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A Marslavan Gambit
Topic Started: Jul 8 2012, 07:38 AM (889 Views)
Alberto
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War had ended in Europe, but in Marslava life went on as if war was still raging.
In Prague huge queues still formed up in front of the few open shops for the little remaining food, the martial law was still on and the army was still patrolling the strees of every city.
Even if Marslava wasn't in war, the situation was still exceptional: since two years the ducal throne was empty, the parliament was suspended and power lied in the hands of a council formed by the heads of the most important families.
The Podebrady, the Slavniks, the Wenceslas, the Spytihněv and the Přemysl all sat in the council, plotted for the throne or prevented the others from seizing it. They were in a deadlock and this was reflected throughout the whole country: the process of reconstruction hadn't even started, no real government existed and evrything was paralized. This was a very dangerous situation and everyone was aware of it, but the families could not agree on forming a new government which could be dangerous to their power.

Slavomir Slavnik was tired and exasperated by this situation. He was the head of the Slavnik family, used to rule ever since its ancestors appeared in Bohemia at the head of a horde of Saxon mercenaries in the IXth century. Defeated by the Přemysl rulers they had remained quiet ever since, waiting for the best occasion to rule over Marslava. The Slavniks saw this period as an occasion, maybe the last one, for restore theur former glory family, but they couldn't go alone for the throne.
The Slavniks were far from being the most powerful family: they didn't have the prestige of the Přemysl or the wealth of the Wenceslas, nor were they particularly popular outside of his family's territories in Breslavia. All other families were too pretentious and arrogant to acknowledge the claim that the Slavniks had for the Marslavan throne.

Slavomir was seen with hatred by the other aristocrats, who always considered the Slavniks to be impulsive at best and dangerous at worst. Of course he hated them back with vigour.
Also the people despised him because of his reactionary ideas and his contempt for democratic institutions. He didn't lack of courage nor of intellect (he had proved to be a good commander), but he was indeed rash, impulsive and tactless.
He knew that he didn't have, within Marslava, the necessary support to seize the ducal throne and for this he would seize it with the help of any power willing to assist him. Now he was precisely going to meet, in a foreign embassy, the representatives of a state that would be willing to help him.
He was going to do the greatest gamble of his family's, and possibly Marslava's, history.


Edited by Alberto, Jul 8 2012, 10:55 AM.
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The Russian Embassy, Prague...

Count Stepan Yakovlevich Panin had been serving as the Ambassador of the Russian court to that of the Ducal court since just before the Dominion Wars. Though Russia had never proven to be a close ally of the Marslava people, it had at least kept open communications between itself and the Marslava throne, that was until it fell silent. With no Duke on the throne there was no court of the Count to mingle in and talk politics, making his position as Ambassador extremely boring. Several times since the end of the Dominion Wars Count Panin request to the Tsar's court that the embassy be closed and that he be transferred to another posting. Sadly, each letter sent to the Tsar's foriegn minister was quickly returned with a notice to the Count that while the throne remained empty in Marslava, it was in Russia's interest to keep a close eye on events. Why, the Count could never figure as each day was met with political grid-lock as it seemed the only resemblance of government was that of the noble council, and the families were too mistrusting of one another and too greedy themselves to effect good government for the people. That the entire economy and country itself had not collapsed was a testament to the Marslava people and the people alone.

When Slavomir Slavnik sent word to the embassy, almost seemingly out of the blue and requested to speak with Russia on matters of state, the Ambassador couldn't believe his eyes. Naturally, he sent word to Moscow without delay and spoke with the Foreign Minister on what the Tsar would be willing to discuss should it be brought up with Slavomir and the Count. Russia was, after all, in a war in the Americas and had also had forces in Yshurak. Already, it had a sent word to the Irish court that it could not send forces in their brewing war with the Normans, though the Tsar did not feel it was necessary as the Irish were indeed a formidable force. Still, there was enough interest in Moscow to entertain Slavomir and hear what the made had to say. Greeting the man as he entered the embassy, Count Panin showed him to a small sitting room and offered his guest a glass of the embassies finest wine.

"Slavomir Slavnik" said Count Panin, "welcome please make yourself comfortable. It has been sometime since last the embassy entertained a member of the Marslava court, especially since the Ducal throne has been vacant. Please, what bring you to the Russian embassy, what is it you wish to discuss with us?
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Alberto
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Slavomir Slavnik could not leave empty handed this meeting, he perceived this to be the last and only chance that he would have to achieve his ambitions. He also knew that the Russians wanted him to speak clearly and shortly.
"I don't need to tell you what is the current situation in Marslava and how it came to be" said the Slavnik "but what matter to us - and to you - is that Marslava cannot be left in this situation for longtime. Because of its position at the center of Europe, if Marslava was to fall into chaos, and trust me it will if we do nothing, the whole of Europe would feel the effects. For example Marslava is one of Europe's biggest producer of weapons and in a situation of chaos these weapons could end up in the wrong hands. "

He paused to continue.
" This can be avoid only with a decent leadership and it is clear that the noble council is unable to give it, this is because only a sovereign would be able to keep the situation under control and avoy chaos in Marslava and possibly in Europe".
By now, he thought, the Russians would have understood what he was talking about and, if they had wanted to refuse, they would have spoken up now. However the Russian Ambassador remained silent and this encouraged me to continue.
" My plan is to execute a bloodless coup in order to suspend the noble council and put in place the natural government of this country. I have the means to do so: my family commands enough loyalty in the garrison of Prague to have the men to do this and I have ensured the neutrality of the Ducal Guard. However, if I have the means to seize power, I don't have by myself the means to keep it."

Slavomir continued to outline his plan " I need external assistance under the form of special operations agents, signal intelligence and external recognition. I will need the help of not more than a company of Russian special troops to stage the coup, the assistance of Russian intelligence to disable the communications of Prague and finally the Russian government to recognise my hold over the Ducal throne". The Russians now knew what Slavomir was asking from them and if they would deliver or not depended from the advantages that they could derive from his accession to the throne once occupied by Vladislav II of the now extinct Voidebrady dinasty. And these advantages had to be made clearer.

" Through an allied Marslava, Russia would have access by proxy to the center of Europe and could easily project its power to the Balkans, southern Germany and even the Mediterranean. Marslava has also a three milions men army and a notable economy, all these things would make it a good ally of Russia, but if this didn't suffice, think at the huge business opportunities that would open to Russian enterprises once the reconstruction process will start..."
Slavomir Slavnik had said what he had to say, now it depended from the Russian ambassador to accept his proposal, and help him to become Grand Duke, or to turn his offer down, leaving him some time to leave Marslava before his enemies discover of his contacts with foreign emissaries.


Edited by Alberto, Jul 10 2012, 04:23 AM.
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Count Panin stroked the beard of his chin as Slavomir spoke, taking in both the assessment of the situation from the noble as well as what he was asking. Russia was not ignorant to the fact that in its prime, Marslava had indeed be a proficient military industrial exporters and certainly even now, held within their borders a rather wealthy stockpile of weapons. That did not include whatever was left in the country from the Dominion Wars which, given the political situation, had no doubt gone unchecked and left perhaps in the same place as they were during the war in Europe itself. What Slavomir was offering in return was also equally appealing and certainly would intrigue the Tsar. Most importantly, an open invitation to Marslava markets, markets that had no doubt suffered greatly during the political turmoil of an empty throne. Russian industries could very well make billions if not trillions as well as make long term establishments within the country. Strategically, a powerful Marslava allied to Russia would provide a good buffer zone between more volatile nations in Western Europe that could become hostile towards the Tsar.

"Marslava plight has certainly not escaped Russia's attention Lord Slavnik " said the Count finally. "We certainly recognize that there is a significant stockpile of weapons and were it to fall into the wrong hands it would indeed cause more problems than the simple political instability your people current face. Of course, as you may or may not know, Russia is currently involved in a rather expansive war in the Americas. Beyond that, we've deployed a significant number of forces into Yshurak to quell a rebellion there. While his majesty's forces are vast as well as power, there is a mortal limit to how far Russia can stretch itself before it begins to tear away at the seams."

