Operation Basileus

Operation Basileus
Part of the Imperial Crisis
Planned	21 May 2020
Planned by	Heydrich Gruber and Timon Künneth
Commanded by	Timon Künneth
Objective	Acquire the Staff of Seleucus to enhance and project Imperial military power; Acquire the Twelve Royal Artifacts and kidnap the descendants of the Seleucid dynasty for the Teletourthysmedyn
Date	29 May – 30 August 2020
Executed by	SS Paranormal Division - Task Force Seleucia SS-Brigadeführer und Spezialoperationsführer der Geheimabteilung Timon Künneth † SS-Sturmbannführerin Olga Brandstätter † SS-Hauptsturmführer Adalbrecht Güldenstädt † Hauptmann Balthaser Saltzman
Outcome	Overall operational failure Phase 1: Overall Success Phase 2: Failure

Operation Basileus (German: Unternehmen Basileus) is a codename given to the Imperials' attempt to acquire the mythical Staff of Seleucus to augment the Imperial military resolve and exert its international dominance once more in the entire conflict. Planned on 21 May 2020, the Imperials executed their plan eight days later on 29 May. The operation was divided into two phases: Phase 1 involved obtaining the Twelve Royal Artifacts and kidnapping the modern-day descendants of the Seleucid dynasty; Phase 2 was to head to the underground chambers of the ruins of Seleucia-in-the-Zagros with an expeditionary force to perform the Teletourthysmedyn ritual to gain access to and acquire the Staff. The operation was commanded and executed by Timon Künneth. It ended on 30 August 2020 as a failure, and the Allies were able to acquire the Staff and the Artifacts and rescue the descendants.

Documents of the operation were leaked to the Allies on 11 July 2020 by the Walkenhorstzwei, incentivizing the latter to garner further intelligence on the whereabouts of the teams. A month later, an raid to kidnap Alice Janggok was committed, ending in failure. After interrogations in Joyonghea ensued, the Allies were able to discern where the kidnapped descendants are held. Mission Bucephalus was subsequently planned to counter the Imperial progress. An allied operation in an attempt to rescue the descendants and attain the Artifacts ended in failure and were forced to fall back. A journey to the Necropolis was made with the Allies eventually arriving at the ruins, although the Imperials got there first. A fight ensued after the Imperials were able to acquire the staff, and it was Alice who was able to obliterate most of the Imperial Task Force with the Staff. Afterwards, the remaining Task Force members surrendered to the Allies.

Course of the Operation

Phase 1: The Twelve Royal Artifacts and the Modern Descendants

Main articles: Operation Antiochus I and Antiochus II, Operation Chickpea, Operation Balhae Rider, and Operation Parthian Steppe