Ukraine Crisis [IC] [Sign-up 1st] (MT)

[Malden Republic]

4th Mechanized Division, 1st Company Infantry/5th Company Armored, Alpha Combat Team
Commandant Xavier Laurens, Just outside Poltava, on the P11 secondary highway enroute to staging point outside Krasnohrad.

"Echo-Uniform-Delta- Eleven, this is Alpha 6-3, Alpha 6-6, we have a SITREP for you sir! Over" 3rd Lieutenant Alex Coburn spoke again, the German Corps 4th Panzer Brigade hadn't responded to the last hail so she had tried again. She had tried on the standard long range channel they were given after they stepped off. But no one had replied. She was now trying on the short band instead of the long band. She had a chance to get a hold of one of the other units attached to the 4th Panzer. Meanwhile, Commandant Xavier Laurens had ordered the Combat team into a staggerd file with the open fields on either side of the convoy, he wanted to avoid any ambushes by infiltrating insurgents behind the front lines. 1st Platoon had put some distance between the Combat Teams command element and themselves. Behind the Command element Cpt. Dumont's 4th Tank platoon followed with their 120mm rifled barrels pointing out into the fields on either side waiting for someone to engage them. Following the Tank platoon in order were; 2nd Lt. Devereux's 6th ADATS platoon, Lt. Smith's 2nd Mech Platoon, 3rd Lt Stuart's AMOS Platoon with the 4th Division's Logistic's team following them, finally 2nd Lt. Jacquinot and her 3rd Mech Platoon.
(\\ Reference Alpha Combat Team ORBAT \\)

"Echo-Uniform-Delta- Eleven, this is Alpha 6-3, Alpha 6-6, we have a SITREP for you sir! Over" 3rd Lieutenant Alex Coburn called over the channel again, Cmdt Laurens frowned. Were they out of signal range? Maybe they were being jammed. He shook his head. If the Insurgents were jamming them they would be in for some trouble and if the Russians were giving them the equipment to do that. there would be some issues at the diplomatic table back in Berlin.

"Alex," Xavier called out over the crew channel. "Try the long band again."

"Yes Commandant!" She said quickly. "Calling Any Callsign this net, This is Alpha 6-3. We are having a hard time rasing Theatre, Any Callsign this net please respond over." The long range radios on the AMFV-124 Command and Control Vehicle should have no problem rasing HQ. They would just have to wait.

"Alpha 6-6, to all Victors" Xavier called over the short range, Deploy here set up a ring of defense here."

In order each of the platoons replied in quick succession to the command and broke the staggard file formation. 1st Platoon strattled the highway facing south south east. 2nd and 3rd platoon's made a triangle with 1st pulling off the road and facing directly north and west respectively. Infantry dismounted quickly filling the gaps between each vehicle as each platoon set up in a wedge formation. 4th platoon sent a MBT-13A "Tribesman" to each platoon with the remaining 3 tanks of the platoon holding north of the highway in a semi circle. WIth the HQ mimicing the semi circle watching south, creating a full circle The spacing was big enough for the Logistics team to get off the road with their trucks and park in protection within the circle. 5th platoon and 6th platoon separated into pairs and joined each Mechanized platoon with one pair going to each platoon. Every gun, sensor and set of eyes were facing out scaning the fields for hostile intent. They were all waiting for a response of the long band from their attach theatre command. If they couldn't they would be forced to rally with another unit or seek out a long range jammer that may or may not be out there.

[Vangaziland]

JW Grom-10th AC
BTR 80 - "Vic Three-One"

Officers. Any enlisted soldier would share their views on them. A Vannish officer is not a typical officer. Prior enlisted service is mandatory, for earning an officer's commission. Reaching the rank of sergeant is also preferred, though combat deployments can also fulfill this requirement.

The importance of enlisted service for Vannish officers was magnified under the recently disbanded policy of mandatory military service. If a nation asks every man and woman to serve 18 months, they deserve officers who've put in some time. Certain enlisted soldiers are critical of a fast track program that can help college graduates reach sergeant after 2 years. This includes rigorous testing, as well as the completion of an additional 2 years enlisted before earning a commission. There are also military academies, which can be controversial because the four years of cadet life can substitute for the enlisted time. These officers often end up with the most to prove.

The two officers riding in the 2nd and 4th were both former sergeants. Even Captain Juliet Andreson had enlisted time in a combat arms branch of the army. Now she commanded an elite company of the Vannish Airborne Cavalry. There were no POGs. The vehicles streaked down a back road on the edge of the Ukrainian city.

The large convoy almost came under fire when they had approached the first checkpoint, some time ago. The gate guard called up the convoy over his radio and raised his rifle as he approached the vehicles. The first vehicle's commander rolled with the hatch open. Since CPT Andreson was in the second vehicle, she had to watch the tense moment.

Eventually the guard was told by a Ukrainian speaking Vangazi to call tell other checkpoints about the convoy over their cellphones, and not over their radios. The initial transmission about their arrival may have went out. But no other checkpoints would call out their trip. If the Russians had been monitoring it, they may have taken it for an anomaly.

It was some time later, as the large convoy turned off the road into a large meadow. The field was surrounded by a tall growth of wispy pine trees. Two Vannish fuel trucks were parked, soldiers milling about around them. "All vics, form two lines", said Indigo Five over the radio. This was the Vannish platoon leader, 1LT Charles Daveson. Captain Andreson was his company commander and had selected 1LT Daveson's platoon because she trusted them most.

The large BTR-80s came to a stop a few dozen meters behind the two fuel tankers. Both of the fuel trucks were spread out, to give room for the other vehicles to maneuver. As the trucks came to a stop, the BTR's side hatches opened. Several soldiers got out to stretch. Riding in an armored vehicle definitely motivates a soldier to exit as soon as they get the chance. It's good to stretch and see something other than the bare interior of the APC, full of exposed panels and wiring.

"Man, you guys are going out there, huh?" A Vannish staff sergeant in charge of coordinating the fuel transfer joked with a few of the other soldiers.

The others didn't want to say anything in response because the mission was so classified. "Come on, sarn't", said a Vannish corporal with a big grin. He turned to see two other soldiers walking over with large boxes.

The two privates set down the large boxes. "Here are your headwraps. Balaclavas. Camo face paint too."

Captain Andreson laughed as she approached the group. "Face paint might help a little." Maybe it would hide some of her feminine features as well. The different items should help give each soldier different options to camouflage themselves.

More soldiers from the fueler unit carried a long hose from the truck up to the first truck. Each BTR would get gassed up before driving off to a staging area in the field. The next truck would then roll up to the fueler with the hose. One by one, each truck would be fueled by one of the two lines.

[Luhanskaya]

Senior Sergeant Vladimir "Vova" Yurchak
FOB Frederick "БПР Фредерик"
2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, 4th Company, 87th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, В/Ч 22874
Ukrainian ATO Forces, Task Force "Pekelnybog"

Vova scanned the forms as he listened to the Col. After receiving the quick brief Col Adams reached into his drawer pulling out a small packet handing it over to Vova.

"These are your new patches. Hand them out to your squad when you can. You guys will take one of each patch. One patch is your Ukraine flag and the other is the UNE flag. These will go onto your new uniforms once you get them. Any questions?"

"No sir, I'll get these forms completed as quickly as I can. Thank you for everything." Vova stood up saluting the colonel before he exited the room.

Opening the door he entered the building they were staying in. Sitting down at a desk along the wall he turned on a small lamp. He set the forms down and pulled out the packet with the patches. "2nd squad, file by and grab one of each patch. Most of you already have a Ukrainian flag, if not grab one. As for the second patch, it's the UNE flag, wear it on your left shoulder once we get new uniforms. We'll be assigned to the EFF / Polish Corps 17th Mechanized Brigade 12th Company for the upcoming operation. I don't have a lot of information yet, but it sounds like we could be leaving soon, and be prepared for urban fighting. I'll brief you later today once I know more.

Fedya, take the men out and find some open space, set up glass houses and conduct room clearing drills. Vorobey you're the most senior member of the 2 gun teams, run crew drills and ensure the guns are functional. After you feel proficient in the crew drills link up with everyone else, and you guys will rehearse battle drills with them. Dismissed.

"Tak Tochna" The men sounded off as they scrambled to get out the door with their equipment.

"Fixa, take a seat over here, and bring everyone's data sheet. We need to get the equipment shortages filled out."

Chatter went back and forth between the two for over an hour as the forms got filled out.

"Most of our weapons already have optics and rails so we can skip past that. "Next we need a new MANPOR long range radio, preferably not a R-159 so we'll see what they got." Scribbling in long range man portable radio on the form.
"Everyone's got vests and plates, so we'll move on. Now uniforms and boots, that's something we need." Hopefully they've got more VSU multicam combat uniforms, but whatever they have well do. He paused counting out the uniforms needed and looking at the data sheets for sizes. 28 multicam uniforms, 19 pairs of boots.
Lastly covered the equipment that was wanted. We could use a few GP-30's if they've got any." He wrote in 4 GP-30's on the form.

Fixa turned to Vova. "This could be a long shot, but we could use NODS so we arent reliant on NSPU's for night fighting, you think we could get any?"

"We can try, it doesn't hurt to ask." Vova responded as he wrote on the form 19 pairs of NODS. He closed out the form writing a few more minor things on the list.

Vova stood grabbing the forms as he got up. "I'll be back. just do something while I'm gone. Something useful like rehearse calling for fire or adjusting fire with Cherniy until I return.

He entered the armory, looking around he found a man flipping through papers. Approaching him Vova asked. "Hello, I need to turn in these forms, do you know where I do that." Asked Vova in his broken English, unsure of if the man spoke Ukrainian or Russian. The man looked up scanning the form, he stood motioning for Vova to follow. They walked down the hallway until they reached a storage room. The man yelled for one of the foreign soldiers to come over. The soldier collected the forms from Vova. "Come back later today, we'll have everything ready."

[The United Nations Of Europa]

Chancellor Linda Schulte, State Advisor Klara Sandberg, General Brewer
UNE Parliament Building
Copenhagen, Denmark, UNE

The summit continued and soon enough plans were made for the offensive, codenamed "Operation Cyclone". The EFF and Ukrainian forces would go on to face the brunt of the separatists' forces that were held in the three cities. Support from the UNE's allies would be sent in the form of medivacs and troops. This operation would finally give the UNE full control of Donetsk. General Brewer sat down after giving his presentation about the offensive and the room grew quiet once more. Small talk was made randomly throughout the summit and everyone seemed to get along pretty well.

Schulte skimmed through one of her folders until she found the folder she was looking for. It was a list of events that had recently taken notice from the UNE government. It worried Schulte and she had felt to share it with the other world leaders. She moved it towards the middle of the table to allow the others to look through it.

"Before we move on to anything else, I'd like to inform you all about a rising situation. Inside the folder will be lists of events that recently took place throughout the UNE. Most of these were protests by pro-separatist and pro-Russia protestors. Recently we've seen a rise in these type of movements especially in our eastern states such as Estonia. Its made of our citizens worried and they're starting to think the same events that happened in Ukraine will happen in their states. We've had to increase our security and have started to train our security forces to deal with protests that grow violent to prevent similar events that happened in Ukraine to occur again. What I'd suggest is that you all take the same precautions from now until this campaign is over. We've made a large amount of progress in Ukraine but all it could take is a protest to go wrong to throw that all away.

After Schulte's little conversation about security, it came time for the attendees to share their thoughts about anything they were wanting from the U.N.E.

"As many of you know, the U.N.E has agreed to talk to you about any deals or alliances that your nation was wishing to establish. You have all aided us through this campaign so this is the least that we could do for you. And if anyone here would like to, we are also open to any of you possibly joining the ISA.

The ISA stands for the International Security Alliance. It was created after shortly after the disbandment of NATO. When the Soviet Union fell, the US found that the previous threat was no longer as big of a problem it presented before. So when the U.N.E. was created, the US felt that we could take care of ourselves. Now the ISA mostly consists of the U.N.E. and other European states. First and foremost, it's a military alliance similar to what NATO used to be. But it's also an organization that allows members to share and work together on projects like space research. And you didn't hear this from me but under normal circumstances, the U.N.E. likes to prioritize ISA members when it comes to trade deals."

