NationStates Jolt Archive

The 1st Wolf's Marshall admired the wonderful clear blue sky and basked in the heat of the day, scratching the collar of his black dress uniform with its blood red stripe down the legs of the trousers. he checked over the uniform once more, the black cap was placed on his head correctly and that his belt was centred right and then finally he un buttoned his holster and pulled out his ceremonial pistol. A Platinum finish Desert Eagle on the grip were two jewels, a sapphire and an emerald fashioned together in the shape of two intertwined wolfs, racking the slide to make sure a round was chambered he flicked the safety back on and re holstered the pistol. He was ready.

He was standing on the diplomatic pier of Port Palla Naval Base. Today the whole base was preparing for the ambassadors from the nation of Sutufinai. At the peir itself stood the 1st Wolf's Marshall Cain himself along with the Commander in Chief of the Diplomatic Command, General Morgan. Lining the red carpet of the pier itself were twenty-four members of the 33rd Mechanised Infantry, the elite regiment with the mandate to protect the high ranking officers of The Wolf Hold. Their black and red dress uniforms presented perfectly, the matt black off their MAC-303 rifles blending in with their uniforms seamlessly. There were also four members of the Wolf Legion Commandos, the Wolf Holds elite special forces, these four commandos stood silently behind the Marshall and the General, they wore similar uniforms to the troops of the 33rd Mechanised except instead of a dress cap, they wore a black beret and held there MAC-303 rifles across there chests.

Out in the bay, the might and power of the Wolf Hold navy was out for show. The Sutufinai had picked a ripe time to visit as it was time for the annual fleet exercises, so quite a bit of the fleet was taking on supplies at Port Palla. One ship dominated the scene in the Lupus Bay however, dwarfing any of the other ships in the entirety of the bay was the WHS Lombax, a Longsword-Class Super Capital Guided Missile Cruiser, at just over one kilometre in length it was easily one of the most impressive sites in the world. Along side the Lombax however were the two Norad Class Super Battleships at only a quarter of the Lombaxes size they weren’t as awe inspiring but they were impressive. In the bay also were multiple cruisers, frigates, destroyers and other naval ships ranging from a Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier to type 45 destroyers. In the air flew two flights of INF-2000 Fighter Bombers supported by a flight of LY908C “Warhawk” Interceptors. However it wasn't all for show, it was equally a much for security as well.

Cain stood and looked up at the sky, the Sutufinai would be arriving soon.

OOC: Sorry, Iz here to post!

IC:
Coming over the Horizon the Black Smoke was seen first. It could almost be "laughable" to see the dirty-burning Coal plumes rising above the five Sutufinai Ships that could barely be called "Destroyers". They came in barely over 7,000 tons in displacement at the heaviest of the five. They didn't have fancy Nautical radar and one quick look showed that they in fact did have lookouts up on their masts.

The lead ship, was litterally a tramp freighter mounting two 5 inch guns and a pair of lighter 2 inch guns with eight Dual-linked .50 Caliber Machineguns in anti-air/anti-boat mounts. There were five of them, none of them seemed to be armored in the least and none of them had a single standardized 'class' that could be pinned on them. The four light vessels could be run over by what seemed like the lightest vessel The Wolf Hold had.

The central vessel,
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was steaming along in the center of a rough "Triangle" formed by the other four 'warships'. It was almost laughable to see the five vessels which were measured in 'feet' be put up against the massive Wolf Hold vessels which were measured in "Thousands of Feet".

However, it was definitely hard to miss the one-fleet-ozone-killers as their combined smoke blotted out the sun for many ships in the port. However, despite being small and fragile against the massive ships of war surrounding them... The Sutufinai ships had the lines and class only they could bring with their straight bows and carefully constructed superstructures that looked like veritable works of art.

Infact, if one looked, every one of the ships had their names -gold leafed- onto the hulls and then sealed against the ocean and elements. That was some pride in their work right there.

First the black plumes of smoke in the sky were visible, followed shortly by the actual ships of the Sutufinai themselves. Marshall Cain looked at the old styled ships in the distance, whilst most nations would of laughed at the sight of such primitive vessels, Cain knew that a lot of pride and work had gone into the vessels and that it was probably just down to the Sutufinai’s industry that there ships were of such aged designs. He had to chuckle though at what some of the sailors on the Sutufinai ships might be thinking as there small steamers chugged past the WHS Lombax or the Norad Super Battleships. Out in the bay however the ships of The Wolf Hold Navy began manuvering out of the way of the diplomatic fleet, the ships formed a rough channel for the Sutufinai ships, directing them towards the set of piers set aside for their ships. To assist in the guidance of there ships several Type 143 Fast attack craft darted in between the cruisers, destroyers and other ships and pulled up next to the Sutufinai ships. Using signals and flashes to help nudge them in the right direction. These were only there as aids, the main directing through the mass of ships that was Battle Group Lombax and Battle Group Hijinx, would be done by Port Palla Naval Control.

At the very edge of the water front of Port Palla Naval Base stood the Command Tower, a heavily reinforced structure used to direct shipping inside the bay of lupus during peace time. The actual control centre was a hive of manic activity as staffers tried to direct ships clear of the incoming Sutufinai fleet. Commander Johnson picked up his coffe and looked at his display screen, he could now make out the path they would have to take. He made the mental note to thank the other commanders for giving him a straight run to the diplomatic docks. Taking one more sip of coffee he activated his radio main caster set, using frequencies which had already been used to contact the Sutufinai he opened up another channel to their ships.

"Attention Sutufinai flotilla, this is Port Palla Naval Base Command Tower, we have cleared you a route for your main ship to diplomatic pier 34-D, identifiable by the Sutufinai and Wolf Hold flags. The rest of your flotilla is cleared to dock at foreign military piers 22-D, E, F and G, your flotilla will be escorted their by the WHS Echo and the WHS Nightshade, the two Type 143 Fast Attack Craft coming up alongside you. Port Palla Naval Base Command Tower out"

"Holeh frijoles, That thing's a boat?" Muttered one of the crewmembers manning the five inch gun at the bow, "How does the damn thing -float-?"

"If it -is- a ship, well... How do you -miss- the damn thing when you shoot at it?" Stated the Gun Crew commander, the remark brought a few of the crewmembers to chuckles as they watched.

