Operation Maize Field

[Evangeline Anovilis]

Altough the one that was at the head of all the operations regarding Madison was Dorothy Alcott, as the Lady had returned to Ottawa in order to perform the proper supply transfer and mobilisation of the forces for the siege of Madison, the de facto commander for day-to-day affairs was Major General Elberto Albershaw. It was her that was responsible for the tactical operations and it was also her, that had decided to siege Madison, instead of conducting urban operations, as the number of people could never be sustained over a lengthy period of time.

 

As she watched the town from a safe distance using binoculars, she put every thought to finding a way of making the situation in the town even more miserable. Without letting her eyes wander off from Madisons outskirts, Albershaw adressed her Aide.

 

"Miss Trenton, could you please tell the engineers to sever that line over there. I think that may safe us a bit of issues."

 

Cornelia Trenton, a young officer, most likely recruited after the army reorganisation looked at the line Albershaw pointed at, then took out a map.

 

"Your Highness, that line... it's the electricity. are you sure?"

 

"I'm sure. I know that our engineers can do it. They should be careful though..."

 

"I was rather worried about the town..."

 

Albershaw put down the binoculars and took a breath of her pipe. It was strange, for a woman, especially for one that had not even half of her life past her, to smake pipe, but for all who ever met Albershaw, the pipe surely introduced her already. It was somewhat of a trademark. It calmed her, though it did not calm those surrounding her, especially as it often came as a signal that she was in thought and for many, Albershaw was deemed to be part of the radicals.

 

"Why worried? Without electricity, I wonder how long they'll run their houses, how long they can store food, how long they can tend to the injured. In the end, they will have to surrender. May safe us a few days to show them we mean it."

 

"Eh...well, as you command, your Highness."

 

As Trenton bowed and was about to wander off to seek out the engineers, Albershaw held her back.

 

"Your Highness?"

 

"Also, could you please confiscate the grounds around DeForest. If the owners are in town, just take it, if not, they'll get refunded later."

 

"Why? What will we do with the ground?"

 

Albershaw grinned as she put away her pipe for a moment.

 

"If they don't die from using the lakewater because of the bacteria, make that ground a state farm and start growing whatever you want. I'd guess some corn would be good. Not as if the area had no corn. No, but just make sure the weedkiller is applied."

 

"Weedkiller?"

 

"Aye, and enough that the weed over there", she pointed at Madison "feels it too. There's nothing saying we can't abolish laws on how much weedkiller we can apply on our fields."

 

Trenton raised an eyebrow. It surely was a devious plan.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Evangeline Anovilis

[Captain Enema]

Burrito Bob and his employees all look towards the ceiling as the lights dimmed and then died away. "Don't worry everyone, I have a plan," Burrito Bob shouted.

 

"What?"

 

"We have emergency lights!"

 

"Why haven't they turned on yet?"

 

"I forgot to get them installed, but my plan is to get us busy installing them!"

 

His workers all groan.

[TheShammySocialist]

With a flight plan that was approved by the American Commonwealth to South African Airways, two lumbering Airbus A380s, both in a one-class configuration, would depart Cape Town in the evening hours after a flurry of activity that saw them loaded for bear with everything from mortars to assault rifle ammunition. Boxes upon boxes of munitions would be safely stowed in the holds of the aircraft, while the five hundred or so members of Multinational United's First Force Reaction Battalion, decked out in old style Canadian CADPAT camouflage with only a single identification marker; their unit patch, would make themselves comfortable. Once in their area of operation, the unit would remove any identification to make origin completely a classified fact.

 

 

The aircraft crews had also been given strict orders that the flight they were delivering was to remain a classified fact, and were paid an exorbitant off-the-books cash bonus to keep the true nature of their journey under wraps. To them, they were delivering a team of MNU training staff to an exercise requested by a number of North American nations to assist them in preparing for future counterinsurgency operations. The briefing packets being handed out as the aircraft took off from Cape Town, the personnel now under a communications blackout, would tell a completely different story. The packets would detail the current geopolitical climate in North America, the causes of the conflict, breakdowns on news stories and what was known and possible opposition forces and their armament.

 

The data in the packets had been assembled in a relatively quick manner, but they were efficiently organized and detailed the overview of objectives for the First Force Reaction Battalion. The packet also gave out force allotments, personnel assignments, officer assignments, and detailed information on tactical commanders and what to expect. As MNU considered its Force Reaction Battalions to be flexible units with rotating officers who specialized in various types of warfare, it was only logical that it had chosen one with a talent for counterinsurgency operations mixed with direct action to command the contingent. Colonel [url=http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa325/VictorDeltaRomeo/maria_zpse70a21d9.png]Alyssa van Ramcke[/url] would be in direct field command of the battalion, a tough-as-nails, flamboyant and headstrong individual who was a little eccentric, she was a professional who knew her job and expected results.

