Roleplay > War and Conflict

A Storm in the Channels (IC Thread)

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Daitō:
Loi-pwi, Vax Republic
31 km southeast of Treng
04:54 AM

   It was a quiet morning, Ko Arkar thought as he stood at his post near the southern entrance to the village. Too quiet, in fact. Some of the old timers, the folks who had actually fought in the war, back in the 70s, would've called it the "calm before the storm", and they'd be right. Just a few hours ago, his unit, a part of the VNA—the Vax National Army—had received word that the Kalasinese had voted for independence, which left several disputes along the border now both unresolved and likely to be pressed. Loi-pwi sat in the middle of one of those "disputes", though Ko knew that if the Kalasinese were going to press their claims, they'd likely try to annex the entire country as they had back in '78. And that's why he was here. He had wanted to sign on back in 2017, during the revolution, to protect his home but had been rejected due to his age, yet now, six years later, it seemed he was going to be called on to do so anyways. But for now, he and his comrades had to hurry up and wait.

   Every so often, the silence would be broken up by a few locals who had already been stirred from their sleep; it may have been early, but they were out in the sticks, so it figured that someone would be doing farm work or whatever it was they did out here. Every time, the nineteen-year-old soldier would jump a little, thinking that perhaps the Kalasinese were upon him, only to realize his mistake a few moments later. This would continue on and on repeatedly from three in the morning until now, and unless he could get a grip, it would probably continue until the fog cleared. Of course, he had every reason to be nervous; if the Kalasinese attacked now, they would be cut off from any support, as the Union government would need to either fly or drive all the way across Kalasinese territory to reach them, something which they quite probably didn't have the chance to do. He would say a little prayer that peace would hold, but part of him knew that it couldn't.

   Just then, off in the distance, he spotted what looked like a pair of headlamps and heard a motor approaching from the border. Perhaps it was just a scouting party which was returning, but part of him feared the worst. He raised his rifle, an old Kalashnikov which had been "liberated" from a PKA barracks back in 2017 and spoke up.
   "What is approaching?" He said, issuing a challenge to their would-be trespasser as the vehicle drew close.
   "The new day, brother." The driver said, his voice familiar to Corporal Arkar. What he had said was correct, so he would wave him on.
   "Welcome home." He said with a nod before the car drove on. He was right. By some stroke of mercy, it was a scouting party. A few moments would pass as the car parked a few houses down and the group aboard would disembark, some heading further into the town to their command post while the driver, a man by the name of Pyae Sein, walked over to him. "Anything new?" Ko asked him when he reached him, leaning against the sandbags.
   "Nothin' yet. Not even the local gangs are daring to go out now." Pyae replied. "With all that's happened, they must be scared."
   "Shouldn't we all be?"
   "I suppose, and that's alright. Fear makes you cautious, and it's better to be careful than to get yourself killed, I say."
   "Fair enough." Ko said with a nod. "Anyways, you ought to get some rest, it's gonna be a long day."

Daitō:
Uthai Sot Missile Base, Kalasin
81 km south of Phimal
11:13 AM

   It was unbelievable, thought Sergeant Alak Kaouthai as he patrolled the perimeter of the base, that it had come to this. Not that Kalasin had seceded; that much, he was unsurprised by and genuinely supported. No, what was unbelievable was that a few of his men didn't, and that they had gone AWOL shortly after the declaration was made. He couldn't see why they would throw their lives away instead of serving their nation. That they would be more loyal to the government in Ranong, to the bastards who had sold out his people to the Daitōjin... They made their choice, and because of that, if he saw them again, he'd be sure to give them their "reward" for that loyalty. As for himself, he, like many of the "Old Guard", still clung to the idea of a free, independent Kalasin, even if there were some who were... more radical than him. Some in his unit were like him, wishing only to see the country be free, perhaps in time even restoring a positive relationship with the Paechonese. Others, however, wanted nothing other than revenge. Not just on their neighbors to the south, but to their Daitōjin allies who had destroyed the People's Republic. And to think, more of those hardliners were being welcomed back with each passing day.

   Uthai Sot was one of many homes of the Kalasinese Missile Forces, where some of its Scud missiles and its renowned Chaychna 3s were being stored. They were originally scheduled to be dismantled, but until that time, some higher-up must've thought it wise to keep them ready, just in case war was to come. Now, with those extremists coming back, Alak couldn't help but feel a shiver go down his spine, even in this immense heat. If they were to go rogue... The consequences would be horrific. From what he knew, anything within somewhere around 4,100 km or so could be a target, far enough to reach into Ardia or, from their current location, parts of western Tamora. He could only hope, then, that his fears wouldn't come true.

