Hellfire

[Lynneth]

Public Announcement: For the duration of this conflict, all Austrian visas for Varangian Citizens and vice versa will be revoked, sending citizens back to their homelands. We hope this conflict will be resolved soon.

In the glowing moonlight, Frederick Vænsynn sits in his office with his wife, Andrea, sitting on a nearby couch watching the news. Both of them were shocked at this news.

"These people think that they are honoring Oðin by protesting the Austrian government. They cause more separation within the Germanics than unification," Frederick said, shutting down his laptop and sitting on the couch. "Andrea, what do you think?"

"I think they just need to shut up. The Austrian government has done nothing to keep down the Nordlandic ideals."

"Well, they did ban Herr Martens' books."

"Then they can order them online. There's no reason for them to be protesting."

"Unless they want to see a reunited Nordland," Frederick lamented, taking a sip from a cup of tea.

OOC: Actually, I removed every trace of Nordic/Nordlandic stuff from all buildings and forbade Nordism, Martencism, etc in public. In private, whatever, but saying you're Nord in public is grounds for arrest.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Lynneth

[Subtleknifewielder]

"Intentional or not, the legacy of Nordland is one of war and strife. This rebellion illustrates that perfectly."

[Lynneth]

"What did you find?"

"Basically everything we'll need, Sasha. There's plenty of equipment, though we lack good food and water."

"Without those, we won't survive long, mhm?"

"Exactly. I've found some food already, but it won't last us long."

"And the stuff from that flat?"

"Not a single proper tin can. We need those if we want to have eatable things for more than a few days."

"Do you really think we'll have to survive that long..?"

"Yeah, I do. We also will need clothes. It's summer right now, but there's always summer storms and in the worst case, we'll get into autumn and even winter before finding friendly people."

"Can't we try surviving here in the city..?"

"Sorry, but the risk of discovery is too high for my taste, especially because we've filmed so many atrocities. They'd kill us painfully, and I'd rather show that card in my camera to Channel Seven than find it destroyed by these...people."

The way Simon pronounced 'people' showed clearly that he did not have a high opinion of the rebels.

"Ah...I see. Well, did you happen to see a store nearby? I didn't."

"Heh. We'll just have to look for one. Carefully, that is."

"Okay. And which direction for that?"

"No idea. Maybe we can find a map of the city or...Mhm. Let me just...!"

Simon turned around and ran into another room. Confused, Sasha followed him, only to see the camera man on a computer, apparently trying to use...some application.

"I'm trying to use the 'net, Sasha. If it works, this'll be a cakewalk!"

"Really?"

"Well, we'll still have to hide and stuff. But at least we'll know where a store is."

"That's great..!"

For the first time since the begin of the rebellion, Sasha smiled, now sitting besides Simon and watching him do his magic.

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

"Fire!"

120mm caliber HEAT munitions were fired at speeds excessing those of any conventional tank gun from the barrel of the Leopard 3A1 tank, speeding towards an older Leopard 2A4 of NatSoc affiliation and hitting it with full force.

Another kill for the crew of the 3A1 with the nickname 'Greta'. Its name was displayed on the virtual battlefield created by the Inter-Vehicle Data System, or IVDS, giving both the tank commanders and the commanding officers a kind of view of the battlefield that would normally be seen only in the most modern RTS games. Automatically, another small line appeared besides the vehicle on the main status screen, the IVDS verifying that they had indeed scored a kill with this shot.

Wolfsberg had been encircled, but nobody had taken into consideration that they would, instead of staying inside the relative safety of the streets where urban combat would force the Austrians to search every single building, drive out and try to break through the ring that prevented their escape.

It was by no means a bad move, tactically, but staying within the city would've gained them many more kills than breaking through, where everything relied on one single engagement, instead of numerous smaller ones.

There had been better choices, many which would not have resulted in the swift destruction of all NatSoc forces around Wolfsberg.

About 35 kilometers northwest in Friesach, the NatSocs gained ground against the Austrians, who were outnumbered and had to retreat slowly, but steadily. Fighting wasn't as heavy as elsewhere, few shots exchanged as the city was taken by the rebels. However, the Austrians bid their time, hoping to receive reinforcements in time, before having to leave the relative safety of houses and having to retreat over more open terrain, which would allow their enemies to fire their tanks and artillery more accurately.

Between these two 'extremes', many shades and varieties of fighting were happening in the southernmost parts of Bavaria, southwestern austria and northwest slovenia, where the NatSocs had their strongholds.

[Lynneth]

"Praise the almighty Google! I found something, Sasha."

"Yes? Where?"

"Only a few hundred meters away from here, further into the city. Big store, everything we could ever need."

"Then let's go."

"Carefully, of course. Don't forget that we're carrying the camping stuff already."

"Can't we leave that here, or somewhere where it's safe?"

"Well, we could...But there's..No, actually, that's a good idea. We'll be too slow with it, and the risk of being found is higher. But where should we put this stuff?"

"Maybe in the flat we were in earlier?"

"Mhm. That's a bit high above the ground, so we'll have to take a lot of stairs. But it'll ensure that this stuff will be less likely to be found..."

"Then let's go get it there, Simon."

"Okay."

Luckily, it didn't take long for the two to get their equipment back into the flat. Strangely, they encountered not a single NatSoc patrol, glad that they didn't, but wondering where those were. Just the previous day, numerous patrols had walked on the streets, but now they were deserted, as if the two reporters were in a ghost town.

Of course, they occasionally saw a scared inhabitant of Klagenfurt peek out of their windows, but otherwise..? Nothing.

"Too silent, Sasha...They must be preparing something, or they're concentrating all their forces somewhere."