 

The A380s would set a course that would take them to the middle of the Atlantic, flying in a loop that circled north around Bermuda before crossing overland to Chicago, the aircraft expected to make landfall somewhere over Northern New Jersey in a westerly direction. Whilst during the flight, the members of the battalion would take time to speak with tactical commanders, acclimatize themselves with their squadmates, as well as clean weapons, review the overview packet, and take as much rest as possible. Stowed aboard the loaded-down A380s, the First would have almost whatever it could possibly need for its task; lightweight communications gear, NBC equipment, personal infrared and night-vision equipment, ammunition, grenades, non-lethal weaponry, body armor, handheld heavy weaponry, and man-portable electronic warfare gear, amongst other goodies.

Edited April 8, 2013 by TheShammySocialist

[Evangeline Anovilis]

At O'Hare Airport in Chicago, the field was already clear. Mostly, due to the complete moratorium on any flights the Faraway authorities had ordered, the way was already pretty much cleared and the airspace monitoring would grant landing permission almost immediatly. The Faraway Armed Forces had been told only that a small detachment of foreigners was coming to help out, though no specifications were made, except to the highest ranks. Thus, apart from the soldiers that guarded the airport to deny access to people unafiliated with the Faraway Armed Forces, the Faraway Executive or the airport personal, only a small group of soldiers was present to greet them at the airport, mostly a small platoon of the logistics, with about a dozen MLVW trucks, to assist in carrying any equipment or troops that needed to be transported to Madison. Major Trenton who had been tasked to oversee the action, drove out in a small light military utility vehicle to greet the hired support. Altough she personally was not a person to led others do the job, especially some mercenaries, she had to admit that if the losses should be kept low, it would be better to let someone do the job, who was trained to do it. Lady Albershaw even told her to watch the reinforcements, so to learn for the future.

 

As the Major approached the 'security experts', she tried to locate their commander, before greeting her. "Greetings and welcome in Chicago. I'm Major Cornelia Trenton, First Reserve Army, serving under her Highness Major General Albershaw. I was tasked to assist you with your landing and to then escort you to Madison, the place your help is needed at."

[TheShammySocialist]

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TL4ciqtr_0]The Cavalry[/url]

 

Having landed at night in keeping with the clandestine and sensitive nature of their mission to Faraway, Cornelia Trenton would find the 1st Force Reaction Battalion's troopers assembled in their respective sections inside of a hanger that South African Airways had requested as part of its arrival in Faraway. The aircraft had been taxied to a more remote part of the airport and cargo was still being unloaded from the cavernous aircraft holds, and then distributed to respective section leaders and members. Most personal gear had been kept in the packs of the MNU troopers which had stayed with them during the flight, personal weapons were already slung over shoulders, and although the hanger appeared to be a scene of utter chaos, there also appeared to be a sense of order.

 

In the middle of the hanger, next to a pile of boxes with mortar rounds and non-lethal ammunition, Trenton would find a group of officers, who were the only individuals wearing bands with the units' patch on their right arms. They all seemed to be conferring on logistical issues and supply allotments, and a lanky, yet athletic blonde female at their center, her rolled up sleeves revealing a host of artistic characters, would appear to be the one running the 'circus' that had just arrived in Chicago. Her grey eyes would greet the ones of the approaching Major briefly, and she seemed to hurry up her conversation with a taller, broader officer who was scribbling out notes. She would dismiss him, and wave the others off as Trenton approached, and her thin lips made a wry smile.

 

When the Major introduced herself, Colonel Alyssa van Ramcke would nod her head slightly, "A pleasure, Major, Colonel Alyssa van Ramcke, the best assistance that can be rendered while we get organized here, is you make sure we have enough transport to Madison. We need enough vehicles to transport all these fine men and women and their gear to there, if you don't have enough right now, I suggest begging, borrowing, or stealing enough to make do. I believe we both would rather not have to make another trip and delay resolving this little tussle in Madison any longer, don't you think?"

 

"On the subject of the latter, you can also assist me in first sending my regards to her Highness, the Major General, and also issuing my first respectful request of her and the forces besieging Madison," said Alyssa, producing a slip of paper from her pocket. The piece of paper would be relatively simple; request the stocking up on smoke charges for artillery, as well as begin the almost continuous use of training ammunition that would air burst over Madison every minute. The piece of paper would also make a request for her to alert Faraway's allies that were involved in the siege, begin doing the same immediately, as well as requesting an allotment of support available for use; ground forces, aircraft, and artillery support.

 

"Marm, Alfa Company is gathering up its heavy weapons, but is otherwise ready to load up," reported one of her subordinates, a haughty Nama African who was broad and tall man that easily towered over the diminutive Colonel.

 

Alyssa would nod and thank the man quietly, before turning to Trenton, "With your permission, Major Trenton, we are quite ready to begin on this jolly little safari."

