Have I Got Coups For You (COMPLETE)

Have I Got Coups For You (COMPLETE) - Printable Version

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Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Nordic Republic of Skoden - 06-17-2018

Skohlm - Prime Minister's office

The phone rang as Prime Minister Hansen was shifting through paperwork. Setting it down, he picked up the phone.

"Hansen." He said, bluntly.

"Good morning, prime minister. I have that update you requested yesterday." Came the voice on the other line.

Hansen propped his feet on his desk. "Alright, then, let's hear it."

"The Lauchenoirian military has conducted a retaliation strike, as predicted. The fighting went on for a few hours until 75th Armoured arrived, sending them retreating. All's quiet on the front now, sir."

"Excellent. Have 5th Airborne pack up Beachhead as soon as those inmates get evac'd, we're moving main operational HQ to Summersea. Expect a coordinated counter-attack from Lauchenoiria and it's allies within the week, by then we should have the city locked down well enough to repel anything they throw at us."

"There's one other thing, sir."

"Do tell."

"75th arrived shortly after Laeralian troops landed in the city to aid in the repelling of the Lauchenoirian strike."

Hansen relaxed in his chair, smiling. "Laeralites sent lethal aid? Remind me to commend the Laeralian prime minister on growing a second testicle."

"Very good, prime minister."

He hung up.

"I'll be damned..." Hansen muttered, still pleasantly surprised by Laeral's military action. He picked up his paperwork, continuing where he left off.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - conterniasgloriousleader - 06-17-2018

15 Kiwi Bird Street
Lynnberg
Conternia
23:30 hours

Between them, the four people sitting in wooden chairs in a warehouse in the seemier side of Conternia's capital had killed more people than the average person would meet in their lifetime. Sitting from right to left, they were Erika Larsson, a former member of a Skodenian anarchist cell, Robert Hardyng, notable for having been one of the longest-serving prisoners anywhere in the IDU, Joaquin Swanberg, a hitman (although his favoured term was 'interventionist for hire') with a cross around his neck and a hammer in his hand at seemingly all times, and Erin Blunt, a former Interpol agent who'd left the agency under 'complex circumstances' (her words). They were among those living in Conternia at the grace of SIA Director Donna Barrow's highly controversial (among those who knew about it - it was equally highly classified) 'Magpie Programme', which covertly granted Conternian citizenship under new identities to foreign fugitives who were deemed to posses useful or utilisable skills, under the condition that they carry out certain covert missions for the state, whenever asked and without question - the threat of extradition was implicit for any who didn't tow the line. They'd all been waiting in silence for fifteen minutes now for the sound they now heard, of a car pulling up outside the low-lit building. They all looked at each other, the first purposeful eye contact they'd made all night, as they waited out the last few seconds before the door to the warehouse swung open and Barrow entered, flanked by two armed guards. Taking her place at the rooms head, she pulled down a whiteboard that was hanging on the warehouse's wall. She nodded to her two guards, one of whom turned out the lights and the other of which proceeded to a small room at the warehouse's back and turned on a projector. A map of Lauchenoiria was soon projected on the whiteboard

'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen', she spoke at last. 'I'm sure it goes without saying by now, but what I am about to tell you will never leave this room. Publicly, Conternia has adopted a position of neutrality regarding the Lauchenoirian crisis. I'm sure you won't be surprised to discover that this is not quite accurate.'

At that, the gathered assassins cast their eyes down: they'd all known from the cryptic notes they received that they were most likely heading into the war-torn nation, but hearing it confirmed still held a certain gravity. "You", she continued, 'are our intervention. After this briefing you'll be escorted to the harbour, where a boat is waiting to take you to Lauchenoiria, loaded with all the tools you should need to do what you do best."

The slide on the projector changed, now showing the same map with a bright circles adorning a spot on the shore. Barrow pointed to it as she went on: "you'll arrive on the shore here, a few miles north of Butterfly Island. Once you're ashore, acquire whatever transportation you need to make your way to here" - the slide changed again, placing another orange circle on a sport further inland - "in Melissa City". At that, a slight snort of incredulity came from Hardyng. Barrow's eyes moved swiftly at the sound, quickly locking with the younger man's. "You find something amusing about this objective, Mr Hardyng?"

"Well", he began hesitatingly, laughing lightly, "it's just that, well, it's hardly the beating heart of the conflict, is it? The fighting's in Annatown, Summersea. Pardon my language' - Barrow had to suppress a laugh at Hardyng expressing concern for politeness - 'but there's fuck all going on in Melissa City.'

His irreverent tone didn't change Barrow's, as she spoke plainly: "You are not being sent to win this war, nor really even to fight it, but to make sure Chaher loses it. Melissa City is, so far as Chaher is concerned, completely within his grip. An attack there would disorient and panic his government. Therefore, it is because there is, as you put it, fuck all going on in Melissa City that you are needed there.". Hardyng nodded and tried to hide the schoolboy-ish embarrassment that registered on his face.

"Once there", she resumed, "your objective is quite simple: I want you to destroy the Melissa City Police Department headquarters."

That hung in the air for a moment, each person processing the information in their own way: Larsson with a slight smirk of recognition and a look of deep concentration, Hardyng with a grin and a nod, Swanberg with a veteran's taciturn resignation, and Blunt with an inscrutable gaze ahead, as if awaiting further instruction. It was the latter who spoke first.

"How?"

The answer came quickly: "That's up to you. As I said, guns and explosives are in the boat, as are records showing current police patrol routes in the city. If you are successful, this will throw the city into disarray, and cause one hell of a headache for Chaher: it's a blow in one of the few places he likely imagines he has locked down. Any rebel elements within the city will doubtless come out of the woodwork after this, and the authorities won't be able to hold them off long. And to rebels the country, we'll have sent a signal: look how you can hurt them."

Hardyng inquired next: "And afterwards? Once we've blown the place to hell, what then?"

Barrow paused for a moment to consider her words, then, thinking there was really no need not to be frank in a situation like, this, answered him: "Once you're in the city, I'll send word to you about a rendezvouz point. Whoever of you is left get there and I'll let you know where to burn down and who to kill next."

*

05:35 LCT
Melissa City
Lauchenoiria

'You all set?'

Blunt's voice on speakerphone resonated through the front compartment of the ambulance in which Hardyng and Larsson sat, dressed in the uniforms of first responders. The people to whom those uniforms had belonged where lying dead behind the vehicle in the narrow backstreet where it was parked. By the time they were discovered, the city would have bigger things on its mind.

"Set", responded Larsson. "And you?"

"In position. If we know the routes right patroller ought to be along here any minute"

"Alright. Let us know once it's done", Hardyng said, checking the ammunition of the assault rifle in his lap as Larsson did the same with her sub-machine gun, "we'll be there in 2 minutes, help clean the place out."

"Roger that", Blunt replied, before hanging up the call.

A few blocks away, Swanberg and Blunt were awaiting the arrival of a patrol car. Passing the time, Swanberg spoke.

"You ever attack an officer before?"

"Took out a few on getaways over the years, when it couldn't be helped." Swanberg nodded, clearly acknowledging and appreciating her sentiment of necessity. "You?"

"Once", Swanberg said, "but I didn't know it at the time."

"What? How"

"I was taking out this magazine proprietor", his eyes glazed over slightly, as if transported back to the moment, "real scumbag. And I had snuck into one of his exclusive parties at his mansion. While I was trying to get into the master bedroom, where he was, this big guy spots me, tells me I'm not supposed to be there, runs at me. So, of course, I had to defend myself, and all I had was a hammer, so..." He trailed off, the details clearly explaining themselves. "And the next day the whole thing is on the news, of course - 'magazine mogul slain at own soiree' - and, what do you know, turns out this guy's in charge of the Vice Squad.". They both laughed grimly, then went silent. The silence was broken by the rumble of a police car's engine as it rolled along the street - largely empty on account of both the early hour and the national climate of panic. They nodded at each other, Blunt quickly crossing the street and taking refuge in the alleyway on the other side. As the car drew closer, Swanberg reached into the black bag of supplies he'd carried with him from the boat, and took out his hammer. Waiting for the car to be mere feet away, he cried out:

"Fuck Chaher! Liberty to Lauchenoiria!"

And with that he swung the hammer into the shop window behind him, shattering the glass and sending it flying onto the ground. The smashing sound was almost immediately followed by the blare of a siren and the roar of an engine, as the car sped to a stop. Swanberg put up his hands as the two officers inside got out, guns trained on him.
"Put the weapon down and drop your bag! Get on your knees!"

He obeyed, put their advance toward him was interrupted by a flurry of bullets from the ally behind them, striking both officers in the legs and sending them collapsing to the ground. As they looked around for their assailant, they saw Blunt emerging from the shadows, rifle trained on them. They reached for the weapons that had fallen out of their hands, only to be disturbed by the sound of another weapon cocking behind them: they looked back in the direction of the broken window to see Swanberg now holding his own gun, having drawn it out of the bag. He gestured upwards with his weapon, beckoning them onto their knees. Once they were kneeling with their hands behind their heads, their wounded legs agonising against the hard street, the two assassins quickly advanced toward them and took their guns and handcuffs. Blunt's rifle made contact with one of their backs, beckoning them to their feet. Nobody spoke as Blunt and Swanberg lead the two men, limping, to their car at gunpoint. The officers were quickly stashed into the back while Blunt took the drivers seat and Swanberg sat next to her. The police officers made wary eye contact, breathing heavily, as Blunt pulled the car into the alleyway she had been hiding it. At this time of the morning there was little chance of their being disturbed there. Swanberg reached into the supply bag and pulled out two grey vests. Recognising what they were, one of the officers couldn't help but let out an involuntary

"Oh, shit"

As if he hadn't heard him, Swanberg gestured them out of the car with his weapon.

"Put those on under your clothes"

They gingerly exited the vehicle as Swanberg followed, his gun never lowering.

Watching the two men change at gunpoint through the rear-view mirror, Blunt sent a short message to Larsson as she saw Swanberg begin to walk the two men back towards the car

'We're about to move'.

*

18:00 Conternian Standard Time
Conternian National Broadcasting Service Headquarters
Lynnberg
Conternia

Theme music
Title card: CNBS News at six

"Good evening, welcome to CNBS News at Six, I'm your host, Wanda Ariall. Tonight's top story: the crisis in Lauchenoiria worsens as the Melissa City Police Department's headquarters are destroyed in an apparent bombing. At around quarter to six this morning, Lauchenoirian Centralised Time, the building was devastated by a huge explosion caused when two officers taken hostage, who remain unidentified, where forced into the building wearing suicide vests, which were then remotely detonated by their captors. Our foreign correspondent, Andrea Preston, is at the scene with more. Andrea, we're joining you live"

"Good evening, Andrea. There are horrific scenes in Melissa City tonight, as a city previously largely unaffected by the escalating violence in the country reels from a devastating attack. As you can see behind me in the distance, the blaze is not still fully extinguished, while a death toll has not yet been established - but reports suggest it numbers into the hundreds, and many more are currently in hospital in critical condition."

"Andrea, is there yet any word on who is responsible for this attack?"

"As yet, none of the factions in the on-going Lauchenoirian conflict have claimed responsibility for the attack, although the choice of target would seem to suggest that the perpetrators - who remain unidentified, unknown in numbers, and at large - are acting against Suleman Chaher's government. This was clearly a highly coordinated strike, whoever was responsible: mobile phone videos of the attack shared on social media seem to show two people dressed as first responders firing on people, many of them injured, as they flee the area."

