Peace Through Infamy [Solaren Theatre]

34 miles East of Testono
ETA: 5 hours

The vanguard merchant ship, the Lìrùn, was leading the pack; eight of the twelve merchant vessels were en route to the city, with the other four now headed towards the international waters off of the Solaren capital. The port at Testono would be sufficient to service all eight of the vessels, and the captain of the Lìrùn was under orders to not stop. Thirty six men were aboard his vessels, but the others that followed carried other personnel fit for more... interesting duties.

The EDF had had ample time to stop the convoy thus far within international waters. But now, as they approached the national waters of Solaren, they came within range of any ground-based anti-shipping missiles in, or near, Testono. That would be more than capable of deterring a prolonged attempt by the EDF to delay the Yujin food shipment. The captain of the Lìrùn contacted the Testono Autorità Portuale, informing him of the Yujin merchant convoys intent, destination, and estimated time to arrival. In addition, he requested protection from the forces therein - he was not expecting the gweilo to fire on free food, no matter how deranged they were.

Aboard the fifth ship in the convoy, another figure paced the deck, watching the coast in anticipation. He had read the dossier on the country, and knew his orders on how to distribute the grain. Any background check on him would prove that he was a legitimate businessman valued at $196 million. Of course, after a few days of research it'd show that those funds eventually tapered out into several fake Oikawan enterprises, but by then his cover would have either failed, or seen him into Solaren.

Navy headquarters
Trier, Eiffelland

The merchant ships were of course seen by the Eiffellandian navy. It would have been easy to stop them, but it didn’t happen. Why not? The Eiffellandians were not the only ones present in the Venetian Bay. The Breotonians were there as well. Guarding the free passage of merchant ships. It was well‑known that the Breotonians would declare war to everyone hampering the free passage of merchant ships. And the last thing the EDF could use was another country to fight. Furthermore, the Breotonian Navy was too large for the Eiffellandian Navy to fight with. The ghashing of some Eiffellandian teeth was probably heard even up to Yujin. Großadmiral Fischer saw how the eight vessels destined for Testono moored there.

Until a very bright Lieutenant in the operation room of the Navy Headquarters had an idea. He proposed to send the following message to the captains of the four merchant ships heading for Torrence.

TO: The captains of the four Yujiner merchant vessels heading for Torrence
FROM: Tobias Fischer, Großadmiral der Königlichen Eiffelländischen Kriegsmarine

Dear Sirs/Madams,

We don’t know what you are carrying to the harbour of Torrence, but we want to buy it. How much did the Solaris pay for it?

Best regards,

Tobias Fischer

Click to expand...

The message was sent.


Aircraft carrier FT‑1
Venetian Bay

The Admiral had got the orders to destroy all roads and railroads coming from and going to Testono. “Even the cart tracks,” Großadmiral Fischer had said. Furthermore, the warehouses and stock yards in and around the harbour of Testono had to be destroyed as well. And as soon as the merchant vessels had left Testono, the harbour of Testono had to be bombed as well.
The pilots had also got the order to bomb all trucks, cars and trains going to and leaving Testono.


Airforce bases in Eiffelland

Tanker planes took off to position themselves above the Venetian Bay. Later on, fighters would follow to bomb all roads and railroads leading to and leaving Torrence, and to bomb the warehouses and stock yards in and around the harbour of Torrence. The harbour of Torrence would only be targeted if all merchant ships would have left.


Southeastern Solaren

The eastern part of the mountains had been conquered. Completely. The battle for Tegeata, however, was still going on. The fightings there were enormously harsh. The city had been surrounded.
Meanwhile, the army was working on setting up a front line from the sea west of Tegeata to the coast east of Mazara. Also the Eiffellandian armed forces took into account that the Solaris army was only retreating to make a better hit. Reculer pour mieux sauter, like it was said in French. Going back to jump better, because your run‑up would be longer. The air force was still patrolling west from the line Tegeata‑Mazara and bombing everything away that looked military. Occasionally, a fighter was lost there.
After the eastern part of the mountains in Southeastern Solaren had been conquered, the army surrounded the western part of the mountains in Southeastern Solaren. Divisions went along the coast line east and west of those mountains.
The Caprarian radio station was noted by the Eiffellandians. They already had their senders ready, and they were already broadcasting, from classic music to techno and everything in‑between. Even Venetian and Talemantine Italodisco from the 1980s and 1990s. The Carentanian propaganda was countered with the notions that it was against all principles to take a farmer his land away, that the EDF had the plans ready with which the farmers would remain the owners of their lands while being able to survive in a competitive agricultural market, that a viable agricultural sector was of vital importance to Solaren, that the EDF‑governments were long‑term builders instead of the short‑term profit seekers as the Carentanians described them, that Eiffelland itself had a tradition of relatively small farmers who managed to earn a good living, among others through cooperative ownership of milk factories and large agricultural equipment, and that the Eiffellandian agricultural system could be copied one‑to‑one to the situation in Solaren. “It is in nobody’s interest to turn Solaren into a poor country. But the best way to get and keep an economy running is letting entrepreneurs carry out their ideas. Also Solaris entrepreneurs. The first years will be difficult, but after that it will go better,” it was said.

Meanwhile, there was a search going on for a certain Solaris priest who didn’t hesitate to burn down his own parish.

Ustica

Two Carentanian guardsmen sat on their tank, taking a break in the middle of a small Solaren village. Their advance had come to a full stop when it reached the flank of another advancing unit which occupied the road further inland. They were smoking cigarettes, waiting for new orders as the units ahead of them had finished occupying the remainder of Ustica. With the island crawling with several thousand Carentanian soldiers and even more liberated prisoners, the civilian population mostly on the run from the fighting and some of the Solaren units disappearing into the formless mass of local residents, it would probably take some time before the Carentanian command had sorted out the situation and delivered new orders to the lonely tank crew in the mostly abandoned village.

Movement at the edge of the village caused the two men to straighten up for a second, but as soon as they realized that it was another Carentanian unit moving into the area by foot, they sat back down on top of their armored vehicled. As the unit of Carentanian marines approached them, they hailed their comrades, offering to share their cigarettes with the men and women of the commando.

"You look like you've had some tought fights," the gunner of the tank noted, throwing a pack of cigarette into the hands of the marine closest to him.

"You got no idea," the Guardswoman replied. She was the commander of the squad, as highlighted by a patch on her shoulder. "Attacked a prison about a kilometer down the road. Took it without any resistance at all. Turns out the Solaren government had already closed down the entire facility. Nothing but drained bloodstains and human bones anywhere - but plenty of them in return."

"Sounds gruesome," the tank driver threw in, raising an eyebrow.

"But that was just the beginning," the Marine said, lighting her cigarette and passing the pack along in her unit. "As we examinated our target, Solaren forces became aware of our presence. And that's when things get really crazy, as some priest or something gathered the locals and conscripted them into an assault. Just that they had no guns to arm them." She took a draw from her cigarette. "...and instead they just sent them against us with knifes, pitchforks, torches..." The guardswoman exhaled as she spoke, turning her voice dark and rough. "As if we're some sort of vampire nobles in a horror flic."

"And then?" The tanks gunner asked. "What happened then?"

"What do you think happened? We shot them. All. Almost ran out of ammunition. Eventually elements of the mechanizeds arrived, relieving us and sending us down here on our way back to port."

"Yeah, we're probably just waiting for our orders to return, too. Things are a bit confusing right now, but news from High Command is already spreading amongst the troops that they want only one infantry brigade as peacekeepers, sending the mobile units back home. I've heard that instead, two air cavalry divisions and a fighter air division are already on their way, though probably in preparation of an assault on Solaren mainland."

The marines all looked sceptical. "Somehow I doubt that'd you'd all know if that were the case." But the tankers just shrugged. "What do I care?"

