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Transvaal at War


Botha

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[color="#000080"][IMG]http://i48.tinypic.com/2a8lzsz.jpg[/IMG]
[font="Tahoma"][b][i][size="4"]Ons almal is Noordryk! We are all Nordreich![/size][/b][/i]

[b]TRANSVAAL OORLOG VOER – TRANSVAAL AT WAR[/b]

[i]TRANSVALER DAAGLIKSE NUUS [PRETORIA]:[/i] Due to alliance commitments, the Republic of Transvaal is now in a state of war with the nation of Odinsland

“This is our first full-fledged military operation since our re-unification with Nordreich in September, so our government and military are anxious to fulfill our duties and commitment to the best of our ability” said Prime Minister Annetjie van Matteus during her television broadcast to the nation late last night.

While offensive operations by Transvaal’s armed forces have been limited to minor blockading actions at sea and bombing strikes in the air, [i]Krygsmagte[/i] ground forces held fast during defensive counterstrikes early this morning – with casualties numbering 15,374 dead in the two decisive victories for the Republic. Enemy casualties were reported to be over 14,000 dead as the Odinslander offense was routed.

Interior Minister Gert Boersma reported that 344 civilians were killed in two missile strikes launched against Pretoria and Johannesburg.[/font]
[/color]

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[color="#000080"][i]CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [CAPE TOWN]: [/i]Widespread but unconfirmed reports are indicating that Johannesburg has come under some sort of nuclear attack as contact with the Pretoria-Johannesburg heartland of the nation has suddenly gone silent.

The only semi-official reference to the attack has been when Bartnel Botha, the manager of the Transvaal Springboks of Liga Mundo said the club was moving to the safety of Namibia after the following statement:

[i]“After today’s devastating attacks, the club executive considered disbanding or moving to a safe location outside of Transvaal, but after receiving a telephone call from Staatspresident Botha himself, who has specifically requested that the club continues operations within the Republic of Transvaal for the sake of national morale, we have now relocated to Windhoek in Namibia for the duration of this war. [/i]

In the same press statement, Bartnel Botha also mentioned that "...although civilian casualties are reported to be light, in the face of widespread anarchy the Witwatersrand capital region has since been deemed ‘unsafe’ and ‘off-limits’"

No official word has been heard from the government in Pretoria and both Radio-Transvaal and Tele-Transvaal have since gone off the air. [/color]

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[color="#000080"]The incessant knocking on her bedroom door finally woke the prime minister. A groggy Annetjie van Matteus, normally a heavy sleeper, looked at her alarm clock. ‘why on earth is someone waking me up at four o’clock in the morning’ she thought to herself. Out of bed, she wrapped herself in her house coat and answered the door. It was her maid and two officers from the [i]Oorsese Korps[/i].

“Ma’am, Johannesburg was hit by a nuclear missile from Odinsland, we have to evacuate you to the government shelters. We have already made contact with the Staatspresident’s security team at George Plass for his removal to safety.”

She stood there stunned like a deer in headlights. All she could muster was a feeble “what?” before the two officers, urged her “Ma’am, you need to come with us now.” In the distance she could now hear the wail of air-raid sirens, which snapped her out from her trancelike daze.

Half an hour later, now airborne en route to Windhoek, she read the scattered reports and desperate messages which were coming in. Apparently a tactical missile was launched at Johannesburg Barracks, killing all the [i]Krygsmagte [/i]soldiers there and damaging a large portion of the [i]Lugmag [/i]stationed at the airport nearby.

She crumpled up the sheet of paper she was read and threw it at the floor in frustration. She then asked the teletype clerk, “Any word from Marshal Cruywagen?”

“No ma’am, at this point we have to presume he was killed in the blast, his last reported whereabouts were at Johannesburg Barracks.”

“What is our military capacity?”

According to the casualty reports we have received so far, the [i]Krygsmagte [/i]has been completely wiped out, the [i]Seemag [/i]is operating at around 60% strength, and the [i]Lugmag [/i]has been carrying out counterstrikes and is relatively intact. The [i]Raketkorps [/i]are also still operational but have reported the loss of one our atomic bombs through faulty construction or wiring problems.”

Van Matteus took stock of her situation. The army was out of the picture, so if she faced the military deciding to impose a junta to replace her, it would come from Admiral Kruger or Field Marshal Malan as no one would recognise Flight Commander Wise’s authority in such an act, on account of his ‘Englishness’.

“What of civilian casualties?” she enquired.

