NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Before posting here, sign up in the OOC thread, which can be found here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=577879).

IC:

“…is a very large nation, and purportedly technologically advanced, so we should avoid moving our fleets closer than one hundred eighty to two hundred nautical miles to shore, unless- oh, hello Strategos.” Turmarch Chrysander Alexis straightened his posture and crooked his elbow to his superior, who returned the gesture. Strategos Bacchus Balthasar and Alexis went back a long ways, and the two worked well together.

“Good afternoon, Chrysander,” grinned the older Bacchus. “Plotting an excursion?”

“I hear Vladistov is beautiful in December,” Alexis smiled back. Bacchus laughed and walked over to the table.

“Yes. Pity we won’t be able to make it in time. Perhaps it is nearly as good in January?”

“I have a feeling we will find out soon, archon.” The two bent down over the map spread across the chart room table. The fixture doubled as an electronic map, too, but past experience had shown such systems to be far too vulnerable to EMPs and directed energy weapons, even when properly shielded. Bacchus eyed each mark on the paper with the seasoned eye of a veteran commander, noting where Intelligence had marked shore batteries, choke points, coastal villages and suitable beaches for assault. The entire eastern coast of Eurasia was spread out before him, and he need only choose where to tread.

“Any word from the kyrios?” The adjundant Alexis had been speaking to earlier shook his head.

“No, archon, no new orders. Armada Two (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=14350961&posted=1#post14350961) is en route, and our vessels are prepared to begin the blockade.” Bacchus smiled again, pale white teeth flashing above his gray-stubbled chin. The Army’s initial commands had been simply to observe and plot out the initial attacks while the second fleet arrived. Actual orders were still being given by the Navy at this stage. A cacophony of noise erupted around the room as klaxons heralded the coming of a new hour. The twenty fourth hour.

“And so it begins,” all three men said.

***

The initial blockade plan called for merely the interdiction of shipping to and from Stoklomolvi by the forces of Armada One (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14346044&postcount=172), with a clause that allowed the sinking of enemy- for that is what the Communists surely were- vessels if they disobeyed orders to turn back. To accomplish this, the first wave of ships were arranged at strategic points all along the coastline. Several to the south made certain that Southern China was secure, two large accumulations prevented access through either northern or southern entrances to the Sea of Japan, and several more secured the Russian coast. In between the groups those submarines that had not already moved into position spaced themselves out, listing for the tell-tale sounds of a screw through ocean waves. Even with the two thousand vessels present in the fleet, it would be impossible to cover such a large area without AWACS overflights. With their aid, heavy anti-shipping smart missiles were able to be launched and guided to their targets. From one of the airships still hovering over the now-dissipating cloud layer another message rang out.

“You could have avoided this. It was up to you to do something, but you didn’t, and now your corrupt tyrants have forced our hand. Your coast is now under a state of blockade. No shipping may come to or leave from your country without being torpedoed, shot or bombed. Food will grow scarce soon. Your rulers may bring it in from other parts of the country, but that can last only so long. But we Fascists are generous people, despite what your masters have spoon-fed you, and we are willing to allow you one last day before the invasion proper begins. We have come to topple the government to protect our way of life. If you wish to avert invasion, you know what you must do.”

Vladistov, Vladistov Federal City, Stoklomolvi
2355 hours
Heavy snow

The entire city was running about, thousands evacuating, others taking up arms. Propaganda towers blared out continuous anti-fascist speeches, and recordings of the message that the Kargucagstani played were played alongside witty analyses. Angry partisans took up arms, and took up positions alongside the Stoklomolvi Army. The people, whose minds were filled with communist rubbish, could listen to nothing else.

At the Vladistov Military Administration Complex, the military officers were not as much worried as frustrated. No consensus could be found on how many nuclear missiles to launch at the Kargucagstani forces.

"I say, one for every one of their bloody ships! That'll teach them!"

"Nay, one for every ten! They don't deserve to be nuked! It's too humane! Gassed instead!"

"One for every fifty. Be economic, comrades! Why waste nukes on rubbish?"

"One for one!"

"One for two! Make sure they're dead!"

The argument abruptly ceased when the Commissar himself appeared.

"That...is enough. We have all witnessed the fascist atrocities on our people in the past. They made our people suffer. The fascist pigs in what was once Japan attempted to conduct experiments on our people before we booted them out of the country and executed those responsible. Now, the fascists strike again. Nuclear missiles are worth more than all of them. Why waste them on filthy fascists?

"No, we will not use our nuclear missiles on a pitiful invasion force sent by ignorant, filthy, disgusting, vile, evil fascists. We will use cannons. Nuclear cannons. That's all they deserve."

The room burst into laughter and applause. The Commissar spoke again.

"Raise the cannons! We'll give them hell."

___

Across coastal Stoklomolvi, the nuclear artillery rose from the ground. Navies fled to ports and harbours, and infantry donned goggles. Aircraft were detected by radars manned alongside S-400 Triumfs, and soon afterwards thousands of missiles streaked through the air, flying at high speeds towards aerial targets. Airships were targeted by caltrop missiles, designed to explode in front of the airship and release thousands of small, pointy objects to pierce the hull before detonating. Ships were soon spotted by the nuclear cannons, which calibrated and targeted themselves. In one salvo, over five hundred nuclear shells were fired at once at ships across the coast. In a staggered form, five hundred more shells were fired merely ten minutes later. Infantry mobilised against the coast-lines, and beaches were rapidly fortified with mines, hedgehogs, barbed wire, wooden ramps, stones, caltrops, and buried canisters of high explosives. During the short lull before the storm, the men were ready, and the battle would begin.

“Incoming fire!” The klaxons rang out again, much more urgently than they had but moments ago. Radar showed multiple contacts screaming in on various locations. Their small size and extremely rapid movement branded them as missiles, even before long-range imaging could confirm it. The average surface-to-air missile travels at Mach 15, necessary for catching agile fighters. With this speed the Stoklomolvian fliers were able to cross the distance between shore and the Kargucagstani fleet in just over 66 seconds. Although by no means slow it was just enough time to sound battle stations and prep counter missiles. They leapt from their silos on tongues of fire, burning their way up into the sky.

“Twenty seconds to impact,” the radar operator of the armada flagship murmured. “Ninetine, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen.” More columns of smoke rose from the surrounding fleets as a second line of defense was established. “Fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, nine seconds to impact, eight, seven, six, fi-“ He never finished the countdown. On the horizen, far off in the distance five hundred tactical nuclear weapons detonated as they impacted the waves. Night was turned into dawn as a second sun lit the sky, stretching along the Stoklomolvian coast in a chain of fire. Although small as nuclear weapons go, the warheads managed to superheat the ocean water, forming gigantic radioactive mushroom clouds that reached far into the sky.

When the light dimmed, shocked naval corpsmen pulled themselves to their feet and uncovered their eyes. Although too far away to burn a retina, the explosions had still been painfully bright. In the aftermath, wreckage from burning airships littered the seas. Several had been badly mangled by the incoming strikes, with at least eight downed despite all the counter-fire. Even the most rugged airframe couldn’t survive multiple SAM impacts. Mixed among the debris were the shredded remains of aircraft, their pilots too distracted and surprised by the nuclear detonations to properly defend themselves.

A general order went throughout the fleet to draw anchor and make best speed for deeper water. It would be more difficult to maintain, but a blockade from further out to sea was certainly possible. After all, the purpose of such a tactical arrangement was not to stop coastal trading, which would continue with roads and railways regardless of naval forces in the area, but to stop foreign trade from coming in or local goods from leaving. History had proven it a very effective tactic, often starving the target nation in a similar fashion to a medieval siege. Now, though, the blockading fleet- previously there just as a warning- had been fired on in anger. It was all the justification the Fascists needed.

When the second barrage impacted the sea the Kargucagstanis were more prepared, having dug out their NBC suits and activated the overpressure systems. It was exceedingly unlikely that any fallout would make its way so far to the east, as local wind patterns predicted a north-north east movement over the tip of Russia and into Alaska, but it was not impossible and high command wasn’t taking any chances. Still, it was shocking that the Stoklomolvians would fire another volley without waiting to see if their first shots had landed.

“They must be attempting to dissuade us getting too close, forming a barrier of sorts!” Bacchus shouted over the roar of the helicopter’s turbines after the distant glow had subsided. He and Alexis, along with their entourages, were standing on the deck of the armada’s flagship waiting for various helicopters to prep for takeoff.

“Either that or obscuring our field of view!” Alexis called back. Both men had their hands clamped to their hats, holding them against the buffeting wind coming off the rotors.

“Quite possibly. Give me a status report as soon as you know something new, Strategos.” Bacchus pulled his right arm up into a crooked elbow salute, quickly returned by Alexis, and the two shook hands before departing, each to his own helicopter. The nearest chopper was meant for the megaduke, waiting to carry his men to his chosen flagship in preparation for a ground assault on Stoklomolvi. Alexis would be taking another, riding further south to lead a second force. The tactical plan that had been drawn up back in the capitol had been for the creation of three landing points, Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Two would be actual invasion points while the third would simply be a distraction.

