The Kingdom of Cochin Chronicles

[king of cochin]

[quote name='Sarah Tintagyl' date='23 February 2010 - 11:26 PM' timestamp='1266947978' post='2199215']
Brother Teemu Parviainen and Sister Gwendolyn Price, a Welshwoman and a Finn, both members of the Order of Malleus Dei, and both part of the members of the Australian Catholic Church's monastic society smiled to each other as the small Australian freighter pulled towards the Port of Bombay in the Kingdom of Cochin, their work towards the progression of the Church on mainland Asia was to begin here. The Bishop had given the two priests a strict assignment on how they were to behave themselves while in Cochin, this was a country of extreme secularism and where religion was not, under any circumstance to be interjected into the state. Catholicism in Asia was lacking, there were small enclaves throughout the continent, but nothing to the degree that it could be found in either Europe or in Oceania and if Cochin was to be one of the first steps then it would have to be done carefully and with a great deal of finesse.

"So the orders were what Teemu? After we land." Gwendolyn sighed holding onto the rails of the ship, looking out over the port.

"I'm afraid that The King of Cochin never specified to Lady Eliisa just where their Great Temple was. But that's where we have to head towards. After that, ask for a spot of land to build the Church in Cochin and then report back to the Bishop for further instructions. Nothing too physically or mentally draining." He chuckled.

As the barge came to a stop in the port, cargo and persons aboard were unloaded and disembarked. Walking down the wooden ramp from the ship, Teemu and Gwendolyn, both dressed in robes of the Catholic clergy, walked up to one of the harbormasters at the end of the dock and bowed as they got his attention. "Sir." Teemu began. "I am Brother Teemu Parviainen and this is Sister Gwendolyn Price, we are members of the Australian Catholic Church here to being a ministry, unfortunately, our superiors did not alert us to where the Great Temple of Cochin is located. Do you think you could fill us in?"
[/quote]

"Sir, the Great Temple is in Cochin City, our capital. If you want to go there there are flights to Cochin from the Santa Cruz Domestic Airport or you can get trains easily from the Victoria Terminus. Would your eminences require any help with these? I could assign one of my men to escort you," the harbor master said.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

[quote]
"Sir, the Great Temple is in Cochin City, our capital. If you want to go there there are flights to Cochin from the Santa Cruz Domestic Airport or you can get trains easily from the Victoria Terminus. Would your eminences require any help with these? I could assign one of my men to escort you,"
[/quote]

"Not at all good sir." Said Teemu. "No escort is necessary, Sister Gwendolyn and myself will be just fine. Thank you for telling us where to head though, it is a huge help." He beckoned Gwen forward and the two priests walked out of the port of Bombay towards the center of the city where the Victoria Terminus was located. The train would be the best move, Malleus Dei did not differentiate between the servants of their order and the regular priest of the clergy, the salary was the same, a few Australian Dollars barely enough to get by on. However, Teemu and Gwen were lucky, given that there was no Catholic Church established in Cochin and the possible amount of money that it would take to establish the institution, Bishop Malkinin had given them ample funds to accomplish this and a train ride would be more than acceptable for their budget.

After paying the fare for a ticket to Cochin, much to the chagrin of Teemu who found the price a bit much for a train ticket in present time, the two priests boarded the train and were off to the capital of the Kingdom. From Bombay, the train headed north through the Cochin provinces towards Cochin City located in the province of Xinjiang and the priests were subject to the breathtaking terrain and environment of the Kingdom, the low laying river valleys of the Ganges, the distant Himalayas that rose high into the sky, the rocky hills and crevices of Tibet and the far away Hindu Kush. Finally, the train passed onto the plains of the Cochin capital as Gwen kept her eyes clued to the scenery outside of the train, especially when they passed under the watch of the Himalayas, the giants Asia.

"They are really beautiful, don't you think Teemu, I don't think I've ever seen mountains as big as this. When they said about joining the convent, traveling was never something mentioned." She chuckled. "But I'm glad I'm getting that chance."

Teemu feigned a smile as he looked down at a few papers in front of him as the sun began to dip behind the hills to the west. "It is beautiful isn't it."

Gwen's eyebrows lifted. "Teemu? Is everything alright, you've barely said a word since we've been on the train."

"I've been contemplating the statistics that the Bishop received from the Cochinian King. The restrictions that we have will make conversion almost impossible, especially in a land that has barely been introduced to Catholicism. I've never felt so foreign before in my life." The sentence made Gwendolyn chuckle as she leaned back in her seat and shook her head. "What? What's so funny?"

"You are, all scared because we finally left home, all thinking about failure instead that we're going to be fine and that the people will embrace the faith in due time. Always so pessimistic you are, you make a horrible preacher."

He smiled. "Well I guess that's why I brought you along, or that's why Lady Eliisa assigned you to me, so I wouldn't screw this up by being myself."

"People will flock, we're here to help the people and Bishop Eliisa knows that. After all the politics and the intrigue, its about helping the people, guiding them and giving them an open hand. Remember what they told us the first day in the Abbey."

Teemu nodded his head. "We are the arms of the Church, its voice, we are there to protect all the faithful, to protect them from attackers, from heathens, and to help the meek and mistreated. I don't think I could ever forget, you'll be there to remind me."

"Exactly." They laughed as the train continued through the darkness of Tibet arriving in Cochin city early that morning.

Leaving the train station in Cochin City, the priests walked through the city towards the Great Temple in town. Entering in, they were awed by the magnitude and the elegance of the structure and proceeded to locate someone of seemingly an administrator function walking through the building. To be honest, he just had a gait that made him seem important. "Excuse me." Gwendolyn called out to the man and skipped over, the black habit, the nun's garb, standing out in such a colorful structure. "Sir, I don't mean to bother you with questions, but my name is Sister Gwendolyn Price, my friend here is Brother Teemu Parviainen. We are representatives of the Australian Catholic Church and would like to know where we could talk to a Temple official about getting started for state sponsorship of the religion? It would be a huge help."

