The Last Days of an Empire[FINISHED]

[New United States of Columbia]

Raus International Airport
High King Foley looked around in shock at all the damage done to the nation. How bad was this civil war getting?
"Can we get into contact with Hans' family?"
One of the guards shrugged. He then turned to the radio on the plane trying to find a Monarchy backing frequency.

[The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile]

Van Trapp Island

---

A warm breeze swept through the vast estates and palm tree-lined avenues of the island. Van Trapp Island was a offshore haven for the rich and famous. The tropical climate welcomed rich Capileans from everywhere onto sprawling plantation houses and warm crystal beaches. In fact, the nephew or cousin or some relation to the Royal Family- Prince Rupprecht- had a summer home on the isle. He and the other landowners were entitled to more protection than their small private security systems, and as such the island's garrison was drawn from the Stoßschutz
Jäger Korps, the newest corps created for the elite branch of the armed forces. They were mainly for support actions or reserve troops, as they were armed only with light weaponry and vehicles. No one really thought the island would be attacked, so only a small garrison of 3,000 troops filled the handful of bunkers and reinforced trenches of the island.

So it was a very unpleasant surprise when the entire Crysukan invasion force appeared on the horizon. The garrison, still in snappy dress uniforms, flooded the defenses and radioed the mainland, only a few miles away. The Crysukans had somehow evaded the patrols and air umbrellas that covered the Indian Ocean, but they could run no longer. Within minutes craft launched from the mainland filled the sky, diving across the enemy fleet and sending bombs into the oncoming troop transports and peppering them with machine gun fire. Several minutes later squadrons of submarines darted into the warm waters, sending torpedoes into the hulls of enemy warships.

It so happened that Prince Rupprecht was vacationing on Van Trapp Island when the attack came, and as is the custom, took over its defense. He ordered all of his forces to stream down into the beaches and hold off the invaders, despite their lack of heavy machine guns and flamethrowers that were the backbone of Capilean beach defense strategy. The wealthy inhabitants of the island were quite disturbed by the attack, and fled en masse to the docks and their private yachts, where they floated off towards the mainland. As the first landing craft reached the pure white beaches, they were met with a hail of lead and even a few shells from hastily prepared artillery emplacements further into the island.

---

Raus, Nova Capile

---

Terry Blücher observed the bloody scene from behind a toppled car. The Communist rebels ran amuck, fearless, through the swelled ranks of policemen, guns blazing. Countless corpses were strewn about the streets, police and rebel all muddled together. He briefly saw Roman darting around, firing off a few quick shots at the frantic loyalists. Blücher jumped up and mowed down a few nearby policemen with his assault rifle before quickly ducking back under the safety of the overturned automobile. It probably didn't matter; the police were so frazzled at this point that they could barely respond to half the threats that were slaughtering them. Terry saw a large jet circling above the handful of airstrips that were prematurely called Raus Regional Airport. Painted on the tail was a Columbian flag and Crown. Blücher remembered them from the propaganda-filled textbooks he had read aloud at a Communist rally just weeks before, to demonstrate how the monarchy was brainwashing the next generation.

King Foley was here? Blücher had to get his hands on him, or at least try. He looked around, and sure enough the two boys from earlier were crouched nearby along with a dozen of their friends. Although there were plenty of armor pieces strewn about that the group could complete their sets with, they dared not to wear them lest they be confused for a policemen. Blücher raced over to them, panting because of his rather unfit condition. He quickly gave them orders to attempt to capture the Columbian king- but they would need all the armor they could get at this point.

---

The Royal jet descended and landed on a cluttered airstrip. The King would be pleased to see that a welcome committee had been arranged despite the riots. Even if they were in full riot gear- not to mention the bloodstains. The King left the aircraft with his entourage, and a man in slightly more decorative set of armor stepped forward and spoke through his thick helmet after bowing low before the foreign ruler. "King Foley, I hate to begin our relationship this way, but it's my only option," the man said quickly. The King's bemused face was almost amusing to the "policeman." He quickly grabbed the King, a symbol of the old world and of tyranny, and swung him around, bringing a pistol to his head. "Make one move and he dies," the man said harshly, pointing at the guards. "Drop your weapons. All of them." Behind him the other dozen or so guards raised their machine guns to face the King's entourage.

---

Kaiser Wilhelm II Memorial Airport

---

Shroom 1 was greeted by a hastily assembled delegation and Major Strauss. Strauss waited impatiently while the large NMK delegation slowly filed out and swarmed the cluttered airstrip. Finally he introduced himself when it appeared the slew of officials had stopped swelling. "Greetings, friends of the crown! I am Major Dieter Strauss, and I am here to welcome you to the Duchy! You are to be sent to Großherzog Burg- a fortified bunker complex- in these luxury vehicles." He gestured to the small convoy behind him. Only one rented limo was available; four modest black SUVs made up the rest of the transports. Strauss hoped that would be enough.

---

Großherzog Burg

---

The Crown Prince silently watched the Prince and Chancellor bicker. Hans stared blankly at the tablet in mild interest, occasionally taking a sip of water. When Hans Oster spoke, Klaus nodded bleakly and barely spoke. "That is very reassuring, Oberstleutnant. These, devices should assist us greatly." Finally the limo rolled to a halt. "I'm afraid I must end the video chat, Prince Rudolph. You should reach us shortly." With that he ended the chat and the group exited the limo. They found themselves facing a massive stone castle nestled into a forested hillside. Anti-aircraft guns, bunkers, and stoic soldiers littered the area. They had reached Großherzog Burg.

[Topkekkia]

Raus, Nova Capile
January 6
Roman spotted the plane, as did everyone else on the battlefield, combat pausing for a moment, and initiating once again when Roman perforated the back of a distracted soldier while switching from one burned out car to another one, slightly farther up. By this time, the battle was behind him, and with the police occupied with the surging wave of revolutionaries, he knew he could get to the airport quickly, securing a very useful hostage, the king of a despotic state. An abandoned police truck wasn't too far up, and the driver seemed to be taking a break from the action, his head down in his hands as he tried to steady himself for the continuation

The riot armored policeman seemed a lot less calm when faced with a grime caked, dead serious knife wielding man covered in ragged clothes and pointing the business end of a rifle in the half open window. A simple command followed:

"Out."

The driver more than willingly obliged, scrambling to get out of the truck before an unspoken threat was followed through on. From the other side, Roman smashed in the window, using his gun as more of a club than anything else, jumping into the driver's seat and tearing across the pavement towards the airport, the opposite door still half open with a body half out, leaving the man who was previously a hostage of sorts more of a tumbleweed and less of a policeman. The capture of Foley was of utmost importance to the Order, and the Revolution. As near as Roman could tell, the plane was to land at Raus Regional Airport, since it was headed for the other side of the city. A quick check on the cell phone in his pocket confirmed it. Raus Regional Airport was the landing zone, alright. As a result, it was the next target for Roman, as he applied pressure to the gas pedal and rolled forward even faster than before, moving into areas that were more populated, swerving like a madman to dodge traffic on his way.

