Zachod AFB, Tangaliro
1 April, A.C. 393
mjr. Beata Syzmanska55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division
19th Helicopter Squadron
Zachod AFB
Zachod AFB served as a Tangaliroan air facility before Liberation Day, though it quickly switched sides due to much of the base being Gallian and possessing pro-Eric sentiment. Now it largely serves as a ceremonial binding between Gallia and Zachodumłowianka, the two nations united by common cause against the Tangaliroan regime.
Beata splashed some water onto her face and rubbed her temples, looking back at the soulless and emotionless face in the mirror that looked back at her. Despite some recent events regarding the “important event” from days prior, she was in the best of spirits, at least, in her squadron’s terms. Everyone else was either tired of her shit, tired physically, or tired of the same old, monotonous task, day in and day out. But today, however, was a chance to do something new—something exciting, even, and she could hardly wait.
It was merely the third day of their nascent republic, and already the generals were mulling about the anticipated Tangaliroan government response. Three divisions of Solarist reprobates were bound for the motherland to put an end to the new country, and quickly the divisions had been organized to combat the coming attack. Being the elusive, young leader that she was, 'Komandor' Bianka had personally overseen some matters. One of them was, of course, the sole helicopter squadron of the 55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division — and its group of four Zh-30 helicopters. The Tangaliroans had been perhaps too incompetent, boorish or stupid to give it a proper name, but the Mławians had given it a name: the Sokół. Two pilots, an arsenal to make a sociopath blush, and dense armor to shield from anti-aircraft fire. It was no wonder many called it a 'flying tank'.
The enigmatic 'Interim Emergency Secretary' had also with her a vested interest in the 'abnormal', evidently enamored by the performance of a certain 'precognitive' Euphemian pilot in the Operation that had brought about the Commonwealth's independence. She'd sought anyone who'd been on Tangaliroan military dossiers with reported 'abnormal' capacities — and had found one in the Commonwealth.
Me. Beata sighed, staring her reflection down in the mirror for a good 30 more seconds, before turning away to leave her quarters. She was known as a pyschic blank, or “anti-ESPer,” a term which was more ironic than it sounded. Her abilities could effectively negate the abilities of other “ESPers,” bringing about a sudden sense of normalness to the minds of those whoever she happened to be near. Any psychic could just fall down in fear and start crying from the unintended side effects of her ability, though Beata wasn’t fully aware of her power, and how to use it properly. As such, it was often a hit or miss when it came to her ability. The Commonwealth lacked neither the equipment nor the scientific prowess to refine what Beata possessed, so few understood it — much less treated her right. Of course, komandor Bianka had overlooked this, and thrown her into the rank of Major — presiding over the 55th Armored Division's four Zh-30 attack gunships. Even as she lingered in her quarters, the enemy was making their move — three Tangaliroan divisions were bound for Zachod, foreign ones — Solarans. There was fervent hatred between the Solarans and anyone who believed in Ouriel, really — and Beata could only be left to wonder how brutal her fate would be if she failed in the duties bestowed upon her and everyone else in the Division. There would be no surrender — Bianka had roused the people towards a war that would either end in independence, or annihilation.
She personally had no qualms towards anyone in the squadron, so long as they did their jobs—preferably doing them well. A knock at the door to her quarters broke her attention away from her usual thoughts. Either it was some prank to-be, or it was kpt. Śniegowski stammering on about his feelings for her. He was the gunner and commander of the second helicopter in the group, "Zmija". She usually rolled her eyes or shrugged off his comments, oblivious to his infatuation with her. Beata nonchalantly stepped over to the door and opened it, surprised to see that it was her pilot, Karol Marszałek. He had an unbelievable physique, to say the least. The man towered at a bit over six foot three, an eyepatch bearing the modified swastyka that symbolized the Mławian nation. His auburn hair was, per usual, slicked to one side. He was a rather simple man, despite his muscular figure seeming more fitting to a death squad gunman or a man who'd served in Mbanza. He spoke little of his background, when he spoke at all. He seemed to trust her, however, and divulged a few things that gave Beata a basic idea of what the man had done in his past.
“Kapitan.” She nodded to her pilot. “All is well, I presume?”