[king of cochin]

"Ah! Yes, you are the priests from Australia!! Cardinal Mathews had told me about your arrival, though we apologize that we could not send someone to meet you at Bombay. To tell the truth Cardinal Mathews had not told us when you were arriving. Anyway come along, let us sort out the administrative work. By the way my name is Vishnu Narayanan Nampudiri, I am the Hindu head priest here."

The distinguished old man in a simple white shirt and white dhoti led the Australian priests towards the official antechambers. They were led towards a capacious office with the light streaming in through a glazed glass tapestry depicting various mythologies.

"I have drawn the duty this week to be the Head of the Great Temple of All Faiths, Pir Ahmad, my Islamic brother is attending a Dargah at Ajmer and Cardinal John Mathews is in Aizawl today. Now as towards sponsorship, how much assistance would you require?"

[king of cochin]

[quote][size="3"][center][color="#FF0000"][u][b]PALACE PRESS BRIEFING[/b][/u][/color][/center]

The Ministry of Finance is proud to declare that the Treasury of the Kingdom is sound once again. The Kingdom has once again weathered the uncertainties of time and came out stronger. Though the strengths lost due to the partitioning would take longer to gain, the technological advancements and prosperity that is the hallmark of the Kingdom has been regained. In time the Kingdom shall compensate for the strengths lost too. For now the Kingdom of Cochin is once again strong and prosperous. [/size][/quote]

[king of cochin]

RCDF Press Briefing

Royal Cochin Army and Royal Cochin Navy today released its consolidated rank list of promotions as General Officer's Commanding for all the fighting land units of both armed forces. Notable promotions include Brig. Gen. Swaraj Pratap who was promoted from his job as GOC-3rd Airborne Division to the rank of Major General. He has now been appointed to Army General Staff Headquarters for duty and is a fore runner to be commander of a Mechanized Division in the next round of promotions. The highly decorated soldier was instrumental in the combined Cochin-Madurastan ofensive against TLAM rebels in Madurastan where the exploits of the 3rd Airborne Division was much appreciated.

Another important point of note is that the 12th Infantry Regiment has been ordered to shift to its new regimental base at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Hitherto based at Chittagong in Bengal Province, the Andhra Regiment is currently involved in peace keeping and protectorate duty in the Cochin Burma Protectorate.

[img]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww110/gokulvarmank/04.jpg[/img]

[king of cochin]

[u][b]RCDF PRESS BRIEFING[/b][/u]

Royal Cochin Defense Force announces complete migration of its communications network to IPV6 based on an 802.16 based communication network. The complete migration has been conducted to improve the operational security, versatility and bandwidth capabilities of the MILNET. The work has been a joint effort of Strategic Air Defense Command, Air Force Communications Command, Institute for Advanced Mathematical Studies, Varma Institute for Fundamental Research and Tratum Infosystems Pvt. Ltd. While VIFR and IAMS developed the protocols for implementation, Tratum developed the necessary hardware changes required for the implementation and AFCC and SADC developed the protocols for customization for MILNET.

The work which had been going on for the past few months was over seen by Brig. Gen. Miryam Muhammad who is now GOC, 12th Infantry Regiment. Sources in the Ministry of Interior have been reported to have informed that soon the entire communications back bone of the Kingdom may switch over to IPV6 for its versatility and improved security features.

[king of cochin]

[quote name='Maelstrom Vortex' date='13 March 2010 - 01:04 PM' timestamp='1268466014' post='2224158']
Some former Dragon Empire loyalists, Dragonisian Indian descendants, and local Dragon Cultists begin to lobby with the Cochin government for intervention on behalf of Markurian Pakistan.. with which said groups have been friends of that country for well over a decade now, including aiding in the reunification of India, which lead to Cochin's current absolute control over the subcontinent region.

A few minor demonstrations are held, within local laws, against the Muslim Republic which is waging war to overthrow the old Sultan.

On a worldwide level, the Dragon Cult remains silent about the Civil war in Pakistan, voicing no favor for either side. In fact they are encouraging silence among domestics within Cochin, emphasizing that the state of Civil War in Pakistan is potentially caused by an identity crisis within the Dreamer of the State.. the embodiment of the State's spirit.
[/quote]


Noticing the increasing calls for intervention, the Palace has released the following briefing.

"Marscurian Pakistan is a close ally of the Kingdom and a cherished friend. The troubles afflicting them are a cause of worry for us, but the Kingdom shall not interfere unless Marscurian Pakistan wishes us to. We are fully confident that these troubles can be pacified by Sultan KaiserMelech Mikhail without any Cochin intervention. We implore the people of the Kingdom to pray for the well being of our brothers in Marscurian Pakistan.

The Kingdom of Cochin does not recognize any break away entity of Pakistan."

[Maelstrom Vortex]

The announcement was met by cheers from the slight crowd gathered at the Palace and praises for the King and his wisdom from all quarters that had voiced any concerns.

Edited March 13, 2010 by Maelstrom Vortex

[king of cochin]

[u][b]MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ANNOUNCEMENT[/b][/u]

The Kingdom of Cochin hereby announces that it has annexed Ile St. Paul and Ile Amsterdam islands in Southern Indian Ocean. These uninhabited islands are of great strategical importance to provide greater logistical support for our Antarctic territories and to maintain the Kingdom's Indian Ocean SOSUS line. These islands were hitherto unclaimed and so the Kingdom's announcement is expected to cause no distress. Royal Cochin Navy would establish a major fleet base at Ile St. Paul and Royal Cochin Air Force shall establish a Forward Air Base at Ile Amsterdam. The 3rd Marine Division which landed at the islands in the early hours of today are expected to station a brigade sized force at Ile Amsterdam for the defense of the islands.