The helicopters lifted noisily into the air, tilting their blades in mock salute and darting off to their respective ships. All around them thousands VLS cells cracked open and belched fire, their payloads rocketing up into the sky. The barrages of advanced sea-skimming cruise missiles would make their way to the three chosen points; one group to the point in northern China, one in southern Korea and the final group to southern Russia. Once there they would target naval ships harbored nearby, missile installations, coastal defenses and minefields in preparation for coming events. Moments before a series of aircraft had been sent on their way from the decks of the aircraft carriers sailing some thousand miles off the coast, their black, angular frames non-reflective in the dying light of the sinking sun. The visored pilots of the stealth bombers and electronic warfare craft watched the horizon and waited for dark to come for the beginning of their mission as they sped towards their targets.

Official Message from the Aissurian Ministry of Foreign Affairs





The blatant attempted invasion of Stoklomolvi by Kargucagstan has shocked Aissur nationwide, and put civilian trade operating in the area in danger. As such the Aissurian armed forces have been put on high alert. This is a warning, do not interfere with Aissurian civilians.





Signed,
Auguste Aldridge
Current head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Satellites from above revealed that the Kargucagstani ships were falling back deeper into the Great Eastern Sea, and morale was boosted across the coast. The enemy fleet was camping right in the middle of the sea, as to their south was Imbrinium, to their east was not only Imbrinium but also North Calaveras and Chernobl, and to their north and west was Stoklomolvi. It would only be time until the blockade would be forced to leave. At the same time, trade began to shift from peacetime to wartime specifications, as the Strait of Vitus [Bering Strait] was fortified and goods could travel through to Alaska and from there to Chernobl, where civilian traffic could pass through to the portal. Otherwise, trade would head directly north and cut through the Frozen North, and end up back down south into the portal. The portal itself was fortified heavily, but only by peacekeepers.

Regardless, the fervour died down as massive numbers of Kargucagstani missiles flew over Japan and aimed for apparently Tianjin or Liaoning, Haishenwai, and Hancheng or Qingshang. CIWS systems at bunker complexes along the coast targeted the sea-skimming missiles with ease, rapidly chewing through ammunition as the missiles grew closer by the minute. Anti-missile magnetic scrap launchers fired walls of magnetic scraps from bunkers, though nothing was too effective and the majority of the missiles pierced through the defensive positions anyway. Some hundred fifty Kirov class battlecruisers, three Ulyanovsk class supercarriers, fifteen Admiral Kuznetsov class carriers, and three hundred Neustrashimy class frigates were present in the three ports, and the missiles exploded in a deadly firework show.

"Внимание! Реактивные снаряды прибывающие!" Alarms were blaring out warning messages as the missiles moved, but all to no avail. The ships were in reserve, and only skeleton crews maintained them. After the alarms sounded, the crew, instead of moving the ships, ran away.

Missile after missile pounded at the ships in Tianjin, where a few dozen battlecruisers were present. By the end of the barrage, nearly twenty ships were sunk, and fifteen were so severely damaged that they would need to be scrapped. Morale surged ever higher as anger rose.

At Fushan, Qingshang, one of the Ulyanovsk class supercarriers was struck constantly by missiles, breaking it into two pieces and sending it to the bottom of the concrete port. The other was also exploded, though not much damage was caused. Fourteen Kirov class battlecruisers were sunk, ten more crippled, and three burnt. The devastation to the frigate fleet was terrible. At least fifty of the frigates there were destroyed, and twenty more were so badly damaged that they were irreparable.

The ships at Haishenwai were largely sheltered, and the damage caused was minor. The Ulyanovsk class supercarrier was in dry dock at the time, and the missiles impacted on the steel and concrete door while doing nothing to the carrier. A mere five Kirov class battlecruisers were sunk, one more slightly damaged, and seven frigates destroyed. Due to the little damage sustained, the Manchurian Defence Fleet was mobilised.

Across Stoklomolvi, bunkers and trenches were mobilised, as infantry prepared for an imminent attack at any time. Men were drawn from local garrisons to the points of impact, and more irregular infantry were raised through conscription. Volunteers were more numerous than conscripts, though in total fewer than ten million men were drawn. Charges were set along rail lines and airfields in crucial military areas to prevent Kargucagstani troops from using them should they actually seize anything, and the detonation centre in Novosibirsk was put on standby.

Anagonian Military Forces currently in or around Stoklomolvi

(Second Ground Division)
Designated the Soviet Legion
x8,000,000 Anagonian Defense Forces
x500,000 Anagonian Special Forces
x2,000,000 Anagonian Marines
-Troop Support-
1500x M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle
400x M1A2 Abrams
100x Challenger I
500x M60A3 Patton
300x T-72BV
150x T-55M
130x Leopard 2 Battle Tank
30,000x M443-07 Military Transport (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=29&page=1#55)

-Air Support-
(Air Superiority Fighter)
90x F-22 Raptor
155x Su-27 FLANKER (SUKHOI)
(Fighter)
150x AV-8B Harrier
(Bomber)
100x B-1B Lancer
(Attack)
40x F-117A Nighthawk
600x F-111E
(Fighter/Interceptor)
500x F-4G Advanced Wild Weasel
(Fighter/Bomber)
500x F-4 Phantom II
(Multi-Purpose)
124x F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter
70x F-16D Fighting Falcon
190x F-15E Strike Eagle
120x F/A-18 Hornet
220x A-7 Corsair II
(Support)
1000x A-10 Thunderbolt II
550x Su-25BM FROGFOOT Grach (Rook)
50x ASF-4 Phantom IV
20x ASGF-20 Thunderbolt IV
(Helicopters)
-Attack-
150x AH-64A Apache
200x AH-64D Longbow Apache
1000x AH-1F Super Cobra
840x Mi-28N HAVOC
350x Mi-24V HIND E
-Multi-Purpose-
100x RAH-66 Comanche
(Utility/Transport)
-Non-Rotary-
50x C-141B Starlifter
180x C-130 Hercules
-Rotary-
100x MH-53J Pave Low III
300x UH-60L Blackhawk
310x CH-47D Chinook
1000x UH-1D Huey Helicopter
540x V-22 Osprey
(Combat Medical)
2000x UH-60Q MEDEVAC

Naval Support - Independent of Division
(Aircraft Carriers)
5x XCV-1 Anagonia Class Carrier (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=28&page=1#49)
9x LHD Class Amphibious Assault Ship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp_Class)
(Battleships)
6x ENDEAVOUR-class BB-61 IOWA modification (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=28&page=1#322)
(Battle Cruisers)
11x DAUNTLESS-class Battlecruiser (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=28&page=1#329)
(Cruisers)
15x Eagle-class Aviation Cruiser (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=28&page=1#341)
2x HOUSTON-class Nuclear Powered Guided Missile Cruiser (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=28&page=1#330)
20x CG-47 Ticonderoga (TICONDEROGA-class AEGIS Cruisers)
(Destroyers)
7x ACHERON-class Guided Missile Destroyer (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=28&page=1#331)
14x DDG-51 ARLEIGH BURKE-class (guided missile AEGIS destroyers)
(Frigates)
18x CROWN-class Guided Missile Frigate (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=28&page=1#332)
9x WARHAMMER-Class Frigate (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=28&page=1#333)
(Patrol/Naval Coast Guard)
28x LANCER II-class Offshore Patrol Vessel (http://hawk.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Military&action=display&thread=28&page=1#334)
5x FFG-7 OLIVER HAZARD PERRY-class (Outdated)
Transports
x3 NCST-01 Converted Transport Ship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimitz_class_carrier) (Nimitz Class Modification)
x1 ACST-01 Converted Transport Ship (Anagonia Class Modification)

(Submarines)
Ballistic Missile Submarine
9x 677BDRM Dolphin DELTA IV
5x 941 TYPHOON
5x SSBN-726 Ohio Class
Cruise Missile Submarine
10x SSN-688 Los Angeles Class
4x SSN-671 Narwhal Class
Nuclear
3x SSN-21 Seawolf-class
22x Project 971 Shuka-B Akula Class Attack Submarine
30x Project 671 Victor III Class Attack Submarine (In drydock for updating)
13x SSN-594 Permit Class Attack Submarine (Naval Patrol)

Outdated Ships still in service
(Battleships)
8x BB-61 Iowa Class (Outdated, Used for Coastal Defense)
(Battle Cruisers)
25x Project 68 Modified Sverdlov Class (Outdated, used for training Stoklomolvi Naval Personnel)
(Destroyers)
14x DD-963 SPRUANCE-class (Outdated, Used for Coastal Defense)
10x DDG-993 KIDD-class (Outdated, Used for Coastal Defense)
(Frigates)
23x FFG-7 OLIVER HAZARD PERRY-class (Outdated, used for training Stoklomolvi Naval Personnel)

Locations:
Currently the Division is located through-out Stoklomolvi in cities and towns either rebuilding infrastructure or providing civil assistance to local authorities. Air forces located in Military Bases established and constructed after Semi-Protectorate Status was unofficially recognized. Sea Forces located along Naval Bases of Stoklomolvi's Coast

The United Republic of Anagonia had been caught with its pants down. With the recent terrorist attack by Fictionese Terrorists that killed the Chief Governor, multiple theatres of war, and the backlash of repositioning the Command Structure of Anagonia, no one considered the recent news of the Stoklomolvi Invasion. When Intelligence finally managed to reach Caster Oblivion, the follow-up orders to Commander's in Stoklomolvi was specific and detailed. However, implementation of orders would take time. With forces stationed in locations all around Stoklomolvi, and with large spots left unchecked expect my random patrols of aircraft, it was hard for the Commanders to initiate a first response. The main cities in Stoklomolvi had around 20,000 foot soldiers, while the rest lessened depending on how large the establishments were. These soldiers would need time to arrange defenses and get military assets in order to defend them, thus making them irrelevant for a first response.

