NationStates Jolt Archive


Roses For Arterus [Attn: Griffincrest]

Allanea
09-06-2008, 21:21
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/allanea/Propaganda/department.gif
Official Announcement of the United States of Allanea

We will be frank. We are not merely disgusted by the cowardly behavior of the Griffincrest Corporation. We are outraged. We are outraged that even a single man who wears a Griffincrest uniform still breathes upon the face of the earth. We believe that the fact that the board of directors of this 'corporation' is not yet staffed with corpses is an injustice. We believe that the fact that the children of the 'company's employees are not yet orphans is an error.

We will fix that error.

Upon the orders of the President of the United States, Grand Admiral Pyotr Gusarin, in command of Task Force Bayonet, will hereby deploy to crush the Griffincrest vermin under the steel-toed boot of Allanea. Additional unites will be attached to the Task Force for the use of the Grand-Admiral.

That is all.

May God Bless Allanea.

* * *

Aboard the USS Bowie Argentine-class Galleon

The Admiral looked at the ships before and behind him. He could not see the entire fleet from where he stood – 4,000 warships, arrayed in battle formation, would stretch far beyond his line of sight. And on the deck of the Galleon, in precise formation, in dark-blue parade dress uniform, stood his faithful sailors, who have been with him through thick and thin.

Today, he knew, he would risk their lives – not for the security of the motherland, not for land or for economic benefit, but for liberty. A man from another country would have felt that this was morally dubious – but Grand Admiral Pyotr Gusarin was an Allanean soldier above all else, and he would gladly die – and kill – for what he felt was right.

“Sailors!” - he shouted, his voice booming across the steel deck.

““We will start with their Arterus colony. There, we outnumber their fleet something like a 20-1. Our victory is near assure, sailors. We have a mission entrusted to us, and we will not fail in it! We will not falter! We will not surrender! We will not back down! We will prevail! Today, Griffincrest is going to see a hostile takeover! Today their stock is going to be motherfucking devalued, you hear me?”

The sailors barked, all at once:

“Yes, Comrade Grand-Admiral!”

“That's good, sailors! And very soon, the cocksucking corporate fascists at Griffincrest will hear me too! I will play them some nice music, I say! And you will help me, sailors, is that right?”

“Yes, Comrade Grand-Admiral, SIR!”

OOC: Mandatory ORBAT (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13755471&postcount=30)
Volzgrad
09-06-2008, 21:48
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll43/Vulture_77/EurasianAlliance.png
Official Communique from the Volzgradien Government



In light of Allanea's recent declaration of war against the fascist Griffincrest Corporation, we would like to announce our full support for this campaign. Three assault fleets will made up of around 2000 ships over all will aid Allanea in the destruction of the evil Griffincrest. They are strike forces Honor, Duty, and Victory. United we shall tear down the dark curtain that Griffincrest had put over countless nations over the years. Onward comrades, to victory!

Sincerely,
Premier Vasili Kavinkov
Allanea
09-06-2008, 22:06
Official Allanean Response to Volzgrad

Please stand back for now. We do not require your assitance on this particular front, however perhaps others will.
Blackhelm Confederacy
09-06-2008, 23:49
OOC: Can a company be fascist?

IC:

Unfortunately, the Griffincrest holdings in Arterus were sorely lacking in defenses at sea. The only thing in the area to defend them, the Arterusian Defense force, was centered around two carriers and a handful of battleships and pocket battleships. The ships off the fleet, however, were not staffed by sailors, loyal to their nation and always seeking to prevail, but rather by money hungry mercenaries, seeking only personal gain. As a result of this, the crews of both carriers, as well as over a dozen Um al Maradim's, beached their ships, and took off for cover. Luckily, however, the rest of the ships captains convinced their crews that abandoning their posts would result in their own death, and possibly that of their families, but glory in battle would result in a major payday. As a result, many of the ships remained to do battle.

Now, on shore, the two carriers were serving as airstrips, planes still coming and going from them, and the Um al Maradim's were being prepared to supplement the coastal defenses. While the naval battle would likely be over quickly, the land war would be much, much different.

Over the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of mercenaries were arriving on the island, preparing for an upcoming Griffincrest plan of expansion throughout Arterus. This plan, now, seems to have come to a halt, as the Griffincrest held island was now coming under attack.

These thousands of mercenaries were all well dug in, and almost the entire island compound, aside from the oil fields, were undergorund. The conflict that was about to be seen here in Arterus would make Iwo Jima look like childs play. Here, on Griffincrest Island, there was not just one mountain, covered with guns built into it, but three. All over the ground, little camoflaged rifle pits were build, allowing for a machine gun to spring out from seemingly nowhere, and decimate a unit. Bunkers and pillboxes littered the island, and thousands of landmines, little tiny plastic pieces only a little larger than a sugar packet, were spread along the coast. These were not designed to kill and individual, but rather to maim him, and hopefully cause him to fall upon another, which would finish the job. Barbed wire was spread all around the island, and all over, men were preparing to repel the invasion, all from underground.

Even SAM sites, of which there were several dozen, were hidden either inside of the mountains or underground. The corporation took great care in making sure that these sites, along with almost all of the rest of the underground chambers, were invisible to Allanean observers, and covered them in all kinds of countermeasures against spy technology. The Allaneans, upon reaching the beaches, would be in for one hell of a campaign.
Allanea
10-06-2008, 00:33
OOC: Minor detail! :D

I operate on the assumption GC's fleet is half the official numbers of a GC Fleet, because that's what he told me.

IC:

Pyotr Gusarin stared at his aide in utter disbelief. “No. I refuse to believe this. This didn't happen. I demand proof. Our enemy could not possibly...”

The aide shook his head. “Sir, we have reliable info. They have actually beached their only two carriers. It appears that they have done so on purpose, difficult as it may be to believe. They also beached several of the smaller ships.”

The Grand-Admiral shook his head. “Heaven save us all. What madness is this? Why would anybody... actually, forget this. Are we in Khan range yet?”

“That is correct, Sir.”

“In this case, code Alpha, activate.”

Across dozens of the Allanean ships, Khan cans were being opened. Every Allanean ship had at least some limited Khan capacity, and in this first salvo, they let loose with an average of only two Khans per ship. Some ships, of course, launched six or four Khans, others launched none at all. In total, however, 3,910 Khans took to the skies.

They were distributed in an extremely strange fashion.

The Grand Admiral decided to target ten Khans per each of the beached carriers, to reduce their usefulness as combat bases for Griffincrest aircraft. Further, an average of 100 Khans was assigned for each battleship and pocket battleship – approximately 1200 missiles for merely 12 targets. The remaining 2700 missiles were distributed at a ratio of approximately 10 Khans per enemy ship.

