Meanwhile, back at the fort...

[Kaiser Los III]

NEO-BABKHANS ASSAULT JARIS! read the headline of the front page of the View From Benacia. All across Shireroth, from Cimmeria to Lothlaria, from Hyperborea to Mar Sara, people sitting down to read the paper in the morning spit out their coffee in surprise and sat, shocked, wondering if it was perhaps a very tasteless and very late April Fools' Joke. After they realized it was for real, their reaction varied. In some people, it was sadness. In others, fear. In yet others, anger. In still others, determination.And, in exactly one person, elation."HA!" said Nikolas Raesin, sitting in his office in Shirekeep as he finished reading transmission. "Yes yes yes yes yes YES!" He looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Yes yes YES yes YES yes YES!"In fact, the only person who was watching was a SHINE agent monitoring the bug in Raesin's office (purely on a matter of principle; they had every trust in the Commander but if they let themselves relax their paranoia for one person, it would start a slippery slope towards trusting the average military official, or, god forbid, citizen) and the official was not the least surprised. Ever since the Neo-Babkhans had invaded Raesin's homeland of Audentior, forcing him into exile in Shireroth, he had been itching for a chance to take them on in a fair fight.And now he was about as well-placed to participate in that fight as he could have hoped for. When Kaiser Los III took the throne, he had dismissed the Minister of Military Affairs and taken personal control over the Shirerithian army. As its commander, he had appointed Nik Raesin, formerly an Audente mercenary leader who had served with distinction for his adopted homeland of Shireroth ever since the Babkhans turned the Veliken War into a fuster-cluck. Raesin now had the ground, naval, and aerial forces of Shireroth under his direct control and answered to no one but the Golden Mango Throne.Unlike the former bureaucrats who had commanded the army from the MoMA building in Shirekeep, Raesin was a hands-on leader, flitting in and out of hot spots and bases on his personal helicopter. It was this passion for the thick of the action that had led to Shireroth's latest greatest building project, the Erkinpoika's Revenge, a flagship that could host the Shireroth command structure and keep it save (so was the plan) from anything short of a direct nuclear attack.The SHINE agent saw Raesin reach into his desk, open a hidden compartment, remove a false bottom, and pick up a briefcase labeled "Plans In Case of Grand Commonwealth Attack". Kissing it lovingly, he walked out the door.The SHINE agent turned off the display; he would have no more information on Raesin for the present, but he could guess where he was going. Off to his helicopter, no doubt, to land on the newly completed flagship and set off for Jaris as fast as the nuclear-powered engines could carry him. He started filing a report, wondering aimlessly whether they had any agents in the Grand Commonwealth and whether they needed another.Summary: Nik Raesin, commander of Shirerithian forces, to take command of flagship and supporting warships and head to theater of battle personally.

[Kaiser Los III]

From the Erkinpoika's Revenge's hidden location off the coast of Karaman, Nik Raesin gets a broadcast at long last. He has high hopes that it is from the submarines sent toward the Jaris Straits; he has been out of contact with them for a day and doesn't like to be ignorant of where they are, how many ships they have sunk, whether the Babkhans have discovered them or not. But the communique is from not the Vanhals but from someone no less interesting to hear from - Av Nirim of the Raxhidal. He listens intently, twirling his finger in his hair absent-mindedly as he hears the bad news."Twenty-five thousand men? Wouldn't we have known about that?""They seem to have appeared overnight. It is possible they came from Tyre, or else they were recruited quickly from among the locals. It was a lapse.""Then it's a good thing you have a Plan B, isn't it?""Very much so. I took the liberty of assuming you would suggest its use, so I have Captian Kocen and the transports in the formation we agreed upon. They await the cover of night.""That was wise. And the Babkhans?""They appear to be crazed fedayeen." Nirim's voice betrayed his distaste. "They seem unlikely to discover new planets."Nik scratched his head for a moment before deciding that was probably a confused Hyperborean euphemism which at least someone recognized as meaning that they were not very smart. Nirim continued:"The two requisites seem to be a safe crossing and the containment of the fedayeen in Acre for the time being.""Right," said Raesin. "I don't want to split my fleet any more than it's already split if I don't have to. I'm radioing King Nathan. He has his Alpha Fleet in the area and you should be a nice and easy stop on his way to Nafticon. Protect a few transports, raise the flag of victory, give a reason for the people back home in Lindstrom City to have nice champagne dinners. I'll ask the King to bombard Acre; your fedayeen won't like that. They can also back you up for the substantial portion of the plan, give you decent protection. He can also bomb the harbor, make sure they don't try some weird joint operation plan.""It is good," said Nirim. "I will proceed. Hail the Kaiser.""Hail the Kaiser."Rather than get up, Nik fiddled with his equipment until he heard on the other end the slow, singsong voice of Baron Ozarka Monto, all dreamy with hallucinations."Oz.""Commander.""I know you're busy. Bombardment of Acre seems to be going according to plan. You're going to keep it up tonight, but I want you to shift to bombing the roads, bridges - keep those Babkhans in there - we don't want a retreat. I also want you to make sure that any Babkhan planes trying to look where they're not supposed to - or bomb where they're not supposed to, obviously - don't get a chance to tell Ardy or his stooges anything. Can you do that for me?""Oh, I think so," said the Baron. Privately Nik wasn't sure: the Halluci planes were spread pretty thin, giving them the chance to respond to anything but the inability to provide overwhelming firepower, but any help the Baron could give Nirim would be welcome.He turned off the communicator, checking for messages from the submarines and finding none. Hopefully they're so busy sinking Babkhan ships they don't have any time to call home, he thought, wryly amused.Summary: Eoin told to instigate alternate plan due to presence of Yuri's forces. Nate asked to back him up with naval support; Ozarka with air support. Submarines yet to report, mostly because I can't find Ryan to ask him for permission to sink his ships. Ryan, try and get in contact with me.

[Kaiser Los III]

"Excuse me, ensign, but may I have a moment at that gun?""No unauthorized personnel al...Commander Raesin! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you at first! Of course you can..." The sailor trailed off and got out of the way, bemused.Nik Raesin went up to the 18" gun, the largest artillery on the largest ship in the Shirerithian Navy, typed in an override code, and carefully aimed at and shot a tangle of seaweed floating on the surface. The offending sargasso blew into a million tiny pieces as the deep boiled with the force of the explosion. Nik handed control of the gun back to the shaken ensign. "Thank you," he said. "I feel much better now."But as he paced the deck, his momentary appropriation of the gun to discharge his anger - always a useful tactic - began to wear off. Things were not going well. Captain Nirim was taking too long to implement his side of the plan. The submarines he had send up north - where the hell were they? There was such a thing as breaking off communications to retain invisibility, but this was getting bloody RIDICULOUS. Rumor had it some Antican ship or other had been fitted with mines - mines, before it even left port! Ozarka was being slaughtered in the air, and Jaris was being cut to smithereens even if the GC didn't have the land forces available to close in for the kill. Something was going to have to be done about that Extreme fellow sooner or later, and he was just glad he wasn't the one piloting the airplanes that were going to have to do it."Communication for you, Commander Raesin." The sailor had even brought up some sort of encrypted cell phone so he could talk on deck. "What the hell? I thought I told you not to disturb me when I was up here?" "Captain Russell thought it was very important." Raesin sighed. Captain Russell was one of the people who, if she thought something was important, was probably right."Cerune." Nik had never been able to invoke his customary annoyed tone of command when talking to a female."Commander Raesin. The Pride of Nodagaat suffered an explosion. We have been forced to abandon ship. Almost all men were able to relocate to other transports, although they are getting kind of crowded now.""Roger that. Unless you have something else, I'm going to sign out now. I need some time to THINK!" He spat out that last word, as if he were disgusted by the thought of having to admit thoughts of Babkhans and neo-Babkhans into the sanctuary of his mind.Who could have sunk that transport? Everything pointed to one culprit, Dugobert Wursmer, the new neo-Babkhan admiral who was trying to blockade those parts. Who he had never been able to get a good intel readout on. "Why the hell can't anyone get me information on Du..." His phone was ringing."Commander Raesin here, what do you?"A friendly female voice, unplaceable accent. "Good evening from SHINE. Our listening devices couldn't help but notice you needed the composition of Admiral Wurmser's fleet. One aircraft carrier GCS Akh-Horus with 15 Ashavans, two destroyers, the HMS Farzani and GCS William III, and the frigate GCS Tullon. Don't bother looking for the device we used, as you'll never find it, and have a nice day." Silence.Commander Raesin completely forgot to be annoyed. "Three warships! And a carrier! And they're blockading! Muahahahahaha!" He quickly cut off the evil laughter before he lost his status as a good guy, but continued laughing inside.He called up Admiral Alasur. "I need the scout subs launched and a general search begun. I want to find Wursmer's carrier. It should be a sitting duck, right out in the open. Probably right next to us, it's not like we're not in the middle of the waters he thinks he's blockading."Summary: Just realized that Wurmser has a carrier sitting out in the open right next to my fleet. My intent is to find it and blow it up.

