THE 2nd Cataclysm 1920. IC-CLOSED per Sign Up.

[Lowell Leber]

Imperial High Command Chambers.
Areis City, L.L.
Feburary 14th, 1920

"These troop concentrations near Kustrin, are they anything more than posturing?"asked Marshal Steiner.

"We believe so," responded his Intelligence Chief General von Ulbrus, " with the amount of heavy equipment brought by the Kievis near to the boarder. We reckon that it is a war game exercise or a prelude to a possible attack."

"Well surely they wouldn't be so rash as to risk an offensive against the four armies that make up the active forces of the Northern Front?" replied Steiner, " Even they have the cranal capacity to remember what we did to them in 1880. At any rate perhaps we shoud call up the ready reserve and began deploying them north....."

[Itailian Maifias]

tag

[Kievistan]

Kievistan Supreme Command
Kievi, Kievistan
February 14th, 1920

"Yes Marshal Rukowski, I know the Leberites will not expect a winter offensive. But, the orders from the Emperor and his council stand...no manuevers within 5 miles of the boarder...our glorious war will come soon enough," replied Marshal Yitski. "We will come like a spring thaw from the south, especially with our new allies...but enough for now, carry out your orders!"

[Wonderchicken]

Lookout station
WDKD Saidom Vubee
25 miles west of the Laynu Straits separating Nullarni from Lowell Leber
14 FEB 1920, 03:15 hours

Bacs Zervahli inhaled deeply and stretched. He had never been a night person, but the midnight watch was the only time he ever got above deck. The cold winter's night air would help him stay alert as he listened to the sinker's powerful diesel motors propelling the ship forward and replenishing her crucial battery power. He was proud of his posting to the newest sinker in the fleet, a Hac-Tolakh class leviathan that was among the most advanced warships Wo'n Darshekeen had to offer, but the fact remained that life inside a sinker was hot, cramped, crowded, and smelled worse than his uncle's chicken coup. A gust of wind brought with it a blast of ocean spray and Bacs shivered, then released the grip he had instinctively tightened on his overcoat.

As communications officer and cryptographer on board the Saidom Vubee, Bacs was privy to a lot of information that went above his pay grade, and as he scanned the horizon he was mulling over the strange orders that had been coming in over the last month. Originally, the crew of the Saidom Vubee had been told that they were sailing to Kievistan to represent the Power-Seat in Kievi ceremonies commemorating the new alliance between the two nations. A new day of prosperity was dawning, and Bacs smiled as he thought of what that would mean for his wife and their son. Bacs had never been able to hold his precious boy, as Devee had been born two weeks after he left port, but Tenjah had managed to get a letter and a photograph delivered by way of the one of the ships sailing with the battleship Nacsnahdu, and Bacs read it often.

The journey around the south end of the continent had taken months, and as the Vubee had begun to approach Nullarni, new messages had begun to come in. Apparently, the Nacsnahdu and her support ships had already arrived in Kievistan and performed the little dog-and-pony show for the civilians. The Saidom Vubee was now engaged in an impromptu war game with the Kievis, and was to try to breach the Laynu Strait without being detected. Most of the crew was in high spirits, as so far they had not seen the remotest sign that anyone but the Vushicskah Fa had any inkling of their whereabouts. What weighed on Bacs Zervahli's mind tonight was, why had there been no sign whatsoever of the Kievi navy that was supposedly trying to find the Wochik sinker? And why on earth was the goal of the exercise to put the Saidom Vubee in a body of water nowhere near Kievistan? Fighting the urge to light up a smoke, he raised his binoculars and swept the horizon again.

[Australien]

Bruce Phillips sat at his guard post, watching diligently over the armoury at Newcastle barracks. Others would question why he put so much effort into such a mundane task. "It's not as if anyone was going to try and break into a damn armoury", they all told him, but it didn't change his mind. What if war were declared by the end of the week? Where would the nation be without the means to defend itself, or the mother country?

He did feel annoyed at his post, though. He had explicitly requested to be sent along with the expeditionary force to Nullarni, to partake in the war games there, but in the end he was stuck here, guarding an armoury that nobody would rob.

