Insurection!

[Ukranicz]

A crackling radio message:

"oh god! its them [machine gun fire] those Commie bastards! this is SSgt. John Wilkinson! if anyone is out there, please send aid! we have a Communist insurection in our country! half my unit is dead... [crackling] hiding in a church, please send troops if you can! [machine gun fire, then static]"

[Ukranicz]

"We have tanks on our left flank, sir!" PFC. Witcomb yelled, pointing out the window

"ah hell, wheres our air support?" SSgt. Wilkinson asked his RTO

"they've got it, s-ahh!'" RTO Johnson said as the snipers bullet pierced his US M1 helmet.

"holy shit!"

[Beth Gellert]

Portmeirion, Raipur, Igovian Soviet Commonwealth of Beddgelert

This is a formal declaration of war.

Ask we speak, 2 Tank Divisions and 3 Infantry Regiments are invading your Countries Borders.

to contact the Preimier, Telegram SSgt. John Wilkinson, Ukraincz National Marines

Chairman Chivo of the Council of State and Chairman Vercingetoraja of the National Defence Soviet regarded this most bizarre communiqué, if indeed it were such, with a deep sense of bewilderment. Where they wondered, was Ukraincz? And, indeed, was it the same thing as Ukranicz, which seems of late to be enjoying some revolutionary activity?

The Gwylwyr reported no unusual activity on the Commonwealth's borders, none of which abutted anything that even sounded remotely Slavic, but it was never the less decided to put some resources into locating the country or countries in question, and discerning whether or not it would be beneficial to kill this techy non-comissioned officer of theirs.

The BPN was duly ordered to prepare a carrier battlegroup for mobilisation, and the Brigade of Soviet Marines activated in anticipation of a minor engagement in some distant frontier of the world revolution.

[Ukranicz]

"who, or what, is a Beth Gellert?" Wilkinson asked

"no idea, sir, but dont worry about it, we need to worry about Donato's Tank platoon, which should be here shortly" Pfc. Wilcomb said, lighting a smoke


"well, at least those Commies backed off, maybe there regrouping, but..." Wilkinson said, thinking

[Beth Gellert]

"who, or what, is a Beth Gellert?" Wilkinson asked

OOC: Okay, I admit, you've completely lost me. I mean, an unsollicited declaration of war via telegram, coming from a lowly Sgt., was strange enough, but for the same man to then apparently forget that he knew what Beth Gellert was, let alone that he'd just declared war against it and allegedly deployed tank divisions in its direction?... If you need me, I'll be getting drunk over there somewhere on the remains of the christmas ales. Good luck with learning what Nationstates is!

[Ukranicz]

"who, or what, is a Beth Gellert?" Wilkinson asked

OOC: Okay, I admit, you've completely lost me. I mean, an unsollicited declaration of war via telegram, coming from a lowly Sgt., was strange enough, but for the same man to then apparently forget that he knew what Beth Gellert was, let alone that he'd just declared war against it and allegedly deployed tank divisions in its direction?... If you need me, I'll be getting drunk over there somewhere on the remains of the christmas ales. Good luck with learning what Nationstates is!

OOC: wilkinson didnt declare war, it was the commies, they used wilkinsons telegraph after they captured the base

[Beth Gellert]

OOC: wilkinson didnt declare war, it was the commies, they used wilkinsons telegraph after they captured the base

OOC: Huh, that's kinda interesting, I suppose. I assume they're trying to provoke BG to attack Wilkinson and thus help their revolt?

On the high seas...

The Utopia Class battleship CS Naissaar cut a fine silhouette against a calm late afternoon sky as she proceeded at a stately twelve knots at the heart of the Soviet battlegroup bearing her name. On the fortress of a bridge, comrade Fleet Commander Tiwary thanked his lucky stars. Already a veteran with a notable anti-Fascist victory to his name, the Commonwealth's most celebrated mariner enjoyed the good fortune that placed his amongst the fleets on first-alert status when the still somewhat mysterious Ukranicz situation broke.