“From the nuclear strike, actually quite minimal, we are hearing reports of between 300 and 400 civilians. This is far less than what we have suffered from conventional strikes against our cities. However most of our economic infrastructure was destroyed in the strike, it will take some time to re-establish government authority over the country. We have heard of widespread rioting throughout the Witwatersrand as panic sets in.”

She then made her first tough decision. She feared what ramifications it might hold for her after the war, but the urgency of the moment required immediate and swift action. She would deal with that later.

“I want you to broadcast the following message to all military troops that are able to receive radio broadcasts. Inform them that all hospital facilities are to be used only for military and government personal. Priority must be given to officers and the government. All civilian wounded from the nuclear attack are to be turned away – and if met with resistance, eliminated.”

She saw no need wasting valuable and precious medical resources on people who would most likely die anyways from radiation poisoning. They were collateral losses, the sooner dealt with the better. Yes it was heartless she thought, but she had to think first of national survival and the ability to maintain resistance in the face of the enemy.

Then she made her second tough decision: “Also broadcast that effective immediately any one resisting or opposing the legal government of the Republic of Transvaal” – and by that she implied herself – “would be summarily executed without trial. This includes any military personal who may seize the fragile situation to impose a junta over the nation.” Then she added, “contact all our prisons if you still are able, order them to dispose of all their prisoners as soon as possible.”[/color]

Edited by Botha
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[color="#000080"][i]CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [CAPE TOWN]:[/i] According to unofficial and unconfirmed reports, over 2,500 civilians were killed when Pretoria came under nuclear attack tonight from Knoth.

While resistance on the ground has collapsed, the [i]Seemag [/i]and [i]Lugmag [/i]continue to strike back – with the heroic airforce achieving the most success. Flight Commander Leonard Wise has reported that 176 enemy aircraft, including 131 bombers, have been shot down over during airstrikes over enemy territory while [i]Lugmag [/i]losses have numbered 36 aircraft lost. [/color]

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[color="#000080"]“Ma’am, glorious news from the front!” said the excited radio operator at the prime minister’s makeshift command centre in Windhoek, where the remnants of government had evacuated.

Annetjie van Matteus was shocked. “We [i]still [/i]have a front?!?! How is that?”

“It’s Marshal Cruywagen, ma’am… he survived the atomic attacks and was able to regroup and find replacements for the [i]Krygsmagte[/i]. Our forces went on the offensive earlier tonight and secured four major victories against our superior and more numerous enemies!”

On hearing that news, cheers erupted throughout the collection of tents which now functioned as the temporary seat of power for Republic. After the two devastating nuclear attacks a few days before, this was the best news the shattered country had enjoyed. The war was far from over and the final outcome uncertain, but the news of the battles was a welcome sign hope after all.

Van Matteus also realized the implications. It was a reversal of fortunes not only on the battlefield – but in the corridors of political power in the nation. The army was no longer regarded as Petrus Malan’s creation as most of his post-Karma War appointments and recruitment had died during the nuclear attacks. Now allegiance of the army was now firmly back in the hands of Marshal Cruywagen.

In fact, after the initial defeats, she had seriously considered removing him once and for all as commander-in-chief – while he was down and out – if he wasn’t quite possibly dead already. Now he had risen from the ashes and brought the people their first offensive victories of the war.

‘The postwar is going to be very interesting indeed,’ the embittered prime minister thought to herself. [/color]

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John Hull, governor of Transvaal-Arctica, used the war to fulfill one of his campaign promises. He asked for an enlargement of the Arctica-Transvaal Defense Force and moved the AOTDF to a standby alert. Construction of defenses was hastened, and a few naval ships were transferred to the AOTDF. A buildup of troops and hardware occurred along the joint territory's "border" with Transvaal proper. Hull stressed that it was a precautionary measure to safeguard the joint territory and that he had been informed by higher-ups that Arctica would not be entering the war unless the joint territory was attacked or if Transvaal's situation was desperate. The Defense Force was now a 25,000-man unit [2,500x10], violating the terms of the territorial charter. Governor Hull claimed it is a necessary, temporary measure, and is seeking to enter talks with his 'co-governor' Jakob Hertzog to allow the measure and to possibly revise the charter to allow larger deployments by each nation.

