NationStates Jolt Archive


At What Price Is Freedom Gained? (MT | Closed)

Thrashia
09-07-2008, 12:42
Sharnhorst Colony (http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b184/Upum/Modern%20Tech%20Thrashia/anchorome-1.gif) | November 5th ~ 2100 Hours

Few quite remember the days when the Empire of Thrashia first began founding colonies of its own on a global scale. Like the dilapidated British Empire of the past, Thrashia used maritime and strong ground forces to bludgeon its way through indigenous nations and international foes alike in order to found what would become the greatness that was Thrashia. But those times are long over and the last people who saw them, are dead and dust. Where once the Empire ruled more than a dozen colonies of significant size it had now been reduced to one: a sole survivor of the old ways, old ways that spelt blood for a generation.

And that was Sharnhorst.

- - - - - - - -

Governor Mikhail Paulus sat on his villa’s balcony sipping from a porcelain cup, worth perhaps five grand. The chair and table he sat at were worth even more. In fact the entire villa, more than 10,000 square feet in size, he lived in and all the belongings in it were worth a fortune large enough to feed hundreds of thousands for perhaps weeks.

And yet for all of that money and the wealth he had from his position as governor, Paulus could not do anything about the noise; a terribly annoying, ear provocating shrill that no doubt came from some idiot whore’s child. Paulus stood up and walked over to the edge of his balcony, its overlook of the sea a marvelous contrast to the view below. Looking down into the muddy streets of Karlvarn he saw a child in dirty rags, tears running down his face, standing on a street corner squealing like a stuck pig. Other citizens walked about, ignoring the child, as if they couldn’t hear him. Well Paulus certainly could.

“Guard!” Paulus called. He walked back to his chair and sat down, once more taking up his tea cup. A younger man wearing a navy blue uniform and wielding an AK-74 at his shoulder entered and saluted.

“Yes sir, Governor?”

“There is a horrible sound coming from below, from a child. Be as so kind as to fix the situation please?” Paulus made an annoyed face, as if the noise still coming from below was self evident enough.

With a nod the guard walked over to the edge of the balcony. Un-slung his assault rifle and took careful aim. His shot was punctuated by another sip of Red China tea, Paulus’ favourite brew. After the echo of the shot faded, Paulus let out a sigh of contentment. At last his ears could rest!

- - - - - - - - - - -


Jason Kraals stooped down next to the dead child lying in the street. Blood was flowing smoothly out from the wound, and it covered Jason’s hand. He glanced up to see one of the Provincial Guard, wearing their iconic blue uniform, turning away and re-slinging his rifle. He stood on the balcony of the governor’s villa. It was perfectly clear who had had the boy shot. Jason had turned onto the street but moments ago. When he saw the boy was crying and screaming he’d been about to take the boy away and help him. Now there was no need.

Cursing Governor Paulus and all his kin to the devil and back, Jason stood and wiped his hands on the side of his shirt. He was dressed in khaki pants and a faded, white button up long sleeve shirt. A gold medallion hung from his neck, barely visible between the flaps of his shirt collar. He picked up the suit case he’d been carrying and turned away from the dead body of the child. There was nothing he could do now to avenge the boy, but later he would repay it ten-fold. Of that he was sure of. Revenge on all of the Imperialist pigs who ran Sharnhorst in the name of the Thrashian Empire.

The streets of Karlvarn were not very wide. Large enough to permit one vehicle to go down them, one-way, and with just barely enough space for the pedestrians to squeeze against walls to avoid being run over. Only the rich drove cars however, and the military drove tanks. Regular citizens were forced to walk, run, or pay a man to give you a ride in a small push cart. Jason, carrying a piece of luggage half as big as he was, had trouble making sure that it didn’t get side swiped out of his hand, and hope that none of the Provincial Guard jeeps or occasional APC stopped to inspect him.

Finally he reached Petrograd Street and turned down it. The evening was fading into darkness so he hurried, not wanting to get caught outside past curfew. He came to a small door set inside the continuous lane of row houses. Above it was a small sign that had the image of a blacksmith’s hammer on it. He knocked on it three times in a syncopated rhythm. It opened a crack and a wary eye looked him over.