[Kaiser Los III]

Once more, the eighteen inch gun of the Erkinpoika's Revenge let loose its lethal lead, sending smoke spinning skyward and flashing flames flying like an alliteration out of control. But this was no mere practice shot at a tangle of seaweed, no attempt to sublimate anger into artillery, but an honest to goodness attempt to kill some Babkhan sailors, and the distinction warmed Commander Raesin's blood with the heat of battle."They know we're here," said Admiral Alasur, unnecessarily pointing out that the Babkhan sailors aboard the enemy fleet were not all both blind and deaf. Indeed, Raesin had the odd feeling that just as his ships had been heading towards Admiral Wurmser's carrier, the Akh-Horus and its escorting warships had been seeking out the Revenge and its miniature solar system of orbiting destroyers and cruisers. It was of no matter who had found whom - the meeting had taken place, and the big gun roared the birth cries of the war's first big battle here in the seas of Karaman.Raesin was gratified to learn that SHINE had been correct in its low estimation of Admiral Wurmser's numbers. The big carrier, Akh-Horus, was protected only by the three ships that had now hastily interposed themselves between it and the Shirerithians. In the center was the frigate Tullon, and on either side a destroyer - William to the left, Farzani to the right. Farzani was flying a Babkhan flag, rather than the Eye in the Sun design of the Grand Commonwealth. It would have to be watched......by someone else. Because Nik Raesin had his eyes on the aircraft carrier in the back. That was the main goal here; hundreds of millions of rials and a base for aircraft that were going to give aid and comfort to Extreme. Nik had still never met this Extreme, but had come to regard him as something of a personal enemy. He remembered the Karnali weapons that the Babkhans had used overrunning his native Audentior, and he became more and more certain that the war would not end until he had taken care of the Commonwealth's resident fighter ace. But first things first. Downing these planes would be a good start; lifting the blockade so Cerune and Nirim could operate freely would be a better one."I want the cruisers and destroyers to encircle the three warships," he heard Alasur order. "We're going to try and punch a hole through to that carrier, and then we're going to try and punch a hole in that carrier." He saw the ships change position to comply with the Admiral's orders; the Revenge was facing right towards the Tullon, and was now opening fire with its smaller guns.A roar sounded in the western sky. The Ashavans, which had left their carrier an hour previous to dogfight the Halluci jets, were returning to aid their mothership in its hour of need. This was good. They would be unlikely to be armed with bombs or torpedoes at this point, and the First Fleet could now shoot them out of the sky and out of Extreme's plans. It was a move that tasted of panic, and panicky enemies were likely to do stupid things. "Lapano, Wolfraven, Vanaheim. Take down those craft!" The roar of the Ashavans was punctuated by staccato bursts of anti-aircraft fire.Not all the stupid things enemies did when they were panicky were necessarily helpful. Three Ashavans, each hit by the guns, headed toward the Wolfraven, hoping to die in a blaze of glory along with their attacker. "Uh...oh..." thought Raesin, as they shot through the sky like fallen angels. Only one hit the destroyer, but it was clear that the Wolfraven was not going to be going anywhere in the immediate future. Four more fallen angels, these making a picture-perfect descent into the sea marred only by its termination in instant death. Raesin idly hoped someone was videotaping that for the news shows back home.And now the frigate Tullon had left its perch in the middle of the Babkhan formation, trying to engage one of the destroyers, distract it away from the embattled planes. The destroyer took the bait, but Raesin was barely watching. "Alasur! Close that gap! I want that carrier shark bait!" The Erkinpoika's Revenge slowly accelerated, passing through the middle of the two destroyers but barely paying attention to such annoying flies as its main gun belched bombardments at the Ank-Horus. The last forlorn planes gave up their carrier as lost and turned towards Terre d'Riches.The destroyers, frigates, cruisers, were all lost to Nik Raesin as he watched the Erkinpoika's Revenge pump volley after volley into the flank of the exposed aircraft carrier. Forget Erkinpoika, this was his revenge now! Ever since the day the Babkhan troops had marched into Audentior to declare it part of their new Commonwealth, he had known that he would never feel satisfied until he was smashing the pride of Babkha into fragments smaller than the flak flying from the Ank-Horus' sides, and now, for the first time in decades, a sigh of almost orgasmic release issued from his throat. This one is for Velike! And this one is for Telsoun! And this one is for...he decided to save Airosamente for a nuclear weapon, preferably one dropped on Kamalshahr, but before he could think of anything to replace it with, the frigate Tullon caught his attention.It had abandoned the destroyer it had previously been pursuing and was accelerating at a low but not insignificant speed toward the side of the Revenge. It did not look as if it had any intention of stopping. "Bloody hell, how crazy ARE these guys?" Then, "Admiral Alasur, you might want to..." "We know, we know." The guns started firing at the frigate, taking out a couple of pieces, but they obviously would not be in time to stop the impact. Nik gripped a guard rail as the ship shook with the impact. Amazingly, neither vessel seemed particularly harmed, although the frigate's engines seemed pretty fried, not that the ship was likely to go anywhere soon anyhow.A plank fell from the side of the Revenge, and, on the other side of the Tullon, from the Sagittarius. Alasur had decided to board the crippled ship, which was still firing the guns it had left into the Erkinpoika's Revenge at point-blank range. The marines encountered minimal resistance as they swept through the...stars alive...that wasn't...what was...The frigate exploded like a bomb. Self-destruct. Right. Note to self. Babkhans are crazy. These Babkhans are batshit crazy. Won't do good to forget that anymore. Marines certainly dead. People on the other side of the Revenge, likely dead. A piece of frigate fell in the water, mere feet from Nik's head. Okay. That was not good. Was the ship sinking? A quick check of the deck and of his stomach reassured him that it was not, but it was a good thing that there were no other...damn...the destroyer. The William. His ships had sunk the Babkhan one some time back, but the William was still there.Admiral Alasur, meanwhile, had beaten him to the punch, as usual. "This is Admiral Alasur of the Erkinpoika's Revenge to Babkhan ship William. You are outnumbered ten to one. Surrender or be destroyed. The William responded by opening fire on the Revenge, looking a little silly but evidently thinking it could break through some wound to the armor that the frigate had caused. Right. Raesin mentally reminded himself of these people being crazy, for the second time that day. As the Revenge continued hitting the carrier, which was now definitely in a bad way, the other ships grouped around to take out the upstart destroyer. Nik ran to the other side of the ship to watch, nearly tripping over a few pieces of frigate on the way.The William had given up on the Revenge now and had decided ot attack something its own size. It was getting into formation to send torpedos at the Sara-Nyl, which was responding, sensibly, by trying to get out of the way, something these Babkhans had yet to learn how to do. Alasur sent a request for surrender one more time, and was greeted by stony silence. Meanwhile, the long-suffering carrier finally gave up the ghost, and the Revenge shifted position in an attempt to take out that one last pesky destroyer.The William was not in an enviable position. Three Shirerithian cruisers, five destroyers, and a battlecruiser were firing at it, and the ships had each launched attack helicopters, with the exception of the Revenge whose airborne contingent was suffering from what would later gain the moniker "Exploding frigate syndrome". But the Babkhans weren't even any good at dying. They just sat there, blithely firing away at Sara-Nyl, and sure enough, just before the William went up in a ball of golden light, the Sara-Nyl started to sink."S...sir!" An ensign had run up to him. He had a sharp bit of frigate sticking out of a part of his body not meant to receive frigate wounds. "The...subma...marines. Communication. Regroup. Sunk four...fo..ships...return...mission...success. Then he fell and died. Raesin was touched, and promised to look up the sailor's name to send a nice letter to his family.Admiral Alasur came on deck, carefully avoiding frigate bits as well as janitors working on mopping up frigate bits. "We've got the lifeboats out there for survivors from the Sara-Nyl. We're optimistic. What are your orders on the enemy?""Save anyone you can get from the carrier. The destroyer refused fair offer of surrender and took out Shirerithian sailors. Let them drown." The Sara-Nyl had been a good ship, and its captain a good man, and there was no reason they should have had to suffer because of an idiot Babkhan not knowing when he was beaten. Only the good news from the submarines at long last prevented his mood from turning sour despite the victory.It had been a fateful day. Shireroth had seen its first major engagement of the war, and its first sea victory in decades. The Shirerithian transports arriving soon for the invasion of Terre d'Riches would no longer have to worry about Dugobert's blockade, and he himself had gained a much needed boost to his credibility as commander.Next stop, Norfolk - as roundabout as possible to prevent nasty surprises from Extreme. He could get the Erkinpoika's Revenge fixed up there and at least start work on the Wolfraven. If he protected the sealanes in Norfolk, then King Nathan could help provide much-needed aid to Nafticon and Antica or else they could do something about the Baracaoan fleet rumored to be approaching. The Babkhans still were stronger in the sea, but they were dispersed and uncertain, while he had cleared away a real danger and given his troops a morale boost at the same time.Bruised but happy, the men of the Shirethian First Fleet sailed back to a friendly port, towing the Wolfraven behind them.Summary: Nik does battle in the Karaman Sea with Dugobert. Dugobert loses a carrier, a frigate, two destroyers, and seven airplanes, while eight airplanes retreat to Terre d'Riches. Nik loses one destroyer and takes damage to two other ships.Important: This battle was conducted via an AIM chat (see this thread in main forum). If you try to do something like this and sink someone else's ships without arranging it first, it is god-modding and you will be yelled at. Edited by: Kaiser Los III at: 8/15/05 18:05

