A Battle Unseen

[Kubrick]

Wiel, Old Town, Manor of the Prefect, 1 October 5560, 11:28.

"Then with the approval of His Imperial Majesty, the cabinet and the committee for national security I am allowed to name you the new Director-General of the RSB, mister Amrun. Congratulations." The thin-faced RSB officer bowed meekly before accepting the honour. "Of course I shall accept my new post, Prefect." He smiled cordially at the man. Over the years he, in his role as commander of the Wrnuke's rapid response fighter force, had learned enough about the RSB. He had met Director-General Kengljy a few times. A rather distant man, you never really knew what he thought. But at least he came across as a loyal Jelbic. Bhtjar Amrun was different, he did not rise through passion or loyal service, he rose through the RSB purely on efficiency and ambition. When the Emperor had approached him about regaining control he had agreed after some convincing from both His Majesty and several other officers close to him. From what he had heard however, Deputy Director Amrun had agreed before even fully hearing out the plan. Too eager to dispose his superior. He kept his face as straight as he could to not reveal his feelings to the snake of the RSB. "Very good, Director-General." After a polite nod Amrun gestured to one of his agents, taking a binder and offering it to him. "The work of my predecessor, I will leave it up to you on what to do with this." The sly smile of the new Director-General gave him great discomfort. Nonetheless he took the file.

Once alone in his office he opened the binder. Dozens of names. Pntek, Beiteynuese, Zardic, Deltarian, Lourenne and any other Canrillaise nation- and then his eyes fell upon the highlighted names. Xsampan agents. A handwritten note next to the names 'see page 7' it said. So he did. Page seven revealed Kengljy's plan, or rather the plan of the Old Prefect. Weaken the non-direct rule states to strengthen the Empire. He had heard of it, but he never trusted it to be true. He turned back to the page of identities of foreign agents. Most were marked as harmless, the RSB gave the Beiteynuese free reign in Wrnuke as long as they kept out of the private RSB affairs. The few Pntek assets were mostly offered assistance instead of being opposed. The few Zards and Deltarians they knew about were never a great worry for the RSB. A constant battle was fought against Canrillaise infiltration. But Xsampans, that was a surprise. The binder revealed they had been let in and provided a sort of hospitality package. Two safe houses in Wrnuke were given to Xsampan agents. From there operations were ran against Beiteynu and Pontesi. Grzkai shook his head at this madness. He grabbed a pen and started to jot down the names of all Xsampan agents known to the RSB on a sheet of paper. After that he picked up his phone, avoiding to contact the RSB as Amrun probably wanted. "Commander Bozujigumo, I have a special task for one of your men." Before he knew it a Royal Guard in civilian dress was ready to receive a special mission. He had not even bothered to translate the list of names into code, the note had been stuffed into a brown envelope and handed to the Royal Guard. "It is your job to take my personal convoy, go to the embassy of Xsampa and deliver this envelope to the ambassador. Not anyone else, just the ambassador. You tell him this note will remain between their government and myself for 48 hours. After that, I will allow Amrun to do whatever he wants." The Royal Guard gave him a stern nod and headed off. A deep sigh followed from him. Commanding troops had been a lot less stressful so far.

[Elena1012]

An Exodus by Mercy

October 2nd, 5560 [REDACTED]
Metz-Leonid, Ladakh District

Tsering and the CSS got lucky. Whatever that was going on in Wrnuke, the CSS was given a mercy. Several assets in Wrnuke were compromised. The prefect was merciful enough to given 48 hours to get any compromised assets out of Wrnuke. 24 hours were left. Tsering had several thoughts rushing in his head. Could the prefect be trusted? Could any operations in Majatra even be possible now? Losing Wrnuke as an operating hub would be major blow to the CSS. None of it mattered for now. The only thing that did matter was getting those compromised assets out. The ambassador in Wrnuke received a note containing the names of several compromised assets. They would need to be extracted out by any means. Only a small amount of assets in Wrnuke were not compromised.

Tsering knew that if those assets couldn't get out, they would be screwed, and the CSS would suffer a great blow. A quickly drafted "Operation; Free Flight" sat on his desk. It was quickly approved. It would focus on getting all compromised assets out of Wrnuke by any means. The only thing Tsering could do is prepare the CSS to meet the assets at the halfway point. Getting them out of Wrnuke is easier said than done. But it's possible. The CSS would have its work cut out. But, Tsering pondered for a moment. There were a handful of assets not compromised. They had potential. 