"For us, I suppose so. For the fatherland, no." Karol spoke cryptically. "We have been called to assess the coming advance of the Tangaliroan dogs. It seems we may be bound to encounter one of their forward brigades. I have been called upon to bring you to the briefing, Major." He gestured to the dossier he carried about him, presumably carrying a quick rundown of what was to be expected. One annoyance of their new republic was how disorganized everything was. Tangaliro's military had operated on much different principles, but perhaps it was the growing pains of a new, sovereign state.
“Allow me.” She took the manila folder from her pilot’s hands once presented it, sifting through the contents at a high speed. The Tangaliroan military was coming to Zachod, 40,000 strong — moving on like a disorderly pack of wolves. There were three units coming to surely stop the new state — the 24th Armoured "Caesar's Charioteers" Division, the 25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade and the 26th Motorized "Guanto Bianco" Brigade were on their way, no doubt somewhere in the now-contested lands south of Zachod's borders. Karol quietly waited while his peer evaluated the documents, though his glance seemed to imply he was studying her to some extent. A lot of men in the Division feared Beata, perhaps irrationally so, but Karol seemed to not really feel such an unease — moreso just a curiosity.
She suddenly let out what sounded like a chuckle—a rather inappropriate move coming from someone who was their commander. Evidently, she was an incredibly fast reader, but what could she have read in the dossier that would’ve caused her to start laughing out loud? “They expect to beat us with an invasion force half the size of our military? Who do they think we are, Akhmanar?”
Karol couldn't help but chuckle himself. "Most of them are just Solaran bootlickers. That should make killing them easier." In a sudden break from his usual closed, quiet self, he playfully ruffled his superior's hair, gesturing down the corridor. "Come on, they're waiting on the Komandor to give the briefing." Despite the gap in rank, he seemed pretty protective of her, which often helped divert flak from other unruly soldiers. She nodded and accompanied her pilot out of her quarters, following him down the corridor.
The usual place where they'd receive briefings — one of the decrepit hangars in 'Zachod' AFB, which the staff had been debating for the past 36 hours on whether to rename it simply to just Mezovia AFB, had the group's four Zh-30 Sokół helicopters at the ready, ground teams finishing work. And of course, there was the projector shining onto the metal wall, two figures awaiting them. Soon enough, they were joined by the crews of the rest of their flight, Zmija, Wartownik and Bandyta's six pilots.
"I feel your presence is going to get all of us killed, whatever operation this is.." Podporucznik[1] Marcel Bez, pilot of Zmija muttered as he passed Beata, the group of pilots soon seating themselves in anticipation of whatever it was they'd be tasked with.
As they seated themselves, it became apparent who the two figures before them were — Interim Emergency Secretary Bianka Ziekowski, and General Radzimierz Kaczka, head of their Division.
"I see all of you are here today," Bianka began. "I believe we are past introductions, given the current circumstances we're being faced with right now. You know me, and I know every single one of you. General?"
"Right," The general nodded, arms crossed behind himself. "At present, a Tangaliroan military force estimated to be just a bit less than half of our nation's armed forces is making their approach. Of course, to reach out borders, they must traverse a rather treacherous expanse of mountains along our southern frontier. At present, we've been informed by our Euphemian allies that one of their brigades has largely paused to establish an airhead at one of the old civilian airstrips near the border. We have the advantage of operating in our homeland, of course — we understand the lay of the land. Some of your Division's ground elements have established joint cantonments with the Presidential Order, prioritizing positions in the forests, mountains and hills. Our armored component covers their way through the pass — ensuring that an advance would be met with brute force. Your goal is simple — slaughter the Tangaliroan scoundrels that are attempting to uproot our forest patrols. Once all's been said and done, you'll be attacking their airstrip."
"What about anti-aircraft, sir?" A raised hand came from kapitan Karina Nowak. She perceived herself as a rival to Beata, mostly having distaste to the special treatment Beata seemed to receive on behalf of her strange “ability”—whatever it was to her, at least. The woman was distantly related to General Marek K. Nowak, who commanded another one of the Zachodu divisions. She was just as much a 'hardass' as Beata herself was, but she also unfortunately carried an arrogant attitude about her.
The man paused for a moment. "..that's the thing. See, we're in luck today, ladies and gentlemen. By attacking this early — if our Presidential Order intelligence is right — we'll be striking before any surface-to-air sites arrive. The Claytonist logistics get worse by the day... all the better for us. Do not be surprised, however, if they carry a few SPAA units. Are there any more questions?"
