FEDERATION 2020 - FCN Roleplay (IC, FCN ONLY)

[The COT Corporation]

In a landslide election Ronald Reagan of the Tea Party beat Allen Keyes of the Freedom Party to become the first president in the nations history here are the numbers
Reagan-169 electoral votes and 3,030,000 votes (57%)
Keyes-39 electoral votes-2324,167 votes (43%)

I WAS MEANT TO TAKE THE 400th MESSAGE!!!!

[The COT Corporation]

Saledale, Revolutionary COT
4th of April, 2020

It had been two days since the Battle of Saledale had begun. The Loyalists had been laying siege to the city, conducting bombing raids on Revolutionary fortifications. The success levels of these raids varied, with near-constant struggles for power. Both sides had advantages: The Loyalists had more fighters, more bombers, and more trained pilots. The Revolutionaries had more soldiers, normally better aircraft, and more anti-aircraft systems. The Revolutionaries also had one key thing... supplies. Due to the fast takeover of most of COT, the Revolutionaries had quickly established supply lines, feeding their forces all over the nation. They also had the expertise to manufacture and distribute their produce, as many of them previously worked in jobs like this.

At this point, it seemed as if the Revolutionaries had a guaranteed win. Supplies all over the country, leaders, and the capital city. But, yes, but, there was a threat. Geography. Saledale is located on the easternmost spike of Esontria, a perfect place for trade, housing, and suntan. All very good things. But, expectantly, there were some less good things. The city, being on an outcrop, is open to being cut off. The Loyalist forces controlled north and southwards from the city, meaning that a strategic attack could lead to the city being surrounded.

---

A lone lookout was sitting in a deckchair, observing the city from on top of the Board building. He looked downwards. The normal routine seemed to be going on. The soldiers patrolled, the residents stayed inside. The lookout observed this day in, day out. His walkie-talkie crackled into life. "Smithers, report?"

He answered "All good. No abnormal activity."

"Good. Now keep looking."

"Roger that."

He stayed in his position for a few hours, with nothing strange happening. However, the absence of strangeness was soon vanquished. He received a crackle on his walkie-talkie, and listened.

"Alert. We've got reports of various Loyalist forces gathering around the north and south of the city. Be careful. We've got boys on watch in case they try any funny business. If you see anything, be sure to tell us."

"Roger."

Once again, it all seemed normal. That is, until he received a final crackle.

"FULL ALERT. Loyalist forces are attempting to flank the city. Prepare defences!"

"Roger!"

He yelled to his soldiers, who quickly rushed to their posts. They began to look up in the sky, noticing a sound. B-1 Bombers. Down in the streets, soldiers were rushing to the soon-to-be-flanked areas of the city. They were a large force, and could likely take the might of the flankers. But they couldn't take the might of the bombers. Several radar-guided anti-aircraft missiles were shot up, but most of them were either distracted by chaff or by the F-15s that escorted the bombers. This was the first blow. The bombers began to drop their loads, unleashing them along the streets that the soldiers were crowding. Not only would this kill hundreds of soldiers, but it would block many a path towards the flanks. The bombs also caused several buildings to topple, obstructing pathways. Now the revolutionaries were blocked from defending the flank, at least quickly, and blocked from getting medical help. The death toll of the bombing was an estimated 1000.

By the end of this, the Loyalists had successfully surrounded the city, cutting off vital supply lines.

---

Howmi, Revolutionary COT
4th April, 2020

The Polish were met with fire - a dying fire. The previous Gagiumish attack had weakened the city's defences, and the damage caused by the Polish craft only added to that. With a few more steps, the city would be in Revolutionary hands. However, Bale wasn't one of those steps.

He had received the message, and was heaving some belongings into a reusable bag. His wife and children stood silently at the door, waiting for him. He finished packing, and they set off. Due to his low involvement in the military, and the varying degree of respect the soldiers had for him, he couldn't order anyone to step down. They crept towards where the Polish were, and waited for a command.

[Furbish Islands]

Apartment in Furby City
Furby City City-Province, Furby Island
Morning, 14 April 2020

The familiar scene to all who visit Furby City for at least a few hours is that of congested streets, crammed with cars, while in separate lanes in the middle of every street sit empty, which buses and trams speed through, carrying passengers to their destination quicker than they would get there had they drove through the congested streets. Furby City is less than a thousand square kilometers in size, defined by borders which have been established over two hundred years earlier. While the city was being built up, two story homes have been demolished and rebuilt into skyscrapers, but the road network remained with thin streets, due to the people not wanting their homes destroyed to make room for larger roads or freeways. Living on a city built for much less people, most of Furby City’s twelve million inhabitants get around through the vast underground metro network, or on trams and buses which run on dedicated lanes to bypass the traffic. Expanding roads was now an unpopular idea among the population, who would rather see extensions to public transportation lines.

Dubuisson is a large Furbish manufacturing company, which makes a large assortment of vehicles, from guided buses and trams, to subways, and from electric locomotives, to the high speed trains operated all over Furby Island. The company also has an airplane division, making smaller planes, from two hundred seat regional jets to smaller planes with less than ten. Dubuisson’s customers include local public transportation operators, passenger and freight railroads, and airlines, foreign and domestic. Like many companies, Dubuisson was hit hard by COVID-19. They still have a backlog of orders, but due to government restrictions are not able to make any vehicles. The CEO of Dubuisson, Alfred Hetz, hoped he would not have to lay off any of his employees during the pandemic. He lived in Furby City, not too far away from his company’s factory there. He was among the few able to afford the city’s notoriously high rent, which is a running joke in the rest of the country. Large prices are followed up with “or the price of a small Furby City apartment”, and while Furby City does not have the highest rent, and many of the jokes are exaggerations, they do have some truth to them.

