The Connerian-Serian War (ATTN Sera)

[United States of Conner]

April 21st, 2060

War.

War never changes.

It might have been a line from a popular Connerian entertainment franchise, but that didn't make it any less true.

The world, however, didn't know that. Because the world hadn't seen a full-scale armed conflict in seventy years. Sure, there was tension between the two global powers - but that was a given in what was not just a bipolar, but a binational world. The Unified Sera Government and the United States of Conner, though they might have been allied fifty years ago, were at each other's throats almost constantly over any differences they had. Each of the two nations kept their militaries on constant alert, though they only shared one land border running across the continent of Africa. The relationship between the two was something of an uneasy, distrustful peace. Though they had once been the two greatest allies on the planet, and were responsible for dividing up the planet into two nations after the Great Crisis in the 1990s, a series of falling outs and personal conflict has left the world in the state it was today.

The threat of mutually assured destruction was likely what kept the two powers from all out war. The massive arsenal of nuclear, biological, chemical, and orbital weapons the two powers kept pointed at each other discouraged any sort of aggressive action. Despite that, some analysts were beginning to predict that anti-ballistic mission systems made those nuclear weapons obsolete, and those systems became more advanced every day.

With the 2060 election of Joshua Swanner to the Connerian Presidency, tensions rose once again when then-President-Elect Swanner, during his inauguration speech, criticized the Serians heavily for tactics supposedly used to keep control of the territory of Angola during 2059 protests. In response, the Serian government had issued a condemnation of Swanner, calling him an "unworthy successor" and restating that Angola would remain theirs. More Connerian and Serian troops were moved to the African border as tensions raised once again.

The stage was set for the greatest and most terrible war the world has ever seen. But nobody could see it coming.

Angola, Unified Sera Government

"Off the streets! The King will be coming through here in an hour, and everyone must be off the street. Anyone who attempts to enter the street again without permission will be arrested!"

Serian riot police lined the streets of the Angolan territorial capital as armored vehicles moved down the road, their machine guns sweeping the streets. Their job was to clear the streets for the arrival of the King of Sera's motorcade. The King had, against the wishes of his advisors, decided to travel to Angola to speak to protestors and attempt to calm protestors.

The Angolan police had, for the moment, been replaced by Serian riot police supervised by the Valkari special forces. The Serian security services were almost certain that some sort of attempt on the Kings life would be made. However, they did not expect anything more than a crude attempt from someone in the crowd that would be in front of the King.

What they could not have known was that two Angolan extremists were sitting in a hotel window, almost a mile away, with a complex sniper rifle that was only in service with the Connerian Armed Forces. They knew that they would probably be caught after their attempt at killing the King, but it didn't matter - the man had to die, and they would be the ones to do it.

The stage was set for the most devastating war in history. And as King Skolas Tu'Arc's plane landed, the curtains opened.

[Unified Sera Government]

April 1, 2060

The world seemed to be looking down the barrel of a loaded gun, any sudden movements met with quick and harsh retaliation. The High Council of the Armed forces, along with AEGIS have been warning of a nightmare scenario where Sera would be dealt a harrowing blow, a blow that would bring about a catastrophic tide of complete and Total War. While the spark had not yet been added, the fuel which would consume this world and bring about what to Serians is known as the Faal Dinok'setiid, or "The End Times". To traditional Pantheonian Serians, Faal Dinok'setiid is the end of mankind's cycle on earth, only for man to be reborn later. Though, to the rest of Sera, the idea of a war bringing about the end of the world terrified them, creating an environment ripe with nationalism and extreme nativism; a situation where the entire nation would be ready to move at a moment's notice in order to preserve their way of life.

Valkiri agents moved through the crowd like specters, watching individuals whom came to see King Tu'Aruc give his speech, one that may settle hostility on a grand scale and return peace to the world. It was a hard job, however, even with the added Riot police who kept the crowd out of the street and arrested everyone who tried to enter it. More then once the Valkiri had to remove disruptive citizens, and the Riot police had to stop fights from consuming the crowd entirely. There were threats of bombers, lone gunmen, local militia and terrorist groups, and so on who were rumored to have planned an attempt on the King's life. The stressfully tense situation only got worse when the King's armored Limo nicknamed The Dragon came rolling down the road, flanked and preceded by motorcycle police men and women. It was then that radio chatter picked up between all ground and rooftop agents, efforts to keep the crowd in check and screening methods redoubled.

Finally, for what seemed like an eternity of waiting, King Tu'Aruc stepped out of his vehicle dressed in the royal outfit that came with his station. By Aeron, he would soothe the nerves, even if it killed him.

How could they possibly know that's what it would take - his death - to finally bring about a world shattering conflict?

"He's getting out of the limo, make sure the rifle has it's sights adjusted and everything. We won't get another shot at this..."

Connerian Terrorist, former sniper in the USC military, and now Angola nationalist Bradley Cooper nudged his partner in crime and prodigy Marcus Hathcock kneeled at the back of the empty apartment they were in, the large, specialized, - and stolen - weapon sitting in between them and the window across the room wide open. Hathcock looked unnerved, hesitant... Scared. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go through with this or not. Sure, bombings and such were one thing; they were impersonal, distant events that didn't require him to actually pull the trigger. But shooting someone? Shooting a King? If the Valkiri caught them, they'd be fed to lions if they weren't just killed on the spot, and if they did get away and into the crowd, there's no telling whether or not the people themselves would just beat them to death. And what about the repercussions following his death? What if the Serian's don't back down and seek revenge? There were too many unknowns, too many variables! He couldn't do it, he couldn't pull that trigg-

"Hey, stay with me. You're turning pale. Look, I know this can be hard to understand right now, but you're doing the right thing... We're doing the right thing. We love The USC, and hate the USG, that's all that matters... And that love for our country will give us the strength to protect it, right?"

Hathcock nodded slightly and pushed the thoughts away. This was necessary, and he had to focus on the job. After all, he was only doing his duty as a citizen of the USC! Therefore, he steeled his nerves and took aim, just as King Tu'Aruc had reached the podium...

"People of Angola, and the world. I come before you today, not as a King, not as a ruler, nor a Serian, but as a man. A Human, a person with values, and ethics, and beliefs, just like all of you. The state of the world has not eluded my vision, the state of our current situation has not evaded my sight nor care. We are in a troubled time, and many of the people listening and watching believe it to be the Faal Dinok'setiid. To that I say, do not despair. Do not throw your humanity away for the sword, do not throw yourselves into the clutches of fear and prejudice. Together, yes, Together we shall right the world! Together, hand in hand with our Connerian Brothers we will overthrow this land of fear and hatred, and replace it with a utopian society for all. Yes! Together we will-"

Skolas never finished what he was going to say, for right there, the moment the wind left his lungs to form his final word, a round entered his chest and shattered his spine. In front of millions, King Tu'Aruc's chest exploded in a spray of red that covered the podium, and in less than a few seconds, he'd crumpled to the ground. The ensuing chaos was exactly that, chaos. People screamed in fear, and pushed against the Riot Police whom attempted to maintain order, while the Valkiri scanned the rooftops and windows for the shooter before honing in on the origin point of the sound emitted by the rifle. Half of the present Valkiri, (either due to their sense of pride or duty) made a beeline for those coordinates. The remaining either busied themselves with keeping the crowd away from the Limo and podium, while the rest loaded the King's body into the car. Within moments, the vehicle was screaming down the alternate escape route and to the nearest hospital, though even to the people watching on the icy coasts of Alaska, it was clear that the King had died. Valkiri Agents made it to the building just in time to catch the pair and recover the rifle. After "questioning" and analysis, a clear line back to the Connerian Government was observed.

Skolas' son, now King Akira Osiris Tu'Aruc, vowed revenge on those responsible. And with the highly nationalistic nature of Sera, the sentiment was mutual among most.

Sera was now banging it's War Drums, and it's sound will be heard around the globe.

[United States of Conner]

April 2nd, 2060
"Mr. Tu'Aruc was a great man. However, in some ways he brought his death upon himself. The unjust actions taken by Sera against the people of Angola resulted in his death. Though the violence used against him by assassins was not pleasant, it would not be difficult to construe his death as justified. Thank you."

The camera cuts from an image of Joshua Swanner turning away from a podium, ignoring reporter's frantic questions, to a news studio with two people on camera, a Caucasian blonde with long hair and soft red lipstick, and an African-American man wearing a dark suit and tie and running his hand over his close-cropped hair, almost as if in stress. After a brief pause, the woman spoke.

"Well, that was live footage from President Swanner's address following the assassination of the King of Sera, Skolas Tu'Aruc. Mr. Tu'Aruc was pronounced dead about twenty hours ago, while speeding towards a hospital after a sniper's bullet shattered his spine."

The man took over here. "Akira Osiris Tu'Aruc, the new King of Sera, has said that a clear line from the assassins to the Connerian Government can be traced. Direct quote. In other news, the Connerian military has mobilized to DEFCON III, a sign that the Armed Forces may be preparing for war. Wait ... I am getting confirmation that several additional divisions have been moved to the Connerian-Serian Border in Africa. The same goes for the Border near Alaska. We advise all our viewers to keep tuned, and have a secondary device tuned to the Emergency Broadcast Channel or the Emergency Broadcast System on Radio. Thank you, and keep safe."

As the channel transitioned to a group of talking heads discussing where this crisis could go, the two anchors went their separate ways and went home. On the way back to his high-rise apartment, the man saw police on the streets, visiting homes and handing out pamphlets. With a bit of unease, the man texted his mother, who lived in a small border town near Alaska, and suggested that she and his father come visit him in Conner City.

[Unified Sera Government]

Below New Providence, Iran, Sera
1630 Hours
April 3rd, 2060

"You can't be serious! Yes, your father was a great man and he should be avenged, but starting a war over the murder of one man? That can't honestly be a viable course of action!"

"It is a viable course of action because the killers weren't simply some random person out in the street. No, they had access to technology that allowed them to slip through the security net, and thus allowed them to kill my father. Random people don't just happen upon weapons used in the USC military... My Father always preached about peace, and whether or not he would have achieved it is up to debate. However, what isn't up for debate is what we'll be doing."

Newly crowned King of Sera Akira sat where his father once did at the round table of the High Council of the Armed Forces, each member spreading out around the table and looking between the Sea Marshal and the King as their conversation persisted. Akira wasn't very much like his father; he was a brash, no non-sense type of person and would steam roll over anyone who got in his way. In this particular case, the person whom he was going to steam roll was the Sea Marshal, who was now questioning the logic behind banging the drums of war over an assassination. The Sea Marshal didn't know it, but he was poking a still Volcano, coaxing it more and more with every word. It wouldn't be long until Akira explodes and his wrath poured down upon the unsuspecting man like the tons of superheated ash and magma that rained on Pompeii. It was the other Marshals who took the slight lull in the conversation (argument, really) to try and shift the focus.

"Sire, the Terran and Army are of course, at your command. We simply await your orders and direction. I do, however, advise we take a certain course of action... Sir, our forces are of course unmatched on the ground; their training easily more taxing and thus, more rewarding than any other. Yet, they can't do anything if we can't set a single boot on Connerian lands. I propose we use one of the Tower of Babel plans we created so long ago for just this eventuality." A silence fell over the room, deep and oppressive in nature. The Tower of Babel was a plan crafted many decades ago by the HCAF for many scenario's that could arise, and detailed plans that would effectively halt or completely crush an enemy. The silence was not fed from the fact of what the plans serve as. No, the silence came from the possibility that one particular plan would be enacted, one that could have dire consequences for every living being on the planet.

Akira finally nodded, then stood up from his chair. "Enact Tower Babel Plan: Krent Se'so (Broken Silence). Have the military ready to move when the broadcast starts." From there, several hours passed as Sera's military prepared itself for the coming excursion.

And Finally, the time came.

April 3rd, 2060
1200 Hours

Akira sat underground with the rest of the HCAF, his Iravian mother Tsukiko Anana-Tu'Aruc, and his sister Jade Tu'Aruc, while Valkiri paced. The War drums had been banging, and now they reached a feverish pitch, a true crescendo that could only escalate to one reality. The very air seemed to be alive, albeit tense. The veins that carried blood to the hearts of millions were on fire, and ready to be spilled in the name of righteous vengeance. Akira gave a slight nod to the Intelligence officer present, who then places his hand on table. A light flashes upward from beneath his hand, and a display alerts them to the activation of the "Sleeper Relay". A signal, easily picked up by anyone with a radio, broadcasted a series of numbers that, when heard by the agents all over the world, would compel them to take subversive actions against the Connerian government. This would include bombings, shootings, assassination attempts, and so on from Serian agents that had been there since before all of this, and weren't even aware they were Serian Agents. Obviously, the Connerian SHIELD agency would have probably known about these individuals before hand and were either being watched, were arrested, or killed off. If not, the general idea was to create an environment where defense forces would be preoccupied and open for a much larger invasion.

After several moments, a voice comes over the speakers installed in the large table, followed by another, and another. "12th Fighter Wing enroute to target... 123rd Bomber Squadron enroute to target... 1st Liberation Fleet enroute to target... 23rd Terran Fleet enroute to target... 141st Ranger Company, the Divine Damned enroute to target... 3rd Naval Fleet Enroute to target... 2nd Valkyrie Squad enroute to tar-..." The voices come in over and over. Companies, squadrons, wings, Valkyrie squads, and so on reporting their position and awaiting the order to open the gates of Hell and personally escort Dinok Rah (The Devil) to the world of the living... And Akira gave that order, without any hesitation nor pause.

North African/South African Territory, Sera/Connor
1200 Hours

Several divisions of Sera's Army drove down the west coast of Africa, their intent was to lock down the coast; thereby choking out the remainder of the South African Region and making it's conquest that much simpler. The Navy would also help in this regard. Many ships sailing into position in order to provide a slight buffer and blockade against the Connerian forces that will soon be moving against them. In the pitch black of midnight, the Air Force's many bomber and fighter wings raced across the boundary into Connerian territory. Heavy losses were expected, though the pilots flew anyway.

Once they were in range, the bays of the M-36 Hyperspeed Transport crafts opened, and the 162nd Airborne nicknamed the "Hell Jumpers" along with several pices of equipment, artillery, and Infantry were dropped out of the many aircrafts. In total, 20,430 special forces soldiers were dropped behind enemy lines (5,200 of which were lost as casualities) with 600 pieces of artillery and armor, and 45 of the original 100 IFSF units. The plan was simple, really; to capture control points in the city just beyond the border and stop reinforcements from reaching the front lines. Whether or not they were successful depended on how many soldiers the Connerian's had just beyond the heavily fortified border and how many soldiers the Connerians wanted to send to expel them.

Around 1220 hours, the Serian Army reached the border between the two nations and of course, were immediately fired upon. Tank divisions fired in return, and the dual barrel artillery vehicles fired back to back, ensuring the Connerian positions had no time to breathe. The explosions rocked the very earth beneath them, and shook loose the foundations of the buildings used as cover. Soldiers exited their armored vehicles and also returned fire, using said vehicles for cover if they weren't near tree's or some other kind of defensive structure. Epsilon was able to take small arms with mere scratches, but rifles more powerful than say, an AK-47 will breach and cause damage to both the armor and operator. For a time, it seemed the Serian Army was not going to move forward, merely content with long range bombing and artillery fire. But soon, the Tanks recieve the order to start pushing forward and the infantry then use the tanks for moving cover as they fought to push past the Connerians.

"Voodoo Company, go with Dragon Company and capture that position!" A Master Sergeant yelled into his walkie talkie while holding his hands on the exposed chest of a private, blood seeping through his fingers and staining the earth below. Voodoo and Dragon company had been using the craters created from ordnance fire for makeshift cover, but once the order came through for them to move forward, the men and women climbed out of the holes and ran towards a building sitting off to the side. They avoided the fire that came their way as best they could, a member of either company getting lucky enough that a bullet hit their helmet in just the right angle for it to bounce off. More often, the bullet came in just the right angle to pierce the helmet and kill it's occupant; their bodies left to lay where they were.

The Rangers came to the building and clinged to it's side to avoid further fire. "Breacher up!" - "Breacher up!" - "Breacher ready, sir! Standby!" A woman laid a small charge on the door and then moved off to the side of the building. A second passes, and all members of the two companies hug closer together to the walls. She waits, then presses a button on his forearm display that blows the charge and door. The Rangers then move inside the building and engage the Connerian's inside.

Pacific Ocean, International Waters
April 3rd, 2060
1245 Hours

"Admiral, we have confirmation that the Air Force and Army have made contact and engaged the enemy."

"Ta-Ta'ra, We're behind schedule! I want the rotors turning on those helicopters and engines hot on the transports, they should be able to take off by the time we get close enough to shore. Make a call to the Ordnance Chief's on all the ships in the fleet: Prep all guns for firing, we're expecting heavy resistance and will need every advantage possible."

Admiral of the Serian Pacific fleet and commanding officer of the Fire of Liberty, Micheal Haddaway de Paya barked orders as the some 350 ships under his command sailed towards the Alaskan coast. Corruption, Typhon, Riot, and Lyon class ships prepared what self-defense weaponry and offensive weaponry available, while the carriers and transports ensured the ground forces can be mobilized and moved at a moments notice. Already, Helicopters were taking off from the decks of multiple ships and followed the fleet, ready to rain fire down on whomever came in the opposite direction. Jets, on the other hand, waited patiently for the order to take off on some ships, and bombers on the other.

There weren't any high tension on any ship, only an overwhelming desire to get things started. Gunners' fingers itched with anticipation and pilots squirmed in their seats. It seemed like an eternity until finally, "Enemy vessels spotted! All fighters, bombers, and Transports launch! All ships, establish killzones and fire at will!" Alarms blared on every ship, bells, whistles, engines, each roaring with the combined fury of a dragon who'd just had a very rude awakening. And just like a dragon, the weapons on the many ships opened fired on the Connerian ships without mercy. Every shot was meant to sink, and every round designed to kill. JAK-CA multirole jets and A-12 KING Fighters either broke off into the larger squadron that was forming overhead or joined in the attacking of the ships in the water.

The jets dipped and dived through the air, the KING planes engaging whatever was in the air and wasn't Serian, while the JAK-CA planes took the fight directly to the ships; firing Hellstorm rockets in quick succession or dropping torpedos. Those that were unfortunate enough to be shot down made the decision to either eject (which of course was the overwhelming consensus among the pilots) or pilot their planes into the decks and bridges of the enemy vessels. It was hoped that whatever fire would be directed at the now 200 aircraft attempting to pass the Connerian Navy and make land fall would be spared for the most part due to the Connerians having to focus fire upon the Serian Navy. Regardless, if the Squadron made it past the Connerian Navy and AA on the Alaskan coast, then Sera would have boots on the ground. If the Serian Navy broke and routed the Connerian Navy, then long range bombers can attack coastal cities.

[United States of Conner]

April 3rd, 2060
1200 hours
"Motherfucker!"

"Sir, as of now, we are officially at war with the Serians-"

"Wait. Then why the fuck aren't we sitting in a pile of radiation? Where are the nukes?"

Strategos Three spoke again. "Mr. President, we have information from our man on the Serian High Council that they are not willing to use nuclear weapons if we don't. I've given our silos the order to remain on standby."

Joshua Swanner sat down at the table, pulling out a strand of rapidly greying hair as he did so.

"Shit. Satellite weapons?"

Another man at the table, this one an Asian man with a purple tie on his suit, said, "All Slingshot units have been given the order to fire. We're expecting initial impact in five minutes, and likely disposal rate of 90%."

"Good. What's the status on the ground?"

An African-American woman glanced down at her laptop. "Sir, though we have the technological advantage, the Serians have us on manpower. We're losing ground in Africa, but reinforcements are moving in and we may be able to stop the tide. We're fading better at sea, and reinforcements from Anderson are inbound."

Swanner was about to continue speaking when the head of SHIELD entered the room, followed by a squad of twelve in full tactical gear.

"Sir, we need to get you to a secure location at once. Serian sleeper agents are in the street."

Swanner nodded and stood. "We'll move to the Secure Command Center. Contact all relevant commanders and order them there ASAP."

The discussion continued as the entire room stood and calmly walked through the levels of the building and to an underground hyperloop. The men and women loaded into three tube-shaped, which shot off towards the Secure Command Center, a bunker capable of withstanding a direct nuclear strike.

1225 Hours
Africa

The Connerian army had initially been ordered to fall back when news of the Serian invasion hit, but further reinforcements from military bases just beyond the border helped the units already in place hold their ground. The Serian advance seemed to begin to stall in several key towns, as Connerian tank units returned fire from Serian troops. Connerian fighters and drones zoomed around the sky, doing battle with Serian fighters. The Connerian F-79, only recently introduced and widely regarded as the deadliest fighter ever produced, swooped alongside F-77 and D-12 drones. Meanwhile, Connerian attack fighters shared the lower skies with attack VTOLs, which used buildings as cover from rocket launches in between firing missiles at Serian soldiers. Connerian artillery and anti-aircraft cannons boomed, lighting up the midnight sky. The night was turned to dawn artificially, as Connerian rockets, artillery, tanks, and heavy weapons created explosions everywhere, to say nothing of the Serian barrage.

Meanwhile, the mass evacuation of civilians was underway. Any non-combatant within a hundred miles of the border was being moved back into the heartland of Africa. One building was being evacuated by a Connerian army team when the team's commander, one Eric C. Jones, heard voices outside the door. Over the gunfire, he could just make out - "Breacher ready, sir! Standby!" Jones swore and barked, "Down!" The four civilians still in the room took cover behind a metal fridge that had been turned over on its side, while the soldiers took cover around the room. There was silence for a second, then the door burst open. Over the noise, one of the soldiers saw a grenade arcing through the air. The man lept forward, caught it in midair, and hurled it out the door, over the heads of the Serians, and into the streets.

The man landed behind another piece of cover with a bullet in his leg. Jones, now returning fire, waited for a pause in the gunfire before yelling - not over comms, but to the entire room - "Get the civilians out! Cover them!". Let the Serians know what they were shooting at.

Further back from the border, Connerian paratroopers had arrived. They dropped between the border and the Serian paratroopers. Their goal was to surround and cut off the paratrooper detachment. Their first move was to ring the Serians in, while attack aircraft and drone units swooped in and fired barrages of rockets at artillery and supplies.

1250 Hours
Alaskan Coast

Here, the Connerian Navy was not taken off guard. By the time the Serian navy had engaged the Connerians, the entire military was already on alert. While the initial Connerian Navy detachment was taking heavy losses, reinforcements were on their way. Connerian jets, both from Connerian supercarriers and from mainland air bases, streaked towards the naval battle as Fallen Angel destroyers engaged with their railguns, while Freedom cruisers targeted Serian carriers with their main 250mm cannons. Arkham missile platforms stayed further away from the battle to target Serian ships with their missiles. Meanwhile, small Connerian speedboats, too small to be picked up by most radar systems - especially next to the outlines of these massive war machines - sped around on the water, picking up pilots who had bailed into the water, both Connerian and Serian. If they were Connerian, the boats just sped up and grabbed them out of the water, if they were Serian, the boats approached cautiously with all hands below deck, with only four armed men in full body armor moving out to pick up drowning Serian soldiers who might have been armed.

The battle raged on. At sea, it didn't look as though one side had an advantage over another.

[Unified Sera Government]

Unified Sera Aerial Defense Installation (USADI),
Location Unknown, Unified Sera

"General Ahote, we have confirmed launch of Space Weaponry!"

"What is their time to impact?"

"We have them charted to impact in 4 minutes sir, their courses are being plotted by the automated defenses, but there are too many for the the system to be able to destroy them all. What are your orders?"

"Proceed to send the warning to the impact zones, then inform the King of the present situation... I'm sure he'd like to personally give the order to rain hell."

"Hu-fucking-a sir."

Underneath New Providence, Sera

King Akira listened intently as the news of the launches were brought to him. His face was stoic, and filled with resolve, but his eyes burned with a fury that couldn't be matched. As the report finished, he slowly pressed a button on the table that ended the video call. They now had 2 minutes until impact, with an impact stat of 15.36 percent. Slowly, Akira sat back in his chair and crossed his right leg over his left knee, and folded his hands in his lap. "Arm Zeus and fire the rods on Platform 1, 3, 9, and 12, total coverage. Focus the majority on the Front lines... Pressure must be taken off the boys and girls on the front line." - "Sire, shall we also fire the 'Willy Pete' rounds? Or shall we save them?" - "Yes, but only over the pacific. Just do as I say, Sky Marshal; we don't have time for questions, only action!"

The Sky Marshal nodded and proceeded to make the call to the Zeus intallations, informing them of what's going to happen. By the time The Zeus platforms were armed and began dropping their rods on the Connerian Capital, African Front, and Pacific, the projected 13 or so percent made land fall, and deposited their destruction on the land. The Cannons and Automated Defense Array (ADA) did it's job to the best of it's ability, even if it wasn't exactly enough.

The African Front

The leader of Voodoo grabbed his point man and yanked him backwards and out of the doorway just as the grenade came sailing back outside and exploding in the street. Immediately, Dragon began to fire into the doorway, saturating the interior of the building with a rainstorm of death. In Serian, the leader of Voodoo yelled over his com to the leader of Dragon in Serian: "We're going to move to the other side, we'll breach from there. Keep them suppressed! Be ready to move!" With that, Voodoo broke away from their location and made their move to the western wall of the building. This time, the commander knocked on his helmet, and the breacher moved up silently. The squadmate placed a charge on the wall, which was much bigger than the one used for the door and made specifically for breaching the walls of structures. Obviously, since the charge was larger, the group moved further away from it and waited patiently. "Dragon, this is Voodoo we're in position and preparing to breach. Affix strobe lights and prepare to move in. Make sure there are No survivors, Over."

"Confirmed Voodoo, Over." As requested, each member of Dragon company affixed strobe flashlights to the end of their weapons and waited for their chance. It didn't take long for that moment to come, as a hole at the western wall of the structure blew inwards towards the Connerian soldiers, followed closely by the flood of quick, seizure inducing flashing lights that poured into the room from both sides. Dragon moved in through the doorway, the point man firing his CS-44 model heavy shotgun into cover and whomever wasn't Serian. Voodoo followed suit, firing their assault rifles into the cover used by the Connerians or the Connerians themselves. Their weapons were heavier than normal, as their Epsilon armor allowed for the usage of heavier weaponry. Therefore, wooden structures, furniture, and thin metal surfaces would probably be reduced to hole-filled smoking wreckage.

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"Prisoner 2231 watch your six, Damn it!" Captain Anaba yelled, and in response, the Prisoner whirls around on his heel, and fires his assault rifle into an approaching Connerian soldier who stealthily moved up on his position. "Lets go you weak legged bastards, Always Forward!" The Captain yelled to the three or so Divisions of Penal soldiers as she jumped over her own makeshift cover and thus leading them into the town. They followed (mainly because they pretty much had to,) bravely, many of the 400 prisoners being shot dead as they turned corners or jumped over their cover. They didn't have the Epsilon armor like the rest of the Army, but they still fought ferociously. The wave pushed deeper into the city itself, many of the men and women composing the divisions breaking off to flood into the nearby buildings and do sweep and clears, followed by the set up of elevated killing positions. "We need air support! Those VTOL's are killing us! We need assistance, Danger close!"

"I'm enroute to intercept, be advised, Danger Close." A JAK-CA pilot spoke into his mask, then broke off from the Aerial battle taking place in the skies high above and began to descend on an attack path towards where the VTOL was. The pilot's altitude dropped relatively quickly, until it's target came into view. When it did, the Armor piercing and tracer rounds of it's main gun raced to try and punch holes into it's fuselage. The Pilot's attack run ended with the firing of two Side winder air to air missiles, and 2 Yeti Firestorm air to ground napalm bombs. It's wings left a trail of white as the plane cut the air itself as it pulled up into a steep curve and off to rejoin the rest of it's squadron. On the ground, whether or not the JAK-CA pilot shot down the VTOL, the Rangers began to move further down the street, and only stopped when the Napalm bombs exploded and it's fires funneled through the street that ran horizontal to them.