The force heading up north was fairly large, it consisted of one dreadnought, three heavy cruisers, five light cruisers, eight destroyers and two troop ships, filled to the brim with about three thousand soldiers in each!

The army's contribution was minor, six thousand men was nothing extraordinary, but it was the navy's contribution that worried him. If war did break out (Not that it would), half the navy was on the other side of the world.

[Itailian Maifias]

Vinci, Vinci Maifia

The guard patrolled the wall segment of the city, his Veninzio 90 upright , the butt help firmly in his hand. It was loaded, the 7 round internal clip was inserted. Word had just drifted back of the latest attack, north in the Tara Jungle, near its northern edge. Forces from Hamrin tried to break through Vinci lines again and enter the forest. They were denied again, as the Vinci forces held the line, using the jungle and heavily fortified positions to their advantage.
The Sparrae Navy had already been fighting with the Esrin Navy for months trying to break through. But Esrin held and they continued to control the Central Sea's. Now, President John Da Vinci was already making plans to assault and capture Hamrin. Kalmor had engaged a enemy fleet on the other side of Tirin. If they could break through and capture the city, it would be a huge victory in this never ending war

[Nullarni]

OOC: Italian Mafia, I really don't know anything about your history. What exactly is going on in your post? Are you already at war with someone?

[Lowell Leber]

February 16th, 1920
Kustrin,North Galicia, L.L.

The troop trains continued to arrive from the south with ready reservists. The schedule for these movements were calculated down to the minute by the mobilization plans. Slowly over the course of the next three days the Northern Front would be brought to full strength. From the western coast to the mountainous boarder in the east-central part of the nation would be five field armies making up over a million men. From the west streched the 3rd, 4th, 8th, 2nd, 6th, and 10th Armies. The most vital was the 6th, which also happended to be the the most elite. It was the 6th Army, with its 6th Guards Rifle and 66th Guards (Mounted Rifles) Division as well as two Guards Cavalry Divisions, that would be tasked with covering Kustrin along with the 40,000 garrison troops.

Kustrin was the main city of the northern plains and a commercial and governmental center. But it was its position as the railroad hub for the strategic railways that ran east and west along the militarized boarder with Kievistan that made it so valuable. The garrison manned strong forts located about 5 miles north of the city and connected by lines of heavy field forticfications. Other forts anchored this line against the Claire River both up and down the river 10 miles from the city. The forts possessed 8inch quick firing naval guns as well as other artillery. In addition 2 aerodromes sat south of the city about 5 miles from which the air corps could fly observation missions as well bombing runs in time of war. Unfortuanately, only 2 squadrons were based here at the time...

[Itailian Maifias]

OOC: Italian Mafia, I really don't know anything about your history. What exactly is going on in your post? Are you already at war with someone?

OOC: More or less. Look at my map. See the different symbolized and colored cities and how their are 3 or 2 alike? Those are the Mafia's and they are at war with each other. Have been since the 1100's

[Nullarni]

February 17, 07:26

Admiral Thomas Thane stood on the bridge of the Persephone, sipping a hot cup of miso soup. The Presephone was one of Nullarni's Kracken Class airships, and was the flagship of the Order of Twilight's airship fleet.

"Try to keep it steady at 18,000 feet," Admiral Thane ordered. At this altitude the air was cold and thin, and the early morning sun had a tendency to heat up the ship's gas bladders, causing the ship to rapidly rise. This caused problems for the crew, because if the ship went much higher they would have to deal with problems from oxygen deficiency, not the least of which was blacking out.

The Persephone was patrolling just off the coast of Kievistan, near the border of Lowell Leber. The Admiral had received word that Kievistan was doing military maneuvers right along the border, and quite predictably Lowell Leber responded with sending troops to the border. Normally an observation mission like this would be left to others, but the Admiral felt that Lowell Leber's jumpy response might give Kievistan the reason it needs to escalate the situation into a full blown conflict. And should that happen, the Admiral receiving first hand information would save valuable time.

"Admiral, I believe I just sighted a Wo'n Darshekeen ship, which appears to be maneuvering with the Kievistan fleet." They were spending the morning recording the classes and numbers of the Kievistan fleet in the area.

