The Darksnow War (MT, PMT) [CLOSED]

[Kauvara]

OOC: Lolzieristan is allied with Sovietyeto, right? Wouldn't that make it an enemy of Kommandoria?

[Lolzieristan]

OOC: Lolzieristan is allied with Sovietyeto, right? Wouldn't that make it an enemy of Kommandoria?

OOC: Yeah, I read somewhere that the Sovietyeto switched sides from Kommandoria to the DSP. I kinda expressed that confusion through the Admiral...

[Kauvara]

OOC: So, I guess as it stands, the sides are DSP, Sovietyeto, Salvarity, and Lolzieristan vs. Kommandoria, with Kauvara and Prizyetsa in the middle (but in talks with Kommandoria).

[Scocialist Provinces]

"Alright, boys! The spy planes have just sent word of the enemy position. We are outnumbered, by they are outmatched. If you spot a dug-in position, do NOT aproach it. Throw a grenade or something in there." Captain Rechunski began the mission breifing. "We have 250 of the most elite men this country has to offer. But there is another advantage we have. There is an extra Aurora guarded but seven MiGs. There, one of our three EMP's is housed. That is the reason we took away your electronic devices such as holgraph sights, sometimes electronics hit will get so overcharged, they explode. We will drop you guys around the fortress, then activate the EMP directly over the base, if we make it that far, at least. The damadge will either fry, overheat, combust or explode every electronic down to the last LED. Ground zero will bes safe, so all of our planes will be unharmed by the initial blast, but will need to be replaced soon." he finished.

"Thirty seconds!" The pilot called over the intercom.

Just then, a red light came on, followed by distant explosions. Everyone got up securing their parachutes. Around ten seconds later, anti-missle pecautions shot from the planes. When the light turned green, Private Shore joined in with everyone letting out a war cry, then jumped out. everything seemed to go silent as he jumped out. He couldn't even hear the Aurora that passed under him. This was a real war, for once.

ORBAT:

11 CP 104 Aurora
250 DSPSO elites
7 MiG fighter jets
1 Aurora armed with one of three EMP's

[Lolzieristan]

The Lolzis had been briefed on the DSP's planned attack on the Kommandorian forces, and they had prepared their Special Purposes Regiment to be shipped off to the AO immediately. They were already nearing the West African coast, and the rapidly-erected fortress built on the annexed strip of land there shot fireworks as the small fleet passed by.
The Navy had sent the Second Carrier Battle Group along with them, indicating their devotion to the Southern Theater. They had sent out half of their CBGs, and one was to be held in the Three Seas region at all times for defensive purposes. The Admiral Kuznetsov class carrier was laden with Su-33 Flanker-D naval fighters and Su-25 Frogfoot strike fighters, as well as a complement of ASW helicopters and troop transport choppers. There was also an aging Iowa-class battleship in the fleet, bought for a negotiated price from Western naval forces, two western Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers, four destroyers of various types, and two ASW frigates to hold back the already-massive amount of underwater warfare that was already characterizing the Darksnow War.
The Two Roll-On, Roll-Off ships, the true reason for the 2CBG's deployment, carried a collection of T-90s, BMP-2s, BTR-80s, and assorted anti-aircraft vehicles (all specially shielded against almost every form of chemical, biological, radiological, and electro-magnetic pulse attack imaginable). Another ship carried an air support wing of Eslovakian-made K-AH-100 stealth gunships and K-SHX10 stealth helicopter transports, both built from the ground up with EMP resistance in mind. From a small and previously neglected military airbase built on a small island in the Caribbean, a second paratrooper force was forming up, loading their planes with both infantry and air-mobile armored fighting vehicles. Hopefully they would arrive in time to back up the DSP forces when the inexorable counter-attack would come; it was an unchanging fact of war, ever since their inception, that airborne forces needed to be backed up by heavier reinforcements, lest they be overcome when the element of surprise was depleted.