[extreme007]

Extreme007 waited for the eight pilots to gather back into the pilot briefing room. The rest of the pilots were all sitting comfortably in their. They all understood what the eight pilots were going through. But this was war and they should be prepared to accept their role in it. They had to cope with situations like this and they had to be ready. Extreme007 couldn't wait any longer. The pilots must accept their new positions - under the 11th Air Force. He cleared his throat and began speaking."Pilots. I request a two minute silence to pay our respect to the men who gave their lives at the Karaman sea a few hours ago".There was a complete silence at the base for the next two minute, even though extreme007's voice could only heard inside the briefing room. extreme007 then broke the silence and began speaking again."Thank you. The two minute should have given you lots of thoughts. Some of you may have felt anger during these two minutes. I know cause I was feeling it too. I am a pilot like you and I know what it's like to lose so many other fellow pilots. But we must move on. Especially now. Especially when you know you can break your enemy. Make him pay for killing your friends. To those eight pilots, I speak to you with a purpose. This next mission, although a tactical move, I made specially for you. You will be the lead package. You will be in charge of delivering them hell. In your hands, will their fate and future of this war be decided. And should you perform to satisfaction, I will give you the garantee that they will feel the heat. The heat of the burning bodies of your fallen comrades. And that heat will make them realize that they made a mistake. A mistake to kill your friends. A mistake to make you angry. And worst of all, a mistake to try and kill you. You."Extreme007 waited for a while to let the feelings and words sink in their hearts and brain. He didn't know if it would work, as this was the first time he had given such an emotional message. But he knew it would. It had come directly from the heart of a fellow pilot, who knew that the next mission would wreck havoc in the mind of the commanders across Shireroth. Their success of their fleet, with their navy's pride ship, was soon going to be a burden on themselves."It has been brought to my attention that Shirerithian attack on our fleet has left the Shirerithians with a dire need to get back to port to repair and fix their ships. They have turned to Norfolk, their nearest port. It is a long journey and with some of the ships badly damaged, they are travelling at a slow pace. This gives us a lot of time. To hurt them. We strike NOW. You eight will be divided into four groups. Wrath, Delieverance, Rage and Justice. You will have full air to ground weapons load out. You will be carrying an extra fuel tank on board. You will be carrying the GBU-24E/B Paveway II 2000lb bombs and GBU-31s and 32s. The ground crew is already feeding in the GPS coordinates to these bombs to target. Remember, these bombs are guided by GPS."Extreme007 walked towards the map that was on the wall behind him. He didn't bother wondering about its technological development in the Karnalian Air Force. Now was just not the time to criticise. He continued with the briefing, "Your protection and air cover will be provided by groups Thunder and Storm. Three planes each. They will have full air to air weapons load out and an extra fuel tank. I dont expect much trouble for six groups before you begin dropping those bombs. Then get back here as quickly as you can."The map behind extreme007 now had aircraft units posted on it. It showed almost twenty five aircrafts for the mission. However, only fourteen had been given their role. The pilots then noticed something strange, two different sets of missions taking place. All south of York. All aimed at hurting the Shirerithian fleet. Extreme007 smiled as he recognized the expressions on the pilots' faces. From a look of confusion, it had suddenly turned to smile and laughter as their confidence grew. They knew what extreme007 was planning and they were proud to show their support. The mission was going to destroy any hopes the Shirerithians had of their fleet."I can see it in your faces that you already understand the job for today. Good. It will work to the full effects when we put this second attack into motion. The timing might be here and there by a little, but it will definately be in our advantage. This line here is for group Raptor, Lightning, Ghost, Viking and Bear. Five groups of two planes each. You all will be carrying four anti-ship missiles and the rest will be completly air to air weapons. That means, about eight air to air missiles each. Gentlemen, the maximum aircraft threat in the region is fifteen from the natopian aircraft carrier and about five or so helicopters from the Shirerithian fleet, which means that you got 20 targets, 25 at max, and 80 missiles between you all. You could try and trap them by shooting uh.. say four or five missiles at the first aircraft. That would make them think that you are stupid and will come after you with most of their aircrafts. Thats when you release the punch."Extreme007 waited for the pilots to stop laughing and cheering each other up, and continued with the briefing."Now. When the air threat is over, Raptor and Lightning will move in at the Shirerithian fleet from the rear. You would most likely be facing the ones that are damaged badly. However, the enemy might be ready this time and prepared. That means, the ships at end need not be the damaged ones. That's where Ghost and Viking come in. You both will take the ones in the middle. There's a high chance that you might find the damaged ones here. And quite possibly the supply ships. You are free on all of them," extreme007 waited for his subtle hint of attacking the supply ships to fall in and then continued, "Bear will stay over the Natopians and attack that fleet. BUT, most importantly, you are going to try and make it seem like you are attacking the fleet. You are NOT, i repeat NOT going to get within their anti-aircraft defense ranges. You could try to shoot at them missiles like bombs from very high altitudes. Some may hit, others may not, but their weapons definately wont hit you. Now incase, Natopians send some fighters at this stage, Ghost and Viking are to return to their aid. I dont want the natopians to go to the aid of Norfolk. Understand? Raptor and Lightning could return as well, if you three groups feel that more pressure is required. Alright? Good. Good hunting fellas. Oh. I just had to say this to you guys. I didn't send your hero Ahmad Arash away from 11th Air Force. I sent him away to turn him into a legend for you guys. And guess what? He is one now. I was informed a few hours ago that he and others selected for the mission had managed to steal the Shirerithian stealth bomber from their base at Jaris. He is now flying it over to the Commonwealth. I thought you should know that before you went for this mission. Maybe his role might encourage you a little further."Extreme007 had finished briefing the pilots on their mission. He now waited for them to figure it out on their own. One by one they smiled and looked up at extreme007, knowing full well just how crushing this mission was going to be on the enemy. They knew that the blow was going to show up on the face of even the Kaiser of Shireroth, just like the sinking of the Babkhan carrier Akh-Horus had on the Shahanshah. But extreme007 knew more and further he knew that the effects on the Shirerithian fleet was going to be more than the mission was planned for. After talking to Admiral Dugobert who had ordered the carrier into a one mile fight for survival with the most advanced battlecruiser, he had higher hopes of defeating the enemy once and for all. His 11th Air Force had already faced Ozarka of the Shirerithian air force, and Nirim and Mac Fheardaigh of the Marines. Just a few hours back, he had sent a thunderous blow to their heads and any other part of the body one might want to include. He himself had nearly beaten two threats to the Commonwealth forces, the air force and the marines near Acre. And now, without even facing this Shirerithian fleet at all he was going to destroy them. Admiral Dugobert had earlier explained to extreme007 about the firepower the Shirerithian fleet had used to destroy all his ships. Extreme007 now knew that the Shirerithians had wasted many weapons in their engagement, and he had full plans of turning that into his own advantage. The supply ships were there to give the warships some new ammunition, but it certainly wouldn't have put the Shirerithian fleet back at the level they began this war with. And worse was that the supply ships were now empty of their weapons, food, medical and any others supplies they had onboard. The supply ships, extreme007, knew would now be a burden to the fleet because they too would have to be protected as well as the damaged ships. This the fleet had brought on themselves, and realising their mistake they were heading to Norfolk to rearm, repair and get more supplies. This was going to be forbidden by the very same pilots that had escaped the naval war. The eight pilots were going to bomb Norfolk to the stone ages. Power generation facility, ammunition dump, rail and road network near the shipyard and most importantly, the shipyard and its repair facilities were being targeted. Extreme007 was not going to attack the Shirerithian fleet directly. He was going to attack the base to which they were retreating and would thus, indirectly destroy them. Once Norfolk was gone, the nearest Shirerithian port was another day or so away, almost two because of the slow pace. And if they were to turn to Nafticon, they would have to spend another day or so because from their current position to Nafticon, there was another Commonwealth fleet, under a better leader Commonwealth hoped, a couple of ships near Jaris, although contact with them was lost long time back, the strait with mines in them and offcourse - extreme007 and 11th Air Force.Summary: (this takes place hours after the air battle over Acre is done)Raptor, Lightning, Ghost, Viking, Bear groups. 2 plane each. 4 air to ship missiles, and 8 air to air missiles. if you feel this is too many, you are wrong. Ashavan is based off Eurofighter, and that plane can hold these many weapons. their goal is to make an attack on the natopian fleet. they would be firing 4 or 5 missiles at the first aircraft threat they get. they got 80 missiles in total and only 25 threats at most.. next, after air threat is over, Raptor and Lightning will head to shirerithian fleet's rear to attack the ships, while Ghost and Viking will attack at its center... Bear will stay to keep the natopians away from Norfolk. should they feel help is required, Ghost and Viking will return... should more help be required, Raptor and Lightning will return... for the attack on ships, they are going to climb higher than the ship's anti-air defense range.. and from there shoot missiles like bombs... i give them some chances of hitting.. Thunder, Storm groups. 3 planes each. full air to air load out. goal is to protect and provide air cover to Wrath, Delieverance, Rage and Justice group. they have an extra fuel tank.Wrath, Delieverance, Justice, Rage groups. 2 aircrafts each. these 8 are the same 8 that survived the carrier's sinking. they are armed with an extra fuel tank and GPS guided bombs, which are already preprogrammed to detonate at their targets (all GPS bombs are done like this before taking off in real world) their target: NORFOLK. power generators, ammunition storage, rail and road network near shipyard, and most importantly, the shipyard and its repair facilities.. 8 planes, with about 11 to 12 bombs each, should call for pretty much the entire shipyard wrecked.here's the few plans: (for aid of understanding, Norfolk team comprises Wrath, Delieverance, Justice, Rage, Thunder, Storm.. while Fleet team comprises all others)Norfolk team will take the long route to avoid natopian fleet... by the time they reach Norfolk the Fleet team should have more or less entered into the radars of natopian fleet and perhaps, including shirerithian (depending upon where the two fleets are).. thus, by the time Norfolk team starts dropping bombs, there is already an air battle with natopian aircrafts near its fleet.. Discover, Invent, Theories, Experiment,Advance Science,Advance Extremism,(in Karnali, Republic of)Edited by: extreme007  at: 8/16/05 10:34

[extreme007]

