[OOC] Muv-Luv Alternative: Legacy of Palaiologos

[Predawnia]

Muv Luv Alternative: Legacy of Palaiologos

You'd think that when the planet was in the middle of a nuclear standoff, things couldn't get any worse short of mutually assured destruction. Going out in a fireball would probably be better than what happened to most of Central Asia and the Middle East.

The Canadians were lucky then. When the BETA landed at Kashgar back in '73, the Chinese gave the rest of the world the finger, and said they had the situation 'under control'. Of course, nineteen days later they managed to lose air superiority and had their ground forces completely overwhelmed. So what did they do? They turned the Tarim Basin into a nuclear wasteland and forced the BETA west into Central Asia.

Now at this point, the US of A sure as hell wasn't taking any chances. When the BETA landed in Saskatoon the next year, Uncle Sam decided to skip the 'get our army overwhelmed' bit and go straight to launching half their nuclear arsenal at the BETA LZ. Sure, we may have scorched half of Canada, but we saved hundreds of millions of lives in the process!

Back in Eurasia, things weren't looking too good. By 1975, the BETA have overwhelmed most of the Middle East and Central Asia, and at the rate of things were pushing across the Volga right into Eastern Europe. The US and most of Europe twiddled its thumbs whilst the Ruskies bled for every inch of land. It took three years before we finally got our shit together and began our first real counterattack.

Now, a lot of rumours get spread around about what happened during Operation Palaiologos, that it was a slaughter, that we lost half a million men contesting the Ukraine and the Volga, that we had infantrymen try to infiltrate the underground chambers of the Dnipro Hive, only for them to get ripped apart and their remains uncovered weeks later. I'm not going to confirm or deny any of them but I'll tell you this:

If Operation Palaiologos had gone south, all of Europe would be gone. The BETA would have pushed west into Poland, Hungary and Germany and by then, it would've been far too late to stop them. Luckily for us, we won, by the skin of our teeth, and pushed those alien bastards back across the Volga. That was all we could do, though. The costs were just too damned high, too many men were dead fighting over ground in Eastern Europe, and we were spent. No morale, no political will to push forward and most deadly of all, no unity.

The alliance between East and West broke down months after the end of the operation. The West said that it was a 'resounding victory that broke the enemy advance'. The Russians retorted that 'the West didn't have the nerve to push forward’. Now, it's trench warfare all over again, with us sitting in our trenches and mountain holdouts whilst these aliens throw wave after wave against our defenses, and everyone else back at each other's throats, playing the same political game they've always had.

Not much has really changed, other than that we all might end up getting wiped out by alien invaders if we play our cards wrong.

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Hello all and welcome to my first attempt at running an NRP. If you're still reading after that opening blurb, congratulations, because whilst this setting may seem a bit complicated if you aren't familiar with the Muv Luv setting, I assure you, it's not, and I'll be doing my best to give you the rundown on the 'history' of this alternate Earth, as well as an explanation of the key concepts and plot elements that are gonna be in play.

First of all, to rehash the history as succinctly as possible:

In 1973, an alien race known as the BETA (Beings of Extra-Terrestrial Origin which are Adversarial to the Human Race) landed in Kashgar. The existence of the BETA was not unknown to humanity. A probe sent to Mars transmitted pictures of strange lifeforms to NASA, and a few years before the first landings, the BETA attacked a US moon base and kicked off the Lunar War which ended with a US withdrawal just before the Kashgar Landings. Once they landed, it was hard to stop them short of launching nukes, which ended up just forcing the BETA west into Central Asia and the Middle East which they overran within a few years.

NATO and the Warsaw Pact basically got together for the first and only time in the largest military operation in human history in early 1978, successfully infiltrating a BETA Hive under construction in Dnipro, Ukraine, and then destroying it, as well as pushing the BETA out of European Russia. From there, they lost momentum and pretty much stopped after setting up a new defense line in the Caucasus and northern Kazakhstan where the BETA have been bashing their heads against a brick wall for the past decade.

The year is now 1988, and with the alien threat mostly contained to these regions, the Cold War which was on pause for a few years is now back in full swing.

Extent of the BETA Advance in 1988

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Now you might be shouting: "Hold on a sec, Predawnia, Lunar War in the early 70s? Probe to Mars before that? Did you fail middle school history or is there an alternate history timeline you forgot to tell us about?"

To that question, it's none of the former and a bit of the latter, with a lot of ambiguity and 'undefined' events to allow for sufficient freedom to design your own nation, so you can play your alternate history communist Nepal or whatever tickles your fancy. The only really concrete and 'happened without a shadow of a doubt events' are as follows:

19th century: The Shogunate wins the Boshin War and as a result, the Emperor remains a figurehead. Rest of history proceeds as normal up until World War 1

1919-1944: World War 2 ends in 1944 with the United States nuking Rostock and Wurzburg in Germany instead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Shogunate issues a surrender and signs a peace treaty with the United States, with the Shogun becoming a figurehead much like the Emperor did OTL.

