A Change of Heart (OPEN, IC, MT)

[Lanorth]

Amberdun Estate
Arkrough, Lanorth

Amberdun Estate in Arkrough, Lanorth was home to the new Prime Minister, Mr Valarian. In the past his estate had been used as the meeting place for the Nationalist Party and it had a nuclear bunker able to withstand nulcear blasts and could stop radiation from getting inside. The nuclear bunker could hold around fourteen men and women inside and had enough supplies for three months' worth of food and drinks, but also had a wardrobe full of hazmat suits and gas masks that could help you survive in the radiation of the area. Though no nuclear device was causing any threat today.

A few minutes away was a convoy of police cars and black, posh vehicles driving towards the estate. In the very centre of the convoy was a plain white Rosani (Tyronian version of a Rolls Royce), which was nicknamed The Bear, with black tinted windows and many defence mechanisms.

The fuel tank is armor-plated and encased in special foam to protect it from rupture in case of collision-or small-arms fire. And, perhaps not surprisingly, there's an onboard Halon fire-suppression system. What's in the boot? Extra weapons, a separate oxygen supply under the PM's seat and emergency medical equipment, including bottles of the PM's blood type in case the ambulance (one always travels in the motorcade) gets cut off. The Bear is heavy: The armor plating (on five newer models) is so thick and the doors so heavy that it's nearly physically impossible for the PM to open them from inside. The interior is cut off from the outside world and sealed (in case of chemical attack). There's an encrypted satellite phone inside and a special interactive video system so the PM can conduct secure video conferencing with officials in the Situation Room, embassies abroad, etc. The car features military-grade armor (steel, aluminum, titanium and ceramic), surrounded by removable fiberglass sheets on the doors and fenders. The Bear has special locking mechanisms, and communications and fire-suppression systems. It rides on special Kevlar-reinforced Goodyear run-flats. The Secret Service has been experimenting with special night-vision cameras and monitors (the camera is mounted inside the grille) to be used in a doomsday scenario if, say, the windshield was somehow compromised or views were obstructed.

The estate came into view of the police motercycles at the front. They pulled into the open gates which had the Tyronian Honour Guards standing at either side of them. Many other vehicles pulled inside followed by The Bear and the duplicate of the vehicle. A man stepped out from The Bear once they were inside. He was dressed in a black suit with a black shirt. He pulled open the door of The Bear and out stepped the Prime Minister, Mr Valarian. He nodded as a thank you and turned to see crowds cheering at the gates which wdre now closed and guarded by the Honour Guard. He waved gently to them before turning and climbing the steps at a quick pace. The door was opened before he even reached the top step again by the Honour Guard, though ones guarding the inside of the house and not the outside. He was followed by his advisors and some military officials.

"I am beginning to despise Arydex." Said Valarian, looking down at the crimson carpet that personally he loved. "She is tearing up Lanorth like scissors cutting paper. Honestly I have only met her once or twice when she was a Princess and even when she was quite young she always wanted power!" As he finished with the word power, to which he placed an emphasis upon, he clenched his fists, though relaxed them again. He was climbing the stairs which lead to the third floor by now. He reached the third floor and walked straight ahead. He opened a door and walked inside, followed by his advisors and military officials. He took a seat at the top of a table which had eight seats either side; enough for a meeting of sixteen. There was seventeen people there, including Mr Valarian. They all took a seat.

"I have met her as Queen, Mr Prime Minister," said a younger military official, Colonel Blunt, who was a proud and patriotic Fascist, though supported Valarian more than the Fascist Party. "Even then I despise her. She has that sort of voice that forces you to refuse to take her seriously. Even the hand movements as she tries to make a point. She is deluded and not fit for the job. In my opinion, Mr Prime Minister, she should be overthrown and executed along with her whole entire family." After he said this, the room burtsed into a fit of shouting which told the Colonel that everyone agreed with him. Hands clattered against the table, the political advisors and officials went 'Here, here' which meant they agreed or supported the words spoken and the Military officials just seemed to clap and talk in agreement to themselves.

"No, she cannot. The bloody Franklischians and the bloody Cossacks will intervene. They will get their troops away from Madavga Airport, which is where they are now and towards this residence, firing their guns madly, almost certainly injuring innocent men, women and children." Following this, the room murmured in agreement, apart from Colonel Blunt, who was livid.

"Isn't that why we have our armed forces to defend our sovereignty?" The room once again burst into a fit of hands slamming against desks and politicians going 'here, here', including Valarian this time.

"Colonel Blunt, as you know 65,000 armed personnel of the Colonial Rangers are departing from Lanorth in a few days time and to Vonein, hopefully to secure a beachhead and then to advance from, with reinforfements arriving a few days later and troops landing by air, too. Are you suggesting we take some troops from a local garrison to watch over the Franklischians and the Cossacks?"

"It seems the logical answer and solution." Said Field Marshal Sir Lonryan Hasther, looking at the Prime Minister with an inclined head. "The weather is unpredictable. So are the Cossacks and Franklischians."

"Very well. Alert a nearby garrison to be ready at any given moment. Now. Does everyone know my plan to get rid of Arydex?" Everyone in the room nodded. "Well, I will explain it again, just in case you have forgotten. Arydex has a drawing room inside her palace and the drawing room is soundproof. You can hear noises outside the room but you cannot hear anything from outside. Normally Arydex will dismiss her guards when a meeting is underway. Last time we met she did so. So she will again, likely. If she does I will draw a pistol upon her and ask her to sign a document handing all of her power to me and formally agreeing to her abdication. If she agrees, she will be in the hands of the Tyronian. I will not execute her or her family. We will exile herself and her close family members to Vionna-Franklisch and her distant relatives to the Cossack Khanate. That is if they agree to it. We will also ask the Vionna-Franklischians and the Cossacks to withdraw their troops from Lanorth or we will give the Tyronian Armed Forces permission to engage with them. We will give them one day to decide and six days to withdraw. A week overall. They will likely be overwhelmed if they refuse. So we have the advantage in every possible situation."

"Sounds like a good plan." Said Colonel Blunt, smiling. Everyone agreed with him.

A waiter then knocked on the door, paused and entered. He asked for everyone's orders as a wakitress entered the room and poured champagne for everyone. This was their meal that they would celebrate over. They would celebrate Valarian's victory and his appointment to the position of Prime Minister. They gave their orders and walked out in the direction of the kitchen.

"Anyway. If power is given to me I must not rule. I am too old and my health, as you all probably know, is not the greatest. Three years ago I was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Life expectancy with the disease is two to four years. I have one yar left before I am predicted to." He paused. "Pass away." He placed his right on the table. His fingers were constantly twitching and everyone noticed it. He sighed and took a sip of champagne. He had not told anyone but during his time as an intelligence officer (1975-1991) he began to show signs of post-traumatic-stress-disorder and in 1996 was diagnosed with depression. He has claimed that depression no longer effects him but he still has the occasional moment.

"If you are not to rule Mr Prime Minister then who is?" Asked one of his political advisors.

