The Iroquois Egypt War.



Conquests no mods, standard rules, Regent.

Incident at Sea.

Lieutenant Tulok was in charge of the night watch aboard Egyptian nuclear submarine ESSN Perch heading South at 25 knots at 250 feet depth. The Perch was in French waters heading for Six Horse Island, an Egyptian three town island under attack by the Americans. Although Egyptian aircraft had been wreaking a terrible toll on American Ironclads, some Galleons had managed to land troops on the Island. It had been decided to send the Perch there in the hope of targeting Galleons despite their escort. Lieutenant Tulok was drowsy despite the two cups of fine French coffee he had drunk at the start of his watch.

Surface Contact, bearing 220, high speed screw, destroyer type designate contact Sierra 01 yelled ensign Paneb the sonar operator. All ahead slow 7 knots make Bearing 275 called Tulok, lets get an ID. Slowly the Egyptyian Sub turned and slowed to get a better passive sonar fix. Any ideas Paneb ?

“I’m getting a 50 Hz line characteristic of an Iroquois ship.” Called Paneb. “Ours are all 60 Hz.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” said Tulok sarcastically. “Well the Iroquois are are greatest trading partner so they’re friends, but what they charged my mother for her fur coat is a bit much.” He mused. “Bosun, get Captain Ramett to the bridge.”

“Helm surface !” ordered Tulok

“Ensign Hamada prepare to make radio contact with Iroquois destroyer.”

“Well were not carrying much in the way of trade goods but the sailors can swap some porn.” mused Tulok.

Captain Ramett enters the bridge in a dressing gown in an obviously sour mood. With him was the ship’s Political Officer Commander Ram in full dress uniform.

“This better be important Tulok” Ramett threatened.

“Sir, we have detected an Iroquois destroyer and I have made preparations to make friendly contact Sir” said Tulok.

“Excellent !” said the Captain, “I’ll change into dress uniform.” as he left the bridge.

Depth 120 heading 245 called the Helmsman.

“Sierra 01 has slowed to about 8 knots” called Paneb.

“Active Sonar from Sierra 01, they have detected us for sure.” Yelled Paneb.

“Ping the target Paneb” yelled Tulok.

Target range 6 km bearing 235 called Paneb.

“I have solutions on tubes 1 and 2.” called the weapons officer ensign Memphis.

“Transient ! Transient !” yelled the sonar officer. “sounds like a missile launch !”

“Well they can’t be shooting at us.” remarked Paneb.
“how long until we surface ?”

“40 sec…”

BING BING BING “Active Sonar and high speed screw – Torpedo in the water dead astern” yelled the sonar operator.

“All ahead flank - Crash dive – right full rudder – General Quarters – Battle Alert” screamed Paneb. “The Iroquois b---ards are trying to kill us.”

Klaxtons rang through the length of the submarine and men scrambled to their stations.

“Belay that Order !” bellowed the Political Officer. “Emergency Surface !”

The helmsman looked like a rabbit transfixed by a spotlight.

“I am the ranking officer” said Commander Ram fingering his sidearm suggestively.

The helmsman pulled the emergency surface handle causing all standing men to stagger. Captain Rammett staggered into the bridge with his tie undone.

“Estimated twenty seconds to torpedo impact !” called the sonar operator as he removed his headphones.

“What by Cleopatra’s nose is happening ?” the Captain yelled.

“The Iroquois fired some sort of rocket propelled torpedo at us. We’ll be hit for sure. Request permission to return fire” barked Tulok.

“Negative” said the captain. “BRACE FOR IMPACT PREPARE TO ABANDON SHIP.” He yelled into the intercom.

There was a shudder as the submarine broke the surface.

BOOOOM - SMAAAAASH – SCREEECH The whole submarine shuddered and the stern began to sink. Without orders men began scaling the conning tower to escape the doomed sub.

“Mayday Mayday this is ESSN Perch – we have been attacked by an Iroquois destroyer and are sinking” radioed Ensign Hamada without orders.

“Let me take that – save yourself” said Lieutenant Tulok as he shoved Hamada aside.

“Mayday Mayday this is ESSN Perch – we have been torpedoed by an Iroquois repeat an Iroquois destroyer and are sinking.”

There was the clash of 4 inch shells on the hull and in the water. And the burr of 20 mm Anti Aircraft cannon. The men scrambling up the ladder parted to let a body fall to the deck. The only way to tell it was Captain Ramett was the blooded uniform – most of his head was missing.

As water poured in through the open hatch, Tulok frantically fired all three loaded torpedoes at the Iroquois destroyer.

To the great misfortune of the mighty Iroquois and Egyptian nations, one of them damaged IDD Silent Orca.

Attached Images.

SSN Perch leaving port. IDD Silent Orca

Egypt a brief History.

Egypt began on the North of The Eastern Continent they named Ra, between the Aztecs to the West and the Maya to the South. Further south were the Byzantines and the French. Egypt was renown for research, exploration and its modern military. Egypt successfully colonized the Northeast Island of Isis before any other civilization found it.

The First Mayan War.

With the discovery of Gunpowder the idyllic peace of the Republic of Egypt was threatened as Egypt had no Saltpeter. There was some just south held by the Mayan city of Tikal. Cleopatra decided that war now was necessary for future security. She ordered a large buildup of knights to take the Saltpeter. Meanwhile Navigation was discovered and Caravels sought other lands and peoples.

Egypt declared war on the Maya and bought alliances with the Byzantines and the French. Cleverly Cleopatra ordered her forces to wait in Egyptian cities to await the Mayan attack. Mayan knights and medieval infantry were cut down by Egyptian knights operating on their own roads. When a war chariot division cut down a wounded medieval infantry division, Egypt entered its Golden Age, bringing forth a swarm of new knights. Once the offensive Mayan forces were destroyed the attack was launched.

The Mayan pike men defended their cities valiantly and many knights were lost but in the end Tikal and three cities to the East were taken. The Knights Templar was taken from Lagarto adding Crusaders to Egyptian forces. The Byzantines took one city and then treacherously sued for peace with the Maya. When the alliance with the French lapsed Cleopatra made peace with the fatally weakened Maya.

Discovery and Conquest.

Egyptian Caravels discovered a small continent called Indus containing the Indians and the hopelessly backward Mongols. They also discovered a Great Western Continent which was named Seth. Seth was dominated by the Iroquois who had almost entirely conquered the English. There was also the Inca, Spanish and the Americans.

Egypt used its technological advantage to buy furs and ivory from Iroquois, silks from India and dyes from Inca. An island with 3 small American towns was found southeast of Seth. Immediately 2 Caravels of Cavalry were sent there, conquering the island without loss. The Island was named Six Horse Island for the six cavalry regiments that conquered it.

Meanwhile Egypt managed to build JS Bachs Cathederal and Smiths Trading Company and ensure all cities were defended by riflemen regiments. Egypt discovered steam power and saw they had no coal but the Maya had two sources. Cleopatra decided to finish off the Maya with the help of the French and Byzantines.

The Aztec War.

The Egyptian Republic was the technological light of the world exporting technology for income and luxuries so well that tax was reduced to zero yet the treasury grew and grew. After an Aztec horse unit attacked an Egyptian city, Cleopatra decided to wipe out the Aztecs with the help of the French and Byzantines. Using forces almost entirely composed of cavalry, the Egyptians ensured the Aztec spearmen and longbowmen had no chance.



Into the Modern Age.

The only serious rival to Egypt was the Iroquois on the continent of Seth. Egypt’s science was the envy of the world and other nations traded massive amounts of gold and luxuries for titbits of that knowledge. Iroquois was an aggressive nation that had much more land. Egypt was building spaceship components and heading for victory when an overly aggressive Iroquois destroyer captain started the final confrontation.

Excellent start to the story! will be lurking.

Out of interest have you read 'World War 1... in 2051AD!?!?' by Coinich? It begins in a very similiar fashion.

It does Tupac is right

Great story;)

Nice intro! Sounds like this will get quite intense.

lurker subscribing...

Right, nice intro!

Hi all,

I have read Coinch's story but this one is based on an actual Regent game I have played. The big difference is Egypt is weaker than Iroquois and is going for a space race victory and has little hope of conquering the Iroquois. Well actually I had a diplo win but am continuing on. I am a high school teacher in Australia, so I can't post much during the week.

Help me - I need to know how to upload save files and maps.

I am happy to give you a save game to play with. Egypt has two MA armies on the Iroquois content prepared to unleash hell plus 10 bombers in Seville.

Hi! It's actually pretty easy to upload saves and screenshots.

It's all explained in great detail over in this thread (http://forums.civfanatics.com/announcement.php?f=47&a=379).

Looking forward to seeing more of this story.

"Madame President Wake Up !" called agent Quito of the Egyptian Secret Service. "Grand Admiral Tukomet urgently needs to speak to you !"

"This had better be important like the Iroquois declaring war on us important !" snapped Cleopatra, President for Eternity of The Egyptian Republic.

"Well they may have Madame" said Agent Quito.

Cleopatra reluctantly disentangled herself from her current toyboy, the Byzantine ambassador's son.

Without any sign of embarrassment she picked up her fur lined robe of state and proceeded to the communications room. She hoped she looked better than the harried face of Grand Admiral Tukomet.

"Yes Admiral?" enquired Cleopatra.

"Madame President" said the Admiral, "SSN Perch repored being fired upon by an Iroquois Destroyer using an ASROC system. They also reported that the destroyer fired on the survivors with its guns and we have received no word from them for over an hour. Voice stress analysis showed that the speaker was Lieutenant Tulok so nobody is playing radio games. "

"And what's an ASROC when its at home ?"

"Anti Submarine Rocket - its a homing torpedo fired at a submarine by a rocket launched by a destroyer and we are retrofitting such systems to our destroyers."

"I hope you have not ordered any attacks on Iroquois units" said Cleopatra sharply.

"No Madame but all units are prepared to defend themselves if need be. I have alerted Marshall Tekhop and Military Advisor Rameses and we have moved all our forces to Defcon 3 and alerted them to a possible Iroquois threat. We have ordered all units and workers on the continent of Seth to shelter in the city of Seville. Finally We have ordered our JF-1 fighters in Seville on combat patrol above Seville."

Military Advisor Rameses appeared on screen. Not only was he wearing his traditional Kevlar infantry helmet but he had put on green and black camoflage makeup and had an SLR assault rifle slung over his back.

"Request permission to engage in offensive operations against Iroquois !" he barked.

"Denied" said Cleopatra "and if you start a war without my permission you will have a new job as a TOW infantry private - IS THAT CLEAR ! - now what is our military strength compared to Iroquois"

"We are numerically inferior and also inferior in overall strength, but we have fewer obsolete units" said the military advisor, sounding saner.

"But we have a city on their continent with two modern armor armies in it and they have no comparable base on Ra."

"I want to see if I can sort out this mess by diplomacy, carry on gentlemen" said Cleopatra.

"Agent Quito - Get the Iroquois Ambassador here in 20 minutes" Cleopatra said as she headed for her bathroom.

In all, she reflected, this was not one of her better days.

Half an hour later Cleopatra sat at her Presidential Desk. She was bathed and dressed in her best blue and yellow outfit. Foreign Minister lady Isis and Military Adviser Rameses were in the room. Rameses was disappointed in being forced to wear a business suit instead of his soldier outfit.

The Iroquois Ambassador entered. He looked ruffled and certainly had been extensively searched for weapons by the ever vigilant ESS agents. There were four ESS agents in the room now equipped with submachine guns. They were all pointed at the Ambassador. The Ambassador gave the Iroquois Fascist salute.

"Well what happened to our submarine ?" asked Cleopatra

"Your sneaking submarine unlawfully fired on the noble Destroyer Silent Orca, causing minor damage and killing six crew. Our vessel returned fire in self defence sending your lawless pirates to the bottom of the sea! The Mighty Iroquois FatherLand demands satisfaction !" thundered the Ambassador.

"Your sailor scum fired on our men as they tried to abandon ship instead of rescuing them! We have proof. Play the tape!" yelled Military Adviser Rameses

The orderly pressed play on the expensive Byzantine stero in the corner. The last words of Lieutenant Tulok echoed through the room.

It was clear that the Iroquois fired first, that they fired on the survivors and that Tulok had fired after the attack.

"Forgery - blatant forgery" yelled the ambassador. "We demand satisfaction!"

"On behalf of the Egyptian Nation and its proud people I offer my deepest apologies and regrets to the Iroquois Fatherland and to the families of the sailors killed." said Cleopatra in her most sympathetic tone. "I offer 1200 gold for the families of the dead sailors and to pay for a new destroyer and repairs to the old one."

"I spit on this mealy mouthed bribe !" yelled the Ambassador spitting on Cleopatra's spotless desk. He rapidly found his arms pinned behind his back and gun barrels attempting to enter his nostrils.

Cleopatra raised her hand to call for calm and the ESS agents released their hold. "Well what do you want ?" asked Cleopatra calmly.

"The secret of superconductor and the city of Seville !" yelled the Ambassador.

"Well we are not prepared to give that." said Cleopatra.

"Well we have no alternative but to declare war !" said the Ambassador.

"Excuse me" said foreign minister Isis, "but you have right of passage with us, are selling us furs and owe us over 150 gpt. You won't get ROP, or be able to sell goods or buy on credit with anybody if you attack us. Is Hiawatha aware of that ??"

"Yes" said the Ambassador. "He asked me to give you this."

An ESS man suspiciously accepted the note, studied it and showed it to Cleopatra. It was parchment and had three words written in Iroquois. In blood of course.

Me deklar WAR

An Army captain rushed into the room with a message. He looked hesitant seeing the Ambassador there. "The Iroquois are attacking Seville with bombers, Modern Armor and Mech Infantry - what do we tell the garrison commander to do ?"

"I hereby authorize all Egyptian units to attack any Iroquois units in our territory." declared Cleopatra

To the ambassador she said "Of course all Iroquois diplomatic staff
will be confined to the embassy for the duration of hostilities - and we expect our diplomats in Salamanaca to be equally well treated. You are dismissed."

After the Ambassador was frogmarched out by two ESS agents Cleopatra said "Assemble a War cabinet - this is the greatest test our fair Republic has faced. Let us not fail her."

Excelent story! :goodjob:

Squadron Leader - callsign Horus - was aloft in his Egyptian F-3 Jet fighter along with the rest of his flight of 12. He was at Defcon 3 which meant he was on alert and could retaliate if attacked but could not initiate confict without further orders.



On radar he had three tracks of multiple Iroquois planes - by flight profile - bombers heading for Seville. He had of course radioed this information and been denied permission to attack. No Iroquois aircraft had previously entered the airspace of Seville even though they had right of passage.

"Form up and take up station 8000 metres behind the second wave of bombers" he said. 8000 metres was well our of tailgun range but well within IR and Radar Guided missile range. If the first wave of bombers attacked he would get permission to take out the second, and hopefully the third.

Horus waited, throttled down to a mere 320 knots for the order. It was a long five minutes.

"Horus we are under Iroquois attack ! take out these bombers !"

"B flight, fox 2 at left of formation - A flight take centre and C - flight take right."

As one the 12 F-3's accelerated to 400 knots and volley fired their AA2 IR homers at the Iroquois formation. The missiles had no trouble finding targets but some of the 24 Iroquois planes survived because more than one AA2 hit a single plane.

"C flight finish off that group - A and B flights form on me to take the third group head on" called Horus.

The third flight of Iroquois bombers was only 10000 metres away when A and B flights completed their Chandelle turns, well within AA10 range. Each fighter fired all four its AA10 radar homers and this time all but three bombers were blotted from the sky.

At a closing speed of over 800 knots Horus hosed the cockpit of a bomber with his 25 mm cannon and saw it slide sideways and spiral down. Another was also taken out in the head on pass by Sphinx his wingman. The remaining bomber dived for the deck and sped back West. Two fighters sped after it on full burner.

"All fighters form on me for return to base" yelled Horus. "That means you Chariot and Ibis - we need your fighters more than the Iroquois need their bombers."

As Horus landed and then climbed out of the cockpit of his fighter he saw five burning Egyptian bombers on the apron of the runway.

"47 kills we got" he told the Wing Commander in his office. "We're winning !"

"Really Horus, we are one city on the Iroquois continent and they have over 60 cities - without major reinforcement our ground forces won't hold" said the Wing Commander.

"By the way there is now an official declaration of war and we need you fighter jocks all perky tommorrow so don't drink so bloody much !"

The Battle of Seville.

General Alida, commanding General of Seville was impressed with his forces. He had the biggest force of any city general in the Egyptian Republic. He had two Modern Armor armies, regular regiments of Modern Armor and Mechanized Infantry, eight bomber and two jet fighter squadrons.

They had just seen off a massive attack. All of the previous day and night Iroquois units charged in and were slaughtered. Something like eight Modern Armor, sixteen Mechanized Infantry and even eight Cavalry units charged his dug in M8 Main Battle Tanks and Chariot fighting vehicles. He lost only 100 vehicles compared to over 2000 of the enemy. Protected by earth berms to the front, his vehicles were almost invulnerable. He heard an inhuman screaming from a wounded horse cut short by the crack of a rifle.

Infantry patrols were among the destroyed vehicles scavenging weapons and ammunition. Fortunately Iroquois MBT’s had a similar 120 mm gun to Egyptian ones. Iroquois stretcher bearers were allowed in to pick up their wounded. This was not generosity on Alida’s part. Severely wounded men were a drain on enemy resources and morale. Plus if the Iroquois took Seville as seemed inevitable, they would be more merciful to prisoners.

He heard bombers droning as they landed at the airfield, carrying ammunition for his vehicles and materials for the rush bought barracks. Already Ethnically Spanish men were in training for a new Mechanized Infantry Unit. The natives of Seville had no desire to live in the Fascist Iroquois Nation.

Below, An Egyptian MBT after the battle awaiting rearming.

Two spies in Thebes.

EIA Agent Ardent waited for his contact in the Tour de Paris café in Memphis sipping his excellent French wine and reading the Egyptian Times. As usual he was wearing dark sunglasses, a Mayan Silk shirt, and had his back to the kitchen so he could view the whole café.

Iroquois Agent Counting Crow entered the café. He was an illegal agent with no diplomatic passport, which in wartime would see him shot. But Argent’s usual contact was under house arrest in the Iroquois embassy. For a spy Counting Crow was inept. He was wearing a heavy trench coat, which in the Memphis heat made him sweat, and was carrying a stylish briefcase – identical to Ardent’s. He was probably armed and carrying a pistol could get him in a heap of trouble with the civil Authorities. Egypt had the strictest gun laws and the lowest murder rate in the World. He seemed to have “enemy spy” tattooed on his forehead.

The two agents shook hands and Counting Crow sat beside the Egyptian agent so he could have a view of the café. Are you sure this is safe ? Counting Crow whispered. “Of course” said Ardent in his most reassuring voice. “Everyone in here is a couple or women.”

Counting Crow ordered – Coffee with French Brandy on the side. The waitress looked nervous.

“What have you got for me ?” asked Counting Crow.

“I have the defenses of Seville, naval maneuvers and Cleopatra’s plan to develop nuclear weapons. Good enough ?”

Counting Crow looked excited.

“You have the money – 500 gold in Egyptian or French Government bonds ?” asked Ardent.

“I only brought 300 gold with me” said Counting Crow

“I will assume your credit is good – just this once.” Said Ardent.

Just then a fat uniformed police officer entered. The waitress pointed him to the rear of the café where the two agents sat as she said something about spies. As the cop waddled over, Counting Crow’s hand started to snake into his coat. To avert disaster Ardent grabbed his wrist, hugged him and kissed the Iroquois spy on the lips. The police officer said something about “expletive deleted homosexual persons” and turned away in disgust. Homosexuality had always been legal in Eqypt.

The cop now seemed far more interested in the free coffee and cake offered to him by the apologetic waitress. After five piggy minutes he left. Counting Crow still looked stunned.

“Well that got rid of him.” Said Ardent, “who has heard of a gay spy.”

“All the information is in my briefcase – just swap it with yours. The information is in the form of computer printouts and on CD-ROM so you can Email it to Hiawatha. Meet me at 11:PM in Obelisk park on Sunday week – with the rest of the money and another 300 gold for the extra information I will provide. Come dressed as a priest and don’t bring a gun.”

Counting Crow left. He didn’t notice the teenage couple following him and holding hands with the girl talking on a mobile phone - or the motorbike courier who followed his car, which was driven by his assistant.

Counting Crow was too busy reading the documents and getting the impression that Hiawatha had bitten off more than he could chew. Apparently the Egyptians had just landed another Modern Armor Army in Seville along with 4 Veteran Mechanized Infantry and 3 Modern Armor Regiments. And a similar force was being loaded in the former Aztec City of Tlacopan.for transit to Seville. Egypt had over a hundred Modern Armor regiments on its home continent of Ra and every city was defended by Mechanized Infantry so an amphibious assault on Egypt’s homeland would be doomed. Most worrying was that Egypt was five months from completing the Manhattan Project and was preparing to convert their spaceship parts into ICBM’s. Finally he reached his dilapidated apartment. Now the EIA knew where he lived.


Without thinking he booted up his computer and emailed the whole CD-ROM to an English computer that the Iroquois SS used for communication with its agents. Little did he know that the CD-ROM also contained a cunning little virus designed to spread through all Iroquois computers and mail their contents to another English server. This one able to be accessed by the EIA.

Ardent congratulated himself on a job well done and went back to EIA HQ to write his contact report. Unfortunately he had to hand over most of the money but what he kept was substantial.

Incident in Salamanca

Soula Liapides of the Byzantine News Network stood across the street from the Egyptian embassy in Salamanca. There was a loud "spontaneous" demonstration outside with people waving Iroquis tri hook fascist banners, axes and machetes.

"The civil authorities in the Iroquois are desperately trying to stop this mob from storming the Egyptian embassy. We can see a few Egyptian marines and they have been disarmed since the start of the war between Egypt and Iroquois. I'll see if I can interview one of the demonstrators."

"Excuse me, why the anger at the Embassy ?" asked Soula of a young female protester in perfect Iroquois.

"The Egyptians are bleeding us dry" she yelled. "Our government was paying massive amounts of gold and furs and gems to Egypt for their pathetic technology. Now they attack our ships and planes and attack our troops near Seville and those turds in there are claiming diplomatic immunity and were not going to give it to them." She pulled out a large cleaver.

Meanwhile the crowd lobbed rocks and petrol bombs at the embassy with little effect. Smoke billowed from the chimney but this was due to the Egyptian embassy burning documents, CD-ROMS and Hard drives.

There was a loud horn and the crowd parted. A large truck revved its engine and charged the gate which bent aside at the impact. Suddenly the Iroquois police were nowhere to be seen as the mob surged through the breach.

What happened next was a view from hell. Egyptian men were hacked to pieces and body parts thrown from windows. Women dragged to the street to be ravished and hacked to pieces. Children crucified on the fence.

"Don't show this" wept Soula as she vomited into the gutter. "Beautiful !" said her producer. Then their van driver appeared saying "I have a AA+ imprtance message - get in the van - we have to get to the airport ASAP"

The crew piled into the van and sped to the airport. Soula had some knowledge of history. Every time Egypt got into a war the Byzantines and the French were easily bribed into being allies. This was one of those times.

Well Cleopatra oh mighty queen" said Rameses the military advisor. "Do we do the same to the Iroquis Embassy in Thebes ?"

"No we are not barbarians - we will need their diplomats in time to come. However I now give the following order. Egypt will wage unrestricted war on Iroquois. We will raze any captured city we cannot hold. We will massacre any captured worker unit we cannot prevent being recaptured. I make the following order to all troops. KILL IROQUOIS, KILL MORE IROQUOIS, THAT IS ALL."

Very nicely written :)

^ Right, a very nice story to read!

An Egyptian cabinet meeting.

President Cleopatra sat at the head of her cabinet table for the whole cabinet meeting.

“Despite the fact that we are at war with a powerful and vicious foe we will maintain our usual routine. Science Advisor please make your report.” Said Cleopatra

Professor Cheops said “We are currently ahead of all other nations in science and devoting 100% of funds to science yet still making a profit due to our technology sales. We will have discovered satellites in 3 months which will give us ICBMs as soon as we build The Manhattan Project. I am not a military man but an ICBM is the only way we can threaten the Iroquois key cities.”

“Well I have no desire for nuclear war and I will never order the use of one of those abominations unless we are subject to a nuclear strike.” Said Cleopatra firmly.

Domestic Advisor Nefertiti please make your report.” Said Cleopatra

“Well the war with Iroquois has not generated any unhappiness yet. If anything the people are shocked and angry. The people are working well building new military units like Modern Armour, Bombers and Naval vessels but we still have a few major cities without marketplaces and they are likely to go into disorder. “

“Rush them we have over 12,000 gold and a profit of 115 per turn” interrupted Cleopatra.

Domestic Advisor Nefertiti continued “However I anticipate war weariness will be significant within a year especially if we lose cities or suffer significant casualties. Our Republic has served us well for 2400 years and I see no need to change it but communism will be a good option if this war causes mass disorder. One area of concern is the mass protest outside the Iroquois consulate. The crowd is very angry and some of the people are armed. The police are having trouble holding the protesters back and I request military assistance.”

“Let the people in to hack them up like the Iroquois barbarians did to our diplomats and their families !” barked the Military Advisor.

“No Hiawatha may be a barbarian butcher but I am not !” snapped Cleopatra. “Arrest all Iroquois men in the Embassy and confine them separately in Thebes Prison. Send the women and children to neutral England to be returned home. I want someone to negotiate with when this war is over.”

“To increase our military manpower I have decided to give a Pardon to all male prisoners with less than 5 years to serve in prison who volunteer to serve in the military. Also I will institute limited conscription.” Cleopatra continued. “I want all likely landing sites on our homeland covered by conscript Mech Inf or Cavalry. And I want a force of at least 10 Modern Armor set up to smash any Iroquois beachhead on Ra”

“Consider it done Madame President”

“Foreign Affairs Advisor Mekhmet, your report ?” Said Cleopatra.

“Well I went to the French Embassy dinner last night and had a chat to the Byzantine, French, and English Ambassadors. They are all willing to declare war on Iroquois for the right price. The Byzantines want Superconductor, the English want Magnetism and the French want Fission. The Byzantines and the French have been loyal allies in the past and an alliance with the Byzantines will cut off their trade with Iroquois. Also India’s deal to trade us silks has expired but they will give us silks and 129 gpt for Superconductor but they have no interest in a war with Iroquois. Their Mutual Protection Pact with Byzantines will drag them into the war on our side if Byzantines ally with us. Also we are still in an alliance with Inca against America and I think we should make peace with America which would secure Six Horse Island. Inca and America are at war with Iroquois which means Seville is not under full attack”

Your deals with Byzantines, India and France are approved. However England is on Seth and would be massacred in a war with Iroquois. I am not about to bribe a friend to commit suicide. Gift England the secrets of Magnetism and Nationalism so Elizabeth has some decent troops. Also give Inca 1000 gold. As for America, Egypt does not betray allies so no peace with them. Clear ?” said Cleopatra. Mekhmet left the room to conclude his agreements.

“Military Advisor, your report.” Said Cleopatra.

