NationStates Jolt Archive

Post-war political considerations
When the War of Golden Succession ended in early 2018 it divided Greater Dienstad into two main camps – the Golden Throne and Stevid. Most of the continent which offered itself as the main theater of the war fell directly into Macabee hands – strips of Western Zarbia were still disputed territory, occupied by imperial force, while Northern Safehaven had been turned into two new provinces of the empire and a similar fate befell the entirety of Guffingford. The Stevidian Empire had been able to occupy the coastal zones of southern Guffingford, guaranteeing their possession of the disputed oil wells in the seas south of this once proud nation. In the East, the nations such as New Empire collapsed upon themselves, and most of the puppet states of Guffingford turned into nothing more than federations of tribes and city-states – forgotten by the regional powers. The Empire of the Golden Throne concluded the war with an uneasy peace which propelled the country as one of the major world powers. If her incredible armaments and economic empire had not underscored the empire’s position as one of the most important states in the world, Fedor’s victory did. But, perhaps the most important fact of the post-war was that the empire was virtually unstoppable in regional matters, and its membership in the infamous NATO alliance gave it powerful friends on the world-wide stage.

If a war of continuation with Stevid had not yet erupted it was due to the calm Fedor I presented when taking decisions. The two imperial provinces in Guffingford were occupied with some two million men, ten thousand tanks, three thousand aircraft and countless other material. Furthermore, at any given moment, the two to three hundred ships now harbored in ex-Guffingfordi and new imperial harbors could contest Otium Aqua once again, and this time with ample re-supply for nearby harbors. Although any naval war with Stevid was due to be extremely difficult, and there was no guarantee that the Empire would come out victorious, Stevid’s victory on land was more questionable. Safehaven and her allies had been humbled on land, even if the war at sea was never settled. The principle interests were for the remaining territory in Guffingford, occupied by Stevidian forces, and Fedala honestly thought that any second war with Stevid would be quick, stunning and a decisive victory. The capture of the sea-based oil wells was another thing altogether, but any strategist could deduct that whoever controlled the nearby Guffingfordi coastlines could control the oil wells through airpower. The treat to Stevid was more than that, as control of the entirety of Guffingford would mean that the Laerihans would have direct access to Otium Aqua. Without secure control of the seas, the Stevidian mainland was naked.

But, for now, imperial intentions had nothing to do with Stevid – well, directly. Instead, the Empire was by far more interested in consolidating gained territories, reducing the size of the armed forces, recovering economically and looking for easier wars of occupation in the region and abroad. The reduction of the armed forces would prove to be the most difficult. Putting forty million men on the street could turn deadly, especially if those men decided to find a new income in armed violence. Consequently, demobilization would be a slow process. Men destined to be demobilized were quickly stationed in ‘imperial territories’, or Zarbia, Guffingford and Northern Safehaven – hopes were that these men would be employed in imperial industries developed in occupied territories, and when demobilized they would continue to work for the local industry. Not only would this employ millions of unemployed soldiers, but it would integrate occupied territories as imperial provinces. For example, the administration hoped that the two million men stationed in Guffingford would remain in Guffingford when their six year term ended. Of course, their families were allowed to move to Guffingford, and the state paid the majority of their expenses in finding housing and all of that. The million or so soldiers stationed in Zarbia would inevitably be brought back across the original border, and the ‘disputed territory’ would be earmarked ‘Zarbian March’ and be occupied by a string of concrete and steel fortresses with small garrisons of men. Zarbia was too poor to attempt the recapture of the territory lost, but it would never become an imperial province to keep that leverage over the Zarbian government.

Politics in Northern Safehaven were not as simple. The Havenic massacre of the population of Mosnoi Bor in late 2016 cost them dear; occupying imperial soldiers were known for massacres of their own. Entire Havenic villages were burned to the ground, and the total civilian cost of the war in that theater was never accurately calculated – according to the Havenic government over three hundred million of her citizens were killed in the north, and another forty million became refugees. The post-war indigenous population remained small – some sixty million people. In other words, the demographic effect of the war had been disastrous for Safehaven – three fourths of the areas population had been killed! In the months directly after the war, imperial troops were ordered to force the indigenous population south into Safehaven – the southern neighbor could do nothing, as she had lost the war and now had to pay an annual tribute worth tens of billions, and she could hardly afford another war. The Havenic army was in tatters; millions of soldiers had died during the war, and with the loss of a large portion of her population the country could hardly afford to bring the armed forces back to their original strength. Furthermore, the country could not afford the modernization of what was left intact. Safehaven would be a Macabee puppet for many decades to come, and that’s just how the Empire wanted it. For the time being, her borders were safe - the threat of a second war of succession was far flung.

Therefore, the forced repopulation of the northern territories was not blocked, except by local resistance of the indigenous population. Most of these minor ‘rebellions’ were stomped on with brutal force, and it could truly be considered genocide. Some estimates currently put murders by the imperial army at over two million, and the Havenic government has only admitted to having received up to now twelve million of the original population. Without a local population, the Empire expressed plans to turn her new Havenic territories – Southern Pirnacapia and Haven Transoriental – into two huge border provinces, occupied mostly by dark industrial polygons, border fortresses and massive agrarian fields owned by wealthy Dienstadi landowners. The fourteen million soldiers stationed in these two provinces would form the basis of the future population, and new ‘golden’ cities were to be erected to replace those destroyed during the allied bombing campaigns. The goal was to persuade large amounts of the population of the heartland of the empire to move south, for new opportunities. The future businesses which would be built there would offer plenty of opportunities for new jobs. Of the original local population, only around forty thousand males and their families would be allowed to remain – these forty thousand males formed part of eight new mechanized infantry auxiliary brigades which had a compromise of eight years of service with the Empire, and their ultimate destination was still unknown.

Huge auxiliary units were formed of the disgruntled and unemployed Guffingfordi population. Good pay and good food persuaded over six hundred thousand Guffingfordi youth to join the auxiliary service. Truth be told, these brigades would suffer the brunt of the future wars of conquest of the Empire. That said, the militias and reserves mobilized during the war would be immediately disbanded and these were guaranteed (for the most part) their original employments – therefore, over three hundred million men went back to work, most in industrial factories. Many demobilized militiamen quickly turned themselves into police force, in the face of a rising amount of police officers – local governments oftentimes offered double the wage for these men to be deployed to cities like Targul Frumos and the rebuilding Mosnoi Bor to offer security. After the war, on a nation-wide scale police forced quadrupled in manpower which underscore the security problems in the Empire during times of war. Furthermore, there would always persist the scare of well-trained reserves, recently unemployed, turning themselves into the world of crime. Fedor I wanted to make sure that the empire he inherited continue to work cleanly and without quirks.

Relevant to a new foreign policy, the Empire was interested in enhancing its image internationally. The War of Golden Succession was proof that the empire was not one to mess with, and that it could handle itself in a war of massive proportions. Furthermore, it was looking to capture petroleum-rich lands outside of Guffingford, given that war with Stevid was not something looked forward to, for the time being. For this, the Golden Throne had soon laid their eyes on the oil rich lands of Theohuanacu and the disputed territory surrounding it. What could neighboring nations do to stop the Empire? Pray? Stevid was too busy rebuilding her navy and her army, after the losses during the War of Golden Succession, while the region was almost entirely allied to the Empire – Hailandkill, Athiesism and Malatose, for example. Most of the military thought it would be a walk through the park …

Armed Forces General Staff Headquarters, Fedala – Six months after the end of the war
Chief of Armed Forces General Staff Daví Liénken sat quietly at the other side of the long wooden table, listening to the machinations of his emperor. Fedor I sat in his throne, one which was almost never occupied during wartime, and dictated terms and policies. All generals had to respect their emperor, as Fedor was a warrior leader and had shown his martial abilities during the War of Golden Succession – he had personally lead imperial forces during the Battle of Weigar. But this was borderline insane. ‘The Empire’s military needs something to do, I think. Our army is too large to simply occupy regions which have already been pacified, and I don’t think Stevid would dare attack our possessions in Guffingford – the two million men stationed there are more than enough to repulse any attempts to take our territory, and the Stevidian navy would have a very difficult time defeat our naval assets in the theater.’

One general sat wide-eyed and blurted, ‘You’re thinking about putting us in another war? With all due respect your imperial majesty, the armed forces have just come out of a war that has claimed millions of their brethren. We can’t afford to risk another war.’

The emperor laughed a bit and said, ‘I’m not insane! This … will be a much calmer endeavor.’ A screen, behind the throne, suddenly turned on and all could see a map of the empire. Fedor I rose and approached the map, ‘Theohuanacu.’ Others arched an eyebrow, and Fedor explained, ‘This isn’t the first time we’ve spoken about Theohuanacu. Intelligence gathered during the war, and during our activities in Guffingford prior to the war, suggests that this is nothing more than a nuclear wasteland. Scientists deployed to the area have reported that there is some life, but most humans consolidate themselves in spread-out villages and towns and form a number of federations. Whatever isn’t a village is nuclear wasteland, and their foodstuff has to be directly imported from neighboring nations. But, they are rich in one resource – oil.’

The chief of general staff moved in, ‘Sir, why do we need to risk the men of our lives for oil? We already have enough of it, as it is. It’s not an important commodity – we can import it for less than it costs to produce it.’

The general was correct, but Fedor was not persuaded, ‘General, if we should have learned something from the war it is that a blockade can end your nation’s ability to resist. When we sealed the naval blockade on Safehaven, there was nothing nobody could do for them – the war was ours, regardless of how things turned out with Stevid. But, that is hardly the entire reason. Occupying this large territory will also put the Empire in the middle of the region, making our presence more noticeable. By controlling Theohuanacu we control the seas of the south which lead up to Stevid and the Empire, and we contest the oil-rich islands between Athiesism and Tir.’

As the emperor smiled, another general spoke up, ‘How many forces do you plan to allocate for the invasion? I don’t gather we need much to defeat such a small nation, that isn’t even united.’

‘I estimate that we will need about half a million men to successfully occupy the country in its entirety, and then another two hundred thousand to take the disputed territory between Holy Panooly and Adaptes Astrates. In total, less than a million, although we need to make the invasion as spectacular as ever in order to prove that our nation has not been damaged by the war, and we are still a power to contend with. Therefore, I suggest that the entirety of the forces sent to the area should be mechanized and armored – no less than four thousand tanks!’ The emperor nodded at the numbers he presented; truth be told, they had been improvised on the spot.

General Daví Liénken interjected, ‘Who is to take command?’

Fedor smiled and said, ‘You.’

Surprised at the decision, Liénken didn’t show anything on his face – it was as expressionless as a rock. The general coldly replied, ‘What if other nations decide to intervene?’ It was a real possibility, although there were not many nations ready to put themselves between the Golden Throne and its enemies.

‘We will crush them at their home, and we will make them pay tribute to our Empire – just like Safehaven. The Golden Throne exports no mercy, and we shall prove this through our wars of conquest.’ Fedor I’s personality had changed during the war, and it translated through his military machinations. The generals suspected that this would be only the first conquest out of many, and history dictates that ambitious men who look for territory stir up world wars.

‘And after?’ The Macabee generals did not miss a thing.

Fedor, however, proved patient. He looked straight into the eyes of General Liénken, and said, ‘The rest of the world.’

Gerard Military Base, Guffingford – 26th Armor Division
The Nakíl 1A2 was a giant compared to the three officers standing beside the steel beast. The tank’s main gun was disproportionably long, equating to a disproportional amount of firepower as compared to other main battle tanks. The Nakíl 1A2 was truly a war winner, and as a symbol of imperial manufacturing pride the Nakíl 1A2 was the frontline main battle tank sitting near the Stevidian border, ready to pound on their Guffingfordi territories. But, today they would receive a different mission – preparation for deployment to Theohuanacu. The officers to the tank’s side were discussing just that, attempting to envision their future mission. Most of the division’s men had fought in Safehaven, penetrating Havenic territory by hundreds of kilometers and taking tens of thousands of enemy lives. None could imagine a war as easy as the war to come, but most welcomed the adventure. Furthermore, most tankers were afraid that the Empire would enter into another large war with Stevid, and a break from heavy armored fighting was always welcomed.

One of the officers, Brigadier General Alfon Diég, laughed and said, ‘God, this one should be easy. I’ve heard rumors that half of the population is mutant! Three hundred of the best tanks the world has to offer against men armed with forty year old anti-tank weapons, and century old rifles. This has to be a joke.’

Another man, standing beside the first, chuckled and replied, ‘It’s truly amazing that they decide to send us, and some of the best divisions in Guffingford, to take a series of tribes. It’s a wonder why they haven’t deployed the auxiliary divisions, in our stead. It would make more sense – if half the intelligence reports we get were correct, war with Stevid could breakout any minute.’

Diég nodded, ‘They might be reserving the auxiliaries for a war with Stevid. The loss of barbarian blood is much more accepted than the loss of Macabee life. Otherwise, perhaps those auxiliaries will be sent to repopulate the areas conquered, and we will return here.’

The third man retorted, ‘Hell, if they ask me to stay in Theohuanacu I’ll present my retirement! There’s no way I’m going to tell my family to move with me to a nuclear wasteland. That place will take decades to disinfect and prepare for large scale repopulation. Given that I think that the majority of us think alike, they’ll repopulate that hell hole with the auxiliaries. Poor barbarians, most of them will probably die due to radiation.’

The second officer rolled his eyes, ‘All that radiation business is myth – otherwise, why would our entire electrical grid be composed of nuclear power plants?’

Diég changed the topic to something more pertinent, ‘Regardless of what happens, it’s obvious that something is happening beyond our scope. Why would the empire send half a million men, plus thousands of tanks, to occupy a territory that could be taken by ten thousand foot soldiers? I suspect something far more sinister.’

‘Like what, general?’

Diég smiled, ‘Genocide. We’ve done it in Safehaven, there’s no reason why would we do it with the degenerate population of Theohuanacu. We will probably exterminate their population, decontaminate the country and use it to extend our industry. A country the size of the empire will be turned into one huge industrial complex – civilian goods, armaments and petroleum. It will be a colossal unsinkable supply depot that will be able to supply troops throughout the entire region, and perhaps the entire world.’

The third man arched an eyebrow, ‘Why would we be interested in a huge supply depot? Safehaven is enough, I would think.’ The two men laughed, but Diég stood quiet.

The general retorted, ‘For war against Stevid. If we control the seas, except theirs, they will be stuck in a very small theater of operation and surrounded. They would have little chance of victory, and we would control the sea routes to their island nation and cut them off from the necessary supplies to defeat us. We would, in effect, be unbeatable in the region.’

The other two men now seemed to understand. But something still was questionable – what if Fedor’s lust could not be satiated? What if the Empire attempted to conquer one territory after the other? Would the Empire be able to win? Well, the question wasn’t accurate. Of course, the Empire would win – but would the empire be able to win in an occupation of a country with a population willing to resist at a large scale? If history has taught humans something, it’s that a conquering nation takes centuries in order to break down the local population – centuries, or genocide. Any honorable military man in the imperial army felt shudders down his spine when he thought about his beloved empire becoming an exporter of racial death – despite the economic benefits. Besides, if each country occupied was completely destroyed, what example would it leave for the next ones on the list?

Another officer approached the group and saluted the general. When the salute was returned the officer said, ‘General, the transports are ready. I have been order to relay information pertinent to the move out day of the division to the coastal sea base in Guffingford. The lead invasion force will leave in two weeks, and naval forces will rendezvous near the target, prior to the invasion.’

The general nodded and replied, ‘Place specific orders on my desk. Lieutenant, I know when my orders have been tampered with. If you touch them, I will have you beheaded for treason.’

The officer gulped, but saluted, did an about-face and left. The general turned to his friends and said, ‘It looks as if our beloved emperor is not wasting any time with this invasion.’

In the background, one could hear the roar of maneuvering armor, preparing for the invasion. The thousands of tanks destined to partake in the amphibious operation along the northern coastline of Theohuanacu would not be used in their traditional role. These sixty ton steel beasts would be use to crush resistance and to repatriate death – they would be used to instill fear in the local population. The Nakíl was the exporter of the name of the Empire, as had happened during the War of Golden Succession. Four thousand Nakíl 1A2s, out of the tens of thousands in service with the Empire, would force the spearhead of the invasion force. Theohuanacu would most likely conclude as a walk in the park, but no soldier could imagine what was to come afterwards – not even Fedor I.

Otium Aqua
The single diesel-electric submarine lay submerged at one hundred meters, immobile – like one of those species of fish which lay in the water, pretending to be dead, and struck when the prey was close enough. But, this submarine was not positioned in these strategic waters to catch prey and kill it – it was positioned to listen. A large imperial fleet, full of men and their equipment, was about to pass over these waters and the empire had deployed no less than forty submarines throughout the sea to listen to Stevidian naval movements. The first sign of Stevidian belligerence would conclude in a preemptive invasion of their Guffingfordi territories, and an aerial strike which would shake the island nation to their foundations. Without Safehaven, the Empire could reorient the entirety of its strength against the Stevidian homeland and nearby territories. For Stevid, the war would not be the same as it had been only six months earlier. Alas, not many expected a full scale war to erupt, as most thought that Stevid would look the other way for the time being – until they were prepared to fight a second war with the Empire. Nevertheless, security was still paramount. The forty submarines were purely ELINT diesel-electric submarines, deployed to be submerged in a single spot for a week and a half, and then to be replaced by another submarine. Similar picket lines had been placed near the Havenic coastline, and even near Theohuanacu, to detect moving fleets through the waters north of the country.

Captain Isaak Devodo stood in the center of the command and control quarters of his intelligence gathering submarine, looking over the different panels that his sailors worked at. The submarine made almost no noise, as it sat steady one hundred meters underneath the calms waters of Otium Aqua, where six months prior it had been a war zone full of thousands of ships. Captain Devodo chucked within, thinking of the war. At the time, he had been a captain of a nuclear attack submarine and had sunk dozens of Stevidian and enemy merchant ships passing through these waters. These seas had been saved one of the largest naval clashes in history by the lack of interest in the Empire in ‘liberating’ Otium Aqua and preparing an amphibious invasion of the Stevidian ‘Home Island’ – according to classified reports, over ten million soldiers were eventually earmarked for a possible landing on Stevid (one-sixth of the entire armed forces). But, alas, that day had never come and now a tenuous peace spread throughout Otium Aqua.

Through one of the steel doors that connected the control room to the rest of the submarine, a lieutenant strolled in with a number of papers in his hand. Approaching the captain, the officer nodded his head and gave the papers to the captain. Isaak Devodo didn’t look at them, at first – these papers could mean one of two things; peace or war. Noting the captain’s excitement, the lieutenant smiled and said, ‘It’s the better of the two, captain.’

Devodo looked at the lieutenant, slightly annoyed, but then replied, ‘The war fleets will contest the seas, I presume.’

The other officer chuckled, ‘Not as glorious, but war is war.’

The captain harrumphed and took a look at the papers. It was a fax sent by the naval general staff located in Targul Frumos, the location of the greatest modern naval victory of the Empire. The captain believed that all sailors of the submarine deserved to know all pertinent information of the Empire’s war activities, and so the captain turned to his men and said, ‘The Empire sends its instructions. It seems as if the war clouds are forming over Greater Dienstad, once again.’ He then looked at the paper, and began reading.

Communiqué to the Relevant Naval Staff

The Empire prepares, once again, for war against her enemies. His Imperial Majesty’s victory over the Havenic hordes and their barbarian allies have made it possible for the Fuermak to roll over those not desirable in the region – we are the sole superpower of Greater Dienstad. No other army can stand in our way! Emperor Fedor I has ordered that the nation of Theohuanacu cannot contribute to the progression of the region, and thus must be incorporated into the Empire in order to provide the indigenous population a far superior lifestyle. Over five hundred thousand soldiers of our glorious armed forces will partake in the amphibious operation which will claim this land as ours.

Soldiers of the Kriermada, be proud of what your empire has done. We have fought off foreign invasion, and brought the war to their own cities. The territorial mass of the empire has near tripled, and our power in the region is uncontestable. What has the ‘Stevidian Empire’ to say about our current goals? Nothing! Nothing, because they cannot afford to intervene.

The submarines of the Otium Aqua intelligence grid are ordered to return to port in seventy-two hours. They will be immediately replaced by a new batch of submarine. Submarines returning home will be restocked with torpedoes and the modular intelligence equipment replaced by equipment meant for a real naval war. These submarines will form the vanguard of submersible operations in the seas immediately to the north of Theohuanacu – operations will last for thirty-six hours, upon their arrival, and the main fleet will take over.

Your months of wait are now finished with. Sailors, prepare for war!

The submarine’s crew cheered for the upcoming glory, although the captain knew that the war would not be as glorious as many thought. These diesel submarines had been chosen because there was no point in sending more expensive submarines to the theater. The chances of naval warfare were almost none – the coastal defense craft of Theohuanacu would be destroyed by imperial surface assets, or navy aircraft. The submarines would arrive before the invasion fleet, to clear the seas of any potential interventions from nearby nations – that was all. In the end, the captain knew that his submarine would do absolutely nothing. These diesel submarines did not have land attack capability, except for small torpedo tube launched cruise missiles, and the surface fleet had better weapons for the job. Regardless, the orders were a moral boost for sailors who were tired of being deployed in electronic intelligence missions off the coast of Stevid – the job was getting boring. This was a change of setting, and the thought of combat would keep the men satiated until it was obvious that nothing would happen. Something, in the end, was better than nothing.

Amidst the cheers, the captain raised his arms to maintain the peace between the crew, ‘Sailors, do not waste your excitement yet. We still have over a day more of completing our service in Otium Aqua. Leave your enemy vibrant for the day we arrive at the waters of our enemy, Theohuanacu.’

One soldier yelled, ‘Captain, will we get our chance at Stevid, again?’

The captain laughed and replied, ‘Sailor, I hope to God not. Then our cause would truly be lost.’

The soldiers were a bit surprised at that comment. One stood and said, ‘Sir, surely you’re not suggesting that we would lost the war.’

The captain smiled and let out a slight laugh, and then explained himself, ‘Probably not – it would most likely be a stunning ground victory, but as for us in our submarines, the war would not be a good one. I have fought against the Stevidian fleet, and most of you entered the armed forces at a time when the war was dying down. You have no idea of the horrors of a major naval war. It is a lucky man who does not have to go through such terror.’

The impetuous young sailors probably didn’t wish to believe him, but they would soon find out on their own. Captain Devodo knew that war with Stevid, or another major power, would come one day soon. It was just better later, than sooner. The War of Golden Succession had turned Fedor I into a confident and ambitious warrior, with ideas to eclipse the great conquering kings and emperors of the ancient epoch. Such warrior kings were no longer the norm in the modern world, and the captain truly thought that Fedor would get a taste of his own medicine in the near future. The young man had been lucky that the armed forces were loyal to his grandfather, or else the throne would have been his father’s. But, Devodo could do little to dissuade the emperor from his ambitions and he was content enough to die fulfilling the orders he was given. Nevertheless, he did not want to die this soon.

The young lieutenant by his side looked at the captain and said, ‘War is war. Better against people who can’t fight, than against people who can defeat us.’ Devodo could see that the lieutenant was a realist. The general staff – the decision makers – needed more men like this young lieutenant. Perhaps one day the lieutenant would be an admiral – probably.

The captain shook his head, ‘Take some time off, lieutenant. We have one more day of doing absolutely nothing.’

Macabee Military Consulate, Stevid
The empire’s military consulate had only been established two months after the war, to replace the lost embassy. Neither nation was ready to restore diplomatic relations to the extent that they had existed prior to the war. The military consulate was in charge of all diplomatic relations with Stevid, and this normally meant sending the Stevidian High Command information on imperial movements near the Stevidian coastline. After the horrors of the last war, the Empire wanted to avoid all lack of communication with their belligerent neighbors, less the delicate situation tumbled into war anew. In fact, the existence of the intelligence picket line had been communicated to the Stevidian navy – well, at least in part. About one fourth of the submarines positioned had their locations compromised by the state, but no information was divulged on the rest of the formation. The Stevidian navy would have to find out about that on their own, even though theses submarines posed no danger to their ships. Truth be told, the Stevidian Navy probably had their own submarines in Otium Aqua, tracking imperial movements. It wasn’t rare for an imperial destroyer to track a Stevidian submarine near the mouth of imperial naval harbors in Guffingford, like Port Kramer. It was generally understood by both sides that these measures were for national security, and neither Stevid nor the Golden Throne contested each other’s intelligence gathering activities. War could not be risked over a little information, which was probably declassified anyways.

A team of Stevidian general officers sat in a small room, near the edge of the building – a huge window opened up to the city of Sunderland (a consulate in the capital had not been allowed by the Stevidian administration). The generals sat patiently; although the expression on their face pointed out that they had almost no interest in what their Macabee colleagues had to say. The generals of both parties were haughty, and both thought that they had won the war. But, that was the least pertinent issue.

Admiral Leobener Diest walked into the room, and the Stevidian officers rose to greet him. All the high naval officials kept a straight face, not showing too much expression – least the other might think something untrue. The Macabee admiral shook their hands, solemnly, and then took a seat. His Stevidian counterparts retook their own seats and then listened – although, as mentioned before, without too much interest. Diest was well aware of the lack of interest showed by his previous foes, but he could care less. They could understand the information he was about to give them like they wanted to. According to Diest, the Kriermada would take less than a month to open Otium Aqua and allow an amphibious invasion of Stevid – but that was his own personal opinion. But, then again, there were a lot of Macabee generals that thought the same.

Regardless, the admiral spoke first, ‘Gentlemen, thank you for coming at our request. The information I’m about to give you is extremely important. The Empire wants to make sure that there is no confusion. A large imperial fleet will pass through Otium Aqua. These ships are destined to operate in the south, in areas not in Stevid’s jurisdiction. Their goals are of no consequence to the Stevidian high command. However, the Empire believes it pertinent to give Stevid the proper information to avoid unwanted conflict between our two nations. Coordinates of the fleet, and the route of travel, will be transmitted by satellite to your high command’s headquarters. Stevidian assets that will be allocated to shadowing the fleet – whether naval or air – should first identify themselves to the Kriermada.’

The Stevidian officers looked between themselves, and one began to ask, ‘What are your objectives?’

The Macabee admiral shook his head, ‘Our objectives and goals are classified, and will not be divulged. Your administration can make its own conclusions. I am not here to argue the merits of imperial movements in the region, just to give you the information you need to avoid mortal confusion.’ The admiral looked at the confused men, stood and said, ‘Gentlemen, this meeting is adjourned. You can return to your command and give them the necessary information. There is nothing more I can offer you.’

Although the information had been relayed to the Stevidians, suspicions were still very likely. A colossal imperial fleet was something that not many expected to see re-enter Otium Aqua, and it was proof that Stevid could not control the seas completely. With imperial fleets moving through Otium Aqua it meant that the tactical Stevidian victory at Otium Aqua (which had cost them more lives and ships) had not been decisive, and had not offered Stevid anything during the war. Instead, it signified that the Kriermada remained as powerful as it was during the war – or perhaps even more so. The empire was sure that Stevid would let the fleet pass – it was not within their interests to start another war (although, admittedly, the death of half a million soldiers would be an early blow for any nation) -, but as Macabee operations progressed their neutrality was not guaranteed. Regardless, the empire had done what it was required to do. Stevid had no cassus belli to declare war on the Empire, and the fleets intentions were known well enough to conclude that the Stevidian mainland was not in danger. The fate of peace between the two countries was in the hands of the island nation, as through this token decision to provide the intentions of the Empire Fedor had shown that war with Stevid was not within his mind.

