-
Crusader Kings III Available Now!
The realm rejoices as Paradox Interactive announces the launch of Crusader Kings III, the latest entry in the publisher’s grand strategy role-playing game franchise. Advisors may now jockey for positions of influence and adversaries should save their schemes for another day, because on this day Crusader Kings III can be purchased on Steam, the Paradox Store, and other major online retailers.
It was nice to see that there are still some real Americans left in the US. Though it looks like this Marcus fellow is about to deal them a severe blow. I'm curious who he's taking aim at. Since it can't be the President, I imagine that it's a high ranking military figure- someone who has been able to keep the resistance alive and viable all this time.
Hardraade Well, the Spirit of the United States ( as it was in the 1930s ) is still very much alive, only not in the United States. More on that in the next chapter.
Faeelin Not in the Army. She is internal security, he is Foreign Intelligence.
EDIT: This will very soon make an appearance.
Faeelin Not in the Army. She is internal security, he is Foreign Intelligence.
EDIT: This will very soon make an appearance.
Is the target Eisenhower? Someone else vitally important? A small dog whom the Feds worship as their new god Glongg? That would be awesome.
Glongg :rofl:
Glongg :rofl:
Raaritsgozilla Important yes, but it's not Ike. Ike is in Canada doing important work for the Exiles.
El Pip BOAC has ordered 6 G-Boats, two are already delivered but have promptly been taken over by the RAF, which will use them as VIP-transports and so on for regular trans-atlantic flights to Canada and flights to the Middle East and so on. BOAC intended to use the six boats for regular service to Canada and the Asian parts of the Empire. In the immediate months before the war the traffic between Canada and Europe surged as the growing Canadian population and Industrial power ( I gave them some extra IC, IIRC+15 base or so ) need faster transport to Europe and the rest of the British Empire now taht their biggest market has broken away. Btw, if anyone has a picture of such a boat in RAF colours I'd be very thankful.
El Pip BOAC has ordered 6 G-Boats, two are already delivered but have promptly been taken over by the RAF, which will use them as VIP-transports and so on for regular trans-atlantic flights to Canada and flights to the Middle East and so on. BOAC intended to use the six boats for regular service to Canada and the Asian parts of the Empire. In the immediate months before the war the traffic between Canada and Europe surged as the growing Canadian population and Industrial power ( I gave them some extra IC, IIRC+15 base or so ) need faster transport to Europe and the rest of the British Empire now taht their biggest market has broken away. Btw, if anyone has a picture of such a boat in RAF colours I'd be very thankful.
Chapter 73
Somewhere in the Shenadoa Valley
“Him I am here to kill.” Marcus said. “Are you nuts?” she hushed. “These are at least fifty of them down there!” He did not take his eyes off his target, but rather said: “True, and that is why I only have one shot, and we have to make a run for it, even if I miss.” In the confusion it's going to take them some time to sort out where it came from.” Something else occurred to her. “How did you know he was here?” “That's need to know.” She still couldn't believe it. General Omar Bradley, hero of the first Battle of Washington and the leader of the stubborn Federal defence of West Virginia during the early and later phases of the War was not only very much alive, but also leading, at least by the looks of it, a relatively well-equipped guerilla Force. Marcus knew that if he ever managed to get hold of some sort of medium Bradley could be the person around which the scattered Guerilla groups in America rallied, and he was here to prevent that. Bradley was inspecting the men that were milling about, doing the various menial tasks of soldiering. He was clad in the old Battledress, somewhat dirty but other than that in perfect condition, wearing the rank insignia of a Brigadier General. It amazed the two agents how well equipped and fed this group seemed to be, considering that they had spent the last five years out here. Marcus sighted his rifle, having Bradley's head right in his sights, waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger. He mentally went through his Sniper training again, compensating for the wind, the distance to the target and everything else that could change the path of a bullet. The wind had picked up somewhat, but he was going to compensate for that. Time seemed to gradually grind to a halt, as he reduced his world to the head inside his cross-hair. Bradley came closer and closer to the point where Marcus intended to shoot. Finally he was in position. He pulled the trigger, and his rifle recoiled against his shoulder.
