NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This is a training thread for new nations in the Darkohm Basin (though I make no claim that I'm an expert RPer myself). This thread is closed to participation, but if your nation wants to participate indirectly (condemnation of the attacks, etc), feel free to post.

Gukamore , Gutlamaa
7:49 PM

The politician was apparently quite popular around here. The crowd of supporters flooded the streets after the political speech, crowding the politician’s limo as it rode away. The politician had his window rolled down, so he could court the crowd. Evidently he did not realize the dangers of exposing yourself like this. This being Gutlamaa, still a developing nation, the politician’s “security” escort walking next to the limo consisted of only a few bodyguards clutching AK-47s. If all went well, they wouldn’t have a chance to fire them.
A gray haired man watched the scene from a decrepit apartment balcony several blocks away. The view could have been better, but he saw enough. In all reality, he only had to watch a one thing- a man in the front of the mob. It had taken him long enough to get there, but all was still on schedule. Any time now…ah. Here it was. The man in the brown jacket was making his move. The grenade under his jacket came out, the pin already in the process of being pulled. With a triumphant grin, the man tossed it into the limo. The bodyguards raised their guns, but it was too late. The grenade detonated, killing everyone in the limo. The man in the jacket also received the full force of the blast, along with many near him. The old man smiled grimly. He had told the man in the jacket that the blast wouldn’t be powerful enough to kill anyone outside the car. If the man had believed him, it was his mistake.
As sirens began to wail in the distance, the gray man stepped back into his apartment. He began packing his belongings. He would be out of the city in an hour, and he would be reporting to his superiors in five. The plan of the TTO, the Thas Terror Organization, was working. Demand money in return for leaving nations alone. Use that money to buy more supplies. All that was lacking from the plan was any level of international infamy. That, however, would come in time.

-

The letter bore no return address. Whoever had sent it had worn rubber gloves in order not to leave fingerprints. It’s mailing address was typed, as was the letter itself. It read-

To whom it may concern,
We, the Thas Terror Organization, are responsible for the bombing that took place in Gukamore recently. The reason for such an attack? Nothing ideological, to be certain. Merely a desire for money. The attack was but a preview of what is to come, should you not comply with our demands. 200 million USD, along with 10 million annually, will go a long way in insuring that Gutlamaa does not find itself on the receiving end of another such attack. Drop off the money at 26 Kivlir Street in Gukamore. Foul play on Gutlamaa’s part will end most unfortunately for the nation as a whole.

The Thas Terror Organization

Emperor Rémitüs Arontium's Office
Primary Executive Building
Verráccon, Terrebeau
8:04 PM

"Your Highness, the Gutlamaan ambassador has just informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the assasination of a Gutlamaan Politician. A message has been received. It claims that the assasination was the work of the TTO. They are bound to strike again, perhaps on our soil.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs awaits your desicion. Will we help, or will we let them settle it themselves?"

"I shall deal with this issue myself, for now, thank you. Tell the Minister to have a counter terrorism team assembled in case things get ugly."

Official Terrebeau Message:

To: The President of Gutlamaa

Our two nations have not been close in the past, but now in your time of crisis, Terrebeau offers a helping hand. Speak now if you require assistance in the finding and extermination of the TTO within your nation.

Supreme Emperor of Terrebeau, Rémitüs Arontium

To: Supreme Emperor of Terrebeau, Rémitüs Arontium

Thank you for offering your aid. I seek revenge against the TTO so I will take any aid that I am offered so that the TTO will be exterminated.

The President of Gutlamaa, Francis Witherloth

From the Desk of Javier De'Mones
Secretary of Diplomatic Affairs:

We in Brehemia would like to offer a monetary gift of 500,000 USD with more on the way to the good country of Gutlamaa to fund their war against the TTO. We Brehemiates understand what situation your citizens face, and you are all in our thoughts and prayers.

Signed,
Javier De'Mones, Secretary of Diplomatic Affairs

Thas Terror Organization

While we do welcome the attention to the humble conflict, we would caution all nations who seek to aid Gutlamaa. This is a conflict between Gutlamaa and the Thas Terror Organization only. Would you risk your nations in an attempt to aid foreigners? We shall strike, if needed, those who stand against us. Do not think we are above broadening the conflict. That could be a mistake that will cost you, and your citizens, dearly.

The Leadership of the Thas Terror Organization

To Francis Witherloth, President of Gutlamaa

The nation of Terrebeau is pleased to help and with your permission, would like to dispatch a military counter-terorism team within your borders. This team will be under orders from the Terrebeau Minister of War,Johanas Eridach, but will be supervised by you and the Gutlamaan Government. Please inform me of your aproval or disaproval of this operation.

The Supreme Emperor of Terrebeau, Rémitüs Arontium

From the Desk of Javier De'Mones
Secretary of Diplomatic Affairs:

To the members of the TTO:
Take your empty threats elsewhere, they do not taunt us. We shall continue to help fund Gutlamaa's war. If you continue to hassle our nation with blind threats, prepare for Brehemia to join this conflict by military means.

Signed,
Javier De'Mones, Secretary of Diplomatic Affairs

Gutlamaan air space
11:26 pm


"All right men. I am Major Nathanial Silas, I am your commanding officer. You will report everything to me, and you will not give me any crap. You have been pulled from different sniper and demolition units, and put on this team because you are the best at what you do. We do not have the authorization to be in this nation, but I was given the go ahead. Let's hope we don't see any trouble."

"Our mission is to search for and eliminate TTO operatives in Gutlamaa. We are to keep out of sight and to take all procautions to not disturb the peace. Use lethal force only when necessary."

As the green light flashed on, the team of seven prepared to jump out of the plane into the unkown territory outside of Gukamore. Their only hope was that Gutlamaa approved of their operation.

Verráccon International Airport,
Terrebeau


Minister of War Johanas Eridach walked across the tamac approaching the small jet that waited for him. He was a tall man with thining hair as white as snow, yet he was barely fifty years old. Stress had taken it's toll, though he still loved his job, and he still went above and beyond in his service to the country. His intelligence had saved the nation from terrible conflicts in the past, and he thought it best to be in the center of the action for this one.

