The Continental Wars (IC, New Ausozera Only)

by **Urran** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 6:57 pm

Seabed, Azen Coast

Silt filled the water of the shallow sea with a dark grey fog, completely impenetrable by the search lights of the Akito Class AIP equipped patrol submarine now planted on the seabed well within Azen territory. The Urranese interloper was, for now, undetected. The operation was taking place at night, undercover of darkness. The lighting given off by the sub was just bright enough to give divers light to work in, not like the bright lights of research submarines.

The multipurpose bay was flooded with water and a hatch at the front of the warship was opened. Out came a team of Urranese Navy UDT/SEAL divers known as the Black Cats, the most famous and legendary of Urranese special forces. They swam out a rather large box, planting it on the seafloor. It was a weight with a buoy attached. They opened the weighted box and the buoy head floated up to the surface after being activated. Its job was to listen to seagoing traffic, especially for warships, and to monitor signals sent over the electronic spectrum.

Urran was nervous. There were rebellions happening all over the continent and larger powers than Azenyanistan were getting involved. In order to keep New Azenyanistan secure, the Urranese were beginning to conduct recon in Azen waters. If there were any warships skulking about, or if the Azens or URA started discussing an invasion, Urran needed to know.

Of course, the buoy was low observable and was labeled as "Property of the Urranese Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Institute" and was designed to separate itself from the base if tampered with in order to make it appear like a civilian buoy had simply been lost and needed to be returned. To further the ruse, the buoy would indeed collect such data, keeping the military information encrypted and hopefully undiscoverable.

Job done, the divers returned to their submarine and it returned to Urranese territory a short time later. Urran was also planning stealth drone flights over the combat areas and to increase border security, hopefully it would be enough to keep Urran safe and out of the war. Hopefully.

by **Azenyanistan** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:14 am

Pilot Arnza watched a pair of recce planes of the Azen Air Force take off a few hundred kilometers away from the border with Syrnistan. Arnza thought the Azens were fortunate to have a small air base close to their neighbors. There were still a few more bases, of course, but they were closer to Aegypt or to Agrabah. And Aegypt was not a good zone for the Azens to fly around or into. So Syrnistan and Agrabah were open game.

She made her way from the second floor with the help of an elevator and jogged to her plane, a beautifully decorated and recently readied F-16, she met her wingman, a fellow woman named Ayzalay, and they both shook hands and embraced each other. As their ground crews were making the final preparations, she said to her wingman "Welcome back. How was the family?"

She shrugged and laughed, saying "They are all fine. But I hope to come back and spend a few more months with my husband." She looked over her own shoulder, guiding Arnza's eyes to a man in a police uniform, shaking his fist at them from the fence. She shook her fist at him too and then returned to the conversation.

"Looks like we're gonna have to escort our recce planes around. Damn good Tornadoes."

Her wingman agreed. Then they both were called to their planes by the loudspeakers around the base. The two nodded to each other, ran to and up into their cockpits. And together they checked off the safety and readiness checklists their ground crews gave to them. And after a few more minutes of rechecking, they were given the all clear. Their Tornadoes were waiting, circling close to the base.

Soon, they took off and joined the recce Tornadoes. They made sure to flank the recce planes as they now flew for Syrnistan.

Syrnistan

Bell AH-1 Cobras and Boeing AH-64 Apaches belonging to the Azen Air Force were flying dangerously close around the Syrnistani border. Not only because the Azens wanted to keep their borders safe and to show that they meant business, but also because there were still rebels. Rebels who fled Azenyanistan and into Syrnistan.

It didn't help anyone that because of them, the Azens would go after them. So agents from the G171 and AIG were dispatched months ago and many more are still being sent along with Angels, Arch Angels and other special forces of the Azen military to find and arrest or kill the rebels in Syrnistan.

Among the rebels was Arinshania ur Aowa ur Azoewatna. Known to the tribe of the Az as The Enforcer, she had a reputation of joining other tribes and taking control of them. While of course this was prevented, she was never really punished. Only now would she possibly be captured or killed by the government she has rebelled against. She was once the woman behind the Chieftain of Ayr. And now, that Chieftain was gone. All that's left was her, a handful of her own and many other pockets of resistance. Those who made it to Syrnistan. Those who were being hunted down.

To her surprise and to her great relief, she was able to make contact with a few foreigners who she knew had feelings for her cause. One of them was a Cemeralian. And soon enough, she was told that help would come her way.

Another was from Kramania. She did not know them so well but they did contact her. She made her reply and waited for them to entertain her.

She looked at her men from the balcony of her cousin's home, observing them as they checked their weapons, studied their gear and conversed with others. Arinshania wished they could return home.

But they could not. She had rebelled and that meant death or arrest. It was no way to go back.

So she elected to do what she did best. And that was to do it with force. But they had to wait. Or else their chances would be wasted.

Transmission to Kramania - Heavily Secure

Rebel Remnants of Sishanite Azenyanistan

I am Arinshania, the head of the remnants of the rebels of Sishanite Azenyansistan. As of now, we are not united. But we are still alive. However, our government is hunting us down. For now, we are gathering ourselves, licking our wounds. We hope to see your help materialize soon enough.

by **The Unified Isles** » Tue Oct 17, 2017 8:50 am

The look of the office was strange. Gawe had expected some dusted Colonial complex for an office building, like he remembered most public building from his childhood in Azenyanistan. Dune's, and by extent probably Ayza's, office had been (at best) build maybe twenty years ago. What also left the young signaller to wonder was Dune's choice of decor for her personal office. Various military, historical and political essays from the 19th Century, and a notable amount by Isle'ish authors.

'A General History Of The Republican Party Of The Isles', and 'Integration Warfare On A Strategic Level' seemed like things only pretentious people read. Gawe should have read both back in the day, at Royal War College, but of course he never did, he knew nobody who read such things. 'Dost thee thinketh Dune is truly interested in classics by Lord Reyes or the Golden Kings?', asked the Captain-General, while too examining the book shelfs. Dune hadn't arrived yet, she was apparently still busy with meeting a varied amount of people. 'Doth not seem like her, milord, but then again... we had not meth in a long time'

'Hm, me sees', answered the General, only to grin then: 'We shall asketh her...!'

And it didn't take long for the two to get a chance to do so. If he were dishonest, Gawe might have described his reaction as 'surprised'. If he were honest, he would call himself 'completly stunned'. He hadn't really seen Dune for like, over ten years, and they had still been teenagers when his parents migrated to the Isles.

'All The Lords Blessings Upon Thee!!!', Ramsay raised his voice, and his hand, in a traditional Isle'ish greeting, reserved for more formal meetings. He then extended his hand to the young Azen leader, 'Captain-General James Ramsay, Commandant of the Ist Corps yond hath taken into its hand the security of thy country. So, as me noticed, thee art interested in Isle'ish literature... or art these books there from thy predecessor?'

by **The United Remnants of America** » Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:11 am

Commander Susan Grey

Malsuf Province, Aegypt

9/25/2017 - 12:35

The Aegyptian soldiers opened the doors to the SUVs, allowing the CPD contractors to get out and stretch, but also look over their new surroundings. The palace was truly an opulent resident, despite showing some signs of recent battle, no doubt evidence of the last administration change. Grey glanced over the rest of her team. "Tanney, Joaquim, Guram, Cohen, stay out here and keep an eye on things. That means you're in charge, Cohen. Call me if you see anything... Wrong."

Cohen nodded as the four contractors broke off, splitting into pairs to meander outside, their heads swiveling around, taking in the architecture of the palace as well as the Aegyptian and foreign personnel performing their own tasks. Grey followed Jardahn in, Jacobs, Haile, and Ramirez in tow. Grey noted to herself how the contractors seemed to be performing duties very similar to what her CPD often did for the URA. All that made her wonder was who they worked for. She decided she would get that answer from Bugaboo, since Jardahn seemed either ignorant of their origins, or unwilling to offer an answer outright. Either way, Grey thought, she was finally going to meet the revolutionary leader himself. Good for her.

by **Pakiranistan** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 3:22 pm

Presidential Palace, Malsuf Province, Aegypt

As four of the Scipio Unit Operators split from the main group to explore their surroundings, one of the contractors sitting at the card table casually lowered his head near his walkie talkie in Pakirani "Oi Jannu and Ajey, watch those four dudes" pausing for a bit watching the four operators break off before speaking again "Don't scare em too much though". On a roof top with a angle on the palace two contractors lay prone, one looking through the sights of his SSG-69 while the other peered through the rangefinder zeroing in on the four operators watching them carefully.

Meanwhile, Jardahn led Grey and the rest of Scipio Unit through the palaces hallways where the precense of the unknown contractors increased as they conversed sitting on the various furniture present in the palace. Jardahn took a right and after walking a few paces took a left to climb a flight of stairs to the next floor, afterwards taking a left into a hallway where the sound of a muffled arguement originating from behind a door could be heard before the door opened and a man wearing a fitted dark brown suit in his early 30s walked out, though there was something odd as the mans right hand barely moved while the left hand moved freely in his gait. He nodded towards Jardahn and the Scipio Unit before descending down the stairs, Jardahn motioned for Grey to follow him leading her to the door before knocking on it "Come in Jardahn" replied a voice which could be matched with that of Bugaboo's face as they walked in "So Ms Grey, how are you today?" stated Bugaboo warmly while gesturing towards a seat.

by **Azenyanistan** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 4:22 pm

Dune could only smile as her alluring eyes and beautifully toned skin was displayed. In her sleeveless top and the scarf around her neck, hiding her neck and chest, she nodded to the Isle'ish and said

"Thank you for coming. And thank you for protecting my country. I know that not all of your forces are here yet but... Please have a seat." She gestured to them as invitation. And she found her own seat and nodded candidly to a deck of cards on her table. "Most of the books here are mine. The rest were given up to me by my teacher in death. Unfortunately..." She smiled once. And then turned that into a frown. "I have to talk about things much more important than books."

She retrieved the deck of cards and began to deal herself a flop of six and five of hearts and an ace of diamonds. Her hand, she displayed to them, was a four and a seven of hearts. The turn was a nine of spades and the river a three of diamonds. A straight. And she smiled only half-heartedly. She gathered the cards again, shuffled and put it down.

