Caligae, Lesser Zjandaria, Elwynn-Froyalan
Preamble
Troop Five of the 1st Strategic Bombardment Squadron of the Elwynnbrigaden had four days previously completed its deployment north to the Caligae Peninsula, which is headed off by the small Elirian enclave known as Cape Farewell. The small detachment had assumed that it had been moved in order to be in a better position to resume the strategic bombardment of those territories still in rebellion against the lawful King-Kaiser, Hasan Jayatar. However, Forty-eight hours ago a sealed crate was landed amongst the cargo brought in by a OAH Mazdak of the Babkhan Diplomatic Service Squadron carrying precision engineered metrological equipment that was, it was said, destined in some way for use in the tests recently announced by MoMA that were being conducted on the Cimmerian Islands. The crate had been delivered by a haulage truck escorted by a motorcycle detachment of fifteen troopers dressed in uniforms unfamiliar to anyone as being either Elwynnbrigaden or Imperial Forces. The uniforms were not even Babkhan but something entirely new - the unit insignia was also strange and unknown. The crate itself had been marked in black stencilling with the letters 'SDI'. The crate had, helpfully, come complete with sealed instructions including a MoMA authentication code and a level of biometric encryption which required a thumb print from Captain Narinder to unlock the sealing mechanism. The Captain had remarked that it seemed to be Karnalian technology - the Babkhans would have gained access to it when they looted the research facilities of the Grand Commonwealth.
The crate itself opened up to reveal an inner lead lined box - about the size roughly of a small car. Again there was another biometric seal - this time rigged to C4 explosives placed, it was subsequently discovered, inside the inner lining the box - a more typically Babkhan trick.
This game of Zemlyan boxes being over with it transpired that the final contents of the box within the crate was a photo reconnaissance satellite designed to fit within the space for the warhead of a v-2 Shahab rocket. There followed a series of encrypted satellite phone calls between the Captain in Caligae and his commanding officer, Colonel Shergill, in Ardashirshahr, during the course of which it was intimated that unless the satellite was installed and ready for launch within 48hrs that all personnel serving in Troop 5 would find themselves assigned on secondment to Hyperborea. This positive incentive spurred the work crews of the troop to successfully perform the difficult procedure of changing the missile payload whilst in the field in an almost record time.
And so it was that the day of the launch arrived.
Launch events
"So you never did tell me. How did you come to have a name like Nemo."
"Dunno - apparently my father was fond of some book or another I've never heard off. Vingt mille lieues sous le something."
"Oh. Tough break. It's not a very Bâbki name though is it? You should be careful about that. People might start to think you're half-caste. Have you ever considered changing it?"
"Nah. I'm comfortable with it - the snobs at the mess can mind their own bloody business. As I've told you before Sir, there is no shame in being an Ardashirian. And I have no time for these damned Bâbkis who presume to look down their noses at those who should by rights be their Zurvan given superiors."
"Well - they do have a point, they are more purely Babkhan than us whose families have been out here for centuries."
"More purely Babkhan my foot! Do you think anything, be it pure or Babkhan, was left on Eura after The Downfall? These demented zealots who bang on about the superior virtue of all things Bâbki and of the 'purity of the Bâbki blood', they are the most damned and ignorant hypocrites - not even the catamites of Ahriman could even in a millenia of vile usage be so tainted as those damned Bâbkis - the Umraid and Tudeh scum left behind when the noble families passed through the gates. Don't you forget that. The evacuations onto Giess, they didn't let just any old bandaka pass through, only those persons of sufficiently good breeding and their retinues received the necessary permits. As for that lumpen proletariat that got left behind, pure of blood? You jest surely. Tell me who ruled the greater part of Eura during that time which elapsed between the Downfall and the Reconquest?"
"Er..the CIS?"
"Exactly! The CIS! Do you know what the CIS called Parestan and Vipia? Do you?" Nemo's facial expressions were becoming alarmingly animated, while his face was turning red as though all the blood were rushing to his head from all the other extremities.
Captain Narinder sighed wearily, he was a little concerned that his 2IC was starting to froth at the mouth ever so slightly.
"I can't recall." He lied, trying to kill the conversation by feigning ignorance.