“Seville and the two Modern Armies in it are key to victory. We have rush built an airport in Seville and a barracks is next – then walls. Seville has held out against a heavy enemy attack and the 1st MA army has suffered significant losses. I have ordered two airfields built on RA so we can reinforce Seville to the tune of 4 units per turn. I also have a convoy leaving for Seville carrying the 3rd Modern Armor Army. I have left the 1st Tank army on Ra to defend against any Iroquois invasion. Once Seville is secured I will use the bombers and the MA Armies to raze every Iroquois city in range. We cannot hold any more cities on Seth without fatally dividing our forces. Our bombers on Seville have successfully destroyed the roads to an oil and an iron supply.”

“Excellent” said Cleopatra, “this concludes our meeting.”

Meanwhile in Salamanca Hiawatha was not happy. All of the French and Byzantine Embassy staff had left the country. Then they declared war by radio message.

On a Bomber.

The four bombers of Fleet Air group 1 were cruising at thirty thousand feet. The commander of the group was staring at the radar screen. The bombers had been fitted with a bomb bay fuel tank and wing cargo of 4 Javelin Anti Ship missiles each. The group were acting on a French report of the location of IDD Silent Orca, the infamous ship that massacred the crew of SSN Perch. Still they had to scour a circle of radius 100 km for their prey.

“Radar Contact range 120 km bearing 200!” called Bomber 4.

“Get a visual ID.” called the group commander.

Five minutes later he heard a desperate call from Bomber 4.

“Contact has activated search radar – no a SAM radar – we are under attack !”

Bomber 4 made a rapid dive and turn North. The SAM missiles fired at it fell harmlessly out of fuel – barely.

“All units attack grid 34.5 79.3 launch on my mark” called the group commander.

The bombers simultaneously unleashed 9 missiles each, keeping one in reserve. The SAM defenses on Silent Orca were good and shot down 5 missiles. The four that hit smashed the ship. Only 12 men escaped the inferno on a rubber life raft.

Bomber 4 approached the wreckage. The pilot fired the last missile at the life raft but it homed in on the sinking wreckage. “Gunners make a strafing run” the pilot ordered. In turn the bombardier, ball gunner and tail gunner sent a hail of .50 cal tracer at the liferaft.

“Was that necessary!” yelled the group commander.

“My little brother Hamada was on the Perch.” Said the pilot of Bomber 4.

As one the planes turned for the long boring journey home.

Sabotage in Thebes

Counting Crow sent his Email via an English Server to his handler in Salamanca.

“I have contacted members of the Aztec Liberation Front (ALF) and they are willing to assist in the sabotage of Egyptian interests. They have inspected the site in Memphis that is building the SETI program and report that it is nearing completion. It has clearly not been converted to the Manhattan Project as my earlier report indicated. Also the site is defended by a TOW infantry regiment and I see no way to attack it with a truck bomb, the only method available to me.

However I have found out that Cleopatra is concentrating on building a Spaceship and is 87% complete in building the engine in Thebes. Believe it or not the whole of Thebes is defended by only one Mechanized Infantry Regiment and security is light at the spaceship building site. Destruction of the engine will scatter Plutonium all over Thebes producing mass civilian casualties. It is actually a better target. I Request permission to carry out a mission to destroy the Spaceship Engine in Thebes.”

Five minutes later Counting Crow’s computer beeped with an incoming email.

“Your plan has been approved. Your personal survival is not a mission priority. Hiawatha himself will give your family 100 gold and award you with the Order of Iroquois Martyr if you die.”

Meanwhile at Egyptian Intelligence Headquarters those same emails were being read. Agent Ardent was summoned to EIA chief Tut’s office.
“Looks like your boy is getting ambitious, you want to pick him up ?” said Tut.

“No, I want him to lead us to those whackos in the ALF, we get to shoot more spies and traitors that way.” Said Ardent.

“Approved but you are not to let their bomb anywhere near that Spaceship Engine. Cleopatra will deball me if anything happens to that” ordered Tut.

Counting Crow’s ALF friends were deluded. The vast majority of Atzec people were loyal Egyptian citizens and very happy with the luxuries and modern conveniences that membership of the Egyptian Republic gave them. However they were competent. Quetzal had served as a combat engineer in a now upgraded Egyptian infantry regiment. There was nothing about explosives he didn’t know. He even had a supply of dynamite, detonators and trigger systems. They were meeting in the Rameses II hotel in a private room.

“Your best bet is an Ammonium Nitrate truck bomb and a suicide attack Mr. Crow.” he said. “My dynamite won’t really put a dent in that engine but it is enough to trigger a load of Ammonium Nitrate if we had a cement truck full. But its kinda hard to steal that. You can buy it but.”

“I don’t want to make a suicide attack” said Counting Crow. “If I have a 10 minute timer and a getaway car that will work.”

“Gonna look mighty suspicious, a truck driver making a run for it after parking next to the spaceship engine. Gyppo Security ain’t dumb. We could put a layer of cement over the bomb to stop them disarming it.” Said Quetzal. “Now Xlaco here can put you in the way of a truck and some NH4NO3.”

Xlaco was a skilled forger and supplied some very convincing purchase orders from Osiris Fertilizer and an Endorsed Heavy Vehicle license. “Say Hiawatha” he said to Counting Crow as he took a photo. “I hope you can actually drive a truck.”


To be continued…………………………

File Photo is ISS Agent Counting Crow before his posting to Egypt.

Three Mechanized Infantry Regiments and one of Modern Armor had been flown into Seville. Meanwhile the ten squadrons of Bombers had pounded the city of Barcelona southWest of Seville for two days without opposition or losses. Now it was time for Egypt to take the Offensive. General Asiz was to be in command.

The First Modern Army left Seville at five PM and drove through the night so as to be able to make a dawn attack. On each tank clung two infantrymen for the street fighting that was sure to follow. Fighter recon reported only one heavily weakened Iroquois Mechanized Infantry Regiment awaiting them.

At dawn they arrived. 2nd and 3rd regiments sped up to make flanking attacks from the North and South while 1st Regiment attacked from the East and 4th was in reserve with the Infantry. To a watcher in Barcelona it seemed like a dustorm enveloping the city.

A few missiles arced out from the city and as one the attacking tanks turned on smoke generators and took evasive action. At 1800 m from the city they slowed and fired a devastating volley of HEAT rounds at the Iroquois fighting vehicles. Most of them blew up and the Egyptians raced into the city weaving around bomb craters.

General Asiz saw an Iroquois IFV move from hiding behind a building and fire a missile at a tank to his left. "Gunner targ..." he tried to yell as the main gun fired and he was knocked off balance. The Iroquois vehicle exploded and two flaming figures staggered from the wreckage. Asiz kindly opened fire on them with his 12mm machine gun. Meanwhile the missile deprived of operators spiralled harmlessly into the ground.

"This is scout 2." Asiz heard on the radio. "We have destroyed all of the Iroquois vehicles in the city. Be aware that there are still snipers and troops with light anti tank rockets so I recommend tank commanders button up."

Reluctantly Asiz sent that advice and withdrew into his turret. He loved having his head out to feel the wind, smell the diesel and blaze away with his 12mm but his offensive couldn't be risked by a sniper's bullet.

Meanwhile the Egyptian Infantry went cautiously from house to house. Resistance was light. When encountered Infantry radioed a supporting tank that put a main gun round through the window. Seeing this the remaining Iroquois troops surrendered.

To the amazement of General Asiz civilians began creeping out of the cellars of the mostly smashed buildings waving Spanish flags and yellow pieces of cloth. An elderly man was led to the General's tank. "Thank you for liberating us from the hated Iroquois. Will you stay and protect the town ?"

"No my orders are to destroy it and destroy any worker units we cannot recover. However we will help rescue the injured and escort you all to safety in Seville."

General Asiz knew his promise would mean one more day before his Army got back to Seville but he couldn't massacre civilians. Even his troops would disobey him if he ordered them to machinegun the survivors of Barcelona.

As the Army rolled north with its few prisoners and the Civilians there was a rumbling explosion. The charges and incendries left by the Army Engineers went off and Barcelona was wreathed in fire and smoke.

Sabotage in Thebes Part II.

Iroquois SS Agent Counting Crow found his part of the plan easy. He took the train to the industrial park of Thebes. He checked for a tail but couldn’t identify anybody twice except a pair of giggling teenage girls. At the train station he caught the third cab at the rank and ignored the glares of the first two drivers.
“Take me to Liberty Trucks” he ordered.

Meanwhile Cleops and Martica took the first cab and were not innocent teenage girls. Recruited by the EIA as watchers, their job was tailing the most elusive game, enemy spies. The watcher corps took teenagers, women and old people – anybody who did not fit the profile as “agent” to monitor spies and criminals. “Watcher Corps EIA – follow that cab” Cleops told the driver as she gave him a 100 pound note. “Anything you say Princess.” Said the driver.

Cleops called agent Ardent on her mobile phone. “Suspect is in the industrial area in a cab. We are following him in another cab, request backup.”

“On my way at your position in 20 minutes” said Ardent rushing for his major indulgence, a silver Cheetah sports car. Ardent really enjoyed putting the blue emergency light on his roof and hooning through the heavy Thebes traffic. All he needed on the passenger seat was a well endowed blond and he could be Jamie Bondopoulos from those lurid Byzantine spy movies he loved. Instead in the front seat was Deputy Quentet, a brown haired weedy agent but one of the best pistol shots in the whole EIA.

Counting Crow was suspicious of the cab following 200 m behind his. “Drop me off around this corner” he ordered the driver. As he left he dropped a 50 pound note on the seat and dashed into a factory and then the workman’s cafeteria. He ordered a burger and a coffee. They were surprisingly good. Those teenage girls had to be following him, he hoped he shook them. He would have no compunction against blowing them away with his silenced Tomahawk 9mm but killing people drew all sorts of attention from the police.

Cleops and Martika noticed around the corner that their quarry had left his taxi. They ordered their driver to wait and Cleops called Ardent. Agent Quentet answered and told them to wait out of sight. Their cover was blown.

Two men in overalls sat with Counting Crow. As was normal in Egypt talk turned to the war. “Cleo’s kicking Iroquois butt” said one man. We’ve hardly lost a unit and destroyed over twenty of theirs, plus destroyed two cities.” “Yeah”, said the other, “My daughter in college is running in that Peace Now crowd wanting to call strikes while we are building military units. My son’s alright, He’s a F-3 Jet pilot and he just made ace.” Counting Crow noted that propaganda was going to have little effect if these men were representative. Maybe that would change if he succeeded in his mission.

“I have an appointment at Liberty Trucks” said Counting Crow. “I will give 50 pounds for a ride there.” “Sure” said the second man “Bit weird if its only a 2 pound taxi ride.” “I have a problem with my wife and her lawyers and don’t want to get caught going there, I have a thing going with the receptionist.” Improvised Counting Crow. Nobody noticed Counting Crow in the back of the van. He had put on his coat inside out with the black liner showing to escape surveillance at a distance.

Meanwhile Ardent had picked up his two watchers. “I can get hold of him again easy, go home girls” he said as he dropped them off at the train station. He dialed Counting Crow’s mobile. It was turned off.

Meanwhile Counting Crow was signing the lease on a 5 ton white cement truck. Why buy a truck you were going to blow up ? Counting Crow left Liberty Trucks grinding the gears and causing the salesman to wince. It was a 15 minute drive to Osiris Fertilizer but Counting Crow took 25 as he figured out the gearbox to the irate toots of his fellow motorists.

The purchase of the Ammonium Nitrate went smoothly but the elderly proprietor seemed suspicious about loading it into a cement truck and insisted on keeping it in bags. Counting Crow left for the rendezvous with the ALF mercenaries who would turn his truck into a massive bomb to shatter Cleopatra’s hopes.

Agent Ardent was livid. It was his idea to not pick up Counting Crow and now he had evaded his watchers and not answering his phone. In vain he called again. The phone was dead. In desperation he called General Abdulla, commanding general of Thebes.

After his explanation the General was furious. “You let an Iroquois Agent run around My city and plan to blow up our Spaceship Engine and you spyboys were such ******* you didn’t pick him up ! I’ll order the 32nd Modern Armor Regiment and the 3rd Tow into the city for security and institute a no traffic command at the construction site. Cleopatra is going to be pretty pissed at having production delayed. Meanwhile you spyboys better find this horsejerky muncher !

Meanwhile at a deserted factory Quetzal put the finishing touches to the bomb. Essentially this involved mixing the ammonium nitrate into a slurry with diesel and inserting the Dynamite sticks with detonators into the mixture at intervals. As a final touch a layer of cement was added to make disarming the weapon impossible. Finally Quetzal showed counting crow the trigger system.

“Activate the arming switch which is under the toggle cover so you don’t switch it accidentally. Then press the yellow button which will give you a 15 minute fuse. The red button will detonate the device instantly. Do that if the Gyppos look like stopping you. They will crucify you if they catch you so you may as well take a few of the mother lovers with you. This baby should take out a city block !”

“You are a craftsman” said Counting Crow as he handed over a briefcase containing 200 gold. His assistant had been dressed in an Egyptian Army Lieutenant uniform and provided with a Jeep.

They would leave at 5 AM to miss rush hour.

Author’s note. The details of this weapon are public knowledge and this is essentially the weapon Timothy McVeigh used in the Oklahoma Bombing as reported in the Melbourne Age.

The SSN Salmon sets forth.

In Cairo, Captain Tukal was unhappy. He was the first Mayan citizen of Egypt to be given a command at sea. Such a fine vessel the SSN Salmon, sister ship of the ill fated nuclear submarine Perch. It was being rush built and already two workmen had died when a crane dropped a piece of steel plate on them. The mission was great – to destroy an Iroquois Galleon laden with enemy troops bound to invade the Egyptian Homeland or more likely the large island of Isis.

No it was the lack of time and weapons. Believe it or not there were only two torpedoes suitable for SSN launch available. And the Galleon was escorted by two or even three destroyers. However three bomber squadrons were in range. It was their job to attack the destroyers. EDD Sirius was also in port in Cairo and the destroyer would also assist.

Captain Tukal knew he had to move at full speed to the intercept. Make the attack with no margin for error. Escape and return to port. All with an untried crew. A brand new rush built reactor and hull. In all a highly dangerous mission without the added factor of Iroquois destroyers.

After an interminable 6 hours on the docks running Sonar, Torpedo, Navigation and most importantly Reactor and Escape drills the message came that the Submarine was ready for launch.

Tukal and his crew lined the dock as Lady Isis, the Foreign Minister made a short determined speech.

"Cleopatra herself wishes she were here to bless a crew for such a dangerous but critical mission. The Iroquois are a ruthless and vicious enemy and your job is to prevent the sacred shore of Egypt being sullied by their dirty boots. Your submarine was hastily built and your training was incomplete. But you have one advantage over your fallen comrades of the SSN Perch. You know who the enemy is NOW DESTROY HIM !" Isis screamed as she flung a bottle of French Champagne at the bow so hard it shattered and even left an imperceptible dent.

The sluice gates to the drydock opened to let in the sea and the crew led by Captain Tukal filed aboard. Thirty minutes later the SSN Salmon had been towed to the main shipping channel. Set Reactor to 55 % all ahead 1/3 ordered Tukal. Although noisier than he hoped SSN Salmon was now making way under her own power. And there were no reported leaks.

SSN Salmon reached the mouth of Cairo Harbor now at 70 % power and making 17 knots. "All personnel rig for dive. Prepare for depth charges." Tukal ordered. he ensured he was the last man down from the sail.
"Make your depth 20 metres" he ordered.

The helmsman pushed down the control column and the nose sank. Suddenly there was a loud noise from the rear. Tukal figured it out. The planesman had left the ballast tanks empty and now the screw was out of the water. "Emergency Shaft stop !" Tukal yelled - a free spinning screw would be damaged if it hit water. The submarine eventually settled to level as it lost momentum and the screw was stopped when it hit water again.

"Make depth 20 metres using only the ballast tanks - You what did you do wrong !" Tukal screamed at the planesman. The man answered nervously but correctly. "Make that mistake again and you'll swim home !"

This mission was going all wrong. Then the Torpedo room called to say thet they were flooding. Luckily it took only ten minutes to weld a patch over a badly welded seam. The submarine made it to 100m depth eventually and sped up to 22 knots Heading 029. Sonar reported destroyer Sirius following 8 km away.

Tukal mused that SSN Salmon would need all the help she could get.

:goodjob: Keep writing!

Bomb Attack in Thebes.

ISS Agent Counting Crow and his assistant Pouncing Puma had a celebratory pre mission drinking session. Counting Crow had three shots of “firewater”, genuine Iroquois Tequila. They were very happy with the work of the Aztec Liberation Front. Not only had they made the bomb but they had armor plated the cement truck including “bulletproof” polycarbonate on the windows. Finally they had repainted the truck lime green and changed the number plates. After all somebody might have noted Counting Crow in his buying mission.

It was 5 AM and on the radio they heard that a special defense drill was underway and that there were to be major road closures. All non-essential personnel were to take a holiday to prepare air raid shelters.

“I have essential personnel papers and you’re army Pouncing Puma. This mission is going to be a piece of cake now.” Said Counting Crow as he put on a truck driver’s uniform and hid his prized Tomahawk pistol in the glove box.

Meanwhile EIA Agent Ardent breathed a sigh of relief. An old man had reported a suspicious sale of Ammonium Nitrate to a man with a white cement truck. He correctly identified Counting Crow’s photo. Now the military knew what to look for.

Police sergeant Untep was instructing probationary female constable Selina on driver and vehicle checks. How to be courteous and firm. Write a ticket for every infraction. Praise drivers for doing things right. She was doing well so far, successfully booking one driver for talking on a mobile phone, one unlicensed driver and another for not having a seatbelt on. She had checked 43 cars. Selina was a pretty blonde girl of twenty who just wasn’t quite pretty enough to be an actress or a model. The Sergeant was sitting in the squad car watching and listening to her on the headset radio.

Counting Crow and Pouncing Puma had already passed an Army Checkpoint and ahead was a female police officer stopping traffic. Both vehicles pulled up.

“Sir could I please see your license and registration.” Asked Selina. Counting Crow proffered the expertly forged documentation. “May I ask where you are headed ?” she asked. “We are delivering concrete for the spaceship construction site.” Said Counting Crow. Probationary Constable Selina went to the back of the truck and checked the load.

“Sir the concrete has set solid ! Also I smell something funny, like ammonia and you smell of alcohol. Could you please come with me.” With that she grabbed Counting Crow’s wrist and pulled him from the cab. Police sergeant Untep emerged from the squad car. As he did so Pouncing Puma pounced, firing a burst from an SLR assault rifle into Probationary Constable Selina’s back and then trying to get a shot at the other cop.

Police sergeant Untep couldn’t believe it. That Army guy had just killed Probationary Constable Selina and was advancing to kill him. Untep knew his 7.62 mm pistol was no match for an assault rifle so he dashed for the squad car and took off radioing frantically to headquarters. A few bullets made cracking noises as Pouncing Puma emptied his clip at the rapidly accelerating police car.

Counting Crow grabbed his Tomahawk 9 mm and searched for targets. He noticed nobody in range except the police woman who moaned something about “why shoot me ?”

“We are Iroquois Agents and we are at war” said Counting Crow kindly as he shot her in the head.

Pouncing Puma returned. “The cop got away” he said flatly.

“You trigger happy idiot ! Now every cop in Thebes will be after us. You take the truck. You know how the trigger works ?”

“Of course.” Said Pouncing Puma. “It would be an honour to lay down my life for Fuhrer Hiawatha and the Iroquois nation. What will you do Sir ?”

“I will escape – good luck.” With that Counting Crow walked off the highway abandoning the Jeep. Pouncing Puma took off with the truck bomb. He made a left turn and then headed South. In his wing mirror he saw a cop car keeping its distance but clearly following him. Onto The Boulevard of Ra he saw tanks blocking the road. Meanwhile behind him the cop car was joined by two Chariot Infantry Fighting Vehicles and they were catching up. He was trapped.

Pouncing Puma had two options – Surrender for certain execution or martyrdom. He saw an apartment building to the left. It would have to do. He saw the front of the tanks sparkle and the windshield developed stars and holes as 12mm bullets hit. He hefted the wheel left and tires screaming he turned into the apartment building car park.

Pouncing Puma made it under the building and took out the bomb trigger. Without hesitation he activated the arming switch and pressed the red button. The bomb worked better than advertised. It shattered the central load bearing pillar of the building causing the whole 10 story apartment block to fold inwards like a house of cards. The truck and the residents of the building were buried under tons of rubble.

Meanwhile Counting Crow made his escape. He broke into a bungalow and shot the elderly residents with his Tomahawk. He stole their unfashionable French Renault and was on his way to the Byzantine border listening to the radio.

“In our main story, an Iroquois Suicide Bomber destroyed the Heavenly View apartment block killing at least 200 people. It is believed his real target was the Spaceship Engine. All citizens are to be alert to enemy agents and report suspicious details to 1900 – 2000 the EIA contact number.” The radio said. Counting Crow knew he was blown as far as Egypt was concerned but his mission had killed a lot of people. There would be reward awaiting him in Salamanca. Meanwhile he could mount a mission against the treacherous Byzantines.

Agent Ardent faced the most unpleasant interview of his life with Cleopatra herself. What was so distressing was that she didn’t seem angry, just disappointed. “Your bank accounts have been nationalized and will be used to compensate the bombing victims and their families. Meanwhile you are sacked and have been charged with tax evasion and dereliction of duty. You have two choices.” Said Cleopatra.

“First you could be drafted as a military sniper and sent to Seville. After all your marksmanship is excellent.” She said. “Or you could redeem yourself and be reinstated in the EIA.”

“Redeem myself how ?” asked Ardent.

“We have discovered that Hiawatha is six weeks from completing The Manhattan Project in Salamanca. You are to blow it up before he does ! I have no need to explain how undesirable it would be if Hiawatha acquires nuclear weapons. Do you have the courage to accept this assignment. All possible assistance will be given.”

Ardent reflected that Counting Crow had nearly pulled off a similar mission. And Ardent was a much better agent surely. “Madame President I will blow up the Iroquois Manhattan Project” he said.

Awesome read!!

Keep it up and this could get into the legendary civ stories!;)

Convoy Attack

Tukal and the SSN Salmon did not have to travel far to find the Iroquois convoy. They were 50 km away. The ESM mast detected their radar emissions and the three destroyers were bonging away on active sonar like crazy – as if they didn’t care who noticed them. The downside of this was there was no way that SSN Salmon could get within torpedo range of the Galleon without being detected.

Tukal sent a quick radio message to base giving his position and that of the destroyers. He received a message to stay in front of the convoy and monitor its position but take no offensive action. The convoy was to be allowed to approach the coast. Once in range the army had a very nasty surprise for them. The ten artillery batteries of the Egyptian rapid response force would pound them. Three bomber squadrons would attack. Then SSN Salmon and EDD Sirius would finish the job. SSN Salmon found it easy to stay in front of the convoy which was only making 8 knots due to the heavily laden Galleon.

“Bomber group 1 attack coming” announced Admiral Tukomet. At an altitude of 8 km and a range of 30 km bomber group 1 unleashed a volley of Eye Gouger missiles. The Eye Gouger homes in on radar emissions and has a fragmentation warhead to destroy radar sites. They can’t sink a ship but can blind it. The missiles hit the destroyers despite the volley of SAMs launched at them. According to the ESM mast Tukal found all of the Iroquois radars dead.

“Have you spotted for naval gunfire before ? Captain.” Asked the Admiral. “Yes” said Tukal. “Good, now get within periscope sight of the convoy and assess damage.” Tukal checked the ESM. All the Iroquois radars were dead, he hoped. Tukal hoped the Iroquois radars were destroyed not just turned off. If one came on he was in trouble as his periscope would be detected. He only detected two active sonars now.

Once in range Tukal raised the periscope. The front destroyer was in trouble. Its bridge was destroyed and it was headed to the rear of the convoy. Fires still burned on it. The other destroyers seemed to have lost their radar masts but the left one was otherwise undamaged.

“Ready to call in artillery fire ?” asked the Admiral. “Yes Sir” said Tukal. “My position is 21.234, 69.735 and the target is at bearing 65.4 range 8.4 km. “On the way announced a new voice.” Two minutes later a geyser of water erupted 500 m left of the leftmost destroyer. “Right 500 drop 100 called” Tukal. The next splash was 50 m in front of the destroyer. “Fire for effect” yelled Tukal.

A time on target barrage followed. Designed to inflict maximum casualties on infantry the Artillery Battery computer triggered all the weapons in such a way that all the shells arrived at the same time. The destroyer would have no chance to dodge. Over fifty shells arrived at its position. Three were direct hits and the destroyer started to burn. In a similar manner Tukal called in artillery on the other two destroyers and they were left burning.

“Bombers coming in.” called the admiral. Two squadrons of B 26’s dived out of the sky. Their attack was successful and two of the destroyers were sunk. A group of 4 planes made a bombing attack on the Galleon knocking out its main mast and setting the forecastle on fire.

“Now is our chance.” Called Tukal. The SSN Salmon closed to a mere 4 km of the stricken Galleon. Fire tube 1 use manual guidance. A Mk 50 torpedo sped to the target at 70 km/h. It was actively pinging and lieutenant Abdul had no trouble steering it to the target. “Impact in 10…8..6.5.4.3.2.1 0 what ? torpedo has not exploded” called Abdul. “I’ve lost the wires torpedo unguided.” This was a submariner’s nightmare – there was no more embarrassing way to get sunk than by your own weapon.

“Torpedo going left to right – looks like it acquired something. Not us.” Called sonar. Three minutes later was an explosion followed by breaking up noises. “Yeee Hah” called the bridge crew. SSN Salmon got its first kill, a damaged destroyer. It was an accident but still a kill.

“Dammit, the magnetic fuse on a Mark 50 needs a metal target. I’ll guide the next weapon myself and detonate manually. Take the periscope Abdul” Said Tukal. The torpedo was fired. Tukal slowed it to a mere 30 km/h and watched the active sonar screen. When he was sure he pressed the self destruct button.
“Whooie look sir, you cracked its keel.” Abdul had put the periscope view on all of the TV monitors. The explosion under the Galleon had broken it in half and armored vehicles poured into the water. The Iroquois convoy had been completely destroyed.

This Tukal reported to the Admiral. The next order was peculiar. “Pick up all survivors – in particular officers. And film doing it. Cleopatra’s Orders.” With the assistance of IDD Sirius, SSN Salmon picked up survivors including the Galleon Captain and a destroyer captain. Then it was back to port at 20 knots with the prisoners stowed in the now empty torpedo room. In all Tukal was happy, his command had performed admirably and SSN Salmon had 2 kills.

Meanwhile another Iroquois convoy approached from the Arctic. This one was not detected, and was heading for the island of Isis.

:clap:Very good! You should make this into an epic movie one day! :D

The Seige of Caughwaga.

General Alida was happy with the performance of his command. There were now 3 Modern Armor armies, 4 Modern Armor, 5 Veteran Mechanized Infantry and 2 TOW Infantry regiments in Seville. An SA7 Mobile SAM battery had also been brought over to complement his Jet Fighter squadrons. The 10 bomber squadrons were performing excellent work in pulverizing cities and Iroquois Mechanized Infantry defenders. Already the four closest Iroquois towns had been captured and razed to the ground. He had enough troops to protect a chain gang of captured workers as they built a rail link to the Iroquois train system.

Caughwaga was the closest Iroquois city in bomber range. Alida was happy that he had enough troops to hold Caughwaga in addition to Seville. It then could be used as a base to bomb and then raze further Iroquois cities. He was suspicious at the complete lack of Iroquois attacks. They weren’t even bombing Seville any more and no direct attack on his units had occurred since the first day of the war.

