NationStates

Having been landed a few days earlier, the EMI have found themselves in Almalik and with no immediately hurry to relocate in or near Qadha, where the front of the fighting would be should war break out. Instead, they focus on the capital city of Almalik, giving vaccines to the locals without the local regime's permission. There is a possible chance that these "vaccines" are only placebos, but further investigation would be required. As they do this, a variety of pictures and videos have been taken to show how nice and perhaps "morally superior" the Gilani allies are in comparison to the Astorian Coalition. Even an arranged shot of Gilani children holding an Inzunzan flag with Inzunzan marines holding a Gilani flag above them.

Truly, the simplest form of propaganda.

A Gilani reporter catches the acting commander of the EMI, a Colonel of the Inzunzan marines along with an appointed translator by the Gilani government. "Colonel, a word if possible!" asks the reporter. The colonel shrugs and allows the man to approach with microphone in hand. "Colonel, why has Inzunza sent the EMI to Gilan?"

The Colonel waits for his translator to finish before responding, "We Inzunzans are sympathetic to the Gilani people. The region had been more than just pawns to the Imperialist west before and we will do what we can, even if it's so little. In a just world, our entire fleet would sail across the globe and break through the blockade."

"But isn't the Inzunzan navy rather small with a majority of it's fleet being comprised of smaller ships more suited for the Caribbean?" asks the reporter. The colonel blinks, taken back by the information provided by the reporter and through the translator.

"Er... yes. But our fleet is still superior to the westerners. They claim to fight for liberty, attempting to fool the world. We Inzunzans and Gilanis know better, however. We see them for the money grabbing pigs that they are. Though we can't afford to send a dedicated fighting contingent, we send the best doctors Inzunza has to offer. Should fighting occur, we know the Astorians will use horribly wicked devices that were designed for heavy combatants but will ultimately be used against Gilani civilians as well. Such devastating firepower is, rather unfortunately, indiscriminate. Thus, Inzunza and the rest of Gilan's allies will be not only defending the peaceful people of this beautiful country, but also fight tyranny from the morale high ground. With true justice on our side, who could stand against us?"

"And what will the EMI be doing until the fighting begins?"

"We Inzunzans are also a peaceful people. We don't want war to break out and are quick to declare our neutrality. Currently, our goal is to ensure the Gilani people are well taken care of while the Astorian blockade is in full effect. The Astorians are attempting to deny the Gilanis essential rights. This blockade prevents the imports of food and vaccines. Unfortunately, we didn't bring farmers or fish but we will settle with the next best thing. Ultimately, the Gilani people are our ultimate priority until the first shots are fired."

"What will be your priority when Astoria begins their offensive?"

"Like all supporters of Gilan, we will rush to the front. Unlike the rest of the supporters, our priority will be to set up several field hospitals. It's imperative that we mark these field hospitals with red crosses or red crescents. Possibly both. We will be relying heavily on Medical Neutrality to ensure the safety of our field doctors and our marines. As you know, physicians must be allowed to care for the sick and wounded, and soldiers must receive care regardless of their political affiliations. There will be a chance we'll have to help Astorians but I think it'd be unlikely as their soldiers are slaves to capitalism and are bound to retreat when they see the glorious defenders of the proletariat charge their positions. That being said, all parties must refrain from attacking and misusing medical facilities, transport, and personnel. So, please don't expect Inzunzan ambulances to deliver soldiers back to the front or our field hospitals to house the entirety of the Gilani military. These are the rules of war that have been in place for... well, years. I'm not sure if the Astorians will intentionally attack medical personnel, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did."

"Thank you, Colonel... that was... enlightening?" replied the reporter in a confused tone. The Colonel gives him a quick salute before continuing with his duties.

The Supreme Federal President William I was meeting with the Security Council. The Chief of Staff, General Omar Torrijos, summed up the report:

"Mr. President, the situation in Qadha and in the Gulf Of Tijara is critical. Since 1998 Qadha is under a brutal and cruel military occupation. Despite all efforts, the international community and the condemnation from the World Assembly and sanctions to the regime of Gilan increasingly endanger the navigation by the gulf. Gilan is reinforced militarily and in a continuous form thanks to the supply of arms of its allies. The Astorian Coalition has tried to force a diplomatic solution, but without results ".

The Minister of Public Security took the floor: "Mr. President, if we become involved in this conflict the security of the Federation can be compromised. The reports presented here from the Coalition Intelligence Service (CIS) from Vymar and from Gilan himself report that they are training terrorist groups, which may endanger our territorial integrity. We can reinforce anti-terrorist security, but I sincerely recommend that we avoid this conflict. "

Torrijos replied: "The risk is the escalation and the lack of means of both sides to face in a conventional war. That could lead them to use weapons of mass destruction of which the civilian population would be most affected. We have the anti-ballistic ability to face that threat in the Gulf Of Tijara . "

William I listened attentively, and made a decision. That afternoon, he addressed the Council of the Federation in a brief but concise speech:

"Honorable Counselors, I have evaluated all possible options, however, in view of our responsibilities to the World Assembly and the IATA antiterrorism pact, we are bound as a peaceful and respectful nation and a human rights defender, to join the Astorian Coalition to support The release of Qadha. I call through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the government of Gilan to reach an agreement to stop the suffering of thousands of civilians, women and children who suffer a brutal illegal military occupation. However, after 19 years of sanctions and convictions and attempts at mediation that have been unsuccessful, the possibilities in the current situation are minimal to reach a peace agreement. Therefore, and in the face of the danger to the global navigation of our commercial fleet and the danger of international terrorism, I request the ratification of using our Defense Forces to pacify the region. "

In the Chamber of the Council of the Federation they were heard to roar the applause. Two hours later, the authorization of the use of the armed forces in the Gulf Of Tijara was ratified.

