Coup and Civil War-MT-Open

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon

Captain Desius shook the man’s hand, he presented himself as the commanding officer of an Infantry Division, though he noticeably left out what nation he served. But this mattered not to Desius, he answered the man’s questions, “We serve The Dread Empire, we are His Majesties 140th Imperial Airborne Division, First Battalion, Second Platoon. The tank accompanying us belongs to the Third Battalion though they are accompanying us for the time being. What nation is it you serve, Zarkatia?”

[Otosa]

Zarkatia smiled, “All of us here serve The Imperial Otosanese Empire, captain.” Zarkatia said. He then looked at Captain Desius’ men, “Leave half of your men here and bring your best fighters with me and 15 of my men. Our intelligence tells us of a possible rebel camp about seven klicks East of us that I would like to recon, and I could definitely use the help of you and your men.” He said.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon

Captain Desius nodded then turned and spoke to Veteran Sergeant Hester, who had been quietly listening to the exchange, “Veteran Sergeant, rally first squad. We will assist the Otosanese with there recon. You have command of the Imperator and second squad. Directive is to hold this village, the Third Battalion will arrive before the end of the day.” The Veteran Sergeant nodded in approval then marched off towards the platoon. Captain Desius turned back towards the Lieutenant Colonel and stated “My men will be ready in a moment, whenever you wish to proceed we may go.”

[Otosa]

Zarkatia nodded and turned to his men, “1st Squad on me!” he shouted. Fifteen soldiers, all holding a mix of AK-103s, Airtronic RPG-7s, SVUs, PKPs, and Evo 3 A1s all assembled on Zarkatia. “Have your best men come with me.” He said. After Zarkatia informed the nearby Loyalist infantry of their plan, he then led the airborne soldiers and the Otosans out of the village, heading along a dusty road, their weapons all aimed forward and at the ready. The rest of the Otosans stayed back at the village.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Captain Desius and the men of the First Squad followed Zarkatia and his men out of the village, the Airborne troopers who like all combat personnel in the DIA had received 5 months of combat training, were more then ready for a firefight with any rebel forces. Nonetheless the men held their M8A1’s at the ready. The squad also had some light anti tank weapons and one sharpshooter who was more than eager enough to find the rebels through his scope. Captain Desius marched towards Zarkatian and spoke, “You said you had Intel on this position yes? What do you know?”

[Otosa]

Zarkatia turned and looked at Captain Desius as he kept on walking forward with his men, sticking close to the edge of the road. “Our intel has told us that the communists are planning a counter-attack, so they want us to take as much neutral ground as we can, therefore we put enough space between the rebels and the staging area so more and more allied troops can be deployed.” He said. In the distance he saw a series of makeshift structures, Zarkatia held up his hand and his men stopped advancing. He then looked at the houses through his binoculars, “that looks like the village.” He said.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Desius quickly withdrew his own binoculars and looked towards the village Zarkatia had just mentioned, “Ave, me and my men could maneuver to the northwest and set up a field of fire on the village to cover your entry if you so wish.”

-----

Eastern Kambana, 40 miles southwest of Port Kalassa
Dread Imperial Army landing zone

Initiate Fulton glanced towards the beach he had landed on, it had now been turned into a massive staging area for the Imperial Army. He knew it was just a small matter of time now before the DIA would liberate this nation from the communist rebels that had occupied it. Whilst he was caught up in these thoughts, a Veteran Sergeant had called out that a detachment was going to be sent to the west towards what was believed to be a small rebel holdout which it had been decided was to close to the Imperial landing zone. The Initiate quickly volunteered himself for duty and much to his amazement he was chosen then told to assemble on the southern end of the landing zone in ten minutes.

[Otosa]

“That sounds like a good idea, have your shooters get the main entry point of the town in their sights, as well as any possible sniper or machine gun nests. Once you do that, radio to me and my men and well move forward into the village and secure it.” Zarkatia said. He then turned around and looked at his men, "Keep your weapons out and ready, shoot at anything you don't like the look of and do not hesitate. Move sure and fast, got it?" Zarkatia asked. "Yes sir!" all the men said in unison. Zarkatia smiled and turned back to the Captain, "We're ready when you are." he said.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Desius nodded and gave a hand sign to his men to begin moving around the village, he turned to Zarkatia, “You’ll hear from us in a moment.” With that the Captain joined his men in there rapid, but quiet, movements to the villages flank, less then two minutes later his squad had given him confirmation that they were in position. He quietly spoke towards his sharpshooter, “Scan the village and report any emplaced weapon positions or sniper’s perches.” The sharpshooter simply nodded and lifted his rifle to his face and began scanning around the small makeshift village, after a few moments he spoke to the Captain, “One small building near the center of the village, looks to be a chapel of some sorts, could hold a sniper or emplaced weapons. Also the building nearest the Otosanese looks as if it holds some sort of emplaced weapons, advise caution.” Captain Desius lifted his radio towards his mouth “Building in the center of town, possible sniper nest. Building nearest you, possible heavy weapons. I’ll have my men train a rocket on the chapel and keep my sharpshooter on the building nearest you, on your go.”

