[Mohoender]

2002
When western medias start to report about more Chinese equipments being sent to Russia, U.S. citizens are outraged and demonstrations are held all over the country. As a result, the U.S. administration sends an ultimatum to Beijing, leaving two days for the Chinese President to suspend all shipping to Russia. On the following day, China joins with Warsaw Pact 2 and two major offensives are launched in Asia: Russian troops are landing in Hokkaidô (Japan) while Chinese and North Korean troops cross the 38th parallel into South Korea. The Pact is highly successful in Korea, destroying the South Korean air force, sinking its navy before it can leave to the open sea, and conquering most of the country except for a small area covering 50 miles around Pusan. However, the operations in Japan are an entirely different matter as the Russians fail to take the JGSDF by surprise. After, limited initial success, the landing forces is expelled and the retreating troops are shipped back to Sakhaline Island.

In February, the U.S. navy has gathered an important fleet and launches a joint operation with the Japanese and Taiwanese fleets. This will last for two months but when the operation come to an end the joints fleets virtually destroyed their opposing forces: only small ships survive in China and North Korea while the Russian Pacific Fleet has lost almost ninety percent of its naval surface vessels. At that time, more reinforcements from Japan and ANZUS have been brought to South Korea and they start their own push toward the 38th parallel, crossing it within weeks and bringing fighting to Pyongyang. The allied naval forces suffered significant losses but remain operational and have enough strength to provide more than ample cover for the reinforcements being sent to the Hong Kong area. This is involving troops from ANZUS, Japan, the Philippines and U.K., and they start a push toward central China. Meanwhile, Vietnam has joined with the allied and its army is crossing into Yunnan and Guangxi facing heavy fighting in southern China. The allied enjoy rapid initial success, and tank columns roared deep into southern and central China. However, the Chinese surpassed the expectations of most military analyst in their ability to mobilize reserves from the interior and shift them to the fighting front. While the allied continued to make impressive gains, their losses mounted and the tempo of advance went down.
Pakistan becomes increasingly militaristic and the country drifts into war with India through a spiral of border incidents, mobilization, and armed clashes. Tensions over the Kargil district of Kashmir are growing quickly and, if Pakistan blames the fighting entirely on independent Kashmiri insurgents, documents left behind by casualties show involvement of Pakistani paramilitary forces, led by Pakistani Generals. As a result, the Second Kargil War is initiated and, by year’s end, the Indian Army is slowly advancing across the length of the front, despite fierce resistance.
Thus far, the Middle East was spared despite growing and continuing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah but the events precipitate after New Years Eve and Israel moves first. After a series of artillery bombardment and cross border air strikes, the Israelis launch a surprise attack that Initially take the Arabs by surprise but the Syrian army recovers quickly while Hezbollah sends more and more fighters to the front line. There are heavy fighting in the Bekaa Valley and in South Lebanon but the Arabs rely on an innovative type of fighting, using the best Russian RPGs, and Tsahal is losing tanks fast. Only the timely arrival of Israeli airborne troops prevents total disaster. After this setback, the campaign settles into a stalemate and Damascus eventually fall, but only after a long and costly siege. While this goes on, the situation in Iraq steadily worsens as the Shia increase their pressure on Kurdish and Sunni held territories. These Shia troops are soon joined by several units from Iran while Turkey sends what it can on the Kurdish rear areas. The answer from the West isn’t slow and troops are taken from where it is possible and rushed to Saudi Arabia as Kurdish and Sunni units retake several positions in the south and in the north. That move is so fast that Jordanian and Saudi troops, backed by Egyptians, Kuwaitis and NATO troops from France, UK and the USA, are entering the South of Iraq at the time of the Jewish Passover.
Nevertheless, despite this bold move, the allied are unable to gain full supremacy and their various offensives quickly come to a halt. In Turkey, they are stopped on a line running from Batman to Erzurum and Kars. Meanwhile, Syrians and Lebanese, still doing great, stop them at Dayr-ez-Zor and on the Litani River. The situation worsens even more in May when Iran side with Warsaw Pact 2. As the mullahs legalise the Tudeh (Iranian Communist Party), Iranian troops are rushed to the coast while Russian units from the Caucasus and Central Asia enter the region. Then, NATO launches a major landing operation on Bender Bushehr and Bender Abbas. In North Africa, Morroco and Tunisia joined with Egypt in support of NATO while Algeria, Libya and Mauritania support Warsaw Pact 2. Outside some naval engagements all these countries are lightly involved in the war but fighting among them is brutal.
In Europe, the Pact is bringing in more troops and the progression of NATO is not as impressive as expected. It is only by early October that advanced elements are closing up on the Russo-Polish frontier, while continuing the siege of Pact-held Warsawa. On the Italian Front, with the French still stuck on the Alpine range and the Napoli Republic reduced to the sole Sicily, Padanian forces are holding their grounds and the southern frontier of Germany as well as most of Austria remain under their control.