He buckled his seat belt as the door of the plane closed. Within a few hours he would be in the Terrebeaun embassy in Gukamore. From there he could easily control the whole operation and speak to the President of Gutlamaa about Terrebeau's activity in the country. He knew that he had sent the counter-terrorism team in without proper authorization, but it had to be done. The security of the country was at risk, maybe even the security of the entire region.

Gukamore, Gutlamaa
8:12 AM
A Local Starbucks

The white haired man was meeting with a significantly younger, though still grim, man. Both sipped their coffee, looking at a newspaper headline. The younger man started the conversation.
"I see the attack in the news. We've made our first move well."
"That we have. Where should I strike next?"
"We need you to strike quickly and with force. We did not anticipate other nations to jump to Gutlamaa's aid so quickly."
"Where should I attack?"
"In this city, again. The Brehemian Embassy. What can you give me for it?"
"In my buisness, I know people. I can promise a sniper or two. Plus a couple thugs to distract the guards."
"Any special equipment you need?"
"No. My men can accomplish it all."
"Excellent. When can you move?"
"Give me a couple days to spread the word, I think. What should I do about Terrebeau? Can we hit their embassy as well?"
"No. Remember the stunt we were going to pull in Biglin Harbor, here in Gutlaama?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Change of venue. We're moving the operation to Terrebeau, and scaling it up. We're hitting them the biggest, for sure."
"Why?"
"We're working on getting contacts in every government hereabouts. One of our informants says Terrebeau's doing something military. Doesn't know what, though. Just rumors he's heard. But we'll find out, soon enough."
"No shit, eh? Well, don't have too much fun up north in Terrebeau. The main show's here, or so I was promised."
"Just do your job, gramps. Leave the planning to the commanders."

Gutlamaa,
Gukamore Industrial Sector

Major Silas had just marched his team in under the cover of darkness. They had taken shelter in an abandoned warehouse in the heart of the industrial sector. 'This had better provide enough cover' Silas thought to himself as the team set down their packs.

In is usual comanding voice, Silas started about ordering his team.
"I want a guard posted at all entrances, both noth and south. Trevers, your first on watch, camp up on the roof, check in every 20 minutes by radio. I want to know about anything you think is suspicious."

The warehouse was a little taller than the surrounding buildings, providing excellent survallence of the surrounding area.

Taking a seat Silas thought out loud, "The only thing we can do now... is wait."

Gutlamaa,
Gukamore
Terrebeaun Embassy

Johanas Eridach had arrived at the embassy only and hour ago. Now he was in the ambassador's office staring out the window. Timothy Pokes was the current ambassador. He had been in the position for a reasonable time, but he had little experience. In Eridach's opinion, he was the biggest idiot that he ever saw. 'That doesn't matter now that i'm here', Johanas thought to himself, 'From here I can contact the counter-terrorism team much easier.'

Eridach sat down in the chair in front of Pokes desk, sipping his scotch politly.

Poke finally piped up.
"Sir, what happens now."

"Obvious, isn't it? We must wait for the next move. We can not eliminate these terrorists if we do not know where they are."

"So your plan is to wait for an attack?!"

"Percisely, that is the only time they will come out of hiding, and that is when we will strike. When that time comes, my team will make it's move. If I know Major Silas, he's out there right now."

Gukamore, Gutlaama
Brehemian Embassy
9:56 AM, Darkohm Basin Time

As it turned out, Mr. Eridach would not have long to wait. Down the street, a TTO sniper carefully took aim at a diplomat in a embassy hallway. The sniper lay prone on the roof of an apartment building, disguised in a janitor uniform, while another man dressed similarly opened a package marked "TOOLS". It was full of grenades. Taking a handful, the man squatted by the sniper.
"You ready?"
"Yeah, I've got my target," the sniper replied. The grenade man nodded, and reached for a radio. Looking down on the street below, he held the radio up to his mouth.
"This is Gorbich. We're ready, over." A reply was not long in coming.
"All other teams are ready, Gorbich, except Kirai. He was caught. Let's get this done quick before the police start looking for more of us. We're waiting for the signal." Gorbich nodded, and turned to the sniper.
"Got him?"
"Still got him."
"Shoot." The sniper fired. Gorbich pulled the pin of a grenade and put all his strenght into his throw. The grenade sailed across the sky, finally near the enterance guards. The explosion was the signal for the others. All told, there were 3 snipers (not counting the ill-fated Kirai) and 2 men with grenades on roofs around the embassy, plus several men with cheap automatic weapons in alleys nearby. The plot had been extensively planned out, and now all hell broke loose as the snipers fired at guards and grenades started soaring towards the embassy and streets below.

Gukamore, Gutlamaa
Terrebeaun Embassy
9:58

The sound of the explosion cascaded around the government compound. Johanas Eridach was curiously peering out the window in time to see the falsh of the grenade. With unexplainable calmness he simply stated, "The wait is up".
Security personal bounded into the room, grabing both Eridach and Timothy Pokes. They were wisked away in the blink of an eye down to the basement of the Terrebeaun embassy.

Meanwhile, the Head of Security, Thomas Archeim woke from the nap he was taking at his desk. Grabing his beloved M-4 Bullpup assult rifle, Thomas rushed out of his tiny office into the hall, ordering the first two guards he saw to follow him. Something had just gone wrong, and he was sure it was not an accident.

"Down, down, get down!" cried First Sergeant Edward Smith.
"Return fire! I want suppressing fire, Martin! Find out where those grenades are coming from! Nelson! Check on the guards on the roof and find those damn snipers! Richards! Cover me while I grab the ambassador! He's been hit by a sniper! Ready, go!"

Gukamore,
Gutlamaa
Industrial Sector

Major Silas ended his radio conversation with the usual "over and out" then turned to his men. "I just got word from Minister Eridach, the Brehemian embassy is under attack. The Minister is safe, but we need to get over there as quickly as possible. Get your things, we're moving out."

The team shouldered their packs and made their way out of the warehouse. The team of seven and their leader began their race to the embassy.

"So long to 'staying out of sight'" Silas thought to himself as the team ran down the street towards the fight.

