The Overdue War

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Rijeka

The ornate facade of the neoclassical building that housed the Commissariate of Defence was proof enough that, despite the break with traditions that was the revolution of 1919, even Carentania knew some historic continuity. Dunay River Street Nr. 19 had been the Ministry of War even before the revolution and the building suited along the popular river promenade together with other government buildings and embassies from around the world had seen military officials go in and out for nearly 150 years now.

Today was no different as a black Kupferberg Motors limousine stopped right in front of the entrance of the building that had just days ago received a fresh layer of paint and was literally gleaming in the bright summer sun. Commander Milena Hafner was stepping out of the car after a long and exhausting trip from Carentanias southern border to its capital and an aide, carrying a stack of documents, was following her every move. She had been summoned to Rijeka to personally give a report about the progress of Operation Summer Games and was now welcomed by Matija Dračar, the Commissar for Defence.

Together they stepped into the entrance hall of the Commissariate, where the General Staff of the Revolutionary Army was already waiting for her. Commander Hafner was now surrounded by old men in highly decorated military uniforms. One of the few elitist gentlemen clubs left in the Workers' Republic, a travel back in time. However, Milena knew she would shake this little clique to its cores, would become the second woman in the history of the republic to enter its ranks. All she had to do was to prove her abilities as military leader, as strategist and tactician alike. This war was her chance and she had made sure to take it.

The greetings were short and formally and the General Staff immediately proceeded into a conference room where Commander Hafner was asked to give her report behind securely thick walls.

"The offensive proceedes smoothly and troops of the second offensive division have just closed the encirclement of Senaki by reaching the city's east. We are setting up defensive positions at this place and I have ordered the first defensive division to be transported as quickly as possible into the east of Senaki to be prepared for possible Talemantine-Fulanistani aggression should their advance reach Senaki faster than expected. As we speak, first raids are carried out on Akhaltsikhen loyalists in Senaki as well. Orders are to engage in firefights from secure distances in order to provoke the loyalists to exhaust their ammunition stockpiles. Once the remaining forces are in place and we have gathered additional intelligence from Jurzan supporters within the cities, we will take the city.

Meanwhile the Vrbas Kraj offensive has left the borders of the Kraj to the south and will soon meet up with our paratroopers as well as the Jurzani forces. We, however, can not yet report the Vrbas Kraj to be securely taken as there are still a lot of Akhaltsikhen loyalists and possibly even Mezhists operating in the back of our offensive. These forces will be rooted out by occupying troops within the next days. In my personal opinion, victory in the Vrbas Kraj should be reported to the public once we have secured it or else reports about battles in the Kraj may weaken our position in the Carentanian public opinion."

Commissar Dračar was the only one to speak up, as the General Staff remained awkwardly silent. "Commander, as you may be aware there are concerns that, especially if the CoN resolution in support of their intervention passes, the Talemantines may attack our forces in the Jurzan. Signals from Fulanistan are also very worrying and we wish to be prepared. As a consequence, we have ordered the fourth army group to the Vrbas. You are to remain in charge of the operations in Jurzan and are hereby granted full authority over the commander of the fourth army."

Milena nodded. "What about the second army group. The media reported about their deployment to the theater as well."

"This was a misinformation. The second army group, as well as the third, are assemblying near Učka. Defense of Carentanias north-east is, however, none of your concern."

Again, Milena nodded, this time silently.

 

[Batavië]

The five a400m cargo planes had published their flight plans 12 hours in advance. Everyone who was interested could see where they intended to fly, at what altitudes, etcetera. Kurt van den Broeck, commander of this operation, was still nervous despite the clean planning. It was mid morning and the clear skies gave an out of place sense of calm. That calming sense rapidly diminished when the smoke from Tetri Tsqaro became visible. The planes began their descent, slowly and carefully.

'There, that's the field where we land. Everyone gear up, there are going to be a lot of people down there!'

Kurt strapped himself into the jumper seat and held onto a rail as the plane made its bumpy landing in the field. They were nearby a village on the outskirts of the city limits. The plane slowed to a taxi and eventually parked. The rear door opened and the Batavian troops poured out creating a perimeter.

Van den Broeck trotted off the ramp and onto the field. He could smell the smoke from the burning capital and coughed. He removed a handkerchief and spat into it. His saliva was already black and thick.

'Ok, set up a team of twenty, go into the city, weapons down, show a white flag and bring an interpeter with you. Call out in Georgian and Arabic our purpose and tell people that if they want to leave they had better hurry up. Go!'

The team jogged off into the village following their simple orders. Van den Broeck observed the other teams from the other planes doing the same thing. He decided to tag along with one of the teams. He had his pistol securely fastened in his holster, and he sincerely hoped that he wouldn't need to make use of it today.

His team of ten men, eleven including himself, entered the village. It was desolate, dirty but there were people coming out of their homes and shops. Van den Broeck's group had their interpreter call out with a megaphone.

'Attention, attention! This is a Batavian humanitarian mission. All civilians seeking shelter and asylum outside this country may travel with us. All those who fear for their future may travel with us!'

The message was repeated in Arabic and Georgian and it did not take long for a few scared families to gather in the village square. One bag per person was allowed and the lines of refugees began to filter out of the village towards the field where the planes were idling.

'How many here?' Van den Broeck inquired to his lieutenant.

'Probably enough to fill the planes. Some won't leave, though. Maybe they don't trust us?'

'I don't blame them.' Van den Broeck turned away from his lieutenant and began walking alongside the scared families. A mother wept as she carried her infant against her chest. Van den Broeck took out a plastic water bottle from his rucksack and gave it to her. She made her best attempt at a smile and muttered something in Georgian, to which the Batavian commander merely smiled.

