Liberation of cursed lands. Semi-closed GD

[United World Order]

Reichsgau Krasnova, Yukar
Central Dienstad.

"Situation report." said Lieutenant General Igor Kalashnik who with several other generals of his nature made up the high command for the Krasnovan Defense Forces. The Oberkommando des Wehrmacht had several days ago sent a encrypted message to Krasnovan High Command based in the central plain city of Yukar. The Krasnovan Defense Forces would need to mobilize to safeguard the island and the newborn state of the Krasnovan people. Across much of the branches within the Krasnovan Defense Forces their ready status was immediately raised to 75 percent which meant that alongside the already daunting Ordenite Wehrmacht, the Krasnovans themselves were mobilizing for what was likely going to be the steps to war.

"Lieutenant General Kalashnik, sir." the military adjutant said before continuing. "The Ordenites have shared sensitive intelligence regarding what is being described as the build up towards an attack on Krasnovan soil. The perpetrators of this build up involve the neighboring satrapy to the south west. The Imbrimium Armed Forces deploying to the satrapy for quote on quote joint military exercises to prelude a further deployment to the front lines in the region of Gholgoth. The Triumvirate have already stated their intentions to deter and isolate our allies from Krasnova through the seas as communicated by the Arcaenian Ministry of Defense. The Ordenites have sent a proposal on what action we should take in this coming war. The Krasnovan Defense Forces are to be mobilized across all branches and ready themselves and the population for an immediate invasion of the island. We will soon come together with those representing the Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht to better coordinate our defenses." The room was silent as everyone digested what was said. Igor Kalashnik rubbed his temple and removed his prescription glasses.

"What are our options? What of this proposal from the Wehrmacht?"

"The Wehrmacht has proposed that the Aerospace and Navy arms of the Krasnovan Defense Forces be put on high alert and to prepare its forces for imminent combat operations. The Ground Forces and the Strategic Missile Forces are to do the same. A time frame of one week is what the Wehrmacht is estimating war will break out on the island." The adjutant responded.

"War may be upon us sooner than that even, knowing the Ordenites I wouldn't be surprised if they've already made up their minds on striking first before the Triumvirate is able to." General Ivanov of the Ground Forces said as he puffed on a cigarette. "Leave it to them to drag us into war again."

Somewhere in the Sea of Ordena, Central Dienstad.

For nearly almost a year now an agreement had been upheld between neighboring nations divided only by the sea. The Ordenite government had signed into being the want to entirely expel the Scythian peoples out of their homeland in the south of the Ordenite dominated region. The Golden Throne of the Macabees answered the call and agreed to transport them out and resettle them elsewhere likely in their satrapies with numbers having been agreed to transport and resettle over 800 million over the course of 20 to 30 years. In the first near year since the agreement was made, the Macabeans had been able to transport nearly 100 million people out of the region and began re-settling them elsewhere. All of this occurred under the watchful eyes of the Ordena Sea Fleet and the Colonial Fleet which operated out of various naval bases along the originally Scythian coast line and regularly patrolled the waters where much of the flow of transport ships passed through from and back. The Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht which now affirmed that the Macabeans were soon to be aggressors in Krasnova, sent a order that was signed by the Reichsfuhrer himself that the agreement was to be done away with. The transports would then be notified that any and all vessels incoming or outgoing from the southern Ordenite coast line and sea were to return to their ports of origin immediately or face being possibly sunk. The ports of exit for the Scythian people were closed all the same as Ordenite security forces took over and the masses of Scythians would be told to return to their homes.

The Ordena Sea Fleet and Colonial Sea Fleet under new orders from the OKM, now scrambled several squadrons of armed vessels to ensure that every Macabean flagged vessel began their departure of Ordenite territory. However this was not but only the beginning of what was to come as other elements of the two fleets were dispatched elsewhere near by. Several carrier strike groups would begin to make there way further south-west of what the determined boundary of the Ordena Sea and it's Ordenite influence was. The CSGs would be seeking to park themselves in the sea in-between Devonia and Macabees its self which from there would begin naval supremacy operations against the Krierarmada, threatening it's home ports and it's naval supremacy near Gente Del Agua. What was now being called Task Force Serpent consisted of just over 300 vessels with 130 of them being submarines. The task force along with the carrier strike groups was mostly beefed up by several surface action groups which would give the Task Force a bigger bite when it came to blows. There mission which was tasked by their respective Navy Group Command was to prepare for naval supremacy operations and to deny any and all Krierarmada assets in the far west from coming in as active combatants. To the direct south came Task Force Scorpion which at a combined strength of 500 naval vessels including submarines were directed to what was the almost center of the shared strait that both the Ordenite and Macabean nations trade and military movements originated from. The mission was the same and the Task force would be on high alert with confrontation with the Krierarmada imminent at any given time as the Ordenite Reich began to draw lines in the sand.

Additional movements from within the Ordena Sea and the strait from the fleets would mostly be tasking squadrons to shadow certain known Ordenite trade routes. The Colonial Fleet would follow in the actions of it's fellow comrades as Task Force Wiking was assembled and directed just east of Task Force Scorpion near the mouth of the strait that led into the Sea of Crowns. The task force consisting of another 500 naval vessels and submersibles would assert themselves in the area with the extent of it's operational range being less than 400 nautical miles from the tip of Monzarc. When push came to shove the task force would begin to directly challenge Krierarmada supremacy here and deny the Macabean Navy its navigational abilities. Task Force Dragon was created and assembled by the Colonial Fleet primarily consisting of carrier strike groups for the eventuality of contesting not only the seas but also the airspace as well. The task force alone consisted of several naval aviation wings that would participate in challenging Macabean air supremacy at least at sea and would be supported from land by Air Fleet IV which operated over 200,000 aircraft including 75,000 bombers ranging from maritime to strategic and even nuclear.

Somewhere in the Sea of Crowns, Central Dienstad.

The Ordenite Kriegsmarine had not let the increase in Triumvirate aligned navies traffic going through the Sea of Crowns go unnoticed and while tensions were rising but not boiling over in full out aggression. The Crown Fleet having been passed down operational commands from Naval Group Command East began grouping it's surface and submarine vessels into multiple task forces. Task Force Bishop and Task Force Cardinal were to be the spear head for Kriegsmarine supremacy in the Sea of Crowns and together consisted of 800 vessels including submersibles. From which an additional U-Boat Group attached its self to allocating another 100 submarines to the already 200 available between the two task forces. At least three more U-Boat groups operated in the Sea of Crowns in which their operational range had extended throughout the area of the sea that the island of Mordent, Imbrimium and Stevid shared in which ultimatly the Triumvirate as a whole shared. This combined force would soon be joined by Task Force Javelin which served as the base of the naval aviation arm for their operations and consisted of a multitude of carrier strike groups hosting hundreds of naval aircraft that would be operational. These task forces combined could boast 1400 vessels and submersibles including over several hundred naval aviation that would when the time came commit to naval supremacy operations against Imbrimium and it's Navy in the Sea of Crowns. Of course the Arcaenians would need to be added to the equation with their ties to the Triumvirate. The Kriegsmarine's Navy Group Command North had therefore assembled and deployed task forces of its own to check the Arcaenians and Imbrimium in the northern fringes of the region. Task Force Nord and Task Force Wolf were comprised of carrier strike groups and several U-Boat groups in which altogether put another 500 vessels and submersibles into the likely future war zone and also showed the initiative between Navy Group Command East and North to support each other.

The Merchant Marine was also put on notice by the Kriegsmarine as it's convoys were encouraged to take precautions when going through Central Dienstad and its waters. After the 2nd Krasnovan War and the flaws in the Merchant Marine unveiled by it's mauling by the Stevidian Royal Navy, most of it's vessels were gradually given defensive weaponry to thwart attacks and seizures of it's personnel and cargo. It had been confirmed that a Krierarmada formation was already operating in the area of one of the more taken sea routes to Krasnova and was likely to be pulled into a coming confrontation. Naval Group Command East as it did with the Crown Fleet began relaying orders to both the Red Sea and Zvezda fleets to deploy detachments to secure important avenues and to check the Macabeans themselves. Task Force Bear and Task Force Hawk were soon enough assembled and deployed by the Red Sea Fleet with Bear making its way out of what was considered sovereign Krasnovan waters and near by Kríerflot Gregoria while Hawk departed from a naval base near the coastal city of Sterlya before hooking right and heading south where Task Force Hawk would begin operations only 300 nautical miles away from the Satrapy. Combined these two task forces equaled over 800 ships with the latter comprising of mostly carrier strike groups and submersibles, several surface action groups however were present. Bear however had been assembled with war in mind and would immediately challenge the nearby Krierflot when hostilities commenced. The port of Fedorograd was the lifeline of Macabean and Triumvirate movement to the island and certainly if the port was destroyed or seized it would put a major strain on them as a whole and leave already deployed forces cut off.

It had been kept quiet that the Wanderjar Sea Fleet had left it's usual area of operations which was near the Strait of Musselberg and instead with orders from Naval Group Command East to re-group with the two fleets in Krasnova in order to not be too numerically challenged. Instead it was circulated through open channels that the Wanderjar Sea Fleet was committing to maneuvers south of Sumer and that it may also commit to freedom of navigation missions in the Lamonian Sea. However the fleet would look to link up with elements of the Zvezda Sea Fleet to the east of the island which was deploying to the Greali Strait to check Mokan and Morridane Naval movements in the area and also to control the strait that fed into the Bay of Tuktar which was where elements of the Morridane Navy having been operating in the area since the 2nd War could be found. The Mokans and Morridanes had not been forgotten in the Wehrmacht's planning. It knew that some sort of internal conflict had broken out in Morrdh its self and it's Military had been fractured leaving Morridane Tuktar a appeasing target for the Ordenites.

[Morrdh]

Lindun,
Mordent

The position of Lord Steward of Mordent was one that dated back almost two hundred years to the time of the Great Exodus, having been created by the then King to have a viceroy to rule over Mordent in absence of the Sovereign. The post holder also held the title Constable of Lindun Castle; originally charged with the administration of the Castle and the principle defence of the city but later evolved into a more ceremonial role. Regardless of the position’s origins, the Lord Steward had long been viewed as effectively a military governor.

Though the various Lord Stewards had to contend with many a problem over the years, the past decade or so had proven to be especially challenging with a number of conflicts engulfing the island. The current Lord Steward, Sean Gallagher (also the Chieftain of Clan Gallagher), had to contend with rising tensions on Mordent’s doorstep and the virtual loss of communications from Morrdh. Morrdun had fallen silent and even the MBC appeared to be off the air, leaving Mordent effectively isolated from the rest of the Commonwealth. Gallagher’s efforts to try and reach somebody in the Commonwealth’s military high command had only resulted in vague and unconfirmed reports of an invasion.

Now he’d received reports indicating that the entire Ordenite Navy had put to sea.

Though the timing seemed suspect, intelligence suggested Ordenite efforts being directed to Krasnova in light of a build-up of Imbrinium troops in the Macabean enclave there. Krasnova bordered the Commonwealth protectorate of Norgorka and the Reich certainly hadn’t been shy about its territorial ambitions there. Gallagher had been able to get in contact with Lt.General Collins, the commander of Commonwealth Forces Norgorka, the only other senior Commonwealth commander that Norwell had been able to reliably reach. Both men agreed to issue an Amber alert to their respective commands, placing their forces on high alert and effectively put them on a war footing.

In Mordent itself, Gallagher approached the executive Triumvirate Council to recommend to both his Imbrinium counterpart and the First Minister of the Mordent Assembly that the Emergency Powers Act be invoked and martial law declared. There was the risk, he argued, that Mordent could come under attack much like Morrdun had done and they needed to be prepared. He also wanted to speak to his Imbrinium counterpart in order to find out the Kingdom’s intentions.

---

Tuktar
Norgorka
Central GD

It had been a busy time for Lt. General Collins, the promise of a few thousand Mokan only eased his worries a minute amount. There was still no word from Morrdh as to what was actually happening back home, though the Lord Steward of Mordent had been able to contact him and prove there were still friendlies around. He still had the monumental task of organising the defence of Norgorka if and when the Ordenites decided to roll north.

The swampy nature of the Krasnovan border was an advantage, something that Collins planned to exploit by deliberately flooding the area to make crossing it as difficult as possible. He’d ordered the deployment of forward scouts, joint Gorkan-Morridane special forces units and jeep mounted ATGM teams to operate immediate north of the flood zone. These units would act as the forward screen for the bulk of Collins’ forces deployed further north, though this forward screen would also have some hitting power in the form of a company of Lyran tank destroyers. The Mokan reinforcements, when they finally arrived in-country, Collins had wanted to use as a mobile reserve to strengthen the line where the Ordenites threatened to breakthrough. Ultimately, it was up to the Mokan commanders how their forces were deployed and Collins could only outline what he wanted.

On the air front, things were a bit better. The Commonwealth had seen fit to deploy a considerable amount of SAM batteries and a fair number of squadrons of both fighter and strike aircraft. Collins felt pretty confident that they could check the Ordenites in the air, particularly as intel suggested that the bulk of Ordenite forces were being deployed towards the Macabean satrapy. Collins only real concern was the Bay of Tuktar and the waters round Krasnova, there were Commonwealth naval assets present but there were only skeleton units. In the event of war additional warships were to be sent, but with whatever was going down back home this was unlikely to materialize. With the forces available, all they could do was mine the Bay and patrol the Gorkan coast.

[The Macabees]

TARGUL FRUMOS, PROVINCE OF TARGUL FRUMOS

The enormous port city engulfed most of the coastline around the bay as far as the eye could see. It was the largest of its kind in the empire, even larger than the great mercantile cities of Macabea, Berliston, and North Point. Hundreds of millions of tonnes of cargo passed through its waters daily, bringing goods and taking others. Sells and buyers came from throughout the region and far outside of it, all of them seeking to find wealth in the Golden Throne.

It had withstood a siege once. Little more than ten years ago, a great Havenic fleet had sailed north to blockade Targul Frumos and destroy the imperial fleet within it. Although the enemy committed great damage, in the end, they were defeated. Now their northern lands belong to the Golden Throne and they lay divided and in decay. And it remained one of the great military ports of the empire, with three Kríergrups to its name — almost five thousand ships. It would have been twice that number had not so many fleets been sent to the seas south of the Scandinvan Empire as part of Kríermak 'Gholgoth.'

Admiránt Lessau Jereloo, a Frommian by birth who had joined the Kríermada upon reunification, looked out to the sea from the deck of his flagship aircraft carrier, the HES Feustana. He enjoyed the spray of the ocean, carried by a gentle breeze under the warm gaze of the sun. Alone, this was an opportunity he rarely enjoyed. Looking at the horizon, he saw the shape of rolling black clouds and wondered how long until the storm was upon them. War was approaching and it would be here soon. The men already knew this. There was an unrivaled air of anticipation. Conflict with the Reich was nothing new, the two countries had battled in Holy Panooly and Krasnova before, but there was a different taste to this one. This one wasn't a gentleman's war over a faraway territory. This one would be a war of survival.

Goosebumps crawled over his skin as he thought about it. He'd survived one war, then as a young officer. Would he this one?

Over three thousand ships were deploying west, toward Devonia, then north. The intent: to establish and extend a series of pickett lines tasked with harassing and blocking Ordenite naval forces amassing in the Sea of Ordena. Nicaro lay further west, just beyond Devonia, and the Reich would try to throw the empire off balance by threatening perhaps its most remote and difficult to defend vassal. In Nicaro proper, there were less than five hundred ships and two hundred thousand men, equipped and focused on eliminating the final vestiges of the pirate presence in the country. The empire would need open shipping lanes to supply either a defense or reconquest, and Kríergrup 'Nicaro' — truly, little more than a fleet-sized force — would need help from the rest of the Kríermada's western assets to do that. Jereloo lead the force meant for that exactly, with something less than two thousand ships on reserve.

Another Kríergrup was on its way from southern Holy Panooly, where it had been building strength after military operations in the area during the War of Panooly Reunification. It was another one thousand three hundred ships strong. Sailing west, it would run 'round Safehaven's southern coastlines and then continue northwards, until it joined Jereloo's three kríergrup to make it four. By then, the formation would be known as Kríermak 'Macabea,' since it would also be joined with the three Kríergrups based in the city of the same name — the old capital.

The three fleet groups in Macabea would not directly participate in western operations, at least not immediately. Instead, they were ordered to defend the space between the imperial mainland and the Reich's fatherland. It was considered wise to retain considerable forces available to participate in the east, namely to assist other Triumvirate forces in the destruction of Ordenite naval forces between itself and its eastern possession.

To accomplish that, 'Macabea' would be assisted by the diminutive Kríergrup 'Indras' and two Kríergrups based in New Empire, including one in Berliston. Of course, Jereloo hoped that the allies would be able to occupy and defeat the Ordenites on their own, thereby freeing a large number of ships to help end the Ordenite threat in the west.

War was always something of many variables, though. More than any one man could count. More than a computer could, in fact. Jereloo had lived it before, he knew. Most of these variables one would hardly know to anticipate. The outcome was always the product of an evolutionary process, one that the side which best knew to adapt to would survive and win. He was confident in his abilities, those of his men, and those of his leaders, but they would have to be more than good — they would have to be better than the enemy. The admiral sighed deeply, closing his eyes to enjoy the last seconds of his small escape.

When he turned, his mind was once again moving at a million miles per minute.



Staring out at the sea, young Sebastien Jereloo looked at the brilliant sparkles that bounced off the grey hulls of the thousands of ships leaving the city. Some were just small black dots against horizons, others had disappeared completely. He saw his father's ship, though. It was still within eyesight, although it took would soon be gone.

Sebastien didn't know whether to be sad or excited. Some called his dad a hero, others a traitor. The latter were far fewer than the former, of course. He knew his father was a warrior, a servant of the empire and the emperor. He had watched His Imperial Majesty stroll down the Kapes Viksedén in Fedala and, like all other boys of the empire, wished upon the day he would be able to march in an imperial triumph. But, the young man was smart and he understood that a warrior's fate could just as well be death. Sebastien worried for his father; he worried that he would never see him again.

A tear flowed gently down his cheek from the corner of his eye.

He hugged his brother, who stood by him, tightly. The two of them sat on a bench, looking out at the water until the sun slipped behind the earth and they could see no longer.

[The Macabees]

TERENOE, TERRITORY OF MONZARK

The launcher unit on the back of the truck rotated quickly, the servos subtly whizzing while it moved. Four missile warheads poked from inside the box, the sunlight glinting off of their metal caps. If one looked hard enough, there were dozens of these Praetorian launchers, most camouflaged and hidden but ready to move at a moment's notice. They had been put on high alert since late in the previous week.

Koronel Charles Verdasco observed the SAM battery under his command with a careful eye. When war came, they'd be under heavy pressure to stop Ordenite attempts to penetrate imperial airspace and attack mainland targets. It was by design, of course. He wasn't privy to the war planning, being a lowly colonel, but he had seen the uptick in Laerihan patrols and exercises overhead. Thousands of fighter jets, both Lu-45s and the newer F/A-36s, had infested the local airspace in anticipation of the conflict. Likewise, he had seen more Blackjester than he was accustomed to, soaring high above to help coordinate battlefield pieces around sensor and human intelligence that it collected itself or took from allied units or the Fuermak's decentralized intelligence database. In conjunction with ground forces, the Laerihans would seek to soak the Luftwaffe's strength by forcing it into a battle of attrition over the Sea of Ordena and the adjoining channel.

It all spoke to what was coming — a conflict that would redefine or underscore power relations in central Greater Díenstad for a long time to come.

A hulking cargo truck approached then on the narrow paved road that led to a series of dirt and ad hoc roads, passing by Verdasco, who looked at it with a wary eye. The koronel knew exactly what it contained and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Many were itching for war, but there were aspects of this conflict that simply didn't sit well with him. Inside that vehicle, there was a nuclear-tipped surface-to-air missile and it wasn't the only one his forces would have at their disposal. Furthermore, his instructions were clear. If Ordenite air raids became too overwhelming, he had pre-authorization to use them to destroy Luftwaffe assets in bulk.

Pre-authorization. Perhaps that's what scared him the most about this all. The Golden Throne and her military were no strangers to nuclear war. They had fought one against Stevid, experienced the exchange in Krasnova, and most had family members or friends who were involved in one way or another after the nuclear destruction of Guamlumpeiron in Holy Panooly. They knew about the costs of nuclear war. Yet, they were already anticipating it.

Aerial assets, air defense forces, and nuclear missiles were only part of the preparations that Verdasco had witnessed over the past few days. The Imperial Bureaucracy had obviously been surprised by the Arcaenian ultimatum on the Reich, else all of these preparations would have already been made, but the koronel was impressed by the speed of the imperial response. On his returns to base, it seemed as if the number of ground forces increased every passing day. Most were being airlifted north from the south, including from southeastern Nuevo León and Guffingford, their equipment brought up by rail in the days after. It seemed that every hand was on deck and that there wasn't a single logistics personnel not occupied with something. It was a grandiose operation, but the rumor was that there'd be another million men combat-ready by the expected start of combat operations. These would form the bulk, along with existing forces in the area, of any defense of the northeastern quarter of the mainland empire. More would arrive in the weeks after.