"Contact. Surface. Fleet group increase altitude."The ten planes that made up Raptor, Lightning, Ghost, Viking and Bear soon increased their altitude. The skirmish between Central Fleet and the Shirerithian fleet and the intelligence agencies of the Commonwealth had provided valuable data regarding the anti-air defenses of the enemy's fleet. They had provided the 11th Air Force with details like the maximum ranges of enemy air defenses and the maximum ceiling of the air defenses as well. Upon inspection it was found that the only assured safety against these air defenses would be to fly upon them. And that was the name of the game today for the pilots of 11th Air Force. The pilots would fly over the air defenses of the enemy allowing the enemy only to sit down and have a look at their flying skills."Contact. Air. Firing missiles."An aircraft threat had shown up and as per plans, four missiles were shot at the target. All of them scored a direct hit, however only the first had really blown the enemy aircraft. The rest had flown into the explosion and had hit whatever debris was flying around, causing another three explosions. Natopian fighters that had taken off just after their lead aircraft saw their lead blow up without even firing a missile or doing anything for that matter. With morale soon on low and all four pilots knowing they were in the Commonwealth's weapons range, the four remaining fighters broke formation. Within seconds, each of the four plane started giving alarms of missiles inbound. Infact, had there been an alarm for every missile inbound on the plane, then there would be two going off almost simultaneously. Two missiles for each aircraft didn't leave much of a choice. Three of the pilots ejected as soon as they saw a missile trail heading for them. The fourth and last pilot decided to give the Commonwealth pilots a thing or two, and fired all four of his missiles at the nearest target he could find. And then, after seeing the last of his missile leave the aircraft, his beeping alarm went continuous and within another four seconds, an explosion rocked his plane and then another blew up the aircraft. The three Natopian pilots who had ejected earlier saw their double explosions occurring at each of their aircrafts, and also at their fourth wingman that couldn't eject in time. However, he was lucky enough to have fired all his missiles at the Commonwealth aircrafts. They saw as one by one the missiles missed their target while the plane flew to its limits. But even still, luck was not going to be on his side and the Commonwealth pilot soon ejected moments before the last missile scored a kill. The three pilots laughed as Natopia claimed a victory even though they lost all five planes and two lives. Their joy soon disappeared as they saw nine Commonwealth aircrafts fly over their heads and towards the Natopian and Shirerithian fleets.The Natopians and Shirerithians soon fired up their anti-air defenses only to realize that they were hitting nothing but thin air. The fighters of the 11th Air Force were just too high up. Two of them, the Bear group, were now over the Shirerithian warships which had come to the aid of the Natopians. The Shirerithians, seeing the Commonwealth aircrafts on their radar attack the Natopians, had offered aid to the Natopians, leaving their damaged ships behind near Rodinia. But even their specialized air defense ships could not reach the heights of the Commonwealth aircrafts were flying at. All they could do was sit and watch, as the aircrafts of the 11th Air Force ruled the skies."SAM! SAM!" screamed the lead pilot of the Thunder group. He quickly pulled back on the stick and the Ashavan quickly gained altitude. The other thirteen Ashavans followed him into the higher altitude. Communications with the other groups had shown that this was a very effective way of dealing with the enemy, and the fourteen pilots assigned to destroy Norfolk were glad to follow their method. Soon, they were on top of the enemy air defenses, and within minutes of their targets. Thunder and Storm cleared the path for the bombers and kept their position just north of Tymaria City. Behind them, planes of Justice diverted and flew towards the inner part of the island, while the rest of the six planes flew directly towards the Norfolk shipyard and repair facility. All of them were still above the air defenses of the enemy and knew they couldn't be touched while their GPS guided bombs fell down on their targets. The Justice aircraft assigned to destroy the ammunition storage facility was the first to drop its bombs, followed closely by the Delieverance aircraft assigned to destroy the roads and rail networks near the shipyard. All of them hit their intended targets thus, scoring a hundred percentile for bomb targets. This sent confidence into the eight pilots who were earlier on the receiving end of one. Now, they were extracting their revenge, and what a revenge it was. Bombs soon poured down over the Norfolk shipyard and the power center. Almost fifty five were going to be dropped on the shipyard itself, with a further eleven nearby. Eleven bombs were assigned to the ammunition storage and the power generator facility at Norfolk. After the first bombs fell, the Shirerithians had realized due to the extreme accuracy that these were GPS guided bombs, and quickly started jamming the guidance systems of the bombs falling on top of their heads. Although many of the bombs were successfully jammed, they couldn't stop them from falling. Two to four of the eleven bombs fell on the power generator facility while the rest fell in the facility parking lots and nearby poles and barren grounds. The ones over the shipyard were also successfully jammed, but most still end up hitting the shipyard thanks to the large size of the port and the small CEP of the bombs. The Shirerithians had worsened their situation as some of the jammed bombs fell on transport ships that were assigned to depart immediately. The timing of the Commonwealth attack had coincided with the departure of a marine unit that was to leave for Miska. Some of the jammed bombs fell on two transport ships. The ships soon sank and with them went twenty tanks that were in them each. The Marine unit had earlier lost twenty five tanks in an unexplained explosion and sinking of a transport ship and now had lost forty in a lucky strike of the Commonwealth air force.The eight pilots soon saw the smoke from the shipyard rise up to their level of flight. They knew they had caused significant damage. They knew that had thrown Norfolk into Stone Age. They knew they had received their revenge. Revenge was best served cold they say. And for the men of 11th Air Force, from high above.Summary: (as per the fight we had in the chat)11th Air Force lost 1 aircraft. pilot ejected over the waters near Acre.Natopian fleet lost five aircrafts. 2 pilots dead while other ejected.Norfolk lost all: Shipyard GONE. Repair facility GONE. Ammunition storage place GONE. power generator facility GONE. Roads and rail network near shipyard GONE.As a bonus, two transport ships sunk. and Greg's (Angelsomething) marine unit lost 40 tanks, bringing the total to 65.. out of 150. Discover, Invent, Theories, Experiment,Advance Science,Advance Extremism,(in Karnali, Republic of)

[Sebastien Alexandre]

god....modding?

[Osman Shahanshah]

OOC: No. All this was discussed in a chat where myself, Extreme, the Kaiser and Greg were present. The flow of events had their inevitable, if reluctant, consent so no god modding here you crazy kid. Edited by: Osman Shahanshah  at: 8/17/05 14:52

[Dugobert Wurmser]

LOL. Admiral Dugobert Wurmser,Commander of the Central Fleet, Grand CommonwealthChief of Staff, AerligField Marshal, Aerlig

[Kaiser Los III]

The last of the Ashavans left its menacing circle around the Erkinpoika's Revenge without firing a single shot, to general cheering from the Shirerithian troops. "Ha!" Raesin heard an ensign remark. "I don't blame those Babkhans for not being too keen to fight us. Go back home to mommy!" The mood of exultation was just getting into high gear when the news came in from the Massive, and the sailors were just beginning to think that a few downed Natopian planes was not too bad a deal when the news came in from Norfolk.Commander Raesin gave a quick speech over the address system to his flagship, trusting it would be relayed to the others soon enough. "This was inevitable. The only thing we can do about it is fight the Babkhans three times as hard, until there is not a man left alive to put in a pilot seat. You will be getting new orders. Carry them out well and you will be furthering a day when every last Ashavan lies at the bottom of the sea." He said nothing more. Most of the sailors thought he was exaggerating. Those who knew his history knew better.As the ships collected the damaged Wolfraven from near Rodinia, the Revenge and the Wolfraven headed towards Raynor Isles, a friendly port close by but (and this was key) not close by enough to be within air range, even with extra fuel tanks. Not close by enough to reach in a reasonable amount of time either, but what was there to do?Meanwhile, the other ships in the fleet - three cruisers, four destroyers, and support ships - headed off to join Nate outside Acre. With them was Nik Raesin, who had grudgingly moved his headquarters into the Rayno.Summary: Fleet splits up - damaged ships head for Raynor Isles, intact ships join Nate near Acre. I am being lazy and not writing backstory.

[AngelGuardian93]