1950s: United States, Western Europe and the Soviets set up their own space agencies, using Orion Drives, and the United States sends a probe to Mars which transmits back pictures of the first BETA.

1960+: Refer to the previous section where I summarized the history.

Plot Elements and Important Concepts

The BETA: The secondary, or primary antagonist of the RP (depending if your nation happens to be on the frontlines or not) and possibly the greatest threat to the human race aside from the threat of mutually assured destruction. The BETA harvest humans and most other resources on land, lack air or naval assets, and their strength in combat lies in their use of numbers to overwhelm any opposition The conflict with the BETA is an ongoing event in the background regardless of the politicking in the rest of the world, and the frontlines with the BETA are pretty much facing combat 24/7 somewhere. Lots of room for plot to happen here. BETA actions will be controlled by the GMs and they’ll move at the speed of plot. More info on BETA as a species can be found in the picture below.

BETA Strains

Operation Palaiologos: In the original Muv Luv series, Operation Palaiologos was an attempt by NATO and the Warsaw Pact to capture the under-construction Minsk Hive in Belarus and repulse the BETA advance into Europe. The failure of the Operation in the original timeline leads to the withdrawal from the Soviet Union from European Russia and the separation of the Warsaw Pact from their sponsor nation, and eventually, the fall of continental Europe.

In the Legacy of Palaiologos timeline, the Operation was a pyrrhic victory for the combined NATO-Pact forces in capturing the Dnipro Hive, allowing them to establish a new defense line in Kazakhstan and the Caucasus and thus averting the fall of Europe.

Alternative Projects: A series of projects beginning from the Lunar War and extending to the present day. Alternative I attempted to contact the BETA, and failed. Alternative II attempted to dissect and study the BETA as well as a Hive, which was accomplished in Operation Palaiologos. Alternative III is an ongoing attempt to develop individuals with extrasensory perception (Espers) to communicate telepathically with the BETA.

The United Nations: Unlike OTL, the United Nations has a much larger military contributed mostly by governments-in-exile of nations overran by the BETA, as well as other forces from around the globe. In the context of this RP, the United Nations can be considered an 'NPC' faction that more or less has its hands full dealing with the BETA, though the Security Council may influence their actions and direct Anti-BETA operations.

UN Resolution 404: A resolution adopted by the UN Security Council in 1978 during the events of Operation Palaiologos. It's basically an agreement between the two major blocs to remove their nuclear weapons from missile locations that are either in Turkey or nowhere near the frontlines with the BETA. Staves off the threat of MAD to an extent.

Tactical Surface Fighters: Mechas that are the primary combat system used to fight the BETA. The reason for their usage is that the BETA employ an extremely powerful anti-air system through the use of the Laser-class that can shoot down conventional aircraft with pinpoint accuracy from 30 kilometres away. TSFs were thus developed as all-purpose assault units, able to fight in urban regions, uneven terrain, and most importantly of all, fly low enough that they would not be targeted by BETA anti-air. Of course, that doesn't mean the jet fighter has gone extinct. Their role in war may have been diminished and they're slowly getting phased out over time, but most nations still field conventional jet aircraft, with TSFs only taking over in recent years.

Do we get Spaceships?: Sort of, but they suck. Spaceships in this alternate world are glorified cargo freighters running off electric propulsion only marginally more advanced than what modern satellites and rockets use. Whilst humanity has the technology to get things flying into space, they haven't really developed laser weaponry or railguns or much of the other stuff that are the staple of sci-fi. TSFs don't really work in space either, and most space-related R&D is devoted to figuring out how to drop TSFs from orbital dive pods to the surface without killing the pilot from G forces, heat or equipment failure. Most other technology, TSFs aside and aforementioned spaceships are more or less identical to what we had in the 80s OTL.

The Cold War: The Cold War is still ongoing, with the communist and capitalist blocs still yet to put aside their differences entirely. Suspicion between the east and west remains high despite the success of Operation Palaiologos. Media remains highly controlled and non-military personnel do not even know what the BETA look like. The KGB, Stasi, CIA, insert other national intelligence agency are still very much active and with real presence.

The Passage of Time : The RP will run at a speed of 1 page per month. This may be extended in future as more people join in.

Tl;dr rules and guidelines for the lazy among us

1. There are alien invaders on Earth known as the BETA, and they've took out most of the Middle East and Central Asia.

2. There's also a cold war going on in an alternate history Earth.

3. Mutually assured destruction through nukes is a big no no, and if nukes are going to fly, it's going to be flying towards the BETA instead of towards another nation.

4. Everyone has troops in some form or another on the frontlines against the BETA. It might be an entire army if your nation is on the frontlines, or it could just be a few TSFs if you're some Himalayan country with a population lower than the state of Wyoming. You don't always have to use them as in write a battle post or whatnot every time you make an IC, but you should have guys there. The idea here is that we have a persistent conflict going on regardless of the politics and diplomacy going on in the rest of the world. Lots of room for plot developments.