He studied the terrain around him. Truthfully, he wasn't much of a combined arms tactician. He liked his missile battery and its mission. It was simple enough. But, he knew that the flat land of Monzark would make it difficult for large armies to pass through without being vulnerable to aerial and naval attacks. He also knew the empire had home advantage. To the west, his homeland of Sarcanza provided similar terrain. To the south, desert soon gave way to the Zarbian jungles, and further below that were the green, rolling hills of northern Guffingford. It was all land the Golden Throne's forces had intimate knowledge of. They had spent years conquering and defending it, and they were ready to do it again.

All of this had started as what the higher-ups must have seen as a relatively simple surprise operation in Krasnova to eject the Ordenites. But, it was turning into much more than that. Verdasco was not a man of power. Like most, he was in the dark about most things to do with imperial policy and war planning — he was nothing more than a simple soldier. Yet, he knew what he saw and he could not but feel nervous about what was coming.

Sighing, he focused his attention back on the task at hand.

His SAMs were still amidst exercises, but in a few hours they would pack up and move to another location. Always mobile, they'd be hard to find, hard to hit, and always ready for action. The enemy would find themselves hard pressed to threaten the imperial mainland with their aerial forces. If and when they tried, they'd find the price to be high. Verdasco may not have been an expert in grand strategy, but his job he did well.

As he shouted orders to his XO, who was standing a few dozen yards away, a column of Nakíl tanks moving to one base or another kicked up a curtain of sand that followed them. They looked and sounded menacing with their heavy armor, large guns, and roaring engines, and as they rolled on by the ground shook. It didn't make the koronel feel any better as he continued directing his unit.

Part of him longed to be a child again in the deserts of Sarcanza. Part of him desired to be far away from this all, where there was no weight on his shoulders, no responsibilities, and no fear for the future.

Maybe when all of this was over he would retire early — payout be damned —, take his family, and move somewhere to the south, where the beach sand glistened, the water sparkled, and the sun beat down on their skin. Maybe that was exactly what he'd do if he survived this war. Unfortunately, it wasn't a dream he had much time to entertain and whatever happiness the thought gave him it was fleeting amidst the reality he lived in.

[The Macabees]

SANTA TERESA DE LA CRUZ, TERRITORY OF BELMONTE

Hundreds of engines rumbled to life at once. The sun was not yet up as almost the entire armor depot quickly began their 0400 hours early morning routines.

Today was not like other days, however. The men could feel it in their bones. Of course, the officers had been briefed the night before and their men the morning after. All knew by now that the 1217th Imperial Armored Division, along with the 116th Imperial Armored Corps, the 617th Combined Army, and even the entirety of the 89th Front Group had orders to redeploy to the northern reaches of the province of Weigar. Representing just over a million men, the 89th Front Group would be responsible for reinforcing imperial forces in the northwest provincial komsektor, which would suffer a light depletion as a result of a lightning airlift of just under 200,000 infantrymen to the Satrapy of Nicaro. In the following month, the 32nd and 101st Front Groups would follow the 89th north, taking position further east at the base of the Díenstadi peninsula.

The imperial mainland was one of the most heavily defended sectors of the empire, with only New Empire boasting of similarly voluminous defenses. The latter had to contend with a hypothetical, albeit farfetched, Lyran invasion, of course — thus, the presence of almost 400 million men, of which a little under half were, in theory, involved in the Gothic War. But it was the imperial mainland that was most prized, as was natural. The 450 million soldiers based between the Havenic Frontier and the northern coasts was a testament to that fact.

What the 89th Front Group, and later the 32nd and 101st, would offer this already toothy defense was a reaction force to counter a possible invasion, and even conquest, of Nicaro. The significant Ordenite deployments to the Sea of Ordena made this outcome a distinct possibility. With little chance of deploying enough men to truly guarantee defense of the satrapy, aside from the 200,000 soldiers reinforcing the 150,000 combatants already in the country, high command had to contend with the possible scenario of the satrapy's loss. If it turned out to be the case, the empire would commit to its reconquest and the three and a half million men of the three front groups moving north from the Havenic Territories would provide the bulk of the forces for such an operation.

With hundreds of thousands of accompanying tanks and other armored vehicles, there was still much to do before all of this could become reality. Most of these would be transported by heavy rail north, where their crews would already be waiting for them. Other equipment had to be transported over time, as well. Moving over three million personnel was not an easy task, with complicated and expensive logistics.

There was also the matter of guarding the long, expansive Havenic Frontier, which stretched from the coast of Levante to the Zarbian border, then to Guffingford, and finally back to the sea again. Although Safehaven was a disunited shadow of its former self, its invasion of Ruska still weighed heavily on the Macabéan mind. To reduce imperial defenses in the south by three million men, and more when counting similar redeployments of forces in Guffingford, was not a matter to take lightly. There would still be almost ten million men along the border, with another three in immediate reserve. Such was the nature of how deeply the War of Golden Succession still ran within the imperial psyche.

Undoubtedly, this coming war would leave marks of its own. Already, the movement and reorganization of tens of millions of soldiers were noticed by almost all. Towns and cities suddenly saw more military convoys and personnel than they had seen in over a decade. The provinces, who had started to think that the wars of the future would be isolated to the faraway territories, were beset by a growing anxiety. In Fedala, a city which was loyal to its emperor in totality, an anti-war movement was generating. One could only imagine the crowds in Beda Fromm. With an enormous war effort in Gholgoth and perpetual counterinsurgency operations in almost every corner of the empire, many wondered whether another conflict of this size and intensity was wise. Some questioned the Imperial Bureaucracy's choice of allies. Were they pulling the Golden Throne into ruin?

Of course, United World Order was not just "another" enemy and this was not just "another" war. The tension for this conflict was long in the making. Indeed, it was only recently that the empire's diplomatic corps proposed and lobbied for the World Assembly's condemnation of their northern neighbors. More recent diplomatic events, including the agreement to transfer tens of millions of Scythians to New Empire and tensions over Ordenite operations in Chernaya, did their part in building a war fervor.

This rift between those who saw the war as a crusade and those who considered it frivolous was only bound to grow as imperial armies marched north, like a great zipper dividing the two different sides.

Preparations in the depot, like in so many other bases scattered across Belmonte, continued unabated as the sun came up and the day grew longer and hotter. By the time nightfall came again, it would look like a ghost town, most of its personnel gone north and its vehicles already loaded up on cargo beds and on their way in the same direction. Like rivers of flesh and metal, columns of personnel and material flowed in near continuity and perpetuity. Through plains, mountains, jungles, and deserts, over rivers and in the skies, the Golden Throne was mobilizing its home defense forces for what promised to be an ultimate showdown.

The gears of war were turning and, even if it stretched the empire's resources to their absolute maximum — and with ongoing operations in Gholgoth, this war surely would —, the Golden Throne would not be caught unprepared.


...and while the empire's defenses were reorganized and bolstered, an encrypted message was sent to Car'gún Díehlaht, the great floating base that served as a halfway point between Greater Díenstadi and Gholgoth.

[The Macabees]

BERLISTON, SATRAPY OF NEW EMPIRE

"The situation is...critical, Lasagos." Vicstrategos Arn Garganel, commander of the 51st Front Group, looked at Lasagos Cornel Bevieu with concern.

Bevieu, a Guffingfordi with generational roots in Cerfonlande, looked displeased. "Damn them. They should have warned us. Now we're scrambling and this whole damn operation may be in danger." He was referring to the Arcaenians, whose declaration of a Total Exclusion Zone around Krasnova, the Sea of Crowns, and the Sea of Ordena had accelerated the movement towards war and given the Ordenites the warning they needed to prepare themselves strategically. The chaos it caused within the imperial military, which suddenly found itself needing to respond to Ordenite deployments, had not passed without disgruntling most of the Fuermak's officers.

Admiránt Jova Jonakescu, 'the Frommian' as he was known, harrumphed. "My 'kríergrup,' as high command likes to call it, was put on alert three days ago. War is imminent, they say. And what do I have to wage it? Little more than a fleet, really. 'Kríergrup' my ass. They don't expect to be able to reinforce my forces, either."

"What about the kríerflot from Paquat?" asked Bevieu.

"Hah!" exclaimed the admiránt. "Green, the whole force! Eight hundred ships filled with sailors who haven't seen war a single day of their life."

Bevieu shook his head. He looked at the map sprawled from edge to edge of the long back wall of the room. Behind them, the table had been pushed back to make room for them to stand. Markers pinpointed strategic and tactical assets, including known Ordenite fleet positions, shipping and convoy routes, and other targets of interest. Imperial and allied assets were highlighted as well in their own way, to set them apart from the enemy. He traced an imaginary line from New Empire down to Krasnova. "They will have to do," he finally responded. "We have new orders."

"New orders?" It was Garganel, a Frumosian like Jonakescu, who asked.

Nodding, Bevieu repeated, "New orders. We have been allotted half the forces here on R&R from, or supporting invasion forces in, Drana. That gives us roughly one hundred million men to worry about. We are to use those forces, in part or in totality, to open a second front on the northeastern coast of Krasnova. Somewhere between Saint Paul and Saint Pyter, or south of Stavropol. Communist and Mokan sympathies are still strong there, giving us a potential network of local allies to operate behind Ordenite lines and assist our forces in liberating the country. At least, that's my intelligence officers told me in their briefing this morning. Memories of the nuclear exchange are strong, as well. That will work in our favor. It will be a large operation, however. We have the men. Do we have the naval forces?"

Tilting his head, Jonakescu tisked. "Maybe. It will depend on how our allies perform."

"How so?" asked the lasagos.

"Well," replied Jonakescu, "our naval forces are large enough to challenge the Ordenites in the area, especially if the Kriegsmarine is forced to split its focus between western and eastern operations" — that was in reference to their deployments to the Sea of Ordena and the imperial response — ", but as I said before I have been told that reinforcements are unlikely to come. Meaning, what we have is what we have. And our fleets here will be more strained if part of it is supporting an amphibious operation. Our allies will have to do their part in eliminating the Ordenite fleet between Krasnova and the mainland Reich, freeing my ships up to escort and support your ground forces."

Bevieu rubbed his chin. "Do you foresee them having problems accomplishing that?"

It was another man, Vicadmiránt Henoor Nostal, who answered. "We have absolute confidence in the abilities of Imbrinumian and Arcaenian allies, of course. The Crown is recalling half of its fleet forces from Gholgoth, which will add muscle to our offensive capabilities in the Sea of Crowns. Arcaenia has almost the entirety of its forces available. Even alone, and against the full power of the Kriegsmarine, I suspect that they would win any naval conflict. Against a Reich that's willingly pulling itself in two directions, I don't imagine major complications. I would be surprised, in fact. Anyhow, with them providing most of the combat power in the eastern theater, our Kriergrup stationed here and in Paquat ought to be able to narrow their scope of action to supporting an amphibious invasion of northern Krasnova."

"I thought our involvement in Krasnovan operations were to be minimal?" asked a fourth man, Komstrategos Gregor Jelapenan, a brilliant logistics officer who was almost always by Bevieu's side. "And now we're potentially putting our operations in Gholgoth at risk in order to invade a country that our allies were supposed to be able to take by surprise?"

Bevieu shrugged. "Alas, such is war," he said. "Plans...plans don't tend to last long. But, the Ordenites have ruffled a few feathers. My guess is that high command seeks to end combat operations in one theater or another as quickly as possible, with the intention of then focusing our forces on the second theater. Our resources are more limited than many think and, despite the sheer military potential of Triumvirate forces, the truth is that we are alone in the west. The more quickly we can concentrate our power, the faster this war will end and the more successful we will be in it."

"That is a sound plan," said Jonakescu then. He chuckled, "But, as you said, plans don't tend to last long."

Vicstrategos Garganel nodded in agreement with the admiránt. "I imagine that this war will be tougher than anyone in the Triumvirate imagines. The Ordenites are a clever foe and survivors to boot. They have been ejected from Krasnova before, yet here we are again. Nicaro...Nicaro may very well become a major theater of operations, and it may very well fall. Its reconquest may be long and bloody, should that occur. And, remember, we are fighting two large-scale wars at once now. With allies or not, our resources, resourcefulness, and grit will be pushed to their limits."

Still looking at the map, Bevieu replied, "Then let's make sure our end of the bargain is well prepared. We will reconvene every day for the duration of this war. We have orders, let's make it happen. Our victory is Willed."

"Our victory is Willed," repeated the others.

As they all filtered out of the room, the lasagos remained behind. There was something on his mind, something perplexing. It all sounded too easy, didn't it? One hundred million men. Over one thousand ships. There ought to be no problem preparing and launching an amphibious operation against Krasnova. Yet, the greatest advantages were often the greatest obstacles. The logistical resources necessary for operations in Drana were immense. And although the number of men involved in Gholgoth was almost a magnitude greater than those involved in this hypothetical Krasnovan invasion, he wondered nevertheless how exactly he would move and supply so many bodies. It would be a challenge he'd have to overcome, because in this war of survival failure wasn't an option.

[The Macabees]

MATAGALPA, SATRAPY OF NICARO

The morning dew clung to the leaves of Herr Yannick Bachmann's small balcony garden. Surrounded by a wrought iron railing, the platform hung over the narrow cobblestone street below on which the usual foot traffic of early dawn circulated. Inside, visible from the chic glass door, which must have been installed recently given how it clashed with the traditionalist stone façade of the building, was Bachmann himself pouring another mug of coffee. The black liquid fell elegantly from the chrome carafe. He placed it back down and walked to a small patio chair made of wood, taking a seat to look at the people below.

Since the Ordenite advisors to the old Contra government had left after the Macabéan military occupation of the country, many wondered why Bachmann had stayed behind. Truth was, the climate had never been particularly hostile for any Ordenite, especially businessmen. Indeed, he had seen soldiers belonging to 'Urnstellung Kreiger,' a division of Ordenite nationals who fought for the imperial regulíes. Much of the political tension had dissipated and, with the ongoing war against the Chinadenga pirates and militias quietly coming to an end, things seemed to be finally returning to normal in the now-satrapy of the Golden Throne. Business was good, life was excellent, and Bachmann had never seen a reason for fleeing back to his home country — if he had even wanted to return.

Life under the Golden Throne's oversight wasn't bad, all told. Nicaro was still a long ways away from the prosperity of the imperial mainland, but business conditions had improved and trade was booming. Of course, parts of the country — namely, the east — were basically drug havens ruled by warlords under imperial supervision, but for a businessman like Bachmann that mattered very little.

The Reich was different. Its economy was much more closed, more regulated and controlled by the state. Some people did very well, others didn't. It all depended on who was there first and who the party favored.

Not so in Nicaro, where any man could be born a pauper and die wealthy. Whether or not this was true for all Nicaroans, most of which still lived in abject poverty, was beside the point. Opportunities abounded for those who sought them and most of these hadn't existed before the arrival of the Golden Throne. The civil wars had wreaked havoc then, trade had dried up like a desert riverbed at the height of summer, and business was weak. Imperial vassalage changed this.

A long, black sports utility vehicle pulled up against the curb below, forcing people to jump to the side or otherwise be hit.

From within it emerged three bearded men carrying assault rifles and wearing body armor. A fourth man, this one wearing a suit, stepped out from one of the back rows. He looked to either side and then nodded at his three armed companions. Bachmann raised an eyebrow as he observed them, but this quickly grew into shock as one of them kicked open the door to his building.

He didn't know much about his neighbors. It wouldn't surprise him if some of them clandestinely supported the insurgent's efforts. Or, were involved in other seditious or anti-satrapical activities. He had heard rumors of secret imperial police breaking into homes and apartments, arresting the unsuspecting in the middle of the night. The stories said that these people were never seen again. Some even claimed they had seen the bodies of old friends left to rot by the side of the road, typically outside of the city near the jungle. He wondered what poor soul was the target this time.

Better to mind his own business, he thought. He leaned back against his chair and continued to watch the crowd below, which had parted to the other side for the most part.

Suddenly, he heard a crash-like noise. Splinters of wood struck against the glass pane of the balcony door. Before he could turn around, the glass shattered, someone grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him across the shards back into his home. He felt something warm trickle down his back. Something struck him in the face. He didn't remember much after that, but at some point he blacked out...


...he woke up in an empty room with no windows, just plain white walls, one of which was decorated by a long, large mirror.

"H-h-hello?" His voice trembled.

No answer.

Droplets of water fell from where they collected on the ceiling onto the polished tiled floors. There was a table in the middle with three seats, two on one side and the third on the other. Picking himself up from the floor, on which he had been left sprawling, he slowly made his way to the single chair. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was naked except for his briefs, which were torn and bloodstained. What had happened?

He tried to remember, but his head was pounding. It felt as if someone had struck him repeatedly...a memory floated back. He had been struck repeatedly. How had it happened? Who had done it? He didn't have answers to the important questions. All he knew was that he was in an empty, lifeless room, alone, cold, and in pain.

It seemed like an eternity before the sole door opened and someone walked in. The man seemed vaguely familiar. He was wearing khaki pants with a polo, with sunglasses hanging from the nadir of his collar. A bald head gave him a menacing look and the tattoos that crawled up his arms added to the effect. The man took a seat across the white table, put down his coffee mug, but said nothing for a long while. Bachmann looked at him, not as much curious as irritated. Why was he here? What did this man want with him? What was going to happen? There were a thousand thoughts racing through his mind.

For the longest time, the only sounds in the room were the drops of water striking the floor and the slurping noise the man made as he slowly sipped on his coffee.

Finally, when the Ordenite thought he'd go out of his mind, the man spoke, "Yannick Bachmann. That is your name, correct?"

"...Yes?" he answered.

The man nodded. "What is your business in Nicaro?"

Bachmann scratched his head. "My business? I've been here for almost four years now."

"Just answer the question, sir," said the man.

"Um, I came here almost four years ago, as I said. I work for Gatezki, an Ordenite truck manufacturer that set up factories in what at the time was Contra-controlled territory. We supplied vehicles to the Nicaroan army, as well as private buyers. We still do both, although now under the approval of Imperial authorities, of course," started Bachmann before clearing his throat. He realized he was parched. "Could I have some water?"

The man ignored his question. "What's your role at Gatezki?"

Annoyed, Bachmann was about to ask for water again, but he decided against it. Instead, he replied, "I am an account executive. I manage about eight million ríokmark equivalent in annual revenue for the company."

"Is that impressive? I wouldn't know," asked the man. "What are your ties to the national socialist party?"

"Why am I being interrogated?" Bachmann questioned, now concerned.

The man returned a flat stare. "I am asking you simple questions. Please answer them."

"Not until I get some water," he replied.

The man reached across the table, grabbed him by his hair, and slammed Bachmann's face into the table. Blood splattered everywhere. His nose felt like it had been struck by a bat. With eyes narrowed, the man said with a low voice, "Answer the fucking question, you goddamn boche. Cooperation pays well, trust me."

Bachmann coughed blood as he sputtered. He tried to catch his breath but his lungs felt about to burst. Every bone in his body hurt. He realized then that this situation was more dangerous than he had thought. What had he done? What could these people want with him? He remembered then. "You were the man in the suit, weren't you? The man I saw...earlier?"

The man didn't respond. Instead, he asked, "What are your ties to the nationalist socialist party?"

Bachmann gulped. "I am a party member, as most wise Ordenites are."

"When was the last time you corresponded with a party official?" asked the man.

"The last time I corresponded with a party official?" Bachmann repeated the question, not knowing its purpose or how to respond. He hadn't seen, let alone talk, to a party official since the Ordenite advisors to the Contra government had left. "Two or three years ago? Longer? I have no ongoing relationship with party officials, of course."

"Curious," said the man. "That's not what I've seen."

"What?" Blood trickled from his forehead into his eye.

The man said nothing. A few feet away, the door opened again. Two large men entered through it. Looking at him intensely, the man then said, "We have evidence that you've been cooperating with Reich national socialist intelligence officers in attempts to undermine Imperial authority in the Satrapy of Nicaro."

"I would never do such a—" started Bachmann, before one of the two new guys slammed his head into the table again. The world went black again...


...Bachmann wouldn't wake up again.

His body rotted in some ravine deep within the Nicaroan jungle, somewhere near Chinadenga, never to be found again. Days after his interrogation, the Nicaroan Satrapical government released his name and cause of death, describing him as an Ordenite spy and saboteur. He was an individual in his life, but in death he became a number, just one of the thousands of Ordenite nationals who found themselves in ditches of a similar kind.

The truth of the accusations? There would always those who doubted.

Would it truly matter in the end?

The Empire would take no chances. The last vestiges of the Ordenite presence in the satrapy were purged with relentless viciousness. Nationals were tracked down, questioned, and later executed. 'Urnstellung Kreiger,' the division of Ordenite regulíes, was airlifted almost immediately to Arras, from which it was taken to New Empire and then to Mokastana. Finally, its soldiers found themselves in Drana, where after a three-week rest and recovery period they were moved forward to the front lines. Earmarked for the spring offensive that would prepare the way for the great summer offensive, few were expected to come back from Drana alive.

[The Macabees]

BERLINA, UNITED WORLD ORDER

The imperial embassy in Ordena was unlike most of its counterparts around the world. Devoid of the typical baroque extravagance of Imperial architecture, this one was plain, made mostly of concrete, and looked capable of withstanding a direct assault. A 30-foot wall was topped with barbed wire and broken glass to dissuade climbers. Inside, a handful of light armored fighting vehicles kept guard. There seemed to be a mood that pervaded the place throughout, like a wafting stench that one simply couldn't air out. The faces of the guards outside, strolling just within the wall or standing near every entrance and exit, were painted with tension.