[Otosa]

“Roger that, if you see anything you don’t like the look of, shoot it.” Zarkatia said into his radio. He then moved forward with his, slowly advancing towards the buildings. Zarkatia looked down the sights of his AK-103 as he walked out onto the main street of the village. His men scanned the windows of the structures on either side of the street, the barrels of their assault rifles pointed upwards. A few men covered the back of the squad and another group of the men covered the front of the squad, their assault rifles aimed down the street, their fingers resting near the triggers of their rifles.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Desius placed his radio back into his pack then lifted his M8A1 and looked down the barrel into the holographic scope fitted to the gun. He saw the Otosanese soldiers advancing towards the village, he then shifted his gaze more towards the center of the small makeshift town, specifically towards the chapel. After a few moments his suspicions were confirmed when a rebel militiamen climbed onto the highest portion of the building wielding an older scoped rifle, Desius quickly spoke to the First Squad “Contact, center building, everyone get ready, cover the Otosanese until they reach cover.” He then turned to the sharpshooter on his right and said “Drop him.”

[Otosa]

Zarkatia heard the sniper shot and instantly turned his rifle to the sound. He saw the body of the dead communist soldier fall to the ground, holding an old sniper rifle in his had. “Thanks Captain.” He said. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Zarkatia saw a flash and saw a green, pointed tip object with flame coming behind it, hurtling at him and his men. “RPG!” He shouted as he dove to the ground. The explosion killed three of his men, causing the rest of them to cover to the ground behind destroyed cars. Suddenly, gunfire rained down all around them as communist soldiers fired at them from behind the small houses across the street. Zarkatia grabbed his radio, “Captain, get your men down here, were taking heavy fire!” he shouted. He then leaned out from behind his cover and fired his AK-103 at the rebels in the distance.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Desius swore as he saw three of the Otosanese soldiers fall and stop moving, he quickly motioned to the three men farthest to his left to move further around the village and begin firing on the rebels. He then turned to the sharpshooter and told him to drop any and all rebels he could see, looking back towards his left he shouted an order at the soldier wielding the LAAW to fire at the largest gathering of militiamen in the village. He then led the remainder of the squad into the village preparing to catch the communists in a vice they would not escape. Rifle at the ready as he moved into the village, he fired a small burst and dropped one communist, leaning up against a wall of one of the small huts he motioned for the squad to break into smaller groups and begin sweeping towards the flanks of the rebels.

[Otosa]

Zarkatia fired a grenade round from his GP-25 grenade launcher, causing a small explosion which sent two communist rebels flying back. He then turned and saw his men desperately moving forward at a snail pace. Every now and then they would lean out from behind cover, firing their assault rifles. Zarkatia fired several bursts from his AK-103 at the ever growing communist force, it was becoming obvious that he and his men were being overrun.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Desius glanced towards the north of the town and saw the three men he sent to the flanks starting to move into the village, the rebels weren’t paying him and his men much attention yet and he intended to use that to the maximum effect. The Captain pulled his radio out of his pack and quickly spoke into it, “First Squad, Zarkatia and his men are being swarmed, all on me ASAP.” Within a few moments of sending this to his men, seven of the 15 troopers he had brought were at his position, he motioned for three of them to prep flash bang’s that would be used on the gathering of rebels pinning Zarkatia and his men. “Everyone ready?” the Captain asked, after receiving unanimous head nods from his men he motioned for the three men who prepped the grenades to throw them over the small hut they were behind, as soon as the grenades were airborne towards the rebels, Desius followed by seven airborne troopers emerged from cover and began strafe firing onto the flanks of the rebels as they moved across the street.

[Otosa]

Zarkatia could see Captain Desius and his men. He turned and looked at his squad, “Provide cover fire for Desius’ unit so they can flank the rebels. Once they do, we move forward, got it?” he said. “Yes sir.” Said his remaining men. Zarkatia watched as his medics move the squad’s wounded behind a destroyed van while they treated their wounds. Zarkatia then grabbed the radio, “Ok Desius we’ll cover you, move now!” he said. He then unleashed the bullets in his AK-103 at the rebels.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Desius heard Zarkatia on his radio but he was in no position to reply, he continued his move across the street and after reaching the hut opposite of his start point he leaned out of cover and fired a two round burst towards the head of a rebel who quickly fell over dead. He leaned back into cover after the last of his men had crossed the street and were safely in cover he turned to them and quickly gave an order for two of them to once again maneuver around there current building and once on the rebels left side begin putting fire on there exposed flanks. The men quickly turned and moved to the opposite side of the hut and Desius, after hearing the sounds of there M8’s firing leaned out of cover once more and fired 4 more bursts towards the rebels who were now in a vice between the allied units, seeing at least two of his bursts hit home in the chests of two communists he then leaned back into cover popping the current magazine out of his M8 and sliding a new one in and chambering it.