Gukamore, Gutlaama
Brehemian Embassy
10:02 AM, Darkohm Basin Time

Needless to say, the Brehemian guards were taken by surprise. Several guards could be counted on the ground, covered in blood. Others were not moving. The ones ones that were still on their feet, however, were returning fire and doing so with a will. One was shouting something about the ambassador, and finding out where the grenades were coming from. Pausing between grenades, the man on the roof grinned at the sniper.
"Nice. You hit the ambassador!" The sniper smiled, still looking through his scope. He fired at the man shouting, but the guard moved, and the sniper's bullet went high. Cursing, the man reached to reload. He never made it. Gunfire erupted from the embassy rooftop, and the sniper was killed instantly. With a shout of surprise, the second man whipped a grenade towards the guards on the roof while ducking down. The grenade erupted into a ball of flame, at least giving the man time to escape. Grapping a pistol by his side and several grenades, the man sprinted for the roof's maintenance door, shouting into his radio to watch for guards on the roof.

Gukamore,
Gutlamaa
Brehemian Embassy
10:03 AM, Darkohm Basin Time

Thomas had just reached the fight in front of the Brehemian embassy building. He had gathered a total of five members of his security team as he raced across the government compound. Now he crouched behind a low wall, shouting orders. "I want to find out who these guys are and more importantly, I want them dead or gone."

The security forces fought as best as they could, but with limited equipment and a small number of men it didn't look good. One of his team members was already on the ground with a bullet in his skull.

From the Holy Throne of Qisan,

It has (finally) come to the attention of the Qisanian government that the TTO is a threat to not only the nation Gutlamma, but to the Darkohm Basin as a whole. Foremost, Qisan wishes to pledge 650,000 kliks to the war effort against the evils of the Thas Terroist Organization. Also, the Qisanian government would like to, eventually, send its own military aid towars the war effort.


~The Holy Emporer of Qisan

Gukamore, Gutlamaa
10:05 AM, Darkohm Basin Time

"We'll never make it in time" thought Major Silas as the soldiers troted down the road. Frightened citezens had rushed indoors at the sight of unknown soldiers on the streets. Suddenly the idea came to Silas. "We have already blown our cover, we can't do much worse than now. If only there was a faster way of getting to the embassy... And there is now." Silas thought as he spoted an abandoned van in the road. It must have belonged to some scared citizen that had hid once he had seen them. The keys had foolishly been left in the ignition.

He ordered a halt and the team stopped abruptly. "Men, i'm cutting your run short, get in the van." ordered Silas as he strapped into the drivers seat. The steering wheel was on the right side of the car, opposite of what is seen in Terrebeau.

The van full of poised soldiers made it's way down the street, driving on the wrong side of the road, Silas was evidently having trouble with a right-sided wheel.

After a breif drive the van pulled into a side street near the embassy. the team quickly jumped out. At the moment the last of them had exited a grenade was thown from a surrounding rooftop under the van. It hit the pavement with a thunk and then the van exploded in a ball of flames. The team wasblown to the ground. Immediatly Major Silas checked the status of his men. He counted six of them buised and battered, but alive. Then a moan sounded from behind a dumpster. It was Trevers, who had been the last out of the van. His leg was a bloody mess, yet he was still breathing. That was a relief. He was carried with the team across the street and to the shelter of guardhouse. Security guards could be seen one hundred yards away, fighting an epic battle. The team had to find cover fast.

They had just set Trevers down when the gunfire rained down from the rooftops, they were finally in the fight, they could finally do what they were trained to do.

Gukamore, Gutlamaa
10:05 AM, Darkohm Basin Time

The terrorist reached the door of the building he was in, panting heavily. Pausing, he tossed a grenade out into the street, then ducked back inside the building. After it detonated, he hazarded a look outside. The embassy guards were swarming around the embassy like ant, sending bursts of gunfire at the surrounding buildings. The terrorists were replying in kind, and for now were in a sort of stalemate with the guards. The only real threat to the snipers were the guards on the roof, and the terrorists now poured all their focus into clearing the rooftops.

Gukamore, Gutlamaa
Brehemian Embassy
10:08 AM, Darkohm Basin Time

Thomas Archeim and his team of guards were fighting intensly. The grenades kept coming and the enemy snipers posed the most threat to the group of four men crouching behind a four-foot high wall.

There was an explosion one hundred yards away across the street. It could have possibly been a car hit with one of the grenades that were flying everywhere. Moments later a group of eight men appeared, one of them was injured. They took cover behind a guardhouse and the surrounding buildings.

With the sound of shrapnel hitting the protective wall Thomas' attention was drawn away from the new arrivals and back to the task at hand. With the snipers still alive they had little chance of expelling the terrorists. In a timid voice that rang with fear Thomas gave his orders. "Aim for the rooftops, we can't do anything with those guys all over us."

Thomas had noticed a slight lull in the the machine gun fire from across the street. It appeared that the new arrivals had drawn a few of the terrorists away from the security guards. Though the attack on his team had declined in intensity slightly, they still fought many men. They couldn't handle much more.

On the third floor of the embassy, Smith tried hard to rally and encourage his beleagured soldiers. Looking out of a bombed out window, he noticed that some of the TTO gunfire had stopped coming at them. They were now concentrating down the street on a small band of soldiers near a blown out van, who were under terrific fire. He checked on the remaining guard positions and made sure his men were alright. Checking on the wounded diplomat, who was being attended by a young corporal, he decided to take the fight from the embassy, grabbed a few guards with fight left in them, and charged out of the embassy to take out the TTO snipers on the roof. As he ran across the street in front of a row of buildings, AK-47 fire tore the ground around his team. Thankfully, they made it to the first building, and ready for brutal house to house fighting, he kicked open the door, ready to save his men on the roof and the commandos down the street...

Gukamore, Gutlamaa
Brehemian Embassy
10:10 AM, Darkohm Basin Time

Silas and his team were undr heavy fire. After bringing Trevers to the relative safety of the guradhouse the team had taken cover behind the surrounding guardpost and outbuildings. The TTO gun fire had begun to concentrate on them. Using the terrorist's tactics against them, the sodiers tossed grenades into the allys where the fire was coming from.