Inside, the world was in a frenzy. Staff members were running up and down corridors. In their rooms, personnel shredded papers, threw the remnants into waste bags, and gave these to others who took them by rolling carts down to the basement levels of the building. There, everything was burned. No chances were taken. Regardless of the importance of the document, everything was destroyed beyond forensic repair.

That very morning emergency orders had been issued from the diplomatic headquarters in Fedala. All embassy staff members, from the interns to the jogornos himself, were told to eliminate all documents and personal belongings. They were to leave the country within 24 hours with only the clothes on their back. They would be financially compensated upon return to the Imperial mainland.

Security personnel distributed saxitoxin capsules hidden in bronze commemorative coins celebrating their posting in the Reich.

If the Ordenites decided to storm the embassy and arrest its staff, high-ranking individuals were under Imperial obligation to consume the hidden pill. The chemical reaction would cause their nervous systems to breakdown, leading to paralysis and eventually death. Those who chose this line of work understood the danger of interrogation and all staff had been extensively trained on Ordenite torture methods, with the intent to drive fear of being captured. Furthermore, the existence and conditions of Ordenite labor camps were no secret. If lower-ranking staff members didn't receive suicide capsules, many of them would likely find alternative means if capture seemed imminent.

The embassy had two company's worth of conventional military personnel, a special infantry unit and a light armor company. Guarding the outer courtyards of the compound, the latter formed the first line of defense. The infantry company was distributed throughout the embassy grounds, in ad hoc fortified positions that any attackers would have to fight their way through. Heavy weapons were distributed, as well. Anti-tank rockets, heavy machine guns, and even mortars were removed from the armory and given to the men. Finally, a small special forces task force was made responsible for the destruction of the compound in a worst-case scenario. The basement and outlying structures were lined with explosive material, with the intent to collapse the entirety of the embassy in case of capture — even if the staff had been given the opportunity to abandon it safely. Diplomatic staff and their employees were not told of these plans.


Elsewhere...

Kríerlord Arnhold Max, a man who looked like the stereotypical Díenstadi — blonde hair, blue eyes —, was already on a flight back to Fedala before the embassy orders were issued.

He had built a bond with the Ordenites that would be hard to recover after the war. It was frustrating, to some extent. His sympathies for the Reich's causes ran deep and, admittedly, his friendship with the country's leadership was public, at least to the emperor and his other advisors. What they thought about that, especially under these new conditions, did not particularly trouble him. He was a kríerlord, after all.

Of course, a kríerlord had been executed before for cooperation with the Ordenites. It was not that long ago that Mikael Varis was executed during Fedor's Triumph for the victories in Holy Panooly and Krasnova. But, Varis had turned against the empire. Arnhold Max had taken the first flight back to Fedala when told to return for exactly that reason. Whatever sympathies he had, he would show no signs of disloyalty.

The flight was not very long. He touched down in Fedala before the day was over.

Waiting for him was a long, black sedan. Two bodyguards in well-fitted suits, rifles lying from left shoulder to right hip in front of them, waiting for the kríerlord. They nodded as he walked to them and one opened the door to the rear seat. Naturally, there was no driver; the vehicle was autonomous, as most were these days. The guards sat to either side of him, one of them entering through the opposite door once he was seated and comfortable. He looked at them, noticing that he didn't recognize either of them. Max thought nothing of it. He was certain in his safety. The emperor had no reason to eliminate him.

Yet, when the vehicle did not take the usual route to the Imperial Palace he began to worry.


Back at the tarmac...

Three more automobiles, these larger sports utility vehicles, pulled up as the sedan left their view. Some of the aircraft attendants were beginning to disembark.

Four armed men, wearing subtle emblems suggesting affiliation with the stadgard, came out from each vehicle. One of them held their right hand up and ordered all attendants to return inside. All except one climbed the staircase after them. The one who remained on the tarmac disconnected the staircase from the hatch and then used his radio to communicate with some unknown person. Within a few minutes, a tow truck appeared from a faraway hangar. Inside, someone who looked atypical of airport staff was driving. They attached the towing cable to a hook beneath the nose of the jet and began to pull.

Inside, the pilot asked, "Where are we going?"

"Security precaution, sir," answered one of the armed men. "This will be over shortly."

They all waited in silence until the darkness of a hanger overtook them. This darkness was made pitch black when the hangar door was shut behind them.

"Please, everyone organize yourselves in a line to disembark. You will follow us. We have a few questions for all of you," explained the same armed man who had spoken earlier. The attendants and pilots did as they were told. Another armed man inspected the rest of the aircraft to look for stragglers. When he was sure there were none, he returned and gave the one who spoke a thumbs up.

That man nodded at the others. It was then that one of the pilots noticed that all of the rifles carried silencers. It was too late. Within seconds, they were all dead.

Any and all evidence of the aircraft was destroyed.


Secluded room in a dusty Barjaani village...

Why they had chosen him for this job Alfonso Limpeta had some idea. His brown skin most definitely had given him an "advantage" in selection. The fact was that Limpeta looked a lot like a local, allowing him to blend in with the village population. Of course, he had to learn the language and the customs, which he did. Why? That was a good question. Most of the time he found himself within the confined walls of this small, damp room the glorious empire had afforded him.

Alfonso swore to the gods that he'd retire after this tour of duty.

Clicking ferociously, he rubbed his eyes as he looked at the computer screen. A few lines of code later and any electronic evidence of an aircraft landing in Fedala was eliminated. Hacking the Ordenite systems would be more difficult, but he got to work. Where there was a will, there was a way, and if there was one thing all soldiers knew was that the empire was Willed.


Back in Fedala...

"Where are we going?" asked the kríerlord. His voice twanged with irritation.

The guards didn't respond. "Answer me," he said. Still, nothing.

After about thirty minutes of circuitous driving, the car took them down into an underground garage. It was empty of life and cars — there was not a single sign of life other than them. Arnhold Max gulped. So, this was how Fedor would do it. This was the end. He curled his fists into balls. How long had he served? How many times had he proven his loyalty?

He was so caught up in his anger and thoughts that he didn't notice when one of the guards revealed a silenced hand gun. Placing the end of the barrel against his ribs, the guard fired once. The bullet traveled through his body and into the back seat, rupturing the leather. Two more shots were fired off. When the job was done, the two guards exited the vehicle calmly and walked away.

The car would be burned and the body incinerated before anyone had a chance to even know what happened.

[United World Order]

Church of Saint John, Ol'khovka.

The ringing of church bells snapped Sergei Kozmotov from his inner thoughts as he walked up the steps of the Church of Saint John the Baptist. Dressed in woodland BDUs he removed his field cap as he entered through the main entrance of the church. Those in attendance were a mix of civilians and military personnel primarily from the Krasnovan Defense Forces who had gathered for the Stevidian equivalent of mass. Finding a spot to take a seat besides an elderly couple he watched as the entrance prayers were being preformed. Two men enter the temple clothed in choir dress in which the priest wears the pectoral cross as they began venerating the icon found at the narthex which happened to be the back end of the church where the entrance was. A small all male choir stood near the ambon portion of the church as they sung chants in their native tongue while the priest and deacon made there way into the center of the Church. Both priest and deacon then take three separate bows at the waist before making there way towards the actual ambon its self all the while the chanting continued.

Services like this one take place once every day in churches and monasteries across Krasnova a holy tradition continued for over a thousand years. The Krasnovan Orthodox Church had suffered greatly under communist rule but would continue to retain it's followers coming for faith and spiritual healing during communist oppression and the poverty that came with it. Following the initial Ordenite invasion of Krasnova in mid 2026, a letter was sent from the Archbishop of Kapístrion and Ecumenical Patriarch Philip I directly to the Reich Chancellery expressing the want to come to an agreement between the Krasnovan Orthodox Church and the Reich to receive the same peaceful treatment. Thus normalizing relations and essentially guaranteeing protection from the Ordenite Reich in which the result led to a significant increase in church attendance and baptisms. Little did most of the outside world know about society in the now Ordenite dominated Krasnova, was that it was quickly leaning in heavy favor with god and faith. What else was there to believe in? When war and death are second nature to most Krasnovans more than ever then before.

The priest and deacon finish venerating the icon at the ambon as the Divine Liturgy continued. Sergei Kozmotov had seen what his country had become over the last decade and had taken part in two of it's grueling wars. The second Krasnovan war had dragged him and his older brother into the conflict as both reported to serve as active duty soldiers in the Krasnovan Army where both ended up in the same formation but were in separate units. Sergei's unit which was the 152nd Tank Division took part in a string of battles against Marshite forces driving south towards Yukar while his older brother in the 147th Motorized Rifle Division took part in combat operations against Stevidian forces also heading for Yukar. The 152nd Tank Division several weeks before the beginning of the nuclear engagement was expelled by Marshite forces from a cluster of farmland that was their front lines. Sergei was fortunate enough for this unlike the fate that beset his eldest brother who was killed during heavy fighting with Stevidian paratroopers and infantry north-west of Yukar where the now border existed between Krasnova and the Norgorka Republic. It was at this moment where Sergei Kozmotov who had been agnostic for most of his life entered the Krasnovan Orthodox Church and converted to Orthodoxy and also became baptized at a local parish where he lived.

"Second Lieutenant Kozmotov." Sergei looked beside him opposite of where the elderly couple sat and gazed upon a familiar face.

"Major? Major Krakowski?! You're here!"

Sergei and the Major had a short quiet embrace as the liturgy continued with chanting. Boris Krakowski was a Krasnovan Ordenite who during the third and final Krasnovan war met and served with Sergei in the 152nd Tank Division once again now having participated in the drive towards Kokshlovo and the battles over it. The two had bonded over the several months that led up to the liberation of Kokshlovo and were now reunited once again with war once again brewing over the horizon. The 66th Tank Corps of the 5th Krasnovan Army had been activated a week prior as the call for mobilization of the Krasnovan Defense Forces made it's way down the chain of command and to the enlisted themselves. The 5th Krasnovan Army had already been in the area of the now former capital city of Ol'khovka following the end of the last war that saw the destruction of the last communist state on the island.

"It's good to see you again Sergei, It has been quite some time since we were deployed together." Major Krakowski said as he recited a short prayer.

"I got the report to return to active duty last week." Sergei continued. "We're on the path to war again."

"We are going to be heading south of here very soon. The whole 5th Army is being redeployed just north of the frontier with the Macabeans, it seems that's where the war will start for us."

"God have mercy on us."

"Amen."

Gryaznaya, Krasnova.

The pitter patter of gunfire played through the streets of Gryaznaya almost daily now since the start of several Ghetto uprisings across the city its self. The uprisings had mostly been organized by a leftist rebel group that went by the name of the Gryaznaya Red Army and had been supplied and trained by seasoned former Union Red Army soldiers that had escaped Ordenite persecution. The GRA had done well in opening escape routes during the initial stages of the uprising when sections of walls surrounding several different Ghettos were blown to smithereens. Thus allowing thousands of people to flee what essentially was no different than a concentration camp with similar to even worse conditions. The rebels then took positions in the urban landscape within these Ghettos in which upon the Ordenite Selbschutz arriving to stop the escape, they were met with machine gun fire and improvised explosives. The GRA had been able to set up IEDs and other booby traps, along with kill zones and ambush points that the Selbschutz simply walked into a slaughter house.

The fighting was bitter and gruesome as the rebels made the Selbschutz pay for every street and street corner with blood. After an entire week of fighting the Selbschutz units that had been sent in originally were forced to pull out due to tremendous loss of life. The mayor of Gryaznaya soon enough made the call for any sort of reinforcements that were available and thus was when the Ordenite Waffen-SS entered the fray. SS Cavalry Brigade 88 had originally been operating where the former border was between the UESS and Krasnova before being re-deployed south near Gryaznaya initially to liquidate several villages suspected to be harboring weapons and persons involved in armed resistance. However this would change when the order came from the SS-Kommandostab to help pacify an armed uprising within the city which was a specialty of most SS-Cavalry formations which throughout their existence operated as a rear guard and lead counter insurgency operations. They were just as ruthless as the brigade went about carrying out reprisals against the common folk in which for the next several days over 2,000 people were killed for the lives of 50 men. However it was only the beginning as a encrypted radio transmission was broadcasted by the Brigade's signals unit which if heard seemed untranslatable to a normal person.

Metallic boots hit the ground as a mix of radio static and commands were issued. The rebels had only heard stories about them but had never actually seen them until now, small arms fire was almost useless as their armor simply shrugged it off. Licks of flames shot at them was the response as the smell of burning flesh and clothing filled the air. Any survivors were summarily executed with a bullet to the head as the Capitol Police Troopers and Ordenite SS soldiers began sweeping through the Ghettos occupied by the GRA.

[The Technocratic Syndicalists]

CENTRAL DIENSTAD THEATER

2000 Local Time, several moments after official Arcaenian exclusion zone declaration
Bridge of the Hydra class submarine U-33 Hammerhead
Somewhere in the Sea of Ordena

The J9S "Dragonfish" (or "Drachenfisch" in Arcaenian) was one of the better kept secrets of the Arcaenian military. Designed to equip the Arcaenian Navy's Hydra class nuclear cruise missile submarines, or Schlachtkreuzer-U-Boot as they were called called by the Arcaenian navy (literally: battlecruiser submarine), the Dragonfish (and the Hydra submarine) was designed as a reaction to the increasingly large and heavy surface combatants and aircraft carriers present in the region and is unique in that it incorporates a proprietary and highly exotic closed cycle aluminum-water combustion powerplant with several times the power density of either electric or state-of-the-art monopropellant systems. The resulting high speeds of the weapon, over 90 knots, and extreme range, over 100 kilometers on the low speed setting, combined with a 600 kilogram warhead that could quite literally blow ships out of the water along with the depth-independent performance and relative quietness of its propulsion system made it a formidable weapon whose punch was only matched by its price tag. The U-33 Hammerhead was carrying 38 of said torpedoes in it's torpedo tubes and two-level torpedo room, which in additional to two J9R 'Knifefish' supercavitating torpedoes (one containing a variable 0.5-200 kiloton yield nuclear warhead), and the 60 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles located in its 10 missile tubes, would act as its weapons for which it would wage war against the Ordenite Reich. The U-33, and the other Hydra class submarines of which the Arcaenian navy had deployed to the waters of Central Dienstad, were on orders to avoid enemy warships where possible and to focus on hunting and destroying Ordenite supply convoys (and their escorts) which the Reich needed to fuel its military machine in Krasnova.

"Captain we have a ping on the laser comms*. We're authorized to attack all sonar contacts in our patrol zone"

"Affirmative. All crew to battle stations. Sonar, report our contacts"

"We're tracking 7 surface vessels captain. Range to nearest contact 97 kilometers, bearing two-eight-four, speed 15 knots. 5 contacts, single screw, likely fleet oilers or dry cargo ships. 2 contacts, two screws, likely escorts, signature matches known Kriegsmarine frigate models. "

"Set depth to 600 meters, flood tubes 2 through 8 and prepare to fire."

"Tubes 2 through 8 flooding. Swimmers** armed and ready for launch"

" Fire the tubes"

"Swimmers released. Repeat swimmers are away".

"Keep depth at 600, reduce speed to 19 knots and change our bearing to one-zero-four"

"Weapons officer reporting torpedoes running normally at 90 knots, estimated time to impact 30 minutes with our current course"

*The Arcaenian navy uses communications satellites with blue-green chemical lasers for one-way communicate with its submerged submarines.

**Arcaenian navy sailors refer to torpedoes using the slang term 'swimmers'.

Oberkommando der Marine Headquarters
City of Eisenstadt
Thule Provence, Arcaenia

Operation Nordwind, part of the larger Fall Grau operation against the Ordenite Reich, was the naval component for the Arcaenian war plan against the Ordenite Reich. Intended to trap and destroy the Kriegsmarine forces in the central and northern Sea of Crowns, Operation Nordwind would see four fleets of approximately 3,000 vessels organized into 36 separate task forces converge on the Sea of Crowns. The First and Third Fleets would launch from the Arcaenian naval bases in Thule and travel directly south between Mordent and Imbrinium to directly confront the Kriegsmarine's Task Force Nord and Task Force Wolf. The Arcaenian Fifth and Ninth Fleets would launch from naval bases in the south of the Arcaenian mainland and travel around the eastern side of Imbirnium before turning west into the Sea of Crowns, in effect creating an enormous naval pincer movement which along with the naval forces of the other Triumverate powers would destroy the Kriegsmarine in the Sea of Crowns.

The Arcaenian naval forces involved in the operation would largely be those created under 'Plan X', an ambitious naval armament program consisting of five separate naval laws passed around the turn of the 21st century which were meant to turn the Arcaenian navy into one capable of competing with the major Dienstadi powers in the center of the region. With a massive increase in Arcaenian naval construction the Plan X fleet was to projected to consist of some 300 modern aircraft carriers, 420 ballistic missile defense cruisers, 1500 destroyers and other escort vessels, 300 amphibious assault ships, and some 900 nuclear submarines. The vessels authorized under the plan X fleet, including the Inflictor class supercarriers and their airwings of Sea Seraph fighters and Ghost bombers, Tempest Class BMD cruisers, Sovereign class destroyers, and aforementioned Hydra class submarines would thus bear the brunt of the Arcaenian naval effort against the Ordenites.

Red: outer limits of declared Maritime Exclusion Zone (MEZ)
Green: Arcaenian naval movements into the Sea of the Crowns
Blue: Acoustic sensor array deployed along seabed by Arcaenian navy, mainly for tracking of Ordenite subs moving to and from Krasnova

[Eitoan]

Vladarsik, Eitoan
Randy Braswell Barracks
Building L
High Command Council Conference Room


General Koaincov sat comfortably at the head of the table, smiling pleasantly and chatting with the Navy’s Admiral Antonin “Tony” Reid, an ugly man, of whom it was said that he possessed 15% of the fleet’s ability to sink ships, on looks alone. General Wanda Koincov was no prize either, her fleshy face and neck showing the wear and tear of her rise through the Active Army ranks, earning the respect of hardened combat veterans and finally attaining the trust of Secretary Maska and Directorship of the High Command Council. Her short light brown hair and beady steel gray eyes gave a hint of the toughness that had guided her Army career, and while no she-hulk, she was wider in the beam and more heavyset than your average midland wife or accountant. Tony let fly with a slightly dirty joke before the others filtered in for the impromptu briefing. Both chuckled.

The Army Chief of Staff, General Bernard Haytotter joined the two and sat down comfortably across from Reid, at Wanda’s right. Haytotter had the bearing of a youngish high school mathematics teacher, a characteristic Eitoan Mestizo-Gemesht long face, bisected by a pair of wire rimmed glasses, and topped by a head of brown hair that seemed to have a permanent, defiant cowlick. His smile was pleasant and wide, almost friendly, for an Eitoan. He nodded to Koincov and Reid, and added “sounds good – you want to include me in on the story?”. Before they could answer their Air Force counterpart, General General Lyall Zeleny waltzed in and breezily sat down next to Reid. Zeleny was the only man in the room whose forces had boots on the ground in the Satrapy, or at least as much as anyone else knew. He too was bespectacled, older and more shopworn than Haytotter. A thin man, he had perhaps the least military bearing of any of the Chiefs on the High Command Council. And indeed, it had been a long time since he held a combat command, even longer since he had flown. A solid student at the College of the Eitoan Air Force, General Zeleny continued on with his engineering education, earning his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, and putting his knowledge to good use through recent assignments at and later heading the Air Force Materials and Testing Laboratory. He seated himself across from Haytotter.

Haytotter had just settled into his chair when his cell phone gave off a gentle vibration. Perturbed, thinking that he had put the device on airplane mode, he notices an alert in an orange octagon on the lower part of the screen. Jabbing the notice with his right forefinger, a confirmation appeared: "Confirmation from Militia, Coastal Command, Blue Island District. Blue Island District Court approval of request for expansion of security zone around Kriermada Blue Island Naval Base. Notice to property owners underway within hour; operations to initiate at 0400 Blue Island local time."

He jabbed the approval button, and made sure the phone was on airplane mode before holstering it. "I've got to get the Militia notifications stopped", he thought. "I don't see why those geeks can't filter this shit out, or at least redirect it up the line to Brown. Don't need to know all the damn details about every river crossing and traffic bottleneck."

His thoughts were cut short by Zeleny clearing his throat. It looked like he was about to say something, but he was only clearing his throat.

Wanda looked up at the clock on the opposite wall, and was about to start the briefing when a rushed General Nancy Regdev, Director of Joint Military Intelligence hurried into the room, plopping herself into the chair next to Reid. Only five years younger than Koincov, her looks were much better than Wanda’s and she had held up better throughout the years too. Possessed of nearly pure Ralkoviak lineage dating back to the first days of colonization, her long, thin blonde hair and sharp facial features emphasized that background, as well as the rich modulation associated with the diction of the coastal Ralkoviaks, contrasting with the flat vowels and hard r’s of most midland Eitoans. A point guard at the The Defense Institute for Security and Intelligence and captain of the basketball team, Nancy served much of her career in the Joint Military Intelligence Service in the field, with frequent promotions in Far Overseas Operations before posting as Military Attache to the embassy in Stevid, her last field job before becoming Director. Looking briefly at Wanda, she muttered “sorry”.

