Ventlimian Terrorism Crisis (CLOSED)

[Ventlimer]

1/14/16
Ventlimer City

President Sebastian Gloyd sat at his desk, his head protesting in pain as he rubbed his temples under his brown hair. Around him, Generals argued about how they hadn't seen this coming, how they possibly couldn't have known this would happen, and how none was to blame. At the center of the loud crowd was Alex Vereshi, the chief intelligence offer, insisting he had put copies of that report on all their desks.

"Gentlemen," Sebastian said suddenly. "Please calm down. There's nothing to gain by this."

Each one immediately stopped and took their seats again. Samuel Wirthland was seated to the left of the president while the chiefs of staff sat in front of him, with Alex to the right.

"Thank you," the President said. "Now, regardless of how this happened, we know who and we know why. Now we only need to know how to respond to this threat by the KLF."

The General of the Army spoke quickly. "We should deploy two divisions into the mountains to eradicate this "Liberation front" ruthlessly. It would require the support of the Air Force-"

"Which they have completely," The General of the Air Force interrupted. "I have all our helicopters and fighters ready to go."

"Intel on the area has already been sent to the generals," Alex added helpfully.

The president thought for a moment. "Any other options," He asked.

"Well," The Secretary of the Navy said slowly. "We could simply get the Tribal Police to act in conjunction with National Forces to root out these 'rebels'."

"Only problem with that," Alex interjected, "is that no one really knows how much the Tribal Police knew. They certainly haven't done anything against the group like they are required. Even now, the Tribal Police haven't done anything different than usual."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows. "Are you suggesting that the Tribal Police could have had knowledge of this attack? That is one hell of an accusation, Alex."

"Yes, sir, I am. But we will only know after we investigate the police there."

The President thought for a moment, then looked to the Army. "Deploy your divisions. But do NOT have unnecessary collateral damage. Use close air support if you have to, but do your best not to have to use it. That just has to high of a risk."

"Yes sir."

With that, the men walked out of the room and left Samuel and Sebastian in the office alone. "Samuel," The president said sadly, "A lot of people are going to die today. By my direction." He looked out the window at the clean up in the square.

Samuel stood up and looked out with him, glowering at the seen below. "Not people, sir. Savage Animals."

With that, he walked out of the room.

---

1/16/16
Southeast of Mount Kilohattan

Private First Class Coloan hung tightly onto handle of the Blackhawk as it raced over the wooded hills of Mount Kilohattan. In his view, other squadrons of helicopters carried the boys into combat. As far as he knew, the first few companies had already engaged the KLF and the rest of the division was being moved towards them. Above him, two F-14 shot by, followed by small explosions along the tree line a bit away. Coming up below him, he could see a small clearing with several squads of soldiers bustling about, preparing for each chopper as it came in. He shifted and held his M90 tightly, nervous as hell.

"Hey," the voice of his squad leader came from behind, yelling over the helicopter. "You alright?"

He gave the ok sign, then held on tighter as the helicopter leaned backwards, slowing for descent. As it did, the sound of rapid and continuous gunfire grew louder and louder. When the Black hawk finally nearly sat down on the ground, he jumped out, followed by his squad mates. Smoke billowed over a small hill in front of them. The Corporal went to the Sergeant on the ground, was given orders, and came back.

"Alright," he said to his squad of 10. "Looks like two divisions have been deployed. Estimated 1500 fighters in the village. Can't let anyone escape. Capture if you can, kill if you can't." A few excited grunts from the men came and the Corporal smiled, then looked to Coloan. "Lets go get the bastards that killed your brother, Coloan."

Coloan nodded, then the squad jumped up and began to follow the rest of the company over the hill into the rear of the village. He hadn't come with much gear, but the hill was still hard work. As he reached the top of the hill, the smell of the smoke drew nearer and the gunfire became ever louder. Sprawled out below him was a small village with cluttered buildings. Most of it was either smoking, destroyed, or on fire, yet the fighters continued their battle against the ever increasing odds.

"See that field by the village?" The Corporal pointed down to the south side of the village with scattered enemy fighters attempting to regroup for an attack. "They keep regrouping there. We need to take that field and trap them in the village." The corporal watched the sergeant closely until he gave the go order. With that, the company moved quickly down the hills, with mortars and machine guns firing as they advanced. The natives quickly turned to fire on them, but it was too late. As the last of the KLF on the field turned to face them, the company began to descend upon them. Another F-14 sortie came over soon after and hit the mass of fighters in the center of town hard. A huge explosion of brick and fire came up from the village center. "Alright," Corporal screamed. "Lets go!" Coloan forced his way back down the hill to a fence just before the clearing. The KLF fighters noted it, and spun around to meet them. Coloan slammed against a fence post as cracks and whistles filled the air. Most men jumped to the ground and returned fire.