The team morale had risen to a high because of the excitment of the battle. Sniper bullets wizzed by their heads. They fired their machine guns at the hostile forces, taking down all the enemys they spotted, but the terrorists kept on coming. Major Silas realized this and turned to three of his men, the best snipers he had. "Thacker, Martinez, Thompson. Head up to the roof." Silas ordered as he pointed to the Embassy building. "It's time we fight fire with fire"

Once the commandos showed up, the terrorist knew the game was over as far as he was concerned. Lobbing another grenade at them, he ducked behind a car. He checked his supplies. One grenade. One pistol, two clips. Not much cover, and facing hordes of guards. Unless he was lucky, Gutlaaman police would be here soon as well. It was time to bail. He picked up his radio.
"Anyone hear me? This is Gorbich! I'm out of the building. Loai didn't make it, he's dead. Who's alive?"
"Gorbich, it's Alec here. I'm in the alley to your left." More terrorists sounded off. Gorbich cursed. Not many left.
"Everyone, pull back to the coffehouse at the corner of Killian and Devon!" Lobbing the last grenade at the Brehemian guards, the terrorist turned and ran.

Silas and his team had fought their hardest. Their work had payed off. Soon after he had placed snipers on the roof the terrorists began to flee. As opposing gun fire decreased to a standstill Major Silas ordered his team in pursuit. They fired bursts from their machine guns into the ally ahead on them. The fight was not over yet, the hunt was on.

Wearily, Smith pulled from the last house in the immediate sector of the embassy. He saw the commando unit charging by firing machine guns down an alley. The leader of the commandos met Smith's gaze, and nodded in acknowledgement, then continued on. Smith checked his supplies: one M16, 3 30 round clips, and 2 grenades. His men were equally equipped. Wordlessly, they moved into tactical formation and followed the commandos ready to continue the fight.

Gorbich wasted a clip just making it to the coffeehouse, firing indiscriminatly over his shoulders. He looked inside. Alec was already there, holding an AK-47. Another terrorist, James, was sighting a sniper rife behind Gorbich. The commandos and guards would recieve a nasty surprise when they came in range. Gorbich sprinted inside. He had just one clip left. He prayed that it would be enough...

Smith sprinted toward a house across the street from the coffeehouse and dove behind a low stone wall, closely followed by his men. No fire came from the coffeehouse. Good, it seemed that they were safe, but he knew that there were TTO operatives inside.
"Nelson, take two men and go behind that SUV over there, we'll give you covering fire. Continue along whatever cover you have till you have a good shot at that left window. Don't give away your position until you have to. Jackson, take Winters with you and move up onto the roof of this restaurant and try to find a good sniper position. I'll hold with the rest of us here and cover you guys. Ready.."
But it was too late. Before he could give the reply, Nelson was down with an AK-47 round in his skull. Fire erupted all around his position, causing everyone to scramble for cover. Smith immediately initiated the attack, and sent his men running. He through a grenade toward a window with muzzle flashes from it, which stopped the fire for a second. Immediately, he started firing on the coffeehouse, hoping help would soon come for his men...

Silas and his team regrouped across the street from the coffee house. They had pursued the terrorists all the way there. Upon stepping out of the ally the soldier in front caught a glance of one of the terrorists lying behind a sinper rifle. A shot rang out and the soldier fell to the ground, dead. Silas quickly ordered a slight retreat back into the ally. There was only one thing to do with the opening to the ally covered.

Silas pulled the pin on the grenade he was carrying. With a grunt he tossed it across the street. The grenade landed short, on the sidewalk outside of the coffee house. The explosion came like thunder, destroying the front of the building, and the sniper lying inside.

The last two terrorists were still alive and fighting. They rained down bullets on the Terrebeaun soldiers who took cover behind the cars parked on the street.

Back at the embassy Thomas Archheim and his four guards crossed the compound to the Brehemian embassy. The battle was done for them, but there was sure to be a lot of cleaning up to do.

The nearby explosion shocked Smith and his team. Seeing it was from the nearby commandos, Smith grinned; help had arrived. Checking on Jackson and Winters on top of the restaurant, they managed to get a bead on a TTO operative. Smith gave the green light, and they fired. Immediately, the fallen operative slumped to the ground. Okay, one left, thought Smith, as he rushed back to his original position.
"Hey, I wonder how these guys got here, I bet one of them knows something useful." Smith wondered aloud.
"Does anyone have a stun grenade?"
"Sir, I have a M84 Stun sir, I picked it up when we left." said a young private. Smith took the grenade, and, with all his might, threw it into the house via the exploded part of the building from the commando grenade. With a mighty bang, the non-lethal grenade blew off, stunning the man inside.
In tactical formation, Smith took his team into the blown-out coffeehouse, to find one TTO operative on the ground, badly shell-shocked, but alive. At the sight of Smith and his men, he weakly put his hands up.

Major Silas saw the flash of a stun grenade. As the Brehemian Security team surrounded the unconcious terrorist Silas ordered his team back to the embassy.

Upon reaching the Terrebeaun embassy Silas let his team relax outside while he continued on in. Down in the basement of the building Silas rushed to a small chamber. Two guards outside stopped him and began a quick search and iquiry of him. After finding his authorization to be sufficient the guards permitted Silas to enter. Inside was the Terrebeaun minister of war, Johanas Eridach, and The President of Gutlamaa, Francis Witherloth. They were evidently discussing what had just taken place. At Silas's entrance Eridach turned to a surprised Francis Witherloth and explained. "Mr. President, I would like to introduce you to Major Nathanial Silas. He has been leading a team of Counter-Terrorists in Gutlamaa. I think now is the time to ask for your forgiveness of our intrusion. We beleived that entering your nation was the best thing to do at the time, and it turned out that we were right."

Using some ropes found in a backroom of the coffeehouse, Smith's team bound their new hostage, and went back to the Brehemian embassy, where they were told that a meeting in the Terrebeaun embassy was taking place between the Terrebeaun Minister of War and the Gutlamaan president. Smith took his team and hostage to the Terrabeaun embassy, where he was confronted by Terrabeaun Security, and was eventually let in after stripping down of all his weapons, and brought into the basement. He saw the Minister of War, the Gutlamaan President, and the leader of the commmandos he fought with. Bringing forth the hostage, Smith said,
"Sirs, I am First Sergeant Edward Smith of the Brehemian Security Force, I believe this man here might have some information for us.

