Riots in Centralis

[GeneralTacticus]

"...MEANS NECESSARY. MESSAGE REPEATS: BY ORDER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, MARTIAL LAW WILL BE IMPOSED THROUGHOUT THIS AREA AT 7:30 PM PRECISELY. ANYBODY REMAINING ON THE STREETS AT THAT TIME WILL BE REMOVED BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. MESSAGE REPEATS..."

At this point the loudspeakermessage cut off; the speakers crackled for a few seconds, then a new voice could be heard.

"BY ORDER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, AMRTIAL ALW IS NOW IN EFFECT IN THIS AREA. ALL CITIZENS MUST LEAVE THE STREETS IMMEDIATELY, OR RISK BEING FORCIBLY REMOVED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED."

That message complete, the speakers shut off, and at last there was some silence, much to the relief of the soldiers now driving through the streets in their APCs.

"About time, too," Corporal Browning grumbled, "that was worse than being attacked with a sonic pulsar. Should we be getting out, Sarge?"

"Yep. Driver, stop. Lads, be careful getting out, and wait for my order before you do anything."

The ten soldiers in the squad clambered down the front ramp to the APC and stood in loose formation amidst the crowds of angry rioters. Some had left in response to the endless warning broadcasts, but others were still there and ready for a fight - their APC had been hit by dozens of stones and bottles thrown from the crowds, and had several times had difficulty avoiding crushing people beneath it's treads.

Up and down the long street the soldiers could see members of other squads dismounting and forming up as well. Within a few minutes, there were fifty soldiers positioned along it, surrounded by rioters who had no intention of leaving but at the same time didn't want to approach the soldiers and their plethora of weaponry.

This state of tension held for a few minutes before it broke. The loudspeakers crackled again to deliver a final warning, but before it could begin, the sound of a gunshot came from the enxt street, followed by several more, and then the deafening crackle of heavy machine-gun. At this, the rioters surged forward, and whatever the loudspeakers were going to say was lost over the roar of gunfire as the soldiers fired for all they were worth.

* * *

"It's begun, sir," remarked a Presidential aide, stating the obvious. They could all hear the chatter over the commlinks against a background of automatic weapon fire and the screams of the dying. Arrayende nodded, almost imperceptibly, listening absently to the rest of the Council whispering about events on this or that street corner. He looked up when Andreas Von weiser's personal assitant Serena Fredersen walked over and dropped a sheet of paper in front of him, summarizing relevant foreign events. Arrayende examined it carefully, thinking.

"Right, so... Jackson wants to send their troops as peacekeepers... Serena, tell Weiser to politely - politely, I say - refuse their offer. They might interfere excessively... there doesn't seem to be much else of itnerest. How's the suppression going?"

"From what the others are saying, it's working pretty effectively, for the most part. The rioeters are running for the hills currently, and the fighting is only continuing in a handful of spots where the crowds were particularly tough or thick and the troops are having problems overcoming them. Reinforcements are being mvoed into these areas to finish the job..."

"Good, good... tell the others I want the bodies and the blood cleaned off the streets by dawn tommorow - and turn off the streetlights. It wouldn't do for the country to wake up to streets filled with corpses..."

"Good thinking, sir. I'll tell the others directly."

Arrayende looked down at the desk in front of him again, but snapped back up again as the intercom phone buzzed.

"Hello, President Arrayende here."

"Mr. President, this is Lieutenant Nathan Deschamps, calling from central Geelong. I have six foreign journalists here, including two from Alecrast. What should we do with them?"

'Damn... never thought of that, for some reason,' Arrayende thought, 'so, what should we do with them? Ah, yes...'

"Lieutenant, take them into protective custody. I don't want them getting hurt, and anyway it wouldn't do for them to broadcast iamges of what happened tonight. Confiscate any film or photos they may have in their possession, and turn it over to the MSS. They'll deal with it appropriately."

"Right you are, sir."

The intercom went dead, and Arrayende went back to listening to the chatter of the commlinks and of his advisers.

'This is going better than I expected...' he mused, 'just hope the international community doesn't explode when they find out...'

[GeneralTacticus]

"Chairman Blackstone, you asked for a report?"