"Well, I'm betting the damn thing costs so much, and takes so long to build they couldn't afford to put it into actual combat. S'what I say." Muttered the loader as he tinkered with the breech of his beloved cannon.

---

The Flotilla maneuvered in a remarkably well timed move to separate the civilian looking 'passenger' steamer to the forefront to dock with the Diplomatic docks. The ship, emblazoned with a shield marked with a chevron and three stars and held up by a pair of Enfields, and scripted with the name; "Glorious", cruised into the docks and left well... -a lot- of room left against the docks. It was rapidly apparant two more of the Sutufinai ships could dock behind her and leave a little extra room.

However three of the four escorts followed orders to dock at the Foreign military docks. The fourth however took up position to most literally 'guard' the dock with her puny guns. She dropped anchor and a pair of steam-powered skiffs with off-duty crew puttered along to follow the other three ships.

----

Nathaniel sighed as he rearranged his clothing. He had long since had a blast ripping apart the suit he wore in previous 'out of state' occasions. Today he was wearing something that he was sure would show off Sutufinai's unique sense of ideals.

He wore pants that consisted of what amounted to snug shorts that stopped just above his knees, with what could only be described as a military 'web' belt carrying his various needs instead of pockets. His upper half was actually almost uncovered but for what amounted to a 'harness' marked with various ribbons and insets due to his status.

Nathaniel would certainly tower over anyone and everyone, well muscled and powerful looking. His fingers were tipped in well tended claws which had been sharpened and shorted to barely an inch in length. One thing of note would in fact be a bandage over his right ear, which seemed shorter under the bandage than his left ear.

His guards were dressed in what amounted to the same clothing Nathaniel was wearing, but in smaller sizes so they actually fit them, but with visible six inch long knives. Each of them had what amounted to a Six inch bowie knife at one side and on the other a rather large and intimidating machete. each of them were obviously carrying a pair of Webley revolvers, as they had nowhere to 'hide' them.

All in all, they actually looked rather cut and well trimmed as they stood at attention beside Nathaniel who stepped off the gangway to nod at his guards and to greet whomever was waiting at said docks.

As the Sutufinai vessel docked and the gangways extended to meet the sides of the ship, the honour guard of twenty-four soldiers snapped to attention and saluted, rifles at their sides. The four commandos remained in the same standing position. rifles held at a semi-ready position as they stoically observed the situation. Cain made one final adjustment to his black dress uniform, it was completely unadorned of medals except for two silver rank pins in the design of a running wolf on his collar and a red sash going across his chest. He knew he looked fine, the only reason he kept messing with the uniform was because it was rather hot and he hated wearing his dress uniform, the fact hat it had only been worn three times for a decent amount of time didn't help. The flight of INF-2000s flying overhead distracted him for a few moments.

When he turned his head back to the Sutufinai boat, he couldn't help but grin at the attire of the Sutufinai ambassador and his escort. Whilst most people might of been put off and intimidated by the Sutufinai, it only confirmed in Cain’s head that he had made the right choice in opening up diplomatic relations with this nation. He had already heard good reports from his marine corps commanders of the bravery and tenacity of the Sutufinai troops. Approaching the tall canine with a smile he offered his hand. "I am the 1st Wolf's Marshall and may I be the first to welcome you to The Armed Republic Of The Wolf Hold"

Nathaniel looked about the docks quietly, his ears flicking to catch every sound. He raised a brow and took the marshall's hand. His own hand completely engulfing the Marshall's. Giving it a firm shake, he would stay quiet for a few more seconds as he watched the Marshall's face. He smiled, toothlessly, as his ears finally went forward. "Nathaniel Zanzibar, President of the Rogue Nation of Sutufinai. I'd like to say I'm glad to be the first Sutfen to step foot on your shores..." He paused, "But I'm afraid my guards took that claim first." He glanced over his shoulder as he watched his guards for a half second as they either wagged their tails or let their ears flick forward in amusement.

Nathaniel looked back at the Marshall, "I must say, I am indeed impressed at your military might. It is obvious you have a firm grasp on the concept of..." Nathaniel gave a semi-challenging grin, but his ears remained jokingly forward, "Superior Firepower?" He couldn't retrain his tail as it swept back and fourth lightly behind him, "I must say it is a rather sight better than my own military. Barely One hundred thousand troops, only twenty thousand of those being armed and geared to specifications. However, I'd like to challenge any nation to see if they had more of a combat ready militia." The massive canine chuckled, while he only had 100,000 federal soldiers... The National Militia numbered roughly 50 Million out of the 56 Million citizens in his country. All of which were in fact assisted and armed by the government, they made fantastic guerrillas, but most of them were armed with out of date rifles and few assault rifles.

However, at the sight of the aircraft, even Nathaniel and his stout form seemed to shy away. His ears went back briefly, but they quickly came back up. It was obvious sutfen did not relish the idea of flight, but they also refused to be afraid of it or let flight ruin anything they were doing.

OOC: Bump with hope?

OOC: Im writing the post, keep ya paws on

Even though his hand was completely smothered by the Sutufinai’s paw he shook it firmly. The Marshalls eyes quickly ran over the Sutufinai in front of him. He had expected an ambassador of some sort, not the president himself, however his surprise didn't register on his face. As the two leaders shook hands the twenty four guards lining the red pier relaxed slightly and stood at ease. Whilst Cain was with the Sutufinai president, General Morgan's pager began bleeping, "Excuse me, Marshall, Mr President I am needed for something" Before either the Marshall or the Sutufinai president could say anything, General Morgan was already striding to an awaiting UH-60 Blackhawk that had landed on one of the diplomatic piers helicopter pads. Cain however seemed to completely ignore the swift departure of General Morgan and continued with his meeting.

