Heart of the Middle-East [OPEN | MT-PMT](IC)

[Crescent Commonwealth]

Crescent Commonwealth Headquarters
Istanbul, Republic of Turkey

---

Following an emergency meeting between the delegates of the Crescent Commonwealth, it was announced that they have come forth with a decision. The decision would be announced at a public speech by the Chairman Halime Seljuk in Istanbul. She now thus stands at a podium, behind her the symbol of the Crescent Commonwealth and the flags of its nations. In front of her, a crowd of reporters and other interested parties.

"In the name of God, the most Gracious and the most Merciful. Peace be upon you. My name is Halime Seljuk, current Chairman of the Crescent Commonwealth. We, the Crescent Commonwealth, stand amidst a crisis. A horrific massacre of civilians through the deliberate destruction of vital infrastructure. In light of this tragedy, we have decided it is time to intervene.

This was a horrific tragedy. ; Iraqi civilians across Iraq, even far from the fighting, were enjoying a peaceful morning, when South Iraqi aircraft launched airstrikes on numerous hydroelectric dams. The dams collapsed, and settlements downstream were subjected to massive floods while most of Iraq underwent mass blackouts. We have confirmed at least 342,903 civilian deaths and 1,682,616 people have been injured; while over 8 million other people are unharmed, but still directly affected by the flooding.

This can no longer be allowed to continue. Millions have been affected, and will continue to be affected if we do nothing but stand by and watch. The people of Iraq demand justice, for what can only be equivalent to a genocide. The Republic of Iraq is a staunch member of the Crescent Commonwealth and our ally, and we are expected to come to their aid in their time of need just as they would do the same for us.

We are going to put a stop to this. The Crescent Commonwealth has authorized international intervention against the Islamic Republic of Iraq and its allies. Members of the Crescent Commonwealth may choose to directly intervene or simply provide aid. If unable or unwilling, a state may refrain from doing so; however they cannot stop other member states from acting.

The time to act is now. We are saddened, we are angry, and we are ready to take action. We call upon everyone to do their part, and support the people of Iraq."

[The Selkie]

"Pleasure to meet you too." Altyn replied, as she waited for the helicopter to arrive. Soon after, she boarded it with the Selkie.

By the time she arrived at Baba Gurgur, morning had come, and with it news of the flood. This was bad news, and news that had to be sent to Macduff as soon as possible; they had brought some food and medical supplies, but nothing in the way of construction materials or medicine, the intention being mainly to work with NGOs that would arrive to establish a proper camp. But the flood complicated matters, severely; backup generators ate up fuel that the Task Force needed and could not bring in easily. Neither would the oil well be of any use; crude oil was worthless for Illias.

Altyn's cloud churned over this as she went to meet with the Commander of the Selkie-mercs. She didn't have the answers to these problems; thankfully, though, they weren't hers to solve.

---

Altyn tapped her hip flask and shook her head. "Nah, alcohol's more practical for me." she replied. "Can't get drunk and easy to convert to energy. But thanks for the offer, Commander Ceannai." She grabbed Ayden's hand and shook it, taking care not to crush his hand. "Our unit's headed up here and they'll be setting up a safe zone for the civilians yonder. We don't expect you lot to feed them, but MacDuff says a shared security cordon and whatnot would be nice. He also said that Germans would be arriving to reinforce us soon on the way here."

Baba Gurgur Oil Field, Northern Iraq.
Ayden Ceannaí of the Tribe of Cork.
I nodded at her polite refusal of my offer, but the handshake was firm.
"That can all be arranged, however, we have rather strict mission parameters - the oil pumps and the field itself need to stay out of the reach of the help-seekers.", I replied and nodded, "We already had a few smaller incidents this morning, of people, who didn't get the memo, but we have a handle on it." I let a beat pass. "Your government might also be able to convince the shareholders to donate some of the oil in one form or the other - refined would be better, no question asked, but if we can use it to at least cook meals or something, that'd be a step forward and..."
One of my Onyx Banner -Dolls came rushing up to me, urgency in her stride.
"One moment, please.", I bid Altyn and turned to her, speaking Selkie: "What's wrong, Finny?"
I doubted, that Altyn would need more then a moment to figure out, what we were talking about.
"The Crescent Commonwealth decided to get moving.", she replied and showed me a news article about the...

(Image)

Crescent Commonwealth Headquarters
Istanbul, Republic of Turkey

---

Following an emergency meeting between the delegates of the Crescent Commonwealth, it was announced that they have come forth with a decision. The decision would be announced at a public speech by the Chairman Halime Seljuk in Istanbul. She now thus stands at a podium, behind her the symbol of the Crescent Commonwealth and the flags of its nations. In front of her, a crowd of reporters and other interested parties.

"In the name of God, the most Gracious and the most Merciful. Peace be upon you. My name is Halime Seljuk, current Chairman of the Crescent Commonwealth. We, the Crescent Commonwealth, stand amidst a crisis. A horrific massacre of civilians through the deliberate destruction of vital infrastructure. In light of this tragedy, we have decided it is time to intervene.

This was a horrific tragedy. ; Iraqi civilians across Iraq, even far from the fighting, were enjoying a peaceful morning, when South Iraqi aircraft launched airstrikes on numerous hydroelectric dams. The dams collapsed, and settlements downstream were subjected to massive floods while most of Iraq underwent mass blackouts. We have confirmed at least 342,903 civilian deaths and 1,682,616 people have been injured; while over 8 million other people are unharmed, but still directly affected by the flooding.

This can no longer be allowed to continue. Millions have been affected, and will continue to be affected if we do nothing but stand by and watch. The people of Iraq demand justice, for what can only be equivalent to a genocide. The Republic of Iraq is a staunch member of the Crescent Commonwealth and our ally, and we are expected to come to their aid in their time of need just as they would do the same for us.

We are going to put a stop to this. The Crescent Commonwealth has authorized international intervention against the Islamic Republic of Iraq and its allies. Members of the Crescent Commonwealth may choose to directly intervene or simply provide aid. If unable or unwilling, a state may refrain from doing so; however they cannot stop other member states from acting.

The time to act is now. We are saddened, we are angry, and we are ready to take action. We call upon everyone to do their part, and support the people of Iraq."