Of course, the war consulate in Sunderland would continue to give the Stevidian government information on future imperial activities in Otium Aqua – each major convoy had to be compromised by giving information on their route through Otium Aqua. In a way, that meant that the Stevidians had enough control over Otium Aqua that the Empire had to make sure that Stevidian ships did not engage theirs. But, these were all political trivialities. The probable truth was that none of the countries really controlled Otium Aqua, and that the topic would remain one between sailors and officers proud of their nations. Nevertheless, it was a heated topic. For the next few months imperial aircraft and ships would patrol Otium Aqua in attempt to guess Stevidian fleet movements – if any – and to make sure the security of their war effort remained intact.

The opening moves for the invasion of Theohuanacu had been completed …

Macabee Military Consulate, Sunderland, Stevid

Meeting Macabee naval officers was just part of a day’s work these days, six months on it was becoming boring and more and more of a struggle to attend them. Two months after the war it had been an interesting job that many decorated officers wanted have on top of their other business. No matter the outcome of war it was always interesting to meet ones opponent, bitter rivalries had been hard to suppress back then though. The Royal Navy had held back the Kriermada from gaining the Otium Aqua but at a huge cost, the Navy had been scarred and when the Third Fleet had returned to Rubet Island having fought back the Macabee fleet the signs of destruction were evident to the world. The mass loss of shipping on the Haven Pact side in that single engagement alone caused a public outcry, millions and millions called for nuclear action, others called for every single military unit to be committed to fighting the enemy and invading the Macabees. Instead of that, thing got a whole lot worse. National hatred turned into national loathing after the Macabees deployed three nuclear torpedoes in Portsmouth harbour were the Fifth Fleet were still recovering from the heavy losses against Guffingford. 5% of the Fifth Fleet survived the attack with several hundred citizens dead, the dockyards ruined, two super dreadnoughts hurled out of the water and onto the dockland itself. The Navy had paid a heavy price for its successes in the war. It had been these engagements that made the naval officers very bitter when they met their Macabee counterparts for the first time, a brawl would’ve broken out if both sides hadn’t been able to control their temper. The Macabees had reason to hate the Royal Navy too, not only had the Kriermada been forced back from Otium Aqua on two occasions but it had been a Royal Navy submarine that delivered the one megaton nuclear device into the Macabee heartland designed to wipe out an irritating Mekgui missile battery and any hostile forces in the area. Civilian casualties were stupidly high but this was reported as nothing more than ‘collateral’ damage back in Stevid. Now days the bitterness had vanished somewhat but the grim expressions on the faces of the Macabee Admirals were enough to tell the Stevidian naval officers that both sides still resented each other.

Both sides exchanged unpleasantly silent formalities and sat down to discuss the ‘usual’ happenings in the Otium Aqua. The Macabee Admiral spoke first, he was well known in Stevid these days as being more an ambassador than an Admiral seeing as he had attended the meetings before, he delivered the information to the Stevidian naval staff who listened intently but were surprised when the Admiral stated that the fleet movement is of no consequence to the Stevidian High Command. He finished speaking and the officers looked among themselves. There were four, all at the rank of Commodore and were regulars at these meetings. One whispered to the other and it was obvious that the motives of the fleet were of a major concern to the High Command despite the reassurance of the Admiral.

“They are heading south, that what the HMS Farthing told us at Port Kramer. What could they be up to?”
“Heading south opens up several options,” Said the other Commodore, Commodore Ashley Hedrick was a veteran of the war and former commander of the super dreadnoughtHMS Farseer. “They could be redeploying to South Safehaven but a fleet that size isn’t going to be relocating for strategic or logistical purposes. Either that or they are heading to Athiesism or Theohuanacu, Athiesism being the place of choice… but the fleet size is just too strange.” He looked up and faced the Macabee Admiral directly. “What are your objectives?” he asked casually.

The Admiral, as expected, didn’t say but merely threw out a torrent of reassurances that it shouldn’t bother Stevid but aggressive vessel would be seen as an act of war. The threats of war with the Golden Throne were real and ever present ones and threats that the Stevidian government would rather not carry out. A ground war in Guffingford would be short and would ultimately lead to Stevid’s defeat in the new colony, however a war at sea was much more in Stevid’s favour. The Royal Navy was recovering very well in the aftermath of the war, already several new classes of vessel had been brought out to replace the ship classes that hadn’t faired particularly well during the war. The Lemartes Class DDG was one such vessel that was being mass produced to replace almost all the destroyer classes, it was a league of its own and Stevid had classed as one of the best destroyers in the world and capable of carrying Anti-dreadnought missiles. What the Golden Throne tacticians seemed to have forgotten in the ecstasy of winning the war that the Stevidian homeland and the Otium Aqua had been left pretty much alone after the Kriermada had been beaten back which allowed the Stevidian invasion of the Merkar Republic several months after. This lull in hostile action meant the Royal Navy were already recovering from many hostile engagements before the war was over, only two fleets were ever committed to the Athiesism Front while the rest protected the mainland and had their numbers replenished before the war had even ended although the Third Fleet, once the pride of the Navy, was still stupidly under strength and was nothing more than a home fleet tan an offensive fleet. Considering the battering it had taken during the war, the Royal Navy was good shape, the homeland were churning out excellent shipping faster than the Macabees (At the expense of the army which had a far lower production than the Macabees did).
A war would be costly and Guffingford might even be lost and the Otium Aqua put under permanent threat, but the Royal navy could easily hold its own against the Kriermada and win. The enemy many now have ports closer to home but Stevid still hand closer ones and her airfields were closer still, the Holy Empire still held a unique and valuable advantage over the Otium Aqua.

The Macabee delegation left the Commodores in Sunderland to relay the information to the Admiralty, the Secret Service and the Government. The fleet movement had been known about for days but the destination of the fleet was still a mystery. Even though both sides relayed tactical information to each other, Stevid still remained cautious about disclosing submarine positions. It was well known that Stevid was a major naval power in the world, those who had military dealings with Stevid (Allied or hostile) knew full well that details on submarine positions were never disclosed. It didn’t matter if they were nuclear capable or not the fact of the matter remained that submarines were not meant to be detected and they lost all purpose if their positions were just given away. When the Macabees asked where the Royal Navy submarines were in the Otium Aqua the response was always “We’d be foolish not to have positioned submarines in the Otium Aqua” and that was it. It confirmed that subs were present but positions were never disclosed. It was something that the Macabees had grown used to and most of the time they couldn’t be bothered to comb the whole sea looking for the Stevidian subs, the only time they were detected was if Macabee shipping was passing through the Stevidian infested waters and a submarine got too close or was picked up by a sonar buoy. They never talked, they sailed silently and nothing more than shadows in the sea. Stevidian submarines had always been feared for their assassin like approach to their objectives, after it was a Stevidian submarine that managed to penetrate hostile waters in North Macabees and successfully fire a nuclear missile and even get away without being detected. A fact that had so annoyed the Macabee fleet commanders that the Commodores at these meetings in Sunderland made every effort to try and drop it into conversation.

Surface shipping and aircraft would tail the fleet until it left Stevidian waters (this term was now used loosely to encompass the whole Otium Aqua- much to the disgust of the Macabee Admirals and sailors alike), submarines would then keep up the pursuit but like all High Commands they would rather know the destination of an enemy fleet before the enemy get there… this was information that Stevid was struggling to ascertain.

[b]MI6 Headquarters, Stevid Capita

“What do you mean you don’t know! It’s your bloody job to find out! Why aren’t you doing your bloody job you blithering idiot?” Scott Williams, Head of MI6was already furious that he hadn’t found out the destination of the fleet and one of his officers still hadn’t produced the results.

“Sir I’m afraid that the Golden Throne Government isn’t quite as leaky as some of our other foreign governments, Kanami and the USA leak like sieves as do some of our allies but the Golden Throne have been uncharacteristically tight lipped about the whole thing. All messages are heavily encrypted that by the time we decode them the enemy will have reached its destination.” The intelligence officer replied. He was right, during the war it had been easy on occasions to listen in on enemy communications and troop/fleet movements albeit unsuccessful 80% of the time, but now they were quiet- too quiet and nothing was being leaked. In Cold Wars things always got out one way or another but the Golden Throne had taken every measure possible to make sure that Stevid intelligence kept guessing until it was too late.

“What can you tell me then that is relevant to this fleet and what the Macabees might be planning?”

“Yes sir. The fleet movement can be for one of three possibilities: Redeployment to Safehaven- the reason for such a large fleet is that is saves time and it shows to us that they are still an exceptionally powerful sea fairing nation. Additional protection to the Merkar Republic or there’s going to be another war.”

The last possibility made Williams look up in surprise. “Another war? It can’t be with us surely?”

“We don’t believe so sir because hundreds of armour and troop units are being moved from the Macabee end of the neutral zone in Guffingford. We don’t know where they are going either but it is obvious to see that the movement of ground and naval forces in such large numbers is no coincidence. Satellite imagery has picked up thousands of troops leaving Guffingford and other areas of their Empire to deploy somewhere else.”

“That rules out Athiesism then and it also rules out redeployment to Safehaven, there’s no strategic reason for them to do so. War it is then, but with who?”

“We can make calculated guesses sir. Tir or Theohuanacu are the most probable targets.”

Williams smiled broadly as it immediately dawned on him what the target was.
“What do think the most obvious target is out of those two choices is?”[/i] He asked smugly.

“Personally? Theohuanacu sir. Tir has no strategic value to the Golden Throne and their government has always remained neutral in almost all conflict no just in the region but in the whole world. The Macabees may be warring, tribal barbaric lot but they have sense of honour- they would never attack Tir whereas Theohuanacu has an almost limitless amount of value to the Golden Throne.
“Theohuanacu is rich with oil but is a wasteland in every respect with radiation that is swamping the former country. Strategically it is perfect for the Golden Throne; it is south of us and so if naval ports are built then they can position several fleets to our West, North and South with friendly ports in either direction. There are two disputed zones around Theohuanacu, one to the East and one to the South of which they can claim both by military force. I’m sure they’ll want Holy Panooly too.”

“But that is a problem for the Golden Throne?”

“Yes sir. Adaptus Astrates borders Theohuanacu, the central disputed zone and Holy Panooly. Adaptus Astrates has always claimed the central disputed zone as its own and has already moved in on many regions of Holy Panooly since the fall of Guffingford claiming dozens of diamond mines. The disputed zone also gives access to the large amounts of undersea natural gas that Adaptus Astrates has been after for some years, they already have several civilian rigs in that region of sea. Adaptus Astrates is a key military power in the region and is the big player on that continent, if the Golden Throne struts around like it owns the place it will start something major.”

“Is the Golden Throne aware that Adaptus Astrates is part of the Holy Empire?”

“Almost certainly, I’m sure they’ve done their homework on the Holy Empire. However if they don’t know then they are in for one hell of a shock.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it, I’m sure the Golden Throne is acting while well aware of Adaptus Astrates’ position within the Empire. I guess they feel that since Adaptus Astrates isn’t very strong simply because they haven’t fought many wars. If the Macabees does end up fighting the armed forces of AA and expecting them to be inexperienced and a walkover then they are dead wrong. She fought in the Holy Panooly civil war, doesn’t sound like much but two weeks in that conflict can turn a sixteen year recruit into a hardened war veteran. She also invaded and occupied the Steppe Empire after the inhabitants fled in the wake of a nuclear bombardment… from Adaptus Astrates and on top of that- she’s part of the Holy Empire and has access to our military inventory, natural resources and God knows what else. She is more than capable of fighting the Macabees and even winning on the ground!”

“What of Holy Panooly? Will the Golden Throne try and take that?”

“In all probability yes but they will fail. Not because the Empire will step in but because it’s too damn difficult. Millions of square miles of Holy Panooly are nothing but dark jungle with millions upon millions of people belonging to well equipped tribes. It will be intense guerrilla warfare that will end in defeat for the Macabees, Holy Panooly is nothing more than a pirate’s cove and the Royal Navy gave up on it decades ago. Leave HP to rot in its own corruption and filth, if the Golden Throne ever manage to conquer it then I’ll personally settle for a lasting peace treaty because it’ll show how tough those bastards really are.”

“Speaking of treaties I hope this alliance with Independent Hitmen and Damirez goes through, it might hold off the Macabees long enough for Adaptus Astrates to act.”

The two continued talking and eventually a brief meeting was held by the heads of the intelligence services and then plans of possible action were drawn up. Adaptus Astrates was in a key position on the continent to oppose the Macabees on a political and military front; although conflict was to be avoided at all costs it seemed logical for the imperial dominion to flex its muscles a bit. It was probably no secret to the Macabees’ intelligence services that the Adaptus Astrates’ political envoy to Stevid was meeting the Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, the purpose was secret but even a half clever man could guess what it was about. News about the Golden Throne moving a fleet through Otium Aqua was following through the Interlink with many citizens on edge that another was possibly afoot and several civilian modern warfare professors couldn’t to press home the fact that the power vacuum left by Guffingford and the stagnation of so many regional powers left only Stevid and the Macabees as truly dominant. Stevid sailed most of the seas in the region relatively unmolested and continued to produce naval ships at a phenomenal rate. The Macabees was a substantial naval power but even they channelled at least some respect for the Royal Navy, the Macabees had the advantage on the ground where almost any ground based conflict would be in favour of the Golden Throne. In air, both sides could match each other and only good logistics and tactical planning would provide a victor if war broke out. There were pros and cons for a war, Stevid would take to the seas and feel more confident than their opposition while the Golden Throne was producing tanks and army equipment faster than Stevid was and thus would be favourites on the ground. All in all, the Golden Throne would be favourites to win a second war if it broke out with Stevid only able to make the enemy pay dearly for every inch that they took. It was scary for anybody in Stevid to think about it and right now, only the combined power of the Empire could possibly stand up against the Macabees if a ground war erupted, without aid from either imperial or non-imperial allies- Stevid was doomed on the ground.

Heavily Encrypted Message to the Imperium of Adaptus Astrates

As the longest serving, the strongest and most trusted member of the entire Holy Empire, Stevid looks to you, Adaptus Astrates, for help. This message is request more so than an order from the King but we implore you to consider this message despite the pros and cons.

You may or may not be aware of the Macabees’ plans to invade and occupy Theohuanacu. At the moment this is still speculation but our intelligence services are sure this is the objective of a huge battlefleet that has just left the Otium Aqua and they should arrive at Theohuanacu within a week or two.

This would be devastating to Stevid and the Holy Empire as it means they can position fleets at Theohuanacu and directly threatened the Southern Straits and actually attack the Stevidian homeland assuming the Royal Navy is destroyed or simply removed from the tactical equation. We are aware that your military is already on hot standby seeing as you have annexed the Steppe Empire and have forces positioned in the disputed. Whether or not you plan to take Holy Panooly is none of Stevid’s concern but we do ask a favour. Theohuanacu is neutral, unoccupied territory and the Holy Empire would prefer it that way, the Macabees have other ideas and we cannot allow them to just walk in and claim all the land which will then lead to the fall of Stevid and the Holy Empire. Adaptus Astrates is perfectly positioned to invade former Theohuanacu and take a sizable chunk of it before the Golden Throne occupies the whole Western and Northern coastlines. It is vital that the Golden Throne is limited to at least 67% of the land mass from the South to the mid-North, Adaptus Astrates is perfectly placed to prevent much of the North falling into enemy hands.

While they will be able to build naval ports and ship yards elsewhere in Theohuanacu, it will be far easier for the Royal Navy and your own Imperial Navy to contain the threat posed by the Kriermada in Theohuanacu if we don’t seize what land we can. A military incursion into the disputed territory to your South is also granted but your priority is the North and mid-North of Theohuanacu.

These are desperate times and war is looking increasingly likely. The Holy Empire has made more friends in the six months after the war but we still have no more military allies than we did during the war. Adaptus Astrates, one way or another, will have an aggressive neighbour on its door step and Theohuanacu will no longer be a former nation but merely another dominion within the Golden Throne. The Holy Empire does not want to see imperialism on this scale sweep through the region. The Empire is the last beacon of hope in the region and the last opponent the Macabees has to face before it can walk all over the region. We do not fear defeat, but we do fear what will happen to other great nations on the globe if we fall to stop the Macabees from taking over the whole region and becoming the sole superpower. We can disrupt their long-term plans early by denying them the whole of Theohuanacu, take whatever you can but do not provoke a war… but also do [b]not give into their pressure, stand your ground and only attack if they present themselves as hostile.

We will send ground forces to heavily reinforce you but only after the part of the Eastern coastline and the entire North coast has been secured. You must act swiftly because there is very little time remaining. The capital is not important, the coastline and the ports dotted along it are.

Good luck friends.

God Save The King And His Glorious Holy Empire

North Point, Theohuanacu
‘Sir, permit me to remind you that I am a very powerful political figure in the Golden Throne.’ What was a vaguely disguised threat didn’t seem to alter the decision of the red-bereted soldier to search within the subject’s pockets and even tap the subject’s testicles. The soldier only smiled back, and the Macabee ‘political figure’ could only twist his face in disgust. The man continued, ‘Look man, I’m only here for a vacation – I think we can both agree, especially after the point where you massaged by ball sack, that I’m not a goddamn threat to your beloved country.’

The soldier’s expression didn’t change, and in fact the guard mocked the Macabee visitor. With a thick accent, the soldier asked, ‘What’s your name?’ The Theohuanacu red beret’s voice was cold and the question was direct. But, it didn’t mean that the Macabee man had to be more respectful.

‘What does that matter? Hey, you know what? In my suitcase I think I left a little bit of money, just in case I got mugged or something in my stop in Tir. I mean, you know how shitty that country is, right?’

The soldier wasn’t dissuaded, ‘Tir is a very prominent nation, and we have deep respect for them.’

The Macabee rolled his eyes, ‘You aren’t the sharpest tool in the shed, huh. I mean, I obviously just tried to bribe you. I hope that makes it a peep more obvious. How much do you make as a soldier? I’m pretty sure that after your country got nuked to the Stone Age you males are pretty much conscripts. I mean, correct me if I’m wrong. When I was in the Imperial Army during the first few months of the War I was paid around two hundred Reichmarks per month. Previous to that, a common infantryman was making around a thousand quid per month. That means, conscripts in my army were making five times less than a professional soldier before the war. Now, if that’s my country – a wealthy, powerful empire – your country must give you a pretty shitty monthly pay. Fifty of whatever currency you use in this shit hole?’

The soldier laughed, ‘Mr. Balkén …’ that got to the Macabee man; how does he know my name? The soldier went on, ‘… degrading my nation and I will get you nowhere. I make enough money to live and that is enough for me. The only shit hole here is the cell you’re going to end up in. So, I want you to shut your mouth until I get rid of you. In your cell, where no soul can hear you, you can talk all you want.’

Henry Balkén’s face turned sour, ‘Mother fuckers! You guys have a better intelligence system than one would have thought.’ He laughed; as if to mock the soldier, ‘Look guy, all I have to say is fuck …’ He didn’t have enough time to finish his insult. The red bereted soldier struck him across the face with the butt of his pistol, and the Macabee man fell not only silent, but knocked unconscious. The rest of the people in the airport didn’t seem to notice or care. This was usual business in a Theohuanacu airport, given that the country was full of spies, drug dealers, other various types of criminals, mercenaries, and really anything one could think of. Hell, even the Invisible Hand operated in Theohuanacu, although ever since their failures in Guffingford – largely thanks to the Golden Throne’s intelligence service and government sponsored terrorism – the Invisible Hand was truly ‘invisible’. They operated here and there, but most based in Theohuanacu stayed in Theohuanacu. In Greater Dienstad, it was safer to disassociate one’s self from such groups – termed ‘terrorists’ by the Empire – and continue on with your life in some improvised new way. Many ex-invisible hand operatives worked as mercenaries for the local governments, spreading terror in the remaining villages in the inland. In fact, it was largely due to ex-invisible hand spies that Theotihuacan, the once proud capital of a proud nation, fell into chaos and was sacked in the years after the ‘nuclear holocaust’.

All this brought up an interesting point. Although the Empire’s military had not yet encroached in this part of the region, the Empire’s spies had. In fact, imperial spies existed in almost every major nation of the world – Questers, Stevid, New Empire, Tir, et cetera. In fact, it had been the intelligence service which had largely orchestrated the collapse of the Guffingfordi government. In that case, it was an argument between having Guffingford as an ally in the war against Safehaven and Stevid – a decadent ally, about to lose his navy – or hording the country’s gold reserves to pay for the costs of combat with the Havenic hordes. Obviously, the Empire chose the latter. It should be remembered that the Invisible Hand was doing its own business in Guffingford, smuggling gold out of the country and into Knootoss. It was the intelligence service which assassinated, tortured and murdered the majority of the Invisible Hand’s higher officers in Guffingford, most top bankers and economists and had conducted a policy of terror against the Guffingfordi government to coerce it to operate with Fedala. Of course, all of this in secret and the intelligence service holds to this day that it had nothing to do with Guffingford’s internal problems – even though, Jonach’s administration actively called out for greater action against Guffingfordi corruption and the illegalization of the Invisible Hand. What happened to Guffingford was more or less inevitable, really. But, all of this was in the past. Now, Guffingford was split between two major powers and had little hopes of independence. The Empire was not a nation that had to cater to a population which called for political correctness. The emperors did not cater to anybody, except to themselves. If the Guffingfordi population created problems, they would be exterminated – as simple as that. That said, it should also be remembered that the average Guffingfordi respects the fact that Guffingford is recovering economically and now one can count on a fairly respectful wage.

But, all is largely irrelevant in accordance with this smaller picture in this Theohuanacu airport – simply, the Macabee intelligence service was omnipresent everywhere. The trip to the local prison did not take long – squad cars did not have to adhere to speeding laws. That was an advantage to being a red-beret; the clan’s ‘praetorian guard’ did not have to adhere to any law. Had they had to then millions of the local population would not be dead in order to guarantee the power of the local ruling warlords. But, that was matter of fact in a divided and impoverished nation like Theohuanacu. As the car arrived and the subject was dragged out of the vehicle and into the prison, Balkén woke up. His eyes darted wildly before they adjusted to where he was, and he said, ‘Wow, how creative. You’re taking me to a local prison. Do I get a phone call?’ These last words were said with a dramatic sarcastic twist.

The soldier looked down and his prisoner and said, ‘No, but you get something up your ass once you meet your cell mate.’

‘Sounds nice. Do you do it often? I mean, have butt sex with your male play mate. Is that something that goes in Theohuanacu? In the Empire you guys would be considered big fat faggots.’

The soldier smiled, ‘This isn’t the empire, boy.’

The red-bereted soldier dragged Balkén through the halls which made up the prison, and then down a long and winding staircase all the way to the bottom of the building. The local prison was larger than one would assume if he looked at it from the outside. Most of it was built underground, and the worst cells were at the very bottom. The Theohuanacu military man continued, ‘Do you want to know what your suite will be like?’

‘Like the fucking Ritz.’

The soldier laughed again, this time a lot louder, ‘Not tall enough for a male to stand, but not wide enough for a male to lie down.’ None of them spoke to each other again. The rest of the trip to the cell was made in silence and the Macabee prisoner was thrown in like a chicken onto the back of a pick-up truck getting ready to go the slaughterhouse. With that done, the soldier returned to the top – probably to fill out paperwork.

In his office awaited a pale, but tall and strong man that went by the name of Theluge Mapáke. He obviously wasn’t a local – not tanned enough, and too tall. When the soldier walked in, the man outstretched his arm and greeted, ‘Glad to see it has all gone according to plan.’

The dark skinned soldier smiled and replied, ‘Do you have my ten million?’

‘No.’ The other man didn’t return the smile.

The soldier was obviously not pleased, ‘You are joking, right? I thought your Empire and I had a deal? We’d kill your spy and give you your reason, and you’d give me the money.’

The Macabee man’s expression did not change, and he said nothing. He leaned against the wall, pulled out a gun from the pocket of his white dress pants, and pointed it at the Theohuanacu. The soldier looked shocked at first, but then didn’t seem to threatened, ‘I haven’t killed the prisoner yet. You kill me and the country will blame you for instigating the war. Give me my money, and you will have your war.’

The Macabee man’s straight face cracked into a toothy smile and he retorted, ‘The Empire does not pay traitors.’

The soldier fell to the floor microseconds after the crack of the pistol’s propellant igniting and expanding could be heard throughout the prison building. The guards wouldn’t do much to the respect, given that most had been paid. Truth be told, the payments to the individual guards totaled to be a lot less than what had been promised to the prison’s warden. Within minutes the Macabee spy captured in the airport would be dead, as well, and one of the prison guards would be contacting another Macabee spy in the city, who in return would contact the intelligence service’s headquarters in Fedala. The cassus belli had been established.



Nightly News at Eleven
Macabee Tourist Killed in Theohuanacu Prison

NORTH POINT, Theohuanacu – A truly dramatic and tragic story unfolded, today, in one of the largest cities of Theohuanacu. A Macabee tourist by the name of Mikhail Thanes was killed today by a local soldier when escorted to a prison. Rumors persist that the soldier killed this innocent man in compliance with orders issued by the local government. The government has blamed the Stevidian administration for inspiring government supported terrorism against targets of Imperial interest. According to newly released data, over one hundred citizens of the Empire have been killed in Theohuanacu due to government sponsored murder. The parliament, today, has declared these soldiers and their government a ‘terrorist organization.’ Furthermore, the Holy Empire has been accused of funding this group in Theohuanacu.

It should be remembered that it is the same warlord that has instigated years of civil strife in the northern areas of Theohuanacu and has caused the deaths of millions of civilians. The Empire has termed the civil war in Theohuanacu as ‘one of the greatest genocides in the history of mankind’. Despite these killings, the city of North Point has remained an area of immense tourism due to the rich history of the city. It’s estimated that before the War over two hundred million Macabee tourists visited the city per year, and after the war tourism continued although at a much lower rate. Tourism continues to play one of the largest roles in the local economy, and is responsible for the creation of so many jobs inside the city. In fact, despite the violence, North Point’s economy is one of the largest in the region and the city is largely regarded as a sovereign city-state, independent from the rest of Theohuanacu.

However, the recent violence is due to hurt the city’s tourism-based industry. Whether this is good or bad can be disputed. The Empire has blamed the money won through tourism for the ongoing civil war in the nation. The local war lords pay their offensives in the center of the nation with the money gained by the city, and this has resulted in ongoing death in the most impoverished sectors of Theohuanacu – the center and south. The southern, western and eastern approaches are full of oil, but this valuable resource has already been gobbled up by neighboring nations – Tir and Indras, for the most part. The collapse of a centralized government has made it impossible for the practical reunification of the country, and numerous propositions by the parliament to send peacekeepers to the country have failed in the face of heated responses by the local ruling warlords. However, it seems as if their outcries will make no difference this time.