Letting a small chuckle out at Nathaniel’s joke Cain continued with a chuckle, "1st Wolfs Marshal Cain to be precise, I would tell you my first name but that is a matter of national security." Cracking a wide grin he continued, "Yeah we have the policy of peace through superior firepower although are nations motto tells a different story. Did the Longsword class give it away?" Cain gestured in the rough direction of the one kilometre long warship, he wasn’t particularly worried about were his hand was pointing due to the size of the ship. "That’s one of four in are arsenal, we have placed and order for some more. Two are out on patrol around the world, one stands before you and the final one is under routine maintenance in the super capital dry dock, that would be that big building over there" Yet again gesturing in the direction of a huge enclosed hangar like building. "Our armed forces number somewhere near eight million including logistics and administration staff, however each one of them is capable of combat so that gives us a large force to defend the homeland with in the event of an invasion, the scars of the last one can still be seen in this very city. So we have little need of an militia so you win that one, however each citizen over the age of 17 is required to posses a fire arm of some sort so we could effectively have a very large militia if we wanted one."

Cain noticed the President shy away at the sight of the aircraft, he couldn't blame him. From what he could guess the Sutufinai were from a 3rd world nation and that probably meant they didn’t have that many aircraft if any at all. His face nothing but good intentions "Do you want me to call the aircraft out of the airspace, we don't really need them up there, they are just getting in some stunt practise" As the Marshall finished speaking four of the INF-2000s soared high in the sky, igniting their afterburners they broke the sound barrier and headed for the deck, pulling up at the last second and came roaring over the piers.

The President had made it a note to be seen by his -people-, that he was not afraid of the outside world. No matter how he felt or what he thought, he was the figurehead of his people. His people looked to him, they looked at him and keyed off him to pull them out into the world. If he showed fear, they would fear. If he acted gallantly, courageous, and outgoing... They'd at least try their best to mirror his image.

So, he straightened up and took a deep breath. Smiling, closed mouth, to Cain... "No, I know as well as anyone that no matter your battlefield. Land, sea... Or," He looked to the flight of aircraft, "Air. One must practice and prepare themselves for conflict. It is the way things are done. All I ask, is that they do not attempt to play with the Valiant out there. I am sure that neither of us would particularly like something to happen."

It was obvious when they roared over the peirs, most of the Sutfens' ears went back from the engines' screams. But they did not waver.

Nathaniel pointed to the massive battleship, "Up until I was elected, we had no use for a military to reach the world. Many of the politicos in my country still refuse to believe we need one. However, I guess you could say I know better. We've started producing our own weapons with what little production we have. Basic rifles we already have the ability and schematics to make." He was of course mentioning the world war two era rifles and weapons. "Our lack of fuels other than coal makes it nigh impossible to build a vehicular army however, so I fear to think how we'll fight off armor. We'll find a way though." He chuckled lightly, a deep coughing sound. He knew, from his first glance, that this military was bigger than his military. However, his militia numbered just about the same as their military...

"I fear to hold you and your system up anymore Marshal Cain. Shall we continue to this capital building of yours?" The massive canine gave a light smile as he looked about the docks one last time, obviously something in his demeanor had four of his guards step forward. These guards were obviously pre-planned because they were just 'random four'. They were up and down the line. The rest of the guards retreated back on board of the Glorious.

OOC: Bump wif hoooope

Smiling still, Cain turned towards one of his Wolf Legion guards and made a small gesture in the squadrons direction. The Commando seemed to know the meaning of the gesture and quickly disappeared off towards a small building of to the side of the diplomatic pier. "Have no fear Mr President, my pilots have no intention of playing with the Valiant, although it may appear technologically inferior I'm sure your gunners are quite good at there jobs and I have no intention in losing any of my aircraft or a possible ally today."

Turning towards the Lombax, Cain couldn't help but feel pride at the ship which was a national symbol of freedom and power. Alongside the rest of its battlegroup and the ships of Battlegroup Hijinx it was a very impressive sight and to think this was only one of four Longswords in The Wolf Holds arsenal. "I fully understand your position, after the civil war, we had a very chaotic system of control, we were a revolutionary force not a government, eventually I took command and well as is evident, I have built up this nations firepower to levels we never thought possible. We started off with weapons much like yours after the civil war, now look at us. We have one kilometre long ships, some of the most advanced weaponry in the world and we have are integrating the Integrated Warfighter System Future Force Weapon System into all our special forces. Mr President I think there are many things are nations can offer each other."

Turning and pointing to a convoy of awaiting vehicles behind him. The convoy consisted of two open twelve ton trucks, one containing a full squad of Wolf Recon, in the middle was an armoured Volvo limousine and at the heads of the convoy were two Warrior APCs, there 30mm cannons in there turrets facing forward. "You are not holding us up Mr President, you may tell your men of duty they are free to explore the city of Port Palla and the naval facilities here."

Nathaniel and his group were walking closer. Nathaniel turned and barked towards the ship, soon enough, a Sutfen litterally took a running leap from the ship's rail and landing with a quick roll across the concrete before running half the distance on all fours and ending standing up beside Nathaniel, "Runner, please inform the ship, and the other three that they may explore Port Palla and the Naval facilities. Please tell them all to remember that they are not only reflecting our nation, but they are reflecting me... Not some Ambassador. They are all to stay on their best behavior."

The Runner nodded, saluted and ran back to the ship, this time leaping from one of the stanchions to the ship's rail before pulling himself up.

---

Nathaniel smiled before following Cain to the convoy. Looking about he shrugged, he figured he and his men would be rather oversize for the Limousine, So he looked to three of his guards and waved for them to find free spaces on one of the trucks before he and one of his guards climbed into the Limousine with Cain.

"Rather plush, I must assure you. It is indeed a change from usual amenities in Sutufinai. We literally have the amount of vehicles you can count on your hands and paws... I mean, feet..." He would have blushed had it not been for his fur. "Well, I guess it could work with feet too. You humans have one extra to on either foot. So it's not that big of a change... But either way, We have very few motorized vehicles and I've rather never been in a stretched vehicle like this. Their, ahh, Limousines... Correct? I've seen them trying to navigate some of the dirt roads in Centralia. They get rather bogged down. It's somewhat amusing."

The guards relaxed in the truck they chose, sitting back on the hard seats... But the smooth rode made up for it. The Wolf Holder troopers would probably be appalled at the fact, most of the Sutfen troops still hiked and did road marches -everywhere-. However one of the guards, a short haired calico covered african wild dog, chuckled and in Sutfen (Language.) he told one of the other Presidential Guards, a German Shepherd, "I'd rather be a-hound-back than on one of these snorting monstrosities. How do you react to threats if your sitting in a metal bucket on the back of a giant wheeled brick?"