"That can't be right. Why would it be so far from home? Anders, verify that sighting and double check it with the silhouette charts."

"Yes sir... Um, verified. It matches the chart."

"Let me see your spotting scope... Hmmm... We are too high up to see its flag. Mark it as a possible Wo'n Darshekeen vessel."

"Admiral, I've sighted another- wait... Its an entire battle group."

"Just record what you see. That's all we can do at the moment. What are the Wo'n Darshekeen doing all the way up here?" Admiral Thane took a thoughtful sip from his cup.

OOC: You did say that one of your battleships and its support ships are manuevering with the Kievistan military, right?

[Australien]

February 17th, 1920
Kustrin,North Galicia, L.L.

Military Intelligence Officer Kevin Brown stepped off the train at Kustrin, straightening his tie on the platform. He was an agent of the newly formed Military Intelligence Office, and it was a prestigious day for him. He was the first ever officer to be sent overseas, his mission was to gather intelligence on the types and number of troops the Kievis were fielding in the area.

He walked over to the police officer standing on the platform,
"Excuse me, could you direct me to the Military Headquarters in the city? I have an urgent meeting with the commanding officer"

OOC- And you can take that wherever you wish, Leber. Plus, I think it's 'border' and not 'boarder' in this context.

[Wonderchicken]

Bridge
WDN Nacsnahdu
The gulf now known to Wochiks as the Kievi Gulf
17 FEB 1920, 08:25 hours

It had taken a good fifteen to twenty minutes to get the message, and Kah-Ahnto'nee¹ Denebor was making no effort to hide her frustration. Sometime after 08:00 hours, a lookout on the WDN Krat had spotted what the report claimed was a zekharaiah², and she wasn't sure whether she was more upset by the communication breakdown or by not being certain of the sighting. She decided to choose the former, and cursed. Twenty minutes? A battle could run its course that much time. It was unacceptable, and she made a mental note to have yet another word with the Commander of the Krat.

A courier stepped briskly into her ready room and handed her a sheet of paper, then saluted smartly and departed. The missive was from her own first officer: "Sighting confirmed by WDN Tikizahn. Nullarnish zekharaiah flying at estimated 18,000 feet and rising. Big sucker. Best guess--Kracken class." He had written "big" in all capital letters and underlined it twice. A chuckle fought its way past Denebor's lips.

Deecsee Denebor had been in the Vushicskah Fa long enough to know when foul weather was approaching. She could read the wind and the waves and the briny burn in her nostrils, and know in her gut which hatches to batten. Just now, her gut was developing a knot big enough to swamp the Nacsnahdu. Ever since that "ceremony" honoring Wo'n Darshekeen's new agreements with the Kievis, which had hardly been anything to write home about, she hadn't been able to stop wondering why in Darshek's name they had asked for a dreadnought and its group. Now here she was conducting maneuvers near the Kievis' hated rivals and who shows up but the Nullarnish? She felt a sudden need to make certain the Nacsnahdu was flying her colors. She reached for her cap and a handful of aluminum tablets for the heartburn and headed for the bridge.

1 - Wochik equivalent to Admiral
2- Airship. Named for a Biblical reference to Zechariah 5:1. Apparently, someone in the Wochik Admiralty thought they looked like flying rolls.

OOC: Australien is correct that a boarder is a person (a lodger) and the dividing line between countries is a border. @Nullarni--Actually, it was the Saidom Vubee I had said was in a war game, but it seems to me that the Nacsnahdu's orders could have been altered to play soldier just as easily (and for the same reasons...). I must confess, I'm half-tempted to add into that first-officer's note that it's sparkly!

[Lowell Leber]

February 17th, 1920
Kustrin,North Galicia, L.L.

Military Intelligence Officer Kevin Brown stepped off the train at Kustrin, straightening his tie on the platform. He was an agent of the newly formed Military Intelligence Office, and it was a prestigious day for him. He was the first ever officer to be sent overseas, his mission was to gather intelligence on the types and number of troops the Kievis were fielding in the area.

