EOF Chapter 2: An Enemy Known (Regional/IC)

[Empire of Donner land]

Empire on Fire
Chapter 2: An Enemy Known

OOC:https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=396762

On the 15th Voy sealed the fate of the country forever. Newron Voy declares war against the world in a last ditch attempt to control the continent and reclaim Donnish Territory. As that happens Coalition Forces begin their movements to stop the madman in power and prevent the war from going any farther. Ethnic Minorities within the country now suffer as they are hunted down, killed or arrested with untold more horrors unleashed as the entire country is declared a "hunting ground".

But these events are only on the surface, below Voy loses his military approval secretly as top Generals and Officers plan a coup to save the country but continue to fight a war to continue its survival until the opportune time. Meanwhile the Kaisarine is missing and is possibly kidnapped somewhere in the country, Special Forces enter the country to save Kaisarine Sigbritt.

The forces of war from all countries advance on this forsaken nation as it commits its last act of war it may ever attempt at. Donner Land mobilizes its forces for a all out offense and a defense at Soraught, Its one of two Ports. Fire consumes cities and the Empire is now beginning to catch flame. Only time will tell if the forces of the Coalition and others will sucesfully defeat Voy or if Voy will get what he wants. Helsa, and more. Lives of Millions hang in the balance, and Allied forces pray or hope for their crusade against evil to end well.

And this is only the beginning...

If you've gotten through the slog that is the first Chapter of this, congrats, welcome to the exciting fun part. This chapter will focus more on the war aspect than characters, however Character RP will still be apart of this. New and old arcs are welcomed and needed in order to advance story lines left off in Chapter 1 and start new ones. Overall this will be the chapter that decides if the country lives or dies and future events.

The war will progress in a series of battles one at a time for each party involved. For example; Saurahgt will be between Donner Land and Coalition Forces, Modena between DEN and allies Versus Donner Land and so on. This is in order to keep things organized and for a trackable series of events. I will keep track of these below in a part called "Campaigns" and go more in depth of this new system.

The primary objective of the Donnish Forces is to secure Modena, Novokraina, Vanquaria and Helghan for domination of the continent. In order for the Coalition, Namenian, Novokrainian and IWA armies to win they must be within range of attacking the Capital of Bögt with Land and Air forces and capable of taking it, this is their primary objective. If either objective is fulfilled, we will move onto Chapter 3.

The War begins now.

[The Unified Isles]

IRA General Staff Building, “The Citadel”, Isle of Manx

---

Captain-General Leyburn took a breath from his cigarette and looked intensely while the last man entered the Conference Room. “Sir Thomas, late as always”, an angry voice barked at the entrant across the room. The bald man just smiled at him. The two stars on his epaulette were clearly superior to the lonely star on that of...

“Sergeant-General Williams, mine brother...”. The one addressed, Williams, glared at what seemed to be his newly declared opponent. The word “Brother”, used in the Isle'ish Language to refer to close friends, seemed to provoke him, “...shall me remind thee that thee hast to call mineself “Thy Grace” now ? But for thee, of course, it shall be...”

”Silencium”

Like scared animals of some sort, the high-ranking, officers turned around at the calm voice. “Thee shall not beest so childish, mine sons”, “Aye, thy Grace”, the answer came in unison. The Colonel-General was a rare sight in the General Staff Building. The white-haired man, old, but still with some strange attractiveness in his face, and with that noble glare in his rare, deep-blue eyes, was considered to be more aloof from the “Day-to-Day-Operations”. Sir Henry Leighton-Pierce was a politician by now, not a General. Nobody dared to talk as he moved his body, clad in the sleek, black, dress uniform of the Royal Army, slowly through the baroque conference room. The Bald Leftenant-General Ramsay, cocky only a few minutes ago, now had drops of sweat running down on his face, over his beautiful, black leather eyepatch. He'd have to replace it. “Me deeply apologizes for mine lateness”, he noted before sitting down at the conference room.

“Me haseth no time for this idiocy, gentlemen. Just beest reminded yond me shall punish you with fortress imprisonment ift be true thy military success doesn't keepeth up to thy... cockiness.” No “Aye, thy Grace”, followed. The Colonel-General just nodded to his Chief-of-Staff, Captain-General Leyburn, to continue with the speech that had been so rudely interrupted by Ramsay. “Mine Cousins, thee art aware of the Assault Fleet en route to Donnerland in'his very moment ?”

A little bit of mumbling that went over the table confirmed the information status everybody present had. “The Assault Fleet iseth not our issue today. We shall discuss the planning for the ground war”. Another round of mumbling followed. “III Guard Armoured Corps shall be our first main ground force, Leftenant General”. The eyes of the entire room turned to Ramsay. Lord Commandant of III Guard Armoured Corps. Around 98.500 Soldiers. “Aye, thy grace.”, “Standard Preparation Procedure, Leftenant General.”, “Aye, thy grace”.

“29th Cavalry Division shall be attached to your command”. Somebody spew out his drink when Leyburn said that. “Thy Grace, me has to protest”, Williams and Ramsay said, again in unison. “For two men disliking each other, thee can at least talk together very well”, the Captain-General laughed. The Colonel-General spoke up, still standing next to the table, as the only person in the room: “III Corps shall form what we call a “Road Battlegroup”. Thy Corps shall have one Division securing the road from Saurought, while the other two secure the flanks”, “And 29th Cavalry ?”, “Please, do not interrupt me, Generals. 29th Cavalry shall form what we call “Raider Brigades”. They shall move as forces of detachment throughout the Donnish Hinterland and secure them against possible attacks.”

“Thy Grace, ift be true me shall be allowed to inquire”, one could already hear somebody laugh at the Isle'ishness of that sentence, “How is mine Division supposed to raideth into the Donnish Hinterland ift be true there art Donnish Divisions still holding the line ?”, “There shall not be enough Donnish Divisions to holdeth any line, Sergeant-General. Their lands art to vast.”
The Colonel-General sat down, demonstratively at the far end of the table that he had been walking around for minutes on end. “Ramsay, Williams. Me expect thy Divisions to be ready for deployment within a fortnight. Cashiered”. The two Generals left the Room only with a quickly snapped salute and a brief “Death or Glory” to the Colonel-General. “Dost thee truly believe they shall be capable of cooperation, thy grace ?”, “Do not fear, Leyburn. They art capable enough of combat, which exchanges for their incapability of manners”...

Bridge of the HMS Puffin, Isle'ish Assault Fleet, en route to Donnerland

---

“Leftenant Schaefer, thee art having the watch”, the Captain told his most senior disciple in his authoritative, yet gentle and teacher-esque voice. Schaefer had only been the 1st Lieutenant on the Puffin ever since it had departed from Midsex Port. ”Only this assignment remains, and then me might finally achieveth mine very own ship”. An Idealistic Thought that ran through the not-so-young Lieutenants head: In the IRA Navy, the Promotion System hadn't received much change since the 19th Century. All ship-board Officers with the exception of the vessels commandant were Lieutenants. The Promotion to Commander took long, most achieved it after ten to twenty years. Unique, but it didn't matter much to the Seafarers: They knew from looking which Lieutenants were the “Old ones”, and which the “Landlubbers”.

The third class of people on any IRA Navy vessel where the “non-Naval Personnel”. Currently, on the Puffin, this included only a Platoon worth of Marines “Sharpshooters” that guarded the vessel. With the exception of the Platoon's Commander, a certain Lieutenant Ryder, who was seemingly related to the famous Submariner of the very same name, the “Sharpshooters” were exclusively composed out of Volunteers from the ships company. Standard Practice, the Officer would join his home unit again as soon as the Fleet itself was out of danger.

“Leftenant Schaefer, me presumes ?”, a friendly voice took Schaefer from his inner thoughts. He turned around, “Aye... Oh, thee must be Leftenant Ryder”. Schaefer briefly examined the Marines Uniform. Black, Lancer's Cap. “Marine Regiment of Lancers ?”, “Aye, C Squadron”. The Isle'ish didn't commonly greet with a handshake, so he left it at that. “The Captain already gaveth mineself a lil' tour of the Puffin. A new vessel, ift be true me collected yond information correctly ?”, “Aye, arrived only a few months ago from the Pakis”, “Interesting. Thee shall knowst, mine uncle was much upset about the Navy's new acquirement methods”.

Schaefer was slightly shocked to hear that. “To harken yond a high-ranking Sailor, a Vice Admiral of the Submaritime Force, is...”, “is criticizing the slow decline of our very Navy ?”. Schaefer sighed. “Scandalous”. “Would thee preferst an incompetent Navy over one yond is trying to performeth better ?”. Silence hit the 1st Lieutenant. Quite an awkward one. “How about thy family, Leftenant Schaefer ? Related to a certain Horatian General ?”.

The Schaefer Family was one of the “Aristocratic Families” of the IRA, descended from a 19th Century Dragoon General. “The fact yond me art in the Navy reflecteths mine status within mine family, me figures”, the Naval Officer answered coldly. Ryder looked at him, and then at the lights of the Assault Fleet. “We probably have something in common, Sir”. The Marine turned to his Navy fellow and smiled, “Me commends mineself”, “Me hopes to see thee again, Sir. But for now, we shall have other issues. We already detected some Donnish Ships hereby, apparently, or at least a civilian freighter yond'eths claiming yond'eths Donnish...”

Aboard the Isle'ish Rover

---

“Looketh now, Master 'Voy', we art aware yond tis ain't a Donnish Freighter”. 'Newron Voy' tightened his glare. “How dost thee suppose to knowst ?”, “Thy accent, maybe ?”. The palms of the man sitting next to him, a rather elderly sailor of definite Isle'ish looks, wandered to his face. “Yond's so very much racist ! How typical of thee Isle'ish !”, “Master McCann, thee havest been on Royal Intelligences watching list for at least a year now. We art very much aware of thy relations to harbour officials in Soraught. And we art giving thee a chance of... redemption, Master McCann”.

McCanns eyes widened. He looked to Coote next to him, and then to the Royal Intelligence Officer that was sitting on the other side of the table in the makeshift interrogation room. It actually was McCanns personal room. The Officer turned around, to the Sentry which was standing behind him. “Leadeth in the Major, ift be true thee may please so.”, “Aye, milord.”

Both the sentry and the Intelligence officer left. A new men entered. Sleek, Black uniform, Blonde Hair, blue eyes. Unusual for an Isle'ish. Golden epaulettes with silver trimming, a skull and a star stitched thereupon. A Major of the Royal Army, and the fact that he didn't wear any other insignia save for the one that indicated his rank made both sailors wary. The men was a Commando. “Good even, gentlemen”, the Commando greeted them with a smile that had fake written all over it, “Me haseth a special task for thee...”. Coote raised an eyebrow: “May we get to know thy name ?”. “No”, the nameless answered. Simply, calm, but with a certain undertone that made it clear that this was an order.

“Mine special task involveths thy relationship with the Soraught Port Officials.”, “Thee wanteths us to smuggleth thee to Soraught ?”, McCann asked, knowingly, “Aye”. “But milord, we failed the last time”, “Well, thee won't beest allowed to fail again, Master...”

[Azenyanistan]

The Adversary
My Post

We, the wrath of Yaneza
Dare to oppose others that
We may lift our own Sword
For all Swords are for Evil intent
Yes there is no Sword untouched
For we shall use our own
Against the ones
Who dare to harm us
Or the ones close to our hearts
We are the wrath of Yaneza

7
“The one who cannot express their true feelings, no matter how much they think about it, to their friends is a doomed one."

Ayza ur Talltower

The Chieftain of the Confederacy gave up a steamy breath as she left her air-conditioned main office in Yaneza, Azenyanistan. She turned the key in the knob of her door, closing it and then with the final twist of her key, locked it up. Once done, she made her way through the corrigor and took the stairs from the 20th until she got to the 8th floor. When she was at the mouth of the staircase, she stopped to dig around in the pockets of her mountain climbing pants.

“Ah. There we go.” She said “You little thing.” Said the female Chief, looking at the green keys that she had in her hands. She had three. The first one she had used for her office. The other two keys, she would use later.
“Let’s go get Marazaran, little things.”

And so she ran out into the greater corridor of the floor her own two feet were on and found the skywalk to the second building of the Administrative Compound of Yaneza and Azenyanistan. After crossing the skywalk and climbing the stairs down until she had her feet resting on the ground, she rushed to the main entrance where there was a wall locker with the name

“AYZA UR TALLTOWER” on it. She found the purpose of her 2nd key as she put it into the slot, opened it and grabbed the socks and the shoes that were inside. She was after all going barefoot until now. It was an Azzan thing. Azzans often go barefoot inside buildings. Now that she had her thick, long and comfy socks and her rough outdoors shoes, she got down on her butt on the floor and put them on. Once that was done, she got up and walked out of the building. She, however, had to greet another woman who was coming in. This one, from top to bottom, was truly a person of the office. She greeted her with

“Hi, Tyena. You’re early. That’s nice.”

But the woman cringed at how the Chief said “You’re early” to her. The two women, even though Sadisia had given instructions to Ayza to forgive and let go of her daughter, were not always at good talking terms with each other. Sadisias instructions were actually followed. There was an actual talk and an actual apology from Tyena and an actual “piece of mind” given to Tyena from Ayza. But it seemed that today was not going to be a good day for both of these women. Tyena was younger but she lacked the popularity AND the experience of the Chief. But the Chief, it seemed, was behaving like a student who hated another student for hammering the hand of her favorite teacher. But that was all true.
The woman adjusted her ebony tie that seemed to suit her gray shirt and her long white skirt. She also wore a blue shemagh around her neck. Early mornings, after all, in Ayr, tended to be cold until the sun finally assumes his place in the sky and turns all the coldness of last night into dry heat. Tyena replied to Ayzas sarcasm

“Hello Chief, it seems that you are early too.”

A pause. She used her own eyes then to look at the clothes of her boss. She too wore a shemagh and it too was blue but it had the distinctive, world-famous mountain blue shemagh that the Azzans were known for. Ayza had it covering her long, uncut hair. Going down, she wore a pair of shades but they were clear enough to allow this young woman to see the Chiefs iconic mud brown eyes. The Chief wore an Azzan mountain jacket with long sleeves, countless pockets and enough thickness that could keep out the cold, no matter how extreme it may be. The young woman continued

“I like your shoes and your clothes.”

“Thanks. You look better in that kind of attiere, you know?”

“Really? I’m glad.”

“I’m glad too. Especially for a girl who hammered the hands of her own mother like Jesus.”

“Oh my. And I thought you would never be this sarcastic for a Chief who doesn’t like being in the office too much.”

Ayza glared at the young woman and pointed at her rudely, making the young woman cringe again but this time with a glare of her own too
“Hey, knock it off.”

“No, you knock it off.”

“We’ve already discussed this.”

“But it ain’t over for me.”

“You’re being immature.”

“You’re being unpunished.”

“She forgave me.”

“But not me. That was my teacher.”

“She was my teacher too.”

They then realized that this was not going to go anywhere. A stalemate was at hand. But they continued to look at each other as if they were going to kill each other. But they were unable to use their own grand eyes to do that as a Yaneza taxi truck came. The windows were rolled down and there was a passenger in the front seat. When the two women stopped to look at who was inside the truck, they realized that the woman inside was staring at them. She has heard them. And it was no stranger.

They quickly turned their heads away, messing with their collars or brushing off their clothes. But that did not deter the stare of the woman inside the taxi truck. Once the truck came to a stop in front of them, the woman inside got out and shut the door gently. Then she took her two travelling bags from the open back of the truck, thanked the driver (who also got out to help her) and then paid her. The driver smiled at the several bills and the few coins the woman gave to her as payment. So she got into her truck, put the money away and went away. This left them alone with this woman.

The woman then reminded them of the voice of their teacher.

“Were you girls arguing again?”

This was their teacher.

The one who said that had a frown not a smile, a pair of hands that were healed not in bandages or with one replaced and pain in her voice comparable to a teacher dealing with troublesome and quite difficult students.

She approached them with her travel bags rolling behind her, dragging them along. The Chief scratched her head. The young woman looked at her leather sandals. And two men emerged from the building. They fetched her bags and one of them opened his mouth to speak but the woman raised her right hand and turned it into a fist. The man nodded to the gesture and went away. Once they were inside the building, out of sight, the woman who joined these two scolded them further

“The both of you are already grown women. You both hail from the Seven Tribes of Azenyanistan. You both are from a country known for her women. And you are both acting like children. You both are acting horribly to the point of contempt from other people and disrespect for yourselves. You dare argue with each other in public.”

The effect was grand. The Chief shut up. The Advocate shut up. Both of them shut up. And they gave up to her scolding.
“And I remember that the both of you PROMISED. You PROMISED to me and to each other that you won’t argue again over what Tyena had done. Over what one of you had done! What have I taught you? What have I taught any of you?”

They shuffled in their places.

“Ayza.”

Ayza looked up at her teacher

“I may be younger than you but I am your teacher.”

Then she turned to Tyena

“Tyena.”

Tyena looked at her but because of her shame, she turned her head away at the slightest glance

“I may be older than you but I am your mother and your teacher.”

She then sighed at both of them and said loudly

“This behavior is inexcusable.”

She continued

“I get hurt seeing you two try to get at each other’s throats again. I thought I can depend on the both of you to put away your swords. And I actually believed that you two would get over this. But because of your quarelling today, in the early morning, just when you two were supposed to greet each other, just when you, Tyena, were suppose to say goodbye to Ayza before she went to the airport to go to Urranese Azenyanistan, just when, just when, you both proved me wrong, you hurt me and put me to shame.
I made you two promise. But you did not do as you have promised.”

She then stomped her foot to gain their attention and said

“Are you not Chief? Are you not Advocate?”

Because of all of these things she said, the Chief put her eyes upon the eyes of her teacher, Sadisia ur Kaiteriza, and the Advocate glanced at her too but failed to keep contact and looked down again.

Ultimately, the former Speaker said

“I am no longer your teacher, girls. But I am one of your co-workers. I’m serving as an Advocate too. I came here to work. I came here to help. But you two are not getting along. Why are you both not getting along? Over a sin that she had committed against me, you both dare not to get along? Over a sin which I have forgiven and prayed to the Grand Creator that he forgive? Because she is my daughter? And because I value her as I value one of my great students?”

She then gestured to the both of them in a manner of authority and not of a teacher or of a parent

“By the Body of Conduct, you two must ‘minimize tensions, limit hatred and have harmony with each other.’ And this was what Olisia said. The two of you have to put aside all of your quarelling. There is no benefit from this. Only more and more burden.”

Tyena perked her head up at the mention of her friends name. The Chief protested

“But she hurt you for---“

“I FORGAVE HER. I forgave her for that.”

Sadisia declared suddenly. For that, the Chief silenced herself

“Did you intentionally, by all means, forget about what we talked about before? What did I say to you, Ayza?”

There was no reply

“You intentionally forgot. How could you? For the sake of punishing Tyena?”

These cutting words further caused the Chief to bite down on her own lip so she would not say anything stupid before her former teacher. And this motivated the Advocate, the younger one, to whisper something possibly explicit and self-hateful to herself. For this, Sadisia glared at her own daughter, making her stumble in her speech and then succumb to silence as well.
Silence. Then the teacher said

“OK.”

And moved on to the building but the Chief took her by the arm and said

“I’m sorry, Sadisia. You’re right. I won’t be harsh towards her again. But---“

And at that, Sadisia said to her

“There shall be no buts, Ayza. I don’t want to see you two argue with each other in the open. Privately, you two must disagree. But publicly, you must not allow others to see that you two are divided. And over what she did to me, forget it. Forgive her for that.”

Tyena then added

“I’m sorry too for what I have done today.”

Sadisia, for this, smiled only a little at their heart-made words and said to them in a softer tone

“Good. But I want you two to really prove your apologies. To see them become sincere. Let your hearts become soft again. You two have to work together. You two, after all, are part of a team. Ayza is your team leader and you must follow. But this is more than just teamwork. This is all about our country. The very future and the present are in the hands of this team. It is not just you two alone. There are so many more that are working with you and for you to bring Azenynanistan to her own goals. To goals that we all believe are good for our people. From the lowest of the low up to the highest. I have to go.”

And she vanished into the building.

Now alone again, the two women awkwardly looked at each other then looked away. They frowned and they grumbled. One then sighed. The other didn’t. Sadisias instructions were not made true. They did not embrace nor did they bump fists nor nod nor even speak a word. Until the younger one herself said

“I’m sorry.”

The Chief said in return, stepped to her and put her hands on her shoulders

“Me too.”

She cringed. Ayza then lifted one hand from her. But she put it down again. The younger one finally raised her eyes to her and said

“This sucks.”

“Nah, it’s just awkward.”

“It still sucks.”

“Just don’t make me angry.”

Tyena then established firm eye contact. Her eyes reminded Ayza of her mother

“I won’t. Just don’t make me remember what I did too. I won’t do it again and I know what I have done wrong and I am sorry for that. But don’t remind me about it. I know what I have done.”

“So be it. And you do as I say.”

“OK.”

They chuckled. Then silence returned. The Chief broke the nothingness by hugging her, shaking her hand ad running off. The younger one watched her before she returned her eyes to her sandals and then finally went inside without a sound.
Ayza reached the main entrance of the compound. At the tall, thick reinforced steel gate, she stopped and caught her breath. There was also a guard house and a terminal nearby that allowed the guard, if there was a guard, to open and close the gate automatically. But there indeed was a guard. As the Chief herself just stood there uselessly, the strict, loud and attention-grabbing voice of a woman caught her

“CHIEF! ARE YOU HIGH?!”

“Huh?! Wha-“ She saw then that it was only a Capital Guard. A female guard who had crossed her arms, raised a brow and just looked surprised at her Chief. The guard went on

“What’s the matter, Chief?”

The Chief scratched her head. That made the guard sigh, produce a flashlight from her utility belt and went over to where she was. Once there, she flashed the light into her eyes, checked them and put it away to say

“Nah, you’re clean. You’re just starting to cry over those 4th Wall Comics again. Figures.”

“What? No!”

“Really?” The guards eyes sharpened “What chapter and page you on?”

“C14, P30”

The guard smirked. The Chiefs face then turned a soft red. Shit, she thought, she got me.

“I got you.”

The Chief chuckled at that and replied

“Yeah, hehe, you got me.”

“Yeah, no.”

“What?”

The guard dropped her arms to her sides and said

“Chief? Really? What’s wrong?”

“I told you.”

“Told me what? Nah, you’re just sore over your old teacher scolding you and stuff. Well, you two just went back to kindergarden because of that. That was quite hilarious. And sad. But it got hilarious again.”

“No.” She lied “It’s not that.”

The guard frowned. That was a bad move, Ayza realized

“You’re lying.”

Ayzas eyes widened. She stuttered. The guard smirked again. And so that forced her to surrender in defeat and say
“I lied. Sorry. Yeah, I’m a bit sore over what happened. Touched, you might say.”

The guard seemed unimpressed and said

“And?”

“And...”

“And?”

“I should have known better.”

“No shit.”

“What?”

“Try to remember, Chief.”

Ayza then took a closer look at the face and the body language of the guard. She then realized

“Oh.”

“I’m one of your old clients and here you are whining about your problem. How ironic.”

This was after all Tirrui ur Alkir. The Alkir were 974 souls. This clan belonged to the Azzan tribe and they were known for their service to the country as Guards. Tirrui was following that family tradition. But because she was trouble at first, being quite shy, soft spoken and actually scared as a Recruit, she was immediately referred to Ayza ur Talltower during her time as a counsellor for the government during the time of the SARAz. And by her counselling and actual personal supervision, Tirrui became a respectable colonel of the Capital Guard. Despite her great rank, she chose to move from the East to the capital herself. This was interesting to the superiors of the CG as her reason for transfer, approved by them, was because Ayza became Chief. So perhaps, to those who knew her well, she was still soft-hearted. Especially for her counsellor.
At that time, she realized that even more and more and exclaimed

“OH!”

The guard chuckled and told her

“Yeah, yeah, you got it.” Then the guard regained her coldness and strictness and said

“Now chill, Ma’am. Chill. You know Sadisia and you know Tyena so you yourself won’t have to worry about grudges, you’ll be find. Totally OK. It’s just a bad way to start a day, that’s all.”

“Yeah. But I guess I am becoming more of a Chief than of a counsellor.”

“What? Nah, you’re still both. It’s just that you aren’t practicing anymore. How could you? You’re too occupied with your duties as Chief. Even with all of your outdoor-going, you’re occupied as Chief. It’s OK. And besides, if it were not for you, I’d still be a low ranker. And I wouldn’t have had the strength to actually survive the Battle of Yaneza. Horrible shit there. Took me a lot of my own tactics for dealing with ACS just to make it out of there alive and sane. Sane!”

“Do you still get some of the nightmares?”

“Yes I do. But they’re getting less and less. Thanks for believing in me, Doc.”

Tirrui laughed at that. Then she returned to her usual expression. The Chief rolled her eyes and said

“It’s not a problem. I’m proud of you.”

“Well, duh, you always are! You’re proud of me and you’re proud of almost everything good that you’ve done. Who wouldn’t be? What the heck? You’re the one who took care of your father when he got sick, took his place when he gave it to you after you insisted so many times that you couldn’t but forced you anyway to do as he said, you’re the one who did a lot of shit for us with the SARAz people and blah, blah, blah, blah, you just did what you wanted to do and did it sometimes even if you were tired as hell. I swear I could remember you walking like a drunk on ice cubes when you went beyond 40 days without freaking sleeping. Dude, you’re hardcore.”

“Thank you. But isn’t that fla-“

“Flattery? No shit, no. No! Why would I? It’s all true anyway. That ain’t flattery. That’s the truth. You deserve to be proud and a Chief!”

“And that’s why I’m popular.”

Tirrui smirked and snapped her fingers. She said

“Exactly.”

“But” Said Ayza “I better not be too popular.”

The guard nodded

“Ye. If you were, the Rakshanis or the Seven Cards or any jealous shithead in the government would have done you into the dust of the Ayrran deserts.”

“True. There are other people who will never like me.”

“But they are just people. Just people. People. Get it?” Tirrui then clapped her hands on her Chiefs shoulders

“They always will be people. People. Get that? People. You yourself told me that and I believed in that because it’s all true. Nobody cares too much and that’s OK.”

“Yeah, you’re right. They are not big problems.”

“They’re not.”

“They’re not.”

“Yeah.”

“So maybe it’s just me.”

“Oh boy.” Said Tirrui, facepalming before saying

“Dude, it’s not just you. You’re not alone. I’m not alone. Sometimes, our mind is a big unreliable, fucking dickfuck that loves to make us feel bad when we are feeling good and all that wonderful mental health stuff. Listen: Just do your job and things will be OK. Just leave Tyena alone.”

“Agreed.”

“Understood?”

“Understood.”

“Exactly, Doc.” The guard patted her shoulder again and said

“Now what do your people want?”

“Stability.”

“Get more specific.”

“Enough power, enough water, more food, maintenance, no wars, no terror attacks, etc, etc.”

“See? These things you’ve said are bigger problems than people who love to breath down your neck. Mind your own business, Doc.”

“OK.”

“See? It’s going to be good. And just be in good terms with Tyena. You’re the leader of the team, for crying out loud. You can fix that as you can fix anything you’ve fixed before. Take my word for it; As colonel, I’ve had my share of problems with people but we fixed it all up in the end. Don’t worry and don’t let her scolding get you down. Have you forgotten that she’s good to you? She won’t let your mistakes bring you down before her. Besides, aren’t you the one who people call ‘The Hateless One’?”

Those reminders to Ayza served their reasons well enough. Ayza nodded and said

“All right. OK. I got it. Looks like I’ve got work to do then.”

Tirrui nodded before she said to the guard

“Thanks, Colonel.”

“No problem, Doc.”

And so the Colonel saluted the Chief. The Chief returned the gesture with a nod and then allowed her to leave the compound.

Marazaran

Nakatar were Azen horses. To be more specific, they were the toughest, fast-hearted mustangs of the Azen North. They hailed from the Mountains of Az. And they lived up to their birthplaces, their heartlands. They too claim the hills of En and the valleys of Nah. From there, their reputation came. Among one of the many mountain Azens that owned one of them, befriended them and took care of them and honored them was Ayza herself.

As she joyfully jogged her way through the wide open sidewalks across the moderately-used streets and over free-speed highway pedestrian lanes to fetch her horse from the local stables, she remembered how she got him:

At the very heart-ripe age of 18, when she was enjoying her school break by staying at the horse sanctuary owned by her aunt. It was the largest horse sanctuary in all of Azenyanistan. Ayza never failed to miss her daily meetings with the horses, most especially the nakatar. The nakatar were treated specially. They had the largest pen of all of the horses of the sanctuary. She would jump over the gate leading to their pen and climb unto any part of the tanned Spearwood fence and sit there to watch the nakatar. In her aunts sanctuary, she had counted 4,928 nakatar. She herself counted them. And this was all by the permission and heart-blessing of her aunt who treasured the love of animals her niece had.
But she visited them not because they had become family to her by her senses and heart but because of one particular nakatar. A grand one.
This one had a coat of iron, of grand black. His coat was shining for he was healthy. The nakatar was also proud. His mane was wilf, heart-groomed and of the gray of the mountain crowns of Azenyanistan, beauty inherited from Mother Ausozera. His coat and his mane both summoned Ayzas heart for him. But he was more than just his intimidating coat and his flourishing mane.
His splotched hind legs were of magnificent concrete and of the eye-catching mud brown of his heartland before the sanctuary accepted him into their herd. He hailed from the heart-fertile valleys of Nah. On these great hind legs, he stood, with utmost pride and with the intent of drawing attention. Attention indeed was drawn to him, to his very self. His brighter ears turned back, his defiant head high above all the other nakatar. His face, anointed with a lengthy wild-going stripe of the color of the Azzan sky when the moon finally overtook her sister, the sun, boasted his bursting norstils, bulging veins and heart-exalting eyes that carried the nobly grand blue similiar to the blue bar of the Azen Confederacy of Tribes, of their flag. His eyes dared to say to the 18 year old Ayza who had dropped her jaw and caught her absolute attention that she was the object, the target, the chosen one for his display. But while very confident, the nakatar whispered for her to not let her eyes of mud brown to stray from him, the one with blue eyes. Her eyes never strayed from this beauty of the North.
He had announced for her to, perhaps, bring herself to him that he may enthrall, yes, enthrall himself to her. But for what reason so driving would make him stand for her? That he would dishonor his own self temporarily by devoting himself to this human girl? Are not all nakatar wild and free, determined and forever autarchs, beings who ruled themselves?

Well, for the sake of knowing more about Ayza and this horse, the day before the stallion of the valleys made this display, the young Chief-to-be had been present at the time of the horse being injured from fighting a nakatar female. The female had broken his left front leg and so the nakatar needed tender loving care from his human caretakers. The very one who took care of him as he recovered from his wounds was Ayza. It was fortunate to know that whoever or whatever did something kind for a nakatar woulda be repaid in full with their undying, heart-touched loyalty.

So returning to that one day, the Chief-to-be made one of the most dangerous yet most beneficial, worth and glorious decisions of her life in her school break.

She decided to meet the challenge of this beast by daring to tame him, yes, to break him. To own him.

Her own sanaradara (saddle) shall rest on the back of that mighty horse.

She proposed this decision to her aunt and to her mother for she had come to see to the wellness of her eldest daughter. Unexpectedly, they approved of this and at her aunts own accord, blessed by her mother, there came a day set aside for her to tame him. At this news, Ayza was caused to feel grand joy. She waited eleven days and for these eleven days, the eldest daughter of the counsellor of the Chief of the tribe of Az prepared for the coming trial, one that would prove her to be a woman of the tribe of Az.

In school, she was known not only for her mountain stubbornness and rugged intellect but for her prowess that was so natural that she was once invited to take the title of national champion but she politely declined especially at the word of her own mother who received word from her eldest daughter that she had no interest in taking the title. Her prowess was in softball and in buzkashi. For this, this wouldn’t be a great, great issue for her. But she knew better to prepare anyway. She ate, she exercised, she slept and she trained herself in the ways of breaking a horse. For nakatar were not easy to break and had to be broken with some harshness but not too much that it would break the horses spirit and cause that spirit to cause the death of that horse. No spirit should ever be broken without the consent of the one who owned that spirit.
By the end of the eleventh day, she stepped outside of her tent (for she didn’t approve of sleeping comfortably in the quarters of the sanctuary no matter how many times her mother protested to her that she sleep in the quarters with the ears of the aunt turned deaf at the protests of her own sister) and strapped on her belt, buttoned up her riding jacket and made a feminine, human nicker.
She made her way to the breaking pen, where her aunt, mother and many of the workers of the sanctuary waited for her. They stood at the fence, watching her come. And in that pen, already with a gridle and soft made reins calleed nalkariik, the nakatar who displayed himself to her was there, pawing at the ground. Ayza giggled at the nakatar when she saw him and at her giggling, the horse quit pawing at the ground and let his multi-colored tail move from end to end gently. He then resumed pawing at the ground and jerking his head towards himself, as if to gesture to her to come, to come and take him.

But the girl teased him by making him stand there for a time. He blinked his bright, wide eyes at her. He let her ears prick forward and bucked, grunted and sequaled excitedly. But when his legs dropped and crunched against the ground, the girl remained where she vwas. She stayed at the fence, hands on it and holding onto the smooth, thing but stone-strong Spearwood fence bar. She had no expression that was remarkable on her face. The horse holded his ears back and looked stiff. He snorted, letting his lungs fill or empty, to say to her, to declare that she may know that he is waiting. But there was nothing down, not by the girl. So for a time, the horse kept trying to invite her, to have her upon his back. But there she just was.

At the end of that, he had expended his energy. But he quickly picked himself up, resting upon his splayed, tremgling legs with his eyes upon her own. Only when she detected this exhaustion did she go forth upon his back. When she did, he sighed. Then his head perked up. He made a signal. The aunt said something loud to the girl. The girl took the reins and patted the animal. but the signal was made. He had shook his head quickly, swished his tail faster and with greater force. Ultimately, he stretched his long neck and made a zealously piercing neigh.
Suddenly, she felt him stand on his hind legs, forcing the youth to hold onto the reins with careful firmness. The stallion then buried his front hoofs into the ground, making her feel the recoil. Then he ran, he ran with umost speed and a selfless never-say-die attitude. Ayza let out a whoop as her mother exclaimed for her safety, the youth loosening her grip but not too much that she would fall off because of how fast the nakatar was going. Her legs were wrapped but not too much around the horse, trusting in the reins and the stirrups. She had rode horses for buzkashi many times before and she had never failed to ride her horses (All of them leased, never her own). So she simply rode him with some heart-touching, unafraid to yield to him for now. He ran and ran until he suddenly stopped and bucked her off of him. Ayza hit the ground on her right side, the watchers gasping or whispering. But she grunted shortly, she rubbed her arm, that one that hit the ground first, but even as the horse continued to buck fiercely, she got up with a playful ‘I’m OK’ snarl and at his halt, she hopped onto his back after giving him a pat twice. Then at once, he started to counter her attempts to break him into being tamed, running in a very tight circle. Then when she was thought to be dizzy, he resumed his bucking and his rearing. He kept on trying to bounce her off of his back, challenging her to stay on him that she may be proven worthy of his selection of her. He bit the gridle, violently jumped and tossed himself, the young Ayza NOT quitting at all. Only when he intentionally tripped himself over an imaginary pebble did she had to let go and fell again.

