The Reizic Crusade (IC Secret)
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Saint Dominico, Inquista
March 10, 2020 / 10:20 PMArchbishop Craticus hung up on the phone with the Reizic Prime Minister. Craticus received a debriefing from the Prime Minister on the latest developments of the ongoing civil war in Reitzmag. The Archbishop promised to aid Reitzmag with military support, and the Reizic media had already reported that Inquista would be sending troops to the country.
Just as Craticus finished the call, the Archbishop’s Chief Assistant, Bradley Costa, opened the large doors to the Archbishop’s study and poked his head inside. Craticus was sitting squarely behind his desk in the middle of his study, with a map of Reitzmag sprawled out before him. Craticus glanced up at Bradley, who smiled as he caught the Archbishop’s gaze.
“Your Holiness, I have the Bishop Secretary of Defence and Peacekeeping with me, as you requested,” Bradley announced with a smile.
“Ah, come in, come in!” Craticus gleefully instructed.
Bradley stepped backward and swung the study doors wide open. After a brief second, Bishop Secretary Noah Elis slowly walked into the room alongside Bradley.
“Bishop Secreatry Elis,” Craticus smiled as he got up from his desk. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
“Your Holiness,” the Bishop Secretary warmly responded as he extended his arm out to shake hands with the Archbishop.
Craticus met the Bishop Secretary’s hand and gave it a stern shake. “I have just spoken with the Prime Minister of Reitzmag. It seems like we will be sending forces to assist them,” Craticus explained with a grin still on his face.
“Excellent. We have already begun making preparations,” the Bishop Secretary responded, giving a slight nod to Craticus as well as to Bradley.
“Let’s discuss this further… in the Secret Lair,” Craticus announced with a shine in his eyes.
“The Secret Lair?” the Bishop Secretary gasped with excitement. “I have never been to the Secret Lair. I’ve only heard legends of the Secret Lair, but I never thought those whispers were true.”
“What? You haven’t been to the Secret Lair?” Bradley scoffed.
“Now, now, Bradley. Don’t go rubbing it into people’s faces. Only the most trusted are allowed into the Secret Lair. It’s a secret and we need to keep it a secret. If anyone does ask about it, yes, it’s only a thing of legend,” Craticus scolded. “Now, Bradley, please do us the honour.”
Craticus gestured toward the bookcases that lined the wall behind the two gentlemen. Bradley turned around and walked toward the middle book case, where a shiny silver book stood out in a lower shelf. Bradley grabbed the silver book by the spine and pulled it halfway out of its position before letting it go. Suddenly, the bookshelf slowly began to move forward. Craticus, Bradley and Bishop Secretary Elis all took a step backward as the bookshelf moved forward and then began to slowly move leftward, covering the neighbouring bookshelf and revealing a secret door behind it.
“Wow,” Bishop Secretary Elis quietly whispered.
“To the Secret Lair!” Craticus announced.
Craticus opened the secret door which then led to an inner sanctum. A small podium with an electronic pad stood inside the centre of secret sanctum. Craticus placed his hand onto the electronic pad and a laser began to lowly read Craticus’ hand print. Suddenly, another door opened in the inner sanctum. The door led to a large slide which seemed to twist and turn in all directions and extended far beyond the eye could see below.
“The only way is down. Keep your hands close to your chest as you slide down,” Craticus hurriedly instructed as he sat down at the top of the slide and suddenly went flying down, spiraling, twisting and turning as he went. Bradley and the Bishop Secretary quickly followed.
After going down the slide, the trio landed on their bottoms in another small sanctum. A red button was located on the wall by where the slide ended.
“Again, keep your arms close to your body. However, keep your body loose and don’t keep your legs straight,” Craticus explained further, pressing the button.
Suddenly trap doors below the three opened up and the trio began free falling. Bishop Secretary Elis shrieked as he fell through the air. After free falling for several stories, the three landed onto a massive trampoline which caught them below. The three managed to scramble onto their feet after landing on the trampoline. Craticus then led the other two to one of the walls which had another red button, which he then pressed. Suddenly, one of the walls lowered down and revealed a tiny crawl space.
Craticus laid down onto his chest and began to slowly make his way through the crawl space, which was basically a tiny tunnel. Bradley and Secretary Bishop Elis followed Craticus in the tunnel, mimicking his slow, worm-like movements. At the end of the tunnel, the three reached a landing.
