A World in Chaos: An Alt-Earth RP (IC/Open) SIGNUP FIRST

[The Great Korean Empire]

Waters Surrounding Aspen Harbor,
Liberated States of Midland
14:56 Hours

The Type-75 nuclear power submarines drifted through the waters towards their target. They had been ordered to cause havoc among the new arrivals in the Battle for Midland. And to divert forces from the battle on land. Even if it meant... attacking the Arks that carried hundreds of civilians. They slowly approached quietly towards their intended targets. "We have located a ship. Possibly one of those Ghondran ones that carry refugees". There was a tense moment afterwards if the captain would order to fire on them. After all there were women and children, even grandparents possibly on those ships. And the firepower carried was not to be underestimated. These submarines are notoriously quiet among Taehanese vessels and are armed with cruise missiles to conventional SLBMs, and six torpedo tubes.

But these were possibly workers in the arms industry, soldiers that would fight against Taehan, and future political leaders that might brutalize and enslave the United Republic of Taehan as a puppet state. A necessary sacrifice. They made their approach slowly and as they put their periscope up they can see the vessels. It's quickly lowered again and they set to fire torpedoes. Immediately multiple torpedoes are shot. One! Two! Three! Four! and so on. The submarine quickly reloaded itself and dives into deeper waters. This would be the beginning of the Taehanese submarine warfare on the ships heading to and from Midland.

However elsewhere submarines would begin launching their cruise missiles to attack the ground and air-based installations used by the Ghondran forces. A familiar scene occurred as toggle switches were thrown upwards and armed processes were completed. Sixty cruise missiles erupted from the water into the air before surging towards their targets. The capital of Ghondra might have been safe from a couple missiles. But out here it was all fair game. The missiles soared forward as they made the programmed random maneuvers during terminal phase before arriving at an altitude of thirty feet and flew towards their targets. But these were just the mere scouts until the main force from Mokpo Naval Operations Base would arrive...

[Ghondra]

>open file [INTERROGATION: WILLIAM H. LOCKE]
>password required, please verify your passcode
>DIR-ROSEBUD
>password confirmed, welcome DIRECTOR ANDERSON

CLASSIFIED EY-00
EYES ONLY

TRANSCRIPT OF: INTERROGATION WILLIAM HENRY LOCKE

SUBJECT: William Henry Locke is the third-in-command of the Prussen Air Force Squadron known as "Rikvar's Wolves" Officially designated as the 411th Tactical Figher Squadron that engaged the 21st Naval Aviation wing over Cape Anders, subject was shot down during the engagement and retrieved by [FFG-232] Subject has displayed no emotional stress up to the Interrogation

INTERROGATION LOG - AGENT MARION F. BENNETT
[DUE TO THE GRAPHIC NATURE OF THIS INTERROGATION, ALL VIDEO RECORDS HAVE BEEN EXPUNGED BY ORDERS OF [DIRECTOR ANDERSON]

INTERROGATION LOG - AGENT JAMES KITT

Subject Shows extreme disturbance after interrogation by Agent Kitt, recommend that Option 2 - PSYCHOLOGICAL should be implemented for all further interrogations. All subsequent interrogations are recommended to be supervised by all on-site Psychologists present at the time

INTERROGATION LOG - AGENT DANIELLE SMYTHE

Subject has been detained after attempting to attack Agent Smythe, mid-interrogation, and is restrained at detention block 343, on black site DACOSTA-109. Subject must be monitored at all times to ensure mental stability after the incident.

>DIR-ROSEBUD HAS LOGGED OFF

[Neo-Assyrian Empire]

Midland
The roar of tank and artillery fire deafened soldiers as they pushed into the mainland of the nation. Jets carrying incendiary bombs would fly low over both military and civilian targets. The pilots didn't care or discriminate as they dropped the bombs.

October 8th, 2014,

The invasion of Midland has so far proved successful. Our forces are only 35 kilometers from the southern coast, and are closing in rapidly. You have to admire the Midlandic for fighting an enemy they cannot repel.

Scouts have returned from the South and claim that they have seen Ghondran soldiers amongst the Midlandic, training them. If this is true, then this battle should be even more of a devastating blow to the Ghondrans.

~Anders Eismark

On the front lines, it was obvious that fighting would continue to rage on for days to come. At night, you could see the muzzle flashes from both sides. The Prussen soldiers would manage to get more kills than the Midland forces due to the fact that more soldiers were given night vision scopes.

---

Port of Aspen
The Wolf Pack flew high in the sky over the harbor, running a reconnaissance mission for the Kommandant. After the fight several days before, a rift was formed between Rikvar and Heinrich due to Heinrich's dissent. However, they were still able to work together to fight the Ghondrans.

"Heinrich," asked Rikvar, "Are you seeing what I am seeing?"

"Yes. It looks like our scouts were right, the Ghondrans are training the Midlanders. We should bomb them now while they're oblivious."

"That's a negative Heinrich, return to base. We'll make note of it and return to destroy them."

The Pack turned around and began to head back to Prussen territory

---

Eastern Ghondran Coast
Swarms of ancient aircraft, by modern standards, began to fly towards the coastal towns of Ghondra. These quad engine aircraft waited until they were above villages in order to drop their payloads. Once the bomb bays opened, it was not bombs that fell, but fliers. All of them were propaganda, entitled "The Prussen Life," designed to show how good life under the Head Marshal was in comparison to living in a democracy. After the fliers were dropped, the bombers flew back to Prussenija... Not before dozens were shot down by Ghondrans.

"Living in Prussenija is much better than living under your presidents and prime ministers. As seen in this photo, the standard Prussen home has several televisions and computers, along with many forms of entertainment. In the Empire, no one is bored. We also have a loving and caring leader, unlike the charismatic liars you elect. He makes the best choices for the public without having to go through the democratic process that slows your nation down."

This would be the beginning of a propaganda war in Ghondra.

[Renetopia]

LOCATION CLASSIFIED, Jiade

An array of Jiadese, Ghondran and Persican scientists have been working on finding a cure for the MEV-01 for quite some time now.

A state of emergency has been initiated in the Republic of Jiade. School closing, curfews and even martial law in some places. The borders of Jiade are closed. No one is going in. Everybody going out are medically evaluated, and if there is even a slight risk, that person isn't authorized to leave.

But now, right now, at this very moment, a slight spark of hope is lighted.

"Guys!", one scientist practically shouted, "I think I may have something!". His fellow co-workers rushed to his side and found the best news in a long time...

[Cymrea]

Persican Broadcasting Corporation

"...in international news tonight, the Circles for Disease Control and Prevention have received reports of a serious outbreak of Ghondran Flu - or MEV-01 - in the neighbouring nation of Balendia. Provincial health officials in Bridon were the first to receive these reports following a surge of Balendian citizens trying to enter Persica at the border crossing at Sark. Royal Border Protection agents halted traffic coming from Balendia when they noticed a large group of vehicles and even some pedestrians arriving at the southern end of the crossing. Historically, traffic from Balendia has been minimal, as the government there is significantly authoritarian and does not permit free travel to Persica. When those Balendians trying to enter were screened for Ghondran Flu and tested positive for the virus, RPB closed the border and established a quarantine for those already processed. Before this, there were no positive tests reported.

"But with hundreds of Balendians arriving at the border crossing, the Royal Bridon Rifles regiment has been deployed to defend the area from unauthorised crossings. As of yet, there have been no incidents.

"PBC interviewed some of the Balendians in the Sark quarantine. 'It's a bloody nightmare back there,' said Yancy U'Bran. 'The army is keeping us in our homes, and we're just...we're just dying untreated. In piles, man. The hopsitals are full of sick and dead people, and then they just closed, saying there's no more beds. The doctors and nurses, too. They're dying of the Flu, man.'"

"This account and others nearly identical continue to come from what the Crown are already calling refugees. Officials with the foreign ministry stated that an investigation into the state of affairs of Balendia will begin as early as tomorrow, to determine what the Balendian government is doing - or indeed, if there even is one functioning.

"For the PBC News, I'm Dan Maroon."