Schulte scooted back in her chair, "Now I think I've spoken enough for now. Tell me what do you all want from us."


Captain Wiktor “Petro” Nowak
JW Grom-10th AC

The convoy had been moving at a steady pace for some time now. There was some chatter here and there but for the most part, everyone kept to themselves. The mood in the BTR was pretty serious concerning the situation. After all, everyone in the BTR knew that this mission could go south easily. While some of the guys in Nowak's squad were talking, he was going through some of the family photos he had brought along. They were the only thing that reminded him of home other than the occasional call back to his family whenever he was back at base. Nowak was nearing his last few years in the special forces. He was almost 35 which was the limit of age for any of the EFF special forces. He loved his job but he also knew that it was time to get back to his life with his family.

Jakub looked over at Nowak and noticed the pictures he was going through.


"Family on your mind huh? Adam looks so small in those pictures. I'm sure the boy has grown up a lot since the last time I saw him. How old is he now?"

"He's 9 now."

"Geez. Making me feel old now."

Nowak chuckled at the thought, "Tell me about it."

"Think we're almost there?"

Nowak peered through one of the firing ports to look outside, "Looks all the same to me. But I'm sure we'll be there soon."

Soon enough the convoy came to a halt with sudden yelling outside.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Jakub asked.

"I don't know let me see." Nowak moved up from his seat and opened the hatch above him. He slowly stood up and looked ahead to see what was going on. "Looks like we're at a checkpoint."


"Is everything alright?"


"I'm not sure, separatists seemed to be scared. One of them has their gun pointed at us."


"You gotta be kidding me."


"Just hold on. Don't do anything stupid."

Nowak watched the separatists ahead talking to the head BTR. One of the squad members from inside was talking to the checkpoint guard. Every second that passed by seemed to last forever as Nowak watched the two converse. If anything seemed to tip off the guard then the mission would be over right here. The person talking to the guard handed him a phone which seemed to confuse him at first but he took it anyway. Eventually, the convoy was approved to go forward and then they were on the move again. Nowak closed the hatch and went back inside, relieved that the plan was going through.

"Man, that was close. Well, there shouldn't be any more checkpoints till we get to the city. Let's just hope that we don't have to use our guns anytime soon."

After some time passed, the BTR's reached the fueling spot where they would refuel before getting back on the road. Slowly each vehicle was motioned forward until neat rows were made for easy refueling. Soldiers that were inside the BTR got out to enjoy the uncramped space before heading back into the small interior of the BTR's. Nowak and Jerek made their way to the Vannish captain as the others went around to talk to their friends.

Nowak saw the captain and whistled to get her attention, "Gotta admit that was pretty close. How did your soldier sound speaking to the separatist? Was his Ukrainian good?"



1st Lt. Katarzyna Nowacki
EFF / Polish Corps 17th Mechanized Brigade 12th Company
FOB Frederick

"Did you hear about who's joining us? "

"No. Who is it?"

"Well I was called down to Adam's office earlier and he wanted to inform me on an addition to our group. Apparently a Ukrainian ATO squad was shipped out to here. I was told that they're going to join us for the assault"

Nowacki was a tank commander in 12th Company that was part of a tank-heavy company team that was crossed with an infrantry company. She was the head commander in her tank platoon of the team. She had been in Ukraine for awhile but hadn't seen much action. Mostly she would do patrol along the towns that were near the FOB, but this would change soon. Her tank team was selected to be part of the assualt that was being planned. This would be her first taste of action since she arrived.

"So why are they joining us in the first place?", one of the other crew members asked.

"Well, Adams told me that the Ukrainian forces would know the area much better than we did. It'd help keep us from getting killed."

"Makes sense I guess."

"Well I'll be back soon. Adams wanted me to introduce myself to the new addition before we start training with them."

Noawcki left her baracks and headed out for the baracks of the new transfers. After walking around for a bit she finally found herself at their door. She knocked on the door and waited for it to open. A Ukrainian man taller than her, stood in the doorway.

She extended her hand and greeted him, "Hello, I'm 1st Lt. Katarzyna Nowacki. I believe you'll be working with my tank team."

[Vangaziland]

Fritjof 'Fritz' Vang, Prince of Vangaziland
UNE Parliament Building
Copenhagen, Denmark, UNE

The Vannish Prince leaned back in the Parliament Building's comfortable chair. He twisted in his seat, spinning it and sliding back and forth on its wheels. He had a great deal on his mind. He was prepared to propose a decision that would put lives in harm's way. Prince Vang was known for taking care of his soldiers. He was one of the major voices behind bringing troops home from a place called Al-Khalifiya. The move even chafed several of his long time allies at the time.

Now he was about to do the opposite. After listening to the General and then Chancellor Schulte, Fritz sat forward in his seat. "There's something I'm here to propose", Fritz said. "Let me first say that Vangaziland is prepared to stand behind the ISA as a full partner. If we want to grow this alliance, we can work on this. There are ways we can scout potential nations and get the name of the alliance into the public eye."

"Our forces in Ukraine are rather light. Just a few hundred. We are speaking about a major offensive here. I propose an immediate Vannish force escalation. The Prince lifted a cue card and read from a list of unit names. "A drop. I'd like to send a battalion and a half. One will come from a regular army airborne infantry battalion. They'll be supported by elements from a reserve airborne unit."

Fritz proposed the reserves because they had been on standby. They were ready to leave tonight. A regular army unit might take a little longer to prepare. They'd both be ready to jump in time for the offensive.

"We'll have to pick the optimal spot for their landing. Vannish forces in theater can scout and secure drop zones in advance." The 10th Airborne Calvary Division already had a few hundred soldiers in Ukraine. Preparing for airborne operations was one of their major roles. Specialized 'pathfinder qualified' soldiers would make a combat drop organized and tactical.

"This will mean having more soldiers in country than the original limits. I think initial numbers have helped us keep certain areas together. Russia is only escalating. The time may be right for a surge."

Fritz turned to Linda. "Any thoughts, Madame Chancellor?" Fritz enjoyed calling Linda by formal titles, especially since they had a relationship. He smiled a little on the last words. Even when preparing troops for war, he couldn't help but be enamored with Linda.

[The United Nations Of Europa]

FOB Gibraltar
Captain Michael Schmidt
EFF / German Corps 4th Panzer Brigade


“Sir someone is trying to get through to us on comms. I can’t make anything out though, it’s just static coming through.”

“Is the damn radio still acting up. Fucking mechanics said they fixed the shit. Alright, well keep messing with it until you can get something going. We’ll be sitting ducks if we can’t communicate with the others.”

Schmidt’s group had just been sent from Gibraltar recently to meet up with the new Malden forces coming in. The EFF would be sharing the base with them as command wanted to concentrate their forces in Luhansk. The small convoy consisted of four MBT-90s and 2 reconnaissance vehicles. It was a small platoon but there hadn’t been any activity lately so the Gibraltar command thought it’d be safe.

“Sir, I got the radio up.”

“Alright let me see. Delta squad radio check. This is Delta-1, calling for a radio check.”

There were immediate responses from the other vehicles but the voices were still being cut mid-sentence.

“I thought you said you got it working?”

“I said it was up. Didn’t say it would work well.”

As Schmidt was arguing with the gunner about the radio, the tank suddenly stopped causing confusion among the convoy.

“What the hell is stopping us?”

“Sir, there are some kids in the road.”

“Lemme see.”

In front of the convoy were 3 kids slowly walking in the road. Their clothes were tattered and their faces looked tired and distraught. Another dismal image of the war that had been going on for years.

“What should we do sir?”

“Let’s bring them back with us. They can’t be left to die here.” Schmidt grabbed the radio, “I’m going to need Niklas and Heinrich with me.”

A static response came over the radio, “We're coming sir.”

“Damn radio. Wolff hand me my rifle. Keep your personal radio on. At Least we know that those work properly.”

Wolff handed him the rifle as Schmidt opened the hatch and hopped out of the tank.

Two other men met up with him at the front of the tank. Both coming from the reconnaissance vehicle.

“I’m going to need you two to speak with the children. See if they have any family around here and if they do then let get them out. But watch your surroundings, this could just be a trap for us.”

The three walked up to the kids in the road, cautiously looking around to see if there was anyone waiting for them. Schmidt motioned for the two other men to move up to the kids. The two moved closer to them and knelt down to be on there level.

“Доброго дня. Ви розмовляєте англійською?”
(Hello. Do you speak English?”)

“Hi.” the child responded.
("No.")

Де твої батьки
(Where are your parents?”)

One of the children pointed to a broken down house.

“What do you think about this Schmidt?”

The setting was unsettling. For the convoy to be moving along and coincidentally children were blocking the road would make anyone unsure. But Schmidt knew he couldn't leave them here.

“Let's check it out. Hopefully, their parents are really there.”

Schmidt grabbed his radio and tuned into his crew's channel. “

“Wolff, I want your tank to move forward with us. Tell the others to stay behind and to be on alert.”

“Roger that.”

Schmidt's tank slowly moved forward and followed the group. The children lead them to the house. Once they were in front of the house, the children walked toward a cellar door and motioned for the three men to follow them.

“Schmidt I don't like the feeling of this.”

“Neither do I. Alright lights on and watch your corners down here. Wolff we're headed down, watch the outside of the house.”

The group descended into the cellar, slowly moving forward in case someone was awaiting them.

“EFF forces! We're coming down. Drop any weapons that you have.”

Two adults came out from behind a shelf, rapidly speaking with a scared tone. They seemed to be the parents. Schmidt and his men lowered their weapons and tried to calm the two. They seemed to think they were separatists.”

Schmidt looked over to one of the men, “You guys are ones that can speak Ukrainian. I can't do anything here.”

“Хто-небудь тут говорити по-англійськи?”
(Does anyone here speak English?)

The father called for someone from another room in the cellar. An older girl who seemed to be in her 20s came out.

“I do sir.”

“Is there anyone else here with you?”

“No, it's just us.”

“Alright, Niklas, Heinrich, help the parents and kids out of here. Take them to the reconnaissance vehicles. We'll take them back to Gibraltar after we meet up with the Maldens. I'm going to stay and ask her some questions.”

The 2 helped the struggling parents up and walked them back to the convoy. From the looks of it, it had seemed that they had been down there for weeks. The place had things cluttered around with a few canned foods remaining on the shelves.

“So how come you guys are still in this area? This area was evacuated a few weeks before.”

“I was going to college in Donetsk but once the violence started I came back home to family. There were volunteers that were evacuating people but my parents were too sick to go. I ended up staying to take care of them.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that. Alright, well we’re going to take your family back to our base once we meet up with some other soldiers. We will set up a room for your family and a nurse there can see them.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The two walked up the stairs leading back outside. The rest of the convoy pulled up to Wolff’s tank and was ready to take off again. The family's daughter joined them in one of the reconnaissance vehicles.

“That should be it for now. Let’s get going.”

Wolff stood up from the hatch and reached for Schmidt’s rifle as he handed it to him.

“What was all that about Schmidt?”

“Eh, it was just a family left behind from the evacuation. We’re going to take them back with us once we’re done.”

“Sounds like a plan. Get back in here so we can go. Maldens are waiting for us.”

Schmidt hopped onto the front hull and was almost about to enter the turret but something stopped him. A sound in the distance caught his attention. It was a sharp swoosh sound that seemed to be headed towards him. A second later, a large explosion rocked the house that the family was hiding in.

“Artillery! Schmidt get your ass in here!”

Schmidt snapped out of his state and quickly went through the top hatch and closed it. The convoy quickly took off at full speed as they tried to escape the artillery shots.

“They’re firing way too close at us sir!”

“They must have this area zeroed in. No wonder the houses were all in the rubble, they’ve been using it as target practice. Just get us out of here!”

The convoy was speeding through the town dodging any fire that came upon them. Suddenly the radio started to go off again but with the same static as before. “God damn radio still isn’t working!”


ISA Ukraine Command
Kiev, Ukraine


The ISA command in Ukraine was one of the newest buildings that appeared in the city. The building itself wasn’t new as the U.N.E. bought the Parus Business Centre and made it into an ISA Command building. Inside the building were many of the communication centers that allowed EFF forces to communicate with each other. Recently the command center had been having problems with their signals from the building. Reports had been coming in from forces in Ukraine that many signals would be lost. It was still unknown what was causing the problem but technicians worked endlessly to fix it.