In Africa, ethnic tensions are now spreading like a plague and only a few countries escape the growing chaos. Latin America, however, still remains outside of the conflict and, despite several verbal attacks, Venezuela keep sending a trickle of oil to the western world.

2003
Despite continuous efforts from the USA and NATO and a successful offensive that bring Minsk within artillery range, the difficulties in Europe increase when more Pact units, still partially equipped with Chinese equipments, enter the field. The allied forces are still better trained and equipped but, increasingly outnumbered, they are slowly pushed back and, by mid-year, the siege of Warsaw is lifted and Pact units are trying to make the run through Poland and the Czech Republic to Germany. They also occupy Latvia and Lithuania, forcing their reincorporation within R.U.S.S.. Romania and Ukraine, isolated again and exhausted, see no choice but to surrender. In both countries, several units refuse to obey and form the core of a strong guerrilla. Whatever, the collapse of the Romano-Ukrainian front has freed several Pact units that are soon redirected toward the other fronts.
In China, large bodies of citizen’s militia are now operating behind the allied front lines, attacking installations and destroying supply convoy. Moreover, the allied fail to disrupt the military industry located in the north and more equipment are coming out every day. As a result, when the main Chinese and R.U.S.S. conventional forces counterattack, to the amazement of western military experts, large pockets of allied troops are formed. The Vietnamese are experiencing the most important losses while the allied units are able to fight their way out of the pockets, losing much in the process. The front is shattered and the allied begin major withdrawals all along the front line as mobile elements of the Chinese Army rush into victorious pursuit.
In July, with several Warsaw Pact units trying to link with Padanian units in Austria and closing on Berlin, Allied High Command is to decide upon the limited use of nuclear weapons. On August 15th, the use of tactical nuclear weapons is accepted with the exception of France and Belgium which leave NATO, signing a separate peace with Warsaw Pact 2, Padania and China. As a result, their units start pulling out from the various fronts. On September 15th, the first tactical nuclear weapons are used in Europe. They are used sparingly at first but the forward elements of both armies are hit hard. By late October, the Pact forces that entered Germany engage in a general withdrawal, practicing a careful scorched earth policy as they fall back. In the Balkan, NATO forces also begin a major offensive and the one-sided use of tactical nuclear weapons breaks the stalemate. By month’s end, the Greeks are racing toward Istanbul. Simultaneously, other troops launch an attack on Macedonia and Serbia. The Macedonian army collapses and the country fall to the Greeks but, if the Serbian Army began to break up, the arrival of Russian reserves stop the allied columns before they reach the first Beograd’s suburb.
Meanwhile, as summer turns to fall, Padania is facing major air strikes and an overall naval offensive by NATO. In an attempt to conquer the all of Italy, Portuguese, Spanish and U.S. troops, reinforced by remnants of the Napoli Republic army, are landing in Calabria and Campania and start pushing toward the north. Padanian forces pulling out of Austria, establish strong defensive position on the Alpine passes and bring reinforcements to the south, finally stopping the armies of NATO to the south of Ancona, in the Abruzzo.
At sea, a NATO task force, strengthen by the Egyptian navy, is met by a combined fleet of Padanian and Turkish vessels. Fighting last for three days and, momentarily, NATO opens the sea-lane to the Croatian and Greek harbours. However, the tactical advantage usually provided by large aircraft carriers is largely reduced by the small distance between the opposing fleets and, when the Russian Black Sea Fleet shows up, the NATO task force has to retreat and this naval combat is to become the only Pact victory at sea. Padania has lost its sole carrier, the Guiseppe Garibaldi, while the Moskva exploded with all hands but this remain limited when you compare it to the losses of NATO: the Principe de Asturias, the HMS Ark Royal and two U.S. aircraft carriers are sunk while most large ships from all countries are lost or badly damaged. On the outcome, if both fleets suffer much, the Mediterranean is now closed to standard allied shipping.