The two islands shall form a part of the Lakshadweep-Maldives Province. Due to the uninhabited nature of these islands and the rich and vibrant ecosystem prevalent here, civilian settlement would not be permitted and all precautions would be taken to ensure the RCDF operations in these islands would no affect the natural ecosystem in any way.

[Botha]

[quote name='king of cochin' date='13 March 2010 - 11:10 PM' timestamp='1268550921' post='2225183']The Kingdom of Cochin hereby announces that it has annexed Ile St. Paul and Ile Amsterdam islands in Southern Indian Ocean. [/quote]

[color="#000080"]

Ambassador Varadarajan Ag of Cochin met with Foreign Minister Hendrik Strijdom a few hours ago for our advice on clarification of the territorial status of these islands.

As far as the Government of the Republic of Transvaal is aware, these islands have been vacant and unclaimed for a long time (at least since the demise of the nation of Wighton) and thus we recognise this annexation by the Kingdom of Cochin.
[/color]

[king of cochin]

[quote name='Botha' date='14 March 2010 - 01:45 PM' timestamp='1268554848' post='2225200']
[color="#000080"]

Ambassador Varadarajan Ag of Cochin met with Foreign Minister Hendrik Strijdom a few hours ago for our advice on clarification of the territorial status of these islands.

As far as the Government of the Republic of Transvaal is aware, these islands have been vacant and unclaimed for a long time (at least since the demise of the nation of Wighton) and thus we recognise this annexation by the Kingdom of Cochin.
[/color]
[/quote]


The Kingdom of Cochin thanks the Republic of Transvaal for this acknowledgment.

[king of cochin]

[center][color="#FF0000"][u][b]ROYAL COCHIN DEFENSE FORCES PRESS BRIEFING[/b][/u][/color]

[color="#0000FF"][u][b]STRATEGIC OFFENSE PROGRAM[/b][/u][/color][/center]

Royal Cochin Defense Forces formally announces a new Strategic Offense Program that enables the RCDF to conduct long range conventional surgical strikes without the tactical risks involved with conventional delivery methods.

In a conflict of extremely fast escalation it may be required at times to mount surgical conventional attacks against certain enemy targets to destroy the Command and Control and operational capabilities. Such operations include but are not limited to destroying rigid and hard penetration targets, area targets, wide area targets and intelligence collection. Conducting such operations using conventional forces would necessitate extensive expensive and risky procedures like deployment of long range aircraft, naval formations etc. Destruction of such targets cannot be done using WMDs as probability of large scaled collateral damage cannot be ruled out and any such damage would be politically unacceptable to the National Command Authority. Hence RCDF has come up with the Strategic Offense Program.

Developed by Royal Cochin Army General Staff High Command and Air Force Central Command SOP involves arming Ballistic Missiles with conventional weapon systems. The special weapons packages in the Reentry Warheads could be replaced by easily customized conventional packages. None of the guidance mechanisms required for missiles in current Strategic Artillery Corps inventory needs to be changed as they require only slight reprogramming to suit the conventional mission parameters.

Certain examples of warhead packages designed to be delivered under SOP are given below.

[img]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww110/gokulvarmank/RigidPenetrator.jpg[/img]

For use against hardened and deeply buried targets (eg: Bunkers), Missile Silos

[img]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww110/gokulvarmank/SmartBomb.jpg[/img]

For Facility destruction (eg: Air fields, naval bases, army bases)

[img]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww110/gokulvarmank/WAASM.jpg[/img]

Wide area terrestrial search and destroy munitions (eg: GB4 warheads)

[img]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww110/gokulvarmank/UAV.jpg[/img]

UAV Payload

The SOP have already been assigned with various Strategic Artillery Corps units and Missile Submarines. SOPs have been integrated with GG19s, GS19s, GG12, GS12 and GG10 Ballistic Missiles. As of now SOPs have been issued operationally to active duty SAC and RCN units.

Edited March 15, 2010 by king of cochin

[king of cochin]

*** Secret ***

The flight from Marscury was met at a secure hangar by 2 SUVs. The arriving visitors are greeted by a tall young man with a young lady at his side.

"Lt.Gen. Nichtalt? Welcome to Cochin, I am Vikram Kerala Varma and this is my wife Anaswara. We will take charge for the Crown Prince. Dont worry, he will be quite safe with us. As for you, General, here are your orders." The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Cochin handed over a blue folder to the Marscurian Pakistan Officer as Anaswara took the child and took him to the SUV where a mobile crib is fitted.

As the General read the briefing Vikram said,"Lt. Gen. Nichtalt your further flight is waiting for you. God Speed and bring pride to your nation." The Crown Prince then saluted the General and boarded the SUV which immediately drove off.

Lt. Gen. Nichtalt was then drove towards a Metac idling a few hundred meters away which immediately took off on an Easterly direction once he was strapped in.

[king of cochin]

[quote][color="#FF0000"][size="4"][center][u][b]Cochin Chinese Protectorate Handover[/b][/u][/center][/size][/color]

[center]The Kingdom of Cochin hereby announces the full handover of the Cochin Chinese Protectorate to the People's Republic of China, except for the province of Haiphong. The Protectorate is no longer under the purvey of Lhasa Doctrine. Those nations that have been formed from Cochin Chinese Protectorate and have not annulled the application of Lhasa Doctrine upon their territory would revert to Cochin Chinese Protectorate upon the dissolution of the said nations and at such time those extra territories could also be handed over to People's Republic of China.

The citizens of Haiphong have requested the Kingdom of Cochin to grant them sovereignty hence the province is not subject to this above handover of territory to the People's Republic of China.[/center][/quote]

[Sir Keshav IV]

"We are grateful for the Kingdom of Cochin trusting us with this land. We will make sure the people here are well cared for."

[king of cochin]

*** Private Conversation ***

[u][b]Royal Official Chambers,
Hill Palace,
Cochin City
[/b][/u]
"So what do you think of the new President of Madurastan, Vikram?" Syed Sharafudeen, Minister of Finance asked.

