Isa
GA Member
- Nov 13, 2023
- 48
It had been a beautiful morning in Rome, a morning like many this time of year in the temperate Mediterranean country. Roman children got up to go to school, adults prepared to go to work, and in general the city was coming alive. One of these people was His Royal Majesty, Alessio, the King of Italy. Now that communist forces had been dealt with and the world had become convinced of the stability of the Italian state it was time to continue the rebuilding effort and more importantly govern the country properly for the first time in half a decade. With the military and security forces still some of the highest funded in the country, reports of gunfights between forces inside the Vatican City arrived mere moments after they were first reported. It was a matter of concern, but the Holy See was a sovereign state and the Italian Kingdom could not interfere with its affairs in anyway. Regardless the matter would be relayed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reach out and see if there was any help the Italian state could provide. Things changed when soon after the first reports came of conflict extending to Roman Catholic facilities inside Rome and outside the Holy See. Now it did become a matter of internal security. Something that was only worsened when the first explosions rocked the city. Whatever was going on in the city, it was clear that things were not staying contained to the Holy See. The Minister of Defense, and veteran of multiple wars, General Russo had already been on his way to the King to discuss the expansion of conflict to the city of Rome. However, now matters had expanded his staff had rapidly sent additional data to his laptop. Roman police were doing their best to respond to the matter but faced with guards carrying military equipment only the intervention of the Regio Esercito could hope to confront and at the very least push the combatants out of royal territory.
As his limousine turned into the Quirinal Palace, General Russo couldn't help but feel grateful that the King had moved from Caserta to Rome. After all, the sooner he could get him to declare a State of Emergency the better.
Once the car stopped at the front entrance the grizzled veteran didn't even wait for his guard to open the door and did so himself as he stepped out and immediately walked into the Palace. The Palace staff already awaited him and realizing the urgency in the man's face made way to let him proceed to the King's Office as fast as he could. With doors pre-emptively opened by the Royal Guard, he stepped right into the King's Office who had already cleared his entire day after the first explosions could be heard.
"General, can you tell me what the hell is going on in the capital of my Kingdom?" Alessio said as he motioned for the guards at the door to close it and leave the two men alone.
"Yes, of course, Your Majesty. Thank you for making time to see me. During the night and early morning something seems to have happened inside the Holy See. We received reports of fighting between American and Swiss Guards, this then moved on to fighting at locations outside the Holy See's territory and on our territory. As you have probably heard there has also been an explosion at key points where the Passetto di Borgo runs. We have not yet been able to determine who is responsible but we believe that one of the combatant factions is seeking to overthrow the Papacy. For what purpose or who started it unfortunately we do not know yet. However the Roman police is not equipped to confront these forces. Especially as they are also operating in the air" General Russo replied, giving the King the summary of events before providing a print-out of a more detailed report.
"I had hoped with the defeat of the communists peace and quiet would finally return to this country. If you are right and someone has launched a strike against the Papacy order must be restored or as fragile as it is this country can explode again along with the Holy See. Knowing you you wouldn't have come here without a proposed response. Let me have it"
Alessandro smiled, this King was the only ruler he had served under who he had ever respected. And it was resoluteness at times like this that was the primary contributor to that. "Yes, your Majesty. We cannot engage forces within the Vatican City, however forces within Rome are not protected by the sovereignty of the Holy See. I propose that you declare a State of Emergency within the Duchy of Latium. We have already called up the Roman Brigade in preparation and with your permission I would like to deploy them to confront both Swiss and American forces and insist that both disarm and surrender to us. At that point we will detain them until we can determine what exactly is happening and who is responsible for what. At the same time I would also like to declare and enforce a no-fly zone over Rome so we can counter their aircraft if they cross over into Italian territory and have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reach out to the Holy See and offer the deployment of Italian forces to Vatican City to establish peace and protect the life of His Holiness"
Alessio thought the proposal over, he didn't like placing Rome under military control again but given the circumstances there really was no alternative. "Very well, I will declare a state of emergency and send the instructions to Moretti. Return the peace to my city, General"