For this its mobilized the 9th Task Force that was near the conflict zone to support with the naval blockade and in addition to the 23th Task force. Between them they had the following naval capacity:

3 Richelieu-class Aircraft carrier
4 Juan Carlos I-class Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship
3 America-class Amphibious Assault Ships
4 Wasp-class Landing Helicopter Dock
6 Ticonderoga-class AEGIS Guided Missile Cruisers
15 Arleigh Burke-class AEGIS Guided Missile Destroyer
9 Horizon-class Guided Missile Destroyer
16 Sachsen-class Guided Missile Frigate
16 Álvaro de Bazán class AEGIS Guided Missile Frigate
8 Ada-class Missile Guided Corvettes
12 Freedom-class of Littoral Combat Ships
14 Pegasus-class (upgrade) Hydrofoils Fast Attack Patrol Boats
4 Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines
16 Soryu-class (upgrade) diesel-electric Attack Submarines
4 Berlin-class Replenishment Ship
2 Supply-class Fast Combat Support Ships
2 Echo-class Multi-Purpose Hydrographic Survey Ships
8 Katanpää-class Mine Countermeasure Vessels
2 Peace Ark-class Hospital Ship
Others transport and assault ships.

In addition, it was immediately transferred by air to the bases of the Astorian Coalition in the Gulf of Tijara, the 12th Airborne Division, the 22th Air Assault Division, and later other elements of the Panama Coalition Defense Forces including the First Marine Division. Among the transferred equipment were SAMPT mobile anti-aircraft missile systems capable of intercepting and repelling ballistic missiles.

Hundreds of 4th Air Force aircraft also took off, while several Global Hawk drones began long-range reconnaissance.

Ted Erwan was at his "round table," discussing the situation in Quadha with his associates and military advisers alike.

"We need ideas. Ideas for the coming war," stated Erwan.

General Andrew Yabut, a strong broad figure who wears his badges with pride then replied:

"We should those bombers and fighters first, have them pound on Gilani roads leading torwards Quadha, blocking their army's access to the region, then send in our 5,000 troops to clear out what's left in Quadha."

The others give Yabut a confused look.

"No. Too many civillian casualties at the Gilan-Quadha border," replied Erwan.

Then, the doors burst open. A small, skinny man then announces to them:

"Sirs... huff.. huff.. The Panama Coali.. ti.. tion.. has enter.. entered the arena.. on.. on our side on human rights defense grounds."

He then leaves.

The entire room is silent. Erwan then speaks up:

"A new dimension to this already complicated mess," he mumbles.

"Perhaps we should negotiate a strategic bombing campaign with them, have our bombers go at their weapons silos, convoy lines and more," replies James Kraal, a military strategist.

Yabut shouts back:

"NO! NO NO NO! THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK! WE NEED TO HIT THEM DIRECTLY. MY NEW SUGGESTION IS THAT WE JUST CARPET BOMB EVERYTHING! INFASTRUCTURE, HOUSING, ECONOMIC CENTERS!"

Erwan replies "No. That'll kill to many civil-"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THOSE NUMBERS! ALL I CARE ABOUT IS THE ENEMY'S BODY COUNT!"

*lots of shouting and awkward faces later*

"Alright Yabut, please, just no," says a tired Erwan.

"Fine."

"Alright, it's been decided. Kaal's plan is go," says Erwan.

VYMAR SENDS GREG HAMILTON TO DISCUSS PEACE WITH ASTORIA

With war on the horizon, Astoria's attempt to establish peace before all out war begins has been accepted by John Williams. "I will be sending diplomat Greg Hamilton to discuss peace talks with Astoria". Many journalists immediately sprang up and barked questions such as "Why did you escalate the conflict further?". John replied as so "Look, Vymar will not be taken seriously if we do not give reason for other nations to do so. Our support of Gilan would be by passed, as quote unquote diplomatic politicians who called for diplomatic talks were swiftly by passed earlier on in this international crisis. We hope now, with the threat of Astorian Coalition lives, diplomacy will be swiftly enacted".

He then quickly changed the subject "With that said, we will be sending more troops to Gilan over the next week or so. We plan to have 5,000 more troops in Gilan, with an added 50 XM-3s and 10 AAVs by the end of the next week. We will also send in 100 of our F-16s as escort and will be stationed inside of Gilan, with Vymarian pilots. Also, our meetings with our coalition members are going along quite smoothly, and have been quite successful. We hope this alliance stays strong throughout this conflict."

Several days ago, the Republic of Inzunza had purchased a midget submarine from a rogue state in the far east. Since then, the submarine had vanished yet no Inzunzan vessels were in the area to recover the submersible craft. Midget submarines are generally used for stealth operations as they are very difficult to detect with sonar, especially in shallow waters due to the fairly small size of the vessel and it is assumed that the intention of the Inzunzan government is to test the effectiveness of midget submarines for and after the war in their home region. However, this isn't the only theory and the true purpose has yet to be seen.


Photograph taken by a spy operating within the rogue state's borders prior to the disappearance of the vessel.