[Evangeline Anovilis]

Trenton would nod and read through the instructions. "Well, I will send a message to her Highness immediatly. I'm sure this can be arranged. On your other request, we do have a dozen lorries at hand currently, but we can surely organise a few more. I doubt most of the transport companies in this town need all of theirs in these times of trouble anyway. They can be happy if we keep these rebels from becoming highwaymen." As she winked towards the entrance of the hangar, a member of the platoon ran towards her.

 

"Please go to to communications and send this message here to Major General Albershaw herself. It's important. Also, tell the Military Police that we need a few more lorries. They can take them off the speditions. They can just state it as assistance in keeping up the peace, by the day after tomorrow, at latest, they'll be back."

 

"As you command.", the soldier saluted and stormed off. Tenton watched her, until she was around the corner, when the Major turned around and faced the South Africans again.

 

"My permission? Well, sure you have it. We're just now organising a few more vehicles, but in the meanwhile, we can load your stuff on the dozen we already have. Shouldn't take too long, I hope."

 

[hr]

 

Elberto Albershaw was a bit surprised when the order came in. "Sounds like quite some fireworks... but also at the combat value of fireworks." She took a breath from her pipe, before continuing. The orders didn't make her all too happy, however, assistance had to be given. "Ah well, tell the artillery to prepare for barrages to start in two hours. Until then, they shall sort out the correct grenades, check the equipment and ensure all grenades fall within the northern area of the down. Also, tell them to ask for those at home to deliver a few special grenades. And if they air-drop a shipment in. In general, tell them at home, we need more smoke charges."

 

"Special ammunition, your Highness?"

 

"Aye, special ammunition. I'll write you a letter with the specifics of the request."

 

[hr]

 

After message was sent to Hudson Bay and American Commonwealth forces that assisted in the siege, telling them about a the need for massive concentration of mock artillery fire, as well as a request to see Albershaw in a few hours, around the time the South Africans were expected to arrive, after this was done, a bit of movement came into the Faraway ranks, as hundreds of MUV-76's took position and aligned their guns, waiting for the order to fire. Meanwhile, in the rear of the army, no less considerable numbers of Durandal self-propelled howitzers started loading smoke grenades, though, among them also a few special grenades that Albershaw requested. They would not just create a plume of smoke when exploding, it would be coloured in a slight greenish colour, with tear gas mixed into it. These grenades would be used mostly just to add to the confusion and to prevent anyone considering themselves secure, once it was discovered that most grenades were just smoke dispensers. After all, who would not feel at least slightly startled when facing a descending green haze? Especially when it started to cause teary eyes.

 

And after two hours indeed, the roaring of hundreds of artillery guns tore through the silence of the Faraway positions, delivering a first salvo of smoke grenades to the target, though the bombardement would soon lose the greater amount of its intensity, as a bomnardement had to be sustained.

[Mara Lithaen]

OOC: You did not either ask for or receive an auto-advance.

 

IC:

 

Rhodes stood in the well-protected parking garage, at the foot of a ramp, the explosives-laden drone in her hand as the operator, standing some twenty feet away, hit a button on the semi-directional transmitter, the engine on the back of the little aircraft spooling up to maximum thrust in mere moments. She made a quick hop-step, holding the drone as one would a javelin or spear, and she threw it as hard as she could. It gained air and speed - right up to the point that an overlooked wire in the engine compartment came undone, the engine cutting out, and the drone smacked into the garage wall, falling to the ground - thankfully, undetonated.

 

Rhodes cursed to herself, and ran forward to check it. The C4 block on the nose was undamaged, but when she opened up the engine compartment, she discovered the problem, and paused a moment to glare at the other member of their engineering team, the one who'd been responsible for the engines, before holding up the loose wire. He grimaced sheepishly.

 

"Thankfully it didn't explode, and this is an easy fix." she said, muttering to herself. Hammer looked on, impatience written on his face.

 

"How long will this take to fix?"

 

"An hour, tops." The engine-maker said. "I must not have soldered that on properly."

 

"Get to it."

 

While the pair were walking away, both wings and one of the stabilizers fell off, a long crack apparent on the casing.

 

"Um... call it tomorrow."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The Farawayans' cowardly tactics had not gone unnoticed. People - innocents unconnected with either the movement or the fighters - were beginning to fall ill, and to die. Thankfully, sickly water had an easy fix - boiling. Word was quickly spread that boiling water would keep the sicknesses from spreading any further. The food supply, however, was a greater problem.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A small group of fighters - forty in total - lay far beyond the bounds of the city, looking on through field glasses at the siege garrison. A man in a MARPAT uniform grunted, lowering his binoculars.

 

"What do you propose we do about this... problem, sir?" the youngest member of the group asked, quietly, from his position in the dense foliage they were hidden in.

 

The man in the camouflage chewed on his lip, thinking it over. "Not much we can do, in our current strength." he admitted."However..." he said, slowly, before his face lit up with the smallest of smiles. "I do have an idea."