Colonel Arianna Faraldo was a bit of an outlier in the Royal Italian Army. Having come up in the People's Army under communist rule, Faraldo and her unit were some of the first to defect to the Counter-Revolutionary Army under their new King. Arianna had never been a communist but she had always wanted to join the Army and the communists were simply the first government that let women. During the civil war she had quickly proven her capabilities and rapidly saw her unit given more prestigious assignments and her rank increase. Until, by the end of the Civil War, she had been placed in charge of the Mechanized Brigade "Roma", one of the most capable and experienced units in the Regio Esercito and personally responsible for the security of Rome. When their unit was mobilized, ss a testament to their status it took less than an hour for all off base forces to report and mere minutes for those on base. Given that they were primarily dealing with infantry units the ten Ariete tanks were deemed more than sufficient to send the message that Italy really wasn't looking to negotiate with people that had turned the previously peaceful city into a warzone. After meeting with her staff orders would be relayed down the chain of command. The 5000 soldiers of the Roman Brigade would be deployed around Rome, 1000 of them were to approach the Vatican border and neutralize any combatants they encountered on the way. A smaller force of 500 were sent to the Castel Sant'Angelo with similar instructions. 2000 soldiers were to secure a large area around the Holy See and any known major facilities and passageways under their control within Rome. The remaining forces were deployed at Churches for protection and throughout the city to reassure both the people of Rome and foreign diplomats that the government would keep them safe. The ten tanks would be divided between the forces actively ordered to confront the combatants. Strict rules of engagement were issued, upon confronting any combatants the Italians were to establish contact in Italian, English, German and French, in these languages they were to state that they were empowered by His Royal Majesty to restore peace to Rome and that His Royal Majesty ordered the Swiss and American Guards to lay down their arms and submit to detention until the matter could be resolved. After sending this message three times in all languages it was to be sent a final time with the warning that if the hostiles continued their noncompliance, Italian forces were authorized to use lethal force. The tanks were assumed to come in handy at that stage as well. If there was still no surrender the soldiers were to approach the hostiles and forcefully disarm them. Only if shot upon first were Italian soldiers authorized to respond with lethal force.
Simultaneously with the Army, the Air Force deployed all AMX Internationals over the city of Rome to enforce the earlier ordered no-fly zone. Pilots were similarly instructed to make contact with any hostile aircraft in all applicable languages and issue warnings. The rules of engagement there were less strict though with only three refusals and ignoring of warning shots being sufficient. In respect of Vatican sovereignty the no-fly zone would not cover Vatican City itself.
Soldiers assigned to the embassy districts would also make sure that any security forces operating on Italian soil without permission would also be intercepted.
With combat operations ongoing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would send a top secret message to the Holy See, specifically the Cardinal Secretary of State. Based on the suspicion that the Pope himself might be out of the Vatican due to the explosions at the primary escape route a copy of this message would also be sent to the Castel Sant'Angelo.
Your Eminence,
With increasing worry and shock we have become aware of hostilities within the Holy See that have since spilled over into Italian territory. The Kingdom of Italy respects the sovereignty of the Holy See and will not intervene on its territory without permission, however for the security and safety of the Roman people we have no choice but to respond against any forces that have crossed into Italy. Through this message I wish to establish a dialogue so we may ascertain the specifics of whichever situation is ongoing, how the Kingdom of Italy may be able to help and which measures we have already taken in response unilaterally.
Regarding the first topic, His Royal Majesty wishes to know the nature of what appears to be a conflict between the Swiss and American Guards. We have also received troubling intelligence that His Holiness has come under attack and may even be wounded or deceased. The Kingdom of Italy is a strong supporter of the Papacy and will not stand for any attempt to forcefully bring an end to His Holiness' tenure. As such we provide and commit the forces of the Kingdom of Italy to His Holiness' cause and will do anything needed to confront those who would endanger his life. Should you agree we would like to deploy Italian forces to the Holy See on a temporary basis to establish peace and allow for the conflict to come to an end as peacefully as possible given what has already transpired.