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"Enemy Units detected, executing with extreme prejudice." An IFSF Unit said as it rose to it's full height, also raising it's gun. Leader of the Sera's most distinguished paratroopers Captain Chatan Kuta de Vos crouched behind a wall and ordered his men into defensive positions. They had to keep this bottleneck where it was, they could not move for any reason! "IFSF Units, you are to move against those paratroopers and destroy them totally! Do not leave any survivors!" - "Acknowledged." All IFSF droids rose up and began to march heavily towards where they projected the Connerian soldiers had landed. As one in particular marched, it's shoulders opened and steam rolled out from around the 50 small ordnance hell fire missiles that were stocked in each shoulder. It took another step, then fired all 50 into a building it's on board computer had tracked the flight path of some Connerian paratroopers to. Another turned at it's waist and unleashed a plume of fire into another building without so much as stopping. When it had passed the building, it merely turned back around and continued it's search hostiles. True, they were big, heavy, loud, and slow. But they were heavily armed and armored, easily compensating for it's drawbacks. Not to mention the on board HIVE computer systems that allowed them to share information about orders and the location of hostiles.

As the IFSF droids continued their Search and Destroy mission, the 162nd busied themselves with setting up machine gun nests and sniper roosts while the armor and artillery moved into better positions. And finally, the call came in from one such sniper who proclaimed the movement of Connerian reinforcements headed to the front lines. However, he soon also reported the moving of the Paratroopers who'd landed in positions away from the IFSF droids. The snipers were given permission to fire, and fire they did. The tops of buildings lit up like it was Formation Day in Sera as their .50 Cal sniper rifles threw round after round into the windows, windshields, and bodies of the unsuspecting Connerian forces. On the ground, the Special forces group engaged the Paratroopers in gritty, close quarters combat while the Artillery and armor fired at the approaching reinforcements.

Pacific Ocean, International Waters

Men and women were dying, and neither side could make any progress. It was only more and more death in this same contained, no mans land. The bridge of a Serian Cruiser exploded, that entire portion of the boat being blown completely away. Fire spewed from the missing bridge while shrapnel fell onto the deck and into the waters. Now without control, the ship was sailing directly into the path of a Connerian ship at full speed. Those on deck jumped off the ship entirely, as they could see that the bridge and therefore ship controls were destroyed. Those below deck manning the engines and guns... Weren't so lucky. They were oblivious to the destruction of the bridge and the death of their captain. So when the Connerian ship came into full view, the nose weaponry on the Cruiser fired in it's direction, without knowledge that there is a possibility that they won't just hit it... They might also run directly into it.

"Dinok Rah drag your souls to the pit!" Admiral Haddaway cursed when the Serian ship Divine Retribution exploded and began it's long trek to the ocean floor. The battle was immensely close, neither side seeming to take the advantage. HCAF guessed that the No Man's land that would come from a war such as this would be located in Africa, on land. Yet, on the water it seemed like the no mans land should actually be called 'No Mans Water'. Throughout the battle, Admiral Haddaway has had to suppress his desire to withdraw. The only thing that was now keeping him here was the call that there would be Zeus support in the next few minutes. Sadly, the entire course of a battle can change in mere seconds, let alone minutes. Admiral Haddaway leans forward and places his hands on the console directly in front of him. He stands there for several moments, the water itself on fire and burning around him. His voice was quiet, as if it was a hard decision he had come to. "Launch Trinity." - "Aye Aye Admiral, alerting pilots to it's impending launch."

TRINITY, a miniaturized thermobaric missile has a heavily modified 3M54 Klub (SS-N-27 Sizzler) frame, borrowing features from various variants, such as the engine nozzle and wings of the 3M54E. The missile is protected by an armored outer body painted bright orange, with a checkerboard pattern on the nose. Usually, when deployed, multiple JAK-CA planes carry dummies in order to confuse hostile fighters as to which one actually had the real warhead and which one is the real warhead. In this instance, the same procedure would be followed on a smaller scale due to the current situation. Subsequently, only 6 JAK-CA craft are outfitted with the missile and dummies, and take off from the Main Carrier of the fleet and off towards what the HIVE computers described as the "Optimal Point of Impact" (location where the most damage to Connerian ships would take place). Immediately, the JAK-CA's abilities are put the test as anti-air fire attempts to shoot them down. In response, they flew low near the water, leaving a trail of displaced water from their immense speed and from ordnance impacting with the water. Connerian fire, either from a jet or one of the speed boats, punches a hole in the wing of a JAK-CA carrying a dummy warhead. It's pilot bails, while the craft impacts the water.

Now down to five, the remaining JAK-CA continue to avoid fire as best as they can as they weave between ships, bullets, and missiles. "Be advised, we're approaching launch zone! Arm the missiles ladies and gentlemen and get ready to get the hell out of the way, over!" It was now that the underside of the JAK-CA wings let off vapor as TRINITY and it's dummy brothers were armed. They were approaching the launch zone, and began to immediately climb back into higher positions into the sky. "Fire!" The TRINITY missiles on each plane drop vertically, then after falling for several feet, wings sprout from the sides and it's engine ignites. Similar to the JAK-CA (or, more accurately, to a degree) TRINITY moves to not only strike it's target, but also avoid incoming fire to the best of the HIVE computers predictions.

[United States of Conner]

Conner City Aerial Defense Command
Conner City, United States of Conner

"Motherfucker!"

"Sir, estimates are 12 to 14 percent impact ratings."

"Okay. I want aerial defenses clustered by population density. Minimize impact around the city."

"No defenses launched at missiles landing outside the seismic and impact safe zones. No projectiles landed inside the seismic safe zone. Minor tremors in the 9th Sector. Shall I transmit to SpaceCom?"

"Let them know we need those sats down now."

Connerian Stock Exchange
Conner City

"4,000 shares, HYP, selling..."

"125 shares, AND, long..."

"400 shares, SMI, short..."

In the large conference room, some suit and tie from one of the USC's largest banks, Anderson Partners, was talking to a room full of investors.

"Despite the global turmoil, I want to assure you all that Anderson remains strong. I know you all know we took some losses when the market got a little bearish yesterday, but our liquidity is still strong and our SFEs are still hovering around an optimal 10%..."

The suit was cut off when he, as well as everyone else, felt the room vibrate. First, it was a small tremor, then a larger tremor that moved chairs, decorum, and people. When the tremors stopped, the suit continued.

"Our SFEs are still optimal, and our position in arms manufacturing is looking bullish. I encourage everyone to stay calm and not to panic, and that is also the official position of the regulators in the government. Everything will be fine."

African Front

"Civilians are not safe! I repeat, the Serians are shooting civs!"

"Move noncombatants back. Return fire and I want this place ready to blow. GO!"

Commander Jones made a series of hand motions, and the rest of his team moved back and out of the back exit. They got out before the other Serian team had made it around the back of the building, and the two teams exchanged fire as the civilians sprinted away. The team, which originally was made up of seven men including Commander Jones, who was still in the building, only had two soldiers and four of their eight civilians when they made it to about a block away. There, they caught a passing Connerian APC, which picked them up and sped them away under the cover of machine gun fire.

Jones, meanwhile, had pulled a block of C4 from his bag. When the back door burst in, Jones knew he wasn't getting out. Thus, under the temporary cover of a refrigerator and a safe, he wired two blocks of C4. Enough to turn the entire building into a fireball. Jones was about to pull the trigger, when his right arm was shot. Dropping the detonator, he quickly picked it up with his left hand. His final whisper was, "Audrey, Sam, I love you."

Then his left thumb flicked, activating the detonator and the two blocks of C4.

Though there was no way Jones would survive - he would be incinerated - his cam footage, livestreamed to Connerian archives, would make for some juicy propaganda pieces about how the Serians were shooting civilians.

Meanwhile, Connerian soldiers took cover behind the wreck of a now-burning VTOL that had been shot down. The entire street was on fire, and the wind that was fanned by the two F-77s shooting past in pursuit of the offending Serian jet, letting loose chaingun and missile fire, did not help matters.

Though the Connerian armor was flameproof, and their HUDs were equipped with thermal gear to see through the smoke, it still was not a good situation. Division commanders had been getting information that no reinforcements would be coming until the Serian paratrooper line had been broken. For now, they were on their own. While the Connerian divisions on the African front were well-equipped and well-trained, they couldn't hold out forever. That line needed to be broken.

About seventy miles back, Connerian paratroopers were engaging Serian forces in a brutal struggle. More paratroopers were moving in every minute, but the Serians were dug in and well equipped. However, as reinforcements from further inland came, more advanced and powerful weaponry made its way to the front line. Anti-aircraft cluster missiles boomed from miles away, aiming for the drone units that were tearing into the paratroopers. Meanwhile, flights of B-56s zoomed by faster than the eye could see, unloading their payloads on the ground troopers as well as the buildings on which the Serians were based. Their loads were designed to make the building cave in on itself, to make the roof collapse and be sucked into the interior of the building. Connerian troops now began to try and push up, aided by everything from artillery support to main battle walker tanks moving alongside the ground troops.

Civilians had been cleared, and this was now a warzone.

Pacific Theater

As the thermobaric bomb detonated, an entire Connerian missile cruiser was destroyed. It filled with water in seconds, and survivors were unlikely. A second ship slowly began to sink as the fire on deck as well as damage sustained from the blast. A third ship, a conventional destroyer, was teetering on the edge, as fire crews rushed to put out the blaze on deck.

Radio chatter was flying now. "Confirmed use of thermobaric weapons, over."

"Anti-ship missiles launched."

"Thermobaric warheads on standby, sir."

"No. Hold the trigger. See if they hold. If they use it again, fire that missile up the ass of that command ship."

Meanwhile, Fallen Angel class destroyers blasted away with their main railguns, their slugs moving fast enough to punch right through a ship's hull. Missiles were flying everywhere, and planes ducked and dived between the carriers and destroyers, firing their loadouts at their Serian counterparts.

Connerian Space Command

"Orbital Denial Vehicles in position."

"General, you'll have to brief me. These are before my time."

"Mr. President, sir, the ODV is a satellite with a small warhead designed for orbital operations. When activated, it is designed such that its shrapnel - which is degined with a film that will corrode the shrapnel after impact - will scatter throughout orbit, hitting Serian satellites, and unfortunately our own as well. This is in conjunction with our anti-sat missiles that are due in ... 15 seconds."

"So what you're saying is that orbital weaponry will be out of the scene for this war. Both ours and theirs."

"Sir, I believe it is the only way to ensure we are not targeted by orbital bombardment. Right now, they can strike Conner City as easily as we can strike New Providence, and eventually missile defenses will be overrun."

"Very well. eliminate all military sats with prejudice."

At that moment, ODVs across orbit were detonated at about the same time anti-sat missiles reached their target. The result would likely be a firestorm - or whatever it would be in space - of both Connerian and Serian satellites.

[Unified Sera Government]

The African Front
0400 Hours

"Drop the weapon! Drop it! I said Dro-"

"Move, He has an explosive!"

Dragon was unable to leave the building in time, as their entire team entered when they breached. When the blocks exploded, the foremost soldiers' body was hit with such a titanic force and extreme heat that his armor had been burned and blown off, followed my the incineration of his skin, muscle, and bones. Unlike him, the rest of dragon was blown out of the now collapsing building through the hole they had made in the wall and several feet away. Voodoo, on the other hand, were mostly able to dive away from the immediate explosion and hit the ground to avoid the concussive wave. Voodoo's point man, sadly, was killed in the similar manner as Dragon's.

"Hit check, is anyone hit?"

"Hooyah, Captain!"

"Still kicking ass and takin' names, sir."

"Joker still walking and talking."

"Deimos here, boss... Phobos is down, he didn't clear the building. "

"Captain! Dragon is down, too! I repeat, all of Dragon is down!"

Captain Nayati jumped to his feet and sprinted over to where Dragon team had been ejected, sliding as he reached their position with the rest of Voodoo in tow. The sight... Wasn't pretty. Even for them, men and women who'd killed people before their training was even over, felt... Rattled. Voodoo's medic started with the first fallen member of Dragon, and desperately tried to suppress his creaming and weak moans. Soon enough, the medic presses a button on his forearm to switch the radio channel's. "We have a fireteam down, I repeat, we have a fireteam down. I'm uploading coordinates, evac requested." Dragon's commanding officer laid beneath Captain Nayati. His visor was partially broken, exposing part of his charred face. His chest piece melted and fused with his flesh, while his left arm was missing below the elbow. The wound didn't bleed, as it was brutally cauterized from the explosion. Dragon's Captain looked up at Captain Nayati, trying desperately to reach up with his left hand, but it wasn't there. "Nay... Nayati, t-take care of... My boys. Take care of Dragon." Captain cradled his head with one hand, while his other fumbled in his thigh pack for a sedative. "You're going to be fine, just stop talking. Conserve your strength for the flight home. You'll be given a heroes welcome, no doubt! Just... Conserve your strength." He even doubted his own words. And eventually, he was correct in doubting them.

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Fatigue and exhaustion was beginning to take its toll on the first wave, but thankfully, they found relief when the second wave began to reach the front lines. Unhindered by hostile forces like the Conner military were on the other side. In total, of the original deployment, only around one-third remained and were holding their ground or moving forward. This number would be substantially increased, as the HCAF reallocated a massive second wave of men and women to help push forward. Now with fresh boots on the ground, second in command to the Field Marshal General Rowtag made the call to continue forward, and to crush all who opposed them. The new tanks whose armor has yet to be tested in the fires of battle rolled alongside the now battle hardened vehicles of war and fired indiscriminately at the Connerian divisions. IFSF marched just ahead of the tank's, unleashing a flurry of chain gun fire, pyro-plumes, and Hellfire missile fire. Being machines of war, they of course didn't feel sorrow when one unit was destroyed and merely marched around or stepped on it to get past it. Troop transports (armored and unarmored) zipped past them, busying themselves with either dropping troops off or picking up the wounded. New squadrons of high altitude XB-56 Langston bombers flew over the battle field escorted by KING fighters, dropping munitions on Connerian divisions whenever possible, replacing the now falling back of the first wave squadrons (or what remained of them) for refueling.

"Ever forward! For Sera, for King Tu'Aruc! Hooyah!" Rangers and Penal soldiers yelled together, unified in their resolve to break through the Connerian defense. They moved together, cover to cover, bullet by bullet, building to building. Despite losses, they would continue trying to move forward. They were too invested, the sight of their dead brethren galvanizing them to a higher calling, a calling much higher than themselves. In all honesty, the sight looked as if it was an old war movie made for purely propaganda despite the killing of men and women as they advanced. They believed, with every fiber of their being, that the Serian God of War Rinok was with them, leading them into battle. This is what many were waiting for, a chance to fight for what they believed, a chance to appease their Gods and uphold the honor of Sera. Because of this, because of this rampant nationalism, patriotism, and blatant zealot feelings, the soldiers fought harder than they ever had. This... This is the spirit of Sera. A Spirit no other nation before, nor after will ever have.

Pacific Front, International Waters
0400 Hours

Admiral Haddaway had retired to his quarters. The man was tired, the bags under his eyes only getting larger and his face looking older. The constant explosions going off around them didn't necessarily help things, either.

"Bring up the fleet on Vid-com." As requested, the Captain of each ship remaining in the fleet were brought up on several holographic screens. Before Haddaway has a chance to speak, one of the holograms turn into static depicts an explosion that throws the camera to the ground, then blinks out when another destroys the helm.

Admiral Haddaway: "Greetings, and please, speak in Qua'taar. Captain's, we need to make one last push in trying to break through. Otherwise, we'll need to retreat and regroup."

Captain Hakan: "Retreat? Telok preserve and forgive us... You want us to retreat?!"

Captain Takoda: "Forget about Telok, he isn't real anyway. But I have to agree with the Captain Hakan... I don't see a need to retreat, we're breaking their line."

Captain Aiyana: "Please, you must be kidding. We're barely holding our own, and are sustaining heavy casualties. I say we forget about the plan and just retreat, that way we can return with greater numbers."

Admiral Haddaway: "You all have valid opinions on our plan, and your cooperation has been invaluable. However, it is my fleet. Therefore, what we're going to try are the Horn's of Ye'te (Real life Zulu Horns) maneuver. We're executing right now, so make the proper adjustments. Aeron be with you my brothers and sisters, let this war come to a quick end. Haddaway Out."

As ordered, the ships of the Pacific fleet drew back towards where the bulk of the fleet was; appearing to look as if they were retreating. Instead, the ships turn right back around with the carriers taking up the central section of the formation, while the Destroyers, Frigates, Cruisers, and Corvette's formed curved battle lines at the right and left of the central section. Under Haddaway's orders, the fleet moved forward with steady persistence. In this formation, they could concentrate fire upon any ship in the Connerian line with deadly accuracy and enhanced lethality. HIVE pointed out targets, and the ships fired in response. What remained of the Pacific Squadron was launched in it's entirety, the majority designated to take out enemy air craft, while the other portion given the job to focus on the ships themselves. If, for whatever reason, a Connerian ship sailed into the center of the Horns of Ye'te, they could expect the full force of the Navy coming down on it. Inversely, if the ships of the Connerian navy sailed to one side of a particular horn, they'd still have several ships and their munitions to contend with.

Conner City, United States of Conner
0430 Hours

Why were they doing what they were doing? Why were the rioting like this? The sleeper agents didn't know why, they just knew that they had to. They ran in the streets, decrying the government with bandanna's covering their faces. Many of them had picked up baseball bats, crowbars, anything that could be used as a weapon. Others threw makeshift firebombs like confetti, while tipping over vehicles and generally causing chaos. The plan, originally, was to do one of two things. One, they were tasked with scaring civilians and distracting the armed forces enough that they'd have to divert manpower into suppressing little pockets of rebellions such as this one. Two, they were supposed to cause so much trouble with officers, that the officers would have no choice but to fire upon them in some fashion. "The President is a liar! He's a cheat, a fraud!" - "He wanted this war to line his pockets!" - The Government wanted to kill our sons!" - "They wanted this war to keep us compliant!" - "Rebel against the government!" 'Protesters' yelled at the tops of their lungs, throwing bricks and holding signs and effigies Yet, they made no attempt to proclaim the glories and saintliness of Sera. Instead, they were programmed to keep the situation 'real' by saying phrases that were designed to seem, in essence, real.

Around the country, there were men and women doing the same thing as what was occurring in Conner City.

[United States of Conner]

The African Front

It had taken a bit of time, but Connerian drones were now in the air. These included both ground attack drones and the more versatile multirole Panther drones, which were primarily designed to target other aerial vehicles. The drones, which had been launched from coastal bases around Africa, swooped into battle, firing their chain guns and micro-missiles at anything Serian. They were mostly concentrating on the Serian paratrooper detachment, which was constantly being assaulted by ground artillery and high-altitude, long-distance cluster bombing. Bombs aimed at supplies, Serian AA and artillery, and buildings the paratroopers had taken position shot towards the ground before causing massive fireballs. Meanwhile, more paratroopers landed, now attempting to flank the Serian detachment. The Connerians now outnumbered the Serians, and as orders were given to the front line, it was starting to seem like a question of how long the paratroopers could hold out before surrender or destruction.

Meanwhile, on the front line, it was beginning to become clear that nothing was going to go well. The Connerian forces were outmanned and outgunned. Thus, the tactical decision was made to retreat.

On the front line, soldiers began to gradually pull back. Apart soldiers going down from non-lethal wounds that would lead to them being taken prisoner, most everything would hopefully go smoothly, as a majority of soldiers would hopefully get into vehicles of some sort. The front line gradually began to pull back, though still returning fire from the Serians. This meant that some people got left behind. These civilians and wounded soldiers would be some of the first POWs of the war.

The front line eventually moved back far enough that it intercepted the Battle of the Paratroopers. Here, the Connerians followed orders from Tactical Command and began to fold in, using their line to surround the paratroopers while they themselves were surrounded. Hopefully, they could break the Serian paratrooper line - perhaps the Serian commander would see sense and surrender, though knowing the Serians that was unlikely. Once the paratroopers were dealt with, a stable line could be formed, hopefully. The Connerians fought with a devotion that, while not teetering into suicidal fanaticism that overrode their training that made them the deadliest soldiers ever to walk the Earth, was palpable in the air as they mounted the defense of their homeland.

The Connerian Armed Forces may not have had the ferocious devotion and patriotism of the Serians, but they did have something.

They were the ones being invaded. Commanding Officers had made it very clear to their soldiers what would happen if the USC were to fall to the Serians, and now the Connerians represented the most technically advanced nation in history, and they were fighting to protect what they loved - their loved ones, their home, and the ideals their nation stood for - democracy, freedom, and justice.

Lux e Tenebris - a Light out of Darkness.

Those words still meant something.

Pacific Front

Initially, when the Serian navy appeared to be retreating, Task Force Epsilon Admiral Sam Lowry was suspicious.

"Retreating? No way. They can still fight - so they wouldn't be retreating. It's not Serian nature."

Lowry's aide turned away from the screen to speak to him, as well as the holograms of various Captains.

"Sir, the Serians have begun to form a horn formation."

Lowry nodded. "Jones, I want your destroyers to pull back. The railguns on the FAs should be able to outrange those Serian cannons. Cooper, bring your ships back and launch your payloads - see if you can soften them up. I want long range torpedoes being launched from those Hades - get on it, Williams. Move all ships away from the Horn, and I want as many aircraft and drones as possible in the air ASAP. Understood?"

Though a couple of ships had been lost when the Serians had gone into formation, the Connerian Navy responded quickly. The Connerians also began to pull back as Arkham missile cruisers launched their payloads towards Serian cruisers, destroyers, and carriers. Meanwhile, Fallen Angel class railgun destroyers attempted to fire on Serian ships while staying out of range of the formation, using complex computer simulations to compute the distance from the Serian horn. Hades stealth submaries used radar scrambling technologies to try and remain undetected while they fired off torpedos at Serian carriers. The conventional Liberty carriers, meanwhile, pulled back alongside the carriers and used their AA to try and pick off Serian aircraft challenging the rising number of Connerian fighters and bombers taking off.

Conner City

All SHIELD units, proceed to Grid Alpha-Niner-Siete and open fire on hostile insurgents. I send again, tranq units are to proceed to Alpha-Niner-Siete...

The men in black armor were everywhere. Armed with both automatic submachine guns and black, menacing dart guns that looked more like M4s, they were running down the street, riding on the sides of Armored vehicles, or opening fire on rioters. The guns they were opening fire with were actually heavy-duty tranquilizer guns that had last been used to put down a riot in Hyperion in the 2030s - the last major riot the nation had seen before this.

These black men in armor were responsible for enforcing law. About twenty minutes prior, President Conner Boehm had, from his secure command center, issued an executive order transferring all law enforcement power to joint custody between SHIELD and local law enforcement. Most beat cops were happy to let control of these riots go to SHIELD and the elite of the city police departments. About five minutes after he had signed that first order, Boehm had given SHIELD "whatever powers might be necessary to maintain civil order", as well as allowing SHIELD to use deadly force on these rioters if necessary.

However, the weapons SHIELD were using now weren't necessarily deadly. The darts they fired, however, injected the target with enough tranquilizer agent to knock a lion out within seconds. With humans, a good hit would have a target out for hours.

Rioters that were tranq'd were handcuffed and taken away by SHIELD personnel carriers. Non riotous citizens, meanwhile, who just happened to be on the streets, were told to remain inside. This process was taking place all over the nation, and within thirty minutes army units with tranq guns and riot control tech such as noise paralyzation weapons were in place and being used.

[Unified Sera Government]

New Providence, Iran, Sera
Sera National News Headquarters

"Shocking video was released earlier today of Connerian 'kill squads' attacking and killing civilians in the streets of their nation. Governmental analysts have theorized that the war has driven the Connerian government into desperation in order to hold onto what government and control they currently have. Take a look at the video."

The anchor fades out from the picture, and is soon replaced by a shakey video of a Serian Sleeper agent positioned at the window of a building overlooking the streets. The camera is focused on where the protesters were confronted by SHIELD agents and police, and was taken in such a manner (as well as edited) to look as though the protesters were fired on for no reason. Of course, from the tranquilizers, the protesters fell in a manner similar to how people fall when they are shot, and those who weren't shot made attempts to drag the fallen away from police. The video cuts out moments later, just before the officers and agents start handcuffing the comatose rioters.

"Shocking footage indeed... We're joined today by none other than King Akira, who has offered his own commentary on the events of the past day and a half. Sire, how do you feel about this video? Does it shock you and your administration?"

"My father before me never suffered any injustice under his watch. And this," Akira taps the desk with his pointer finger. "Is a grave perversion of justice if I ever saw one.We are of course, not without blame. Our soldiers may have accidentally killed civilians while in the line of duty, though they never, ever stood in their face and shot them down. As for your other question, no. It does not shock either myself, nor the Council of the Grand Elders. You see, we knew for a long time the horrors perpetrated by the evil Connerian government and how they actively crush any dissenters. It is just now that those horrors are truly coming to light." Akira turns directly to the camera, and looks into it with a soft, pleading face. "People of Sera, people of the world. We are not fighting a war for resources, a war over... Petty squabbles. We are fighting a war that has been waging since time immemorial. Yes! We are fighting a war against evil, a war against a people who would take your voice, take your freedom, and replace it with the bonds of slavery." Akira stands up suddenly, his face becoming stern. "But we will not yield! We will not stand by and let them do these things! No, we will fight them and tell them directly that they will not put those bonds on our wrists and ankles like what was done to our ancestors! We are Serians, and we are strong! So stand with me Sera, stand with our military! Stand with Justice! Show them, that they cannot trespass upon our freedoms without retaliation."

Akira looks into the camera a few moments longer, then sinks back down into his chair. The shot pans out to include the anchor man, who is feverishly nodding in agreement, and silently clapping. "Truly well spoken King Akira! I stand with you... Do you stand with him, Sera?"

International Waters, Pacific Ocean

"Sir, we aren't making any progress forward, and we're taking heavy casualties. Intelligence has confirmed that Zeus is out of commission, and will not be able to help us."

"Rinok forgive me... First Mate Legenus, make a general order to all Serian aircraft, vessels, and transports that we are making a strategic withdrawal for the good of the fleet and all future operations in the Pacific."

"Aye Aye Admiral."

The decision was made, quite clearly, through the tide of battle. They weren't retreating, per say, more so making a tactical move that would insure their ability to hit Connerian targets and defend against Connerian invasion. The losses were too great, and no foothold was established. However, these losses were made moot given the saddening defeat handed to them on the high seas. The guns on all Serian ships soon stopped firing save for defensive weaponry. Admiral Haddaway was sure the Admiralty were going to blame him for the loss, and maybe, it was his fault. But he never received the reinforcements he was promised, the support from Zeus, and the HCAF kept them tied up so they ended up behind schedule.

Admiral Haddaway leaned heavily against the console on the bridge, then took off his black and blue cover. He hoped the HIgh Council had a better idea than throwing ships at Alaska, because it didn't seem like they were going to get a foothold up north. They'd probably be much better off... Haddaway's eyes widened significantly, then he stood erect. "Get the Council on the line!"

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The African Front,
April 4th, 2060

The situation was becoming progressively worse by the minute. Reports were coming in of entire squads being wiped out by drone strikes, entire buildings coming down and destroying trucks and armor, and of Connerian's picking off exposed troopers. Yet, they held their ground resolutely. They weren't going to surrender to these savages and dishonor the whole of Sera. Snipers did not move from their places on the rooftops, instead choosing to stay where they were and fire their rifles into (and through) light armor and soldiers. On the ground, the only kind of anti aircraft available to them were the ISFS who had their 'hands' full trying to multitask between destroying ground forces and destroying low flying air craft and drones. The worst possible thing that could happen to them is their HIVE computers completely blowing out from the heavy work load, and once that happens, their efficiency is going to drop like a ton of lead falls through steam. They did find some kind of relief, as JAK-CA and KING fighters tried to take the work load off both the droids and then soldiers themselves by attacking the craft and doing low flying bombing runs on enemy positions. Sadly, the bombers much higher in the air were tasked with flying deeper into Connerian territory and attacking city centers and industrial complexes, along with military convoy's and supply lines.

