-Combat maxim of the Sealgairí
Morrdun
Commonwealth of Morrdh
The invasion of the Commonwealth’s capital began unnoticed and a fortnight before the actual assault. Small teams of men entered the city, each with their own specific mission and goals to achieve before the assault was launched. Some were agents who were to acquire jobs that would place them in key positions, others would be doing reconnaissance in readiness for creating diversionary attacks and sowing confusion in conjunction with the main attack.
In the days leading up to the attack the main assault force arrived piece by piece, carried unsuspectedly on-board a series of cargo vessels into the port of Morrdun. The arrival of the vessels were staggered to try and avoid raising suspicions, the Roll-on/roll-off vessels transporting the assault force’s vehicles ended up having to arrive a scant few hours before the attack began. Though by that point agents had infiltrated the port’s workforce and ensured that they were on shift when the assault started, again to help avoid raising the alarm.
Within the city itself, other agents went about their own tasks. Chief among these was planting explosives at telephone exchanges and other communications hub, to take out Morrdun’s communication infrastructure to hamper the efforts of the city’s defenders to co-ordinate their defences. Another important target was the HQ of the Morridane Garda, particularly as it housed the control room for the Morrdun Metropolitan Region. Neutralizing this control room would help impede the military units of the HQ Morrdun District area, in particular disrupt the efforts of the Garda to raise the alarm.
Back at the port, men slid stealthily from the ships and scurried along the dark quayside. It was in the early hours of the morning with a moonless and overcast sky that smothered the city with a thick blanket of darkness. The men were able to move like shadows, swiftly through the deserted dockland and quickly secure the RORO terminals. Others moved out to secure the dockyards as the ships were started to be unloaded, though time was off the essence if they were to succeed.
Fortunately the vehicles, armoured vehicles brought on the second hand market, could simply be driven off the RORO vessels and had done so inside of an hour. Heavier equipment, carried on-board container ships, took longer to unload but it was hoped that they wouldn’t be needed. Soon the convoy of armoured vehicles and soldiers were ready to go, though they waited for the signal to do so.
The order would come from one man; Viktor Cathmore.
Stepping foot on the soil of his home country for the first time in over a decade, Viktor was momentarily overwhelmed by the swirling maelstrom of emotions he felt in relation to the thought. Ten years it had taken him to get to this point, ten years of schemes and plans that were now coming to fruition as he made the final moves on the board. By day’s end he would have what was rightfully his to claim; the Morridane Crown.
It would also be worth the decade it had taken.
He looked at the soldiers hanging around the convoy, a mixture of PMC and Scythians. Though they only numbered a thousand, a battalion if that, but they’d proven their worth in New Garrack and Viktor had chosen them personally for this task. Yes it was true that his force was tiny, especially in comparison to what the Commonwealth could bring to bear. Truth was that his plan required a surgical strike, rather than an all-out assault, in order to succeed. Few in number they were, they would be playing a big role in deciding the future of a nation.
Viktor climbed into one of the waiting vehicles, an IFV, and seated himself in the commander’s seat before pulling a helmet and coms gear on. He ensured the right frequency was selected and waited, his patience was soon rewarded as a codeword was repeated several numbers and a number of muffled explosions sounded throughout the city. Switching channels, he then addressed the troops under his command; “All units, the order is given. Commence assault.”
Broadcasting House
MBC HQ
Night time broadcasts were filled with mostly pre-recorded programmes, though a radio DJ would occasionally speak but would simply line up another track to play. Similarly, work concerning the various studios was preparing them for the following day’s filming and broadcasts. The workload was light, mainly keeping an eye on transmissions, and so plenty of downtime for the skeleton staff who worked the graveyard shift.
It was a technician, taking a smoke break on an upper story fire escape, who first heard and then saw the explosions that blossomed across the night time cityscape. Cigarette forgotten, the technician rushed back inside and raised the alarm. The night-time programming manager, Michael Hugh, called an emergency meeting of all his staff. “I want the entire schedule scrubbed and an emergency news broadcast ready to go in five.”
“All channels; One, Two, World Service, Dienstad, Mokan language channels, the works.” Hugh continued. “Want every bastard we can get hold of reporting on this, even if we have to drag them out of bed mid-thrust. Step to it people!”
Later hastily assembled news teams, some given a sheet of paper and seating down as the cameras started rolling, started announcing to the world that an attack had happened in Morrdun. Though success in getting the word out, this act would ultimately doom them.
Kaldwin House
Kenway Heights
Morrdun
Lothwyn stirred and sat up in bed, a task made slightly difficult by how large her belly was now getting. She sat for a moment puzzled as to why the glass in the window frame shook, then she heard the muffled boom of a distant explosion. Eyes wide in alarm, she grabbed a nightgown and stuck her head into the corridor outside her room. She heard shouts and cries of alarm from the servants before she gingerly stepped out into the hallway, doors slammed amidst more cries of alarm.
She got partway down the hallway when her bodyguard, Artemis, found her. The look on the man’s face told Lothwyn that something serious was happening before Artemis spoke. “Yer Majesty…a number of explosions have ripped through the city and the lines have been cut. Looks ta be an attack.”
“An attack? By whom?”
“Unknown, but they’re damn good ta have struck so hard without first being spotted.” Answered Artemis. “Buts we must get ye someplace safe, now.”
“Must it be right this instance? Can’t I get properly dressed?”
“We must go now, no telling whether there’ll be an attack on ye.”
“Fine…better be clothes I can change inta wherever we’re going.”
“Promise, buts we must go!”
With a sigh, Lothwyn reluctantly agreed to be led outside to where an unmarked car was waiting with the engine running. She was just climbing into to the back passenger seat when a noise rose up from the city. At first Lothwyn mistook it for the terrible cry of a banshee, but she quickly realised what it actually was; sirens.
Morrdun had begun to wail.
Eastern Command
The command structure of Morridane Army was split into five geographical regions, each one generally called a Command. Southern Command was responsible for the defence of the Mokan border, Central Command had control over much of the Morridane interior and Northern Command had the Rhonannar Isles in the north. Eastern Command covered the Morridane east coast and, thus, the capital of Morrdun.
Soon as Eastern Command found out about the attack on Morrdun, it issued orders for airspace in its area to be closed to civilian aircraft. The other Commands took similar steps when they received word of what was happening. Perhaps most important, before Eastern Command fell silent, was a simple message sent out to all Commonwealth military units.
- Code: Select all
TO ALL COMMANDS.
ALERT STATE RED.
MORRDUN UNDER ATTACK.
THIS IS NO DRILL. REPEAT, THIS IS NO DRILL.