Tsering grabbed a paper and pen, and starting writing. The remaining assets in Wrnuke that were not compromised would be on alert. They would go under the radar and focus on keeping attention off of them for the time being. Assimilate into local communities, entrench themselves and erase suspicion. New call signs, new codes, Wrnuke safe houses were to be disavowed. The "spy master" in charge of affairs in Wrnuke would have to make sure the uncompromised assets can establish a new safehouse. It'll be a difficult process, both to get assets out of Wrnuke, and ensure current assets aren't compromised and can establish themselves. But it had to be done. It would be imperative that something is salvaged from this. These agents will have to focus on maintaining a cover. The prefect may have shown mercy, but risks cannot be tolerated. Not anymore.

[GreekIdiot]

Somewhere in the Desert Bank, Beiteynu - August 5563

"Welcome, Mr. Grey- hoping you're not finding it too hot!", the Director of the Agafim exclaimed.

It was hot, alright. The AC kept blasting at full speed, trying to offset the 116 degrees above on the surface. Luckily, they were underground; and 6 levels deep underground in one of Black Beisa's mysterious facilities.

A very quiet and unmoving Black Beisa advisor was already present, smoking her lungs out at the end of the table. Mr. Grey was the first non-Beiteynuese to ever lay eyes on someone employed by BB, in history. Black Beisa: the makers of Yeudicho ICBMs and other things.

Ezra, the Director of the Agafim, was keenly aware that would probably make Mr. Grey nervous, but he knew he had to start somewhere.

"Mr. Grey, we understand your teams in Lourenne were exposed to SOT-", he started.

"Actually, let's grab some ice tea or coffee? How has IBSI been treating you?"

He sat, looking comfortable and informal opposite the Kalistani; and sweating from the heat.

[Doc]

Somewhere in the Desert Bank, Beiteynu - August 5563

... accepting a small porcelain tea cup and saucer with a polite "toda lech," the Kalistani businessman, Mr. Brent Grey began stirring the tea with a thin metal spoon. 

He took out a small vile of what appeared to be some sort of brown powder from his pocket, sprinkled a touch of the matter into his tea, and stirred it until the powder dissolved, and then scooped a teaspoon full of the brew, blew on it gently, and slurped it deliberately. 

When the teaspoon was drained, Mr. Grey shook off the last drops back into the tea cup, wiped off the teaspoon with the cloth napkin, and set both aside.  He then picked up the teacup and saucer, and putting it to his lips, he took a fuller draught before replacing both the cup and the saucer back on the table in front of him.  The entire time, he did not take his eyes off the Yeudi representative.

"This is merely an introduction." said Mr. Grey, speaking Vrassan.  Tapping the side of his nose in a way which could suggest he was merely wiping a bead of sweat from his face to anyone not paying any attention, he said "My emPLOYer, AeroKal has asked me to inquire about improving fuel efficiency in aircraft engines.  Since you raised the topic of Lourenne, I will say, I did not accompany the team to Lourenne.  They were there to study design and theory, and that is the limit.  But as your government is likely aware, we have begun working with your neighbors in Wrnuke on military cooperation, and for this trip, my government thought that you and I might perhaps develop a positive and perhaps mutually beneficial, relationship.  THIS meeting, is off the books, as you likely also know."

Mr. Grey took another sip of his rapidly cooling tea.

"This tea is remarkable," said Mr. Grey.  "I will likely have another cup.  The heat on the other hand is oppressive."  Mr. Grey lit a cigarette.

[GreekIdiot]

Octagon, Pontesi - 7 September 5564

While the 3rd Point Liaison from Narikaton and Darnussia seemed like he was misplaced with a group of warmongering lunatics, the Pontesian lord of the Octagon could not take his eyes away from the screen on the wall, a light of greed shining in his eyes.

The liaison from Vanuku, however, sat silent and observing; calculating even. As usual, a Jelbic looking like they were playing chess with an entire situation always made - and will always make - even the staunchest of the Yeudi People nervous.

Marit was charged with giving a joint briefing should Melikvan choose to trigger the mutual defence clause in this Istalian debacle.

[Video: https://youtu.be/SLSqUYjGttc]

MSCO
"First things first", he began saying, "the geopolitical situation will be extremely troubling for all of us. Should we respond with military force, we'll be out of our jurisdiction. The MSCO's designated Southern and Northern Emergency Response Zones in Deltaria and Badara respectively, essentially demand that we coordinate with and take cue from them, regardless of whether the MSCO will be intervening, or not".

"We assume Kafuristan will be running point on this, so we should proceed with caution", he briefly eyes the Pontesian.

