Hope Float 2

[Captain Enema]

With Hope Float 1 underway, planning for Hope Float 2 commences. It is agreed the destination of Hope Float 2 will be the Indian Subcontinent and Indian Ocean islands. Preliminary efforts has gained the willingness of Druk Yul to assist with their offer to provide ports and provisions at cost. A rough draft of the Order of Relief is created and sent up for King Gregory's approval.

 

 

Order of Relief - Hope Float 2

Admiral Rol Mbembe the 3rd, a veteran of the African Emergency, will be in command of the Maltese Hope Float 2 vessels. 

Four hospital Ships
6 Engineering Support Transports (converted Landing Ship Docks equipped with a reinforced Engineering Company each)
2 Amphibious Assault Transports, 1 equipped for medical relief work and the other equipped with the Maltese Spartan's First Marines Regiment
1 Aegis Class Cruiser
6 Selong The Great Class Destroyers
12 Incheon Class Frigates

12 Ruffryder Class Fleet Replenishment Vessels escorted by 8 Corvettes
 

 

Funding for Hope Float 2 is being raised via the dedicated luxury tax levied on all Maltese. While the operation is expected to be quite expensive, the costs won't unduly compromise the Malta Defense Force budget for the coming year as the operational costs will be taken elsewhere.

As the White Cross is in the process of reforming, the majority of the medical staff for the float comes from the Malta Defense Force. For the duration of the Float they are reassigned on Temporary Attached Duty to the service of the White Cross, as will the rest of the relief units, with the exception of the dedicated military units. Those will remain under the direct command of Admiral Rol Mbembe the 3rd.

In other news, the Maltese First Spartan Marines rejoices at their assignment and sends out a press release demonstrating their satisfaction that they may well get to visit Bombay again. Most Maltese opt to not comment and instead content themselves with their confusion in silence.

Edited November 19, 2014 by Tidy Bowl Man

[Maelstrom Vortex]

The Druk Yul navy was already operating at full peace-time support capacity trying to resolve its own national problems. The war had wrecked west India where several tactical nuclear weapons had been employed right on the border of the parthian protectorate. Cleanup crews were working round the clock and probably would be for a very long time. Fortunately, most of that region was the kilometers deep mine field and already uninhabited by civilians. Most of the Druk Yul mines and defense system had auto-destruct systems, but some did not, and it made cleaning the area particularly hazardous. In many instances mine clearing vehicles were working along side radiation clean up crews.

 

One of the most fascinating features on the landscape was the inner border wall that was triggered during the war. It was longer than the great wall of china in its coverage of the Druk Yul Border and designed to raise and lower along the inner mine field perimeter. However, parts of it failed to lower.. bent at acute angles over its sheathing after the nukes struck near them. It was a truly bizarre landscape of craters and 10 foot high walls of 6 inch thick steel and concrete, like a giant vietnam memorial of the dead, both Persian and Druk. But the walls and the traps had worked, the Persians had come swarm upon swarm and crashed into the wall to be utterly ruined by tunnels beneath the landscape that permitted the easy movement of the Druk Army. when the walls lowered and the reserve forces advanced, the Persians had been forced into a 10 foot pit of napalm on the outer periphery of the Druk Yul kill-zone which seemed to appear from nowhere, but had been built beneath the ground and covered by engineers many months before. Tens of thousands had died on both sides, but eventually the Persians were pushed back.

 

Without aid of their satellites, and with the Druk having Ares, there was an insurmountable intelligence advantage on the ground. They were eventually driven clear back to Parthia, where the God King had been forced to abdicate. Unfortunately, the ruin had been so great on both sides.. no orderly government had been able to be formed in the Persian regions once the old one had been destroyed.

 

The entire border kill zone would also require extensive repair work to resume function. Maelstrom would walk among the battlefield. His faithful dreams among his army would ask him what happened? How had it been this bad? He responded, "A war between gods often falls on the shoulders of the followers. I am very sorry. War is hell." He, absent a radiation suit, feeding off the radiation if anything.. would walk among the dead carefully lift his broken dreams one by one, and place them in their graves. "I'll reunite you with your families soon. They still have a purpose to serve." He would tell the dead. "They will honor your sacrifice."