The mother thought of trying to help her daughter up but the aunt put her arm in the way as the youth got up, dusted the dirt off her rough clothes and whispered

“So you’re trying to break me too?”

The reply was just a simply, joyful squeal. The ears pricked forward as he actually nuzzled her neck. Then he playfully bit it, making her yelp but only softly. She rubbed the mark he left on her and made her way to his side and mounted the stubborn horse again. No qutting. Not at all.
So the horse and the young woman continued to break each other. All the watchers were attentive. And any nearby horse was focused on watching these two, a fellow horse and a human challenge each other to breaking and to taming.

The horse kept on sprinting, circling tight, bouncing, bucking, rearing, neighing, squealing and on simply trying to get her off of him.
The girl however did simple things. If she could, she stayed on. If she had to, she let go and fell with control. Once down, she’d get back up.
There was absolutely no end to it. And yet the watchers remained, entertained and amused by this. No horse was ever broken this long. But it was this long. The sky was beginning to see the sun yield to the moon. It did not end until she and the horse were completely and finally fatigued. Until the day was over and the watchers now began to strain to keep watching, both of them have finally reached their own breaking points.

As she kept on him, panting and sweating, through the incoming coldness of the night, the horse let her stay on him and for both of their sakes, quit on forcing her off. He still had the strength to keep on his four legs, not shaky and splayed. And she too had the strength to remain seated upon his raised, tensed back. But it was down. They both won. She giggled. And the horse sighed. There was a great round of cheering and applause. And her mother and aunt shouting her name with glorious joy.

Nearing the end of this memory, she recalled how she felt when she was summoned by her aunt to the naming ceremony of her nakatar and of her time to declare her ownership of him. This time in the sanctuary has come to an end and she must take him away. But this end is a good one for him. She shall lease no more and ride any other horse no more. He is hers now and forever more until her or his death. For all Azzans, by 18, were expected to honor their 1st national hero, Aza-aza, one of the Great Seven that followed Azenya, who took a wild nakatar, one of the first of its kind, tamed it by both mountain stubbornness and heart-touching and claimed it as her trusted steed, a grand friend. Until today, she and her horse, Nkarta, from which the name of the mustangs orginated, were honored by every naming and ownership ceremoney each Azzan had done to their own horses.

She had worn a long, loose gray robe, one meant for riding. And her horse, gracefully groomed, endowed with a flower ring around his neck, was led to her by her mother who smiled and with her head raised high for her daughter. A proud woman. Once the two were put together, the girl put her hands upon the horses forehead and she said to him

“My name is Ayza. I hail from the clan of my mother and father. From the clan of the Chief of Az. I hail further from the tribe of Az and further more from the tribe of Az and from my country. I’m from Ausozera, a world of both beauty and violence. As you are too.”
She then let her left hand go down to stroke his cheek while the other rubbed the back of his ears. The horse nickered rejoicefully.
“I do not know who you are. I know nothing of your name.”

She frowned, closed her eyes and sighed. The horse nuzzled her in the face and when she opened her eyes, she finally said
“You comfort me even though I do not know you. May I name you then?”
As a yes, the horse seemed to nod.

“Okay.” She declared “Since you yourself were the very one who called me to actually tame you for a kindness that I’ve committed and so that you may repay me by your loyalty...May you stand and forever run by the name that means ‘Crier of Loyalty’ for your deeds. Be named Marazaran.”

Then she had stopped there. She had to when she finally reached the stables. She got through the doors, greeted by an Ayrran woman with the tribal sand patterns painted on her forehead down to her neck. Azen tribal paints were like tattoos but these were not permanent and were meant for people who do not wish to violate their own bodies by getting tattoos. And having Azen tribal paint on your body would earn you more respect from an Azen for actually trying out their culture rather than sticking to tattoos which although it is part of Azen culture, tattoos are relatively new. The woman also had her long hair tied into a ponytail signifying her status as a woman of rest. It was a way of signifying her status as a veteran as well. It was clear from the badge she wore on the left side of her chest that she was a veteran. Only veterans and women who have been through much (e.g widows, orphans, victims, etc) could have this hairstyle. The woman said to her, first nodding then speaking

“Chief Ayza. May I help you fetch your horse?”

The Chief Ayza created a gentle sigh and shook her head slowly. The woman owner of the stables nodded and hurmed. She said

“All right, Chief.”

But the Chief did say

“You may be free to have the gates open for me, please, Miss Satiiban.”

Miss Satiiban gave her a grateful nod and did as told to. When the gates were open, Ayza went to the stall of her horse. When she got there, she heard his familiar welcoming nicker followed by a sigh of relief when he saw her face. She smiled. He always managed to bring the same youthful smile to her now-middle-aged face. She touched him and said

“Marazaran, how are you?”

The answer was only a soft, untouched sigh. She giggled lightly, sparking him to lean forward to her

“I know, darling. Do you wanna go out?”

There was a squeal and a loud pawing of hay.

“You wanna go out. All right. Let’s go. It’s time anyway. Time for a visit to Urranese Azenyanistan. It’s been a long time. The last time I was there, I was still little.”

He snorted, cocking his head. He seemed to have sensed her feelings.
“I admit.”

She sighed

“I admit that I feel kinda jealous. The Urranese took this, the Vanquarians took that, the people from Fronsland, Ratte, etc, etc. Not all of Azenyanistan is free and reunited. But that’s OK. I think everybody has been through this kind of jealousy and hurt.”

He nuzzled her, letting her touch his head

“Maybe someday I might get too jealous of my allies.
I might forget that I have a lot on my shoulders, that I too feel and carry my own share. I may be middle-aged, having lived for 40 years and change. But am I right to be Chief over this youthful generation? These new people? Am I right to be elected Chief? I can be proud of my own achievements, laugh at my own mistakes and be forgiving of my own actions should they be bad but what’s all that? What’s this? I can be my own self but...it seems that I am limited? That I have to take care to go by their words? I am jealous if not envious. I want what our neighbors have, what our allies have got, what our enemies provided themselves. But damn it, I’m a counsellor and a Chief and a nation builder and a civil engineer. I’d kick myself for feeling this way but no, I’m a grown woman who can take care of anything. But...”

The horse sighed. She too sighed

“Maybe someday I will get too jealous.”

She then used the other green key she had to unlock him from his stall. Released, the horse gladly neighed and nuzzled her again. Once this was done, the Chief returned the key she used to Miss Satiiban and confessed to Marazaran finally

“But I will take care of it. I will break it as we have broken each other.”

Now the horse, who seemed to perk his head up and swish his tail up and about, gave her another nuzzle and licked her. She silently chuckled at that. Then the owner readied her horse. She placed her sanaradara and her nalkariik and the rest of her gear. Then she let the Chief hop on his back and together, they went out of the stables. The owner shook her fist at them goodbye and so did the Chief. As for the owner, she did not worry about payment for the good Chief had paid her double in advance. It was her way to treating good stable owners.
They got to the Airport Highway. Fortunately, traffic was light and due to the Highway often being used by travellers who had animals, there already was a color path for them. It was also the same for all other Azen thoroughfares. Red for private vehicles, yellow for public vehicles, blue for other vehicles especially bikes and riders of animals. Emergency vehicles and government or military vehicles were allowed to either use the green paths or take the SDN thoroughfares along with the SDNT vehicles.

While Ayzas horse was technically a government vehicle, she chose to go over the blue path of the highway. What was unique about the Azens and their horses was their way of driving them. They used their fingers. And Ayza knew how to use her fingers to drive him. So she tapped his side, making him galllop faster than the wind. It was grand. In only 23 minutes (She times her horse sometimes) they reached the Free International Airport of Yaneza. Finally there, she said

“We’re here, sugarcube. Come on. Walk on!”

And he walked on. When they reached a checkpoint (Airport checkpoints in Azenyanistan were always supplied with sandbands, Rapid Deployment Walls and RD Guard Houses, all of them courtesy of Saragon and her businesses) manned by the lesser known branch of the Guards known as the Airport Guards, they were allowed to pass with only light inspection. Of course, Ayza, like any other Azen, had to show her passport and her government ID and her tickets. Once confirmed, the Checkpoint Leader, wearing the badge that signified her rank as CL, nodded to her, returned her documents to her and parted

“Have a nice trip to the UA, Chieftain.”

And in return, she nodded and said

“Surely, Sir. Carry on.”

And in return, the CL further nodded and then returned to the guard house.
When they left the checkpoint, they then took the road to the area where the private and government planes were. This allowed Ayza to see the airport in its goodness though.

She remembered how the old airport was destryoyed in the past. A new one, this one, was built by order of Sadisia. Today, it could house exactly 44 planes of any kind, 25 helicopters of any kind and serve millions of people and at times of emergency or war, work as the Azens main emergency airport or as the Grand Army of the Confederacys main airbase. But by an order by Tyena before she stepped down, the airport was to be expanded so that it can house more people and more planes and helicopters. It was also to be upgraded so that airships can finally be serviced in Yaneza. Work on the airport was still being done but it was by no means slow. Almost all workers were Azens and they were proud and happy to work here. So because of their pride and their joy, they did not easily tire nor did they easily become lazy. These Azen workers were well supplied and trained. Alongside them were foreign workers and managers. They were mostly from Vanquaria, Esgonia, the FAP, Urran, Ratte, etc. For the Azens prized their friendships with their neighbors and their allies. Adding to this, Ayza herself gave 18 million more Rayyans to the budget so that it may be improved quickly but not at the cost of quality and lives. She herself hired Saragons businesses to handle this with the help of the foreign companies and contractors in Azenyanistan.

She nodded in approval to what was happening. Then she moved on. She wasn’t here to see to the status of the improvements but to visit Urranese Azenyanistan. In the end, she boarded one of the Azen government Concorde 2 planes set aside for her, put her horse into the special animal passenger compartment the plane had (For this plane was modified by her order) and in an hour, took off, with the destination being Urranese Azenyanistan.

Rahatiel

The rebel captain-turned-chief of the AARU sighed in her mind as she inspected the line of men who came to welcome her to the Northern parts of Donnerland. The Azen Azulnish Rebel Alliance had, by her, Tanyahs and Killjoys orders, divided Donnerland by zone. Rahatiel would take care of the northern parts, Tanyah would see to the central parts and Killjoy would be in charge of the southern parts. In the north, Rahatiel had her 70 men and their motorcycles, 50 refugees who volunteered to serve as combat support service troops for their captain-turned-chief of the AARU. In the north, she also was given command of 40 Knights, 3000 other men and their motorcycles, their trucks and their technicals and other equipment and vehicles. In the center, Tanyah was in charge of 40 of her Arch Angels, 1500 other men and their vehicles and equipment and 30 Knights. In the south, Killjoy had 3000 of the remaining other men of the AARU, 30 remaining Knights and 40 of the remaining Angels and Arch Angels of the 1st Strike Teams. Coming to aid them were the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments, the 1st Armored Regiment, Karron’s Regiment, the 1st Green Helmets Division from Reutopia, the 1st Azen Confederate Commando Units, the 1st G171 Strike Force, the Kanahne Group, the New Knights of Azenyanistan, Group Osaria, the 1st Merchant Fleet and from the FDR, 65 Azen soldiers from the 8th SAS Regiment who also have vital supplies for the Azen fighters. All of these things were very important to Operation Sands of Survival, the Azen Confederate operation to supply and support all of the forces against Donnerland.

Rahatiel was ultimately relieved at the fulfillment of her prayers. She would not be alone in this fight and she would have her country’s full support and their resources. And she believed that they would win. That Donnerland will be defeated. For more and more men were joining the ranks of the AARU. More and more Azens. More and more Azulnish. They have finally turned around and stopped running. No more. The Azens will have to fight. And they are going to fight. And they are fighting. There was no more reservation. There was only one goal: Survive. There was only one dream: Survive. There was only one word that was the most important: Survive. Survive. Or nothing else is gonna be important. It was survival. Survival is the key. It is the key to everything. For nothing is worth more than life and any living thing is worth more alive than dead. More useful is the one alive than the one dead. And this the Azens have learned.

Rahatiel dismissed the line of men that she was inspecting and they went away. She then approached the radios that were on the nearby table of her new base. Then she contacted Killjoy and Tanyah. She said to them
“Tanyah, Killjoy, how are you two?”

Killjoy answered first

“We’re doing well here.”

Then Tanyah

“We’re getting settled.”

“Good.” Said Rahatiel, with a hint of happiness “That’s good. Now that we are properly given our shares, I have something to tell you two.”

Tanyah said “Listening.”

Killjoy added “Reading you loud and clear, Rahy.”

Rahatiel chuckled at that and said “Thanks. Anyway, the war is really up. Our sword is going to fall upon Donnerland. And so will the swords of our allies. Of the other nations who are against them. But let’s keep in mind that the Donnish...they’re not the ones who we must really blame. It is their leader, Voy. The one who we proudly, grimly and dissapointingly call The Motherfucker.”

There was silence on the line.

She continued

“The fault is not in the people. It is in Voy. So our job is not just to fight the Donnish Army. It is also to fight Voy and his lackeys. To end this war. This is all a big disappointment. A big mess. Nothing else. There is no glory here or anything really good about it. It’s just one big mess. And you and I know that from our experience, war sucked. War was bad. It messed up everything we had. And if it were not for our friends, we would have only had a wasteland. But because of our friends, we rebuilt. We made it. We survived. Survive. That’s the key. We are going to survive. You, Tanyah and I. We’re going to make it through. And so will our people. We will however inevitably get some of our men hurt or dead. But war is war. We have to fight. We must fight. We are going to fight. And we will win.
With the supplies coming, with the support coming and with so many allies...we are going to win. Our alliance is not going to be in vain. We will win because we think we will win and because of all of this support. We are not alone.

We will never be alone.”

“Well said, Rahy.” Said Killjoy

“Good speech.” Said Tanyah

“Thank you. But that’s not what I wanted to do. What will you do there?”

Tanyah answered

“I’ll help out our allies.”

Then Killjoy said

“I’ll be training our little alliance and I’ll be our guy for supplies and support. Our brothers and sisters from the heartland said that they will go south and from there, they’ll supply and support us.”

Then Rahatiel said finally

“All right. I’ll do what I can to help them find Voy and to help them rescue Sigbritt.”

“They took her?”

Said the two commanders with surprise. Rahatiel nodded and said

“Yeah, they took her. We don’t know where. Reports from local rebels in the north say that Voy was with her. If she’s with him, then that’s bad news for Voy. I also got word from our Lightbringer and AIG friends that our allies are sending their SF to deal with the Motherfucker and rescue Sigbritt. If we are not too late, we can help.”

“We better.” Said Killjoy

“We didn’t come here to do nothing. We came here to help.”

Tanyah said

“I agree. We are the friends of the Porteans and the Esgonians and the Ratteans and the rest of ISAT. We are members of the Union, we are Unionist citizens and we are, most importantly, citizens of Ausozera. Of our world. One world.”

Rahatiel contributed

“And I am a citizen of Donnerland and of Azenyanistan. In fact, I may have a triple citizenship. I might be an Azen-Unionist-Donnish woman.”

They laughed at that. Then Tanyah said

“Got anything else?”

“Nah.”

Said Rahatiel

“This is all for now. Tomorrow, we begin our operations together. From then on, you may do as you may do. Every man then for their own self. But if anyone needs anything, contact any of us. You all know what to do. We all do. Clear?”

“Clear.”
They both said.

“All right. Out.”
And then she killed the radios. She then turned her back to the radios and let that mental sigh out. She left the radios and began to walk past her men, inspecting them again.

Karea

“6000 men, 2 MS tanks, 1 LRD gun, 4 DR MBTs, several motorcycles, 6 TB arty trucks and almost everything our military has. Not so bad.” Said the Guardian Commander. She was wearing her iconic green helmet, her blue shades and her sky blue shemagh as well as her usual tan uniform. She had a long face and her eyes had the colors of the red of the Azen flag of now. Her shades were clear enough for people to see her eyes. And she was tall too. Her hair was in a short mohawk. It was not dyed. It was perfectly brown. Mohawks were often the symbolic hairstyles of Azen soldiers and of commanders. And everyday, she would trim it.

She was at the deck of the ship that was carrying her and her forces to Donnerland. They were coming and they were coming close. So was the 1st Merchant Fleet. And the rest of the Azen forces. They were heading south. That was where they were going to hit. From there, according to the plan of Operation Sands of Survival, they would spread out, taking the east and the north, to supply and support their allies and most importantly, the Azen Azulnish Rebel Alliance. This she knew. This every Azen commander knew. And this every Azen soldier was briefed in. This operation was going to be important. Not just to the Azens but also to their allies. To their coalition, to ISAT, to everyone on their side, to everyone fighting the Donnish.

The Guardian Commander had a burning cigarette between her lips. It was odd because, according to her men, she rarely smoked. The only time she smoked was when she was out sailing. Right now, she was out sailing, this time, she was out sailing to Donnerland. And she was taking her men with her.

She actually flipped the table and messed up her office in Reutopia when she was informed that they wouldn’t be coming home just yet. There was one stop and that was Donnerland. There was just one thing and that was Donnerland. Donnerland. That country. Yeah, that country. That place. Karea, the Guardian Commander of the 1st Green Helmets Division, thought about that place. She and every Azen commander was given copies of books all about Donnerland. She was given reports too as well as documentaries and magazines and basically all kinds of information that was important. That important information was information about Donnerland. The Azens were pulling everything from their archives and they were borrowing from allied libraries, information centers, etc. They were not taking chances. They had to know everything they could about their enemy. And they were adjusting to Donnerland. They will have to. And they were.

Karea spent every day and night, from the moment she got the entire plan until the moment she had found herself smoking on the deck of this ship, studying and thinking about her enemy, about this country: Donnerland.

It was the same for Reutopia too. She was the Guardian Commander of the Azen peacekeeping force sent by the former Speaker to Reutopia. The Reutopians and the Azens and ISAT had discussed this before. And by the end of that discussion among these nations, the Azens sent Karea, Guardian Commander, and her 1st Green Helmets Division to Reutopia. And they did a very great job there.

Most of her experience came from Azenyanistan. She fought in the Seven Wars. She fought in the Battle of Yaneza. She fought for Sadisia. But she, according to her personally, found more experience in Reutopia. She had spent her time there fighting alongside the Reutopian government, military and police against internal threats to that country. She had gone to the mountains, to the caves, to the tunnels, to each and every place they were told to go because they were told that there were rebels there. Karea did a good job. She didn’t let down the Reutopians and neither did she let down her heartland, Azenyanistan. For her job in Reutopia and for her men and for keeping them alive and for making them win as much as they could and for actually doing something, Karea earned a special place in the hearts of the Azen High Command and was being recommended by the Azens to ISAT.

It made her enjoy her cigarrette more and more as she remembered Reutopia. It was a good country. It deserved to be and it had to stay that way or else she’d quit smoking out of disappointment. She was proud to have been sent to help that country, to befriend that country by fighting for it and alongside that countrys loyal forces. Karea would not forget Reutopia. And she would not forget her men who were with her. Her men had given her their loyalty and their very hearts. In fact, she had adopted most of them.

But today and later more and more, Karea was going to fight not in Reutopia but in Donnerland. And tonight, when the Ausozeran sun would sink into the oceans and the moon would float up from the waters and rise into the sky, she would return to her place on the ship to review again and again this country named Donnerland. And she too would learn about her military and about this man named Voy.

She grinned at what was to come. And she said to nobody
“This is going to be a long, long stop. And when I get home, I’ll do what any Azen peacekeeper from Reutopia would do: Get back to Reutopia. I’ll never get tired of that place.”

END

[Western Imperial Union]

3rd WIU CBG
Entering Vanquarian Northern Waters

Fleet Captain, that's what the waves and bars on his sleeve and collar meant and the eagle on his cap showed his status was still captain and not yet Admiral. Though success in the new campaigns about to be launched across Donnerland might just change that.

Haubern Reins straightened the black tie of his uniform as he stood in his ship's bridge. One stop among several he made at random intervals during the day. A long distance from hostile forces the crew were slightly more relieved than normal in open or threatening waters. This included the captain who took as much time to inspect as much of his flagship and meet with his men as he could in these less active days.

Perhaps less active was a poor description. Sailors hurried to and fro and aircraft would come in and out as the day wore on. Fleet Captain Reins was largely at the epicenter of the Imperagna, upon the bridge short reports of weather and aircraft and vessels in the area filed in ever few minutes. That was not what Haubern awaited however.

"We are ready Captain Reins." Communications Officer Caubreis reported.

"Good I want communication with the Vanquarian fleet opened up as soon as possible get me through to their flagship." Caubreis saluted with two fingers sharply popping off the brim of his cap.

Captain Reins looked out over the sea and at the battle group surrounding his flagship. Several ships slid through the waves their crews busying themselves at maintaining the vessels. Once he had joined the Vanquarian fleet Reins intended to meet with the Vanquarian leader directly and thus the Imperian ships would look as perfect as possible.

WIU Staging Area
Eastern Helghan

General Edward Kyler directed the cargo as it was deployed at the airbase. Mostly ammo at this point to bolster the already existing surplus. One of several Imperian staging areas in Eastern Helghan this one in particular was the main Headquarters for the General of Imperian forces in Helghan. Several Geist units as well as elements from the 3rd Legion and several air unit had taken residence here as it sat further in the interior of Helghan making it relatively safer from Donnish forces.

General Kyler had been sent to Helghan when tensions initially started brewing with Donner land, his forces had steadily grown, and with them his responsibilities. Luckily having spent such a long time studying the border of Helghan and Donner;and he felt confident enough to join Helghast planners when they met for discussion of strategy and reports.

An Initial force of Geist rotated it's men probing the border regions scouting for Donnish forces and reporting defenses while also trying to identify civilian targets that would have to be avoided. That was somewhat worrisome for the General. Such a large scale theater of conflict had large areas of civilian populated zones, in fact all of Donnerland and large swathes of both Helghan and Vanquaria had been generally made the planned conflict Theater. Whats more was the pressing shift away from traditional total war tactics to more merciful ones. That left a bittersweet taste in Kyler's mouth in all honesty. To be merciful and caring was one thing, something he hoped to do for even the people who seemed to be assailing innocents, yet there was a limit where collateral damage would be necessary. Perhaps new developments would come about allowing a change in stance on the matter but as it stood Helghan continued to have many Refugee centers near the border and Donnerland was not just a military it had innocents too.

The helicopter lifted off and flew in the direction of the Helghast command center, it would be important to discuss the exact plans of operation as well as be unified in command once any type of actin began. Kyler did not look forward to sending Imperian men to die so far from home, many traditions required a man to be buried in his homeland in the southern parts of WIU. Should he not be would cause him to be a shade ever haunting the field of battle. The general wasn't superstitious but he felt bound to try and spare his men the thought of such religious matters if they were from those areas of WIU. Yet only time would tell if sparing them hardships would mean the deaths of only a few or only a few thousand.

[The United Remnants of America]

Agent Abbas Merzhad

---

Outside Bögt, Donner Land

---

9/16/2015 - 01:11

---

It was starting to get cold at night, but Remnant Marshal Agent Abbas Merzhad was being kept warm mostly out of fear and nerves at this point. In Bögt, Abbas had moved quickly. The city was more or less in disarray, allowing him to wait for the perfect moment to break into a Donnish SUV and hotwire the thing to get it to start up. After that, it was a mission unto itself maneuvering around mobs and street-roaming vigilantes in order to get out of the city without being stopped. From what he could see both in person and what was on the news before he left the internet cafe, the Donnish police and military was a little more occupied with Voy's holy war against the world than to deal with any ethnic cleansing. A mixed blessing. Abbas wasn't the gifted ethnicity here, but at least he could get things done without any real resistance. There's a reason he still had a pistol with him.

He drove ten kilometers south out of Bögt until he reached a relatively quiet patch of road. Abbas pulled over to the side and killed the engine. He then grabbed his bag and got out of the SUV to begin his trek into the snowy woods. The ground was relatively even, despite there being thickets every so often that had to be bypassed. The moon was out tonight, which helped light Abbas' path. It also showed his breath crystallizing and hanging in front of him as he hiked a full kilometer into the woods, which was where the designated clearing was. By the time he got to the clearing, Abbas checked his watch and saw he was ahead of schedule and had a few minutes to spare, so Merzhad did the logical thing and took a much-needed piss, even at the cost of nearly freezing his balls off.

Exactly six minutes later, he heard it. The whining. It started faint and then rapidly picked up in volume until it sounded like it was right over him. In reality, it was. A shape blocked out the stars above until a rectangle of red light appeared on the side and a heavy rope fell to the ground, missing Abbas by three feet, causing the agent to jump back further. Seconds later, a shape slid down the rope, boots crunching as they hit snow and the figure moved out of the way. Three more figures slid down the rope before all were there, the rope then cut loose and fell to the snow as the engines of the VTOL above increased and pitch and the black shape disappeared from overhead. Abbas waited until it was quiet enough to speak.

He looked over the four shapes as they made sure all their gear was in place after the successful insertion into a hostile country before one spoke up, what sounded like an older male, "You must be Agent Merzhad. I'm Sage. Welcome. This here is Agent Wells, Banshee, and Cross. We're here to help you." The shape that identified itself as Sage was nothing more than a darker shadow in the woods.

Abbas nodded and resisted holding out his hand since it seemed like the other Marshals weren't the shaking type. "Nice to see you. Honestly, nice to see some confident faces, since everyone here is terrified." It was an expression, since Abbas couldn't see any of their faces through their masks and the veil of darkness.

"Well... Where do we go?"

"Right, this way, sorry," Abbas turned and pointed, "About a click to an SUV I commandeered. From there, we need to figured out if Keenes is actually coming into Bögt, since my intel so far is spotty. That is what we're supposed to do, right?"

"Right. Contact and rescue Vanzen Keenes, even if we have to do it against his will."

"So, kidnap?" Abbas tilted his head as the group began to hike back to the SUV through the woods.

"Well, in as many words..." Sage trailed off.

"But I thought he's supposed to be the savior of Donnerland?"

"No, no, he is. Whether he wants to be or not."

The point had been made. "Oh. I see."

The group made it the rest of the way back to the SUV in relative silence, the only sounds being the breathing of the Marshals and the crunching of snow and brush under their boots. Back at the SUV, they began to plan on how they would intercept Vanzen Keenes and install him as the leader of the new Donnerland. Sage and his team went over tactics and equipment while Abbas used his phone to check the national news as well as touch in with his contacts he'd made in his years undercover in the snowbound country.

A quick find could lead to a lot of lives saved. If they failed, however... None of the Marshals were willing to think that option out yet.

[Azenyanistan]

The Adversary


Turyannah The New Chief of The Azen Police


The young woman, the one adopted by Turyah, finally put on her left Civil Protection field boot and left the air-conditioned room which she called her own in the house she shared with her mother. She was the only one who lived with her as there was only this room, her mothers room, their living room, their prayer room, their kitchen, their comfort room and their personal armory. There, they lived. There, they shared their lives.


She called to her mother softly because that was the rule
“Mama! Mama! I’m ready!”
Her mother replied
“Good.”
And soon she heard more of her strict but warm voice
“Now let’s go. Did you check your gear?”
Turyannah said, rushing to the mirror nearby
“I’ll go check!”
“Go ahead. I’ll be outside, darling.”
“Yes, mama!”


When she got to the mirror, she made sure to take a good look at her face. She saw her crudely shaven brown hair, her brown eyes, her small nose, her thin lips and her fair skin. She smiled at how she looked, especially with her Civil Protection hat on her head and with a few tattoos on her neck and left cheek. For Civil Protection officers were allowed to have tattoos of their own. Most of them would place their tattoos on their face. She did. But her tattoos were of a Queen Cobra eating shadows. Her mother herself approved of them.


She also wore her favorite uniform in all of the selections of the ACP. It had many pockets, a utility belt with a lot of pouches, a chest holster for her pistol and her two family names on the front, just under the collar, and on the back, also just under the collar. Her family names were ASATIRRIA AND AL-ALSARRANITA. The family name ASATIRRIA was the family name of her mother, Turyah. But the other one belonged to the one that she lost. Meanwhile, the top of the uniform was tan while her pants were strictly sand-colored and it too had many pockets, especially for ammunition, and because they were intended for the Civil Protection, they were thick enough to protect her from knives and other melee weapons that were favored by criminals in Azenyanistan, especially in Yaneza.


She also had her badge attached to the chest of her uniform and her rank as DETECTIVE was displayed on her shoulder patches. She also wore sand-colored fingerless gloves and armored paddings on her elbows, her forearms and her legs. She also, as a detective, wore a comfortable but thin protective vest beneath her uniform. And as a detective, although optional, she got an airy, sleeveless mud brown jacket that also had pockets and provided protection against melee weapons.


She turned around and checked herself. Satisfied, she then checked her gear which was in the pouches of her utility belt. She had several rounds for her pistol, painkillers and bandages and other medical necessities for first aid, hand cuffs, two small notebooks along with a blue, red and black pen, a PDA, an extra comm link (She was already wearing one on her right ear) and an extra ID.


Once she was done checking herself and her gear, she left the mirror and made a quick trip to the armory. Luckily for her, the barred door was open and so she went through, looked for her ACP assault rifle, got it and left the armory before closing and locking the door. She then finally got to the living room where her adoptive mother was.


Turyah was attractive even as a woman approaching her middle ages. She had a black mohawk, sharply colored eyes, a large nose, thick lips and darker skin than Turyannah. She also had a largest set of breasts than her daughter and was more muscular. She also had a few scars on her face, one just below her left eye and another close to her lips. She too had tattoos on her neck. They were of a woman wrestling with a man.

She wore the uniform of a Chief. She had the Chiefs sand-colored, thick, multi-pocketed and patched jacket, the Chiefs ACP protective sunglasses, the Chiefs customized and modified comm link, the Chiefs desert-colored ACP shirt beneath her jacket, the Chiefs protective vest beneath her shirt and the Chiefs urban combat pants. Turyah also wore the same boots all ACP officers wore.
What she didn’t wear was her badge and her patches. She kept them in her own utility belt. And she also had a pouch she bought from the military. She had it strapped around the left thigh of her pants. And like Turyannah, her daughter, she had her ACP assault rifle and her ACP pistol. There was a serious difference between the mother and the daughter. But Turyah smiled at her and said


“You look great.”
At this, Turyannah felt her heart beat faster and she scratched her head while she made a sheepish grin and said
“Thanks, Mama.”
Turyah giggled at that and nudged her playfully with the butt of her own rifle. At this, she then said to her
“No problem, little one. Now come on and follow me. We got a job to do.”
But as soon as they started walk out of the house, Turyah stopped, turned to her daughter and stopped her too and said
“Why not wear your Chiefs uniform?”
Turyannah simply gave her mother a shrug and a smile and explained
“What? I still love this uniform. I really do. Can’t I simply wear this instead of the Chiefs uniform?”
Her mother rolled her eyes and said to her
“You can, Turyannah, but someday, one day, inevitably, you’re gonna wear that Chiefs uniform and whether I am still alive to see you wear that uniform, no matter what, you’re gonna wear it. But yes, you can simply still wear your favorite uniform.”
She then smirked at her and said
“You just love being a detective, don’t you?”
Turyannah gave her a grin. And in response, Turyah sighed patiently and turned and jerked her head to the front and said
“All right, fine, let’s go.”


And so they went out of the house. Their house was in a village just on one of the grand mountain plains close to the city of Yaneza. Their village had 400 people and it was mostly populated by many ACP officers. The Azen Civil Protection in Yaneza were the most occupied of all of the departments of the ACP and so they either lived in the city center if they had to be close to most of the action and if they weren’t too important or they lived in villages just close to Yaneza, especially if they were too important to risk being present in the city. The Azens learned that if they wanted to keep the ACP alive and efficient, they had to put their more important officers at a distance from the city. Yaneza was often the witness of several small and unknown fights between the ACP and criminals. The Seven Cards were emerging in Western Azenyanistan but the country was AND is mostly stable. Only Yaneza and Rakshan, a city-state of Azenyanistan known for their contribution to the country by her manpower especially in the military, law enforcement and security, were affected by the emerging of the Seven Cards and by small criminal organizations that were still in Azenyanistan. While The Mercy Agenda was already being implemented, it would still take time for The Mercy Agenda to do as Sadisia, it’s writer and it’s planner, to fulfill its purpose. So while it was taking effect, the Azen Civil Protection had to focus on containing the Seven Cards and the smaller criminal groups, preventing instability and external threats from affecting the country and finally on firmly AND strictly keeping the peace, the law and the order Azenyanistan sorely needed after The Seven Wars and The Age of Chaos. The path of stability would belong and shall belong to Azenyanistan.


The two women, one young, one growing old, waited outside the gates of their home. They waited for a few minutes until an ACP vehicle came. It halted right in front of them. It was an ACP Armored Riot and Grand Distance Multi-Purpose Vehicle aka the ACP-Rhino. Almost always, they were simply referred to as Rhinos. The driver of the Rhino got out and approached the two. It was also a woman and she said to them
“Chief Turyah, I’m here to pick you up, Sir.”


The woman also nodded to the young Turyannah, the detective-chief-to-be nodding back to the driver. The woman wore ACP SWAT helmet and uniform as well as gear. Depending on the environment and mission, the SWAT of the ACP would wear uniforms and armor and bring gear that blended into the environment, suited the mission and provided the best odds for them. For this particular mission, as a driver, she only had light armor, a thin helmet and not too much gear. But she did have her weapons which were stored just close to her place, her weapons being a carbine and a pistol.


Turyah nodded to the driver and said
“Well done, Officer. Are we your last pick up?”
The driver nodded and jerked her thumb over her shoulder and said
“Yeah. The rest are inside. The others are in the other Rhinos.”
“All right. I and my little girl will sarrit (ride outside) your Rhino.”
The driver blinked. Then she looked at her Chief, at the young one, then back at her Chief. She said
“You sure?” She jerked her thumb again at the vehicle “There’s still some space.”
Turyah shook her head and said
“No time. Get back to the wheel, Officer. Let’s get going.”
The driver nodded and returned to her place and slowly drove away as the two women ran to the back, jumped on and held on to the handle bars. Rhinos were specifically designed to allow ACP officers to sarrit them especially if there was no time to get in or if it was just too risky.
They left the village in no time and joined the other Rhinos, creating a convoy that speedily approached Yaneza. As they travelled, two ACP helicopters flanked them, flying above them. More and more Rhinos also joined them from the villages close to the Grand Highway that connected all of the city-states to one another. In total, there were 16 Rhinos and two helicopters on the way to Yaneza.
Chief Turyah spoke into her comm link as the December rainclouds finally let go of the water in them, showering the dusty and speeding Rhinos
“This is Chief Turyah. I want a full status report on the situation developing AT the Donnish embassy, do you copy?”
Turyannah heard her mothers voice and then she also heard the youthful but seemingly anxious voice of one of her friends and fellow detectives, Gurraishalli


“Detective Gurraishalli reporting, Chief. Chief, I’ve finally got our people around the embassy. The Donnish Sector is secure. I’ve got helos in the sky, Rhinos bringing in more people and barricades and I’ve got four tanks assisting us. The situation is quite tense, Chief. We don’t really know what’s gonna happen but if our informants are right, the embassy is gonna come under some heavy Seven Cards pressure. Got no idea why they’re fighting the Donnish if the Seven Cards and the Donnish have the same goals and that is to fight everyone especially us. But the Guards aren’t here yet, Chief. I’ve already contacted them and they told me that they were on their way. Status on civilians, Chief, is pretty OK. The Donnish in the embassy are OK and some of them who don’t really hate us gave us the green light to get some of our people inside. But IDK with their bloody heads. They might give us trouble even though Chief Ayza gave the green light for us to put the Donnish embassy under our protection. I’ve already made sure that our people won’t do anything stupid or take anything from the embassy.”
“All right, Gurraishalli. Good work. Keep me posted. We’re on our way. We’re in the middle of the Grand Highway in a Rhino-helo convoy. This is Chief Turyah, we’re out.”