As the Grand Admiral watched the red fiery trails of the missiles rise to the sky, he could not help but laugh. It was not the grim laughter appropriate for a man who was condemning thousands of fellow human beings to death. It was not even evil, or cruel.

Rather, it was innocent, merry, guilt-free – the laughter of a child looking at fireworks.

And indeed, these were some shiny fireworks.
The Grand World Order
10-06-2008, 01:51
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll43/Vulture_77/EurasianAlliance.png
Official Communique from the Volzgradien Government



In light of Allanea's recent declaration of war against the fascist Griffincrest Corporation, we would like to announce our full support for this campaign. Three assault fleets will made up of around 2000 ships over all will aid Allanea in the destruction of the evil Griffincrest. They are strike forces Honor, Duty, and Victory. United we shall tear down the dark curtain that Griffincrest had put over countless nations over the years. Onward comrades, to victory!

Sincerely,
Premier Vasili Kavinkov

((OOC: What is it with people throwing the title "Fascist" around at anyone they don't like?))
Blackhelm Confederacy
10-06-2008, 23:56
The Griffincrest ships were destroyed completely. The smaller ships, the ones that were ot targeted, soon saw the mercenaries aboard them realize that no matter how large their pay would be, they would never be able to see it. In one massive rush, the surviving ships of the Arterusian Defense Fleet made a break for the beach. Dozens of ships were now smashed along the coastline, their sailors jumping off and rushing to the interior of the island, many being torn apart in the minefields in the process.

Meamwhile, the men on the island were going to show the Allaneans that they were not the only ones with Khans. From the center of the island, the ground began to slide open. Dozens upon dozens of Khan silos were now being prepared to fire upon the Allanean fleet. In total, the island was preparing to fire two hindred and fifty missiles, followed by a second wave of the same number, at the Allanean fleet. However, these five hundred missiles were not going to be launched at the capital ships of the fleet. Rather, the target was the one hundred and ten Illium class guided missile destroyers that were serving as escorts for the fleets.

In a massive roar, the hundreds of massive Khan missiles ripped out of their silos, and tore skywards. If all went well, the Allaneans would be down several escorts.
Allanea
11-06-2008, 08:28
The Allaneans were not the only ones with Khans. That much was true.

However, unlike the Griffincrest Corporation, the Allaneans learned the lessons of the Battle for the Strobovian Straight, where hundreds of Khans were fired upon Questarian battlegroups, only to be eaten up by the IQN's Mogami escorts.

The design of the Khan did not change since, but the Questarian air defense escort has much improved its performance – and it was those new, updated Khan-eaters that the Allaneans now had tag along with their fleet.

Far up in the sky, an ABM sattelite – woke up, pumping 24 Needler missiles at the approaching Khans. Fifteen Khans became puffs of smoke, but the majority continued to dive in, towards the widely-spread Allanean Navy.

The air defense escort ships woke up in an angry storm of anti-missile autocannon and guided missiles. Each of the Type 65 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13249701&postcount=20) anti-air cruiser carried 32 missile launchers armed with SA-42-B missiles, designed specifically to shoot down Khans, and literally hundreds of shorter-range missiles that would do the job – sort of – on a sea skimmer-stage.

It was as if Griffincrest Corporation woke up an angry nest of murderous steel hornets.

Here stood the destroyer USS Mother Bear, her gatling guns spinning at full steam, brought to bear on the giant seaskimming missiles, her point defense missile firing on those Khans still approaching.

“One! Two! Three Khans! Good work, Corporal Donalds! Hit them!” - screamed Captain Smith, commander of the “Mother Bear”. She was a tall, wide-boned woman, and men liked to joke behind her back that the vessel's name fit her very well. Her sailors – they knew that it fit her well. She protected them quite like a mother bear protecting her cubs. “Donalds, INCOMING! INCOMING!” - two Khans, already in seaskimmer stage, sped mere yards past the bow of the Mother Bear. Automated turrets swung to follow, but it was too later. One of the Khans was torn apart by the CIWS of the cruiser Nefarious, but the other smacked it right upon the waterline. There was a powerful explosion – the Khan must have penetrated an ammunition magazine. “Fuck! Motherfucking mercantilist fucking communists!” - technically, this was incorrect, but it fully expressed Helena Ashton Smith's unbounded rage as she saw the terrible wound the explosion left in the left side of Nefarious. “It's done. They'd have to scuttle it.”

As if in confirmation of her words, the CIWS cannon chattered once more, tearing another Khan into shreds.

* * *

The USS Nefarious and Unbouded Ferocity were sinking slowly, their lifeboats' motors puttering softly and almost inaudibly as they took them away from the sinking hulks. The USS Special Order has been hit by two Khans and was on fire. The artillery rounds aboard would fail safely in the first – in other words, burn, rather than explode. There would be no display of fancy fireworks here – but the crews could watch from their lifeboats a different show, provided by free of charge by the crews of the Type 65 cruisers and the older Taniat air-defense cruisers.

Here was the USS God's Veil, with the smoke of explosions upon her like a hijab.. Above her deck hung five slowly-dispersing trails of smoke from where the point-defense missiles rose to meet two descending Khans, and around her was the bluish smoke of her automated CIWS turrets, screaming in a semi-coherent rage as they tore three more Khans into sea-rubble.

Nearby, the USS Terrible and Fantastic did almost as well, taking down two Khans with missiles and one with Gatling cannon. They'd take down more, but one of the interceptor missiles exploded in its launcher, killing three sailors and injuring two more.

So was it elsewhere. The Khans slammed into a wall of steel, shrapnel, and explosions.

The second wave fared slightly better..

* * *

There was a nightmarish noise as the Illium guided missile ship snapped itself in half. Later there would be in inquiry into how, precisely, could two hits with Khan nissiles cause that – or how did both missiles slip in through the network of air defense ships designed to eat Khans for breakfast, and the and the ship's own CIWS systems. For now, what mattered was that the ship snapped in the middle and sank. For a second, the front half stood almost upright, shamelessly showing the world its keel – and then disappearing forever, and taking its crew along.

Another ship – the USS Paulville was taking on water, a gaping hole torn in its once-mighty prow.. It soon began to sink, slowly at first, with the prow dipping until the front deck became flush with the surface of the water – and then the ocean swallowed it whole.

The Theo van Gogh was nowhere near sinking – but it's front main caliber turret was punched through by a Khan, and the gunners were killed instantly. Two sailors who were on the outer deck for some strange reason were killed instantly. Happily, they were both atheists. All one had to do to bury them was to remove their dog tags to send home to the families, tie some heavy piece of metal to their legs, and toss one over the starboard side of the ship, and one over the port side.

