus our fighters on the south front; have them kill anything with treads."

The aide blanched. "Sir... isn't that suicide? Shouldn't we attempt to fall back, wait for Wellington and his reinforcements?"

"There's no retreat now; we either fight or surrender." Torrence turned cold eyes on the aide. "Are you suggesting we surrender?"

"Um..." The aide gulped; this was a side to the general he hadn't seen before. "No sir."

At the front, eighteen M29 towed artillery units were set up and 130mm HE shells were launched at the enemy tanks. As the Raptors on the front deployed smoke grenades, infantry dismounted from the MT-LB APCs; in some cases moments before enemy shells and rockets destroyed the vehicles. Half of the rocket-equipped sections died before deploying their rockets. The remainder found what cover they could, and began to fire at the enemy gunships.

They were soon joined by two squadrons F-18s; 40 planes firing Maverick's at the enemy Panthers. The planes themselves did not stray too far from the area the Trivalvians' had some control over; enemy SAM sites were still a problem, especially now that the armoured units wouldn't get to them.

Several armoured commanders blanched when they recieved the order to advance. Yet it seemed their only choice; frontal shots would not work; if they could get in among the enemy tanks, they might be able to take out enough tanks to open a hole in this second line of defense. They charged forward, whispering what brief prayers they could.

West Front; 66th Brigade

Word of the battle up ahead had reached the commanders of the 66th. The fact that the enemy was engaged with forces in the city before they arrived was not welcome news; there was a real chance their pincer move might not work here. And with the defeat of the 32nd just minutes before (and General MacTavish's death from an artillery round) they now faced an enemy force bearing down behind them. Further information filtering through showed that the 65th's tanks were taking severe casualties, and would be wiped out within minutes.

The commanders reached the same conclusion as Torrence; forward or nothing. The Raptors of the 66th's Armoured Regiment came into range of the enemy rear units and opened fire; HE rounds against any artillery, Sabots against tanks. Infantry dismounted from trucks and APCs and charged, using vehicles, rocks, and tree stumps as cover.

Out of courtesy, nobody mentioned "The Charge of the Light Brigade" even as a joke.

Carrier Group

van Hyaams watched the radar as the enemy fleet backed away. Given their superior size it was unlikely his force had scared the enemy.

Which meant that, somehow, the enemy had either guessed his plan, or simply knew the advantage was theirs. Either way, this was not going to work.

They're mocking me. They continually defeat us at every turn, with every measure. This, on top of the failure in the Strait...

"Are we in weapons' range?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"No sir."

"Very well. Full stop."

"Sir? Our forces on land..." van Hyaam's exec looked uncertain.

"We cannot help them; and we cannot defeat the enemy at sea. Hold here and if they attack, then we'll defend ourselves."

van Hyaams then unholstered his pistol. "Effective immediately, Captain Yeager, you are in operational command of the carrier group." Before anyone could stop him, he put the pistol to his temple and fired.

Southern Front
The enemy certainly knew what they were doing. After fighting numerous nations with poor military skill, it was refreshing for TPF to find an enemy who knew what he was doing. Raptor tanks were now moving forward to engage the Panther tanks. The Panthers immediately responded, firing rocket-assisted sabot rounds and Helios II ATGM's at the enemy tanks. Eight Panthers were destroyed when they took direct hits by the artillery and one when an enemy sabot round smashed through the rear of the armor. Infantry with Corona and LAC-5 missiles also engaged the enemy Raptors after dismounted from their APC's and IFV's. The smoke the Raptors popped made some rounds miss, but Panther weapons operators switched to IR and engaged that way. 12 more Panthers were lost or damaged by the enemy aircraft. Lynx SPAAG units quickly responded, firing their gast 30mm guns at the aircraft and launching Arrow SAM missiles at the enemy. The troops continued to surge forward, now under cover by artillery.

Twenty helicopters were destroyed by enemy MANPADS units and aircraft, the choopers quickly chased down the enemy infantry to prevent them from firing again. The infantry, now on the ground, struck at the enemy's rear, this would cause a huge diversion that the enemy would have to focus on.

West Front
The west front was in a better position overall. There units were holding their ground, but had to fall back slightly when the enemy threw more tanks and infantry into the attack. A captain took some initiative and his company sliced into the enemy's left flank, while another company of Panther tanks also hit the left flank. MLRS launchers fired over 400 missiles into the enemy to help break the attack, while artillery continued to rain down the G-3, HE, and Beehive rounds against the enemy. They would break soon enough.

-bump-

OOC: !@%&&! wireless won't let me post!...

West Front:

The fight finally closed to point-blank range. The 66th Brigade had lost two companies of tanks, and its third company had lost a quarter of its force. The artillery regiment had been neutralized; while many crews and vehicles survived, no vehicles were undamaged, few crew were uninjured. The guns fell silent.

