SNESA2: Ad Infinitum (No MOD's!)

[SKILORD]

A ship, Identified as Russian was hailed by the ULS fleet, it reblocked Genecom scans and threatened to attack if not let through. It was disabled and as the door between the ship was opened.......

They had the element of surprise, at least a hundred russians sprayed the boarding force with bullets, Juno pulled up his CommTalker:
"Sir"Static"Attack"More static folloewed by an expletive. The Space Crew Were overcome. The Armes was an AC-2 capable ship and with as the russians are small in number thay could make the supplies last all the way. security videos showed them transferring a large crate between the ships before contact was lost as the Armes left the solar system.

[SKILORD]

Comet Fighters Began Strafing Mars, clearing the way for the first transport craft. SpiderBots are currently engaged with Martan forces.

[civman2000]

The Empress has made her first public announcement in almost a year now, revealing that her location is secret but that the REal Right leaders had restrained her and that they had no right to rule the Empire. She has declared a state of emergency.

With this statement, almost 80% of the Imperial forces have turned against the Real Right and are now trying to overthrow them. Meanwhile, the Genecom rebels now control almost 1/3 of the planet!

The Emperor's supporters (the ones trying to overthrow the Real Right) have sent messages to the Earthlings and Lunarites suggesting that they work together to overthrow the warmongering usurpers.

Politically, a new more centrist movement has begun: the Center Socialists.

[SKILORD]

Lunar forces on the planet have stopped their attack but the blockase is still in place although the Eclipse and the [I}Full Moon[/I] are being redirected to chase the [I}Armes[/I].

[SKILORD]

The Museum of Interstellar Life was opened in New Washington today. The Building spans 100 acres with humungouis detail. People are welcomed to come see it.

[Cap'n Crunch]

The Genecom Virus has broken out in Russia. Thousands are dead including the Prime Minister. The New PM, a Mister Twiltski has declared war on the ULS for what is apparently an act of theirs.
Russian Ships are fighting at low levels against the ULS and the Formerly Allied venture of the Mir2 Space Station was taken over by the Russians as the millitary station, the Icy Mother opened fire upon NAF millitary establishments stating that "It's only a matter of time before they would have attacked, we are taking the fight to them."
Several Russian Ships are attacking the Luno-German Blockade of mars and Russian troops have marched on Martian territories, supporting the far right, in an attempt to forge an alliance.

The Ship we Hijaked (without even trying!) is carrying a nuclear explosive. Peace will be raeched or else Alpha Centauri will pay. Nuclear weapons are last resort for the Russian People and Bioterror is out of the question. Our Genecom forces on the Armes can hold out for as long as they have to.

T-2000 Tanks are attacking Germany, as their MPP with the Lunarites has already made them more athan a spectator.

[Jonny]

**GDFR Military Report**

Our Russian Front is holding up well, and is stopping the Russian invasion. We shall soon begin "Operation Barbarossa II." Our AA guns and Anti-Missile/Nuke defenses are up and running, and highly effective. We are willing to use nukes if nuked.

On the Martian front, our starships are boming the planet, getting ready to clear an area for our transports to land.

Our army has placed Strausburg under temporary military control. All of the rebel Genecoms are being discreetly transported to a highly guarded extra-maximum security holding area in Antarctica. All non-rebelling Genecoms are being sent home to their native country, the NAF.

**end of report**

[civman2000]

Russia: Why would you support the far right when there is a Genecom group rebelling against both them and the Empress's supporters?

The far right, desparate for more support, promises to willingly share power with the GEnecoms if they work together to destroy teh Empress's supporters (now called the Popular Imperial Front, PIF).

The PIF requests from the ULS the virus to use on their own planet. Pacifist groups, about 40% of the PIF, vehemently oppose this.

[Cap'n Crunch]

I meant the genecoms!..... yeah.....

[Cap'n Crunch]

Our Nuke toting Genecoms are on AC/2. we ask that peace be reached, we are open for talks, we are no Incans we are a peace loving people. This entire war was begun by people no longer alive. Intensive study shows that the virus was not planted by the ULS and instead by Incan nationals who escaped in the final days. The Disease is spreading to Europe.

Our fleet is now on the defensive against the NAF fleets. Our army is working to hit the German buildups in order to slow down the Barbarossa Offensive.