“All right, Chief. Detective Gurraishalli out!”


Because it was December, Azenyanistan became subject to heavy rains. Ever since the first week, the South and the West felt the grand showers of the heavens. But as the rainfall is grand, so is the heat of the Azen sun. For Azenyanistan was entering its wet season. The convoy slowed down a little bit but nevertheless kept going for the city as it took the path STRICTLY reserved for the ACP. This allowed other users of the Grand Highway to keep going smoothly. Turyannah witnessed how a Traffic Guard, which was an all-female branch of the Guards of Azenyanistan, kept on directing traffic at an intersection ignoring the heavy rain. Even when her bright gold and red uniform was getting soaked and even when her body was beginning to become exhausted from her work, she kept on guiding the vehicles through with the iconic long wrist banners that they wore to guide traffic. Even with or without those wrist banners, this particular Traffic Guard used the two Hand Traffic Guide Torches (made by Saragons Companies) she was issued as was every Traffic Guard. She had to use the Torches because it was already getting dark. The bright gold lights of the Guide Torches were caught by the eyes of Turyannah who smiled at the Traffic Guard as they passed her by. She caught the Guards attention but the Guard seemed to see not only her but the ACP Chief. The Traffic Guard brought her legs together gracefully as she swiftly lifted her arms, stretching them out as she flashed the Guide Lights. That made traffic stop and the Guard did that so she could salute the Chief and her daughter. The Chief gave a salute back as they finally moved away from her sight and the Traffic Guard continued to guide traffic through.
Now finally away from the intersection, they got to the Grand Highways City State Entrance. Because this Highway was not made by the Azen government alone, Eve Saragon approved of establishing payment stations at the entrances and exits of the Azen city states. There, she would collect 7 Rayyans from all who would pass through from the attendants and those 7 Rayyans would be shared by both the city states and Saragon herself. It was a win win and that kept the Grand Highway open and maintained. In fact, this was the most maintained and most popular thoroughfare that the Azens used in their own country.


They were allowed to pass through the payment stations speedily. This was because one of the ACP officers jumped off a Rhino that slowed down for her to jump off and that officer went to the payment station that the convoy was passing through and gave the attendant there 7 Rayyans for each of the Rhinos that passed through. That officer stayed there as the rest of the convoy kept moving. The officer shouted to the Rhino that she jumped off

“Just keep going! I’ll catch one of the last Rhinos!” And when the last Rhinos entered, one slowed down and they jumped on the back of it and said
“Come on! Let’s go!”
That woman was Turyah.
They now were in the city of Yaneza, the capital of Azenyanistan.


They went through the outer residential circle, passed through the industrial and commercial circles and then through the inner residential circle and into the city center. The center of the city was the literal beating heart of the city state. The administrative compound was there, the embassies of other nations were there and the biggest oasis was there. There were many oasises around the city state and that gave the Yaneza Azens life by the water and the vegetation the oasises had. Surrounded by deserts and by mountains, Yaneza thrived because of these oasises. Also there was the rebuilt Palace of the People, Grand Library and the Grand Museum. There also was the main ACP station and it was close to the Donnish embassy. The city center was put under ACP observation with officers on patrol and with the embassies provided ACP officers and their protection. When they got there, they weren’t surprised.


The heavy rain was actually a blessing for the ACP. With the rain, they wouldn’t have to worry about the sand storms. These storms were common for Ayrran city states and they often got the ACP in trouble when they fought criminals. So with the rains, there wouldn’t be anything that would interfere with communications or even anything as simple as line of sight. Even with equipment especially made for operations in sand storms, they do a lot of inconvenience to everyone. And with the preparations already made by Gurraishalli, this helped them a lot.


The Rhino and helicopter convoy stopped at an assembly area near the embassies. There, as one, the ones riding the Rhinos sarrit jumped off and checked their gear as they assembled. The helicopters got close to the ground and the passengers simply got off as they dragged the boxes they brought with them along. Turyah and her daughter got off their Rhino last as the ones inside opened the doors and got their equipment out first then they stepped into the rain. They all got to where they were assembled.
As they were assembled, the Chief told her men to gather around and said
“Don’t be lazy. This will be quick.”
They then listened. The ACP officers that came with her were either in light armor and were armed with pistols and carbines only or had heavy armor, a lot of gear and were armed with assault rifles, heavy pistols, shotguns, grenades and other heavy weaponry, especially machine guns and high-powered sniper rifles. And her daughter was with her. She spoke
“One week ago, the Seven Cards began to actually emerge. During that week, our people from here and people from the rest of the Ayrran city states nailed several of their safe houses. Most of them were empty but the ones that weren’t were filled with some of their men and documents. We got a lot of evidence about past incidents and so what. But right now, one of their targets is the Donnish embassy.”
The men nodded and they continued to listen


“With Detective Gurraishalli and her men around the embassy, we can be sure that things are under control. But we cannot always depend on our control. The Seven Cards are as unpredictable as we all are as a people. And our job is to check out the Yahhan tunnels.”
She nodded to one of her men who nodded back, stepped forward and showed everyone a water proof map of the city. There were many areas marked T with a green marker and others marked TUC with a blue marker and others marked TOOC with a red marker. The Donnish embassy was marked TOC but there was once area close to the embassy that was marked TOOC. She said
“We’re to get to this area close to the embassy that isn’t a Tunnel Under Control by our people. We’ll take it and secure it so that nobody can get through to the embassy from underground.”


She then nodded to same officer who got them the map and got them another one. It had the map of the tunnels. She said as she pointed out
“The Tunnel Out of Our Control is a Y-shaped tunnel. We’ll be coming from the other end and we’ll have to close down the two ends and we’ll leave some men there.”
She then nodded to the officer and said to her
“Thanks.”
The officer said
“Anytime, Chief.”


And got the maps away. The Chief then said to her men, who made some space


“When we are on the surface, I want three teams to be made. Alpha team will stay here, Bravo will get to the other TOOC and Charlie will have to keep on looking through the tunnels. I also got reports from the Yahhans that there are some...”
She looked at her men. They were waiting for her to continue as the rain got harder and she had to speak louder
“...Creatures that are harassing them. I don’t expect you all to actually believe in their reports but you will go ahead and check the tunnels and see if what they are saying is true.”
She then nodded to herself, hurmed and finally said after she checked her assault rifle
“Alpha will be under Gurraishalli, I’ll take Bravo and Charlie will be under Turyannah.”
The men nodded and then Turyah smiled at them and said
“All right. Let’s get to work.”
She then thrust her right fist into the air, shouting


“AL-LARSOLISA AZENYASHANNAH?” (WHO PROTECTS THE LAND OF THE AZENS?)


“DANNAR AZENYA CARRUL BARRALIWA!!” (THE AZEN CIVIL PROTECTION!)


And they all split up by pair swiftly, heading to the tunnel network entrances. Turyah told Turyannah just as she was about to go with one of the officers as a pair
“Little one! Come with me!”
And she came with her to Gurraishalli. Gurraishalli nodded to them and saluted the Chief who saluted her back. She reported
“Chief Turyah, everybody’s here now. Rain’s getting heavier. But we’re gonna do OK here. The embassies will be watched closely and be protected. I hope you’ll be fortunate in the tunnels.”
“Hopefully.” Said Turyah, checking her assault rifle again before nodding to Gurraishalli “Keep up the good work. Don’t let me down.”
“Sir.”


And then they left Gurraishalli. They went to the nearest tunnel network entrance. This entrance was like any other as it had super thick doors, a roof for people who waited outside the entrances and a grand terminal for access. There were attendants for the grand terminals and they wore orange uniforms with TERMINAL ATTENDANT on the chest and back of their upper uniform. Since the ACP were working, the ones manning the grand terminals immediately worked on getting the doors open and they were opened. Even with the roaring rain, the ACP officers at this entrance were in good moods as they are mostly Ayyran and because their Chief and her daughter were with them.


The doors were as great as the SDNT Grand Trucks (Azen Grand Trucks were trucks that had more than 16 wheels and carried more containers than regular trucks. They were also known as Azen road trains) and were actually meant to accomodate them. This was because the Yahhan tunnels were also used by the SDNT if the SDN wasn’t always enough for them to use. And because the SDN used these tunnels, the Yahhans prospered from the traffic.


One of the grand terminal attendants did something to the terminal she was using and the lights of this particular tunnel went on. They were so bright they were the suns of the Yahhans. As the ACP entered the tunnels, a few Rhinos went in. But these Rhinos were not meant to transport many men. They were modified to have machine guns on the roofs, accessible by the turret installed in these modified Rhinos.
They went in two files, one on the left, one on the right, while the Rhinos travelled in the center. The Chief jerked her head to her daughter towards the tunnel and she obeyed, going ahead. The Chief then said to the attendants

“Can I politely ask you all to stay here and keep watch with some of my men? If it helps you do your jobs, I’ll make sure that you’re all compensated for your extra work.”

For these attendants, according to Gurraishalli, were close to the end of their shifts and grand terminal attendants were not paid too handsomely. But the attendants simply shrugged or smiled and told the Chief
“OK Chief. But you better take care, you’re too important to lose.”
The Chief nodded to them and they nodded back. They then watched the Chief walk down the tunnel ramp by one of the modified Rhinos.
As soon as they were in the tunnels, the doors slowly closed. They groaned gently as they did as alarms sounded, an artificial voice warning people to stay away from the doors as they closed. A few officers sometimes looked over their shoulders as they watched the doors hide the raining outdoors. Others simply kept on moving. And when they finally closed, they did not mind. They had communications and the plan was going as as it had to go.


Fifteen minutes after they travelled from the entrances, Turyahs men were told to halt as she put up her hands, turned them into fists and said again and again
“Stop! Stop! Stop!”
And they obeyed. The Rhino gunners then signalled to keep their eyes open by those on their left or on their right. Some of them had their guns to the left, others to the right. The ones on the back had their guns facing backward while the ones on the front kept their guns to the front. Those who were on their own two feet simply stuck close to the Rhinos. Turyannah approached her mother as she said into her commlink
“All groups, I’m asking you all to stop.”
“We’re stopping here.” Said the voice of one woman.
“OK, Chief.” Said another woman but her voice was ghost-quiet.
“At full stop, Sir.” Reported a man.
The first woman then said
“What’s going on, Chief?”
The Chief replied
“Nothing bad.” But Turyannah detected some kind of tiny tension in her voice as she said “But I need you all to send some men forward. Aren’t there supposed to be attendants fifteen minutes into the tunnels?”


Silence.

Turyah turned and gestured to two of her men to go forward quietly and quickly. They nodded and moved out, their rifles forward. The Chief put her free hand over the microphone of her comm link and told her daughter
“There is always a Checkpoint fifteen minutes into every Yahhan tunnel, right?”
“Right.” Answered Turyannah in a ghost-quiet way “Every time I come to visit my buddies, there’s always a Checkpoint every first fifteen minutes into the tunnels.”
“And there is a law by Yah for every tunnel that belongs to them to have Checkpoints.” Added Turyah. She then put away her hand and said into the microphone
“What do you guys have?”
“Checkpoint lights are off.” Said the first one.
“Same here.”
“Also here.”
The Chief then said
“Then that means the Seven Cards are already here.”
The first woman then said, now loud and clear
“CHIEF! THEY GOT THE CHECKPOINTS!”
The second woman also said
“It’s the same here!”
“Here too!” Said the man.
One of the men sent out returned, saying loudly enough that the men heard her
“They got the checkpoint! They’re all dead.”
The Chief glared at this and then she quickly said into her commlink


“Captains Trammah, Dura-Al-Saddad and Wamm, I want all of you to mazar-tillit (Azenish for stay sandy, an ACP expression for telling others to stay calm or not to get into trouble...yet) and do as I ask you to do: Secura na-assur ceraduntanil. Eysani ossat. Nole-ei dundardun. Aleem-abunturra arsei Seven Cards. Ar-zakil? (Secure the checkpoints. Eyes open. Do not shoot to kill yet. Engage the Seven Cards with restraint. Copy?)”


“Eir-zikal! (Copy!)” Replied the Captains. The Chief immediately put her commlink on a field-hearing mode so that she could hear her men while she was busy. She told the woman who returned
“Salonei! (Go!)” And the female officer turned around and went back to the checkpoint to her partner. The forward Rhinos followed and several dui-terrai-hem (Two Man Teams – they were the standard and the most minimal units that the ACP and other Azen armed forces/Azen security or law enforcement organizations had) went after their Chief. Turyannah tagged with another ACP officer with an LMG and went to the checkpoint. The dui-terrai-hem that Turyah had sent to the checkpoint were now at the terminals as the rest of the ACP checked the bodies of the attendants. Chief Turyah went to one of the bodies and got it up and checked for pulse. She saw took a quick look at the ID of the attendant:

LORISAI-ALAI UR TALLTOWER

18-0921-9298

The Chief shook her head and pulled her hand away. There was no pulse. She said into her commlink
“Did they kill the attendants at the checkpoints you got to?”
They all said “Soi. (Yes.)”
The Chief then nodded, screwed her face up a little before she sighed and said
“They got Ayzas cousin.”
Turyannah shook her head. Some of the officers nearby looked at one another uneasily. Some others mumbled words of condolence. The Chief then said
“Soila-ai. (Move on)” She then nodded to an ACP officer who carried a deployable machine gun and had shaved all of her hair off. “Officer Amayee, I want you to get the body in a bag. I want your partner to take care of the bodies. The rest of you, help them. Also, don’t forget to check them again.”

They nodded and did as told while Chief took Turyannah and the rest of her men down the tunnels. Two modified Rhinos stayed behind for the men at the checkpoint to bring the bodies into them while the rest watched out. Turyannah herself looked over her shoulder at the ones at the checkpoint and her fellow officers. They all were mostly quiet and simply did their jobs.
However, before they left the checkpoint in the hands of a detachment of their fellow officers, the Chief was told by the ones who checked the terminals that, from the cameras of the tunnels, there were unidentified men and women wearing what seemed to be maintenance jackets and tunnel clothes and were armed with rifles and carbines. Luckily, only six cameras caught them. That meant that six tunnels were being taken by these people, by the Seven Cards. The Chief frowned when she and her men saw them flash playing cards at the cameras. And it would be hard to identify these ones because they wore masks or towels over their faces. The Chief gave her Captains more instructions and they understood.
The Chief and her men, along with her daughter, would split up and deal with the Seven Cards in the two tunnels that they planned to deal with. But a question was running through the Chiefs mind. All of the tunnels that the Yahhans had were supposed to be secure because all of the tunnel entrances were manned by their attendants and there was always a group of ACP officers present close to them if ever they were overtaken. Then again, Azenyanistan was on the path to stability and the ACP had, to keep things manageable, to pull away some of their men. But the ACP always made sure that there would be others who would take their place and so they were allowed to hire mercenaries especially those from Esgonia or simply from the locals. If not, they called on the Guards, who they worked closely with, or simply summoned the city-state militias. If that didn’t work, they contacted Saragon or the government itself.


Then it hit her as the Chief and her men made contact. They were almost at the fork of the tunnels when one of their Rhinos, the one directly on the front, leading the rest, suffered a mobility kill from a Seven Cards explosion. The explosion blew the tires off and damaged the engine. The driver of that Rhino, still alive, reported to her Chief as their fight with the Seven Cards began
“Sir! They’ve got those old RPGs! They’ve immobilized my Rhino!!”
The Chief told the driver as the ACP took cover by hitting the floor or getting behind the Rhinos or by going against the low walls of the tunnel
“Driver, get out of there through the safety hatch in the back. GO!”


The Chief then turned to her men and said
“Get me some covering fire!”


And they did so, with her daughter firing burst after burst at the Seven Cards. Several dui-terrai-hems moved forward to keep on providing covering fire as the Chief ran to the back of the Rhino and waited for the driver. The other Rhinos began going back while their gunners opened up. A few RPGs were launched at the ACP but they either missed or hit the walls. Then when the safety hatch was kicked open and the driver got out, the Chief grabbed her and abandoned the Rhino while she used her pistol to cover herself. They got to cover just in time as the tunnel was filled with deafening shots and explosions. The ACP dui-terrai-hems kept on moving forward slowly as they moved cover. With the immobilized Rhino in the way, the Rhinos behind it were forced to stop while a team of ten ACP officers worked on getting it out of the way by pushing it forward. Covering them were the Chief, Turyannah and the rest. The officers refrained from using grenades and other weapons except their own firearms and the guns of the Rhinos.


It also seemed that the Seven Cards were trying to hold this position as they were bringing in more and more small boxes of ammunition to those who were fighting on the front. And since there were lights, the ACP and the Seven Cards were able to fight clearly. The ones at the damaged Rhino kept trying to push it until it finally started to move, with its body grinding and grunting againsts the tunnel floor as gunfire annoyed them all. The ACP made sure to keep that Rhino moving out of the way as they targeted the weak wooden barricades of the Seven Cards, shooting through them and nailing them. In no time, they were able to get the damaged Rhino out and continued, the Rhinos now supporting them as the Seven Cards ran away from their position, lost to the Azen police.


As the Rhinos provided more cover and the ACP began to secure the fork, a few officers approached Turyah and asked
“Sir! Do we pursue?”
“No! Not until we have this fork secure, we will not pursue. Is anyone hurt or dead?”
“No, Sir, nobody’s hit or dead. But we lost a Rhino.”
“We can’t repair it here. We’ll have to get this one out of the tunnels. Can I ask you guys to get it out of here by towing it?”
“Yes, Sir. We can.”
The Chief nodded then said to the driver of the Rhino.
“Driver, I want you out of the fight. Go with your Rhino. Can you do that?”
She had fought with her PDW even when she seemed tainted by smoke and the dust of fighting. The driver nodded and said
“Yes, Sir. I can. Thank you, Sir. Sorry I can’t stay with you.”
“If you want to, you can. But I think it is best if you go and help them fix your Rhino up. You’re the driver after all.”
The driver nodded and then proceeded to attend to her damaged Rhino while the ACP secured the fork. Officers were checking the bodies of the Seven Cards as Turyannah checked out the other tunnels for a little bit with some of the dui-terrai-hems. She returned to her mother and told her
“Mama, there’s a tunnel that we’ve checked out. It’s clear there. The other one though isn’t. I’m suggesting we leave some men here right now and move on through that tunnel. But I’m also thinking there’s a trap. What do you say, Mama?”


Turyah hurmed then asked her


“Can you help the men count the dead here? Also, I want you to find any Seven Cards fighter that is wounded or just still alive and is just sticking around to be a thorn to us.”
“Sure, Mama.”
And went to a part of the tunnels where there were ruined barricades and a few bodies. The officers saw that these fighters had civilian clothes, were not so well armed even though they had RPGs, they turned out to own old rifles, ill-maintained machine guns and a lot of pistols. There were a lot of small ammunition boxes lying around, some cheap, some made out of good metal. A dui-terrai-hem approached the Chief and reported
“Chief, we got a count. It’s already 1311 hours. We counted 16 dead. We also found three wounded and two still alive without any injuries. Just got them now.”
One of them carried a light machine gun while the other carried a rifle with a silencer. The one with the silence rifled then jerked her head at a group of officers who were surrounding a few Seven Cards fighters that were sitting on the floor, some wounded, some not. The silenced rifle woman then shook her fist at them, making a snake-like sound that made them turn their heads to her. She then said loudly and clearly
“Get them here!”
And the officers got them to stand up and brought them to the Chief. The Chief then looked at each of them. She then nodded and told the dui-terrai-hem
“All right. Good job. Get some of your friends to help you question them now. Those with injuries, however, must be treated first.”
“Yes, Sir!” They said. The Chief then nodded to them and took her leave. Once she was alone, she contacted her Captains
“All Captains, report to me.”
“This is Captain Trammah, Chief. Got into some trouble. Our Rhinos are all right and my men are too but we’re still in that trouble. We’re moving on and we’re leaving some men behind at the checkpoint. We’re also close to a few Yahhan villages. We’ll let you know what we find. Captain Trammah, out.”
“This is Captain Dura-Al-Saddad. I got four men wounded. Seven Cards here did a pretty bad job against us. Got one of our Rhinos too. Driver and gunner are dead. But the Rhino is intact mostly. Just need two more men. I’m not sure if I want to go ahead or not. What are your orders, Chief?”
The Chief told Dura
“Go ahead, Captain. But be more careful. And don’t get your Rhinos through yet unless you are sure that you need their support.”
“All right, Chief. Captain Dura, out.”
“Captain Wamm. Got hit in the knee. Hurts more than getting hit anywhere else. Looks like I can’t move too quickly now. Anyway, I’ll still be leading my men. I’ll take command from a Rhino. My Rhinos are all right and so are my men. We also got in contact with some of the Yahhans in the village we got to. They told us that the Seven Cards passed through and that nobody was hurt as they all hid until they passed through. They told us that the Seven Cards are looking for the utilities that the surface uses. Planning a sabotage, I think that is what they are trying to do. I’ll keep moving and try to make sure that they don’t get to do that. Captain Wamm, out.”


The Chief then nodded to all that they said and told them
“All right. Keep me posted. Do not let your guards down. Chief Turyah, out.”
The Chief then was told by the officers who questioned the captured Seven Cards and told her that the Seven Cards were really planning to sabotage the underground so that the surface would be affected. They also told her that they’re gonna try to target nearby Yahhan settlements. There was one town close to them.
Turyah then called her men to her and told them


“All right, boys and girls. On me. We have to go. I want to ask some of you to stay here and make sure that this will be secure until we get back. Do not let the Seven Cards get back here and take this position. If they do, we’ll all be screwed. Anyway, those who are going to go with me, go with me. We’ll move on and try to achieve our objectives. But we have an extra. The Seven Cards are planning to sabotage the underground. They’re also trying to get the Yahhans in their settlements. Our job then is to deal with them and make sure they don’t do anything that brings our country down again. If we get to accomplish our objectives, we will be able to prevent that. Got it?”


“We got it, Chief.” Said a few ACP officers. Some nodded to that and others said
“Sure thing, Chief.” Or “Got it, Chief.”
Turyannah nodded with a grin and said
“Let’s shake it, Mama.”
The Chief then nodded to everyone and checked her rifle before saying
“All right. Let’s do it. Go, go, go!”
And so a part of the ACP team split up from the rest, remaining in this position, while the rest went through the tunnels. Half went through the tunnel that they said was clear, the other half through the tunnel through which the Seven Cards fled.


Turyannah went through the cleared tunnel while Turyah went through the tunnel that wasn’t. No Rhinos followed as only officers on foot went through.


END OF PART ONE


Saya


Rain fell on many corners of Azenyanistan and on those corners that were not blessed with rain, life was still good for the Azens. In the mountains of Az, where the waters of the heavens turned instead into snow and ice as they fell, a woman with clothes covering everything except her face let out a grand breath, seeing her exhalation turn into steam. She chuckled as she watched that tiny steam cloud dissipate and then looked up at the sky as masses of white or frozen water came down. Fortunately, she was on a balcony that had a reinforced stone roof, from where she could hear the frozen raindrops shatter upon impact with the roof and the howl of the winds as Mother Ausozera blessed the north as it blessed the rest of Azenyanistan.


The womans eyes of black and white blinked as she witnessed the storms. She then looked around outside. The mountains gained more snow and the thoroughfares below were empty for the Azzans were forced to use the mountain tunnels of the Yah so they would be safe from the too-hazardous conditions of today. But the woman also knew that only the toughest Azzans, Afghans, nakatar and other northern life would be able to go through such conditions without a bother for a notable period of time. For their toughness, northern Azens were sent to Donnerland to fight.
“Saya.”
The woman sat up with a little sigh of desire to remain seated on her iron-like wooden chair and turned to face the voice that called her. She said only a few controlled but cool words at the one who called her
“So it’s you.”
“Yes.” Said the voice again. It belonged to a man who wore the kind of uniform that the Azzan soldiers wore when they were in the mountains. He however was not like her and was instead an Azen. She was not one. The man nodded to her however and she nodded back. Then the man spoke again “It’s me. Do you still remember my name?”
“I still remember your name. It’s Altorii, shraina. (shraina is Sayaritanish for ally) Where is my husband?”
“He is still discussing with my superiors, iish-tallkirrann (Azenish for confederate) so do not worry.”
Saya shook her head greatly at what he said, making him say
“What is wrong?”
“What you said. Do not worry? Sosiga damgira feldax. (It’s such a joke) Better say something else. Worry is nothing more than a siggan (human) idea. Dazada-daza is a much better Sayaritanish word.”


Altorii nodded with a smirk before he sat down on the couch in the room, not on the balcony. The room that they were both in was a room intended for soldiers. A place to rest. There was a 70 inch plasma screen TV on one wall, a few drinking machines and a table for food on one part, more chairs on the other and the last part being devoted to gaming. (for Azens were very fond of LAN parties)


The greatly clothed woman then put her right hand on her hip and the other around what seemed to be a blue-and-black painted Galil. Although meant for the desert, it seemed that the woman had touched this weapon, as noted by her signature on the stock and by the work she must have done on the rest of it. There also seemed to be a small flag permanently painted just above the trigger. That flag seemed to display a greatly sized skull. In front of it, just in front of the chin, there were black branches, with two gray shields on the left and on the right. The flag was also horizontal, with the bottom bar white and the upper bar gray. There was another skull, a smaller one, in the forehead of the great skull and it was surrounded by five swords arranged in the pattern of a pentagon, with the blades all going counter-clockwise. The same flag was on her shoulders and on her neck, which was not so hidden by the clothes she wore.


Altorii then told her
“Dazada-daza. That does sound better. It describes worry more for you.”
He then chuckled as the woman raised a brow at him. He saw this and told her


“I have a mission for you and your Black Guards. You’ll all be sent to Donnerland to help in Operation Sands of Survival. It’s a very important Operation. If we are not successful, a lot of people will go without supplies.”
She nodded and then said, without so much devotion to him by her words
“And what else? Tell me all the details that I have to keep in my mind.”
“With you and your 88 men, your job is to make sure that when you all hit the ground, you hit the ground protecting our supplies and our supply personnel. Never allow the enemy to go unpunished for destroying or even hurting anyone who is involved in the Operation. But don’t be stupid.”
He then continued
“You’ll all take the first gas ship out of Azenyanistan and into Donnerland.”
“And what else?”
“You will meet Tanyah.”
“The Arch Angel?” Saya said with a frown
“Tanyah the Arch Angel.”
“And you want me to do what with her?”
“Do as she says if she says so. Other than that, it’s up to you.”
“OK.”
“I’ll get you the rest of the details on the Mission Briefing File.”
“OK. What else?”
“Nothing else.” Said Altorii with some frustration at her. “You will go in one hour and ten minutes. You’ll take a convoy along with your 88 to the gas ship port.”
“All right then.” Said Saya.
Altorii then said finally
“I’ll keep in touch.”
“Fine.” She said, returning to the balcony. She then sat down and sighed, not noticing him leaving the room.


As she was left alone, she reflected on what happened before she got here.


She remembered how she met those two: Elena and Karl. What an iconic couple. Author, her husband, found them quite interesting. And if there was more that drew their interest, it was the G171 and the rest of Azenyanistan. After spending so much time in the Yahhan tunnels under their protection, it was time for them to break and see the outside world without so much limitation on how much they could go outside. Surely, they could be outside in the north for more than just an hour but in the rest of Azenyanistan, the Yahhans wouldn’t allow them to get out for even less than 30 minutes. It was only when the G171 encountered both the Sayaritans and the Rasurrians during their war against the bandits did they finally get it, the chance to be unlimited and the window to rejoining this land the people that lived in it called Azenyanistan.


She thought about how much she and her people owed the Yahhans and G171 and the couple. For Sayaritans like her, Ixi-Saxalla was the first way they could pay their debts back. They would protect the Yahhans, they would fight as members of G171 and they would welcome the couple without even making them pay for accomodations or anything else that they could provide. But she simply smiled at that and thought that this was more than possible. It was sustainable. It was with value after all. If not for them, would the Sayaritans ever emerge? Would the Rasurrians ever emerge too?


But Saya now had to turn her face to what was before her. A mission? For her and her 88? Not a problem. As long as they had the freedom to exercise their way of fighting, it was no problem at all.


Saragon
The CEO kept her arms folded as she remained standing straight and listened to what one of her technicians had to say to her as she was in one of the Nyran gas ship ports. The technician told her that their largest and most capable gas ship was ready, that also three more supply ships were ready as well as 50 more supply trucks. The CEO nodded to that and told her that that was OK but that she would and was expecting six more supply ships and 150 more supply trucks. She also told the technician that
“As this war goes on and on, I want to see more out on the thoroughfares without delay. Is that understood?”
The technician nodded and smiled and asked if she had more questions. The CEO shook her head swiftly and dismissed her and her fellow technicians.


On this particular Nyran gas ship port, the largest gas ship (Azens don’t call airships airships. They call them gas ships) was waiting. As she waited and waited in her hangar, which was just a short bike ride away, road trains and other vehicles from the SDNT were coming in and going out hour after hour, day after day, week after week, without an end. Many gas ships were leaving and arriving too but the largest one that the CEO ever had was still here. And what the technician meant when she said she was ready was that she was ready to take supplies into her holds. And from previous reports, the CEO expected the gas ship to carry a maximum of 1000 containers of supplies of all kinds from Azenyanistan to Donnerland without stopping and with all the refueling support she could get along the way. She remembered also that this was round trip and that this could take a sizable while.


But that didn’t matter. What mattered was the money she was earning from the Azen government and the Azen military for her work as CEO of the AUTP companies that were producing gas ships and other vehicles necessary for the Operation. And with her as CEO and because of her hands-on approach to almost everything, her companies were churning out what was necessary for the Operation regularly. While yes, Azenyanistan was purchasing winter supply vehicles (tracked) from Ratte and Urran, it did not mean that Azenyanistan would be so incapable of doing good work. And good work was what the Azens loved.


The CEO also saw that this port was quite a good one for one that wasn’t one of the largest in Nyra. It only housed 5 gas ships (including hers) and a dozen planes and it had only enough storage to fit the freight that five road trains could supply it. In fact, crates and containers had to be put outside because the gas ship port warehouses were full. Seeing this, the CEO agreed that this port will have to expand next time.


It too rained on Nyra but the CEO walked outside as if she didn’t care for the rain too much. As she walked to the hangar along with a small group of women, some of whom were on the phone, some others only following her, she called one of them to her and that one immediately went to her side. She asked the CEO


“Yes, Ma’am?”
The CEO frowned as she spoke
“I want a report from all of our factories.”
“Well, Ma’am, here’s the report as follows. It’s still being updated.” The woman had produced a tablet with a list of names, products, numbers, etc. It also seemed that every few seconds or so, a new entry appeared. She read it off “Factories in the North are producing more Yeti-class Extreme Conditions Supply Transport Trucks while those in the South are producing the same amount of containers for supplies and Rapid Deployment assets. Our factories in the Center of our country are doubling their output of survival rifles and other weapons and ammunition that our brothers and sisters need in Donnerland. They’re also producing more parts and tools for repairs. Meanwhile, to the West, I’m seeing a lot of output of construction materials and other supplies. In the East, we’re receiving delivery after delivery of food, water, among other needs.


By the end of today, Ma’am, we would have a total of half a million containers of supplies, from Section One up to the last one. We’d then get all of them into the transports to Donnerland and the cycle repeats itself. Once those supplies get out of Azenyanistan, we’ll have to make 500,000 more containers of supplies.”
The CEO nodded and said
“Good. Don’t forget to tell our associates in the West to continue the construction of more factories and other assets. We’ll need as much industry as they need our help. How long until those new factories in the South get up and running?”
“Two more weeks, Ma’am.”
“And the rush plants in the East?”
“They’ll be complete by the 3rd week of January, Ma’am.”
“And what about the status of our fleet headed to Donnerland?”
“Still on the way, Ma’am. But they’re not too far. They’re getting close and it won’t be long until they hit the shores. It’ll probably take them three, four, maybe five days. Within a week, they’ll get there.”
“All right. Keep following me, girls.”
And they did. Once they reached the hangar, she was greeted by an Azen wearing a construction vest and helmet as well as jeans, a thick shirt and a jacket for protection. The Azen shook her hand as the CEO took hers.


“Welcome to the hangar, Miss Eve Saragon. Your gas ship is ready.”
Eve Saragon looked up at the massive gas ship as forklifts were coming and going in and out of its cargo doors, filling the gas ship up with supply containers big and small. She also saw that teams of workers were also putting crate after crate after crate of supplies of all kinds into the cargo holds, helping out the forklifts. She nodded to the one who greeted her and said


“Very good work, Manager. Can you tell me how things are going?”
The manager smiled and nodded and walked towards the gas ship, gesturing to it as they followed her
“Yes, Ma’am! Right this way.”


And as they walked, examining the gas ship and passing by the workers, the forklifts, the crates, the containers and the troops and officials from the military and the government who were also here to see the gas ship, the manager explained


“As you can see, Miss Eve, we’re occupied with putting the cargo in. Since it’s still early, we’ve just put 104 containers in and counting. The Sinclair is fueled up, all the crew is inside, getting briefed. Also, her weapons systems for defending herself are all OK. Everything’s a green light.”
The CEO stopped and everyone else stopped. They looked at her as she scanned the gas ship Sinclair and nodded. She then asked the manager
“Manager, why is the ship Sinclair?”
“Ah, it’s because of the Sinclair family, Ma’am.”
“That’s correct.”
“Why, Ma’am?”
The CEO turned to her and smiled.
“I’m simply curious. Were there any problems?”
“None so far, Ma’am.”
“Good. What about Sullivan?”
“Sullivan, Ma’am? Ah, she’s still on the way. Convoy 92 is getting close. In ten, maybe twenty minutes, they’ll already be here.”
She grinned and said
“Really now? All right, Manager. Take me to where they will be. And hopefully, Sullivan will be ready.”

[Azenyanistan]

Sullivan


The Supply Distribution Network was made by the Azens. And it was made to make the movement of supplies as quick as the rain. On good days, the Supply Distribution Network Transports could get their tageraii (What the SDNT people call the cargo they handle) from point to point in just two to three hours. On bad days, it would only take four to six hours. If it’s the worst days, it’s only a day or a day and a few hours added to it.