In the first wave of attacks, three ships were struck by Khans. In the new wave, two more were destroyed, and two ships received various damage that was still consistent with continious operation of the vessel . The Theo van Gogh was one of them.

* * *

The Grand-Admiral was not pleased.

"Damnation! How come we let Khans through our defensive perimeter? How come we haven'tlearned from the Strob? I thought we had learned from the Strob?” - he inquired of his staaff.

"Sir, had we not learned from the Battle of the Strobovian Straight, we'd not have a Task Force in one piece by now.' Stuff got through. That happens.”

The Grand-Admiral scowled. “Lieutenant, two thousand of our men are dead. 'That happens' is not something I want to tell the widows”.

"I'm sorry, Grand-Admiral, but that's the plain truth of it.”

"What's the ETA on those Sariels?”

"Thirty more minutes.”

"Good. But I still think it's a half-witted plan.”

"It remains to be seen, Sir. Remember that we're going to likely spend more trying to kill them than we will with this idea.”

"Well, I don't mind you trying.”

"Oh, and Sir… satellite observation reports tell us that they crashed a few more ships on the shore."

"…god damn it, how stupid are these people?"

"No idea. That's not the point though. It appears the shore is extremely heavily mined. Their own crewmen have been seen injured by landmines while trying to get ashore."

"Good to know. We will make adjustments."

* * *

Above the Corporation's island fortress, a Thor weapons satellite came to life. It fired 16 of it's infamous 'rods from God' at the launch silos of the Khans. The principle was very simple – even if the rods were not able to go all the way to the bottom of the silos – which would be the optimum result – they would at least try and collapse the silo openings.

And a few minutes later, the Sariel bombers passed overhead.

These were aged representatives of the Tyrandian stealth superweapon. Their fly-by-wire systems were altered by Allaneans for automated flight – they flew over the island and released their 'armament' over preset points – namely, leaflets.

Hundreds of thousands of leaflets, printed on thin rice-paper, descended upon the island. They bore a simple message. It was also repeated via various radio frequencies, including those of the Griffincrest military.

Soldiers of the Griffincrest Corporation!

You are mercenaries. You fight for your company salary. You must be aware, of course, that a mighty force is descending upon you. You have no chance of surviving a battle against it. As such, we recommend that you take the following course of action:

Make it to the shore and surrender to Allanean forces. Special operations submarines will soon be approaching to pick you up. Every man will be given $250,000 and refugee status in Allanea. Officers who surrender will receive $300,000.

Further, additional rewards are as follows:




Any man who kills a Griffincrest officer will receive an additional $50,000 reward.
Any man who sabotages a SAM launch facility (must prove performance), will receive $2,500,000 dollars. We remind you that in Allanea, this sum is sufficient to achieve 'Financial Freedom' – i.e., live for the rest of your life without ever having to work.
Any man who executes a Griffincrest Commander and brings proof of it will also receive $2,500,000 dollars.
The man who executed the Coordinator in charge of the island defenses will receive 100 million dollars.
Should a Commander, or the Coordinator turn himself in, they would receive the same rewards as someone who would execute them.


Ladies and gentlemen, you know what to do.

Will you choose wealth and liberty, or will you choose death?
Blackhelm Confederacy
11-06-2008, 09:14
The attack had not gone as well as Coordinator Whiteflower had hoped, and to make things worse, thousands of leaflets were being dropped upon the island. He was quick to order that all leaflets retrieved be burned, but still, it did not make the already poor situation any better. The situation was getting worse and worse by the minute, but the coordinator was not ready to give up. He was confident that the threat of losing ones family was enough to keep the mercenaries from defecting. Still, there were those out there with no family, and there was no telling what they would do.

Meanwhile, in the corridors of the massive underground complex, those mercenaries without families began to plot their escape, and subsequent entrance into a world of Allanean leisure. The only problem that these men had ahead of them was the fact that they were on an island, with no way of getting off, and also that they were underground, and men going above ground would be regarded as traitors, and killed. Despite this, several men, easily over a hundred, were preparing their defection.

The Khan silos managed to fire off just one last volley, which was not even launched in its entirety due to the god rod attack, which was directed at the Allanean fleet. Only one hundred and four missiles out of two hundred and fifty made it out of their homes before the assault from space began raining down, leaving the island now virtually impotent until the Allanean fleet got close enough for the anti-shipping missiles hidden in the massive mountain complexes. These missiles, however, would have to wait unti the enemy was within 400km, and that would likely be sometime.

The destruction of the Khan silos caused massive damage to the island, as over a hundred missiles added to the massive fireball created from the god rods. Several surrounding bunkers and gun pits were destroyed, and the center of the island was now just one large, burned out crater. The Khan’s that came from them, however, would hopefully do some good for the Griffincrest forces, which up until now were not faring very well at all. This time, however, the target was not the destroyers, which proved to be difficult targets as they lay behind the protective air defense vessels, but instead, the air defense vessels themselves, the fifty Taniat cruisers in particular. Hopefully, with these ships on the outskirts, the anti-missile fire from the rest of the fleet will be lacking, and will allow for more Khans to get through. There was a little more than two missiles per cruisers, and with a little luck, enough damage would be done to weaken the air defense ring to allow for later attacks to get through.

In space, Griffincrest forces were moving on the offensive as well. Any and all satellites bearing the markings of Allanea, be they military or civilian, were now falling under attack by the Griffincrest hunter satellites that orbited the earth. Dozens of missiles were being launched from their satellites, and were streaking across the desolate black expanse that is space, hopefully all making contact with their intended target. Although it was a bit late now, hopefully this attack would give that last Khan launch a bit more chances for survival, and also decrease the chances of another god rod strike.

The situation that was presented to the coordinator was not good, not good at all. He was only a coordinator, he was not supposed to be responsible for this many people, or this type of situation. Hopefully, if he made it out of here, he might catch a promotion. That was, of course, if he made it out.
Allanea
11-06-2008, 10:01
Griffincrest Corporation's orbital attack was extremely successful. The enemy weapons swept through orbital space, smashing up their targets wherever they struck. Dozens of ABM satellites and weapons platforms were literally torn apart by enemy fire. By the time the attack was over, the Allanean government was out sixty satellites of various categories – the result of decades of investment and development.

Clearly, something had to be done. The Allanean government immediately put all manned orbital combatants on alert, and ordered them to relocate to the sector of orbital space immediately over Arterus, to try and block additional attacks to the satellite network. Several unmanned satellites were also reoriented, to try and plug the gaps in the system that emerged from the attack.