"Well, I have a few options. I can create a dynasty and my eldest daughter or my eldest son can come to the position or the Government can decide amongst themselves. I think a dynasty would suit Lanorth better. We were once a monarchy but we do not support the monarchist ideology. But we can still appreciate the monarchy in some way. What better way than to create a dynasty? Well. We will have to see."

"Off-topic Mr Prime Minister," began Major-General Aountbale. "The Colonial Rangers are due to depart from Lanorth around midnight tonight, you will be pleased to hear. 65,000 Troops to lead the invasion and secure a proper beachhead against those Voneinian bastards."

"Very good, Geneeral. I suspect Colonel Iaicon will be the commander of the operation, am I correct?" Asked Valarian, inclining his head.

"Indeed you are, Mr Prime Minister." Said the General before sipping some champagne.

"Very good." Said Valarian just before the door opened. Food then arrived at the table and everyone began to eat their chosen meal.

---

[Vonein]

First Strike

"Red one, this is overlord. All targets are active, I repeat, all targets are greenlit." The electronic voice coming out from their headsets stated. The crewmembers of this E/A-18G 'Growler' Electronic Warfare Aircraft looked behind them to see all the other aircraft behind them. Tankers, B-52 Stratofortresses, F-22's. They all heard the same thing, and they all knew what that meant.

War was declared.

It wasn't a flashy event, that was for sure. The session of the National Assembly was closed to both the public and the media. There wasn't any debate, just simple outrage at the lives lost already. There was a call for a nuclear first strike, but the assemblymen who proposed it was censured for trying to start a nuclear conflict. As the debate wore on and the time was called for voting to begin, it went quickly. It was unanimous, with not even members of the more liberal, usually antiwar wing of the assembly voting in favor of war. That was six hours ago, and, in that time, the Voneinian military was geared and ready for a fight. Martial law was established first, with all civil rights suspended indefinitely. Tank traps, trenches, and fallback bunkers were under construction, with every company getting in on the work. Workers were putting in twelve-hour shifts, one day off, one day on. Members of the public not called to serve for the Draft were issued ration cards and MREs. Cash used was suspended, and all supermarkets had to turn over all goods still in date to the military for use for the war effort. Scrap yards, factories, and salvage plants started sorting and preparing metals and other resources for the war effort. Hospitals were ordered to execute all terminally ill patients to prepare for war casualties. A national curfew and blackout curtain laws were in place by that night. The military, meanwhile, was active as ever. Engineer companies were busy helping with construction, signal and equipment companies were busy hooking up secondary lines of communication and taking down obvious radio transmission sites. The air force launched its an entire fleet of forty B-1 and eighty B-52 bombers in retaliation for all hands lost at the converted oil rig.

That all was happening fast, and these pilots knew they were about to kickstart a major conflict.

The bombers confirmed the target and opened their bomb bays.

The targeting radars lit up the main troop transport of the Commonwealth's invasion force.

Then, eighty cruise missiles were away, while the fighters and electronic warfare aircraft continued. They had a personal message for the fleet.

[The Yuktobanian Republic]

EA-39A Black Widow II
Callsign “Hatchback”
Mach 1.2

“Tachikaba-san, most of the aircraft in the plan are at their positions.”

“How far are we?”

“A few minutes, Tachikaba-san.”

It was the second time Tsugumi Tachikaba was penetrating the airspace of Vonein, except instead of conducting recon she was conducting the first offensive operations in the entire war between Vonein and the Commonwealth.

This was the most dangerous part of the entire war most likely. Her EA-39, along with other EA-39s, EF-111s, and EF-17s, were to penetrate deep into Vonein airspace and take out every single anti-air radar and missile launcher they spotted. This was to pave way for the rest of the strikes that were to follow behind them.

Utilizing a hole in radar coverage made by the recent sinking of the converted oil rig by B-52s, Tsugumi and three EF-111s penetrated into Vonein airspace and split up to cover as much ground as they can. Evading the aircraft radars to their best ability and staying under the protection of ground clutter, the aircraft were undetectable as they flew.

“Now?”

“Sixty seconds, Tachikaba-san.”

Watching the scenery pass by, she watched them fly at low altitude over a town, breaking the sound barrier over the town and causing a loud bang to be heard. The aircraft vibrated a bit as it moved at mach 1 over the grassy ground, the distant mountains being seen as they passed over a small river.

“I’m hitting it.” Tsugumi spoke.

“Hit it.”

Looking at her control panel in front of her, she switched three switches on and stared at a screen before being met with a small burst of static in her ear before the hum of a machine was heard.

On the Vonein radars, suddenly they were met with a gigantic area static that encompassed numerous platforms, the jammer systems on Tsugumi’s EA-39 heavily reducing the effectiveness of the entire Vonein anti-air network as they bombarded every frequency the Voneins were on with high powered waves to impede it getting a lock on anything that moved.

As Tsugumi’s aircraft conducted jamming operations, Tsugumi then released a single AGM-88E HARM missiles that quickly left her rails, the missile locking on and tracking one of many radars that Vonein had. It was the perfect conduction of a wild weasel operation. Thinking about it in her head, Tsugumi knew that the other electronic warfare aircraft that were part of the first phase were doing their best in knocking out the entirety of Vonein’s anti air defenses. This included jamming and actual missile usage.

“Radars are being scrambled.” Tsugumi spoke as she looked out. In the distance, smoke could be seen from what she could only infer were other anti-air sites. “Scrambled really good. Impossible for them to get a lock on anything.”

The pilot staying low to the ground, Tsugumi’s EA-39 continued emitting the pulses of her jammers, firing another AGM-88 that found it’s way toward another Vonein radar installation. As she said, all across Vonein were numerous EF-17s, EF-111s, and EF-35s that were burning and crushing their way through Vonein with sheer brute force. However, they knew that some would be lost in this dangerous mission to knock out their anti-air grid.

It was just a matter of how much the Commonwealth would lose.

F/A-14F
Callsign “Anthrax”
Mach 1.4

“Clear skies.”

“Clear skies.”

Walt Thugen had been briefed for this mission. Him and his squadron based on the Aircraft Carrier Lomonesev were to fly a mission to head toward a city called Plancity in Vonein. The city did not look out of the ordinary, with its usual load of power plants, bridges, and electric lines that supplied power. Those targets were going to be taken care of by P-270Ms and other aircraft flying missions to drop PGMs upon them. For this mission, however, the squadron with Walt were graced with a new squadron name.

The Dambusters.

Their target was a hydroelectric dam that according to intel provided massive electricity generation for the entire area near it. That, of course, meant it was an important target for Commonwealth munitions. To make sure it was collapsed, however, the crew of Walt Thugen’s drew the short straw and so had to eliminate it themselves.

Inside their bays they were armed with 4 GBU-24 Paveway munitions, as well as 4 AIM-DRADM missiles to defend themselves with. The Paveways, made with a special kind of bomb casing designed to penetrate deeply and destroy hardened shelters, this made killing a dam easier for the four F/A-14Fs.

