Testing the bonds of blood

[Silhouette]

Charlie looked at the others gathered in the dimly lit cellar. There were about 30 of them, crammed around a soapbox pressed against the furthest wall from the door. From the rear of the crowd, someone spoke up over the low murmuring.

"So you're talking about treason?" The question was rhetorical. They already knew the answer.

The brow of every man and woman in the room was furrowed at the thought, the effect made even more profound by the dark shadows being cast by the dull hanging light. Had anyone cared enough to look, they may have noticed the rifle racks in the corners which suggested the discussion had already gone far beyond theory, but as it was, they were all concentrating too hard on Charlie.

He wasn't a ringleader, only a lieutenant in the grand sceme, but these people didn't know that. Half truths were sometimes more effective than the whole story. Seeing hundreds of fellow citizens rise up without being beckoned would surely provide these people with hope, a sense of greater purpose. Charlie was one of the originals, as far as he knew. They had dispersed to create seperate cabals, to garner popular support. He also was not unintelligent, as seemed to be common for men of his purpose and station, or so books and movies would have you believe. Once the demonstration had started, he would quietly slip away, and be watching in mock dismay from the sidelines.

Finally, he broke the silence, for the final time that evening.

"My friends, go home to your beds. Tomorrow we will face great adversity, and you all need to be fighting fit. I will see you all on the battlefield." With his final words, he snapped to attention, and threw the crowd a salute, which was returned by the majority. As they started filling out the door, in twos and threes, he let a grin slide onto his face, imagining what he was about to unleash on the Queendom.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Melbourne, Australia

Brianna Holland sighed and ran her hands through her brown hair, pulled back in a tight pony tail, as she walked through the darkened streets of Melbourne, the orange street lights shining down on the black asphalt lining the roads, and turning her white skin into an orange tint. She couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous, after all, she had only just arrived in the city a few days ago from her transfer from Fort Victoria in the Duchy of Brisbane, and her small frame didn't help things. Melbourne for all purposes was the closest that the Queendom of Australia could come to a frontier, a city dual ruled by both the Australian Royal Government and the Southern Welsh, the problem was that diplomatic relations weren't always the best and with the recent merge of the Hansa and Promised Land that diplomatic anxiety only became more prevalent. At the moment there had been talks of renewing discussions with the Southern Welsh and Queen Hannah herself would have been elated if Victoria and the other southern provinces would join with Greater Australia. But she was patient and allies were more important than territory. For Brianna, this was just another shift she needed to make it through before bedtime.

Reaching a city corner, Brianna breathed a sigh of relief as two other police patrols walked down the sidewalk. A Lillian outranked them, though they were easily both twenty years her senior and for them to salute her, she was nearly taken aback.

"Good evening Lieutenant." Said one of the troopers as he sharpened his hand. "Pleasant for you I hope?"

"Quite so gentlemen." She smiled. "Thank you for asking."

"Finishing up your patrol?"

"Heading back to the barracks now actually."

"See anything of issue Ma'm?"

"Not a lick, its quiet this evening. Very nice actually." She bowed her head and continued walking. "Have a good evening gentlemen."

"Thank you Lieutenant."

Brianna continued walking towards the police barracks across the road and entered inside. For as late as it was, no one was still up and she could hear the quiet sounds of snoring coming from officer's personal chambers. As one of the only Lillians in Melbourne, she feel even more foreign then usual, but she took a deep breath and drove the thoughts from her head. She had to have a decent night sleep after all, she was one the early route tomorrow morning, but as Brianna lay in bed. She couldn't keep her eyes off the red mood hanging above Melbourne and the unsettling thought in the young girl's stomach.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Brian Tremaine could care less about ideals, about morality, about ethics. All he cared about was serving the state. As a SWORD agent, he was technically out of his jurisdiction in Melbourne--unless he could prove that he was there on a matter of national security. Hence why he kept his real employment secret.

Everyone else thought him a simple dock worker.

He had heard mutterings of discontent, and not just from the Welsh. Some of the Queendom's own citizens were mumbling about this new government. It would surely attempt a complete takeover of the city, some said. After all, such a city would be a security risk, would it not? And while the Hansa and the Welsh had both been Promised Land's close allies, the ties between them had never been as close as their ties to their mutual friend. So it was actually a logical line of reasoning.

Too bad it could be deemed sedition to say so publicly. At least that was what Tremaine believed. He thought he was doing his nation a service when he quietly had one of the more vocal dissenters killed in what looked like a simple drowning accident. And even if there was suspicion that it wasn't an accident, there had been no witnesses...

[Silhouette]

Captain Phil Selby was frustrated. A week ago, his section had fished a body out of the harbour. Preliminary examinations suggested a suicide, but a few minutes with the coroner had yielded evidence to the contrary. Now he was operating on just a vague description, from a distance, in the dark, on the approximate night of the murder. In other words, they had nothing. And so it came as a relief for Selby when the call came in on his radio.

"Reports of a distrubance in the city centre, all available units please respond for crowd control."

He didn't hang around. The police cruiser was accelerating down the quay before the dispatcher had finished speaking. He had no idea that he would be within inches of the killer in just a few minutes time, and that if uncovered, this murder would cause a great deal of diplomatic strain.