Edited April 17, 2013 by Mara Lithaen

[Evangeline Anovilis]

OOC: You are trying to boil water to get out pesticides? I mean, Botulinm toxine, ok, but pesticides? Also, I don't need an autoadvance, if it isn't an active engagement. I think, given you are sitting in town doing nothing to attack me in the last post prior and as I'm sitting out of town, doing nothing but wait, I can post anytime I like to make an advance on the town. On the other side, you failed to respond to my action.

 

IC:

 

As the crisis went on, the High Command now issued orders also for the last three armies to depart for the former protectorate. They would establish their headquarters in Mineapolis, Chicago and Indianapolis, with patrols throughout the newly acquired territory. Wings of DHC-6 Turbo-Otters were dispatched to keep a constant aerial surveillance on the population and to give warning if any troop movements were sighted that were not Faraway troop movements.

 

Additionally, to ensure the security of Wisconsin, the most rebellious of all states, the third and fourth reserve army would be tasked with guarding the rest of the state, while the 150,000 troops remained to siege the town. Assistance to all these garrisons would come from Military Police units, as well as Royal Higher Police forces, the political police of the realm.

 

ITo prevent any further such issues as the one in Madison, super markets, market stalls, all food that was openly available as well as the stocks of most farmers were recquisitioned, stored centrally and was given out in daily rations to the population. Gas stations were closed down or put under surveillance too, to limit transportation and weapons stores were closed down completely, their owners either letting go of their stocks or facing the might of professional soldiers and armored units. Major towns were partitioned into sectors, with security checkpoints, travel by car was forbidden, travel by bus was forbidden, travel by anything but foot, bike, horse or train was forbidden. Sole exception were ambulance, fire brigades, army and police units. The whole territory was already in a state of emergency since the start of the Madison affair, but now it was to be enforced to the fullest. And offenders would be detained and sent to Drummond Island, until the crisis was over.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Evangeline Anovilis

[Mara Lithaen]

OOC: Failed to respond? Really? Bullshit. I have been EXTREMELY busy the last few days - until you hit 10 days, you do NOT autoadvance again, as this IS an active shooting engagement.

Edit: Also, my snipers - explicitly mentioned - continued to harass your forces as they left. The rifles they are using have a range of 6 kilometers - not necessarily going to hit anything at that range, but fragmentation rounds make up for that. Sorta.

 

IC:

 

The group behind the besieging army kept their heads low, staying in the shadows and brush, utilizing any and all cover they could find to avoid detection as they drew within range for their Javelin launchers to be effective.

 

The groups inside the town kept up their fire in spite of the imperialists' best efforts, their ammunition caches secreted about the city to assure that they were in no way about to run out of ammunition or food. A few more were lost to enemy fire due to sheer luck, but as a general rule, once the shells  began to knock buildings down, the groups simply retreated further into the city. A group of spotters in the highest building in Madison kept a steady watch on the encircling troops, their hands on a number of landline phones at all times. The freedom fighters had list of fallback locations, locked up in their heads, all of which were equipped with scrambled landline phones to connect to the spotter and vice versa.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Mara Lithaen

[Evangeline Anovilis]

OOC: Yes, I'm firing at your troops with my artillery. Now it is an active shooting engagement. Before that it was a siege, unless you actually RP pursuing me to my lines outside the town. Regardless of your actions though, unless you somehow win a GM election you will not tell me how long I will have to wait for any ruling to be made.

 

And I can read your post also if it is not allcaps. But you can calm down, I heard it is bad for blood pressure. Fragmentation rounds of 20 mm are not going to make up against units that sit in trenches. Nor are they able to pierce a unit behind armor.

 

IC:

 

Not many buildings were knocked down by the smoke grenades, nor would many casualties be caused, as the distance was far too great for any effective shots. Mostly, the Faraway troops were waiting for the signal to attack, while Albershaw was waiting for the hired help.

 

However, meanwhile, something different was going on that was maybe more interesting. While the town was under constant observation, the same could be said about the outer perimeter of the siege troops and while unexpected, the rear guard was not blind, scanning the territory and conducting frequent patrols, as was necessary to secure the countryside and supply lines of such a large armed force. Would any rebel be spotted at the outer trench, they would soon notice that from further within the Faraway lines artillery fired at them, if the rifles and machine guns weren't enough to stop such idiocy dead in its tracks.

 

As soon as the approaching soldiers were spotted by any of the many ways the area was under surveillance, be it patrols of the military, lookouts with binoculars, aerial reconnaissance flights, etc (pick your poison), the position was given to a nearby 155 mm Durandal battery. Within less than half a minute, the whole unit would re-align its line of fire from town to soldiers, load actual HE grenades and in a MRSI barrage devastate the troops and most of their surroundings with 12 shells per artillery piece, 10 artillery pieces in a battery. Once the grenades landed in the target area, infantry of the rear guard would start to go over the top of the trenches and charge forward to strike down any attackers, if anyone survived, that was...