"She seems to be a very capable politician, especially to succeed at such a young age in a Presidential election," the Crown Prince replied.

"Capable? Yes. Definitely. I have not heard of this party before. Madurastan Liberal Party, is it?" Gen. Mahesh Varma asked.

"Yes. A virtual unknown in Madurastan polity so far, under Ms. Brown's stewardship they have come up well," Gen. Mohammad Faraz replied.

"Anyway Kumar, take special care and preparations before your first meeting with the new President. Dont lose your diplomatic skills," Syed Sharafudeen added with a little smile.

"Oh yeah, take special care, Kumar. I hear she is extremely pretty and single too." Gen. Faraz chimed in guffawing.

"Come on guys. I am not that type. Besides I am a 65 years old distinguised gentleman." KP Varma, Minister of External Affairs added defensively.

"Kumaretta, you should have gotten married when I told you. See, now all this other old fools are making fun of you," Rama Varma added laughing at his chief diplomat.

"Yeah yeah, but my policy is different. To have milk with tea, you do not need to buy a cow, you can always buy milk in packets," KP Varma replied.

"And you have sampled quite a lot of packets. Just be careful is what we are saying. We dont want a diplomatic incident because the Kingdom's Foreign Minister got infatuated with the allied President," Gen. Varma added.

"Come on, give me a break. She is old enough to be a daughter. I do not date that young."

"Silly, so silly. Time for chants and prayers and you old coons are talking about young women. Shame, shame," Vikram added taking a sip on his glass of Chardonnay.

"Well it is bound to be some interesting times we have ahead of us. Let us hope this new President of Madurastan proves herself worthy to survive these challenging times," Rama Varma said.

[king of cochin]

[b][i]Tashkurgan , Xinjiang[/i][/b]

"So, Major Chen, how long would the Number Two Battery be out of commission? Will it be up and running for the inspection coming next month," Col. Sidharth Somnath, Commanding Officer of the 17th Border Guards Brigade asked his Strategic Command Liaison. The 17th Border Guards Brigade is tasked within defending the Tashkurgan sector in Xinjiang Province on the borders with Kriegsland. With a doctrine to defend 200 km of terrestrial borders, the Brigade's commanders are now conferring in the Brigade HQ at Tashkurgan town.

"Sir, the magnetizing coils of the Number One Gun has to be replaced. We are awaiting the supplies to be sent from Quarter Master Command, which is expected to reach this week. Once it arrives, we need two weeks for replacement and recalibration, so we may not be able to make the inspection." Maj. Chen replied.

"Hmm, well I guess there is nothing we can do about that. Now Capt. Ashfaq, why is there the delay in completion of BADS maintenance? What is the status now?"

"Sir, 89 Bali ADS in the entire Sector have to be replaced. The Company discovered the faulty ones through the remote diagnosis we conducted last week. Due to some terrain difficulties, we have been unable to access all of them soon enough," Capt. Ashfaq, the acting Commander of the Engineers Company answered.

"Terrain? You are a sapper aren't you? Captain, this is my last warning, I give you 10 days, to get the BADS system working. Didn't you receive the consignment from QMC? Then why the delay. No more excuses about terrain. If you want get some Mountain trained soldiers from the Assault Brigade and just complete the damn work. Now what is next? Yes, Artillery. So Peter, when are you leaving for the Fire Ex?" Col. Somnath asked.

"Day after tomorrow. By that time the II Battalion would return. It is really been a long time since I got the grime into my tunic, Sir," Lt. Col. Peter Samuel, Commander of the III Artillery Battalion answered.

"Grime, dont make stupid jokes like that , Peter. You Arti guys never get any grime on your neat and tidy uniforms. That is for assault grunts like us. Anyway best of luck. Now, Admin. Yes." The Colonel said wearily wiping a mock perspeiration off his brow.

"Colonel Sir, you can't escape it, part of your job description to take care of Admin matters." Maj. Raman Naik, the Personnel and Admin Officer said.

"Dont remind me, Naik. So let us get to it."

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

The swift breeze of the Pamirs ruffled the Tundra Uniforms of Capt. KK Menon as he surveyed his horizons with a high powered binoculars. The 2/3/1/17 Platoon of the 17th Border Guards Brigade is deployed at this particular border check post as per routine deployments. Capt. Menon's platoon arrived at this sector 2 days earlier for a 7 day force patrol in this particular section, where the Engineers Company were maintaining the Bali ADS systems deployed. A buffer of 300 meters is maintained from the International borders, with every inch of the area levelled and sighted for delivering massive firepower. Now that in this area the electronic and automated defenses are temporarily blinded the platoon has been deployed to assume the job normally undertaken by units much insensitive to the weather.

"Sergeant, how are the men doing?" Capt. Menon asked.
"Sir, they are cold but alert. I had brought extra caffeine candies and Toblerone bars for the men from Pantry." Sgt. Biswas Sinha answered.
"Excellent, Biswas. Do you have a spare with you now?"
"Always Sir," the Sergeant grinned and reached inside his BDU pockets to retrieve a bar of Dark Chocolate Toblerone bar.
"Ummm. Thank you, Sergeant," the Captain said enjoying the chocolate and viewing the wide vistas abundant before him. One never knew if these mountains would some day teem with enemy soldiers intent upon invading his Motherland, but if they ever came, he would be the first line of defense. It was his and his comrades' jobs to gain the valuable slowing time so that the more stronger Army forces can be assembled to beat back the enemy. Well trained in Mountain Warfare at Tok's Mountain Warfare School, Capt. KK. Menon is looking to be soon promoted to he ranks of Major.

The Border Guards is no job for the faint hearted or the weak. Posted in the most bleakst outposts of the Kingdom, Border Guards had to brave all elements and guard the nation 24x7x365. The 1st Assault Infantry Battalion of the 17th Border Guards Brigade is composed of 1000 combat soldiers who are often separated into various platoons and companies spread all over their sector. They come together only for the rare Bada Khaanas and during times of war. The motto of Border Guards is "You have to fight, you dont have to return alive."

