Underground Finestra
It was just after dawn, although the windowless bunker where the Imperial Council sat gave no indication other than a wall of world time zone clocks on the wall. The Emperor was dressed in khakis and a black polo with his Imperial seal embroidered on the left chest. As he entered the Strategy Center, the room stood from their chairs. Emperor Mikhail waved his right hand simultaneously with a, "please take your seats." A security officer closed the door to the Strategy Center and an audible click could be heard through the room as the magnetic locks engaged and a red LED light came to life above the door.
The Emperor, along with everyone else, lowered himself into a black leather office chair. In front of was a laptop and stacks of reports from the night before that weren't serious enough to wake him up for. "Status?" he asked the room.
Minister Osipov, the chief defense official for the Empire, began first, "The First, Fourth, and Eighth Battle Groups are on station, Admiral Milorad Atanasov commanding. The Third and Fourth Armies have been fully recalled and are stationed at various strategic locations around the Empire. The Thirty-Third Imperial Trooper Division is en route to FIAC and all personnel will arrive within eight hours. The entire Second and Third Air Forces are on alert and Imperial air space is controlled with concentrations over major metropolitan, military, and political locations." He paused just long enough to look down at his laptop when Mikhail began.
"Cancel all leave and holidays, Minister. Recall all military personnel to their stations. Maybe you missed the fact that we are facing an imminent threat of invasion. I want the entirety of the Imperial military standing by."
"Of course, Your Majesty. We've already issued cancel orders and the Forty-Third Logistics Group is being tasked with transporting personnel back to their duty stations, but it will take time."
"Speed it up. What of the Tenth Battle Group sailing to Sharko?" the Emperor asked.
"Still two days away from linking up with the Livanian fleet. Speaking of which," Osipov finished, motioning across the table to the international minister, Alik Federov.
"You've been briefed on their proposal, Sir; how would you like to respond?" Federov asked.
"Cordially," Mikhail said flatly. "I want these threats eliminated permanently. We will agree to the terms they proposed. Also inform them of our intentions with the Tenth."
"Now," The Emperor said turning back to Osipov. "Missile defense?"
"The missile defense network is fully operational. We will see any ballistic missiles with plenty of time to intercept."
"Enemy aircraft?"
Osipov shot a glance over to General Akardy Aksenov, the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Air Force. "The radar network is in the middle of overhaul. We should see anything coming, but there's a chance something could slip through. Which is why we've increased aerial patrols over Imperial air space."
"Extend air range by three thousand miles. Get the Strategic Bomber Wing airborne," the Emperor ordered.
"Your Majesty, they would be unescorted. Our fighters do not have a combat range adequate to protect them."
"Do it, Minister. We cannot depend on our early warning systems."
To: The Livanian State
Fr: The Ministry of International Affairs, The Empire of Monahtan
Re: Proposed Treaty
Honorable Raul Marquez-Goya y Saavdera,
It is with great pleasure and confidence that I announce to you the Empire's intention to accept your proposed treaty. During this time of great uncertainty, we welcome your friendship. Please find attached in an encrypted file my direct contact information for quick communication.
Furthermore, we have dispatched our Tenth Naval Battle Group to link up with your Second Livanian Fleet in the event the aggressors do not rescind their threats of hostile action.
Please note that during this stressful time, the Emperor will be unavailable directly. Please forward all correspondence to my office. Should you wish to contact my equivalent in the Ministry of Defense, his office's contact information is attached as well.
We look forward to this new era of friendship.
