T8 Mobile Ballistic Battle Station
24 miles outside Halverton
Dominion of Alveran
Jan 20, 821
22:35:08

General Bradley couldn't believe his eyes and ears. A phone had started to ring, but it wasn't the usual tone…the only thing that made this sound was the red emergency phone. Seeing as he presided over a mobile launch pad for nuclear missiles, there weren't many things that red phone could mean…

He ran up to answer it, shouting as his personnel started to scramble, "This is now a Code 5 emergency! Everyone to your stations! Prepare to initiate a launch sequence if authorization is given!"

The general picked up the red telephone, "T8 Mobile reporting, General Bradley speaking."

"General Bradley, this is Lamington Central Command, Avoldran Dehn speaking."

His heart skipped 2 beats. The Aelir himself. This is serious. He set the phone to speaker and maxed out the volume.

"What are the Aelir's orders?"

"General, you are now at MS5. I need you to set up a low yield, high altitude triple HEMP against the Imperial Oversector of Dromund Kaas, ASAP. Listen carefully, here are the 3 missiles:

T M1 at X 2-5-8 point 3-9-0-2 and Y negative 4-6 point 1-4-6-1 and Z 5-4 point 8-8-4-9. That's in the northeast-central of Dromund Kaas. Clear?"

Targeters rushed to input the data into the system on big screens that assured them it was error free.

"Clear, proceed".

"T M2 at X 2-3-3 point 2-5-7-3 and Y negative 3-7 point 5-0-0-2 and Z 6-0 point 3-1-9-2. That's off the northwest coast of Dromund Kaas. Clear?"

This data was put in.

"Clear, proceed".

"T M3 at X 2-4-5 point 1-0-2-2 and Y negative 6-3 point 7-8-8-1 and Z 3-1 point 2-9-9-9. That's in the south-central of Dromund Kaas. This one must be accurate at all costs, to avoid damaging anything across the Angleteric border. Clear?"

The third targeting data was set.

"Clear, proceed".

Set those up, bring up the missiles, but do not launch without code authorization. Turn on the TV to any channel at 00:30 and wait for further instructions. Over."

General Bradley could now see why the Aelir had chosen his unit for this attack. He had low yield strategic nuclear missiles, best suited for a HEMP.

"Alright, you heard the Aelir, bring them up!"

3 trucks rolled up, one carrying a nuclear tipped DF-31A and two carrying nuclear tipped DF-21's. The DF-31A assumed M1's target, with the DF-21's assuming M2 and M3's.

All missiles now slowly rose from their truckbeds into firing position.

The crews tensely waited…

***********************************

Fort Lamington Command Center
Lamington
Dominion of Linden
Jan 20, 821
23:05:39

Avoldran Dehn stood in front of a room packed with important military leaders. Some of them didn't have jackets on and others were winded, having dropped everything and run to the Situation Room when the emergency assembly sirens went off. Sirens were now sounding throughout Fort Lamington and military facilities in neighboring Dominion Heights. This could only mean one thing - the Duxburian Union was about to launch a surprise attack at another nation. Everyone had a strong hunch about which nation, but no one said a word about it until the Aelir arrived.

Dehn addressed the assembled generals and civilian leaders.

"I have assembled you here in a hurry, because I wish for the Duxburian Union to go to war and we strike tonight, decisively. While military assets are not yet in place for invasion, I have secured the approval of the Dominion Council to launch a triple HEMP attack in an opening salvo, which buys us all the time in the world.

A large murmur rose from the crowd, a few people gasped. Some of the older generals nodded in agreement.

I have also spoken to some top-ranks in private and to our allies, and we are in agreement that this is the only way. We must take out Dromund Kaas now while it's still weak. And we must do it by HEMP to avoid extreme casualties. We must cripple Dromund Kaas without resorting to a nuclear strike at ground targets.

Now, for those unfamiliar with HEMPs, this stands for high altitude electromagnetic pulse. We launch a low yield nuclear missile high into the atmosphere, detonating it overhead. This releases a massive EMP that sends everything below it for a certain radius back to the stone age. Some things can be hardened to resist damage, but the vast majority of military hardware and virtually the entire civilian sector gets fried. Many things cannot be hardened. Planes will fall right out of the sky. Tanks will not fire, ships will not fire, missiles will be rendered useless in their silos, satellites cannot send data to the ground, ground forces cannot communicate. Some satellites might even be blown right out of orbit. However, since we are firing low, no friendly satellites will be affected, and Dromund Kaas has moved theirs out of LEO.