His Royal Majesty has declared a State of Emergency within the Duchy of Latium and ordered a Brigade of the Royal Italian Army to deploy within Rome. These forces are among the most experienced and elite within the Royal Italian Armed Forces and have been given orders to confront any combaants within Italian territory. Upon confrontation they have been instructed to demand their surrender until the who's who can be established. If the combatants do not submit to the soldiers our forces have been given permission to ultimately use lethal force as their first priority is the restoration of peace and preservation of Italian sovereign territory. Likewise a no-fly zone has been established over Rome (with the exception of the Vatican City) with similar rules of engagement. I must urge you to contact any forces still under your command and instruct them to submit to our forces as we would like to avoid all bloodshed.
I hope that peace and quiet can return to Rome and the Holy See as soon as possible and look forward to working with you to bring this about.
Yours sincerely,
Giovanni Moretti,
Duke of Lombardy,
Minister of Foreign Affairs.
As his limousine turned into the Quirinal Palace, General Russo couldn't help but feel grateful that the King had moved from Caserta to Rome. After all, the sooner he could get him to declare a State of Emergency the better.
Once the car stopped at the front entrance the grizzled veteran didn't even wait for his guard to open the door and did so himself as he stepped out and immediately walked into the Palace. The Palace staff already awaited him and realizing the urgency in the man's face made way to let him proceed to the King's Office as fast as he could. With doors pre-emptively opened by the Royal Guard, he stepped right into the King's Office who had already cleared his entire day after the first explosions could be heard.
"General, can you tell me what the hell is going on in the capital of my Kingdom?" Alessio said as he motioned for the guards at the door to close it and leave the two men alone.
"Yes, of course, Your Majesty. Thank you for making time to see me. During the night and early morning something seems to have happened inside the Holy See. We received reports of fighting between American and Swiss Guards, this then moved on to fighting at locations outside the Holy See's territory and on our territory. As you have probably heard there has also been an explosion at key points where the Passetto di Borgo runs. We have not yet been able to determine who is responsible but we believe that one of the combatant factions is seeking to overthrow the Papacy. For what purpose or who started it unfortunately we do not know yet. However the Roman police is not equipped to confront these forces. Especially as they are also operating in the air" General Russo replied, giving the King the summary of events before providing a print-out of a more detailed report.
"I had hoped with the defeat of the communists peace and quiet would finally return to this country. If you are right and someone has launched a strike against the Papacy order must be restored or as fragile as it is this country can explode again along with the Holy See. Knowing you you wouldn't have come here without a proposed response. Let me have it"
Alessandro smiled, this King was the only ruler he had served under who he had ever respected. And it was resoluteness at times like this that was the primary contributor to that. "Yes, your Majesty. We cannot engage forces within the Vatican City, however forces within Rome are not protected by the sovereignty of the Holy See. I propose that you declare a State of Emergency within the Duchy of Latium. We have already called up the Roman Brigade in preparation and with your permission I would like to deploy them to confront both Swiss and American forces and insist that both disarm and surrender to us. At that point we will detain them until we can determine what exactly is happening and who is responsible for what. At the same time I would also like to declare and enforce a no-fly zone over Rome so we can counter their aircraft if they cross over into Italian territory and have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reach out to the Holy See and offer the deployment of Italian forces to Vatican City to establish peace and protect the life of His Holiness"
Alessio thought the proposal over, he didn't like placing Rome under military control again but given the circumstances there really was no alternative. "Very well, I will declare a state of emergency and send the instructions to Moretti. Return the peace to my city, General"
Colonel Arianna Faraldo was a bit of an outlier in the Royal Italian Army. Having come up in the People's Army under communist rule, Faraldo and her unit were some of the first to defect to the Counter-Revolutionary Army under their new King. Arianna had never been a communist but she had always wanted to join the Army and the communists were simply the first government that let women. During the civil war she had quickly proven her capabilities and rapidly saw her unit given more prestigious assignments and her rank increase. Until, by the end of the Civil War, she had been placed in charge of the Mechanized Brigade "Roma", one of the most capable and experienced units in the Regio Esercito and personally responsible for the security of Rome. When their unit was mobilized, ss a testament to their status it took less than an hour for all off base forces to report and mere minutes for those on base. Given that they were primarily dealing with infantry units the ten Ariete tanks were deemed more than sufficient to send the message that Italy really wasn't looking to negotiate with people that had turned the previously peaceful city into a warzone. After meeting with her staff orders would be relayed down the chain of command. The 5000 soldiers of the Roman Brigade would be deployed around Rome, 1000 of them were to approach the Vatican border and neutralize any combatants they encountered on the way. A smaller force of 500 were sent to the Castel Sant'Angelo with similar instructions. 