"Well I'll tell The Euran Testicle... that's what they called it. You look at the maps from that period. That is what they called it. The Euran Testicle. Zurvan preserve us, that wasn't a race of men, who ruled Eura back then - those were shit hurling monkeys - or damned well near as. Now you can't tell me that during all that time when the abandoned scum of Babkhan society were ruled by a race of congenital idiots that there wasn't some corruption, some degredation? Of course there was. No more Ackbars, no more Madanis, they all became Atkinsons and Morrisons instead. But then the reconquest happened. The noble Jahandar enters stage right upon a white stallion, through guile and charisma he puts the enemy to flight without a single shot being fired. The CIS falls away as if it never existed, and then suddenly all the Atkinsons and Morrisons remember, 'by Jove... er... by Zurvan!' that they were Babkhan all the long... but not just any old Babkhan but Bâbki. The finest! The purest! Of course then they come to move here..."
"Enough!" Captain Narinder's right hand had drifted down to his pistol holster and had Nemo's rant continued for much longer the temptation to fire off a round pointblank into the neurotic Ardashirian's head would have been overwhelming, regardless of the potential damage it would do to the vital electrical circuits of the networked OAH Atar command vehicle. All things considered it would perhaps not be the most appropriate thing for a captain to execute one of his subordinates, especially one crucial to the completion of the launch sequence... "Check launch systems."
"Checking Sir." Lieutenant Nemo Shah reviewed each display screen on his command panel with Zen like serenity and detachment. He had for the moment forgotten all about those personal demons and insecurities deriving from having an Elw grandmother and was totally focused on the mission.
"All Systems operative sir. Launcher arm is deployed."
"Payload?"
"Recon bird is sittin pretty in the nest."
"Blast shutters?"
"Lowering blast shutters sir." And with that the last source of natural light was shut out of the armoured command vehicle charged with the remote operating of the OAH Fajr Launcher and replaced by the eiry blue-green half-light eminating from the innumerable sensors and display monitors.
"Time till launch window closes?"
"Two hours, forty-seven minutes, Sir."
The Captain glanced across to the live weather feed. Only a slight northwesterly breeze, negligable cloud cover. It was practically optimal firing conditions. The order to initiate the countdown would surely come soon.
Ardashirshahr, Lesser Zjandaria, Elwynn
The Atar of the HQ Troop, Strategic Bombardment Squadron, served as the network hub of the entire squadron and from it Colonel Shergill could monitor the status of every launcher in the squadron. He smiled to himself as he noted Captain Narinder was completing another status check. Troop 5 was as prepared as it could be for the imminent launch. The Colonel poured himself another glass of Treesian Red from his hip flask before picking up the receiver on the scrambler to call MoMA.
MoMA Bunker, Fort Foley, West of Shirekeep City, Shirekeep county
Ardashir Khan, the Minister of Military Affairs, had, for a moment, forgotten that he had authorised this operation, or rather now it was mentioned to him it seemed plausable that he would have authorised it. Yes, without a shadow of a doubt he had authorised it. After all if it had been to do with TEMPUS then he surely had to have authorised it. So yes, he informed his aide to inform Colonel Shergill that he could proceed with scheduling an immediate launch.
That being done the MoMA returned to attempting to inveigle his new secretary into performing the sort of thing that her mother had repeatedly warned her against doing with strange men, especially strange Babkhan men.
Ardashirshahr, Lesser Zjandaria, Elwynn
As soon as he put the receiver back down onto the cradle of the scrambler Colonel Shergill nodded to Major Ackbar to send the flash traffic notification to the Troop 5 Launcher.
Caligae, Lesser Zjandaria, Elwynn-Froyalan
Suddenly red warning lights were flashing and sirens were wailing with ear drum splitting intensity - at first the Captain and Nemo were in a panic fearing that the rocket was about to detonate somewhat prematurely whilst still attached to the launcher. Not that they were in any immediate danger being parked a good few miles distant from the launcher but nonetheless if there was any gross failure Hyperborea and the loss of various limbs to frostbite beckoned. A sense of calm was restored when it became apparent that flashing red lights and wailing sirens were not tokens of imminent doom but rather an overly melodramatic way of informing the missilers that a priority "immediate launch" order had just been received.
"Ignition Command" said the Captain as both he and the Lieutenant inserted their key cards to authorise the countdown.
"Counting - 3. 2. 1. 0. Lift off."
"Lift off confirmed. Initiate Pitch Maneuver."
"Initiate Roll Maneuver"
And with that the V2 Shahab carrying its precious cargo hurtled skywards, attaining the upper atmosphere within ten minutes, during which time the swift process of seperation had enabled the final modified satellite carrying module to insert into a low Micras orbit, after which the satellite deplored and swiftly began to beam back to a secure MoMA facility in Fort Eliria an encrypted signal carrying a live image feed.
[MoMA] Caligae: "Recon Bird" Launched
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