[New Decius]

Raus, Nova Capile
January 6
Roman spotted the plane, as did everyone else on the battlefield, combat pausing for a moment, and initiating once again when Roman perforated the back of a distracted soldier while switching from one burned out car to another one, slightly farther up. By this time, the battle was behind him, and with the police occupied with the surging wave of revolutionaries, he knew he could get to the airport quickly, securing a very useful hostage, the king of a despotic state. An abandoned police truck wasn't too far up, and the driver seemed to be taking a break from the action, his head down in his hands as he tried to steady himself for the continuation

The riot armored policeman seemed a lot less calm when faced with a grime caked, dead serious knife wielding man covered in ragged clothes and pointing the business end of a rifle in the half open window. A simple command followed:

"Out."

The driver more than willingly obliged, scrambling to get out of the truck before an unspoken threat was followed through on. From the other side, Roman smashed in the window, using his gun as more of a club than anything else, jumping into the driver's seat and tearing across the pavement towards the airport, the opposite door still half open with a body half out, leaving the man who was previously a hostage of sorts more of a tumbleweed and less of a policeman. The capture of Foley was of utmost importance to the Order, and the Revolution. As near as Roman could tell, the plane was to land at Raus Regional Airport, since it was headed for the other side of the city. A quick check on the cell phone in his pocket confirmed it. Raus Regional Airport was the landing zone, alright. As a result, it was the next target for Roman, as he applied pressure to the gas pedal and rolled forward even faster than before, moving into areas that were more populated, swerving like a madman to dodge traffic on his way.

One minute the Capilean police were alone in their fight, and the next, armored half-tracks marked with the iron cross of Germany and equipped with 7.5 cm Infantry Support Guns were rolling into the major squares and intersections of the city of Raus. Any Communist's whom attempted to fire on them before they were unloaded, received a 7.5 cm light explosive shell in response. It just so happens that three of these vehicles rolled up to the gates of Raus Regional Airport, and began to unload their infantry immediately. The 23. Panzergrenadier Division "Gott mit Uns" was coordinating with what remained of police command in the area as the mechanized infantry deployed into the city. These were veteran combat units, so rebels and lightly armed partisans were no fright for them. Well lightly armed compared to the Panzergenadier's whom had full combat gear including KaizerTech International's latest Neuronic Uplinked Combat Armor. This combat suit was three times as powerful as your standard bullet-proof material, strong enough to withstand even high-speed sniper rounds, and also was linked up to the neural pulse waves via the spine to allow easier movement.

As thirty-six Panzergrenadier's unloaded outside of the airport gates, their commanding officer, Leutnant Helmut Metsker, noticed some commotion on the runway where Foley's plane had landed. From what Metsker could see, it appeared the King and his guards were being held at gunpoint by hostiles. The officer turned and gave hurried instructions to his men who began to setup to breach the fence surrounding the airport from several different locations.

Schutz (Private) Max Hoffmann adjusted the sight's on his Panther-109 Bolt Action Sniper Rifle as he set the bipod down on a smooth patch of concrete. The 109 was the latest issue Sniper Rifle manufactured by KaizerTech International for the Kaiserlichen Armee, designed to work with the specialized goggles that were part of their N.U.C.A suit. The scope was linked with the goggles and a computer algorithm presented a laser guider to allow for 89% accuracy in predicting the bullet's flight path. Though when you happen to be a seasoned combat sniper, that also may play a role in shot accuracy. The 109 fired High Velocity Rounds powerful enough to tear off a man's jaw but that would be a hard shot to make since the leader appeared to be holding Foley in front of himself.

Metsker leaned down to give him his orders. "Aim for the gun in his hand. If his pinky so much as twitches to pull that trigger, blow that gun to pieces, or take off his hand." Max nodded as he lined his shot up and Metsker moved forward with a loudspeaker.

"Achtung! This is Leutnant Helmut Metsker of the 23rd Panzergrenadier Division! I have with me fully armed mechanized troops and we have you surrounded! If you wish to get out of this alive, let His Majesty go and surrender quietly! I you wish to die, then these seven point five centimeter guns on our vehicles will gladly put a shell through your head! You have three minutes!"

[Spektronia]

Off of Van Trapp Island.

The Mozambique Fleet was approaching it's destination, which was just off the coast of Van Trapp Island. Before the blockade was set up, Generaladmiral Wambua Salim received an extremely encrypted message from Groß Admiral Volker Neubert. Suddenly, on the horizon, the fleet was begging to become clear. Suddenly, when the fleet was closer, three of the seven SSGN Class Submarines each launched the new experimental Spektronian Type-16B Heydrich Class Torpedo. which was meant to breach the hull of a ship, whilst releasing it's contents of poisonous chlorine gas into the breach of the ship. These torpedoes were all fired at the flag ship of the Cryosukon fleet.

After the torpedoes were launched, around 300 Spektronian Sturmkorps Elite Marine Troopers were geared with scuba diving gear and loaded onto Marine Trooper Delivery Vehicles and transported across the water to where the torpedoes were bound to hit the flag ship.

Once close enough, the swarm of troopers turned off their Marine Trooper Delivery Vehicles, as to not be picked up by any radar that was keen enough to detect them, and swam the rest of the way with their flippers to the ship, where they intended to capture the ship from the inside before it flooded if the torpedoes were going to hit the ship (Which they were mostly likely bound to do).

As to keep the fleet distracted from the Sturmkorps Elite Marine Troopers, F-22 Raptor Fighters, which were already prepped, launched from the Spektronian carriers and from a distance, sprayed their nose cannons and missiles, aiming at the bridges of several Cryosukon ships. Spektronian fighters who were shot down, did not bother to eject, but rather to spend their last few moments in a fiery blaze and crash into enemy vessels, trying to take as many Cryosukons with them as possible.

Spektronian Corvettes and Frigates also engaged the enemy ships with their cannons and turrets, making sure to keep their SAMs on the decks switched on, if the enemy fleet was to use any air missiles.

From behind the frigates and corvettes, hovercraft were released from the massive carriers, some containing soldiers and some containing transport vehicles. When the hovercraft were finished transporting the 8,000 Spektronian National Soldiers and 2,000 Spektronian Sturmkorps Troopers, they were loaded into the trucks they had brought with them and began their journey to Raus, where they intended to massacre the city, just as the Spektronians had done in Jacobstown, Ethiopia.