Dune then told them "You know my position and it isn't a pretty position if you'd deal with a civil war that just ended, several allies pulling away from us and our neighbors becoming very suspicious of us. My job here is to avoid war and to ensure that Azenyanistan survives. The job of the G171 and the AIG and the miitary plus the police and other security forces, private or by my government, is to make sure I and my cabinet survive. And the job of the newly made Oversight is to make sure I do my job right."

She sighed as she took the cards again and dealt not only for herself but for one of the Isle'ish. The flop was a queen, king and jack of hearts. All Dune had was a hand of seven and two diamonds. She put the deck to her left and told them "Let's assume that the situation I am in is like poker. Hold Em style." She put down the turn and it was not good for her. A ten of clubs. She continued "I'd be Azenyanistan. And you'd be the opposing force. Assume that your hand is the best while mine is the worst. In this tournament, I'm controlling a nation that has suffered chaos, has a low population, is under new management and is attempting to stay together in the face of tribalism, ethnic conflicts and factionalism."

She avoided putting the river down. She had to say "As a professional player, both in school and out of school, I've always been unpredictable. Playing tightly, playing loosely, playing aggressively and passively. In this case, I'd try to keep on playing, since I love taking risks. The worst hand is in my hands. But suppose I've bet pre-flop. And then I check. Then I call or bet if nobody bet." Then she put her hand face down and said to them

"So what really is my point?"

She nodded and said

"The point is simple. I have to get more support. I should stay in office. I hate the job, I want to go. But I have to stay or someone else who is more incompetent than me will take care of things. Or someone who is competent but dangerous will take care of things. I cannot let the nation go left or right. This nation has to keep moving forward. There's a new system, a new flag and other new things. So it must keep on moving forward.

Moving back, the kind of support I need is both from those at home and overseas. If I can't unite my government, how can I expect them to unite in the face of external threats? I can but once that threat is gone or once that threat succeeds, what happens? It all goes back to infighting. And if I can't get any support from any part of the world, would that mean I'd be legitimate? At home, perhaps, but not to the eyes of the world."

She looked at a map of Sishai and said "I'm planning to talk with officials from Atreidya and the Valaran Empire. I'm also speaking with you boys and I hope to secure my borders with Syrnistan, Agrabah and to watch out for Pakiranistan. And of course, deal with the more domestic issues. The war in Donnerland can continue but it must end quickly so I can pull my forces out without putting the reputation of my country into deeper waters."

by **The United Remnants of America** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:17 am

Commander Susan Grey

Malsuf Province, Aegypt

9/25/2017 - 12:38

Colonel Lindy Cohen had been an EOD in the Remnant Army, but now, she was one of the highest-ranked personnel in the Contracted Personnel Division. Big position for someone who'd been a slum girl in Twin Falls. Wandering around with the three other CPD officers allowed them to pick up on fairly little information. Guram Osadze was walking next to Lindy, and gave her a slight nudge.

"What?"

Guram's eyes stayed forward as they meandered around. "The contractors. The ones at the table?"

Lindy resisted the urge to turn her head towards them, knowing that to be an obvious mistake. "What about them?"

"I think they're interested in us."

"Good," Lindy shrugged, "let them be interested. We're unarmed, and the closest guns we can get to are in the plane. They shoot at us, they start a war they'll lose."

Guram's eyebrows knit together as he gave a chuckle. "I'm not dying in this hellhole for your country because a mercenary doesn't like how I look."

"Well that's why you're getting hazard pay, isn't it?"

Inside the palace, Jacobs and Grey shared glances almost every time they passed a group of obvious foreigners. It was interesting to see so many, and at the very least, it meant Bugaboo had quite the treasury to afford such a force. However, it was a relatively short walk until they finally reached the office of the man they'd arrived to see. Grey noted the appearance of the man who had apparently been arguing with Bugaboo before their arrival, but paid little attention to him otherwise.

"So Ms. Grey, how are you today?" Bugaboo's waved towards a chair.

Grey noted that Bugaboo knew her name, meaning someone had called ahead. That meant his revolutionary troops were at least competent. Grey shook her head, "No, I'll stand, thank you." Jacobs, Haile and Ramirez took up positions against the wall behind her as she remained standing and took a couple steps forward, her hand extended, towards Bugaboo. "As you already know, I'm Commander Susan Grey of the URA's Contracted Personnel Division. I'm here to ask why you killed a Remnant ally and took his place, and more importantly, how you did that." Grey was straight to the point, she had no reason to beat around the bush, and doubted Bugaboo was pompous enough to enjoy fluffy pleasantries like so many politicians usually did. Despite it making her seem rude to most, her actions and record usually showed that her supposed attitude got results.

by **Pakiranistan** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:12 pm

Presidential Palace, Malsuf Province, Aegypt

Bugaboo watched the Scipio Unit Operators line each side of the room before listening to Grey lay down the reason as to their visit with a sincere face before replying “Well then Ms. Grey I’ll be happy to oblige. I killed Mr Obunga or well had him killed because he was a weak leader barely able to hold the strings together against Azenyanistani aggression all the while hoarding this nations wealth for himself while giving the people of this nation nothing but dirt. Now, how did I take over this nation, well to put it simple I seized the palace via my personal forces you’ve probably seen them around their kind of hard to miss and wth some support from quite an old friend that exists on this continent. Any more questions?” As he finished the man from earlier walked inside the office again barging bast Jardahn and the Scipio Unit operators with a phone in his hand, the screen showing recent calls with one saying one minute ago. “We need to talk” the man said to Bugaboo authoritively.

Outside the sound of turbo charged truck engines slowing down could be heard as well as the sound of orders being given. The men from the airport had arrived and were disembarking en mass to a staging area on the right side of the palace. They were all formed up and divided into fireteams via color code, starting with Yellow and ending in Green.

by **Azenyanistan** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:18 pm

Sishanite International News

Azen Planes Over Syrnistan and Agrabah

The Azen Air Force has sent recce planes accompanied by F-16s as escorts into Syrnistani and Agrabahite airspace. Air Force officials have stated that this is part of an operation to find and root out Azen rebels who fled into these countries after the Rakshan Uprising. 12 F-16s have taken off from Azen air bases located close to the border with the two countries. The Air Force has not announced which recce planes were sent off.

It is said that these the Azen Air Force may be conducting recce missions over the two countries neighboring the heartland for an indefinite period.

Artist rendition of F-16s taking off from an Azen air base in Central Azenyanistan

by **The United Remnants of America** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 1:13 am

Commander Susan Grey

Malsuf Province, Aegypt

9/25/2017 - 12:40

Outside, the CPD officers had met back up and watched the trucks approach and the new arrivals disembark from a distance. Captain Tanney, formerly a medical expert from a country overseas, raised his eyebrows, "What d'you think they're all here for?"

Lindy shook her head, watching the troops divide themselves into orderly groups. She approved of their efficiency and training, but also noticed that they were obviously not Aegyptian troops. "I don't know. But they seem to be the reinforcements."

Grey nodded throughout Bugaboo's explanation, her face remaining passive and her sunglasses covering her eyes. What he had said was true. Obunga was by most standards a terrible leader. Even as a dictator, he was constantly nearly losing his power, the mark of a poor authoritarian. That Bugaboo had been able to kill him and seize the reins for himself, and that the people of Aegypt so far seemed to approve of this coup, spoke volumes about the changes. The URA was allied with Obunga simply because he was pro-URA and against most other people. Since Bugaboo's answers only gave Grey more questions, but before she could ask, the man from before had barged into the room, causing the rest of the CPD commanders in the room to tense up as if they were being attacked. Grey stepped aside and stared the man down.

"You can wait," Grey looked over the man, "Unless this mansion is literally under attack as we speak, then my conversation with Bugaboo is more important, so you can wait."

by **Pakiranistan** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:33 pm

Presidential Palace, Malsuf Province, Aegypt

Bugaboo watched as the man from earlier barged into his office before getting shut down by Grey, the man glanced at her before speaking "Interesting but this is more important as of now, Bugaboo, the ruby mi-" the man was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing, he walked out of the office to answer his phone. Bugaboo watched with interest as he did before turning towards Grey "Sorry for the interruption, I'm sure you have more questions to ask, but would you like anything to drink? maybe something to eat?" said Bugaboo sincerely while lifting a phone from its holder on his desk.

"Alright listen up fellars, we just got some fresh information on the location of high level rebel scumbags via some spooks that I obviously can't talk about. We are going to attack this location with brute force in order to ensure that these rats have no one to lead them and become easy pickings for the Aegyptian Army, were deploying via both helicopters and ground based offroad mobility vehicles in order to maximize coverage of the AO, you will get your individual orders from your team leaders and remember anyone with a gun is dead man or woman" was the breifing given by one of the contractors who stood on top of a Land Rover with papers in his hand, after he was done he jumped off the SUV before adjusting his Khaki boonie to talk with the team leaders that he began giving papers to and explaing their duties for the operation.

by **The Unified Isles** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 5:08 am

Ramsay leaned back in the chair Dune had provided for him. And he smiled. 'Unpredictable, eh?... Me likes yond sound...'. He didn't understand much of poker, or any non-Isle'ish card games at all. The Isle'ish preferred games that were based on strategy and planning with a balanced amount of resources, not games that were based so much on luck like poker. Yet he had to admit that sometimes success in reality was as much based on luck as it was based on managing once resources.

'But those unpredictability includeth sending planes over Syrnistan and Agrabah? Milord Dune, me dost realize yond those nations pose a certain threat... but yond is a bit overly aggressive, istn't it?', Ramsay stood up, as he usually did when he was getting a bit more enraged or emotional.

'Dune, we must taketh a more planned approach to this entire issue. The largest issue of thy country hath always been yond thy policies art all over the place.We must fixeth this...'

He started walking through the room energetically, opening a couple of the drawers and cupboards in search for something... 'Ah, now leteths looketh at this on paper, shall we...'

Gawe smiled a bit as he saw Ramsay draw out a large table on the sheet of paper, he realized where the General was going. An old priority strategy that was no taught to pretty much every Isle'ish officer...

