NationStates Jolt Archive

Slukgoren, South-eastern Kalmurstan
It was raining again. Water poured along the roads, moving downhill towards the River Ango. The sky was darkening, it must be dusk, yet the last time the Kapitan had looked at the clock it had been early afternoon.

"This project will be the death of me.", he grumbled under his breath, sliding a handful of papers back into an envelope, "Thirties science, it's as fanciful as faster than light travel. In fact, we're more likely to get that to work than this..." He sighed and dropped the envelope into his desk draw, idly turning on the TV.

"-warrants for three high-ranking members of the banned Kalmurstan Brethren. The situation is currently described as 'tense' as Consun Militsiya have surrounded the compound. More on this story as we receive it. Also in the news today, economic worries as-"

The TV pinged as the officer turned it off. He paused for a moment, then picked up the phone and dialed.

"Sergei? We need the services of your OMON unit. Cut it how you want: High-risk arrest, hostage situation. It's the Kalmurstan Brethren. I'll bring you up to speed with everything. Yes, but that project can wait, this is more important."
____________________

Consun, South-central Kalmurstan

The area was a hive of activity. Sixteen cars belonging to the city Militsiya lined the dirt road. Some hundred yards further along, a two story prefab complex stood surrounded by a ten-foot wall.

"We've got at least three dozen 'followers' inside. We are assuming they are heavily armed, looking at the state of the complex." The woman was a Militsiya Yefreytor, young, and with a GSh-18 holstered on her belt. "We attempted to serve an arrest warrant for three of their leaders, which is when they barricaded themselves in."

"OMON troops are on their way and should be here within the hour. Until that time, I want you to hold your ground. You have three-sixty degree sniper cover?"

"Yessir."

"Then we wait for OMON. Hopefully the sight of them will bring the damned cultists to their senses."

Consun, South-Central Kalmurstan
OMON forces arrived on scene in several APC's, taking up positions as close as twenty yards from the concrete wall. The commander, a tall, muscular figure in his late thirties paced purposefully over to the Militsiya commander and tapped him firmly on the shoulder. "What is the situation?"

"Up to three-dozen individuals barricaded inside the facility. Negotiations have broken down. There's three in particular we came to arrest. At the first sign of us, they locked the place up tight."

"How long have you been here?"

"Nearing three hours. We've not got anything out of them."

"I want it burned to the ground." The OMON Polkovnik spoke as if he was ordering an inspection rather than the destruction of a building.

"But there are over thirty innocent pe-"

The Militsiya Leytenant was cut off mid sentence, "They are following a banned religion. You have given them several hours to give themselves up. They made their choice, now they have to face the consequences."

"We can't just kill them, we could try to deprogram them if we get them out."

"This operation is under OMON command. We are burning the building." He turned his back on the Militsiya officer and held down the PTT on his radio "I want that building razed. Use whatever you can to bring it down."

Less than thirty seconds later, the first series of grenades were fired into the top floor. They were incendiary grenades, fired from a pair of AGS-17 grenade launchers. A second burst followed seconds later. Within minutes, the building had turned into an inferno.
__________________

Kalmurstan Broadcast News Bulletin
These are live images from the Kalmurstan Brethren complex just outside the city of Consun. As you can see, the building is well alight. It is unclear at this time how the fire started, but eye-witnesses report that OMON forces launched an attack on the complex, starting the blaze. As always, we'll keep you up to date with any breaking news.
__________________

Slukgoren, South-Eastern Kalmurstan
"And you are certain there were no survivors? Good. I'll be in touch shortly, we need to ensure the government backs our plan before we put it into full swing." The Kapitan replaced the phone in its cradle and smiled to himself.

Kalmurstan Broadcast News on the Hour
"The government has today announced a major crackdown on what it calls 'Illegal Religions'. This follows on from the destruction of a Kalmurstan Brethren compound in Consun yesterday. Whilst refusing to comment on the exact scope of the operations, President Tblis is quoted as saying 'if a group is breaking the law, they will be brought to justice'.
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Lanjsk, Central Kalmurstan
A crowd had begun to gather in the square in front of the Kremlin, holding placards calling for freedom of religion. The protest itself was technically as illegal as the organisations it sought to protect, but it was allowed to continue, for the time being at least.

Viktor Tblis sat in his office, reading a single page report on the progress of the crackdown so far. A knock on the door drew his attention.

"Come in."

"Sir, we've got protests in every major city across the country, ranging from less than a dozen to over four hundred."

"Where is the largest protest?"

"Omnom. They also have the largest press presence."

The president looked the man over for a moment before speaking, "Quash it. I want the protest broken up. Use non-lethal methods, but make sure the protesters are under no illusion as to what we are willing to do."

"Right away."
__________________

Omnom
A pair of T-55 tanks rolled down the main street towards the crowd of protesters. Behind the hulks of metal, a single platoon of Arctic Wolves, ready to disperse to gathering. Tear gas was fired into the crowd, followed by bean bag rounds and rubber bullets. Some of the protesters moved away peaceably, whilst some turned their anger against the soldiers sent to move them along.
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Kalmurstan Government News Update
"Protesters took to the streets across Kalmurstan today, outraged at the enforcement of the 'Banned Religious Practices Act' which has been on the books in one form or another since the mid twentieth century. Whilst most protests were held under the banner of peace, in the eastern city of Omnom, local militsiya found themselves under direct attack from the crowd and called on the locally garrisoned 'Arctic Wolves' to help with riot control. Six members of the Omnom Militsiya and three solders were injured in the clashes which left over a dozen protesters dead and scores more injured."

Zanski will, at your word, send 90,000 troops to peace-keep your country. We reccomend you create an autonomous region for this cult, which will be peace-kept by us, at your word.