Along with identical sister ship New Harmony, Tiwary's flagship steamed amongst no fewer than twenty fleet aircraft carriers and aviation cruisers, ten helicopter carriers, one hundred missile cruisers, three-hundred and seventy-five frigates and destroyers, two-hundred and fifty amphibious transport vessels, and a similar number of logistical support and electronic surveillance ships, to say nothing of more than five-hundred nuclear attack and guided-missile submarines concealed below the waves and strung out over scores -perhaps hundreds- of oceanic kilometres.

An enormous case of over-kill when considering intervention in a nation more than three-thousand times smaller than the Commonwealth, perhaps! But still not one sixteenth of the Beddgelert People's Navy's total strength, and less than half of what was currently active and under-way within the Indian Ocean rim.

The Commonwealth's diplomatic services began efforts to convey to all relevant authorities in Ukranicz a demand for, "Surrender to the Soviet Power", and when they drew close enough to the country various of the fleet's electronic warfare assets would make efforts to broadcast radio appeals to the population. "Rejoice, and raise-up the Red flag, 'tis the final conflict come!"

[Ukranicz]

"wilcomb, what is that on the radio?" wilkinson said, snapping the bayonet onto his M1 Garand

"i dunno, sir, something about the soviets..."

"what? who the hell...nevermind, get Donato and his tank division on the horn, get their location" wilkinson yelled, firing his M1 garand at commie scouts

"yes sir!"



On the other side of town, near the harbor, 2 Divisions of T-80 U tanks were rumbling through the suburbs

"god damn commies, evacuated all the civi's before we could reach 'em.." Col. Donato said, scanning the horizon with the old DKSh Machine gun

"sir, wilkinson is on the horn, he wants our position" his Radioman said

"we're close to the harbor...what the hell is with the ships? we dont got a navy!"

[Lazerus Long]

OOC: ay! comrade ukraincz! insurection problems again?

[Ukranicz]

OOC: ay! comrade ukraincz! insurection problems again?

OOC: yeah...you know...damn commies

[Beth Gellert]

(OOC: I take it that means you're okay with me having the fleet arrive at your shored already. If not, I can retcon this and continue to assume it's en route for however long seems approrpriate...)

As vanguard elements of Battlegroup Naissaar trailed into Ukranicz waters, throughout the fleet comrades reclined in front of video screens displaying a live feed of the Marines vs. Sailors 50-over cricket match, which was being played out on the flightdeck of the aircraft carrier Albert Parsons, officiated by the Aircrew, who were -in a possible conflict of interest- set to play the winners.

With a pained grunt and a satisfying clap, a lofted six arced lazily over the starboard side of the carrier as the Marines closed-out an unexpected and widely unpopular five-wicket victory with two overs to spare, and the ball became not the first today to have disappeared forever into the deep. But the clash with the Aircrew would have to wait, for the trill of a carnyx called the men to their stations, its tone conveying no great urgency, but never the less demanding eventual and universal compliance. The magnetic stumps were pulled-up, and the days cricketing declared at an end as men shuffled off, this way and that.

During play, the battleship New Harmony had ploughed virtually unnoticed to the head of the fleet, and was now taking up a threatening posture just a few kilometres out of the harbour. Turning parallel to the shore, the mighty ship swung her primary battery of a dozen 410mm (just over 16 inch) guns inland, and gradually drew to a halt while several frigates and launches hurried about her, perhaps deploying protective nets.

From the flagship, Naissaar, a light helicopter lifted off, trailing a white flag beneath it and heading ashore, and from several aircraft carriers were launched a number of unmanned reconniassance aircraft tasked with supporting the limited satellite reconnaissance assets that had so far been directed over this little backwater country.

The helicopter would attempt to make a peaceful landing on the harbour-side, and its passenger, comrade Liaison-Agent Kapadia, seek to better understand the situation on the ground, and perhaps secure the surrender of bourgeois forces in the city.

[Ukranicz]

At a Rebel camp in the harbour

"what the bloody hell... didt we take all the heilcopters, Serdusky?" Yuri Leidman asked, drawing the 4 23 mm cannons on his rusty ZSU-23 toward the incoming chopper

"yessir, every one" Serdusky said over the crackling radio, cranking the battery of 88 mm anti aircraft cannons on bead with the chopper

"All units - OPEN FIRE!"