The way the SDN was handled was purely adhocratic. Even the Azen government was a little adhoc and so was the military. The Azens were lovers of doing things the adhoc way. But ever since their return to tribalism, they’ve mixed that with their traditional way of organization. SDN personnel were classified by Grade. Grade Seven personnel were the usual workers. Grade Six personnel were managers while Grade Five personnel were area managers, people who managed the areas that the SDN identified. Since there were Seven Tribes and there were plenty of city-states, the SDN had identified and gave their G5 personnel control over the 35 areas. But above the G5 were the Grade Four personnel who were in control of entire regions. Azenyanistan was divided by the SDN as South, North, East, West and Center. So over these five divisions, the G4 were in charge. Grade Three personnel were tribal managers, managing over personnel and areas that were assigned to them tribally. But for every tribe, there would be two G3 personnel. Grade Two personnel were the national managers. They managed the vast territory of Azenyanistan while Grade One personnel were the directors of the SDN themselves. Ayza herself and some members of the Azen goverment were directors of the SDN. But the one that truly symbolized and lived the life of the SDN was Sullivan. Just Sullivan.


The first director of the SDN, Sullivan was immediately appointed into the SDN by Chief Ayza. This was because Sullivan was the happy owner of Azen Trucking United or ATU, the largest and the most successful delivery and trucking company in the country. They boomed in Az and the rest of the North and were celebrities in the South and the West. This was because the ATU was hired most of the time by the government during the Rebuilding. In just days, they were able to deliver vital construction materials, food, water, other forms of aid and funds to the areas of Azenyanistan that required them. But with the SDN and SDNT, there was no more need for ATU and so once Sullivan became director of the SDN, she made sure that the ATU was purchased into the SDN. That way, she kept most of her employees and friends. Because of the way she treated her people, especially with the high salaries she provides (especially out of her own pocket sometimes, she was noticed by Eve Saragon. So one day they met at Eves favorite restaurant which was old and not too famous. But both women enjoyed their time there thanks to the delicious sizzling goat and eggs and most especially to Azen chicken. They talked with each other from the moment they sat down until the very moment that the restaurant closed for the day. The owner had to literally wait until the two were done giving each other goodbyes and promises to see each other tomorrow. And they did see each other tomorrow, eating this time at Sullivans favorite diner. They served Portean food for Sullivan (because Sullivan liked their food) and the special for Eve Saragon (which was boiling stone goat soup) and they talked to each other as they have talked before. Luckily, the owner allowed them to stay overnight as they talked and talked. Their friendship was great.


Today, Sullivan was coming to see her friend as they were both at work. Convoy 92 was Sullivans personal team of truckers. Her convoy had eleven trucks, all of them Azen Reegarii Road Trains, famous for their ability to pull ten cars of containers. She and her team were the first of the ATU. And always, every driver had a trucking buddy. So in Convoy 92, there were 24 of them, counting Sullivan.
On that rainy day, Convoy 92 was hauling container after container of fuel that the Azen rebels needed. And as usual, Sullivan was leading the way. As they went over the wide and guided roads of the SDN, she and her trucking buddy, a muscular woman with fingerless gloves, a long sleeved jacket that said PROUD AND ALIVE on the front, blue jeans and trucking boots, listened to the music that was coming out of the super speakers of their truck, the Big Red One. And it was indeed big and red. But when anyone would take a look at the containers, they were all customized with tribal patterns that belonged to the fields, rain clouds and trucks. They also had the SDN logos and serial numbers on them.


Because it was raining, Sullivan made sure to slow down. If she did, Convoy 92 would obey. That was the rule of Azen truckers: If the truck in the front of the convoy slowed down, you have to slow down, especially on a rainy day. And since Nyra was taking a lot of the December showers, they had to be careful. Even with this delay, Sullivan was grinning from ear to ear as her trucking buddy rolled her eyes and chuckled as she listened to Sullivan sing along with the music that was coming out of their truck, especially from her USB.


“Highway run
Into the midnight sun
Wheels go round and round
You’re on my mind”
And soon enough, her trucking buddy joined in, singing the next part, making Sullivan grin at her
“Sleep alone tonight
Sending all my love
Along the wire”
At this, Sullivan then asked her
“I didn’t know you know this song. You like Journey too?”
Her trucking buddy rolled her eyes at her and said happily
“Well, would I be singing alone with you if I didn’t? Yes, I like Journey too.”
They laughed. Then her trucking buddy looked out, patting Sullivans right shoulder as she told her
“Whoa, OK, Sully, you might want to go slowly around that curve.”
“OK, got you, buddy.”


Sullivan then used her gloved hands to steer the road train as they made it through the curve at the same speed as a man walking too slowly for an impatient person. The rain got harder and harder. But it didn’t deter her or her convoy from moving on. At least the thoroughfares were never gonna be flooded. The Azens never allowed their thoroughfares to become flooded becuase they had made sure that they were all close to drains and stuff like that.


With a sky so depressing because of the grand rain storms, Nyra was the receiver of inch upon inch of heavenly waters, most of them going down the drains (flood drains to be specific) or into the soil where there was plenty of vegetation. The convoy passed by houses and other residential buildings, especially apartments as tall as the best construction cranes the Azens had. Many Azens in Nyra lived close to the ports, be it for planes or gas ships or ordinary ships.


After passing by, they made it through the towns commercial district and then finally through its tiny industrial district that was on the other end of it. They also travelled alongside ordinary people in their vehicles which were on the public thoroughfares, separated from the SDN pathway that Convoy 92 was taking by a low reinforced stone wall that seemed to have collision cushions.


Now back on the road without any settlements lining it, Sullivan picked up a walkie talkie from the dashboard of her truck as she drove and gave it to her buddy and told her


“Can you please tell them that we’re getting close and that they gotta get ready to unload their tageraii when they get there. Also remind them about their packing lists and all the other paperwork that they gotta handle.”


Her buddy nodded and began to speak with the rest of the convoy while Sullivan followed the SDN thoroughfare they were all taking. There was a fork up ahead and Sullivan remembered to take the left so she took the left and the rest of the convoy followed her. Her buddy, after some talking, told Sullivan
“They’re all good, Sully. Everybody’s got their buddies ready and they all had checked their papers. We’re green light all the way.”
“Good.” Said Sully, who saw that the rain got a little lighter and so sped up only slightly. “Also, did I ever tell you about Eve?”
“Your business buddy?” Asked her trucking buddy, who raised a brow and put a hand on her side of the dashboard. It was purely simple and empty of anything else except what the driver needed and the rest of their usual trucking gear.
“Yeah, her. Ever talked to you about her?”
“No. But you got my interest.” She said that with a grin that Sully caught with a glance. Sully then told her as she drove moderately now, seeing that the storms are calming for them just a while
“Well then, this one day, I was with Eve at one of the first SDN centers that I came to inspect. After that little inspection, Eve asked me if I could take her on a round trip all around Azenyanistan.”
“All around, really?” Her buddy cast her an expression that seemed to tell her that she wanted to know more about this business buddy of hers more.
“Yeah really. And I asked her ‘Why me? I’m just a director and a trucker. You don’t mean to go ride with me all around the country in my road train now, Eve?’ But boy, she was serious.” They chuckled at that together “But yeah, she was serious and so I told her ‘Tomorrow, show up at our place.’ And we nodded to that. Thankfully, she knew what she meant by what I said.”
Her buddy nodded too, remembering Sully always called their trucking center “our place” as if it was her second home. And it truly was. The buddy laughed inside as she remembered the countless times that Sullivan basically lived in their trucking center whenever she was bored or she came back from a really exhausting trip and had to crash at their center immediately or else she’d fall on her face.
“So when tomorrow came and I got there, turns out that she was already there fifteen minutes before I got there. And I actually said ‘Shit. I’m rusty.’ And she just said ‘Nah, that’s OK. Even some of my employees beat me to it.’”


Her buddy grinned. And Sully just kept on telling her story like it was nothing more than something mildly interesting for her to tell. It already seemed that she had gotten used to telling this one story. Her buddy thought that Sully had told this story numerous times to other people.


“So I just nodded and said ‘Oh, well, shucks, OK. You ready for this?’ And she nodded and said ‘Oh, yeah, sure.’ And so we got in my road train and we started off. And for the first few hours, we made no stops at all. But poor Eve forgot about one rule that all Azen truckers follow.”
“Never drink water at the beginning or during the first few hours of going on a long trip?”


“Exactly.” Said Sullivan as she flipped something, activating the turn signal to the right and made a right, glancing a little at her mirror to see if the rest of the convoy was following. She then continued “Never do something that’s gonna annoy your body at the start of the trip. Or else you’ll fuck up. And boy, you would not believe how Eve was.”
The buddy was already starting to imagine


“Tense face, hair going messy, a tiny stain appearing on her beautiful, imported businesswoman pants and so many requests for me to ‘Stop the truck, Sully. Stop the truck, I gotta let this one go.’ But I didn’t because I told her ‘Sorry, Eve, can’t stop now. Brakes are off.’ And she looked at me funny and asked ‘How are your brakes off?’ And I said ‘Never make a stop when you’re just on the most early piece of your trip. And never ever drink water or anything else when you are gonna go on a round trip around the country. Only when you’re really thirsty.’ And boy did she go all red and cute, laughing as she kept on slapping me. Soon enough, I had to break a break and stopped my baby and let her get off and let hers go at the nearest tree she could find. And keep in mind, this was in Shan and with a lot of trees around, there’s bound to be critters.”


At this point, her buddy lost it, filling their cabin with so much laughter, one of the truckers behind them asked if all of a sudden hydrogen filled up their cabin. Luckily, Sullivan just rolled with it and then said that her buddy simply let go of the WT and was already laughing at something that wasn’t too important. The other let it go as the buddy got the hint of what kind of critters Sullivan meant.
“And when she was just standing up and finishing her thing, one of those tiny little snakes just dropped from the tree that she did her thing near, literally, it just got on her hair. And what she did to that critter was absolutely not like a soldier.”


She then let go of the wheel a little as she did a little impression of how Eve reacted to the critter. Then she swiftly regained control of the wheel. Lucky for her and her trucking buddy, Azen vehicles nowadays were meant to be designed to be able to stay on course when the driver lets go of the wheel.
She continued




“Absolutely hilarious. But luckily, the snake was not poisonous and never bites humans. It even desperately went away from her after it got to the ground when Eve tossed it away from her. Poor critter. She then got back to the truck with this freaking face while I was still laughing. But she’s a good woman and she got over it and so did I and then we went on.”
“How long did it take you to show her all of Azenyanistan?”
“Ah, it just took a few weeks. Most of the trips were non-stop unless I had to sleep or eat or even drink. If there was anything we both had to do or get for ourselves, one stop. But you get the point, yeah?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“OK.”


Then when they were getting close to a checkpoint just outside the SDN entrance into the gas ship port, she told her buddy “OK, Luzayah, we’re here. Roll the window and show them our papers. I’ll do the talking.”


Luzayah nodded. The driver then slowed the road train down until they finally reached the checkpoint. It was like any other checkpoint but this had more men and it seemed more permanent. The way a guard moved out of the reinforced concrete guard house (unpainted, of course) and the way the ones already outside were walking onto the thoroughfare or towards the truck as it finally stopped. The rest of the convoy also stopped. The rains finally softened more.



And then when one of the guards raised her fist to them, the two women in the truck opened their doors and got off. They both closed them as Sullivan approached the guard who raised her fist at them while Luzayah showed the guards their papers.


The guard had a mohawk of olive green, gold eyes, a white and yellow shemagh around her neck, the usual uniform and a badge that showed to them that she was the one in charge of this checkpoint. She too had what seemed to be a cheap, plastic bracelet around her left wrist, one that said in cheery gold letters
YOUNG AND NEW
She did seem young and new. Most of the soldiers and guards of Azenyanistan today were. She spoke first, her voice as average as any other voice of an Azen woman, with some exotic taste and a little warmth to it


“Hello there, saamah (Azenish for sister. Azens usually call other Azens sister or brother because Azens tend to be very close and warm to one another). Here for another supply run?”
“Yes, saamah, but not just that. Here to visit a friend too. Did Miss Eve Saragon get here before me?”


The guards eyes widened and she then shook her head, regaining her composure, to say


“You know her? Wait, you’re the director of the SDN, yeah?”
“One of them.”


Luzayah made a gentle grin at that after their papers were gestured clear by the guard who looked over them. Sullivan was able to catch that grin with a brief glance before looking at the guard again and saying


“Saamah?”


“Right.” The guard then turned her face to her men and told them to raise the barrier. The barrier was raised and the guard nodded to Sullivan and her trucking buddy, both of whom nodded back to her, before she said


“You’re all clear to go ahead into the port, Director.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
“Anytime, Director.”


She and her men then stepped out of the way and allowed them to pass through the thoroughfare into the port. The director and her buddy got back into their truck but not before Luzayah waved her fist around at the rest of the convoy, talking into the walkie talkie she got from the dashboard


“All right, fellas! We’re all clear to go ahead!”


The replies she got were quite positive and soon enough, they made their way into the port. Convoy 92 has made it.

Nazarene



“Why do they call you Nazarene?” Asked a woman to the one she called Nazarene.


The one called Nazarene, from top to bottom, was a dangerous woman. She wore a helmet made in one of the least known but most professional workshops in Ayr as made known by the very little letters handwritten with a prototype pen meant for manufacturers to write on surfaces that aren’t as easily writable as paper. The very little letters were COURTESY OF AYYAH – FRIEND AND PARTNER OF EVE SARAGON – WORKSHOP SEVENTY ONE. That helmet was painted with patterns that would allow the one called Nazarene to blend more easily to the mountains, be they covered in snow or not, so long as they were mountains.


Going down, there was the rest of herself. Fortunately, she wouldn’t show her face yet because she had her helmet goggles on. And those goggles weren’t just any ordinary military night vision goggles. They weren’t even imported too. Again, they were of the courtesy of Ayyah. And what those goggles were were already handwritten on the bottom as COURTESY OF AYYAH – REGARDS TO NAZARENE – CUSTOMIZABLE AND CONDITIONAL CONFEDERATE GOGGLES – WORKSHOP SEVENTY ONE. The goggles seemed to have thick lenses, a tough body and good features. It seemed that these goggles were really meant for anything. Other than that, it did a good job at hiding her eyes from the world...or from her targets.


Besides that, she wore a facemask that provided some warmth and a whole lot of concealment for the rest of her face. If that wasn’t enough for her, she wore a black and gold checker patterned shemagh over it. Not a single piece of her skin was allowed to be shown. Not by her goggles or her helmet or her facemask or even her shemagh. Rumors about her say that she had taken every hair out of the head of her body and that she had her head skin tanned greatly so that nobody who knew her before she became a Confederate Commando would actually recognize her.


Going even further, she wore a collar around her neck. One that was not too thin that it would not protect her and one that was not too thick that it would cause her to have a hard time breathing or disallow others from aiding her if ever there was something that would make aiding her difficult if that something got through her collar. It too was dark and it too was meant to allow her to blend easily into the mountains.


She didn’t wear a uniform. No, she wore clothes that again, protected her from the cold, kept her warm, protected her body from any kind of injuries that shrapnel or whatever dangerous things would cause her and they were a perfect fit for her. Others thought that she looked too sexy, especially with her gear carrier (courtesy of Ayyah) and her armored pads (courtesy of both Ayyah and Eve) but the one called Nazarene preferred to stick to her own opinion which was that she didn’t think herself to be too sexy. Rather, according to her, she thought that she was simply as sexy as all women are. All that she cared about was that they protected her and that they made her totally unidentifiable. And yes, her clothes were the courtesy of Ayyah. Because the one called Nazarene tended to regard Ayyah not just as the one giving her equipment (and weapons) but also giving her very beautiful and useful articles of cloth. Rumors say that her relationship with Ayyah was that of a sister to sister. But according to several documents, official and personal and what not, there was no solid proof, nothing at all to prove that their relationship was true. Ayyah didn’t even know the one called Nazarene. But the one called Nazarene regarded her well. She was after all another happy customer. No, another happy consumer.


Over her clothes, she wore an Azen vest meant to shield her body from both melee and ranged weapons especially knives and firearms. Of course, this didn’t make her indestructible or unkillable. It just made her more protected than just clothes or her very own flesh. No, it too served to make pain less and to slow down the impacts of both light and heavy rounds and to reduce the chances of her dying at all times. Add the second vest and her gear carrier and you got the one called Nazarene.


If there was anything that was totally, absolutely, positively, considerably and respectfully Grand Azen Military that she had on her person, then it was the pair of the finest boots from the northern parts of Azenyanistan. The pair were issued to her and then modified and customized by her once she got it by the courtesy of another workshop and another person who was more public than her. And this time, the words weren’t handwritten, they were never there. There was only a note that came with the box that was issued to her and the note said COURTESY OF HAYYA – WORKSHOP – PRIDE OF THE NORTHERN AZENS – MAY THESE BOOTS DELIGHT YOU VERY MUCH, COMMANDO. MY VERY, VERY, VERY BEST MOST ESPECIALLY OF MY SISTER. MAY MY COURTESY BE OF WORTH TO BE IN YOUR MEMORY. HAYYA. And according to the one called Nazarene, she had read the note seven hundred times before finally throwing that note into the fire of her home. But according to the one called Nazarene, she keeps on changing homes every time she gets back to Azenyanistan.


Anything else she wore was a kama, a special ear commlink just for her (courtesy of Ayyah again) and an extra pouch for ammunition most especially for her rifle (courtesy of Ayyah) which was supposed to be the Azen Grand National Caller, a rifle that was modular (also easily customizable and modifiable according to the users wishes provided that the user had read the manuals that came with the wooden case that the rifle came in, disassembled and safe, of course) and capable of accomodating 44 rounds, with an OK range (if it wasn’t modified for the purpose of getting in the hands of any person that was supposed to be trained to keep other persons away at a grand, grand distance) , enough drive to score the round through internationally-acceptable bullet proof vests (so long as those are only two vests not more) however, according to Ayyah, her AGNC rifles were also meant to be able to drive rounds that could do more than just pierce such bullet proof vests. There are many other details concerning the AGNC rifle but this story isn’t just about the rifle. It’s about the one called Nazarene. And the one called Nazarene was more important that a rifle that was recently thought of, designed, test-produced, presented to Ayyah then tested again then finally mass produced but not yet released into perfectly acceptable circulation to the country of the Azens.


The one called Nazarene was according to her file, which too was under highly valuable scrutiny of the Azen Intelligence Group, the Lightbringers, the Grand Observers, the Azen Civil Protection, the Azen Guards, the Azen Grand Military itself, former Azen White Guards and Ultra White Guards who were hired by the Azen government as mercenaries, the Advocates, the Chief, the Chiefs team, the Azen Observation Company, etc, etc, a woman who was born in Rakshan to a Shannan woman and a Portean man. (the Shannan was a respected 8-year-long nurse who loved to be in the emergency room more than any normal Azen nurse would love to be and the Portean was supposed to be in the military but left respectfully and permissively to be with the Shannan who was reported slightly to have been pressed into service to tend to the wounds of soldiers more than to the wounds of civilians)


More to her file stated that she was 29 years of age, the only child, had a childhood reputation for standing up to people who tried to even touch her friends or family in any way that wasn’t friendly, another reputation as a teenager for constantly being at war with gang after gang thus making her neighborhood the safest and also putting her under the watchlist of every ACP officer that was in Rakshan and then finally a more permanent and more positive reputation as a woman who joined the Azen military simply because five of her oldest friends joined the Azen military first. This was immediately after she graduated from highschool and got the permission and blessing of both her mother and father. Even though she didn’t have the best grades ever since she got into school, she was the one whom almost everyone who needed help and a friend approached. But that changed and caused many to turn on her when she failed to help a popular boy who came to her. The reason, according to the one called Nazarene, was that she refused to break a rule that she held against herself and that was to never seek vengeance. Vengeance did not belong to anyone at all except the Grand Creator. This was according to both her and her religious mother. According to the one called Nazarene, she had turned religious after she quit her job as a nurse so she could become a housewife. Her reason for that was because of a particular incident that managed to break her machine like efficiency as a nurse and instead made her heart as soft as any Azen heart. The religion she freely choose according to the current Azen constitution was the one that the Camaalbakriusians had. And even when the news got out that two of her mothers sisters were killed during the Inquistion in Camaalbakrius, her mother did not hesitate to forgive them. So did the one called Nazarene.


At the question, the one called Nazarene turned to her questioning companion and replied a lie and some truth
“It’s my name as a Confederate Commando. But my mother did give me a religious-sounding name. But it’s not Nazarene. I can’t tell you my real name.”
The one who asked her then blinked, nodded and just shrugged and said
“Ah, that’s OK. You don’t even bother to look at my real name too.”
The one called Nazarene might have let a chuckle or two escape her hidden lips before she said
“I didn’t, Supplier, I didn’t.”


Supplier was a Confederate Commando just like the one called Nazarene. But Supplier was shorter, had a bigger body and carried gear for support and first aid rather than the usual set like the one that the one called Nazarene had. But indeed, both Supplier and the one called Nazarene had the same weapons. The Caller, heavy pistols, combat knives and grenades. But Supplier had more grenades than anyone else except Destructor, who was checking his gear again and again. Unlike Supplier and Nazarene, Destructor was carrying heavy weapons and explosives. The three were on board a covered truck that was forced to stop and stay in a cave somewhere in the north of Donnerland. While they were there, their driver, Casio, was underneath the vehicle, making minor repairs and conducting modifications to the vehicle.
Supplier and the one called Nazarene then got off the truck while Destructor remained on board, rechecking his gear. Nazarene tapped Destructor on the shoulder, making him turn to her, who then said to him
“You sure you don’t want to just check your gear off the truck? Give Casio more space?”
Destructor gently shrugged her hand away from him and said as he was counting the number of improvised explosives that he had brought with him
“No thanks, Captain. But in just a few more minutes, I’ll be off the truck to let Casio do her thing.”


Nazarene nodded to that and left him alone as she went with Supplier to a deeper part of the cave. There was a small fire burning and surrounding that fire were three others who too were Confederate Commandos. One of them was tall while the one on her left was short and wore shades while the one on the other side was smoking half a cigarette. There was a small pile of gear bags on one corner while weapons and ammo were put on top of a large rectangular crate that was resting on its side. The crate, it seemed, was opened with a crowbar or two, the contents of it spilling out onto the cave floor. It had more ammo and a lot of spare parts for trucks like the one Casio was operating on. Other than that, the Confederates were cooking something on the fire.
When they approached the others, this invited greetings and warm embraces from one another. Nazarene greeted them
“Aisha aawaradii aesula (A very good day)”
And they replied
“Aisha aawaradii aesula (A very good day)”
Then they took seats and Nazarene finally unwrapped her shemagh and removed everything else that was covering her face.


On the left side of her face, a thin long scar ran from the bottom of her neck up to the corner of her eye. But the scar seemed to look better. It wasn’t rough or dirty. It was like someone operated on it to make it look better. She also had a tattoo next to her ear that said NAZARENE and another that said COURTESY OF THE AZEN MILITARY. Both tattoos were in cursive. On the right side of her face, there wasn’t a scar or a tattoo but there certainly was a birth mark. It looked like a mountain. Other than that, she had painted the rest of the right side of her face with Azen patterns using tribal paints.


Her restless, deep-hearted and golden eyes moved from each face that was upon her fellow Confederates. They too had taken anything that covered their faces from them. Supplier had green eyes, an average nose, coastal skin and a faint smile on his face. The other three were all sand-colored people. Ayrrans, Nazarene thought. They get to be in most of the action. The tallest among them had a light machine gun on her lap and there was a warm cup of Azen coffee just by her right. She had milky white eyes and shared the same smile that Supplier had. There was a ring with a diamond shard on one of her fingers of her right hand. The short one had one diamond-colored eye and one rose-colored eye. She carried just a submachinegun while the one who was smoking and frowning a little carried a shotgun. The smoker too had an ear commlink comparable to Nazarenes.
Nazarene looked at all of them and then said
“Bravo.”
“We’re it, Captain.” Said Supplier, keeping that smile. Nazarene returned it and they both bumped fists. Nazarene then said further, turning to the smoker
“What about Alpha and Charlie?”
The smoker then sighed a little, smoking escaping, before she tossed her cig away and reported flatly and irritatedly
“Well, Captain, Alpha’s with the rebels gathering intel while Charlie is trying to look for friendlies who are looking for our targets for rescue. You know, the Yunyunii (Unionists).”


Nazarene simply shrugged while Supplier shot the smoker a look and the light machine gunner groaned. The smoker then pulled another cigarrette from the pack she carried and said
“What? Don’t blame me for how I talk.”
“That’s enough, Kisser. Now, we’ll wait out this blizzard. Until Casio is done fixing the truck up and getting it running, we’re waiting out this blizzard.”
She then glanced at the short one who lowered her head and said to her
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, Runner. Not your fault. Mother Ausozera just loves to be unpredictable.”
“Thanks, Captain.”
“No problem. Just relax.”
The short one smiled a little more. Then the Nazarene stood up, inviting the others to stand up with her but their Captain gave a fist and they sat back down. She then told Supplier
“I’ll be with Casio. Just get me my share when you all get yours and when the fire’s done.”
“Sure thing, Captain.”


Then Nazarene walked to where Casio was, getting on the cave floor and going under the truck. She said to her as Casio was flashing a light on the part of the truck that she was working on with her tools
“Hey, Cas.”
And Casio said, not looking
“Hey, Cap.”
The Captain then told her as she looked at the trucks bottom too
“How’s the truck going?”
“Almost done, Cap. But the blizzard is still around so we’re stuck in this cave until it’s dead and we can all move on. Just a few more mods and then we’re set, Cap.”
“All right.”
“Cap?”
“Yeah?”


Nazarene turned her face to Casio. Casio had dropped everything and looked at her Captain. Her face was quite small for an Azen woman. She asked her
“You think we’re gonna be late? You know...to the action?”
Nazarene shook her head.
“We’re not.” Said Nazarene “It’s only been days. And everything takes time. Even the most simple and boring and ordinary of things. It all takes time. Sometimes even days, sometimes just within one day or sometimes even just in seconds. It all takes time. No, we’re not gonna be late.”
“You think our allies will shit on us for being late?”
“Well, if we are, we’d certainly have a good reason for being late. And we actually do. But is that our problem?”
“No.”
“Then let’s focus on our own share, Cas.” Nazarene then nodded her head to something and said
“What’s that mod?”
“Ah, this one?” Said Cas, pointing at it. Nazarene nodded. “That’s to help keep this truck together. And to make sure nobody sticks an explosive to the bottom of our truck. Touch it.”


Nazarene touched it and when she did, it was so slippery, her fingers ran away from the modded armor of the truck. Casio chuckled and said
“Very slippery. Anyway, there’s also a mod or two for keeping this truck running. The mods are all in the engine. Some mods for the instruments and other things. It’s the usual. You’ll know soon enough when we get the truck going again, Cap.”
“Very nice.” Said the Captain, nodding. She then slid out of the bottom and then told Casio who took her tools up
“Keep working, Cas. But be quick to get ready for a break. The girls are cooking.”
“Very well, Cap.”


Nazarene got up and was met by Supplier who had a hot metal bowl of sizzling goat and eggs as well as hummus. Luckily, Supplier had gloves that could take the heat and he had a grin that made Nazarene say
“Whoa.”
Supplier said, offering the meal
“Here you go, Captain.”
The Captain took it from his gloved hands and Supplier gave her a spoon. Nazarene refused. Then she asked


“What about the bread and the potato shreddings?”
Supplier jerked his head to the fire and told her
“Just right there, Captain. You sure you don’t want to eat that with a spoon? It’s quite hot.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Cap.”
“OK, thanks.”


She then took the spoon and Supplier went on his way. Nazarene made her way to the others. Kisser then patted the tall one who was scooping potato shreddings from a warm pot. The tall one then looked at Nazarene before giving her plate a few scoops of potato shreddings. She too gave her two pieces of reheated bread. She said to her captain


“Here, Cap. Hope you like it.”
“Thanks, Katrina.”
Katrina made a quick smile and then continued scooping shreddings for the others and giving them bread.


Nazarene then took a seat and ate until her bowl was empty. She then grabbed a canteen from the opened crate and poured some water inside the bowl but not too much. It was just enough for her to wipe the bowl clean with her hands with the water. Once done, she drank a bit from the canteen before she returned it to where she took it from. She took this time to return the bowl to Supplier and then asked him for some ice. The man then took a tiny cooler from the bags that was in the corner and opened it. There were a lot of frozen plastic bags of water in it. He took one and closed it and smashed it a few times against the wall of the cave before he gave it to Nazarene. She thanked him for it and then went back to the crate, got the canteen again and opened it. She put it on the top of the crate, taking the ice and putting it one by one into the canteen. Then she closed it and called Supplier. When he got close, she tossed it to him. He caught it and then thanked Nazarene for it.


Nazarene then went to the mouth of the cave and watched and watched as that blizzard went on. She took the time to think about what Cas said. Will they be able to have a part in saving Sigbritt? And will their brothers and sisters be able to sail to Donnerland? Will Operation Sands of Survival be a success? What grand reward awaited them? And what if the worst was to happen?
Admiral Larrah
Before the present time
“Admiral Larrah.” Said Salade the III as she shook hands with the Admiral. Both of them were young women. Both of them were daughters of well known Azen military leaders. Both of them were adopted. And both of them were going to be put to the test. Both of them would go through the same baptisms of fire that their adoptive mothers went through.


Admiral Larrah gave her a broken smile and said
“High Commander Salade.”
They then bumped fists and embraced each other and nodded. Admiral Larrah then said
“What can I do for you, Salade?”
Salade smiled and said
“Well, why don’t you come with me? I have something to show to you. And I have something that I want you to give to the rebels when you get there.”
“Sure thing, old friend.”
And so they walked through the halls, the corridors and what not of the headquarters of the Grand Azen Navy. This was Admiral Larrahs home and workplace. As they moved along, Salade spoke with Larrah


“So, Larrah, how do you think of this? All things are being made new.”
“Yes. Yes they are, old friend. I do like this. A proper HQ for my branch. The Navy’s here while the Army’s there in Yaneza. I hear the Guards are at Azenyanistan City. Is that true?”
“Yeah, Larrah, it’s true. The Chief had asked me to get the Guards a more proper HQ and that it would be in Azenyanistan City.”
“It’s already there?”
“It’s all there. We all got our HQs. Navy, Army and Guards. The Air Force is already a part of the Navy and anything that existed before was disbanded and transferred to either three of us.”
“Well, that makes things easier. Just three branches. And yet, so many people are signing up.”
“That’s true and false.”
“How so?”
“Well, true because indeed a lot of people are signing up. False because not a lot are really signing up. It’s not like the past when literally thousands upon thousands signed up just to get a hit at the White Movement and all that shit. Today, people are signing up just to get jobs or have some excitement or simply because they want to contribute in a different way, not as a civilian.”
“I can feel for that.”
“Same here. But the point is with things being all made new or what not, things are getting better and better in our country.”
“I can agree. Unemployment is at an all time low, we’re in a big, big financial and economic boom, more Azens are all over the world, a lot of our allies and fellow Ausozerans are coming here and we’re probably about to actually have a really really real Golden Age.”
“As soon as the war we have against Donnerland is over, Azenyanistan can focus on taking care of her own self then.”
“I agree.”
“A lot of things are going to happen by the end of the war.”
“I agree. But Salade, what are you going to make me give to the rebels?”
“You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”
At that, Larrah rolled her eyes and walked faster, making Salade chuckle and walk faster to catch up. When they reached the parking lot, Salade got something from her car and gave it to Larrah. It was a folded flag. She told Larrah


“Admiral, as High Commander, I want you to give this gift to the rebels. This is something that they paid for dearly. And so, it’s best for you to personally give it to them.”
The Admiral then unfolded the flag and saw that it was the flag that the rebels wanted. She widened her eyes at this and said to Salade


“This is their flag! And we made it for them?”
“An artist made it for them. The rebels commissioned her to do so. It cost 750,000 Rayyans to create.”
She took a second look at it then as she folded it, she said
“Was it Azul_7007? The famous Azen artist on the Internet? The one with the blog?”
Salade nodded. And at that, Admiral Larrah squealed and said
“This is so great!” She then composed herself and said
“I mean...Yes, I’ll do it. When I get there and meet the rebels, this gift I will give to them.”
“Thank you, Larrah.”
“No. Thank you, Salade.”


The two laughed together and then gave each other another embrace before Salade and Larrah shared lunch at the HQ. After a while, they parted ways. Salade returned to Yaneza HQ and made her preparations while Larrah immediately had seven copies made of the flag while she too made preparations for the war against Donnerland.
Present time


The ocean skies were totally different from the skies that the country of the Azens were blessed with. From the southernmosts tip to the northernmost end, the Azen skies were filled with grand rain clouds. For it was December and it was the time of rain and of great storms. Fortunately, there was no trouble. But in the oceans, as the 1st Merchant Fleet of Azenyanistan sailed on and on away from Azenyanistan, as it approached Donnerland, as it was finally close, as the fleet began to feel the chill of the north, the skies were different. As white as paper, as cold as the desert during the night, the men and women of the 1st Merchant Fleet were making their last preparations as they were close. So close. They had sailed for days. It was finally going to be time. There was no way, no means that the Azens would go back on their word, that they would not help. They said they would help and they will help.


As the Green Helmets came, as the fleet approached and as the Azens were bringing their sword closer, Admiral Larrah, from her ship, the Azen Kaiteriza, named after the family of Sadisia, gave away a breath of warmth. She observed her men and her women under her command as they conducted their everyday tasks on board. She saw that the planes they had were being prepared, the ones donated to them by the Porteans and Esgonians, for what was coming. She even saw, within the distance of the power of the eye, the passenger and cargo ships that she was escorting along with another aircraft carrier, the Azen Banshee, after the legendary armored commander Banshee and current administrator of New Azenyanistan, and with the sixteen escort ships. She had made sure that those escort ships wouldn’t allow an enemy plane to harm the fleet and that no enemy ship would come to them without facing the escorts first. She had cared enough to inspect their weapons and the ammunition that they had. The Admiral took no chances.
Now, that it was today, that she was inside the command center of the Kaiteriza, Larrah held in her arms, close to her chest, the flag of the rebels. She said to herself softly that nobody would know what she said


“We are coming. Early or on time or late. We are coming. It’s now or never. To the end of this war, we’ll fight until the end. And when that end comes...we can finally go home and say ‘We’ve done our part. Now let us become good and great.’ We are coming.”

[Azenyanistan]

2017/1/6

MORNING, THE NYRAN SEA PORTS, AZENYANISTAN


SADISIA UR KAITERIZA


The rain clouds have begun to rest. And the ground, with the help of the many, many trees and small plants that were around, was soaking up the waters from the gray heavens. The sun was still prohibited by the sky covers from shining upon Azenyanistan. But today was a good day especially for the fishing and the cargo boats coming and going from Azenyanistan to elsewhere and so forth. The Nyrans were cooking in public, the smoke from their charcoal fires feeding the air and signalling travellers that it was time for breakfast as they approached the Nyran sea ports.


At one of those sea ports, Grand Advocate Sadisia ur Kaiteriza was present. One would ask why. Usually, the Grand Advocates were being called almost every time of every day to the sea ports or to the city states or to any point in Azenyanistan as long as there were other important people there. People who called them. People who wanted them to listen to them and see if they would advocate them.