The infantry had taken the worst toll. Trucks carrying light infantry had died quickly, and only the fast-thinking had managed to get out before their vehicles perished. The APCs fared better, but not by much. In all, of the 1,800 men and women of the 66th Brigade's infantry, only 420 survived the bombardment.

None of the survivors were above company-level command-rank.

Radio chatter was spotty, but eventually a message filtered through the survivors; the 65th and 67th Brigades were gone. Destroyed, with no known survivors.

The news deflated the spirits of the 66th, and the realization that the TPF lines would now be able to turn their full attention to them was enough to paralyze many. Their forward momentum gone, many took refuge behind anything they could find; vehicles, felled trees, even the corpses of their fellow soldiers. Weapons fire became sporadic.

The surviving Raptors fell back, and scouts began to search for ways to escape. They might not be able to win, but they were not willing to become prisoners if they could help it.

South Front

General Torrence brooded.

He watched as the armoured regiments were destroyed, piece by piece. The drive into the enemy tank formations had saved their tanks from enemy long-range fire, but now enemy infantry and tanks were taking out each tank. Far too many losses were being sustained compared to the enemy's.

The TPF force that had managed to get into the rear formations - and uncomfortably close to his command post - had successfully disrupted their momentum, and the east side of the hole they had opened was buckling. Within minutes, it would break, and the enemy would crush the last infantry companies holding their only escape route open. Enemy anti-air were also making it impossible for his aircraft to come to their aid.

He knew, in his heart, that he would not live past this day.

Machine gun fire came from outside the tent. It would appear the enemy had reached the command post. Torrence adjusted his helmet, made certain his rank and insignia were prominently displayed. Let them know they face no mere soldier.

He did not pause, or pray. He simply picked up the XM8 assault rifle, and left the tent to join his men.

Peso City
Hartmann couldn't help but grimace at the latest reports. The Trivalvian's had been massacred. They fought bravely, but their tactics and equipment simply did not stand up to TPF. He knew, from the reports that his panzers would finish off the last survivors in just a few minutes, and break through the lines. The Air Assault troopers had reached the enemy HQ. He turned to his adjutant.
" Order all force to cease fire. Hold defensive positions and send the following message via a messenger with white flag."

To: Trivalvian defense forces
From: General Hartmann, commanding officer, TPFian forces

You have fought bravely, my friends. As brave as anyone could have expected against our might. We offer you now a chance to surrender peacefully. You will be well taken care of, given food and water, wounded given medical treatment and you will be shipped home to Trivalvia when the war is over. I am willing to discuss things further with your commanding officer. Respond as soon as possible

OOC: wow, this thread is glitching out.

Southern NPC, 300 km from Peso City

Wellington read the message that had just been relayed to him one more time. He exhaled, then turned to look at the communication he had just recieved from President MacKenzie.

...the political situation is a shambles, Mark. Support for further intervention depends on if we can score a victory here, and from your last report, I can say support will vanish once word hits the news. Just before your call, I recieved a 'courtesy visit' from the Statist-Conservative leader. If there's a defeat at Peso City, he told me, the S-C's are going to put a motion forward for all-out-war on TPF. 'No more half-measures,' were his words. 'You either put up or shut up.' What's more, he's casting it as a no-confidence vote; the S-C's win the motion and we go to the polls.

Mark, we both were not fond of this intervention, and we both know that this was pushed on us by a public rife with a desire for vengeance. God only knows how we'll keep things cool at home. You and I know what will happen if formal war comes about. If you want us to pull out, I'll support you, all the way.

Wellington sighed. If only pulling out was that easy. But at least the TPF commanders were willing.

If only the local 'leader' would be equally accomodating...

Wellington turned to an aide. "Send the following message to the TPF commander. We will accept a ceasefire, and will tend to our own wounded. We do request a corridor be cleared so we may withdraw our forces in an orderly fashion. Sign it under my name."

"Yes sir."

"What is this?!" Speak of the devil, Wellington thought, and turned to face El Presidente Rodriguez. Behind him stood Generale Montoya, who looked... blank. And what is he hiding?

"You are going to surrender?" Rodriguez was livid. "They punch you and you cry, like a little baby? What kind of general are you?!"

"El Presidente," Wellington began, keeping his voice steady, "I just lost close to four brigades worth of men in this battle. Not to mention two squadrons of aircraft and three senior command-level officers. The PeoplesFreedom's forces have taken only minor losses. And, for the record it is not a surrender, but a ceasefire."

"So, fine, call your cease fire. Get more men. Trivalvia has... what? Two billion people?"

"They're not all soldiers, and I don't answer to you." Wellington was having a hard time keeping his anger in check. "While we are on the subject of reinforcements, may I kindly ask what happened to NPC's 3rd Division? They were supposed to catch the enemy thrust in a pincer move with our forces."

Montoya answered, his voice drained of emotion. "We recieved reports that some civilians spoke to their commanders, and the 3rd Division vanished not long after. For that matter, the Second and Fifth divisions have also vanished, and our frigates are not responding to orders."