5. Everyone has TSFs. TSFs are more or less set to completely overtaken conventional jet fighters yet and form a large portion of a nation's air force. TSFs follow 1st/2nd/3rd gen configurations similar to OTL jet aircraft development. TSFs are currently in the 2nd generation phase, with 3rd generation TSFs currently in R&D and not slated for deployment for a few more years.

6. Play nice and sort out any disputes/differences politely among yourselves. I'll only intervene if its really necessary and probably deliver some objective judgement. Be reasonable with each other and have respect towards them and the premise of the RP. If anyone tries anything crazy, I'll come down on them.

7. This is a writing-focused NRP, not a stats one, so no dice. Don't pull shit out of your ass, thanks.

8. More rules and will be added as GMs see fit, I'll make sure to both inform everyone involved and update this list accordingly.

Is there a discord?: Yes, here: discord.gg/JNPJAXs . Feel free to hop in and get to know everyone else participating.

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Template Nation Sheet below, I'm more focused on the quality of IC posts rather than the number of words in your nation sheet so I've left it relatively sparse.

Nation Name

Nation Name

Put a flag above or below the name I guess

Overview

A general summary of your nation. A paragraph or two with the important details

History

Mostly optional, but at a minimum should include your nation's modern history from at least the 1970s
Notably, this should include their response to the Lunar War, the BETA landings and their participation or lack thereof in Operation Palaiologos, as well as what they did in the 10 years since the operation.

Government and Alignment

You'll be RPing a nation so this is pretty crucial. How does your government work, who runs the show, who they support in the Cold War if any.

Military Overview

Describe general doctrine, history, army reforms after you got hammered by the BETA, whatever. Would recommend some research into military tactics used in the Muv Luv world before writing this part.

Tactical Surface Fighters

Describe what TSFs are currently in use by your armed forces, whether they be domestic models/variants or bought from American or Soviet surplus. Descriptive paragraph optional, since we'll all just be trying to find different ways to say 'the sky is blue' when five nations all use the same TSF model though if your model has modifications made to it to suit the local battlefield, it is worth mentioning those.

[Predawnia]

And here's the tags for people who responded in Interest Check!
@Willy Vereb @Meiyuuhi @Idol Theory @MelodicElement @Sakaki Chizuru

[Yukitamas]

Hi, if it’s still open to claim I’d be interested in playing as Britain

[Idol Theory]

Alright, we've got a few people now! Did you follow us from the other roleplay?

[Willy Vereb]

Since it isn't that easy to see I repost it here. Here's the discord server invite:
discord.gg/JNPJAXs

OOC is still a great place to ask questions as it's much easier to follow but in case you want to chat or brainstorm the discord channel is still a decent way.

[Predawnia]

@Yukitamas
Yep, we're still open for applications.

Since it isn't that easy to see I repost it here. Here's the discord server invite:
discord.gg/JNPJAXs

OOC is still a great place to ask questions as it's much easier to follow but in case you want to chat or brainstorm the discord channel is still a decent way.

@Willy Vereb

I've moved the discord invite from its spot in the hider to above the nation sheet template.

[Idol Theory]

So we already got a Japan, huh.

[Willy Vereb]

So we already got a Japan, huh.

@Idol Theory

I don't think so. We have USSR, East Germany, Greater Hungary and maybe some more European things but no Japan yet.
On that regard China not being communist would be a gigantic butterfly effect which might threaten Soviet status quo but I am interested to discuss how this will turn out.

[Sakaki Chizuru]

I don't think so.

@Willy Vereb

Ah, I stated my interest in Japan in the interest check! I could see how you'd miss it! Sorry for not being around here, work has had me tied up the past few days!

[Idol Theory]

Ah, I stated my interest in Japan in the interest check! I could see how you'd miss it! Sorry for not being around here, work has had me tied up the past few days!

@Sakaki Chizuru

You may want to join the roleplays discord when you can get around to it.

[Meiyuuhi]

I'll be starting work on the USSR nation sheet soon.

[Willy Vereb]

People's Federation of Pannonia (Hungary)

People's Federation of Pannonia

Overview

Pannonia is the successor state of Hungary, formed by numerous incidents through its history. Unlike its predecessor Pannonia is a federation of multiple semi-autonomous states. Following the uprising in 1943 Pannonia became a communist state, although remaining independent from the USSR. Pannonia treads a fine line both due to its mixed loyalties between the West and Soviets but also due to their extremely multi-cultural demographics.

Territory:
Pannonia is a Central and East European nation occupying the territories of the former Kingdom of Hungary alongside some other former Habsburg territories East of Austria. Pannonia is a Federation with the following eight members.
1.) Hungary: Core territory used to have dominant position within the Federation.
2.) Transylvania: Eastern portions of Hungary bordering Romania
3.) Croatia: The second largest member of Pannonia, they tend to have tensions with Hungary as a result.
4.) Halych-Volhynia: Formerly called East Galicia
5.) Bosnia-Herzegovina: Was a vassal of the Monarchy, full member of Pannonia.
6.) Romania: Fell under Pannonian control after the Hungarian War of Independence in 1921.
7.) Slovakia: Hungarian territory earned autonomy in the 19th century and retains it with Pannonia.
8.) Slovenia: Formerly called Carniola.

