Announcement from the Office of the King

[Mergerberger II]

Nikola Romanov, King of Bohemia, Duke of Silesia, King of Moravia, and King of the Czech people, ruler of Czechia and Domine of Prague, is set to make a speech today, 8 hours after the attacks on Silesia, about these terrorist activities, and announce the official stance of the Kingdom regarding the Silesian extremist group 'Heaven'. It is expected that he will announce a movement of soldiers into the region, and an order of capture on all members of the group, as well as a warrant for the arrest for all of the members, and a bounty on its leader(s), however nothing is certain.

He is speaking from the front of the Royal Palace in Prague, which is mostly an open field with his estate in the background. Trees are few and far between, and the Castle is high upon a hill. Guards are stationed everywhere on the estate, watching the entire time for anyone attempting to break in. 200 guards are on the premises at any given time, except during the changing of the guard, when there are 400. A media circus has gathered at the building, 100 were allowed into the main viewing area, and van after van of various news networks are lined up on the driveway of the Palace. There is much chatter amongst the newsfolk before the King walks out, wearing his military uniform, and begins to speak.

"Comrades...." He paused for a second, rubbed his eyes, shuffled the documents in front of him, and looked up again to the cameras.

"Comrades, today is a dark day in our history. As many of you are...are probably aware, there have been attacks on our homeland by an extremist nationalist group known as 'Heaven'. These terrorists have attacked Silesia and many political and economic centers, destroying businesses, homes, and lives. To this point, there are 74 people dead from Ostrava alone, with some 150 hospitalized with injuries, 23 of them in critical condition. We must all thank the heroes of this tragedy, the police, fire, and health forces of Ostrava and the other cities in Silesia, for their quick reaction, and preventing even more people from being hurt."

He pauses again, this time because someone else has come next to him and is whispering something in his ear. His eyes first looked shocked, and then that emotion quickly turns to rage and hatred, a fire develops in his eyes that has not been there since the Nordlandic era. He speaks with such fury and passion that it bewilders most of his audience.

"I have just been informed that the GSO Refinery in Ostrava, Silesia, has exploded. The explosion was far larger than anyone predicted, and because they refused to leave their homes when asked, an estimated 485 people have died at this point. Apparently it is expected that more will be found later.

"But I am not your newsman, I am not here to tell you what happened, I am here to tell you what in God's name we're going to do, aren't I? Well then, I'll tell you what the hell we are going to do. Half of the army, 350,000 soldiers, will be immediately moved into Silesia, and a full-scale Royal investigation will take place to find out who these people are and where they are. As soon as I am done here, I am going to contact Polish authorities and alert them of the danger, and they will cooperate with us in our removal of these !@#$%^&*."

Thunder sounds in the distance, and lightning streaks across the sky. A light sprinkle begins, however few even seem to notice.

"I will say this right now and very clearly. I am not one to be toyed with. I am not a weak ruler, I will not give up when my people are in danger and I sure as hell am not going to negotiate with !@#$@#$ terrorists. I'm not going to sit down at a bargaining table with people that think it is ok to kill citizens of my nation, of our nation, to prove their point. Hell no. What I am, I am strong, we are strong, we as a people are strong. We as a nation, as a state, as a Kingdom, the first United Kingdom these lands have ever seen, are strong. We of Bohemia, of Moravia, of Silesia, those of us committed to the cause of a greater, unified nation, we will not go quietly down and lay there while those who would rather see us dead still live. We will not sink quietly down while they terrorize our people, our brothers. No, we will rise and we shall show them that we are a truly united Kingdom, that we are all one people, that we are-"

Three gunshots were suddenly heard in the distance, and the King staggered back, his torso covered in blood, he looked at his chest, looked up, and collapsed. Panic ensued, and the media in attendance scrambled back to their vans. Five more gunshots are heard, and someone running through a field falls down, dead, his rifle laying a foot away from his head. Thunder sounds again, and the rain comes down harder. Romanov is put into an ambulance and carried to Prague General Hospital to be treated.

One camera still remains, with one cameraman. Alexander Romanov, Minister of External Affairs and heir to the throne, calls the camera over and tells him to set up on the podium. He begins to speak.

"My people, my father has been shot three times by an unidentified gunman. Please, do not panic. He is currently being transported to the hospital to receive the care that he needs. I suspect, and dearly hope, that he will survive. Let us all be strong, and let us not fall victim to the emotions that we are feeling right now. Be calm, please, I beg that of you. We will be just fine, all of us. My father's plan will be carried out, and these terrorists will be found and arrested. We shall stand fast in the face of adversity.