In a speech to the Empire, Fedor I declared that, ‘The Empire will soon take an active role in the problems of Theohuanacu. I have ordered a large number of soldiers to deploy to this nation as peacekeepers to help establish a lasting end to the ongoing civil war. With the help of the Golden Throne, Theohuanacu will return to its previous wealth. We will give Theohuanacu what we are giving northern Safehaven and Guffingford – something that no other nation can give them. It is our task, as a great empire, to guide those less fortunate.’ According to government sources, the Empire is deploying ten thousand men to the city of Tarn, which is in disputed territory between Adaptes Astrates and Holy Panooly. Tarn will serve as the headquarters for peace keeping operations in the archipelago. According to a top military official the occupation of Tarn ‘will bring peace to a political conflict between Adaptes Astrates, Holy Panooly and Theohuanacu and will allow a much more fruitful venture in the latter country.’

The Stevidian government has recently spoken against Imperial fleet movements in Otium Aqua, calling the Empire a nation of warmongers. Fedor I, in his speech to the people today, has reminded all that it was Stevid who aided the Havenic barbarian hordes in their quest to conquer the Empire. A quest, the emperor reminds, they both failed.



Tarn, Disputed Territory – Eighteen hours later
The Empire did not like to waste time, and their deployment to Tarn was immediate. The fleet of thirty transport areas, originating from Sidi Rezegh, had to refuel at Athiesism, but the remainder of the flight was done at east. The aircraft would have to be aerially refueled by allied tankers on the return trip, but that was less important. Athiesism would have to get used to being used as a convenient military base between Theohuanacu and the Empire, because for the next two weeks operations in the area would be completely re-supplied by air. The fleet wasn’t bound to arrive from the north for another twelve days, or so. As they flew over the calm waters which led to the disputed territory south Adaptes Astrates, the sun began to tuck itself behind the planet and it was getting darker. By the time the aircraft arrived over their targets the night would have begun – Imperial soldiers were lords of the night. Each aircraft held two strings of one hundred men – or two hundred men total –, and the entire invasion force accounted for six thousand airborne infantry. The six battalions formed the majority of the 56th Airborne Division, of which the remainder would arrive the next day once the city’s airport was taken. Within the bowls of the transports, the soldiers sat quietly with their assault rifles pointed towards the floor – important during helicopter transport, but in this case a habit transferred over. Some had taken sleeping pills to earn some rest over the trip, and their effect was about to wear off.

The operation wasn’t as ambitious as some would have liked to think. The Empire had gained much experience in airborne operations during the War of Golden Succession – for the most part, the initial occupation of Guffingford was done by airborne infantry. The 56th was only one airborne division out thirty, which meant that the Empire had possible one of the largest airborne contingents in the world. In this case, it would be useful given that the velocity of airborne warfare would be necessary to harness specific targets before the actual ‘war’ began. Any fool could conclude that the occupation of the disputed territory – or, at least in part – would lead to a heated criticism by Adaptes Astrates and Holy Panooly, and perhaps a preemptive military occupation of their own. What the Empire fear ed the most was that Adaptes Astrates would declare war on the Empire for infringing on what they thought was their territory. A war with Adaptes Astrates would mean war with Stevid, which would mean that the Empire would have to call in her NATO allies – another War of Golden Succession. Then again, perhaps a war would not be such a bad idea. Losses would only be temporary, and to be sure Adaptes Astrates would lose more lives than would the Empire; the Empire would not gain Theohuanacu for the time being, but all of Guffingford would be hers. From Guffingford, the Holy Empire’s fleet would not be safe, and neither would their homeland. To be honest, at first thought it seemed as a second war would benefit only the Golden Throne. But, that was largely irrelevant given that nobody thought that a second large war would break out so soon after the last – if it did, it would be a pitifully short cold war.

It was true, nonetheless, that the airborne assault was preemptive, and perhaps provocative. Tarn was the only major city in the disputed zone, and more a city-state than anything else – a city-state whose economic influence had waned in the face of a decadent Theohuanacu, an impoverished Holy Panooly, and a far more powerful and wealthy Adaptes Astrates. However, its occupation was important for its position in the center, and the occupation of Tarn would give the Empire a port in that area of the region, where it could operate against any fleet threatening its ambitions. Given the speed of the Macabee invasion, Tarn could probably be discarded as captured. A second aerial column, formed by the 120th airborne division, was also on its way – but, this time to North Point. That city would resist much more than Tarn, and so the entire division was sent at once – and these would receive their mechanization much faster than those at Tarn. In Tarn, the airborne troopers would only make use of a battery of twelve 105mm pack artillery howitzers, which had little value in a city. The 90th airborne division was also in the air, headed to the peninsula south of North Point – the capture of this peninsula would cut off a major portion of the local warlord’s military forces, and would offer the Empire a perfect landing site. All in all, some twenty-six thousand soldiers were in the air, ready to form the spearhead of the invasion of Theohuanacu.

Post-war all airborne soldiers were slated to receive one of Kriegzimmer’s infamous BDU-64 armored suits – fully articulated and the weight supported. Special Forces soldiers had worn these suits in their short lived war with Jagada over colonial possessions, and they had proved to be useful. The green material, which encased titanium diboride and titanium plating, could stop an eight millimeter bullet where it most mattered and could survive multi-hit impact. The suit was simply too expensive to supply to all imperial soldiers, but elite infantry units had began to get their own battle armor right after the war had ended. The suit added a few centimeters of height, and a lot of bulk, which tended to scare the locals – another plus. With their sixty year old assault rifles, there wasn’t much the local warlords could do to counter the invasion, and with the infamous efficiency of the paratroopers much of the local population would be dead before the fighting was brought to a close. As the aircraft neared the target, the paratroopers rose, grasping their Hali-42 assault rifles close to their bodies, and began to harness themselves to the ‘line’ above their heads. The two sticks would unload simultaneously – the two doors on the aircraft would serve both sticks. For those that would be able to see it, it would prove to be an impressive invasion; one of the few large scale parachute invasion operations in the history of warfare. When the aircraft flew over their landing zone, the invasion finally began.

In Tarn, the paratroopers landed about a kilometer south of the city, and once on the ground they consolidated rather quickly. The howitzers were unloaded and formed into two six-gun batteries, and two companies were allotted to form the defense of the artillery batteries. These guns would perform surgical artillery support for the advancing paratroopers, through the city – with a range of twelve kilometers they could hit any part of the city from where they were. The threat of an immediate counter attack by allied forces was not likely, and so a large reserve was unnecessary – the majority of the men would partake in the capture of the city. The plan was simple; the paratroopers would capture all relevant telecommunication buildings, the airport, police stations and whatever was relevant to a ‘military’. Within two hours Tarn would be under the control of imperial forces, and the 7th mechanized infantry division would be on their way in strategic airlifts, along with their vehicles. The airport would be cleared of civilian aircraft, and a large number of fighters, interceptors and multi-role aircraft would call it their new base. Deadly and efficient – how the Empire liked to play the game.

Soon enough, the drumming of constant artillery could be heard in a radius of at least one hundred kilometers. The twelve guns weren’t much, but it was something that was bound to wake up the city’s neighbors. Despite the fact that the city had thirty minutes after the initial landings to prepare, the attack was still a surprise. The paratroopers quickly overwhelmed local police forces and took the most important police stations of the city. Without the police, the telecommunication buildings were captured without a fight, and security forces at the airpower were killed. It only took the time to get there to capture the main targets, and consequently the paratroopers began to look for their secondary objectives – the capture of the city’s government and the declared surrender of Tarn. With that, the 7th mechanized infantry division would have little to do in the city, other than wait until it was deployed to Theohuanacu or war with Adaptes Astrates began. The rest of the disputed territory was not looked after, and the Empire had little interests in wasting manpower to capture it just yet. A potential war with Adaptes Astrates could wait.

In the mean time, the paratroopers continued to wreak havoc. The city’s citizenry didn’t do much, and instead preferred to remain inside their houses. There was not much a person could do against a metallic beast rampaging through your streets. Most had heard about Imperial plans to occupy their neighbor with peacekeepers, but few of them thought that the Empire would also take Tarn – the largest neutral city near the island of Theohuanacu. But, truth be told, most of them were impressed by the Macabee soldiers – they looked more robotic, than human, and it gave a good first impression for the Empire of the Golden Throne. Tall, cold, powerful, ambitious and efficient – that was the Empire in five words. The image the army had gotten during the War of Golden Succession soon found itself translated in the streets of Tarn. Once the paratroopers had stormed the government buildings, it began to hunt down politically important entities throughout the housing of the city. When found, these were dragged out and shot in the street. Politicians of Adaptes Astrates were simply arrested and sent to the local prison, where they would wait until they were handed over to the northern country the following day. Politicians from Holy Panooly were imprisoned elsewhere, and waited until the day their home nation decided to pay a high price for their freedom. The occupation of the city soon turned brutal – if the family protested the death of the person killed, the entire family was locked within the house and burned alive. One could see the flames erupt from the center of the urban zone, and the fires soon grew in number.

Imperial soldiers were interested in painting an image that resistance was not well looked upon. During the War of Golden Succession, villages which resisted were completely leveled and all inhabitants executed one by one. The example worked, given that the next villages would surrender immediately to the Imperial onslaught, except if Havenic soldiers were brave enough to try to withstand the offensive. Local policemen were gathered in their stations and teams of Macabee soldiers explained to them the new reality – their wages would be quadrupled for their services as officers of the peace in Tarn. They would effectively become mercenaries. But paratroopers could hardly waste their time instilling peace in Tarn, and had to look upon further operations elsewhere. While the 7th occupied Tarn and its surroundings, the 56th was destined for another aerial assault – this time in Theohuanacu, to support the invasion of the other two divisions. By radio, the 56th soon learned that the capture of North Point had not gone according to plan – heavy resistance had limited the day’s success, and only the airport had been successfully taken; this airport would be where the 56th would land while the 7th began to arrive in Tarn. Some thirty thousand men would operate in northern Theohuanacu until the arrival of the much larger seaborne invasion force.

What did the Empire gain from this? The occupation of Tarn and the beginning of warfare in northern Theohuanacu sent the message that the Empire had claimed the island in its entirety. How could a foreign power attempt to preempt the Macabee invasion, if the invasion had already started? In effect, if Adaptes Astrates was looking for war the nation would start it, regardless. But, if it wasn’t – Theohuanacu was effectively already occupied; it was too late for Adaptes Astrates to act, without provoking outright conflict between the Golden Throne and the Holy Empire.

Fedala, General Staff Building
Daví Liénken, once again, sat on the opposite side of the wooden table, looking at Fedor I attentively. For all practical purposes, if a large war was to start it had already began. Fedor I had tossed the die, and now it was up to Fate and Fortune. The emperor, as usual when he was conducting war, stood in front of a mammoth electronic map – this time of only Theohuanacu and surrounding islands. Thick red lines surrounded Imperial territorial ambitions, and six words spelled out ‘First Week Objective’ and ‘Second Week Objective’. It was all pretty clear and simple – Liénken assumed the emperor would get more into detail, and he was correct. ‘Gentlemen, this is the overall plan for the invasion. You have your objectives here, and it’s up to you how to take them within the time allotted. A quick occupation of the country will allow us to reorient our strengths elsewhere.’

One of the generals raised his hand, and the room looked at him. The general didn’t seem at all perturbed, and asked, ‘Your Imperial Majesty, I’m guessing that the offensive slated for the second week will have to be done by troops in full NBC uniform.’

‘You are correct, general.’ Fedor didn’t seem to get the general’s point.

‘Infantry in full chemical suit are not going to cover that distance in a week’s worth of time; that is at least six hundred kilometers.’

A voice in the background said, ‘Or more.’ The other generals seemed to agree, but Fedor wasn’t moved.

‘The advance to Theotihuacan will be made by mechanized infantry. All of our vehicles are fully prepared for nuclear warfare, and the capture of the capital is most important. The center of the country is sparsely populated and mostly nuclear wasteland. The occupation of that will take years, and will be carried out by a large number of experts on the subject – roughly sixty thousand troops cleaning the area for four years straight. Of course, those men will be rotated every twelve months, but it will be a long and arduous effort. When the waste has, for the most part, been cleaned we can begin the repopulation of Theohuanacu using the auxiliary divisions. It will be an industry-based economy, but the auxiliaries don’t know that.’ Fedor smiled, and some of the officers chuckled. Fedor went on, ‘Therefore, troops won’t have to march. They will ride to their destination – the capture of Theotihuacan means the capture of that territory, even if haven’t physically occupied most of it.’

Liénken spoke up, ‘What are the chances that Adaptes Astrates join the war?’

Fedor nodded solemnly, ‘An ELINT submarine in Theohuanacu waters captured a transmission to Adaptes Astrates, but we haven’t been able to decode it. I’m guessing it would be a worthless endeavor to try, anyways. Adaptes Astrates is part of Stevid’s Holy Empire, and consequently we can only expect a number of this – with the message or without the message. If Stevid is bold, Adaptes Astrates will be used to block our invasion. Fortunately, they are a little late for that! Otherwise, if they still don’t know our objectives, they are warning Adaptes Astrates of a possible war between us and them. Whatever was said, it’s clear that Stevid has suspicions of our fleet movements in Otium Aqua. I don’t think they can believe that we are preparing an invasion of their home island – we would have taken Southern Guffingford, first. We already have enough men in Athiesism to protect the island against future aggression, and rotations are done through aerial transport and not by colossal war fleets. In other words, we weren’t subtle.’

A lot of poetry, but Liénken got the point. The chief of general staff nodded in agreement and then asked, ‘And if they enter the war?

Fedor waited a few seconds and then responded, ‘We will crush them, and we will crush Stevid’s possessions in Guffingford. We will call upon our own allies, and war will rage across this region and many other regions once again. Stevid will have wished to have never come across the Empire of the Golden Throne and Fedor I, and Adaptes Astrates will be forced to pay tributes as vassals to the Emperor of Emperors, King of Kings.’

‘Do they know that?’ The general said this in a sarcastic tone, and Fedor picked it up.

‘General, it should be obvious. Even if they believe they can defeat us on the sea, they would lose all their territories in Guffingford. We would be the winners in the war – Stevid would lose another territorial possession, and we will have the possibility for a never ending bombardment of the Stevidian mainland until they came to us weeping for peace. And thereafter, the Empire will simply strike at Theohuanacu again – the Empire will not be held back. It will take the strength of the entire world united to defeat the Golden Throne.’

Liénken thought otherwise, but it wasn’t wise to question the emperor too much. Liénken agreed that any major war would end with the conquest of all of Guffingford, but that still meant the isolation of at least thirty thousand troops in Theohuanacu – or more. It would take a naval victory to save those troops, and not a naval victory in Otium Aqua. Truth be told, if worse came to worse the men could probably be withdrawn from Theohuanacu – the Holy Empire’s fleet would have to have its attention fully on the Imperial fleet in Otium Aqua, and a secondary Imperial fleet would simply bring the troops back home. But, if Adaptes Astrates took Theohuanacu after any future war, it would mean that the Empire could no longer have this goal in mind unless it looked to continue the major war. Otherwise, Stevid and her allies would have to be decisively defeated in order to guarantee Theohuanacu as a territorial possession of the Empire. World conquest was a delicate affair, but one that the Empire seemed willing to risk.

Imperial High Command, Caliban, Adaptus Astrates

The operations room was a bee hive of activity, officers, couriers, even the tea ladies were busy in the dead of night. The message from Stevid, in regards to the Golden Throne invading Theohuanacu and the Tarn area, had been received almost as soon as it had been sent, but the military was slow to react, and confirmation of the message came when a radio signal was picked up from a trawler detailing that a large fleet of warships from the Macabees was heading for Theohuanacu. Eighteen hours after the warning. It was an incredible move by the Golden Throne, to make such a long distance strike, and the eighteen hours worth of delay, all down to a rare moment of arrogance on the part of the High Command, might prove costly for the empire. The Emperor was fuming at the High Command for not taking Stevid, the nation’s closest ally, seriously in a life and death situation.

Tarn-area Disputed Zone

It was an edgy affair in terms of rapidly deploying troops, ships and aircraft. To the southern disputed zone, Rapid Reaction Group Omega was hastily sent forth toward Tarn. It was too late for RRG Omega, however, as word of a landing by now enemy paratroopers was underway. The commander of the RRG, one General Mike Campbell of fame of the war of the Steppe Empire, ordered his ground forces (about eight and a half thousand strong) to proceed south to the west coast of the land that faced Tarn. The battle plan was to proceed as far as possible down south to secure the land and hold back the enemy. Severla army divisions were also being directed southwards to reinforce the ground taken and to be held. Simple, easy to remember. But Campbell knew its simplicity left it open to misinterpretation. Nonetheless, the RRG was only a third of the plan. The consolation for not taking Tarn first was that it was built on an island, and the mainland was the empire’s top priority.

Airspace, Tarn City

A flight of F-35A Lightnings, twelve in number, entered the airspace above the city. Wing Commander Wallace, in the lead aircraft, looked down below through his NVGs, and could see military vehicles on the ground advancing on the city, illuminated by the street lights. He then activated his thermal goggles, in turn deactivating his NVGs, and could see thousands of troops setting up defensive positions, accompanied by howitzers. He then looked up to scan the horizon, and when looking up further he could see a flight of enemy aircraft. He knew that they would have spotted his planes by now as well. He signalled his planes.
“White King to White Rooks, intercept course, vector 280 zero, altitude ten thousand. Intercept those planes.”
His wingmen responded accordingly. They rose to meet them. The enemy planes were transports, most likely waiting for clearance to drop their troops or land their cargo. Wallace began to transmit on all channels in an attempt to contact the transports.
“In the name of the Imperium, I must warn you that you are violating international law. Please egress the area.” No response. “We understand your superiors’ intentions, and they may be honourable, yet they are illegal. Please respond.” They did not. Wallace decided enough was enough.
“White King to White Rooks, Tactical Withdrawal Alpha.” The pilots knew the command. It was supposed to give the impression of a standard withdrawal away from enemy aircraft, but really, half the squadron would leave, while the other half would turn away, then back, and then shoot, catching the enemy when they thought it was safe. This Wallace did. Six White Rooks turned away, followed by the others led by Wallace. Wallace began to turn. The transports entered his sights. He squeezed the trigger to fire his cannon. No missile lock, as that would alert the targets. The bullets caught the transports through the rear, raking through the transport compartments, killing many troops. Wallace ordered the rest of his group to finish their shooting and break off. He knew he my have acted prematurely, but a message had been sent. The Imperium will not sit by idly and be challenged on its own doorstep.

Waters near Tarn Island

Forty warships of the Seventh Fleet were en route towards the invasion area. Four carriers, six landing ships, twelve submarines and dozens of escorts, supported by a large fleet train, were heading south to counter the move by the Macabees. Another Task Group of similar size would secure other islands in the area that were of strategic significance. The Imperial Navy was ready to strike back with a vengeance.

North Theohuanacu

Late was the word to describe the landings in the north of the area. Nonetheless, a countering invasion force was being hastily brought to bear against the Macabees. The Ninth and Fifth Fleets, rushed from port, were making good speed to the east coast. In the meantime, land forces were being deployed to the north. The target for the eventual advance that would come would be fifty miles north of Theohuanacu’s capital city. But it would take time to even begin a scouting mission, so all the paratroopers could do was to set up fortified positions around makeshift airfields. North Point would be the first target for liberation, and at present only a comparatively tiny foothold in contrast to the Macabees territory gained. About thirty thousand men were being landed, to be reinforced nearly on a daily basis. This was only the start of plans to hold back the Golden Throne. Light tanks would be airlifted in as soon as possible, heavier tanks via sea.
High Command predicted a twenty five percent casualty rate, and seasoned veterans of the Steppe War waited in earnest for the order to engage the enemy when the contact came. It would take all the army could muster to drive back the invaders.

Imperial High Command

The High Command knew what they were in for, as word came through of the 233rd Squadron’s engagement. All out war was becoming a likely prospect. They would have to go through with it though. Three naval task forces would assist in operations to gain Tarn, North Point and capture other islands of value, whilst two others would secure the northern waters. The army being deployed to the little area not taken by the enemy was setting up defences that would build the basis for a land attack toward North Point, should it become necessary. The air battle had unofficially begun without the consent of the High Command, but whatever the outcome of Wallace’s actions, the airforce stood ready to fight tooth and nail to achieve victory.

ooc: this is a bit of a hastily rewrtitten post, expect a bit better quality later.

The Foreign Office was in a state of chaos, news spread quickly and sources in Adaptus Astrates confirmed everything the Holy Empire didn’t want to hear. Theohuanacu had been invaded; the disputed territory trespassed in with Tarn falling under the control of the Golden Throne. It was expected that more troops and equipment would be flowing into Theohuanacu within the next few days especially when the fleet arrived, an airborne assault had been overlooked by the Holy Empire- a costly mistake and one they would make again, Guffingford had fallen to the Golden Throne that way and it seemed so would Theohuanacu. But not everything was lost just yet, the Golden Throne did not want war with the Holy Empire just yet, that much was obvious or else they would have invaded Adaptus Astrates while they were at it, Stevid still had time to negotiate with a nation that was still have reasonable and open to appeasement although they held most of the cards after this rapid invasion.

The Foreign Office had contacted the Holy Empire’s diplomatic attaché in the Macabees with orders to meet with a Macabee representative for Fedor I. Fedor would never meet a Stevidian diplomat, probably not even a Stevidian born or half-born person and so another person capable of handling diplomacy and politics would have to be met instead. Using hotlines and emergency channels, Ambassador Trevor Scott to the Holy Empire was scheduled to meet someone he’d never even heard in a conference room in some political building he’d never seen before within the city of Welgar. Welgar had been affected by the war least and Stevid had never openly attacked or cause any devastation to that region, the radiation from the nuclear hadn’t reached this far either, public hatred for Stevid was lower here than it was in Fedala, lower than Macabee City and certainly lower than that in the city of Mosnoi Bor which had been victim to several bombing attacks by Haven pact in the war. It was safer Scott to travel and meet with Macabee representatives in Welgar than anywhere else. He was asked for identification several times in the building and was tightly escorted throughout, it was a complex building and when he entered the room with three Macabee diplomats, or politicians he wasn’t sure, he was ten minutes late.

The expression on one of the men’s face was smug, obviously full in the knowledge that Stevid was angry with the Golden Thrones sudden imperialistic foreign policy with Theohuanacu and worried about the Holy Empire interests on the continent. Scott remained standing without shaking hands and without introducing himself to the men in front of him, he was annoyed on behalf of Stevid and he himself was worried about the safety of the Empire after this brash move by the Macabees against Theohuanacu. It was the reason why he was here after all.

“Gentlemen I will make this brief, we know about your military actions in Theohuanacu and the disputed zone. We know of your fleet’s intentions and we have tactical assumptions as to why you are doing this. We don’t like it and we shall not tolerate it.”

“We assumed as much” one of the men retorted.

Scott flinched at the man’s rudeness but he expected nothing less from an over confident man from the Macabees who’s country was throwing its weight around like it owned the whole region. “Then you will understand if the Holy Empire wishes to make a few propositions, a few attempts at getting its fair share out of Theohuanacu as a country that has been in chaos for years?”

He didn’t wait for a reply. The Macabees were looking for a fight with the Holy Empire and Stevid would not disappoint them, but only in the fullness of time. Stevid was not quite ready to make such a bold step, everyone knew that whatever either side was doing now would only be stalling for more time before the fires of war were sweeping through the region once more.

“Just to keep the peace you understand? Stevid wishes for a compromise to this invasion. Such a hostile move towards Theohuanacu would not usually be of any concern to us but the presence of a powerful and wealthy member of the Holy Empire thus makes this invasion very much of our concern. Also if a war breaks out between us once again then a Golden Throne occupied Theohuanacu has the potential to open up a third front with us from the South and directly contests the Southern Stevidian Straights. We do not wish this but I’m sure we correctly assume that the Golden Throne won’t just end the invasion because of a few harsh words from my mouth which is why I propose a few compromises.”

He paused, only for a second or two to let his words sink in but as soon as one of the men in front of him began to open their mouths he cut in and continued talking.

“We do not want war, neither of us do.” He said in friendly and reassuring tone that was so obviously put on he was almost mocking the Macabee political representatives. “But Stevid has thought of a few things that might prolong the peace for the foreseeable future. We will not contest your occupation of Theohuanacu and the Holy Empire will order Adaptus Astrates not to invade but will keep only the minor outposts they have that are twenty miles or so within the Theohuanacu/Adaptus Astrates border. Other than that you can have the whole country… but we want something in return of course, the disputed zone to Adaptus Astrates’ south which includes Tarn City and the islands. AA has been after that territory for decades and the Empire wishes so, I’m sure that the disputed zone isn’t worth a war with the Holy Empire and remember you still get the whole of Theohuanacu.”

He smiled crudely but continued talking. “Our only other and exceptionally reasonable demand is that you limited the Northern coastline of Theohuanacu to only three naval ports. It makes the Holy Empire seem less threatening and it reduces the tension between our two countries, it may seem like you are winning in this battle of appeasement but you are sorely mistaken. This blatant act of imperialism is merely a shadow of what Stevid has managed to achieve in recent years regarding imperialism. May I remind you that during the War of Golden Succession Stevid fought two wars with Kanami and we had to send a great deal of military assets to maintain our hold on our islands in the combat zone, we now have no current hostilities with anyone apart from this little cold war. Stevid can just as easily cease other former territories from governments that have fallen into decay, examples range from Huzen Hagen, former AfrikaZKorps and Liberated America- hell even that Moleland Earth base plot to our south. If you wish to start a colonial war then you got it and when the tide of war turns against you then we shall soon see your ‘great’ country tuck its tail between its legs and go running to NATO for support.”

One of the men in front of Scott flinched, it was small but he picked it up has be bombarded the Macabees with insults. He changed his attitude though, he’d made his point and delivered the threats and messages he was told two, and there was no further reason to remain here talking to these people so he rounded off his speech in a genuinely friendly tone.

“Consider our proposals regarding Theohuanacu and the disputed zone and I’m sure we can come to an agreement. In the mean time, Stevid will ask the Imperium of Adaptus Astrates not to invade Theohuanacu. We won’t stop them invading the disputed zone, as far as we care it is as much the Holy Empire’s territory as it is the Golden Throne’s at this stage of the negotiations.”

Encrypted Message to the Imperium of Adaptus Astrates

STRICT ORDERS NOT TO INVADE THEOHUANACU STOP NEGOTIATIONS WITH GOLDEN THRONE IN PROGRESS STOP CONTINUE TO ADVANCE INTO DISPUTED ZONE BUT CONFLICT WITH MACABEE FORCES IS TO BE AVOIDED STOP FIRE IF FIRED UPON STOP TAKE AS MUCH TERRITORY IN THE DISPUTED ZONE AS POSSIBLE UNTIL YOU MEET MACABEE FORCES STOP

Tarn, Disputed Territory
The sky was lit up by some of the transports being lit aflame by enemy birds circling over the city’s airspace. Adaptes Astrates had declared war on the Second Empire of the Golden Throne without even attempting peace – the country had given the green light to engage Macabee transports. The delicate post-war situation had just been completely turned awry thanks to the hasty decisions made by the Astrati high command. Although the majority of the paratroops managed to land safely, the surprise attack of the flight of Astrati F-35s managed to kill a large enough number to be more than a mere ‘accident’. Exact numbers of dead Macabee soldiers would be unknown until they consolidated on the ground, after the lighting occupation of Tarn, but it could easily be deducted that no less than one hundred paratroops were killed total. The landing of light infantry divisions in captured cities would now have to be done under heavy escort, and several missions would have to be hastily planned to ground Astrati air power before it could conduct more damage on Macabee forces around Theohuanacu. One could assume that air bases in Athiesism and Northern Safehaven were a flurry of activity, as pilots were called from their bachelor’s quarters or private houses for combat.