The two lady generals were not exactly rivals, but seemed to bear a little more than the average animosity between the field commands and the spooks at the Joint Military Intelligence Service. For their part, Zeleny and Haytotter got along relatively well with Regdev. Reid and Wanda seemed more dismissive of Nancy.

Glaring back at Regdev, Koaincov cleared her throat and began.

“I have called you together to tell you that the High Command staff will be developing a contingency plan for Eitoan defense and other involvement in the likelihood of hostilities in and around occupied Krasnova. None of you should be surprised at this planning.”

Zeleny interrupted: “Wanda, we’ve got the 24th on ground in the Satrapy. What more do you see us doing over there”.

Koaincov replied “The scope of this contingency plan doesn’t encompass an increase in forces in the Satrapy. The 24th is there for putative exercises, and that remains the story both out of the High Command and Foreign Affairs.

To get to the point, within 48 hours I expect development of a contingency plan for our review that will have three elements. The contingency will be known as Project Red Giant. We will reconvene when Red Giant is fleshed out by High Command staff, for your analysis and comment. The elements to be included in this plan are:

• Homeland Defense. In weighing allocation of resources this will be scored with a low likelihood. It is believed that existing active and reserve land and air/aerospace forces will remain in place, and would follow standard defensive doctrine. We believe our current deployment at home is sufficient for this task. On the face of it I expect little change to Northwest Mutual Assistance Agreement plans on continent – coordination with our partners in Relica, and coverage of Aurensia.
• Response to potential commerce raiding and threats to Eitoan and allied shipping and naval facilities. Here there is some higher risk. As all of you are aware, we have limited range and capability in protecting shipping, and we must protect Golden Throne assets harbored at Blue Island and elsewhere on Eitoan territory. I have advised Foreign Affairs to tread lightly in dealings with The Ordenite Reich. All of you can appreciate the dimensions of a potential conflict between The Reich and The Golden Throne in waters closer to their homelands, but we expect those factors, as well as the naval buildup around Krasnova will focus attention to those theaters. We have no solid intelligence, but logic would indicate that diversion of Ordenite naval power the the Northern Vanguat would be a significant dilution of their strength in more critical areas. But,” she shrugged”, there is no way of knowing what Ordenite strategy in the west would be. So we must give some weight to the near shore naval component.
• Finally, and with a low expectation, we will evaluate the requirements of raising an expeditionary force for overseas deployment”.

Haytotter pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. “Deployment where? We’re solid on continent! This sounds like a tall order”.

Koaincov continued “This planning is for NMAA off-continent deployment. As you said, Homeland Defense will cover our commitments on continent. Here too, the likelihood is low. An Ordenite feint against The Timocratic Republic would not provide them a strategic advantage against The Golden Throne, and would most certainly be heavily damaging to The Reich even if they experienced a modest and temporary success. An adventure against Palmyron would be even more farfetched. We will be planning for the Army and Air Force to provide a credible contribution to any drift in hostilities toward the direction of our NMAA maritime allies. I understand this will be the heaviest burden of the three to be addressed in Red Giant, but as a contingency we must be prepared for any spread of war. I will entertain questions now.”

[McNernia]

Cathcride, Mcnernia
Royal Palace

---

It was raining as the Prime Minister entered the private apartments of His Royal Majesty. Rumors of his insanity was swirling after his encounter with Elijah IV. The fact of the matter was he had been raised in a military tradition going back to Erin I in the distant past. The man was a soldier and he knew that war against the Ordenites was going to be something that would happen in the northern parts of Greater Dienstad, well within the bounds of the Royal Navy and the place where the world revolved. Mcnernia had contributed to WA Peacekeeping before withdrawing and the Parliament was inclined to rejoin the WA to form a cohesive bloc against the Ordenites. Working through the WA.

Walking through the grand halls of the Palace. Decorated with Gold leave and fine carpet and hardwood, lovely white paint. Quiet and nearly empty as members of the Royal Family kept to various other mansions and the palace was home to the King and his family. Rumors of what had happened to the King due to Elijahs visit had been swiriling. One had heard rumors mumuring about the use of Nuclear weapons over an insult. But well Elijah. The Prime Minister passed a portrait of the late Sovereign. Emilion III had the same chiseled features. The same grim determination, he would have chastised the coup plotters and asserted himself and not deviated from the path of a strong sovereign. Emilion IV had that on some days, but well he was a junior officer, not trained in strategy in general. The suited butler knocked on the door looking back at the PM. The door was opened.

“His Majesty will see you now Your Excellency.” Andrew Holtworth entered the room and bowed. The King had his back to the window looking out from the window at the garden and then turning back to the PM as he entered. He gave a casual smile. The PM had given his coat to the Butler at the door to the Palace. And was wearing like the King a suit. Rather than the Kings usual duty uniform. He looked at the PM as he bowed. Then a handshake.

Then seating, right down to the business at hand.

“Well Prime Minister, I gather OP Dinah is shelved.”

“Of course sir, the issue of the Ordenites concerns many, the issue of the OrdenKommunite in this country has concerned some. And the issue of the Mcnernian SS, bringing down those traitors. Some of our most dangerous fighters seeking to improve this country…” One could see the Prime Minister was rather disgusted with the fact. Chem specialists, counter insurgents, bio warfare specialists. The ones who were inclined to use WMDs in the conventional warfare. Threats to regions abroad. Mcnernia was distant from the conflict in the beating heart of Dienstad but the fact was that the civilized nations had an obligation to put the mad dogs down and the Mcnernians would do just that.

“A mere 45 divisions, surely we can spare more for the Ordenites, smashing them….if we have to wadge a two front war, the fact is we should send the OrdenJaeger and the other units, Ordenites should be not forced to fight their own kind…”

“Yes sire, I understand, the people are ready for the war, the fact is that we need only your assent for the commencement of mobilization, give your Assent.”

“The word is to be given in Parliament on the Morrow.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

---

Houses of Parliament
The Next Day

---

The King rarely appeared in the Houses of Parliament and the arrival of the Sovereign in full dress. A red tunic and his medals with the Queen and his children at his side. His legitimate children for the sake of formality and decency. Though he had gotten his illegitimate children a series of good posting in the military and the government. The King sat on the throne looking out at the assembled lords and the Cameras of the media. He looked at the people.

“We have a duty before us, the destruction of Tyranny and I can think of no finer example then the Ordenite Riech, they have allied with forces from distant Gholgoth which bear need no mention. We will fight as we must. For the battle is ours to wage, our friends of the Golden Throne would have all the glory for themselves but I assure you now that since we are ready for war that we shall have our fair share of the glory. As befits us.”

This was greeted by cheers and applause from the government. Elijah had given the King a spine. Competition perhaps but surely competition amongst men would yield good results……
The Prime Minister left soon after the motion had been declared. Mobilization was already underway. There had been volunteers looking to sign on with the Macabeaens. This had been discouraged as the Mcnernians would need people who were fighting fit. All the strong backs who were willing to pick up a rifle. The fact was that though Mcnernia had vast manpower pools the issue was that the Ordenite regiments, the divisions of the Jaeger Korps were not considered trustworthy. As distant Idria was going up in flames due to Communist insurgency and shock troops were needed the 10 or so divisions drawn from the millions of Ordenites who had come to the country to be closer to the economic corridors out of the region would go to the Fukuaran sea to fight the foe there.

“This is Holtworth, begin Wartime protocols.” The Prime Minister spoke into his mobile phone as he was driving away from Parliament in his car.

“Yes sir.”

---

Wartime Protocol Implemented

---

The Ordenites made up a small part of the population in terms of mcnernias billions of souls that were there. The Mcnernians did not want to outright slaughter the Ordenites who were in the country but there was the risk that they would surrender or provide intelligence to the Riech when push came to shove. Naval and Army officers commanding units earmarked for the front lines against the threats in Greater Dienstad would be instead sent to the Fukuaran sea. A blockade of Idria was to be implemented as the need to stop supplies to the Communists there meant the dispatch of a fleet or two and the ten crack Jaeger Divisions that would be able to survive in the jungle, they survive in the jungle and they would be proven loyal. The fact was that the millions of Ordenites also served in other units and the Ordenites in other units were formed into about two more divisions under Ordenite Officers. The Ordenite way of war was a efficient one. Though Mcnernia preferred to use their own troops. Ordenites would be shipped to Idria if they were in uniform providing the needed reinforcements to the frontlines there.

The task of dealing with the civilians was left to the less savory elements of society. The death squads in certain areas. Nationalist sentiment against the Ordenites was on the rise and the people wanted to pre-empt the mobilization. Ordenite reservists had been called up, earmarked for Idria due to the consideration of a war against the Reich as it had been some time since the encrypted comm traffic of the Kraven Capitol Police had been intercepted. War plans had been drawn up. Ordenite concerns had been considered. The civilian population worked in a lot of areas, had interests in Mcnernian firms the military units were exemplary however loyalty was deemed by prominent voices in the General Staff to be somewhat suspect. As the Army received reassignment orders and reshuffled to the whim of the General Staff ghosts appeared.

Men clad in masks and civilian clothes, a few women here and there who would organize mobs to attack the Ordenite businesses and such. They, the Ordenites would have expected this due to sympathizers, one could not know that there was already Mcnernian SS in the country. Far from the feared uniform shock troops, they were a unit trained by the SD and had infiltrated the intelligence services though there was from MD-5 a report that they did not know about the units of the Security Service that were tasked with facilitating the mobs. All part of the Plan. The Ordenites were not to be killed. Rather they were to be attacked and they were attacked by mobs. The Police in the provinces turned a blind eye to the gangs that stole through the dark with Assault weaponry and turned more on some of the mobs. Community leaders would be targeted, they would be disappeared to prevent resistance. Probably ending up dumped by the Fifth Department of the Military Intelligence in the ocean. Though stories would leak out from Ordenites leaders families who lost their leaders. The formation of Selbschultz Battalions was inevitable as there were those who had training. Not the quality of the units that were in Krasnova who had the respect of the Mcnernian SS sleeper agents. The GiesterKommando was at their side, training them.

As the MD-5 backed units terrorized the Ordenite population who were in smaller towns there was the formation of Selbschultz patrols who had some sympathizers among the local Police in the areas they were. The mines of the Idris region. The Bangor Province was one of the largest towns. Majority Ordenite, now swelling as people were drawn there for safety. All part of the plan though they knew it not. As far as the average Mcnernian knew Ordenites were suspect and the mobs were just a tragic outflowing of the Party bosses in distant Berlina as they were killing innocents in Krasnova. So most of them turned a blind eye as reservists were being called up. To potentially deal with Idria and the riech. Ordenites fled to Bangor to the town of Derw. The place was run by an Ordenite sympathetic government. And the Police were put on alert to watch for the gangs. And cooperate with the Selbschultz.
Derw was on the coast of Ildris region in Bangor province. A town of some 60,000 people swollen and swelling by the day with refugees who were Ordenite.

This was part of a plan due to the fact that the Royal Navy was in the area monitoring communications as locals were wary of the infliux of German speaking people to the area. The agents who had arranged the death squads in the cities of the South-West where the Ordenites were were also the ones who were behind the arriving column of milita as the Ordenite sentries saw them coming and raised the alarm as locals got off trucks armed with weapons. Flying Mcnernian flags. In response the flag of the Ordenites in Mcnernia was raised in the city center.


The siege of Derw was beginning. A bid to lure an Ordenite fleet to the area. It was a bait trap. Communications directed towards Berlina were intercepted. Otheres were monitored as War had been declared. Already the Embassy in Berlina was being withdrawn as the Mcnernians sent a communique to the Macabeans.

TO:Foreign Ministry of the Golden Throne
FROM:HM Foreign Affairs Ministry
SEC:MOST SECRET
SUB:Assistance

Greetings
Due to HM Government vote for a declaration of War as issued by HM Emilion IV the task now is how to drive the Ordenite Riech from Krasnova and to ensure that the Ordenites do not have the capacity to threaten anyone ever again. HM Government is prepared to commit the following forces.
GROUND:
12th ARMY

40th Mechanized Corps
Mech Div
Mech Div
Mech Div
Mech Div

211th Armored Corps
Armored Div
Armored Div
Armored Div
Armored Div

AIR
10th Expeditionary Air Force
Expeditionary Fighter Group
Expeditionary Fighter Group

SEA
Carrier Battle Group

This is the forces moveable as of this time. Other forces will have to be retooled, reconfigured etc. This will take time.

[Imbrinium]

The last seventy-two hours had been rough for the Crown with the attack on Mordun and the Queen missing, the prince in Mokastana working to find her and track and find out about Imbrinium citizens stuck within the country or Morrdh.

The Arcaenian ultimatum to the Reich, thrown the Crown intelligence and command that knew about the true build-up in Pezlevko-Rubino was for the invasion of Krasnova. The Crown ordered a command staff meeting to go over what was being done or should be done.
0600 Cormond castle

As vehicles pulled into the castle past the little shops of the old city, security was still high with tourist season well in hand and the threat of ANTIMON protests or attacks still in the air. The command staff meeting was nothing new but this was but they where normally later in the morning or early afternoon.

As everyone made their way to the large hall that was used once for meetings but in the time of high tech spycraft the meetings were now conducted in a room more so in the middle of the castle with proper shielding from devices.

As the meeting started the latest intelligence on the concerns of the Crown and the Kingdom, first off was the whereabouts of the Queen of Morrdh and what if any information coming out of the Kingdom there and finding out how big of a threat Viktor Cathmore was. The Crown would stand behind the Queen and the people of Morrdh.

Next on the agenda was the current situation in New Garrack. The OAH had come to the conclusion that Viktor Cathmore may have had something to do with it but nothing was linking him as of yet. The Western military command had a quick reaction force sent to Lyras to standby to intervene if needed. The QRF (Quick Reaction Force) sent was a brigade of paras, a brigade of light infantry SOC, and a regiment of commandos and support troops. The OAH had operations currently inside New Garrack but nothing had come forth with much information.

The largest situation was the ongoing and current problems in CentBloc. The current positions and totals of numbers of troops and equipment in Pezlevko-Rubino and those in route to there. There were almost 1.5 million soldiers there with another five divisions in route at the time. The troops in Pezlevko-Rubino were fully equipped and ready if needed but still short of what was needed there to complete operation SNOWBLIND. One commander stated that operation SNOWBLIND was dead in the water and that the invasion could be put on hold. Then someone from the navy side said something, it was a Command fleet Admiral Casimiro Lucchesi spoke the operation isn’t over unless you want it to be, as far as anyone knows Arcaenian ultimatum was from them not the whole Triumvirate alliance. So I say we keep SNOWBLIND going till we are forced to abandon it. A quite came over the room the king agreed with the Fleet Admiral, “We keep SNOWBLIND and all other plans are go till something forces a change”

Eastern coast of Mordent,

Naval base Anchorhead was the second largest base only to the Army’s base further inland. The night seemed pretty normal even with the heightened state of alert. The heightened state of alert called for 100% vehicle checks by soldiers in full kit with armored vehicles loaded for combat with a tank sitting within striking range just inside the gate. No one knew the actual reasoning behind the heighten state of alert the news of Morrdun and figured the IAFM command wasn’t taking any chances. There was now a large Imbriniumain population in eastern Mordent now adding to the overall moderation and prosperity of Eastern and even Western Mordent as a whole.

The command and control center and the flight information center all things where normal nothing new on the radar just an uptick of ship traffic coming from the mainland.

The radar operator picked up a flight of three aircraft showing naval cargo and refueling aircraft.

“CEE BEE flight ops to incoming flight squawk IDENT and flight profile over”

“CEE BEE this is OPUS flight we are heading to Anchorhead, OPUS lead requesting flight traffic to be cleared, break”

“Also OPUS lead requesting command staff meet upon landing”

The flight Ops operator and their look at each other with a puzzled look on their faces before answering. Being such a late hour at night a leadership visit?
“CEE BEE flight Ops copy WILCO”

The lead flight operator picked up the phone and opened the alert roster looking up the command staff’s numbers for after hours.

Within hours the flight was just minutes away and in a hanger the command staff had assembled all talking about what the hell this could all be about and it had better be important to wake them up at the odd hours.

One by one OPUS flight aircraft landed and followed the ground lead to the hanger with the base command staff waiting.

The crew doors opened and everyone leaving the plane was in flight suits so from a distance no one could tell who was walking off the aircraft.

Then someone was noticed someone of great importance, RADM Rear admiral Quarto De Luca noticed a high ranking naval command staff. RADM De Luca told the rest of the base command staff that, Fleet Admiral Gianleone Rossi, Admiral Sandro DeRose and CW-5 Chief Warrant Edda Milani among others.

The base commander Vice Admiral Abbondio Boni poised himself and the command staff and was about to call his staff to attend but was cut short by a commander.
“Do not call attention to the Admiral’s visit or his staff please we need to be in a more secure place outside eyes of possible easy dropping. VADM Boni agreed and showed to the group to buses and took them quietly to the command headquarters.

Once in the command headquarters, the commanders greeted each other according to their rank. They were escorted inside a secure boardroom and offered fresh coffee. The visiting Command staff still in flight suits set up a small slide show briefing but before that, the Fleet Admiral spoke first.

“Ladies and gentlemen sorry for the late visit but we were ordered to deliver this in person, down and dirty we are at war nothing formal as of yet, but the MOD wants Mordent really and prepared if the Reich decides to invade or cut off the island from the mainland.

The briefing on the screen laid out what was to be done and the timelines. The Skyguard missile systems where to stay and the MSA-80 were to reinforce the area. Patrols where to be doubled by the EMDF and IAFM units. The PRUs Provisional Reconstruction Units that belong to the PRG (Provisional Reconstruction Government) and PRC (Provisional Reconstruction Command) would work the EMG East Mordent Government to prepare the East Mordent for war.

West Mordent wasn’t going to be left in the dark with Morrdun gone dark the Morrdh units in the west would need to be brought under the command of either the East Mordent or EMDF or the Crown. None the less Mordent would be prepared to repel an invasion.

There was a knock on the door and the Chief was asked to step out to take a call, within a few minutes Chief Milani returned walked over and whispered into the ear of the FADM Rossi something that brought a smile and a nod.

“Gentlemen have just been informed that the 950th Naval Bomber wing will start arriving just about dawn with full support aircraft”

“Sir the EMG will not be happy with heavy bombers being sent here”

FADM Rossi responded “They will have to get over it, I know as well as the MOD and the Crown this breaks the agreed upon a treaty with Morrdh but this isn’t under normal circumstances”

“Understand sir”

About two hours before dawn the first flights of heavy bombers came onto the radar screens, it would be about an hour before they would start landing. As the first flight of bombers had landed giving an early morning wake up call to the base and the locals the sun was raising the second flight started in with their swept wings fully out as they landed under the moist warm morning air.

After the bombers came another fleet of aircraft to include refuels, cargo, and command and control aircraft.

The flight crew and base operations weren’t the only ones having an early morning the same to the point briefing was being conducted at the Imbrinium Army base and Imbrinium Air force bases. The IAFM bases and commands were busy with new found activities preparing the bases and the units within for full-on war with the Reich.

2000 km southwest of Mordent

HMS Artemis a RIN SSN out of Anchorhead picked up the first of the Reich’s fleet moving east. The captain Salvo Capon a seasoned fourth generation naval officer at her command.

“Con, Sonar Surface contact bearing 312 moving 24kts type Reich by engine and propeller type”

“Con, aye” “Chief of the boat brings us around to a shadow bearing with them and take us deep quickly”

“Chief aye, shadow bearing and going deep”

“Chief of the boat make your heading 208 down to 300 feet swiftly 20 degrees down bubble”

The Submarine turned and went deep slowing to keep the contact in it sonar range the goal was to shadow and report get in behind if possible and find the larger fleet.

Meanwhile, 1500kms west of the HMS Artemis was the HMS Nautica sitting quietly off the continental shelf of the Reich. With the sonar array trailing some 2 miles behind this special missions submarine. Her mission was to track the traffic coming in and out of one of the Reich’s busiest naval ports. Mission wasn’t to attack but eavesdrop on the traffic going out to sea tracking both surface and subsurface traffic and heading. With most if not all of the propeller types matched with names this gave naval commanders much needed the intelligence of what was head out to sea. With a number of these missions going on around the CENTBLOC the intelligence was invaluable to naval commanders. The mission was almost up another 72hrs on station before she would have to move back to base or a link point to resupply and rest for at least a week.

[Imbrinium]

Moving slowly at night the large fleet of supply and troop ships moving south toward Krierstaton Fedorograd, were the soldiers on board and their equipment will disembark. But this wasn’t the convoy commander concern his major concern was possible Reich submarines attacking his convoy.

The reports and alerts had been coming in about the Arcaenian deadline to the Reich and its forces in Krasnova. The convoy was lightly protected by two cruisers and three destroyers and four frigates, nothing that would stop a submarine attack unless it was unlucky enough to strike close to the escorts.

The hundred and fifty-seven thousand troops in this convoy plus their equipment and other units supplies were headed to Krasnova as part of an exercise with The Golden Thorne forces in Krierstaton Fedorograd
.
With the Arcaenian threat of war and them being a part of the Triumvirate alliance worried the navy that the convoys might be mistaken as an Arcaenian convoy and attacked. Tensions were running high all around the central region on the high seas.

If the threat of attack wasn’t enough the storm on the horizon just added to the stress. Waves had picked up in strength and height to sea cat three. The next seventy-two to ninety-six hours would be a high steaks game of survival.