Official Communiqué
To: Zanski
Re: Peace-keepers

We thank you for your generous offer, however our commanders feel that 90,000 men is too large a deployment. A smaller force may be acceptable. As for the creation of an autonomous region, this option is not on the table. The following of banned religions is illegal, and as such anyone failing to cease and desist will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

__________________

Lanjsk

"The other protests have intensified. We've got reports of violence across the country, ranging from minor scuffles at protests through to all out street-warfare against local law enforcement in Haslin. The country is on the verge of civil war, we must act quickly to halt the slide before it is too late."

Viktor Tblis looked out across the city. This was proving to be one of the most difficult times of his presidency to date. "Declare martial low in the worst affected areas. Dusk to dawn curfews. Keep me informed as soon as anything changes."

"Right away, sir."
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Kalmurstan Broadcast News Bulletin
"Breaking news now. By presidential order a dusk to dawn curfew is currently in effect in the southern city of Haslin, with local ground forces moving into the area to maintain order."

"You have each been found guilty of following an illegal religion as defined in the Banned Religious Practices Act." The Polkóvnik spoke to a small group of prisoners. "Under the current state of Marshall Law, such a verdict carries the same sentence as Obstructing Operations. Namely, death by firing squad."

Eight soldiers stood ready, prepared to carry out the execution. Each prisoner was blindfolded and made to kneel. When all five were knelt on the ground, the first volley was fired. Over the next thirty seconds, another thirty-two shots were fired. Four of the prisoners were killed outright. The last one was mortally injured, had slumped forwards, and was now gasping for breath. The commanding officer slowly walked to the side of the injured man, drawing his sidearm.

"I do not delight in the suffering of another, despite what it seems.", he spoke quietly, pressing the barrel of the pistol against the mans head. I second later, he squeezed the trigger.
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Post to freedom_of_thought.blogging.ka
The oppression of belief by the establishment rolls on unabated. MEn, women and children are given two options: give up your beliefs, or get 4 grams of lead for free. Where is the outcry? Why are the public allowing this to happen? Because the government rules with an iron fist. Those who step out of line serve on the firing line.

This 'War on Religion' is illegal, unjust, and will continue for as long as we allow it to. Stand and be counted, Brothers and Sisters, we have a war to win.

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1 Via Harmonia | Spoletium A01-007

DIPLOMATIC COMMUNIQUE

To whom it may concern:

Your actions against people of alternate religions display flagrant disregard for international law and for the rights of man. Cease and desist, or what is going on in your country, conducted by your "government," will not go unpunished by the international community for long.

Best wishes,
Gregory Clancy
Anselmian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Official Statement of the Free Republic of Kahanistan

The Government of Kahanistan notes that there are many powerful nations in the world which follow various religions fanatically.

In the interests of saving lives, both of Kalmurstani citizens who practice banned religions and those of citizens or soldiers who might be lost should one of these religious nations intervene, we would like to accept these citizens as refugees rather than see them killed.

Signed,
Nadia Sklenova,
President of Kahanistan

Lanjsk Kremlim, Lanjsk
The dawn had just broken, but the president was already in his office, catching up with the situation in Haslin. "How many dead?"

"So far, we have over three hundred civilians and six soldiers confirmed dead, along with a further forty-nine troops injured. The situation is deteriorating rapidly. We've failed to catch it before it simmered over into all out violence. Haslin is, for all intents and purposes, a war-zone."

"Three-hundred in a day? Pull all law enforcement and military personnel back to the airbase. Have them fortify the immediate area and await reinforcements. Once that arrives, they are to take back the city street by street."

"With respect, that is probably a bad idea. It seems we are stirring up a bit of a hornets nest in the international community at the moment. Several nations have expressed their concern at our actions to date. Increasing the size of our military presence in the hottest of the hotspots may reflect badly."

"You have another idea?"

"No sir."

"Then carry out my order. It is that or hand over the city to a bunch of rabid dogs. Offer those unhappy with our perceived actions the opportunity to send observers. It is an entirely different perspective on the ground. War is ugly, and this is as close to civil war as I want to get."
__________________

Official Communiqué
BCC: Gregory Clancy, Anselmus; Nadia Sklenova, Kahanistan;

We understand your concern with our actions, but assure you any military action by the Armed Forces of Kamurstan is purely defensive in nature. It may appear we are targeting all religion, especially to those outside our borders, but this is not the case.

The current situation has spiralled out of control following action by civil law enforcement agencies several days ago. We would like to extend the offer to send observers from your nation to examine the situation as it is for the brave men and women working on the ground.

Naturally, we seek to diffuse the pockets of unrest that have developed in our nation as quickly and bloodlessly as possible, but make no apologies for using force to do so.

Yours,
Generál-Polkóvnik Topolov
Deputy Minister of Defence of the Republic of Kalmurstan
__________________

Odansk, South-eastern Kalmurstan
Echo Company of the Fifty-Second Arctic Wolves Regiment had been put on high alert. The Third and Forth platoon were preparing for deployment to the city of Haslin, a mission intended to bolster the single company of light infantry already within the city.

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1 Via Harmonia | Spoletium A01-007

DIPLOMATIC COMMUNIQUE

General Topolov,

We appreciate your taking the time to address our concerns about this matter. In addition, we accept your invitation to send observers to see firsthand the unrest in your nation. The Anselmian observers will be provided by the Imperial Army, should you have no objection to that. Please reply with travel arrangements, including when our team may arrive, at which airport, and by whom they will be escorted, if by anyone. Thank you for your time, once again.

Sincerely,
Gregory Clancy
Anselmian Minister of Foreign Affairs

New Masada, Capital of Kahanistan

President Nadia Sklenova sat at her desk in the Presidential Palace. Her office was not large - about the size of that of a high school principal, but it sufficed for her. The desk had a very large computer on it, and a big red phone on the wall, mainly for decoration as she would be more likely to use her mobile in an emergency - a friend had given it to her as a joke. She sat reading the missive from the Kalmurstani, and called the Special Forces. Within fifteen minutes, a colonel was in her office, a short, chunky man of about 35 who nobody would imagine was a Special Forces colonel.

"Ms. President, are you sure this isn't a treaty violation?" Kahanistan was bound by treaty not to wage aggressive warfare without approval from the Praetonian government, but Kahanistanian generals and politicians tended to interpret the treaty liberally.