There was a divide in Arctica Information Command. 50% of its agents in Transvaal had been killed by the initial nuclear attack on Pretoria/Johannesburg, and more were dying as collateral damage during the fighting. Up to 75% of all Infos in Transvaal were killed or incapacitated. The rift came from conflicting ideas on how to react. One, supported by the Director and about a third of AIC, said that the best course of action was to do nothing: to send no more agents in and to keep surveillance in Transvaal at the current reduced levels. This camp's extremist suggested cutting Info Command's losses and pulling out all agents during the fighting, or even removing the dissidents by any means necessary. Director Gennady Vladimitrov maintains that AIC is not a democracy, and that such rifts are dangerous to the cohesion and efficacy of the Command. He has fired some of the worst offenders.

The other way of thought, supported by most of the rest of AIC, including the shadowy Deputy Director, is that AIC should take this opportunity as they did during the Karma War and send even more agents into the country, this time implanting themselves in the wounded government. Its extremists support the removal of Director Vladimitrov, whether by appealing through the proper channels or by other methods. There have been a few leaks and vaguely worded stories, but the rift is mostly unpublicized and internal.

All Arctican embassy personnel survived the attack, being miles away, but Arctica is seeking to remove the Ambassador. At around 4am, A C-130 entered Transvaler airspace, escorted by four F-18s launched from the carrier [i]Mon Millennia[/i]. They insist on landing at what remains of the airport and extracting the embassy staff.

Diplomatic relations between the two nations are being continued; a Foreign Ministry official has been assigned to liaise with the remnants of Transvaal's government.

OOC: I will not join the war ingame, obviously, I might send some aid afterwards but if you want to RP an attack on the joint territory, it should be in RP only. PM me if you want to do that. And good luck.

Edited by Vedran
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[quote name='Vedran' date='06 February 2010 - 05:59 PM' timestamp='1265507971' post='2165692']
John Hull, governor of Transvaal-Arctica, used the war to fulfill one of his campaign promises. He asked for an enlargement of the Arctica-Transvaal Defense Force[/quote]

[color="#000080"]Jakob Hertzog, the Transvaler co-governor of Transvaal-Arctica, contacted his Arctcian counterpart John Hull:

“We cannot reach anyone in Pretoria or Johannesburg and I have no idea who is running the government at the moment - or who is still alive for that matter. Therefore at this time I recommend that Arctica takes full control over the territory until it is clarified who is still in control of the Republic. At worst it would remove the territory from our enemies as a legitimate target and thus save some lives.”[/color]

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[quote name='Botha' date='06 February 2010 - 09:55 PM' timestamp='1265514943' post='2165928']
[color="#000080"]Jakob Hertzog, the Transvaler co-governor of Transvaal-Arctica, contacted his Arctcian counterpart John Hull:

“We cannot reach anyone in Pretoria or Johannesburg and I have no idea who is running the government at the moment - or who is still alive for that matter. Therefore at this time I recommend that Arctica takes full control over the territory until it is clarified who is still in control of the Republic. At worst it would remove the territory from our enemies as a legitimate target and thus save some lives.”[/color]
[/quote]

Hull, after conferring with the mainland, decided that this was the best course of action. It would free up Transvaal's border guards and their own territorial defense force for use on the front, and it would always allow Arctica to just keep the territory if a hostile government was in place when all the smoke cleared.

The governor replied to Hertzog in the affirmative, and announced the changes before moving in the newly transferred additions to the AOTDF to fill gaps in the defenses that had been created by the Transvalers' departure - or if they did not depart, to strengthen those positions. Meanwhile, the troops that had been ordered to reinforce the "border" arrived, having to use maps to find their position in relation to the borders on the maps as there were no border checkpoints. (OOC: That's what I remember, anyway)

Edited by Vedran
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[quote name='Vedran' date='06 February 2010 - 08:17 PM' timestamp='1265516274' post='2165972']The governor replied to Strijdom in the affirmative[/quote]

[color="#000080"]OOC: The only Transvaler government officials Arctica can get hold of is Governor Jakob Hertzog in Mozambique and Ambassador Ricardo van Deinsen in Arctica. Neither of them have been able to contact anyone in their own government; Strijdom included - whose whereabouts is unknown to them. [/color]

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[quote name='Botha' date='07 February 2010 - 12:14 AM' timestamp='1265523272' post='2166343']
[color="#000080"]OOC: The only Transvaler government officials Arctica can get hold of is Governor Jakob Hertzog in Mozambique and Ambassador Ricardo van Deinsen in Arctica. Neither of them have been able to contact anyone in their own government; Strijdom included - whose whereabouts is unknown to them. [/color]
[/quote]

OOC: Ack, I always get those two mixed up. I meant Hertzog. I'll edit the post accordingly.