[civman2000]

The NIF refuses to believe the Russian claims, and still (secretly) asks the ULS and al freedom loving Earthling states to give them the virus to stop the rebels on Mars

[SKILORD]

The ULS refuses to aid in the propogation of biological weapons.
The ULS will have to see what the NAF and GDFR have to say before offering any peace to Russia.

[Giovanni Wine]

Emperor Raffaello and Prime Minister Del Piero, seeing the going on decided to stop their silence and declare their position on many of the issue going on. (OOC: I was in Croatia for a couple of days)

Italy disapprove the action of Russia, as they declared war on a nation without even knowing if they planted the virus or not. Any pact we had with you is officialy broken (I think we had a NAP)

Italy disapprove the action of Mars of overunnig the German colonies there, likewise with Russia, we will brake any pact or deal we have with you, we also inform you not to touch or colony in Phobos.

Italy agrees with NAF policies with Genecoms.

The Italo-Australian Pact support the idea of a new super alliance.

ROMA NEWSPAPER
Genecoms Rebel fighting in Firenze.
The Genecom war started a few years, had upraised some of the Genecom community living in Firenze, the city, even after it was opened back for living to the normal people, since the biological war efects were expired, presents still a large population of Genecoms.
Many of them hearing the latest news uprised against the "Genecom oppressor" government, and felt Italy was one of them, UII agents, with the coaperation of he military are suppressing the rioting, surprisingly enough very few Genecoms revolted, most of them stated they do not support such actions made by their similar, and that they lived in Italy just because they liked it.
The rebellion in Firenze is nothing close to the one in Strasburg, probably because the Genecom community in Italy is much smaller.

Colonial ship crashed
A colonial ship from Italy heading toward one of the small planets of Alpha Centauri crashed today as soon as it entered the new solar system, 100.000 pioneer all died in the crash, the Colonist Party gained from this a big support, Prime Minister Del Piero was critizized for his poor policies fovaring te colonization of the new solar system.

-----------------------------------------------

Italian Stats and Projects
Denuclearization of military: 7 years
Scientific Research: done
Evacuation from Moon Base: done

Name: New Italian Empire
Territories: Italian Europe, Italian Phobos, Italian Venus, Galapagos Italian Military Base.
Population: 247 milion (145 Europe, 92 Venus, 10 Phobos)
Nuclear Winter Sick: 23 milion
Suffering Famine: 6 milion

Military:
Army: Large
Navy: Medium
Air Force: Medium
Space Fleet: Large
Nukes: 175 (-25 each year)
Interplanetary Nukes: none

Saluti

[civman2000]

THe REal Right and the Genecoms have fled to the asteroid colonies which they now rule. THe NIF, aided by Earthling invasions, had pushed them to the brink of destruciton. Now the Martians have to rebuild the destruction caused by those Tyrants.

[SKILORD]

The ULS is following them to the asteroids, the Comet wing at Outreach I is attacking in order to keep them from plannning anything evil we undersand that our fight is with them, not mars and our Blockade has been lifted, the sips sent to help in the Battle For EarthSpace which is getting quite vicious.

[civman2000]

A warning from MI to the ULS: The defenses in the asteroids are very clever. There are numerous traps and other tricks. Although you outnumber them, the asteroids can be quickly mined to create cheap ships and these can be used in "Guerrilla" tactics (yes it is possible in space). We hope you succeed but be very careful!

[SKILORD]

Thank you for the warning Empress. The small part of the Lunar fleet stationed in the asteroids is all that is being used as most of our fleet is battling Russia over the space over earht. Their Light Speed bullets are taking heavy tolls on our numbers there but we give back better than we get.

ULS Rockets have hit the Mir2 ending it's millitary build up. A Russian attack on the Achilles Station failed. And the Genecom virus was released into AC-2 because: "We had no choice we had to stop the Nuclear Warhead Toting Russian swine"
The Armes has been recovered and after she is cleared for use again she will be redirected to the Asteroid Belt.

[Captain]

OOC: Sorry, I've been away a few days. And it looks like I might not be able to post as regularly as before.

Still, here's a quick response:

NAF News:

Chancellor Belore deplores the use of the Genecom virus - it is against official NAF policy to use such a virus against it's own citizens. However, it understands the ULS's use is in an effort to avert nuclear disaster on the new AC colonies. Even the 59% of loyal Genecoms approve of its use.