St. Basil Harbor, Bartholomew Islands

The small zodiac paddled ashore just across from the small quay where the Solaris destroyer was docked. The team leader glanced out at the other zodiac, paddling just a few hundred yards away. Captain Pizzon flashed his small pen light and received a response flash. Pizzon looked through his night vision at the destroyer and back at the town. His arm urged his men forward, out of the beached inflatable. They slowly made their way along the footpath into town, crouching behind the only commercial gas station on the islands. Pizzon looked down the main street-King Street. Nothing moved except for a small lizard a few feet away. Pizzon focused on the small provincial building. Inside, almost 200 islanders were being held. Pizzon glanced up to the steeple of the small catholic church that dominated St. Basil's skyline. In the cupola, something moved. Pizzon looked through his night vision. A Solaris marine stood watch but clearly was not paying attention. In fact, the marine was wearing headphones and was smoking a cigarette. Pizzon held up a fist and twisted it. One of Pizzon's men knelt next to him and raised a silenced .22 rifle. He pulled the trigger three times in quick succession. The man doubled over and slid down the roof but because of the angle he did not fall off.

Pizzon glanced at his men and waved them forward. He looked down at his watch as his men got into position. The small glowing hand showed 4:22am local time. Both he and the other team were late apparently. The thought flashed into his mind that maybe the other team had been caught but he had heard no shots. Just then, less than a quarter mile away, a large fireball touched the sky and then the sound came. Pizzon's head snapped back to the provincial office. A man came out the door the same time Pizzon heard a flashbang breach the rear window of the building. Then, all hell broke loose.

La Spina

With Operation Maestro crippling Solaren's transport system, it was only a matter of time before the Solaris military started to direct material over the mountains, but first they needed a reliable and well maintained road. Thanks to the shoddy leadership of Urban, almost everything outside the gleaming capital was in ruins. The mountain roads were potholed and the bridges on verge of collapse. However, the La Costa del Norte Bridge was still intact. It was built over 500 years ago and its stone held together firmly. However, it was guarded much more heavily than anyone had planned. Something strange was happening. The ROC had not seen any convoys pass save for one small one. Colonel de Castille walked away from the road into the grove of trees and knelt by satellite communication. "Tapestry this is Postmaster" said de Castille.

"Authentication required"

"Neptune 819. Reciprocation requested" said de Castille into the receiver.

"Mascot 4-7"

"Target is heavily guarded, request updates in intelligence and orders"

"Roger Postmaster. Standby"

Colonel de Castille waited anxiously. His sweat ran from his brow. It would snow soon in the mountains but today was a strangely warm day. His dry throat felt as if there was a lump. Slowly he took a small swig from his canteen.

"Postmaster, Tapestry"

"Go ahead Tapestry"

"Compass orders evacuation to friendly following assault on enemy position......" Colonel de Castille swallowed heavily. He felt more sweat pour on as the voice continued.

"Roger Tapestry. Requesting instruction regarding friendly wounded after assault"

There was a long silence.

"Compass orders that wounded that can easily be transported be evacuated"

de Castille knew what that meant. Any severely wounded would be left behind/

"Postmaster out"

Imperial Ministry for War
Augsburg, Swabia, 01:39

War ministry meetings were now being held exclusively underground, in one of the nuclear-safe bunkers designed to protect the Empire's political elite from harm. They had been for over a month now, ever since it rained missiles around the heart of Swabia; since then, the minister and the chiefs of staff met for various purposes.

This meeting's subject was among the rarer ones. The Imperial Army and the Imperial Air Service had much better things to concern themselves about than redeployments that could hurt the carefully balanced Wieser order of battle. But this world war brewing from Montelimar, Solaren and Suionia meant it might be time to reconsider.

Wiese's military attention throughout the twentieth century had been, in descending order of priority, towards the east, north-east and south-east. "Potentially hostile neighbours" with different political systems, massive war machines, or simply lack of mutual trust, paired with less easily defensible terrain, meant the Reichswehr had been largely geared to fight a war to and from the east.

The north, with Ascheburg and Franken, and the west, with Wendmark, were considered very safe. The south, with Danmark, was considered volatile, but the Alps and their narrow passages meant Wiese could afford less defences on this war, to prevent political instability from spreading inside Mecklenburg, Saxony or Braunschweig.

Traditionally, this left Saxony to be considered as the safest of all the duchies. The Western Military District's role in an "expected war" was to reinforce the more eastern districts; by comparison, the Eastern Military District was expected to receive the bulk of the fighting. The order of battle was organised accordingly.

The awakening of the chiefs of staff by the Breotonian cruise missiles was violent, however. Terrain and troop deployments, as well as the country's early warning system, had saved Augsburg from the worst, but it had forever shattered the myth of "landlocked, neutral invincibility" in their minds.

Recent negotiations behind the curtains and under the table, paired with political necessities and pragmatism, had meant the War Ministry was now carefully considering certain options. Wiese's army, despite its warlike doctrines and beliefs, had only left the empire's borders for military exercises and war observation recently.

And then you had to consider that people still wanted blood for the blood shed in Augsburg. Were Wiese a democracy, it would have gone to war by now; but the Thießens had managed to shrug off pressure from home and abroad thus far. Engellex was currently out of the question to be touched; Solaren was considered too alien. But the pressure was there still.

Currently the War Ministry and the Imperial Air Service were considering the possibility re-deploying an entire air division -some 5.000 men and 86 aircraft of all types- abroad. Neither the Chancery nor the Palace had even hinted a green light as of now, but the Foreign Ministry brought up the issue a lot in the recent ministerial meetings.

The pros and cons had to be weighted, of course. On one hand, to redeploy an air division abroad would grant Wiese some necessary reach and even better drills for its troops. If this did not prevent a future missile attack, it could at least ensure a speedy retaliation. The idea certainly had its merits.

The problem was, however, the balance in Wiese's order of battle. The redeployment cost was negligible for the planners; what truly mattered was the gap in divisions. Chances were that this division would come from Wiese's safer regions, from the Western Military District - but even so, paranoia ruled the planners.

What if weakening the rear lines proved fatal? A surprise attack from the east, or an attack from the west - Wendmark was in no position to, but in theory, some other western power might someday do it, through Wendmark if necessary. Wiesers never put national interests below the friendship of states, after all, and they were sure no foreigner did so either.

During the August Catastrophe, many changes came about in Wiese's foreign policy. It had become official that if the territorial integrity of any Germanian League member was threatened in any way, Wiese would respond at full force; and at the moment, the entire League seemed as a possible target list.

Wendmark to the west, Danmark and Eiffelland to the south, Franken to the north; some were EDF members, others were completely neutral. Wiese itself fell somewhere between the two extremes, with its "associate membership" in the EDF. Nevertheless, Augsburg was now reluctant to act - oddly reluctant at that.

And yet, foreign pressure was mounting. Domestic pressure, through three significant lobby groups -the Imperial Family, the Ducal Families and the political parties of the Reichsrat- was also significant. It would be very soon that Wiese's government, and indeed the elected lower house of its parliament, would soon pick sides.

Or perhaps they would not, and the true power behind the Empire might. For, in Wiese, the Emperor was not just representing the state - especially in Friedrich Wilhelm's case who ruled the country for longer than anyone could remember now, the Emperor was the state. More than just a rallying figure, He possessed Power.

Costa del Norte

de Castille saw to the pack horses being bedded down to the rear and headed quickly back to the main line. The Colonel gathered his captains around in the small almond grove just off the road, next to the ravine. He glanced up into the sky with the other officers crouched in a circle around him. de Castille bent down and laid the map on the ground, pinning the corners with small stones. "The road" said the Colonel running his finger down it. "We are 300 miles from the front and this road is extraordinarily heavily guarded. This road runs to the Northeastern coast. There is no reason for it to be this heavily guarded except...." said the Colonel trailing off.

"We will be extracting a VIP. Tapestry indicates that we have a VIP in that village in an old Bishop's retreat. Intel indicates there are around 200 semi-elite troops in and around the village. There is only one road in and one road out. Now, we have to hit hard and fast. Sections one and two will be first across the bridge. Section 2 will swing up that hill" said de Castille pointing, "and come around the slope to the other side of the village. Your boys will be tired from that kind of movement but we must cut off a retreat" said de Castille to one of his captains. "Major Brano will command 3rd section who will come over the bridge after the first two sections are across. We open with heavy enfilade fire. I want our mortars barking and support weapons keeping up a good hot masking fire. We have to get across before they can organize their defense" said de Castille swallowing hard.

