FourtyTwo

Task Force Hephaestus

Also, I will mention, Amethyst will soon come, as well as perhaps a revival of the FIA guys on the ground, with maybe a short interlude involving all our characters. I should mention that the central CTRG team will remain together, in due course.

Task Force Hephaestus

Okay, I'll clarify-

CTRG goes by callsigns for individual operators, to keep both a clear cut comms as well as you know, some degree of identification. Thing is, it's an unofficial structure within "Hoplite" that Arran has taken command over- and Alpha Squad is headed up by Alpha-Actual, or Zdislav, while Bravo Squad is headed up by say Linn, who would become both Praetorian and confusingly enough, Bravo Actual. Or Bravo-1, using sub-fireteams such as Red, Blue, White and Gold if required.

Basically, the way it's devised is such within Tempest, in terms of organizational structure:

HQ Element- Huscarl acts as Platoon Leader, or the impromptu one. And soon to be Leader of the remnant forces left on Stratis, due to his rank- he'd take overall command of the situation, but still remain on direct line to the squads below. Support units are attached- such as radio units, fire support and so forth.

Alpha Squad- Best of the best thrown into Mischief's command, working as a northern (ie. Nisi Bay, Old Outpost area- anything north of Camp Tempest) as initially a recon squad, but they'll become the all-out assault team. They're the hammer blow really.

Bravo Squad- The rest of Hoplite Platoon's best,. under Praetorian's command, working towards the east of Camp Tempest, as again, a recon force, soon to also follow up as an assault team that backs up Alpha when required and usually acts as the secondary force. Linn here would be say, Bravo Actual, with Fireteams within perhaps divided as Blue and Red, or colors of your choice- I know that NATO phonetics work better for fireteams, but in this circumstance, but I'm sticking to that with squads on the whole and colors on the fireteams.

Charlie Squad- Walking wounded along with the rest of Hoplite, mainly support staff- headed up by SSGt Patterson. Mainly concerned with fire support and base defense, as well as light recon work when required.

Delta Squad- Basically, anyone in CTRG following Operation Deviant, headed up by Athena. She'll be NPC'd, to some degree, and her squad will be mainly working in the dark, to potentially group with FIA reinforcements (I'll keep light on that), as a backup and last-ditch special forces unit for operations surrounding Tempest.

These four squads are what's at Tempest at the moment- 3rd "Crossbow" and 4th "Vanguard" Platoons at Camp Maxwell and LZ Connor respectively are also in the game, though are headed up by Warrant Officers/NCOs, and being eventually wrapped under Huscarl's overall command of the situation. As you'll see, the AAF will really try and gun those two platoons out of their foxholes, leaving our units, under Huscarl's knowledge of the situation at Mike-26, to eventually craft a situation in which the NATO forces launch a last-ditch counteroffensive to get themselves free of AAF troops. But they are outnumbered at least 3:1 of AAF to NATO, so as you can see, shit is grim.

Team Scimitar (an Over-the-Top Military RP)

It's Spartan's, though I think they're a bit busy. I mean, BigPapa, if you're bored, you can post- not much to post, but yeah.

World War 2 RP - 1946?

I think in my opinion, an NRP can't work. It's enticing, but it couldn't and really shouldn't, it wouldn't do the idea justice in what people and actions are.really the core- that soldiers, civilians and others are really seeing a world of an alternate pathway, in which the Reds are the enemy before the Second World War has even ended, and that things could suddenly burn over.

EDIT: I thoroughly support the idea of politicans/diplomats/soldiers/inteligence operatives, such as that of Admiral Canaris's agency and the OSS and the likes, rather than an NRP, to really immerse the idea of all of it.

World War 2 RP - 1946?

Woah. Woah, woah. I like the fucking sound of this. I genuinely think you are onto something here- this is brilliance. Count me in- it couldn't be a nation-RP in my view, and that's the only flaw- where to begin with? I mean, a normal army unit couldn't work, so I can only imagine that perhaps the Secret Services are the places to start- perhaps among the OSS, and the Soviet and British equivalents, perhaps even exploring the themes of Germany's rapid development of munitions and supplies (ie. the mass-production of Me 262s and the huge outgunning of Soviet Yaks in response, and so forth) to really illustrate the idea. Or perhaps a larger-scale political RP, not nation, but political- among people such as Stalin, Churchill and their various aides and ambassadors. I mean, it's a lot of ground to cover- I really like the concept and idea, it's just where to fit. Special Operations? Meh...but you have to have V2s, V3s even, shit, throw in all the stuff that the Nazis had on the drawing board as things that were perhaps on the brink of a production, and I think you could suddenly see a very, very different outlook on the world.