"So you are saying that we are capable of launching another merchant fleet? The 2nd Merchant Fleet? And within what period of time?" Sadisia tried to make sure. The one she spoke to was another woman. But she was black, with the same height as her and wore the uniform of the Nyran Sailing Group. But this woman had the badge of a Grand Azen Navy Commander on the chest of her uniform. The woman nodded and said "We can launch the 2nd Merchant Fleet on the 14th of this month."

At this, Sadisia asked "And how many ships are going to be in this fleet?" The woman answered her "There will be ten light cargo ships, five medium cargo ships and one heavy cargo ship. Escorting them will be five escort ships. There will also be a refueling ship and two repair ships." Sadisia nodded at this and while the woman answered her, she had occupied herself with taking down notes on her handy dandy notebook. After that, she stopped writing and looked up to the woman and said "And?"

The woman said "And Saragon would send her gas ships along with this fleet. So will she send some more of her own ships. She said she would give me the list of the vessels she would send by the end of today." The Grand Advocate hurmed then nodded. She took notes again. Then she said "OK. So what can I help you with?"

Sadisia had noticed her tone. She wasn't in a good mood today. She had not slept for 35 days and even though Azens could go without sleep for 40 days, it was getting to her. She had to be careful. Even with a lesser official, this was a military one. A naval officer. The woman told her "Well, Ma'am, I've been trying to get a request through to the Chief. The Grand Navy needs more money. We're asking for 1.5 million more Rayyans. That's all."

Sadisia frowned. The woman saw that. And the woman cleared her throat softly and said "If that is all right with you, Ma'am." The Grand Advocate returned "Let's see. I'll forward this to the Chiefs team. I don't think I can have a say on this one. But do you have a form already filled up for this kind of request? Yes or no?" The woman nodded and said "I have." She then began to dig into the pockets of her person and produced a smart phone. Sadisias eyes immediately went upon that. The woman showed her the form which she scanned. It was there. Sadisia then took the phone and began to look through it. After a while, she gave it back to the woman and told her "Send a copy to me and then ten copies to the Chiefs team. I want the copies by the end of today. Is that possible?" The woman nodded and said "Yes, Ma'am. Thank you, Ma'am."


After some more business, the two went their own ways. The officer returned to the ships that she was inspecting while Sadisia went back to the office that she was given temporarily while in Nyra. The Grand Advocate sighed grandly. She tossed her notebook at the couch, wiped her face with a wet towel (Sadisia kept wet towels around her office as often, she became quite occupied with her duties that wet towels became her way of dealing with the pressure) and crashed into the mattress she called her "part time bed." She really had not slept. And she needed it now. Not later, not tomorrow, not any other time. It has to be now.


And she did sleep. She slept and slept until she woke up at the knocking on the reinforced glass of her office door. She sat up, wiped the drool that came from her lips and rubbed her eyes. She felt the mattress calling her to return. And she thought she heard her mind telling her to just go back to sleep, go back to sleep. "I've not had enough sleep yet." Said Sadisia with her greatest effort not to mess up the last words of her sentence. And the reply was "Well, that's too bad. We're not getting enough sleep until we're done with all the stuff in Nyra." She then stopped what she was doing. And turned her head and saw her. She apparently recognized that voice.


It was Tyena. Her youngest daughter. And the one who hammered her hands. She felt her fingers ache and her palms break. She thought her wrists were twitching. Sadisia told her, as she stood in the doorway (Sadisia had left the door open in her haste to sleep) "Tyena." And Tyena sighed and said flatly "Come on. It's dinner time." And she walked away.


It really was dinner time. Sadisia sniffed the air a few times. She smelt fish being cooked with burning charcoal. And she wholeheartedly took the smell of chicken intestines and onion-squid rings into her own person. Saliva rushed into her mouth. Food. It was now a bigger thing, a greater need than sleep now. She felt her begging legs get up, her fatigued body moving out of the office. She ignored her restless vessel and slowly walked through the corridors, following the smell, a zombie having caught a sign of their prey.


It took her a left and then a right and then a walk straight through the last corridor to reach the dining room of the office. The lights were all bright orange. The table had so many plates on them, with clumps of bread and rice on the plates. Everything was arranged. And in the center of the table, there was a great bowl of bread and rice. Many of the office workers were in their seats. So was Tyena. A seat near the long end of the table was reserved for Sadisia. And she took it. As the workers chatted with one another and as Tyena observed her mother, the former Speaker of Azenyanistan looked around the dining room like a witch from the video game Left 4 Dead startled by the bright lights. The corridors and her office were not too bright. But the dining room seemed just that. Too bright. She needed more sleep.


The dinner was short and unimportant. Short because of the fact that this was a government office of Azenyanistan. Government offices had short but not too short meal periods for their employees. They usually take 20-30 minutes. And after that, they'd go back to work. Unimportant because nobody really talked about important matters over dinner. Dinner was dinner. And Azens thought it was impolite to discuss matters of great importance over food. So it was either nobody spoke during the meal or nobody really talked about anything serious and instead talked about personal or petty matters such as about haircuts or their plans for the next break which was coming at the first week of next month. Those who were petty even complained about how short their break was while those who got used to it simply nodded and talked about what would fit their limited resting period from the office.


After dinner, the two Grand Advocates walked away together to a private meeting room. There, Tyena asked her mother with eyes begging to obtain information from her and with ears ready to bring that information into herself that she may keep it for later use "Mother. Are you really all right? You've not slept for more than 20 days. Is there something bothering you? Please tell me it's not because of work." And Sadisia nodded, gently scratching her head as she pointed out "It is because of work. And a lot of other things. But you don't have to know. You're my daughter. And you don't have to trouble yourself. Don't trouble yourself with my own problems. If I lack sleep, then I lack sleep. But I'm doing my job and I'm going to keep on doing it because it is important." But Tyena argued "Mother, your job and my job are the same." She touched her mothers shoulders and her mother let her while she kept saying "We're both Grand Advocates and we are both working for Ayza. But you have to sleep. Sleep. Just sleep please." She showed her her worry that was clearly written on her brows, the way she frowned and how gently she touched her "It's gonna be for the best. If you get some sleep, you'll work better. Don't you always say that taking care of yourself is more important than the job? Or even anything else?"


Sadisia shook her head and said "But, Tyena. We're at war." She sighed "Again. But this war, Ayza said, is going to be our last war. After this, Azenyanistan is going to mind her own business, she'll take care of herself. And no nation would actually dare to disturb us. Who would?" She smiled a little at that. But frowned as she said "There are those who I really distrust so much that if I could, I'd just leave everything and go to another world, a world that they wouldn't follow me into." Tyena nodded to that but said "Mother..." Sadisia then at that took her youngest daughters hands off of her shoulders and shuddered a little from the exhaustion. Then she told her "I'll get some sleep. Thank you for reminding me. But not now. I have work to do." But Tyena pressed "Mother, please." "No." Tyena stopped. Sadisia stopped too. Both women froze. Alone in the private meeting room, they came to a silence. A silence that was not supposed to exist between a mother and a daughter. The kind of silence brought about by pain from her daughter and failure from her mother.


Sadisia sighed and turned away from her and said "I'm sorry, Tyena. My little one. But I have to finish my work. It's. Too. Important." She then took a few steps away from her daughter and said "Excuse me." And then left her all alone in the room. It felt a little colder. And it seemed to make Tyenas heart crack a bit. But when her mother had taken her leave and she stopped hearing her foot steps, the youngest Kaiteriza sighed like an anvil vibrating too much and sat down on a padded angled-back chair. She rested her chin on her right hand and placed her left hand on the table, letting her fingers rub the surface of it.


Tyena thought that she had done something wrong again. Something that was bad. Something like hammering her hands but not like that really. She thought she failed to convince her mother to take care of herself. To put aside some time from work for the sake of giving time for herself. A time to be selfish, yes, but for a good reason. To get some sleep. But her mother sometimes, Tyena said to herself, was stubborn. And that tended to bring her mother to ruin. As a leader, especially as an Azen, being stubborn was a dangerous quality to have. It either brought blessings and respect or contempt and curses. A curse like herself, Tyena thought.


But at that self-deprecating, unfair and quite cruel thought, the youngest Kaiteriza shook her head literally and tried to think about something else. What about the war? No, it wasn't her cup of tea. The thought of the war was something that belonged to the military, to officials who were used to war and to other important people who could handle wartime duties as they could handle peacetime duties. And Tyena knew that as a Kaiteriza, especially as a daughter of Sadisia, her cup of tea was really peacetime work. Not this. While she and her mother were doing excellent work as Grand Advocates, they were not immune to criticism. But they ignored that for the sake of doing their jobs. And they got good news for that. But even with the good news, even with the results, even with the positive things that many people, of the public and of the government, say about them, were these good things really all that enough to keep her, a person like her, from thinking against herself?


The young Kaiteriza simply then sighed again. Then she took her leave as well, going out of the meeting room so she could continue working.




LEVITE


CONFEDERATE COMMANDO


ALPHA TEAM


NORTHERN DONNERLAND


Alpha Team and the rebels of the North were together. Within one of the rebel bases out there, they both were working on gathering more men. The North needed more men. Men that would support the ones who would actually do the saving. And the rebels were determined to absolutely avoid being late. Lateness was not for an Azen. Not even for an Azen that shares the blood of a Donnish person. And by this time, the ones who came from the heartland and lived in this one as well as the ones who were born into this one from both Azen and Donnish have neglected to see differences, specifically differences that are making the Donnish and the Azens mad. Differences which are actually about race. About nationality and who and what they are.


The North was colder than any other part of Donnerland. And yet the rebels and the Commandos have gotten used to it. Other than the cold, there were the blizzards. But for this particular base in the North, the blizzard had already come and gone. There was no other problem except the fact that they needed more men and they needed intel. Men and intel.


The base was a medium-sized one. And it wasn't easy to find. Even the Confederates spent a lot of time looking for them. It turned out that the rebels have made sure that their bases tricked outsiders. This one was situated close to a small mountain. And just nearby, there was a collection of villages. But it was obvious that they were abandoned. Everything in them was stripped clean by the rebels. And everyone was either evacuated to the South or to friendly territories or to the rebel base. This rebel base. There were winter and mountain camouflage nets everywhere. Containers were set into the ground and snow, ice and dirt were put on them to hide them. Weapons and ammunition were not allowed to be displayed and were instead kept in their cases which were also set into the ground. Vehicles, most of them motorcycles and tracked supply vehicles and the like, were either stored inside the caves that were already there or were made by the rebels. Other valuable objects and equipment were also set within the caves, in deeper chambers. But it already seemed that the caves that were made by the rebels were made weeks before it all began. As the Commandos found out, the villagers were all survivalists and they had began carving out caves. And here they are now.



As the rebels the Commandos passed by were moving on, contacting other groups, maintaining the base or simply discussing things with their fellows, a rebel with the skin of the Donnish majority, needle-like hair and bright blue eyes was leading them around. She told them in a voice that was sharp but not in a way that she meant to hurt them with her words "The only men that you commandos are going to get from this base are exactly 14. Just 14. And no other men is going to leave with you." One of Commandos walking with her said to her "All right. I won't push you for more men. But 14 is just not enough. I need your help. I need the help of the rebels. I need the help of my brothers and my sisters. I need your help." The woman stopped. So did the male commando and his team. The woman turned to him and said to him, arms folded "I'm helping you. I'm giving you 14. But I can't afford to give you more. I need the rest of my men. This base is going to be important. The North, the Center, the South. We can't just let men come and go to help our allies. We have our own objectives. And we need our own men for that. And even if you think 14 is not enough to assist you, I think you, as a commando, can make a great good with the 14 you're getting." The man nodded. Then he stepped up to her and said "The world is going to make sure that the motherfucker the Donnish call Voy is going to pay for taking Sigbritt." And the rebel simply said, not getting intimidated by the way the taller, bigger Azen "And I know that you, the Confederate Commandos, are going to go and help save her. Yeah, but you're still only getting 14 men."

The man lowered her head at that. Then he raised it at her and said "OK. 14 men." The woman nodded and said "I made sure that you will get the best of my base. They won't let you down. Quality over quantity. They aren't Commandos but they'll do you assistance. The kind you need."


The man did nothing, said nothing, and simply looked at her. The woman glanced at his team members. Some of them shrugged. The others simply did nothing and said nothing as this man did. The woman then looked around. None of her men were paying too much attention and simply glanced at them as they passed by or did their own thing. The woman then said "Levite?"


Levite replied "Yes?" The woman said to him, more softly and less sharply "If you can wait some more, an hour or two, I can-" "No, I can't wait. My team has to keep moving. I'm not the only one who has a team. And our objectives are quite important. As yours are." The woman nodded to that as did the man she called Levite. And then at once, she looked at a rebel that was nearby. He was drinking coffee from a metal cup and was wearing stolen Donnish military winter clothes. She told him "Darsul." He looked at her. The woman nodded. The man then looked at Levite who returned the look. Then he looked at the woman and said "What do you need, Boss?" "Just call me Hallimmah." Darsul nodded but frowned. Hallimmah then said to him "Can you go check on the guys who are trying to get into contact with the other groups?" "Sure, Hallimmah." And off he went into the nearest doorway, going through the narrow but lit-up cave corridor. They were all inside the caves.


After he left them, Hallimmah returned her eyes at him and jerked her head towards the direction they were originally going. Levite nodded and when she turned around and continued walking, he ghostly told his men "Keep moving." And they followed her.


END OF PART ONE


SALADE THE II



THE FIRST MERCHANT FLEET OF THE CONFEDERACY OF AZENYANISTAN, WITHIN DONNISH WATERS, AWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS



A sigh came out of her lips. And the waters of the ocean became more opposed to the ship she was aboard. She felt the passenger ship move as the waves moved. But it was not because the 1st Merchant Fleet was so close to Donnerland, not because they could already see land. The young High Commander was waiting. There were instructions to receive.


Her fingers kept on tapping themselves against the tough, polished surface of the attached desk that belonged to her own quarters. She noticed how hard the metal of her chair was and how cold the air was even with the heater on. And it was so quiet she could hear her wristwatchs second hand click and click and click. And right in front of her was a very small computer. One that could fit on the palms of her hands. And the screen was empty. Empty of anything but the blinking vertical line at the top left corner. Everything else was black while the line was white.


Salade stood up, moved away, put the chair back and left her quarters. She didn't forget to close the blast door. It locked automatically. She patted her pockets and nodded to herself, knowing that her own door card was on her person. Salade then followed the corridor.



Along the way, she met Admiral Larrah. Both of them nodded to each other and then began to talk to each other. Naturally, Salade was the first to initiate the conversation



"Admiral."


"High Commander." Larrah then asked "Why are we waiting?"


"Instructions. Whether or not we proceed, land and begin operations." She sighed and folded her arms "The Chiefs team has to give the instructions. Our government."


"But you're in charge of everything in our military."



Salade II nodded but said "But I have to get the green light or the red light. The important thing is that we are close to Donnerland now."


Larrah nodded but she put her arms away and said to her "Yes. But our allies are here too. And the rebels are going to conduct their offensive. And fighters from friendly territories are adding to our numbers. And there are no threats to our fleet as of now."


Salade scratched her head. She rubbed her face and put her right hand around her chin, thinking. The Admiral then noticed that some of the men aboard were looking at them. She turned to them and made a gesture to them. She even frowned at them and made a hurm. They immediately left them alone. Once she made sure that they were alone, she returned her attention to Salade and said


"What is it?"


Salade put up her fist. That was a gesture telling her to wait. It was polite. Better than an open palm for that one is rude for Azens. That's why foreigners are discouraged from waving or high fiving. Because of that gesture, the Admiral returned to silence until Salade answered her



"You know we have two sateillites, yes?"


Larrah raised a brow at her. But soon, she nodded. The High Commander then said


"Those are the only sateillites we ever have. As a nation. We're making more but that's the business of the companies of our own people. But the point is those sateillites are going to come over Donnerland soon. Those two sateillites are under the control of our military. And they're going to be of big help. We'll use them as our biggest eyes."


Admiral Larrah listened and kept on doing that as she nodded, a signal to Salade to continue


"Along with our own drones and our other own assets that have been given to us to use against the enemy, there shouldn't be too many problems. And we'll be testing our very own Electronic Video Agent."


Larrah jerked her head up and at her when she mentioned the last three words. She said


"An EVA?"


Salade II nodded. She said


"Yes. But this is our very first, very own and very experimental EVA. So come hell and high water or not, he'll be put to the test."


"So she's a he now? What do we call him if not EVA?"


"We call him Observer."


"That suits him."


"He's not really AI. Like I said, he's very experimental. I don't really know what will come out of this. But it's going to happen. Observer's gonna have his first day."


"I wish the best for him. And for us, Salade."


"You're right. Operation Sands of Survival cannot be allowed to be a failure. We're bringing in the first batch of supplies into the conflict FOR our side. And more to come."


"For how long this will be, the Donnish cannot be allowed to win."



ELENA AND KARL


GROUP ONE SEVEN ONE


"Elena. Elena. Wake up." Said Karl. He shook her by the arm, seated close to her on the bed she was on. The sleeping G171 agent mumbled a few needy words that were incomprehensible and returned to sleep. At this point, Karl shook her arm even more vigorously and went closer to her ears and said again "Elena, wake up." But Elena said "Are we going to land yet?" Karl paused. "So we're not going to land yet?" Karl nodded as if she could see. And as if she saw it, Elena hurmed mournfully long, turned to the wall and hugged her blankets. And out of frustration, Karl pulled her blankets away from her but she held on. So as a consequence, she rolled then dropped to the hard, hard floor of their quarters. A very obvious and loud "AGH! FUCK!!" Came from her lips as she sat up swiftly and rubbed her forehead which had come into contact with the floor first. She said gently but with control to Karl "I think my brain is suffering major casualties thanks to you."


Karl just shrugged and smiled. What a woman, he thought. Immediately, he kissed her forehead and then her lips. She returned the two kisses. She was easily forgiving. Of him. Once she was really awake, Karl gave her a small cup of boiling hot coffee and a plate of bread, meat (From goat and fish) and onions. She took both the cup and the plate, set them on the table Karl had brought to them and began to eat. Karl said to her "I got it straight from the mess hall just for you." Elena looked up at him as she chewed on the tough bread before she took a piece of onion and some saucy strings of meat into her mouth. She said after getting it all in her stomach "Really? Aren't we all supposed to eat at the mess hall and not in our quarters?" Karl rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb over his shoulder and told her "Yeah, sure, but you Azens don't really mind. And besides, I think even the people of this ship know about me and you."


Elenas face turned red. And she began to sweat a little. She then dropped everything. Then she told him loudly and clearly "You snitch! You told them, didn't you?" She even tried to punch him in the shoulder but Karl quickly dodged that. Karl just said nervously but realized that he was at a good position since Elena was sleepy "Whoa! I didn't! It was already obvious...especially with how you kept on putting her hands close to my crotch!" Elenas face became redder and she let out a brief grunt and focused on pouncing on him. But her pounce was dodged easily as her punch was and she instead pounced at the blast door. From that, she earned a broken nose. Karl rushed to comfort and treat her wounded nose, Elena giving way to a few tears from the pain of her nose making absolute contact with the blast door of their quarters. But finally, she punched him.


"OW!" Karl let out while he was doing the best he could to stop the bleeding. Because of that, he swiftly set the broken nose, making Elena shout "AGH, FUCK!!!" And he got punched again.


SULLIVAN AND EVE


The two friends embraced each other as the rains finally stopped. The heavens witnessed the two bump fists, rub noses, touch foreheads and even butt heads with each other in a friendly kind of way. After all that, Eve told Sullivan in a more relaxed tone and less of a businesswoman, a warmer voice "Ah, my friend! It's so good to see you. I see you're here with loads of loads of supplies. Good!"


Sullivan blushed a bit and scratched the back of her head. She said to her, in the same way any Azen trucker would when reuniting with a friend "Ah, shucks, Eve, I'm just doing my job but my job isn't in the way of my friendship with you. I see you're here because of your new gas ship. That's great!"


Both laughed. Their laughter seemed to make the heavens grant a few rays of light from the Azen sun pass through the sky covers. And when it died down, the rays of light were still there. Eve said "Come with me, Sully. Let your men handle the rest. My men will help them too. Come on!" Sully looked at her trucking buddy and at the truckers and their buddies who came with her. They all nodded to her or simply gave their boss a thumbs up. Sully nodded back with a smile and then she focused on Eve and said to her "Sure! Let's go. What you got for me?"


As they walked along, Eve told her "Well, my friend, I've got something better than going through the rains, hauling load after load of supplies for this war. My friend, what do you think of leading Convoy 92 through Donnerland? All the way, Sully!" She stopped her and herself and gestured as she spoke "Think about it. I remember that you've always been talking about adventure. Not just in Azenyanistan, I recall, but through out any other place. Come on, Sully!" She then nudged her a little and said "There's some good money in this."


Sully grinned and raised a brow. She said "Really? What's in it for me and my Convoy?" Eve returned the grin and folded her arms, looking like a sexy but tough businesswoman as she posed for her and said "How's 9 million Rayyans for all of you?" Sully shrugged and said while keeping the grin "Make that 12 million Rayyans. I'll get one third of the share while my men grab the rest." Eve put her fingers around her chin and hurmed in thought. She answered "OK. But you get half if you accept and the other half after you get back to Azenyanistan with your men and all. What do you say?" Sully hurmed too and said after some thought "OK. That's good." Eve then let her grin become a more humble smile and said to her, her fist in front of both of them "Bump on it?" Sully nodded and bumped Eves fist with her own "Bump on it."


After that, they went into the gas ship. There, the workers of the port were already loading the supplies that Convoy 92 had brought into the port. And Sully, as she and Eve walked along the pathways of the gas ship, saw her trucking buddy receiving an envelope from the port manager. That was their immediate payment for good service. Her trucking buddy looked at them as they walked within the gas ship and waved her fist at them. Sully nodded to her and smiled. The buddy then let her hand down and put away the envelope. She returned to the rest of the people of Convoy 92 as they were taking a break, enjoying imported soft drinks and local fruit juices.


As they moved within the gas ship, checking it out, Sully told Eve "What about you, Eve? What's in it for you in this war?" Eve simply shook her head and said "Nah, I've got nothing in it for me. But our government has been a very good client. Huge profits every time they get what they want or need from me. As long as my ships and all keep on coming, I'm getting richer. And that's what matters." She frowned a little as she slowed down and explained "My days and time as a soldier are all over anyway." Sully stopped as did Eve and she told her friend, the businesswoman, the face of the AUTP and all of her companies "Hey, don't get bad shot about the past, Eve." Eve nodded and said "I'm not getting bad shot about it, Sully. But I ain't getting in too deep into this. Sure, I'm sending my own private soldiers into it but only because I gotta protect my own assets. The ones that the government doesn't own but contracted instead."


Sully nodded and listened. She remembered that her friend was loyal to her own as her own were loyal to her. Sully knew that Eve Saragon was once the most powerful Godmother of all of the Families in Azenyanistan. And that she once ruled the entire Azen underground. And because of that, no major criminals or criminal groups ever dared to break any of the rules she had put into play. And for her part in keeping crime in check, the Azen government and the ACP herself tolerated her until they decided that she had to be rewarded. She was an honorable woman. Her Family had the most men beause of how she treated them. And she was respected for how she treated outsiders and regarded positively for how she approached her enemies. She had never broken a peace that was agreed upon with another Family. She instead waited for the other Families to break it. And they did.


In time though, thanks to her own values and all, the great Eve Saragon transformed from the "Queen" of all of the criminals in Azenyanistan into the one that represented the Azens as a businesswoman. If she was that successful in the underworld, then she repeated her success in the world of the public and of legality. The AUTP had over 40 companies, big and small, under her banner. And from ACT and other Azen business alliances, the AUTP came to be. With the help of her other partner, Ayyah, Azenyanistan rejoined the international market. Although she certainly was not the best nation in terms of business and all, she profitted when she had to make a profit and she seemed stable. But more time was required and the stability they had today needed to be reinforced. If that happened, more success was more likely to come the way of the Azens. Especially Eve Saragon.


Eve then talked about something else "Anyway...sister, what's your opinion?" Sully looked up and asked "What do you mean by that?" Eve focused on her and said "I'm meaning to ask you: What's your take? You think we can win this war?"


Sully chuckled and said "As long as the supplies keep on rolling, the chain keeps on going and the network keeps on staying open, as long as we got all that we need to keep our part up, the war will be won." She then gave her a friendly and quite not-so-serious-but-sincere shrug "But who knows? Maybe the Donnish will win by a miracle. But we'll win by a landslide. It just depends. Do we have more capability than Donnerland? Do we have enough men? Enough of anything at all?" She then patted Eve and said to her "My opinion is simple: [i] If we do our jobs right, then we will win. And if that happens, there really is no way for Donnerland to be allowed to win. At all.


KILLJOY




SOUTHERN DONNERLAND, SOMEWHERE IN REBEL-HELD TERRITORY


"Can you read that again please? I'm honestly not taking that seriously." Said Killjoy. Everyone else was quiet except the one reading. The rebel soldiers clear but not-too-loud-enough voice filled the communications room of their headquarters. And their headquarters was several meters beneath the surface. It was supposed to be the basement of a certain Azen establishment that was known for helping out Azen residents and Azulnish locals but this basement turned out to be a base waiting for some faction to take it. And came the rebels.



The rebel soldier who was reading the message read it again


"This is Rahatiel. These are the instructions that I have to give to you, Killjoy, and to Tanyah. Be smart that you, my sisters, will not screw this one up and actually do some good. Be smart enough too to improvise and think quickly. Anyway, here are the instructions:


Reinforcements from our heartland have come close. They too are awaiting instructions from High Command and the government. But we must not be lazy. We're rebels after all. And we're here to help. And not only that, we're supposed to be doing more than just help. We're here to cause chaos within enemy territory and to make things so shitty for them that they couldn't fight our friends who are coming for them. So here's the plan.


Overtake the ports. And don't let them fall into the hands of the enemy again. While you do that, knock out any Donnish police station or military outpost you pass by. Don't let any freaking cop or Donnish soldier who is working for the motherfucker ever go without your permission. Rules of engagement do apply but I want you to make them feel the cold, hard hand of war. But let it be our kind of war. The kind of war that would make them regret ever trying to take on the world. Again, take the ports and destroy any nearby police stations or outposts. If you come across larger Donnish military bases or what not, do not do anything against them unless you have what it takes to take them on.


Don't wait. Keep on doing what you gotta do. But it's all gotta be against the Donnish. Because fuck the motherfucker. He's a dead man if the world lets us take him into our hands first.


If you come across friendlies, especially our allies from outside, do not do anything stupid. Make contact with them and support them. They're on our side as we are on their side. Make sure we don't get into any dirty infighting. Things like that messes up a lot of friendships. And we, Azens, are not going to make mistakes.


You're going to also have to get more men. Fighters are pouring in from the bordering territories that are on our side. That means hundreds of manpower getting into Donnerland, especially into the South and the Center, to help us. Brothers and sisters. We're not alone.


One last thing: When our kindred from the heartland come, greet them well. And don't ever let the Donnish mess with them while they're feeding us. And keep an eye out for friendly Donnish. Be careful though."


Killjoy blinked. And the rest of the people inside the communications room looked at one another nervously. The rebel soldier folded the print-out and looked around and her voice became cracked as she said "Should I read it again?" The knifer shook her head and told her "No. You're OK. Go get something for your throat." And the rebel went out.


But Killjoy was rubbing her chin. She was also sweating. She thought everyone was looking at her but they weren't. They were all nervous. And anxious. This was going to be their first ever big offensive. Their greatest move. If the rebels take the ports, they're open to the world. If they take out the enemy positions in the South, there's a lot of threats less to worry about. And if they got more fighters, there's no reason why they wouldn't win. There was a lot to gain if they followed her instructions. And a lot to lose if they failed. A lot of men would die, their territory would be lost and basically, shit would have hit the fan and that fan would be pointing at them.


She thought about it for what she thought was a long time in that room. Surrounded by both civilian and former military communicators and their equipment, in a place that was several meters under the ground, with these instructions for an offensive. An uprising. The time.


She had thousands of men, several loads of ammunition, enough weapons, plenty of positions big and small, the advantage of already being on the field and their experience in the past wars of Ausozera, of the Age of Chaos and of the Seven Wars. But she worried. What if this fails? What if we can't do this? But she had been with Rahatiel for a time before they split up. And she learned that Rahatiel was usually sure. In fact, that former Arch Angel might have been one of the most certain persons Killjoy had ever met.


Rahatiel had started a rebellion. A rebellion by the thousands of Azens and Azulnish that resided on the body of Donnerland. Their new heartland. So why would she send these instructions to them, to her especially, if she was not sure that this would work?


But Rahatiel wasn't everywhere. She was in the North. And her mission was to get the motherfucker. The one who started it all. Voy. Fuck him, she thought. And fuck those who were with him or fighting for him or even doing anything for him. He's killing Azens. And the Azulnish. And he's targeting other minorities. And he's crazy to wage war on the entire world. And a Donnish empire? Fuck that. Fuck empires. The young Angel shared the same hatred for those who had the kind of qualities or ideals that the Azens didn't want to exist. Imperialism, ultranationalism and the like. She wasn't too political but after some time here and there, being too political or not didn't matter. What mattered was the destruction of anything that threatened Azenyanistan. That threatened their way of life.


Killjoy then began taking and releasing deep breaths. She had to think, not to feel, not too much. Restraint was one of the most important qualities that an Angel or an Arch Angel should have. Especially as an Azen. As the most emotional nation in the world of Ausozera, it should be natural and obvious that the goal of Azens when it comes to their emotions be restraint. The ability to summon their feelings when they are needed and to hold them back when they are not needed.


After a while, she calmed down. And she had finalized her thoughts. Rahatiel was sure. The rebels can do this. And she can take care of the South while Tanyah took care of the Center. Donnerland was going to pay for the slaughter of those who were supposed to be their fellow men. For their brothers and sisters who came to live on this new heartland only to be taken and butchered by the people of this heartland. Retaliate. And ensure that the future was secure.


She stood up. And her men finally put their eyes upon her. Their focus was all on her. The ones who had headsets on took them off. And the ones who were busy watching the monitors of their computers got off. Their commander has made a decision.


Killjoy lifted her left hand and turned it into a fist. She then gestured towards herself. One of the soldiers left her station and went to Killjoy. Killjoy focused on the soldier. The rebel saluted her and the Angel saluted her back. Then Killjoy said



"Soldier, do you know our history?"



The rebel nervously shook her head up and down. Killjoy continued


"Then you know about the first world war we have ever entered as a nation?"


The rebel nodded again.


Killjoy finally sighed and said


"Good. Now I want you to listen and I want you to send these orders to all our forces in the South as soon as you can and make sure that they get it. Do you understand?"


The rebel nodded.


"All right. According to the instructions of Rahatiel, I want you to send this message to all of the Southern forces of our alliance. Please get to your station and immediately begin typing whatever I am dictating. Go."

The rebel rushed to her station and then started up the messaging program that the rebels were using with one another. She turned to Killjoy and waited for her to dictate. And when she began dictating, the rebel began typing rapidly

"ON THE SEVENTH HOUR OF TOMORROW, ALL REBEL FORCES IN THE SOUTH OF DONNERLAND ARE TO FOLLOW THESE ORDERS IMMEDIATELY: TAKE THE PORTS. DESTROY ALL DONNISH POLICE AND MILITARY STATIONS. DO NOT LEAVE ANY ENEMY POSITION WITHIN YOUR ABILITY TO DESTROY UNTOUCHED. IF YOU SEE ANY MORE FIGHTERS COMING FROM FRIENDLY TERRITORIES, RECEIVE THEM AND BACK YOUR FORCES UP. MAKE CONTACT WITH ALLIES AS SOON AS YOU ARE INFORMED OF THEIR PRESENCE. DON'T BE LATE. AND ONCE YOU TAKE THE PORTS, IMMEDIATELY MESSAGE REINFORCEMENTS FROM THE HEARTLAND TO BEGIN OPERATION SANDS OF SURVIVAL AGAINST THE ENEMY. KILLJOY."



TURYAH AND TURYANNAH

"I hate fighting in the tunnels." Said Turyannah as she and her mother, Turyah, emerged from the tunnels with their men and the Rhinos that went with them. Most of them were covered in filth or in blood that wasn't theirs. The rest were either not too dirty or just were lucky enough to go through the battle with the Seven Cards without too much against them.


When they got out, the rains have stopped. As they have stopped all over Azenyanistan, so did the rains of Yaneza. The ACP forces coming from the tunnels immediately were met by other ACP officers. The wounded were immediately taken to the tents that the ACP had set up around the Donnish embassy. Those who weren't wounded were at least given water and some food. Chief Turyah and her daughter were given cups of warm water and some pieces of bread that had goat meat inside of them.



While they chewed on their food and drank their water, they heard commotion coming from one end of the ACP perimeter around the embassy. They looked at each other briefly and realized that this wasn't normal and immediately dropped their food and water and went after the source of the disturbance. There, they saw what was happening.


On one side, there were crowds of women and men in old Azen military uniforms or in civilian clothes that had badges on their chests. They had firearms that were of AUTP origin or of the old Azen militaries. And they were being led by a man with an ACP riot saber in his right hand and an AUTP-made pistol in his left. The man wore sand-colored Azen military boots, a pair of jeans that were padded with armor at the knees and thighs. He also wore a worn-out kama and an old Azen military utility belt with a holster for his pistol and pouches for ammunition and first aid. He also wore a vest and a badge on the chest of it. Slung around him was an AUTP-made carbine.


He had a rough mohawk of yellow, light skin, dark eyes and a dangerous frown. The man was flanked by men and women armed with light machine guns. Behind them were the crowds. Because of him and his followers, the ACP had tightened their perimeter on the other side. There were more tanks now. And uniformed, helmet-wearing and heavily-geared-up personnel had joined the ACP officers that met the crowds. The Guards have finally come. And more were still coming as their Black Hawk helicopters were landing and leaving, dropping off squads of Guards and their stuff.


Turyah and Turyannah made their way together to the ACP-Guards side and met the present commander of the Azen Guards, Guardian Commander Juronii ur Iron. A half Vanquarian, both the Chief and her daughter had learned, who served Azenyanistan as a Capital Guard. And from the file that they both got on her, she mixed Vanquarian tactics well with Azen ones. Juronii had the skin color of a Vanquarian but she earned the hair and the eyes of an Azen. Her hair was black while her eyes were green. She had a big nose, one like an Azzan would have. And a red mohawk beneath her helmet.


Juronii greeted the two leading officers of the ACP with a hard voice "Good to see you, Chief Turyah. And you too, Detective Turyannah." Turyah shrugged her greetings off with a tough "You too, Guardian Commander Juronii. And she's Chief-to-be. So don't bother calling her a Detective anymore. She may be wearing her uniform but I'm soon going to get her to wear the kind of uniform I wear." Turyannah groaned "Mama!" Juronii laughed at that quickly and then knocked it off, asking the Chief "So who is this guy that's looking pretty menacing? Looks like he's gonna start another Age of Chaos."