'First of all, we needeth all the issues that are urgent and important. Things like preventing the military from staging a coup against thee. Thee can thinketh about what else fits in this category thyself. The most important thing is that you solve these problems immediatly thyself.'

'The second category of issues art those who art urgent, but not as important, because there istn't an active threat coming. Issues like guarding the border, for example. Such issues can be taken over by competent other people. We shall guard the borders, if thee dost not mindeth.'

'Third come all the issues who are important, but not urgent. Thee shall to these once the more urgent issues are solved. This includes things like reforming thy administration and thy military.'

'And last but not least, everything which is neither important nor urgent. Like, say, expanding. Thee shall scrap these goals for now. It can't be done at this point...'

After having explained his approach, Ramsay sighed and sat down again.

'Of course, what me proposes is a suggestion. Feel free to do it otherwise... me, me shall go guardeth yond border now...'

by **Forest State** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 7:59 am

Kha Bi, Syrnistan
Marando Security

The time had come for the forces of Marando Security to mobilize and move into action, after agreeing to the contract with their mysterious client that would send them into Syrnistan with the main goal of adding fuel to the fires of rebellion. Because of the rebels no longer having a base in Azenyanistan, they would set up there and instruct and aid the rebels until they were strong enough to return home, backed by the PMC that was more like a special forces organization at times. And because the Azen control in Syrnistan was growing, with their planes being seen over the skies of the country, the only way to safely get in without being detected was the undocumented way.

The force personally led by Cam Marando and his right hand woman, Hessica Costa, was flying into Aegypt, a country where they would have far less resistance to their cause and less of a dangerous Azen influence. From there, they would form up as an actual unit with an organized structure, and they would use buses and other commercial vehicles to make it to the border area with Syrnistan, where they would then make the trek to the closest town after crossing the border illegally. At that point, they could reach Kha Bi through commercial transit, and despite the method being tougher than just flying in directly, it would reduce their chances of being detected immediately, before they were set up to protect themselves. They also had fake IDs in the event of being seen, because the last thing they wanted was for the AIG to be tipped off by someone showing up in Syrnistan with the name of a somewhat well known Cemeralian hired gun.

Now, they were setting up in rebel territory at last, with their company sized unit. The many arms owned by the private army were being stashed in the houses of friendly rebels, divided up among a number of buildings so a single raid wouldn't seize everything that Cam and his men had brought over. Their vehicles were also in transit, but they needed a different approach. With the border crossing not working for the vehicles, they were being shipped into the port and transported by truck. Of course, most wouldn't know that the cargo would, because the cargo was being kept in large containers with instructions not to open. They'd come into port under the guise of being heavy machinery, with the client providing convincing looking documents to prove that these were indeed imports and not weapons of war.

It was taking longer than Cam wanted, but once again, his PMC was almost ready to wage a guerilla campaign behind enemy lines. Well, they would be behind enemy lines soon enough. Right now, the focus was only on staying alive and keeping the enemy from killing off their allied force for good, before they could make a counter push back into Azen territory. They didn't have a huge unit, but they didn't need that right now. Hessica was an expert at training the locals to do the bidding of the PMC, for a bit of compensation. Surely, they could find some fighters here who would join them in exchange for some of their profits from the operation. That operation was the one that they had internally dubbed Operation Azen Freedom, although the Azen government happened to be the enemy in this one.

“Let’s make contact with the main leader of this movement,” said Cam, to Hessica, as they finished overseeing the latest arrival of troops and weapons. The last one, that brought them up to a full sized company. “And tell her that we're on the ground now. As soon as the vehicles come in by ship, we're ready to get going with this rebellion. Oh, and tell her that we're going to have a larger sized group soon enough. She can speed that up by putting us in contact with the best local fighters. Since this is a third world country, I'm assuming there's a lot of those.”

“Will do,” said Hessica. “Operation Azen Freedom is a go…”

by **Pakiranistan** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 3:48 pm

Prince Al Fasahl Airbase, Takhurdahd Province, Aegypt

Out in the beautiful nightly desert sky the wind blew over the lights of Aegypt's Prince Al Fashl Airbase, the base itself was a relatively new compound with buildings still being less than 2 years old and construction started by the previous leader being continued by the new leadership with increased funding and less corruption. The base currently had two operational runways with two additional ones under construction totaling out to 4 runways for aircraft to land and takeoff from. Air traffic was coordinated by a single control tower positioned in the center of the airfield watching over the 2 current runways while another control tower was being built to stand on the opposite end to watch the two additional runways being built, apart from that the airfield also held a garrison consisting of the elite Aegyptian 5th Mounted Guard Division outfitted with T80UDs, T90As and uparmoured T-72s, and the 576th Anti Air Defense Unit equipped with extreme long range SAMs in the form of S-400s and S-300s.

On Runway 2, rows consisting of dozens of Su-27SM3s lined the runway with their engines on and lights blinking in the sky. Beside them on Runway 1 stood an IL-78 AWACS craft with its two Su-27SM3 escourts lined up behind it ready to takeoff and escourt their VIP to its destination. The planes were all armed with beyond visual range missiles as well as close to medium range missiles for dog fighting purposes and two fuel tanks which could be dropped for aerodynamic purposes. As the order was given for the planes to take off, the first column of jets fired up their afterburners and shot up and off into the sky with the next column following after them, the jets turned back and circled around the base until all planes on the runway had taken off and began making headway towards an unknown target.

Meanwhile on the outskirts of Syrnistan and Agrahbah on the Aegyptian side, a battery of S-400 missile systems stood camouflaged with barracuda camouflage nets that made the SAMs near invisbile to infared and thermal optics, the systems sat behind artifical sand dunes,the main scanning radar for the batterys spun in a 360 degree motion scanning the airspace for targets with the missile systems theirselves up and running in ready position, in the command vehicle sat Aegyptian Junior Sergeant Marmuhn. Marmuhn was given given charge of firing the missiles of launcher vehicle 2 which contained the very long range missiles that could reach up to 400 km in range and thus sat leaning back on his chair with a cup of tea in his hand monitoring the aerospace, he could already see unidentified dots on the screen but was told to sway his thoughts away from them by his commanding officer, however, as he sat there an officer hastily opened the door to the command vehicle startling Marmuhn "Sir?!?!? whats the matter?" said Marmuhn puzzidly, the officer took some breaths before speaking "Marmuhn, we have orders to fire on those unknown targets, no questions asked, fire when ready" replied the officer leaving Marmuhn to slam his cup of tea down and began arming procedures for the missile system. As the flight of Azeni Planes were aquired by Marmuhn the fire control radar of the battery went on air and sent 2x15 second high frequency emissions, the lock was gained at 185 km and at an altitude of 8 km, two long range missiles from launcher vehicle 2 launched in short succesion began flying towards their target, one of the Azeni F16s....

by **The United Remnants of America** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:37 pm

Commander Susan Grey

Malsuf Province, Aegypt

9/25/2017 - 12:45

Lindy overheard what must've been a leader of the newcomers, then watched him brief what would most likely be his seconds. She glanced at the others, "They're pretty serious about this whole thing, eh?"

Osadze nodded, "Aye. I be they probably get paid better, too."

"Bastards," Tanney remarked.

Grey waved her hand while shaking her head, "No need. We're not hungry. Or thirsty, for that matter. What I would like, however, are answers. You probably know the URA had an arrangement with Obunga. If you didn't, well, you do now. Is Aegypt going to remain a Remnant ally under the rain of 'Bugaboo The Powerful?'" Grey leaned in, "Would Bugaboo's mysterious benefactor allow that? Or would I be able to talk to whoever they are directly?"

by **Atreidya** » Wed Oct 25, 2017 11:39 am

Kaladan Palace District

The number of patrolling guards had more than doubled in the past few weeks, and that was not limited to the Palace District. Atreidyan forces had been largely mobilized in response to the growing tension across the continent. With so many nations, especially outside governments now becoming involved the Atreidyan government was growing worried of full fledged war engulfing the region. Minor conflicts recently, such as those within Azenyanistan had set the military on edge, and it hadn't taken much for the feeling of unease to filter into the life of the everyday citizen as well. With armored vehicles, military aircraft, and soldiers, becoming more and more common sights the people had begun to question who exactly were they supposed to be worried about.

That question filled Arkon's mind as well as he sat around a large ornate table discussing current events with high ranking members of the government and military. Azenyanistan was a member of the Union, like Atreidya, and like Atreidya Arkon knew the Azen people were predominantly peace loving and willing to compromise in order to avoid war. Yet recent events had begun to worry him. The sudden change of leadership following the internal struggle in Azenyanistan had seemingly altered things slightly. The new leadership under this Dune woman was yet to formally interact with Arkon's regime in any notable way. Beyond minor basic communique the two had largely been silent. On Arkon's side of things it had been decided they needed to size up the new Azen leader's ambitions before any sort of meaningful interaction could take place. Likewise Arkon was sure Dune and her followers were very busy with a growing conflict with Aegypt and Syrnistan.

Arkon, was obligated by treaty to provide support to the Azen forces should blows form between the different sides, however peaceful resolution might yet be found, and the Atreidyan Emperor was not keen on involving more of his troops in conflict. With many forces involved in the conflict far to the north in Donnerland the Atreidyan navy was lacking some very important vessels. Adding to that Atreidya worried involvement in another conflict could threaten continued support of the forces in Donnerland should the larger sea faring states between them somehow become involved.

As the meeting began to wind down, and the issue remained that no contact was yet made with Dune's Azen government Arkon stood. The Chief's of the various branches, and the military commanders quieted down, eyes glued to the Emperor.

"We have been talking circles around the prime issue this entire time." He began. Several of the other's eyes widened with the statement mistaking him for accusing them of some form of incompetence.

"It seems to me, it seems to me in painfully obvious fashion, we have done all we can barring simply inviting Dune and her new administration to Kaladan." The wide eyes narrowed again and the attendees nodded almost in unison.

"I would like to have her and some of her military leadership as well as civil diplomats meet for talks with myself and my hand." Many of the older members of the group nodded but the younger members grimaced.