[Hugora]

The White House
"The situation in Ukranicz," the briefing officer stopped to struggle with the word for a moment eventually settling on adding a z sound to the usual pronunciation of Ukraine, "is still developing, but from what we've managed to gather, both from radio transmissions and recon flights, it seems there is a communist insurrection in progress. There have also been reports of a foreign power deploying to the area, though we're not sure of their allegiances."

President Bryce nodded, listening and thinking. It was certainly a situation ripe for Hugoran intervention, but this foreign power was disturbing. Hugora wasn't ready for another full-scale war, not so soon after the war with the Ryouese.

"Tell Anderson to send a battle group down their way," he said finally. "If it looks feasible, intervene. If not, start backing off."

The officer nodded, and left to send the orders.

[Beth Gellert]

The loss of the liaison helicopter along with pilot and liaison-agent represented a profound disappointment for the battlegroup as the little machine was brought down despite the pilot's attempt to duck under the dire of the 88s.

Their comrades killed under a flag of truce without having fired a single shot in anger, and having received no other response to their appeals for the aggressor's surrender and the friendship of the rest, the men of the fleet prepared a response.

There was a quiet of several minutes after the firing of the anti-aircraft batteries. It was broken by the eruption of New Harmony's port-side secondary guns, which dropped sixteen high-explosive 110mm rounds in twelve furious seconds and with great precision on to the source of the anti-aircraft fire, then fell silent again.

Following the brief barrage it would be just a few more minutes until, some kilometres further off shore, from several of the aircraft carriers, JaF NT-2 Puffin strike-fighters began to launch bearing ground-attack munitions. They were joined by a modest combat-air-patrol thrown-up by other carriers as Battlegroup Naissaar prepared for action.

From four of the helicopter carriers, Koogyr helicopters outfitted for electonic warfare lifted off and, along with a large electronic warfare ship just outside the harbour, began an intensive campaign to jam hostile radar, while the battleships now opened fire once again with secondary guns and rockets, this time dropping not shells but submunitions that would deploy throughout the town and work to jam radio communications across a fairly broad frequency range.

With this suppression campaign under way and so-far-identified AAA engaged, an initial wing of six Puffin ventured over the town to drop satellite-guided cluster-bombs with both anti-armour and anti-personnel sub-munitions on any military positions that had so far been identified. No attempt was being made now to distinguish between rebel and government forces, only to 'pacifcy' the town, which, initial observations suggested to Tiwary, had been substantially evacuated of its civil population.

The bombardment's initiation was followed by deployment from the ten helicopter carriers spread across the area of some thirty utility landing craft, which sped towards the shore across a broad stretch of waterfront, carrying more than three thousand Soviet Marines and forty armoured fighting vehicles, and supported by automatic grenade launchers that sprayed the landing areas before the ramps were lowered and the Geletian highlanders rushed out, rifles raised and bayonets fixed.

[Ukranicz]

Wilkinson and Wilcomb were looking out the window towards shore when the first shells hit.

"Holy shit! thats some explosion" wilkinson said, puffing a cigar

"yeah, somebody got those godless commie bast-" Wilcomb was thrown backwards by a blast that blew out the wall of the church "what the hell was that?!"

"i dunno, but i think we need to leave" Wilkinson said, signalling to his the rest of the squad



Across town, in the suburbs

"This is Col. Donato of the UKNTC, cease fire, i repeat, cease fire! your hitting Goverment positions!" Donato yelled into the PA, pointing the speaker towards the ships

"sir, we have incoming troops, i can't make out the flags" his Radioman said, turning his turret towards the landing craft

"dont shoot yet, lets cover them, 'til they get on shore, order everyone to fire at rebel targets of opportunity."

[Beth Gellert]

Though at first ships ashore were unable to hear Donato, the approach of Marines brought the Colonel's appeals into ear-shot of Soviet forces. Unfortunately for the UKNTC, whatever that may be, the Marines' response to the confirmation of Ukranicz government positions was to lay-on laser designators and call-in fire-missions. Their reply to Donato came in the form of no less than two-dozen 16.1" shells from the two Beddgelen battleships lying off-shore, which thundered in to flatten a huge area of the suburbs.

The battlegroup's radio broadcasts were now joined by their own loud-hailers in appealing to the Communist rebels.

"Comrades! We are here to support your revolutionary struggle! Workers of all countries, unite!" and so forth.