History

Pannonia is considered a successor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire yet its history really began with the First World War. It broke out in 1914 after the assassination attempt on Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Serbia. The royal heir survived but with Serbia refusing to hand over the preparators the war was really inevitable, regardless. During the War Austro-Hungary performed decently, partially thanks to Russia leaving the war due to internal conflicts by early 1915. In 1916 Franz Joseph died and thus Ferdinand should've been the emperor. Yet his pro-nationalities policies were unpopular in Hungary and they refused to crown him. They reached the compromise by making his brother Charles II the king, thus the Monarchy suddenly had two rulers. The two brothers had a great relationship and the subsequent years went fairly successfully. Both Ferdinand and Charles wanted to turn the empire into a federation with constituent states arranged by demographic borders and each member given fair degree of autonomy. Though in secret they began talks with the Entente for a "League of Nations". Austro-Hungary fought valiantly yet they faced increasingly hopeless odds. The war ended in early 1918 with the German Empire capitulating. American, British and French troops occupied the country. The Habsburgs were way less fortunate in this outcome. Their multi-national empire was at the brink of being torn apart and furthermore practically all their neighbors had territorial claims somewhere. The Great War officially ended yet the war for the Empire was only beginning. Austrian side had rrlatively few conflicts. They ceded lands to Italy but Ferdinand's political mastery allowed him to reform the core holdings of the Austrian Crown into the dual republic of Austro-Czechia. He stepped down as royal ruler but his popularity immediately elected him as the first president of the new republic. At the same time the Treaty of Triannon was made which heralded the end of Hungary as they knew it. Even before the treaty several nations or would be nations mobilized their military. The Hungarian Army held up but with the new treaty ratified Charles had no choice but to recall them. Just as his brother he had little interest of remaining a king with his focus instead being on the formation of the League. Yet this act was perceived as a grave betrayal by the Hungarians. With their army still combat ready, many units actively refused to give up their positions. Eventually these tiny grassroots resistances grew into a wildfire and Charles II was found assassinated through mysterious circumstances. Charles and the royal family were declared traitors and the Hungarian Parliament took control of the country. They refused the Treaty and actively fought back against the oncoming armies of neighboring nations and revolutionaries. The Ententr being gravely exhausted was unable to give meaningful support and after years of warfare Hungary emerged victorious. With the combination of loyalist movements and military reconquest they retained the Lands of St. Stephen. The neighboring nations were forced into a rout, many of them like Serbia began fortifying themselves for the oncoming decade. Romania was less fortunate as they were unable to resist the Hungarian counterattack and were conquered for the second time.

The Allies didn't acknowledge this new Hungary till 1924. Until then the Hungarian leadership had their work cut for them. While they were the unquestionable victors of the post-WW1 scuffle the old problems of the Empire remained. Inspired by Kossuth's ideology from the Hungarian Revolution they began laying down the groundwork for what is soon to become the Federal Republic of Hungary. A republic with no monarchic ruler and theoretically supported by the autonomous government of each member state. Of course the reality was a bit different. While nationalities received some degree of self-governance the Hungarians who only made up some 25% of the population, were undoubtedly receiving preferential treatment. Government and military positions were first filled with loyal Hungarians and forceful resettlement made sure the demographic lines became more muddled.

Hungary made a long term enemy in Austria-Czechia and for a decade FRH existed as a relative pariah. Only after the death of Franz Ferdinand von Habsburg and the Great Depression did change things up. Meanwhile the threat of the Soviet Union loomed over Hungary and perhaps motivated by this their originally strained relations to Germany began to strengthen. Hungary didn't participated in the early stages of World War II but this changed by the time Operation Barbarossa kicked in. The turning point happened in 1943 when consequently with the Allied beach landing to continental Europe, Italy's capitulation and the Soviet counterattack something unexpected happened to Hungary. The fascist Hungarian leadership were overthrown in late 1943 by Communist sympathizers, immediately forcing Hungary out of the war. Renaming themselves the Danuvian People's Federation they supported the Soviets in the last stages of the war and some forces even participated in the Battle of Berlin.

The nationalism of the early 1940s backfired and Hungarians just barely evaded being prosecuted by their own nation as collective war criminals. The Danuvian People's Federation worked closely with the Soviets and they became one of Stalin's favorites. Budapest hosted the headquarters of the Cominform from 1947 and from the outside they were viewed the staunchest supporters of the Soviets. Yet the DPF's integration into the Soviet power block was meeting immense difficulties and was progressing rather slowly. After Stalin's death this only got worse and in 1956 starting from Hungary the Federation revolted, even threatening to throw out its Communist leadership. Soviet interference was imminent as Hungarian and other national guard forces clashed with the local USSR garrisons. Yet with the threat of NATO action the Soviets and the still escalating attitudes the Soviets were forced to back off. Eventually the more moderate revolutionaries won over after a brief civil war, establishing a new communist rule, one independent of Moscow. Their leader was Ladislav Rajk, former internal politics minister and ambitious leader of security. In 1958 the nation's name changed again, becoming known as the People's Federation of Pannonia. Hungarian favoritism in a more subdued form returned up until the mysterious death of Rajk in 1971.