In the meanwhile, the Taniat battlecruisers were doing rather well against the Khans. The missile attack was has received the full wrath of the Allanean missile cruisers - who were able to each focus the first of 4 CIWS weapons, 3 AAA cannons, and dozens of missile launchers on every incoming Khan. The volume of fire was absolutely mindblowing. To add to that, some of the Khans also came into range for the Questarian-made vessels, whose SA-24 Sea Rapier missiles could – and often did – reach out to extremely long range and touch the enemy missiles.

Still, two ships were hit.

The Christina Aguilera battlecruiser lost propulsion after Khan hit, and had caused a breach of one of its reactors. 36 crew were killed in the strike, and the ship was abandoned even as it slowly sank to the bottom of the sea. One would not like to be an Arterus dolphin after this war was over.

The Vengaboys – another Taniat - has also been hit by a Khan. The kinetic impact warhead of the Khan came through the port side of the ship, cutterly destroyed the ship's propulsion system, caused multiple chemical fires inside the ship, and then came out on starboard. 76 crewmen died instantly, and 13 more died in the ensuing fire. Even as the ship sank, men started leaping overboard in life-jackets and lowering lifeboats.

Aboard the USS Bowie

"Admiral, we are now within 1,000 kilometers of the island."

"Can we start firing missiles yet?"

"Negative, unless you want to waste some more Khans."

"Very well. What's the ETA on the Sariels?"

"Two more hours."

"Very well. Proceed as you were supposed to."

And indeed, the Sariels soon passed over the island again. This time, they carried a load of simple, cheap, thermite bombs. Between them, the 50 aircraft carried 2,750 such bombs, each weighing around 500 kilograms. The bombs, naturally, were dropped on the beached pocket battleships.

There's something beautiful about chemicals that burn hot enough to melt steel.

Unless, of course, they're burning on your warship's deck.
Blackhelm Confederacy
11-06-2008, 10:27
The loss of only two of the fifty Taniat cruisers brought little joy to the coordinator as he paced back and forth in his subterranean office. The reports of the success in space, however, were a different story. At least there would be one bright spot in the campaign, for as bad as it were going for the mercenaries on the island, hopefully now, many an Allanean would be inconvenienced by having his satellite television or radio program suddenly and abruptly cut short.

Coordinator Whiteflower, upon hearing of these great successes, quickly phoned the Board of Directors, all the way back in Paradise City, begging them to continue the orbital destruction of Allanea, something which the men there were more than willing to do. Hundreds upon hundreds of missiles were blasting through space, making an absolute mess of things for the Allaneans, and now, even the Griffincrest space fighters, which were in actuality Soyuz’s with missiles, were going in and out of the Allanean television satellites, and having a field day as they destroyed satellite after satellite.

On the island, the beached pocket battleships were destroyed, but as for everything else, there was quiet. Complete silence, all over the surface.
Allanea
11-06-2008, 13:55
University of Concord, Liberty City Campus

"God damn them all thrice! We lost our satellites!"

"All of them?" - the Dean of Astronomy blinked for a second – "What happened?"

The assistants shrugged. "Sir, we think it has to do with the Blackhelm conflict."

"But… damn it! You know what this means, right?"

The assistants shrugged. "Sir, not a clue."

"People only attack satellites en masse like this when they're prepping for a nuclear strike. That, or they're going to start godrodding stuff around here pretty soon. Now, I realize that there's been no announcement, so there's on point acting crazy… but maybe we want to tone down the evening schedule a bit. I want no panic here… but you understand my concern."

"Sir, that's crazy."

"Quite possibly." – the Dean of Astronomy smiled – "But can you perhaps move Professor Garcia's evening class to be given underground? That way his people won't have to rush madly for the exits if there is an alarm.

Elsewhere in Allanea

Generally speaking, civilians in Allanea did not use satellites for communication – for most people, WiMax-based IPTV (or other kinds of IPTV) were the source of television, and GSM and WiGSM were the key methods of navigation for civilians. That said, those who used the APS [Allanean Positioning System], or who employed satellite phones or Internet, started having some serious problems.

But it was time for the government to act now. And so the Gorgon-class orbital combatants and the ZMI Ocelot Orbital Combat vessels. Unlike the Griffincrest craft, these were suited and designed specifically for orbital and translunar combat. They were armed with automatic cannon and lasers feeding from their thermonuclear drive systems, and dozens of guided kinetic kill missiles, specifically for use in space. They were highly maneuverable, and their fuel would last them for days upon days – which enabled them to maneuver far better than the Griffincrest craft.

And so they struck, first at long range with kinetic kill missiles, then, approaching, with lasers.

Their desire was not to attack the Griffincrest satellite systems, but merely to keep Griffincrest off Allanea's.

Aboard the USS Bowie

"Grand-Admiral, Sir!"

"Yes?"

"We've approaching the four thousand five hundred furlong mark."

"All ships prepare to maneuver. We will now begin to encircle the island. No ship must close to less than four thousand, two hundred fifty furlongs from the coast."

"But Sir… that is pretty far for a blockade."

"That's right – but it also prevents us from being hit by cruise missiles. Our longest range missiles – unless you count Khans – reach out only to four thousand furlongs. I do not think they have better stuff."

"True, but how do we get them, then?"

"Easy."

Even as the Admiral spoke, the Sariels passed overhead. This time, they were accompanied by 50 ancient Velkyan Lancaster II aircraft, also converted to remote piloting.

They they carried not thermite, but simplistic Mark 81 bombs, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_81_bomb) purchased a long while ago from United Earthlings (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13742238&postcount=2068). Between them, they carried 32,500 bombs, distributed among the stealth aircraft.

The aircraft deposed their bombs on the beach upon the concentrations of barbed wire and other visible defenses, looking to soften up the island for infantry attack. The bombs were cheap and plentiful, and Allanea was not going to run out of them any time soon.

OOC: Divide furlongs by five to get kilometers.
Blackhelm Confederacy
12-06-2008, 19:34
The Board of Directors recalled their space fleet almost immediately as the Allanean vessels began to appear and defend the rest of their nation’s satellite system. This was an action taken not out of fear, for it was specifically the Gorgon class vessel Griffincrest’s solar sailors, which have yet been deployed, were reconfigured to defeat. Rather, the orbital battle was called off because it was seen as unprofitable. Space craft are, after all, incredibly expensive, and the conflict would undoubtedly lead to many casualties, and no gain.