Charlie took the first opportunity to duck out when he heard the sirens in the distance, and by the time the authorities arrived en masse, he was just another impartial spectator. Everything really was going better than he ever could have hoped. The mob had armed itself. Some with burning torches, more still armed with items ranging from cricket bats to garden rakes. They had started the day in the park, 500 strong. Now, nearing midday, their numbers had swollen to three times that. Scattered across the heaving mass of individuals one observing from above could see bedsheets daubed with insulting slogans.

"Down with the Queen"

"Give us back our freedom"

"Monarchy is slavery"

It wouldn't take long for this so far bloodless protest to turn into a fully fledged riot.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Hannah's eyes narrowed at the chamberlain who had brought the news to her. The man shook in a bit of anxiety as he stood in front of the queen, surrounded by a lines of Lillian Guards against the windows and behind him, the Grand Duke and a few other military commanders. "Please, if you have nothing good to report to me, get out of my sight."

"But My Queen, the report isn't technica-"

"I said get out!" The chamberlain jumped up off the ground as Hannah stood from her throne pointing to the door way and after the chamberlain was away, she sat back down and held her head in her hands, running them through her white hair. "So this is how the Welsh are honestly going to behave to their brothers and sisters. Rioting? Pathetic and not even months after the Queendom was declared, they do this at the most perfect of times. You know that."

"Yes Your Highness." Said MacDohl as he looked down at the ground. "We have two options really then. Enforce martial law over the city and bring in the army, or allow the police and special forces to deal with it for now." Another option had been giving up Melbourne, but the Marshall thought it best not to rely that option quite yet.

"Do the protesters have a central movement or leader?"

"None that we are aware of."

"Anthony." Hannah turned to the Grand Duke. "Tell Hammond I want Sangral, Clancy, and Sherman all reporting to Melbourne, a combined operation of Lillians, SWORD, and the Crimson Guard. I want this protest nipped in the bud before it can spread anywhere further into the mainland."

"Might it be a good idea to send Lady Tintagyl to speak Your Highness? She did so well everywhere else." Added MacDohl.

"No, not yet. Perhaps, but I want to see if we don't have to play our trump card just yet. We can't rely on Tintagyl every time a problem comes up. I want the protest quelled, find out who the majority of protesters are, their backgrounds, everything you can to destroy it before it gets out of control. I will not have bloodshed so soon after conception. That would be entirely unacceptable."

---

Brianna watched from behind a row of riot police, brandishing plexiglass shields and paintball guns. For her baptism of fire, her first civil protest this was not something she was ready for and underneath the cloth white gloves on her hands, she could feel her palms sweating.

"Cease and desist!" Called one of the police commanders from a megaphone. "We will use non-lethal force if necessary!" But the ground continued to shout against the Royal Lines. All in all making Brianna, a native Hanseatic, the people who had been criticized for holding too much power in the Queedom, extremely nervous and her white Lillian Uniform placed her out in the crowd like a sore thumb. Gripping her rapier tightly, she watched the protest stem forward and reel back, mortars of tear gas and mace at the ready to break up the spectacle. But if it did get chaotic, she was ready to defend herself if need be.

Edited December 7, 2009 by Sarah Tintagyl

[Silhouette]

The mob pressed on regardless. No one person was still in control, yet for now, they still had the sense not to actually attack the police forces. Charlie and the other ringleaders had already left the area, to regroup for their next blow, leaving the crowd to do it's job. The numbers were swelling greatly. At the sight of the protest, people who harboured theri own misgivings lost all their inhibitions about displaying them. Already nearly 2000 strong within just a few hours of forming, any police forces would have a seriously hard job in containing them without force.

Ironically however, it was New South Wales that caused the ultimate catastrophe. The regional governor, immediately upon hearing word of the crisis, saw fit to inpose martial law upon the city now at a standstill. Infantry units cordoned off the city centre within three hours.

For Junior Guardsman Ralph Jennings, it would be a bad day. He had been assigned to the northern picket, right in the path of the approaching wall of flesh. Already nervous about his first action, he had his rifle ready, loaded with lethal ammunition. Every step forward took the mob closer to his position, and soon enough, he could make out individual faces amongst the crowd. That only worsened his nerves. He shouldered his weapon, his arms quivering like jelly. He started joining in the calls to stand down. At 20 feet he finally lost control. Nobody remembered being given an order to fire, and those standing near him would later swear that it had not been deliberate. Nonetheless, it was Jennings' bullet that drew first blood.

Captain Selby could only watch in horror as a Guardsman opened fire on the crowd. He saw at least two of them fall, to be trampled beneath the push of bodies. As one enraged person, they surged forward, tearing Jennings to pieces before setting on the next man in line. What began as an orderly retreat by the 'peacekeepers' quickly turned to a rout, as they realised the mobs' thirst for blood was not yet assuaged. It was a horrible sight. The soldiers screams seemed to pierce the still air even after life had been torn from their bodies. Selby retreated to a new position in short order, before the crowd noticed him.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Those idiots..." Brianna mumbled to herself when she heard the first sounds of gunshot. "They weren't even supposed to have real bullets in their guns. All this could have been avoided." Taking out her pistol and her rapier she stood behind with a few other police marshals who commanded the Royal troopers that were part of the Ministry of National Security. With riot shields at the ready, pellets of mace, tear gas, and other riot control devices, the Royal Guards began to push towards the crowd to make up for the mistakes that the Welsh police had caused, it would be something that Brianna would report back to her superiors that all of this could have been prevented by the use of non-lethal force.