"The village is just around the bend and will likely have machine guns on the flat roof of the inn and snipers in the steeple. 3 section, that will be your job. There is a helipad in town, apparently about here" said de Castille pointing to the map. "That helo doesn't leave intact. Understand?"

The officers nodded. "Push your men hard. When we get to the Bishop's house, we will regroup and formulate. VIP's call sign will be Flax" said de Castille. "Let's move"

The sounds of explosions off in the distance, combined with the ooming sound of jet thrusters that hid behind the clouds or beyond sight struck Gu Yingqin as an oddity he was not accustomed to, but knew that the 'shock and awe' of the events happening around him had probably, by now, ceased to amaze the locals. He could tell that the people were tired of the war already, but moreso they were fearful of the change that was coming. He knew that he could use that fear, and even as he ventured further into the city of Testono he knew that, while his mission was simple, it would take time to accomplish.

His first task would be to volunteer for the civil defense, organizing citizens in the city to assist the authorities in a variety of activities ranging from distributing food to putting out fires or enforcing the local laws when the police could not. These institutions were scattered as most of the military units assigned to such a role were deployed on the front lines. There were a few organizations, though; and despite his foreign ethnicity he was sure that, as a convert and a crusader who had travelled thousands of miles to volunteer, he would receive respect.

The rice was simply the first step; it was sold to merchants that Yujin intelligence had found to be connected to the civil defense. Gu had heard that two of the merchant vessels en route to Torrence had rerouted to Eiffelland, meaning that the capital had likely received enough rice to supply itself for the next year, but not enough to be distributed to the outlying towns. That would be fine, the suffering of the people would make for a great insurgency.

He walked into the warehouse that served as the interim headquarters of the Testono civil defense and smiled at the first man that greeted him, a civilian who no doubt had a family and was doing this to keep his kids from being killed by artillery. He bowed his head respectfully and pledged his soul to God the vengeful.

"Who are you?" the man that approached him asked.

"Volunteer from Yujin, I just arrive," his English was broken and a thick accent clouded his words, but still he was understandable. "I want to help you, what can I do?"

Testono

After the Yujiner ships had left the harbour, fighter planes bombed the complete harbour and all the stock yards. Though not with ground forces, the city was virtually surrounded, because other fighter planes blocked the entrance to the city over land by bombing everything that moved to or out of the city. Night vision and infrared cameras were used at night, and normal view was used during daylight.


Torrence

Still two of the Yujiner ships had moored in Torrence. Here it was the task of the air force to bomb all roads and railroads leading to the city. All the stock yards in and around the harbour were bombed. The Eiffellandian planes stationed in Lorraine were used for that. The harbour was not bombed as long as the Yujiner ships were there. After the roads and railroads had been bombed, the air force patrolled the side of the city that bordered mainland Solaren. Everything that came to or out of Torrence was bombed. Night vision and infrared cameras were used at night, and normal view was used during daylight.


Eiffelland

The load of the Yujiner ships that moored in Eiffelland was packed over to Eiffellandian ships and sent to Southeastern Solaren.

Meanwhile, four amphibious transport docks were loaded with attack helicopters. One would be sent to Testono and one to Torrence. They would take over the patrolling of the routes to mainland Solaren out of those two cities. The other two would come into action as soon as the next group of Yujiner ships would arrive and choose other harbours in Solaren.

VIII., X. Military Regions, Western Military District
Saxony, Wiese - 19 Oct. 2011, 0255hrs

Wiese's order of battle planned for one air division to be attached to each military region (or wartime corps) and an additional air division to be attached per military district (or wartime field army). It was a vital thing, for each corps to include its own integral air support, and each field army to possess a 'tactical reserve' of air support to better exploit tactical advantages, and better respond to strategic and tactical threats.

Of course, these were not the only air forces present in such areas, given the Landwehr possessed air forces of its own and was not under the command of either the Army or the Air Service. The latter possessed some 2.580 fixed-wing aircraft in its potential, and the air divisions of the VIII. and X. military regions in the Western military district controlled a combined 172 aircraft together.

The Western military district's four Landwehr air divisions had received orders to heighten their activity the coming weeks, each of a significant degree. It was unusual: Saxony, the territory of this military district, was traditionally the least 'worrisome' territory in Wiese. But for now, the Eurofighter Tornado aircraft under them would have to replace the 172 equivalent aircraft of the two Air Service air divisions from the VIII. and X. regions.

Themselves, the VIII. and X. regions had been chosen for this because of their peculiar needs. Neither housed significant industrial infrastructure or major cities like Saxony's capital, and neither touched Wiese's southern border, which was the side closest to the Gulf of Lorraine. Instead, they touched the opposite border, the northern and western sides of Saxony; namely they bordered Franken to the north and Wendmark to the west.

As a result, they had traditionally served as 'response divisions'. Their equipment, consisting of Tornado and Typhoon fighter aircraft and assorted support aircraft, was lagging behind the Typhoon-only standard which was enjoyed by the Imperial Air Service's elite units in other areas; however their response time was significant, given their intention would be to respond to a hypothetical sudden invasion of Wiese from the general east. Lying as far away from this border as possible, they sat well-protected, but would have to be moved closer to the front rapidly as their aircraft defended the Empire's skies.

This was a hypothetical scenario close to the drills the two divisions had been equipped and trained for, but it would include a trip far more distant. In the coming couple of weeks, the two divisions and their 10.000 servicemen and servicewomen, as well as all of their 172 combat aircraft, would have to be relocated to facilities provided by the EDF in southern Lorraine.

The divisions were preparing for the relocation fast and with secrecy; however no order for relocation was arriving just yet. For some officers and even servicemen, this was yet another drill they'd have to ace. And if all went well, maybe their Tornado units would be the ones to be equipped with the next batch of Typhoons expected from VRL's factories. An upsurge of foreign orders and global war had all but slowed down Wiese's arms programmes; if anything, it was intended to be sped up instead.

The commanders of the two of the six Air Service air divisions in Saxony were anxiously waiting for orders from the War Ministry in Augsburg. The Landwehr's own four air divisions, organised to supplement those of the air service, were likewise expecting the formal confirmation to initiate a change in operational plans to reflect the scheduled relocation. And everything was being kept top-secret.

Paki Military Base

Commander Hafner threw another intelligence report on her stash, having taken its content to notice and realizing it was nothing to worry about. The report described the advances and the speed of Eiffellands forces, but the Carentanian invasion of mainland Solaren would hit Mazara before they could finish their approach to the city. Carentanias operation against Mazara would be the largest operation of the Workers' Republic in this war thusfar and the nation would bring the bulk of its forces in the Paki Military Base to the fray, supplemented by aerial forces on Capraria and the units on Ustica.

The plan was drawn up by the Commander herself and success in this battle could advance her ambitions for a place in High Command considerably. Having troops on the ground in Solaren would additionally help Carentanias competition against the EDF forces and be the next step in its large geopolitical gamble. Carentanias strike would come unexpected, hit the Solaren forces in their back and before they would realize that it was not part of the Eiffelländer offensive, Carentania would already have enough troops on the ground to engage in quick and decisive advances. If everything went according to plan, the southern coastline would soon be in Carentanian hands and Eiffelland restricted to the south-eastern peninsula, as Carentania began to tighten the noose around Torrence.

First assaults by fighters starting from Capraria were already underway as Commander Hafner was double-checking all reports she had based her strategy on. Attacks against strategic positions, defences and armored units by Solaren in the southern coastal area would prepare the frontline for a paratrooper assault by the First Airborne Division, which would drop to the west of Mazara in a far denser landing zone than in their previous operation on Capraria. Instead of widespread infiltration, their mission would foresee concentrated attacks on the city's western quarters itself, where the paratroopers would assume positions in Mazaras suburbs, distracting the cities garrison and blocking major roads into the city.