"However, what you are asking and what you are offering seem very fair to me. I see no problem is Russia's ability to knock out communications here in Prague, creating for you a blackout. We can deploy Spetsnaz forces as well, though I cannot agree to deploying a force more than a few thousand, given our current military constraints. However, in the disarray of the blackout I don't see a significant reason for why that number should not be sufficient. We can take the noble council without a problem and ensure your ascension to the ducal throne. I am sure I can persuade the Tsar himself to acknowledge your claims. While I'll have to discuss it further with the Russian court, I imagine once we've secured your throne, his majesty will wish to make long-term investments to ensure you keep the throne, perhaps allow more military force or at the very least, giving money to your government so that it make operate until it can do so on its own."
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Slavomir Slavnik was relieved and pleased by the reply of the Russian ambassador.
"Count Panin, the help that you accept to give us is of great importance and you will not regret your decision. We won't need more than a thousand spetsnaz, I know their bravery and I look very mùuch forward to meet with their commanding officer and agree a plan of action with him. We will act in exactly three days, this will leave my men some time to prepare the ground"
Lord Slavomir of the Slavniks saluted the Russian ambassador and left more determined than ever to make the throne that belonged for centuries to the dinasty of the Voidebrady.

Few hours later all the means and men at the disposal of the Slavnik were dispatched to prepare the ground, this was going to be an intense night in Prague.
The headquarters if the communist party of Marslava had been devastated by the war, but it was still occupied by some militants headed by Gustav Clementis. Clementis had been elected in the parliament during the last elections, two years before, and had since then been one of the most important critics of the aristocratic takeover: writing in the columns of the most read Marslavan newspapers, he didn't hesitate to attack vigorously the aristocrats and the army and accuse them of ruining the country.
For his courage he enjoyed a great popularity as well as the attention of the police.
It was so not a surprise when a group of policemen came to make a perquisition and they were let inside the building: they had indeed come many times before looking for evidences of conspirations withouh finding any. The militants had even grown accostumed to the presence of the policemen and their half hearted attempts to find evidence. Gustav noticed that the jovial sergeant that used to lead the policemen had been replaced by a rude looking lieutenant, he then realised that also the policemen were not the usual ones.
Then Gustav realized that those were not policemen, but it was too late. The police was later informed that gun shots had been heard close to Charles University.

At the same time, in the other side of the city, Slavomir Slavnik entertained the commander of the Ducal Guard, General Zdeněk. The General had swore to protect the Grand Duke, but in the absence of a Grand Duke he and his men were in a sort of limbo: they had no Duke to protect and no war to fight, they simply didn't feel any loyalty to the current order.
At the same time the Ducal Guard was the most powerful armed formation of Prague - and of the whole of Marslava - it was so too strong to be confronted by the noble council and the two bodies coexisted. However Zdeněk knew that the noble council would look at the first occasion to get rid of him and of his men.
It's for this that he listened with interest to the offers of Slavnik, who asked him to not intervene in the events that were going to take place in few days. Zdeněk was eager to accept and said:"The Ducal Guard is there to serve the Grand Duke and it proves no sympathy for the noble council."
He looked at the satisfied expression of the Slavnik and added:" I however have to warn you, if just one of my men is hurt, the Ducal Guard will intervene and you will suffer all the consequences".
Slavomir Slavnik knew that the general would pose this condition and he replied:"Don't worry general, not even one of your men will be attacked".
The general then got up, shook the hand of Slavomir and left.


Edited by Alberto, Jul 12 2012, 05:30 AM.
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When word came back to Russia, the Tsar called a meeting of his general staff to discuss the situation, along with military leaders were both the Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as Minister of Imperial Security. The ministers and military leaders all sat around a large table ina conference room not far from his majesty's offices within the Kremlin. Tsar Alexei was the last to enter the room, his ministers and General rose as he came in and sat only after he had taken his own seat.

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"I assume everyone has read the correspondence from our embassy still operating in Marslava" said the Tsar. "We've been asked to intervene, abet in a small fashion, to ensure the ducal throne is given to a noble family that is preparing to make its move. We've been told it will be a bloodless event. If successful, Marslava could very well get the leadership necessary to begin true economic and physical reconstruction. Russia itself, could very well gain a solid ally in central Europe as well as a prime area for economic expansion. However, become I make my final decision, I am willing to hear from those who I have gathered at this meeting today."

The room fell silent the moment the Tsar stopped speaking, not that there weren't those who had things to say. The problem was no one wanted to be the first, so now it was a question of nerve and courage. Chief of the General Staff Mikhail Lebedev decided that he would break the silence.

"Your majesty we've already put a battalion of Spetsnaz on standby, I have personally overseen the selection of a competent commander for this mission. We're still working on the logistics of getting these troops into the country undetected but we believe an areal drop is our best plan."

"Your majesty if I may inject some criticism to this" said Count Ivan Tolstoy, Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Yes there is a great deal of benefits to be gain from a strong Marsalva, not the least of which is a almost unlimited open market for Russian businesses. However, we cannot accurately gauge so quickly the ramifications of our actions. We know so little of this Slavomir Slavnik or his plan to take the ducal throne other than his assurances that it will be bloodless. Beyond that there's regional concerns, namely the rest of central Europe believing that Russia is setting up a puppet government. An what if the situation gets out of hand, as far as I've seen it, Russia would be stretching itself dangerously thin if we were to intervene."

"While I can understand his lordship's concerns" said Prince Feodor Orlov, his majesty's Defense Minister, "I believe that the risks are worth the bounty. Even if Lord Slavnik were to cause an uprising among the nobility, Russia can claim very easily that what soldiers we'll have in Marslava at the time are no more than any nation would have for its embassy security, when said embassy is in a region consider volatile and unstable. That will clear us from any accusations of creating a puppet state and if civil war were to breakout, I am told by our analysts that it will not escape Marslava borders."

"Your majesty please, that nonsense and I am sure the international community would not by the load of..."

"Enough" said Alexei as he rose his hand. "I am authorizing the limited use of the Spetsnaz forces. Ship them in and publicly, lets say that there'y simply security forces for the embassy. I'm also authorizing the flight on one of our Beriev A-50's, we'll use its jamming technology to knock out communications in Prague for a limited time. Hopefully that will be enough to give Lord Slavnik the advantage he needs.."
________________________________________________________________________-

Russian attempted to give as little fanfare or attention as possible to the arrival of the troops through Prague's airport. The men came in on various flights throughout the day, all dressed in civilian uniforms. Naturally they all went straight from the airport to the embassy compound in Prague. Lieutenant Colonel Gurgen Cherenkov was the man who'd been chosen to lead the operation, he was one of the first to arrival in Prague. After coming to the Embassy he spoke briefly with the Ambassador before requesting to speak with Lord Slavnik about the operation. A secure telephone line was made available to the Lieutenant Colonel to make the phone call.

OOC: We don't have to RP the telephone conversation Alberto, you can just mention it in your next post if you like.
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Lord Slavnik got very early on in contact with Lt Colonel Cherenkov, he found that he spoke an excellent czech and had a good knowledge of the ground in which his men were to operate.
He exposed his plan in a more detailed way:
" Tomorrow at 6 pm there will be a reunion of the noble council to which I will attend, it is precisely during that reunion that you will knock out the communications of Prague. Your men are to take by surprise the council and that's when I will force its head to sign a document dissolving the council and recognizing my authority to take the throne and form a new government".
"You must know that I have ensured the neutrality of the Ducal Guard and I have eliminated the most dangerous politicians. Once you will have got rid of the noble councilors' escort, no further violence will occur, everything should so be quite smooth and we should avoy useless violence".