The German Shepherd chuckled but motioned to the third guard, a red-furred Dingo, and said in pure standard english... "Wanna play some cards?" The German shepherd's ears flicked as if to get rid of a fly...

The Dingo smiled, showing teeth in a playful snarl, "Oh? Trying to show how much better you are than me? Oh well, we have to be better than these humans." He motioned to the Wolf Holder troops...

The Wild dog guard shook his head and looked out the back of the truck, hiding a smile. It was something he'd heard from the two on the ship, the two were going to try and fleece the Wolf Holders of their cash via poker. But they had to get them to play first.

As the Sutufinai climbed into the limousine and trucks, the twenty four guards pilled onto the remaining spaces and into the troop holds of the warriors. Cain climbed in after Nathaniel and took a seat opposite him, smirking at his comment about paws, Cain had spent enough time around the canines of Harven city to know when one was embarrassed. "Tell you a little secret Mr President, I have always wanted to know what it would be like to have paws in all fairness.

"Smiling as the door of the limousine shut and the convoy pulled off, the suspension of the Volvo soaking up any bumps in the road. "I can imagine it would be quite amusing, I don't normally travel in vehicles such as this, I would normally ride with them men in the trucks or APCs however I wouldn't expect to have to put a foreign leader through that."

Meanwhile in the truck which the other Sutfen guards had occupied, the Wolf Hold troops were rising to the challenge, however the Sutfen were in for a shock first. As the wild dog made the quip about the vehicles, a tall and well built soldier sitting opposite the dingo smirked, his name was 1st Wolf Fairman, he had spent a long time training the canine units of the FFN and during his time there had learnt how to speak the language, when he had heard that the Sutufinai were coming he had looked up everything he could find about them, during the time before there visit he had practised the language with several of his colleagues to a state of almost perfection. Looking up at the dingo he replied in clear Sutfen "Easy, we use the 50 Cals up on the front or the 30mm cannons. However you probably wouldn't need them your face is scary enough"

Fairman smirked and pulled out a deck of playing cards, expertly shuffling them as he stared at the Sutfen. I'll give you boys a game, trust me I'm good, we had nout else to do but play poker on are tour in Comorostan"

As fate would have it, the Dingo was an absolutely ruddy player. It would be relatively early when the poker faces of the two canines were given away by uncontrolled flicks of ears. These ears were perfect tells.

However, despite the poker... The wild dog refused to play. At the remark about the guns the wild dog shrugged... "One guard may seem like enough for you... But I have always been taught to always keep your eyes open for movement. Sitting on the back of covered trucks, even in a 'safe' area... Seems rather much of a hindrance to your awareness. Besides, how can you hear the tells of the enemy... through the vehicle's racket?" He motioned to the engine. All sutfen, militia or military, were trained to use all their sensory abilities in their personal arsenal and to never outright trust the sensors or people around you.

Being Guerrillas Sutfen often fought on the smallest to largest terms. In an outright fight the sutfen could never win a war... So instead, they fought in an almost insurgent way. Not terrorists, but small fighting to wear down the giant army. (Like the Afghans against Russia.) Their natural abilities were some of their most dear.

The wild dog snarled at the "Face" comment, baring his sharp canines as his muzzle wrinkled threatening. His ears went back and his hackles rose... His sudden reaction even took the two poker players off guard.

Nathaniel and his as so far silent guard relaxes as best they could in the rather cramped Limousine, Nathaniel chuckled lightly. "Ahh Marshall Cain, I've been riding Hounds all my life, and was a Coal Miner before I went back into politics. This indeed quite luxurious. I thank you for sparing the expense on me."

Opening a cabinet in the Limousine and pulling out several glasses "Drink President Nathaniel? That is if you drink, oh and it is no expense really, I like to offer visiting dignitaries the best treatment possible" Offering the glasses to both Nathaniel and the guard he smiled towards the guard, "So what’s your name son?"

On the trucks the poker game was progressing with cheers erupting from the assembled troops each time one of the Wolf Hold players won a hand and collective groans every time one of them lost. The three players from the wolf hold were Staff Sergeant Carlson who was quite a good player but he could only hold his poker face for so long, Leftenant Walker was the best player out of the three, she was taking in the most winnings and finally Corporal Shorebanks he had already wasted the majority of his small change however the other members of the squad were giving him money to stay in the game.

Fairman decided to stay out of the game and kept talking with the Wild dog, as the dog growled back at him, Fairman rose to the challenge, he knew that it was a natural reaction, "Calm down, it was a joke, you Canines are so easy to wind up, and we are also trained to use all of are senses and we do when we dismount, however on our vehicles we still keep a watch out however I'd still prefer to have a 30mm cannon or 105mm cannon watching my back." Continuing in Sutfen "In all honesty I'd rather be like you, but hell we are all born the way we are."

Nathaniel smiled, "No, I have found that Sutfen are rather extra-sensitive to most human alcohols. Which leads to rather... Amusing, but profound behavior..." He tried his very best to keep his face straight as he remembered the Secratary of Finance humping a Human's leg in a bar...

The Guard almost seemed startled form his silence. This guard, unlike the other canids, as actually rather Human sized. He was shorter than most Sutfen, and his short-sharp muzzle and rather large ears designated him a fox. Strong legs and his almost fleety look aswell as his mostly black muzzle marked him further as a "Swift Fox". He looked like a perfessional runner. However, by being Sutfen he'd probably be marked as unable to compete in any international games.

The swift fox smiled lightly, closed mouth, His voice was slightly higher than the deep baritones of the massive wolves. "Corporal Spotter, thought most of the guys call me "Spot"..." Nathaniel's dog spot. Ha. "I've been with Nathaniel sincehe left the mines. I was hired as his guard... By him... for the campaign trail."

In the truck, the Sutfen soldiers had begun dropping "Silver Claws". These massive coins were a heavy piece of pure silver, easily worth more than the Sutfen applied to them. The simple point was, the Sutfen had more silver than they knew what to do with. The silver coins were dropped pretty much off-hand by the Poker players.

The wild dog chuckled, "Like me? No, you don't wanna be like me. Sure, I love being a Sutfen more than I would probably like being a Human... But the country I come from... It really can't hold a candle to yours... Or rather a Lightbulb. Many families, even now, don't even have electricity in my country. We have no paved roads, and just looking at your country, we also have no vehicles whatsoever."