"Hold the line here! We are not pulling back, not yet." Captain Kuta held one of his own paratroopers over his shoulder, while firing his rifle in the direction of a group of Connerian soldiers with one arm. The Epsilon armor was a masterpiece, a true work of art made by Serian military engineers. As such, it allowed for the Captain to pull off things that normal, unarmored individuals would find impossible to do. "Get that shit planted!" - "I'm working on it! It's not every day you have to dig up concrete!" - "Just get it done." The soldier complied, and continued hacking away at the ground. After a small hole was formed, he takes out a small satchel and places it in the hole before covering it with dirt and placing a few pieces of rubble next to it. All along the roadway, the paratroopers were placing charges on the ground designed to incapacitate or outright destroy the convoy. Above ground, they threw lines of thermite from building to building in order to create a rain storm of burning chemicals when the time came.

Down the road from them, an IFSF unit exploded in a fiery ball of twisted metal and shrapnel thanks to a Connerian drone. Though, when the unit was destroyed it broadcasted the last known position of that drone to nearby units who immediately turned their chainguns to the sky and started firing, not at the drone, but where the drone was going to be. The Captain carried his wounded man into a deserted building and leaned him against the wall. A minute later, the medic was next to him and removing his Epsilon armor so that he could get better access to the guy's wounds, which weren't looking good already. But with the armor off, Captain Kuta was amazed the guy was still breathing at all. The members of his squad were gathered in the main room of the building, and looked at him expectantly.
"So, Ladies. I have some bad news."

"When do you ever give us good news, Captain?"

"You're just a fountain of good news sir. Always with the reassuring message!"

Kuta smiled a little from beneath his helmet. Deep down, he knew this was going to be his grave. He wasn't going to make it out of this battle, and really, that didn't scare him. Just like the dying wish of the Captain of Dragon Company, he only really cared about his boys and girls who were on the field too. After a few moments, he looks at each of them in turn.

"I'm not going to lie to you. We're out numbered, out gunned, and out maneuvered. If we go back out there, there's a good chance we won't make it out of this cluster fuck alive. I won't force any of you to go with me, and if you don't want to, then you have my permission as your CO to surrender."

"So what? We've seen worse, sir. I'm not backing down from some pompous Connerians. And I'll be damned if I turn my back on the other guys in our company!"

"Captain, we're Hell Jumpers, we might not be some fancy Valkiri, but we've got what it takes to keep fighting to the end."

"Hell yeah, Hooyah sir."

"Then we shouldn't keep them waiting. The front lines are moving back to where we are, so that's good news and bad news. Good news by way of our soldiers getting closer to us, and bad because their soldiers are retreating back into us. As you know, we're going to be planting little... Toys, for the reinforcements. Hopefully that stuff will slow them down enough for us to press back against the retreating wave and crush them between us. Otherwise,"

"We're screwed."

"Basically."

The group stay silent for a while, but eventually they unify themselves and ready their arms. The Medic asserts that the wounded soldier can't go anywhere, but after some flack from said soldier, he's left with his rifle and a couple of clips of ammo. It was obvious what he was going to do, and the rest of the squad respected him for it. When they exit the building, they're thrust right back into the thick of things. The retreating Connerian line was coming closer and closer around them, and soon the HIVE computing systems implanted in the IFSF droids were forcing the units into positions closer and closer to where the bulk of the Paratrooper's defense were. An entire hour of this back and forth finally forced them into the same concentrated stretch of several miles. The remaining artillery, AA Weapons, tanks, droids, and soldiers faced all directions. Captain Kuta and his team made up the center of the defensive line, attempting to keep the enemy out of their line and resupplying the enemy.

Sadly, it was like he said, they were out gunned, out manned now. Kuta glanced to his left, his heavy weapons specialist was on the ground in a pool of his own blood, a hole blown through his visor. Kuta glanced to his right, and saw his medic trying to drag a fellow soldier into cover before being struck several times in his side and falling over; dead before he ever hit the ground. A tank team were trying to climb out of their vehicle, their clothing burning while a plume of fire shot out of it's manhole on the top before exploding and sending shards in all directions. An ISFS droid was firing it's chaingun defiantly, while unleashing it's hellstorm missiles from it's shoulders. Yet, a missile from a drone takes out it's right leg, and the droid falls to one side. The computer compels it to prop it's heavy body up with it's busted flamethrower arm, and continued firing it's chaingun before another rocket blows it's torso to pieces. His men were dying, all around him. He even felt for the droids as they were destroyed one by one. Deep down he wanted to surrender, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't because of his duty to his men, let alone his duty to Sera. Captain Kuta shook his head, and roared at the Connerians with every bit of fury his body could compose and continued fighting. All down the lines and deeper in cover, men followed his lead and roared at their enemies.

Captain Kuta was then struck in his right shoulder, throwing him to the ground. Bleeding, he crawled his way over and behind the wall of a nearby building. With his good arm, he fished out a detonator from his thigh pack, and pressed the button; activating all of the thermite traps, hidden road explosives, and so on that they planted before the Connerian's were able to get this close. Hopefully it'll stall them long enough for their own reinforcements to get here. But really, Kuta doubted they'd make it in time as their numbers dwindled faster and faster.

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Those left behind by the retreating Connerian forces were picked up by men in white armor with large, red crosses on their shoulders and groups of men with a patch depicting a gavel in black uniforms. The two made attempts at arresting the Connerian forces while also giving them medical treatment if they desperately required it. If, for whatever reason, they were deemed to be 'too far gone', they'd go the humane route and end the suffering of civilians and soldiers on both sides. Serians, unlike the Connerians, were extremely religious, and when this humane route was taken, it was not uncommon for the Serian 'executioner' to kneel down next to the dying or soon to be dead, and pray for their passage into the next cycle. Whether the Connerians believed in the same thing they did, the Serians still did the same for them; appealing to the highest power they know.

For the living, they were loaded onto large trucks that lacked any and all armor. Soldiers were chained together at the ankles, while civilians were left without chains. Officers who were left behind were forced to walk with a Serian escort, and were slated for... Questioning. These prisoners were to be sent to one of three places: One being a reeducation center, where the Civilians and low ranking members of the Conner military would be sent to learn of the evils of the USC, and persuade them to side with Sera. The next location was an internment camp designed to hold captured soldiers where they would be treated with all the respect that can be afforded to prisoners. Of course, that wasn't much, but they weren't going to be tortured and beaten on a daily basis. The same couldn't be said for the final location, which was a secret, underground facility with the sole purpose of breaking high ranking officials. Technically, this place didn't exist, and the past 3 leaders of Sera did not even know about it. However, with the outbreak of the war, the High Council saw merit in it's use, and therefore made it known to the new King. Time could only tell how well this facility will function, as the first Conner officers will be arriving in the next few hours.

On the other hand, charging Serian forces paid little attention to those left behind for the time being, and instead focused on pushing the Connerian's further and further back into their territory. It was their main objective to keep surging forward so that they can meet up with the paratroopers who were behind enemy lines. Worse case scenario was if their line was broken, they'd have to fight harder in order to regain their footing in that region. Not only that, they'd have to fight over the bodies of their falled comrades. Captain Anaba was leading the charge with her own Company, tanks and artillery taking up the rear and raining fire down upon the enemy. The Dual barrel artillery continued to pound at the Connerian divisions from long range, while the tanks and light transports stayed close to the infantry, providing moving, destructive cover.

Their advance forward was not stalled, the more the Connerian military gave, the more the Serian ground forces wanted to take. Soon, they'd be at the paratrooper's position unless they're destroyed.

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French Coastline, Sera

At the behest of Admiral Haddaway, a large pretend fleet was being assembled on the French coast. The plan was simple, really. But it's simplicity was it's greatest strength. The pretend fleet will be stationed in the Atlantic ocean, sitting and waiting as if they're about to attack the Conner homeland. The fleet even had the real Atlantic flagship Saving Grace floating among them, with communications that alluded to an attack on the Conner east coast. The HCAF knew SHIELD or any other Conner intelligence would be able to read or listen to the communications and wanted them to do just that. Yet, they still kept some degree of encryption in order to keep them from suspecting that. It was hoped that the USC will divert manpower and resources to the east coast in order to counter them, however the real action will be taking place somewhere else.

In reality, the actual Atlantic fleet will sail from thousands of miles south from North Africa with the target being Brazil. This fleet will be significantly smaller than the fake fleet, and thus, analysts guessed that when faced with either having to defend their homeland from a larger, more powerful 'fleet' or defending Brazil from the smaller one, they would pick their homeland 9 times out of 10. Besides, it was hoped that they will be able to keep the real Atlantic fleet secret long enough for them to launch, and by the time they notice them moving towards Brazil and figure out the ruse, their fleets will be too far away and the Serian Atlantic fleet will be more or less uncontested. If they can't get through the Conner Navy, then they will end up playing defense in the long run as their navy will continue winning battles on the high seas while Sera won't be able to fire a single round on enemy soil. If they do get boots on the ground in South America, then the Serian Army's real strength will come to light... Jungle warfare. Serian's felt at home in the jungle just as much as they did in cities. And centuries before this war, Serians were perfecting the art of warfare in the jungles. If they set foot there, the enemy will find them harder to destroy than anywhere else. Needless to say, a lot was riding on Sera getting boots on the ground.

Leading the fleet was Sera's Capital ship U.S.S. Leviathan, the biggest, baddest, and most destructive ship in the entire Serian Navy and the only ship of it's kind. At the bridge of the ship was none other than Sera's best and most ruthless Admiral to ever set their shined shoe on the deck of a ship, Admiral Koga Syri de Vos, or in Serian: "He who brings destruction". Koga graduated at the top of his class from Sera's best naval academy, and rose through the ranks thanks to his brutal but effective methods. The only thing that kept him from becoming the Sea Marshal was himself, when he said to High Chancellor Elias that he'd "rather be out on the water drowning, stomping, and eating his enemies instead of being stuck behind some desk on land with a bunch of delicate paper pushing punks". Therefore, he held the highest rank possible that still allowed him to be on a ship and thus held the title of commander of Sera's most powerful ship.

He had one goal in mind, to punch a hole so massive in whatever forces are between himself and Brazil that the entirety of Sera's land mass could fit through it. Admiral Koga stood at the bridge with his hands firmly behind his back and a gleam in his only eye. His cover held tightly in one hand, and cane in the other. He was ready, and all he had to do was wait for the call.

[United States of Conner]

Adams Park
Conner City, United States of Conner

"Connerians! Get the fuck up!"

The noise level made by the 1,200,000 strong crowd inside went from roaring to deafening. Connerian rappers L J Dope and Cardinal walked across the stage, the crowd still euphoric after the performance of Cardinal's latest single, Essence. Dope and Cardinal let the crowd cheer for five minutes straight before it quieted down again. Cardinal raised his mic and addressed the crowds while Dope made his way backstage briefly.

"Ladies and gentlemen! You've heard about the war against Sera, perhaps?"

At the mention of the USG, a chorus of booing rang out.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, because of that, we've brought out a guest star here to let you know how the fuck he feels!"

The crowd got louder as Dope returned to the stage, saying,

"He hasn't been the biggest fan of this administration, but he does love this country. Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for our guest!"

Out of the floor of the stage rose a hooded head. A split second later, the crowd lost it's collective shit as rapper Psycho rose from the stage, rapping as he did so.

Well ladies and gentlemen, please stand up,
and please don't test this old man's luck
Sera's saying they want to go to war
Well it'll be a fight between the rich and the poor
And we got more money than Akira's bitch-ass whore
We'll get in our uniforms and burn 'em with .580s
All cause they want to kill our babies
These bitches up in Sera, they used to be my friends
Well so much for friendship never ends
I don't believe 'em when they say
The gov tried to silence them and end their way
They now associate with their kind only
They used to be my homies now they act like they don't know me
Well they want Conner, give 'em Psycho's Cypher
I'll take Sera and bitch, it's you'll I'll dismember
Look at him in his shiny armor
I'll rip your spine out, it ain't hard to decipher
What I'm saying, I'm praying I'll do it without getting a drop
On your armor so I can wear it when I chop
Up your body, oh no, please help, somebody!
Well guess what cunt I'm fucking nuts
Sera just fucked with the wrong guts
Doubt me if you want but better believe me when I say
I'll be the one to end your life and fuck up your fuckin day!

The crowd was beside itself. The massive screens on either side of the stage were showing a waving Connerian flag, and from somewhere someone started singing the Connerian anthem. It picked up, and soon the entire crowd and the artists on stage were singing. When they had finished, Psycho looked at the crowd and said,
"I just made that up. That was all freestyling. I'm also going on a tour of military bases around the country to perk up our brave soldiers fighting for us, along with my homies L J, Cardinal, Andy & Smith, Eminem, and a few other surprises. Keep an eye out for that. Now, may you stay forever safe and free, and give it the fuck up for L J and Cardinal!"

Connerian News Network headquarters
Conner City, United States of Conner
"Good morning, and welcome to CNN. My name is Sam Hunt, and today, here with me is Vice President Robert Allen. So, Mr. Allen, what exactly has been going on these past few hours? The riots here in Conner City have more or less died down - I think the conflict on the streets is over - but what happened?"

"Well, Sam, I'm glad we've finally got a chance to get facts out. I actually saw a Serian segment a few hours ago that made me chuckle. Akira was trying to conflate SHIELD forces shooting rioters who were illegally damaging property with safe and tested tranquilizer guns before being transported to secure and humane facilities to what they do do in Sera, which is take care of anyone who dare questions the official narrative."

"Well said, Mr. Allen. Of course, we here in Conner City have had to deal with riots during the outbreak of this war in a way that Serians in New Providence haven't had to deal with - I was actually woken up by one this morning."

Allen nodded.

"Mr. Allen, why do you think that is?"

Allen paused for a second before continuing.

"Well, Sam, I think it's because we allow freedom of expression. Now, it's already been confirmed that almost all of these rioters are from Sera, and I'm sure official links to the Serian government will be coming up next. A lot of people have been saying then, "Why don't we ban demonstrations during this war?" Well, it's because of what we're fighting for. We are not fighting against freedom. We are fighting for it. However, freedom is not free. We have to be willing to deal with the cons of freedom in order to reap the benefits, and the problem with that is that some people are willing to abuse our freedom. We must be willing to balance freedom with security, because even if we are fighting an enemy that wants to take our freedom and our way of life, if we give up our freedom to win this war, then we have already lost it."

"Inspiring words, Mr. Allen. Are there any changes Connerians on the street will be noticing?"

"Well, we will be introducing SHIELD patrols throughout major cities in order to prevent more damage from illegal rioting. It's unlikely now, but the idea has been floated of separating Serian immigrants into separate but equal residence until rioting can be controlled. That does not seem likely now, however. Also, it seems as though at least some rioters were caused to riot by some sort of neural control technology. We're working on a way to detect and counteract it as we speak."

"Very good. Well, thank you for being here, Mr. Allen, and remember to be safe. We'll play some footage of the Conner City and Hyperion Riots, and then we'll go to a brief break."

CNN, along with several other major news outlets, were playing government-provided footage of the riots that made sure to emphasize the damage caused by the riots, the use of tranquilizer guns, and the arrest of rioters that clearly were still alive. This footage would be played in coffee shops, jumbotrons, mobile devices and televisions all over the nation, as Connerians tuned in to get updated on the current state of the war - which was all that was really being covered right now.

Pacific Front

"Sir, we can confirm that the Serian fleet is withdrawing. They are pulling back."

Admiral Lowry nodded and turned to his hologram conference, still showing the heads of various ships.

"Good. We have repelled the Serian invaders. I want all destroyers pulling back. Order the Arkhams to stop firing their missiles. Let them show that we let them retreat. Set a tone."

As the commanders all nodded and turned to execute Lowry's orders, Lowry moved to his mic and prepared a message.

"Whoever commands the Serian fleet, this is Admiral Sam Lowry, Connerian Task Force Epsilon Commander. I wanted to congratulate you on a well-fought battle. I would like to confirm to you that we will let you retreat without molestation, as a measure of good faith. Just a heads-up." Lowry punched a few keys, sending the message over open lines that would surely reach the Serians. With that, he turned around and spoke to the assembled commanders.

"Watch them and make sure they don't try to exploit that kindness."

African Front

Pulling back was a calculated gamble. General Kimberly Jones, the commander of Task Force Bravo - which consisted of all units manning the African Line - knew that. It was entirely possible that the retreating front line would not be able to defeat the Serian paratroopers, and that almost five thousand Connerian soldiers would be caught between Serian lines. However, it was a risk they had to take. The Serians had to be stopped somewhere.

Near the coast of both continents, things were going much better. Connerian reinforcements had not been halted by the paratroopers there, and had momentarily halted the Serian advance. Central Africa was where it was the worst. There, it was a veritable hell.

The Connerian line hand found itself sandwiched between the advancing Serians and the paratroopers, and while they were getting some reinforcements from paratroopers and the forces that had began to flank around the paratroopers, it was still not enough. The Connerian line could not hold out forever. Connerian soldiers fired from inside vehicles and from behind the protection of railgun tanks. They didn't have much artillery support, either - most of the heavy stuff that couldn't keep up with the retreat had been blown up or rigged to blow when Serians tried to move it to avoid having them fall into enemy hands. What they did have was long-range stuff being blasted from beyond the paratrooper battle. The line was effectively fighting two battles at once - about half were trying to hold off the advancing Serians while the other half was trying to make a hole in the paratroopers so they could rejoin the main line.

That hell, however, was nothing compared to what was happening in the battle of the paratroopers. There, VTOLs, fighter jets, and drones swooped around the battle, unleashing everything from incendiary napalm to rockets and chain guns. High-altitude F-77 fighters and I-98 interceptors shot towards Serian bombers trying to get further into Connerian territory, attempting to turn them to twisted hunks of metal before they could get their payloads off. Connerian artillery, railgun tanks, and walker tanks blasted away at ISFS drones and infantry. A line of Connerian tanks were blasted away by a thermite explosion, but more just took their place.

During this chaos, an open message was sent over open channels that, hopefully, Serian commanders would hear and heed.

"Commander of the Serian paratrooper force,
You have fought valiantly. However, there is no reason to continue this fight. If you continue to fight, it will only result in needless death on both sides that could be prevented. If you surrender now, you will be treated fairly and sent to a hospitable internment camp. Your injured will be cared for and you will be comfortable. If you continue to fight, the Connerian Strategic Command mandates the destruction of your force. We do hope you will make the right choice. Your truly, General Kimberly Jones, Connerian Armed Forces."

[United States of Conner]

Connerian Strategic Command
"I can't see any other possible threat to the Americas - yes, General?"

"Sirs, we have initial satellite images of the French fleet. However, there is something else - another fleet heading, by the looks of it, for Brazil."

"Thank you, General. You're dismissed."

As the General left, a man sitting at the Strategic Command table said, "Now, let's take our preliminary vote. Are we reinforcing the Northern East Coast or moving differently."

The votes went around the table. The vote was 12-0 when the last person, a man win dark hair and pale skin, spoke up.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Remember the Devil's Advocate rule on this council. You all have concurred that an invasion of the Northeast Coast seems more urgent. Thus, I must dissent and argue that we must defend against an invasion of Brazil."

"Seven, you do have a point. The Serians are adapt at jungle warfare, and we must protect against a land invasion of the Americas in any form. A Serian invasion of the jungle will result in what will most likely be a conflict that will result in mass destruction of that environment. Thus, I propose that we ought to balance our forces proportionally, while preparing for an inevitable invasion in one or both locations."

"Three, do you believe that Hyperion should be evacuated?"

"I don't believe so, Two. Hyperion is a major population center, but it also is surrounded by mountainous terrain on three sides and only accessible by one waterway. The Navy has already blockaded that passage with full force. The city possess great propaganda value, but not enough to justify the tactical struggles that would be involved in taking a city of 150 million people that is defended in such a way."

"Ladies and gentlemen, as Strategos One, I am calling for a vote on a motion to reinforce the entire East Coast of the Americas."

Votes were tallied.

"The motion passes, 10-3. Ladies and gentlemen, this is serious. We are now preparing for a full-scale invasion of the Connerian mainland. I move to initiate Zero Hour Protocol."

The room went silent.

"One ... That's a big step. Is that where we think this is heading?"

"I think so, Six. We would rather be safe than sorry. Can I get a vote?"

More votes were tallied.

"The motion passes, 8-5. Let's begin."

[Unified Sera Government]

High Council of the Armed Forces HQ, Ashtaar, Germany, Sera

What did they hope to achieve? What could they honestly do to help stem the tide of war in favor of Conner? This is what they could do, right? Killing the HCAF would effectively cut off the head of the snake! There were Connerian sympathizers in Sera, many of whom are or were Connerian citizens that were prevented to leave due to the outbreak of war. Most merely voiced their opinions, and as freedom of speech is a right in Sera, they're allowed to say as they please. But others? They would rather take a more... Direct approach. That's how this unwitting group of 5 found themselves in a pretty bad situation. You see, this wonderful group had stolen a large truck, weighed it down and drove it through the barricades around the HCAF headquarters. From there, they were able to successfully get into the building, override security, and cause a lock down.

Or so they thought.

In actuality, it was more along the lines of one of the them fumbling around with a computer (which didn't have security access) when security initiated a lock down. The group couldn't get out, but no one could get inside at the same time! It was perfect, right? Well, they certainly believed it was. Armed with weapons available commercially, the group went deeper into the compound in search of their targets (Who wasn't even in the building, as the entire HCAF was in New Providence for the Invasion). As they went deeper inside the compound, the lights in the entire building immediately turned off. Of the five, one carried a camera strapped to his head and was live-streaming the entire thing on the website 'MyFace'.

"Shh! Did you hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything."

"Exactly! Don't you think that's a little... Weird? We haven't seen a single security guard."

"I dunno guys, I don't like this..."

The group stayed together of course, completely oblivious to the fact that they were being hunted by predators. Valkiri melted in and out of the shadows like ghosts, completely invisible in the dark rooms that lined the hallways, and the black corners. Obviously, the Valkiri weren't supernatural in the slightest, only well trained in psychological warfare and ambush and having access to night vision. Because of this, they intentionally knocked over small objects, or moved when the terrorists weren't directly staring at them. It was clear the terrorists were getting rattled, and the main event hadn't even started yet.

"Lets bail! This isn't good, I'm freaked out guys... There's something in here!"

"Shut up! We can't go back! We've gotta see this through."

"Guys, you know Serians believe in some scary stuff, I'm just saying... What if some of it wasn't superstition? What if some of it was real?"

"Shut up Shut up Shut up! You guys need to keep it togeth-"

A Valkiri struck at that moment. With talons built into their gloves, it sprinted from one of the many dark rooms, grabbed his prey like an eagle grabs a fish, and dragged him into another in a split second. The Camera man gets all of it on his head mounted camera, though it looks like nothing more than a black blob on the screen. Needless to say, the group freaks out and opens fire into the room that the Valkiri and their comrade disappeared into. The flashes from their semi automatic weapons illuminate the area for split seconds, yet they can't seem to hit anything. After several long, hour-like seconds they stop firing and stare into the black room when suddenly their friend comes literally flying back out at them, hitting and knocking out another member of their team. At this point, they all abandoned the mission and began running in whatever direction they could. Wherever they went, the Valkiri followed. Thing is, they didn't know which way to go. With the darkness, confusing halls, and similar room layout, they ended up going in the opposite direction of the exit. The remaining 3 find themselves in the cafeteria in the building, usually reserved for use by the employee's who were absent and in New Providence. (Valkiri still used the cafe, and if the group was looking they could see where the resident Valkiri operatives were having dinner before being interrupted, so it'd be clear to see why they're a little ticked off). As the last person enters the cafe, they all stop and take stock.

"What the hell! What did you drag us into? Mark was thrown! Thrown! Like a ragdoll!"

"That ain't natural man... That ain't natural... We need to leave right now!"

Before the reply came from the third terrorist, the camera man saw a shadow move. "It... It... It's in here..." He whispered into the darkness and raised his weapon. The others did also and looked in the direction the camera man was. After a few seconds, the shadow moves again, but this time to the tune of small arms fire. Now accentuated against the flashing light, the Valkiri looked even more fearsome than before, the intricately carved pieces of his mask made to scatter light and shadow in such a way as to create images of abject horror. It spread it's cape to appear as if it had wings and when it reaches it's target that stood right next to the camera man, it wraps it's cloak around the guy and disappears back out into the hallway. Now down to two, A Valkiri materializes from the high ceiling above them (and with a rope attached to his waist,) descends like a creature of darkness and grabs the man and lifts him into the darkness high above them. The Camera man, now alone, raises his hands up and shouts, his voice breaking which was a sure fire sign that he was crying. "I give up! Please, Please I give up... I don't.. I can't... Please..." He falls to his knee's, his weapon scattering uselessly across the floor. It was then, and only then, that a Valkri steps forward into the pale light of the camera man's camera light.The Valkiri stood in front of him, looking much less supernatural and walked towards him; his steps echoing in the dark room until he's standing directly above the man. The Valkiri lifts his hand, brandishing the talon like steel claws on his hand, and the last frame of the video is of the Valkiri swiping at the camera.

Black-Reach Prison, Undisclosed Location, Sera

As the buses drove up the dark mountain path through what seemed like impenetrable wilderness at all sides, a short line of possibly 20 or so prison guards stood in the court yard beyond the walls to meet with the buses, batons gripped tightly in their black-gloved hands. Off to the sides were men and women who held on to chain leashes that kept the large Caucasian Shepherds in check (for the most part). The buses came to a stop in front of the line, and the doors opened. Those who were unfortunate enough to bear the trappings of an officer were pulled off of the buses and herded like cattle by the Serian prison officials. They'd arrived at Black-Reach, a prison whose existence was unknown to most, if not all of Sera and the world. It needed to be that way, for behind these walls the Serian prison officials employed the most savage, brutal, and mind twisting methods devised by the militaristic people that would make even a hardened torturer from the Inquisition turn away.

In the matter of a few minutes, the Connerian soldiers had been all but thrown off the buses and pushed into 4 x 4 formation in the courtyard. The Prison guards looked on them with a hunger... Their eyes portraying a look given by a predator who was now eyeing it's prey and wondering what was the best way of ripping it's throat out. While they stood there, the dog handlers paced up and down the sides of the formation while their dogs tugged at the chain and snarled at the prisoners until finally a man stepped out from the line of guards and smirked at the group. He stood around 6"2' tall, with a lean build. Like the rest, he didn't wear Epsilon, but instead a black uniform with gold chevrons. Half of his face was scarred, giving his left side the appearance of a constant and unsettling smile.

"Lords of the Heavens and Earth, I'd ask why you've forsaken these unfortunate bastards and laid them so nicely wrapped in my caring hands... But frankly, I don't give a damn. I welcome you all to Black-Reach Prison, which will be for some of you you're final stop on this journey called life. It is here that we broke men who were tougher than you and reduced them thumb-sucking babies crying for mommy. My name is unimportant as not many of you will live long enough to use it. But those of you who do live long enough; take note. My name is Colonel Xerxes, and here; I am your God."

The Colonel nodded in the direction of two Handlers, who promptly single out one of the Prisoners. One of them hands his leash to the other and strides over to the unsuspecting captive. The guard kneels down and unlocks his ankle cuffs, then stands back up. Now unchained, the Guard grabs the Connerian by his collar and yanks him out of formation and to the ground. Soon after, the two Handlers yell at the dogs "Ka!" followed closely by the releasing of their chains. The two behemoths barrel towards the unfortunate soul, and needless to say, it was a harrowing sight.

"Welcome to Black-Reach, and may Aeron have mercy on your souls."