The article was written in English, so I handed the Pad down to Altyn.
"That might be of interest to you as well.", I told her. "Things will become a bit more hectic, so we must stand like rocks in the storm." I turned to Finny. "Alert to all units. Dig in until you can't be dug out."
Of course, Marla was looking over the Polish Doll's shoulder.
Finny, meanwhile, nodded and ran off to relay the new orders.

[Dowaesk]

Dowaesk Delegate: "Before we begin our major-scale efforts in the Middle East. We would like to offer opposing nations with certain deals. Non-aggression pacts or certain peace efforts. Anyone interested, please approach and we shall begin negotiations. But we will have you know that we stand with North Iraq no matter what. No sum of money is going to have us turn our backs on our brothers"

"We will negotiate, on condition that you remember that North Iraq was the aggressor, and that South Iraq can, with our aid, wipe the North of the face of the earth, so be respectful and do not make crazy demands. We will stand with the South no matter what."

"We understand. Early, in the conflict. Dowaesk will not be engaging full on full combat with South Iraq. But we will be aiding North Iraq in any way possible. Our current plan is to build a Dowain Base, somewhere in North Iraqi territory, not too far from South Iraq. We will be doing so after we get permission. If we do get permission, we will also be enhancing medical services around the area. If say, one of your soldier is injured, we will help him or her without any prejudice or favoring. And we will also be dropping medical supllies on both South and North Iraqi villages. But we do want something from you in return. Dowaesk is considering, keeping troops stationed in the Arabian Gulf. We will not be attacking South Iraq through there, we just want to make sure that none of your men try to target our mainland. We want to know if you already have any ships or troops there, if yes. Please consider joining forces in order to secure the territory and neutralise rebel forces in the Arabian Gulf. Dowaesk will be compliant with any rules that you put forward, as long as it doesnt prove to be a threat or an obstacle for what we are trying to do. If you have any more demands that you might like from us. Please do tell. And do not betray us in any manner. Or else the consequences will be severe."

[Islamic Holy Sites]

"We will negotiate, on condition that you remember that North Iraq was the aggressor, and that South Iraq can, with our aid, wipe the North of the face of the earth, so be respectful and do not make crazy demands. We will stand with the South no matter what."

"We understand. Early, in the conflict. Dowaesk will not be engaging full on full combat with South Iraq. But we will be aiding North Iraq in any way possible. Our current plan is to build a Dowain Base, somewhere in North Iraqi territory, not too far from South Iraq. We will be doing so after we get permission. If we do get permission, we will also be enhancing medical services around the area. If say, one of your soldier is injured, we will help him or her without any prejudice or favoring. And we will also be dropping medical supllies on both South and North Iraqi villages. But we do want something from you in return. Dowaesk is considering, keeping troops stationed in the Arabian Gulf. We will not be attacking South Iraq through there, we just want to make sure that none of your men try to target our mainland. We want to know if you already have any ships or troops there, if yes. Please consider joining forces in order to secure the territory and neutralise rebel forces in the Arabian Gulf. Dowaesk will be compliant with any rules that you put forward, as long as it doesnt prove to be a threat or an obstacle for what we are trying to do. If you have any more demands that you might like from us. Please do tell. And do not betray us in any manner. Or else the consequences will be severe."

"The IHS would like to put rules for both of us, no one of our two nations will be allowed to send troops to invade into either of the Iraqs, only defensive bases. We will withdraw all invading troops from the North because of the dam bombings, which we were against."

[Dowaesk]

"We understand. Early, in the conflict. Dowaesk will not be engaging full on full combat with South Iraq. But we will be aiding North Iraq in any way possible. Our current plan is to build a Dowain Base, somewhere in North Iraqi territory, not too far from South Iraq. We will be doing so after we get permission. If we do get permission, we will also be enhancing medical services around the area. If say, one of your soldier is injured, we will help him or her without any prejudice or favoring. And we will also be dropping medical supllies on both South and North Iraqi villages. But we do want something from you in return. Dowaesk is considering, keeping troops stationed in the Arabian Gulf. We will not be attacking South Iraq through there, we just want to make sure that none of your men try to target our mainland. We want to know if you already have any ships or troops there, if yes. Please consider joining forces in order to secure the territory and neutralise rebel forces in the Arabian Gulf. Dowaesk will be compliant with any rules that you put forward, as long as it doesnt prove to be a threat or an obstacle for what we are trying to do. If you have any more demands that you might like from us. Please do tell. And do not betray us in any manner. Or else the consequences will be severe."

"The IHS would like to put rules for both of us, no one of our two nations will be allowed to send troops to invade into either of the Iraqs, only defensive bases. We will withdraw all invading troops from the North because of the dam bombings, which we were against."

"Alright. We have a deal."

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

Baba Gurgur Oil Field, Northern Iraq.
Ayden Ceannaí of the Tribe of Cork.
I nodded at her polite refusal of my offer, but the handshake was firm.
"That can all be arranged, however, we have rather strict mission parameters - the oil pumps and the field itself need to stay out of the reach of the help-seekers.", I replied and nodded, "We already had a few smaller incidents this morning, of people, who didn't get the memo, but we have a handle on it." I let a beat pass. "Your government might also be able to convince the shareholders to donate some of the oil in one form or the other - refined would be better, no question asked, but if we can use it to at least cook meals or something, that'd be a step forward and..."
One of my Onyx Banner -Dolls came rushing up to me, urgency in her stride.
"One moment, please.", I bid Altyn and turned to her, speaking Selkie: "What's wrong, Finny?"
I doubted, that Altyn would need more then a moment to figure out, what we were talking about.
"The Crescent Commonwealth decided to get moving.", she replied and showed me a news article about the...
[spoiler=...declaration in Istanbul.]The Crescent Commonwealth has authorized international intervention against the Islamic Republic of Iraq and its allies. Members of the Crescent Commonwealth may choose to directly intervene or simply provide aid. If unable or unwilling, a state may refrain from doing so; however they cannot stop other member states from acting.

The time to act is now. We are saddened, we are angry, and we are ready to take action. We call upon everyone to do their part, and support the people of Iraq."[/blocktext]

The article was written in English, so I handed the Pad down to Altyn.
"That might be of interest to you as well.", I told her. "Things will become a bit more hectic, so we must stand like rocks in the storm." I turned to Finny. "Alert to all units. Dig in until you can't be dug out."
Of course, Marla was looking over the Polish Doll's shoulder.
Finny, meanwhile, nodded and ran off to relay the new orders.[/quote]

Altyn - Baba Gurgur Oil Field, Northern Iraq
Altyn's teeth gritted. "Ah, shit." she muttered. "Ah shit... This is bad. Very, very bad. Uh. Shit, fuck. If the Crescent Commonwealth get's involved things become a thousand times more complicated..."