On the island, there was still silence. No SAMs opened fire on the passing bombers, and no attempt was made to repair the damaged beach defenses. Instead, the island stayed quiet. Coordinator Whiteflower had given an order that no Griffincrest munitions would be launched until the Allaneans were within seventy kilometers, so for now, all the men on the island could do was wait, and hope that the coordinator knew what he was doing.
Rosdivan
12-06-2008, 20:24
In case you missed all the other links to it Blackhelm, including the TG I sent you... (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=558544)
Allanea
13-06-2008, 08:16
“Sir, we arrived at our blockade points. All units armed and ready.”

“Yes, Grand-Admiral. What is the plan?”

“Order the Arterus Protection Force to return. That'll leave us two hundred ships short... but we no longer need their help. No point risking sailors without any cause.”

“Yes, Admiral.” - the aide nodded, with a tinge of doubt in his voice. “What else?”

“Begin stage two of the operation.”

And so the Allanean ships nested at a safe 850 kilometer distance from the shore. They did not bother to fire a single more missile at the enemy. They waited for a whole week. Every two days the bombers would pass over the island, dropping more leaflets enticing troops to surrender. Broadcasts were being made around the clock.

The only other action that the Allaneans made was sneak some minisubs as near the coast as possible, to observe activity in that area – in case some Griffincrest troops tried to escape.
Blackhelm Confederacy
13-06-2008, 09:26
Fluid Time: Initial blockade, 2 weeks prior to last Allanean post

The island was completely cut off, and the corporation was definitely not willing to lose such a massive piece of oil covered property. The decision was soon made to redeploy the island via submarine, and also to launch a campaign of attrition against the Allanean fleet.

Present Day

Eighty Typhoon class submarines were now closing in on the island from ten different directons. These submarines had all been reconfigured to fire the Shockhound Avenger missile, and were planning on doing so from a 430km distance.

The targets of the ten groups were the carriers of the fleet, which were now no longer defended by the mass of AA cruisers they once were, but now more than 2 km from their nearest ship.

Decoys were blasted in all directions, creating the illusion that the Allaneans would soon be faced with several hundred submarines, rather than only eighty.

Hopefully, the submarines would make it within range.
Allanea
13-06-2008, 10:06
It was true, indeed, that the carriers now were less defended then before. While they were armed with their own anti-missile batteries, and the missile cruisers were able to cover them partially with their missile range, they did not have anywhere near the protection that they had before. Of the ten carriers, eight were sunk, and one was completely disabled. 4,000 crewmen were killed, and 5300 injured in the attacks. The last carrier, it's superstructure a steaming wreck, cast its aircraft overboard, accepted the injured, and prepared to set sail for Allanea.

The Allanean reaction was swift and certain. They used photgraphic picosatellites to locate the launch points of the missile, and then set off fighters in that location – 25 strike fighters per submarine, each carrying 8 ASROCs. The mission was simple – blanked the vague location of each sub with 200 depth charges and get it over with.

In the meanwhile, the bombers were getting ready. This time, the flight was much bigger. It contained the previous Sariels, but also a flight of 50 B-22's. As they approached the battlegroup, 100 strike fighters took off Allanea's ships, and and accompanied them towards the island. They were armed with HARM missiles, in case the enemy RADAR came back to life.

If it didn't, the B-22's and Sariels would happily drop their payload – now not on the military facilities, but on the oil fields and extraction facilities on the island. Between them, they carried thousands of ordinary, cheap incendiary bombs, many as small as four pounds in weight.

Within half an hour from arrival, 11,500 tons of napalm and thermite would be dropped on the island's oil facilities.

Soon enough, the real estate value was bound to go down.

After the bombing, the Allaneans would simply giggle and wait for one more week as the oil fields burned.
Blackhelm Confederacy
13-06-2008, 17:14
The Typhoon’s were far from defenseless against an aerial assault. Since they had been reconfigured to launch more cruise missiles, they were also given five VLS cells to be dedicated solely to SAM’s, and the missiles that these Typhoon’s were carrying were the deadly Skynet missile. The Skynet had a maximum range of 220km, but were going to be launched once the Allanean aircraft crossed the 200km mark. The Skynet was not a normal missile, but it was instead designed to take on multiple aircraft, much like the situation they were presented right now. Within a few minutes, the missiles would explode, filling the sky with thousands upon thousands of explosive darts, and hopefully doing enough damage to hold off the attack, at least for now.

Meanwhile, on the island, the SAM’s were still silent, and the oil fields burned. Almost as soon as the fires started, the massive fire control system on the island kicked into gear, spraying gallon after gallon of water all over the area, and hopefully dousing the flames before there was too much damage. Of course, this was a dream that would not come true, because by now the sheer amount of munitions had crippled the oil fields.

Within the island, Coordinator Whiteflower smiled as he received the reports of the ten Allanean carriers being taken out of action. This was a similar reaction back in Paradise City, when the members of the Board of Directors received satellite footage of the carriers slipping beneath the waves under massive smoke clouds. Hopefully, a few more acts of attrition like this, and the Allanean blockade would be forced to break. The loss of these ten ships also gave the Corporation another bonus. It meant that there was that much more space between the ships of the blockade fleet, and thus, that much more space from where to try and slip in supplies.
Allanea
14-06-2008, 16:01
OOC: I am sorry if this seems wanked-up. I consulted Rosdivan before making the post. He told me the design is perfectly useless.

IC:

The Allanean aircraft detected the incoming missiles – easily, as the missiles used active RADAR to aim – and began evasive maneuvers. This, and the fact the rockets exploded 30 kilometers away from the Allanean aircraft made them perfectly, and absolutely, useless.

The Allanean aircraft used no active RADAR of their own, having all relevant data fed to them from their mothership. They fired their missiles at the vague locations of the enemy submarines, blanketing the entire area with dozens and hundreds of subsurface explosions. Then they went home.

And the Allaneans continued to wait.
Blackhelm Confederacy
18-06-2008, 08:35
The early model missles aboard the submarines were soon proven to have a major flaw, one that was immediately changed as soon as it was discovered. The submarines were now all forced to dive and break for home. The huge amount of decoys did some good, but it was not enough. Out of eighty submarines, all but twelve were sunk, and those that survived were being forced to go towards Kravenite waters, as a trip back across the ocean would surely end in disaster.

Meanwhile, another plan was being thought of on the island, and at Griffincrest HQ, but for now, the men would have to wait.
Allanea
18-06-2008, 09:09
Aboard the USS Bowie

Grand-Admiral Gusarin stood upon the very tip of the vast battleship's prow, watching the place on the horizon where the giant island was supposed to be. There, enormous black clouds were forming – acrid smoke from the oil fields of Griffincrest Corporation, burning day after day as the Corporation's efforts to put them out were not able to quell the fire completely. This was part of the plan – but he knew now that the Allanean Navy was not to be allowed to proceed with its original plan – to deploy experimental super-strategic thermonuclear devices against the island.