Afterwards, the remaining Prisoners are taken deeper inside the compound and into the underground facility where they'll be housed. The interior of the building was sleek, with lights molding into the dark grey ceiling seamlessly. For a stretch of every 50 or so feet, the seamless ceiling is abruptly interrupted by a large steel door that was meant to be lowered to quarantine areas in the event of a riot. Most of the prisoners were placed in Cells much nearer to the surface, but those who gave trouble or were specifically targeted for what they might know were housed much deeper underground where the temperature was much higher. There, they'd be thrown into sound proof cells that lacked windows to the hallway with a massive mirror acting as the back wall. Once inside, the wardens made no attempt to interact with them save for the opening of the slot beneath the door and sliding in of food. When placed in here, often times the wardens didn't even need to do anything. The psychological effects due to the lack of stimulus were known to them, along with the absence of darkness, and the constant image of themselves always staring at them.

Those who survive long enough in Black-Reach Prison were promised respite and even freedom if they cooperated. But really? They were dead the moment they arrived. No one besides the guards were leaving that facility alive as long as this war was going on. If they're good, who knows, maybe they'll be released. Only time and actions will tell, and their every action was being watched as the first lunch was being served in the cafeteria. Guards meandered on the high walls with rifles in their hands around the pit cafeteria with the inmates milling around below. Only 25 inmates were permitted to eat in any given lunch period to prevent riots. Although they could talk to each other, their conversations were listened to by the guards carrying shock batons who walked around in the cafeteria between tables.

International Waters, Atlantic Ocean

"Launch the drones for aerial surveillance; keep the fleet in spear formation... We'll lead the charge personally."

"Aye Aye Admiral."

They were encroaching on Brazil like a train going full steam ahead with the U.S.S. Leviathan leading the way the entire time. That monster was built for offensive and defensive capabilities, literally having it's two main cannons built first while the rest of the ship was built around them. Therefore, it would be a hindrance more than a help if it was relegated to pulling up the rear. It came time finally for the first shots of the second sea battle to be fired. This time, they couldn't withdraw. Admiral Koga smirked slightly, the tiny grin spreading across his grizzled face as images appeared from the small aerial drones of the Connerian defense fleet. With a slight sense of hidden excitement, the man presses a button on the console sitting in front of him, activating the Ship's offensive and defensive capabilities, while also linking it's weapon and computer systems to the HIVE. "Fire!" At his command, the two advanced magnetic accelerator cannons built to span the length of the 485 meter ship fired back to back from long range at whatever the Airborne drones picked up and the HIVE system deemed was a worthy target.

These rounds were more than capable of punching a hole in almost anything that was unlucky enough to come into contact with them. Whatever was on the receiving end of those shots probably wasn't having a good day. There was silence after the first two shots as the rest of the fleet came into position a few moment later, followed by the combined firing of naval artillery on the other ships and the conventional weapons on the Leviathan. From below the waves, submarines unleashed a storm of torpedoes at the above ships, relentlessly targeting weak spots. Behind the rest of the fleet were assortment of Aircraft carriers and troop transport vessels that at this point did nothing but idle in the water. On the decks of the aircraft carrier, the naval fighters were finding more activity than the ship itself. Personnel ran across the deck of the ships, preparing the fighters for launch and warming the engines up on the helicopters. At the center of the spear head formation was a new ship class dubbed "Icarus" meant solely for the purpose of knocking down airborne crafts. Icarus class ships had very little offensive weaponry when it came to ship versus ship. However, they came fully equipped to knock down most things. Icarus ships came with 2x .50 caliber, 4x 14.7mm guns, and several tons worth of ground-to-air missiles.

With Admiral Koga leading them, it was unlikely they'd go anywhere but forward. Resistance may have been a little more hefty than what was expected, but the addition of submarines, the Icarus class ships, and the Leviathan, it was hoped they would be able to get boots on the ground. Admiral Koga on the other hand, fully welcomed the resistance, and shouted in excitement as the MAC cannons fired again after a 3 minute delay.

[b]The African Theatre, Paratrooper Last Stand[b]

Captain Kuta turned and peeked out of cover, simultaneously firing his side arm at the Connerian forces. It didn't seem like anything was going to stop them, and if they kept fighting, they were going to most likely be completely destroyed. Captain Kuta leaned back into cover and began changing his clip when he felt a sharp pain in the lower left part of his abdomen. The pain was unmistakable for Kuta, who shakily placed a hand over his new wound. When he moved his hand away to look at his palm, the crimson fluid covering it made it clear without a doubt that he'd been shot. Kuta slouched over to his side as blood pooled around his torso on the ground. He could just barely keep enough focus to see the offending Connerian trooper tackled to the ground by a Serian. After a few seconds of wrestling, the Serian's hand pushes down on the Connerian's head while his other hand fished out his Tomahawk. Kuta's vision went black, but he could hear the distinctive 'shh-thunk' sound over the gun fire.

Soon thereafter, the Serian soldier makes his way over to Kuta admist the flying bullets and exploding ordance and lifts him over his shoulder. Kuta was being carried by one of the last remaining members of his squad, who himself had just barely escaped death; evident by the way a whole chunk of his helmet and visor had been blown away. Despite the perilous situation they found themselves in, Kuta's squad gave the guy a new nickname: "Lucky". Lucky carried Captain Kuta's bleeding body inside of a nearby building and propped him against a wall. The wound had not gotten better, and a medic was nowhere to be found. "Don't worry sir, I'll find you some help! Stay with me, damn it! You can't die on me!" Kuta shook his head slowly, an action that made his body twitch involuntarily. Kuta used his good arm to reach behind his head and unclasp his helmet, and after some fumbling and finally help from Lucky, he succeeds in removing his helmet.

No, no. I'm d-done." Kuta leaned his head back against the wall and clutched his stomach, blood seeping through his fingers at an increasing rate. Seems as though the bullet had done more damage than he initially thought. "You know Lucky, it doesn't even hurt that bad... Then again, I've... Lost a lot of blood. Lucky, listen to me." - "Yes Captain? I'm here." - "We're going to surrender. There's no point in continuing to fight for no reason, we'll be crushed regardless." - "Ah... Okay. Here," Lucky fishes out his auxiliary walkie-talkie and holds it up to Captain Kuta.

"N-Now Hear this! This is Captain Kuta de Vos, authorization: Whiskey Foxtrot 1 0 1, this is a general order for all... S-Serian Operators: You are to lay down your weapons immediately and surrender. ISFS, execute order 32. It's been an honor ladies and gentlemen, I'll see you all on the other side." Lucky lets go of the button and removes his own helmet. Kuta draws in a short breath, then releases it into the air. His eyes gloss over, and his hand falls away from his stomach wound. It takes a few moments for Lucky to fully process that he'd just lost a man he looked up to, idolized, and followed into hell. And the best Lucky could do was place his hand over Kuta's eyes solemnly, and say: "See you on the other side, brother."


As ordered, before the Serians formally surrender and drop their weapons, the remaining ISFS units turn to the enemy resolutely, all of the units opening their shoulder to reveal the missile pods inside. It is then that the rockets fire out towards the Connerians and their positions, intending to get rid of their 50 small ordnance rockets. After their shoulders have been emptied, the ISFS unit's computer systems purposely overheat, causing the mother board, processors, RAM, and everything else to catch fire and explode inside of the ISFS droids; much like what happens when they sustain heavy damage in order to avoid the units being reverse engineered or re-purposed. Now that the droids were officially destroyed, the remaining Serian forces throw down their weapons and stomp on them, breaking apart the rifles and rendering them useless. Of course, they also drop whatever remaining explosives, melee weapons, and the like on the ground and hold their hands up in the air.

The Paratroopers have been defeated, but by Aeron they took a lot of people with them into the next realm. Plus, the 162nd was still standing, a force that was not completely wiped off the face of the earth... The same can't be said for some Connerians.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Word of Captain Kuta's surrender reached the Serian General before it did the Connerians thanks to the issuing of Order 32, which caused the ISFS units to 'call home' and alert the commanding officers of the Serian military that they were ordered to self destruct in the event of a surrender. Now, they had a little bit of room to create a line. Serian soldiers were ordered to take up defensive positions where they were and to hold the line there. The Connerians were allowed to retreat further into their territory, however those who attempted to turn back were immediately fired upon. This of course, created 3 zones on the African front. The Connerian zone, the much smaller no man's land or the uncontrolled zone, and the Serian occupied zone.

On the front, they were much more prepared for the coming Connerian onslaught, and immediately started setting up heavy machine gun nests in holes, against rubble, and anywhere else that made a suitable position. In the skies the bombers were ordered to drop their payloads on the Conner convoy and whatever was left to return home escorted by the remaining fighters. Long range Artillery and armor pulled back enough that they could still fire on the Connerian's while staying out of range, and Anti-Aircraft trucks moved into position to place a proverbial no-fly-zone over the area. Captain Anaba and her team took up residence in a crater created from artillery, and began digging deeper in order to build bunkers. All along the line, squads were doing the same thing.

What remained now, was to regroup and plot their next move. General Rowtag made a call to the Connerian side on open-band to ensure they heard it. "This is General Rowtag of the Serian Army, your men are being allowed to withdraw from the field without pursuit. I think it's high time we called an end to this battle, as you've obviously lost more than enough men. Any encroachment on the Neutral zone will be met with hostile and harsh retaliation." General Rowtag had a smug look on his face, and secretly, he wanted them to try moving into that zone.

The battle had taken a hefty toll on both sides, though the Serian military was intent on holding the ground they had gained in Africa (obvious by the reinforcements that were now moving into the Serian controlled zone). And it would go to any extreme to keep a strangle-hold on that territory.

[United States of Conner]

Blackreach Prison
The situation did not look good for the Connerian officers imprisoned in Blackreach. The officers didn't offer much in the way of resistance, a "fuck you" here or there, or maybe some struggling as they were shoved into cells.

Intelligence leaks weren't the real problem here. Intelligence in the Connerian Armed Forces was highly compartmentalized. If officers needed to know more information, they could access the Connerian DefenseNet, a closed net with servers located all over the planet. Accessing the DefenseNet required a passphrase, biometric identification, and specific hardware. All the captured officers PDAs, tablets, and HUDs had been wiped almost instantly after the captured officers had been reported missing.

Thus, intelligence leaks would most likely be minimal, or so StratCom hoped. However, the real problem was in propaganda problems. It certainly wouldn't look good for Connerian officers to be confessing to falsified war crimes committed by the CAF or publicly defecting to the Serian side under the threat of torture. Thus, StratCom and the Connerian Intelligence Community was actively searching for BlackReach, under the hopes of mounting a rescue operation.

However, the officers imprisoned wouldn't crack just like that. Not only had they been trained to resist torture and isolation, it took a special sort of patriotism and belief in one's country to volunteer to fight on the African Line. Almost all, if not all, of these officers had taken bullets for fellow soldiers and had been wounded defending their country. They wouldn't break easily. Until they were rescued and released, they would survive.

They would live.

And above all, they wouldn't cooperate.

African Front

As soon as the Serian surrender was obvious, Connerian soldiers were moving in. Using their exosuits to move over craters and buildings, they were soon surrounding the Serian paratroopers, barking at them to put their hands on their fucking head or get their asses on the goddamn ground. If a paratrooper was too slow, one Connerian soldier would train their gun on the Serian as a second Connerian moved behind them and kicked the backs of their knees in before shoving them to the ground.

Within ten minutes, armored prisoner trucks with a pair of long, open-topped benches in the back were moving around the battlefield. Serian paratroopers were handcuffed, thrown into the truck, shackled to the bench and to the prisoner on either side, and sent off to behind Connerian lines, where prisoner planes would take them to camps within the USC.

Meanwhile, the Connerian line began to consolidate. With reinforcements moving in from further inland, units that had been in the battle moved back to rearm, rest, get medical attention and lick their wounds. Fresh units took their place, forming a hardened line against Serian advancement. The line as a whole moved back about five hundred yards, seeding mines and booby traps in the no-mans land as they did. That would hopefully somewhat dampen the Serian onslaught that every Connerian on that line knew to be coming.

Connerian troops had, in total, pushed back about six or seven hundred yards from the antebellum border by now.

They didn't plan to go a step further.

Ciudad de la Luz, Brazil, United States of Conner

"All civilians are to move to their designated shelter and remain there. Connerian and Serian forces have engaged two hundred kilometers off shore. All military personnel are to report to their assigned combat positions and prepare to engage. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill."

Repeated invasion drills in the City of Light had prepared the population well for a Serian invasion. Because of these drills, most civilians were calm as they moved to the nearest concrete shelter, which were large, underground structures designed to withstand airstrikes and keep their occupants self-sufficient for a limited amount of time, with gardens, water recycling systems, and the like - a survivalist's wet dream.

Meanwhile, VTOLs and jets taking off from the city's four airbases zoomed over the heads of the population. The VTOLs moved out to the coast and assumed defensive positions, to avoid being caught with their pants down. The jets, meanwhile, flew out to the naval battle and engaged in the battle.

The naval battle was not going well.

Connerian air assets were being forced to steer clear of Icarus air defense ships, which had already shot down Connerian drones and fighters. The planes stayed out of range of the Icarus ships, fighters engaging Serian craft as bombers and attack aircraft swooped down and performed bombing runs. Connerian drone swarms, meanwhile, hovered around Serian ships, each of the small, inexpensive drones unleashing fire upon Serian bridges with their small machine guns - not much of impact when it was just one gun, but when a hundred or more machine guns were firing in unison, the results were not to be underestimated.

However, the Conner fleet had a bigger problem: the Serian command vessel. Though Connerian Intelligence had known for years that the Serians possessed some sort of mega-dreadnaught that rivaled the largest and most powerful Connerian ships, they didn't know how much pressure it could take. Connerian destroyers and cruisers turned their railguns and missile barrages on the Serian command vessel, hoping to sink it.

The problem with the location was that it was about fifty kilometers outside of the range of the costal-based Directed Energy Costal Defense Array. The DECDA, commissioned about a decade ago by Corey Neal and designed to repel an invading enemy's air and naval forces. The Connerian navy was now faced with a Catch-22: pull back to within range of the DECDA, with no guarantee that the system - which was considered to have it's weak point in the City of Lights - would turn the losing tide of battle, thereby allowing the Serians to land on the shore, or try and mount a stand and risk destruction.

Eventually, Ninth Battle Group Commander Admiral Carly Jones gave the order to pull back fifty kilometers. There was no way to overcome the Serian's Icarus ships and the command vessel without the support of the DECDA and the support of other assets moving to support the Ninth. The ships and aircraft began to move back towards the shore, while still laying down fire towards the Serian fleet.

Meanwhile, Connerian StratCom was faced with another, larger Catch-22: Allow the Serians to land, and let them open a beachhead but cut their losses, or make a stand and risk annihilation?

Either way, the situation was grim.

Camp Delta-Epsilon
Kansas, United States of Conner

The beat of a popular Connerian hop-hop song was audible as the convoy of prison trucks moved past the guard posts and into the camp. However, as the trucks got further down the dirt road and the gate began to blend together with the concrete barrier around the house, the only things punctuating the silence was the soft hum of the truck's electric engines and the occasional sound of a prisoner already in the camp moving around. There were few inmates in here already: mostly rioters who had been convicted and shipped here.

The truck convoy stopped at the edge of a clearing. The camp, overall, didn't look terribly unpleasant. The bushes were well-cut, trees provided shade - though it wasn't exactly warm here, it was April - and there were even a few flowers here and there.

The Serian prisoners were unceremoniously thrown off the truck onto the ground. When they stood, they were unshackled, ordered to be silent, and forced to stand in rows of thirty. After five minutes of still silence, the Connerian soldiers in military police uniforms stood at attention, their weapons still hoisted threateningly at the prisoners.

Out of a side door walked a man in a dark blue uniform, flanked by four more MPs. The man, who had a dark beard and green eyes, moved to the front of the ranks of prisoners and spoke. When he did, his voice was magnified through the large speakers that loomed off of the tops of every building, flagpole, or structure in the camp.

"Atten-shun! Listen up. My name is Colonel Bill Smith. You'll address me as Colonel or Sir, if you ever find some need to address me."

Smith turned and walked along the ranks of Serians, looking them up and down before continuing.

"Within the Connerian POW system, each camp receives a rating from one to three. As a general rule, the further South you go, the higher that number gets, and the opposite with the North. You don't want to go South. The Southernmost camp is essentially a slave camp, while the Northernmost is basically a hotel. Be a good little POW, and you'll be sent North."

Smith paused again.

"Misbehave, and you'll be sent South. While at Camp Delta-Epsilon, you'll be expected to work. From 0730 to 1800, you'll be at work producing and refining raw materials. Breakfast is at 0630, dinner is at 19000, and curfew is 2000 to 0600. Same reward principle applies here. If your work is good, you can receive certain amenities such as better food, time off work, or even a shipment North. If your work is bad ... you get the idea."

Smith gestured towards the Military Police.

"The MPs here aren't for you to talk to. Each block will be assigned a Commander. If you have a problem, you bring it up with them. Insubordination and sabotage will not be tolerated. The penalties for such actions can be harsh."

"Now. Step up to receive your uniform and block number. Proceed directly to your block number, where you'll meet your block Commander. Dismissed."

With this, the Serians would get their light blue jumpsuits with their prisoner number and block number stitched on. Then, they would proceed to their blocks, where they would sleep and shower. It was too late for dinner, so they would meet their block Commander and go to bed hungry.

Commanders, unlike the administration of the base, did not have their behavior monitored by the Connerian Prisons Administration. Thus, their behavior depended on their character. Some could be as kind as one could be expected to be when overseeing enemy POWs, others would be the devil incarnate.

It all depended on which block one was assigned to.

[Unified Sera Government]

Sera National News, SNN
Ashtarr, Germany, Sera

Anchorman: "Now, onto our headlining story... Recent video came up from would-be terrorists from right here in Ashtarr. These terrorists - from the video - appeared to have been targeting the High Council of the Armed Forces. Unknown to them, the council is out of town at an undisclosed location somewhere else. What they found inside, was of course the security team known as the Valkiri. From there, they were systematically cut down by the Special Forces-Royal Guard hybrid. Today on SNN, we have special guest joining us. Mind introducing yourself to Sera?"


Alan Rickmen: "Hello Sera, my name is Alan Rickmen de Yeyinde and I'm a former high ranking official in the Military."


Anchorman: "And why exactly do you say 'former high ranking official' Mr. Rickmen? And why do you think the Valkiri's methods were so brutal as depicted in the video?"


Alan Rickmen: "I say former because after the Assassination of King Skolas, his son placed the blame on the shared shoulders of both the Conner government, and the royal guard. As a result, several of us were forced to retire. For your second question, the Valkiri lost a lot of face as a result of the assassination. They're most likely trying to show the world that the are still a force to be reckoned with, and that they will still do their duty with brutal efficiency."


Anchorman: "So are you saying they're trying to prove something?"

Alan Rickmen: "What I'm saying is this: the Valkiri are out to knock some heads Connerian heads together to gain vengeance for not only humiliating them, but for killing the person who started the program in the first place. They're not only doing it out of duty... They're doing it to regain something very important to them. And honestly, I feel a little bad for whoever encounters them first on the field."


Anchorman: "I do too from the way you're putting it. Thank you for your time Mr. Rickmen, and have a good evening. May the Sky Watch you all!"


Off the Coast of Ciudad de Luz, Brazil, United States of Conner


"Admiral Koga! We're taking damage, permission to turn broadside cannons to opposing ships?"


"Granted, fire primary cannons and then turn the ship."


"Aye Aye Admiral."


The Leviathan's huge cannons fired again, throwing hunks of metal down range at an opposing Connerian craft. Afterwards, the massive ship begins to slow while the other ships in the fleet spread out to either side of it; careful to keep a safe distance. Now turned sideways towards the Conner fleet, panels along the side of the Leviathan slide back, revealing a total of 22 artillery guns. "Hive is obtaining targets sir, we'll be ready to fire soon." - "Good, fire when rea-" Of course, with so much ship now facing enemy guns, the deck auto cannons were working over time to destroy enemy munitions before they reach the ship. Yet, there were times munitions flew through the defenses and impacted the ship. This time, an explosive round impacted the stern and close to the bridge. The armor of the Leviathan absorbed most of the blow, but a small hole was blown into the bottom half of the bridge and threw Admiral Koga and the rest of the crew at the top of the bridge to the floor.


"Damn it! Get the Fire crew down there and fire those guns!" Admiral Koga barked as he picked himself up from the ground. With the targets now locked into the ship's computers, the guns swivel in their place and target around 5 Conner vessels. All of the 22 guns then roar as they're fired in unison, forcing the entire ship to the starboard side from the sheer force. Whether or not the rounds impacted the ships they were aimed for, it was a show of force. Sadly, it would take even more time to fully reload all of the guns below deck, and with the primary guns on the Leviathan turned away from the enemy, they were more or less a sitting duck. However, it seems as though the enemy will not be able to capitalize on the ship's vulnerability as they begin to withdraw.


Immediately, Koga orders his own ships forward without the support of the Captial ship for the time being. The Destroyers and submarines continued to fire at the retreating forces, while the Icarus ships split to follow the fleet and to stay with the Captial ship while it turned around again. Just behind the Destroyers, the 16 Cruisers began to drop troop transports into the water which take off towards the shore. Each cruiser could hold 25 transports each, and each transport could carry up to 125 soldiers or a single armor piece. In total, the cruisers deployed a massive invasion force of 50,000 Serian Marines, Army Rangers, and Valkiri special forces (albeit a small number of them).


The landing crafts zipped through the waters towards the coast, and in many of them, there was a tense silence as explosions went off around them. Some of them had never been deployed or seen actual combat outside the Crucible. Now they were fighting with an actual objective. For some, it was a little nerve racking. In one of the crafts, a Private in the Army was chattering his teeth. It was his first deployment, and he was starting to feel the growing pressure with every explosion that shook the small craft. Next to him was a Valkiri, who looked over to the Private through his mask. The Private froze as he stared back at the man. The Valkiri lifted his mask off his face, and held out a bullet to the Private, a smirk on his face. "Put this in your mouth." - "I'm Sorry, what?" Another Valkiri sat forward slightly and looked over to the private while tapping his mask. "It keeps your teeth from chattering." The Private looks down at the bullet held in the clawed hand of the Valkiri, then takes it and places it in his mouth. "You'll be fine kid, just remember who you're fighting for and you'll make it out alive." - "Yes sir." - "Don't call me sir, we're all brothers in blood now. What's your name?" - "James F. Ryan." - "Well Private Ryan, keep your head on straight and you won't lose it!" - "Hooyah sir!"


Soon enough, the time came for the next step of the plan. The landing crafts stopped as they reached the shore, and the rear of the vehicle dropped down into shallow water or onto sand. "Everyone out! Lets go! Out out out!" Soldiers jumped out of the craft and made their way onto the beach in the midst of enemy fire. Sometimes however, the vehicle never got close enough to shore and exploded. All in all however, a large chunk of the invasion force made it ashore. Most Valkiri stayed and helped lead the rest of the forces forward, but a good number of them appeared to run away towards the treeline. They didn't even try to stop and soon disappeared into the Brazilian wilderness while the rest of the Invasion force attempted to make a beach head.


African Frontlines, Serian Territory
April 5th, 2060


Recon Officer: ...and there hasn't been any movement along the no man's land. The Connerians look to be dug-in, sir. If we move against them, they will have the advantage thanks to their defensive weaponry."


Field Marshal: "We can't send our men against a veritable wall of cold steel and hot lead." As the highest ranking person in the Serian Army and Marines, it usually depended on him and his aides to come up with the overall strategy that the military would use in destroying their enemy. By now, the Serian's had already placed their own defensive weapons and hardened the line against an enemy counter offensive. The Field Marhsal sat back in his chair and let out a long breath as he considered his options. A large, computerized map dominated the center of the room. The Field Marshal poured over the map, staring intently at each defensive position, statistics of their own available manpower and what air power they had, along with the pictures of the main battle leaders on the field. Among these, were the portraits of Captain Anaba and Captain Kuta (whose portrait was grayed out and had a large red X over it). [i]"Bring up the Battle Leaders on coms, I need eyes on the ground to get a better understanding of what's happening before we come to any decisions."


Com Officer: "Understood, bringing the battle leaders up on Coms now.... They're ready, Marshal."


From there, the Battle Leaders all give their own take on the situation on the ground and their opinion on what should be done moving forward. Captain Anaba put forward the idea of a head on charge, which would be costly but she believed that it would eventually break the Connerian line so that they could surge forward once more. However, another battle leader by the name of Captain Frost offered an alternative; a continuous bombing campaign from long range, followed closely by boots and armor moving on the ground. Finally, a plan was put forward that took the much more... Brutal route. The Field Marshal considered all of these plans in detail while looking over the map before finally coming to a decision and a course of action.


Field Marshal: "Now Hear This! This will be a four step invasion plan that should at least make the Connerian's rethink holding the positions they have. Anaba, you'll be leading the bulk of the invasion force right down the middle. You do not move until the order is given, do I make myself clear?"


Captain Anaba: [i]"Hooyah Sir, Always Forward!"

Field Marshal: "Captain Frost, you'll be leading the stealth portion of the invasion, move to the western coast and wait for further instruction. We're going to choke these bastards out!"


Captain Frost: "Understood Sir, getting on the next transport out of town."


Field Marshal: "Captains' Meeks and Tiberius, you two will lead the western and eastern forces through the no man's land. After stage one. It is imperative you keep up with Captain Anaba, without your support and artillery she'll be a sitting duck. We have the momentum, so lets keep it, dismissed!"


African Front,
April 5th, 2060
2100 Hours

Tensions were running high as the soldiers on the Serian side were getting stir crazy. The only thing they could really do at this point were run drills, train, and sit around. They knew there would be movement soon, as armor pieces were being sent from coast to coast. Captain Anaba was now in charge of the bulk of the Army and not just her tiny Penal Division and was busy making sure everyone was doing what they needed to and were ready for when the call was made. If that meant chewing out a greenhorn Private who'd just arrived because he wanted to whine about his role, that's what she did. "I don't care who your daddy is, I don't care who your mommy knows. I only care about my soldiers and destroying their soldiers. Now, if you cause me to believe you'll somehow endanger the things I care about, so help me Aeron I'll rip your heart through your knee caps and eat your still beating heart! Do I make myself clear Private?" - Y-Yes Ma'am!" - "I said, Do I make myself Clear?!" - "Yes Ma'am!" She then spun around on her heel and marched off with two people following close behind. The Private deflated and turned to his comrade who stood around while the Private was chewed out. "Who pissed in her coffee?" - "For the love of Aeron, you really are new, aren't you? Remember this: the male officers have bigger 'guns' than you do. Don't get in a pissing match with them, they've all got something to prove." - "And the female officers?" - "Their's is even bigger."

On the West coast, Captain Frost was assembling a tiny, 2,000 man battle group that would take rubber boats, ditch them, scuba dive to the coast, and land just behind the Connerian main lines and well behind the no man's land. Obviously, 2,000 soldiers weren't going to make much of an impact in regards to the entire theatre. However, when they land they'll be able to move behind those enemy lines almost completely hidden. Captain Frost and his men were to all wear gear dropped by the captured Connerian's and ensue chaos from within. It was admittedly a ballsy tactic, but if it worked, the pay off would be huge. Further in land, the pieces were being moved into position before finally the guns begin firing back to back. Missiles from the batteries behind the Serian Line began flying with the intent of smashing the Connerian Defenses. Artillery guns fired a mixture of either white phosphorus, smoke, or full blown explosive ordnance in the general direction of the Connerians without any real target in mind.


Instead of an attack from the front line soldiers, something much more... Peculiar came walking through the smoke. No, not walking; sprinting, as fast as it's body would allow. Following the first individual was a second, then a third, before finally hordes of NOVA infected soldiers swarmed into the No-Man's Land, completely and utterly unperturbed when their comrades were cut down by machine gun fire, artillery, or mines. NOVA allowed for an extreme increase in the adrenaline production by the body, while shutting down pain receptors, aggression inhibitors, and the body's natural self-preservation instinct. The result was a soldier with unadulterated aggression with a complete lack of fear. They were in all respects, true modern-day berserkers. The NOVA units would thus continue forward, tomahawks held tightly in their gloved fingers. Normal gun fire was enough to kill them, but wounds that would normally stun or stop a normal man did little against them. Some ran with whole arms blown off, while others on broken or fractured legs. These would probably die soon from blood loss, but the sight of them could unnerve the heartiest death-dealers. They had their targets, and by Aeron, they would pummel them into the ground if given the chance.