[La Republica De Filipinas]

Confederal News Channel

"This is CNC Global; I'm Ferinu Derines; The headlines at 8 o'clock ."

"The Alegeharian government has pledged support to the Salafi National Congress, stating their goal as to restore order to Salafis. Later today, the Transcontinental Assembly is bound to embark a response, but as of now, Altorivan and Zaiikrot navies are stationing more naval vessels in Salafi waters. We'll have live footage in the Assembly later on."

"An operation on Hadniya, Salafis' largest city, conducted by the Aqruthian Armed Forces has resulted in a decisive victory for the Aqruthian Confederation. The search for Warlord Danas Renuo is now ongoing, as recent intelligence tells that he was the one commanding the Salafi militia in the southwestern portions of salafis."

"And for other leading headlines today..."

---

[WIP]

[Cymrea]

Somewhere in Athartha

Gage Winters was not his name. In fact, it was no longer even his alias. For the moment, he was Jorgen Breivik, a Biorchan citizen from northern Kaea.

Breivik was watching the PBC World News. Old habits were dangerous in his business, but he had judged the risk to be minimal. And when one spent as much time in rooms without windows as he did, the temptation to peek at the outside world was sometimes too strong to resist. He regretted giving in to that temptation as the next story was unfolded.

"...and in international news, the Intelligentia Militarum reports that they have ascertained the identities of the five Biorchan terrorists responsible for shooting down flight DA909 and the deaths of at least fifty people, including thirty Valimi civilians..."

The faces of his five team members appeared on the screen, each displayed with his fake Biorchan name. Breivik's scalp tingled and his stomach lurched. And then his cell phone rang.

He stared at the display for a moment, but it offered no information. Of course it didn't. He considered not answering it, but he knew that wouldn't make a difference. Better to know.

Breivik tapped the green icon and held the phone to his ear. He said nothing. He didn't have to.

"Your team has been burned. You're being reassigned." A small click signaled the end of the conversation and the call.

Burned, thought Breivik. Fuck.

When an IM operative was burned, their connection to the organization was terminated, leaving them without access to cash or influence. The burned agent had no prior work history, no money, no support network – in essence, no identity. This was IM's usual way of ending a covert agent's employment. It could have been worse. The team could have been executed.

Breivik rubbed the three-day stubble on his jaw as he considered. If he had to guess, Persica was serving the team up in exchange for something at the highest levels with Jordslag.

"...authorities have been unable to locate the agents," the reporter continued. "It's believed that they may have been tipped off and fled the country..."

Well that was awfully nice of I-Mil, thought Breivik. Gave them a running head start.

"...grateful for the information, the Jordslagi government has avowed to bring the five terrorists to justice..."

Breivik leaned forward and picked up his lager from the coffee table in front of him. He tipped the bottle toward the TV in salute. "Best of luck to you, lads."

He drained the bottle and changed the channel.

[Ptolemais]

Tokiwadai, Helvetia
House of Nobles
October 8, 2014
0930 Hours

The press room of the House of Nobles was a well-appointed, high vaulted section of the antiquated building. Much history had occurred in this building, and the gravity of the situation the world was in really sunk into the assembled reporters once the official Ghondran declaration of war against Prussenija and Taehan came in just an hour ago. The assembled members of the media quietly talked among themselves as they sat and awaited the official response of the Helvetian government, with press members from several regional nations in attendance as well. At 0930 sharp it began when the herald entered the chamber.

Two strikes of the staff on the floor.

"All rise for the Chief Representative of the Noble Council, Princess Sayaka Tsunemori!" the herald declared.

The members of the media rose as the Chief Representative made her way to the great oak podium at the head of the room. Princess Tsunemori gracefully assumed the lectern, shuffled a few papers that were on it, then began with an authoritative tone.

"As of 0030 hours local time this morning, Ghondra has officially declared itself to be at a state of war with United Forces of Evora member-states Prussenija and Taehan. Ghondra has allegedly attacked Prussen aircraft in international airspace and escalated the volatile situation into war. We condemn Ghondra's actions in the strongest terms possible, and the government will be taking several steps to make our point clear. First, the Ghondran embassy in Tokiwadai is to be closed and all personnel are to leave Helvetia immediately. Second, all Ghondran citizens must leave Helvetia within 48 hours or be subject to full legal penalties as enemies of the state. Third, all trade between Ghondra and Helvetia will immediately cease, including exports of Helvetian crude oil. At this time, neither Prussenija or Taehan are requesting Helvetian military assistance in the matter and as a result the government will not commit to such action in the foreseeable future. We will take all steps necessary economically to punish Ghondra, but we will not be declaring war and will do our best to stay out of what appears to be a regional conflict."

Princess Tsunemori paused. It was fairly obvious she had read most of that off a prepared speech. She then looked up and surveyed the assembled reporters.

"This is a tragedy on an unimaginable scale. Many lives will be lost on both sides. It is my hope that this inevitable war will be prosecuted swiftly and decisively with minimal civilian casualties. My heart goes out to those who are affected by the war, and I will do everything in my power to ensure further chaos does not come to Helvetia and that there will eventually be peace in the world as a whole."

With that, she stepped down from the podium and made her way out of the chamber, flanked by ceremonial guards. She sincerely hoped she could keep Helvetia out of another long, drawn-out war. As she cleared the room, an aide approached her and whispered good news into her ear. Apparently, the negotiations with Avoria were going well. They expected to conclude the peace treaty by the end of the week. It appears the delegates from Avoria were watching the speech and Helvetia taking a cautious stance towards the war appeared to have sucked out much of the optimism they had to leverage the situation. She truly meant her words, and told the aide to send her regards to the negotiating team and her wish that they obtain the peace treaty with all due haste.

HFB Yasuko
House Mibu Royal Militia Headquarters
0935 Hours

Duchess Izumi Mibu was watching the news conference live and nearly spat when she heard the Chief Representative extol about "peace in the world." Her deputy, Baron Seiichi Mibu, merely offered a sympathetic smile. Izumi proceeded on a rant.

"Can you believe the naivety of that child? Peace in our time? What's next, equality? She truly has no idea..."

Seiichi merely threw up his hands apathetically.

"Well, you know old Prince Tsunemori chose her to succeed him because she held these new ideals. We always knew he was a reformer. However, at this rate, it appears you will be chained to this peaceful little island in the south of the nation with no combat or glory. Surely it was too much to expect her to declare war on Ghondra and send you to ravage the enemy."

A wicked grin appeared across Izumi's face. Seiichi gave her a quizzical look, curiously dreading what the Duchess had planned.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. In fact, I think i'm about to go take an extended patrol in the south. The Tachibana has already been made ready to set sail, and the Third Escort Squadron should be arriving later tonight. I'm thinking of going to take a look at the situation myself, at least see how the Ghondrans in Southern Kaea are doing. Perhaps i'll run into some vessels from Taehan on the way..."

Seiichi shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, he knew this was a bad idea.

"Prince Jiro would not approve, not when we are so close to the time of action..."

Izumi slammed her fist down on her desk, making Seiichi jump slightly.

"My brother is a coward. He is too meticulous and rigid. If even the smallest condition is not met, he will not move against House Tsunemori. I do not consider there to be even a 50/50 chance he will act when the time comes. I will not be denied my chance to earn glory for our stagnating House. We will have our victory!"

Seiichi resigned himself to the inevitable. In truth, he could have seen this coming, he just wished the Duchess had at least kept him in the loop. He didn't like how she worked so closely with the lowborn officers instead of her own noble kin. He merely presented one potential obstacle to her plan.

"What do we do with Sir Kaworu?"

Izumi merely waved her hand, as if brushing some dirt off her uniform.

"The inquisitive Knight-Proctor from the capital? Cook up something for our watchdog to jump on. He will cease to be my problem once I depart later tonight, I will leave the sly talking to you, since you're so capable. Do not fail in your duty, Baron."

Seiichi stood up, saluted the Duchess and took his leave. Perhaps the Knight-Proctor would get trapped in an elevator shaft for the next 24 hours, that would make things much easier. He made a mental note to visit the maintenance department if he could not think of a convincing decoy.