Großherzog Burg

As the Chancellor, his party and the Royal family exited the limo, the Chancellor made sure to help Hans, step by step, by supporting his weight. The Chancellor looked up at the intimidating ominous castle on the hill top. He then turned to Hans as he helped him to walk, with Marko supporting him on the other side. "Such a beautiful sight... I'd only wish that most castles in Spektronia weren't destroyed by us Fascist Revolutionaries... My father was so blind to their historical significance, referring to them as obsolete and a symbol of the dark past of Spektronia, whilst we Fascists were the future... Now, only a handful of such castles remain in Spektronia." General der Infanterie Kestenbaum responded to the Chancellor's statements. "I was a small boy back then... I remember when Valea Măcrişului Castle was bombed after communist loyalists were trapped in there. Those castles always had odd names..." The Chancellor nodded to Marko. "Ah, you forget that the language of the Democratic People's Republic of Spektronia was Romanian." Marko shook his head. "No, I didn't forget. After all, it is common knowledge. I just think Romanian is an odd language, sir. I'm just glad we changed it to German when your father, bless his soul, assumed his rightful place as Chancellor." The Chancellor nodded in agreement. "Yes, German is a much lovelier language. Do you remember when Ex-Chairman Dalca was hung?" Marko nodded. "I do, sir. I was in the crowd at the time. Sir, if I may ask, why did we name a city after the ex-Chairman if we hated him so much?" The Chancellor ran through his memory briefly before responding. "Ah well, General... That city, which used to be Valea Dragului, was where he was going to try to escape to. Mozambique was his last stronghold and practically the only place he could be safe."

[New Mushroom Kingdom]

Kaiser Wilhelm II Memorial Airport
The Regent looked at Major Strauss and shook hands with him. He said "Sir, It's very much a pleasure to meet you, even if it's not under optimal circumstances. I am the Regent of the New Mushroom Kingdom. As you can see, I have brought plenty of assistance for you and this isn't even including any actual armed forces that will be deployed. I see that we're going to a location rather different than advertised, but I have no qualms. Security is extremely important when facing rebellions, revolutions and communists in particular. I see adequate transportation has been prepared, but I have two enquiries/questions that I would like to make. Would you prefer that the higher-ranking people are all in the same vehicle or would you rather that they be spread out. My other question is that will all the vehicles be travelling as a convoy or will they be taking different routes to our destination?
He was pleased that he would finally be visiting Nova Capile, and his men would be squishing a stupid communist rebellion to boot.

[New United States of Columbia]

Raus, Nova Capile
Foley was, one minute, figuring out just what was going on. The next he was being held hostage and his guards were in a panic. He felt the cool metal of a pistol being held to the back of his head.
"Try anything funny and we'll turn this whole city into a burned out wasteland as if a hundred of German Dragons... Dragons just passed by after eating spicy food." The High King angrily replied.

U.S.C mainland
The Council of Monarchs listened with shock and horror as the pilots on the plane (before they were kidnapped) hastily informed the High Command of the Imperial Forces that the High King was being kidnapped and threatened with death. The council met trying to figure out how to respond. Some said they could pay a ransom. Some said they should try and get the rest of Nazi Europa (in particular German Dragons) involved. Others still said they should send in the Imperial Forces. Others figured they should wait for the communists next move.

[The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile]

Raus, Nova Capile

---

The man laughed at King Foley's remark. "You're lucky we've not killed a tyrant like you yet! And just so you don't try anything-" The assailant aimed his pistol at Foley's thigh and sent a hot bullet straight into it, smiling sadistically under his helmet as the Columbian monarch squirmed in pain. "Everyone off the plane!" another one of the men ordered, aiming his assault rifle at the disarmed Royal Guards. The rest of the company followed suit. "Say, 'your highness', how many can this jet hold?" the man holding King Foley asked, pointing the pistol back at his hostage's head. Meanwhile, one of the group took out a walkie talkie and spoke gleefully into it. The men suddenly noticed a police car screaming towards him and three of them turned to face it. "We've got King Foley hostage, so get on the ground now!" one shouted, quickly unfolding a machine gun and aiming it towards the battered car.

---

Kaiser Wilhelm II Memorial Airport

---

Strauss thought a bit before answering the Regent. "Well sir, due to the threat of Communist insurgents, however unlikely, I would suggest that the most important members of your company fan out between the vehicles, to, ah, ensure the continuation of government. But such a situation is highly unlikely," the Major added quickly. "Oh, and we'll all travel together, under the supervision of three armored police vans, each holding eight heavily armed Stoßschutz guards." He led the group into the vehicles, and before long they were on the road. It was extremely unlikely that the rebels would attack, since police had been purging the country of what few of them there were, but the possibility had to be recognizes.

---

Großherzog Burg

---

The group fanned out from the limo. Prince Karl* and his father went about carefully examining the many bunkers and positions nestled into the forested hillside, but the rest of the important people trudged up the steep hill towards the castle. The Grand Duke was helped by the Chancellor and Marko, and several times had to stop and sit on a boulder, but he made it up to the fortress eventually. "This castle was built by my great-great-grandfather, as a hunting lodge if you can believe it!" he said, pointing out to the vast pine forest that surrounded the peak. "It is really a shame that most of the castles you have were destroyed. Unfortunately we missed the peak of those beautiful structures; still, we built quite a few. The grandest of course being the Imperial Palace, Colditz Castle, and Strathenberg." He was surprisingly well articulated at this point.

The group made their way to the castle and where shown to their rooms by the palace staff. The place was actually well decorated, with rich tapestries and paintings. There also seemed to be a rustic feel; great moose heads hung on the walls, their antlers nearly reaching the opposite wall. It was nowhere near the luxury of the palace, but it was nice and quaint.

---

*(OOC: Just realized that Karl is seventeen, not six. So ignore that part about his mother covering his ears from earlier.)

[New United States of Columbia]

Raus, Nova Capile
It took the Royal Guardsmen every bit of their patience to not try and murder every revolutionary red in sight when man shot their High King in sadistic glee. Foley screamed in pain as he clutched his thigh in pain, blood seeping between his fingers.
"Why should we tell you you red bastard!" One of the guardsmen shouted in anger and rage.

Coast of Nova Capile
The 8th fleet chugged along, soldiers, marines, and sailors ready to get back their High King. The Monarchs voted in favor of sending in the Imperial Forces and raising up their personal armies to also assist the rescue operation. The battleships aimed their guns at any ship suspected of assisting the Reds. The soldiers loaded their riles and readied the tanks and IFVs. Hopefully the High King wasn't dead. They could only hope.