Captain Anaba saw her opening soon thereafter, giving the order for the bulk of the military to move right into the teeth of the enemy, keeping a safe distance away from the NOVA teams as they were just barely under control enough to follow very basic orders. Anaba's Penal divisions moved forward with intent, while the Rangers took up positions just behind them. A couple of miles to both the East and West the respective Captain's also ordered their own forces to move forward. They were to keep the pressure off of the main assault and also keep the Connerian's distracted enough to not notice Captain Frost on the West Coast. Unlike the initial invasion, bombers did not take off from Serian air force bases and take to the skies. Instead, they relied heavily upon close air support from attack helicopters and bombing runs by JAK-CA models. Pilots were then able to drop their payload on Connerian defenses if they made it past whatever AA weapons they themselves had set up.


"Popping smoke on enemy location, look for the red smoke!" A soldier peeked around the wreckage of a burning armored vehicle and chucked the smoke canister as close to the position he was referring to. Once it hits the ground, the ends of the canister break off and begin to release a cloud of red smoke into the air. "Be advised, location locked. Rain incoming." One of the dual barrel artillery vehicles turned it's guns towards where the smoke was flying from. There was a slight delay, but soon the vehicles guns rattled off 4 shots towards the marked position. Everyone knew this push was going to be hard going, but they would make that push anyway. In a way, the fearlessness of the Berserkers ahead of them all gave them the inspiration required to keep their own feet moving. They all knew those NOVA soldiers were only following the only instinct they had left, but the thought was still there. On top of that, the presence of the Battle Leaders were definitely a moral and effectiveness booster. No one wanted to let them down. Despite the fact that the Battle Leaders wore the same uniform as the average rank and file soldier while on the field, the subordinates knew who they were.


With the battle now in Full swing, Captain Frost and his team made their way out into open water in their dark blue inflatables and off the coast of the Connerian lines. The boats were small enough to not be caught by Radar systems, but were still vulnerable by way of someone actually seeing them somehow. "Masks on!" Captain Frosts whispered in the darkness, followed by his own squad putting their masks on. The 6 man team sat on the edge of the boat and prepared to dive into the silent waters. Frost, along with his team sliced the boat, then dived into the water; intent on leaving no trace of their presence in the waters. All along the coast were these silent insertions, men and women diving into the water and swimming to the coastline. If they were caught, they'd start the next phase of their mission early which was attacking the enemy from behind in their own uniforms. If the battle on the frontlines was able to distract the Connerian's enough that they wouldn't see the Serian forces climbing onto the beach as if they were turtles, then they'd remove their scuba gear, change into the Connerian uniforms, and move into more favorable positions with or behind the enemies.


Black-Reach Prison,
Undisclosed Location, Sera

"Colonel Xerxes! We have a disturbance in the mess hall!" - "What is it?" - "The Prisoners are trying to Riot, sir." - "Send in the Riot squad then, you idiot! Open the intercom."

Indeed, the prisoners were trying to riot in the mess hall by using whatever they could possibly use as a weapon. There were only 4 guards in the Mess Hall, and they were now trying their best to keep the situation under control. Obviously, it wasn't working out that well as they were clearly out numbered. It didn't take long for their own shock batons to be turned against them.

As ordered, a Squad of fully armored Riot Police who carried shields stood in the only entrance and exit in the hall. Each of them carried the same Shock Batons as their captive comrade's, though they also had pistols holstered on their thigh. Colonel Xerxes came over the intercom as the riot officers stood at the ready. "Now Hear This! Prisoners, this is Colonel Xerxes. You have one chance; and one chance only to release your captives and lay face down on the ground. If you do not, you will be met with harsh consequences. Choose wisely." Colonel Xerxes turns off the intercom, then waits while staring at a monitor that showed a live feed of the cafeteria. He waits roughly 2 minutes despite the prisoners continuing to throw trays, shoes, and anything else at the shields of the officers. Some of them layed down, which surprised Xerxes since Connerians weren't necessarily known for giving up. Though the vast majority continued to stand in the face of the officers. Xerxes frowns at the monitor, then turns on the intercom again. "Se'tok ro'la!" Now, the Officers begin to pound their shields with the shock batons, forcing sparks to bounce off the shield. They move forward slowly at first, but before long they sprint into the room and indiscriminately use their shock batons on whoever didn't get on the ground when they had the chance. As promised, the response was brutal.


As protocol dictated, all Prisoners were to be returned to their cells no matter where they were. The ones in the yard were corralled and led back inside (by force if necessary), the water in the showers were turned off, etc.


Camp Delta-Epsilon
Kansas, United States of Conner

It was a hard night to say the least. Lucky had lost his best friend and brother in the span of a few hours, and now he was held captive behind enemy lines in some slave camp. It seemed kind of Ironic now, his name. Was he really 'Lucky'? He didn't know for sure. True, he survived the battle while everyone else in his squad died, and thousands of other paratroopers. But he was still held in this camp. It was dinner time now, and Lucky sat with some other Paratroopers and a few of the sleeper agents who remained quiet whenever they weren't complaining to the guards that they had no recollection of the crimes they'd committed. Lucky and the rest of the captured Paratroopers refused to speak in anything but Serian or it's less widely spoken variant, Qua'taar. In this particular instance, Lucky was having a conversation in the mainstream Serian language. He didn't know whether or not the guards could speak either, though he was still careful with what he said around them.

(In Serian)
Lucky: "I don't know about you guys, but I'm planning on getting out of here. Our ancestors would be turning in their graves if they learned we were reduced to slavery again."


Paratrooper 1: "What are we going to do?"


Paratrooper 2: "Yeah, it's one thing to talk about getting out and a whole 'nother thing when actually getting out. We need a plan if we're going to do this."


Lucky: "I don't have a plan, yet. But we can gather some intelligence while we're in here and planning. We'll need to know how fast their response times are; that's our first step. If we can't gauge that, then we might as well let them shoot us now."


Paratrooper 2: "So we need something like a diversion? To see how quickly the get to certain places and respond to us?"


Lucky: "Exactly. I know where to start, too." Lucky nods his head towards one of the sleepers who sat at their table. For obvious reasons, the Sleeper had no idea what they were talking about or why they were now all looking at him. Even in here, Lucky could pull rank on the Paratroopers if he needed to. He turns around in his chair to the table next to theirs where another group of troopers were sitting. Lucky whispers something to them, and 4 of them nod. Immediately, the 4 troopers get out of their seats and round on the sleeper, hassling him and yelling at the man in Serian. One of the larger men yanked the sleeper out of his chair and pushed him into the trooper who stood behind him. Now distressed, the sleeper starts calling out to whatever guard was near enough to hear him. Now, Lucky nodded to his own group who also got up and started to do the same to other Sleeper agents in the room. Soon enough, the paratroopers were pushing, cursing at, and making a big commotion in the room. Other Paratroopers in the room didn't know what was happening, but they got up to try and break up whatever it was that was going on. With everything occurring in such proximity, it would be easy to assume they were trying to do the exact opposite.

Lucky, in his short sighted leadership didn't take into consideration security camera's that the Connerian's undoubtedly had in the prison. It would probably only take a little bit of looking to see who instigated the whole thing.

[United States of Conner]

Ciudad de la Luz
Brazillian Coast, United States of Conner
"All DECDA Operators, Serian units have moved into range. You are clear to open fire, I repeat, engage all hostile targets."

As soon as Serian ships were within fifty kilometers of the DECDA array, the lasers, tall machines mounted on top of buildings and on trucks, opened fire. The directed energy weapons took about a minute to recharge between shots, and fired a bolt of energy strong enough to put a five-meter-wide hole through solid metal. The DECDA weapons, however, could not rotate very fast, and thus were not much good at destroying landing craft. The DECDA weapons were therefore focused on the large Serian ships, and especially the Serian Leviathan.

The Leviathan was doing a lot of damage to the Connerian fleet. When the dreadnaught's guns fired in unison, the CNV Smithers, an Arkham-class missile platform named after an old senator, took the brunt of the impact. Several holes were immediately punched in the side of the ship, and the boat immediately began to sink. On the bridge of the Smithers, the ship's captain, William Jones, was informed that there would not be enough room on the ship's life pods for every crew member. Jones then ordered his command team off the bridge and locked the door behind them. As the ship sank, and life pods fired off of the ship towards the shore, Jones sent a digital letter to his family before firing the rest of the Smithers's arsenal in the direction of the Leviathan. With one missile left on the ship, Jones triggered the self-destruct mechanism, turning the ship into an unsalvageable ball of well-done steel.

Nobody outside of Jones's family would know about this, but that was just one unseen act of heroism on display that day. Unfortunately, those acts of heroism by Connerian soldiers was not turning the tide of battle.

Serian troops had landed in the Americas.

Of course, Connerian troops had already moved to engage the Serians landing on beachheads. Machine gun emplacements and artillery pieces sent metal rain down upon the beach, which were surrounded by cliff faces about fifteen feet high. Connerian B-70 and B-92 bombers worked in unison with A-54 attack aircraft and drone swarms, escorted by F-77 fighters, to turn anything on that beach into a crater. However, the Connerians were losing ground. Connerian VTOLs began to pull back into the Ciudad de la Luz, hiding from AA fire behind buildings and waiting for Serian troops to inevitably enter the city. The Connerian fleet might sink the entire Serian fleet, but that didn't change the fact that Serian boots were now on Connerian sand.

African Front
It played like something out of a video game. Most Connerian soldiers were issued shotguns, and those were the weapons that were commonly being used as the NOVA-infected soldiers moved closer. Connerian Fireteam 416 was right in the center of the battle, and the eight-person team was not having a good time. Radio chatter was flying as Tim Degaldo moved through a building crowded with NOVA infected. Not wanting to blink out a command to change his HUD and risk being jumped, he asked over his team's channel,

"Degaldo here. Can I get a thermal?"

A calm female voice came over the waves. "Degaldo, this is Holt. You have two friends coming around the corner. NOVA."

Degaldo took a deep breath, listened in with his audio enhancement, and then turned the corner into a long corridor in some sort of office building, cracking the butt of his shotgun into a Berserker's face. The NOVA subject didn't seem to be infected, but he did move backwards with the force of the hit. That gave Degaldo enough time to turn his shotgun around and blow the Berserker apart. Degaldo then dropped to one knee and squeezed off three more shots into the second Berserker coming up right behind the first. The Berserker fell and didn't get back up. Degaldo cautiously moved from the first Berserker, who had been completely decapitated by Degaldo's shot, to the second, where he took out his sidearm and squeezed a second shot into the Berserker's head.

"Degaldo, this is Jackson. I'm moving around the corner with a couple on my tail. Take 'em out for me?"

Degaldo responded with a "Wilco." Dropping to one knee, he pulled out his assault rifle as Jackson used his exosuit to jump off the wall and propel himself down the corner. A second later, two Berskerers came around the corner carrying machetes, and a second later both had dropped to the floor as Degaldo squeezed off six shots to the chest and head. He barely had time to breathe before be was tackled from behind by another Berserker. Degaldo saw the crazed face staring down at him, and saw a machete raise into the air before a boom cut through the air and the Berserker flew off Degaldo and into the nearest wall, leaving a streak of blood as it crumpled.

Jackson quickly moved over to Degaldo and helped him up. Groaning as he unfolded into a standing position, Degaldo said, "It's like a damn zombie apocalypse out here, ain't it?"

Jackson shook his head. "Just wait for it. Regular Serians are right behind them."

Degaldo nodded. "Well, let's get out there."

The two reloaded their weapons and then stepped out onto the street to continue fighting, their thermal vision turned on and their guns blasting.

Surprisingly enough, the Connerians were doing pretty well against the Serian Berserkers. Anti-personnel weapons and higher-caliber guns were pretty effective, and the automatic shotguns most Connerian soldiers carried proved good if any Berserkers got through the landmines, anti-personnel weapons, artillery shells and rockets from far away, and constant spray of MG fire from both drones in the air and emplacements on land. Meanwhile, more units engaged the Serian units through the smoke with their thermal vision, taking cover within the smoke and outside it. The Connerian HUDs determined what was an enemy tango and what wasn't, and the soldiers were shown it on their HUDs.

That being said, the Connerians, though being resupplied from land and air, could not keep this up forever. One side would have to break eventually.

That being said, with the news of Serian landings in Ciudad de la Luz coming in, Connerian commanders in Africa were damn motivated to make the Serians blink first.

Meanwhile, a nice exercise in Connerian technological advancement was occurring on the West Coast. It went something like this:

As battles rage on in Brazil and Africa, a Connerian reconnaissance drone flies about 75,000 meters above the ground. The drone notices strange patterns in waves and movement near the shore of several tactical points on the Western Coast of Africa. Though no strong thermal signature can be discovered, it relays the observation to a SWORD datacenter about 300 kilometers away. The SWORD webmaster onsite decides that it's worth investigating. The webmaster puts out a call on radio to any special forces in the region. One six-man team responds that it is near one of the irregularities and will investigate. The team identifies a mixture of fighters in non-Connerian scuba suits and fighters in Connerian armor and uniforms. The team gets on the radio and asks if any bombers were in range. A Connerian Air Force bomber task force replies that it is and begins low-flying bombing runs over the troopers up and down the coast. A few minutes later, Connerian gunships and personnel-carrying VTOLs arrive, their HUDs double-checked to ensure that any deactivated Connerian exo suit is flagged as an enemy. The Connerian troopers and gunships then begin to engage the troopers on the beach in infantry combat until air support and armor can arrive.

Blackreach Prison
Colonel George Norton might have been an officer, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to kill. As one of the initial rioters, Norton had grabbed one of the officers and was now wielding his shock baton as he held him in a headlock. When the doors opened and Serian riot troopers came in, Norton immediately took the shock baton and held it to the Serian's face, neck and heart. If Norton didn't kill the man, he would at least cause severe burns and probably permanent injury - a discharge either way.

Once Norton was satisfied the man was out for the count - dead or injured enough he wouldn't be going back into service - he rushed forward, shock baton in hand. He soon joined the wave of prisoners attacking the riot police. Unlike him, many of these officers were senior SWORD officers who could kill a man with their bare hands in a split second. In addition, they knew how to fight in almost any conceivable situation - including how to fight against shock batons and how to riot if they were ever taken prisoner. These men and women were taking their lunch trays or just their bare hands and trying to go for openings in the troopers riot armor - hit them in the throat or in the wrists, attempting to break bones or cut off airflow. If the officers could manage it, they would go for the trooper's guns or batons and use those weapons instead.

Norton was caught trying to go for a guard's gun. As a particularly strong Connerian officer and a Serian riot officer wrestled on the floor, Norton tried to go for the Serian's pistol on his thigh. However, a stray baton came across his back, and Norton was flung backwards. A second later, two Serians had him by the arms and were dragging him backwards. Norton screamed at the top of his lungs, "Don't give in to these scumbags! Whip their asses! Go for their fucking guns!"

Then Norton was hit on the side of the head, and everything went black. As one of the initial provokers of the riot, it was a good guess that he would soon be acquainted with the prison staff.

Meanwhile, across the prison, Connerian prisoners were beginning to realize what was going on. When they realized that a riot must be going on somewhere, and it must be major, the Connerian officers began to assault their captors with whatever they had. Some tried to rip fixtures off the wall, while others went at them with whatever they could find that wasn't attached to something else, while others just attacked the Serians with their bare hands.

It was what they had been trained to do. Most of them were also pretty damn patriotic and were pissed at being taken prisoner.

And besides, what did they have to lose?

Camp Delta-Epsilon

The Connerian officer in charge of Camp D-E's mess, Commander James Duncan, was not a fan of the Serians.

He had just been notified that his brother, Sam, had been wounded while on the front lines in Africa. Though Sam would live, he would likely need a prosthetic leg. While they made some pretty good prosthetics these days, James was still not happy. Besides that, he also, was a die-hard patriot and had been long before the recent surge of patriotism had swept over the typically internationalist population. Thus, when Duncan was informed that the Serians were fighting in the mess hall, he instantly stood up from his chair in front of the one-way glass overlooking the mess and called in a protocol - one of several for dealing with such an event.

As Duncan walked towards the mess hall, he witnessed several Serians who had been in the hallway being escorted or, if need be, dragged back to their barracks. Anyone who refused to cooperate would be beaten down and dragged back to their barracks, and likely be shipped south. In this camp, all the MPs wore heavy exosuits and armor that rendered them impervious to most assault. The prisoner to MP ratio was also rather low, to the point where in most rooms it was about 1:3 or 1:4.

In the mess, it was currently about 1:2. More MPs had moved in, circling around the room and standing by for the arrival of the officer on duty.

The officer on duty was not subtle. As he walked into the room, he grabbed a shotgun from one of the MPs and fired it into the air. The bang was unmistakeable. Duncan then spoke, his voice magnified over any noise the Serian prisoners could create.

"All prisoners are to stand down immediately. Those who do not will be dealt with severely. You have fifteen seconds."

Duncan fired the shotgun into their air again, then stepped back behind the MPs. The MPs closed ranks around the prisoners, forming an immovable wall around the fight.

The whole event had taken somewhere between thirty and forty-five seconds since the prisoners started rioting.

[Unified Sera Government]

African Forward Operating Base (FOB),
Codename: AXIOM

"They're really getting on my nerves... I'm ready to end this little African Conflict. Fuel up the Hyper transports and get them loaded up. I want 3 JAK squadrons ready to deploy, each squadron with 2 Trinity missiles. Have the battle Leaders ready to stop and dig in when I give the order. "

"Yes sir!"

"Field Marshal! We have confirmation that Captain Frost has been KIA'd, how should we proceed?"

"What? How? They didn't know we were coming from that direction!"

"Unknown, sir. Our operatives on the ground reported airstrikes along their landing zones. There are survivors, but not many. They're trapped without a way out and won't be able to last long."

"Relay this message: 'Your new objective is to last long enough to be reinforced, or until the line can be pushed back far enough for an extraction. Your secondary objective is to cause as much disturbance as you can. Become a literal thorn in their side! Do not surrender under any circumstances, And Rinok be with you.'"

"Understood sir, relaying message."

Landing Zone Charlie, African West Coast

The beach was covered in deep depressions, craters formed by Connerian airstrikes that they had not accounted for. By now, they had already shed any hopes of extraction and instead collectively decided to make a stand here and hold the beach head. It was wishful thinking that they'd be able to hold this location for any longer than half an hour, but it gave them a goal and something to focus on, and that was the important thing. Command knew they were dead men, though they didn't butter them up to get them used to their position. The Field Marshal didn't try commending them for their bravery. He only gave them a mission, and continued treating them as soldiers and thusly, with respect.

Now in charge of the forces on the beach, the First Leuitenant layed in one of the many craters, trying to avoid fire from enemy soldiers. His rifle rattled off round after round at the enemy while his men did the same all around him. Despite the odds, they tried their best to push forward into enemy territory, though it may have been as fruitless a venture if there ever were one. They lacked heavy weaponry, though they had plenty of explosives that they so happily shared with the enemy. C4 charges were thrown and exploded while men stayed concealed and searching the skies for enemy aircraft, hoping to possibly lock on to them and take them out of the sky. One of the remaining infiltrators busied himself with pulling the body of the former commanding officer Captain Frost into the same foxhole that the Lieutenant was in. Afterwards, the man layed right next to the lieutenant and fired his own primary rifle towards the enemy.


Several yards away, a group of 6 were crawling through the sand like baby turtles crawled towards the ocean after hatching. These turtles, however, were armed with heavy anti-personnel weaponry and were steadily crawling closer and closer to the enemy; only stopping to fire off a couple of rounds before continuing to crawl. The Serian military instilled a sense of duty that could not be matched in their soldiers that only toughened their resolve. By all accounts, the only time a unit surrendered was when an official ordered them too. Sure, it may be problematic as entire battle groups could be destroyed, but it was this mentality that also made them a tough enemy to fight. To them, their gods fought alongside them, and it would be downright blasphemous to drop their weapon and run when their gods are standing beside them and fighting for every inch just like they were. It was this same mentality that kept these infiltrators going, even in the face of certain death. Besides, by the time they die, they would have already sent Dinok Rah enough souls to have him personally escort them into the underworld and proclaim them as heroes! For now, one thing was certain...

The Connerians would have to deal with this admittedly small force on their sides and divert manpower to crush them.


The African Frontlines

Gone was the time of purely ranged fighting, as with the addition of the heavy smoke from debris and from smoke shells obscured vision heavily. Rangers moved building to building, executing breach and clear procedures that relied on shock and destruction of whomever was on the other side of the wall or door. Captain Anaba's team moved through the streets of one of the most combat heavy cities on the front line. The scene looked like it had come directly out of a war movie. Buildings were burning high above the smoke coverage, illuminating the otherwise dark streets below with a red and orange glow. One of the Rangers in Anaba's squad crouched next to the corner of a wall and peaked around, rifle at the ready. He heard voices followed by a few shots firing off. A Nova soldier came flying through the smoke and slammed into the wall where it crumpled into a pile of bullet ridden flesh. The squaddie then shouted over his radio: "Admeha! Admeha!" (Contact! Contact!) In response, the squaddie immediately started firing into the smoke aided by his heat vision, unsure whether or not he'd hit his targets.

Another squad mate circled around the corner and kneeled in the road and also started firing in the direction of the oncoming Connerians. The two taking up the rear moved to the building next to theirs and used it as cover, laying down fire support while they moved. However, despite their suppression of that road, a Connerian made it behind them and charged Anaba with a knife. She moves backwards, the blade narrowly missing her body but succeeding in slashing the sling on her rifle. The connerian kicks forward, knocking the weapon out of her hands. He moves again, inent on impaling her on his knife and thus taking out one of the offensive leaders in the African theatre. Yet, she moves again, dodging the weapon a third time. It was apparent now that Anaba was being attacked over the gunfire to her squad. Sadly, due to their positioning, Anaba was directly in the line of fire; preventing them from shooting the enemy. Despite the obvious threat that took the form of an advancing enemy column, one of her squad mates tries to dash to her aid, only to have a bullet glance off of his shoulder pad and throws him to the ground.

Captain Anaba takes a couple steps backwards that almost places her in the street her team were working to lock down with supressing fire. She reaches behind her back and draws out her own close quarters weapon, a traditional Serian instrument of death which used to consist of small jagged rocks along the side of the weapon, now replaced by armor piercing, flesh tearing pieces of steel. Anaba held her club aloft, and waited for the Connerian to attack again. As trained as they were, it was clear the Connerian was calculating his next move very carefully. "Zabin! Mdi-Rah? Mdi-Rah, Zabin? D'tai-kai'dte!" (Insect! Do you fear Death? Do you fear Death, Insect? Fight!) She didn't know if the Connerian understood her. Her squad on the other hand, understood completely and laughed over their communication system. In response, they taunt their enemy as well, shouting over the sounds of battle. Eventually, the Connerian moved in to attack again, to which Anaba side steps again while raising her savage club into the air and slamming it down with the aid of her armor into the Connerian's armor and flesh. It stays there for a moment, while the connerian falls to his knees, only for Anaba to place her boot squarely on the Connerian's chest and rip the serrated club clear of the connerian's now mutilated body.

Now free, Anaba retrieves her weapon and dashes to the aid of her fallen comrade and helps him to his feet. The man wasn't injured by any means, but he stayed down to keep from being shot again. Anaba forcefully pulls him to cover. Just as he's about to thank her, she slaps him on the side of his helmet. "That was an extreme loss of bearing! Keep your god damn head on!" He nods slightly, then joins Anaba in covering their rear.

Soon enough, the call to stop and dig in until further orders came through the communications systems. In response, everyone engaged in the primary offensive stopped moving forward and held their positions, not knowing exactly why as they had suffered less losses than what they had during the initial invasion. Unknown to them, Command had marked several locations where Trinity will be detonated. And high above the smoke were a total of 15 JAK-CA models, each one holding what appeared to be a Trinity missile. However, as was apparent during the battle on the Alaskan Coast, only one of them actually had the real weapon. And in this case, only 3 had the real payload. They all flew in a loose formation, attempting to minimize the damage done by any AA in the area. It was believed that with the darkness, the heavy smoke coverage, and so on that lock on's would be difficult for automated systems. As they neared the front, the 15 planes broke off into their smaller, 5 plane squadrons and screamed towards their deployment site. Despite their main mission being to drop the bomb and move out of range, they filled the void below with munitions; dropping napalm bombs on stretches of road to segment the enemy forces below. The closer they got, the lower they flew. Thus increasing the chances of a successful detonation while also increasing the probability of getting shot down. Eventually, the drop zones came up on their HUD's, and out of the 15 deployed, they only had 8 planes left. Each squadron launched their Trinity missiles, the thermobaric weapons flying directly towards the three separate locations across the battlefield.

After launch, they of course made it their job to get the hell out of town. Luckily for them, the real ones weren't destroyed. But that could quickly change if the Connerian's had some kind of weaponry that was capable of countering the Trinity missile's maneuverability. Regardless, if they detonated, the order for them to move forward was already given. If they don't, the ground forces were yet again, going to be ordered to move ahead.

Five Attack Helicopters flew low between the skyscrapers, their blades causing the smoke to swirl as they passed over, periodically firing their primary gun at targets on the ground. They bank to the left around a corner of one building and come barreling down a wide avenue. From their position, they begin to fire off their Hellstorm missiles along the road; each explosion blowing smoke away and showering the area with light. The rear-most helicopter is struck on it's tail by an unknown assailant, and soon starts to spin out of control. The helicopter then slams into a building before screaming to the ground and exploding on impact. At another battle zone, a Tank Unit of 3 made their way over abandoned barricades and fired their main gun over and over. At the top of each tank a soldier operated a heavy machine gun which was put to use by spraying anyone unlucky enough to be seen with 50 caliber rounds. Behind them were several squads of Army Rangers, and every time they reached a building with an appropriate highrise, a squad broke off and entered the building. If it was occupied with civilians, they were left alone for the most part. But if the building had occupants of the hostile variety, a flash bang followed by strobe flash lights were employed to assist in killing the enemy.

Otherwise, the unit made it's way to the top or as high in the building as possible, then locked down the stairways. From there, a sniper made his nest, utilizing a thermal scope, the snipers shot at anything that wasn't marked as friendly. In every battle zone except for the main offensive zone, this method was used to further increase the damage on the enemy.

Once more, the skies were inhabited with Serian aircraft as the sun started to peak over the horizon and as the artillery guns started moving forward, preparing a second barrage. The M-36 Hyperspeed troop transports were now seeing their first combat deployment in the war. Amid any AA fire, the carriers flew over the battle lines until they were ahead of the encroaching Serian Forces on the ground. Instead of dropping conventional bombs, they dropped reinforced capsules each full of either vehicles, soldiers, or a mix of both. One capsule could contain as many as 150 tightly packed Rangers, or 2 vehicles. These pods were also equipped with propulsion to slow, give slight course correction, and land. Landings in the pods weren't mutually exclusive to open spaces, either. They could in fact land in cramped surroundings, albeit roughly. In total, 50 M-36 models dropped 100 pods, totaling in at 15,000 fresh troops into the battle zone.


Overall, the onslaught was going much better than the initial assault. Serian Casualties were minimal, and it was hoped a surrender can be coaxed out of the Connerian's with time.

Ciudad de la Luz
Brazillian Coast, United States of Conner

The Leviathan was taking quite the pounding from the Decda Arrays, but it maintained it's position in the water for the time being as the damage sustained from the DECDA weren't threatening the ship too much, as the ship was large enough to simply shrug off the damage for the time being. The other ships, however, weren't as large as the Leviathan, and therefore were in a more precarious position. Indeed, one of the ships deployed by the Navy had the center of it's bridge vaporized by the massive machinery. Admiral Koga squinted his eyes as he surveyed the area before him while to his right a ship began to sink down into the depths. "Tell me... Those weapons must require a large input of energy in order to operate, correct?" - "Yes, Admiral. They should also be putting off a massive amount of heat at the source; kinda like what happens when the laser hit's something." - "That heat... Can it be picked up via thermal imaging?" - "I think so. Unless they have some kind of masking mechanism, in which case they'd be able to hide it. But with so much power and what appears to be the nature of the weapon, I don't think they'll be able to hide all of it." - "There are friendly drones over head. Reroute one until you find a big, fat, red spot. Then, bring it's view up on the screen." - "Aye Aye, sir."