The silence that hung over the pilots seemed indicative enough that they were ready.
"You are dismissed," Bianka announced. Quickly, the pilots set off to their respective airframes. Beata (and Karol's) helicopter, Orzeł, shone under the cloudy sky outside of the hangar, Karol hopping aboard first to do the usual preliminary checks as the ground crews pushed the airframes out into the open.
She pulled herself into the helicopter not too long after her pilot had entered, running through her own preliminary checks regarding the helicopter’s weapons systems as the engines began to spool up. It wasn’t that long of a flight to their AO, so they had plenty of time to check on their weapons and other systems.
"Guess this'll be our first real mission, Beata." Karol gave a reassuring smile from the pilot seat behind her, gesturing a 'thumbs up' to indicate all was in order. She responded with an “OK” hand sign, saluting the ground crew as their engines spun up.
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KANAL ŚMIGŁOWIEC ATAMAN
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [ppor. Karol Marszałek] /// - "Preliminary check."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [kpt. Wiemolbik Śniegowski] /// - "We just shoot some people, boom — simple as that. Prelim check."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [ppor. Marcel Bez] /// - "We will show those Claytonist dogs for certain. Preliminary check OK."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0988] - [kpt. Karina Nowak] /// - "Prelim check."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0988] - [ppor. Janus Mencher] /// - "Everything's fine on my end."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [mjr. Beata Syzmanska] /// - "Preliminary check."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Wartownik" | #0392] - [kpt. Zdzimołbik Wojciehowski] /// - "Prelim check."
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Zwycięstwo ©298
Lifting off from the ground, Karol remained relatively quiet as they began their way, leaving Mezovia behind them as they made for their target destination. The old photoelectric cathodic monitors glowed with displays of the map, a delayed feed of their group's movement aptly shown on the display. The quality was understandably poor, as they lacked the satellites or technological wonders of the Euphemians. To Karol, and perhaps Beata too — the Euphemians were on an entirely incomprehensible level.
"How has the.." Karol paused for a moment, thinking back to the light-filled skies of Liberation Day. How close they'd come to being stifled by Tangaliro's bomber, which had thankfully not managed to drop a single bomb of its payload upon Zachod's fair lands. "..past few days been treating you?"
“Not enough sleep, mind on dreams.” She explained plainly. It was a recipe for destruction that most everyone knew well—lack of sleep could spell doom for one’s performance. Ironically, Beata didn’t seem to be as effected as some worse cases they’d seen. “But, I am okay.”
Her pilot lightly frowned, perhaps out of pity for her misfortune. "Everything cool with the others?" Karol questioned, briefly rebooting his computer screen in frustration — they were operating equipment that was beyond outdated, but these incidents were rather commonplace. He seemed to take some interest in her social wellbeing, which was a stark contrast to his otherwise intimidating appearance.
“I can only hope the same for the others.” She said. “It doesn’t seem like many of them like my jokes or mannerisms, but it doesn’t matter. So long as they can do that job, I will be happy with them.”
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KANAL ŚMIGŁOWIEC ATAMAN
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [ppor. Janus Mencher] /// - "Orzel-1, why don't you visit my quarters after this? You'll have a better time than sitting in your room all day." [chuckle]
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [mjr. Beata Syzmanska] /// - "Yes. I will have a better time flushing your head down my toilette."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [ppor. Janus Mencher] /// - [laughter]
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [kpt. Karina Nowak] /// - "Shut it, Zmija-2."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [ppor. Janus Mencher] /// - "Man.. you're no fun, Zmija-1."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [mjr. Beata Syzmanska] /// - "He can have his fun, but when we need to get serious, you get serious, Zmija-2."
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Zwycięstwo ©298
The exchange had left her pilot rather uncomfortable — this kind of banter hadn't been uncommon, even before Liberation Day. "You sure you're alright?" He had finished rebooting his computer, their helicopter gliding onward through the rather cloudy skies with the rest of the group in tow.
“I have been trying to make sense of my ‘gift’ for a while now.” She admitted, still unable to figure out the true meaning of what her abilities meant. Sure, it meant that she could function as an effective counter to most of the more esoteric abilities of the mind, but what else did it mean?