“This is Chemical 4, callsign Phosgene. My laser designator is ready and on.”

“Approaching target.” Walt spoke as the four aircraft stayed low to use the terrain to their advantage to avoid getting tracked by any radars that were hitting them with their waves. Not that it mattered, Walt thought, since their aircrafts were semi-stealth and able to avoid detection.

“Chemical 2, callsign Sarin. I got green light.”

Approaching in front of them was a grey shape. In the night vision sights that the four pilots had, the dark concrete shape slowly came to look like a very long barrier stretching the valley. It’s lights were off, most likely in an effort to hide the structure from aircraft.

Not like it mattered.

“Let’s go.” Walt spoke.

The four F/A-14Fs suddenly rose up, popping up above the valley as they quickly slowed down. The winds of the F/A-14F moving outward as they slowed down, Chemical 4 quickly flipped on the laser designator and pointed the high powered energy laser toward the target, which was the direct center of the Dam’s span. It was right in the center of the large concrete barrier, where the water was pouring down from the dam regulating the water level of the reservoir behind it.

Without speaking a single word, Walt and the two other pilots who had Paveways opened their middle bays as they each dropped two GBU-24s, two from each plane. Dropping quietly in the night, the unpowered bombs had their guidance systems quickly turn on as the fuze switched to the on position, ready to measure and time the distance of penetration so as to blow up inside the dam rather than on the surface.

The seeker heads tracking the target, Walt and the squadron members quickly turned around into the night, accelerating as they let the Paveways drop and track the middle of the dam as they fell, each one aimed at a section of the dam for maximum damage and flooding for when the reservoir bursts forth.

It was a war against electricity.

F/A-18C
Callsign “Brackish”
Mach 0.8

“Holy god.”

Jayla Bakama stared out her window as she looked toward the distance. Smoke rising from what she could only describe as numerous explosions from the Commonwealth airstrikes on Vonein AA and power plants. Holding the stick in the center as she piloted her F/A-18C, she was at the spearhead of a formation that consisted of 4 other Tricen F/A-18Cs, 3 EF-35s that were providing wild weasel support to take out anti-aircraft launchers and radars, and three Asurian F-15E(AA)s that were flying with what appeared to be large barrels underneath the aircraft. Jayla did not question what the barrels were for, but she hoped that they would actually do damage unlike the previous “innovations” that the Asurians brought along.

“This is Callsign Buketep.” One of the clear Asurian voices spoke on the radio. “We attack enemy.”

“Not yet.” Jayla quickly retorted. “Do not attack the enemy right now. You can drop whatever you have soon.”

“We not wait.”

“I swear to Nadine you will wait or I will shoot you down myself.”

“She is not almighty. Muga--”

“This is AWACS, callsign Assam.” Another voice spoke up on the radio network. “Shut up and keep your eyes steady. You are in a warzone here.”

As the aircraft kept moving, the formation slowly descended below what they assumed was radar level, the ground itself shielding them from detection. Although they were confident the Commonwealth Anti-Radar missions were going very well as evident by the numerous explosions and the fact that they were not being painted by any radars.

“Approaching drop point.” Jayla spoke.

Watching the trees and small unlit houses pass by, the entire world was tinted green by the night vision that she was wearing. Looking around, the flashes of light in the distance confirmed even more impacts, most likely by cruise missiles launched by the Commonwealth naval ships that hit targets in Vonein with remarkable accuracy in numerous locations such as bridges, highways, and other important targets that were scanned by RQ-4s flying over prior.

As Jayla concentrated on her mission, she slowly pulled up again to ensure that the weapons she was carrying would not impact the ground. The weapons she carried were TMM-184 Standoff Missiles, which were stealthy cruise missiles armed with anti-runway munitions that were to sprinkle all over her target, which was an international airport that had the chance of being used as an airfield. Given permission to strike it, her main goal was to avoid civilian casualties in this instance.

“This is Brackish.” Jayla spoke. “Squadron, form up on me.”

“Aye ma’am. We dropping them?”

“Aye.” Jayla smiled under her helmet as she took a turn right, the F/A-18Cs behind her that were armed with the same armament as her following close behind. The three EF-35s splitting off and accelerating as those aircraft continued jamming the Vonein AA and radar network. Occasionally they would fire off an AGM-88, but they remained silent, their stealth making them invisible to radar.

“Dropping point reached.” Jayla spoke. “Drop.”

On her command, she pressed a button and the computer onboard the TMM-184 did the rest. Dropping down, the two missiles would then ignite as they then accelerated, their onboard computers calculating and feeding the guidance system with coordinates that were datalinked from Central Command and fed to guide the missiles toward the airport.

As Jayla split off, the F/A-18Cs of her squadron behind her also released their missiles, their TMM-184s a combination of either the anti-runway kind that disperses cluster munitions over runways or the unitary kind that is packed with a massive explosion for anti-ground use. The good part about the missiles themselves were that they were stealth, their shape confusing whatever radars were left into making them invisible by either firing off the radar beam somewhere else or absorbing it outright.

As the missile barrage continued on their path toward the airport, the Asurian F-15E(AA)s started their attack run on a nearby power plant, one of many that were marked on their maps. Diving down, the three F-15E(AA)s dropped their bombs as they accelerated before pulling up narrowly, the barrels falling.

What only the Asurians realized was that those bombs were makeshift fuel air explosives, designed to spread jet fuel all around before igniting it and creating a large firestorm and massive shockwave. Designed for that purpose, the F-15E(AA)s targeted specifically the oil storage facilities and generator hall itself with the barrels.

As Jayla and the F-15E(AA)s flew back toward the safety of the carriers, they accelerated, their mission hopefully accomplished.

F/A-14F
Callsign “Enterprise”
Mach 1.5

“Rolling in! The Anti-Air got cleared!”

Flying at very low altitude to the ground, four F/A-14Fs followed by six normal F-14Es and three F-15E(AA)s penetrated via a low plain toward a Vonein city that had been on their radars for a while. Having following the emissions of the numerous anti-aircraft emplacements and using the built in HUD to avoid them, the program in the pilot’s helmet virtually constructed the lines of detection by displaying them as triangles on the physical environment. The small group of aircraft were following the holes, abusing them to their advantage as some triangles went offline from the heavy wild weasel mission that the Helmans and Jaipurians were conducting.

Ella-Patricia McAllister piloted her F/A-14F as she weaved, being followed by the aircraft but following a single EF-111 that was infront of her. The EF-111 was heavily jamming the signals from the unique signatures of the Vonein AA, the signatures gathered in the mission that seemed so long ago by that single EA-39.

Carrying a payload of four AIM-152s and eight GBU-53/B SDB IIs, Ella was ready to bunker bust a power station that she was assigned to attack with two F-14Es. The F-14Es were armed with cluster munitions, designed to act as landmines in the event of no detonation. Their primary goal was to cut power off for multiple major Vonein airports and cities at the same time as other strike packages were to hit the airfields themselves and render them unusable.