[Pillowlandia]

JSOC, Johgs Citadel
Erin sat at her desk, a space she rarely had a chance to actually occupy. On her desk was a sealed packet, marked classified and hand delivered by an escorted courier. Below it was a small first-class posted mail. I never get a day really off do I? Ripping the seal of her new orders she pulled out the single sheet, and grabbed her authenticator from the drawer. She quickly skimmed the orders, "deploy to Bluewell", "Prepare for insertion into contested space", and "friendly CAS is available". Yet... the authentication code didn't match, it was old. Certainly not the way JSOC operates... She quickly opened the unmarked letter.

Greetings Team Captain Kaiser,

I am well aware of your teams skilled history of... winning your bowling matches. I would like to offer your team a spot in our newest tournament. Please check out the information attached.

Sincerely, Community Manager Watson

She was confused... to say the least. At least she was until she saw the tiny, non-contextual, lemon sticker on the postage. Well this new mission just got a lot more further off the books... She pulled her 'standard' issue communications kit, which she hadn't touched since training, and pulled out the small chemical package. Pouring it onto the paper a new message was quickly revealed.

Greetings Captain Kaiser,

Your team has been hereby activated by the Office of Naval Intelligence for a Light Operation. You and your team are to report to Hanger-9 on base at exactly 9:46PM this evening. You will depart via helicopter and meet a transport vehicle at sea. Your mission will be further described upon arrival.

-Agent Watson of section-8 ONI

Authentication: The baby bird left the nest, but didn't return home alone.

---

They had been riding in the helicopter for what was now nearly seven hours, and they had already had one in air refueling. To Erin this whole cloak and dagger action was unneeded, after all they were still inside the Commonwealth. Nonetheless they were now hovering, which was curious as they were in the middle of the ocean. As they descended the reason became quickly apparent. Below them was a slowly rising hulk of a submarine. It was one of the rare Pidgen-Class subs, built to covertly carry 40 tons of cargo across the globe anytime for any reason.

As the team climbed down the rope ladder to the subs now surfaced deck there was one person awaiting them. Special Agent James Watson, officially dead since being caught in an airstrike which leveled the entire block and killed the rest of his team. He had even received a televised service, but he was here now in the flesh and on a new mission. "Greetings soldiers, We're heading to Nova Capile. We have a schedule to keep and a cargo to deliver. Shall we go below deck?" With that he disappeared, not allowing even a single question from the confused special operations team.

---

That had been several days ago. Now, the team was in a cramped briefing room. "We will insert here, at Neo-Helinski. The area is relatively unoccupied by enemy military assets and isn't home to an active rebellion. Yet. We have two missions, deliver our weapons to rebel forces and get ourseleves in and ready to raise havoc when and where needed. For this mission I will be the liaison with both rebels and shady military personal alike. You four will be doing the heavy lifting. Any questions?"

Charles quickly raised his hand, "I'm assuming close ranges for this mission?" He asked, with a frown on his face. Watson nodded, "We won't have our normal uniforms nor weapons, it'll be for the best if we don't let you snipe, gives them a false profile of your team for when things get really saucy." With no further questions the team headed to the dive chamber, pulling on scuba gear and triple checking their insertion vehicles. Their vehicles was a single heavily modified mini-sub. The rear had a large cargo bay that held nearly four tons of assorted heavy weapons on a floating platform which they would release when they arrived. The middle section was where the five people for the missionn would sit. In the front was the Pilot compartment, the mini sub would return after it dropped off its mission. In total the entire mission package weighed 20 tons, coming in with plenty of capacity for souvenirs when the returned home.

Now though, they climbed in to the vehicle. The sub began pumping water into the cargo hold and once it was filled opened the cargo doors. The sub's cargo chief quickly unhooked the mini-sub from the deck and it rose, quickly speeding away to deliver its surprise.

[Topkekkia]

Raus, Nova Capile
January 6
It seemed to Roman that someone had already apprehended Foley. And it also seemed that the Panzergrenadiers had arrived. Time for a fairly major change of plans.

From a hundred meters out, he steered towards the Panzergrenadiers. Eighty-five meters. He jammed the rifle the previous owner had carelessly abandoned under the brake and on top of the gas. Seventy meters. Shortly after, he unpinned his second to last grenade, leaving it inside the car. Sixty meters. He jumpedout of the door, his gun in hand, androlled to the ground about ten meters from what appeared to be revolutionaries, despite their police garb, leaving the car on a rapid collision course across the next fifty meters.

"TAKE COVER!" he bellowed. There wasn't exactly time for a proper introduction, as much as he would have liked to know their relation to Blücher. The imminently exploding police car seemed a bit more urgent than a meet and greet.

---

Sevick, Topkekkia
January 6
Yuri reclined in his office chair, reading through a number of reports on his computer, the screen the only source of light in the room other than the dim afternoon light filtering in through the large windows behind him, Beethoven's 7th playing in the background. It had just reached the haunting second movement, his favorite part. But for a moment, he was interrupted, by the ringing of his desk phone. With the click of a button, the music disappeared, and the voice of General Blackstone filled the room.

"Yes, what is it?" asked Yuri, mildly upset at being pulled from the state he was in, which he'd found allowed him to work the best.

"I've got a notion on how we can accelerate the situation in Nova Capile," replied the general, his voice as monotone as ever. The man was hard to read, even harder when speaking through a phone.

"Do tell."

"Intel shows that a freighter is going to be leaving from Java later this week. While that's nothing special, the fact that it's unguarded is. We can board it, and use it to land troops on Nova Capile," said the general, seemingly pleased by this notion. Perhaps he'd invented it himself. It wouldn't surprise Yuri.

"Wouldn't that drag us into war against New Decius and Spektronia as well?" asked Yuri. He'd thought Blackstone was a smart man. Perhaps he was wrong.

"I haven't finished," came the calm reply. "The troops won't be affiliated with us. They'll be Crimson Guard regulars, but their uniforms won't be ours, and their weapons won't have serial numbers. No traces other than a dead ship and a thousand men who weren't there before." The general seemed slightly proud of this, though he didn't show it well.

"I like it. Make it happen."

[The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile]

Raus, Nova Capile

---

Foley's captor smiled in satisfaction when his hostage screamed in pain. He only wished he had some salt to pour on the wound. The man glared at the defiant guard under his thick helmet. "So that we don't just shoot you on the spot, seeing as you're not needed. Or even worse, so we don't harm your precious tyrant. We could cut off one of his ears, or give him a Glasgow Smile," the man growled evilly, pulling out switchblade knife and setting the blade dangerously close to the King's lips. "Now, how many people can this jet hold?" he asked menacingly, pricking the King's skin with the edge of the knife. Suddenly the car thundered past the group, and the three men who were blocking it rolled out of the way. The man shouted something about taking cover, and so the man tackled King Foley, keeping his knife on his throat, and held him down whilst a deafening explosion and a shockwave rippled through the ground. He immediately jerked the King back up, making sure that the Royal Guards would have no chance to reclaim their leader.