Despite the fowl up, the 56th airborne division finished up their consolidation in the city below – Tarn had fallen to Macabee forces, although it seemed more likely now that the 56th would be pitted towards capturing more of the disputed territory. The area outside of Tarn was originally the Empire’s wild card – Fedor offered the occupation of the disputed zone to Adaptes Astrates and in return the throne would have undisputed ability to occupy the entirety of Theohuanacu. But, apparently the Astrati administration had failed to see Fedor’s offer and instead decided to open hostilities. Well, truth be told, no one could blame the foreign government for the attack on Macabee transports, for all one knew it could have been an impetuous young officer wanting to score a kill. If indeed it was this latter scenario, that officer would soon find out that he had managed to start anew another regional war, which soon could turn into a world war. The Holy Empire might have been extremely fond of their chances to defeat Macabee forces at sea, but they did not count on the massive amount of allies the Golden Throne disposed of – for example, NATO. If events spiraled out of control this war would very easily exceed the magnitude of the War of Golden Succession.

In the city administrative building, Lieutenant General Zakaria Ter’mult – overall commander of the 56th airborne division – scratched his head in confusion. He hadn’t thought that the Holy Empire would have been so willing to start a war. There was a chance that peace was still possible, for all intents and purposes the 56th airborne division now had the responsibility of engaging Astrati personnel. Over one hundred of his men were dead, and many others wounded, but the situation was not completely lost. The capture of Tarn had also meant the capture of a number of anti-air missile batteries around the city, probably given to Tarn by Astrati and Panooly forces in an attempt to counter each other’s vicious machinations in the disputed territory. These missile batteries were not terribly good, and they were paired with less effective anti-air gun batteries, but they would be enough to make sure that the Astrati government understood that war with the Empire would mean massive losses. In fact, even with only the 56th airborne division in Tarn – the recapture of the city would cost Adaptes Astrati an arm and a leg. It should have been learned during the War of Golden Succession that waging war against the Golden Throne was just not worth it. The Weigari rebels had learned it the hard way, and so had Safehaven – the Holy Empire had been spared due to the lack of interest to continue the war, and the use of nuclear weapons.

A lesser officer walked in through his office door just then, saluted and said, ‘General, what do you want me to tell high command?’

General Ter’mult took a deep breath, continued rubbing his head and then looked up at the officer. He was sure that news of the attack had already been reported back in the Second Empire, but this would be a more accurate report to the high command. What Ter’mult said right now would most likely be one of the deciding factors between peace and war. The general’s worn face was a symbol of this problem, and the other officer could see it. Ter’mult replied, ‘Tell them that one of our transport aircraft has been downed by Astrati forces, and that they have sent the aircraft a message to end operations. About an eighth of our forces have returned home, as we have no defenses against Astrati fighter aircraft. Tell them that we have acquired a number of anti-aircraft batteries that will be used for the immediate defense of the city.’

The officer annotated all of this on a piece of paper and then looked up, ‘General, are we at war?’

The general grimaced and said, ‘I don’t know, major. If we are, this is going to be a long and bloody war. The Empire is sure to continue fighting until all of their goals have been accomplished. I can only see an end to the war if the entire imperial fleet gets sunk, or the Stevidian navy is decisively defeated. Stevid is sure to lose Guffingford, but I don’t know what will happen to us – perhaps a siege. Who knows?’

The officer nodded and replied, ‘Should I tell the men that all Astrati property is officially a target, now?’

The general shook his head, ‘No, I’ll let my executive officer know and he will take care of distributing new orders effective immediately. Nevertheless, tell divisional staff to formulate new plans in defense of the city.’

Within thirty minutes news has been delegated back to Fedala on the attack, and within the city troops were being positioned for the immediate defense of Tarn. The international airport had been closed to civilian flights, and had been prepared for the arrival of a number of light infantry divisions by air. Although these flights would now have to be heavily escorted, more men would be needed to guarantee the defense of Tarn. Furthermore, Tarn could be used as a jump point to Theohuanacu, if North Point wasn’t completely captured soon enough. The port facilities of the city were prepared for the potential arrival of naval assets, while the port’s anti-aircraft batteries were reoriented towards the north. All possible anti-aircraft assets would have to be readied for defense against Astrati air-strikes, and requests were put in towards Fedala for the shipping of a number of long-range anti-aircraft Praetorian missile batteries to defense against Astrati bombers. Paratroopers occupied strategic points in the city, and began to turn police stations into recruiting centers for the local population. The airborne division was big, but if Adaptes Astrati decided to invade the disputed terrain and at the same time wage a war against the Empire the 56th airborne would have to defend Tarn against multiple divisions. The artillery was repositioned inside the city, wherever heights could be found. Batteries were reorganized, with three guns per battery, and these were heavily camouflaged with special netting to decrease the chances of visualization from the air. The areas around the muzzles of the guns were especially hidden, to hide the possible muzzle flash if the guns had to be used against invaders. The artillery of the local defenders was also put into use, although these were mostly old, antiquated 105mm and 155mm pieces. Nevertheless, something was certainly better than nothing.

Young men eligible for service, within the population of Tarn, were recruited through the promise of a stable monthly wage of over four thousand dollars, a high enlistment bonus, the use of the empire’s best technology and the promise that their families would receive all the potential benefits of being citizens of the Empire. Although the first day couldn’t promise much recruitment, a company of locals was put together and trained on the field – they were joined by two companies of paratroopers, and these trained them in their defensive positions on the use of weapons. Local police were also recruited, their wages amplified and they were given whatever armaments the soldiers beforehand entrusted in the defense of the city had. Most of the payments for the wages would fall on the shoulders of the city’s coffers, but if a siege began the money would have to be found elsewhere – the local population would not fight for the Empire for patriotism, and so they had to be paid like mercenaries. Nevertheless, it was thought that at least two local brigades of seven thousand men each could be organized, and that unemployed women could form the logistics branch. Although not much, these two brigades tripled the amount of soldiers defending the city.

In light of the heightened need for weapons, encrypted messages were sent within the first day to Fedala asking for armored uniforms for the local defenders – who had been promised to look like the Macabee paratroopers – more effective small-arms, including assault rifles and light machine guns, more artillery and missiles, and some light mechanization. All knew that the skies would have to be cleared before major help could arrive, but most did not doubt the ability of the Empire to open the skies long enough to allow for the material reinforcement to arrive. Fedala also promised the arrival of entire infantry corps, and later two cavalry divisions armed with light tanks. The brass doubted that this would arrive any time soon, but it helped to elevate the morale of the troops. The first response to the 56th’ command ordered that the city be rigged with explosives, in case the Astrati military attempted to take it. The order would have probably been followed had it not been for the lack of sufficient explosive material and the men to distribute it!

Despite Fedala’s continued hope for peace, the men in Tarn were preparing for the worst.

Targul Frumos, Emergency Diplomatic Meeting
[OOC: A small note – Weigar (incorrectly spelt on the map as Welgar) is the capital of the Weigar Province, East of Fedala. This is the same rebellious region as that of the War of Golden Succession, and honestly I haven’t made up my mind completely on the city’s fate, but what is known that it was almost completely destroyed in the opening months of the war. Imperial troops, including a number of foreign brigades in the Ejermacht, were operating in the city during the first months of the rebellion and were slowly forced out, and they were told to abandon operations due to an impending bombardment of Weigar. Rumors persist that a nuclear bomb was used against the city – which may be a story believed by international governments not allied to the Empire – while the Empire insists that it was a carpet bombing of the city. Not directly related to this post, but the Empire still negates being the source of the nuclear attack on the Stevidian port city. In any case, I think some believe that Weigar is infested with nuclear radiation – even though Weigar is included in the post-war reconstruction of the Empire – and so may not be the best place for the conference. I think a better city is Targul Frumos, the site of the largest naval battle during the war (Safehaven besieged the port with the majority of his fleet, which was destroyed by about half of the Imperial fleet). Otherwise, the only other major cities in the Empire on the map are Sidi Rezegh, untouched during the war and used as a jump-off position for Imperial forces operating against the Sarcanzan rebels, Beda Fromm, which had little importance in the war, Mosnoi Bor (discarded in your post as an option), Aurillac (for the most part pulverized by the Havenic carpet bombing in August 2016 – I made a mistake in the first post when I said that was Mosnoi Bor) or that city in Sarcanza which I can’t remember its name right now. I’ll just use Targul Frumos; because I think allowing anything foreign in Weigar is out of the question until the Empire covers up its tracks in that city.]

General Isral York looked at his Stevidian counterparts with contempt. He had briefed, previous to the conference, about the attack on Imperial transports over Tarn and when he entered the room he did so with the mind set that Stevid was trying to buy time. With the general stood the new Imperial advisor on foreign affairs Timón Re’bal and a number of minor diplomats which would have no effect on the outcome of the conference. Emperor Fedor and his advisors had agreed to the conference with Stevidian representatives of the administration in the face of what was a virtual declaration of war from Adaptes Astrates. Some thought that Stevid would officially declare the war, but Fedor believed that the Holy Empire would have simply telegrammed the news instead of putting so much effort into meeting with Macabee diplomats. As a result, there were mixed opinions on what was to come from this meeting, although most hoped that war was not the result. That said, many did believe that if a war broke out the Empire would have a distinct advantage – the Kriermada had come out of the war relatively unscathed, and although the expansion of the post-war fleet was not as glamorous as that of Stevid, the Kriermada was receiving more ships of the same classes. Such a construction strategy gave the Kriermada new ships, of already proven ability, without spending the money on image. All admirals, generals and air marshals alike knew that the Holy Empire believed that she had the advantage on the seas, but they all felt that the Kriermada was being severely underestimated.

Regardless of any advantages, or disadvantages, the Empire was not interested in spending the money to fight another major war. The Empire still had to be reconstructed, and the economic potential of her new territories were far beyond those of most other major powers. The Second Empire still controlled factories the size of small countries on foreign territory, and could produce a ridiculous amount of equipment per month. For example, during the war Kriegzimmer’s factories could produce over one hundred thousand tanks per month for the Empire and for the conglomerate’s clients. This massive production was still unmatched abroad, and certainly not matched by the Holy Empire. The occupation of northern Safehaven gave the Empire new economic outlets, fertile agricultural territory and the war basically guaranteed that Fedala would be the main trading partner of Safehaven. Although this latter country had been defeated, her multi-billion population and the industry necessary to feed it and supply it with demanded products were still an important economic asset – and the Empire controlled it all. Guffingford had diamonds, gold, fertile countryside and a well developed industry, and all of this could play in the hands of the Second Empire. Although the majority of the luxury raw resources were found in the south, in Stevidian hands, and this included the petroleum, the Empire was not left empty-handed. The majority of the industry was in the north, and unless the Holy Empire wanted to jeopardize loosing its raw resources based industry in Guffingford it had to accept the fact that these diamonds, petroleum and gold had to go north for processing. Of course, industries in Stevid could take care of part of the demand, but a large portion would still go north until Stevidian businessmen had time to expand their own capabilities.

Furthermore, although the citizens of the Empire found themselves allied to their government during the dark days of the War, most were now looking for peace. Most were interested in beginning the decontamination of key cities, and the reconstruction of destroyed cities, towns and villages. The exodus of Havenic citizens in what was now Southern Pirnacapia and Haven Transoriental had opened the path for Macabee citizens to occupy that territory for new opportunities – especially those who had once lived in Aurillac. Despite the carnage of the war, the Macabee population had grown immensely and by the end of the war the Empire could count on almost ten billion citizens! Fedor was, by far, more interested in returning normalcy to the citizens of his Empire than to waste valuable resources on fighting against the Holy Empire, regardless if the outcome was ultimately positive. Fedor believed that the Second Throne would always retain its advantage over Stevid, and so he concluded that even if the war was fought in a decade from then the Empire would still come out victorious. His advisors, of course, hoped that the war never came to be true, but that was only something for fate to decide.

As the Stevidian diplomats entered through the door, General Isral York’s face gave a smug look. Stevid had responded before the Empire, and so if this was anything other than a declaration of war it meant that Stevid was desperate to conserve peace. All things considered, so was the Empire, but from an outward perspective Stevid’s arrival to Targul Frumos would make the opposite apparent. And if this was a declaration of war, all Macabee officials would have to show a face that said that they didn’t care. That was how business was made, and had always been made. The Stevidian diplomat who spoke was sure of himself, and his speech did not impress the Macabee men sitting in front of him. In fact, what he said presented more than an insult than an attempt to cease hostilities. Had it been normal times that Stevidian diplomat would have most likely found himself dead, with his head sent to the Stevidian administration. No nation was worthy enough to treat the Golden Throne the way this diplomat did so. But, General York stayed calm and his reply transmitted this attitude.

The General began to speak, and then stopped to think a bit more, and then continued, ‘Mr. Scott, I wasn’t aware that our intentions were to build more naval ports in northern Theohuanacu.’ The men beside him chuckled to themselves, and Isral York smiled and then went on, ‘Your proposition seems fair enough, to be completely honest. His Imperial Majesty Fedor has no intentions of occupying the disputed zone between Holy Panooly and Adaptes Astrates, as that territory has absolutely no value to us. The occupation of Tarn has been carried out for reasons other than the ultimate conquest of that area, but that is either here nor there. The Empire is willing to recognize the disputed territory as territory of Adaptes Astrates, although for now the Empire is not entirely interested in abandoning Tarn. As we all know, Astrati aircraft have destroyed one of our transport aircraft in airspace that is not theirs or ours to dispute. This tragedy has ended in the death of over one hundred of our soldiers, and at this point we don’t see a reason to transfer Tarn over to Astrati control.’

The foreign affairs advisor interjected, ‘However, after Theohuanacu has been entirely occupied, the Empire is willing to host a number of conferences over the future of Tarn. The only value of the city is the fact that it is the only major port currently built in the disputed territory, and is of great economic value for all merchant fleets that pass through those straits. In any case, besides the fact that we have lost blood in the occupation, there also exists the very real possibility that Astrati authorities would literally cut off the city from our industry and businesses – as one of the major trading ports of the archipelago this is not something that we are willing to put up with. I think we can all understand why the Empire will not leave Tarn for the duration of this short war with Theohuanacu, but is willing to discuss the future of the coastal city thereafter.’

Timón Re’bal thought a bit more to himself, and then continued, ‘Currently, we believe that the city should be handed over to Holy Panooly to relieve some pressure on the country after the fact that Adaptes Astrati has virtually given rights over territory which Holy Panooly considers theirs. It would, in the end, avoid conflict between Adaptes Astrates and Holy Panooly. Such a conflict might be considered trivial by the Holy Empire, but I will remind us all that Fedala and Holy Panooly are de facto allies given that both have a common adversary – you. As a consequence, war with Holy Panooly means war with the Second Empire of the Golden Throne – at least, for now.’ It remained true that the armed forces of Holy Panooly could hardly defend their country conventionally from the Holy Empire, although Adaptes Astrates would have a terrible time trying to occupy the jungle terrain of their southern neighbors. This would be made impossible if the Golden Throne sent material aid to Holy Panooly or even soldiers in a direct intervention.

Re’bal had a second option, ‘Otherwise, Tarn can be turned into an international city and some sort of international treaty organization would have to be established to guarantee neutrality of all parties in Tarn. But, again, this will have to be decided in the future.’

The general, looking at his colleague, gave himself the floor once again, ‘Now, with the Tarn situation laid out I wish to continue to go over the topic of this agreement, before hearing your response to the Tarn situation. Stevid and it’s so-called Empire can invent any stories it wants to over our intentions in Theohuanacu, but the Empire can reassure everyone that they are purely economical. It should further be noted that we are the first country willing to truly spend money on decontaminating Theohuanacu and returning the population to normalcy. Apart from the ecological disaster existent in this territory, the political climate is ridiculous. The warlords which currently rule over different sections of Theohuanacu must be eliminated, and this will take time. Nevertheless, I think we can all agree – even if you must do it internally – that the occupation of Theohuanacu will only bring good for that country. But, our intentions are none of your business, in the end.’

York thought to himself for a brief second and then added, ‘No naval assets will exist in northern Theohuanacu, except for littoral and strategic naval ships stationed in North Point to protect our merchant ships, tankers and fishing ships. I think, furthermore, that general demilitarization between Theohuanacu and the disputed territory between Adaptes Astrates and Holy Panooly is in order. Such an agreement would encompass that no capital warship can enter those waters without previous agreement from the opposite party, and it would help for either party to preempt a possible invasion in the area. Furthermore, it will help to ease tensions between Fedala and Adaptes Astrates. Given the propensity to start wars of the latter, I think such an agreement would benefit both of us.’ The offer was a trade-off; no capital warships would be stationed in Tarn or North Point, but it also meant that Adaptes Astrates could not control the flow of merchant shipping between Tarn and other countries. It would also allow the Empire to invest in making North Point a more important merchant port than Tarn, lessening the effect of loosing Tarn if this was forced in a future agreement.

Finally, before waiting for the response of the Stevidian diplomats, York added, ‘Ah yes, one more thing – while we run to NATO, what will you do? Hide behind the fake façade of the ‘Holy Empire’? Please, don’t even attempt to insult us with your petty threats. They hold no meaning, it’s best to reserve them for when you meet with your clique of people you can friends. The Holy Empire is not a being that the Golden Throne considers a threat. We support peace for the benefit of the progress of the region’s economy and well being. The War of Golden Succession has claimed a number of governments, and many countries find themselves in a state of decay. Unlike the Holy Empire, the Golden Throne is pouring millions of Reichmarks into these countries to help maintain their integrity. I think we can all agree, even if secretly, that a peace benefits Stevid more than it does Fedala. So, continue insulting if you want, but be reassured that we know who the real losers are.’

Carrier Task Force, Otium Aqua
The fleet was ordered to move out two weeks early. The invasion force was not yet ready, but the Kriermada was told to form a counter block against a possible Astrati invasion of northern Theohuanacu. Two mechanized infantry divisions of Guffingfordi auxiliaries formed the core of the new invasion force, along with three auxiliary armored brigades – armed with captured KAF-90 main battle tanks. Additional forces would have to be airlifted to North Point once the city’s airport was ready, and the skies had been cleared from a potential Astrati threat. The invasion plan had been changed, and these two divisions would form the beginning of a ground force around North Point. They would be tasked with the defense of the city, while two airborne divisions moved north and then west taking the north little by little, until more forces could be landed. The fleet had initial orders to engage hostile Astrati forces, but these would soon change as news of the potential agreement between the Golden Throne and the Holy Empire was offered. This fleet included seven aircraft carriers, carrying about one hundred aircraft apiece, four battleships, two super dreadnoughts – an asset no longer considered economical, and they were relics of the old theory of naval warfare –, and an entourage of some other two hundred or so other warships and logistics ships. It was a standard battle fleet, designed to be defensive in nature, but with a very dangerous sting.

Before it, and after it, some thirty nuclear submarines were tasked to patrol the waters around the fleet – without coming into direct contact with the task force – and to patrol the waters north of Theohuanacu. Potentially, these submarines would be used as a very deadly arm against merchant ships headed to Astrati ports. If war broke out, the Astrati economy would be lynched in the opening weeks of the conflict. Several thousand aircraft were also preparing themselves in Athiesism and in Guffingford for potential sorties over Stevid, Adaptes Astrates and Southern Guffingford. About another four hundred were being prepared to be transferred to Tarn and North Point to form some sort of aerial defense against Astrati fighter aircraft and bombers. The Laerihans could count on dozens of thousands of aircraft in their arsenal, but if war broke out most of these would be oriented towards Southern Guffingford to apply overwhelming pressure on that territory – it would have to fall early during the war.

If war broke out, news would be available before the moving task force reached Athiesism. Therefore, three light infantry divisions were earmarked for air transportation to Athiesism, where they would be picked up by the fleet. This only if there was peace. This would add another thirty to forty thousand men for the invasion force, and would augment the total manpower to some seventy thousand effectives. Such a force could easily occupy northern Theohuanacu, and prepare for the occupation of the center of the island. With two airborne divisions, this meant that total forces in Theohuanacu would amount to over one hundred thousand soldiers. Within the next week, more assets would be airlifted to North Point, where they would be moved south by trucks provided by the task force. Within a month about four hundred thousand soldiers would be in Theohuanacu to complete the occupation. Initially, the conquest of Theohuanacu would be easy, but the warlords would not give up their power quickly. Most expected the occupation to turn into a matter of years, and perhaps up to a decade. A large amount of forces would have to remain in the country to hunt down ‘terrorists’ and eliminate them, and others would have to help private contractors rebuild the infrastructure and set-up some sort of rail transportation system for communication between cities. According to preliminary reports, casualties between 2018 and 2020 were expected to be around two thousand Imperial soldiers – but it was a cost Fedor thought worthwhile.

For the most part, the auxiliaries would be the ones fighting the war and the deaths would be theirs. Their pay would be augmented to keep them content, and new recruits would be lured through the promise of citizenship, adventure and money. In the near future it was planned to reopen the borders of Southern Pirnacapia and Haven Transoriental with Safehaven and allow for the flow of immigrants to the north. The idea was to allow legal immigration of entire families, if one of the male members served as an auxiliary for six years. With the state of decay of their country, Fedala believed that the ranks of the auxiliaries would swell. These men would fight the colonial wars to come. Other than the auxiliaries, Fedala also considered opening Theohuanacu to NATO occupation until the country was declared pacified by promising major NATO nations stakes in the nearby petroleum wells. Whatever was to come, it would have to be decided in the future, however.

For now, the war in Theohuanacu was only beginning. It took the entire first day of the conflict for the 120th airborne division to take the airport, and during the night intensive firefights between local forces and the well-armed paratroopers continued. But, with their high technology the paratroopers managed to reach the center of the city by sunrise of the following day, and the second day was merely a mop-up operation. The local warlords could not impede the Macabee troops from taking strategic points within North Point, and the local defense fell-apart. Furthermore, the 90th airborne division’s capture of the peninsula to the south of the city sealed its fate. Although the local government of North Point never surrendered, the city was for the most part imperial. Nevertheless, the continued firefights, bombings and ambushes in North Point would mark the occupation of Theohuanacu until the country was pacified. With the south opened, the 90th was ordered to help the 120th defend North Point from a potential Astrati attack.

The war in Theohuanacu had clearly begun.

“He has been reassigned to another unit.” The Air Chief Marshall told the Emperor, regarding the fighter officer who shot down a number of Macabean transport aircraft. But regardless of the punishment, Wing Commander Wallace’s actions had now brought the Golden Throne and the Imperium close to the brink of all-out war.
“I will inform the Golden Throne of this, I will assure them that Wing commander Wallace was acting irrationally and not on superior orders.” The Emperor declared, but he knew all too well that they would not believe him. It may be the truth, but if the roles were reversed then neither would the Emperor. “Now then gentlemen,” addressing the service chiefs sitting at the table with him, “as you know the southern disputed territory is ours, thanks to the diplomatic efforts of the Stevidians. But due to the terms of the negotiations we evacuate our forces deployed to the area north of North Point. I know we have made efforts to build up a large force in the area, but that is the price for peace.”
“What about Tarn, Your Majesty?” Field Marshall Khan asked. He had drawn up a plan to coordinate the capture of the land taken by the Golden Throne. He did not like the idea of potential enemies being this close to the Imperial homeland. “Do we get that?”
“As I understand it, we do not.” Everyone in the room noticed Khan’s expression of disappointment. “The city may be in the Golden Throne’s hands for some time. They may leave, should we be fortunate, and it may become an international city. The waters north of Theohuanacu will be free of our naval assets, and our ships will not trespass into North Point’s waters. We are not to interfere with the flow of merchant shipping. A lot of this peace arrangement will mean an economic boost to the area which will also mean that the importance of North point will probably surpass that of Tarn eventually. We may not gain that much from the arrangement. Nonetheless, I believe we should do the honourable thing and back down and take what we are offered, for the sake of the Imperium.”
“We should not surrender!” Khan exclaimed fanatically, his use of the word surrender creating a tense atmosphere.
“This is folly, what about the glory of the empire?” Admiral Ravensburg asked in a similar tone.
“Destroying an empire to win a war is not glorious, and not a victory. It is not ignominious in anyway to back down to save the empire.” Everyone in the room realised and appreciated his words. It would not be beyond the Astratii to defeat the Golden Throne in open battle, but should the Imperium win it would most likely be a Pyrrhic victory. A lot of the senior military officials were confident of a full victory over the Golden Throne, but the Emperor realised that their confidence blinded them to the potential horrific losses. “My friends, you will receive the details of the peace agreement as you leave. I want you to plan the withdrawal of our forces where necessary, as well as the annexation of the southern territory. Have someone think up a name for it. All other details you will find in the files Ms Roberts is passing to you now.” The Emperor decided to finish the meeting on a final statement. “My friends, whether you like this or not is not an issue. We have always wanted the southern disputed territory, and we now have it with the blessing of other nations. We need not waste our resources on Theohuanacu. As long as we have some sort of lasting peace and security in our area, then that is enough. I will speak with the leadership of the Golden Throne to inform them of our acceptance of the terms. I will ask them to await a timetable for our full withdrawal from Theohuanacu as so to keep them in the loop, so to speak. That is all, we shall meet again tomorrow. Dismissed.” Everyone left the room. The Emperor picked up his phone, and asked the secretary to establish contact with the Golden Throne. An hour later, he made a live TV broadcast to the nation. Adaptus Astrates and the Macabees had come dangerously close to a costly war. It now seemed that, after much confusion, insubordination, deployments and planning for battle, both nations had avoided slaughter.

Targul Frumos- Diplomatic Meeting

Scott’s poker face gave way with the smallest of flinches when York mentioned the Astratii attack on the air transports but he wasn’t embarrassed. It was regrettable that the transport had been downed and it was no one else’s fault other than pilot who shot down the transports, Stevid had issued orders not to engage Macabee forces in and around Theohuanacu as well as the disputed zone. It was obvious it was intentional and not an accident and Scott was relieved when York stated that war between Adaptus Astrates and the Golden Throne would not be pursued even though The Macabees now had every reason to walk in and all over Adaptus Astrates.. Nevertheless Scott was pleased that the Golden Throne has decided to recognise the disputed zone as Astratii territory and it was agreeable that Tarn remained occupied in light of the downing of the transports. He let the Macabee man continue but readied his replies long before York had finished talking, the talks were nothing more than polite bickering in some instances and Scott knew only too well that his Macabee opposition sitting in front of him would throw some abuse back. He took it all in his stride but there were some things he had to push through once York had finished speaking.