Norfolk Naval Station13:47Part 1 of 2"Father! Help me!""Please, don't hurt him!""No... father..."A perfect blue sky was marred by the sounds of the dead and dying. A small brother and sister ran for their lives through the burning woods. Their vision was obscured by the tears in their eyes, which made it difficult to avoid the brances that scraped and cut their arms and faces. Behind them they could hear the shouts and screams and curses of four men following. "Get back here slant-ears! The forest can't hide you forever!" "Kill them! No witnesses! The boss'll have our hides if any more escape!" "That blasted maid should'a minded her own buisness!" The boy didn't know what they were talking about, he just kept running with his sister. Visions of his bloody family kept him motivated though his body ached with exhaustion. What had they ever done!? They had lived in peace for generations with the outsiders! Sure father had his fights, but they weren't enough to trouble an army to slay them all! A gunshot rang past his ear, missing by inches. The boy screamed with suprised and tripped over a branch, tumbling end on end untill his bruised body came to a stop lying on the ground. His red eyes and clenched teeth had blood covering them, intermingled with dirt and grime. He had to escape. He had to find out why the Imperial army had destroyed all he had ever loved. He. Had. To. Live. "Big brother, get up... please... get up! We have to escape the bad men! They want to kill us, brother please don't die like mommy and daddy! Then i'll be alone! PLEASE BROTHER!" He got up, slowly, the men were at least half a kilometer away, by his reckoning, He looked back at the face of his little sister, and knew what he had to do. His sister grabbed his hand and tried to run with it. He resisted, and her eyes watered up agan. "Brother please, don't give up! We can escape!" He gritted his teeth, and made the hardest decision he'd ever had to make. He looked up to her with sad eyes, and tears. "Little sister... you must continue alone. Run south to Rivensplit. They'll help you there. The men are kind and just. " His sister burst into wet tears again. "NO! I WONT LEAVE YOU!" He shouted back to her, "It's the only way! GET OUT OF HERE! SCAT! I'll lead them away!" With enough sadness to choke the land around her, she slowly backed away, and with quivering lips she turned crisply and ran silently away to Rivensplit. Evil men do evil things because good men do nothing. I pray this is not true there. As he thought this, he ran north and west in a zig zag pattern, making sure they heard him. For several minutes the men followed this wraith, unable to catch him or kill him. Finally, as the last of his strength gave out, he rammed into something solid. Dazed and confused, he looked up at what he had hit, and to his suprise, he found he had run into one of his pursuers. With a sick smile, he held a 9mm to the boy's head, and spoke the last words the young life would ever hear."Ardashir sends his regards,"With a start, Gamemalvin Usa, head of the "Trivi Unit" of Russell Company, jerked awake with a scream. Sweat had formed all over his body, and as he sat up from where he had fallen asleep, he slowly came to the realization that this was not the forest. He was not the genocidal soldier with the pistol. Not this time. With rifles bared and concerened faces showed, several soldiers in various states of ready burst into the room. One spoke up. "Commander Usa, are you allright?! We heard a scream!" He pantomimed with his palm facing them to show he wanted them to stop speaking. "I'm fine Rusty. Just... had a bad... dream." The soldiers visibly relaxed and sighed, and Rusty spoke up. "Oh, fhew, we thought for a second something happened. Sorry sir, we'll leave you be. Allright pack-rats, out!" With that, he was alone again. He had fallen asleep in the captains room of his new transport, "Norfolkian Legend". Yes, it was all coming back to him. He had asked the cap'n if he could borrow his bed for a quick nap. He ran his right hand through his short, black hair and sighed again, willing away the dream. Through the small window over the sling he had used to sleep in, he saw it was still light out.13:47 was the time on his watch. Plenty of time before we move out. He thought. I need some grub. Something to calm my nerves. With a slow-motion speed, he got out of the sling, and made his way to the captain's liquor cabinet. Every good captain had one. He poured himself some Shirekeep Ale in a shot glass, and downed a glass. It burned all the way down, and Game' made an agonizing face in the mirror. "Game', it's been too long since you've had a glass of this. You're getting too old for this war nonsense-" With a startling jump, he heard the sirens of Norfolk's shipyard go off. Something was happening topside, something bad. He ran out of the room, along with the soldiers lounging around outside, to the top deck. He ran up another flight of steps into the control room. "Captain, what's going on!?" The old salt grunted and slammed the phone back down on the reciever on the wall, and cursed a blue streak. Hearing the Commander speak up he turned around and spoke. "They've spotted Commonwealth fighters heading this way!"With a curse of his own, he slammed the wall with his left hand and ran for the phone when he heard the speakersystem of the base blare to life over the sirens. "All non-essential personel that are not a crewman of the boats in the dock or first-response crews for the anti-air defense are to report to the bunkers immediately, THIS IS AN ORDER!" Immediately, everyone began a wild run to the bunkers on the other side of the base. They had enough warning to get their, Game' thought, but what are the ships going to do? He spoke out loud to the captain. "What are the ships going to do?!" He grunted again and gave some orders to start the engines. "We sit tight untill we get the order to evacuate. We don't know what type of tactics their using!" Game' grunted back. He hated having to wait, but he knew that a good soldier knew how to wait, so wait he would do.The Admiral of the Norfolkian base, Admiral James Hetty, was allready on the bridge and giving orders. "Crews to the guns! Get the rest of them to the bunkers! Officer Brian, you get those Tanks back into the warehouses! I don't care HOW, but their sitting ducks in those transports." Brian saluted and ran off to accomplish his task. Admiral James gritted his teeth and sat back in his chair, expecting the worst from the 11th air force. "Ensign Cotaca, ETA untill firing range?" The young ensign, barely nineteen years old, dutifully