Truth prevails."

[King Kevz]

"This is a clear attack undertaken to cause the highest degree of chaos in Czechia and we here in Pax Pacis wish for the swift recovery of the king and the successful hunting of these terrorists".

[JEDCJT]

"This is a clear attack undertaken to cause the highest degree of chaos in Czechia and we here in Pax Pacis wish for the swift recovery of the king and the successful hunting of these terrorists".

We express these statements as well. We hope the terroristic cowards will be caught and brought to justice. We shall pray for the King.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"My God..." Sarah said holding her hand up to her mouth after watching the speech in a broadcast throughout the entire Diet. The senators and representatives around her wore faces of equal surprise, shock, fear, and awe. Indeed, the entire room was thrown into silence as the looked to each other for something to say, a phrase, a quote, a word, anything. Sarah clenched her hand into a fist. "If its not hegemony, then its terrorism, and if its not terrorism then its dictatorship." She said to herself, trying to keep her voice low. "First Promised Land, now the Czechs. This is getting out of hand. I am not going to let some terrorist group try and bring back war to Europe."

A tap on the shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. "Milady? Are you okay?" Senator Van Dorf looked down at her body slumped uncomfortably in her chair. "Is everything..."

Sarah put her hand up and silenced him as she jumped onto her feet. "You'll have to excuse me senator, I need to send something." She said hurrying out of the Assembly Hall and back to her office she quickly took out a pen and paper and scribbled down a message.

Excellency,

I grieve for the pain that you are experiencing at the moment, this attack as I witnessed from the television screens in Brisbane was the attack of cowards who were too afraid to show themselves to a people determined to rid the world of their ilk. The Hansa cannot do an extreme amount in regards for returning you to proper health. However, if there is anything we can do to perhaps help your people destroy the terrorist organization, you need only to ask. A Europe free from death and suffering will lead to a world of the same.

Sincerely,

Sarah Tintagyl

Lady Protector of the Hanseatic Commonwealth

[Mergerberger II]

Operation Hellfire

With Romanov now safely in an underground bunker, he ordered the planned Operation to move forward, however the original 350,000 would not be entirely mobilized, instead the SPECTRE forces would be sent into Silesia. SPECTRE numbered roughly 13,000, however Romanov did not expect the operation to require anything more. He ordered the main force, numbering 132,000 on standby in Moravia, in case there was increased resistance, which he thought was somewhat likely, it certainly had become a possibility.

All connections with Silesia had been severed, and the governor had been the only one to contact Prague, to say that he had been exiled from the country to Poland, but he would try and get to Prague. Silesian news stations were no longer broadcasting, and no signal whatsoever other than radio had been picked up by stations in Moravia. The situation as a whole was confusing, and many wondered what was going on in Silesia. Satellites picked up disturbing images of Silesia. Ostrava had been absolutely devastated. The Governor's Mansion had been burned to the ground, as well as all of the political buildings in the city other than the city hall, which it seemed had been occupied by someone else. Most of Ostrava looked like Rome after the Gebivian war. It was deserted.

Romanov had ordered his generals to exercise extreme caution in Silesia, warning that the extremists would likely use guerrilla tactics against the attackers. He had stated that stealth was an absolute priority and took back seat to nothing. The SPECTRE troops had to be completely unnoticed, destroying nothing unless it was absolutely necessary, and if they did attack, to destroy their target completely. Romanov did not want to be forced to send in the main force; that would mean Moravia and Bohemia would likely go into a panic, people thinking Civil War. The original attacks had already brought so much disunity to the nation, there was no need for any more. King Nikola was not worried about his own safety, he had already faked his own death and had the sympathy of the most influential nation in the world on his side. Most believed he was in Bohemian General Hospital, however 16 people knew that he was, in fact, beneath his house, in a massive bunker with his generals, planning the invasion of his own nation.

At 8:09 PM, three days after the original attacks, Romanov ordered his best troops to invade Silesia. Something was most certainly beginning.

OOC: I will continue later, I am still unsure as to where I want to take this.

[Subtleknifewielder]

This is a despicable attack on a man devoted to peace. We hope justice is swift and sure.