Our rebel Genecoms, have proclaimed independence and the founding of the Genecom Nation. They lay claim to all lands formerly devastated by nuclear war saying that ordinary humans have given up their right to these zones.

Their leader, Arthur Telesman, has this statement to make "The Genecom Nation claims these lands as their inheritance. The ordinary people of the world have no use for these irradiated zones - we do. We will continue to reclaim the land and make it prosperous once more. For our efforts in the past and in anticipation of the great level of investment we will be putting into restoring these areas, we demand ownership of these lands. We intend to remain at peace with the NAF, however, we are prepared to back our independence with force. As you know, the Genecom Nation is composed of 3 million residents, of whom the vast majority are ex-military. We may not have the same level of mechs or weapons, but rest assured our defenses are adequate. Furthermore, our people are special. We have special needs that cannot be met by an ordinary government. We are a minority that is discriminated against and since we are such a small minority, we have no guarantee of our rights and interests within such a large democracy as the NAF. We ask nothing of the NAF but to let us live in peace, independently. We will not interfere with you and we only ask the same. The nations of this world have shown themselves inadequate to the task of governing without resorting to nuclear or biochemical holocaust. We only ask to take that which you have no more use of, that which you have given up the right to govern, and make it new once more. Our cause is noble, we ask your support."

Chancellor Belore made the following statement "We cannot accept a unilateral declaration of independence from NAF territories or NAF citizens. We feel the Loyalist Party speaks for the Genecoms of this nation and they have declared their support for continued NAF governance. We understand the position of the rebels, however, you must be patient and submit to the proper authorities. We are already in negotiations with the Loyalists for a special zone of increased autonomy and we feel this will go a long way to addressing your needs without resorting to complete independence. We have no desire to go to war either, but territorial integrity and security has been the stated goal of our governance since our founding. We will not tolerate rebellion."

Loyalist leader Youssef Ahmed made the following statement "The Genecom people have chosen us as their representatives to the Grand Assembly. Our mandate is to protect our rights and interests. While progress has not always been as swift as we would like, we feel we have achieved a great deal both under former Chancellor Trent's reign and that of Chancellor Belore. We feel the future of our people is best served by remaining in the Federation. Furthermore, regarding the Genecom virus, Chancellor Belore has personally promised me that a cure is being worked on as we speak. Genecoms are NAF citizens first and foremost and we can see from this response that our interests are being served. I have the personal assurances from many Genecom military leaders that they will remain loyal to the NAF. However, Genecoms do not feel right in combating their brethren. We seek a peaceful resolution with our rebellious brothers. We have made numerous overtures of reconciliation and the ball is in their court."

The Genecom Nation has laid claim to the entire East Coast fallout zone, Montreal, LA, Mexico City, Panama, and even London. However, they only control Philedelphia directly and small pockets in the East Coast. The rest remain uninhabited. Small pockets of separatists exist in the other major settlements but have essentially limited their actions to protest marches and flag waving. The loyalists heavily outnumber the separatists and so far the riot police have not been necessary to restore peace. Genecom politics in London are in an uproar given the Genecom Nation declaration. However, UK Genecom loyalists remain in control of London.

[Captain]

NAF space fleet has been engaged with the Russian and Martian fleets. We have lost a small number of our vessels. The considerable expenditures made so far to maintain our armed forces at the level of BTH for so many years have proven their value claim military analysts. Supreme Commander Vincente, who was appointed three years after Hogarth's death, is close to reaching an agreement on allowing Genecoms to enter the Space Fleet's ranks. Vincente has been pushing for this since his inauguration as SC stating that Genecoms have served the nation remarkably well and preventing them from entering the Space Fleet is discriminatory. Hogarth had been opposed to allowing Genecoms into space, stating that the effects of long-term space missions on Genecoms could be more harmful than average. The Loyalist Party (formerly known as the Genecom Party) maintained that the military often did experiments on its personnel and it was incredulous that they were actually denying Genecoms space entry for their own safety.

It is expected that the first Genecoms to graduate from the Space Fleet Academy will serve aboard the new Galaxy class ships Excelsior, Montreal, and Centauri within 2 years. These ships will have certain features designed to suit Genecom abilities. Several other ships will be modified but an all Genecom crew may make certain current design requirements (for a "pure" human crew) obselete.