Nodding and placing the glasses back, "A water then? Or a soft drink? Oh and it seems that you have some rather interesting stories about intoxicated, Sutfen, maybe I can hear these stories later." Smirking slightly as he poured himself a straight vodka "I Hope you don't mind If I drink? It has been a long day."

Turning to the startled guard, "Well Spot you seem like quite the athlete and quite a nice sounding voice too if I must say. Perhaps we might see you compete against some of our runners if we get the chance, that is of course if President Nathaniel doesn’t mind" nodding his head towards Nathaniel. "You say you have been with him since the mines, well you have spent some time together. I am honoured to meet you Corporal Spot"

Nathaniel shook his head, "no thankyou, I am quite fine..." He smiled, closed mouth, and looked out at the passing cars and scenery. The problem with these cars, was that you were stuck in a relatively quiet environment... With someone you don't know very well, uncomfortable silences, and somewhat cramped. You couldn't run your beast on a tangent, feel the wind in your furry and hair... You couldn't joke around and see whose beast was better...

Spot nodded lightly, "I have been with him for something of a long time... Through thick and thin." He smiled ever so lightly, "I would like that sir, I've been clocked at a little over forty five miles per hour on all fours..." (The real swift fox has been clocked at 31.) He shrugged, "I have never really had a chance to compete with anyone outside of Sutufinai. My family, all swift foxes such as myself, as is my community, wanted me to go into track when I was a kid... Sadly for them, I decided I liked the militia better."

"Very well then, Spot do you want a drink, Water maybe?" Also out of the corner of his eye he noticed somewhat of some discomfort on Nathaniel face. "You can open the window if you want, it can get quite stuffy in these vehicles. We should be able to come in sight of The Fang soon. If you thought Port Palla Naval Base was impressive just wait until you see The Fang"

Turning back to Spot. " I think we could arrange something, perhaps some of our own canine troops will try to race you, although they are few and far between. Also I am quite impressed at forty-five miles per hour, e might have to put that to the test, perhaps you can try to out run one of our tanks" With a small wink to Spot, he once again turned to Nathaniel, "of course this would be after are talks and only if you have time for it, Mr President"

OOC: Bump

Nathaniel looked at the controls for a second before figuring it out and opening the window a bit. He stared out the window after nodding to the remark about the Fang. However, when it did come into view, his eyebrows raised curiously. Infact, even his ears when forward, an automatic, if futile, attemptto "Listen" to something. However the gesture was of course curiousity.

Spot on the other hand remained subdued, "If Nathaniel permits I shall 'race' your people, and tank." The guard was obviously not used to being given so much attention however he shook his head, "No, Thank you, but I am not thirsty." He gave a small, closed mouth, smile. The small smile wasn't condescending, just rather, it was slightly disconcerted. One had to remember that this was one of the first, if not the first, true "Diplomatic" meetings Sutufinai had even partaken in. The whole Sutfen group was dabbling in things unknown previously.

On top of this, they have been thrown in a completely unknown and new environment... They didn't particularly know -what- to do.

"Very well, then Spot. I am sorry if my manner is disconcerting to either of you, I sometimes forget that other nations leaders are used to other things. I like to lead by example, respect and a bit of friendship. So I do apologise" His smile was nothing but earnest truth and the offer of friendship. Noticing Nathaniel’s interest in The Fang as it came into view, Cain chuckled and sipped his vodka.

"Quite impressive isn't it? A 1000 square kilometre military facility, eight runways, over 5,000 kilometres of perimeter fence, two combat capable armoured divisions on permanent station there and at its centre a ten square kilometre fortress, the heart of our nation. Mr President, Spot that giant city before you is The Fang, Capital of the Wolf Hold."

As the convoy approached the main gate in the perimeter fence, the two Warrior APCs peeled off to head down a side gate, the convoy was sped through the main gate and onto one of the main transport routes along inside the base. As the convoy circled several barrack areas, loud cracks and explosions could be heard over the din of hundreds of military vehicles. Out to the west on one of the training grounds, a division was practising combined arms in a live fire exercise. A hundred NPS MBT140A1s charged down a hill, there 140mm guns cracking as they fired at dummy targets, alongside the tanks 155mm howitzers deep throbs could be heard as they chucked shells at their targets and then the final coup de grace for this imaginary enemy. A flight of twelve INF-2000 "Hairbon" flew of the target zone and unleashed a volley of 2000lbs bombs, the resulting explosions could be seen for miles around.

OOC: Sorry, I have been doing research ect. into WW1 gear n' stuff. lol Finding naval ships for my lil' ww1 Navy. I determined... I had 9 ships. 1 Battlecruiser, 2 Light Cruisers/armored cruisers, 6 Destroyers... I now only have 3 destroyers.

IC:
Nathaniel gazed out the window quietly, nodding as Cain showed off the Fang. He smiled softly, closed mouth, "You certainly have a competant military. And a large military base. I will indeed agree it is impressive. So, this is where the Majority of your military is housed?" He raised a brow as he oogled out the window.

Meanwhile Spot gazed out the window and his now alert eyes scanned and pinpointed every last bit of movement. He seemed to analyze everything looking for problems or threats. He just kept thinking to himself, What kind of idiots drive a President thought a live fire training course? Tanks, Aircraft, Howitzers... One wrong word, a newbie who slips on the trigger... That President would be dead, no, not 'that' president... My president. Damned fools.

Meanwhile the group of guards in the trucks looked about the military base and began talking back and fourth in a regional dialect of the Sutfen instead of basic Sutfen. Knowing clearly that there was someone who could speak Sutfen in the truck, so they made it alot more difficult...
"You know, we're basically an honour guard for the most valuable person in the nation, right guys? And we're putting him in a military base nearly one third greater than the size of Centralia... What happens if the talks break down, and/or the shit hits the fan? We're being driven into a maximium security prison. We should've brought the whole f'in military... Or atleast the Aye Arrs." The obvious leader, the wild dog, groused to the two other guards. Both of them nodded, but had nothing else to say.

(Bump.)

OOC: Writing post as of this moment, how long you got online? I have three posts runnng and I need to know whatto prioritise.