“Hurry, its me! Open the blasted door,” Jason said in a hushed voice, looking up and down the street around him.

“Thought you wouldn’t make it before night,” a female voice said. The door opened and Jason pushed himself and the suitcase he carried through. As soon as he was through the door closed with a snap. The light in the hall revealed a blond woman standing over the huffing Jason. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but she was striking in a pleasing manner. She was also more heavily muscled than most women, due to the fact that she was a blacksmith.

“Meredith, I think next time you should go get the package. You’ve got the muscles for it and could punch any Blue Boy that tried to stop you into pulp,” said Jason.

“Thought we already had this conversation?” smiled Meredith. “I’m too busy with repairing farming tools and knitting, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah that’s what you tell me,” Jason muttered as he stood upright and palmed the suitcase. The two left the hall and entered the main house. He passed by two twin sisters sitting at a table eating soup. They grinned big when Jason made a face and waved at them. Meredith’s daughters waved back, but said nothing. It was night and curfew also meant quiet hours. Jason followed the female blacksmith into the back of the house and through a door that revealed stairs going down.

Once they were in the basement, they entered through another door and came to a room lit by a single uncovered light bulb that hung over a rickety table. Three other people were in the room sitting on mismatched chairs. Two men and another woman. Jason nodded in greeting to all of them and used both hands to throw the suitcase on top of the table.

“Well my friends, we’re almost ready. Last night I was in Morburg, before that in Baybar, and before that when I first started my trip, in New Brostin. Each of the groups in every city is ready. All that’s left is for us to prepare the finale here in the capital,” said Jason. He opened the suit case to reveal an assortment of a dozen small arms and boxes of ammunition. One of the other men, Adams, stepped up and took one of them out. It was, considered by most, an antique. It was an M1A1 Thompson submachine gun, last used probably in 1945. The rest of the small arms were a mix of Thompsons, a few newer USPs, and a single AK-47.

“We couldn’t get a hold of better stuff?” Adams asked, looking up at Jason.

“The raid on the armory in Baybar carried only enough weapons to arm the group there and in Morburg. I got these from my smuggling contacts at the docks. It’s the best they could do,” replied Jason, a note of disappointment entering his voice.

“Better these than nothing than my smithy hammer,” Meredith smiled, picking up the AK-47 and stepping over to a wall. She pulled aside the heavily laden bookcase that was standing there to reveal a hidden closet. Dozens of other weapons, grenades, and ammunition were already hidden there. In a matter of minutes the weapons from the suitcase were stowed inside. Jason took one of the USPs and put it in a hidden holster under his shirt, he’d had to get rid of his old one yesterday after it fell into the River Oder on his way back from Morburg.

Meredith turned around and looked at Jason. “So, are we set?”

“Yes. I’ve got one more drop off to make of weapons to Jimmy’s group on the West side tomorrow morning. That afternoon I’ll give the signal and we will crush these oppressive fascist, imperialist pigs for good!”

The small group gave a muted cheer, not trusting even the brick and earth around them to fully suppress their noise. Jason looked at each of them. “You know your targets. Be ready by 1:00 pm alright? The alarm sirens will be the signal. No one act before!”

“Understood Jason,” Adams said, a wolfish grin falling across his features. “We won’t fail.”

Jason nodded then turned and left the room.

OOC: This is a closed thread. But at the same time, open. If you would like to join in, then please TG me and I will consider it. This rp is not about who has the bigger ORBAT or a number crunching nubcack-pile up. This is, essentially, a character rp, but with strategic and tactical overtones. So please, if you do get in to join, don't post up an ORBAT as a first post, its just annoying. Just saying "a division" or a "army corp" with single number mentioned is enough.
Thrashia
11-07-2008, 11:44
The building that Jason stood in had once been a hotel. It had been a high end type of business which the rich and powerful had visited on the weekends for their affairs, gambling, and drinking. Now it was the official headquarters for the Provincial Guard in the capital of Karlvarn. Hundreds of office workers and blue uniformed Guardsmen went about their daily menial chores and responsibilities. Beaten and bludgeoned individuals wearing handcuffs were carried back and forth between cells and interrogation chambers. Jason felt more than a little worry at being in the lion’s den. But he was here for a reason.