The one who would have had to sign the council's dissolution, was Frantisek Poděbrady, arch-bishop of Prague and head of the council. His house was the most devout and had been the first to embrace the Hussite faith back in the XVth century, it also was the most ancient and prestigious after the Voidebrady were gone. Frantisek had been chosen as head of the council not only because he was its the oldest member, but also because his character was idle: he lacked of the sense of initiative necessary to change the current situation and for this the other aristocrats kept him in that position.
He was however the only person who noticed the wave of violence that had hit Prague in the last night: around thirty members of parliament, reporters and policemen had been dragged out of their beds and executed for no apparent reason.
He wondered who could have ordered this hit, suspecting that the army was going rogue. It was not the first time: it was the army that tried to seize power under the leadership of general Cerdescu and it was the army that seized and locked Vladislav II before bringing Marslava inside the World Military Dominion. He excluded that anyone sitting in the council could have ordered those hits: everybody enjoyed the status quo and nobody would be willing to disrupt it.
Once the army couldn't be trusted, thought the arch-bishop, the only remaining reliable institution is the Ducal Guard, so he ordered that it be placed in high alert to protect the council when it would meet the following day.

The murders of the previous nights had indeed left a sign in Prague, they proved that the council couldn't even mantain order in the capital and people quickly understood that.
The same did the enemies of the current order: the liberals, the socialists, the communists, the anarchists and the hooligans who waited the first occasion to rise.
Indeed the closure of the parliament and the authoritarianism of the aristocrats had not crushed the political movements of the democratic era. They had simply gone underground, attracting new members and stockpiling weapons, waiting for the right moment....
More importantly also the commoner was tired of this situation and ready to back anyone who could offer a more just and decent order....

OOC: now we can rp the coup itself, feel free to post about it.

Edited by Alberto, Jul 19 2012, 10:35 AM.
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Lt Colonel Cherenko looked at his watch and saw that it was 6pm on the dot. He and his men had waited patiently in alley ways no more than a mere block from the building where the Council met. The Russians naturally caught wind of the violence that had recently swept through Prague and it made their nervous. They were here to conduct a quick and bloodless coup, one that would usher in a new era of stability for Marslava. What they now feared however, was exciting the general population with their operation. They took special care to reach their positions without being spotted, something that is difficult but not impossible in an urban area like Prague.

With the minute hand of his watch ticking over to the 1, Cherenko was given the single on the radio, communication blackout had just occurred. A single Beriev A-50 flew high over the skies of Prague, no doubt having been picked up on radar once entering the country. Its crew, as of yet, had not been contacted by any military authority and as it made its first pass across the parameter of the city it activated its jamming technology, knocking out electronic communications all across the city on several frequencies. Giving his own single, Cherenko and his men swiftly across the roughly one block between them and the building where the Council was convening. They approached the Ducal guards from behind, placing their riffles against their backs. In the best czech they could speak, they ordered the men to stand down. Just as Lord Slavnik had promised, the men stood down and allowed the Russians to enter.

Swiftly moving through the halls, the Russians encountered more guards but just as promises, each group surrendered and allowed the Russians to pass without a fight. Finally each group came to a door that led straight into the conference room. The noise of voices debating policies could be heard instead. Just 10 minutes past the hour, Lt Colonel Cherenko and his men entered the room through every available exit, their riffles scanning the room as they entered....
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When the spetsnaz made irruption in the council room, panic seized the nobles inside, while both the Russians and the arch-bishop Poděbrady tried to bring back some order.
It's then that Lord Slavnik rose and declared:"From now on this council is suspended..."
He couldn't finish as all the present councillors started to shout and insult the man they now regarded as a traitor, but Slavnik didn't seem affected and shouted:" I am doing what none of you had the balls to do: I have taken the responsibility to act and to bring back some normality to this country, a normality that you have failed to bring!".
No one now dared to speak as Lord Slavnik walked to the arch-bishop Poděbrady with a document declaring the end of the council and Poděbrady signed it.
No hatred or animosity were in his demeanour, on the contrary he only looked tired and relieved; he sighed and said:"Well now, good luck Lord Slavnik".
Lord Slavnik immediately started to shout his orders to his aides:"I want the commanders of the Ducal Guard to report in this office immediately". He then looked at the spetsnaz and said:"You can take the noble councilors to the cellars".
Inside he rejoiced, everything went according to his plan and every obstacle separating him and the throne of the Voidebrady had finally been removed.

As all the communications from Prague were closed and martial law was imposed in the streets of the capital, the news of the coup couldn't reach immediately the rest of the country.
Lord Slavnik used those precious hours to place his men in all of Marslava's strategic points and take contact with the main units of the army and receive their allegiance: for example the commanders of Plzen and Brno immediately accepted to comply with his commands.
However the country was not entirely in peace: the protesters were still there on the streets and the coup only motivated them to continue their manifestations with greater determination.
All the main political parties had decided to call for a great rally to be held in front of the ducal palace the following day and the trade unions had decided to hold a general strike.

Of the members of the noble council, one had not been captured by the Slavniks and their Russian allies. This was Lord Ottokar Czernin, who had decided to skip the meeting of the council and to remain instead in Bratislava.
Lord Czernin was perhaps the most popular councilor because he espoused democratic ideas and spoke often against the other councilors. If he acted rapidly he could use the current disorders to create a base of power in Slovakia and oppose the illegitimate government in Prague.
The news from Prague had just reached Bratislava and chaos spread because those who were supposed to take decisions decided to stay idle and see who was winning the struggle for power in Prague.
Lord Czernin immediately realized that both the mayor and the commander of the garrison were missing and decided to take things in hand: he reached the city barracks, showed his credentials as a member of the Council and took the command of the local troops.
Then, after having secured Bratislava, he installed his HQ in the Castle and released the following statement which was sent to the main radios and televisions in Marslava:
" A coup led by Slavomir Slavnik has occured in Prague and the government has been imprisoned. This coup is unconstitutional and illegal, for this I and the city of Bratislava won't recognize the new government and call all citizens of Marslava to help us in stopping the criminal who aspires to usurp the throne".
He knew, and regretted, that such a statement would mark the start of a civil war.


Edited by Alberto, Jul 21 2012, 03:48 PM.
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The Russian Embassy was able to intercept the message sent from the Bratislava. Reading it, Count Panin could do little more than shake his head. By the time he'd finished reading the message, Lt Colonel Cherenko entered his office. The Count offered the officer a seat to which he took just opposite of Panin himself.

"It seems we did not get all the nobles Lt Colonel Cherenko" said the Count grimly. "Already, there is one in Bratislava that is declaring its autonomy and defiance of Slavnik's rule from Prague. We may have the very civil war we'd hoped to avoid."

"We could take care of this noble in Bratislava" said Lt Colonel Cherenko. "I could have men in and out before anyone knew exactly what happened."

"It may very well be a possibility Lt Colonel, but I will have to consult Moscow on such things. I am doubtful, however, that Russia will wish to act any further than it already has. It may be his majesty's wish to simply supply Slavnik with the weapons and finances he needs to a win a war and leave it at that. Russia hands are already dirty, no need to be bloodied by this nonsense. Until further orders from Moscow, have your men stay on high alter around the embassy."

"Of course Lord Panin"
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The first clashes occured in Breclav, a small charming city between Bratislava and Brno.
When a column of armoured vehicles was spotted in the outskirts of the city, the local inhabitants understood that a civil war was starting. The inhabitants of Breclav wanted to avoy destruction to spread in their city and gathered in the local town hall to decide what to do. They were undecided between surrendering the city to Lord Czernin's troops and resisting as they knew that the first option implied a treason and the second the destruction of their city. The Mayor put both the proposals to the vote and, finally, the first line was adopted by a wide majority: the citizens weren't ready to have their house ravaged because of something that was happening in Prague.
It was however too late: the local commander had discovered the reunion and he and his men entered the town hall, armed and ready for battle. The commander, who had made a choice slightly different from the one of Breclav's citizens, looked with despise at the crowd and said:
"Whatever you have voted is worthless, this territory is under attack and I am in charge. You have one hour to evacuate the city, consider yourself lucky that you won't be tried for treason".
While he spoke, his men were taking control of the area and were starting to install a mortar and a machinegun: the major and his men were not there to discuss.
As they got out of the city, the former inhabitants of Breclav heard the first shots being fired by a machinegun at the top of the town hall's tower.