On the morning of the fourteenth of April, Hetz woke up, where he saw an email, saying that a factory in northern Furby Island needed his attention. The situation described by the email would count as an important reason to leave the city. Hetz grabbed his briefcase, filled with everything he needed. He then put on a mask, which was now required when going outside, then left the apartment and stood on a major road. The city that stood before him was not the city from two weeks ago, before the social distancing guidelines were in place. Cars were lined up on either side of the road, but they have not been used in weeks, and are only collecting dust on the road. In the bus lane in the center, a trolleybus moved by. Hardly any people were inside the bus, or on the street in general. Cars were even rarer than public transport vehicles, despite them running on a reduced schedule. Plenty of people were walking outside, an amount which would be normal for small towns when there is no health crisis, but in a densely populated city like Furby City, this is unusual. The people all wore masks, as was now required.

The road, while being only four lanes wide, not including parking and the central bus and tram lane, is wide by Furbish standards. On either end of the central transit lane stood a road block, with multiple masked police officers. On the sidewalks, people were walking with their dogs or jogging. Every few minutes the police officers at the blockade would stop someone and question him. Every car that drove through would be stopped and questioned. People at that point had to pull out paperwork signed by police elsewhere that they understand the risks and are leaving for an important reason, or had to get paperwork on the spot, or they were turned back at best, or fined at worst. Any person who walked or drove by without a mask would also get fined, unless that person lacked a mask, in which case he would be given one to wear, for a price, then pointed to a store which sells them. Buses and trams move by the roadblock without stopping, but sometimes may be stopped for whatever reason. The roadblock is not permanent, and every day roadblocks are moved around.

Hetz made his way over to the roadblock. He did not know if he needed to get paperwork for boarding public transportation, and if he would be fined at his destination for not having any, but decided to play it safe. At the roadblock, there was a line of people on one lane, a line of cars on the other, and the same two lines facing the opposite direction on the opposite side of the road. On the sidewalk, people who did not go very far simply stated their reason and a police officer let them go through. These were people who were walking their dogs, buying groceries, or walking, jogging, or biking to get some exercise. One man, who was visibly high, said he would buy marijuana, and a police officer let him through. This felt strange to Hetz, who remembered when it was still illegal. But it has been legalized for nearly two decades, and that officer likely went his entire career without a time when it was still illegal. Hetz quietly stood in line on a street, which felt strange, but there was almost no cars to cause significant congestion if a single lane was blocked.

People stood two meters apart at the line, no less. If any person was closer, one of the officers at the roadblock would glare, and if the people still did not move the officers would shout, but the people cooperated. One at a time, they gave reasons and paperwork was filled out. Some were let through, and some were rejected and turned back. A tram sped through as Hetz waited, and he got a good look at it. It has a low floor, and the seats on it were folded down. In front of the tram sat the driver, with a mask, and in the middle was a lone passenger. It would normally be crowded, but few people are not in their apartments. At the end stood another passenger. The tram went past and the officer shouted for the next person. Hetz realized it was him. “Name?” the officer asked. “Alfred Hetz” replied Hetz. “Where are you going?”. Hetz responded “Van Riemsdijk station. Need to get to Bolsrade.” The officer looked and responded in a tone that showed he was surprised. “Reason?”. Hetz did not want to waste the time of the rest of the people in line, and just showed the email on his phone, while summarizing.

A bus drove by, this one with a single driver and no passengers. The officer asked Hetz to repeat after the bus drove into the distance, and he did. He then asked “Are you aware of the risks of leaving, not only to yourself but to all people of Furby Island who may be vulnerable?”. Hetz responded with a yes. The officer spend some time writing on the papers, and signed them. “Sign here” he said, handing it to Hetz, with a pen. Hetz signed and gave back the pen. “You are free to go. And buy your tickets on your phone, the ticket counters at the station are closed.” Hetz thanked the officer and walked back to his apartment. He could either drive his car to the station or take public transportation. There was almost no traffic. At the roadblock, there was few cars in line, and they go by quickly, especially if he can just show paperwork and drive through. However, he decided against driving his car, because the city’s public transportation is more convenient. He remembered he left his car keys in his apartment just after making his decision, for the rest of his family to use the car if they need, not like there would be a reason to use it.

A bench and solar powered sign were near Hetz’s apartment, which is where he stood for a few minutes. He decided not to sit down and risk getting infected, even if the bench was disinfected frequently. Multiple buses and trams drove by, each of them he waved to go past. Finally, an articulated trolleybus drove by and stopped. The driver pointed back, and Hetz boarded through the middle door. He was among the three people on this bus. This bus route was one he took frequently, and one which always had many people. Seeing the seats folded down on the bus was the first time he ever seen them like that. Normally they were folded up to save space due to the amount of ridership. Hetz spent his time on the bus buying a ticket on his phone. The fare was small, smaller than any other time Hetz bought a ticket on this route. The bus announced his stop, and he tapped the stop request button, while accidentally tapping the button to order an economy class ticket on his phone.

As he exited the bus, a tram approached the stop, and the number of the tram was the route going to Martijn van Riemsdijk station. The tram driver also motioned for him to board through a back door. The vehicle, which is also on a route with high ridership, has its seats folded down. Taking a look around, Hetz recognized this tram very well, mainly because he helped to design it, and designed the modifications that were requested by the MTA, including the folding seats. This tram is one of Hetz’s personal favorites, but he had little time to admire it, because his stop is only three stops away. He once again pressed the button to request a stop, and just like on the bus, he pressed it with his elbow, which was what the AVG recommended in their PSAs. Their announcements were posted all over the interior of the bus and tram, more than other advertisements. At this point, advertisers probably did not even care if their message reached the few people who go outside during the outbreak.

