Riots in Centralis

[GeneralTacticus]

"...MEANS NECESSARY. MESSAGE REPEATS: BY ORDER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, MARTIAL LAW WILL BE IMPOSED THROUGHOUT THIS AREA AT 7:30 PM PRECISELY. ANYBODY REMAINING ON THE STREETS AT THAT TIME WILL BE REMOVED BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. MESSAGE REPEATS..."

At this point the loudspeakermessage cut off; the speakers crackled for a few seconds, then a new voice could be heard.

"BY ORDER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, AMRTIAL ALW IS NOW IN EFFECT IN THIS AREA. ALL CITIZENS MUST LEAVE THE STREETS IMMEDIATELY, OR RISK BEING FORCIBLY REMOVED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED."

That message complete, the speakers shut off, and at last there was some silence, much to the relief of the soldiers now driving through the streets in their APCs.

"About time, too," Corporal Browning grumbled, "that was worse than being attacked with a sonic pulsar. Should we be getting out, Sarge?"

"Yep. Driver, stop. Lads, be careful getting out, and wait for my order before you do anything."

The ten soldiers in the squad clambered down the front ramp to the APC and stood in loose formation amidst the crowds of angry rioters. Some had left in response to the endless warning broadcasts, but others were still there and ready for a fight - their APC had been hit by dozens of stones and bottles thrown from the crowds, and had several times had difficulty avoiding crushing people beneath it's treads.

Up and down the long street the soldiers could see members of other squads dismounting and forming up as well. Within a few minutes, there were fifty soldiers positioned along it, surrounded by rioters who had no intention of leaving but at the same time didn't want to approach the soldiers and their plethora of weaponry.

This state of tension held for a few minutes before it broke. The loudspeakers crackled again to deliver a final warning, but before it could begin, the sound of a gunshot came from the enxt street, followed by several more, and then the deafening crackle of heavy machine-gun. At this, the rioters surged forward, and whatever the loudspeakers were going to say was lost over the roar of gunfire as the soldiers fired for all they were worth.

* * *

"It's begun, sir," remarked a Presidential aide, stating the obvious. They could all hear the chatter over the commlinks against a background of automatic weapon fire and the screams of the dying. Arrayende nodded, almost imperceptibly, listening absently to the rest of the Council whispering about events on this or that street corner. He looked up when Andreas Von weiser's personal assitant Serena Fredersen walked over and dropped a sheet of paper in front of him, summarizing relevant foreign events. Arrayende examined it carefully, thinking.

"Right, so... Jackson wants to send their troops as peacekeepers... Serena, tell Weiser to politely - politely, I say - refuse their offer. They might interfere excessively... there doesn't seem to be much else of itnerest. How's the suppression going?"

"From what the others are saying, it's working pretty effectively, for the most part. The rioeters are running for the hills currently, and the fighting is only continuing in a handful of spots where the crowds were particularly tough or thick and the troops are having problems overcoming them. Reinforcements are being mvoed into these areas to finish the job..."

"Good, good... tell the others I want the bodies and the blood cleaned off the streets by dawn tommorow - and turn off the streetlights. It wouldn't do for the country to wake up to streets filled with corpses..."

"Good thinking, sir. I'll tell the others directly."

Arrayende looked down at the desk in front of him again, but snapped back up again as the intercom phone buzzed.

"Hello, President Arrayende here."

"Mr. President, this is Lieutenant Nathan Deschamps, calling from central Geelong. I have six foreign journalists here, including two from Alecrast. What should we do with them?"

'Damn... never thought of that, for some reason,' Arrayende thought, 'so, what should we do with them? Ah, yes...'

"Lieutenant, take them into protective custody. I don't want them getting hurt, and anyway it wouldn't do for them to broadcast iamges of what happened tonight. Confiscate any film or photos they may have in their possession, and turn it over to the MSS. They'll deal with it appropriately."

"Right you are, sir."

The intercom went dead, and Arrayende went back to listening to the chatter of the commlinks and of his advisers.

'This is going better than I expected...' he mused, 'just hope the international community doesn't explode when they find out...'

[GeneralTacticus]

"Chairman Blackstone, you asked for a report?"

"Yes, I did." Aaron Blackstone, Chairman of the Communist Party of Centralis, looked up from his dinner at the messenger who had just walked in the door. "What's going on?"

"Well, as you know, the government has impsoed martial law and deployed the army into the streets. They've opened fire on the rioters, and seem to have dispersed most of them..."

"I expected as much. Thank you for the confirmation. You may go now."

The messenger nodded, saluted, and walked swiftly out the door. Blackstone turned to the rest of the CPC leaders, smiling broadly and rubbing his hands together in glee.

"Right, time to get cracking. I-"

"Comrade Chairman, did you even listen to what that man had to say?" one of the leaders demanded, "The people are being shot down in the streets like dogs! The riots are over! Our window of opportunity is closed! This is a disaster! How can you suggest making our move now?"

"Because, Comrade Xin, our window has not closed at all. On the contrary, it has been left wide open. If we make our move now, none of the people will resist - who will want to fight for a government that jsut committed such an act of murder? Equally, the international response will be mired in confusion, and by the time they can figure out what to do, we'll be firmly entrenched. This couldn't have happened better if we'd planned it. Now, get going. We have to topple the government before this day is out."

With looks of revelation dawning on their faces, the senior hierarchy of the CPC stood, abandoning their food, and hurried off to put into operation the plans that they had laid. Blackstone himself pushed himself to his feet and headed off to direct his area of the operation.