Edited November 19, 2014 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Peter Ilyich]

The California Republic will gladly donate supplies to this peaceful cause. The supplies will be sent shortly.

[Captain Enema]

The Engineering Transport Ship the King's Pride would join the fleet. This massive vessel has the capacity to rebuild entire cities with the equipment contained its massive RORO hold. 

 

The returning hospital ships and Essex Class Transports are recrewed and given a thorough going over by the engineering teams. Any part that seemed slightly out of kilter was replaced. The galleys restocked, the ships repainted, fuel and water taken on board, and all the other necessary tasks to prepare the vessels for sea duty. 

 

The new crews for the hospital ships are wearing the new White Cross Uniforms, which not surprisingly are entirely white. The work uniform is a brown looking thing designed more for hard work than looking shiny. 

 

The Engineering Support Transports and the F-BET King's Pride have mixed crews of White Cross and Malta Defense Force manpower. The attached naval vessels and Marines are entirely Malta Defense Force with small teams of White Cross members stationed on those vessels for liason purposes. The 2nd Hope Float will also have a sizable contingent of translators going along with it. 

 

Word is sent out that the 2nd Hope Float will be departing via the Suez Canal directly to its first stop in Sri Lanka by the end of the month. 

[Captain Enema]

Hope Float 2 under command of Maltese White Cross Colonel Rol Mbembe would depart for the Suez Canal. The Maltese contributions for the 2nd Hope Float were changed twice in the run up to the fleet's departure.

 

 

 

Four hospital Ships 
2 UH-60 Medvac helicopters per ship
1 light ship tender with high speed shore to ship medical transports

4 Engineering Support Transports (converted Essex Class Landing Ship Docks equipped with a reinforced Engineering Company each)
1 F-BET Engineering Support Transport (Engineering Battalion plus heavy equipment)

1 Amphibious Assault Transport carrying an AMF Spartan Marines Division Battalion plus 16 UH-60 transports and 8 Tiger HAD gunships
1 Amphibious Assault Transport carrying an AMF's Spartan Marines Division Battalion plus 16 UH-60 helicopters and 8 Tiger HAD gunships
Additional Flight Medical Teams are temporarily attached to both of these ships to allow an increase of medvac flights using the UH-60s in a medical capacity.
1 Aegis Class Guided Missile Cruiser
4 Selong The Great Class Destroyers

8 Incheon Class Frigates
12 Ruffryder Class Fleet Replenishment Vessels escorted by 9 Corvettes

* A historical note, the Spartan Marines have no affiliation with Greece, rather they stem from an odd entity that first rose up in Cambodia. They then transferred their allegiance to the mercenary nation of Legion, from there they merged into the Order. At the request of the King, some years ago, the Spartan Marines agreed to shift from the Order directly to the AMF to form Malta's dedicated Marine division.

** On an additional historical note, the Spartan Marines have a certain amount of notoriety for having roughly handled Bangalore after the fall of the Kingdom of Cochin. 

Specifically:



Which goes a great distance in explaining their shoulder patches.











 

 

The Order of the Hospitaller will be well represented on the mission as a great number of their men and women have volunteered to serve in the Maltese White Cross, which is something as a relief to the AMF as it reduces the manpower demands on their organization. The Order Les Terribles will be tagging along in order to provide some of its long and colorful African experience and additional fighting strength. The Les Terribles consists of the great-grandchildren of many of the more colorful Legionnaires of the old mercenary Kingdom of Legion in Africa, it is commanded by Jethro Tull-Beckwith, great-grandchild of General Chargin' Charlie Beckwith, a notorious collector of human ears and relative to the former King of Axum. 

Each and everyone of the Les Terribles is a veteran of the classified African Emergency and several of them were attached to the 10th Order Special Forces group during the recent Polish situation. Their total strength is 120 men and 6 women. 

Edited December 4, 2014 by Tidy Bowl Man

[Captain Enema]

The first stop was in Djibouti, a tense five days were spent delivering aid and engineering support to this heavily damaged African city. From Djibouti, the fleet proceeded to Shaqra on the Arabian Peninsula where three days were spent assisting the local people. Four more days in Qusayir where two Maltese Marines were injured in a boating accident and flown home. A week was spent in Masqat delivering tonnes of medical, food, and material supplies needed to help the city begin rebuilding itself. From there the fleet would begin proceeding to the Indian Subcontinent.