"Come on!" The Corporal screamed at him. "Fire your weapon!"

Coloan turned sharply, took aim, and began to fire, hardly able to take aim with the wood splintering around him. To his left, a soldier cried out in pain as blood splattered on the thin snow and began pulsing out of his leg. A medic quickly pulled him away and began working on him. Another crack above Coloan's head sent him to the ground. "Goddammit!" He grabbed his rifle and began firing again, this time actually hitting one of them. As more and more KLF fighters hit the ground, they began to fall backwards into the village.

"Go!", The sergeant yelled form down the line. With that, they jumped up and over the fence, into the field and finally against the walls of the houses in the village.

"Sweep and clear! Watch your fire!"

Coloan nodded, then stacked up on the first door. With a nod, a flashbang was thrown in and the squad entered.

---

Valishi Bentlemeri hurriedly kept the radios operating. The building shook with every blast, but he kept working to try and direct his people away from the fighting. What few civilians had been with them were now out of the village or with him in the main building, huddled up as best they could.

"Sir," came the voice on a radio. "They have entered the village. The air strikes have stopped. You don't have long. You need to leave!"

"You know as well as I do that it won't help a damned thing! Find a way to get out of here!"

"Yes, sir."

In the building next to his, he heard the loud bangs of flashbangs, some gunfire, then the back door open and Ventlimian soldiers clad in white camouflage began to run to his building. If they came in spraying, they would kill civilians. He quickly disarmed his rifle and stood in the center of the room, ushering the civilians lay to low in a corner. "Dammit," he breathed.

---

Coloan stacked up on the final door. He reached for his last flashbang, but the corporal grabbed his arms and stopped him. "No, just open the door and enter slowly. Thermal scans aren't reporting but a few people and one in the center of the room.

"And that same report last time was a fighter with a bomb strapped to his chest."

"Don't argue with me, Coloan! Go, now!"

Coloan grunted and opened the door slowly, then the squad burst in and cleared the room out. In the center of the room, a short haired and rather thin man stood with his hands on his head. Some women and boys cried softly in the corner, a toddler among them. "Valishi Bentlemeri," The corporal said quickly.

"Yes," Valishi said.

"Get on your knees slowly." Valishi complied. "Secure him, Coloan."

Coloan moved up to the native, retrieved a zip tie hand cuff, then secured him. As he stepped back, he kicked Valishi onto the ground. The corporal glared at Coloan, then pressed his radio.

"Lieutenant, we have secured Valishi Bentlemeri. Requesting immediate helicopter pick up at house 42."

"Affirmative, Corporal. ETA 2 minutes."

---

In the situation room, President Sebastian sipped a cup of coffee.

"Sir," Samuel said. "They have Bentlemeri."

"Good. Any other prisoners?"

"Not as far as we know, but the reports are still rolling in. Some civilians are in custody, but fighters have generally been shot on sight due to some bombs on people appearing to surrender."

The President sighed. "Has the second division been committed yet?"

"No sir."

"General," he said to the Army, "Have the second division prepare to take Killohattan if the need arises."

"Yes sir."

[Ventlimer]

1/23/16
Ventlimer City, Ventlimer

President Sebastian Gloyd stood at his podium above a large crowd in the Ventlimer City Square. It was sunny, but still cold. A light snow fell silently onto the crowd and the rubble around them. Everyone there, except the President, held a small candle and appeared somber. Some still shed a tear as they saw the rubble for the first time in person. Clean up had stopped for a moment and construction workers and fire crews rested in alleys and shops as they waited for the president to speak.

"My fellow citizens, we stand today among the rubble of a tragic attack. Hundreds died across this great country. Miners were crushed to death in Kilohattan, drivers fell to their deaths in Lake Ventlimer, citizens died touring our great history in Fort Highland. And here, in Ventlimer City, citizens both young and old died as they shopped or ate or talked. Many of us here today saw loved ones for the last time." He looked around at the faces of the Ventlimians, solemnly holding their candles. "Today we honor those lost in that horrific attack. Today we honor young Kiri Bently, a 6 year old girl who lost her life in the attacks in Lakeland. Today we honor Jonathan Moore, who lost list life in the mines. Today we honor Benjamin Denlib, an elderly veteran who died in Fort Highland with his wife. Today, we honor Vanessa Higgins, who died while with child here in Ventlimer City, in what used to be a small diner. We must remember these losses." He reached down and picked up a small candle and lit it, then cupped it in both hands. The crowd followed suit, tears now welling in most eyes. "Please bow your heads in a moment of silence." As they did, a Marine with a speakerphone read out all the names and ages. A total of 756 names read off the speakerphone, some members of the crowd now sobbing quietly.