Knowing full well that the crowd at this point was not going to just cease and desist and that some measure of force was going to be needed to break this us, the Royals ordered the immediate arrival of mortars and filled with tear gas and pepper clouds, unleashed them into the crowd, paintball guns fired into the mob and troopers brought out handcuffs and other devices to capture the protesters. Brianna stood back behind the lines still, her rapier drawn and her pistol out, as well she had laid a hand on her Raging Nostrum injections, if it would have to come down to that and she really, really hoped that it wouldn't.

"Lieutenant." She called over to one of the troopers. "Send a message to Alice Springs. Lethal force was used by the Welsh Guards and a riot has ensued. Tell Commander Sangral that it would be a good idea to send the entire Duchy's garrison towards Melbourne to enforce order. We can't allow something like this to continue."

"Yes ma'm right away." The thirty year old police officer snapped a salute at the twenty-three year old Lillian, the irony was not lost.

"Idiots, they have no idea what they just did."

The echoes of mortar fire hit into the ground as the Royals dawned gas masks and goggles as they continued their push against the mob and from the fleeing Welsh lines from the aggression of the protesters. If this was going to be urban warfare then it would be fought, block by horrible block.

[Silhouette]

Onboard the Battleship SWS Melbourne

The battleship was new. So new in fact that the paint still had it's original finish. More importantly, the crew was comprised entirely of local sailors. As such, many of them had family who lived within the Queendom, some even hailed from there themselves.

It was unsurprising then that the rebellion ran within the system. One gunnery officer, who had recently returned from shore leave, had a plan. By the time the shift change came up, the riot had been underway for a matter of hours. Under the guise of a regular maintainance check, he began to rotate the turret, his hand slipping onto the autoloader control as he did so. By the time anyone eles in the gunnery cockpit had noticed his actions it was too late. He had fired a salvo of three 16" shells into the city. He began to turn them back around towards the nearest Royal Navy vessel, but he never reached it. The sailor nearest him had drawn his sidearm and shot the gunnery officer in the head, before he could cause any more damage.

Selby felt the detonation more than he heard it. It shook him to the core, and left him dazed for a good minute. When he could finally see straight, he wished that he couldn't. The high explosive shells had torn the heart out of the crowd, and a good many police officers as well. He was sure he could still see detached limbs on the street, hoping it wasn't so.

Far from distressing the mob, however, it gave them greater urgency. They set upon their opposite number with brutal ferocity. Tearing weapons from hands and turning them upon their owners. By now, the true cause of the riot had been forgotten by all but a few. They were now driven by pure rage, and a great deal of the city had turned up to join in.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Chaos swept through Melbourne as Royal positions watched a Welsh battleship fire against the city and the nightmare that this could be much more than a simple riot began to cross the garrison's mind. Rumors immediately flooded through the news waves that this was much more, that the Queendom was under attack by either an underground rebellion or that the Southern Welsh had just declared war on two of their oldest friend states. Either way, it would not be allowed from this point on and the riot was ending here and now without argument or debate. The beautiful thing about mob warfare is that while people are enraged and they are willing to go to great lengths to cause property damage, kill government soldiers, and the like. Realizing their own death is imminent will cause most mobs to draw back into the city and retreat to their homes. This was the order given to the Royalists from Alice Springs: "Break the Riot, by any and all means."

Most believed that if Tintagyl were in charge of the Queendom that the use of force would never have been thought to be used. But this wasn't a Tintagylist government and the desire of order was much stronger than the idea of everyone getting along. Continuing the mortar bombardment of the protester lines, the police were allowed to use lethal force now, if necessary to control the crowd. They weren't happy about it, but order had to be restore so that more innocent lives were not lost. As they pushed forward, rounding up protesters and beating them into submission, Brianna advanced with her troopers and as the line began to break in certain parts, she found herself playing the general role, in commanding such an advance.

"Fire!" Someone shouted and a barrage of mortars carrying the various gases fell against the crowd. "Keep moving you !@#$%^&*! Keep moving!

"Hold the line! Hold the line! Not one step back gentlemen!" Another shouted.

"Keep pushing!" Brianna shouted. "For Queen and Country! For Queen and Country!" She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the Type A, Raging Nostrum injection. "If things get bad, that's what Commander Lindstrom said. If things get bad." And as the crowd reeled back and forth against the Royal Police line, it seemed that things were going to continuously get worse.