He walked over to the police officer standing on the platform,
"Excuse me, could you direct me to the Military Headquarters in the city? I have an urgent meeting with the commanding officer"

OOC- And you can take that wherever you wish, Leber. Plus, I think it's 'border' and not 'boarder' in this context.

February 17th, 1920
Kustrin,North Galicia, L.L.

"Yes I can help you sir," replied the officer. "Please go to the rail office and request a lorrie to the Northern Command building. General Burger is the CinC and he told us to expect your arrival comrade.."
OOC-Please forgive my spelling error there...

[Wonderchicken]

Kah-Ahnto'nee's Conference Room
WDN Nacsnahdu
The Kievi Gulf
17 FEB 1920, 09:56 hours

"WHAT??" Deecsee Denebor's outburst nearly knocked the comm officer to the floor. "Are they out of their minds?? Kahtóshkah gah Hac-Akhet¹! Why wasn't I informed of this back when they set sail?"

Vushvakh Nahcs² Teelyeh knew that his Kah-Ahnto'nee had a temper, and had seen her angry before, but this kind of rage was a first even for him. Something fiercely wrong had to be eating at her to make her like this, and he gritted his teeth against the impulse to insist on knowing what. He turned instead to the comm officer, and asked if there was anything further to report.

"N-n-no, sir," stammered the shaken youth. "The message was very brief, just that we were to expect the Jicsk, the Csimo, and the Csitu to be on approach, and that we were to rendezvous with them and relieve the Kucsah in escorting them to Kievi waters."

"Very well. You are dismissed." Teelyeh returned the young man's salute and turned to Kah-Ahnto'nee Denebor. He paused, assessing her expression before proceeding. "It's not like you to blow up like that. In fact I have never seen you like this in the three years we've served together."

She let out a barking laugh. "Three troop ships that would have to have set sail within...I don't know; hours of our own departure to get here by now? Our sister-ship, the Kucsah, is with them? No doubt she's got the Vaykush, the Ahbi Ahdai-no and the Tuvahndahfa with her. I'd be surprised if they haven't brought half a dozen sinkers with them!"

"Ma'am?"

"Keep this under your hat, Vushvakh, since there's no official order from higher up; but mark my words. Our new friends..." her face twisted and she spat the word out like a mouthful of venom, "...are going to war."

"Ma'am??"

"And they're taking us with them. I want you double the readiness drills. Tell anyone who asks that I'm just trying to show off the superiority of the Wochik fleet, but I want those sailors ready for battle. As soon as we contact the Kucsah, I want to know exactly what we're escorting to Kievistan in those Khotehlolah-tum³."

"Yes, ma'am." Mik Teelyeh turned on his heel to make his way back onto the bridge.

"And Mik?" The VushVakh paused, turning.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Flank speed, if you please. I want to be there yesterday."

1- A literal translation would be "Wrath of God." Used as an exclamation, it's a pretty un-ladylike thing for a Wochik to say...
2- A Vakhb is a general. A Vushvakh is a similar rank onboard a naval vessel. The VushVakh Nahcs would be the highest ranking officer on the ship, after a Kah-Ahnto'nee.
3- Khotehlolah means "carrier," and refers to a cargo vessel. The suffix "tum" makes it plural.

OOC: Hey, what are friends for, if not to give you crap for misspelling something? Or for being an RP newb?

[Kievistan]

Kievistan Supreme Command
Kievi, Kievistan
Feb. 17th, 1920

Marshal Yitski read over the report from his spy network in Kustrin. The information showed that the Leberites were mobilizing their ready reserves as expected. They were very strong here in the north, too bad that is not where the hammer will fall....but something towards the bottom of the page caught his eye. An Australien military liasion in Kustrin? "Are they not just a colony themselves?" he said out loud to himself. No matter he said, even as a possible ally to the Leberites they are not a threat to us. By the time they got troops near us it will be over anyhow...