And then something seemed to click in her head. "Or a thousand times easier. Hang on. Let me get on the horn with MacDuff. Give me a few minutes."

A brief profanity-ridden long-wave radio exchang later, she stepped back in, with a smile. "MacDuff's just a few hours out, and reports came in a few days back of South Reinkalistani ships rounding Gibraltar." she said. "Hope you don't mind us setting up shop right next to you?"

---

The Next Day
As the sun rose, the Selkie-mercs would see a line of reconnisance vehicles heading for a position adjacent to their encampment, with a few hussars and lancers poking their heads out of their Rosomak-IIs to wave at them.

Later in the day more Rosomak-IIs, this time the IFV variants, arrived, with Leopard 3PPs intersped among them. All together, there were 2 brigades of troops; the II Marinebrigade, and the Guards Cuirassiers. Two brigades is a rather large force; somewhere on the magnitude of 6-10k men, for the Commonwealth. That said, their numbers would be utterly dwarfed by the divisions and corps that would be slung around like so much confetti by the warring parties.

Still, 10k men backed by AFVs was nothing to sneeze at, especially when F-35Bs and helicopters began to arrive later into the day, providing them with air support.

The refugees from the flooded areas would find that a camp had been established for them. Food, a roof to sleep under, heating, and clean water were provided; however, the lines would be long, as the Prussian-Polish troops insisted on proper procedure and seemed willing to resort to batons and bayonets were procedure not followed.

A message was also sent to Western NGOs, inviting them to assist in expanding the camp, in providing facilities, or in helping the Prussian-Polish troops process the flood of refugees that was presumably massing.

[Crescent Commonwealth]

The Coalition
The Crescent Commonwealth

---

The Crescent Commonwealth has authorized an intervention in defense of the Republic of Iraq, though not all members are required to intervene. The coalition is led by the Republic of Turkey, and is supported by its satellite states in Albania, Bosnia and Hezregovina, Azerbaijan, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, and the Caliphate. In the Gulf, states such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, fearing Iranian influence support the coalition. States such as Kazakhstan, Oman, and Pakistan are unwilling to damage relations with Iran but have dedicated some aid to the Republic of Iraq. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan are unwilling to damage relations with Iran due to strong economic and cultural ties. The states of Yemen and Lebanon would due to a large Shia population be unwilling to join a war against Shias. Palestine, Sudan, and Somalia would support the coalition if they could; but simply have deeper domestic concerns. Ukraine, Georgia, North Macedonia, and Kosovo find themselves with no reason to involve themselves in such a conflict.

---

Iraq

---

As satellites map the area, reconnaissance drones take flight from various bases in Turkey, Syria, North Iraq, and the Caliphate. These drones perform reconnaissance along the North Iraq region, scanning the battlefield below as well as above. A few are downed near Baghdad and the border with the Islamic Republic of Iraq, but the coalition forces are unrelented and begin to fly drones from Kuwait, the Caliphate, and North Iraq into South Iraq to scan the area and determine the enemy's capabilities. Many are downed, but not before the coalition gathers sufficient intel to begin operations.

Eight flights of sixth generation multirole combat aircraft with some upgrades to be able to match seventh generation aircraft take flight from various airbases. Their first mission, is to establish air superiority in North Iraq.

[Islamic Holy Sites]

(Image)

The Coalition
The Crescent Commonwealth

---

The Crescent Commonwealth has authorized an intervention in defense of the Republic of Iraq, though not all members are required to intervene. The coalition is led by the Republic of Turkey, and is supported by its satellite states in Albania, Bosnia and Hezregovina, Azerbaijan, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, and the Caliphate. In the Gulf, states such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, fearing Iranian influence support the coalition. States such as Kazakhstan, Oman, and Pakistan are unwilling to damage relations with Iran but have dedicated some aid to the Republic of Iraq. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan are unwilling to damage relations with Iran due to strong economic and cultural ties. The states of Yemen and Lebanon would due to a large Shia population be unwilling to join a war against Shias. Palestine, Sudan, and Somalia would support the coalition if they could; but simply have deeper domestic concerns. Ukraine, Georgia, North Macedonia, and Kosovo find themselves with no reason to involve themselves in such a conflict.

---

(Image)

Iraq

---

As satellites map the area, reconnaissance drones take flight from various bases in Turkey, Syria, North Iraq, and the Caliphate. These drones perform reconnaissance along the North Iraq region, scanning the battlefield below as well as above. A few are downed near Baghdad and the border with the Islamic Republic of Iraq, but the coalition forces are unrelented and begin to fly drones from Kuwait, the Caliphate, and North Iraq into South Iraq to scan the area and determine the enemy's capabilities. Many are downed, but not before the coalition gathers sufficient intel to begin operations.

(Image)

Eight flights of sixth generation multirole combat aircraft with some upgrades to be able to match seventh generation aircraft take flight from various airbases. Their first mission, is to establish air superiority in North Iraq.

The IHS starts setting up air defense systems in Iraq, and reconfirms it's support of a peace deal. Islamici fighters and interceptors start to patrol Iraqi airspace.

[Galimencia]

A random border town, South Iraq

A small group of boys in a small border village in South Iraq, who were playing football in the street, were astonished to see a long line of military vehicles passing through their village. These carried soldiers of the 25th Gurkha Regiment of the Galimencian Indican Army. Lead by General Reginald Smith, this army was on their way to a military base in South Iraq to meet up with their Iraqi counterparts and especially a General of South Iraq to brief them about their next course of action. Initially, Galimencia was not supposed to participate in this battle, but all that changed one fateful day.

It was Saturday, 12th June. It was the last day of the joint session of the two houses of the Galimencian parliament for that week. Unlike several other parliamentary democracies, members of both the houses of Galimencia are directly elected by the people. The House of Commons and the House of Lords thus held joint session on the last three working days of the week, that is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On the other days, individual sessions of each house are held. This joint session is by convention, presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons, and not that of the House of Lords. Such an unique system has made Galimencia one of the most inclusive parliamentary democracies in the world.