[civman2000]

You attack the Martians or the Martian rebels currently hiding in the asteroids?

[Captain]

MARS:

I think we were blockading Mars because of weapons shipments. Thus we fire on all ships attempting to breach our blockade. We have not bombarded any of Mars yet. Your ships have been mostly occupied with your own civil war so we have only shot down perhaps 3 or 4 ships. We suspect they were smuggler vessels, not military, as we took no losses.

ULS, ITALY, GDFR, AUSTRALIA:

We support a Grand Alliance. We suggest no peace with any other nation unless we are ALL at peace with them. We are sending even more troops to Italy and the GDFR to ensure the Russians do not cross your borders. We are also sending technical teams to set up our patented KillZone barriers to protect key points.


RUSSIA:

Cease your aggression. Genecoms are NAF citizens and not mistreated. Your piracy of our technology and creation of Russian Genecoms is roundly condemned by all - including the Genecom Party (Loyalist Party). Furthermore, your unprovoked attack on our military stations and forces is considered on the same level as the Incan aggression. Our past relations, including our former Pact of Freedom, is all that prevents us from branding your nation in the same way as the Incans.

By now you will be getting reports of the destruction of your major military bases on border territories by CAMs. Our Space Fleet is also reducing yours to scrap metal. We demand you unilaterally surrender or we will begin to orbitally bombard your core cities. If we have to, we are prepared to go in with ground troops. Although your Genecoms are superior to regular troops, we remind you we also have Genecoms fighting for us. Already, several divisions of regular troops and Genecom troops are arriving in the GDFR and Italy to bolster the defense there.



ULS:

We thank you for your assistance in rescuing the Genecoms captured by the Incan forces. While we have control of the occupied zones, the threat of war in other theatres and security in the East Coast has forced us to relocate many troops. The reduced patrols into the deep South have allowed the resurgence of Incan abominations and remnant forces to higher than normal levels. However, the loss of many of our soldiers was inexplicable until you discovered the virus.

Until we have a cure, we are cutting our deep south patrols and limiting them to patrols from the occupation zone down to Rio. Since these are heavy fallout zones, we cannot send regular troops either. We have no desire to risk our Genecoms either, hence the pullback.

We could use more assistance in South America though we realize the major threat now is Russia. The territory is too large to create a KillZone as we had in Panama, therefore we are resorting to "conventional" mining, satellite reconnaissance, and orbital precision lasing to negate threats. This is obviously not as good as ground patrols, but we have no choice.

[Captain]

To GDFR/Italy:

Our divisions sent to reinforce you are equipped with patented UK EMP grenades. These should be very effective against the Russian T-2000 tanks. EMPs are great against mechs and vehicles, just not personnel. Personally, we're more worried about a major Genecom assault from Russian troops.

To RUSSIA:
End your war with our Alliance and let us work together to find a cure for this horrible virus. Our Genecoms are as concerned as yours, and we in the NAF are not monsters. We are humanitarian and sympathize with your plight. Considering casualties thus far have been low, we are still willing to discuss peace. If you should persist for more than 1 yr against our allies the GDFR and Italy and the ULS - or if you increase hostilities further, we will not allow peace until you are emasculated.


To ULS:

You have given us great assistance thus far. How can we help you? We do not have experience landing troops on foreign planets, but our space fleet is ready to assist you. Hostilities with the Russians and Martians have not been so high as to require more than 50% of our fleet, so many ships are still without active missions.


(SECRET to ALLIES):

While we have eliminated most organized paramilitary groups in South America, the reduction of human Incan control, coupled with our reduced patrols, has led to the rise of large numbers of Abominations and other mutated creatures wandering around. Some resemble dinosaurs as discovered by the ULS. These non-humans (or partial humans) are not intelligent enough to form armies capable of modern combat, but are intelligent enough to hunt in packs. Some of these packs have been sighted even as far north as the borders of the Occupation Zone. So far they are only raiding certain Incan villages outside the O.Z. but we fear they may attack some of our Genecom settlements and occupied Incan settlements (which the Genecom Nation would use as propaganda against us, claiming we do not adequately protect families and homes of the Genecoms who serve in our military).

Again, our main concern is Russia and our East Coast which has not yet broken out into armed conflict despite daily military exercises by the rebel Genecom Nation. However, we simply wish to alert you to the proliferation of these genetic monstrosities in South America. They may be a future problem.