"Positive," said Sklenova. She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. "We aren't declaring war, and our observers are invited. If their troops fire on us, heaven forbid, then they are the ones making war on us - and I don't think they want to risk that, Colonel Dawson."

"Let me guess," said Dawson. "You want me to be that observer, me and my team."

"Yes. Your plane leaves in six hours. We will contact you by radio every six hours when you land," the President replied. "You will be fully armed and equipped, but you will not initiate combat except to protect yourselves or unarmed civilians." She handed him a dossier. "This contains your full rules of engagement. You aren't at war, you're just making sure the situation doesn't escalate to it. You're only ten guys, so don't get carried away." She shook hands with the colonel before he left to board his flight.

---

A lone An-72 transport aircraft landed in the part of Kalmurstan where the religious strife was worst. A very short man, about 4'11" and 35 years old, dressed in military uniform, came out at the head of a group and spoke to the nearest high-ranking officer.

"I am Colonel Charles Dawson," said the man. "101st Battalion, Kahanistan Republic Marines. I'm the observer sent by my government." He and his crew were fully armed and armoured soldiers. "The equipment... if the situation is as intense as you say, we'll need it."

Zanski will send 30,000 of our troops via cargo plane to your capital, if you will allow us.
However, we will be sending in 8 Typhoon T1s to take pictures of the landscape.
As to minimise casualties in this conflict, we will evacuate your forces from the province that is worst hit and replace it with ours, although we will definitely protect your government institutions.

Response to Anselmus Communiqué
We are happy to receive observers from the Imperial Army, and, due to the hostilities they will be observing, actually prefer it to the sending of civilians.

Your observers are free to arrive at any time. We recommend Novanta Air Base on the southern island for your arrival. Upon landing, you will be met by a detachment from the 73rd Armoured Infantry Regiment, who will then take you some 200 miles north-west to the outskirts of Consun. Your observers will be attached to this detachment for the duration of their stay. We feel this attachment gives them the best opportunity to view the tensions in the area.
__________________

Novanta Air Base, Southern Kalmurstan
"Good day, Colonel. I am Podpolkóvnik Jakov Gavrilovic of the 140th Mechanised Regiment." He smiled as he spoke, "You're equipment is impressive, I like a unit who arrive prepared. Come, we have many miles to cover to get to Consun and the front lines."

He gestured towards a column of armoured vehicles behind him, "There is room for you in the two BTR-T transports to the rear. They're slow, uncomfortable and noisy, but they're solid."
__________________

Response to Zanski Communiqué
Whilst again we appreciate your eagerness to come to out nations aid, we cannot turn over military control of the worst affected area to your forces, nor can we allow such a large deployment of troops from a foreign power to deal with limited civil unrest. You may send a small team of observers at this time if you wish.

Novanta Air Base, KALMURSTAN

A solid thud accompanied the screech of tires as the aircraft touched down. Finally, the excruciatingly long flight was over. Captain Robert Reynard waited until the Imperial Air Force C-130J left the runway and began lumbering towards the ramp before unbuckling his seatbelt, standing up, and stretching. The 11 men around him, under his command of Detachment 217, 3rd Imperial Guard Regt., began to do the same. As he did at the beginning of every mission, Reynard reflected on why he was there. In his one year in the elite Imperial Guard, the 28-year old had served two tours, one training insurgent guerrillas in one corner of the globe, and one advising government troops in an opposite corner. Observing a civil war was nothing new. Yawning, Reynard knelt and checked his rucksack. Seeing everything in its place, he called out to the soldier nearest to him.

"Cooper!"

Master Sergeant Jerry Cooper looked up from his own rucksack and sidled over.

"Yeah, Cap'n?"

Reynard gestured to the two Land Rover Wolves and the Panther CLV strapped down next to him in the Hercules's cargo hold.

"Check the vehicles, Sarge. Make sure everything's good to go. I've got to go meet our hosts."

"Roger that, Cap'n."

The huge plane finally rolled to a stop, and Reynard began to move to the rear of the hold, where the crew chief had begun to lower the cargo ramp before the fearsome, six-bladed and scythe-shaped propellers had even ceased spinning. The young officer pulled a black wool beret from a thigh pocket and put it firmly on his head before he stepped outside as the ramp hit the ground. Glaring up at the sky, Reynard noted the persistent rain and pulled the hood of his Gore-Tex jacket over his head. He completed the descent to the tarmac and looked around for his Kalmurstani liaison.

Colonel Dawson nodded and put his FN FAL in the back seat of one of the BTR-T's and sat down. The other soldiers followed suit, inspecting their rucksacks to make sure they had plenty of ammunition.

We'd be a lot lighter if we didn't have to carry around all this non-lethal ordnance on top of these, he thought grimly as he inspected the flash-bang and CS gas grenades and colour-coded magazines in his rucksack - black for live ammunition, white for rubber bullets, thirty rounds each. He'd have preferred fragmentation or high-explosive grenades instead.

At least we still have three clips of live ammunition for every clip of rubber bullets. He had three clips of rubber bullets and nine of live ammunition.

"How far is it to... Consun?" asked a lieutenant. A Hebrew-speaker from childhood, this officer couldn't pronounce many of the Slavic-sounding names of people and places here. She did, however, speak fluent English as did most people in Kahanistan.

Official Statement from TSRT Government
"The Totalitarian State sympathises with your plight and is offering to deploy a Intelligence Commissiarat Garrison Battalion of 500 men to help find and liquidate this cult as efficiently as possible."
End Message

OOC: The heaviest weapons the Commissiarat have are armored cars, usually used for riot control.

Novanta Air Base
A single UAZ-469 screched to a stop about thirty yards from the C-130, skidding slightly on the wet tarmac. A single soldier clambered out of the drivers seat wearing a olive-drab poncho.