A year before, when there had been no rebellion in the works, Meredith’s brother Kyle had joined the Provincial Guard, believing in the propaganda that shouted nothing but virtues and strength that the P.G. supposedly upheld. That had been before he had been ordered by his superior officers to murder innocent women and children for simply being a day late on taxes. From that moment on to the moment he first met Jason and his then small rebel group had agreed to feed Jason information, supplies, and anything that he felt would bring both vengeance and redemption. And today, on the day that they would begin to harvest the fruit of their labours, Jason was to pick up another suitcase full of weapons; stolen by Kyle for the rebellion.

Two other men from Jason’s group were with him, ostensibly to complain about a traffic jam further down the street. The three men sat in an atrium lined with chairs. In the middle several desks were set up with senior officers sitting behind them, tapping away at computer consoles. One of them looked up at Jason.

“Hey, you, the Major will see you now,” he said. His face dipped back down to his chores. Jason walked up to the desk and took out a pack of cigarettes. He took one and offered the pack to the officer who took them and pulled one out. Jason gave him a smile and then walked behind him to the door in the far wall. The marble floor made his footsteps sound thick and heavy.

He opened the door to reveal an office that was resplendent in its simplicity. Whereas outside the floor and walls had been decorated as if the building were still a hotel, the office was painted white, the floor marble removed until only the plain concrete remained. Behind the desk at the center of the room sat the major, Kyle. He smiled, a real smile, at Jason as the rebel leader closed the door behind him.

“How are you doing Jason?” Kyle asked, rising to his feet and shaking Jason’s hand. “I heard from my sister about the plan. So we’re on?”

“Yes we are,” confirmed Jason, his voice as solemn as it could be. “Do you have the weapons I need?”

“Just under the desk here,” Kyle replied. He reached under and brought up a black plastic case that had no markings on it. It was just as large as the suitcase that Jason had lugged around the day before. The thought that it might contain even more weapons and therefore weight did not do anything for the thought Jason had as he flexed his sore arm muscles. “Everything you need is in here,” Kyle continued. “Six assault rifles broken down, several pounds of C4 with detonators, and a few pistols and ammunition for all.”

“Good. I can’t stay long,” Jason stood up and looked at his watch. It was 12:00 already; he had less than an hour to get into position with his team. “You be prepared for your end too.”

“No worries about that. I’ve got six trusty men with me here in the compound. Once the alarm is sounded this place will not be a problem to you,” Kyle said. Jason recognized a gleam of hatred and anticipation in his eye that he’d seen Meredith with before. Must run in the family, he supposed.

They shook hands once more then Jason left the office, toting the unremarkable but large case with him. He left the atrium with his two other men. They were going down the stairs and passed through the front doors. Two sandbag strong points were on either side, each with two Guardsmen in them, a large machine gun sitting ominously atop the edges. Jason walked on the street, off the steps, and was three feet forward when a voice shouted out.

“Hey! You! Halt!”

Jason froze. So did the two men beside him. He heard the sound of military boots hitting pavement behind him. With a curse at himself, the man behind him, and the gods that had obviously failed him he reached into his jacket to palm the hidden pistol there. The voice got closer.

“Hey! You, yea, you with the case, hold up.”

Jason turned, letting his hand fall to his side. It was the officer that had told him to enter Kyle’s office. But instead of holding out a gun it was a pack of cigarettes. He proffered them up to Jason who felt like he should surely be going into shock.

“You left these,” he said. Jason’s hand moved on its own as he wordlessly took the pack from the officer’s hands. The officer shook his head at Jason and turned around, heading back into the Provincial Guard Headquarters. Like a robot Jason stuffed the pack into his pocket and turned around to keep walking. When he was finally around the corner his two friends looked at him with equal shock and surprise.

“That was damned unnerving if I’d ever seen or done anything,” one said.

“Nearly scared me out of my skin,” agreed the other.

“This is surely a sign for me to stop smoking,” added Jason with dread finality.


- - - - - - - - - - - - -


Governor Paulus was once again on his villa terrace enjoying an afternoon tea break from his tedious chore of signing official papers, death warrants, and new laws. The wind had picked up a bit in the last hour, and its cool presence helped keep Paulus from sweating under the oppressive sunlight. For not the last time he thought about adding an umbrella to the terrace. However he always decided not to. His view of the sky was the only great enjoyment he took from being out there in the first place.