[Eitoan]

Port of Blue Island,
Eitoan
0716

A beautiful, sunny summer morning dawned that day, children playing in the city parks, traffic normally congested on all arterials and freeways emptying into downtown, and the city was thrilled by the prospects of a double header that night; the Gators were leading in the division by 2 games, and the stadium had been packed for each home game in the last month. The North Vine neighborhood was no exception, semi-isolated from the other north side blue collar neighborhoods by the Jin River Southern tracks and adjacent National Road 71. It was a typical Eitoan neighborhood, built mostly in the 1970s and 1980; small 750 square foot frame bungalows and four and six flat brick apartment buildings predominated. Most of the men worked in the sprawling port, the Northern Basin of which was hard by North Vine, stevedoring the ships, unloading and loading freight, manning the warehouses, and handling bulk cargo. A few laborers service the shipbuilding and shipwrecking yards in the Northern Basin, occupying the lower skilled positions. It was a typically happy place; unplagued by crime and unbothered by violence. Most of the beat cops were on a first name basis with some of the families. The sound of police sirens seldom was heard.

It was a particularly quiet morning. Traffic in the main channel of the port had been halted three times in the early morning hours. The pause was due to the passage of the minesweeper Azusenis, followed two hours later by it's sister minesweeper Anchulis, and finally the last of the three, the Azoy three hours later. All three exited the Eitoan naval base in the South Basin headed for the near shore duty in the port's vicinity, an infrequent but not unprecedented passage.

The neighborhood stopped abruptly at gravel and hard packed dirt fields closer to the water's edge. A single road, Pine Street traversed this no-man's land, graced only by the warehouses of Dalebio Non-Ferrous Metal Fabrication, and Craferd Enterprises. After a great expanse of more gravel and dirt the road came to it's termination: a fence manned by Eitoan Militia, with guardhouses and openings for traffic leading to a low concrete wall. The main gate at that wall bore the blue banner of Eitoan and the eagle cross of The Golden Throne on respective sides of the entrance. It was again guarded by Militia, and by the shore patrol of the Kriermada. Several rows of wooden barracks housing the sailors of The Golden Throne's Blue Island Naval Base lined the road leading from the main gate. At the waterfront were the reinforced submarine pens, housing the major assets of the Kriermada in the Northern Vanguat Sea.

The morning calm was broken with the clatter of heavy earth moving equipment, parking close to the edge of the houses and apartments, marked as property of the City of Blue Island Service Department. More and more equipment streamed in throughout the morning. Digging commenced along the breadth of the field's edge. Shortly after, several Blue Island police vans arrived at the entrance to Dalebio, followed by two police cars, followed by a van belonging to Port Security. The owner of Dalebio, agitated, came out to talk to the Blue Island officer in the lead car, and was shortly joined by the shift foreman from Craferd. The police officer, was short with them, waving a paper at them, telling both "You've gotten notification overnight, or should have. Here's the District Court Authorzation - you can read it yourself. Improvements to commence today. Have your lawyer file a Request for Compensation Review with the court if you're not happy". The two businessmen looked troubled, and started to plea with the policeman. Cutting off the complainants, the cop walked back to the second police car. The window on the front passenger side lowered briefly, and the officer chatted with a man in dark sunglasses in the seat. The window rolled up.

A man bearing the uniform of the Eitoan Militia with a Capitan's insignia emerged from that police car, stood up straight and tall, and walked over to the two men that had argued the property appropriation. He was in no mood to take any lip, and it showed. Staring down first at Dalebio's owner, then at the foreman, he grunted a couple guttural commands, then swept his hand abruptly toward Pine Street, pointing toward the residences in the background.

"There - go!" he barked.

The dejected men walked back to their warehouses. Later that morning, a caravan of white tractor trailers appeared at the loading docks of both businesses, and they were emptied of both equipment and inventory. Port Security vans pulled up to the buildings. They were in for a long stay.

Back toward the base, the usually relaxed Militia had been reinforced. And these men seemed a little more alert than the usual detachment, bearing a more serious demeanor than the usual relaxed Militia denizens. And there were more officrs among the militia visible to outsiders. There were no Blue Island police or Port Security. This was entirely a military operation.

A knot of little kids, about 7 to 9 year old, bearing a baseball, bats and gloves approached the fence, expecting to have their usual morning sandlot game amidst the sparse grass in front of the fence. A freckle-face redhead boy approached the nearby Militia corporal.

"Can Ensign Arn come out and play?" asked the kid. The friendly Golden Throne junior naval officer had befriended the little group of shcoolchildren, often pitching for both sides in their pick-up games. Their pitching skills were wobbly, and still developing.

The Corporal, new to the assignment, crouched down and spoke to the little boy at eye level. "I'm sorry kids - the city is going to be tearing up around here. Something about improvements so they can get more business to move in. I know you liked the Ensign Arn, and he's still around. But he can't come out and play today. I'll put in word that you asked for him. He'll be happy to hear that. Sorry kids, you'll have to find somewhere else to play. With all this equipment and digging, it won't be safe."

[Imbrinium]

0500 local time Fort Bainsbury

It was early in the morning when Duke Basso Marchesi made it to the international airport in East Mordent, security was high even on the government side where private security had been beefed up and even soldiers from both the EMDF and IAFM were present in the main terminals and government sides.

Duke Marchesi and his staff of the PRG and some military staff from IAFM and EMDF boarded a government plane headed to Lindun the capital of West Mordent. The meeting was to formalize a plan for the possible invasion or attack from the Reich.

Shortly after takeoff, the business class plane was shadowed by two fighters from the RIAF that was escorting the plane to a point where Morrdh air force fighters would take up the escort. This wasn’t normal procedure but with tensions being so high nothing was taken for graduated.

The staff made notes and some took cat naps to pass the time on the three-hour flight, the fighters pulled away and the plane meets up with the Morrdh escort. The city of Lindun came into sight it had been a while since any of them had been here the rebuilding was coming along. Normally the PRG would send advisors and others to help see what if anything was needed that the Crown could possibly help in, at first they would be given a cold shoulder but as time went on there were things that came up that the East Mordent government helped in and even the Crown itself.

The plane landed without issues and taxied to the Crown’s hanger area where the DSS agents meet them with their armored SUVs. The loaded up within a few minutes the flight crew would standby in the governmental complex till the meeting was over.

0800 local times West Mordent

The SUVs made their way through the streets, people were busy going to school and work no one really knew or cared about who was inside the convoy. The sight of the newly rebuilt Fianna Hall was amazing to see most had never seen the place in person just in pictures and before the wars.

The convoy came to a stop in from of the hall and the DSS agents opened the doors and escorted the group inside once inside they were meet by the local security to take them to the meeting hall for this historical meeting.

The local security escorts the group into a large meeting room inside was the top commanders of the Morrdh military commanders stationed in Mordent. Duke Marchesi walked up and shook hands with Lord Steward Sean Gallagher the governor of West Mordent.

“Good morning ole friend good to finally see you again, wish this was under better circumstances, my friend”

Everyone took their seats and the meeting started.

Duke Marchesi spoke first.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen wish this meeting was being held about and under better circumstances, right now East Mordent is preparing to defend itself against a possible attack or worse an invasion from the Reich. The Crown wants the entire Island of Mordent prepared for such an attack, the Crown is proposing that all forces in Mordent be placed under a unified command and prepare to protect our people.”

“Morrdh has gone dark and we are working hard to regain communication with Morrdun just I’m sure you are too. But until that happens we have to protect the people here and now the PRG and the East Mordent government is willing to work jointly to make Mordent as safe and as prepared as possible.”

“Any questions Lord Gallagher?”

[United World Order]

Sea of Ordena, Central Dienstad.

The powder keg that had been developing across the seas of Central Dienstad had finally been sparked. A small convoy of 7 vessels with 5 of them being empty oil tankers that were making the journey towards Krasnova for a routine pick up of hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil. A two frigate escort also accompanied them and were armed with anti-air and some anti-submarine weaponry, however this did not stop the inevitable attack from a lone submarine of an origin the Kriegsmarine could not exactly pin-point. However the assumption was made that it was from a Triumvirate aligned navy, most likely the Arcaenian Navy who had made their intentions clear before to close off the seas to the Kriegsmarine and the Merchant marine until the Ordenite Reich removed its self from Krasnova entirely. The news of the attack and it's outcome made its way up the chain of command of the Kriegsmarine and eventually the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht. A brief meeting was held with dozens of generals and officers from the OKW and a encrypted transmission was broadcasted throughout channels of the Kriegsmarine that they were to initiate combat operations against the Golden Throne and the Triumvirate as a whole. Unternehmen Taifun or Operation Typhoon had long been a military plan that many in the Wehrmacht had wanted to unleash during the 2nd Krasnovan War and the Panooly War, although it was turned down due to the nature of the war at the time. This was a different war now and to the eagerness of many the operation was approved and it's details updated for use now.

The Wehrmacht had been methodical in their timing for the operation in which was precluded by 5 hours for preparations and meetings with officers and other men associated with it. Operation Typhoon was to be a naval and air effort to crush the Golden Throne's ability to wage war and protect its self across the Pillars of Dienstad strait and the Sea of Ordena. Even before the prelude of the operation had even begun, the Kriegsmarine in the attempt to keep activity the same as it had before with it's earlier deployments. Raising what was known as Task Force Battleaxe which consisted altogether of over 5,000 surface and submersible vessels. Several hundred of these vessels being carriers of some sort which contributed to several thousand more naval aviation from which the task force had at its disposal. The task force soon enough left ports adjacent to the Scythian coast line and would concentrate its mass within the strait initially. Coinciding with the deployment of Task Force Battleaxe was the mobilization of over 10,000 aircraft across hundreds of Luftwaffe air bases known and not known to neighboring Triumvirate militaries. Almost half of this force was made up of strategic bombers namely the sole reason behind the naming convention of Operation Typhoon, the He-284 Typhoon Strategic Bomber.

Three hours before the crack of dawn and thousands of Luftwaffe fighters and Typhoon strategic bombers took off from their designated airfields and bases and out into the sea. Initial targets were of course any and all Krierarmada surface vessels operating in the strait, in which the He-284 with it's payload was armed with subsonic anti-shipping missiles from which once their prey was in their sights would launch tens of thousands of these missiles at surface vessels. Taskforce Battleaxe would be joined by other previously deployed task forces already in the strait and began offensive operations at sea against the Krierarmada as missile cruisers, destroyers and arsenal ships began also targeting the Krierarmada within the strait. The sea of Ordena would also see it's share of the operation as the Luftwaffe and it's bombers and fighters including available naval aviation also went after the Krierarmada from the air. The task forces already present in the sea would also begin offensive operations against the amassing Krierarmada heading towards them as they would be supported by the Luftwaffe bombers. Secondary objectives for the operation also including penetrating imperial airspace near the northern coast of the Golden Throne as this was also tasked to the Luftwaffe, in which upon arrival of the Typhoon strategic bombers would target SAMs and radar sites along with any nearby airfields within their range. When dawn came over the horizion, war would follow and bear it's ugly head to the Golden Throne.

[Morrdh]

Fianna Hall
Lindun
Mordent

During the reconstruction of Lindun, care had been given to retaining the old character of the ancient city whilst making concessions to modern practices. The opportunity had been taken to make alternations to the city’s road network and lay the ground work for future expansions. A very different skyline to what had gone before had arisen, giving Lindun a new character as it sought to re-establish its identity. Though war had never lessened its grip; evidenced by the presence of fully armed Morridane soldiers manning various checkpoints or patrolling the city’s streets.

Fianna Hall was rebuilt in the spirit of the original building rather than as an exact replica. Changes to the design of the almost 400 year old building were necessary, both technology and the basic needs of government had changed over the centuries. So the new Fianna Hall was a stout stone building that would be familiar to anyone who knew its predecessor, yet conformed to modern requirements and standards. Though the Hall, like the rest of Lindun, had a presence of armed soldiers.

The Lord Steward of Mordent, Sean Gallagher, greeted the Imbrinium delegation when they arrived and had been shown to the meeting room. The Lord Steward listened as Duke Marchesi spoke, waiting until the Imbrinium noble had finished speaking before giving his response.

“Yer Grace,” Gallagher began. “There is a great deal o’ turmoil in our fair region these days and I agree with ye concerning the safety o’ Mordent, however…I have ta disagree with yer proposal.”

“Though a lot o’ hard work has gone inta healing the wounds ‘tween our respective countries, a lot o’ bad blood still remains. There is resentment over the destruction o’ this city and I fear I would have a mutiny on me hands if the troops here thought they were having ta take orders from yer lot.”

“More importantly, I am loathed ta see Mordent dragged inta another war. Tis still unclear who’s behind the attack on Morrdun and until I’ve re-established contact with Her Morridane Majesty’s Government I do not want ta risk hostilities with the Ordenites.”

“If attacked, we will defend ourselves.”

---

Krasnovan Border Zone
Norgorka
Central GD

Colonel Mayne stopped to check his notes before glancing up again to watch the sappers coax a large bore pipe into position. The pipe was one of dozens being constructed to carry water from all over the Republic to the Border Zone in order to deliberately flood hundreds of square miles of land. Embankments had been raised and ground dug away in places, all to create an artificial lake some 600 odd miles long and ranging from a mile to two miles wide.

It was the brainchild of Lt. General Collins, effectively to create a massively scaled up moat to help defend against the Ordenites and negate their advantage in tanks. Though if the gigantic moat along wasn’t enough to deter the Ordenites, various anti-obstacles and even sea mines were being gathered to be put into the moat to make the task of crossing it as difficult as humanly possible. On the northern ‘shore’ a number of Observation Posts had been placed along with heavy machine gun and mortar positions, with artillery and SAM batteries further back. It was hoped that all the effort being put in would serve as a deterrent against the Ordenites, an impassable cliff.

The whole thing was a mammoth logistical and engineering undertaking, requiring thousands of sappers and associated equipment working round the clock. However, some forward thinking did go into the project with the construction of a series of pumping stations. Whilst these pumps would help keep the water in the lake at a certain level, they could be used to drain it to recover the lost farmland when the Ordenite threat had passed.

[McNernia]

Cathcride
1530Hrs Local Time
Mobilization Declared Plus 48 Hours
Reserve Depot, Cathcride

---

“Next please.” The man had come all this way, he had joined the reserves because his father had done just that. The family tradition of service had to be upheld. After he had gone through basic training he had been obliged to report for one weekend a month and two weeks per year. Now with the war against the Reich declared there had been callups in various military districts. And Cathcride was no exception as the offices for processing reserves were open almost all the time. He had been assigned to the second tier reserves, the Cathcride Civil Guard, paramilitaries in hiding some who had fled the country after the civil war had said. But well he Aemon O’Laran was not one of those death squad types who was going after the Ordenites because they may or may not be Nazi spies. The fact was that a whole army worth of Ordenites had been sent off to Idria. O’Laran pitied them, the jungles would maybe get them or the deserts or the mountains. He stepped forward looking at the grizzled NCO who was sitting at a computer. The scarred man looked up. He was wearing medals that indicated he had served in the civil war.

“Name.”

“Aemon Gordon O’Laran.”

“Unit?”

“1/402nd City of Cathcride Rifles.”

‘Right then. Ill need your exam work.” He was standing in his underwear as the battalion had been called up with the rest. New Uniforms were to be be issued as the 1/402 rifles was to be integrated into a brigade and that Brigade into a Division before being shipped to the frontline. The old system was gone as there was not much to be said. Things changed and men needed to be retrained as the war was going to the ones who had technology. O’LAran was directed to the quarter master. Today he was shipping out gone was the militia system. Almost. The quarter master outfitted him with the latest in gear. Faituges. He was allowed his civilian clothes. His first issue was a clean pair of underwear. Next it was socks, toiletries, shirts. Overshirts. The full workup bar the armor. The quarter master sergent a thickset man who seemed pale from poking about storerooms all the time was quick to issue him his stuff and send him on his way. Out the other side of the building with a beret on his head. The busses were waiting. By two platoons or something the busses were loaded. People had gathered to give gifts, food to the departing soldiers as they entered the military facility. O’Laran returned the salute of a grizzled old man with his grandson who was waving to a man sitting next to him.

“That your son?”

“Yeah.”

“Ive got a dad, hes in the Police now….”

“I heard the Police are rounding up Ordenites…”

“Maybe just the guys who are spies, also the women….” O’Laran had not heard from his dad as he had graduated university and had a job so there was not much time to see his family. He had gone on some vacations. He was a reporter but had obeyed the call up.

“I heard they are deporting them to Derw.” Said a man from across the bus.

The young father looked at the man who had spoken. “Well, I don’t know about that…” he noticed O’Larans name tag. And remembered a political column. “Didn’t you cover the Parliament for the Times of Cathcride?”

“Yeah, that’s me….”

“Could you cover our war for the paper?”

“Okay…Ill write up our story provided we all are not gassed by the Damn ordenites. And what the hell is your name?”

“Gordon Ulrag…at your service.”

“Well I hope that we get out of this. This is war and we could all die in the process.”

That kept the three men quiet. Aemon O’Laran, Gordon Ulrag and Connor Myles. All men from Cathcride and serving in a squad in a great Army that was going to go to war once the training was complete.

---

12th Army provisional HQ
Near Eist, Western McNernia
Mobilization Plus 4 Days

---

The mustering point of the 12th which was tasked with facilitating the destruction of the Reich. Aiding the Macabeans in the destruction of the forces in Krasnova and in the destruction of the Mcnernian SS. Men and some women who had forgotten what it was to serve the crown. There was much to say for the command staff of the 12th Army, young and angry was one of them. The Field Marshal put in charge of the Operation also had the title of CinC Central Dienstad.

“We should be smart about this. Send a team to the Golden throne.” The young Marshal looked at the report. Four divisions of armor and four of Infantry. Not much to go on as the wars in Dienstad could and did get to thousands of ships and divisions. Carrier groups were being arranged. As were surface groups and Amphibious. Most dangerous would be the Wolfpacks as they were tasked with taking down the enemy fleet. There was anticipation that there would be an attack. Derw was filling up with refugees. People fleeing something. It seemed to be mobs and the Mayor of Eist had voiced concern. In the base outside the city there was quiet.
“Yes sir.” The aides looked to making arrangement. Contacting the supply battalions that were assigned to the division. Putting together logistics personnel for this massive undertaking. Naval assets were being placed on alert but that would take time as reactors were being checked. At HMNB Eist city the preparations to start the convoys were underway as some civilian ships had to be drafted in. Mostly it was stark grey hulls that had been tasked with delivering supplies along the routes out of Greater Dienstad. Such heroes as Admiral Macnarin and General Alvaro were not available. It fell to those who were patriots to handle the problem of the Nazis. The field marshal the young Earl Palatine of Waterland was a grim man. An officer promoted for being a part of Price’s coup some five years ago. Now it was time to go to war. A full blown war.
Maybe against their own people.

---

Rural Mcnernia
SS Kommando Giest “Ghost”

Eist Province
0739 Hrs Local Daylight Time
Mobilization Plus Five Days

---

And by their own people the Mcnernians in the 12th Army HQ meant the Mcnernian SS.

The SS Kommando Mcnernia, called Erin for the first King was divided into multiple units and the leading edge of the command was the Ghost command. Tier one operators that drove into English speaking countries. Around Dienstad. And had made their mark in Counter Insurgency in the Afro-Dienstad area. Many Colonials and Commonwealthers called the unit home. Men and some women who had been wronged by the Monarchy. The task before the squad that assembled in a farm near Eist city was the deployment of Chemical weapons. There were bases around the city and from that area they would be deploying to fight the Reich. That could not be allowed to happen.

“I take it you’ve recruited people?”

“Anarchists, expendable entirely. No shortage of them, we use our assets to keep them off Special Branch hit lists then they are able to do things for us.”

The leader of the squad codname Falken looked at the cannisters, about the size of a large bottle of water. They were to be placed in various areas. The plan was to run a operation against the assembling 12th Army even as the Reich was moving to knock another ally out of the war. Contact with the distant Bolsheveks had found that they were not so much Communists anymore. They were willing to assist anyone who would put them into power. The plan was to have a puppet government in place. Silence from the Reich indicated that Giest Command had their clearance. Anything that would be able to gain resources from the Reich.
The sound of cars had Falken going for his weapon. He gestured to two of his men. They moved to open the door and some people fell in. Non-Descript office worker types. Commuters. Good…

“Welcome.” Falkens training at the hands of the SS had paid off, it was older types who ran the Command. But he was younger generation, descended from Rhodanians who had fought tooth and nail for their homeland only to have the WA demand that Mcnernia comply with their laws regarding such things as the R word. The policy surrounding race.

The young people were Dienstadis, Mcnernians brown hair, fair skin. Would blend into the crowds. Falken was half Ordenite. Blonder hair for one thing. Would probably stand out. So well the best was to have these people plant the bombs. Prosperity and peace, an end to the threat of Bolshevism to the country and well the country would probably be absorbed into the Reich but that would be much more preferable to destroyed and ground under heel. The canisters were given to the agents.

“Leave them in the right place, crowds mostly. Preferably train stations or something like that…”

They had been trained to evade capture by Falkens subordinates.

“You will not see me again, now go and Heaven Help you.”

They each took a canister and then headed for their objectives. Twelve agents. Falken knew that destroying the safe house would possibly put the SIS or MD-5 onto them. But it was a risk that had to be taken. Odds are the plants inside the Security Service would keep them off their backs long enough to go to ground as the war machine ground to life around them.