pulled up the statistics. "S-Sir, ETA 10 minutes." The admiral grinned at the Ensign and spoke up. "What's the matter? Are you scared?" The ensign turned around to face his superior, and with suprising candor, answered. "Y-yes sir. This is the first time I'll see combat." His superior laughed. "Don't you worry Ensign, you'll make it through. You have Admiral JAMES HETTY commanding. I've never lost a battle." Cotaca visibly relaxed alittle. "That's good news sir. I hope you can keep up your winning streak." Little did either of them know, or could know, that the next couple hours would turn into Balgurd on Micras.Outside, there was a make-shift fighting ring made of rope placed in a circle. Inside the ring were two fighters, surounded by a group of excited spectators. This was an illegal boxing match where people bet money, and hoped the matches werent cooked. It was how the soldiers of Russell Company passed their free time. Loading time wasnt for 13 minutes, and they were easily bored. In the ring, circling his oppenent, a 6 foot brute of a man, was muzzle. A natural fighter, and a long-time favorite of the "Red Ring". He dodged a right punch, then swung a right hook into the mans jaw. He staggered and flew back. Shaking his head, he let loose a volley of short punches to keep Muzzle from landing another good punch. Then he swung his right leg upwards to Muzzle's side. Wth a grunt, it impacted solidly with the side of Muzzle's rib cage. He went down into a side roll, and landed on his hands and knees coughing. "Give up yet!? I won't go easy on you newbie! You may rule the circuit in Russell Company, but this is Norfolk. And here, *I* rule." It was a local sailor. With a sneer, Muzzle replied. "I ain't neva' met a man I couldn't beat in'a fair fight. You is human, no?" The Norflokian sailor laughed. "Yeah, im the best human their is!" Muzzle spat some blood from his mouth and replied. "Then you will lose to me. Because you gotta be a transcendi to beat the likes O' me!" And with that, he quickly sprung to his feet with superhuman speed, and let loose a single right hook to the guy. The sailor wasnt expecting Muzzle to get up so soon, and as such let the punch land solidly on his glass jaw. He went down, and stayed down. Muzzle raised his hands high in victory, and the crowd went wild. Some cheered, others sneered at their misfortune. Sue ran up to his ever-present friend and gave him a mock punch to his gut and laughed with his friend. "Ah man I can't believe you decked that guy! He was twice your height and three times your weight!" D'arcy ran up beside Sue and gave her favorite fighter a tight hug, which was entirely unexpected by Muzzle, and made him blush alittle. "Thanks! Both of you. I'm just glad both o' you could see my victory! They'll be talking about this for years to come-" Sirens blared. It was the enemy. Sue grunted. "Once again, The Commonwealth ruins a perfectly good day." The intercom system roared to life, blaring orders. "All non-essential personel that are not a crewman of the boats in the dock or first-response crews for the anti-air defense are to report to the bunkers immediately, THIS IS AN ORDER!"D'arcy roared at the sky, and shook her fist. "Let them come! We'll destroy ALL of them!" Sue grabbed her other hand and pulled her towards the bunker. "Come on, this sounds like it's either gonna be an air or sea battle, both of which we can't help in. No point in dying NOW." She growled but yielded to her friend. They began at a sprint towards their designated bunker when D'arcy turned and noticed that Muzzle wasn't following. He was several feet behind them, holding his rib cage, breathing hard. They both ran back to him, concern obvious on their face. "Come on you big ox! We gotta get back!" Sue said. "I can't run man, he cracked my ribs I think!" D'arcy cursed and looked back at Sue, wondering what to do. They only had a couple of minutes, Sue figured, before this place was going to be a warzone. They wouldn't make it back to the bunker in time. He looked around, cursing up a storm. Finally, off to the side he saw an old docking area surounded by a closed warhouse. He overheard one of the repair guys telling his friend that their was this network of old underground tunnels that used to connect to the command center from their, back when it was a cover for SHINE way back in the day. The tunnels had collapsed for some odd reason (thus why SHINE left), but surely parts of it were left in tact. At any rate it would have to do. He looked to D'arcy, nodded his head to the warehouse and grabbed Muzzle's right arm to help him limp to it. "There! That warehouse! It has a secret dock I heard with some secret underground tunnels. It'll have to do!" Muzzle spoke up. "I sho're hope you... know what ye'r doin' Sue." With that, they limped over to a side door and tried it. Locked. "We don't have TIME for this!" he yelled. With a grunt he lifted his 9mm and shot the lock. The door cracked open and he kicked it in. As he expected, the whole warehouse was abandonded. It was neat, but barely. "Stay here you guys, i'll see if I can find what we're looking for. Back in a second." Inside the warehouse one would find a single, giant room. Two pools of water were on the other side, that at one time probably held mini-subs of some sort Crates and boxes were everywhere. At the far end there were smaller rooms, and in the middle was a tunnell that led into complete darkness. This was what they wanted. It was big enough for a small vehicle to drive through, and as he approached it, he noticed several odd things. The tunnel was stained in several areas with red paint. No. Not paint. It was dried blood. He wrinked his nose at the smell. Apprently whatever had caused the shut down at this facility happened recently enough that the clean-up crews hadn't shown up yet. "What's all this blood?" D'arcy had Muzzle's arm around her, helping him limp toward their hopefull salvation. Sue shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they had bad luck with that same spy? We need to head in there though." Muzzle let out a disgusted grunt."It's like being in the syndicate's dungeon all over again." D'arcy gave him a raised eyebrow look, but said nothing. Inside an old crate next to the entrance were some flashlights. Sue grabbed one, and turned it on to make sure it still worked. Good. He tossed one to D'arcy, who handed it to Muz', then grabbed another tossed flashlight for herself and they took off into the dark tunnell, hoping it would be deep enough to survive the bombs. There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[AngelGuardian93]