That was when the shells fired from the sea tore into the crowd. The blood sprayed into the air as people screamed in pain at the explosions and as Brianna had thought, things most definitely got worse. With the crowd's new rage, they bashed against the police lines again and now it was time to use lethal force to quell the crowd. A row of gunshot fired against the civilian charge as men and women protesters were cut down by the bullets. As the police made their attacks, on the opposite end of the city, the first vanguard forces of the regular army began to show up, along with various detachments of SWORD, the Crimson Guard, and the Lillian Guard. Slowly they would funnel into the central part of town where the riots were occurring to restore order, while the HMS Sarah Tintagyl, the past Hanseatic flagship, pushed forward towards the Melbourne after it had opened fire on the city. Steadying its guns and preparing an investigation crew.

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Geeze, you two, can't you wait for me?

IC: Tremaine sighed as he watched the proceedings from above. The traitors down there deserved to die, but they needed to do so through quiet disappearances, through accidental deaths. Was that trooper high, or just plain stupid?

From his position on the roof of a nearby skyscraper, he watched the proceedings through the scope of his sniper rifle. They needed help, but there was no clear leader in this situation, and he was frustrated at the seeming lack of a target.

--------

"Anthony. Tell Hammond I want Sangral, Clancy, and Sherman all reporting to Melbourne, a combined operation of Lillians, SWORD, and the Crimson Guard. I want this protest nipped in the bud before it can spread anywhere further into the mainland."

"Yes, your Majesty," he sighed. "But I can tell you right now, some of our own scitizens arte likely to be a part of this. Melbourne always was...a special case. I doubt most of the people there really identify wholy with us Or the Welsh."

***Classified to Hammond***

Situation in Melbourne is on a knife edge. Need to reinforce the few Lillians and SWORD agents in the area. Begin immediate deployment of Lillian and Crimson Shield troops, and ensure SWORD infiltrates this rebellion, if possible. Things like this don't just happen. There is bound to be a leader somewhere. Tell Sherman I want that leader found ASAP."

~Anthony Harlem, Grand Duke

***Classified to Colonel Clancy and Commander Sangral***

Deployment of One company (OOC: Using 200 to a company/OOC) of Lillians and two Crimson Shield companies to Melbourne is immediately ordered. A classified number of SWORD agents will be dispatched to gain intel on the situation.

~Marshall George Hammond

***Classified to Violet Sherman***

Need Intel support. Please send no less than ten agents to gain maximum intel on this movement.

~Marshall George Hammond

Sherman read the repor. They only had one agent, a grossly undermanned situation in the first place. Finally she was permitted to send more. A scant few minutes later (she'd been waitying for an order like this), nearly a dozen individuals of both genders, from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities, would make there way into the city.

--------

**On board the HMS Sarah Tintagyl**

Xavier Reynolds, a gunner on the Tintagyl, could actually sympathize with the rioters. While he had been Hanseatic at the time of the merger, he had immigrated to the commonwealth--from Melbourne. He had been a citizen of Promised Land for much longer than he had been a Hanseatic, from a time long before the Commonwealth even existed--when the Welsh had been their closest allies. The Welsh had every right to be concerned over this. It must have seemed like they were losing an ally.

So when the SWS Melbourne opened up on the city, he was filled with a cold rage. He kept his emotions in check, but he waited until they were close enough to the Welsh battleship before making his move. He knew several of the guns were loaded, just as a precaution, and at that range, they wouldn't be likely to miss. That was his last thought as he pressed the button, and moments later he was subdued by his fellows.

--------

When the violence escalated, he had been debating whether to aim a shot at the Lillian. He didn't like shooting at his own, but sacrifices needed to be made to ensure the protestors got their due. The situation was beyond non-lethal tactics. Then the Welsh guns decimated both sides, and he had the choice taken from him.

He picked his shots carefully, picking off the rioters (who, as Anthony had predicted, were of both nationalities) that possessed the most lethal weapons...

Edited December 9, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Silhouette]

The riot, which had began as simple anarchy, had now devolved into complete chaos. Even if the people in the front ranks of the crowd lost their nerve, they could not back away due to the ehaving mass of flesh behind them. This resulted in many who would have otherwise retreated becoming the victims of viscous beatings from the more hesitant officers, and targets for those who decided on lethal force. Every once in a while an officer fell under the weight of the mob, and the first rioter to reach the weapon took the opportunity to empty the magazine into the ranks of riot police.

Captain Selby watched the scene from a distance. Now almost entirely detached from the reality of it. One event however did catch his eye. In the middle of the crowd, he could see occasional fountains of blood arcing above the crowd. He instinctively started scanning the skyline, searching for the telltale signs of a sniper.

The Melbourne had devolved into a minature civil war. A brutal firefight was underway as brothers in arms turned upon each other. In the bridge, the first officer could only watch as the Sarah Tintagyl's guns turned on them. The salvo was crippling. The first rounds hit the forward turret, detonating the ammunition stored there. Two more slavos caused serious hull damage. Oddly enough, the immediate threat caused by the attack calmed the crew, and they were quick to work together to put out the worst of the fires. The Captain of the Melbourne ordered that the ensign be lowered, surrendering the ship and it's crew to boarding by the Sarah Tintagyl.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Tremain knew it would only be a matter of time before someone noted his postion. Frankly, he didn't care, and he watched with some satisfaction as his next shot took out two of the rioters.