It was a heated session from the beginning. Galimencian government's support of Southern Iraq has been subjected to intense criticism of the opposition parties. Some claim that a war between two faraway Middle Eastern countries is not Galimencia's concern, as they are already engaged in a brutual conflict with the Boers in Southern Africa. Others claim that it must be ensured that some military support must be sent to the Middle Eastern, but in a neutral fashion, mainly to protect the borders of Galimencian colonies. Even some members of the ruling Conservative Party held the latter view. Some radical members of the Conservative Party however, wanted to participate in the conflict, because they were apprehensive of the Crescent Commonwealth, and wanted to counter it's influence in that region. This policy was also supported by a large number of right wing groups in the country, who felt that if the influence of the Commonwealth was left unchecked, then the Muslims in the Galimencian colonies might rise up against their imperial power.

Even after an intense debate, which resulted in 2 MPs from either side being sent off for abusing each other, no conclusion was reached. Finally, Lord Kauvin came up with an aggrement. According to it, to prevent the loss of life of Galimencian soldiers, the natives only regiment of the Galimencian Indican Army, the 25th Gurkha Regiment shall be sent to aid South Iraq, lead by young and unexperienced general Reginald Smith. Some soldiers of the 5th and 6th Infantry Regiment of the Royal Galimencian Army shall remain as reserves, and shall be rarely used. This particular Gurkha Regiment came under a lot of attention last month, when 15 of their soldiers mutinied and refused to serve under a white skinned European general. Their demand was to serve under a native born general. These soldiers were quickly executed by court martial, but this action was extensively covered by both domestic and foreign media outlets, and caused something of a national humiliation to Galimencia. Thus most of the MPs agreed to this proposal, although few were still against sending any kind of troops in South Iraq. Those were ignored and thus the Parliament passed the motion to intervene in support of South Iraq. Thus Galimencian involvement began, and Galimencia began fighting wars on two separate fronts, one in Asia and the other one in Africa.

[Islamic Holy Sites]

A random border town, South Iraq

A small group of boys in a small border village in South Iraq, who were playing football in the street, were astonished to see a long line of military vehicles passing through their village. These carried soldiers of the 25th Gurkha Regiment of the Galimencian Indican Army. Lead by General Reginald Smith, this army was on their way to a military base in South Iraq to meet up with their Iraqi counterparts and especially a General of South Iraq to brief them about their next course of action. Initially, Galimencia was not supposed to participate in this battle, but all that changed one fateful day.

It was Saturday, 12th June, 2021. It was the last day of the joint session of the two houses of the Galimencian parliament for that week. Unlike several other parliamentary democracies, members of both the houses of Galimencia are directly elected by the people. The House of Commons and the House of Lords thus held joint session on the last three working days of the week, that is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On the other days, individual sessions of each house are held. This joint session is by convention, presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons, and not that of the House of Lords. Such an unique system has made Galimencia one of the most inclusive parliamentary democracies in the world.

It was a heated session from the beginning. Galimencian government's support of Southern Iraq has been subjected to intense criticism of the opposition parties. Some claim that a war between two faraway Middle Eastern countries is not Galimencia's concern, as they are already engaged in a brutual conflict with the Boers in Southern Africa. Others claim that it must be ensured that some military support must be sent to the Middle Eastern, but in a neutral fashion, mainly to protect the borders of Galimencian colonies. Even some members of the ruling Conservative Party held the latter view. Some radical members of the Conservative Party however, wanted to participate in the conflict, because they were apprehensive of the Crescent Commonwealth, and wanted to counter it's influence in that region. This policy was also supported by a large number of right wing groups in the country, who felt that if the influence of the Commonwealth was left unchecked, then the Muslims in the Galimencian colonies might rise up against their imperial power.

Even after an intense debate, which resulted in 2 MPs from either side being sent off for abusing each other, no conclusion was reached. Finally, Lord Kauvin came up with an aggrement. According to it, to prevent the loss of life of Galimencian soldiers, the natives only regiment of the Galimencian Indican Army, the 25th Gurkha Regiment shall be sent to aid South Iraq, lead by young and unexperienced general Reginald Smith. Some soldiers of the 5th and 6th Infantry Regiment of the Royal Galimencian Army shall remain as reserves, and shall be rarely used. This particular Gurkha Regiment came under a lot of attention last month, when 15 of their soldiers mutinied and refused to serve under a white skinned European general. Their demand was to serve under a native born general. These soldiers were quickly executed by court martial, but this action was extensively covered by both domestic and foreign media outlets, and caused something of a national humiliation to Galimencia. Thus most of the MPs agreed to this proposal, although few were still against sending any kind of troops in South Iraq. Those were ignored and thus the Parliament passed the motion to intervene in support of South Iraq. Thus Galimencian involvement began, and Galimencia began fighting wars on two separate fronts, one in Asia and the other one in Africa.

OOC: The war is in 2069

[Galimencia]

A random border town, South Iraq

A small group of boys in a small border village in South Iraq, who were playing football in the street, were astonished to see a long line of military vehicles passing through their village. These carried soldiers of the 25th Gurkha Regiment of the Galimencian Indican Army. Lead by General Reginald Smith, this army was on their way to a military base in South Iraq to meet up with their Iraqi counterparts and especially a General of South Iraq to brief them about their next course of action. Initially, Galimencia was not supposed to participate in this battle, but all that changed one fateful day.

It was Saturday, 12th June, 2021. It was the last day of the joint session of the two houses of the Galimencian parliament for that week. Unlike several other parliamentary democracies, members of both the houses of Galimencia are directly elected by the people. The House of Commons and the House of Lords thus held joint session on the last three working days of the week, that is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On the other days, individual sessions of each house are held. This joint session is by convention, presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons, and not that of the House of Lords. Such an unique system has made Galimencia one of the most inclusive parliamentary democracies in the world.

It was a heated session from the beginning. Galimencian government's support of Southern Iraq has been subjected to intense criticism of the opposition parties. Some claim that a war between two faraway Middle Eastern countries is not Galimencia's concern, as they are already engaged in a brutual conflict with the Boers in Southern Africa. Others claim that it must be ensured that some military support must be sent to the Middle Eastern, but in a neutral fashion, mainly to protect the borders of Galimencian colonies. Even some members of the ruling Conservative Party held the latter view. Some radical members of the Conservative Party however, wanted to participate in the conflict, because they were apprehensive of the Crescent Commonwealth, and wanted to counter it's influence in that region. This policy was also supported by a large number of right wing groups in the country, who felt that if the influence of the Commonwealth was left unchecked, then the Muslims in the Galimencian colonies might rise up against their imperial power.