---

---

Official Communique of the Grand Duchy of Nova Capile

---

From: Minister of War Wilhelm Schultz
To: The Pillowlandian Government
Encryption: High

---

Greetings.
We are happy you have prompted discussions about the prisoners and ships you captured. We are anxious to return them to their home. Perhaps we could exchange prisoners; I have a few hundred Pillowlandian captives at the moment. If not, I could ransom them from you. Simply name your price.
Sincerely,

-Wilhelm Schultz, Capilean Minister of War

[Soviet Farm]

Grohiik Hiim, Soviet Farm
Jonah Dotson sat back in his chair, perfectly content. The speech had gone well, and both the citizens and the politicians were clamoring for war. Our people a
ways did love fighting. he thought to himself. Especially for freedom. In truth, the war was also in the name of expansion, but democracy was always a good rallying cry. But before an invasion happened, allies were needed. He powered on his computer, and began a message. Other leaders relied on secrateries for their messages, but Jonah preferred to type them himself. It was just safer that way. Especially in times of war.

To: The President of Crysuko
From: Jonah Dotson, President of Soviet Farm
Encryption:Extreme
I will speak frankly. Our nations seem o have the same interests, mainly the liberation of. the citizens of Nova Caipile from their oppressors. Perhaps an alliance could be worked out?

[New Decius]

Raus, Nova Capile

---

Foley's captor smiled in satisfaction when his hostage screamed in pain. He only wished he had some salt to pour on the wound. The man glared at the defiant guard under his thick helmet. "So that we don't just shoot you on the spot, seeing as you're not needed. Or even worse, so we don't harm your precious tyrant. We could cut off one of his ears, or give him a Glasgow Smile," the man growled evilly, pulling out switchblade knife and setting the blade dangerously close to the King's lips. "Now, how many people can this jet hold?" he asked menacingly, pricking the King's skin with the edge of the knife. Suddenly the car thundered past the group, and the three men who were blocking it rolled out of the way. The man shouted something about taking cover, and so the man tackled King Foley, keeping his knife on his throat, and held him down whilst a deafening explosion and a shockwave rippled through the ground. He immediately jerked the King back up, making sure that the Royal Guards would have no chance to reclaim their leader.

---

(Image)

---

Official Communique of the Grand Duchy of Nova Capile

---

From: Minister of War Wilhelm Schultz
To: The Pillowlandian Government
Encryption: High

---

Greetings.
We are happy you have prompted discussions about the prisoners and ships you captured. We are anxious to return them to their home. Perhaps we could exchange prisoners; I have a few hundred Pillowlandian captives at the moment. If not, I could ransom them from you. Simply name your price.
Sincerely,
(Image)
-Wilhelm Schultz, Capilean Minister of War

Metsker was lying on the ground from jumping out of the way of the flaming car, but he still had enough sense to get on the radio to his breach teams. "Go! Go! Go!"

At four points, satchel charges blew out parts of the fence encircling the airport. Four teams of five Panzergrenadiers rushed onto the runway to battle their opponents. Feldwebel (Sergeant) Hermann Reuber, of Squad A noticed the jet still flight capable. He turned to one of his men holding a Panzerfaust 3, a 3rd Generation Shoulder-Fired Rocket Launcher. "Take out the tail. They can't take off then!" The man stopped and kneeled, took aim, and fired. The shell sped away and detonated on the tail of Foley's jet, essentially rendering it incapable of flight.

The other squads were closing in while laying down covering fire with their G36C Assault Rifles so as to allow the King's guards to get back up. They were taking great care to not hit the King. However they also knew that the man holding him was Hoffmann's mark.

Max took a deep breath as he set his rifle back in alignment. In his head he was repeating a mantra. 'I am the bullet. I am death. I will hit my mark. Or my mark will hit me.'. He knew there was already one ready in the chamber and all other prep was cleared away. He sighted the main captor's right shoulder, aiming to hit the plate itself and fracture it. "Gott mit uns." And he fired.

OOC: The one he is shooting at is the one holding Foley

[Crysuko]

The beach landing was a bloodbath, with many already dead. But the attackers had a toehold in the form of a few holes to take cover in, one of which had a mortar. It was guesswork at hitting enemy positions, but a few found their mark, landing on bunkers and other hardpoints. The navy and CAGs hadn't let up either, despite taking return fire, missiles and shells still hammered at enemy positions with deadly precision. As the next waves of troops landed, slowly making their way up the beach, the defenders starting taking more return fire. Grenade and rocket launchers as well as a few mortar shells struck them, bunkers were being silenced one by one and the attackers were advancing. Slowly, but surely.

Meanwhile, out at sea:
"incoming torpedos!" shouted a sensor operator. The panicked captain shouted the first thing that came to his mind "hard to starboard!" he shouted. The heavy cruiser Stonne had been hit badly, but was still afloat. barely. The last second maneuver managed to evade a few of the incoming projectiles. On small ships, corvettes and PT boats spotted the incoming commandos on the water, turning autocannons and machine guns on them when they came to the surface. The Manxi put it's other CAG into action, and despite heavy anti air efforts, many of the more skilled pilots got off anti shipping missiles. The smaller ships screened the wounded Stonne and Manxi from the enemy fleet. Suspecting submarines, destroyers sent out powerful SONAR pings to try and find them, dropping some depth charges blindly to try and shake them up. The Crysukon fleet had another trick up it's sleeve: ECM. Missile targetting was being severely disrupted by those who hadn't been programmed in the right way to compensate for it. They were also doing their damndest to jam enemy communications, fry their computers and any other damage they could feasibly do.

[New Decius]

---

Großherzog Burg

---

The group fanned out from the limo. Prince Karl* and his father went about carefully examining the many bunkers and positions nestled into the forested hillside, but the rest of the important people trudged up the steep hill towards the castle. The Grand Duke was helped by the Chancellor and Marko, and several times had to stop and sit on a boulder, but he made it up to the fortress eventually. "This castle was built by my great-great-grandfather, as a hunting lodge if you can believe it!" he said, pointing out to the vast pine forest that surrounded the peak. "It is really a shame that most of the castles you have were destroyed. Unfortunately we missed the peak of those beautiful structures; still, we built quite a few. The grandest of course being the Imperial Palace, Colditz Castle, and Strathenberg." He was surprisingly well articulated at this point.

The group made their way to the castle and where shown to their rooms by the palace staff. The place was actually well decorated, with rich tapestries and paintings. There also seemed to be a rustic feel; great moose heads hung on the walls, their antlers nearly reaching the opposite wall. It was nowhere near the luxury of the palace, but it was nice and quaint.