Jonathan Trump knew immediately what it meant when the woman next to him collapsed. She had just picked up a weapon and was about to turn it on the police when her head disappeared in a red spray. He immediately knew, from his time in the Army, that it had to be a sniper.

His face twisted in a snarl of rage, knowing it was futile to search for that threat, and he gripped the object he held tightly before deciding on a target...his eyes narrowed as he saw the Lillian opposing them, and moments later, a molotov cocktail was arcing with deadly precision towards her position...

OOC: Can't cover the actions of the Sarah Tintagyl--the ship's Sarah's right now.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"I said hold the line! Hold the line!" Brianna shouted at the police still barely holding back the protesters and the following events had turned downtown Melbourne into more of a battleground that what she had seen in videos. The central park where the rioting had begun was aflame as well as many of the businesses and storefronts around them. Windows were broken, stores looted, and common criminals mixed with the protesters to get their full share of murder as well as anything they could grab from the chaos that ensued. Aiming her pistol, Brianna took five shots into the ground, the silver glock sounded like thunder as men and women both dropped to the ground, holding arms and legs, she was deadly with a pistol if she needed to be.

The sudden boom of a snipers shot however added to her own and made her jump back in terror as a woman's head was dissolved into a geyser of blood reaching up to the sky. Stopping only for a minute to hold her heart, the Lillian took a few deep breathes before looking back up at the crowd surging towards her. They wouldn't be able to hold like this, they wouldn't be able to hol-... Suddenly, Brianna made eye contact with him, his eyes were narrowed in rage as he looked at her, she singled out by her white coat, her sword, her lace collar and black boots, the Lillian was the enemy, the representation of the Royal Aristocracy and if anyone needed to die it was Tintagyl's and Asgeirsson's servant girls. She watched as the molotov cocktail was launched into the sky towards her and she froze looking at it. Closer and closer it fell...

"No! Lieutenant Holland! Lookout!" Brianna feel the sudden tackle of another police officer as he threw her out of the way of the cocktail and the bomb exploded around him. She hit the ground hard rattling her for a moment before she realized what was happening. The officer that had saved her was on fire, dying. The line of troopers was beginning to break from the push of the crowd and she had not done anything besides fire a few stray bullets.

"Down with the Queen! Down with the Monster!" The crowd chanted as they surged forward.

"No...no...no!" Brianna growled as she reached in to her coat searching for the one thing that would even the odds a bit, Raging Nostrum. She pulled out the syringe of blue liquid with a large 'B' written on the front of it. The Lillian smiled wickedly. "You want to see a monster. I'll give you a monster you !@#$%^&*." With a strong push, she thrust the needle into her neck and fed the chemical into her bloodstream, almost instantly the drug began to take effect. "ugh...ugh...UGH!" She groaned slamming her hands onto to the ground as sweat began to drip off of her face. As part of training, a Lillian had to be subject to the Raging Nostrum injection, but it was always a rush. Her pupils dilated almost immediately, strength pouring into her muscles as she finally stood up, the wicked grin on her face only amplified.

"Stop immediately or you will die." She said quietly. They continued to come closer. "So be it." Brianna took out her pistol and loaded a new clip and took aim at the protesters beginning to break through the line. Firing about eight shots she dropped the people running beyond the line and even the retreating police stopped for a moment at the rage that had overtaken the Lillian. Brianna charged forward, continuing to unload her pistol against the crowd and for the first time they began to halt the surge. With the police line beginning to reform and her horror show wasn't even over yet. Johnathan was still alive after all.

Unsheathing her rapier, Brianna charged into the ground slashing to her left and right, blood flying through the air, onto her face and her white coat. Much more like a demon from hell than the pretty girl who had stood behind the police lines shouting bravery. A young man grabbed on to her arm trying to throw of her balance for a moment, but with the added strength of the steroid, Brianna threw him off with a punch from her left fist before running him through with the rapier. Then she was right in front of Johnathan. He was a large man, a soldier, but so was she as she lined up to corner him in the middle of the chaos of the riot.

"Still want to try and kill me you $%&@er? Or are you afraid now?" She smiled through the blood running down her face.

---

Ernst Nyjord looked through his binoculars at the damage being done to the Melbourne and nodded in approval as he watched the Welsh flag lower itself, only to be replaced by a white flag of surrender.

"They're asking to be boarded Admiral. Should I send over a task force of marines?"

Nyjord coughed into a handkerchief, not feeling well from the night before. "Yes, fifty marines. I want to know precisely what is going on and Commander, proceed with caution. For as far as we know, we're at war with the Southern Welsh."

"Yes Admiral."

Nyjord sighed. "The Queen will love to hear about this I'm sure."

About ten minutes later, Commander Harrison and his team of fifty marines approached the Melbourne on two boarding vessels and after arriving and greeting the Welsh crew, asked to be immediately escorted to the captain of the vessel.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Tremain bit off a curse as his weapon jammed. He'd just been about to shoot the man with a cocktail, but until he dealt with the problem in his own weapon, he was helpless to interfere. He hurriedly ejected the clip and begain the painstaking process...