Even after an intense debate, which resulted in 2 MPs from either side being sent off for abusing each other, no conclusion was reached. Finally, Lord Kauvin came up with an aggrement. According to it, to prevent the loss of life of Galimencian soldiers, the natives only regiment of the Galimencian Indican Army, the 25th Gurkha Regiment shall be sent to aid South Iraq, lead by young and unexperienced general Reginald Smith. Some soldiers of the 5th and 6th Infantry Regiment of the Royal Galimencian Army shall remain as reserves, and shall be rarely used. This particular Gurkha Regiment came under a lot of attention last month, when 15 of their soldiers mutinied and refused to serve under a white skinned European general. Their demand was to serve under a native born general. These soldiers were quickly executed by court martial, but this action was extensively covered by both domestic and foreign media outlets, and caused something of a national humiliation to Galimencia. Thus most of the MPs agreed to this proposal, although few were still against sending any kind of troops in South Iraq. Those were ignored and thus the Parliament passed the motion to intervene in support of South Iraq. Thus Galimencian involvement began, and Galimencia began fighting wars on two separate fronts, one in Asia and the other one in Africa.

OOC: The war is in 2069

OOC: Oops! Sorry, editing my response. Just to be clear, in my canon, the war is happening in the year 2021. Nobody has to be play by my canon, but still I am making this known. In any case, I'll try to avoid mentioning dates in my future posts.

[Islamic Holy Sites]

OOC: The war is in 2069

OOC: Oops! Sorry, editing my response. Just to be clear, in my canon, the war is happening in the year 2021. Nobody has to be play by my canon, but still I am making this known. In any case, I'll try to avoid mentioning dates in my future posts.

OOC: Okay then, thanks for clarifying, it shall be known in my canon as we entered another, alternate universe.

[Crescent Commonwealth]

South Iraq Joint Command
Islamic Republic of Iraq

---

With the authorization of intervention by the Crescent Commonwealth, the Islamic Republic of Iraq now faces a dilemma of a potential invasion. While the forces of the Republic of Iraq have proven incompetent, the forces of the Republic of Turkey and its allies have participated in numerous successful engagements across the Middle East and beyond. Iraq was mostly flatland, and would be very easy to invade and occupy. They would have to play their cards right, or they may very well lose their independence as well as their only chance at reunifying Iraq.

Their powerful allies might be able to help in this regard. Alone, or even with Iran and its allies; the Islamic Republic of Iraq stood no chance against the Crescent Commonwealth.

"Gentlemen, now that CresCom has mobilized; we'll have to play our cards right. They haven't arrived in Iraq yet, so that's good. Let's keep it that way. We've shot down a couple of reconnaissance drones, so we can assume they're preparing for a big operation. We're guessing that they plan to transport troops into Iraq via air, the fastest way possible. If any of you have fifth to seventh generation fighters, you'll be free to base them at our airbases so that we can challenge their air superiority while our ground troops surge through the Republic of Iraq. The Republic of Iraq's forces are crippled, so as long as they don't get the CresCom reinforcements, we should be able to go as far up north as Kurdistan."

[New Finnish Republic]

June 14, 2069
Al-Anbar Province
International Relief Zone
Camp White Dove

---

As the sun slowly began to sink under the sand-swept desert plains, Major Koski let out a small relieved sigh as he wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his brow. Even with the night quickly approaching, the heat was still almost unbearable for the middle aged man. Compared to the relatively mild temperatures he had been experiencing in the Lapland only a few weeks ago, the difference in temperature was staggering. It didn't help that he and the rest of the headquarters staff had spent the day sitting practically shoulder to shoulder in a room that only had a pair of small fans to keep them cool. Granted, they had it better than the enlisted men, many of which had spent the day out in the baking sun constructing fortifications around the area, so he supposed he couldn't complain too much.

Under the direction of the World Assembly, Koski and the men and women of the Utti Jaeger Brigade had been sent to the region with the mission of establishing a neutral ground between the two warring Iraqi states that would help distribute aid to the civilian populations that had been caught up in the conflict. While initially things had been relatively simple as the majority of the fighting had subsided by the time they had arrived, the recent floods caused by the bombing of Northern Iraqi dams had complicated the matters immensely. Simply put, there was simply not enough aid they could provide to the floods of war refugees that found their way into the camp. Many of the field medics had been relegated to aiding the Red Cross and Red Crescent doctors that did what they could, but the large collection of black body bags on the outskirts of the camp showed that not even that was enough. Discussions were already under way of closing off further entrance to the camp in order to ensure that their current population could still be cared for, but it was a touchy subject to say the least.

In terms of security, Koski and the officers underneath him were increasingly becoming alarmed at the recent uptick in movement from the various military forces in the region. While it had been announced to all parties involved that they were there as a neutral force, the fact that they were positioned in a advantageous location that overlooked the major roads of travel that ran across the area had painted a large crosshair on their backs from both sides. Should any major movement commence from either direction, there would be no doubt that one side or the other would demand they vacate. And given his current orders, Koski would have to refuse, which meant that it was possible that someone would attempt to take it by force.

In light of this, Koski had been doing what he could to shore up the defenses of what could be considered their forward operating base. They had done well enough, given what resources had been allocated to them. They had managed to assemble a rough boundary wall around their location, fortified with HESCO barriers that held sentry posts at every hundred yards that gave them three-hundred sixty degrees of firing lanes. A pair of eighty-one millimeter sat nested in even further fortified firing positions, and they had enough support weapons to make any opposing force think twice about assaulting the area.

Still, all of this did little to quell Koski's worries. While they could reasonably handle a smaller detachment of lightly armed infantry or mechanized forces, he knew all it would take for their location to be overrun would be a sizeable force of heavily armored units or even a sustained aerial bombardment. When Koski had brought up these concerns to his superiors, he was informed that such an action would not be taken against him and his forces, but Koski was far from eased from their words. Thus, he would be forced to deal with whatever may come against them with what they had, and could only pray that his worst fears did not become his reality.

[Dowaesk]

OOC: What happened? Is the war dead?