   After a short while, Alak would stop by a small, metal shed, where a couple of his fellow soldiers were crowded around a radio. Apparently, the news was on, some broadcaster from up in Pattani, and based on the body language of those listening, it wasn't good news.
   "...Union forces attempted to arrest President Rangsitpol on charges of treason and sedition, but were repulsed by the loyal soldiers of the Presidential Guard..." the radio said as he passed by. As he heard those words, he stopped dead in his tracks as his hope for a peaceful resolution disappeared, at least for now. His only hope now was that whatever fighting that was to come would be brief. After looking around a moment, he would resume his patrol.

Achkaerin:
This wasn't Serenity's first rodeo but it was her first as commander in chief, stepping into the Round Table Room of the Marble Palace still drying her hair after her attempts at diving, looking around the table she took a deep breath before taking her seat "Adam?" Serenity asked turning her attention to the Minister of Defence, Adam Sheppard
"At sometime between 10 and 11am VMT Union forces operating under direct order of President Kaikaew attempted to arrest Minister-President Rangsitpol." Adam said "It was repulsed, death toll is reported as six union soldiers and one presidential guard with several union soldiers in the wind. Not the most helpful development."
"You think war is inevitable?" Serenity asked
"I think a civil war is getting closer I think an awful lot will depend on what happens next, what moves are made, there's also the other question." Adam said glancing at Rion Ayanami
"For an armed secession to have a chance of success it needs a few things to go its way." Rion said "Given the very likely probability of international attention the separatist faction needs some sort of deterrent. Rangsitpol initiated a legislative procedure which he presumably knew would not be binding and is inviting a response, what card is he holding? What does he think he's got that is going to make it too much trouble?"
"Find out." Serenity said "Military response?"
"That's with the Admiral." Adam said
"Your Majesty." Admiral Joseph Stapleton said standing up and indicating the wall screen "As you know the Matilda's is the most vital waterway on Mundus, any crisis around there is going to be problematic and have ripples further afield. the INS Rhyth Icerider is currently en route back to Gowu from Portworth, it's in the eastern Krimeon at present we're recommending that it be diverted into the area, we also have the INS Excalibur, INS Fawn Azurewind and INS Saix in the Kyne we're again recommending diverting them into the area, that gives us a small versatile group monitoring the situation."
"How far out are they?" Serenity asked
"Twelve hours." the Admiral said "We also have the INS Specula in the Kyne which is days out but we want to move her towards the area just in case."
"We're also recommending the Seonaid Ayanami's CSG be moved into the Kyne just as a precaution, if this escalates and we're looking at peacekeeping probabilities we'll want stuff in train ready to go." Adam said 
"Do it." Serenity said "Elena if this becomes a case of boots on the ground, we're going to need an article seven debate slot."
"I'll keep a floating session on the order papers." Elena Brooke the Leader of the Senate Chamber said, this basically made her the person responsible for scheduling the Senate's business "With a bit of luck we won't need it but it'll be there if needed."
"Good I don't want to waste a second if it comes to it." Serenity said "Meanwhile we're about to host the Mundus Games, we've got team Kalasin in the country and fans as well none of whom can get back home because we suspended travel. So we'll need to sort out accommodation and potentially asylum claims depending on how this goes. For now we put the monitoring group in and get everything lined up just in case. Meanwhile Rion find out what card these separatists are holding or think they're holding because something smells off here and I don't like it."

Daitō:
Uthai Sot Missile Base, Kalasin
81 km south of Phimal
9:52 AM

   The number of irregulars at Uthai Sot had steadily increased since the fighting had broken out, which left Alak equal parts concerned and frustrated by the situation. They were at war, and yet for whatever reason, command saw fit to send people who had no business being here to guard the site. To make matters worse, his old commander had been replaced by a radical, by... him. His old commander from back in the communist era, Thaksin Prateung, had been reassigned to Uthai Sot, which on the surface seemed to make sense. After all, he had a reputation for maintaining order among the units which he led and was even well-respected, even by Alak, however, he had also been one of the people who, after the fall of the People's Republic, had joined the PAFK remnants, and now, almost every time Alak saw him, he was "preaching" about the need to avenge the fallen of the last war. It was clear to him that Colonel Prateung was planning something, and by the looks of it, these "irregulars"—ex-PAFK—were in on it too.

   Every once-in-a-while, he would hear someone talk about "the launch", which on its own made sense, the base would perform missile tests from time to time. But they always talked about it as though it was something to come, and the wording they used suggested it wasn't a test, either. it was probably nothing, just talk given the country was now at war, but even so, something rubbed him the wrong way. Most of the time, he just ignored it, carried out his everyday duties, and kept patrolling the premises. But today, he saw something... peculiar. One of the Chaychna 3s had been taken out of storage and was erected. It looked as though it may be fired, but... surely there was no need to, was there?
   "They'd be insane to use it." Alak said to one of his comrades. "That kind of ordinance, it's the sort of thing that, if used, gets a country invaded... And now, it's in the hands of radicals."
   "I don't disagree, Alak." The other soldier, Surat, replied. "Those PAFK fools think using it will teach their enemies to fear us, but all it'll do is make them hate us. And right now, we don't need that."
   "Right now?"
   "Well, you never know." Surat joked. "But seriously, I got a bad feeling about them stickin' one out in the open, and in a firing position too."