“This is Callsign Toro, we’re splitting off.”

“Split off.” Ella simply spoke. “I’ll buy you a beer when you get back.”

To her left, two F/A-14Fs and the three F-15E(AA)s pulled away and accelerated into the distance as they moved into the dark night, hoping to return. Their mission was to hit numerous targets centered around and also in a hydroelectric dam that gave Vonein electricity. Their goal was to hit it hard at once and flood an entire valley. They enjoyed considerable stealth due to their very low signatures on radar, and also the fact that they were under the radar horizon.

It was the same thing for Ella, which 10 years ago did not see herself in this position. She originally wanted to become a simple office worker or CEO, preferably for a defense company. However, the inspiring speeches of Nadine Schwerner convinced her that her future lay in the naval aviation force. Joining the Commonwealth Navy, she quickly rose the ranks as not only one of the youngest to graduate the naval academy, but also a very promising pilot. After testing aircraft for a few years, she eventually became the first pilot in the entire navy to receive the F/A-14F as her plane a few months ago. She now led a squadron, AFK-94, which was full of them.

“Hey, EP. We got the targets closing in fast.” A pilot said, his F/A-14F flying next to Ella’s. “Seems a bit busy.”

“Roger.” Ella spoke. “Arm munitions.”

Flicking a switch on her panel in front of herself that displayed the information on the aircraft, a clicking sound in her ears along with a display on her helmet that stated the weapons were armed showed that she was ready to drop her payload. Keeping the aircraft steady, she initiated the last turn through the valley as she and her group approached the airfield that they were to hit.

Staring at her radar, she could see hundreds of contacts, all of them blue. It was the Commonwealth’s advance against Vonein. In one of the largest aerial and naval offensives in history, it truly showed the power of the entire Commonwealth being brought down on the country. She watched as more than 200 land attack missiles were cruising on their preprogrammed routes toward their targets. This did not include the numerous TMM-184 and TMM-190s that were fired from aircraft offshore and were flying toward their targets, which included airfields, powerlines, and bridges.

As Ella and her group cleared the valley, in front of them was the main targets. Having suppressed the AA in a previous engagement literally almost minutes ago, there seemed to be no anti-aircraft guns or missiles tracking on her. By instinct as she cleared the valley, she pulled left as she and her group split up to attack their respective targets in and around the large airfield and oil power plant.

As she and two F-14Es accelerated toward their target that was the oil power plant, her targeting pod immedietaly slaved itself toward the generator hall of the plant, having received pictures of it from a prior satellite pass before the offensive. Staying low as the flashes of the distant explosions at the airfield occured, as she got to within three miles she pulled up her aircraft and leveled it out at 7,000 feet.

Arming her Small Diameter Bombs, she did not hesitate at all. She felt the thunk of the bombs releasing as one by one each one dropped into their preprogrammed targets or the laser that was aimed into the generator hall of the power plant.

As she dropped the bombs, she accelerated into the sky, watching with her rear mirror as the two F-14Es dropped their CBU-87 Cluster Bombs all over the power plant in an effort to further disrupt operations regarding repairing it.

The pressure on Vonein continued.

F-15J
Callsign “Garuda”
Mach 1.2

“Shit.”

Three of the four B-52s had been hit by missiles and had gone down. The Asurian F-15s had pulled away a few minutes ago to hit targets on the mainland. With the last B-52, Kyo breathed softly as she stared at the bomber’s body that was marked with shrapnel from a near miss from a missile.

“Hey, you guys still okay in there?” Kyo asked, looking toward the cockpit as she flew behind the B-52, staring at the former gunmount on the back that was replaced with a countermeasure suite.

“We read you, Garuda.” The B-52 pilot spoke. “Engines still nominal. Damage so far is light, although the controls are stiffy.”

“We’ll get you home.” Kyo spoke. “You can bet on it.”

Staring at her radar, it showed no contacts in the immediate vicinity. However, in the very far distance, she could see numerous blue dots flying toward the Vonein mainland on the radar. She had no idea what they were, but she didn’t want to find out right now. She had a more important mission.

Suddenly, her missile warning receiver went off as she stared at her radar again. This time, a single missile was streaking toward her. Instinctively pulling sideways and away from the B-52, the missile continued tracking to her as it turned to her, closing in at supersonic speed. Quickly pulling up before deploying chaff, the missile flew into the chaff and narrowly missed her, the air to air missile plunging into the water.

“This is Potswatter!” The B-52 pilot yelled. “We got numerous contacts on our ass! Fourty!”

Kyo’s heart sank.

40.

That was against her and her B-52.

“Kyo! Get away!” The B-52 pilot yelled. “You can’t take them all on! Leave us!”

“I… I can’t leave you.” Kyo spoke. “It is my duty to follow my orders and get you guys home to your families…”

As the sound of the B-52 accelerating was heard, the engines pushing the aircraft slightly faster as it turned, Kyo took a look at her radar. Indeed, fourty and more targets were arriving, some of them just suddenly disappearing as they closed at 100 miles away. Calculating the distance, she estimated she had a few minutes left to get out of range, while the B-52 was doomed. It couldn’t get fast enough to get out of range of the missiles of those aircraft, whatever they were.

‘Kyo! Just do it!”

“I CAN’T! THESE ARE MY ORDERS!”

“Don’t waste yourself on us, you idiot! Go home safe! You’re more important than us!”

“BUT YOUR FAMILY!”

The pilot of the B-52 sighed as he spoke again, his B-52 slowly turning to the left. “The crew and I agreed that we are going to decoy them and stall them. This is it.”

“B-B--”

“Thank you, Kyo.”

As static went on the air, Kyo stared as the B-52 accelerated toward the rear, which was toward the numerous aircraft flying toward them. Kyo couldn’t help but tear up as she accelerated away, heading toward safety as the B-52 disappeared into the distance.

Watching as the B-52 suddenly disappeared off radar, Kyo knew what happened the moment it went offline. Focusing through her sadness on the current goal in mind, the aircraft behind her were closing in fast, attempting to get to her. Kyo accelerated to afterburner, her speed increasing as she stared ahead intently as she sniffed.

“Why…”

Kyo asked herself, occasionally glancing at the radar as she watched the jets pursue her. Flying over the ocean still, she stared ahead, gripping the stick tight as she maneuvered to get the aircraft off her tail. Watching them attempt to mimic her movements, Kyo would accelerate further before a single message flashed on one of her screens infront of her.

“... On your left. - PROMETHEUS”

F/A-33A
Callsign “Prometheus”
Mach 2.1

“This is AWACS, callsign Galleon.” A voice on the radio spoke. “Counting more than 400 targets closing in at various altitudes and various locations.”

“This is AWACS, callsign Lug Nut.” Another voice spoke. “Datalinking with AWACS Galleon now. Can confirm there are more than 400 targets in the sky, however some appear to be a little faint. We are tracking them currently using the dorito on our heads.”