Following the paratroopers would be a direct assault by marines on the southern quarters, where two divisions would assault in several waves and capture port facilities and beaches in preparation of the landing of additional infantry and armor brigades. Supported by continuous aerial attacks and missile strikes from nearby ships, Mazara will be taken block by block. The Carentanian arsenal ship "Solidarity" had assumed its position in the Long Sea to join its first combat in history, unleashing a powerful flurry of missiles against targets within the city. A resupply ship stood ready, carrying missiles to refill the ship once its arsenal was exhausted. Covered by the air force and protected by the capabilities of the fleet itself, there was nothing the Solaren forces could do to stop the assault.

The Iron Brigade

Though not as glamorous as combined arms warfare, or as thrilling as rapid flanking movements or air assaults, the securing of the supply lines of the advancing army is just as important and in many way just as hazardous, and that duty has fallen on the Iron Brigade. Though the 1st Brigade is attached to the Lorrainian V Corps, it has seen no actual large scale combat, in fact, except for a few skirmage with militia, there has been very little combat at all and has been relegated to just taking up a place in the columns moving along the west coast of Solaren. That is until orders from the corps commander that the 1st Brigade will be responsible in maintaining the security for the airport outside of Bargia as well as garrisoning the city itself.

While it was the Lorrainian 4th Division that fought its way through and opened the road southward, it will now be up to the 1st Brigade to make sure the road stays open, clearing the city of the remains of the Solaren army and militias and to nip any insurgency in the bud, and possibly the most difficult, to try and win the hearts and minds of the civilians of the city, to show them that a post-Urban Solaren will be a better Solaren, for them as well as the rest of the world.

Bargia International Airport

The Bargia airport was a airport in name only. After the EDF and Coronadan airforces had finished with it, you couldn't fly an ultra-light in and out let alone a full sized aircraft. It was because of this damage that once the airport was secured, it was the the job of the 1st to occupy it but also protect the Lorrainian Construction Battalion sent in to repair it and with the occasional mortar round or sniper fire proved, the Guianian had their work cut out for them.

Though the airport itself was not difficult to seize and secure, the area around it was. Mostly industrial and commercial buildings, with the southern part of airport looking out over the water, which in itself could cause problems, the troops from the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regimental Combat Team, after establishing the Brigade HQ and firebase at the airport, and as the construction troops began repairs on that airport, the 1st of the 2nd, using tank and helicopter gunship support, began the operation of systematically clearing the surrounding area of any and all enemy combatants. For though the it is looking more and more a lost cause for the followers of Urban, there are those that would perfer to fight and die for that cause than to live in a world without it.


Bargia Urban Area

While the 1st Battalion had the airport, the rest of the 2nd RCT as well as the 6th RCT was assigned the city itself, working their way from the V Corps Highway, the route through the city cleared by the 4th Division is being called, south and west, towards the sea and docks. Though the civilian government of the city had already surrendered, the military government, the true government has not, and while all the city was cut off, there still is estimated several hundred combatants in the city, with only a handful actually still in uniform.

Colonel de Castille looked down at his watch and up at the sun. It was the quiet before the storm. The men were strewn down the sides of the raised road and up along the tree line across from the bridge. Colonel de Castille looked around, the anxious faces of officers and sergeants glaring at him with nervous anticipation. He licked his lips slowly and brought the whistle to his mouth. The shrill sound lasted only moments before heavy enfilade fire poured into enemy positions. The mortars belched and sent round after round into the vicinity. de Castille heard yelling in Nicosian and barely heard that filth pig Latin of the Solaris troops. de Castille began surging forward, pulling men to their feet. Before he knew it, he heard his feet thumping on the bridge. He could hear the fire dying down at least for now and passed the first dead Solaris soldier, his face in a twisted agony looking upward with a large chunk of his neck torn away. "CAPTAIN SILZIA, LEAVE 6 MEN TO GUARD THIS BRIDGE" called the Colonel bolting forward with his men. Within a few short minutes, an entire company opened fire on a few unsuspecting positions. To his right, a Nicosian corporal fell back to a round in the shoulder. Further to the right, he could see the section sweeping over the crest towards the rear of the village.

"Bring fire on that steeple" said de Castille to a few men who knelt and took aim as the village came into view. A Nicosian sniper laid down next to then men who were furiously emptying their Frankish rifles into the steeple. de Castille turned to see the others get up before the sniper, confident in his work, stood to move forward. Section 3 was ahead in a house bringing fire onto the inn which appeared to be a giant dust storm as mortars slammed into its walls and machine gun fire pin-pricked the concrete. Only then did de Castille get a hold of himself, slowing the assault. He quickly relayed orders to bring the 60mm mortars and 120mm mortar down on the helipad. Then it came, like a rain. A few drops. A few more. Then the clouds opened up. The garrison finally got its act together. "CAPTAIN SILZIA!" bellowed the Colonel. "Keep those 60's going on the helicopter position. I want to bring the 120 into action against that square" said de Castille with ease. The Senior Sergeant handed him a radio receiver- "Archer this is pike man" said the voice which de Castille knew was Major Brano .

"Go ahead pike man"

"Position is quiet. Enemies downed. Request permission to split section"

de Castille thought but decided against it. "Roger pike man, however you must hold until relieved".

His mind shifted back to the engagement. Something wasn't right here. Small arms. Mortars. No armor? They had to have armored personnel carriers or even infantry fighting vehicles. Where were they? Surely he was facing at least 150 soldiers. Granted his men were more than prepared for armor but nothing came. de Castille thought for a moment as he entered a small house he would use for an extremely temporary headquarters. Silzia, the company's third most senior officer entered behind him. "The boys are putting up one hell of a fight" Silzia said grimly. "But so are they" said the Colonel.

The Company was a quarter of the way through the small village when he saw it. A large ball of fire from the helipad which was situated in one of the village squares. He had to assume the helo was destroyed by now. If it wasn't they would fire every shoulder fired missile they had at it. "Redirect those mortars" said the Colonel. Silzia waited and the Colonel glared at him- "Well?"

"Beg your pardon sir, but we are running awfully low and are already into our reserve ammunition" said the Captain. de Castille's head turned slowly as he moved up the narrow street before stopping. "The men sir, some are running quite low also" said Silzia. "Right, keep the mortars firing; in fact, have them fire everything they've got." said de Castille. Silzia looked at him curiously. They had advanced all the way, within two blocks of the Bishop's retreat. de Castille knelt and spread the map, half folded, on the dirty cobblestone.

"Right, here is what we are going to do. I think they have entrenched their men on the slope here, and here" said the Colonel.

Silzia frowned. "That doesn't sound too reliable"

"It is what we would do, yes? Look, here and here are perfect places for APC or IFV's. We come up the street and are turned to mincemeat" said de Castille wiping his brow. "We unload everything on this slope. Damn the blocks before. They must have fallen back by now". de Castille paused. 3 section was getting some action. He could hear them in the distance. "We unload HE, Smoke, Phosporous.....everything. We come down this street here, this narrow street and around through this cemetary" he said calmly. The Captain and junior officers looked at him blankly. "We rush the positions. We overwhelm them. Shoulder fired anti-tank near front. We knock out the IFV's. There can't be more than 80 sitting there waiting for us...."

de Castille then realized he was probably down to around 100 men if he was lucky. He held his breath but suddenly the officers stood and began passing orders. Just then he was handed a receiver; it was Brano.

"Contact with the enemy and...."

de Castille interrupted "are you holding?"

"Yes sir, enemy has broken off contact, tending to wounded"

de Castille didn't have time. "Hold until relieved Major, Archer out".

The silence was deafening. The occasional 5.56 or 7.62 round made a jaunty sound but nothing was happening. Around him, buildings burned and men called out, dying. For war, this was silence. Then he heard it. The 120mm barked and the little 60's followed. Then men surged and hell was centered in the little mountain village named for the bridge and road. Men fought hand to hand. Death became more personal than most soldiers could imagine. Boots, fists, knives, pistols. They all ended lives. Finally, the few Solaris left surrendered. 7. 7 from 200. The rest were dead, dying, and wounded.