[Crescent Commonwealth]

OOC: What happened? Is the war dead?

OOC: CresCom deployed fighters to establish air superiority so they can safely deploy troops and the South wants its allies to deploy fighters to seize air superiority so that they can't do that

[Islamic Holy Sites]

The IHS sends fighters to SI for defending it’s airspace.

[Crescent Commonwealth]

Iraqi Skies

---

A fighter pilot places the photo of his sweetheart on the controls of his plane. A cheesy scene only seen in old war movies, Ali thought; yet here he was, placing a photo of his beloved Khadijah and their daughter Lina on the controls of his plane. He smirked, as clouds across the bright blue sky flew past his windshield while the desert below stretched far into the vast horizon. The radars only showed himself and his squadron. The radio buzzed with life every now and then, breaking the silence to deliver messages from either the squadron or the support and maintenance crews.

"This is Major Junayd. Status check? Over."

Ali looked around him. There was nothing around him except endless blue sky and clouds. He looked at the computer radars. Nothing. "Second Lieutenant Ali to Major Junayd. Over."

"Roger that. Stay alert. Reports indicate Turkish, Jordanian, and Syrian drones have been spotted in the area. Over."

"Only other flying objects here are clouds Major, and the only enemies are down below. Over."

"Still better to keep an eye out. Remember what the Turkish Airforce did in the last war? Over."

"Well they haven't seen any dogfighters like us Major. They won't know what's coming-"

The radar lights up. An incoming projectile at hypersonic speeds. For a moment, they hear it howling through the air. It flies too fast for them to see it, and they can barely catch a glimpse of barely even a blur. Bright lights flash accompanied by a massive boom, and the static on the radio going wild. There is a ringing in their ears. "Major!"

There is no response. The area where his fighter once was, was now a cloud of smoke. They didn't even see it coming. There was a brief splitsecond of silence, as Ali almost felt his heart stop. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. His hairs stood up as his own breath escaped him into a gasp, and even as he flew his fighter across the sky he couldn't help but turn into the direction of his longtime friend's plane. "Major!"

"All flights, this is Captain Bahadur. I am taking command. We need to regroup and-"

Ali almost screamed through the comms as he sped his plane into the direction from which the missile was fired. While the stealth fighter jets employed by the West and the Crescent Commonwealth were not as maneuverable as some of their counterparts and not well equipped for dogfighting, they were usually undetectable until an attack had been launched. However, this fighter had launched an attack; and made its general position somewhat detectible. It was likely that right after an attack, these kind of fighter jets would have immediately retreated so Ali put all his fuel into speeding towards the enemy before they could do so.

Then, there it was. The silhouette of the plane that took his friend. He gripped the trigger, and was prepared to pull it. Then, a bright flash of light and ringing in the ears. Then, nothing.

"العمى" Bahadur watches and listens from his cockpit. Ali disappears on both radio and sonar. A cloud of smoke. A CresCom fighter jet flies past it. Ash falls from the sky. He grabs his radio. "This is Captain Bahadur of the Iraqi Airforce, requesting immediate backup! My squadron and I were patrolling Baghdad airspace when we were attacked by CresCom stealth multirole fighter jets. Over."

[Islamic Holy Sites]

(Image)

Iraqi Skies

---

A fighter pilot places the photo of his sweetheart on the controls of his plane. A cheesy scene only seen in old war movies, Ali thought; yet here he was, placing a photo of his beloved Khadijah and their daughter Lina on the controls of his plane. He smirked, as clouds across the bright blue sky flew past his windshield while the desert below stretched far into the vast horizon. The radars only showed himself and his squadron. The radio buzzed with life every now and then, breaking the silence to deliver messages from either the squadron or the support and maintenance crews.

"This is Major Junayd. Status check? Over."

Ali looked around him. There was nothing around him except endless blue sky and clouds. He looked at the computer radars. Nothing. "Second Lieutenant Ali to Major Junayd. Over."

"Roger that. Stay alert. Reports indicate Turkish, Jordanian, and Syrian drones have been spotted in the area. Over."

"Only other flying objects here are clouds Major, and the only enemies are down below. Over."

"Still better to keep an eye out. Remember what the Turkish Airforce did in the last war? Over."

"Well they haven't seen any dogfighters like us Major. They won't know what's coming-"

The radar lights up. An incoming projectile at hypersonic speeds. For a moment, they hear it howling through the air. It flies too fast for them to see it, and they can barely catch a glimpse of barely even a blur. Bright lights flash accompanied by a massive boom, and the static on the radio going wild. There is a ringing in their ears. "Major!"

There is no response. The area where his fighter once was, was now a cloud of smoke. They didn't even see it coming. There was a brief splitsecond of silence, as Ali almost felt his heart stop. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. His hairs stood up as his own breath escaped him into a gasp, and even as he flew his fighter across the sky he couldn't help but turn into the direction of his longtime friend's plane. "Major!"

"All flights, this is Captain Bahadur. I am taking command. We need to regroup and-"

Ali almost screamed through the comms as he sped his plane into the direction from which the missile was fired. While the stealth fighter jets employed by the West and the Crescent Commonwealth were not as maneuverable as some of their counterparts and not well equipped for dogfighting, they were usually undetectable until an attack had been launched. However, this fighter had launched an attack; and made its general position somewhat detectible. It was likely that right after an attack, these kind of fighter jets would have immediately retreated so Ali put all his fuel into speeding towards the enemy before they could do so.

Then, there it was. The silhouette of the plane that took his friend. He gripped the trigger, and was prepared to pull it. Then, a bright flash of light and ringing in the ears. Then, nothing.

"العمى" Bahadur watches and listens from his cockpit. Ali disappears on both radio and sonar. A cloud of smoke. A CresCom fighter jet flies past it. Ash falls from the sky. He grabs his radio. "This is Captain Bahadur of the Iraqi Airforce, requesting immediate backup! My squadron and I were patrolling Baghdad airspace when we were attacked by CresCom stealth multirole fighter jets. Over."

Hearing of the incident, the IHS decided to set up SAM systems in SI.

[The Selkie]

Altyn - Baba Gurgur Oil Field, Northern Iraq
Altyn's teeth gritted. "Ah, shit." she muttered. "Ah shit... This is bad. Very, very bad. Uh. Shit, fuck. If the Crescent Commonwealth get's involved things become a thousand times more complicated..."