Losing their leader the Pannonian leadership risked collapse and underwent major changes. They became a true federation of semi-autonomous Communist republics. Even this change wouldn't have been sufficient if not for the BETA's landing in 1973. Uninterested first the Pannon government viewed this event as something beyond their scope, still focusing on internal issues and the looming threat of either NATO or Soviet invasion. This changed after China's series of failures to contain the BETA, becoming very apparent that the alien invaders pose a threat to the whole continent. Riding this new wave of dread Pannonia began promoting anti-BETA movements, even buying up a large stock of American TSFs. Still being fresh technology the government viewed TSF as tools exclusively against the BETA and during Operation Palaiologos they threw all of them into this single battle. By 1978 their "strategy of distraction" had proven results with the member states willingly handling over their military to centralized control among others. Of course being a paper tiger of a nation most of their Hussars (TSF pilots) were rather inexperienced and this showed during the operation. Pannonian forces suffered grievous loses, partially due to their pilot quality but also for the fact they were used as canon fodder by the NATO. Regardless the Coalition achieved the world's first and so far the last successful hive infiltration.

In spite of its complete disaster to Pannonian TSF forces the government treated Operation Palaiologos as a massive victory and in a sense they were right. Of course this helped to fuel future propaganda to support more anti-BETA operations and the nation keep focusing on the threat of alien invaders. These actions also managed to somewhat ease the international relations with both power blocs, although the threat remained. Internally the People's Federation of Pannonia is experiencing a weird flux of both stabilizing and destabilizing factors. They are non-aligned, supporting neither the NATO nor the Soviets. They are perhaps the most culturally diverse nation with over a dozen spoken languages which is naturally a source of constant friction. They are also viewed as a gateway between East and West, targeted by lot of refugees as an interim country to stay in before moving towards either direction. Pannonia has a very stormy future ahead.

Government and Political Alignment

TBA

Military Overview

Pannon Népi Őrs (Pannonian People's Guard, PPG) is the main armed forces of Pannonia with authority to act in all member states of the Federation. The PSDF has three branches: People's Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. Army commands the land forces, the largest bulk of Pannon military. Their primary role is the defense of Pannonia and suppression of counter-revolutionaries although they can be called for foreign missions when more bodies are needed. Unlike most armies they are in possession of not only helicopters but also Hussar Wings of TSFs. Air Force in the last 10 years is earning much prominence in Pannonia. They are responsible for operating most aircraft but they also manage the Anti-BETA Expeditions and hence they frequently "borrow" resources and personnel from other branches. Coast Guard is the Pannonian Navy. They are suffering funding issues and frequently feel frustrated as being just the "ferrymen" to carry Air Force assets like expeditionary groups over the Mediterranean Sea. Aside from the PPG each member state has their own national military, although these are frequently not much better than militia or an extension of the political police. This is intentional in fears of repeating 1956 or giving ideas for nations to fight for their independence.

As for hardware the Pannon Army mostly relies on Soviet equipment. They have massive stocks of T-55 tanks and after being disatisfied with the M60 and T-62 offers they began to develop their own MBT called Hk/74 Kynys. In terms of artillery they have a relatively large collection ranging from light recon vehicles outfitted with rocket pods or gun-mortars to wheeled/tracked chassis mounted 122/155mm tube artilelry (the latter being French) and of course 122mm MLRS vehicles. Strategic arsenal also includes various cruise and ballistic missile launchers. Their air wing consists of mostly Soviet craft for practical reasons.

Hk/74 Kynys

Official Name: Harckocsi 1974 Kinizsi Pál
Common Name: Hk/74 Kynys, m/74 Kynys
Other Spellings: Kinizsi, Kynys, Kenezy, Cneazul, Chinezu
In Service: 1975
Dimensions: length: 5.97m (9m w/ gun forward), width: 3.35m, height: 2.1m
Weight: 42.6 metric tons
Main Armament: 100mm smoothbore gun
Secondary Armaments:12.7mm Gebauer-M co-axial chaingun (2,400RPM), PGA-63M 20mm remote-controlled autocannon (600RPM)

Pannon main battle tank developed by the fairly specific requirements of the Pannonian People's Guard. Named after the commander of Hungary's Black Army, it's a fairly compact vehicle made with the idea to operate in nuclear wastelands. For this purpose it uses heavy radiation shielding where the whole crew is located inside turret ring. While this early idea motivated by the American and Chinese Anti-BETA tactics was found to be mistaken it also resulted in a design built from the ground-up for automatization, a feature receptive of future upgrades. Unlike most MBTs the tank still uses a variant of the 100mm gun, a consideration made purely out of a sense of logistics. In the current third generation of the Kynys this is a smoothbore long gun featuring a rapid-firing carousel autoloader, allowing three round bursts within a second. Using technology derived from TSFs the Kynys III replaced the 3-crew setup with a 2-man "cockpit" design featuring feed from sensors and external cameras. Using a similar thought Kynys III replaced its old oil guzzler with TSF-derived electric systems thus rather than gasoline or diesel the tank consumes battery power for its electric engine. Aside from economical benefits this setup also enables higher peak accelerations and visible improvements in combat mobility.