“Sir reports are coming in, that now Kharkiv comms are having trouble.”

“You have to be joking. Well, I’ll get the technicians to work on it. Anyways the Malden Republic sent some of their own forces to Kharkiv. They should be making their way to Gibraltar anytime soon. I want you to stay on their channels in case they call.”

“Will do sir.”

Comms were silent for a while but eventually, the Malden channel was live. Although just like the reports claimed, there were problems with the channels in Kharkiv. Their calls were staticky and hard to make out.

“Sir, I have a call coming in but it’s to understand what they’re saying.”

“Here let me see.”

"Calling Any Calls- this n-, - is Alpha 6-3. We are ha- a hard time rasi- Thea-, Any Call- this net please resp-over."

“Damn you were right. Well, all we can do is respond and tell them what’s going on. Go ahead and respond.”

“Alpha 6-3, this is EUD-11, ISA Command Ukraine. We are receiving you but comms are hard to understand. You are still cleared to go ahead to FOB Gibraltar. An EFF escort force should be meeting up with you anytime soon. Over.”

“Alright well, hopefully, they got the message. Sit here and wait for a response.”

“Uh, sir we have another call coming in.”

“The Maldens already responded?”

“No sir it’s coming from the escort forces.”

“The escort forces? What’s going on with them? Well, put them in.”

“EUD-11 this is EFF / German Cor- 4th Pan- Bri-de. We’re under heavy enemy fire! Short ba- chan- are not working. Requesting support from any nearby forces.”

“Even their channels aren’t working properly.”

“Doesn’t matter. Get a hold of the Malden forces going to Gibraltar! They’re the only ones close by.”

“Alpha 6-3, this is EUD-11 again. The EFF / German Corps 4th Panzer Brigade are under heavy enemy fire and are requesting support. You’re the only ones that are close to them at this time. They’re in the middle of Krasnohrad on the M18 highway. Coordinates are being sent to you now. Get to them fast.”




FOB Gibraltar
Captain Michael Schmidt
EFF / German Corps 4th Panzer Brigade


“Call Gibraltar! Tell them we need support!”

“ Sir, short band range isn’t working!”

“Call EUD-11! See if the long range is working.”

“EUD-11 this is EFF / German Corps 4th Panzer Brigade. We’re under heavy enemy fire! Short band channels are not working. Requesting support from any nearby forces.”

There was panic among the convoy. The sudden attack surprised everyone and with no way to contact support from nearby, the chance of getting away alive seemed dim. Luckily the artillery barrage stopped, giving the convoy a chance to breathe.

“Sir, you think we got away.”

“I don’t think so. Nicklas, you guys see anything?”

“Nothing yet. Looks clear for now.”

“Alright let's mve on. Be on the look-.”

“RPG!”

A rocket flew past Schmidt’s tank hitting the ground, barely missing the tank behind him.

“Fire on the building!”

“Firing!”

The second story of the building was practically gone after the shot. The roof caved in, killing anyone that would’ve survived the shot. A large smokescreen was shot out in front of the convoy, allowing them to retreat into a subsection of a broken down neighborhood. Numerous hostiles closed in on the convoy, putting them on the defense. They seemed to have come out of nowhere, making it obvious that this ambush was planned.

“Schmidt I see enemy tanks down the road.”

Schmidt was in shock at what was going down. One minute the convoy was moving along smoothly and then the next they were cornered in an ambush. All he could think of was if this was the end for him. With no radios to call the base, there was no support coming to help the convoy. They were on their own.

[Luhanskaya]

Senior Sergeant Vladimir "Vova" Yurchak
FOB Frederick "БПР Фредерик"
2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, 4th Company, 87th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, В/Ч 22874
Ukrainian ATO Forces, Task Force "Pekelnybog"

Vova exited the armory, greeting the man at the desk as he left the building. While making his way back to his men he noticed a small military shop with Ukrainian signs outside the building, these small shops were common on military posts. They typically sold thing ranging from uniforms, boots, knives, watches, etc. basically any small things a soldier may need. Entering the small building he saw a few of the EFF soldiers talking and browsing around along with a few VSU soldiers who must have also been stationed at the FOB. He looked through the aisles, browsing through the patches hanging on the shelves. He found one for his sleeve with his blood type "O (I) Rh+". Grabbing it, he made his way to the counter to checkout. A local Ukrainian woman in her early 20's rang him up. She reminded him of his wife. His wife Anastasiya and son Andriy still lived in Lugansk. He hadn't seen them in over a year, in fact none of the men had seen their families since then. It was hard to keep families together during this war. The amount of time spent away from each other had the potential to tear families apart. You couldn't dwell on this while in the combat zones, but it was always in the back of your mind.

"That'll be ₴80"

The cashier talking snapped him out of his trance. Vova flipped through his pockets pulling out the cash putting in on the counter top.

"Thank you, have a good day now" She said with a smile while handing him his bag


Stepping out of the small building he immediately made his way back to his living quarters to call his wife. Closing the front door behind him he threw his bag down on his bed. Opening his laptop, he video called his wife. The ringing felt like it lasted forever before she finally picked up, but was merely a couple seconds. Vova couldn't help but smile, seeing her while she held their son nearly brought him to his knees. The call went on for nearly 45 minute when he received a knock on the door. He said his good byes to his wife and son, promising to call back soon. Opening the door revealed a woman in a Polish military uniform. She reached her hand out towards him.

"Hello, I'm 1st Lt. Katarzyna Nowacki. I believe you'll be working with my tank team."

Returning the handshake "Hello, Senior Sergeant Vladimir Yurchak, nice to meet you ma'am."

[Malden Republic]

4th Mechanized Division, 1st Company Infantry/5th Company Armored, Alpha Combat Team
Commandant Xavier Laurens, Just outside Poltava, on the P11 secondary highway enroute to staging point outside Krasnohrad.

"“Al-ha -3, this is EUD-11, ISA Com... -nd Ukraine. We are receiving y- but comms ar- hard to un-. You are still cle-ed to go ah-ad to FOB Gibr-tar. An EFF escort for- shou-d be me-ing up with you -ytime soon. Ov-er.”

"Holy mother of god," Xavier mumbled, having the disbelief that it was only them having issues it seems that they were either A, Jamming the Kharkiv Channels or B, all the comms collectively shit the bed. As a modern standing military the EFF wouldn't simply allow their radio's to go into such disrepair to allow this.

"Coburn, I want Theater Command to hear us." Xavier called out from his position in the tank, "Emails, cellphone even if you have to hook us into the telephone land line I want a stable connection with command!"

"Yes Commandant!" Coburn replied quickly as she typed furiously on the MRL (Military Rugged Laptop) she had in front of her. She then swore and opened the rear hatch. She Climbed on top of the tank and began to reset the antennas. As she worked she heard shelling start. Krasnohrad looked to be taking incoming though she couldn't be sure of what she was seeing. "Commandant!" She yelled "East, SHELLREP!" She called out Xavier against his better judgement popped out of his open hatch and looked east.

From their position, they were close enough to see the plums of smoke, dirt and debris being kicked up from incoming 125mm Rounds. Normally Xavier would put this up to higher immediately but he whipped his head around to see Colburn quickly re-calibrating the antennas. "ETA?" Xavier asked.

"Seconds, Commandant." a few moments later she closed the box at the base of the antenna's shaft and gave a thumbs up.

Xavier was about to speak when he heard EUD-11 calling in.

“Alpha 6-3, this is EUD-11 again. The EFF / German Corps 4th Panzer Brigade are under heavy enemy fire and are requesting support. You’re the only ones that are close to them at this time. They’re in the middle of Krasnohrad on the M18 highway. Coordinates are being sent to you now. Get to them fast.”

"EUD-11!" Xavier Called out. "Alpha 6-6, 1st Company Infantry/5th Company Armored, Alpha Combat Team Command Hears you 5 by 5! We have a SHELLREP to our East in looks to be north of Krasno!, Combat Team is moving with speed to link up with EFF forces, 4th Panzer now." Xavier waited for a few moments, "EUD-11, Do you have clear comms with the 4th Panzer, Over?"

To satisfy his curiosity he asked how comms were doing out here. He might be right that the Russians were assisting the separatists with a jammer, giving forces around Kharkiv or the assigned channels around Kharkiv a run for their money. They could also being listening in but he didn't want to voice his concerns outright.

"Alpha 6-6 to all Alpha Victors, Re form the convoy were going to town!" Xavier ordered, "Apha 1-6 you lead! Alpha 4-6 Follow with your tanks!"

Xavier from his position in his open top tank saw the men and women from 1-1 mount back up in their AMFV-59's and they quickly sped off from their location up on to the road putting the MTU 600 kW 8V engine to the limit speeding off down the road. Captain Dumont's 4 "Tribesmen" Tanks followed quickly as the heavier "Marauder" Tanks followed in behind. Moments after, the HQ team for the Alpha combat group was on the road with the ADATS platoon, and they AMOS Platoon following close behind with the Logistics group right behind them with both 2nd and 3rd platoons taking up the rear.

---

4th Mechanized Division, 1st Company Infantry/5th Company Armored, Alpha Combat Team
1st Platoon HQ (Alpha 1-6) Lt. Geoffrey Cartier, Entering Kransohrad on P11 Secondary MSR

Cartier sat buttoned up in his command seat. All hatches were closed and he was staring though the RWS view screens, their was 3 screens he could see clearly. The Gunners view Screen and the two that he could see at his station, one that was cut in half, showing the front and rear camera and his own weapons station. The 4th Mechanized was fully upgraded to current era equipment while the rest of the army had to deal with last eras equipment, these were usually 1985 to 1995 era equipment. The AMFV-59, and its cousins were the best Madlen could offer in terms of warfare, state of the art equipment and even Cartier's AMFV just rolled off the assembly line mere weeks before the deployment.

This would be the first taste of fire and the AMFV-59 would be the first of the Malden equipment to show its might to the opposition forces. "Heads on a swivel lads!" Cartier called out over the platoon channel. "Get set for contact!" Moments after saying that the lead AMFV-59 got hit by a RPG. One of the side panels of armour took the brunt of the damage burning away the Kevlar mesh camouflage attached on the outside of the armour revealing a large section of armor had been torn through. Luckly not all the way. Alpha 1-1 spun its turret around and unloaded using it 40mm CTA Malden Semi Automatic dual feed cannon tearing though a building the RPG's mussle flash came from. After 3 hits of the anti personnel rounds, another round penetrated the side of the building and flattened the small house. Dumont's 4th Platoon was coming up behind them and one of the MBT-20C "Marauder" tanks had fired a SMERSH shell completely disintegrating the small shack. Most of the building had been evacuated and the other half were out right trashed from consent artillery barrages. Cartier wanted to be careful of civilian casualties.

Dumont's tanks slowed and formed a line formation. While Cartiers AMFV's did a herringbone maneuver deploying his infantry squads in the process. At that moment. The platoon came under heavy small arms fire and a series of attempted RPG strikes, most of which either sailed over the platoon and landed near Dumont's tanks or impacted short of the platoon.

"Alpha 1-6 to Alpha 6-6, we have entered Pishchanka and have run into resistance getting to the M18 Highway. We will have to clear this out before advancing!" Cartier called over the short wave channel, "Orders? Over!"

---

4th Mechanized Division, 1st Company Infantry/5th Company Armored, Alpha Combat Team
Commandant Xavier Laurens, Just out side Pishchanka, on the P11 secondary highway enroute to Krasnohrad.

"Orders? Over!" Xavier's radio crackled. Looking ahead of him, He saw his lead element come under fire and return fire. Following procedure 1st Platoon pulled off the road and deployed their troops, As for Dumont seeing the RPG fire he deployed out side the first part of Pishchanka and fired into it.

It looks like the ambush for the 4th Panzer units had security forces in place to keep reinforcements from getting to them quickly. Xavier couldn't leave them there. He had to punch through this ambush to get to the German forces on the other side.

