Saphronia
25-03-2008, 21:09
Protectorate Army forms New Armored Unit!
National Capital Region, the Protectorate of Saphronia
It was a bright, sunny day in the Protectorate. In the mind of Sergeant Timoti Barakat this had to be an act of Divine Providence from God, for today was a grand day for Saphronia like the Protectorate had not experienced in ages. He grinned, waving to the crowd which had assembled alongside the roads to see the Protectorate Army’s 1st Tank Brigade march its way through the cities of the NCR. All five battalions, two of mechanized infantry and more importantly three of tanks, were to be paraded all through the country’s prime cities in a series of parades meant to gain publicity for the nation’s first armored unit and justify its creation in the eyes of the common people. Tanks and APCs were expensive, and cash like that comes from taxation.
He saw numerous camera flashes in the audience, and he knew some of those pictures the newsies took were likely to end up on the Internet, some on protest sites by people whose idea of national defense was saying “Give peace a chance” really loudly, but also some as imagery on foreign news web pages. The cameras were paying special attention Battalion I, his unit, as it was composed of first-flight M1 Abrams MBTs, whereas the others didn’t have such luck, making do with older, slightly less capable M60A3 units.
************
City of Calderon, NCR, the Protectorate of Saphronia
From his Executive Residence office, Protector-General Marcus Calderon watched as this latest successful government operation played out just perfectly. Seeing so many men and heavy war-machines, all answerable to him, was nearly enough to make his heart sing.
“Enjoying yourself, are you, Marcus?” The Protector-General’s head jerked around when he heard the voice, but he smiled when he saw it was just his wife, Evelyn, standing there in the doorway with a big grin on her face.
“Yes, as it happens, I am,” he replied. “This is the perfect plan to introduce ourselves to a hostile world. It shows the nation’s spirit. We might not be that large, but, we won’t stand idle while some bully with a huge gun pushes us around. We want to be peaceful, but that isn’t saying we can’t or won’t fight to defend our country.”
“Some people in the National Assembly are protesting the expenditure it took to purchase it all,” Evelyn said, nodding to the television, where the footage of the armored brigade, a little more than 4,000 men and numerous armored vehicles, is looping.
Marcus snorted derisively.
“I know who’s leading them, too,” he said. “Justin Lambert will keep his protesting down if he doesn’t want to end up like his famous great-granddad.”
“He can’t be silenced easily, Marcus,” Evelyn warned. “Donald Lambert did just as much in the early days as Stephen Calderon. The main difference is Stephen Calderon had more intense personal charisma, and also more supporters. Calderon silenced Lambert, but only by a slight margin. Lambert’s descendants still have numerous, powerful backers.”
“So? Justin isn’t strong enough to openly challenge the Calderon name,” Marcus stated, a kind of stubborn surety in his tone.
“Not yet perhaps,” came the retort. “That might change someday.”
Marcus snorted again, but he looked somewhat pensive.
“I think it’s a good idea, anyway,” said Evelyn. “So do many others. Besides which, there isn’t much Lambert’s faction can do about this. I mean, that money is spent, and the tanks have been bought. Even so, he could use this against us, some time.”
“Let’s hope he sticks to shouting,” Marcus said, and Evelyn nodded.
OOC:
Basically, the Protectorate of Saphronia is a semi-constitutional monarchy wherein the monarch is not known as a king or queen but as the Protector-General. This thread constitutes the beginning of what is essentially a build-up in military forces.
National Capital Region, the Protectorate of Saphronia
It was a bright, sunny day in the Protectorate. In the mind of Sergeant Timoti Barakat this had to be an act of Divine Providence from God, for today was a grand day for Saphronia like the Protectorate had not experienced in ages. He grinned, waving to the crowd which had assembled alongside the roads to see the Protectorate Army’s 1st Tank Brigade march its way through the cities of the NCR. All five battalions, two of mechanized infantry and more importantly three of tanks, were to be paraded all through the country’s prime cities in a series of parades meant to gain publicity for the nation’s first armored unit and justify its creation in the eyes of the common people. Tanks and APCs were expensive, and cash like that comes from taxation.
He saw numerous camera flashes in the audience, and he knew some of those pictures the newsies took were likely to end up on the Internet, some on protest sites by people whose idea of national defense was saying “Give peace a chance” really loudly, but also some as imagery on foreign news web pages. The cameras were paying special attention Battalion I, his unit, as it was composed of first-flight M1 Abrams MBTs, whereas the others didn’t have such luck, making do with older, slightly less capable M60A3 units.
************
City of Calderon, NCR, the Protectorate of Saphronia
From his Executive Residence office, Protector-General Marcus Calderon watched as this latest successful government operation played out just perfectly. Seeing so many men and heavy war-machines, all answerable to him, was nearly enough to make his heart sing.
“Enjoying yourself, are you, Marcus?” The Protector-General’s head jerked around when he heard the voice, but he smiled when he saw it was just his wife, Evelyn, standing there in the doorway with a big grin on her face.
“Yes, as it happens, I am,” he replied. “This is the perfect plan to introduce ourselves to a hostile world. It shows the nation’s spirit. We might not be that large, but, we won’t stand idle while some bully with a huge gun pushes us around. We want to be peaceful, but that isn’t saying we can’t or won’t fight to defend our country.”
“Some people in the National Assembly are protesting the expenditure it took to purchase it all,” Evelyn said, nodding to the television, where the footage of the armored brigade, a little more than 4,000 men and numerous armored vehicles, is looping.
Marcus snorted derisively.
“I know who’s leading them, too,” he said. “Justin Lambert will keep his protesting down if he doesn’t want to end up like his famous great-granddad.”
“He can’t be silenced easily, Marcus,” Evelyn warned. “Donald Lambert did just as much in the early days as Stephen Calderon. The main difference is Stephen Calderon had more intense personal charisma, and also more supporters. Calderon silenced Lambert, but only by a slight margin. Lambert’s descendants still have numerous, powerful backers.”
“So? Justin isn’t strong enough to openly challenge the Calderon name,” Marcus stated, a kind of stubborn surety in his tone.
“Not yet perhaps,” came the retort. “That might change someday.”
Marcus snorted again, but he looked somewhat pensive.
“I think it’s a good idea, anyway,” said Evelyn. “So do many others. Besides which, there isn’t much Lambert’s faction can do about this. I mean, that money is spent, and the tanks have been bought. Even so, he could use this against us, some time.”
“Let’s hope he sticks to shouting,” Marcus said, and Evelyn nodded.
OOC:
Basically, the Protectorate of Saphronia is a semi-constitutional monarchy wherein the monarch is not known as a king or queen but as the Protector-General. This thread constitutes the beginning of what is essentially a build-up in military forces.