The large station doors were lined with masked Furby City police officers, and in front was a line of people, each standing two meters apart. The line was longer than Hetz expected, after seeing the streets of Furby City, but it went quicker. Unlike the roadblock, most were turned back, and the line went quicker. As he got closer, Hetz could hear people making up various excuses to board a train. The real reason they were all there was to get away from the city in fear of catching the virus, but the response from the officers is the same, “Then stay at home and do not leave.”. Three weeks ago when the order was announced, the station was crowded with people trying to flee, a great way to spread the virus. With it being in effect, only people who had important reasons to leave would not be turned back at the door. When it became Hetz’s turn in line, he showed the papers from the roadblock. The officer asked for the email, which Hetz showed. After reading it, the officer let him through. Hetz walked by and thanked the officer.

Martijn van Riemsdijk station, the largest station in Furby City in terms of ridership, is one which is rarely not crowded, especially during morning or afternoon rush hour. Intercity and high speed trains going to the southern half of the country from Furby City terminate at the station, or pass through it. Commuter rail lines headed west from Furby City also pass through the station. Built next to it is a small metro, bus, and tram hub, though connecting passengers usually do not walk through the station. Besides commuters getting on and off their trains, large amounts of tourists and business travelers walk through the station. With the lockdown in place, few walked around the station. Every few minutes, a train would pull into the station below, and a handful of people would enter and exit, before the train moved to its next destination. Police officers walked about, making sure people were no closer than two meters apart. Also walking around were people with bottles of disinfectant. Every single surface that could be touched was sprayed with it.

Hetz looked at the ticket on his phone. Looking at the track and car, he realized he booked an economy class seat. He did not care, because even if he was not going to get an upgrade, the economy class seats are still nearly as good as business class. Walking down the stairs and on the platform, Hetz saw several trains and masked conductors greeting people and checking tickets. Trains were lined up on the tracks, with trains pulling in and out of the station every few minutes, and many types of trains with different liveries. Hetz saw his train, a two level electric multiple unit, which was made by his company. One of the most famous features of the train is the window on the top deck in the front and back of the train, which is an observation deck for passengers. This is a feature unique to only this type of train, because of it being the only type of two level electric multiple unit train made. The CEO walked towards his car, preferring to not walk past people in the narrow train, until a conductor shouted “Where are you going, sir?”

“My ticket was for a seat in car-” Hetz began to say before the conductor interrupted him. “Take a seat in first class!”

“How much?”

“For free! There is hardly anyone riding this train, and all fit in first class, and they will be sitting two meters apart!”

Hetz showed the conductor his ticket on his phone, and the conductor let him in. “Just sit on the marked seats. Bars on cars 8 and 9 will be open, but be sure to not get close to people when passing.” The inside of the train was almost completely empty. The two window seats in every other row were marked, and were two meters apart, but few of those were filled. Hetz counted eight passengers on the car, which meant that there were likely more conductors than passengers on this train. Hetz walked to the cafe. The eight cars in between him were also empty. He ordered a coffee once he got to the cafe car. This is the first time in his life he ever saw this car empty. The train manager greeted all the passengers, and the train took off as Hetz walked from the cafe, to the observation deck in the back car. If there was one good thing which came from the coronavirus, this may be the only time he rides a high speed train that is this empty.

---

Paris Naval Base, Paris
Tasman, Furby Island
Afternoon, 15 April 2020

Since it was first founded by colonists hundreds of years ago, the city of Paris became a major trading hub around the island of Tasman in western Furby Island. Like many Furbish cities, it began with a small fishing and timber based economy, before experiencing rapid growth as Furby Island saw an influx of immigrants from the nations it was colonized by. Like all cities on the islands, the city is small in area but densely populated, and most people walk, bike, or take public transportation rather than driving and being stuck in traffic. Since first being settled, Paris was attacked by natives dozens of times, which lead to eleven wars between colonial powers and Furby Island, and the natives, which is among the most of any settlement. This was one of the reasons why the Furbish military has a large military presence in the city, basing one of its fleets there. It has remained a major naval and air force base due to it being one of the closest locations to the continent Stratea, only four days away by ship, as opposed to elsewhere in the islands which may require an extra day of travel.

In early 2020 in Stratea, tensions escalated between Prussia Poland and the COT Corporation, and resulted in war being declared in both nations. Gagium later joined in helping Prussia Poland, and so did Furby Island. While the support was secret at first, the new Prime Minister Arthur Trudeau began sending support openly not long after he was sworn in. While the support originally was sending supplies and engineers, the previous Prime Minister, Thomas Norup, planned to send a carrier battle group to the area to help launch airstrikes. This was a plan with Trudeau decided to follow through on. In Paris, a carrier battle group was being prepared to be sent off. This would consist of a supercarrier, a guided missile cruiser, three destroyers, an attack submarine, a supply ship, and a patrol frigate. On board the carrier was its usual fighters and helicopters, but also drones. These planes will be used to conduct airstrikes over the COT Corporation or airdrop supplies to aid the ongoing rebellion. On the afternoon of the 15th, the ships set off, and will arrive in four days.

[Logon]

Logon.

A curious nation located in Stratea and a string of islands through the Rochian Ocean. Its lands ranged from scorching desert in the far north, to tropical islands, to frigid arctic temperatures. Its government was monarchical yet democratic. Its people were deeply religious, yet deeply in search of profit.

Blood and Gold.

The motto of the Logonian people; blood and gold. Logon was a nation birthed in capitalism and warfare. The very unification of the country had seen massive armies rape and pillage across rival kingdoms alongside peaceful diplomatic purchases of entire provinces, bit by bit. The nation was one born in blood and of hold.

Decades later, as rebellion and republicanism gripped the nation, it was once more rebirthed and reforged in a crucible of blood and gold. With the balance of the war sliding towards the Royalists, a Republican commander paid off the mayor of a local town to allow his troops to garrison there. That town soon became a crucial forward operating base a week later, and the linchpin of the Republican defensive lines, leading to a resounding victory. The fate of Logon had once more been decided by blood and gold.