2130 Hours...

Baron Seiichi strolled down the corridors of the bases administrative headquarters. Several soldiers hurried by with varying tools, he could hear over their radios that there was a very frustrated person trapped in an elevator on the fifteenth floor. He held up the soldiers for a snap uniform inspection, found one to be lacking, and had a nearby officer read through the entire uniform regulation code with the soldiers to make the point clear. Well, he might have bought five more minutes with that. He glanced out the window and saw the Tachibana breaking port with several escort ships in tow. He hoped none of this came back to haunt him.

[The Great Korean Empire]

The Ostian Ocean
The 3rd Taehanese Fleet
22:20 Hours

The naval fleet that had departed Pohang Naval Operations Base was making there own steady time. Powered by nuclear fuel and the more conventional ships had engines and machines that converted sea-water into fuel and ran on it. This technological advancement had greatly shortened the long chain of logistics for the URT Navy. With the Ghondran carrier groups located in the Ostian Oceans annihilated due to coordination with the Army they had total naval dominance in the Ostian Ocean. There move was simple arrive into territories controlled by Ghondra in Kaea and eliminate it as a threat. Usually the Ghondran fleet would have a advantage over the Taehanese fleet having the most powerful navy in the world. But Taehan had spend billions upon billions on research and developing these new ships for combat. As they moved forward their scouts had seen a ship. A enormous one, but it wasn't like the ones Ghondra used. Besides Ghondran naval presence had basically been wiped out for now.

Admiral Haejong sent a message towards the unidentified ships. "This the 3rd Taehanese Fleet. Identify yourself at once or you will be fired upon". He closed communications and waited for the answer that would either the peaceful night into a fiery hurricane of death and destruction. The captains in charge of the Yulgok-class missile super-cruisers grinned at there possibly first time in actual action. These naval monstrosities were based on arsenal ship designs and heavily armed carrying 512 vertical launch systems each carrying four cruise missiles, sea-skimming anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine rockets, and a combination of CIWS', 155mm advanced gun systems, and Mk 46 30 mm gun systems. Coupled with Blue Shark torpedoes and anti-submarine warfare helicopters it was the most powerful and largest surface warship class in the Taehanese Navy only rivaled by nuclear-powered battle-cruisers and super-carriers. And a lot of them were crossing there fingers that this would open up into a fight.

(OOC: First of all these ships are heavily based on RL Zumwalt-class destroyers and designs on arsenal ships. Also sorry if it's a bit short. And this is directed to Helvetia to make sure that it's clear.)

[Ptolemais]

The Ostian Ocean
Helvetian Carrier Strike Group Tachibana
22:22 Hours

Duchess Izumi was relishing in her delinquency with a cup of tea on the bridge of her flagship when the communications officer chimed in.

"Lady Mibu, the Kirishima reports contact with the 3rd Taehanese Fleet. They are demanding we identify or they will open fire."

Izumi set aside her tea and once again a wicked grin crossed her face.

"It would be a shame if we came all the way out here only to fight our allies. Put me through to our lovely Taehanese friends." she intoned and the communications officer opened a channel to the Taehanese fleet. "Attention Taehanese Fleet. This is Duchess Izumi Mibu of the Royal Mibu Carrier Tachibana, UFE designation Helvetian Maritime Forces Ship Tachibana. I am conducting a power projection exercise against Ghondra's South Kaea territories. For Taehan to be out here in such force, after such a glorious victory over Ghondra, I can only assume our goals are aligned."

She took up her tea once again as she awaited a response.

[Ghondra]

GENERAL ORDER 0922380

TO ALL OVERSEAS IMPERIAL FORCES

ALL OVERSEAS IMPERIAL FORCES THAT WILL NOT SIGNIFICANTLY EFFECT TROOP DISPOSITION IF REDEPLOYED ARE REQUIRED TO REDEPLOY TO THE HOMELAND IN ACCORDANCE WITH DEFENSE PROTOCOL: RIPLEY-2302 TO DEFEND THE HOMELAND FOR THE DURATION OF THE WAR. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED ORDER ALL NAVAL FLEETS ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT TO NAVAL STATION ALARIC NAVAL STATION JUNO AND NAVAL STATION BRITANI IN ACCORDANCE WITH NAVAL PROTOCOL: MARE DEFENSOR

ALL HAIL GHONDRA
LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR

MINISTRY OF DEFENSE
UNITED EMPIRE OF GHONDRA AND GAELLA

[Neo-Assyrian Empire]

North Midland
After nearly a week of fighting, the Capitol of Midland was in sight of the Prussens. Prussen bombers were beginning to drop regular and fire bombs on both military targets and on the people. Artillery also pounded the city day and night as the Prussens close in on their prey. However, this rapid offensive from North Bretton to the Capitol was not without loss. Nearly a thousand Prussens perished during the fighting for Midland.

Behind the front lines, the soldiers were preparing for one final push. One quick strike that will destroy Midland and give Prussenija a stepping stone into Ghondra. All they had to do was wait for the signal and charge.

---

North Ghondra
As the sun went down and crickets began to chirp, a small Ghondran family gathered around a TV. "Last week on, Landhome," boomed the announcer.

"Harry," yelled the mother, "Come here, Landhome's coming on!" The child ran into the room carrying a bowl of popcorn and plopped down on for floor. As the show went on, the low rumble of Prussen jets could be heard as they approached the coastline.

"Civies in sight. Permission to engage?" Asked one of the pilots

"Permission granted. Engage at will" A rocket was soon disconnected from the just and flew straight into the house of the Ghondrans. The house collapsed, and the family, dead.

Several more rockets were launched at the coastline before the jets turned around and attempted to return to the homeland.

---

Eberdessen Labor Camp
As the prisoners walked into a small shed, guards stood by their side, just waiting for an excuse to beat one of the prisoners. Once they were in the shed, a guard in a black uniform walked in. "As you may have heard, the glorious state has been attacked by the Ghondran filth, and what better way to fight filth than with weapons made by filth? You shall create weapons and ammunition to supple the Prussen war machine." He dropped a box on the table. "Now get to work."

As the officer walked away, one of the weaker prisoners accidentally dropped a bullet on the floor. The officer stopped as soon as he heard the pin. He turned around and saw the worker grab the bullet off the ground. "YOU! What do you think you're doing?" Two guards stepped forward and pulled out their batons, hitting the prisoner repeatedly. After several minutes, the officer raised his hand. "Send him to the fires."

The prisoner was too weak to make any reaction as the two guards carried him towards a thick brick building, only to be turned to ash.

[Ghondra]

BREAKING NEWS

"Hello I'm Scott Bailey"

WikiLeaks 'Death Camp' Controversy
------
"WikiLeaks, the website founded by controversial activist and hacker Julio Assange has recently leaked a 10 minute and 30 second video of a Concentration Camp located in Prussenija, the Camp, identified as 'Eberdessen' exact location unknown, has been recorded to be a mass execution and forced labor site for the Prussen Government. Due to the ban on Foreign Press entering the country, GNN nor any other News Organization including the PBC has managed to ascertain the authenticity of the video.

Along with the video was attached a 21 page long report on the 'Death Camp' written by an as-of-yet unidentified Prussen Military Official, believed to be sent to the Head Marshall, containing detailed information on the Camp's activities, which includes mass executions of ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, and their employment in Forced Labor for the Prussen War Effort. Due to the perceived massive breach of human rights in the camp, widespread international condemnation from numerous activist groups including the Red Cross, the International Fund for Human Development, and many other such organizations. As of yet no government, including the Prussen and Ghondran Governments have commented on the matter"

"More on this story as it develops"

---

Indiscriminate Bombing in Northern Ghondra
-------
"At 2000 Hours GMT, the City of Sterling, a coastal port city in Northern Ghondra was bombarded by long-ranged Prussen bombers and Attack Fighters, they were believed to be masked from radar detection by a massive overload of the Radar Network, believed to be intentionally done by Prussen Intelligence Services. The Prussen Aircraft also escaped detection by local air patrols.