Soon, Centralis would be his...

[Squeblish Nef?]

OOC: My comments have no real relevance to the story.

IC: "Arrayende has more balls than I thought! He's not as much of a bleeding-heart commie bastard..."
"I get the point, my lord. What I'm curious about is how the rest of the world will respond to the slaughters."
"Like they'll care! They'll just be happy that the pinkos didn't take over their precious trading partner!"
"Mmph."

[GeneralTacticus]

"Comrade Chairman, I have successfully gained access to and disabled the primary government security network, using the access codes that our source provided us with. You should now be able to take control ove rmost government buildings without too much trouble."

A malevolent grin spread across Blackstone's face as he listened to the voice over his secure cell phone.

"Excellent work, Comrade Maria. Thanks to your efforts, this country will be freed by dawn tommorrow."

Blackstone switched the phone off and stowed it in his pocket before turning to the assembled CPC commanders.

"Right, Comrades, we've got a clear run - the security systems are out. Tell your groups that we're moving out. With any luck, we might even win without losing anyone..."

Some of those within earshot looked doubtful, but most looked very confident as they headed off their assigned positions to prepare for the coming coup. Blackstone checked his watch - they were due to move in fifteen minutes. He could feel the adrnaline in his veins, and closing his eyes, he savoured the anticipation of power. After today, nothing would ever be the same again...

* * *

The vanguard of the communist advance crept slowly toward the entrance to the main government arcology cluster. Ordinarily they would have been spotted long ago by the security cameras and sensor systems scattered around the area, but this time was most definitely not ordinary. With those sensor systems prevented from raising the alarm, and the automated response system non-functional, the government defenders of the area were rendered virtually helpless.

First blood for the night was drawn when five elite government troops guarding the entrance were shot down with silenced weapons. None made any sound beyond soft thuds as they hit the ground.

The entrance guards eliminated, the CPC forces moved swiftly and silently towards it. Now came a problematic bit - the doors were known to be equipped with a 'dead man's switch' system which would lock them down if the security systems failed. However, when the first CPC trooper reached the doors, they hissed silently open, and the others breathed a sigh of relief - apparently the security system breach had not been detected and the switch had not been triggered.

As the doors opened and the communsits stepped inside, they scanned the entrance lobby. There was nobody to be seen - odd. Before they could reflect upon this however, there was a crackle of gunfire and two of the sixteen communsit insurgents collapsed to the ground in pools of blood. Whirling around, they could see two more guards standing with their backs to the wall beside the doors, firing at them with heavy asssault rifles. Three more of the communsits had died before they could bring their own weapons to bear, but once they did, the fate of the two soldiers was sealed - they both collapsed to the floor, riddled with bullets.

Just as the sound of shooting finally died away, the next wave of the attack arrived, with two groups of 24 troopers sprinting through the door and linking up with the vanguard. After some hurried discussion between the group leaders, the two newly arrived groups split up and headed of to secure strategically important points, while the vanguard group stayed behind to guard the entrance and ensure that further arrivals could get in safely.

Over the next few hours, the communist forces, moving swiftly through the building and shooting anyone who got in the way, successfully seized control of the complex's independent power supply and the control rooms for the internal security and communications networks, allowing them to reactivate those systems for their own use. Meanwhile, across the country, other communist task forces were seizing control of media buildings, police stations, transport hubs, power plants, and assorted other strategic points, including some of the most critical - most of the hubs of the military communication network. There were backup networks, but bringing them into operation would be a tricky business, especially as the CPC forces had begun jamming most electronic communication across the country. Within four hours of the operation beginning, the communiats had won control over most of the vital infrastructure of the country.

All this was reported to Chairman Blackstone as he took a lift up through the main government acrology to what had been the Presidential office. Moments after he had arrived and sat down, a man limped through the door and saluted, a look of triumph on his face.

"Yes, Comrade, what is it?"

"Comrade Chairman, we have successfully captured almost the entirety of the Executive Council. Our source within them, of course, allowed himself to be caught, although neither he nor we are openly acknowledging that he helped us, just in case. Of the rest, all but two were caught, including President Arrayende - unfortunately, Minister Von Weiser was at a meeting in Chimerica, so he's out of our reach, and Minister Kurnous seems to have vanished. The rest, we have."

"Excellent work. Keep them in a secure location while we decide what to do with them. Comrade Xin, tell the rest of the Central Council that I want them up here immediately."

The two men he had addressed nodded, saluted, and heded off to obey those orders, both with a spring in their step at the extent of their success.

* * *

Ever since the intention to declare martial law had become public, everybody who wasn't in the streets rioting had been clustered around TV sets, radios, or computers, trying to find out what was going on. Right up until the deadline, the media had been full of discussion about the issue; then, when martial law came into effect and the shooting started, everything cut off. Coverage of the crisis ended, and the media stations went back to such mundane things as tommorrow's weather, the financial news in neighbouring countries, or the latest outbreak of violence in Black Pit of Charr.

However, at around midnight, even that stopped. Citizens waiting anxiously for more word of what was happening wondered anxiously why they had suddenly been cut off, but no-one dared go out into the streets again in violation of the curfew.

This state of combined bewilderment, confusion, and fear had continued for a little over an hour when on every operationing TV screen in the country, the face of Aaron Blackstone appeared; and over every public loudspeaker, every TV Speaker, and every radio, he began to speak.