OOC: I tried to catch up, am I missing anything? I take it China and Japan have not taken sides in this war yet?

[Jonny]

**GDFR Military Update**

More armies and resources than ever before are being depolyed on the Russian front. Our ships are fighting battles with the Russians in Earthspace, and some ships from Mars are being sent to Earthspace to help fight the Russians.

However, many spaceships are still in Mars orbit. The blockade of Mars still continues. If all goes well, the invasion will still happen. President Adolphus was asked why the invasion would still happen, even though the Genecom rebels had been defeated on the planet:

"We came to Mars to get our colony back. We will attempt to get it back, no matter which Martian faction controls it. However, we are willing to talk to the real government, if they wish to simply give it back."

**end of report**

OOC: Captain, I think you're all caught up. China and Japan haven't taken sides.

[civman2000]

GDFR: colony returned.
Mars has gone Isolationist as a result of all of this (I am leaving on vacation).

[Jonny]

Mars: Thank you.

Most of the space fleet and invasion force is going to "visit" Mother Russia now. The rest will become a small defensive force for the colony.

[Giovanni Wine]

Under the pressure of the NAF government Italy declares war on Russia, since most of the Russian troops were already busy fighting the Germans, the Italians found little if not defense at all, and penetrate deep into Russian territory.

The armor divisions "Pisa-1, Adriatico, Giungla, Cavalli, and Serpi" found no match in the small Russian defense, since most of the Russian troops are already fighting against the GFDR.
Air support is granted by the "Frecce Tricolori" and the "Saette" squadroon, but there are no news about the "Lampi" squad, which is missing froma few days after they have been sent to explore Russian military in the other side of the Ural.
Foot soldiers are also following the armors, and are fighting wherever the armor can not drive through.
The Italian military report few casualities, most of them for sickness.

Since the ba times, election have been suspended till the end of the war.

Saluti

Map of the Attack:
Grey Arrow: Main Italian attack force
Blackish Green Stripes: zones invaded by Italian troops
Big Yellow Dot: Moscow

[Captain]

Vladimir Petrinsky sat silently at his post, leeching the last few puffs from his now dying cigarette. On this cold night, the smoke offered him the only comfort as the news of disasters poured in. Earlier tonight, his commanders had called up the troops and briefed them on the situation. Most of them had been transferred south to meet the growing threat there.

He had heard reports from the south that the Italians had made a massive push towards Moscow and were stopped less than 500 km away from the capital. The rich oil fields of the Caucasus were burning from Italian bombs and the vast grain fields of Ukraine were but smoke and ash. The bulk of the Russian army, engaged with the GDFR, was slowly being pushed back from the borders but it was the unexpected Italian advance that worried the generals now.

They knew the NAF and the ULS would use their superior space fleets to destroy most of their outlying military stations, but felt they were safe from invasion because of the massive numbers of Genecoms in the Russian army. Damn this disease! It was taking a serious toll on their military performance. Their beloved Prime Minister had died from it less than a year ago and that had been a devastating blow to morale.

Vlad consoled himself with the thought that the disease was all that kept him from being redeployed to the south. Already the skin sores and the rattling coughs were taking its toll on his ability to fight. Still, he thought he was more than a match for any Italian, skilled as he may be. Weak Genecoms versus regular troops was one thing, healthy Genecoms versus weak Genecoms was another.

He wasn't supposed to smoke. The light would give away his position. But here, on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, who was there to hide from?

But in his desire to get that one last pull out of it, the cigarette burned a little too short. The heat from the embers on his cold fingers caused him to drop it. It was pure chance that he bent over than instant to put his glove back on. The bullet zipped by his head and lodged itself into the treetrunk behind him.

His training overtook him and he rolled into the redoubt pulling his rifle after him. The shooter had a silencer, but he could still get a rough bearing based on the location of the bullet hole in the tree. Left, towards the small thicket by the road. He was Genecom, and while his senses were dulled by disease, he was still a formidable soldier. He waited in silence, scanning the dark terrain with his enhanced vision. Patience paid off. In a few minutes, movement by the small thicket. A single runner broke for some low brush cover. He didn't take the bait. He waited. Ten minutes passed and he counted a total of 8 in the group, passing from cover to cover, slowly approaching the suburbs. They paused to set up a small device atop a hill - but Vlad couldn't waste time investigating it - the men were moving on at a quick pace. Likely it was just a mine or locator beacon.