Just in this moment General Bradley's left foot, broken on a mission three days before chose to give out, and in the short time it took the bullet to travel the distance he moved enough out of position that it did not hit his heart but rather his left arm. He went down nonetheless, and had the shot itself not alerted the Federals then his cry of anguish and pain would have. Immediately the men, armed with a motley collection of Springfields and Tommy-Guns dashed apart, in order to apprehend the shooters and not to present any more targets. They dragged Bradley into the security of the caves, and patched up his wound. Meanwhile, up top, half of his little command tried to hunt down Marcus and Caroline. The two however had started to run back towards where they had killed the guard the second Marcus had realized that Bradley was still alive, and were already far back into the thicket. Marcus berated himself for missing and failing to accomplish his mission, while Caroline had pulled a heavy PAM 1911 pistol from her jacket, ready to shoot either Marcus for not telling her about his mission or any feds that came their way. “One shot eh?” she yelled back at Marcus who had stopped to lay a small booby-trap. “Oh shut up already. The fucking feds are right behind us and you just HAVE to piss me off!” He used a string to connect the pin of a hand Grenade with a tree, so that anyone who followed their trail would set it of if he wasn't very careful. Marcus ran forward, dragging Caroline with him, who refrained from shooting him outright because the voices of the Feds could be heard behind them. They ran as fast as the ground and the undergrowth allowed, and after a minute or two they could hear a satisfying bang behind them, telling them that the grenade had exploded. This obviously discouraged their pursuers as their voices fell behind more and more, indicating that they were no longer followed. They slowed down a bit, and considered their next move. “One thing is sure, we are going to need reinforcements. Attacks like this won't work a second time” Caroline said, and Marcus was inclined to agree. Meanwhile back at the caves General Bradley was already up again, despite his wound. He dragged his battle-scarred body to organize the evacuation of his men, because one thing was sure, they could not stay here. His second in command, a former National Guard Captain with the name of Holdson followed him around like a lost puppy. “General, are you sure you should be up already?” “I don't have much of a choice, Captain. We have to get out of here before the reds come back.” Holdson sighed defeatedly. “Yes, Sir.” “And radio Ottawa. It seems that we will have to move from this area permanently.”
Ottawa, Canada
The United States Government in Exile was situated in a complex of Villas in the more affluent suburbs of the Canadian Capital, and was probably the only place in North America where the old U.S. Flag was still flown. Although largely powerless, it still commanded the respect and loyalty of the ever-growing community of American exiles that was establishing itself in southern and central Canada. It still held all the trappings of power it no longer possessed, including a much-reduced senate that held all the powers of the two houses and gave them a certain democratic legitimacy, it even kept up the tradition of elections every four years although the voter base only consisted of the around twenty to thirty-thousand Exiles on Canadian soil and another ten thousand or so all over the world, mainly ex-service men that had refused to return to the UAPR or that had been evacuated together with the shattered remnants of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from San Francisco. In fact the current President, John Nance Garner had left the city on the last ship out, the U.S.S. Arizona, which was now moored in Halifax pending a decision upon her further fate. The UAPR had demanded her back on more than one occasion, but Garner had acted quickly and 'sold' her to a private group of American Exiles for the symbolic price of one Canadian Dollar, so that local authorities could claim she was private property now. Now she was moored and would most likely never sail again, but at least she was kept operational by her crew with offical help from the Exiles, and unofficial help from the Royal Canadian Navy who had expressed interest in buying her, in fact General of the Army Eisenhower was currently with the RCN Staff to negotiate the handover. Garner did not like the idea of an HMCS Arizona, but anything was better then having her scrapped or sail as APNS Red Hammer or something. The day had been good so far. He had overseen the movement of the last bits of Administration from Toronto, and was ready to continue his usual daily work for Radio Free America and the other enterprises the Exiles had running in Canada, from the running of the Clipper Line to Europe to supporting the Insurgency in the rural areas of the United States.