“You think they will succeed sir?”

“Attacking Eist City while not the Naval base will cause problems….”

“Of course.”

---

Blyntwyr Station
Eist City
0945Hrs Local Time
“The next train will be an express train, please stand back from the edge of the platform, please stand back…” Up in the station control there was some confusion as people were pushing onto the tracks to the horror of the announcer watching. Instinct took over and he stopped the train outside the station the EMUs driver radioing in to dispatch as several more trains reported similar. There was also the calls from a commercial development one of the city shopping malls that there was a lot of coughing and such and burning. The chemical attack had begun. At Blyntwyr station there was a bid to try and evacuate as the Police and Ambulance service was arriving but people were running about many had choked and died from the gas that was spreading rapidly.

Blyntwyr would get the worst of the problem as the gas was delivered into the crowd of morning rush hour. The Fire Service Hazardous Materials team was called in along with the Army. Drawn hastily from some barracks of the 12th Army as there was also some chemical dispersers left near the barracks which put them within easy response time of the military. The Police put on masks and they were still assailed by the Chlorine which burned the skin somewhat. Unprotected for the most part they were forced to wait as people choked and died inside the station and triaged others. It was the Fire and Rescue who brought the people to the ambulances after they had been brought barely alive from the station. It was mostly bodies. A CBRN equipped Tactical Unit pressed into the building first, chemicals, terrorists could not be far behind. Troops were on the streets.

---

Areas Targeted

---

Blyntwyr Train Station
Cyrdal Street Underground Station
Cyrdal Shopping Center
Cordias Shopping Center
Alyswyth Train Station
Byrwandan Army Barracks
Nyrsan Road Shopping Center
Metropolitan Financial Office Park
Vassal Street Underground Station
King Andrew Army Barracks
Alysad Police Station
Eist City Central Park

---

MRAF Cathcride
Mcnernian Logistics Team
2350Hrs Local Time

---

The fleet assembling was delayed by the chemical attack which had killed several hundred people for the most part. Mostly from the stampede of people who had tried to get away. The Mcnernian officers who were gathered on the tarmac at MRAF Cathcride next to the large SST which had been dispatched to Greater Dienstads heartlands. The logistics team would meet with the Macabeans and make the plans. After meeting with the Mcnernian Embassy to the Golden throne. As the bodies were being prepared for cremation after possibly the worst attack in Mcnernian history the jet turned onto the runway and then headed for the sky with a rushing roar.

Destination Krasnova.

---

The Navy would be the first as they were in any war to Mobilize. With a full Marine brigade small in the grand scale of things. One brigade, two then three were reported to be on the way, then four and that was a full Marine Division. Then there would be more Marine divisions as the Army was behind schedule. Eist had been bombed with chemicals and the 12th would have to transfer. So the 4th Home Fleet of some half dozen Carrier Battle Groups, 8 Wolf Packs and two support groups for the Wolfpacks and then four Surface Action groups departed under the cover of night from other ports along the coast of Mcnernia. Passing Eist with lights on low. The blocky shapes of the large ships were going to war.

Carrier Group
1 CVN
2 CVNL
-1 ASW-CVNL
-1 CVNH
--1 Marine Commando Btln-400 Marines

8 DDGN
-2 ASW
-2 AAW
-2 ASuW
-2 ABMW-Anti Ballistic Missile Warfare

4 CGN

1 AAW
2 ASuW
1 ABMW
7 FFGN
-3 ASW
-2 AAW
-2ASuW
6 FSN

1 AAW
3 ASW
2 ASuW

7 SSN
3 Type A
2 Type B
2 Type C
1AOEN
2JSSN
2ASN

Surface Action Group
1 CGN

4 DDGN
-1ASW
-1ASuW
-1AAW
-1ASuW

6 FFGN
-2ASW
-2ASuW
-2AAW

8 FSN


2 FSN
-1ASuW
-1ASW


1 FFGN
-AAW

6 SSN
-2 Type B
-4 Type A

1 AOEN

1 ASN



Wolfpack
8SSN

4 Type A
2 Type B
2 Type C

Wolfpack Support
1DDGN
AAW
2 FFGN
ASW
ASuW

6 ASN
1 AOEN

The Admiral in command stood on the bridge of the flagship as the nuclear powered Behemoth passed the port of Eist. The lights of the covered slipways of the Base could be seen and the city itself poked out from the mountains. Even though there was to be days of mourning a nation was going to war against the tyrants of Dienstad. It was night, the grim sailor looked at the sight of a forest of masts and superstructures which would hold the invasion force for driving the Ordenites from Krasnova. Anti Submarine aircraft from shore. Though in home waters would take their assigned positions on the outer edge of the Armada. The initial fleet was expected to contact Ordenite assets perhaps as soon as they crossed the Triumvirates exclusion line.

One could train for years for an operation but one small change could throw things right out of the window and doom thousands or millions of lives.

[United World Order]

Frontier Demarcation Line, Krasnova.

Operation Typhoon did not end in the Pillars of Dienstad strait and the Sea of Ordena for Krasnova was also included only some months prior when tensions were rising between them. The same objectives were set for Krasnova and with how to combat the neighboring satrapy that surely was looking to be a staging ground for war. While a ground operation was found to be a considerable challenge to come by when recent intelligence on the Frontier its self saw the progress in it's defenses. The Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine saw an opportunity to essentially cut off the satrapy from it's mother country and therefore cut off the Triumvirate's only secure entrance into the island its self. The operation would involve the locating and destruction of whatever Krierarmada assets were in the area and directly threatening the satrapies ports such as Fedorograd. Harassment of all military activity within the satrapy was also included into the operation that involved Krasnova, the Luftwaffe would directly be involved as a force of strategic bombers would be raised to carry out raids over the Frontier. Similarly to the deployments seen in the fatherland, tens of thousands of aircraft and their crews were mobilized and prepared for combat operations. While the Ordenite Army was not involved entirely in Operation Typhoon in Krasnova, additional reinforcements were arriving to ensure any attempt to breakthrough the frontier was a nightmare for the Golden Throne and the Triumvirate. Throughout the Ordenite side of the frontier over 3 million were stationed in formidable defenses consisting of pillboxes and minefields.

Considerable allocations of armored forces due to the flat plains that made up most of the frontier were also present however were kept back in reserve. A defense in depth strategy was being utilized along the frontier with the Satrapy. If the enemy were to breakout from the pillboxes and minefields they would be met by strong points consisting of villages and towns that would be contested in the early stage of an assault. More pillboxes and fortifications would have to be cleared along with the potential of Ordenite panzer groups outflanking and encircling enemy forces. Ordenite artillery was numerous so to be able to easily respond and destroy any sort of offensives and assaults across the frontier. However, while the Ordenite Army was not directly participating in any sort of offensives into the satrapy just yet. A combined force from the Krasnovan Ground Forces and the now mobilized Krasnovan Orthodox Army would be supported by the Ordenite Army's artillery forces and the Luftwaffe to partake in raiding across the frontier. The Krasnovan Orthodox Army consisted of a coalition of various paramilitary troops that aligned themselves over the years with the Ordenite Reich and partook in much of the fighting over the past decade alone. Over 500,000 had been allocated from the 5th Krasnovan Army and the KOA which had pledged over a third of the combined force. The KOA had already been operating in the Chernaya region following it's recapture by the Ordenite Wehrmacht and had been involved in several mass executions and fighting with insurgent forces such as the Chernaya Emirate.

At 0300 hours, Operation Typhoon was launched as thousands of Luftwaffe bombers and fighters took off from airfields and air bases near the frontier and proceeded to cross the demarcation line into the satrapy. An array of targets were given to the Luftwaffe in which included, SAMs sites, airfields, fortifications and logistics hubs as He-284 Typhoons invaded the night sky. Luftwaffe bombers and fighters would after initial contact and engagement of enemy targets would return to their respective bases for refueling and rearming before returning to the skies. Air superiority would also be needed to be achieved during the operation as to deny forces within the satrapy the ability to attack or defend themselves in the airspace.

[Mokastana]

Address from the President of the Federation Ben Rodriguez:

"My fellow citizens, and civilians, of the Federation. Four years ago we fought a war against fascism and racist ideologies, one that resulted in a free Castille de Italia, and pushed the Ordenites back to their side of Greater Dienstad. We thought, that in our victory, we had endured our security. As your President of the Federation, I am required to be the first to admit, that we were wrong.

Late last year, as many of you remember, one of our islands was attacked by special forces from Kraven. Nearly two hundred brave soldiers and military staff perished fighting off the attackers. Earlier this week, a coup attempt in Morrdh left us cut off from our northern neighbor. Meanwhile, Ordenite ships, based in Wanderjar, threaten our colony of Malverde Island [Strait of Mussleburg]. All around us, our closest allies suffer domestic upheaval, as our enemies test us for weakness. Our inaction has cost us our security.

There are now reports of Kraven Death ships operating in the former Red Star Union. A nation that we watched fall to the Ordenites, after our many sacrifices keeping it free. We have spent these last few years looking inward, while our enemies have been looked outward.

As of this morning, the Ordenites attacked the enclave of The Golden Throne, in the former Red Star Union. The only other enclave on the island with foreign support is the Republic of Norgorka, a nation supported by us and our Morridane allies. We have to accept that an attack on the small Republic is an imminent possibility, if it has not occurred already. Federal troops stationed in Greal, and other central Dienstani bases, have moved in to support the nation, but it is not enough.

This morning, I am authorized the Federal Military to increase military support to our bases in New Garrack and Greal, but I also asked the Senate to approve military actions in central Greater Dienstad to secure Norgorka, and to ensure the rightful government of Morrdh restores order. I cannot say yet if this means we will be at war soon. I can only say, we let our guard down, and many suffered because of it. Let us not make the same mistake again."




Gryaznaya, Krasnova

Colonel Lieutenant Huemac Mendoza, War Chief of Huitzilopochtli, parked the rusty pick up truck somewhere in the outskirts of the city. He knew the current uprising was not going to succeed at getting rid of the Ordenites, as many hoped, uprising rarely did. That didn't matter to the Naztoc-Lec militias, for their goal was to claim as many souls as possible during the chaos. The more powerful, the better. Huemac had heard rumors that the demons from Kraven were here, in this city. What could be a greater war trophy than enslaving the soul of a demon?

The Gods had blessed Mendoza's mission in Krasnova, more flocked to the faith every day. New warbands popped up and new warrior Priests arose in the ranks. It wouldn't be long until new Coyote Warrior Priests were promoted. For the Naztoc-Lec promised something not many faiths could: freedom from fear. Everyone had feared the Krasnovan police and Ordenite enforcers. At least until the bodies of police and soldiers were found, faces ripped off and holes drilled in their skulls. Everyone knew who had done it, and why. Every faith claimed in death lay salvation, but while Christians and Jews were content let the lions eat them, the Naztoc-Lec followers knew that in killing the lion first, they gained its strength.

Now a bigger lion prowls the plains of Krasnova, one that is rumored to be without fear or understanding of pain, a demon that once threatened his home. Mendoza smiled at the thought of the hunt, of killing one and claiming its soul for his own use. For the Gods had blessed him with three tools to hunt. In the bed of his truck, new weapons from the PUF hid under tarps and pumping supplies. First, the MTAB-05BR, a shoulder mounted recoilless rifle designed to fire the Lyran 14.5mm round. It was a simple bolt action, one shot, just over a meter in length and just over 12 kilograms. Not something he could just hide in a pocket, but something they could certainly carry. These would be given out to resistance fighters.

The holy warriors of Huitzilopochtl would instead be granted the MTAB-04. A similar weapon, just a little longer, and a little heavier, but this one was magazine fed and semi automatic. Now Mendoza had 5 rounds of LY113 ‘Hellsfist', a high explosive incendiary round with a Tungsten core penetrator, at the ready to ensure death to any demon in their way.

---

MNN: SPECIAL REPORT!!!
News so short your can't help but read the full story...

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Senate votes on international military action in Emergency Session

Cuidad Mokastana
Isla de Moka
People's Unified Federation

The Federal Senate has voted on numerous issues at the request of the President of the Federation. Issues regarding military action both near home and abroad, with short but intense debates regarding how to protect the Federation given the current threats. Here is the breakdown of the session:


Senate Bill 489.003A "Approval of increased military deployments to Central Greater Dienstad Military Command, CENCOM, including New Garrack, Greal, and Norgorka" required 133 of 265 Senators. PASSED BY 223 VOTES

This bill authorizes deployment of any External Armed Forces military command deems necessary to ensure the protection of Federal interests in areas that fall under Central Dienstani Federal Command[CENCOM] given the increased tensions in the area. This bill does not authorize additional military action, only increased military support to current missions.


Senate Bill 489.007A "Approval of military action in support of the defense of The Republic of Norgorka" required 178 of 265 Senators. PASSED BY 182 VOTES

This bill authorizes deployment of any External Armed Forces military command deems necessary to ensure the protection of the Republic of Norgorka, including deployment to any friendly nations in the area, and establishes a mission to secure a supply line to the nation by any means necessary, short of declaration of war on the United World Order or the Kravenite Riech. Many senators voted in favor given evidence of Kravenite vessels issuing RSU ports in support of the UWO's mission. This bill does not authorize direct armed conflict with the Ordenites, as that would require a declaration of war and may open Norgorka to invasion.


Senate Bill 489.04F "Approval of military action in support of Federal interests in The Commonwealth of Morrdh" required 178 of 265 Senators, FAILED WITH 156 VOTES

This bill would authorize military action north of the border in The Commonwealth of Morrdh to secure Federal interests. While not a declaration of war, this Bill effectively declares the Commonwealth ungoverned and would have authorized the Federal military to act to protect the Federation, including military action north of the Border. This bill failed as it would be considered an act of war by the Commonwealth and there was no evidence the Morridane military forces would cooperate or welcome foreign intervention. Many Senators wanted further intelligence on the happenings in the northern neighbor, and what clans are still loyal to Lothwyn, before beginning offensive military action in a possible Morridane civil war.


Senate Bill 489.011F "Formal rejection of Viktor Cathmore's claim as sovereign over the Commonwealth of Morrdh" required 133 of 265 Senators, PASSED BY 179 VOTES

This Bill is a formal letter to the Commonwealth and the world informing them that the Federation does not recognize Viktor Cathmore as the King, or Sovereign, of the Commonwealth of Morrdh. It does not, however, go so far to declare him a 'Enemy of the Federation', as many wished to do, as declaring him one would require the full 178 super majority, and would effectively be a declaration of war on his supporters.


Senate Bill 489.12F "Approval of military action in support of Lothwyn Cathmore and Federal Allies in The Commonwealth of Morrdh" required 178 of 265 Senators, PASSED BY 219 VOTES

While the previous bill failed, this one passed as it required contact with a pro Lothwyn government of Morrdh, and included the specific goal of securing Mordun, and restoring Lothwyn Cathmore to her seat in Morrdun. The bill did state that if contact with the Morridane sovereign could not be reached, the recognized Taoiseach or Parliament could also request Federal support. As of the passing of this bill, mobilisation across the northern border of the Mokan states has begun, in preparation for military action.

[The Macabees]

ABOVE THE SURFACE

The three fleet groups responsible for defending the Pillars of Hercules and the Sea of Ordena were based in Macabea. By nature of the coastline's southwesterly slope, as one moved from the Pillars to Macabea, the distance between the Reich and defending Kríermada naval assets grew longer. The more space available, the greater the depth of defense without necessarily adding to its density. Furthermore, given the nature of the coastline's slope, the more westward the attack ⁠— something dictated by the fleet's positioning ⁠— the more exposed the attack was to flanking imperial air defense assets.

When the Ordenite's opening strike on the Macabéan fleet began, the Golden Throne was prepared enough to meet it.

Pickett lines were already standard practice, namely north and east of Macabea itself. Most of the fleet's core was tucked away within the gentle bay-like slope of the Díenstadi peninsula, which jutted out of the northern imperial provinces like a headless neck. This provided the most important assets additional geographic defenses in the shape of land-based air defense systems, ranging from surface-to-air missile batteries to anti-missile lasers.

Within the area of the core, radar and electronic jammers started to sing almost immediately to disrupt the targeting of any missiles that made it through the various defensive layers that they'd have to pass through. The skies, apart from the seemingly endless aircraft on patrol, were still clear of chaff, but soon enough whatever visibility there was would be severely disrupted as the air was filled with chemicals, smoke, and shrapnel. This hellish picture was still well away, as the battle began far to the north, where imperial aircraft, pickett lines, and other air defense assets responded quickly to the Ordenite strike.

The interceptors were first to strike. By nature of their sheer numbers, the deployment of the Reich's aerial assets for offensive operations was not hard to detect. Furthermore, airborne early warning assets and fighter escorts had been patrolling off the entire length of the northern coastline in greater numbers since relations between the two countries first tensed. Additional fighters, of both the F/A-36 and Lu-45 variety, were scrambled to bolster interceptor forces in an effort to assuage the weight of the Ordenite strike before any of their missiles could even be launched. Taking advantage of the bulk of the Ordenite aerial offensive and the noise these forces were producing, smaller and therefore less densely organized groups of imperial fighters penetrated northwards, flying low over the water and using their beyond visual range air-to-air missiles to engage and pick off the enemy's bombers and their escorts. Behind them, more fighters waited in the dark to join the battle if the Luftwaffe's fighters broke off to engage their Macabéan counterparts — something which would leave their bomber forces more exposed.

After loosing their air-to-air missiles, the interceptors suddenly banked harshly and began their return trip to their mountain and desert air bases, strung out from the Díenstadi peninsula to the far eastern reaches of the imperial continental mainland. Behind them, the Ordenite onslaught continued to head in the same direction. Far from the empire's coastline, they dropped missiles of their own — tens of thousands of long-range anti-shipping missiles.

The 'ship-killers' approached in swarms. Their routes would have to be planned with particularity, given the aforementioned geographic positioning and distribution of Kríermada assets within the Sea of Ordena. Most of these missiles would have to travel over land or otherwise strike at the more limited range of targets in open seas, the latter of which consisted mostly of screening — pickett — assets. In either case, they'd be engaged by 30kT nuclear-tipped beyond-visual-range supersonic surface-to-air missiles somewhere in the middle of the sea. Boosted by their powerful rockets, these missiles propelled themselves from out their ship-based launcher units and screamed toward the inbound enemy ASMs, where they exploded amidst the densely packed enemy formations.

On the surface of the water, imperial ships forming the pickett lines continued to maneuver, some advancing at full speed in an effort to further diminish the accuracy of Ordenite guidance that must have already been largely autonomous to the missile given the nature of the disputed sky, the ongoing electronic and electromagnetic interference, and the distance the anti-shipping missiles were launched at.

Knowing the sheer number of ASMs the enemy had fired, with the ongoing electromagnetic interference and heavy long-distance airborne jamming, those that were too densely packed together would collide against each other or fall harmlessly into the sea.

Surviving missiles targeting the bulk of the kríergrups in the Sea of Ordenia, which — again — was located within the convex curvature of the Díenstadi Peninsula's eastern shoreline, had to pass over land. These were attacked by a combination of land- and ship-based surface-to-air missiles, land-based and airborne laser defense systems, and air-to-air missiles. Those that traveled over sea met with similar resistance in the shape of ship-based surface-to-air missile assets and air-to-air missiles fired by fleet aircraft reinforced by Laerihans fighters scrambled from the mainland. Any missiles attempting to attack more valuable assets, organized deeply behind multiple pickett lines, would have to face several layers of these defenses. It was a grueling gauntlet of defenses that the Fuermak had developed over years of battle experience, designed to combat massed missile swarm tactics like these.

Stragglers that managed to engage their targets would have to go through final defensive systems. Short-range jamming would continue to interfere with the missiles' guidance systems. Those that did manage to lock onto their targets would have to fly through last-ditch laser defense systems, short-range surface-to-air missiles, and — finally — traditional close-in weapon systems.

Along the pickett lines, bulbs of fire lifted into the sky where any missiles did strike their targets. Some deeper assets were struck as well, some facing lighter damage and others heavier. Men screamed and cried, many died.

But, the general impression the Ordenites would get was those missile swarm tactics would not work as well as they thought against an Imperial fleet that already had decades of experience fighting against similar strategies — and an equally expansive number of years observing similar tactics used in wars across the region and the world —, and had developed their naval tactics to explicitly defend against large masses of incoming vampires. They would have to try harder if they wanted to do real damage to a veteran Kríermada.



As imperial defenses dealt with the Ordenite attack on the fleet, there was a concurrent battle raging on further to the east where the Reich had launched its attack on Macabéan air defenses up and down the northeastern coastline. Here, the enemy would have to go through a systemic and complex defensive system, which included airborne early warning radars heavily protected by fighter escorts which patrolled the edge of imperial air space. Like with the bombers attacking the fleet, the Luftwaffe's missile carriers would have to face these early defense assets, which were reinforced with any fighters which could be scrambled quickly enough to respond. Nevertheless, the aerial fighting was more dispersed and tactical, necessitated by the careful distribution and use of airborne and land-based radars and other detection systems.

Fully networked, the Fuermak's air defense system could turn individual units on and off, moving mobile radar units and missile batteries from one location to another. If a signal was received from one vector in one instance, it could be received from a totally different vector in another instance. In the same way, ground-based radars were supplemented and complemented by airborne radars and ship-based radars, in the latter case mounted on smaller coastal patrol vessels designed for this sort of task. Fed into an intelligence-sharing system, it made any single asset difficult to pin down and destroy.