Would this be bad time to mention that Nachmere was on my side? :tongue:

OOC: I was so confused who was on whose side that I just picked the first Navy I came upon. lol

OOC: Lol, clever....okay. Consider the post in this thread my priority

Cain was pleased that Nathaniel. "Thank you, it's hard to believe that are nation only used to have a military of only 500,000 men now it is over 12 million strong." Taking a final sip from his vodka he, smirked slightly "Oh no, not the majority, it has the capacity to store the majority but at the moment there is only three divisions stationed here, Two Heavy Assault Divisions and a Mechanised Airborne Division. We also have several fighter squadrons on the base, the units you can see practising over there are the 1st Heavy Armoured Assault Division or "The Balkar" with air support from the 402nd Air Support/Superiority Squadron or "Wolf Squadron." Those two units are the best The Wolf Hold has to offer." Cain hoped that the reassurance that the two units conducting exercises were the elite of the Wolf Hold's main stream armed forces would re-assure the nervous guard.

As the convoy pulled past the training ground, they came in full view of the central complex, the ten square kilometre black fort that sat at the centre of The Fang. "Almost their Mr President, I hope you enjoyed your journey here"

Meanwhile on the truck, 1st Wolf Fairman strained his ear to try and discern what the Sutufinai were saying. In the end he gave up and said in normal Suften "Very clever, you win this round, but just wait till we start speaking in Lupus". As the trucks came in sight of the central fort, the demeanour of the troops in the back. They went from jovial to concerned and worried. Fairman not wanting to give the Suften any idea of the trouble, he continued in the old native language of The Wolf Hold, close to a bark with some words sounding more like howls then anything.

"Is Central Command's window's meant to be locked down?"
A Corporal with thin wire rimmed glasses responded in lupus as well "No.....shit look the flag that's flying is that the..." The whole squad looked on in amazement, flying above the Fort was the banner of The Wolf Hold Armed Forces, only flew in times of war. This would have no bearing on the Sutufinai but it had great consequences for The Wolf Hold.

Nathaniel nodded softly as he looked out the window, "I see, Indeed, I fear soon I may be forced to reinstate Military enlistment." -- wait, the military didn't recruit? Not in Sutufinai. People went into the militias, not the military. "My only worry is too many people would want to join the military, and we would not have enough people to keep our nation producing the things we need."

Spot rubbed his chin as he watched the military manuevers. Oh sure they may be the most 'elite' troops... But that was live fire. He seemed to relax just a bit as they passed and moved away from the training ground.

The Sutfen guards in the back of the truck however, had been canines their whole lives. The barking and growling and howling was something they knew... While they didn't get it all, they got the overall 'idea' that something was wrong. The guards were well trained however and didn't really 'change' their posture. But they read the Human's posture easily.

The Wild Dog growled softly as they looked at the building. "Something bad just happened. Keep on your toes." Is all he really said, in the regional dialect, before looking back to the building and those in the truck. They settled in for what might be a good or bad thing.

"Here we are Mr President, the heart of my nation. The Wolf's head" Cain beamed a smile as the convoy pulled up infront of the imposing four storey fortress. The limosiene pulled up next to a red carpet that was lined by more soldiers, from the same 33rd Mechanised Infantry Division. At the giant steel blast door that were slowly raising to admit the diplomatic party, stood two idling NPS MBT140A1s their 140mm guns poiniting to the skies. As Cain opened the door, the forty soldiers snapped to attention. The flags of The Wolf Hold and Sutufinai lined the red carpet. Holding the door open for Nathaniel and Spot, "Mr President, Spot if you would like to follow me"

As the truck pulled up, the Wolf Hold troops were still on alert. Fairman was not going to take any risks, barking orders in Lupus, "Make sure your weapons are loaded and cocked but keep those safty's on, I know none of you will losse off a round but we need to re-assure our guests""Yes 1st Wolf!" Came the chorus, as the fourteen soldiers checked their magazines and cocked their weapons, this would seem a highly suspicous action, if not for the fact that the saftyies clicked on moments later.
"Squad dismount! Form up!" The troops disembarked and formed up with the rest of their unit, the four Wolf Legion Commando's acompanying them.

"Ah, it is indeed beautiful Marshall Cain. A strong heart, strongly beating no less." Nathaniel waited briefly as stop stepped out and glared at just about everyone visible. There was a pause but he stepped aside letting Nathaniel out of the Limousine when he determined it safe.

Nathaniel stepped out and straightened out, with the almost comical creak of the leather harness across his massive form which had been cooped up into the tiny Limousine for so long. Stretching briefly, soft muffled 'pops' under the ropy and coiled-steel like muscle, he smiled with his closed mouth as he looked down at Cain waiting for him to get out and be ready.

Spot glared at everyone, but suddenly seemed to randomly sneeze. Shaking his head he softly apologised.

The sneeze graced the keen ears of the troops in the truck they began getting up when the sound of the magazines seating and the chambering of weapons. They all stiffened and their hackles rose. Then the safeties clicked on and suddenly, they -all- relaxed.

The Wild dog smirked to the wolf beside him, his eyes portrayed exactly what he was thinking of... Good, they have safeties and we don't.... He was in fact right, the 1940s Webley had no safety. Safeties were not implemented with the military weapons at the time. They were also double action, meaning the Sutfen guards could have them out and pull the trigger in one swift movement and have a kill. The fact that their blades were not 'peace tied' or tied to their sheathes might be apparent as well. But then, their from a jungle... Who would tie a utility tool down?

The guards dropped off the back of the truck with a clean, smooth, movement. Their digit-grade paws taking the shock all in turn as they were already moving forward at a leisurely walk where most humans would be straightening their legs.

Rather proud of his fortress, Cain beamed with pride. "Please follow me, Mr President" As Cain set of towards the opening armoured main entrance of the 'Wolf's Head' its metal-composite frontal door sliding into the ground. Cain passed through the entrance confident that Nathaniel was behind him. Brining up the rear was the twelve men who had shared the truck with the other Sutfen, there weapons held down low as they passed through the frontal entrance they relaxed knowing they were safe.