In regards to Japan, nuke or no nuke? I can only assume that the continuum is still the same in the Pacific, as the Germans basically cut support to them in time, and that the Japanese surrendered, leaving Nazi Germany (or rather, a mostly de-SS-ified Germany) as a significant force that could at any moment, throw it's lot in with the West and fight the Soviets. I mean, the formation of the French Fourth Republic (I think), the idea of Norway and Finland (Norway having a strong Nationalist influence) both seeing the fallout of Nazis pulling out, and seeing perhaps Communist influences in their resistance movements (imagine the Norwegian resistance being infiltrated by the NKVD...yeah, it doesn't need thinking of).

So you see my interest in the wider area of things- and I think that while I can't say that I alone can solve the idea of how we come into this, you can put me in as a person who takes a great intrest in what would happen- and you're the first person who I think who's finally put across some sort of legible idea about the Nazis. You haven't a Wolfenstein New Order though, no spoilers, or in that regards, this sudden idea that a Cold War wouldn't happen, and the Nazis would be superior- they're merely a third party, which I find cool (leaning though). Though I think I'd shit myself laughing if it DID go ahead and have Nazi Ubersoldaten, and so on and so on :D

Able Archer: 1983

SyrianHamster said
EDIT: I know Konrad mentioned that a PACT air assault was definitely under way, but I want to know what kind of resistance Eckhardt's assigned column is going to meet initially? Will they find loads of burned out structures, mingled with downed Migs? Or will they find the Brits waiting for them, untouched and ready to receive?

When Janusz's team is on the ground, they'll be the first in the aftermath of artillery fire on Lubeck and the surrounding areas. Since Lubeck Airfield is seen as a priority target, bombing it heavily or shelling it isn't really an option- and hence the Airborne to clear it out and hold as a potential Forward Air Operating Position. Though they do have some CAS in the form of the Hinds and Su-25s in area, and will eventually roll along to Lubeck itself to continue once friendly motorized units break through to their position. While the East doesn't use Maneuver Warfare a lot, helicopter-based teams were in use, and it lends itself to the more rapid nature of an airborne brigade- as a shock troop, not a hammer blow tanker-type force.

Able Archer: 1983

5km South of of Wismar, East Germany
2nd "Błyskawica" Battalion , 6th Airborne Brigade

Some shitty Polish music played in the helicopter, over the loudspeaker, as the helicopters flew in about 50m over the water, the forested area below close to the lake a nice area, in this nice winter's day. The Pilot in particular liked this, as the Mi-24W, both the doors in the back opened up to let some air in. The other chopper was keeping formation, and also had it's doors open, the two Hinds above Lake Schwerin imposing enough, and they were Polish.
"We need to turn this shit off, badly. Put a cassette of some Led Zep in, I tell you." Janusz said, the helicopters banked right, headed towards the coast, and moreover, to the bank of the lake where the battalion of paratroopers had set up.
"Ah, you know what would happen though, Sierżant- they'd cut us open when we arrived. Plus the pilot likes this, and I don't want a pissed off pilot." Michal said, the second in command, as the soldier behind him, Viktor, looked back. He had a PKM in his hands, pointed downwards of course, laughing a little at it.
"Oh come on, you know what it is like. Those American war movies, when they are in Vietnam, music from two decades ago playing from their helicopters. Haha, those fuckers actually lost against people with Chinese replicas! Pew pew pew!" Viktor laughed, as he aimed his PKM out the door, making the noise that brought most of the squad inside to laugh at least to some degree, Michal a little more serious.
"I'm just saying, it would't work, we'd have our balls in our mouths. Sierżant, what's our plan of action after we hit the concrete?" Michal asked, as the helicopter slowed down, headed right for the landing zone.
"Battalion commander will update us on the situation, we've got work to do. Be ready for combat- things look shitty, looks like we're going to get deployed with the Hinds, so expect the worst. "