"Citizens! The day for which all have been waiting expectantly has arrived. The proletarian revolution has triumphed! The capitalist system, which but a few hours ago sent its tanks and its mercenary soldiers into the streets to slaughter those demanding a better life, has fallen. The leaders of the old regime have been taken into custody, soon to be tried by the People's Revolutionary Tribunal. Even now, other counter-revolutionaries are being rounded up by units of the new People's Revolutinoary Guard.

"No more shall we bow before our overlords in Alecrast and their traitorous lackeys! No more shall the labour of the working class be exploited for the benefit of the capitalists! No more shall the energies of the people be turned to the making of weapons to be turned against our brothers in Sheepsta! For this is our new beginning, and..."

Blackstone continued in this vein for another two hours, and when he finished, his face faded out to be replaced with the flag of the CPC, while the speakers began to play the Internationale, the anthem of Communist Party of Centralis.

[Squeblish Nef?]

[Aftanun drops his glass.]
"They did what?"
[Pater Torosius cringes and fiddles with his rosary.]
"Our intelligence teams have reported that communists may have taken control of the capital of Centralis."
[Aethnorl throws his glass at the wall.]
"Sh!t! How could this have happened?"
"Well, the government was probably taken unawares."
"They had guards, didn't they?"
"Well..."
"What were the guards doing? Where was the army?"
"I... I don't know!"
[Aftanun stops pacing around the centre of the room.]
"We'll wait for now. Maybe the RVs can be of some use."

[Sheep]

Lord Protectro Sheep Leo II has called for the Assimiliation Corp to be dismantled in Apolyton and for Apolyton nations to call for the end of the Assimilation Corp as a threat to world peace.

[GeneralTacticus]

OOC: Sheep, it would be nice if you could condense all your anti-Assimilation Corp rantings into one thread to be read, responded to, or ignored, as the case might be, rather than spamming everybody else's threads with them...

[Squeblish Nef?]

Originally posted by Sheep
Lord Protectro Sheep Leo II has called for the Assimiliation Corp to be dismantled in Apolyton and for Apolyton nations to call for the end of the Assimilation Corp as a threat to world peace.

OOC: If the Lord Protectro is so damn smart, then why can't he spell?
Besides, you're only pissed at the Corp because we backed up Patagon, which, incidentally, is a full member.
Which you, I'm glad to say, are not.
My advice to you is to sod off.

[Mr. President]

After the incident on Skeln Pass, in which Silveran soldiers crossed the border but Dakmoristani Border Rangers fired the first shot, the West exploded with war. Dakmoristani armies marched into Acre and down the Anduin Valley. In ferocity, the fighting equalled the medieval Aerathi conflicts. Villages were razed, and thousands displaced.

The East was not immune. In Centralis, the government was overthrown by communist insurgents, and the country descended towards chaos as foreign interference escalated . . .

-- Harald Chandell, History of Apolyton


"Madame President, are there Karakasian troops in Centralis?"

"No. Next question."

"Madame President, what is Karakas doing about the situation in Centralis?"

"At the moment, there is not much we can do. We continue to stand by the legitimate government of Centralis. Food aid has been travelling by convoy across the border, as the roads there are still operable."

"Madame President, is it true that Karakasian armor divisions are being readied for missions in Centralis?"

"No. Next question."

"Madame President, why has Karakas failed to condemn the shooting deaths of thousands of Centralian civilians at the hands of military personnel?"

"Because the people killed were rioters and rebels. Karakas opposes the violent overthrow of legitimate governments."

"Madame President, why are the communists claiming that Karakasian special forces have attacked their fighters in several large cities?"

"No comment. Next question?"

[GeneralTacticus]

"Very well, Comrades. The People's Revolutionary Tribunal is now formally in session. Comrade Oberon, please ensure that all proceedings are logged for future reference.

"Now, given the multitude of other difficulties we will face in building socialism here in Centralis, and the fact that time is short, let us be brief. I shall go through each of the accused in turn, we shall discuss the evidence agaisnt them and any mitigating circumstances, and then sentence them by majority vote.

"The first of the accused: former Minister for Communication and Transport, Helga Culbert. Spread reactionary and pro-exploitation propaganda through the Centralis Media Service propaganda machine, and ran the areas under her authority along anti-socialist, capitalist lines. I motion that she be found guilty. Any dissent?"

Blackstone looked around the room, around at the hastily-convened People's Revolutionary Tribunal, consisting of the Supreme Council of the CPC plus a few extras. There were no objections.

"Guilty. Does anyoen wish to put forward a motion for sentencing?"

It was First Secretary Hikamamachi who spoke up.

"Firing squad."

"Noted. All in favour, raise your hands."

Everyone did.

"Carried. Send word to her guards to inform her of the sentence and carry it out without delay."

One of the low-level party functionaries watching the proceedings jumped up and ran out the door to do that, while the PRT carried on down the list of accused, encompassing not just the Executive Council but senior members of the General Staff and government bureaucracy, along with a number of CEOs who had been unlucky enough to be caught. Almost uniformly, the accused were found guilty and sentenced to death or long sentences in re-education centres.

Meanwhile, outside the government complex, the rest of the population was still trying to come to grips with the sudden regime change in their country...

[Archaic]

“Accused number 842: former Minister for Health, Tyrone Moffat. I know of no substantial charges that could be made against him, and moreover he would have annulled any such charges by supplying us with the information that we required to carry out this revolution. I motion that he be declared innocent, and released, though he will have to remain in protective custody for the time being. Dissent?”