----

Jonathan uttered a rather vile oath when he saw his target saved by another. He knew that if she wasn't destroyed, there would be no salvation for these people. He picked up a weapon, but she was temporarily out of sight, so he unloaded his rage and the weapon into the line of police. He grinned nastily as he saw them begin to falter, but the grin vanished a moment later as Brianna began slicing through the protestors. out of bullets, he ejected the clip and replaced it with a new one, right as she arrived in front of him.

"Still want to try and kill me you $%&@er? Or are you afraid now?"

He was beyond the point of fear as he gazed across the ten feet that separated them. He knew enough, and had seen enough, not to underestimate her, but he was past caring about his own life now. If he could take her down, the police would break. His only answer was to give her a one-fingered salute with his left hand, aiming the pistol at her and pulling the trigger. Like the sniper's rifle, it jammed, but then his foot nudged the blade of a knife, and his lips curled in a mocking smile.

"Typical words of a second-rate movie villain. Surely you imperialistic swine can do better?"

He was hoping she would charge blindly. If she did, he would be able to flip the knife up into his hand. She would probably run him through, but with his advantage in reach, he could jam that knife into her $%&@ing heart at the same time...

[Silhouette]

The Royal Marines were surprisingly courteous considering the situation. It had helped tremendously that most of the crew were still fighting the blaze, or securing the leaks in the engine room. Only the Marine contingent assigned to the Melbourne were present to escort the boarding party to the bridge, their weapons thoughtfully stowed away in the armoury. The Captain slauted Commander Harrison as he entered the bridge, his face solemn. It was strange really. At such an important time, he could not think of anything he could say to make this situation less dire. He decided, finally, that humility was best. He drew his pistol from it's holster, and handed it butt first to the Commander of Marines.

On the ground in the city, armour had finally been brought out. An armoured car of the 1st Victorian Regiment, fitted with a plow and water cannon, was pushing it's way through the crowd, hosing down the protestors. It had reached the epicentre of the crisis before it became apparent that this was so much more than a simple riot. From a building that had been garrisoned by the picket, a guided missile streaked down towards the armoured car. It was a glorious sight. The AP white phosphorous round turned the vehicle into a spectacular bonfire. If not for the dying shrieks of the crew, one could easily be mesmerised by the flashes of light as the vehicle burned from the inside out.

Captain Selby had seen enough. He was wearing a stabproof vest as part of his standard kit, and from the nearest supply truck added a helmet and thigh protection. As he waded into the thick of it, he saw the Lillian, clearly in a fit of rage, advancing on one of the rioters. She was surrounded by bodies, and behind her, her heroic saviour's body still burned. A self contained funeral pyre. He began advancing towards the Lillian, hoping to reach her before something terrible happened. He knew that she was more than just a commander, she was an idol, a figurehead for the royalist forces to rally around. She had to live at all costs.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Typical words of a second-rate movie villain. Surely you imperialistic swine can do better?"

"You're the only villain here!" Brianna turned back at the officer's body that still burned. "None of these people needed to die, this riot never needed to happen and look what you've done." She turned back to him. "I might not be a hero, but I'm not letting you walk away from this!" Brianna ran forwards with her rapier extended and ran the blade into his stomach. She looked up at him and smiled, the blood still running down her face before he wildly brought his own arm up and his knife glistened in the sunlight hovering above her head. Brianna looked up and even in her condition, fear ran through her mind and he began to bring the knife down towards her chest. But in a last ditch effort to end Johnathan's life, Brianna pulled the rapier out of his stomach and rammed it into his chest as he fell back just slightly as his knife dug into her shoulder.

Brianna screamed in pain as she fell back, it wasn't as painful as it could be. The Raging Nostrum too care of the immediate pain, but the blood still freaked her out. Johnathan fell back dead, as more of the police ran up to cover the heroine who had charged forward, while Selby rushed up from behind Brianna and carried her to the back of the line and safety.

"No! I have to go back! We have to take them out! We have to finish them off! Melbourne is just as Australian as it is Welsh! I won't let this happen to my city!" She grabbed Selby and from the shock and horror of the situation, she could feel the Raging Nostrum beginning to wear off and as it did tears began to roll down her eyes. "I can't let it fall. I would rather die then let it fall."

---

While on the deck of the Melbourne, Commander Harrison with the lack of pomp and ceremony relieved the current captain of his duties and instructed his marines to raise the Australian flag over the ship. He then informed the crew that the would be returned to Welsh control after the Australian government contacted the Welsh government about the recent events. He quickly radioed back to Nyjord that the ship was in their hands and that he should then radio Darwin of the situation.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Even through the haze pain, Jonathan felt satisfaction as he felt the knife ram home, before his consciousness was ended forever.

----

From Above, Tremaine could clearly see the rioters take heart at the wounding of the figure government forces had rallied around--only to waver again as the reinforcements arrived and began cutting deeply into their flanks. Finally, the riot here began to truly falter, and so he considered his work done. Packing his weapon in an innocuous-looking suitcase, he returned to the bottom floorm, and as an apparently anonymous observer, left the scene.

Only a few individuals were in place to see his departure, all forces of either the Australian or Welsh governments, and so he payed them no mind.