Once they were done, President Gloyd raised his head and placed the still burning candle down on the ground. "Those names," he said quietly, wiping a tear from his eye, "Will live on forever in Ventlimian history, as high as Wirthland or Randmire. Those names were the battle cry of our men in Kilohattan as they brought justice to the enemy and captured the man responsible for these attacks. We were victorious in that fight. However, there is justice still to be done. There is corruption among us, and among the Kilohattan Tribe. There are Bankers and Tribal Leaders who knew of the attack before it happened, who found ways to aid the KLF, who bribed and manipulated their way into getting what they want. These corrupt men will be found and they will be Prosecuted to the full extent of the law. As for the Tribal leaders, I have ordered A division of soldiers onto Mount Kilohattan and into Kilohattan City. They have taken control of the Tribal Police and taken into custody the Chiefs and Elders of that tribe. All are now being questioned. We will discover the extent of this crime and we will have justice for our people!"

With that, the crowd began to applaud the President, who waited gleefully as the applause coursed through his poll numbers, ensuring the reelection.

[Ventlimer]

Kilohattan City, Mount Kilohattan, Ventlimer
1/27/16

Chief Criassii, a white haired man of 63 who was short in stature with brown eyes and dark, sunbaked skin, was seated at one side of a conference table and a security officer stood behind him, about 4 feet back. It was a surprisingly comfy chair and environment to be offered for someone who had ripped him away from his family in the middle of the night. They had taken over the Tribal Police headquarters and been ransacking it for days now, looking for something about KLF and trying to figure out why the Tribal Police had done nothing. As for the Chief, he didn't know what they were talking about. As he mused this, a door opened to his right and two security officers stepped in silently, followed by President Sebastian.

"Chief Criassii," He said, his hand extending to shake his hand lightly. "It is wonderful to see you again, even under these circumstances."

"I wish I could say the same, Mr. President," Criassii said politely. "But I've been locked in a cell for four days. I am treated as a prisoner in my own land without explanation."

The president smiled. "Just to be clear, my friend, this is not your land. Nor will it ever be your land. Before we arrived, you hardly had an idea of land ownership." The President looked down on him with a dangerous smile, then sat down. "That is a matter for scholars to discuss, though. The reason I came here myself instead of sending some goon out here is that we now have amassed a large amount of evidence against your police. We believe that the chief of police here was not only ignoring the KLF, but personally supported and aided them in the shipment of the bomb making materials and in the possession of old AK-47s and mortars."

"That's preposterous!" The chief yelled out. "Our tribal police have enforced all of your laws for the last 100 years, why would they turn away from that now?"

"Because they wanted to enforce only your laws. Because they wanted independence. Just like any man who was so fiercely loyal to his people." The president pulled a file out of his bag and set it in front of the chief. "Criassii, we believe it is time your people truly joined Ventlimer. This terrorist attack and the low key support your people, including some of your elders, gave the KLF only shows that sentiment for independence is growing. However, it is not because of your strong culture like it was back in the 50's when your referendum failed. It is because they are seeing the second rate systems of health, education, and much lower quality of life than that of those enjoyed by Ventlimians."

The Chief stared, confused. "So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, you're no longer in charge of Mount Kilohattan. Your government is dissolved. However, you will be kept as an adviser to the new governor to be appointed soon. The main goals of his administration will be to restructure and rebuild the broken education system, healthcare system, and try to bring new jobs to the area. We see your tribe's economic and social assimilation as an event that could greatly benefit our country and maybe even see a social movement pushed for an amendment to the constitution."

"And if we refuse..." The chief thought out loud.

"Then you will face trial and be executed for engaging in or supporting an act of terrorism, just like Bentlemeri will be soon."

"You're a cruel man, Sebastian."

"No, I am only practical." With that, he stood and left.

[Ventlimer]

2/1/16
Ventlimer City, Ventlimer

"Sir, the report is ready." Alex said as he stood in front of the President. Sebastian had been reading over reports all day, but now he had to read the most important one.

"Lemme see it." Alex handed it to him. "This is really thick, Alex," Sebastian said.

"Yes sir. And it's not a good one."

"Give me a summary."