As always, there was silence.

“Very well. Someone tell his guards, please. Next.”

There was a tap, like someone hitting a key on a computer keyboard.

“Accused number 843: former President of the ‘Republic’ of Centralis, Arevalo Arrayende. Oversaw a state apparatus that actively established and promoted capitalist systems both at home and abroad, most notably in the aggression against Elethar. Supported the Alecrastian subjugation of much of Sheepsta. Actively helped to spread counter-revolutionary, anti-Sheepstan propaganda, with the aim of destabilising Sheepstan democracy and facilitating a return to Alecrastian domination. Ordered the Centralian military to commit mass murder against crowds of people demanding an end to the capitalist system. I motion that he be found guilty on all charges. Objections?”

Just as for the other 842 accused, no one raised a murmur.

“Guilty on all charges. For these crimes, I motion that he be sentenced to death by firing squad. All in favour, say ‘Aye’.”

The room filled with a massed ‘Aye’.

“Sentence passed. Inform his guards immediately.”

Yamamoto Shinji quietly flicked a small switch, and the speakers died, leaving the dark room silent once more, but for the buzz of the laptop in the corner, with the concerned face of the Monarch staring out from it.

"So that's it then. This is worse than I had expected. Much worse. What do you suggest, agent?"

"We still have the governmental quarters bugged, including the former presidential offices. Helga might be unable to help us anymore, but we do still have one ace left to play...."

A robed figure slipped from the shadows behind the Alecrast Yokuza agent, to stand behind him, looking over his shoulder.

"My liege, allow me to present to you, Kion Kurnous, Centralis Minister for Science, Technology and Research."

The robed figure nodded.

"With your permission sir......using the Minister as a rally point for the loyalists, I'd like to use our existing forces in Centralis, together with local resistance forces, to affect an attempt to rescue the President. We may have no hope of getting there in time, but we must at least try, in a symbolic gesture if nothing else."

The Monarch lay silent...

"Permission granted Captain. However...don't waste time locating any more forces than you can already contact. Launch your operation immediatly. I will authorize the sending of reinforcements from Alecrast directly. Once the Arrayende is safe in your hands or dead by theirs, you are to begin with Operation Naga. Understood?"

The agent stood there speachless for a moment, before stammering

"O..O...Operation Naga? Sir, are you sure that's necess.."

"I'm sure Captain. You will have field command for this operation. The future of Alecrast lies in your hands. If Naga cannot be accomplished....you know what will happen."

"Y..Yes sir. Wakarimashita. Over and out."

The laptop reverted to a black screen, and the agent dropped to his knees, grasping the edge of the table for support.

Operation Naga......and I thought Arrayende had to make tough decisions. But he never had to.....Naga.......Naga.....

The warlock, forgotten, only looked on in passionless unexpression, silent.

[Jack_www]

To Centrails Communist:
The United States of Jackson will not stand for what you have done. You have 48 hours to step down from power and allow the President and the rest of the Executive Concil to regan controll of the Centrail government and armed forces. If you do not comply Jackson will be forced to use force to do so. We have six aircraft battle groups in the area, we sugest that you heed our advice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of the Jackson East Apolyton Fleet is or now on their way to Centrail waters. The Two that are already there are now evacuting the Jackson embassy in the capital. Also USJ jet fighters from the carriers can be seen flying over the capital and other major cities in a display of force.

[GeneralTacticus]

OOC: Jack, I very much hope you realize that with high-powered jamming signals being broadcast throughout the country, it would be very difficult for your fighters to do much of anything, including know where they're flying...

[Squeblish Nef?]

['Jed' Bolander chokes on his Vitamin Supplement.]
"You're f---ing joking! Pinkos in Centralis?"
[Pater Torosius ceases pacing and turns to Jed, looking decidedly smug.]
"That's why we may need your assistence. We may need you to take out the..."
"PT, I don't think there's much I can do for you at the moment. You see, I'm currently missing two and a half limbs, most of my internal organs and about a quarter of my head. I think I'm going to pretty much 'out of action' for a while."
"That's where you're wrong."
"Wrong? I can't even piss without somebody having to ram a large tube into the base of..."
"The Board's having you fitted with Type B cybernetics. Dr Ideo will be... enhancing you in about an hour."

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by GeneralTacticus
OOC: Jack, I very much hope you realize that with high-powered jamming signals being broadcast throughout the country, it would be very difficult for your fighters to do much of anything, including know where they're flying...

OOC: I certainly hope you do know how electronic warfare works. It seems that this kind of omni-directional, full spectrum, all weather coverage you envisioned doesn't work.

[GeneralTacticus]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


OOC: I certainly hope you do know how electronic warfare works. It seems that this kind of omni-directional, full spectrum, all weather coverage you envisioned doesn't work.

So enlighten me. How does it work?

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by GeneralTacticus
So enlighten me. How does it work?

ECM (jamming) basically is sending a lot of white noises towards the targets on the frequencies that they are using.

The 3 big problem with your scheme is:

1. You don't know the frequencies being used
2. You don't know where the signals are coming from
3. You don't know when they are coming

If you wish to carry out such a jamming scheme, it'd require an impossibly large armount of energy. Besides, it screws up everything as well. Just consider that all civilian wireless communications will be shot, among other things.