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

"Hand me that 13/14" spanner," the Private yelled, from the front of the truck.
"Here, Chou. And stop yelling, I am the Sergeant here, not you," the Sergeant replied handing over the spanner after ferreting through the toolbox kep open beside the road.
Straightening up momentarily, the Private said, "Yo Sarge, if you want you can pull rank with me, but unless you noticed I am the only one here who knows how to fix a truck. So either help me out here, or we can all have a jolly time waiting for a tow truck. He he he, now get me a smoke, Sarge," the Private said grinning before bending over the truck engine.
"That kid, I am going to kill him, as soon as this bloody truck gets going," the Sergeant muttered softly while searching his pockets for his pack of Kings.
"Give him a break, Sarge. Loud mouth he is, but a damn fine soldier too. Though I wonder where he learned to fix vehicles so well," a Corporal chimed in.
"Knowing him, he may have studied it by stealing trucks, the cheeky fellow," the Sergeant laughed.
"Hoy, Sarge, come here for a second. Just check if the pin is fixed right?"

The Tatra 4x4 truck is stranded on a road in the Tashkurgan Sector. Part of the I Artillery Battalion, the Royal Cochin Army truck is towing a 155mm Field Gun to its new deployment position. Having just returned after the half yearly Live Fire Exercise at the National Training Center at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, the Battalion is now proceeding to its fresh three week deployment position. However on the way, one of the trucks, towing one of the 40 155mm Field Guns broke down and now is being repaired. This time was also taken by the gunnery crew to replace the firing on their cannon. Comprising of 40 155mm Field Guns, 15 155mm Self Propelled Guns and 5 MRLS, the three Artillery Battalions are the main power of the Border Guards Brigade which are essentially Field Artillery Brigades with beefed up infantry and engineering battalions.

Now with the truck almost fixed this gunnery crew can rejoin their Battalion in their preplanned launch position where there are hardened shelters and sizable ammunition stores waiting for them. There are scores of such preplanned artillery centers between which the Battalions would cycle at the time of war.

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

"Movement in Sector 15789/17."
"Yeah, that is Lt. Shilpa Stanley and her team, repairing those Balis."
"No, this is something different. This is at the forward edge of the minefield. I sense multiple seismic anomalies, looks like human plus animal transients."
"Oh? Okay, let us call them up. Corporal, raise Lt. Stanley." "Lt. Stanley, this is Sgt. Sisupal. Sir, we need you to activate the cameras of the leading edge of Sector 15789/17. We sense foot movements over there. Over."
"Read you loud and clear, Over."

"Looks like another of those shepherds have crossed over onto the minefields. Isn't that the last Bali pod?"
"Yes,Sir."
"Then let us contact that shepherd and tell him to get to the Border Check post. No reason why he or his sheeps should ge blown off for no reason."

The last of the Bali ADS pods, mines, automated weapon mounts and sensory devices in the Sector had been repaired by this detachment. The sensors are all monitored by the Engineer Battalion technicians in locations in the rear. Now that the Sector has been serviced the detachment is moving to another sector.

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

"Wheeeeeeeeeee"
Capt. Rasul Sheikh could not help himself from screaming in delight even though he had done it many times earlier. Speeding up at several feet per second, Capt. Sheikh could feel the awesome pull of the electric motor upon his waist as he was pulled up the tethered cable ladder.
After seemingly a long time Capt. Rasul Sheikh felt an arm grabbing hold of his shoulder.
"So Lieutenant, how is the radar coming along?"
"Working rather well now, Captain. Now come on up, I could hear you screaming all the way up."
"Well these aerostats bring out the child in me," Capt. Sheikh said laughingly as he followed Lt. Naresh Singhal into the gondola.
"Here is a cup of coffee for you, fresh ground from original Courg beans," the Lieutenant said grinning.
"You definitely know how to entertain, any chance for something stronger?" The Captain asked in the same spirit.
"Captain, isn't that Haraam for you? Well some days when the Aerostat is automated I bring out a bottle of the finest and most aged. It is awesome sitting on top of the the balloon or on the Gondola cage and enjoying a drink. Too bad we dont have time for that now."
"True, so how are the radar systems and optical systems coming along?"
"The passive receivers are proving themselves to be very effective. The entire body of the aerostat is configured as a massive antenna so we are receiving a wide spectrum of intercepted transmissions including Short Wave, Medium Wave and milli meter wave signals. The telescopes and the optical targeting system is also working perfectly, though the occasioanal cloud cover makes optics useless and I have to depend on the TerraScan radar to get vision."
"So how often do you have to come up here, Naresh?"
"Hardly sir, most of my time is spent sitting either at the Recon station or in the ground support vehicle. The Aerostat is pretty much a standalone automated system. It can even navigate itself through ground controls if the tethers break. Besides you know how easy it is to get up and down. The electric winch makes things very easy. It too is controlled from the support vehicle. So Capt. Sheikh do you judge the systems as ready?"
"Yes, Lt. Singhal, now let me try and get that drink from you."

Equipped with Aerostats and S-RECOs the 6th Aerial Surveillance Company is the long range eyes and ears of the Brigade.

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

"Target coordinates?"
"Acquired."
"Battery elevation?"
"Set."
"Battery Azimuth?"
"Set."
"Power throughput?"
"Set on Guns 1,2 and 3."
"Magnetisation status?"
"89%."
"Very well, load projectile."
"Projectile readied, Sir."
"Fire."

At this last command the tungsten-graphite projectile would be injected in between the magnetizing coils of Gun 1, followed by Gun 2 and then followed by Gun 3. As soon as the first projectile cleared the final vacuum lock of the barrel of Gun 1, the second projectile is being fed to it. Within a minute, the Battery would have fired 9 warheads.

"Okay, so the battery is now fully functional. Inform Col. Somnath that the Number One Battery has been verified as fully functional."