Alex sat down and pulled out a piece of paper. "Essentially, we have 3 phases of this: Pirate attack and base destruction, KLF attack and Mount KIlohattan takeover, and now this. The banks were involved with both the KLF, though indirectly, and the pirates as directly as it comes. The CEO of Venlimian National Bank actually even spoke to many pirates in that base. The point was to transfer gold from Ventlimer to Terrorists around the region. Who it funded, we don't know. However, Ventlimian National as well as all three of our other banks were involved, but Vetnlimian national was the head of it. Once the funding at the base was cut off, we see 5 different phone calls go from the CEO of Ventlimian National to Valishi Bentlemeri, through secured lines. We were able to track it, though, and that evidence will be presented in court."

"Ok, we assumed all this, but what else?"

"Before the KLF attack, the chief of Tribal Police ignored many signs, and even strange shipments off the coast of the mountains. But even worse, through his monitoring of the group, he discovered they were making bombs and ignored it. It is not known whether he knew the specifics."

"Perhaps he thought they would be military targets?" Gloyd mused.

"Unkown. However, that is treason in all rights."

Sebastian nodded and thought about a couple reports from Congress. "Well, what does the report suggest?"

"That we nationalize the banks, deal with the natives harshly but fairly, and make all the trials public and capital."

"You're suggesting we execute the most powerful CEO's in our country for funding terrorists? No. We will just jail them. Forever."

"As you wish," Alex said.

"Thank you, Alex. I will present this to congress tomorrow after that recommendation is redacted."

"Yes, sir."

---

Ventlimian Congress

News cameras lined the wall of the small building about a mile away from the President's office. Congressmen, both young and old, junior and senior, filed into the room, making the customary hand shakes and shows of friendship or hatred between each other.

"God, I hate this shit," Samuel Wirthland said as he sat at the Speakers seat.

Finally, the congressmen settled down, all anticipating today's visit by the President.

"The president will be here in a few minutes, so let's get roll call out of the way."

Wirthland began reading out names and one by one, the full chamber was accounted for. All members of congress were here.

Soon after, the President arrived. With an announcement, President Sebastian Gloyd entered the room, shaking hands with the congressmen and walking up to the stage, a process Wirthland hated to watch. Finally, the President made it to the podium. Wirthland called the meeting into order.

"We will now hear a speech from the President of Ventlimer," Wirthland said loudly, then motioned to the President to begin.

"My friends," The president began. "Tomorrow will mark three weeks since the deadly attacks on our cities, our industry, and our people. Throughout these three weeks, Ventlimer has mourned its losses, taken revenge on its enemies, and tomorrow will see the leader of the attack be tried for his crimes. His trial shall mark the beginning of the end of this horrible period in Ventlimian history. However, there is much work to be done. Yesterday morning, a report was presented to me concerning these attacks. This report made broad accusations with detailed evidence following these. The accusations were these:

That all major banks played a key role in the theft of gold from this country with the purpose of funding terrorists;
That The Tribal Police knew of the attack, but not its details;

Even worse, though is that the report also completed an investigation in to banks since 2008, when the international banking crisis began. These banks engineered the crisis in Ventlimer in order to make a profit for themselves. They suffered a temporary lost, but bailouts from this government under the previous administration made them billions. Today, they continue to gain in wealth without consequence." The president paused, letting it sink in.

"As a result of this, two bills have been presented to you upon entry. One is to nationalize the banking industry. This will place the banking industry under the Secretary of the Treasury, who will make weekly reports to congress on his actions. The other is to remove the Autonomy of the Mount Kilohattan tribe and to make it the 13th district of Ventlimer. While the natives cannot vote, the district would be governed as a province. This bill will also extend education, healthcare, and welfare to the natives. Finally, the bill will provide incentives for manufacturers and other industries to open up shop there and raise these people out of poverty. This will not only assimilate the natives, but remove completely any power they held. These should be the consequences the natives face for killing our people- the trigger men are dead, their leader on trial, and they no longer will be allowed to live separately from us. Their culture shall die with the KLF, their authority with its inaction, and their ideals with their lack of conviction." He paused, then said sternly, but slowly, "They will become Ventlimian."

At first, there was silence. Then, one after another, the congressmen rose and applauded the president, each vowing to pass the bills in anger at the natives, at their banks, at their own failure to see this. Amidst this, the President stepped down from the podium, and exited through a side door. Hours later, both bills were on the floor, now neatly written into one large bill. The Speaker called the vote, and one after another "aye's" filled the room. The final vote of the joint session was 108-34-8.