Gukamore, Gutlamaa
Terrebeaun Embassy
10:21 AM, Darkohm Basin Time

Eridach was surprised as the Brehemian security officer brought in a terrorist hostage. Thankfully the prisoner was stunned, but he wouldn't be for long. Turning towards Sergeant Smith Johanas spoke.

"Ah, yes, wonderful. I must congratulate you on your success Sergeant. Before we speak further the prisoner must be taken to the a seperate chamber. You may take charge of that. I will be there in a moment."

The Brehemian officer exited the room and shut the door behind him.

"Now, Mr. President, we must continue our conversation. Terrebeau would like to ask for your forgiveness of our unauthorized activities."

Smith took the hostage into the next room, where two Terrabeaun guards were more than willing to watch the door. Smith tied the man up tight, and stood near him waiting for the arrival of Eridach, all the while, the hostage waking up a little bit at a time.

To: Supreme Emperor of Terrebeau, Rémitüs Arontium

Terrebeau I forgive you for your unauthorized activities.

The President of Gutlamaa, Francis Witherloth

Eridach let out a sigh of relief as Witherloth forgave him. He stood and exited the room. The Terrebeaun guards escorted him and Major Silas down the hall where he entered the interrogation room. SFC Smith was leaning against the wall when the pair came in.

For the first time since he had encountered Eridach Major Silas spoke. "Lets, crack this guy". The terrorist had woken and was struggling against his bonds. It was time to get some facts straight.

Once the two men entered, Smith said, "Thank you for coming." Let's find out some information. Gripping the struggling terrorist and thrusting him forcefully against the chair, Smith started laying it out:
"Who are you?" "Who are you working for?" "Why did you attack the embassy?"

The questions continued to pour from Smith as he let his emotions run through his words about the day's events.

Gorbich, the prisioner, kept his eyes closed as he was interrogated, considering his options as cooly as he could. To tell anything would risk vengance from...those higher up in the TTO. The penelty, he was sure, would be death. To not tell would be torture, both literally and figurativly. He would still be alive, though...he kept his eyes, and mouth, shut.

What seemed like ages passed as the prisoner sat quietly with his eyes closed and his face down. Silas knew the man would never answer the questions.

Major Silas was for the most part a calm man. He could keep his cool in even the toughest situations, but somehow the insubordination of the terrorist rose his temper to a boil. In a fit of rage Silas stepped to the prisoner and slaped him in the face, yelling in a severe tone. "You answer the questions, you will answer them now."

Through the whole fit Eridach stood against the wall, grimacing at the terrorists pain.

Nathanial Silas wait, and waited. Still the terrorist had not spoke a word. Silas relized that there would be no progress. With heavy feet he stormed out of the chamber and back to the surface to meet with his team. He looked back at the closed door. Eridach had not come through, he was sure to keep trying for a respons.

Gorbich smiled inwardly. His eyes still closed, he heard the door swing open and shut. He had outlasted them! opening an eye cautiously, he found his triumph fleeting. One man still here. Gorbich's waiting game had worked on one man. Maybe, if he stayed silent, they would only throw him in jail for a few years...

Smith was astonished at what Silas just did. He always thought of the Terrabeauns as peace-lovers, but apparently some could become quite tempermental. He approached the hostage, who made a slight flinch:
"Ok, listen up, whoever you are, I know you are awake, and since you are in the hands of the Terrabeauns and Brehemians, you are to work under our laws, and right now, you are obstructing justice and could be penalized with death. Now, who are you?"

Eridach was still on the wall while he listened to the Brehemian. The sound of death penalties rang in his ears, this was getting interesting.

Back outside the embassy Silas had met up with the rest of his team there was a helicopter in the center of the compound and they were already boarding it. The Terrebeaun ambassador had already congradulated the major on his efforts and informed him that they were to be flown back to Verráccon.

Gorbich considered this new information while keeping up a show of not caring. Death penalty? He didn't like the sound of that. This was getting dangerous.
Gorbich, dispite his poor profession choice, was a smart man. To give up information would be to label himself a target for the TTO. To not give up information would be to gamble with his life, which wasn't appealing either. The Brehemians could kill him now. The TTO would have to try to reach him. In the end, neither option looked particularly promising. Unless he played his cards perfectly, his future was looking dim by any account. Time to see how much he could do to avert this future.
Gorbich opened his eyes slowly, and looked at the Brehemian.
"What information, exactly, are you looking for?"

Smith was suprised; that was faster than expected.
"Ok, who are you? Who do you work for? Why did you come here..."

Smith went on and on, question after question, trying to glean as much information from the captive as possible, barely noticing the Terrabeaun in teh corner.

Eridach remained as inconspicuous as possible by staying back in the corner of the room. It would not be good to get his hands dirty with this, especially since he was a public figure. He would just have to watch. If any torture occured he didn't want to be blamed for it. What Major Silas had done was to far already.

"It will take more than death threats to get me to talk. I need protection if I am to be told anything. I need money, and the chance to retire somewhere. I won't tell without the promise that the TTO won't hunt me down. Agreed?"

Smith looked increduously; you think that the man not on death row would be calling the shots. He sighed,
"Let me talk with my associates with Terrabeau, and we'll see if something can be arranged."

And without another word, Smith motioned to the Minister to walk outside with him.

Eridach exited the room with Smith following closely behind. The door closed with a ominous crash. As he faced Smith the minister thought to himself, 'The interrogation was finally getting somewhere, maybe they could get the information they needed'.

"Ok, what does Terrabeau have to say about our charming prisoner's request? Do you think we should give him protection and everything? Through further negotiations, I might be able to tone down his request. As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to give one piece of that request to him, after what he did to my men."

"It's not the best idea to give him everything. We are not certain that he won't go straight back to the TTO with our money. I think it is in both of our interrests for you to continue the interogation. Terrebeau will only support giving him protection, not giving him money."