The Inzunzan government has yet to confirm or deny the photo evidence. The midget submarine is a Yeono class with a complement of two and has swimmer delivery capabilities up to a team of seven. The range, however, is relatively abysmal and requires a mother ship to tend to the vessels needs, primarily fuel. Approximately 90 kilometers while submerged and 1000 kilometers while surfaced and traveling nearly 15 kilometers per hour while submerged and 20 kilometers per hour while surfaced. Though initially unimpressive, it's often armed with two 533mm (21 inch) torpedoes. This type of submarine with one of these torpedoes has sunk a Pohang class corvette seven years ago; the corvette's sonar failing to detect the submarine and the torpedo leading to the vessel being broken in half.

In other news, Inzunzan vehicles have had a variety of issues on the field due to the usage of hybrid engine parts in their frontline vehicles. Inzunzan BTR-152's are reportedly suffering from a loss of engine power and the blame is placed on the neighboring nation who supplies their engine parts. One Inzunzan official has gone on the record saying, "THOSE DAMN HIPPIES ****** US!" Kaloralist engine makers have responded with, "Even if you gotta kill each other, at least try to spare mother earth." Several T-72 tanks have been refitted with eco-friendly engines and has lead to unintentional battlefield testing with reports from the front seemingly filled by baffling confusion. The EMI in Gilan has not suffered from such issues yet nor is it assumed that they will as they rely on Gilani or their backers for spare engine parts.

Currently, supplies may still be flied in without too much hassle and contact is still maintained through radio or third party internet services like Skype and Twitter.

The Emperor decides to nuke the CARRIEBEANIAN. They will suffer at the hands of nuclear weaponry.

OOC:
Not happenin' Artherian Federation. Not happening. As much as I'd like to do that, I still want to tell a good story.

Gulf of Tijara Crisis Summit
Palais des Princes
Fontenay, Savoie

The Savoien had agreed to allow the peace talks between the Astorian coalition and Gilan's backers to take place in an old palace, one that apparently been the favorite spot of the heirs to the throne back when Savoie was a monarchy. Now it was a tourist attraction, and a sufficiently ornate and stately-looking place for the last chance for diplomacy.

Secretary of State Tasbrough and his entourage arrived in a convoy of limousines that had both Astorian and Qadhan flags flying from the antennae, a clear statement about their support for the independence of the small state. Privately, Tasbrough was glad that the Qadha government in exile had agreed to maintain a distance from the talks, both as refusal to recognize Gilan as being able to negotiate their sovereignty and to give the Astorian negotiating team more room to maneuver.

The various parties would meet in one of the old audience chambers, with a large round table for everyone to sit at.

"The position of the coalition is clear and unmovable," Tasbrough said in his opening remarks. "Gilan must evacuate Qadha and restore the independence of that state." Left unmentioned was the JJI terror network - Tasbrough had prevailed on President Windrip to make the summit exclusively about Qadha, a much more attainable goal than the nebulous "ending support for terror." The Soldiers of the Islamic Jihad could be handled through more...discreet methods.

"If Gilan does not evacuate, we see no recourse but military action," Tasbrough continued. "I ask that Gilan's allies use their positions to make President al-Fulani understand this."

Meanwhile in the Gulf of Tijara

The Astorian forces now numbered some 200,000 men, and more were on their way. The Astorian public had responded to the callup of reserves with a sort of apathetic detachment - few believed the war would be anything but a quick and easy victory over a third-rate rogue nation, even with its international supporters. The economy had taken a slight hit as men and women were called from their jobs to serve as soldiers, cooks, drivers, and other roles in the military and either shipped off the Gulf or sent to a domestic base to replace someone who had been sent "over there."

Two more carriers had entered the Gulf, maintaining the naval blockade against any efforts to supply Gilan by sea. Air travel remained unrestricted for now: only if negotiations failed would a no-fly zone be enforced, the next stage towards all-out offensive action. In the meantime, Special Forces, spy satellites, and aircraft gathered intelligence on enemy positions through reconnaissance missions, while experts planned out the air and naval bombardment campaign that would commence when the orders came down from the War Department.

Across the Border

The Gilani military was primarily an internal security service, with a secondary role as war-fighters. Thus most of the Army remained in Gilan proper, garrisoning cities against rebellion or coup, while the elite Revolutionary Guard units were the ones manning the border in occupied Qadha. The Guard were equipped with modern weapons, but the officer corps was rife with nepotism and poor leadership. The GIlani Air Force was the second best equipped branch, with mostly modern fighters but little experience in real aerial combat. The Gilani Navy was practically non-existent.

President al-Fulani had graciously accepted the gifts of foreign weapons but was careful to keep most of the foreign soldiers and advisors away from major cities where they might spread anti-regime propaganda or see a bit too much of the repression that was central to his government's survival. They were kept near isolated army bases, to oversee the training of Gilani soldiers on the new weapons systems. Only the Inzunzans were allowed to perform carefully scripted photo-op acts of charity and medical aid, to bolster Gilan's reputation on the world stage.

In Savoie, the Gilani negotiators remained stubborn over the issue of Qadha, but privately admitted to some of their foreign partners that a prolonged blockade or a military conflict with the technologically superior and better-trained Astorians and their allies could be disastrous for al-Fulani's regime. No mention was made of whether Gilan was actually supporting the JJI, or whether they would or could cease harboring them.