Tactical Surface Fighters

Pannonia's unique position allowed them to choose from both Western and Eastern Bloc TSFs which also had its own drawbacks. The reason why Pannonia doesn't have Mig-27s or F-15s can be traced back to this issue. Pannonian TSF requirements are also rather unique, they don't have immediate defense concerns against the BETA yet they focus a lot on fighting them. At the same time they have plenty of concerns fighting another country which focuses their TSF procurement and overall development to interceptors. Coincidentally both aims share some characteristics like range, ordinance carrying capability and competitive technology. Of course that's where the similarities ended and Pannonian TSFs have be made with considerable modularity in order to fulfill both roles. This unique situation also forced Pannonians to want to be as self-reliant as possible. They could not depend on either supply line as the winds of war could shift both ways. As a consequence their TSFs and their armament are even more logistics conservative than others, which at times comes at the cost of interoperability. Organization wise TSFs are grouped under two organizations, Pannon Nlphadsereg (Pannonian People's Army, PPA) is the army branch also tasked with defending the country and also deal with local insurrections. They are the lowest common denominator when it comes to TSFs employed, only meant for counter insurgency and to hold off invaders until a proper response is formed. The other organization is of course the Pannonian Air Force which frequently participates in anti-BETA operations far off the country but are of course also responsible for air defense. Hussar (and its myriad of local language equivalents) is a term used in Pannonia both for the machine and the pilot, depending on context. Hussar Regiments are specialized units built around the operation of TSF and their support, the latter not only including airfield crew and logistics but also dedicated mobile artillery companies, recon forces and a mechanized force for self-defense. The specifics vary depending on the role of the unit with PPA regiments often becoming skeletonized for budget reasons while an Air Force expeditionary unit is constructed deliberately to be entirely airborne and some may even have dedicated bomber wings.

Common TSF Models

CsA-77 Kékmadár (Bluebird)
Designation of the Pannonian F-5 Freedom Fighters, first imported from the West and later license produced and underwent modifications. Current models are called CsA-77C and CsA-77D, the latter being old CsA-77B models upgraded to C standards. F-5/CsA-77A models were found unfit to be improved upon and they became training machines or test targets. CsA-77C/D are referred as 1.5 generation fighters due to them featuring Operation-By-Wire capability along with a slew of engine and avionics improvements.

CsA-81 Kerecsensólyom (Sake Falcon)
License-produced variant of the Soviet Su-15, a quasi 2nd generation TSF introduced after Operation Palaiologos. They have received further improvements in aim to further enhance their long range mission capabilities. They are the most common frontline TSFs, although far from the most numerous (that'd be the CsA-77).

CsA-87 Turul
The first entirely domestically developed TSF using both Soviet and Western knowledge, also the first true 2nd generation TSF in Panonian use. They are designed entirely with the Pannonian expeditions in mind. They specialize in range, endurance and empathize firepower and amount of ordinance they can carry over melee capabilities. CsA-87 is of course fairly agile, being a late era 2nd generation TSF using disciplines of both sides. But compared to the Soviet 2nd generation TSFs their melee capabilities are lacking.

TSF Equipment

PGA-78 Assault Cannon
"Pannon Gépágyú 1978" is a locally produced assault cannon built to replace the WS-16 and A-97 models. They fire 20mm hypervelocity rounds as the Pannonians refuse to adopt a whole new cartridge and risk running out of ammunition. This makes the PGA-78 somewhat underpowered which they tried to fix by doubling its rate of fire, consequently resulting in some reliability issues. Regardless Pannonia staunchly remains with the 20mm munition and as a consequence they adopted bulky drum shaped magazines as their new standard. Another curiosity is its PÖL-82K cannon attachment which is put on the top rather than on the bottom for higher stability (leaving the optics/camera for that place). More importantly it fires 100mm shells that are the same as the ones fired by their Hk/74 Kynys MBTs (just outfitted with a rocket booster) in order to simplify their logistics. In addition the twin-stack magazines allow the capacity of 16 shots while having relatively the same weight. Nowadays this feature is exploited for unique mixed round two-shot bursts, the most frequent combination being APFSDS and HESH round, which can damage even Destroyer carapaces (although only that, usually requiring massed fire to actually kill them).