"It is that traitor Laredo!" Rodriguez fumed. "I send men to contain him, but he sweet-talks them into joining him. Now he stages a revolt! I know how he thinks!..."

This is new... Wellington looked at Montoya. "Would I be correct in saying that your only loyal forces are in this encampment?"

Montoya nodded. "Word of our own losses has spread. I think that our forces are feeling the same as yours, General... that the fight is lost. Now we can only seek to minimize the damage."

"We are NOT LOST!" Rodriguez slammed a fist on a table. "We have the people on our side! We can win this fight, and I will be our greatest hero since my Grandfather started the Revolution! But we need your help!"

A pistol appeared in his hand. "And since you will not give help, I will take it! Order your men to resume fighting, General Wellington. Or I will kill you."

Wellington looked at the pistol. And me without my body armour. Still... "Trivalvians do not bow to threats. Not from TPF, and not from you."

"Fine!" Rodriguez raised the gun. Wellington closed his eyes as a shot rang out...

... and opened them again, surprised that he was still alive. Instead, Rodriguez was face down in the dirt, a pool of his own blood turning some of that dirt to mud.

Generale Montoya stood with his own pistol drawn, and beside him was a man in a business suit Wellington had not seen before. "Laredo Lombardo, head of the opposition, I presume?"

"No longer head of the opposition," Laredo responded with a grin. Wellington suppressed a shudder. If a shark could grin, it would look like that, he thought. "I would have preferred an election, but, here in NPC, they can get so messy. This is simpler."

"You planned this." It was not a question.

"I did not expect an invasion, no. But a good leader adapts to circumstances where he may. And finds a way to profit by them.

"But now I must perform my first official act, and kindly request your forces to leave our country."

"What about TPF?"

"I shall be informing them that there has been a change in government, and I will be willing to discuss terms with them. The Northern People's Collective shall be open for business." Laredo grinned again. "And if we are to have peace with TPF, we cannot harbour their enemy here, now can we?"

Wellington paused. "You must realize that they probably won't be content with a simple trade deal. They'll take over."

"Perhaps. But if they try I believe I will still come out of this on top. This way everyone wins, General. You get your people out, the PeoplesFreedom get the resources they require, and I get what I always wanted: money, and power." Laredo's face hardened. "Now, General, I do believe you should start withdrawing your troops... unless..." He looked down at Rodriguez' corpse.

Wellington looked at them. For this my men sacrificed their lives? He nodded, slowly. To his aide, he said. "Add this to that message: We will be making arrangements to withdraw from the country. You may deal with NPC's new president on terms, but the country is yours. Well fought, sir."
It would be the closest to a surrender Wellington would admit to; he still had some of his pride, after all...

Northern Peoples Collective, One Year Later
In a 31 day long war, referred to in TPF as the "Month War", TPFian forces had steamrolled opposition in the third-world nation of NPC. Despite brave resistance by Trivalvian forces, they too were defeated and taken prisoner. Over 30,000 prisoners were taken. They were returned a few months later to Trivalvia as agreed upon by General Hartmann. TPF casualties during the initial war was somewhat light, with 4,323 service men and women being killed in action and an additional esimated 8,000 wounded in action. More than 2,000 of these had amputations, severe brain injury, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

After the initial enemy forces were defeated, the opposition leader Laredo Lombardo had announced that he would take over and offered TPF trade concessions. Unfortunately TPF needed unrestricted and completely free natural resources and declined. Laredo Lombardo was killed by a special forces raid on his headquarters a month after the announcement. Despite this TPF faced a small insurgency in the countryside called the "farmer's revolt." Rapid-moving TPFian forces backed with gunships and overwhelming air power was able to suppress the revolt, aided by a campgain to "win heats and minds." Many hamlets and villages received cleaner wells and more efficient farming methods thanks to TPF. 1,009 more soldiers, airmen, and Marines were killed in that revolt.

TPF corporations moved in almost immediately and quickly used local workers to create the infrastructure needed for the intense mining and manufacturing. New railways and highways allowed for efficient movement of goods, and the influx of Reichsmarks from TPF saw a GDP increase of 10% in just the first five months. At the end of the year, GDP was up 20%, and the quality of life for urban areas had improved. It would be at least a decade before noticeable improvements in the countryside were realized. Several "terrorist" organizations continued to stage an occasional attack against occupying TPFian troops and the occasional car bombing of crowded markets. Luckily, this damage was small to the excellent counter-terrorism work being done.

At home, the stock markets made a miraculous recovery and the economy started to recover. The next year saw a distinct shift from the traditional mining and manufacturing to heavy investing, baking, and commercial enterprises, which would eventually count for trillions of the annual GDP. However, the intervention led many to worry that a new age of Imperialism and Colonialism had dawned in TPF. This would be a dominant part of Prussian Foriegn Policy for the next decade.

For now, it seems the Prussian intervention in NPC had turned out well.