By the 21st century Logon was no longer the once powerful empire of centuries past. It was a decent sized regional power with an outstandingly large manufacturing base used to produce arms and vehicles for exporting across the world. Logonian luxury vehicles were famous, many Logonian companies had pioneered the very idea of a luxury vehicle after all.

But there was a dark side. Logonian weaponry had become common across the world as well. Not a single terrorist, insurgent, or totalitarian dictator had come and gone without getting his hands on a Logonian assault rifle. The Arbiter family of armored vehicles has appeared on a number of news broadcasts. Within weeks of the replacement of the M22B “Justice” main battle tank by its successor, the M23C “Templar”, M22Bs began appearing in the hands of some of the wealthier mercenaries and insurgents. The Logonian government claimed that it had no part, but how many believed that?

Either way, it has now been 100 years to the day since Logon overthrew the power of the monarchy. The Logonian people have been in control of their destiny ever since, but now, with pandemics and war on the horizon, the Logonian people have come to realize that their destiny is now once again in play.

[Gagium]

April 4, 2020
Various Airbases across Southwestern Gagium

With the revolution in COTCORP and the Battle of Salevale raging on, the Gagiumish Airforce continued ramping up sorties against loyalist military positions and outposts in northern COT. As the loyalist forces had been decimated by mass insurgencies and was largely in a state of disarray, the Gagiumish High Command estimated that COTCORP's focus would hardly be on sustaining widespread anti-air detection systems and capabilities - Additionally, High Command predicted that a significant portion of COTCORP anti-air vehicles and equipment would be seized by the serfs. However, it was entirely possible for the uneducated serfs to mistake Gagiumish planes for COTCORP planes and make the warzone even more of a mess.

Regardless, it was decided to use Gagium's aging B-52 bomber jet supply to carry out mass bombing of loyalist held positions and remaining factories producing goods that were being sent to the COTCORP Army. For this, four B-52 bomber wings were activated, which would carry out bombing missions from April the 4th to the 20th ideally. They would be escorted by four wings of Harper A multirole fighter jets and a wing of Eostrix air superiority fighters. Though the Gagiumish airforce had an excessive amount of B-52s in storage, they didn't have a large amount of unguided bombs themselves, so these bombing runs would be relatively sparse (But there still would be plenty in the span of 16 days).

The pilots of the jet escorts were strictly told not to fire on any position not manned by the COTCORP army - This, of course, included any serf positions. However, they were authorized to take out any anti-air gun that attempts to fire on them, regardless of the owner - It would be very difficult to tell from the air anyways.

Naval Base Forguard

At Gagium's largest naval base, the GNS Visenda, one of Gagium's two Amphibious Assault Ships currently in service, lay moored. However, the scene around the proud vessel was not a quiet one, but a very, very busy scene. Armored vehicles one by one slowly made their way into the GNS Visenda, as other supplies and soldiers were loaded onboard. On the deck were both attack helicopters, transport helicopters, and a small amount of Harper fighter jets, along with dozens of crewmen making final preparations for the Visenda's trip. Three LCAC landing crafts would be used to initially ferry 180 soldiers, six APCs, and four MRAPs of the Tenth Marine Expeditionary Battalion into Northern COTCORP territory through the bay that divided COTCORP and Costa Rica2. After the beachhead is secured, an additional 8 humvees and 40 soldiers would be ferried by four heavy-lift transport helicopters and four utility helicopters from the Visenda to the landing zone.

Once the landing was completed, the Tenth MEB was tasked with locating smaller pockets of serf insurgents and disrupting COTCORP operations and supply lines with their aid. Spare clothes, military rations, water, and armored carrier vests as well as ammunition and weapons would be given to the serf insurgents by the Tenth MEB - It was likely that they had little beyond crude clothes and stolen weaponry. Ideally, the two forces together would be enough to cripple unprotected COTCORP supply lines initially. After 1630 hours since the Visenda's landing, utility helicopters and transport helicopters (Think chinooks) ferried from the mainland to the carriers of the First Carrier Defense Group were to provide an additional 200 soldiers along with supplies and rations needed to sustain the operation.

A day before these landings, Harper and Eostrix fighters would begin a series of heavy bombing raids on whatever COTCORP military units still operated in the area - Surviving anti-air systems would be the primary target. The raids would last until both the initial landing and the reinforcements had been safely transported. They carried radiation-seeking missiles, guided bombs, and air-to-air missiles incase of attack from COTCORP jet fighters, as well as a few radar jamming pods on the Eostrix fighters.

Regardless, this all was merely the plan - It was yet to be seen whether it would succeed or not. The GNS Visenda pulled out of port at 0100 hours on the 5th of April along with a destroyer and two frigates. Two frigates from the First Carrier Defense Group split off to meet with GNS Visenda's task force shortly after. Ideally, the GNS Visenda would arrive at the landing zone by 1800 hours, and at 2100 hours on the 5th the first initial landing would commence.

[Washingtonian Republic]

19 April 2020
Air Base Fort Independence

Defense Director William Fugate and Air Force Chief Secretary Samuel Stark strolled down an aircraft hanger, accompanied by Presidential Guardsmen. Fugate had requested to see the conditions of their most advanced bomber aircraft, the Liberty Aerospace B-417, a winged behemoth that overshadowed the far older B-52 with near unlimited range against any target.

Limited in numerical capacity, partly a repercussion of manufacturing their fission hybrid turbine batteries, B-417 still provided the Continental Air Force a strategic advantage over their opponents. The aircraft had a few concerns with the management of their fission batteries, mainly the shielding of the crew from the actual reactor.