"Thank you, Andrea. Whoever turns out to have been responsible for today's atrocity, one thing that is certain about this attack is that it is another sobering reminder that the violence in the troubled Lauchenoiria looks unlikely to deescalate any time soon."

A moment's silence

"And next tonight on CNBS News at Six...."

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Kvask - 06-18-2018

Agrimai Ocean
Just Over a Mile From the Aelurian Shoreline
1013 LCT
The Pinegrove

"Did anyone think to learn the local language before we got here?" Sebastian was chosen by random to be a part of the welcoming party along with 3 others. It only occurred to him as he was climbing into the wooden rowboat hanging off the side of the ship that almost everyone on the ship spoke Kivasyan, the de facto language of Kivasek.

"Don't worry about it," An older man on the boat with a thick beard and shoreman's cap spoke as he undid rope bindings to the main ship, "as long as the people on the island speak English, we should be fine." Finished with the knots, he lowered the boat whilst motioning to another bearded man, only he had glasses and a corncob pipe, "Old Igor here spent time on trade ships and learned English so he could use the harbour's brothels easier." With a chuckle from Igor and the old man, the water touched the water, the ocean smelling of fish stink.

"Oh by the Sun, what is that smell?" A middle-aged woman held her nose as she sat by the radio connecting the rowboat to The Pinegrove.

Igor lit his pipe as the rest of the people onboard held their noses,"That, my sister, is the smell of freedom. And about a million years of fish shit floating around in a slurry."

Groaning at Igor, Sebastian set his elbows onto his knees, hands holding up his chin, "Don't tell me you're going to be like this the whole way."

"Would you rather me sing some sea shanties from my sailor days?"

Exasperated, Sebastian shook his head and sighed, "No sir..."

With a toothy grin, or whatever was left of his teeth, he nodded and continued to suck on his pipe, "Good, because I can't be fucked to remember them."

Aelurian Shoreline
1046 LCT

The rowboat came ashore softly, the waves acting as a soft pilow before the sand grabbed the boat.

"We're here kiddos!" The old man, whose name was Abbot, exclaimed as he stood up to exit the boat. With Sebastian and the woman, named Karla, groaning from sea sickness, Igor hopped out of the boat with some spirit.

Sebastian laid on the bottom of the boat "I think I'm gonna paint this boat a new shade of green..."

"If that's the case, I'm gonna make sure I stay the colour I am." Karla, not nearly as sick as Sebastian, crawled out of the boat and onto the sand where Abbot and Igor helped her to her feet.

"You can't lay in there all day, boy-o. We've to make sure the people around here aren't going to blow up the larger ships." Igor left Karla with Abbot to set up the radio so he could drag Sebastian out onto the land.

"Bleghhhh." Sebastian gave weak protests as he felt the strong grip of Igor on his webbing. With a loud grunt from Igor, Sebastian felt his body being pulled up and out onto the hot sand. "Nghhh... Just kill me..."

Igor dragged Sebastian into the shade of a tall as he tsked, "We can't have that; then we can't have fun, and you can't help the Aelurians." Setting him down and kneeling next to him, Igor put a peppermint candy into Sebastian's hand, "Suck on this for a while; it'll get your head right up again."

Just as Karla and Abbot got the radio to connect to The Pinegrove, people from the nearby town found the four and approached them cautiously. Sebastian, with his mind foggy from the sea and Igor speaking English to the people, couldn't keep up with the conversation, eventually opting to close his eyes and fall asleep as his stomach settled.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Laeral - 06-18-2018

Office of the President

Republic House, Laeralsford

Marie-Claire-

I've given some thought to the CDSP proposal and I've decided to take your advice and accept their offer. This might hurt us tactically, but Laurence Chang confirmed for me that it was always going to be difficult to keep our fighters flying over Lauchenoiria anyways. I'd like you to tell CDSP Ambassador Chen that we'll accept his offer, and tell him that CDSP aircraft are welcome to use our airstrips once they're operative. I don't believe that the CDSP is doing this from the goodness of their hearts, so try and read between the lines when you talk with them, but of course, be sure not to antagonize them. I recall that the CDSP wants us to send representatives to thresh out the terms of this onboard their hospital ship. You know best how this is done, but be sure to pick some of the few of our diplomats with firsthand experience of the CDSP. They're quite crafty, as you know.

On the international front, we do need more allies for this coalition we're assembling. I'd like you to have ours talking with the Libertans, and make sure that they're still going to commit troops. I'd also like you to talk with the Skodesmen, try and get something set up between our respective military and diplomatic teams. I would suggest that you don't bother trying to get the Catholics into the coalition, since they rarely change their mind once they're set on something. Offering our (non-public) support for them is their dealings with Gonhog would certainly be in order, though.

If the Kerlilians or the Gonhogians try to organize a talk with you, feel free to accept. Just don't promise anything and remember that their men (or rather women, in Kerlile's case) are killing ours.

Yours,
Nicholas

___________________

President Nicholas Brennan sat next to the Mayor of Laeralsford and smiled for the cameras as the dragon boats assembled at the starting line before the race. They, along with several rows of local dignitaries, were sitting in rows of seats overlooking the Laer River, which flowed eastward running through the city of Laeralsford. The President of Laeral traditionally oversaw the opening of the Dragon Boat Festival, a Rén* festival commemorating- well, no one was quite sure, but either the suicide of a benevolent official, or the suicide of a beloved Minjian** priest, or something involving dragons. Nowadays, it was mostly an excuse to eat, spend time with family, skip a day of work, and watch teams of rowers in dragon-prowed boats race each other on the nearest river. As the boats lined up, a process which involved much cheering from spectators and muffled cursing from rowing captains, Nicholas turned to Mayor Courtois, sitting to his right. "Which boat did you say was..."
A series of popping sounds. The next thing Nicholas knew, one of his bodyguards, Jianhong, had picked him up like a doll and was quickly carrying him off the bleachers and towards his waiting car. Behind him, he could see the spectators screaming and fleeing the stands. Jianhong leapt into the backseat of the car, carrying Nicholas with him, before he slammed the door shut and the driver pulled away, two SUVs with sirens on top pulling in in front and behind them.

About an hour later, with President Brennan and Prime Minister Misra inside the panic room at Republic House, Jianhong came into the room, closing the door behind him. "We caught the guy," he said. "Man named Henderson Long, a Slokaisian citizen. He's in custody, and he's been yelling conspiracy nonsense from his jail cell."
"Did he hurt anyone?" Nicholas asked.
"A person in the crowd was hit. He's at the hospital now, in critical condition."
Nicholas stifled a sharp intake of breath. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "I'd like to speak with the victim, and with Henderson Long, once the all-clear is given."
"Absolutely," Jianhong said.

*Laeralian name for the largest Asian ethnic group in Laeral
**Dualistic religion indigenous to Laeral

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Nordic Republic of Skoden - 06-18-2018

The northern defensive line of Summersea was quiet, the intense battling having ended hours previous. One sandbag bunker contained three rows of machine Gunners, itching for a fight.

"I don't like this shit, one bit... " A machine-gun operator said to his loader.

"What? The quiet?"

"No, no, the fuckin' Laeralites. I betcha none of them have ever even shot at a man before, and now we're expecting them to help us in wartime? Call me crazy, but I have a bad feeling about it."

A Laeralite stood mere feet away from them, but the Skodesmen were fairly sure he didn't speak Norse. He simply ignored what he assumed to be gibberish.

"I dunno, man, they may prove useful." The loader responded. "Word is they're getting peacekeeping duties, which they're good at. Trick is to distribute based on specialisation. Not everyone's gotta be a front line grunt like us, y'know."

"Then what the fuck is HE doin' here, huh?" The gunner gestures to the Laeralite, holding a machine gun of his own.

The loader looks at the gunner, sincerely.

"We lost over two hundred men today, and you're complaining about the nationality of our reinforcements? The guy's obviously a trained Auto rifleman, so why don't you shut up and take the help you can get, huh?"

With that, the gunner was silent, redirecting his attention to the treeline beyond the sandbags.

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

A large group of helicopters were approaching Summersea, transport helicopters and a fleet of attack choppers accompanying them. The transports land in a large public park, dropping off members of the Skodenian 212th Infantry Division. Upon completion, the helicopters depart with roughly half of the attack choppers, and the remaining 19 choppers establish a defended airspace around Summersea. The troops start for a nearby Mal*Wart, which has been converted into a base of operations, to await assignment. The second wave of Skodenian military involvement in Lauchenoiria has officially arrived.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Lauchenoiria - 06-18-2018

Ginsap Prison, near Lorentonia

Josephine Alvarez lay in her cell, breathing deliberately slowly though her heart was still beating too fast. She was waiting for the signal. What if it doesn't come? She thought, then quickly tried to banish it from her head. It lingered there, insistently. She had been here for over a month, far too long. She shuddered at the knowledge that in some places, people had been imprisoned for far longer when no crime had been committed. This last month had felt like a lifetime. The thought of spending an actual lifetime in this place...

In a different cell, Kathy Thomson imagined what she'd do once this was over. This wasn't her first time in prison for reporting the facts. As a young reporter, she had been in Kerlile, reporting on the aftermath of their civil war. It had been during the time when the government there had been starting to show leniency on fact sharing. Of course, they'd clamped down again without warning. They released all the foreigners after a week, but the Kerlian citizens were still there. As far as she knew.

Olivia Quirós lay on the bunk above Thomson. She was impatient. So impatient. She would have done anything to get out of here, but all she could do for the moment was wait. And wait, and wait...

Suddenly, they heard an explosion and all three women jumped up.

Outside Ginsap Prison

"Are we all ready?" Sonja addressed the gathered forces. They nodded. She gave the signal. BOOM.

Sonja coughed. "I said a little explosion!" The man in charge of blowing the outer door off it's hinges shrugged. They pressed forwards. They encountered some resistance, but the guards were slow. Evidently the poison was working, thank you Laeral. They were through the outer sections and into the main building quickly.

They went from block to block, scanning the sleeping prisoners for those they sought.

"SONJA!" yelled a voice, and Josephine came running to the cell door. Sonja rushed to open it with the key they'd swiped off an unconscious guard. As soon as the door was open, Josephine embraced Sonja.

"Um, perhaps we should..." interrupted one of the others. Sonja pulled away.

"Yes, um, do you know where the other political prisoners are?" she asked Josephine, who nodded. "Lead the way."

Josephine led them down the row of cells, as they freed those on their list, including Kathy and Olivia, who sighed with relief in such an exaggerated manner, Sonja was quite bewildered. They began to make their way out of the prison, quickly.

"Oi! You're not just leaving me here," came Rayna's voice from a cell as they passed. Sonja looked at Josephine, who nodded.

"Are you sure?" Sonja muttered quietly.

"She helped me, and she can help you, if what I've heard about a civil war is true."

"You don't know the half of it. The state of this country at the minute is giving me childhood flashbacks," shuddered Sonja, but she unlocked Rayna's cell.

The group headed out of the prison, shooting at any remaining guards that got in their way. They headed for the Fleurian Forest; from there they would make their way to the coast and evacuate the prisoners. At least, those that wanted to leave.

"Like hell!" exclaimed Josephine when told of the evacuation plan. "I am not leaving you, we will fight and we will win."

"I don't suppose I have a choice?" Rayna added.

"No, you do not... Josie, are you sure?" Sonja asked. Josephine nodded.

"I'm staying too," said Olivia. The entire group of freed prisoners turned to stare at her in shock and surprise.