This place wasn't on an airfield- it was within a large former Nazi military compound south of Wismar itself, that had been one of the last to surrender in the Second World War. Particularly, it was a significant Polish deployment base, from which Błyskawica was deployed from, or at least, a large proportion of it. The base was quite an open area, but heavily fenced, and was predominantly a military heliport of sorts, with a very short open concrete landing zone that most helicopters came down on and moved to park from. The Hind's landing gear came down, as they hit the floor, the helo still moving as they rolled a little, pulling slightly to a small grass section, the other Hind following in neatly, as their own came to a stop.
"All out! Go, go!" The helicopter stopped, as Janusz led the way, the other one coming over, as the blades of the Mi-24 kept spinning, before slowly shutting down, the helicopter armed to the teeth, being a new addition to the Polish People's Army. Walking away from the helicopter, Fireteam Czerwone in tow, he moved out from the landing zone to regroup with the other team, Janusz himself carrying his AKMS and RPG-72 on his back, seeing the other fireteam disembark. It was risky getting both the first and second in command in one helicopter, but it was something that had resulted from the other fireteam being collected from elsewhere, following a mess of a redeployment. Now, they were regrouping as their regular force, and Janusz was in command.
"On me, lads." Janusz added, as they headed towards the interior of the base, Mi-17s flying past, as Janusz kept his eye out for the Battalion commander, They were getting briefed and readied, as the first forces on the ground following the Special Forces and other rapid deployment forces in area.

The situation to the Poles had come clear, and it seemed pretty harrowing. NATO had attacked the Warsaw Pact's forces and were infringing on their territory, at least 5 kilometers in, apparently. It meant war- and retaliation had to be swift and decisive. It was what they planned for, but co-ordination was key. The briefing had been to the point, and the dark grey Moro camoflage that Janusz's unit wore told most what they needed to know, about their role. Not special forces, but the first to fight, and a Hammer blow of a force when deployed correctly. They moved back to the helicopters, Janusz clear he'd have a brief quickly over with his men, though the noise was pretty bad.
"As you heard, we're moving to Lubeck Airfield, to take out any NATO fast air that isn't already engaging ours, and to take the airfield as an operational asset for us. The runway there is important, and roughly a couple of platoons are deployed there. We're going to be calling both our Su-25 fighter support thanks to our friendly Soviets, and we know that most major SAM and Anti-Aircraft has been dealt with- but not all. Special Forces already made a dent in the side of some NATO operations near Lubeck- though the harbor there has been wrecked it seems, and if it's Scorched Earth that NATO want to play, we're in a race to keep this airfield intact. The helicopters will continue to provide fire support for us- but we'll have a 800m hike to reach our OP, expect a rough landing." Janusz said, as he checked his AKMS again, looking to the choppers.
"We've identified a clearing, and 6th, 7th and 8th Platoons of the Battalion are support units, working from the north-east and the south-east of the airfield. We go from the West- and strike right into the defunctional terminal and main core of operations. The platoons will have little armored support on hand, and aerial support is unavailible- let's make it happen, lads. Bialy, you take that Hind, we'll take this one Czerwone. Let's go!" Janusz said, as they moved with a certain pace, the helicopters firing up, as the two Hinds were quickly back in the air, the noise of jets and other helicopters filling the air. The rest of the airmobile company in particular were using Mi-17 "Hip" Helicopters, for a greater capacity, and within minutes, they were making huge headway.

"Command receiving, this is Mlotek Actual, we're in the 1K zone, we are roughly five minutes out to Landing Zone Goral, over."
"Understood Mlotek, continue as planned. Get your Forward Controller in the team to ready the Close Air firemissions when needed ,we have a limited set of close support available over the next half an hour on Lubeck Airfield. Resistance should be minimal- most aircraft have either been destroyed on the taxiway, or are airborne. Airspace is contested, but we have friendly aircraft en route to reaffirm and hold the airspace over your region." Battalion command replied, the doors on the Mi-24 shut for good reason- this was a combat helicopter, and the use of munitions within it, without the ear defenders, would leave them deaf.
"Affirmative, loud and clear. Mlotek Actual out." Janusz said, as they crossed the border, headed over a canal diverted from the mighty Elbe river.
"Two minutes to LZ! We're flagging enemy UH-1 aircraft, standby..." Janusz heard, as suddenly, the noise of a loud whoosh could be heard of a single , as the helicopter flanked hard left, and the other hard right. They pulled in close, and despite countermeasures, the two UH-1 Iroquois were quickly swept off, perhaps not realizing that the combination of the Polish, Soviet and GDR armies were now sweeping in both on land and air in a big, big way.