As his men continued to organise the chaos as best they could, Kurt ventured off deeper into the village alone. He passed an abandoned corner store, ransacked and looted probably days ago. Continuing down the main road he could see the site of burning Tetri Tsqaro in the not too far off distance. He suddenly heard the sound of clashing metal and withdrew his pistol, fearing a rebel or rogue soldier. It was a cat darting across the rubbish-strewn street. Van den Broeck breathed in deeply and holstered his weapon.

He walked into the house from where the cat had jumped out of. The door was smashed in, half broken off its hinges. The smell of rotting food and something else that he couldn't quite identify nearly knocked him out. He covered his nose and mouth with his shirt brim. The kitchen was a mess, food all over the floor, broken chairs flung alongside the counters and walls. Further into the house he discovered a sight which he never could have imagined. He nearly collapsed, his knees buckling beneath him. Van den Broeck caught himself on the edge of the table.

Before him was this home's former family. A father, mother and two children, or what was left of them, lay cold and dead on the floor, their throats slit, the father's head decapitated. Van den Broeck's eyes began to well up with tears and he quickly left the house. He steadied himself on the wall of the alleyway and after suppressing a few uncontrollable sobs he vomited onto the brick wall. He rinsed his mouth out with his canteen and wiped his mouth on his uniform sleeve.

'Air Group A this is Commander Van den Broeck.' he said into his radio. They responded.

'Get these people out of here now, we're leaving.'

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Senaki

Through the lenses of his binoculars, Guardsman Bogataj could see the Akhaltsikhen soldiers beneath their fortified positions. They had set up post within a small house at the edge of a suburban district of Senaki, guarding a major road into the city center. Amongst walls of sandbags and thick concrete walls, one could only make out swift movements and the occasional rifle pointing out towards an unseen enemy from within protected firing positions. Even Bogataj and his comrade, Guardsman Medved, specialist marksmen of the Second Offensive Division of the Revolutionary Army of Carentania, would not be able to take the enemy out if they stayed within this building.

But their orders never had been to prey upon the Akhaltsikhen soldiers in that building. As the sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon, the Carentanians were preparing for the final attack on Senaki, the last stronghold of a dying regime. Bogataj and Medved had sneaked closer to the Akhaltsikhen positions in the cover of hedges and tall grass, locating the defensive positions guarding the entry routes of Senaki. Now, all they had to do was to report them via radio communications and then lay back and watch the fireworks.

The first few shells missed the building by about thirty meters, their explosions nevertheless causing all windows in the whole block to shatter. For a few moments, the whole city fell silent once again, as the mobile artillery unit of the Second Offensive Division readjusted their howitzers in accordance with the reports of their scouts on the frontline. Then the house and all soldiers within it were incinerated and the whole building was flattened. Tremors shook the ground with each hit and what had actually just been a minute seemed like hours as a cruel silence followed the attack.

"Target eliminated, road is clear," the Guardsmen reported coldly. Once the sun would have disappeared behind the horizon, armored units would enter the city this way, supported by attack helicopters, artillery and aerial precision strike. Infantry units following in their wake would capture strategic points along their route and effectively divide the city into seperate sectors, crippling the ability of the enemy to coordinate an effective defense of the city.

Guardsmen Bogataj and Medved would watch this offensive from a secure distance, interfering only if an opportunity for a clear shot should arise.

 

[Clarenthia]

Nadarejshvili straightened his tie and washed his face, looking into the mirror of his personal bathroom. Nadarejshvili was made the Finance Minister in 1985 and had been working with the Dissenters since 1988. Through the years, he became a personal advisor of Saakashvili and it passed onto Abkhaz. His knowledge is comparable to that of the Executors, and now he was assigned with a most important task.

Tsintsadze has escaped, the consensus was he is in Talemantros, but in reality, he could be in either Talemantros or somewhere else in the Jurzan. The good news is he wouldn't be able to leave the area through Hajr, Carentania, or Talemantros, his image was known across the region, he couldn't get by quietly.

Nadarejshvili walked out of his bathroom and down the hall to his conference room. In the conference room, Nadarejshvili met up with the other members of the new National Directorate of Security. Nadarejshvili was not only in charge of the investigation of Tsintsadze, he was the Director of the NDS.

"Mr. Director," Vice-Director Musa Basit said "I am happy to be working with you."

"Same to you, Vice-Director," Nadarejshvili replied.

"Gentlemen, Sulkhan Tsintsadze has escaped from General Khayrat's task force. He's either in Talemantros or somewhere in the Jurzan, there are multiple areas he could be at, it depends when he left," Chief Intelligence Officer Latif Khaled said.

"Do we have any idea when he left?" Nadarejshvili asked.

"General Khayrat reported that there were documents spread all around, it seemed like a speedy retreat," NDS Investigation Director Najib Murtada said.

"Where do the escape tunnels lead?" Basit asked.

"They give access to a valley that enables you to easily access an uninhabited part of Talemantros," Nadarejshvili responded.

"Where do you go once you've made it to Talemantros?" Basit persisted.

"Nowhere, continuously keep moving, every now and then meeting up with contacts," Nadarejshvili said.

"Do you know where the contacts are?" Murtada asked.

"I was not a Councilor, never informed," Nadarejshvili said.

"If he was in the Jurzan, where would he go?" Director of Domestic Investigations Rizwan Zaman asked.

"I don't know, I suggest we get satellite images," Nadarejshvili proposed.

"From who and where?" Zaman asked.

"Belmont, Carentania, of anywhere we feel needs a look or two, including around the Talemantine Border, we'll claim we want to see locations of Talemantine troops," Nadarejshvili answered.

"What kind of weaponry did that facility have?" Tawfiq Hosni, Director of Foreign Operations, asked.

"A large amount of bio agents, we secured them so they wouldn't fall into the hands of terrorists, we also made some potent agents to better understand engineering and we develop some cures. Some of the agents remain cureless," Nadarejshvili answered.

