Zack was here
Chieftain
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- Mar 27, 2006
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This story sounds a lot like a Tom Clancy novel. Except for all the impaling and propaganda...
The Egytpt Iroquois War
- Thread starter seanos08
- Start date
seanos08
Monarch
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.
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.
seanos08
Monarch
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.
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.
seanos08
Monarch
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....
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....
seanos08
Monarch
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.
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.
seanos08
Monarch
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.
"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.
seanos08
Monarch
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.
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.
seanos08
Monarch
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.
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.
seanos08
Monarch
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 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.
seanos08
Monarch
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.
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.
Jakt
Chieftain
Good to see you carrying on with this one, seanos08! Great story - I'm happy to follow it even further!
seanos08
Monarch
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.”
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.”
seanos08
Monarch
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.
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.
seanos08
Monarch
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.
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.
seanos08
Monarch
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.
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.
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