 

OOC: Next time you want to not be found like this, either use a method that doesn't assume the Faraway army to have no security in place (it has) and to have incompetent reconnaissance (this is the military) or use a spyroll. If you think you can sneak near without spyroll, get shot without spyroll.

 

If you want to make an argument that your soldiers were oh so trained to sneak around, because they are elite, keep in mind that this is the bulk of my forces, including my own such assets.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Evangeline Anovilis

[TheShammySocialist]

[b][OOC: As this is a non-combat movement post through friendly territory, and was given a go-ahead by a GM on IRC, I am moving forward with it.][/b]

 

After a little bit more conferring with her subordinates, Alyssa van Ramcke would order her force of troopers into a waiting column of vehicles that had been procured for their travel north to Madison. The battalion would load into vehicles organized by squad, to maintain organization and coherence in the travel north. The MNU troopers would carry their weapons with them, already loaded with live ammunition in case of trouble, and had stripped themselves of any markings that might reveal their true origin. Most of the unit had already conferred on what their duties were when they got to their area of operations or 'AO' as they liked to call it, and promptly would try to nap on the ride north, some falling into a doze after mounting up into the trucks.

 

Officers had taken off any identification markers as well, and appeared to be just another one of the five hundred mercenaries that piled into the column of waiting trucks that were idling as their passengers loaded up loose cargo that wasn't being carried on their person. As the trucks began to depart O'Hare, Alyssa had been doing some last minute conferring with her other commanders, and had come up with yet another list of essentials to hand over to Trenton. When she handed her the list, she expected an upturned eyebrow at her requests, but seemed not to care about the eccentric requests.

 

"If you would, Major, kindly relay this information to General Albershaw, and tell her to have these items, if she can procure them or acquiesces to this request, to be in Oregon, Wisconsin, when we arrive there. We'll only need a couple of hours after that before we can begin," said Alyssa, as she handed off the list to Trenton.

 

The list contained a rather eclectic mixture of desires; two snow-plow trucks, with the plows attached, a fire pumper truck, firehoses, rolled steel plate that was an inch and a half thick, arc welding equipment, cutting torches, a roll of chain link fence, and solid rubber tires. Whether or not Albershaw decided to put the effort into tasking someone to gather the equipment was her own choice. After handing the list to Trento, Alyssa would mount up with a squad of soldiers in one of the MLVWs, and the 1st Force Reaction Battalion began its trek north towards Madison...

[Evangeline Anovilis]

Trenton took the list without any questions, though, as she messaged Albershaw, the Major quickly frowned, as the reply was for her to just confiscate the equipment in Chicago, as it was surely easier there. However, it indeed was not too hard to get the necessary equipment and with the last few lorries, also these special vehicles and a few crates of requested material were brought to Oregon, Wisconsin.

 

Major General Albershaw meanwhile enjoyed reading the message her subordinate had sent her, though she just took a break and couldn't be bothered to send some people out. Still, these mercenaries seemed quite interesting and certainly were creative. She chewed a bit lightly on her pipe's mouthpiece, smiling, looking forward to observing the actions of the South Africans.

[Kankou]

Quebec looked silently at the conflict, mainly to avoid shedding more blood than was what was flowing. Given the massive firepower the nation, it would simply wipe out the rebellion, but out of consideration for its ally, it will only intervene should external forces become involved.

[Mara Lithaen]

When the 155mm artillery opened fire on a herd of deer, it was a sad day...

 

Meanwhile, the few chemists among the militants began to create large-ish batches of C-4 well behind the tenuous battle lines at the edge of the city. It was a simple enough recipe, made of things any grocery and or home improvement store would have, but it still took time. When they were through, they would begin to wire the outer buildings' supports with the explosives, fully intending on dropping them on any assaulting troops.

 

OOC: I never said they were close enough to fire upon, or be seen. I, as a matter of fact, never said much of their position at all. Merely that they were approaching.

[TheShammySocialist]

Upon arriving on the outskirts of Madison, the 1st Force Reaction Battalion and MNU troopers would requisition an empty warehouse, and set a complete watch on the surround, requesting support from Farawayan Military Police to enforce their perimeter, which was situated on the outer limits of the south side of the town of Oregon, and set to work on a tight schedule, calibrating electronic gear, while a seemingly small army set to work on the commandeered snow plows and one of O'Hare International's fire trucks. Without their specialized vehicles from MNU's inventory in South Africa, they would have to make do with what they had, which wasn't a terribly bad assortment. The large, typical-style municipal snow plows were already built on a heavy duty truck chassis, and made imposing vehicles with the plows attached, and Colonel van Ramcke and her officers had formulated a plan on utilizing them as such.