The dorito that the AWACS were referring to were their radars, which were newly manufactured aerial search radars with massive ranges that were developed by Tricens, programmed by Jaipurians, assembled by Helmans and Asurians, mounted by Yuktobanians and Engrandonicans, tested by the Filipinos and used by all members of the Commonwealth (bar Asuria due to national security reasons). These triangular radars replaced the traditional rotating ones on the E-3s, these ones mounted on all new A350-1000s as an act of extending their range tremendously.

Acting as the main air commanders for the entire operation to destroy Vonein, the 19 different Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft created a massive radar net that encompassed the entirety of Vonein plus some territorial waters of the nation. Datalinking with the numerous ship based radars such as the PAR-2 and ASR-661s, this made the Commonwealth able to see anything with very precise accuracy.

“This is Harvey Kutench, callsign Prometheus. More than 400 targets spotted closing in on the allied F-15J.”

Harvey Kutench, a Helman pilot, was one who was relatively well trained for a pilot. Having experienced the Gulf War and the CAF War as an F-17 pilot before switching to the newer F/A-24, Harvey saw service in his F/A-24 during the CAF Probing Incident in 2017. In 2018, Harvey managed to land himself a new jet once again, this time one of the F/A-33s that Helmanstend recently put into service.

Designed to meet the Helman’s need for a long range stealth interdictor, funding for it conflicted with the development of the A-39 and F-35, which it competed with before funding by the Commonwealth was withdrawn due to pressing needs for the F-35 and A-39. However, Helmanstend, instead of scrapping it and placing the blueprints back in storage, tasked the creators of the aircraft to revamp it.

November City Defense Industries, known by their acronym NCDI, rewrote the plans for the aircraft. Turning it from a stealth interdictor, NCDI created an aircraft tailored specifically for Helman needs. The F/A-33, competing with the J-20, was designed to take on a variety of roles. Using it’s large payload capacity, it was able to carry numerous air to air missiles, bombs, air to ground missiles, or jammer pods.

Under Harvey’s control, in front of him were numerous multifunctional displays that were showing the different statuses of different things. One screen he paid particular attention to was the one that displayed the radar, which was showing contacts closing on a single allied contact to his 12 o’clock. To the radar, it seemed as if that single plane was alone.

However, that aircraft, the one of Kyo Nakagawa, was not alone in their stand. As she flew toward Harvey, she was actually flying into one of the greatest traps in aerial warfare. Drawing the entire Vonein Air Force into a trap, Kyo regretfully lost the 4 B-52s that she was supposed to protect.

But it was Harvey’s job to deliver justice.

With Harvey’s F/A-33 were numerous other aircraft. 25 F-17M2s that were based in Central Czrozny Air Base and refuelled by KC-10s to enable them to fly to Vonein were on station, as well as 23 F-35As coming from different parts of Helmanstend that were also refuelled. 10 of the F-15S that the Commonwealth Air Force had from a crash program were also in the sky, loaded with the latest AIM-DRADM and AIM-HIPADM missiles that were designed specifically to combat highly advanced adversary aircraft.

Harvey himself carried numerous AIM-120 AMRAAMs inside his internal bays, 12 of them to be precise. This amount of missiles did not include the 4 AIM-HIPADMs he carried on the side bays. With his total of 16 missiles, it provided him with a tremendous amount of firepower that could swat planes out of the sky.

“This is AWACS Galleon. Cleared to fire. Cleared to fire.”

Those words snapped Harvey out of his thoughts, but what it didn’t do what stop the automatic training that was in his head. Upon hearing those specific words in his ear, the multifunction display automatically toggled as he pressed a button, the twelve AMRAAMs inside his F/A-33 lighting up exactly 12 different targets using the onboard system that had datalinked with the AWACS in the sky. To the Vonein aircraft that were going to be engaged, it was as if they will get no warning about the missiles.

All across the line of numerous aircraft of the Commonwealth Air Force, the F-17M2s, F-15Ss, and F-35As also locked on as they followed Harvey’s example. Their datalinked systems with the AWACS automatically locked them on with an array of targets, their missile systems seeking and ready to engage the targets. A combination of AIM-DRADMs, AIM-HIPADMs, AIM-120s, and AIM-7U Ultra-Skyflashes were all locked onto at least one plane, which meant at this rate one guaranteed kill per missile. Especially with the advances in Commonwealth missile technology, they were especially hard to defeat.

As soon as the targets locked on, on radar suddenly hundreds of contacts coming from the Commonwealth aircraft erupted. Classified as missiles on radar, they all accelerated forth, the massive barrage of missiles flying past Kyo’s F-15J as they headed toward their intended targets. To the Vonein eyes, the missile launches were weird. Some missiles came from invisible dots, while some came from what were F-17M2s, which were not stealth. The invisible targets were the F-15S, the F-35A, and the F/A-33s of course.

As the missiles tracked toward their targets, they were only the first phase of the Commonwealth counterattack.

It was Lomonesev’s time.

Task Force 170.2
International Waters
Nuclear Cruiser Sobatov

“Lock! Lock! Lock!”

It was a flawless direction and placement of vessels by Admiral Lomonesev herself. Giving direct input from the official channels, she tasked Mei's group to split up. One group, consisting of Mei's surface engagement force, were to act as an advance guard and attack any remaining naval elements. The other group, consisting of newly attached cruisers, destroyers, and frigates were to form in a line and wait for further instructions.

Under the command of Mei, the ships were ordered to proceed northeast before stopping and circling in a line formation that consisted of overlapping radars so as to provide best coverage and fire control for the entire sector that the group was assigned to stay in a line in,

The lead ship, the cruiser Sobatov, acted as the vanguard. Originally armed with two arm launchers with a magazine capacity of 128 missiles, they served as flagships for cruiser teams. Created from the need to defend Commonwealth Aircraft Carriers from anti-ship missile attack, until the creation of the JS Yamato they were the most heavily armed vessels in the Commonwealth Navy. Pulled out of reserve during Nadine Schwerner’s tenure as Secretary General, the ships were upgraded with a 190 VLS system replacing their older two arm launchers. It was one of the most expensive refits in the Commonwealth, with almost the entire ship being remade to be able to conduct modern naval warfare effectively. From this ship would be the orders to engage and destroy any aerial target, with their acting air warfare commander acting as the “aerial fly swatter”.

Behind the Sobatov were two vessels of the Armenish Beach-Class of Guided Missile Destroyers. The Destroyers Negev Desert and Abarocha were in a line behind the Sobatov, their advanced PAR-2 radars scanning the skies for hundreds of miles around. Being one of the most technologically advanced destroyers fielded by the Commonwealth, the ships were part of the latest Block VM of the destroyer. Their new PAR-5A possessed more capabilities compared to the PAR-2, with increased detection range, sensitivity, and periscope detection. Armed with 100 missiles packed inside DV20 Vertical Launch Cells, these ships were perfect multipurpose destroyers.