“Well firstly I’ll just say the loss of your transport aircraft is regrettable but unfortunately cannot be helped. What’s happened has happened and cannot be reversed, which is why I’m relieved you are not pushing through with war seeing as we both know that a war between our two Empires is the last thing this region needs right now.” He changed his friendly, almost sympathetic tone to a harsher one as he now retorted to some of the remarks made by the Macabee general. “Need I remind you that the Holy Empire encompasses more territories than yours, many of the plots flying our flag may be overseas but they are part of the Empire nonetheless so mocking the Holy Empire does nothing for you but suggests that jealously is getting the better of you sir.” He said with a smile.
“Though indeed our military might is not quite as proven as yours, we feel it necessary to draw the line somewhere. A war with the Holy Empire is not in the best interests of the Golden Throne, likewise it is not in Stevid’s best interests to attack the Second Empire. I may sound like I’m making excuses to cheat Stevid out of fighting another war with your country but the facts are clear that another will be costly, bloody and will stretch both our countries to breaking point.
“Oh you can assure me all you want about the peaceful intentions of North Theohuanacu and that it poses no threat to Stevid. But you believe we Stevidians are senile, tactically unsound and ignorant of your plans, admittedly your country has been quiet of late regarding tactical planning communications, we do not under-estimate your country’s tactical prowess or military capability. As we have seen in the last war and recently with Theohuanacu, the Golden Throne can take land by air very quickly with precise and admirable planning which is why it is obvious to us and to several sources within MI6 that North Theohuanacu is not just in an excellent place to attack Stevid through the Southern Straights… it’s so well placed it is actually biblically good. Do not try to wriggle out of this one sir, we may not have evidence of your plans for the North but lest you forget- we don’t need evidence. We can suspect and defend as such, redeploy and mobilise to counter such threats to our Southern shores. We do not under estimate your country’s ability to wage an effective war Mr. York, we have fought one with you after all. Need I remind you that we fired a nuclear weapon to end the war before it got out of control. Stevid is superior to the Golden Throne in many areas of war, likewise the Golden Throne is superior to us in many ways too but don’t think for a second we will under estimate your armed forces because unfortunately for you they are too well known for that to happen.”

He cleared his throat before continuing his rant although he was careful to add compliments as well as abuse during his speeches. The last thing he wanted was for the talks to fall into nothing more than two sides hurling abuse at each other, he and Stevidian decorum was far too civilised for that and grudgingly, Scott conceded to himself that the same applied to the Macabees.

“You have already admitted to the possibility of including NATO in the war if it breaks out so do not lecture me, sir, about running away to friends and using our own Empire to defend ourselves. Stevid will call for aid if it needs to but we are not afraid of defeat. We do not run or hide, surely you have learnt that from the last war. You were on our doorstep and were crushing our frontlines in Safehaven and our assets in Zarbia. Your fleet had been repulsed in Otium Aqua but had still delivered a severe would to the Third Fleet… and despite that we still invaded and occupied several islands of Athiesism with little aid from the United States. Only towards the end of the campaign did our Hitmen allies manage to find the resources aid in attacking the Merkar Republic. We fight back, we attack, even when our position is bleak. Think about that before you insult my country’s integrity again. May I also remind you that the Golden Throne was little slow to help there island ally when its need was most dire.
“But anyway, you do deserve some credit. I applaud your decision to allow Adaptus Astrates control of the disputed zone in return for Theohuanacu. It’s not exactly what we wanted but it’s a start. You also suggest a DMZ in the seas between Theohuanacu and the Adaptus Astrates/Disputed Zone, the Holy Empire concurs that this would be beneficial. It will certainly ease the tension between you and AA which in turn is beneficial to the Holy Empire. I’m sure AA has no objections to such an agreement. However Holy Panooly is far from the Holy Empire’s thoughts, both Stevidian and Astratii forces helped the main government fight a bitter civil war and we know only too well how difficult it is to take Holy Panooly. A war there would not benefit the Empire or Adaptus Astrates in any way shape or form, it’s too harder fight and too expensive to waste time on, besides it’s a nation full of crooks, pirates, corrupt liberals and lawyers. The drugs trade there is out of control and Stevid’s anti-piracy policy throughout the world does not include Holy Panooly because it is too dangerous. You can discount any possibility of an Imperial incursion into Holy Panooly.”

Finally Scott turned to a softer tone of voice as he put forward a proposal or two more. In retrospect, so far both countries had won political battles during these talks. Stevid had organised for Theohuanacu to be Macabee territory while the disputed zone could be Imperial while the Golden Throne had kept Tarn and pushed through an agreement to create a DMZ, but one more thing remained for Scott to do before adjourning.

“Finally I advise you, as well as demand, that you do not involve NATO at this time. The Golden Throne has plenty of resources to invade, occupy and maintain the peace Theohuanacu with NATO assistance. The presence of an extremely powerful alliance will only further tensions and increase the political, and possibly the military, hostility between our two Empires. Liaise with NATO, inform them of your plans and what you have in mind for Theohuanacu and the Holy Empire but physically bringing them here will do more harm than good as I’m sure you will agree.”

Scott remained seated and cleared his throat again and awaited the Macabee reply. Seeing as they were trading blows he readied himself for some ‘international’ slander and minor bickering, petty taunts and threats that would go down well either way. He wasn’t expecting his Macabee counterparts to repay his complements with flattering comments towards Stevid, that didn’t seem to be the ‘Macabee’ way especially not under these circumstances. Stevidian foreign policy and diplomacy was very different from the Golden Throne’s, flattery and treachery would get you everywhere in this world and Stevid had proved its effectiveness many times over. The Macabees preferred a typical no nonsense approach, a firm hand with set goals and objectives that had to be met and in so doing were almost always accomplished. Deception was one diplomatic tactic both countries used, of course it wasn’t obvious otherwise it wouldn’t be deception but Scott knew that the Golden Throne wanted Stevid out of the way and that Theohuanacu was part of some grand plan, one way or another there would probably be a war with the Golden Throne gunning as the favourites. He knew allowing the Macabees the whole of Theohuanacu and played into their hands somewhat but that was the price of peace and despite the reassurances, Stevid would not ignore the placement of that country on the map that was positioned so beautifully to strike Stevid’s southern seas. The negotiations, from a neutral point of view, seemed to have gone well if not for the bickering at some points but both sides knew the implications of war and both knew that war would come one way or another. Both had to try and gain an advantage over the other one way or another and the Golden Throne had achieved the early victory of Theohuanacu while the Holy Empire had achieved a somewhat less significant goal of the disputed zone and a downed Macabee transport. Stevid needed something big, not necessarily and imperialist move although that was the best option at this stage, but nonetheless needed a political victory over the Macabees.

Otium Aqua

Golden Throne fleet movements were now frequent and irritating in the Otium Aqua, Stevid controlled both mainland coastlines on either side of the sea and yet the Macabees continued to protest that it was a contested sector, something Stevid had never agreed to and maintained the Otium Aqua is Stevidian waters. To keep the peace, the Kriermada was allowed to pass through the Otium Aqua so long as it informed the Admiralty and the Stevidian government of the movement but not necessarily the intentions of the fleet. It seemed like all the blood spilt for this oil rich sea had been for nothing but it was a small price to pay for peace, besides the Golden Throne weren’t tapping into the oil reserves of the Otium Aqua so economically it did little to hinder Stevidian economical growth.

It was the second fleet in a week passed through the Otium Aqua and it certainly was not small. It was a battlefleet with an accompanying logistical fleet that was almost certainly bound for Theohuanacu waters due to the rise in tensions with Adaptus Astrates. The fleet carriers and super dreadnoughts being the real sight for sore eyes but the two hundred odd shipping that surrounded the flagships were equally impressive. These days the super dreadnoughts were nothing more than pretty pictures, a fact Stevid had accepted even before the War of Golden Succession and most the Royal Navy had ever committed to battle was for and they were of the old Catholic Class design which were no more than standard dreadnoughts at the time. However respect had to be given to them for they did possess a lot of firepower despite their hideous cost which was why Royal Navy has only fifteen such vessels, twelve Sanguinious Class SDNs and three Farseer Class super capital ships. Nowadays major naval powers concentrated on the smaller shipping in their fleets which is why the Navy scrapped and sold hundreds of their cold war design machines and decade old designs in favour of the incredible Lemartes Class guided missile destroyer. Lately major investment in the heavy and light cruiser class has seen nearly a hundred ships appear in the past several months to take the place of older and now obsolete classes in the navy.

It was there were the Royal Navy and the Kriermada differed, the Golden Throne were reverting to a policy that Stevid had only just left behind refitting and sticking with what you have because it is reliable. This had been Royal Navy policy for decades and to this day the Type-23 Duke Class frigate is still prominent in the Stevidian Navy but it was seriously expensive in the long run and eventually ships have to be replaced simply because the design was inefficient- a problem the Macabees would encounter several years down the line. The Royal Navy now favoured modernisation because refitting doesn’t always work as was proved when the Otium Aqua was attacked at the beginning of the war when over forty escort ships were lost due to obsolete designs. The Navy remained victorious because the ships were good enough thanks to the refits to still get the job done, but it was overly expensive. New designs were approved and soon ships were rolling of the gargantuan naval production lines, the first was the Hanover and Defiler Class ships which had played roles in almost all of Stevid’s naval and invasion victories and had also helped prevent additional losses on the Safehaven frontlines. The introduction of a brand new class of warship known as the Command Battleship into Royal Navy eliminated the need for more super dreadnoughts, masses of battleships and virtually made the dreadnought class extinct. The Lemartes Class destroyer remains the single best piece of naval engineering the Royal Navy has ever possessed and isn’t bragging when claiming it is one of the best destroyers to sail the seas. Following that was the Inquisition Class dreadnought and now several cruiser types being launched at the same time. It was a massive overhaul that has seen the money made from the oil in the Otium Aqua and the raw materials in Guffingford put to excellent use.

The main difference was that they were not proven in combat and although they were based of present designs (but scratch built dimensions) they were still combat virgins and the only close guesses on actual performance could be made. Macabee naval shipping not only had experience but the designs were proven but the downfall was that flaws had to be repaired which means taking dozens, if not hundreds of ships off the seas in order to get the best out of a used design.

The appearance of another fleet of ships that looked all too familiar was not only a gesture that the Kriermada was not deterred by the obvious power of the Royal Navy but it was also a way of showing off Stevid, showing the country their might, the pride of their navy and that they were not afraid of sticking with their current shipping despite a few technical problems here and there. It was time for Stevid to bite back with a bit of national pride. Morale in the civilian population had slumped slightly and nothing better than a good old fashioned naval display couldn’t cure, the admiralty would also be able to put a real mission agenda together for the fleet, a better reason for it to go to sea other than ‘For the sake of national pride’.

The fleet would be huge, as big as to rival the pathetic foreign rabble of ships the Golden Throne called a fleet. A Farseer Class super capital ship, eight Sanctus Mare Class fleet carriers, four Inquisition Class dreadnoughts, seventeen Havenic class command battleship plus ten more assorted BBCN class boats, a small collection of the new heavy and light cruiser classes to be launched by the shipyards into the navy- the rest were escort ships comprising of frigates, destroyers and corvettes- including the Batch 5 Type-23 Duke Class frigate and of course the Lemartes Class Destroyer. Hanover, Dweller and Defiler Class ships were also in the fleet, specialised ship class that the Golden Throne didn’t possess and the technology incorporated onboard each of the ships was world class. In power and might, both the Golden Throne and Stevid owned incredible navies but there were obvious elements in the Royal Navy that simply outclassed the Kriermada. The fleet set sail out of Port Rutherford in the Cadia region, the west midland coastline of the Stevidian mainland itself and it set sail for the Otium Aqua were it would join up with the Royal Fleet auxiliary and then sail south towards Adaptus Astrates. Two fleets sent by the Golden Throne was now seen as a grave threat to the security of Adaptus Astrates and the continent it was on and so the Holy Empire had to flex its muscles a tad to show that Stevid would not just blindly ignore her Imperial ally and a bit more determination to stop the Golden Throne walking all over the region. The appearance of the Royal Navy near Adaptus Astrates, particular with a battlefleet as large as the one assembled, would get the alarm bells ringing. It was no quite a hostile move against the Macabees but it was obvious to everyone that it was no friendly gesture and the Golden Throne may well as some questions as to the reason of a battlefleet being sent so far down south even when the Golden Throne had assured the Holy Empire that Adaptus Astrates would not be attacked.

Emergency Cabinet Meeting- Stevid Capita

With the Prime Minister away in Independent Hitmen, although being constantly informed of the happenings back in the region, the Deputy Prime Minister Douglas Williams was making the calls back home. He was a competent man with decade’s worth of experience when handling the pressure of running the nation all by himself. He was composed and cool despite the international pressure Stevid was facing and started the emergency cabinet meeting in front of the most import government ministers in the party: the foreign minister, home secretary, defence minister (and major commanders and chiefs of the three military branches) as well has their departmental civil servants.

“Gentlemen,” Williams started loudly and powerfully. “We are slacking here, the Golden Throne is marching away and getting an obvious foothold in territories we would rather they not have and while we have no evidence of there imperialist moves being made in order to attack us in the future, I feel it is somewhat obvious that an attack against us will be made. Better safe than sorry wouldn’t you all agree?
“Now I’m going to hand the floor the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Alan West who, in collaboration with the other two branches of the forces, has compiled a plan of action to indirectly counter the moves of The Macabees, Admiral.”

The First Sea Lord was aging now, nearing his seventies but had been the best Sea Lord of Stevid in nearly two hundred years. He had pushed through so many plans of action, so many budget requests, design requests and recruitment drives through Parliament that he practically liven in the government building, almost any proposal he put to the House was accepted and then accepted in the Lords afterwards. He was exceptionally gifted both politically and tactically, it was he who drew up plans for the opening assault against Athiesism and had personally been at the Second Battle for Otium Aqua.

“Thank you Sir. As you all know, the Golden Throne has taken Theohuanacu from under our noses and all we have to show from it is the disputed zone. On top of that our relations with the Golden Throne are worsening quicker than we imagined and now we have a fleet shadowing theirs for nothing more than political reasons, show of force for public opinion and for the defence of Adaptus Astrates. Not the best use of public money but a necessary one but Stevid has yet to make a real impact that seriously threatens the Golden Throne so me and the joint chiefs of staff in all three military branches have come up with selected targets for us to set our eyes on and put the Macabees in a very uncomfortable position.
“First is a small archipelago of island to the East of Athiesism, South of Eastern Guffingford and to the South-West of the Moleland Earth Base islands. As of yet unclaimed and official ‘contested’ but not for long, it will not be difficult to push the decision through Parliament and will only take a medium sized task force to take islands. Maybe ten Lustria Class LCP with three or four loaded to the brim with engineers to begin work on military installations once the chain of islands have been secured. Capturing these islands is of the utmost importance since it gives us a valuable foothold in those seas and will allow our fleets operating in the south to have a safe haven and a place to re-supply. The army will take the island of course with the RAF providing transportation for most of the soldiers, the Royal Navy will ship the heavy equipment and bulk of engineering equipment too. The fleet is ready and once given the order to leave will be there in a matter of days. We won’t take the whole chain right down towards Theohuanacu because that will provoke the enemy to do something stupid- just the northern most islands.”

[i]“I couldn’t agree with you more, Admiral.” Said DPM Williams. “We shall enact that course of action as soon as this meeting is over. What else do you have for us?”

“Liberated America, Sir. A failed state, failing towards anarchy with several major warlords competing with one another for regions but there is a half stable, if not obscenely corrupt, government in control. As you are all well aware, it is perfectly positioned to the North of Guffingford as well as having several ports of which could be of us to use, the neighbouring island is also home to Port Kramer which could prove invaluable in the future. To take LA we will need to mimic tactics used by the Golden Throne, get in a quickly as possible and so we will rely heavily on the RAF in this case as well as the Army. The Navy will provide another large fleet focusing on carriers and assault ships to transport attack aircraft, armour and ground based logistical support to our force in Liberated America. Our focus of attack is the capital, the Navy will blockade the ports and eliminate any opposition we face on the seas, Macabees or otherwise.
“This means committing a lot of forces from Stevid itself, we won’t be drawing men from Guffingford. We will look to our Imperial Colonies as well with Hanover and the New Province Colonies being the best picks. We will also withdraw troops from Kurona to send to Liberated America if you decide to invade Sir.”

Williams thought long and hard about the plan to take Liberated America. Stevid had once been good friends before LA had fallen apart just before the War of Golden Succession and it seemed like a slap in the face to the Americans if Stevid invaded. On the other hand they may welcome a foreign power to assert some much needed control over the destabilising country. In either case the fact remained that Stevid had an Empire to maintain and she was surrounded by failed states that were just waiting to be welcomed into the Holy Empire. Stevid thought itself even more imperialist than even the Golden Throne, the Holy Empire had gone overseas to increase its imperial boundaries and had succeeded at every turn. Imperialism was the best foreign policy because it usually worked, particularly for strong nations. Stevid’s ground based military was never tested during the last war and the RAF was not given much run for their money on the home front either. Now that Stevid’s overseas military obligations were minimal now that Safehaven was occupied and Zarbia falling into civil unrest (which might call for foreign intervention), she had the man power to take both the island chain and Liberated America with little fuss.

“You have the ‘go ahead’ for both plans. Parliament won’t like it too much but Imperialism is a foreign policy they have lived with so far and safeguarding the nation is the most important thing… thank you Admiral.
“Foreign Secretary, you want the floor?”

“Yes Sir, thank you.” Said the slender man who had seemed so bored by the Admiral’s speech that he jerked back to life once he was mentioned. “Hearts and minds are everything and so far we are doing little to curb the enthusiasm of our subjects on our side of the Guffingford border. They are our people and we have to treat them better than any snivelling Macabee government. Our foreign aid budget must be recalculated overnight to help these people better a better shot at life under our rule than Guffingford’s. It also means that with our side is invaded and overrun by the Macabees, the chances of there being an organised resistance, active or passive, are greater. I suggest we allocate the funds from the Imperial foreign budget, that we reserve for helping Imperial Members, and put it to good use in Guffingford. We can lessen our foreign aid spending to Kurona as well, the weather crisis that swamped them happened years ago and they no longer need much economical aid from us to help with rebuilding and security. To put it simply sirs, we need to pour money into Guffingford, and afterwards- Liberated America. We have the funds but they are now being spent in the wrong places.
“Propaganda is also important. Television, radio and digital media waves have to be beamed to houses through the whole of Guffingford preaching that Stevid is the better side. Not just on our side of the border but on theirs as well. Use of the internet must be made as well and also leaflet dispersals using national, regional and international postal services so as to get the population on Macabee side if the country thinking that Stevid is the better choice. Our MI6 cells in the enemy held side of Guff will be able to throw their own propaganda leaflets off buildings, send them in the post, and stick them on cars windows during the dead of night. The options are endless, we need to act quickly to win the hearts and minds.”

“Thank you Foreign Secretary. Now Admiral,” William started. “Work with you colleagues and draft plans for primitive strike capabilities and major targets within enemy territory that have to be take out or damaged. I want the upper hand straight from the starting block if and when things kick off. Mobilise the RAF, Army and Royal Navy for immediate combat operations in two theatres but concentrate on taking those islands in the South… meeting adjourned- get back to work because there’s a lot of it tonight gentlemen. Thank you.”

RAF Aldershot- South Rubet

RAF Aldershot was nearly three miles away from Fort Hoyle were the 8th Airborne Division barracks were located, extremely convenient for the paratrooper regiment when called into action so it was no surprise that the well drilled troopers of the 8th Airborne were all in the air and flying the four hour trip south towards the target island chain in little over two hours after being ordered out. It was a large collection aircraft both old and new; the workhorse of the RAF, the C-130 were plentiful and carried most of the troops, C-5’s and C-14’s carried more troops and addition light vehicles while the C-17’s recently purchased off and international military storefront carried the heavier equipment like light tanks, heavy weaponry, GHQ communication equipment as well as additional troops.

As the aircraft left the runway strip it was only several minutes before the coast was clearly visible despite the overcast conditions over South Otium Aqua. Below them was a small flotilla of ships belonging to the Royal Navy, several Lustria Class LCPs accompanied by two small task force carriers and dotted around them were several destroyers and frigates providing the escort. This was the main landing force containing the heavy duty stuff belonging to the army, namely the MBTs, heavy artillery, Royal Engineers and most importantly the building materials for the firebases to be constructed on the islands. The aircraft passed overhead, just under one hundred of them soaring over the task force and disappearing as quickly as they had come into the distance towards the Southern Island Chain. The chain of islands was to be the first major imperialist move to be made by Stevid in nearly five months and would prove to be a tactical step in the right direction for controlling the seas and in time, the air traffic. The Golden Throne would almost certainly object which was why the Stevidian diplomat in the Macabees was kept un-to-date about everything transpiring but not fully informed. He was not told of the plans to invade Liberated America, only of the seizure of the island chain- Liberated America was a target that Stevid had kept very quiet about and while the Golden Throne had probably looked into the possibility of the Holy Empire attacking, it would be a surprise none-the-less. Stevid had to be as aggressive but as un-provocative as possible if it was to gain the upper hand. Other possible plans including taking Holy Panooly but their friendship with the Golden Throne ruled it out completely, however the Holy Empire and maybe even the Golden throne knew that if it came to a colonial contest or your simple overseas land grab fight then Stevid would win. She was surrounded by smaller, inferior countries with weak governments and had populations looking for strong government- something Stevid could easily provide.

Four hours is nothing within space and time and it wasn’t long before the formation of transport aircraft were flying over the treetops of the unclaimed oceanic islands. The C-130s arrived first with the vanguard of the 8th Airborne Division throwing themselves off the back their planes and landing in pre-designated landing zones, several squads drifted of course and more became confused in their surroundings but it wasn’t long before the military discipline began to assert control over everyone and soon things became organised and flowing once again. More C-130s poured in dropping yet more troops and equipment capsules for them. Landings like this were happening on all twenty-five of the northern most islands in the chain. The C-5s began their sweeping motions over the islands dropping more troops and light vehicles into the landing zones and it wasn’t long before the paratroopers were taking the land with Land Rovers and other bulky four-wheel drive vehicles.

The largest of the aircraft were the @@Skymasters@@ which had left three and a half hours later than the other aircraft allowing the paratroops and the few engineers to make clearings for the short landing and take-off heavy goods transport aircraft to land in. Bulldozers, TNT and sheer man power combined in three and a half hours to make makeshift runways for the C-17s to land on. Within thirteen hours of the operation being initiated there were tanks, APCs, light transports, helicopters, small bases and thousands of troops occupying the northern most islands of the entire island chain. The Navy would be another day away but if any ‘unwelcome’ tourists to the island were encountered then the Paratroopers would be more than able to cope with hostiles in the time it would take for the Navy to arrive. In the time the paratroopers had before the RN arrived, they began work on the first firebases inland and coastal ports in all the natural harbours. When the task force and the accompanying Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships with all the military grade building equipment arrived then the major building work could begin with full concentration on harbour facilities.

For the capture of a series of islands it was still a huge operation, most facilities would have to be constructed from scratch when nature hadn’t already provided a decent port. Submarine pens would be harder to construct and it was finally admitted that traditional secrecy of Stevid’s submarine force would have to be put aside when subs would need re-supplying at this base. All of the Navy’s submarine bases where underground or covered pens, never open topped so as to defend against prying eyes. Until a suitable cave in a cliff face could be found that could be hollowed out a bit more to take submarines and that wasn’t prone to terrible water swells, the submarine force would have to be seen in daylight if they wanted to re-supply at the islands. This was fact that was not liked by the Admiralty and issued orders to submarine captains to make sure they had enough provisions to allow them not to make pit-stops at the islands when the ports were completed, at least until suitable pens were constructed.

In the meantime, the Holy Empire turned its attention northwards. News of Stevid’s invasion of the island chain to Guffingford’s south would reach the ears of the Golden throne fast than if Stevid telegrammed them the news. The actions taken by the Holy Empire would not only provoke a response from the Golden Throne but would also divert their attention from Guffingford’s North and Stevid’s East- Liberated America.

Two battlefleets in the Otium Aqua with one shadowing another; an aerial invasion of a large collection of islands with a Royal Navy task force being dispatched to reinforce them on a biblical scale; money being poured into colonies and capture territories to win hearts and minds on both sides; dirty unhand talk that had little mean other than to buy time; and the assembly of forces to take yet more land from former in a bid to increase an Empire and get the upper hand on ones enemy. This cold war had suddenly had certainly become warmer.

The Imperial military had begun to dig into its new dominion, south of the homeland. The name of the area was to be named Macharia, although the name would probably not be recognised by the international community. Nonetheless, a planned total of 350,000 service personnel were to be stationed in the country. On the west coast, the largest of the fortifications were being prepared. Hundreds of Blue Persian cruise missiles and Exocets were being deployed along several miles of coastline. These batteries were to be protected by even more land based Aster anti-aircraft missiles, guided by modified Samson radar systems. Airstrips were under construction, which would soon house a mixture of F-22 Raptors, J-10 Vanguards, Merlin helicopters, RV-22 Osprey AWACs and S-6 Marauder bombers with a host of unmanned aircraft. The airbases would be operational inside two weeks, one if the Imperial Engineers gave it all they had.
Naval facilities along the west coast were limited to only one natural harbour, and even then it was relatively small. The best that could be managed in the harbour was the potential for submarines and lighter naval forces. There was no room for fleet carriers or large amphibious ships. The decision was made by the high command to deploy littoral combat ships to the harbour, ships that could not pose a great threat to the Imperium’s potential enemies, but enough to hold off a possible enemy force long enough for the larger ships of the Imperial fleet to arrive.

The north west of the Adaptus Astrates homeland, now separated from the new land belonging to the Golden Throne by a few miles of open water, was fast turning into a huge military camp. Some city governors near the coast had started to panic, despite the Emperor appealing for calm, they had ordered the deployment of police officers with body armour and assault rifles. It was more or less martial law, but the governors were within their right. The Emperor decided that the police forces should be augmented by the army itself. The situation with the Golden Throne was still an anxious one, and the Imperial government knew all too well that the GT could walk all over the near part of the homeland, possibly penetrating as far as Baal in the centre of the nation, without any coordinated resistance. But with this deployment of armed troopers, the panic would die down. People themselves were starting to arm themselves with whatever weapons they could find, so anything to alleviate a national state of alert, that could get out of hand at any moment, was well received.
On and above international waters, Astratii aircraft and warships exchanged greetings and conversed frequently, although in the air the proverbial atmosphere was a lot hotter, because of the downing of the GT transports. Neither side wanted to do anything to provoke the other, airborne communication lasting a few minutes before one side would inform the other that they were about to peel off and what direction they would go, so that the other side could track them in case a pilot went the way of WC Wallace.
Naval conversation was at first tense on contact, and then the two sides began trading humorous remarks about each other or simply talk about meagre personal issues. ASW warships occasionally picked up a faint sonar signal, but not enough to confirm a submarine was present, but both sides knew the other had subs in the area. The submarine commanders were taunting the ships tracking them. One Astratii submarine commander went against all underwater conventions and had his crew create lots of loud noises near a group of GT ships. After six hours, the crew were ordered to stop making the noise and go dead silent. The GT ship ASW officers most likely jumped at the sound of a noisy bunch of Astratii suddenly disappearing in the blink of an eye. It was all a strange form of fun and games between the two navies, a cold war situation. There were no signs of anything boiling over yet, but the situation could not possibly die down until a firm, long lasting agreement could be made restore trust between the two great empires.
The Imperium began to fortify- heavily. They would not strike first, but with such a siege strategy it was hoped that it would deter any more aggression from the Golden Throne.