The Ordenites had organized a heavy aerial offensive, but they'd find that the task would require more finesse and the brute force approach would prove to be expensive. Through a combination of decoys and distraction tactics, as well as selective jamming, the enemy's bombers and their escorts found themselves assailed by groups of interceptors that attacked from various directions.

Furthermore, the further to the west the attacks took place, the more likely they were to be flanked and attacked from the rear due to the gentle southbound slope of the coastline.

Macabéan aircraft also took full advantage of home court, using ground-based SAM batteries to help protect themselves from enemy fighter jets. Long-range SAMs struck out at bombers, while if Ordenite escorts darted out to engage imperial fighters the latter would quickly withdraw and draw them within striking distance for medium- and short-range SAMs. This ebb and flow would create disorganization among the attackers, which other groups of fighters would exploit to quickly engage incoming bombers from beyond visual range. If the enemy escorts didn't break formation, they were simply engaged with from beyond visual range.

Those enemies seeking to target Laerihans bases would have to penetrate deeper into imperial airspace, requiring them to go through more layers of air defense. They'd find these airbases difficult to find and even harder to destroy, with most of them underground and well protected. A well-placed bunker buster would do the trick, but with their very limited range using these types of bombs would require enemy bombers to fly almost the entire way to their target — at this stage of the battle, with air defenses still intact, few bombers were likely to survive that trip.



[LIMITED] COUNTERATTACK

Before the surviving missiles struck and the Ordenite bomber force had an opportunity to return to their bases, small groups of ground-based imperial F/A-36s and Lu-45s darted northwards. They were followed, at a distance, by GLI strategic bombers. These were organized into two separate attacks, one — which would strike first — targeted the enemy's bombers and the other — which would use the first group's strike as a diversion — were to travel further north and hit Ordenite coastal air defense installations to start attriting these assets.

The first group fired at beyond-visual-range, striking at enemy aircraft that were flying in the same direction and therefore away from the missiles. This attack was not expected to succeed at any meaningful degree, but its sheer volume and its relevance to the Ordenite attack would [hopefully and theoretically] grab the attention of the Ordenite air defense systems. To further hyperbolize these threats, decoys were launched from ships and the trailing bomber force that mimicked the radar signature of fighter jets and their accompanying missiles. Much like an actual attack, they traveled at different speeds to mirror the effect of a fighter formation loosing its air-to-air missiles. In this fashion, the first stage of the counterattack was made to be much larger than it actually was, with the intention of making it seem as if this were its main thrust.

Behind them, and traveling closer to the surface of the sea, was the second group of dispersed fighter formations. These were more heavily composed of F/A-36s, which were deemed the superior fighter jet for this sort of mission. With its smaller radar profile it was more adept at remaining undetected, penetrating enemy air space, and attacking strategic targets.

Some Ordenite radar installations, surface-to-air missile batteries, and other air defense system locations were known from intelligence initiatives or satellite- and airborne-taken imagery. Others revealed themselves when they responded to the initial counterattacks, both when the interceptor forces first struck at the inbound bombers [OOC: in the previous section] and during the first phase of the counterattack.

The F/A-36s and Lu-45s assigned to this second phase flew much closer to the Ordenite coastline. They would be screened by carrier-based GLI-76 multi-role fighters, many of which had already participated in the ongoing battle, but for some of the voyage they would also be on their own in the most immediate sense. This was a deep strike mission, one that sought to inflict tangible damage and set the pace of the conflict over the Sea of Ordena. They carried the Joyeuse, a joint Haize-Macabéan — although the Macabéan contribution could not be overstated — 'smart' cruise missile that, in this particular case, would travel supersonically for most of its trajectory and, ultimately, use an algorithm-AI to 'dodge' enemy air defense. The Ordenites already had some experience, although admittedly very limited, with the missile after prototypes had been tested during the War of Panooly Reunification.

Whereas the Ordenites had attacked in swarms, these strikes would be much more constrained and tactical in nature. Specific assets were targeted, with perhaps five to ten missiles launched per radar or battery zeroed-in on.

Knowing that a 'knock-out' blow was unlikely to be delivered, the Fuermak and Laerihans planned a long-term strategy that sought to whittle down Ordenite air defenses along their southern coast. If the strategy succeeded, this would give the Golden Throne tighter control over the Sea of Ordena and its airspace, and would ultimately allow it to hit targets deep within the Ordenite homeland itself.

And as the strikes were carried out, the carrier-based GLI-76s prowled in their formations, following the routes of the air screens. If, and when, the enemy's Luftwaffe responded by scrambling their own assets to lash out at the withdrawing fighter squadrons used in the two phases of the counterattack, these GLI-76s would be waiting for them.


Below the sky, on the dark blue surface of the water, the brunt of the three Kríergrups based in Macabea did not move beyond the necessary maneuvers to guarantee their survival and any movement attributed to damaged ships returning to their home ports, or otherwise healthy ships sailing to pick up surviving sailors strewn throughout the water.

The Ordenite surface fleet would have to come to them and expose itself to land-based attack.



BELOW THE SURFACE

The large Ordenite surface fleet deploying into the Sea of Ordena was necessarily loud, very loud.

This would be to their own detriment.

Silent Type A hybrid-electric SSKs waiting below the waves struck when it was opportune, but the noise was to their advantage. Enemy SONARs, overwhelmed by the sound production of their own fleet, would have a more difficult time finding and tracking imperial submarine movements, as the latter closed the gap between them and their targets. Some of these attempted to penetrate deeply, using the noise as a mask to strike at targets inside whatever pickett lines the enemy had organized to defend their fleet's core assets ⁠— their valuable and expensive aircraft carriers and heavier gunships.

Other submarines waited passively, lurking underwater and waiting for the Reich's ships to pass them by. When a target did, the unsuspecting enemy would find themselves targeted by torpedoes. And, in this fashion, the Kriegsmarine would quickly learn that deploying in strength into the Sea of Ordena was easier said than done. Indeed, it would be a baptism of fire, and a very difficult lesson, for a naval force that had seen little action during the War of Panooly Reunification and the Second Krasnovan War.

For their part, the surface fleet components of Kríermak 'Macabea' remained largely out of the action.

While the three kríergrups based in Macabea proper remained on the defensive, keeping almost entirely to a small pocket of space directly east of the peninsula, the larger force to the west was well entrenched along a metaphorical line extending from the easternmost tip of the Satrapy of Nicaro to the island of Arras. An additional kríergrup, which was understrength, based in Nicaro sat farther to the west [OOC: not depicted on the map above].

The Ordenites, if they wanted to bring these forces to battle, would need to take the initiative. This implied that they would have to engage their enemy on three sides, while being harassed by imperial submarines 'internally,' which would require them to think through the distribution of their screening forces — spreading them equally or concentrating them on one side or another. Whatever choice they made, the Kríermada held its own cards tight against its chest with the intention of reacting only when the Ordenites played their own hand.

Further to the east, one of the kríergrups based in New Empire began to deploy westwards, with the intention of quasi-reinforcing the three kríergrups in Macabea. This force would place further pressure on the Kriegsmarine, either helping to change the balance of forces near and around the Pillars of Díenstad or forcing the Ordenites of redistributing their forces eastwards to meet the enhanced imperial threat coming from that direction.

Another kríergrup moved from New Empire to the south, intending to cut Krasnova off from the Ordenite mainland. Here, they would help contain Kriegsmarine assets organized in Krasnova and sever supply lines between Wehrmacht forces on the island and the Reich's fatherland. They would be assisted in this by Kríergrup 'Indras,' which was deployed south of Fedorograd.



ORBIT

Imperial reconnaissance satellites were always busy, but now the threat was specific and regional intelligence efforts were forced to concentrate their resources. As such, while some satellites followed a path that would fly them over the Ordenite mainland, others over the Sea of Ordena, and others over Krasnova, these and many more were also responsible for providing intel on Ordenite submarine movements within central Greater Díenstad.

While a satellite cannot track the submarine itself, its radar can track its wake. In fact, their synthetic aperture arrays could detect more than just wakes, including masts and snorkels, and through the use of an algorithm this search was much quicker and more efficient. Enemy submarines operating deep underwater would be more difficult to track, but those positioning themselves along littoral routes or in shallower waters, such as through the Pillars of Díenstad and the other relatively narrow passageways that crisscrossed the center of the region would be more exposed. They were, furthermore, simply another supplement to the extensive fixed sound surveillance systems organized through much of the warzone, radiating outwards from the various coasts of the Golden Throne from as far west as Nicaro and as far east as New Empire, Pezlevko-Rubino, and Indras.

Together with surface fleet assets, these satellites and the underwater surveillance network provided the Fuermak with a capable anti-submarine warning system.



PEZLEVKO-RUBINO

While no one knew when hostilities would commence, the satrapy's defenses had long been organized and honed. Given its relatively diminutive size, imperial defenses in Pezlevko-Rubino were necessarily denser and more compact. As usual, the Fuermak used geography to its advantage where it could. This included organizing the majority of the Lerihans' airbases within the mountain ranges of the west, where tall peaks hid radars and SAM batteries that could engage enemy fighters and bombers attempting to move through that airspace. Nevertheless, the small space also meant that Macabéan forces had less depth to their defenses than elsewhere.

When the enemy land and air bombardment began, most of the Macabéan ground forces bunkered down and prepared to weather the storm. Space constraints played their role here as well, with both positive and negative consequences. Imperial ground forces would be more exposed to the bombardment, having fewer places to high and less area to spread out on. On the other hand, the more densely defended Frontier would give the enemy almost no openings through which to conduct cross-border raids without having first to defeat a highly layered defense. A defense, furthermore, that had been going through preparations for exactly this sort of conflict since the area was first liberated by the Golden Throne's ground forces during the Second Krasnovan War. Regardless, it was here that the empire's forces would be most challenged, especially during the opening days and weeks of the war. The Imbrinumian forces that had deployed to the satrapy would be badly needed, especially if the Reich's armed forces intensified their offensive efforts.

If there was one major frustration it was that most long-range assets organized east of the mountains would remain silent and hidden. Strength had to be conserved and foolishly wasting artillery resources, especially artillery that did not have the space to withdraw into — a tactic the Fuermak had made extensive use of in North Panooly, where it too had suffered from numerical inferiority in the face of a major Ordenite assault —, was counterproductive.

The order of the day was thusly "take it."

Most of the empire's air defense efforts would have to be taken care of by Kríergrup 'Indras,' although ground-based SAM batteries would be sacrificed in the early hours of the onslaught. In this case, long-range systems focused on targeting the Luftwaffe's strategic bombers and their escorts, including fighters being used in a ground attack role. Using ground-based radars that turned on and off, much like they were far to the west in the concurrent Battle of the Ordena, ground-based batteries did what they could to inflict early damage on the Luftwaffe. Other SAMs fired from mountain positions, where they were at least much more difficult to target and destroy, as the geography and shape of the slopes could be used to avoid direct artillery and missile fire to an at least considerable extent. This had actually been learned from insurgent forces elsewhere, whose light infantry were seemingly impossible to kill without being trapped first.

Still, the ground-based anti-air defenses on the steppes were relatively limited — and with a short life left in them left given the intensity of the Ordenite bombardment —, leaving most of the responsibility to the fleet. Kríergrup 'Indras' had left Fedorograd over a week ago, deploying its core assets south to increase the distance between the aircraft carriers and other heavy ships and the coastline. The north was guarded by a three-layer pickett organized by the kríergrup's raid eskúadras, organized so that two or more squadrons could provide combined coverage over any particular avenue of approach for each pickett.

Behind this screen, carriers and expedition ships performed their duties as mobile airfields. GLI-76s could wrap around from the east or west, flanking Ordenite aircraft attacking the satrapy and intercepting them on their return flights to reload and refuel. Other GLI-76s performed escort and air defense duties, including protecting the large GLI-44 Blackjesters responsible for providing early warning and surveillance intelligence.

From their mountain bases, the Laerihans played their part as well. Flying from their hidden fields, they fanned out toward the east, north, and west to perform interception duties in an effort to assuage the Ordenite aerial offensive. Staying over imperial airspace as much as possible to take advantage of the SAM umbrella provided by ground batteries and the fleet offshore, they focused on attriting Luftwaffe forces to slowly chip away at the enemy's offensive capabilities. It wasn't a battle they could win the long-run, not without reinforcements, but their task was simply that of chipping away at the enemy's strength.

If there was something more impressive than the unfolding aerial battle, however, it was the Ordenite artillery display. They had amassed an incredible force of cannons that produced a thunderous sound akin to that of the fiercest summer storm. But, their numbers were both a source of strength and weakness. From their protected positions in the mountains, the more limited and widely distributed Macabéan artillery and rocket launchers used cluster munitions in a counter-battery role, targeting their densely organized foes. The horizon lit up as if on fire from the impact of hundreds of thousands of tiny bomblets delivered in larger shells and rockets.

While Macabéan forces in Pezlevko-Rubino struggled, civilians in the city were rushed to bomb shelters. Hundreds of thousands wouldn't find room within the limited space of public shelters. Many would have to use the basements in their own homes. Others simply fled to the countryside, where they hoped a stray bomb or shell wouldn't kill them. Many of them would die.

But, they would be avenged.



The increase in the Wehrmacht's strength directly across the Krasnovan Frontier, and then the beginning of the conflict, forced a sudden change of plans with regards to the Kysetians and their role in the war.

A growing density of enemy troops along the border was making crossing it more difficult. Despite the Kysetian's advantage of knowing the terrain better than anyone else — a factor of the centuries they had lived here as herders and farmers —, the Frontier was simply becoming overcrowded and the Ordenites were on high alert. Crossborder raids were becoming more difficult and, when they happened at all, the Kysetians were forced to move on foot, which was more inconspicuous and less liable to be intercepted by aerial interdiction. Thus, to take full advantage of their numbers and mechanization, the Imperial Bureaucracy ordered the direct integration of the makanas into the Ejermacht.

At first, the decision had been met by the Khural with some hostility. The Kysetians were an independent race. Fighting for the empire as mercenaries was one thing, but to become directly part of the overall imperial structure was quite another. Yet, these were extraordinary times and they too saw the benefit of greater integration. Besides, there were other benefits on the table, including some that would materialize directly after the war. At least, if the war was won.

Ultimately acceding to the imperial demand, the Kysetian makanas would retain their horde- and clan-based structures, as well as some degree of operational independence. Their greater formation was given the name of Katasoa, alluding to their historic role as light cavalry and their modernized one as highly mechanized infantry. Organized in the rear of the Macabéan front lines directly across the length of the Frontier, they concentrated around Rubino and Pezlevko, withdrawing from their 'capital' of Fryatov which was now being bombarded by the enemy. Although the integration was as of yet haphazard and incomplete, it would bolster imperial ground forces within the satrapy by another two million men almost, with the potential to mobilize and arm more than twenty million more. It would be a long road, one with obvious repercussions in the post-war, but with so few regulares in the satrapy and given the growing neutrality, and even hostility, of a Krasnovan people pulled in two different directions, it was an opportunity...and a risk...the empire believed necessary to take.



OPERATION 'GILDED SUNRAY,' SOUTHERN NEW EMPIRE

The day after the commencement of hostilities in Pezlevko-Rubino, the beginnings of a counter-attack began.

Far, far to the south, the Luftwaffe, Laerihans, and Kríermada dueled to the death. Even farther south, three flights of Lu-45 with additional fuel tanks slowly made their way north from Indras. They were refueled by tankers precedent from the eastern coastline of Holy Panooly. With all that fuel weight, they moved slowly. But, they wouldn't be participating in the fighting regardless. They just needed to get within distance of firing their limited munitions.

These 'munitions' were decoys which mimicked the signature of large strategic bombers and half as many jet fighters. To the Ordenites, it would look as if the Laerihans were conducting a major bombing raid most likely targeting airfield and air defense installations in southeastern Krasnova, where the thrust of the opening Imbrinumian offensive was expected to take place.

Elsewhere, far to the north, a similar mission was underway. This time, however, the bombers were real. An agreement with the Lyran state was reached that allowed imperial aircraft to fly over the strip of Lyran territory which extended like an arm around the southern frontier of the Satrapy of New Empire. Cooperation did not end there, as the Lyrans also agreed to provide aerial refueling services for aircraft on return. With this arrangement in place, the Laerihans had the pieces in place to begin a long-term strategic bombing campaign which was intended to not only put pressure on the Ordenites in Krasnova, but also gradually erode their defenses with the long-term objective of achieving air supremacy over the island.

Traveling in small groups protected by silent escorts composed of the newer F/A-36 fighters, fifty heavy bombers made up the first wave of Operation 'GILDED SUNRAY.' They traveled in couples, reducing their radar signature, giving them space to maneuver — that is, to quickly turn and run —, and making any one interception non-catastrophic. The bombing campaign was planned with six waves initially, one every six hours. This would be gradually increased, but with the war in its early stages, it was considered wise not to overcommit on any one front until a better understanding of the strategic picture was garnered. Besides, even fifty strategic bombers carried an infernal amount of firepower. Over 1,200 cruise missiles, if they truly wanted to specialize in that way, in fact. But, the enemy would find the Golden Throne to prefer a...finer, sharper edge over the bluntness, and waste, of oversaturation.*

Simultaneous to each wave, 144 GLI-76 multi-role fighters left their respective aircraft carriers belonging to the kríergrup sailing south from New Empire. They too would be refueled several times along their flight routes. Flying low, the GLI-76s were smaller, albeit less advanced, than the F/A-36s. They carried, apart from air-to-air ordnance, two cruise missiles apiece. Despite their smaller loadout, compared to the bombers at least, they were the pick to the hammer.

Striking first, the first wave of bombers dropped their ordnance not long after exiting Lyran airspace, which the Ordenites would most likely seek to avoid lest they drag another major power into the war against them. They fired a total of six hundred cruise missiles in six salvos, targeting major naval infrastructure along the northern and northeastern coast of Zvezda. Still, most of the F/A-36 escorts remained silent, focusing on their escort duties. This was not universally true, as five strayed to scout out Ordenite airborne advanced warning assets, their escorts, and any other coastal aerial patrols. These were targeted if they were known and when discovered by the bombers, as well, which released air-to-air missiles at beyond visual range. Finally, when their air-to-air missile stocks were low, but not entirely depleted, the bombers lingered about for a moment while the second half of the attack began.

Just as the Ordenites would see the first wave of missiles headed their way, the GLI-76s sprinted over the water with great rapidity. They fired their missiles closer to shore, at under 200 kilometers from their targets — necessitated by not just the range of the missile, but also by the desire to reduce the opportunity of advanced warning. Traveling at supersonic speeds to make them more difficult to hit, they raced toward air defense installations, including SAM batteries and radars that were tracking and responding to the ongoing cruise missile strike being carried out by the bombers.

With their offensive ordnance fully used, the GLI-76 Falkons then turned north and prepared for their return route, using the bombers and their silent escorts as a screen for when, and if, the Ordenites decided to interdict them.

Operation 'GILDED SUNRAY' would see the tactic repeated, although with different targets and at different points, every four hours. The first day, these would take place at 0400, 0800, 1200, 1600, 2000, and 2400, and on the second these times would be moved up two hours (0200, 0600, 1000, 1400, 1800, 2200) to reduce predictability. These bombing schedules would change on a day-by-day basis, with another two sorties added by the third day and this number varying by one or two each day thereafter to further increase the variability of the strikes. By then, of course, the air war was likely to complicate itself along other dimensions, regardless.


[* Let's round the price of a Tomahawk cruise missile down to $1 million. For every 1,000 missiles launched, that's $1 billion or 1/13th the cost of a Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier.]



RESPONSE TO THE MCNERNIAN OFFER OF COMBAT ASSISTANCE

A response to the McNernian offer of combat assistance was responded to quickly by the diplomatic corps of the Imperial Beauracracy.

Sent via an encrypted satellite communications line, the communiqué read:

"SEA LANES TO KRASNOVA HEAVILY CONTESTED. BATTLE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY IN SEA OF ORDENA, PASSAGE THROUGH COMBAT ZONE HIGHLY DISCOURAGED.

MCNERNIAN NAVAL, AIR, AND LAND ASSETS REQUESTED IN SATRAPY OF NICARO.

IMPERIAL FORCES IN NICARO LIMITED. FLEET GROUP WITH FLEET SIZE STRENGTH, THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND TROOPS, AND LIMITED AIR ASSETS.

DEFENSE OF SATRAPY CONSIDERED HIGH PRIORITY.

SEND ADVANCED ATTACHÉ GROUP FOR FURTHER STRATEGIC DISCUSSION."

HOMEFRONT

For years, the Ordenite Reich and the Golden Throne had established a relationship that saw controlled tourism flow in both directions. Of course, this oversight and control were more so true for the Ordenites, who had established an intricate bureaucratic machine to oversee laborers' vacations in the empire. Who was allowed to travel, where they stayed and went, and who they traveled with were all subject to oversight. There was nothing inherently bad in the program, it simply allowed for a relatively free flow of travel that also met the Reich's ideological constraints and needs. For a long time, this program was encouraged by both the Imperial Bureaucracy and the Senatorial Government, as not only did it foster Ordenite tourism to the Golden Throne but it also exposed these tourists to provincial culture. Now that the two powers were at war, this bureaucracy presented something of a latent problem.