He waited until they passed him, and then began to follow. He send a low-level alert by silent transmission to the garrison but there was no acknowledgement of receipt. What had a happened to the garrison?

These men moved quickly, far too quickly for ordinary troops. But, if these were Genecoms, then the NAF must be involved already.

This flew against everything he had been taught. Wasn't the NAF an enemy of the Genecoms? Didn't the NAF strip Genecoms of their rights and force them into some kind of Registry? The Russian news had always shown the NAF as persecutors of the Genecoms, ingrates who mistreated the people who underwent the treatment to save their nation from the Incan threat. Wasn't this why the Arthur Telesman made the declaration of independence founding the Genecom Nation on the NAF East Coast? How could Genecoms be serving in the NAF military, for these NAF oppressors?

He put it out of his mind. He was soldier. Vlad's military training kicked in. We are not trained to think about such things. Only about how to get the job done, how to accomplish the mission we've been given. And my mission to protect my country.

Long spidery shadows snaked across the hilly lands as the moon rose in sky. A bonus for Vlad. He wouldn't have to get as close to get a good bead on these guys. At the next cluster of trees, he settled into his favourite shallow and raised his rifle. The 8 men were less than 150 m away and busy setting up a second device. Then one of them settled himself by the device while the others stood guard. Vlad didn't know what they were up to, but he knew it couldn't be good. He had to stop them.

He chose his sequence of targets and readied himself. He knew he could take 3 before his position was compromised, and he steeled himself for the run to his next position. But if these were Genecoms, they would be able to see him just as well as he saw them.

And luck was on his side once more. Just as the first bullet exploded out the front of his muzzle, the 8 men had snapped their attention in the opposite direction. The third bullet was already being fired when Vlad realized the men were distracted by something. He looked up where they were staring. A brilliant streak of light was etching it's way across the night sky. It looked like one of the meteors he had seen in his childhood, before the nuclear winter had blooted out the stars. But this meteor wasn't burning up. It's flaming streak was growing brighter and brighter. It dawned on him that this was no ordinary meteor, this was one of the CAMs, Conventional Assault Missiles, and he knew the target was the St. Petersburg energy matrix, protected by 200 metres of soil and bedrock. CAMs were non-nuclear, but devastating nonetheless - it could penetrate the energy matrix's bunker. This would cut the power supply for the Russian West Coast, opening up the way for an amphibious invasion. Their enemies could bypass the heavily fortified Scandinavian lands and cut right into mother Russia. With Russian Genecoms crippled by disease, this threat was more serious than their analysts had anticipated.

These men had painted the city with a targeting beacon. The clouds of eternal nuclear winter must have made ordinary orbital bombardment so imprecise that they were resorting to the age old practice of painting their targets.

But Vlad had no time for further wonder, the men had noticed three of their fallen comrades and were scrambling for cover. Their primary mission completed, they abandoned the device and scattered for their own protection.

Vlad tracked the device controller, the last one to scramble, and missed! Damn! He was giving away his position. His next bullet took the man's head off, but valuable time had been wasted. The remaining four knew his position. Only one laid down covering fire, peppering the bushes right above where Vlad lay hiding. The rest remained silent. Damn! These men were well-trained. Only one had given away his position, and the rest were waiting to determine how many others were with Vlad.

He tried to send the signal to the garrison again, but no luck. He realized that the first device must have been a transmission jammer. He was on his own.

Still, he was not a three times decorated veteran for nothing. He fitted an explosive round to his all-purpose rifle. He sent it rocketing towards the shooter's position and flung himself down in the shallow again. The red flare from the muzzle gave his exact position away but they already had a good bead on him. Bullets from two directions whizzed by and one tagged him in the left arm, tearing apart sinews and muscles but missing the bone. It was agonizing, but not life threatening. He turned his shoulder key and his suit automatically tensioned the injured area and cut blood loss. Thank the Swedes for this technology.