[Otosa]

Zarkatia loaded in a fresh magazine and looked down the street, he saw three large destroyed SUVs. “We’re going to run to the SUVs, move one man at a time while the rest covers.” He then looked at an Otosan soldier holding a PKP light machine gun, “Reko, hand me that PKP.” The soldier traded weapons with Zarkatia. “One my go, three…two…NOW!” he shouted. As the first Otosan soldier ran to the SUVs, Zarkatia mowed down five communist rebels with the PKP. After the soldier made it to cover, Zarkatia ducked down behind the car, just as a sniper round hit the hood of the car. “Ok, you’re next.” He said to another soldier as he reloaded the PKP. After covering four soldiers, one of whom didn’t make it, it was Zarkatia’s turn. However he was going. His men covered him with their AK-103s as he sprinted towards them, carrying the machine gun. Zarkatia dove behind cover just as bullets slammed into the brick wall behind him.

[The Aspari Syndicate]

Location: Aspari Central City, Syndicate Headquarters
Time: Five hours ago.

Araia Talos, CEO of the Aspari Syndicate, was grinning. This wasn't an unusual thing for him, but it certainly meant that things were about to get interesting in some way. He cracked his knuckles merrily, then slipped his hands behind his back. The young executives gathered in the lunch room watched him with interest, but also apprehension; this wasn't just any meeting... The people gathered there had all been involved in some manner of scandal within the last month or so; most were relatively minor, but some were far, far beyond the pale. Many had come to this meeting fearing for their lives; it wasn't out of the ordinary for a dishonored executive to be ordered to commit suicide for their failures. Of course one could refuse such an order, but that meant that things only got worse from there, and not just for the offender either. However, as luck would have it, the Syndicate's leader did not intend to keep them waiting.

"I assume you all know full well why I have gathered you here."

Silence already reigned in the lunch room, but now it deepened, taking on an almost palpable sensation. It was like a cold, clammy fog, pressing into the nose and mouth, hollowing out the stomach.

"Good. That saves some time. Now, to business. Luckily for all of you, I have decided to give you another chance. We've been contracted to engage in another nation's affairs once more, and as we are being paid handsomely to do so, I have decided to send you lot."

Confused glances were exchanged over tables and shoulders; they were Executives, not soldiers. The unspoken question floated in the air. Araia grinned broader yet; it seemed he took some pleasure in watching them squirm.

"The borders are being watched very carefully. Both sides have fighters patrolling the air, destroyers and cruisers on the sea, and the countryside looks like a damn anthill from the satellite imagery. And that, friends, is just what we can see. If things are this heated within two days of the incident being declared, you can bet your asses that there are special forces out there too, and they're certainly not the polite, genial Agents that you lot know and love."

The sarcasm in his voice snapped like a whip; the Agents of the Aspari Syndicate were hardly polite or genial, and anything but loved. They were the hounds of the Syndicate, and wherever they went, death followed. The comparison being drawn, then, was abundantly clear: if the Syndicate had chosen to deploy active forces, chances were good that they would be ripped to shreds by sheer attrition, advanced technology be damned.

"...Which brings me to my point. You lot are businessmen and women. You, unlike a pack of white-clad heavily armored troopers, will not stick out. You will be taking on the guise of foreign investors, seeking to provide humanitarian aid to the embattled peoples of the nation. You will, of course, have your ulterior motives, and you will be despised for them, but rest assured that if any of your make it back from this, your honor will be restored in full."

The tension in the air reached a fever pitch, though silence still reigned supreme. The prospect of having their honor restored was sufficient to make soldiers of the meekest of men; these were Syndicate Executives however, samurai of the boardroom. If it meant escaping the shame of their failures, then even in death they would do whatever was required without fear or doubt. Araia's fingers drummed on the table over which he loomed, and his shark-like smile began to spread among the Executives.

"You know what needs to be done then. Good. Saves me some more time. Now get to it."