Marshal Vladimir Zenya, the commander of the Lolzi Army, decided it would be wise to finally inform his DSP comrades that the backup was en route.

Code: Select all

To our comrades in the DSP military,

Your ambitious raid on Kommandorian home territory will not go unnoticed. We are sending our Special Purposes Regiment, designed with EMP warfare in mind...is it too late for them to be relevant? We estimate their arrival will be within four days, if you will have secured a harbor by then. We are also preparing a paratrooper force in the eastern Caribbean, which can be used to provide rapid backup for your forces. Just inform us if they are needed, and if the SRP's role has already passed. We'd rather not risk them in regular combat, as their equipment is the single biggest expenditure in the entire Army's budget. However, we have  a division-sized force currently stranded western Europe that can be sent to your aid if required.

Sincerely,
Marshal Vladimir Zenya
Army of Lolzieristan

---

In the European Theater, the 1CBG was within combat range of the Kommandorian fleet. They were hesitating, though, because the enemy had not yet retaliated. The Admiral was contemplating parting his ships and allowing them to pass through peacefully, but he then realized that since they were about to join the DSP's strike into the Kommandorian homeland, he wasn't about to allow that to be an option.

[Scocialist Provinces]

The Lolzis had been briefed on the DSP's planned attack on the Kommandorian forces, and they had prepared their Special Purposes Regiment to be shipped off to the AO immediately. They were already nearing the West African coast, and the rapidly-erected fortress built on the annexed strip of land there shot fireworks as the small fleet passed by.
The Navy had sent the Second Carrier Battle Group along with them, indicating their devotion to the Southern Theater. They had sent out half of their CBGs, and one was to be held in the Three Seas region at all times for defensive purposes. The Admiral Kuznetsov class carrier was laden with Su-33 Flanker-D naval fighters and Su-25 Frogfoot strike fighters, as well as a complement of ASW helicopters and troop transport choppers. There was also an aging Iowa-class battleship in the fleet, bought for a negotiated price from Western naval forces, two western Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers, four destroyers of various types, and two ASW frigates to hold back the already-massive amount of underwater warfare that was already characterizing the Darksnow War.
The Two Roll-On, Roll-Off ships, the true reason for the 2CBG's deployment, carried a collection of T-90s, BMP-2s, BTR-80s, and assorted anti-aircraft vehicles (all specially shielded against almost every form of chemical, biological, radiological, and electro-magnetic pulse attack imaginable). Another ship carried an air support wing of Eslovakian-made K-AH-100 stealth gunships and K-SHX10 stealth helicopter transports, both built from the ground up with EMP resistance in mind. From a small and previously neglected military airbase built on a small island in the Caribbean, a second paratrooper force was forming up, loading their planes with both infantry and air-mobile armored fighting vehicles. Hopefully they would arrive in time to back up the DSP forces when the inexorable counter-attack would come; it was an unchanging fact of war, ever since their inception, that airborne forces needed to be backed up by heavier reinforcements, lest they be overcome when the element of surprise was depleted.

Marshal Vladimir Zenya, the commander of the Lolzi Army, decided it would be wise to finally inform his DSP comrades that the backup was en route.

Code: Select all

To our comrades in the DSP military,

Your ambitious raid on Kommandorian home territory will not go unnoticed. We are sending our Special Purposes Regiment, designed with EMP warfare in mind...is it too late for them to be relevant? We estimate their arrival will be within four days, if you will have secured a harbor by then. We are also preparing a paratrooper force in the eastern Caribbean, which can be used to provide rapid backup for your forces. Just inform us if they are needed, and if the SRP's role has already passed. We'd rather not risk them in regular combat, as their equipment is the single biggest expenditure in the entire Army's budget. However, we have  a division-sized force currently stranded western Europe that can be sent to your aid if required.