[Captain Enema]

A message was received from Kuwait City requesting the Hope Fleet, a detour was made after an at-sea replenishment evolution. A large air train of C-4B Galaxy Transports would beging descending on the International Kuwait City Airport as soon as the Fleet Engineers cleared it and certified it ready for duty. Tonnes of supplies, materials, and equipment would be delivered to restore power, water, and hospitals. The Hospital Ships would immediately commence operations and would be kept running at full capacity 24 hours a day with no foreseeable let up for the near future as the region's sick and injured start arriving by the busload looking for help. 

 

Marine medical teams, fleet medics, and extra flight medical crews are organized into aid teams for non-critical medical care, which helps to streamline and lessen the burden significantly. Order Special Forces medics, who have the necessary certifications and cultural training, set up an vaccination program that too soon needs reinforcing, which is handled by sending in the entire recently graduating class of the King's University Nursing Department. 

[Captain Enema]

The work in Kuwait City had taken far longer and cost much more than anyone had anticipated. The end result, much of the city was restored and medical care provided for thousands who sought it out. A long term solution would need to be found for providing a stable supply of power to the city, but for now the Malta Navy Reserve Ship, Landslow will use its older but reliable generator to keep the city supplied. Further, the Landslow has be configured as a medical clinic allowing a stay behind presence of White Cross Medics to be left in place with a reasonable

amount of safety.

 

The concept of a power ship is not  a new one. Numerous of these ships have been built over the decades. The Navy of Malta knowing that it was possible there would be a need for providing power generation of regions of the world striken by various calamities had taken it upon themselves to claim a fleet of Battlecruisers from one of the many fallen governments long since forgotten by most and forever preserved on bobpedia.

 

The Battlecruisers, stripped of the majority of its weapons, were left with a pair of nuclear reactors and given certain improvements. The removed weapons magazines made  space surgical wards, supply lockers, and housing for medical detachments. The forward decks that once housed dozens of VLM hatches were rebuilt into helicopter landing pads and hangars for a pair of helicopters. The end result was an affordable stay behind presence for the Navy of Malta that could produce a surplus of electrical energy, provide a modest amount of medical support, and was heavily armored. While the heavily weapons had been stripped away, the ships were left with eight .50 caliber machine guns, two dozen 7.62 machine guns, and a  pair of Sky Sweeper Air Defense turrets were mounted. The Sky Sweepers were installed one forward and one aft. As a defense against possible RPG attacks, a number of Soft Kill Defense Mounts were installed that have already been proven highly effective on the Army of Malta's Puma APCs in Poland. 

 

As BattleCruisers the deadly vessels carried crews of eight hundred men, as Relief Support Vessels they carry a mere two hundred and sixty men and women. 

 

With the Landlow in Kuwait City, three more RSVs are now with the fleet, and the fleet itself is now underway towards the Indian Subcontinent. 

Edited December 16, 2014 by Tidy Bowl Man

[Captain Enema]

The fleet, now reinforced with three RSVs, made landfall at Bushehr and found an entire city abandoned. The radiation levels proved more than within the tolerable limits of habitation, though signs of biological and chemical weapons were found. Survey teams were sent to investigate and take samples while the fleet did a full replenishment and repairs. A small solar powered signaling station is left on the docks with written instructions in seven different languages common to the region on how to contact the International White Cross organization for assistance. A large steel plate is etched with a diagram of the city with the locations of chemical and biological weapons traces that were found and advice as to avoid those areas of the city. The steel plate is given a coat of preservative and then mounted near the solar powered signaling station. 

 

 

 

Botakhaneh is the next destination. 

[Captain Enema]

The city of Botakhaneh was in complete anarchy as competing gangs and factions vied for control. Fleet intelligence assets using satellites, drones, helicopters, and radio intelligence gathering pieced together a partial picture of the scene and came to the determination that it would require at least a full Marine division to bring the city under control. On top of that a regiment sized force would be required for a period of two to five years to ensure ongoing stability. Back in Malta the decision is made to authorize a partial operation that would create a safe haven in a suburb outside of the city. 