The Emperor's hand was a five member cabinet of Atreidyan citizens appointed solely by the Emperor himself. Disliked by some as it was considered an antiquated notion, as the Court was in essence a cabinet itself appointed by the Emperor and verified by the legislature, there were many who viewed the Hand as an unnecessary avenue for the emperor to navigate around elected individuals. However, he was within his rights fully and for the history of the Hand's existence it had never been a threat to the suffrage of the people.

Currently the Hand included the Empress, Arkon's wife Rasan, the Heir apparent, Tenim. War-Marshal Kadim a Tamak war officer who had earned his position through merit all his own, Basara commander of the Hammai'riva special police and daughter of Arkon, and lastly Nazan, the Paragon of the Zolahist church, and essentially the wild card of the group having no connections to politics. These five formed what was in tradition the fingers of the Emperor's right hand. Arkon's intention was to begin with a meeting between Himself and his Hand and Dune and her leadership before bringing her to interact at the Imperial Court.

"That is all." Arkon dismissed his advisers and left the room. He had an aide pass messages of his intent to the members of his hand moved on to have another deliver a communique to the Azen Embassy in the Katla district just off the beach.

by **Pakiranistan** » Wed Oct 25, 2017 4:02 pm

Presidential Palace, Malsuf Province, Aegypt

The lead contractor who gave the briefing was Michael Hatfield, a grizziled veteran of Bugaboo's PMC forces having been through various contracts that earned him enough to live a relaxed a steady normal life though yet he still preferred to renew his contract, maybe it was the thrill of adventure, maybe he wanted more money, who knew except for him?

Hatfield grabbed some magazines and checked both of his firearms before clearing them and reloading them and placing them in their respective spots, the handgun in the holster and the rifle on a sling around his back. He walked by the 4 CPD officers outside gesturing towards them with a two finger forward salute before boarding one of the Land Rover Defenders the rest of the contractors following suit, boarding the SUVs holding their respective teams. The convoy left shortly after everyone had boarded, the sounds of the Turbo Diesel engines could still be heard after the Land Rover Defenders had left, the sound was soon drowned out by the arrival of two Mi-17s, the lead Mi-17 landed to allow contractors that had climbed stairs to the rooftop to board it while the second Mi-17 provided overwatch with its doorgunners. After the first Mi-17 was fully boarded by its share of contractors, it took off and provided overwatch for the second Mi-17, allowing it to load its own troops.

Bugaboo nodded towards Grey "I see, excuse me for a moment will you?" before lifting the phone towards his ear and dialing the extension to the kitchen "May I get some food up here?" he said speaking into the phone before a reply came back "Yes, I would like it all medium well" pausing for a second "Mhm, alright thank you" Bugaboo placed the phone down before turning towards Grey "Well as your nation would have it, I indeed still wish to uphold alliance brokered with the URA by the previous leader and as for my benefactor, I am sure they will also agree with my choice" stated Bugaboo warmly before peering out the door towards the man who had interupted the meeting earlier, he still seemed to be on the phone....

by **Azenyanistan** » Thu Oct 26, 2017 5:54 am

The capital city of Azenyanistan
Nusayastatt
The Office of the Aksesyr

Dune was about to speak to them again when a man entered her office without knocking. In his hands were several documents. The Aksesyr noticed that those documents had Air Force labels. She eyed the man as he finally got close to her and put the documents on her table. The man saluted her and Dune gave him a gracious nod, signifying that she was not irritated by his sudden entrance.

She had to tell her guests "Please excuse me." And then she lifted one of the documents labelled URGENT and read it quickly after opening the folder up. In three minutes, after she read it again and again, Dune put the document down, closed the folder and without paying attention to the other documents, she closed her eyes, took some deep breaths and covered her face. It lasted for a few moments until she moved her hands away from her now disgusted face and stared her guests down.

Fortunately, she was not mad at them. She was mad at what she had read. She explained it to them as calmly as she could, as best as she could without raising her voice or expressing too much emotion "It appears to me that the Air Force is disobeying orders. They have sent planes into Syrnistani and Agrabahite airspace without asking their permission just so they could search for rebels who fled Rakshan and the other tribes." She then stood up and looked away from them, now raising her voice "This is why I hate this job and I did not want to be here! Not this job!"

She tried to give herself a minute to relax. It took her five.

Afterwards, the young Aksesyr, weak as a lamb, feeling violated, turned around, gave a quick apology and sat down. She told her guests "Forgive me but I have to tell my Air Force to calm the fuck down, call their planes back before they get shot down and arrest those who dared to oppose the government by choosing to violate the sovereignty of other nations. That was not what I wanted them to do."

The girl lifted the phone from her table as two agents from the G171 entered. They seemed concerned and their weapons were not on their safeties. One of them, an older woman than her, said "Aksesyr Dune, we have to move you and your guests out of here. One of the officers of the Air Force came to us and told us that they're attempting to arrest you. We cannot let that happen." Dune stared at them, frozen by the news. Then she shook it off her shoulders and told them "Wait for me. I have to make a call."

Her protectors obeyed but they did not leave her alone as one of them went out and checked the hallway for a while before returning to the office. Dune now contacted her Secretary of War and instructed him "Tell the Cabinet to move to the safehouse. We are about to be arrested by the Air Force. Make sure you keep safe. But before that, I need you to call the Military Police. And get the Azen Civil Protection. Tell the Guards that we are at risk too."

She now slammed the phone down on the table and gestured to her agents as she instructed them "Get the transports. We are moving out of here." Then to her guests, feeling sorry for them as they had to really rush "Boys, you'll ride with me. I'm so sorry but if what my guards say is true, then there are no chances to take."

At the border with Syrnistan and Agrabah
The skies

"I am detecting one...two...three bogies in the air. They are approaching us from the Northeast. Speed's being sent to your computers. Uh...they're not registering as friendly." The pilot of one of the F-16s said. She was the youngest of the ones sent into neighboring airspace. And she felt the knot in her stomach tighten, feeling more nervous as she realized that they are going to be intercepted. And it was for real.

One of her partners, older than her and calmer than her, stated "Copy that. Advise you slow down and ready your AAMs. Contact them now. Tell them that we are conducting a recce mission to find and hunt down rebels." The young pilot gulped and mouthed "Yes, Sir." She made it a point to take one more breath before she slowed down, readied her missiles and tried to contact them on the universal radio channels

"This is Azen Searcher 1, repeat, Azen Searcher 1, please identify yourselves."

The response was from a man, whose voice seemed harsh. As the planes of the Azen Air Force slowed down, they started to see the Syrnistani planes more clearly. A pilot from one of the other F-16s thought she saw Agrabahite symbols on some of them. The planes were identified as MiGs and SUs. The young one got more nervous.

"This is Syrnistani airspace. We are supposed to be the ones asking you that. We are Syrnistani and Agrabahite planes. We advise you to turn around and return to your airbases. You are violating the sovereignty of your neighbors, do you understand? If you do not want to turn this into something worse than war, then do as I say."

One of the pilots of the recce Tornadoes said "This is Azen Searcher 3, we hear you, Syrnistani. What is your callsign?"

"Negative. That isn't what we want. Turn around now and return to your airbases. If you do not do as I say, we will be forced to shoot you all down unless you turn around and return to your airbases. Do you want to die and start a war?" Said the Syrnistani. Their planes were getting closer. And the F-16s and Tornadoes were starting to see the planes of the other countries ready their weapons. The Syrnistani repeated "Turn around now and return to your airbases."

The young F-16 pilot turned to look at Searcher 2, who was flying by her side. She could see the head of Searcher 2. She shook her head at the young one.

It was it. The pilot responded to the Syrnistani "We will comply. Do not shoot us down. We will comply."

by **Imperial Valaran** » Thu Oct 26, 2017 1:03 pm

Sweat, Strain and Sunny Smiles

Azenyanistan was a warm country. Even in autumn, the heat tightly filled the air, close and cloying. Crien did not like it. She was from Southern Valaran, but even there the land was swathed in mountain pine, and the snow drifts could reach a metre in winter. She had not travelled much in her youth; indeed she had lacked the funds to do so long after her youth had ended. A union leader’s job did not pay well, and nor did a Parliamentary Seat. Her Ministerial Salary was much vaster — three decades of Liberal Governments meant they had voted high wage increases for all senior jobs, especially the powerful ones. The Foreign Secretary was perhaps the fourth most powerful position in the Empire.

At least, it was in theory. Crien had found precious little of its supposed influence. Her authority came from her previous roles — as one of the top figures in the Social Democrats, and from her sheer force of personality. Reaching where she had required a high-dose of grit, a cast-iron determination, and more besides. But apparently this was no sufficient to control the vast governmental organ that was the Foreign Ministry. The Ministry itself was semi-autonomous, with its own revenue, a vast network of influence, and a dozen leaders. Crien had found it… resistant to her authority.

They were in a small town north of Nusayastatt. Crien would have preferred to meet in the Capital, but holding the talks here could prove useful. For one, it made things less conspicuous. A Valaran delegation in Nusayastatt would be visible and public — exactly the wrong thing at this stage. This was meant to be a quiet meeting. They could not yet risk anything more.

Crien’s seat reclined, but she did not relax. Out of her window, the world rushed past, lost under the clouds. She did not look. Instead, she leant forwards, even as the angle of her seat went in the opposite direction.

Crien disliked the false comforts of flying. It was an unpleasant experience, to be cooped up in a small coffin, with the blood in your ears blocked, breathing dead air. That was how flying should be experienced: as an uncomfortable, barely tolerable experience. The ‘perks’ — the film screens, the reclining seats, the smiling staff — were just distractions, cubes of sugar to take with a bitter medicine. They merely confused the issue, so the passenger was locked into luxury and constriction. Crien didn’t like that. You shouldn’t get away from the reality of the situation. You should learn to confront it, that was how you deal with it. Head on.

Laughter pealed off from the seat in front. Sathren was joking, maybe flirting with one of the air hostesses. He was deeply reclined into his chair, sipping some scarlet beverage. Sathren likely appreciated the perks. Like many ambassadors, he flew often and in comfort. Ministry expenses, of course.