"All right, then. Those of you who are staying, with me. The rest, go with the Laeralites," Sonja walked over to create a gap. Josephine, Olivia and Rayna joined her, while the rest remained with the evacuation group. Josephine took a hold of Sonja's hand and squeezed.

Fleurian Forest, further north

Laura Moore sat in silence with Peter, waiting for Sonja to return. The reality of what had happened a few nights ago had hit her earlier, and she had only just stopped shaking. Some nearby trees rustled and Moore sat upright. Too soon.

One of Sonja's messengers emerged from the trees and Moore exhaled.

"Is Sonja here?" asked the youth. Moore shook her head.

"Give me the message," she requested. He handed her a note, and then quickly left.

"What is it?" asked Peter as Moore read the note.

"Someone's blown up the MCPD building. Chaher's blaming us."

"Was it us?"

"Not as far as I know. But chances are, whatever happens next in Melissa City will be. If I know them, they'll try something now."

"Can we win in Melissa?"

"Not without help. It's the most populated province, and a lot of communists. Half of them still believe Chaher's one of them. Fools. He arrested a bunch of big businessmen, sure... but only those he couldn't control. Chaher wants what's best for Chaher. Nothing else comes into it. He'll betray the communists as quickly as, well, as quickly as he betrayed me."

"What if the communists knew that?"

"If they'd known that before, we could have avoided this war. It's too late for that. But if they were to see Chaher's true colours... that could turn the tables against him."

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

Liaville, Aeluria

"Welcome to Aeluria," said Keitha Noguera, "we are very happy to have you here." Anael stood by the staircase, looking distinctly less happy.

She spoke with the man, Igor, the rest of his group hovering behind him silently. She figured they didn't speak English. She barely used the language herself, though she was still fluent. One of the other men in the group said something to Igor in a language she didn't understand, then Igor turned back to her.

"We would like your assurance you do not plan to attack our ships," he spoke slowly, pronouncing each word separately.

"I give you it. We won't attack you," she promised. Not like we have the capability to, anyway. "Just beware of Chaher's forces. He still has a line of ships between us and the mainland. He seems more concerned at the moment with stopping people leaving Carville than with us, but that could change."

The group conferred again in their language, then Igor nodded to her.

Once the Kivasekians had left, she walked over to Anael.

"Cheer up, it's not forever."

He turned away from her, without speaking. She was worried about him.

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

Buttercity

"Our informant on Aeluria says that a Kivasekian volunteer force has arrived there," Clarke said to Chaher.

"I guess we can't keep ignoring them forever. But before we can handle Aeluria, we need to deal with Usera, Carville, Summersea... and the terrorists in Melissa City."

"Agreed. Aeluria won't attack us, but we need to deal with the terrorists, and the Coalition."

"Tell Gonhog to surround Carville, and shoot anyone who tries to leave. And when Kerlile reaches Summersea, I want them engaging the Coalition as soon as possible."

There came a knock at the door.

"Enter!" shouted Chaher. Jonas crept inside. His cautious movements were a clear sign of bad news.

"Um, Prime Minister, the... the resistance has raided Ginsap Prison. Josephine Alvarez and the others... have escaped."

Chaher seemed to growl, then turned back to Jonas, "find Josephine, and Sonja, and bring them back here, to me. I will cut the head off this snake, and watch their little terrorist organisation shrivel and die!"

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Slokais - 06-19-2018

Joseph Chavez was ready for the meeting to start. The Meeting had been called by his chief of staff Hector Gonzalez. At that moment Hector walked in with a stack of papers. "I have some good news and some bad news" he said. "The good news first"said Chavez as he repositioned himself in his chair. "The good news is we have a reason to help our allies in Lauchenoiria". "The bad news there are Pro Lauchenoiria Hackers spreading fake news" said Hector. "If we have reson to send aid let's send aid" said Joseph Chavez. " I will call General Jose tell him to send in humanitarian aid". " we should also send trainers to train rebels said Chavez. "We are now at War" said Chavez

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Laeral - 06-19-2018

Matéo Labat, Agent C-02 of the Laeralian Bureau of External Action, wanted urgently to know what was going on in Usera. Following the Coalition invasion he'd heard about through the state-run media, the Lauchenoirian junta had quickly begun locking down Buttercity. Police patrolled the streets, going house by house to check identification. Matéo had been lying low at the flophouse for over a week now, but as he saw the police cordons coming closer and closer by the day, he knew that it was time to go. He'd slipped out of his neighborhood last night with only his few possessions, his false ID card, and his gun, and was now wandering the streets of Buttercity, desperately searching for a place to stay or a way out. He'd had a nasty scare when, trying to check up on one of the dead drops from which he received orders, he noticed a man with the distinctive build and posture of a soldier, apparently reading a newspaper with the bulge of a gun under his coat. The Lauchenoirians must have found out about that one. Matéo had first thought of going to the Laeralian Embassy, but he'd heard that it was under tight surveillance by junta troops. A fragile cover, no place to stay, police patrolling the streets... Matéo was in they type of situation they'd warned him about during his training. He sat down on a park bench and tried to remember what, exactly, they'd told him about situations like that. Don't let yourself get caught in a trap, that was certainly one thing. He had to get out of the city. But how? And where would he go next? That question was easy enough to answer. Daniel and Leonie had both gone to Usera; he could meet them, and hopefully other rebels, there. The government had suspended transportation to Usera, citing the danger of the "terrorists and foreign agitators" active there, but the trains and buses to Yerville were still operative. Hmm...

About an hour later, Matéo, dressed in casual travelling clothes and carrying a suitcase he'd bought, now weighed down with his meager possessions and various rocks he'd found, bought a ticket at the train station for a train to Yerville leaving in a few hours' time. He sat down in the passenger waiting area and looked around for a likely-looking person. An hour and a half later, he spied a businessman typing furiously on a laptop, who bore some physical resemblance to him, sitting in the same waiting area, meaning that they'd both be boarding the same train. Excellent. He waited for the next two hours, catching a short nap, and keeping an eye on the man. When their train was called, the man stood up, and Matéo followed close behind him. Passenger boarding the train were being checked by both civilian railroad employees, who checked tickets, and armed soldiers, checking identification. As the crowd of passengers approached the checkpoint, they pushed together in the narrow hallway, with Matéo staying as close as he could to the businessman. In the crowd and noise, it was easy enough to steal the man's card from his coat pocket, and Matéo left the card in its place. He quickly flashed the card he'd stolen to the soldier, who nodded him through. Matéo walked past and boarded the train to Usera. Hopefully he'd find some use for himself there.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Lauchenoiria - 06-20-2018

Elfwood Forest, Melissa Province, 4am

In the far north of Lauchenoiria, a lone rowboat drifted down the river through the thick Elfwood forest. No light shone from the boat, and no voices could be heard, even if someone had been around to hear them. The sound of oars hitting the water and the hooting of owls was all that broke the silence. One of the three people on the boat was asleep, and another was faking it. The third kept rowing in silence through the darkness, navigating by the moonlight and luck.

Leanna Walker lay back as the boat moved, trying to slow her breathing. The temperature was comfortable, given the time of year, but it didn't stop her from shivering. When she was safe in Laeral, coming back had seemed such a right and heroic choice. Here, in the darkness in the heart of Chaher's territory, she wished she was back hiding in a hotel room far away.

They'd almost been caught by one of Chaher's ships on their way into Lauchenoirian waters, when suddenly the ship had moved away south for seemingly no reason. Walker wondered what was going on, but it didn't change what she knew she had to do. As they floated further and further inland, her apprehension increased. Yet she knew in her heart that if she turned back now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

So she took a deep breath and tried to sleep, as the boat drifted slowly on through the thick forests of Lauchenoiria.

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

Buttercity, 9:15am

Kelli Moore sat on the floor drawing a picture of her family. Her brother, Jamey suddenly grabbed one of her crayons and ran away, giggling. Kelli chased after him around the room. Suddenly, the door opened and that woman stood there. Both children immediately stopped running and looked sullen.

"I hope you two are behaving yourselves. Now, put those toys away, we are going out," the woman demanded, towering over them. The smell of her perfume was overwhelming and Kelli resisted the urge to hold her nose. That hadn't gone down too well the last time.

"Where? Are we going to see Mummy?" Kelli asked.

"Never you mind. Now, get ready or I will take that silly little teddy bear you're always clutching away."

Kelli squeezed her teddy harder, but walked over to where her shoes were. She wanted her parents desperately but every time she asked after them, that woman would scold her. She was scared, so was Jamey. When the woman thought she was asleep, she'd snuck downstairs and watched the woman, who in turn watched the TV. She'd seen pictures of her mum on the TV, where they said horrible things about her, which made the woman laugh.

Once Kelli and Jamey had put on their shoes, the woman ushered them out of the room and into the back of a car. Kelli tried the door at the other side, but like all the ones before, it was locked. She had a terrible feeling inside her that she ought to get as far away from the woman as possible, but the car started, and they drove through the deserted Buttercity streets once more.

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

Aeluria, 11am

"There's another one," Alyssa Robinson informed Noguera, running a hand through her hair.

Robinson had been monitoring the waters around the island when Chaher had started moving ships into position. They were far enough out that to the naked eye they were no more than dots, but there were many. Noguera was concerned at first that this was the start of an attack, but the ships did not seem to advance towards them.

She knew Chaher, though, and he would never be quite so foolish as to try and fight a war on quite so many fronts at once. Those ships were there for another reason, and Noguera had a good idea of what.

"How long could we support the current population on the island without imports?" she asked Robinson.

"You mean including the Kivasekians and the angry, stranded tourists? Three months, tops. The current population is way above our average, and we've been reliant on agricultural imports since... wait, you think those ships are...?"

"We must prepare for all possibilities. I'm quite aware we don't have the same agricultural traditions as mainland Lauchenoiria, but my ancestors supported themselves on this island for centuries. Surely, with some careful planning we could manage?" asked Noguera

"Your ancestors supported a population of 4,000 with the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, tops. We have over 17,000 people currently on the island. We've been relying on imports to feed a population of 11,000. As I said, three months, tops."

"Then we better hope that Chaher's government falls in less than three months."

"And that whoever replaces him is any more friendly to us than he is," pointed out Robinson.

"Indeed," agreed Noguera, keeping a calm front even as the knot in her stomach tightened.

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

Fleurian Forest, midday

Laura Moore yawned as the group kept walking towards Usera. It would take them weeks to get there on foot, and Moore was already exhausted after only a few days. Up ahead, Sonja suddenly stopped.

"Okay, I think it's about time we rested and ate something," Sonja said.

Standing beside Moore, Peter suddenly sat down as quickly as a child playing musical bumps, groaning with relief. Moore joined him. Rayna and Olivia also came to sit beside the pair. Sonja and Josephine sat together away from the other four.

"Ooh, nice!" Rayna said, snatching a berry off of Peter and eating it.

"Hey!" exclaimed Peter.

"What?" Rayna responded, a wide eyed look on her face. Peter grumbled and shielded the rest of his food from her.

"So, what sort of plans have we already got in motion?" asked Olivia. "How close are we to winning this war?"

"There's the billion peso question right there. I mean, we're working with Skoden and Laeral, and we've got a plan to turn half Chaher's supporters against him. But beyond that, we'll have to see how things go. Chaher has the military might. I mean, thank god Skoden's on our side, else we wouldn't stand a chance," Moore answered.

"Rayna, stop it!" Peter whined as Rayna kept trying to snatch food off of him.

"Enough!" scolded Sonja from a few metres away. "Stop acting like children, and be mindful of the danger we're in. Stop shouting so loud, we don't know who's listening."