"You think so?"

"Yes. That's the only plausible explanations."

"Then they're fighting against the King's forces, or preparing to do so?"

"Probably. But we need to get our supplies now."

Sasha nodded, putting on a determined face. She and Simon would return to civilisation from these barbaric hordes, safely and unharmed, she decided.

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

OOC: Forgive me any inaccuracies. I'm simply no expert on this stuff in the first paragraph.

IC:

Metal hitting metal, the round grinding for the fraction of a second against the 3A1's armour, then collapsing as kinetic forces and physics forced themselves upon the 120mm caliber HEAT projectile. It punched through considerable parts of the armour as the shaped charge exploded, but was ultimately stopped, if barely, by a single factor: Technological superiority of Leopard 3A1 armour against technological inferiority of HEAT rounds as used by NatSoc forces.

On the other hand, the tank dubbed 'Maria' fired its own gun, the 'armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot' - in short just APFSDS or Sabot - making its way at several times the speed of sound towards the offender that had just attempted to disable it.

The Sabot hit, delivering kinetic death to the gun turret of the Panzer VII, penetrating into the vehicle and hitting the magazine. An explosion followed, almost completely destroying the interior of the vehicle.

Many of these battles were nothing but small skirmishes, a few vehicles and some dozen or hundred men dying on all sides, the loser retreating, the winner following and stopping for a bit to fortify positions somewhat before attempting another assault.

Meanwhile, 750,000 men, 8,000 tanks and numerous support vehicles moved from the north and east towards the region of crisis, while the rebels frantically tried preparing more tanks from the old depots and storage facilities for battle.

[Lynneth]

"And...you are building this thing why?"

"Well, it's been planned for a while, but we always lacked a proper reason. That we have now."

"The Nordist rebellion. So it'll be a propaganda machine?"

"Of the highest grade. It will be an avatar of the Monarchy. An avatar of justice and anti-nordlandism."

"It'll be insane to actually build and power, you do know that?"

"Oh, I do. We could throw one of the new miniaturized nuclear reactors in. But I think miniaturized fusion would be must better."

"Well, it would supply enough power that this thing could actually use a high-energy laser, but...Are you sure it's actually possible to build it?"

"No. But we're gonna try, anyways."

"Heh...Well, if it works, we'll need some lines. 'Austria will never fall to Nordlandist invasion' or 'Monarchy is non-negotiable'?"

"Those sound great. 'Embrace Monarchy or you will be eradicated.' would be cool, too. It'll need a name, as well."

"We can think about that later, when we've actually built the thing."

"And where will we get its brain? It'll need highly sophisticated programming, or some kind of AI. And I doubt somewhat that we can just make AIs out of nowhere."

"That's true. I read somewhere that a Norwegian scientist is working on brain-machine links. Maybe he can help us."

"We'll have to contact their government for that, I'm sure."

"Yeah."

"This will be so crazy. A walking machine of death, shouting anti-nord propaganda while annihilating them."

"It'll have plenty of weaknesses, though. The joints especially, though at the front they can be armoured. Its backside will be very vulnerable, and its size will make it easy to knock it over."

"Then make it too heavy to be knocked over?"

"How'd we do that? We can't just magically lower the center of mass."

"Well, making the legs heavier would be a partial solution. Shorter legs, too, but then it'd be less intimidating, I think."

"Yeah. That thing would never be used in a full assault on the enemy, I'm sure of that. Only for cleanup-stuff where the media can film it."

"Okay...And when do we start?"

"Right now."

Amongst other things, Norway's government would be contacted, to inquire on any projects relating to AIs or man-machine linking.

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

It had been close, but the two avoided a rebel patrol, walking carelessly down the street. If the three armed men had been paying any attention, they'd have seen Sasha and Simon easily, but they were too deep in a conversation about how bad the King was, how they'd give him justice, and a lot more idiocy that they didn't back up with any intelligent arguments.

By now, the two were in the store, packing loads of long-lasting food into backpacks after having made sure nobody was nearby.

"That was close.."

"I know, Sasha. But we were lucky. Next time, it may not be so, so we'll have to be even more careful."

"I know...Mhm. What wouldn't I give for a good car."

"What kind of car?"

"I...I dunno. Something that'll let us drive through rough terrain. 4-wheel drive or something like that."

"Good choice. We'll only need to find one if you really want a car. It'll make it easier for us to be found, but at least we may be capable of outrunning most of the rebels."

"Do they have helicopters...?"

"I don't think so. But then again, we haven't heard news for several days. For all we know, our armies could be in retreat."

"I really hope that isn't so..!"

"We'll see eventually. Is your pack full?"

"Yes."

"Good. Mine's full, too. We'll need to get back now."

"And the patrol?"

"They didn't look like they'd turn around soon. I'm sure we can just go to the flat, but we'll still have to be careful."

"Of course."

"Let's go, then."

Sasha nodded, and the two thus would slowly make their way back to the flat, which was merely 600 meters away, but in a city controlled by rebels...Even if the rebels apparently didn't care enough to patrol regularly.

It would, luckily, be an eventless 600 meters.

[Lynneth]

"You got in contact with Norway yet?"

"I sent a message, but no answer. Maybe they're ignoring us?"

"Could be. How's the planning going?"

"Pretty well. We've decided on a name, too. 'Sword of the Crown'."

"Sounds good. I like it. I like it!"

"Excellent."

"Would you show me what you've got until now?"

"Of course. Here, let me show you..."

"Those legs look quite thin between the...Uh, hips and the crus. At the thighs."

"I know. Unfortunately, we can't armour it there as easily."