"Alpha 2-6!" Xavier called over the Combat Team's command channel. "Take lead push through to the M18 and hold there!" Lt. Adrien Smith replied smoothly and quickly ordered the AMFV-59's in his platoon on to the other side of the road and slipped past leaving 3rd Platoon to cover the rear. In moments Lt. Smiths 2nd platoon slipped infront of the HQ team and sped ahead. Once 2nd platoon was past Xavier he ordered the HQ team and his follow on forces to keep pace with 2nd Platoon.

Lt. Smith zipped into the town blowing past 1st Platoon's defensive position with the HQ Team right behind him. 3rd Lt Stuart's AMOS Platoon lowered their 120mm Dual Mortars to work as smooth-bore cannons and followed in behind the HQ Team. 2nd Lt. Devereux and her ADATS platoon turned out of their hatches and armed themselves with there BAR-80 Bulpup assault rifles and prepared to defend themselves as the ADAT's weapon system wasn't well suited for close range combat. The Logistic team did the same with their co Drivers and ride alongs arming themselves and preparing for incoming fire. 3rd Platoon followed them as well.


Once reaching the "Marshal" Gas Station Xavier ordered a halt and for the Support elements to move north out of the town to a safe distance and for 1st and 4th platoon to rally on the HQ team. 3rd platoon pushed south past the Marshal Gas station and set up in a line facing the incoming fire from the next group of houses past the next gas station. their was a ravine between them and Krasnohrad. Knowing that the German Escort team was on the M18 in Krasnohrad he called out on the long band again knowing the proximity would help the radio issues.

"4th Panzer, EFF Escort team, This is Alpha 6-6, Malden Alpha Combat Team, We are set up at the M18- P11 Intersection at the Marshal Gas Station. Fall Back to us we have your backs Over!"

---

[Cosparia]

UNE Parliament Building
Copenhagen, Denmark, UNE
Some time ago

President Samuel Harrison, Colonel George Lawrence, and Field Marshal William Ross sat at their spot at the conference table as conversations carried on. The three had made some small talk, largely between themselves, but also between some other members of the conference. The President noted that the Chancellor of the UNE, Linda Schulte, and the Vannish Prince Fritjof Vang, appeared to be well-acquainted with each other. He shrugged. Not necessarily a bad thing, he thought to himself.

As Chancellor Schulte spoke about the various protests in the eastern region of the UNE, she placed a folder at the center of the table. Once others had taken a look at it, President Harrison reached for it and pulled it over to the Cosparian section of the table. The three men flipped through some of the papers, and the Colonel quizzically raised an eyebrow.

"This sounds an awful lot like some stuff that's happened in western Aleut," the officer whispered to his superiors.
"I'm not too surprised, actually. That's just across the Bering Strait," the President replied.

After looking through the folder, Pres. Harrison reached and put it back in the center. He then sat and listened as Schulte spoke and explained the ISA to other attendees. An alliance similar to NATO, but including international projects besides military ones. After she finished, the Vannish Prince sat forward and began speaking.

"Let me first say that Vangaziland is prepared to stand behind the ISA as a full partner. If we want to grow this alliance, we can work on this." The Cosparian men nodded in agreement, before Prince Vang continued. "We are speaking about a major offensive here. I propose an immediate Vannish force escalation..." "... The time may be right for a surge."

Once the Prince had finished, President Harrison rose his hand and scooted his chair up to the table.

"The Federal Republic of Cosparia is likewise willing to stand with the ISA as a member. I've had numerous talks with representatives and senators before arriving here, and part of their agreement was a majority vote in favor of rejoining a major alliance. We've been able to stand by ourselves since NATO's disbandment, but we realize that in the modern age, no country can truly stand alone. Between strengthened relations with the world at large, and in particular improvements in the matters of trade, travel, research, and defense, we are willing to reestablish strong ties with the international community." President Harrison nodded and sat back.

[The United Nations Of Europa]

Chancellor Linda Schulte, State Advisor Klara Sandberg, General Brewer
UNE Parliament Building
Copenhagen, Denmark, UNE

"There's something I'm here to propose," Fritz said as he pulled his seat up. Schulte was surprised at his statement. She knew that he was a savvy businessman but she didn't expect him to be this upfront when dealing with this situation.

"Let me first say that Vangaziland is prepared to stand behind the ISA as a full partner. If we want to grow this alliance, we can work on this. There are ways we can scout potential nations and get the name of the alliance into the public eye. Our forces in Ukraine are rather light. Just a few hundred. We are speaking about a major offensive here. I propose an immediate Vannish force escalation. The Prince lifted a cue card and read from a list of unit names. "A drop. I'd like to send a battalion and a half. One will come from a regular army airborne infantry battalion. They'll be supported by elements from a reserve airborne unit."

Fritz continued on with his sudden proposition and soon enough even the Cosparian president seemed intrigued. He rose his hand and slid his chair up too.

"The Federal Republic of Cosparia is likewise willing to stand with the ISA as a member. I've had numerous talks with representatives and senators before arriving here, and part of their agreement was a majority vote in favor of rejoining a major alliance. We've been able to stand by ourselves since NATO's disbandment, but we realize that in the modern age, no country can truly stand alone.

In only a matter of minutes, the organization that the UNE had created had the opportunity to grow an immense size. The ISA could possibly grow into an enormous power that even Russia would have to acknowledge. But there was one thing that caught Schulte's attention. The mention of a surge had come up from Fritz. It seemed reasonable enough but both Schulte and the General knew they had to be cautious with this.

Schulte looked back at the two men, "Let me just say that I'm delighted to hear that both of you would be willing to join the ISA. This means a lot to not only our nation but to the security of all of Europe. Yet the idea of a surge in our forces is something that we have to be cautious with. There are already plans to increase the presence of the EFF, but we're not sure about an increase to all forces. With Russia already trying to provoke us with a small presence of your forces in Ukraine, we're not sure how they'd react to a large increase. Even though we have the support of the people with our actions in Ukraine, we're not sure they would still support it if Russia tried to scare them. General Brewer what is your thoug-."

One of the phones on the table rang in the middle of his sentence. The number displayed was familiar to Schulte and she instantly knew it was her advisor Klara. She picked up the phone and quickly answered, "Klara what's wrong."

Klara's voice seemed to be quiet with a tone of worrisome. Schulte had never heard her like this and she instantly knew something was wrong.

"Schulte are you still in the conference room?"

"Yes, I am. Why are you asking?"

"Turn the television to the news. You're gonna want to see this."

Schulte quickly turned the TV on and what she saw made her heart race. The room went quiet, with only the TV making any sound.

"This is Euro News with breaking news! We are now getting word that Russia has shot at and seized 3 Ukrainian navy vessels in the Black Sea. Russian jets were also seen flying around the area after the incident happened. The video shows that the 3 Ukrainian vessels were traveling from Odessa to Mariupol when Russian navy vessels fired on and rammed the Ukrainian ships. The 3 Ukrainian ships are now docked in Crimea, the peninsula that Russia illegally annexed back in 2014. Could this action escalate already cold relations between the UNE and Russia? Is a possible war between these two nations on the horizon?"

https://vimeo.com/user87520070/review/307607774/4b434a7ec4


Schulte turned off the TV and sat back in her chair. She put her face in her palms and sighed heavily. It wasn't surprising that Russia had done this but everyone knew the timing was horrible. Right in the middle of a historic moment that could easily be brought down in an instant. Schulte looked back up at everyone in the room. She looked around and assessed the situation. Brewer looked back at her and nodded his head at her. She knew that they had to do something to prevent anything else from happening. She looked back at Fritz and recollected her thoughts on the idea of a surge.

"If we're going to have this surge then we need to be quick. We currently have around 80,000 EFF troops in Ukraine as of now. We'll increase that to over 100,000 after the offensive. After seeing what just happened I'm afraid we have no choice but to do that. If you are still interested in increasing your forces then we give you permission to. I understand that after what just happened you population might be afraid of what will happen next. If you'd like to pull out of the campaign then you may at any time. We will still negotiate and trade deals with you as compensation for helping us."

The room grew silent with even the drop of a pen being the loudest noise present. Whatever was decided at the summit today would be one of the most consequential moments of the decade.

[Military Democracy of Birtonia]

From The Office of The Imperator

Official Military Communication
Officium Militare Communicum

Ave! Greetings!

To esteemed allied leaders,

Birtonia has been watching. Due to our geography, the Russians have been a long time rival, thus far we have had no quarrel with them but both sides have been prepping for decades. We noted your intervention in the Ukrainian incident and have been fervently keeping intelligence services in country. Due to our two greatest allies having soldiers in Ukraine, Vangaziland and New Hayesalia, we are ready to support your cause.

No doubt you have received word that the Russians have yet again shown their true colors. The Black sea must be controlled if you are to be successful in restoring stability to Ukraine.

I now offer the strength of the Imperium Militare, detachments from all three Adepti, Terram, Classis and Aerus are mobilizing as we speak. I understand your worries in escalating the conflict to a full scale war, only partial units will be sent to assist you.

Additionally I would like to extend the use of specific military bases for rearmament, refueling, and other logistics support as needed. Landresk Air Force Base and Port Vinethok in the west of our country, close to Yugoslavia. On the other side Richards Field Air Force Base and Crescent Beach Naval Station. You will find all facilities capable of any manner of warplane, or naval vessel.

With a steady Hand,

Imperator Alsonius Vera Lontilii,
Leader of the Imperium of Birtonia, Chief of staff of the Imperium Militare, Righteously given to the Imperium,

Knight-Major Theodore Lion, Commander, Birtonian Naval Strike Force
Launch Facility 03-A
Crescent Beach Naval Station, Near Hopa, Imperium of Birtonia

The north shore of Birtonia is a beautiful vista, all along the coastline, rough Mediterranean ground meets a bright blue ocean, pocketed here and there with gorgeous white sand beaches. Every now and then, along the MSR that ran next to it would be a small fishing village, further apart were large towns, with proper docks.

Finally one could see a sprawling mass of grey buildings, this was Crescent Beach Naval Station, one could say it's a blight on the land, but the Adeptus Classis would say otherwise. See this was one of the largest Naval facilities the country had to spare, she boasted roughly 3,250 acres of land. 14 piers and three dry docks would mean a large majority of naval repairs, service, and re-fitting occurred at this location.

Though historically it has never been used as a focal point for staging an invasion, it was designed with this purpose in mind, and today it would finally see it's mission.

The sun sat low on the horizon as a flock of birds came in from the north, breaking the still morning with flapping wings and their shrieks. Theodore stood atop the balcony of his temporary command center, a small cup of black coffee resting beside him on the railing. Steam rose as he took a sip, traditional Birtonian coffee was brewed similar to espresso, small amounts, but very, very strong. Though the sun had just risen, his men had been stirring for many hours now, morning chow was finishing up and he could see groups of soldiers lugging their gear to the staging area.

Birtonian allies had gotten involved in a mission just across the pond in Ukraine, but just recently, Russian aggression was brought to light yet again. The Imperator had enough, and sent a statement to the Europeans, that Birtonia would be joining alongside Vannish and New Hayesalian forces. More than likely there would be a much larger force being assembled, but Theodore had orders to move a partial company of Amphibious Marines to support BLUFOR operations ongoing in the region. His gaze moved over to the grey hulk, standing out over the dull blue ocean, large white letters, striking against the hull showed "N.B.B. Percival Wallace CVA-1".

This ship would be his home for the next 6-12 months, or longer, depending on what happened with Russia. From his vantage point he could the two dozen VF-24 Swift Fox Multi-Role Tilt Rotor aircraft, those were a hell of a machine. Capable of holding almost an entire platoon, 1 chin mounted 25mm, 3 chain guns, and up to 8 missiles. He knew his men were in good hands when being supported by one of these Foxes.

Next up were the AFV's Shildkrotes, or in English Turtle. These things were built to carry up to 24 men right up to a beach, provide heavy cover fire, and smoke while the Marines or Amphibious Infantry disembarked and laid waste to the enemy. They were so well armored yet had enough room, only 15 were required to bring half the company into the fight. There were a few variants, the C2 and the Mortar carrier, the rest were alternated between twin HMG's and 40mm GMG's. Their armor was tough enough to stand up to a few blasts, but if they encountered armor they would be in serious trouble. Thankfully the AT teams would pierce the hearts of any ironclad foe they would come across, and if that failed, well they always had the Swift Foxes or the Adeptus Aerus.

