The Imperial State [Maintenance] [Closed]

[Deutschen Kaiserreichs]

Berlin
27th of November 2021

The room was dimly lit, with the only light source being a lantern next to the door. In the room, seated around a table, were 5 men. Each of them had a special skill linked to their job- one was good with a gun, another a fast driver, another still a cunning criminal. They were all members of the Nationalists- a far-right group with the aim of replacing the monarchy, which had betrayed the nation by existing, into a republic, and to turn the nation from an evil monarchist regime into the sole superpower. That was their aim- and that was these men's task.

One of the was Jakeb Heiner. He was a former intelligence officer, turned criminal, who had found the secret Nationalist group and found their views matched his own. He had quickly risen the ranks, being involved in events like the 2011 Hanover bombing, the 2015 terrorist bombings across the country, and the 2016 attempted assassination of the Minister of Justice in Hamburg. He was now ready to prove himself as the leader of the Nationalists' Team B- tasked with the overthrowing of the monarchy. And he would not fail.

He looked around the room. His fellow Team B Nationalists were seated, calmly watching Jakeb as he outlined his plan. In a few months, a dozen Nationalists would bomb the intelligence services' headquarters around Berlin, followed, in quick succession, the bombings of the Royal Palace, the Crown Prince's Palace, Brandenburg Gate, the government buildings and certain embassies. They would then throw the full force of the Nationalists at the government, causing chaos in Berlin, followed by chaos around the country and culminating in the overthrow of the monarchy in an armed coup.

There had been some setbacks- notably, one of their informants and allies, a man named Oli, had been located by police and was now a fugitive. Now the entire country was out looking for him, and if he was captured, the entire operation could collapse. A few other people had been found- a few low-level operatives in the Nationalists had been detained, and one had been imprisoned for smuggling weapons into the country. The Nationalists had been banned just yesterday after new information came to light, and their leader, based in Berlin, had narrowly escaped intelligence services when they searched his house. The plan needed to be put into action as quickly as possible. And that meant in a few months, when weapons had been taken, numbers had grown, and the police were moving onto other topics and everybody had forgotten about the Nationalists.

[Deutschen Kaiserreichs]

Reinsehlen Camp
28th of November 2021

Exercise Plains was a military exercise by the Imperial German Army, hosted annually. Hundreds of German soldiers would gather here for one of the most authentic wargames in Europe- even with blanks, to any soldier who had experienced Exercise Plains, it was as real as a wargame could get. This was the 2021 Exercise Plains, with the Army participating in the flat fields of Reinsehlen, in open space and vulnerable to the 'enemy'. This was the point- if the military could survive combat in the open, they could survive combat with cover- like walls, trees and so on. It was a unique strategy. And it was about to be tested.

Now the exercise was about to begin. 600 soldiers had assembled here and, for the past few weeks, had trained and prepared for this day. A battalion of the Imperial Special Forces would act as the 'enemy', with 250 'enemies' and 350 'allies'. The 'allies' were on one side of the field, the 'enemy' on the other. Each side would have only blank ammunition, and although there were 6 Leopard tanks, they only fired smoke. Their real weapon was the simulation of weapons. 8 instructors were there to inspect, assess and analyse both sides. At the end of the day, the 'casualties' would be announced. That was the plan.

The 'enemy' had the plan of going on the offensive, rushing the 'allied' lines and eliminating as many of them as possible before withdrawing. They had 10 Serval vehicles to do this, and they would be used to rapidly move around 30-50 soldiers around the 'allied' lines and attack the rear. The 'allies' were spread out, using their advantage of numbers (drawn from 'intelligence' as they hadn't been told the actual numbers) to protect them from division and conquest. Their position was therefore best suited for defence, and they would try to hold back any attack before attacking themselves. They prepared themselves with some quick training before taking their positions- lying low, or behind the tanks, or behind a small hill that undulated across the field.

At 10:00, the exercise started, with the Leopard tanks firing from their Hoffman gunfire simulator, and the 'allies' preparing for the inevitable assault. Sure enough, minutes later, the 250 or so 'enemies' charged at one position on the right flank, where basic reconnaissance could determine that that was the weakest position. Only 2 tanks and 100 or so soldiers were there. The 'enemy' rushed through the flank quickly and rapidly, but was slowed down after they broke through the flank when more 'allied' soldiers, moving through the flat terrain easily, arrived and tactically positioned their reinforcements into a semi-circle around the 'enemy'. All the while, the Leopards were continuing to fire, and both sides exchanged small arms fire as the 'enemy' had to halt their advance and hide behind any cover they could. They eventually managed to tactically withdraw, using Servals as a diversion on the left flank.

After this, the 'enemy' regrouped and casualties were taken off the field- the 'enemy' lost around 40 and the 'allies' 55. One Leopard and two Servals were also 'damaged'.

The next assault happened at around 11:00, when the 'allies', after repositioning their forces, launched a spread out attack on all fronts. With their numerical superiority, and the fact that they were aiming for the entire 'enemy', not just a part, they managed to put a lot of pressure on the 'enemy' and forced them to retreat amidst heavy fire and heavy losses. The 'allies' pushed forwards and even captured a Serval, whilst the 'enemy' began to surrender in droves.