2000 soldiers were to secure a large area around the Holy See and any known major facilities and passageways under their control within Rome. The remaining forces were deployed at Churches for protection and throughout the city to reassure both the people of Rome and foreign diplomats that the government would keep them safe. The ten tanks would be divided between the forces actively ordered to confront the combatants. Strict rules of engagement were issued, upon confronting any combatants the Italians were to establish contact in Italian, English, German and French, in these languages they were to state that they were empowered by His Royal Majesty to restore peace to Rome and that His Royal Majesty ordered the Swiss and American Guards to lay down their arms and submit to detention until the matter could be resolved. After sending this message three times in all languages it was to be sent a final time with the warning that if the hostiles continued their noncompliance, Italian forces were authorized to use lethal force. The tanks were assumed to come in handy at that stage as well. If there was still no surrender the soldiers were to approach the hostiles and forcefully disarm them. Only if shot upon first were Italian soldiers authorized to respond with lethal force.
Simultaneously with the Army, the Air Force deployed all AMX Internationals over the city of Rome to enforce the earlier ordered no-fly zone. Pilots were similarly instructed to make contact with any hostile aircraft in all applicable languages and issue warnings. The rules of engagement there were less strict though with only three refusals and ignoring of warning shots being sufficient. In respect of Vatican sovereignty the no-fly zone would not cover Vatican City itself.
Soldiers assigned to the embassy districts would also make sure that any security forces operating on Italian soil without permission would also be intercepted.
With combat operations ongoing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would send a top secret message to the Holy See, specifically the Cardinal Secretary of State. Based on the suspicion that the Pope himself might be out of the Vatican due to the explosions at the primary escape route a copy of this message would also be sent to the Castel Sant'Angelo.
Your Eminence,
With increasing worry and shock we have become aware of hostilities within the Holy See that have since spilled over into Italian territory. The Kingdom of Italy respects the sovereignty of the Holy See and will not intervene on its territory without permission, however for the security and safety of the Roman people we have no choice but to respond against any forces that have crossed into Italy. Through this message I wish to establish a dialogue so we may ascertain the specifics of whichever situation is ongoing, how the Kingdom of Italy may be able to help and which measures we have already taken in response unilaterally.
Regarding the first topic, His Royal Majesty wishes to know the nature of what appears to be a conflict between the Swiss and American Guards. We have also received troubling intelligence that His Holiness has come under attack and may even be wounded or deceased. The Kingdom of Italy is a strong supporter of the Papacy and will not stand for any attempt to forcefully bring an end to His Holiness' tenure. As such we provide and commit the forces of the Kingdom of Italy to His Holiness' cause and will do anything needed to confront those who would endanger his life. Should you agree we would like to deploy Italian forces to the Holy See on a temporary basis to establish peace and allow for the conflict to come to an end as peacefully as possible given what has already transpired.
His Royal Majesty has declared a State of Emergency within the Duchy of Latium and ordered a Brigade of the Royal Italian Army to deploy within Rome. These forces are among the most experienced and elite within the Royal Italian Armed Forces and have been given orders to confront any combaants within Italian territory. Upon confrontation they have been instructed to demand their surrender until the who's who can be established. If the combatants do not submit to the soldiers our forces have been given permission to ultimately use lethal force as their first priority is the restoration of peace and preservation of Italian sovereign territory. Likewise a no-fly zone has been established over Rome (with the exception of the Vatican City) with similar rules of engagement. I must urge you to contact any forces still under your command and instruct them to submit to our forces as we would like to avoid all bloodshed.
I hope that peace and quiet can return to Rome and the Holy See as soon as possible and look forward to working with you to bring this about.
Yours sincerely,
Giovanni Moretti,
Duke of Lombardy,
Minister of Foreign Affairs.