The corridors of the Wolf's Head were cold, long streets of concrete. No sunlight permeated inside this fortress, it was clearly a military instillation, with the light being provided by strip halogen lights. However as the entered the fortress it was dimmer then usual and red emergency lights were flashing, also the status screens which were dotted about displayed "Level 5 international incident, all staff to report to assigned stations". However Cain radiated calmness, smiling to the Sutufinai delegation, he waved them to an elevator that was opening in front of them.

"Please ignore the alert, it has nothing to do with us at the moment, please step inside and we can precede to the meeting"

((OOC: Sorry about the crap post, but I have to run))

Nathaniel's ears went back, but he continued to smile. He eyed the door sliding down into the floor instead of upward. He eyed it briefly, examining the thickness and such. And promptly mentally noted how stupid an idea it was if in fact pressure or power was lost they had to -lift- the thing to close the gate instead of just letting it slam downward to close the main gate. He, however, said nothing as he continued following Cain.

Spot on the other hand took a whole lot of notice in the alarms as he briefly looked over his shoulder at the rest of the Sutfen guards. He said nothing but something caused a reaction in the rest of the guards after he turbed back around to inspect the surroundings of the President. Spot seemed to always be on the downlow and always watching the area around them.

The Guards on the otherhand immeidately changed their stand. From semi-worried to dangerously worried as their hands dropped slightly to their weapons. They weren't drawn but they seemed on a hair trigger ready to kill something if the place went to the shitter.

As the lifts doors shut behind them, they could just make out a second steel-composite door sliding downwards to cover the main entrance. It in-fact was a double gated system, if the one door failed they hope was that the second door could hold them long enough to fight the attackers off. One of the soldiers typed in a code into the lifts control panel and finally the lifts doors shut closed the eighteen people inside the lift began to ascended as the lift seamlessly transitioned from a stand still to climbing to the top of the four storeys. Inside the lift they all remained silent the twelve men belonging to the marshals body guard were slightly more on edge as it was clear that the Sutufinai guards suspected something.

The lift reached its destination, the top of the Wolf's Head, in particular a raised section and concourse that housed the diplomatic greeting and meeting rooms. The sunny day still persisted and it golden rays of sunlight shone down on top of the concourse. Striding along it towards the two doors at the other side, Cain opened them and nodded to Nathaniel to indicate he should follow. Inside the room consisted of a large glass wall on one side, letting in enough light to illuminate the whole of the room. In the centre of the table was a desk and several comfy looking black leather seats that seemed designed to accommodate the Sutfen's strange shape. On the edge of the room were benches on which the guards could sit.

Taking his seat behind the desk, Cain waved to the seat "Please sit Mr President so we can proceed."

Nathaniel was preceeded into the room by Spot who walked all the way around the room, as if checking for bugs. However he glanced up every once in awhile as Nathaniel entered the room. Sutufinai had harbored, or is harboring, some of the best snipers in existence. The walk around the room was not for 'bugs'. Spot doubted he'd even know what he was to look for. No, he'd been using his brief glances upward to look out the window to find the best spot for a long range sniper shot to take out Nathaniel. He promptly placed himself there, between Nathaniel and that spot.

The rest of the guards 'sat' down where they were directed, but two remained standing. Their hands rested silently on their weapons, they hadn't spoken for awhile as they stood there. Not happy to be in a base preparing for what seemed war. Destroying central governments and invading seemed like a good idea, currently the person in the room was the head of the government and the most beloved being in the nation... A perfect target.

Nathaniel on the otherhand seemed blissfully unaware as he smiled, closed mouth, and sat in his seat. He arranged himself in the almost-too-small seat as he folded his hands before him. "So, now that you've impressed me so Marshall Cain... Why am I here?"

Out of the twelve guards, eight sat on the benches whilst the remaining four stood facing outwards from the window, shielding both of the leaders from any chance of incoming sniper fire. Cain was on the other hand entering his element, staring across at Nathaniel he smiled "Well I wasn't to show my military off that is for sure" he said with a small smirk. "The reason I wanted a meeting is to offer you several things. First of all I know of your offer to M.A.C to modernise your ships, we were going to offer you some of our surplus alongside a free supply of fuel, however we have heard you are not interested in such an offer.

Secondly we wish to offer our services in modernising your ground forces, whilst we understand that you have no vehicular forces, we wish to offer you more up to date weaponry and training with such weaponry amongst other things. Basically the first thing I am offering is a non-aggression pact alongside a offer to have the Wolf Hold supply your nation with modern weaponry, training and equipment. However I do not believe this would all be one way, from what I have been told are marine force recon teams learnt quite a bit off your troops and they were quite impressed. There are a few more things, however I would like to hear if you have any offers and your thoughts on my offer."

Nathaniel didn't take the idea that he wasn't showing off his military about as much as he wouldn't take a tablespoon of straight salt. Of course Cain was showing off his military. Nathaniel shrugged it off however as he sat and listened to Cain's spiel, he was not happy about how loose lipped MAC was with his requests. He crossed his thick arms across his chest as he listed, nodding about how he in fact did not want a supply of fuel. If his people became dependent on Fuel oil, another nation could siege his nation and debilitate it over a simple liquid that burns.

Nathaniel looked briefly up to his guards for a second before looking back to Cain, He listened to Cain's second Spiel about giving his nation weapons and training. He was of course, unimpressed. Sure, Wolf Hold may have a gigantic military... But Sutfen soldiers were trained to rely on themselves, and not to rely on some one kilometer long super ship that's a gigantic target and to have it fire missiles at every little problem. Of course Nathaniel had heard how well trained the Force Recon soldiers were, and how they sized up to a Militia unit.

But these Wolf Holders, they relied too much on technology to solve their problems. Any good Sutfen soldier could've made the route March at the double quick between the docks and the fortress they were in now. The Militia had no vehicles, they did everything on foot. The Government Military had no vehicles either, and they trained to do those types of things through rough uncut jungle. That route march would've been nothing and they'd've been able to fight when they got here too.

He was waiting of course for the "However" or "But". Because an old Sutfen saying went, "Everything before the "But" in Houndshit." When it came he leaned forward quietly, ready to listen. His ears swiveled forward now that he got to somewhere that the Marshall had reached a point where it actually would effect his soldiers. More importantly, it would cost lives. Nathaniel raised a brow, "I want to hear of what you would demand of my nation in reponse for all of these 'generous' gifts you are bestowing upon my men."