The room went silent for a little as Hosni took off his glasses and set them on the table. He took a long sigh and then looked back at the men around the table.

"General Khayrat's troops searched that facility from top to bottom, there were no bio weapons," Hosni finally said.

"The urgency of this search just grew drastically," Basit said.

"They couldn't have moved it all at once, it was moved at different times, likely to different locations," Nadarejshvili said.

"We have large amounts of bio weapons in the hands of the enemy and we don't know where it is?" Hosni said.

"If Talemantros or Fulanistan or any nation for that matter discovered the weapons, the ramifications would be intense," Zaman said.

"Then our course of action is this. The best way to capture or disarm Tsintsadze is to get the people around him and gentlemen, I can tell you who is around him, but I can't tell you where they are. Knowing them is a damn good start though. We need to hurry, if any of those bio weapons go off, the world will react in a way we don't want them too, we move quickly and covertly," Nadarejshvili said.

"Do we inform our allies?" Basit asked.

"It's not my call, Vice-Director Basit, but if you want my personal opinion, they don't need to know that Tsintsadze isn't dead, let alone that he has bio weapons," Nadarejshvili said.

The meeting ended and Nadarejshvili leaned back in his chair, things were getting worse.

 

[Clarenthia]

General Khayrat was walking down the hall of an apartment complex that had been turned into the headquarters for the assault on Senaki. Tsintsadze may be alive, but no one knew that. What the country knew was Khovera was the last person that needed to fall. Khayrat had no real plan for an assault on Senaki, he hoped someone else did.

Instead, Khayrat had been ordering the Jurzani Congress to take shelter in one of Graneli's mines, he had ordered massive amounts of ammunition to the mines as well. All aircraft were ordered to go near the Hajri Border. Khayrat had set up several anti-air sites across the country side, but he didn't feel they would be exactly functional.

Regardless, 5,000 Jurzani Soldiers were ready to attack Senaki and Khayrat was ready to give the Carentanians the okay and attack the city and finish off the civil war.

 

[Clarenthia]

General Khayrat walked into the Carentanian Field Commander's quarters and dropped a folder onto his desk.

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"This is my final proposal for the Senaki Attack.

This photo was taken on August 2, 2010. Orange lines are confirmed areas of Akhaltsikhi Defensive Lines. Akhaltsikhi Forces are using Senaki's roads to establish defensive lines, assaulting them head on would be a suicide mission, so it is essential for an air assault on those defensive lines. Collateral would likely be extensive, but necessary.The circles on the map indicate areas we feel Khovera is hiding.

Stage 1. Green denotes Jurzani Forces, Red denotes Carentanian Forces. It is vital for air strikes to occur on defensive lines 1 and 2. The assault must be punishing to loosen up defenses as best as possible. As soon as the bombs fall, stage 2 begins.

Stage 2. Jurzani and Carentanian land forces will use roads to attack the defensive lines. The shock of the airstrike will have the defensive lines crushed and in panic. Armored units should lead the attack, infantry stay safely behind for supporting the armored vehicles and then securing the defensive lines. Speed is essential, if one line is pinned down for too long, the other defensive lines will be able to organize a defense. Thicker lines determine larger forces.

Stage 4. After line 1 is secured, forces will move to secure line 2. Expect slightly more resistance.

Stage 5. As soon as the forces attack the second defensive line, Carentanian fighters will bomb the third defensive line.

Stage 6. Line 4 is too close to Khovera's suspected location, we need to attack it head on, expect high resistance and moderate casualties.

Stage 7. This is the final stage of the attack. Land forces will move into the possible locations of General Khovera, we expect troops to be littering the area, so it is essential to move quickly. An amphibious assault will be launched by both Jurzani and Carentanian forces in order to squeeze Akhaltsikhi Forces, making the attack easier.

Once Khovera is secured, Akhaltsikhi Forces will likely surrender and the attack on Senaki and the Civil War will be over. Khovera can be taken dead or alive.

Throughout the attack, helicopters will be flying around the city, fighting troops on the building tops attempting to fight our forces from above.

I suggest we attack tomorrow,"

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Senaki

The noise of distant explosions hung over the battlefield like static on a radio that was not tuned in on any station. It was the sound of howitzer shells and bombs, of tank cannons and rocket artillery. And it mixed well with the rattling of the machine guns, the booming of jet engines and the wheezing of motorized vehicles. A cacophony of atonal sounds reminiscent of a tinitus, but to Milena Hafners ears it was a beautiful music. Those sounds, she said to herself, are a promise of victory, of fame and acknowledgement.

"The attack is carried out as you ordered," some officer in Hafners' service said to her while he walked up and saluted. "Our forces enter the city slow, but steadily, relying heavily on artillery and air support while utilizing as much cover as possible. To summarize, they are following your orders and while in due time assault the first defensive line, as reported to us by the Jurzani forces and confirmed by Frescanian intelligence." Carentania had taken up on the offer of Frescanian support earlier, earning their intelligence data just in time for the attack.

"Report to me once the offensive breaks through the third line of Akhaltsikhen defense," Commander Hafner ordered without taking her gaze off the burning city in front of her. The Carentanians were entering Senaki with a frontal attack, coming directly from the south and forcing a breakthrough with amassed forces and the merciless use of their air superiority and superior artillery strength. Forces would continue to stream in through the breach until they had gotten into the back of the third defensive line, just in front of the final Akhaltsikhen defenses. From along this route into the heart of the city, forces would begin to roll up the defenses of Senaki from the behind, fighting their way from house to house and clearing up the entire city. Then, the remaining fortress on the northern tip of the city would be offered to surrender. Should they reject that, Carentania would attack along a wide front, utilizing all its forces after having finished the fights in the rest of the city.