He sipped the last of his tea and checked his watch. It read two o’clock; time for another tea and then a short nap to rejuvenate him for the evening’s revelries. He was expecting the rather deliciously looking new maid to arrive, as he’d ordered her to, tonight in his bed chambers. Paulus was just about to contemplate what he would do with her when a huge explosion sounded and the entire villa shook.

The governor ran into his room off the terrace, through his office, down a hall of expensive paintings and statues to the forward atrium where the front portal was located. Gun fire roared ahead and Paulus came up short as the body of one of his Provincial Guard fell dead in front of him. He peaked around the corner to be confronted with the eye of a gun barrel. The gun itself was held by a young man, probably in his late twenties, with sandy blonde hair, brown eyes, and a mix of military and civilian clothes on. A purple arm band with an unfamiliar symbol on it was wrapped around his right arm. Past the young man and down the stairs behind him were more of his dead guards and a small horde of similarly dressed and armed people. Paulus looked back up into the young man’s face.

“Who are you?”

“The man who’s going to bring you and your corrupt government down,” the young man said, a satisfied smile on his face. The man turned his head slightly, not taking an eye off the governor, and shouted down to his companions. “We got him! Radio Michele at the station to set off the alarm.”



All across Karlvarn large sirens sounded. They were usually reserved for either a state of emergency or when particular bad weather was at hand. In this case it was for the rebels to rise up as one. All across the city, nearly simultaneously, men and women lurched into action. Provincial Guard patrols were ambushed as house wives rolling baby carriages suddenly bore rifles instead of children. Men in trench coats whipped out sub machine guns and mowed down groups of soldiers as they tried to rush to their combat stations around the city.

The Provincial Guard in the city was sent into instant disarray. No matter how many times they tried, junior officers could not reach headquarters via telephone or radio. Sitting on the other side of the street from the now burnt out and exploded form of the old hotel that had been the P.G. headquarters sat Major Kyle, a very satisfied grin on his face.

When the normal everyday citizens saw these acts they were at first horrified. But when it was announced over captured loud speakers that Governor Paulus himself had been captured, they joined in alongside the purple arm-band wearing rebels. They shouted curses and threw rocks at any Provincial Guard they saw. Even regular people wearing too much blue were sometimes mistakenly hurt or killed.

By that same evening news reports were coming in along rebel communication lines that Jason had set up between the cities. One major city after another had fallen to the rebels. Some of the Provincial Guard garrisons had even changed allegiances and joined the rebels, throwing off their blue uniforms and strapping on purple arm bands. A new purple flag was hoisted where once the blue and red hung, and the white symbol of the common people, a hammer crossed with a crooked sickle, flew proudly in the breeze.

Not all cities fell to the rebels however. General Augustus von Ryan, commander of the Provincial Guard as a whole, had escaped from his headquarters with a sizeable force to the north of the country. Even as the major cities of the south began to fall, the north became a deadlock that Jason knew would have to be cracked. And now he had more worries and responsibilities. It wasn’t easy changing over from rebel leader to First Comrade of the People’s Republic of Sharnhorst.
Volzgrad
11-07-2008, 15:41
(OOC: Can I join this RP? This is the first well written and plot focused RP I've seen in quite a while.)

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll43/Vulture_77/VolzgradienCoatofArms.png
Official Communique from the National Volzgradien Intelligence Corp
To: The Peoples Republic of Sharnhorst

Greetings recently liberated comrades, we in the NVIC believe that we may be of use to you. Despite the isolationism of your nations, one of our "informants" has alerted us of a Workers Revolution. For this we must applaud and praise you and your forces. This is truly a historic event for your nation.

However, now it is the time to speak business. Volzgrad is currently one of the largest arms dealers in the world, and we would be glad to provide your military with top of the line weaponry for little cost. On another note, we will be sending 100 NVIC troops to aid in the complete overthrow of your former Imperialist oppressors. They will be deployed from a Venkov class Aerocruiser, which will also provide air support. If you have any questions then please feel free to ask. On a secure channel of course.

Sincerely,
Chief Commissar Alaric Hasinkov