This was of great concern for the Defense Director William Fugate and Director-General Kenneth Marshall, as the recent conflict between Gagium and the The COT Corporation drew further towards their borders, Fort Independence was within a few miles of COTCORP. The Washingtonian Republic held to its decades old foreign policy of "armed neutrality" while using the Continental Armed Forces to only further the nation's strategic and economic interests.

In recent proceedings, disagreements sparked over the "Lend Lease Act", which would permit Gagium and the The COT Corporation to purchase domestically manufactured arms from Yankee military contractors. Marshall support for Lend Lease was uncertain, a few members of the Board of Directors had voiced their affirmation of the act.

Time would tell if the Washingtonian Republic would need to take up arms for its own security.

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

He yelled to his soldiers, who quickly rushed to their posts. They began to look up in the sky, noticing a sound. B-1 Bombers. Down in the streets, soldiers were rushing to the soon-to-be-flanked areas of the city. They were a large force, and could likely take the might of the flankers. But they couldn't take the might of the bombers. Several radar-guided anti-aircraft missiles were shot up, but most of them were either distracted by chaff or by the F-15s that escorted the bombers. This was the first blow. The bombers began to drop their loads, unleashing them along the streets that the soldiers were crowding. Not only would this kill hundreds of soldiers, but it would block many a path towards the flanks. The bombs also caused several buildings to topple, obstructing pathways. Now the revolutionaries were blocked from defending the flank, at least quickly, and blocked from getting medical help. The death toll of the bombing was an estimated 1000.
By the end of this, the Loyalists had successfully surrounded the city, cutting off vital supply lines.

---

Howmi, Revolutionary COT
4th April, 2020

The Polish were met with fire - a dying fire. The previous Gagiumish attack had weakened the city's defences, and the damage caused by the Polish craft only added to that. With a few more steps, the city would be in Revolutionary hands. However, Bale wasn't one of those steps.

He had received the message, and was heaving some belongings into a reusable bag. His wife and children stood silently at the door, waiting for him. He finished packing, and they set off. Due to his low involvement in the military, and the varying degree of respect the soldiers had for him, he couldn't order anyone to step down. They crept towards where the Polish were, and waited for a command.

Howmi
Bale and his family were met by a gruff sergeant, his facial features obscured by a ski mask.
"Took yer long 'nuf." he grunted, in a thick accent. "roight, we're movin'."
He and a few other troops guided Bale and his family onto the Chinook, and the helicopters took off. Around that time, 4 Tu-95 Heavy Bombers would drone overhead, and release massive amounts of bombs onto the city, drawing attention away from them as they escaped.

Meanwhile, the battalion of Fallschirmjaegers began to move out, and began heading to rebel-held lines.

Saledale
Always account for variable change.
An encirclement is an encirclement, true. But...dear god, Sloppy, sloppy.

The scream of jet engines announced death for the loyalists. Prussian-Polish F-22s, F-14s, and F-15s were on the scene in a flash. Their own missiles far outranged those of COT, while ranges extending into hundreds of nautical miles. The COT F-15s would find themselves with an enemy they could not properly see, whilist being painted by AWACS aircraft they could not reach.

Following up on the fighters were strike aircraft-Su-25s and A-7 Intruders, striking all across the line.

Then, finally, the drone of transport aircraft, as several brigades of airborne infantry basically appeared right behind the COT troops, smashing into their exposed rear.

The siege of Saledale, having just begun, was now being relieved.

[Costa Rica2]

Newly inaguarated Ronald Reagan says he is excited for the soon to be opened national stock market

[Fluvannia]

With a week and a half left until the biennial Fluvannia House of Delegates election, campaigning is reaching its fever pitch. Five hundred delegates -- that's one for roughly every 38,800 Fluvannian men, women, and children -- to be elected, each on the approval voting system. The candidate with the highest net vote total (that is, the highest number when No votes are subtracted from Yes votes) will carry their district -- with runoffs between the top two candidates if no one achieves a majority of Yes votes cast, and the top four if no one achieves 25%. Write-in votes are allowed, provided they are not for someone already on the ballot (a write-in is considered a Yes vote by default).

Currently, the coalition government is run by the National Liberal Party and the Center Party, representing the center-right and center of the Fluvannian political spectrum, respectively. With the recent social distancing measures put in place (regarded as unnecessary by many, since the public was generally proactive in their anti-virus efforts) in addition to a slow general buildup of the government apparatus, the Minarchist Party has seen their polling support increase among several demographics, most notably the working class. While the strongly-libertarian MP has traditionally gained little favor with working-class Fluvannians due to policies such as opposition to welfare and social safety nets, these same people have seen their unemployment rate skyrocket when the government-imposed anti-virus measures put many employers either temporarily or permanently out of business.

On the other side of the coin, the ruling coalition has done themselves few favors. They were widely criticized for having not done more to talk the Crown Prince out of committing troops to help defend the COT Corporation against the Polish Prussian Commonwealth, a move that was later found to be based on faulty intel. One thing the coalition parties do have going for them is the nationwide uncertainty due to both the coronavirus and the situation regarding Bayerland and Alenberg. "Don't change a horse mid-stream" has essentially been the admonition in their campaign materials, and it very well may pay off.

[Gagium]

January 19, 2001, 12:31
Sector 115-091, GNS Visenda, Offshore Frigo
Tenth Marine Expeditionary Battalion

Colonel Jacob Durand stuck the fat cigar into his mouth and gave a puff, reclined on a comfortable beach chair. He looked at the calm oceans stretched out in front of him and smiled. The Colonel watched the seagulls of northern Frigo swoop down from their places in the sky to catch food from the ocean as the warm sun beat down on him - Oh, how the Colonel wished he could enjoy his vacation forever. Closing his eyes with the sun shining on him, he dreamed of his eventual retirement and how he would buy a house off the coast of northern Frigo, perhaps on one of the islands that separated the continent from Knat.