The Mi-24 rocked a little, as the pilot dumped speed and kept the chopper low, now almost brushing the pines as they swept round, circumnavigating the airfield from the south, as they approached a reasonable clearing, that was able to accommodate two Hinds, but probably nothing larger than that. The gear went down again, and the doors opened, the men inside quiet, due to the loud nature of the chopper.
"Go, go!" Janusz said, as his team disembarked, the helicopter taking flight above the treeline again, the noise of the frontal Yak-B cannon erupted, and in a loud way.
"The fuck's going on!" Jakub yelled, one of his men, as the helicopter kept on engaging, the other one landing rapidly and almost too rapidly, as the men emerged, and moved quickly, the helicopter leaving the ground.
"Crap...this isn't good. Biskup (Bishop, Mi-24W Section), what the fuck is actually going on?" Janusz asked, as Michal got his end of the fireteam ready, the six men covering an area ahead, as Michal looked to his.
"We're seeing enemy movements directly west of you, seems like we were loud and bought your attention, we guess around half a platoon's worth of movement and they've got us in view. We need to replan our flight path and provide fire from a different angle. They're moving through the pine forests, towards the airfield peremeter fence about 200m east of you- there's a forest between then and there, we can send a few S-8 salvos to keep them off your back. How copy Mlotek?"
"Understood, Biskup, we're working on it. Continue with fire support, waste these men and keep any mechanized units from our back. We'll do the rest, thanks for the heads up." Janusz said, as he looked over.
"Everyone, ready for contact front! Looks like we have them loud and clear, let's not let them down. Machinegunners, stick on the flanks and keep up the main volley of fire from a fixed position- everyone else, keep advancing and use the trees for cover! We'll let our Hinds sweep the worst, and we'll cut down the rest!" Janusz added, as he moved out, the squad moving quickly as they headed through the forest at a combat pace, the noise of heavy gunfire right close to them and above them evident. British soldiers could be seen ahead- they looked like they were British Army, and by no doubt, not a part of this exercise. And sure as hell, they knew that this was a Warsaw Bloc advance. Their vehicles had been torn apart, but they were moving from the tented command post on the southern end of the taxiway, to where the Poles were waiting. And what the Hinds didn't clear, the Poles did.

Able Archer: 1983

Haha, you got that fucking right. Poles, ESPECIALLY in the 80s, were asking for the end of it all through Solidarnosc (or Solidarity), which basically toppled Communist Sat elite States in Eastern Europe, and brought it about. We hated the Russians, and even Janusz is there not for some shitty Soviet-backed Socialist cause, just his country and a reliable living he likes. If it wasn't for the fact that he liked his country and his job, he'd drop guns. But to say the least, he won't like the West Germans. For most part, even East Germans in general. But if they roll in to reinforce their gains, then he'll be cool about it.