[GeneralTacticus]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


ECM (jamming) basically is sending a lot of white noises towards the targets on the frequencies that they are using.

The 3 big problem with your scheme is:

1. You don't know the frequencies being used
2. You don't know where the signals are coming from
3. You don't know when they are coming

If you wish to carry out such a jamming scheme, it'd require an impossibly large armount of energy. Besides, it screws up everything as well. Just consider that all civilian wireless communications will be shot, among other things.

Ok then, clearly it isn't going to stop Jack's planes from flying around the place (not that that was it's original purpose - it was there to jam whatever commlinks the Centralis military still had, and prevent them from doing anything). Given that, consider my previous post retracted.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by GeneralTacticus
Ok then, clearly it isn't going to stop Jack's planes from flying around the place (not that that was it's original purpose - it was there to jam whatever commlinks the Centralis military still had, and prevent them from doing anything). Given that, consider my previous post retracted.

The communists still can jam the Centralis military though, at least on some levels. That's not unrealistic.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Mr. President
Dakmoristani armies marched into Acre and down the Anduin Valley. In ferocity, the fighting equalled the medieval Aerathi conflicts. Villages were razed, and thousands displaced.

Noosland denounces the Dakmoristani invasion. All Dakmoristani troops must withdraw behind the original borders quickly and orderly.

[GeneralTacticus]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


The communists still can jam the Centralis military though, at least on some levels. That's not unrealistic.

I wasn't going to have them stop doing that - it would screw up the entire plotline I'd got planned out - and I did assume that it would be possible to do, given that they have inside information and controlled a number of the major communication hubs for the military.

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


Noosland denounces the Dakmoristani invasion. All Dakmoristani troops must withdraw behind the original borders quickly and orderly.

He didn't say who did the village-razing, or why...

[GeneralTacticus]

"...inform her guards of the sentence, and have them carry it out immediately. Next..."

Blackstone had just hit a key on his laptop computer and was about to begin reading out the details of accused when the 'diplomatic' telex machine nearby began to whir and spat a message out into the hands of a waiting aide.

"Who sent it, and what does it say?" Blackstone asked curiously, momentarily distracted from the Tribunal proceedings.

"It's a message from the United States of Jackson, Comrade Chairman, and it reads as follows:

To Centrails Communist:
The United States of Jackson will not stand for what you have done. You have 48 hours to step down from power and allow the President and the rest of the Executive Concil to regan controll of the Centrail government and armed forces. If you do not comply Jackson will be forced to use force to do so. We have six aircraft battle groups in the area, we sugest that you heed our advice."

Blackstone sniggered for a moment.

"Do they really think we're just going to throw in the towel and surrender because they tell us to? Rather funny, really..."

He was interrupted by a shout from the other side of the room.

"Comrade Chairman! I've just recieved word that there are Jackson aircraft flying over our cities. Apparently they've evacuated their embassy by helicopter, as well..."

Blackstone scowled. "Well, that's one option for us gone - there's no way we can take the Embassy staff hostage now. Oh well, it's probably about time they learnt to respect the sovereignty of other nations anyway. Send them back a message telling them that if they don't get out of Centralian territorial waters and airspace, they'll be fired upon - we've got ourselves a nice stockpile of SAMs and anti-ship missiles, don't we?"

Another CPC functionary nodded. "Yes, Comrade Chairman. We captured a good few mobile SAM launchers and Stinger missiles from the arsenals we've captured, as well as a few naval helicopters and strike fighters armed with an assortment of weapons, including anti-ship missiles."

"Excellent. Tell them that, and in the meantime, get some of our men ready to start firing on the Jackson aircraft - and get the planes and choppers armed and ready to fly out. Also, tell our ECM crews that I want them to try and figure out what frequencies the Jacksonians are using for their radar and communciations, and start jamming them."

Thos ein the vicinity all nodded, and the aide manning the telex machine began typing out a reply. Blackstone turned back to the laptop to continue the Tribunal deliberations, but then paused and looked up.

"One final matter. If this doesn't work, get word to our agents in Jackson that they're to start causing some anonymous mayhem to distract the Jacksonians, and perhaps deter them form further action. Under circumstances are they to reveal they're connected to us, but they're free to say that they're doing this because of the Jacksonian intervention. Got that?"

Once again, all who would be concerned with this nodded or mumbled affirmatives, before going back to their stations. Blackstone looked down at the screen again, and began to read.

"Accused number 851..."

[GeneralTacticus]

"Captain Shinji?"

"Yes, soldier...?"

Shinji, who had just gone out in the unlit street from the building he had been communicating from, turned to face the soldier who had spoken. When he arrived, Kurnous had brought an escort of soldiers from some elite unit or other, but until now, none of them had actually said anything.

"I'm Commander Draker, Captain Shinji, ranking Centralis officer here, for what that's worth. I was wondering if you'd like some extra backup?"

Shinji stared at the masked face of the commander standing in the doorway, while the other Yokuza agents and Centralis soldiers silently slipped into the street.

"You heard the Monarch's orders, Commander. We're to go straight to the government complex and break in, without wasting any time. Now, let's get moving."

Shinji turned to go, expecting the commander to drop the issue and follow him, but was surprised when the officer strode up behind him and grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip.