 

An RSV, a local militia battalion, and a special detachment of civil and military advisers are authorized. Once the go ahead was given the Spartans were cleared to hit the beach and they did so with their customary enthusiasm for armed engagement. LCACs, helicopters, small boats, and just about anything that had the shallow draft necessary was requisitioned for a pre-sunrise landing of the entire 1st Spartans. The sudden arrive of 800 Marines with heavy equipment on the outskirts of the city on a remote beach caught the local warlords and criminal organizations off guard. 

 

The Les Terribles launched their own offensive as they infiltrated the city in muffti. Once the local gangs and warlords began to respond, universally very chaotically and often at cross purposes to the common goal of keeping the Spartans out of the city, the Les Terribles started placing beacons on heavy vehicles carrying weapons and men towards the Spartan landing zone. This was of course much appreciated as the Fleet's Selong the Great class destroyers opened their VLS hatches and used the incoming signals to guide their missiles directly to the designated targets, much to the angst of the locals. 

 

The 2nd Spartans made a more sedate arrival, but once landed, they started the work of securing what would be known as the Botakhanken Safe Haven. It would grow to include wharves, docks, a small industrial district, farm lands, and residential areas. Spartan Tanks would be sent to level a kill zone by driving through and over buildings to clear it. Of course, this drew the fire of the local undesirable elements and in turn drew a response that generally came in the form of a 120 mm main gun round, which quickly ended the attempts to stop the Spartans from clearing a kill zone. Once the kill zone is created, the safe zone cleared of mines, IEDs, and other dangers, the local civilians and slaves are allowed into their new home. 

 

An Order Special Forces Team arrived from Malta to begin training the Militia Battalion that would assume responsibility for the BSH security, but until it is ready the Special Forces soldiers and a Maltese Reservist Battalion will keep things under wraps. Once medical relief and engineering support operations are completed, the White Cross Hope Fleet departs. 

[Captain Enema]

Bandar-e Abbas was found in decent condition, a three day stop for medical and engineering support is made. The fleet then moved onto to spend two days each at several smaller cities on the way to Karachi where the fleet pulled into port 14 days later. Immediate full scale relief operations commenced immediately and are still underway. 

[Peter Ilyich]

California had already donated so many supplies to Hope Float 2, however would send a letter asking if there was anything more they could do to be of assistance. They would await a reply.

[Captain Enema]

California had already donated so many supplies to Hope Float 2, however would send a letter asking if there was anything more they could do to be of assistance. They would await a reply.

 

"More supplies and financial support are always appreciated."

[Captain Enema]

Word came to the relief workers that a sizable slave market was in business about fifty kilometers west of Karachi. Admiral DeGrasse immediately dispatched a small team of Les Terribles to scout the slave market and sought permission to perform a rescue mission from Malta's General Staff and receives permission with certain conditions attached. Primarily, the go ahead would be allowed providing the mission was within the grasp of the attached fleet units, should it not be, Druk Yul would be notified and allowed to handle the problem.

 

The Les Terribles, in disguise, quickly penetrated the slave market and gained the evidence and intelligence necessary. They did so by purchasing a half a dozen witness and returning with them to the fleet. The stunned slaves were debriefed, given medical care, and questioned closely on the security arrangements for the slave market. It was quickly learned that the slavers were in the strength of about two hundred strong and armed with light weapons only. The 1st Spartans and the attached Order Special Forces team are given orders to plan a rescue mission. The planning phase took all of two hours before it quickly shifted into deployment phase with the first wave of the Spartan Marines crossing the beach in their LCACs. 

 

The Spartans and the Ordermen would go in from two directions. First would be a battalion sized movement driving full speed and stopping for nothing to encircle the market in the dark of the night. The second direction would be from the sky as helicopters and gunships would descend carrying the heavily armed Ordermen. From the start the mission unfolded flawlessly and quickly descended into a complete jumbled running gun battle in which two Spartan Marines were killed and four more injured. While the final phase of the mission did not unfold as planned, the slaves were still rescued and the slavers dispersed and killed off. The slaves were then evacuated to the Hope Fleet for medical care and return to their homes. 