Roughly an hour later it was time for a staff briefing, no official word came from command, nor the allies. Until then the Knight-Major would draft up his own plans in conjunction with the ships Captain. It was agreed they would up to the east of the Crimean peninsula, mainly to be close enough to support BLUFOR, but also to project force upon the Russians, they would have to think a little harder maneuvering their ships in that area now. While the flotilla was relatively small, the Black Sea was a native body of water to Birtonia as well. That meant large amounts of air power and an even more powerful navy lie in wait just to the south.

By dawn of the next day, the band of ships set sail, men, aircraft, ammunition, food, water, amphibious vehicles, a few bottles of rum, all packed into the Amphibious Assault Ship. The pair of escort destroyers led the way, with the other ships taking strategic positions around the [i]Percival Wallace[/i}. A flight of two Birtonian E/A-60D Threshers roared by, these were fighter jets equipped for electronic warfare, they would scout ahead of the Strike Force, looking for Russian planes, or surface vessels. Ultimately they would skirt around the southern coast of the Ukraine, perhaps close to one of the allied FOBS.

[Cosparia]

UNE Parliament Building
Copenhagen, Denmark, UNE
Some time ago

President Harrison, Field Marshal Ross, and Colonel Lawrence sat as Chancellor Schulte announced her delight at Prince Vang's and the President's willingness to bring their countries into the ISA. Both Cosparian officers nodded in appreciation as well, as a major downsizing and reorganization of the Cosparian Armed Forces had recently been discussed and planned, and the senior officer corps suggested that a strong alliance would make up for the loss in domestic power.

The Chancellor continued to speak. She began to discuss and caution the Prince's proposal of an increase of allied forces in theatre.

"There are already plans to increase the presence of the EFF, but we're not sure about an increase to all forces. With Russia already trying to provoke us with a small presence of your forces in Ukraine, we're not sure how they'd react to a large increase. Even though we have the support of the people with our actions in Ukraine, we're not sure they would still support it if Russia tried to scare them. General Brewer what is your thoug-."

Schulte was interrupted by the phone at her section ringing. She quickly picked it up and answered.

"Klara what's wrong.... Yes, I am. Why are you asking?""

The Cosparian men exchanged looks of concern and confusion with each other, and with the other diplomats at the conference. They watched as the Chancellor turned on the TV with a sense of urgency. As soon as she did so, nobody made any noise, and all that could be heard was the voice of a reporter on the screen.

"This is Euro News with breaking news! We are now getting word that Russia has shot at and seized 3 Ukrainian navy vessels in the Black Sea. Russian jets were also seen flying around the area after the incident happened..."

Ross shook his head. Harrison watched, completely dumbfounded at what he had just seen. Lawrence rested his face in his hands and gave an exasperated sigh. You've got to be shitting me, he muttered under his breath. The President, though thinking the exact same thing, gently elbowed the infantry officer to remind him they were in polite company. Lawrence looked up and whispered an apology.

"God Himself couldn't have timed this any worse," President Harrison said. "I brought my country, my servicemen and women into this with hopes that we could help end the conflict within a couple of years, at most. That Eastern Europe can see peace for once. And then, this... this happens." He rests his head on his hand and rubs his chin, shaking his head. "Like Prince Vang said, Russia is escalating, and capturing those Ukrainian Navy ships might only be the start of it."

Field Marshal Ross spoke up. "The idea of a boost to Cosparian troops in theatre is also an idea my colleagues and I have discussed. However, our Armed Forces have just begun implementing an extensive modernization and restructuring plan early last year. Troops and equipment are being shuffled around, units are being completely reorganized, new equipment is being evaluated, and so on. As you might imagine, this would make sending more troops... difficult, at best." He looked at his commander-in-chief, who nodded.

"With that being said," the Cosparian President stated, "We will still do whatever we can to aid our new allies. After what we have done for you, and the people of Ukraine, leaving this campaign now is simply not an option for us."

[Osotia]

Roughly 15 Kilometers East of Luhans'ke/ Comander Geoff Iarrell, Lieutenant Colonel of Osotian Ground Forces Branch, Air Cavalry. Commander of the 895th Air Assault Battalion.

Geoff sat in one of the OTH-171M Medium Utility Helicopters flying with two of the OAH-35M Assault Helicopters from First company / 1st Squadron, Squadron Support Company attached to the 895th. Both Helicopters used a tilt rotor design with the OTH-171M looking similar to SA-2 Samson made by the RDA company for their Private Security Marines. Able to hold one full section of troops, the entire forward party was able to load into the back of the OTH-171M. Geoff, looking out the window, looked at one of the OAH-35M Helicopters. This was the work horse of the Air Cavalry. Fully loaded with missiles and unguided rockets it looked very much similar to the Mi-24 Hind However it mimicked the AT-99 "Scorpion" Gunship as well having the same tilt rotor design. They both leaned heavily in the direction of Nordic design, so much so that nicknames for both aircraft dipped in Norse folklore and mythology and Viking related items. For example OTH-171M was nicknamed Vīkingr, or "Knarr" (longship)

With all the good praise these craft there were downsides to them, they couldn't take too sharp of turns or the craft would lose its upward lift and plummet, and if it took too much damage or one of the two engines went out it would be like trying to fly a brick. All pilots in the 895th knew about these flaws and understood the risks when flying them.

---

The forward party with the battalion commanders helicopter flew to the forward operations base in Luhans'ke, the flight of four aircraft in all would land at the ramshackle base ahead of EEF and other Osotian forces to organized the FOB into a forward aircraft refueling and rearming point (FARRP), The EEF or Ukrainian troops could land their helicopters for servicing or bring their wounded here to be evacuated. The full flight of aircraft from the 895th would be held here and 4 landing pads would be erected by the forwarad party to accept supplies and equipment. One of the 7th Company 2nd squadron Heavy lift helicopters; a OTH-29, carried the Battalions Command & Control equipment and the personnel from the Battalion's Engineer group that would be there to see it set up they would be sent home immediately afterward.

The rest of the battalion's deployed units would ride in on their helicopters and the squadrons would have their technical and support personnel drive in with their trucks delivering the first wave of ammunition and supplies with friendly forces reinforcing Donetsk. The EEF had desired the 895th to act as a quick reaction force assisting the eventual assault into nearby towns and the amount of Attack craft and Air assault troops brought in by Osotia would be more than enough to fulfill that role. Geoff was worried that they would be too close to the front line and the anti-aircraft systems that the enemy had in place may obstruct his movement. Then again the Coldwar era systems that the enemy had been using might not be good enough for the quick manuvers of his battalion. With only 2 companies of the full 8 that he had available to him would be deployed he hoped that his government would vie more support for allowing more companies and squadrons deployment orders.

[Rausenburg]

4th Division, 103 Recon Group, Alpha Squadron, 1st Lieutenant Riley Marsh
Just outside Novomoskovs'k, 160 Km's outside Pokrovsk.

"A" Squadron of the 103rd Reconnaissance Group rolled through town after town to their FOB that was placed in Pokrovsk. Ukraine was certainly not what he had in mind when he received his commission to officer. Riley Marsh was a Sargent Major in the Rausenburg Royal Commandos used in special operations and protecting the countries head minister: Sienna Johannsson. Once Finishing his education he received his commission and with Sienna's backing received the rank of 1st Lieutenant. He was then assigned to the 103rd where he was given the task of commanding A Squadron. 11 platoons of equipment and personnel all organized towards speedy recon and assault. 1st through 6th platoon had ACV-13 C&V 30mm recon vehicles, based off the YPR-765, with a shorter hull the vehicle was meant for speedy and sneaky recon. The C&V 30mm Dual fed cannon allowed for it to engage light vehicles with little issue, and if more than one of them could harass the heavier Soviet/Cold Era equipment. If the first 6 platoons would face issues the 7th platoon in their Leopard 2R's and the smaller Leopard 1R's would be more than a match for T-64's and T-72's. Finally the 10th and 11th Squadrons had the 120mm mortars and a Platoon of Infantry for house to house work if required. All in all the 103rd was able to hold its own however having the 42nd Battalion's 3rd Company following them up was a nice feeling knowing they were going to have some support as well as the fire power they were bring up with them.


From what he was given, he knew that Donetsk would be the main push, clearing out the pockets of resistance around the city and securing this strong points would be used by the separatists to push back into Donetsk. However his current orders were to get to Pokrovsk ASAP and hold until the 42nd Battalion's 3rd Company and the S&S Company to arrive to erect FOB "Johannsson" It seemed Major General Eugène Seimetz wanted to win some favors back in the homeland by naming the FOB after our leader however I doubt she would even smile at that. She was a Introvert and defiantly didn't like people poking their noses in her affairs and with the FOB named after her it was guaranteed that that some reporter would come knocking. Knowing Sienna well enough, Riley knew that she kept a baseball bat close at hand for such untimely visitors.

---

Riley opened the command hatch of his AVC-13, to get a better view, 1st 2nd and 3rd platoons were ahead of him speeding along the E105. They were path finding for the following forces. From where he was, he could see nothing but farmland and to his left every once in a while the Dineper river would beable to be seen or at least he thought it was but with the hedgerows on either side of the road would block out the country side. that and the speed his Squadron was going at he would only get a second or two between breaks in the hedgerow to see anything. Normally he would be against this sort of action, but with the front-line easily severall dozen kilometers away from him he was okay with this until they got up to the main MSR, the E50.

From his knowledge from his commander. There would be a checkpoint up ahead at the E50 and they would have the Radio freq's we needed to be on and updates from forces in the field. Then from there it was a straight shot to Pokrovsk.

[The United Nations Of Europa]

Captain Wiktor “Petro” Nowak
JW Grom-10th AC
Amrosiivka, Ukraine


The sky was overcast with a slight breeze blowing through the town. It was mostly quiet with some separatists walking around patrolling. It was a small outpost for them with no large activity. It seemed that most of the civilians had previously left but there was still the occasional civvy walking around. Wiktor was outside a run down store with a group of separatists. They were smoking and cracking jokes all while Wiktor leaned against the building occasionally chiming into the conversation. Surprisingly he was having a good time with them but in the end, it meant nothing to him. Sooner or later these men would end up fighting against the men he was fighting alongside with. Jakub came out of the store with whatever he found and motioned for Witkor to follow him.

"I see your making friends Wiktor."

"I just don't want to be miserable the whole time I'm here. Is Anton ready?"

"He just called me earlier when I was in the store. He said he'll meet us at our house in a couple of minutes."

"Good. Call the Vannish and tell them to meet us at the house. Oh and have them bring one of their trucks."

Wiktor entered the small house his squad was staying in. Some of the men were sleeping with others just sitting down waiting for new orders.

"Alright get up everyone! Anton is going to be here soon so we need to be ready. Check your weapons and do any last minute gear check-ups. Aleksy help me load the RPG's into the BTR."

Everyone started working on whatever needed to be done while they waited for Anton. The BTR was being loaded with RPG-22's that were brought along for the mission. They were compact rocket launchers that would work well in the cramped spaces of the BTR's. As Wiktor and Aleksy were finishing up a jeep pulled up to the house. In it was their informant, Anton. He exited the vehicle and waved at the two.

"I've been waiting to see you guys!"

"Same here. Well everyone is in the house right now. Come in so we can get started. The Vannish soldiers we're working with should be here soon."

The men entered the house and sat at a small table and started to discuss the plans for today. Anton took out a duffle bag and pulled out a couple of folders from it. He laid them out so Wiktor could through them. As he flipped through the folders, Anton went on to explain the schedule for the day.

"We're going to have to be quick on this Wiktor. Danylo and Ivan will be here in about an hour if nothing comes up."

He pointed to the center of a layout of Amrosiivka. "Once they arrive, they're going to stop at this building. This is the command building where they control what goes on here. The journalist you're looking for is being kept in the building across them. They have a cellar where they keep anyone they feel is trouble. Once Danylo and Ivan are done talking in the command building they are going to get back in their vehicles. The watchmen in the cellar are going to bring the journalist out to the cars with a bag over his head. They don't want anyone to recognize him as they bring the guy out. Now here's the tricky part for you guys. The journalist is going to be in the vehicle behind Danylo and Ivan. He'll be in the back of the jeep with a driver and a guard in front. The same thing goes for Danylo and Ivan. They'll be in the back with a driver and guard in the front. There will be a BMP in front of the convoy that'll be going back with them. You're going to have to take out the BMP and the personnel inside the jeeps. So watch what you shoot. I assume you brought something to deal with the BMP."