Located fully 100 kilometers from the borders, the Number Two Battery of the 17th Border Guards Brigade is located ideally to strike along a large sector of the border providing redundacy to myultiple Sectors.

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

"Now that is what I call a nasty weather to fly."
"Nasty? I thoroughly loved it, the winds were simply superb."
"Yeah, right. And you are the one who enjoys those rides of death at the Cochin Disney Land so much. Speak for yourself I am only glad that I did not puke inside my seat."
"Mate, this is why you are the gunner and I am the pilot. Come on, learn to enjoy the flight of the Daredevil."
"Say Devil and I will accept, silly berk."
The aviators are part of the 8th Helicopter Company, part of the 17th Border Guards Brigade. With a TOE of 10 Blackhwks, 5 MH53, 5 Bell 212, and 10 Piranha attack helicopters , the Company provides air mobility to the Brigade. An RCAF Metac AAP is also usually attached with the company, though that unit is currently undergoing routine maintenance.

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"PEDAL ON THE METAL, YOU FOOL. THINK YOU ARE DRIVING IN A FUNERAL? DRIVE FASTER OR THIS IS GONNA BE YOUR FUNERAL, CORP," the swears of the Sergeant ringing in his ears caused the sergeant to floor his BRDM as plumes of fire, dust and shrapnel are rising all around them from the massive artillery barrage. Finally after painstakingly long time of dodging and erratic driving, the BRDM screached to a halt near a bunker from which a platoon of soldiers ran out. Barely had they strapped in that the BRDM raced off to the next pick up point. They could see some smoking BRDMs littered around them and thanked heavens that they are still running.

After 15 more minutes of driving through barrage, the BRDM finally stopped at a flag.

"Well done Sergeant Palak, excellent timing. Also congrats Corp. Thangavelu, excellent driving. Now go on, there s chow waiting for you at the camp."

At the Regimental Training Grounds of the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment outside Cochin City, elements from the 9th Armored Scouts Company of the 17th Border Guards Brigade is training for Combat evacuation of Infantry and Artillery personnel. With a TOE of 25 BMP3s and 30 BRDMs the Company's principal role is in evacuating the beleaguered soldiers of the Brigade in case of a determined assault on their positions by an enemy. Hence the hours of high intensity training these Scouts do.

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

With an area of 6,355,201.85 sq.km and a total border perimeter of 14,303.93 km, fully 9,500 km of it are terrestrial borders bordering nations, friendly, neutral and occasionally hostile. Defending them during times of peace and war is the job of Border Guards Directorate, which is comprised of 48 Brigades, with each brigade responsible for secuding 200 km of the border. With a combined assault infantry strength of just 48000 soldiers, Border Guards is a principally Heavy Artillery Brigade with additional Infantry and Engineer Battalions. The job of these Brigades is not to prevent a determined enemy attack, but to gain valuable time for the Royal Cochin Defense Forces to organize a truly weighted and measured counter attack.

[king of cochin]

[center][u][b]Tactical Ballistic Air Defense System
Royal Cochin Defense Forces[/b][/u][/center]

Royal Cochin Defense Force formally announces the induction of a new variation of conventional tactical ballistic missile systems under Strategic Offense Program modified for Air Defense purposes. The Tactical Ballistic Air Defense System consists of a modified GG10 Short Range Ballistic Missile with a new and improved weapons package. This is a modification of the existing WAASM packages in that the Re-entry vehicle launches a payload of 6 UAVs each armed with 4 Air to Air Missiles. This new generation UAV is a gliding platform in that it uses the reentry velocity with its high tensile carbon nano tube wing structure to attain glided flight shortly after , re-entry. This high speed entry into battle space and quick establishment of communications with other guidance platforms allow it to launch the AAMs to effectively neutralize enemy flight formations. The weapon system can also customized so that one of the UAVs are targeting platforms with passive radar instead of missiles. After specified 30 minutes of loiter time, the UAV would reach an altitude of 15,000 ft at which it shall deploy parachutes and land safely. If the UAV does not fire its missiles, it shall anyway land back on earth through the parachutes. Due to its lack of engines, and principally ceramic construction the UAV is invisible to radar and since the re-entry heat would be absorbed by the re-entry vehicle itself, UAVs itself would be unaffected.

The UAVs are designed to operate from 100,000 ft to 15,000 ft.

The TBADS have already been assigned to Royal Cochin Navy and Royal Cochin Air Force. It would soon enter into service with Strategic Command and Border Guard.

[king of cochin]

*** Private / Classified ***

"Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Lt. Gen. Shankar Iyer, Chief of Army Staff, Royal Cochin Defense Forces. Today you, Municipal Commissioners of Ministry of Interior, officers of Royal Cochin Police Forces, National Defense Corps planning officers, Border Guard Brigade Commanders and staff of General Staff High Command are here to enumerate the Attrition Land Defense Doctrine for our nation."

"This week you would be creating the planning structure for our multi-layered defense structure. Currently our Border Guards are the principal defense layer. Each Border Guards Brigade has a defensive depth of 50 km during which they have emplaced adequate defenses to stop a massed assault as well as area assault. However the General Staff High Command cannot depend on a single layer of defense. We need better doctrine and systems to ensure the defense of our nation."

"War is an uncertain business. All our plans may get invalidated at the point of commencement of conflict. However that does not mean, we should not plan for those contingencies we can foresee and prepare for. Our current defense posture is designed to repulse multiple front assault by using the Border Guards to delay the invasion and then use the Royal Cochin Army formations to perform counter offense against the enemy formations. Now this doctrine is perfectly suited if and when we are invaded by an army of comparable size to Royal Cochin Army. It also lends greater thrust on high mobility warfare conducted within our borders by our premier strike forces. This doctrine was enough when Royal Cochin Army had one of the largest armies in the region and our strategic security was more secure."