Over 2500 people are believed to have been killed in the firebombings, along with nearly 20,000 Homes and numerous buildings destroyed. This attack along with the previous week's 'pamphlet drops' across the Coastal Areas has called into question the effectiveness of existing Air Defense Networks, who, according to an MoD liaison, has been reassigned to urban areas, deemed essential for the continuation of the war effort.

We now cut to our Field reporter Darren Mosley, Darren"
---
"Thank you Scott, as you can see in the scene behind me, Emergency Services and First Responders are still trying to put out the fires brought out by the firebombings just a few hours ago, now we have an eyewitness here, Ms. Hannah Rose, Ms. Rose can you please tell us what you were doing before the bombings"

"Of course I can, I can still recall it now with perfect clarity. [Name withheld for Copyright reasons] Just came on, and my parents were watching, I wasn't allowed because it was for adults. So I decided to go out with my friends for a night out, and then we just heard this massive thundering sounds and before we knew it fire and explosions was erupting all over, I could only think of going home but my friends dragged me down the cellar of a pub, I've no idea how I or my friends survived but when we were forced to come out because of the heat, everything was still on fire. And my mum and dad they... I don't want to talk about it"

"Okay, I'm sorry Ms. Rose, I know this is a highly stressful time for you but what do you think of the War effort now?"

"I believe that we should... That we should make them pay!"

"Okay, thank you Miss Rose, I'm Darren Mosley, back to you Scott"

"Thank you Darren, now we must cut to the House of Parliament where the Prime Minister is preparing to make his statement addressing the issue"
-----
"Ladies and Gentlemen of Parliament, It is my greatest displeasure to say to you all that the Ghondran Homeland was attacked! Not since the Second World War has the homeland has been threatened in such scale, and not since the 6/6 Attacks, still fresh in living memory, that so many innocent Ghondran lives have been lost"

This dastardly attack on our soil has only proven the enemy's propensity and even OPTIMISM for such heinous and disgusting acts such as these. I believe previously that killing Civilians was reserved for only the most barbaric of foes, and that only monsters would do such a thing to not only Ghondran, but HUMAN lives. We have survived many things my friends, and thus we have tolerated many things. Acts such as these brings me to my uttermost shame, shame that I have failed the people of Ghondra, and of the Empire.

But as they say, failure bring only wisdom, and I swore to every people that lives under the Empire's banners that I will never again fail, I will ensure that as many innocent lives are spared from this conflict that threatens the very fabric of our nation.

I assure you, that the unbounded determination, optimism and the patience of the People of the Empire will bring us to our deserved and ultimate victory over the menace that threatens our very lives.

"Thank you"
-----
"Alright that's all the time we have today, tune in at 7 PM for more news, I'm Scott Bailey, Good Morning Ghondra"

[Alegeharia]

Lego had watched the news and noticed his friend needed help. So he sent people in 5th gen stealth air transporters and by boats with Sonar radar and anti sub tech, he also sent them F-35s and set up drone spots near the alegeharian border and while he was think about what to do. lego had spoke with the salafian leader and set their plan in motion. AA and AS turrets started popping up all over the salafian border. Men in power suits have also shown up. Lego also sent a squad of robots to salifas to fire at any aqruthian SOLDIER that moves towards its border. Lego sent robots as well but powered off in a plane to ghondra.
"Thank leader of the salafians we will continue to help out ill update you when falconmont arrives for now this should do."
lego then turned to the ghondran
"this should also help you hopefully, If you need more you will need to increase the troop limit for Alegeharia but i believe this should do just fine."

[Falconmont]

To the leader of Alegeharia

We understand your situation and need for assistance, however the people of Falconmont have spoken and war is out of the question. The most we are willing to do at the time is provide medical assistance, and safe harbor for any refugee's escaping the conflict. Anything more is not in our best interest at this point in time.
We apologize for the short abruptness of this letter, and not being able to tell you personally.

Sincerely
Vyacheslav Lovzansky
Chancellor of Falconmont

[Alegeharia]

To the leader of Alegeharia

We understand your situation and need for assistance, however the people of Falconmont have spoken and war is out of the question. The most we are willing to do at the time is provide medical assistance, and safe harbor for any refugee's escaping the conflict. Anything more is not in our best interest at this point in time.
We apologize for the short abruptness of this letter, and not being able to tell you personally.

Sincerely
Vyacheslav Lovzansky
Chancellor of Falconmont

Planes land on falconmont soil and a man in what looks like an assassin

http://consolecreatures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Keyart_1400057108.png

"Here is a letter from lego. It says..." He opened it.
"Please ignore the 500k people coming to free the salafians."
an explosion is heard.
"oh right and the gun happy robots."

"Oh and we.brought some refugees."

[Soviet Chernarus]

"...the Emperor has recently agreed to supply scientists to aid in international efforts to contain the disease. The Emperor has also begun to issue masks to the populace living in major urban cities such as Verdunberg. In a speech yesterday, the Minister of Defense has announced a nationwide effort to enlarge the size of the Imperial Armed Forces, with billions of kolts being put forward to accomplish these goals..."
---
"Your Imperial Majesty, sir, as I have said earlier, our other allies have commenced hostilities with Ghondra. We have received unconfirmed reports of victories against the Ghondrans. However, it is only a matter of time before they reorganize. I recommend immediate military aid to our new allies, as a gesture of support and to display Kolteran military might." One of the generals spoke; the meeting was held in a room with various panels and fixtures decorated it. The generals and the Emperor sat on several exquisitely decorated chairs, embedded with precious metals and gems.

"Sir, it is not wise to become involved yet. We have no idea what the outcome will be, and we should not underestimate the enemy." Another general insisted. "Plus, we have not even fully mobilized yet. We are unprepared."

"Perhaps that is true. But you have heard about the victories! With our allies, we will win the war." The general that had proposed Kolteran entry in the war continued to insist, "We are obliged to assist our allies, and not doing so would be contradictory to our beliefs."

The Emperor nodded, stroking his chin. "I see both sides. However, I am afraid I have already made my decision.

We will be entering the war. Commence with mobilization of the Imperial Military, in coordination with WPO4 (a plan for mobilization). I will send a message to our allies, announcing Kolteran's entry in the war. We shall send a force no more than 30,000 troops. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your Imperial Majesty. It will be done."
---

To: To the Foreign Ministries of all member nations in the UFE
From: The Imperial Kolteran Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Subject: Kolteran Entry in War
Encryption: High

Comrades!
We are proud to announce that our nation will be joining in the war against the tyrannical governments who have oppressed their peoples for far too long! We will initially deploy 30,000 troops, in accordance with the Emperor's orders, but the number will only grow from there. Our only request is to allow the passage of Kolteran troops across Prussenijan soil. Our troops are trained to march long distances, but we prefer to have them transported via railroad. We will adhere to any terms or requests you may have.

With best regards,
The Imperial Kolteran Ministry of Foreign Affairs

[La Republica De Filipinas]

Nyra, Altorivan Exclave

The operation in Salafis proved to be a success, with the Aqruthian Confederation winning decisive victories after decisive victories. Aqruthians worldwide were proud, as they have achieved what the Ghondrans and numerous other nations have failed to do: tame the Salafi barbarians.

Nyra, the city that was besieged a mere month ago, was made the command center for the AAF-led joint task force between Aqruthian national armies. The overall commander of the operation was General Yissaqhar Qleid, a middle-aged man from the capital city of Maiitval-Teris.

"Sir," an intelligence officer reported. "The Alegeharians were serious about supporting the Salafi warlords. Military movements have been detected by the Aqruthian Survey Corps. What are your orders, general?"

"Kindly request high command to for reinforcements and supplement our forces with more capable anti-air units?" The general calmly asked of the officer. "...preferably those that have our new GIRAFFE radars."

"As you request, sir."

"And lieutenant? Please return to my office after 15 minutes. I have a message to send to the Alegeharians."

Eventually, the genera's units was granted, and arrived in strategic locations through the use of A400Ms. While weapons were being set up by the Alegeharians, the aimed their artillery pieces at the Alegeharians and readied their ground troops for an upcoming battle, should they not decide to withdraw.