Slavomir Slavnik observed the situation on a map: on one hand Prague and northern Bohemia, with Plzen, were in his hands, while on the other Slovakia was in the hands of the Czernin and his troops.
Between the two, the majority of Marslava hadn't decided to which master it should declare allegiance: the majority had decided to wait and see who would win between the two.
It was very important to move quickly against the Czernin and defeat him, so to discourage any further rebellion. However this wouldn't be possible as long as Prague will be prey of such a mess, as he walked to at the window of the room, and saw the crowd that had gathered in front of the Palace of Wallerstein.
More than one hundred thousands people had indeed taken the streets and a general strike blocked Prague. Slavnik also knew that his position was too precarious to quell the protest with violence, for example he didn't know if Prague's garrison would obey the order to shoot at the protesters.
He realized that he had to negotiate with the crowd that he despised so much so that he could gather the men of the Ducal Guard and march against Lord Czernin.
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Breclav had become a major battlefield as more and more troops poured inside.
The tower of the twon hall had been destroyed since longtime by the fire of heavy mortars, but the defenderes still held the city center and the castle.
From the city's suburbs, the troops of the Czernin would alternate the fire of mortars with attacks that were broken by the fire of the sharpshooters hidden in Breclav's ruins.
Lord Czernin observed the fighting from afar and realized that his men were becoming more and more tired by these assaults that didn't bring anything. Still Breclav had to be taken so that his men could easily conquer Brno, the third city of Marslava. He ordered the suspension of the attack and then decided to send in the detachment of chasseurs at his disposal.
The chasseurs were elite troops specialised in irregular warfare and sharpshooting, the ruins of Breclav would provide them an excellent cover and an ideal environment where they could excerce their skills. He gave his orders to his second in command, colonel Grabnicky, who would call the commander of the chasseurs and order him to take position inside the city.
Lord Czernin could then observe the chasseurs advancing silently and disappearing inside the ruins; soon they would start their action and, in few hours, the city would be cleared. Then Lord Czernin could rapidly advance to take Brno, which stood close and could be seen with his binoculars.
Czernin moved to observe Brno; suddently he noticed few columns approaching Breclav and he realized that it was the Ducal Guard.... He was surprise and even shocked: his informers had told him that Prague was prey of disorders and that Lord Slavnik could not bring his troops to defend Moravia for the moment. Instead the Ducal Guard was getting ready to attack, leaving Lord Czernin to wonder what had happened.

In Prague the situation had first deteriorated under the weight of strikes and protests led by the main political parties. Moreover a "Marslavan Democratic Front" had threatened to intervene and start an insurrection should Lord Slavnik continue to rule as an absolute monarch.
Lord Slavnik knew he had to talk with the protesters and gain some time; the last night his men had captured the leaders of the political parties that were behind the protests and had brought them to him. From his position of host (or captor) he would negotiate with them.
They were already there when he entered the room: Gottwald, boss of the communists, exhanged nervous looks with Velicky, the leader of the social-democrat party, and Karel, the head of the liberals. They had been treated well until then but they knew that the situation could deteriorate quickly, they were very surprised when they heard what Lord SLavnik had to tell them:
"You have won " he said " or better the protesters out there have won. What I offer you is the holding of elections for Prague's local government and national elections once the war is over. I also offet to end the martial law and re-instaur the same consitution that was respected under Vladislav II. This comes under one condition: I want calm to reign over Prague and you will end the protests and the strikes".
He then paused to look at the leaders' reaction:" If you refuse" he said "things could become dangerous for you" he added "I don't want to use violence: I could have done so with the protesters but I didn't ! My goal is a stable and strong Marslava, and if in order to be so it must hold elections so be it!". The leaders eventually accepted his offer, after he promessed to pay the overdue salaries of the industrial workers who had started the strikes.
Lord Slavnik could start his campaign to defeat the rebels headed by Lord Czernin and bring back Slovakia under the rule of Prague.

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Alberto
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Lord Slavnik had brought with himself two infantry division and one armoured division from the Ducal Guard, he was able to claim that he had with him the best of the Marslavan army.
The battle plan of Lord Slavnik was simple: two infantry divisions would reinforce the defence of Breclav and start there an offensive that would attract the bulk of Lord Czernin's force. Successively the armoured division would cross the river Dyje and get around the enemy forces, cutting any attempt by Lord Czernin to withdraw to Bratislava. General Zdeněk was to command the infantry, while Lord Slavnik would take the lead of the tanks that were to make the most decisive manouver of the war. Lord Slavnik knew how much this battle was going to be important: on one hand, if he lost, the majority of his forces wouldn't hesitate to abandon him and he would lose forever the throne, but on the other if he won those who were hadn't yet submitted to him would rush to declare their allegiance to the candidate they saw as the most likely to retain the Marslavan crown.
At the end of the day, Slavomir Slavnik, who now styled himself as His Highness Slavomir Ist, would be either a defeated fugitive or a victorious Grand Duke, which of the two he was going to be depended only from him and his men.

Also his relatives realized the importance of this battle and the entirety of the Slavnik clan had decided to join him: Viktor and Boguslav, his brothers, and Daria, his sister had joined him to fight at his sides. Anna, his wife, had also asked him to join him and he accepted as he didn't believe her to be more in security in Prague than in his army's headquarters.
Just after discussing his battle plan with General Zdeněk and his officers, Slavomir called his family and told them what he would have them do during the battle, and after. He asked Viktor and Boguslav, who commanded their own unit in Slavomir's army, to fight next to him and he recommended Anna to remain back and be ready to take refuge to the Russian embassy in Prague if things were to get very messy. Finally Slavomir took Daria aside and told her:"Daria, you are the most resourceful and brave of us." He was not lying, his sister had proved her bravery in various occasions "It's for this that I attached you to Zdeněk's HQ: I want you to kill him if he shows any sign that he wants to switch sides".

In Prague the compromise between the party leaders and Lord Slavnik had raised indignation among the citizens. They had however left the streets and gone back to their houses, feeling betrayed by their representatives.
This sentiment was the one that was going to be exploited by a group of people meeting in a villa at the periphery of Prague; they were the committee of the Marslavan Democratic Front, a coalition of idealists and intellectuals who had decided to rise up in revolt against the coup.
They were a very heterogeneous coalition: there were anarchists, communists, socialists, but also loyalists, nationalists and nostalgics of Vladislav II and his dinasty. They were all united in their commitment for a truly democratic Marslava, where the people would elect their government and decide who would be their sovereign (admitted that there was going to be one).
The leader of the committee was Vaclav Clementis, a bizarre and idealistic former soldier, at the same time communist and loyal to the Voidebrady dinasty, while his second in command was Villiam Slansky, an anarchist. They didn't support either of the two pretendents to the throne: they despised the reactionary Slavnik and considered Czernin as a hypocrite.
It was evident that democracy had to be brought about with the use of force and force was going to be used very, very soon....


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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Posted Image

They were late once again. On a fresh evening topped by a continuous light sprinkle, Prime Minister Atratinus could not shake the idea. The Abwehr had been supplying Parliament and the President with intelligence briefings of Marslava and the happenings in Prague, Breclav, and elsewhere; yet, no action had been taken by the Cea administration - not a word had been said. Now, as he paused from his walk and took a moment to peer across the square, Atratinus felt the creeping sensation of an idea rising to his conscious. Despite his lofty position within the government, Atratinus was not a household figure and very much enjoyed the quiet walks he could take throughout the capital without the need for a security detail to follow him.

...

"Come in, come in..." Cea barked from his seat. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Atratinus?"