As the Soviet Marines advanced across a broad front into the town and its suburbs, with unmistakable red flags flying high, the strike-fighters over-head remained in contact with their command vehicles on the ground, ready to deploy laser-guided weapons against any source of opposition, and elected section commanders lead their comrades in singing the Internationale while they moved forward.

"No more deluded by reaction, On tyrants-only we'll make war! The soldiers too will take strike action, They'll break ranks and fight no more!" they sang, in harmony befitting a largely Celtic contingent much-influenced by their nation's considerable experience of the Welsh male voice choir.

[Ukranicz]

"oh christ, they're here for the rebels!" Donato said, jamming another en-bloc clip into his M1. "tell all units to fire on those godless commie bastards coming ashore...how many arty battalions do we have in range of the harbor?"

"5, sir, 4 of them are 105s, but the last has 2 320s" wilcomb said, firing his M2 Carbine over the parapit wall

"get them all, have them fire at those god damned commie ships, Proximity fuses, Anti-Personnel"


At the Harbor front

"Comrades! our telegrams did not fall on deaf ears!" General Boris Kabbotsos yelled, waving at the incoming Soviets

"doobre ootra, tavarisch Russkis!" Yuri Karagin shaking hands with a Soviet Marine "we were hoping you would show up"

[Mariadonato]

In the War Room, Chryslus Missile Base, 5 miles NW of Moscow

"Sir, a situation is developing in our region" The Chief of staff, Allgemeiner Feldmarschall Leiden said, placing the after action from the recon flight over the harbor.

"it seems troops from Beth Gellert have come ashore to aid the rebels" Leiden said, smoking a bavarian pipe

"Where the hell is Beth Gellert?" President Wilkinson said, looking over the report "you know what, never mind, where is my son? where's johnny?"

"we dont know, sir, but he is alive, the radio transmissions received from the area were from him" Comm officer Johnson said, saluting the Feldmarschall as he stood at attention "sadly sir, my brother died serving Sgt. Wilkinson"

"I'm...I'm very sorry, Johnson, give Fiona my love." President Wilkinson said, standing and shaking hands with Johnson "Leiden, assemble a large force of Paratroopers...or perhaps Para Marines to drop into Quantum, link up with Goverment troops...is Col. Donato still alive?"

"um...no, sir, the commies destroyed his tank column early in the battle" Johnson piped up

"damn, well, Dick, get those para's up and over, will ya? i have to contact the missus" Wilkinson said, signaling the two soldiers that they were dismissed

[Beth Gellert]

Off-Shore

CS New Harmony being one of the largest Soviet ships on hand, the one responsible for the bulk of attacks so far, and the only one posted stationary within gun range of the town, it would be that battleship which bore the brunt of counter-fire from shore as her little picket of frigates withdrew hastily, lobbing long-range naval 110mm shells back in the direction of incoming fire as they went. One of these thin-skinned frigates was caught under an air-burst anti-personnel round that perforated her upper works, starting a small fire behind the bridge, but the relatively modern Bodkin Class general warfare vessel boasted far better damage-control facilities than some of the older Soviet ships loitering further out to sea beyond the range of in-land guns, and the situation was far from critical.

Fortunately, 105mm guns could cause little more than superficial damage to New Harmony, the battleship's decks having been cleared for action before the first shots were fired. Some relatively exposed sensors and communications equipment, however, were potentially vulnerable. Reacting to this problem, so confident of the security provided by Battlegroup Naissaar was the Ship's Commander that he ordered all sensor masts withdrawn behind armour, virtually blinding the mighty vessel as shells burst over her.

Had he known that the enemy possessed two guns in excess of twelve inches, the Commander may have taken a different course of action. In the event, though, he may never know, and his ship would be non the worse for the presence of those heavier guns, the anti-armour potential of which was squandered by the use of anti-personnel munitions, which showered New Harmony's deck and superstructure with fragments that would damage some external fittings, hole a life-boat, and scar armour plate here and there, but cause no serious damage to the battleship.

The heavier enemy guns probably wouldn't find time for many volleys before those Soviet drones and strike fighters were vectored against them. Before long, their domination of the sky so far uncontested, these aircraft would be striking with Taranu TV-guided missiles and an assortment of bombs as they ranged over the city in search of artillery sites, more of which gave themselves away with each volley and every passing moment.