"It doesn't seem to adversely affect your performance. I don't understand what it is or what it does, but if Komandor Bianka has faith in whatever it is, I'm with you." He replied. Occasionally a few pieces of wiring from the various sets of electronic equipment above the two pilots would come loose, to which Karol would promptly set them back into place. "Have you heard of that Euphemian pilot? Is it something like that?" He curiously asked her. There'd been many legends among the Mławians about what had gone down during Liberation Day. Bianka seemed to believe in many of these rumors, curiously enough. He reached for his computer, accessing the radio.
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RADIO 44.89
KANAL 1
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Now Playing: Meiko Matsubara - Naiko 3A.M.
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“If I meet this Euphemian pilot, the one who can see in the future, nothing good will happen.” She explained. “Opposite forces attract, but would this sort of meeting be for the good, or for worse?”
This had made Karol chuckle. "I doubt that'll happen — for the best, I hope. You think the Claytonists have others like her? Perhaps they've already seen combat — we just don't know about it yet. Damn bastards are secretive. Always have been."
“Oh? If they have others like her, then something good will happen.” She replied.
The cryptic statement had been enough for Karol to curiously raise his brow. "I suppose I'll see it when I see it." He leaned back in his seat as he'd done many times before, quietly noting the industrial park below. It was long abandoned now, of course, though the new central government in Mieszko had some intentions to stabilize economic affairs. Already, most Claytonist policies (which had hardly seen actual implementation in Zachod in the first place) had been done away with, though the legacy of centuries under the Union's yoke were still evident. They'd have a long way until stability and industrial might, two historical prides of the Mławian people, would return in full. Tangaliro had run aground many places in the Union, and the Mławians were lucky at best that they'd been spared much of the deindustrialization and haphazard attempts at artificial integration.
“Yeah.” She nodded, half of her attention directed towards the dim glow of the monitor.
"Hold on," Karol paused, looking to his screen. He'd tapped his cathode ray tube monitor, wondering if it was displaying correctly. "If I'm not mistaken, we've got an entire battalion moving up that road... interesting." He double-checked, looking through the electro-optical systems to ensure all was as it seemed. Yet what Beata saw only served to back him up — ahead there were trucks and armored vehicles making their approach down the narrow dirt road, flanked at both sides by the mountainous forests of the pass.
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TRANSKRYPCJA V185.55
KANAL ŚMIGŁOWIEC ATAMAN
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [mjr. Beata Syzmanska] /// - "We've got something."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0988] - [kpt. Karina Nowak] /// - "Thank you for demonstrating the obvious. Our orders are to kill them all. I believe that is what we will do right now."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [kpt. Wiemolbik Śniegowski] /// - "It's showtime."
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Zwycięstwo ©298
Through the thermal imaging Beata could see the group of trucks continuing forward, eight in total filled to the brim with riflemen. They weren't the best equipped, given the state of the Union, but then again, neither was the four-helicopter flight.
“I want that first APC killed first, to stop this convoy.” She ordered, a cold tone in her voice as she looked through her gunner’s sight. They seemed like easy pickings—almost too easy pickings.. which made her partially fear that there was some trap up ahead or something heavier far behind.
Nodding, Karol brought the helicopter to angle with the enemies down below, facing them from the mountainous edges along the pass. It seemed the armored group was at the lead, presumably to shield the other vehicles as they moved forward. There were fifteen of the armored vehicles, WA-85[2] wheeled armored personnel carriers persisting forward down the pass.
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KANAL ŚMIGŁOWIEC ATAMAN
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [kpt. Wiemolbik Śniegowski] /// - "Let's strike a bet, major."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [mjr. Beata Syzmanska] /// - "What’s it to you, Kapitan?"
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [kpt. Wiemolbik Śniegowski] /// - "If I nail more of these Tangski than you, you'll have to do me a favor. Back at base, of course."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [mjr. Beata Syzmanska] /// - "Hmmph. Your offer is flattering, but this isn’t a competition. Kill many, and I’ll be impressed, maybe even happy."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [kpt. Wiemolbik Śniegowski] /// - "Tch."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [ppor. Marcel Bez] /// - "Quit trying to get tail on mission, Zmija-1. Focus on the damn job."