The USS Fire of Liberation was taking heavy damage, and soon it's Captain gave the general order to evacuate and head towards land. The ship was going to blow, and the Captain was going to make sure it didn't take anyone else with it. He presses a button on his console, then instead of staying behind with his ship and dying with it, he climbs into the last escape boat. The vessel sails for a time towards open water before finally exploding in a brilliant show of fire, smoke, and shrapnel. The fleet was taking heavy losses, but not nearly as much as it would have been if the Air defense ships weren't deployed to combat the Conner Air force. What was taking a toll on the overall integrity of multiple ships were the pesky little drones that zipped about the deck of ships and showering them with machine guns. They were too small to be targeted directly by the HIVE systems, even if it was aware of their presence. Controlling the mosquito-like drones fell to the human crew members as HIVE determined they weren't worth the processing power to try and handle. On the deck of one ship in particular, the Security Crew were being absolutely slaughtered by the machines. They attempted shooting them, but realized it was a fruitless venture. Yet one member in particular had an idea. "Hey, Hey! Give me your grenade!" As requested, the other crew mate hands over his grenade. The man pulls the pin, and holds it in his hand, counting quietly to himself. When it became clear he was cooking the grenade, those closest to him made themselves scarce in whatever way they could. Finally, he stands up and launches the grenade at wherever they were thickest and ducks back down. Moments later, the grenade explodes, taking a bunch of the little bastards with it. "Cook the grenades then chuck em'! Throw them wherever there's a ton of em'!"

Meanwhile, as Koga awaited the necessary information to be relayed to him by the drone, the soldiers on the beach were continuing their push forward. At first, the cliff mounted guns proved trouble for the encroaching forces. But once heavy troopers made it on to the beach, they equipped their launchers and fired at the elevated positions. Hoping to either make them slide off the cliff, or to outright destroy them. Alongside this, the Valkiri units -obscured by their black cloaks- moved across the beach like living shadows; always moving and only losing their shadowy-like nature when their weapons illuminate them for brief periods. The sand had turned from it's once pristine white to a dark crimson in some area's, while smoke plumes rose into the sky from the wreckage of transport carries; oil leaking from their ruined bodies and into the once clear waters. The Serian landing force could only focus on what needed to be done, even as the screams or cries from the fallen of both sides permeated through the air just as much as the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Soon, they worked themselves into a rythem: Fire, Cover, Run, Fire, Cover, Run... Over and over until they had reached the cliffs.

Marines and Rangers worked together to climb the cliffs with the aid of ropes. The Valkiri on the other hand, merely used the claws on their gloves and motors in their suits to haul themselves up and over the edge of the cliff. From there, they climbed into whatever tree's were around, and began to prey upon the enemy forces as they pulled back. Serian Marines and Rangers were right behind the Connerian's, and soon were on their way to the distant city. The Valkiri who'd disappeared into the forests during the battle and didn't take part in the push forward were moving in 3 man teams among the darkness. They actively sought out Connerian squads relied heavily upon ambush and surprise. If they overwhelmed a unit, they routinely strung up the bodies by the ankles. The Valkiri were brutal, but they weren't dumb. They understood fully the value of psychological warfare. And in a war like this, every edge needed to be used to the fullest.

Serian Troops felt at home in the jungle, and if they could, would fight the entirety of the war from the confines of the undergrowth. Centuries ago Serians fought with their bodies painted and bare while using surprise and guerrilla tactics to decimate the enemy. Now, things were a little more complicated... And perhaps, this complication would be the undoing of the Connerian military in a heavily forested area such as Brazil. Keeping with tradition, before the battle Serian soldiers hand painted their armor to resemble the forest itself. And now, this camouflage will help them stay hidden. Now that the bulk of the invasion force was no longer on the beach, they all split up into smaller squads and spread out in the jungle. They all moved slowly, blending in with the forest as they marched to the city. Their push was incessant, and their destination known to everyone. (OOC: If there is no resistance in the forest, then the attack on the city starts immediately.)

On the now Serian Controlled Beach, those left behind quickly started to create defensive positions by unloading the barricades, setting up the long range and short range SAAM batteries, and re-positioning the machine gun nests. An intelligence center would also begin to form, while they also began sorting out the wounded, stripping the dead, and burying them. It would be a long process, indeed. And a sense of monotony could have easily set in if it weren't for the sea battle happening behind them. Admiral Koga was finally greeted with what he wanted: An image of large heat signatures further inland. It was much too far to be directly hit by any weapons the Navy had available at the moment, though Koga had a plan for taking out those guns. "Contact Anchorage, immediately." - "Aye Aye, Admiral. One moment... There, you're patched through."

SSA Officer: "Ah, Admiral Koga. We didn't expect a call from you at this hour... We hope the battle is going we-"

Admiral Koga: "I don't have time for formalities. Tell me, the Zeus platforms, can I use them?"

SSA Officer: "Admiral, I thought you were aware that they were destroyed at the onset of the war? They're mostly inoperable, and definitely cannot drop a payload."

Admiral Koga: "I am aware. Do their propulsion systems still work? Can you still guide the wreckage?"

SSA Officer: "Yes, we can still guide them. But why would you want to move them? Like I said, they can't drop a payload."

Koga scowls at the video, then wipes his brow. "I'm. Going. To. Use. Them. As. Bombs. Understand?"

SSA Officer: "O-Oh... Yes, that can be arranged. Upload the coordinates and watch the skies; you're in for a meteor shower."

As requested, the coordinates from the drone were uploaded to the SSA headquarters in Anchorage. As the Zeus platforms were mostly rendered inoperable, they couldn't fire anything by way of munitions. However, the platforms themselves could be used. Koga knew they wouldn't do very much damage if any at all, as the complex is undoubtedly guarded heavily with Anti-everything. It was less of an attack, and more of a message. With the platforms last firing location being over Conner City and thus over North America already, it didn't take much for the SSA to use what little propulsion systems they still had to nudge whatever was still connected to the satellites in the direction of the DECDA. At the very least, there'd be a lot of cleaning up for them to do, that's for sure.

SSA Officer: "Impact charted at 15 minutes."

Black-Reach Prison
Undisclosed Location, Sera

Xerxes sat down in his chair and furrowed his brow. "Lockdown... Unleash the hounds, collar off. And bring him," Xerxes points at the monitor towards where the two guards were dragging one of the instigators away. "to me... I'll be in my office. I want this contained within the hour." As ordered, more officers entered the main confines of the prison in full battle-rattle. In one hand they held their shields, in the other, the large beast-like dogs -held by the collars- in the other. The officers worked to contain the situation themselves, though when the order came down to take the collars off, they were more than happy to do it. When the officers moved to take the collar off, the dogs immediately started snarling in the direction of the prisoners. And once the collars came undone, the dogs had already taken off in their direction before the collar even hit the floor. The dogs were trained to take down those who were causing problems, and as they were used to hunt big game, taking down a lowly human was child's play. The massive hounds barreled down the halls in the more troubled wings of the prison, tackling men and women to the ground and holding them there while officers re-arrested them.

In the cafeteria, the situation was becoming more and more one sided, as the Officers mercilessly beat down whomever kept trying to fight them, or didn't immediately give up. Serian officers didn't beat a man while they were down, of course. Soon, the entirety of the little riot was contained. Colonel Xerxes stood in his office, his gaze looking out beyond the Razor wire and towers. What he wouldn't give to be out of this hell-hole. The door opened, and two guards stepped through with the prisoner in question. They dropped his unconscious body into the chair, then strap him down.

Just because he didn't want to be here, didn't mean he doesn't like his job. Oh no, this was his favorite part. Xerxes came around his desk, his gloved finger tips sliding across it's mahogany surface until he's standing right in front of the Prisoner. He gives a slight nod to the nearby guards, and the splash the prisoner with icy water to get him awake and alert. "I have a few... Questions for you. While I ask them, we can also play a game. It's one of my favorites; learned how to play it when I first got here, I did." Xerxes pauses for a moment, then cracks his knuckles. "It's simple really. I ask, you answer. Don't answer, and... Well," Xerxes rears back and throws a haymaker right at his jaw. Immediately after, he straightens up and shrugs a little. "That happens. Annoy me enough, and it won't be just you feeling the pressure. Now tell me, what unit are you from? What's your Rank? And where are you keeping my brothers and sisters? I know you can understand me; I may have an accent but I'm sure as hell speaking English."

Camp Delta-Epsilon

"...fe'na." Lucky said quietly to himself as they were surrounded. He stepped forward and held his hands in the air, followed by shouting to his comrades: "Set'lon da!", which meant more or less 'stand down'. The rioters let the sleepers go, and also put their hands up. It may have been odd to see them give up so easily and without fighting them. For anyone who knew a Serian, it was extremely uncharacteristic for them to just give up without conflict. Lucky, on the other hand, had completed their original goal and didn't think it would be wise to have them all pushed in a higher security part of the complex. "We... Um... Sarr-ender. No need for... fight. We will go back to da'ten, cells." Lucky could speak perfect English, though he spoke as if he were struggling. He figured it would be better for them to speak he didn't speak English very well, as opposed to them knowing he spoke it fluently. Already, there were those under Lucky who weren't pleased with the outcome. They'd surrendered twice in the span of how ever so many hours. Specifically, a single man standing at the back of the room who stared daggers into the back of Lucky. In his mind, Lucky was a weak leader and didn't deserve to lead them at all.

Lucky needs to be removed.

[United States of Conner]

African Front
The arrival of hypersonic dropships had changed everything. Connerian forces in the city were not prepared to take on 15,000 additional Serians. Commander Luiz Jacobson was preparing to order a retreat when he heard the sound of jets streaking overhead.

Jacobson stepped outside to look around as anti-aircraft missiles flew forward to meet the squadron of jets. Multiple jets were shot down, but three were able to drop their payloads. Jacobson saw one bomb meet an anti-payload weapon and turn into a small fireball in the sky, and looked to where he thought the other payloads would be dropping when the sky turned white. Jacobson was thrown off his feet and felt a burning sensation. Instinctively, he rolled around on the ground, until he felt the burning subside. He quickly ran back to what he knew was inside to avoid further airstrikes. As he was waiting for his eyes to clear and his ears to stop ringing, the first thing he heard was panicked chatter over his radio.

"All units, we have confirmed use of thermobaric weapons. I repeat, confirmed use of thermobaric weapons. This is Strategos 2 actual - all units are to pull back immediately. I repeat, retreat to Connerian reinforcement line ninety kilometers south."

As soon as Jacobson recovered, he began to speak to his team. "Echo Group, we are withdrawing to the reinforcement line ninety kilometers back. All teams find your vehicle and begin to pull back. VTOLs will be on evac standby."

Jacobson shut off his comms and screamed. They weren't going to stop the Serians. STRATCOM had made the decision to pull back and hold the Serians about ninety kilometers south of the border, aided by existing fortifications and natural barriers. His team wasn't prepared to deal with thermobaric weapons - pulling back was the smart decision. That being said, it didn't make him happy that the USC was retreating at all.

The evacuation as underway as Jacobson stepped out into the street. Connerian soldiers were hopping into VTOLs or onto armored vehicles. A heavy armored vehicle, already filled with men, pulled up to Jacobson. The driver, one of his staff members, barked, "Sir, get the hell in here!"

Jacobson complied, squeezing himself into an inside that looked like thirty sardines into a can meant for ten. As soon as the back door closed, the driver yelled for someone to get on the main MG. To avoid having to move around inside the jam-packed interior of the vehicle, Jacobson got on the main MG, moving his head up into the protected MG mount. From here, he had a 360 degree view through a cylinder of bulletproof glass. This allowed him to see various Serian units, on which he opened fire with the MG to suppress or eliminate them. At one point, Jacobson was a bit slow, and one Serian unit got an RPG off. The RPG glanced off the side of the vehicle, shaking it greatly. Such exchanges continued until the vehicle was safely outside of the city, at which Jacobson considered that he had probably just killed several Serian soldiers and possibly shot down an aircraft of some sort. Not bad for a Commander.

The Connerian Armed Forces had all but pulled out of the city entirely. Special truck seeded an inordinate amount of mines and explosive drones - small, practically undetectable UAVs that could be activated and piloted as a remote-control bomb at any time - on major roads and strategic points as they moved back. Connerian attack VTOLs and artillery pieces covered for the retreating troops. Though Connerian bullet-based AA fire was of limited effectiveness against the hypersonic transports, the AA that could launch missiles at Mach 6.7 was having some luck.

Now, most Connerian troops were behind a network of forts and mountains. Some units were licking their wounds, while others were waiting anxiously to engage Serians. It remained to be seen if the Serians would come at them.

Western Coast of Africa

If the amphibious assault teams Sera had sent wanted a fight, they would get one.

As bombing runs continued up and down the coast, Connerian VTOLs were beginning to drop in troops on the clifftops above. These fire teams were equipped with everything from sniper weapons to grenade launchers to make sure that the Serians on the beach regretted being down there.

As the conflict on the beach continued, Connerian ships began to circle around. Fallen Angel-class destroyers, Arkham-class missile platforms, and a pair of Conner-class aircraft carriers moved as close to the shore as they could to begin to pound the beach with airstrikes, salvos, and railgun fire. The bombers flew overhead like streaks of light, one of them catching a rocket from a Serian on the beach. The bomber began to spin out of control, and its crew ejected out as grenade fire was directed at the origin of the rocket.

The beach quickly turned into a veritable hell. The Connerian soldiers on the clifftops, while not taking many casualties, were not invincible. Likewise, the Serian soldiers on the beach were far from invincible, surrounded as they were. The beach soon began to mix red and white, to the point where the red-soaked sand was the majority and pristine white sand was less common.

As this occurred, an open communication was sent to channels that Connerian commanders hoped the Serians were listening to. This was a needless fight, and it was to end as soon as possible. Connerian commanders didn't relish wasting time, lives, and ammo wiping out this small force, and perhaps even felt a bit of pity for these troops that clearly had no hope for extraction. Whether they had been sent on a suicide mission of the Connerian intelligence apparatus just had good luck catching them was unknown, but either way, that was ballsy, to continue fighting like they were. It didn't matter that they were doomed - the Connerians could respect that.

Serian soldiers, you do not have to die needlessly on this beach. If you surrender now and lay down your arms, you will be treated fairly and with respect for the honor with which you have fought. If you do not, we will be forced to destroy you. The choice is yours - lay down your arms and live, or die for a nation that has abandoned you.

Ciudad De La Luz

The Serians may have been trained in jungle warfare, but for Connerians, it was all about urban warfare.

Given that most of the USC was urban sprawl, most conflicts that had been predicted would take place would have a majority of their fighting in cities. Thus, Connerian soldiers, though trained in all environments, were primarily city fighters.

As Connerian units were moving back through the forest, their thermal gear allowing them to see most ambushes as they came - though that didn't prevent them from being overrun by the vast number of Serian soldiers moving through the jungle - more soldiers, tanks, VTOLs, drones, and aircraft were waiting by the jungle's edge. As Serian forces started to emerge from the jungle, smoke was deployed all along the front lines. Connerian soldiers used their thermal HUDs to see through the smoke and aim at Serian forces, while Connerian VTOLs and drone swarms tried to stay out of range of portable anti-aircraft weapons while firing their payloads. Within minutes, the edge of the forest and the first thirty meters on either side of that line became a meat grinder, dust, mud, and bits of human flying through the air, the symphony of machine gun fire punctuated every few seconds by an explosion that would shake the ground.

The Connerians were quite aware that if the Ciudad De La Luz fell, it would mean another pullback - most of Brazil had been deforested, but there was still enough for the Serian units to cause chaos. Thus, holding the Serians at bay here was imperative.

Meanwhile, multiple CODA (Connerian Orbital Defense Array) operators in Conner City, Hyperion, and other places almost had a heart attack when they saw dozens of hunks of metal falling from space. However, calmer heads soon prevailed, and most of the falling satellites were met with anti-aircraft missiles and sticker drones - small drones that attached themselves to the object, tunneled themselves into proper position, and then detonated themselves. One satellite actually came very close to making contact, before it was blown to smithereens by a guided missile launched from the ground.

Nonetheless, wreckage was already everywhere. Though it hadn't caused much damage, it was still shattering windows, hitting parked cars, and in one case, almost taking down a small shop. Connerian Armed Forces fire control would be there soon enough. In the meantime, the Connerian line kept up the fire against the advancing Serians, while heavier artillery further back alternated targets between the advancing Serians and the beach, where a surprising amount of logistics were beginning to be set up.

Undeterred, the DECDA continued to fire. The naval battle wasn't over yet - the DECDA began to focus its fire on the Serian anti-air ships that were tearing through Connerian air support, while more drown swarms were dispatched and their operators began to space the drones out after seeing the Serian's new grenade tactics. The drones continued to fire their machine guns, more swarms being launched to replace the ones that were running dry. When a drone ran out of ammo, it would do something like bank hard and fly to the nearest bridge, try and locate a window to crash through, or find Serian security teams on deck and crash right into them in a Kamikaze-style attack. The little drones, due to the volatile fuel cells they used, packed a pretty powerful punch for their size.

Meanwhile, more Connerian destroyers, carriers, and missile platforms had joined the battle. The Connerian Navy couldn't inland the Serian troops that were already on land, but they could make the Serian navy regret coming here. Railgun shots were fired at the anti-aircraft ships, cruisers, destroyers and troop carriers. Arkham-class missile cruisers began to arrive in large numbers, firing off their payloads at vulnerable targets. Meanwhile, Hades-class submarines began to engage in submarine warfare, their stealth technology allowing them to remain virtually undetected as they fired off anti-sub measures. Connerian bombers also fired off anti-submarine bombs, while Connerian carriers dropped anti-sub drones into the water - small drones that could move quickly and quietly underwater, strapped with bombs and that would attack themselves to hulls and then explode, hopefully puncturing the hull of a submarine. Anti-ship drones, a variety of anti-sub drones modified with a larger payload in exchange for a slower top speed, were also being deployed against Serian ships, including the Leviathan.

Blackreach Prison

George Norton laughed at Xerxes.

It wasn't a laughing matter, that was for sure. Norton was alone, with Xerxes, in a place where he was near-certainly sure there was no oversight or statute of limitations. That being said, the whole "Tell me what I want to know or else" thing made him laugh uncontrollably at first. It was only after another punch to the jaw that Norton stopped and stared Xerxes right in the eyes, calm as could be - no struggle, just staring down a man that held his life in his hands.

"You think you can break us? You do, don't you? You think you can threaten my and my colleagues and because of that, I'll spill like a fuckin' squealer, yeah? Well guess what? You fucked with the wrong people. I'm not going to break, because I have a wife and kids, and I'd damn well rather die without betraying them than live knowing that I've put any one Connerian in danger. You want something out of my brain, you're going to have to go in there and dig out the fuckin' grey stuff yourself."

Norton spit in Xerxes's face.

"Because I would rather be tortured and killed on my feet than live and grovel to you bastards on my knees. Fuck you."

Camp Delta-Epsilon
As the Serians began to stand down, Commander Duncan was tapped on the shoulder by a uniformed MP. Leaning in, the MP pointed to Lucky and whispered something in his ear. Duncan nodded and whispered something back.

Within a few seconds, two more MPs had gone forward, handing their shotguns off and remaining armed only with shock batons - to limit the risk of injury to Connerian units were they to be attacked - and handcuffed Lucky, throwing him to the floor. Duncan took a step forward and spoke as the two MPs began to drag Lucky away.

"Prisoner 2451 is to be taken away for inciting a riot. It is possible he will be sent south. This is an example of what will happen should you not cooperate. Dinner is over, return to your bunks at once and be prepared for breakfast in the morning. Thank you."

When Duncan returned to his office, Lucky was sitting in a chair across from him, tied only around the waist with high-strength wire, his hands free.

Duncan sat down at his side of the desk and said, "Before we begin talking, 2451 - I believe they call you ... Lucky? Yes, Lucky - would you care for something to drink?"

STRATCOM HQ3
Undisclosed Location, United States of Conner

"Sir, we have reports coming in from Africa. The Serians have deployed thermobaric bombs against the troops on the front line."

"Shit. Four, what does this mean for us?"

"We have to get this out to the news as soon as possible."

Within a few hours, a PSA had been put out by the Connerian government that would be picked up by almost every major news channel.

The camera cuts to helmet footage of Serian jets flying overhead. The jets drop their payload and continue off, Connerian jets in hot pursuit. The wearer of the helmet cam has just enough time to see one of the jets be shot down before the world goes white. Though the camera recovers long before it's wearer does, it still shows the scenes of horror inflicted on Connerian soldiers and civilians. In one corner of the camera, two Connerian medics are desperately trying to save a burnt and bloodied civilian, who isn't moving. Nearby, a small corner shop, which once read, "Walden's Coffee" is on fire, Connerian fire control teams attempting to put it out. Fires are everywhere, and the scene is one of utter devastation.

The scene then fades to black, to be replaced by plain white text.

Serian forces are now using thermobaric weapons against Connerians. This is not a minor conflict - this is a world war.

The feed then switches to helmet cam feed of Valkiri stringing up Connerian bodies by their ankles. One Valkiri notices the wearer and comes for him, but the Connerian responds with a throwing knife before running away. The screen fades to black once again.

Serian forces are committing acts of brutality against your fellow citizens. It is time to fight back. If you are willing to fight for your nation - report to your local recruitment station.

This war will not end unless we choose to take a stand against the enemy at our gates. Show the Serians what Lux e Tenebris really means - and stand and fight the Darkness that wishes to end our way of life.

[Unified Sera Government]

African Front Lines

The additional forces that were dropped on the battlefield clearly shifted the momentum greatly. Where before the Serian Warmachine was slowed to a crawl, the additional forces and use of TRINITY sped that crawl up until it was a full on sprint. The sight of the retreating Connerian forces were one for sore eyes, and when Serian forces saw them they immediately gave chase with whatever was available. Chasing them was difficult as their artillery laid down suppressing fire on whatever forces moved to intercept them, so Command gave an order to allow the Connerian's to pull back until the weapons left behind were gone. Afterwards, Command gave the order to use the special mine clearing trucks in order to allow for safe passage forward. These vehicles slowly crept forward, slapping the ground over and over with heavy spinning chains that were designed to detonate the mines in it's path.


Anaba and her team were moved away from the front along with most of the soldiers who've been fighting since the battle begun. They were going to be moved from the African front and sent back to the FOB, where they'll be then transferred to another base and prepped to be dropped into the Brazilian theatre after some home leave. Anaba sat back in the seat of the APC her team rode in before taking off her helmet and holding it in her lap. Her comrades in the APC did the same, and after a brief moment of silence, someone started to laugh. Their laugh was soon compounded by the laugh's of the others in the vehicle. "We made it! Whoo!" - "We're going home boss!" - "Hell yeah!" Anaba herself couldn't help but laugh also, she was glad to be able to serve her country; that didn't mean she wasn't excited to be going home for the time being! "Hey ladies, when we get back, first round on me!" - "Heh, an officer spending money on us lowly grunts? It must really be the end of the world." - "Well let it come after we get our drinks, yeah?"


Not every Serian soldier was going to be able to be sent home in full, or even at all. Serian medical officers, clad in unarmored white unifroms with Red insignia's were moving about the one-time battlefield. They moved from person to person, soldier or civilian, Serian or Connerian. The wounded were helped as much as possible, given anesthetic, tourniquets and the like to keep them alive for the time being. They were then helped onto trucks who would take them to a field hospital near the FOB. Those who weren't going to make it and instead die in a long and excruciating way, were given quick ends. It was tiring, nerve wracking work that these men and women did, though they continued on in doing it without complaint; even when they were spit on, cursed at, or struck by fallen Connerian's.


However, the soldiers in slow pursuit of the retreating Connerian forces weren't as forgiving. Whenever it was possible, they tried shooting whatever Connerian they could. Now that they were in full retreat, Bombers streaked across the sky headed towards where they were going to hold back a Serian onslaught. Command had another idea entirely. When Serian forces closed the distance to just within 10 miles of the newly established line a few hours later, they stopped and started setting up defenses of their own. MG nests were planted, bombs laid in the roads, and AA weapons set up on the rubble of some buildings and the rooftops of some that hadn't tumbled to the ground. Soldiers manned these weapons around the clock, watching the sky and what they could of the 10 mile stretch between both forces. Serian Command had a simple plan for the African front that would make it impossible for a Connerian invasion from the parts of Africa still in their control. Basically, they'd keep a standing force there with enough weapons and ammo to make a counter invasion difficult. Further, they'd continually pound away at the opposing side with Long range bombers, short range bombers, and JAK-CA models whenever possible.


For the Serians, the African theatre was coming to a close. The HCAF didn't have any other major offensives planned for now, as their goal of pushing the Connerian's into a position where they could not mount a counter without heavy losses. Inversely, they're new positioning would make any Serian offensive difficult to say the least, and as per Serian custom; intelligence officers were already launching small aerial drones linked to the HIVE to chart Connerian movement, strength, and defensive abilities. Whenever the drones were shot down, they'd merely plot a point where the shot was fired if able, and just like that the rest of the Drones knew about a hostile encampment.


Ciudad de la luz,
Brazil, United States of Conner


Hours have already passed since the Serian's made land fall in the Connerian homeland. In those few hours, the Marines and Army Rangers (aided by the Valkiri) made excellent progress thus far. However, the Leviathan was taking a beating from those DECDA array's, and Koga won't be able to move his plan into full motion just yet. Admiral Koga braced himself on the Command console in front of him and scowled as the ship rocked to one side after taking yet another hit. As much as it bereaved him, he couldn't lose the most powerful ship in the Serian armada. As such, he pressed a button on the console which brought up communications with the other captains in the fleet. "Now Hear This! I'm pulling the Leviathan out of this fight. We can't lose her. Keep the pressure on these bastards until reinforcements can arrive from the French coast, they're due in an hour or two. Do not take any unnecessary risks, we don't want our boys on the ground trapped without any friendly naval support. May Aeron and Rinok guide your hands. Koga, out." With that, Koga gave the order much to his dismay, to begin the process of retreat for the Leviathan. Before it left though, Koga made sure to give the Connerian's one last present. The Leviathan's primary weapons surged with energy once more and then fired it's weapons multiple times before turning tail and sailing back out to sea with a pair of Icarus ships trailing.



On the beach, the soldiers continued to set up what they could (nothing important as they were still being hit by enemy fire) and began to establish anti-ordnance weaponry. The weapons were linked and could collectively zero in on certain projectiles and blow them out of the sky before impact. Although... That wasn't what Koga was leaving the Connerians. In truth, what he was going to leave them were two things that could be more destructive than the Leviathan's weapons could ever achieve. One was an experimental weapon at best; and technically, he wasn't supposed to deploy the weapon under any circumstances. Though, he felt like this would be a golden opportunity to test it. Many of the soldiers that were now approaching the City of Light were equipped with special grenades that emitted 'infrasound' which is a type of sound that can't be actively detected by human ears alone, and can cause physical illness and hallucinations. Serian operators on the ground already had their gear filtering out such Infrasound so that they could utilize the speaker-like grenades they've been given. Koga gave the command from the Leviathan, and the Serian soldiers along the tree line threw the grenades towards the Connerian operators. Through the cacophony of warfare, these devices might have gone unnoticed from the darkness, action, and comparatively minuscule nature of the devices. However, once thrown, their effects would be immediate to anyone without a particular counter to the frequencies the devices made. Sufferers would feel anything from sea sickness to horrifying hallucinations. (OOC: It's a real thing, it's pretty scary.) It was unknown if the frequencies would have any effect on those operating machinery such as the VTOL's, for those Serian Soldiers fielded another weapon.