Having been just led into the Presidential Palace and up to the private study, the Prime Minister gave the obligatory bow before responding. "Mr. President, thank you for receiving me so late."

"Nonsense."

"I've given a bit of consideration to the rapidly developing situation in Marslava and I believe that we are in a suitable position influence the course of events. Consider..."

"We've already discussed this at length, Atratinus." Cea said with a drawn out sigh. "Cesca [Foreign Minister] is only willing to give recognition to this vague group pushing for democratic reforms. The socialists, that bitch chief among them, want to cooperate with Russia in designing a stable Marslava, and the liberals are only willing to help if a republic is set up in Prague. You already know where I stand."

"Why can we not combine pieces of each platform? It's well known already that the Russians have been aiding this Lord Slavnik and they accepted that there was some diplomatic risk. Our actions could easily be explained as a counter to Russian intervention in the Continent."

"What exactly are you proposing?" Cea replied, suddenly excited at the prospect of getting his hands dirty.

"Diplomatically, in advancing recognition to this coalition we run the risk of upsetting Moscow, particularly if we group it with a criticism of their decision to send in special forces. Holding back, we keep Gularis and the socialists open to discussion and cooperation. To begin, I believe we should send in our own special forces to provide direct assistance to the Marslavan Democratic Front. Just tell Quintianus that the forces were sent with the specific condition that a republic will be established if the group is successful and you've also kept the liberals interested enough to help provide parliamentary approval for further action, should it be necessary."

"Marslava's in a state of civil war though. If our goal is to provide the assistance necessary for the Democratic Front to win then we inevitably find ourselves fighting the Russians."

"Not quite. That choice would be theirs. Our operation would start small, but be concentrated enough to provide the Front with a powerful punch. Hopefully, the Russians won't catch on immediately."

"We'll have to move fast then." Cea replied. His eyes glowed bright with excitement. "I'll give the orders to move our special forces in; you contact this Democratic Front."

Atratinus bowed deeply before adjusting his glasses and turning to leave. The soft, rhythmic 'clack' of his shoes against the marble floor of the corridors was his only company as he glided out of the Palace.

...

Marslavan Democratic Front
ENCRYPTED
To the leadership of the Marslavan Democratic Front,

the Republic of Porcu has taken note of the situation Marslava finds herself in and the plight her people suffer from and feels a desire to assist our friends and comrades on the Continent. The Republic is willing to extend recognition of your group and provide direct assistance in order to secure victory in the civil conflict that has gripped your country. True democracy, justice, freedom, and equality can blossom from the chaos.

A special group of Porcuians is already en route and there will soon be opportunity to discuss matters further.
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Alberto
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The message sent by the government of Porcu was very good news for Clementis and the other revolutionaries: right now they needed weapons and trained men and they also would need international assistance if they wanted to mantain their revolutionary government.
They knew they could count on few thousands militants and that Gottwald's communists would also rise. However once they controlled the seat of the government would they be able to resist the counter offensive that Lord Slavnik (or Lord Czernin) would lead. Finally the army, which was not ready to embrace Clementis' revolutionary ideals, or Gottwald's idea that Marslava should become a Workers' Socialist Republic. So Clementis was glad that Porcu had finally decided to assist the Democratic Front, so he called one of his most loyal men:" Karol, you will make contact with the Porcuian representatives and ask them to arrange a delivery of weapons in Prague and Ostrava, we should also ask to meet the forces that Porcu has sent to assist us". Slansky, however, didn't share the enthusiasm of Clementis: he was an anarchist and despised liberal-democracies such as Porcu, even as he knew that the one in Porcu was the most human government in Europe.
He remarked:"Vaclav we have to be careful with those allies, they surely are after something and their goals are not necessarily ours. Besides I don't know if the communists will approve of this..."
"Villiam, there is no one else willing to help us..."


Posted Image

In Breclav the troops of Lord Slavnik were starting their offensive. The Ducal Guard reached the outskirts of the city and relieved the defenders, it then scattered its own sharpshooters around the Town Hall in order to engage the chasseurs and give some covering fire to the bulk of the Ducal Guard. The shooting started again as the forces of Lord Slavnik tried to open their way and met the resistance of the chasseurs and the other units brought against them. The attackers had to fight house by house and the fighting became quickly very intense. Supported by the fire from of elicopters and a better equipment the Ducal Guard could however advance and, by midday, the Town Hall had been re-taken. Lord Czernin saw that the enemy was going to prevail in Czernin and ordered the sending of reinforcements, while his artillery started to hammer the city's ruins. The impact was devastating as entire companies of the Ducal Guard were dispersed by the fire of the heavy artillery.
General Zdeněk so chose a more discrete approach and used the underground networks of the city (also known as sewers) to send his men beyond the enemy lines. In such a way various units of the Ducal Guard emerged in the periphery of Breclav and the resulting confusion prevented the use of air or artillery support.

The defence of the city took up the majority of Lord Czernin's troops and energy, giving Lord Slavnik the time to get around Breclav and attack him on the other bank of the river Dyje. When Lord Czernin realized what had happened, he became aware that the battle for Breclav was lost and that all he could do was trying to save his forces. He ordered the withdrawal of all forces from Breclav except the chasseurs covering the withdrawing units with their fires and re-directed toward Bratislava, where he hoped to organize the resistance to Lord Slavnik's troops. What he wanted to avoy was an open battle against the best tanks that the Marslavan Army could get and which, alas, where being drived by the soldiers of Lord Slavnik. But the order was given too late and the tanks of the Ducal Guard rolled easily through the meager defences that Lord Czernin could manage to gather, as he started to see men deserting, Lord Czernin, understood that he hadn't only lost Breclav: what was now doomed was his bid for the Ducal throne.


Edited by Alberto, Jul 29 2012, 06:32 AM.
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

They were small force, certainly, but they were the very best the Republic could muster. With regard to their total size the Special Survelliance & Reconnaissance of the Republic was smaller than other special forces, such as Russia's Spetsnaz, but they were widely recognized as a well-trained, sleek, and deadly force by those who mattered most - military commanders of foreign armed forces and especially other special forces.

They had made their journey, undetected, from Porcu to the edge of the Marslavan border through the anarchic territories and city-states of Northern Germany. There had been discussion of advancing into Marslava and driving for Plzen, but it was eventually decided that the main force would be split between the cities of Plzen, Liberec, and the capital, Prague. They moved under the cover of darkness and advanced quickly to a town where transportation was acquired.

By sunrise, SSR forces had managed to occupy several strategic positions in each city, mostly in towering apartment complexes. In Prague SSR forces were also able to overwhelm the security guarding a local radio broadcasting station and quietly secure the premise. The greatest problem facing the Porcuians at this point was a shortage of Czech speakers - great caution would have to be taken.

Word was leaked through various channels of the Porcuian's arrival, specifically in Prague, and a call for the leaders of the Marslavan Democratic Front to discreetly gather was put out. Although a military group, the SSR was well aware of the political and diplomatic considerations being taken by the main groups involved, Marslavan, Russian, and Porcuian. Although they were eager to begin carrying out the next phase of their mission, SSR commanders waited.

Be it from the Marslavans or Command back in Stockholm, they waited for the order to pounce.
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Alberto
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Outskirts of Prague, Bohemia

Clementis and Slansky finally met the Porcuian men, who had already done a very fine job by themselves. They negotiated the delivery of light weapons to their cells in Prague and Plzen.
The two would have to rise at the same time so that both the institutional and the industrial centers of the regime could be disrupted. It was also convened that Clementis would lead the revolt in Prague and that Slansky would take command of all the comrades in Plzen. Then, as they were discussing when the revolt should start, one of Clementis' guards came running to the group of men:"Which news do you bring us ?" Said Clementis. The man replied:" Something incredible has happened: Lord Czernin is reported to be defeated by the Slavnik and dead"
" This is hardly surprising " observed Gottwald, who was there and had always thought that of the two nobles, the most reactionary one would win.
" Yes, but it has been reported that Lord Slavnik is in very bad conditions, he is wounded, maybe mortally wounded". All those who were present understood that this was the right moment to rise and that the revolt would start sooner, Clementis took again the map of Prague and told all those who were present:" So let's repeat our plan: the revolt will start in the neighbourhood of the University, then our Porcuian friends will help us to secure the city garrison, the tv networks etc"
"The Ducal Palace is protected by the Guard and I wouldn' mess with them as long as we don't control the city completely " he paused and then said emphatically "gentlemen, our revolution starts now".