The Naval Forces were everywhere but near the Kargucagstan fleet was currently located. The only assets nearby were a few submarines and a small Carrier Task Force that would make a laughable attempt at attacking the enemy fleet. These assets would need time to combine, and hopefully gain the time to combine with other assets to make a sizable defensive fleet.

The last and only resort was the Air Assets. These could be launched at a moments notice. With the added benefit that most were currently in the air, the only drawback was that the assets currently active needed to refuel or arrange for them to travel from airbase to airbase if they were at the far side of Stoklomolvi. Currently only three Air Bases was near where the invasion was taking place.

Accordingly, fighter and interceptor aircraft were scrambled. Stealth Aircraft were also launched, followed by a small wing of bombers. Helicopter Aircraft were launched to patrol along the coast. It would possibly be hours before they met enemy resistance, until then Tankers were also scrambled to provide air refueling.

Total of Aircraft Launched
(Air Superiority Fighter)
8x F-22 Raptor
5x Su-27 FLANKER (SUKHOI)
(Fighter)
12x AV-8B Harrier
(Bomber)
8x B-1B Lancer
(Attack)
5x F-117A Nighthawk (Stealth)
5x F-111E
(Fighter/Interceptor)
9x F-4G Advanced Wild Weasel
(Fighter/Bomber)
6x F-4 Phantom II
(Multi-Purpose)
7x F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter
16x F-16D Fighting Falcon
9x F-15E Strike Eagle
7x F/A-18 Hornet
20x A-7 Corsair II
(Support)
4x A-10 Thunderbolt II
5x Su-25BM FROGFOOT Grach (Rook)
5x ASF-4 Phantom IV
2x ASGF-20 Thunderbolt IV
(Helicopters)
-Attack-
5x AH-64A Apache
2x AH-64D Longbow Apache
10x AH-1F Super Cobra
8x Mi-28N HAVOC
5x Mi-24V HIND E
-Multi-Purpose-
10x RAH-66 Comanche
(Utility/Transport)
-Non-Rotary-
5x C-141B Starlifter (Preliminary Supply and Troop Transport to other Bases)
8x C-130 Hercules (AC-130 Spectre/Spooky Variant for Gunship Applications)
-Rotary-
10x MH-53J Pave Low III
8x UH-60L Blackhawk
10x CH-47D Chinook
10x UH-1D Huey Helicopter
5x V-22 Osprey
(Combat Medical)
20x UH-60Q MEDEVAC (Standby)

Shadows grew longer as the last rays of the setting sun dipped below the horizon, painting the ocean below a rich navy blue, subtle crests of foam-white waves rippling the surface as the wind picked up. Six kilometers above the sea the pilots of Dragon Flight were singularly focused on the coming mission. The five aircraft were running silent, all lights extinguished and at a sufficient altitude that noise from their engines was essentially muted by the sheer amount of air between it and any listeners. With the setting of the sun the craft dipped their wings and turned inland.

Far in the distance, missiles continued to leap from the bellies of the blockading fleet. Although an effective attack in itself, the true purpose of the bombardment was far less easily discerened. By firing what amounted to decoys at the Stoklomolvian forces the location of anti-aircraft emplacements in the chosen areas were uncovered, and more importantly, the radar stations that directed them. The missile shower also obscured the incoming wave of stealth aircraft, some three flights to each projected landing zone, bellies filled with radiation-seeking air-to-ground munitions. Although completely devoid of radio chatter, the craft moved in eerie precision as it wove among the hills.

Topographic maps (http://www.askasia.org/images/teachers/media/43.gif) had been studied and overlaid with known radar sites, producing a small digital copy that each bomber crew had hung around their necks. Pusan would be the easiest target to strike, as the local area was less than 600 meters above sealevel, thus giving radar stations in the area a mere 100 kilometer radar horizon (http://radarproblems.com/calculators/horizon.htm). Vladistov was, for the most part, similar, although the nearby prescence of Japanese mountain ranges did extend the range somewhat. It was Tianjin that proved the greatest challenge, though. Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong and Hebei provinces were so flat that any radar stations in those areas would barely be able to see four kilometers. Problems arose, though, in the Beijing and Liaoning provinces, where steep rises in elevation provided much better horizons. Any fleet passing through the area would certainly be detected, and so radar installations in those areas were the first to be targeted. The night wore on as the bombers glided closer to their targets.

***

Topoteretes Aaron Stratos was hunched over the map table in the chart room of his flagship, examining his course in the dim red light of the emergency bulbs. The fleet had been ordered to go dark, except when landing aircraft, in order to help fool any incoming aircraft. Red was difficult to pick out from a black background under even the brightest conditions, so in the pitch black of the cloudy night it would be near impossible to see the fleet with the naked eye It wouldn’t stop missiles, that’s for sure, but that’s what the jamming and decoys was for.

“Topoteretes Stratos,” the ship-board messaging system rumbled, “please report to the bridge area at once.” Sighing to himself, Aaron saluted his officers and strode to the door. Seamen crowded through the red-lit corridors, many with gas masks strung about their necks in case another nuclear attack was imminent. The crush of bodies only shifted slightly when the vice-admiral appeared, doing little to aid his movement through the crowd. After several long minutes of pushing, shoving and barking orders at subordinates he finally managed to make his way to the ship’s bridge.

The crew snapped to attention as he entered, returning his salute with mechanical precision before falling back into their work routines.

“What is it, why was I summoned?” Aaron questioned the nearest officer.

“Archon, AWACS telemetry from forward airships has shown anomalous activity moving in our general direction,” he reported dutifully. The vice-admiral scratched his heavily-bearded chin and pursed his lips.

“Have you been able to make out what this ‘anomalous activity’ is?”

“No, archon, although we are fairly certain it is not a cluster of missiles. It could be aircraft, but-“

“AWACS has positive confirmation of incoming enemy aircraft,” another sailor shouted. “I’m seeing at least a dozen independent contacts making for our position, altitude approx. thirty thousand feet!” Stratos rushed over the console in question to have a look for himself. Sure enough, a large number of blips were heading in their direction from southern Stoklomolvi.

“All right,” he whispered, “we’ll play like that…” There wasn’t enough time to divert any interceptors patrolling near the carriers, they were too far away. Missile fire was probably his only option. Turning to the first officer he had confronted, Stratos ordered a the nearest guided missile destroyers to let loose.

“Tell them ‘weapons free’,” he commanded.

500 Miles from Fleet Contact - Ten Thousand Feet

Five A-7 Corsair II's loaded with AGM-88 HARM High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile's flew in tight formation. The crews on the ground didn't have time to adequately load the Corsair's with anything useful, as the timing of the alert was too short to allow modifications. The pilots hoped that the AGM's would target the active radar signatures of the enemy ships and not any radar stations near the coast. Above them, at thirty-thousand feet, was eight B-1B Lancer Bombers loaded with 500lb dumb bombs that was intended for a long range sortie. It was previously found that dumb bombs could indeed cause fleet damage, so no modifications were done especially with the time constraint.

To the east and about one-hundred miles distant was a squadron of Su-27 FLANKER's loaded with Anti-Air Missiles. Three of them flew in formation, trying to catch up to the Corsair's to provide some assistance. The pilots of the aircraft were in a state of panic, as most pilots would be when realized that this counter-offensive was suicide at best. Slowly the aircraft began to drop below ten-thousand feet, aiming to skid along the water with the Su-27's flying about fifty feet above. Then all hell broke loose.

About two-hundred miles out, alarms blared in the Corsair's and Flanker's cockpits. All crews began to initiate counter-maneuvers to escape detection. They would launch counter-measures when the missiles were closer, provided they had enough time. The B-1B Lancer's were relatively safe, spanning out and rising to fifty-thousand feet and initiating counter-jamming with the AN/ALQ-161 defensive jamming equipment. They would then open their payload doors about fifty miles from the targeted area.

2,435 Miles from Fleet Contact - 50,000 Feet

Two lone F-117 Nighthawks loaded with JDAM INS/GPS guided munition's flew towards the rear of the enemy fleet positions. They were scrambled as well, having been fueled properly from an Alaska base. Their mission was to land a hit against any enemy carrier, if at all possible, with munitions designed for land targets. It would be difficult, but most crews could manage consider the situation. More stealth aircraft would follow, including long range bombers when the bases got in order.

For now, the pilots of the two aircraft enjoyed the reddened light as they went over the mission plans. They were to land at an airbase in China and have themselves reloaded to initiate another attack. When the defenses were in order for the land assets, they were to reload again and provide munitions cover.

Fairfield Air Force Base, Tantalia colony, Akimonad

There was an unusual amount of activity at Fairfield AFB. This was due to the unusual presence of seven Blackadder bombers which were not typical visitors. In fact, the runway at Fairfield AFB was barely long enough to accommodate the large strategic bombers.