The Chief gave the man leading the crowds a very quick glance. Then she shook her head to Juronii and said "No. But he's trouble. I'll talk to him. Can I ask you to keep an eye out for me?" Juronii got the hint and nodded. She commanded one of her men loudly "You! Get me a rifle! Now!" And once she got it, she checked it and then told Turyah "OK. Got you. What about your girl?" Turyah glanced at Turyannah, who nervously smiled, then focused again on Juronii and told her "She'll be on my left." Juronii looked at her daughter quickly then at the Chief, she nodded again and told her men who were holding the perimeter close "Open up for us."


They immediately split up, their formation open to Juronii, Turyah and Turyannah. The three went out and the formation returned together, closed again. Turyannah shot a glance over her shoulder when the troops and the officers swiftly blocked the perimeter. But when Turyah caught her doing that, she told her in a motherly sort of way "Don't worry, little one." And at her mothers words, Turyannah understood and simply relied on her hand as it lovingly patted her chest. Her heart was beating so hard. But the little one knew that that would slow down as she got used to the situation. She was a detective after all.



When they got to meet the man, the man looked at his companions and they nodded to him and took four steps back. The man nodded to the Chief and the Chief nodded back to him. Meanwhile, news drones and helicopters were hovering in the sky above them, watching the scene unfold as one end was occupied by the followers of the man and one end was under the control of the Azen Civil Protection and the Azen Guards.


The man spoke first and surprisingly, his voice was a bit soft, a little whiny but it was dangerously serious "Hello, Chief. Why are you protecting the Donnish?" The Chief returned the kind of voice the man had in her own way and frowned "Why are you here causing trouble by bringing your people around with their weapons? Don't you know that this isn't the place for you and your followers? Don't you, Akeem?" The man she called Akeem narrowed his eyes at her and the Chief returned that action. Turyannah simply watched as Juronni casually checked the ammunition of her rifle and glanced at the guards of Akeem, who were also checking the ammunition of their machine guns. But in the end, Akeem said "The Donnish do not deserve this. Your protection? Remove it." But Turyah hurmed swiftly and assertively and said "No." She even folded her arms and dug her feet in for effect. Akeem smirked. And Turyannah instinctively placed her hand slowly around her weapons. Juronni noticed this and tapped her on the back, causing the little one to glance at her. Juronni shook her head slightly and so Turyannah released her hold on her weapons, letting them hang or rest in their holster.


For what seemed to be a minute or two, the Chief and the man stood up to each other. Everything and everyone was tense. The ACP kept their shield formation tight. And the Guards kept their guns trained at the crowds. The crowds had their guns and tools, knives, etc ready. The drones kept on taking pictures as the helicopters were recording the entire scene. The air became a little hot and full of the scent of men and women. The sun was being allowed by the covers of the sky to come through. And more and more helicopters of the Azen guards were coming and going. People in the embassies were watching. The flags fluttered.


Then Chief simply said to him "Go home, Akeem. I'm not going to deal with you." Akeem hurmed. The Chief repeated in a more stern voice "GO." Akeem did nothing. Turyah narrowed her eyes further. She stepped closer to him. Then she told him, as she leaned to his ears "Just go, Akeem." The man was quiet. She straightened and returned to the silence too. Turyannah looked from her mother to the man and then to her mother again. She stood her ground. And the man did too.


But soon enough, once everyone realized that the ACP and the Guards would never allow them to pass through to put the Donnish embassy to harm or to destruction, Akeem said "They all have to pay." And then he turned and ordered his followers to turn back and they turned back and they followed him away from the embassies. The tanks stayed where they were. But the front line of the ACP and the Guards moved forward slowly, as if they were gently pushing the crowds away. There was murmuring, complaining, shouting and insulting as the crowds came back the way they came. And Akeem had put away his weapons.


Once Turyah thought that they really are going away, she raised a fist to the moving front line and they stopped moving. She then put one finger up and that signalled the ACP with the shields to, all at the same time, put them away. She put another finger up and the Guards and the other ACP lowered their weapons. The situation has been put to an end. Turyah had solved this without violence. And while it took a few minutes, a period of time, it was better than nothing. She returned to her own men as they all quietly re-established the perimeter and the drones and the helicopters of the Azen media gradually went away.


There were journalists here and there, asking people questions and talking to them, but that wasn't a problem. Turyah let them and she simply nodded to her own officers who seemed shy. When she did, the officers either smiled or nodded to her and allowed themselves to speak with the journalists. She even spotted some journalists following the crowds. One was evening having a conversation with some of the staff of the Donnish embassy.


As she walked to a Rhino and sat close to it, her daughter followed her and said to her "Mother, why do you know him? You know his name. Do you have a file on him?" Turyah shook her head and said "I know him. But I have all the files on him. His full name is Akeem ur Saddarik. The youngest of 17 children. Born some years before the Seven Wars and the Age of Chaos. Ended up being raised by his surviving aunts and uncles. Became a fighter and put down more than 350 enemy soldiers. Was in some freedom fighting group. And when everything was over, he and his comrades in that group formed The 501st Legion. It was named after some military unit in the cartoons." She paused. "I met him during the Battle of Yaneza." Turyannah then asked her "What happened?" Turyah looked at her and frowned. But it wasn't because she asked. Turyannah guessed it was because she might have had a history with him. And she was right. Her mother had answered "It's such a long story."





END OF POST

[Free Asian Ports]

MB Randgriz

Completely assembled, the 32nd Marine Division (mechanized) numbered many thousands of troops and vehicles. The bulk of their forces would be transferred by air, but the primary assault force would hit the beaches. Hence 4 whole battalions, some 5,000 soldiers and their machines, filled the assembly areas of Randgriz. Though multiple platforms and decks were built into the structure between the docks and the core of the facility, the region was filled to capacity with troops and equipment. Squads and platoons stood (or sat) together with their vehicles, equipment strewn about them behind their designated vehicles. Logistics on the battalion scale was massive and rather byzantine. Only an invasion force of this magnitude would dare attempt such a complicated and enormous organization of forces. Not far away, moored to Randgriz's piers, were half a dozen amphibious assault ships from several fleets ready to recieve their deadly cargo. Their holds were empty for the moment, and the hangars and flight decks were devoid of aircraft. Those would land as the ships left. If one imagined the sheer amount of weapons that were to be loaded onto the ships one would be very confused about how much those ships can actually fit. Such awesome power should not be able to fit in so many ships, let alone the amount expected to cram into one.

So it seemed to Kimiko. She was mightily glad that very talented logisticians assisted in the planning of the FAP's wars and that little to none of it was expected to be done by her. Though she was definitely consciously aware that it might soon be. She had been promoted to First Lieutenant some time ago, which made her the most senior platoon commander in her company (Company F). That made her the successor to command the whole company should Captain Yarushime fall in combat. Or retire. Or get promoted. One of the three. It was a position that made her even more uncomfortable knowing she had an extra squad to worry about and an as-yet unnamed Third Lieutenant was to come under her wing for the duration of the operation. That just made things more complex for the young Lieutenant, which made them harder to control. Something she hated. Half her weight in pack equipment was injury added to insult. The 32 was not a heavy infantry division, but it was motorized, which meant that the infantry could afford to carry more equipment with them than light infantry. An opportunity that the military's designers took to give them everything from additional machine guns and ammo to guided missiles and MAAWS. Great on paper, but the rifleman still has to carry it part of the way. Something that the rifleman tends not to like.

Captain Yarushime appeared in the company's assembly area and waved over his platoon leaders. Seeing the signal, she walked over for the Captain's briefing along with her radioman. Once all 4 platoon commanders joined the Captain, he nodded. "Alright, we ready? Good. Colonel says give 'em hell. Urah!" he curtly ordered. "Urah!" shouted the platoon commanders, and they broke to rally their platoons. Kimiko jogged over to her now attentive platoon, added Unionist squad and all. "Mount up! We're Oscar Mike!" she shouted at her Marines "Move move move!". In a flurry of movement all 40 or so Marines got up and picked up their kits and rushed towards the waiting AFV in front of them. Indeed, all 1,200 soldiers on this deck started mounting their vehicles. "Sound off! Ichi Buntai!" she shouted, marching with her aide and all their kit towards a Patria AMV waiting for them. "Ryoukai!" responded first squad's sergeant when all their kit was mounted and the troops were inside. "Ni Buntai!" "Ryoukai!" "San Buntai!" "Ryoukai!" sounded off one after another as squads reported their readiness and hundreds of engines started revving up. "Dan Buntai!" she shouted last. The Unionist sergeant in command of this extra squad snapped to attention. "Ready for action, sir!" she sounded off. Kimiko nodded and turned to her radioman at the ramp of the platoon's last AMV. "Report back to the Captain, all present and accounted for, we're ready to move" she ordered before climbing in. While the radioman got on his set and briefly interacted with the Captain's aide, Kimiko sat herself down and the ram closed shut with a clang.

With their troops mounted, the vehicles filed their way, one after another, towards the assembly area's exit and onto the piers. As the companies found their ships, the APCs drove up the ramps to the cargo holds and into storage. On board, the Marines dismounted and moved through the assault corridors of the ship to their barracks in an organized fashion. At last, the assault battalions were boarded. With their charges aboard, the gigantic ships were tugged out of their moors and into open waters where, under their own power, they went out into open ocean to join the waiting war fleet. As they did so, a huge fleet of helicopters took off from Randgriz's air base. Individually, dozens of MH-65s, V-22s, and AH-1s touched down on the flight decks of the warships. Waiting deck crew hastily but carefully towed the newly landed aircraft to spots on the deck where they would be ready for combat or into the hangar for use later. With all aircraft embarked, the whole fleet set sail north. For Donner Land.

5 kilometers east of the fleet

Ritsuko stared out her window at the open ocean with the same look of mild boredom as she always wears. The default facial feature for a genetically-engineered, vat-grown soldier like her seemed to be one of eternal disinterest, though it belied an attentive and observant mind. It was a face "intended" to unsettle victims of interrogation, though really her makers hadn't thought to program surface emotions into her head. They did program and teach her acting, which was something BA's were good at. If she wanted to, she could pretend to display virtually any emotion she needed very convincingly. With nobody to convince, they returned to their basic, soulless, automaton-like state. Luckily for everybody else, the passenger cabin of the S191 she was flying in was empty of all but herself. Fresh from a mission in Mariq, she'd been reassigned to assist a fellow BA in Donner Land, where the situation appears to have taken a turn for the worst. The briefing was still open on the tablet that occupied her small table. Her catatonic state left her gazing at the sea below, computing the data from the dossier about her new mission.

When all was said and done, it was quite simple. Assets, various in number and importance, needed to be extracted and debriefed, preferably intact. Among these was none other than the Kaisarine Sigbritt herself, a priority objective whose capture in Donner Land remained secret. Ritsuko was to rendezvous with K101 and obtain information on the Kaisarine's location from intel assets currently in K101's protection. The op would involve a not insignificant insertion of special forces to assist in the rescue and the extraction of yet more priority targets. The big guns were coming out. Besides her current assortment of weapons, a machine pistol and a handgun, she would be equipped with yet more weapons before her insertion with a platoon of the elite 13th MFR Division. This plus a promise of air support once the Donnish air defense was suppressed or destroyed. They would make it as hard as possible for the Donnish to fight back.

Perhaps among the most interesting considerations that floated through her bio-engineered head was the weather itself. Donner Land was not hot and sandy like Mariq. It was cold and covered with snow. The cold air and higher latitude would be a factor in ballistics, so she started to take those into account beforehand. Briefly, she concluded that her current clothing was unsuited for the environment. Thinner, low-profile clothes for sneaking around bazaars were not going to keep her insulated in the near-arctic conditions of Donner Land. She knew that her handlers had packed a set of appropriate clothes for her flight, and she picked up a duffle bag from the next seat. She disappeared into the lavatory to change, taking off the tropical environment clothes and putting on a skintight covert ops suit. The rubbery suit was like a wet suit, but all-purpose. It was filled with sensors to gather biometric data in case it was necessary as well as other medical and combat features. It was, like a wet suit, waterproof and could serve as part of diving gear. It was well insulated and if she wore nothing else it might keep her at a survivable body temperature for some time. Accounting for her enhanced physiology, that meant practically forever. The suit was designed to be as quiet as possible throughout the whole range of motions, and rubbing it against itself produced very little sound, good for sneaking up behind unsuspecting guards. It was a spy's best swimsuit. Over this, she put on standard special forces fatigues, cold weather kit, and combat webbing. All said and done, she looked like an Eskimo if they lost weight.

Leaving the lavatory, she could see the waiting war fleet. The S191 came in for its final approach over an aircraft carrier, gently touching down in VTOL mode on a helicopter pad. The folding stairs came down, allowing her to exit the aircraft and onto the deck. Waiting for her was another handler, holding a tablet with what was presumably the most recent intel, much of it not even corroborated or confirmed, just determined for usefulness and sent off for her eyes only. He greeted Ritsuko and handed her the dossier. While her eyes scanned the document containing photographs, she followed him down below decks. It was still some time off from their arrival. She had time to prepare...

[Vanquaria]

Somewhere on the border

The distinctive sound of choppers resonated softly through the mountain range. Several Mil-Mi 26 steadily hovered forward before abruptly becoming stationary. A moment later and the large transport helicopters had successfully landed atop a landing pad.

The helicopters deposited a platoon of large figures wrapped in grey, winter jackets and each wielding ridiculously heavy duffel bags. These were Spetsnaz men, the famous soldiers of Vanquaria and depicted as the heroes of the Empire in the daily propaganda news channels on television. Dangerous individuals they were yet amongst them were men regarded as deadlier. Members of Detachment Alpha, also recognised as Alpha Force, had exited the Mil-Mis alongside the Spetsnaz. These soldiers were armed with the best equipment the state could provide including the new tomographic overlay technology, inspired by the Donnish OSS, yet a distinctly unqiue piece of hardware.

The elite soldiers had arrived on one of Vanquaria’s multiple mountainside military facilities on the border shared with the currently rogue Donnish state governed by a madman who was supported by a populace hell bent on petty ‘’vengeance’’ especially against Vanquaria and Helghan. Donnish foreign policy was now built upon extreme jingoism. And that had of course led to this; war. Fortunately the signs were there from the beginning. The relinquishing of Helsan Federation leadership and the preposterous declarations made by Newron Voy, the self-proclaimed ‘’emperor of the North’’.

Such actions would not go unanswered, especially by the Iron Empire, an imperialist nation that dominated much of the Northern hemisphere alongside its IWA allies. Out of all the nations in the world, Vanquaria ,with the exception of its Helghast brothers, knew the sting of the Donnish blade best. The 1st Helsan War, though it was painted as a victory especially in the driving off of the ISAT ‘barbarians’, ended horribly for the Vanquarians. It forced the VAF to change the way it approached conflict against a fellow Northern s neighbour.

It was the time for the most accomplished modern military in the world to measure itself against its toughest enemy yet. The soldiers had entered the mountainside base to prepare for the the beginning of one of their most difficult operations yet. For across the country an army of a proportion unseen since the days of truly bloody war, had at last fully mobilised and were merely awaiting the moment they would rise up as the heroes of their people against a truly evil man that sought the destruction of their nation.

[Azenyanistan]

THE ADVERSARY [ /I]





CHIEF AYZA UR TALLTOWER




YANEZA - CAPITAL CITY OF THE GRAND LIBERTARIAN AND TRIBAL CONFEDERACY OF AZENYANISTAN




The grand storm clouds returned to Yaneza. In great numbers, they came over the great city. The gray clumps of water waiting to shower down to the ground overcame the heights of the citys towers and spires. It floated over her main mosques, her chief churches and cathedrals and ultimately, the compound which contained the tallest and the most active of structures; The administrative compound itself was subject to the majesty of the heavens and her bed of threatening storm clouds.




December had already passed and it was now January. Yet, the storms of the year's end are not yet done with this land. As the sky again covered the Azen world from the sight of their sun and the sun from her sight of the Azen world, a fresh A7 New Born-class gunship flew towards the capital from quite afar, searching for a good place to land. It found one and it was a landing pad in a corner of the administrative compound with several crates at one side of it. The A7 gunship immediately contacted the administrative compound, received permission and without delay landed on the pad as she opened her blast doors. And out of her, a woman and four other women wearing uniforms, combat vests, armor on their forearms and thighs and utility belts as well as kamas.




They escorted the woman into the adminstrative compound where she was received by a team of both men and women. When she was with them, her guards left them alone and she spoke to them




"I'm back, guys."




Her team was smiling at her. Some of them gave her their embraces. Some kissed her on the cheeks. Others simply nodded or bumped fists. One of them, a medium-heighted woman with near-black hair, yellow eyes, a notable nose, light lips and a scar on her chin, said to her



"Good to see you back from Urranese Azenyanistan, Chief Ayza."


Chief Ayza, still wearing the clothes she wore from Urranese Azenyanistan, nodded to the yellow-eyed woman and then said to her


"Thank you, Zarrai. I'm sorry I was not able to visit Urran herself. I had to make my travels short and quick for now. I'm needed here more than I am needed in other countries."


Zarrai, whose voice was like Chief Ayzas, simply nodded to that and said


"It's nothing to apologize for, Chief Ayza. But you are indeed needed here more than in other places."




Zarrai then turned to one woman with light hair but dark skin and blue eyes with a touch of green on the left one. She also had several documents in her arms. She nodded to this one and the blue-eyed woman nodded back to her then stepped to Chief Ayza and said in a voice that bled


"Chief, your team is excellent so far. They have been able to address many issues and their answers have been recorded into the body of answers and are currently being administered. However, we need you [i] and your team to help the country and..."


Chief Ayza noticed that she had stopped gradually. She also saw that the one with blue eyes was looking at her, seeking her approval perhaps. So she gave a look at Zarrai who responded with a nod and told the blue-eyed woman



"You can continue, Arran."


Arran cleared her throat and with her bleeding voice, she continued


"Yes, of course. Thanks, Zarrai. But yes, you're really needed. It's perfect timing. The storms are coming back and the conflict in Donnerland is intensifying. You need to see this."



Arran browsed through the documents in her arms and found one and handed it over to the Chief. The Chief thanked her and Arran nodded in welcome. Ayza then looked through the document she got from Arran. In just a few moments, she gave it back to Arran and told her


"Thank you again." Then Chief Ayza frowned a little "Please excuse me." Then she told the rest of her and Zarrais team "Excuse us." They obeyed and left them alone. Only Zarrai, Arran, a man and a woman who shared the same engaging ebony hair but common green eyes and Ayza herself were in the room now. Ayza then spoke to them softly


"Our 1st Merchant Fleet has been given no instructions yet?"


"No instructions." Spoke the man "Not yet. We were supposed to give them the instructions now but—"



"But you didn't give them the instructions yet because I had arrived?" Ayza finished. The man nodded. Then Ayza said


"Joa, I want to know what those instructions are and who made them." Joa nodded and said without delay "The instructions were made by Zarrai. Instructions were that the fleet were to provide air support, bombardment and supply drops to the rebels as they conduct their offensive in the South." Ayza nodded to this and then said to him "Joa, thank you. But I want you to add to those instructions. Tell them to be very careful and to keep their defensive capabilities high enough that they will not have to worry too much about the enemy. I want them to be able to focus on helping our brothers and sisters who are in Donnerland not on actually taking on the enemy. Make sure that this reaches the Green Helmets too." Joa nodded quickly and made his way out. Zarrai nodded to Ayza and said "Chief."


The Chief turned to her and told her flatly "If you are going to apologize, there is nothing to apologize for. It's OK, Zarrai. But you're going to have to pay more attention to what we have and what we are capable of than on what we wish to accomplish." Zarrai nodded but looked at her Chief with disappointed eyes. Chief Ayza noticed her eyes and told her "To cheer you up, I would like you to instruct the young Salade these specific words: Make contact with friendly units on the waters. When you do, ask for their help in dealing with the Donnish navy and in getting all of our forces on the ground immediately. Ask them too if they could provide assistance for the rebels as they conduct their Southern offensive." Zarrai looked up at her, smiled a little and went her way out.


The Chief then said to Arran "Anything else?" Arran nodded and told her "The Northern rebels are planning to ambush enemy convoys and raid small enemy positions for more supplies and intelligence. Meanwhile, the enemy embassy in our capital city is still under our protection. No enemy staff from the embassy has been harmed or killed. They are all inside their building. But our ACP has taken a few casualties, all wounded, no one is dead. As for the Seven Cards, they're gone. The tunnels are all clear. We're still waiting for Turyah and Turyannah to come here with their reports." Arran stopped. That made Ayza raise a brow at her and gesture to her to continue. Arran tried to shake her head politely but she was Chief and so Arran said "I have bad news, Chief. One of your relatives is dead."


Ayza came to silence. So did everyone else in the room. Arran cringed. The other woman widened her eyes. But Ayza said nothing, did nothing, expressed nothing. Nothing was upon her. And nothing was coming from her. They waited a few seconds. Then a moment. Then a full minute. Ayza was completely quiet. She did take a few controlled breaths, closed her eyes and then opened them and said


"That really is indeed bad news. But I can't do anything to raise her up from the dead. That belongs to those who are more and more powerful than I am. I am...hurt." She then put one hand over her lips, her eyes filling a little. Then she controlled her breaths again and then soon enough, moved on. Ayza asked Arran "I am guessing that it is the Seven Cards who killed her and caused me pain." Arran paused. Then she nodded and said "Turyah asked her daughter to tell me about this. Both of them were afraid of how this would affect you as we are more concerned about our superiors. About you." Ayza shook her head at this and Arran raised a brow. The Chief said to her "Don't be afraid. And tell them not to be. I'm Ayza. And I'm nobody else. And I know who and how I am. While it may hurt me, I believe I am strong enough to overcome it and continue to do as my duties wish me to do."



Ayza then let a sigh escape her lips. Then she asked Arran "Can I please ask you to call Turyah and Turyannah to me right away? When they come, please ask them to wait for me in my office. Can I see you do that?" Arran nodded quickly and went her way out. That left the woman. Ayza then gave her a closed smile and said to her


"You must be Joas little sister. Are you Anai?"


Anai nodded and held her own hands. Ayza saw that and smiled even more. She told her "That is quite good to know. You share the same post, yes?" Anai nodded again and said softly "Yes, Chief Ayza, yes. We're both on your team and we're doing our jobs as, um, assistants. But aren't all in your team assistants?" Ayza shook her head and explained "No, Anai. Not all of you are assistants. While you might say you and your brother are, most of those on my team are not simply assistants. And I don't believe you both are just assistants." So Anai asked her "Then who are these who are more than your assistants?"


Ayza just rolled her eyes, smiled again and said patiently "Sadisia and Tyena are Grand Advocates. Grand Advocates are responsible for supporting or not supporting my decisions. If I can't get them to support my decision, then my decision isn't going to have much weight and so it is not going to do much good and so it isn't going to actually be done to the fullest of its extent. But if I can get support for my decision, it carries a lot of weight, it can do a lot of good or bad depending on the nature of the decision and it is going to be carried out to the fullest of its extent. Grand Advocates are big, big figures that are required for our country because they make sure that I, the Chief, am not going to make decisions that aren't that good. They also take care of many other tasks. So do you know where they are now?"


Anai thought. Then she replied "They are in Nyra, Chief."


And so Ayza said to her "That's correct. And what about Aneyt? Do you know what is her post?"


Anai answered "Her post is of the Devils Advocate."


"Very good. And do you know why our country has a Devils Advocate?"


There was no answer. So Ayza said


"The Devils Advocate is a relatively new post. A new born title. But this post is serving our country well. Although it is still in its early days, the post of the Devils Advocate, belonging to Aneyt, is vital. Why? It is the job of Aneyt to challenge the Grand Advocates and me as well. It's her job to find counter-arguments, obtain facts and opinions against our stands and use them to oppose my decision or their decisions for the sake of argument and for the sake of securing the future. To prevent unforseen and unncessary consequences, you might say. Yet, she is the one who we have sent to the Namenians to negotiate with. That is also because she is bound by her post to deal with foreign nations."


Anai nodded to all of this and said "I understand, Chief Ayza. What about Ary?"


"Ary is the Chief of these very important things. She is the Chief of everything our country needs. From the most basic of needs to the very purpose our country stands. She is what I call a Public Chief. While I am the one who has the final say in all things, I am indeed limited by the Grand Advocates and the Devils Advocate. I can't always do what I want and so if something does happen, it is because I, the Grand Advocates and the Devils Advocate agree. As for the Public Chief, Ary does not have to worry too much. While she works with the Grand Advocates and the Devils Advocate, as Public Chief, she is not limited. She can do whatever she needs or wants to do to improve the country. But there are rules. She may not be limited but it is important that a Public Chief does not deviate too much or abuse her powers. As Public Chief, she has to listen to the tribes and to the city-states concerned right after she has made her plan and presented it to them. This is also to organizations and to other groups if they are included. Then after she has listened to them, she has to take care to inform me, my team, the Grand Advocates and the Devils Advocate. If not, she can simply inform the Grand Observers. But knowing Ary, she tends to be very transparent and publicly announces her plans. That does a lot of good though as the people are informed as well. Once that too is done, she waits. She waits until she has heard our answers or the Grand Observers answers then she can finally carry out her plans or not. But then again, she isn't limited as I am so she can choose not to wait. She has her own team and so often relies on them. I discovered that it is only when she isn't sure that she comes to us, to those outside of her team. But all in all, Ary as Public Chief is OK. Do you know what she has already done for Azenyanistan?"


Anai brightened up and said pleasantly "Yes, I do! And I could list all of them for you to hear but..."


"But?"


Anai confessed "I just am not sure if what I am doing with my job is doing what I think my job is supposed to fulfill. I don't think I am seeing the fruits of my labor."


Ayza then nodded. She took a seat and she invited Anai to sit down as well. She sat down and Ayza told her


"Why do you say that?"


"I'm just an assistant."


"OK. To who?"


"Zarrai."


"And do you know what Zarrai does?"


"...She handles the issues. She's quite the...um...what's that word that you use all the time for leaders that entrusts responsibility to other people?"


Ayza laughed and answered her "Dear Anai, that's delegative. You mean to say that Zarrai is a delegative leader?"


Anai nodded curtly and Aysa just told her "Well, what about it?"


Anai explained "Well, Chief, if there's something that takes her more than three days or two meetings with all of us about a certain issue, then she just entrusts us to make the answer to that certain issue while she moves on to studying about the next one."



Ayza listened to her and she nodded to everything she had said. So when she was done, Ayza hurmed, thought and told her




"Well, dear Anai, think about it. Do you know why she gives the task of making a certain answer to a certain issue up to you and to the rest of the team? Especially after a few days or meetings?"


The young Anai shook her head and said "No, I haven't thought about it."


"Well, I have known Zarrai for many years. Ever since she joined my team, when I was still Chief of Az, she was always like that. Why? She wasn't the kind of person that tends to give something too much thought. She was always fast. So now that I've told you that, perhaps that is why she is delegative. And that is probably why she gives up the answering part to all of you. That does not mean she is a bad leader or that she isn't good at taking care of the team or of you."



Anai agreed and said "She is actually OK. Zarrai always make sure that we're all OK. She never holds a meeting unless we are all well rested, have ate and drank and were basically OK. Zarrai sometimes holds emergency meetings though but those meetings were OK." She then paused to smile a little at what she said later "She even gave me my favorite kind of chocolate bar after I passed the two tests and joined the team." Ayza chuckled at that and nodded and said to her "Zarrai is a good woman."


They laughed a little bit more. Then Anai said "So...what now?" Ayza then finally gave her answer "Well, Anai, my dear, what you and Zarrai do is quite the job. It is a job that isn't immediately rewarding. It does not gratify you right after you complete your job. It takes a lot of time. A week, a month, a year, five years or a decade maybe. The issues you and Zarrai and the team deal with are issues that aren't always small. They're big and big things take a lot of time to deal with. So don't worry about it. But I can't simply tell you that. What I can tell you, as a counsellor, is that you simply want to see the fruits of your labor. You want to see for what purpose you have your post and you want to see the consequences of what you have worked for. Is that correct?"


Anai nodded.


"So let me tell you this. Try to wait it out by doing other things. I know you will see the fruits of your labor soon. If not soon, then later. If not later, then at another time. And at that another time, I know you will be there to see it. It will happen. I can't promise it will but it most certainly will because you've worked for it. You and everyone on the team did."


Ayza gently took Anais hands and held them as she said to her


"Dear Anai, a great teacher once said to me: Keep on looking. Keep on studying. Keep on asking and keep on answering as well."


She then let go and told her


"You told me that you are not sure of what you were doing, of your job and of the purpose of it. Well...keep on doing what you are doing. Then, as time passes and as you work, you will catch a glimpse of what has happened because of what you have done. You will pause and you will pay to it the attention it deserves. And at that, you will be satisfied."


She then paused for a while and finally said to her


"How about that?"


Anai nodded a little. But she told her Chief


"Thank you, Chief. But if I want to...can I talk to you again?"


"Yes, you can, Anai. But talk to Zarrai also. It is best if you reach out and talk to more than just one. I may always be doing what I can but that doesn't mean that I am always supposed to be there for everyone. I can only do what I can only do. And as a counsellor, I can say that it is best to do that. Reach out and talk to more people."


"OK, Chief."


"Good." Ayza said. Then she said to her "Can you do something for me please?" Anai nodded. Then she instructed her "OK. I want you to go to the policy file cabinets and fetch the EndWar Policy for me please." Anai widened her eyes at that and said softly "I can do that, Chief. But why do you need the EndWar Policy? Is it because of the war with Donnerland?" Ayza nodded. She turned away slightly and then returned to her and said "Sadly, it is because of the war. But with that policy, more can be done. In time, just in time, we will have more resources and capability at our disposal."




Ayza allowed Anai to remain for a while, to absorb the situation and to understand her words fully. At that point, when she has done so, Anai nodded to Ayza and went her way out to look for the policy.

[Azenyanistan]

Later...





Immediately after Anai had given Ayza the policy that she was looking for, the young assistant went to a window nearby. She looked through it and saw that the grand storm clouds were still gathering. They gathered and gathered as the sky began to become alive with thunder and lightning. It was getting darker even though it was still day and a great fog was coming. Anai told Ayza "Chief! Look!" And so the Chief, who was seated behind her desk, stood up, went away from her desk and to the window that Anai was looking through. Together, they looked through and saw the conditions of the world outside.



Because of this, Ayza told Anai "I see it. Leave me be please. But do as I say. Make sure that all of our emergency services are ready. Inform the private disaster readiness and survival organizations that we might require their services soon enough. Also tell all of our relief operators that relief operations are to be prepared for. We can always hope for the best, dear Anai, but with those clouds...the fog and how the sky is behaving...It is better to prepare for the worst so that hope can remain alive." Ayza then went away from the window and returned to her desk as Anai nodded and went away.



Once alone, she looked through the policy. She went through page after page of it, scanning the subtitles, reading bits and bits of information about the policy and highlighting more important pieces of it with a blue highlighter. She didn't have to worry about what she was doing to it as this was merely a copy of the policy. The original was returned to its place while the copy was in her hands. And in her hands, this copy was going to be used. After highlighting it and scanning through its pages, she put it aside for a while and went away from her desk again to look outside the window.



The world beyond her office still was blessed by the light and warmth of the sun. But the fog was bringing the cold into the desert city-state as were the clouds bringing covers that separated the surface from the brightness of the sun. Her light and warmth was once again hidden. But Ayza knew that her light and warmth would soon return. All storms end. So this storm will end. But it will take time. It always will. All storms do. But this wasn't going to be too much of a burden. The bigger burden was what she was going to do to face the storm. She was the leader of the Azens. And she can't simply do nothing in the face of disasters. Especially not this one.




The Chief closed her eyes to the outside world. Then she began to think. And to feel her environment. Her office was not too cold or hot. Yes, it was heated but she had made sure that she wouldn't sweat or feel her clothes stick to her. She simply made sure that the heater was enough. Heat was good. But not too much. She belonged to the cold after all. To the chill of the Northern parts of Azenyanistan. Yes, her home. But this wasn't her home. This was Yaneza. Her capital city. Her new home. And it wasn't chilly. It was hot. But with this storm, it was going to be completely different soon enough.



Ayza also felt the thick carpet that covered the floor of her office. She had taken off her usual shoes and socks when she got inside. And she still was barefoot. She loved the feeling of the carpet. It was warm to her feet, it made her toes feel comfortable and it made her feel more at ease. She remembered the carpets that she and her family had when they were in Az. She and her mother always bought carpets together for their home in the North. Now that she was here, she could only enjoy the carpets that her office now had.



Other than the carpet and the temperature of the air, there was also the wall clock. She remembered how she seemed to be the only one who could hear it. Other people couldn't. When she got here and when she was with her team, before she left for Urranese Azenyanistan, she asked them if they could hear it. They said to her that they didn't. But Ayza could hear it and she still could. She listened intently to the wall clock. The way its second hand moved was quick, sharp and silent. But Ayza was the only one who could hear it. Why was she the only one who could hear it? Were her ears that sensitive? Or was she hearing things? She made a note in her mind then to have that wall clock checked on by one of her friends. She knew that friend to be the owner of a workshop that handled clocks.



In the end, she opened her eyes as she heard something from the outside. The clouds have begun to open. Water fell upon the city-state. But the way it came down was gentle. The storm hadn't really begun. It was only a trickle. But later, that trickle will soon turn into a shower. Then that shower will turn into something greater. It will then become a true storm. Ayza made a low, concerned hurm. She then turned away from the window and returned to her desk. But she didn't sit down at all. No, she instead made it a point to reach for the intercom that was on her desk and pressed the CALL button. She waited for the buzzing to stop until a voice answered her. The voice belonged to a woman but it sounded terribly rough. The voice said "Yes, Chief?"


Ayza quickly said "Yes, Eykar, I need you here. Come to my office please." Eykar immediately said "Chief." Then the line was cut. Ayza distanced herself from the intercom and waited. After waiting, a knock on the door came to her ears. Ayza went to the door and opened it for the one who knocked. It was Eykar. A not-too-lightly skinned woman from the tribe of Shan. (She had tattoos of the plains on her face and of the iconic alcohol that the Shannans were known for on the left side of her neck )She was also one of Ayzas people working in security.




Ayza let Eykar inside and then closed the door. Then she told her, after taking in Eykars screen black mohawk, medium orange eyes, really thin but bright lips, irregularly shaped face and scarred nose "Eykar, did you see what is happening outside?" Eykar took a very quick look outside of the office she was in with her Chief. Then she told her "I did now. And I did before when I was talking with one of my own men, Ikhya." Eykar then made a very small pause. Then she asked "You have a plan for the storm, Chief?" Ayza nodded. Then she told her what to do. After that, Eykar nodded and nodded. Then she told her Chief "Sure, Chief. I'll get right to it." Then she went her way out. Now Ayza the Chief was alone. Again.





But in just about half an hour later, the secretary of the Confederacy, Noreeka, came into the office of the Chief Ayza. She greeted her Chief with a nod and so did Ayza greet her secretary with the same kind of nod. Then Ayza told her for what reason she had called her into the office by means of Eykar


"Secretary Noreeka, I'm not too good with speeches. Can I please ask you to make one for me?"