Juggernauts (BigPapaBelial and kingkonrad) IC

The minutes passed, over the snowy and desolate terrain, as the Growler kept hauling ass. bumpy as anything over the terrain, the GPS showing they were almost 500m away from the designated point.
"Almost there!" Jenny yelled, as they went over a particularly large bump, Ross thrown up a little as he held the gun, cursing.
"Fucking women drivers." Ross said, laughing like anything and saying it in a particular manner that would piss her off, as Jenny just held it in, hearing the comment too much yet knowing that she drove better than most men that had undergone the Advanced Vehicle training. She'd like to see Ross try driving over a boulderfield close to a glacier, she thought to herself.
"Yeah, yeah...we're here. Ross, I'm going to kick you in the balls when you get out of that thing, and it's going to be a fucking good one. Now we wait." Jenny said, the Growler coming to almost a dead stop, as they skidded on the snow, the sight of a few rocks and a unremarkable site visible, but only just. The clear morning was now beginning to fill with fog, as slowly and surely, it filled the area, and was getting stronger by the minutes. It was surprising to see, but something they had to deal with.
"Well...where are they.." Jenny said, as suddenly, two white things emerged from an alcove, where Andrew and Nolan had hid under the overhang. Andrew had gotten a little colder, but his body temprature rose a little when he moved up, the XM500 in both hands, the heavy .50 cal carried as he jumped down some rocks, looking at the vehicle with the three Juggernauts.
"Surprise motherfuckers!" Andrew said, moving down the rocks, laughing a little as she looked over, Ross pointing the gun sideways and almost levelling it on them two when he saw something rise in the corner of his visor, a little panicked but then realizing it was friendlies.
"Cordite! Get your asses over here, you look cold." Ross said, as he checked the perimeter with the M2 Browning, the two snipers moving briskly down as Andrew looked over at the three.
"Good to see you. So now what? We on the quads or with you?" Andrew asked, cutting down straight to it, as he looked around, the large .50 cal rifle in his hand something that even with a shortened barrel due to the bullpup, was still significant. Ross looked over, just starting to explain.
"Well basically..." He said, as he was interupted, the noise of a voice on the other end coming in.
"Knight, Cordite, this is Merlin. Callsigns Brute and Bear are being redeployed further down the valley, the fog's getting worse, we can hardly operate any air transport. You can probably see it- it's sweeping in quick, so they're relocating. They took a beating in clearing a significant command post, but they say they're still willing to take on Tempest with you. Sending you GPS co-ordinates of their new dropzone- it's far further down the mountain, you guys are on your own for now."
"Understood, Merlin. We're moving out." Ross said, as he looked back at the two snipers.
"Jump the back- the quads are a liability, we can't have them down there. It's going to get bumpy." He added, Andrew leading the way as he moved quickly, running around to the back of the vehicle as he clambered in behind Ross, up on the gun, Andrew himself taking his hood off and his balaclava, to get some cold winter air on his face. Jenny hit the gas, the vehicle already moving

---

Natalie adjusted herself in her suit, following refuelling, back over the mountains.
"We're being redeployed, apparently. Mountains according to a friendly Osprey that was there a few minutes ago wasn't too suitable as an LZ for us because of the fog to move from on our feet, and besides, I like the idea of direct action more. They're deploying us further down the mountain- a hotter LZ, but it's about a kilometer out from Fort Tempest, and we'll be on our own. No significant gun runs, or large-scake fire support till the rest of the team comes. Besides, we want this Fort intact- no dumb fire missions to level it, in case we take out half the local population, so the best we'll get is maybe an Apache to help us. But hey, that's fine by me." She said, as she clicked her hands, herself feeling at least cooled down, after she burnt herself.
"You know, I knew that woman. A bit. I mean, it doesn't surprise me one bit. Lots of rumors going round that she killed Qaddafi and then ran for the money, and that the guy that died on the streets was a double. I could have gone into his Amazon Guards if I asked I think, mauled him with my titties myself. What a horrible human being. Both of them. Wait...you know, both of them?" Natalie said, chuckling a little, as she knew that the innuendo had slipped through, though it was a little dark, and perhaps something a little too open.
"Ah well...I suppose I've got more than enough ammunition. Might request for a new suit altogether to get setup for me, you know, move on. Yours could still work, but I always wanted something like yours, but with a more femme touch to it, my working. If it works for you, then it can work for me, just fine." She said, a loud noise yet no flames being heard, as Natalie's face held the worst of it in, feeling her rear rumble. Pearl Jam played over the stereo in the back of the Chinook, and Natalie, adjusting the shot-up Beret on her faceplate, smirked.
"It's far better than our shit in Russia. Far, far better. You Americans always do some things right, but I wonder what you'd be like in the VDV, if you weren't that big. Now our Paratroopers...they have courage I tell you, I mean I went through the process and myself, made them efficient killing machines. Badly armed, yes, killing machines, most definitely- no Chechen could stop them if you gave us the right drop zone and rifles. The men are good fun, especially when they're your bitch. They were my bitches. Hmm...when you tell a whole plane full of men pumped so full of testosterone that you'd throw them out one by one without a parachute if the first man faulters and they believe you, you know you're feared. Maybe there is sexism in the institution. Good thing I'm physical evidence that it doesn't..well, exist that much now." Natalie said, laughing a little, as she sat up, checking the scenery out the back door, the two warpainted faces of the two Super Heavies clear to see. She kept her lightening pattern, the blue and red starking, yet nothing too ridiculous. It looked more like it fitted someone like her, something appropriate, like Victor's was for him.
"When we're done with this, we're going to fuck like nothing else. I don't know how we can top before, but between us...we can figure something out, my big Brute. Anyway, business before pleasure. We have a lot to deal with, before we get a lot of the latter." Natalie said playfully, as she checked the M134, bringing it up on her lap, as the Chinook came in.
"We're coming in! LZ is hot as the fucking spicy chilies I got in the post, there's fucking hundreds of these bastards!" The crew chief on one of the M134s on the side of the Chinook said, Natalie laughing as she put down her visor, engaging her HUD as she brought up her own M134.
"Good thing I've got another minigun then. Hold us steady. Down we go." Natalie said, as she looked out the rear door, coming down on some sort of house roof, as a relatively safe LZ compared to most of the others. Moving out the back, Natalie knew it was a meter drop, but something they could deal with, onto a low one-storey roof. It was fine, even with the weight, she thought to herself, as the Chinook's rear and side gunners opened up, laying down fire. As she lept out the rear, aware she'd hit the roof, one thing quickly occurred to her. That wasn't a sandstone, or a mudbrick, or even a very strong wooden structure. It had a corregated roof.
"Shiit!"