"However what would happen if we were invaded by forces that grossly outnumber us? The Royal Cochin Army no longer has the absolute superiority in numbers that we enjoyed until the secession of Kazakhstan and Kyrghyztan. The Global strategic politics has also evolved in such a manner as it is possible that we may be faced with grossly outnumbering forces. In such a case depending on high mobility warfare alone would not be enough, we must prepare our nation to fight a high intensity attrition warfare as well."

"It is not possible to have defense structures like Border Guard Brigades spread out throughout the Kingdom. Such a policy would be a gross waste of our resources and man power. They would also be tactically unsound. It would spread our conventional and regular forces far too thinly, a situation that brings Napoleon's admonition on smuggling to memory. It is also pointless to create fortifications reminiscent of Maginot Line or Atlantic Line. No, what we need are more simpler, but more effective fortifications, that are easier to construct, and inexpensive in terms of men or material. This should be a defense network that can be maintained easily during peace time, with no unnecessary constraints on national economy or cause any grievance to our population."

"This is the policy as has been devised by Royal Cochin Army, Ministry of Interior and Royal Cochin Police Forces. The National Defense Corps formations in every Province and in every Municipality would be tasked to identify various potential axis of attack that could come upon their locality. City, Town and Village based defenses are what we are planning for. We should make every village as a point of attrition. Every center of population must be capable of supporting defensive operations. We must conceptualize a hostile force which would be massively over numbering us, we must slow their advance, we must be able to wage an attrition warfare so intense that they quit their invasion. For this every center of population must become a fortress in effect, complete with basic defensive structures, passive defenses and active defenses, called a Local Administrative Area Defense (LAAD)."

"NDC personnel along with Municipality Officials shall construct numerous Reserve Arsenals which shall be concealed structures with sizable weapons stores. Sizable quantities of fire arms for squad defenses, heavy machine guns, infantry mortars, Anti Tank Guided Missiles, MANPADS, Anti Vehicle and Anti Personnel Mines, field radios, demolition explosives and large quantities of infantry grade ammunition. All these weapons are to be drawn from respective QMC depots in the area. The major QMC depots could be identified by enemy and even destroyed, but the tools for defense must be scattered for ready use. Warehouses should also be maintained with structural materials for road blocks, hedge hogs, Caltropes, Barbed Wire, Sand bags and armor for pill box defenses. These stores would be maintained by the local NDC personnel along with the Municipality and Police officers of the area. These sites must also be made aware to the local Border Guard Brigades and any regular army formations. All help would be provided to conceal these depots using maskirovska. The NDC units must also prepare defense strategy so that in the event of a national emergency the required buildings in the area can easily be fortified s centers of resistance."

"Apart from these stores of local administrative area defense units (LAAD), NDC are also expected to establish District level Artillery Reserve Battalions (DARB). In every District concealed depots for the fielding of one full Battalion of 155mm Towed Guns must be established. These depots would comprise of the guns, tow trucks and sufficient ammunition and fuel for 45 days of continuous fighting. These DARB would also have integrated Air Defense Units to protect the artillery battalion comprising of a Company of Anti Air Artillery, tracked and wheeled."

"This would be the preliminary defense structure for the Attrition Defense Policy. The reserve personnel comprising the National Defense Corps wont be manning and operating these defenses, their operation would continue to be the mandate of service personnel of Royal Cochin Army. The National Defense Corps's principal duty would be as a support infrastructure for the combat operations which would be conducted by Royal Cochin Army units which would be assigned to these sectors. Only in case of incapacitation of these regular units can the local NDC units take over. The combat efficiency and tactical expertise of Royal Cochin Army units is not expected to be attained by the reserve duty personnel of National Defense Corps. However the local area expertise, tactical intelligence and terrain knowledge of the NDC personnel in these LAAD would be extremely important for sustained operations by the RCA units which is not expected to have local area awareness for effective defense. So both these formations would be mutually supportive but would have their own area of expertise."

"Now detailed information regarding tactics and procedures for this policy would be taught to you in this week. Accordingly you must supervise the establishment of these defenses in your assigned LAADs. Your dedication and work is absolutely essential for the all encompassing defense of our nation. Reserve personnel of NDC who report for their active duty would henceforth be trained in this policy so that during their weeks of service they learn how to properly integrate with regular units to mount an effective defense of their LAAD."

"So best of luck, Gentlemen. Let us work hard to secure our nation."

Edited April 22, 2010 by king of cochin

[king of cochin]

*** Classified / Secret ***

PALACE DURBAR TRANSCRIPTS

HH KERALA VARMA - K
KP VARMA - EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (E)
GEN. MAHESH VARMA - RCDF (D)
GEN. MOHAMMAD FARAZ - RCPF (P)
DR. SYED SHARAFUDEEN - FINANCE (F)
REVIN GEORGE - INTERIOR (I)

K: Gentlemen, welcome to the first Durbar of my reign. Now Mr. Varma what is the state of Global Politics and Regional Politics?

E: Your Excellency, our neighboring regions are in a state of stability but there is reason to believe that the new government in Taiwan could be a destabilizing factor. However as of now they have not indicated in words or actions any intent to act in a hostile manner to the Kingdom or its allies. The very act of waging a war against their neighbors in their first year of existence is a very alarming indicator and the flurry of high value alliances they have signed with nations outside the region also do not bode well for regional stability, since they have shown no inclination in improving or establishing relations with nations of the region.
Another important regional issue has been the dissolution of Acca Dacca. We had a falling out with them over the Nova Sol Terra issue, but we have always considered Acca Dacca as a vital and stabilizing force in the region. Their dissolution and amalgamation of their territory has created a massive political vacuum which should be watched carefully.
The civil war in Marscurian Pakistan is a matter of worry as the instabilities in our allied nation could also have negative ramifications for our Baloch Province. We advocate offering even more offers of support in crushing their rebels.
The Mongol Federation, the new nation to rise in the Cochin Kazakh Protectorate has started a vibrant nation development program however their continuing negative statements regarding Madurastan's existence over Mongolia is a matter of slight worry. With the ceding of remaining Kazakh Protectorate to Slavic Federation, we hoped to improve relations with our former NAP allies, however efforts have not brought about tangible results.
Globally the imminent fall of Tahoe and its allies has wide ramifications for American and European politics. Our deployment in aid of Greater Pacifica is only bound to solidify our relations with that MDoAP ally.