"And I thought Yokuza agents were supposed to be smart!" the man hissed, with more than a little irritation in his voice. He swung Shinji around to face him and released his arm. "Think, Captain! The city from here to the complex is crawling with communists, and the complex itself will be swarming with them! Do you seriously think that you and your nine agents, and me and Kurnous and our seven soldiers, could even get there in one piece? We're good, but we'd be shredded before we were halfway there. Numbers matter, you know-"

Shinji cut him off, impatience in his own voice.

"So what? We've been told to make the attempt, and so we must."

"You fool. You bloody fool! There are over a thousand elite Centralis troopers - the best we have - gathered just five minutes walk away! They're already preparing their own strike against the communists. Add just a few minutes to our travelling time, Captain, and you'll have a force behind you that will turn the communists to ashes!

"So tell me, Captain. Do you want to win, or do you want to die?"

Shinji stared, again, and the concealed face of the man standing in front of him. A blank, emotionless visor stared back.

"Very well, Commander. I suppose you're right. Lead us to your comrades, and we'll lead them against the communists. I just hope this won't make us too late..."

"Beleive me, Captain," Draker said, in a softer tone of voice, "if we don't get backup, we'll never get there at all."

* * *

"How much further?" Darker heard Shinji whisper to him as the Yokuza agents and Draker's men slipped along yet another darkened street. He opened his mouth to reply, but his words died in his throat, because at that moment, through his night-vision goggles, he saw a sight to make his blood run cold.

A patrol group of over thirty men and women armed with heavy assault rifles and infravision gear had appeared at the end of the street. All wore the embelem of the CPC, and their guns were pointed directly at the joint Centralis/Alecrast force. There were not nearly enough guns pointed in the other direction to make a difference, and in that instant, as the deafening roar of gunfire filled the air, Draker knew he was about to die.

* * *

It was only when he realized that he was still alive, and that he could hear no bullets impacting around him, that the Centralian officer snapped back to reality. The communsits force had been decimated - and it was entirely unclear by who. A few of his and Shinji's men were firing, and Kurnous was doing something incomprehensible with a long, lethal-looking blade, but most of the shooting seemed to be coming from somewhere to the right of both sides.

Draker was not left to wonder what was going on for long, however, because after ten seconds of sustained and devastating shooting, twin tongues of flame roared out over the communsits, and an instant later, the soldiers wielding the flamethrowers came into view - they were from the group fo soldiers they had been looking for. Draker felt almost lgiht-headed with relief as the flames incinerated the last of the communsits, their piercing screams dying away as they were reduced to ash, and another search party of 12 soldiers came into view, waving for Draker's men and the Yokuza agents to come and join them.

When they met at the end of the street, one of them, whose shoulder pads indicated that he was a Lieutenant, lifted his visor and grinned wolfishly.

"Third lot of those bastards we've barbecued in the last fifteen minutes," he said with relish, "we keep going at this rate, and we'll have 'em wiped out by tommorrow."

There was some laughter at this, but it quickly died out.

"Lieutenant, I have Minister Kion Kurnous here with me, along with ten Alecrastian Yopkuza agents under orders to rescue President Arrayende. We need to link up with the rest of the troops and then head off to do that."

"Sure thing, Commander. HQ is just on the next block - this way."

With that, the now enlarged group hurried off to find the help they were looking for.

[Jack_www]

abroad the USS Hornet.

"Admiral we have received new orders from CINCLEast.
They want us to recall all fighters from Centrail Airspace and start regalur patroll. We are also auhorized to use force if the fleet is under attack to being directly threaten."

"Clear the deck and get ready to recall those fighters. I also start battle drills, I want the fleet ready for anything that might come our way. Have all figters ready to launch as well."

"Yes sir!"

[GeneralTacticus]

"Accused number 862, Martin-"

Blackstone was interrupted again by another shout from the other side of the room.

"Cormade Chairman, our troops are reporting that the Jacksonian aircraft are withdrawing from our airspace, back to their carriers."

"Nice of them. Tell our troops not to fire on them, but keep our anti-ship strike force ready for takeoff, just in case they try anything else."

"As you wish, Comrade Chairman."

* * *

"Captain Shinji, may I present Colonel Fritz von Reinsfeld, commander of the Omnicron Batallion."

Shinji silently examined the man standing a short way in front of him, talking quietly to two other officers - unlike most of his troops, not wearing his helmet. His hair was dark black streaked with grey, and his dark green eyes stared out of a face so gaunt as to be almost skull-like. Noticing the nee arrivals, he dismissed the other officers with a flip of his hand and turned to face Shinji.

"So... you must be the Yokuza agent my troops told me was on his way here."

"That is correct, Colonel."

Reinsfeld nodded silently, looking thoughtful. After a few seconds, he spoke again.

"So, Captain... why are you here?"

"I am under orders from the Monarch to rescue President Arrayende, who has been sentenced to death by the communist forces. I came to you in violation of instructions to waste no time in making the attempt, in the hope that you could help me and my men do that."

"You came to the right place, Captain. Give me a few minutes to get everyone together and recall our scout patrols, and we'll send those murderous bastards back into the darkness from whence they came."

* * *

As massed forces of elite troops began sweeping silently across the city toward the government complex, Minister Kurnous allowed himself a small smile of triumph. Everything was going as he had planned. Soon, both the communists and the old regime would be finished, and a new order would arise from the ashes, an order whose emergence would forestall the calamity which the Farseers had seen in the future.

* * *

As usual, Draker and his seven trops were taking point, ahead of the main mass of troops. They were under orders to eliminate any communist forces they came across and prevent them from slowing down the main body... or, if they couldn't, to pin them down until reinforcements arrived to finish them off. So far, they'd cut down two groups of patrolling communists, both without taking a single casualty.