"Damn diplomats." – swore Gusarin – "Tying my hands like that. How do they expect me to win the war if I can't use my best weapons? What the fuck is this, Knootoss or something? Seriously, what the fuck is up with them?"

But now, the issue would have to be resolved. Soon, he knew, Griffincrest Corporation would try to re supply the island.

Two orders were given.

One, that the fleet would tighten its ranks to only seven hundred kilometers of the island's shores, and second – that the next overflight of the island – scheduled a week after the previous one – would include not merely bomber aircraft, but 250 of the enormous BE-2500 cargo aircraft Allanea was proud of, second in size only to the enormous Ouroboros flying boats.

The bombers, this time, carried much bigger bombs – 5-ton, laser-guided, bunker busters. Their targeting was planned by the virtue of taking photographs from satellites and previous bomber overflights, and several nights of painstaking engineering analysis. There would be a full thousand of these bombs, dropped out on any location that looked to the Allaneans to be like the opening of a missile launch silo.

The rest of the space on the bombers – 6,500 tons – would be again dedicated to the thermite munitions, dropped out on those oil fields where fires had somehow been put out. The island would burn.

Again, of course, HARM-equipped craft accompanied the bombers.

The BE-2500's, in the meanwhile, proceeded to land on the water near the very shore. Proceding from their bellies were Instigator ( http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=468051) UGAVs in enormous numbers – in full, 10,000 vehicles. They went ashore like metallic bugs from hell, scanning with their various sensors for openings in the ground that might be missile launch facilities.

This would be the first Allanean ground offensive on the island. By the time it would begin, the island would have been cut off for a month already.
Blackhelm Confederacy
20-06-2008, 21:42
The enemy fleet had finally closed to within the range of at least one of the many different classes of anti-shipping missiles, and were now about to pay for it. Coordinator Whiteflower had counted at least three hundred Frazier class corvettes on the blockade line, and unfortunately for these little vessels, they were not packing much CIWS, and they were out of range of the CIWS from nearby ships, relying solely on the anti-missile missiles of the larger ships nearby. Of these larger ships, one of them was to be targeted as well. The Argentine class galleon USS Klaus Paul De Vere, the flagship for Task Force Cloyster, was going to be the target of as many as five hundred P-5 Pyatyorka missiles, the overkill due to the fact that the missiles were big, slow pieces, and many were not likely to make it. The corvettes were going to be taking an additional nine hundred missiles, ending up with three missiles to a ship. Of course, this would deplete nearly the entire arsenal of P-5’s on the island, leaving only one hundred missiles left for another attack at a later date, and for now, the Coordinator would just sit and wait, hoping that the missile attack caused maximum damage to the enemy fleet.

Meanwhile, the unmanned tanks began landing on the shore. As they rolled up onto the sand, however, the Allaneans would be surprised to find a dead quiet on the island. Not a single battery had opened up. Instead, high up on Mount Claudius, and underground in their little hidden pits, the mercenaries began to pick their targets while still in hiding. The entire beach was cut up into interlocking fire zones, and the men on the ground were all placed so as to contain the enemy within that zone. Dozens of 105mm batteries placed inside the mountain, as well as hundreds of men armed with Doomani made Spiculum anti-tank weapons prepared to attack. The thousands of men armed merely with assault rifles and machine guns were ordered to stay underground, and would wait to see if any marines were planning on coming ashore.

Hundreds of Mars tanks were also dug in and hidden on the island. The Mars’ were light tanks, intended for airborne use, and were arranged with the infantry to provide support. The Mars was never intended for use against opposing armor, but hopefully they would pack enough of a punch to cause damage to the Allanean vehicles.

Whiteflower had realized that he had to make a stand against the Allanean airstrikes now, but was still not willing to scramble their forty FA-15 Cardinals, and were also not willing to expose their S-300’s, realizing that the enemy was going to be armed with HARM missiles. Still, some of the S-300’s, about eight of them, were activated, and hopefully they could fire before they were annihilated by the HARM’s. These S-300’s, however, were not the only missiles that would be launched. Around one hundred and fifty old Romanian made CA-95’s were mixed in with the Mars’ on the front lines. These were IR guided, and thus the HARM was unable to find them. The downside, however, was the short range. With a little luck, the enemy would be low enough to be caught by their missiles.

The situation was not good on the island, and mercenaries were beginning to get restless. Unless more food was delivered, the prospect of an all out mutiny within the next month was not far off.
Allanea
21-06-2008, 15:44
OOC: [telegram for Griffincrest]

IC:

On the Island

In the air, ten of the Sariel bombers were immediately shot down. So was a dozen of Lancasters[/u] who dared to descend below the usual 8-kilometer altitude from which the bombers operated and were eaten by the CA-95 batteries. Naturally, HARMs were launched at every location from which the S-300 rockets had been fired.

And then the UGAVs began advancing en masse, charging towards the shore. Naturally, many of them were hit by Spiculum missiles and destroyed – though the onboard active defenses did do some good shooting down Spiculums, nothing was perfect But the sheer amount of the vehicles was too great to deal with in this way, even though about 300 of them were instantly lost.

They responded with a hail of shells. Their 25mm Vulcan cannon (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=468051) would help to clear out bunkers, and the automatic mortar and grenade launchers would rain fire from above even into the more remote ATGM nests.

But more important were the cameras and RADAR devices. The vehicles mapped the tunnel exits and fire points carefully, and transmitted the resulting data back home.

[b]Aboard the [i]Bowie

“Sir, we lost the De Vere!”

“Damnation.” - swore the Admiral. “Did any of the crew survive?”

“Two men, sir. Just luck, really. There's no way the ship would have had time to evacuate with that many missiles hitting it. Apparently it's been hit at least a hundred and fifty times. There's very little of it left to be even recognizable as a ship, sir.”

“Shit. What's with the Fraziers?”

“Not good either, Sir. We've lost about twenty-five ships permanently – as in, sunk, exploded, burning – and fifty with various damage to steering, to propulsion, to RADAR, to what-the-fuck-else. They'll need to be towed back home.”

“Goddamn idiocy. We need to close on them... actually, we don't. Bring in reinforcements from home.”

“Which reinforcements?”

“Radio the Arterus Protection Force. Let them send ships here – namely, let them send fifty submarines and twenty air defense vessels. Also, radio Liberty-City, and let them send in ten Torrent arsenal ships, and, say, a hundred LSV's.”