"And the arms?"

"They need to be light so he can move them more easily."

"And the other parts will be armoured?"

"With the best and lightest material we can possibly use. A titanium-alloy, intesting currently, but promising. It will make the Sword light enough so it can move its limbs as well as itself properly."

"What weaponry will it have?"

"Well, we're still working on the power supply, but it'll hopefully be capable of supplying some weapons that've been in testing for a while."

"Which?"

"Chemical lasers, amongst others."

"Wha-...Wait, what? Lasers?!"

"Yeah."

"I thought those aren't possible today?"

"Ugh. Of course they're possible. The big problem is supplying them with power. We have fusion power, we have all the power we need! And don't forget, the SDI system of Austria already uses lasers, bulky ones though."

"Jesus...This is crazy."

"Yeah. But it's the future. With fusion, nothing is impossible."

"I still can't...And you're entirely serious? That thing will get lasers?"

"If we can actually manage to miniaturize a fusion plant and the laser itself."

"That's insane. who'd have thought we can do this?"

"Actually, we don't know if we can. We're trying, anyways."

"Huh...And how big will it be?"

"Well...depending on how small we can make everything that's necessary, anywhere between six and eighteen meters, though most likely on the taller side."

"So it'll be a prime target for anyone seeing it."

"Uh, yeah. That why we won't use it in serious battles. Hopefully."

"You're insane, building this thing."

"Actually, you're absolutely right."

"What?"

"Yeah. This thing will cost billions of Mark, we'll most likely be able to build only one of it, and it'll be entirely useless for any application other than shouting propaganda. And lasering a traitor or two to death."

"So it's a complete waste of time to build it?"

"Yes."

"Why're we building that thing again?"

"Because we can."

"Oh. Okay. Proceed, then."

OOC: This is a propaganda-machine, not meant to fight seriously, even if it's armed. With lasers. It will only be used in the following two situations: Here in Hellfire, to spout epic propaganda, and if another player allows me to use it in an RP with him. Again shouting propaganda.

If you do have complaints about me owning a 40 foot tall robot that is completely useless in a serious war, please go to the OOC thread and don't complain about it here.

Thank you.

Back to IC.

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

"Hey. Hey, Frank."

"What's it, Johann? I'm on guard duty."

"Yeah, I know, I know. I'm on some kind of patrol duty. The sarge sent me here to make sure you do your job."

"Did he?"

"Obviously. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

"You'd be in the barracks, playing your silly games."

"Yes, yes, whatever. Now, you got anything to report?"

"Nope. Nothing. All's silent here. No NatSocs trying to attack."

"No movements from them either?"

"None that I could observe from here."

"Hm. Okay. You mind if I stay for a bit more?"

"No problem. You think the sarge'll notice?"

"Nah. He'll just think I'm getting you in shape or something."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Told him, 'I'll get that man to do his duty, and if I have to make him eat duty for breakfast'. Got a laugh out of the man."

"Well, that's rare."

"So, yeah. We don't have to worry 'bout him."

"Good. See anything?"

"Hmm..." Johann stared into the distance, first only with his eyes, then with binoculars. He did so for a good five minutes before putting them away. He and Frank happened to be in a relatively tall guard tower, armed on three sides with machine guns and with a man-portable AA-system.

"Nothing. They're sitting in their holes and not getting out."

"Good for us."

"Yup."

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

It was like a miracle. Not only had Sasha and Simon found a working car with a 4-wheel drive, it also was fully powered and had enough space for all their equipment.

The only problem was getting it out of the city. Right now, the two were sitting in it, while the vehicle stood in a sidestreet, making it hard to look at the people sitting within.

"How do you think should we do it..? Just drive out, ignoring everything?"

"That could work...But it could, on the other hand, alert them. I think we should drive carefully through sidestreets, Sasha."

"There's too much rubble, anyways..All the artillery-attacks did lots of damage to the streets."

"The main streets at least, and the locations where the NatSocs could've hidden easily. I'm hoping that the streets leading out of the city are somewhat okay until we can get offroad."

"Okay...So we'll go through sidestreets...And if they see us?"

"Then we'll have to get the hell outta there. I don't really want to kill someone, even if it's NatSoc scum."

"Yeah..."

She started the car - it was automatic, without any real gears - and began driving. Luck had it that a map of the city was in the car's back, enabling the two to navigate through the narrow sidestreets of Klagenfurt.

Time would tell if Nords would find them.

[Il Terra Di Agea]

A very brief message would come onto their answering machine. In a somewhat frightened voice, a woman's voice stated, "Though the technology is still under lock and key, we may be able to acquire a copy, and send it to your location. A diplomat from our primary research and storage facility will be dispatched with the information, and all necessary paperwork. May god have mercy on your souls."

Almost instantly after the message was sent, Northport Research Facility's Section Twelve correspondent would be sent out with a heavy briefcase, and a sense of fear in his heart.

OOC: Alright, I never finished that RP, but this all should give you an idea of how it is supposed to end.

[Lynneth]

"Norway's responded."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Here, listen to it."

The man - he was, in fact, the lead engineer of the venture - pressed a button on his computer, the message playing.

"Though the technology is still under lock and key, we may be able to acquire a copy, and send it to your location. A diplomat from our primary research and storage facility will be dispatched with the information, and all necessary paperwork. May god have mercy on your souls."

"Mercy on our soul..? Why that?"

"Well, my best guess is that the technology is difficult to control, or a brain attached to a machine is unstable, with the possibility of going rampant. We may have to improvise around that issue if we can't find someone who's stable enough, mentally."