To Crien’s right, Clara shifted in her seat. She seemed as uncomfortable as Crien was. Probably not used to flying in first class. For all their success, the Varkalens did not come from wealth. It was what made Clara and her brother interesting to the Foreign Secretary. In Crien’s generation, many had come from the working classes, from rust-belt towns and rural villages. It seemed so different now, though. The Ministries were serviced by a mass of elite graduates. People who could look down on nobles and commoners alike. The pearled lifeblood of Imperial government. The Varkalens were a rarity, in how they rose from so little. Crien felt a pang of sympathy for them, some sort of common bond that she could never feel for Sathren.

Around them sat the rest of the delegation. The entire top deck had been chartered for the mission to Azenyanistan. Not that there had been many passengers to begin with. There was no official travel warning for the country, but it was not exactly a popular destination. At the Gate, Crien had counted a dozen intrepid businessmen, a couple of mixed-race families who likely were visting Azen relations, and a few bemused others, who probably had interconnecting flights. She suspect at least several of the businessmen were actually members of Valaran intelligence agencies. Colonel Flint was having to rush through an expansion of operations there, now that the Empire had an interest. Maybe they weren’t all agents. Crien just found it hard to believe there was even a dozen who needed connecting flights from Azenyanistan.

“Not too warm are you, Helen?” Sathren smiled. The career diplomat was impeccably dressed, in a finely tailored suit, an expensive electrum watch on his right hand and wearing a bright azure tie. His hair was finely parted, without a single strand out of place. He looked far too at ease in the climate.

“Not at all.” Crien smiled

“Ah. Well I could always get one of the boys find you a drink if you need,” Sathren replied breezily. By the ‘boys’ he meant soldiers; Sathren had insisted on bridging a platoon of Ambassadorial Guard, citing the unstable situation. He had also pointed it out as a show of force, a symbolic remind of what the Empire could bring to the table. Crien had reluctantly agreed, though she found the symbolism crass and crude.

The soldiers were not part of the regular service branches. Instead, the Foreign Ministry was the only department of bureaucrats that had its own military. To Crien, this told you all you needed to know about the Foreign Ministry.

“That’s quite alright of you, Ambassador.” Crien smiled back. She did not want to appear irritated.

“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know. Azenyanistan is pretty uncomfortable if you’re not used to such climes.”

“We should get our stories clear.” Sathren swirled his glass as he spoke. The ice cubes clinked, submerged in an amber. It was his fourth glass, yet Sathren showed no sign of being affected by the whiskey. Instead, Crien merely thought he looked tired. The fresh, youthful face that she had seen for so many years now showed the first lines of age. Yet it was not the natural progression of time that did this to Sathren. It was the strain of power, that scoured itself into the body.

Crien felt the same lines on her face. They were more pronounced, for she had been exposed to it for far longer. In the Empire, power was quick to brand you with markers of stress. That way, it claimed you as one of its own. Even when it did not break you, power scarred.

They were both seated on stools, at the upper deck’s bar. A soft ambient glow emanated from the strip light above them. It was the only real source of illumination. Everywhere else was dimmed, allowing the passengers to drift into sleep. Outside the windows, there was true darkness, the void of a starless sky. Most passengers slept, except for the patient bartender, and the tired stares of two Guardsmen, both sat a distance back.

It was 2am, and they had been sipping whiskey for three hours. Both Crien and Sathren had put their professional rivalry aside. In this moment, they were just two ageing people, with plenty of bitter experience.
They had talked about inconsequential things. About which Ministers they had fancied when young. Who irritated them the most. Infamous political fouls (everyone had one of those). Crien had vaguely sensed they were both avoiding talking about the matter at hand, at least until now.

“We don’t want to give Dune any impression of inconsistency,” Sathren continued. “You should open with your questions.”

“You’re not worried that I might be too blunt?” Crien queried. There was no point denying it, she could rub people the wrong the way, and Sathren had complained about this in the past. The Ministry’s way was to smooth people over, to coat everything in sugar. Crien’s method was like sandpaper. It wore away defences, but the erosion was indiscriminate: she could wear away smiles too.

“No, I think there is no point disguising our scepticism. If Dune can’t handle what you ask her, there is probably no point uto s even trying.”

“You know, when we first had meetings about this, you seemed much more bullish about our prospects.”

Sathren chuckled. “We have to be. Its the only way anyone would listen to the Foreign Ministry. Also,” his eyes flickered up, and then down. “I suspect we don’t know how else to do it.”

Crien raised an eyebrow. More subtly, she leant in. Sathren was normally a very guarded figure. Valarans were all like this. No one said what they really felt, no one explained things in simple terms. Everything was analogy, rhetorical allusion, obfuscation and references only a few others could get.

Sathren seemed to sense that he had strayed off-topic. “Anyway, you can open with a political broadside, and set the tone. I’ll stick to economic matters, since that’s what concerns us right now. It also seems less of an attack.” He thought about it for a moment. “So I would still be smoothing over what you say, at least a bit.”

They both chuckled.

She looked at Clara. The girl seemed uncomfortable, though unaffected by the heat. Unlike Crien’s generation, Clara had travelled extensively, and was used to warmer climes like Azen. The benefits of the modern era, apparently.

The girl sensed Crien’s gaze. She looked up. Crien tried smiling by way of encouragement. Clara seemed confused for a moment. Then she smiled back, genuinely radiant. Crien felt a pang of something else. Something much more personal. She buried it with ease. Now was not the time for such emotions, and a diplomat was good at hiding uncomfortable thoughts. Maybe she really was learning to operate like the Ministry ambassadors.

Instead, Crien checked her papers again, and scanned the horizon for Dun’e convoy. The sung glared, more angry tun before. Crien felt a bead of sweat inch down her neck. She rested the urge to dab it.

Crien looked over the clouds. This high up, dawn did not arrive in rosy streaks. The sky would be shortly be covered in harsh light. It would soon be followed by the sun’s glare, unveiled by any cloud.

She looked at her watch. 5:39. AM. Sathren had gone to bed two hours ago, once dissuasions had finished and he had downed his fifth glass.

Crien found she could not sleep. It did little to ease her exhaustion anymore. Not a damn thing. The pain behind her eyes was caused by her job and her life, not the lack of sleep. At the top of the Empire, one might expect to find a sense of power. All those years in opposition, it was what she supposed those smug Liberals had been immersed in. Alstan, Nygaard, even Sathren.

The truth was different, she had discovered. The was no cloying well of power, to drown your morals in. There was only strain. The daily ache of politics. Managing ambitious people like Sathren. The deeper throb of . And the strain of holding together an Empire cracking apart. The Valaran Empire had so many divisions. Osteric and his nobles were attempting to coup the state. The Legions and VRF were both ready to fight the other. A conspiracy was undermining the very fabric of nationhood. And nestled in the heart the imperial family, of the one that should overcome all this, was a sin so grievous that it could tear apart everything. They gaped and widened at every moment, becoming chasms. Crien felt the chasms in her bones. They pulled her apart, and only her strength of will knitted her body back together. The chasms were so very vast, vaster than any human to heal. The cracks in the Valaran Empire were larger than any one man to fill, and so after a while, it simply broke its leaders on them.

It was said that nations were held together by institutions. Crien had found that a lie. Institutions, like Parliament, like the monarchy, like the fucking Foreign Ministry, were as broken as the states they tended to. At the very top, states were held together by people. And people couldn’t hold it all together. Not forever. At some point, they broke.

Sathren’s phone rang. He looked surprised, and answered it.

Crien ignored it. She turned instead to the horizon. Dune should have been here an hour ago, after her meeting with the Isle’ish. Something had made her late. Maybe the meeting had overrun. Maybe Dune was prone to being late. They barely knew anything about her.

“Fuck,” Sathren exclaimed. It drew Crien back to the Ambassador. He looked worried. “You’re serious?” He put down the phone and turned to the Foreign Secretary. “Helen, we have a problem.”

Her tone was impassive. “Which is?”

“The Azen airforce has begun bombing rebels that fled Syrnistan and Agrabah.”

Crien felt a tinge of irritation. One of the things she was going to have to make clear to Dune was to forget this stupid dream of a greater Azenyanistan. It was a fool’s errand, and distracted from the more important issues. “Dune is probably trying to put on a display strength. But the timing is seriously unfortunate. I don’t know what made her want to do this now.”

“That’s the thing.” Sathren displayed a rare uncertainty. “It wasn’t Dune’s orders. The airforce went rogue.”

Crien frowned.

“Its worse too. A lot of nations are fuming at this. No one is quite sure what happens next. Apparently Dune is holed up in Nusayastatt, so we can probably forget abut the meetings here.”

“Sathren,” Crien spoke slowly. “Why I haven’t I received an update about this?”

“You will, shortly. This came privately, not through official channels.” He sounded apologetic.

“What channels?”

He looked uncomfortable, “Well,”

Crien fixed him with a full stare. “Sathren, I would like to know.”

“One of Flint’s Agency Generals. Also the Ambassadors at some of our embassies phoned in directly.” He paused. “What do you want to do?”

Crien thought for a moment. “Let’s drive to Nusayastatt. It isn’t far, and we can wait there until she has a chance to talk to us. Tell her officer we’ll be coming, and that we expect our meeting to go ahead.”

Sathren nodded. “Good idea. I might be able to make contact with the Isle’ish too, if we’re there.” He turned to the Delegation and began giving a quick barrage of orders. Crien’s phone buzzed angrily. She flipped it open. Messages were already flooding in about the developments. A number of calls were registered too. She answered one.

“Prime Minister, I’ve heard the news. We’ll head to Nusayastatt and try to speak to Aksesyr Dune there.”

“Crien, you haven’t heard everything.” Hesseren spoke down the line, his voice heavy and brusque, but also hurried. Crien detected a hint of worry in her boss’s tone. A hint of the strain that was slowly breaking her. “I’ve just spoken with Flint. He can’t verify it yet, but he thinks the airforce might be trying to launch a coup.”

by **The United Remnants of America** » Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:16 pm

Commander Susan Grey

Malsuf Province, Aegypt

9/25/2017 - 12:50

Cohen and the three other CPD officers watched the SUVs depart and then stood around to watch the pair of old gunships land to fill up on troops.