"Ah, you are the observers from Anselmus, no?" The young woman didn't give the Captain even a fraction of a second to respond, "You have your own transport! That's good, because otherwise you'd be walking, ha! You'll have to excuse me for wanting to get out of this damned rain. When you're ready, just follow the jeep, we'll lead you to the armoured regiment."
__________________

Echo Company, 140th Mechanised Regiment, En-route to Consun
"About two-hundred miles, give or take a dozen.", the driver spoke loudly, his accent soft, "It's going to take us soon time to cover that distance, about five hours. These thinks are sturdy beasts, but they travel at a crawl. We should get there just before dusk at this rate."
__________________

Lanjsk Kremlin
"Latest reports indicate Halsin is in the grip of mass riots, Consun is on the brink of anarchy and local Militsiya across the country are reporting increasing violence during the protests."

Viktor looked tired as he lowered a teacup from his lips. "Do you have any good news?"

"The observers from Anselmus and Kahanistan arrived at Novanta. The Kahanistan group are already on their way to Consun, whilst the Anselmus team had just entered the pattern above the airbase when I came here."

"That is not bad news, but I wouldn't call it good."

"I don't know what else I can tell you, sir. The situation is critical, we're on the brink of a collapse."
__________________

Secure Communiqué to the TSRT Government
The Republic of Kalmurstan accepts your gracious offer for support and suggests your troops land at either Kraskolm or Distad. Both cities are capable of handling arrivals by sea or air.

Distad Airport...

Commissariat Major Vitvonov Fedorvich Nekartobisk looked over the Garrison Battalion mutely, keeping an eye out for any oddities on the monstrous K-10 Cargo Plane as it came into land. Garrison Battalions make-up varied from Battalion to Battalion. Some contained more Tactical Assualt Teams then others, some contained more Internal Security Commissars(EG: Spies) then others. This particular Battalion was made-up ENTIRELY of Tactical Assualt Specialists, armed with SMGs and Assualt Rifles.

The K-10 that was to land behind Nekartobisk's plane carried the 'heavy' equipment of the Commissariat: trucks, riot control vehicles, two civilian helicopter's capable of being configured for nonlethal or lethal weapon loadouts, and combat armored cars. The Combat Armored Cars were used by the Commissariat for times when high level lethal force was needed, equipped with 30mm autocannon's or multiple 15.5mm heavy machine gun's, these were typically the next-to-last-resort.

The last resort, in Red Tide, being to call in the State Guard(Regular Army)...

The two planes landed without incident and taxied over to their assigned offloading space.

<Official Transmission>
To: Kalmurstani Government
From: HRH King Michael XIV

Sirs,

I would like ot personally parise you on you willingness to mete out punishment where punishment is due. My own nation haas suffered at the hands of pagan and islamic extremists in our recent history, and as such, we now also adopt a "no-nonsense" approach to dealing with law-breakers.

Ignore those who wish to see you change your laws to suit their flawed liberal ideals. They are simply envious of your strength of will and ability to carry out required actions. Should you require assistance in the executions of your laws, or need help with any forces in your country that may attempt to interfere with your consistution, we stand ready to assist you. Never forget, quis custodiet ipsos custodes?, who watches the watchmen?

Yours,

His Royal Highness King Michael XIV
Ruler of McLeod03.

<End Transmission>

Novanta Air Base, KALMURSTAN

Reynard nodded brusquely, then turned around and hurried back to the plane, which was now beginning to disgorge his three vehicles.

"Coop! Let's go!"

"Roger that, Cap'n. We're ready."

The rest of the team had already mounted up in the two Land Rovers and the single Panther, a newly-fielded light utility/command vehicle which was to be Reynard's. The officer scrutinized them as he walked over to where they had stopped on the tarmac. As solely observers, the Anselmians didn't bring a great deal of offensive equipment. Rather, each hard-topped Wolf packed one crew-served M2A1 .50 calibre machine gun, while the Panther was fitted with a remotely-operate weapons station, also using a M2A1. To mark themselves as non-combatant vehicles, the Guardsmen had attached an Anselmian national flag to each of the radio antennae, in addition to stenciling "OBSERVER" with white spray paint above the rear wheel on both sides of each vehicle.

Deciding that everything looked alright, Reynard walked over to the front passenger door of the Panther, spun one finger over his head as a signal to move out, and climbed in. He nodded at his driver, Staff Sergeant Scott "Mac" McEnroe. Mac put the truck in gear and steered over to where the Kalmurstani jeep was waiting. It was time to move out.

Distad Airport
A pair of high-ranking MDV agents stood at the front of the ramps allocated to the Red Tide aircraft, watching as the two planes came to a halt on the apron. One of the men carried a large envelope containing all the information available on the current operations against the banned religious groups. The two waited for the Red Tide commanding officer to disembark.
__________________

Novanta Air Base

The jeep eased forwards, pulling away from the Anselmus aircraft and heading towards the northern entrance to the airbase where a line of BMP's sat. These dozen vehicles made up a single platoon of the 73rd Armoured Infantry Regiments Bravo Company.

The jeep came to a halt at the rear of the column, the woman stepping out and once more approaching the Anselmus troops.

"These fine men and women will be your escorts. Consun is some two-hundred miles from here, so you will be on the road for some hours with these soldiers." She looked over the vehicles one more time, "You will be travelling to a hostile city, I don't have to tell you this, but shit happens. There may be some fighting before the day is out. If so, your weapons will serve you well."
__________________

Communiqué to McLeod03
The government of Kalmurstan thanks you for your support of our recent operations against dangerous religious sects within our borders.

Rest assured that whilst we may have to appease other nations by allowing them to see first hand the strife caused by those religious groups, we have no intention of modifying our domestic legal system to reflect the ideals of any nation but our own.

Again, we thank you for your words of support.

Reynard scanned the BMPs thoughtfully. The Kalmurstanis were clearly planning for a little more than a low-intensity conflict...The Guards officer opened the door of the Panther and stepped out, then walked over to the woman.