"Yes, I did." Aaron Blackstone, Chairman of the Communist Party of Centralis, looked up from his dinner at the messenger who had just walked in the door. "What's going on?"

"Well, as you know, the government has impsoed martial law and deployed the army into the streets. They've opened fire on the rioters, and seem to have dispersed most of them..."

"I expected as much. Thank you for the confirmation. You may go now."

The messenger nodded, saluted, and walked swiftly out the door. Blackstone turned to the rest of the CPC leaders, smiling broadly and rubbing his hands together in glee.

"Right, time to get cracking. I-"

"Comrade Chairman, did you even listen to what that man had to say?" one of the leaders demanded, "The people are being shot down in the streets like dogs! The riots are over! Our window of opportunity is closed! This is a disaster! How can you suggest making our move now?"

"Because, Comrade Xin, our window has not closed at all. On the contrary, it has been left wide open. If we make our move now, none of the people will resist - who will want to fight for a government that jsut committed such an act of murder? Equally, the international response will be mired in confusion, and by the time they can figure out what to do, we'll be firmly entrenched. This couldn't have happened better if we'd planned it. Now, get going. We have to topple the government before this day is out."

With looks of revelation dawning on their faces, the senior hierarchy of the CPC stood, abandoning their food, and hurried off to put into operation the plans that they had laid. Blackstone himself pushed himself to his feet and headed off to direct his area of the operation.

Soon, Centralis would be his...

[Squeblish Nef?]

OOC: My comments have no real relevance to the story.

IC: "Arrayende has more balls than I thought! He's not as much of a bleeding-heart commie bastard..."
"I get the point, my lord. What I'm curious about is how the rest of the world will respond to the slaughters."
"Like they'll care! They'll just be happy that the pinkos didn't take over their precious trading partner!"
"Mmph."

[GeneralTacticus]

"Comrade Chairman, I have successfully gained access to and disabled the primary government security network, using the access codes that our source provided us with. You should now be able to take control ove rmost government buildings without too much trouble."

A malevolent grin spread across Blackstone's face as he listened to the voice over his secure cell phone.

"Excellent work, Comrade Maria. Thanks to your efforts, this country will be freed by dawn tommorrow."

Blackstone switched the phone off and stowed it in his pocket before turning to the assembled CPC commanders.

"Right, Comrades, we've got a clear run - the security systems are out. Tell your groups that we're moving out. With any luck, we might even win without losing anyone..."

Some of those within earshot looked doubtful, but most looked very confident as they headed off their assigned positions to prepare for the coming coup. Blackstone checked his watch - they were due to move in fifteen minutes. He could feel the adrnaline in his veins, and closing his eyes, he savoured the anticipation of power. After today, nothing would ever be the same again...

* * *

The vanguard of the communist advance crept slowly toward the entrance to the main government arcology cluster. Ordinarily they would have been spotted long ago by the security cameras and sensor systems scattered around the area, but this time was most definitely not ordinary. With those sensor systems prevented from raising the alarm, and the automated response system non-functional, the government defenders of the area were rendered virtually helpless.

First blood for the night was drawn when five elite government troops guarding the entrance were shot down with silenced weapons. None made any sound beyond soft thuds as they hit the ground.

The entrance guards eliminated, the CPC forces moved swiftly and silently towards it. Now came a problematic bit - the doors were known to be equipped with a 'dead man's switch' system which would lock them down if the security systems failed. However, when the first CPC trooper reached the doors, they hissed silently open, and the others breathed a sigh of relief - apparently the security system breach had not been detected and the switch had not been triggered.

As the doors opened and the communsits stepped inside, they scanned the entrance lobby. There was nobody to be seen - odd. Before they could reflect upon this however, there was a crackle of gunfire and two of the sixteen communsit insurgents collapsed to the ground in pools of blood. Whirling around, they could see two more guards standing with their backs to the wall beside the doors, firing at them with heavy asssault rifles. Three more of the communsits had died before they could bring their own weapons to bear, but once they did, the fate of the two soldiers was sealed - they both collapsed to the floor, riddled with bullets.

Just as the sound of shooting finally died away, the next wave of the attack arrived, with two groups of 24 troopers sprinting through the door and linking up with the vanguard. After some hurried discussion between the group leaders, the two newly arrived groups split up and headed of to secure strategically important points, while the vanguard group stayed behind to guard the entrance and ensure that further arrivals could get in safely.