The landing overlooked a pit of crocodiles. There was another landing, about 20 or 25 metres at the other side of the pit of crocodiles, with an extremely thin tightrope connecting the one landing to the other.
“We must tightrope across,” Craticus warned in a hushed whisper.
“Tightrope?” Bishop Secretary Bishop Elis nervously questioned as he began to quiver.
“Did I stutter? Yes, tightrope. Be careful, the crocodiles below haven’t been fed in ages.”
Craticus slowly and carefully began to tightrope across from one landing to the other. After reaching the other landing, Bradley began to skillfully follow suit. Once Bradley finished, Bishop Secretary Elis began his attempt. After a few careful steps, the Bishop Secretary slipped and let out a shriek as he fell into the crocodile pit below. Almost instantaneously, the crocodiles began to lunge toward the Bishop Secretary and began to rip him into shreds as he called for help.
“Ah, that’s a shame,” Bradley sighed.
“Nah, he’ll be fine. I will have someone fish him out later. We can get Dr. Ken Carlson - the guy who totally didn’t botch up Taylor Swift’s surgery - fix him up later. He might need a prosthetic leg or two, but he’ll be okay,” Craticus shrugged.
Craticus then turned and pressed the red button on the landing wall. The wall split into two and revealed the Secret Lair inside. Bradley and Craticus walk proudly into the Secret Lair.
The Secret Lair is a large, dark, futuristic room. Various experiments, cutting-edge technological advances and war-related relics lined the sides of the lair. Television screens also lined various positions of the room, displaying secret recordings of undisclosed locations, many of which were international – Saint Regina, Aurelis, New Birmingham, Zadar and so on.
In the middle of the lair was a large conference table. Craticus walked over to the table and sat at the head of the table and Bradley sat beside him on his right.
“So, now that we’re here… now what?” Craticus asked turning to Bradley.
“Oh, I dunno,” Bradley shrugged.
“I just wanted an excuse to visit the lair,” Craticus admitted.
“Same, to be honest. Hmm. Should we contact our allies? Perhaps we can organize a concentrated efforts among the HEATHERS?”
“Ah yes, the HEATHERS – the Heroic European Allies That Help Enhance Regional Security – it’s time that we get Inquista, Icholasen and Red Croatia all on the same page again. Please activate the HEATHERS signal, Bradley,” Craticus commanded.
Bradley leapt up from his seat and quickly pressed a massive pink button located in the centre of the table. As Bradley pressed the button, the HEATHERS signal went off and a notification was sent to the leaders of Icholasen and Red Croatia.
<HEATHERS notification sound goes off>
Craticus and Bradley sat in silence for about two minutes, waiting for a response, but nothing came.
“Hmm. Maybe they didn’t hear it?” Bradley questioned.
“No, no, they did. The little green lights next to button says they’ve received it. They’re just leaving me on read. I blame Irene… she’s useless. Aleksandra was a way better Queen of Red Croatia. Irene could never pull of what we did with the Western Sahara. She’s a flop,” Craticus muttered.
“I’m sure we will hear more from Nicoleizians soon. Korojaunu Whiteford is a reliable partner. However, we can make solo preparations for now. This is what we’ve prepared for anyway,” Bradley responded with his chin held high. “So what is this plan?”
“Reitzmag have granted us access to their airspace. Our Air Force is already on maximum alert and preparedness. We need to impose air superiority over the entire country before we move in.”
“Air superiority over the entire country? How many squadrons are we thinking? We’d need at least several hundred for that.”
“Four dozen squadrons of fighters and four dozen squadrons of fighter-bombers. We need to secure the air. Once we have the air, we can begin to move in with ground forces,” Craticus further elaborated.
“Great. The Marshal of the Air Force and all of the other air marshals have already been briefed. Who will be taking care of the Army operations?”
Craticus pushed a small button at the head of the table and large screen emerged from the centre of the table. The screen turned on and Captain Juan-Bernardo Fernandez-Velaquez appeared on the screen.
“Good evening, Captain… or should I say, General of the Inquistan Armed Services. Congratulations, you’ve been promoted. Or hired. Whatever this is,” Craticus proclaimed as Bradley side-eyed the Archbishop in shock.