---

*(OOC: Just realized that Karl is seventeen, not six. So ignore that part about his mother covering his ears from earlier.)

Crown Prince Rudolph's group arrived not long after the main party and by this time, His Highness had cooled his temper from the earlier exchange. One of the guards opened the door to the limousine and held it open. Rudolph stepped out first, though turned immediately to offer his hand to help his fiancée, Princess Elizabeth out of the vehicle. After them, the three advisors exited and milled about waiting for a moment. Baron von Richthofen, being the Luftwaffe veteran that he was, was scanning the area and the skies out of instinct.

"Hmm, one would consider to improve yet still conceal an anti-air defense. Surface-to air batteries in wooded areas coupled with electronic jamming equipment to withstand guided attacks. In the event of bombing, keep a fighter squadron or two close on standby." The Baron was here as an advisor and he certainly jumped right into the role. The other two advisors were keeping their opinions to themselves, though considering neither of them had a noble title nor the experience to match Richthofen, they couldn't really measure up to his opinion on speaking terms.

The group soon began the trek up to the castle accompanied by their escorts. Along the way, Rudolph received a phone call direct from his father, Kaiser Wilhelm Augustus, himself. Apparently, Wilhelm's elder brother and Rudolph's uncle, Heinrich la Germania und Österreich, King of the Kingdom of Austria, was being sent alongside his daughter to Nova Capile to assist in the diplomatic mission. Rudolph suspected the fact that his uncle was also a former Prince-Marshal with several decades of military service under his belt had something to do with it. Likely his uncle was being sent as a secondary military advisor. Perhaps his father also wanted to connect the House's of Wilauhf and Hohenzollern by marriage, his cousin, Elizabeth Hapsburg dal Österreich und Germania, Princess of Austria was eighteen years old and unmarried after all.

Rudolph sighed and continued onwards towards the castle so as to continue his duty and greet the Grand Duke as well as Klaus in person. Of course though, his Knight companion, Sir Breisgau felt the need to announce him upon entering the Entrance Hall of the castle. Much as Rudolph disliked the notion. "Presenting, His Imperial and Royal Highness, Rudolph Stadtfeld di Germania, Crown Prince and Heir to the German Imperial and Prussian Royal Throne's. Lieutenant Colonel of the Kaiserlichen Armee, Afrika Korps detachment, Iron Cross First Class. German Diplomatic Envoy to the Grand Duchy of Nova Capile." Thankfully he did not also have to announce the others, though normally Richthofen's barony would warrant it.

Rudolph sighed and placed a hand on his hand bodyguard's shoulder. "I do wish you wouldn't announce my every entrance Sir Breisgau. I understand it's protocol but an annoying one at that."

[New Mushroom Kingdom]

Kaiser Wilhelm II Memorial Airport
The Regent nodded to the good Major's answered. He said "Excellent" before turning and surveying the fleet of vehicles. He had to decide who would go where - and there were four main things to consider. Obviously the Emperor and the Regent should be located in different cars, but how would the Secret Service and millitary officals be distributed. He started by giving himself the fancy luxury limo, and placing in it roughly half of the Secret Service operatives. The SUVs, he decided, would mostly carry the group of millitary officials but one in particular would carry Napoleon and another group of Secret Service operatives. To his advantage, Napoleon currently did not look like an Emperor at all - he just looked like a random young boy from a posh school and had the outfit to match. Any left over space and vehicles would be filled with the assortment of millitary-oriented officials. He explained his plan to the good Major and began walking towards the limo so the journey could begin. He didn't imagine that it would take long.

[The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile]

Raus, Nova Capile

---

It all happened very fast. One minute the man was threatening Foley, and the next dozens of German soldiers were streaming into the airfield. A rocket hit the tail of the King's jet, sending half of it flying and the other part the clung to the plane singed. The thirteen other men quickly opened fire with their assault rifles and machine guns, sending several oncoming German soldiers sprawling to the ground. Then they dived behind cover, whatever they could find, and continued to spray lead at the monarchists. Finally a bullet came soaring at King Foley's captor from a German sniper. The bullet skimmed Foley's shoulder, leaving a nasty patch of torn, bloody skin, and lodged itself in the Communists' arm. He jerked back and yelped in pain, accidentally digging his knife into Foley's stomach, just above his lungs.

The man left the knife burrowed into the King and fell to the ground clutching his fresh wound. He scrambled back up and grabbed Foley, heaving him up and using him as a human shield. He began running as fast as he could towards a tiny private aircraft parked just a few yards away, dragging the King behind him. Suddenly a giant eighteen-wheeler truck rammed itself through a concrete wall and across the cluttered airfield, stopping itself in-between the formation of Panzergrenadiers and the retreating Communists. A man in the cab, wearing a red armband, began peppering the Germans with machine gun fire. The back of the trailer opened and a dozen more men with the same armbands ran out of it, throwing grenades into the swarm of Germans.

The aircraft rumbled to life and the man drug King Foley into it, propping him up in a seat and tying him to it as three more men ran into the craft. "Get this damn thing started!" he shouted while handcuffing Foley's ankles and wrists together. "No don't you try anything. If your friends try and save you, you're dead. But if they're smart and try and ransom you, then you'll live. Got it?"

---

Großherzog Burg

---

Rudolph entered the castle and was greeted by the palace's underbutler, Sachs. He bowed before the Prince as his titles were announced. "The Royal Family will be pleased to hear that you've arrived. If you'll follow me to your rooms, to put down your luggage, then I'll direct you to the dining hall. The Royal Family and the Chancellor and his company, as well as some government officials, have just started eating." Outside the NMK convoy arrived, and after being cleared by the tight security checkpoints, rolled up to the bottom of the hill and unloaded. As the Baron inspected the security of the place, the junior officers in each checkpoint radioed their superiors to tell them his ideas.

The dining hall was enormous. The rectangular room was crafted from stone, with a huge fire place along each of the two longer walls. Embroidered tapestries hung down from the ceiling, decorated in rich colors of gold, silver, blue, red, and dark green. A long, intricately-carved wooden table ran from one side of the room to the other, and at most could seat perhaps a hundred. The Royal Family and Chancellor sat near the head of the table- with the Grand Duke at the actual head in a carved wooden throne- with space made for the German and Shroom delegations. Near them was General Nemetz, who, along with many other generals, was making his headquarters at Großherzog Burg, and severla other important men such as Kalvin Englebert, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Further along were lesser military and government officials and the local nobility, with space for some of the junior military advisors from foreign countries. The whole group chatted amiably while enjoying wine, cheese, and bread. The cooks, still getting accustomed to the dusty kitchens of the castle, would have dinner up shortly.