Commander Hafner had completely rejected the Jurzan strategy, calling it "rubbish" in front of their fellow officers. The Carentanian diplomats who had to inform the Jurzani military, meanwhile, chose more friendly words, insisting that the assault had already started before Carentania received news of the Jurzani plans. However, the truth was probably, that no one in the Revolutionary Army trusted the abilities of the Jurzani military, a makeshift armed force in dire need of professional equipment and training. Something which Carentania was only willing to provide in the context of diplomatic guarantuees and with Jurzan being a reliable partner, a revolutionary state. Not one openly considering the privatization of central government assets.

Finally, Commander Hafner turned around, having grown tired of the sight of smoking ruins.

"Get me a communications officer," she ordered the nearest soldier. "Tell him to send a message to the pacification forces. They are to secure the mines, factories and central infrastructure in the territories secured by Carentanian forces. Avoid the use of force, just protect them from unauthorized access and sabotage. If the pressure on Jurzan should cause growing turmoil in this young nation, we may do the people of this country a favor this way."

 

[Taley]

Talemantine Missile Command

And order came in from the War Secretariat to Gen. Adamo Ratti;

[B]Secretariat of War[/B]

“Resolution 13 has passed. Begin operations against Akhaltsikhe immediately.”

This was the order he needed to give the military the first strikes since they attacked Akhaltsikhe. The TMC once again targeted military assets along the border and coast. Also they targeted this time military and government structures in the de facto Jurzani Capital of Tal Afar.

Army Group I
Northern Border with Akhaltsikhe

The Security Council had finally seen it the empire’s way. The passage of Resolution 13 sealed the ending of Akhaltsikhe and the Jurzan who claimed to rule in the former country. Only a few minutes ago Lt. General Javier Haghio received the green light from Talemaniki. A similar message was sent to the other two army groups south of his position. He walked into his command center and began barking orders. With his commands given his underlings began to carry them out.

Following the missile barrage the airforce began bombing the Akhaltsikhe forces on the border taking special attention to airfields, supply lines, and formations of enemy armor units. Along with the airforce army attack helicopters took to the air searching for enemy forces and attacking with full fury as a general artillery barrage of the Akhaltsikhe lines erupted from the imperial forces waiting across the border. Once the artillery bombardment ended Imperial armor units, of tanks and tank destroyers crossed the border into Akhaltsikhe beginning the invasion, while the artillery moved to support the advancement. Their mission was to take Abasha and secure the mouth of the Kalatozov River.

Army Group II
Central Border with Akhaltsikhe

Lt. General Renato Paoli had a glint of excitement in his eye. He was ready and had been waiting impatiently and had gotten on the nerves of his commanders. Now he was allowed to unleash the power of those under his command and get out from the eye of Coalition Commander General Asdrubale Somayli.

Following the missile barrage the airforce began bombing the Akhaltsikhe forces on the border taking special attention to airfields, supply lines, and formations of enemy armor units. Along with the airforce army attack helicopters took to the air searching for enemy forces and attacking with full fury as a general artillery barrage of the Akhaltsikhe lines erupted from the imperial forces waiting across the border. Once the artillery bombardment ended Imperial armor units, of tanks and tank destroyers crossed the border into Akhaltsikhe beginning the invasion, while the artillery moved to support the advancement. Their mission was to take Asyut and secure the Asyut tributary of the Kalatozov River.

Army Group III
Southern Border with Akhaltsikhe

Lt. General Benito Al-Temiyat had volunteered for this command. Being a Uroduah citizen of the empire he had prospered while the Uroduah of Akhaltsikhe were oppressed and slaughtered under the old apartheid regime. He wanted to bring that prosperity he found in the empire to these lands. Resolution 13 gave him the authority to do that, but it seemed now he would have to fight fellow Uroduah who supported a new regime that won only because they were more blood thirsty than the Georgians. The Mujahideen under their leader Khayrat will be used to lash out at their former rulers and a new wave of terrorism would sweep through the region. If this happened it would be disastrous for the Uroduah people of the world. He would stop it at the source.

Following the missile barrage the airforce began bombing the Akhaltsikhe forces on the border taking special attention to airfields, supply lines, and formations of enemy armor units. Along with the airforce army attack helicopters took to the air searching for enemy forces and attacking with full fury as a general artillery barrage of the Akhaltsikhe lines erupted from the imperial forces waiting across the border. Once the artillery bombardment ended Imperial armor units, of tanks and tank destroyers crossed the border into Akhaltsikhe beginning the invasion, while the artillery moved to support the advancement. Their mission was to take Khoni and the Southern Zarqa and move toward Tel Afar.

Seleucian Sea
TIS Horace I

“What are we looking at?”

“Admiral it appears that the NSA Mikhail Kalatozov and its escort group are coming with intent to attack. Also the rest of the Akhatlsikhe Navy is not far behind.”

Admiral Vitale Jovine once again looked at the message from the Akhaltsikhe ship.

“The Mikhail Kalatozov is their flagship and carrier correct?”

“That will be correct sir.”

Vitale thought for a moment and a slight smile or smirk grew across his face. “Contact the admiralty. Have them send the Theodora over here. Have the choppers on the Waylon X and the Beniamino I to do anti-submarine duty. I want them to find any and all Akhaltsikhe subs and take them out.”

“Yes sir.”

“Then send a volley of cruise missiles into the Kalatozov and send her to the bottom of the ocean, then send more missiles into the cruisers and destroyers of the main fleet. Have all fighters concentrate on the Amphibious Assault ships and then move to the smaller ships.”

“Yes sir as you order, admiral.” The lieutenant began to walk away and Jovine called after him.