   A few minutes passed, no more than three, before a private ran up to the sergeant, evidently bearing some sort of bad news. Probably just a group of Unionists that got spotted, nothing more.
   "What's the matter, Private..."
   "Palathai, Sergeant Kaouthai." The private said. "It's the missile, the crews, they're-"

   Alak and Surat looked at each other, giving one another a knowing nod, before Alak spoke up. "They're preparing to fire. Do you have any idea what the target is, Private?"
   "No, Sergeant. But Colonel Prateung said in a speech earlier that we finally have the chance to have our revenge, or something."
   "...Thank you, Private. And if I were you, I'd...  consider getting out of here. This is no military base anymore." Alak said before waving him off.

   A few moments passed before Surat said something, letting the private get out of earshot.
   "'This is no military base anymore', huh? So now you admit it. We're just another camp of terrorists but with a military presence, and command won't admit it."
   "You saw him. He's just a kid, he shouldn't be here. We, on the other hand... Well, we've made our beds here, we may as well face whatever's to come."
   "I suppose you're right. For what it's worth, Sergeant, it's been an honor to serve with you."
   "And with you, Corporal. Now then, let's lets get back to work."

   A couple minutes passed, and with a furious roar, a missile from Uthai Sot lifted off on a trail of smoke and light, its target not entirely known, but towards the south. Wherever it was, it wouldn't be long before it hit, and who knew how many lives would be threatened. Alak prayed that wherever it was going, it would be shot down beforehand, but he knew better than to hold out hope. Nobody was expecting a move like this, not even him, not for a while anyways. He was reminded of something which Colonel Prateung told him, back when he was still just a Captain. "If your enemy can be made to think you are weak, you have the power to be audacious." It looked now like that lesson was being demonstrated, but somehow, he knew it would be their undoing.

Achkaerin:
If fury was the appropriate word to describe the mood in Shinkyo and Pyrettania the word to describe the mood in Valtheim was inquisitive concern, perhaps because there'd been no attack on Achkaerinese soil, perhaps because Valtheim had seen this movie more than once but not even the most seasoned, the most experienced of Achkaerin's establishment could say they'd stared down this particular barrel from this position. This had now gone from monitoring to probable combat very quickly and the unease was palpable, nowhere more than in the mind of Rion Ayanami as she composed herself to give Serenity her opinion. "This doesn't add up." she said "If you're the separatists in Pattani your beef is with the government in Paechon, you may have historical issues with Daito but your focus is surely on attaining independence in a manner that's accepted by the international community, attacking two nations in a manner that's terror based is not what you do, if you're smart enough to know a declaration of independence is going to be met with a response from Paechon you're smart enough to know that launching attacks on Daito and Rokkenjima is going to bring all manner of hell down on you. It's deliberately poking the bear."
"Meaning you only poke the bear if you want them in the channels." Fleet Admiral David Jackson, the head of the navy said
"You suspect a trap?" Serenity asked
"This screams the word trap and I don't like it." Rion said "If a nuclear hit is the bait what's the sting going to be?"
"We're being made to rush and I don't like it." David said "Moving without due care and attention is the number one most likely way to fall for a trap."
"And I'll tell you something else." Rion said "They timed this well, if the Pyrettania attack happens forty eight hours later the Senate would be in their summer recess, they're forcing a response, we know caution is the correct approach but we also know that won't go well in the court of public opinion especially on the part of victims."
"No one more dangerous than the person with nothing to lose." Serenity said she took a breath "Ok if the Senate says yes what do we do?"
"I'm not advising boots on the ground en masse." Field Marshall William Dawson said "Rion's right, this looks and reads like a trap and somehow these separatists have nuclear capability so that needs dealing with before we even think about a full on ground assault."
"Which is where I come in." General Neil Portman said, as the head of the Achkaerin Special Forces he understood the implication of William's use of the words 'en masse' "We insert an ASF troop in country with a little support, identify players, find the weapons if any more exist and deal with them. Take away or start taking away their big gun before we get into ground combat."
"Point is." Adam said "There needs to be a meaningful response but not one that takes us past a point."
"What type of response are you recommending?" Serenity asked
"Asserting pressure and control while behaving in a sensible manner." David said "Intelligence going back years suggests that weapons trafficking has become commonplace in Kalasin, not surprising considering the various armed groups in the nation, not to mention the intense conflict between such groups. But that leads to stockpiles, we say cut that off."
"Draw it up." Serenity said "If the Senate says yes then this needs to be ready to go."

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