"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am. But before we head out, I'd like to meet the commander of this outfit, and get some idea of where we're going and what we'll be doing once we arrive. And don't worry about us; we came prepared to defend ourselves. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name though, Miss..."

Reynard scanned the BMPs thoughtfully. The Kalmurstanis were clearly planning for a little more than a low-intensity conflict...The Guards officer opened the door of the Panther and stepped out, then walked over to the woman.

"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am. But before we head out, I'd like to meet the commander of this outfit, and get some idea of where we're going and what we'll be doing once we arrive. And don't worry about us; we came prepared to defend ourselves. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name though, Miss..."

"Novak. Alica Novak. The commander of this force is eager to get his men rolling, but I'm sure he won't mind taking a few minutes to explain the details to you." She turned to face the front of the column, whistled to get the attention of the crews, then signalled for the platoon leader.

A short, stocky man clambered out of the turret hatch on a BMP-3 and jumped down to the road, walking briskly to the Anselmus vehicles.

"I am Leytenánt Pasternak, commander of this platoon. No doubt you have many questions, which is why I've been summoned from the warmth of my vehicle into this foul rain. So, what do you want to know?"

Reynard grinned at the man's bluntness.

"Ok, Pasternak. We're traveling by road approximately 200 miles to Consun, which is where we've been told some of the worst fighting is. Now what I wanna know is, are we going to get some guided tour like we're at a theme park, or are we going to get to go where we want to go. While your platoon is certainly an impressive show of force, I think we might have issues getting a look at all sides of this conflict with so much armor in tow. I'm not accusing you of trying to spin this situation one way or the other, I just want to make sure we can do our job."

Reynard reached into a thigh pocket and withdrew a laminated chart of Kalmurstan, and laid it out on the hood of the Panther. He jabbed his index finger at several points on the map.

"Consun is obviously the hottest place right now, but it's not the only place. We need to see Lanjsk, Haslin, and Omnon. Will that be a problem?"

Shakal Imperial Palace

Derrick knocked on the door to the bedroom before entering. He calmly held the report in his hand as he walked into his bedroom. "Krista (http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3564/empressnightoutxt2.jpg), I have a report to show you..."

"Just a minute!" The Empress called. Derrick, not even wanting to know decided to wait for whatever the Empress was finishing. He rotated on his heels pondering about the Shakal reaction to this event. After twenty seconds she came out from around the corner in the room and walked briskly over to him. "Well, what is it?"

"I have a rep-" Derrick paused and cocked his eyebrows. "Is that blood or cherry pie on your face?" He asked.

The Empress smiled and used her finger to clean it off before sticking it in her mouth. "Its your guess." She said.

"Anyways..." Derrick began again. "I have a report here from Kalmurstan about recent riots and military action against the protestors."

"Why were they rioting?" The Empress asked walking around the room almost absent mindedly re-adjusting this and that.

"The government was dealing with a dangerous group of religious nuts and banned amny religions in response." Derrick said scanning the report again.

"How many dead?" Kristina asked him.

"Several hundred, response from the international scene is great. We couldnt pull much off with ease, maybe help evacuate those that are in so called 'dangerous' religions to our home soil." Derrick explained calmly. "I would suggest an airborne regiment be sent to assist in there evacuation."

"Very well." The Empress said after a minute of silence. "We will help any that want to leave, and I mean any non-political citizens."

"Whatever you want." Derrick said leaving the room. He had already ordered the aircraft to be prepared to leave. All that was needed now was a message to the Kalmurstan government.

Shakal Communication To Kalmurstan Government

It has come to our attention that the government of your nation has banned certain relgions from practicing. As such the Shakal Empire would be glad to accept all those that wish to leave and cannot fit in the transports destined for Kahanistan will be taken in by the Empire. The men coming with the transports will only be for the defence of our property and would be minimal. We hope this would prove acceptable to you.

Signed, Empress Kristina Schraepl II

Pasternak chuckled deeply, "I like you, you know what you want and aren't afraid to ask for it. You'd make a good officer in my platoon. In answering your question, you are coming to Consun with us. From there, I do not know." He glanced up at the sky, the darkening clouds seemed fitting. It was not just down here a storm was brewing. Removing a metal flask from his pocket and unscrewing the lid, he looked at the chart.

"You want to see other cities, I don't see why that would be disallowed, but I will not be seeing them with you. I may be able to get you lifted to the mainland and attached to another unit, but I'm not saying for certain either way. From what I understand, Haslin is almost as bad as Consun right now. Lanjsk is, probably, secured. I doubt that the government would allow trouble that close to their centre. Omnom, I've not heard much about Omnom, but they say no news is good news, right? Well the lie. No news is bad. No news is worse than bad news, because at least with bad news you know had far sideways things have gone. With no news, you're as good as blind. And a blind man in a war ends up dead quicker than a rabbit the strays in to the den of a hungry wolf."

Pasternak took a swig from the flask, nodded approvingly, then took another. "If we can get through to the air base in Consun, I'm sure we can box up your trucks and ship you over to the mainland, but it's not my choice. It may be that the commanders deem it unsafe for you to visit anywhere else." He shrugged, "After sending you straight to Consun, I don't see how they could say that to you, but sometimes those higher up," He held the flask at eye-level, "drink too much of this, I think." He laughed loudly and took another large mouthful from the flask.
__________________

Communiqué to Shakal Empire
Indeed you are correct, the Republic of Kalmurstan has several 'religions' that are banned. Under normal circumstances, we would be willing to discuss the removal of those who wish to continue the practice of these religions, however at present any form of negotiations with the religious groups in question has broken down, leading to mass unrest across the nation. Once the situation is brought back under control, we would happily discuss the extraction of those found innocent of any crime during these turbulent times to your nation. At this point, however, it is impossible to ensure the security of such a large operation given the levels of hostility present.

We will, of course, ensure you are aware as soon as the possibility to begin such an operation presents itself.

OOC: I'll reply soon, but it's time for class now.

OOC: We're on an island? Do you have a map available of your country?