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[color="#000080"]Jakob Hertzog informed his Arctican opposite that, as far as he knew, there were no longer any [i]Krygsmagte [/i]ground troops still in the territory. Not privy to the details and nature of the military’s operations in the territory, it appeared that whomever was still in command of the [i]Krygsmagte [/i]had pulled them back to the Republic itself for defense and in an attempt to maintain order.

Neither Mozambican governor, Hertzog in the joint administered territory nor Alberto Azcondos, the provincial governor of Southern Mozambique, had received any news or instructions from Pretoria. They said it was like as if someone had come along and removed that portion of the country from the map and it did not exist anymore. Therefore between the two of them, after conferring about their situation, decided that Arctica should occupy Northern Mozambique and if he was unable to maintain a semblance of order in the South, Azcondos would request an Arctican occupation of the remainder of the province.

As Azcondos told John Hull, “I think we should give it another week in the hopes to hear from Pretoria or wherever the government may have to moved to – assuming they survived the attacks – before we figure out what to do with the Mozambique Province. I would like Arctican troops in a ready position to occupy Maputo and the other major coastal towns. Relations between our two governments have been good enough that I would not envisage any diplomatic problems as a result. If Pretoria for some reason did take offense to an Arctican occupation of the southern province, both myself and Hertzog would lend our support to defend that decision and would take ultimate responsibility.”[/color]

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[color="#000080"][IMG]http://i50.tinypic.com/wlpslg.jpg[/IMG]
Field Marshal Petrus Malan sat in his tent, waiting. His radio operators had so far been unable to reach Pretoria or anyone else in the government. “Sorry sir, no luck yet...” one of them said, poking their head through the entrance of the command tent.

The commander of the [i]Transvaler Raketkorps[/i] thought long and hard about the ramifications of what he would do next – but decided that it was now or never. He stepped outside and made his way over to where an unassuming rocket was sitting on a makeshift launch pad. The Raketkorps’ nuclear arsenal may be antiquated by modern standards, but once the rocket got airborne and assuming it could find its target, it would pack just as deadly a punch as what had been raining down on the cities of Transvaal.

“Is it ready?” he asked the ground crew working on the rocket. “Yes sir, just give the word and we will activate the firing mechanisms on the warhead.”

Malan nodded, and then so there would be no confusion over orders, added “...make it so”. The rocket crew sprang into action. Within ten minutes, the old V-2 would either be airborne on its way to Odinsland or it would have come crashing back down to earth and taken out the base. Two days ago when they tried to launch, the engine misfired and the V-2 had failed to lift off from the launch pad. Thankfully the ground crew had also failed due to an oversight to activate the warhead.

Under ‘normal’ circumstances, Malan had to receive orders from both the Staatspresident and the prime minister – however he had been unable to establish any contact with either, assuming they were still alive. He figured that since he had received second-hand reports that Pretoria and Johannesburg had come under multiple nuclear attacks, that he no longer needed any orders from about to launch.

“Sir, you better make your way to the launch bunker...” said one of the ground crew running for cover. A countdown then began, broadcasted over the loudspeakers of the installation.

[i]“Twintig... negentien... agttien...”[/i]

Malan made his way to the bunker, although little good it would do if the rocket decided to explode on the pad. ‘Hopefully they remembered to activate the nuclear warhead’ he thought.

[i]Dertien... twaalf... elf... tien... nege...[/i]

Malan peered out of the blast window as smoke began to emit from its tailpipe.The nuclear V-2’s used by Transvaal were a combination of old Deutschland technology reverse-engineered from the Second Great War combined with uranium which had been acquired from Heft back when Transvaal was a member of IRON. In fact, Transvaal has nicknamed its atomic weapons [i]‘Seekoeitjies’[/i] – or ‘Little Hippos’ out of gratitude to Heft’s at-the-time timely uranium supply.

[i]Drie... twee... een... nul...[/i]

The marshal for a brief second winced, expecting the worst...

Flames and black smoke enveloped the launch pad. Malan relaxed as there was no accidental blast. Around a minute later, as the smoked cleared, one of the launch personal looked skywards and pointed “Look, there it goes!”

A small trail of fire could be seen making its way upwards and northwards towards Odinsland.

[i]Half an hour later in Odinsland, radar would pick up the lone, lowly rocket slowly making its way to Valhalla, the capital city of Odinsland. Mistaken for a regular cruise missile, which Transvaal had sparingly used during the conflict, the V-2 was ignored. “It won’t do much damage, the others they launched didn’t, just ignore it.”