"Don't you think that the actual process of linking the brain up will take a heavy toll, too?"

"That's a given, but what would you expect from a procedure that links the brain to a computer?"

"True...But what if the issue is something entirely different from what we'd expect?"

"Then we'll have to work around the issue or fix it somehow. In the worst case, it'll take a few years. In the best case, it's done in a day after someone has a stroke of genius."

"So we don't know if we'll actually be able to use this..?"

"Yeah. Just like with anything else we're trying to use. A fusion reactor smaller than a car? Chemical lasers capable of killing people and potentially exploding, damaging the main unit? A goddamn multi-storey robot as machine of propaganda?

If I wasn't the lead engineer, I'd think that whoever thought of this is utterly and completely insane."

"Yet, here we are. Actually trying to build that thing."

"Indeed. Now, let's get back to work until those Norwegians come!"

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

Using a car was louder than walking on foot.

That simple, yet obvious fact almost got the two journalists caught, three times in the last sixty minutes. Luckily, after these sixty minutes, the two had left Klagenfurt and were now on their way into the south, a region where neither NatSoc nor Austrians had sent forces.

For the two, it would be much like a vacation, only that they had to be careful about being followed.

Other people who had tried to evade and escape from the cities had been nowhere as lucky as these two, often caught and forced to work for the cause of the rebels in conditions that were simply horrendous. Many of these people would not see the end of the war.

A war which had engulfed much of the southwestern part of the country, the rebels advancing in some places, while being held at bay or even forced to retreat in many other places. Slowly, yet steadily the reinforcements from the rest of the country were arriving, filing holes and bolstering existing troops.

Unfortunately, the Austrians were not yet capable of striking back on a large scale.

[Lynneth]

They were still capable of attacking locally, though.

"Medic! I need a medic!"

"Man down!"

"Fire in the hole!"

These and many other cries sounded through the Battle Network used by Austria's finest, commissioned and brought to the troops by a General Christian Walther, a visionary, according to some.

The B.Net certainly was incredibly useful. In fact, it wasn't especially useful for any single group of people within the military, but for all of them. From the simple Private to the highest general, he information brought by B.Net made killing the enemy much easier. Whenever a single man saw an enemy soldier, that enemy's location was automatically transmitted over secure and encrypted channels to the next-highest person in command, from where it was sent further and further, reaching the commanding General of the forces after the fraction of a second.

That General could then make decisions in real-time, the orders being sent to the next-lowest rank, where it would be interpreted and further orders sent downwards the chain of command, updating the orders for squads and fireteams, often within a total timeframe - from seeing the enemy to getting new orders - of less than a minute.

Thus, an austrian infantry unit was many times more efficient than an equivalent unit of nations without such a sophisticated system of command, control and communication, or C3.

For the higher-ups, the B.Net essentially manifested in a real-time strategy simulation, having many similar commands available, but also many which wouldn't be able to be utilized in such games. For the soldier, the HUD and objective-updates boiled down to a highly deadly FPS-simulation, even things such as heartbeat and number of rounds in the weapon - if the gun was compatible to the system - being displayed if needed. Of course, they also had a map of the region with a compass and many other gadgets, requiring time to get used to. However, once a soldier was used to all this and good in using these add-ons that an infantryman of, for example France, would never see, his efficiency rose considerably, even lengthening the average life of a soldier in a firefight.

Thus, the NatSocs who engaged troops equipped with all this had a hard life, their positions becoming known to the entire army, down to the meter in the instant they peeked out of cover with a gun or head.

But despite this, they gave more than a good fight, experience making up at least partially for the high-tech gadgetry. Additionally, they had numbers. 1.3 million Austrian soldiers, fighting against a force of almost 1.8 million NatSocs, though the former had air-superiority.

Bloody was an understatement that applied to many battles and bombardements of this confict.

[Il Terra Di Agea]

"Indeed. Now, let's get back to work until those Norwegians come!"

It took longer than expected, but the man finally did arrive with the promised technology.

"Hello sirs, sorry for the delay, I got stuck at the airport. You know that Svalbard weather, eh? You're lucky to ever get a plane out of there."

The man walked over to the nearest table and sat, "Let's get down to business, we have a lot of paperwork to go through."

OOC: Sorry it took me so long to reply, School is getting harder to keep up with

Edited September 10, 2009 by Il Terra Di Agea

[Uberstein]

It took longer than expected, but the man finally did arrive with the promised technology.

"Hello sirs, sorry for the delay, I got stuck at the airport. You know that Svalbard weather, eh? You're lucky to ever get a plane out of there."

The man walked over to the nearest table and sat, "Let's get down to business, we have a lot of paperwork to go through."

OOC: Sorry it took me so long to reply, School is getting harder to keep up with

OOC: It's day 2 of school...how is it hard?

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: It's day 2 of school...how is it hard?

OOC: Ubie, different school districts start on different days, you know...

Anyway, keep it going Lynneth. I'm still reading.

Edited September 10, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Il Terra Di Agea]

OOC: Ubie, different school districts start on different days, you know...

Anyway, keep it going Lynneth. I'm still reading.

OOC: We're in the same school, just a few different classes

[Lynneth]

OOC: Uberstein, stop the offtopic this instant. ITDA, reply to Uber with a PM.

Thank you.

Edit: This counts for all of you.

Also, no problem about the 'taking some time', that's completely fine.

IC:

"Business, hm? Well, first, what kind of paperwork, and second: What did you bring exactly? We only heard rumours about that project."

"I didn't actually expect it to be true."

"Neither did I, but obviously it is, otherwise this man wouldn't be here."

"Of course. Now good Sir, would you please proceed?"