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A volley of rocket fire from Zmija barreled down on the enemy convoy ahead — explosions quickly dotting the surface as the Tangaliroan convoy abruptly came under attack. He'd actually done a good number on the enemy convoy, nine of the fifteen armored vehicles coming to a halt, their soldiers either running out or dragging their wounded with them. Two of the vehicles had been destroyed outright, burning off the side of the road in the wake of the sudden attack. The lead of the convoy was still moving forward, Beata being able to see through the grainy camera feed that the guns were now aimed upward. One could assume the same of the other four vehicles that hadn't been damaged by Zmija's attack. Immediately, the four vehicles began opening fire, 20mm rounds flying wildly into the air. If one looked closely enough, they'd be able to see a few of the rounds scathe Zmija's left wing, rocket pods and armaments briefly shaking. It wouldn't be a pretty sight if it came loose — but by some sheer chance of nature, it held.
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [ppor. Marcel Bez] /// - "Hah! It will take more than that to bring us down. Mławian engineering is the best in the world! Euphemie will lose ten of their 'Chiangshi' before these cowards bring one of our flying tanks down!"
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [kpt. Wiemolbik Śniegowski] /// - [chuckle]
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Karol seemed to be evaluating the Tangaliroan defense on the ground, the enemy no doubt desperate as they attempted to defend theirselves, buying time for the infantrymen to hurry off into the wooded forest around the road.
“Hold her steady,” Beata ordered, peering through the grainy gunner’s sight down at the armored vehicles. Once on target, she placed her finger on the trigger and began shooting, watching tracers after tracers slam into the formation of APCs below them. Most of the rounds were off target—partly due to the rather sub-optimal condition of the stabilizer—but those that did hit managed to leave a lasting impact on the convoy. Four vehicles, to be exact.
One of the WA-85s was utterly destroyed by the burst of the twin barrel 30mm autocannon, torn to shreds as it bore the brunt of the fire. Smoke bellowed from a few of them: the engine evidently was destroyed on one of the WA-85s, a second slowed to a halt, and a third simply went up in flames.
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TRANSKRYPCJA V185.55
KANAL TANGFOR
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/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [WA-85 | #44447] - [Cpt. Sonia Cruz] /// - "What the hell?! We need support! He—" [gunshots] [explosion]
/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [WA-85 | #87412] - [Cpt. Ramón Abascal] /// - "Dios ayuda— We're on fire! Hold the line against those helicopters!"
/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [WA-85 | #91763] - [Sgt. Fidel Fontana] /// - "Fuck! The commander's down!"
/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [WA-85 | #44631] - [Sgt. Lilia Obando] /// - "Engine's shot! We're immobilized!"
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“Hahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Beata cackled as their helicopter flew over the convoy. It was in complete disarray, with those who didn’t escape off into the woods running out of their vehicles, unarmed or frightened. The sight of the enemy, the so-called “National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories,” running away in complete fear, put a smile on her face.
Karol was often the only one who could tolerate her at moments like these. "How about a classic?" He rebooted his computer (after it'd abruptly overheated), setting another icepack atop the machine as he accessed the radio.
ERRORERROR ERROR
RADIO 44.89
KANAL 5
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Now Playing: Ride of the Einherjar
TRANSKRYPCJA V185.55
KANAL ŚMIGŁOWIEC ATAMAN
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Wartownik" | #0392] - [kpt. Zdzimołbik Wojciehowski] /// - “Firing!”
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Zwycięstwo ©298
“Wartownik”, the fourth helicopter in the squadron followed behind the other three, deciding to act as a ‘cleanup crew’ of sorts, destroying that which the other three had left behind. As the flames billowed upward from the devastated Motor Rifle Company, tracer fire became quite evident below, presumably as fellow Mławian and Euphemian forces on the ground fired upon the demoralized, fleeing Tangaliroan soldiers fleeing into the treeline.
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KANAL ŚMIGŁOWIEC ATAMAN
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [ppor. Karol Marszałek] /// - "That's one down, more to go. Other company's fully comprised of trucks, it seems — fire at them before they can disembark."
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Zwycięstwo ©298
Behind the smoldering formation of vehicles, Tangaliroan VK-401 trucks were on the approach. Through the grainy thermal imaging, Beata could see the soldiers, huddled together with their weapons about them. The lead truck in the group was already coming to a halt — one could only assume the group would be making for the treeline if they weren't dealt with in time. They were demoralized, sure, but that didn't mean they weren't a threat in numbers.