Over the next few hours, the communist forces, moving swiftly through the building and shooting anyone who got in the way, successfully seized control of the complex's independent power supply and the control rooms for the internal security and communications networks, allowing them to reactivate those systems for their own use. Meanwhile, across the country, other communist task forces were seizing control of media buildings, police stations, transport hubs, power plants, and assorted other strategic points, including some of the most critical - most of the hubs of the military communication network. There were backup networks, but bringing them into operation would be a tricky business, especially as the CPC forces had begun jamming most electronic communication across the country. Within four hours of the operation beginning, the communiats had won control over most of the vital infrastructure of the country.

All this was reported to Chairman Blackstone as he took a lift up through the main government acrology to what had been the Presidential office. Moments after he had arrived and sat down, a man limped through the door and saluted, a look of triumph on his face.

"Yes, Comrade, what is it?"

"Comrade Chairman, we have successfully captured almost the entirety of the Executive Council. Our source within them, of course, allowed himself to be caught, although neither he nor we are openly acknowledging that he helped us, just in case. Of the rest, all but two were caught, including President Arrayende - unfortunately, Minister Von Weiser was at a meeting in Chimerica, so he's out of our reach, and Minister Kurnous seems to have vanished. The rest, we have."

"Excellent work. Keep them in a secure location while we decide what to do with them. Comrade Xin, tell the rest of the Central Council that I want them up here immediately."

The two men he had addressed nodded, saluted, and heded off to obey those orders, both with a spring in their step at the extent of their success.

* * *

Ever since the intention to declare martial law had become public, everybody who wasn't in the streets rioting had been clustered around TV sets, radios, or computers, trying to find out what was going on. Right up until the deadline, the media had been full of discussion about the issue; then, when martial law came into effect and the shooting started, everything cut off. Coverage of the crisis ended, and the media stations went back to such mundane things as tommorrow's weather, the financial news in neighbouring countries, or the latest outbreak of violence in Black Pit of Charr.

However, at around midnight, even that stopped. Citizens waiting anxiously for more word of what was happening wondered anxiously why they had suddenly been cut off, but no-one dared go out into the streets again in violation of the curfew.

This state of combined bewilderment, confusion, and fear had continued for a little over an hour when on every operationing TV screen in the country, the face of Aaron Blackstone appeared; and over every public loudspeaker, every TV Speaker, and every radio, he began to speak.

"Citizens! The day for which all have been waiting expectantly has arrived. The proletarian revolution has triumphed! The capitalist system, which but a few hours ago sent its tanks and its mercenary soldiers into the streets to slaughter those demanding a better life, has fallen. The leaders of the old regime have been taken into custody, soon to be tried by the People's Revolutionary Tribunal. Even now, other counter-revolutionaries are being rounded up by units of the new People's Revolutinoary Guard.

"No more shall we bow before our overlords in Alecrast and their traitorous lackeys! No more shall the labour of the working class be exploited for the benefit of the capitalists! No more shall the energies of the people be turned to the making of weapons to be turned against our brothers in Sheepsta! For this is our new beginning, and..."

Blackstone continued in this vein for another two hours, and when he finished, his face faded out to be replaced with the flag of the CPC, while the speakers began to play the Internationale, the anthem of Communist Party of Centralis.

[Squeblish Nef?]

[Aftanun drops his glass.]
"They did what?"
[Pater Torosius cringes and fiddles with his rosary.]
"Our intelligence teams have reported that communists may have taken control of the capital of Centralis."
[Aethnorl throws his glass at the wall.]
"Sh!t! How could this have happened?"
"Well, the government was probably taken unawares."
"They had guards, didn't they?"
"Well..."
"What were the guards doing? Where was the army?"
"I... I don't know!"
[Aftanun stops pacing around the centre of the room.]
"We'll wait for now. Maybe the RVs can be of some use."

[Sheep]

Lord Protectro Sheep Leo II has called for the Assimiliation Corp to be dismantled in Apolyton and for Apolyton nations to call for the end of the Assimilation Corp as a threat to world peace.