On the plus side, his rocket did it's job. There were only three enemies left, and he could still use his gun. But he knew he wasn't the only one with rocket propelled grenades. He scrambled out of the shallow for his second nest 20 metres away. It exploded in an inferno just as he left and bullets flew about him as he raced to his next spot. The flames were just as deadly behind him as if he were consumed by them. They lit him up against the sky and three bullets found their mark. Two in the leg that caused him to topple over and another in the chest. He was sprawled on the ground, blood bubbling out of his chest. Punctured lung he thought, air leaking from the lung into his thoracic cavity and suffocating him slowly. The suit kicked in one more, evacuating the air that crushed his lungs and restoring pressure to the inside of the collapsing lung. The suit also constricted blood flow to his legs, halting blood loss. But he couldn't move either, and unless a miracle happened, those soldiers would end it for him in a few moments.

Miracles do happen.

All the action he had just underwent took place in the span of less than thirty seconds. The CAM, blazing across the sky like Apollos' chariots, had reached it's target. From his prone position, Vlad couldn't see the tremendous explosion that kicked up epic quantities of dirt and rock, nor the brilliant flash of light as the electrical system sparked into obilivion, but he felt the shock waves course through the ground. At this proximity to the site of impact, the ground trembled with the primary compression waves coursing outwards. But it was the surface waves that followed a fraction of a second later that sent the landscape rolling and jumping. Vlad felt himself propelled into the air. Not high, but enough to get him rolling down the hill into the muddy ravine. He couldn't see it, but the three remaining soldiers were knocked off their feet. Unhurt, but disoriented, the three scanned the area quickly for signs of any remaining Russia threats. The garrison would of course have been alerted by now, and though they didn't expect to be searched for anytime soon, Vlad's sneak attack left them feeling less confident of their original plans. They also had to dispose of the bodies of their comrades. They were not supposed to be there. While they expected the NAF to officially go in with more ground troops sooner or later, they were not supposed to alert the Russians to their need for ground troops to paint their targets. That was the real reason why none of the core Russian installations had been hit.

They did not find Vlad's body lying in a muddy pool at the bototm of the ravine. However, two of them recall seeing the spout of blood erupting from his chest from bullet wounds. It was a gamble but they bet Vlad would offer no further trouble.

Possibly it might be an hour before a patrol made it's way to this place, possibly within a half an hour. Five bodies, three active. Given the time and numbers, they could not hope to get all the bodies to the recovery point. They debated their options.

The CAM had an EMP device with it that scrambled all electronics within a 100 km radius, including the soldier's equipment. They couldn't be sure the Russians hadn't shielded their key radar or comm devices, but with the electrical grid also shut down, they chanced that nothing would be working. In any event, the nearest unaffected airfield would take at least fifteen minutes to scramble some fighters to intercept their helo. Removing their emergency radio from its shielded encasement, they broke radio silence.

Within fifteen minutes, a stealth chopper had landed in the clearing. The bodies were loaded and all evidence cleaned up. Within five minutes of touchdown, the chopper dusted off and sailed out to the coast where a heavily armed NAF-GDFR carrier group was awaiting.

Five minutes after the stealth chopper left, Russian fighters swept the area where the radio transmission had been triangulated, finding nothing. Their onboard radar was no substitute for the ground radar towers, now incapacitated by the power outage and EMP blast. The NAF team had successfully completed their mission, and the Russians were still in the dark - or so they thought.

Twenty minutes later, the ground patrol arrived at the clearing. There was evidence of a small battle, but no bodies or equipment left. They couldn't understand how such a fierce battle could leave no casualties on either side.

Ten minutes later, they found Vlad in the ravine. He was pale and his breath shallow, but not beyond recovery. Since the EMP had scrambled most vehicle ignitions, his loyal comrades carried him all the way back by stretcher. Lasping in and out of consciousness, Vlad recounted his story to the Commanding Officer. Just as he passed into the medical bay, he heard the CO on the line with his superiors. His information would be immensely valuable to the Russian Military Council.

Vlad smiled. He would live to see his fourth medal.

[Captain]

OOC: What do you think of the story above? It's my first major story so far this NES.

[Cap'n Crunch]

Russia would like to share something:
Thanks to the nuclear war and rising temperratures far more of Russia was made Arable. But we needed farmers, the Genecoms provided that, the virus has killed, through famine, far more than just Genecoms.

We offer for peace:
Moon Colonies to ULS
Mars colonies to the Assorted alllied nations
We BEG for peace.

[Cap'n Crunch]

I find it hard to beleive that the ITALIAN army of all of them made such incredible advances tho.