Sincerely,
Marshal Vladimir Zenya
Army of Lolzieristan

---

In the European Theater, the 1CBG was within combat range of the Kommandorian fleet. They were hesitating, though, because the enemy had not yet retaliated. The Admiral was contemplating parting his ships and allowing them to pass through peacefully, but he then realized that since they were about to join the DSP's strike into the Kommandorian homeland, he wasn't about to allow that to be an option.

OoC: wait, since when did you have EMPs

[Lolzieristan]

The Lolzis had been briefed on the DSP's planned attack on the Kommandorian forces, and they had prepared their Special Purposes Regiment to be shipped off to the AO immediately. They were already nearing the West African coast, and the rapidly-erected fortress built on the annexed strip of land there shot fireworks as the small fleet passed by.
The Navy had sent the Second Carrier Battle Group along with them, indicating their devotion to the Southern Theater. They had sent out half of their CBGs, and one was to be held in the Three Seas region at all times for defensive purposes. The Admiral Kuznetsov class carrier was laden with Su-33 Flanker-D naval fighters and Su-25 Frogfoot strike fighters, as well as a complement of ASW helicopters and troop transport choppers. There was also an aging Iowa-class battleship in the fleet, bought for a negotiated price from Western naval forces, two western Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers, four destroyers of various types, and two ASW frigates to hold back the already-massive amount of underwater warfare that was already characterizing the Darksnow War.
The Two Roll-On, Roll-Off ships, the true reason for the 2CBG's deployment, carried a collection of T-90s, BMP-2s, BTR-80s, and assorted anti-aircraft vehicles (all specially shielded against almost every form of chemical, biological, radiological, and electro-magnetic pulse attack imaginable). Another ship carried an air support wing of Eslovakian-made K-AH-100 stealth gunships and K-SHX10 stealth helicopter transports, both built from the ground up with EMP resistance in mind. From a small and previously neglected military airbase built on a small island in the Caribbean, a second paratrooper force was forming up, loading their planes with both infantry and air-mobile armored fighting vehicles. Hopefully they would arrive in time to back up the DSP forces when the inexorable counter-attack would come; it was an unchanging fact of war, ever since their inception, that airborne forces needed to be backed up by heavier reinforcements, lest they be overcome when the element of surprise was depleted.

Marshal Vladimir Zenya, the commander of the Lolzi Army, decided it would be wise to finally inform his DSP comrades that the backup was en route.

Code: Select all

To our comrades in the DSP military,

Your ambitious raid on Kommandorian home territory will not go unnoticed. We are sending our Special Purposes Regiment, designed with EMP warfare in mind...is it too late for them to be relevant? We estimate their arrival will be within four days, if you will have secured a harbor by then. We are also preparing a paratrooper force in the eastern Caribbean, which can be used to provide rapid backup for your forces. Just inform us if they are needed, and if the SRP's role has already passed. We'd rather not risk them in regular combat, as their equipment is the single biggest expenditure in the entire Army's budget. However, we have  a division-sized force currently stranded western Europe that can be sent to your aid if required.

Sincerely,
Marshal Vladimir Zenya
Army of Lolzieristan

---

In the European Theater, the 1CBG was within combat range of the Kommandorian fleet. They were hesitating, though, because the enemy had not yet retaliated. The Admiral was contemplating parting his ships and allowing them to pass through peacefully, but he then realized that since they were about to join the DSP's strike into the Kommandorian homeland, he wasn't about to allow that to be an option.

OoC: wait, since when did you have EMPs

OOC: Who, us? We don't have a large amount of EMP weapons, generally we're only field-testing some flux generator warheads on a man-portable scale (yes, sounds PMT, but those silly Russians have tried it before.) We based most of our military doctrine off of the assumption that the armies that were invading us would be both larger and more technologically advanced, so we made plans to use low-orbit nuclear detonations for strategic EMP purposes. It's a fallback plan at best, but it still means we need to have armored vehicles that function in the EMP Stone Age, and thus the SPR was born. They don't actively deploy EMP weapons, but they're designed for fighting in an environment dominated by its effects, as well as NBCR situations.