Nicknamed 'Shredder Missiles', these missiles were created to fly a certain distance from the launch point and detonate; sending hundreds of jagged chunks of metal in every direction. Right after the Infra Grenades were thrown, 20 soldiers in total pulled the rocket launcher from their backs and took aim. They weren't aiming for the VTOL's or soldiers themselves, but instead the space between them to maximize their efficiency. The weapons were fired, the missiles flying towards the enemy with deadly intentions. Soon enough, the missiles exploded with a fiery blast punctuated by hundreds of jagged shrapnel pieces in all directions. It was unknown whether or not the metal shards of death would penetrate the VTOL's armor, though it was believed that it could cause damage to the aircraft's propulsion systems. On the other side, there were no doubts that the shrapnel would penetrate body armor.


A Valkiri known only as 'Preacher' was the Battle leader for the current invasion, and as such he was calling the shots through his helmet and over his coms system. It was a hard job he had, especially now as they were in the heat of battle and sorely out gunned. Yet, that would soon change. Preacher got a call from an officer on the beach, telling him that the long range weapons and artillery that they'd brought were ready. "Noted, we're going to mark targets with red smoke. We are danger close, I repeat, we are Danger close!" - "Affirmative, watching for smoke." Preacher pulled a flare off of his belt and throws it at where he thought defenses were. Following him, soldiers also throw their flares and shoot tracking darts at enemy armor and aircraft if they're close enough. These darts would allow for advanced targeting by the beach head. A few moments later, the artillery sitting on the beach began firing; the large guns throwing smoke out of their barrels along with heated explosive rounds.


With the artillery firing in full effect, Preacher gave the order to move forward. They needed to take every diversion, distraction, and advantage they had. Moreover, they needed to get better coverage. Serian Valkiri, Rangers, and Marines moved ahead, using whatever cover was available. From dead connerian's to car doors; if it could slow or stop a bullet, they were using it. This was the most dangerous time of the invasion, they were without any means of dodging or avoiding all out fire from the enemy, they had to be mindful of their positioning thanks to their own artillery barrages, and they needed to be aware of Connerian ground forces. Preacher wasn't in the front lines, as losing him would be a major blow. It was only a matter of time now with the full bulk of the Serian invasion force swelling forward towards the enemy. They were ready to die, ready to take the Connerians with them, ready to exact vengeance for the fallen. On the large scale, the war was built on many different things and set off by an assassination. Though now, the soldiers who fought it are fighting not only out of duty and loyalty to their gods, but also to pay the Connerian's back for everything they'd done.


[/b]Black-Reach Prison,
Undisclosed Location, Sera


Xerxes chuckled a little and wiped the spit from his face. "Heh, no no. You see my good friend, I knew you'd throw some cliche' out like that. I'm no idiot, I know I won't be able to break you that easily through conventional torture means. However... I am a busy man with very little patience." Xerxes stepped away from Norton and walked towards the door, each step even and calculated. He opened the door, and nodded to a guard that was standing outside. A moment later, Xerxes returns and sits on the edge of his desk. "You Connerians are such odd people. You give off a 'mightier than thou' persona whenever we encounter you. I just find it... Funny, really. You all hide behind technology, walls made of plastic and steel." Xerxes pauses for a moment as the door opens and the shuffling of feet is heard. Two guards enter with a prisoner. His arms are bound behind his back, and the two men force him down on his knee's near Norton. "We Serians build our walls with men. You see Norton, when we attack, the walls atrophy. They get weaker with time... Rust, bullet holes, dents, dings. Sooner or later, those walls fall down. And those weak, untested men on the other side will be eaten alive. While your walls get weaker, our men only get stronger."


Xerxes pauses and reaches for the knife in his boot and draws it out. It was a long, silver blade with jagged edges and a savage looking serrated edge. Colonel Xerxes stands up fully and gets behind the man they'd brought in. Xerxes grabs him by the hair and forces his head up and exposing his neck. The blade is brought to his neck, the edge pressed against his flesh until a slow trickle of blood begins streaming down.


"Now tell me again Norton - and your friend - what I want to know. Come now, we're both waiting."


[b]Camp Delta-Epsilon


Lucky stared daggers into the Connerian commander, sizing him up subconsciously. His hands were free, yet his waist was not. Lucky gave a few testing pulls on the bounds on his waist. After a few pulls, he was smart enough to know that wasn't going to be able to just break it and then break that guy's neck; it just wasn't happening. As taught to him and all Serian soldiers during their time in the Crucible, Lucky put a blank face on, avoiding eye contact and only replied to the Commander's question with a short: "Prisoner number 2451, Serian Army designation: Hell Jumpers." This is how he'll answer every question he's asked. He's giving them information, though not really. What he was saying was probably known to him already, so it was practically useless information. "Sorry boss, I can't speak english too well. Guess you'll have to try your luck elsewhere." Lucky gave him a wink, and smirked slightly. He was in trouble, sure. He knew he was in the clutches of someone who probably held his life in his hands. If Lucky had any say in it, he was going to press this guy's buttons until he figures out he wasn't getting squat from him.

[United States of Conner]

OOC: Sorry for the short post, on phone.

African Front
As the Connerians pulled back to their line, they were greeted by a wall of anti-air weapons. The primary goal of the line was to prevent the Serians from gaining air superiority, and that's why the line was absolutely packed with everything from ground-based AA cluster missiles to the drone swarms that had already proved their worth in Brazil - though they spaced themselves out more to avoid a weakness to explosive weapons.

The goal was to shoot down as many Serian aircraft as possible, in order to minimize damage. Of course, there was some artillery in place, and it continued to shell the Serian positions. However, the main concern was to keep Serian air units from decimating the line.

Ciudad de la Luz
As the Serians began to deploy infrasonic devices, frantic calls came over Connerian radio.

"All units are to have helmets down! They'll protect you from the sonic devices. All units are to have helmets down."

That took care of the sonic grenades. Connerian troopers who had had helmets up for whatever reason and had been affected were quickly moved behind the front lines, where they could be treated. Meanwhile, the shredder missiles, though they weren't able to puncture the thick armor of the Connerian VTOLs, did take a couple down by damaging their propulsion systems. The effect on ground troops, however, was much more noticeable. Connerian troopers took cover behind anything they could find when they were alerted to the launch of a shredder missile - cover usually prevented fatalities.

The Connerian line was being reinforced by troops coming in from all over Brazil, and the departure of the Dreadnaught was a major morale boost. Connerian troops remained calm in the face of danger, continuing to fight the enemy invaders with everything they had. Explosive drones were launched into the forest, crawling silently along the ground and using thermal masks and thermal imaging to stay hidden until they found a Serian target. Once located, they buried themselves in the ground and tunneled to below the Serians before surfacing and detonating.

As the Dreadnaught began to retreat, several arriving Connerian destroyers and cruisers began to focus their fire on the beach, attempting to destroy command and artillery positions. Connerian aircraft attempted to stay out of range of the Serian anti-aircraft forces on the beach as they dropped long-range cluster bombs. Hopefully, if they kept pounding the beach, the Serian invasion command could be destroyed.

Blackreach Prison

Norton was about to spill his secrets when he looked over to the captured man.

Though the officer - a corporal named James Martin, who could no longer speak - was held and bleeding, he spat at Xerxes' feet. The spit was mixed with blood, and the message it sent was clear.

Don't tell them shit.

Norton looked up at Xerxes, cold anger clear in his eyes.

"I won't tell you anything. If I did, I'd be betraying Martin, my county, and myself. I'd rather die a loyal Connerian than live a traitor, and I know Martin feels the same way. We both knew we could die when we took this job. So basically: fuck you. Kill us both. You won't get anything."

Camp Delta-Epsilon

Duncan opened a cabinet and mixed some ingredients together.

"Are you sure? I'm having some coffee."

Duncan also took a small syringe out of his desk.

"I'll be honest. I was planning on putting this in your drink. That being said, I can always inject it instead."

Duncan moved over to Lucky, who had just been restrained by two MPs. Duncan took the syringe and pressed it into a vein in Lucky's wrist. Stepping back, Duncan took a sip of his coffee and took a look at the time on his phone.

"I just injected you with a pain sim drug. Very, very secret. Highly classified. In about ... oh, twenty seconds, you'll start feeling pain. Now, any soldier worth his salt can adjust to pain over time, which is why it comes all at once. It's not going to harm your body - you could literally sit here for days like this. Most people don't last more than ten minutes, with the pain and hallucinations and whatnot. If you want to talk, I have the antidote in my desk. We'll see how long you last starting ... now."

Ashtar, Sera

Xavier Anderson opened his eyes to the sound of his phone ringing. Not his normal cell phone, but the telltale vibration of his second cell phone in a secret compartment. Opening it up, he picked up the call and said, "Go for Anderson."

The first thing he heard was, "Is this line secure?"

Anderson checked his phone's display. "Secure. P2P encrypted sat line. Doesn't pass through anything in Sera."

"Target is the Serian Stock Exchange Building. Mission critical supplies arriving within five minutes. Extraction will follow."

The line cut, and Anderson went to sit by his door, pistol in hand. Within five minutes, the doorbell of Anderson's apartment rang. Glancing to the clock, he saw for the first time it was about midnight.

Opening the door, Anderson saw a Serian delivery man, holding a package marked FRAGILE. Nodding, Anderson took the package and signed some paperwork. The deliveryman nodded and said, "Have a good one, Mr. Anderson."

Shielding himself from the security cameras within the hallway, the deliveryman wrote on Anderson's copy of the paperwork, "Serian Stock Exchange. Good luck."

Scribbled below that was the address of the stock exchange.

Anderson nodded to the man and closed the door. Opening the package, the first thing he saw was a bugtracer. Activating the device, he ensured his room was clear of any bugs before opening the rest of the package.

Though the contents may have looked like a pack of pens, it was actually a small, powerful bomb powerful enough to demolish a building. If detonated on the ground floor of a building, it would collapse the entire thing.

After waiting until the next evening, Anderson slipped on a dress shirt, slacks, and a digital mask that, while near-invisible, would prevent facial recognotion from locking on to him. Anderson slipped the package inside a thermal mask to prevent sensors from locking on to it, then slipped that inside his pocket. Anderson then exited the building and took public transport to the Serian stock exchange. As he walked by the massive building, the hub of Sera's economy, Anderson threw the pack of pens into a gutter. Anderson would wait until the middle of the night before detonating it, to ensure minimum civilian casualties. Then, he would slip onto a fishing boat that would take him back to the USC.

Anderson's job was done. At 3 AM, there was a boom, a flash of fire, and an explosion ripped into the bottom floor of the building, an explosion designed to topple the entire structure.

[Unified Sera Government]

Ashtar, Sera


Usually around this time the streets were mostly empty and devoid of cars, buses, or the like. Monorails still ran, however with very little passengers. Two police officers sat in their patrol car, yawning and chatting away during what is the most boring and uneventful part of their shift; periodically stopping to take a swig of coffee or to chew on a doughnut. One of them tiredly checked his watch for the umpteenth time, then with a stretch informed his partner that it was just about time for them to get off work and head home. His partner gives a small nod and places his coffee in the cup holder before reaching for the keys. He stopped as a light illuminated the streets and buildings, followed by a loud explosion and thick smoke. "So much for getting off." Now with a new found sense of urgency, the officer turns the car on and speeds down the street, lights flashing and sirens blaring.


It didn't take them long to reach the source of the explosion and to start escorting people away from the now burning building. "Dispatch, there's been an explosion downtown. Send paramedics and the fire department, we have injured and a fire thats... Well, hellish."


All in all, while the explosive device was designed to primarily target the building itself, it still took with it several individuals who were there for security. 12 People were killed by the explosion itself or smoke inhalation, while another 7 were injured with severe internal bleeding. Hours later, news crews had already begun to air stories about Connerian Terrorism and how honor-less they were. Further, the news decried the actions taken by the Connerians and swore up and down that the war Sera was fighting was a just and honest war; one which was being fought against an enemy who didn't care who was in the way and would slaughter innocents in order to push their own goals.


African Front,
Forward Operating Base, Serian Side


A precarious situation they had found themselves in... It seemed as though it might come down to who can outlast the other. The Field Marshal was reluctant to send another wall of Serian forces against a wall of Machine guns, so he stared intently at the holographic map that glowed in the small room. Sure, he would like to push the Connerians out of Africa completely, though his aids assured him that they had pushed them far back enough that they wouldn't consider a counter-invasion lest risking the loss of more men than necessary. They, along with the Field Marshal knew the Connerians weren't stupid, and knew that they might have been planning something; if they weren't, then they surely wouldn't send their own men out of their defensive positions in order to meet the Serian forces who had already established their own defensive line. No, the Field Marshal knew that was too big of a risk, a risk whose payoff was not nearly enough to persuade him into taking action against the Connerian's directly.


Therefore, under his command he ordered the continuation of the extended bombing campaign, and heavy shelling of the Connerian Line by Serian Aircraft and long range artillery. It was moments like these that he wished he could just call down orbital hell on those who opposed Serian Occupation and their Connerian Defenders. Soldiers down on the frontline dug foxholes, wherein they spent the majority of their time. Every now and then they shot off a few rounds or two from mounted machine gun placements or from their rifles, but usually there were no man to man engagements like was primarily seen during the onset of the invasion. Snipers positioned themselves sparingly across the open spaces and what buildings they could find, camouflaged and watching for any encroachment. For now, the Serian military didn't have plan for moving forward, though one was in the works.


Black Reach Prison,
Undisclosed Location, Sera


Colonel Xerxes allowed him to continue his little rant about not being a dishonor to himself nor his country, and thus refusing to tell him any information. Then, once he was finished, Colonel Xerxes only replied with a shrug of the shoulders and a simple "Okay." followed by the slicing of the prisoner's throat. Xerxes waved his hand away as the man choked on his own blood while the Prison guards dragged him away. "I must say, I have to give credit where credit's due. You didn't crack, even when your comrade knelt before you. Heh, you might be as cold and heartless as me. Though..." He pauses for a long while, and during this pause he would exact a terrible and unrelenting assault on the bound Norton. An assault which, by the end of it, caused the knuckles of Xerxes gloves to become frayed; to the point where Xerxes himself was showing slight signs of physical exertion. Lesser men would've passed out from the beating, and men lesser than those would have died entirely. Yet, Xerxes felt in his bones that Norton could take the punishment without dying at the very least.


After a moment of heavy breathing, Xerxes cracks a smile and speaks again. "...I highly doubt you could. Now, tell me what I want to know, or I will beat you until you're within an inch of your life. I'll personally escort you to the doors of death and gladly throw you into the pit." Xerxes lifts his hand to his chin as if in thought, then has a sort of 'Ah ha!' moment. [i]"That, or I can just keep killing your friends; one by one, until not a single one is left alive. Oh yes, I like this game. Lets increase the stakes, shall we? How about... Each time you refuse to tell me anything useful, I won't order the death of only one, two, or even three inmates, but four? Yes, that sounds like a fun game. We'll start immediately." Xerxes moves to the back of his own desk, pulls the chair out, and sits down on it. "Where are they keeping Serian captives? Are there any plans for a counter invasion? How long can Connor city last during a siege? The lives of 15 men hang in the balance; you better consider your options wisely."


Camp Delta-Epsilon,
Undisclosed Location, United States of Connor


"I guess I can respect your straight forwardness at least, Zabin." Lucky shrugged slightly. Lucky took in a deep breath and waited for the pain to come. And come it did. His veins become engulfed in flames hotter than the core of a dying star, while his skin felt as though hundreds of thousands of ants were crawling over it; stinging and biting him over and over. Every breath he drew in caused his lungs to scream in agony, only to be encased and crushed by his own rib cage. His muscles flexed against their bonds, whether intentionally or unintentionally due to the pain. He yelled, a horrifying crescendo of pain tinged with horror, a scream that bellowed through a throat that might as well have been a volcano, spewing it's liquid death into the air to suffocate the world. Throughout the entire ordeal, Lucky flopped between both English and Serian slurs and curses against those who put him in that position. It was excruciating, a pain which could not be put into mere words. It was as if he were being burned from the inside out, his intestines ripped out of his guy and eaten like spaghetti, his spine being twisted and morphed into an unrecognizable monstrosity. His skin, his blood, his muscle, his very bones roared in supreme agony.


If he was going to break, if he was going to talk and ask for relief, he wasn't going to be able too. His hands curled into fists, his heart rate climbing ever higher, and his breathing becoming more and more ragged. The drug might not have caused any real permanent damage on it's own, Lucky's body in response to it's pain increasing attributes was what would ultimately cause him to slump over in his chair and forcing him into cardiac arrest.


Ciudad de la Luz,
Brazil, United States of Connor

It was unknown to the Serian forces as to how the Connerian's knew how to counter a device they couldn't see, but they didn't have time to reflect upon it as Serian Tanks began to steam roll their way through the tree's and next to the invasion forces. Now reinforced with allied armor, the Serian war machine was determined to move forward with deadly efficiency. Tanks equipped with advanced signal jamming technology used their massive main guns to fire rounds of explosive death down range to the Connerians while their smaller machine guns mounted on the top and at the front of the vehicle took turns firing into Connerian soldiers, cover, and aircraft.

Emboldened by their Arrival, Preacher gave the order to push forward into the city. Serian Army Rangers, Marines, and Valkiri used the tanks as moving cover as they pushed forward. Peeking around the tanks in order to fire at their enemy. "Gun loaded!" - "Affirmative, aim primary gun to Vector 32 degree's north west!" - "Rodger, on the way!" It's platform swiveled to the 32 degree mark, then leveled off at where a group or two of Connerian soldiers were running into a building. As soon as the weapon stopped moving, the gunner fired the high explosive shell into the building which blows out one of the walls and destroys much of the interior. With the addition of these weapons, the Serians weren't going to stop now; they had a morale boost and their momentum was just beginning to step up.

Valkiri were dangerous enough at range, though this danger increased tenfold when in close quarters. Valkiri members used a brutal fighting style that relied on speed and brute strength to decimate foes and allowed for the usage of their steel talons or rifles as cutting or blunt weapons. No matter what, Valkiri (and Marines and Rangers for that matter) didn't make a movement that was 'wasted' or flamboyant by any means unless the situation called for it. Valkiri members routinely picked up the bodies of enemies and threw them at their comrades in an attempt to psych them out or in a secondary manner, knock them over. Others switched to their secondary, a shotgun which could only be wielded by someone wearing exo armor otherwise it could completely obliterate the bones in a person's arm, and continued in the sweeping and clearing of buildings that the tanks had missed. Valkiri squads led the way with Marines coming closely behind them, and Army Rangers behind those. Each group leaned upon the other to get the job done, and each group worked in a cohesive, death dealing mass that surged forward.


Indeed, the Leviathan had departed to avoid being sunk, but the rest of the fleet remained behind. When Connerian naval forces moved in, the Serian navy responded in kind, firing volley after volley of high explosive, armor piercing, torpedoes, and tomahawk missiles at the enemy forces. Now with an opportunity, Captain's aboard the fleet's aircraft carriers ordered the launching of the KING fighter jets and CRUX helicopters who immediately turned to the shore and flew directly towards where most of the fighting was occurring. The jets didn't take long to make their presence known to the Connerian's in the city, firing missile after missile at enemy VTOL's and defensive positions. Behind those were the CRUX helicopters, arriving a few minutes after the first squadron of KING fighters had dropped their payloads. They flew low, using their chain guns and hell fire missiles to wreak havoc upon those unlucky enough to be caught in their way.


On the beach, the shelling got progressively worse, and thankfully so. There wasn't any real equipment on the beach, as setting up a beach head this early in an invasion and one that was still within range of artillery would have been a stupid mistake and massive tactical misstep. In actuality, the real intelligence equipment was being moved deeper into the forest and set up under the cover of thick foliage and trees. What wasn't covered by the trees, a net was set up to further obscure prying eyes in the sky. It was here at the real Operating base that things were beginning to come to fruition. As long as the beach was being shelled, they won't be looking for this location which was several miles away and surrounded by swamp land. It was here that intelligence officers were using feeds from drones and satellite imaging to get a picture of the battlefield and helping coordinate with units on the ground. Of course, the intelligence center wasn't without it's own defenses. Serian soldiers laid inside of the swamp that surrounded the encampment laid in wait as if they were alligators or land mines. Their dark green armor and strategic placement of leaves and plant life on said armor made them nearly invisible to any enemy foolish enough to come there.


It was hoped that the strategic withholding of forces and their subsequent time sensitive usage would be enough to give Serian operatives on the ground the edge they needed to take the City of Light, and proclaim it as the first major Connerian city that fell to Serian aggression. However, only time will tell if they were actually effective in their usage.

[United States of Conner]

Connerian Strategic Command
Outside of Conner City
The director of SWORD, a tall, mustached man, looked up from his tablet and spoke to the people gathered around the table.

"Asset was successful. I'm receiving reports from my people in the Serian government that the higher-ups are worried about the effect this will have. The Stock Exchange building is reduced to rubble. Killed 12 people."

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Eleanor Steager nodded and moved to let the President know. As she did, she told one of her aides, "Make sure we condemn this attack. Make sure people know we didn't have anything to do with this."

Her aide nodded as she left the room.

Within an hour, a bulletin had been put out, condemning the attack on the Serian Stock Exchange and saying that civilian casualties and targeting noncombatants were the Serian way of warfare. Clearly, the Serian war effort was driving Serian civilians to attack their own government because they weren't willing to go along with the atrocities they were committing.

Of course, the bulletin released by the Connerian government didn't say that outright. However, between the clear subtext and the analysis from the various news agencies, that was the point that was clearly being implied.

African Front
Connerian Tactical Operations Base, Connerian Side

"Sir, I must voice my objections to this plan."

"Speak freely, commander."

Commander Luiz Jacobson, who had only been at the back line for a few days, sat up and put the folder he had been reading down.

"Sir, Zero Hour seems like a good plan. That being said, I'm not sure if waiting like this is going to allow us an opportunity to counterattack."

"Commander, our plan is already laid out. We're going to follow it. Sims show that it will work."

"I understand, sir."

Ciudad de la Luz
Brazil

"Sir, the beach's emplacements have been more or less crippled."

Ciudad de la Luz Task Force Commander Laurie Richardson looked at the diagram the tech was pointing at.

"Well, why haven't they been crippled?"

"Ma'am, we believe they have moved further into the forest. It's a natural hiding point, especially because finding them with thermal will take a while."

Richardson swore and considered the situation for a moment.

"I want bombing runs throughout that forest. Cover the foliage in bombs. I want some Arkham missiles fired at the forest as well. Keep me posted with any progress on finding their FOB."

"Yes, ma'am."

Out at sea, further Connerian naval reinforcements arrived to continue to fight the battle. More destroyers opened fire with their railgun projectiles, now targeting the Serian aircraft carriers. Arkham missile cruisers fired their payloads at the bridges and propulsion systems of Serian vessels. Drone swarms continued to fly around and cause havoc with the Serian Navy, now spacing themselves apart enough to hopefully avoid total destruction by grenade. The drone swarms were designed to, in addition to disabling vulnerable deck systems and attacking the deck crew, fire through the bridge of naval vessels with their rockets. Some drones also moved to take on Serian fighters and bombers, attacking them while they were on the carrier's deck. A wall of machine guns fire and a few rockets would hopefully neutralize a lot of threats before they took off.

Meanwhile, Connerian carriers, in addition to launching fighters, began dropping torpedo drones into the water. These drones, which were equipped with sonar masking and a high-efficency propulsion system, were designed to be near-undetectable. When they were dropped into the water, they were guided, either by an AI or an operator aboard the carrier, to a critical point in a Serian ship, where they would attach themselves and detonate an explosive charge shaped inwards for maximum damage. The drones could also propel themselves above water, though once in the air they couldn't control their direction. All they could do was calculate their trajectory and aim for various targets. Some drones flew inside the engines of Serian ships before detonating, while others attacked the bridge or the deck, while still others aimed to cripple weapons systems or breach the hull.

Over the city, various Connerian fighters and interceptors moved to engage the Serian aircraft. Connerian I-34 interceptors, made specifically to destroy Serian attack helicopters, fired their missiles and attack guns at Serian helicopters, attempting to take some of the pressure off of ground-based anti-air. Meanwhile, F-77 fighter jets engaged the KING fighters from long distance, attempting to neutralize them and keep the attack VTOLs safe. The attack VTOLs, for their part, used buildings as cover from the fighters, attempting to continue firing at Serian infantry and armor while avoiding fighter payloads. The DECDA array, meanwhile, had began to multitask, larger weapons continuing to bombard the Serian Navy while smaller weapons switched to anti-air and anti-armor capacity. Blindingly powerful lasers fired repeater fire at Serian aircraft and tanks, attempting to decimate anything that wasn't marked with a Connerian beacon.

On the ground, Connerian soldiers were holding their own. SWORD tactical forces had moved into the city, engaging the Valkiri with supreme skill while Connerian infantry continued to use their home field advantage to attack the Serians from behind cover, from windows, rooftops, and unorthodox defensive positions that had been prepared in the event of something like this happening. Connerian artillery from outside the city as well as various anti-tank units attempted to destroy the Serian tanks, while Connerian walker tanks used their cluster missiles to eliminate Serian artillery and their main 75mm cannon to attack Serian armor.

The Connerians were fighting for something that couldn't really be described. Not something entirely tangible, more like a sense of rising patriotism. Before the Collapse, it was fashionable to be a hardcore internationalist, but as the world became binational, more and more Connerians became increasingly confident that the USC was definitely superior to the USG. That's what they were fighting for.

Their home.

Camp Delta-Epsilon

Duncan looked at his watch as Lucky began to convulse.

Three minutes and fourteen seconds. Not bad.

Duncan swiftly pulled another syringe from inside his desk and injected it into Lucky's arm, the same one he had injected the pain serum into. Waiting for a minute for Lucky to get his bearings again, Duncan leaned back on his desk.

"Well, we can't have you going into cardiac shock, can we? Lucky, during those three minutes, I had time to read your file. It's not much, just your combat record in Africa plus whatever SWORD intelligence could scrape up. That file shows me that you aren't stupid. Unless you want to keep going through that, you're going to answer my questions. We'll start with something simple."

Duncan grabbed his tablet off his desk and, poised to type, spoke again.

"What do you know about the Serian battle plan in Africa?"

Black Reach Prison
Norton shook his head before deciding to answer.

"We keep your captives in hell. I won't speak to the counter invasion, but you should know that Conner City will last forever against you animals."

Norton spit a tooth on the ground, knocked out during Xerxes's beating.

"That tooth was because of your hissy fit, by the way. Sorry I frayed your gloves."

Norton had to blink a few times to stop his head from spinning. As he sat on his knees, his arms head back by the restraints, he had a small coughing fit - Xerxes had probably bruised his lungs - before continuing.

"You don't get it, do you? You think I'm going to crack because if I don't, I'll condemn my friends to death? I spent time undercover in Sera. I know the stereotypes that we're all weak pussies who won't fight for anything. You're goddamn wrong about that, pal. I would never betray my country, nor my fellow soldiers. I'd rather kill them myself than dishonor them by spilling secrets, and so would each and every single one of them. If I told you anything, they would wish I had shot them. Go to hell."

Norton then paused for a second, before considering something else.

"By the way, four inmates every time I don't answer ... three questions ... I see the Serian education system is just as good as it was when I was there last."

Norton found another loose tooth in his mouth, pushed it out with his tongue, and spat it at Xerxes, aiming for his eye.

[Unified Sera Government]

New Providence, Iran, Sera

"They're trying to take the blame off of themselves... They can't really believe the populace is that stupid. How shall we respond, my Liege?" Five of the most powerful men and women in Sera sat around a large, black table with several different displays and papers strewn across it. Among them was none other than the current ruling King of Sera, Akira Tu'Aruc. Also among them was the Secretary of the Economy, and propaganda officer who was admitted for the first part of the meeting in order to have a response to the Connerian's trying to wipe their hands clean of the bombing, and the impact on the Serian economy. Akira stroked his goatee, as he thought about the situation. It was delicate and extremely fragile. If they didn't do damage control, it could seriously and negatively affect the war effort. Finally, Akira looked up at the intelligence officer and spoke as if the answer was as clear as day. "Tell the banks to take a hiatus as we salvage the situation. There will be a ban on all selling and purchasing of stock, and a total freeze on the stock market until we're back up and running. Encourage the people to use physical money, but place withdrawal caps. This way, our economy won't go into a downturn as much as it would have. As far as a response, simply state that a lone wolf wouldn't have the god damn technology to build a mask to disrupt facial recognition software nor a way to bypass the bomb scanners. Further," Akira stood up from the table and walked over to a Valkiri who was lurking in the corner. He gives him a few words, to which he nod and proceed to escort the Secretary of the Economy out of the room along with the Propaganda officer.