"Yes, please."

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

Elsewhere, the fight continued.

Both Austrians and Rebels fought with a fervor that some claimed these men did not have. Yet, this war showed the true spirit of all these people, fighting for King, Country and the Fatherland, or for the purification of the german peoples and the greatest man of all, the 'Kaiser', as Martens was often called by the NatSocs.

Every single of these millions of men, normal soldiers, tank-drivers, officers, pilots, general, each single one of them fought for his own cause. Some wanted to avenge their families, lynched or otherwise killed during the outbreak of the rebellion. Others wanted to kick the 'Nord scum' out of their beautiful country, while on the other side, the people fought for their ideals of germanic unity and purity, amongst other things.

In some places, such as in the vicinity of Radstadt, the battles were almost beautiful, like a gigantic ballet, both forces moving as if in a huge choreographed fight, tanks, artillery and soldiers destroying each other in a fashion of brilliance and elegance.

Other regions experiences blood-baths of the highest order, rockets and shells pounding into either side, preventing any kind of large-scale attack against the enemy and forcing the commanders to use tiny groups of 30 men and less to advance here and there, to secure this and that building until they were reinforced by allies or to the point of pure exhaustion while running out of ammunition and food, the cavalry incapable of coming to their help because of the carnage rained upon them by artillery.

At the homefront, propaganda was used like in few other wars. However, it was not purely against the NatSocs...Much of the propaganda was against the Nords, Nordlanders and Martencists in general, huge demonstrations against these ideologies being staged. In Vienna, hundreds of thousands marched on the streets, bringing signs expressing their loyality to the government and their hate against Nordlanders. Some even brought huge signs with caricatures of Martens or other prominent 'Nords' as they were perceived, regardless from which part of Europe they were. Rheinmark's leaders could be found as well as Dalmatia's or Greater Nordland's leaders.

One such caricature showed Martens eating a baby, though in an exaggerated and somewhat comical manner.

All over Austria, millions were on the streets, but generally after finishing their shifts in their offices, factories or wherever else they worked, so that the economy would not plummet. They did support the war against the Nordist scum, after all.

Edited September 10, 2009 by Lynneth

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: We're in the same school, just a few different classes

OOC: Oh, I didn't know that...heh heh, my bad. I'll cross it out then.

Just read the most recent post. I never even considered that there would be areas physically unaffected by the war.

Edited September 10, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Lynneth]

OOC: Oh, I didn't know that...heh heh, my bad. I'll cross it out then.

OOC: Out.

>>First post

>>OOC comments are appreciated, as are IC comments, but please keep offtopic down. For once, I will report people who go offtopic.

Tempt me not.

[Il Terra Di Agea]

IC:

"Business, hm? Well, first, what kind of paperwork, and second: What did you bring exactly? We only heard rumours about that project."

"I didn't actually expect it to be true."

"Neither did I, but obviously it is, otherwise this man wouldn't be here."

"Of course. Now good Sir, would you please proceed?"

"Yes, please."

"Thank you. The paperwork is all rather simple. Basic release information, as well as papers signifying that you have been briefed on the possible danger that this technology may serve you. What I have brought, is all of Dr. Gerhard Schroder's research into the project, a copy of his journal, and schematics to his original designs."

The man paused as he opened his breifcase, and removed several sheets of paper.

"Alright, now to our first order of business. This technology has proven rather temperamental in the past. Out of Schroder's three functional prototypes, only one maintained its sanity and functionality after a year. The doctor theorized after the fact, that deeply ingrained memories, speech mannerisms, mental disorders, lifetime trauma and phobias would all carry over from the original biological component, the human brain used as an interface. This, of course, means that you would have to screen the individual immensely before use, a precaution we did not take, and for which we deeply wish we had. Next, we found out early on that the lack of memory withing the new system can have rather detrimental results. The hybrot system enters without any knowledge, and, without parents, elders or religion, it has no morals or ethics. Without fine tuning, this can quickly turn into a creature of immense power that will kill or main at the drop of a hat without remorse. The system is also temperamental in that it has a very low success rate. The tiniest of problems can set of massive issues within the biological component. Too hot, the unshielded brain will rot. Too cold, the brain cannot fire synapses correctly. pH of the solution, oxygen content, strain, stimuli, movement, dirt, can all have a detrimental effect, and render the subject dead, retarded, or nonfunctioning. Finally, Schroder also stated early on that memories would not be transferred on the biological component, which renders the final product, in his own words, 'with the knowledge of an infant inside the brain of an adult. A Tabula Rasa if you will.' Now, he also stated that this was because the memory is carried via electrical impulses rather than a hard copy in the material, which means that a component hooked directly from a living body into the hybrot system would carry over memories.

"Now, I assume you have the technology here to bypass many of these issues, but they are all important to watch over. Next up, You must sign these papers binding you to maintain the classified nature of these documents. They are to remain guarded with the utmost care. Pardon the cliche, but these cannot fall into the wrong hands. The day any terrorist can build a device capable of killing without cause or remorse is the day the planet falls to ruin."

The man took a deep breath, and handed both the Danger Information and Release paperwork across the table.

[Lynneth]

"Hmm...A big question is, why do memories not get carried over, but phobias, traumas and the like do? I can't say I'm an expert on that topic; I'm an engineer, not a neurologist. However, it does bring the question why normal memories don't get carried over..."

"It opens interesting possibilities, however, as we can try to find basically a 'blank' person and indoctrinate it with propaganda, ensuring that this propaganda will stay even when the brain leaves the person's body."