General Alida was aware that Iroquois were fighting both the Americans and the Inca who for some strange reason were still fighting each other. Egypt was technically at war with America but had not seen an American unit for over 2 years. Still Iroquois had a massive land army and would come for the Egyptian outpost of Seville at soon as Hiawatha had defeated his other enemies. It was General Alida’s job to do as much damage as possible before that happened.

Meanwhile Captain Horus was on a recon mission over Caughwaga. His squadron rotated pairs of fighters over the city giving real time assessment of bomb damage. This was not as much fun as shooting down bombers but just as essential. The F3’s were unarmed with the cannon replaced by a camera and with wing tanks instead of missiles. Hopefully any enemy fighters that showed up would be more interested in the bombers. Horus estimated one Mechanized Infantry Regiment at ¾ strength and the other at ¼ strength. There appeared to be a group of vehicles gathering near the Cathedral so Horus radioed to the leader of the 12th and 17th Bomber Squadrons to aim at the Cathedral.

Horus flew his F3 towards the bombers and took up station 10 km behind them in ideal position to film the attack. It was an impressive sight watching 20 100 kg bombs fall from the belly of each bomber – a total of 960 bombs – a deadly steel rain. From an altitude of 3 km Horus saw the sparkles of the detonations that seemed to envelop the cathedral and surrounding area. Now the Mechanized Infantry unit was at half strength with many vehicles taking direct hits and being blown apart. The Cathedral was destroyed too, over 2000 years of culture gone.

At dawn the 2nd and 3rd Modern Armor armies attacked easily brushing aside the bomber decimated defenders and the 23th Mechanized Infantry Regiment came and took up defensive positions. Unlike previous conquests the citizens were Iroquois and highly hostile to the invaders. Some had guns and even explosives and the occupying forces were taking casualties. Iroquois civilians who conducted attacks on Egyptian troops were gunned down or summarily executed. One such terrorist was an old woman who baked bread with rat poison, putting 3 men in hospital. She was publicly hanged in the marketplace. Windows where hostile fire came from had HEAT tank shells fired into them.

In response to that General Alida ordered the arrest of all males aged 16 to 60 and they were put on forced labour clearing bomb damage or building a barracks. He was impressed with the discipline shown by his troops with no assaults on women and very little looting, mostly of battle souvenirs. With Caughwaga taken the way was clear to take Oil Springs1 which had an oil supply. Surely the Iroquois had to counterattack thought General Alida.

500 km to the South West another siege ended. Iroquois Modern Armor finally broke the back of the last Inca rifleman unit defending Cuzco. Legend has it that Parachuti of the Inca and his Cabinet charged the Iroquois Tanks with submachine guns and grenades. It took a direct hit from a tank main gun round to bring him down. The Inca nation was destroyed and the Iroquois forces now shifted their focus North.

Back in Thebes.

Cleopatra was heading another Cabinet meeting. As usual the Science Advisor Professor Cheops began the meeting.

“We have discovered Satellites and now need to choose our next research project. My personal choice is Advanced Flight which will allow us to build helicopters to move Infantry and give us Radar towers which will assist in the defense of Seville. The other options are Nuclear Power which we don’t really need as we have Hoover’s Dam, Recycling which we don’t need as we have plenty of excess workers to clear our limited pollution and Stealth which will give us more effective bombers.”

“Which gives access to more spaceship components ?” asked Cleopatra.

“Nuclear Power” said Cheops, with it we can research Laser.

“Well then Nuclear Power is my choice, I don’t want the Indians or the Byzantines getting ahead in the space race.” Said Cleopatra.

“Couldn’t we research Stealth ? I need better Bombers” said the Military Advisor.

“You were telling me before about how well our current bombers are doing. I don’t see the point if we have never had one shot down.” Said Cleopatra. “Nuclear Power it is.”

Domestic Advisor Nefertiti made her report. “War weariness is becoming a major issue. I’ve had to turn citizens into entertainers in 8 cities and the problem is getting worse. People are terrified after that apartment block was blown up. Also the Peace Now movement is gaining recruits and demonstrating in the streets of major cities. We have 12 cities in disorder, including Seville. They are opposed to our mass bombing and razing of cities. They have a point. We have killed 400,000 Iroquois Civilians haven’t we. We either change to Communism or make peace with the Iroquois. Have you tried contacting their Government ?”

Lady Isis said “No we are in alliances against Iroquois and I see no reason to betray our traditional French and Byzantine allies. Besides we are winning the war. Can I make my report now ?”

“Yes” said Cleopatra.

“With the Inca destroyed our alliance with them against America is null and void. I suggest we make peace with America.” Said Lady Isis.

“Agreed” said Cleopatra. The Military Advisor surprisingly nodded agreement.

“Military Advisor, your report.” said Cleopatra.

“We have destroyed an Iroquois convoy including a Galleon laden with Modern Armor. Captain Tukal of the SSN Salmon has been awarded the Order off the Gold Banner for his crucial role in the attack and his crew has a unit citation.”

“There has also been a minor skirmish in the West between our destroyer Canopus and air support against 2 Iroquois destroyers. We lost a squadron of bombers to SAMs and our destroyer was sunk but we destroyed one of their ships and damaged the other. The Battleship Wrath of Ra has been dispatched to cut off the damaged destroyer.”

“In happier news we have captured the Iroquois city of Caughwaga but civilian resistance is a problem. We have now captured 5 Iroquois cities and now I propose we take and hold Oil Springs1 which has an oil supply. This will mean we don’t have to ship or fly in fuel for our forces on Ra. We now have enough forces on Ra to hold 3 cities. So far the Iroquois have not counterattacked – they aren’t even bombing us. This won’t last now that Inca are destroyed.”

An Army major entered the room. He bowed and seemed nervous. “Madame President I have urgent news. The Iroquois are landing a Modern Armor Regiment on Isis.”

“Attack them and drive them into the sea. We have Modern Armor there.” Said Rameses the Military Adivisor.

“I have made a major decision. In this war that has caused so much civil disorder the Republic that has served us well for over 2000 years has failed. I now declare a revolution. We shall become a Communist nation. From this day forth you will address me as Comrade General Secretary. Meeting Adjourned” Said Cleopatra.

Ah, the charms of civ3! In what other universe does a revolution come by decree from the head of state? But still, that does seem like the right call on Cleo's part.

*Ahh* Wonderful story!;)

Printed some of it out and re-read it in bead last night.

Envoy to America.

Twenty minutes later Lady Isis had a problem. There was no radio link to the Egyptian Embassy in Washington. She would have to send a personal envoy.
That person would have to be fluent in American English and an accomplished parachutist. The fastest means to get an Envoy to Washington was a parachute jump from a Bomber. A check of Foreign Ministry records showed nobody with that combination of skills. The EIA were the next choice. They had a suitable agent. Her name was Bel Chamblis.

After a brief interview in American English, Lady Isis was satisfied Bel was suitable. She was short and solidly built with short dark hair died a reddish hue. And her combat capabilities were highly rated but not necessary on this mission. She was rated as having a perfect memory.

After supplying her with a satchel of impressive looking documents and impressing her with the purpose and importance of each Lady Isis offered a bulky radio. “I brought two radios” said Bel placing two radio sets, each the size of a hardback novel on the desk. These will be much easier to jump with plus I want to leave one with Honest Abe in case he wants to contact …um Cleopatra directly. Comrade General Secretary Cleopatra reminded Lady Isis. Even here they could hear the shouts from the streets as the Revolution was unfolding.

Bel Chamblis left aboard an EIA modified B-29 called Ship of the Styx. The guns and gunners were removed and the bomb bay replaced with a fuel tank. Its sole purpose was to deliver parachutists and take covert pictures from high altitude. When the plane leveled out at its cruising altitude of 12 km the flight engineer went to check on their unusual passenger. She was fast asleep. The crew settled into the routine of long haul flight with the command pilot retiring to sleep also.

Sixteen hours later the Bomber was in American Airspace approaching Washington. The altitude was dropped to 2 km, well above any weapon the Americans possessed. Bel Chamblis shook hands with the flight crew and made her way to the rear jump hatch. With her was the flight engineer. She had packed the radios and the documents into a Bergen that would hang beneath her as she fell. Without hesitation she jumped into space as the Pilot called JUMP JUMP JUMP.

As she fell the Bomber turned west to land on Six Horse Island. She pulled the rip cord at 300 metres and a bright pink oval canopy erupted behind her. Below Bel Chamblis could make out rapidly moving figures moving below her. Men in blue on horses. They were obviously pointing weapons at her.

Dropping the Bergen on a cord below her, Bel made a perfect landing, rolling onto her side. She looked up to stare into the muzzle of a giant revolver like carbine and the blue eyes of an American Cavalryman. “I am a Diplomat and Come in Peace” she said. “More likes you’se a spy that needs a hangin” said the man. At once she was surrounded by cavalrymen in blue.

Meanwhile in England.

Deneirzi was an EIA agent in England. He was also the military attaché to the embassy so he wasn’t a true spy. Currently he was training English sergeants in the use of the RPG8 Antitank rocket. The horse drawn corrugated iron targets exploded satisfactorily startling the teams of horses drawing them. Also the English were keen on the green and brown uniforms supplied by the Egyptians. After Deneirzi engineered a victory of the despised 21st rifles over the 1st Guards, in a war game, where the 21st rifles technically took Queen Elizabeth Herself prisoner by creeping through a forest unobserved.

Agent Deneirzi or Colonel Denis as he was known to the English was a popular figure. He played golf and hunted. Although his last fox hunt was a fiasco. He blew away the fox with a 9 mm handgun before the hounds could catch it. A major faux pas. Shooting birds, deer and rabbits was OK but not foxes.

Agent Deneirzi noted the pattern on his pager. 3 beeps, pause, 2 beeps. 3 beeps. Immediate return to embassy. “Sorry General Westinghouse, but I have an urgent message. The men should store the rest of the rockets.” “Thank you Colonel Denis, quite understandable, duty calls us all.” The General said.

Agent Deneirzi arrived at the embassy in his 4wd Triton. The roads in England were awful. The message he received was hardly one to inspire confidence. “Use English troops and cross the Iroquois border. Capture without detection an Iroquois 3 to 5 ton container truck. Kill the drivers. Bring the truck back to London and await the arrival of Agent Ardent on a CRITICAL war mission. You are authorized to offer the secret of Steam Power to secure English cooperation.”

Three hours later Agent Deneirzi had his audience with Queen Elizabeth of the English Republic. He outlined the mission. Capture a truck. Load Ardent and his bomb. Sneak into Salmanca and blow up the Manhattan Project. Escape to Seville. “Yes all very well” said Elizabeth “Stopping Hiawatha the Vicious from getting Nuclear Weapons is a laudable objective. But from where I sit Hiawatha can squish us like a bug with his tanks. You are on an entirely different continent and have equivalent weapons. This had better be worth our while.”

“How does the secret of Steam Power and a supply of coal do ?” asked Agent Deneirzi. “Accepted” Said the Queen. “You may have the recon unit of the 1st Guard’s regiment. But disguise them as Egyptians. We can’t survive a war with the Iroquois.” Agent Deneirzi bowed and left.

A Meeting with Lincoln.

Bel Chamblis was comforted by the arrival of the Cavalry Captain Chuck Custer. His quick reasoning put the rest of the unit at ease. "Look the lil lady dropped out of the sky in daylight with a bright pink thingy - if she was a spy she'd come at night." With that he ordered a thorough search of her person and baggage, the only incriminating object was a razor sharp combat knife for cutting parachute shrouds.

Soon Bel was on her way into Washington on the back of a fine chesnut horse. Chuck Custer was along side her. He was horrified to learn that the Egyptians no longer regarded Cavalry as serious troops. More like fast recon infantry who were never expected to make an attack. But he was engrossed in her discussion of tanks, having never personally faced them.

Finally they arrived at the White House. To Custer's surprise they were ushered straight into the oval office.

"Greetings young lady. What brings you here." said Lincoln.

"I wish to propose a peace treaty between America and Egypt", Bel said.

"Is this going to be more permanent than the last one, the one Cleopatra cancelled when she realized our military was pathetic and she could just grab Long Island" said Lincoln tartly.

"We are both at war with Iroquois" said Bel "Surely you don't want to be at war with us too, especially with weapons we could give you. Here is a peace treaty signed by Cleopatra herself and a Banker's Cheque for 1000 gold.

"I'd take the peace treaty as is but we really need the gold" Said Lincoln "what do you say to an exchange of maps."

Fine said Bel proffering the map.

"Impressive" said Lincoln. "You Egyptians are driving them Iroquois A holes back in the North. Yet your weapons are equivalent, how are you doing this ?"

"Superior tactics mostly" said Bel. "Now out of curiosity what happened to our ambassador."

"We kept him under house arrest - I hope you did the same." said Lincoln.

"Of course" said Bel Chamblis. "By the way we are prepared to offer weapons and training to your troops for your war with Iroquois."

"My troops are brave enough" said Lincoln.

"But with camoflage uniferms and anti tank weapons they will be more effective. My other job is military attache once you release the ambassador."
said Bel.

"Very Good" said Lincoln. "What we need is replacable parts for proper infantry."

"I'll check with Thebes" said Bel. After a five minute converation on the radio she said "Approved."

"Don't think I have forgiven the Egyptians but your help against the Iroquois menace is not forgotten." said Lincoln.

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap: :clap::clap:

Very good!

On the Battleship Wrath of Ra

Battleship Wrath of Ra took up position on the most likely route the damaged Iroquois Destroyer would take. Captain Arundel had the search radar on. Most likely the Iroquois ship had lost its radar and radar warning masts in the bomber attack on it so was unlikely to detect the Battleship’s radar. And he didn’t want it slipping past. He didn’t have the speed to catch it. It was 5 AM.

“Radar contact bearing 056 range 31 km speed 14 knots heading 260.” called the Radar operator. The navigator drew in the contact on the plastic covered chart in red grease pencil. “Recommended course 030 to intercept” he said.
“Contact is in Javelin missile range” said the weapons officer.

“Make your heading 030” said the Captain. “We won’t fire until we have a visual ID. Nothing could be worse than sinking a French or Byzantine ship which will drag Egypt into a war on home soil with an ally. Launch the ARV.”

The ARV (airborne remote vehicle) was one of two carried by the Battleship. It was a pilotless drone used for identifying targets for the battleship’s guns. Painted sky blue and almost entirely made of carbon fibre, it was very hard for an enemy to detect, let alone shoot down. Five minutes later the little plane was fired from the bow catapult and winging its way to the contact at 80 knots. The drone made the trip in fifteen minutes and was now circling the target. The Infra Red camera view showed a destroyer of some sort. Probably Iroquois but Captain Arundel had to be sure. “Time to daylight ?” he asked. “25 minutes said the navigator. The contact will now be in gun range.” “Clear the decks and call General Quarters” ordered the captain.

As dawn broke the ARV spotted a purple flag with the black swastika of the Iroquois Fascist Nation on the rear of the destroyer. Also the ship could now be seen from the Wrath of Ra. No doubt the destroyer saw the battleship. “Missile launch called the Radar operator, The destroyer fired two missiles at us.” “Launch our Javelins.” Called the Captain. Four white antiship missiles blasted out of the bow launcher.

Without being told the Weapons officer started firing SAM’s at the incoming missiles. One missile exploded but the other kept coming. The weapons officer fired chaff rockets to distract the missile and activated the Close in Weapons System. The CIWS fired 12mm slugs at the missile at a prodigious rate of 50 per second. “Get Down Sir” yelled the navigator as he tacked the captain to the ground. There was an explosion as the missile was shot down a mere 70 metres away. The glass in the bridge shattered and the weapons officer was bleeding.
Still he watched the radar display. “The enemy is heading North trying to evade our missiles. They are still tracking. Two minutes later it was all over. The enemy destroyer could not fire SAMs to protect herself and all the missiles hit. They couldn’t see the ARV picture as the ship’s antenna had been destroyed.

“Damage report” Ordered the Captain. There was superficial scorching and damage to the antennas plus the bridge windows blown out. There were only minor injuries. “Go to the last known position of the destroyer.” Ordered the Captain.

There was nothing but some light debris on the water and no survivors. With that the Wrath of Ra headed South to the nearest port for repairs. Then it would be back to boring convoy escort duty.

Meanwhile on the Island of Isis a short sharp tank battle was played out. The lone Iroquois Modern Armor regiment landed on the Island was headed to the central city of Isis when the Egyptian 31st Modern Armor attacked the column from both flanks. There was a furious exchange of HEAT and Sabot rounds but the Iroquois regiment was cut in two and annihilated. They fought ferociously and fully half of the 31st Modern Armor was damaged or destroyed.

As Colonel Quentin of the 31st Modern Armor pointed out, if the enemy had landed six regiments of Modern Armor, they could have taken all four cities on the island. Two more Modern Armor regiments were airlifted to Isis in case the Iroquois tried that again. This meant that two fewer units could be shipped to Seville.

General Asiz and the 1st Modern Armor easily took the town of Oil Springs1 after the usual bomber pounding. They observed six worker units repairing the railroad to the oil field. The 27th Modern Armor Regiment was dispatched from Seville and captured them easily. The workers were told to continue work. Now Egypt had captured 2 cities on Ra and destroyed 5 more. It looked like Egypt was winning her war.

Finally the revolution was complete. It was quite an orderly transition. Now Egypt was a Communist nation and the flag was changed to a yellow flag with a single big red star.

Spy in Salamanca.

At her apartment Agent Nereida checked out a certain website. It was the Website of the English Embassy of the Egyptians and the first paragraph of the Embassy news had been changed to include the words Opera and Crash. That meant a message had been left for her. She checked the message board and downloaded file AOS 191. It was double encrypted and the message was to the point. Investigate the Manhattan Project in Salamanca. Determine the codes and paperwork necessary to get a truck into the loading bay. Mail the details to the following English Post Office Box 9117.

Agent Nereida was a sleeper agent. She had been introduced as a returning tourist Silver Willow. It took some plastic surgery to make her look the same and the real Silver Willow had been injured in a train crash in Egypt 17 years ago. Silver Willow had been a languages student in Thebes. When she was injured in the train crash an EIA agent spotted an opportunity to infiltrate a high level agent into the then friendly Iroquois Nation, and spirited her out of hospital. After intensive questioning, Agent Nereida was able to pass for her so well that she was able to go to the Iroquois Nation and even fool her family that their daughter was back. No doubt the real Silver Willow was now dead.

Agent Nereida easily obtained a PhD in Egyptian Language and Literature at Hiawatha University in Salamanca. She was easily able to obtain a position in the Iroquois Foreign Intelligence service, a rival agency to the ISS which was more military. Her perfect Egyptian language skills and the occasional EIA engineered intelligence coup ensured rapid promotion to Major. She was now the secretary of the head of Counter Intelligence General Grunting Bear. She was also his occasional bed partner which meant access to all his secrets plus the ability to manipulate him.

“General” she said, “I am deeply concerned that the Egyptians may make a bomb attack on the Manhattan Project here in Salamanca. The near success of the ISS attack in Thebes has me worried. I request your authorization to make a security audit on the Manhattan Project. If the Egyptians destroy it they will poison half of Salamanca with radioactive material and prevent Fuhrer Hiawatha getting nuclear weapons to use on the Gyppo swine.”

“Good idea” said General Grunting Bear “plus it shows we are more alert than those ISS thugs.”


Agent Nereida and a photographer spent 2 days making their report. Nereida was impressed. There was an anti tank ditch around the entire site patrolled around the clock by TOW infantry and only one massive steel gate. Every vehicle entering was stopped and searched by ISS troopers. Even civilian cars. The only vehicles not searched fully were a tanker containing diesel for the generators and a Container truck containing a steel cylinder with radiation warning labels on it. The tanker still had a plastic probe inserted in the tank and the drivers of the container truck were made to get out while a man in a radiation suit drove it into the massive building.

“What was in the steel cylinder” Nereida asked one of the drivers, showing her ID. “Nuclear fuel. Its radioactive as anything and has to be unloaded in the radioactive materials loading bay near the reactor. That’s an ultra top secret area.” Nereida made a point of having photos of all aspects of the nuclear fuel transfer taken. This seemed the only weak link. Truthfully the only way to be sure of taking out the site was by a massive bomber attack but her orders were to make the attempt.

That evening she finished her report. She essentially said the only danger was from a carrier launched bomber raid and that mobile SAM systems should be moved to Salamanca to counter that threat. She made 3 copies. One was packed with a cheap small painting, between the painting and its backboard, and sent to England.

Awesome update! :D:thumbsup:

Counting Crow comes Home.

Counting Crow made it past the Egyptian Byzantine border. Surprisingly neither side had manned the border posts. Egypt and the Byzantines had been neighbors since the Dawn of Time and had never had a war. He spent a miserable 3 days there trying to figure out a way home. He was using his Quentin ID, that of an Egyptian businessman who traded electronics, which explained his appalling Byzantine Greek.

At the port of Adrianople, Counting Crow was able to board a trade ship to neutral India. In India he made contact through the Iroquois embassy. His commanding officer ISS General Red Cloud was surprised to find him alive and congratulated him on the carnage he caused in Thebes. His next order made him happy. He was to head a task force to find an Egyptian spy. Somehow the Egyptians knew how weakly the Northern Cities were defended and could find and smash Iroquois naval counterattacks.

He flew back on the next available diplomatic flight and began work. How could the spy communicate to Egypt from Iroquois land. Military radio detectors could find no anomalous signals. That left computers and landlines. Counting Crow himself had used a computer to communicate to the Iroquois Embassy computer in London. The Egyptians also had a server at their English embassy. So presumably the spy was communicating through that.

Counting Crow was no expert on computers so he hired four postgraduate students from the IT faculty of Hiawatha University in Salamanca to assist him.
Their first task was to check the main computer of the Ministry of War.

Meanwhile in Salamanca


Marshall Brown Bear was sweating despite the air conditioning in the main hall of Hiawatha’s palace. The row of purple swastika flags and the victorious battle pictures showing the story of Iroquois military successes took up both walls. The Marshall stared at a picture of Iroquois Mounted Warriors massacring some English Archers, the event that triggered the Iroquois Golden Age. Brown Bear was fairly short and overweight, hardly like the lithe muscular warriors in the painting. As Marshall of the Northern Marches he had presided over defeat after defeat to the Egyptians.

“You may enter Sir” said a Major of the ISS as he gave the Fascist salute. “Please hand me your pistol.” The Major took the gun and searched Brown Bear for other weapons. “The Fuhrer will see you now.”

Hiawatha sat imperiously in a golden throne wearing his Eagle feather headdress. To his right was Military Advisor Sitting Bull and to his left was Foreign Affairs advisor Geronimo. Marshall Grey Wolf of the Central Army Group and conqueror of the Inca was next to Sitting Bull, looking smug. Brown Bear began to give the Fascist salute but had his arm twisted behind his back by an SS captain and he was tripped to the ground.

“Crawl Worm.” Said Hiawatha. “You are a disgrace to your uniform. Now explain why you have let five our cities be destroyed and another two captured while that witch Cleopatra laughs at us.”

“My Fuhrer, the Egyptians have all the advantages. They have air supremacy and use it to fatally weaken my Mechanized Infantry with their infernal bombers. They have Modern Armor Armies that no unit can stop. Finally they can reinforce Seville both by air and sea, while I had no reinforcements. The navy has done nothing to stop their convoys while our convoys get sunk. Finally I lost all six of my modern armor regiments and eight mechanized infantry units in our surprise attack on Seville that you ordered. Then all of my bombers, the ones not shot down were transferred South for the war on Inca.”

“How many Egyptian units have you destroyed ?” asked Sitting Bull. “None but we damaged some.” Said Brown Bear. “Unacceptable !” yelled Sitting Bull. “Take off your tunic. And put this on.” Sitting Bull tossed an Infantry Private’s shirt at Brown Bear. “For your Incompetence you are hereby demoted to Private and forfeit all pension rights. I am being kind because Hiawatha says you deserve an honorable death in battle. If it was up to me you would be staked to an anthill. Now get out !”

Brown Bear left. Two minutes later there was a single pistol shot from the hall. The SS Major entered looking upset “Sorry My Fuhrer but the Marshall…” “Get the mess cleaned up and leave us Major” said Sitting Bull.

“Foreign Minister you had news.” said Hiawatha.

“The Egyptians refuse to consider a peace treaty as they claim they won’t betray their allies the French and the Byzantines. They have also changed governments from Republic to Communism. This means they have eliminated war weariness and boosted production in corrupt cities like Seville. It will also slow their scientific research but not by much as they no longer have to pay military support costs. The only road to peace is to get the Byzantines and French to make peace with us and then the Egyptians probably will. It would be nice to eliminate the Egyptian presence on our continent before we make peace with them.” Said Geronimo.

“It would be nice to eliminate the Egyptians period. When the Manhattan Project is complete we will have a weapon they cannot withstand. We already have Satellites and Uranium.” Said Hiawatha.

Geronimo continued. “Egypt has made peace with America and offers considerable military aid and cheap technology to both England and America. Already our troops have faced American Infantry and they are carrying Egyptian repeating rifles. Peace with America may be advisable until the war with Egypt is over. Finally India and Byzantines have signed a mutual protection pact and as we are importing Indian silks it might be advisable to avoid attacking the Byzantines. I therefore propose we make peace with the French, Byzantines and Americans and concentrate our forces on the Egyptian threat.

“Approved but you are not to make peace with the Americans. Lincoln is a treacherous snake for making a separate peace with England 1200 years ago and deserves to be crushed like a worm.” Said Hiawatha. Geronimo left to make his deals.

“Now Grey Wolf, new Marshall of the Northern Marches, you said you had a plan.” Said Hiawatha.

“A modern armor army can be destroyed. Attack it with five modern armor regiments and it will be destroyed for the loss of about three regiments. If there are other defensive units we need extra offensive units to kill them so we can ensure the destruction of the army. On the first day of the war we nearly destroyed a modern armor army but there was a second army in Seville. We didn’t throw enough units at Seville on the first day of the war and it has cost us dear. Armies are very quick to recover from losses and rearm so we must ensure we attack in sufficient strength to make sure we destroy them. Also using bombers on armies weakens them without loss.”

“So you thing we can win ?” asked Hiawatha. “What is your plan ?”

“I therefore propose we transfer all our bombers to Cattaugas and amass a force of at least twenty modern armor. We then attack Oil Springs1 and destroy the army there. Meanwhile we bomb Seville around the clock and try to destroy their airport and the bombers on the ground. Finally we build some jet fighters to take out their bombers. Fighters give better area coverage than SAMs and the Egyptians are very unpredictable in their attacks. It is vital that we keep our modern armor in cities during the day to protect them from air attack.” Said Grey Wolf.

Sitting Bull said “Grey Wolf has proved himself against the Inca. If we start production of Modern Armor in almost all cities and in five days use forced labor to complete them then we will have sufficient force to drive the Egyptians into the Sea. We can use Cavalry and Mechanized Infantry to hold the Americans in the South. Once we have taken Seville we will have built a sufficient force that Egypt cannot land on our continent successfully and we can squish America like a bug.”

“Approved.” Said Hiawatha. “Iroquois will shake off the disgraces we have endured and emerge the preeminent military power on the planet.”

Geronimo entered the room saying “I have good news and bad news.”

“The bad news is some female Byzantine signals lieutenant told me that Theodora had no interest in speaking to drooling barbarians. The good news is that Joan of Arc is willing to speak to you personally.”