[Kommandoria]

Aboard the R.K.S. Blood Ruby in the Galley Halls...

The High Admiral and his guests had just finished dessert...

DiBartolo: Also, we have some rather advanced weapons designs that I'm sure would benefit the Kauvaran military. Our Switchblades, as you saw in the Aldardan Oil Conflict, were more than a match for almost any other modern aircraft available. Ahem, would you all join me on the bridge for a display of Kommandorian naval prowess?

The party moved to the bridge of the enormous Kommand Tower where dozens of crewmen scrambled about, pressing flashing buttons and flipping switches. The party look out of the south windows and saw the Lolzi fleet.

DiBartolo: Sad. Such beautiful old ships. It is a heartfelt shame. When this war inevitably ends, I would like to capture one and place it in one of our naval museums. Ah but orders are orders and my orders are to send those ships crashing down to the seabed. Hmmm...they have quite a few ships though...

DiBartolo depressed a button next to a speaker.

DiBartolo: This is High Admiral DiBartolo speaking, all vessels are to be on full alert. War has been decared on Lolzieristan. Have all kannons and missile launchers focused on various targets. Scramble all Switchblades and submarine packs. I want that fleet decimated within the hour. Get to it.

The party observed the fleet. It seemed as though the fleet had a hive mind; every ship rotated its cannons and launchers at the same time and scores of planes took off. While all of this was happening, several trios of Kommandorian submarines burst through the surface of the water, spraying sea foam everywhere. All eyes and guns were trained on the Lolzi fleet. DiBartolo leaned close to the speaker..."Fire"...

[Aulzsreich]

Hi, I'd like to join

[Lolzieristan]

The Empire of Aulzsreich is recruiting for our new region!

Umm...this is spam, and rather rude spam at that. We're kind of busy here, if you haven't noticed.

[Aulzsreich]

OOC: this is the internet.

[Lolzieristan]

OOC: this is the internet, not herr goebbels homepage

And what exactly do you mean by that? That statement makes no sense.

This is not the place to advertise your region. Move along. Also, LEARN TO ADVERTISE. You didn't give me any information in that post, all you did was necessitate an OOC sequence that irritates everyone. Please, hawk your wares elsewhere.

[Aulzsreich]

OOC: Advertising for what region? Your actions look a lot like flame-baiting.

[Lolzieristan]

Nice try with the old "switch the original text" trick, but as you can see, it is preserved forever in my quote of you.

Ignored...now.

[Arkania 5]

OOC: Advertising for what region? Your actions look a lot like flame-baiting.

Have to agree, This is a specific IC thread. This could be considered is Spamming.

[Kauvara]

ABOARD THE R.K.S. BLOOD RUBY
WATERS OFF PORTUGAL
23:47

General Gavenson watched as a fusillade left the powerful R.K.S. Blood Ruby. The bright flashes illuminated the night as all manner of weapons fired, from the massive railgun, right down to the smallest flak kannon. It truly was an impressive sight. He turned to DiBartolo.

"Admiral, this ship truly is impressive. It speaks very highly of Kommandorian engineering prowess. However, I must disagree regarding your Switchblades. Imperial Kauvaran Aeronautics has had 40 years of constant primarily-aerial wars, 20 of which against each other, to design the perfect craft. While Kauvara suffers in all other areas, our aircraft are above and beyond anything anybody has to offer. Each KF-11 costs over $180,000,000, and takes almost a year to construct, parts being specially made all over Kauvara. Those Switchblades just got churned out in less than an hour from a ship-borne factory. While an impressive fighter screen craft en masse, I simply cannot see them being as effective as one of our KF-11s. However, that said, your experimental weapons are truly remarkable. I propose this: trade agreements. The last of the civilians should be evacuated soon. When they are, how would you like a little technical demonstration of what the KF-11 is capable of?"