At midday, through 'surrenders' and 'casualties', the 'enemy' now had about 150, and the 'allies' 200. The 'enemy' regrouped once more and prepared for the last stand, where they would be on the defensive. The 'allies' repositioned themselves once more, and this time they concentrated all their forces in one area, before moving them out of view of the 'enemy'. At 12:30, they began to sneak around the enemy lines and attacked them from behind.

This time, it was chaos. The 'enemy' disintegrated at the surprise of an attack from the rear, and within hours, the 'enemy', having been chased across the field and losing dozens, surrendered their 50 or so remaining soldiers. The first day of Exercise Plains was complete.

Of course there were more. But this first day had shown the German military strategy at its best- reposition, attack, and repeat. It would remind the soldiers of what they would face in real combat.

[Deutschen Kaiserreichs]

References to the Galapagos here will not be considered as being said in 2021 in the Multiverse Affairs.

25 miles northwest of the Port of Hamburg
29th of November 2021

A Braunschweig-class corvette sped past the water at 26 knots, its crew watching idly on the deck as the waves undulated and splashed around them. The Imperial German Ensign fluttered in the cool breeze of the North Sea, and the sun shone down on the vessel as brightly as the sun could shine.

This ship, Erfurt, was on regular naval patrols in the North Sea, as part of the military's operations to exert military influence over the region. It would plan to patrol the offshore area around the Jutland peninsula, before moving onto the Low Countries before heading back to port. It would take a few weeks, but, combined with the other military operations in region, it would be worth it.

The captain of the corvette, Lucas Schulhof, sat in the bridge, watching his vessel. Behind him was Kapitänleutnant Levi Nessel, liaison with the General Staff.

"Well, Levi." Schulhof muttered. "This is the first operation we've done outside of Germany."

"Won't be the last, sir." Nessel replied. "Berlin wants to patrol the Baltics, the North Sea, the Channel... even the Arctic if need be. And then we'll move onto other parts of the world... maybe even the Galapagos..."

"Yes, a situation is brewing there." Schulhof nodded. "And I'll be surprised if the General Staff doesn't send someone there. A crisis in a place far away from us is the best way to exert power."

There was silence for a while, before Nessel spoke again.

"Rumours from my fellow liaisons have it that we're already fitting out a ship to the Galapagos." he said.

Schulhof sighed. "Where else will Berlin want us to go to... New Zealand?"

He shook his head and continued to watch his ship.

[Deutschen Kaiserreichs]

Berlin
29th of November 2021

It was another day at the Reichstag building. Inside, legislators argue and shout over trivial matters. Outside, tourists lay on the grass and take pictures. Nobody would expect what was going to happen.

At about midday, when, across the street, street food was starting to be sold, a car drove up to the building and sped through the grass, with tourists running and screaming as the vehicle raced past them. It stopped at the steps of the Reichstag, where a squad of police were already forming a defensive line, cautiously moving around the car. But before they could raise their guns, the doors opened and two men appeared, holding pistols. One office drew his handgun, a USP, but dived to the floor when one of the men began to fire at him.

It was chaos now. Tourists and civillians hurried away from these armed men as fast as they could, and already, inside, rumours were spreading fast of the happenings outside.

The two men were joined by another man, who, with his pistol, pushed past the officers, injuring one and being shot in the process. Another man fired wildly and managed to get past, hurrying into the building itself. The third man dealt with the police, covering himself behind the car as more Berlin Police officers appeared from inside the building.

Back inside the Reichstag, the rumours had reached the legislature, who, in their panic, raced outside through the back exit and the fire exit, setting off the fire alarm. Police had also notified headquarters by now, and the military were preparing to breach the building. Half a dozen armed police officers were on their way with shotguns, machine guns and breaching equipment.

The man who had managed to enter the building found the column of legislators hurrying out, but before he could fire, two policewomen and one policeman pinned him to the ground. Seeing police struggling with an armed man, the panic was heightened, and within minutes the Reichstag was empty save the police and the armed man, who by now had lost his grip on his pistol and was being dragged all the way to the entrance again.

The second man was still behind the car, firing at the police as accurately as he could. But he soon ran out of ammunition and, dropping his gun, made a run for it.

The third man had been shot by police, but was being given medical attention. An air ambulance was being put on standby.

With 6 specially-equipped police officers now appearing, and a detachment of Military Police on their way, the second man gave himself up to the police. The first man was being handcuffed, and just a quarter of an hour after it began, the attack on the Reichstag was over.

An hour later, every news outlet in the country were printing out reports on the attack.

Attack on Reichstag!

---

BERLIN- Just under an hour ago, three unidentified men appeared at the Reichstag and broke through police lines into the Reichstag itself. One man was shot as he pushed past police, and another took cover behind his car as police fired on him. Another man managed to get inside the Reichstag and a fight broke out between PHM (Police Sergeant) Olivia Lohmüller, POM (Police Senior Constable) Tom Reder and the unnamed man. After a brief struggle, the man was detained. The other men were arrested and given medical support.

In an announcement by the Berlin Police twenty minutes ago, it was confirmed that the men were in custody, and one was in hospital under police supervision. No police or civilian casualties have been reported.

What the news reporters weren't told was that, after an investigation, the three men were found to be members of the Nationalists.