"Another problem could be the actual transfer of the brain. I've read somewhere that it can survive without oxygen for a minute or two, not being damaged. Any longer and the cells begin taking damage."

"The procedure would have to be incredibly sophisticated. We'd also need to create an artificial environment for the brain, but that's likely our least worries; There's always Nords and traitors whose heads can be drilled into for information on the exact specifications of the liquid the brain is immersed in."

"The temperature would need to be just like in a body; It can rise and fall within tolerances, just like in a human body, but it would need to be heavily regulated. Any modern clinic should theoretically be capable of making such a brain-jar."

"Well, there's the problem of secrecy. But I'm sure we can get an additional doctor or ten for this project."

"And the morals of the brain?"

"That can be taken care of, I guess, by indoctrinating it properly. Don't kill any allies, for example. Only kill enemies of the state, et cetera. I'm sure we'll find a way for that."

They looked to the representative from Norway. "Please inform us if any of our ramblings have already been proven wrong somehow, or tried and failed."

"Yes. Now, let me see those papers. We can discuss the possibilities and problems afterwards."

He examined the documents closely, reading them carefully. "Okay, those are fine. Let me sign them, as project leader..."

The scientist did so, handing the signed document back to the rep.

"Is there anything else we need to know about or about which you would like to inform us..? If so, please do tell. Otherwise, we'll get on with our work. You can stay and watch, if you want."

He moved to take the briefcase. Its contents would be analyzed by a team of scientists and doctors later that day.

[Il Terra Di Agea]

The scientist did so, handing the signed document back to the rep.

"Is there anything else we need to know about or about which you would like to inform us..? If so, please do tell. Otherwise, we'll get on with our work. You can stay and watch, if you want."

He moved to take the briefcase. Its contents would be analyzed by a team of scientists and doctors later that day.

"No, that should cover it. As for staying, believe me, I would rather leave. I've got the fun problem of having seen the photo's of the problem in Schroder's lab, and I'm terrified of blood. Good luck n protecting your country. It has been a pleasure working with you."

[Lynneth]

"Then we wish you goodbye. Have a nice journey back home."

The two men waved while the representative was led by a neaby guard towards the exit, where a vehicle to bring him to the nearest airport was already waiting.

In the building, the two men were already examining the contents of the briefcase, putting them back a bit later to proceed to their colleagues. With them, the analyzation would go faster and more efficient.

OOC: It's not much, but only because I don't want to include a timeskip in this post. Next post will be longer again.

[Lynneth]

"Sasha...Hey, Sasha."

"Mhmm...Wha..What is it..?"

The young journalist only reluctantly opened her eyes, rubbing them sleepily. It had been almost three months since their escape from Klagenfurt, and they had avoided many streets, rather going through harsh terrain than risking to be found by NatSoc forces.

They had been successful in evading patrols, sometimes incredibly close without them actually knowing. Slowly, their stocks of food were running out, however. It was time to find a way back to civilisation.

"Get out of the car and come with me."

"Hm...?"

Only now did she notice that Simon wasn't driving and that the engine wasn't running.

"Why aren't we driving?"

"Get out, then I can show you."

"Okay, okay...Just give me a minute to wake up."

It took actually five minutes getting ready, as she insisted on brushing her teeth at least a bit and drinking a bit water. Then, however, she followed her friend to the edge of the forest. He pointed into the distance.

"Do you see that?"

"That...looks like a military outpost."

"Yes, indeed. Here, take these binocs. Look through them."

She took the binoculars, doing as he said. What she saw lifted a stone the weight of Mt. Everest off her heart.

"Oh...oh dear god. Austrian flags..! Friendly soldiers, finally!"

"Yes, Sasha. After three months. About time, because autumn is ending soon, and we'll get much colder temperatures."

"Quick, Simon. Let's go down there. I can't wait to finally get back to work."

"I'm sure the videos from the camera will go around the world. It will be great, I tell you!"

"Well, they could confiscate the videos and only release them after the war...I don't know."

"Even if they do that...If merely one clip is shown, for five seconds or something, even then I'm happy that I recorded all this. But really. We'll meet our friends again."

"God...They probably think we're dead."

"Yeah. They'll be shocked." He grinned and ran back to the car. Sasha followed him quickly, and soon the two were driving down the hill they were on, towards the outpost.

About a hundred meters away from it, loudspeakers announced, "Stop immediately. A Puma IFV will arrive shortly. Please provide all information they ask for."

Ninety meters away from the outpost, the jeep they were in stopped, and a minute later the IFV began approaching. It didn't take long for three heavily armed soldiers to jump out, one of them walking to the driver's window, while the others went to strategic positions around the car.

"Excuse me, but could I please see your IDs?"

"Of...of course. Sasha, could you get them out of the glove compartment?"

"Sure, Simon." She looked to the soldier, who probably was a lieutnant or of similar rank. "I'm going to open the glove compartment now."

The man nodded, and so she did, slowly, taking both her and Simon's IDs out. She handed them to the cameraman who in turn gave it to the officer, who nodded. "Thank you. Please wait for a minute."

He returned into the armoured vehicle, coming back to the jeep after three minutes.

"Okay...These IDs say you're reporters. Sasha Walleczek and Simon Walthers, presumed M.I.A. shortly after the rebellion began."

"That is true. We managed to hide away from the Nords and actually managed to get the gun of one when we suprised him. It's in the trunk of the car."

The officer nodded, then looked to the soldier behind the car. "Ey, Max. Open the trunk, if there's a NatSoc gun in there."

"NatSoc..?", Simon asked.

"Yeah. That's what we call the rebels."

"Sir, there's a gun in there. StA I'd guess, old nordlandic design I'd guess. Looks to be in bad shape, though."