Now, Dromund Kaas possesses ballistic missile interception capability. However, their Aster 30's can only reach 20km altitude and the Aster 15s, even lower. Even our lowest detonation at 31km is well above its maximum range. Thus, the target nation does not actually have a defense against a DF launched EMP attack. They can fire off as many interceptors as they want, but none can physically reach. They will have early warning, but will have no choice but to sit and wonder what the targets are. They will lock on and wait for the missiles to descend into interception range. Unfortunately, these missiles won't be descending. They won't know what hit them until the damage is done.

Do not worry about civilians. A HEMP produces no direct casualties because it is too high up. There are also no civilian planes in the air because Dromund Kaas has locked its airspace. However, all citizens will suffer in the long term because their economy will grind to a halt from the most basic level to the most advanced, so we will provide humanitarian aid in the wake of the ground invasion.

Officially, we are going to war because Dromund Kaas ignored our ultimatum to release the Premier of the European Union immediately. They think we just ate it and that's that. They think they can do whatever they wish and they can just tell the greatest military power in the region off. Well, they thought wrong. We have 4 other nations, including all of our allies, ready to move with us. Dromund Kaas will be annihilated. When you ignore a Duxburian ultimatum, you deserve what's coming to you.

Tactically, we are going to war because Dromund Kaas must be nipped in the bud. It has rapidly become the greatest threat to the Duxburian Union and the number 1 most likely country to declare war upon us. Dromund Kaas will absolutely not stop and it thirsts to rival the DU in firepower. Nothing anyone says has any impact to them - Speaker Devoy even threatened them with a reference to C-19s and they didn't blink. A nation unafraid of missiles capable of shattering mach 59 terminal speed are like bears unafraid of shotguns. Dromund Kaas MUST be put down now, before they become too powerful for us to act.

Now, according to constitutional limits and historic tradition, you all, assembled here now, get the chance to vote on our course of action. You have this chance to check me, if you so desire. We do not actually have to go to war, if that be not to your liking. I've made my pitch and now seek your consent. As the 73rd Aelir of the Duxburian Union, I now submit to vote that a state of war shall exist between the Duxburian Union and Dromund Kaas.

A moment of silence followed, then buzzing as people started talking amongst themselves.

4 star General Kol, Warmaster of the army, broke up the chatter by standing up, putting his fist into the air, and bellowing "WAR!"

This galvanized the rest of the army representatives into standing and crying for war, followed by most of the navy, air force, and civilian leadership. A few did remain seated, but it was clear that a head count would not be required.

"WAR! WAR! WAR!"

Dehn saluted the audience and said, "Thus, we shall go to war."

Military personnel in the audience saluted back and some of them cheered.

"I shall now go on international TV and broadcast our decision to the world. Oh, Alec, a moment please."

Alec Naddare, Officer of War, came over to Dehn.

"How may I be of assistance?"

"Please watch my live broadcast, there's a message for you in it. The moment you hear it, get on the red telephone in the press room and dial 51-000-51-000-99. This is a secure line to a mobile launch unit."

Naddare's eyes lit up.

Aides now set up a cameras in another room as the leaders dispersed to start mobilizing the nation.

T8 Mobile Ballistic Battle Station
24 miles outside Halverton
Dominion of Alveran
Jan 21, 821
00:51:03

The mobile launch unit was watching Dehn's live broadcast and were stunned that he'd given the Aelir's code right there to the world. X-N-5-1-D-X-0-K-5-A-L-0 was entered into the computer. Right as General Bradley was trying to remember who kept the 2nd set of codes, the red telephone rang.

"T8 Mobile reporting, General Bradley speaking."

"General Bradley, this is Lamington Central Command, Alec Naddare speaking."

"What are your orders, Officer Naddare?"

The general already knew what was coming. He could hear the sound of paper being unfolded in the background.

"I have a code authorization for you, here it comes: D-N-4-4-S-W-2-L-1-T-M-0, over."

General Bradley directed a programmer to enter this into the computer.

The codes authenticated successfully.

"Initiate launch sequence!"

As the rocket boosters revved up, other personnel brought out 6 keys and came over to all three missiles.

"You key in here, and you key in over there," Bradley directed them. To the left at the same time when the computer indicates the missile is fully prepared to fire."

All rocket personnel took their positions.

Several minutes later, the computer indicator turned from red to green.

"All other personnel, clear out!" the general yelled.

"Keys to the left now!"

They were turned and the 3 missiles entered the final portion of their launch preparation.

"Keymasters, clear out now!"

"Prepare to override manual locks…in 10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..FIRE!"

A huge roar followed and the trucks kicked back as the missiles erupted out and into the sky. They were out of sight in a matter of seconds.