Gulf of Tijara Crisis Summit
Palais des Princes
Fontenay, Savoie

Altpeak’s Minister for International Affairs, Vladislav Chuikov, and his accompanying entourage arrived accompanied by a small force of Altpeak’s Red Guards, wearing their dress uniforms rather than their combat uniforms, something intended to make clear that they were there as a ceremonial force rather than a true security detail. Privately, Vladislav was frustrated that Astoria had forced Altpeak to show its hand in Gilan and side fully with the government. Their original intent had been to ally with Gilan and then use that alliance as leverage to make President al-Fulani’s government reform from within, creating for Altpeak a more moderate ally in the region. However, the Astorians had ruined that plan by their bullish insistence on military action, forcing the Altpeakians into open and near complete support of the Gilani government meaning they now needed to try and salvage as much of the plan as they could.

However, outwardly, they couldn’t afford to show any disunity with their allies in front of the capitalists, who would doubtless try to exploit any disunity they could. Taking his seat at the table, Vladislav listened to the Astorian delegation’s opening statement. Speaking up once the Astorians had finished, he said “The Gilani government occupied Qadha not for their own interests but to protect the people of Qadha from capitalist exploitation of the Qadhan people by oil cartels, principally Astorian although from other capitalist nations as well. In this the Altpeakian government stands by Gilan. Unless Astoria can provide assurances and measures that will prevent exploitation of Qadhan’s in service of Astorian economic interests then I see no reason why Gilani forces should withdraw and Altpeak will support them in their efforts against the Coalition forces”.

In Gilan

Altpeakian equipment of every description continues to be flown into Gilan and given to the Gilani armed forces, mainly the Republican Guards and Air Force. Rather than make any attempt at visiting Gilani forces garrisoned in Gilan itself, Altpeakian instructors concentrated their efforts on training and improving the effectiveness of the Gilani units who would be in the frontline against the Astorian and Coalition forces. While the lower echelon troopers are doing well, being as well trained as most Altpeakian army units and are rapidly being trained in the use of the equipment supplied by Altpeak, these instructors and military advisors noticed that there was a problem with corruption and nepotism in the upper ranks.

Rather than try and completely fix the problem, the Altpeakian military advisors have been sending long lists of officers who they suggest need to be reassigned to reserve units in Gilan itself or promoted up to out of the way positions where they will have little impact on the war. Accompanying these lists are lists of officers or troops who the Altpeakians believe would make competent replacements for the “promoted” or reassigned officers. It has also been suggested that these replacements may only be temporary, with reassigned officers re-joining their original units once the fighting against Coalition forces is done.

With regards to the Gilani air force, several hundred Altpeakian pilots have been flown in and have been working around the clock to improve the air combat capabilities of the Gilani pilots by staging drills and exercises designed to be as punishing and difficult as possible to make sure the Gilani air force is ready for combat. Nonetheless, the Altpeakian strategists assigned to advise Gilani High Command have accepted that it is likely that Gilan will lose its air power early on in the war, or at least most of it. Therefore, on the ground a higher than average number of instructors have been assigned to Gilani anti-air units and they have also received an unusually large amount of Altpeakian equipment. The goal of all this is to try and nullify or blunt the aerial advantage Coalition forces are likely to possess.

Aside from the anti-air units, the Gilani forces who have received the most attention from the Altpeakian instructors are the three tank divisions of the Gilani 1^st Armoured Corps who are being trained with the idea that they will usually be fighting outnumbered. They have also received large number of new Merkava Mark IV tanks, enough to completely reequip themselves with them.

Some of the Merkava IV tanks given to Gilan

There have been two changes suggested by the Altpeakian’s that have so far been acted upon by the Gilani government. The first was the foundation of the “Corps of Gilani Commissars”(Faylaq al-Mufawadin al-Gilan). Their mission is to be the motivation of Gilani troops at the front. However, unlike the existing Gilani political officers, the Corps of Gilani Commissars shall fight alongside the troops and lead both by example and by word, a style of leadership which the Altpeakian found made their own Commissars more effective during the Altpeakian civil war.

The second change is the creation of the Gilani Penal Corps(Faylaq al-Euquba al-Gilani). At present, it consists of one division overseen by volunteers from the newly founded Corps of Gilani Commissars. It consists of court-martialled soldiers and prisoners who chose to undergo a year’s service in the Penal Corps rather than their assigned “civil” punishment. The idea is that it will serve as an example to other Gilani troops. It has, at present, been put to work creating makeshift roads from Gilan’s nearest supply dumps to the frontline so that supplies can more easily and more quickly be transported.

A C-17 Globemaster lands in Quadha Airport carrying 30 military physicians and 4 Humvee ambulances. General Mathus has reserved a site near the airport as a humanitarian zone where Pakmar forces will set up medical tents and food shelters. There are 12 security personnel with the group who will be peacekeeping around the site. The Pakmar government still has to decide whether to send in at least 7 to 10 Saab fighter jets to the region, 3 have already landed in Quadha and are on standby.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Ritter had come to the peace talks escorted by some bodyguards from the Institutional Protection Service. Its mission was to represent the Federal Republic of Panama Coalition in support of the Astorian Coalition for the liberation of Qadha and to restore its independence. In this way, he supported the position of Astoria and if necessary, to contribute with the Panamanian Defense Force to a naval and aerial blockade to Gilan.



Gulf of Tijara:

Meanwhile, the Panama Coalition Navy's Task Forces 9th and 23th had taken tactical and strategic positions in the Gulf of Tijara and the Rafale N fighters conducted aerial patrols along the Gulf coasts along with the E-2D Hawkeye AWACS, Being careful not to enter Gilan's airspace to avoid a diplomatic or military conflict.