[GeneralTacticus]

OOC: Sheep, it would be nice if you could condense all your anti-Assimilation Corp rantings into one thread to be read, responded to, or ignored, as the case might be, rather than spamming everybody else's threads with them...

[Squeblish Nef?]

Originally posted by Sheep
Lord Protectro Sheep Leo II has called for the Assimiliation Corp to be dismantled in Apolyton and for Apolyton nations to call for the end of the Assimilation Corp as a threat to world peace.

OOC: If the Lord Protectro is so damn smart, then why can't he spell?
Besides, you're only pissed at the Corp because we backed up Patagon, which, incidentally, is a full member.
Which you, I'm glad to say, are not.
My advice to you is to sod off.

[Mr. President]

After the incident on Skeln Pass, in which Silveran soldiers crossed the border but Dakmoristani Border Rangers fired the first shot, the West exploded with war. Dakmoristani armies marched into Acre and down the Anduin Valley. In ferocity, the fighting equalled the medieval Aerathi conflicts. Villages were razed, and thousands displaced.

The East was not immune. In Centralis, the government was overthrown by communist insurgents, and the country descended towards chaos as foreign interference escalated . . .

-- Harald Chandell, History of Apolyton


"Madame President, are there Karakasian troops in Centralis?"

"No. Next question."

"Madame President, what is Karakas doing about the situation in Centralis?"

"At the moment, there is not much we can do. We continue to stand by the legitimate government of Centralis. Food aid has been travelling by convoy across the border, as the roads there are still operable."

"Madame President, is it true that Karakasian armor divisions are being readied for missions in Centralis?"

"No. Next question."

"Madame President, why has Karakas failed to condemn the shooting deaths of thousands of Centralian civilians at the hands of military personnel?"

"Because the people killed were rioters and rebels. Karakas opposes the violent overthrow of legitimate governments."

"Madame President, why are the communists claiming that Karakasian special forces have attacked their fighters in several large cities?"

"No comment. Next question?"

[GeneralTacticus]

"Very well, Comrades. The People's Revolutionary Tribunal is now formally in session. Comrade Oberon, please ensure that all proceedings are logged for future reference.

"Now, given the multitude of other difficulties we will face in building socialism here in Centralis, and the fact that time is short, let us be brief. I shall go through each of the accused in turn, we shall discuss the evidence agaisnt them and any mitigating circumstances, and then sentence them by majority vote.

"The first of the accused: former Minister for Communication and Transport, Helga Culbert. Spread reactionary and pro-exploitation propaganda through the Centralis Media Service propaganda machine, and ran the areas under her authority along anti-socialist, capitalist lines. I motion that she be found guilty. Any dissent?"

Blackstone looked around the room, around at the hastily-convened People's Revolutionary Tribunal, consisting of the Supreme Council of the CPC plus a few extras. There were no objections.

"Guilty. Does anyoen wish to put forward a motion for sentencing?"

It was First Secretary Hikamamachi who spoke up.

"Firing squad."

"Noted. All in favour, raise your hands."

Everyone did.

"Carried. Send word to her guards to inform her of the sentence and carry it out without delay."

One of the low-level party functionaries watching the proceedings jumped up and ran out the door to do that, while the PRT carried on down the list of accused, encompassing not just the Executive Council but senior members of the General Staff and government bureaucracy, along with a number of CEOs who had been unlucky enough to be caught. Almost uniformly, the accused were found guilty and sentenced to death or long sentences in re-education centres.

Meanwhile, outside the government complex, the rest of the population was still trying to come to grips with the sudden regime change in their country...

[Archaic]

“Accused number 842: former Minister for Health, Tyrone Moffat. I know of no substantial charges that could be made against him, and moreover he would have annulled any such charges by supplying us with the information that we required to carry out this revolution. I motion that he be declared innocent, and released, though he will have to remain in protective custody for the time being. Dissent?”

As always, there was silence.

“Very well. Someone tell his guards, please. Next.”

There was a tap, like someone hitting a key on a computer keyboard.