“If I’m correct, we have 450 rounds remaining..” Beata said, looking through her gunner’s sight once more at the incoming trucks. “..That is nothing to fear. We still have plenty of bullets remaining.” Karol seemed to tap at the glowing cathodic glass of his computer screen to ensure the ammunition display was in order. Perhaps she’d been keeping count in her head, though, how would one even be able to do that?
“Now die, Tangski.” She squeezed the trigger once more, another flurry of tracers flying out towards the delicate trucks. Two trucks were utterly annihilated by the stream of HEIAP 30mm rounds, causing thick plumes of fire and smoke to belch from their destroyed frames. A veritable wall of 30mm met the other trucks, damaging virtually every component of the light vehicles such as the engines, driver cabin...and crew compartment.
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/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [Sgt. Delfina Mata] /// - "Oh God— INCOMING!"
/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [Sgt. Calisto Martinez] /// - "FUCKI—" [gunshots] [screams] [incoherent gurgles]
/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [Sgt. Delfina Mata] /// - [gunshots] [static]
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Zwycięstwo ©298
Rounds tore through the light khaki-colored canvas canopies that served as the only protection to the men in the back from the sun, while those few that were open served as a grim reminder of Beata’s brutal nature. The bodies of the Tangaliroans were torn up and spat back out by the burst of 30mm, some barely recognizable while others simply were piled on top of one another, their death poses permanent as many reached out for help. Once again, easy pickings.
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [ppor. Janus Mencher] /// - "Are you this crazy in bed, Major?"
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [mjr. Beata Syzmanska] /// - "Not even close. Don’t consider it an invitation."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [ppor. Janus Mencher] /// - [snicker]
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The next band of trucks ahead had already come to a halt by now, soldiers running to the treeline in a panicked hurry. They would no doubt make easy targets, especially now that their trucks lay derelict. If this was, indeed, a battalion worth of units, then no doubt their headquarters — and consequently the peak of their chain of command — was somewhere in this doomed convoy.
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [kpt. Wiemolbik Śniegowski] /// - "Let's give them a good show."
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Zwycięstwo ©298
As Zmija moved forward to harry the Tangaliroan soldiers on the ground, Beata was suddenly alerted to a beeping that had been all too common in the training simulations. “Shit. Missiles.”
"Dispensing flares." Karol calmly nodded, flipping a few switches. The helicopter's entire suite of flares shot off behind them, the missile narrowly missing their aircraft. He wryly chuckled at how close it'd come to hitting them, though red text on both their monitors indicated they had spent all their flares. If Beata wanted to restock their depleted supply, two crates' worth of flares had been stocked in the passenger compartment — and she'd be more than welcome to bind herself to a safety harness to climb outside and reload the flares.
“I’ll be back.” She unhooked herself from her seat and ran for the passenger compartment to re-stock her flares.
Not all in the group had been as lucky, however — entering the passenger compartment, Beata could see to their right that Bandyta had been hit, flames erupting from the ravaged passenger compartment as it began to list downward, presumably to attempt a landing somewhere below.
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [kpt. Karina Nowak] /// - "You FUCKING incompetent idiot!"
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [ppor. Janus Mencher] /// - "The damn thing didn't work! I could've fried the missile— it just malfunctioned!"
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [kpt. Karina Nowak] /// - "The most you can do to save your name is land this thing."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [ppor. Janus Mencher] /// - "Tch. Always in a bad mood, Kapitan."
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Zwycięstwo ©298
The helicopter made its gradual decline — though the landing had certainly not gone according to plan. Colliding with the treeline, it quickly flipped, crashing tail-first into the ground before going into a morbid series of flips until it had come to a rather unceremonious stop in the woodlands below.
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [kpt. Karina Nowak] /// - "Damned... idiot... I can't feel my fucking leg! It's.. NO!"
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Bandyta" | #0988] - [ppor. Janus Mencher] /// - "Fuck. FUCK!"
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Zwycięstwo ©298
"Everything fine over there, Beata?" Karol called over from the pilot seat. Presumably he was asking because he hadn't yet heard the passenger doors open.
She came back after having re-stocked their ammo, an emotionless frown plastered on her face. “We’ve got our ammunition re-stocked. Sadly, the same couldn’t yet be said for the flares. How is Bandyta?”