Down the street, standing in the front garden of a house, they could see another group of armed troops with red flags on their shoulders... more communists... but what were they doing...?

Even as they silently asked themselves that question, it was answered for them. Three more CPC soldiers emerged from inside the house, dragging with them a man, a woman and a small child, all of them looking terrified, the child frantically struggling to get away.

One of the communists, his face visible from Draker's position, stepped foward and stared down at the prisoners with a look of contempt on his face. They were too far away to hear what he said, but by the movement of his lips and the expression on his face, it was clear enough.

'Counter-revolutionaries.'

A cloud of blood sprayed across the lawn as the three communists holding them pressed pistols to the heads of their captives and fired.

* * *

Draker and his scouts stood in stunned silence for a moment, before Private Garcia hefted his grenade launcher and fired three grenades into the heart of the communist troops. A second later, everyone else was firing too, filling the air with flying bullets.

Not a single shot was fired in return. After most of them expended their magazines, the scouts stopped shooting; as the smoke from the grenade explosions cleared, they could see there was nothing left of their targets but bloody tatters. As the other scouts moved cautiously down the street to keep looking for more communists, Draker tried to get a message through the jamming to report what had just happened, but had no luck. He sighed, and ran to catch up with his men. Sometimes the emssages got through; sometimes they didn't. There was no ay to tell which it would be, nor any way to alter it.

When Draker's troops arrived where the communists had been standing a short while before and looked around, their fears were confirmed - these were not the only people who had been shot by the communists. Outside every house on this side of the street down to the one they stood in, there were corpses lying on the ground with bulet wounds to the head. Draker checked to see that the camera built into his helmet was running, and was relieved to see that it was, and had recorded everything that had happened since they set out, without a pause. That record, if nothing else, would seal the fate of the CPC...

[Jack_www]

never mind

[GeneralTacticus]

OOC: Jack, this is the main reason why I asked everyone who wants to get involved in this to discuss matters with me first. There are two problems with your attempting to do this, both of which could have been avoided if you'd asked me about them first (the information in question would have been available to your military if they'd looked for it).

1) There's rather a lot of jamming sites, and they're mostly located in civilian areas, so if you bomb them, you're going to kill a lot of people who have nothing to do with the communists.

2) The Jacksonian Embassy is located in a major population centre, so I really can't see how you plan to avoid population centres if that's where you're going.

There's also a third one, which the Jacksonian military might not know, but which I'll point out anyway just so you know: the communists have a lot of Stinger missiles and a lot of them have infravision gear too, so don't be in the least bit surprised if that helicopter gets shot down.

[Urban Ranger]

Emergency Session, Nooslandian Standing Committee of the People's Congress

The General Secretary scanned around the table with a serious look on her face. "As you may have already be briefed, our intelligence reports are now indicating foreign covert interventions in Centralis. Currently, our two main concerns are refugees and Centralis becoming a puppet of monachists."

Comrade Ma pushed a button on the keyboard in front of him and a laser halograph was generated. "As you can see, the refugees are flooding across the border. Currently, we have received 20 million and the number is increasing by tens of thousands a day. Our ability of relief is stretched to the limits. We will need immediate international relief aid and a very fast stabalising situation in our neighbour, or we will have to start turning them back."

"Our intelligence sources reported foreign covert agents and special forces are active in Centralis," said Comrade Shoemaker,"they are believed from Alecrast."

"What do you think, Comrade Miner?"

"Perhaps we should covertly contact the Centralis Communist Party to see if they need help."

"Very well, inform our embassy to carry out the task immediately, and to standby 24 hours a day until further notice."

"Comrade Secretary, we have already drafted up a rapid response plan against the emergency situation unfolding in Centralis. I need the approval of the Standing Committee to put Operation Cloud in action."

"Comrades, lets vote on the plan now."

A sweet female voice intoned, "Motion carried."

"The preliminary tests on the vaccine show that it offers excellent protection against Agent Set, the virus strain created by Dr Tsang. It will take 3 months to inoculate our whole military. Mass production can start in 6 months."

A beep sounded from the console in front of the General Secretary. "Comrades, remember the probe sent to Jupiter?"

[Squeblish Nef?]

[Dr Ideo grins as he reads the list of the 'enhancements' soon to be added to Jed.]
"Sweet, merciful sadism! The man's going to end up like WD-40."
{WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?}
"Nothing significant. At least the patient's going to keep his organic brain. I'm going to have to replace all of his other organs, his entire skeletal structure and cyberwire all of his neural senses. I'm also supposed to put in the standard cyborg arsenal and give him a juicebox. I almost pity him."
[Dr Ideo's Luxury-Model Igor grins with excitement, anticipating the heavy surgery.]
"You won't, mashter. Not when you're finished, you won't."

[GeneralTacticus]

“Sir, the door’s locked.”

Reinsfeld nodded, his visored face expressionless.

“I would have been very surprised, Lieutenant, had it been left conveniently open for us. Get some heavy weapons and explosives together, and blow it p. Once we’re inside, we’ll split up – some of us will go looking for Arrayende and the other prisoners, others will search for the security control room so that we can use the cameras, doors and defence systems to our advantage.”

The officer nodded and turned, barking out orders. Within a few heartbeats there were six special ops troops armed with anti-tank missiles aiming carefully for the doors. As one, they fired.

