A Secret Battle

[Nagato the Great]

--Classified--

Mandalore had just recently returned from silence and emerged from a nuclear strike. Now utilizing an army and planning to send a satellite into space, Jack Carter had reintroduced Mandalore to international politics, and to the rest of the world, it would appear that Mandalore had made a great recovery. However, it was not all that it seemed. Jack Carter had not chosen to lock the borders of his country for nothing. He had not restricted international calls in all non-government buildings for nothing. Within Mandalore, an element--a group that called for revenge against those who had attacked Mandalore during what is known as the Great Crisis--was rising, called the Rising Phoenix. They are a terrorist group intent on removing Jack Carter and placing a new president and government in place. The two sides are radically different: however, both are alike in that they believe it wouldn't benefit them for the international commnity to know of the battle that was about to rage; more likely than not, it would result in a superpower invading to 'keep peace'. Thus, within the securely locked borders of Mandalore, a secret battle is fought, one that no one outside of Mandalore will know of for a long time.

--Also Classified--

Lieutenant Dmitry Lermontov sat quietly in the back of a miltiary truck as it rumbled across the Mandalorian desert. Behind and in front of his truck, several identical trucks, all filled with new, trembling recruits, drove in a line to hide their numbers as best as possible. Like Lermontov, all these men were new recruits, many joining just after the UMS allowed Mandalore to have a military. He held his assault rifle in his hands between his legs, making sure every now and then that his weapon was on safety, fearing his trembling hands may cause it to go off. Next to him, a Corporal sat with his rifle on the floor, scribbling on a notepad; while in front of Lermontov, the superior of this expedition, Captain William Kahlin, glared at his team gruffly. Lermontov sighed for what appeared to be the thirtieth time in five minutes. He himself had nothing to do.

The air was suddenly puncuated by a loud BANG, and in the truck in front of him, a soldier went limp. He looked hard, and, through the dust and sand, glimpsed a Phoenix Rising group, sniping at them.

"Snipers!" he roared. The team galvanized into action.

The trucks halted, and the troops poured out and began firing at the Phoenix Rising terrorists. Lermontov aimed and squeezed the trigger; the soldier he was aiming at fell to the ground clutching his stomach. The adrenaline of battle gripping him, Lermontov fired at other soldiers; next to him, the soldier who had been writing in a notebook fell to the ground roaring in pain. Lermontov quickly crouched and dragged him behind a truck. In the safety of cover, Lermontov examined his comrade; it was not good. Blood seeped from numerous wounds in his chest, and Lermontov found himself wordless. However, the dying soldier read his eyes, and pressed something into Lermontov's hand. Lermontov looked and saw a crumpled piece of paper. He opened it and looked at the bottom; it read simply "I cannot wait to return to my beloved family, but I cannot until I do my duty to Mandalore and to freedom. Your love,..." Lermontov looked down, but the soldier's eyes were closed, and no breath left him.

OOC: You can reply if you want, but remember that you can't possibly know what's going on unless you have spies.

[SpacingOutMan]

OOC: Satellite imaging could also provide a lot of mobilization, along with, ya know, the UMS having forces in your country.

[Nagato the Great]

OOC: Satellite imaging could also provide a lot of mobilization, along with, ya know, the UMS having forces in your country.

OOC: Wait, you still have forces in my country? ah, crap, that kills my RP pretty good...see i was intent on RPing a civil war kinda thing without intervention (which no doubt would happen from various people, probably including you?).

[SpacingOutMan]

OOC: Yea, I never RPed them moving out. I can do so if you want and/or we can agree they were moved out. I wasn't too-too explicit with everything. They were sent there to alleviate the situation and were to return once everything panned out, so I suppose they could be considered gone.

[Nagato the Great]

OOC: Yea, I never RPed them moving out. I can do so if you want and/or we can agree they were moved out. I wasn't too-too explicit with everything. They were sent there to alleviate the situation and were to return once everything panned out, so I suppose they could be considered gone.

OOC: okay cool. if you have any ideas on this, feel free.

[Executive Minister]

OOC: Sorry bud, but I've still got my NoN-CMBT force there patrolling the border... just give the word and they'll come home.

[Nagato the Great]

OOC: Sorry bud, but I've still got my NoN-CMBT force there patrolling the border... just give the word and they'll come home.

OOC: Like I said, this took place smack in the middle of a desert, in the middle of mandalore.

IC: This mesage was sent to NoD

"We thank Nod for its assisstance in this Crisis: now that we ahve recovered, you may withdraw your troops."

[Nagato the Great]

--Classified--

"Sir!" An exhausted officer burst into the Command Room of the Genadda Military Base. Before him, Generalissimus Jacob Borissean turned around.