By the time they had cleared the Bishop's retreat, a runner from 3 section found the Colonel, sitting on a rock as the company doctor explained the bill. He snapped to attention and rapidly began speaking, even before the Colonel could formally acknowledge him. "Sir, Major Brano sends his apologies but inquires why you you have not responded" said the messenger; obviously curious himself. de Castille held up his arms, swaying gently in an effort to get the young soldier to behold the destroyed village around him. "Well sir, if you don't mind me saying, both I and the Major think you had better see this".

de Castille made his way down the road to Brano's position. He found Major Brano, hands on his waist, glaring at something. A line of military trucks he had clearly engaged. de Castille must of looked like a confused dog, his head turned slightly with an inquisitive look. Brano nodded in the direction of the prisoners and wounded.

"Tapestry this is Postmaster"

"Authentication required"

de Castile opened his breast pocket and removed a small, laminated, range finding cheat sheet. "D 21"

"Go head Postmaster"

"Flax is 16 Alpha"

Ustica

Natasha Ahmad scratched the itching wound on her forearm even though the medics had forbidden her from doing so. A bullet had gone straight through her flesh, but luckily there seemed to be no major damage. The bleeding had been easily stopped with a bandage and her bones not touched by the bullet. Still, the injury meant that the war was over now for Ahmad, even beyond the scheduled return of her unit to Carentania. It had been a short but intense firefight that left her like that, when her unit had been ambushed by Solaren infantry upon entering a small town at an intersection between roads leading further inlands. Following a short firefight and Natashas injury, the Solaren squad had been forced back by superior firepower from the unmounted Carentanian troops and the APC that had carried them into the town.

It wasn't entirely bad news for Natasha Ahmad. Sure, the bullet wound hurt and the path to recovery would take some time once they'd reach the field hospital and she'd been brought back to Paki - but that'd also mean that there would be no more fighting until the end of her tour of service. When Natasha had signed up for the military, it hadn't been an entirely voluntary decision. Immigrated from Hajr, serving in the Revolutionary Army was the easiest road to citizenship. It was a common route taken by many who pursued the "Carentanian Promise" and once she'd drop out of the military, she'd have a life without material worries ahead of her. Maybe she'd even go to University, become a respected and succesful member of society. Dreams she could never have had in her old home. Yes, the injury was a golden ticket out of the danger zone that was Solaren and Natasha was grateful it was only a fleshwound and not a mortal injury.

Short bursts, the sound of riflefire, tore her from her thoughts and reminded her that she was still on Ustica and the island was still a dangerous place. Looking out of the armored vehicle that was carrying her along with other wounded soldiers, however, she was relieved to see that there was no need for fear. The fire had come from a Carentanian unit executing a group of Solaren prison-guards. A war crime, sure, but neither Natasha nor anyone else watching the scenery cared. Their skulls cracked open by Carentanian assault rifles they stained the dusty road with blood and brain, but everyone fighting on Ustica had witnessed with their own eyes that these people had been responsible for fates much worse than their own. Carentanian soldiers liberating innocents from the torture chambers of Pope Urban had little empathy for his goons.

They passed down the road, nearly at the port, watching elements of the Second Air Cavalry arrive on Ustica only to immediately leave the island on their helicopters, together with several squads of LL-9 "Sraka", the omnipresent "Magpie" multirole fighters. Headed for the south-western edge of the Solaren mainland, they'll capture several bridgeheads far behind the Solaren frontlines, while the invasion of Mazara was underway at the same time. The Carentanian fighter planes would strike at the few Solaren units that were guarding this remote area, annihilating aerial defences and preparing the area for the arrival of the Carentanian Air Cavalry. The "Firefly" would come in handy during these operation, as this workhorse of the Carentanian Air Cavalry had capabilities both as a troop transporter and as a gunship. It could lay heavy fire on Solaren units while dropping Carentanian infantry at the same time, thus operating with great flexibility and reacting to the Solaren attempts at defending the peninsula from the invasion.

Gu had bought his way through the ranks so far, ensuring that the rice was distributed to the proper influential families, and buying people off with philanthropy - or just sheer cash. He was now in charge of resupplying reserve units and ensuring the security of bomb shelters in portions of south-western Testono. This was ideal, as it was where most of the refugees fleeing from the front lines were coming from. Civilians had flooded the highways and Eiffellander planes had begun to systematically massacre them. The film crew was, no doubt, recording the carnage to air once they could contact the homeland media. Gu shuddered to think of the images that would be displayed on Yujin television - there would be no censorship in that instance.

The truck he was in stopped, and Gu quickly unloaded and headed into the apartment. At the top floor an anti-aircraft gun hammered away at low-flying Eiffellander jets. The jets had to slow speed and altitude in order to strike at the civilian trucks and refugees, and thus were optimal targets for anti-aircraft guns. Even guns fifty years old could bring down a modern jet if it was engaging ground based targets. Gu watched as other volunteers quickly unloaded supplies for the soldiers, ammunition and food, and more food for the huddled masses peering out from their rooms. The bomb shelters didn't have enough room to keep everyone safe, and thus Gu had tough decisions to make on who lived and who died.

There would be no better deaths than those of innocent families caught as collateral damage in a strike against the anti-aircraft gun at the top level. Martyrs for the cause, for every one of them that died, twenty more would pledge themselves to the cause. The EDF was committing itself to a war which it had no practical plan to finish - violence would only perpetuate violence, and there was no way they could kill every fanatic without committing genocide.

Iscla

The fighting on the small island in the Venetian Bay had finally subsided as Carentania and Lorraine moved to occupy the last remaining positions of the Solaren army. Cut off from their supplies and under pressure from an overwhelming force, even the most fanatical elements of the Solaren army, led into battle by officials of the State Church, would eventually fall victim to the advance of their enemies. Orders for the First Marines Brigade, the Carentanian unit tasked with taking and occupying Iscla, were to take no risks and rely on superior firepower and an excess of ammunition when engaging the forces of Solaren. Wherever they had been encountered, the Solarens had been covered in heavy machine gun and mortar fire, winnng fire superiority and advancing wherever the counter-fire of the Solarens died down. Mine fields left by the Solaren army were cleared using light artillery fire and suspected sites of traps and bombs blasted with fire from guns and grenades right away.

Eventually the Carentanians stormed the last outpost of the Solaren forces on Iscla in much the same manner. Shelled with mobile artillery and pinned down by heavy machine guns from several directions, the Solarens had little chance to stop the Revolutionary Guards advancing, hidden by the use of smoke rounds to cover the approach. When the marines eventually reached the buildings and the heavy fire in their support ceased so as to not hurt the own troops, grenades were already lobbed into the hideouts of the Solaren soldiers, erasing them quickly and efficiently. There was little glory in this last standoff of the Solarens on Iscla, nor was it much of a fight in the end. Depraved of food and water, ammunition and supplies in general for weeks now, the Solarens were lacking in everything and a fanatical fighting spirit could not make up for it. When Colonel Antonelli had decided to punish his own former soldiers for the perceived slight on his ego by cooperating with the Carentanians, the knowledge of troop positions and defenses of the Solaren forces the Revolutionary Army now possesed, became the last nail in the Solaren coffin.

The defeat of Solaren on Iscla was a success for the Carentanians and Lorrainese likewise, but Lorraines presence on the island had complicated the situation unnecessarily. It was clear to anyone now that the EDF was not pursuing the same goals as the Workers' Republic, nor that it had much of an intention to cooperate with the Socialists. Their own offensives had partially been chosen to curb the progress of the Revolutionary Army in Solaren and that wasn't merely an insult to Carentania, it was causing serious concerns, especially when the Carentanian motivation for participation in this war had included worries of an EDF expansion in the Long Sea area and a subsequent military dominance of the alliance over Carentanias neighbourhood. The Commander of the First Marines Brigade was now at the forefront of a clash of interests that could easily escalate, yet backing down was no option either. Carentania would need to find a delicate balance between dominance and submission.