“Gracias,” General Fernandez-Velaquez proudly responded.
“Now, General, I was about to begin discussing the army situation with my Chief Assistant, Mr. Bradley Costa over here. As I was telling him, we would begin by achieving air superiority over the URR before our transport planes move in with the ground forces. Our ground forces will be deployed into North Moreland. Our ground forces will be a loose, skeleton operation, but enough to lay siege to multiple fortified military bases if necessary. Our infantry will be supported by tanks and artillery batteries.”
“Yes, Your Holiness. The preparations are already being made, and as usual, we are in constant communication with the Air Force,” General Fernandez-Velasquez responded.
“Good. Of course, air support will also always be at your disposal. Once we have air superiority, we can make use of bombers. Civilian causalities are not a worry of mine, so if necessary, we can just bomb the hell out of ‘em. These are communist sympathizers that we are dealing with anyway. Any dead communist is a win,” Craticus expalined. “Now, thank you General, you are dismissed. I will speak to you again soon.”
Craticus pressed the button on the table again and the transmission was cut. Craticus leaned back into his seat and then turned to look at Bradley.
“Like I said, the Inquistan Armed Services will mostly be a skeleton force. The heavy lifting, however, will be done with our very, very special forces…”
“By very, very special forces you mean… what I think you mean?” Bradley asked with excitement.
“Yes, our most top, top, top secret of forces… the Crusaders. Once we have the air, and a bit of a ground game, we can then have them discretely deployed. Their identities will remain concealed and their deployment will only be known to those who are part of the circle. The activities of the Crusaders will be a secret to everyone and anyone. If their operations are interrupted, the transgressors will be taken care of. If our Crusader forces are outed, we can just say they’re rebels, civilians, or blame them on the Czechs.”
“Understood,” Bradley nodded.
The Archbishop swirled in his chair. “Good. It’s time we blow up some communists.”
-
While in Ireland, Whiteford heard the HEATHERS signal go off. "Oh! A new tinder match!" She thought. She checked her phone and realised that it was not that, and so put her phone away for an hour or two. She then thought she should probably do something about the whole Reitzmag civil war malarkey and asked Tulsi Gabbard, the Nicoleizian Military's top general to deal with it. Whiteford texted "can't attend the heathers meeting in Ireland rn lol and there's a new series of Madam Secredairy out on Hulu tonight - can you go for me? (heart emoji) (two girls dancing emoji)" Tulsi sighed, "I hate flying commercial" she thought to herself "I much prefer flying my own fighter jet... but due to the circumstances I better not." Tulsi boarded a plane at Saint Regina airport and headed to Inquista.
As Tulsi arrived, an aid showed her through to the room. Tulsi scoured the room for the entrance to the lair, and managed to find it using her elite skills. She expertly traversed the tightrope, kicking down a naughty crocodile with poise and grace. Tulsi arrived in the room in full Nicoleizian military garb, proudly displaying the Nicoleizian flag on her shoulder.
"Hello boys." She said, winking.
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Somewhere in Aurelis
The Minister for Defence Florence Parly was signing a few regulatory orders when all of a sudden, a high pitched sound interrupted her duty.
"Oh, attendez-moi...Allo, quel est le sitch? Ah...j'y serai," Minister Parly said into her phone. She got up and immediately placed her hand to her ear.
"...Minister?" asked one of the staff.
"Can you hear it? The throb of the engine is good, isn't it?" Minister Parly said seductively.
The staff looked at each other, when all of a sudden a helicopter appeared, bursting the window open. She smiled and opened her arms wide as she walked into the helicopter with an interesting laugh. The staff looked at each other in shock.
"Tell them I'll be back in the morning. Elisabeth knows where I am," said Minister Parly quickly.
St. Dominico, Inquista
A costume change put Florence in an early 19th Century grenadier uniform complete with regalia. She enjoyed the smell of war and conflict, and something delicious was brewing in Reitzmag. She arrived in the room after witnessing the acrobatic, gazelle-like grace that was Tulsi Gabbard.
"Ah, Tulsi...you still have those beautiful moves. Pardonez-moi; Elisabeth could not make it today, so I am here for you," Florence said to the Archbishop and Ms. Gabbard.
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Archbishop Craticus and Bradley got up from their seats as Tulsi and Florence arrived.