Breclav, Moravia

In Breclav, Lord Slavnik's tanks had cut the retreat of Lord Czernin's troops and encircled them. For two days the encircled Czernin battled and repelled the assaults of the enemy. Then, when he saw that he couln't get his troops out of this situation, Lord Czernin decided to surrender even if he knew too well what could happen to him once he fell in the hands of somebody who regards him as an usurper. Lord Ottokar Czernin was brought, tied, in front of Lord Slavomir Slavnik.
The sight of twenty-thousands soldiers of the Guard was intimidating at first sight, but then Lord Czernin realized that he could seize this occasion to take the initiative and humiliate his opponent.
"My compliments Lord Slavnik, you shall be remembered as the destructor of Breclav and unifier of Marslava" he said, Lord Slavnik was surprised to hear his voice, he expected that Lord Czernin would remain silent in order to increase his chances of being spared.
"Ottokar Czernin " he said forgetting on purpose the title of Lord "your situation is already bad enough, you shouldn't make it worse"

"You are right, I am going to make it worse, but for you" said Lord Czernin and then shouted in order to be heard by the whole Guard "I hereby challenge Lord Slavomir Slavnik to fight a duel and prove his worthiness of the title that he claims" He then looked at Slavnik and added, smiling:" The Guard cannot be led by a felon". Lord Slavnik was surprised and angry: he would have spared Czernin if he had just pleaded for mercy and what he got instead was a duel - and a mortal one.
Because of the nearly medieval customs reigning in the Marslavan nobility he had to accept that duel and fight it: Lord Czernin was right when he said that the Ducal Guard would not obey to a coward.
Lord Czernin was untied and given a sword, then both men chose two referees who measured the two blades and ensured the match would be fair.

The two men finally faced each other, they both knew that the opponent was a good fighter and for a while they stood there and studied each other. Finally Czernin would step launch and attack. Slavnik, faced with such a vigorous attack, would parade and move, he would also look for the weakesses of his adversary. Once a last coupé of Czernin was paraded, Lord Slavnik started to be more offensive: he moved quickly and attacked his adversary from every direction.
Lord Czernin paraded with great difficulty and just managed to withdraw and keep a distance from Slavnik, he was now tired and he knew that his prospects were not great: the first red spots had appeared on his shirt. Lord Slavnik had taken the advantage he just had to finish what he started and prepared to attack, but Lord Czernin was quicker and Slavnik felt his opponent's blade deep in his chest; in a last attempt he gathered all his forces and hit Czernin's throat.
Then everythin became dark and he lost his senses.

OOC: Porcu, you are free to post about the beginning of the revolt and your men in action.
Edited by Alberto, Jul 30 2012, 12:59 AM.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

"Let's move."

And they were off. Simultaneously from their locations scattered across Prague, Liberec, and Plzen SSR forces spilled out into the cities and rushed toward targets. In the capital the revolt was led by Clementis and a large group of communist agitators centered around the University. While the attention of the defending forces initially focused on this group, it quickly became apparent to Marslavan commanders tasked with defending the city that something else was going on. Reports of foreign soldiers storming the political and media centers of the capital came in almost immediately (after all, the SSR utilized a modified paratrooper uniform) and the terrible realization set in when camera footage showed such was the case.

Marslavan troops that had been initially deployed to put a stop to the agitation of Clementis and their protests were called back in order to defend vital industrial and communication buildings. A similar situation was also unfolding in Plzen and in Liberec. In the latter city, the local Marslavan army commander had quickly surrendered to SSR commandos when his office was stormed and the local garrison was destroyed. Whereas the struggle continued in Prague and Plzen, Porcuian SSR special forces were busy securing the outskirts of Liberec and spreading propaganda that had been created beforehand by Clementis, Slansky, and the rest of the Democratic Front.

Plzen was a different story. Progress was at least ongoing, if not slow, in the capital, but in Plzen SSR forces had run into a wall. Fortunately for them and their Marslavan comrades the major television and radio station was captured without casualty, as was the printing factory. However, the local garrison had managed to recall forces from the city's periphery and reinforce positions in the center. An initial assault on the town hall by the SSR had failed and a team of SSR forces had become pinned down along one of Plzen's major roads.

And where were the Russians? That question had occupied the minds of SSR commanders in Prague for a few hours at the onset of the operation. Now, however, it became apparent that they were concentrated in and around the Russian embassy. There was no doubt among the Porcuians that word of the revolt in Liberec, Plzen, and Prague had spread to the Russians, but thus far there was no response from them.

After his success at the University, Clementis made his way to the radio station and read out a statement he had prepared, a rousing and short speech that spoke directly to the lower and working classes of Marslava and ensured them that better days were ahead. Clementis then made his way to Embassy Row and could spot the Russian embassy a couple of blocks away. A sizable crowd had begun to gather and there were many new faces among them - giving some hope to Clementis that his recent radio address had already convinced some people.

"Mr. Clementis." a Porcuian SSR commander said in course Czech, grabbing the man by the shoulder. "The University district is secure, as are two television broadcast stations and the radio station. I have two teams working on the town hall and another securing the International Conference Center."

"And causalities?" Clementis asked.

"One dead and three wounded on our side. There was a major fight to the northwest...I cannot be sure how many they've lost."

The SSR commander noticed that Clementis had turned his attention to the mass of people that had begun to move down the large avenue, chanting and throwing their fists into the air. Damage was dispensed almost at random.

"Mr. Clementis, I would advise against progressing down Embassy Row. There are a number of strategic points still to capture. I cannot afford to lend my men to you at this time."

From their still secure embassy the Russians were active once again. Clementis had to decide what his next move would be.
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Alberto
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Prague, Bohemia

In Prague, Liberec and Plzen the SSR forces were not the only active one, on the contrary their action was supported - and hid - by the presence of thousands of armed militants who proceded to take control of every essential service in the cities where they rose: power plants, telecom building etc were all occupied by armed militants.
The success was total in Liberec, whereas in Plzen, a loyalist city and center of the Marslavan industry, the resistance of the army was strong and the revolutionaries were unlikely to win the battle for the control of the city. In Prague the situation was more propitious: in order to wage his war in Slovakia, Lord Slavnik had moved out the majority of the garrison and the Ducal Guard, leaving only few regiments of infantry and one regiment of the Guard in the city.

However victory in Prague was not yet complete and Clementis was aware of this when he said to his men and his allies from Porcu:"We need to secure the center city, the bridges over the river and all those buildings like power plants and telecoms that are necessary for the survival of a city. For now we can afford to not attack the Ducal Palace and the various ministeries"
"It's better if my men handle the city center while yours take those other buildings which are mostly at the outskirts of the city; there you will anyway be able to count on the assistance of the local militants" . This said he departed from the Porcuians and took his own men to the city center; welcomed by the neighbourhoods' inhabitants as a liberator, he and his men progressed quickly road by road and armed the local volunteers so that they could too defend the city.

It was becoming clear to the forces of Lord Slavnik that they couldn't control the city anymore: their movements were now constrained in a limited area between the Ducal Palace, the King Charles Bridge and the embassies, while the revolutionary forces could freely roam throughout the city.
What made things more complicated was that the people openly sided with the insurrection and resisted passively to the efforts by the army to counter the revolt: they would sabotage the vehicles, incite the soldiers to defect or throw stones or even furnitures at them when crossing the narrow streets of the city center. The only good news was that the Ducal Guard was in asset of war and had secured the neighbourhood around the Ducal Palace, however its commander would refuse send reinforcements to other parts of the city and weaken the defence of the ducal throne.

