April 7th, 2011
1400hrs
The 1st Infantry Battalion traveled down the long highway towards the city Grenoble, at the foot of the French Alpes. Most of the squads were in VBLs or VBCIs, except for the unfortunate few who walked on foot. Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Huard rode in the forward-most VBL, he was the commanding officer for the Battalion, and as anyone would tell you, one of the most loyal Lorrians you would see.
The Prussian Reich was in chaos, some have seen it coming for years, some were caught off guard. Huard gripped his rifle tighly, they were within half and hour of Grenoble. It was suspected of being the base of operations for anti-Lorraian extremists, the rest of Rhône-Alpes having surrendered and joining the Lorraian Republic the day before. The Republic was nothing new, having existed underground for years, suppressed by the Prussian Reich.
The Lorraian Republic's force were about a forth ex-Prussian soldiers, and three-forth everyday citizens who felt their calling to take a stand. Huard didn't care, but he could not stop the memories of Lorraian soldiers giving rifles to people so young, including the person sitting next to him. He could not be a boy more then sixteen or seventeen, too young to die, Huard thought... The silence broken, as a single scream can be heard on the horizon, "Enemies!" it shouted, as the noises of automatic rifles broke out. Huard held down his radio's talk button, "We have engaged the holdouts, all squads move forward! All IFVs move down the main road!" he ordered, as some squads abandoned their vehicles and moved on foot. The Colonel watched as women and children ran into buildings, only to have their doors kicked in by the Lorraian troops. It was not something he liked doing, but it needed to be done.
Out of nowhere, a large explosion could be heard behind Huard's transport, a soldier shouted, "RPGs!". Huard grabbed his rifle, and practically jumped out of the VBL, calling his squad. "Bravo-Four, out of the car! Let's move!", he shouted behind him as he ran for cover behind a overturned sedan. Enemy presence was much more then he expected, but nothing that could not be handled, he thought as another rocket hit the road in front of the rest of the battalion. "All transports, proceed on foot! Weapons fire is too hot!", he ordered through the radio strapped to his vest. Signaling with his hands, he ordered Bravo-Four to follow him, as he rushed a three story building that one of the enemies was firing rockets from.
The boy that was sitting next to Huard in the transport took the position on the right side of the door, holding a flash grenade. Huard took a deep breath as he kicked the door in, and spun back behind the wall. He could hear the flashbang go off a moment later, and the four man squad rushed inside the building. "Watch your fire, don't hit civvies!" he ordered, as the squad called the first floor clean. Huard took point as they moved up the stair case, peering his head over the edge he could see a muzzle flash, as a barrage of bullets hit the wall behind him, he ducked back down, before firing a few well placed shots back. The squad moved up and cleared that floor, a cache of RPGs sat in the back.
Huard looked out one of the windows, the rest of the battalion had almost made it to the end of the city. "Bravo-Two, what is your status?" he called through his radio, seeing their IFV had was closest to the large building at the end of the road. "Bravo-four, bravo-two. We are about to engage the targets holed up at the end of the road." Came the voice of one of Huard's good friends, Lieutenant Racicot. "Roger, bravo-two. We will assist." he replied, before moving back down the stairs, and up towards Racicot. "You take the back entrance.", he ordered, examining the building. It was the largest on the street, having four floors. It was also where the Prussian forces seemed to be retreating too, but where cut off by the IFVs.
The two squads breached into the building simultaneously, an enemy lunged at Huard with a knife, but Racicot shot him from across the room before it hit. Huard gave a nod, "Clear this floor, my team will move up." He said, ripping another flashbang off his vest and tossing it up the staircase. The squad dashed up the stairs, as every single light sensitive cell in the enemies' eyes were activated, causing extreme disorientation. Huard and his squad won effortlessly, but something was off. It wasn't a normal room.
The room was lined with computers, radios, and maps tacted to the wall. The map had large red Xs marked in several remote cities across Lorraine, with red lines running across roads, denoting supply routes. This was more then the Lorraian Army had expected, they had long thought that the extremist and other opposing forces had been quelled down. Huard activated his radio, "Overlord, this is bravo-four. We have hit the jackpot."