Norfolk Naval Station14:00Part 2 of 2Admiral James Hetty sat in his command chair, listening to the various reports funnel in. The attack had begun three minutes ago. So far, not a single bomb had been dropped. Maybe they saw our defenses and got scared. Yeah... who would be crazy enough to go against me?! He thought. Overconfidence was allways one of Hetty's problems, since his days at the academy. He was confident he would pass, and with such thinking, didn't. His father bribed his way through the academy. The Ministry of Military Affairs was a tight ship, but not so tight that easy money was refused. He had graduated as an officer aboard the latest battleship, "Star Seeker". He was to be the first mate. As soon as he had come aboard, the crew instantly took a dislike to him. The position of first mate was a solemn position that needed to be filled with an experianced seaman. Instead, it had been filled by a fool. A fool with deep pockets and at best, a fleeting intrest in the military. The ship sank within a week of it's commision. His next command was a small outpost on a now-unimportant backwater base called, "Norfolk". He took charge and ruled with an incompetant fist for 2 years before the war in Jaris began. He had correctlytold the young Ensign Cotaca that he had never lost a battle, but failed to mention this was his first. "Ensign Cotaca, where are the enemy fighters now?" The young man's fingers flew over the computer board, picking up facts and statistics. "They're... above us sir." Hetty spat his drink out onto the floor, utterly shocked at the news. "But.. what about our air defence guns!?" The Ensign clenched his teeth and turned around to look back at his superior officer. "They're too high sir. Their celing clearence is greater than the guns.He swallowed his throat hoarsly. "They have us, sir."Game grunted again, and spat curse upon curse at the incompetence of the Admiral. The captain of the "Norfolkian legend" had been told to stay put. STAY PUT, in an attack. They should have launched as soon as the enemy had gotten past the defenses, but no. The incompetent old coot had told them to stay put. "They were safe in the harbor." No sooner had he thought this when he heard the explosion of a bomb hitting something. The Norfolkian Legend shook violently in the water, barely holding to it's mooring. All hands on board fell to the floor, shaking from the vibrations and from fear. He heard several explosions nearby. The captain yelled in suprise. "THE MOUNTAIN Of AMITY! SHE'S BEEN HIT!" Gamemalvin yelled in suprise, and got up just in time to see nothing but charred remains of a boat. Their was just water splashing and flowing where their had once been docks and a transport boat. The captain punched the radio on. "Mountain! This is Legend, please respond. Over!" He waited for a reply, fully knowing it was gone. "Mountain, this is Legend, PLEASE RESPOND, over!" Once again, he howled in pain. "My son was on that ship! Those Commonwealth bastards!" Game knelt beside the kneeled-over captain and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry cap'n... I-" With a burst of sound, and more shaking, they both looked back at the shipyard. It had been hit. Parts were destroyd, parts were on fire. Damage Control crewmen were running everwhere, trying desperately to put out the fires and gather the wounded. The radio channels were completely full with commands and replies of all kinds, but somehow through it all the ship's radio burst to life with the hoarse voice of Cerune. "Attention all ships in the docks. You are ordered to set sail for the Command fleet. I repeat, all ships are to get the-" The radio bursted with static, as more bombs fell on Norfolk. A second transport was hit, and was burning badly. Cries of anguish could be heard from several crewman trapped in the burning ship's underbelly. It was enough to turn Game's stomache. He didn't know how they would escape the bombers, but it was better than just sitting here and waiting to be next. "You heard the angel, lets get the PRH out'a here!" Captain Murphy obliged, supressing his anguish at his son's death and gave the orders to un-moore. With the ropes tossed off and the planks shoved off into the water, he hit the full reverse on the throttle. "Ensign, tell the others to keep a loose formation on the waters and head east and north. When we get in range, radio the fleet and order some support for us!" The frantic ensign replied and began coordinating reports to and from the other transports.Deep inside the ruined tunnel, D'arcy, Muzzle, and Sue made their way deeper and deeper. They heard what sounded like 'light' explosions up above, and every so often would feel a shake or two. Muzzle grunted. "If it's this bad down here, I feel sorry for anyone stuck topside." Sue shook his head violently, as if trying not to think about it. "It has to be the 11th air force. It has to be. They've been doggin' us since the war started." D'arcy growled, and shifted to a more comfortable position, since she was still carrying most of Muzzle's weight. "I've heard they haven't lost a single pilot. Rumor has it they made a deal with Rrakanychan himself." Sue replied. "It'll take more than a deamon to keep me from killing every single one I meet..." With his flashlight still in hand, he grabbed his lighter and lit up another cigerette. "You guys want any?" D'arcy shook her head, but Muzzle jerked his head up and down, and Sue obliged. "Lets take a pit stop for a second. This tunnel is longer than I thought it would be, and Muzzle, you don't look so hot." D'arcy helped Muzzle to the ground, where he leaned up against the wall and took another drag. "Yeah... I think their broken man, straight up. That sailor was better than I gave him credit for." D'arcy shook her head and kneeled down to him. "Don't you go dying on me! I haven't given you nearly enough trouble yet." Her comment was meant to be funny, but somehow they didn't feel like laughing right now. Another explosion rocked the tunnel, and they all instinctly looked upward, as if they could see through all the layers of dirt between. Sue spoke after a long silence. "I hope their allright..." He flashed his light around the tunell, and to his suprise he found a small door. "What's that?" He asked. D'arcy shrugged and pointed with her flashlight. "Go find out." Sue made a face at her and went to the door. It was completely solid. No cracks underneath or above. He tried the knob, and it opened easily. To his *great* suprise, he found the room not only lit, but he saw... several dead bodies strewn about the room. No, wait, not all quite dead. Over one dead body stood a man holding a bloody knife. His face was covered in blood, and his clothes were in a similiar state. As he looked up in suprise to the intruders, Sue instantly recognized the killer. He attacked.The command structure shook again from the shock waves. So far they had been spared any bombs, and as usual, the idiot admiral had once again grown pridefull. "This is nothing! I was once in an air raid with the Anticans during the Veliki War! It was twice as fierce and they didn't destroy a thing! No WAY we can lose! Not with our jamming devices!" It was lie, of course. He hadn't seen actual combat, well, ever. Supply Officer Brian ran back into the room, and crisply saluted James. "Huh? Oh, Officer Brian, what's going on?" He didn't salute back, and awkwardly Brian finished his salute and shuffled his feet, obviously uncomfortable. "Sir, the shipyard has taken heavy losses, and Captain Russell has order her transports out to sea!" The admirals face grew red with anger. He jumped from his seat and yelled to Ensign Cotaca. "You tell those transports to STAY PUT, and tell Ms. Russell she is relieved of her command for counter-commanding a superior officer!" Cotaca winced with the yelling, and radioed the transports. "Sir, they're refusing your orders!" Hetty spat out a curse at them. "Then tell them they're ALL relieved of their commands-" the building shook with a terrible shock. The lights flickered off, and the eletronics died. James squeeled in fear. "What was THAT?!" The ensign stood up, looking around wildly. "A direct hit sir! All power is out!" another officer called out with panic. "Sir, we need to abandon this building! Our lookouts are telling us that they're planning another pass!" Suddenly, the admiral clenched his teeth, and fell to the ground. He knew it was too late. There was no way they could escape in time. He had given into the sweet darkness known as despair. "How can we fight against such terrible devils?!" It was the last thing he ever thought. From outside, the