Behind those two ships was the single most destructive and dangerous vessel in the entire Commonwealth Navy. The name being the JS Yamato, it also holds the record for being the single most expensive military project in the Navy’s history. Having more than 800 Vertical Launch Cells of the DV21 type, the ship was the epitome of Carrier Defense. These 800 cells for the DV21 were loaded with different types of missiles, but the vast majority of them were anti-air missiles of the RA-77 or RA-37 kind. Armed with a very experimental PAR-4 Radar System, the ship had tremendous range over it’s contemporaries. It was also the only ship holding the PAR-4 radar in the entire Commonwealth, for due to cost overruns the radar was stopped in production to be succeeded by the cheaper PAR-5.

Behind that ship were two frigates of the Sechsan-Class, which were Helman designed Guided Missile Frigates based around the principle of anti-air warfare. Loaded with 48 Vertical Launch Cells and a smaller PAR-2 system developed for Helmanstend’s frigates, the ship was a good escort. Along with RA-77s and RA-80s carried inside it’s VLS were P-270M multipurpose missiles that were primarily for land attack and anti-ship use. These two ships were the FHS Bismarck and FHS Tirpitz, much to the laugh of Mei when she was told of it by Admiral Lomonesev.

The last two ships in the line were slightly older ships, but nevertheless it did not compromise their ability to defend against targets or shoot them down for that matter. Two ships that were like sisters to each other, these were the cruisers Kerch and Otomina, which were esentially the same class of ship but the Otomina was not a double ended cruiser, meaning it did not have missile launchers on both ends. The Kerch, being a member of the Uzz-Class Guided Missile Cruisers, were double ended ships, with their arm launchers for their RA-77MR/AR2s on the bow and stern of the ship. The Otomina, on the other hand, had a 127mm gun on the aft of the ship to replace the single arm launcher. Armed with FCS/ASR-661Bs, their air search radars continued to scan the oncoming targets that were currently flooding their view. With their four directors per ship trained on aircraft, they were ready to fire on command.

“This is Sobatov! Vampires! Lock and fire! Lock and fire!”

At that single command, all hell broke loose on the line of ships. With the ships all locked on to multitudes of aircraft coming in, that was when it all broke loose. As if a sleeping bear was rudely interrupted by a threat, the ships of the line started firing missiles into the air, the missiles locking on as they tracked toward their targets. Guided by the radars of the ships, the missile guidance systems were designed as to not give the aircraft any prior warning until it was too late. This upgrade was part of the 2nd Year Commonwealth Plan that was implemented in early 2019, where it made engaging aircraft much easier and aircraft easier to kill.

Filling the radars were increasing amounts of anti-air missiles. More than 300 missiles were flying into the air, a combination of RA-77MR/E4s, RA-80LRs, RA-37LRs, and RA-77MR/AR2s flying into the air. As the ships launched and locked onto new targets, each plane of the Vonein Air Force that was coming in was targeted by at least multiple missiles to ensure a kill.

Combined with the air to air missiles launched by the aircraft above, it was, quite literally, an immovable barrier of death.

It was the counterstrike.


Task Force 170.1
International Waters
FHS Palmetto

“Admiral Lomonesev has given us our orders.”

“About time.”

The Surface Warfare Officer of the Helman Guided Missile Destroyer FHS Palmetto stood inside the CIC of the ship, the blue tint of the lights due to the numerous screens of the boat and the lights being off. It was easy on the eyes, and for the Surface Warfare Officer it was especially calming, even though they were in a state of war.

FHS Palmetto was one of the ships of the November-Class of Guided Missile Destroyers. Designed like the Armenish Beach-Class and centered around the PAR-2 radar, the arrays were currently off to minimize their signature. However, they still could launch P-270M Supersonic Multipurpose Missiles at any targets on land, due to using GPS coordinates as their guidance system. And even though the PAR-2 of the Palmetto was off, the ship still was datalinked with other vessels who’s radars were on.

Being on the inner defense circle of Task Force 170.1, the ship’s job was to defend against any enemy missiles that might threaten the now four aircraft carriers that were moving at the center of Task Force 170.1. But because the lack of naval threat was now prominent, the escort’s missions were now to bath Vonein’s military structures in a firestorm of P-270M Multipurpose Missiles.

Developed from a need for a nuclear armed cruise missile that can be launched by ships to penetrate the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth Navy quickly saw the need for not only a nuclear armed cruise missile, but also a conventionally armed cruise missile that had a large warhead capable of hitting and destroying hardened structures and also vehicles. With an emphasis on being supersonic to reach their targets faster and also evade defenses, the P-270M when it entered service in the 80s was a hit. Every Commonwealth vessel now had the capability one way or another to be able to launch these dual role missiles that were capable of hitting both sea targets and land targets.

“What are the other ships doing?” The Surface Warfare Officer asked, looking at his screen of the massive task force that was 70 miles off the coast of Vonein.

“Beginning the bombardment. It is timed so that the land attacks will hit at the same time as the air attacks.”

“Well, we got to join them. What are we currently locked on at?”

“Hanoi.”

“Change those to the coordinates scanned by the RQ-4s that flew over. Specifically target bridges, their bunkers, and that fort thing they have at the mouth of that harbor.”

Looking at one of the CIC officer’s screen, the SWO stared at the coordinates laid out on the screen. Each GPS coordinate was randomized and loaded into a P-270M, one of many that the FHS Palmetto carried. Per every coordinate that was downloaded onto a missile, the missile would follow using it’s speed and evasion to hit that target. The specialized warhead, one of an Engrandonican design, made the SWO confident in his ability to make them destroy anything he literally pointed at.

After getting orders from the captain of the ship and confirming his orders, the SWO issued an automatic launch order to the P-270Ms. Uploading the command to the missiles that were ready in the aft and front Vertical Launch Cells, the missiles powered up as the fuel started circulating inside their body. With their electronics switching on, the order to fire was all that was needed.

“Fire P-270M.”

“P-270M firing.”

The first cell door and the exhaust hatch flipped open and exposed the cold night air to the P-270M. That lasted only for a few brief seconds before the P-270M’s booster fired, the missile quickly leaving the DV20 Cell as the missile flew into the sky, curving quickly as it accelerated toward it’s first target, which was a bridge in Vonein.

The next few missiles, their coordinates now burned into their minds, launched from their Vertical Launch Cells, the brilliant light acting like a second sun as the missiles curved toward Vonein. Upon reaching a certain distance, they all started descending close to land, their terrain contour systems activating as they used the terrain to their advantage to obscure themselves from radar.

The Palmetto was not the only ship that launched missiles on that fateful night. A vast majority of the ships of Task Force 170.1 that were armed with P-270Ms in their Vertical Launch Cells fired off their P-270Ms in a massive display of firepower directed toward Vonein. Combined with the air offensive, it was designed to quite literally shut down Vonein and grant the coalition a decisive victory in a strategic campaign.

More than 800 missiles were in the sky now.

All had their targets.

Task Force 170.6
International Waters
RSS Hua Mulan

“Sir, there appears to be contacts that are unknown. They are closing in at a relatively slow speed.”