“But why?”

“Oh, you will see. It'll take the APF ships how long – two, three weeks to get herE?”

“Two weeks, sir.”

“Good. Brief me when they come in... oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes, Sir?”

“We'll be keeping up the bombing raids on a weekly basis. Tell them to drop some bombs on the bunkers that the Instigators uncover and can't destroy. Drop out 20,000 tons of FAE's every week on those bunkers, maybe we'll start getting somewhere.”

“Yes, Sir!”
Blackhelm Confederacy
22-06-2008, 22:24
The situation on the beach soon became one of carnage, as massive gattling guns sprayed lead into the bunkers as they presented themselves. Still, however, thousands upon thousands of Spiculum anti-tank missiles were screeching through the air, tearing into the Instigators as they proceeded, unceasingly, up the coast. These crewless machines were of no real significance to Allanea, their deaths would bring no tears to Allaneans families at home, and this wave would only really effect the pockets of the Allanean taxpayer. The impact on the Griffincrest forces was much different, however, as actual people were being killed. Seeing this, as well as the prospect of a pay day, many mercenaries sprung out of their bunkers, and made breaks for the shore. Pit after pit was being overrun as the mercenaries did their best to stem the tide.

While the rockets and gatling rounds were flying back and forth, the men without anti-tank weapons merely hunkered down, and waited. They were expressly ordered not to give up their positions unless absolutely necessary, and no was not a necessary time. From Mount Claudius, the highest peak on the island, and the one looking over the landing zone, over five hundred artillery batteries opened up, raining down shell after shell after shell on the approaching Allanean vehicles. These were not the only weapons that would come pouring down on the Instigators, however. Over eight hundred Romanian made LAROM missile launchers were set up 25 kilometers off the beach, positioned to completely saturate the beachhead with 160mm rocket fire, and ensure that it would be a bad day for anyone who landed. Thousands of rockets began spewing out of the launchers, causing an explosive hailstorm to begin on the shoreline.

Not only this, but many of the beached ships that were left unbombed began to let loose with their weaponry as well, particularly the Um al Maradims, blasting away with their main guns and adding to the chaos that was going on on the beach. The Instigators, which had gone to shore most likely presuming the vessels abandoned, were now caught in a crossfire from all sides.

Meanwhile, Coordinator Whiteflower watched as the situation on the surface played out. He realized that he would need more of the enemy ships to be taken out if he wanted to preserve the island for the Corporation. He radioed back to the Board of Directors, explaining his poistion, and they soon made their plan. Twenty five Tu-95's, each carrying sixteen non-nuclear Kh-55 missiles were ordered to head for the island, and engage the Allanean fleet at a range of 2,500 kilometers. This was not to be, however, as they would soon be cut off by the approaching APF. It would be this relief fleet, and not the main Allanean force, that would need to be engaged.

The Coordinator also realized that the Allanean Task Force Cloyster was now in bad shape with the loss of its flagship. He had hoped that with a little more damage to it, they would be forced to withdraw. With his last hundred P-5's, he targeted the Nimitz class carriers USS Dirk Armaude and the USS Donner. Fifty missiles were to be launched at each carrier, hopefully enough to get to them.
Allanea
23-06-2008, 14:21
Aboard the USS Bowie

"Sir, we lost two carriers."

"Fucking shit. This begins to disturb me. Are we prepared for option Zeta?"

"Not yet. The crew is beginning the last preparations for it."

The Admiral considered the situation for only a moment. "Oh fuck this shit. What's going on the shore?"

"We lost approximately a quarter of the unmanned vehicles. We've got about 7,000 of them left, and it's not going good. On the other hand, there are Blackhelm mercenaries surrendering. We're loading them into the BE-2500 craft and the specops submarines as much as we can, and getting them back home. But sir… we're going to have problems if this keeps on – those Bulgarian missiles or whatever are eating away at our UGAVs."

"I am aware of it. So, here's what I want you to do… what ships do we have in range of these missile batteries?"

"We have an Arsenal ship… and I think we can cover them with a carrier."

"We don't need the carrier."

A plan was formulated. First off, an Arsenal ship – one parked nearest to the shore landing location – would fire 150 P-600 rockets at the nearest Um Al Maradims.

Then, the UGAVs were directed to charge full speed towards the missile launchers. Once they entered in range of their mortars, they would begin firing them at the launch facilities.

In the meanwhile, the Arterus Protection Force's air defense vessels proceeded towards the Allanean fleet. Since only those vessels of the fleet – and several dozen submarines – were sent, there were only 20 ADV's visible on the surface of the sea. Soon enough, probably, they'd be targeted with ALCMs. This was a task they were well-prepared to handle.
Blackhelm Confederacy
06-07-2008, 22:05
OOC: Sorry for taking so long, I have a new job with awful hours.

IC:

Satelites soon picked up a better, even less defended fleet moving towards the Griffincrest controlled islands. The Aircraft that were about to strike the APF quickly altered its course, and prepared to unload their missiles upon the force of arsenal ships and LSV's.

Meanwhile, Coordinator Whiteflower was beginning to contemplate surrender. Above ground, the battle between his men and the thousands of unmanned vehicles had lead to the surrender of hundreds upon hundreds of mercs, and the deaths of hundreds more, especially now with the FAE bombings. Still, however, the mountains and the men in their bunkers continued to spray hell onto the Instigators, as did the beached vessels that survived the P-600 strike, of which there were only a few.

He did have glimmers of success, however, as now, the Allanean Task Force Cloyster was missing four of its six capital ships. All that the mercenaries on the island could do was hope to eradicate the Instigators, pray for a resupply, and wish the Allanean fleet would go home.

OOC2: sorry for short post
Allanea
07-07-2008, 03:16
“Abandon ship, abandon ship!”

The solution to the problem of incoming enemy missiles was for the crew to abandon the Arsenal ships to their fate and let the onboard CIWS cannon and missiles do their job. To some degree, this would work – but the fleet would still end up 20 LSVs and 10 Arsenal ships short.

In the meanwhile, on the island, only half the original Instigator force remained. The Allaneans fired 200 more P-600's on the remaining beached ships and began what would be later known as Plan Upsilon.

Simply speaking, one of the LSV's began to approach the island. At a distance of two kilometers off-shore it would simply fall apart – explosives were pre-set at key points of the ship.

From the wreckage appeared what seemed to be a gigantic missile. It sank rapidly to the sea bottom. Several hours later, it would have disappeared under the surface, leaving only a tunnel entrance behind.

For the missile was, in fact, a tunneling machine.