The computers continued to track their progress as satellites were recruited to correct the flight paths.

General Bradley could only wait now.

OOC: I started this on the 8th and never bothered to finish it until just now...



Federal Office
Dairghazbury
Dominion of Linden
Feb 8, 821
4:00:59

Jan Davis, a new aide to the Aelir, was visibly nervous as he paced around the room. He had just woken up the most powerful man in the Duxburian Union at 4 in the morning. Aelir Dehn had a reputation as a night owl and absolutely hated being up before dawn. But, there was an urgent message from Lamington: "The ants are out of the hill".

Luckily for Jan's job, Dehn was too tired and distracted to actually get angry at him. The moment Dehn heard the code, his mind focused on the armies he knew were finally assembled and ready to move.

Fort Lamington Command Center
Lamington
Dominion of Linden
Feb 8, Jan 20, 821
4:27:25

The cities of Lamington and Dairghazbury were dark and motionless at this hour, but deep below the surface at the border of the cities, Fort Lamington was lit up and bustling with activity. The Aelir arrived and hurried into the Situation Room for a briefing with top military leaders, led by Alec Naddare, Officer of War.

"Good morning Aelir Dehn, I would like to report on the status of our HEMP attack."

Naddare brought up a map on a projector.



"General Bradley from T8 Mobile reports all 3 missiles survived to their destinations and detonated with an accuracy radius of less than 50 meters. Lamington detected 9 intercepter launches, but no interceptions were observed by missile control, and no signatures appeared at altitude, indicating that Dromund Kaas interceptors lack the capability to operate at our height of detonation, as expected.

The map shows the area of effect for each EMP. Areas in the center of the country that were subjected to more than one pulse got rocked harder. Unfortunately, the limitation of strategic EMPs is that we could not use them to blow out border defenses. Satellites indicate that most border defenses remain operational, albeit only about 60% of them are actually drawing power. By waiting and giving our armies ample time to mobilize, we have forced them to make a choice between keeping the population alive and keeping the borders defended.

Out in the Caspian Sea, our satellites have observed warships being pulled by fishing craft and test fires of torpedoes and deck guns. This indicates that surface ships of the enemy navy have been relying too heavily on electronics, even for navigation. Only purely mechanical armaments are functional, except on submarines. While enemy subs remain dangerous, SSK range for DK classes is limited to about a month. They must return to port to refuel and that's when our allies in Gun Toting Animals have them vulnerable. GTA fleets should be able to easily deal with the crippled surface ships and move in to destroy enemy port facilities. With nowhere to fuel, subs will become less of a threat as they try desperate means to obtain fuel."

"Thank you, Alec. We are developing a new EMP weapon that does not rely on nuclear technology. If we ever have to launch such a weapon again, we will be able to fire much lower and use tactical EMP strength levels to hit border defenses. With error radii on our DF systems so low, I am confident that our targeting crews can calculate pulse radii that allow us to disable entire border zones, while leaving our allies' nearby defenses completely untouched. With future guidance systems and higher stockpiles, we could even selectively target military installations, leaving civilian infrastructure largely intact."

Liam Kol, Warmaster of the army spoke up next,

"Aelir Dehn, the Eastern Grand Army has been fully assembled and is ready to move upon your command.



The Southern Grand Army has also been called up to occupy Alveran as a reserve. Our other armies are holding in their normal deployments and not expected to play an active role in the war. With the Eastern Grand Army in combat ready formation, it may be moved rapidly through Angleter to its northern border with Dromund Kaas. If highways and airports are shut down to civilian traffic, we can complete our deployment plan within about 5-8 days. The army is currently spread into 3 wings across northern Alveran, allowing for faster deployment speed. Significant artillery and short range rocket forces will accompany the Eastern Grand Army to bombard the enemy border defenses. Additional long range and medium range, conventionally armed missile stations are holding in Anglebury."

"Thank you, Warmaster. Our counterparts in Angleter have pre-approved the border deployment, so you may begin to move. ID 1, 13, and 18 will be cleared and closed to non-military traffic before commuters wake up. Once in initial deployments, please turn over strategic command to your Angleteric counterparts. You may remain in tactical control of the Eastern Grand Army. But, they have requested strategic control of armed forces while in their territory and we must honor this."

Dani'l Nero, Skymaster of the air force, spoke up next.

"Aelir Dehn, the Immortal Thunder plans to mirror the deployment of the Eastern Grand Army and cover them initially. We will wage the air superiority war over border territory and bring in the bombers once we have secured Dromund Kaas airspace. The first phase should actually be very easy, given the destruction of electronic systems aboard most enemy planes. They still have enough functional airfields outside of the EMP zones to present a threat, so we will move in as many squadrons as we can fit on Angleteric bases and in airports. We can also utilize closed Duxburian superpikes in the Dominion of Alveran as landing strips for long range sorties.