"We brought a couple of RPG-22's along with us."

"Well, that's good. How about your explosives for the ammo depot?"

"Let's just say we have some "supply" crates we're going to drop off at the depot."

Anton laughed and sat back in his chair. You don't realize how big of a chore it is to help run this place. Well, then again I haven't been really helping."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say most of the orders I helped give out to the separatists ended up in them meeting some EFF air power."

Wiktor chuckled at the thought, "Man fuck me. These bastards don't even know what's coming to them."

"Tell me about it. So how did the pictures turn out? You get any goods shots of the vehicles?"

"You have no idea. Take a look at them."

Wiktor handed Anton the pictures which resulted in an eyebrow raise from him. "Man these are better than anything I could get. Did you take these?"

"Nah the Vannish did. It's sort of their specialty. You can see all of the factory marks and everything we needed. Lady back at home is going to love it."

"Lady?"

"The chancellor Anton."

"Oh yeah."

A muffled engine noise came from outside with a knock on the door coming shortly after. "Ah it must be the Vannish."




FOB Gibraltar
Captain Michael Schmidt
EFF / German Corps 4th Panzer Brigade


"Contact 10 o'clock!"

"I see him."

The convoy was cornered and had been taking constant heavy fire. They had been pushed from the main road and retreated back into a neighborhood. They did as much as they could to hold off the enemy until any news of relief came in. Until then their situation would be very grim with no sight of escaping.

"Where the hell is support!"

The radio started to go off again but it was different this time. The signal was clear, unlike the other calls that previously came in.

"4th Panzer, EFF Escort team, This is Alpha 6-6, Malden Alpha Combat Team, We are set up at the M18- P11 Intersection at the Marshal Gas Station. Fall Back to us we have your backs Over!"

"Here's our chance to get out. Alpha 6-6 we received your message. We're going to deploy smoke to our right side and head towards you full speed."

"Alright let's do this quick. We don't have much time. Smoke out!"

All of the vehicles deployed smoke grenades from their dischargers and created a large cover of smoke on their area. It would be hard for anyone to spot them which provided them the protection they crucially needed. "Move forward!"

At an instant, the whole convoy quickly sped forward trying to exit the neighborhood and make it back onto the main road. Rockets flew past them, hitting the buildings near them. Schmidt's heart raced, with only the thought of escaping alive in his head. He went back onto turret cams going back and forth to the side of the tank to check for any hostiles. At the moment it seemed the convoy had finally been clear of the assault and had been closing in on the intersection.

"Schmidt, I got smoke plumes coming over the ridge on the right. Possibly a tank trying to cross the ridge."

"Gerhard turn the gun to the right. We have a possibly EV (Enemy Vehicle) crossing the ridge."

"Roger that."

"Wait until the bottom of the hull is showing."

The smoke plume grew larger as the enemy vehicle came closer. It wasn't long before a rebel tank was driving over the ridge, trying to get a shot on the convoy as it escaped.

"Gerhard take the shot."

"Firing."

A clean shot from the MBT-90's main gun easily tore through the bottom of the tank, disabling it before it was even able to fully cross the ridge.

"Good shot Gerhard."

The convoy eventually got back on the road and kept moving on. Schmidt looked at the map and saw that they were nearing the intersection that the Malden forces were at. After driving for a bit more, the Marshal gas station along with the Malden forces was in sight.

"The Maldens are about 500 meters out. Panzer 2-3, I want you and the recon vehicles to move ahead of us. We're going to reverse towards the Maldens and cover the rear."

"Roger that."

Panzer 2-3 and the two recon vehicles pulled out of the convoy and went ahead of everyone. They would continue on as the remaining vehicles would turn around and slowly reverse toward the gas station.

"Keep an eye out and call out anything that catches your eye. "

"Schmidt I got eyes on a group of enemy rifleman, 200 meters out."

"I see them. You are free to engage."

"Firing."

Schmidt took control of the M134 weapon station on top and fired short bursts. 4 of the personnel quickly went down with the others scattering into a small house.

"Schmidt, you got eyes on them?"

"Yeah, I got them. Switching to the 20mm."

The 20mm autocannon tore through the house's walls, quickly destroying any cover the separatists had.

"Let's get out of here. If they're still alive then we can expect someone to come after us. Everyone go full speed reverse with all commanders watching behind. I don't want to be out here any longer."

The three tanks sped in reverse, to meet up with the others. Eventually, they made it to the gas station where the Maldens were waiting.

"Alpha 6-6 this 4th Panzer Escort. All personnel is currently present. I'm glad we ran into you guys this quickly."



1st Lt. Katarzyna Nowacki
EFF / Polish Corps 17th Mechanized Brigade 12th Company
FOB Frederick

"Hello, Senior Sergeant Vladimir Yurchak, nice to meet you ma'am."

"Uh, may I come in?" Nowacki entered the small barracks room with the man and took a seat on a chair in the room. There were bags lying around the room which wasn't a surprise to her with his team just arriving at the base.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. Adam's wanted me to introduce myself before we start training together for the next operation."

[Luhanskaya]

Senior Sergeant Vladimir "Vova" Yurchak
FOB Frederick "БПР Фредерик"
2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, 4th Company, 87th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, В/Ч 22874
Ukrainian ATO Forces, Task Force "Pekelnybog"

The Polish lieutenant entered the room and took a seat. Her presence upon entering the room was that of a professional and disciplined soldier. Vova closed the door, and made his way over to the small table in the room. The light in the room dimly lit the bare walls. Pulling out a chair, it scraped the ground causing a brief screech. Vova himself now took a seat opposite to her. His right hand reaching up, removing the black beanie from his head.

Fixa, Cherniy and the 3 crewmen of the vehicle team gathered a few items and exited the room.

LT Nowacki began to speak. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. Adam's wanted me to introduce myself before we start training together for the next operation."

"No, not at all. Please excuse the clutter, we're still settling in. It's been a chaotic week for us. Nevermind that though, where would you like to start?" Replied Vova as he placed his hands on the table.

[The United Nations Of Europa]

1st Lt. Katarzyna Nowacki
EFF / Polish Corps 17th Mechanized Brigade 12th Company
FOB Frederick

"No, not at all. Please excuse the clutter, we're still settling in. It's been a chaotic week for us. Nevermind that though, where would you like to start?"

"I'm sure it has been pretty chaotic for you guys. Well anyways, I am the platoon leader of the Bravo 2-1 tank team. Adam's told me that you'd be put into infantry platoons within my tank platoon. I'd like to know when it would be a good time to get your squad together so we could familiarize you all with our equipment.

I also would like to later rehearse drills with our LAVS so we could both get an idea on how we perform. Your military and ours probably do things differently so it'd be a good idea to see what would work best. Sorry for talking a lot, but I heard you just came in from the frontlines. What's it like? How did the separatists fight against you guys?"

[Vangaziland]

PFC Kris Cszolt was not ready for the role he was thrust into. The private was from a Vannish territory known as Esportivan Vangaziland. This was different from the largely Black and Scandinavian Mainland. Esportivan Vangazi were mostly a mix of Slavic and Hispanic heritages. There were not a huge amount of Esportivan Vangazi in the Vannish military by comparison. There were still a few in this unit.

Since the unit's true officers kept themselves mostly hidden, PFC Cszolt sold himself to the Separatists as coming from a different Eastern European country. He was able to speak a little Czech from family travels. This helped key the private in because he portrayed himself as a platoon sergeant. The entire Vannish truck was disguised as a unit of volunteers that traveled far and wide to fight for the Separatists.

The soldiers were relaxed by the calm way Cszolt smoked with them. Cszolt tried his hardest to joke with the Separatists. He could make them laugh through expressions and physical humor. They were realy starting to trust him and the rest of the Vangazi by association. An EFF soldier better prepared for the role been inserted to pose as the ranking Separatist in the Vannish truck.

This person would meet with local leaders, along with others who worked with the EFF-manned trucks.

It was PFC Czolt who knocked on the door after the Vannish BTR pulled up to the structure. It idled loudly as it waited. The Vangazi brought a team of 7 besides the driver. This left plenty of room in the truck. They never knew if the space might come in handy. If they had the chance to raid anything, they would. This could range from supplies to food. The fight was real for the Vangazi, who looked to hurt the effort of the Separatists at any cost.

As the door opened, PFC Cszonka met the Grom team in character. He spoke in Czech as his body language really told the story. If anyone had listened, he said, "The truck is ready." The way he nodded and pointed towards the truck may have portrayed the effort. The operatives knew they were simply waiting on him and that he was in the process of acting.

The PFC sprinted back to his waiting truck, prepared to board. The Vangazi were all sporting Russian made weapons. Two of the six Vangazi had GP-25 grenade launchers under their wooden-stock AK-47s.

The Vangazi had talked about some of the operation's details with Grom in private before. Vangaziland's BTR was set to follow the Grom and support their movements. When things got hot, the job of the Vangazi would be to put up fire quickly. One of the unit's snipers rode along for the undercover mission.

The fair-skinned, dark haired man carried a Dragunov sniper rifle. The sergeant was more comfortable with Vannish weapons, but had been training with the Dragunov before the Ukraine deployment. The rationale was that Vannish snipers might encounter fallen Russian weapons in combat. Orientation was important, especially for snipers. He would not have trained spotter, though others could help.

The sniper would obviously not ride security in a hatch. If the truck came to a standstill, his marksmanship could still prove useful. The sniper was also prepared to deploy independantly and cover terrain by himself.

It wasn't long until the Vannish BTR-80 was loaded. They waited for the Grom to load up. The Grom soldier posing in the Vannish truck was on the truck's radio to speak in Russian. This would help both trucks coordinate movement undercover until they went radio silent. The same Grom soldier likely knew the plan even better than the Vangazi who'd been briefed on it.

The trucks both soon set off, churning mud and rocks as their engines pushed the gigantic frames down the road.

[Luhanskaya]

Senior Sergeant Vladimir "Vova" Yurchak
FOB Frederick "БПР Фредерик"
2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, 4th Company, 87th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, В/Ч 22874
Ukrainian ATO Forces, Task Force "Pekelnybog"

Vova listened intently as the LT began discussing what she would like their units to do.

"Honestly, whenever you are ready I can gather my men and we can begin cross training them with your equipment. We've worked alongside armor units before, but without a doubt I'm sure there are differences in how we operate. We'll be able to decide which tactics work most effectively, and then we can go on from there. "
He replied while scribbling notes down to discuss with his men later.

LT Nowacki began speaking again after Vova put his pen down.
"Sorry for talking a lot, but I heard you just came in from the frontlines. What's it like? How did the separatists fight against you guys?"

Vova looked up wondering if she had yet to see any combat in her career. Then again she did look relatively young. "It's different here. The government labels them as insurgents, but this isn't what people had experienced in the middle east. It's a whole different ball game out here. They wear uniforms, body armor, have optics, and night vision capabilities, and most of them served in an actual army prior to this. On top of all this the Russians keeping falling onto our side of the border. They bring their artillery, aircraft and armor with them when they do. It's evident they recieve all their training from the Russians, almost everything they do is by their doctrine.

By that I mean that they rely heavily on gaining fire superiority during battles, it will start with heavy barrages from indirect fire platforms, then usually by bringing BMP's, BTR's, T72's etc to establish a local support by fire. From there the infantry dismount and begin maneuvering onto your location. Their ability to dig in quickly and build intricate and effective fighting positions is unprecedented. We've had almost no luck taking them on while they are dug in, they're stubborn and disciplined. And as soon as they start to break, Russian aircraft or artillery always show up to give them an advantage.

I'm sure you've noticed in your time here that the VSU is not very well funded. We lack complex weapon systems that would provide us the ability to counter their armor and aircraft threats. We'll rarely be sent Javelins or Stingers while forward deployed, and while battling at night we lack proper night vision equipment, most of what we get are handed down PVS-14's or battlefield pickup 1PN38's off Russian forces.

