SIEGE IN ICHORIA
The conflict in the Imperium colony Ichoria heats up between the Imperium/Stratocracy against insurrectionist forces as the next step of the campaign continues. Ground forces moved into start pushing into the rebel held city of Gal. This comes after days of a constant aerial bombardment. Several administrative buildings have been reduced to rubble. Rumors still continue about the bombing of religious and medical building inside the city, although these have been difficult to confirm since the Imperium struck communications towers with cruise missiles strikes days ago in preparation for the assault and the last attempts to leave the city were met with the still blurry attack on a supposedly rebel convoy.
The event in mentioning was when three retrofitted tour buses attempted to leave the city, only to be violently and totally destroy with missiles and cannon fire from Imperium ground attack craft. The scene and situation has been uncommented as of yet from the Imperium.
It is hard to forget the familiarity of this situation, the last city of Recteria(then a rebel held capitol) was sacked by the Imperium. At the time the closest thing to a unified front for opposition was bombed heavily by Imperium forces. After forces stormed the city in a Fallujah style house to house fighting environment the level of destruction became evident. The death toll from that siege continues to rise as bodies are dug out every passing day, entire residential blocks leveled by carpet bombing and buildings gassed to flush out rebel sharpshooters. The policing of the city has done little to rebuild as the Imperium has focused on maintaining order until the residue of insurrectionists are uprooted.
Elsewhere in Ichoria the battle continues to wage, mostly in the form of skirmishes with hit and run tactics on the side of the rebels. There are continued reports of breakdown and worsening infighting between rebel groups. However the continued employment of pro-Imperium militias and disarmament of surrendering groups has been met with heavy success. Perhaps peace will soon come to certain areas of Ichoria.
HYPERSONIC, WASTE, OR FUTURE?
It's no secret that the advent of cruise missiles has added a new strategic depth to peer on peer warfare in the world. As the technology behind them grows, so does the cost and the question is often asked is newer better enough for the bigger cost? This perhaps is a question that may now be answered with the coming of Hypersonic cruise missiles. Hypersonic is defined as speeds of Mach 5.5 or above, reaching speeds once only reserved for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, now achieved on smaller platforms thanks to advancements in scram/ramjet design. But that makes a Hypersonic Missile so deadly? The small frame and maneuverability of a cruise missile combined with the speed of a ICBM makes them almost impossible to shoot down by any modern weapon system. This guarantees a extremely high hit rate on a system that often suffers from easy interdiction from CIWS. Their speed also adds a large amount of penetration and kinetic impact capability. This amazing impact and all but guaranteed to hit nature makes them great weapons for anti-naval combat or striking shore targets. Issues still pursue as in difficulty building the technology needed to develop them. Few nations have the capability to produce, let alone in a mass scale these weapons. But their high speed makes payloads on their platforms more difficult to produce compared to cruise missiles of lower speed.
However the Imperium believes these weapons may be the future of peer on peer warfare. Their Javelin Hypersonic Cruise missile one of the first operational, produced and now on the market.
The advance of the idea concept of Hypersonic munitions poses moral and strategic questions for the future, and fears of a new arms race in some thinkers; some international groups causing for a arms limitation treaty on their development and employment. However these fears were once again echoed after the Illacertus(military of the Imperium/Stratocracy) launched two Javelin missiles from Venator-class arsenal ships off the coast of southern Ichoria, striking what was suspected to be a chemical weapons development depot. How terrorist forces came into possession of advanced chemical agents is still unknown at this time, as the facility is still buried deep within territory ripe with insurrectionists.
Imperium military officials were not available for comment on these developments.
AMBUSH, SOLDIER TO RECEIVE HIGHEST HONORSixteen lie dead in a ambush in eastern Ichoria, as the UPA(Unified People's Army) attacked a humanitarian convoy bound for a nearby village suffering from lack of medical and food supplies.
As many as four dozen fighters detonated a two thousand pound IED in the center of the convoy. Turning it's core into a bloody scenery of twisted metal. What followed from reports was a hail of rocket and small arms fire that assaulted the convoys security team from two sides. Almost immediately air support was scrambled but it would take precious minutes to arrive as the nearest airfield was Lockhart Airbase.
It was then that E-4/Deacon Omarius(posthumously), hailing from the capital of Abatæl earned himself the highest honor decoration of the Illacertus (Stratocracy Armed Forces), the coveted and Cross of Iron. Dn. Omarius’ moment came when his convoy came under fire, his vehicle being immobilized by rocket fire from insurgents.
Already injured from shrapnel, the bruised and battered Omarius continued to return fire against insurgent forces, also pulling injured squadmates behind cover. Even after air support arrived, Omarius continued to embody the virtues of the Illacertus, moving forward closer to the enemy insurgents to direct accurate and deadly fire for supporting aircraft. Even when insurgent forces continued to push towards the convoy, Omarius stayed fixed in place to ensure that air units had direction for accurate fire. Already having suffered shrapnel wounds, and shots to the collarbone, left leg and rib cage Omarius retained enough strength to subdue and eliminate a fighter in hand to hand with his trusty Gladius.
After reinforcements arrived to the scene Omarius’ body was found near death, surrounded by a dozen or so dead fighters. He alongside other wounded were medically evacuated, unfortunately Omarius died from blood loss before he could be properly evacuated. Commanding Legatus Averius had this to say on Omarius’ actions.
“Deacon Omarius valiant actions represents what we all strive to embody. Virtue. The virtues we few hold so dear to our hearts. Honor to one's ideals, devotions to one's people, and the sacrifice to give everything for the ones beside you. Omarius represents the best in all of us, what each soldier strives to be. He may not have been a exemplary soldier, but he was a soldier who had exemplary actions. For what he did, he will never be forgotten and he will be etched into the canvas of time for all of eternity. May your blade be steady, your aim true and your shield strong. Godspeed.”
A state-level funeral with international observers is set to happen in the near future.
RETURN TO LUNA?The day was humid, clear sky's and adequate temperature. Perfect for the screeching call of rocket engines as the Imperium’s latest rocket soared. The latest space-born launched in long series of space missions that show no signs of stopping. Cargos have ranged from satellites, rovers, to manned orbitals and missions. This current cargo seems a continuous push towards a return to our moon.
Decades ago astronauts belonging to the Stratocracy planted a banner flag embroiled marked with the Stratocracy Delta on the lunar surface. The first men to ever step foot on the celestial body. It signified the next step in human evolution, the capability of Imperium missile technology, but most importantly it showed something else. The Stratocracy for the next thousand years, marking their existence forever in the world, and now in space. The most recent launch contained it's own pair of astronauts who landed on the Lunar surface near the sea of tranquility.
Astronauts Marceus, and Cyrus conducted a short moonwalk on the surface to install advanced sensor systems, and drone equipment while collecting lunar samples before returning. A portion of these samples are expected to be sent to various heads of states and foreign science agencies in order to further spread the pursuit of lunar science among nations. This launch of the Lunae-17 seems to be just another in a long chain of space-based projects and use of re-usable vehicles.
Written by Leonis Krane
Leonis Krane, Leon for short is a international war journalist who studied political and strategic science. A strict independent on the political spectrum, he is known for visiting dangerous warzones for stories, and for his often 'real' opinions of certain situations. He currently is in Ichoria, embedded with militia troops studying the conflict between Imperium and Insurrectionist forces.