Surprised at the Chiefs admittance to not being too good with speeches and even more surprised at her Chiefs politeness, Noreeka said at a startled tone "Why, yes, I can write a speech for you, Chief. But, Chief Ayza, I'm surprised. Why are you so..."


"Polite?"


"Yes. I mean, I'm not saying that you are too polite but that...It is my job after all to do whatever you ask to me do as a secretary. I'm just not too used to you being so polite to me."


"Then, Noreeka..." Ayza said "Why not get used to it? Being polite is good. And as a secretary, you should know that, don't you?"


Noreekas face turned a little red and she softly but innocently said




"Why, yes, of course. But about the speech, what do you want me to write it for you about?"


Ayza nodded to her secretary and gave her the copy of the policy that the Chief had chosen to work on. She told the younger but experienced Secretary "Make a speech about this policy. I am going to make it happen. Please do it immediately. Right here, in my office, if that is all right with you. Use my pens and my papers."


It took Noreeka a few seconds, Ayzas repetition of her instructions and the gradual but deafening strengthening of the rains outside to get it. She nodded and immediately went to the desk, put the copy on the right end of the desk while she took a fountain pen and several sheets of paper from the desk drawers. (Ayza guided her through the drawers)And in just 2 hours and 21 minutes, with increasingly hard rains and Ayzas instructions and so forth, Noreeka had created a speech for Chief Ayza to make to the House of Chiefs, the representatives of all of the corners of the Azen Confederacy.





THE HOUSE OF CHIEFS -— CHIEF OF THE HOUSE AYRONA AAYLA NAILANIA UR AZENYANISTAN




The House of Chiefs in Yaneza was closer to the deserts than were the rest of Yaneza. The city-state was built around an oasis but the House of Chiefs was built around an artificial lake. That lake was named Agnes, after a storm that once struck Yaneza. And with the returning storms, the lake was filling up quickly and was about to overflow if not for the internationally and expertly made drains and lake walls that served to keep the water from coming over the banks and into the House of Chiefs. And around the House of Chiefs, with its tall communication and utility towers and its thick reinforced concrete and steel walls, (Painted by the youth of the city-state to celebrate Yaneza as the capital of Azenyanistan)there was a great wall that served to protect the House of Chiefs from floods, other natural hazards and man-made hazards as well.


Within the Main Hall, the grand room where all of the Chiefs were gathered now, the Chief of the House Ayrona was close to the main entrance. There, she had stood and there she had waited. As the grand Main Hall was now noisy with the Chiefs, all of them in their seats, only the spartan podium which was set on a platform before all of them was empty. Only one more Chief. And that was Chief Ayza. The Chief of the House sighed and glanced at her wrist watch. Although cheap, she smiled a little at it but frowned when she saw that it was now 8 PM.




She should be here now, she thought. She had gotten every Chief from every corner of Azenyanistan in the Main Hall for her 'special session' and they've been waiting for hours now. It was good that they were all conveniently here in Yaneza because it was thought that it was polite and proper for all of the Chiefs to be in the capital when the Chief of the Confederacy came back from her travels. The Chief of the House hoped that she had a good reason to take her time. But since she was the Chief of the Confederacy and Ayrona was only the Chief of the House, she thought it was best to wait. But if she spends any more couple of minutes taking her time outside of the House, the Chief of the House was going to call on her.




In time, Chief Ayza arrived. The main entrance into the Main Hall, which were two large wooden doors decorated with engravings and paintings from each tribe, have been opened to her. The House Guards let their Chief through as she came dressed for the occasion.


Even though it didn't suit her really, she wore a long but comfortable skirt of white, a long T-shirt of gray, a long-sleeved blazer of black and gold and finally her usual shemagh around her neck. Chief Ayza had her hair neatly tied back too. Seeing that she had come just in time now, the Chief of the House greeted her Chief with a nod and a sentence that was touched with impatience "Good evening, Chief. I'm sorry but I think that you have come here a little late. You might want to hurry up now." And with a softly controlled regard for Ayrona, Chief Ayza spoke to her "Good evening, Chief of the House. I hope I am excused for my lateness. I had to do a little practice with my speech. I believe you do know that I am not too good with speeches. Anyway, I will indeed hurry up now."


So she went to the platform where the podium was. Meanwhile, Ayrona followed her as the Chiefs stood up and greeted their greater Chief with nods or with smiles. A few even went off of their seats, moved out of their places and embraced her or touched her. Chief Ayza politely returned their greetings. And all while Ayrona simply walked after her, getting nods from the Chiefs while also nodding back to them. Once she was on the platform, Ayrona immediately left her and went to her own place. Her place was on the front-most row of seats, the one closest to the center aisle.



Now that everyone was in the Main Hall, the Guards who were present inside and outside automatically checked their weapons and then rested the butts of their weapons (They were armed with either light machine guns or rifles )on the floor while keeping their hands around the barrel or muzzle. The lights were dimmed a little. All doors were closed and locked. And then Ayza began to speak




"Chiefs of Azenyanistan, I welcome you to a special session of the House. Tonight, I am going to put forward for all of you to take into great consideration a policy which I wish to see happen. Ladies and gentlemen, as Chief of the Confederacy, I am asking all of you, as representatives of your tribes and city-states and as the Constitution of our Confederacy demands, to place the EndWar Policy into thought, voting and effect."

[Azenyanistan]

ADVERSARY




Somewhere in Azenyanistan...


The grand storms were returning. At that, somewhere upon the living surface of Azenyanistan, a country upon the face of a continent the Azens called Ayanzae, which rested upon the greater face of Ausozera, a spirit laughed. It laughed at the return of the storms not because of any good reason. It was because those storms would flood the West and the South, bind the Center and the North by the coldness and hold down the East with great winds. The storms belonged only to December and January. But the storms were never supposed to return. And yet they have. And so because of that, the spirit laughed and laughed.


Not a soul heard that laughter. It could only be heard by those sensitive enough or by those who were spirits. That was fortunate. Why? For that laughter could have only belonged to a corrupted presence, a cringing entity. The laughter could be compared to one that belonged to a hyena. There were many hyenas around Azenyanistan, especially in the West and on the borders it shared with the Center. But this kind of laughter was not beastly. It was condemned.




The laughter died. And as the storms returned, so have this spirit. Her name was Adversary. That meant an opponent. But Adversary was more than a mere opponent as any book about words would describe her name. She instead made her name incredibly famous. Not in a good way but in a way that the Azens regarded her name as they would regard any person that they had abandoned or even rejected because they were cursed.



But where exactly did she currently stand? Upon which specific corner of the land of the Azens did her feet rest? To all senses, there was no knowing where she truly was. But it seemed that she was on the most empty part of it. There, she laughed and nobody heard her laugh. Only she herself heard the laughter. And it died.



Adversary smiled to herself. And then she let her smoke fan out away from her body. She exposed her paleness, her neglect. Her bones could not be hidden by her sick skin. Even her eyes seemed to sink into the very deepest places of her bodys sockets. All in all, she looked very fragile. But that was a grand lie. And as her smoke spread out away from her, it never stopped for it was limitless. Smoke kept on coming away from her.


Only when she opened her whitish lips again and said "Hold your positions." did the smoke obey her and remain where they had spread. On every point of the ground which they have covered, they remained. Not a single particle went anywhere else and they all refused to dissipate. And because the smoke was thick and dark, whatever little moving living thing and whatever patches of grass was upon the ground was denied light. Then they were denied warmth. Then they were denied everything else. And they died immediately.



So at that, she made her smile greater. And when all life which her smoke had choked out was indeed choked out, Adversary commanded the smoke "Return." And they returned to her. They disguised her nakedness, her deceitful fragility and it seemed to make her look beautiful. Her breasts became full, her stomach became apparent and her face became more clear. She looked healthy. But she was still as pale as she could ever be. And the spirit never bothered to halt her own corrosive aura. Her presence on this most lonely part of Azenyanistan was still harmful enough to cause death to whatever small life had called it home.



Adversary had kept to herself the reason why she was here. From here she could see the storm clouds coming from the sky waters beyond. Yet something about this particular place called her to it. More than the capability given to anyone who came here to survey the heavens was the very unknown significance of it. This corner was once great. Now it is abandoned. It is indeed forgotten.




For Adversary may be a spirit, she was a spirit born from a soul. And so she came here to see what she had left as a soul. But as a spirit, she came for nothing for it was lonely. But the spirit tried to remember. Her eyes closed. And she turned her hands into fists. And the smoke circled all around her. And until she remembered, she had dug through every possible place in her mind.


When she remembered, she opened her eyes and let go of a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. Adversary's smoke dropped to the ground and some parts of it dissipated. But it slowly returned to her as her eyes flickered and her aura adjusted a bit, giving away a tiny shard of light. And she finally said to herself


"...My kingdom...."





KILLJOY FLYER




SOUTHERN DONNERLAND



REBEL OFFENSIVE




January 2017





Out of the radios which many of the rebel fighters were carrying with them, the voice of Sadisia came. Her speech, which was spread out to the world by the courtesy of the news agencies of Azenyanistan, had come to Donnerland. And just in time. From their wrist watch radios, their cellphones, their portable radios or from the speakers which their vehicles carried, her voice encouraged them. No, it drove them. For they were fighting. This was their offensive. Well, one of the first.



It was just eleven minutes past the seventh hour of the morning after Killjoy gave her orders and instructions to the countless forces of rebels under her command in the Southern ends of Donnerland. As the forces of the rebels mounted and mounted thanks to incoming fighters who were coming over the border from friendly nations that were also fighting the Donnish and thanks to increasing numbers of Azens and Azulnish persons coming over to the alliance, their offensive, which had already begun, could not stop. It won't stop.



The Azen and Azulnish populations in the southern cities were conducting uprisings. Towns and villages were being attacked or overtaken from the inside. And smaller settlements were simply captured. And the alliance of rebels supported by their heartland of birth or descent was aiming for the ports.



But in their way were several Donnish police stations and small military positions. There were outposts and garrisons. But they wouldn't stand in the face of thousands of rebels. Rebels who were armed well by foreign nations, by underground individuals and well-respected persons of Azen blood beyond Donnish borders, by friendly sympathizers and friends of the Azens and Azulnish within Donnerland and finally by their own heartland, Azenyanistan herself. The rebels were not only given good firearms and plenty of ammunition. They had good training or simply kept their experience.



It would be false to say that most of those who fled Azenyanistan during and after the Age of Chaos were civilians. Truth be told, a lot of those who exiled themselves from their heartland were police officers, military people, freed criminals or former fighters who once were together with one another in militias and small armies long disbanded by both the Azen government and by the coalition that beat the Azens into submission and reformation. And quite a great number of former warriors went to Donnerland. Yet nobody really paid attention to who they were when they were still in Azenyanistan. Now, they were important. They were really needed. They were women and men who fought the White Movement, the rebels, the Vanquarians, the Maharlikans, the terrorists and most of all, the old coalition. Why should they be underestimated by the Donnish?



Experience and supplies. The advantages of the rebels present in Donnerland. There was however a third one: Leadership. For Azens, morale comes with leadership and leadership comes with morale. With Killjoy in the South, Tanyah in the Center and Rahatiel in the North, with three leaders, the alliance was secure. If one is taken out, there will still be two. If two are taken away, one would remain. And if all are taken, there will always be their followers who would replace them. And they would have learned. And they have.



So officially the South is coming into chaos. The rebels are emerging. And they are attacking.




Killjoy had picked good fighters for herself. A handful of Angels and Arch Angels, an armful of Knights and former soldiers of the Old Republics and just enough rebels who were already living in Donnerland or were simply not experienced. Killjoy smiled a little to herself as she put on her fighting mask. They would soon get experience. She hoped they would survive. They would all have to. If not all, at least almost all of them. Every life, every soul, every rebel fighter she had under her command in the South was important. While they may be thousands, the alliance should carefully consider their own men.


They were assembling in an abandoned and bombed warehouse. The outside world was loud. It was full of gunfire, the voice of Sadisia and of the chatter of Azens and Azulnish. In that warehouse, they had weapons and ammunition on the long, metal tables which was brought into the building days ago. Killjoy's own team were checking weapons, loading ammunition into them and getting ready to head out into the battle, into the offensive. Into the bloodshed. With the light of the sun coming through the holes or windows or doorways, with the light of rechargeable lamps and with the light of acquired floodlights they prepared.



Pipe bombs, IEDs, C4, grenades and other kinds of explosives were being taken from the tables and put into pouches or carriers or backpacks. Magazines for many kinds of rifles, pistols, sub machine guns and machine guns were clearly put into bandoliers or the waiting pockets of carriers or utility belts. Shells and individual cartridges for shotguns, grenade launchers and other special or heavy infantry weapons were carefully placed into the chambers of their tools and toys of war. Any sort of ammunition, be it stolen from the Donnish military or police, bought from friendly stores beyond the borders or within the new heartland, however it was taken into the rebel inventory, was there to be used. And used they were.



Killjoy kept on walking around the warehouse, inspecting her team. She had a lot of heads to count. A lot of guns to take care of. The Arch Angels and Angels were prepping up as if this was another routine. The soldiers of the Old Republics were excited and rapid; it was like they wanted this fight after so long. But some of them were frantic and quite irritated; this could probably be a war they never wanted to fight but had to anyway or else they or their loved ones got killed by the Donnish. As for the noobs? The ones who joined the rebels up without or with little experience or training? Those who probably had good or even actually legitimate reason for being a rebel? They taught themselves or taught one another.


Killjoy noted that. Two young rebel men were each loading shells into the shotguns they took off the top of the tables. The two were chatting quietly, quickly as they slid the shells into the open chambers of their shotguns. Pump shotguns. But they were meant for combat. Killjoy saw how they had adjustable stocks, open but well-designed sights and extra space for shells on the left side of each shotgun. She wondered if they were Azen-made or not. Then she shook away the thought as she thought it didn't matter. What mattered was how the two youths were commenting on how the other loaded. Once they had loaded their shotguns, they bumped fists, said a few last words to each other and headed off to the others.


She then moved on. And she kept on observing her team as they got ready. Just a few more minutes. Then they would get out of the warehouse. They'd hit the streets. Move just a bit. Then they'd get over a bridge. Hit the streets again. Move into and through the apartments. Clear them out as they moved closer and closer to their true destination. Once out of there, she'd lead her girls and boys to the streets again. Meet up with another team, one that had some bikes and a lot of trucks. They'd ride on until they get close to the water. Then the ports. They'll take the ports of this city. But she'll have to wait. It's only beginning. And while most of the alliance was dealing with the enemy, there would still be some fun left alone for Killjoy and her team to enjoy. A few enemies or a lot. It depends on how well the rest of the rebels in this city did. As long as things went according to plan, as long as things can be done, it would be OK. But what if things went to shit? Well, she said to herself and shrugged, we've been through shit before. We'll simply survive. We'll get through it, she thought.



And as she waited, she focused on breathing. She would have to try. And she would have to be completely in control.



TANK COMMANDER RAIZAIRAH



Elements of the Seventh Armored Division were sent away. From the heartland into the waters of Donnerland, the Seventh were to be. And soon enough, unto the coasts of that Northern land. It has been a time since the Seventh were sent to war. The last time they fought was against bandits that foolishly tried to mess with the new government, the new military and the reborn heartland, the new home of the Azens. A renewed people. While they were still certainly Azens, it was kind of a culture, a tradition, a way of life for the Azens to change themselves, to be so unpredictable and swayed by their emotions and their dreams. Right now, with a war in the North, with the CALL of their allies, the nations of ISAT, the proud and battle-tested Azen 7th Armored was sent in the name of the Chief to deal with the enemy.


With their Portean and their Vanquarian and other allies, the Azens would stand. And they would stand faithfully. And as they stood, so did the commander of the Azen main battle tank, the one named Narak-Ardunaiyah. And her name was Captain Raizairah ur Daysoli. The daughter of a Vanquarian who came to live in the Azen heartland a good time ago and of a former Azen soldier who served the Old Republics, Captain Raizairah followed the path of her mother who died weeks after she was born. As she joined the military and learned more and more, she too learned that her mother died because she was in Yaneza. She died in the vain effort to defend the capital from the White Movement. The White Movement. It was a stain on the good name of the country. It was a blight on the history of the heartland. And worse, it was a great mass of corruption, an issue that plagued Captain Raizairah.


She hated them. Many of the Azens did. The White Movement was an utter disgrace. A shameful organization. An enemy that the Azens were seeing again within the Donnish. How dare they, she thought, repeat the same mistakes our people did? The Captain, as she stood on the surface of the big ship that carried her, her crew, her tank and the rest of her comrades and their own tanks, turned her sand-baked hands into fists. And as they were turned into fists, she felt the same anger she felt years ago come again. It may not be the same, she thought, but that anger has to become fuel. Fuel for my contribution to this conflict, she said to herself silently.


Then she remembered. It was a very hot day. And the sand storms were great. She still remembered how irritated her senses were. Her throat empty of water, her lips cracked and dry and her mouth yearning to let out some more saliva to cool it. She felt the wind carry cooking sand against her keyboard black hair, her smoothly shaped face and her uniform, her tanker's uniform. And she felt that anger. The rage. The very addictive and ironically beneficial resentment. The very core of madness was in her. And that was all as she and the rest of the Seventh Armored charged for Yaneza, breaking through pathetic and useless barricade after barricade.


There was no way the White Movement could have stopped them or slowed them down. The city was right there. Just a few more seconds, just a little more time and they would be there. She remembered how fast they were going on their tanks. They conquered the dunes, passed over the battered thoroughfares and they never, ever stopped. They kept on going and going. They should never stop. Not until they actually ram themselves into the city.


And as they sped, the enraged and highly experienced Seventh Armored were putting much deserved holes into every White Movement fighter, vehicle and structure that was in their way. No trench was left full, no MG nest left destroyed and certainly no dug in motherfucking tanks left neutralized.


Captain Raizairah, who was holding onto the tank from her commander's hatch, was not wasting time. As they charged towards the capital city, which was under siege by the vengeful and defiant Azen army, she had used the machine gun mounted for her very much. Burst after burst after burst of hot, fat and simply destructive machine gun rounds went into any hostile she could spot as her tank rolled without a blasted damn for stopping.



She had given her orders. She recalled what she told her crew before they went on that charge through the sand storms and through the deserts that surrounded Yaneza.


"Follow my instructions very carefully. And do as I say with all of the regard you all could ever gather." She told them. She turned to her driver and told her "Gaisad, I don't want you to stop until we have broken through the city and into it. I want you to go as hard as you can. Conquer every hostile, every horrible, disgusting piece of shit White Movement ass that is in the way of Narak-Ardunaiyah. Do. Not. Stop. Not until we're there." Then she told her gunner and the loader who stood to the left of her "Tazzah and Olparihayyah. I want you to get rid of everything that we don't need. Weapons and ammunition only. You can save some water and an energy bar for each of us. But everything else has to be left behind in this assembly area. And don't worry about it; nobody would dare to mess with you when you're under my command. Now, Tazzah, you're the gunner. I want you to absolutely utilize all that our dear Narak-Ardunaiyah has to offer. The main gun, the twin co-axial MGs and the mortars. Use them and use them well. Use the MGs for soft targets and mortars for the rest of the poor, sorry, miserable lot that are going to go against us. As for the main gun? If you see any one of those sad excuses for tanks, I want you to tear them to shreds. Make them pay." Then finally she turned to her communications woman. Her radio-woman. She took her by the shoulders and said to her "And you, Itrtri, do your job. Stay in contact with the other tanks. Make sure that we don't get too far from them or too close. And make sure that Gaisad remains in the sight of our own. It ain't like the Seventh Armored to split up without good reason. So do that and also keep me and the rest of the crew posted. Don't let any threat go unmet. Do that by using the computers and cameras and the observation ports. Then if you see anyone shooting us, tell us."


When she was asked by her crew what she would do, she told them with a grin and a tone that seemed to tell them that she was literally getting hot with hate


"I'm going to man the MG that's attached close to my hatch. And then I'm going to gun every single WM whore I see. This is why I'm giving you instructions now. I don't want you to take commands from me when I have to release my anger."


At that, they all nodded to their commander and swiftly mounted and entered their tank. Their home. Their fighting machine. Their armored horse of war. She remembered watching every single one of them getting on the tank. Captain Raizairah saw how their discipline as tankers paid off. While Azen tankers may have gotten a reputation for being otherwise, the Seventh Armored was the face of all of the Azen tankers. And the Seventh Armored were never ones to stain the reputation of their corps. Not ever. Not now. Not in the Battle for Yaneza. Not against the White Movement. She couldn't forget the speaker towers of the assembly area telling the attack group to move out. To come out just in time to lead the assault. The final nail on the wretched coffin of the White Movement. Fuck the White Movement. And fuck the Age of Chaos. She and the entire force dispatched to Yaneza was going to end it once and for all. And this was it.


Then she returned to the flashbacks of being on that tank, sweeping down WM infantry, charging through the searing winds and towards the surrounded, besieged and utterly ruined city-state that was the political pride of the tribe of Ayr. Captain Raizairah was vainly opposed by the weather and nature of the Ayrran deserts. Her helmet, her balaclava, her protective (but intimidating) combat mask that guarded her lower face and her goggles kept out the heat, the sand and the wind. Adding to her protection was her uniform (It was among one of the many uniforms she had as a tanker. Azen tank women and men were always prepared. And for this occasion, they wore a uniform specifically designed to save the wearer from even the most extreme of desert conditions.)and her jacket.


The screaming engines of the Desert Runner MBTs, the death cries of WM fighters and the long, heated howls of the storms were sounds of that battle which she could and would never forget. And when they finally got to the city, all of their restrictions were gone. The WM was to be subject to an unforgiving onslaught, to a slaughter reserved for men turned into demons, for women turned into killers. Not a single WM fighter was allowed to live in the city of Yaneza by the Seventh Armored. In the end, she and her crew made it out alive. And so did the rest of the Seventh Armored. Some died, some were terribly injured but the division's devotion to taking casualties on that time was worth it. They won. And they would keep on winning until every single one of them was forced to admit defeat.



Finally remembering everything, she let it go then. As a Sanarkannan, she knew better than to mindlessly give in to her now-very famous wrath. As a Sanarkannan, she harmlessly and timelessly let her anger flow out of her by means of breathing and of holding onto the rails as painfully as she could. And it all went out of her. The fervently natural fury of a Sanarkannan. It went out. For her good now, fortunately. And once she had gotten rid of the anger that took hold of her body before, she marched away from the rail and inside the ship.


As she returned to the comfortably warm interiors of the ship, she encountered some of her fellow Seventh Armored tankers. They all nodded to her as they passed her by and she returned the same respectful and dignified Azen manner of greeting. And while they passed her, they even assertively declared to her

"Bloodstone Captain."


That was her popular title and name. Bloodstone Captain. It was given to her by the Seventh Armored and by Banshee herself (In fact, she fought in the Battle for Yaneza with her very own New Azen forces and they met the 7th Armored gladly)For that, she was grateful. High Command even gave her permission to add the precious stone to her rank. And she took it.


Drawing herself to the present, she tried to summon into her train of thought what was to happen on the fateful day that they would step on the spiritless shores of Southern Donnerland. She hoped that she could fight alongside the more cherished forces of the Porteans and the rest of ISAT. She really hoped that she could dive into combat against the enemy WITH THEIR OWN FRIENDS, the ones who had redeemed the Azens. And she prayed that would happen. The Green Helmets, the Black Guards, the 1st Infantry, 1st G171 Strike Force, the Kanahne Group, Group Osaria and the New Knights. All of those combat-ready, vigorously vivacious Azen units. From either the Grand Military or the security forces of the tribally-constituted nation-state, they were here. And they were waiting. And they were begging to go into the fight, to aim for heaven as they serve in the hell that the rebels were already fighting.


The Bloodstone Captain barred her unmistakably sable eyes. And at last, she felt it. The call. The Sanarkannan shout. Their ageless warcry. It's that feeling. That feeling called discord.






The music of death




END OF POST


[size=77] Primo Victoria [/size=77]

[Second Helghan Empire]

Second Helghan EmpireOrder Justice Liberty

Eastern Border of Helghan, Central Command Control Zone

The team of three shook hands with the others as they separated. Michael, Martin, and Debra were lightly equipped. Predominantly carrying survival and camping equipment. Transponders and signal beacons were concealed in pieces throughout the clothing and gear of the trio. Each of them also carried a single handgun concealed on their person as well as a large amount of Donnish currency.

They made their way under the dark night sky and carefully slipped across the border into Donnerland they kept away from major roads and their appearance was that of drifting Donnish citizens. The three were each ethnically Donnish though Michael and Martin had lived most of their life in Helghan they were immigrants and Debra was a first generation helghan born Donnish citizen. Among several similar teams of varying sizes and deployed at random intervals, the trio was being sent in with the simple task of trying to identify enemy concentrations of forces. In most cases they were to confirm Helghast intel and above all stay unseen.

As Michael took the lead and the group hoofed it Martin and Debra whispered through their cover stories. Michael and Martin as in reality were brothers and Debra was playing the part of Martin's fiance. They were solid for the most part however it wouldn't matter if they were spotted in these first few hours however so the group did their best to get as far into Donnerland as possible before morning when they were to activate their transponder for a five minute window before disassembling the device and continuing they travel.

---

Helghast Operational Command

Senior Field Marshal Serrano was magnetized to the door of his office. It was the most ornate thing with any connection to the man. His office had an imperial and and IWA flag on either side of his chair and a simple steel desk. Two short simple stools sat before the desk and behind it a single rigid steel chair. Fluorescent bulbs lit the room with a blueish white light and a pair of monitors sat on the desk with their hardware and a neat stack of files, the only other item was a coat stand beside the door. The Marshal himself read a file from the top of his stack. It was a report by one of Serrano's hand selected men in charge of running the deployment of of the several dozen teams of incognito personnel. Each team ranged from two to six in number and each had a corridor they were to gather intelligence on. While their were more advanced ways of doing the same thing Serrano had been fond of the idea of ground level eyes on enemy movements when it had been proposed.

After a few moments of reviewing the file Serrano replaced it and checked the clock. He stood and gathered his hat and coat before leaving the office immediately being flanked by four battle kitted guards. Informing his secretary he was going to meet the Imperian commander at the helipad the Field Marshal marched off with his entourage in tow. Taking truck the group arrived as the WIU helicopter touched down on the pad. Serrano as per his character marched straight to the Helicopter to welcome the Imperian commander.

[Western Imperial Union]

Helghast Command Heli-pad

General Kyler stepped out of the helicopter. He moved over to the Helghast commander and extended his hand to shake. He stood in a crisp uniform with his cap in his left hand. The General had short blonde hair and pale blue eyes behind thin glasses. He was thin himself but looked had a strong charismatic personality he somehow carried with him.

"It's a pleasure to see you again." General Kyler shouted to his counterpart above the roar of the helicopter propellors.


Vanquarian Fleet at Sea

The Vanquarian fleet was joined by the Imperian vessels and the Imperian crews made sure to present a good showing of the WIU naval capabilities. Sailors ensured everything was spotless and the ships gleamed in the sun. Fleet Captain Reins stood in the bridge and smiled at the joined fleet. His men did everything in their power to show their discipline off to their allies.

[Saradena]

International Waters, heading towards Donnish Coast
700 Hours
EFS Kitakana


OST //The Blue Dragon Rises

---

With Eldrichta finally giving Randgriz the Green Light to commence the assault of Donner Land, Esgonian Command sends in Carrier Task Force Agartha towards the Donnish Coast to provide naval superiority against their Donnish counterparts, along with escorting the LHD carrying the Ambassador to safety. The Task Force was well-armed and is prepared to take on any adversaries in their way. The Hornets the Kitakana was carrying on her was ordered to be on full standby mode for the entire duration of the operation until its end, an E-2 Hawkeye carefully scouts ahead of the fleet to detect enemy aircraft or naval vessels. Should the Hawkeye detect any signs of hostile activity, fighters would immediately be launched and weapons systems of the carrier, alongside the other vessels accompanying her, would become online. The entire crew of the fleet is on edge, as within the next few hours, who knows what would become of them.

The Admiral is given a final briefing by Intelligence, alongside the captains of the other vessels. The fleet has three objectives to accomplish during the operation:

• Achieve Naval Dominance over the enemy; Rendering any hostile Donnish vessels unable to fight.
• Protect the LHD Orange carrying Ambassador Jercyszka and the evacuated Esgonian personnel and its escorts until they reach safety
• Provide tactical support through Air Strikes (Provided by Hornets and other Aircraft by the Kitakana), Naval Missile Strikes (Provided by DDGs and CGs), and Short Bombardment (Provided by the Musashi) for friendly forces during the main assault into Donner Land.

In addition, the 4th Carrier Strike Group is being sent in from Hangar 425 as reinforcing assets for the operation, arriving within a matter of days, while other naval vessels from Randgriz would provide backup should the Strike Group require additional support. The Marine Landing Force will be launched within the next few hours for the landing operation. They have Portean, Unionist, and Rattean naval support as well, so if the fleet plays its cards right, they should be able to take control of Donnish Waters with ease. All they could do now, is wait.

---

---

240kms from the Donnish Coast, heading towards International Waters
700 Hours
EFS Orange

"She's losing a lot of blood. We'll need to act fast."
"We're going to need some more blood to replenish what she had lost. Nurse!"

Inside the Medical Bay, doctors and surgeons were racing against time to treat the severely injured. One of them a Unionist student who had been brutalized by a Donnish mob before her friends manage to rescue her. She was bleeding excessively from her forehead and suffered several cuts on her body as the Donnish threw bits of glass and shrapnel and was now going into shock after having to endure several hours into the ordeal, hence the doctors needed to stabilize her quickly before she dies. Hooked up into an ECG Monitor, the doctors then hooked her up into several bags of whole blood of plasma to replenish the amount of blood she had lost, as well as plasma to slow the bleeding as she is injected with an anesthetic to ease away the pain. She then blacks out and falls asleep.

They then worked to remove any shrapnel that was still on her before closing her up. Fortunately, she managed to remain stable throughout the surgery, a huge surprise to the medical staff. After an hour and a half, the surgery was over. Despite the terrible ordeal, she managed to stay alive just in time to be saved. She is expected to make a full recovery, if they make it out alive.

She wasn't the only one being treated, however, as at least a dozen more were being treated in the Medical Bay, with some of the Marines and the HUNTR teams providing assistance to the doctors. Although many had been saved, two didn't make it. Hopefully they would be the only casualties in the ship.

The Ambassador sighs as she stands on the deck of the LHD, looking at the Horizon where Donner Land was, with smoke trails still seen even at this distance, although small. Beside her was her aide, who gives her a bottle of water.

"What the hell is going on..." she says to him "All of this happening within days. Without warning. I don't even know why..."

"Neither could anyone on this ship, Madame Ambassador." replied his aide. "But worrying about that now isn't important. What's important now is that all of us here could make it out alive. According to the captain. We're still not out of the danger zone and Donnish Navy vessels could still pursue us. Although a fleet is making its way to us soon, it's still hours away. What we need to do is to check on everyone that has evacuated and see to them if they're alright. Many are still shaken throughout the ordeal."

Nodding, she goes below deck and checks out the evacuated, still scared and shaken.

---

[Union Of Autocratic Empires]

Undisclosed secure location, Bögt

After having changed into his original field suit and leaving the dress in his backpack integrated in the longcoat, the Kaisar sat down in the couch, trying to get as comfortable as he could while looking around. The location, while basically a camouflaged bunker, was a comfortable place, with some amenities such as a winery - from which he had procured himself a rather appealing bottle of Bazelani wine. "Ahhh, the tastes of home are certainly appreciated by foreigners", he thought to himself.

The bunker was also guarded, having come across at least five guards with state-of-the-art weaponry patrolling. Too bad the best rifle in Ausozera won't help you when the enemy bashes your skull in (non lethally, of course. He was not falling down that rabbit hole again), but he was mostly impressed by how they had decided to hide it on plain sight. How hadn't he thought about that? It was downrigjt genius.

As time passed, however, his mind settled on darker thoughts: he had been teying to avoid it, but the memories of the video he had seen a few hours before came rushing back to him as he could not avoid tearing up. Why Historia of all people? Why his daughter? She was the best person to have ever come from the Raiss family, she did not deserve to be the victim of such a heinous act. Why her? Why the only good thing he had ever brought to Ausozera? How was she doing? Maybe he was being selfish for going after justice instead of being with her in her lowest monent. Maybe he should leave and go by her side...

He ended up deciding against it, however. While he wanted to be with her, he knew she was with her mother, and was aware he would be leagues better at dealing with her than he himself. Sig had always been a wonderful mother, and knowing she was with his little angel was enough to calm him

It was at this moment when he noticed the door opening. He stood up and pointed his revolver towards the figure.

"Welcome back home, Grand Emperor Voy!", he said in a rather cheerful tone. "Please sit down. We have much to discuss."

Somewhere off the coast of Donner Land, ship HSS 53-3-12

The Nauchten HSS 53-3-12 medical support ship was bustling with activity, as sailors ran through the halls, scrambling to obey orders; Voy had declared war on the world, and they were too close to Donner Land for comfort; one of these sailors bumped into second in command of the Valkyrian Guard Aelia and tried to mutter an apology as he left.

She, however, did not notice: she had just left the worst day in the job she had in years. The Kaisarina had gone MIA, Historia had been beaten to a bloody pulp and she had no idea what had happened with her, and Makuhide had gotten badly hurt (but thankfully had been stabilised). Three valkyrias, one MIA, one seriously injured, and another with a broken arm. There had only been another day that bad, and that was with poor Speedy...

She tried to brush this thoughts aside as she dialed her home's telephone number: she had already told High Command what had happened, but she still hadn't called Julius.

The line beeped for a few seconds before someone picked up the phone. After a few seconds of silence, she heard her babysitter's voice on the other side of the line, Madame Justine. After the obligatory greetings and courtesies, she asked her to hand the phone over to Julius.

"Mum?", said the child, cheering her mother up when she more needed it.

"Hello sweetpea!", the bandaged woman said cheerfully. "How are you, love?"

"Fine", the kid said in a calm voice. "Mrs. Justine made maccaroni with cheese to eat today".

"That's great, dear! Where they good?"

"Yes", he answered. He felt silent for a few seconds until he spoke up again. "Mum, when are you coming back? I miss you"

The valkyria sighed. "I miss you too, dear, but mommy has to work. Besides, a friend had an accident. I am going to have to be away for a while." An awkward silence took place before the young Adran woman spoke again. "You okay sweetpea?"

"Yeah", the kid answered saddened. "Will you call again?"

"I will try to call every day dear. I promise."

"Pinkie promise?"

"Heh. Pinky promise", she said as she did the required gesture with an imaginary hand.

"You pinky swore, right?"

"Of course love", she replied as she started getting a bit teary. "Mum has to go now. You be a good boy and do whatever Madame Justine tells you to."

"Yes mum." He said. He seemed to leave, and chatter could be hear before he returned. "I love you mum."

"I love you too dear."

She hung up and leaned against the wall for a few time, thinkimg about what was going to happen now.

She didn't like the outlook of things.

???, Donner Land

As she slowly gained conscience, Kaisarine Sigbritt Väisänen of the Union was welcomed to the waking world by a sharp pain in the back of her head and overall numbness as she slowly rose from the floor and sat down. She spent several minutes sitting, covering her eyes with her hand, waiting the horrible headache to pass before doing anything, not even able to think straight. How long had she been there? What had happened to Voy? To Historia?