"What's the matter?" Borissean demanded.

"The Phoenix Rising--they've just seized a series of small towns in the middle of the Great Mandalorian Desert; President Carter wants them removed from there ASAP!"

--Unclassified--

Mandalorian President Jack Carter has informed the international community that their satellites will show a transport plane flying over the Mandalorian Desert and dropping off soldiers at about 2 am--it is a training exercise.

--Classified--

As the M-JB Transport grumbled across the night sky over the Mandalorian Desert, Lieutenant Lermontov found that once again, severeal of the soldiers around him were new recruits. Few of the soldiers who had fought in the first battle in the cEastern Deserts were here. In that battle, their forces had sustained 34 casualties, 12 of them deaths. This time, Lermontov would be the commanding officer. However, now it was a different kind of battle; they would be rappeling down into a region of small towns to 'evict' the Phoenix Rising terrorists who had taken the towns. Urban combat was still a frightening prospect to several of the recruits, who had in the breifing heard much of hidden snipers, falling rubble, and civilian casualties, which they were to keep as low as possible. At least this time there would be no surprises; the Phenix Rising were now the ones who would be surprised, and hopefully caught off guard.

"We are approaching the destination, we will be there in approximately five minutes." the pilot's voice was heard.

"Get ready soldiers." Lermontov called. He pulled a pair of night vision goggles over his head, checked his weapon, mags, grenades, and knife. He was holding the same thing as most of the soldiers aroudn him; a silenced Mk. 8K SMG, while at his hip was a similarly silenced USP Mk. 3 pistol. He then secured a helmet over his head, and grabbed one of the ropes just as the pilot said "Okay, go." and opened the hatch. Lermontov threw his rope off the edge of the hatch, then turned around, took hold of the rope, breathed deeply, and began rappeling down.

Lermontov hit the ground first, and looked around. Nothing in sight but sand dunes. He turned to see the last of the soldiers hit the ground.

"Okay, men, let's move out." he said as the plane began its return. "A-Squad, you'll be coming with me; we are assaulting a town directly North of here, it's called Kaliba. B-Squad, you'll be with Major al-Hahd, attacking Sandpoint, to the South East of here. C-Squad, you'll be attacking Potehk, which is in the North-West. Let's move."

For almost half an hour nothing more happened. A-Squad trekked across the desert, their camouflage and the night insuring they would not be seen without seeing first. Soon, the town of Kaliba came into view. Lermontov could see that wooden sniping towers were in the works at the corners. He smiled; so the enemy hadn't even had time to erect basic defenses. "Okay, A-12 through A-16, you're our snipers. Scan the towers and surrounding area for enemy snipers or patrols. Make sure there are no others aroudn when you shoot."

For several minutes the snipers scanned the town with their silenced rifles, and then Lermontov heard the barely audible ping of their firing. It went on for a few minutes, and then, "That's 10 patrols down and 6 snipers, sir."

"Excellent. I've assessed that there is a weakpoint on the eastern part of the city; a sewage culvert, which we should be able to use to get into the city without detection. As soon was we get in far enough, I'll give the signal to start the attack."

A few minutes later and 4 guards sniped without a noise, Lermontov and the 38 men in A-Squad were stepping down into the drain. Lermontov leapt in first--he landed in the green, vile water. He signalled for his men to jump down as well.

As the soldiers jumped down, Lermontov looked down the tunnel. It was going to be a long, wet journey...

[iKrolm]

***Within Selenarctos Defense Command***

"...and that's the message from Mandalore, sir. Shall we divert a satellite to see how it goes?

"Negative, the Johto Empire situation takes priority and until the surveillance grid is completed we don't have assets to keep an eye on both. Just make sure our personnel stay out of the Mandalore Army's way."

***Message to Mandalore***

Selenarctos wishes you luck with your war games, and if you're every interested in a joint exercise our soldiers could always use more desert training.

[Nagato the Great]

***Within Selenarctos Defense Command***

"...and that's the message from Mandalore, sir. Shall we divert a satellite to see how it goes?

"Negative, the Johto Empire situation takes priority and until the surveillance grid is completed we don't have assets to keep an eye on both. Just make sure our personnel stay out of the Mandalore Army's way."

***Message to Mandalore***

Selenarctos wishes you luck with your war games, and if you're every interested in a joint exercise our soldiers could always use more desert training.

--Reply to Selenarctos--

Thank you, but for now we wish to keep the training to our soldiers. As you may understand most of them are new recruits and would probably feel strange alongside experienced fighters. But thank you for the offer, perhaps we will take you up for it in the future.