Outskirts of Shaffrus, State of Andel, Charbagnian Federation
The southern sun beat down harshly on the asphalt, the heat-haze giving the road a sense of being alive, shaking in the sun. Stray animals carefully stalked alongside the roads, being careful to avoid the treacherous road threatening to burn their paws. However, the rumbling on the ground brought them to a halt. The earth began to rumble and shake as the vibrations of something on the road reached the animals. As the vibrations grew harsher and the sounds of squeaking wheels were heard, the animals quickly moved out of the way, turning to carefully watch as vast metal vehicles rumbled along the road. They rolled across the road with purpose, as their intimidatory visages struck a cord of fear with the animals who hunched down, getting into the prone position as they were ready to run at a moment's notice. Fortunately for them, the metal beasts weren't here for them.
The company of military vehicles was a spearhead group of a much larger force which was tasked with the occupation of the city of Shaffrus in an attempt to wrestle control of the State of Andel off Charbagnian hands. The group mainly consisted of OSD-FV8 IFVs containing a company of A31 Commando Marines and several NO-917 Weasgaich tanks. Despite their readiness for the war, there was one thing that all the personnel could agree on. The Charb sun, even in Spring, was something that Noronnicans were not used to, nor would they ever get used to it. While many cocky young rich Noronnican kids enjoyed stuffing themselves full of alcohol and drugs enough to stock a well-established cartel in the Noronnican Black Isle during their holidays, there were always a few days of moaning and grumbling about the heat. However hard the commanders back at home stressed that the troops had been fitted with the latest uniforms designed for comfort in the heat, the troops could not stop wishing for the war to end before summer began lest they go to battle naked.
Major John McGuinnen gazed outside his window, watching the trees by the roadside fly by him, his eyes allowing the trees to blur as he fell into a lull, calmly allowing the world to go by him. It was rare moments such as these that John cherished, watching the world go by before conflict, allowing the world to appear peaceful for just one brief moment before it became a hellhole again. Even the radio had gone into a relaxed state as only the bare minimum passed through comms. Choosing to spend his time more wisely than watching the Charb landscape, John looked over the intel he had on the city again, reading various reports by those on the inside and from official statements.
When the radio burst into life, the entire vehicle jolted, as even the gunner had unprofessionally fallen into a complacent relaxation. "Enemy MBTs in sight and are currently coming to a halt, over."
John, throwing his documents to the side, relayed a message to the group, "Alright, halt the group. I want our MBTs to reciprocate. Do we have any anti-tank launchers? We need any to be put into position now, over." There were a few affirmations on the channel and John's vehicle joined the others in stopping.
It was a race to see who would be prepared first.
Francis aimed his turret at a sweet-spot of the tank in front of him. The Charbagnian tanks had already begun, seeing as they had the advantage of catching the Noronnicans by surprise and being in position before the Noronnicans could halt their advance. However, the Noronnican tanks were quick to reciprocate fire.
Francis felt the blast of his turret letting out a shell that hit its target, profusely damaging the Charb MBT. The barrel was loaded from the magazine swiftly and Francis let out another shell on his target, incapacitating the enemy's turret. As Francis attempted to locate his next target he felt an aggressive jolt and he soon began to realise that his own tank was suffering damage. Deeply angered by this, he swivelled his turret around fast to locate the tank engaging his. Hearing the affirmative from his commander below, he vented his frustration into the enemy tank.
The infantry were now pouring out of their IFVs, engaging any Charb infantry that met them. The fighting was within the woodland or on the open road so the engagement soon grew confused, with no clear victor in sight. Most shots were based on assumptions as the enemy rarely presented a chance for a clear and precise shot, yet once targets had been found, fighting was vicious.
The Noronnicans were also utilising their MV-31 Rattlesnake anti-tank missiles, unleashing hell upon the Charbagian armour which fought hard to maintain their initiative. When it was clear that the Noronnicans had the advantage, the Charbs began to retreat, reducing the usage of their armour, favouring instead to attempt to pick off Noronnican Marines. Trained in fighting against overwhelming odds, the Marines fought hard and efficiently, aggressively reciprocating attacks while also being sure to use the advantage of the foliage to hide in.
The Charbs were not that easily beaten however, as the conscripts fought hard for their country, angrily repelling the foreign invaders. The Charbagnian group had strength in numbers and were, therefore, able to pin down fireteams of Noronnican Marines. The Charbagnian armour had surrendered long ago under heavy fire from both anti-tank missiles and Noronnican armour, but the battle in the forest was not yet over, spilling into long hours of continual engagement.