The officer looked at the soldier near the car's trunk again. "You think it's usable?"

"Barely. I'm no gunsmith, but I'd bet some parts will have to be replaced."

"'Kay." He turned back to Simon. "Well, I'll believe you for now. We're gonna do a DNA test later to make sure, but for the time being, welcome back in Austria."

Sasha smiled wide. "Thank you, thank you so much..! I can't wait to meet my colleagues from Channel Seven again."

"That'll take a few days. We can't evac you right now, but we can power your car again. A bit south from here is a bigger base, they got a chopper that you can take back home. We'll have to notify them, run tests, question you a bit before that, though. Will you cooperate?"

"Of, of course! Right now I'd do anything to get home again.", simon said while nodding.

"Good. Please follow our vehicle then, until we stop. We'll take you to the officer's tent."

"Okay."

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

"... so we've finished the body, but are still lacking the power source. We're working on that, though. One of our guys got hit by a genius-particle and-"

"Genius-particle?"

"Uh, yeah. He just, from one second to the next, started scribbling formulas and sketches and whatnot. We couldn't stop him, not that we seriously attempted to do so. The man's got us a possibly working fusion reactor small enough to slap it into the Sword. Hideously expensive though, both the materials and to actually build it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It'll be the single most expensive part of the Sword, costing about twice as much as everything else, including the Hybrot thingy."

"About that Hybrot...I wanted to ask, are there any successes yet?"

"Well, yeah. Our technology is superior to Norway's, so we naturally did manage to get two functional brains in their vats. Both could be used for the program, in theory."

"And in practise?"

"The one that's shown the most obedience, which also happens to be the 'smarter' one, interestingly. From the reports I've read, we've gotten around almost all problems that norwegian guy mentioned."

"And a full uplink to the Sword's computer is possible?"

"We tested it on an exact copy with the movements of the limbs being simulated. Both candidates did well, but the less-intelligent brain managed to fall. Face met the simulated ground."

"And the other one didn't?"

"Indeed. It's a prodigy, kind of."

"How can we make sure it doesn't betray us or anything?"

"Propaganda of course, failsafes, and enough guns. Guns are always important for this."

"Of course. So, aside from the generator and the 'brain', everything is ready?"

"Basically? Yes. We even managed to install the lasers. Three high-energy lasers, powered by the fusion generator. One in the head, fired through the slit up there, which also has its eyes and stuff. Of course, sensors are everywhere in and on the body, so it can't really get blinded. The other two are on each arm, so up to three targets can be engaged at once. And with luck, it can shoot missiles down."

"Impressive. How long will it take to finish it?"

"Oh, I don't know. A few weeks at most. We have incredible capacities working here."

"Great! Ah, and what about the armour?"

"Yeah. Its armour, and basically the entire construction, is an entirely new alloy we managed to make, stronger and more resilient than any other."

"So, in a way, the Sword of the Crown can be considered a superweapon?"

"Indeed it can. Of course, a nuke in the face or without tank support, it'll die quickly. It's made of 50% Shock, 50% Awe and 50% Death for Nords."

"One hundred and fifty percent?"

"Precisely. One hundred fifty. Because it's that crazy."

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

Much of Austria was still in the hands of the enemy.

But every single austrian soldier had vowed just the day before: "Not for much longer shall the enemy occupy our country. We shall fight them in the mountains, we shall fight them on the plains and in the cities. To the last man will we defend this beautiful country, from the highest general to the lowest soldier.

To destroy the Nordlandic and Martencistic menace we will fight with all our might. This we vow, as part of this great and glorious nation, as part of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Austria.

May God be with us all."

And they acted on it. On every single front, they attacked. One point three million men and almost thirteen thousand tanks moved.

It was the single greatest offensive operation in recent history.

OOC: A short note...

Three months have passed, for those that didn't get it.

Edited September 14, 2009 by Lynneth

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Vienna, Austria

Royalist HQ

The figure walked down the narrow hall of the Austrian command post looking straight ahead, not caring about the people that passed her or the Austrian soldiers scattered on either side of the hall giving her odd stares and quick shakes of their heads. Sometimes, when she would pass a group, the girl would slow her steps just to hear a few words that might escape their mouths. "I thought she was out of politics? What's she doing here?"

A soldier chuckled. "I think she lives for this stuff now. Sort of goes back a few years before you were in service, she did a lot for this continent. I guess she's still trying to change it."

The partner sighed. "Poor girl."

"Nah, not poor at all, just keep an eye out for her. I hear she's quite impressive on the field."

She only smiled and adjusted the SMG that hung on her back and the pistol that was strapped to her leg. The operative had a yellow phoenix on her shoulder, showing the country of her origin, however she wasn't here for political purposes between countries. In fact, for her commanders back in South America she was on court of leave, a small and much needed vacation after Zargathia. Though it seemed a bit funny that someone would go to one of the most volatile regions on the Earth at this point to unwind, but on the other hand, this was a more personal matter.

Bavaria, Holy Rome, and now Austria had been an off and on ally of the Hanseatic Commonwealth, but after the fall of Holy Rome due to the surrounding nations of Europe fearing their encroachment, it had been one of the reasons that the girl had been pushed over the edge. Everything else that followed afterward, she conveniently made sure that she misplaced it in her mind. There was no reason to think of the past, only concentrate on a future that needed to be changed. Starting with Austria.

Reaching the end of the hallway in the command post, the figure came up to a series of desks manned by junior officers and bureaucrats. Walking over to the first one, with a young male officer frantically writing something down on a stack of papers. She put her hand down on the first sheet and smiled down at him as he lifted his head up, meeting the pair of sapphire eyes looking at him.