Finally the only thing that General Sobcak, the local commander, could make was sending word to Lord Slavnik that an insurrection was quickly taking control of the city and that the whole strength of the Ducal Guard was needed to re-take the capital. In the meantime, he thought, he would defend only few key positions with the most loyal forces and try to make life difficult for the insurgents while he waited for Lord Slavnik's army to come and re-take Prague.

Brno, Moravia

When the message reached Brno, where the Ducal Guard was now located, the situation was difficult.
Lord Slavnik, who was unlikely to survive his wounds, was unable to give any order and the men were not sure of who was in charge. General Zdeněk was the commander they would follow, but the Slavnik clan still exerced power and had rallied around Daria Slavnikova.
All the commanders agree that something had to be done about the revolt, but they didn't agree on what they should do: while some would engage a battle inside of Prague, the majority would spare a great battle to the city and use different tactics. Finally a large number of soldiers were in favour of a negotiated solution. At the end it was the proposal of Daria Slavnikova that passed: the army would march up to the outskirts of Prague and then special forces and the ducal guard's sharpshooters would infiltrate the city and kill the leaders of the revolt. In any case Prague would be spared the destructions of a full scale battle. With this plan the Ducal Guard started to move to Prague, the revolters had around six hours to fortify their position in Prague.

OOC: I think that in the next posts I will infiltrate my special forces in Prague and that the ducal forces will gain ground without however breaking the revolters completely. Then Lord Slavnik will die of his wounds and so general Zdeněk will come out and negotiate a settlement with the revolters.
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NRE
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Map Tsar and Southern Gentleman

The outbreak of violence and protesting in Prague worried Count Panin as he wanted from behind the bullet proof glass of his office window. The Embassy compound that Russia operated in Prague was a modest building, only slightly modified to accommodate a landing pad on the roof. There was no large fence or walls, but instead a simple front door....blast proof as it was however, it was far less imposing that say a walled fortress that some nations build in more hostile locations of the world. So far the agitators had done nothing to the Russian embassy, no stone had yet been tossed. Still the group protesting just on the street in front of the building was growing.

Moving away the Count took his seat, Lt Colonel Cherenko was just across the desk from him.

"I received a report from Moscow about an honor ago" said the Lt. Colonel. "Russian intelligence believes Porcuians may be in the country. It would explain this recent outbreak of people in the capital and the sudden strength the democratic elements are now showing."

"That may be true Lt Colonel Cherenko" said the Count, "as I have also seen a similar report from the foreign ministry faxed to me just this morning."

"What is his majesty's wishes?"

"I have been informed by the foreign minister that we are to remain, continue our course here. However, should these protesters turn violent, there are Mil Mi-26's on stand-by at the airport that will provide our evacuation."

"I see, I will have my men remain on alert Count Panin"

Outside the Russian embassy, along the terraces and roof top of the building the Spetsnaz soldiers monitored the situation below. Some of the men spoke the local language, others did not and had to rely on the few who did to understand what was being shouted at them. Though most of what was being shouted was typical, even the Russian were a bit surprised at the language being used. Finally, Count Panin ordered that the Russians attempt to disperse the crowd as it just seemed to continue to grow and the ducal forces were having so little effect on dispersing it themselves.

"Leave at once and go back to your homes" on the soldiers said in very good Czech, if he said so himself. "Russia is Marslava's friend, we are here to assist the government and give aid to the people. Return home and await your Grand Duke's next message. There is no need for the situation to deteriorate any further."

Though they held tight to their riffles, the Russians had exchanged their grenades for tear gas and were ordered to use them first if the crowd did not obey and leave the streets in front of the embassy.
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Alberto
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From his base in the Ducal Palace, General Sobcak of the Ducal Guard had thought about the plight of the embassies: their diplomats and employees risked to be hurt by the revolters and if even one foreign national got killed, this would result in a diplomatic incident - something that Marslava didn't need right now. This was particularly true for the Russian embassy: Russia was seen as the ally and protector of the reviled Lord Slavnik, it was also a major power which would not tolerate to see its nationals to get attacked in a foreign country. Therefore, one of the first things that Sobcak did was to contact the Russian embassy and offer his assistance: he assured that one detachment consisting of around two-hundred men was coming to assist the Russian ambassador. He also offered to have him and his staff transferred to the more secure and heavily defended Ducal Palace.
In anyway the Marslavan government, assured the general, wouldn't let down its Russian allies.

In the meantime the rebellion was increasing in size and scope: led by Gottwald, the communists took control of the rail stations and the international airport and the suburbs were definitely secured too.
Very quickly barricades started to spring in Prague's roads, with the citizens helping the revolters to fortify their positions. When an army unit defected and joined the movement, the rebels could also get their hands on better equipment, such as machineguns, mortars, light cannons and anti-tank weapons. If they still couldn't match a regular army, the rebels were now in position to inflict some losses in the case of an armed assault. In few hours of restless activity the revolters had established a network of barricades and dug trenches along Prague's main boulevards, finally some defected army engineers had started to erect anti-tank barriers in the periphery.
The rebellion had proved to be well timed and everything was going according to plan, Clementis could only be proud of the militants who had followed the pre-established plan and the scores of citizens who had assisted them. Even if satisfied he couldn't refrain to wonder what the enemy was prepared to do in order to retake Prague.

Indeed the loyalist army had by then reached the outskirts of Prague, but hadn't launched the all out assault on the city that many expected. Both General Zdeněk and the House of Slavnik didn't intend to inflict to the beautiful Prague another battle that would surely ruin it. Daria Slavnikova's idea was to use the Ducal Guard's regiment of sharpshooters, dressed as civilians for the occasion, to infiltrate the city of Prague, kill the leaders of the revolt and spread disorder among the insurgeants. Only once these would be considerably weakened the whole of the Ducal Guard would enter the city and occupy it. So small groups of around twenty individuals posing as volunteers coming from Prague's province were let through the rebels' roadblocks and were undetected. Once inside the city itself, they spread in order to cover the headquarters of all major political parties, trade union or any other of the rebels' centers of command. It was only matter of minutes before the convened signal would make them start their action....





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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

SSR forces kept the pressure in Plzen and were eventually rewarded for their efforts. In the end, four SSR commandos died of their wounds in the major city to the south of the Marslavan capital, but the Porcuians were able to overwhelm and eliminate the resistance posed by the Marslavan troops. By the middle of the afternoon all key communication, broadcast, military/police, and governmental buildings had been stormed and taken over by SSR forces. Direct transfers of the centers to the democratic revolters took place when possible, and without incident. As in Liberec, once the major city centers had fallen it was only a short amount of time before the groups of armed civilians and defected Marslavan soldiers streamed into the countryside - arming and gathering whoever they could to join in the general movement.

In Prague, however, things were still very much in the air. SSR commanders had managed to connect themselves with Command in Stockholm from one of the radio stations and were receiving regular updates from both the military and the Foreign Ministry. Porcuian involvement, from the point of view of the diplomats, had gone completely undetected and was a complete success. However, intelligence being gathered from the Abwehr was much more level in its assessment, giving pause to the SSR commanders and pressing for caution. Although the tide of the civil conflict in Marslava had swung considerably towards the Democratic Front, it was still unclear how the waring nobles of Marslava would act going forward and, perhaps more importantly, it was unclear how the Russians would respond.

It was in moving towards one of the police stations that a team of SSR commandos noticed something just a little unusual. Perhaps it was nothing, something benign, but there was this feeling that struck them - a feeling that develops naturally from experience and cannot be taught. Staying well away from their targets, the SSR team waited for two men to disappear inside a large apartment complex before deciding to leave two commandos behind and give chase with the rest. The two men climbed the flight of stairs all the way to the top and forced their way onto the roof. Instead of following them immediately, the SSR commandos waited back and watched from the stairwell.

