The Cost of Knighthood [MT - SemiOpen]

[Amerikians]

The United States of Amerika
New York City, New York
2015 - October 12th

Fire roared and the sky fell; steel and glass lay melting and twisted; the constructs of man undone by the vengence of other men. The titan overthrown into the streets it once towered over; annihilated and cast down from the Heavens. Responders pulled the survivors from the burning wreckage; their own brethren as well as those caught in the crossfire of the horror of that day. The Empire State Building; built to outstand time and everything that man could throw at her was burning.

She did not crumble or collapse; strong age old steel and mortar holding strong despite the fires that consumed its levels. Thousands lay discarded in the ruins, thousands more displaced; shell shocked and fleeing in all directions. A powerful wind was borne from the Heavens themselves as though to add insult to injury; the building came crashing down, the roar of thunder and the wrath of fire behind it! Then it began to rain; and there in the shadow of the fire of doubt did they stand; no longer invincible...

---

The United States of Amerika
Baltimore, Maryland
2015 - October 13th

The President stared pointedly at the camera before him, internationally broadcasting. "I swear to God. We will find you, we will hunt you to the last man woman and child. You will be undone before our Wrath; you will fall into the despair you attempted to send us into. You have invoked the wrath of the United States; you have come to us with the sword, you shall die by the sword."

"When we find you there will be no peace; no attempts at diplomacy or reconcisilation; only murder and death as you have brought upon us. When Amerika finds you, God having mercy will not help you." It wasn't a threat, his voice was far to severe for it to be a threat; no. It was a Promise to those who had struck from the shadows like cowards; it was a promise to the ones who had dared to lay a finger on innocent Amerikans. Terrorism on Amerikan citizen, much less her soil had but one cold reward; the utter annihilation of ones people.

---

OOC: This is not up-for-grabs. TG me for entry; the antagonist is already set and should be posting shortly.

[The WLA]

Astana, Kazakhstan
2015


The Eternal Leader watched the broadcast with a smug look on his face; bordering on a sadistic grin. The Amerikan President spoke of promises he could not deliver on, spoke of wraths and vengences and gods, irrelevant things to the power arrayed against him and his great empire. Too long had the Amerikans thought they could rule the world; too long did they think they could just stick their greasy noses into the business of other places. Now the Army had set eyes upon them and like all others, the United States would fall into anarchy and despair. The Higher Order would reign, Amerika would crumble and fall and their false believers with them.

The Leader looked out a tall window; the arrayed strength of his Army was Global; unseen and striking from the shadows like Devils from a Nightmare. Yet they too had the strength to meet in the field of combat; to prove their worthyness to the Cause of God and bring Glory to the Higher Order; tanks and men professionally trained in arms and the art of combat were barracksed in older but suitable structures for the task; RPGs and AK-47s sat around in Arms Depots and lighter vehicles such as Technicals and anti-air guns sat this way and that. "My brothers!" His voice boomed as he stepped out onto a platform to speak to his followers.

"Today we have drawn first blood onto the Amerikans and their fowl godless Empire! Today we have brought Glory to the Higher Order! But the fight is just only beginning! They will retaliate! The Amerikans will attempt to come here and conquer us! But they know not of our fortitude! Nothing of our tenacity! We shall teach them the err of their ways! Let come forth the Heathen Armies and their Heathen Gods! They shall be undo; The Higher Order Shall Reign!" The Eternal Leader's cry brought up cheers of loyalty and cries of agreement from the sands below; the sands that would soon be covered in the blood of the infidel Amerikans.

[Amerikians]

Chapter One - God's Mercy Is Irrelevant

USS - Enterprise - CVN - 65
Forrestal-class Aircraft Carrier

The Wrath of the United States was born through five constructs of iron, blood and steel. These five golioths born from the fires of industry and the edge of technological advantage were the Forrestal-class Aircraft Carriers; The Projectors of Amerika's Will. Two of these massive constructs were larger and more impressive than the other three; the two flagships of the class and the shining symbol of Amerika's Military Might. Respectively; The USS - Forrestal and this massive beast; the USS - Enterprise; were those two flagships. The Enterprise has served from her commission in 1961 and is not due for retirement until 2025; when she'll be preserved as a museum ship.