“Tulsi, I’m such a big fan of yours. I’m sure if you’ve seen what I’ve done in the Western Sahara, you’d also be a big fan of mine. A war criminal apologist is always welcome in my sanctuary”, Craticus smiled as he shook General Tulsi’s hand.
Craticus then turned to shake hands with Florence. “Minister Parly, welcome.”
The Archbishop returned to the table and sat down. Bradley gestured for the foreign counterparts to join them and take a seat at the table.
Craticus then pointed to a television monitor which was hanging from above the table. The monitor displayed a live feed of the tightrope and crocodile pit outside of the lair entrance.
“We were watching you, Tulsi. Most impressive. The way that you knocked that crocodile down was everything,” Craticus laughed before suddenly becoming very stern. “However, I think you may have actually killed it. I’m not sure that you know, but obtaining crocodiles for a secret lair is actually very expensive, so we will unfortunately have to make you pay for damages. We will expense the charges for a new crocodile to the Nicoleizian government.”
Bradley nodded as the Archbishop spoke. Once Craticus was done, he gave Bradley a look and Bradley pressed a blue button on the table, which resulted in the table top flipping upside down and revealing a map of Reitzmag.
“Give us the latest report, Bradley,” Craticus commanded.
“At approximately 05:33 GMT this morning, the Holy Inquistan Air Force moved into Reizic airspace in order to establish a no-fly zone, as you’ve probably heard. According to our initial reporting, there was still a considerable amount of activity in Reizic airspace as our air force move in. Most of the activity consisted of commercial aircraft departing Reizic airspace. There were some aircraft coming in, though. We were not able to establish communication with most of them, but based on current news reports, and statements from the European Council, we have good reason to believe they were Czech communist sympathizers. We don’t quite know the extent to which the Czechs have been operating, but to be frank, we don’t quite care either. We don’t believe confrontation or conflict with the Czechs would be beneficial to our operations or to international diplomacy so we didn't bother pursuing them - this time.”
“Progress has been made since our initial entry, however. We’ve established full control of the air in virtually all of the country’s perimeters, but we are still working on locking down the perimeters around the southeast. Commercial and foreign aircraft have not entered into Reizic airspace since our initial entry. Now that we have gained some footing, we will shoot down any aircraft which violates our no-fly zone. As of yet, it does not appear the Reizic rebels have any aircraft. However, the rebels have made great progress on the ground, capturing several military bases, and they could make use of any aircraft that they may have captured. With that said, the military of Reitzmag didn’t have many aircraft to begin with, so the rebels likely won’t have more than just a dozen aircraft in total. The rebels are equipped with anti-air weapons, so we are approaching rebel-controlled regions with caution. We have several air-to-ground reconnaissance and AWACS aircraft monitoring rebel-controlled space, and several squadrons of bombers also now in the picture. Should any Inquistan aircraft be shot down, we will begin to indiscriminately bomb the hell out of them.”
“Now, if you pay attention to the map, you can see the rebels are making a lot of progress on the ground, particularly in areas you wouldn’t’ expect – such as on the border with Pravoslaviya. We don’t believe it would be wise to fight the rebels on all these various different fronts. We can’t afford to begin deploying our forces thinly in a scattered manner. Besides, it should be the duty of the Reizic military to contain them, even though the Reizic military is currently flopping harder than Spain’s last EV entry. Instead, we are looking to deploy our forces into North Moreland and Esserbrund. East Moreland is the rebel stronghold, so capturing all the rebel-held territory in the east will be our priority.”
“Our ground forces are being mobilized as we speak and are readying for transport,” Craticus interrupted. “They should be landing in North Moreland and Esserbrund this evening. We will be establishing our own bases of operation, so setting up the bases should take some time. For now, our concern is containment rather than making any advances. Once the rebel expansion has been contained, we can begin to speak about to plans to push forward. We believe it would be most beneficial if Icholasen and Gallorum contributed ground forces alongside Inquista. We’re looking to set up a sophisticated operation fit with various tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery batteries, etc. Any and all help would be appreciated.”
What Craticus strategically forgot to mention was that Inquista was also sending Crusader operatives into Reitzmag. A small portion of Crusader operatives were going to be planted into the military machinations of North Moreland and Essermund. The vast majority of Crusaders, however, were going to be secretly deployed into San Marino. There, the Crusaders would be disguised as ultra-Orthodox, Pravoslaviyan volunteer militia.