Chastised, Peter sat up straight. Rayna immediately snatched a biscuit off him with a cackle. Sonja stood up and walked towards the group.

"Uh oh," Josephine tried hiding a smile as she watched Sonja approach the other group.

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

Carville, 12:30pm

The Gonhogians had surrounded the city, but had not yet attacked with their full force. There had been a little skirmishes, like when a group trying to sneak out the city through the woods had been surprised by Gonhogians among the trees, but as of yet they hadn't struggled to hold the city. The Gonhogians were clearly holding back.

"What are they waiting for?" murmured Nico Alfaro as he watched the distant lines of Gonhogians from the roof of the hospital. As if on cue, something stirred in the Gonhogian lines and Alfaro tensed. They didn't advance. He let out a sigh, and walked back inside. While halfway down the stairs to the exit, an alarm blared.

"Oh, shit," he said, running down to the exit.

Half expecting to see Gonhogian soliders storming the streets, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the small flames. A fire alarm. Except... the timing, it was suspicious. Alfaro glanced around him, nervous. Something seemed off.

He made his way back to the old police station they were using as a command centre. He greeted the Laeralite, Captain Tsai, as he entered. Tsai seemed normal, and Alfaro relaxed a little. He must just be paranoid.

Meanwhile on the outskirts, the Gonhogians were ready. Alfaro had just poured a cup of coffee when he got the news. The Laeralian gendarmes were pulling back into the city as Alfaro reached the fighting. The Gonhogian troops were giving it everything they had, and even with both his resistance and the Laeralites they were horrifically outnumbered.

Alfaro tried to call out orders to the resistance fighters, but over the artillery fire and chaos of the battle, he couldn't hear what he said himself. They were being overrun. He had a horrible suspicion that the Laeralites did not intend to stick around for the conclusion. The fire at the hospital seemed to have grown and he had the feeling it had been set on purpose. The world around him turned to hell.

Carville, 2pm

The victorious Gonhogians drove through the streets of Carville as its civilian population hid in their homes. The Laeralites had retreated. The resistance was scattered, their leader nowhere to be found. His second in command, Concha Martínez had died trying to defend their command centre. Carville was theirs.

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

Buttercity, 3pm

"Good afternoon," Chaher addressed the camera from his podium outside Parliament. "I speak to you today following the news that our allies have recaptured the city of Carville from the terrorist group affiliated with the traitor, Laura Moore. This is a joyful day for the residents of Carville, and their family members worried about their safety.

Which brings me to what I want to say. Family. It's so important to all of us. We love our families, we will do anything for our families. When I made the difficult decision to call for a vote of no confidence in Laura Moore, I did so to protect my family from her and her allies so desperate to destroy this country. And they are here today because of it."

He gestured to his wife and two adult sons, sitting on a row of chairs behind him. Alongside the trio sat Kelli and Jamey Moore, sullen, and being held in place by the foster carer he had chosen especially for the pair.

"I know that all of us want to do what is best for our families. Whatever else we have that divides us, be it gender or race or ideology, we are united by our love for our families. I would do anything for my family. And I am sure that all of us in Lauchenoiria would feel the same way, regardless of what other circumstances stand in our way.

I hope that this dark time in our nation, with the foreign invaders in the south and the terrorists in Usera will end, and I encourage the perpetrators of this violence to think: am I doing what is right for my family? Thank you."

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Kvask - 06-20-2018

Sebastian
Aeluria, 1 PM

With assurance of non-aggression coming over the radio yesterday, the Kivasekian ships came to the island's shore and began the process of establishing a military outpost. Staying a fair distance away from thee populace, but staying close enough to the city to rush to its aid, the outpost as it stood housed half of the volunteer force, roughly 7,000 militiamen, as the other half stayed offshore to try and intercept any vessels using old artillery pieces from the '70s. In the outpost, there were four major sectors; one for meals, one for equipment, and two for having the soldiers sleep. The perimeter was currently being lined with razor wire and sandbags filled with beach sand, with every 20 meters being manned by a man with a top-loading LMG.

An ammunition dump was located within the equipment sector, near the middle of the whole outpost. With a common ammunition of 8mm Borov (7.92 Mauser) being shared amongst the Semi-Automatic Battle Rifles (SABRs) and the Lightweight Automatic Support Rifles (LASRs), and the Kivasekian Auto Loading Sidearm (KALS) using the same as the Subgun-K in 8mm Novák (8mm Roth-Steyr), the ammunition dump was very large and not horribly confusing for militiamen. The cartridges used by the Kivasekians are often thought of as overpowered, but with the speed of the 8mm Novák, it has developed a reputation for chewing through soft body armour. Sebastian was armed with a SABR along with a KAL, although he had more practice with his SABR. As an officer, Sebastian was given the option of using detachable magazine, but instead chose to use 8 round stripper clips as he was most comfortable with that.

Finding himself on the side closest to the city to build defences, Sebastian looked towards the populace with a sigh, "Wish I could live like that..."

Igor, seemingly to be everywhere Sebastian was, chimed in, "Well, if you want to live on an island and treated like a CEO, move to a country and exploit the populace." Wiping his brow, Igor patted Sebastian on the shoulder, "Or just keep being the everyday commie bastard like the rest of us."

Shaking his head, Sebastian picked up his shovel and went back to digging up sand to put into sandbags, the heat bearing down on the outpost.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Lauchenoiria - 06-21-2018

Jensala, Fleura Province

The news from Carville had reached the group in the early hours of the morning, and they were feeling dejected as they stumbled upon the village.

"I know this place," Moore stared at the rows of small houses, "this is Jensala, where my grandparents lived."

"That could be a problem. Does anyone you knew still live here?" Sonja asked.

"I doubt it. Anyone I knew would be well into their 90s by now."

"I suppose we'll have to risk it," said Sonja, gritting her teeth. The group headed down to the village. From the hill they had been standing on, they could see the whole place. It couldn't have had more than a thousand inhabitants, at most. The people they met didn't pay them any attention.

"It looks exactly the same," marvelled Moore. It was like stepping back in time. The village appeared to be completely untouched by the war. Surrounded on three sides by the Fleurian Forest and on the fourth by farmland, the village was incredibly isolated. She remembered getting trains to visit her grandparents; if you missed one, another wouldn't be around for three hours.

The group sat down outside a cafe and Peter, the least recognisable of the group, ordered food. They were all on edge, being so surrounded by people, but Sonja figured that anyone living in the village wouldn't want to bring trouble, even if they were recognised.

"Laura, dear!" an ancient looking woman in a mobility scooter stopped beside the group. They all jumped. "How lovely to see you! How's your mum?"

"Oh! Mrs Stewart! Um..." Moore looked nervously at Sonja who gave her a warning glance. "She's... she's fine. Travelling."

"And how's university? Studying hard?"

"Um, I graduated. Years ago."

"Really!? Oh that's wonderful! Well done! And how's that boy you were seeing... Phil, was it?"

"Felipe. And, um, we're married."

"Oh, congratulations! Although, don't you think you're a little young?"

"Um..."

"Ma!" came a voice as a woman looking old enough to be retired herself hurried over. "Come on, you're going to be late for lunch."

"Hello, dear! Look who it is, Laura McLean, Jeanette McLean's granddaughter."

Laura and the woman's eyes met, and recognition dawned on the woman's face. Laura noticed and froze.

"Moore now, isn't it?" the woman said, carefully neutral. "I was sorry to hear about your husband."

Laura's heart skipped a beat.

"What... what about my husband?"

"Haven't you heard? Oh, Laura, I'm so sorry. He was in Summersea Prison."

"Wait, what? He was arrested? Chaher, I swear..."

"Oh no, that wasn't what I meant honey. He was there when... when Skoden attacked."

"So they freed him? Oh, thank goodness."

"No, no, oh you're really out of the loop aren't you? They destroyed that place, with everyone inside. Didn't want any word getting out about what they're really doing in Summersea."

"What...?"

"Laura, we need to go. Now," urged Sonja. Laura ignored her. She took the smartphone the woman, Katie, she vaguely remembered, and covered her mouth gasping when she saw the video of Summersea Federal Detention Facility up in smoke. She googled her husband's name and read through the headlines mentioning his demise, when something caught her eye. '... children of Laura and Felipe Moore...". She clicked on it.

She was frozen as she watched the video of Chaher's speech.

"... need to go..."
"... police will be here soon..."
"Laura!"

The voices washed over her, and someone tried to grab her arm and pull her away. She shrugged it off. The video finished and she screamed in anger and despair.

Half the village was out now, watching the frantic ex-prime minister see Chaher threatening her family. A teenager started filming on his phone. Sonja collected the rest of the group and ordered them to run. She grabbed Moore, snatched the phone out of her hand and gave it back to Katie Stewart. Moore came to her senses and ran too, and the group exited the village back into the forest.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Lauchenoiria - 06-22-2018

Fleurian Forest, 4am

Josephine Alvarez thanked the messenger and then walked to the main camp, leaving Sonja curled up asleep. Peter and Rayna were on watch, but when she got to the camp, Rayna was nowhere to be seen, and Peter was asleep.

"Peter, wake up," she shook him. He didn't respond. "Peter?"

She rolled him onto his back and checked his pulse. He was still breathing. She tried once more to shake him awake, but only managed to dislodge an empty bottle of prescription sleeping pills from under his sleeping form.

"Laura Moore," she read off the label on the bottle. Then she swore, as Rayna sauntered back into the camp.

"Where the hell were you? And where is Moore?" Josephine confronted Rayna.

"I just went for a walk! It's a lovely night!"

"Are you high?" Josephine asked Rayna. Rayna giggled. "Just where is Laura getting all these drugs from?"

She ran back to her and Sonja's camp, and woke her wife. As Sonja stretched, Josephine had already run through seven possible scenarios, all bad.

"Moore's gone."

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

Fleurian Forest, 6am

Laura Moore walked alone through the Fleurian Forest, towards Buttercity. She knew that drugging Peter and Rayna was a terrible idea, and so was going to the capital, but she just couldn't leave her children in Chaher's hands.

He was evil, but he was right about one thing "“ family is important. And with her husband... no, she wouldn't think of that. The time for mourning would come. If she lived that long. She'd been alone for four hours, she had to assume they wouldn't catch her up. She was terrified, but she knew this was what she had to do.

It would take days to get to the city on foot, but when she did, she knew Chaher would consider it a huge victory. She hated that, but it couldn't be helped. She had made her choices, to go into politics, to have children while in office, to take all these risks. And now the worst was happening, and she had to face the consequences.

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

Elopolis, 6am

In the basement of a house in Elopolis, a meeting was taking place. First Minister Victoria Juárez looked around as most of her cabinet assembled. She also looked nervously to the door, since Chaher had dissolved the provincial parliaments, holding this meeting was technically illegal. Once she was sure nobody else was going to show, she began in Spanish.

"I have called you here today because I think we are all in agreement: this situation cannot go on. Suleman Chaher is attacking the fundamental principles of our democracy. As of right now... it doesn't even exist. And our country is the epicentre of an international conflict, caused by his actions.

We were elected to represent the people of Ulinaria Province, and we can't do that while he is in power. I know you've all seen the videos of Annatown and Carville. But neither of those cities had the full weight of the provincial government behind them. We have a duty to our people, despite the risks.

We know there is a resistance forming here. We can give it legitimacy. In all likelihood, local and provincial police will be on our side if it comes to conflict. We can strike a blow against this regime. Thoughts?"

A murmur went around the room. Eventually, Culture Minister Ovidio Roldán spoke up.