If for nothing else though, I'd say the largest drawback they have is that they will over commit forces to take objectives, their fanatical to an extent. Even if sustaining large casualties they will try and achieve a pyrrhic victory, rather than retreat and reconsolidate their forces. In the past this has allowed us to decimate their units after luring them into objectives.

Other than that, nothing to unique about them, they utilize the same 12 man squad organization as the Russian army after the reforms. Main take aways from this are the large amount of underbarel GL's, Machine Guns, and AT capability in each squad.

Anything else you've got questions on?" I've also got the Russian manual for paltoon and company operations if it would interest you.

[The United Nations Of Europa]

1st Lt. Katarzyna Nowacki
EFF / Polish Corps 17th Mechanized Brigade 12th Company
FOB Frederick

The Senior Sergeant's remarks about the separatists fighting style kept Nowacki intrigued. It seemed that the separatists would be a tough adversary to fight against. She had heard similar stories from soldiers who would return from battles. She had still yet to face any major combat other than some few small encounters. She wasn't completely sure how the operation would work out for her and Yurchak's squads but she had a feeling that both of them would work well together. She was itching to get out in the action and couldn't wait to start training together.

"Anything else you've got questions on?"

"No thank you. I think I'm good for now. If it's alright with you, we can all get together possibly tomorrow and run drills with our Panther LAV's that you'll be using.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. I'm sure it has been very tough for you guys especially with the lack of funds you've had to deal with. But I think you'll see a quick change to that very soon. "

Nowacki stood up from her chair and shook hands with Yurchak. She left the barracks and went to hers where she would plan tomorrows drills alongside other platoon leaders.

[The United Nations Of Europa]

Captain Wiktor “Petro” Nowak
JW Grom-10th AC
Amrosiivka, Ukraine

As the last supplies were being loaded, teams were being assigned to different vehicles. With the vehicles having to go through the town, GROM operatives would be driving the vehicles and sit in front while the Vannish would sit in the back. There would most likely be checkpoints in other parts of the town and the GROM operatives were the most suited for it. Wiktor was driving a jeep which lead the convoy with Anton in the passenger seat.

"Are you sure about all of this Anton?"

"Yes I'm sure about this. I know everything that goes around here. Now lets get going. We don't want to keep them waiting much longer."

"Alright, lets go we need to get a move on!"

All the personnel filed into their vehicles. Once everyone was ready the convoy took off. As Wiktor was driving, he looked around the buildings he was driving by. There were holes in the road from artillery, houses and apartments were riddled with bullet holes and even the local school was in an unrepairable state. There was even a group of kids playing in a playground, trying to block the state that they were in.

"Wiktor slow down."

"Wiktor looked forward and saw a separatist up ahead at a checkpoint waving the convoy to stop. The convoy stopped and Wiktor rolled the window down as the separatist walked towards his vehicle.

"Where are you guys heading to?"

"We have supplies we're dropping off for the next pickup."

"Alright let me call you in."

The man pulled out a radio and called into another person at the other end of the channel. They talked back and forth for a bit until they were given the go-ahead to move on.

WIktor grabbed a radio from the console and tuned in to talk with everyone's vehicle. "We're 4 blocks away from the ammo depot. Once we get there act calm and keep your weapons down. The explosives are already armed so just unload the boxes quickly and get back into your vehicles. Our HVT's will be here soon and we can't be late for them."

[Cosparia]

2nd Lieutenant Philip Harrison
2 Platoon, A Company, 8th Mot. Inf. Battalion
One mile south of Avdiivka
Some time ago

For some time, the Cosparian combat detachment had been waiting at a rail station south of the suburb of Avdiivka, a major objective in the assault on the city of Donetsk. Upon reaching the rail station--codenamed Point Fusion--the battalion Major had awaited an order to continue to advance northward, as part of the advance. The combat team had waited... and waited... and waited... and nothing came over the radio. At this point, Cosparian troops had grown somewhat annoyed. Two companies of mechanized infantry, plus a company of M60L3 tanks, had been sitting at the station for what seemed like an eternity, with no word on any change in plans.

An olive-drab Humvee drove up to the staging area. After stopping, Lieutenant Colonel William Tremblay, in combat dress with helmet and body armor, stepped out of the passenger side.

"Platoon and company commanders! Rally over here!" The officer circled his hand over his head and pointed at the hood of his vehicle. 2Lt. Harrison gathered nearby with the rest of the officers in the combat team.

"Alright. At this point, I know you and your men have been waiting to get moving, but there's been a change of plans..." LtCol. Tremblay paused and shook his head. "... and a lot of people aren't going to like it." Lieutenant Harrison muttered under his breath. Aw shit.

"Lieutenant," The senior officer looked at his subordinate.
"Sorry sir," The junior officer nodded quickly.

"Anyways," the LtCol. continued. "Like I said, there's been a change of plans. We're not going into Avdiivka. The whole operation, or at least our part of it, is going in a different direction. Something big is coming down the pipes, and we have to come back to Nightstick and reorganize the CT. Different objectives for us means different routes, and from Fusion here, things aren't going to work out. So tell your troops to grab their gear and bring it all back. Dismissed." The officers went back to their units, and Tremblay reentered the Humvee, which drove back to the FOB.

Harrison had let out a sigh after he got back to his platoon, and relayed the information. A collective groan sounded from the thirty-odd men under his command.

"Yeah, I get it, it sounds like bullshit, but that's what I was told, and that's what everyone else in the CT was told. As much as it all sucks, we still have to listen to the brass in charge. Grab your daypacks, and get ready to move back." He gave the order to pack up and prepare to return to FOB Nightstick for further planning. I wonder what they have waiting for us now, he thought to himself.

---

Outside FOB Nightstick
Present day

Second Lieutenant Harrison leads his platoon on a mock patrol in a training area just outside the FOB perimeter. Since they were recalled, Cosparian troopers had been conducting numerous exercises in preparation for the planned offensive within the near future. Much has been made of the preparations for close-quarters urban fighting. Some nearby abandoned houses had been claimed and repurposed by the garrison as shoot-houses, with standard figure-11 targets representing separatist forces. Given the close-up nature of house-to-house combat, some shoot-house exercises were conducted with fixed bayonets, and bayonet drills were regularly practiced on figure-11 targets, scavenged tires, and sandbags.

Harrison's patrol, however, was focused on the lead-up to entering a built-up area. A length of trench had been dug and occupied by an "OpFor" squad, which consisted of around 10 Cosparian troops dressed in their olive-drab garrison fatigues. All troops involved were equipped with blank ammunition and MILES gear to give the men something to react to, given the lack of actual projectiles.

At some point in the patrol, a shot rang out. In the lead squad, an unlucky soldier's harness indicates his demise with a long BEEP, and he acts out his "death" by collapsing.

"ELEVEN O'CLOCK, ONE HUNDRED METERS!" The downed soldier's team leader shouts the report, which is echoed by the other NCOs. The patrol drops prone, and the remaining members of the lead squad open fire against the OpFor position. The lead squad leader looks through the Enhanced Combat Optic on his rifle, assesses the OpFor, and radios 2Lt. Harrison on the platoon net.

"Alpha one-six, Alpha one-one. Contact. Time, one one two zero. Location, grid seven three six, four niner two. Entrenched enemy squad with small arms. Will move to suppress enemy, time now. Over." Harrison took the handset from his PRC-148 radio and replied.
"One-one, one-six. Copy. Will send a squad to assist, and another squad to maneuver and destroy enemy, over."
"One-six, one-one. Copy. Out."

The junior lieutenant crawls over to his RTO, takes the handset from the RTO's manpack radio, and contacts the company commander.
"Alpha six, this is one-six. We've made contact, and are maneuvering to destroy the enemy. Time, now. How copy, over?"
"One-six, six. Copy five by five. Proceed with fire and maneuver. Out."

2Lt. Harrison replaces the handset and retrieves a pair of binoculars from a utility pouch on his load-bearing vest. Keeping low, he motions for his platoon sergeant, Staff Sergeant Wilson, to accompany him to observe and quickly plan from behind a short mound to keep them hidden. Just peering over the top, Harrison looks through his binos to watch the enemy, look for a concealed route to the trench, and assess the situation. He hands his binos to the SSgt., who does the same. Aside from the one man who was "hit", there were no other casualties. The two leaders quickly discuss a course of action.

"Okay, the left and straight up has no cover or concealment whatsoever, but there's that little treeline on the right. Looks about 50 to 75 meters from the trench at its closest. You think that'll work?" The lieutenant asks.
"It's mostly dead with no leaves, but it's better than nothing. I'd send third squad up that way once first and second have the enemy fixed." The more experienced sergeant replies. "That denser clump of brush would make a good assault position."
"Alright. I'll send one-two up to reinforce the support position, then bring one-three out and around to the assault." The two nod, and the officer gets on the platoon net. "Alpha one-two, one-six. Move up to one-one's position and assist in suppressing the enemy, over."
"One-six, one-two. Moving to assist one-one, out."

Ditching his daypack, Harrison rolls down the mound a couple times, then gets up and crouch-runs to Sergeant Foreman, the trail squad leader. He drops prone next to the sergeant, and informs him of the plan.

"Sergeant Foreman! First and second squads are suppressing the enemy position." The lieutenant opens his admin pouch on his vest and retrieves a map. Unfolding it, he points out a route for the assaulting squad to take. "There's a treeline on the right here that'll keep us obscured from enemy view. We'll follow it up about 50 or so meters to a clump of brush here. That'll be your assault position. Once we're there, when I give the word, have your squad open fire and move to the enemy trench. Clear it out, and then move 50 meters past it, just in case they call in mortars on that position. Then we'll reorg and continue. Understood?" Sgt. Foreman nods and motions for his squad to move right, beyond the treeline, to move up and carry out the assault.

Moving up is slow-going, due to the trees being rather sparse, and movement consisting mostly of individual and buddy rushes. The attacking Blue Force was being careful to make sure the OpFor didn't have other units on the other side of the trees. Once the assaulting squad gets close to the assault position, Harrison has them drop prone and crawl to the position. The lieutenant looks back to observe the support element. Sergeant Foreman leads his squad to roughly the position his officer indicated, and positioned his fireteams to achieve maximum firepower forwards.

"One-six, one-three. In position, over." Foreman contacts Harrison over the platoon net.
"One-three, one-six. Copy. Wait one, out."
"One-five, one-six. One-three is in assault position. When shift fire is given, have the support group shift left. How copy, over?" Harrison contacts his platoon sergeant, SSgt. Wilson.
"One-six, one-five. Copy, fire will shift left on order. Ready when you are, over."
"Copy that one-five. One-six out. Foreman, " The lieutenant gives the order for the assault element to open fire.

The 9-man squad opens up with their 2 C89A2 light machine guns, a Cosparian variant of the venerable FN Minimi. Several rapid, short bursts from the gunners, combined with more precise single shots from the riflemen, creates a deadly flurry of simulated fire. Several of the OpFor raise their arms, remove their field caps, and lay down to signify being "hit". Sergeant Foreman then motions for his squad to move forwards, continuing the assault into the OpFor trench. Individuals and pairs get up, sprint for a couple of seconds, then drop prone. Occasionally, a trooper will roll to one side before standing, to avoid catching a bullet--or laser, in this case--if someone was aiming at the spot they dropped to. As the assault group moves closer to the trench, 2Lt. Harrison radios the order to shift fire. SSgt. Wilson repeats the order to the support group, whose squad leaders repeat into their PRRs to their squads. Troopers begin to aim several meters left, to avoid fratricide as Sgt. Foreman's squad enters the trench to clear it.

Private James McDermid is the first one into the trench. He looks down the lane, and sees only "dead" OpFor, laying still with their caps removed. Seeing that the first lane is clear, the young private motions for the others to follow. He advances, and turns the corner to see a live OpFor who had somehow escaped the hail of fire from both elements. The OD-clad trooper pops his head above the trench to attempt to fire at the support group, but hears Pvt. McDermid moving and turns around. The private dashes toward the surprised OpFor and jabs him--gently--in the chest with his rifle, miming a bayonet kill. He then calls out the lane being clear, and allows his fireteam to continue moving through and clearing the trench. Once the assault group has cleared it, the order is given to lift fire, and the support group stops firing. The assault group leaves the trench and continues about 50 meters before stopping.