She slammed through the structure, making a giant-sized hole, aware that Victor would follow. And as luck would have it, they fell right in front of a pair of insergents, Natalie landing right on her side, on her shoulderplate and in some ways, her rucksack. The terrorist screamed loudly in Arabic, and fired AK rounds at her, the bullets pinging off, as it made her angry, and she got up with a ferocious, adrenaline induced movement, the early morn not something she was still in her prime within. The Spetsnaz Machete on her left arm, by the reinforced GPS, was already out, and it was a bash, slash, stab and generally, fuck shit up weapon. And oversized. Natalie simply took the close range rounds, walking towards him as the man realized it was pointless, as she then lashed out a strong kick in the moment his mind was still struggling to comprehend what he saw, and walked over, thinking.
"Futility is horrible, isn't it?" She said, as she bent over, popping her visor temporarily as she stabbed the man hard in the throat, the man's grabs pointless to her, as she saw a mist of blood arise, and go on her face. She put her visor down, and looked back.
"FUCK! Let's fucking go!" She said, as she walked back, offering a hand to Victor, and then headed towards the other corner of the shack, kicking a metal door in with significant force, already firing the M134 up. She felt bloodlust rise, and it felt eerily familiar.

Emerging into the open courtyard, which would have been a fraction too small for the Chinook to make a safe drop or landing, Natalie took out at least six individuals on an adjacent building, letting Victor follow up, as she took the point, the half slum, half undeveloped village a small dot on the map by Fort Tempest, and something that was literally full of OPFOR enemies. Plenty to kill, her mind thought to itself, as she kept up the fire, rounds spewing as the noise of the weapon sounded like a genuinely pleasurable noise. It was like Thor's lightening bolts, in comparison to the Thunder of the XM312 that Victor wielded, the boom to her light.
"Now, we rearrange this place! Victor, you want point? We're headed down the hill, towards the fortification- we'll have to scrap any exterior defenses with some 30mm guns first, or else we'll get RPG'd to shreds- let's take our time shall we?" Natalie said, feeling the bullets ping as what felt like a whole squad of soldiers fired their AK-12s and AKMs at the two, the bullets harmess even though a lot of their armor had taken a hit. They weren't backing down, not today at least.

Task Force Hephaestus

No problem, I think it might be blurred on the map, but I think it is called that- Nisi rather than Nial. Nice post by the way- if you want, you can incorporate any elements of stuff you'd want Zdislav to see- they are predominantly on recon, but I like the way you encapsulated the air. It's a lot of panicking and tension among NATO forces- things really have gone to shit, and from the way that most of NATO forces look after running away from being shelled and gun-runned by AAF Buzzards, they're pretty screwed. As you know, Husky under Huscarl isn't there for only helping NATO, due to ulterior motives that they don't really know about- and though I don't want to spoiler anything, what you saw between Patterson and Huscarl isn't the worst of it.

Likewise with RPC- but I've PM'd about a few tiny kinks which just get up in my perfectionist streak a little. Skyth can tell you about this, don't worry! :D