((OOC: 1000km route march? That my friend is a miracle :P)

In-fact in all honesty Cain wasn't showing off his military, Nathaniel’s visit had coincided with he escalation of forces against the nation of Parilisa and the annual ground exercises, his face carried the scencerity of this claim. Cain could also see that Nathaniel was un-impressed with his offer, then again why should he? Thinking he remembered the brief and his own personnel research, to the best of their knowledge the Sutufinai had no military aircraft or vehicles at all, and very few if any civilian vehicles and aircraft. So why would he be impressed with the precision armoured formations and the skill of the pilots of the aircraft, well the simple answer was that he had probably never been on the receiving end of a combined arms thrust with tanks, aircraft, artillery and infantry moving as one, it is considered to be one of the most awe-inspiring and frightening sights in the world. Also why would the Sutufinai be impressed by the weaponry and training of the Wolf Hold armed forces when they have been fighting with their old weapons and relying on their natural abilities of ages? Yet again the simple answer would be that in this modern day and age, nations would be able to outrange the Sutufinai troops with their superior weaponry. Cain wasn't asking the Sutfen to take on his nations art of war making, he simply wanted to give them a fighting chance of taking on the super powers in this battle-ridden world.

"We don't demand anything Mr President, first we wish to offer a standard defensive alliance with a few changes. Basically the summary is that If Sutufinai assets are attacked, invaded or any harm should befall your nation, The Wolf Hold is compelled to bring her full might to assist your nation. In essence it is vice-versa for your nation, however we would not make your assistance compulsory, we would just strongly wish it. Another proposal would be for our trading fronts to be allowed to trade with your nation with lower tariffs and taxes, so your basic free trade agreement. Then there is the military assistance pact I have already stated, with out two militaries working together to further both our militaries"

((OOC: bump))

OOC: I never said how long it would take. But they did a 1000 KM route march in WW2, read Band of Brothers. It's in the Nonfiction section. ;)

IC:

It was of note that, while Sutfen used 'older' weapons. These weapons were all exceptional quality. While modern weapons were between 500 and 600 meters in effective range... The Average Sutfen rifleman would probably qualify as a Marksman. They regularly qualified with 600 to 700 range rifle shots, you were not considered an adequate Sutfen rifleman if you used the automatic setting on any weapon -or- if you couldn't meet or exceed the weapons effective range with the majority of your shots in a normal human torso's "Kill Zone".

There was a reason why Sutfen favored the B.A.R. It was a Heavy Caliber weapon with a slow enough cyclic to allow for well aimed and well placed shots, while also able to put down cover fire with a heavy automatic weapon that could punch through cover 7 to 8 times out of 10. It was folly to assume that a Sutfen wasn't impressed with modern weapons or soldiers because they were 'behind the times'. Long ago, a Sutfen instructor during World War Two had determined the true measure of a Sutfen rifleman was his ability to put a .30-06 round through a Tank-driver's peephole. That hadl ater been refined instead of just being able to do it, they had to do it at long range, at 400 to 500 meters. That was later refined to modern sutfen standards of Meeting or exceeding the rifle's designated "effective Range".

However, the Sutfen also knew that they infact were outclassed and they -knew- they wouldbe faced with aircraft, tanks, and artillery. They however did not want tanks. They however did not want aircraft. They had artillery, yes. What they wanted was the means to fight tanks and aircraft with infantry. They wanted tank killer infantry weapons, shoulder launched anti-aircraft weapons. It was a little known fact that Chlorine Gas could get past Nuclear Biological and Chemical defenses (OOC: I am pretty sure, my dad told me how to do it at one point. He was taught in the military.). There were always ways for the infantryman to counter ground and air threats.

Infact, Nathaniel knew that despite all of this... A trained Sutfen sniper could easily take out either of the men in this room. He would not only get into the compound, but he would succeed in killing his objective before successfully extracting. The Nation of Sutufinai didn't have enough men in it's entire military or nation to take this fortress by force. But two trained Sutfen could kill anyone inside of it.

Nathaniel nodded softly as he listened to the marshall speak silently... He then nodded, "That's all well and good... But again, What could the Nation of Sutufinai do to assist a nation like yours? Your obviously more fearsome to visibly see. Your obviously more powerful manpower wise. Your obviously better equipped. This is too much of a one sided bargain for me. ANd one sided Bargains leave nations indebted to other nations. That is something I do not like, and do not like looking forward to for my nation."

He crossed his arms and shook his head, "But then... What do I have for Bargaining power? My nation is a tiny, miniscule, and powerless fish in the face of giant sharks. Am I correct?" He shook his head before sighing, "I will agree to your trade agreement. However, your mutual defense agreement... We must talk about."

OOC: I know about band of brothers :P, still I'd rather take the truck

Nathaniel was being quite clever, he knew that Cain hadn't actually demanded anything from his nation. This was true but that was due to the fact Cain actually wanted very little. As he contemplated what to say next he looked over at the glass window at the end of the room. It was made of three separate layers of armoured, tempered glass easily capable of defeating rounds from any modern anti-material rifle, also not to mention the armoured shutter that would slam down covering the window if any breaks in the window were detected or if the buttons which resided next to the window or under Cain's desk were pressed. After several moments of contemplation Cain turned back to face Nathaniel.

"To put it bluntly Mr President we need allies, we need to know that if things go tits up, nations will not abandon us to the sharks. Now it may seem idiotic a nation with the firepower of ours asking to be allies with as you said a small one like yours, the fact is that we are both growing nations and we are still dwarfed by many of the larger nations out there. That is why I changed the wording of the mutual defence agreement, it wishes that you come to our aid, it is not compulsory. I find your nation and race a very honourable one that is why I have little fear in such agreement because I trust that you and your people will do the right thing.

Your nation is only 1/4 the size of us and yet when we were that small we had to fight off two invasions thankfully with the aid of our allies. What I am trying to say is that even when you are small nation you are not protected from hostile invasions and the only chance one gets is from their allies. Your people are also of a unique nature, meaning you excel in areas were sadly our own bodies lack, I hope that through a military assistance pact that we can equip you with items such as the LAAB-100 a shoulder launched anti-building/tank weapon and that your men can help supplement our light infantry skills."

OOC: Bump