“Wait! One more thing.” The devilish smirk across his face got bigger. “Send this message to the Kalatozov.” The lieutenant took the message and read it to himself, then looked back at the admiral with a puzzled face. Seeing the confusion he nodded to confirm his order. Jovine was certainly going to get a medal for this.

Message to the NSA Mikhail Kalatozov

“Go fuck your own face!”

[SIGNED]
Admiral Vitale Jovine
Talemantine Imperial Navy

 

[Frescania]

Porte de Victoire, Air Base
Franmandie, Frescania

Three squadrons were to be send immediately to Rijeka. Direct orders from high command.

What exactly the plans were he didn't know, but Fernando was to get the planes there as quickly as possible. As far as I knew, Carentanian airspace would be open for them and in route the Frescanian Navy would escort them through international waters. Once there, he was to repaint the planes and get rid of any marcas Españolas within the aircrafts.

No orders were giving from that point on...with the exception they were to use Frescania's former main aircraft, the

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.

 

[Fulanistan]

Medallion Armed Forces Base, Far West Sharjah, Federal Republic of Fulanistan
Commander-in-chief Pieter Schwarz

Several thousand families waited outside the gate to say goodbye to the men and women who were leaving for Western Talemantros. There was a general sense of despair from them, but also one of patriotism. Several large cargo planes waited on the runway filled with tanks, armored cars and supplies. They were preparing for the invasion of Jurzan which was to come later this week.

Pieter stepped out of his small office to ensure the planes were ready.

"Are the planes prepared for transport?" Pieter said to the captain.

"Almost, sir. We are doing a final inspection to ensure everything is secured, then we will begin loading the soldiers onto the other 4 aircraft." replied the Captain.

Pieter nodded and walked towards the loudspeaker neatly placed on the ammunition crate. He approached it and picked it up, fiddling with the controls to turn it on. This produced a loud squealing noise which gained everyones attention.

"Alright! We will be departing in one hour as planned. All soldiers are to say their final goodbyes and report to the common area. You will be sorted alphabetically and then loaded onto the planes." said Pieter into the loudspeaker. He then repeated it in Uroduah and Vlaams.

The large crowd began scurrying as the gates opened to allow the soldiers in. A large group of soldiers began to walk into the base as their families looked on. As they made their way in, the gates began to close behind them. The group of soldiers quickly headed for the common area and disappeared out of sight. The tall captain from before walked back to Pieter with a grin on his face.

"Sir the planes are ready. We can begin loading the soldiers when you choose." said the Captain.

"You can start loading them once I have gathered a few things." replied Pieter.

Pieter walked back towards his small office and opened the door. It was a small wood paneled room with a stiff carpet floor. In the middle of the room was a medium sized desk with a neatly organized top. At the wall behind it was several degrees and framed metals, as well as a wooden cabinet with a glass door. Pieter shut the door and walked over to the cabinet. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brass key, which he put in the small lock on the door. He opened it, revealing a small briefcase as well as several folders and papers. He picked it up, and used the same small brass key to open the briefcase. As he opened it, he placed it down on the desk. The briefcase was lined with a burgundy velvet material with brass features. Inside the briefcase was a .357 Magnum revolver, as well as several bullets. Pieter pressed on the cylinder and opened it revealing it to be empty. He placed what bullets he had into the gun and cocked it. He placed it in his holster and put the briefcase back in the cabinet and locked it. He quickly left the room and met back with the tall captain.

"Are you ready sir?" asked the captain.

Pieter replied, "Ready as I'll ever be."

 

[Clarenthia]

"Abasha is lost, we must accept that," President Khayrat said. "We can hold an excellent defense at Khoni, Tel Afar, Zarqa, and Asyut. Asyut and Zarqa especially, bridges provide the only way in over land."

"We destroy the bridges, Mr. President?" General Basir asked.

"Yes, I'm not saying we'll be able to repel them at Asyut and Zarqa, but it'll be a bloody mess for them," President Khayrat answered.

"Our plan includes the destruction of as many bridges as possible, it'll slow down their armor greatly," Assad Jaffer declared.

"It will, do it," Khayrat said. "Order all of our fighters into the air, get them into Carentania immediately, they'll be better suited there."

"Yes sir," General Basir said, bowing and leaving.

"General Jaffer, how many Mujahideen are estimated to be in Zarqa and Asyut?" President Khayrat asked.

"Maybe 50,000 in each," Jaffer answered.

"Good," Khayrat answered, smiling.

--
Bridges across the Afar River, Tsqaro River, and parts of the Kalatozov suddenly exploded into a massive display of fire. Due to lack of time, some bridges were still intact, but most strategic bridges, including the entries to Asyut and Zarqa, were destroyed.

--
The few fighters the Jurzan had were beginning to take to the air, they were all to leave in groups, so they began circling above until all the jets were into the air. Their goal was to immediately fly to Carentania.

Helicopters and fuel were left behind.
--
Captain Nikoloz smiled at the message from the Talemantines. They foolishly were attacking a fleet of 147 ships with Carentania's military support. He stopped smiling because he knew the man was going to rot at the bottom of the ocean, that is if he is honorable enough to go down with his ship.

Nikoloz gave the order for his entire fleet to begin opening fire on the Talemantine Fleet, he was hoping that the Carentanians would use their air power to help sinking this fleet, all in all, the massacre at sea would be saddening to Captain Nikoloz.

(OOC: I suggest we don't post until Carentania can respond)

 

[Fulanistan]

Western Talemantros

The sky overhead is cloudy but the sun is shining through. 7 Large military planes are parked on the grassy field next to the runway while tanks and Armored cars roll off of them. A large group of soldiers are setting up sleeping tents on the other side of the runway. Commander in chief Pieter Schwarz is standing by a specialized military Range Rover in a digital green outfit. Next to him is the tall captain as well as 3 other captains.