"You're right, we have a duty to our people. And if we come out against Chaher, he'll send the military in and our people will start dying. How can that be the right thing to do?"

"If Chaher wins this war, our people will suffer for far longer. We've already seen him lock people up for the most trivial things. What makes you think he won't start killing us anyway?"

The debate went on through the hours until eventually it was put to a vote.

"So, with 9 in favour and 6 against, the motion carries. I will contact the resistance leader tomorrow. And to the 6 who voted against, I understand your concerns. You have two days, get out of the city if you want. Get out of the province. Just don't betray our trust, or you have my word: I will find you."

She looked each one in the eye before they left, to be sure they heard her warning.

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

North of Summersea, 8am

General Eduardo Sanchez watched Colonel Chloe Conde out of the corner of his eye. He distrusted Kerlians as a rule, not least because they looked at him like he was less than them somehow. And Conde... well, there was something about that one.

Conde pinned a loose strand of hair on top of her head and marched over to Sanchez.

"Just what exactly are we waiting for?" she demanded.

"Orders, Colonel," he responded calmly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"In war, one expects to actually see some fighting. Your Prime Minister does understand that, right? I'm sure President Greenwood would be happy to explain the principle of war to him."

"I am well aware of the principle of war, Colonel."

"It doesn't seem like it. Your country hasn't been in a proper war since you interfered with our internal affairs back in the 90s. And need I remind you, you lost."

"I am aware, Colonel."

"Next time, you could make it clearer. And just so you know, we're no happier about being here than you are."

She walked away, leaving Sanchez to his deliberations. He knew it was only a matter of time before they attacked the Coalition. And if it would get him away from Chloe Conde, he couldn't wait.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Laeral - 06-24-2018

"They're all women," Soldier Third Class* Colin Tan, Laeralian National Security Force, said, in a voice containing equal measure of shock and respect. "Every single one of them." He stood up from where he was examining a body that had fallen during heavy street fighting earlier that day.
"Keep your voice down," Soldier Tseng said from behind him. "They may have friends close by." Tseng was a comparative veteran, since he'd seen combat before yesterday's battle. The two of them, along with the eight others in their squad, were scouting past enemy lines to examine Kerlilean defenses before the planned upcoming offensive that would hopefully let the Coalition force its way outside of Summersea and into the countryside beyond. Tan and Tseng had both come ashore three days ago, onboard a Laeralian transport convoy carrying over 2000 soldiers. From the start, soldiers from the militant gynarchy of Kerlile had been harrying the coalition. Last night, the Kerlileans had launched a furious attack by cover of darkness, which the Laeralites and Skodenians had been able to drive off, at a heavy price. Their squad walked in silence for another few blocks, before the Sergeant called a halt. "We've gone far enough," he said. "There's no Kerlileans around here, and they can send in the drones to check." The squad turned and began to walk back towards friendly lines, stepping gingerly over Kerlilean and the occasional Coalition corpse as they went.

*Laeral uses the French term "soldat" as an equivalent to 'private'. This translates directly as 'soldier'.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Sancti Imperii Catholico - 06-25-2018

Carville Police HQ, 1200 hours

"General!"

The messenger walked up to Lieutenant General Herman, saluted, then began to speak.

"We have received orders to split our Corp into two groups. The 73rd Armoured Division will be sent to Summersea to assist Lauchenoirian forces against the Coalition as well as the 5th Infantry Division. The 7th Infantry Division has been ordered to march to Usera to fight the rebels there. All divisions are at almost full strength, General."

Herman nodded, "Thank you. We'll move out at 1500 hours, let all the Colonels know. You are dismissed."

"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”
Carville Police HQ, 1450 Hours

Although Colonel Mayer knew they would most likely have the numbers advantage in Summersea, he knew that the Skodenians would still be problem. Never mind the Laeralites- they might as well just not be there- the Skodenians if anyone would win this war. Sure, Gonhog had a large military and were advanced enough, but Skoden's military was larger and more advanced. If Skoden really wanted to win this war, they would most likely get it.

No matter. If they could crush the force in Summersea, the rest of Lauchenoira would fall easily. The colonel sighed, then gave the orders to move out.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Kvask - 06-25-2018

Aeluria, 1500
Sebastian

With a week passing on the island, the Kivasekian Volunteers had their encampments dug in and their patrols moving along the perimeter, though the land was still foreign to them. With many volunteers finding themselves bored, they got to mingling with the tourists and the local Aelurians, using very broken English as a way to find common ground with them. There was a sort of bond that grew between the volunteers and the locals, with Kivasekians gladly offering up cigarettes, cigars, and similar tobacco-based products, giving the people a forgotten taste in exchange for hospitality.

Sebastian found himself in a similar situation when taking a day off to explore a nearby village with Igor, whom he grew to see in a better light. Igor acted as the intermediate for the pair, often getting some confused people who need to listen again to Igor's accent. Today, they had been talking to a group of locals about their lives outside of the volunteer services. Everyone was sitting in a restaurant, smoking heavily with the exception of Sebastian and a chestnut-haired man with light skin.

As Sebastian was taking a drink of tea, Igor tapped his shoulder after giving a hearty laugh, "Don't you love these people, Sebastian? I've found a bunch of people to smoke a house with me!" Rolling his eyes, Sebastian set his drink down and cleared his throat. The smoke was starting to burn his nose as Igor loved the thickest, blackest tobacco. "You'll get used to it, my friend." Smirking through yellowed teeth, Igor went back to talking with the people loudly as they all laughed, save for the chestnut man.

Feeling as he'd rather not hang around a chimney any longer, Sebastian stood up and nodded towards the people in farewell and made his way out, a plume of smoe following his exit.

With only a few steps out of the restaurant, he heard a voice shout his name, "Sebastian!" prompting him to turn around. To his surprise, the light skinned man from inside came out to follow him. Struggling to find words, he began to speak to Sebastian in very broken Kivasyan, "I am Agustin..." Putting his hand out, Sebastian shook it as Agustin continued, "Many persons at here learn to fight from you?" Sebastian tilted his head in confusion as he barely understood him, making the other reword the question, "You teach us to fight?"

Sebastian, now understanding his wants better, nodded and responded pleasantly, "Yes, I can."

A light shone in Agustin's eyes, "Good! Much goodness! Will wait on you here. Yes?" With another nod, Agustin smiled widely and hugged Sebastian before running off, probably to tell other locals about the good news.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - conterniasgloriousleader - 06-27-2018

The Cube
Kiwi Bird City
Conternia
11: 15 hours
June 25, 2018

"You cannot seriously be considering this!?"

Conternian Intelligence Service Director of Analysis Alexander Strachen was aghast as he listened from across the table to Service Director Donna Barrow

"I'm not considering it, I'm doing it. My messenger will be on his way to the safe house in Melissa County within hours.'

The heads of the CIS's various sub-departments were gathered to discuss the next step after the strike in Melissa City, an operation which had been controversial among the people now seated around a table in the bowels of the Service's head-quarters, to say the least.

Alexander was silent for a moment before he protested again

"What we did to the MCPD was one thing. I might not have liked it but it was nothing we hadn't done before, and I thought it was necessary to stop Chaher. But this..." He searched for the right words. "This is something else entirely, and I don''t see how it'll help us."

Barrow absorbed his brief tirade, registering little visible response, then replied with two words, simple but imbued with both promise and threat.
"You will"

*

Classified Location
Melissa County
Lauchenoiria
7:30am
June 26, 2018

Robert Vergum stared blankly out the passenger seat window as the white van advanced up the path toward the cabin. There was nothing, no signs of life or civilisation, for miles around: just this building, inhabited by four government-sanctioned killers, which he was about to enter alone. "The things I do for my country", he thought to himself as his driver - a lightly bearded, fair-skinned man who had spoken barely a word the entire drive - brought the van to a halt, keeping the engine running, and Vergum got out and approached the wooden structure. He knocked twice on the door to make his presence known, then opened the letterbox and spoke through it:

"But the better all the works of nature are understood"

Footsteps approached the door and a rough, tired sounding voice finished the quotation that had been designated the password for the house.

"The more they will ever be admired."

The door was opened from inside, revealing a bearded man of moderate height with green eyes, clad in a hoodie, baggy jeans, and a baseball cap. He gestured Vergum inside, and he followed.

Looking around to get his bearings of the house, he spoke quickly and succinctly to the man who had let him in.

"Go get the others. Tell them to collect anything they need and meet me in the van in the five minutes."

The green-eyed man, who appeared not to have slept for some time, advanced upstairs as Vergum headed back to the van, this time taking his seat in the dank, claustrophobic back of the van, at the back of the compartment divided along the middle by a black box. It'd been early morning when he'd got the call summoning him to Lauchenoiria to brief some of Barrow's people. He hadn't officially been told until then that the Service had been behind Melissa City, but it hadn't shocked him: if everyone knew the things he'd learned in two decades as a field agent for the CIS, they'd never say "Free Minds, Free Eyes, Free People" or praise Conternia's commitment to equity with a straight face again. He'd become less bothered by it over the years, especially when things were working out as planned, as was happening now: they'd pulled off the attack, right at the heart of Chaher's territory, got out of the city, got out of the city, managed to ditch their weapons and change clothes, all while Chaher's government had no idea who'd hit them. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps approaching and the van door swinging open, bringing with it light and the sight of four people, all looking haggard and restless, haunted almost. They took their seats along the sides of the small room as one of them - a younger man with dark hair and eyes - swung the doors closed. As the car began to move along the country road, Vergum spoke:

"Well, folks, you did it: Melissa City isn't the stronghold everybody thought it was anymore, and although he might not be showing it, you can be sure we've got Chaher spooked."

The four assassins all looked at him, all absorbing what he was saying but not visibly reacting, clearly waiting for his point.

"You may have heard, he's blaming resistance fighters working with Moore. He's likely to be cracking down on any potential subverters, and cracking down hard - which means showing his own country and the international community just what kind of leader he is. We're just gonna give him a little assistance in that department. If you look in that case, you'll find your weapons"

The four opened the black box and quickly and proficiently armed themselves. Examining the HK G363 in her hands, one of them - a dark-skinned woman with long hair tied back - observed, with the unmistakable tone of a professional discussing their field of expertise

"This is standard issue for Lauchenoirian special forces, right?"

"Indeed it is, ma'am", Vergum returned, "and hopefully plenty of others will share your observance"

Glancing quizzically out of the tinted windows of the van's doors, another of the party - a pale woman with short, cropped hair and a pierced nose, who spoke with a noticeable Skodenian accent - recognised the route

"We're going back to the city", she said, half observing and half asking.

Vergum reached into the box and pulled out four balaclavas, which he quickly tossed to his fellow passengers, quickly saying

"Put these on", an order the van's other occupants began following, before he turned to the Skodeswoman. "Indeed we are. It should only takes us about an hour or so to get you to your target."

The man who had greeted Vergum at the door spoke next

"And that would be?"

Vergum reached into the box again, this time producing a map which he held up for everyone to see. The four ex-pats all stared at it for a moment, then Vergum saw it collectively dawn on them just what they were looking it. One of them, he couldn't quite tell which, let out an involuntary "Christ" from beneath their balaclava.

"You're gonna be striking at the hotbed of political discourse and activism in the county, where Chaher has a lot of enemies. Exactly the kind of place everyone would be expecting him to hit right now."

The operatives all took in exactly what was being asked of them as they looked at the map of Melissa City University campus

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Lauchenoiria - 06-28-2018

Sonja Viratnen-Alvarez stood at the top of the bell-tower of Usera Cathedral. The priest hovered behind her, continuing to inform her of religious matters she had no interest in.