Not that the highest levels of the Carentanian government had not held all options open. Secret meetings with Engellex had settled all issues in case this conflict with the EDF over spheres of influence escalated. The geopolitical situation was favourable to Carentania and no matter the outcome of the next days, Carentania was prepared to act in ways that would ensure that the Workers' Republic came out on top. It was a part of this complicated scheme when the Carentanian commander on Iscla received a call by the Commissar for Defence himself. Matija Dracar had been hesitant to involve anyone in this unnecessarily and rather not divulged too many information to just everyone, out of fear that the plans he was pursuing could have been uncovered.

His orders for the Marines on Iscla, however, were quite clear: evacuate the Solaren civilians. Everyone on the island was to be moved to refugee camps in Capraria or Carentania itself. Voluntary of forceful, the Solaren people would have the choice, but at least they were promised compensation. A promise the Carentanians actually intended to keep. The Carentanians had already begun similiar evacuations when they first landed on the island, but this operation was greater than the one before. Every civilian was to leave the island, including those in the areas held by Lorraine. Carentania would give Lorraine a few minutes advance notice of their troops entering these areas intending to evacuate Solaren citizens, not asking for permission, but taking it for granted. When asked about the reason for this operation, Lorraine would be informed that Carentanian intelligence has definite proof of Solaren preparations for an attack with chemical and/or biological weapons on the island and that the evacuation is a safety measure.

Furthermore, Lorraine would be thanked for "the help in taking out Solaren resistance on the island" but informed that their presence is no longer necessary and that Lorrainese forces should rather return to the Solaren mainland, reinforcing the main front in northern Solaren. Surely Lorraine had to agree that its forces would be much more useful there, actually fighting the Solaren forces.

It remained to be soon what Lorraines reply would be to Carentanias gamble.

Iscla

Though Inquisitor Alfonso Martinelli and his fanatics were still hold up in Castello Aragonese, and some die hards still loose in the countryside, taking potshots at troops or even civilians, the last of what was considered the organized resistance on Iscla had been determined to have ended with the fall of Fario. What was considered the true end was when individuals or small groups of tired and wounded Solaren soldiers and militia started crossing the Red Line, the more-or-less established border between the Lorrainian zone of control and the Carentanian zone, to surrender to Lorrainian troops, with even one group surrendering to a 'lost' Lorrainian news crew, luckily a patrol arrived soon after. Half starved, many wounded, they were tended to before being taken to a POW camp near Casamicciola Terme where further care would be given.

The stories these late arrivals were telling interrogators were did not sound as if it boded well for the inhabitants of Iscla in the Carentanian zone, as it was being told that the Carentanias were not even giving Solaren troops the option of surrender as rumors of annihilation of any Solaren unit that they came across. There was even some saying they saw Carenatnian soldiers executing wounded prisoners and even civilians. Though none of this could be confirmed and may be just propaganda fed to the troops to get them to fight, it did reveal what was suspected, the fight, for the most part, had gone out of the defenders of Iscla, and now it was their decision now to be a living POW rather than one of Urban's dead martyrs.

Casamicciola Terme, Iscla

With organized combat on Iscla coming pretty much to an end, Counter Admiral Jacques Derrigan had to now turn his attention toward civilian matters. The civilian population in the Lorrainian Zone were weary, after experiencing so much deprivations, as much from their own military as the from actions of the EDF, the vast majority were ready to see an end to hostilities, and many of their civil leaders, called the Consiglio dei Sindaci, had expressed that desire, and have become less and less belligerent towards Lorrainian occupation, especially when food, medical supplies and other necessities began arriving from Lorraine. That is until lately, as unrest has been detected amongst the population, one in which it is found not to have originated in the Lorrainian Zone, but one that is based from rumors coming out of the Carentanian Zone, rumors of the relocation of the civilian population off the island of Iscla to a place or places unknown.

The forced relocation of the Solaren civil population was never the intention of Metz nor of the EDF, but stories coming from the Sindaci of the Carentanians shipping off entire populations of towns and villages in the communist zone has Derrigan concerned, so concerned in fact that he requested and received EDF satellite images of towns and villages in the south, images that did show a noticeable lack of civilian activity. Though this did not confirm without a doubt the Solaren’s fears, it did add to the reports of the Carentanians shipping not only POWs off to camps outside Solaren, but civilians as well, and now this this little fact is now Derrigan's concern. As it was the Sindaci that has been the recognized representatives of the civilian population that Lorraine was dealing with were making it quite clear that Iscla was their home, and though they may now have to live under the rule of another, they will not be forced by either the Lorrainians or the godless Carentanians to leave the only home they ever knew, and if forced they will resist. This was a dangerous situation and Derrigan was not going to let all that his men had fought for be destroyed by what the Carentanians were doing and insured the Sindaci that relocation of the Isclan population was not on the EDF's agenda, and Metz informed him he will have their backing on this. There is only one reason to remove the indigenous population, if there are no Isclans, Carentania could claim the island the island as its own. Derrigan was not going to let that happen.

The Red Line

The Red Line as it was called for lack of a better name for it is defined by two obvious geogarphical features, two streams, one, the Ruscello Derjon, running from a spring just west of Sarrara Fontana and runs roughly southwest until it empties into the Bay of Venetia just south of Fario, while the other, the Ruscello Ambro, begins southeast of Sarrara Fontana and travels to Lacco Ameno. These two streams are essentially all that seperates the Lorrainian Zone from the Carentanian, and though easily traverse on foot, wheeled vehicles are pretty much restricted to a handful of crossings where there are bridges or natural and manmade fords, and these are where the main checkpoints have been erected. Though patrols do travel along the line, vehicles where there are roads that parallel it, or on foot where it doesn’t, and always by helicopters in the air, it is a standing order that no one crosses the Red Line, in either direction, and those trying to enter or leave the Lorrainian Zone need clearance from HQ Casamicciola Terme and no place else, and anyone attempting to cross without that clearance is to be turned back or taken into custody if they refuse, with deadly force authorize if peaceful means do not work. Warnings at each crossing have been posted in several languages including that which is spoken in Carentania.

Lacco Ameno
At Checkpoint Ameno, Sgt. Robert Neville was drinking a cup of coffee, looking across the bridge that crossed the Ruscello Ambro, studying his Carentanian counterpart, who seemed to be doing the same towards him. It had probably unnerved the Carentanian when fresh troops arrived to relieve the Marines in Lacco Ameno, making them realize that Lorraine was not going anywhere. Sgt. Neville led the 2nd squad from Co. H, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. Their company had taken over the checkpoint from the Marines that had taken the town of Lacco Ameno. Those Marines were now on their way back to Casamicciola Terme for some R&R. Support by an AMX-13/105 from the tank destroyer the platoon attached to the 3rd Battalion and in and over watch position up the road, as well as their own APC, the 2nd Squad has been making themselves at home.

Sgt. Neville was just about to call Company HQ back in town to tell them that nothing has happened since the last report, or the one before that, when he sees vehicle coming up the road on the Carentanian side. Setting down his coffee, he swings his carbine forward to where he can use it if need be and heads for the barricade across the Lorrainian side of the bridge, though it won’t stop a vehicle, it sure would slow it down. Rapping on the APC’s to get the crews attention, he hears the gunner on the machinegun talking to the TD telling them “We have company”.

Neville steps to the barricade and watches as the lead vehicle stops and the passenger speaks to the guard at the Carentanian checkpoint, raising his binoculars to his eyes he tries to see if he can make out what they are saying. Though what is said is impossible to make out, the expression on the guard’s face does make Neville nervous.
Yelling back over his shoulder Sgt. Neville shouts to Corporal Rufus, “Get on the radio to HQ. Tell them we now have something happening up here.”

As the vehicles start to move across the bridge, Sgt. Neville holds up his hand with the flat palm forward, the recognized signal to “HALT”.