Fedala International
Imperial Troops Land in Theohuanacu

This morning, four imperial infantry divisions have landed in Eastern Theohuanacu, finalizing the occupation of North Point and taking most of the North Eastern corner of the island. The landings were done without casualties of war, although there are numerous wounded from friendly fire and mistakes done during the landing itself. For example, some landing craft were forced to open the ramps up five hundred meters from the shore due to the existence of a shoal and many men drowned due to the weight of their equipment. Nevertheless, in general, the operation has been bloodless. Over the next seventy-two hours two more divisions will be fully unloaded onshore, and all of the equipment of the divisions already landed will be delivered. Within the next week it’s rumored that the Empire will put another three hundred thousand men on the ground to finalize the occupation of Theohuanacu. However, with the experience of North Point it seems as the indigenous population will not put up a fight – many local warlords have willingly renounced arms and have surrendered themselves to Imperial authorities. Fedala has said that the entire occupation will take up to three weeks time and the Empire will have a presence of some one hundred and fifty thousand men in Theohuanacu, plus much more heavy equipment (including up to around ten thousand main battle tanks). This is the largest deployment since the War of Golden Succession.

The entirety of the invasion forces are, in fact, Guffingfordi and Havenic auxiliaries divisions. These are composed of all indigenous soldiers, with some foreign junior officers and all-Macabee general officers and colonels. The forces which are to arrive at Theohuanacu within the next week will be composed of mostly Imperial troops, as the auxiliaries are reoriented elsewhere (probably back on the frontier with the Holy Empire in Guffingford). On the other hand, there are rumors which suggest that the auxiliaries will be used to occupy new territories in Greater Dienstad, while Imperial troops are stationed near home. For example, much of Northern Safehaven has been reoccupied by Imperial soldiers, promised terrain and the ability wage their own de facto rule over the land – that area of the Empire has turned into virtual serfdom, even if it still operates under the masquerade of Imperial law. If Guffingfordi and Havenic auxiliaries are used to occupy Theohuanacu then the occupation will most likely be much different than that of Safehaven or Guffingford, proper. Although, as usual, Fedala has been very secretive on future plans in the area there have been leaks from major companies with plans to industrialize the area. Although we have never liked to start rumors, one transcript suggests a radical irrigation project which will help decontaminate central Theohuanacu and attempt to change the country’s climate. Other transcripts describe megalithic industrialization projects for the imperial industrial machine. What is obvious is that the nation has taken a massive interest in Theohuanacan petroleum, especially that off its coastline. Publicly, leading oil companies have taken dibs on the distribution of these oil wells.

Despite the fears of a renewed regional war between the Holy Empire and the Second Empire, the latter’s martial attitude has not recessed. It has declared an ‘economic influence zone’ of around three hundred kilometers off the coast of Theohuanacu, if possible, to around fifty kilometers were space doesn’t allow the grander claim. This is a major threat to current companies operating in the area, including those originating from Indras – in fact, warnings have already been distributed electronically to these companies to retire their drills or else face loosing them violently. The Empire has justified this by claiming that these companies have been illegally drilling the ‘national waters’ (a very loosely defined term) of Theohuanacu since the nuclear war which befell the country and killed the majority of its population. The government of Indras has taken the aggression very personally, although it has not turned to the Holy Empire for protection (at least, openly). Nonetheless, it seems as if the nation’s military is ready to resist the Imperial invasion of Theohuanacu if the Kriermada operates against existing drilling companies in the area. The fact remains that the clear majority – over 90% - of the drilling companies operating in the area have declined to withdraw their economic assets and have turned a blind-eye to the Imperial ultimatum. The Kriermada has still not opened fire or sentenced any of these companies to destruction, as Fedala is still trying to diplomatically gain what it wants. It remains that the Holy Empire is still an omnipresent threat in Greater Dienstadi politics.

It should be mentioned that Adaptes Astrates has formally agreed not to interfere with the imperial occupation of Theohuanacu, while Fedala has promised not to further claims in the disputed territory between Adaptes Astrates and Holy Panooly – this is a major compromise between the two leading powers (Holy Empire and the Second Empire of the Golden Throne) in Greater Dienstad, although the horrors of the not-too-distant War of Golden Succession persist in the minds of their leadership. The imperial government has not made mention of monetary transactions based on the repayment of the lost lives of the downed transport aircraft over Tarn, which is still under Imperial occupation – this may slow down the Empire’s promise to turn Tarn into a sovereign city-state. It should be considered that with Tarn the Empire holds control over both sides of the straits between the disputed territory, Adaptes Astrates, Holy Panooly and Theohuanacu; this territory will not be let go easily, despite imperial promises. Regardless, Stevid – indisputably the heart and mind of the Holy Empire – has shown that war is not in the Holy Empire’s best interests, and the Second Empire has expressed similar feelings. Nevertheless, the Empire’s belligerence in the region can’t be ignored – how far the Holy Empire’s appeasement can go comes to mind as an important question. It’s important to consider, on the other hand, that Indras does not retain good relations with the Holy Empire, either – Indras and Adaptes Astrates have had disputes over nearby oil wells and drilling rights. This said, we all hope that no further war begins.

Perhaps an important piece of news, related to Theohuanacu, is the announcement of the Ejermacht of the recruitment of three local tabors – or war parties. These war parties are roughly brigade size and are made of Theohuanacan locals – these are, effectively, the first auxiliary units of Theohuanacu (meaning the Empire has not lost time in using the local population to enforce its rule over its quickly expanding territory). The recruits of Tarn, in the disputed territory, have also been organized into two tabors, which will allow the imperial parachute division to be redeployed to Theohuanacu to aid in operations there. These two tabors will be complimented by a flown-in security brigade made-up of Macabee military police; this unit is probably meant to enforce imperial law over Tarn, as opposed to bolstering the city’s defenses. Apart from this, the two tabors in Tarn have been heavily supplied with imperial weapons, including the vaunted Hali-42 assault rifle, heavy anti-tank missiles, artillery guns, surface to air missile batteries, et cetera. The city has been turned into a fortress, incase of a siege if war with the Holy Empire was to ever begin. The Empire has justified this by claiming that they are training the future army of the city-state and supplying it with modern ordnance. Neither Adaptes Astrates nor Stevid had commented over the matter, given that they are probably wishing to avoid the topic altogether. As the occupation of Theohuanacu continues, the military has shown interests in recruiting up to ten tabors, turning them into division-sized units - where these will be deployed is unknown, but it sounds like an intricate redistribution of population plan to avoid massive insurgencies in Theohuanacu.

One thing is clear – the so-called ‘cold war’ seems to be turning hot.


Somewhere in the ‘Gorí Straits’
The imperial battle cruiser slipped into the Gorí Straits – named by Imperial cartographers – relatively unnoticed, and had done so alone in regards to surface escorts. Below the silent waves of these waters prowled dozens of imperial nuclear attack submarines, looking for belligerent targets and making sure the destroyer was safe. The destroyer was commanded by Commodore Henrý Telap, a young and audacious commander who had been awarded command of the ship during the War of Golden Succession for his valiant stand at the Battle of Otium Aqua as a captain of a small cruiser. The long, sleek ship cut through the waters like a bread knife through butter moving southwards towards the ever disappearing horizon. Indeed, the sun was finally coming down for the day and his operation had commenced. The Empire had warned the fools from Indra and they had chosen to ignore the heed – the Empire did not respond kindly to those which resisted its will; no victor of the largest war in the region would appease dissenters. As the sun slowly depressed itself behind the horizon, the last rays of orange light, with a tinge of red, emboldened the double-headed eagle on the ship’s bow – the display of imperial might; the eagle which had not yet seen defeat. The ship had a number of ‘large guns’, although she boasted of a much more powerful contingent of missiles – this time for ship to land warfare, not the more usual arsenal of anti-shipping missiles (the infamous Sledgehammer II). Today she would be a surface raider!

Commodore Telap sat deep within the bowls of the ship, in the command center, surrounded by other commanding officers – the most important brass on the battle cruiser. Behind him were printed in white the words ‘VIKTHORYA’ – Victory (the ship is christened the HES Vikthorya). Most of them men had faces of anxiety, nerves and hopes as this was to be their first combat mission since the cessation of hostilities against the Holy Empire and Independent Hitmen. Henrý Telap was calm and his face was expressionless – the traits which made him such a good commander. He looked over his men and said, ‘Gentlemen, tonight our ship will make history. We all know our orders well! Four drilling platforms will go up in flames, and those pig-dogs will no never to betray the chances we afford them. It is obvious that we are the Empire’s declaration of war. We have been chosen, specifically, for this mission – be proud!’

One of the officers shouted and another one asked, ‘Commodore, and after?’

Henrý smiled and replied, ‘I don’t know lieutenant, but whatever comes I’m sure we will see plenty of action. This ship will spill plenty of blood, although this is not to say that our own blood will partake in the gruesome mix. Whatever is to come in the near future I must only warn that we must be prepared and we must not be too bold, nor too cocky.’

In fact, what they didn’t know was that the Kriermada had already dispatched an arsenal ship to Tarn, where it would dock for the night. The HES Vikthorya was to return to Tarn after the operation and the men were to have an eight hour resting period – during that period the battle cruiser would be restocked with anti-shipping missiles, and the Vikthorya would turn into a surface shipping raider to disrupt and destroy Indras’ trade routes and their ability to move men by sea. If war was to become Indras would be sealed off as soon as possible, and the Kriermada would do everything possible to take command of the high seas. The strategy would be similar to that used against Safehaven – if the enemy did not have a fleet (it should be remembered that the Havenic fleet was completely destroyed during the Siege of Targul Frumos) it could not win the war and the empire could strike where it wanted, when it wanted. This had been the plan for the extended war against Stevid, but the conflict ended before the joint Mekugian and Macabee fleet would begin what would have been the epic Second Battle of Otium Aqua – over three thousand ships pitted against each other. But now perhaps the Empire would have a second chance to show off its distrusted naval might! To be honest, the empire had not wanted to risk the insertion of capital ships into the Gori Straights, in case of an Astrati air attack, but if war began there was no doubt that the entire battle group would be sent south.

The HES Vikthorya continued towards its foe, and by the time the ship neared the target the sun had completely disappeared. In its place was the bright half-moon of any normal night, with the stars offering the earth’s satellite the most enjoyable company. In the distance one sailor could see a red light, denoting one of the oil platform’s night lights to warn low-altitude aircraft of the existence of that height. Orders were soon issued for sailors to rush to their battle positions and to man the guns and a red flare was shot into the sky to warn the platform of the ship’s approach – even in war chivalry was still something every man followed. The silent night, interrupted only by the break of the waves against the battle cruiser’s keel, was broken by an ear piercing alarm which originated from the platform – they had taken the warning as a serious threat. But, there was likely little they could do except warn allied ships in the vicinity of the presence of the battle cruiser or perhaps even telegram imperial authorities nearby. However, their outcries would fall on deaf ears. Three green flares were shot from the oil platform, but the battle cruiser ignored the signals. A battery of the battle cruiser opened fire first, as the ship was still perpendicular to the platform and heading straight towards it. The shell ripped through the clear sky, but struck water beside the platform. A spray of sea foam and water engulfed the side of the coastal drilling well and men could be seen running back and forth. Soon enough, the same gun opened fire once again and this time hit straight on.

A huge explosion rocked the waters and red flames soon spread throughout the surface of Indras’ platform. As the battle cruiser neared and turned to broadside the target, the men on the ship could see civilians jumping into the water. Wounded were left to die on the floor and some men were already casualties of war. As the ship turned, the first and last batteries opened fire and struck the platform with its superior fire control system. Random shots originating from the platform – probably guards with pistols or assault rifles – ended coldly, as the two new shells spelled the end of the target. The tall building began to lean, as the supports anchored to the sea floor were shattered, and soon fell into the water. Men littered the waves and the battle cruiser soon dispatched a number of motor boats to pick-up survivors – the first prisoners of war. But, there was not much time to lose as news would spread soon and the ship still had other targets to take care of.

The next attack wouldn’t be so personal. Commodore Telap was already at the bridge, to see the first attack with his own eyes. This was hardly the war he had imagined, but a mission was a mission. He himself preferred large-scale sea battles where he could really prove himself, but this worked too – he had the honor of commanding the only ship operating against an enemy this night. The coordinates of the second platform were provided by a satellite overhead, in its own orbit around the planet. A young sailor warned the commodore that the missiles were ready and Henrý smiled, ‘We strike again.’

As the coordinates were checked, Henrý Telap gave the order, ‘Fire.’

Within seconds two wide plumes of smoke followed the trajectory of two land-attack cruise missiles, tearing through the air. The ship’s occupants would not be able to see the explosion, but they knew that the missiles would not miss. Some minutes later the attack was repeated against a third target. Three platforms destroyed – that would send the message clearly. Henrý looked at one of the sailors and ordered, ‘Set pace north, we’re going home.’

‘Aye aye commodore,’ responded the sailor with vigor. There was a sense of victory in the ship, which was well deserved. The ship had just probably made history. But, the ship’s war for this night was not over just yet …

Already in his cabin, the commodore was surprised to hear a knock at his door. A sailor walked in, stood at attention and asked for the commodore’s permission to report. After Henrý had nodded the man began to brief the commodore on a sudden turn of events, ‘Sir, radar reports a contact bearing south-east 270º. A nearby submarine reports high-screws contact around the same location and we are triangulating with the aid of an overhead satellite to see what the threat is. But, with the size of the radar contact and the submarine’s passive sonar contact it seems this is a mid-sized warship – probably a frigate.’

The commodore hoped out of bed and told the sailor to report back to his original location. Henrý Telap moved quickly through the halls towards the command center of the ship, as this was a possible ship on ship encounter and right now the HES Vikthorya was not prepared for such a battle if this was something similar in size. As he arrived his second in command began a more in depth brief; it seemed as if they had gotten information to confirm that the contact was a Indrasian frigate of around six thousand tons. Given the night’s orders, Henrý could engage at will – a six thousand ton kill was nothing to scoff at, especially if the opportunity presented itself even before the war began. Nevertheless, Henrý asked for verification for the ability to open fire and a data link was sent through satellite to the battle fleet up north, which responded with a green light. Tonight would not only see three destroyed drilling platforms and many dead, but also the loss of a major surface combatant for Indras – it was a big loss for just one night and just one enemy ship. But, all were about to find out that this ship was not stupid and it had been shadowing the Vikthorya since the latter opened fire on the first oil well.

On deck, a sailor could here a crashing swoosh and then a huge explosion near the boy, although nearer to A turret. Fragments of metal were thrown all over, killing some men instantly and severely wounding many others. The Vikthorya had just been hit by an anti-shipping missile. Fortunately, damage to the ship was light as the light explosively formed penetrator which formed the warhead of the small anti-shipping missile could do little against the ship’s decent deck protection. Regardless, due to damage to the gun barrel A turret was put out of action. However, the Macabee battle cruiser returned fire with vigor, sending a near-full (minus the battery put out of action) broadside towards where radar thought the ship was. No explosions were seen in the horizon and so the trajectories were corrected and a second salvo sent – unfortunately, the Vikthorya had no anti-shipping missiles and so was at a very important disadvantage. But, at these ranges her big guns would prove enough to finish the job against a naturally inferior ship – in fact, the Indrasian frigate should have most likely began to run. Instead, the enemy fired a second missile although this one was destroyed by the Vikthorya’s Cohort II close-in weapon systems, sending a hail of tungsten fragments as a screen in front of the lethal rocket screaming towards the Imperial battle cruiser. A flash of light decorated the dark night, and then disappeared as quickly as it had come. The Indrasian frigate had met its match, and unfortunately would not be given a second chance.

The proud imperial ship continued to fire salvo after salvo, as it quickly closed the gap between itself and the enemy. By the time the frigate had began to turn away it was too late. Imperial shells ripped into its unarmored and light hull and set the ship ablaze. Such a small ship would not take long to sink after it had been peppered with large caliber armor piercing ballistically capped projectiles. The dead on the Vikthorya had caused and impression this time, and survivors were not picked up – instead, those that could be seen were gleefully machine gunned by sailors on the larger battle cruiser’s deck. But Henrý could not allow his men to enjoy long enough, as those wounds on the ship would have to be temporarily mended to allow the ship to operate the next day and so he ordered full steam ahead towards the naval port of Tarn. Behind it, the ship had left a path of death and destruction.

Emergency Message to All Foreign Drilling Platforms in the Gorí Straits
‘You were properly warned prior to the events of last night. Let the actions of the HES VIKTHORYA serve as a second warning for those who were lucky enough not to be engaged. The Empire will not allow companies to illegally drill what is now its oil, even if these companies are protected by the flag of Indras. The Second Empire knows no fear and has no opponent capable of defeating it – we suggest an immediate withdrawal from the area. Drilling platforms out of the declared economic zone will not be harmed or touch, as these are legally drilling the petroleum in these areas of the region. Within sixteen hours all illegal platforms will be destroyed, as enforced by the Kriermada. We will offer no further warnings.’

Northern Theohuanacu, the next day
The chirp of the birds and the screams of the animals which populated the jungles of Northern Theohuanacu, which someone managed to survive the nuclear radiation which damned the center of this once proud nation, were broken by the clashing cacophony provided by imperial artillery hitting isolated positions along the ‘front’. Honestly, there wasn’t much front to speak of, giving that Theohuanacu did not have a standing army and the war lords in the north had mostly either bended to imperial will or had slipped into the jungle with parts of their militias. Macabee multi-role aircraft and small groups of men attempted to pursue these forces and destroy them whenever possible, but it was becoming obvious that many of these militias were merging to create a unified resistance. Of course, so early in the occupation it wasn’t very large, but neither had Imperial forces occupied much of Theohuanacu yet – the longer it took to occupy the island the more chance there would be for an insurgency to prepare itself. In order to avoid waiting for the large invasion force to arrive at sea, isolated battalions and even divisions arrived by air bridge from Athiesism (another country in the region which had recently devolved into a state of chaos due to the War of Golden Succession). Special forces units were told to deploy in order to block the growth of a Theohuanacan resistance, and slowly it looked as if the original projection numbers of personnel and material had been seriously underestimated (especially if a war began with Indras).

The original main invasion force of two hundred and fifty thousand to three hundred thousand men was preparing itself in different ports around the empire, and these still had to arrive. However, with the air lifted divisions there would soon be another one hundred thousand men independent from the main invasion force, which meant that suddenly there would be half a million men in Theohuanacu. These new divisions were not auxiliaries either, they were full-blown mechanized infantry divisions, although their mechanization would take a bit more time to arrive. The War Ministry had already allotted six Havenic auxiliary divisions in case war with Indras began, and propaganda campaigns were prepared in the south to exchange citizenship with military service – the Empire would basically allow Havenic immigrants to enter the Empire if they promised ten years of military service, and they would also be given a plot of land in what was once their country. What was to be a small war was turning to be into a very large deployment, with almost one million men prepared to go if necessary – to give an idea, during the first two months of the War of Golden Succession there were around two million men operated in Ruska against the Havenic invaders!

Somewhere in these jungles a military convoy made-up of HIM-TECs and other armored trucks patrolled a river line moving transversely through Theohuanacu – like a natural border between what had been occupied and what was still to be occupied. Private Erich Banner was nervous, as this was his first combat mission. The arrival in the country had not been pleasant, as he had to be given two shots in the butt cheek and a malaria shot in the arm. For the next two to three days the only thing he could say he had had been diarrhea, and his sergeants had told him to get into battle rattle when he was still not entirely cured. Nevertheless, now he found himself here, fighting against the urges of his stomach and looking out the small windows of his HIM-TEC. The HIM-TEC was a nice piece of foreign equipment, very well armored, rugged and reliable – if there was anything Erich Banner wanted to patrol in it was this vehicle. Of course, the military had a way of selling its weapons to its troops so that they had ultimate confidence in their equipment – it made war winning soldiers. When the truck passed over a large rock the soldiers inside felt almost nothing, as the hydropneumatic suspension system adapted itself to the terrain it traversed. The top-gunner was poking his head outside, looking for a target, and held the S30 heavy machine gun ready to fire. Next to him was the HammerFist remote weapon station with another heavy machine gun – a lot of firepower for such a small vehicle.

The private leaned over to his comrade and said, ‘Do you think we’re going to get any action? I mean, all this war seems to have gone pretty easy, don’t you think? I don’t even think there’s any that haven’t surrendered.’

The other man nodded and responded, ‘I don’t really care, as long as I get my kill, man.’

Erich chuckled, ‘Yea, the soldier’s ultimate dream – a kill.’

Across from them their squad leader, a young sergeant, was overhearing the conversation. His lips arched as he put on a vexed face and he sternly intervened, ‘Privates, you don’t even know what a fucking war is or what it’s like to kill. If there was one thing God didn’t put man on this Earth it was to kill. It’s a tragedy that we are forced to do shit like this.’

Private Erich Banner twisted his face in confusion and asked, ‘So, why did you join?’

The sergeant rolled his eyes, ‘Guy, you think I had a choice? I’m a goddamn conscript that decided to remain in the army after the war, given that I have nothing else to do and there aren’t exactly jobs for all of us outside of this goddamn institution.’

The other private opened his mouth, ‘Sarge, don’t get piss-‘

He didn’t have time to finish. The next thing anybody heard was BOOM, and most of the soldiers blacked out before seeing the dust and smoke fill in their cabin. The HIM-TEC seemed to swerve and then flipped over, jumping into the air before hitting the ground. The hull floor was torn open near the rear, although the blast had been deflected away from the central crew cell. However, the driver’s head had hit the glass due to the neck piece of his suspended chair being broken and he was most likely dead. Rivers of blood flew from his forehead and from under his hair all over the window. Behind him, the sergeant regained conscience quickly and yelled out, ‘Fuck, move, move, move.’

He noticed that his men were silent beside him and he started shaking them, although to no avail. Quickly, he grabbed one of his canteens and started to pour water on them and they quickly woke up, looking around them as if they didn’t remember who they were and what they were doing in Theohuanacu. But, the sergeant didn’t have time for games, ‘Motherfuckers, get out, get out, get out, move, move, move. We’re under attack, move your asses!’

One of the soldiers, a specialist, bust open the door with his foot and rolled out, hitting the floor. The other soldiers followed him and the sergeant escaped through the opposite side. Erich Banner opened the driver’s door when he could and dragged the driver to the floor, where he checked the wounds. The sergeant grimaced and said, ‘He’s dead, leave him.’

The squad began to slip into the forest to find cover and to return fire. Machine gun fire originated in front of them and they could hear bullets hitting metal – the convoy had been ambushed. A number of vehicles could be seen nearly completely destroyed, which meant that there had been multiple road side bombs. For now it was every squad for itself, as the men tried to return fire into the jungle – but it was a hopeless case, as they couldn’t see their enemy. About three hundred meters to squad’s right a radio man, belonging to another squad in the same platoon, desperately called for an air strike and artillery support, but nothing had come yet. The sergeant looked at his men and said, ‘We’re going in for the hunt – these guys are going to keep firing as long as they feel safe.’

Erich Banner put himself to the right, behind the sergeant, forming a V-type formation. He grasped his assault rifle close to him, and felt for the underbarrel grenade launcher which marked him as a grenadier. The squad broke up into two fire teams and moved silently into the dark jungle, teeming with snakes and other exotic animals. Gun fire zipped somewhere around them, although not at them – yet. Behind the squad a captain started to yell at the sergeant and the squad leader told his men to hold tight, as he talked to his superior. He came back and told his squad, ‘Apparently my plan isn’t good enough – we need to go back to the road. This place is going to go up in flames in less than ten.’

Banner’s friend said gleefully, ‘Fuck yes, my first airstrike!’

It wasn’t like the movies – the heat of the bombs coming from the aircraft could be felt full blown on everyone’s faces; too close for comfort, really. Dozens of multi-role aircraft swept in close to the jungle’s canopy to let loose their bombs and fire with their automatic cannons. The gun fire originating from inside the jungle quickly stopped, as they had just met their match. All the while, the convoy radioed for mechanical support and for extra vehicles to carry the men that had been left without their HIM-TECs and trucks. There were only three men killed, but one thing was certain – the insurgency had begun.

The Stevidian Times

Indras Oil Rigs Attacked by Kriermada, One Frigate Sunk While Troops Occupy Theohuanacu

It has come to the attention of The Times this morning that last night an Indras oil rig (Indras being a new nation in the region that lies near to Imperial ally Adaptus Astrates) has been attacked and destroyed by a Macabee Kriermada capital ship. The attack took place in the Gorí Straits (A Macabee term for the seas that separate Theohuanacu and the Disputed Zone) and involved a single capital ship of the Kriermada but we have no information as yet on the vessel’s designation. The attack comes not long after Fedala’s decision to enforce economic measures around the territorial waters of their newly invaded country and prevent foreign oil drilling companies from tapping into oil fields that supposedly belong to the Golden Throne. While the Stevidian Government hasn’t officially commented on these measures the attack shouldn’t come as a surprise since the Golden Throne has been exceptionally aggressive recently and the government will probably launch their own enquiry over the attacks using resources available in Adaptus Astrates. Military action or open hostility against the actions taken by the Golden Throne will probably not occur despite the uneasy tension the Holy Empire has with Fedala.
The attack did not go unnoticed however and inevitably got a military response from Indras who sent out a frigate to investigate. Reports say that the frigate attacked the cruiser that fired on the oil rigs and damaged the cruiser’s ability to fight however Fedala has claimed, long with reports from rig survivors and leaks from the Indras government that the defending frigate was swiftly destroyed without further incident. This clash of military forces will probably provoke the Indras government to declare war on the Empire despite the seemingly hopeless position Indras would be in, however Indras may look to the Holy Empire for support. The Times’ sources in the Stevidian government however think the possible pleas for help from Indras, if any were to come in the government’s direction, will fall on deaf ears. War is not something Stevid would want against the Golden Throne, both sides are ready for it but neither side is stupid enough to provoke the other- but both are being very imperialistic. Indras have been in the Holy Empires bad books of late due to diplomatic clashes with Adaptus Astrates over oil drilling rights and the discussions continue without the media hype to this day. However it is safe to say that Stevid has looked into the possibility of taking Indras by force, the imperialistic policies this government have are all too obvious most recently with the invasion and occupation of over thirty islands south of Guffingford in response to the Golden Thrones’ seizure of Theohuanacu. The government will most likely observe from a distance the repercussions of the events in the Gorí Straits and will make a statement based on the events that follow.

In a related matter, another four infantry divisions from the Golden Throne have landed in Theohuanacu to increase the grip the Golden Throne has on this newly acquired territory. To the horror of the Stevidian government, the bandits and warlords have taken a shine to the power of these foreigners and laid down their arms without a fight. Statements on casualty reports from the Golden Throne during the Golden War of Succession was almost always accurate and thrust worthy, it was one thing the Macabees and Stevid always agreed and so it has come as another shock that the army has said they have suffered no casualties from enemy fire but have admitted to confusion and friendly fire that happens all too often these days. With this huge victory for Fedala it is believed that full occupation will be complete in a few weeks but it won’t all be plain sailing. Reports from Theohuanacu already suggest an underground rebellion movement is already gathering pace and several attacks have already been carried out on Macabee troops.