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Tulsi paused for a moment, before beginning to talk. She knew that this would be an inconvenient fact for the operation. "Icholasen will provide some troops - however I must warn you. Many Generals in Icholasen's army were trained in during the Communist regime - I fear that these generals wouldn't be loyal. Icholasen's Army is still called the Red Army, from the Cold War days. Now it officially means courage, but then... it meant... communism" Tulsi said suspensefully, as though she was telling a scary story at camp. "It's a very ... difficult situation for us." Tulsi said. "But, I will personally lead an army in Reitzmag wherever it may be. Icholasen's army will be put to good use. And, about the crocodile, sorry. I get carried away."
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Florence looked at Paul and nodded.
"The Gaulois Armed Forces will be ready, willing and able to provide whatever support you need. Naval, air or ground support. We must be ready to stand against la tyrannie de communisme," she said to Craticus and Gabbard. "Aux armes, citoyens! Formez vos bataillons! Oh, pardon me. I believe we can send 10 divisions of mechanised infantry, as well as proper sea and air cover. In addition, allow us to send the Marine Commandos. They are a specially trained, hardened force. I do believe you know the Prime Minister of Gallorum is personally a veteran of such forces. She would love to see them taking out communists."
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Tulsi checked her iPhone X. The Nonet had just voted to grant Korojaunu Whiteford powers to fight the communists. "I have to fly back to Icholasen soon, my friends. The Nonet just approved military actios so I need to go and have a meeting with Whiteford and coordinate our response to the crisis. I'll see you soon my friends. We will win against this communist menace!"
Tulsi left the building, killing another crocodile on her way out. "I'll pay for that!" she shouted.
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"We appreciate both of your support very much. We look forward to our joint military cooperation in the country," Bradley smiled as he stood up from his seat while Tulsi darted out of the room in a hurry.
"Well, I hope this isn't the last time I see General Tulsi - she's a true patriot," Craticus chimed. "You are a true patriot too, Minister Parly. I am glad that we see eye-to-eye on the importance of defeating this communist insurrection before it spreads too far. As Inquistan forces set up our camps and bases of operation, we will prepare and brace for Gallorum's reinforcements. Our Orthodox brethren will fight side-by-side, until our enemies are defeated. Thank you for lending your support, and we look forward to seeing your countrymen out on the battlefield."
Craticus got up from his seat and joined Bradley, and the two went to eagerly shake the hand of the Gallic minister before they bid her an adieu and a safe trip home.
....
Inquistan Base of Operations, North Moreland, Reitzmag
March 13, 2020 / 9:30 PM"Well, El General, it looks like we are victorious. A peace agreement has already been signed. This has been far, far too easy," a lieutenant general commented as El General overlooked a map of Reitzmag.
"Si. This was supposed to be a containment operation, but there was never anything to truly contain. Dios mio, these rebels are pathetic. We pushed them back completely," El General huffed.
The Inquistan ground forces in Reitzmag had spent the most part of their first two days setting up their bases and camps of operation in North Moreland and Esserbrund (as well as the secret Crusader forces in San Marino). Despite expecting immediate confrontation and hostility with rebel forces, the rebel forces never came, which allowed the Inquistan forces to easily ground themselves. For the following day and time since, the Inquistan forces have handily assisted the Reizic Army in pushing the rebels back and forcing them to surrender and go to the negotiating table. 19 Inquistan troops have been injured in the confrontations, all to varying degrees, but no troops had died in action.
The Inquistan Air Force also continued to reign supreme in the sky, with a no-fly zone successfully created across the country. 48 squadrons of fighter jets and 48 squadrons of fighter-bombers enforced the no-fly zone, while 40 squadrons of bombers remained at the ready for any bombing operations. Various amounts of squadrons of AWACS, transports, tankers, air-to-ground and other reconnaissance aircraft were also at the ready for assistance.
In terms of ground forces, Inquista has moved 15 divisions of mechanized infantry into North Moreland and Esserbrund, as well as 8 tank brigades and 6 artillery brigades.
The Gallic forces were completing their arrival just as the peace negotiations were being concluded, bringing-in a further 10 divisions of mechanised infantry. The Gallic Military also sent their special Marine Commando forces, as well as some sea and air cover. The Inquistan forces integrated the Gallic forces into their camps and bases, creating a stalwart, united operation.