Five minutes late, over 35,000 souls would be regretting that small oversight... [/i]

[/color]

Edited by Botha
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[color="#000080"][b]Transvaal requests Tahoe occupation of Cape Province[/b]

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [WINDHOEK]: With no end in sight to the anarchy which has gripped the Republic of Transvaal in the wake of the TOP-C&G War, Prime Minister Annetjie van Matteus has formally requested that the Tahoe Republic sends a military expeditionary force to Transvaal for the immediate occupation of the Cape Province.

“With the breakdown of central government control, the Loyalist Republicans under my leadership are unable to maintain authority over Cape Town and the Cape Province. Therefore for the duration of the war, we are requesting our ally Tahoe to dispatch an occupation force to Cape Town and maintain an occupation.”

When asked whether this would raise political tensions in the region, she replied “At this point, our immediate survival is at state. I am not worried what foreign powers may think. Maintaining the future integrity of the Republic is my primary long-term concern at this moment. We are also looking at Arctica taking an active role in Mozambique but the safety and security of Cape Town, which has remained untouched by the conflict, needs to be guaranteed first and foremost. It is highly probable that our post-war capital will need to be relocated to Cape Town or Bloemfontien until the Witwatersrand is suitably clean from radioactive fallout.” [/color]

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[color="#000080"][IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/2mdmb9l.jpg[/IMG]
[i][b]Map of Transvaal showing foreign occupation zones in grey[/b][/i]

[i]CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [CAPE TOWN]: [/i]Two-thousand soldiers from Tahoe began disembarking tonight at the Simonstown Shipyards near Cape Town after the Cape Province of Transvaal was voluntarally placed under the military occupation of Tahoe.

Loyalist Republicans lead by Prime Minister Annetjie van Matteus acknowledged earlier in the day that they were no longer able to maintain order over the province - and had issued a plea for foreign assistance to provide occupation troops in lieu of Republican authorities.

In Mozambique, Governors Jakob Herztog and Alberto Azcondos unilaterally authorised the occupation of Northern Mozambique by the Arctican military forces already based there in a similar measure although the Loyalist Republicans have yet to confirm or deny that decision.

What Southern Africa is now seeing is a dismembermant of the Republic of Transvaal in an attempt to advert further destruction from enemy forces - most notably from the five or six nuclear strikes which have rained down on the Witwatersrand region, the industrial and ecominic heartland of the Republic.

Anarchy has gripped the nation and although Prime Minister Van Matteus' government has been unable to re-assert its control over the country, the [i]Transvaler Krygsmagte[/i] and its associated military wings have continued resistance, independent of the Government Loyalists which have relocated to Windhoek, in the face of dire adversity. [/color]

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[quote name='Sarah Tintagyl' date='10 February 2010 - 11:48 AM' timestamp='1265831299' post='2173000']looking forward to the rest of the story[/quote]
[color="#000080"]
Thanks for the compliment. I'm trying to show just how devestating nuclear attacks are (unlike the nuclear spitball fights of Europe), the effects of this war will be around for a long while.

Also, now would be an opportune time for your pirates to make their move...[/color]

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President Sean O'Deaghaidh re-affirmed the Tahoe Republic's total commitment to its ally. This aid includes military, financial and politcal, as the President pledged economic funds to rebuild the nation post war as well as troops to garrison the Cape Province. President O'Deaghaidh signed an executive order granting Peter van Haesten the rank of Brigadier General and full control over Tahoe's military base at Swakopmund and the two thousand motorised infantry of the 23 Battalion (Van Haesten's former command)and light infantry of the 534 Battalion that have been deployed to the Cape Province. Asked if the Tahoan troops would take direct part in the fighting, the President responded that all activities carried out by the Tahoan troops in Africa would be at the sole discretion of General van Haesten, as communication would be cut off, for the most part.

[img]http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/cybernations/images/5/57/Vanhaesten.jpg[/img]
General Peter van Haesten

[b]Cape Town, Transvaal[/b]

General van Haesten had recieved his commission in the thick packet of orders that had arrived with the Tahoan soldiers from Cuba. The promotion didn't mean much to him. The extra responsibility didn't affect him and the extra money? He lived on army bases, ate army food, in short, never spent his own money. He didn't even have a family to support. And retirement? An army pension farm somewhere, most likely.