Along the border, the 12th Airborne Division; The 2nd Ranger Brigade and the 22nd Air Assault Division had taken positions, and was already disembarking troops, equipment, tanks and aircraft from the 15th Federal Expeditionary Division (equivalent to an armored army corps with 60,000 troops, also known as the Panamanian Expeditionary Force); The 24th Air Combat Cavalry Division; The 19th Armored Division and the 1st Infantry Division (mechanized).

The 4th Air Force was being organized at allied air bases. More than half of this force, 600 aircraft, were in the area fully operational. For this huge operation, this force was protected from aerial and ballistic attacks with SAMPT anti-air systems and the Strategic Defense Force (SDF) of the Panama Coalition supplied some S-400 anti-air batteries. Already the first E-3 Sentry AWACS began the patrol flights, escorted by F-22 Raptor.

The Gulf of Tijara

Ten days ago, the Republic of Inzunza purchased a midget submarine from a rogue state in the far east. As the sun started to set for Gilan, a vessel belonging to the rogue state and disguised as a Qadhan fishing ship anchored forty kilometers from the blockade and an unmarked helicopter prepared to land on the ship’s deck. The aircraft was received by an Inzunzan sailor adorned in a wetsuit. The helicopter barely touched the deck before the crew shoved a balding, middle-aged man out the side and immediately flew off again. He was shorter than the sailor and wore a similar wetsuit. He seemed dazed, but relieved.

“Junior Commissary Director Chacón?” asked the sailor.

“Please,” said the middle-aged man. “Call me Demetrio. Teniente de Navío Moro?”

“Please, call me Felipe,” mocked the sailor. “Was the flight too much for you, Sir?”

“I hate flying… felt like I was going to drop into the sea at any moment.”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about falling into the sea. Just other things falling into the sea. Then maybe exploding, but only if we’re lucky,” joked Felipe. Demetrio glanced at the sailor, horror shown in his face. Felipe coughed awkwardly before continuing, “Well, we have about half an hour before the sun goes down. We’ll need to go over the submarine before we can begin the mission.”

“Where is your crew?” Demetrio asked.

“Sir… you are the crew,” Felipe responded.

“...I’ve never even seen a submarine before. Why would they send me here for this?”

“You’ll be fine, just do as I say and we will both be just fine. If it’s not too much to ask, did you see the blockade on your approach?”

“I didn’t care to look. We flew from an embassy east of here. Officially, I’m still there. Politics, Felipe; I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course, of course...” replied Felipe as a crane pulls a submarine from below deck. Despite the seemingly large size of the vessel, it was still relatively small to other submarines. The crane halted, giving the two Inzunzans enough room to walk beside it. “That long tube looking feature? It’s a snort mast and acts like an exhaust pipe for when we’re submerged, but we have to be near the surface for it to work. Next to it is a surface-search radar but we probably won’t be using that so much. Then there is the electric-optical periscope which I’ll be using.”

“These words mean literally nothing to me, Felipe.”

“Very well,” Felipe responded. He pointed towards the submarine’s bow. “There is the attack sonar. Ahead of it is the rescue buoy. If we get hit, we can activate it. It should fill with air and lift the entire submarine to the surface so we won’t necessarily have to drown. I’m sure ‘drowning’ means something to you.”

“It’s comforting, I’ll admit,” Demetrio muttered as Felipe climbed onto the submarine’s deck. Hesitantly, Demetrio followed. Felipe opened the crew access hatch and began to climb inside. Again, Demetrio followed.

“As you can see, we’re ready to set sail,” Felipe responded, waving his hand around the cramped quarters. It was filled with crates, small enough to fit through the access hatch along with two small diver propulsion vehicles, barely large enough to pull a swimmer along. Felipe turned on a light within the control room before pointing towards the bow. “The torpedoes. They’ll be doing most of the work when dealing with hostile Astorian ships. Could probably split a destroyer right in half if given the chance but we’ll only have the two, so we’ll have to make the shots count. They might be rather primitive compared to the torpedoes we use back in Inzunza, which means we may have to get close to the surface to fire them. We should probably prevent that because the closer we are to the surface, the more likely we’ll get caught.”

“I see…” Demetrio muttered. He looked as if he were about to faint.

“Er… there is a sink in the next compartment. Wash up, I’ll need you to act as my planesman.”

“Planesman?”

“Make the underwater boat go up and down,” Felipe playfully joked. Demetrio groaned, sitting before the planesman controls. The access hatch above suddenly closed and Felipe nodded.

“We’re going to be underwater for about eight hours. Are you ready?”

“No,” replied Demetrio, raising his voice. The crane began moving the submarine from the outside, causing the Junior Commissary Director to fearfully hold the controls as the suspended vessel began to sway.

“Too bad, Sir,” commented Felipe as he held the ladder to the access hatch. The crane clumsily dropped the submarine into the water, jolting the two men downwards before the submarine’s movements steadied. Felipe slowly released his grip on the ladder and addressed Demetrio. “Planesman Demetrio, bring us to a depth of 50 meters, please.”

Demetrio looked at Felipe, not knowing what to do. The sailor sighed before walking to the controls. He seemed to twist dials, poke buttons, pull levers, and summon the almighty divinity of God himself to work the device in Demetrio’s eyes. As the submarine began to sink into the ocean, Felipe nodded with a short grunt before returning to his position on the submarine. “It’ll take us about three hours to reach the blockade. The good news is that at least we won’t be detected by sonar, Demetrio. The shallow waters will just make us look like part of the environment to their sonar systems. Then again, we might get unlucky and they might figure us out anyway. Very likely they noticed our friends above, but they’re already turning back. Right now… we’re on our own.”