---

Transmission to the Alegeharian Forces in Salafis
Security Level: None

I, Yissakhar Kleid - the commander of the Aqruthian Expeditionary Forces, speak on behalf of the Aqruthian Confederation. By supporting the Salafi National Congress, you have not only supported a terrorist group, but have gone against the interests of the Confederation in maintaining its own security. We shall make no concessions to any Alegeharian demands, and will fight to maintain our interests in Salafis.

I implore you to withdraw from Salafis immediately to prevent further bloodshed. Failure to comply or reply in several hours will result in an attack by the Aqruthian Expeditionary Force. Should you fire a single shot at an Aqruthian soldier during this grace period, we shall immediately attack.

Oren Chaikin Forward Operating Base,
Hadniya International Airport, Salafis

"There it is." Dori Roth, the base commander of the FoB said in awe as he pointed to several A400Ms approaching the runways. "The weapon that will bring the Alegeharians to heel."

Although not a weapon, a GIRAFFE unit is capable of various tasks, including detecting artillery fire, and 5th generation stealth aircraft. These were capable mobile radars, and if a threat was to be detected, could move immediately to avoid danger. These units, accompanied by SAM systems and CIWS, were to be deployed in strategic areas, such that in other forward operating bases.

After the A400Ms landed, the radar vehicle was unloaded, as well as their accompanying vehicles and crews, and deployed to their specified locations as soon as possible. The SAMs surrounded the city, while the radar itself was located in the heavily-guarded airport.

[Neo-Assyrian Empire]

Waersew, Midland
"Push onwards! They're giving in!" Prussen forces were now marching towards the front of the Midlandic capitol. Dozens of Midlandic troops stood on the steps and on the front, hiding behind whatever they could find. As the two sides exchanged fire, it was obvious that Midland would fall shortly. After a brief firefight in front of the building, the remaining troops from Midland fell back into the building, trying to barricade the doors and block the windows. After this, ten Prussen soldiers ran to the front doors and began to push in. The doors snapped and broke down, causing Prussen soldiers to flood the lobby.

In the Presidential Office, Richard Klovich paced the room. He knew that he had little time left, and was worried by the ferocity of the Prussens. He didn't want to fall into their hands, and be tortured like the rest. At the same time, he was too cowardly to take his own life and spare him from whatever fate had in store for him. Then, hushed whispers outside the door. On the other side stood several Prussens, waiting to breach through. "Remember, we need Klovich alive for Eismark," said a higher ranking soldier. The others nodded. He then signaled with his fingers. 3. 2. 1. The door was kicked down and the four or five soldiers rushed into the room.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP, NOW! WE WILL SHOOT YOU IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY." The president raised his arms as the Prussens grabbed him and escorted him to the front of the building, where Eismark stood at the top of the staircase, waiting for him. The soldiers dropped Klovich in front of Eismark and surrounded him. The Kommandant looked behind him to see if a soldier carrying a hand held camera was ready. After getting a nod, Eismark started his speech.

"To the presidents and monarchs of the western world, especially the Prime Minister and Emperor of Ghondra, look and see what has befallen of the first foe in this war. Kneeling before me is Richard Klovich, better known as the President of the Midland. He had made the foolish effort of trying to fight off the mighty Prussen military. That was the last mistake he will ever make." Eismark drew his pistol, stepping aside so that Klovich was in view of the camera. "Guten naktinis, Herr President" Eismark pulled the trigger and Klovich fell to the ground. Almost simultaneously, on top of the capitol building, the Midlandic flag was cut off and landed on Klovich's corpse. Eismark turned back to the camera. "So I shall give an ultimatum to the leaders and people of Ghondra. If you do not cease hostilities with the state within twenty four hours, you shall be spared of Klovich's fate. If you don't, well..." Eismark merely looked down at the body. He looked back up. "The clock is ticking." With that, the camera was cut. "Give me the recording, and I shall make sure it reaches the Ghondran government."

As Eismark walked down the steps, the Prussen flag was planted atop the building. The Prussen soldiers began to cheer, though this first victory would be far from their last.

---

Röthenberg
"What the fuck happened?" The Head Marshal walked behind various officials surrounding a table. "How could you have let this happen in the first place? Ghondrans now know that we have been exterminating the undesirables in the Empire! Uugh..." The Head Marshal stopped and closed his eyes. "I would like whoever did this to stand up and take responsibility for this. Do not worry, I will not be angry." The room fell into dead silence. Then, one officer coughed. The Head Marshal opened his eyes and pulled out his pistol, aiming it right at his head. "You god damned traitor! I should have known that it was you who would betray the State like this! Guards, get this man on the first train to Eberdessen, NOW!" Several guards marched forward, picked the officer up from his chair, and escorted him out of the room. The Head Marshal stood still, trying to control his anger.

"Everyone, out." The officials wasted no time to stand up from their seats and get out of the room. They did not want to end up like the poor man who is now on his way to die.

[Cymrea]

Nostra Dama Toriana - Persican House of Parliament
Vanovar, Persica

For the first time in nearly a century, both the Circle of Archons and the Circle of Praefects were convened together in the Magnum Concilium. The Great Council, as it was known in common speech, referred to both the combined assembly of the two Circles of Parliament and to the massive marble-and-mahogany chamber in which they would attend the monarch. Security around the government grounds had been stepped up, commensurate to the gravity of the day's agenda, and every media outlet that could obtain access had a team of reporters present. The public gallery was packed to capacity; the rest filled the grounds outside with the throngs of citizen onlookers.

A portly man in a powdered white wig stood before the Magnum Concilium at a podium set before and below a raised dais. Behind him, centred on the emerald-carpeted dais, was the massive Dragon Throne, flanked by lesser seats for the Prince Consort and their son Prince Owainn.

As the Lord Speaker for the Circle of Archons, he took the slightest precedence over the Speaker of the Circle of Praefects and would address the Great Council. He peered out at those seated over gold-rimmed spectacles and raised his hands, palms out, in a gesture that asked for silence. When the murmurs had subsided, he cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone in a clear baritone.

"Ladies, lords, and gentlemen of the Magnum Concilium, people of the Kingdom of Persica: I hereby open the third Magnum Concilium of the House of Rosa." The Lord Speaker banged a gavel on the block before him. "The Council yields the floor to Her Glorious Majesty Rhiannon, by the Grace of the Old Gods, of Persica and all her Dominions, Queen, Defender of the Groves, Protector of the Faith. All rise for the Queen!"

The Great Council stood to their feet, nearly eight hundred members and another four hundred in the gallery. From the public address speakers throughout the chamber the brassy strains introducing the anthem, Gods Save the Queen, swelled.

Gods save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
Gods save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Joyous and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
Gods save the Queen.

Queen Rhiannon o Rosa Regina, First of Her Name, emerged from a rear chamber flanked by Prince Consort Gareth, Prince Owainn, and nine Royal Guards. The guards took up inconspicuous spots behind while the queen and her House took their places before their seats of state.

Resplendent as ever in a flawlessly tailored ensemble, Queen Rhiannon wore an immaculate white jacket with golden buttons over a long, emerald-hued dress that she arranged as she sat. Then the Lord Great Chamberlain emerged with two more Royal Guards and the Rose Crown, a tower of of gold and gems padded in ermine that included four Celtic crosses and four roses, two arches on top, all surmounted by another Celtic cross. With white-gloved hands, he set the crown atop her free-flowing copper hair. The crown was the only regalia she bore; even that was a clear acknowledgment of the import of the Magnum Concilium - only the third since 1566.

The queen folded her perfectly manicured hands in her lap. "My Ladies, Lords, and gentleman, pray be seated." A microphone secreted in the throne projected her voice.

As the assembly sat, the Lord Great Chamberlain was handed his Oak Rod, which he raised in signal to the Gentleman Usher of the Stone Rod, who waited in the hall outside the chamber. The Stone Rod approached and the massive doors were slammed shut, symbolising the refusal by the Circles to be entered by force by the monarch or one of the monarch's servants, and also its right to debate without the presence of the Queen's Representative. Three booming knocks came as the Stone Rod was struck against the doors. The doors were re-opened and remained open, admitting the Stone Rod and symbolising the inclusion of all the Realm. Once inside, the man marched down the central aisle and stood before the podium. He bowed to the Lord Speaker and turned to address the chamber.