What he was conerned with, however, was the collapse of the Transvaler government. His base at Swakopmund was a smoldering ruin by now. Bombed and shelled out of existence and the remaining fighter jets and transports had relocated to Simonstown, along with the two dozen helicopters and fourty or so remaining vehicles. The good news, the reinforcements from Tahoe had brought 50 IFV's and about one hundred fifty APC's along with the usual compliment of trucks. And the most useful of all? A Tahoan guided missile destroyer that had escorted the transports and now remained in Cape Town Harbour. Its advanced missile defense system meant Cape Town was safe, probably, from nuclear attack. This didn't help the refugee situation. Thousands of civilians were pouring into the city, mostly from the shattered Witwatersrand region.

The collapse of the Transvaler government meant he was asked to occupy the Cape Province with no further directions, as far as he could see. The police and few remaining local troops that hadn't been moved to the front were keeping good order although without adequate communication with Transvaal's military or government, he couldn't safely take the initiative.

He had set up his office in the Cape Town City Hall, where an injured Ambassador O'Grianna wheeled himself into the General's office. O'Grianna had been injured in the first nuclear strike when he was trapped beneath a fallen bookshelf, confining him to a wheelchair the past few days. It was the ambassador's suggestion to attempt to send a runner from Swakopmund (about a hundred Tahoan soldiers remained behind at the base) to Windhoek, about 250 kilometers away. About five Tahoan soldiers set off on the highway, arriving in Windhoek about two hours later searching for the Transvaler government.

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[color="#000080"]As the Tahoan soldiers approached the outskirts of Windhoek, on asking for directions “to anyone who is in command”, they were instructed to make for the makeshift tent city which has sprung up to the immediate east of The Khomasdal, Windhoek’s antiquated stadium which had, amongst other refugees from the Witwatersrand, become the temporary home for the Transvaal Springboks of the Liga Mundo.

During their trek to Windhoek, they passed by an increasing number of refugees also going in the same direction. During one brief rest stop, the Tahoans were told that what was left of the government people who made it out before the nuclear attacks had relocated to Windhoek, ‘most likely because this is where Van Matteus calls home’ said one of the refugees. Rumours abounded, they said. Some had heard that no one knew where the Staatspresident was. Others had heard that communists had set up a revolutionary commune in Pretoria after being forewarned of the nuclear strikes. No one knew whether the war was being won or lost and most didn't know if the military was still fighting.

In one corner of the tent city was an area cordoned off by the local [i]Krygsmagte [/i]detachment for use by the surviving members of the Transvaler Government. The Tahoans could see their Transvaler compatriots bore the signs of major battle fatigue and almost all sported bandages and splints to some degree. These men had seen a lot of action. Some even had what looked like flash burns and dark blotching which indicated the onset of radiation poisoning. Yet despite their injured state, they continued on to carry out their duties to the best of their ability.

In front of the entrance to government area was a small wooden sign which had been hastily hammered into the ground. It bore the words [i]“Government of Transvaal – Open for Business, Enquire Within”[/i] – a macabre attempt at humour under the dire circumstances. The Tahoans made their way to the guards standing near the sign who were checking the papers of all those seeking entrance into the enclosure. [/color]

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The Tahoan soldiers approached the tent city area housing the government of Transvaal. They got concerned looks from civilian and military alike, most not recognizing the camouflage pattern causing suspicion until the Tahoan flag patch was visible. Careful observers noticed one of the Tahoans was a naval intelligence officer. The fact that the strangers were armed caused the Transvaler guards to shift their weapons into a more comfortable position to easily return fire, if fired upon.

Striding up to the guard on duty, the naval intelligence officer asked in thickly accented Afrikaans to speak with someone capable of giving orders to the Tahoan contingent in Cape Province. This earned confused stares and another request to see the Tahoans papers and for them to turn over their firearms. This was done, and one of the Transvaler guards disappeared into the tent only to return a few minutes later with an officer. The Tahoan officer explained once again that he had an urgent need to see the Prime Minister or some other senior leader to give the Tahaon troops orders.

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[color="#000080"]The [i]Krygsmagte [/i]officer looked over the Tahoan identity papers which had been handed to him. “From Swakopmund you say?” After looking over the strangers once again, he said “Wait here…”

Around ten minutes later, a blond woman returned with him whom they immediately recognized. A week of no sleep (and no make-up) had given her a tired look but she still managed to retain her charm under the circumstances. “I understand you are looking for someone in command” Annetjie van Matteus said. “I suppose that would be me, although how much I still ‘command’ is anyone’s guess” she half-heartedly laughed. The Tahoans couldn’t tell whether she was being witty or simply acknowledging the truth.