“What?”

“They were out of our radar range sir, but they now appear in the distant fringes. It seems to be 120 bombers supported by a few fighter planes, sir.”


Commodore Kun Feng rubbed his arm as he got up, straightening his glasses as he stared out at the radar screen that was kindly displayed in front of him in his flagship, the Type 055 Cruiser RSS Hua Mulan. Being a leader of a relatively minor but still a very important fleet of the Commonwealth’s force that was being assembled, he technically was not a Commonwealth citizen, but he was here.

Originally he would be in Hong Kong, most likely drinking a fine glass of wine in some penthouse that he had on one of the many skyscrapers overlooking Kai Tak, but ever since the “incident” that had happened at that airport he had been on deployments for a good majority of his time. It was as if the Republic of Asia Navy was deliberately telling him to not have any fun at all.

Oh yeah, he was from the Republic of Asia, specifically from the small town called Shanghai. He liked to think of it as a small town, even though it had more people than most of the world’s cities. Going into the navy (mostly because his family was bred to either be fishermen or sailors), he rose the ranks in the former People’s Liberation Army Navy until that all suddenly ended in the 1980s because of some idealistic students (and probably some Helmans). Becoming a sailor in the new Republic of Asia Navy, he commanded his fair share of ships. From an old Type 051 to now his new Type 055, he has ranged in combat all over. He even got to go to the Gulf, where he witnessed the guns of a battleship being fired at the Iraqis in 1991.

Such a long time ago.

Being “coerced” to go to this deployment, he was commanding his vessel not under his country’s name, but under the name of the Blue Dragons Duo(which, by extension and thanks to Xi Jinping, was technically still his nation in all but name). Called forth by the Commonwealth Secretary General, under his command were numerous different vessels.

The flagship of his fleet, the RSS Hua Mulan, was a Type 055 Cruiser. Armed with a PAR-2 Radar System with some sprinkle of Republic of Asian electronics, this cruiser was perfect for attacking all sorts of targets, although it specialized in anti-air warfare. Carrying about 132 HHQ-9s, YJ-18s, and the ROASROC Anti-Submarine Weapon, it was were multipurpose at the moment.

Protecting a group of ships that were of the Firebase-Class of LASH Carriers, these ships were pulled from Commonwealth reserves and were carrying numerous infantry for transport to Vonein. With the addition of other marine ships carrying Engrandonican Royal Marines, his force was now carrying the bulk of the Commonwealth Marines for this intervention. As such, it was protected by a force including his cruiser, four guided missile destroyers, five frigates, and a single corvette that found its way to this fleet.

Kun now nodded, looking at the display of the radar and the fleet. At the center of the fleet were the transports, and surrounding them were the escorts. “How is the disposition of our fleet?”

“Type-052D RSS Yin Hao and Kongou-Class DDG JS Hiei are reporting what appears to be fast movers coming in to attempt an attack. This is on top of the missiles.”

“Who’s radars are active right now?” Kun asked.

“Sejong-Class DDG RSS Sun Tzu, Rika-Class DDE JS Oboro, and Commonwealth-Class FFG JS Mitsubishi are on. They are currently awaiting orders for engagement.”

“Tell them weapons free. All unknowns are to be apprehended as hostile tracks. Sejong fires first, and Oboro fires second.”

Moving over to one of the windows of his ship, he could see in the distance one of the LASH Carriers MV Firebase Taden firing off a rocket of chaff from it’s launchers, the brilliant light lighting up the night sky as he covered his eyes from the light. As the luminosity died down, he watched as MV Firebase Shenov, another one of the LASH carriers, fired off it’s own chaff rockets to confuse the incoming missiles. Once again, he repeated the process to cover his eyes as he waited to watch the counter attack by his ships.

The RSS Sejong had never been tested in full combat before, it’s PAR-2 radar having usually been used to search for drones and airliners. But not this time. This time, the RSS Sejong was going to do what the namesake was called.

Be great.

The operators in it’s CIC switching on and beaming the PAR-2 radar beams toward the missiles, they inputted into the computer to do a defense tactic that had always been wanting to be tested. Quickly slaving the missiles to the PAR-2 radar based on the nearby RSS Hua Mulan, this enabled them to use all the power on the boat toward their own PAR-2 radar, which they were going to use for a purpose that was not missile tracking and engagement.

As the missiles closed in at 50 miles, the operators in the Sejong’s CIC amped the power on the PAR-2 to almost maximum level, the radar waves slamming into the oncoming targets at tremendous power. Burning through the jamming that the Vonein EA-18Gs were offering, the radar waves not only hit the missiles, but also the aircraft themselves as a sort of massive jammer the likes of which had never been seen on Earth before. It was a concept not even tried by the Commonwealth Navy.

The operators of the radar then beaming at the missiles, they watched as suddenly missile contacts started dropping off air. The temperature in the room seemed to rise however, but they did not care, for the missiles were dropping like flies.

From Kun’s point of view, static was coming from the RSS Sejong, however he could still see the ship itself. As he watched the ship however, the JS Oboro lit up with a bright light as RA-77MR/E4s launched from it’s Vertical Launch Cells, the missiles curving into the air to intercept the oncoming targets.

One by one, the missiles were easily intercepted on a one for one basis, showing the accuracy of Commonwealth missiles and especially the RA-77MR/E4. Developed to primarily intercept low altitude and weaving anti-ship missiles, it still proved very effective in hitting high altitude and straight running targets.

“Sir, seven contacts remaining.”

Kun walked calmly over to the same screen as he watched. The last seven missiles were closing in at 20 miles, but coming for them were HHQ-9s being flung from the RSS Sejong, which was locking on quickly after going off electronic burn mode and now feeding itself targeting information by scanning the missiles. The HHQ-9s seemed to perform marvelously, as the last 5 missiles were shot down with ease. The two remaining missiles, however, continued to go on their path.

“Chaff.”

“Chaff, aye.”

The Type 055 firing it’s Chaff rockets as they soared into the air and exploded, flashing the night sky with a loud bang and a bright flare-like fireball. The two missiles, closing in closer and closer after seeing it, quickly were attracted to the light like moths and went off course, slamming into the water just off the Type 055.

Breathing in and out quietly and with a sigh, Kun watched the screen. It appeared no ships of his had taken damage from the missiles. That was good, since he can quietly continue on his mission to rendezvous with Task Force 170.

And thus his mission continued.

Vonein

It was an attack unforseen in intensity since the Gulf War.

Hundreds of planes flying off the coast of Vonein launched cruise missiles, aided by electronic warfare aircraft that not only jammed every single frequency that the Vonein radar systems were using, but also destroying every single active radar that was searching for targets. Utilizing the terrain to their advantage, these electronic warfare aircraft consisting of EA-39s, EF-35s, EF-17s, and even some EA-8s penetrated and slammed their way open through Vonein, opening paths for missiles. Aided by prior recon by RQ-4s flying at maximum altitude, the electronic warfare aircraft jammed their way to victory.