OOC: I do not mean to belittle the Switchblade! However, there is no stat page in your factbook The KF-11 was designed by me to basically be an upgraded version of the F-22 Raptor. It suffers from the same problems the Raptor does: cost and construction time. Otherwise, the craft excels in all areas. I did it to promote the IC Kauvara in that it specializes with air operations (only has two fleets, though, one of which is only at half strength, so it suffers navaly, and only about 2.5 million soldiers, so it can't go on grand, world-dominating campaigns). Kauvara basically specializes in the air and with commando units. In short, Kauvara is a highly-specialized scalpel: it cannot bludgen down a nation and advance into it. However, it can remove little sections with commando raids and air strikes. It goes with the IC Kauvara in that we would never invade another country without SEVERE provocation.

[Kommandoria]

Aboard the R.K.S. Blood Ruby...

DiBartolo: Ah my good man! The CMF-X15A Switchblade is not an original Kommandorian design, else it would be much more impressive. The Switchblade blueprints were imported from one of our oldest allies, Carpathia and Moldova. We use the Switchblade as our primary fighter simply because they are cheap and easy to assemble, but very efficient. I have no doubt that your "KF-11" is even more powerful, but as you stated, they are expensive and difficult to build. Either way, trade would be productive for both of our nations. We have an abundance of wealth, and we specialize in mass production. Should you like to purchase the designs for the Switchblade, please let us know and we will personally have them repainted to suit you nation's national colors. But I digress. Look at the Lolzi fleet!

He pointed at a small ship that had just been struck by the Blood Ruby's railgun; the ship subsequently shattered in half.

DiBartolo: Splendid. Simply splendid.



Meanwhile, at Fort Skybreak...

DSP elite ops had bgun their landing into Fort Skybreak. Apparently, a strange EMP device had activated above the base. This had somewhat minimal effect, since the base was mostly low-tech besides its SAMs. The base's backup anti-air weapons, some aging autokannons, came online. They weren't very efficient against jets, but nontheless were capable of shooting them down. Soldiers hunkered down in silence as DSP troops approached. Flamethrower soldiers peeped out of their spiderholes...waiting...sniper trained their crosshairs on hostiles as they sat in the trees...waiting...

[Kommandoria]

OOC: No one spam EMPs please.

[Lolzieristan]

Aboard the R.K.S. Blood Ruby...

DiBartolo: Ah my good man! The CMF-X15A Switchblade is not an original Kommandorian design, else it would be much more impressive. The Switchblade blueprints were imported from one of our oldest allies, Carpathia and Moldova. We use the Switchblade as our primary fighter simply because they are cheap and easy to assemble, but very efficient. I have no doubt that your "KF-11" is even more powerful, but as you stated, they are expensive and difficult to build. Either way, trade would be productive for both of our nations. We have an abundance of wealth, and we specialize in mass production. Should you like to purchase the designs for the Switchblade, please let us know and we will personally have them repainted to suit you nation's national colors. But I digress. Look at the Lolzi fleet!

He pointed at a small ship that had just been struck by the Blood Ruby's railgun; the ship subsequently shattered in half.

DiBartolo: Splendid. Simply splendid.



Meanwhile, at Fort Skybreak...

DSP elite ops had bgun their landing into Fort Skybreak. Apparently, a strange EMP device had activated above the base. This had somewhat minimal effect, since the base was mostly low-tech besides its SAMs. The base's backup anti-air weapons, some aging autokannons, came online. They weren't very efficient against jets, but nontheless were capable of shooting them down. Soldiers hunkered down in silence as DSP troops approached. Flamethrower soldiers peeped out of their spiderholes...waiting...sniper trained their crosshairs on hostiles as they sat in the trees...waiting...