 

Utilizing the steel plate and flat bar, arc welders would be used to reinforce the plows' already heavy support system, as well as strengthen protection around the plow hydraulic system from gunfire and shrapnel. To protect the engine grille from the front and top, solid rolled steel plate that was an inch and a half thick was welded onto a rig that was attached to the plow system and protected the radiator and engine block from frontal threats. The top of the engine would see three-quarter inch steel plates welded to the underside of the engine covers, while other pieces of steel bar were welded to the sides of the vehicles, providing a hanger system for the unrolled spools of chain-link fence, providing a curtain against shape charge weaponry.

 

The doors of the trucks would be be reinforced with steel plate, and the windows completely sealed with steel plate, with chain link fence rigged around it, the drivers would see by high-resolution cameras that would be mounted on the vehicles' top, and encased in boxes of steel. A series of computer screens requisitioned from a local electronics store would be rigged up and secured on the dash, with multiple views available to them at once. Vocal commands could also be given from spotters located in the dumpers on the back of the vehicle, which would have a steel plate canopy over it, supported on multiple steel poles. Pintle mounts for machineguns would be welded onto a variety locations, while the sides were reinforced with steel plate on the inside, and the improvised cage armor on the outside of the apparatus.

 

Solid rubber tires with chains would be put on all the vehicles, as the tanker truck from O'Hare received a similar armor and tire upgrade treatment as the snowplows, which would also be stocked with extra ammunition, diesel, and communications equipment. Loudspeakers would be wired on one of the plow, while the welders also affixed the side runners on the snow plows, over the wheels and beside the dumper with a series of steel runners which could be used as handlebars for riders.

 

A message would be sent to both the American Commonwealth and the Hudson Bay Federation Commanders in the region, from an officer identifying themselves with the Farawayan Army, with a request to assist with aerial surveillance. The request would first be sent to Albershaw for approval, before being sent on to the respective commanders, it would request that on-the-ground drone pilots and surveillance staff be partnered with a small squad from the MNU force, which would provide high-level, high-resolution over-watch over the operation, which was only hours away from being kicked off.

 

Lastly, a message would be dispatched to Albershaw requesting that she release a group of fifteen protesters that had been apprehended earlier during the streetfights over to the South Africans...

[MostGloriousLeader]

The 52nd Infantry possessed a total of 144 M109A8 Paladin self propelled howitzers and 16 M270 MLRSs, all of which were available and on the line.  Receiving word from Faraway forces they prepared a barrage of smoke shells.  Two types were available, normal smoke and another aerosol version that would blind IR sensors, the former was selected in case surveillance was required during the operation.  On command the artillery began their barrage shortly after the Faraway military began theirs. 

 

Meanwhile Commonwealth forces received the request for surveillance support from the MNU force and the liaison team was asked to come down to the divisional command post.  Because of the nature of the siege the command post was a little more permanent than the usual mobile CP, located in one of the large open fields near I-90.  It consisted of a complex of modular prefabricated buildings and tents capable of housing the divisional command and support staff.  It was walled in by hesco barriers and guard towers and guarded by MPs and an infantry company on loan from one of the division's brigade's as well as part of the divisional anti-aircraft battalion.  The liasons would be brought to the divisional intelligence company where real time data-feeds from multiple sources was available, including recon aircraft, UAVs, and satellites when available. 

 

Preparations were also being made for possible movement and action with brigades on alert in their staging areas.  Recon teams kept their sectors under constant surveillance.  Overhead the city was a virtual cloud of UAVs and recon aircraft keeping watch over movement inside.  Air support was also on call around the clock with several fighters rotating on station above Madison armed with precision guided weapons.

[Mara Lithaen]

The word went out among the militants as soon as the first jets were heard - fixed positions were no longer safe. The standard order was "Fire from a mono-sightline position, and get the hell out of Dodge." Meanwhile, the demolitions experts finished wiring up the outer buildings - discreetly, done so as to avoid attention from the drones they suspected had to be in the air, given the massive capabilities of the terrorists at the city's gates - and moved inward. In addition, Cecilia Rhodes, after looking over the drone's destroyed casing, simply transferred the explosives to a new polymer shell, preparing the small UAV for flight - and, of course, making damned sure the wires were connected correctly this time.

 

Several snipers moved to ground-level - their weapons emplaced in such a way as to render aerial reconnaissance useless by virtue of elevation and the weapons' recessed placement in the buildings' confines. At the same time, additional safeguards were put in place to ensure the aloft snipers' continued sight-enforced defense of the city. Their weapons were capable of shooting a 20mm round more than 5 kilometers, with accuracy, thanks to the BORS and the gunners' own skill... so having good lines of sight was a must.