"...blood on the hands of everyone on both sides of this conflict. I will pray that He shows mercy when He judges those who have given their lives for..."

She tuned out his ramblings once more and focused on watching the Gonhogian troops surround the city. They had arrived hours before the Gonhogians, and immediately regretted it. Everyone here knew what had happened in Annatown and Carville, and the anger and hatred brewing in the city threatened to boil over into something foolish and counterproductive.

She had to find a way to channel their anger at Chaher and their hatred of the Gonhogians into something that would allow them to win the battle. She only hoped she could formulate a plan before the locals got restless. She turned to head back down the steps and the priest followed, buzzing in her ear like a fly.

"... welcome at services, to pray for those fallen and for those about to go into battle. My congregation has grown since the start of this war, and..."

"I'm sure that's all very interesting, Reverend, but I am not religious, and I doubt many of the others are. If any of them want to attend your services, I won't stop them."

She quickly exited the building before he could start up again. She walked through the streets of Usera, the wind blowing her hair gently out of place. She headed to the hospital, where they had moved the injured after taking the whole city.

Leonie was asleep when Sonja arrived, and she looked much more like the kid she'd been when they met. Not for the first time did Sonja regret recruiting her. She left quickly and headed downstairs to meet with the local resistance. They needed to formulate a plan, and soon. Things were as bad as she'd seen them. If they didn't have a victory soon, the war was as good as lost.

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

"You're just letting them do whatever they want!" Anael Noguera yelled, pacing back and forth around the bedroom he shared with his wife. Keitha rubbed the temple of her head. She was getting a headache.

"The Kivasekians are here to help us, as you well..."

"Kivasek will save us from the big bad Lauchenoirians! We don't have to worry about a thing because they'll save us! And then we'll be independent and will never have to give up control to anyone. So, the Kivasekians can violate our laws without consequences because they are glorious messengers of Arbera* who can do no wrong!"

Out of breath, Anael sat on the bed, panting. Keitha stood up and walked over until she was standing in front of him.

"I do not know what your problem is. But you will not speak to me like that, and you will not disrespect our religion in this house. I would like you to leave, until such time as you are willing to be kind to those who have offered their help. I am leaving now, when I return I expect you to have packed up your things and found somewhere else to stay."

She calmly exited the room. Alyssa was waiting outside with her tablet. She fell into step with Keitha and they walked out of the house and towards the Parliament.

"Any further news?" Keitha asked.

"Chaher's ships are holding position. And they're playing the same message over and over again on the radio frequency the old communist government channel used." Alyssa tapped on her tablet and the radio broadcast played.

"... or leaving the island of Aeluria. Any ship attempting to circumvent these restrictions will be considered hostile and will be destroyed. Do not attempt to leave the island. All ships and aircraft are forbidden from approaching or leaving the island of Aeluria. Any ship attempting..."

"Has anyone attempted to 'approach or leave' the island?" Keitha asked.

"Not yet, but I don't think most of the population is aware of our supply problems just yet. I understand it will start a panic, but we really ought to start rationing the supplies. It will be worse..." Alyssa began to have a coughing fit as they passed a couple smoking heavily, "... in the cough long run if we don't. And that isn't helping." She gestured at the smokers.

"You sound like Anael. If it keeps them happy..."

"It's addictive, ma'am. And we have limited supplies. We are going to have a big problem on our hands when the supply of that stuff runs out."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"What exactly do we do when the food runs out?"

"It won't come to that."

"I have the utmost respect for you, ma'am, but sometimes you're just too optimistic."

"My dear," Keitha smiled, "I will not allow our people to starve. I give you my personal assurance. I will not let it come to that."

The pair continued their walk, in silence, Alyssa pointedly holding her nose every time they passed people smoking.

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

General Sanchez sat listening to the bug he'd placed inside Chloe Conde's tent.

"... and now we have even more cavemen here, this time from Gonhog. What were they even thinking, sending us to this dump?" came a voice he didn't recognise.

"We can undermine the Lauchenoirian government this way, regardless of who wins this war, Lieutenant. The amount of intelligence we've gathered by working with them will serve us well in the future. If Chaher wins, he's indebted to us.

And if it looks like he's going to lose, we'll get out, pronto. And he knows it. So, he has to keep us happy, make it worth sticking around. So many concessions, my grandmother would never have believed it!" Conde laughed.

"When are we going to hurry up and take this city?"

"All in good time, Lieutenant. They don't stand a chance."

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

"It's not fair!" the teenager yelled, storming up the stairs, and slamming her door so hard the large house shook a little.

"Do you think she realises it's not our fault?" the father asked.

"When you're that age, everything is your parents fault," said the girl's mother.

"Even your school trip to Laeral getting cancelled because the government have banned all flights to the country?"

"Oh, especially if it's the government's fault," chuckled the mother, picking up the two china teacups and walking down the large hallway to their main kitchen. Anyone who set foot in the house was quickly reminded of how wealthy its owners were. The father followed.

"I think she's worried about the war."

"The war won't come here. This is a respectable district. We are far enough out from Elopolis that any fighting in the city won't touch us. We are perfectly safe."

"I'm sure that's what most of the others thought."

"Oh, don't be such as pessi..."

The end of her word was drowned out by the sound of a large explosion outside. The pair rushed to the window. Upstairs, their daughter did the same. A plume of smoke was coming out of a building by the park. They heard shouting outside.

Armed soldiers were running down the street towards the fire, when one of them suddenly collapsed. Another explosion sounded, this one so close that the three in the house had to cover their ears. When the noise subsided, they looked out to find the soldiers lying, and a crack in the street where the grenade had exploded.

The daughter screamed, as a group wearing the symbol that the Lauchenoirian resistance had come to use, emerged from behind hedges up and down the street. The war had come there.

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

Laura Moore stood on the edge of the Fleurian Forest, atop the hill overlooking Buttercity and the suburbs. To anyone down in the city, she would be no more than a dot beside the trees. And even if someone had binoculars, she was wearing the itchy wig and had her hood pulled over most of her face. She wouldn't be recognised.

When she had first rushed towards the city, she hadn't been thinking it through. Now, she was scared. She couldn't know what would happen if she went into that city, but she had a terrible feeling she would never leave it again.

She went over her plan again in her head. She knew what she had to do, and she knew just how much she didn't want to do it. Her husband was dead. Her children were in the hands of a dictator. And she was out of options.

She took a deep breath and headed down towards the city.

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

Seven hours later

Suleman Chaher walked past the carefully vetted and handpicked crowd, who were cheering and chanting his name. He stopped next to a family with a baby and held it, smiling at the cameras. The baby cried and made a squelching sound from its rear end. He handed it back to its parents, trying not to gag.

He kept walking along the crowd, the cameras filming at the carefully chosen angle that made the crowd seem larger. He smiled and waved and shook hands. He was almost at Parliament Square when a woman vaulted over the barrier and stood in front of him. A woman he had never expected to see again.

"Hello, Suleman," she said.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Libertas Omnium Maximus - 06-29-2018

A hush falls over the Chauncey Auditorium in Litudinem as president Lucas Brown approaches the Podium.

"My Friends, a great tragedy has befallen our great International Union. Our allies are actively battling against one another! Yet here we stand, pacifists, the whole lot of us! We choose not to fight. We chose to let our allies die by each other's weapons. Too long we have watched from the relative safety of the shadows.
This is not a declaration of War against Alura, nor is this a call to arms. I am just asking you, the people of this nation. Will we not aid in the restoration of peace in the IDU? Will we allow Lauchenoiria to tear itself apart on,y miles from our eastern border? Nay! That is what a I say. I Say that we do everything in our ability to terminate this conflict. I will send peacekeepers to Launchenioria to whatever faction would like. We will end this conflict!

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Lauchenoiria - 07-01-2018

"Hello, Suleman," said Leanna Walker. Before he could respond, she drew a small pistol hidden in her belt and shot him in the chest. For a fraction of a second there was silence, and then all the noise in the world.

Walker found herself face first on the ground, a man's hands holding her arms behind her back. She saw with satisfaction that Suleman Chaher was lying on the ground, unconscious or dead. A puddle of red grew beneath him. She had fulfilled her mission. She had slain the dragon, and all would be well.

She let the commotion wash over her, the screaming and running people, a crying baby, the endless wails of the sirens. She heard the country she had once been President of descend into chaos, but in her mind, it was a more hopeful chaos than that which had come before.

Someone hit her on the head and she grew dizzy. In her last moments of consciousness, she saw Laura Moore's children being pulled away by an unknown woman, as they stared at Chaher's body in... was it horror? Or delight? Walker couldn't tell. The world spun around her and she slipped under.

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

Fifteen minutes earlier

Laura Moore walked through the streets of Buttercity, hood pulled down over her face. The streets looked so familiar, and so different. She knew it was a cliché but walking down the roads she knew so well she could see all that had changed.

No children played outside, there was nobody sitting inside the cafes along the streets. A shop had a sign up in the window informing customers of the restrictions to purchases under the Emergency Rationing Act (2018).

Moore shuddered harder. She knew that Chaher was holding some kind of rally and headed towards the area. She would find some way to get inside and confront him. As she walked through the streets she was reminded of the history textbooks she'd read about the time after Mateo Villanueva's coup.

People had been nervous about leaving their homes, propaganda posters littered the streets and shops had been forcibly closed by the government. In the present day, she was walking down a street on which several shops with "closed until further notice" signs on the door, bearing the government logo, stood. A picture of Chaher's face, the text faded, blew from side to side hanging off a lamppost. A couple hurried past her, avoiding eye contact.

She had almost reached the area of Chaher's rally when she heard screams. A lot of screams. Suddenly, several people appeared, running towards her away from the rally. Several people turned into a crowd, and she pushed against it as they cleared the area.

When she reached the barrier, it was chaos. The police ignored her, crowding around a figure flattened against the ground. An ambulance was parked on the street, and paramedics were lifting Chaher on a stretcher into it. The figure stirred awake and the police lifted it up and Moore recognised her immediately. Leanna Walker. Walker caught her eye, and recognised her, then nodded almost imperceptibly towards an alleyway further down the street. Moore followed her gaze and saw Kelli and Jamey being dragged away by a woman.

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

Kelli Moore kept trying to pull away from the woman holding her, but her grip only tightened.

"Come on now, be a good girl for Auntie Constance," she hissed, lipstick on her teeth as she smiled an obviously false smile. She dug her nails into Kelli's arm and Kelli bit her lip to keep from screaming. Jamey was crying.

Constance continued to drag them down the street. She tried to move fast but Kelli struggled against her with every step. She'd overheard Constance talking on the phone one night, she had said that if anything happened to Chaher then "˜those two brats would suffer'. Two months ago, all Kelli had known was playing and joy.

And now she knew nothing but the need to get away from Constance.

They had almost reached the car when suddenly the pressure on Kelli's arm disappeared. She almost fell to the ground as the force holding her vanished. She spun around. Her mum stood there, holding a bit of old pipe, as Constance lay on the ground bleeding.

"Come on," said her mum, and ushered the two of them into the waiting car. The driver wasn't present, but when Kelli looked out the window she could see him tied up behind a rubbish bin, struggling. She squealed in delight at the sight of the horrible man helpless. Her mum got into the driver's seat and the drove away, fast.

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

A few hours later

The man finished whispering in Sonja's ear and left. Josephine watched from across the room as Sonja placed both palms on her chest, a Kerlian religious gesture her wife only performed when she was truly frightened. Josephine's heart beat faster. Sonja walked over to her.