K: Thank you, Mr. Varma. Now Gen. Varma, how is the readiness of the Royal Cochin Defense Forces?

D: Sir, Royal Cochin Defense Forces are now massively deployed to Hawaii and Johnston Island in Pacific Ocean to support the offensive operations of Greater Pacifica against Tahoe. Air superiority has been won and our forces have established a beachhead. The operations are expected to terminate very soon successfully.

The readiness of all formations of RCDF is maintained at high levels, however our numbers are unfavorable in the current regional scenario. We are currently modifying our defense doctrines taking into consideration the new defense organization. Several ships of Royal Cochin Navy and Royal Cochin Army are currently in reserve status and their recommissioning into active duty would serve to improve our defenses.

In short the defenses are ready and the nation is secure in the short term. Long term defense programs are being worked upon by the General Staff High Command.

E: Very good. Gen. Faraz, what is the report of the Royal Cochin Police Forces?

P: Your Excellency, the internal police situation is stable and there are no issues to report. As regards NIA activities, we are increasing our intelligence in the Indo-China and East Asia region. The United States of China is a potential destablizing factor, so considerable ELINT, SIGINT and HUMINT assets are tasked to that region. We are also increasing our monitoring of activities of Novak, Mongol Federation, Nova Sol Terra, Andonia, Slavic Federation, Vauleyo-Buryatia and Rebel Army.

K: Good, also start monitoring actions of the Republic of Saigon. Their abrupt emergence upon Asian Politics and the direction they seem to be taking merits a cautious observation.

P: Yes Sir.

K: Dr. Sharaf, how is the state of Treasury?

F: Your Excellency, the Kingdom's economy is currently in a state of growth. The infrastructural growth started in the Indian Provinces have started to declare their profits for the Treasury. However the FDI quotas we were expecting for some of our industrial areas have not come up. Otherwise the nation is prosperous. Inflation is slightly up, but the unemployment figures are nearing 1%, due to the large employment opportunities created in the Indian Provinces.

K: Good. Now Mr. George, any reports from Ministry of Interior?

I: Your Excellency, the population is generally happy with the political changes of our nation, but there still remains some grievances over the secession of the Kyrghyztan Province. We have been receiving indications from the Cochin Protectorate Administration that the people of Kyrghyz province wants to return into the folds of the Kingdom. It seems autonomy does not suit them, they prefer the greater prosperity being a part of the Kingdom.

K: Now that is an excellent news. However I would like to make sure that people really want to join the nation, arrange another referendum in Kyrghyz Protectorate.

I: Yes, Your Excellency.

K: Gentlemen, thank you for your reports. As you all have realized Asia is now entering a period of great turbulence. Our military power which had stood as a bulwark against aggression and instabilities from West has weakened and this lull has been exploited in the East. After the demise of Lhasa Doctrine, the Cochin Protectorate Administration no longer has a mandate. The stabilizing effect granted by Lhasa Doctrine is also now at an end.

The dissolution of some of the most stablest nations in the world, are also bound to create wide ranging consequences, and the one most pertaining to us is the dissolution of Acca Dacca. Oceanic Union, is a force that we need to be allied with. The Kingdom and indeed the Triple Entente does not differ a lot with the ideals of Oceanic Union. Mr. Varma, we must explore all options to secure our relations with them and if needed formalize the relations with a treaty.

The instabilities caused by the emergent nations in Asia must be monitored, but cautiously. Any political entity that arises with such a speed and seems to magically establish armies and diplomacies must be observed with great caution. It is likely that they are being influenced by Non Asian nations with an express interest in weakening Asia. Asian stability in the face of instabilities in Europe, Africa and North America seems to have raised a few covetous eyes towards us. We must also not forget that our pre-eminent strategic position and our strategic posture could also be cause for immense envy by the more aggressive nations of the world.

The Kingdom has survived the centuries only through due caution. So I call upon all of you to intensify your determined work. I count on you to be the defenders of the Kingdom of Cochin. Thank you.

*** End ***

[Lynneth]

"E.ON is proud to announce that we have finally fully relocated the fusion power plants.
It's good to be working with you."

[king of cochin]

The Kingdom of Cochin thanks E.ON for their cooperation in this matter.

Dr. Mathew Joseph,
Minister of Industry,
Kingdom of Cochin.

[Zoot Zoot]

To Whomever it may conern,

The Canadian Army is requesting permission to recruit a Battallion of Gurkha warriors.
We have heard of their legendary feats and their skill in combat, and wish them to be a part of our military, it would also bring our Nations closer diplomaticly, especially after your support in the Alaskan invasion.

Sincerley
Emperor Bonaparte

[king of cochin]

[quote]To: Emperor Bonaparte


You are welcome to establish recruitment center at Kathmandu for your forces. There would be no restriction towards recruitment and emigration of personnel for your Battalion. We also offer to supply authentic combat Kukri (Ghurkha Knife) which is a standard TOE for all Ghurkha soldiers. The weapon supplied would be the ones that conform to Royal Cochin Army standards.

Yours Sincerely,

Gen. Mahesh Varma,
Commander,
Royal Cochin Defense Forces[/quote]

[Zoot Zoot]

[quote]TO: Gen. Mahesh Varma,
FROM : Gen Oliver Lewis

His Magesty just informed me you have given us permission to recruit Gurkhas.
Thankyou Kindly, a civilian airliner will touch down in Kathmando tomorrow evening with a Platoon of engineers to construct a small recruitment compound.[/quote]