Tantalia was, however, Akimonad's closest colony to the edge of Haven, and the bombers would launch from there in order to conserve fuel for when it was absolutely needed.

The weapons needed to arm the bombers were already available in Tantalia, having been stockpiled there after its colonization. Each Blackadder would be loaded with three AGM-349D Rook air-launched stand-off weapons - a relatively light load for the Blackadder, whose typical armament was 10 heavy antishipping missiles. It would still be more than what was necessary.

The Blackadders were to lead the first strike of the conflict. It had little strategic or tactical importance in terms of damage to the enemy, however, the responses to the strike were what interested the Akimonadi Defence Forces the most.

After a few hours of fueling and loading, the bombers taxiied off the apron where they were parked and took off, each one heading at Mach 2 to their first waypoints where they would be refuelled on the way to their targets.

Denecaep's supplies carrier was in a rush. It sped through the sky, the pilot knowing its probable fate. All the other carriers had been shot down at the battlefield of San Semmes, but this little carrier still managed to get supplies to them. Now the carrier was speeding through the sky to get the Cesium bombs, parachutes, and other neccesary supplies to Stoklomolvi. They hoped they would not be too late.

Trails of exhaust and flame arched up into the early night, their trajectory curving smoothly off to the west as yet another bombardment headed for the Stoklomolvian coast. Mixed among the heavier ground attack munitions were four dozen surface-to-air interdictor missiles intended for the rapidly closing enemy combatants. This was the first, and thus far only attempt to directly attack the fleet that Stratos was aware of. The Megas Drungarios had certainly not mentioned anything to him. Shrugging his epaulet-clad shoulders, he turned and watched the fire trails grow distant.

***

Seven hundred nautical miles west of the forward Kargucagstani blockade, Megas Drungarios Achaz woke up in the middle of the night to blaring alarms. The fleet admiral was unusually tall at six foot eight, and as he swung his long legs out of bed he once again cursed his genetic makeup. Shoes had never fit right, doors too short, even this suite, which by all standards was as posh as a navy billet could be, was far too small for him. His toes practically stuck out from under the sheets each time he shifted position! Grumbling under his breath, Achaz pulled a tan bathrobe on over his pajamas and banged a fist on the intercom.

“Megas Drungarios to bridge. Status report.” He released the stud and waited a moment, trying to pinch the sleep out of his eyes. It didn’t work, and he was in the midst of a healthy yawn when the bridge crew replied.

“Archon, something’s going on up here. We don’t know what. One of Fleet Gamma’s battlecruisers just dropped dead!”

“The hell do you mean it ‘dropped dead’?”

“He’s not responding to our hails and is now dead in the water, archon. It’s probably some kind of enemy attack, we are just awaiting- yes, confirmed archon, visual examination of the ship confirms that it is listing and on fire!” Achaz cursed and informed the bridge that he would be there momentarily. Of course the enemy would strike his carrier groups in the middle of the night, he mumbled as dressed quickly. Of course whatever they used had slipped past the submarines and pickets. Of course he had to be the one the kyrios placed in charge of Fascist naval forces for this mission. Well, he resolved to himself, whatever was happening would be given a stop to now.

The enemy aircraft sent to destroy the fleet as a first response perished within the surface to air missile fire, unable to cope with the massive amount of lock's upon their aircraft. The only good result was that two anti-ship missiles were fired, undoubtedly destroyed. The F-117A Nighthawk's had successfully made their attack against the fleet, not staying around to find what they killed instead turning course to head for an airbase nearby. They would reload and fly out again for another night run to engage and sink hopefully more than one ship. The B-1B Bombers, however, level their flight and were allowed to drop their dumb and cluster ordinances upon the fleet before either pairing off or being destroyed because lack of altitude or other situations.

Across Stoklomolvi Air, Naval, and Ground bases rallied to get ready as they equipped their specific fighter craft with munitions to strike a heavy blow to the Kargucagstan fleet. Soldiers began forming proper as did divisions including mechanized equipment. The second volly of defensive attacks would begin soon.

OOC:

Sorry for short edit. Too tired.

With the luck of not being fired at, the supplies carrier landed near some Stoklo troops. The pilot got out, handing the supplies to one of the troops.
"Can you take care of getting it to your general?" He asked. Not waiting for an answer, the pilot got back in the plane and flew off. Now all he had to do was get back to the Denecaep base alive.

Vladistov, Vladistov Federal City, Stoklomolvi
0655 hours
Blizzard

"Sir."

The war room was filled with generals and commissars of the high rank, and Mikhail himself was present. A field commissar arrived with a report.

"Radar towers fifteen, sixteen and seventeen report heavy missile waves as well as large quantities of unidentified larger objects above the waves."

The commissars gathered around the radar images. One of the commissars spoke.

"A bit late, but we'll just have to wait it out. When they run out of bombardment, they'll no doubt launch an invasion. Possibly multiple."

The room was silent. Another commissar ran in.

"Satellites ninety four, one hundred eight, and one hundred eighteen confirm aircraft above the missiles through visual contact as well as radar signatures."

More silence. One of the commissars ran out. Another ran in.

"Sirs! Tianjin hit by missiles. Four Kirov class battlecruisers sunk."

He left. Another.

"Fushan struck by missiles. Five frigates down."

Another.

"Haishenwei struck. Six frigates, two battlecruisers."

"Tianjin again! A frigate."

"Fushan. Two frigates."

"Fushan was attacked. A battlecruiser, one frigate."

The Military Commissariat was dumbfounded by the rapid reports. Mikhail spoke.

"Ready the flak tanks and S-Four Hundred Triumf launchers."

The command nodded, and saluted.

"Yes, sir!"

Half of them moved out, and the remainder continued plotting.

___

Across eastern Stoklomolvi, at least 320 S-400 Triumf launchers stared at the sky, and at least 1,400 S1A1 and S2A2 flak tanks started opening up waves of flak and missiles at the incoming missiles. The bombers were spotted as they flew over Shandong, and were soon chased by some 900 S-400 missiles from both stationary and mobile launching platforms. Radar tower 13 was knocked down by a missile, sending communications crazy for a few moments before order was restored by using back-up radar dome 4. The situation in Shandong was rather chaotic, though overall the soldiers themselves maintained order.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Achaz was virtually shaking with rage. Outside the bridge window a fat cloud of heavy black smoke rose from the deck, surrounded by red-clad crewman spraying the flames down. Small sprinklers all over the deck had raised and were jetting out fire retardant, soaking the crewmen as they fought back the fire. The damage was serious, certainly, but Achaz’s subordinants assured him they were not structurally dangerious. Still, the very fact that any bombers had made it, undetected, all the way to the flagship of the entire armada and managed to damage it with a dumb bomb was outrageous, not to mention the three other vessels that had been seriously damaged. “How did this happen? Why weren’t the flights detected?”

“I don’t know, archon. Nobody is taking the blame. It could be that they were sea-skimming on approach and we simply didn’t see them, or-”

“No, that can’t be. Our AWACS have lookdown radar, we would have seen them. Our radar operators just must have been lax.”

“But archon, surely-” Achaz cut him off with a raised hand.

“Redouble air patrols around the carrier groups,” he ordered, “and notify the forward elements of the fleet of what has transpired. Make sure they do not let any aircraft slip by. I will be in the chart room if I am needed.”

***

Dragon flight came in over the coast of Stoklomolvi and made their way northwest along the edge of the sea, aiming for Tianjin. At the appropriate range they discharged their HARMs- four per bomber, the radiation-seeking missiles ignited their engines and sped away towards the designated radar sites. Their missions accomplished, the bombers turned back towards the fleet. As they cruised along, radar warnings suddenly flared around the cockpits: missile lock. Training kicked in at that point as the bombers of dragon flight altered their flight pattern and shot up in a tight arch, gaining altitude as quickly as possible. As the SAMs closed flares and chaff were dumped out, but regardless of what they did the bombers could not shake the incoming munitions. As the missiles started to impact and the trailing bombers fragmented over the sea the last thoughts of the lead pilot was that the exact locations of all 900 SAM sites in the area was now known by the men in the fleet.

***

The constant stream of missiles continued, a mixed composition of sea-skimming AShMs, stealth cruise HARMs that were going for the radar and SAM sites detected by the various bomber flights, and heavy cluster munitions that were locked onto the edges of the selected landing beaches. Intel indicated that the beaches were thick with defenses and Communist ground forces. The sheer number of cruise missiles now headed for those beaches would hopefully reduce that by quite a lot. Tests had shown that cluster munitions were extremely adept at destroying all forms of defenses, from low concrete barriers, dragon’s teeth, barbed wire, exposed guns and hedgehogs, among others. They couldn’t touch reinforced bunkers, of course, but that’s what the high explosive cruise missiles were for.

The bombers from the Kargucagstani fleet unleashed their missiles against radar sites in Tianjin, and Stoklomolvi missiles intercepted the bombers and annihilated them. However, the missiles screamed towards the seven radar spires in the city, and Kashtan CIWS rose from the tops of structures fortified for landings before the war, spewing gunfire and missiles at the HARMs. This did little, as the HARMs exploded five of the radar spires and toppled the next, leaving only one radar spire left. One of the HARMs was knocked off course by a Stoklomolvi missile but was not destroyed, sending it flying at a high velocity towards a radar dome. The HARM rammed into the dome, detonating inside and killing the occupants of the dome and rendering the dome absolutely useless. Two further radar domes took over, though the relatively low height of the domes would do little for the defence of Tianjin. The domes were on elevated platforms around a hundred metres high each.