PFA-84 Assault Shotcannon
"Pannon Forgóágyú 1984" is a heavy Assault Cannon preferred by Pannonia over the modern 36mm cartridge firing variants. It fires 57mm rounds developed from AA gun cartridges thus it's already something Pannonia produces in large quantities. The larger cartridges allow stronger and more sophisticated rounds at the expense of cost and reduced ammo capacity. Its primary munition is the 57mm multi-fused warhead which is capable of greater destruction and has notably greater performance against smaller BETA strains. Unlike other assault cannons the PFA-84 also uses revolver cannon mechanism. This allows comparable rate of fire at short burst but needs a built-up disengager after every 8th shot thus reducing long burst rate of fire by half. This is actually preferred by the Pannonians and further constrained in order to reduce ammo expenditures. The PFA-84 is compatible with all attachments made for the PGA-78 and also comes with its own accessories. PÖL-88 is an improvement over the PÖL-82 only stable with the extra mass of the PFA-84 frame. Its drum magazine has a built in autoloading carousel to choose between multiple types of ammunition. It also facilitates very quick burst fire rates for an unique three-round "Anti-Destroyer Burst" composing of an APFSD, HESH and lastly an APHE round. This combination has 28% chance to kill a Destroyer-class BETA outright, even through its heavily armored carapace. The drawback is of course the heavy magazine and the overall expensive nature of the attachment. Another attachment is a barrel extension and stabilization device and an overhead mounted aiming device, turning the PFA-84 into a sniper rifle, capable of firing 57mm APFSDS and PELE munitions, at times even in bursts or alteration.

HGv-82 Kopja (Lance)
Panonian adoption of the Soviet SPG-21, a "bazooka type" TSF armament firing 300mm recoilless rifle shells. Compared to missiles the launcher is heavier but can carry considerably more munition and for cheaper than through missile containers. The shell only has a rudimentary guidance and is limited to 10km but otherwise a competitor with the AIM-54 Phoenix in capability while allowing an unit to carry several dozen loads. The system has a 6-round detachable magazine and can be carried in one hand (although having a sub-arm to change magazines is recommended). It can fire various cluster or unitary warheads. Its extra weight and weird measure of holding (the long backwards firing end is sticking behind the mech, akin to couching a lance, hence the name) means SPG-21 is limited to specialist use or unique "bombing raid" style engagements, not a mainline weapon. Aside from the new HGv-82 inventory of old SPG-17 launchers bought from Soviets are also in use.

VRV-81 Pokoltűz (Hellfire)
Based off the Soviet S-8 rocket family this Pannonian variant is used both for all their aricraft. Firing laser-guided 80mm rockets this system boasts decent firepower while possessing incredible rate of fire. In TSF use the heavier 32-tube systems are preferred, mounted on the hips in a 2x3 arrangement. VRV-81H also has built in reload system allowing the mech to restock 1-2 times its loadout of missiles for another go. Individual 80mm rockets don't have that much power but when combined by their sheer volume they could wreak considerable havoc. The system also has anti-laser and anti-air rocket variants for special uses.

PN-78 Nadziak/Csatakalapács (Warpick)
Special TSF melee weapon adopted from Poland. Shaped like a horseman's pick these instruments seemingly had no room among the various melee halberd designs which empathized cutting power. Yet the sheer force of these weapons gave them considerable advantage when striking BETA and even moreso when fighting other TSFs. The latter reason is perhaps why the Pannonian government issues them. While far from a sophisticated weapon given the reduced emphasis on melee this could be actually an advantage for Hussars.

[Predawnia]

Looking good, I like the divergent development path taken by the Pannonian TSFs.

[CaptainBritton]

Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)

Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Overview

The Federal Republic of Germany was formed in 1949 in the wake of a Second World War leaving millions of Germans dead, and the rest under the subjugation of the atom bomb and split by two sides of the same coin. Based in the city of Frankfurt, a mere 70 miles from the ruins of Würzburg, the Constitution of the Republic was ratified on 8 May, 1949, being the first of the two German states to become a sovereign nation after the War.

The state has since then largely devolved into a nation rife with bureaucracy and a political deadlock despite a relatively powerful federal government. Its contributions to the effort against BETA have been remarkable, culminating primarily in Operation Palaiologos, and they have proved an immensely useful buffer state and bargaining chip for NATO.

History

In the waning part of 1944, the two bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man, were dropped on a crippled Germany. Adolf Hitler committed suicide in the following days, as did his entire line of succession in the Party. The wake of the Second World War left five million Germans dead and scores more without homes or the means to survive. The few politicians and Wehrmacht officers who survived struggled to pull together a German wasteland long enough to even sign the surrender.

Germany was split four ways between its conquerors, and was summarily forgotten, as the enemy in the East was subjugated. This original West Germany was apologists, activists, and simply those who survived the gallows in the wake of Nuremberg. Under the watchful eyes of the Allies, these few ‘Fathers of the Republic’ tried as best they could to repair a shattered nation in the latter half of the 1940s.

At first, their future was uncertain: Were they to build a new, obedient Germany, or were they destined to be on a leash for the remainder of their days? And as quickly as that question began, the Allies had signed off on a Federal Constitution in Summer 1949, with the first Chancellor being sworn in since 1933.

West Germany became the most prominent political piece in Europe for NATO, being the closest one could get to the rapidly closing Iron Curtain. West Berlin, the crown jewel of the Federal Republic, became a symbol of hope for those living in the Eastern Bloc. Standards of living skyrocketed. West German manufacturing took off among the Western European markets, and rearmament was authorized in the form of a self defence force - the Bundeswehr.