A technician adjusted the telescreen and Joan appeared, bald and in a grotty T-shirt. After the usual pleasantries Hiawatha got down to business. He offered a peace treaty.

Joan was outraged “You think I will betray a holy alliance with Egypt for nothing what kind of whore do you take me for ?”

“How about a peace treaty and we give you the secret of Ecology” said Hiawatha.

“I accept. Said Joan. Hiawatha knew she was an expensive whore.

“Now I have another deal for you my friend” said Hiawatha. “We will give you the secret of Computers in exchange for a Mutual Protection Pact. You can have some lovely Mechanized Infantry.”

“And get dragged into a war with Egypt on Cleopatra’s continent. You have Mechanized Infantry and Cleopatra is kicking your butt. Sorry but I don’t feel suicidal today.” said Joan. “I will let your diplomats out of jail and my diplomats will arrive in Salamanca on the first available flight. Goodbye Hiawatha.”

“So that concludes our meeting, lets win this war !” said Hiawatha.

Very good! :goodjob:

Back in England.

Agent Deneirzi surveyed his troops. They were armed with Egyptian E80 carbines, a fair likeness to the Iroquois M22. The English troops had dressed in a good facsimile of Iroquois Military Police uniforms and darkened their faces and hands with theatrical makeup. When the Iroquois became a Fascist nation Hiawatha declared that white skinned people were subhuman and rallied the native Iroquois in a vicious pogrom against English and Spanish citizens. The whiteys were blamed for the poor economy, laziness, tax cheating and spreading disease. England, America and the Egyptian city of Seville received many refugees but far more perished in forced labor camps. One thing was certain, the English loathed the Iroquois.

They rode through the night to a major highway. A corporal’s guard took their horses to a forest while Deneirzi and the rest of the men set up a road block. Deneirzi set himself up as a Major and he had an impressive set of forged written orders drawn up by embassy experts. A couple of the men spoke fluent Iroquois, being refugees, and they pulled over several vehicles. They claimed to be looking for deserters.

No suitable truck appeared. A full General appeared in a luxury jeep along with his driver. This was too good an opportunity to miss.
“Looking for deserters eh?” said the General. “Shooting is too good for them.”
“I agree – want to see what we’re doing with the ones we caught ? Come with me.” Said Deneirzi.

Deneirzi and a couple of English privates led the General and his driver out of sight of the road. Without warning Deneirzi pulled out a Tomahawk silenced 9mm pistol and shot the driver in the head. “You are deserting your command General and fleeing to England. What unit are you from ?” he yelled.
Between the pleading and the denials the General was a mine of information. He was a logistics officer in charge of reconstituting damaged Modern Armor regiments for a major attack against the Egyptians in 5 days. The General also said the shot driver was the youngest son of Sitting Bull, given a safe war posting as aide to a logistics officer and that Deneirzi’s whole unit would be eaten by ants for killing him.

“I am an Egyptian Infiltrator” said Deneirzi and he shot the General in the forehead. “Bury them” he ordered the two shocked privates.

Meanwhile the road block had come up trumps. They had stopped a refrigerated 3 ton truck full of beer and wine. The English Major was in a quandary.

“The driver overheard some of the men speaking in English and if we ever release him he will tell the Iroquois and they will destroy England. What do I do?”

Deneirzi took out his combat knife and buried it up to the hilt in the driver’s head.

“You Egyptians kill too easily, he was a civilian!” yelled the Major.

“True but the Iroquois killed over 300 in a bomb attack in Thebes and they have killed hundreds of thousands of their English civilians. I take full responsibility for this.” Said Deneirzi. “I will drive the truck but somebody has to drive the jeep.” Of course the Major volunteered to drive the jeep. Luckily the jeep had an automatic transmission, the Iroquois really were wimps. To placate the English Deneirzi offered to deliver the truck’s contents to their barracks. This drew a chorus of “Huzzahs”.

The exfiltration was carried out without incident except at one stage the English Major couldn’t find a “jump ditch” button on the jeep, unlike on a horse, and had to be towed out of it by the truck.

There was a big party at the barracks that night and the two vehicles were delivered to the Egyptian embassy. The next day Agent Ardent was due to arrive. Deneirzi had thought through the mission. The jeep was an essential escape vehicle. Meanwhile the English troopers nursed their hangovers.

Attack on Mauch Chunk.

From Caughwanga, the closest Iroquois city was Mauch Chunk, which had a supply of dyes. Cleopatra had made it clear she was giving taking and holding Mauch Chunk absolute top priority, even more important than holding Seville. She was annoyed by the French duplicity in making a separate peace with the Iroquois, but she was determined to honour the alliance with the Byzantines. When that expired she would make peace with Iroquois but wanted Mauch Chunk in her possession when that happened.

Only six bomber squadrons had been transferred to Caughwauga and so the bombardment of Mauch chunk was less effective. Also some bomber squadrons had been transferred to Isis as Iroquois destroyers were bombarding cities. It was ineffective bombardment but the citizens expected to be defended so the bombers were sent to sink them.

Hence the 1st and 2nd Modern Armor Armies would attack Mauch Chunk. This left Caughuanga defended by only 2 Mechanized Infantry and 1 Modern Armor regiments. But based on the lack of Iroquois counterattacks, General Alida felt this to be a risk worth taking. The two armies set off for Caughwauga. General Asiz’s 1st Modern Armor Army would attack first.

At dawn the 1st Modern Armor Army attacked. Facing them was a full strength Mechanized Infantry regiment. The enemy vehicles were well dug in behind earth or rubble presenting only their missile/cannon turrets to the attackers. A number of attacking tanks were hit and some destroyed by missile fire from the defending vehicles and infantry. But weight of numbers told and Egyptian tanks were able to break the line at several points and flank the defenders. The tanks were able to take the infantry vehicles from the side or even the rear and blow them away with point blank HEAT rounds.

Machine gun fire from tank commanders killed large numbers of infantry and forced the rest to take cover. A few tank commanders were killed by rifle fire, but their vehicles fought on. A second Mechanized Infantry unit tried to counterattack, but were no match for tanks in a close range shoot out. After only 40 minutes two defending regiments had been destroyed, but a third had been found. General Asiz had lost about 40% of his strength so he wisely allowed the 2nd Modern Armor Army to engage the final defenders.

The city was quickly taken and Egyptian infantry now went house to house
clearing out pockets of resistance and arresting all men and teenage boys. The lesson of Caughwauga had been learned and the Egyptians weren’t going to leave any possible terrorists free. The men were set to work clearing up after the battle and setting up a harbor to export the dyes in case the rail route to Seville was cut.

Two MI regiments and a Mobile SAM regiment were driven in from Seville. All of the bombers in Seville were transferred to a hastily graded airstrip in Mauch Chunk. General Alida was worried. His forces were now spread across 4 cities, none of which could hold out a determined attack. He decided to abandon Oil Springs1. The units there razed the town to the ground and then were redeployed.

If there was a serious Iroquois counterattack he planned to abandon Caughwauga, and if necessary Seville. No reinforcements had arrived for two days as the Island of Isis was being reinforced given the Iroquois naval interest in it. By any objective standard General Alida had pulled off a miracle. Six cities destroyed and two captured and not a single unit lost. He hoped his luck would continue. Now would be a good time for the war to end.

“For your Incompetence you are hereby demoted to Private and forfeit all pension rights. I am being kind because Hiawatha says you deserve an honorable death in battle. If it was up to me you would be staked to an anthill. Now get out !”

Brown Bear left. Two minutes later there was a single pistol shot from the hall. The SS Major entered looking upset “Sorry My Fuhrer but the Marshall…” “Get the mess cleaned up and leave us Major” said Sitting Bull.

"Staked to an anthill"--sheesh. Now that is one cold customer. No wonder all the Iroquois's neighbors called them "snakes" (the actual translation of the word "iroquois").

:D Good story! :D

The Salmon strikes again.

The Salmon was patrolling the West coast of the Egyptian island of Isis. Already the Iroquois had landed a modern armor regiment on Isis that was destroyed by the then single modern armor regiment. Now three modern armor regiments were on Isis to destroy Iroquois landings. But it was better that Iroquois transport ships were sunk at sea.

“Surface contacts bearing 75.” called the sonar operator. Two minutes later he said “Definite two Iroquois destroyers and a large noisy contact, sounds like a transport. The destroyers have their active sonar off.” Now the Iroquois were using proper transports instead of Galleons making their convoys faster and more dangerous.

“Make depth 15 metres, lets call it in.” ordered Captain Tukal. “No contact on ESM mast.” Reported the radio operator. “The Iroquois have their radars off.”
The Iroquois were not radiating sonar or radar, they were trying to sneak in.

Captain Tukal radioed the Admiralty for instructions and support. It was not forthcoming. The bombers assigned to coastal defence were returning to base after destroying one of the destroyers that had been harassing the coast of Isis with its 12.5 cm guns. The bombers could not be refueled and armed and make a strike that day. By the next morning the convoy would have landed its troops, up to six Modern Armor regiments, which would make a dangerous battle for the defending land forces on Isis. Potentially the Iroquois could take and destroy 2 cities of 60,000 people each. The orders were simple. SSN Salmon had to sneak past the destroyer screen and take out the transport.

If the destroyers were using active sonar the mission would be impossible. But the Salmon was near the path of the convoy and ahead of it. By rigging for ultra quiet and letting the convoy pass 3000 metres to the North the Salmon could make an attack from the rear quarter where hopefully the sound of torpedo fire would be hidden in the baffles of the destroyers until it was too late. In the confusion the Salmon could run East at flank speed and hopefully escape.

“Rig for ultra quiet and make speed 3 knots course 070” ordered Tukal.

All over the ship men stopped activities that would make noise. Pots and pans in the galley were placed in polystyrene holders. Men off duty went to their bunks, to read or in some cases to pray to Ra, an activity now frowned on in the Egyptian Socialist state. The reactor pumps were turned off as coolant convection was sufficient at low power settings. The only noise was from the torpedo room where all four torpedo tubes were loaded with Mark 50 torpedoes for the engagement to come.

The waiting was interminable. The nearest destroyer passed a mere 3200 metres away but Tukal was confident. He had once snuck within 2000 metres of an Egyptian destroyer in an exercise so even if the Iroquois passive sonar was twice as good, the inverse square law meant that they should still be safe. Also the convoy was moving at 30 knots which meant Iroquois sonar should be severely degraded. They may even fail to hear torpedoes launched from behind them.

“I have a solution on all 3 targets” said the weapons officer. “Range to transport is 3500 metres at closest approach.

“Fire tubes 1 and 2 at the transport at the minimum range. Fire 3 at the closest destroyer. Fire 4 at the far destroyer but be prepared to redirect weapon at the transport.” Ordered Tukal. In the quiet rigged submarine the sound of the torpedo firings seemed incredibly loud. The Iroquois destroyers could hardly fail to notice this.

To be continued……………………………

Preparing to strike.

Agent Ardent arrived at the airfield, hastily graded by Egyptian and English workmen near London. On the plane with him was a sinister looking stainless steel cylinder with radiation warning stickers all over it. A forklift borrowed from the embassy was used to transfer the 1.3 ton cylinder from the transport plane to the captured truck. The cylinder was placed on wooden holders in the truck so it would not roll around and tied securely with steel cables.

Agent Deneirzi was driving the truck. “So what’s the plan” he asked Agent Ardent. “Basically our agent in Salamanca will disable the regular nuclear fuel truck. We disguise this one as an army truck used as a replacement. We drive it to the checkpoint. Then the Iroquois will drive it into their radioactive materials loading bay. Then the bomb will go off as soon as someone opens the inner door or by timer. The bomb is one ton of Octal, our most powerful explosive. That should collapse the roof above and bring down the Iroquois reactor. Then we escape to Seville in that jeep you stole.”

“That sounds like a lot to go wrong.” said Deneirzi, “What do we do if someone inspects the cylinder?”

“The bomb is in the inner part of the cylinder. Between the bomb and the main hatch is a second hatch and we have put some highly radioactive nuclear waste outside it. Nobody is going to shovel that out of the way to open the inner hatch. We have radiation suits and detectors. We leave tonight and cross the Iroquois border at dawn.”

Meanwhile in Salamanca Agent Nereida was worried. She had to disable a nuclear fuel truck at 2 PM the next day. The driver was hardly going to stop and let her pop the hood and remove the distributor cap. She studied the photo of the truck. There was one area of vulnerability and the Iroquois Foreign Intelligence Service had the right tool for the job. Nereida spent a stress relieving 20 minutes at the firing range. She shot 83% bulls eyes. Normally she never shot less than 90%. She got the range master to call the armorer and headed up to get more ammunition.

Grey Cloud was an agent put on light duties after he shattered a kneecap during a botched parachute jump. He was friendly to Nereida as they shared a strong love of shooting. “I need some more ammunition for my Tomahawk. I only shot an 83 today and need more practice. Don’t get up, I’ll get it.” Nereida told him.

Nereida entered the armory. At the back she found what she was really after. Called the Instant Locksmith, the cigarette box sized shaped charge, magnetically attached devices were used to make forced entries to locked doors. They should make a real mess of a truck fuel tank. These went to the bottom of Nereida’s handbag. On the way out she took a 100 round box of 9mm ball for her Tomahawk. She left.

At Grey Cloud’s desk she signed for the ammunition. “Hey I have something great for you!” said Grey Cloud. He handed her two Tomahawk magazines. Nereida took out a bullet. It had five claw shaped points on the tip. “That’s the Eagle’s Claw. The claws shear off on impact and shred anything in their path. 100% instant kill rate from a head shot and better than 90% in 2 minutes from a chest shot. Its been tested in executions.”

“Has it been issued to our troops?” asked Nereida feigning interest.

“No it has poor armor penetration and Egyptian troops wear Kevlar body armor. It was specifically designed for the security services.”

“Thanks. I hope I’ll never need it.” Said Nereida. “I got work to do. Bye Grey Cloud.”

Ohh! The potential! The Danger! It's too much!

Great Job!:goodjob:

This is thrilling! *renews subscription*:D

Return to the Salmon.

When we left Captain Tukal and the plucky crew of the Salmon they had just fired a salvo of torpedoes at a convoy.

“All weapons running hot straight and normal. Torpedo impact time 2 minutes on the transport, later on the destroyers.” Said the weapons officer. There was a hush in the control room. They might pull off this mission, they may even survive. So far there was no indication that the destroyers had heard the torpedoes.

Captain Tukal faced a dilemma. To optimize his chances of escape he should cut the wires to the torpedoes now and race East. But that risked not destroying the transport and the consequences of that would be dire for the defenders on Isis. He decided to remain silent for now and guide his weapons.

“Activate torpedoes at thirty seconds to impact. Guide one into the stern of the transport and two into its amidships. Cut the wires on three and four” ordered Tukal. When the order was carried out all of the weapons started active pinging. The destroyers had to notice that.

There was a loud boom. “Impact from weapon 1 on transport.” Reported the sonar officer. Twenty seconds later there was another boom. “Second hit on transport, I am getting breaking up noises. Southern destroyer is turning South. There is a contact behind it making loud pinging noises. Some sort of decoy or torpedo jammer. Our torpedo is homing on that. Destroyer has turned on active sonar !” There was the sound of another explosion. “Continuing active sonar, we missed the destroyer.”

“Crash dive to 200 metres. Make course 90 speed full, we’ve done our job, lets get out of here.” Ordered Tukal. Although gratifying, it was too great a risk to go to periscope depth and see if the transport was sunk. The destroyers would be bound to have their radars on now. The submarine dove and accelerated. Tukal’s plan was to get under the thermal layer and degrade the destroyer’s sonar performance. Then if the destroyer captain guessed wrong about the Salmon’s firing position and course, the Salmon would open enough range to escape.

“Enemy torpedoes behind us. Range about 5 km. I think they were launched from the destroyer. They are now below the layer too. I think we can outrun them” said the sonar operator. “Let’s make sure, go to flank speed.” Ordered Tukal. The submarine accelerated to its maximum speed of 28 knots. But the Iroquois destroyer could make 35 knots. Salmon could not make a drastic course change without letting the weapons catch up.

“Ra protect us all! Torpedo 2 km dead ahead, must be an ASROC launch ! Torpedo is under the layer.” Yelled the sonar officer. “There’s another bearing 030 range 4 km and another bearing 155 range 5 km”

“Stay professional” growled the captain. “On my mark make depth 60 metres fast and deploy two noisemakers. We’ll try to trick the nearest torpedo into going under us. Our Iroquois friends are just scattering weapons all over the ocean. 3,2,1 GO!” called the captain. “All hands brace for depth charge!”

Men grabbed for handholds as the deck tilted up by 25 degrees. “You did it sir!” called the sonar operator. “Torpedo went under us! Oh Seth’s balls, the destroyer is only 6 km behind us and has us on active sonar !”

“Torpedo tubes one and two reloaded. I have a firing solution” called the weapons officer. “Fire one” called the Captain. This was a dangerous procedure as the weapon had to be guided around the submarine to engage the target behind it. With the destroyer chasing the torpedo would close on it at over 80 knots relative velocity and hopefully force it to reverse course or even hit it. But the destroyer had ASROC and sure enough….

“Torpedo in the water dead ahead range about 1 km. Torpedo behind us range 500m, we’ve been bracketed. Shouldn’t we dive sir?” asked the sonar operator.

“That would kill us all. All stop. Emergency surface. Brace for impact. Prepare to abandon ship!” called Tukal. The submarine broached the surface and fully half of the hull was exposed to the air. The destroyer began a radical turn South presumably to evade the torpedo.

“The ASROC is an anti submarine weapon. It may not engage a stationary surface target. Besides which, if we get hit we can abandon ship.”

“I can’t read anything on sonar over all this wave noise” said the sonar operator.

There was a shattering explosion and all standing men were jolted off their feet.

“Flooding in the torpedo room!” squawked the intercom. There was another explosion from the stern.

“Abandon ship” ordered the captain. Men rushed into the control room, some helping injured comrades. The evacuation was surprisingly orderly. The emergency button was pressed, deploying orange life rafts into the water. The radio officer sent a signal giving the position and claiming the kill of the transport. Then he and the captain were the last men off. By this stage the submarine had sunk to the sail.

The captain and crew of the Salmon watched as their gallant vessel sank beneath the waves for the last time. Meanwhile the destroyer must have evaded the last torpedo as it was now headed for them. But its guns weren’t firing. A blinker light flashed. “Y-O-U---P-R-I-S-N-E-R—W-E—N-O—H-U-R-T.” in Egyptian.

The crew of the Salmon was picked up without incident. Captain Tukal to his great surprise was piped aboard with visiting captain’s honors. “I be Captain Cloudy Dolphin. Good battle – you lose – we lose badder” said the destroyer Captain. “Hiawatha say Egypt race nearly superior race like us so we honour prisoner like Cleopatra treat Iroquois prisoner good. Hiawatha want meet you. We go Iroquois before you bomber come.”

The other destroyer hove into view. It had picked up the few survivors from the transport. For the cost of a nuclear submarine Egypt had destroyed five modern armor regiments and their transport. Both destroyers slunk back to an Iroquois port. They had failed badly. Captain Cloudy Dolphin hoped the captured crew of the Salmon would demonstrate some success.

That was my last submarine. Maybe I should build more but they seem overly delicate in CIV terms.

That was my last submarine. Maybe I should build more but they seem overly delicate in CIV terms.
That sucks.

This is a tense story! :clap:

Bomb Attack in Salamanca

The two Egyptian agents, Ardent and Deneirzi set off at 3 AM. Deneirzi was wearing the uniform of an Iroquois SS Major and drove the jeep. Ardent was dressed as an SS Sergeant and drove the truck. It was quite tricky driving on the mud tracks the English called roads. Finally they reached the border. The border post was unmanned so they proceeded onto the highway.

They were able to make a speed of 110 km/h on the highway so they should easily reach Salamanca by 1:00 PM to make the attack at 2:00 PM. Illegally agent Deneirzi took out the mobile phone taken from the unfortunate truck driver.

“Yes” said a drowsy agent Nereida after 8 rings.

“The cargo shipment is on its way and will be delivered at two. Please ensure the invoice is ready for us” said Deneirzi.

“I think you have the wrong number Sir” said Nereida, then she hung up. Now her mission was on.

Meanwhile the truck and the jeep came to a military police check point. The Lieutenant in charge gave a stiff armed salute which Deneirzi returned.
“Papers” he barked. Deneirzi handed him an SS ID and a letter. The ID was for Major Cunning Coyote and the letter stated.
“This cargo is ultra top secret essential for a military project rated AAA1 priority by Hiawatha himself. Any persons interfering with its prompt delivery will face the severest consequences. Signed Sitting Bull.”

The letter was too much for the MP and he waved on the two vehicles as soon as he could. The rest of the trip was uneventful and the other three checkpoints were passed with equal ease. Iroquois National Socialist society had a strict hierarchy and the SS were very near the top. At 12 the two agents stopped at a roadside diner on the outskirts of Salamanca. The food was awful and the coffee worse.

“I had better take the truck from here on in. I have better documents” said Deneirzi. We had better revise our exit strategy. The jeep must not be seen anywhere near the site so pick me up at the Museum of Iroquois Glory at 3:00.”

Ardent nodded. He attacked the tough steak and greasy chips again. The steak was probably horse. He studied the map. It was a quick train trip for Deneirzi to get to the Museum.

At 7:00 Agent Nereida called in sick. Now she needed to establish an alibi. She went to her doctor at 9:00 complaining of flu. In the waiting room she ate the cordite from two pistol rounds. That gave her a sweaty grey pallor and made her feel very nauseous. She felt she overdid it when she threw up on the doctor’s floor. The doctor gave her a medical certificate and called her boss, General Grunting Bear. This was the first sick day Nereida had taken.

When she felt she had recovered from her self inflicted flu, Nereida went back to her apartment and ensured that she endured an hour long conversation with her boring nosy neighbor Gay Squirrel, who had never seen her except at night and on occasional weekends. After begging off claiming a need to sleep, Nereida went into her apartment and disguised herself with dark makeup and a long reddish brown wig. She dressed in the new red motorbike leathers and white helmet and left, ensuring she didn’t pass by Gay Squirrel’s door.

She walked to the carpark and got on the bright yellow trail bike she rented under a false name the previous day. The two stroke engine was noisy as she took off to wait at highway six. It was an hour long wait before her target appeared.

The white nuclear fuel truck was escorted by a chase car containing four armed ISS agents. Agent Nereida followed them waiting for her chance. When the truck had to pull up at an intersection for a red light she pounced. She deliberately stalled the bike and leaned against the truck. With her left hand she affixed a magnetic “Instant Locksmith” to the front of the fuel tank where it would be invisible to the escort car. She restarted the bike. When the light turned green she took off like a scalded cat and turned right as soon as she could.

Two minutes later the little shaped charge went off turning the fuel tank into a fireball. The driver braked and escaped without injury. At the time nobody connected the explosion to the clumsy motorcyclist at the previous intersection.

Agent Deneirzi finally reached the gates to the Manhattan Project. The whole site was surrounded by an anti tank ditch and a concrete wall except for a single gate with a drawbridge that was currently up. The usual checkpoint patter of agent Deneirzi didn’t work on the gate officer who dressed as an SS Lieutenant Colonel.

“This is not the usual truck and you are not the usual driver. Where is your escort?” said the officer.

“The original truck broke down and my division was given the task of transporting this nuclear fuel. I don’t want anything to do with it. I’m getting irradiated here and I might want more kids one day” Deneirzi said showing a photo of himself with his real family. “Look I have a radiation detector, I’ll prove its nuclear fuel.”

With that he switched on a Geiger counter which made machinegun like clicking noises. When he opened the back of the truck it sounded like radio static. It also read 3 mR/hr which was quite high. The gate officer confirmed this with his own device.

“Well alright then. The boffins will send over their tech guys to pick up this load. It takes them two hours to unload it so you may as well go to the café and get some lunch.” Said the gate guard.

Deneirzi was keen to comply and walked to the café quickly, using all his self control not to run. Once inside he went to the toilet and stuffed his SS Major uniform in to the toilet cistern and burned all the papers relating to his SS ID, and flushed them. He was a bit chilled wearing only his shirt as he made his way out from the kitchen of the café. He took the subway to the Museum of Iroquois Glory.

He was half an hour early so he spent an absorbing 20 minutes looking at the latest dioramas. The Iroquois were very into graphic realism. In a display of Iroquois cavalry routing some Spanish conquistadores, many of the Spanish dead had limbs hacked off or their guts spilling out. And the Iroquois used stuffed horses in their displays.

Agent Ardent was right on time. When Deneirzi hopped into the Jeep he got a jacket for a Modern Armor Major. Ardent was already dressed as a Captain. They wove through the late afternoon traffic heading North.

Agent Neireda had returned the bike which had been rented under her false ID. She disposed of the red wig and motorbike leathers by weighing them with bricks and submerging them in the Hiawatha River. She took a taxi to her local shopping mall and bought some flu remedies. It was lucky she thought of that. When she arrived at her apartment, she found her boss General Grunting Bear. With him was a weasel faced man in a trench coat. Grunting Bear introduced him as Agent Counting Crow of the ISS.

“There has been a bomb attack on the Manhattan Project. Somebody got about a ton of high grade explosive into the loading bay in the fuel delivery truck and set it off. The reactor fell down and lost its coolant lines so there was a partial meltdown. Nothing can be repaired as the site is too radioactive. About 700 people were killed including a number of top atomic scientists and we have to evacuate 200 000 people.” Said Counting Crow.


Agent Nereida had no trouble feigning horror, not so much for the success of the mission, but the fact that an ISS agent wanted to talk to her so soon. What had she done wrong?

Counting Crow went on. “As you have recently written an independent report on security at the Project Site and are an expert on Egyptian intelligence services and methods, I would like to second you to my team to investigate this outrage. Hiawatha himself wants answers and he wants the culprits to die slowly and painfully. I know you are sick but I would really appreciate you reporting to me at ISS HQ at 800 tomorrow.”

Meanwhile the two Egyptian agents headed North on the Jeep. They were listening to the radio. Apparently three suburbs had to be evacuated in Salamanca due to some Egyptian radiological bomb. “Look in the glovebox” said Ardent. Inside was a small bottle of real French Champagne. The two men drank joyfully and threw the bottle out the side.

Then the radio said “In International News, according to the Indian News Service the Witch Queen Theodora announced the successful testing of a Nuclear Weapon constructed in Adrianople. Our Glorious Fuhrer has ordered the construction of a number of nuclear missiles with which we can bring the war to the Egyptian mass murderers and their cowardly mercenary Byzantine allies…..”

Awesome! BTW, in your sig, you can make the link look like this (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=161020&goto=newpost) if you do this: {url=http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=161020&goto=newpost]The Egytpt Iriquios War [/url]

But the first url has a [ instead of a {

;)

And BTW with the help of the you can post anything without becoming a smiley or link or anything else. Like this:

The Egypt Iroquois War (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=161020&goto=newpost)

Quote my post to see exactly how you can do it.

Thanks for the advice.

Ive had a heap of marking and parent teacher interviews so I've been unable to post for a while. Hope this helps.

Briefing in Oil Springs.

Field Marshall Grey Wolf took the stage. In front of him were over 200 senior officers of modern armor regiments.