This however ended when an aide came running up to him. “Mr. President, Sir, we have received bad news from one of the groups.” Garner grabbed the message form from the man's hands and grunted something that sounded like a thank you. He read the message over and over again and then said to the aide: “Get the Cabinet together as fast as possible and have someone notify General Eisenhower. We have a situation.” The Cabinet assembled in the meeting room. The room was elaborately furnished. Behind the President's seat two large American flags flanked a glass showcase that contained the original of the Declaration of Independence, saved by an enterprising pilot who had daringly landed his plane in front of the White House to evacuate the document and Garner who had carried it with himself ever since. This relatively small piece of paper was from what the USGE drew most of it's legitimacy, and it was therefore kept in the best-guarded area within the complex. The ministers filed in, and Garner was glad to see that his Secretary of Defence , Mr. Stimson, was up and about again after recovering from a nasty case of the flu. Once everyone was seated Garner opened the meeting: “Gentlemen, we have a crisis. It seems that the reds have found out the location of one of our groups and have tried to assassinate General Bradley in West Virginia.” Everyone's face fell. They had expected something like this for some time now, and they all knew that sheer numbers were stacked against them, and that the groups on American soil were fighting a loosing battle. Each month the Red's numbers grew, and the Resistance shrunk more. Stimson was the first to speak again. “I recommend we pull him out, he is too valuable to die there. We need him here to train the operatives we send over the border.” This caused an uproar among the other members of the Cabinet. It was an unwritten, yet iron rule that they would not let up and fight the Reds wherever they could, and this sounded suspiciously like admitting defeat. Stimson realized this, but he decided that this was a good a time as any to talk truth, however hard to swallow it might be. “Let's admit it, we are fighting a loosing battle over there. We simply don't have the resources to mount a campaign even nearly big enough to topple them on our own, and the Limeys are busy in Europe.”A lively discussion ensued, but after a while Garner interrupted. “Gentlemen, you know as well as I do that what the Secretary of Defence says is true. Now what are we going to do about this?” The silence in the room spoke for itself, but after a while Stimson spoke up. “General Eisenhower and myself have worked on a plan that deals with this exact situation. I don't have it with me at the moment, but it can be summarized like follows: First, we stop sending new groups of Exiles back. We need to conserve what population we have. Secondly, We intensify our other propaganda efforts via radio, balloon leaflets and the occasional aircraft. Thirdly, the groups we have will be told to lie low and stay on the defensive, which will mean we confine them to night operations. And lastly, we shift our main effort in the propaganda from encouraging the people to fight the reds to leaving the USA and coming to Canada.” No one liked the idea, but in the end they all agreed that a major shift in policy was in order.
'Brad' and 'Ike' in happier times
[Game Notes: Marshall is dead, as is Patton probably and Ike is already in Canada as he was posted on the Philippines during the early part of the war and he is now Chief of Staff for the Exiles in Canada. You didn't expect him eh? Also before you all start berathing Garner, he has perhaps a population of 20k at his disposal, while the Reds have ~120.000.000. The numbers speak for themselves I think. We will of course hear more from General Bradley. I intend to use Canada and the UAPR as gap-fillers so to speak when nothing much happens in the war or when I need a change of pace.]
Gardner's decision was a sound one. While it would be nice to see the resistance launching an all out attempt to topple the communist regime, it's just not feasible right now. As far as I'm concerned, Gardner's job is to keep the spirit of America alive until the country can be free again.
Quick question: Where's MacArthur?
Quick question: Where's MacArthur?
Training the Filipino Army? Is the Philippines free or still tied to the US government in exile? Will a Filipino liberation army one day land on US soil?trekaddict said:
The Filipinos are free and not tied to the USGE, although they have very good relations.Hardraade said:
I wonder if that will put MacArthur in the position of leading the Filipino Army against Japanese aggression one day. Oh no... if that happens he will have nowhere to retreat to. He shall not return!trekaddict said:
Unless he's allowed to flee to British territory.
Hardraade said:I wonder if that will put MacArthur in the position of leading the Filipino Army against Japanese aggression one day. Oh no... if that happens he will have nowhere to retreat to. He shall not return!
Unless he's allowed to flee to British territory.
He won't return, because the UAPR captures the Phillipines and doesn't release them until 1951, and even then only under massive British pressure. SPOILERS, highlight to read.
Garner's made a sensible choice, as you point out the manpower is so against them they're just getting brave men killed for little benefit. Far better to encourage more to flee the country and build up your strength in exile, at least in the long term.
Though I do wonder what the Canadian position is, they may well be happy to host a government in exile, but if the USGE ever starts to build up any real strength and power it might force the UAPR to act, which would be a bad thing for Canada.
Bad news about the Philippines, though they were always going to be in a tough position, though it may have kept them save from marauding Japs.
Though I do wonder what the Canadian position is, they may well be happy to host a government in exile, but if the USGE ever starts to build up any real strength and power it might force the UAPR to act, which would be a bad thing for Canada.
Bad news about the Philippines, though they were always going to be in a tough position, though it may have kept them save from marauding Japs.
Just so you know...for us older forum members, the screen background color (sort of deep aqua color) allows the gray text to be legible. Remember that whole background color incident we discussed awhile back? Not a big deal...just thought you might want to know. (My forum background color isn't gray...it's dark aqua)trekaddict said:
The UAPR doesn't take the Exiles all that serious for now and in a few years the Japanese will start rearing their head, so they are save for now. The Exiles know fully well that they can't really raise an Army on Canadian soil, but expect clandestine operations and the likes but no open insurrection for now. As the time goes by the border will get harder and harder to cross. I could seriously see the UAPR make an attempt to seal it, or at least to do everything else they can to stop people from leaving.
STOP! COOKIE TIME