IC:

Reynard smiled at the jovial junior officer before him. While he wasn't sure about his own men drinking on the job, he knew that culture was different in this part of the globe. It wasn't about the buzz, it was about keeping warm. The Anselmian Captain folded up the map and replaced it in his pocket, then took a sip from his CamelBak.

"I think this is the beginning of a very fruitful working relationship, Leytenant Pasternak. I'm happy to have you as my tour guide. As you say, we'll take this one step at a time. Now, enough talking. Which way to Consun?"

(OOC: Map is here (http://www.exiledwolf.co.uk/kalmurstan/kalmurstanmap.jpg). It's not the best, and it's far from finished, but it gives you an overview. It's also a bit big.)

The Leytenant nodded and slipped the flask back into his pocket, "Consun is around two hundred miles by road. It's a fairly simple trip, mostly on National Route 63. Watch the civvies eyes boggle as they see us. Not everyday you pass an armoured column on you way to visit the father-in-law! It'll take a while to cover that distance. These things could only do forty miles an hour when new. Now, even that can be a struggle. As such, you'll have to excuse me for wanting to get going now."

He turned around and started walking back to his APC, stopping after a few paces, "Try to keep up now, I wouldn't want to leave you behind" Clambering back up into his turret, he let out a chuckle and pulled to hatch shut as the armoured beast spluttered into life and the column began to move off.

The Anselmian officer watched Pasternak leave, then turned and climbed into his own vehicle.

"Let's go, Mac."

McEnroe nodded and turned the Panther in behind the last APC. The two Land Rovers followed suit, one Guardsman standing leisurely behind the big machine gun attached to the mount on each Wolf. As the convoy headed out of the air base's gates, Reynard climbed into the back of the vehicle to get on the horn with Command at Fort Cuthbert.

"Castrum, this is Watchdog." Reynard paused for the reply. "Watchdog has made contact with Kalmurstani liaisons; proceeding to Consun now. Will report back as ordered. Out."

Climbing back into the passenger seat, Reynard keyed the mic attached to the small headset that every member of the team wore. "Sabre One to Sabre Team. We're starting the 200-mile trip to Consun now. We don't know what might be out there, so keep alert. Out."

OOC: Any stuff the convoy might encounter on the road or once they get to their destination would be better RPed by you, mate.

The journey was as uneventful as the rolling hills and incessant rain. Mile after mile dragged past as the column travelled north-west along National Route 63. The light was starting to fade as the convoy reached the first military checkpoint, less than a mile after exiting the motorway. It was little more than a shipping container converted to form a office and a pair of wooden barricades the guards had to physically move out of the road.
Within five minutes they had all passed through and were now less than ten miles from the outskirts of Consun.

The first alert came just as they were approaching a second checkpoint, this one more heavily manned than the previous one. To the left of the checkpoint was what looked like an industrial park, although it more closely resembled a military parking lot at the moment, with jeeps, APC's, trucks and tanks packed bumper to bumper, with two dozen or so large military tents erected along the side of the access road.

"Your papers?" The soldier manning the barrier looked barely old enough to be in the armed forces. He must have only just finished his training.

Leytenant Pasternak handed over a small stack of documents and looked around the surrounding countryside. "This is a nice place you've got here. looks plenty secure."

The young soldier handed the papers back as he replied, "Yes sir, it is sir." Obviously idle conversation wasn't on the troopers mind. "Seventy-Third Armoured Infantry. Let's see..." He glanced quickly down a manifest and frowned. "You're not on my list. What's your mission?"

"Observer escort." Pasternak rolled his eyes as he waited for the soldier to find out what was going on.

"Ah-ha, you're down as 'escorts'. Good of command to be descriptive with their lists... You can go through. You're expected at Checkpoint Alpha-Seven. That's the forward staging area. I hope the observers are ready for something intense, because Consun is going to hell in a hand-basket right now."

"They're prepared for anything, I think. They've even brought their own transports." The Leytenant smiled at the young man before ducking back down inside the turret, the engine roaring as the vehicles continued their crawl.

When they reached their final destination, the evening had turned to night and within the city, the noise of sporadic gunfire could be heard. Vehicles left the camp every half hour or so, replaced by a returning unit some minutes later. Often those returning showed signs of the violence in the city centre.

The armoured carriers eased into whatever spaces they could find amongst the parked vehicles and the infantry dismounted, grateful of the chance to finally stretch their legs. The compound was a fortified supermarket carpark, with dozens of tents scattered around, and row upon row of cars, trucks and armoured vehicles. On the far side of the compound, the intermittent flicker of welding cast eerie shadows across the prefab concrete walls of the perimeter. Pasternak hadn't seen a place like this for some years, and even then, that was during wartime. He looked around, searching for both the Anselmus observers and the commander of this base.

Reynard directed his small convoy to follow the APC he recognized as that of Pasternak. Though the journey was a relatively small distance, the speed at which they traveled was low, and Reynard and his men were dulled by the monotony of it all. They had encountered nothing since leaving Novanta, which was both a blessing and a curse.

Nothing much surprised an experienced soldier of the Imperial Guard any more after long years spent in harsh locales around the world, and so they were not awed here. The one thing on Reynard's mind was getting into the heart of Consun and observing the destruction firsthand. But for that, they needed their chaperone.

McEnroe stopped just behind Pasternak's APC as Reynard watched the Kalmurstani officer removing himself from it. He opened the door and jumped out of the Panther as McEnroe yanked the parking brake.

"Pasternak, my friend. Lovely place you have here. What now?"

Communiqué to Shakal Empire
Indeed you are correct, the Republic of Kalmurstan has several 'religions' that are banned. Under normal circumstances, we would be willing to discuss the removal of those who wish to continue the practice of these religions, however at present any form of negotiations with the religious groups in question has broken down, leading to mass unrest across the nation. Once the situation is brought back under control, we would happily discuss the extraction of those found innocent of any crime during these turbulent times to your nation. At this point, however, it is impossible to ensure the security of such a large operation given the levels of hostility present.