As time passed, the pain subsided to a manageable level, allowing her to finally look around - her sight was hazy and the light had decomposed in several spots of bright colors, but at least she hadn't gone blind. Having caught her breath through a pained chest, she reached to the back of her head to see if her injury was crippling, causing a small wave of pain to disorient her as she felt with her hand. She could feel stitches there; she was still too disoriented to count them, but the fact she had already received medical attention meant a considerable amount of time had passed. Her arm had been put back in its place too, but the shoulder still hurt.

She groaned, a mixture of pain and powerlessness, as she recalled how Voy threw her around like a goddamn ragdoll. What the Hell had happened? How was such an old man able to overpower someone bigger and with more physical strength? Why were all the politicians she came across goddamn superhumans?

She sighed as she stopped inspecting her injury, noticing the only blood on her fingers was dry blood. She also noticed a bloody hole in the wall, which made her flinch slightly: it had to have been a pretty hard hit.

She tried to stand up, but she suddenly felt extremely disoriented and a bit nauseous, prompting her to sit down again and catch her breath.

"Wait. Take it easy. You got a pretty strong hit on the head", a voice suddenly said from the corner of the room. The Kaisarine suddenly froze in a mix of horror and surprise, her eyes open wide. "It took me a while to sew that injury. I don't think it caused neurological damage, but we won't know for sure until a specialist confirms it." The voice belonged to a woman, and she hadn't heard it in decades. "At least I got the arm right".

From the left field of her now clearer sight, the figure approached and crouched by her side, confirming the Kaisarine's worst fears as she smiled to her.

"So tell me, sister, how are you feeling? Does it hurt much?"

[Empire of Donner land]

Xueghere Frensan Derehg's Office, ???, Donner Land

---

15/12/15

---

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

The door opens, Keenes walks in quietly and takes a seat. His blank expression was normal, not a sign of trouble or question, just mystery. You never knew what the man wanted. Frensan, a newly promoted Xueghere had just met him not a month ago during his commission party. He didn't talk, to Voy or anyone, which was weird considering it was a political event and not personal. A chance to advance your rank under the approval of the President themselves good graces. But Keenes had already achieved as high as he could, what more was there? He didn't know, or care to find out, he was busy drawing plans and thinking of the defense of Soraught, their most important city as of now, from multiple armies. Frensan was sure he had already gotten some grey hairs, hell, he had spotted 2 new wrinkles during his first month of service and he had packed antacids with him in his move to the compound. He was young, just 35 - 36 next month, already he felt 40, maybe 50. But the hard work of defending the country was not of pride or loyalty, it was of necessity.

"Hello, Keenes, sir. What may I help you with?" he put down his pen and slid the paper away and sat at attention. He had been signing bureaucratic papers in the tonnes. A distraction from his cramping hand and a break was welcome.

"Just your plans for the defense of Soraught, I would like to know them, your grand strategy. I'm very much looking forward too it, such a young person at your rank is mostly reserved for the old guard." Keenes pointed out, genuinely interested it seemed.

"Keep to the coast, watch and listen. Your typical defense, sir. Forces will be spread evenly and accordingly. Though we wont be paying attention to behind us, a airborne assault for behind the lines we feel is unlikely."

"But what if it does happen?"

"Well-"

"You mean you wont be watching for aircraft coming around you? Maybe they wont even be coming through Soraught. If they break through its days, maybe weeks to Bogt, to here. Lives are on the line, friend." Keenes attempted to persuade.

"We've deemed it unlikely, sir. They will be conducting a forward assault, the rivalries are too strong between all the factions." Frensan stood fast.

"And if you are wrong?" Keenes stoically replied.

Frensan sighed, he must follow his superior. "I will secure our lines further, thank you sir."

Yet Keenes still sat there. "Sir?" Frensan asked.

"Do you think what were doing is right, Frensan?" Keenes said, showing some emotion.

"Sir?"

"Were fighting on a sinking ship, and Voy is our blissfully blind and deaf Captain. Is fighting even worth it?"

"Fighting is necessary, sir."

"Then, maybe we should just lose. Fight again some other day."

"Sir, if Voy hears this-"

"So what? He kills me? Fighting is all we can do, and if we must then I prefer losing than destroying this country. Frensan, we cant win this war."

"Why are you saying this? You know I admire you as a leader, sir."

"...I want you to lose Soraught, make this war shorter. Save lives."

"Keenes, what you speak of is traitorous. I realize that this war may be already lost but giving up is not the answer." Frensan said.

"And ending the lives of hundreds of Donnish Boys is? You used to be a.. a grunt, Frensan, you should know."

"An Animal is more dangerous when cornered Keenes. That is where we are. I do not trust the enemy to simply allow us to lose, they'll destroy our country and more importantly our people whether we give up like you say or not. We fight or we die there is no in between. If we are to lose, we will take as many with us as possible." Frensan finished, the enemy had most likely lost all sympathy for their people or the country. There is no more choice in his eyes, fight or die.

"So be it... I want you do one favor for me." Keenes asked as he stood up, pushing the chair back in.

"What." He answered.

"Look out your window where you live after this is all over, and tell me if the window is even still there." Keenes said, walking for the door.

"I'm confident that it will, Sir."

---

Voy Quarters, ???, Donner Land

---

15/10/15

---

Opening his door Voy walked into his room, it was a quaint place, not quite fit for royalty but it was in the works, the more "important" features of his new home were being constructed for the war effort. Walking in, closing the door behind him he looked up to find a ambiguous person sitting in front of him.

"Welcome back home, Grand Emperor Voy!", the person said gleefully "Please sit down. We have much to discuss." Voy looked at him quizzically and saw the gun, it was too late to avoid pleasantries. Voy sat down next to the door slowly onto an antique chair, eyeing the person in front of him, the lights were not yet on, but the dim morning sunlight coming into the room was enough to see that it was possibly a physical person.

"Discuss what?" He said lowly yet curiously. He paid unnatural attention.

---

Soraught, South East Donner Land

---

15/10/15

---

Soraught in the older days, the 18th and early 19th Century, was a center of modernization for Donner Land. For years it held the title of being one of the jewels of Donner Land. A vastly Important city that, if one were to want to, was required to take in order to Invade Donner Land successfully. The great city, made of its hustle and bustle Downtown covered in towers on the coast, Suburbs of high rises and small houses on the outskirts and the Port Facilities themselves on the water south of Downtown, was quiet, almost abandoned. People stayed home or went as far away as possible to get away from the fighting that would surely happen. Those who remained on the streets were the roaming packs of Donnish Citizens doing their duty of finding foreigners and Military who were doing the same and garrisoning within the City apart of a defensive force that defended the Bay that flooded inward into the Donnish Coast. A Bay called Sarendaugh Bay. Sarendaugh Bay was a large body of water foreign ships would have to come into in order to reach Soraught and deliver their goods.

Not anymore.

It was blockaded and under threat of invasion. The entire southern coast was put under watch, the first sign of Amphibious
Invasion would spark the Army into readiness. The Donnish Navy, unable to assist Soraught in fear of Destruction, was in the process of fleeing up the straight, past Modeno and into the Northern Sea where they were felt more needed. A treacherous path but required in order to preserve their Naval Strength, they simply could not face the Coalition Naval Forces head to head. The 3 Southern Fleets began their retreat to the North Sea.

With the Sea taken care of, the air was another factor, unlike the sea, the Donnish held the advantage in the Air. Most of the Coalition Aircraft were on par or otherwise inferior to Donnish Aircraft. Not only this, but the heavy entrenchment of Donnish HAAIRMs sites dotted across the coast created a forward net to catch and incoming SEAD craft. The 2nd net behind them would take care of anything that penetrated the HAAIRMs Net, this would use IR and Radar guided Anti-Air Systems. Integrated with both nets would be SPAAGs. Early Warning Radar placed on either side of the Bay and around the City would spot incoming Aircraft, AWACS will also support Donnish Aircraft to intercept the Enemy or Donnish Attackers to bomb the invading enemy on the sea. The Donnish had for support, 5 Wings of Interceptors withing range, 1 Wing of CAS consisting of A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, 2 Wings of EW Craft and 2 Wings of Command and Support and of course 2 Wings of Logistics Aircraft along with 1 Wing of 50 AH-64 Apaches. These were all based in the South withing support of the Soraught forces.

The ground was now the remaining factor in the engagement at Soraught. The 4th and 5th Field Armies were in charge of defending Soraught under Xueghere Frensan Derehg. 3rd Corps and 2nd Corps under the 4th Army would Defend the East side of the Bay including Soraught. The 10th and 1st Corps under the 5th Army would defend the West side of the Bay also including Soraught. Meanwhile in reserve the 1st Army would stay behind Soraught and await orders to fill in gaps or reinforce the 4th and 5th. These Armies contained the best of the best the Donnish could muster against the coalition. Many of them were veterans of the Vanquarian-Donnish War and others were newly trained green soldiers who were taught the tactics of their more experienced compatriots.

For Logistics, routes on road were secured for supply transport and distribution. Anti-Air sites were given somewhat higher priority for resupply in order to keep the nets working at their fullest. Supplies would be flown in to Soraught or drove in on the highway and unloaded, then distributed to other supply units who would carry on to their designated points. Vehicles were to be kept fully fueled and close enough to refuel in order to stay in combat. Though the supply train into the city was supported by what was basically one vein, it could be kept running indefinitely if the enemy did not gain Air Superiority over the city or bay.

As for the west and northern armies, they kept alert and waited for their time to push.

Deep now, in the city of Sauraught, a Urran Convoy moving to secure refugees continues on, their movement not yet known and joined by some Donnish Deserters. It wasn't long before they were discovered by Donnish Forces holding in the city noticing a convoy that didn't show up on their OSS systems and held a different flag. They camped, come morning a small contingent of Donnish Forces advanced on them and surrounded them out of their sight. Out of the cold, foggy day as the sun rose the Urranese and Donnish awoke to a demand. "Surrender or Fight." phrased not as a demand, but as a question. The Donnish Deserters knew there was no choice for them, they loaded their weaponry and dismounted choosing the ladder.

[Second Helghan Empire]

Second Helghan EmpireOrder Justice Liberty

Inside Donnerland, Behind Donnish Main Force

Michael Kept watch as Martin and Donna set up the equipment. A small device capable of receiving and transmitting to Helghast military satellites with encrypted and compressed messages. To further the security the device bounced the signal several times first, piggybacking off of Donnish systems. This undoubtedly let the Donnish know someone was interfering with their communication signals, however without knowing where or when it was going to happen how could they stop it, and furthermore how could they crack a message that barely seemed like a long enough signal for communication. When expanded and decrypted the message itself was coded, this week the message was again brief and concise.

Indigo-Red House, Five and One, Varuna, Pumas playing past 0020, Hunters are home and keeping a candle lit in the neighborhood, Homework Tonight, Too much for one night, Angry ants too distracting

After Helghast command got the decrypted message they set about decoding the actual information. Indigo-Red House meant was one of the teams transmitting to Helghast command. Five and One was the amount of information being sent, five details and one area. Varuna was a code for the western area of Donnerland, Pumas were armored vehicles and playing past 0020 meant over twenty had been seen active that day, Hunters were anti-air defenses which were operational according to the candle lit portion, Homework tonight meant the team had coordinates for some possible targets for combat, but too much for tonight simply meant unable to send it tonight, Angry ants were the Donnish troops too distracting meant the team was too close and moving further away from enemy troops before it would try another message.

Captain Menkov was always surprised by the system his forces were using. While the communication system being used was extremely expensive too much so for almost any normal usage, in this instance it was proving invaluable. They had been in contact with the several teams along the Donner-Helghan border and had been receiving messages usually once or twice a week from each team so far. The extension of information beyond typical surveillance via satellite, drones, or other aircraft was something the Helghast military hoped to put to good use. Menkov took the message and began sending it to the Upper Echelon, namely Serrano himself leader of Helghast forces involved with the new Donnish conflict.

---

Helghast Command

"It's a pleasure on our end too General." Serrano shouted back shaking the man's hand firmly.

He ushered his counterpart onto the Trucks and they made their way back to the Headquarters building. As the trucks bounced along the path Serrano leaned over to Kyler.

"We have been getting several reports of enemy activity just beyond the border. We have several enemy anti-air locations pinpointed but our sources say more are in the area. I want to hear you opinion on the idea of implementing more of these specialized groups. We are out of Donnish ethnic elite troops to send so we would have to send non-donnish soldiers which will be far easier for the enemy to pick out."

As he finished speaking the truck stopped outside the main entrance to the HQ building. Serrano got out and held the door for Kyler awaiting him.

[The Federation of Democratic Regions]

Federationist Embassy, Bögt

The situation inside the embassy itself was quite chaotic as the Donnish attacked, with civilians running for cover as shrapnel from the ARIDVs shredded anyone not wearing body armor while fully kitted out soldiers worked to both help the injured and return fire on the advancing Donnish infantry. One of the machine gun crews outside on the embassy lawn was now silent, its crew shredded by both shrapnel and bullets, while the infantry in their foxholes in the lawn suffered under the determined Donnish attacks, their numbers being slowly whittled down under the onslaught of 50mm cannon fire. The two Javelin teams and heavy machine gun on the roof remained somewhat impervious, the low wall of the embassy roof protecting them from small arms fire somewhat and negating the effect of the shrapnel rounds fired by the ARIDVs. While the ERA systems on the ARIDVs had defeated the MBT LAWs utilized by the infantry down below, the Javelin used a tandem charge munition which rendered the reactive armor practically useless. With such a commanding view of the advancing Donnish forces as well, it was almost impossible to miss. Each team had a single launcher and five reloads each. Meanwhile, the heavy machine gun team fired down on the infantry using the ARIDVs as cover, 12.7mm rounds tearing through both air and flesh.

While the situation was still relatively stable, the commander on the ground was desperately attempting to get an ETA on the arrival of the strike package from the FNS Courageous, which had launched a group of F-18 Super Hornets with JDAMs and Hellfires, escorted by the new JAS-41 Krigares. While the Krigare could vastly outperformed the Super Hornets to reach the embassy quicker, they were forced to limit their speed to keep pace with the strike aircraft. The commander had been given an optimistic ETA of fifteen minutes, which was factoring in no Donnish resistance. It was already a risk to launch aircraft to hit a location so deep in the country, but it was believed that the Donnish were unaware of the presence of a carrier group just inside their territorial waters so soon. Despite that, the aircraft had still been ordered to take precautions, avoiding known military strong points and urban centers while flying at the maximum operational altitude of the Hornets.

'White Castle' Military Command Center, White Palace, Blomstra

The underground military command center of the Federationist military was bustling with activity as officers coordinated troop movements, incoming intelligence, and communicated with the other members of the coalition that would topple the Voy dictatorship. She had to marvel at it all, as she had never seen it so busy during her years serving as the Kaisarine of the Federation. Of course, the Federation also hadn't declared war on another nation since the Azenyanistan Crisis, so it had probably last been such a hub of activity when it coordinated attacks on nations that were now allied with the Federation. An aide was currently leading her through the crowded room and down a brightly illuminated corridor towards a conference room where she would be meeting with the heads of the Federationist military, the commander of Federationist Forces in Donnerland, and the admiral commanding the FNS Courageous carrier battle group. She had been following the situation closely since the disappearance of Princess Historia, and had seen the horrifying videos of her brutal beating at the hands of a group of Donnish thugs. Voy would be facing far more than just the Federation in this matter, as the Union would surely mobilize most of its military force, which would in turn bring in the Porteans, Ratteans, and several other ISAT nations that had close relations with the Union. The Porteans had already made moves towards unifying the forces under one command structure to better control an invasion of Donnerland.

The aide walked ahead of her to open the heavy oak door, shutting it as soon as she had passed. Several men and women in uniform were seated around a long wooden conference table, with several more attending via video. She took her seat at the head of the table, ignoring the numerous sets of eyes watching her every move. "Ladies and gentlemen, I assume you've prepared a course of action that you would like me to see." She said, meeting the gaze of Admiral Jack Welsh, currently onboard the FNS Courageous.

"Of course ma'am, we've developed an invasion plan jointly with the Porteans, Ratteans, Urranese, Arkanans, Unionists, and Azens. As you're well aware, the combined military might of the coalition is capable of crushing the Voy regime in a matter of weeks. However, it has been agreed that brute force is not optimal for the current situation. We already have boots on the ground in Donnerland, an SAS unit working with a group of Azen rebels in the north and a company of the Royal Queen's Hussars defending the embassy along with a group of marine embassy guards. They've reported that they are currently being engaged by a small Donnish force, likely all that can be spared to deal with them considering the vast majority of the Donnish armed forces are deployed on the coast and borders. The FNS Courageous in on station along with four amphibious assault ships, five destroyers, and one cruiser. They're the only significant coalition naval assets currently on station, and will be holding off the coast until the arrival of the Porteans. A troop convoy is underway as well, several days underway and escorted by a single Type 48. We also have several squadrons poised to deploy as soon as airfield facilities have been secured. Our primary target at the moment is the port city of Soraught, which possesses the only major port facilities on the southern coast. Our latest intelligence suggests two Donnish field armies and several wings of aircraft, so we're estimating enemy strength in excess of 150,000 men and 250 aircraft. Latest satellite images have also confirmed that the Donnish are withdrawing their southern fleets rather than leave them to face a coalition fleet. With all that considered, we are suggesting an airborne assault on the outskirts of the city in conjunction with an air raid to disable as many aircraft on the ground as possible, followed up by a marine assault on the harbor."

"However, this plan faces several obstacles, primarily the Donnish deployment of the HAAIRMs system and the Moth interceptor. While our intelligence on both are limited, it suggests that both are fairly new and highly potent weapons. We hope that the deployment of the new Krigare will even the playing field in the air, and HAAIRMs locations can be destroyed via cruise missile when located. This plan hinges completely on the coalition securing both the highway leading out of Soraught and control of the skies. Without the highway, the Donnish will almost certainly be able to bring in reinforcements from Bogt, and our close air support is useless if we cannot guarantee that they can reach the target in one piece."

[Urran]

Sauraght, Early Morning

The sun had risen and was beginning to warm the earth with the glow of her face. The fog was heavy upon the coastal Donnish city and the skies were grey. Snow still lay around in piles and it was cold. That was not going to change anytime soon, Donner Land was a cold country filled with cold people and ruled with an iron fist by a cold man.

Toshi Niigata, Urranese Marine, had gotten little sleep the previous night, however, it was the dawn that brought what they had all feared, discovery and confrontation by the Donnish military. They were out of sight, watching, waiting for an answer from the foreigners in their land. Would they surrender, or would they fight?

The Urranese had torn down the refugee camp and loaded up the civilians into the vehicles when the message had come. The Donnish defectors that had joined them were for fighting their way out, but the young Urranese Lieutenant commanding the force was not as certain. If they could hold them off long enough with negotiations, they may yet stand a chance.

Toshii had taken up a firing position behind a wheeled IFV. Using what was left of the camp, and things they now looted from around the park they had been set up in, they dug themselves in. The more heavily armed and armored vehicles helped form the outer perimeter with the lighter vehicles and civilians on the inside of a protective perimeter. The Urranese made a point to begin filming the event, hoisting the international medical flag on a pole high over the perimeter. All held their breath.

"Are the loudspeakers working?" the Lieutenant asked, coming up behind a tracked battlefield ambulance that was currently serving as command vehicle. Several soldiers stood behind it, one of them holding a mouth piece for said speakers.

"Aye, Sir." replied a soldier, handing the mouth peace over to his CO who then began to address the Donnish that had surrounded them.

"Donnish forces, Donnish forces this is Lieutenant Fuji Saito of the Urranese Marine Corps. We are performing humanitarian relief operations. According to international law you may not hinder us. Respond." was his calm reply to the Donnish demand. He had one of the defectors repeat it in Donnish before waiting on edge for a response.

The IFV's and APC's turrets were swiveling, scanning for possible hostiles on thermal. The IFVs had loaded fragmentation rounds, which would chew infantry to pieces. They did not know how many could be out there, but it was currently 100 marines and unspecified number of defectors versus an unknown number of Donnish hostiles. They did have some good news, the Urranese Navy task force was now within striking distance of Sauraught and the LHD that was already on station had had time to repair, refuel, and rearm its attack helicopters during the night, so fire support would be possible if they had to fight their way out.

The AH-64E helicopters currently stationed aboard the ship, the MV-22's, and their crews were all currently on standby in case they had to pull their fellow Marines out of the fire. Combat operations had been expected to begin that night, but it had not. Not with Urran anyway. Most of the fighting was currently taking place farther to the north, in Bogt. The Urranese had been lucky so far.

Urranese Task Force, Approaching Sauraguht

URS Kaga, Urranese super carrier and Urranese command ship for the operation steamed forward under nuclear power. With her were 8 general purpose destroyers, 4 ASW frigates, 4 LPD, an LSD, 3 LHD, 5 surface strike destroyers, 3 cruisers, 6 missile boats, 2 AIP submarines, and 3 nuclear attack submarines. It was a lethal package aimed at sea control and amphibious landing operations.

Jet engines screamed as jets were thrown into the air by magnetic catapults. Command wanted combat aircraft in the air to begin strike operations against Donnish military targets within hours. Two EA-18G and five Hien (Rafale) were on their way to Sauraught to cover the Marines. Should the help not be needed, they would hit command and control facilities and radar installations across the coast as part of a coalition first strike.

It was part of the greater plan. The strike wasn't meant to be debilitating in terms of hitting hard, but in terms of providing fear and confusion. The second attack, including a joint amphibious landing with the Porteans was to follow. Combat operations would begin in earnest at that point.

The plan was a two pronged assault. An amphibious invasion aimed at taking Sauraught, and a sea battle aimed at destroying the Donnish Navy completely within the first day of the war. Three of the Urranese submarines had already changed course to the east to help locate the Donnish fleet. The lack of Donnish submarines meant Urran and the coalition had total subsurface dominance, a great advantage that they would exploit.

This was the beginning of the end of a once great nation and Urranese ally. Donner Land versus the world.

[Western Imperial Union]

Helghast Command

Kyler listened intently to his counterpart. As the vehicle stopped and the two got out he stopped and turned to the Helghan.

"Well to be blunt I think it will be a waste of time. Whether we sent more specialized forces in or not. If they were easily detected then it would be even larger of a waste. Instead we should prep QRF forces and keep small short range scouts along the border as the norm. With the coalition nearing the coast in the south, things grow more tense every day. I have no doubt Voy intends to see this mad game out to the end. We wait until a good time to strike of for our enemy to attack and continue on this path." He stopped himself, realizing how much he sounded like he was figuratively stepping on the Helghast commander's toes.

"I am sorry I did not mean to tell you what to do, only to suggest. WIU troopers are behind your men all the way." He smiled at the Helghast leader hoping the slight was either missed or forgiven.

---

Vanquarian Capital Airport, Auraxis

Emperor Solomon strode down the sleek steeps out of the jet. A large security detail formed around the base of the stairs to protect their lord. Solomon and his siblings had nicknamed them owl-men due to their thick glasses twitchy natures and swiveling heads giving them the slight appearance of the common Imperian bird.

Solomon was rather unannounced, something that fitted him well as he crossed a short bit of tarmac and then climbed into a large black SUV in a column of black SUVs all outfitted with mine resistance armor plating and one way ballistic glass. The Vehicles took off toward the Palace of Emperor Scott Esic He, a place Solomon always wished to visit, just under better circumstances. With him in the car rod two of his sons, Lucan and Rhell. Brought to give them experience or the day they would lead their people in navigating the world.

[Atreidya]

South East of the Coalition Fleet

A trio of Mil-mi24s flew in the direction of the Coalition fleet. The moment they were close enough to communicate they attempted radio traffic with the Coalition fleet. On the radio was General Besari Talamud, the man in command of the Atreidyan marines and landing forces that would hit Donner Land.

"Atreidyan Marine Transport Helicopter to Coalition fleet, we are South East of your current location, coming into land on the URS Chiyoda."

Besari was a typical marine veteran. Tough, meaty, and stubborn. He enjoyed his reign over the Atreidyan marines under him, and they loved one of their own being in charge of them just as much. However Besari was sent to follow foreign orders and put his men to use supporting the coalition forces.

The Helicopters continued on waiting for a response from the fleet. They slowly approached the URS Chiyoda.

Further South East of the Coalition Fleet

The Atreidyan Flotilla sliced through the waves as it headed toward the Coalition fleet and eventually the Donner Land coast. Admiral Amran Mal'wahasi flicked over logbooks, the thin reading glasses aging him along with the stripes of white hair down the sides of his short military cut hair. He rubbed his eyes. Continued checking and rechecking to make sure everything was ready to go once the fleet joined with the other nations. General Besari had gone ahead to begin speaking with Coalition leaders, taking a small group of helicopters with him. As for the rest of the Aircraft only those required for early warning and he like were sent up, everything else was kept ready for launch to conserve as much fuel as possible.

[Azenyanistan]

An Empire On Flames


The Azen Perspective

"Considering the importance of resentment in our lives, and the damage it does, it receives scant attention from psychiatrists and psychologists. Resentment is a great rationalizer: it presents us with selected versions of our own past, so that we do not recognize our own mistakes and avoid the necessity to make painful choices."

- Theodore Dalrymple

"When we don't know who to hate, we hate ourselves."

- Chuck Palahniuk

"Am I really OK? Well, after months of help from my friends, especially from the Union and from those who worked with me and after months of consultation with my psychologists and therapists who were my friends and after months of...just being with those who were with me and with those who wanted me to recover...the answer is actually no. I'm not really OK. But I'm alive. And I'm still being helped. But I guess it's OK to be not OK. But the thing is...I'm tired. And maybe so is the rest of my country. Azenyanistan is tired, perhaps. A great fatigue has come. After so many wars and trouble and just...plain old discord...do I really think we're OK? I hopefully think so sometimes. But sometimes, there are times that I think about it and realize that indeed, a great fatigue has come."

- Sadisia

The village of Raashanar , Donnerland


Pillars of smoke escaped the village. A hateful wind that carried frost came down from the mountains close by it. And as it swept through the village, it was witness to what was supposed to be life. Only death greeted the wind. Houses were burning. The village hall was destroyed by explosives. Nearby, three trucks. They were supposed to leave the village but these trucks were too destroyed. They burned and there were pieces of them here and there, burning as well. The smell of diesel was everywhere. Spent cartridges were on the roads and close to the houses. So were a few pistols and rifles meant for hunting and self defense.

Only one house stood untouched by fire. It, however, was not fit for anyone anymore. Countless holes in the windows and doors and walls covered it. And attached to the wall just above the door were two poles. One held the flag of Azenyanistan. It was an old flag that belonged to Sadisia's administration. This one however was the one that was burned and mutilated. The Azen banner was poor. It was not as it should have been. And worse, inside the house, as it was with every house that burned, there were bodies.

What was once a village inhabited by Azens mostly was now a pile of ruins. A bunch of rubble and 115 corpses. Corpses that belonged to men, women and children. Bullet holes were on their foreheads, on the back of their heads, on their backs and on their chests. Some were upon their stomachs or hips. But if one could ever look so closely, such wounds were not meant to allow them to live. They suffered and died. And now they were left unburied. They were never supposed to be. It was to be believed that they did not deserve burial. Instead, the snow would consume them. The cold would take them. The very land of the Donnish people would eat them up. Yes, the village was destroyed.

Raashanar was no longer alive. But it wouldn't be the only village of Azens, of foreigners, to be targeted and destroyed by the Donnish, by their military and people. Many villages like this one would soon fall, perhaps. And who knows what is happening to those within the cities and towns under the control of Voy's forces. Of that madman. Of that mass murderer. Of the one the Azens now call "The Motherfucker." They believed he did not deserve his name. Voy was too human for him. Motherfucker made him more suited to what he is really. The one who dared to, in his effort to drive away foreigners and his allies, exterminate the Azens who lived inside his country. His country. It won't be his country anymore. If the Azens found out about this, no Azen would ever forget and no Azen would ever give up their suspicion of Donnerland and no Azen would not consider a fate worse than death for the Donnish. But the Azens are Azens. They would restrain themselves. Perhaps. It was to be seen soon enough.

Then something happened in that dead village.


Because life never ceases to amaze life. For trees were plentiful 50 meters away from the village. Upon the trees, did some of the villagers rely. Nearby, there were shrubs and bushes as well as a spot where cut wood was stored as well as some axes and a shed for workers who rested. Now, there were no workers. Only bodies and the smell and the environment.

Another breath was allowed for Ashad, a boy. His breath was desperate. He tried to get as much air in and looked around. He had held his breath beneath the shade of a tree of winter, hidden by the bodies of shrubs covered in snow to survive from the attack. Although he still shook and his heart still beat so fast, the Azen boy was careful. A look around. A quick freeze. Nothing. Ashad again held his breath and embraced himself, even bringing the leaves and branches, though thin but long, upon his body. He then abandoned his place below the tree of winter and began to breath again. Fast, deep and fearful. It shuddered with every exhale. He had witnessed everything.

But what he witnessed was not the greatest thing to worry about. No. It was his sister! Mother always told him to keep an eye out for his sister! So Ashad, although he was still afraid, dropped his disguise and ran to the village, calling

"Malisah! Malisah!"

Malisah did not reply. Nobody replied. But the wind came again and it straightened Ashad out, making him shake, even in his boots, coat, scarves and hat. He cried out again, still running, by a line of houses that burnt and crumbled in the face of the cold and the wind that the cold brought.

"Malisah!"

No Malisah. He looked everywhere, visiting every house. He did not dare come closer to the flames though. He too was repelled by the bodies. But he knew that not a single one of them belonged to his sister.

That one was too fat. This one was too short. That one didn't have her special green eyes. She didn't wear purple scarves. And Malisah never used those boots. Where was Malisah?!

So Ashad kept looking. He tried to look at their house but it too was burning. And he saw the bodies of his mother and father. Their mother and father. The both of them were lying together. Hands tied. But their fingers were wrapped around the other's fingers. A hole was in each of their heads. He was horrified. Tears came. His shaking worsened. The cold wind bit again. And more snow covered their crumpled bodies.

The boy fell to his knees. He put his hands on the arm of his mother and shook it. It moved but it was stiff. And it was very cold. He drew his hands away and he stood up slowly. Tears still came. They dropped very much freely. And Ashad could not say a word as he tried to walk away and find his sister. Many times, he caught himself stopping as he took a step and just looking back at their bodies. Ashad could not bear it then and emptied his stomach on the snowy ground. Then he ran away from them. And then he cried out again

"Malisah!"

He tripped. He looked at what he tripped over. Oh no. Not again. It was another body. It belonged to a man that was tall and muscular. He often worked with his father and sometimes gave the family delicious chicken and goat soup when the winter was too tough. Now here he was. Dead too. But horrifyingly so. This was his upper body. And fearfully yet involuntarily, the boy saw his lower...oh God! He emptied his stomach again upon himself. The sight of organs having spilled out of their places! And his heart! What could have done this? Ashad remembered several loud noises that were so sharp and harsh and just....hurtful! He saw that there was a very small crater close by. And that Mr. Uyyammah's clothes looked black and well, dirty. Ugh, there was so much blood. He tried to steel himself but failed to stand because he could not bring his eyes away from the damaged body but also because of the wind again. This time it was much stronger. And it did not fail to take away his hat and loosen his scarves. It was that strong. The fires danced and some of their flames were extinguished. But they kept on going even as more winds came and went and the world seemed to become darker and colder for Ashad.

He tried to move, to look further for Malisah. But Ashad could not. The winds were getting stronger and the cold was biting him harder. His eyes struggled to remain open in the face of the chill as his breaths became more strained and each exhalation gave a ripe cloud of steam away. Frostbite, even as he was shielded by his winter clothes, was coming. Ashad made one more attempt to stand and he did. But he struggled to move away, to move against the storm. And soon enough, he too would be lost to the land of the Donnish. One more soul taken away from the living.

[Tempeslavia]

Lumenbourg, Tempeslavia
Gate No. 3 Control Tower
Several Weeks Prior

Kazimir Volkov sat in his perch, idly waiting for the Expeditionsgruppe to depart for Donner Land. Surrounding Lumenbourg, the capital of the United Kingdoms, was a great sea wall designed to protect the waters within from the ravaging storms that created the choppy seas outside. To further protect the calm waters within the wall, a series of eight locks had been installed, in which a ship or group of ships would pass through the first gate, stop, wait for the first gate to close, and then proceed out the second gate. Through this method, each of these locks protected the man-made capital island from the stormy seas outside. While the city itself could easily weather any storm, the fleet of fishing boats and the moored civilians would likely find the rough ocean to harsh. Walls like these had been installed on almost all Tempeslavic cities for this express purpose, even landlocked ones and they’d been built since the time of castles and knights, at least. As Kazimir waited patiently--as his job required him to--the thunder of a dozen tank guns roared behind him. The Kapitalstráž was saying goodbye to their beloved navymen. In return, the single cannon of each Z-Boat spat fire. Volkov’s office shook at the wave of firing, much closer and higher caliber this time than the cannons of the Thunderers.

“Gate No. 3 Control, confirm that Gate No. 3 is initiating exit procedure,” The speaker blared to life as the dozen or so people in the tower sprung into action, preparing the first gate of the lock system. “Confirmed Carverfish, the lock is opening, you may proceed.” Kazimir leaned into the microphone, “The Lady of the Lake watches, Vizeadmiral.”

---

The eight Z-Boats hummed beneath the waves, the near-silence of the undersea a hallowed sound of respect by Tempeslavs almost instinctually. Vizeadmiral Eduard Bachmeier was a younger man for his rank, a mere forty-two years old. Already, though, the constant stresses of being the leader of Spezialvolksgruppe had given his stark black hair streaks of white, and the eyes of the man had glazed over into the half-sleep daze that was signature to submariners. “Sir, we’re coming up on the Isle’ish fleet.” The gentle voice that now spoke belonged to his flag captain, Ethelyn Hopkins. “Orders, sir? Or will you be leaving the bridge to me?” She continued, glancing over her scraggly commanding officer. While the Vizeadmiral was a lanky, pale and sickly looking man, Ethelyn Hopkins’ skin was a healthy hue of pale (at least for a Tempeslav) and she seemed to be in good health, her fiery red hair and sparkling green eyes glinting with anticipation. The role of Flag-Kapitan was not only a position of prestige but a position of learning. What it meant was that the chosen Kapitan was to be an admiral-aspirant. “If you would be as kind as to have the ‘gruppe surface and signal the Isle’ish that I would very much like to meet with their admiral. Prepare a detail for the away crew, and inform your XO that you’ll be away for a few hours at most, Ms. Hopkins,” Hopkins gave a snappy salute, and quickly began dispatching orders to the various bosuns. With a shudder and the hiss of the ballast releasing, the Carverfish began to surface from the comfortable depth of approximately one-fifty meters.

Eduard Bachmeier turned briskly, his hand lightly resting on the ceremonial broadsword issued to all officers, he’d been looking forward to meeting the Isle’ish the Kingdoms got on so chummily with. He imagined that his Flag-Kapitan was as well. This would be here first time meeting an Isle’ish sailor. Her reaction would be priceless