In the mean time she had enemies to slay and people to avenge. Now Amerika was not; though the Russians would disagree; a war like nation. They did not take glee in warfare; no indeed they preferred to avoid it, because; well frankly. Amerikans became monsters in War; inhumane and brutal to the last; every shred of humanity vanishing beneath sheer and utter darkness and brutality.

They were like Daemons despite the fact that they acted as Angels to the World. Now someone; some radical malcontent dared to bring harm to Amerikan Shores, and unlike a professional dedicated army to which the Amerikans showed respect; for being fellow warriors who defended their homes; these cowards, these terrorists that targeted women and children would get no respect, no mercy.

It had taken the FBI and CIA less than a day to configure the origin point of the attackers; and something right there in the shadow of the Russian Empire; urked them. One, it meant they were working with the Russians whether or not they wanted to; not necessarily bad as the relations between the Empire and the States was steadily warming thanks to the fall of the USSR; but all the same.

This was combined with the fact that the place; Kazakhstan; was a miserable place with a mixature of dominating plains to arid mongolian steppes, from below sea level to high and dry mountain tops. Bloody nightmare; a nightmare that they now steamed toward at all speed; every possible thought of 'mercy' deleted from their minds.

---

Exerpt from the Amerikan War Time Propaganda Department - Viet Mai War - Target: Civilians

"Consorting with the Enemy and you shall be treated as the Enemy."

"Arm yourselves with us; or stand aside; raising arms against us and you become the Enemy."

"Assist the Enemy and you will be destroyed. Your homes will burn, your women will die, your children will die. You will be driven to the brink of extinction."

[Toltac]

Technotitlan, Democratic States of Toltac, 2015

The Democratic Chieftan sighed as he watched the pictures of true devistation displayed on the TV screen in front of him. Yet again, millions of innocent people slaughtered in a needless act of violence. If there was one thing that Democratic Chieftan Quezacotlan could not stand, it was the death and destruction caused by mindless criminals who declared themselves Head of State simply to use their country for the destruction of others. A short clip appeared on screen, depicting Amerikan people running for their lives from a collapsing building, the burning Empire State Building looming in the background, a symbol of Amerika's disgrace. The image filled the Democratic Chieftan with pure hate, it represented everything wrong with mankind, all the death, destruction and horror. He would not stand by and let the world turn into this. It was time to take a stand. He grabbed a pen and began to write:

To President Norman Hope of The United States of Amerika,
The Democratic States of Toltac would like to offer any aid Amerika may need in it's crusade of vengance. The normally peaceful nation of Toltac is disgusted by the actions of your attackers and believe that the only way forward is to avenge the pain and suffering that was unleashed upon the citizens of New York.
Sincerely,
Democratic Chieftan Quezacotlan

[Greater United Russia]

Chapter One: God's Mercy is Irrelevant

Moscow - Russia
The Second Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a nation of complex history, born in fire, died by fire; and like a pheonix it rose again from the ashes of that fire. Now Russia was never particularly close to Amerika, it did not have a warm feeling toward Democracy like they did, but as a Monarchist nation the Amerikas viewed them as 'stable' and in return the Russian Empire viewed them as 'sane' while most democracies were 'insane'.

Republicans were certainly better than Communists or Religious Zealots at any rate; and this new thorn in the side of the two great super-powers was a combination of the latter two. The World Liberation Army was socialistic in it's way of 'equality' zealous under it's way of promoting what ever on God's Earth the 'Higher Order' was. Problematic and like all Cancers it needed to be cured and swiftly.

The Czarina pledged support to the United States and the Marshal of the Russian Empire began to mobilise the 34th Rifle Army along the Kazakhstani border. It wasn't much to start with but the Empire needed to move carefully and slowly as to avoid activiating WLA cells within the Empire; the KGB KNEW they existed; it was a matter of hunting them down, and that would be difficult if they were moving.