His eyes still closed, the Colonel drifted off to sleep. Almost. A tap on his shoulder caused Durand to roll out of his chair and onto the hard metallic surface. Getting up and re-adjusting to his surroundings, his heart dropped as the Colonel realized he was onboard the GNS Visenda, one of the Amphibious Assault Ships serving in the Gagiumish navy. Durand groggily asked the uniformed person in front of him, “What’s going on?”

The person in front of him, who Durand would realize is the Admiral in charge of the vessel, sighed. “You’re needed at the landing craft well. Departure in forty-five minutes. Sorry, Colonel, I understand you’ve been enjoying the stay on our ship.”

The Colonel’s eyes widened. Thanking the Admiral, he darted for his uniform and equipment, muttering to himself, “Fuck..” Pushing people away and yelling at startled soldiers and seamen, he unfortunately ran into his second-in-command, Lieutenant Colonel Ollie Harper (who was already in uniform and properly equipped).

Harper smiled. “Enjoying yourself, Durand? Jesus-christ, we’ll see how well you’re enjoying yourself in an hour, Colonel. No more ocean and sunshine for any of us once we land.”

Durand put his hand on Harper’s shoulder and frowned. “I hate this job.” Shoving past his 2IC, Durand stumbled into his quarters and sighed. He really didn’t hate his job - Hell, he loved being the Colonel of one of Gagium’s most renowned special forces battalions. However, he just wanted to..Ugh, forget it. Remembering the urgency of needing to be at the landing craft well immediately, he slapped on his uniform, grabbed his assault pack, stuffed his cigar pack into the bag with his glock, and stumbled back out into the hall. He began running again…

January 19, 2001, 13:18
Sector 117-109, LCAC Three, Frigo Coast

Colonel Durand frowned as he looked at the calm oceans stretched out in front of him. The seagulls were still there, and the sun was still shining, but he wasn’t reclined on his beach chair anymore - No, unfortunately he was surrounded by dozens of other soldiers on a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) heading for the rocky shoreline of Frigo. The Colonel looked at the GNS Visenda and frigates behind the LCAC fleet - He swore that he could see his beach chair still on the deck of the vessel.

Now, looking the other way, the Colonel peered at the Frigo coastline. It was rocky, barren, and apparently deserted. Why was the Tenth Battalion on this operation? Durand knew why, but he still was in disbelief with what they were tasked with - Hunting down terrorists hiding in the Frigo exterior that probably didn’t exist, on behalf of a bunch of Gagiumish oil corporations who claimed that they were disrupting operations. Yeah right.

Several utility helicopters passed over the landing craft as they finally hit the coastline. Vehicles and men poured out of the craft as the helicopters touched down on the rough sand, and the Tenth Battalion began unloading equipment and men off of the helicopters. The Colonel strolled out and turned his gaze to Lieutenant Colonel Harper, who smiled at what he thought was Durand’s disgust. However, he wasn’t disgusted, no - Durand actually usually enjoyed landings, and they’ve done many landings before across the world.

With the necessary equipment loaded into the MRAPs and humvees, the helicopters departed from the beachhead, flying in formation back to the fleet. The Tenth Battalion were officially on their own to carry out the mission, with all the supplies they would need to locate the terrorists, set up camp, and destroy the terrorists. The higher ranking and more experienced men got into their vehicles while the grunts walked alongside the vehicle convoy, and with that the Tenth Marine Expeditionary Battalion jumped into motion, leaving the beachhead through a dirt road that would take them into what was called The Expanse.

January 19, 2001, 19:00
The Expanse

‘The Expanse’, also referred to as the Frigo Expanse, was an area stretching hundreds of miles above the FCN Antarctic Territory largely covered in massive pine forests or ice that wasn’t claimed by any national entity. Because many scientists had to travel through the Expanse to reach the Antarctic Territory, and there were actually people - Hundreds of thousands of them - who did live in the Expanse, there were roads and towns across the territory. However, few of the roads were paved, and the towns across the Expanse were often decades, if not hundreds of years, behind in technology. Few of the towns of the Expanse were equipped with cellular and connected to the internet, and many of the militias operated by these towns on the Expanse were still equipped with rudimentary weaponry, such as bows or old rifles.

However, there were some modern cities in the Expanse that did have most modern amenities and were connected by paved roads and railways. They had well-equipped rifles that utilized aircraft, modern rifles, armored vehicles, and sometimes even guided missiles purchased from one country or another, often Logon. One of the largest cities in the Expanse, Kentbranch, had a population of 90,000 settlers, most of whom descended from a Gagiumish religious mission to the territory in the 1800s. Because of this, they were often friendly and supportive of any Gagiumish military or scientific operations near the city, and hopefully they would be friendly towards the Tenth Marine Battalion’s mission as well.

Many of the soldiers walking along the convoy cheered when the dirt road was replaced by pavement and road signs, many of them decades old, began popping up along the road. Fifty miles to Kentbranch, the first one said. Forty-five miles to Kentbranch. Occasionally, the line of soldiers would notice a log cabin or a house alongside the road, sometimes with an old, rusted car in its driveway. A few people, hearing the unfamiliar rumble of a dozen engines, would come out and stare at the Gagiumish soldiers. Others would lock their doors, fearing the intentions of the unfamiliar visitors.

After hours of civilization slowly re-appearing, the vehicles stopped at an intersection. A dirt road branched from the highway to Kentbranch at this point, advertising a diner and rest stop. Deciding this would be a good place to rest for the night, Colonel Durand ordered his convoy onto the dirt road, and after roughly half a mile, they found their rest stop. Parking the convoy’s humvees and MRAPs besides the diner, the Colonel prepared to settle down for the night. Some of his soldiers walked into the diner to order a “meal”, while others checked out the shop, soon leaving in disgust after realizing its food shelves were empty.