“We’ll succeed, Felipe,” commented Demetrio. “While the peace negotiations are going through, we must succeed. We have no other option but to succeed.”

“We’ll see. For now, let’s focus on getting there. We’ll turn our vessel north and approach with a curve, Demetrio. Full speed ahead,” said Felipe as he started the electric engines. The Inzunzan midget submarine began it’s voyage, traveling eight knots towards the Astorian blockade 50 meters under the water surface. Either a great victory or an unknown defeat would happen this night. Only time would tell what would happen next for the two men in the tub.

The Alvaro Bazan class frigate Barú detected with its radar SPY a ship with strange movements, to about 60 kms of distance. It was the ship of the Panama Coalition Navy closest to the place. The captain of the ship ordered that this information be transmitted to Vice Admiral Ahmed Chang, commander of the Panamanian Fleet. Immediately, an E-2D Hawkeye AWACS reconnaissance aircraft was dispatched to track and inspect the ship that was now drifting away from the marine exclusion zone imposed by the Astoria Coalition and its allies. The images were transmitted to the flagship Zeus where the Vice Admiral was.

"I do not like this. First, he approached, and now he walks away from being still for a time in the water. Also, a helicopter arrived and went as fast as it arrived. Nothing unusual for a regular fishing boat, and it also carries a large crane, " thought Ahmed Chang thoughtfully.

Naval intelligence officer Herbert Gonzalez and the CIS (Coalition Intelligence Service) liaison agent Laura Reynolds reviewed the videos and digital photos taken from the E-2D Hawkeye. They were then compared to the record of the fishing vessels of the region, without much success because the database was incomplete. After discussing it for a few minutes, Laura exclaimed: "Vice Admiral Chang, we suspect that this ship is something in between. The intelligence reports revealed a few days ago that there were possibly ships and submarines of Rogue States infiltrated in the area. Although we can not fully identify it, I recommend keeping it under surveillance. "

Commander Herbert Gonzalez added: "Sir, we can not rule out that this ship carries some kind of missile, it would not even be difficult to mount SCUDS on a platform on the deck, and that may be the function of the crane it bears. It is also possible that it acts as a mothership for rogue submarines, which means that they are not required to comply with the current state of non-aggression between the parties. I recommend put active and passive sonobuoys at the limit of our forces, at least until we are sure that we will not be attacked by any submarines or extended-range torpedoes launched from that "fishing boat."

"I agree. Make it Commander. " Vice Admiral Ahmed Chang nodded.

Minutes later, ASW navy helicopters and P3 Orion aircraft launched a line of active and passive sonobuoys to detect any possible submarine or torpedo that approached the exclusion zone. In addition, a Sachsen class Guided Missile Frigate equipped with anti-ballistic missiles SM-3, escorted by an Ada class corvette, approached 200 nautical miles of the fishing vessel, tracing it and following it with its powerful AESA radar.

Altpeak wrote:Gulf of Tijara Crisis Summit
Palais des Princes
Fontenay, Savoie
“The Gilani government occupied Qadha not for their own interests but to protect the people of Qadha from capitalist exploitation of the Qadhan people by oil cartels, principally Astorian although from other capitalist nations as well. In this the Altpeakian government stands by Gilan. Unless Astoria can provide assurances and measures that will prevent exploitation of Qadhan’s in service of Astorian economic interests then I see no reason why Gilani forces should withdraw and Altpeak will support them in their efforts against the Coalition forces”.

Gulf of Tijara Crisis Summit
Palais des Princes
Fontenay, Savoie

The Astorian diplomatic team conferred amongst themselves, seemingly caught off-guard by the Altpeak delegation's openness to a Gilani retreat. Secretary of State Tasbrough leaned forward to speak into the microphone, so that the various translators and stenographers could translate and transcribe the words he spoke.

"I would be interested to hear exactly what standard Altpeak sets for 'preventing exploitation' of Qadha, seeing as Gilan has profited handsomely off sales of oil from Qadhan fields. For concerns about the deals that Qadha made as a sovereign state, you'd have to address your concerns to the Qadhan government in exile." The Gilani delegation made a short exclamation of indignation at that, and Tasbrough sat back from the microphone.

Inzunza wrote:The Inzunzan midget submarine began it’s voyage, traveling eight knots towards the Astorian blockade 50 meters under the water surface. Either a great victory or an unknown defeat would happen this night. Only time would tell what would happen next for the two men in the tub.

Panama Coalition wrote:ASW navy helicopters and P3 Orion aircraft launched a line of active and passive sonobuoys to detect any possible submarine or torpedo that approached the exclusion zone. In addition, a Sachsen class Guided Missile Frigate equipped with anti-ballistic missiles SM-3, escorted by an Ada class corvette, approached 200 nautical miles of the fishing vessel, tracing it and following it with its powerful AESA radar.

In the Gulf of Tijara

An Astorian guided missile frigate, the ANS Silverfish, was the closest Astorian vessel to the Panama Coalition vessel that began moving towards the Inzunzan midget sub. Its own sonar buoys and radar began searching for the any possible submarine, while a search helicopter began to approach from a guided missile cruiser farther away.