Missiles continually impacted on the shores, creating huge craters and destroying a number of bunkers. Shore defences, such as hedgehogs and wooden ramps, were disturbed little by the cluster munitions, as the hedgehogs would tip over and the wooden ramps would be shaken but not destroyed. The constant explosions also did little to affect the extremely inflated morale of the troops along the shore, who shot down numerous missiles with CIWS and mobile S-400 Triumf launchers. Infantry scurried about, motorised infantry reinforced areas deprived of defenders through the constant bombardment, and the Stoklomolvi Strategic Defence Corps had enough manpower to stop the majority of damage.

Even as the missiles destroyed barbed wire, dragon's teeth, and pointy concrete poles, combat engineers erected more out of what little steel and concrete scrap was available. Steel girders from resource dumps were drawn into the shore defence, though scores of engineers were killed by shrapnel and the explosive cruise missiles that landed along the shore. Not much damage was inflicted to the shore defence as a whole, as the undamaged infrastructure fuelled the defences at maximum efficiency possible.

The situation would not change until by sheer chance a missile broke through the defensive missile systems and penetrated the steel gate defending a nuclear defence cannon, landing in the holding area. The men inside quickly scrambled out of the way, running out of the bunker through the airlock doors and taking as many nuclear munitions as possible. The gun deactivated itself, and infantry were fleeing from the area as fast as they could. The missile, however, detonated, exploding the gun and sending shockwaves throughout the bunker complexes and detonating the nuclear artillery shells.

A huge chunk of Fujian was obliterated, and just turned into a swampy lake of radioactive material. The explosion sent dirt flying high into the air, vaporising infantry and destroying the two ammunition dumps and ruining the supply dump. At least two kilometres of Fujian were no more, and after the war the chunk would take almost a decade to repair. Needless to say, the undefended area was heavily contaminated by radiation, as everyone who remained in the area after the detonation of an entire defensive nuclear complex died within hours. Some seven million civilians were killed by the radiation shortly after the detonation, and anti-war sentiment flared up in the small town of Qingsha [清沙], population fourteen thousand. Seven thousand of the fourteen thousand residents protested, though the other seven thousand counter-protested, and a brutal battle ensued. The pro-war protesters had bullets and the hopes that the others would be no longer standing after the fire-fight, while the anti-war protesters had nothing but knives and traditional martial arts. The aftermath left neither side standing.

It was becoming increasingly obvious that now was the time to strike. Already agitated by the bombers that had made it through the fleet screens around his carriers, Achaz was only too eager to agree with the opinions of his subordinates that the time was ripe for a frontal assault. The radioactive bloom on the horizon only cemented his conviction, and so the final plans were set in motion for the invasion. Over the past few weeks* a constant barrage had been kept up on the entire Eastern Coast of Stoklomolvi, with especially intense bombardments in the areas surrounding Tianjin, Fujian and Vladistov and the approaches to and around them. For some reason that High Command couldn’t quite figure out, the Communist fleets had stayed out of conflict thus far. In fact, they had berthed themselves at their ports before the first shots were fired. This gave the Fascist fleets a completely un-harrassed supply chain between Gholgoth and Stoklomolvi. As a result, the entire munitions supply of the fleets had been kept at an optimal level for the entire duration of the war. Achaz was quite thankful for that at this moment.

It was still, of course, too dangerous to just send a human wave of conscripts in motorboats, since a large number of defenders, defenses and gun emplacements were still intact. As the Kargucagstani assault force loaded themselves up into their armored assault craft in preparation for the first wave, the order was given for a pause in the bombardment. It would last only long enough for fuses to be synchronized.

Although it seemed impossible, the night sky became as daylight as 50,000** missiles tore their way out of their launch tubes, burning their way toward the Stokilomolvian coast. Cruise missiles, surface-to-surface, stealth missiles and AShMs, they left their parent vessels in vast waves, staggered at different heights and speeds in order to better protect against interception, but also to allow easier direction by the ground controllers. Their targets were numerous- thousands went for the radar and anti-air missile sites detected by satellite, sensors and fightercraft observation; thousands more aimed for the nuclear coast guns, each and every one of which had been pinpointed precisely by the arching trajectories of the shells when they fired the opening shots. With missiles it is possible, and indeed likely, that the piece of ordinance would change course between launch and impact. With a gun, the path is always linear, even if rocket-boosted. Still many more thousand, by far the vast chunk of them, went towards clearing the beaches. They were to detonate above the sands, in the bunkers and over the cities, clearing the way for the troops that would be setting out shortly. Still more went to the fleets anchored quietly at port, aiming to sink as many as possible and render as many Reds down to death as possible.

OOC:

* I wasn't sure if this whole RP has been during the period of one night, and thus in fluid time, or over the last several weeks, in real time. Please let me know what you prefer, and I'll edit my post if needbe. I vote for real time, by the way.

** If you figure an average of 100 missiles per vessel in my fleet (FFs on the low side with roughly 32 each and BBs on the high, with 130+), I field about half a million VLS tubes right now. This number is relatively small by comparison, and should be acceptable.

Apologies for the low quality of the post.

[OOC: The RP occurred over a day and a little more. It should be morning.]

A fisherman off the coast of Taiwan, having hauled in his night's catch and was preparing to head for shore, heard a huge roar as the wave of missiles sailed over his head. He gasped, ducked inside, and waited as the missiles flew away. He called his family, and told them to get to the bomb shelters immediately. Any chances of people joining the Kargucagstani troops after the invasion had been dashed by the blatant disregard for the deaths of civilian by the Kargucagstani invasion force, and partisans took up arms in cities to fight the impending horde.

Along the coast, past Taiwan, the missiles started landing. S-400 Triumf launchers fired as many missiles as they could into the cloud, but the barrage was largely ineffective and over three hundred stationary launch sites were destroyed. The mobile launch vehicles, however, fared far better; the cruise missiles bombarded around the vehicles, and after firing salvoes of missiles the vehicles would drive away, and head within Stoklomolvi where the cruise missiles could not reach for reloading. Still, hundreds of CIWS were destroyed, and nearly three hundred fifty thousand Stoklomolvi infantry were killed at the beaches. Motorised infantry quickly flooded the locations of impact, lowering average organisation but boosting the chipped morale of the troops.

Radar in southern Stoklomolvi was almost wiped out by the attack. Every radar tower south of Shanghai was gone, and a quarter of the towers north were destroyed. Radar domes took the place of the towers, providing lessened coverage but coverage nonetheless. Combat engineers rushed down from Novosibirsk, the temporary and de facto capital, and carried with them prefabricated radar towers for rapid construction. It would be a day before they would arrive.

The city of Fuzhou was the only city that suffered damage from the missile wave. The other cities, Shanghai, Taibei, Guangzhou, Xianggang, and Xiamen, were successfully defended by the missile defence systems before the overwhelming numbers toppled the launch vehicles but not the cities themselves. Fuzhou, however, was struck hard, and nearly three million civilians were left dead by the end of the barrage; the missile systems ran out of ammunition before the barrage ended.

However, after the smoke cleared from the launches, the order arrived from the military command still located at Vladistov to fire the defensive high-explosive missiles. Three hundred men at the launch control facility in Irkutsk turned their keys simultaneously and pressed three hundred red buttons, authorising the launch of an utterly massive three hundred thousand modified Topol-M missiles to carry high amounts of cluster munitions instead of multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles alongside four hundred thousand cheap decoys. The missiles would scatter in front of the blockade, and munitions would be released; the decoys would run out of fuel and crash into the sea. However, the launch carried a heavy price; the missile barrage cost Stoklomolvi a third of its eastern defensive long-range arsenal, and would take months to replace. Morale did surge, though only time would tell how long this would last.

OOC: Finally, finally responded to this. My deepest apologies for not doing it sooner, Stok, you deserve better. Now, I went ahead and presumed that the 700,000 Topol-Ms and decoys have become 500,000 cruise missiles with fragmentary sub munitions, like we talked about in the OOC thread.

IC:

By the time the massive radar bloom from the incredibly large Communist missile launch was detected over the horizon, preparations were already well under way for the amphibious invasion of Stoklomolvi. Troop ships had opened their gaping maws to disgorge LCACs and APCs, some smaller craft pulling up alongside larger ones as troops climbed down netting to their decks. At first, the launches were greeted with interest, then as more and more lifted off, and then yet more, forming into a solid wall on the radar screens. Panic ensued in the bridges of five thousand Fascist vessels as they realized the scale of the impending wave.

T minus 30 seconds saw the first clear images of what was incoming, a solid block of cruise missiles that stretched virtually from the North Pole to Thailand. By that time klaxons blared in every ship in the armada and loudspeakers ordered men to battlestations. Haste was made to get as many assets into cover as possible, and decoys were lit up. Hopefully any radar or infra-red guided missiles would converge on the trailing decoys and miss the real targets, which were making best speed to turn towards the coast, hoping to lessen the size of the target the incoming missiles were presented. With no way to know what kind of warhead each contained, those fighters not already in the air were scrambled and made best speed west, drawing into range of their short- and medium-ranged air-to-air missiles.