We will, of course, ensure you are aware as soon as the possibility to begin such an operation presents itself.


We would be more than willing, and insist this operation be carried out. Our men are more than capable of protecting themselves and those under there care from any threats that could be foreseen. As such we are going to proceed with the mission.

Signed, Empress Kristina Schraepl II

"Now? Now we find out what we are here to do. I'm going to try and find out what the situation in the city is, and also what we are needed to do here. Feel free to join me in my search for whoever is running the operations around here." As soon as he'd finished the sentence, he began walking purposefully towards the tent in the middle of the camp, hoping to find at least one officer who could tell them what was needed of them.

Upon entering the tent, he snapped to attention in front of a Generál-Mayór. "Sir, Leytenant Pasternak of the Seventy-Third Armoured Infantry Regiment ready for orders."

"Seventy-Third... ah, you're the unit with the external observers in tow, correct?"

"Correct. I'm wondering what the situation in the city is, and where we are needed."

"I'll not lie to you, Consun is on the brink of collapse. We're trying to control rioting, but it seems that for every riot we put down, a new one springs up elsewhere. The Militsiya are near useless in this sort of situation. Their not used to this sort of conflict. That's why we have so much military equipment here, and why we are bring more in with each passing day." The officer walked over to a map spread across a table and placed his finger on it, "This is our top priority right now" The railway station and adjacent good yard. Presently, it's being held by a handful of Militsiya personnel. They're doing a good job, but are vastly outnumbered by rioters and need relieving. Your job is to give a little show of force and disperse the rioters with as little bloodshed as possible. Standard unrest rules of engagement: don't fire unless fired upon, respond with reasonable force. Don't expect an easy ride out there, they may only be civilians, but they are armed, and they are hostile. Hopefully the sight of a few armoured vehicles will scare some sense into them."

"Understood, I'll get my men right on it"
__________________

We would be more than willing, and insist this operation be carried out. Our men are more than capable of protecting themselves and those under there care from any threats that could be foreseen. As such we are going to proceed with the mission.

Signed, Empress Kristina Schraepl II

We ask you to reconsider your decision. At present our nation is critically unstable. We do not need attempts to remove those causing the riots fouling up matters further still. We have no ideas as to numbers or armament of those involved in the unrest, and feel it would be an extremely bad decision to attempt extraction of a group about whom we, let alone you, know so little.

We also wish to warn you any aircraft attempting to enter Kalmurstani Airspace will be intercepted and escorted away from our lands. You are free to collect any followers of a banned religion found innocent of any involvement within the rioting once order is restored and not a second sooner.

OOC: I guess you left Reynard behind...

IC:

Reynard, not wanting to get lost, simply watched Pasternak stalk off.

"Alright, guys. I guess we'll just wait here until we figure out what we're doing. But stay sharp. We could be leaving any second."

As the minutes passed, Reynard realized he was homesick. Almost unconsciously, he pulled a photo of his fiancee from a pouch on his web gear, and softly touched the image of her face with a nomex gloved-finger. Lost in thoughts of a distant land, he awaited his liaison's return.

Pastenak started back towards his vehicle and the soldiers from Anselmus, muttering about 'religious nuts' under his breath. Within seconds he was at the side of Reynard.

"We've got our orders. Support of an overwhelmed Militsiya unit at the station. All being well we can scare the rioters away with our armoured might. If not, we may have to use force." He glanced at the photo in Reynard's hand. "She is your lady-friend, no?"

The Anselmian flushed slightly as he nodded and replaced the photo in the pouch from which it came. "Yeah...We're getting married...Anyway." He shook his head and looked Pasternak in the eye.

"Let's get down to it. We'll follow you in, but don't worry about us. We can protect ourselves. You're free to do your job."

The Leytenant nodded before banging on the side of two APC's on his way back to his APC, "We're moving out, follow my lead, only fire if fired upon. Captain Reynard, now is your chance to observe the Kalmurstani Ground Forces in action." He grinned widely before dropping down into the belly of the APC and sealing the hatch.

Pasternak's APC eased forwards, moving out of the compound and on to the city streets, the driver paying careful attention to any possible obstacles in the road. "It looks like a war-zone out here."

"Keep your eyes open, it's pretty hot where we're going."

- - - - -

The roads leading to the station were littered with debris. Bricks and bottles covered the tarmac as the tracked vehicles wound their way ever closed to the Militsiya position.

"Contact! Two-hundred meters ahead. At least a dozen rioters."

"Charge them. See if they scatter."

The BMP revved loudly as it sped forwards, towards the violent protesters. most got out of the way of the advancing 18 tonnes of metal. Several seconds later, the sound of smashing glass filled the air as battles pelted the armoured hull.

"They're not our main concern. Fire over their heads, see if we can clear them that way. No matter, what, keep on moving to our target."

30mm shells skimmed the heads of the rioters, sending them running in all directions. A few remained and continued to attack the convoy with bricks as it passed them.

Sgt. McEnroe kept his eyes glued to the road as the Anselmian observers followed their Kalmurstani liaisons though what seemed to be the gates of Hell. What had once been a city now appeared to be little more than piles of rubbed piled in a random pattern...

Reynard, on the other hand, had his head on a swivel. While he and his men had arrived wearing their trademark black berets, the officer ordered that each Guardsman don the ACH (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MICH_TC-2000_Combat_Helmet) helmets that they had brought with them. In addition to offering protection from firearms, shrapnel, glass, or whatever rioters were throwing, the Anselmians had fitted them with white cloth covers instead of the typical digital ANIDPAT (http://www.henrikc.dk/camouflage/usa_marpat_pattern.jpg) (Anselmian Improved Disruptive Pattern) ones in hopes that they would further distinguish themselves as non-combatants. Despite this, the soldier manning each vehicle's heavy gun maintained a state of high alert.

And so they rode on into the city. Due to the Anselmians' lack of proximity to the front of the column, Reynard could not see why or at what the BMPs opened up on. His eyes snapped front when he heard the familiar sound of an autocannon engaging a target. He keyed his mic once more.