Initially, we will move in 15 squadrons of fighters, attack helicopters, and fighter-bombers to the Angleteric northwest border. If room is ample, we will move more. In deeper stages of the war, we will move bombers and tankers to the border."

"Thank you, Skymaster. You may proceed with this deployment plan. Note that the Southern Grand Army will need to use the superpikes until it is in reserve position. Also, the same strategic command arrangement that applies to the army applies to the air force. You must delegate strategic control to Angleter once all the planes are deployed at Angleteric airfields."

Aelir Dehn looked into an adjacent room and then continued, "Unfortunately, there is no sea access for us to use our naval power. I have instructed the Seamaster to move the fleets out in defensive cover positions, but there is not much they can do. Dromund Kaas is highly unlikely to attempt an attack at such range given its internal situation. However, we have additional assets at our disposal for the war effort."

A man walked in from another room on cue, drawing plenty of stares because he looked familiar...

"I would like you to meet a special colleague, this is Brandon Lir Devoy am Harrison. You might recognize the name, as his brother is the Speaker of the European Council and our national representative. His existence comes with A level classification. Normally, you wouldn't encounter him outside of the DIO, but he is here to provide you with some…new toys…"

Brandon Devoy addressed the military leaders,

"My division of the DIO is all about cyber warfare. I would like to meet with each one of you after this briefing in order to give you our newest releases. These tools and programs have been designed for use with specific branches of the military and should help make your time on the battlefield easier when confronting enemy defenses. Tactical EMPs? How boring. When I'm through with you, you'll know how to deploy microwave weapons! It's not all about fighting, either. I've also designed the most realistic mission training simulators to date, specialized to the various roles used in each branch.

Meanwhile, my division will begin attacking the systems in Dromund Kaas that still work or were hardened against EMPs. While some military systems will be difficult to crack, you can kiss those remnant power plants in the unaffected sectors goodbye. We have "objects" on every grid in the European Union, along with viruses hidden in hibernation mode scattered across networks, military and civilian alike. We may not carry guns or ride in IFVs, but we can deal significant damage to the enemy and wreck havoc upon their defenses. The Devoy family has spent decades turning DIO-CWD into the most advanced virtual fighting force in the world. Nothing is too far-fetched to develop if it will help our military."

"Thank you, Mr. Devoy. It is nice being able to count on the DIO to contribute to the war. While we cannot acknowledge it officially, know that any measure that saves Duxburian lives on the front is greatly appreciated."

Dehn then adjourned the meeting.

24th Infantry Division
1 mile from the Dromund Kaas border
Southern Front, North-Central Sector
Angleter
Feb 22, 821
20:30:55

Nobody would be getting any sleep tonight. Each soldier knew that they could breathe easy tonight, but this was little comfort against the noise being generated by covering aircraft and loudspeakers. Those goddamn loudspeakers had been looping the same message all day long and into the night. HQ said the message was for civilians on the Dromund Kaas side, warning them to get away from the border and to take cover if they could not. ZW-10s had been flying very close to the border, broadcasting the same message with amplifiers. Nobody could tell if it was working, as the huge fortifications on the DK side blocked out vision. Every now and then, an RPG round would be fired at one of the choppers, but so far no hits had been made. The enemy continued to hold its fire, expecting an imminent attack. Duxburian units were under strict orders to hold their own fire until DK Day.

The roar of aircraft also drowned out the loudspeakers at times. Some 15 divisions had been moved to the area, all fighters and fighter-bombers. Evidently, top brass was expecting a real fight in the air. Several squadrons of enemy fighters had been observed earlier in the day, but both sides had been content to patrol their own airspace for the moment.

The big surprise of the night was an unannounced visit from Avoldran Dehn, dressed in a military uniform and sporting a rocket launcher. Troops in the division were quite impressed that the Aelir had come to the front to check on them. Instead of sitting comfortably in HQ further back, their commander-in-chief came right up to the fortifications, within range of enemy artillery and snipers, going down the lines and asking ordinary privates how they were faring. News of this visit spread down the lines rapidly and morale rose.

As darkness fell, the enemy side grew restless, fearing an attack under cover of darkness. Dehn was pleased to see Dromund Kaas unnerved and ordered a round of flares fired all across the line just to get them jumpy. The loudspeakers were then switched over from the civilian warning message to Duxburian death metal.

*********

Morning broke and things were quiet…too quiet...