Communique of the Second Russian Empire

Encyrpted Message to the President of the United States from Czarina Maria Feodorovna

Mister President; I assure you Russia's support in this matter to avenge this assault on the Amerikan People. Though we have never seen eye to eye this assault against the United States proves that there are forces out there that can challenge the might of both of our great nations, as such I offer you all the support of Mother Russia.

[Amerikians]

Chapter One: God's Mercy is Irrelevant

The Second Russian Empire
North Arctic Ocean - Russian Territorial Waters

USS - Enterprise - CVN - 65
Forrestal-class Aircraft Carrier

The Enterprise had steamed forward beneath all of her strength and power to reach the Russian Empire within a week; a slow response time all things considered, this was not to say that the Amerikans had been quiet during this time; S&R teams still combed the ruins of the former Empire State Building and the surrounding area that had given way to the dust and shrapnel cloud that followed the State Building down to the ground, tearing down everything that got in it's way. As fire fighters, policemen, EMTs and just regular every day Amerikans worked to pull their brothers and sisters, living or otherwise from the wreckage of twisted steel and burnt concrete; the United States Military was going to show the World exactly what happened when you hurt an Amerikan.

Intermission Post.

[The WLA]

Kazakhstan
2015

"These mountains are ancient and strong. The bones of the Earth that rise to protect the Holy from the unclean barbarians." Education was important, whether or not it was zealous. "These caves stretch for hundreds of miles in all directions. Underground away from the prying eyes of aircraft, they cannot reach you here in their iron chariots." That was true, the hills of Kazakhstan were the enemy to armor and cavalry that was not born of the horses back.

"Here in the plains." They were walking now, the many of them as the instructor taught, the foothills of the hills fell away and clean arid ground went on for as far as the eye could see. "They rule here, their great machines of war, their iron chariots and great winged beasts. Here we are the lesser; but we meet them here none the less. God fights with us, the most Holy to deliever his message onto the world of the barbarians."

"Here our tanks and our men will war with their tanks and their men, our brothers will die for our cause. The Amerrikaans and their foul Empire will come and their allies will come. We will fight them and we will die against them. But our cause will go on." There was silence for a few moments as they entered the village; villagers waved and offered them water not out of fear but admiration. "Others will take up our cause, our valiant quest."

The Teacher then stopped and turned to each of them as they grasped their AK-47s. "The Amerrikaans are coming, be prepared, brothers."

[Toltac]

TSS Moctezuma (LS-2 Crucible Class AWS), Barent Sea, 2015

It was suicide. Even for the Sea Jaguars it was suicide. huddled in the the cargo hold of a LS-2 Crucible Class AWS were 500 well armed men in full battle gear, shivering at the thought of the task ahead of them. These men were 500 of Toltac's special forces, the 1st Sea Jaguars, the other 2000 men on the other 4 LS-2 Crucible Classes sailing alongside the TSS Moctezuma. These men were specialized in suprise landings, and their skill in this area made up for their small numbers. But even the greatest force in the Toltac military was terrified.

They must have been sailing for just over two weeks now, let alone the time they took before to prepare. They had been planning for months, re-painting the the LS-2 Crucible Classes so that from the air, they would appear as Kazakhstani fishing freighters. The TLV-1 Whisp Landing Craft, 20 on each ship, had been covered by tarpulins as well as the two 30 mm Close in Guns and two Missile launchers. all the crew were dressed in fishermen's waders as to not draw attention two themselves. The plan was to sail down the River Ob, (if the Czarina of the Greater United Russia allowed it) then stage a suprise landing near the rivers end in east Kazakhstan. Hopefully the Kazakhstanis would never suspect such a bold attack. As the the TSS Moctezuma approached the mouth of the River Ob, the Captain of the ship, Sea Lord Tectamuza, picked up the radio and began to speak, hoping the Russians would hear:

Broadcasting to Russian Officials on the Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas,
This is Sea Lord Tectamuza of the Toltac armed forces requesting permission to allow 5 Crucible Class ships to sail down the River Ob into Kazakhstan without Russian military involvement, so that we made aid your great nation in the war against the WLA in Kazakhstan.
Sincerely,
Sea Lord Tectamuza
Over and out

[Greater United Russia]

OOC: Being a geographical adequate type person the three of us should accept that our naval power will be all but useless. Kazkhstan is landlocked and no river is large enough for military craft(Excluding gunboats).IC:

Chapter One: God's Mercy Is Irrelevant

Russo-Kazkhstani Border
The Second Russian Empire
3rd Shock Army

While the Amerikans arrived off of Siberia the Russians moved forward now. They were never and would never be a fearing race, no power on Earth could stand up to the Wrath of Russia, not man and not God so they had no reason to fear. Careful planning was over, even as this happened the FSB kicked in the doors of WLA Safehouses through out the Empire; hundreds were put to the sword for dissent and treason against Mother Russia. Hundreds of thousands more would die for daring to stand against her in the first place.

The Third Shock Army was an ancient unit, drawn up during times past it was born in the Second World War during the days of the Soviet Union it earned it's scars and battle honours in the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Berlin where it hoisted the Red Banner against the winds above the decripit Reichstag in evidence that none could stand against Russia and live to tell the tale; now they were the first to go into Kazkhstan ahead of the Russian and Amerikan contemporary armies. The Third was what it was to be a Russian Soldier; to pull victory from defeat and to instill terror beyond belief into the enemy. These men were elite; from Germany to China to Viet Mai they had been the spearhead to every conflict of the Union and now they continued that service to the Empire.

"God stands with the Russian Empire, Comrades; forward!" The charge began without melacholy of ceremony and the conglomerate of trucks and men steamed forward with a lurch into foreign territory.

[Toltac]

OOC: Being a geographical adequate type person the three of us should accept that our naval power will be all but useless. Kazkhstan is landlocked and no river is large enough for military craft(Excluding gunboats).

OOC: I just checked and the river Ob's geographical measurements and such, it seems that a majority of the river is actually large and deep enough to have a Crucible Class sail down it. The lower Ob River was even famed for it's large industrial fishing industries until it was too polluted to maintain wild life.
IC:
TSS Moctezuma (LS-2 Crucible Class AWS), Barent Sea, 2015

This is Sea Lord Tectamuza, still requesting entrance into Russian territory. Do you read me? We have heard of your assualt at the Russo-Kazakhstani border, we believe we may divide the WLA's attention via our river assault.
Please reply,
Sea Lord Tectamuza

[Greater United Russia]

RNS - Charpova
Vladivostok-class Cruiser - Siberian Sea

The Charpova sliced the water beneath her with graceful ease, huge form plowing forward as though she slid over freshly waxed glass. "Transmission in coming from Coalition Forces." So the Communications officer of the Charpova said simply before the message played via radio waves. The Admiral on board along with everyone on the bridge burst out laughing as though the funniest thing in the world had just been said. "To presume to control the actions of the Russian Empire? That has killed more than one and turned many a nation into a colony." He muttered to himself as he lifted the radio to respond, the Cruiser cutting a swath of water and placing itself between the Toltac and the Bay of Ob. "Permissions granted by the authority presented to me by Her Majesty the Czarina of Russia. We will accompany you as far as the Charpova can go, then you will be on your own." As though to empathize this the Cruiser shifted in the water to point herself inward toward the delta where the two peninsulas met.

---

OOC: Mk..I'll leave it to Amerika to decide in the mean time though here's your escort.

[Toltac]

"I pray that luck is on our side" Sea Lord Tectamuza thought to himself as he heard the incoming message from the Russians.

"Hopefully the river will carry us to Kazakh territory. If we've run out river, we've run out of luck"
The Sea Lord announced to the assembled crew.
"Inform the troops below deck: We head down the River Ob. If all goes to plan we will reach Kazakhstan in 4 days. If not, we will have to land in Russian territory and find someway of staging a suprise attack by land, to divide the enemies attention from the Russian assault."