She tossed a thermos of hot coffee and a couple of plastic coffee mugs at the men, “Here you might want some of this while it is still made with fresh water.” She sat down at a portable, fold-up table and grabbed two chairs from the jumble of ‘supplies’ which had been salvaged or requisitioned from Windhoek. She motioned for the naval intelligence officer, who appeared to be the most senior of the group, to sit down with her.

“Any news from the outside world?” and by the question, she implied beyond Windhoek. “We haven’t heard anything from Pretoria nor Johannesburg for almost a week since we evacuated. I heard rumours that Bloemfontein got hit once but the damage was as minimal as one could expect from a nuclear warhead. I issued a broadcast requesting Tahoman (a quaint term some Afrikaners used instead of Tahoan) intervention in the Cape through some foreign press posted here – but I have no idea whether anyone heard it.”
[/color]

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The naval intelligence officer was surprised to be speaking with the Prime Minister herself. Taking the coffee, he explained the situation as best he coould.

"Uh, yes ma'am, your request got out via Swakopmund. We had communication with the government until a few days ago when enemy bombers destroyed our only remaining satellite dish. We had been running airstrikes against Valhallan forces as well and they finally hit back. Anyway, the President sent two battalions, about 2,000 soldiers to Cape Town along with a guided missile destroyer for missile defense. Cape Town should be safe from nuclear attack, although I've seen those destroyers work and it can be scary to see it destroy the missile seconds before it detonates. Colonel...no, General van Haesten...oh, yes, he got promoted, is in command. He brought all the remaining forces from Swakopmund save a company of infantry to join the troops in Cape Town."

"Anyway, the reason we are here is becaus the general wants orders on what to do. Your police and miitary survivors who aren't the front have kept order well in Cape Town and he says he doesn't really need all of our troops there, some can be deployed to the front. Cape Town and the Province in general are being turned into a safe zone from where to reconquer the rest of the counry. Another deployment of Tahoan soldiers is en route and shuld be here within a week or so. Do you have contact with whoever is commanding the Krygsmagte?"

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[color="#000080"]“Van Haesten?” said a surprised Annetjie van Matteus. She seemed relieved to hear the name. “Good choice, your people could not have picked a better person for the job. He knows this country like the back of his hand.”

She then relayed what she knew about Transvaal’s military.

“From what has been filtering in the past few days, the nuclear attacks have stops as the fronts against Knoth and Odinsland have petered out. I believe we are still fighting against the State of Israel although it’s now merely the exchange of conventional missile and some bomber sorties.”

“As far as I know, and last we heard, Field Marshal Cruywagen is still in command of the military however we have had no direct contact with him. We received third-hand reports that some of our small nuclear stockpile has been launched against our enemies. I don’t know if Staatspresident Botha authorised its use, it was something I had no one asked me for clearance although at this point it is not an issue I am going to worry about. So if those reports are true, then it is safe to assume Field Marshal Malan is alive and in command of his forces as he along with the Staatspresident and myself are the only one who can launch our nuclear weapons.”

“I don’t know what the status is of our navy and while I have had no contact with our air force, we have seen [i]Lugmag [/i]aircraft fly overhead at times, so the air force must still be operational.”

“We are hoping to get [i]Radio Transvaal[/i] back on the air in six hours at which point I will try to re-assert my government’s control over the country. We will also be sending a small detachment of our people to reach Pretoria and see what the situation there is like. Re-establishing communication with all branches of our military is critical – after which point I will hopefully have a better picture of just where the Republic stands. For all I know, parts of the nation could be under enemy control or under rebellion against Republican authority.”

“Right now, as for the Tahoman forces in the country, I need them to maintain order and security over the Cape Province so that I can focus on regaining the Witwatersrand. Until this conflict is over, General Van Haesten will have to improvise until the loyalist government is in a position to effectively assert control over the Cape Province.”[/color]

Edited by Botha
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"General Van Haesten has indicated that he can effecively control most of the Western Cape directly. The interior will be more difficult as we don't have the troops in country yet, although once the 4th Northern California Regiment arrives that dynamic should change. I have been ordered to stay here as the Tahoan military attache, although with no communication that position is essentially meaningless." The officer sighed. Continuing, he said, "I will have the rest of my men relay your instructions to General van Haesten."