Back on his flagship, Stratos faced a difficult decision. He could continue to scramble fighters in the hope that they might lesson the impact of the wave- let’s see, something like ten missiles per plane, several thousand aircraft, versus a bajillion cruise missiles… not good odds- or he could hold some as a strategic reserve. The choice was obvious. Still, it was with reluctance that he ordered the remaining aircraft on his carriers to remain on the deck. Hopefully the counter-missiles leaving their tubes right now would be enough to dull the swarm, in conjunction with air-launched missiles of course. The one bright spot he could see was that since there were so many munitions in the air, the communists could not possibly guide them, for no computer system on NSEarth would have anywhere near the required computational power, and no sensor system would be able to distinguish targets. That meant that the missiles would be dumb, blind and predictable. Stratos would add in dodgable, too, if there weren’t so damn many of them. Still, the best he could hope for as the timer struck 60 seconds since launch was that his ships were spread out enough that they wouldn’t take too much collateral damage.

Explosions dotted the sky as the black mass approached the picket ships. By now they had been identified as cruise missiles and were being intercepted at a great rate, but it was largely a futile act. Even if the fleet had 500,000 missiles of their own- which they certainly did not, at least not any more- it would be impossible to intercept them all. Detonations began now among the fleet, cruise missiles cracking open at a thousand feet to spill their fragmentary cargo, which itself exploded after but a second of freefall. Shrapnel fell like rain from the heavens, shearing through radar masts, sensor lines and exposed men alike. Hundreds died by the second as their landing craft, lightly skinned and unable to seek shelter in the motherships fast enough found themselves riddled with holes, fans shredding their cowlings as they headed for the bottom. Smoke and light from the bomblettes lit the dawn with millions of brief twinkles amidst dark nebulas of soot.

At last, after nearly a minute of sustained explosions the barrage was over. The fleet had weathered the storm. Munitions designed to take out infantry fared very poorly against ships, whose armored hulls were able to shrug off the shrapnel, but smaller landing craft were not so lucky. Several had had their control rooms destroyed, sending the hovercraft into uncontrollable collision courses that sent good men to the depths. Even more were simply taking on water as the bloodied pulps inside moaned softly with their last breathes. Even the capital ships were not without harm, though. Exposed sensors were decimated, as were aircraft not in the air or in the hangers, pools of burning fuel surging across the decks of stricken carriers.

But now the Communists had played their trump card. Played it, and come up empty. For while a few thousand soldiers and sailors might have perished in the intense assault, five hundred thousand more were still ready to depart. More LCACs sped from their mother’s bellies, drawing in towards the coast. It would be several minutes before they made landfall, but as shaken captains began to launch their missiles once more, the barrage of Stoklomolvi continued.

No longer had the defenders much hope of destroying the blockade. They would rely on attrition to wear down the Kargucagstani blockade and hopefully eventually attain a white peace of some sort so that the eastern front could be freed up to fight the other belligerents to the west and south. Conscription began to subside as volunteers flocked to defend their homes and lives from the impending doom from the Kargucagstani invasion.

Tens of millions of volunteers, regulars, irregulars, conscripts, and guerillas awaited the Kargucagstani assault. Initial morale was extremely high, as the propaganda machine had done its work and the people hated, no, despised the Kargucagstani, but the generals and top brass knew that the forces were spread thin and any concentrated assault would likely be able to make landfall, which would shake the morale of the people tremendously. Cruise missiles continually landed on Stoklomolvi cities, killing thousands of civilians and garrison troops as explosions rocked the very cores of cities. People fled towards central and northern China to avoid the missile barrages, and rails were crowded with people fleeing to the more communist sectors of Stoklomolvi in the west.

Official Corporate Message

The undue suffering that has been brought about as a result of the megolithic clash of ideologies needs to be eased, and the Griffincrest Corporation is preparing to take on just such a task. As this letter is being written up, the Griffincrest Carrier Group Jealousy is en route to Stoklomolvi. The carrier group has, within its ranks, five hospital ships and several dozen helicopters, all refitted to provide the best service in medevac missions. These ships will all meet up with the Kargucagstani fleet, and once in range, begin deploying helicopters to retrieve wounded soldiers from shore. We hope we can do our best to alleviate the pain and suffering of Kargucagstani soldiers during this time.

Sincerely,

Claudius Griffincrest

As the message was sent, the small fleet set forth towards the waters of the far off Communist land. It was a very small fleet , only one Forrestal Class Carrier, five hospital ships, a pair of Neptune Class Cruisers, and four Charon Class Frigates. They were not supposed to intimidate, they were there to help.

It is an incompetent fool of a commander that leads his men from the front, a fact known only too well to the Fascist commandants hunkered safely under several feet of battleship armor three hundred miles from shore. However, this policy was quite suddenly biting them in the face, as almost all communications and sensors had been destroyed in the ferocious Communist barrage. Needless to say, this made directing the battle exceedingly difficult.

“No, I told you, we continue on!” Balthasar paced about his command room, shouting into the satellite phone clenched in his pale fist. Alarms still rang throughout the ship, directing damage control teams to burst water lines, severed electrical lines and the flaming remnants of radar masts on deck, virtually drowning out the voice on the other end of the line. “Listen- no, what? I can’t- no! This is a direct order! I don’t care if that’s true or not, we can get communications back if we need to!” Frustrated, he cut off the call and ground his teeth together. This would not do at all. As he was brooding, a chime informed him that he was needed on the bridge.

When he arrived, Bacchus was greeted with a scene reminiscent of disaster relief centers following a tornado. Men scrambled about the room with satellite phones attached to their ears, gesticulating wildly and passing notes to each other in an attempt to coordinate the vast forces that had been thrown into disarray. As Bacchus skirted the nearest clump of shouting junior officers, the captain of the vessel waved him over.

“Strategos, take a look at this.” The kentarch leaned back so that Balthasar could get a better look at the screen in front of him. Reports were flooding in from across the fleet, damage assessments, crew conditions, troop status, everything. What was remarkable, though, was the data that continued to flow in from the AWACs.

“How did you manage this?” the general asked incredulously.

“Direct datalink to our overhead elements, archon. Much more difficult than our previous setup, but it will work given our…” he looked about the chaotic room, “situation.”

“Good, good. Give me a report of estimated casualties and damages in five minutes.”

“Understood, archon. Damage control squads should have partial comms restored within the hour.” With that, the general took a step back and whipped out his phone again, punching in the number for his forward elements before retreating to the relative quiet of the command room once more.

***

Following the Stoklomolvian missile assault, the shocked elements of the forward fleet returned to their previous courses as best they could. Along with the thousands of LCACs and troop ships that would be making the actual landings, any gun-armed warship made their way towards the landing points, turning their focus from delivering missiles to direct fire support with their heavy cannon. With rocket-assisted shells and large caliber weapons, the battleships were easily able to pound the defenses at Tianjin, Vladistov and Fujian with 1,500 kilogram projectiles from 130 nautical miles away while the smaller guns of the lesser vessels rained destruction at other targets all along the coast. Overhead, flights of fighters scrambled from the decks of the now-wounded carriers soared over the coast, patrolling for the Communist air force, which apparently had been entirely diverted to blunt the Congareean advance in the west or were deep in cover. Ground attack craft commenced bombing runs now, accompanied by HARM-carrying SEAD craft lest any hidden SAM sites rear their ugly heads. And amidst it all, the missiles continued to fall.

Guaymas, Sonora, East Congaree

Task Force Atlanta was being formed for the capture of the Ryukuan Islands.

Task Force Atlanta

2 Iowa Class Battleships

20 Arleigh-Burke Class destroyers

40 Whiskey Class Submarines

2 Ohio Class Submarines

28,000 East Congaree infantrymen in troop carriers

1,000 East Congaree marines in troop carriers


Meanwhile, for the invasion of Sakhalin and the Kurils, Task Force Lubbock was being formed.

20 Iowa Class Battleships

30 Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers

250 Jianghu-I Class Frigates

500 Fremantle Class Patrol Boats

400 Armidale Class Patrol Boats

28,000 East Congaree infantrymen in troop carriers

1,000 East Congaree marines in troop carriers

Also, Task Force New Orleans was being prepared to invade Taiwan

20 Modernized Yamato Class Battleships

20 Kirov Class Battlecruisers

40 Kashin Class Destroyers

20 Sovremenny Class Destroyers

400 Jianghu-I Class frigates

20 Ohio Class Submarines

1000 Fremantle Class Patrol Boats

70,000 East Congaree infantrymen in troop carriers

1,000 East Congaree marines in troop carriers

OOC: I'm reposting Kazansky's speech here for the edification of the members of this thread. If you read it before, scroll through – below it, you see details of my deployment.

IC:

Allanean State of the Union Address

Friends. Citizens. Allaneans. This is Kazansky speaking.

As you know, the world is embroiled in a terrible war. On one hand, Stalinist communists from Stoklomolvi. On the other, fascists from the Grand World Order. Millions are dead now on both sides, and more are dying. Many decent nations have chosen one side or the other in a misguided attempt to support the lesser evil. Yet they forgot that the man who supports a lesser evil has merely bestowed upon his friends a new kind of evil.