Lieutenant Harrison advanced with the assault group as it carried out its attack. Once the assault element had completed its task, he motioned for the rest of the platoon to advance and form a perimeter as he gathered ACE reports from the different squads. Once the OpFor "dead" and equipment was counted and reported, ammunition redistributed, and reports were radioed up to the company CO, the platoon was ordered to hold in place for reinforcement and resupply. Shortly after, the CO radioed the call for ENDEX.

[The United Nations Of Europa]

Captain Wiktor “Petro” Nowak
JW Grom-10th AC
Amrosiivka, Ukraine

"Come on let's finish up here, get a move on!"

The joint SF had spent the last 20 minutes unloading the "supplies" for the separatists. Soon enough the whole depot would be a remnant of what it used to be. Wiktor was standing in front of Anton's jeep supervising the personnel. Anton had walking around checking on everyone and walked over to Wiktor as everything seemed to be getting wrapped up.

"Been waiting months for this moment."

"You've been here for that long?"

"Yeah, but I didn't really notice the time. Just seemed to fly by." Anton reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"Since when did you smoke?"

"I haven't done it in forever. I stopped for a long time but when I got here I had nothing to do during my free time. A lot of the guys here drank and smoked so I figured I'd join them while I was here. Had some fun time with them I have to admit. Anton puffed a cloud of smoke and looked over at Wiktor.

"You smoke at all?"

"Never did. I saw how my brother turned out and just never got into it."

"Eh can't blame you." Anton puffed another cloud of smoke, "Takes me back to when I wasn't doing this shit. When I didn't work undercover as a separatist officer."

An operator from Wiktor's squad walked up to the two, "Sir the last box was unloaded. We're ready to head out."

"Great." Wiktor stood up from the jeep and walked up to a group of operators standing next to their vehicles, "Alright everybody get in your vehicles. We're moving out!"

Soon enough the convoy was on the move again and headed toward the separatist HQ building. Once they got there, a small motorcade pulled up shortly after. Two armed guards exited the jeeps and opened the back doors with two men dressed in camouflaged jackets being lead out of the vehicles that arrived.

"Is that them?"

"Yup, Danlyo and Ivan. I'll be back. I'm going to take them inside."

Anton left the jeep and went up to the two. The three started to converse after some handshakes. Wiktor grabbed a radio and tuned into the team channel.

"I want everyone to get a good look at the two men Anton is speaking with. Those are the commanders that we want. Once they come back out the last HVT will be with them.

10 minutes passed by and Anton exited the building with the two commanders along with another person that had a bag over their head. It was clear that it was the journalist they had come to retrieve. Anton lead them to their vehicles and conversed with them a bit more before heading toward the driver side of Wiktor's jeep.

"What's going on?"

"We're all set to go. Our vehicles along with theirs and a BMP will join. I want you to go in the back. I'm going to be leading the convoy with Danlyo's jeep behind us.

"Sounds like a plan I guess." Wiktor took his rifle and moved it to the back where he would sit. "Guess I get a rest from driving you all around the whole day."

"Yeah, I guess so."

20 minutes later

"5 minutes until we start this Wiktor."

"Great. Let's get this over with already."

Anton had a wireless remote detonator with him in the front that would set off the explosives they had dropped off earlier. The convoy wasn't too far away from the town so it would be a distraction that would give them enough time to take out the armed personnel with them.

"Anton had me the radio in the passenger seat."

"Here you go."

"5 minutes until we reach our point. Is everyone ready?"

"This is Jakub responding. We're all locked and loaded. Ready on your order."

After all the other GROM squads called in, Wiktor tuned into the Vannish channels to let them know what was about to go down.

"This is Cpt. Nowak, remember, once the explosives go off, we're going to exit our vehicles. My men will take out the enemy BMP which will give us the signal to take out the armed guards inside the jeeps. Once we do that, we're going to load the HVT's in the front jeeps and hightail it out of here to the LZ."

Everyone called back in and assured that they were ready.

"Wiktor. Are we ready to go?" Anton asked.

"Yeah, we're ready."

"Alright then. Here goes nothing."

Anton activated the detonator in the front. Wiktor turned back to face the town. A few seconds passed by and rockets and bullets could be seen flying into the sky from the town. Soon enough a storm of ammunition was set off followed by a large explosion that could be seen for miles. Right after the depot explosives set off, another explosion came and the entire convoy halted. This time it was the BMP that was with them. Calls came in the front radio from the town as separatists there tried to immediately contact them. Wiktor jumped out of the vehicle and joined his squadmates that were approaching the vehicles in the convoy. The armed guards within the front vehicles jumped out arms drawn while yelling as they were confused among all the chaos. Wiktor looked behind them and the other guards from the back vehicles came out and approached a squad of Vannish operators. Some commotion went down between them before they were shot down by the Vannish operators with the GROM operators following shortly after.

"Alright, let's grab them and get out!"

Wiktor opened the door to the front jeep where the captured journalist was crouched behind the passenger seat. He removed the cloth bag from his head, "Get up. We're getting you out of here."

The journalist followed Wiktor's squad to the leading jeep where Anton was waiting. Soon enough the Vannish squad met up with them with Danlyo and Ivan restrained. The two separatist commanders were loaded into the jeep behind them and the joint task force quickly took off to the LZ where EFF helicopters would soon extract them.

After weeks of reconnaissance, the mission was a success. The Vannish were able to scope out the vehicles the separatist were using and had evidence of Russian factory markings, the ammo depot was destroyed which would halt separatist resupplies for some time, the journalist rescued would be able to provide important info on the separatists and the commanders captured would be valuable assets. The mission would provide info that would greatly ease operations from now on.

Not only was the mission a total success but it was also the first of many. Mainly it was the first joint SF mission between the U.N.E. and Vangaziland. The two nations had been recently establishing growing relations very quickly and this mission showed these relations in action. It seemed that a new, strong alliance was in the makings.

[Vangaziland]

Several Months After The Joint Mission

Satellite photos had been reviewed to find anti-aircraft weapons on the approach into Horlivka. An offensive was about to get underway. It was finally time to confront the so-called Separatists. The Vangazi failed to believe in the name of the group. That was Russian propaganda. Sponsored mercenaries were fighting for the interests of the Russian federation. There were locals who fought for them. It was also widely known that thousands of regular Russian troops also fight here.

A four man team dressed as locals maneuvered into an apartment building with local support. Satellite photos showed a small field in view of the building was sometimes used as a refueling point for the local air defense artillery company. The vehicles all came together every Tuesday or Thursday at varying times throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the soldiers had to wait all Tuesday and through Wednesday. The vehicles didn't come. If a fire mission could take out multiple anti-aircraft vehicles, it would make the air operations in the sector more secure.

It was just before sunrise on Thursday when one of the operators noticed a row of vehicles in the distance. The fueler's trucks were there and ADA pieces were arriving. The soldiers watched, not rushing to call in support. Once all five ADA guns were there, the team NCO called up Echo 2-111th Field Artillery over the radio.

"Spiker this is Starwatch, adjust fire over", called out the Vannish operator in the tower. The windows were blacked out, save for a small crack observers peered through. Curtains were in front of the boarding, so it appeared to only be covered in sheets from outside.

"Starwatch… Spiker.. Adjust fire out."

After the first transmission, the operator read the grid and the artillery FDC repeated it before saying 'out'.

The third line was "ADA convoy in the open, HE followed by Willie Pete in effect, over." Although soldiers almost always used the phonetic alphabet... The HE of high explosives was normally pronounced 'H.E'. Instead of Hotel Echo. White Phosphorous is also colloquially known as Willie Pete.

Far away in a boxy, armored truck, the FDC was sending fire mission data to the firing gun battery. Four M777 howitzers were lined up in a firing formation. As the data came in, the NCO on duty yelled "Fire mission!" This sent a bunch of enlisted artillerymen scurrying. Rounds were being readied. Guns were being reoriented.

Up to this point, fighting between the Vannish and separatists had been limited. The Vangazi were about to send a message. Now the FDC called up the observer in the tower. He had to pass firing information on.

"Rain, Open Sheath, 7 rounds. Target number Alpha Juliet Eight-Eight-Seven-Zero."

"Target number AJ8870 out", said the operator from high above. He could see three ZSU-23-4's in one place. There was also a smaller four wheeled APC with two ADA launchers on top. The biggest target was an ADA piece known as the Gecko. It was the longest truck and had the most advanced missiles of the truck.

"Shot over", called out the artilleryman. The observer repeated it. "Splash over", said the artilleryman a few seconds later. The calls meant the shot had been launched and was about to impact. The observer got his binos ready. The first impact would be a spotting round. The message the FDC read back said what would happen after that.

The first round struck the Gecko and one tanker, causing a huge fireball. One ZSU tried to drive away, but it's tracks had been damaged by debris. It spun like a listing ship until black smoked poured from the exhaust. Most people able tried to sprint away from the scene.

Now it was time for every observers favorite words.

"Fire for effect, over."

For all your war crimes in Crimea. Fire for effect. For bullying Ukraine. Fire for effect. For interfering in elections and installing puppets. Fire. For. Effect. This was a mission that would end the Ukraine stalemate. This was not covert or a guarded attack. These were the shots that might start a full scale war. Vangaziland was behind it as a part of an offensive orchestrated by the EFF.

The special forces operator didn't just call in a basic mission. He added white phosphorous in his call with the term 'Willie Pete'. Some of the shells would be explosives that blasted and shattered. Other rounds would do nothing more than burn. It really had to be done to get rid of all the fuel in one go. It was also brutal, with Phosphorus technically banned for use on soldiers.

Let the records show, Willie Pete didn't target the soldiers. It was there simply to clean up equipment. At least that's what soldiers said to work around the Geneva conventions. The truth was that if these Regular troops and mercenaries posing as revolutionaries wanted to disrupt Ukraine, they could deal with the effects of things like WP.

The rounds soon began to rain in, bursting the vehicles apart. The FDC added an open sheath, which spread the round. This meant those 'Separatists' who sprinted away at full speed still found themselves within the blast zone. Part of this was because the guns went with an adjust fire mission. They could have went with an immediate suppression mission, but it was better to make sure the guns were on target first. Luckily, the drivers were too stunned to move the vehicles.

HE impacts looked more like puffs of smoke or random static pops than movie explosions. The fuel trucks went up in big secondary blasts and clouds of smoke. The WP rounds erupted in ethereal and wispy white clouds which spread incendiary gel into flame below.

Everything in the target area below was touched by blast, shrapnel or flame. The habit of refueling important artillery in the open just because they were close to Russia lead to misfortune on their part.

There was just one call to make back to the artillerymen. "End of mission. Target neutralized. Estimate one-five casualties, over..."

A cold emotionless voice responded to end the mission. A voice that thought nothing of those lost in the fight, for they would do the same to him.

"End of mission.... Out."

[Luhanskaya]

Senior Sergeant Vladimir "Vova" Yurchak
FOB Frederick "БПР Фредерик"
2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, 4th Company, 87th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, В/Ч 22874
Ukrainian ATO Forces, Task Force "Pekelnybog"

Vova had assembled his unit in the courtyard outside the barracks early this morning, eventually being met by 1st Lt. Nowacki and her forces. The men had been training all day. They had gone over countless battle drills, and received classes and instructions from their foreign counterparts who they would be working alongside of. The forces seemed to be acclimating to each other on both a professional and personal level. Laughter was shared by both sides during breaks and plenty of soldiers had taken pictures with their newfound counterparts. As night began to creep up a majority of the forces shared farewells and split off in their own directions, while a few stayed behind to chat amongst each other.

Vova made his way over to the mess hall, a couple Polish and Ukrainian soldiers laughed as they left the building together.

"Sergeant Yurchak, Ay, Sergeant Yurchak" could be heard faintly in the distance.

Turning to see who it was, a taller man with thick black hair was jogging towards him. Vova didn't recognize him. The man wore a clean and well kept uniform, displaying multiple badges and awards. Among them being red wound stripes indicating he had sustained heavy wounds in battle. The man was relatively young. Coming to a stop the man reached his hand out in an effort to shake hands. "I'm Lt. Korolyuk, I'll be serving as your platoon commander for the upcoming operations. Mayor Gerasimenko has briefed me already. He'd like us to meet him in the ranking mess hall for breakfast tomorrow."