To what degree the Ordenite program had been dismantled and how many of its embedded agents had returned was mostly unknown. It was possible that many of their agents had remained in the rival country, providing them with a highly integrated network of potential spies and agents for other nefarious purposes. To accompany the more general 'de-Ordenization' of the empire, which efforts had already affected the Satrapy of Nicaro, the Stadgard were deployed to track, arrest, and deport citizens of Ordenite nationality.

Traditionally, the emperor's Stadgard was limited to Fedala and Macabea. In the former, it performed most of the megalopolis' policing duties. As of late, however, its ranks had swelled and Stadgard agents could be found in almost every corner of the far-flung empire. It represented the growth in central imperial power.

Nevertheless, tracking down Ordenite agents would be a daunting task and, truth be told, in most areas the Stadgard's presence was still scant. It was the emperor's personal security force, after all, not an empire-wide civil security bureaucracy. Naturally, it would have to be aided by supporting assets.

Networking with civil and government CCTV and sensor equipment, including data- and sensory-collecting mobile technologies, an AI algorithm scanned faces, emails, text messages, phone calls, and other personal assets that could be dissected and organized to reveal patterns suggestive of Ordenite nationality and, especially, cooperation. This AI provided agents with a far more narrow list of leads, which could be surveilled with other technologies — phone taps, drones, satellites, et cetera — and by the agents themselves. Once the identity was confirmed, or even simply suspected, Stadgard agents quickly and quietly arrested the individual.

Once arrested, the individual was taken to a local agency office, where they were interrogated. Torture was not applied. Interrogations were always cordial and light, and suspects were always kept well-fed and well-rested. If the identity and threat were confirmed, the individual was then shipped south to the Havenic Frontier that divided the Havenic Territories from the sovereign state of Safehaven. Given enough money to purchase travel to the nearest city with an airport and a ticket to the Reich, the individual was then released across the Frontier and barred from re-entry until the cessation of hostilities.

It was a rather humane imperial policy that contrasted sharply with the route taken in Nicaro, whereby now it was becoming clearer that many Ordenites were not returning to their homeland alive.

[McNernia]

The Mcnernian Response to the Macabean Communique was as follows.

ACKNOWLEDGED

AIRCRAFT HAS BEEN DIVERETED WITH LOGISTICS TEAM TO NICARO TO ENSURE THE ARRIVAL OF THE MCNERNIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE ADVANCED ELEMENTS.
PLEASE TRANSMIT DATA ON POTENTIAL THREATS TO NICARO
FORCE FROM THE HOME FLEET CURRENTLY ENROUTE TO THE AREA
DIVERSION ORDERS TRANSMITTED ALL FORCES WILL ARRIVE IN NICARO IMMENTENTLY.
BE ADVISED DUE TO POSSIBLE MCNERNIAN SS ACTIVITY THE 12th ARMY WILL NOT BE ARRIVING SOON

---

Eist City Streets
The Mcnernian Army had the city on lockdown as there was a threat of another terrorist attack. Wiether it was Anti-War anarchists or the Mcnernian SS who were running around causing problems. There was incidents in some distant region in the news. Aemon O’Laran had been deployed on the streets following his fellows through the streets as the people went about their work. The APC rumbled out of the depot towards the city center a routine patrol as the port was locked down by military Police. A long journey across the country after a month of refresher training was over and now they were here on the first duty. The city of Eist was in a state of shock and one could not help but notice that though Eist was the third largest city of Mcnernia it was remote from the old basin where Erin I had come ashore all that time ago. They patrolled as evening wore on and the Police were getting ready to go home. The Arrival of the 5th City of Cathcride Division with all its forces was welcome as troops in Eist were active duty and preparing for deployment.

“Well Myles how are we doing today?” As the MA9A2KM rolled along the main road in convoy. The young gentleman turned to the reporter. “We are doing quite well for reservists guarding the supply lines, think of it, Nazis here at home….”

“And I thought the Communists were our only problem.” The men looked at each other as they passed by a convertible heading for who knows where, taking the next exit on the highway that ran through the city. The men were not veterans of the battles of the civil war against the rebels that had tried to take over the country. They had been driven back in a whirlwind offensive that had seen many captured. It was rumored that many had fled to the Golden Throne. How they would be brought to justice for the fact of their treason was beyond the three friends who rolled through the streets of Eist on patrol. The humble guardians of a untested war machine that would bring fire and fury to the heart of Dienstad.

---

Over Central Dienstad,
Attache/Logistics Flight

“Diversion sir.” Called the pilot over the intercom as the SST banked heading for the proper course, they would be heading to integrate several tens of thousands of troops into the fight for Nicaro. Which was on the Macabean news as a place that could come under attack. The Mcnernians maintained a consulate there as a formality for the citizens who wished to conduct business. The Air Force and Army personnel on board looked to the screens as they were heading for the tropical paradise of Nicaro. The battles that would be waged were going to be messy but first they had to get to the positioning of Mcnernian troops. And maybe they would have to see about the reequipping for the tropics. But it would be best to wait until they arrived at the place and they would see what needed to be handled.

[Eitoan]

Executive Residence, Vladarsik, Eitoan
Cabinet Conference Room
7:30 PM

Ephraim Shrdlu could be heard further down the hall, clearly flustered and talking rapidly and animatedly with his Secretary of Industry and Trade, Loren Masters. The two had just spent two and a half hours in heated discussions with the board chairman of Mid Ruzek Valley Electric Power, the utility that provided all distribiting capacity for Stickney, Eitoan's third largest city, and covered territory as far north as the exurbs of Kelso, the biggest metropolis of the land. The arguments over rates for agricultural customers had been draining. Masters with shirtsleves rolled up was still sweating profusely. Even the President had some hair out of place, uncharachteristic for the normally cool Shrdlu. His footsteps could be heard as he rapidly approached the conference room, and finally poked his head in the doorway. A thin smile crossed his lips, as he saw the table had all the attendees for the meeting called earlier that day, the first day of hostilities in Central Dienstad and Krasnova.

Arrayed around the table were Secretary of Foreign Affairs Randall Field and the Secretary of Defense and External Security, General Eugene Maska. Joining them was Louis A. Herb, Chair of the Ghastak, the upper chamber of the legislature, where any decision for or against war would be initiated, not that any fighting close to the continental nation had occurred, yet. He was flanked by his Dashez counterpart, James Sandack, that body's President and Speaker. Also in attendance, at the President's request were Vice President Paula Koubek and former Vice President Kenneth Haan, now a member of the Ghastak, and leader of the conservative Civic Platform party in that body. Shrdlu nodded to the assembled dignitaries, and took his seat at the head of the table.

Vice President Koubek looked genuinely puzzled, not being used to national security briefings at this high a level.

A brown folder with gold lettering was in front of each attendant, bearing the title "Contingency Plan for Defense of Eitoan Regarding Central Greater Dienstad Tensions", it's author, General Wanda Koaincov Eitoan Active Army, Director, High Command Council. The attendees had been pouring over the document since it's delivery earlier in the day. Shrdlu glanced at it briefly before his call with the utility honcho.

Getting down to business, Shrdlu began "I want to thank all of you for coming here onn such short notice. As you are aware, fighting has broken out between the Ordenite Reich and the Empire of the Golden Throne today in the Sea of Crowns and the Sea of Ordenia, as well as in Krasnova, according to reports. And while this does not directly impact most Eitoans, there are concerns about how to proceed in this conflict, given it's likely impact on our economy, and, potentially, our security situation. Secretaries Field and Maska and Chairman Herb will meet with me weekly at 4:00 PM starting this upcoming Thursday, and will be the core of the Central Dienstad Study Group. Sorry, my omission, Jimmy, I want you to join us too as a member. Paula, Ken, we will send you minutes of the meetings, and request that you be available for advice, kind of members ex-officio.

To begin, and set the course for this Study Group, our goal is homeland defense, and I believe this report provides a starting point for planning as the conflict unfolds. Our constraints include support of treaty committments, in particular any assistance to any Northwest Mutual Assistance Agreement members threatened by a hostile power. It is not my intention to abandon training exercises we have planned with NMAA militaries, including the armed forces of The Golden Throne. To set the scope of the Study Group, we will be concerned with military and diplomatic issues. The Attorney General is aware of the hightened likelihood of subversion in the form of propaganda, espionage, and, potentially, sabotage, and is now implementing appropriate measures to counteract any such mischief."

General Maska scowled and tensed at the mention of espionage.

Shrdlu continued, looking at the General. "General, can you give us you reaction to the report, and ideas about implementing the contingency, and any other issues?"

The General, still grim faced, rose to address the group.

"Fist, let me cover the three concerns that are the basis of the report. In terms of homeland defense, given the distance from the main fighting and the epic demand for naval and air assets in the Sea of Ordenia and Sea of Crowns theaters, Army and Air Force strength is more than adequate for homeland security. Indeed, with our treaty committments with Relica, there are sufficient resources and plans to cover any land fighting close to Eitoan. Although naval strength is not overwhelming compared to the Ordenite Kriegsmarine, mobility, planning and training by both the Eitoan and Relican armies is more than sufficient to cover any possible enemy beachead in both countries, and counter a potential incursion in Aurensia.

Now, as I've indicated, the Navy could be a challenge. We have only begun to outfit a larger fleet, and are not in much of a position to project power at great distances. The surface fleet and naval aviation should prove adequate for deterrence of raiding within about 2000 nautical miles of shore, the submarine fleet a bit farther. And at this moment, given the lead time to design and build the planned naval upgrade, as well as provide proper training, a bigger fleet is not in the cards. Here it is necessary that our land, air, and intelligence forces, as well as the Navy protect Golden Throne bases on Eitoan territory.

Finally, and with great unpredictability, we come to the question of an Eitoan expeditionary force going off continent. The political feedback and ramifications I leave to you, Lou, Herb, Ken. Of course, plans have been drawn up long ago with Relica for continental defense, so there is no need for special plans for fighting across the frontier. Fighting overseas is another matter. The report considers, rightly, that an attack on Palmyrion is very unlikely. The routes from the Sea of Ordenia are too distant and circuitous, the probability of any fleet surviving Golden Throne forces in the waters enroute is so low as to render the delivery of enough firepower to establish a beachead nearly impossible to accomplish for an enemy invasion.

The Timocratic Republic, on the other hand, is adjacent to the Central Greater Dienstad theater. While logic dictates that diversion of Reich forces to a land invasion of The Timocratic Republic would be a stupid waste of their military, we can't discount the possibility that they could attempt to sieze a swath of territory as a bargaining chip later in a war, particularly if fighting is going poorly for them elsewhere.

This would be a challenge for us, not necessarily for the armed forces, but is something for the government to consider if fighting should turn in that direction. An effective expeditionary force would need to be at the level of one operational air force. We have identified the Fifth Air Force as most ready for near oversead deployment.
The land forces would be comprised of two armies, with the additon of one engineering regiment. It is our expectaion, though, that the Timocratic Army would sweep an invasion into the sea within two weeks of beachhead, so that information should be part of your plans.

While a large expeditionary force would leave the Active Army, National Guard, and Militia with more than sufficient coverage of homeland defense, possible casualties and equipment loss overseas mandate a buildup of land forces across the board. To that effect, if an expeditionary force were deployed, we will be requesting extention of National Guard service from 18 months to 36 months of active duty, and recall of all recent veterans into the armed forces. This excludes the Uniformed Support Corps - we don't need more and older slackers for cannon fodder. This also excludes the Militia. We have adequate coverage for internal security. The National Guard would process all incoming veterans, and determine and administer assignment to the service of best fit."

Maska sat down.

Sandack and Hahn paled, gulped, and stared at each other, slack jawed. They knew this would be a tall order, something the Ghastak had never considered before.

Shrdlu stood up, slowly. "Thank you, General, for that report. In one sense, immediate homeland defense, it is reassuring. But it gives this group something to think about. Secretary Field, please, fill us in on diplomatic efforts at this time.

Looking up from his notes, Randall spoke directly to the President.

"Mr. President, there isn't much to talk about right now. Of course, shippers have been warned about the dangers of the war zone, and maritime insurance rates have gone up today. There've been no intelligence updates from the embassies in Berlina or Fedala, no formal or informal discussions with our counterparts in the belligerent powers. We haven't been ordered to explain our positions in either capital, and planning with The Golden Throne continues as normal. There's no obvious sign of a change in direction or relations with either side. Of course, if there is, you will be the first to know."

Shrdlu responded. "Thank you Randy. If there is any change, any request for explanation or clarification of our position, or, of course, downgrade in relations coming from Berlina, I want you to include all members of this Study Group in the notification, including the Vice President and Ghastaker Haan. And if there is such a change, we will convene within the hour to discuss the situation. Keep on top of this - it's your top priority. We don't want war, and any reasonable assessment would come to the conclusion that we're not a likely target. But if things take an ugly turn, we need to know, and to prepare the nation. Although it's only the first day of fighting, my feeling is that we can avoid getting sucked into this mess in the Pillars of Dienstad. It's already ugly, and promises to be a mass slaughter. I certainly hope I wrong on that.

Thank you for coming here on such short notice, and I'll see you at the Thursday meeting.

[Mokastana]

Northern Coast of Erid Lo
Ungoverned Territory

Tensions in the region had been high, but war between the Federation and the Ordenites had not come to pass, as of yet. As of now, there had only been one incident of shots fired in anger between the Federation and the Ordenite Riech. A Federal supply plane that had pushed an Ordenite no fly zone had been fired at by an Ordinate jet enforcing the blockade. The Federal escort, an SU-35, returned fire. Not wanting to risk the cargo, the transport aircraft turned back towards Lyras. The Ordenite aircraft managed to shake the missile chasing it, but the transport was hit in one of the engines. Seeing the Federales turning around, the Ordenite pilot considered the blockade enforced, and chose not to pursue.

The mishap ended with no casualties, other than a plane in need of service, but the message was clear. Supplying Norgorka from the North was no longer an option without going to war. As tensions rose in the area around Norgorka, the Federation had to find another way to supply their forces trapped in the former RSU.

On the eastern coast of Erid Lo, there was a bay. A bay that cut deep into the northern half of the ungoverned land. This bay was conveniently on the opposite side of the Ordenite puppet state, while still close enough for small aircraft to make it from the Bay, to the Republic of Norgorka. It wasn't the quickest route, but it was the safest option at the moment.

However, there was one problem. An ungoverned territory was a risk to fly over, with possible surface to air missiles in the hands of local militias who cared not for international diplomacy, nor respected the strength of foreign powers. They would need to be taught the importance of respect before their airspace could be used.

Out at sea, the MGV-02 Warbeach flies mere meters above the water. 80 meters long, with a wingspan nearly 50 meters wide, the large plane sweeps across the ocean at a speed just above 560 kilometers an hour. Ahead of it, the coastline of Erid Lo. Behind it, dozens more aircraft just like it, each loaded with the troops and vehicles needed for an occupation. Not annexation, just a simple show of force.

Their objectives were a small port town and local airstrip. The airstrip was too small to allow C-10 Minotaurs, but could certainly house a fighter squadron or two. That plus a battery of cruise missiles could easily ensure compliance from the locals. The port would allow resupply and give the Federation a 'neutral' port of entry to approach Norgorka from.

The Warbeaches did not announce their arrival with grand missile launches and thunderous cannons, for there was no one expecting a midnight amphibious assault. The first people to notice anything were night fishermen loading their boats for a work night. They expected a quiet night at sea, but the roar of engines in the distance meant someone was scaring off their food. The sheer number of engines meant something far more troubling than a failed night of fishing was bound to happen tonight. In the distance to the north, they saw a giant plane appear from the darkness, flying as low as a boat. The beast of a plane slowed as it approached the coast, nearly climbing ashore before its nose opened up. Then the first armored vehicle rolled out, then another, and another. From the darkness another seaplane materialized, parking next to the first and opening up to reveal more tanks. Then one landed to their south, followed soon by one heading right for them at the docks.


Fort Libertad
Republic of Norgorka

Colonel Lieutenant Jose Omar was looking over the list of Federal assets he had in country, it had been about a week since the coup in the Commonwealth and Lt. General Collins' request for aide. The 48 hour turnaround on the Rapid Reaction forces had been a perfect demonstration of External Armed Forces efficiency. They even managed to get the Division's Skyguard Company to him. It wasn't enough though. When Jose requested additional forces, he had prioritized Air Defense assets. He figured the swampland and local forces might be able to hold against a possible Ordenite invasion, but their bombers would make quick work of the defenders if left unchecked.

Then the Ordenites had cut off the only supply line into Norgorka, leaving Jose with limited supplies and whatever forces had made it though. He had his Regiment, the 175th Maritime Army, then he had the 39th Rapid Reaction Army Regiment and their Divisional Skyguard Company, plus a mix of armor support. The 212th Armor Regiment had been in transit when the blockade was enforced, but CENCOM did ensure some heavier tanks did make it through first. In total he now had three companies worth, or 48 total, of LY4A2 Main Battle Tanks. They would be a blessing, but only if there was enough fuel to keep them going. Colonel Lieutenant Jose Omar had assumed in the event of war the first thing the Ordenites would do is cut them off from supplies, limiting their fuel and ammo. Luckily, the past few months had given him time to think about possible alternatives.

Months ago Omar had requested a few dozen horses to be purchased by the Federation, and to bring in a group of Jinete instructors for his men. Combat Jinetes had only recently been restored as a combat unit due to anti terrorism operations in the mountains of The Povolzhye Khaganate. Only instead of spears and javelins, modern Jinetes carried rifles, mortars and anti tank rockets. A full army of horse riders was never a possibility, no matter the fuel issue, but a few companies worth of tank hunters on horseback could certainly make a difference when the Ordenites Armour tried to blast its way north.


PUF FORCES IN NORGORKA

31st Maritime Division Assets:
(Colonel Lieutenant Jose Omar)
175th Maritime Army Regiment - est.5,700 Personnel
- Amphibious Battalion, Blue
- Amphibious Battalion, White
- Amphibious Battalion, Green
- Mechanized Battalion, Shield
- Mechanized Battalion, Star
- Light Tank Battalion
- Light Artillery Battalion
- Air Defense Battaltion
- Support Battalion
- Light Transport Helo Company
- Heavy Transport Helo Company


14th Rapid Reaction Division Assets:
(Colonel Lieutenant Lawerence McCready)
Divisional Support - Skyguard Company - est. 200 personnel
39th Rapid Reaction Army Regiment - est. 5,000 personnel
- Airborne Battalion, Blue
- Airborne Battalion, White
- Airborne Battalion, Green
- Airborne Battalion, Red
- Light Tank Battalion
- Artillery Battalion
- Air Defense Battaltion
- Support Battalion


98th Armored Division Assets:
(Colonel Lieutenant Eliane Batista)
Divisional Support - Skyguard Company - est. 200 personnel
212th Armored Regiment - est. 2,200 (47% Strength)
- Light Tank Battalion
- MBT Battalion, White (75% Strength)
- Mech Inf Battalion, Blue
- Air Defense Battalion
- Artillery Battalion

Embassy District
Mokastana City
One week after the Lomengo Wayne wedding

The luxury SUV pulled up to the gates that guarded the embassy district, where a soldier, dressed in a light blue police uniform, stopped it to talk. Mokastana City was unique in that it what could be considered a fortress for its embassies to reside it. The district itself was guarded by an elite army unit known as the GDE(Grupo Defensa Embajada/Embassy Defense Group) that acted as both police and military defense. A thick 2 meter tall stone wall formed the perimeter of the district, a relic of a bygone era that once protected the foriegn nationals from any domestic disputes in the city. The most action the city had seen in the past decade was a coup attemp by Generalissimo Canariasba few short years ago. The the Embassy Defense Group locked down the district for 16 hours. Nothing exciting had happened at the District, but many ambassadors got to see how quickly the GDE could change from police to a fully mechanized unit.

"Papers please." The soldier asked the driver, who handed over his Federal ID while stating he was an armed security guard for a wine delivery. Foreigners were allowed to head right in, but locals usually needed to visit a second checkpoint. Shifting his LY20 PDW over his shoulder, the guard looked over the info, glanced inside the SUV, and saw the cases of wine and the other man in the car.

"Armed guards for wine delivery? Seems a little extreme, do you have delivery papers?" The guard was skeptical.

"Certainly," handing over the paperwork the driver continued, "Most of this wine sells for over 1000 Trabajoros a bottle. Our clientele requested it for this shipment."

"Alright, go down the road to the right for inspection, failure to comply will result in being fired upon."

A short inspection and surrender of firearms later and the wine deliveries were being made. Various embassies were visited, where an extremely valuable bottle of wine was hand delivered to the gates, in many cases, thanking them for their recent visit to the Wayne-Lomengo wedding, or just as a gift from the Lomengo family. Even the Ordenite embassy received such a gift, with a small note saying "Let us speak of peace in our time!" It was in this box one of the guards dropped his 'work phone' before making the delivery. On the phone, were coordinates, and a date and time. Sometime next week, located in the sea between the Timocratic Republic and the Ordenite homeland.

As this phone was passed on, an agent of the Bureau of Secret Affairs made a note that a wine delivery went to the Ordenite embassy, and made sure to look into it later. Eventually it would lead back to a Lomengo family courier. The family's ties with the Ordenites were unsettling to the government, and the Federation was going to be looking deeper into it.