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Van Haesten walked out of his office onto a balcony overlooking Cape Town and its harbor. The city was unnaturally still, with the population mostly staying at home and the thousands of refugees being set up in camps in parks and especially the sprawling tent city covering Signal Hill. The destroyer LT [i]Boudicca[/i] floated at anchor on the gental swell in Table Bay and a column of armored vehicles rumbled down the highway out into the Province's interior, the only traffic on the highway excepting the occasional civilian car braving checkpoints and air raids. Looking into the bright summer sky he noticed the contrails of a flight of patrolling Tahoan jets high above the city. Van Haesten had just concluded a meeting with the mayor of Cape Town who had politely wanted...no, insisted in over half of the Tahoan troops to remain in the city to keep order. Eventually the Tahoan officer had told the politian point blank that as many soldiers as possible were being sent into the countryside and neighboring cities to keep order and that the Cape Town police would have to keep doing their own job.

Cape Town had, after all, avoided much of the rigours of war with the exception of a few aerial dogfights and bombing runs and the occasional missile strike. The neighboring cities had not been roughed up either and for that reason Van Haesten was sending most of his two thousand infantry out to set up firebases and camps acros the Western Cape region and launch helicopter and ground patrols out into the rest of the province. The 500 infantry from Swakopmund were being kept in reserve. However, the mayor did get some consolation in knowing that two companies of Tahoan soldiers were being based in Cape Town to help the police keep order along with a company each in the cities of George, Oudtshoorn, Paarl, Stellenbosch, Swellendam and Worcester.

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[color="#000080"]Field Marshals Cruywagen and Malan were now mopping up the remaining, sporadic domestic resistance which had sprung up in the Witwatersrand. While radiation levels were now at acceptable levels to enter the devastated cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg, both officers recommended waiting until the cessation of hostilities before the government returned to Pretoria. Johannesburg was the worst hit as the vast shantytowns of the Soweto stood no chance in the blast.

On surveying the scene from above in his helicopter, Marshal Malan licked his chops at the sight below him. He quipped to the pilot, “One advantage with being hit with nuclear weapons is they don’t discriminate with the casualties.” Malan’s grim observation was correct in that the power base for Transvaal’s bitterest opponents had been caught up in the nuclear attacks. Any concerns about a communist rebellion breaking out had gone up in the smoke of the mushroom cloud. “If these wars launched against us have one benefit, its that it makes it easier to further whiten Transvaal during the reconstruction”. He hoped that Van Matteus would appreciate the position she was now in for re-shaping the country in their shared image.

That evening the airwaves crackled with the following broadcast; it was the calming voice of broadcaster Lukas Reitz:

[i]“This is Radio-Transvaal now on the air. Our brave prime minister, Annetjie van Matteus is still in command of the Republican government from Windhoek. The Krygsmagte has won numerous victories on the front lines and our nation is secure once again from enemy invaders. Our allies the Tahoe Republic have responded to our calls for assistance and have established an occupation of the Cape Province so our military forces can be committed to the borderlands and the front. The government therefore asks all residents of the Cape to render assistance and comply with all orders issued from General van Haesten, Governor of Cape Province. As soon as it is safe to do so, the government will return to Pretoria. That is all. Victory shall be ours. Ons almal is Noordryk.”[/i]

After nine days of anarchy, Annetjie van Matteus had finally re-established government control over what remained of the Republic of Transvaal. The economy was still a mess but Ministers Hofmeyr and Steyn estimated that basic services and industry would begin operating again in another 24 hours.

The prime minister now looked at map of the Republic spread out on a table. It was marked up in red showing the front lines and the extent of Republican control. “The Cape now doesn’t look so bad, but we need to do something in Northern Namibia and Southern Angola immediately before those regions slip from us”. She then glanced eastwards at Mozambique. She had since found out that in the absence of communications, the two governors there had taken matters into their own hands to save the situation. While it may not have been her first course of action, she nevertheless congratulated Governors Hertzog and Azcondos for their quick thinking for calling in Arctican forces to secure their territories.

“I should probably meet with General van Haesten as he may be posted here for some time. I could use his help in Angola and Northern Namibia.” Van Matteus then called for her adjutant to arrange transportation to Cape Town. [/color]

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[quote name='Botha' date='10 February 2010 - 01:07 AM' timestamp='1265785656' post='2172236']
[color="#000080"]In Mozambique, Governors Jakob Herztog and Alberto Azcondos unilaterally authorised the occupation of Northern Mozambique by the Arctican military forces already based there in a similar measure although the Loyalist Republicans have yet to confirm or deny that decision.
[/color]
[/quote]

The government of Arctica confirms that the recently enlarged Arctica-Transvaal Defense Force, under the direction of General Ruzinic, in cooperation with Governor John Hull, has occupied and fortified key points that will secure the territory's border and defend the land against a possible invasion by Odinsland or opportunistic dissident groups within the Republic.

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