(To be continued, maybe - This was sent for WP's writing contest)

[The COT Corporation]

Once again, the Prussian troops made great headway in their re-takeover. The cut offs to the city were smashed, with the Loyalist retreating to the beaches, only to be attacked by the Revolutionaries. With no further Loyalist presence in Saledale, the Revolutionaries who had been in Howmi began to advance downwards towards the capital. On their way, they pressured Loyalist forces downwards, but were met with fire. However, the Revolutionaries pressed from all sides and eventually won. The straight between Saledale and Howmi was no longer in Loyalist hands. Already, temporary transport lines had been set up from Howmi to Saledale, which would greatly increase the efficiency of the revolution. The revolutionaries also began performing air raids on Southern Loyalist troops, weakening their forces for in a preemptive strike. Afterwords, the revolutionaries began a major attack on Helvenshire bay with Prussian aid, splitting in half the Loyalist forces. From there, the Revolutionaries would push downwards to the very south of COT, and with more aid, knock out the Loyalists. All they needed now was for the Prussians, and possibly even the Gagiumish, to provide support in a last attack on the beachfront Loyalist stronghold between Helvenshire and Saledale.

In the meantime, a Revolutionary government was being partially set up. John Belt was the nominated leader of the revolutionaries - he'd been a prominent activist for the serfs, and had coordinated many of the earliest attacks. He wasn't a serf himself, but was on a stratum nearly as low. He'd been declared "Prime Minister", after a short vote by some of the attack coordinators. Was this the start of a new era in COT politics?

[Huvakia]

The Huvakian economy has largely ground to a halt in the face of pervasive social restrictions aimed at combating the virus currently sweeping the globe. While the immediate danger of the virus is seemingly In decline it retains the potential to resurge further endangering the public. Despite this many imperial citizens and government officials are calling for restrictions to be re-evaluated. With limited food and hemp product shortages the agricultural sector is exerting all its influence to reopen port facilities, restoring vital imports from Horikoru. Likewise many other industries are waiting for component shipments to arrive from Eldrado. With pressure mounting from a significant portion of the nation, the Imperial Parliament has submitted an official “Order by Will of the People” to the Emperor aimed at commencing a limited return to operation starting next week. Emperor Zaetsev is expected to comply with the order which should see vital industries moving again. Some health officials have cautioned that these measures shouldn’t be perceived as a return to normal. They clarify it as a first step on a road to recovery, citizens should continue to practice social distancing and follow government guidelines.

[Logon]

Saledale

“The Prime Minister is ready for you.” smiled a pretty blonde receptionist, leading George Ambrose into a simple office.

“Mr. Prime Minster…” began Ambrose, shaking Prime Minister John Belt’s hand. The Premier of a fledgling revolutionary government was dressed simply, in not much more than a day laborer’s clothes, a stark contrast to the neat and well pressed dark gray suit, blue shirt, and red tie of Ambrose.

“Please sit.” said Belt, gesturing towards a chair, which Ambrose promptly sat in, “Forgive me, but I do not see the purpose of this meeting, given that Victoria has yet to recognize my government.”

“Well such a lack of recognition need not be permanent, but recognition of course would be subject to your government’s control over your claimed territory.”

Shifting in his chair, Belt said “Ah yes, we are having some difficulty in that regard.”

“We know Mr. Prime Minister. And we can help in that regard. Firstly, we can sell you weapons.”

That gathered the Prime Minister’s attention, and he said “Oh?” and gestured for Ambrose to continue.

“Well we can give you a standard Expeditionary Unit Package,” said Ambrose, removing a folder of pictures and handing it to the Prime Minister, who opened it and removed a picture of a tank.

“An M23C?”

“Templar MBT. 120 millimeter gun, 160 miles of off road range, composite reactive armor capable of repelling armor piercing rounds, crew of four. First models rolled off the production line back in ‘98. A fine machine, and one purchase comes with 15 units.”

“Excellent. And this?” said the Prime Minister holding up a picture of a rifle and a basic set of body armor.

“Aldrin 3 assault rifle, effective firing range of nearly 1500 feet, 5.56mm round capable of piercing common body armor. Along side that you’ll get a standard MP vest, enough to equip 2500 men, and you get cheap deals for resupply.”

“MPs? Not even standard infantry?”

“It’ll stop a smaller caliber weapon and shrapnel. If you want infantry models it’ll cost you.”

“Nevermind. What’ll it cost now?”

“75 million dollars. Cheap price, but we can add on some upgraded vehicles, armor, or more units as you see fit. This is barebones. I’d offer you more but seeing how you’re a revolutionary government…”


The Prime Minister bristled underneath at that comment before realizing that the Logonian was right. Logon had the privilege of domestic peace for most of the last century, a thriving democratic system, and a wealthy tax base. His government had none of that.

“We’ll take two of those to try, 150 million?”

“Yes. Now, there is another matter of interest to my government of course.”

“And that is?”

Ambrose slid a map across the desk and pointed to a coastal village. “We want to help you take this town.”

“Altown?”

“Yes. Linchpin of the Loyalist defenses. Anti-air and resupply depot means that if it falls defeating the Loyalists gets a lot less hard. We have a patrol that can be there within the hour, far faster than any Gagium or Prussian forces can. A gesture of good faith, we’re asking your permission before we land troops.”

“Invasion?”

“No, a raid. Marines will land and move through the town and disable hostile anti-air guns and supply storage, and leave.”

“Very well. Do as necessary.”

UDS Gozon

Five littoral combat ships and a amphibious assault ship glided through the smooth blue water of the COT Corp shoreline.

Weapons Officer First Class Sarah Lester looked over the map of Altown, a small village on the shore. The captain of the ship, Captain Berkoski, was pointing at the display with a finger at a dock section, formerly used for fishing boats.