"MANPADS brought them down. They're somewhere off to the north." Karol replied rather nonchalantly, slowly lowering their helicopter in the wake of the anti-air. They were a good length above the treeline still, Karol intent on keeping them aware from any more anti-air missiles. "We've still got to restock our flares."
“Right. I will get to it.” She clambered back out to the passenger bay to begin re-stocking the flares..manually. That was the beauty of hundred year old airframes—you had to do much of the work yourself, and even then, many things still glitched or broke regularly. Crate in hand, she reached for the door to the outside. Once the door was open, she hooked herself on to the passenger bay by her harness and began easing her way outside, thanking her pilot and Ouriel that nothing else was aiming at them. With the destruction of the convoy and the other vehicles in the background, she shimmied her way onto the wing, letting out a sigh as she stopped for a moment to readjust her footing and grip on the crate.
As she kept moving, onto the side of the aircraft and then onto the back to re-stock the flares l, however, a sudden rumble on their helicopter — perhaps from the turbulence — caused her to lose her footing and slip. Her eyes widened as a sullen sense of grief filled her stomach, the world going upside down as she — and the crate — plummeted off the side of the helicopter. The crate and it’s contents spilled out to the world below as she dangled off the aircraft by her harness, letting out another curse as she leaned up to grab onto the composite cable that kept her and her her harness from flying off the helicopter.
Another rumble caused her to lurch back, an audible thwang coming from the cable as she leaned up to pull herself into the passenger bay again. Another thwang came, causing her to scream as she briefly felt the sensation of weightlessness take over, believing herself to be falling. However, she still hung onto the helicopter, the adrenaline pumping in her body kicking into overdrive as she grabbed onto the cable, slowly reorienting herself into a rope climbing position. Once this happened, she quickly ascended the cable and found herself back in the passenger bay of the aircraft, immediately closing the door behind her as a sense of relief, then anger, filled her. She looked at her gloves briefly before shouting out “FUCK!”, bashing her fist on the floor.
"I take it we haven't been restocked?" Karol called from the cockpit.
“No. It wasn’t your fault, either,” She grumbled. “Ouriel willing, though, I was able to save myself.”
"I see. Come on, we haven't much time before they start shooting at us again."
Meanwhile, Zmija was emptying rounds into the trucks below as terrified Tangaliroan soldiers attempted to flee the utter horror that was befalling them — not even the downing of a fellow pilot had been enough to dissuade him, much less bring his attention to the anti-air platoon lurking somewhere below. Six trucks had been lit aflame in the chaos, the bodies of Tangaliroan soldiers littering the grass adjacent to the scene of the attack.
Beata had little time to reaccustom herself, however, as the warning receivers began to beep wildly once more. They had another anti-aircraft missile, and this time no flares to avoid them.
"Hold on tight," Karol suggested, before kicking the aircraft into a sharp rightward bank — the missile narrowly missing their airframe and careening into the rocky face of the mountain behind them.
“Where’s that damn AA?” She hissed, venom in her voice as she searched the trees through her gunner scope. Like Zmija, Wartownik seemed intent on massacring the surviving Tangaliroan soldiers instead of seeking the AA platoon. Rockets barreled into the tiny silhouettes of fleeing soldiers below, the thermal display showing in much more gruesome detail what had befallen the enemies below.
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/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [Sgt. Ana Espinosa] /// - "AAHHH—" [static]
/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [Cpl. Leire Ramos] /// - "These Mławian bastards! They don't care about anti-aircraft fire at all — they're not even bothering to evade! They just keep shooti—" [explosion] [static]
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Zwycięstwo ©298
"I can't seem to find that pesky anti-air platoon..." Karol curiously thought aloud, rebooting his computer once more to avoid the typical, periodic system crash that would happen every now and then.
“About that..” she chuckled slyly, a certain group of soldiers hidden among the trees catching her attention almost immediately. They’d been quite the difficult group to find, in all honesty, but now that they were found out finally, Beata was comfortable with calling herself “God” now. “Inform the others of our findings, if they’re not all dead by the time I’m done with them.”
"Understood, Major." Karol nodded, accessing the comm after a brief, unwarranted bout of static from his headset — it happened occasionally.
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/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Orzeł" | #0441] - [ppor. Karol Marszałek] /// - "We have located the anti-aircraft platoon. Marking."