Location: Commercial Aircraft in International Airspace, one hour out from Kambana
Time: Present

The passenger 747 relayed the standard heading information to the nearest airport in Kambana, along with a baseline landing request. Each passenger had their tickets and baggage, and each had paid their fare. Nothing was out of place or out of the ordinary; to an observer, it would appear to be nothing more than a commercial flight. Each of the Executives on board though could feel the anxiety in the air. They could feel it as soon as they were within radio range of Kambana. Signal traffic from all manner of different military bandwidths clogged the aircraft's radio, restricting them to only the designated channels standard to international flights. They could see the contrails of fighter jets that had passed through this area mere minutes before the big jumbo jet. Ships on maneuvers were visible from the sky above; to the terror of the pilots, one obtained a weapons-lock on the 747, only to disable it after reading a civilian designation.

Truly, this place was a war zone.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Desius peered around the corner again and saw his allies moving up to some destroyed vehicles, he withdrew his radio and spoke to Zarkatia, “Once your men are in position I have a plan, we have the rebels caught between us but they outnumber us. I figure once your men are at your position and ready, I can have my men still outside the village to fire another rocket towards the rebels, making them move out of cover then we drop the remainder of them.” The Captain then placed the radio in a small holster on his shoulder so he could hear the reply and began firing again.

[Otosa]

Zarkatia listened to the Captain’s plan, “Ok, fire your rocket, then me and my boys will pick these bastards off one by one as they retreat.” He turned and looked at his men, “Make sure you all have full magazines, they’re going to be running right by us, three shoot, then the other three cover while we reload.” He said. Zarkatia then ducked down behind the SUV and slowly peeked his head out, there were only a few rebels still firing at him and his men, the rest were engaging Captain Desius’ men. With a few well placed headshots, Zarkatia quickly dispatched of the rebels, now no one was shooting at he and his men. He grabbed his radio, “Ok captain we’re ready, send them down.” He said.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Desius heard his allies agree to the plan, he quickly withdrew the radio from its holster and spoke to the men still outside the town, “Aurelius, I need another rocket on the rebel position now!” He received no reply except for the flash of light from the northwest of the town followed by the ground shaking and the screams of the rebels caught in the blast as the rocket landed square on its target. He and his men leaned out of cover and began firing on the rebels who were now scrambling to find new cover.

[Voyostok]

The firefight was a surprise. It was almost as if, as soon as the kompany was in position, shots rang out in the near distance. Abruptly, the village exploded with the activity of rushing militiamen pouring out of every hut, commode and hidey-hole, and every single spotter lost sight of Dragon. Noskov cursed into his earpiece, tempted to simply rip it out and throw it down onto the ground.

"Chyort! All Force leaders, move in! Now!"

Never let it be said that the VDV were caught unaware for long.

From almost every side of the village, dozens of forms in green camouflage charged, dashing forward several meters as their suppressed rifles coughed a steady stream of rounds, dropping militia left, right and center. Behind them came another line, surging past their comrades before they too dropped to a knee, letting the first rank reload and advance.

Up on the hills, snipers rained down precision fire on enemy combatants, targeting obvious commanders and those with more intimidating weapons. And so it went, as the battle raged in the background, until the kompany converged on the hut that Dragon had last been seen in front of. The woman could have ducked back inside, but Noskov doubted it. She was too smart for that.

With several hand gestures, he commanded his men to spread out to several other huts. Within a split second of them all reaching their targets, every hut was breached. More shots spat out, suppressed. The cries of pain and surprise were not, however, and the Voyostoki exterminated every hostile before them.

But in the main hut, Kaptain Noskvov stood with six other soldiers, staring at the abandoned interior. She was gone. And she'd left barely a trace aside from the impressive collection of armaments on display, obviously just sold to the communists. The Dragon had no other reason to be here, so she'd left her customers to their fate.

"Mudak!" Noskov cursed, taking two steps inside and kicking over a table full of AKs, spilling the rifles over. "Where the hell is she?!"

[Otosa]

“HERE THEY COME!” Zarkatia shouted as the rebels ran towards him, holding their wounded. He and his men came out of hiding and unleashed a storm of bullets on the rebels, tearing them to shreds. One of the rebels killed the soldier standing next to Zarkatia, but he quickly the rebel. The rebels were mowed down as they ran right into the Otosan trap. A few of them dropped their weapons and held their hands up in the air, but the Otosans shot them anyway. A long silence filled the street as the smoke from the rifle barrels rose up into the air. Before Zarkatia and what was left of his, which was four soldiers, lay the dead bodies of the rebels. “All clear Captain, bring your men down here.” He said into the radio.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Eastern Kambana
140th Imperial Airborne, First Battalion, Second Platoon, First Squad

Captain Desius continued firing into the mass of rebels as they tried desperately to relocate, but the attempt was in vain as they were cut down in the crossfire. Desius emerged from cover followed by the seven men who had followed him across the street, he also motioned for those who had flanked and the three men who had remained outside the village to move to his position. After they all arrived to Desius he led the group towards Lieutenant Colonel Zarkatia near the center of town.