"They're prepared, aren't they? Two helos, SUVs, and a small private army. This is both worrying and encouraging," Tanney commented.

"Agreed. I just wonder how they perform in the field," Osadze shot back.

"Give it time, we'll find out soon enough, I figure." No one tried to prove Cohen's comment wrong.

Grey nodded towards Bugaboo, "That is... For the best. I'm glad I don't have to leave here as anything less than a friend. That does, however, bring us to my next and final question.." Grey looked back at Jacobs, who nodded, encouraging Grey. Grey turned back and tilted her head to the left, "What can we do to assist in securing your place in power? Obviously, we don't want an unstable Aegypt, and if you're willing to play ball, we're willing to keep you in the game."

by **Pakiranistan** » Fri Oct 27, 2017 7:39 pm

Presidential Palace, Malsuf Province, Aegypt

"Well you see Ms. Grey, most of the nation is stable with just one troublesome province that is currently in the process of being crushed from three sides by Aegyptian Army shock troopers and armored forces. However, what troubles me is the recent deployment of forces from DEN that according to my intelligence have taken defensive positions in Azenyanistan" Bugaboo replied to Grey with a slightly concerned look.

Bugaboo stood up from his chair grabbing a pointy stick, walking over to a map of Aegypt, Agrabah, Syrnistan, and Azenyanistan. Pointing at various red dots with stripes in them labled as DEN forces "These are the most recent positions as of yesterday of DEN forces in Azenyanistan forwarded to me by my benefactors, now what I propose is....that the URA sent a contingent of troops to Aegypt to how would one say it.... discourge any happy attempts from Azenyanistan?" Bugaboo leaned onto the stick as if it were a cane waiting for an answer.

Outside the sound of gunfire could be heard as some contractors spent their freetime practicing shooting at the local range, weapons ranging from handguns to fully automatic static machineguns were being utlized. In a designated position on the range, Aegyptian soldiers were being trained by the contractors in order to improve their combat performance and physical fitness.

Mehran Naval Base, Hazara Province, Pakiranistan

The tropical cool breeze of the bay gently blew towards the various Pakiranistani naval ships moored at Mehran Naval Base, the ensigns and various signal flags onboard the ships fluttered in the air freely while the ships peacefully floated in the bay with Pakirani Naval Master at Arms blankly patrolling the decks their sub machine guns hanging loosely to the gun slings. The crews were all either exploring the shops at the nearby coastal town or visiting family members.

Pakiranistani Naval Station Mehran NB was one of the larger naval bases in Pakiranistan, it was strategically located in a bay as to where it could deploy a group of ships to Agrabah, Syrnistan, Azenyanistan and the rest of the general areas in a matter of mere hours. Due to this, Mehran NB was the head quarters of Eastern Affairs Forces, the part of the Pakirani military that dealt with the afromentioned areas. The base held two Raheel Sharif Class Nuclear Guided Missile Carriers, the PNS Laiba Ahmed and the PNS Attia Bibi as well as their carrier groups consisting of destroyers and frigates and temporarily attached attack submarines.

Today however, orders had come from the commander of the Eastern Affairs Forces, Admiral Khurum Bajwa, having held the position for 3 years now, Bajwa having joined the navy as a career officer holding many high level positions before being appointed the commander of the EAF by President Muhammad Arshad during the Great Miltiary Reformation. Vice Admiral Hamid Gul was put incharge of the naval group being sent to Aegypt by Bajwa as he was the most experienced senior officer below the rank of Admiral in combat.

Docks 1,4,5,6 were busy as various semi trucks loaded with cargo arrived and left after being unloaded by the various towering dock cranes that placed their cargo to the side for the ships to be steadily loaded. All the while systems checks were being conducted onboard the ships in order to make sure the ships wouldn't malfunction in the middle of the ocean as it would be quite embarrassing for the Pakirani Navy to lose one of their ships of such rudimentiary causes. The whole procedure was completed in a few hours thanks to the near clockwork like logistical personnel who organized the operation. The ships were towed out from the dock by tugs before firing up their own engines to begin their journey towards Aegypt...

by **Urran** » Fri Oct 27, 2017 9:40 pm

Ministry of Defense HQ, Sakura City, Urran

"Madam Minister! Madam Minister slow down!" the calls of the scrambling aids went entirely unheeded. Prime Minister Saki Hanajima strode quickly and purposefully down the inner halls of the stone and marble building, heels clacking authoritatively with every step that she took, leaving a group of secretaries and assistants all with arms full of papers trying to hand her this or that or explain the situation to her a bit better. She swept it all out of her way with a back hand. She wasn't having any of it.

A rather surprised looking security guard was practically thrown aside by the irate woman, pair of Urranese Marines getting the door for her without question. A nervousness about their body language and their faces. She saluted them briefly before walking past.

"I want answers!" the short and aging woman barked as she stormed a dark briefing room, slamming her fist down loudly on a wooden table that ran from end to end. Inside generals, admirals, air marshals, intelligence officials, and high ranking civilian military analysts practically jumped out of their skins, all turning to face her.

"Madam Minister, we apologize but-" an Urranese Army general attempted to speak but was almost instantly cut off.

"Do not "but" me, General." Saki replied sternly, leaning over the head of the table. Most meetings involving the Prime Minister were held in a similar intelligence room in the Ministerial Residence beneath the old Imperial Palace or by teleconference in this room. It was rare for a Prime Minister to visit Defense HQ, especially unannounced and in such a sour mood. "I have not yet asked my question unless your knack for tactics goes beyond battlefield strategy and extends to mind reading. Or perhaps you know why I am irate? Go ahead. Ask my question for me." she told him like a mother scolding a child.

The general sighed, all eyes in the room on him. He shook his head and shrugged a bit. "You want to know how the Aegyptian president was assassinated and how a coup is going on in Sishai without prior Urranese knowledge." he replied.

"You are damn right I want to know!" she slammed her fist down again, causing some of the civilians to jump. "My responsibility is to protect Urran and our territory. How do you expect me to believe that we have listening stations in Azen waters and intelligence officers all over the continent and not ONE of them reported that something like this was taking place?"

"Well, we might have known." a calm voice bravely spoke up near the far end of the table. Everyone parted, giving a rather handsome, young Urranese man in a black suit a direct line to the snarling bear that was currently the Commander in Chief.

"And who are you?" she asked, not quite as sternly as before, standing erect and composing herself to hear what this young man had to say. Saki was known as the "Iron Lady" for a reason. She was vicious and stern when she had to be. But she was also compassionate and a great listener.

"Fuji Saito, Urran National Intelligence Agency. New Azen branch." He replied, bowing low in respect to her. She returned a short bow and prodded him further.

"Explain what you mean Mr. Saito." She leaned forward a bit, intent on capturing his every word, eyes peaking up over her glasses.

"We might have known about the coming rebellion and coup and we had hints about the assassination, but..." He sighed and trailed off, removing his own glasses and running his fingers over his neatly combed and rather short hair.

"But?" Saki asked, almost eagerly this time.

"But, the Chairman believed that with the war in Donnerland and no credible threat against Urranese assets in that area that we not bother you with it." Saito admitted truthfully. It was very un Urranese, to make an excuse or to even seem like you were. Even less so to throw your superior under the bus. Still, he believed it had to be done. His agency had sat on information that could have saved lives and did nothing. That wasn't right. That was even more un Urranese. To sit by and do nothing when you could stop senseless violence. Senseless violence at least.

Saki's eyes went to the Chairman, who happened to be standing nearby. "Is this true?" she asked sternly.

"You must understand that-"

"IS it true?" she asked again, even more authoritative this time, staring him down like a tiger does its prey.

"It is." He replied.

"Get out." was her stern answer.

"Minister?"

"Out! You are fired." She replied. As if on cue, the two marines by the door came to escort the Chairman from the room.

"You cannot do this! You haven't got the authority!" was his reply as he was grabbed by both arms and lead out of the room. "The media will hear of this!" he barked.

"Good. I'll bring it before Parliamentary committee. You are to be tried for hiding military secrets from the Armed Forces." she waved to him as he was lead away. "Ta ta."The room went dead silent.

Saki seemed to cheer up after that. "Fuji Saito was it?" she asked. "What is your position?"

"Junior analyst Madam Minister." he bowed again.

"A funny way to pronounce senior analyst." she replied with a soft smile.

"Now, as for the rest of you." she began. "How many of you knew about this?"

"The Chairman only just now told us Madam Minister." was the honest reply of the Grand Admiral. Sure, the military had intelligence of its own, but the UNA had become too powerful and was running them out of town and taking over their jobs recently. It had become corrupt and needed to be scaled back and Saki knew it. She nodded, not holding them at fault.

"Share with me everything. I attend my briefings every morning and if you are keeping military secrets from your Commander in Chief you can kiss your careers good bye. I will have you tried for corruption faster than you can say the word." she warned. "Just what was I to tell our allies if these rebels bombed a Portean base? Or slaughtered Esgonians? Or, heaven forbid, what would I tell our own people if they had invaded our territory? Ladies and gentlemen, we need to get involved BEFORE things get out of hand. As of now I am declaring use of the Ministerial Powers to activate Urranese combat troops in the area and place them on combat alert. I will use my 120 days of free use of the Armed Forces to try and end this BEFORE I ask Parliament to declare a state of war. Where is the flagship of the Azen Navy?"

"We believe her to still be in port Madam Minister."

"When she puts to sea....sink it." She remarked calmy, running her fingers down the desk. "and if any Azen aircraft violate our airspace, shoot them down."

-----------------

International Waters, Over Paki Fleet.

A fleet of Pakiranistan vessels was now steaming for Azen. Likely as not, war was unavoidable, even if the Urranese military had been put on alert, no orders had been given yet to directly attack Azen air or ground forces unless fired on first, though the Prime Minister had ordered the sinking of their navy's flagship to teach them a lesson. Hopefully no one could prove it was Urran.