Smith decided what the Minister said was wise, and walked into the interrogation room.
"Ok, considering you're the one on death row, listen carefully. I can provide you protection, but you would either be sent to a Terrabeaun or Brehemian prison. That I can't do anything about. Consider your choices carefully when I say I'm doing all I can for you, and if it weren't for me and the Minister, you'd be straight off to death row. Now, (he smiled) who are you?"

Gorbich scoffed.
"Protection is not much consolation when I happen to be in jail. Let us look at this rationally. I need protection. The TTO will not be happy if I give up information. Therefore, it would be in both our best interests if I were given compensation for my services and retired somewhere. You can post guards, of course, but no prison.
You, I suspect, need info. I happen to be willing to share what I have, for the aforementioned price. I give you what you want, you give me what I want. We both leave happier for it."

Eridach liked this compremise. All they needed to do is keepnhim out of the way untill he died, of natural causes of course.

He leaned over to Smith, wispering in his ear. "Let's take him up on his offer, thata the only way we can get the information."

Major Nathanial Silas had just got of the plane that had taken him back to Verráccon when he was told that there was to be a ceremony for his acheivements. His team and himself were to be given one hour to change and get ready, then they would be presented at the ceremony. This meant only one thing to Silas, promotion.

Smith agreed reluctantly, not wishing to give this prisoner any slack.
"Ok, minister, that'll work." Smith walked up to the prisoner.
"We've decided to go with this compromise. We'll keep a guard on you, but you will be safe and out of prison. Just know this; if you try ANYTHING to escape from us during any portion of your life, I will not hesitate to shoot. Now that we have an agreement of protection and retirement in turn for information, let's begin. Why don't we start by simply who you are and why are you here?"

"The name's Gorbich. I was recruited about six months ago by the TTO, so I don't know too much. Tell me what you want to know, and I'll see how I can help."

"Ok Gorbich, why did the TTO send you here? After that, would you be able to tell me where their base of operations inside the Thas Coast is?"

"Why was I sent here? You really do need my help. The TTO prefers to grow terrorists in your backyard. I'm Gutlaaman, and still am. A couple of the others in the attack were Thas. One was Brehemian. Sure, we've got men from the Thas Coast, but we're just paid to wreck a bit of havoc. As for the base of operations, you know as much as I. I recieve orders from a supervisor. He gets his orders from someone, but I don't know who or what. I assume that the base of operations is in the Thas Coast, but I can't point anywhere specific."

There was not much information to be extracted from Gorbich, and Eridach knew it. Smoothly he leaned towards Smith once again and wispered in his ear.

"We aren't going to get much more, I think he is telling the truth, you might as well wrap this up."

Smith stood in stunned silence. A Brehemian? He could very well have shot that Brehemian... Smith regained his composure and said:
"Ok Gorbich, thank you for your help. You will be escorted by Brehemian guard where we will get you settled for your "retirement". We will keep in touch.


As Smith watched Gorbich being tightly but respectfully lead away, a Terrabeaun orderly ran up to him and said someone was here for him. Smith walked into a small room, where he saw a familar face.
"Ah, Edward, how are you doing? You seem to have had an eventful day." Smith laughed, that gruff voice was none other than good old Major Windsdale.
"Good afternoon Major, I trust you are well?"
"Yes, as well as can be. I have heard of your adventures in Gutlamaa today, and looking into your previous track record, you seem to be fit for a change of pace. Let's see, you served in the Brehemian Nautical Assault Force for two years?"
"Yes sir, I fired my last shots before this day on duty there."
"Very good. I talked with a few of your brothers in arms, and we definitely do see fit to transfer you to a new group Brehemia is designing, a counter-terrorism group-Code Name Firefox Force. This is a secretive force that hasn't been tested; we've gathered up the toughest men in the military, and I want you, Sergeant Smith, to be Firefox's Sergeant Major."

Smith was stunned: "Are, are you promoting me, sir?"
The Major smiled, "Welcome to Firefox, Sergeant Major."

Major Silas walked through the crowd of service men and women. He wore his pressed service uniform and smile on his face. When he reached the end of the chamber he shook hands with his commanding officer, General Haashi. The general was of Japanese decent and came from a long line of brilliant military minds. A shortspeech was given and then Silas heard to words.

"Major Nathanial Silas, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Colonel."

With the rank pinned to his chest he marched down the aisle and was greeted by his team members, including the recovering Trevers.

Colonel Silas was now in command of the second battalion of the sixth division and his men were moving out within the week. To where, he didn't know.

SIC:

Havenport
The Thas Coast
Two Days After the Attack

"The embassy attack did not go well, I hear."
"No, milord, it did not, I regret to inform-"
"We'll have to deliver some sucess then, won't we?"
"The attack in Terrebeau, sir, is moving on schedule. we can have the operation ready in-"
"No, we need to send an immediate signal. What weapons can we aquire in the way of AA missles?"
"I'll see. Will this be our next message?"
"Yes. Find out the schedules of all Thas Airway flights, and their flight plans. Do some hacking if you must. I doubt they are well guarded."
"I see..."

Fort Richards
Brehemia
Several Weeks after embassy attack

Smith, fresh out of Firefox training, along with his new team of 7, lounged in a bar juts outside of Fort Richards. Feeling confident that no one would overhear them, as hardly anyone was inside and those that were were either other squads of Firefox members or regular soldiers, Smith felt free to lay some things out for his team:

"Ok, I don't know much yet, but I think Major Windsdale is planning on inserting a few Firefox squads into the Thas Coast, and trying to figure out where the TTO's base of operations is. If we do, we need to neutralize that TTO base. This is all mutterings, but I think Firefox is going to be tested to it's limit in the next few months to come."

Serns Army Base, Terrebeau
Three days after the attack

Colonel Nathanial Silas and his battalion of 15,000 were stationed at the Serns Army Base, twenty miles outside of Verráccon. They had just arrived and there Silas had not received any orders or any information as to where his battalion would be headed. All he knew was that the Emperor must be having a hard time deciding.

Primary Executive Compound,
Verráccon, Terrebeau

The Emperor was meeting privatly with Minister Eridach, who had just returned from Gutlamaa, and his Heads of Military. The meeting had escalated to a raging debate.

"We can not just invade the Thas Coast on some false information." one of the Heads of Military roared.