"WHAT THE HELL?!", the Officer on Deck shouted, his eyes fixed on the LFV Panjshir, or more appropriately the front half of the Panjshir, as the destroyer's two halves began plunging below the water. "What...was that thing? A laser beam?"
The chief weapons officer replied, his voice quaking, "It was some kind of rail gun, comrade Kitai. I think, anyway.
...there's no way we can match that kind of technology..."
The OOD threw his arms in the air, half out of anger and half out of a plea for divine intervention. When the latter didn't manifest itself, he asked, "Have the Kommandorians deployed fleet-defense interceptors yet?"
The weapons officer was replaced by the carrier air group commander at the OOD's side, and he stated, "Yes, sir, the CMF-X15A Switchblade primarily. Slightly better than our carrier-based Flanker-Ds on a one-on-one basis, but we have a small wing of brand new Fulcrum-FM's that we estimate could even hold their own with the best Western aircraft. They're stationed in Spain right now, we could get them here in minutes."
"Put the Fulcrum Ms on standby, and the Flanker-Ds on an active flight schedule...I want this place circled by planes the whole time. Send three UAVs over to them, to get their defenses active. Then initiate."
The CAG boss nodded, and stepped to the side, speaking into a red phone linked directly to the hangar bay. Immediately, three large, alien-looking aircraft began rising on the lifts, and they were prepped to take off immediately. As they were flung off the flight deck, one by one, Commander Kitai began doubting that they would win this conflict.

[Kauvara]

SKIES OVER THE STAND-OFF ZONE
WATERS OFF PORTUGAL
0013 HOURS

Commander McCloud watched as the Kommandorian fleet roared to life, sending a fusillade into the Lolzi lines. It lit up the night sky, the fires of the Lolzi fleet casting a dim orange glow. "By the Fox..." he murmured.
"I'd hate to be them right now!" Lt. Todda chimed in. "Whoah... Do you see that...?" Falconus interjected. "See what? Where?" Harris asked.
"Over the Lolzi fleet," Falconus replied. "It looks like a cloud... Holy... It's a swarm of Lolzi planes!"
"Look at 'em all!" Todda gasped.
"Don't worry, boys. This isn't our war," McCloud said. He changed channels. "This is Foxguard 1 to all 8492nd planes over the stand-off zone: DO NOT engage the aerial targets. This is not our war to fight, ladies and gentlemen. Maintain CAP between the two fleets until further notice. Foxguard 1 out."
"What's gonna happen?" Todda asked.
"Hell if I know," replied Falconus. "But I hope we get to see SOME action!"
"Calm down, Foxguard 3," Harris retorted. "Last thing we need is pointless bloodshed."
"Whatever, old man. I just want to try this baby out!"
McCloud smiled. While he agreed with Harris about the wish to avoid bloodshed, he was dying to try out the new KF-12 "Foxguard"s the Honor Squadron had been given...

[Prizyetsa]

Europe
Admiral Peiterson looked on from the bridge of his own ship. During the talks, he hadn't said much, but he did listen. What he heard didn'y please him, but he knew destiny had made it so. The civilians were now onboard the ships, and they were preparing to leave Europe and head back to Prizyetsa, where they would be dropped off and given citizenship, after a short internment of course. Peiterson had done his job.

There was another reason for the East fleet ot be moving again. A much darker reason. The fleet comprised of around 80 ships, and was one of the biggest modern fleets ever assembled. With the fleet out of port, the Eastern coast of Prizyetsa had to rely on the Southern fleet to defend it. But that wasn't the issue. Intell had suggested that Greenland could potentially become a flashpoint between Prizyetsa and Sovietyeto, and the fleet could become a very valuable asset.

Peiterson grabbed a microphone that would broadcast his message to every ship and aircraft within 1000km.
"This is Admiral Peiterson of the Prizyetsi Navy. The Eastern Fleet is now pulling out of Europe. Any military ship to come withing 100km of the fleet will need to stop imediatly, otherwise we will view it as a threat.

Good luck to everyone.

Peiterson out."

The ships pulled out of the harbor one by one and assembled in the open waters of the Atlantic. They were all going home.