“Men. We are suffering a national disgrace to our North. The Egyptians are destroying and capturing our cities at will. Believe it or not they have not lost a single ground unit to us. The reasons for this are twofold. Their modern armor armies are far more powerful than any of our units. Their air superiority means they can bombard effectively and destroy our cities defenders with little risk. Finally we have been concentrating on destroying the Inca who have been our enemies from time immemorial.”

The officers stared at him with the glazed expression of those being told the obvious.

Grey Wolf continued. “My predecessor was incompetent and under equipped. General Alida of the Egyptians is a careful but aggressive commander. He razes cities rather than spread his forces too thinly to defend them all. His logistics and use of air power are excellent. But our Iroquois Fatherland will defeat him. We are fighting a mere holding action against the puny Americans and we are committing all of our modern Armor and bombers against the Egyptians. We will strike first at Caughwauga where we will destroy their 3rd Modern Armor Army and liberate our people. Hand up who wants to be the first unit into the attack.

A few then more and finally all hands were raised. There was a chorus of “Heil Hiawathas.”

“It is only fair to draw lots for this honour. Each regimental commander is to take a number from the bowl held by the lovely maiden at the front. The number will give the order in which I commit you to the attack.” Continued Grey Wolf.

The Colonels queued up to take their numbers. The seventh man yelled out “I’m number one!” Soon the order of battle was established. There was little finesse to the plan. Each unit in order would converge on Caughwauga and attack the Egyptians until there were no defenders left.

“Sir” asked a lieutenant colonel, “what about nuclear weapons”. Grey Wolf had to think. “We have no plans to use nukes in this battle. It’s our city and we want to recapture it. Although the Egyptians can build nuclear weapons they will not waste them in this battle. But they will use their bombers.”

That afternoon a river of tanks, fuel and ammo trucks headed North. The attack was to begin the next day.

The Nuclear Menace.

It was a cold day in Thebes. The drab colours favoured by the new regime were reflected in the overcast sky. In the Palace Cleopatra had called a cabinet meeting. Cleopatra was wearing a grey expensive fur coat and the heating was turned off.

As usual, Professor Cheops the science advisor, made his report.

“I have studied the data we have from the Byzantines and we have conducted our first nuclear test on a raft out in our Southern sea. Unlike the Byzantines who built a Uranium 235 bomb, our weapon was constructed using Plutonium 239. The advantage of plutonium is it is easier to make in large quantities in a nuclear reactor from neutron bombardment of Uranium 238, while U235 is a rare isotope that is difficult to extract from natural uranium. We tested a two stage device or Hydrogen Bomb using Lithium Deuteride for a fusion stage. The yield was 420 kilotons, enough to kill half of Salamanca, compared to 23 kilotons for the Byzantine device. We are working on reducing the size and mass of the weapon for delivery by Obelisk rocket warhead but…..”

“Cut to the chase Professor, when do I get my nukes.” Interrupted the military advisor.

“Well they are a rushable item but under our current government that is hardly an option unless we converted spaceship parts to nuclear weapons.” Said Nefertiti the domestic advisor.

“Nuclear weapons are expensive. A tactical nuclear weapon is little use in our current conflict due to its 500 km range. It can be carried by a nuclear submarine but we no longer have any and the Iroquois have plenty of destroyers so it is not a safe delivery system. The Obelisk ICBM is the weapon of choice and can hit any point in the world with a CEP of 200 m. I propose we build some ICBMs” said the Professor.

“Sounds good” said the military advisor. “Now what can we do if the Iroquois lob a nuke at us.”

Supervisory Agent Jenin said “May I speak to the politburo on this matter.”

“Yes” said Cleopatra, “Its time they were told.”

“Our nuclear alert codeword is SKYFALL. When a missile launch is detected by the ECHELON satellite network, politburo members will be driven to the nearest airfield and board the SENTRY flights. While enemy missiles are in flight the planes will circle the countryside where they will be invulnerable to nuclear attack. SENTRY planes have been fitted with state of the art communications gear so orders can be given to our armed forces. Presumably you would want to fire our missiles at the enemy before they can be destroyed on the ground. Unfortunately there is no way to evacuate civilians from the target cities. As we are in a major war it is advisable to send your families to small coastal towns that will not be nuclear targets.” Said Agent Jenin.

Foreign Affairs Advisor Mekhmet spoke up. “This is hardly necessary if we took up the Iroquois peace offer and we would still have our rich republic.”

“Sticking to alliances has made Egypt great and respected and that is not going to change. We are in this war until the alliance with the Byzantines expires. Think of our reputation.” Snapped Cleopatra.

Domestic Advisor Nefertiti said “If we set our three most productive cities to making ICBM’s and converted the Spaceship Exterior Casing to an ICBM we will have one ICBM in a week and three more in two months. This will reduce the rate at which we can reinforce Seville with conventional forces. Also if we mobilize the economy for war we will double the rate at which we produce nuclear and conventional forces.

“Comrades I have made a decision.” Said Cleopatra. “We will start making ICBM’s as requested but will not mobilize because..”

“SKYFALL SKYFALL SKYFALL” yelled a group of ESS agents as they rushed into the room. “This is no drill!”

Cleopatra and her stunned politburo were forcibly escorted from the room to waiting jeeps that whisked them to Thebes Airport. Two converted B29 bombers were waiting at the ends of the runways, their turboprops already spinning. The jeeps drove onto the runway to deliver their vital charges.

Once aboard Cleopatra was strapped in a luxury seat by a solidly built agent. She felt the seat back push into her back as the runway flashed by faster and faster. Then the whole plane tilted and the ground fell away. Cleopatra stared out of the window at the sprawling metropolis of Thebes. It was the first time she had been allowed to fly. And in a mere 17 minutes the city below her would become a radioactive ruin with millions dead. Well Egypt had many cities and many people. They could build nukes. And they would make the Iroquois pay.

Hey this link works

The Egypt Iroquois War (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=161020&goto=newpost)

Thanks.

Very good updates! :goodjob: Very enjoyable and thrilling read!

On the Road to Seville.

Agent Deneirzi and Agent Ardent were making good time in their escape from Salamanca. The jeep was fast and they hurtled along at 120 km/h – an illegal speed in Egypt which had strict road rules but not in Iroquois. They had recently refueled and hoped that agent Nereida was safe under cover again.

But at the next major intersection there was a problem. The road North to Caughwaga was full of transport trucks carrying modern armor tanks. They were stopped by a Military Police officer.

“21st Modern Armor are you. They went past here 3 hours ago. Why aren’t you with your unit?”

“We are trying to region our unit. We are returning from an Intelligence briefing. Here is our pass.” Deneirzi handed over yet another expertly forged document identifying himself as Major Red Fox and his driver.

“Why are you driving if he’s your driver?” asked the nosy MP.

“Policy in our unit is to rotate drivers. It cuts accidents. Anyway I like driving.” Said Deneirzi.

“Well you’d better hurry up or you’ll miss the attack” said the MP. Ardent was tempted to ask what attack but realized as an Intelligence officer he really ought to know this.

“There is a fast lane on the Southbound lanes of the highway. That’s the quickest way to rejoin your unit.” Said the MP. The two Agents took off North on the left of the Southbound road of the highway. As they drove Agent Ardent kept a count of the number of tanks they passed and the number of units.

Night fell but they kept up their count by the lights on the trucks. Only 60% of the trucks carried tanks. The rest carried fuel, spares and other supplies. At 3 AM they saw a sign saying Caughwaga 60 km. They had to brake suddenly as a line of tanks crossed the road. The massive column of at least 10 Modern Armor Regiments was deploying for combat.

“We can slip East in the confusion at the next intersection” said Ardent.

“No way!” said Deneirzi,” we have to warn the garrison at Caughwaga about the attack.”

They proceeded North for another 15 km. There was a Modern Armor Regiment to either side of them moving at a slow 40 km/h. Nobody stopped them as they zipped past at 100 km/h. Now all they had to worry about was not getting shot at by their own side. They stopped for five minutes to tie a white t-shirt to the aerial of the jeep and took off, with Ardent driving.

At 4:30 they could see the battered town of Caughwaga. The city had suffered massive aerial bombardment before falling to the Egyptians. Now rubble had been built up to make firing positions for tanks. The surrounding land had been graded flat to provide a clear field of fire. Here and there the turret of a MBT could be seen.

They drove up the main road with difficulty as it was strewn with anti tank obstacles and ditches. 500 metres from the main gate twin crossing lines of red tracer bullets erupted in front of them. Ardent took the hint and stopped. Both agents left the jeep now idling in Park. They began walking toward the gate with their hands raised. Soon a truck full of infantry came barreling out of the gate and stopped in front of them. The soldiers expertly dismounted, surrounded them and tied their hands.

“Take us to see your commanding officer. We have urgent information.” Said Deneirzi. The troops were surprised to hear them speak perfect Egyptian but treated them more gently. They were put in the truck while two soldiers took the jeep.

They were quickly ushered into the General’s HQ, a factory manager’s office. General Ali was dressed in a warm dressing gown. A junior officer sat in front of a computer screen. “Names and ID numbers” said the officer.

Deneirzi MI A386 4XD. “The computer says you were an Infantry Sergeant and honourably discharged ten years ago.” Correct said Deneirzi.
“Who was your last platoon commander” said the officer. “Lieutenant Azca” said Deneirzi.”

“Very interesting. Major Azca is my junior operations officer. This guy checks out.” said General Ali.

“We are both EIA agents who were on a mission in Salamanca. We blew up the Manhattan project. We saw at least eight modern armor regiments deploying to attack this city at dawn”. Said Ardent.

After describing the units they had seen in more detail the General ordered. “Call a red alert, imminent attack.” All over Caughwaga sirens blared, sergeants bullied their men out of bed and crewmen rushed to their vehicles. Meanwhile Ardent and Deneirzi were freed and put on a plane to Seville, enroute to Thebes.

The 3rd Modern Armor Army was ready for battle at dawn. To the south a great plume of dust announced the approach of the enemy. As the Iroquois approached dust from the East and West indicated that the Iroquois were surrounding the former city. This would be a fight to the death.

Above the Countryside near Thebes.

Cleopatra sat in her comfortable seat aboard the Sentry aircraft. She was watching the screen where junior officers plotted the course of the Iroquois missile. She had never felt so powerless. “Warhead separation. Target is definitely Thebes. Five minutes to impact.” announced a young female captain.

Aboard the plane with her was the military advisor. On another plane was the domestic advisor Nefertiti. She made a radio call.

“Good News Comrade General Secretary Cleopatra, the ICBM we are making in Memphis will be ready by 3 PM tomorrow. Also I have put out a bombing raid warning to the people of Thebes and recommended they shelter in the Subway system. Our TOW troops are managing to maintain order. Most of the people should survive if the nuke isn’t too big.” Said Nefertiti.

“Good” said Cleopatra. She stared at the screen. It switched to a satellite view of Thebes. “Detonation should be an airburst centred on the palace.” Said the air force captain. “How do you know this?” snapped Cleopatra. “That’s the attack that will do the most damage” said the captain.

“Eight seconds to detonation, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1 ,-2, -3 I don’t believe it” yelled the captain. “The sucker didn’t go off !” On the screen there was a tiny flash and an IR glow that indicated a fire. It looked like a corner of a city block had been destroyed 1.2 km from the palace.

“Take me back to Thebes. Reconvene the Polituro” said a very relieved Cleopatra.

Forty minutes later the politburo reconvened. Professor Cheops gave his report.

“The missile had a high explosive warhead. There was no hint of radioactivity so it is essentially a very expensive conventional bomb. It hit a factory but the workers had all been evacuated so there were no human casualties at all. What worries me is the Iroquois must have tracked the missile all the way in and could destroy the Palace with a better aimed missile. They only missed by a kilometer. And they have tested their delivery system. They can destroy Thebes as soon as they have a real ICBM ready.”

“So what action do we take ?” said Cleopatra.

“We will have a nuke in hours. Wipe out Salmanca !” said the Military Advisor.

“That would constitute first use and ruin our diplomatic relations with everyone” said Lady Isis the Foreign Affairs advisor. “It would lead to Iroquois nuclear retaliation and a full scale nuclear war causing mass devastation of all our cities. The only way to avoid this is to negotiate a peace with Iroquois or at least a nuclear cease fire.”

“Very well” said Cleopatra. “I will negotiate a peace with Hiawatha. Place a call to Salamanca” she ordered Lady Isis.

Excelent update. :) Keep writing. Why peace with Hiawatha?

yes keep writing-very thrilling read. Dont make peace!

The Battle for Caughwaga.

The Egyptian defenders of Caughwaga were ready. A modern armor army and two mechanized infantry regiments awaited a large unknown number of Iroquois modern armor regiments.

General Ali made his speech. “Ammunition is limited, so make your shots counts. Tanks engage at less than 1500 metres. There is no retreat but the 4th modern armor regiment will be a mobile reserve to deal with breakthroughs. Good luck men and may Ra smile on us today.”

The Iroquois tanks approached the city in a great arc to the South while other units took up blocking positions around the city. The Iroquois tanks stopped 2 km from the city, extreme tank gun range. Then as if on a predetermined signal, they all fired high explosive rounds into the city. The tanks had little hope of directly hitting the turrets of the dug in Egyptian vehicles. It was really an artillery barrage, wreaking havoc in the Egyptian rear and of course on civilians. A few tanks were directly hit and destroyed and a few more buried under falling buildings.

Then as one the Iroquois tanks charged the city. A volley of sabot rounds were fired by the Egyptian defenders, destroying or disabling nearly a quarter of the attacking tanks. A few more Egyptian tanks were lost in the exchange and then it was over, the Iroquois tanks were wiped out 900 metres from the city, but the defenders had lost 15% of their strength.

Another Iroquois regiment approached and used exactly the same tactics. They were also able to use the hulks of destroyed tanks for cover and got within 500 metres of the city before they too were wiped out, but not before destroying another 20% of the defenders. Then yet another modern armor regiment began shelling the town from long range.

So the battle continued until half the defending tanks were disabled or destroyed. Some infantry were rushed forward to salvage ammunition from disabled tanks and ferry it to active ones. Many of them died in the shelling. The 4th regiment had to be committed to destroying a breakthrough at the south gate. The army had been weakened to 30% of its original strength and still the Iroquois kept coming. The mechanized infantry had to be committed to the front line. The wreckage in front of the city tangled the wires of their TOW missiles so they were less effective. Also their thinner armor meant they were vulnerable to the Iroquois long range high explosive shelling.

The mechanized infantry didn’t last long but took two regiments of enemy tanks with them. The end came quickly. Almost a whole modern armor regiment broke the line and was able to engage the remaining tanks from the side and the rear. Iroquois infantry charged towards the city with yet another regiment of tanks.

“General” screamed his aide, “we must get to the airfield and fly to Seville. We’ve lost”.

General Ali said “No I’ll not abandon our wounded and prisoners. Call the enemy general so I can make our surrender.”

It was all over. Eight Iroquois modern armor regiments were effectively destroyed but they had taken with them a modern armor army and two mechanized infantry regiments. As the last Iroquois regiment made its way into the city the Egyptians destroyed their grounded bombers, vehicles and fuel supplies.

Caughwaga was an Iroquois city again.




Meanwhile in Salamanca.

Hiawatha and military advisor Sitting Bull were having a celebration. They had shared a litre of tequila between them.

“Victory at last, and we destroyed an army, two armies left” said Hiawatha.

“It was expensive but worth it.” Said Sitting Bull. “We have finally destroyed Egyptian units on the battlefield.”

A communications officer entered the room.

“My Fuhrer, Cleopatra has called. She wants to speak to you personally.”

“On Screen” said Hiawatha and Cleopatra appeared on the throne room telescreen.

“What do you want?” asked Hiawatha.

“I am prepared to offer a peace treaty, and a resumption of trade” said Cleopatra.

“Our armies were victorious at Caughwaga and will soon push your foul presence off our continent. Why should I seek peace when victory is at hand ?” said Hiawatha in Iroquois.

“What do you need for a peace treaty ?” said Cleopatra in surprisingly good Iroquois.

“The city of Mauch Chunk” said Hiawatha.

“I am not prepared to concede that city. I offer peace in our current position. Your last battle was costly for you even though you won. And we have two armies in Mauch Chunk.” Said Cleopatra

“Well there will be no peace until we regain Mauch Chunk” yelled Hiawatha.

“We have nuclear weapons and presume you also have them. That rocket attack on Thebes was foolish, we nearly nuked you in retaliation. I would like to propose a nuclear ceasefire” Said Cleopatra.

“What’s that?” said Hiawatha.

“Simply we don’t employ nuclear weapons against each other.” Said Cleopatra.

“Sounds fair to me, lets get back to our war, I’m starting to enjoy it.” Said Hiawatha.

The Battle for Caughwaga.

The Egyptian defenders of Caughwaga were ready. A modern armor army and two mechanized infantry regiments awaited a large unknown number of Iroquois modern armor regiments.

General Ali made his speech. “Ammunition is limited, so make your shots counts. Tanks engage at less than 1500 metres. There is no retreat but the 4th modern armor regiment will be a mobile reserve to deal with breakthroughs. Good luck men and may Ra smile on us today.”

The Iroquois tanks approached the city in a great arc to the South while other units took up blocking positions around the city. The Iroquois tanks stopped 2 km from the city, extreme tank gun range. Then as if on a predetermined signal, they all fired high explosive rounds into the city. The tanks had little hope of directly hitting the turrets of the dug in Egyptian vehicles. It was really an artillery barrage, wreaking havoc in the Egyptian rear and of course on civilians. A few tanks were directly hit and destroyed and a few more buried under falling buildings.

Then as one the Iroquois tanks charged the city. A volley of sabot rounds were fired by the Egyptian defenders, destroying or disabling nearly a quarter of the attacking tanks. A few more Egyptian tanks were lost in the exchange and then it was over, the Iroquois tanks were wiped out 900 metres from the city, but the defenders had lost 15% of their strength.

Another Iroquois regiment approached and used exactly the same tactics. They were also able to use the hulks of destroyed tanks for cover and got within 500 metres of the city before they too were wiped out, but not before destroying another 20% of the defenders. Then yet another modern armor regiment began shelling the town from long range.

So the battle continued until half the defending tanks were disabled or destroyed. Some infantry were rushed forward to salvage ammunition from disabled tanks and ferry it to active ones. Many of them died in the shelling. The 4th regiment had to be committed to destroying a breakthrough at the south gate. The army had been weakened to 30% of its original strength and still the Iroquois kept coming. The mechanized infantry had to be committed to the front line. The wreckage in front of the city tangled the wires of their TOW missiles so they were less effective. Also their thinner armor meant they were vulnerable to the Iroquois long range high explosive shelling.

The mechanized infantry didn’t last long but took two regiments of enemy tanks with them. The end came quickly. Almost a whole modern armor regiment broke the line and was able to engage the remaining tanks from the side and the rear. Iroquois infantry charged towards the city with yet another regiment of tanks.

“General” screamed his aide, “we must get to the airfield and fly to Seville. We’ve lost”.

General Ali said “No I’ll not abandon our wounded and prisoners. Call the enemy general so I can make our surrender.”

It was all over. Eight Iroquois modern armor regiments were effectively destroyed but they had taken with them a modern armor army and two mechanized infantry regiments. As the last Iroquois regiment made its way into the city the Egyptians destroyed their grounded bombers, vehicles and fuel supplies.

Caughwaga was an Iroquois city again.




Meanwhile in Salamanca.

Hiawatha and military advisor Sitting Bull were having a celebration. They had shared a litre of tequila between them.

“Victory at last, and we destroyed an army, two armies left” said Hiawatha.

“It was expensive but worth it.” Said Sitting Bull. “We have finally destroyed Egyptian units on the battlefield.”

A communications officer entered the room.

“My Fuhrer, Cleopatra has called. She wants to speak to you personally.”

“On Screen” said Hiawatha and Cleopatra appeared on the throne room telescreen.

“What do you want?” asked Hiawatha.

“I am prepared to offer a peace treaty, and a resumption of trade” said Cleopatra.

“Our armies were victorious at Caughwaga and will soon push your foul presence off our continent. Why should I seek peace when victory is at hand ?” said Hiawatha in Iroquois.

“What do you need for a peace treaty ?” said Cleopatra in surprisingly good Iroquois.

“The city of Mauch Chunk” said Hiawatha.

“I am not prepared to concede that city. I offer peace in our current position. Your last battle was costly for you even though you won. And we have two armies in Mauch Chunk.” Said Cleopatra

“Well there will be no peace until we regain Mauch Chunk” yelled Hiawatha.

“We have nuclear weapons and presume you also have them. That rocket attack on Thebes was foolish, we nearly nuked you in retaliation. I would like to propose a nuclear ceasefire” Said Cleopatra.

“What’s that?” said Hiawatha.

“Simply we don’t employ nuclear weapons against each other.” Said Cleopatra.

“Sounds fair to me, lets get back to our war, I’m starting to enjoy it.” Said Hiawatha.

Great double post! :p

:joke:

Just joking. Great story! :goodjob:

Sorry about the double up post. Here's something on our spy friends.

With Counting Crow.

The basement of the ISS headquarters was a jail. It was deliberately kept dark and filthy like a medieval dungeon. And the reputation of its torturers was second to none in the World.

The man was naked and manacled to the wall. In front of him was ISS Agent Counting Crow, IIA agent Nereida and the ISS chief torturer. The man was Colonel White Horse, formerly the head of security for the Manhattan Project. It was he who let the bomb truck into the building where the ton of Egyptian Octal High Explosive ruptured the reactor vessel causing a massive nuclear accident. Over 500 people were killed and nearly a thousand were suffering severe radiation sickness. He had been arrested by the ISS immediately and tortured mercilessly.

The torturer used a steel multi stranded whip, slashing away furiously opening deep gashes in his legs. Then he used a plastic drink bottle to spray the cuts with hydrochloric acid. Colonel White Horse screamed and screamed. When the screams subsided into sobs, Counting Crow resumed the questioning. “So a SS Major you didn’t recognize brought an unknown truck containing a stainless steel cylinder you didn’t inspect and you let it be taken into the reactor building despite receiving no instructions to. Are you a complete moron or a Gyppo Agent” screamed Counting Crow, slapping the prisoner in the face.

“She knew, She knew it all. That woman with you who did the report. She knew everything about our security. She’s an Egyptian agent” moaned Colonel White Horse.

“How dare you suggest that.” Screamed Counting Crow, as he punched the prisoner in the solar plexus. “Lets try the electric shock machine again.”
But the germ of an idea had been planted in his head.

Two hours later, Agent Counting Crow returned to his office. He had two tasks. He had to investigate the bombing of the Manhattan Project. Also he had to investigate the leak of critical military information to the Egyptians. Agent Nereida of the IIA was proving useful. She had already written a 50 page report on the bombing, identifying the major components of the weapon as Egyptian. But how had the Egyptians have known that the only way to smuggle their bomb into the Reactor Building was by putting it in a nuclear fuel container. So some body familiar with Manhattan Project security had given the details to the Goddamn Egyptians.

There was a knock on the door. “Enter” said Counting Crow. Agent Bold Raccoon entered the room. He was a chubby bespectacled man looking more like an accountant than an operative for one of the most feared secret police forces in the world. He wore a shabby brown suit and was carrying a battered looking briefcase.

“I have information on the attack on the nuclear fuel truck. A red haired woman on a motorbike placed an instant locksmith on the fuel tank. Here is a photo of the fragments. See the Iroquois engraving on the magnetic plate on this magnified image. And I got an identikit picture from the man who hired the woman the motorbike. He is downstairs for more forceful questioning. Finally a couple of Hiawatha Youth boys found this in the river. It wasn’t a red haired woman, it was Agent Nereida wearing this.” Said Bold Raccoon producing a muddy red wig.

Counting Crow picked up the phone. “Agent Nereida come to my office.”
“We’ll ask Nereida some friendly questions, stay here.” Said Counting Crow.

Agent Nereida felt the usual trepidation when called by Counting Crow. Had he found out her guilty secret. She took with her latest notes from her interview with Colonel White Horse, former head of security for the Manhattan project. Her interrogation technique of giving food and tequila to the imprisoned Colonel was far more effective than Counting Crow’s torture sessions. She entered Counting Crow’s office.

“You did a security report on the Manhattan Project for the IIA” said counting Crow. Who has copies?”

“I gave one copy to General Grunting Bear and one to Colonel White Horse. I kept a copy, which I gave you when I joined this investigation.” Said Agent Nereida.

“It seems to me the Egyptians got hold of a copy. They must have an agent in the Iroquois Intelligence Agency or at the Manhattan Project site.” Said Counting Crow.

“I have obtained some good information. This is an Identikit picture of the man who drove the bomb truck drawn by a police artist from Colonel White Horse’s description. I have identified him as agent Deneirzi of the Egyptian Intelligence Agency, last reported posting at the English Embassy.” Said Agent Nereida. “And I also have this surveillance camera photograph of Agent Deneirzi meeting a man outside the Museum.”

“I know this man. He is Agent Ardent of the EIA. I thought he was working for us. Dammit those two spies have had five days to escape. We’ll never catch them. But we will catch the woman.”

“What woman?” asked Agent Nereida

“Recognize this. Somebody blew up the fuel tank on the real nuclear fuel truck with a small explosive device. We recovered some fragments and they match an Iroquois Instant Locksmith. Something you have access to at the IIA. And it wasn’t a red haired woman, it was you wearing this!” Counting Crow tossed a muddy red wig on the desk. He drew his Tomahawk pistol. Agent Bold Raccoon pulled out a snub nosed revolver.

“Agent Nereida – if that is your real name – you are under arrest!”

Agent Nereida knew full well the horrors that awaited her. She pulled out her own Tomahawk automatic from her handbag. She barely flinched as Bold Raccoon shot her through her left arm and into her chest. She fired at Counting Crow and was rewarded by seeing the wall behind him decorated by hint of brain before two more rounds into her head from Bold Raccoon sent her into oblivion.

Bold Raccoon was pale and shaking. An expert investigator he had never fired a gun in anger. He picked up the phone. “I need to speak to Chief Greedy Vulture. Agent Nereida of the IIA just shot Counting Crow. She was an Egyptian agent. I had to shoot her in self defence.”

Counting Crow died. Oh, well. So much for him. I thought he was gonna make it. :p

Excelent!

Trouble at New Thebes.

New Thebes was a bustling new city founded after the Mayan wars at the very south of the Egyptian Socialist Republic. To the South East was the former Mayan city of Bonampak, now in Byzantine hands. To the South was the French city of Tulum, also captured from the Maya. To the West lay the Indian colony of Dacca. New Thebes was an important road and rail trading centre.

Under communism its corruption had been greatly reduced and a fine new university had just been built. One of its two mechanized infantry regiments was deployed to Seville and there was a cavalry regiment whose main function was to stage horse races for the purposes of gambling.

Egypt, France, Byzantium and India had never been at war with each other, and under Cleopatra’s leadership had united to wipe out first the Maya and then the Aztecs. All three nations traded goods and knowledge to mutual profit. The Egyptians and Byzantines were still engaged in their destructive war with the Iroquois on the other main continent of Seth. This was about to change.

Corporal Paneb was 46 and a career soldier. He had served in the Spanish war as a cavalryman but on return to civilian life, faced jail for assaulting a man in a bar or a return to uniform. He had risen to the rank of Sergeant but he made the mistake of getting into a drunken brawl with some visiting French troops.