In turn Eridach raged back. "The TTO is operating out of that nation. We must go after the nest. Hit them whre it hurts. There is no use getting these homegrown terrorists, they know nothing."

The debate had gone on for hours and the Emperor was simply tired of hearing it all. He had made his decision.

"Gentlemen, we have little choice in the matter. There is no telling what the TTO will do next. we shall organize a strike against their main base of operations in the Thas Coast. I want a cohesive plan of attack on my desk in two days."

Somewhere in the Thas Coast
21 Days after Embassy Attack
4:28 PM

"Stinger One, Thas Airway Flight 1136 spotted. Over."

"Guardian, this is Stinger One. I can't see the damn thing. Over."

"Guardian, this is Stinger Two. I have visual. Locking in rocket. Over."

"I copy. Stinger One, do you have a visual? Over."

"Yeah, I see it now. Got a lock. Stinger One is hot. Over."

"This is Stinger Two, I'm hot also. Guardian, coordinate shots. Over."

"Fire on my mark...4...3...2...Launch...I see a hit and the plane going down. Over."

"Stinger One, confirming both. Over."

"Stinger Two, same. Gentlemen, Thas Airway Flight 1136 is downed. That's one plane that will never reach Brehemia."

Imperial Press Chamber,
Primary Executive Compound,
Verráccon, Terrebeau
June 17, 22 days after the embassy attack
10:00 AM

The Emperor stood at the podium and spoke to the crowd that had assembled.

"My fellow Terrebeauns, I regret that it is my duty to inform you of yet another devastaing attack on a civilian target by the Thas Terror Organization. Just this morning the TTO shot down a Thas Airways flight. There were 21 Terrebeauns aboard that plane, and there were no survivers. This reign of fear has gone on for to long. The military is currently organizing a strike against the Thas Coast city of Haven Port, where the main TTO base is thought to be located. These are terrible times, they call for terrible measures."

Serns Army Base,
Terrebeau
June 17, 5:46 PM

Colonel Silas and his battalion had just recieved orders. They had been waiting for close to a month, but the day after the airline attack he was told to board a battleship. The entire sixth army division was loaded onto ships and set out to sea, headed for the Thas Coast.

He heard the air force bombers fly overhead, they would reach Haven Port before the ships would. Silas hoped that they would make it easier for his battalion.

OOC: Well, if you want to attack...ok, then.

Havenport Council Chambers
June 17, 8:38 PM

The Thas Coast, being a collection of city-states constantly on the brink of anarchy, had no real government. What it possessed was the Council, a group of warlords and captains who could hold sway when need be. The reality of it was that the council was rarely unified. Nothing short of an impending foreign invasion could actually force the council to meet. Nothing short of Terrebeau knocking on the door...
The conferance was swift and short. The reply to Terrebeau was drawn up, and circulated throughout the Thas Coast.

=================

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/6097/thascoastofficaldd4.gif (http://imageshack.us)

BE IT DECLARED- A bounty of $5000 USD is offered to all confirmed sucessful attacks on Terrebeauian ships.

BE IT DECLARED- A bounty of $15000 USD is offered to all attacks, sucessful or not, on Terrebeanian cities.

BE IT DECARED- All Ports of the Thas Coast are hereby in a State of War. Any planes, be they civilian or military, of any nationality flying over the Thas Coast are declared targets.

Thas Coast Air Space,
Above Haven Port
June 17, 11:23 PM

"Falcon 2 and 3, this is Falcon leader, break right over city and head towards the target. Falcon 4 and 5, follow me, keep out of range of any AA rockets until you go in for the strike."

"Roger that Falcon Leader, we're on your six."

The bombers broke formation as they spotted their target, a group of ships anchored in the harbor.

Meanwhile, similar groups of bombers targeted other suspected TTO sites and ships.

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5295/baghdadno1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1433/cityaflamevu5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Outside Havenport
The Thas Coast
June 17, 11:25 PM

SIC:
The house, headquarters to the TTO, was large enough to be considered a mansion. It's occupant, the funder and director of the TTO, stood on the balcony outside, cheerfully watching the bombs fall on Havenport. Standing next to him was the man with grey hair. The director of the TTO, Mr. James Eron, turned to his companion.
"Congrats, Tony. I'm promoting you to our director for the Darkohm basin Operations." The man with grey hair, Tony, blinked.
"What about John?"
"Look at Havenport. The man has a ship, and he'll be on it tonight. Quite possibly he'll die on it as well. If not by bomb, then maybe he'll die by...accident. In any case, he's no loss. You'll take over his job. I expect you to do a better job planning than he did."
"Of course, sir."
"It shouldn't be hard. The Brehemians and Terrebeauns seem to think that our interests lie in those ships in the harbor. They are bombing the ships. The ships are returning fire, bless their hearts. In the end, the body count will be high, and all we did was provide the fuse."
"Was this your plan?"
"No. But it is a gift from God to us, eh? Come, and let us watch these fools in airplanes distracted by our friends in the harbor."
"We'll wait this war out?"
"Of course not. We'll fall silent for a week or two, then a crushing blow to Terrebeau. The plans are set. The clock is ticking."

============

Havenport War Zone
June 17, 11:25
The Defense of Havenport

The planes bombed different sites in Havenport, illuminating the night with rockets and flares as they bombed sites they deemed likely to hold TTO supplies. The harbor itself was glowing with wreckage from the tiny attack boats commonly used by the Thas Coast pirates. It was a scene that looked straight out of the Great Thas War, 20 years earlier.
The remaining boats in the harbor were turning towards the sea, firing back shoulder guided AA missles at the planes above. Their rockets only added to the deluge of AA fire coming from emplacements in the city itself. Havenport was a dangerous place to be, for anyone on any side.

Havenport War zone,
The Thas Coast
June 17, 11:47 PM

The Terrebeaun planes were flying over a grim scene. Many ships in the harbor had been sunk, but there were still survivers that had sailed out onto the open sea. Many bombers had been shot down, and as Falcon 1 headed towards the city he saw trails of smoke and fire as his team members bombed targets within the city. He could not help but to think of the civilian lives, but that thought was quickly purged from his mind. There was a mission to complete.