[Phenyzia]

Phenyzian Expeditionary Force
600 Kilometers west of the Grand Duchy's coast
Bridge of the Kaiser Wilhelm-class Supercarrier Mähren

The Kaiser Wilhelm-class, despite only three vessels of this class currently existing, is by far the most powerful ship of the Imperial Navy. A 400,000 ton supercarrier easily dwarfing most other warships, it was an impressive sight to behold. Now one of these powerful vessels was leading the Phenyzian Expedionary Force, which besides the supercarrier consisted of six Phenyzia-class battleships and an array of cruisers and destroyers to escort more than a dozen Blauwal-class amphibious transport docks. The Reich, for some reason, was one of the few nations still holding onto it's battleships, even producing new ones including the Phenyzia class which had been designed and introduced merely a decade ago. Most might consider battleships obsolete in modern naval warfare, the Phenyzians apparently didn't agree.

The bridge of the Mähren was a hub of activity as the Phenyzian fleet drew ever closer to the Grand Duchy's coast. Officers were seemingly all over the place, most notably Generaloberst Bülow who heads this expeditionary force, and Generaladmiral von Neu-Wüttemberg who commands the Mähren as his personal flagship.

"We will approximately arrive in the morning, your men should start to get ready for the landing." The Generaladmiral mumbled as he looked down at the map of Nova Capile and marked three spots on the map. "The initial landings will begin here, here, and here, one division each. The fleet will protect your landings and then move to one, or several, of the Capilean ports until we either leave or we're needed again. Correct?"

Bülow glanced at the map and nodded. "That is correct. We will inform the Grand Duchy's authorities about our arrival once we reach their waters. If you excuse me now, I need to prepare a few things as well."




Imperial and Royal private jet and Escort Adler I
Approaching the Grand Duchy's airspace from the south west

The Adler I was the designation for the personal jet of the Phenyzian Kaiser, it was easily noticeable due to it's distinctive white paint and the fact that it had the Reichsadler as a symbol rather than the Iron Cross used by the Phenyzian Luftwaffe. The squadrons of fighters similarly were painted in white and had Reichsadlers on them rather than Iron Crosses, marking them as Royal Guards rather than regular Luftwaffe aircraft.

However today the Adler I wasn't transporting the Phenyzian Kaiser but rather his granddaughter, Prinzessin Viktoria, who just now was leaning back in the comfortable seat after she finished reading up on the recent events in the Grand Duchy. She closed her eyes and listened to the pilot as he tried to contact the Grand Duchy's authorities.

"This is Adler I, transporting the Phenyzian ambassador. We're requesting immediate landing permission at the nearest airport, the ambassador wishes to be transported to Großherzog Burg immediately afterwards."

[Aterria]

A few hundred kilometers away from Nova Capile, Southern District.

It had been around a week since the fleet carrying 250,000 soldiers of the Aterrian 4th Army had set out. All ships had been forced onto maximum speed, and at the current rate of 45 knots, Landfall would be expected soon. Aterrian subs and scout ships were ahead of the main fleet acting as a screen in the case of a potential enemy attack, and all naval assets were on high alert.

30,000 feet in altitude, 200 Aterrian F-39s (A cheaper F-40 variant without the experimental weapons), accelerated at mach 2.5 towards the Capilean coast. There goal was to make a series of strikes on military and industrial facilities along the southern district, while attempting to inflict as few civilian casualties as possible. After all, Aterrians wouldn't want to be killing fellow comrades, despite how brainwashed they could possibly be.

Meanwhile, onboard the capital ship of the Aterrian navy: a Pelley-class aircraft carrier, Admiral Flemming consulted with his senior officers and General Warner (Commander of the Aterrian 4th Army), on matters at hand. The plan was simple: attack.

[New Decius]

Raus, Nova Capile

---

It all happened very fast. One minute the man was threatening Foley, and the next dozens of German soldiers were streaming into the airfield. A rocket hit the tail of the King's jet, sending half of it flying and the other part the clung to the plane singed. The thirteen other men quickly opened fire with their assault rifles and machine guns, sending several oncoming German soldiers sprawling to the ground. Then they dived behind cover, whatever they could find, and continued to spray lead at the monarchists. Finally a bullet came soaring at King Foley's captor from a German sniper. The bullet skimmed Foley's shoulder, leaving a nasty patch of torn, bloody skin, and lodged itself in the Communists' arm. He jerked back and yelped in pain, accidentally digging his knife into Foley's stomach, just above his lungs.

The man left the knife burrowed into the King and fell to the ground clutching his fresh wound. He scrambled back up and grabbed Foley, heaving him up and using him as a human shield. He began running as fast as he could towards a tiny private aircraft parked just a few yards away, dragging the King behind him. Suddenly a giant eighteen-wheeler truck rammed itself through a concrete wall and across the cluttered airfield, stopping itself in-between the formation of Panzergrenadiers and the retreating Communists. A man in the cab, wearing a red armband, began peppering the Germans with machine gun fire. The back of the trailer opened and a dozen more men with the same armbands ran out of it, throwing grenades into the swarm of Germans.

The aircraft rumbled to life and the man drug King Foley into it, propping him up in a seat and tying him to it as three more men ran into the craft. "Get this damn thing started!" he shouted while handcuffing Foley's ankles and wrists together. "No don't you try anything. If your friends try and save you, you're dead. But if they're smart and try and ransom you, then you'll live. Got it?"

---

Großherzog Burg

---

Rudolph entered the castle and was greeted by the palace's underbutler, Sachs. He bowed before the Prince as his titles were announced. "The Royal Family will be pleased to hear that you've arrived. If you'll follow me to your rooms, to put down your luggage, then I'll direct you to the dining hall. The Royal Family and the Chancellor and his company, as well as some government officials, have just started eating." Outside the NMK convoy arrived, and after being cleared by the tight security checkpoints, rolled up to the bottom of the hill and unloaded. As the Baron inspected the security of the place, the junior officers in each checkpoint radioed their superiors to tell them his ideas.

The dining hall was enormous. The rectangular room was crafted from stone, with a huge fire place along each of the two longer walls. Embroidered tapestries hung down from the ceiling, decorated in rich colors of gold, silver, blue, red, and dark green. A long, intricately-carved wooden table ran from one side of the room to the other, and at most could seat perhaps a hundred. The Royal Family and Chancellor sat near the head of the table- with the Grand Duke at the actual head in a carved wooden throne- with space made for the German and Shroom delegations. Near them was General Nemetz, who, along with many other generals, was making his headquarters at Großherzog Burg, and severla other important men such as Kalvin Englebert, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Further along were lesser military and government officials and the local nobility, with space for some of the junior military advisors from foreign countries. The whole group chatted amiably while enjoying wine, cheese, and bread. The cooks, still getting accustomed to the dusty kitchens of the castle, would have dinner up shortly.