"They have Leanna Walker," she said. Josephine blinked.

"What? How? I thought she was in Laeral? Don't tell me Chaher's kidnapping people off foreign soil now?"

"Walker made her own way into Lauchenoiria. I don't know how, none of us do. As far as we knew, she was safe in Laeral."

"But why?"

"To attempt to kill Chaher, it appears."

The two women sat in silence for a few moments. Eventually Josephine spoke.

"Did she succeed?"

"It is too early to tell. He's in hospital, they can't say if he'll recover or not."

"I... forgive me for such horrible thoughts but, isn't this good?" asked Josephine, tentatively.

"It's too early to tell that either. If he dies, they will no doubt kill Walker too. If he lives, he will crack down even harder. This isn't a one man show, no matter what people are saying. It was too fast, too organised. All of the IDU talks of Chaher like this war lives or dies with him, but I don't think so. I think someone else is pulling his strings."

"But it was Chaher who..."

"I've seen these tactics before, Josie. You worked with Chaher, you said yourself he was emotional and prone to snap judgements. That's not what I've seen here. At least, not alone. These tactics, well, if I didn't know any better I'd say they were Kerlian," shuddered Sonja.

"Honey... I know how much this reminds you of things you'd rather forget. You went through a lot when you were young, things nobody should go through. I think it's clouding your judgement," Josephine took Sonja's hand, "and besides, his random crackdowns, his complete lack of strategy for winning the war... it's all very him. The only reason he seems remotely competent is Gonhog's support."

"I hope you're right, I really, really do."

"I promise you Sonja, I won't let Kerlile get their hands on you."

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Slokais - 07-02-2018

Vice Admrial Vela Looked out of the sea in the distance he saw a Lauchenoiria P.T Boat.
" Let's Hope this New Disguse Works".
He said to his fellow Crewmebers. "Don't Move" Said the Lauchoriean Coast Guard Officer as they Pulled alongside the ship.

"Who are you and What are you Carying" Said the Officer.
"We are with United Aid Works and we are giving food to Cvilans in Lauchenoiria" Said the Vice Admiral.
"Yeah Right" Said one of the other Privates.
"Search the ship" Said the Private.
"No Billy" Said the Officer. "Your Just some low rank private I don't take orders from you".
The Officer Yawned " Lets not search the ship I want to get back to our ship in time to catch the World Cup Game". A Hour Later they saw the Port of Summersea.
"Not a Moment to Soon"
Said the Vice Admrial as he stared at the City.
"All right lets move out" He Said as his Crewmebers Started to unload the Wepons and Suplies. And as the Traners began showing some Rebel College Students how to use and shoot weapons.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Libertas Omnium Maximus - 07-03-2018

"You have got to be joking, right?" wails paranoid Maximusian Foreign Advisor, Joanna Hull, as she suddenly runs headlong into President Brown's office.
"That idiotic Walker woman!" She continues, screaming directly in the presidents face, "So... get this! Walker somehow stealth modes her way into Launchenioria, shoots Suleman Caher in plain sight of many of his bodyguards and advisors, and is taken captive on the spot!"

President Brown looks startled. He rubs his eyes and sinks into his armchair. "They haven't killed her?" He inquires.
"Not that we know of at this moment. However, no one has seen or heard anything from her. Therfore it is all to possible that she's is dead." Responds Joanna, beginning what appears to be a frustrating Q and A back and forth.
"Crap! That is a major issue. Do we know weather Suleman Caher is dead? If so, how are the rebels responding to his death or incapacitation?" quickly retorts Brown.
"Again, I have no clue. He may be dead, he may not. However, I think that Walker is still alive."
"Why"
"Simple, she is worth more alive than dead. It appears that she acted alone, not in conjunction with Launchenioria or any other nation. She was in a frenzy, out of her mind maybe even. This is exactly what Cahers junta wants. The Launcheniorians leader caught acting as a mercenary looks very bad. It makes her look weak. If they killed her, she would merely become a martyr."

At this point, Brown is leaning foreword, on the literal edge of his seat.
"Brilliant! That is a brilliant hypothesis. Let's see if we can surmise her location and break her out!" Suddenly exclaims Brown.

"I'd love to," begins Hull, "but we just can't very well march in their with troops now that we just told the public that we would work to establish peace!"
"True, but this is working to establish peace! If we save Walker, she might be able to aid her country in its potential reunification. And we never said that we wouldn't take sides."
"Fair enough. Actualy that is a great point. Let's see if we can't get some analysts to get a location right now?"

"Sounds good to me!" Concludes Brown.

"Get to it!"

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Laeral - 07-04-2018

Ministry of Defense

Office of the Director of the Laeralian National Security Force

From: Strategic Operations Council, LNSF, Laeralsford
To: Brigade-General Patrice Lemercier and Command Staff, LNSF Lauchenoirian Intervention Force, Summersea

As authorized by the Director of the Laeralian National Security Force, in conjunction with the Minister of Defense and the relevant Skodenian commanders, you are hereby requested and directed to fulfill the following strategic objectives at the earliest convenience:
Firstly, to execute Operation Caseload, breaking the enemy siege of Summersea and allowing Coalition forces to advance further into Lauchenoiria;
Secondly, to secure the bridges across the river in Summersea, allowing for facilitated Coalition transport and supply for future campaigning outside the Summersea area;
Thirdly, to inflict substantial casualties upon the enemy when it is possible to do so with minimal risk to Laeralian and Coalition forces.
You are to work in conjunction with allied Skodenian forces for this operation. A second convoy of soldiers and materiel has been sent to reinforce your position, and is projected to arrive in several days. Full information, including a summary of applicable intelligence and an assessment of enemy forces, is attached.

As authorized by the Director of the Laeralian National Security Force.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Libertas Omnium Maximus - 07-05-2018

Official Briefing
To: Brigadier General, A. Wallace
From: Peter Mconoly, Director of Strategic Planing, Maximusian Armed Forces
Subject: Launcheniorian Coup

Mr. Wallace, we were unable to gether enough information from our UAVs and satellites to accurately pinpoint the location of Mrs. Walker. Therefor, The theoretical Operation Hound Dog is herby discarded. With this said, Caher's men fired on one of our UAVs. Attacking a neutral UAV flying over contested airspace is prohibited by the IAC resolution #1325. This gives us the green light to attack Caher's regime itself. Yes, this does mean we have actively joined the Coalition.

You have been approved to coordinate and lead all Maximusian forces in Launchenioria. We already have battalion of Counter-Insurgency Specialists en-route. You are to meat up with them and the Laerelian forces near Summersea at 20:30 at their encampments. I leave it up to you to coordinate with our allies and prepare a comprehensive assault plan.

For the record. The whereabouts and condition of Suleman Caher are still unknown to us. He may or may not be alive. Either way, expect strong opposition from those pesky Communists. We believe that Kerlie may be more a involved in this coup than we previously suspected, and I wouldn't put it past them to do something brash this late in the game. In any case, good luck!

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Lauchenoiria - 07-08-2018

Lauchenoiria

1400, Ecanta province, near boundary with Costeno

Nico Alfaro, former leader of the Carville Resistance, led his squad through the forest, keeping as quiet as possible. He held up his hand in a silent stop signal. He had heard voices. He crept closer. The Gonhogians were approaching. He kept his watch on the troops as they passed into the target area. When he thought the bulk of their force was inside, he gave the order.

The homemade explosives they had hidden went off, spraying dirt and leaves. Alfaro and the others turned to run from the area as the Gonhogians shouted and tried to flee the area. Alfaro smelled smoke and quickly glanced behind without stopping. The trees around their target area were on fire. That would delay them.

An hour's walk south of the attack on the Gonhogians, another two resistance squads were working on the bridges over the river Anaí¯s, which passed through Annatown before passing the provincial boundary and looping back to join the river along the border with Malabra.

Using more homemade explosives, the resistance spread across the deserted area, placing them on the bridges. Most of the area was farmland, with a few tiny villages. They were all almost empty. The fighting in Summersea had chased most of the residents away. When they were finished, the signal was given, and they blew the bridges to pieces.

Back at their base, Alfaro found out the news. Let the Gonhogians try and reach Summersea now, he thought.

Laeral

The ants' nest that was the Coalition barracks in Summersea was full of activity. The Laeralian section, consisting of two regiments under Brigade-General Lemercier, numbering around 2100 combat troops, had mostly finished all of the official preparations for combat. Every soldier was fully armed, with enough ammunition for a major firefight and more to spare. The Laeralites hadn't even needed the ammunition the Slokaisians had smuggled in, although it was much appreciated. The tanks were fuelled and equipped for combat. No, the soldiers of the Laeralian National Security Force were occupied with unofficial preparations for the coming battle.

First Sergeant Brandon Lau led the Command Squad, 3rd Captaincy*, 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment of the Laeralian National Security Force. The 3rd Captaincy was a Min unit, composed of soldiers most proficient in Min Chinese rather than French. Lau himself was fluent in both, a factor he credited with his promotion from Second Sergeant a few months ago. However, only a few of the 11 others in his squad (nine ordinary soldiers and two communications specialists) had attained a coveted official certification of bilingualism, which qualified them for more rapid promotion as well as a pay bump. His men (men and women were typically not intermingled within squads) were mostly rural Laeralites from the heavily Rén** western provinces, and they were having a quick discussion with the chaplain, a Minjian Scrivener, or religious calligrapher. She was quickly scribing Chinese characters onto white armbands and sashes of the devout soldiers in Lau's squad. Lau stood up from the wall he was leaning on and walked over to her, carrying with him a pure white armband. When he reached the front of the line, she asked, "Which blessing?" "JiÄnrÄ›n bí¹ bá," he said. Fortitude. She nodded and wrote it on the armband, with a sanctified brush and a trained hand. As she wrote, she quickly said the traditional words and handed it back to him. å …å¿ä¸æ‹”, his armband read. Fortitude.

The time reached 15:20, and Lau braced for the bombardment. He heard from the harbour the sound of a missile launching, and then more, from man-portable launchers, followed it. They sped over the city and the Coalition troops there, dropping to strike targets on the other side of the river, where the Junta's soldiers were. Sergeant Lau glimpsed drones flying overhead towards the other side of the river, likely searching for enemy command posts. Brandon didn't know where exactly the missiles were heading for, likely enemy vehicles and barracks, but he prayed that they would wreak havoc on the other side. No one seemed to know exactly how many enemy soldiers were out there, or even if the Coalition outnumbered them, but from what he'd heard and seen in the skirmishes of the last week, he knew that every enemy killed in the bombardment would count.

*Equivalent to a Company
**Asians in Laeral

Gonhog

1519 Hours, 1st Specialized Platoon, 7th Infantry Division, Summersea

Private 070109 zoomed in with his binoculars, scouting the Laeralian positions just a couple thousand feet across the river. Although no one was currently close to the bridge, he saw lots of movement at their base camp, indicating something was going on.

"Captain, movement spotted at the Laeralian base camp." Captain Ingram Fisher of 1st Specialized Platoon, 7th Infantry Division, better known to his superiors as 070101-C, got up from where he was sitting and strode over to the private, taking the binoculars and looking to where he had pointed to. This was the first time they had seen this much movement on the other side of the bank since they had arrived a week previously.

"Interesting. 04, radio central command and tell them that we've spotted movement along the Laeralian si-"

That's when the first missiles were fired, and those with sharper ears heard it first.

"Duck and cover!" someone shouted.