A patrol of Urranese F-60 fighters roared over the waves, passing closely by the Paki fleet, on showing off the dorsal, the other the ventral view of the new stealth fighters as the rocketed past the ships in a friendly greeting, pulling away and making another pass, lower and slower, saluting the vessels as they went by.

by **Azenyanistan** » Mon Oct 30, 2017 4:37 am

Three Hours Later

Safehouse of the Cabinet and Aksesyr

Nusayastatt

Dune ur Kaiteriza watched the members of her Cabinet and some of their companions, family or aides, discuss. And when they did, it sounded like they were the very personifications of panic and chaos. And she was perhaps the only one who kept her cool. In their faces, it seemed absurd. Even rude. But she controlled her emotions while they let it out. And as they pondered over their fates, Dune closed her eyes and thought of it.

The neighbors are angry. The colonial powers are angry. The world is now turning their eyes on us. Ayza has made a critical mistake. Our country is in very grave danger. We have to stop a war from happening. If we fail, then our people will die. All of our people will die.

She did not want to consider anything else. Not now. She felt...no, concluded that her job was to protect the people. And to lead. While she did have experience in school as a leader, she did not want to take this job. And this was her first crisis. She hated it all. She wanted to explode at everyone. But she chose not to join the panic. And Dune opened her eyes. And her ears picked up the words of her Vice President. Her own sister.

"It is over! Our country is finished! And have you heard? The Urranese might attack us too! Everyone will attack us again!" Tyena cried out. She then sat down and shook her head, eyes filling up with tears. Others seemed to agree while family members were being moved to another room. Everywhere, there was a G171 agent. Armed with either a carbine, a rifle or an LMG, they were there. Dune smiled at one of them and that one nodded. Even though that one could not smile out of the tension the agent was also feeling, Dune hoped the gesture was appreciated.

And before the others could speak further, Dune stood up from her seat and looked at each and every one until they saw her eyes. The same eyes she inherited from her mother. The eyes that told them to become silent. And they did so. But their eyes were either filled with fear or hate. Fear of the invasions to come. Hate for their leader.

The Aksesyr, technically an elected official serving as both chief of state and chief political executive, was now like a queen. Or a tyrant. It depended on whoever thought of her. Dune did not care though. She opened her mouth, saying "We have a bad beat, friends. And by that, I mean that we lose our hand in this game." They were confused. One of them asked "What do you mean?" She explained to her "It means that the plans we have before I came here are no longer the best. We must fold. We must save the chips we have in our hand."

One of them laughed. She looked at that one. It was her sister. "We are not gamblers, Dune!" Said Tyena. She stood and pointed at her, rudely speaking "We can't understand you."

At that point, Dune glared at her. Tyena got the message and shut up. Dune continued to speak "The point is simple: If we don't get our shit together...we will all die."

And just when she was about to grab more of their attention, an agent entered the room, sweaty and with the safety off of her LMG, shouting "SIR!" She nodded to the Aksesyr and then to her CO, a lieutenant. The officer nodded and the agent said "We have a breach..."

Entrance of the Safehouse

Dune waited. And so did her guards. They were actually an interesting mix. Foreigners and locals. Women and men. Young and not so young. The One Hundred and Seventh First Group or G171 was the Azens multinational counter-insurgency, intelligence and counter-intelligence, special forces and protective agency. In this case, the G171 were the protectors of the Aksesyr, her cabinet and everyone they held dear.

She saw twenty of her guards hold the middle while at least four were on the flanks and eight remained with her. All weapons were pointed at the entrance. As for the Guards, who were the protectors of the capital itself, they made sure to form a semi circle behind Dune, their guns pointed outwards, not at the entrance. Everyone was tense now. Dune was afraid too. She felt it in her heart. But she hoped to make a stand that proved well. A gamble. All because the paratroopers sent by the Air Force were already before them. And in their front, a Captain.

One that she recognized. The Captain stepped forward, slowly and with his arms up. He spoke softly after giving a respectful nodding salute to his Commander in Chief. Dune graced that with a proper Azen salute. The Captains words were "Aksesyr Dune ur Kaiteriza, I am a Captain of the Air Force of the Grand Military of Azenyanistan. I am the commanding officer of this company of paratroopers and my name is Kinsharyah ur Dannad. My serials are 9021-2121. And I am here to inform you that we have a warrant for your arrest."

Dune liked it and smiled which confused the Captain. Dune nodded again and approached him even when her guards became more tense and their weapons remained as they were. The paratroopers also didn't let theirs down. She whispered to him "And I am happy to see you again. I never thought you'd become a Captain ever since high school." The Captain blushed. And some agents who heard her raised their brows or looked at one another. The paratroopers however remained still. They never heard. Dune looked at everyone else then turned to the Captain "Well?" She said.

The Captain gave it up and smiled too, saying "It's nice to see you too, Duney...But I'm afraid that this is really not a great time." Dune just shrugged and said to him "It is almost never a great time for the both of us. So is that what you will really do to me?" Kinsharyah looked at his men then back at her. He shook his head as he gestured to his men to lower their weapons which they did almost immediately. He told her "Just be glad that they sent me instead of someone else. I'll stand by you. So what now?"

Dune said, after a bit of a thought "Take me to my meeting place with the Valarans." The Captain nodded immediately and ordered his men "Quickly! Get the helicopters ready!" Most of them rushed outside while the rest got closer to their CO as he continued to her "Your men can come with us as well. So can the rest of your cabinet and their companions. The Isle'ish?" Dune nodded and the Captain concluded "Very well."

Meanwhile...
The border with Aegypt
Azen Airspace

Patrolling the border in an Apache was one of the best things that Lieutenant Delorodei could do. But she hoped that, if things went right, oh, if things ever went right for once, nothing bad would happen to her. It shamed her to patrol so far away from the border itself but at least it kept her safely out of the range of possible Aegyptian air defense and interceptors.

And that was when she started to pay more attention to things below with the cameras supplied to her helicopter. While her partner, another Lieutenant named Janyajani, took care of flying, she started to notice that the airbases had more planes coming in from the rest of the country.

F-16s...F-15s...some F-14s...even Pyrelights and other Azen-made planes. There were also other planes donated or sold by other countries on the courtesy of the Azen Air Force. Helicopters too. Chinooks, other Apaches, Cobras...even Little Birds and recce choppers. She noticed something else too.

"Hey, Janya, don't you think those are Namenian choppers and planes coming around?" Her partner had to take a look. Then she simply said as they passed over a base "Nah, most of them are from the Namenians but they're ours now. I did hear that more Namenian forces are coming into our country. Do you think something big's up?"

"Something really is up if there's a lot of hardware for our fly girls coming our way." Said the weapons officer. She then had a thought and told her partner "Janya, take us South then South East."

"You mean the army base?" Asked Janya, who took a look at her computer. "Yeah, the army base. I've got some ideas. I'm guessing that our country's trying to rustle some Aegyptian jimmies."

Three Hours Later

Leaving the Safehouse of the Cabinet and Aksesyr

Nusayastatt

It took a while for the paratroopers to call their helicopters back. When they came, the modified Chinooks and the freshly refueled New Born gunships had to land at a park 750 meters from the safehouse to the North. The Cabinet and their Aksesyr as well as their companions went with the defecting Air Force troopers along with some of their guards. The rest of the G171 had to take their own vehicles.

Fortunately, for some of the agents, they could also use Dunes race car. In a few minutes, everyone was ready to go. And afterwards, they left together.

Only the news coming from one of the friends of the Captain made things a little complicated. The Captain then had to inform his men and his charges "Ladies, gentlemen, the Air Force is sending F-16s from Yaneza to intercept. I'll try to call my other comrades who could help us. They have Pyrelights that can protect us and if things get really bad, they have the Namenian anti air."

Dune nodded to the news and said "All right. We'll have to move more quickly then. To the town. Now." And by her courtesy, they took off from the park, even in the face of astonished civilians.

As they were flying out of the capital city and her men on the ground were racing their way through the streets, Dune felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned and saw her communications officer and her secretary. The secretary gave her a phone while the officer said "Sir, we have communications from the Valarans."

She nodded to that, took the phone and said "I'm Aksesyr Dune ur Kaiteriza. I'm sorry for being late but I'm afraid that the Air Force is conducting a coup. I'm with a friend now. We're on the way to the place we agreed to meet one another. I really hope you do not mind. However, if things go wrong, do you have any boys and girls who can kick some ass?"

The youth was the first one to notice the missiles coming after them. But she knew that she couldn’t make it out alive. Not unless it scores on another, she thought it was going to be such a slim chance.

Everyone tried to break for it, going as fast as they could. The Tornadoes were the first as their escorts tried in vain to get in the way of the missiles. The youth felt her heart wish to break out as her face became full of sweat. The computers kept on warning her with sharp noises and that dangerous blip on her screens.

As her partners were screaming at one another to shake the missiles off, every sort of countermeasure, in panic, was being used. Flares, chaff, anything. They had a feeling those missiles, coming after them, were not the kind of missiles they’d ever want to see.

The youth prepared to eject. She tried her best to reenter Azen airspace. Already, she could hear her sisters on the radio, calling her to make it. To make it as best as she could.

But she would fail. The missile had struck her wing at the same time she punched the eject button on her seat. The pilot made it out, watching her plane disintegrate and fall like a burning angel. Another plane got hit. She couldn’t notice it any more than a blink of her eyes but noted that it was a Tornado. And the crew had ejected.

She was relieved to see that. But as she waited for the time to engage her parachutes, she knew what was coming. Maybe. But she knew that once she made it to the ground, she was prey.

"Dune must survive." Stated the G171 agents gathered in one of their safehouses in Nusayastatt. The Air Force was hunting down the guards of the Aksesyr. While she was safe with defecting paratroopers and other agents, the seventy seven waiting and hiding in the compound with four floors, two basement levels and thick walls and doors were still requesting orders from their superiors. For they answered to nobody else except their Director, their Chiefs and their Aksesyr herself.

Special Field Agent Candoryiah was one of those in charge of taking care of her fellow agents. She was in Briefing Room Three with other Special Field Agents. The rest were either guarding the entrances, the windows and the roof or were resting in the common rooms and bed rooms.

She nodded to what her agents said and continued her briefing

"We still do not have any more orders from any of our Chiefs, our Director and our Aksesyr. So we will stand by our existing orders from before now." She took a quick look at her wrist watch then returned to her agents "We will continue to keep this safehouse secure for our Aksesyr, her Cabinet and our fellow agents."