"My Lord Speaker, the Queen commands these honourable Circles to attend Her Majesty immediately." The Stone Rod and Lord Speaker then each made a graceful leg to the queen and took their own seats - the Lord Speaker with the Archons and the Stone Rod with the Praefects.

All eyes then fell upon the queen. She required no scrolls, no cue cards or prompters. Her eyes, the stormy grey of a fine Welsh summer, took in the entire chamber before she spoke.

"My Ladies, Lords, and gentleman, whereas the Imperial Prussen Government has committed repeated acts of war against the United Empire of Ghondra and Gaella and threatened the mainland of Bretton, be it therefore resolved by the Circle of Archons and Circle of Praefects of the Magnum Concilium assembled, that a state of military opposition between the Kingdom of Persica and the Imperial Prussen Government and her allies, which has thus been thrust upon the continent of Bretton and the Brettonian Union, is hereby formally declared. We, the Crown of Persica, authorise and direct the Royal Persican Forces and the resources of the Government to carry on military opposition against the Imperial Prussen Government and her allies; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination all the resources of the Realm are hereby pledged by the Crown and Government of Persica."

Queen Rhiannon's eyes cast about the chamber as she continued. "Let us be clear. Persica is actively defending the Brettonian continent; we do not defend Ghondra and we do not war with Prussenija or her allies. We will, however, expend our most vigourous efforts to ensure that the mainland continent remains unbreached by foreign invaders, or to eject - by all force necessary - any who violate the sovereignty of Brettonian nations. This includes Athartha, Tyr, Zantine, Cascadia, and Balendia as well as Ghondra.

"We speak also to Head Marshal Frederick II, President Jinheung Kim, Emperor Helmuth V, and Chief Representative Sayaka Tsunemori: prosecute whatever actions you will against Ghondra, but do not invade the Brettonian mainland nor violate the sovereignty of the nations thereupon.

"My Ladies, lords, and gentlemen, I pray that the blessings of the Old Gods Almighty may rest upon your counsels."


Queen Rhiannon o Rosa Regina

[The Emerald Dragon]

7:30 AM
Over the Rhunic Ocean



Nearly 40 Council Paramilitary, the most elite units that operated within the EUP, on par and better than the EUP special forces units were on a mission, they'd be flying to Ghondra in preparation for an invasion by Prussen forces, of course, the Ghondrans hadn't been informed. They'd mainly wait until the main invasion - if there was one; like the Council and intelligence agencies expected, and then spring into action. Having ditched their tuxedos, they now sported a dark purple, blue and black camouflage uniform, which was complimented by several pieces of advanced technology, including the grappling hook which had been designed to fit onto their micro-galil rifles. The grappling hook itself was intended for scaling tall and steep structures with ease, they also used earpieces for quick communication.

Onboard the aircraft however, which was a chartered cargo plane, a sense of calm prevailed, most of the soldiers were asleep and some were quietly chatting. One of them was browsing some 'adult' websites, and the another was watching a Ghondran sitcom. The pilots, Ed Jaëgar - A Prussen refugee who was one of a very small number to escape and Louis Van Kleik - An Emeralderic Arctic native, were in a relaxed mood; they'd just finished an excellent breakfast of sushi for Jaëgar and stew for Kleik both having been cooked to perfection. Kleik, having had a week to modify the aircraft had decided to paint the aircraft into a radar-reflective paint scheme, it was also equipped with eight flares and a missile warning system.

It would be at least two hours until the soldiers would jump, and 20 minutes later, they'd begin to awaken...

[Ghondra]

Cape of Anders, North Ghondra Sea
One Week after Midland's fall, 0850 Hours GMT+1

The flight of 12 F-18s streaked through the white clouds, the glare of the tropical sun was blinding without the canopy, their shadow was visible even from the sea's surface, the early morning sun was fast approaching its apex. "Commander, Sierra-Bravo Surveillance station picked up a few bogeys 3 clicks ahead of us, should we check it out Cap'n?" The other survivor of that fateful day over the Cape, Helena Alexi pinged the flight's commander.

"Copy el-tee, Kingmaker bank 30 degrees left, keep your safeties on, could be friendlies" Jeffrey Bartlett replied, leading his squad to the flight of bogeys.

---

Army Base - Acadia, North Ghondra
0852 Hours GMT+1

John Ramsey was going through his usual rounds post-roll call: He lift his weights, join his pals; Davis and Lau with PT, and play football (soccer) for about 40 minutes, and as it always was, it was a pretty normal day. Even for wartime the Army Rangers, one of the parts of the army that was always one of the first in was going through the unexpected period of reorganization, as if following the industry and economy in rapid changes. So John Ramsey was not expecting his platoon CO; Lieutenant Ramirez, to practically knock down the door of the base's rec center, in full gear.

"Get in gear, we got work to do" He said, leaving with the platoon's 4 NCOs

Ramsey and his squad ran down the hall, heading to the base's armory, when they got there, they found 3 different platoons from all of Company B trying to get inside the over-capacity Armory, "What the hell's going on?"

---

18 Prince Drive, Acadia County
North Ghondra
0900 Hours GMT+1

"Spongepants Squarebob, Spongepants Squarebob, Spongepants Squarebob! hahahaha" The theme of Spongepants Squarebob droned on and on in the living room of the Smith Household, the second youngest of the Smith Siblings stared intently at the screen, his two siblings, the twins were sitting on the couch, writing possible pranks to play on the school's principal, and old man with the face of a goat. While the two parents; Jim and Lydia was playing with their newborn child. The warmth that the Smith Household gave off was a refuge from the war that was fast approaching.

A loud beep replaced the tune of the cartoon, the beep of the Emergency Broadcast System.

"This is the Emergency Broadcast System of the United Empire of Ghondra and Gaella, all civilians north of Motorway M18 are urged to vacate the area, this is not a drill, carry a photo ID and one baggage per person, any civilian who owns a firearm are urged to bring them, Military troops have been deployed to assist in the evacuation of the region, all civilians in [ACADIA COUNTY] are to report to Rhodes Community College, or Dalegreen Community College and report to the military units stationed there" The EBS repeated itself over and over again, "MOM! The TV's broke!" Andy, the second youngest of the smith sibling shouted to his mother.

---

Cape of Anders, North Ghondra Sea
10 Minutes later

"WHAT THE FUCK! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" Shouted one of the new additions to the reconstituted Kingmaker squadron as they dodged the missiles fired by the newly encountered flight of transport planes' escorts, all of them top of the line Su-27s, MIGs, the standard fare for the Prussen Aerial War Machine, dozens of missiles streaked past the clouds, as if sounding the drums of war that was now fast approaching the Homeland's shores.

"Kingmaker Lead, do you hear me?" A familiar voice asked Bartlett

"Metalgear? What the hell is going on, we are engaging hostile bogeys over the Cape, I need a SITREP ASAP"

"The Prussens are invading Jeff, RTB now, I'll give you a full SITREP in flight, just get your ass back to base. Metalgear out"

The line between them was cut off shortly, Bartlett gave the last of his cannon's ammunition, aiming it at a gigantic C-2 Galaxy, before issuing the command to return to base. 'Invasion, how is that possible?' Bartlett thought as he throttled the jet as it was heading for the base.

---

Dalegreen Community College
Acadia, North Ghondra
0905 Hours GMT+1

The Dalegreen Community College, usually filled with the early morning rush of college students was now absolutely overfilled with thousands of evacuees, the cries of children was common as families and individuals filed in, waiting to be evacuated from the Warzone they previously called home. John Ramsey however was not part of the group of evacuees, command in their infinite wisdom has saw it fit for a battalion of highly-trained badasses to babysit civilians.

"Battalion we're moving out!" The Colonel, an old man in his late 40s shouted to the groups of soldiers scattered all over the campus' courtyard

"You can't leave us here!" The civilians rumbled, shouting at the soldiers as they packed their bags, "A unit of the National Guard will come her to replace us! Do not panic, everything is under control
----
"That's what they always say" Rumbled Lydia Smith as her family stand in line, waiting to be evacuated, "Don't be like that Lydia" Her husband, Jim said, "Be positive" always the optimist.