“Accused number 843: former President of the ‘Republic’ of Centralis, Arevalo Arrayende. Oversaw a state apparatus that actively established and promoted capitalist systems both at home and abroad, most notably in the aggression against Elethar. Supported the Alecrastian subjugation of much of Sheepsta. Actively helped to spread counter-revolutionary, anti-Sheepstan propaganda, with the aim of destabilising Sheepstan democracy and facilitating a return to Alecrastian domination. Ordered the Centralian military to commit mass murder against crowds of people demanding an end to the capitalist system. I motion that he be found guilty on all charges. Objections?”

Just as for the other 842 accused, no one raised a murmur.

“Guilty on all charges. For these crimes, I motion that he be sentenced to death by firing squad. All in favour, say ‘Aye’.”

The room filled with a massed ‘Aye’.

“Sentence passed. Inform his guards immediately.”

Yamamoto Shinji quietly flicked a small switch, and the speakers died, leaving the dark room silent once more, but for the buzz of the laptop in the corner, with the concerned face of the Monarch staring out from it.

"So that's it then. This is worse than I had expected. Much worse. What do you suggest, agent?"

"We still have the governmental quarters bugged, including the former presidential offices. Helga might be unable to help us anymore, but we do still have one ace left to play...."

A robed figure slipped from the shadows behind the Alecrast Yokuza agent, to stand behind him, looking over his shoulder.

"My liege, allow me to present to you, Kion Kurnous, Centralis Minister for Science, Technology and Research."

The robed figure nodded.

"With your permission sir......using the Minister as a rally point for the loyalists, I'd like to use our existing forces in Centralis, together with local resistance forces, to affect an attempt to rescue the President. We may have no hope of getting there in time, but we must at least try, in a symbolic gesture if nothing else."

The Monarch lay silent...

"Permission granted Captain. However...don't waste time locating any more forces than you can already contact. Launch your operation immediatly. I will authorize the sending of reinforcements from Alecrast directly. Once the Arrayende is safe in your hands or dead by theirs, you are to begin with Operation Naga. Understood?"

The agent stood there speachless for a moment, before stammering

"O..O...Operation Naga? Sir, are you sure that's necess.."

"I'm sure Captain. You will have field command for this operation. The future of Alecrast lies in your hands. If Naga cannot be accomplished....you know what will happen."

"Y..Yes sir. Wakarima****a. Over and out."

The laptop reverted to a black screen, and the agent dropped to his knees, grasping the edge of the table for support.

Operation Naga......and I thought Arrayende had to make tough decisions. But he never had to.....Naga.......Naga.....

The warlock, forgotten, only looked on in passionless unexpression, silent.

[Jack_www]

To Centrails Communist:
The United States of Jackson will not stand for what you have done. You have 48 hours to step down from power and allow the President and the rest of the Executive Concil to regan controll of the Centrail government and armed forces. If you do not comply Jackson will be forced to use force to do so. We have six aircraft battle groups in the area, we sugest that you heed our advice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of the Jackson East Apolyton Fleet is or now on their way to Centrail waters. The Two that are already there are now evacuting the Jackson embassy in the capital. Also USJ jet fighters from the carriers can be seen flying over the capital and other major cities in a display of force.

[GeneralTacticus]

OOC: Jack, I very much hope you realize that with high-powered jamming signals being broadcast throughout the country, it would be very difficult for your fighters to do much of anything, including know where they're flying...

[Squeblish Nef?]

['Jed' Bolander chokes on his Vitamin Supplement.]
"You're f---ing joking! Pinkos in Centralis?"
[Pater Torosius ceases pacing and turns to Jed, looking decidedly smug.]
"That's why we may need your assistence. We may need you to take out the..."
"PT, I don't think there's much I can do for you at the moment. You see, I'm currently missing two and a half limbs, most of my internal organs and about a quarter of my head. I think I'm going to pretty much 'out of action' for a while."
"That's where you're wrong."
"Wrong? I can't even piss without somebody having to ram a large tube into the base of..."
"The Board's having you fitted with Type B cybernetics. Dr Ideo will be... enhancing you in about an hour."

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by GeneralTacticus
OOC: Jack, I very much hope you realize that with high-powered jamming signals being broadcast throughout the country, it would be very difficult for your fighters to do much of anything, including know where they're flying...

OOC: I certainly hope you do know how electronic warfare works. It seems that this kind of omni-directional, full spectrum, all weather coverage you envisioned doesn't work.