-

Canrille & Aldegarian Canal
"Second", he continued after a short pause, "as you are all already aware, after the war with Lourenne, the Sea of Lost Souls can easily be regarded as the domain of the Empire of Canrille; international waters or not. There are significant naval forces in Alduria, Kanjor and even Rildanor - we also need to remember that the Aldegarian Canal cannot be defended against, so our flanks are busted open".

"No", he interrupted the Pontesian who was getting ready to comment, "Pontesi cannot sustain such a heavyweight blue water operation, yet, much less invading Istalia! We can't even do that, even if we all combined our forces!"

-

Luthori & Mordusia
"Third, there is the matter of the Luthorian Commonwealth to consider. There are forces of the Imperial Luthorian Navy in Mordusia. We need to share intelligence with Fort William, no matter what. The Agafim-", he looks at the Pontesian again, "-strongly suggests that Melikvan opens a channel of communication with Luthori. I'd personally suggest keeping the United Kingdom of Lourenne also up to speed".

"Let's not forget, Eroncourt is overran by the conservatives, these days. That is probably, the most dangerous thing in our scenarios".

-

Beiteynu
"Should the mutual defence clause be triggered by Pontesi, the Beiteynuese Naval Command will deploy all 3 formations of the Shahar Fleets to strategic surrounding locations, in appropriate proximity for launching Yeudicho IRBMs at Istalia. The Agafim suspects that the Istalians may have been working with Baltusians and Xsampans and that ballistic weapons systems may have fallen to the wrong hands".

"We obviously cannot approach the Sea of Lost Souls, so the entire eastern front is something none of us can cover here".

"Likewise, we are severely exposed from the South Ocean - the Yeudi Fleet's 9th Flotilla of nuclear powered submarines is still on patrol missions in the northern parts of the continent, however, we expect a usual overreaction from Kundrati. And the Aldegarian Canal gentlemen! If Lourenne and even Lodamun and Kalistan pull any moves from there, we're fucked and it's game over. The Yeudi Homeland will have no option but to retreat".

"Please remember", he said, hesitantly, "that our navy does not specialise in brute force. We can't sustain it!"

-

He continued to flick through the presentation slides, feeling more nervous by the minute.

[MrFacts]

Octagone, 7 September

A(rtur Muradyan), the head of command of the octagone, looked with great interest to the presentation of Marit. He acknowledge the dangers of this operation, but also saw some openings if it was played right.

he has to say something about the presentation.

A: We see a lot of dangers in this operation, but also an opening if we would play it right. The Bazmuyut and our royal majesty the king will not tolerate bowing towards communists. They will never allow the arrogance of those dillusional communists win, because of fear of the empire of Canrille. We understand the danger of them and we do not want to antogonize them.

However, if we would decide to make a move and the Xsampans would join Istalia, as they are allies,  we would have it harder to make any move. If we would be able to talk preferable to Kafuristan for docking rights, we won't need to go that deep and could potentially avoid the ocean of Lost souls. Of course we would also need to talk to Luthori and Mordusia, have an open link of communication. 

We thank Marit for this information and will take this in the next strategical meeting.

[Elena1012]

Eleven Fifty-Eight
October 5564
Metz-Leonid, Ladakh District

It was time. Tsering went through more paperwork. The People's Committee of Revolutionary Defense had given the appropriate approvals, now it was just the CSS that was needed. Istalia was becoming a critical point. No doubt about it. Yishelem and Co wouldn't let Istalia go. It was a risky gambit. Putting missiles in Istalia. It could escalate the situation. Or it could deter future threats to Istalia. The missiles can be delivered. It was unlikely that they would be intercepted. The issue was just how MSCO would react to it. No matter what, that couldn't be predicted. It didn't matter. Tsering knew that. What mattered was defending Istalia. He approved the plan. The CSS would make the necessary arrangements to ensure these missiles stay hidden in transit. The Istalians would need to make sure the missiles are put to use. 

The chances of escalation were there, but deterrence would save Istalia. It would disway those fascists in Pontesi and Yishelem to back off. It would be necessary to do so.  If the missiles were intercepted, it could be possible to convince Foreign Affairs to feign innocence instead of antagonizing. The missiles would need to be kept hidden as best as possible. If Yishelem found out, it would no doubt cause more future headaches. No matter what, Yishelem would need to keep thinking that all missiles are in Xsampa. If even one missile can be kept hidden outside of Xsampa, then it's successful.