In the Far East, nuclear strikes are carried out on a more massive scale and Chinese mechanized columns are vaporized, caught in the open on the roads in imagined pursuit. Chinese population and industrial centers are also targeted, effectively ending most of the war productions. The Chinese communication and transportation system, already stretched to the near breaking point, disintegrates and the roads are choked with refugees fleeing from the remaining cities. The Chinese response is immediate, but allied forward troop units are dispersed and well prepared. Moreover, the handful of Chinese bombers, trying to conduct low-level penetration raids are all intercepted by the JASDF and destroyed. Ballistic missile attacks on Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam population centers are effective, however, but the ones made at the USA are frustrated by the ABM shield that has been put up over the past years. Within a week, the Chinese riposte is spent, but allied attacks continue. China begins the rapid slide into anarchy and civil disorder. Within a month, the government of Beijing is overthrown and the state of affairs is taken over by local officers who assume the title of Warlords. Within this sea of chaos, Manchuria only remains faithful to the Pact, getting support from Russian forces and still participating in the war.
Pakistan and India wage their own nuclear war when Pakistan, facing defeat, launches a pre-emptive strike on India’s economy and nuclear strike force. Although industrial centers are hit hard, enough of India’s nuclear arsenal survives to launch a devastating retaliatory strike. The Indian-Pakistani war soon winds down, as each country’s economy no longer can feed its civilians, let alone supply military units.

2004
With the elimination of China, Warsaw pact 2 finds itself in a very bad situation when NATO air units begin making deep nuclear strikes against communication hubs in Belarus. Warsaw Pact 2 responds with theatre nuclear missiles, launching them against an array of industrial targets and port cities in the Netherlands and Germany. In turn, NATO uses similar strikes on industrial targets and major port cities in western Russia. Throughout spring, the exchange continues, escalating gradually. Both sides hesitate to target the land based ICBMs of the other but Russia crosses the line over mid-year. The ABM shield that has been so efficient against China fails to stop the attack and SS-18 Satan decapitates the entire U.S. ICBM defence. After that decapitating strike, escalation can’t be stopped. Industrial targets clearly vital to the war effort are targeted, followed by economic targets of military importance (transportation and communication, oil fields and refineries). Then, some industrial and oil centers in neutral nations are hit. The civilian political command structure is first decimated, and then eliminated (almost by accident in some cases) and the exchange keeps on, fitfully and irregularly, until October when it gradually peters out.
In the fields, the situation goes from bad to worse for both sides. The average strength of NATO combat divisions at the front has fallen to about 8,000, with U.S. divisions running at about half of that. Warsaw Pact 2 divisions now vary widely in strength, running from 500 to 10,000 effectives, but mostly in the 2000-4000 range. Lack of fuel, spare parts, and ammunition paralyze the armies and no major actions are taken during the second half of that year. Peace might have come, but there are no surviving governments to negotiate it. Only the military command structures remain intact, and they remain faithful to the final orders of their governments. In a time of almost universal chaos, only the military has the means of securing and distributing rations. Moreover, military casualties have been much lower than casualties among civilians.
In Africa, insurgency continues and a number of nuclear strikes hit the continent by years end. In North Africa, many oil fields and various cities are destroyed while Egypt is subjected to a strike that matches the ones conducted over major regions. In the ensuing chaos, only Libya retains some form of government ruling from Misurata. In Sub-Saharian Africa, the bombings hit Nigera, and Cabinda and, as this add to the already chaotic situation, more governments collapse. In South Africa, the civil war continues but the white minority (now supported by white farmers from Botswana and Zimbabwe) gains superiority when it finally uses nuclear devices on neighbouring countries supporting the Black Insurgency: one is dropped on Namibia, two are launched toward Mozambique and two more are used on South Africa’s national soil.
Through Latin America, in addition to instability and insurgent movements, the drug cartels influence continues expending, as the various governments are gradually loosing strength.