It has long been the desire of the United States to remain neutral in this conflict – as many decent, civilized nations had already done. Neither the desire of the Grand World Order to exterminate all nonhumans nor the desire of Stoklomolvi to spread the Communist Revolution appeal to us. Yet, unfortunately, the choice had been made for us.

Our allies in the Kingston Pact and the Confederacy of Sovereign States – Akimonad and Unkerlantum – and simply friendly states, Lyras and The PeoplesFreedom, are under threat from the forces of the Communist International.

Again, I am not a friend of fascism. I am a friend of freedom. I do not wish to ally with the fascists, and I will not. Yet an attack by ignorant communist vermin on the allies on the United States cannot stand. The members of Congress agree with me on this. Congress and the People of Allanea refuse to choose the lesser evil.

We will enter this war on our own terms. We hereby announce a third side in the war: a front for individual liberty, for democracy, for civil rights and private property. A liberal alliance. We urge all pro-democracy states to join us in this sacred crusade – as we reach out and stomp the enemies of liberty, wherever they may hide out. Such is the will of the people.

We will commence by defending our allies from the Communist scum. For years, Allanea had been an enemy of Communism – for Communism is an enemy of Freedom. The Edolian Communists bombed Port-Allanea and took Axackal from us, and it had to be reclaimed with a long, bloody wars. The Halladi Communists attempted a genocide of our people. The Stoklomolvians, now, attempt to unite the world communists in a global movement of the left, to spread their so-called revolution all over the globe.

They claim to be non-aggressive, but the first phrase in their COMINTERN treaty says “We will bury you”. Hear this, Allaneans? They want to destroy capitalism! They want to destroy your homes and replace them with communal apartments! They want to close down Cute Bunny Burger and replace it with food stamps! Consumerism, liberalism, capitalism, individualism – the Marxists are coming to destroy them!

They claim their victory is inevitable. They claim the laws of history are on their side. They say the teaching of Marx is omnipotent, because it is true. They are wrong. The teaching of Marx is impotent, because it is false.

They claim to have dialectic materialism on their side. We have Strategic Air Command on ours.
They claim to have Marxist theory on their side. We have twenty million riflemen on ours.
They claim to have Scientific Communism on their side. We have God on ours.

We cannot fail in this war. We will prevail. Again and again I call on the forces of democracy and freedom – let us unite, and let us defeat the enemies of freedom together.

But even if nobody joins up in our cause, if no nation signs up to defend liberty with us, we will still fight Stoklomolvi. We remember the evil that Communists committed against Allanea and against their own countries. We remember the labor camps, the confiscation of properties, the robbery and slaughter.

We know everything and remember everything. We understand now: the Communists are not people. From now on the word “Communist” will be for us like a terrible curse. The word “Communist” will trigger a rifle. We shall not speak. We shall not be outraged. We shall kill. If you didn't kill a Communist today, you wasted your day. If you think that your neighbor will kill a Communist for you, you misunderstand the threat. If you don't kill the Communist, he will kill you. He will take your loved ones to torture them in his damned Stoklomolvi. If you can't kill a Communist with a bullet, kill him with your bayonet. If there's no combat in your sector, if there is a lull, kill a Communist before the fighting starts. If you let him live, the Communist will hang a free man and rape a free woman. If you killed one Communist, kill another – there is nothing more joyful for us than Communist corpses. Do not count the days nor the miles. Count only the Communists you kill.


Kill the Communist! - begs your elderly mother.
Kill the Communist! - begs your small child.
Kill the Communist! - begs your home soil.
Do not miss him!
Do not spare him!
Kill!

That is all.

May God Continue to Bless Allanea.

*

And so, at the President's order, a massive navy had been sent out, composed of both Allanean and CSS ships. Fifty carrier battle groups, thirty strike cruiser and fifty escort cruiser squadrons under the Allanean flag were sent out to meet the Communist foe, backed by 500 Type 168 cruisers under the Confederate flag. They were followed by 15 of the standard Force Projection Battlegroups (http://z15.invisionfree.com/Confederacy/index.php?showtopic=31&view=findpost&p=2607172) under the Confederate flag – however, most of the men they were carrying were Allanean Marines.

The fleet was incredibly large – comprised of almost 3,500 Allanean and slightly over a thousand CSS ships. The Allanean escort cruisers and anti-air ships took the front, spread out over a deranged front of one thousand kilometers as they headed towards the enemy. Other ships followed behind, CSS cruisers deployed in tight formation in the very rear, Allanean ships spread out. Slowly, slowly the formation headed towards Stoklomolvi.

It was Kanna Karishima who commanded the massive invasion. Having crushed the East Congaree navy, routed the Steel and Fire air Force and defeated the navies of the Grand World Order, the young Ryouese expat had been awarded the title of Grand Admiral of the Allanean Republic and the Congressional Medal of Honor. Now, she would add another glorious victory to her roster.

Some people would say that only inept commanders led from the front. Kanna Karishima would dispute them. Kanna Karishima led from the front – and her very name would now be spoken among East Congarese with fear. She had exterminated over seventy million men as if they were but cockroaches and destroyed the enemy navy upon the seas. And Kanna Karishima led from the front.

Even now, she was on board of the aircraft carrier USS Eight-Fold Victor, studying electronic maps of the enemy country and various demographic data. On the table in front of her was a TacticComp – essentially, a heavy laptop, weighing in at about five kilograms, protected from shrapnel and even some bullet impacts. Right now it was displaying demographic and social information about Stoklomolvi.

She whistled in disbelief as she read up. “Wow. Age of consent is twenty-one.. how do they plan to keep teenagers from having sex, precisely? If they really mean to enforce that, they'd have to deploy their entire army to even try... And most teenagers I know would probably kill them for trying. And executions based on abortion? Wow. “

Kanna Karishima reached for her cup, filled with delicious cold beer. The cup had been made out of the skull of an East Congarese submariner, recovered in Allanean territorial waters. Now, it had been plated in silver. As she drank the beer, Karishima contemplated the various features of Stokolomolvian society. They lived in flats. They were socially conservative. Their basic training period comprised two months at best. All of this knowledge would come in very useful when they fought on the ground.

But now, they had other things to be concerned about.

“Grand-Admiral Karishima!” - a young ensign rushed in. “Our ships are now within two thousand, two hundred kilometers from Vladistov's shores.”

“Ah, very well. Send out the order for the Four Saints.”

The four Saints were four ships currently deployed on the front of the Allanean formation, just behind the AA vessels – USS Mathew, John, Mark and [/i]Luke/i]. They were Svarog (http://z4.invisionfree.com/NSDraftroom/index.php?showtopic=2918) class monitors, armed with Tomahawk missiles. Within minutes of the order, they would begin firing them off.

The Allanean monitors did not fire off their weaponry all at once – their commanders were too smart for that by far. They deployed their weaponry in a pattern of salvos. First, a salvo of 500 missiles was fired, aimed at the very Kremlin itself, the heart of Stoklomolvi. Then, a salvo of 2,000 missiles would be fired 5 minutes later, aimed at the S-400 installations around the enemy capital. The thought process was simple. The enemy would surely detect the missiles fired at the Kremlin and direct the fire of the S-400 launchers at them, trying to defend the priceless relic. The S-400 launchers would still be reloading - or at least distracted – when the second wave of missiles hit. This might not ensure Allanean success, but it would certainly improve their chances.

As the missiles streaked out towards their targets, leaving greyish-red trails of fiery smoke, Allanean ships fired up their ECM arrays and put EW aircraft in the air in expectation of enemy aerial assault, to jam enemy RADAR and communications. Carrier air patrols were redoubled. Anti-torpedo weaponry was prepared in expectation of enemy submarine strikes. The Allaneans planned on being ready for the counterstrike.

Bohai Sea

The Kargucagstani troops had officially invaded Stoklomolvi, as they entered Stoklomolvi shoreline waters. The huge, lumbering battleships and gun ships floated their way into the bay, but after they entered, the entrance into the bay was sealed off by a barrage of nuclear cannon fire. Once the enemy was enclosed in the little bay, over fifty nuclear cannons that were located around the bay popped out of their holding chambers, calibrated the exact epicentres of the targets for the nuclear cannons, and fired, sending fifty one megaton shells through the air and into the bay. The blast evaporated many tonnes of water, and without a doubt the ships would either be severely damaged or gone. However, the radiation resulting from the blasts would spread across the sea and likely over Korea and Japan as well, as the Pacific winds would blow the radiation high into the air and east of Stoklomolvi.

The eastern air superiority squadrons, total fighter strength numbering upwards of three hundred thousand, would be scrambled from their bases as soon as the Kargucagstani fighters penetrated deep into Stoklomolvi airspace. They launched salvo after salvo of missiles at the fighters and bombers, keeping the S-400 launchers hidden until the situation was dire. Once the threats were neutralised, bomber sorties would be sent out to torpedo the enemy blockade, which was starting to strain the abilities of the commands to send troops to fight off the Congaree.