Now he commanded a Chariot Infantry Fighting vehicle and its 8 man squad at a border checkpoint 50 km south of New Thebes. Checkpoint duty was boring but lucrative. All truck drivers knew to expedite paperwork with a gift of booze or tobacco. He lay on the medical bed halfway through a bottle of Byzantine wine reading a Byzantine phrase book. He planned to holiday on his next leave in Bonampak, which had outstanding legal brothels.

“Corporal come outside and listen to this!” yelled Private Quetzal, a dark gung ho youth of Mayan parentage. It was 8 PM and dark. “This had better be important” growled Corporal Paneb as he went to the door. There was a definite rumble and clanking to the South.

“Tanks, a lot of them and we don’t have any. The French and Byzantines still have them.” Said Corporal Paneb. He ran over to the Chariot IFV and banged on the hatch. Specialist Firenze the vehicle gunner popped out. “I got tanks on the thermal viewer. At least twenty. Range 4 km. I have no ID.” Said Firenze.

“Mount Up men. Leave the lights on!” yelled Paneb. The men piled into the IFV and Paneb took the commander’s seat. They drove two km north up the road and Paneb rotated the turret so it faced the rear. The gunner loaded some arrow antitank missiles into the launcher. Paneb tried the radio. “Mayday this is guard post 8. We have at least twenty unidentified tanks…….dammit we are being jammed. The radio filled the vehicle with a banshee screeching as Paneb searched for a free frequency.

“Whooee the lead tank just blew away our guard house!” yelled the gunner. There was the distinctive crack of a tank gun and the boom of a HE round going off. There was a rattle of machine gun fire.

“Request permission to engage” said the gunner. “Denied. Firing will give away our position and kill us all. Driver. Get to New Thebes as fast as you can.”

The Chariot IFV easily made it to New Thebes and the meager garrison was put on full alert. Using the cavalry as extra infantry the garrison destroyed two regiments of French tanks before the city fell.

The French troops had a brief orgy of rape, pillage and plunder before blowing up the main buildings and burning the rest. The population were systematically butchered with French Cavalry hunting down those citizens fleeing to the countryside.

A few escaped. Among them were Corporal Paneb and Specialist Firenze. After their Chariot IFV was critically damaged they had fought as infantry and escaped to the forest outside New Thebes. They watched the city burn. Four French Cavalry attacked them but they killed them all and took two horses. They raced North to Tiawanku and delivered their news.


Meanwhile in Thebes.

Cleopatra was in a furious mood. A city of 120,000 on her home continent had been wiped out. A former ally and a friend had betrayed her. The French had violated right of passage and defaulted on debts of over 100 gpt. More-ever they had murdered 100000 Egyptian civilians in cold blood. And if reports could be believed they were executing military prisoners.

Foreign Advisor Lady Isis, Domestic Advisor Nefertiti and Military Advisor Rameses entered the Politburo Room.

“The French are Revolting” said Lady Isis.

“Tell me something I don’t know” said Cleopatra sharply.

“No they have been having a revolution. They are now a Fascist state. There have been pogroms against their Aztec and Mayan citizens.” Said Lady Isis.
“What’s more important is that both the Indians and Byzantines have right of passage with the French meaning that the French can attack us on a broad front. We need to buy alliances with them against the French to deny their territory to the French. Also the Byzantines are as powerful as the French and so should tie up most of their military, while we take the three isolated French cities to our North, and then Tulum, and drive for Paris.”

“Excuse Me” growled Rameses “that sounds like military strategy to me.”

“Well I can read a map” said Isis. “Also we can’t make peace with the Iroquois while our alliance against them with the Byzantines still stands. Theodora won’t accept an alliance against the French if we stiff them on that. We can turn around the transport carrying the 4th Modern Armor Army, and send transports to withdraw the other two armies. I think we have punished the Iroquois enough for that submarine attack and we need those armies to break French cities. We can withdraw our bombers now.”

“Hmm” said Rameses with new respect in his voice. “Seeing as we will have three modern armor armies at sea we can make an amphibious assault on Paris. I was hoping to get permission to nuke Paris but this is better. What about the two cities we have on the Iroquois continent ? Do we raze them?”

“No we withdraw from Mauch Chunk to Seville and Give Mauch Chunk to the Indians who are at peace with the Iroquois. My plan is to wipe out the French and we can’t do that with our best troops on another continent.

“Excellent plan” said Cleopatra. “My objective is to wipe the French off the face of the Earth! Lady Isis you have some calls to make.”

Could you post any pics?

Very good! :clap:

This just keeps on getting better and better. Good Job!

Off the Coast of Ra.

The ISSN Shadow of Death was the first nuclear submarine deployed by the Iroquois Navy. After the success of the Egyptian nuclear submarine Salmon in destroying Iroquois transports, it was decided to build the Shadow to destroy Egyptian transports ferrying reinforcements to Seville on the Iroquois homeland.

The Shadow was waiting 100 km outside the Egyptian port of Tlaxala where an Egyptian fleet of a cruiser, two transports and two destroyers were based. This information had been relayed by Aztec Liberation Front members who resented the Egyptian conquest of their homeland and willingly provided intelligence to the Iroquois through the internet.

The Shadow had been loitering for 5 days detecting nothing but fishing boats which it did not engage. Captain Cloudy Dolphin was excited by his new command and mission. Formerly a destroyer captain he could have been dismissed for losing the transport he was guarding to the ESSN Salmon. He felt that he had learned enough from that battle and his discussions with Captain Tulok of the Salmon to succeed. His crew had all served previously on destroyers, some under him and were unaccustomed to submarine life. On his way to the battle zone, Captain Cloudy Dolphin had to surface a number of times to let the crew see the sea and sky, and combat their claustrophobia.

“Sonar Contact. A destroyer active sonar bearing 080 range 40 – 60 km” called the sonar operator. The Egyptians were not making the same mistake Cloudy Dolphin made and were using their active sonars. As he understood Egyptian convoy doctrine they used a destroyer as a scout while the rest of the warships escorted the transports. Active sonar cut both ways. The Egyptian destroyer was far noisier than the Shadow and could be tracked at much greater range. Cloudy dolphin could skirt around its detection range and close on the convoy from the rear quarter.

Then he had a nasty surprise. In addition to torpedoes the Shadow had four Goshawk anti ship missiles, giving it an attack range of 11 km. The missiles could fly farther than that but needed sonar or periscope targeting information.
The Shadow slowly adjusted its position to allow the convoy to pass 10 km to the North. This meant that the lead destroyer had no chance to detect the Shadow.

After 20 minutes the sonar operator called out “More passive sonar contacts. Two warships and at least one transport 5 km from the lead destroyer. Course is 278 and speed is 20 knots, which is fast for a transport. Course has not changed.”

“Excellent” said Cloudy Dolphin. “The enemy is walking right into our trap. Make sure all four torpedo tubes are loaded correctly with Goshawk missiles. Prepare to reload with torpedoes when we have fired the missiles. Make depth periscope depth.”

Cloudy Dolphin was happy. This attack would be the first time Egyptian transports have been sunk. So far the Egyptians had made no move indicating he had been detected.

Five minutes later the sonar operator declared “Convoy due North. Range about 10 km.”

“Raise Periscope” declared Cloudy Dolphin. He put his face to the eyepieces even though the view was displayed on the bridge video screen. There was a big warship, a cruiser. Following were merged contacts, two transports. Bringing up the rear was a destroyer.

“Target missile one on destroyer, 2 and 3 on the transports and 4 on the cruiser” ordered Cloudy Dolphin.

“Request permission to make a radar sweep to get range.” Said the weapons officer. “Granted” said the Captain, “The Gyppos are going to know we’re here as soon as we fire.”

“Targets locked in.” called the weapons officer. “Fire” yelled the Captain.

The bridge crew felt small jolts as compressed air charges ejected the missiles. A minute later the bridge screen flared white as the first Goshawk missile floated to the surface and ignited its rocket motor. Moments later the rest of the missiles surfaced and rocketed to their targets.

“All missiles away safely.” declared the weapons officer.

“This is the greatest moment in Iroquois naval history” declared the captain. “Reload with torpedoes. Lets kill some more Gyppos.”

The Battle of Ibis Hill.

The French had three cities captured from the Aztecs deep within Egyptian territory, also captured from the Aztecs when the two nations were allies. From these cities a French force of four longbow regiments guarded by a regiment of musketeers marched South towards the Egyptian city of Tlaxala. The French force was on foot and so encamped on Ibis hill 20 km from Tlaxala. The Egyptians were not going to let them get any further.

Corporal Paneb had been promoted to platoon sergeant for his heroics at New Thebes. Now he had a platoon of conscript mechanized infantry in the Cairo Regiment, 40 men and four Chariot IFV’s to look after. His men were mostly young but had all passed basic training in high school. Their officer was a twenty year old Second Lieutenant called Forzi. He was a reserve officer called up from his law course and he had the sense to let his NCO’s run things.

There was mass conscription in Egypt but the patriotic fervor stirred up by French treachery and atrocity meant that recruiting centres were overrun with volunteers and there was insufficient equipment. That meant that there was a wide pool of quality recruits for the conscript mechanized infantry regiments drafted at every major city, 23 in all. Also every productive city not producing nuclear weapons or spaceship parts was churning out modern armor. Where possible forced labor had been used, so there were 10 new modern armor regiments.

Meanwhile France had been importing oil from Egypt and now could make no new mechanized units or aircraft. They had a source of rubber near the Byzantine border, which had already been cut off by Egyptian Modern Armor.

“Listen up men” called Lieutenant Forzi.
“Pay attention and stand to” roared Paneb. The men rapidly formed two ranks and clicked their heels in unison.

Forzi continued. “The 32nd Modern Armor will attack and destroy the musketeers. Our mission is to eliminate the longbowmen they are guarding along with other conscript mechanized infantry regiments. We are being committed to the attack in the hope that we will receive unit promotions to regular unit status. Sergeant Paneb will fill you in on tactical details.”

“Right men” said Paneb “Your job is not to die for your country, your job is to make those Froggies die for theirs. We will load anti personnel missiles in the Chariots and the gunners will use 20 mm High Explosive shells on troop concentrations. Once we have broken organized resistance the Chariots will advance and the infantry will use rifles from the firing ports. You will not get out of the Chariots until ordered to. Those Froggies have bows and knives and an arrow to the face will kill you sure as a bullet. You are to stay in your squads. Set rifles on 3 round burst. No automatic fire – it wastes ammo and is inaccurate. Make sure of your targets. We have orders to take some prisoners but cuff and disarm them as soon as possible. Any questions?”

“No sir” yelled the platoon

“Right we move out in 20 minutes. Get packing” yelled Paneb. He was enjoying being a Sergeant again.

The modern armor wiped out the musketeers as advertised. A tank commander had a minor head graze from a wild musket ball but the rest of the unit was unscathed. Then the Cairo Regiment went in.

The French longbowmen were in a double line on the hill. They had built a low log barrier in front of them to stop vehicles and horses. At a range of 500 metres the IFVs of the Cairo Regiment unleashed 4 missiles each. Large gaps in the French lines appeared where the missiles hit. The IFV’s closed to 300 metres and hosed the French line with 20 mm cannon. The French dropped to the ground seeking cover. From that position they could not fire and the range was too great.

Then the IFVs charged up the hill knocking aside the log barrier with ease. Now the soldiers in back came into play as they fired on the French from the side gunports. The few unwounded Frenchmen knelt and put their hands in the air.
“Cease fire” yelled Forzi over the intercom. After a few final bursts the firing stopped. Barely an arrow was fired in the engagement. “Secure the prisoners” he called and led a squad from the back of his IFV to do so.

Just then a French archer stood drew and fired in one smooth motion. The arrow hit the Lieutenant right in the eye, killing him instantly. As one the platoon gunned down every French archer they could see. They then began finishing the wounded off with bayonets and single gunshots. A IFV arrived at the scene. From it stepped Major Quonset, the commander of the Cairo Regiment.
“Who’s in charge here? he screamed at a conscript.

“The LT’s dead. Sarge Paneb is in charge.” Paneb was occupied in going through the pockets of a dead French officer. He looked up to see the Major.
“Looking for intelligence sir!” he called with the dead man’s wallet in his hand.

“Good news Paneb. The unit had made regular status. And I need a new platoon commander. Now what’s with the massacre?”

“The French faked a surrender and shot the LT.” said Paneb.

“Fair enough Lieutenant Paneb. Now get your men mounted up. We’re letting the Thebes Regiment take the next lot.”

Far to the South East a more even battle raged. On the site of New Thebes 9 artillery regiments blasted the French tanks. Then the 1st Tank army wiped them out. There was no question of taking prisoners here. Those French tankmen and cavalry had been decreed as guilty of war crimes for their massacre at New Thebes by Cleopatra herself. After a short mass show trial they were all shot.

A settler unit from Alexandria was sent to the site of New Thebes and founded the town of New Thebes where the people began building a barracks.

Meanwhile Lady Isis made a couple of calls.

“The secret of nuclear power and the city of Mauch Chunk for an Alliance against the French. You are most generous” said Ghandi.

“The secret of nuclear power for an Alliance against the French. The usual fee I accept” said Theodora.

That night a column of Byzantine Modern Armor entered French territory stopping just before the gates of Marseilles.

Fuhrer Joan did not have a good day.

Sorry about the double up post. Here's something on our spy friends.

I don't think you need to worry about multiple posts in your own thread, especially when they forward the thread's purpose. And a good thread it is! Don't stop.

Off the coast of Ra II.

The weapons officer on the Egyptian cruiser ECC Swan, the flagship of the convoy stared at his radar screen in disbelief. Four high speed contacts had appeared out of nowhere on the screen 10 km to the South.

“Missiles due South, submarine launch. Left full rudder so I can engage with SAMs.” He yelled. The helmsman did as ordered and the large warship tilted as it ponderously turned South. Meanwhile the officer of the deck hit the General Quarters alarm. The weapons officer armed the SAM system on the foredeck. A rack of six white missiles popped up on the deck as crewmen scurried under cover. The deck was no place to be in a missile exchange. Even the exhaust of their own missiles was lethal.

“General Quarters missile attack all vessels. Destroyers Coote and Morhen we have a possible enemy sub contact 10 km South.” Radioed the officer. The ship was rocked as all SAM missiles blasted off the launcher at the incoming missiles. On radar the weapons officer saw that the Destroyer Coote had salvoed four missiles at the incoming enemy missiles.

Fully 10 SAMs were fired at the incoming four missiles and three were blotted from the sky by the fragmentation SAM warheads. But one missile escaped speeding into the Transport Abdyos. The Abdyos was hit high on her bow and as she was empty she was in no danger of sinking despite a massive explosion. The other transport Alexandria was heading North as fast as she could.

Commodore Quonset finally made it to the bridge of the Swan. He congratulated his junior officers on a job well done. The Swan continued its turn to assist the Abdyos. Meanwhile destroyers Coote and Morhen raced to the launch site, active sonars searching for the submarine.

Aboard the Shadow of Death Cloudy Dolphin was not happy. They had only detected one explosion. The rest of the missiles must have been shot down.

“Active sonars North West and North. We have two destroyers heading right for us.” Called the sonar operator. “Transients on North destroyer. They fired three missiles!”

“Crash dive all ahead full, deploy a noisemaker.” Ordered Cloudy Dolphin. A cylinder popped out making prerecorded noises like a submarine and releasing a cloud of bubbles to confuse active sonar.

“Two torpedoes active near us! The Gyppos are using ASROCs against us!” called the sonar operator. Even without headphones the bridge crew could hear the high pitched pinging of the torpedoes sonar. The Shadow passed a thermal layer and the pinging grew fainter. Suddenly a torpedo sonar went active dead ahead.

“Torpedo sonar dead ahead range 600 metres” called the sonar operator.

“Right full rudder, deploy another noise maker.” The submarine turned, banking like a plane 500 metres under water. The torpedo wasn’t fooled and hit the stern of the submarine with a shaped charge warhead blowing a big hole in the drive compartment. Water under 50 atmospheres pressure jetted through the hole, bending the drive shaft and flooding the engineering section in less than a minute. The drive shaft broke with a screech of abused metal.

“Secure all compartments, Emergency surface!” called cloudy dolphin but it was too late. The submarine tilted up towards the surface and salvation but with no engine power and the stern flooded, it settled into a tail wards spiral deeper and deeper into the unforgiving sea.

“Sorry men, I killed us all” said Cloudy Dolphin as water began flooding into the bridge.

Meanwhile the Egyptian navy was sorting itself out. Commodore Quonset radioed for instructions. The convoy minus the Abdyos was to head to Texaco on the far West of Ra. The Abdyos had lost 8 men killed and 17 wounded but could still travel at 12 knots. It headed alone back to port.

Meanwhile in Texaco a plane disgorged a company from the feared People’s Economic Bureau. The population of the town were rounded up and set to work on building a new transport called the Texaco. The marketplace they had been building was left in ruins as all useful metal was stripped from it. The transport would be ready when the convoy arrived.


In Paris.

It was 11 AM in Paris. Bel Chamblis had been recalled from her mission in America to go to France to spy for Egypt. She was covered as an American news reporter. It was illegal for EIA agents to pose as Egyptian reporters but nothing was said about false flag operations. This cover was useful as she could interview who she liked and go almost anywhere without arousing suspicion.

She waited in the Rue de Truimphe, built in 1752 to celebrate victory over the Aztecs. Every wall was hung with the flag of the French National Socialist Republic. Red with a white circle, in which was a black guillotine, symbolizing the fate of all enemies of France. Fuhrer Joan was to address the crowd. Many of the crowd, including women had shaved heads like their Fuhrer. On the steps of Paris Cathedral was a massive black real guillotine. As usual there would be executions. Bel Chamblis bought a filled baguette and a cup of white wine. The food was still good.

There was a massive cheer from the crowd. A tall sharp faced man mounted the podium. It was Field Marshall DeGaulle, the military advisor.

“People of France. For thousands of years we have been in the shadow of Egypt, land for our people has been systematically denied to us. We have been called a 3rd rate power. Egypt by its unfair trade policies has been bleeding us white, taking much of our income in exchange for doling out a few measly technologies. Are we going to accept this?”

“Non” roared the Crowd.

“We have captured some Egyptian soldiers or should I say terrorists near our city of Tulum. They were in French territory massacring French Civilians. Once we defeated these cowardly invaders we attacked. Our glorious 3rd Tank regiment captured New Thebes and we burned that vile city to the ground! France will defend herself!”

The crowd cheered.

“I present to you the commander of the 3rd Tank regiment, General de Bois to receive the Legion of Honor.” A solidly built officer mounted the stage to have the gaudy medal pinned to his chest. He then turned to the crowd and gave the Fascist Salute. “Victory to France! Death to the Gyppo Communists! Hail Joan!

The crowd gave the salute and screamed the same slogans.

Then a group of four tanks clanked down the Rue De Triumph. Behind it marched 80 immaculate FSS troops. Then came an open cattle truck containing a disheveled and bound group of Egyptian soldiers. Many in the crowd began throwing bottles and rotten fruit at the prisoners. This is what they were really waiting for.

The truck made its way slowly to the steps of the Cathedral. Pairs of SS troops grabbed single prisoners and dragged them to the guillotine. The prisoners did not struggle – they had probably been drugged and definitely beaten up. One by one the prisoners had their heads placed in the stocks. The blade fell and with a spurt of arterial blood each man died. SS soldiers took the heads and impaled them on spikes along the front of the Cathedral. The bodies were dumped in the truck which trundled off down a side street.

With each execution the crowd cheered. As the blade fell for the final time the crowd chanted “Hail Joan – Hail Joan Hail Joan – Hail Joan Hail Joan – Hail Joan.” Then out of the cathedral marched a small bald figure in a grotty green T-shirt. It was Joan herself.

In the city of Mauch Chunk.

Captain Horus doubted the wisdom of his current orders. Unlike the previous night where his squadron intercepted an Iroquois bombing raid, giving him a total of eleven confirmed kills, he was now escorting a squadron of bombers from Mauch Chunk until they were out of possible Iroquois interceptor range on their way back to Tlaxala on the continent of Ra. These bombers were now going to attack the French.

“Bye for now and thanks for the escort.” radioed the bomber squadron leader.

Captain Horus led his jet fighter squadron in a long slow turn above Seville hoping the next part of his mission would turn up. There it was on the scope, A large line of planes to the South, Heading Northwest. “Unidentified contact, please identify.”

“Good afternoon to you sir, this is Indian transport flight to Mauch Chunk. I am Colonel Kapil Dev. We are carrying a Mechanized Infantry Regiment to Mauch Chunk which is now an Indian City. By the many arms of Vishnu I thank you for your escort service. We still cannot believe how generous Cleopatra is for giving us such a wonderful city with its lovely dyes.”

The jet fighters rendezvoused with the Indian Transports for the slow flight to Mauch Chunk.

Below them all of the units of the garrison of Mauch Chunk were on their way to Seville. They had to avoid Iroquois territory so the mass of Mechanized Infantry, Mobile SAM’s and 2 Modern Armor armies had to skirt around the coastal road, meaning they couldn’t reach Seville by nightfall. The modern armor had already fortified a position on the plains to the Northeast of Seville. They dug berms and foxholes for defence.

By 4 PM it was complete. The Indian planes had landed and Indian IFV’s spread to the defences of Mauch Chunk. Captain Horus’s Jets were stripped of their missiles and loaded with wing tanks for the long flight to Tlaxala en route to New Thebes where they would perform recon and intercept French Bombers. General Alida was the last to leave on a transport to Seville. There were tears in his eyes for the men he lost in taking that town, only to give it away.

At 1 PM the next day in Salamanca.

Field Marshall Grey Wolf knelt before Fuhrer Hiawatha. It was never pleasant to give bad news to the Fuhrer but at least he hadn’t lost a major battle.

“Let me get this straight. Your tanks advanced on Mauch Chunk and saw white flags and Indian flags. And when one of your officers went to talk to the defending troops he discovered they were Indian. Why would Comrade Cleopatra just give a city away like that ?” said Hiawatha.

“She is now at war with the French and as they are on her own continent she is concentrating on that war, just as we are more concerned with the Egyptians on our continent than the Byzantines. I think she plans to unilaterally withdraw from our continent. Giving Mauch Chunk to the Indians is a master stroke. She permanently deprives us of the dyes unless we declare war on India and take the town. That’s your decision My Fuhrer.” Said Grey Wolf.

“No we are already at war with 3 nations” said Hiawatha.

“By the way My Fuhrer, I can destroy most if not all the Egyptian forces on our continent if I commit all of my Modern Armor to attacking them. Such a battle will cost us over ten regiments which can be more profitably used on the Americans. It makes more sense to let the Egyptians leave as they intend to. I have reliable intelligence that the Egyptians are sending unloaded transports, which means that they are planning to withdraw their armies. I suspect that they will…”

Just then Sitting Bull rushed into the Fuhrer’ Office. “Great news My Fuhrer. The Alliance between the Egyptians and the Byzantines has expired. And Isis of the Egyptians has proposed peace and a trade deal!”

“What’s the deal” said Hiawatha suspiciously.

“A peace treaty and Egypt will give us the secret of nuclear power for furs.” Said Sitting Bull.

“That sounds fair to me. Tell Cleopatra yes. Grey Wolf, go back to slaughtering Americans. Lets prepare a victory party!” Said Hiawatha.

Meanwhile in Thebes the mood was of relief.

“We punished the Iroquois, destroyed five of their cities and have gained nothing but casualties. But this war has made us build a fearsome war machine with a government able to fight a major war to the finish. And this war will finish in Paris.” Said Cleopatra to her politburo.

The Iroquois Egypt War was over.

This story sounds a lot like a Tom Clancy novel. Except for all the impaling and propaganda...

Keep it up. Patiently waiting for the next update

Sorry about the long time between updates. I have been very busy in my work as a teacher with report writing and so on. This thread is turning into a Egypt French war thread now. Yes this is a bit like a Tom Clancy but most thrillers are written from a multi person perspective. Oh well time to introduce a new spy.


Spiro Kotsopoulos left his office at Kotsopoulos Trading Incorporated. It was 6:30 PM 20 minutes to night fall. He was dressed casually in jeans and a sweater. He climbed into his Egyptian made sports car and drove expertly weaving through the heavy Thebes traffic on his way to Heroes Park.

Spiro Kotsopoulos was not his real name. He was Jaques Reynard. French Citizen and patriot. He took his Byzantine identity 15 years ago when he was merely a 22 year old business graduate recruited by the FIA - the French Intelligence Agency. Then France was a democracy, Egypt a Republic and they had been friends at peace for all of time.

Given the equivalent of 100000 Egyptian Pounds Reynard started his business importing consumer electronics from Byzantium for sale to Egyptians. Byzantine electronics were generally better designed and customer friendly than the equivalent Egyptian product. Now he was clearing 50 000 Pounds a month even after crippling Communist taxes. He didn't need his French salary deposited discreetly in a Byzantine numbered account.

But Reynard had hit a real bonanza. Byzantine tactical radios were more compact and reliable than Egyptian ones and he had a lucrative contract to supply them to all Egyptian Mechanized units. This allowed him to travel all of Egypt and assess the strength of Egypt's defences. And with the war with Iroquois they were weak. Most cities were defended by one mechanized infantry unit only and most modern armor and all aircraft were half a world away fighting the Iroquois.

That was when Jaques Reynard conceived Battle plan French Dawn. If France built 20 tank regiments and changed to a war fighting government they could conceivably take 5 Egyptian cities while Egypt lacked the military strength locally. They could sue for peace with an Egyptian Government wracked by war weariness and unable to counter attack. The plan found favour in France, especially with General DeGaulle. But it wasn't working.

Cleopatra immediately made alliances with the Byzantines and Indians cutting off invasion routes. With mass conscription she had nearly doubled her mechanized infantry force. And all French units on Egytian soil were wiped out by a combination of towed artillery, conscript mech infantry and a few modern armor regiments. Now she was building a force of modern armor and had just signed a peace treaty with the Iroquois so her modern armor armies would be shipped back to fight France. Jaques Reynard's plan could be the death of France.

Reynard reached Heroes Park without incident. He found the niche in the rocks and withdrew his radio, his only link with Paris. He plugged in his laptop computer and strung the aerial up a tree. He downloaded his latest report. Not good news. The Egyptians had placed an order for 6 more regimental radio sets.

A burst digitally encoded signal lasting only two seconds went to Paris. Twenty seconds later the reply came from Paris. Reynard saved it to his computer, sent a 0.25 second message received code and returned the radio to its hiding place. He would read the message at home.

Reynard walked back to his car. As he made his way back down the path a deep male voice called "Hey handsome, want a good time ?"
"Sorry I don't play that way" said Reynard. Heroes Park was a notorious beat but it was not unusual to see single men walking there - an ideal cover.

Reynard drove back to his mansion where his beautiful but plump Byzantine wife Soula and their three children awaited.

Meanwhile three vehicles of the EIA radio direction finder unit compared results and bearings. A two second encrypted burst transmission from heroes park had been detected from Heroes Park for the second time that week.

"That was definitely a spy, what do we do now?" said the technician.

Agent Ardent of the EIA pondered for a moment and said "We'll take every available agent and a company of infantry and comb that park from top to bottom and find that transmitter. Then we'll stake it out and pick up our friend next time he goes to transmit."

"And then hang us a froggy!" yelled the excited technician. Agent Ardent grinned.

"No I've got something much better in mind." said Ardent.

Pierre Lecoste was a first lieutenant in a French Infantry regiment based in New Rheims. New Rheims was a former Aztec town captured in the dying days of the Aztec war when Egyptian and French forces raced to wipe out the last vestiges of the Aztec Republic. France was left with three towns surrounded by Egyptian territory. With the start of the war these towns were thus highly vulnerable.