That was when the fun began. With the naval ships of Task Force 170 targeting numerous stationary structures such as power plants, airports, bunkers, and ammo dumps, more than 800 P-270M Multipurpose Supersonic Cruise Missiles launched from the many escorts of the 4 carriers found their way toward their targets, popping up on whatever radars were left as a massive clump. Like the prior electronic warfare aircraft, those missiles used the terrain to hide before suddenly popping up to hit their targets.

As those missiles went for their targets, that was when the aircraft that gathered off the coast after refueling midair began their attacks. Guided by the array of AWACS aircraft overhead, the F-17s, F-111s, A-39s, and other aircraft hit targets, with priorities going to power plants, dams, bridges, and especially all types of airfields and airports. Munitions were thrown all across the targets in an effort to destroy them once and for all.

F/A-14Fs, F-17s, F-23Js, and F-35s all flew combat air patrols with the strike aircraft, just in case they were attacked. All of these aircraft flying at low altitude, they used their stealth and the terrain to mask themselves until it was too late for the enemy to find out where they were.

As more than a thousand cruise missiles filled the air from the numerous aircraft, ships, and submarines launching them, the night sky was lit up with the contrails of missiles flying to their targets, guided by their terrain guidance systems as they moved. That didn’t include the bombs (both Paveways and normal Dumb Bombs) that were being flung by penetrating aircraft that went through the screen cleared by the electronic warfare aircraft.

It was Skyfall.

Hereford
Engrandonica
The Commonwealth

“And so you are sure these numbers are… Legit?”

“A random number station it seems. Our Southern Levant comrades detected it transmitting to locations in Permgarod, but they are still deciphering what it means.”

His codename was Six, but his real name was Stanislav Pavlovich Cherkuska. A former soldier of the Soviet Spetsnaz Group Vympel, he had a distinguished career that spanned from Afghanistan to Beslan to Afghanistan again. He had his fair share of moments in those times as a soldier where he did… questionable things to his opponents, but those were long forgotten by the higher ups, for they did not question it or they were dead of old age.

Still not used to being a commander (he much rather would be a soldier with the rest of the team), Stanislav had everyone answer to him. He was the supreme commander of one of the Commonwealth’s most elite assets, specializing in the blackest of the black operations.

Team Rainbow was its name.

He was gathered at a table with three other soldiers, all of which were male. Each of them were selected from their nation’s special forces or were retirees of such and were called to serve this team. They were all elite, and the team itself could be “hired” for any situation possible. Right now, they were on stand down due to the lack of situations around the world.

That, however, looked like it would change.

Seated at the other side of the table in the small office at Stirling Lines, Hereford, Engrandonica were an Engrandonican, a Southern Levanter from what was known as Jordan, and a Chadian. All three of them were staring at Stanislav as he held a folder in his hands.

“So why did you call us over?”

The one who spoke first was the Southern Levanter, a 44 year old man by the name of Yosef Ushizzi. A operator who used to serve in the Southern Levant Sayeret Teams, he had his fair share of situations that he was in. From a hostage situation in Tel Aviv to a infiltration mission in a terrorist compound in Northern Levant, he has seen many things throughout his career in the Sayeret. His favorite weapon of choice was the Commonwealth M16, although in most missions he is required to use the same weapon much like the rest of the team he leads. In the last mission he was in, his team had used MP5s to pose and look like the Helman Police.

“Well blin, you are the leaders of the three teams that comprise our glorious organization.”

“Is really calling our organization glorious necessary?”

Mike Baker was his name, and his face had the experience to show it all. He had been in numerous wars that the Engrandonicans (and by extension, the Commonwealth) found themselves in. From the Iranian Embassy Siege to the Falklands War to the Gulf War to the 2005 War in Somalia, he had seen it all. When he was selected by Rainbow and pulled from the SAS, he saw it as a way to further gain experience so that he can pass his knowledge to the younger operators that were being chosen to be part of the team. Being one of the older members of Rainbow, he typically teaches tactics to the other operators. The last operation he was in was classified, the name on the massive folder about it only stating the words “Probing Incident”.

“Please get on with it.”

That last voice was of the Chadian, Tchang Erubeku. A former soldier from the Chadian Military, he was known in Rainbow as the “Swordsman” for when he managed to successfully use a longsword in combat during the entire event known as the “Toyota War”. According to him, it involved a “Toyota Car, a few molotovs, and excalibur itself.” The scary part was that it actually existed, for when Stanislav got curious he looked into the records and did indeed see in Chadian records that he got a incapacitation using a sword. That was why Stanislav respected him as a comrade.

“Well, my friends, I called you three over because this situation, the thing with the shooty shoot things on that floating barge or something might get a little too serious.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “62 men died, Stanislav. Their Guided Missile Cruiser was hit by 4 missiles before war was even declared. It was a tragedy.”

“You see comrade, back when I was in East Germany preparing to destroy you, there was an incident involving my dear friend Alexsandr and a few other troops of my Spetsnaz group.” Stanislav started to explain. “Alexsandr one night showed up with a speedboat, but this was not just any speedboat. It was the speedboat of the West German Chancellor. Now, this did not make any logical sense whatsoever, because we were in Dresden. This implies that he stole and took that boat more than 50 miles from the border and brought it to our camp in Dresden, where he laid it near the Commanding Officer’s house. Granted, this was after a very very good night of drinking and playing games, but I was still impressed. It was even better! It took him only 4 hours of it by himself to get that boat.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Tchang asked, scratching his black beard.

“Well, what happened afterward was that the KGB investigated him for that. What I am saying is that this must be investigated. Because of that war the Commonwealth has with that one country right now, it might be--”

“Vonein.” Yosef spoke.

“Yes. That. They might be communicating with something in there. I know numbers stations. That was how they communicated with us when I was a comrade in Vympel.”

“So monitor the situation is what you are suggesting, aye?” Mike said.

“That, and I suggest you tell your teams to be ready for a deployment anytime. If this number station continues to transmit and things start happening in the Commonwealth itself, then we can reasonably know that it might have something to do with Vonein.”

“Why Vonein?” Tchang spoke. “It might be the Indochinese, who do have a history of cold relations with the Commonwealth itself.”

“Those idiotchinese are too stupid to think about this aspect. They cannot comprehend what a number station is at all.” Stanislav spoke aggressively. “It can only be Vonein. They might be doing a trick that nobody in the Commonwealth knows about.”

“Like?” Tchang asked.

“Possibly attacks of an unknown kind.”

“Hostages?” Mike inquired.

“Most likely.”

The collective group went quiet, thinking about their options. If what Stanislav was saying was indeed true, then they can expect to be sent out on black missions more often now. That meant less sleep, more training, but also more times they might have to protect the citizens of the Commonwealth and other countries.

“Was the code word by Engrandonica for a possible event sent?” Mike asked, getting up as he stared toward the former soviet soldier.

Stanislav looked up at Mike, nodding as he uttered it.

“Possible Swords.”