"That doesn't sound good, boys. Safeties off."

As abruptly as they had arrived, the rioters seemed to vanish. That was of little concern to Pasternak and the section he commanded. Their orders were clear: Secure the station. More men could be brought in a lot quicker with control of that building and the surrounding yards. Yet the sudden silence was unnerving, just like the calm before the storm.

"All vehicles, stay alert. At risk of sounding cliché and dooming us all in B-Movie style, it's too quiet."

The shape of Consun Central Station appeared through the wisps of smoke and dust that hung in the air. "That's out final stop, we need to secure that building and prepare for the long haul. Keep the enemy at bay until we can pull more manpower into the city."

The three APC's stopped at the front of the building, the troops within dismounting and forming a perimeter.

"Didn't our orders say we were supposed to relieve a Militsiya unit?" The soldier was older than most of his comrades and exuding an aura of experience.

Pasternak frowned, "Lazy dogs probably up sticks and left as the riots intensified. You can't blame them, nothing but patrol cars against the sort of wrath we faced. I want you to get on the radio to HQ, let them know we've secured the stati-" The Leytenant was interrupted by the sound of gunfire from the front of the station, "Tell them we're at the station and need some support to hold it. Dig in, men, it could be a while, and it looks like it's getting real hot around here."

As the Kalmurstani APCs pulled up in front of the police station, the three Anselmian vehicles slowed to a halt. Reynard gave the order to "circle the wagnons," and the trucks backed into a stationary triangular formation, their rears almost touching, noses facing out. The observers now had 360-degree security, each gunner watching their sector for hostile action. While Reynard desperately wanted to go investigate the sounds of gunfire coming from within the station, he couldn't see a way to go about doing that without getting shot and causing a diplomatic crisis. As a result, he simply grabbed his HK416 for protection, and stepped out into the cool night air.

The violence in the city appeared to have a devastating effect on its infrastructure, including power supply. Reynard looked around, taking in the eeriness of seeing a city of this size so dark. Realizing that while he was an official tourist, he was also a soldier, the captain flipped his AN/PVS-14 night-vision monocle down from the mount on the front of his helmet to a position in front of his eye. Gazing through the green mist, Reynard looked for any movement that indicated impending hostile action against his men or his Kalmurstani liaisons. Glancing behind him, he saw that each Guardsman not manning a .50 cal gun had also dismounted and fanned out in a security perimeter. Leave the Kalmurstanis to sort out the rebels. The foremost objective in the minds of the Anselmians was to get out of this mess alive.

(OOC: Sorry about the delay in replying, I vanished into the woods for a few days and have just got back.)

"Central, this is" The operator paused for a moment as he remembered his current Militsiya-style call sign. "Golf-Alpha-Seven-One. On site, receiving fire from inside the station. Requesting support from any available unit in the ares."

"Roger that, expediting air-support to your area. ETA less than ten minutes."

"Copy that central, will hold this position until support arrives." The radio operator relayed the message to Pasternak via hand-signals as gunfire echoed all around.

A bright flash illuminated the inside of the station as a flash-bang detonated.

"Weapons free, crush all resistance inside. I want this station under our control before support arrives. Let them help us mop up."

Over the next few minutes, the dismounted infantry began advancing into the main concourse of the station, taking heavy fire across every inch of open ground.

"This is pizdets! This isn't unrest, it's a civil war." Pasternak ducked behind his APC as a hail of bullets came from one of the stations upstairs offices "Shred that office!"

The noise of the BMP's autocannon filled the air as shells pounded into the heavy stone walls, eventually punching through the masonry, sending shards of stone into the office. More small-arms fire sprayed from several first-floor rooms, shooting wildly at the men still outside.

Several Anselmian soldiers hit the deck while others ducked behind their vehicles as the gunfire around the police station suddenly intensified. Reynard flipped his night-vision monocle up again after being momentarily blinded by the muzzle flash from the BMP cutting through the darkness.

"Sergeant Menken!"

One of the Imperial Guard soldiers crouched behind a Land Rover left his position and sprinted over to where Reynard was crouched. He threw up a lazy salute. "Yes, sir?" Reynard frowned at the man's lack of decorum. The thing about elite units was that while every man treated every other man respect, they also treated each other as equals. There was very little spit-and-polish soldiering in the field. Though he transfered from the regular infantry more than a year ago, Reynard was still sometimes startled by this fact. He shrugged it off and continued.

"I think this would be a good time to use that camera you brought with you, Sergeant."

"Roger that, sir."

After slinging his rifle around behind his back, Menken withdrew a hand-held camcorder from a pouch on the back of his webgear, turned it on, and began filming the Kalmurstani assault on their own police station.

"Smile! You're on candid camera!"

Reynard grinned at Menken's remark. Then suddenly and without warning, a round clanged off the roof of the Panther CLV, right next to the officer's head. Immediately, Reynard dove into a prone position, noting Menken's doing the same. He heard the CROWS system on top of the vehicle turn towards to rapidly deteriorating police compound.

"What the fuck?! Did anybody see where that came from?"

"It may have just been a stray round, sir."

OOC: 'S alright. And what are the rebels doing at this point?

Sporadic fire echoed inside the building as the Kalmurstan forces pressed on, clearing rooms and corridors.

"We need that support here now, additional hostile forces are closing in on us."

Pasternak frowned. The support was still at least five minutes away, the station was almost back under government control, and an undetermined number of rioters were inbound on their position. "Get our guys out of the building, let's pull back a street or two, wait for the air-support to get here."

A burst of automatic fire richoceted off the side of a BMP, which promptly returned the favour, spitting auto-cannon shells into the upstairs windows as the order went out to the troops inside to fall back to the armoured personnel carriers.

(OOC: Rebels are everywhere. Consun has gone from being in the grips of riots and protests to, basically, being a hot-bed of anti-government violence. Also, posting at 7:55am, before seeing even a glimpse of my bedroom since this time yesterday, is not good for coherent postings.)