"Our supplies are going to be stored in portables when the Talemantines bring them sir." said the tall captain. Pieter showed a slight look of dissappointment at the situation.

"They were supposed to be here hours ago. I am starting to doubt the integrity of this mission especially if they can't deliver portable buildings on time."

Suddenly the roar of several V8 engines appeared in the distance. 5 large trucks made their way on to the large field carrying the portables. They delivered them at an empty spot of the field where they were intended to be. As they were dropped off, a short fat man came out of the first truck and approached Pieter. He had a small clipboard in his hand with several blue papers attatched to it.

"Commander in chief Pieter Schwarz I presume?" asked the man.

"Indeed. What took the shipment so long? They were promised when we arrived two hours ago." replied Pieter.

"We had a brief mishap with the trucks. They were needed to distribute rifles to a group of troops near the border." said the man.

Pieter then said "We'll begin setting them up. We will start planning operations tomorrow."

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Rijeka

The dark marmor on the floor of the Black Square in central Rijeka had been polished to shine brightly in the Carentanian summer sun, sparkling flawlessly as if it had just been laid down in front of the old parliament building, which was nowadays a museum of the country's history. Standing in disciplined lines across the entire square were the paratroopers of the Revolutionary Army's first Airborne Division, the first units to return from Jurzan and assembled to receive an honor speech as well as medals, even though, in difference to their comrades still in the Jurzan, none of the soldiers had seen any fight,

They had jumped down further south in the country with the orders to intercept the supplies of the Akhaltsikhen loyalists, only to find that the Jurzani rebels had advanced further north than previously thought. When the Carentanian offensive finally reached the positions of the airborne, they had been initially withdrawn from the zone of operations and were sent to Rijeka, where they would receive their parachutist badges with stars, a medal of the Revolutionary Army that was given to all those paratroopers that had undertaken a real combat jump.

However, the celebration was overshadowed by the threat of war with Talemantros. The Empire had invaded the Jurzan and now it was up to Carentania to decide which path to take in response. The decision, no matter what it was, would be a fateful one and thus the faces of the Commissars watching the ceremony were filled with anguish and none of them smiled.

"The Revolutionary Army has fallen back to the Kalatozov. To the Talemantines it will seem as if we are leaving the Jurzan, at least until they reach the river. We'll use that impression to locate the exact position of their fleet off the Jurzani coast with Aerial Early Warning in addition to our coastal radar."

Commissar for Defence, Matija Dracar, was giving the Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Dusan Mejic, a quick update on the situation in the Jurzan while the entire Commissars Assembly was walking down the formation of paratroopers.

"Our forces will only be able to defend the Northern half of the Jurzan at this point. I doubt it to be a good idea to send them to operate further in the south, where effective air support can not be guarantueed anymore. We have, however, instructed Jurzani forces and militias on giving us exact location information on any bridge still standing in the southern half and they will, in the future, also report to us any Talemantine attempt at crossing the river. We may not be able to intercept Talemantine air attacks so far down south, but at least we can use our air forces to prevent the Talemantines from crossing the river where we don't want them to do that."

"Anything else?" Not even Commissar Mejic, otherwise known for his unshakeable smile, looked happy on this day.

"We are preparing for an attack on the Talemantine Navy. Our fleet is mining the northern end of the bay as we speak and as I said, we are making sure the location of every Talemantine ship is known before we use ground based missiles and fighters to attack them with full force. Talemantine waters will be mined as well, but we will only begin to enter them once the attack on the fleet starts and battles in the Jurzan break out. The ships will receive coverage from an Air Division then."

Dusan Mejic did not reply at all. Instead he climbed the stairs to the wooden stage, placed himself in front of a microphone and began his honorary speech for the paratroopers. Little did they know that they as well had already been made part of the war plans against Talemantros.

Jurzan

The Revolutionary Army was headed west. Guardsman Resnik could not entirely understood why they were not facing off the Talemantine invasion, but he couldn't say that he was entirely too unhappy about it. Sure, he wanted to do his part at stopping imperialism and he was absolutely opposed to the Talemantine attack on the Jurzan, but he wasn't stupid either. He did not have to risk his life and he was content with that.

At least, he thought, they were not leaving the Jurzanis to themselves entirely. At every town and village they passed through, the convoy retreating from the east of the Jurzan stopped for a short moment, called over the local population and asked them, whether they intended to fight the Talemantine advance. Those who wanted to do so would be given small arms weapons and ammunition. Those who wanted to flee were taken along to the west.

In some cities, Guardsman Resnik and his comrades just slowed down their trucks, threw a few crates onto the streets and hurried away again, having received information that the Talemantines had come closer than planned. They simply could not be allowed to meet any Carentanian forces at this point. The first time they would make contact would be on the shores of the Kalatozov. Meanwhile, the Jurzani population would probably give them a fierce fight with Carentanian weaponry.

However, while the distribution of weapons and supplies in Jurzans eastern half was indiscriminately, the Revolutionary Army handpicked the militia groups in the west that would be aided by Carentania - and the country made sure that any aid going through its ports would be distributed by it as well. Socialist militia groups were obviously favored, while fundamentalist groups on the other half would receive no aid at all. The aid handed out would gradually become less and less the more the groups goals were incompatible with Carentanian values.

 

[Clarenthia]

Asyut, Asir

Major General Makram Ghayth was walking through the camp in Asyut. Ghayth was in charge of around 9,500 regular Jurzani Troops and around 24,000 registered Mujahideen. The Jurzani Troops spent most of their time training the Mujahideen how to handle more powerful weapons and how to handle the fighting physiologically. Ghayth was worried that they'd retreat at the first gunshot.