Two divisions of special Crusaders forces also entrenched themselves in San Marino, successfully disguising themselves as ultra-Orthodox Pravoslaviyan militiamen who crossed the border. They were now ready to unleash chaos.
El General’s train of thought was abruptly halted as he received a HEATHERS signal from his communication device.
“¿Qué es el sitch?” El General responded.
“This is this the Air Marshal of the Holy Inquistan Air Force, Harriett Copala” the voice rang out.
“Hola, Air Marshal Copala,” El General replied hesitantly. Air Marshal Copala had a strong reputation as a stern and no-nonsense woman, who chewed out even the most hardened of military officers. Despite being the most senior military general of Inquista himself, even El General knew to fear Air Marshal Copala.
“An assassination attempt was just made on King George moments ago. He survived, but we believe Czech communist sympathizers were behind the attack. Following the government overthrow of Icholasen, it seems that the influence of the Reizic communists is stronger than ever, despite being defeated.”
“Dios mio,” El General sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.
“We have no choice but to prosecute - I mean persecute - the case against all communists. Thus, the Archbishop has been left with no choice. Even though a peace agreement has just been signed, we must – and we will – begin bombing all areas that are believed to have had some influence held by the communists. We must root out all, and I mean all, communist sympathizers from their homes. We must indiscriminately destroy them. As such, I am ordering for all Inquistan bombers to begin carpet bombing all cities, towns and villages in East Moreland. We will flatten the entire Reich to the ground. I am also mobilizing all air force squadrons in Reitzmag to take to the air and protect our bombers. Should the Reizic military try to interfere, we shall shoot them down. I am warning you to put all ground forces on high alert and prepare for any possible retaliation from the Reizic military.”
“Understood, Air Marshal Copala. We will be mobilized and we will be ready.”
“Good. More air reinforcements are already coming from Inquista. We will double our current air operation capabilities. They should be arriving soon. In the mean time, we will bomb the absolute hell out of these people. We will stay in contact, General. Copala over and out.”
Sirens began to ring and troops suddenly began to run in all directions, readying themselves. A slightly thunderous sound could be heard from inside the military base, as hundreds of bombers and fighters flew overhead toward East Moreland, ready to flatten the entire Reich to the ground.
-
Call the Air Marshall
Undisclosed Location in East Moreland, Reitzmag
March 14, 2020 / 4:45 PMAir Marshal Copala waved as bombers flew overhead and annihilated the last remaining builiding on the horizon. Copala used her binoculars to observe the building - a school - be bombed to pieces as the bombers dropped their munitions below.
"Ah, I love the smell of ending school truancy," Copala sighed with a smile.
It has been 17 hours since the Air Marshal ordered for the (mostly) indiscriminate and complete bombing of E. Moreland. For the last 17 hours, including the entire duration of the night, thousands of Inquistan bombers have relentlessly and non-stop bombarded all population clusters and settlements across E. Moreland. The only buildings that were to be spared were Orthodox churches and any nuclear reactor facilities.
As Copala breathed in the the fire and fuel-tinged air, a HEATHERS signal rang from her communication device.
"Air Marshal Copala, what's the sitch?" Copala replied as she answered the signal.
"Air Marshal, we have one last target location on the fringes of the Reich. We believe our operation is virtually complete. We would be honoured if you could join our forces in the sky in order to take out the last remaining target buildings. This would be a symbolic gesture of your victorious campaign and a boost to the morale of our pilots," the voice of an air commodore responded.
"Send me the coordinates. I will be joining our forces immediately. Please forward my statement to the government and to the King of Reitzmag. Our operation is now basically complete. We are ready to discuss a withdrawal agreement."
"Yes, Air Marshal. I will have the statement forwarded now," the commodore affirmed.
"Good. I'm ready to get out of this country, and so our men and women. Copala over and out," the Air Marshal responded as she ended the communication transmission.
Copala turned around and walked over to a fighter jet that was standing nearby. Copala dressed into her pilot outfit, put her helmet on, and climbed into the fighter jet.
BRROOOOOOOOOOOM!
The fighter jet took off. Not long after taking to the skies, and turning to the target location, an emergency signal suddenly rang in the Air Marshal's cockpit.