But of course she was right, as shit was about to hit the fan, as they say
----
John Ramsey entered the interior of the Humvee vehicle, mounting the roof-mounted minigun, the Humvee joined the convoys of APCs, IFVs and other vehicles to Motorway 18, leaving behind the crowds of civilians, and onto the 'welcoming' arms of the approaching Prussen Soldiers
----
An Hour later
Midway to their destination, the humvee that held John Ramsey's unit 'Hunter 2-1' redirected itself to a suburban street, crammed with civvies running around the suburban complex, all of them holding some kind of bag and wearing a photo ID of themselves tied around their necks. Entire families crammed into small cars, meant for only 2 or 3 and the opposite was also true. The civilians crowded the Humvee, all of them shouting for help, and then shouting obscenities and curses at the squad as they drove off.

"Remember this is highly classified" The el-tee reminded them once again, to which they all nodded, "We got a HVI by the name of Wilhelm Kroner, he has Intel on one of those Death Camps that's been leaked around the net, General Henriksen has prioritized him for Evac, we'll secure him and escort him to an Evac site due west of here, and we'll assist and make our way down to M18 and join the rest of the battalion, got it?"

All heads nodded as the Humvee parked, the 5 soldiers exited the vehicle, and rushed to the HVI's home, a comfy upper-class mansion, suitable for a noble. "Mr. Kroner? Mr. Kroner we're here to evacuate you" The el-tee shouted, his voice echoing in the dark and abandoned home, they turned on their helmet-mounted lights, finding Kroner on the floor, a bottle of Gaellic Whiskey in one hand hand, and a heavy secured briefcase
in another.

"What's the point? They're gonna get us anyway" The man replied in heavily-accented Ghondran, taking a swig of his drink, "He's inebriated, secure him and the briefcase, and load him up" The el-tee commanded, right before a massive earthquake shattered the calm and silence of Darwin Street, "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" Corporal Dunn shouted at the top of his lungs, the earth rumbled, before abruptly falling silent.

"Air Strike maybe? Sure as hell sounded like one" said Ramsey, before the el-tee gave the signals for them to stand up, "Let's get moving, Ramsey, Dunn, load him up"

The group of 6 exited the mansion, now crumbling on its own weight after the little 'earthquake' that appeared to came out of nowhere, "Ah shit! Road's busted, what about we head back the way we came?" Dunn said as he and Ramsey finished loading up the drunk Kroner inside the Humvee's baggage cart, noting the fallen electric pole that now blocked their exit.

"Affirmative, let's load up" The lieutenant gave his affirmative, the men loaded up, heading back the way they came.

The sight of what they say horrified and devastated them in equal measures, "How did this happen..." Ramsey trailed off, unable to measure the devastation that their eyes feasted on, "It was an airstrike" The XO, Sergeant Foley pointed out the obvious as they watched the scene before them, burning vehicles everywhere, but there was no blood, all of it was cauterized in the near-instant explosion that killed all of the residents, there was hardly any bodies, no connected ones anyways, with limbs scattered all over the street and pavements, it was a scene that will be firmly implanted in their living memory.

"We have to go on foot, the road's too damaged" The driver; PFC. Kenneth Duncan regretfully said as the Humvee grounded to a halt. The doors opened in quick succession, with Ramsey dragging the inebriated man from his place in the baggage cart and onto the cracked pavements that covered the bombed-out street.

"My god..." The el-tee finally gave his 2 cents on the sight before him.

"...help me..." A dry and raspy voice whispered, warning the entire group, "Who the hell was that?"

"...help me..." the voice increased in volume, and a dragging sound was heard by the 5, minus the drunk and unconscious fellow with them. "Who is that? Show yourself!"

"...please..." A hand grabbed onto Ramsey's leg, he reacted without a second thought, he aimed and fired.

Blood splattered all over Ramsey's gear, his rifle, his kevlar, and his Tac-helmet. He swiftly switched on his safety, and threw his rifle at the ground, swiftly dropping his stance, landing on his ass into the concrete ground, "I-i-is that a c-civ-vie?" He managed to stuttered, to which Dunn, the only person who dared to check could only confirm, Ramsey started to shake, shake with all the force of an earthquake, tears dripped down his eyes and came in evermore swifter pace, until the lance corporal became a crying mess.

"Ramsey, we need to go" Dunn urged, "But I shot a c-civ-civvie Dunn, I ended a life I sworn to protect"

"What you did was an accident Ramsey, you know that" The el-tee reassured Ramsey

"I can't take it!" Before any of them could react, Ramsey grabbed his sidearm, put the barrel in his mouth, and pulled the trigger. Brain matter spilled all over the concrete ground, with small splatters of blood coloring Dunn's and the el-tee's face. "Ramsey..."

"We are moving now!" The el-tee barely managed to say, before leading the depleted group of soldiers out of the scene in which they saw their comrade eating his gun.

---

Execution Ditch, Dalegreen College
1100 Hours

"Is any of them moving Dad?" Stuttered Andrew, the second youngest, and now the youngest of the Smith Household, as he held on tightly to his father, who held a gun, a gun with a smoking barrel, "No Andy, they're not" Jim Smith lowered the gun, his knuckles covered with the blood of one of the guards, the guard that he took the gun from, the guard that was lying dead on the floor, following his wive and children.

"We gotta go, the baddies would be on us any minute now!" Jim pocketed the pistol, carrying his son and running into the woods, past the hundreds of bodies that piled up the numerous execution and mass grave ditches that the Prussen Army has so efficiently constructed.

The Invasion was only just beginning.

[Ptolemais]

Tokiwadai, Helvetia
House of Nobles
October 14, 2014
2045 Hours

"The Prussens are winning the war! They revel in the glory of victory while we wallow away with not but sanctions! We must strike now, before the Prussens subjugate Ghondra and its colonies!" shrieked Duke Katsu in a fierce exchange with another noble councillor. This was what the night had devolved into, a so far bloodless brawl of words over what to do with the Ghondra-Prussen War. Things had gotten out of hand, and Princess Sayaka intervened.

"Duke Katsu, please, calm yourself. This discussion is going nowhere, we will not be entering the war. Prussen propaganda aside, we all are well aware by now that this is a war made by Prussenija just as much as by Ghondra. I would not be surprised if the Prussens indeed fired the first shots. The fact that Prussenija has not called us on our defence agreements seems to confirm this."

Duke Hiro interjected as the Princess paused for a moment. "With all due respect, Chief Representative, I believe your position is in opposition to most of us here. Prussenija is one of our strongest allies, and trading partners, and we must do something more. As Duke Katsu so elegantly put it, the Prussens are winning. If we do not act, we will not win any of the spoils. At the very least, our active involvement will secure us a debt from Prussenija." Most of the nobles at the table nodded in agreement.

Sayaka sighed.

"We just secured peace with Avoria, and now we're talking about the spoils of war? What spoils of war did our endless struggle with Avoria give us? Nothing but blood and debt. I have made my decision, we will not become militarily involved in this regional war between Prussenija and Ghondra."

Duke Katsu was sweating profusely and wiped his brow as he got another couple words in.

"But Taehan-"

"I do not care what Taehan does, that is their choice. I have made ours. Foreign policy is the prerogative of the Chief Representative. You will respect my will. This session is adjourned." Sayaka concluded coldly.

---

Outskirts of Tokiwadai
October 15, 2014
0245 Hours

Even after the advent of flight, Helvetian tradition dictated that the members of the Noble Council travel by land, to ensure they were always close to the people. This presented logistical challenges and security risks, but Helvetia was a relatively peaceful country.

Princess Sayaka gazed out the window of her vehicle of state, a sturdy yet elegant white SUV. It was kept discreet, with no markings, due to the nature of its job. Several other vehicles followed behind and proceeded in front as the motorcade left Tokiwadai city limits. They were heading to east coast, in the Chief Representatives first visit to what were the front-lines of the Helvetia-Avoria war just a week ago. The four lane highway was deserted at this time, and an eerie calm set in.