The TSS Moctezuma slowly followed the Charpova toward the mouth of the river at a safe distance, followed by four other, similarly disguised ships in single file.

[The WLA]

Kazkhstan
2015

While the Amerikans prepared and the Toltac tried to enter by winding waters the Kazakhstani stood on guard; these moutains rose above the Earth, Gaia's bones protected them, right? T'was hard to explain now as the rattle of machine guns echoed through the mountaintops and the caverns. Rocks and dirt and dust flew and were joined in the air with bullets.

Men fell and screamed, fighting and dying for something greater than themselves; the Heathen Barbarians must be cast down! Russia was the aggressor now, not one person on Earth would complain when the Kazakstani reached out and clubbed every Russian they could touch. Yet the Bear proved to be invinicble, their police had removed the cells from their body like a Doctor removing a Cancer. "Enemy Armor!" A Brother yelled, a man with an RPG jumped up only to be lanced down once more as the BTR bore down upon them like a Daemon from a Nightmare.

"Retreat to the Caverns, we will hold line." Another brother and his brothers said while the others gathered up wounded and began to fall back. The rattle of their rifles and the roar of their battle crys shined out all the clearer, brave and invincible against the foreign daemons. "The Higher Order Shall Reign!" No praises to Allah, No worshipfulness to the Abramhamic God. Just the cry of worship to mysterious Higher Order. The Brothers were slaughtered while their brethren escaped into the untakeable hills. The Russians had their first Victory of arms since the Second World War. A Victory that would come at a high cost indeed.

---

The United States of Amerika
Baltimore, Maryland
2015

While the Russians had purged them from existence; the Amerrikaans had not yet moved; so consumed by revenge the cancerous cells remained. The Spires of Baltimore rose like candles; the buildings standing tall under the paranoid watch of the United States National Guard; soldiers stood around and patrolled frequently; Marital Law was in effect. Yet that was no barrier from this Brother; Amerika would pay for Russia's mistakes, and Russia would pay for Amerika's mistakes in the future.

The Brother approached the building, the Soldiers did not give him a second glance as he walked into the structure; the towering building had a bank, offices, a day care facility for the daemons spawns. "The Higher Order Shall Reign!" He announced loudly as he rose his arms above his head. "I shall die for the Cause!" He did so, exploding in a fury that consumed the lower levels of the building in fire and death, the second blow to Amerika and her foul Empire.

[Greater United Russia]

Chapter One: God's Mercy Is Irrelevant


Russo-Kazkhstani Border
The Second Russian Empire
3rd Shock Army

Advance the lines, crush the rebels. Those who stand to Russia's Will shall Perish.

The Kazakhstani Republic was a large nation, 9th so in the world by land mass it varied, but that did not matter to the Russians. They had fought in sorching desert steppes, tropical jungles and even the arctic circle itself(cookie for reference). So this dry arid place was not new to them as the 3rd Shock Army advanced slaying all of the insurgents who moved themselves before their unstoppable wave of destruction. However; these Russians were not Soviets, they took prisoners, they left villages standing; these people had done no offense onto them, only the terrorists that 'ran' this country had done so.

Lieutenant Afonik had always led his men from the front, as such where he was now made sense, the turret of the T-90 that loomed over the plain like an armored God, as the WLA had come to call them 'iron chariots'. In the plains below there was a gathering of older tanks that the Russian Empire and the former Soviet Union had sold to Kazakhstan during it's days as a proper government. Old old tanks from T-34s barely held together by rust up to the T-54 and T-72, manned and taken care of as though the WLA knew what they were doing.

A problem to be undone; Russian Intelligence said that there was a force of roughly fifty tanks down there with mixed infantry support and a fortified township they were supplying from and covering from occupation. It was Russia's job to remove this threat along advancing lines; even now as the Lieutenant gave his orders and his men started marching forward further into Kazakhstan the rest of the Russian Army and the Amerikans were finally advancing...