The reported evacuation of civilians and the enormous deployed strength of Soviet forces meant that the aircraft were not tight-fisted with their ammunition, and showered every artillery site with missiles and bombs as soon as it was identified. Already a second flight of Puffins was being launched from remaining carriers as the first aircraft began to use-up their stores.

In the Town

It was no doubt fortunate for the Soviets that the enemy had chosen to target his artillery against distant and well-protected warships even as relatively vulnerable marine infantry advanced.

As they came under attack from government troops weilding archaic small-arms, the Soviet Marines responded forcefully with their Md.100 assault rifles, often using under-slung grenade launchers, or disposable Llewyn anti-tank rockets to attack opponents sheltering behind walls or inside structures, having been told to expect few civilians and so to shoot first and worry about mistakes later.

Their armoured vehicle support operated with similar abandon, getting through hundreds of rounds of 25mm cannon and 40mm grenade-launcher ammunition.

Locked in close-quarter fighting with government troops, the Beddgelens were a potentially intimidating opponent. Most of the Marine infantry were Geletian Celts, their average height close to two metres -or more that 6'6"- before their boots and helmets were taken into account, and many of them wore decorative additions to their helmets, typically crests shaped like distorted wild animals including vultures, wild-boar, bears, tigers, and even dragons, which made them appear taller still, and while some fought in modern urban camouflage others chose to wear traditional Celtic attire, including striped or chequered tunics and trousers in an array of regional and familial colours. Virtually all had metal torcs around their necks, indicating that they were free men who would rather die than live in chains, and most were covered in elaborate tattoos and warpaint.

Though the Marines' singing died down when Donato and his men started shooting at them, it was replaced by the unearthly shrieking of enormous Celtic war-trumpets known as the carnyx, some of which were mounted on the armoured vehicles, while others were actually carried by men amongst the infantry. Their demonic wailing filled their air for miles around as bullets zipped back and forth.

The Harbour Front

"Glad to be here, comrades!" the first words spoken by comrade Assault-Commander Bracharios on meeting Yuri Karagin. Most of the Marines spoke Geletian (a Celtic trade language) in addition to their local language, which may have been Durcodi, Pitoviri, Veneti, Hindi, Bengali, Pashto, or any number of other Celtic or South Asian languages, but, knowing where they were going, had been sure to bring a variety of Slavic language speakers, while many -such as Bracharios- also had at least a working knowledge of English.

Bracharios was a decorated, "Hero of the Revolution Abroad", having fought in several foreign revolutions in the past, and was well respected in the Commonwealth. He wasted little time on small talk, and asked Karagin for any intelligence on the situation in the and around the town. "We have two divisions of regular infantry, and hundreds of vehicles out there" he said, gesturing towards the sea, "plus two battleships, scores of fighters, and a whole ocean full of cruise-missiles. You let us know what's giving you trouble, comrades, and we'll put a damn big hole in it!

"If we can cut-off anyone or anything important by deploying more amphibious units, or helicoptering in airborne troops anywhere around the town, the sooner we hear about it the better."

As he spoke, another salvo of massive shells from the flagship Naissaar rumbled overhead and crashed down upon government positions across town, hurling tonnes of debris into the air along with bodies.


(OOC: By the way, Beddgelert (alternate name for Beth Gellert) is located in South Asia, covering RL India (except the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were ceded to a foreign power), Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Burma.)

[Centropyge]

It is a busy day for the Emperor, who just launched and concluded one quick raid on a nascent state with global ambitions and then immediately joined a naval blockade of a second, similar state. Emperor Fawkes read the latest dispatch with alarm. As the Empire of Centropyge boasts a strong capitalist economy, the Emperor wanted to assist this previously-unknown state against the attacking Communist rebels, but he paled somewhat when comparing the specs of his own battle fleet against that of the Soviet battleship looming offshore of Ukranicz. There is only one ship in the Royal Navy capable of matching its firepower, the railgun-equipped battleship HMS Phoenix, currently on station aboard pending withdrawal after a recent combat action. With nearly half the fleet tied up assisting a naval blockade and the Royal Navy's battleship and fleet carrier still abroad with their respective task forces, the Emperor felt he dare not take action until more facts trickled in and more of His Majesty's Ships returned home to base. Taking sides in a civil war was one form of mess...with a powerful state backing the opposing side in said civil war the stakes just rose considerably.