The soldiers so far with the King's life in danger, could do nothing but hold a perimeter and prevent themselves from dying. Leutnant Metsker meanwhile was calling divisional headquarters for helicopter support while Max rushed across the street to get a new shot. He didn't bother joining the chatter of his comrades.

'Gathering in height of the cabin windows and this building, as well as how steep my angle of fire has to be to penetrate what is likely bullet-proof glass. Third floor should do it, third window from the left.'

Max checked he had the right door and then burst through which amounted to screams from a woman inside. A man wearing a red armband swung a crowbar at him but Max grabbed it and landed a blow to his solar plexus. He leaned forward and said, with a face that was terrifyingly expressionless, with a emotionless voice. "Don't get back up. If you do, I will kill you." With that black hair and those red eyes, he was practically a demon incarnate. The man did not dare get back up.

Max setup on the window sill and adjusted his sight so that the round would penetrate the glass and continue on. He lined his sight up with the head of the terrorist whom he'd hit before. He said once more. 'I am the bullet. I am death. I will hit my target or my target will hit me.' and then he fired.

The high velocity round raced across the sky, smacked into one of the cabin windows, penetrating with a clean cut. It proceeded to slam into the head of the lead terrorist. Blood splattered onto the walls as he was felled. But Max wasted no time and quickly sighted another target amongst the lot sending a shell his way in the confusion.

---

Rudolph clicked his heels and bowed slightly as a show of respect and smiled at first Hans and then Klaus. "Your Majesty, Your Highness a pleasure to meet you. My father sends his regards though he requested I ask if the Grand Duke remembered him. It would seem you two crossed paths several times during the Columbian war whilst my father was still merely a Prince Marshal."

[Crysuko]

{...]

[New Mushroom Kingdom]

Großherzog Burg
After passing the checkpoints and arriving at their secure destination, the Shroom delegation had finally arrived. The first thing to happen was everyone exiting their cars / vehicles, quickly followed by the Regent reuniting with the Emperor. At this point the actions of the assorted military advisors was not tremendously important so they were left to mostly do their own thing. The Emperor and Regent were now being guarded / protected by a few Secret Service operatives and they began their walk into the main entrance in order to meet the Grand Duke as well as the delegations of the other allied forces. He was not particularly looking forward to meeting the delegates from New Decius after the events in the Columbian capital. Nontheless, it would be important to cooperate with each delegate and allied state if this rebellion were to be crushed before it was successful.

[Topkekkia]

Raus, Nova Capile
January 6
Roman was faced with a predicament. On one hand, he could stay here and avoid the death trap that was the plane. On the other hand, if he stayed here, he was dead anyway, now that the king was moving along. Before he could make the decision, the lead revolutionary's head exploded in a rather messy fashion. As he glanced about to see where the shot was from, he spotted the end of a rifle retracting from the window of a building. Bingo.
He dashed towards it, keeping to the shadows of the nearby buildings while watching for any sign of a person leaving through the bottom.

As he reached his destination shielded by the panicked throng of onlookers, he lobbed a grenade into the window, entering through the door as a woman frantically left. A man lay there on the floor, gasping for air. It was the right building. He drew his knife with one hand, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and opting for his pistol instead. It was a finely crafted M1911, his personal favorite sidearm. In his left hand, he carried a lightweight, but razor sharp knife. He'd had it since he was young, and its handle perfectly molded to his hand, despite the blood, sweat, and grime covering it. The agent calmly waited at the bottom, lurking in the darkness next to the stairwell. It was time for a duel of real professionals.

[New Decius]

Raus, Nova Capile
January 6
Roman was faced with a predicament. On one hand, he could stay here and avoid the death trap that was the plane. On the other hand, if he stayed here, he was dead anyway, now that the king was moving along. Before he could make the decision, the lead revolutionary's head exploded in a rather messy fashion. As he glanced about to see where the shot was from, he spotted the end of a rifle retracting from the window of a building. Bingo.
He dashed towards it, keeping to the shadows of the nearby buildings while watching for any sign of a person leaving through the bottom.

As he reached his destination shielded by the panicked throng of onlookers, he lobbed a grenade into the window, entering through the door as a woman frantically left. A man lay there on the floor, gasping for air. It was the right building. He drew his knife with one hand, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and opting for his pistol instead. It was a finely crafted M1911, his personal favorite sidearm. In his left hand, he carried a lightweight, but razor sharp knife. He'd had it since he was young, and its handle perfectly molded to his hand, despite the blood, sweat, and grime covering it. The agent calmly waited at the bottom, lurking in the darkness next to the stairwell. It was time for a duel of real professionals.

Max let off another shot, blowing out another man's head as he packed up and left the apartment, exiting just as the grenade was set-off, but experience allowed him to continue on unfazed in such scenarios so long as he was uninjured. As he was entering the stairwell, his trained ears picked up the sound of slightly labored but skillfully silenced breathing coming from below. In what his academy instructors would have called record time, he unslung his rifle and aimed straight down, not intending to fire, only to use the thermal vision on the scope to search for his opponent. Still no emotion on his face, an effect of year after year of a combat sniper. Even a glint of a smile from sunlight could be spotted by his target or an enemy sniper, and frown lines made it difficult to act like a corpse. Max slowly panned using his scope to search for a heat trail, a light trail remained from the woman having run out. There was a concentration of heat being concealed by the stairwell. So that was where they were hiding.

Max, again with no expression or emotion, called out to his would-be attacker. "I recommend that you come out of hiding. My rifle has a field of fire of the whole of the bottom of the stairwell. And with my thermal vision scope I could follow you through the building. I estimate you would have 3.7 seconds of freedom to flee your little hide-away before my finger pulls on the trigger. You could get perhaps six feet five inches, and my bullet may miss. Or it could lodge itself in your arm. All the same to you, I would rather have less bloodshed, so lets keep this clean shall we." He slowly and calmly took two steps down, all the while keeping his rifle trained on that spot.

"Let's start with an introduction. I am Schutz or Private to you possibly Non-Germanic, Max Hoffman, 3rd Infanterie Regiment, 23rd Panzergenadier Division, Kaiserlichen Armee. I'm from Oldenburg, that's on Germany's North-West Coast. Joined the armed forces at eighteen years old, and served as a combat sniper in France, Croatia, Egypt, Syria, and Sri Lanka. Iron Cross 1st Class for Bravery. Seeing as I'm only a Private, I have no authority to arrest you as a military prisoner so my only real threat is the ability to which I can end your life. Will you desire peace, or shall one of us not be walking out of this building?"