[Evangeline Anovilis]

Albershaw was most delighted, as the news of the mercenary support came in. After looking over van Ramcke's plans, she just approved them without any objections and ordered Trenton to gather the asked for civilians. To add a few, some were taken from the surrounding villages and added to the pool, to ensure enough were available for whatever they would be used for. After also ordering two regiments to prepare themselves for action, she quietly lit her tobacco and enjoyed a pipe, while watching things unfold.

[TheShammySocialist]

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Bwht6EZp0]Dogs of War[/url]

 

It would be at three-thirty in the morning, after a night of making final adjustments and coordinating communications with the American Commonwealth through the liaison teams that the vanguard of the 1st Force Reaction Battalion would depart from Oregon, Wisconsin, heading north on old US Route 14. Given the nature of the environment they were going into, the vehicles that had been heavily modified were equipped with whatever modes of detection could be fitted to them. This was on top of the goggles that the MNU troopers wore, which included thermal mode to help them in the coming attack, on top of these seal-forming goggles that fit over their eyes, they would be wearing gas masks and layered body armor to protect them from small-arms fire and blows from the protesters.

 

Van Ramcke was not stupid, she knew that her boys and girls would be heading into an urban war zone that had had plenty of time to prepare a welcome party, and after watching footage from the TVs, she also had seen how the protesters had gathered to fight the Farawayans trying to impose law and order. The militants opposing her were hiding behind innocent civilians, why did the MNU troopers have to suffer the same fate? Instead of being completely alone on their journey into Madison, she had ordered the prisoners received graciously from Albershaw to be shackled onto the bars installed above the wheel base on the fenders, right beside the dumpers on the snow plows, and shackled to the top of the fire pumper as well. Their names and addresses would be written onto white t-shirts that would be forced onto their torsos, and their individual shackles strapped tight behind their bodies to a steel bar, after having been searched meticulously for any mode of escape possible.

 

They would be blindfolded, but their mouths left open, the MNU troopers didn't give much care to what they said, the militants they were facing were no more innocent then they of hiding behind civilians, it only seemed fair that they face the same moral dilemma...

 

Leading the way, the two modified snow plows, solid rubber tires rumbling, would set out with their modified fire tanker truck right behind them, small squads of MNU troopers would be posted in the rear of the canopied dumpers, which mounted a duo of machineguns each. Each dumper also carried a cell phone jammer, which would prevent a call-detonation event by wired explosives out to seven-hundred and fifty feet in distance. A plethora of other weapons were also loaded into the dumpers, including SMAWs with thermobaric warheads, boxes upon boxes of smoke and flash-bang grenades, extra ammunition, and other light infantry weapons. Hand-held drones, equipped with thermal scopes, their skins sprayed with anti-reflective spray would be launched and would remain on station above the convoy as it moved forward.

 

Flanking the trucks, MNU troopers would form into fire-force-like teams, all members of the ground units would have short-range radios with microphone headsets, and each team would have a light machinegun as part of its armament. Rifles would be equipped with underslung grenade launchers, armed with anti-personnel or high explosive rounds, the first five rounds in every clip of ammunition would be rubber bullets for crowd dissuasion techniques. Team commanders would be indistinguishable from their fellow soldiers, all wore the same gear, or carried various weaponry. The rules of engagement were clear and simple, and loudspeakers on the snow plows dared the protesters to come within fifty feet of any MNU trooper engaged in the operation. Further messages on the loudspeakers would request the militants give themselves up, drop their weapons, and be treated as legitimate prisoners of war.

 

Coordinating with the Faraway Army, the MNU troopers, about four hundred in the assault force altogether, would be backed up by the two infantry regiments that would follow them into the combat zone. Above them, the MNU troopers that would liaison with the Commonwealth soldiers would provide updates on groups of protesters or possible militant locations from the surveillance assets that were scouring the city. Behind the lines, MNU troopers with fire support weaponry would be ready to provide copiously for their brethren in the assault teams. It was at that point that van Ramcke would request that Faraway's artillery begin to launch smoke rounds into the city from multiple directions, smothering buildings and potential hiding places with a thick carpet of smoke.

 

[OOC: Edited for direction of movements.]

Edited April 21, 2013 by TheShammySocialist

[Tanis777]

Federation support to the Madison crisis was through a Light Infantry Division supported by a Heavy Armor brigade.  The bulk of the assets would be through an ad-hoc SIGINT facility to handle aerial RC-240 and tactical UAV data to ground forces.  

 

General Blake McAllister commanding the Federation AOC in Madison would assist the MNU assets through various intelligence gathering, mainly in the electronic realm.  However, six B-2 bombers with a mix of smart munitions were on standby if needed. 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

A general warning to all Madison forces would be issued at 1600 to warn of an impending chemical weapon launch by the Federation military.  An array of air-launched cruise missiles by Federation B-52Gs would launch an array of nitrous oxide upon the inhabitants of Madison at 1730.  