He will be consulting the First Sea Lord in the meantime, and ordering simulations run to find out how the Empire's three Invincible-class battlecruisers http://www.nswiki.net/index.php?title=Invincible-class_Battlecruiser would stand up against the Soviet capital ship(s).

[Ukranicz]

"sir, those shells aren't having any affect" Wilcomb yelled, reloading his M2

"tell the 320's to switch to Armor Piercing, and tell the 105's to aim at those god damn commies on the beach!" Wilkinson yelled, dropping his shattered M1 garand, which had taken a round from one of those weird Commie guns

"yessir! oh, and sir! Airborne troops have landed in town, not sure who there from, but i saw a Mariadonato Aircraft Kamikazie one of those ships" Wilcomb said, opening fire at a Commie position

"Incoming!" a Private from the 327th Armored yelled, hitting the deck

"where the hell are those shells coming from!?" Wilkinson yelled, diving into an abandoned house. "wilcomb?" Wilkinson said, grabbing the lifeless body of the Pfc, holding the dead body and firing his M1911 .45 at a commie soldier who came through the door.

[Centropyge]

After reviewing the ship classes available to the powerful Communist state aiding the rebels, Emperor Fawkes and his staff concluded that they simply couldn't afford to risk the Royal Navy in a confrontation with such a powerful state.

"It's a d--n shame we couldn't do anything to help the poor b--tards," Fawkes said to his staff. "But as much as I'd love to see how the HMS Phoenix and the rest of the Royal Navy would do against such a worthy opponent, this isn't a war game. We could have half the Navy wiped out in hours if the firefight goes awry, and with it the ability to defend our own territory."

First Sea Lord Jackie Fisher II chimed in. "Well, your Majesty, I do think we would have a solid chance against them. Reports are that we would be fighting only one battleship. It is my belief that the Pheonix would be an even match for them, and if we pull Force C and D off blockade duty and get Force E with our fleet carrier in position, we could put up a hell of a fight against these Commies."

"You're right, Fisher, but even if we lose just one of our battlecruisers it will strongly impact our ability to project power abroad; and, God forbid, if we lose an entire task force or even just a couple of cruisers it could set us back for a year or three. The Admiralty budget may just have been increased, but we don't even have the next generation of ships on the drawing boards yet. It will be another 4 to 5 years before we see a new battleship or battlecruiser in commission. As much as I hate to say it, we just can't afford the risk."

"There's one exception though. I could sign off on the operation if we can do it as part of a coalition. So far, though, we're not seeing much international response to this crisis. We can't go in without allies, and I'm not sure our regional partners are ready for this fight. So, unless some random Good Samaritan steps in, we're just going to have to sit this one out."

Lord Fisher sighs, but agrees. "Here's to hoping somebody steps up. I know it's very...selfish of me, but I just want to know what those big guns can do. And I'm sure half the sailors on any of His Majesty's Ships would give a week's pay and half their rum ration to see some real action, not this peacekeeping drudgery we always seem to get ourselves into."

[Beth Gellert]

Still facing no contest to their apparently total air supremacy, the Soviet fleet's strike-fighters readily closed in on the two giant artillery pieces on shore. The massive pieces stuck out like sore thumbs, and their effort to switch to armour-piercing ammunition would be short-lived. One such round struck the New Harmony on the face of number-two turret, leaving a deep scar and shaking-up the men inside the gun housing, but shortly there-after the offending artillery piece was illuminated by the laser designator aboard a stealthy UAV, and an air-to-ground missile launched by a Puffin strike-fighter was rushing to the scene.

Moments later, the second gun received similar attention from a 450kg laser-guided bomb.

Elsewhere, the discovery of Wilkinson, whose .45 first staggered a bayonet-flashing Soviet Marine before a second put him down, represented one of the mission's primary objectives. As the first marine stumbled, he was pushed aside by a comrade who came barreling through the door after him. Wilkinson's .45 fire was readily absorbed by the body-armour worn by the second man, who flung himself on the sergeant, raining down a hail of blows from the butt of his rifle.