[Silhouette]

Brianna screamed in pain as she fell back, it wasn't as painful as it could be. The Raging Nostrum too care of the immediate pain, but the blood still freaked her out. Johnathan fell back dead, as more of the police ran up to cover the heroine who had charged forward, while Selby rushed up from behind Brianna and carried her to the back of the line and safety.

"No! I have to go back! We have to take them out! We have to finish them off! Melbourne is just as Australian as it is Welsh! I won't let this happen to my city!" She grabbed Selby and from the shock and horror of the situation, she could feel the Raging Nostrum beginning to wear off and as it did tears began to roll down her eyes. "I can't let it fall. I would rather die then let it fall."

Selby looked at the girl as she grabbed him. Her white tunic was drenched with blood, and only a small amount of it was her own. He wondered how anyone could justify destroying a person's innocence in the way the Lillians did. She was right to be patriotic, but her priorities were all wrong.

As he pulled a field dressing out of his webbing, he responded to her cries.

"Tell me madam, what good will you do your city, your country, if you are dead?" He pointed in the general direction of the smouldering corpse. "That man risked his life so that you may live, and you nearly threw it all away. You are a warrior, but first and foremost, you are a commander, a tactician, and an idol for all these men and women." He swept his hand around the black clothed police units. "Your death accomplishes nothing. Use your head for !@#$% sake. Be an inspiration, not a martyr." He applied the dressing in silence then removed his stab proof vest and handed it to her.

"Would it be such an affront to your honour to wear armour into battle?"

He didn't expect a response, and didn't hang around for one.

From Above, Tremaine could clearly see the rioters take heart at the wounding of the figure government forces had rallied around--only to waver again as the reinforcements arrived and began cutting deeply into their flanks. Finally, the riot here began to truly falter, and so he considered his work done. Packing his weapon in an innocuous-looking suitcase, he returned to the bottom floorm, and as an apparently anonymous observer, left the scene.

Only a few individuals were in place to see his departure, all forces of either the Australian or Welsh governments, and so he payed them no mind.

That was one mistake too many. A patrol of Welsh soldiers saw him leave the building. His presence this close to the riot, in a building that they thought they had cleared, aroused their suspicions. Two of them trailed him at a distance, while the other's went back for transport and reinforcements. They had heard word of sniper attacks, and the coincidences were just too much to let go.

[Subtleknifewielder]

That was one mistake too many. A patrol of Welsh soldiers saw him leave the building. His presence this close to the riot, in a building that they thought they had cleared, aroused their suspicions. Two of them trailed him at a distance, while the other's went back for transport and reinforcements. They had heard word of sniper attacks, and the coincidences were just too much to let go.

While he hadn't paid them any mind at first, he had been trained to know when he was being followed. If they were tailing from a distance, he still had some room to work with, and to plan for the moment where they finally caught up with him.

He quickened his pace, wanting to get as far away from the now quieting riots as possible. The first chance he got without looking too suspicious doing it, he would lose the suitcase with its incriminating evidence. Perhaps he would blame it on a mugger...the ritoting had stirred up a lot of unrest elswhere in the city too.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Brianna watched as the Welsh Captain walked away after healing her wound, the pain was already beginning to mildly subside as she took off her blood soaked, lace gloves and ran her fingers through her hair. She sighed as the riot began to break apart, the main armed forces had arrived, squadrons of Australian and Welsh infantry, armored companies, and special operations units thundered into the main square of Melbourne and the protesters took off in all directions to keep from being captured by the regular army. Deep down she also wanted to believe that some small piece of the reason of their rout was due to her actions as well. The Welsh captain had his points, to be sure, she should have been wearing some form of armor, some form of protection. She was young, and she was stupid, and she was lucky to still have her life.

"An idol eh?" She closed her eyes as the government regulars began to take control of the situation. "Then I did my job to inspire them if we're pushing them back now." Brianna grimaced at the pain in her shoulder again and stretched her arm. "I owe him one."

"Lieutenant Holland." Said another woman's voice from behind the girl sitting on the ground. Two figures walked over towards her, one a Royal Marine, his face stern and weary from watching the riot from a distance, the other a Lillian captain, with jet black hair and a clean white coat. "Good Lord, what happened to you. You look terrible." Said the captain looked at Brianna's uniform covered in blood then looking up she saw more of the riots cut down with sword wounds. "Christ Almighty Holland..."

"It got violent, I did what I needed to do."

"You used the Nostrum didn't you?"

"Yeah." The thoughts of what had just happened began to seep into Brianna's mind as she looked down at the ground and the tears began to fall down her face. "I'm sorry Captain...I'm..."

The Captain leaned down and embraced the grief-stricken Lillian and buried her face in Brianna's brown hair. "Its okay. Its a situation none of us wanted. You did your duty to the Queen and you have nothing to be sorry about." She picked Brianna up off the ground and brushed her hair out of her face. "Come on. Lets get you out of here and cleaned up, something warm in your stomach. Okay."

"All right. Thanks."

The Captain looked back into the crowd and closed her eyes at the devastation. Australia's baptism of fire continued into the burning flames.