"Panama Coalition vessel, we also suspect there to be midget submarines operating in support of blockade runners or breakers. We will begin our own search pattern."

Meanwhile, another warship was dispatching a small boat of Marines in the direction of the fishing vessel that was suspected of being the tender for the submarine, to attempt to force the ship to submit to boarding.


AL-RUQ -- The terrorist organization Junud al-Jihad al-Islami (Soldiers of the Islamic Jihad, or JJI) has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a barracks building housing Astorian and coalition forces gathering on the border with Gilani-occupied Qadha in the Gulf of Tijara. The attack came while most of the unit assigned to that particular barracks were deployed for exercises on the border in preparation for the possible commencement of hostilities with Gilan, which currently faces an Astorian-led coalition assembled to end its occupation of the small state of Qadha.

The truck ignored orders to halt and the warning shots fired by Astorian soldiers on sentry duty, smashed through the barrier gate across the entrance road to the compound, and barreled into the nearest building. The barracks had been occupied by elements of the Astorian 14th Infantry Division, part of a massive force as Astorian and coalition military personnel that has been slowly building up in the Gulf. Most of the men assigned to the barracks were taking part in an exercise several miles away, but initial reports indicate that approximately two dozen Astorian soldiers were killed or severely injured in the attack, with around another thirty sustaining light injuries.

Soldiers of the Islamic Jihad released a video anonymously to several international media outlets claiming responsibility for the attack and restating their demand that all "Western invaders" evacuate the Gulf immediately. President Windrip has issued a preliminary statement condemning the attack and promising "retaliation in kind" against JJI and "the rogue states that provide them with shelter to plan these deadly attacks and the supplies with which to carry them out."

The Gulf of Tijara

As the low light conditions begin to turn to night, the disguised fishing ship spots the approaching boat of marines. While still at a considerable range the ship's alarm begins ringing as the crew, adorned in fishing coveralls, hurry to their stations. A spotlight illuminates the Astorian vessel as small arms fire from AKM or AKM type assault rifles target the marines with little success. The crew was determined to fight to the last man or escape, in the glorious name of their rogue state's demagogue.

Hours Later

Since the beginning of the voyage, there had been an unbroken silence. Felipe was confident but Demetrio was still nervous. He was shaking and on the verge of tears. Felipe checked his pocket watch before finally breaking the lingering silence. "Batteries are going to run out of power soon."

"What?! Will we be trapped down here?" asked Demetrio with concern in his voice.

"What?" Felipe replied, confused. "No, it just means we're about to surface. We can go straight to Al Ashrea from here."

"I see... How much longer?"

"Not too much. We'll travel faster once surfaced. And we can turn the radio on, maybe open a hatch. Would you like that, Demetrio?"

"I would," Demetrio responded. "Have they not noticed us?"

"As I said, the shallow waters combined with a small submarine doesn't make it easy for sonar to find. If it were the open ocean, then we wouldn't have much luck but we should be confident."

"I see..."

"Planesman, bring us to surface. Do the opposite of what I did."

"That was eight hours ago, Felipe."

"And you weren't paying attention?" Felipe asked. He sighed before walking to Demetrio's controls and began to raise the submarine. Demetrio could hear the pressure change in the hulls of the sub before feeling the lift. Unknown to the crew, as they began to rise from the depth of the gulf, they began setting off sonar sensors. As they got nearer towards the surface, they began setting off radar sensors as well. The blockade was mostly behind them as they were 40 kilometers away. Before they could reach the ocean's surface, the lights began to flicker as the battery finally died, the electric engine fading.

Demetrio called unto the heavens for help as he yelled, "¡Ave Maria!" in his panic. Felipe laughed.

"I thought as Junior Commissary Director of the Party, you would be more secular, Demetrio."

"You'll never find an atheist in a fox hole, Felipe..." muttered Demetrio as the submarine broke the surface. Felipe rolled his eyes as he climbed the ladder and opened the hatch. Demetrio quickly followed. The two stood on deck as they looked upon the blockade behind them. There was a full moon and for some reason a tall pillar of smoke in the far distance. They thought nothing of this, of course, and Felipe left the political officer on deck by himself, returning below deck and starting the diesel engines. Demetrio took a deep breath, appreciating the surface air. His horror had finally ended.

The snorkel mast began to lift upwards, dark exhaust blowing out as the engines rumbled to a start.

Ruskland-Preuben Intervenes Independently!

Ruskland-Preuben, a large and feared nation currently in a period of military isolation from the rest of the world, makes a surprise declaration about their intervention against Gilan, stating that the weeding out of terrorism is the only casus beli that they need. He has authorized a mobilization of the military, as well as full usage of the imperium's ballistic missiles. The Black Sea Fleet has also been mobilized, most of the ships not being ships, but being submarines, missile submarines.

The military on the other hand, has been building up in the Caucasian region, already massed up at about 100,000 men, with more than 50% coming from local garrisons, and the local armies, and they still were pulling men from Finland all the way to the Black Sea coast. If done successfully, about 500,000 men would be deployed, and all that from that from active forces. Before fully deploying troops, the north of Gilan would be bombarded by bombers from carriers and bases, as well as unrelenting usage of incendiary and high explosive missiles. Then right after full mobilization, another bout of unrelenting bombing, thus time on the entirety of Gilan, then the troops would begin marching from the north as to flank them with Coalition forces.

In the meantime, missiles and... Unorthodox methods would be used...