Iscla

The Lorrainese had chosen tiny streams for their line of seperation from Carentanian troops, granting the Carentanians much of the island in order to establish a line that was not as easily crossed. But sealing off their own territory was not as easily done as they had expected, as the Carentanian troops unmounted a portion of their soldiers a few hundred meters south of the many small checkpoints, dispersing in small units across the entire length of the "red line" as the Lorrainese called it and probing it by foot. At several points along the line, Carentanian infantry crossed the demarcation completely undisturbed, headed for their respective gathering points where they would reunite with the mobile units to evacuate Isclan citizens.

Meanwhile, at the checkpoints, the IFV's and APC's of the First Marine Brigade made no effort of slowing down, instead demanding the Lorrainese forces to make way. "We are on a mission to evacuate civilians to protect them from an impending chemical attack," the loudspeakers mounted on the vehicles informed them. There could be no doubt for the Lorrainese that these were Carentanian vehicles, not Solaren units. The model, the flags, the markings, even the accent in which they spoke the demand for passage. "Go home, your mission on this island is over," they added in many places, adressing the Lorrainese soldiers directly.

Iscla was, truth be told, a powderkeg. Any of these attempted crossings could spark a deadly incident and resistance by civilians remained rampant, no matter what the Lorrainese wanted to tell themselves: their policy of bombing "anything bigger than a tricycle" had not gone unnoticed by the civilians, many of which lost family to the undiscriminate destruction of even civilian vehicles. In the eyes of the locals, for the most part, Lorraine and the EDF were just as bad as Carentania and the Communists. The Carentanians had no illusions about the civilian compliance in the most recent measure, but that allowed them to handle matters with a bit more calm and patience. "Always remember, they think you're devils," Brigade Command had reminded the soldiers and asked them to respect even such irrational fears. Civilians wouldn't be forced at gunpoint, but they'd be overwhelmed by the soldiers and taken along, if necessary. That is, if they ignored the warnings of the chemical attack and the promise of food, water, shelter and medical aid to be received at the camps in Capraria and Carentania. And the promise that they'd return to Iscla, once it was safe to do so.

Several ships were waiting off the coast of Iscla to transport the civilians, some of them were doing their second or third run after they had already brought prisoners of war and civilians from the Carentanian zone on Iscla to their respective designations. Aerial Early Warning above the bay of Venetia was monitoring the EDF movements carefully, with several groups of Carentanian fighters in the air, ready to intervene in case of an attack on the evacuation effort. Carentania was prepared for anything, as the fighters were ready to engage hostile air force, ground targets and ships alike, with additional planes standing by on Capraria, which was housing several Air Divisions of the Revolutionary Army.

On Iscla itself, Carentania was fully prepared for an attack by Lorraine, should they decide the island was theirs for the taking. With the civilians evacuated, there was little worries to be given to partisan activity in the Carentanian zone - deprived of their base of supply and unable to hide within the population, they were easy pickings and most decided to take cover within Lorraines zone, which gladly mistook them for harmless refugees as the image of Solaren civilians fleeing from Carentanian forces fit so perfectly into their worldview. Meanwhile, several lines of defense were erected, preparing for an orderly retreat in case of battle with Lorraine. The Revolutionary Army was not fooling itself, the island wouldn't be held against Lorrainese aggression, but Carentania would make sure its troops could be evacuated in this case and the Lorrainese attack stalled for as long as possible - and made as expensive as possible.

There were several storages of mines that could quickly be dispersed along routes of enemy approach, if the need arose. At several points, ambushes were prepared and defensive structures built where a rear guard could hold off the enemy until their own units had fallen back. None of this would show up on satellite imaging, as Carentania made sure to camouflage its efforts or integrate them into existing civilian and Solaren military constructions on the island. There were hopes, though, that this wouldn't be needed anyways and that Lorraine would behave responsible and let the Carentanians do what they needed to do.

Mazara

This wasn't the first amphibious landing operation by Carentania in this war, but it was the first on the Solaren mainland, the first where the enemy had not been cut off from supplies for a prolonged period before the assault. To make up for this, Carentania made sure that all other strategic elements worked in their favour: the initiative was clearly on their side, the attack had not been expected to come on a major urban center. Aerial superiority was maintained through the proximity to Capraria. Solaren was facing the troops of Eiffelland approaching from the east, meaning that the Carentanian forces fell into their backs, the tactical situation changing around them faster than they could reorganize. Finally, with the Solaren forces thrown into disarray, Carentania made sure to throw as much into battle as they could within the given amount of time, landing two brigades of Marines on the shores of Mazara, which would be followed my Mechanized and Armored brigades soon, while paratroopers were already seizing the western suburbs.

Rather than seize the city house by house, the soldiers advanced quickly towards designated key ares scattered across the entire urban area. Wherever resistance was encountered, it would be dealt with quickly or, if the attempt to overcome the Solaren units with massive firepower and close air support, evaded. Carentanias Revolutionary Army was not interested in prolonged firefights in Mazaras streets, but rather wanted to lay a network of control points across the city from which to restrict enemy mobility. The target zones had been chosen according to several criteria and included strategically important locations such as the powerplants, but also random apartement buildings that happened to be located on spots that allowed control of routes through the city. This included the canalisation, which was one of the greatest worries of the Carentanian command as it had been impossible to determine the exact location of the tunnels, leaving the Revolutionary Army to guesswork based on street drains captured on reconaissance pictures.

Sweeping the city clean from remaining resistance would be done once the occupational force arrived, consisting of an infantry brigade. Before this could happen, however, mobile units would arrive at the edge of the city and drive a wedge into the Solaren main front against Eiffelland, forcing them east against their enemies where they would, without doubt, be annihilated by the Eiffelländer advance. Meanwhile the Carentanians could establish a demarkation line of their own at which to welcome the EDF forces, while reorganizing for advances northwards and preparing for eventual Solaren counter-assaults. It was expected that it would take Solaren a few days before it could act adequately in face of the Carentanians arriving in their flank, but no one wanted to take risks. Too much depended on this. Aerial attacks from Capraria would be initiated not only against targets within Mazara, which would be marked by the troops on the ground and lead to the destruction of entire blocks; Carentanian fighters would also seek out Solaren vehicles beyond Mazara itself, crippling the Solaren combat abilities.

The bay in which Mazara was located proved troublesome, though, and Carentania lost one destroyer and a number of amphibious vehicles to unexpected coastal fire. Solaren had possessed mobile missile platforms that had remained undiscovered during the reconaissance missions and were now brought out to disturb the invasion. Hugging close to the eastern coastline where Eiffelland had already pushed back Solaren forces, the losses had probably been bigger if not for the advance of the EDF forces. But the situation being as it was, the factor limiting Solarens defensive efforts against the Revolutionary Navy the most was detection. Radar installations on the ground had been destroyed earlier in the war already, while the mobile radar of the missile brigades was nowhere as powerful and more easily jammed than a fixed installation. Eventually, attack runs by Carentanian "Magpies" rid the Revolutionary Navy of this threat, leaving the sea south to Mazara open for the invasion to proceed.

Paki Military Base

The invasion was underway and Commander Hafner suffering from a severe headache. With the fate of Solaren depending in large on this operation, it was no surprise she was stressed, but that wasn't the only reason. News from Iscla were worrying and had she not already been occupied with the assault on Mazara, she would have called the Commissar by now to inquire as to why he bypassed the chain of command to directly order her forces on a mission that could lead to a battle they'd be unable to win on Iscla. Milena Hafner was not a sceptical woman, far from it, but even she had to admit that the whole affair reeked of something bigger than it seemed.

Still, the intelligence reports from Solaren that spoke of an impending chemical attack on Iscla had passed her table as well, so she wasn't quite sure whether this wasn't a case of dramatic actionism after all. She was no political expert and, too occupied to really stand up to the Commissar over this issue, decided to leave it be and let the higher ups handle this for once. After all, there were more urgent matters to attend, such as preparing the forces that are to be deployed to Solaren following the succesful completion of the assault on Mazara. Carentania wanted this war over soon and it would force its way through to Torrence, if necessary. It helped that, up to now, only a fraction of Carentanias military had participated in this war at all and that there was plenty of ressources to rely upon in the final operation.