[Lowell Leber]

Northern Command HQ
Kustrin, L.L.
Feb. 17th, 1920

General Burger stood at attention to recieve Officer Brown from the ADF. After an exchange of salutes the men shook hands and were seated. Coffee was served by the young female secretary before the General started the conversation.
"My superiors at Imperial High Command (IHC for future ref.) tell me that their counterparts at the ADF highly recommend you. That is good, because this will be ground central for the next war. And that war, I am afraid to say, is on our doorstep..."

[Itailian Maifias]

OOC: I feel so excluded
IC:

Northern Edge of Tara Jungle
March 13, 1920
Vinci Maifia lines

Pvt. Campbell was sitting in his fox hole, trying to get some sleep. Then he heard the gunshots and then the artillery go off. The Esrin forces were charging again. He grabbed his V90, loaded it and then stood up, and took aim as 3 enemy platoons were charging. Artillery decimated one, as he pulled the trigger. His bullets cut through the spraying earth and chaos, and out of 7, 3 managed to hit their target. He reloaded and took aim again and fired. All around the lines, 3,000 men were doing the same thing. The 32mm mortars behind them continue to go off, their shells spraying dirt, blood, and tissue everywhere.

[Lowell Leber]

OOC: I feel so excluded
IC:

Northern Edge of Tara Jungle
March 13, 1920
Vinci Maifia lines

Pvt. Campbell was sitting in his fox hole, trying to get some sleep. Then he heard the gunshots and then the artillery go off. The Esrin forces were charging again. He grabbed his V90, loaded it and then stood up, and took aim as 3 enemy platoons were charging. Artillery decimated one, as he pulled the trigger. His bullets cut through the spraying earth and chaos, and out of 7, 3 managed to hit their target. He reloaded and took aim again and fired. All around the lines, 3,000 men were doing the same thing. The 32mm mortars behind them continue to go off, their shells spraying dirt, blood, and tissue everywhere.

OOC-IF you want to be more involved with the war when it starts, then perhaps one of your Mafias could smuggle weapons or other contraband to a warring nation or nations?

[Lowell Leber]

Feb. 17th, 1920. 1600 hours local time.
25 miles notheast of Kustrin

A Cavalry patrol was just returning over the border after another recon mission. Its commander, Lt. Archibald von Peiper, was leading the group back to its outpost another 5 miles south. Peiper, whose father had been a victorious General that had routed the Kievis at the gates of Kustrin in 1880, was a local boy who had grown up here on the North Galician plains. He had dreamed of being an officer in the Galician Guards all throughout his 3 years at the Acadamy, and here he was. And with the new information he had from their patrol, he had no doubt he was soon to be in combat...

[Itailian Maifias]

OOC: I feel so excluded
IC:

Northern Edge of Tara Jungle
March 13, 1920
Vinci Maifia lines

Pvt. Campbell was sitting in his fox hole, trying to get some sleep. Then he heard the gunshots and then the artillery go off. The Esrin forces were charging again. He grabbed his V90, loaded it and then stood up, and took aim as 3 enemy platoons were charging. Artillery decimated one, as he pulled the trigger. His bullets cut through the spraying earth and chaos, and out of 7, 3 managed to hit their target. He reloaded and took aim again and fired. All around the lines, 3,000 men were doing the same thing. The 32mm mortars behind them continue to go off, their shells spraying dirt, blood, and tissue everywhere.

OOC-IF you want to be more involved with the war when it starts, then perhaps one of your Mafias could smuggle weapons or other contraband to a warring nation or nations?

OOC: Maifia? Smuggle? Since when?

[Australien]

Northern Command HQ
Kustrin, L.L.
Feb. 17th, 1920

General Burger stood at attention to recieve Officer Brown from the ADF. After an exchange of salutes the men shook hands and were seated. Coffee was served by the young female secretary before the General started the conversation.
"My superiors at Imperial High Command (IHC for future ref.) tell me that their counterparts at the ADF highly recommend you. That is good, because this will be ground central for the next war. And that war, I am afraid to say, is on our doorstep..."