Cthulhist suicide bomber kills 21 at market in Madiah
Bomb detonated next to mosque by Cthulhist in Madiah, 12 dead

Gulf of Tijara Crisis Summit
Palais des Princes
Fontenay, Savoie

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Ritter took the floor: "The Federal Republic of the Panama Coalition wants this conflict to be resolved in the most peaceful way possible. We invite the nation of Gilan to leave Qadha peacefully and voluntarily. Gilan has proven his resolve and we hope that in these times of crisis he will also show his wisdom. The Panama Coalition as a people who love peace and international law, wants Qadha to be freed from the occupation of Gilan and given the opportunity of his free will and the right of self-determination of his people. Our nation is also capable of showing resolve and determination in fulfilling our mission in this region. So far we have only mobilized our Navy, but we are prepared to enforce the World Assembly resolutions and therefore unrestrictedly support The United States of Astoria in this international mission. "

Gulf of Tijara

In the suicide attack on a barracks building housing Astorian, 11 Panamanian soldiers were also hit by the blast. Three of them died and the others, after emergency care and stabilization, were transferred to the hospital ship "Alliance Ark" for their specialized care by an MV-22 Osprey. Immediately, several Special Forces teams were deployed to neutralize any threat from another terrorist attack. These teams were backed by Drones Avenger and RH-66 Comanche helicopters, who were in turn supported by some Embraer 145 AEW&C to identify and intercept communications and guide these anti-terrorist forces towards any threat from The terrorist organization Junud al-Jihad al- Islami (Soldiers of the Islamic Jihad, or JJI).



Meanwhile, the number of FAP (Panamanian Air Force) military aircraft deployed in the military bases of the Astorian Coalition already surpassed the 800.

Panamanian Air Force (FAP): https://www.nationstates.net/nation=panama_coalition/detail=factbook/id=815436

The armored and mechanized divisions had completed the landing and were positioned in the indicated areas to support the Astorians ground forces. These forces were equipped with Leopard-2A6 Main Battle Tanks and Bradley and Puma infantry fighting vehicles.




The PCS Porras Frigate, the Sachsen class vessel that followed the suspect vessel, accelerated its engines to the maximum to establish a reconnaissance arc and join the ANS Silverfish in the ASW quest. In front of it, one of its NH90 Helicopters came forward in support of the small boat of Astorian Marines.

At the other end of the fleet, far from the fishing ship, the PCS Hammerhead, a Soryu (upgrade) class diesel-electric Attack Submarine, detected in the distance the characteristic sound of a Snorkel being activated. He immediately took an interception course and prepared to scan the area with his active sonar when she was within range of his torpedoes and also reported for antisubmarine air support. Reports from the Astorian Navy indicated the presence of a rogue submarine in the area.

Panama Coalition wrote:The PCS Porras Frigate, the Sachsen class vessel that followed the suspect vessel, accelerated its engines to the maximum to establish a reconnaissance arc and join the ANS Silverfish in the ASW quest. In front of it, one of its NH90 Helicopters came forward in support of the small boat of Astorian Marines.

At the other end of the fleet, far from the fishing ship, the PCS Hammerhead, a Soryu (upgrade) class diesel-electric Attack Submarine, detected in the distance the characteristic sound of a Snorkel being activated. He immediately took an interception course and prepared to scan the area with his active sonar when she was within range of his torpedoes and also reported for antisubmarine air support. Reports from the Astorian Navy indicated the presence of a rogue submarine in the area.

(Image)

((I guess in-character bump? Astoria, we miss you. :C))

Unknown to the surfaced Inzunzan submarine, Coalition forces approached their position and the intent was unknown. The two men who manned the submarine, sat inside the vessel without sonar. As the diesel engine recharged the battery, Felipe manned the radio.

"Bear, this is Scorpion. Do you copy, over?" he said. He looked at Demetrio, sighing before speaking into the radio once more. "I repeat, Bear, this is Scorpion. Do you copy, over?"

"Scorpion, this is Bear. Reading you loud and clear, over," responded the radio. The two smiled before Felipe continued.

"Battery is dead, on diesel now. Headed to port. ETA several hours, over."

"Affirmative, Scorpion. Be warned, your presence is known, over.."

"Bear, please say again, over.?" Felipe asked, his eyes widening.

"I repeat, your presence is known, Scorpion. Gate has engaged. Proceed with caution."

"Wilco, Bear. Out," Felipe responded.

"Negative, Scorpion. The hive is humming, be on guard. Out."

"Wilco. Out," Felipe responded.

"What happened, Felipe?" asked Demetrio.

"I think out launching vessel... may have been destroyed. We might be next."

"They can't prove we went through the blockade. If they fire on us, it would be an act of aggression!" shouted Demetrio.

"Not sure they care. Let's keep the hatch open. If they board us, then there is nothing we can do. We can't dive because the batteries need to be charged, we can't outrun them because this submarine is a piece of junk... we don't have a lot of options,"

"Then we'll wait. What could go wrong?" asked Demetrio.

Hours Earlier

Upon seeing the NH90 Helicopters approach, the crew of the rogue ship's fire became more sporadic. Small arms fire filled the air as the crew poorly defended the ship. The ships captain manned the radio himself, shouting at an Inzunzan operative on the other side and demanded support before being told support was unavailable. As the Coalition neared, heavier arms were being brought up to the deck. An RPG-7 is fired, aimed at the nearest of the Panamanian helicopters.

As the gulf erupted in chaos, Inzunzan operators watched from a satellite feed. In Soledad, the entire operation was being recorded.