Lecoste barely knew his men. The regiment had been rushed into existence, at a cost in lives of the Aztec citizens, but the Sergeants were competent and Pure French. Many of the troopers had dark hair and skin of "sub human" part Aztecs. As such this unit was lucky to be designated as Regular. He watched as a warrant officer explained the workings of the Spear anti-tank rocket.

"A solid hit from a spear on an Egyptian Chariot APC should be a kill but the Commies are more likely to hit us with Modern Armor. Those tanks have thick front armor so try to hit them on the side or better yet the rear. The effective range of this weapon is 200 metres but 100 is better. The back blast is lethal so loaders stay clear of the rear of the weapon when it is being fired. Stay in your foxholes and hit the enemy when they pass you. Now every man is to have one shot. The best shooters will get the weapons and the rest of you will carry ammo for them. Now watch this !"

The trainer aimed the weapon at an old truck 100 metres away. The spear missile shot from his launcher hitting just behind the cab. There was a loud bang and the near empty fuel tank ignited causing a very satisfactory fire ball. The men cheered this effort.

The men were set to demolishing the now useless Aztec temple which had targets painted on it. The soldiers were mostly lousy, generally shooting too high. Lecoste hoped they would be more effective in combat from the practice. Still the Spear rockets smashed very satisfactory holes in the brick work. Lecoste and his NCOs reorganized the platoon into squads of five with two rocket launchers each. Lined up they looked quite formidable.

Suddenly there was a screeching followed by the thunder of repeated explosions. The platoon scattered like cockroaches when the light was turned on. The men dived into the slit trenches dug by slave labor on every street. A true French Officer Lecoste stood imperiously in the square despite the very obvious sounds of enemy artillery. It was landing over half a kilometre away.

The radio operator signalled Lecoste. "Sir we have been ordered to take positions in the secondary defensive position. Enemy Modern Armor have been sighted. The 21st regiment has been badly damaged by enemy artillery."

Lecoste walked North waving his arm. His men jumped out of the trenches and followed him. They ran figuring that the faster they went the sooner they could find cover. They were right and Lecoste broke into a run to keep up.

They found their positions. A group of 9 foxholes linked by a trench. They were undamaged. The men piled in to their foxholes still in their squads. They were in an impregnable position, assuming they were attacked by infantry or cavalry. They had their new rockets so they could even take on tanks. Things looked a bit less hopeless.

Downslope were the men of the 21st regiment, a veteran unit. Bodies and parts of bodies littered their positions. They had been hit badly by the artillery. Coming toward them were the Egyptian tanks. There was something funny about them. It took Lecoste a few seconds to figure it out. Half of the tanks had no main guns!

The reason for this became horrifyingly clear. The gunless tanks approached to within 50 metres of the 21st regiment's positions and belched huge billows of flame. Flamethrower tanks! A few men from the 21st tried to run. Some of them were on fire and most of them were cut down by machine gun fire from the tanks. Then the tanks stopped.

A blackened soldier jumped into Lecoste's foxhole.

"Sir Corporal Henri from the 21st. We didn't stand a chance!"

Meanwhile Lieutenant Ganeb of the 26th Modern Armor was enjoying himself. The latest model Egyptian main battle tank called the Sphinx had ironed out many problems in prior models. An excess of casualties among tank commanders led to the addition of a remote controlled 12 mm machinegun on top. The commander could literally point and click with a mouse on his video screen to end a human life. Easier than a video game.

300 metres past the defensive line just annihilated was another set of fortifications. There were French soldiers watching.

"Artillery mission one shot airburst 300 metres up from last mission." called Ganeb. Twenty seconds later there was the flash of a shell.

"Drop 20, right 40 ground burst fire for effect." Fully fifty shells fell in the next minute on the position of Lecoste's platoon hitting six foxholes directly.

Then the tanks advanced again and the enemy knew exactly what was coming. Two soldiers stood and loosed Spear missiles. One hit but the tank kept coming and the brave man who fired it was cut down in a hail of machine gun fire.

"Sir you have to surrender, they will burn us alive!" yelled corporal Henri.

"No we must die for the honour of France! Sergeant shoot this traitor!" yelled Lecoste. The Sergeant picked up his rifle and then smashed the butt into Lecoste's head. His helmet offered some protection but he was knocked out.

Lecoste awoke in a camp bed. A nurse led a dark man to him.

"I am Major Tomas of Egyptian Military Intelligence." he said in perfect French.

"Pierre Lecoste, Lieutenant, 54601" said Lecoste. "I will never betray France or my Fuhrer!"

"I'm sure you won't. Did you know that our capture of New Rheims was the first time in history a town was taken without the loss of a single attacking soldier. We will repeat our methods on every city in France. Once you have recovered from your concussion you will be assigned to a reeducation centre. Obey the rules and one day you will be a free Egyptian citizen."

Lieutenant Ganeb left the tavern at 1 AM and staggered back towards the temporary officers quarters. New Rheims was a dump but the French booze was good. "Mange Merde et Mort Gyppo!" screeched a voice behind him.

Ganeb turned fumbling for his service automatic as the shotgun roared. He was the only Egyptian casualty of the capture of New Rheims.

I have realy enjoyed reading this story. Any updates?

Nice. who shot Ganeb? A partisan or what? any way, good update.

edit: You know what, forget that question.

Sky Intercept

Captain Horus of the 1st Jet Fighter squadron continued his boring patrol over New Thebes. His eyes switched between the radar screen and the cloudy night outside. He wasn't even sure that the French had any bombers
but he and his wingman Ibis were there to destroy any they did have.

"Captain I have a single contact bearing 70" radioed Ibis. Automatically Horus gently turned his F3 to the bearing and increased his radar range and power. He was rewarded by seeing a bright green dot at the top of his display. The pulse doppler radar fed information into the computer which then projected a green dot on Horus's HUD.

R34.5 C347 S 450 A6250 IFF NEG. was the label at the base of the screen.

Range 34.5 km Course 347 Speed 450 km/h Altitude 6250 m Negative Identify Friend or Foe. Horus took in the information at a glance. Transport plane flight profile. But the plane could be Egyptian or Byzantine with its IFF out. And shooting down a Byzantine plane would be a total diplomatic disaster.

Horus radioed "Form up 2 km from his tail while I get a visual ID." He pushed the throttle to full military power and entered a shallow dive to 3000 m. His
F3 rapidly accelerated to 1000 km/h, just under the sound barrier. When he climbed to intercept he would slough off his excess speed.

But then the target did something peculiar. It made a gentle left turn to heading 170 and entered a shallow dive, heading directly to the French border. Horus automatically checked his GPS display and wrote the coordinates on his map in grease pencil. The target may have dropped something.

When he was almost under the target Horus pulled into an 8 G Immelman turn coming up almost directly behind the target. He switched on his landing lights transfixing the target. It was a ugly four engined turboprop of a design completely unfamiliar to Horus. But painted on the tail was the red star and yellow field of the Egyptian Socialist Republic. But the plane had come North and was now heading to France. It made no sense.

"Egyptian Transport Plane. This is Captain Horus in the jet fighter behind you. Identify Yourself Immediately." radioed Horus on the Guard Frequency. He repeated the message three times for no response. The plane kept heading doggedly South. Very suspicious. "Am in position 2 km behind target" radioed Ibis on the tactical frequency.

Horus armed his guns and set the target pipper 20 metres in front of the nose of the transport. He pressed the trigger and a line of red tracer/high explosive lanced into the night. That got a reaction.

"What the hell are you playing at flyboy !" roared a voice over the guard frequency in perfect Egyptian.

to be continued....

Agent Ardent had a good day. A company of TOW infantry without their missiles scoured Hero's Park. Within 80 minutes the radio transmitter was found. Now for the stakeout. Ardent chose 20 men from the company and had them equipped with night sights and digital cameras with 20X optical zoom.

He wanted them completely unarmed but you couldn't send soldiers after a spy unarmed. Each man had a 9mm automatic pistol and strict instructions from Ardent that the spy was wanted alive. The men were equipped with Ghillie suits and positioned between the car park and the car park.

Jacques Reynard was oblivious to all the activity. He went straight to the radio and submitted his report. Egypt had another 4 modern armor regiments to field and 20 more in production. Also all the Aztec towns taken by France were now in Egyptian hands. Egypt was now preparing a massive attack on Tulum and then onto French native territory. Nothing could be done to stop this.

Sergeant Tuponet watched Reynard send his report. How he wished for his sniper rifle to waste this froggie spy but all he had was a camera. But the EIA guy Ardent insisted on photos. So he took them. Reynard stowed the radio and headed up the path to the car park.

"bunny 5 back to the barn" radioed Tuponet. Well the EIA would pick this froggie up and hang him.

Ardent took a crowbar and lifted the hood of the expensive sports car belonging to "bunny 5". With a pair of insulated pliers he removed the lead from the positive terminal of the battery. He closed the hood. Bunny 5 would not escape. Ardent hid in the public toilet.

Jaques Reynard walked up to his car. If anything Hero's Park was quieter than usual. He dumped his laptop on the passenger seat and turned the ignition. Nothing, not even a warning light. He hit the hood release and went to the front of the car. The terminal had come loose from the battery. He felt something hard press into his back. "Don't move or else" said a gruff voice.

Reynard was led to the public toilet. Agent Ardent met him. "Spiro Kotsopoulos a French spy, I don't believe it!" he said looking at his driver's liscence.

"I'm a Byzantine Spy" said Reynard. "You can't shoot me for that."

"Well I am going to check. But you have a family. If we find you are a spy we will confiscate everything. No more private schools for your kids and your wife will need to turn ten tricks a night to feed them judging by her looks just for rent and food. But if you cooperate you keep your business and your wealth. All we need is for you to transmit what we tell you." said Ardent.

"Sounds a good deal" said Reynard, "What do you want to tell France."

"We have many cities in disorder and will only have one new modern armor regiment ready next month" said Ardent.

"Well to hell with France, I never wanted this stupid war and I've been happy in Egypt. I'll do what you say." said Reynard.

:goodjob: Whos suprised? of course the frenchman would betray his country. Bunch of rifle droppers... great update though. Keep it up

Sky intercept continued.

"I am Captain Horus of the Egyptian Airforce. You are to turn to heading 347 and land at New Thebes airfield Immediately !"

Horus emphasized his words with another half second cannon burst over the transport's cockpit.

"This is Colonel Ardent of the Egyptian Special Forces. You have no authority over this plane. We are on a secret mission that is not -repeat not anything to do with you !"

"I'll radio to base and check." The radio call was frustrating experience but it was clear that no flight plan had been filed anywhere for the transport or colonel Ardent. His commanding officer ordered Horus to force the transport to land at New Thebes. Horus felt much better. If he had to force down or even shoot down the transport he had some orders to obey and it was no longer his responsibility.

"Colonel Ardent. I have orders to escort you to New Thebes, where your identity will be checked. Come to course 357 or I will shoot you down." yelled Horus.

"Captain let us go south or I will see to it that the only flying you'll do is starjumps in a Gulag!" Yelled the Colonel.

"I'll take that risk. Now turn right or you are dead !" Horus yelled as he let loose another burst. Slowly the transport turned and headed to New Thebes. Horus checked his fuel state - more than enough to reach New Thebes even at his current crawling pace.

There was a sudden call from Ibis the wingman. The plane had opened its far door and the crew was throwing items out. Horus relayed the information to base.

The transport eventually landed at the single strip at New Thebes. Immediately two machine gun armed jeeps raced to it and a bullhorn ordered the crew out. Three men dropped to the concrete apron and were immediately handcuffed by infantrymen.

Horus and Ibis made two orbits of New Thebes and landed and taxied to their hangar. Horus walked to the Base Commander's office. If that strange Colonel was genuine he was in a heap of trouble. Ibis came too but he was not in command of the mission and had no consequences to fear.

As they entered the base commander and a man in civilian clothes stood and saluted. "Drinks boys?" said the commander pouring a generous shot of whiskey into four glasses. "This is Agent Quonset of the EIA. He has some news for you.

"Gentlemen" he said as the others took their seats and drinks. "Well done on capturing a genuine French spy plane. The Frenchies were planning an attack on New Thebes and the guys you nabbed were doing photo recon. There was a camera setup in the nose of the plane and they hoped to avoid interception by flying a false flag. The Egyptian speaker was Guy Marchet, a former diplomat to us. They will all go to a POW camp for the rest of the war. Stay suspicious Captain Horus."

The two fliers drank happily knowing they had intercepted a genuine French plane. As to its mission they were all of them deceived.

Outside New Thebes.

Pierre Mitterand landed awkwardly on an irrigation pipe. His ankle was clearly sprained but that would aid his cover. It was a bad HALO parachute jump and he prayed that the transport had made it safely back to France. They had dropped him early because they picked up a fighter radar. Mitterand cut the parachute shrouds and buried his chute. He was dressed as an Egyptian Armor Sergeant with a greatcoat showing Iroquois Campaign and Valour medals. Automatically he patted his left side. Yes there still was an Egyptian 9mm automatic there.

He limped to his backpack and assembled his crutch. This was his secret weapon. He limped North hoping for a road. There was a minor highway two kilometres to the North. He hid in a copse of trees and applied a plaster cast to his genuinely injured right ankle.

Pierre Mitterand was Le Luip - The Wolf. A former gunnery instructor in the army he was recruited by the FSS and even did two missions in Egypt, returning before the war. Joan had a plan. The Fuhrer had decreed the deaths of both Cleopatra and Theodora. And Le Luip had to get close enough to assassinate Cleopatra with a 0.22 sniper rifle firing explosive bullets. And another man was hunting Theodora. It could be done. Xlocho the Aztec foreign minister gunned down Montezuma himself with an Egyptian Cavalry Carbine. He was immediately killed by the guards and the last Aztec town fell the next day. Cleopatra was immortal in the lives of men but she could be slain.

Fuhrer Joan loved the spy thriller "Day of The Jackal" by the English Author Frederick Forsythe. But Mitterand was not the Jackal. He had no car or alternate identities beyond Sergeant Paneb. And he was not attractive enough to seduce rich useful women and finally he had no car. On the plus side he had a reliable agent in Thebes to call.

Below a white painted tanker truck came around the corner. Mitterand limped to the road and waved his crutch. The truck stopped and the passenger door opened. "Greetings comrade sergeant. Need a lift to New Thebes." Mitterand entered and listened to a boring one way conversation about milk pickups and deliveries and the doings of dairy farmers. But after four stops he was in New Thebes and dropped off at the train station.

In Thebes.

Agent Ardent of the EIA pored over the decrypted text in Jacques Reynard's laptop. With Reynard's cooperation the EIA had his decryption key and copied the entire contents of the laptop to a late model PC. The text of Reynard's laptop was instructive.

Apparently Reynard's assessment of Egyptian military readiness as weak led to this destructive war. Ardent regretted offering immunity to Reynard. The guy had basically started a war that cost over 100 000 Egyptian civilian lives - but a deal was a deal. The EIA had more sucess than say the Iroquois SS because they kept their promises.

There was another item that bothered Ardent. Apparently the latest instructions to Reynard were to provide a safe house and false identies to another agent called Le Luip - the wolf - who was on a secret critical mission. Ardent checked his dates. That message was on the 24th. On the 26th a French photo recon transport had been forced down. That plane could easily have dropped an agent, a saboteur or worse. Today was the 27th. Ardent was in luck. A grainy digital photo of a tough looking greying man with a dark beard was included in the wolf file. He looked evil. If he showed up he was going to get caught.

A junior agent rushed into Ardent's office. Sir Reynard got a phone call from New Thebes. Here is the tape. Ardent slotted it into the machine on his desk. It was short and in Egyptian.

Kid. Kotsopolous Residence.

Caller. Can I speak to your father.

Kid (muffled) Daddy!

JR. Kotsopoulos Here

Caller. This is the Wolf.

JR. Everything is fine.

Caller. Good. (Hangs up.)

"You get a trace on this?" asked Ardent.

"Public Phone in New Thebes. It took 10 minutes to get a cop there but the caller was long gone." said the Agent.

"Too bad" said Ardent. He pressed the print control on the computer and a photo of The Wolf appeared. "Distribute this to all media. Say that the man is a suspected child abuser and murderer."

"The public might lynch him if we said that." said the junior officer.

"Thats fine by me as long as that froggie gets nailed. Whatever he is here for is bound to be nasty. Get some actors to pretend he killed their kids, gets the public's attention." said Ardent.

Meanwhile on the train to Alexandria Mitterand "The Wolf" was in the bathroom. He had shaved and dyed his hair black. He looked ten years younger. He made sure the bathroom was clean and burned his Sergeant Paneb ID, and flushed the ashes down the toilet. The train slowed as it was entering Cairo. Good. In the confusion of passengers Mitterand disembarked and headed for the rental car agency.

"How can I help you sir" said the perky brunnette rental car agent. "I would like to rent an automatic sedan because of my injured foot" said Mitterand.

"Certainly Mr Ganesh" said the agent looking at his driver's licence. "We have a white automatic obelisk wagon - will that do?"

Half an hour later Mitterand was heading down the road to Anthibes. A police car was headed in the opposite direction. In his rear view mirror Mitterand saw it make a drastic U turn and pursue him. He looked at his speedo - dammit 120 km/h. It was a 100 zone. Mitterand slowed and pulled over. Hopefully all he would get was a ticket.

Incident at grid -5, -23

Foseth endured the long truck ride with the rest of his work crew. Unlike under a Republic where he could collect his fortnightly dole while doing a minimal amount of looking for work, every citizen in the new communist Egyptian utopia had to be performing some socially useful function. Foseth was given a stark choice. Join the military or join a patriotic labor battalion. He chose the latter.

Other than a little irrigation work and some pollution cleanup, Foseth had little to do and received a paycheck 50% higher than his old dole payment. Most of the time was spent sitting around in the depot in Alexandria. But a spot of pollution had appeared near the Indian border and so six labor battalions had converged on it automatically. Most Labor battallion leaders were instructed to perform tasks automatically without modifying which basically meant pollution cleanup as Egypt was fully developed.

The truck drew to a stop and the female supervisor yelled "everybody out". The 12 men and 7 women of the "platoon" dismounted and all but 3 lit up cigarettes. After a 5 minute smoko they each had a drink and lined up.

"Pick up those stinking butts. We're supposed to be cleaning up here not making more mess of our Motherland." screamed the supervisor. The workers picked up heir butts.

"Lets get to it boys and girls" called the supervisor. The workers put on their chemical protective suits and grabbed a shovel each. Foseth was first dressed and chose the wheelbarrow. That job was more interesting than scraping up goop.

"We are real near France, where's our military escort?" asked Foseth.

"Shut up and work. The great armies of Egypt have better things to do than look after your ugly butt." said the supervisor. Foseth waited until the diggers had accumulated piles of bright orange gunk and went to each shovelling it into the wheelbarrow which he emptied at a dump truck. There was an old mine nearby where all this muck was going.

After four hours of boring labor they stopped for lunch. A thick beef curry on boiled rice that was probably horse. Better food than usual. Foseth had seconds. An hour into the second shift there was a yell. Cavalry approaching. Foseth looked West. A thin line of horse men were cantering towards them. Foseth heard screams and then the rattle of automatic weapons. The woman digging next to him fell with blood pouring from her head.

On instinct Foseth dropped the wheel barrow and ran for the truck. It was already speeding away. A horseman dismounted and drew a long tube from his saddle pack and aimed it at the truck. A rocket shot out like a gob of fire hitting the cabin of the truck. It exploded and smashed into a tree. Nobody could have survived that. Foseth never thought so fast in his life. He ran for the nearest dead body and smeared his hood with blood, lay and pretended to be dead.

Foseth peered at the French cavalrymen as they milled around looting the dead and setting up some form of defensive position. Any minute they could find that he was not dead and rectify that error. He also noted that four horses were tied to a tree with no guard.

Foseth dashed to the horses and mounted the biggest one. He slashed the reins of the others and kicked his mount in the ribs. It took off like a scalded cat, completely unlike the pony he rode when he was eleven. There was a crackle of gunfire behind him but it was wild. Then it stopped. The French were not going to risk injuring a valuable horse for some worthless worker.

Foseth tugged the rein to the left and the horse turned as easily as a car. He glanced behind him. Two Frenchies had regained their mounts and were after him. He headed east praying he could meet some Egyptian troops.

The chase was on. Drool sprayed from his mount's face and it slowed. Foseth looked behind him and found his two pursuers had also slowed. Ten minutes later they turned back.

Fifteen minutes later Forseth was at a military checkpoint explaining to a Mech Inf Lieutenant called Paneb what had happened to his worker team.
"We are going to wipe those froggie bastards out for this" declared Paneb
as he got on the radio to his Colonel.

:goodjob: Good to see you carrying on with this one, seanos08! Great story - I'm happy to follow it even further!

Nice. Glad this is still going.

The arrival at Rheims.

Rheims was near the Byzantine border. Unlike the direct route to France where the jungle made the passage of artillery impossible, it was possible to use Byzantine rails to move the ready reaction force of 10 artillery batteries, 5 guarding Mechanized Infantry, 2 TOW infantry and 8 Modern Armor regiments to a hill overlooking Rheims. One of the Modern Armor regiments moved next to the city to ensure that the Byzantines did not block the attack route and to spot for the artillery.

Also attacking Rheims were two Byzantine TOW infantry regiments and unbelievable 3 of longbowmen. Overhead 5 squadrons of Egyptian bombers attacked the city, damaging defending infantry and successfully destroying the barracks and killing 10000 civilians. Worse was to come for Rheims.

Meanwhile in Thebes the politburo was meeting. Comrade Cheops was holding the floor.

“With our communist government trade is down by 30 % and this is slowing our research into The Laser which is both essential for robotics and completion of our spaceship. The war weariness that brought down our Republic was for the Iroquois war not for the French war. Can we please change to democracy.”

“Comrade Cheops, communism is ideal for our military. We are currently paying nothing to support our forces and our garrisons keep the population from rioting. Until the treacherous murderous French are destroyed we need the discipline of communism.” Said Military Advisor Rameses.

Lady Isis the foreign advisor spoke up. “At the reception for the reopened Iroquois embassy I found out something useful. The Iroquois are prepared to join us in a military alliance against France in exchange for nuclear power. Our current allies are weak and a strong ally will help us destroy France faster.”

Cleopatra finally spoke. “Inviting Iroquois to land troops on our continent is like fighting a mouse infestation by introducing plague rats. Sure the rats will eat the mice but how do we get rid of them after. We have the best possible government for war. We are about to take Rheims and soon our armies will land outside Paris. I see no cause to change our policies.”

The wolf strikes

Mitterand slowed and pulled over. The Egyptian cop had its lights and sirens going. Mitterand opened the window and put his 9mm automatic under the driver’s seat. He had a fake driver’s licence in the name of Ganesh as well as an honourable discharge certificate in the same name. Egyptian police would be keen to hunt deserters.

The young policeman came to the window.

“Sir you were going 123 km/h in a 100 zone. Not only is this dangerous behaviour but you are wasting fuel needed for the defence of the Motherland. I am going to have to fine you $110. May I see your driver’s licence comrade?”

Mitterand slipped $200 behind his documents and handed them over.

“Are you trying to bribe me comrade Ganesh. And paying me more than the fine. You have something else to hide. Step out of the car!” yelled the policeman drawing a baton.

Mitterand was amazed, used to the corrupt ways of the French gendarmerie. The cop wasn’t carrying a gun. With his left hand Mitterand slammed the door open with his left hand and knocked the cop backwards. As the police officer staggered to his feet Mitterand grabbed his silenced pistol and shot him in the face. To his horror a sedan containing a family rushed past. They must have seen him shoot the cop as he heard it accelerating. And if they could afford a car like that they definitely could afford a mobile phone.

The Egyptian police would never let up in the hunt for a cop killer and would be armed and inclined to shoot. The wagon could never catch the sedan. The police V8 could but it would take too long to switch cars. The cop car would be harder to stop and may cause confusion.

Mitterand parked the wagon sideways so it blocked the road, got out and threw the keys into the bush. He transferred his gear to the police car, got in and turned to head back. The car growled like an angry beast as he accelerated to 200 km/h and he found the switch to turn on the sirens. He would take the next left and put as much distance between himself and the crime scene as possible.

Attack on Rheims.

Captain Seth felt like a god. Lying on a hill with the 34th Modern Armor his job was to direct the artillery fire of a full ten batteries on the French town of Rheims. He found his position on the new GPS system and radioed it in. He then used his rangefinder to get the distance and bearing of a blockhouse in the centre of the French TOW regiment he was attacking. He could see soldiers milling around behind the trenches.

Back at the battery the coordinated were sent to each gun and a time on target barrage was prepared. Seth heard a sound like a distant thunderstorm and then a ripping sound overhead. A massive rolling explosion hit the rear of the enemy TOW troops, the shells hitting them simultaneously without warning giving them no time to take cover. Twenty seconds later another volley hit immolating troops silly enough to try to help wounded comrades in the open. By then all of the French troops were dead or cowering in the bottom of the trenches.

Like a god Seth radioed instructions that sent high explosive death onto whichever French position he wanted to smite. Systematically he bombarded each unit in turn until all the batteries had exhausted their shells. Of the two TOW and two Infantry regiments defending the city, all were at or below 50%strength now.

Seth was not finished yet. He sent instructions to four approaching bomber squadrons to hit those areas least affected by the artillery. This included the front line of a TOW regiment. Two of the air strikes were ineffective, destroying the bank and a tract of housing, but the others were effective, wiping out the TOW regiment and crippling the other.

Seth heard a roaring behind him. Simultaneously the engines of the 34th Modern Armor were cranking up. Then the crunching and rattle of tank treads as the massive war machines started down the hill to complete the victory.

It was a rout. Only two tanks were destroyed and 7 disabled in the capture of Rheims. The French Infantry were so shattered that they surrendered en masse. Those foolish enough to loose a missile at the Egyptian Armor had been obliterated by HE tank shells. Rheims was taken and two labor battalions captured. They were sent away by road to Egypt for pollution cleanup.

Two mechanized infantry regiments took up positions in the city and martial law declared. The population was resentful but set to work building a temple to Ra. Meanwhile Seth joined the artillery batteries. Apparently the 34th Modern Armored had looted every liquor store in Rheims and were so grateful for an easy victory that they sent 20 truckloads of wine and brandy to the artillery who made it possible. Tommorrow the gunners would pack up and move their guns towards Chartres.

Mitterand drove the stolen V8 police car at 180 km/h and turned North as soon as he could. He was now under no illusions about his chances of escape. The police would be after a cop killer and would be ferocious in their efforts to find and neutralize him. They would be in a mood to shoot and ask questions later. The police would have to know their car was missing - he had to find another. They would also have his false identity from the rental agency.

The wolf surveyed the drivers of the oncoming vehicles. There - a middle aged man alone in his bright red Byzantine Viper sports car, obviously speeding. Mitterand hit the switch for the lights and siren and executed a perfect handbrake turn and raced after the sports car. The driver saw him as he slowed and pulled over. Mitterand ordered the driver out of the car.

He then ordered the driver to walk into the scrub at the side of the road. The driver protested at Mitterand's lack of a uniform and strange request at which was answered by Mitterand drawing his pistol. Once out of sight of the road Mitterand shot him in the face and took his identification. The photo did not look like him but he could paste in a photo later and be Abel Paneb, bank manager, Cairo.