“Here is the marine landing site. Under no circumstances will you fire directly on the site once the landing craft disembark, but you are free to engage everywhere else, outside of grid square Blue 17.” said Berkoski, pointing at what appeared to be a compound (local governor, perhaps?) towards the eastern end of the town.

“Why not fire on Blue 17?” asked a young gunner, junior grade.

“Because you were ordered not to. We believe there are possible civilians left in the compound. Now, continuing on, once our troops begin advancing you are to hold your fire only when you know for a fact there are no friendly forces or whenever ordered to fire by ground forces. Clear?”

“Yes sir Captain!” rang a chorus of gunners.

Thirty Six Minutes Later...

A dulled vibration rang through the ship as the Gozon fired her 45mm cannon towards Altown.

“Cannon reloaded.” said the automated female voice on the computer, reporting that the autoloader had finished its job.

Weapons Officer Lester pulled the trigger again and watched on the camera has a clocktower exploded, due to concern regarding snipers. She looked at the other side of her interface, showing her real time footage and a GPS map of the battlefield, several green dots, friendlies, were moving down the main street.Suddenly, a transmission came over the Communications Officer Gideon’s comm, saying, in a static filled transmission;

”This is Yankee 1 actual, we are pinned down in grid square Green 02, I repeat we are-

Grid Square Green 02

“-pinned down by hostile machine gun fire in grid square Green 02, how copy?”

“Yankee 1 actual this is Gozon, we are receiving your targeting laser. Computers are starting a firing solution right now, hold tight, bringing the rain in thirty seconds.”

“Copy. Sir!” said private Hawthorne, calling for Captain Groves. “Sir, Gozon is going to bring the rain in thirty!”

Captain Groves looked around. Several marines were down while the others were pinned down by machine gun fire. One of the APCs was destroyed. With most of the marines mounted on trucks, the heavy machine gun would shred the convoy. A private nearby screamed for his mother while corpsmen bent over him, treating a nasty wound that left blood visible against the pale green and brown camouflage of the Logonian Marines standard issue fatigues.

A boom in the distance sounded and not a second later the building housing the machine gun exploded into dust and began to collapse, to the cheering of the marines. Moving up, several trucks began to split off from the designated route.

“Uh Captain, who are those guys? The hell kinda rifles are they carrying?” asked Private Hawthorne.

Groves looked and indeed the soldiers carried AGR-12s, as opposed to the standard issue Aldrin-3.

“Probably spec-ops. They usually care those.”

“You think they’re SWORD sir?”

SWORD was a legendary, near mythical unit, in the Logonian Armed Forces. Many rumors had been spread about SWORD in the past, most contradicting others. There however were a few constants, if the unit really existed:

-SWORD was a part of the now defunct Special World Operations, a military command sect that was founded in the 1960s and folded into the Strategic Defense Council in 1978. SWORD was their Reconnaissance Division, hence the name Special World Operations, Reconnaissance Division.
-SWORD was small and hyper-elite, made up of the best of the best of Tier One units, and was sometimes dubbed “Tier Zero”.
-SWORD units existed outside of the main chain of command and conventional military, reporting directly to the Chancellor, Strategic Defense Council, and Secretary of Defense, and carrying out missions only those entities authorized.

“Of course not, private. SWORD doesn’t really exist if you ask me, just a dumb rumor. Even if they did, what the hell would make them come out here? My bet is that they’re just a part of the 72nd.”, said Groves, referencing the Marines elite 72nd regiment.

Grid Square Blue 17

SWORD Operative Major ****** picked up a radio and called the chairman of the Strategic Defense Council and Secretary of Defense, John Rhodes.

“Mr. Secretary?”

“Ah, good to hear from you Sapphire One. Do you have the target?”

“Yes sir.” replied ******, glancing over at a blindfolded man in a suit. While the operative didn’t know it, the man had been COT Corp’s unofficial ambassador to Logon, and served as middleman for illegal arms dealing between the United Duchies and the COT Corp. He had the only data able to prove it, and terrorist and insurgent connections to the COT Corp gave Logon plausible deniability of having sent arms in the first place. After all, Logon had sold weapons and vehicles to legal buyers in the past, it wasn’t crazy to think that perhaps these legal buyers had “misplaced” equipment. Either way, this man held the key to implicating the Logonian government.

“Good job Sapphire. The Marines are mopping up, they’ve destroyed the supply caches and AA guns and are getting the hell out of dodge before more Loyalists show up. I advise you to do the same. Burn everything, we have a Cormorant (OOC: V22 Osprey) en route for evac.”

“Everything?”

“Yes. Everything. The HVI is now an HVT.”

“Yes sir.” sighed the major, pulling his service pistol out of its holster. He took aim at the man’s head and shot once. The man promptly fell over.

“Alright team let’s go! Burn this place and let’s move out.”

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

COT
The 2nd Guards Cuirassiers Regiment(al combat group).

The Guards Corps were ancient, dating all the way back to the old Holy Roman Empire. The Guards Cuirassiers in particular had started out as 2 different units-the Winged Hussars, a group of elite heavy cavalry serving the King of Poland, and the Prussian Cuirassiers.

Over time, the technology changed, but the memories did not. Battle after glorious battle; many times the regiment had set off, and many times it had crushed resistance beneath the iron-shod hooves of their steeds.
The sole change now, was that the steeds were of steel and iron and ceramic, and instead of lances, they now carried 120mm smoothbore guns.
The establishment of complete and total aerial dominance over COT made flying in the Regimental Combat a piece of cake. Massive amounts of transport aircraft scrambled and flew overtime to get move in the 2nd Cuirassiers, and soon, the entire group was in.

Upon arrival, the Combat Group would immediately smash into the remaining loyalist troops between Helvenshire and Saledale.