Not even half the platoon was in the bunker when the first artillery shots hit the ground, killing around 10 in his platoon alone. Fisher swore as 070104 quickly radioed command centre, rapidly speaking into the mic as more artillery shots had hit the ground. Fisher's platoon, being one of the elites in the corp, was used to this, and patiently waited the barrage out. Pairing two and two together, Fisher shouted.

"04, radio for reinforcements and an evac, the Laeralians are going to be charging this bridge any second understood?"

The Gonhogian artillery had already begun to shoot retaliatory fire in the general direction of the main camp on the other side when the return call from main command located in a random barn to be discrete had radioed back.

"Roger 0701, reinforcements and evac are on their way. Hold tight."

Fisher sat back down and faced his man. Looking each one in the eye before taking a deep breath and doing the typical Gonhogian salute.

"For Glorious Leader!" he screamed. His man replied, louder, "For Glorious Leader!"

Kerlile

Colonel Chloe Conde had been in the middle of a mouthful of pasta when the first missile hit. She choked on her food and dropped the bowl to the ground, grabbing her rifle and heading out the door to the bunker.

"Inside, now!" she yelled, though she could hardly hear herself. Fortunately, the other Kerlians had the same idea. She was almost inside when she was knocked off her feet by a nearby explosion. She cursed and pulled herself to her feet, running into their bunker north of the city.

When inside, someone spoke to her but her ears were ringing and she had to wait a moment before she could hear what the woman was saying.

"-oalition are preparing an attack, we need to be ready. Recommend destroying the two bridges north of the city and collapsing the railway tunnels."

"I concur," Conde responded, still half out of breath, "as soon as the missile bombardment is over, proceed."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sections labelled [nation]Laeral[/nation] and [nation]Gonhog[/nation] written by those nations.

Re: Have I Got Coups For You - Lauchenoiria - 07-09-2018

Laeral

As soon as First Sergeant Brandon Lau's clock hit 15:30, the bombardment halted, and a sudden silence filled the streets. Brandon knew that on the other side of the river, the Lauchenoirian and Gonhogian and Kerlian troops who had survived (make no mistake, there would be many of them) would be emerging from their bunkers and their pieces of cover to engage the Coalition attackers they knew would follow. They'd also be racing to destroy the four bridges which separated the Coalition side of the river from Junta positions before he and his men could cross. "Forward!" he yelled, gesturing his squad to advance with his battle rifle. With a cry, they followed, and around and behind him other LNSF soldiers burst from cover and followed. In front of him, a Laeralian tank came to life and rumbled down the street towards the second bridge from the harbour. Their goal. Brandon glimpsed a few Skodesmen advancing as well, calling out in their strange language.

As they approached the bridge, a burst of gunfire came from the other side. Shit. The enemy was there. Brandon leapt into cover behind a bench, and fired back, more out of habit than to seriously threaten the defenders on the other side. As the shooting continued, Brandon figured from the sparse return fire that the Junta's men on the other side were few in number. But if the Coalition couldn't cross the bridge, they wouldn't advance. As the Laeralian tank roared up to the bridge, he yelled "To me!" and followed, ducking behind the tanks as it drove up the bridge. Behind him, his men, and the other LNSF soldiers present, followed, a few of them falling to fire from the enemy-held east bank of the river. As the tank reached about half-way across the bridge, it paused to fire a round at enemy positions on the opposite bank. As it fired, Brandon glimpsed a gout of flame from the other side of the river, and a rocket streaked into the side of the tank. A second later, another struck the side of the tank. The crew inside opened the hatch and jumped out, huddling with Brandon behind a row of ornamental planters along the side of the bridge. "Man-portable rocket launcher of some kind," one of them said in French, while peeking around the planter to fire at the enemy with his pistol. We're stalled here, Brandon thought. Won't be long until enemy reinforcements arrive and we're driven back. He saw that the enemy combatants trading fire with the LNSF soldiers were mostly huddled in doorways and behind a railing. There were maybe two dozen of them, popping up to fire. Brandon looked back, hoping for an equivalent missile launcher or RPG among his own side. He saw the distinctive tube being loaded by a two-man team back on the west riverbank and braced for them to fire.

The Laeralian missile struck the other side, creating a fireball and disorienting the enemy defenders. Another missile followed as Brandon, the tank crew, and dozens of other LNSF soldiers raced down the bridge. A machine gun opened up on the other side, scything down the first rank of soldiers, and Brandon cursed. And then from the air, a missile streaked down and destroyed the machine gun emplacement. Thank the Divine for Laeralian drones.

The LNSF men and women reached the other side, trading fire with the enemies down the street. Brandon himself glanced down at the uniform of the soldiers to see who had been killing his men. They wore Gonhog's uniform. As more Laeralian soldiers, as well as a few Skodenian specialists, crossed the bridge and joined the fight, the Gonhogians began to fall back before the advancing Coalition troops. Everything was going as planned. And then a tremendous explosion ripped through the air downstream, and the Laeralites looked up to see that the southernmost bridge, further downriver, had blown. The Junta's troops must have destroyed it. That would make further advance near impossible for the Skodenians there without rafts or boats. Sergeant Brandon Lau turned away from that, and ran down the street to re-join his squad, rifle in his hands. His white armband with characters on it in black practically shone in the afternoon sun. Fortitude.

Gonhog

1530 Hours, 1st Specialized Platoon, 7th Infantry Division, Summersea

The barrage stopped as soon as it started, leaving the platoon with only around 33 men to fight.

Fisher grabbed his Gonhogian PL-3* and stepped out of the bunker, his men following him, and he began shouting orders.

"Alright firesquads, evens of the left and odds on the right, lower numbers closer to the front."

Using sandbags and metal sheets as cover, he formed a V shape with his troops, with the machine gun in the front. He was to the immediate right of the gun, along with Private 01 and 04, the comms guy, next to him.

"04, how much longer until reinforcements."

"Command said 3 minutes until 19th, 21st, and the Specialized 501st Platoons arrive, another 5 until a heavy tank and 3 medium ones get here. By the time they get here, the bulk of the divisions will be leaving main command to bulk up further."

Fisher nodded. 180 seconds was the only thing separating certain death and the only chance of survival they had. There was no way in hell they were going to hold a chokepoint for much longer. He swallowed, and then took a deep breath. Hearing orders from the other side of the bridge, he called to his men.

"Ready!"

170 seconds.

The men became visible. Some men from both sides took pot-shots, only a handful actually hitting. The Coalition forces were not even to the edge of the bridge.

165 seconds.

Fisher closed his eyes for a brief moment, calming himself. Opening his eyes, he could see the enemy approaching. Readying his PL-3, he paused for a brief moment.
"Fire!"

Shots rang out from their positions, firing bursts of accurate fire. They didn't get the title "Specialized" for nothing. These were the top of their class, experienced through Gonhogs's gruelling training program they were sent to after their high scores during basic training. Fisher locked on to a man, fired, and saw the man go down, dead before he hit the ground. The Laeralians quickly began taking cover and fired back, hitting one of his guys to the right.

155 seconds.

A tank began to roll towards the bridge. He swore, and turning to someone to his right, he shouted,"07 and 09! Load that rocket and fire on that tank!"

The privates did just that, loading the rocket into the launcher, taking a second to aim, then pulling the trigger. The rockets fired out, hitting the sides of the tank in a small plume of fire and smoke. The Laeralians on the other side taking cover again before another rocket fire from their side.

It happened to fast, and before they knew it, a firesquad down the right side was hit, and the medic rushed over, ducking behind cover on his way there.

145 seconds.

The Laeralians rushed forward, the gunners shooting down a dozen before another rocket hit them. The Laeralians continued to push forward, while Fisher and his men held their ground, picking off as many as they could. Yet, no matter what they did, there were just too many. Ultimately, the two forces met and the melee began.

Fisher watched as man after man fell, taking a couple of Laeralians with them as they fell. They had failed. The bridge was theirs.

"Fall back! Retreat!"

Fisher grabbed someone on the ground and ran as the Laeralians pressed further up the bridge. Taking cover in an abandoned shoe shop, Fisher started to bandage his comrade while 04 radioed command. The rest of his platoon was scattered close by, ready for a counter attack. Although they had failed to stop the bridge being taken, they were ready to take it back to the Laeralians, although Fisher had a sinking feeling command wasn't up to it.

Kerlile

The water level in the river dropped noticeably as the railway tunnel collapsed and flooded. Captain Jolene Walters signalled to her squad and they proceeded towards the nearby bridge. A flock of sheep watched them suspiciously from a nearby field. The women placed explosives all along the bridge but before they could finish, machine gun fire erupted from the other side, and the women on the bridge dropped, some falling into the water.

Walters swore. Some Skodesmen began to cross the bridge, firing at her women. Frustrated, she slammed her hand on the remote trigger for the explosives. The bridge, and the Skodesmen on it exploded into fire. To the west, the other bridge the Kerlians were guarding blew a few moments later.

Walters signalled a pair of enlisted troops in charge of the rocket launcher, and soon the Skodenians on the other side of what was once a bridge were gone. Walters clasped her hands behind her back and watched the other riverbank. The Skodenians seemed to have retreated from the area. But one could never be too careful.

Meanwhile, to the east, Colonel Chloe Conde was yelling orders to the Kerlian troops near the Lauchenoirian Army Base. The Skodenians were already halfway over the motorway bridge, which was sturdier than the others. General Sanchez was nowhere in sight. She turned to Lieutenant O'Brien.

"Order most of our troops to return to this area once the other bridges are destroyed. Nobody's getting across the river up there, and there's nothing much to the west anyway. We need more people defending that bridge."

She glanced towards where she suspected the cowardly Sanchez was hiding, scowled and stuffed extra ammunition in her pockets, heading towards the fighting.

Lauchenoiria

The remaining Lauchenoirian troops emerged from their encampment, glancing back at the smoking rubble of parts the army base. General Sanchez ordered the troops to head to the motorway bridge and hold it against the Skodenians. He stayed hidden inside one of the remaining structures.

Sergeant Peterson led his squad to the bridge to the north of the motorway with explosives, only to find the Kerlians already there and the bridge in pieces. One of their officers gave Peterson a patronising smile and then turned away without saying anything. Peterson repressed the urge to shoot her.

"Come on, the Skodenians are going to put up a hell of a fight," Peterson said, leading his squad back down the river. As the motorway bridge came into sight, he noticed that Skodenian tanks were already halfway across the bridge. Something exploded nearby and two of his men fell to the ground.

One was screaming and missing his legs, the other was missing far more vital parts. Peterson cursed and yanked the dog tag off the body. He radioed for medical assistance then left the injured with his squad's medic, continuing to the bridge.

The Lauchenoirians were exchanging fire with the Coalition troops advancing over the bridge. Peterson's squad opened fire on a cluster of Skodenians who had reached their side of the bridge. Some of the Skodenians managed to take cover behind a fallen part of the bridge's barrier, returning fire.

Peterson soon lost track of most of the others as the world around him turned into a steady stream of death and screaming. The only sound to distract from the screams was the steady machine gun fire and the occasional explosion. It occurred to him after a while that they were no longer at the edge of the bridge, and in fact had been pushed back rather far.

He began to call out an order to his squad when a nearby explosion knocked him off his feet. He rolled over and gasped for breath. He couldn't stand up. He noticed a Skodenian nearby and held up his hands.

"I surrender!" he yelled, unsure of if he could be heard. "I surrender!"

Sections labelled [nation]Laeral[/nation] and [nation]Gonhog[/nation] written by those nations.