Meanwhile, hundreds of missiles were detected in stations in Japan and Korea that were heading towards apparently Vladistov, and S-400 missile launchers in Japan and eastern Korea fired thousands of missiles at the Tomahawks. The end wave was nothing more than a few straggling missiles that were dispatched by a few of the defences in Vladistov itself. However, the second wave would prove deadly. The defences in Japan and Korea were reloading, and it was mere minutes before even more missiles were detected. Some of the Tomahawks were destroyed, but most of them made it through, and when they reached Vladistov the defences there provided inadequate to stop them. The barrage devastated the city, and left a once proud city as little more than rubble. The Embassy Compound in Stoklomolvi was nearly completely flattened, and the diplomats who once worked there were gone. Luckily, they had been evacuated to the de facto capital at Novosibirsk. Amazingly, the Kremlin, a several thousand year old relic that had withstood everything, remained standing amidst the carnage, and it, along with the Dominion Hotel, were one of the few buildings left. Stoklomolvi sent nothing in retaliation except a single Topol-M missile that carried a low-yield nuclear warhead launched from Vladivostok. The missile would explode high above the Allanean fleet and spread radiation amongst the invaders, out of hopes that they would realise that a war between Stoklomolvi and Allanea would end up exhausting both and giving the fascists the upper ground.

Meanwhile, the forces from East Congaree sought to capture more of Stoklomolvi's outlying islands, which would prove far more difficult than they imagined. The islands around Stoklomolvi were almost completely missed by the constant missile barrages and were thus left intact. The small contingent of forces that sought to capture Ryukyu were met by a fifty thousand strong force armed with over a dozen nuclear cannons that fired off high-yield explosive shells instead of nuclear shells due to the strange reason where a nuclear explosion would lead to all of the Congaree forces as well as the "grand world order" forces disappearing. Regardless, the hardened veterans on the islands [they trained themselves on Pacific invaders whom out of spite they dubbed the "Ryou"] entrenched themselves firmly there.

The Congaree sent forces north to attempt to occupy the Kurils and Sakhalin. Unfortunately for them, the Kurils did not exist, as extensive nuclear testing rendered them nothing more than radioactive pebbles. Sakhalin's eastern coast was so fortified that it was essentially an underwater wall in addition to a series of interconnected nuclear cannons that fired immediately upon detecting the Congaree fleet. Seeing the success of the EMP to the south, some hundred EMP missiles flew and detonated above the Congaree fleet, far enough away from Sakhalin to avoid frying the electronics there.

Taiwan, previously the largest bastion of liberal supporters but now the largest bastion of communist supporters as the liberals had been booted into Soviet Republik for them to deal with, was a rather odd case. The eastern portions of the island were irradiated to the point where walking there would mutate a person from a human into a pile of whatever one would call moving blobs of peach stuff, and the western section of the island was more of a fortress than an inhabited area. There were no real "cities" on the island, more redoubts surrounded by farms where the leaders of the redoubts would squabble with each other like medieval kings would. Nevertheless, the men in every redoubt, seasoned and experienced from the many years of squabbling, would fight hard to keep their little independent city-states and would not hesitate to use whatever they had, including chemical weapons. Along the coast, the unified defence force there [made from independent contributions by the city-states] would use their cannons to fight off the Congaree, while the rest sat inside their redoubts, hoping for the best.

OOC: Again, i'm ignoring nuclear cannons. Also, the Kuril Islands still exist, just in a small form, I see. Regardless, that "all dissappearing" statement was hilarious.


Nearing Sakhalin

A barrage of 3,340 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles were lashed out on Sakhalin. Not long after, the East Congaree ships hoped to begin a massive bombardment of the island.

Nearing Taiwan

The East Congaree forces began their massive missile bombardment from the Eastern side of the island, leashing out a total of 3,080 missiles on the Western side of the island. From there, the East Congaree forces hoped to sling around the island and begin a massive bombardment, followed by the landing of East Congaree infantry.

Nearing the Ryukuans

The East Congaree ships and submarines opened their barrage, sending 2,122
Tomahawk cruise missiles towards the island, along with 40 primitive missiles with 1000kg high-explosive warheads.

Aboard an Allanean aircraft carrier

“What the fuck was that?” - gasped Grand-Admiral Karishima as the roar of the low-yield nuclear explosion shook the ship. Ensigns and sailors rushed to and fro – and several minutes later, the Admiral had her answer.

“It was a nuclear explosion, ma'am!” - one of the ensigns reported.

“A... nuclear explosion? Gods. Where did it hit?”

“Eh... it didn't hit. We think it was either a warning shot or an attempt to EMP our fleet. It was rather too high. We had several dozen people receive injuries to their corneas... you know, like people are supposed to if they're looking at a nuclear blast. Also there's some minor EMP damage, but it was too high to seriously mess us up.”

Karishima shuddered. Several dozen people were now blinded – some no doubt would need surgery or outright transplants. She nodded to the ensign.

“Very well. If those idiots want to play rough, play rough we will. I want you to load the injured aboard the USS Luke and order it home. It has fired its payload already anyway. Further, I want you to send a request home to send in the ABM submarines and to reroute as many ABM satellites as they can. I feel there will be more trouble here. If they make a massive nuclear launch, we must be able to hit it on takeoff.”

The ensign nodded and rushed off. HE realized the importance of his message – they had not a minute to spare.

An intelligence officer entered. “Apparently, the Congarese are also attacking the Stoklomolvians. Perhaps we should...”

Kanna smiled generously. “Oh no, no, my dear friend. The Congarese fleet is extremely vulnerable to missile attacks, far more than ours is. If the Stoklomolvian troops do their thing and launch some anti-ship missiles at them, they're going to inflict some major casualties before they even reach shore... in fact, I'd say if the Congarese reach shore, then the Stoklomolvians deserve death. Darwin at work, if you will.”

“Survival of the fittest?” - the officer smiled too, tentatively.

“Not quite – as you know, Spencer invented that term, and it was a bit of a misnomer. Survival of the fittest implies that only the best survive -while what actually happens in Spencer and Darwin's theory is that all fit life forms survive and only the unfit are eliminated. We will see who is unfit. Perhaps we should bet?”

“What?”

“I bet you five thousand bucks that the Congarese will not land in Japan.”

“I don't know... the Stoklomolvi navy seems... a bit amateurish. I'm going to take the bet.”

“Very well. And tell the crews to get a move on. We're heading to Vladistov. Stop us off at, say, one hundred miles off the shore. Arm all ABM armaments. Prepare for potential nuclear assault. Forward at all speed.”

“Yes, Ma'am...”

“Oh, and another thing. Hit them again.”

Two hours later, two of the Svarog-class monitors emptied their missile tubes. They fired three hundred missiles, aimed, yet again, at the sacred Kremlin – and, fifteen minutes later, a thousand missiles, spaced out against the various anti-ship defenses in Vladistov.

By that time, the Allaneans were only 61 hours away from their destination.

[OOC:So you guys have a total blockade of Stoklomolvi? Just making sure for a future post.]

1000 miles from the Stoklomolvi coast

There was a massive fleet of civilian freighters heading to run the Kargucagstani blockade. Intermixed with the fleet was several military freighters bringing supplies to the Stoklomolvi troops.

"This is dangerous." Said the captain of one of the Freighters.

"Oh well. We lost tons of money after this blockade. Either we make it through and make a nice chunk of change, or we die and bring Aissur into the war. Of course Aissur is already preparing for a war. You see that they instated the draft? That is preparing for a war." Said a man by the captain.

"Good. We have to protect our allies. If Stoklomolvi falls the whole region is open to invasion. Lets hope they open fire, eh? Hopefully they will miss us." Said the captain.

"If we do get hit this ship is going up in a huge fireball. We have TONS of military supplies. I'm afraid of even lighting a match. The eyes of all of Aissur will be on us. Let's not mess this up." Said the man.
----------------------------
USS Aissuria

"Sir, the civilian fleet is 500 miles of the coast." Said the man.

"Good. Lets continue to the edge of international waters. Full speed ahead." Said the captain.

"Aye." Said the man.

OOC: Olol what about my invasion force?

[OOC:You talking to me? The civilians are heading towards a certain death, one that Aissurian culture insists on doing in support of the nation, and the government, who doesn't give a shit, is gonna watch them die to draw Aissur into the war.]

OOC: Done with the permission of Soviet Aissur.

IC:

500 miles from the Stoklomolvi coast

The Allanean ships had advanced to meet the Stoklomolvians, and were now bombarding Vladistov, the very capital of Stoklomolvi. But they left behind several submarines – for they realized that there would be those who would try to resupply their enemies.

One of those submarines, the USS Vassaretti, was even now trailing the Aissurian fleet. It was not escorted by serious military vessels, and it had refused requests by the Kargucagstani to turn back. It was clear they were intent on violating the blockade both Allanea and Kagucagstan were imposing on Stoklomolvi. And it was imperative that not a scrap of bread, not a bullet, not a shell reach the Stoklomolvian lines. And it was the job of the captain of the USS Vassaretti to make sure none of these things indeed got there.

This was quite easy. The submarine never bothered to even hide its approach – it stopped only about two hundred kilometers from the enemy fleets and used its targeting RADAR to find the Aissurran ships. Then, it fired – 24 anti-ship missiles, aimed at the twenty-four fattest cargo ships they could aim their missiles at. After that it dove as deep as it could and made way towards the Allanean fleet, its protective cover and submarine tenders, leaving chaos and devastation behind.