[Kauvara]

ABOARD THE R.K.S. BLOOD RUBY
WATERS OFF PORTUGAL
0134 HOURS

General Gavenson turned to DiBartolo. "I've just received orders. Kauvara and Prizyetsa are pulling out. We have evacuated the civilians, and we are heading home to North America. Sovietyeto is making aggressive moves towards Greenland and Alaska, and we must reinforce our positions. I wish you luck, High Admiral."

Gavenson turned and left. He and his IKSF operators boarded the UH-60 and departed back to the Prizyetsi ships. A massive formation of Kauvaran aircraft began flying overhead, carrying V Legion "Helios," as well as the numerous IKAC fighters, back to Kauvara, flying above the Prizyetsi fleet. For them, the war was over. However, there was still the matter of the Sovietyetan fleet headed towards the Kommandorians. "Hopefully we don't run into them..." Gavenson thought to himself.

[The Sovietyeto]

The fleet I the Sovietyeto was near the battle now. One could hear the blasts and spits of gunfire across the wavy, blue waters. Only 600 meters away was a fight that could possibly determine the result of the war. They would not lose this battle.

Submarines would sneak up and attack first. Then other ships would come in for a double pincer movement. Meanwhile planes over in the cover of the clouds. The Kommandorians woul be pounded from the air as well. They wold be crippled on the first strike and destroyed by the week.

The attack was codenamed operation seagrass. Vladimir was the commander of the operation. He checked o see I the channel he was talking on was secure; it was. He talked inti a microphone, "access operation seagrass". And so the submarines and planes speed onward stealthily toward there targets. Chances that even a handful would be spotted was low at best. But after the first attack the element if surprise was no longer theirs.

Soon it would begin.

[Kommandoria]

On Lane Two of the R.K.S. Blood Ruby's Flight Deck...

Sailors and crewmen scrambled about, trying to get as many Switchblades in the air as quickly as they could and manning guns.

Sailor: They're everywhere!

Officer: Get those autokannons online now!

Sailor: Open fire! Open fire!

Lolzi aircraft swarmed into the airspace and began strafing ships and dogfighting Switchblades. The Kommandorian fleet retaliated and began firing flak autokannons and SAM launchers. One cruiser, the R.K.S. Hermes, exploded into flames and split in half. A Lolzi fighter had gotten lucky and struck the Hermes' fuel deck with a rocket. Several crewmen dropped as the fighters strafed the decks of the aircraft carriers. Once all AA capabilities came online, however, the skies grew bright with flame.

Within the bridge of the R.K.S. Blood Ruby's Kommand Tower...

Komms Officer: Sir we've lost the Hermes. A few destroyers have taken minor damage. We've also lost at least 22 Switchblades.

DiBartolo: Bastards! I had not anticipated such fierce resistance! What is the status of their fleet and air force?

Komms Officer: Well, we haven't been able to keep track of how many of their fighters we've shot down, but we've shattered their fleet. The railgun had a minor meltdown and is out of action for a few minutes until we can cool it down. It looks like we've done significant damage to their fleet. The majority--

The Komms Officer was cut off as a flaming Lolzi fighter slammed into the side of the Blood Ruby, throwing everyone in the room to the floor. DiBartolo jumped to his feet and grabbed a microphone connected to the intercom.

DiBartolo: Damage report?

Crewman: *panting* Not too bad, sir. We have several fires but we're putting them out as we speak. A few crewmen were injured by shrapnel.

DiBartolo: Get them to the Medical Bay, now!

Crewman: *coughing* Aye, aye!

DiBartolo clutched his bruised shoulder.

DiBartolo: Bring them to their knees!

[Kommandoria]

DiBartolo looked to the Kauvaran and Prizyetsans.

DiBartolo: We need your help. The Sovietyeto is approaching and the Lolzis are to our rear. We may be able to wipe out the Lolzis but not if we are attacked by the Sovietyeto at the same time. That would be too much at once. Any aid would be appreciated!