---

Darwin, Australia

Hannah leaned back against the throne, closed her eyes and clenched her fist, crumbling the paper she held in her hand. "THIS. IS. UNACCEPTABLE!" She threw the paper ball onto the ground and glared at the court around her. Countless people have died, countless that will only stain the reputation of this government to its people." She placed her face hard in her palms. "Consolidation is almost impossible if we cannot even control simple riots, where they turn into revolts, a full revolt gentlemen. This is unacceptable."

"Your Highness, we are doing everything in our power to do so." Said MacDohl, his face towards the ground.

"Then we're not moving fast enough. Marshal, have you seen pictures of Melbourne, have you seen what has been done to that city? The entire central part of the city is on fire, do you understand the amount of reconstruction necessary for the municipal governments there? And worse. A Welsh ship opened fired on our fleet. So you tell me Marshal, are you really doing everything you can do?" Hannah waved her hands. "No matter, the riot is over, however I want Melbourne under martial law so this cannot and will not happen again. Also I want contact made with the Welsh Government and ask them. 'What the hell happened that our oldest ally would open fire on our own ship?'. Understood?"

"Yes Highness."

"Anthony? Hammond? Do you two have anything to say in addition to this?"

[Subtleknifewielder]

Hammond shook his head. "The situation seems to be calming, Your Majesy--the riots are breaking up. Now all we have to deal with, really, is the aftermath." He shrugged helplessly. This was not his arena.

"Initial reports are hazy, at best," Anthony added. "Intelligence hasn't managed managed to pin down what sparked it, nor even the precise sequence of events after it stared. Some witnesses even claim that it was our ship that fired first."

[Silhouette]

While he hadn't paid them any mind at first, he had been trained to know when he was being followed. If they were tailing from a distance, he still had some room to work with, and to plan for the moment where they finally caught up with him.

He quickened his pace, wanting to get as far away from the now quieting riots as possible. The first chance he got without looking too suspicious doing it, he would lose the suitcase with its incriminating evidence. Perhaps he would blame it on a mugger...the ritoting had stirred up a lot of unrest elswhere in the city too.

As Tremaine started pulling away, the troopers panicked. They began to blindly sprint in an effort to bring him down. As they closed the gap, a military truck sped past them, drawing level with their suspect. In the back of the truck, a whole section of troopers had their weapons to bear.

The sergeant yelled at Tremaine over the roar of the engine.

"Drop the case, and put your hands behind your head!"

He reinforced his order by brandishing his weapon at Tremaine.

---

In Sydney, while they had news of the riot, the suggestion that one of their vessels had fired on an ally was met with stunned silence. They simply had no way to respond to the Queen's queries, since they had recieved no word from the Melbourne for some time. Thier first action was to contact the officer on the ground for the SOG, one Captain Selby, according to their records, and ask him to investigate.

[Subtleknifewielder]

As Tremaine started pulling away, the troopers panicked. They began to blindly sprint in an effort to bring him down. As they closed the gap, a military truck sped past them, drawing level with their suspect. In the back of the truck, a whole section of troopers had their weapons to bear.

The sergeant yelled at Tremaine over the roar of the engine.

"Drop the case, and put your hands behind your head!"

He reinforced his order by brandishing his weapon at Tremaine.

Tremaine kept an annoyed expression on his face. He began turning, apparently tripping over the curb. That trip caused him to accidently drop the case in a nearby trash can that he grabbed for balance, but his grip slipped and he fell to the ground.

Nevertheless, he put his hands behind his head as he stoood up, bleeding from a small scrape on his forehead. He glared up at the sergeant. "Might I ask why you're stopping a civilian who'd rather not be near a violent confrontation?"

[Silhouette]

Tremaine's question was countered with another.

"And may I ask what your were doing in a secure building without authorisation?"

He motioned to the nearest trooper to cuff the man, who approached cautiously, but slapped the cuffs onto his wrists expertly nonetheless. As soon as he was secure, the second trooper started rooting around in the trash can for the case. He opened it immediately, and was surprised by what he found inside.

Meanwhile, Selby hahd recieved the call to investigate the Melbourne. His first impression was one of shock. There was a Queendom ensign flying on the ship. He radioed ahead, announcing his arrival. As he reached the ship, he looked up, expecting someone to be there to pass him a length of rope, or a ladder.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

TO: His Excellency, the Head of State of New South Wales

From: HRH Hannah Asgeirsson, Queen of Australia

Excellency,

The recent events that have reached my ears do so with a heavy heart and a great deal of suspicion. Recently there has been an enormous revolt in the city of Melbourne against the recent union of the Hanseatic and Promised Land states. In this period of consolidation, order is necessary to have and I cannot and will not allow this continent to once again let itself be gripped in a state of anarchy and chaos. I would request that you please come to Darwin for an audience with myself and the Grand Duke, or if it a greater convenience, receive one of our own diplomats so that we may begin to walk through this problem and avoid unnecessary bloodshed in the future.

Sincerely,

---

Selby of course was allowed onto the deck of the Melbourne and was immediately taken to Commander Harrison on the Bridge. Upon his arrival, the Commander offered him a handshake and a cigarette before they got down to talk. "Welcome Excellency, you're the Welsh investigator I presume?"