The missiles hit almost simultaneously, and the door vanished in a cloud of smoke and fire. When it cleared, the doors were still standing, but only just – they were charred, crumpled, and apparently ready to fall over at the slightest touch. Impatiently, Reinsfeld grabbed the rocket launcher of a soldier standing next to him, aimed, and fired. This last explosion tore the doors away altogether, leaving the way now clear for the Centralis troops to storm through into the building. This they did, mowing down the hapless CPC troopers who’d been posted inside as guards.

* * *

As the loyalist forces swept inside, Kurnous slipped over to Reinsfeld’s side and indicated he wanted to talk.

“Colonel, two things. Firstly, my brethren in the mountains report that they and the troops they’ve collected are ready to counter-attack the communist forces holding the communication centres. Given the disparity of forces, this should not pose too much difficulty for them.

Secondly – one of the Farseers says he’s cast the runes regarding Arrayende’s fate, and said that although he’s still alive, he won’t be for much longer. If you want to save him, do it quickly.”

Reinsfeld nodded to show that he’d understood, not bothering to ask how the Warlock was communicating – he’d long since learned that trying to understand the Eldar was an exercise in futility.

Following the rest of his men, and surrounded by his own crack command squad, Colonel Reinsfeld loped through the shattered doors, into the heart of the Centralian state.

* * *

“Comrade Chairman?”

Blackstone, interrupted for the third time in a few minutes, looked up with great annoyance.

“Yes, Comrade-whatever-your-name-is, what do you want?”

The comrade, whose name was Alejos, was waving another slip of paper from the diplomatic telex machine.

“Comrade Chairman, we have received a message from Noosland. They are offering us direct support, if we need it.”

Blackstone looked stunned for a minute, then smiled.

“Well, I never expected them to back us, but… this is excellent. Send them a telex back saying that we’d very much appreciate help, in whatever form they’re willing to offer it, and asking them to specify exactly what help they’ll be sending.”

“Will do, Comrade-”

Comrade Alejos was cut off by a sudden blaring alarm, which triggered a small panic among the aides watching the arcology networks.

“Security breach!” one of them shouted, “Hundreds of elite government troops have gained access to the building and are flooding in!”

“Curse them!” Blackstone snarled, leaping to his feet, “We’ll finish with the Tribunal another day. Everybody, battle stations! Mobilize everybody to resist them in every way possible. I don’t want a single one escaping this building alive!”

They was the sound of chairs being shoved back and falling over, and then frantic footfalls as the CPC leadership scurried off to organize a defence, and then the only noise remaining was the continued blaring of alarms.

* * *

It took ten minutes for the soldiers of Omnicron Battalion to secure the ground floor. In the course of that fighting, they lost three dead and eleven wounded, their notoriously thick armour protecting them from anything except lucky shots. Once the floor was secured, they gathered around the lifts from the upper floors and prepared to defend against the CPC reinforcements who were even now beginning to arrive.

Meanwhile, Reinsfeld, his guard, and some other soldiers were heading towards a small, hidden lift shaft that Kurnous had told them about. If he was right, it would allow them to move directly to the security control centre and, to all intents and purposes, retake the complex with one swift blow.

When they arrived at the spot the Warlock had described, they could find nothing – nothing except a small keypad on the wall, half-hidden in a small alcove, into which Reinsfeld entered the code he had been given by Kurnous. There was a chime, a hiss, and what had appeared seconds before to be a section of blank wall slid away to reveal a lift, which, it turned out, held all of them, although they did have to stand quite close together.

Once the last soldier had stepped inside, Reinsfeld hit a key on the wall for the floor number, and then hoped for the best as the lift hurtled upwards toward the security centre.

After a few minutes of rising at staggering speed, the lift slowed and stopped, indicating that it had arrived. It’s occupants raised their weapons, and one of the officer **** the ‘Doors open’ button.

* * *

The first thing to emerge from the lift was a small, cylindrical object, about the size of a large hand grenade. Before the troops on duty in the control centre could wonder what it was, it had activated, and the only thing on their minds, as they clapped their hands over their ears was the deafening, high-pitched whine now being broadcast by the device. IT was almost a relief when a series of carefully targeted pistol shots dispatched them all, one by one.

* * *

“Well, that looks like it went to plan,” remarked Major Marceau, as he picked up his sonic pulsar, deactivated it, and dropped it back in a belt pouch.

“Indeed, Major,” Reinsfeld murmured in reply, staring at the banks of computers that filled the room while the troops that he’d brought with him fanned out to secure the doors, and their IT personnel hurried over and busied themselves taking over the system.

“Sir,” one of them reported after a few minutes, “we’re done. The communists did a surprisingly bad job taking over in the first place, so it wasn’t that hard to take it back. However… the building security systems are now under our control. As it appears that the CPC never did get access to the building communications networks, we can probably use them safely to co-ordinate our troops using it.”

“Yes, do that. And start using everything the system allows you to do to make life hell for the communists. If we can do this right, taking the rest of the building should be a piece of cake.”

The soldiers saluted and turned back to the computers.

“Oh, and by the way,” Reinsfeld called, “have you found out where Arrayende is yet?”

The soldiers looked back over his shoulder.

“Er, yes, actually, sir,” he replied, “he’s in the old MSS prison facility. Shall I rely that information to Captain Shinji and his strike team?”

“Yes. Now.”

The soldiers nodded again and began hitting keys.