[Captain Enema]

A 2nd Large Safe Haven, named the Karachi Safe Haven, is organized. It is located about 100 kilometers South of Karachi and is quite large. The necessity for this being the need to have room enough to provide safety for large numbers of patients and civilians. The King grants a Royal Warrant for the Operating of the Karachi Safe Haven to the Order of the Hospitallar. They move a Special Forces Team and several rifle companies directly from their bases in Malta to the KSH. The Royal Warrant for the BSH is rescinded at the request of the Maltese White Cross and given to the Order of the Hospitallar. 

[Captain Enema]

The Karachi relief effort proved to be a difficult one that required numerous long range missions into the heart of former Pakistan. Once completed the fleet cruised down the coast of India. After a month of relief operations in India the fleet then moves onto Madagascar where it is currently located. A naval task force with an additional Hospital Ship and supply ships joined the fleet at Madagascar. This smaller unit is dispatched to begin a long tour of the Indian Ocean islands. 

 

The MSH, Madagascar Safe Haven is also established. The Order again takes responsibility under a charter from the King for this site. 

[Ovidsidios]

Samir landed within an indistinct airport that could have passed for nothing more than a dirt path. He didn't give himself much time to take in the sights. He was flying within this personal prop. jet when his initial course was changed. Since he didn't fly, he was reliant on others to fly him places. Sadly, Samir had an indisposition to flying.

 

Upon landing, he was handed the keys to a jeep, a map, a compass and the only words he understood, "Go".

 

He read very well the contents of that missive. He committed to an ineffable memory every detail that he could. Coordinates, set times, names, but no pictures. It was mentioned that it would be too risky.

 

It didn't take long to figure out where he needed to be. There were several flyers as he drove into town but the details were all contained in his debriefing, which consisted of old mantras and strange memoirs from a character developed by an author the professor particularly admired. He continued driving through the plaza, contemplating the words As you walk to the temple, hand out loaves to the poor. At first he didn't think much of it, but its meanings, given these current events were manifold.

 

He parks the jeep a short distance away from port. He readies his identification, which should pass all civilian standards on all levels. Military personnel, now that's another story.

 

Relying on his unfailing luck, he approached a ship that looked civilian enough. Samir walked up to a man he thinks might be able to help him, and, hoping the individual spoke French, said, "Excuse me sir, I am here to volunteer for the relief effort provided by this fleet."

Edited December 27, 2014 by Ovidsidios

[Captain Enema]

The guard on watch grumbled and motioned the volunteer up the gangway and left him to find a berth on his own.

 

An hour later the fleet departed as it began to move around the bottom of Africa and up the coast of Western Africa in order to revisit a few cities that were in need of more assistance than they previously were given.

[Captain Enema]

The cruise up Western Africa was uneventful. The Hope Fleet made a dozen stops and were warmly welcomed at all of them. The previous visits had set the infrastructure in place to allow these cities to begin rebuilding and the follow up visits helped them a bit further along the way. The Cascadian attempts at government building in Western Africa was still in place and doing well. A special stop was made there to rebuild several power generation facilities and provide medical aid. Once completed the 1st and 2nd Spartan Marines are rotated home and 6th and 7th Spartan Marines replace them. A few of the ships that need time in dry dock for repair issues are rotated out as well along with crewmen who have family emergencies or medical issues that require advanced care. 

 

Once the fleet has been reorganized it proceeds directly to the Eastern Coast of South American to begin relief operations. 

[Captain Enema]

The Hope Fleet arrived at Rio and dropped anchor. The ship is in decent shape and minimal relief efforts are needed. Maltese authorities have decided that Rio will be the fleets final stop due to the necessity of allowing the exhausted crewmen and medical staff a chance to rest in their homes with their families. 

 

The smaller detachment has toured several of the Indian Ocean islands and has distributed relief supplies, given medical care, and provided Engineering support. They too soon will return to Malta with their mission near completion. 

[Captain Enema]

The Hope Float 2 wraps up its operations in Rio. A single stow away on a supply ship was discovered carrying a set of forged credentials. He is given 20 minutes to collect his belongs, he is paid for the labor he performed that is reported to be of good quality, and then politely escorted off the ship. Once this matter is tidied up, the Hope Fleet departs Rio and returns to Malta for a long overdue rest period.

 

The Indian Ocean Detachment concludes operations as well having visited 23 different islands and given out 112 million in medical care and material support. Most of the Islands were found to be in decent enough shape, but follow up visits are scheduled.