One of the men opened a large case, whereas the other moved further along the roof edge before opening his smaller case. The SSR commandos very quickly understood what was being pieced together, yet they couldn't understand for exactly what reason. Guns at the ready, they waited for a clear signal that they could engage.
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Alberto
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Gottwald was the first to be killed. As he was being driven from the train station to his headquarters, a truck hit his car, four men closed in and shot him. The whole thing lasted less than one minute and took everybody by surprise: the responsibles could escape undisturbed. Then, five minutes later, and in the other side of the city, Slansky was shot and killed by a sniper while crossing the Charles bridge, also in that case the assassin, located very far from his (or her) target, could manage to escape from his position. Two of the three leaders of the revolution had so come to miss suddenly and brutally, disrupting the organisation of the democratic front. However the men sent to kill Clementis failed to carry their task: the snipers who were supposed to target him from the Concordia Hotel massacred his escort and thought that he was among the deads, but he had managed to escape and find refuge in the underground. The Grand Duke's sharpshooters failed only very rarely and Clementis could consider himself to be a very lucky man.
However great damage was being done, as the infiltrated elements of the Ducal Guard terrorised the centers of command of the rebels: the party headquarters, trade unions, telecoms and radio. Sometimes they pretended to be fellow rebels, to then take by surprise the defenders, disarm them and kill their leaders, while other times full out assaults were done against the buildings held by the rebels. No more than few dozens of people were being targeted and killed, but these were the leaders and nerve of the insurrection, once they were killed the rebels would be without a central command and Prague could be taken back by Lord Slavnik's army.


In the meantime General Sobcak hadn't been inactive: around two hundred ducal guards had left the ducal palace on their Pandur armoured vehicles and were opening their way to the embassies, fending off the attacks of the insurrected. Those were no way as trained and equipped as the Ducal Guard, which could repel them and take control of the embassy row quite quickly.
Those observing the events from the embassied -and a fortiori from the Russian one- could see that those in the crowds gathering in front, turned first their heads on the other side, standing in surprise.
Then the crowd quickly dissolved as those composing it ran quickly, some to hide in their houses, others to get armed and repel the aggressors.
The Ducal Guard was there to evacuate the diplomats who were put in danger by the revolt and not to make useless killings or retake the city from the protesters, they were going to remain there not longer than thirty minutes and then make it back to the heavily defended Ducal Palace where they would wait for the rest of the Ducal Guard.
A lieutenant of the Guard with few men made it to the Russian Embassy and said quickly to the first Russian diplomat he met that the embassy was likely to be assieged on the long term and that his troops were there to escort the Russian delegation to a secure place. It was up to His Excellency the Count Panin to accept or not this aid, but he had to know that he and his men would be on their own if they declined the offer.

In the suburbs of Prague, the Democratic Front had predisposed a net of civilians who would observe the movements of the main army and warn the insurrection's leaders of any suspect movement.
Rudolf and Jana were among those civilians. They had crouched for hours, waiting for a sign, any sign of activity from the enemy. Frankly, they were also bored: for the whole day nothing had happened, while the action was elsewhere, in the embassy row were the protesters shouted their slogans or in the Ducal Palace where the bravest attacked the Ducal Guards hiding in their refuges.
Just when they were thinking about leaving and look for those supposed to relieve them, they noticed a column of Venceslas tanks coming out from the highway and advancing toward Prague.
They immediately called the center to announce what they saw, yet no one was there to reply to their call and announce the news to Comrade Gottwald.
They so decided to rush to the center of Prague and shout the news to all those they met, so that some defense could be organised.

OOC: I will make this go on for other few posts, maybe with a short siege of the Russian Embassy and few victims. However this is supposed to end quite soon with a compromise and without too much damage being done to Prague.
Edited by Alberto, Aug 4 2012, 11:34 AM.
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NRE
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Map Tsar and Southern Gentleman

OOC: If you don't mind, I thought I'd go ahead and start that siege Alberto.

IC:

The Russian Embassy, Prague...

Count Panin and the rest of his staff were growing restless. Though the Ducal Guard had disperse the crowds that had gathered outside their doorstep and left men to help guard the embassy, the Russians were not feeling well over the situation. Count Panin himself was especially worried over the situation as it seemed the tides were indeed turning against the monarchist in the country and swinging more towards the moderates and the Republicans. This was indeed a stressing fact and Russian intelligence had a strong belief that the Porcu were involved though what they had was hardly strong evidence. Even if they had strong evidence to the point, Russia would never formally call them on the fact given that it would only go to indite themselves for their involvement.

Were Russia not fighting in the Americas, it would have no problem marching its soldiers through Marslava in the name of peacekeeping for the legitimate government of the Grand Duke. Sadly, however, Russia's hand were tide and with war looming in the Baltic there was simply no more that could be done here. This was disappointing certainly, as there were many in Russia that had hoped to secure trade and good relations with the government of Marslava under Slavnik. Now it seemed, that may not be the case although the Foreign Ministry felt leaving now could help their cause in the future. Under this assumption, Count Panin order the evacuation of the Embassy, sending word to General Sobcak that while his offer of a more secure location was appreciated, his government felt it best to withdraw completely for the time being. Russian Helicopters were on their way, no more than a mere hour outside the city and the embassy itself. The Russian would take only those necessary items, burning everything else save the furniture.

It seemed however, that while the crowds had been dispersed, eyes were left to watch the embassy. No doubt they caught on to the commotion and understood that the Russians were preparing to make a break for it. Undoubtedly angry for the Russian's involvement in the first place, the streets towards the embassy soon began to fill with armed citizens, all chanting messages of disgust and hate for the Russian Empire. Like a sea they moved towards the Embassy and the Ducal Guards detached to the Embassy began shouting towards the crowd, ordering them back to their homes. They did not listen but instead continued moving closer and closer towards the embassy. Diplomat in side watched them in horror before picking up their pace in destroying documents and other things they knew they weren't taking with them.

The Spetsnaz along the balconies and roof-line grew restless and impatient as it seemed the Ducal Guard were not going to be able to stop the mob by shouting alone. Patiently they waited for them to open fire on their own citizen first, to which the Russians would also respond with their own fire. However, to the Russian's amazement the Ducal Guard resisted any sense of violence against their people though it was obvious to the Russians that these armed hooligans would not stop by sheer words alone. Fearful that waiting any longer would prove disastrous, Lt Colonel Cherenko gave the order and the Spetsnaz began tossing tear gas into the crowds. Though it disoriented the crowd it did little to wither their resolve, as they opened fire against the embassy building itself. Russian and Ducal Guards alike returned fire, taking cover where they could. Outnumbered as they were they still stood a good chance given they were far better trained. This was of course little comfort to the diplomats who picked up the pace and continued their work, praying the helicopters would soon arrive.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

The SSR team that had tailed the two men onto the roof of the apartment complex moved swift as lighting and took out their targets. Unfortunately, that did not save Gottwald and the handful of other democratic and republican leaders that were eliminated by the sharpshooters of the Ducal Guard. The SSR commanders found themselves in a situation with few available options and despite their reservations they gave the order for the commandos to engage any and all hostile forces that tried to kill additional leaders. The objective had changed from one of capturing and securing vital strategic centers to protecting the leaders that would be needed to see through the civil war and to help lead the new, democratic Marslava.

To that end, when the Ducal Guard and Russian Spetsnaz began to fire onto the mass gathered outside of and pressing against the Russian embassy SSR forces swarmed to the defense of Clementis and others mixed in the crowd. It would be a severe disadvantage that the Russians could now spot the Porcuian special forces commandos, but the decision was made that the death of individuals like Clementis was much worse. A casualty of necessity came when a Spetsnaz commando was seen lining up to take a shot at Clementis. Without pause an SSR commando got the Russian in his sights and swiftly took him out.

An all-out fight between the two special forces was not something desired, but the Porcuians were firm in their decision to protect the Marslavans they felt needed to be kept alive.
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