After three weeks of drilling, it would make a tunnel three kilometers long – if it made it that long.

The Allaneans proceeded to wait. They were made more enthusiastic by the fact that their enemies were slowly running out of food.
Allanea
01-08-2008, 09:25
OOC:

Griffincrest, you still owe me a post in this thread. I do not think it is good form for you to be engaging in new war RPs without responding here.
Blackhelm Confederacy
02-08-2008, 02:11
OOC: Shit, sorry, you should have TG'd me, I forgot about this, so sorry man!

IC:

Food was running out. The cocaine was long gone, and no so was the weed and alcohol, along with the morale of most of the men. The Coordinator knew he could not win the battle, his men were struggling to keep the robotic menaces off of the island, and although that was going alright, he knew that without any new ammunition coming through, by the time an actual manned landing came through, there would be little his men could do to stop it. The only thing he could do now was offer a surrender on good terms.

To: Allanean Admiral

We wish to ask for your terms of surrender. Situations on island becoming hard. Please respond soon.
Allanea
02-08-2008, 03:18
Official Allanean Response:

Come out and turn yourself in. Give us all your weapons, military equipment, uniforms, insignia, and the island itself. Those who surrender will be treated justly and fairly.
Blackhelm Confederacy
02-08-2008, 22:00
Response to Allanean Admiral

What will become of us after our surrender? Will we be allowed to go home?
Allanea
02-08-2008, 22:03
Allanean Response:

The oppressive majority of the Griffincrest troops will be allowed to go home within two weeks, after participating in a Victory Parade in Allanea as prisoners of war.

A small minority (less than 2%) will be tried under various charges and treated as per their crimes.

This is far superior to what will happen if you resist, namely, the option of starving to death.
Blackhelm Confederacy
02-08-2008, 22:10
Response from Coordinator

I will surrender under the condition that I am promised amnesty.
Allanea
02-08-2008, 22:11
Official Allanean Response

Very well.
Blackhelm Confederacy
02-08-2008, 22:15
Response

So be it


And with that, the white flag was raised above the island. Thousands upon thousands of hungry, tired, war weary mercenaries began trickling out of their bunkers, caves, and caverns, and started marching towards the Allanean held coast line. Hopefully, the Allaneans would live up to their deal.
Allanea
02-08-2008, 23:18
OOC: Please do not make any further posts in this thread.

IC:
On the shore, the Allaneans engaged in wholesale looting of the Griffincrest arsenal. Anything that could have been unbolted, removed, taken away, from rifles to anti-ship missiles was removed by enterprising Allaneans.

The Allanean Army did nothing to interfere. Capturing enemy weapons and equipment was part of the legitimate methods for troops to reward themselves for the rigors of wartime existence.

The Griffincrest troops were put upon ships and aircraft and sent to Allanea – all outside approximately two and a half thousand officers. For them there would only rapid military trials, and equally rapid executions. Even as the bodies fell to the ground, the Allaneans beset their fallen enemies with surgical saws and knives, flaying, beheading, and dismembering them. The Allaneans had little respect for the enemy dead – and the skull of an enemy soldier can be made into a nice commemorative cup.

By the time the POWs made it into Allanea, their commanding officers would already be dead – with the exception of the Coordinator.

For the Coordinator, a special fate was reserved.

10 Days Later, Liberty City

And so a victory parade was held. As usual, Liberty Lane was blocked temporarily for traffic – but this time, the Allaneans would see a completely new spectacle. Down the long road, towards the white dome of Congress, marched 130,000 Griffincrest troops, arranged in 13 squares, 100 a side. To the left and right of the enemy troops marched Allanean Navy sailors, escorting them with gleaming white bayonets fixed to their rifles.

And the Allaneans jeered, and spat, and threw rotten apples. “Jackbooters! Fascists! Kravenlickers!”

Behind the Blackhelmians marched the Allanean Navy – for it was their victory. Sailors, air crews, officers, all were here.

There, at the end of the road, upon the white stairs of the Congress Hall, stood the leaders of the House and Senate, the leadership of Corporate Allanea and the military. And of course, there stood Alexander Kazansky in his military uniform, leaning on his ceremonial sword.

As fiftteen prisoners of wars approached, tossing fifteen Griffincrest division banners and a Griffincrest flag under his feet, Kazansky stepped forward, crushing the flags underfoot with disdain.

Friends! Freemen! Allaneans!

Today, the glorious Allanean Navy has bested the corporatist fascists on the sea. Their ships are now burning at the bottom of the sea – except where they have actually beached them in the vain hope that this will spare them the righteous wrath of the Freemen. That was not to come. Only ultimate surrender had saved the Griffincrest troops from what should have been certain extermination.

As such, I have certain announcements to make. I will start with the least of them. I hold in my hand here a Congressional Act to annex the island for which we have fought in Arterus, and rename it New France – an obvious choice given the circumstances.

Furthermore, we promised to reward Coordinator Faustus Whiteflower if he surrendered to us. He has saved the lives of 130,000 of Griffincrest's mercenaries, and helped deliver to Allanea a large territory of land. This is an act for which Allanea cannot help but be grateful. Allanea promised 100 million dollars to Coordinator Whiteflower on the event of his surrender. Allanea will keep her promise. Give the man his check!

Immediately, an Allanean soldier approached the Coordinator and handed him a check for 100 million Universal Standard Dollars. Media cameras zoomed in on the scene, capturing the Coordinator's face for the entire world as he took the money.

Finally, many sailors will be awarded medals for this operation. I cannot list them all in this brief speech. Let me just mention one more man, without whom victory would not have been possible. This man is Grand Admiral Pyotr Gusarin. Under his direction, the enemy forces were crushed and defeated. Today, I am proud to bestow upon this man the Cameron Order, First Class, for his command of Operation Roses for Arterus.

Grand-Admiral Gusarin. Step forward to receive your award.

And so the Admiral paced – or rather, marched in a hard military step – towards the Congressional steps, past the rows of sullen POWs and cheering Allaneans.

And Kazansky descended towards him down the steps, his boots biting into the surface of the enemy flags as he walked. And he pinned the medal to the Grand-Admiral's chest.

Congratulations, Grand-Admiral Gusarin!

The Grand-Admiral's heels clicked together and he saluted the President.

“I SERVE FREEDOM!” - he replied at the top of his lungs. Such was the ritual.

And then Kazansky did the unexpected. He stepped even closer to the Admiral and hugged him, like a son hugging his father.

I know you do. We all do. Thank you, Pyotr. Thank you, sailors, soldiers, airmen, and Freemen. Thank you all.

And May God bless Allanea.

THE END