OOC- It'd be the AAS (Australien Armed Service) at this point, not the ADF. Also, would you mind if I was a former colony of yours? I think it'd make more sense than if I was one of Nullarni's


He sipped his coffee and replied
"I'm afraid that it appears so, but rest assured, Australien will be here to lend it's assistance. We have 6,000 troops on there way, along with a sizeable naval force, for the planned war games. But something tells me that these games may become very real, very quickly."
He put his cup down and got straight to business,
"I require your assistance, all I ask is for a squad of men, several horses, your most accurate and recent maps of the region and binoculars for each man in said squad. I can have half the Kievi armed forces mapped out for you by the time this war starts."

[Lowell Leber]

Northern Command HQ
Kustrin, L.L.
Feb. 17th, 1920

General Burger stood at attention to recieve Officer Brown from the ADFAAS. After an exchange of salutes the men shook hands and were seated. Coffee was served by the young female secretary before the General started the conversation.
"My superiors at Imperial High Command (IHC for future ref.) tell me that their counterparts at the ADF highly recommend you. That is good, because this will be ground central for the next war. And that war, I am afraid to say, is on our doorstep..."

OOC- It'd be the AAS (Australien Armed Service) at this point, not the ADF. Also, would you mind if I was a former colony of yours? I think it'd make more sense than if I was one of Nullarni's


He sipped his coffee and replied
"I'm afraid that it appears so, but rest assured, Australien will be here to lend it's assistance. We have 6,000 troops on there way, along with a sizeable naval force, for the planned war games. But something tells me that these games may become very real, very quickly."
He put his cup down and got straight to business,
"I require your assistance, all I ask is for a squad of men, several horses, your most accurate and recent maps of the region and binoculars for each man in said squad. I can have half the Kievi armed forces mapped out for you by the time this war starts."

OOC-Yes

ICS- "Well the help of our brothers and sisters from Australien is greatly appriciated. And I think I have just the unit for you. My adjutant will arrange for your travel to the border. Once there you will be assigned to a cavalry recon unit under the command of one our most promising officers, a young Lt. von Peiper..."

[Kievistan]

Kievistan Army GHQ
Kievi, Kievistan
Feb. 18th, 1920
ICS-(ATTN:Wonderchicken) Marshal Yitski walked out into the bitter cold of the Kievi GHQ for a smoke and a stroll. In an hour he was to meet with the Emperor and representatives from their new allies about the coming plans for war. In the meantime it was his understanding that the Foreing Minister was to meet with his counterpart from LL about a "peaceful solution" in order to buy time. Yitski thought about how much trikery was going into this and sighed, perhaps it was the only way to victory...

[Wonderchicken]

Wochik Consolate
Kievi, Kievistan
Feb. 18th, 1920

Himnai Vazhdakh paused again to check his hair in the mirror before stepping outside. That blasted cowlick always managed to produce a rooster tail, no matter who cut his hair or how. Might as well be sitting in the same low-rent place I went to as a kid as pay these over-priced "specialists," he thought to himself. He glanced at the clock on the mantle, and cursed. He would be late for his meeting with Marshal Yitski and the Kievi Emperor, just as his Assistant had predicted. How would Great-Grandfather Vazhdakh, The Great Statesman, react to see Himnai blundering so badly in such an important, prestigious assignment? He cursed again, grabbed his coat and hat, and let Jankinz usher him to their waiting car...

OOC: Sorry, but what's the difference between "IC" and "ICS"?

[Lowell Leber]

Wochik Consolate
Kievi, Kievistan
Feb. 18th, 1920

Himnai Vazhdakh paused again to check his hair in the mirror before stepping outside. That blasted cowlick always managed to produce a rooster tail, no matter who cut his hair or how. Might as well be sitting in the same low-rent place I went to as a kid as pay these over-priced "specialists," he thought to himself. He glanced at the clock on the mantle, and cursed. He would be late for his meeting with Marshal Yitski and the Kievi Emperor, just as his Assistant had predicted. How would Great-Grandfather Vazhdakh, The Great Statesman, react to see Himnai blundering so badly in such an important, prestigious assignment? He cursed again, grabbed his coat and hat, and let Jankinz usher him to their waiting car...

OOC: Sorry, but what's the difference between "IC" and "ICS"?

OOC-ICS is in-character secret. Meaning that why all can read it of course, the info can only be know for RP purposes for who it was intended. In this case you.