She began to recite the names of her fellow Special Field Agents "Michaelo, Diego, Valdera, Torrenzia, Esperanza, Umalroshaia, Sonyah and Takagawa." They all stood up. While they had their weapons on the table, they seemed ready to take action. She told them

"Keep your men ready. I don't want our guards down. Every agent gets five to ten minutes to rest after every fifteen minutes of standing guard. All Special Field Agents must report to me every thirty minutes by radio or by runner. I do not want any of you to leave your posts unless you think it is so important or if you cannot keep your post in case we are under attack."

She took a break so she could sip some water. And then she continued "We will do our best to hold our ground and to keep ourselves safe. If our charges come into our care, we will not fail them. We cannot and we shall not fail them. Even if it means putting down our lives, all of our lives, to protect others, we gotta do it because nobody else will. And we know that we have to do this. As the One Hundredth and Seventh First Group serving the United States of Azenyanistan in Sishai, the highest mission is to keep our leadership alive."

Candoryiah let that sink in. She hoped they didn't take it lightly. No agent in the G171 ever did. Not even those who served for very little time. And not even those who served for very long. Candoryiah watched their faces. She saw nobody give a negative, either silently or verbally.

At once, she gave a nod and told them "Dismissed. Get to it."

Aksesyr Dune ur Kaiteriza knew it was right for her to hate being in this job.

This was her first crisis. A coup by the Air Force, several nations coming against her country and the possibility of the Remnants coming to bring their persecution of those with Azen blood. Would they really? Dune thought that it was beyond their minds to escalate their persecution of her people.

She tried to distance herself from it first. To give her breathing space. To not give in to any emotion at all.

She counted from one to a thousand. As she did, silently, she observed those with her.

Cabinet members were whispering to one another. Those who regarded her tried to smile when they met her eyes. Those who didn't either glared at her when she wasn't looking or simply ignored her, avoiding eye contact.

Their family members were quiet. They were together. But nothing more. Aides were also attending to them if her Cabinet members were not.

Her guards, composed now of defecting paratroopers from the Azen Air Force and loyal agents from the G171, were keeping their mouths shut not because of anything else excluding the tension.

She also noticed that those who sat close to her were her own sister, Tyena, who was also her Vice President or Arshay Seyser, and the chief agent of her protectors as well as the Air Force captain who she recognized as her classmate.

She was almost up to three hundred when the helicopters touched down. She forgot about the Isle'ish who were with her. Nevertheless, as the helicopters opened their doors for their passengers and the agents and paratroopers began to secure the landing area, Dune nodded to everyone she could establish eye contact with and urged them to go first.

She had to think for just a bit more. She didn't recognize that this empty park was close to the Presidential Safehouse. And she didn't really care that her protectors were really in a hurry to get everyone they were assigned to protect from the transports and into the safehouse. She never noticed the convoy coming with broken windows, bloodstains on the bodies and shouting women and men.

Only when her chief agent and the Air Force Captain grabbed her and took her out of the helicopter as she was thinking shook her back into reality. Her agent was saying "Aksesyr Dune, our men are under attack! We'll have to get you into this safehouse. Meanwhile, we'll find a way to the next one. We can't stay here for too long. Can I trust you with a weapon, Aksesyr?"

"Yes. I authorize you to give me a weapon to defend myself." the chief agent nodded and handed to her a pistol and two magazines. She then let another agent bring her inside while she gave orders to her men. Dune saw a lot of wounded being brought inside. And she wondered if any one of her protectors was lost.

Hours before, Dune was informed about the planes shot down, the missiles launched. And she remembered that most of her Army was getting ready at the borders. Hiding in cities and bases, moving at night, avoiding detection by satellites and all. It was the best they could do. Several armored divisions leading the way. The borders were being reinforced.

War was coming so closely.

So she had to make the call. To fold all of her cards.

And in doing so, she contacted the Governor of Azenyanistan by the courtesy of the Union and the Ratteans in her country.

It was a simple call. It was just a call. If not for it being so full of stress...

She said "I am Aksesyr Dune ur Kaiteriza. And I am making this emergency call. The Air Force is conducting a coup. I am with my guards. We are heading to a safehouse. We're trying to meet the Valarans but we might not make it. They're following us.

Call me if you receive this message. And if you can, please save the pilots should they be alive and on the ground. And I request the Union step in and occupy my country. Help me survive. if I die, with a child in my womb, then this country is lost. My people won't accept Tyena as leader again. And my Cabinet might not be able to perform. So I must ask:

Send forces to Azenyanistan. Save the pilots. And stop a war from happening."

by **The United Remnants of America** » Mon Oct 30, 2017 8:57 pm

Commander Susan Grey

Malsuf Province, Aegypt

9/25/2017 - 12:50

"That... Can be arranged, I should think." Grey nodded towards the map. "However I want to make this clear. We have no intention of moving into Azenyanistan at this time. Nor is our focus set on Agrabah or Syrnistan. We're here only to maintain stability in Aegypt, and if you can promise the Aegyptian military can handle the wayward province, then we can promise to handle your border security for the time being. We've, actually, been forming up a task force of contracted personnel with a naval escort." Grey walked across the room and looked over the map of the theater. "Where would you say is the best port for unloading a sizable force? Our naval force will need to make more than one trip, but we can begin the loading process today. The first units can be underway by tomorrow, at the earliest. So you could give it about a week for the first units to arrive to the aid of our distant ally."

As Grey spoke, Jacobs pulled out his phone. First, he texted a message to Cohen outside, telling her to be ready to move out. His second text went to the C-37B pilot, requesting a refuel and ready-to-takeoff time. His third and final text was a readiness report from Major Greg Farhammer and Captains Dan Quen and Adam Danielsen, the commanding officers of the reserve naval detachment, primary CPD naval fleet and the CPD joint task force, respectively.

While there was a backup fleet that had been formed to support the primary one, it wouldn't need to be contacted unless the primary fleet encountered trouble along the way. The same could be said of any backup ground units beyond the joint task force. Hopefully, around 2,500 infantry would be enough to deter the Azenis from invading. If not, then heavier guns would need to be brought in.

by **Free Asian Ports** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 7:57 am

Abu-Habbibi, Mariq
Naval Air Station Abu-Habbibi

An MH-65F Panther came in low over the airstrip, coming down to a low hover only a couple feet off the ground. As it taxied over to the hangar assigned to the maritime helicopter detachment, the reverberations caused by the turboshaft-powered rotors echoed around the small airbase. The ground crew was waiting, somewhat relaxed. They weren't on combat operations, and Abu-Habbibi was considered one of the cushy overseas postings. NAS Abu-Habbibi was a small installation, sharing a runway with Abu-Habbibi AFB where an air force fighter squadron was based. Although nearby Azenyanistan was a hot spot, the FAP rarely used its bases in Mariq to execute operations in the region. Besides the fighter squadron and helicopter detachments from the Navy and Air Force, Abu-Habbibi also housed a nearby naval base with a permanent posting of two Escort Destroyers and an associated Marine detachment. In total, the bases housed no more than 700 Porteans.

A radio was playing "Danger Zone" while the Panther landed. A small vehicle drove out with the ground crew, ready to receive the helicopter and its crew. In the heat, some were wearing tank tops or other uniform undergarments while they worked. The pilots were quick to remove helmets and unzip their uniforms in an attempt to escape the stifling heat. Nobody really anticipated combat operations, as both DDEs were in port and all the operations currently being undertaken by the military were in Helsa or Luscios. Mariq was always an easy posting.

Prime Minister's Residence
Osaka, FAP

Prime Minister Kawashima's entrance to the command center was preceded by half a dozen Executive Protection agents and military attachés. The present generals, representing each branch of the armed forces, stood to attention. Kawashima gestured to put them at ease. "If you'll kindly explain what's going on in more detail than 'coup' and 'we need you now', I'll consider not firing you all" she demanded, cranky from having been woken at this hour. "Madam Prime Minister" started Yoshihiro, the head of the Federal Intelligence Agency. "It appears that a coup is being attempted in Azenyanistan, apparently led by their Air Force. We believe Dune to be in control at the moment, but the coup clearly hasn't failed yet so we're still on high alert". A few aides were moving about the room, handing out dossiers filled with the latest information. Television screens were displaying what news was covering the emerging crisis.

"What does the Union say about this? Isn't Azen their responsibility now?"

"We just got a memo from the Kaisar himself. We've got a free hand, and keeping Dune's government in power is a priority"

"What's this I keep hearing about external force projection?"

"Intel and the grapevine are telling us that Urran is making a move. They were spooked and appear to be on the verge of invasion"

"Damnit all, someone get me a line to Hanajima before she starts a war! And what are we doing about this?"

At this the generals blanched. "All our expeditionary forces are focused on operations in Donner Land and Luscios. We have very little in the way of mobile forces we can use" explained General Budo, Commander in Chief of the Portean Marine Corps, calm as ever. "And we have nothing?" impatiently asked Kawashima. General Arakawa, CiC of the Army, raised his hand. "There's a brigade of Territorials in Iodinae doing desert training, along with some Military Police. I think we have special forces too but that's Budo's jurisdiction" he said, grimly. "And we can't move them?" asked Kawashima, now irate. The generals shifted uncomfortably. "There is this... policy. The '12th Parallel Policy'. Basically, operations north of the 12th Parallel are performed by the Marines with the assistance of the Navy, and operations south thereof belong to the Army. The Army units there are not prepared for major offensives. All there is of the Marines is a company-sized unit of Force Recon and some spooks from the FIA".

"That's a stupid rule. As of today, get rid of it. Since the Marines appear tied up, Arakawa I want you to tell me what we can deploy of the Army. Also, I want to put out a contract to some of our friends in the Samurai Clans. Maybe they can help us"

"I believe the 2nd Mountain Division is ready for strategic redeployment"

"Good, get General Nagashimi up here, now. And where is that phone to Hanajima!?"

The Continental Wars (IC, New Ausozera Only)

One Run

The Gambling Leader

Fold

Who is online