/// [ZAFOR] - [Zachodu National Guard] - [55th Armored "Mezovian Ataman" Division] - [19th Helicopter Squadron] - [Zh-30 Sokół "Zmija" | #0448] - [kpt. Wiemolbik Śniegowski] /// - "Janus gave me an idea. How about a bet, Major? We'll both shoot those guys. Loser has to be Casimir for a day."
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Zwycięstwo ©298
Śniegowski was referring to 'Casimir', a bizarre old bear costume that had become an inside joke among the pilots of Zachod AFB. Many a bet-loser had to wear the embarrassing outfit as a sort of hazing ritual. It was something most commanders at AFB Zachod had tolerated — and it seemed the tradition would continue.
"Let's see here," Karol accessed the interface to the radio.
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Now Playing: Maryla Wiater - Nigdzie Szybko
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One they were in position to begin strafing, Beata opened fire without hesitation, a seemingly endless stream of destruction following wherever she aimed as the tracers slowly curved down and met with their target. That is, until they reached a sufficiently close enough distance to the AA platoon, at which point the glowing 30mm rounds became a concentrated beam of death wherever she was aiming.
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/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [Sgt. Teodoro Casal] /// - "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS MADMAN DOING?! AH FUCK—" [static]
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Zwycięstwo ©298
She held down onto the trigger until a clicking sound filled her ears — sadly, she hadn’t realized that she was holding down the trigger for so long. They had run out of ammo, once more, but the effects of her gun run were clearly visible.
Practically nothing remained of the sheer destruction Beata had wrought upon the single twelve-man anti-aircraft platoon on the ground, a few trees even toppling from the 'beam' of death she had caused. An unfortunate sound beneath them implied something all too common with these ancient airframes — the gun had locked for some reason or another, and would need immediate attention before she could even think of rearming it.
"Gun's fucked. Just like last time." Karol reminded her, hoping she hadn't fixated too heavily on the fight beneath them. "You know what to do."
“I’ll be back.” She sighed, unlatching herself from the seat once more. She made her way into the passenger bay and hooked her harness onto the cable once more, clambering out onto the side of the aircraft and down to the gun’s level. She continued forwards towards the gun, suddenly slipping once more as another turbulent rumble vibrated through the helicopter, though, it seemed that she had saved herself by a sudden stroke of luck, grabbing back onto the cable at the last moment and pulling herself back up. She’d finally reached the gun, inspecting the lock herself. It wasn’t anything major — just a simple jam that she could easily fix.
Which was exactly just she did. With a little elbow grease, the gun had been fixed, the lock coming undone with a satisfying click!. She began to make her way back towards the passenger bay door, losing her footing once more, but not falling off the side of the aircraft, fortunately. She cursed her clumsiness and shimmied back into the passenger bay, unclipping herself from the cable once more and closing the door. “Karol! We have ammo.”
"Excellent. I believe we've wiped out much of their group. I can see ahead of us a few trucks still. Perhaps their HQ is somewhere here?" Karol posed, leading the formation further south past the pillars of black smoke that indicated where much of the battalion had faced obliteration by the Mławian helicopter group.
She looked through her gunner’s sight, scanning the landscape for a brief moment. Almost as if she were experiencing an “Aha!” moment, the HQ vehicle entered her sight, right out in the open, as if it were just for her.
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/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [78th Btn.] - [HQ] - [LtCol. Eusebio Herrero] /// - "What the hell? They've wiped the floor with us.. just like that? Airstrip, what do you have?"
/// [TANGFOR] - [National Authority for the Stabilization of the Central Secessionist Territories] - [25th Mechanized "Marco's Bane" Brigade] - [HQ] - [Col. Felisa Nieves] /// - "Not enough, unfortunately. We will attempt to get our helicopters and anti-aircraft up."
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Zwycięstwo ©298
The gun clicked as she squeezed the trigger, causing her to let out a frustrated grunt from its insolence as she switched to their missiles...coming across another technical problem. The laser designator had decided to malfunction at the exact time she needed it to work, meaning she had to eyeball the missile.
Eyes on the HQ vehicle in her gunner’s sight, she fired one of their four ATGMs, a smile creeping onto her face as she patiently watched the missile spiraling towards the target which was blissfully unaware of its own impending doom.