Mitterand went back to the police car and scrubbed the wheel and dashboard.
He moved his baggage and weapon to the boot of the sports car and took the wheel. Again he headed North at a sedate 100km/h and turned East towards Alexandria. On the way he saw two young women waving. He pulled over and offered them a ride they accepted. Excellent. Nobody would expect the wolf to have company. For the first time since the police officer pulled him over he relaxed and chatted about inane things with the attractive university students he picked up.

Meanwhile in Thebes.

Agent Ardent was drinking his third cup of the day and smoking his 15th cigarette. Still no leads on the mysterious wolf or even his mission. Was it grand sabotage like the mission Ardent led against the Iroquois. Or something more sinister. Egypt had nuclear weapons now. Could he try to sabotage one and blow up a city. Ardent had ensured that massive military security surrounded all nukes and projects of national importance. But the Wolf was on the loose and that would not do.

"Boss - phone call its important" called the desk officer.

"Ardent here, who is this?"

"Chief Inspector Xochic, Cairo police. We have a suspect who has shot a traffic officer and a civilian. He used an automatic with a subsonic round which smells like a silencer to me, and only a spy is likely to use one of those."

"You got my attention. Now it is of vital importance that we neutralize this man. Shoot if there is any question of him escaping. Arm your men with submachine guns and borrow some good infantrymen from the army to accompany them."

"Already done and I've ordered road blocks on all roads 300 km from the murder scenes backed up by Mechanized Infantry. I've also deployed infantry in case he tries to escape by foot and police and infantry at all railway stations. There is no way this scumbag is going to escape my net. I am detaining all single men remotely matching the description you gave me and searching all cars for weapons and explosives." said the Inspector.

"Good. I'll come down and join you as soon as I can get a plane." said Ardent.

In Paris.

Joan of Arc marched into the cabinet room. All her ministers had their fists raised in the Fascist salute.

"Sit down. General De Gaulle you have a lot to answer for. The Egyptians have taken three core cities in a week and have not lost a single unit in doing so. This is a disgrace! Your men aren't fighting. I will give you until 6 pm to do the honourable thing or I will put you on trial for treason."

Bravely de Gaulle stood.

"My troops are subjected to massive ground and air barrages which sap their strength before Modern Armor crushes them. Give me 10 modern armor regiments and 10 artillery batteries and I will wipe out the invader."

"No I prefer that General Napoleon take over as Military Advisor. Perhaps I have been hasty, you may retire. You are an old man unused to modern war" said Fuhrer Joan charitably. "Does anyone have good news?"

"I do!" said science advisor Marie Curie. I switched our research from space flight to genetics and we are the only nation to possess the secret of genetics. We can trade this to Iroquois so we can get oil again and build tanks and planes. We can even trade it for peace with the Egyptians."

"If I may say something" said domestic advisor Marie Antoinette "we should build the Cure for Cancer to make the people happy after all the whipping......." her voice trailed off as the other ministers stared at her as if she had some disgusting skin disease.

"Foreign Advisor Petain, any ideas?" said Joan.

"Genetics is a juicy carrot. I'll see what the other bunnies in the world will give for it." said Petain.

"Very well this meeting is adjourned until after Petain's negotiations.

Hiawatha Joan

synthetic fibres genetics
oil dyes
world map
113 gpt
603 gold

Byzantines peace treaty for genetics
Indians peace treaty for genetics
Egypt refused to acknowledge envoy

The cabinet met again. Field Marshall de Gaulle was absent. In his place was a squat dark haired man.

"Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Field Marshall Napoleon who will lead our armies in this desparate hour against the communist horde"

Napoleon rose, placing his left hand in his black tunic. "Our success in war has been by attack and our defeats by being defensive. Egypt is using a massive stack of artillery which our troops refer to as Cleopatra's shotgun. Were we to defeat the two mechanized infantry units and two modern armor that guard it, we could take it for our own or at least destroy it. That will give our infantry a chance against their tanks. Our mistake in this war was to underestimate Egyptian resolve. They did not give up to the mighty Iroquois and fought them to a standstill on the Iroquois home continent. If we aren't aggressive now Egypt will squish us like a bug."

"So how do we attack? The Egyptians have 5 times as many cities and have Modern Armor while we have no tanks at all?" asked Jaques Chirac the trade advisor. "We have synthetic fibres but no aluminium or rubber so we can't even build tanks?"

"Simple. I will let the enemy take Chartres. Judging by past behaviour Egypt will move her artillery to grid 13 23 in order to shell Marseilles. There I will hit them using TOW infantry and our remaining cavalry. I estimate I need to throw at least 10 TOW infantry at them."

"But that will strip all our cities of their best defenders. We must think of the people" said Marie Antoinette aghast.

"If the war continues its present course there won't be a French people in a month" snapped Napoleon.

"Well that was productive. We proceed with Napoleon's plan. God save France." said Joan.

That night Jaques Chirac spent the night with a woman who was not his wife. Bella was an American journalist who loved his tales of his life in Joan of Arc's inner circle.

What he didn't know was Bella was Bel Chamblis, Egyptian secret agent and his words were sent by burst transmission to an Egyptian geostationary sattelite every morning.

Lieutenant Paneb leaned back in the cupola of his Chariot IFV. The sway of his vehicle was like riding a horse. His orders were to go and join the protection of the massive artillery battery that was laying waste to French city after French city. The regimental intelligence officer said there was a possibility of a French attempt to attack the battery.

"What with?" asked a skeptical Paneb. "The French have no more tanks and can't build any since we took out their rubber supply at the start of the war.

"I don't know, but France has replaced deGaulle with Napoleon who was a highly aggressive commander in the Aztec war. Our orders are clear. Our artillery must be protected at all costs."

Paneb's regiment would soon be in action again. Their last action was to wipe out the French cavalry regiment that murdered six labor batallions. That attack meant now the Cairo regiment had gone from being green conscripts to a professional outfit with veteran status.

Finally the unit passed through Chartres and two hours later crossed into French territory. Military police waved them into position. In the fading light Paneb saw artillery piece after artillery piece with trucks standing by loaded with shells.

Paneb dismounted and his men lined up automatically. "Right men. We are here to guard this patch of ground. I want a berm in front of each IFV, a foxhole for each rifle squad with a machine gun. We'll build a proper trench line tomorrow. Have a smoke, then get to work." The men grumbled. After spending 13 noisy smelly hours in a IFV they wanted chow and sleep.

Twenty minutes later Captain Mekmet, the batallion political officer arrived. Paneb missed the old chaplians. They promised a nice afterlife over the Styx for those guys that bought it, and didn't presume to offer military advice.

"Lieutenant Paneb, why are your men digging holes? They should be fed and rested now. The welfare of your men is your responsibility comrade Lieutenant."

"I am not prepared to leave my men in enemy territory without defences Comrade captain. This is a military matter not a political one."

The men had stopped working when the captain arrived. They resumed digging, a sign of support for their officer.

Meanwhile the captain sought through the dialectic as to whether digging defences took priority over workers rights and ran into the issue of whether a soldier was a worker as such. "As you were Lieutenant" was the best answer he could come up with.

On the road block.

Officer (Senior Constable) Nefertiti and Probationary Constable Aline looked at the squad of seven mechanized infantry soldiers and their massive chariot IFV. The 25 mm chain gun looked like a cannon. The driver and the gunner had slung sub machine guns and the other five including the Sergeant in charge of the squad had lethal looking automatic rifles, pistols and grenades. One private had a rocket launcher.

The men lined up beside the road. “What do you want us to do Madam. All our officer told us is that we are to help out on this road block.”

“Comrades of the People’s Army. We are trying to arrest a dangerous French spy. He has already murdered a police officer and is a major threat to the motherland. It is our duty to arrest him. Should he draw a weapon or attempt to escape when challenged you are free to shoot him. Aline hand out the photos.”

The junior officer handed each soldier a pair of photos. One was the photo from Reynard’s computer. The other was computer generated showing the man without his beard.

“Now comrades we will set up our roadblock on the highway from Cairo to Alexandria at the bridge over the Aswan river. How do you want to set up your men Sergeant?” asked Nefertiti offering him the map.”

“I will set the Chariot on the near side facing Alexandria so it can pursue any vehicle running the road block but train its weapons on the bridge. I will deploy a pair of men with a rocket launcher on the far side to intercept any vehicle that tries to back out of the roadblock. That means I can have a sniper opposite the Chariot and the corporal and I can help with the car searches.”

The police and soldiers drove for ten minutes and set up their road block. Everything went smoothly for two hours with no suspicious men except on very obvious drunk driver who was locked in the back of the police van and his car was parked off the side of the road. The police questioned the occupants of the vehicles while the soldiers searched their boots and baggage.

Then they stopped a white van. As the driver bore a resemblance to the photo the soldiers did a thorough search. The driver was a Byzantine named Spiro Poulakis and the van had Byzantine number plates.

“Hey Ma-am” called the corporal. “The back is full of furniture but the side panels are too thick – much thicker than my Dad’s van and it’s the same make.”
Constable Aline had a look and saw that the panel screwed in. The corporal had rushed to the IFV and fetched the tool box. In five minutes they had the panel off. Behind the wall cavity was full of brown paper parcels.

Nefertiti took one and opened it. Inside was a plastic bag full of white powder.
“Well Spiro. Are you going to tell me what this is or do I make you eat it.”
Spiro pretended not to understand Egyptian. The Sergeant obligingly translated. He had done some work on exchange with the Byzantine Army.
“I don’t know.” Said Spiro. “I am just hired to deliver furniture to Kotsopoulos Imports. This isn’t my van. I’ve never seen this powder before in my life. I swear by Queen Theodora.”

Meanwhile Constable Aline took the drug testing kit from the police car and was hard at work on a small sample. “Heroin. Very pure!” he announced.

This was the drug bust to end all drug busts thought Nefertiti. At least 10 million pounds street value. Drugs had always been a problem in Egypt that had ameliorated with communism. Comrade police had unlimited search powers coupled with forced labour for users and the death penalty for traffickers meant drugs were much less of a problem. Most people dealt with the drab regimented existence in Communist Egypt through the oblivion of the bottle.

“You are aware that drug trafficking carries the death penalty in Egypt.” Said Nefertiti, with barely concealed delight.

“But I am just a courier and they threatened my family. I can name names. Both here, and in Constantinople. But not before I see a lawyer.”

“You’ll answer all the ladies questions or I’ll gut you and throw you off the bridge” growled the Sergeant producing his bayonet. Spiro began his confession.

Behind the police a female voice asked “Can we go through.”

Nefertiti glanced at the red sports car being driven by two young women. She didn’t notice the figure fast asleep on the rear seat. “Go on comrades she said.”

The sports car took off with a squeal of rubber and “Le Loup” woke up.

“Ladies please drive more sedately. I need my sleep. Wake me when we get to Alexandria.”

The wolf had escaped the net.

Man. talk about ironic

Stupid drug dealers, always interfering with the real criminals that need catching! :crazy:

The Battle of Grid 13 23.

The 10 Egyptian artillery batteries plus 3 mechanized infantry regiments and two modern armor regiments ground their way up the hill at grid 13 23. This hill was in range of the French city of Marseilles. More modern armour raced to positions around Marseilles in preparation for the attack and to cut off reinforcements for the beleaguered city. Like Rheims and Chartes before, the artillery and then bombers would pound the defenders giving the Modern Armor easy victories, taking the city with minimal risk.

Military advisor Napoleon had other ideas. He stood on a platform as 10 TOW infantry regiments and France’s last Tank regiment lined up before him. There were also 3 cavalry regiments, the men holding the reins of their mounts. Loud speakers distributed through the multitude would relay his every word.

Cardinal DuChamps of Paris led the men in prayer and then spoke to them. “The Egyptians have abandoned their worship of the false gods of Ra and Horus and have resorted to atheistic communism. They have offended God and are now invading holy France forcing good French Christians to abandon Christ. Their beastly troops have murdered priests and raped nuns.”

Napoleon suppressed a smirk at the last remark. Throughout the war Egyptian troops had treated their captured civilians well, even building temples in captured cities. But atrocity stories made soldiers fight with more fury and civilians tolerate more deprivation so the new propaganda ministry invented them.

The Cardinal continued. “Any man who dies trying to liberate France from the godless invader shall have eternal life in Heaven with Jesus and the Saints and the Mother of God forevermore. Go and kill commies for Christ!”

The soldiers cheered and one idiot emptied the clip of an automatic rifle into the air.

Napoleon took the stage.
“Men our mission is of vital importance to the future of the French Reich. We are going to attack the massive Egyptian artillery battery and capture it. With this artillery we can then smash the invader and recapture our cities. I don’t pretend this battle will be easy. We face both Mechanized Infantry and Tanks but our TOW missiles are powerful enough to knock them out. We also face artillery bombardment before we even sight the enemy. Our 4th Tank regiment will lead the attack followed by the TOW regiments. Finally our Cavalry will mop up their infantry. Look at the man to your left and to your right. When this day is done one of them will be dead. But the future of France depends on this one battle. Fight with all your courage.”

“For France! For Fuhrer! For God!” yelled Napoleon. There was a massive chant of “For France! For Fuhrer! For God!” from the men that only stopped when the engines of the tanks roared into life.

“Lieutenant French tanks coming!” called the runner. Lieutenant Paneb clambered out of the hatch and climbed onto the roof of his chariot IFV. He took out his binoculars. Tell tale plumes of dust and leading to the tall tanks of the French army. Still 5 km away.

“Sound the alert!” he yelled. His driver pressed the horn of the IFV in bursts of three. The infantry squads raced to Paneb along with Sergeant Papyrus, their artillery liaison officer.

“Sergeant call down some arty on those tanks” ordered Paneb. The Sergeant and his radio operator climbed on the roof of the Chariot and began reeling off coordinates.

“Infantry I want a four man foxhole either side of each chariot. Make a berm in front of the chariot with the dirt. In each foxhole I want at least one RPG8 launcher and a machine gun in every second one. Those tanks will have infantry with them. Get digging!”

There was a screeching sound overhead and 5 seconds later the thunder of explosions. The platoon did not notice, being busy digging. They missed the sight of three French tanks being destroyed by direct hits. Meanwhile Paneb was on the phone to regimental HQ. He was told to hold his position at all costs.

“Hey LT there’s infantry following those tanks. The Arty’s doing a real number on them!” called the sergeant.

Paneb waved an acknowledgement and set to work with one squad on their foxhole. He could direct the engagement better there than in a Chariot and would be less of a target. Besides, his gunners could operate the missiles and cannon better than he could. He took his personal SLR rifle and five clips of ammunition. Then he ordered all his infantry to take all weapons and ammunition out of the chariots. They would be the tank’s first target.

The sound of silence alerted him. The tanks were now only 2 km distant and the artillery guns could not depress enough to engage them without blowing away their defenders. Paneb lay in the shallow foxhole with his radio man, a machine gunner and three riflemen, one of whom had an RPG8 launcher. There was a whoosh to the left and a streak of light shot towards the enemy. Paneb was about to chide his Chariot gunner for breaking fire discipline when he saw the missile impact on a tank. Men baled out and started running away. The machine gunner fired a burst at them until Paneb screamed “Cease fire. Save your ammo for their infantry.”

The tank still had not fired. The effective range of their 90 mm cannon was 700 metres so they crawled on up the hill. Missiles from a Chariot had a range of 2 km so the gunners had a field day. For the six minutes it took the tanks to get in range they were picked off one by one. When Paneb heard the crack of the first French tank cannon he estimated that half of the tanks in view were destroyed or disabled.

Then there was a massive bang and the whine of shrapnel overhead. Paneb’s personal Chariot IFV had taken a direct hit on the turret. There was a popping noise as the 25 mm ammo cooked off. The driver dived out of the door aflame. One of the riflemen jumped out of the foxhole and threw a woollen blanket over the unfortunate driver. In a crackle of machine gun fire he was thrown back dead. The tank that killed him was only 100 metres away.

There was a whoosh to Paneb’s right. The private had fired his RPG8 and hit the tank in the turret. The tank stopped and the driver jumped out. Paneb shot him without a second thought. Two more tanks came on and another chariot was destroyed. Then the infantry destroyed them with a hail of RPG8’s.

“Sir three squad’s hole took a hit from a tank round. Sergeant Quonset says he’s wounded in the legs and three men are dead”

Seeing no enemy tanks still functioning Paneb ordered two riflemen to evacuate the wounded to the rear. Then there was the clank of tank treads and the familiar whine of Egyptian MBT’s.

“Lieutenant, we are from the 23rd Modern Armor, we’ll take the next attack. You Mech guys did real good.”

The two surviving IFVs withdrew and the destroyed ones were towed out of the way by tanks which then took up their positions. Then Paneb decided to stay with the rest of the dismounted infantry between the tanks.

“Lieutenant we have enemy infantry coming, looks like TOW infantry!” called the artillery observer.

The battle for hill 13 23 had only just begun.

I'm looking forward to this. I really think this is o ne of the best stories out there.

Agent Ardent of the EIA took over an office next to Commissioner Quonset. It was the biggest manhunt in Egyptian history. For 55 hours the cordon around the site of the police murder had searched every vehicle. Now pairs of police from Thebes and Alexandria backed up by soldiers conducted a search of every building inside the cordon. Faced with such manpower surely the wolf would be caught.

Ardent was taking a nap when he was woken by Commisioner Quonset.

“We have a break. Near the police car is a dead civilian whom his wife has identified. He was driving a red cheetah sports car 1894 model number plate RBT486Q. We presume the wolf killed him and took the car. We have a report from the Alexandria road block that a car like that was allowed through the road block. Apparently it was being driven by two women so the Wolf must have been hiding in the back. I’ve thrown a cordon around Alexandria and issued an all points bulletin for the Wolf and that car.”

“Good” said Ardent. “Lets get to Alexandria”.

Meanwhile The wolf, having dropped the hitchhikers at a back packer’s hostel was wondering what to do. The car was compromised. Surely one of the girls would talk. So how to get to Thebes. Either he stole another vehicle but risked the theft being reported – or he took the train. And he would have to change his appearance. There was a shopping centre to the left. He parked the car in the deepest part of the car park and deliberately left the keys in the ignition. Hopefully some young punk would take it for a joy ride and cause confusion. Then he took an overnight bag and his crutch.

Then he went to a chemist and bought some blonde hair dye and a shower cap. There was a wanted poster showing his face but the image was blurry. He went to the toilet of Pyramid burgers and suddenly realized how hungry he was. In the toilet he shaved and used the hair dye. The shower cap allowed him to soak his hair for the recommended time. Being a typical fast food joint, nobody noticed his changed appearance. He settled down to a Sphinx Burger meal – he hadn’t eaten for 30 hours. Then he had another one.

Then the wolf left the shopping centre and took a bus to the train station. There was a train for Thebes in two hours and one for Memphis in 20 minutes. The wolf chose the Memphis train. Less obvious and it would take him close to Thebes. He paid for a first class ticket and boarded.

Meanwhile Agent Ardent and Commissioner Quonset were interviewing two tearful young women. “If he was a murderer and a French spy we never would have let him give us a ride. But he was so polite. He didn’t even make a pass at us. We’re not in trouble are we?”

“If you cooperate fully and help us capture him there will be no charges” said Ardent. “Now the police artist will interview you. “

Meanwhile in the gathering dark the driver of the train to Memphis saw a light flashing on the track. He braked and allowed the train to creep forward until he could make out the lines of a main battle tank on the track. He stopped the train. Then he could see tanks ranged either side of the train. A group of soldiers and police approached.

“There is a dangerous criminal loose. We need to search the train.” Said a police officer. Police accompanied by soldiers boarded. Meanwhile the Wolf rushed to the toilet. He opened the cistern and dumped the pistol and his spare identities and closed the lid. He felt naked without a gun – but with that many cops and soldiers he had no hope in a shootout. The sergeant Paneb ID was the only one he kept as it was closest to his current appearance. He left the toilet and was intercepted by two police officers and led to his compartment.

There he showed the police officer his ID. “Sergeant Paneb, if that is your real name. This photo looks nothing like you and you look like the man we are hunting. Search his bag.” A police officer went through his single pack but there was nothing incriminating in it.

The old lady sitting opposite him said “Officer that man has a crutch and he might have dumped something in the toilet!” The police sergeant used his radio to call in more police. He had the soldiers cuff Mitterand. Then he took the crutch. It was suspiciously heavy. He unscrewed the shaft of the crutch. There was something heavy inside. It was the breech and barrel of a small calibre rifle, and a telescopic sight. An assassins rifle.

Then a police woman came in. We found these ID papers and a silenced handgun in the toilet. One of them is the ID of that poor bank manager who was killed. And this must be the murder weapon.

“What is your real name Wolf?” asked the police sergeant. “I am Francois Mitterand and I am a French secret agent. Do what you will with me.”

The wolf was caught.

Lieutenant Paneb evaluated his platoon's resources. After beating off attacks from a tank regiment and two TOW infantry units, he had half his platoon dead or too badly wounded to fight. Worse still ammo was low and the chariot IFVs were all destroyed. Finally the other mech regiment and two modern armor regiments were totally destroyed. Paneb's regiment and one of modern armor were all that stood between the French and twelve artillery batteries.

Paneb sent four men foward during the lull in fighting to grab French rifles and ammunition. Unfortunately French ammo was larger calibre and could not be fired from Egyptian weapons. They could be seen scrambling back to the trench. "French Cav" called Private Aswan. Sure enough pink jacketed men on horseback were charging up the hill.

"Shoot the horses at 100 metres and any man who gets within 50. Make every bullet count." screamed Paneb at his men. All the men lay in their foxholes taking careful aim. The French charged with their carbines flashing as they fired up the hill. Then a ragged volley of Egyptian fire cut down a third of the horses and their riders charged up the hill on foot. More horses and Frenchmen fell but some reached the foxhole next to Paneb's.

Modern bayonets were no match for sabres in a hand to hand battle. Soon the Egyptians were down. Paneb looked to his machine gunner but the man had taken a carbine round in the face. Paneb grabbed the heavy weapon and charged the French letting loose a hail of 7.62 mm rounds. His fire was accurate and screaming like banshees the remains of his squad followed him.

The surviving French ran back down the hill with Paneb brandishing the now empty machine gun as a club in hot pursuit. An unfortunate wounded French lieutenant rose to run and was viciously battered down by the maniac Egyptian. Paneb's run ended when he was tackled by Private Aswan. "Stop Sir, they are running. If you go any further they will kill you."

Meanwhile at the base of the hill Napoleon was fuming. "One unit and I sent four units to kill it and it survives. I have had enough of this cowardice and incompetence. General Toulon take your 23rd TOW infantry and take that hill. As for you General Roland, you and all your officers are demoted to private in the 44th conscript TOW, but you are expected to do the honourable thing."

"Sir Colonel Galland of the FSS is here! He says its urgent." called the orderly.

Galland marched in, wearing his black leather jacket and carrying his riding crop. He screamed "Hail Joan" as he saluted. Napoleon returned the salute.
"I am in the middle of a battle Colonel what is so urgent."

"Three Egyptian Modern Armor armies have landed from the sea 50 km from Paris. They will attack tommorrow. Every remaining TOW unit in your attack group must be redeployed to Paris immediately." barked the Colonel.

"No" said Napoleon. "If we take that artillery we can batter the enemy modern armor to half strength today. Instead of two TOW infantry we can have them and 13 artillery batteries to defend Paris. Pretend you came 20 minutes later and the 23rd TOW will take that artillery and we will have a force capable of defending Paris."

"The Fuher said you may think that way. Failure to comply will result in your immediate arrest for insubordination and treason and your immediate execution." growled Galland.

"Merde" said Napoleon. "Recall the 23rd TOW. I am needed in Paris tonight."

Meanwhile on the hill above exhausted Egyptian soldiers scoured the battlefield for wounded comrades and weapons as wounded Frenchmen made their way down the hill unmolested.

Idiot AI.... :crazy:

Man. Close call.

Revolt in Rheims.

Colonel Umet of the 54th Mechanized Infantry was not happy with his current posting. His unit was the only one guarding the captured French city of Rheims. The other mech and modern armor units were rushed foward to defend the artillery batteries that had only so recently almost been lost to a determined French counter attack.

At least the war should be over soon. Paris should fall today to Modern Armor armies. That would leave only three French cities. With the artillery meeting modern armor armies in 2 days it would take only a week to complete the obliteration of the French nation.

Umet had what was on paper a simple task. Keep the city in order and produce a library so the city had some Egyptian culture. But the French were revolting. Most banners read "Stop the Aggression Against our Mother Country." Some read "It is way too crowded" and even more saying "We cannot forget the cruel oppression you have borne down on us." Hardly fair, the forced labor was done by the French. You would think that six different luxuries should pacify the 13 hundred thousand citizens but some trigger happy bombardier had blown up the marketplace.

"Assign some more Entertainers" called Umet to his adjutant.

"But Sir that would place us in a food deficit and citizens will starve" said Major Tulok.

"Do it. If they are not working they don't deserve food. Cleopatra wants this city as a functioning part of the Egyptian Socialist Union. If some Froggies don't like that they can suffer."

Just then a breathless signals lieutenant rushed in. "We are under attack. All units report sniper fire and have fled to their vehicles. We have taken casualties."

Umet said "Our troops are the finest in the world. They should be able to deal with a few snipers. Give me the radio."

Umet took the radio phone. "First Platoon Report in."

"Sir this is corporal Quantz, The Lt is dead and we've lost two chariots to rocket fire. We are surrounded. the French have barricaded both ends of Chat Road and are closing in. We have 12 dead and 8 wounded. Request permission to surrender"

"Denied. Shoot everyone in sight armed or not. Try to break the barricade and report back to the governor's palace." said Umet.

He tried the other platoons and they were in similar situations. Third Platoon didn't reply at all. Mechanized Infantry were designed to fight in open spaces where they could use their missiles and 25 mm cannon. In an urban environent with an enemy firing anti tank rockets from buildings and deploying snipers and road side bombs they were in trouble. And the enemy strength seemed to be like two Tow regiments. Bad news.

For two hours the battle raged. Although the Egyptians fought bravely sheer weight of numbers told. Eventually they were forced into a last ditch stand around the Governor's mansion. With ammunition almost gone there was no choice. The mansion was surrounded and its open gardens were a perfect firing range for TOW missiles.

"Sir there is a message from the enemy" said the radio operator.

"Colonel Umet here. Who is speaking" said the Colonel.

"This is Colonel Satre of the new 43rd TOW. We have you surrounded. Surrender now and you will be well treated"

"Very well I will instruct my men to surrender" said Umet.

To the communications officer he said "Broadcast the surrender to our troops. But first they are to blow up all our Chariots and fuel and ammo. We don't want to create a French Mech Unit."

Meanwhile in Thebes Military Advisor Rameses sought an immediate audience with Cleopatra.

"Comrade General Secretary Rheims has culture flipped. I have delayed the attack on Marseilles for a day and detached the 13th and the 27th Modern Armor to retake the city. It shouldn't be hard, there will only be a TOW regiment guarding it."

"Very good" said Cleopatra. "But one more thing. When you retake Rheims burn it to the ground. I will tell the domestic advisor to build a settler unit to take the site."

13 hundred thousand citizens
That would be 1.3 million, wouldn't it?

I approve of the hard-line approach. Way to show no mercy, man! :sniper:

Sorry I haven't posted for so long.

Its cool. Don't waorry about it.