Tsering knew that failure could not be afforded. If there is an escalation from the missiles, it would be a headache for everyone. But if the missiles fail to arrive, then it would be a failure for Xsampa entirely. Tsering grabbed a pen and paper. He began drafting a letter to Foreign Affairs. They would need to do everything they could to keep the Canrillaise Empire out of this. If they involved themselves, Xsampa would need to back off and burn all bridges. It could also cause problems at home too. The ISC would be upset at the very least. So keeping Canrille out was vital. It would be a lose-lose situation for everyone. And who knows how they'd react to the missiles.

[Kubrick]

Octagon, Pontesi - 7 September 5564

For the whole presentation he did not speak a word, giving the nervous Yeudi all the time in the world to present the facts as Yishelem had interpreted them. At the end of the rambling he leaned forward and gave the consent of Wiel: "The Kingdom approves of contacting counterparts in Canrille, a potential nuclear Armageddon should concern them too. We can cast a wider net by making Wrnuke's submarines patrol all around international waters in those regions, avoiding detection by all."

After a short pause he added one last point. "Oh and Marit, please press on your superiors to be stern but no threats. The Empire is not ready for war. Yet."

[Ligbruderkrieg]

The Citadel - October 8th, 5564

“There should have been more caution on your end, General. Not only from you, but from the entire Imperial Luthorian Army.”, a stern voice made herself heard in the long and silent corridors that formed the Citadel.

“Yes, Prime Minister. We’ve definitely handled the case badly, but I can assure that some “cleaning up” will shortly take place at the Citadel.”, the serious voice of General Arthur Pinkman was full of regret, like some child that got scolded by its parents.

“I would just give you the order to better handle communications coming from the Citadel, thankfully no one seems to have noticed what is currently going on, surely due to either a lack of interest or silent acknowledgement.”, the Prime Minister remained calm, as per his usual demeanour.

“Hm.”

“I would hope that in some months or years, both Operation PURITY and Operation Nightfall would see some progress, if not, you know what awaits you, General. Fort William will not handle failure, not for a second time.”, the voice of Stephen Carol begun to let out some sign of annoyance, but he remained professional.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now, let’s sit down and talk about the real reason why I am here today. War.”

[hyraemous]

8 October 5564
Kundrati Defense Headquarters

Defense Minister Admiral (I)da Marková walked to a meeting being held with all of the chiefs of the Kundrati Air Force, the rocket forces, and the Kundrati Navy. It was a standard meeting with members of the Kundrati intelligence community dialing in via teleconference. This included the head of the Kundrati Air Force General Leopold (V)acek, the head of the rocket forces General Bohuslav (M)išalko, and the Admiral of Kundrati's Southern Fleet Admiral (B)enjamín Medvedík.

I: Gentlemen. Ladies. What's the latest?

B: Ma'am. We've received reports of additional movement by Canrillaise forces towards Keymon. They were returning from their usual exercises and had stopped for supposed reasons.

I: Those being?

B: Reaffirmation of their commitment to their friends.

M: We're concerned since we haven't seen Canrillaise forces perform an empire-wide training regimen for a while. Given what happened recently at the Artanian conference, the simmering of the Istalia and Pontesi situation, and more, we believe that things are likely about to explode in the Jelbic Sea.

I: In that case, we should prepare to move some assets in the direction of the Artanian Sea, specifically in Malivia and Valruzia. Air units must also be involved, at least between our places and Likatonia.

V: With all due respect, Valruzia won't like our assets in that area. We should inform them that we will prepare for patrols in the area.

I: Do so. We don't want a repeat of that debacle. Inform our other partners that may be affected. Anything else?

B: Ma'am. Ship construction is going well for our current projects, and we expect them to hit their targets.

I: Wonderful. Bohuslav, your forces?

M: Work continues now, and nothing significant has happened. Land acquisitions have worked out so far, and so has the development of our specialties. 

I: How has Beiteynu worked out?

M: Well, enough. There's nothing too much there, though our situation at the Migrants' Pass was a screwup. We have been behind for a year now, but things have worked out enough so that such development hasn't become a pain in the behind.

I: Good. Would this situation warrant the preparation of our current specialties for priming?

M: Right now, no. Of course, if the situation changes, the President has the button.

I: Good. 

Everyone left their posts. The Defense Minister would meet with the President soon afterward to inform him of the developments. Nations like Beiteynu and Valruzia would be informed of additional patrols in the Artanian Sea and that nothing would change south of the border of that sea, the reason for these additional patrols would be the training of their latest ships and further work on combating pirates in the area.