"I'm looking for the base commander. He should have received my letter, that my skills might be able to be used for your cause here. You mind pointing me in the right direction?"

Edited September 14, 2009 by Sarah Tintagyl

[Lynneth]

"Ladies and Gentlemen, you may remember our correspondent who was in Klagenfurt at the outbreak of the rebellion; Sasha Walleczek. We had announced her missing two months ago, when it didn't seem likely that she and her cameraman, Simon Walthers, survived being in the middle of the crisis.

Well...I am most relieved to announce, the two did indeed manage to survive for all this time, yet never forgetting their duties as journalists and reporters. All these months, they recorded their experiences, and some of these videos are, to say the least, shocking. Right now, the videos are being examined by military experts for any information they could provide on the enemy forces, but afterwards we will hopefully be able to release some of the material to the public.

Regardless of all this, however, I am truly relieved they did survive. They are recovering at the moment, but Sasha said that she wants to get back into action as soon as she can...And as soon as her injuries are treated, which luckily are not severe.

I think I can speak for everyone here at Channel Seven when I say that we are grateful the two survived.

That is it for today. Thank you, and until next time."

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

The young man looked in awe upon Sarah, one of the greatest women of modern times. Austria knew that it only existed because Miss Tintagyl had rallied the world and intervened against Nordland.

This young officer knew it, as well, and he thus was not capable of emitting any coherent sounds for several seconds.

"Ah, um...ugh, mi-mi, Lady Tintagyl..? Um, yes. I, I think CoS Schneiderhan did receive your letter." He stiffly got up, bowing similarly stiffly.

"If, ah, you would follow me, I'll bri-bring you to him."

As if to avoid her gaze, he turned quickly and walked swiftly away from his desk, deeper into the complex which lay so deep below the city of Vienna. It would take a short while, but then the two finally arrived at a door with the german words Oberkommando, meaning High Command. The junior officer oppened the door, asking Sarah to walk inside.

It was quite possibly the most high-tech High Command the former hanseatic ruler had ever seen in her life.

And in the middle of it, near the hologram, Schneiderhan was standing, already looking at Sarah.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Sarah followed the junior officer through the command headquarters to the end of hall and into the room. He left her at that point, while she acquainted herself better with the technology around her, and by acquainting, it meant standing in awe of Austrian technology, vaguely reminding her stories of the Canadian war-machine. Glancing around the room, she barely noticed that there was someone else in the room, besides herself and the junior officer standing near the door, the Chief of Staff of the Austrian military standing near the hologram. Giving a sharp salute and then a curt bow, Sarah walked over towards where Schneiderhan was standing and smiled.

"General Schneiderhan I presume." She said offering her hand, the gray glove stretching with her hand as she extended her fingers. "I hope my letter didn't arrive too late for you and so this visit isn't a full surprise. I've been hearing much of the Nordic rebellion on the news, really your country is making world headlines and it pains me that this is the reason that people talk about Austria outside and inside of Europe." Her eyes giving off the first signs of innocence. "This Europe, it wasn't the Europe that I dreamed of when I lived in Brisbane and now I'm paying for that with every ounce of my life." She looked away for a minute, hiding her embarrassment. "I failed people like you, people like Maximilian, Havelock, and now Alexander. But, I want to make up for that now, I may not have a country, but I would rather die than see Austria fall."

She glanced briefly at the munitions strapped to her body. "I've been through two months of heavy training in the Imperial Union's Special Forces, but I come here by myself, please General, I'm yours to command. Whatever you want me to do, I'm your girl."

[Lynneth]

"I hope my letter didn't arrive too late for you and so this visit isn't a full surprise. I've been hearing much of the Nordic rebellion on the news, really your country is making world headlines and it pains me that this is the reason that people talk about Austria outside and inside of Europe."

Schneiderhan shook Sarah's hand, examining her curiously for a second, but then pulling her to him, giving her a mighty hug, grinning.

He let go of her right after. "The great Sarah Tintagyl. It's an honour. About your letter, it arrived two days ago, so I had ample time to prepare for your visit. Also, don't forget that the media like to exaggerate all kinds of news. I don't pay too much attention to them, but they probably claim the country is burning and the nords are destroying our crops everywhere, which isn't the case. Only in the affected regions, though we don't have exact intel on what they're doing there until we arrive in those regions."

"This Europe, it wasn't the Europe that I dreamed of when I lived in Brisbane and now I'm paying for that with every ounce of my life." She looked away for a minute, hiding her embarrassment. "I failed people like you, people like Maximilian, Havelock, and now Alexander. But, I want to make up for that now, I may not have a country, but I would rather die than see Austria fall."

"You didn't fail us. Without your intervention, without you rallying the world, Bavaria, and subsequently, Austria, would have never been possible. You did what you could. You're only a human, after all.

Similarly, we're doing what we can. At this very moment, more than a million loyal soldiers are attacking into hostile territory, annihilating the enemy wherever it resists. It's the single biggest offensive I've ever seen, and the enemy has more forces than we do."

"I've been through two months of heavy training in the Imperial Union's Special Forces, but I come here by myself, please General, I'm yours to command. Whatever you want me to do, I'm your girl."

Schneiderhan nodded. "Your presence will be great for the morale of our soldiers. However, we have another new weapon that is currently being finished. In this very moment, the last tests are being done.

If you work together with it, the morale of our forces will be unbreakable, Miss Tintagyl. Nothing will be able to stop them."

He turned his head towards a massive door, presumably made from a titanium alloy. "Would you like to see it?"