[Toltac]

The TSS Moctezuma followed the Charpova, trailed by the other five Toltac ships. The frozen, snowy terrain slowly turned into vast forests either side of the large river as the days went by, and then more arid, rocky surroundings with the hot, beating sun replacing the harsh, biting cold.
"We must be close to the Kazakhstani border."
Thought Sea Lord Tectamuza. It was time to ask the Charpova to leave them, so that the ships disguise may not be blown. Sea Lord Tectamuza picked up the radio.
"To the Captain of the Charpova, the TSS Moctezuma and it's four other allied ships would like to thank you for your escort, but must now go on alone as to not have their cover blown. We would like the great Czarina for allowing Toltac armed forces to travel through her lands, but we must carry on to Kazakhstani border alone. Over and out."

OCC: can we have a map of Kazakhstan, just so I know where the Russians are attacking from in relation to my assault? thanks

[Amerikians]

Chapter One: God's Mercy Is Irrelevant

The United States of Amerika
Baltimore - Maryland
2015

To say that Norman Hope; President of the United States was angry as he paced the oval office of the presidential palace in Baltimore was beyond an understatement. Ancient hundred year old paintings had rattled in their frames as he had fumed mere moments before. Though now it was silent, erriely so. "Cowards. Barbarians. Foreign Extremists." These words were whispered, dangerously low tones of voice projected as the Vice-President and General of the Armies simply looked on dumbfoundedly.

"They will pay, not just the men, but the women and the children. They will all pay. For every Amerikan that dies, one thousand Kazakhstani will follow them. If they want a reason to hate us, we will provide them with a reason to not only despise us, but shudder in fear at the very mention of our name. They have taken advantage of our Mercy."

"Now we will show them that when that happens; we do not know what Mercy is. We will not show remorse, we will not show restraint. They have done harm unto us and as is the common rule, do unto others as they do unto you? Verily well. Teach them the Meaning of Fear."

---

Baltimore - Maryland
One Hour Later

"My Dearest Amerika." President Hope had taken up a tradition not used for nearly seventy years, not since the Second World War, not since Roosevelt. "This is your President Norman Hope speaking. Another day has come and fallen, another day has made us stronger and brought us closer together." "Yet tonight we find no comfort in the fall of night. Tonight, tomorrow it is in Kazakhstan where I have begrudgingly sent our brave young men, our sons and uncles, our fathers, our boys to bring murderers to justice."

"Tonight we pray, we pray for their safe return, that God might watch over them as they do what is expected of them, that he might forgive them their sins as they are mine and not theirs. We pray that they sleep soundly and in safety as best as can be had. We pray for our brothers and our sisters in New York, we pray for our brothers and our sisters here in our great nation's capital."

"We also wonder what might come of tomorrow's rising sun, we here are safer, but not safe. No, not any longer My Dearest Amerika, I have failed you so, your government has failed you and as your President I am the greatest of that failure. I have grown lazy my dear Amerika; and in my laziness I have failed you, by growing content with the world I have forgotten to protect you from our enemies, and I am so so sorry my dear Amerika for failing you so."

"My Dearest Amerika; I must leave you for now, I pray you stay safe. This has been your President; Norman Hope speaking."

---

The People's Republic of Kazakhstan
United States Third Armored Army [US 3rd Armor]

While the Russian Third Shock fought it's way through the Kazakhstani part of the Ural Mountains the Amerikan and Russian Armies proper advanced fourty clicks north-west of that to be faced with the rolling plains that Amerikan and Russian Armored detachments preferred and loved. Overhead the drone of helicopter gunships and C-130 Troop Transports laden down with rockets and paratroopers passed by, while in the field below the rumbling form of M-60A3 Pattons and Russian T-90s surged forward like a rolling thunderstorm of men and metal thunderous roar of cannons and machine guns as they closed on the Kazakhstani Armor. Let thy army be undone.