And then something seemed to click in her head. "Or a thousand times easier. Hang on. Let me get on the horn with MacDuff. Give me a few minutes."

A brief profanity-ridden long-wave radio exchange with profanity later, she stepped back in, with a smile. "MacDuff's just a few hours out, and reports came in a few days back of South Reinkalistani ships rounding Gibraltar." she said. "Hope you don't mind us setting up shop right next to you?"

---

The Next Day
As the sun rose, the Selkie-mercs would see a line of reconnisance vehicles heading for a position adjacent to their encampment, with a few hussars and lancers poking their heads out of their Rosomak-IIs to wave at them.

Later in the day more Rosomak-IIs, this time the IFV variants, arrived, with Leopard 3PPs intersped among them. All together, there were 2 brigades of troops; the II Marinebrigade, and the Guards Cuirassiers. Two brigades is a rather large force; somewhere on the magnitude of 6-10k men, for the Commonwealth. That said, their numbers would be utterly dwarfed by the divisions and corps that would be slung around like so much confetti by the warring parties.

Still, 10k men backed by AFVs was nothing to sneeze at, especially when F-35Bs and helicopters began to arrive later into the day, providing them with air support.

The refugees from the flooded areas would find that a camp had been established for them. Food, a roof to sleep under, heating, and clean water were provided; however, the lines would be long, as the Prussian-Polish troops insisted on proper procedure and seemed willing to resort to batons and bayonets were procedure not followed.

A message was also sent to Western NGOs, inviting them to assist in expanding the camp, in providing facilities, or in helping the Prussian-Polish troops process the flood of refugees that was presumably massing.

Baba Gurgur Oil Field, Northern Iraq.
Ayden Ceannaí of the Tribe of Cork.
"By all means...", I said and made a sweeping gesture, "...the more the merrier. Though please have the General order his people to stay away from the sofa in the lounge. There's an AT-mine under it and we are unsure if it is live or not."

Next morning.
Come next morning, we were treated to quite a sight: First reconnaissance vehicles, which were waved past our checkpoints, curious T-Dolls poking their heads out to meet the hussars and lancers, who had poked their heads out. If one side found the appearance of the other side weird, no one showed it.
Granted, we weren't defenders of uniforms, everyone wearing sturdy and robust clothing, while the Poles wore of course their uniforms. Not to mention the animal ears and tails on my Dolls.
Two Brigades - I had the feeling, that this was about all the Commonwealth had to spare, but with South Reinkalistanis underway... air assets began crowding our small airfield later that afternoon and I wished for having had the foresight to call for the famed Engineering Unit that was the GSCC Fuzzy Wuzzy Banner, but the Fuchsia Banner and their heavy vehicles, and in particular the G 47s, were a decent help in expanding the airfield.
Then they opened the refugee camp. It was their deal and their invitation to the NGOs, but while we weren't paid for helping with it, Pina, the Fuchsia Banner's commanding officer, got me to offer the aid of our banners (in particular of the Olive Banner, my maintenance unit here in Baba Gurgur, and the Pink Banner, the PR-Unit) in their fields.
If they would take it was up to them, but I knew, that the PR-Unit would be well-suited for providing internal security. Meanwhile the fighting went on further south...

[New Antarcticania]

"...General orders from command is to prioritze the airspace over major iraqi cities, admiral"
"Reinforcements, resupply, anything?"
"A logistics ship is schedueld to arrive within the week, sir."
"damn command, how am i supposed to run this cartier when they even won't give me spare aircraft?"
"Yeah, well. Just don't let anyone with the marshal's ear hear that..h-heh"
The commodore's rather dry attempt at humor did not amuse the likes of rear admiral Lazar Zakharov, assinged command of the fleet that was hastily put together in response to the possibilities of a crescom intervention.
"Oh, and uh....one more thing, admiral"
"Yes?"
"Command has ordered the deployment of ground forces to iraqi oil, the first ships arrives at the gulf in five days"
"As if the pilots dosen't have more responsibilities on board this damn carrier, fine. Schedule patrols around the gulf on that day"
"Is that it, sir?"
"I don't care which squadron goes to which city, just make sure they go."
"Y-yes sir!"
The commodore shuffles his way out of the Admiral's office, as Zakharov looks down to the tatical display monitor (TDM) fixed to his table, he makes a desicion, to contact contsct whatever was the southern iraqi's command. Work out a deal, get a strategy, and maybe make some friends. He turns his attention to the red phone, tucked in a corner on his desk, and dials the number of a southern iraqi embassy

[Crescent Commonwealth]

"...General orders from command is to prioritze the airspace over major iraqi cities, admiral"
"Reinforcements, resupply, anything?"
"A logistics ship is schedueld to arrive within the week, sir."
"damn command, how am i supposed to run this cartier when they even won't give me spare aircraft?"
"Yeah, well. Just don't let anyone with the marshal's ear hear that..h-heh"
The commodore's rather dry attempt at humor did not amuse the likes of rear admiral Lazar Zakharov, assinged command of the fleet that was hastily put together in response to the possibilities of a crescom intervention.
"Oh, and uh....one more thing, admiral"
"Yes?"
"Command has ordered the deployment of ground forces to iraqi oil, the first ships arrives at the gulf in five days"
"As if the pilots dosen't have more responsibilities on board this damn carrier, fine. Schedule patrols around the gulf on that day"
"Is that it, sir?"
"I don't care which squadron goes to which city, just make sure they go."
"Y-yes sir!"
The commodore shuffles his way out of the Admiral's office, as Zakharov looks down to the tatical display monitor (TDM) fixed to his table, he makes a desicion, to contact contsct whatever was the southern iraqi's command. Work out a deal, get a strategy, and maybe make some friends. He turns his attention to the red phone, tucked in a corner on his desk, and dials the number of a southern iraqi embassy

The South Iraqis respond by telling them the plan is to establish air superiority in North Iraq to prevent the deployment of CresCom troops.

[Crescent Commonwealth]

Iraq

---

A vast blanket of blue stretches across the sky, as a golden blaze shines across the dunes. The image in the distance blurs, as waves of heat roll over the desert landscape. A blurry silhouette begins to take shape, and soon comes the image of a truck carrying a tank. It is escorted by a series of armored personnel carriers, as drones and fighters soar throughout the sky. The Crescent Commonwealth has begun to deploy troops into Iraq.