The amount of planes in the sky began to diminish as they were shot down or as they returned to the carrier out at sea. The devastation was complete, now it was time for the army.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

The Thas Sea
2 miles out from Havenport harbor
June 17, 11:58 PM

Colonel Silas and his battalion had all been loaded into amphibious landing crafts along with the rest of the division. They were to land on the beach within the harbor and occupy the city, taking out any opposition they encountered.

Silas sat in the cramped boat, enduring the slow rough ride. He was scared, but the thought of the bombers gave him comfort, they had already cleared away the danger. That was what was he hoped, even expected, but was it really so?

The order was given: Firefox was to send squads 1 and 2 into the outskirts of Havenport, and once the bombing was over, infiltrate the city, locate and eliminate anyone with the TTO. It was sure a daring mission. The company had never been tested yet, so this was their debut. Smith gathered his men together and they prayed for the safety of all. Once everyone was suited with their gear, they climbed into the C47s, where they were to drop near Havenport. The ride of quiet and smooth, every man in his own thoughts. A few hours later, they were given the green light to jump out of the plane. Smith closed his eyes, and jumped, followed close behind by 14 other brave souls. Landing 20 miles from Havenport, everyone got situated and formed up on Sgt. Major Smith.

"Ok, everyone's drop go ok? Good, now, we're 20 miles outside of Havenport. We'll hike through the night to get there, and camp in some concealed postion outside of the city. In the morning, once the bombing raids are over, we'll move into the city undercover. Now, we are only equipped with model M85 pistols because we need to move in unseen. A man inside Havenport working for us has smuggled some heavier weapons inside so we can conduct the missions requiring those weapons. So, we've got a lot of walking ahead.

And so, Smith took Squads 1 and 2 of Firefox toward a city in the midst of bombing, knowing Terrabeau was in need of help, but not knowing what was ahead.

Havenport Harbor,
The Thas Coast
June 18, 12:27

As the landing crafts entered the harbor they were greeted by a barrage of rockets and gun fire. The boat to the right of Silas was caught by a rocket and exploded in a plujme of flames. This was not what they had expected, but still the boats continued to advance. Upon reaching the shore only half of the original number of landing crafts had actually made it. The soldiers were met by a flood of chaos as they exited the ships. Silas hurried of the boat, the excitment of battle filling his chest. There was death in the air and blood on the sand.

Smith and his team ducked before they even heard the shots. Rounds exploded all around the port. Smith took his team into the city, blending in with the crowd of terrified people.
"We need to find the Goringham Cafe! Our equipment is there!" After checking the map of Havenport Smith brought with him, they found the cafe. All but deserted, one man sat in the back, completely oblivious to the sounds of battle. He winked at Smith and motioned him over.

"The word of the day is GreenHouse, the number is 43." Smith spoke true, and the shady man motioned them outside. There, they found a white van. The man slipped the keys into Smith's pocket and slid away into the chaos. As they opened the back door of the van, it stored scoped M16s and grenades ready to be put to use.
"Hey Sarge, who's on the beach?" Asked CPL. Brown.
"That would be the Terrabeauns, trying to find the TTO like us. They helped me at the embassy, what say we give them a hand?"

And without further time for thought, Smith's team, not caring about the crowds, charged toward the beaches to soften up the defenders.

Silas advanced slowly up the beach with members of his battalion around him. Many Terrebeaun soldiers lied dead on the ground, but the landing ships kept unloading their men onto the shore. Hopfully the Division could make it to the city still intact.

(((OOC: Sorry, guys. Could you hold this until I can get a post up?)))

(OOC: Yah, sorry, i might have gotten carried away.)

((OOC: Me too, just post ASAP))

The Battle of Havenport
The Thas Coast
June 18, 12:00 AM

Havenport, as a city, was currently in a state of...disrepair. The bombing and shelling turned houses into empty shells. Rubble lined the streets, blocking road traffic. As a city, it would be a while before Havenport returned to its former glory. As a fortress, however, it's moment of glory was now.

Havenport had few buildings that could be considered tall, but any building over three stories was turned into a sniper position. The concrete houses all along the waterfront were turned into bunkers, with rocket launchers and even a few artillery guns aimed at the harbor, which itself was mined.

Disorderly mobs flowed through the streets, armed with cheap assault weapons. A few radio stations were set up, keeping in touch with gunboats out in the gulf. When the Terrebeauan army showed up, all hell broke loose.

========

12:43 AM

The harbor was barely visibly in the potent mixture of fog, smoke, and darkness. With a wild yell, more and more men armed with AK-47s and the like streamed through the streets, taking cover behind buildings and establishing positions looking down at the harbor. From these safe houses, a merciless hail of bullets slammed into the front lines of the attackers. Behind them, distant shapes could be seen moving in the harbor. The gunboats were returning from patrol, and were wrecking havoc on the landing craft. The soldiers on the beach were trapped.

Smith knew he was in trouble; they were in the middle of a riot. He pulled his team into a two story building, waiting for the rioters to pass by. Once the main stream was gone, he moved his men in tactical column to a nearby warehouse. He saw muzzle flashes in many windows. Knowing that those were firing at Terrabeau, Smith took his men, and moved to the base of the building. Figuring no one had seen them, he busted down the door, and his team moved in to make a stand in the warehouse and help Terrabeau.

The Battle of Havenport.
The Thas Coast
12:50 AM

The men on the beach had already suffered severe casualties from the mines and various other weapons employed by the multitude of upset Thas militants when the Thas gunboats arrived. The ships went to work picking off the remaining landing crafts still on route to drop off their cargo. The men on the beach were in disarray, running to and for getting fired upon by the Thas insurgents. Colonel Silas recalled his childhood and his time spent on popular video game consol, the zbox. He remembered a common term used to describe the defeat of an enemy in one of the many violent games. That term came to mind and he as he spoke. "Men, we just got pawned by these n00bs." The soldier next to Silas turned to question this strange language and was cought off guard by a stray bullet that killed him instantly.

Against all odds and hope of success Silas and the division continued up the beach, they had to take out the artillery.

((What are the numbers for your troops, Terrebeau?)))

(OCC: one division is 150,000 men, but now most of them are dead, so there are currently about 2,000)