Jurzani troops and the Mujahideen spent their free time speaking to the children who idolized them. They would tell horror stories about how the Talemantine Soldiers are pedophiles and rapists and that they'd have their way with the children and women of the Jurzan and that's why it was important to fight them. Ghayth didn't exactly approve of the story telling, but it was beneficial at the moment, so he chose to ignore it.

The Asyut River became an important lifeline for the defense of the city, boats were constantly coming in from small towns around the River and the military establishment a little while to the south. They were supplying food and water along with guns. Ghayth ordered that all weapons stores were to be ceased and their guns to go into the hands of the Mujahideen and Jurzani Troops. Police forces surrendered their weapons to the Jurzani Troops and the people were handing over knives and handguns. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Eastern Carentania

If there had been someone else than the pilots themselves to watch them, it would have been possible to occur to him or her that Carentania was on its path to war. The Carentanian fighters flew at a low altitude, hugging closer to the ground than Carentanian law allowed during peacetime. Only the prospect of an attack allowed the pilots of the 13th Fighter Brigade to hug that closely to the ground below them, causing the thunder of their machines to echo back from the earth and cover the area into a deafening noise.

Aerial Early Warning combined with coastal radar stations had located the exact position of every Talemantine ship off the Jurzani coast. In fact, they had watched the Talemantine operations ever since their ships left port, reporting their every movement to the Central Command of the Revolutionary Army. The Carentanians had prepared for the moment of confrontation from day one, hoping it would never have to come this far. But when the General Staff of the Revolutionary Army ordered to begin with what has been termed Operation Iron Casket, there was no hesitation and the planes of three Air Force Divisions, 297 planes in total, left their bases to begin an attack that would cripple the Talemantine military for years to come.

Headed towards the Talemantine were five fighter brigades, which accounted for 165 multirole fighters equipped for air fights as well as striking on ships, and the four tactical bomber brigades, which consisted of 132 tactical bombers armed to the teeth with anti-ship missiles. When they reached Carentanias eastern coast only minutes after the last plane had left the ground, the AEW plane in the air, which had already reached a distance to the Talemantine fleet that could be considered safe, in cooperation with the groundbased radar stations began to jam the Talemantine radar frequencies, covering the Carentanian approach that was already hard enough to detect due to the low altitude approach.

In the north, covered by the 99 multirole fighters of the sixth Air Force Division, the first fleet of the Revolutionary Navy completed its own task in Operation Iron Casket. Having already mined the rest of the bay, they now entered Talemantine waters under the cover of radar jamming and protected from enemy attacks by Carentanian fighters. As quick as possible, they would block the route to the open sea with mines, turning those parts of the Talemantine sea zone which could be utilized by the large warships into a deathtrap. Upon finishing their mission, the First Fleet would return to the safety of the Učka military port as quickly as possible.

When the Carentanian fighters came within firing range of the Talemantine fleet, the choice for their enemies was clear: either fall victim to the anti-ship missiles of the Carentanians which hit the Talemantine ships with supersonic speed on the moment of their impact, or retreat to the open sea where they would be harder to detect and attack, but get caught up in the Carentanian seamines on their way to safety.

Jurzan

The Talemantines had the ability to strike deep within southern Jurzan, that much was clear as Guardsman Horvat saw the destroyed airfields below him. They had attacked Jurzans air bases, hoping to gain aerial superiority within the early stages of the war -a sound strategy, but luckily the Jurzanis had been able to retreat at least some of their planes to safety in Carentania. And Carentanias presence meant that there would be no complete aerial superiority for the Talemantines anyways, as Guardsman Horvat and his comrades were about to prove.

While the massive presence of the First and Fourth Army Groups in Northern Jurzan would prevent Talemantine attacks in their part of the country, it was southern Jurzan that proved a headache for the strategists of the Revolutionary Army. The region was too far away from Carentanian air fields and radar surveillance to allow for interception of Talemantine attacks and that meant that in the south, the Talemantines could strike at Jurzani formations at will without the fear of losses. Thusfar, there had been no satisfactory solution for this strategical problem, but at least, while the south of Jurzan was too far away to allow the Carentanians to intercept enemy attacks, the same held true for the Talemantines.

"Three-Four-Four to Command, reporting target within sight." Guardsman Horvat had spotted the bridge across the Kalatozov he had been ordered to destroy before the Talemantines could reach it and cross the river.
"Roger Three-Four-Four. Permission to destroy target granted. Allied forces have been informed."

With the satisfying knowledge that the Jurzanis had ensured that no one would be near this bridge they couldn't blast themselves, Guardsman Horvat dropped his laser guided gliding bomb onto the centuries old stone bridge, destroying this ages old sign of human civilization within mere seconds. A small sacrifice for the freedom of the Jurzan from the Talemantine yoke.

 

[Sheridan]

Jurzan-Ascaloni Border

Colonel Vincenzo Pentangali was a member of the Ascaloni-Dominican Army (ADA). He was commanding the 4th Fanteria Brigata (Infantry Brigade). For now their only job was to guard the border, making sure that the fighting didn't spill over into Ascalon. His brigade was stationed in the insanely hot Bianco Deserto, which covered the North-West region of Ascalon. His sat in his tent looking over the sattelite and UAV video of what was going on in the southern portion of Jurzan.

Currently the Carentanian's were aiding the Jurzani rebels in hindering the Talemantine advance. They were doing a good job of it, and the Talemantine's were certainly going to be slowed down significantly. However sooner or later the Jurzani rebels would be out-manned and out-gunned, maybe even with the Carentanian support. It was a possibility that Ascalon would be dragged into this war, with both the Church and the government throwing themselves on the side of the HFA. He hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

"Ok, time for another shift. Send D Company to relieve C Company at checkpoint Delta." Colonel Pentangalia spoke to one of the men sitting at a computer.

"Roger that sir, D, relieve C at Delta." the man spoke into a headset.