[Mergerberger II]

Ostrava 23:00

S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Division 4 Squad 7

Their division was marching through the streets of Ostrava, the former Silesian capital, continuing to attempt to use stealth as their greatest weapon. To this point, neither Squad 7 nor Division 4 had encountered any resistance whatsoever; the entire region was deserted. How this had happened it was not clear, all that they were sure of is that Heaven had something to do with it. Division 4 had reached their target, Ostrava, within 5 hours of the beginning of the initial operation, and was now working to clear the city of any hostiles that they encountered. But to this point, none were seen. They had not even seen a mark of the rogue group on the plains or in the villages they had gone through, it was as though Heaven did not even exist...

Yet while they had left no marking of themselves as the culprits, not even the slightest shred of evidence, there was certainly evidence that they had been here. The fields were burned, crops destroyed, and every village had been ransacked. The once thick fields of Silesia were now nothing more than scorched earth. The dirt was dry, and the forests still burned. Dead plants lay everywhere, as if some great swarm of locust had swept through the lands and destroyed everything in its path, even the homes, and it had consumed the people. Windows shattered, broken glass lay on the ancient wooden floors. Some bodies still remained, pale and bloodied, some few still retaining a look of the deepest shock in their eyes.

In the distance, an orange glow, like that of the setting sun, loomed across the field. Though they could not see what was burning, all of them knew. The forest burned brightly in the night. It had not rained in twenty days, and the wood was as dry as it had not been in thirty years. It was their only light save for their guns' lights that illuminated the dark Ostravan night. The city that once held over three hundred thousand people was now a ghost town. Broken windows in every building, the brick looked old and dried. It was as if no one had lived here for decades, almost as if this city had been built and forgotten. Some electrical wiring still sparked, and in the distance, a wolf called out in anguish at the full moon that shown its bright light over the dead city.

The five men cleared out each city block, building by building, moving slowly and silently in the dead night. They moved up and down the stairs in every skyscraper, every hovel, every tiny shop on every street corner, yet they found nothing but a few butchered animals. There was nothing, no life, not even the movement of rats or bugs. The city had truly died yesterday, died and not gone to, but become, Hell. They exited the building they had entered ten minutes prior, and found themselves beside a park. In its center there was a carousel that looked as if it had not been used in fifty years. They moved slowly towards it, and as they did, the park became the center of their world for many minutes.

They all turned towards the carousel as something they did not expect to occurred. It turned on, suddenly springing to life. One of them moved to the operator's booth, but nothing was there but controls that did not work. One went on it, to see if there was a door, and the other three cleared the area around it. Nothing was there, and the carousel continued to spin eerily in its circle. A feeling of dread within them grew larger and larger. Something was at work, but they could not know what.

Machine gun fire suddenly brings the city to life. A burst of rounds kills the man in the operator's booth, and the other three quickly spring themselves onto the carousel to seek shelter. Two moved to the upper level, and two remained on the lower level. On the upper level, one had a rifle with a large scope. He frantically searched the surrounding area, only to find nothing, there was no one. He searched the windows of the abandoned building, but found nothing. Then, on the seventeenth floor, he spotted a shadow moving in the window. He steadied himself, lined up his shot, and pulled his trigger. The silencer kept his position quiet, and the window shattered. A little girl screamed out in horrible pain for her mother, and a lifeless body fell down to the ground. The officer dropped his gun, fell to his knees, and began to regret everything. He looked up to the sky, and could not believe what he had done.

An arm grabbed him and handed him his assault rifle. He heard sounds coming from the man's mouth but could not make them into words. Everything moved in slow motion. The man pulled him up and he raced down the stairs. The world suddenly came back to him, and he ran across the field, and as he did, a tear fell from his eye. He could not wipe it; it was behind his helmet. He followed his three comrades into the building, and they raced up the stairs.

They had killed seven by the time the three remaining reached the rooftop. On the edge of the roof, there was something that looked like a fence, though somehow different. The three of them stood, back to back to back, and as they aimed their weapons at their enemies, they suddenly realized where the entire population of the city had gone. They had been placed on the edge of every building in the city, where they now stood, frightened to death as they remained where they were. The three then realized there were no enemies on the rooftop now, only civilians. A voice came over the radio, "....have found....TNT.....basement......Jones street". One of them spoke into the radio slowly, "Repeat yourself, soldier."

"I said I've found six tons of TNT in the basement of every building on this block, enough to blow this entire city into complete oblivion."

They had 10 minutes.