While the Golden Throne exercises its military might openly, Stevid as been doing so as well but without all the media attention. The ‘Guffingfordii Island Chain’ as it is now known (Approximately fifty islands south of Guffingford) is falling quickly into the Holy Empire’s hands in a bid to control and properly safeguard the surrounding seas. Around thirty of the fifty islands have been occupied with no resistance, around 30% are uninhabited while the rest are inhabited by natives. The few islands that are technologically advanced are in fact Guffingfordii holiday resorts that continue to operate. Only violent youths pose a danger to our armed forces their and the local law enforcement are already subduing the violence while the military digs in and fortifies the islands. The Royal Navy are also making good use of the holiday ports which have now fallen under military jurisdiction. All the holiday resorts are closed and visitors are being removed from the islands. The invasion of the island chain came after the initial landings in Theohuanacu and the successful ultimatum of war if the Holy Empire interfered and sent in Astratii troops, in response the islands were seized after being technically neutral. The Holy Empire has long wanted the islands for military usage due to their obviously strategic position on the map, the Stevidian mainland now has additional protect to its direct South (something at has gone without for centuries), and while not directly controlling the ocean the islands lie in, the Royal Navy now have several ports to use when operating this far out and can also defend the southern coast of Stevid far more easily from threats from the south. This implies, but not officially stated, that a naval attack from the Golden Throne ports in North Theohuanacu can now be adequately defended against.

Both sides continue diplomatic discussion with one another but neither side has made any progress other than making empty threats or getting their way by force- short of open war. However the stance of the Stevidian government on the incident in the Gorí Straits is yet to be heard and will come in the next week or two when the reprisals of last night’s happenings take shape. It may in fact be a turning point in relations with the Golden Throne, the two may be obvious enemies but the whole Indras issue may united the two governments just enough for the bickering to stop. On the other hand the Holy Empire may look at the up and coming events with detest for the actions taken by the Golden Throne and side with Indras. Whatever happens, the Cold War has taken a new turn but no ones knows yet whether it is for better or for worse.

The New White House, Situation Room M
On the day of the Macabean first moves into Theohuanacu

As usual it was a hive of activity in the situation room. Military officers of all grades were moving around in an orderly fashion, many carrying thin sheets of paper that contained situation reports from a myriad of assets in the region. While the officers in the room hadn’t been caught by surprise they were somewhat concerned by the Macabeean movements of troops into Theohuanacu. The ongoing reequipping and reorganising of the IH Armed Forces was continuing apace but they were still not a match for the Macabeean wrecking ball. The Intelligence services were having success in identifying areas of possible weakness as well as highlighting strengths that were to be avoided, but most of their reports contained worrying figures on Macabeean armour strength. Allied forces were not just outnumbered but also still suffered a qualitative disadvantage against their age-old opponents.

On the positive side, the conclusion of the War of the Golden Succession had assured Stevidian Strategic Security for the time being. The Macabees had recognised the dangerous coalition that had been arrayed against it and was unlikely to actively seek another military confrontation for some time. But the weaknesses of the IH war machine had been brutally exposed. Successive defeats had done little to bolster morale and desertions, which had never previously been a peacetime problem, had hit an all time high; particularly badly hit was the Navy which had borne the brunt of Macabeean attack.

The devastated IH 2nd Fleet had been reconstituted in Home Waters. The dramatic loss of so much of its combat strength in the Second Battle of the Otium Aqua meant that it would take some months of training to regain the operational efficiency that it had held before the war. High wages meant that there was no shortage of personnel to replace the human casualties, but they also required time to be trained and fully integrated into their commands. The human cost of the war had been in dead and wounded as well as in loss of medium-term combat capability. All of these factors had been analyzed and presented in a series of reports, some being delivered to the high command whilst the war was still ongoing. IH military leaders had fallen behind the times, at least technologically. However there was no shortage of funds, time or political will to dramatically change that situation.

In Situation Room M a giant display showed the alert status of all the Army Groups, Air Forces and Naval Fleets in the USIH arsenal. At the click of a mouse each could be expanded to show its constituent units, all the way down to battalion strength if necessary. Command and control, weapon range and armour values were just some of the variables that had been moved slightly more towards the USIH’s favour in the previous six months. The Periocles II Class Carriers had been quickly refitted with thicker armour and better RAM defences to sustain massed missile attacks and a new batch of Missile Cruisers had been released with the sole purpose of defending fleets from such threats, now known colloquially as ‘Missile Spam’.

Field Marshal Mathers, Chief of the Defence Staff, watched the displays change as he ordered an ensign to highlight IH Army Group Stevid. The display now showed the IH 2nd, 3rd, 7th and 8th Armies and the Corps level units that they contained. On a separate panel the 4th (Tactical) and 9th (Strategic) Air Force’s were pulled up to represent IH Air Power in Stevid. Mathers checked his watch and as if on cue the doors opened with the familiar command of “Attention” being heard. All of those present that had been sitting sprang to their feet as President Anderson, Prime Minister Conroy and the Damiran President entered the now silent room.

“Sit down people. Field Marshal give us an update please.”

“Sir approximately thirty minutes ago the first of the Macabeean invasion force touched down in Theohuanacu. We are getting a rough count on them now, but their propaganda that they are releasing to accompany the invasion seems to be about on the money. We also have unconfirmed reports that an Adaptes fighter aircraft has hit some of the Macabeean transport aircraft that are conducting an airlift into the area. That is still unconfirmed but was intercepted from open voice comms by two ELINT satellites we have over the area. We should have confirmation on that within a few minutes from Stevidian command.”

President Anderson turned to Conroy who was now seated.

“Prime Minister what have you heard?”

“Only what was said on the helicopter, I haven’t received my briefing on this apparent attack.” was the reply from the allied leader.

“Very well David. We’ll get you a secure line and move the treaty signing forward to this afternoon so you can get back if needs be.” said the IH President before turning back to the rest of those in the room. Mathers was the next to quickly interject.

“Mr President we have direct communications with Stevidian Command from here. I’ll make sure the Prime Minister is given a secure line via his embassy.”

“Thank you Field Marshal. With regards to our status I want to raise the Alert posture of Army Group Stevid to the same level as that of the Stevidians. Bring the 9th Strategic to TL-3. We want the Macabeean’s to know that we are still interested in this area, especially after our little move. Is there anything else?”

“Not at this time Mr President. We will get a report to you on the Adaptes Incident as soon as we have it.”

“Thank you.” The President turned to his guests as he rose. “Gentlemen I believe we have a treaty to sign.”




IH 2nd Army Command,30km outside Sunderland, Stevid
The Present Day


The command element of the 2nd (IH) Army was still very busy. Having been in SH2 only seven months previously, the Army had been combat tested and found its equipment wanting; the Nakil really was as good as people said. Many men had died as a result of the battles, a tiny fraction of the Allied KIA but it had still meant that a flow of reinforcements had come into the huge formation upon its arrival back in Stevid. Since then it had been augmented with more firepower in the form of two extra artillery brigades and the reequipping of its armoured divisions with modern Iron Cheetah PASHDA tank, the last of those constructed for the USIH by CSJ.

2nd Army Commander, General Mark Rogers, was busy filling in electronic forms on his laptop whilst the operations and intelligence officers tried to compile what they knew of Macabeean strength that was likely to be diverted to their new theatre of operations. In similar command areas all over Stevid the various other formations were doing the same, especially the IHAF intelligence bods who were trying to piece together an aerial attack plan based upon Macabeean troops displacements in the irradiated country. You had to keep such plans in your back pocket in case they needed to be used, but nobody expected an IH first strike in the near future, the outcome just wouldn’t be desirable at the moment. The planners were greatly helped by the increased number and quality of IH satellite reconnaissance assets, one hangover from the War of the Golden Succession was the rapid launch of a huge network of satellites to cover this part of the world; almost all of the Macabeean nation could be photographed in three days if the intel guys wanted it. How long it would take to actually examine all those photos was another matter entirely.

2nd (IH) Army’s two Corps Commanders were with their formations, II Corps and XII Corps, who were both conducting Divisional level training exercises alongside Stevidian formations. Both Armies had cooperated well in Athieiesm and SH2, but the Macabeean tanks and planes had still forced them back in the latter. But some new machines had been brought to the theatre to try and redress the balance. The 9th Armoured Division was testing five of the prototype XBT-500 tanks, huge behemoths armed with two 125mm smoothbore cannons, five machine guns and a pair of quad missile launchers. The huge size and thickness of armour of the tank had led to it being referred to as a landship[/i ] by the few IH troops that actually saw one; there were only twenty in service and the rest were in trials with the 2256th Experimental Tank Battalion at Fort Anerley on Gilbert Island, the tank proving grounds in the USIH. The Army had high hopes for these new vehicles, yet initial tests showed them to be as reliable as German Tiger tanks...not a particularly good omen.



Tranmere (IH) Air Force Base,
IH 4th Tactical Air Force, Stevid


The Air Force was also undergoing changes. The Macabeean long range missiles had savaged the deployments made to SH2, countless aircraft had been lost to minimal enemy losses despite the heroism of many pilots. Over fifty AWAC’s aircraft had been lost, most destroyed but some just damaged beyond repair. Added to the three hundred combat aircraft lost and it had been a particularly unimpressive kill to loss ratio.
To try and improve that in the future the air force had acquired the Navy’s AAM-3LR and was trying to distribute it out in large numbers. The new missile was slightly larger than those used on IH aircraft so there had to be an adaptation to the missile fittings as well as software for the aircraft to adapt to the different loading and aerodynamic properties.
The 4th Tactical Air Force had a revamped command structure. Its previous commander had been pensioned off after the war, a reward for his weapons failure rather than any tactical errors. The new commander had been promoted from wartime command of a Bomber Wing where he had been shot down twice. Major-General Richard Dunne still flew aircraft on the Stevidian coast, watching warily for Macabeean intruders.



Trueview Apartment Building, 22456 Main Street,
J City, Independent Hitmen


IHIA Field Agent Jason Spitzer stood restlessly in the rapidly ascending elevator. The agent hadn’t had time to remove his tie and had simply put the bullet-proof jacket on over top of his suit shirt and then replaced the suit jacket. His gold badge was around his neck on a chain and his 9mm pistol was in his right hand. He glanced up to the floor indicator which now showed 42, his destination.

The electronic bong of the lift doors opening sounded deafening to the Agent who wanted to keep quiet; a glance to the left showed an empty hall. Jason looked right, looking for the right door. He saw it and the eight man IHIA team outside, all dressed in black Nomex assault suits with IHIA in white letters on the back and carrying submachine guns. The lead agent of that team saw Jason arrive and motioned him forward with a wave of the hand, ducking under the apartment’s peak hole and moving to the man in the suit. The two stood close together, two doors down from apartment 4205, and the team leader began whispering through his balaclava.

“Target is confirmed. Long Rifle Four has a visual, dining room watching tv. No other occupants.”

“Good. Let’s get him.”

“Yes Sir.”

The assault team leader went back to his men. A flurry of hand signals and they stacked up against the wall either side of the door, one man swung his weapon to his back and began fiddling with the lock. After a minute he put his left thumb up and slowly inched the door open. When it was nearly half open the rest of the team shot through, weapons up and trained at head height. The silence of the well insulated room and corridor was shattered with eight voices shouting in unison.

From the corridor Jason watched the team disappear inside and so he moved up towards the door, keeping his pistol in his hand. The man’s apartment had been searched countless times before by agents who had found no trace of any weapon, but in a county where ownership of most firearms was legal it was better to be sure. It didn’t take long before one of the assault team was in the door way beckoning him in.

Jason entered the apartment for the first time. It was well decorated, remarkably well so for a medium level state department employee. The carpet under his feet felt very soft and bouncy, probably new. He replaced his pistol in its holster and walked through to the dining room from where the smell of food was emanating.

That food was splattered over the floor and wall where it had been thrown upon the occupants surprise at having eight heavily armed men burst into his house. Jason carefully stepped over it as he moved over to where a figure was pinned against the floor by two of the team; the others just stood around the room. Jason motioned to the two men to pick up the apartments owner and Jason spoke to the visibly shaken man.

“Assistant Secretary Robert Fredrick Craig?”

The man sheepishly nodded.

“I’m Field Agent Jason Spitzer, you’re under arrest.”

The man looked confused and not a little surprised. After a minute he did however speak.

“What is the charge?”

“Espionage.”

“What? That’s preposterous. For whom am I apparently spying?”

“For the Golden Throne Mr Craig that’s who. There’s no point acting innocent, we have all the evidence we need. Agents take him away.”

The two armed men bundled their captive past Spitzer and towards the door followed by two others. The man was lead past a few of his neighbours who had come out into the corridor to see what the disturbance was. All of them looked surprised and shocked at the heavily armed troopers that walked towards the lift which five suited men exited and they then entered it, bound for the basement and the waiting cars. Two of the suited men took up position either side of the lift and the other three entered the open apartment which was now guarded by two more of the assault team.

The three met Spitzer inside and began bagging electrical equipment and other important items. Spitzer even had the time to eat some of the man’s dessert that was sitting on the table. All in a day’s work for one of the IHIA’s counter espionage teams.



IHS [i]Coral Canyon, Vanguard II Class Attack Submarine
Somewhere in the North Otium Aqua


Captain Corry Amos stared intently at the merchant ship he had been stalking for days. Through the periscope view she looked so small, but had to be at least twenty thousand tonnes. The waves were being driven by a ten knot wind on the surface and there was a slight role on the submerged boat. All stations reported ready and the Captain breathed the word fire as he pressed the button twice to release a pair of homing torpedoes at the oblivious vessel.

Amos pushed his hair from obscuring his face as he concentrated on the merchant ship. It took a few minutes but then suddenly the side of the ship was obscured with a plume of water and then another. Amos watched, imagining the creaking of steel as the vessels hull struggled to stay together and then the horrendous noise of it lurching apart and the two halves sinking slowly beneath the depths. A live raft was deployed but he ignored it, his mission was to destroy the ship not the crew.

A loud knocking noise made the Captain turn and shout. The door to his private cabin opened and the XO strode inwards. He looked at the Captains laptop and then at Amos himself.

“Silent Hunter again Captain?”

“Indeed XO. Sunk the last of that convoy I scattered day before yesterday. The destroyer was a pain but I got her in the tail and she went down like a cannon ball.”

“Good news Sir. Umm...back in real life we have mission orders.”

“Excellent, hand them over. I’ve had enough of sitting alongside the pier.”

“I’m sure you have Captain. The crew are all back from leave, supplies will be all stored within a few hours.”

The XO left to supervise the last of the loading from the underway replenishment ship and the Captain took the time to save his game before using a letter knife to open the orders envelope. A sigh and a roll of his eyes accompanied the first read; the second time was accompanied by his reading glasses and further sighs.

The orders were simple and concise. They were to sail in six hours and go to the coast of Theohuanacu to conduct intelligence gathering missions on the Macabeean fleet supporting the invasion. Once again Captain Amos was heading into danger, just this time he had an inexperienced crew, not the men of the Tigershark.

Central Theohuanacu
The armored spearheads had not taken a long time to cover the hundreds of kilometers to Theotihuacan, as the large Nakíl main battle tanks had no issues traversing the ‘blight’. The hulking Macabee hulls, with their gargantuan overhanging gun barrels, were used to the ranges covered, the flat terrain and the lack of opposition – they had experienced a similar freedom in northern Safehaven during the war. Of course, there had been maintenance issues during the ‘blitz’, but the Nakíl 1A2 was a very worthwhile machine that her crews placed much trust in. Indeed, this vehicle was able to knock-out a Stevidian Challenger from over four kilometers distance with her main gun, and crews preferred to not even mention Havenic armor, which was considered even worse than her Stevidian counterpart! The tank columns met with nomadic Theohuanacan tribes in movement, but these had offered no resistance and were not considered worthwhile targets to pick fights with. Their realm would soon be stepped into willingly, and perhaps then it would be time to waste the ammunition on their population. In fact, the nomads had been kind to the imperial soldiers if they dared to venture close to the armored spearheads, or if the tankers chased them down to ask them a question – if land navigation in the desert was done without a single major issue it was more due to the aid lent by the nomadic tribesmen than by any type of satellite computer system. Some tankers asked themselves, how God could be so evil as to allow blight like this to exist.

During the rush south, an attempt to gain as much ground as possible before the warlords which controlled the Tlaloc area and the extreme south had enough time to organize themselves into proper resistance groups, the tankers found themselves stopping frequently to ask for water sources and instructions, given the featureless terrain. There was no doubt that, in any case, news of the resistance in the north, near North Point, had reached the south by now. Regardless, as mentioned, the blight was truly horrific in the sense of navigation. ‘What direction is south?’ and ‘Is there water near, chap?’ were not rare questions to hear from a Macabee tanker, as either his vehicle’s machinery stopped working or his unit was left without water. Sometimes, they had to call in a delivery by air, which meant halting the advancing column for at least three or four hours. All of this played its role in slowing down the occupation of Theohuanacu, besides the lack of the necessary amount of personnel – especially as more men were required in the north to crush the resistance forming against the imperial occupation of the large island. It didn’t help that oftentimes the vehicle’s engine would be eaten up by the dust, and in fact many tanks which were forced to stop due to engine troubles found the metallic components of the tank’s gas turbine completely chipped away by the grains of sand. Full sized engine swaps were required, which could stop a column for as much as one hour if the engine was available nearby or up to two to three hours if the engine had to be brought in.

In fact, it was not uncommon to see unit sizes down to tank squads with their own armored recovery vehicles, although oftentimes this was impossible given that a unit required at least two and there weren’t enough for each squad to have two. As a result, brigade commanders soon found themselves reorganization the advance in the middle of the operation, making squads operate much closer together to make maintenance much quicker in the blight. Operational staff which had set up in North Point found themselves swamped with work in an attempt to mobilize a large helicopter force which could transport spare engines to the front lines in a matter of hours, without having to rely on advanced supply warehouses being set up as the spearheads continued southwards – these were, after all, running out of spare parts, given the intensity of the maintenance effort. Ironically, it also became more common to see repair vehicles, armored recovery vehicles and helicopters broken down in warehouses, ready to have their engines maintained and whatnot. In short, the operation to take the central area of the country was becoming quite the fiasco, although they had not met resistance yet. Reconnaissance aircraft passing over the terrain could see tanks stranded in the middle of the nuclear wasteland, with their crews unwilling to leave the vehicle due to the threat of radiation. Maintenance crews had to work in full nuclear, biological and chemical gear, which meant working in temperature conditions of over 50º Celsius! Even tanks with broken down air conditioning systems were not abandoned, as it was better to have to undress oneself in the vehicle than to go outside – it was strange that the unit commanders had not ordered their soldiers to operate in full chemical gear, given the threat of radiation, but this was how it was; perhaps they did not foresee so many break downs.

Despite the issues being come across, the advance was continuing, albeit less efficiently than foreseen. The operation originally planned for a six day advance south, with operations to take the capital city of Theotihuacan, but apparently the generals had misinterpreted the ease of traversing the roughly two thousand kilometers of distance to the capital. The armored spearheads didn’t report sighting the outskirts of the suburbs of the city until the ninth day of the offensive, and by this time total tank strength available had been reduced from roughly two thousand main battle tanks to around four hundred. To offer some perspective, it was not normal for a Macabee offensive to lose over seventy-five percent of its armored strength without even meeting opposition to the advance. As a result, the armored brigades were ordered to bypass the city and allow a mechanized infantry division and three auxiliary divisions, forming the XI Mixed Infantry Corps, to take care of occupying Theotihuacan. But, this corps would not be ready for another two days, which meant that Theotihuacan was virtually ignored. It didn’t really matter, because as far as those who ventured near the suburbs could tell, Theotihuacan looked like a massive, sprawling ghost city. Intelligence from the service in Fedala had claimed that the once prosperous city of close to twenty million citizens had been left with a population of less than two thousand after the nuclear holocaust, and nobody expected much more now. In any case, it would soon become a massive barracks for the Macabee decontamination effort, which could take years unless the Empire could find allies to lend aid by sending in mammoth amounts of manpower to help in the process.

The decontamination and reconstruction of Theohuanacu into a huge industrial polygon was going to be the true war. Dozens of companies would receive multi-billion reichmark contracts to provide decontamination equipment and experts, and this would only the beginning of the ‘economic war’. One could only imagine that the hundreds of companies which could complete the job would compete for the contracts, given the money they were worth, and if anybody knew Macabee business principles one could only foretell violence, terrorism and crime. Rumors were spreading through the circles of powerful Macabee company executives, investors and government officials with high stake claims in the economy that the dreaded Knights of Pir-Sar had already organized a number of cells in North Point. The Knights were absolutely brutal, and their atrocious track record included continuing terrorism in Central Prestonia, where opposing executives had been kidnapped, executed and then left in the middle of a busy street so that the who world would know that nobody double crossed their interests. The imperial government remained silent when foreign governments accused it of funding and controlling the terrorist network, but the Knights have been known to target businesses inside of the Golden Throne as well – the attack on an independent arms contractor prior to the break-up of Kriegzimmer is only ample evidence that their interests are not just simply Macabee. If it was true that the Knights had taken an interest in Theohuanacu then it meant that the competition for the decontamination contracts and for the reconstruction contracts would be more intense than anyone could have previously imagined.

And, the reconstruction contracts were far more lucrative than those offered for decontamination, although the former would take less time to complete. Theotihuacan, after the decontamination, was to be completely rebuilt into a provincial capital of model proportions, including gilded statues of His Imperial Majesty, stone cathedrals with overbearing flying buttresses, rose windows and spiraling bell towers, neo-classical governmental buildings with a touch of baroque and rococo and the classic ‘imperial-style’ condominium buildings throughout the city. Like all other Macabee cities, Theotihuacan would turn into an urban megalopolis worth millions in population, as it began to accept the soldiers and families of the auxiliary divisions which would soon be deployed to occupy this God forsaken blight. As the provincial capital it would be turned into a beautiful imperial city, surrounded by sprawling imperial gardens and the sight of a multitude of baroque palaces, markets and opera houses. As for the rest of the country, it was destined to become a bourgeoning industrial megalith, where the Second Empire’s industry would find itself packed together. The country was close enough to allow for acceptable trade terms in regards to what was cheap to import, and so moving industry to Theohuanacu would not risk having warehouses in the mainland buy off other nations due to cheaper shipping prices – this was an issue experienced with finished goods from the colonies. In any case, as Ruska and Weigar were rebuilt these would be soon turned into gigantic agricultural ranches, awarded to lifetime term soldiers that had fought for the Empire in all of her wars. In effect, the Empire had finally come to the obvious conclusion that it needed a granary to feed its ridiculous population of over ten and a half billion souls.

When it came the time to begin this projects there was no tank in the world that could win this ‘war’; only money, politics and brute force through covert means. If one was to draw conclusions, without being too far off, one could assume that the invasion of Theohuanacu had economic incentives, over any other. Theohuanacu has petroleum, which after Stevid occupied the Guffingfordi oil fields south of the once prosperous Guffingfordi mainland the Empire was left without being able to compete, and Theohuanacu has the capability of providing the barren surface area for economic development between a number of countries, making Macabee reconstruction businesses extremely wealthy. One could see it now: organized crime, corruption, war and oppression – the four things man had become extremely good at doing. Theohuanacu was to become the center of this in Greater Dienstad, proving to be only the door to a new Dienstadi future where large, regional wars were no longer desirable, as opposed to covert economic wars for supremacy of the national market. Territory and honor were obsolete concepts of a now antiquated era and wealth was what truly mattered – wealth and power went hand in hand. Indeed, the golden rule remains: he who has the gold can make the rules.

Somewhere in northern Theohuanacu
The Amastoli rifleman, armed with a surplus Hali-53 assault rifle, slowly advanced through the thick Theohuanacu jungle, looking for hints of an enemy. His dark green uniform, with shades of light green and even grey and brown, mixed well with the surrounding vegetation, as the hunter crouched low, giving him an advantage over his silent opponent – even if his opponent was, perhaps, more skilled than he was. The soldier’s silhouette was consistently broken up by thick, green palm leaves and dark brown trunks of tall, tropical trees. The Amastoli hunter, apart from the uniform, had his left eye covered by a single-piece night vision device, protruding into the space in front of him, while his right eye was free to track and shoot. This hunter’s prey, however, was not any of the jungle’s natural fauna. The hunter’s prey was human, armed and had already claimed dozens of lives itself – he was hunting for guerillas. This area was already infamous for its concentration of improvised explosive devices, that patrolling imperial infantry and armor had found the difficult way more than once. From an analysis of the different strikes on patrols it was seen that this specific area was the center of an organized resistance attempt, given that most of the strikes could be placed from this location with a common radius. As a consequence, a platoon of Amastoli hunters from the Harka ‘Berach X’ were attached to the Doomani Harka ‘Invictus I’ and sent to eliminate the ‘problem’.

These harkas were brigade-sized infantry units, recently arrived in Theohuanacu after an intense training program in Guffingford, belonged to what was no considered the elite Díenstadi Régulies force – a completely foreign military arm belonging to the Macabee Ejermacht. Most of these men had prior military experience. In the case of the Amastoli hunters, all of them had been hunting big game, and dangerous game, since a very early age, making them very accurate and deadly shooters. The majority had served in the Amastoli Army, patrolling the country’s dangerous rivers and fighting an internal war against drug lords, and had opted to join the Régulies as a method of finding fortune, honor and adventure. In this case, the Ejermacht paid the common soldier well and guaranteed that most infantrymen would see war at some point during their tenure if they stayed long enough. Many of the Doomani infantrymen had already served in the Ejermacht, fighting in Weigar City and seeing a horrendously large percentage of their brothers die, and then redistributed to ‘indigenous’ units after that particular Doomani unit in the ‘foreign legion’ was disbanded due to the losses suffered. Others were new and had served with the Doomani Army across the world, in several different wars, and were looking for greater adventure – especially after news and rumors of the Weigar battles began to circulate around the world. Every man who made it past ‘basic training’ was a hard, cold-blooded, stone-willed infantryman who fought for wealth and honor. These units held no nationalism and had no allegiance to Fedala, only to the money that Fedala paid them to serve and allegiance to the oath they swore upon during entry. In this sense, they were amongst the best soldiers an army could be equipped with.

The small squad of Amastoli soldiers, scouting ahead of the main unit, which was patrolling the small jungle pathways around the area in heavily armored HIM-TACs and other wheeled vehicles, stealthily continued through the shrubbery and brush. Finally, the lead soldier – the squad leader – put his left fist in the air, clenched tight, and all eight men dropped on one knee, with their rifles cleverly covering a different arc of fire. Through a squad-based wireless radio communication system the squad leader whispered, ‘Bananas, twelve o’clock.’ ‘Banana’ was the generic term for the indigenous Theohuanacu, given the country’s rainforest in the north and the dark tan of the people populating the country. In any case, the squad leader rose and started to turn his left arm in an arc, patting the back part of his left thigh as the arm dropped down, signaling his men to follow him in line. They had found their prey.

As they cleared the thick jungle they soon approached a tree line and avoided getting too close. But, one could see a fairly extensive village below, in a minor depression, with men, women and children moving about in what seemed everyday life. The approaches were guarded by a number guerillas armed with old assault rifles, grenades and machetes and garbed in whatever war-like clothing they could get their hands on. The center of the village was occupied by three light vehicles, armed with either machine guns or recoilless rocket launchers, while one could see stocks of weapons near houses – prepared in case of attack. These ‘headquarters’ were hard to find due to the brush and the lack of the necessary aircraft to scout for them – besides, the guerillas had learned quickly how to shoot down a small reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle, and so it was no longer economical to fly these to scout out for these positions. Instead, the Ejermacht would have to do it the old fashion way – ‘by hand’. The previously mentioned squad leader proceeded to set up a laptop in front of him, with a laser designator attached to the computer, and began to transmit the information back to the unit’s mobile headquarters on the main road. All the while, the squad began to move through the forest, looking for potential early warning scouts belonging to the guerilla force based at the village, eliminating them silently if they were found. At some point, before the Doomani force arrived, the squad had set up a loose perimeter around the village.