For now Pentangalia was glad that all the ADA was doing was watching the borders.

 

[Frescania]

South-Eastern Carentania

Fernando looked at the planes and it was hard to recognize they had come from his country. They were painted in blue with no Frescanian signs, with no country...just planes with unknown owners.

He had received another two squadrons from the homeland, and they had delayed any attempts as they trained in the new terrain and learned their new lives – in case they were captured, they would not be rescued, albeit some believed the Government was not going to let that happen. They had also moved to another part of the Communist State, to help another part of the front.

The time had and he had order two squadrons out towards the battlefield.

North-Eastern Jurzan

The eight planes moved swiftly through the skies as they neared the Talemantine forces. The intelligence had told them where they would be, and they were about to confirm it.

Rapidly the enemy began to appear over their radar. One, two, three. Their guided missiles locked on their targets and moved swiftly towards the grounds, with the pilots hoping their missiles would hit all of their targets.

Miraflores
Frescania

Everyone sat in their chairs as they watched the news and the one thing that caught their eyes was the recent support of the Talemantine invasion by Ascalon. That would not be tolerated. What exactly to do about it was still in the air, but nothing would be ruled out, after all, the Chancellor and the President had already called on the armed forces to be put on high alert in case the situation on the ground would lead to conflict.

But mobilization had not done...yet.

 

[Clarenthia]

Jurzani South

The hot desert sun burned the land with an intensity that many of the Jurzani South were familiar with. Five Mujahideen were walking on the outskirts of a small village, several Talemantine troops were on patrol in the little village.

Bakr Qamar was one of the men who registered with the Government. This war for him grew to be a lot more than just a patriotic conquest. The success of his work and remaining alive were what was important to him, a fortune's worth of money was relying on it. He pulled out his necklace from under his shirt, it was a crescent star, a family heirloom, he kissed it as he walked up to a house.

Knocking on the door, it didn't take long for a woman to answer it.

"Excuse me Miss, I am a member of the Mujahideen, I fight for the safety and security of my people and the survival of my wife and sons. I wish you to help me in our fight." Qamar said, the lady nodded.

"Here with me is a piece of paper signed by President Khayrat, it says that the Government will pay back any damages caused to your household," Qamar said.

"What is going to happen to my household?" the lady asked.

"We will set it on fire, in hopes to draw some Talemantines into the open desert, they are easier to kill that way," Qamar said.

"Where am I to go?" the lady asked.

Qamar signaled for one of his troops, the soldier came up to him.

"He will take you south along the river to one of our villages, you will be safe there until we can reconstruct your home," Qamar said, the lady nodded and went back inside.

A few moments later, she exited with a bag of precious belongings. Qamar watched her hurry away as he went inside the home to light a fire. Once the fire was lit, he rushed out and the remaining three troops followed him to an old shack the lady had used as a place to cut meat, they waited there until the entire house was ablaze. The arrival of Talemantine troops didn't take too long, and that's when Qamar began firing from a window and his men took cover at the door and began firing.

Although it was not known at the time, it was the first clash between Jurzani and Talemantine forces.

 

[Clarenthia]

Sharjah

The rotors of the helicopter started up as President Khayrat stepped on. He hated helicopters with a passion, but it was necessary to leave Sharjah with all haste, staying in the city was certain death for the Shura Congress. Their destination was a small military camp along the Carentanian Border, it was used as a shipment center for funneling Carentanian supplies in and out of the Jurzan.

Nadarejshvili stepped onto the helicopter after him. He looked at the President with a distressed look.

"What troubles you?" Khayrat asked.
"If they find Tsintsadze," Nadarejshvili said.
"He's the least of our problems, it shouldn't concern you now," Khayrat answered.

The Helicopter lifted from the ground and Khayrat watched as the lights of Sharjah grew farther and farther away.

Asyut

Major General Ghayth was looking at the Talemantine Armor that was beginning to enter Asyut. He was pleased, the regular troops were successfully convincing the Mujahideen not to open fire yet.

The tanks continued moving through the streets. Cars littered the streets, to what strategists hoped the Talemantines would believe were just obstacles, but in actuality they had IEDs planted in them, not all the cars of course, but a number of them. They were the first part of Ghayth's plan.

A Jurzani Regular was sitting on the top floor of a building, peering out of the window to the row of tanks moving into the city. He peered out the window once again, and the tank at the beginning of the road began moving over one of the cars that had an IED in it. The regular ordered his men to the roof immediately as he opened his cell phone and called the number necessary, the IED exploded.

The Jurzani troops came to the roof with recoilless rifles and began opening fire on the tanks. Others bursted to the roofs of buildings with RPGs, and tried to shoot down as many helicopters as possible. After the first IED went off, explosions could be heard all across the city as troops busted to the roofs, opening fire.

The whole goal was mobility, after a few rounds were fired and chaos ensued, the forces retreated, looking for other places to open fire, confusion and speed were extremely important.

 

[Clarenthia]

Qamar and his troops laughed as they tied the five naked talemantine troops and wrapped ropes around their necks. They then proceeded to drag them through the city, presenting a glorious victory for the Mujahideen. As they were dragged through the city, civilians came out and threw rocks and what not at them, screaming profanities at the defeated talemantine troops.

Qamar dragged them into a building and sat them all upward, he then kneeled to talk to one of them.

"You come into my country, expect to be treated as heroes, loved by my people, accepted. That is not the case here, you're brothers will all be killed as they step into the Jurzan. Whether it be us or god himself. Your fate, however, is sealed," Qamar patted the soldier's head and smiled. "There will be no mercy here."

Qamar stood up and walked out of the room. He walked back in with four vicious dogs. As you can imagine, there is little food for dogs in the desert, Qamar released the leash and closed the door. He looked out at the cheering population and looked to his loyal men, it was time to leave.