[New Antarcticania]

"...General orders from command is to prioritze the airspace over major iraqi cities, admiral"
"Reinforcements, resupply, anything?"
"A logistics ship is schedueld to arrive within the week, sir."
"damn command, how am i supposed to run this cartier when they even won't give me spare aircraft?"
"Yeah, well. Just don't let anyone with the marshal's ear hear that..h-heh"
The commodore's rather dry attempt at humor did not amuse the likes of rear admiral Lazar Zakharov, assinged command of the fleet that was hastily put together in response to the possibilities of a crescom intervention.
"Oh, and uh....one more thing, admiral"
"Yes?"
"Command has ordered the deployment of ground forces to iraqi oil, the first ships arrives at the gulf in five days"
"As if the pilots dosen't have more responsibilities on board this damn carrier, fine. Schedule patrols around the gulf on that day"
"Is that it, sir?"
"I don't care which squadron goes to which city, just make sure they go."
"Y-yes sir!"
The commodore shuffles his way out of the Admiral's office, as Zakharov looks down to the tatical display monitor (TDM) fixed to his table, he makes a desicion, to contact contsct whatever was the southern iraqi's command. Work out a deal, get a strategy, and maybe make some friends. He turns his attention to the red phone, tucked in a corner on his desk, and dials the number of a southern iraqi embassy

The South Iraqis respond by telling them the plan is to establish air superiority in North Iraq to prevent the deployment of CresCom troops.

"Understood, we're launching patrol sorties along the airspace of major iraqi cities, i certianly hope that your chain of command knows what they're doing" and with that, the admiral hangs up

A flood of Antartican shock troopers was rudely awaken from their slumber by the loud blaring of an alarm, causing the shock troopers to spring into action, within no less than 10 minutes, the men are able to don their combat armor and their ALTYN helmets, and grab their service rifles. Designated personel guides their unit's Main battle tanks onto the troopshups, with formations of shocktroopers following in behind, the same scene occurs throughout the antartican coast, with troopships slipping their moorings from the temporary docks, and speeding their way towards the gulf of Oman.
The time has once agian come for the Antarticans, to throw themselves into the struggle agianst the commonwealth menace, the marshals have recieved their orders from the supreme comissar, the commonwealth must be broken, it's nation burned and scarred, spare no one, not even the civilian, every single man, woman, and child from the commonwealth must be shot, and he would be satisfied with nothing less than the complete destruction of the commonwealth

[New Finnish Republic]

June 16, 2069
Al-Anbar Province
International Relief Zone
Camp White Dove

---

Major Koski leaned forwards with his chin propped up on his hands, the plastic table beneath him bowing slightly from the weight of the large man. A plethora of screens were situated in front of him, each displaying various bits of information ranging from data collections to satellite camera feeds that covered their area of operations. Around him, his various aides pretended to keep busy with menial tasks, but the truth of the matter was that they were waiting to see what decision would be set forward from their commanding officer. Koski pretended not to notice this as he closed his and contemplated what was about to come next.

Intel suggested that forces from both sides of the conflict were preparing to begin operations, the temporary stalemate seemingly at its end. The skies above had been a separate warzone in of itself for the last several days, with several close calls occurring above their position in what was supposed to be a protected airspace. Official condemnations from the General Assembly had been placed forwards in regards to this, but neither side seemed to pay them any heed. Thankfully none of these aerial battles had resulted in casualties on Koski's side, albeit with a jarring incident in which wreckage from a downed CresCom aircraft had landed only a few hundred meters away from their perimeter.

This is where things had gotten complicated for the Major. He had ordered a reconnaissance team to investigate the crash site after one it was confirmed that the pilot from the downed aircraft had been spotted ejecting. Sure enough, it didn't take long for his men to find the pilot, who was severely injured from the landing. As was protocol, the injured pilot had been brought back to their camp to be treated, where they had managed to stabilize him through a matter of sheer luck and skill from the on-site medical personnel.

Once the pilot had reached the point where he was stable enough for conversation, Koski had personally gone down to speak with the pilot. Although he was reluctant at first to give away any information, Koski was eventually able to convince the pilot that he and his men meant no harm as they were a neutral force in the region. He was thankful for his rescue, but was concerned at what would come of him since he was now in what had essentially become the middle ground between the enemy frontlines. Koski assured them as part of international law that he would be safe under their care until he could be returned back to his own forces, but the truth of the matter was that the Major was just as unsure as the pilot was.

It hadn't taken long for both sides to discover that the supposedly neutral force in the area was harboring the wounded combatant. Southern Iraqi forces demanded that Koski hand him over as prisoner of war, while Northern Iraqi forces demanded an immediate extraction. While Koski would have preferred the latter arrangement, a correspondent from the Southern Iraqi forces made it clear that doing so would designate the Finnish forces as colliding with hostile forces and would in turn result in their role as a neutral party being ceased. Koski knew that he couldn't count on CresCom's full support on the matter either, as their attention was placed elsewhere in their preparations for their renewed operations. Essentially, Koski was between a rock and a hard place. Acting in either direction would mean the removal of he and his forces position as a neutral party, and with not even a full battalion worth of men under his command he knew that they would not be able to withstand a full-out attack from either side.

Thus, the Major finally made his decision as his eyes opened to look over towards his second-in-command.

"Kapteeni Mäkinen, inform both CresCom and Southern Iraqi coalition forces that the pilot will remain within our care until the situation in the region stabilizes. Remind them that this is an acceptable action under international law, and that any actions that would violate said law will be met with international condemnation and potential intervention from the General Assembly. Our forces are here as a humanitarian force, and as such we are a neutral party in this conflict."

Mäkinen's eyes went wide for a moment as the implication of the Major's words reached him, but didn't put up any sort of argument in the matter and instead began to put the others in the room into motion as they began the process of sending communications to the respective sides of the conflict. As they did this, Koski let out a small string of curses under his breath as he prepared for his next set of orders.

"Also, inform Yliluutnantti Koskela that we're placing the base under high alert. Standard ROEs are still to be followed, but under no circumstances are we to allow forces from either side to enter the perimeter unless I give my express consent."

Koski watched as a few glances were tossed his way, but their gazes quickly shifted back towards whatever their tasks at hand were. Biting at the corner of his bottom lip, the Major cursed at his luck. Things were about to get complicated.