"If the Connerians want to play this game, we can also. We're initiating the next phase of Babel, get our agents in Conner to begin distributing the Green Virus."

There's a moment of silence, before one of the men in the room finds the courage or stupidity to speak up. "My King... That seems like a... Rash decision. We'll be attacking civilians directly, what do you think Rinok will feel about this? It isn't right." - "No, what isn't right is that they had the absolute gall to kill 12 civilians on Serian ground! What isn't right is they then tried to wash their hands clean of what they had done! What isn't right is that I have to send our boys and girls to fight against an enemy with no morals in order to instill the love of Aeron in their hearts! It must be done." - "Y-Yes sire, I understand. I'll let them know."


Conner City, United States of Conner

All around the United States of Conner, certain AEGIS agents that were imbedded years before the war and laid low enough to avoid suspicion were doing the same thing William Johnson was doing. Johnson stood in his bathroom, a duffle bag full of Connerian credits sitting next to his bathtub. Johnson busied himself with pulling a set of skin colored, plastic gloves over his hands and beneach his watch and long sleeved shirt. Johnson adjusted his tie, then placed a mask over his face. He takes a few more moments to spray the bills with a virulent pathogen, and after the air clears somewhat, he zips the bag closed and lifts it over his shoulder, careful to take off the mask that had just protected him.

It's a short walk to his car outside where he puts the bag on the passenger side floor. From there, it was a tense drive to the nearest shopping centre. While driving, Johnson calls his wife on the phone whom still lived in Sera. The phone rings several times before going to voice mail. ”Hey honey, just calling to let you know that I'll be coming home soon. I'm going to buy the kids a few things from the mall before I try getting back there... The world is a mess, and I figured it would be much better being home with my family than over here for work if these are the last days. I love you, I hope I get to see you guys soon. I'll talk to you later.” His wife would've known what he meant by 'going to buy the kids a few things'. It was a code between them just in case anyone was listening, while also being a sincere message in regards to hoping he could return home soon. Alas, before long he pulls into the parking lot of the shopping mall. He paused in his car and offered a small prayer for strength to his gods, before opening the bag and grabbing an insignificant amount of money and entering the establishment.

He's there for a while, moving from store to store and exchanging infected credits for goods. It was a devious plan in nature; money being the item shared amongst individuals the most and an item that more or less goes without disinfection. Therefore, the overall infectious nature of the virus isn't necessarily in question, as it's surface borne and airborne. His little shopping trip, like others around the country came to an end, and he found his pockets empty. The only thing left was to get rid of the rest of the credits sitting in his vehicle which realistically, was a matter of just dropping them in different places or using them at different fast food service stores.

Known as the “Omega Virus”, it was specifically engineered to attack the respiratory system, and if gone untreated, could be lethal within a time of a few weeks.

Ciudad de la Luz
Brazil

Every now and then explosives rung in the ears of the soldiers who were operating the FOB, but the base wasn't taking any damage directly, as they'd already moved rather far away from the beach and where the fighting was. Already they were digging into the ground to create underground bunkers and perhaps tunnel systems if time allowed. For now, however, they continued in directing the attack on the City of Light.


A Valkiri soldier took cover behind the wreckage of a vehicle, hurriedly reloading his assault rifle. A tank crawled forward next to him, firing armor piercing rounds from the machine gun turret while it's main cannon fired into buildings and at enemy combatants. A downed Connerian soldier was in front of the tank treads and in danger of being steam rolled until the Valkiri dips out of cover, grabs him, and roughly drags him out of the way of an excruciating death. ”You Connerians fight well, while your personal battle is over, I hope one day I can face you on the field once more with either my blade at your neck, or yours at mine. There is no need for you to die just yet, you will receive medical attention. Sleep, zabin.” Regardless if the Connerian was thankful or not, the Valkiri moved away from him and continued on behind the tank.

Noble squad, a team of Serian Marines were making their way from building to building. It was difficult going, as the VTOL's in the sky made open combat dangerous and limited their maneuverability. They made due with what they could for the most part, periodically breaching doors and clearing the bottom floor before moving onward. Though, at one particular building, they stop and close the door securely behind themselves. Two Marines stay on the ground level as security, while the rest of the team head up stairs, making sure the rooms of the buildings and subsequent floors are free of enemy fighters. When they reach a location that's acceptable for the squad's sniper, the rest of the team moves back downstairs while the sniper begins to take shots at covering Connerians. The rest of the team fired from the ground level windows, and provided covering fire for encroaching Serian troopers.

The Serian invasion force was putting the pressure on, now. They were going to take the city by any means necessary, and that meant it was time to apply the final push against the Connerian defense. The entirety of Sera's invasion party was moving forward: Serian Armor fired their weapons and activated the Active Protection Systems (APS) to deter enemy rockets. The joint force of Marines, Rangers, and Valkiri fought relentlessly, aided by their training and battlefield awareness software built into their visors. Close quarters, they attacked with shotguns and melee weapons, while medium to long range they were covered with designated marksmen rifles and assault weapons.

Preacher, in his usual manner was rallying the troops behind their faith. Promising that fighting hard and fierce would be more than enough for the God of War to personally come lend them a hand in the war. He also assured them that if need be, a good death will insure their peace in the underworld, and that Dinok Rah will shower them with glory. Beyond this, Preacher lead the invasion himself with the other Valkiri in tow. They had purpose, and when the regular rank and file soldiers saw their leader down there with them, well... It inspired them enough to keep going and to fight harder.

It was time to push the Connerians out of the City of Light.


Off the coast, the naval battle was in full-swing. Reinforcements from the Iberian Peninsula had finally arrived to supplement the fleet. They didn't have a Leviathan but they did have a ship that could assist with the problems they're having with the drone swarms. When the fleet was in range of the Connerian ships, they immediately opened fire on them without so much as a “how do you do”. It was only after that the Fleet Admiral opened Coms to the other Captains. He instructed them to focus their fire upon the City of Light while the fresh boats handled the Connerians. Naval attack Aircraft took off from the decks of the vessels, focusing their payloads on Connerian ships with deadly accuracy, while the miniaturized MAC's sent shell after shell screaming towards the bridge and hull of the enemy vessels. “Icarus” class ships sailed in a loose formation around the allied fleet, insuring their coverage was wide enough to minimize damage from enemy air.

The only recurring problem was the drone swarms. Serian intelligence weren't prepared to deal with them, as they were an unknown. Therefore, individual crews had to rely upon whatever remedies they could find. At least, that was the case until now. Directed Energy Weapons or DEW were being pulled to the decks of ships that were being plagued by the drone swarms and being used against them. The weapons were designed for missile defense on a smaller scale, but engineers on board the ships decided they could be used to disable the drones.



Black Reach Prison

Xerxes didn't so much as flinch when Norton spat his tooth at him, though he did crack a slight smile. "Hmph, in hell you say? Then we'll storm the gates of hell and rip out the devil's spine. Your idiotic attempt at vexing me is becoming tiresome, Norton. I admit, my brothers and sisters would probably think more of you if they knew how you sit before me, resolute in your stance... For the time being, of course." Colonel Xerxes paces around the room, rubbing his knuckles as he speaks. The connerian could take a beating, and as a soldier, Xerxes figured he would be able to. But, the fun was only just about to begin. There's a reason Xerxes remained in charge of this facility, and a reason why it's been indispensable to Serian intelligence despite it being need-to-know. That reason was mockingly simple.

He broke people.

He broke them until they could hardly form sentences, until their minds and bodies were worn away only to leave a husk. Their minds empty, muscles without cause, and souls without vindication. Xerxes was the Lord and Master of everyone within these walls, and those who didn't bow to his whim, were either cut down, or broken so severely that it didn't matter. Xerxes reached into his right pants pocket, and fished out a syringe with the cap still tightly enclosing the needle while thick, gold colored liquid sat within. "Tell me Zabin, do you see the faces of those you failed in your dreams? Can you hear their screams? Feel their tears falling upon your rancid, sickening flesh? I bet you can still smell the ash; hear the bombs ringing in your ears, feel the blood coating your hands. This fluid I have here is a highly powerful hallucinogenic drug made from plants deep in the Serian Jungles and refined to a potent, painful mixture. It's going to make you see the ghosts of your failings, it will bring your deepest fears and regrets to life, and it will twist your mind to insanity. There's an antidote to counteract the dosage I'm about to give you, but I doubt I'll give it to you. Na'rok to see-na! Ke'von to'da kee-to."

Two guards entered the room, one armed with a shock baton and the other extra binds. The armed guard takes the bat and slams it into Norton's midsection, while the other guard moved to place the straps around his forehead to hold him still. Whenever Norton stopped squirming enough, Xerxes stalked forward and pushed the injector deep into Norton's neck, and pushed the contents into it. After the injector was empty, Xerxes withdrew the needle and placed it on his desk. "I'm done with you, zabin. I'm sure isolation with your worst regrets and nightmares will do more damage than I could ever do." The two guards grabbed the back of Norton's chair and began to drag him out of the room towards the isolation cells further underground. Before they completely got through the door, Xerxes calls out to Norton again: "By the way, it was 4 prisoners per question. You condemned 12 men to their deaths! I'll make sure you have a way to watch every single moment." Xerxes started to chuckle to himself as the door closed, cutting off the sound just abruptly as it started.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Rather unceremoniously, the guards dragged the chair into Norton's new cell. By now a third guard joined them, and stood nearby just in case he needed to be "handled". The first Guard held his shock baton aloft and waited at the ready, any sudden movements from Norton would be met with a swift and unforgiving strike from the weapon. After this, the chair is removed, the door is closed and barred, and the trio leave Norton with his hallucinations. There were speakers behind metal panels in Norton's room, which crackled to life some time after he'd been left there in isolation alone. Xerxes couldn't really kill 12 men as he needed them (and he wasn't that cold blooded) so instead they played the screams ripped from an obscure Serian horror movie with the sounds of barking/attacking dogs. It was made specifically for the purpose of tormenting Norton, and deceiving him into believing he was listening to the final moments of his comrades.

It will take nearly 3 days for the body to sweat out, vomit, or generally dispose of the toxin without the antidote.

And with the sounds of death being channeled right into his cell, those three days surely will be rather eventful.


Camp Delta-Epsilon,
United States of Conner

Lucky wished he could be that guy who spits in the face of his captors and gladly takes the pain for the greater good, but Lucky is only a man. It's only so much he could take. No one can stay resolute for long when subjected to the things he is, and it's not a bad thing for him to realize he can't handle it. Besides, he was more useful to his comrades alive than dead, and he was damn sure more useful if he was crippled. Lucky chuckled a bit, then shrugged his shoulders.

[i]”I don't know a damn thing, I'm not even a commissioned officer. If you want information, you'll need to find a commissioned officer, and a high ranking one at that, to get anything useful. I don't think you'll find someone like that... Serians aren't very keen on letting you know just who's an officer and who's not. You might think the guy standing behind everyone is a private and the guy who's talking and standing at the front is the officer, but in field, it can be the other way around or exactly that. Point is, you'll never know. We aren't stupid enough to put chevrons on our pauldrons dictating rank. I can tell you this, though... Whatever the brass has planned, it won't be pretty for you guys.”

[United States of Conner]

Conner City, United States of Conner

Data was at the heart of almost everything SHIELD did.

People, especially Connerians, loved to have routines. They liked uniformity, and trends in general within society took a long time to change.

So when SHIELD AIs began to report a large increase of cash purchases, ears perked up within the DAD - Data Analysis Division. At DAD Center Delta, one of the premiere computing centers in the entire DAD, and SHIELD and the world itself, command rooms were thrown into disarray as AIs began to pour in info.

With DAD-CD-Control Room 7, Operations Manager Nick Kritzman was having one weird day as he barked out a series of commands.

"I want all AIs to take relevant actions to determine possible crises. Subroutine Zero-Seven-Nine is go. All critical feedback goes through Center D, execute."

Within ten minutes, several horrifying facts had been made clear.

One: a disease of some sort was being distributed via paper cash. This had been discovered by SHIELD biosensors within a small Connerian restaurant, which alerted other AIs in relevant areas to begin their own biosensors.

Two: this was not a contained event. Contaminated bills had been discovered all over the country, everywhere from big-city malls to small towns.

Three: this was not an accident.

Within five minutes of this discovery, the SHIELD Crisis Command Center - C3 - was buzzing with activity.

The C3 was a massive room, almost defying belief. Computers lined each wall, and operators were in contact with every security force in the USC. Right now, almost all of them were busy. If one walked down the rows of computers, as the C3 managers did as they anxiously paced the aisles, they might be able to piece what was happening together from just the dialogue flying through the air.

"No-fly lists updated, predicted 95% catch, working on that..."

"We've got HAZMAT teams moving in..."

"Grab and go teams are working on containing possible carriers..."

"Security teams are working on containing suspects on all outgoing flights..."

"All units - quarantine is in effect, I repeat, quarantine is a go..."

The C3 team knew what they were doing. This would not be the end of the world.

The question of how bad it would get to be beyond that was still in the air.

Hyperion, United States of Conner

The quarantine hadn't been up for ten minutes yet at the National Mall before people were dragged back inside the zone.

At first, it was mostly people who could have been contaminated but had left the mall before the quarantine. They were escorted by SHIELD agents in full bio suits, armed with assault rifles and the authority SHIELD agents carried in times of crisis to carry out whatever they felt fit.

Meanwhile, there was a push for information at the edge of the quarantine area. The effect quarantine clean zone was inside the mall, as this virus was most likely airborne, and thus was being contained by anti-viral air cleansing equipment within the mall so that it would not spread outside by any means. However, there was a block radius around the mall that was to be used for SHIELD logistics and operations. At the edge of that came the reporters.

At the moment, a SHIELD representative, dressed in suit and tie and flanked by two SWAT operators with full combat gear and wielding automatic weapons, was trying to give a statement.

"Though we have not confirmed it at this moment ... our strong suspicion is ... this virus was planted by ... Serian state actors. We are taking relevant steps to apprehend the perpetrators and contain the virus, as well as hopefully cure the virus, so there are no casualties from this cowardly, callous attack. We'll keep you updated. Thank you."

Within the hour, almost every news outlet in the nation was running a story about this. As it was a time of emergency, SHIELD was advising - though not yet forcing - news outlets to attempt to avoid causing panic, and they complied. Soon, various talk show hosts were commentating on how this showed that the Connerian side of the conflict was truly the just side, how it was truly critical to defeat the Serians lest they unleash more attacks like this, and how even though the Connerians had denied responsibility for the Ashtar Bombing after it happened - the Serians had not done the same. In such a bipolar world, they suggested and viewers reasoned, if they did not deny it, there was only one other conclusion.

Conner City International Airport

As with every Connerian airport around the nation, the primary security checkpoint of Conner City International Airport, the world's largest and busiest airport, contained these words on several large holoposters surrounding the waiting lines.

"This is a SHIELD security checkpoint. You and your belongings may be subject to search."

Of course, each checkpoint also ran the face and credentials of the traveler against a national security database. So, when naturalized Serian immigrants who had been at the sight of bioweaponized disease outbreaks entered one of these checkpoints, it set off a few alarms.

As soon as red flags were thrown up, SHIELD agents were rushing out of their special housing within airports throughout the nation. Though it varied airport to airport, the premise was the same - three-operator teams, armed and armored, moving to arrest these individuals.

At CCIA, three of the agents assigned to grab a specific target were Agents Napier, Morrison, and Streyer. Rushing to the primary security checkpoint, they quickly moved their way past the short security lines, getting a few outraged comments. The agent at the checkpoint scanning identification looked ready to call the two fully equipped soldiers on either side of the checkpoint until the agents showed their badges. After a quick iris HUD scan by the checkpoint agent, he nodded and the three "grab and go" agents moved through the checkpoint, setting off the metal detector in the progress.

Sprinting through the hallways, they were guided by a fourth operator on the camera observation system, Useri. As she scanned the airport for their target using thermal signature matching, she came over their encrypted radio.

"Target is wing 27. Thirty seconds away from gate. I've given warning to a marshal in the area to be on standby, but you're within range. Take a right here. Left. Straight down, move."

As the three agents moved their way through the crowds, hands on their guns as they moved at full speed down the long glass and steel terminal corridor, Useri came back over comms.

"Target is within range. Marshal Lee is en route. Standby - I've marked his thermal sig on your HUDs. Visual?"

As their target - William Johnson - came into view, Napier replied, "Affirmative. Lee, where are you?"

A man's voice came over the radio.

"I've got a visual on all of you and target. By the restroom to your right. On your go."

After visually confirming Lee was present, Napier replied, "Go ... now."

With that, all four agents moved towards Johnson, one hand on their guns. With the other, they drew their badges and, to avoid causing a panic, moved quickly towards their target. Once they arrived, Lee flipped his ID and badge open and said to Johnson, "Mr. Johnson, you're under arrest. No sudden moves, please."

If Johnson cooperated, Napier would placed the handcuff he had just taken from his jacket and lead Johnson out of the airport, to a detention area. If he didn't however - well, Morrison and Streyer were a few feet back with their hands on their weapons. Johnson would have bullets in him if he did anything other than quietly go with the agents.

This scene unfolded all over the USC, as anyone who SHIELD AIs identified as having distributed infected cash being arrested by these grab teams. Though it was unlikely they would grab an innocent person, it was a possibility - but that was worth capturing these agents. Right?

Black-Reach Prison

Those screams weren't real, but Norton wouldn't know that.

He took comfort in the fact that he hadn't broken. That was something. However, he likely wasn't going to see light for a while.

Even though he had the comfort of not having been broken, Norton still reacted as anyone would to such circumstances - poorly. He vomited, he cursed, he spat unfathomable curses and slurs at any Serian he saw or thought could hear him. He was sweating his head off, and his cocky attitude - powered mostly be adrenaline in the heat of the moment when facing Xerxes - had worn off when he didn't have Serian enemies to direct it at.

Norton was in hell. So far, he wasn't enjoying it. He only hoped that when Xerxes invariably chose someone else to be questioned, they would hold as well.

Camp Delta-Epsilon

Duncan shrugged.

"Very well. Let's find an officer."

With that, two armored MPs grabbed Lucky by his jumpsuit, which had handles on the back for "forceful relocation" such as this. Lucky was unceremoniously dragged on his knees into the mess, which was in the shift after Lucky's. However, the rest of the prisoners from Lucky's lunch shift were still in the main campus and not off at work, and thus were brought back into the hall.

Duncan grabbed his mic and ordered the MPs to gather the attention of the prisoners.

When they were all looking, Duncan pulled a pistol from his holster and put it to Lucky's head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, unless you wish for me to execute Inmate 452 - I believe you call him Lucky - I would like any high-ranking officers to step forward."

Dead silence.

"I thought not. I was told as much. Very well. Lucky, here's what's going to happen. You're going to point to the highest officer you know. They point to the highest officer they know, and so on. You don't I shoot you. Go ahead."

Ciduad de la Luz

"Sir, all civilians have been evacuated. They're behind the reinforcement line. Orders?"

"Initiate Protocal Zero-Two-Seven."

"Very well, sir."

With those five words, Connerian forces began to pull out of the City of Light. One might ask, why? There were a couple very good reasons.

Number one: the Connerians would not win the game as it was being played right now. Serian reinforcements had arrived just before Connerian ones. Due to that, they had the strategic advantage.

Two: the Connerians outnumbered the Serians in terms of possible manpower; i.e. forces they could possibly commit to the conflict. However, in terms of manpower at the ground at that moment, they were outnumbered. As the City of Light was not commonly seen as an invasion target, the manpower and armament stored there was considered low relative to what some other Connerian cities had in place. Thus, it was better for the Connerians to withdraw from the city, surround the Serians, and then push back than to be destroyed.

So, the Connerian Armed Forces pulled back. VTOLs covered the movement of infantry and armor, much as in Africa. Also as in Africa, the retreat was more or less successful, with Connerian air and artillery supporting the retreating units.

When the dust settled, the Connerians had formed a hard line about fifty miles outside of the City of Light. From the safety of that range, the Connerian artillery pounded the City of Light with every system they had. Everything from anti-vehicle cannons to anti-personnel cluster rockets to anti-aircraft tracking cluster missiles. Connerian aircraft also engaged Serian aerial forces from long range, with drone swarms and fighters working side by side.

At sea, the strategy was much the same. The Connerian fleet, supported by massive amounts of reinforcements arriving from the south, began to encircle the Serian fleet. Task Force Commander McNeal was already on the comms with the Strategos Council in Hyperion, and he was taking their objectives and scaling it to his abilities and judgement. Based on that, the Connerian ships moved to form a ring around the recently reinforced Serian force. At this point, the City's submerged defenses began to make themselves clear as well.

Buried deep within the city was a facility comprised solely of underwater drones. At irregular intervals, this facility would launch a drone from a different location every time. These autonomous craft would propel themselves through the water, below the scanning range of Serian vessels, to beneath the vulnerable spots of every ship - the engines. With little to no warning, the drones would shoot up at astounding speeds, attaching themselves to vulnerable spots of various ships - the engines, the power source, sometimes even throwing themselves out of the water and latching onto the bridge or a troublesome cannon. Then, they activated their explosives and created a good-sized fireball, with increased damage due to ball bearings being attached to the explosive charges. The bearings were designed to decimate metal and put holes in Serian boats.

Meanwhile, the now-ringed Connerian Task Force Fleet served two purposes - to surround and crush the Serian fleet, and hold off further reinforcements. As aircraft carriers launched scout aircraft to scan the area in addition to surveillance drones and satellites, Fallen Angel-class destroyers opened fire on the new ships and old ships alike using their highly effective railguns. Hades-class submarines launched locking cluster torpedos at Serian craft, while Arkham-class missile cruisers pounded away at the bridges of the Serian ships and known Serian command centers on land alike.

The Connerians needed a win.

On the coast of the City of Light, they were poised to grab one.

[Unified Sera Government]

Camp Delta-Epsilon,
United States of Conner

Everyone in the room stood still, no one really said anything or so much as flinched. Did they honestly believe they'd give up the highest ranking member in the room for Lucky? Or that Lucky would sacrifice someone else for himself? Of course, he was family, a brother in arms, someone they'd shed blood for, but that didn't mean they'd turn their backs on one of the first tenets instilled in them when they joined the military. Eventually someone stepped forward, their accent thick and heavy, though understandable. "No one is going to give up another life for his; the many outweigh the few, and Lucky knows this. We will not speak to you." The man was of lower rank than Lucky was; a Sergeant, and would be of even less help. From that point onward, no one spoke and merely waited for what they thought was inevitable. To them, Lucky was now dead, for Serians do not take death threats lightly. This sentiment was shared among the rest of the soldiers, and a few of them even murmured prays among themselves asking for Lucky's safe passage into the next cycle. Finally, Lucky spoke up.

"'In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeoning's of chance, my head is bloodied, but unbowed.' Heh, it's part of an old Serian prayer... Basically, it means 'Fuck You.'"

Lucky closed his eyes, and awaited for the time where he would soon rejoin his brothers in the afterlife.

Off the Coast of Ciduad de la Luz

The submarines below the surface were surprisingly more or less undisturbed, which allowed them to attack the encircling Connerian Navy and provide critical support from below the waves. Torpedoes fired out of the vessels and cut a swath through the water aiming directly at the lower hull, engines, and fore of the ships. Different torpedo variants sought to diversify the damage being dealt, while more traditional ones bored into enemy armor before exploding.

From this depth they had a much better chance of detecting the submerged coastal defenses when fired, and after the computer system compiled the data, crunched the numbers, and highlighted possible launch locales, two submarines fired underwater cluster bombs at the location. Another submarine laced the area with depth charges in an effort to destroy any exiting weapon before it does too much damage. They didn't know exactly where they were coming from, but a general location was good enough.

Above the waves, carriers periodically had aircraft land and take off from their decks in a flurry of sustained action. Aircraft using ECM found themselves activating it during take off and refueling in an effort to avoid being destroyed by enemy rockets. Those that were able to take off once again headed right back out towards the Conner ships to drop off their payload. It was a difficult job, avoiding anti air from both sides ling enough to drop their bombs and safely return to the carriers, though it was a job they took up readily. Alongside JAK Naval Fighter variants and Attack aircraft, light bombers took to the skies before swooping down like birds of prey to pepper the decks of enemy ships with their Vulcan cannons and napalm bombs. Incapacitating the ships were just as good as destroying them, so the crafts pressed every conceivable advantage they had against them.

Ships incapacitated by Serian airstrikes found themselves targets for the large and powerful deck cannons on naval battle cruisers. These cannons aimed below the waterline, at the bridge, at other cannons, and at the side of the ship itself in a volley of molten metal to further incapacitate the ships or outright destroy them. It was integral to the entire Brazilian operation that the navy keeps it's stranglehold on this area, and they aren't going to let it go without a fight.

Ciduad de la Luz,
Serian Occupied Territory

Preacher didn't stop to take a breath after the Connerians withdrew from the city. Immediately afterwards he was directing tank divisions to either take up residence out of the way of artillery hotspots and placing them on strategic locations throughout the city and on the outskirts. Further, he ordered snipers equipped with "Tank Killer" rifles to take up residence in the high rises and play overwatch. With their heavy weapons (so heavy in fact that they need to be mounted, require a two man team to move, and cannot be fired even with the assistance of their exosuits) they were at a particular advantage to punch precise holes into anything coming in their line of sight be it an actual tank, slow flying VTOL, or person.

Preacher entrusted the Valkiri to move about the perimeter to dispatch enemy recon troops and to generally secure the area. The remaining Army Rangers and Marines found themselves securing injured enemy combatants, civilians, and weaponry. They couldn't possibly move the injured captives back to Sera for obvious reasons, so they instead made use of whatever they could find to keep them docile and placated. The soldiers and Preacher himself knew this respite wasn't going to last long as the Connerians will be itching to push them out. However, Preacher also had a plan as to how they were going to usurp the connerian position, and already the swamp command center was dispatching squads to begin the first step of this plan.

Small Ranger teams moved out of the dense marsh and towards the outskirts of the town, taking a longer way to avoid Connerian detection. It was a play that went all the back to the first time a person. There's rock to distract their enemy when really they had a haymaker they should've been worrying about. For now, these teams played the role of raiders, hitting Connerian encampments hard and fast before disappearing back into the foliage. Usually, they attacked for a sustained period of time before abruptly breaking off; however they also attacked without warning and in a seemingly disorganized manner. The first step of Preachers plan was already unfolding.

Conner City International Airport

Johnson stopped in his tracks and immediately put his hands up. Yet, before he extends them completely into the sky, Johnson puts something into his mouth and swallows it. It was the NOVA virus in its pure form, unneutered, uncontrollable, dangerous, and infectious. When ingested, it takes longer for the virus to move into the necessary systems to turn it's host into a fearless and unfeeling killing machine. It was the last resort for those who were unlucky enough to be captured, and promised them the chance to go out in a more dignified and.... Chaotic way than simply exploding or popping a cyanide pill. At least this way, whoever is bitten or comes into contact with any if their bodily fluids, they'd be infected too, and just like that, the Connerians have a horde they need to divert manpower and resources to contain. But for now, three virus laid dormant within Johnson, patiently waiting to be set free.

By the time the agents had come full circle to face him, he started speaking immediately. "I'm a smart man, Aegis doesn't employ fools. I know how this goes, I surrender. But..." Johnson hesitates for a moment and looks about the interior of the airport as if he expected an assassin to leap from the shadows. "I want to make a deal... My freedom and passage back to sera for information. This entire war is pointless, and I'd rather spend the last days this earth has with my family."