Meanwhile, a division of strategic bombers was armed with glide bombs in preparation for an assault run on mainland Solaren. That meant twenty-four bombers in total and an impressive amount of explosives.

Lorraine

Carentanias Revolutionary Army Intelligence was divided into sections according to which part of Europe they operated in. Unlike the image portrayed of the Carentanian intelligence in foreign countries, the RAI was not a particularily active intelligence service that involved itself with the political affairs of foreign countries - quite to the contrary, the distrust Carentanians held for secret agencies as a whole due to historic reasons had placed severe restrictions on the liberty of either Carentanian intelligence service to pursue its aims and the RAI was no exception. Concerning itself mainly with reconaissance, Section 3, the part of the RAI operating in EDF countries, was no different.

The intelligence missions pursued by Carentanian agents, who were well entrenched within their respective target countries, would hardly generate enough proof to leave them uncovered as spies. Gathering mainly information of generic nature, these would still provide useful to the Workers' Republic in case of a conflict. In face of recent tensions with the EDF, more information was requested from Section 3, including the exact locations of strategically valuable targets in case of war: power plants, major roads, bridges and rails, military facilities and ports, to name but a few. None of the reconaissance missions by Carentanian agents would raise suspicion, as it usually took only a short walk with an internet capable cell phone to satisfy Carentanian superiors. And not even more restrictive countries than Lorraine would arrest someone for happening to take a walk with his dog in visual range of a military base...

The missions faced on Lorraine and Eiffelland, though the dossiers on Nicosia were updated as well. However, members of Section 3 were worried that soon, their comfortable and safe activities would be replaced by more daring and dangerous adventures: Karl Koc, newly elected chief commander of Section 3 had a bit of a name for his proactive stance. Supporting sabotage and assault missions within the ranks of the RAI quite vocally ever since he had been appointed his first position within the Intelligence service, the only thing keeping him in check were the strict guidelines demanded from the Commissariate for Defence. Agents in exposed positions, namely those actually operating in the EDF countries and not tending to an office job back in Rijeka or Cazma, feared that these guidelines could change soon - and Karl Koc be unleashed upon the EDF, should tensions escalate.

Eiffelland

The news items on the Yujiner television did not go unnoticed, but they were immediately counterattacked by spokepersons of the government with stories about how the Solaris armed forces used civilians as human shields. Furthermore, the integrity of the Yujiner news services was taken into question. It was told that the Yujiner broadcasting companies were subject to censorship, so that basically those companies told what the government wanted them to tell. Furthermore, the governmental spokepersons told that an enormous lot was possible with computers (something the movie corporations showed every day), and that the images shown by the Yujiner television had almost certainly been modified. They also told that the government would investigate the situation to find out what was really going on.


Testono

On the one hand, low-flying fighters were an easy target. On the other hand, it was also an easy decision not to fly too close to the city boundary. The city itself was safe. The bombers didn’t bomb there. Only the harbour had been turned into a moon landscape, as well as a strip of land around the city, one kilometer wide and ranging from the coast southwest to north of the city. Fighter planes kept bombing this strip despite the negative news messages.

Unfortunately, one fighter flew too close to the city boundary. It was hit by the anti-aircraft guns above the apartment buildings. The pilot realised that he plane would go down no matter what he would do. He also realised that he would not survive the people on the ground if he would use the ejector seat. He decided to make as much damage as he could, and steered the plane straight towards the apartment building he suspected the fire had come from.


Carentania

Also the Eiffellandian government knew that the Solaris war would not end in fraternisation between the EDF and Carentania. Therefore, the Staatsschutz was active in Carentania as well. Low-profile, it was not the intention to actively look for military secrets of the Carentanians, but nevertheless. Information about bridges, tunnels, roads, railroads, the power grid, power plants, but also about the location of military facilities was collected, in such a way that it would not be an offence.


Southeastern Solaren

The Eiffellandians already had their difficulties in Southeastern Solaren. Therefore, they had not managed to west of Mazara. But they were quite close to the eastern side of Mazara. Solaris soldiers fleeing from the Carentanians were either captured or killed by the Eiffellandians.
Tegeata had been conquered by the Eiffellandians. There were still fightings in the mountaineous area southeast of Mazara, but the coastline east of Mazara around Southeastern Eiffelland to Tegeata was completely in the hands of the Eiffellandians. One of the major objectives of the Eiffellandians was reached: The Carentanians would not have the complete say in the Long Sea.

Outside Metz, Lorraine

The small farm house had just recently become uninhabited and had been secured by Nicosian secret services. The Lorrainians knew about it but had bigger fish to fry as it were. However, on this day, a few men milled around who spoke French. One or two who spoke German. Most spoke Nikoşia. The language of the day was English, a language many EDF nations used for common communications.

The windows had been boarded and guards speaking Nicosian made their way around the grounds, armed but in civilian clothing. The nearest neighbor was miles away. Only the cool wind made noise as the sky turned orange with the autumn sunset. The unharvested grain danced slowly with the cool breeze. The whitewashed stucco contrasted the metal gray SUV that stopped in front of its large wooden doors. King Alexander pulled his trench coat tight around his massive body as he swung from the front passenger seat. A guard saluted, his breath becoming steam in the air and the only movement from the now rigid man. Alexander ignored him. He entered the small foyer and looked around. A handful of men, he assumed to be various members of EDF intelligence, milled around the door to the basement. They stood, some with military rigidity and others with a lackadaisical sense of respect. He nodded slightly and the men began talking. The foyer was dim, lit with only one lightbulb, dangling naked from its hanging socket. He was lead to the basement. The cold and brown stone lined the curving staircase into a basement that was brighter than above. Two uniformed sentries came to attention outside a heavy honey locust door.

The room was small but well lit. A writing desk, cot, 2 chairs and a toilet were all that lined the room. A few empty plastic bottles of water were strewn around the room as well as an empty can of Prerrza, a popular Nicosian cola drink. The body at the writing desk faced away from him scribbling something onto a sheet of paper. Alexander could see the paper was half full of writing. He stood watching the man. The writer seemed to sense it stopping before turning to appraise his appraiser. Alexander stared back before turning to nod. The door closed and clicked shut. The white and royal blue robes were dirty, covered in mud and dust. There seemed to be a spot or two of what Alexander assumed was blood. The two still sad silent, taking each other in. Then, a small sound that grew louder. From behind the silver mask came a laughter so shrill and sinister that Alexander took a step back at first. It only took moments for the anger to rise in Alexander. With speed that surprised both men, the large and hulking mass of King Alexander crossed the room and the back of his big paw-like hand came down against Urban's head. The blow was with such force that Urban was thrown to the concrete floor. The mask clanked as it bounced across the floor. The middle age man hiding behind the mask had no color but the color of fear and shock. "Sit" said the monarch, trying to wrangle his anger. Urban collected himself and reached for his mask.

"If you pick that up, it will be back on the floor along with you" said Alexander. Urban looked at him and then at the mask for a moment before opting to sit. Before Alexander could speak, Urban's shock had dissipated. "You can't kill me" said Urban, crossing his arms. "If you make me a martyr, you and your people will never be free".

Alexander cocked his head. It was his turned to laugh and smile. "We already have. You will stand trial in Nicosia and you will rot away in a hole. You will never speak or see another human being again. When you go mad, which you will, I will be there to laugh". Urban looked perplexed, as if it was an idea that he should have considered. "You cannot do that" said Urban with confidence. "Why" was the only word Alexander used. "Your allies would never allow that" said Urban, searching for a way to get the upper hand. "The Almighty will never allow it" said Urban. Alexander again cocked his head and laughed. Urban again looked surprised. "The Almighty is not on the side of the Golden Calf or those who worship the calf" said Alexander firmly. He turned and knocked on the door. It opened and he turned to Urban. "Your court date is in 2 weeks in Syracuse. You can expect representation to arrive shortly". With that, King Alexander stepped from the door and made his way back to the airport.