soldiers and sailors watched as the command building was hit with another smart bomb. Instanttly the building exploded in a fiery explosion, heading downward to the first floor like a bad firecracker. As the explosion hit ground level, the building collapsed in a fiery, dust-choking finalle of death. Instantly the craven Admiral James Hetty, the young Ensign Cotaca, and the noble Suppy Officer Brian were killed, and the entire chain of command extinguished.From inside one of the bunker complex's radio rooms, Captain Cerune Russell choked, gagged, and threw up in the corner of the room. The entire command center was gone, and the shipyard wasnt far behind. The docks were a wreck, and every road leading away from this massive graveyard was now a memory. It would take weeks just to sift through through all the rubble. Just when her hope seemed to have completely faded, she heard the radio crewman yell to her. "Captain, we have some good news! The remaining transports have made it out! The bombers are leaving them alone. We only lost about 20 or so tanks!" Cerune just sat their, squatting down in the corner. "Uh... sir...? We need orders. You're the ranking officer now..." That comment snapped Cerune out of her haze. He was right. She had a duty to perform, and on her shoulders were the responsibilities of leadership for the entire base now. She stood back up slowly, and with precision, turned smartly to face the radio ensign. "Are the bombers gone?" The ensign radioed out for a second, then replied back. "It seems so sir. Our RADAR was wiped out during the attack, but our remaining lookouts spotted the planes heading back north. Our skies seem to be empty... for now." He said the last part with a choked up tone. "Then send the troops out to find the wounded. As much as it hurts to say it, leave the dead for now. Their time will come soon enough." She frowned, but the army knew what it had to do. Minimize casualties, and radio out to command for further orders. This was war, and sometimes their just wasn't time to honor that which should be. Of course, eventually they would have to. The smell and disease that came with dead bodies would not be far behind.Locked in a terrible struggle, were Sue and the murderer. He had brought his knife to bear, and had managed to slice the gun from Sue's hand. His palm was full of bood, but he managed to catch his attackers second knife swing. Obviously the attacker was dead tired and had not expected company so soon, or Sue would have been dead too probably. He snapped the man's arm onto a table, slamming it down. The knife went flying across the room, but in the comotion he managed to get a good left hook across Sue's jaw. He went down without a fight, dazed by the apparent strength of the blow. The man grabbed for his knife, and went for the stab. BANG.The attacker fell over dead. Behind him stood a smoking gun, D'arcy's to be precise. She growled and quickly ran to Sue's aid. "Stand still you crazy idiot." She ripped part of her jacket off, and wrapped it around his profusely bleeding hand. Muzzle limped in behind and surveyed the damage. It looked like this was some sort of secret planning room. In the center was a map of the Jaris area, and attached to the walls were a multitude of electronic machines. "What a mess..." He limped over to the attacker, and leaned over to his face."Oh no... the attacker...""The attacker, it's commander Mal."D'arcy and Sue instantly jerked their heads and gasped. He was right. laying dead on the floor was Jinx Mal, commander of Univi unit. D'arcy was the first to speak. "..Why?" Sue grunted again and lit up another cigerette. "Muzzle, search him." Obediently, he was searched. Nothing of importance was found, save a piece of paper. It read as follows.Mr. Jinx Mal. You areto proceed with the transaction aboard thePride of Nordagaat."-A.D'arcy about threw up. Not only was Jinx responsible for the bombing of the Pride, and not only was he responsible for the death of everyone in the room, but he was the spy. He was the Komiteh Polis spy. The scum who had sold out his countrymen. For several minutes the shock set in, and left them speechless. After a second, Muzzle spoke up. "You know, it makes sense... why the blood was so fresh outside..." D'arcy grimaced and piped in. "He was allways getting into something. I heard he had some debts back home... I hope he didn't do this just for the money." Sue took another drag, slowly, and then exhaled. "No way we'll know now. We should- help..." A small voice cried out from the corner. They jerked their heads toward the sound. "Please... help... don't let me die..." Sue flicked the cigerette away from his hand and ran to the survivor, with his two friends close behind. Upon inspection of the body, he knew there was nothing he could do. The cuts and stabs were everywhere. He grimaced and bended down to help the soldier lean up. "Tell me, what happened here?!" The soldier choked back some blood and tried to swallow. "I... don't know... He just came in... shot everyone... ran out of bullets, so he grabbed his knife... and attacked." He coughed up some more blood. "Am I... going to die?" Sue grimaced some more, and nodded solemnly. "Any last requests you wan't honored?" He smiled and eyed a cigerette. "A smoke would be nice." Muzzle grabbed one from the pack, and stuck it in his mouth. He grabbed Sue's lighter from his back pocket and lit it. The poor man inhaled, then exhaled with his eyes closed, and smiled. "I allways thought these would kill me.." he laughed lightly, and coughed violently. "Sue... I need to tell you something..." Sue's eyes widened at the use of his name. "How did you know my name?" He smiled. "I've been watching over you... son... ever since your mother died..." Sue nearly dropped the poor man in shock. This man... this dying man he held in his arms was his lost father! "What... you... you're my dad?! How is that possible?! Why did you leave me if you were still alive!" He coughed again as his breathe became shallow. "I had to give you up for my work with SHINE... i'm sorry... of all my lifes decisions, I regret that the most..."In Sue's arms, the man who had just revealed himself as his father, finally gave into the hand of Mors, and gave up his life. The cigerette in his mouth, fell to the ground, and burned slowly, going out. Sue let him down to the ground, and choked back tears. "Damn them! Damn them all for this! How is it that I finally meet my dad after all these years and he dies in my arms! DAMN THEM!" He yelled in frustrated disbelief at the turn of events that just took place. Why now? Why him? Why did fate ALLWAYS do this to him? He didn't have an answer for any of them. Not a single one.Norfolk Naval Station17:00the following daySue continued to sulk in his make-shift bed. It had been more than a day since his short reunion with his dad, and still he couldn't forget his father's dying words. "Of all my lifes decisions, I regret that the most..." Allmost immediately after the battle, Rasein has sent orders for Captain Cerune to head for the city of Biotopia in the Raynor Islands. Gamemalvin, as the highest ranking surviving officer, was left with the temporary (and unenviable) duty of command. There were so many dead. So many wounded. This was nothing short of a complete victory for the Commonwealth. So much for the war... thought Sue. Behind him he could hear the rest of the soldiers musing, but he didn't really care too much. In fact, he was so out of it that he didn't even hear Muzzle and D'arcy approach. D'arcy was the first to speak. "Hey there... how are you?" Her voice was slow, and sounded suprisingly soft for her. It reminded him of Cerune's voice. They hadn't talked since... since their deployment from Amity. He had to admit to himself that he missed her repeated attempts to woo him, and in his miserable state, he could have used the distraction. After a minute of lost musings, he finally replied. "Hey..." D'arcy and Muzzle exchanged glances, and she grabbed his wounded hand gently and rubbed it. "Hey come on, don't be like that..." This further suprised Sue. If D'arcy was acting this nice to him, he had to be in bad shape. He blushed alittle. "T...thanks..." Muzzle saw his blush and grinned like the big lummux he was, and decided to egg Sue on. "Aw... I think he's blushing..." Sue's blush quickly became worse, and gritted his teeth, his hands drawing into a ball.Outside, if one were to listen, one would hear the sounds of a terrible beating taking place.Summary: parts one and two are pure backstory, covering the Shirerothian end of the destruction of Norfolk. many plot twists and developments. Enjoy!