Edited April 21, 2013 by Tanis777

[Evangeline Anovilis]

The two Grenadier regiments that were chosen for the assault on Madison were issued gas masks, as well as gloves and modified clothing to be worn underneath the green coats. The Faraway Army did after all use slightly harmful tear gas, and it was taken note of, that a planned strike from Hudson Bay forces could be more aggressive. And even if these two were not present, one could hardly know what these rebels had stored still.

 

In addition to this protection, the grenadiers would follow the tradition of their name and carry a considerable amount of V40 grenades. Given they may had to clear rooms first, before entering, it seemed a good addition. Otherwise however, little was different from regular Faraway infantry.

 

Mere five minutes after the South African assault, the two regiments would be set into motion, to approach the town and to assist in the fighting that was expected. They would follow the mercenaries, a mere few hundred metres between them.

 

While artillery fire on Madison had been constant for some time now, the number of firing artillery pieces would decline, to prepare for the actual mission and within the first seconds after 3:30, a fire burst would be conducted, aiming at multiple entrances to the town, to obscure the direction of the attack. Just like before smokescreen and tear gas would be used

[Mara Lithaen]

Rather than shoot helpless civilians as the oppressors showed themselves willing to do, the militants committed suicide en masse.

 

Lacking any unified guidance, the protesters half-destroyed Madison in a sudden explosion of helplessness and despair. The entire group splintered and annihilated itself in under an hour.

[Evangeline Anovilis]

While the Royal Faraway Army still investigated into the causes of the mass killing inside Madison, Albershaw did not hesitate even for a moment to order all hands to assist in clearing the streets and buildings of corpses and to search the rabble for survivors. The dead would be put into body bags, piled up and transported to Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rockford, Duluth, Rochester, Des Moines, Davenport, Gary, Cedar Rapids, Eazu Claire, Grand Rapids and partly even to Detroit and Windsor, where they would be identified and a registry of their names would be given to the authorities, to check with existing administration accounts from protectorate times. Once that was done, the bodies would all be cremated and the ashes sent back to Madison, if they were protesters, or they would be preserved and sent to Faraway, if they were soldiers, so that their families could decide how the dead would be dealt with. The investigations would also try to solve the mystery behind the cause of death, but not much would be found out, beyond it being mass suicide, exact motives unknown.

 

To help in the transportation, multiple speditions from all over the protectorate were hired, as the mess was to be cleaned up as soon as possible, to prevent the breakout of disease. The siege had caused a massive deterioration of the situation within Madison, which now was mostly deserted, with blood at some points literally filling puddles on the streets. Some soldiers even threw up, as they had to carry the hundreds of thousands of corpses away. But once all was done, most troops were dismissed, apart from a few units of pioneers, who had the mission to create a makeshift cemetary outside the down, for the enormous amounts of urns that were to be put there. Money for these urns would be raised by conficating the property of all deceased, or by billing the descendants.

 

Albershaw would meet van Ramcke and hand her 115 million Faraway pound (100 million as agreed as fixed sums, 10 million for 100 dead combatants and an additional 5 million for the swift completion of the task, though some more cynic people would say it was for the permanent silencing of the rebels), thanking the South african for the effort and wishing them good luck in their journey home, warning however, that there may be a few traffic problems, due to the huge amount of corpses transported out of town.

 

Albershaw also would thank the Commonwealth and Federation forces for their cooperation, calling the result a somewhat pyrrhic victory, also wishing them a good journey home. Afterwards, she wrote her report, added the findings of the autopsies and the bills, sending the whole thing to Ontario Military High Command and her superior Lady Hanobel.

 

For Faraway, this would conclude Operation Maize Field, marking the end of the bloodiest affair in its history to date, though it also meant the start of integrating the new provinces.

[TheShammySocialist]

The sudden self-massacre that the militants initiated upon themselves was quite surprising to the MNU troopers, who penetrated a little ways into town, finding what appeared to be self-inflicted injuries. A radio report would be issued to the besieging forces that no further artillery or aerial bombardments would be necessary, the uprising was over. The unit would patrol the streets of the ghost town that Madison had become into the middle of the morning, before withdrawing. They would impound any weaponry they found, and upon returning to Faraway Lines, account for the weaponry and explosives they had found, and hand them over to Faraway's military leadership.

 

Colonel Alyssa van Ramcke would thank Albershaw for swift payment of the debts owed Multinational United in cash, and thank her for the opportunity to work for the Farawayan Government. She would inform her that no transportation back to O'Hare would be required, so long as the South African Airways aircraft were given clearance to land at Madison's own airport. With an answer in hand, she would return to her force with the money as well as the plan for their return to South Africa. A call would be put into the South African Airways Airbus A380s to hand over orders to the flight crew, while the MNU forces would begin packing up any loose equipment they had for their ride home.

[Evangeline Anovilis]

Given that in contrast to the road, noone was really using the airport, clearance was given, as long as the South Africans would not mind the lacking airport personal. But no flights were scheduled anyway and the runway was free.