"Is something troubling you, Your Highness?" asked one of the knights on her security detail.

"No, I suppose I am just enjoying the calmness of the night. It has been a while since I left the bustle of the capital."

The knight smiled politely and the two made small talk for a few minutes. The relaxed atmosphere ended abruptly.

An explosion rocked the SUV, sending it hurtling front first onto its roof, the passengers inside rocked violently. Screaming tires sounded as the rest of the motorcade came to a stop. Several more explosions hit the other vehicles.

They were under attack.

Princess Sayaka was brought back to her senses by a knight pulling at her shoulder. It was not the one she had just been talking to, he now hung lifelessly from his seatbelt upside down. She was still in a daze when she saw the knight working furiously to unsecure the sunroof to gain access to what appeared to be a storm drain underneath the vehicle. However, the grim realization came over her that this was to be her tomb, as a hail of bullets washed over the vehicle, weakening the reinforced siding. The explosions would likely start again soon.

---

Outskirts of Tokiwadai
October 15, 2014
0244 Hours

"There it is!" exclaimed one of the assembled men. Fourteen in all, crouched in some brush off the side of the main highway, waiting for their prey.

"Just as they said, those highborn are pretty good with both their timing and intel, i'll give them that." whispered another man, presumably the leader. "Well then" he said, "Shall we get this party started?"

"Let justice be done, though the heavens fall." the rest of the men whispered in unison. "For the freedom of our children and our beloved nation" the leader concluded stoically.

Three of the men crouched around an anti-tank gun loaded with HE shells, that alone could have had them all hanged, but the purpose of it was far more nefarious.

"Aim for the white SUV, that should have the Princess in it. Disable the vehicle with the first hit, then we'll open up on the rest. Keep firing at that vehicle until there is nothing left" the leader intoned, and the operation began.

The first shot missed the vehicle, hitting in front of it, but was sufficient to disable the SUV. The rest of the group opened fire on the rest of the vehicles moments after. However, after the first shot, the gun had jammed. The three men scrambled to try and fix it.

"What are you assholes doing? Keep firing on the vehicle!" screamed the leader. "It's jammed! We're clearing it!" came the reply. After two minutes of fidgeting, the gun unjammed and they continued to fire.

"She didn't get out, did she?" asked one of the men. "No," the leader replied. "Nobody left the vehicle, the first shot probably knocked them all out. Keep firing"

And so the gun fired 12 rounds per minute into the SUV, each shot further mangling the vehicle into oblivion. After eight minutes, they ran out of ammunition. There was nothing left of the vehicle but a charred husk, of twisted metal. The other vehicles hadn't fared much better.

Surveying the scene with binoculars, the leader finally put an end to the massacre. "Hold up, I don't think there's anyone left down there. Leave the equipment, follow the withdrawal plan and meet at the agreed upon-" a bullet from the darkness pierced the binocular and went through the leaders eye socket, painting the surrounding greenery with his brains. Before the other men could react, they were cut down by a hail of precision gunfire from the surrounding brush. One man escaped, and ran towards the wrecked vehicles, the closest thing to solid cover that was left out here. He was shot in the back and tumbled gracelessly down to the highway pavement. A group of special operations soldiers began emerging from the brush and approached the wrecked convoy. One of them pulled out a satellite phone.

"Kingmaker come in, this is Shadow One. The targets have been eliminated, send in the cleanup."

An affirmative reply came back, and moments later rustling could be heard at the side of the highway. The soldier approached it, stepping over a dented and mangled manhole, and found a survivor from the security detail quietly moaning and cradling parts of his insides that painted the grass with gore. He looked up at the soldier and grunted, not being able to tell if it was friend or foe. The soldier talked into his squad radio and drew his sidearm.

"One survivor, a knight from the security detail. Eliminating now."

A single shot rang out, and the knight collapsed, forever still. The soldier looked over to the SUV and could clearly see nothing remained of it. He resumed talking on the satellite phone.

"Kingmaker come in, this is Shadow One. The prize has been eliminated. Confirmed visually that no target made it out of the chariot. However, identification will not be possible. We are withdrawing now." Looking around a few times he relaxed a bit then finished. "The Duke better remember my services once the politicking is over, this was messier than anticipated. Shadow One out."

Several minutes later, military vehicles swarmed the gore-strewn scene of horror. A senior ranking soldier dismounted a Humvee as it came to a stop. He was handed a radio and began to talk into it as he discharged his sidearm into the air.

"Tokiwadai Garrison, this is Major Kohaku of the Tsunemori House Guard. We require immediate assistance, we have engaged hostile forces. Unable to confirm the status of the Chief Representative or the enemy numbers at this time, just send everything!"

He smirked as the garrison responded in the affirmative, and chatter began to overwhelm the channel. He then pulled out a satellite phone.

"This is Shadow Two. King, you are clear for the throne. Glory to Helvetia!"

[Cymrea]

Press Conference
Royal Persican Forces Headquarters - The Octagon

Consul Legatus Shawn Q. Cambrius stood before the assembled media personnel and outlined Persica's commitment to the Ghondro-Prussen conflict.

"The Persican effort to defend the Brettonian mainland is called Operation: Dragon Scale. This represents a joint effort by each branch of the Royal Persican Forces to deter and repel foreign combatants from the continent. The operation will last for the duration of the conflict between Ghondra and Prussenija, and until we can be certain there are no further imminent military threats to Bretton.

"Detailed here behind me, is the itemised estimated commitment of assets to Operation: Dragon Scale." Cambrius gestured to a large screen behind him.

Operation: Dragon Scale

Total Commitment

Royal Persican Army
Infantry: 10 divisions (100,000 troops)
M1A2 Abrams: 2500
M1A3 Scorpion: 160
M1120 Series: 1600
M113: 320
M2 Bradley IFV: 650
M3 Bradley Recon: 100

Royal Persican Navy
Carrier Strike Groups: 3
Strike Groups: 3
Wolfpacks (submarine strike groups): 2+

Royal Persican Air Force
F-18 Hornet: 228
F-22 Raptor: 216
F-35 Lightning II: 192
AH-64 Apache: 154
CH-47 Chinook: 58
MH-53 Sea Dragon: 48
M/SH-60 Sea Hawk: 200
UH-60 Black Hawk: 72
UH-72 Lakota: 90
Q-1 Predator Hawk: 40
Q-1C Grey Eagle: 40
Q-4 Global Hawk: 32
Q-7 Shadow: 48
Q-9 Reaper: 60
ScanEagle: 40
Various transport aircraft

Royal Persican Marines
Marine Infantry: 4 divisions (40,000 troops)
M1A2 Abrams: 80
AAV-7A1 assault amphibious vehicle: 400

Special Forces
Army Wraiths
Navy Corsairs
Air Force Archangels

[Cymrea]

Persican Broadcasting Corporation

"...in international news tonight, it seems that the situation in Balendia is rather more bleak than it first appeared. After days of attempting to contact authorities in the capital of Dex, aerial reconnaissance and satellite imaging revealed grim scenes all across the country. The Defence Ministry sent a regiment of mechanised Marines through the border crossing at Sark in an effort to restore order. Reports returned from Dex stating that the infrastructure of the country had collapsed completely: police and emergency services were nonexistent, commercial properties had been smashed and looted, fires raged unchecked. It is assumed that the government is no longer functioning in any meaningful way. People here have managed to establish small areas of relative safety, where residents can receive medical attention, and I've been told that there have been some abortive efforts at collecting and burning the hundreds of thousands of bodies - those killed by a rampant and virulent outbreak of Ghondran Flu that swept through the cities of Balendia.

"A full humanitarian effort is currently underway, led by the Ministry of Health, to establish quarantine zones and restore civil order. Charity endeavours in Bridon are collecting food and supplies to send into Balendia. There are reports of a greater plan in the works to revive the nation, more than that is as yet unknown. But even as we report this, the Marines are coordinating with naval shore patrols to ensure that the ongoing Ghondro-Prussen conflict does not exploit that vulnerable nation.

"For the PBC Nightly News, I'm Dan Maroon."