Meanwhile, as the heavy guns were attacked from the air and the 105s moved their fire off the New Harmony, both Soviet battleships brought their own guns back into action. Counter-battery radar traced the trajectory of Ukranicz government shells back to their sources, and eight rapid-fire 110mm guns quickly began to drop deadly accurate fire on the enemy artillery sites, no doubt knocking them out rapidly one after another as they wasted time trying to re-aim against advancing ground forces miles away from their prior targets.

Soviet forces continued urging the city's government forces to lay down their arms and join the revolution, lest they be killed where they stand.

[Mariadonato]

The War Room

"Sir....you son is reported dead" Comm officer Johnson stated calmly, Standing before the President at attention.

"Thanks, Johnson...where are our airborne boys?" President Wilkinson asked, lighting a cigar.

"they've jumped into town, we lost one aircraft, it went straight for one of those bastard commie...sorry sir...enemy ships, we believe it was sunk" Leiden said, saluting as he walked in. "several reports show that the large caliber arty peices were destroyed."

"well, shit...Dick, get some armor over there, use those B17s to carpet bomb the Hell out of the commie positions on the beach, send some Tomahawks to take that big commie ship out...5, right at the waterline, and get those airborne boys over to the 'burbs, find out if johnny really is dead."

"jawohl, mein fur...sorry, yessir" Leiden said, saluting and walking out of the room.

Odessa forest, outside of Quantum, Ukranicz

"goddamn parachute...garr!" Lt. Richard Winters said, furiously cutting at the paracord keeping him in the large evergreen tree.

"here, sir, let me get that for ya!" Sgt. Bill Guarnere yelled, shooting through the cord with his M1 Thompson submachine gun.

"oof! thanks, bill, where are the others? i saw Toye and Nix land, i just dunno where they are" Winters said "christ, where's my leg bag?" he thought, pulling out his .45

"just got word from command, sir, we need to move south toward the suburbs, look for that spoiled prick Sgt. Wilkinson" Pfc. Hall said, saluting and handing Winters a M1 Garand.

"first we need to consolidate, get in contact with 2nd and third platoon, get them here...we're right next to the 80 foot pine" Winter said, checking the bolt on the Garand.

"yes sir" Hall said "alpha 4 4, alpha 4 4, consolidate, trace this signal, over"

[Beth Gellert]

Needless to say, foreign reports of a successful suicide run against a Soviet warship off Ukranicz were baseless, with no foreign aircraft having succeeded in coming within tens of kilometres of any Soviet assets without being first intercepted by the CAP.

Still, indications that the backward nation of Mariadonato was now attempting to interfere with the Soviet operation sent a wave of excitement through the Commonwealth, which for more than a year now had been preparing to fight The Final Conflict between the forces of Revolution and Reaction, and had in that time seen the doubling of ready military strength, and a spate of deadly riots targeted at foreign bourgeois travellers. The prospect of another major action in the world revolution had Fleet Commanders racing to be first to ready their own Battlegroup, all hoping that Portmeirion would authorise deployment of a second fleet to share a slice of Tiwary's looming glory. Even the most modest foreign intelligence agency could no doubt perceive an enormous mobilisation in the sub-continent, which so far had deployed less than six percent of its available fleet strength.

Back in Ukranicz, when the first obsolete Mariadonato...an bombers ventured within a hundred and twenty kilometres of the town, Puffin fighters were dispatched to interdict them. A strange experience for the pilots, it was well that they possesses VTOL-capable fighters able to remain airborne at low speed, for the B-17s cruised at speeds below the maximum attainable by the current front-line helicopter gunship used by Soviet forces.

An attempt was made to establish radio contact with the crews of the inbound B-17s, offering them one chance to turn back. However, once they came within eighty kilometres -about fifty miles- of the outskirts of the town, every one would be shot down by the Puffins from beyond the range of the Flying Fortress' defensive machineguns.

Fleet Commander Tiwary's comrades were starting to wonder whether their fleet had sailed through some manner of time-warp that had thrown them back sixty years.

(OOC: When you say, "send some Tomahawks" you mean that you're planning to launch cruise missiles at the Soviet fleet? I don't know if you planned to do that right away, but if so, I'm wondering, where are they coming from? Is there are fleet moving in or what?)