Respectfully,
Alik Federov
Minister of International Affairs
Afternoon came and the men in uniform gathered in their seats, with their casual chitchat about their daily life in their duties, sharing laughter and plans for the coming weekend. The room was filled with staff servicemen from the Livanian Army, where there will be a meeting between the state's brass and the central command, the Army High Command. The meeting will be also attended by Chief Friedrich von Elimann, one of the two national leaders of Livania, aside from the mostly mentioned Marquez-Goya. The meeting only began when the Command's General Chief of Staff Blair Wilkinson entered the room in a silent, yet indomitable presence. He's full of valor, one would say, but his medals, ribbons and decorations are just the surface of what he will be. Not only General Blair was there, but also Admiral Olimpio Cozzolino, the General Chief of Staff of the Armada High Command. This was not just a meeting for the Livanian military, but yet all of Quirina's military brains in one table, ready to take this battle ahead as serious as it would be. Remembering the last time they held a meeting of such level was during the Milograd War, where it was tested that the Armed Forces of the Great Republic is capable of wiping out an entire city, testifying to the both horrific and glorious achievement of destroying Gothic peoples, who grew in isolation and borne of hate against the Brave Free World. By looking the similarities of Bulgaria and Gholgoth, one would really see that this is an awaited redemption to come by and never a chance shall be missed in giving a ferocious blow to these two dastardly faces of abomination. The screen projected words and statistics about collected information about the current states of affairs at the other side of the world. Bars and graphs comparing the manpower, technology, and records of victories and defeats of the two competing armies were also measured. As the presentation ends, Blair then stood up to prepare to speak, fixating his suit. "This closed-door meeting only reminded me what it feels like to be back in action once more. I once missed being a Marine, back when the military was on its Western way of warfare. My father was a soldier. Yes, you can hear stories as familiar as mine, but my father never saw another year of service after engaging to help his brothers. He never saw me grew up as a man, a soldier for this nation. Well, too much for drama." The men laughed a bit, just to make sure they are on the same page with their higher commander. "As we see here, the Bulgarians are likely to attack at any moment, using their political influence in Libya. Unfortunately, our friends abroad have reported that there are about ten MiG-29Bs and a Beriev A-50A heading to the east of the Strait of Gibraltar. We are still uncertain of their motives but we know that it is an answer to our Ultimatum we imposed over them. We don't need to compare ourselves to them, for they are lone beggars, hermits of their own misery and toil. Now that their bad mouths will know none but our business, this is not even a war, but a suppression of a worldly dissent." He walked a bit towards the center and continued "As we also see here, we encircled this mouth of the Strait as a potential chokepoint of this dissent, and yeah, we will not cross that trap so obvious, it might take a child learning in military school to get that." Laughter burst at the seats, Blair smiles as he goes on. "Seriously? Okay, now that you now understand the whole scenario of this issue, I would like the top commanders to remain with me here and further discuss the next plans for this Operation." He then stood firmly, and yelled "Atenzione!" All men stood up firmly and quickly. "Dismissed!" "Sir, thank you, sir!" The rest of the staff left the room, leaving only seven men on the room: Olimpio, Blair, Gutierrez, Valera, Malinovsky, Marshal Dragisa, and Trajkovsky. Blair looking at Trajkovsky, he uttered, "So what was your plan again?"
Around the Tropic of Cancer, the combat air patrols routinely deployed at a relatively far distance ahead of the main fleet. First, it was composed of a carrier-based interceptor, an electronic warfare aircraft, a submarine warfare aircraft, and an early warning aircraft. In total, the first combat air patrol was five aircraft. Due to the seemingly and surprisingly escalated level of conflict Bulgaria demands, the Fleet Commander Admiral Gutierrez heightened the game. From five aeroplanes, the game changes with Gutierrez's order to carrier-role vessel commanders are to deploy the same types of aircraft, but this time, with much more quantity. Five aerocplanes are to be reinforced with fifteen more while the submarine warfare fighters are to return to carriers as their functions are filled by the Subsurface Ship Strike Brigades, which have submarine warfare-dedicated air regiments. This way, a whole of Combined Forces Flotilla will be greatly, and overwhelmingly enough to counter any significant threat, minimize it into a small incursion, and deter it with a swift strike, accuracy, efficiency and precision. This is the naval supremacy of the Quirinese Armada heading to Eurasia, and for long time of learning and knowing how Europe may or may not fare, the whole Fleet can and will destroy any imposing threat, albeit as a powerful devastating force to destroy, burn and salt a nation down to ground. The 20-strong combat air patrols of the fleet carriers are just the start of the show of the incoming pyrotechnics that will be witnessed by all of the world. In part of such maneuver, all battle stations of the Combined Forces Flotilla Northern Section will be on full alert on any aircraft or ballistic elements that will classify them according to origin, thanks to IFF radars and the essential data embedded to assure much relentless defense if ever resistance to the will of the Brave Free World, in form of the Northern Section, dares it. The reinforced combat air patrols are now 300 km up front from their respective fleet carriers and will be on combative stance for any sign of enemy activity in their range. In assuring lesser chance of losing the seas, the Central and Southern Sections also prepared for any sign of hostile action to anticipate any combat that may took place in their end.