The ‘West German dream’ was the talk of Europe until the arrival of BETA. The initial findings were met with scrutiny and a Bundestag of politicians unwilling to believe. The landings at Kashgar sent shockwaves through every echelon of West German society, leading to major upscaling of the Bundeswehr and the extension of the six-month mandatory military service to one year per male. As the Bundestag preemptively readied a War Coalition government, the nuclear option was explored by the Warsaw Pact. Then again by the USA after the landings in Canada.

West Germany was among the first NATO members to receive working models of the US’s F-4 ‘Phantom’ TSF, and immediately restructured most of the Luftwaffe to utilize these new machines. They committed all forty of these machines to Palaiologos, and nearly 60,000 personnel under the Eurocorps and US European Commands, in which they suffered nearly 70 percent casualties among the frontline units.

Many of the surviving TSF pilots from Palaiologos would go on to become senior leaders of TSF squadrons, pioneering tactics used universally by the Luftwaffe TSFs. In the decade since, however, the progress of the Bundestag has stalled significantly. Though a War Coalition was formed, it is pitted against itself by those who have wildly varying ideas of how to deal with BETA. The government stays in deadlock, civilian policy often deferred in favor of ballooning military budgets and heated debates over deployments and domestic TSF manufacturing.

Government and Alignment

The Bundesrepublik Deutschland is a familiar Parliamentary Republic-style government, crafted as a counterpoint to the weak Weimar Republic of the early 20th Century and the tyranny of Hitler. It is characteristically both American and British in organization, taking the best examples of Western democracy to the table.

Its primary governing body is the legislative branch consisting of the Bundestag (lower house) and Bundesrat (upper house). The Bundestag’s members are popularly elected, with the number of seats within being determined by exactly how many voters each party got and how many candidates it necessitates. The Bundesrat’s members are appointed by the local governments of West Germany, with its representation being entirely based on population.

At the head of this is an executive Chancellor, usually the leader of the majority party in the Bundestag, possessing some executive powers in the scope of West German policy-making, as well as responsibility to act as the face of Germany to the wider world. The sitting Chancellor is Helmut Kohl, an immensely popular politician who is primarily concerned with maintaining a balanced approach to the aggression of both BETA and the Warsaw Pact, going so far as to authorize a revitalization of the Federal Intelligence Service to counter the Stasi.

Military Overview

For much of its early history, West Germany was denied a standing army for reasons considered obvious. Its defence was handled almost entirely by its civilian-staffed border police and NATO. That was, until it was authorized a small standing army in the form of the Bundeswehr, in which it was soon required that every able-bodied male serve six months.

Its principal branch is the Heer, best translated as the Army, which consists primarily of armored and mechanized assets, relying heavily on its ability to maneuver and be an armored spearhead if necessary, as well as being a stubborn static defense line if that too is necessary. Nearly all of its assets are mounted, whether it be on track or wheel.

The second branch is Marine, or the Navy, consisting mostly of domestically produced vessels based on British, French, and Dutch designs, tasked with the patrol of the Baltic Sea and the containment of the Soviet Baltic Fleet should it ever become a problem. In the grand scale, it operates primarily alongside task forces of British and French ships.

The third and final branch is the Luftwaffe, or Air Force, which has gained extreme prominence in recent years with the introduction of TSFs. With organic air power being functionally useless against the BETA, over half of Luftwaffe manpower has been put into the TSF battalions. Despite the recent focus on TSFs, the Luftwaffe maintains a sizeable force of F-104G ‘Starfighter’ jets from the USA which it has largely kept in reserve.

The TSF doctrine of the Bundeswehr is largely based on Interdictor Strike units (IDS), which use superior maneuvering and volume of fire to ‘interdict’ enemy forces in coordinated surprise attacks, along with armored spearhead assaults.

Tactical Surface Fighters

F-4 ‘Phantom’ - A first generation TSF provided by the United States and now produced semi-domestically. Most are F4N variants, with a few sporting US-manufactured F4E upgrade packages. The Phantom constitutes a good portion of the Luftwaffe fleet, and acts primarily as a cheap escort and multirole craft.

F-5G ‘Tornado’ - Another first generation TSF produced entirely domestically, based on the US-designed F-5 ‘Freedom Fighter’. It is the penultimate craft in the Interdictor Strike form of combat, and thus constitutes another significant portion of the Luftwaffe’s fleet, and is the primary frontline craft deployed to combat BETA.

F-15 ‘Eagle’ - Though rarer among Luftwaffe stocks, the entirely US-designed and produced F-15 is considered the leading second generation TSF as of 1988. First fielded in its 'C' variant four years ago, it hit foreign markets the following year, with West Germany getting its own cut to begin to replace its severely aging F-4 ‘Phantom’ fleet.

[Predawnia]

@CaptainBritton

Looks good, feel free to put it in the IC section. I'm waiting on a couple more sheets before we can start.