The Doomani tabor did not take too long to arrive, and was composed of around one thousand men all mechanized in wheeled armored fighting vehicles. They came into the depression in force, with mortar-carriers shelling the village without warning. As the fire fighting began the shelling began destroying houses, arms stockpiles and people, lifting giant clouds of dirt, dust and rocks into the air as each passing shell impacted the ground. The noise produced was terrible and could probably be heard from miles away. As the vehicles entered the area the guerillas who were not too shocked began to fire at the intruders, but hardly to any avail as the Doomani infantrymen were safely packed in their armored vehicles. An anti-tank missile whistled through the air and could be see impacting one of the three guerilla vehicles in the middle of the village, lifting it high into the air only to land in tatters on the ground below, with the tires strewn across the street. It was largely a slaughter, and the guerillas obviously didn’t expect being found. Automatic cannon fire raked the houses and people in the streets alike, and people coming out of the houses to surrender were ruthlessly shot to pieces. The one-sided firefight continued for at least fifteen minutes, and the noise of the cannons doing their destructive work only barely drowned out the wails of the dying and wounded. There was very little quarter given, and normally those who attempted to surrender were killed on sight – in wars like these there were no rules of engagement, and most of these soldiers had seen too much war to care about life any longer.

One of the wheeled vehicles came to a halt where the three guerilla vehicles once stood intact, and the rear hatch opened to let out a stream of nine men out, six of them heavily armed and the other three apparently high-ranking officers. One of these was Colonel Marius Draco, a veteran of the War of Golden Succession and well-respected commander of troops, now commander of the tabor that had partaken in the raid. He was flanked by his right-hand man, Major Tenerius Antony – the ruthless commander of the sixth bandag in the tabor, which had just done the brunt of the work in this specific village. They organized a temporary command post in the village square, taking out maps and papers to analyze casualties and score kills, while waiting for a full status report on the brigade. Around them, the village buildings were marked with 45mm cannon fire, and the dead were strewn along the street. Blood trickled down to the colonel’s boots, but he didn’t seem to mind, and neither did he complain about the smell which was cooking from the burning wounds of the injured. All of them ignored the cries of the wounded and there would be no medical help for them coming. Colonel Draco arched an eyebrow and asked one of the privates near him, ‘Soldier, where is my status report?’

The private flinched when he was referred to, but he responded quickly, ‘Sir, I don’t know, sir.’

The colonel’s mouth tightened at the corners and he retorted, ‘Soldier, go find whoever is supposed to give me that information and tell them to report. Now!’ The soldier did not have to be told twice in order to take off running.

Meanwhile, one could still hear gunfire as the Amastoli hunters began taking potshots at civilians and guerillas attempting to flee into the jungle from the violence. A good number had managed to escape the cannon fire of the armored vehicles and were running for their lives. Women carried their babies and whatever they could take with them which were of personal value. But, no quarter was given and there was no room for prisoners of war. The squad of Amastoli soldiers, with their Hali-53 assault rifles, laid down precision fire, oftentimes putting 6.64mm anti-personnel rounds in the heads of the women’s children before actually taking out the women. Some women, not carrying children or baggage, were allowed to make it to the jungle line, where they were shot in the legs so that they couldn’t move and so that they slowly bled to death. Their lives would come to a brutal end, soon enough. But, for the others they did not have the pleasure of some minutes more of life and they were all killed by accurate, long-range gun work. But, even after some ten minutes stray shots could be heard once in a while and the cry of another Theohuanacu indigenous going down with a hollow yelp for help. Women who had been shot down, but not killed, were approached, beaten and their clothes ripped off. Some were raped and then beheaded with the soldier’s bayonets. Others were beat and then dismembered piece by piece, until they bled to death. All of them were beheaded – whores did not deserve their bodies. With this terror completed the squad slipped back into the jungle with their prizes – the heads of their victims would be impaled along the main road, to show the locals what happened to those that collaborated with the resistance.

Back in the village, one of the junior officers had rounded up thirty-six survivors in good health, and had counted a total of forty-eight wounded but not dead. The latter were promptly executed with a round to the forehead and then the dead were collected and beheaded. Their bodies were burned, while their heads would meet the same fate as those collected by the Amastoli soldiers. Some of the Doomani soldiers tied the skulls to their belts, hanging loosely and bumping their leg, the heads a solemn reminder of the soldier’s brutality. The men were allowed to ransack the houses, although not much of value was expected to be found. Women hiding in the houses were raped in a train by relevant soldiers and then beheaded while still alive, sometimes with blunt knives found in the house’s kitchen. Men hiding were killed by having their body’s bones crushed with the Hali-53’s butt stock one by one. Children were simply shot without pain, and then beheaded. Bodies of those found were put in the giant mountain of headless bodies, where they would be burned. The thirty-six found prisoners in the streets were executed by autocannon fire in mass and then their bodies found the same fate. Just like the guerillas offered no mercy to their imperial targets, the harkas offered no mercy in return – there would be no survivors. The Régulies were looking to establish a reputation of brutality and terror to make sure that their adversaries never double-crossed them again. Soon enough, the entire village was set ablaze and the fire could be seen from a distance of several dozen kilometers, as the flames reached the heavens.

Back in his mobile command vehicle Colonel Draco turned to the major and said, ‘It seems as if we are back in business.’

The major chuckled. The colonel was referring to the Doomani’s lack of action since the firefights in Weigar. Most had been surprised when previous unit commanders had told them that they would be reorganized in a new all-Doomani unit – all of them had expected to be deployed to the hell-hole known as Theohuanacu. Now they had a chance to prove what they could do if they were used correctly. Antony looked at the colonel and responded, ‘I have a feeling we’re going to be doing quite a bit of this throughout this goddamn jungle.’

The colonel shrugged, ‘Good, I look forward to the festival. If we’re going to be here we might as well make the best of it. Did you register any kills?’

Antony laughed and nodded his head, ‘Two. Both of them bitches. Our autocannon ripped through the throat on one of those banana whores. It’s a shame, really. She was good looking enough to justify a quick fuck and then a quick fuck-up beyond repair.’

‘Yea, she would have looked better without a head. I agree.’ Both of them laughed – the typical rough, ugly and rude Doomani humor. But, in times like these most found it money.

Elsewhere, for the remainder of the day the forest remained lit on fire, as gunshots could be heard from several different points. The two harkas were doing their job to make sure there were not very many guerillas left in the open. The Berach harka was moving fast, eliminating small pockets of guerillas where they could be found. Most were patrolling up and down roads, sniping insurgents as they were installing improvised explosive devices along the road. The Doomani unit was mostly used to apply overwhelming firepower against large pockets of guerillas, and several of them were engaged. Aircover provided both of these units ample coverage and aid to destroy heavy weapons and large pockets of personnel. Sometimes, entire patches of forest were lit up just to smoke out insurgents or allow them to suffocate in the smoke produced by the fire. Artillery could be heard from a distance, as fixed, lightweight howitzers provided stand-off fire support to those that asked for it. The purging of the nearby rainforest was having quite the effect, with many dead – there were no wounded and no prisoners, for reasons explained prior. Of course, the resistance would continue for quite some time, but the daily scouring of the area with troops would make sure that the insurgents never had enough strength to truly be effective – besides, casualties due to roadside bombs were already decreasing, although casualties were unexpectedly high. Casualties amongst the harkas were not rare either, given that the Amastolis experienced heavy resistance if they were seen moving up on small enemy units, and several Doomani bandags were met with heavy defensive firepower to defend certain strategic positions in the jungle.

But, as expected, the majority of casualties were sustained by the local population. By the day’s end the principle patrol route out of North Point, heading West, was lined with the impaled heads of Theohuanacu civilians accused of harboring ‘terrorists’ and ‘actively aiding them in their endeavor to undermine imperial authority’. The twisted stench of burning bodies could be smelled from kilometers away, while the rising smoke of the burning mountains of flesh and bones, together with the burning wood from the razed villages, could be seen from an even greater distance. Some, internationally, would call this a campaign of terror, violence and oppression. The Golden Throne considered it a campaign of liberation, justice and peace. Of course, the Theohuanacu people’s opinion would never hold much water, given that the Empire was not interested in public relations or being politically correct – it was interested in the wellbeing of the Second Empire of the Golden Throne, and at this point that meant the successful occupation of Theohuanacu, which would be the catalyst for the economic war which would follow. Finally, the Empire had soldiers it could count on. Not infantrymen who had waged two years of total war against their neighbors and were tired of fighting and not auxiliaries, who were more interested in serving their term, but true soldiers of fortune. The war in Theohuanacu would not be known as the ‘debacle’ or as the ‘insurgent’s war’ – it would be known as the war where the Empire successfully put down a ‘rebellion’ and stabilized the region of Greater Dienstad.

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Peace Through Liberty: Market Stabilization in Greater Díenstad and Progress Towards Regional Peace

Gíorj Kest, PhD

Following the infamous War of Golden Succession, Greater Díenstad became the host of a cold war ready to turn hot. Indeed, immediately after the war, the Second Empire of the Golden Throne (the Macabee nation) embarked on campaigns of imperialism, taking advantage of the Holy Empire’s caution as to not spark another regional war. The destabilization of the region into chaos seemed eminent, as although all the “big players” remained wary of warring each other, they seemingly risked it all on the prospects of regional hegemony. This was underscored by the Golden Throne’s underhanded occupation of the free-city of Tarn, south of Adaptes Astrates, and the continental island of Theohuanacu. Indeed, if Greater Díenstad was ever leaning towards total war anew it was then. Theohuanacu served a more positive purpose, however. The fiat currency of the Second Empire had allowed the Empire to fund the War of Golden Succession through the virtual printing of money to an extent impossible under any sound currency, expanding credit to stimulate the war economy. Fearful of the repercussions of this economically suicidal monetary policy, His Imperial Majesty Fedor I decided to invest in further wars. Ultimately, the bubble popped and the Second Empire faces one of the deepest depressions in its economic history. Normally, governments have responded to these periods of “bust” by increasing the burden of government on the private sector, under the impression that uncontrolled government spending could make up for a reduction in demand for consumer goods (although even the theory of underconsumption is a falsity). Fedor I, however, undertook much more “radical” reforms, declaring a return to a free gold standard, eliminating the government-formed central bank and promising to avoid any “progressive” government intervention in the economy. This sudden emergence of the free-market in what is arguably the most influential nation in Greater Díenstad has allowed for the beginning of the return to prosperity, and just as importantly, has established the foundations for a region-wide peace.

Mercantilism: Éminence Grise of a War-Time Government
The Empire has been devoid of sound economic theory for much of its history. The Empire’s foundation was preceded by a century of inflation, as governments of the Great Civil War attempted to fix the price of gold and silver. This was one of the causes of the Second Empire’s economic hardships as it molded itself into a regional power. Although it was not in the interests of then monarch Jonach to introduce a sound monetary policy, his near agreement with the principles of laissez faire brought upon an era of undisputed prosperity. Such prosperity had not been seen by the citizens of the new Empire in the sorry span of their lives. Unfortunately, the return to prosperity was met with a return to artificial inflation through the government and the newly founded central bank. The expansion of credit lowered loan interest rates, stimulating the production of higher order capital-goods. It should be understood that higher-order capital goods are produced only to satiate future, long-term demand. They are a product of low interest rates, but it’s important to remember that low interest rates are naturally brought about by an increase in savings. This is merely a change in the consumer’s time preference, whereas the consumer does no longer desire current goods and therefore saves for future consumption. Artificial expansion of credit and its consequential decrease in interest rates sends signals that this was a product of increased savings, when in fact the low interest rates are not really brought about through a chance in the consumer’s time preference. Instead, the consumer is still demanding lower order goods, while businesses are investing in higher order goods. Although artificial prosperity is a short-term result (referred to as the boom period), a recession (or the bust) period is inevitable. A simultaneous increase in both investment and consumption is unsustainable.

Jonach’s reign was also marked with the rise of corporate welfare. Mercantilism was introduced as the government’s premier economic system under the guise of “absolute capitalism”. That is, supposedly, a capitalism that was more inclined towards an Imperial system of government. Ultimately, these policies led to government intervention to protect industry in the most “Imperial” regions, such as Díenstad (not to be confused with the region of Greater Díenstad) and the Imperial Province (where Fedala, the Second Empire’s capital city, is located). Government subsidization of these businesses is what led to the widespread dissent amongst businessmen in the regions of Weigar and Sarcanza (although the latter is relatively unpopulated, the former is one of the premier industrial regions of the Empire), and ultimately of the people. Jonach’s death and the rise of Fedor marked a new chapter in the Empire’s tragic history. Although superficially the War of Golden Succession began as a result of Fedor’s coronation, and not that of his still-living father, Heinrich, the war’s roots are purely economic. Heinrich would have never found support for his cause to usurp his son’s throne had it not been for the dissent in Weigar, and ultimately in Sarcanza. Furthermore, Safehaven’s entry into the war a month after the rebellion had begun can find its roots in economic tyranny, as well. Safehaven’s economy had been suffering as a result of tariffs imposed on imports, especially towards foreign agriculture, in order to protect Ruskan farmers. And so, as a result of tyrannical mercantilism the Empire found itself immersed in one of the bloodiest wars in its history and subsequently in one of the worst economic depressions.

Despite the bust resultant of the unhampered inflationary boom which occurred between 2005 and 2018 (these are Macabee dates and do not correlate with the Gregorian calendar), at first Fedor did not pursue a “reactionary” (that is, one which supports the free-market) fiscal policy. Instead, he turned the gears of government and continued on the path of inflation and government spending. And so, recession passed into depression. Unemployment in the immediate aftermath of the War of Golden Succession neared 14%; although many unemployed found a job in the Fuermak (armed forces), this institution made up only .75% of the population (roughly 90 million effectives). Post-war labor policies, including the introduction of a minimum wage, the increase in the power of unions, introduction of maximum labor hours and other similar interventionist schemes caused unemployment to soar to an all-time high of 25%. This was, in no doubt, fueled, as well, by the loss in confidence in the nation’s monetary system and financial institution, and the popping of the unsustainable credit bubble. And so, 2018 became a dark blotch in the history of the Empire’s economy. In the midst of economic crisis, Fedor decided to launch the invasion of Theohuanacu in an effort to undermine the Holy Empire’s authority in the southern portions of Greater Díenstad. By January 2019, there was seemingly no end in sight to the violent and irrepressible government spending spree enacted by Emperor Fedor. For many free-market economists, the complete collapse of the Empire’s economy seemed near. And yet, their fears continued unheeded.

The Second Empire, which continued to radiate signals of political power and stability to the foreign world, was on the brink of chaos.

The Macabee campaign in Theohuanacu has brought about both negative and positive consequences. Before we embark on exploring the positive aspects of the invasion, we should first study the negative. Ultimately, the negative led to the positive. The violent insurgency in Theohuanacu was only the product of mercantilism and the subjugation of the people’s liberty. The Imperial campaign to forcefully end the insurgency against its hegemony was just an extension of the destruction of wealth caused by the Imperial administration. The diversion of private resources into a war had only caused greater economic hardships for those ruled by Fedor. On the other hand, the campaign in Theohuanacu seems to have been the last straw. Fedor seems to have seen the follies of his policies, calling for the complete reconstruction of his ideologies. The horrors of Theohuanacu, unfortunate to humanity in the short-run as they may be, were necessary (although, admittedly, it would have been better for Fedor to become enlightened a tad earlier) for him to realize that only the allowance of liberty could quell the growing anti-government sentiment in the Empire and the insurgency in Theohuanacu. As a result, Fedor I has introduced the most extreme policies of any emperor (in any of the two historic empires of the Golden Throne), decreasing the role of government and establishing the premise for liberty.

Road to Liberty: Political Mechanics of a Free-Market
There are those who believe that politics and economics are two separate forces. They are wrong. Politics is only an extension of economics. By its very nature, Capitalism (the free-market) is a political system, because at its deepest roots it requires the lack of government. In other words, pure Capitalism calls for political anarchy; that is, the abolition of government in its entirety. As a result, government is simply socialism. There are varying degrees of socialism, including relatively free socialist states and then extremely tyrannical socialist governments (such as Communists and Fascists, which are one in the same). It turns out, surprising to some as it may be, that politics is always shaped by economics. The need for government stems from a perceived need for regulation; or, perhaps, not so much a need, as an ambition of some to govern many. Everything that has to do with government has to do with economics. There has not been a single decision made by any government, throughout history, that has not been dictated by economic necessity. Economics is simply the science of human liberty, and by extension one of government, as well. To put it in another way, engineering is dictated by the science of physics. Government is dictated by the science of economics. And so, the degree of liberty decides the degree of government. Fedor’s free-market policies of the post-2018 Empire have inevitably caused a decrease in government size and an increase in personal liberties.

What policies has Fedor enacted insofar?

Abolishment of central banking: Economists which currently hold sway in the inner circles of the Empire’s politics suggest that central banking (although, more accurately, they consider any government meddling in monetary policy as a detraction of liberty) is what causes the business cycle. Empirical evidence seems to suggest that they are correct. The indubitable inflation of the supply of credit through the purchase of loans and acceptances increases member bank’s reserves, artificially decreasing interest rates (since the supply of credit has increased). The decrease in interest rates sends a signal to businesses that they should begin investing into higher-order capital goods (those which take more time to manufacture). And so, the artificial supply of credit gives false signals, prompting an increase in investment (while consumption has not decreased, and real savings have not increased). This catalyzes malinvestment, and ultimately the bubble pops when industry finally figures that their growth was unsustainable since it was not met by any real demand. Although central banking is not necessary for government-induced inflation, it is a main contributing factor to the indubitable increase in proportions of the boom. Central banking also cartelizes the banking industry, allowing banks to offer more dangerous loans under the impression that they will be bailed out by the government and central bank when the time comes. As a result, the concept of moral hazard is eliminated. This theory has ended with Fedor abolishing the central bank and pushing for a movement towards completely free banking. He is not enforcing any banking reforms, as opposed to the idea that he is allowing banks to make a free choice based on their prospects and speculations.

Abolishment of minimum wage: Minimum wage has been one of the primary contributors to unemployment. Imagine an industry which pays a market-set wage (which is just the price of labor) of 5 Ríokmarks an hour, and the government imposes a price floor (for labor) of 6 Ríokmarks an hour. Either the company will begin to produce at a loss (the labor is worth more than the product, or lese the wage rate set by the market would have been higher), or the company will fire people in order to make up for the losses. In the case that in neither way can the company make up for the loss (firing employees cuts productivity), the company will go under, which means that all of its employees are suddenly unemployed. As a result, although the purchasing parity of the worker theoretically increases (let’s assume that it does), the proportion of unemployed to employed increases at the same rate. It is just a redistribution of wages amongst the labor force, not an increase in total money supply. A healthy increase in wages can only come about through an increase in productivity and competition (for labor). In this fashion, applied to the entirety of the Macabee economy, the minimum wage has become a bane in the years of recession (during a boom, if the minimum wage is beneath the market price for labor then the minimum wage becomes irrelevant). It’s expected that the abolishment of minimum wage will bring the economy to full employment (natural unemployment) by the end of the year.

Reduction of military spending: In an effort to decrease the burden of government on the people of the Empire, Emperor Fedor described a detailed plan to reduce the size of the armed forces, from an estimated 90 million soldiers to a force of five million effectives (which is still two and a half times greater than the size of the military prior to the War of Golden Succession). The initial steps will be to decrease the size of the occupation forces in Theohuanacu from 500,000 to 100,000, and decrease the size of the contingent in Guffingford from around fifteen million to only one and a half million, most of which will remain inside the territory, and not on the border with the Stevidian occupied zone. However, there are many warning against the “inevitable” rise in unemployment that the demobilization of roughly 85 million soldiers will do. However, the increase in the available money to the private sector (through a decrease in government spending) will lead to greater consumption or investment, ultimately increasing productivity and increasing the demand for labor. In most free-markets evidence suggests that healthy, private industry has quickly assimilated demobilized soldiers into the labor force without a long period of unemployment or poverty.

Other government spending cut: The Empire has reduced welfare, including reduction of welfare towards public healthcare. In fact, the only area with a comparatively large budget remains public security (law enforcement, et cetera). Government spending will be reduced by as much as two hundred trillion, ending a massive drain on private capital (it must be remembered that government doesn’t create, it only destroys, when it comes to the use of capital). To show for a decrease in spending, the government has eliminated all income taxes and decreased consumption taxes across the board. In fact, low consumption taxes on most goods (and some high consumption taxes on a minor amount of goods) are the only form of taxation really left in the Empire, as profit taxes on corporations has also been eliminated. The aim is to gradually decrease the amount of tax needed to literally offer liberty to those that are forced to pay it. However, the government has recently backtracked and has increased the government budget from 66 trillion to 69 trillion recently, although this is still nowhere close to the original spending figure. This reduction of taxes has included people living in occupied territories, including Theohuanacu.

The legalization of all drugs has also caused a cut in government bureaucracy, further slashing government burden on the people. Speed limits on roadways have been eliminated, amongst other archangel and punitive laws. For example, it’s expected that over the next decade the prison population of the Empire will be cut by more than half through the elimination of such laws such as the ‘3-strikes’ law and other anti-crime legislation which has increased the prison term sentences of non-violent criminals. Since the government has vowed to cut all corporate welfare, it’s expected that the prison systems will soon become completely private.

Ending corporate welfare: One of the most widely publicized decisions made by the government is to end subsidization of all industries, including agriculture (heavily subsidized, especially after the destruction of much cropland in Ruska during the War of Golden Succession), petroleum and armaments manufacturing. In fact, the government has gone as far as to remove price floors, instead opting for a return to complete market liberty. It’s expected that the price of these goods will drop considerably in the coming months, effectively increasing the purchasing power of Macabee citizens, making it much easier for citizens to procure necessities and other goods. The Empire’s mercantilism has been seen as one of the most destructive economic policies accepted by both Jonach and Fedor, and many economists (although not all) sees the liberalization of the market as a step-ahead towards a freer civilization in the Second Empire.

How the free-market establishes peace
The Empire’s approach towards greater economic liberty has already had effects on establishing peace within the Empire and within the region of Greater Díenstad, as a whole. For example, the “cold war” between the Second Empire and the Holy Empire (Stevid and Adaptes Astrates), and her allies, has began to dissipate. The once heavily fortified border zone in southern Guffingford has become one of the most stable frontiers in the region. Tens of thousands of troops have already been pulled off, as both governments realize that it has been economically disastrous for their respective nations to maintain those military installations in such great numbers. Naturally, the limitation of government’s ability to wage war, by decreasing the size of the military and the budget, has the long-lasting effect of reducing the means by which government can risk destabilizing peace. Furthermore, the need for war has been severely reduced as restricted trade has slowly turned into free-trade. In regards to peace inside the Empire itself, the increase in liberty, especially in territories, has decreased the need to rebel against the government. Indeed, citizens in Theohuanacu will soon enjoy greater freedoms than they did when they were independent of the Empire. Already, the effects on the strength of the insurgency have been felt.

The greatest blow to the insurgency has been the loss in support of the agricultural sector in southern Theohuanacu. The majority of these farmers grow what used to be illegal substances, including poppies, marijuana and other drug-producing plants. Since the finalization of prohibition the pressure on these farmers to rebel against authority, in order to protect their trade, has decreased. These farmers no longer have economic reasons to revolt, and indeed, they have more reason to support the Imperial government in Theohuanacu. They were not allowed to trade freely under the authority of the warlords either; oftentimes, their crop would be “taxed” in order to support the costs of a warlord’s security force. Their unrestricted trade under new Imperial law has become a welcoming factor. But farmers are not the only variable in the rebellion in the southern portions of the island. The main allies of the warlords are the pirates who have suffered a recent crackdown by Macabee ground, air and naval forces. Although the naval war continues, as Macabee warships protect their trade, restrictions on pirate activities have been lifted in part due to the legalization of parts of their own trade. Furthermore, due to cutbacks in the military budget, large portions of the Kriermada have been retired from southern seas. As a result, a defacto agreement has come into existence, due largely to the Kriermada’s inability to protect foreign shipping. Naturally, pirates have begun to target other nation’s shipping, which remains largely unprotected, and the Kriermada has not interfered. This has lessened the pirate’s requirements to war against the Imperial government.

And so, the military on the ground has consequently ended major military operations against the pirates (who’s major bases on the island had already been found and destroyed, regardless), and instead began to focus on the warlords. Warlord’s economic priorities are hard to meet, largely because they aren’t interested in free-trade, as much as they are interested in the power to fund themselves at the expense of the people they dictate. In an attempt to curtail this, the Imperial government has opened the road to partial autonomy in Theohuanacu, allowing a democratically elected local parliament to make local decisions. In theory, the Imperial government would intervene as little as possible. Without a constitution this agreement could be broken by the Imperial government whenever, but in the short-run the policy may work to temporarily appease a large portion of the warlords. These warlords now have the option of legally returning to power, through the parliament. Although not all warlords, or even most, can be appeased in this manner, it makes the military’s job considerably easier. Due to the government’s inability to bribe warlords through subsidization, the only means of establishing further peace is to continue the war against the insurgency. This is where the free-market takes an interesting turn.

In effect, the establishment of Imperial law in Theohuanacu also established clauses for the creation of personal property for the common civilian on the island. Warlords, who did not protect most of their citizen’s private property, consistently attack private land in order to cajole these new landowners into subsidizing, and sometimes even joining, the insurgency. This has issued a rise in local militias to fight the warlords. Although this movement is relatively minor, as the effects of the free-market have only just begun to show themselves, it’s expected that local militias will soon become the major part of the fight against the warlord’s insurgency. In effect, the government has created itself a new ally. In the long-run this could be counterproductive to Imperial power, as any curtailment of rights (or the local’s decision to fight for greater liberty) can result in these now trained local militias to turn against their former allies. But, that is something that the government is willing to worry about later. We must also work under the assumption that following the return to prosperity the burden of government will slowly increase (under the ratchet effect), and so “public security” in Theohuanacu is bound to increase again (to undermine the newfound power in the hands of the locals, through their voluntary militias). This, of course, will always be the bane of government, in general.

Nevertheless, for the time being the free-market has begun a general movement towards greater regional stability and peace. The Second Empire of the Golden Throne is quickly returning to prosperity, as private industry has liquidated its collective bad assets (bad assets will always exist, but not in such a collective manner as catalyzed by an artificial expansion in the credit supply) and confidence has been restored. Unemployment has begun to curve back down, and the Empire expects to reach full employment relatively quickly. This prosperity has lessened the need for the Empire to expand militarily, and military expansion has really become less of a priority. For now, Fedor is content in balancing the conquests he has already secured for himself and protecting his throne. This has stabilized international relations with several would be enemy countries, although heated politics continue nonetheless. Now, complete regional stability depends only on the tyrannical governments which still exist. These countries must adopt similar policies of liberty to stabilize themselves, and as a result stabilize the region. Only in this method can Greater Díenstad become a world leader in prosperity and freedom.