2315, January 19th, 2019
The IRIS compound on JFB Weiss was a dated facility, having been built in the 50s and updated very infrequently since. As a result, from the exterior, the simple and unassuming building would probably disappoint anyone expecting the Imperial Republican Intelligence Agency to operate in state-of-the-art accommodations. Inside however, the walled compound was a hive of computers and analysts processing and acting on intelligence concerning the local region, and in particular, border states.
One of the many rooms of this facility was the Operations Briefing Room, a moderately sized meeting-space containing projectors, digital white boards, and for now, a very large Tennish flag. The reason for this was that this simple room, for right now, was the capital of the Free Republic of Tenburg.
As it stood, the FRT was made up of Michael Tucker as its President, a handful of disgraced politicians filling useless cabinet positions, as well as Eamon McElroy and Tara Mohan in an advisory role to the President. There were also several hundred fighters currently quartered in temporary barrack on the opposite side of the JFB that had been receiving training and equipment (mostly high end foreign weapons and kit, acquired illegally) from the SpecWar branch and Army.
On this particular day however, a very important meeting was occurring. Tara Mohan and Eamon McElroy were present in the room alongside a half dozen senior IRIS officials and a Group Leader from Section 3 of the IRIS Bureau of Operations. This was less of a meeting though, and much more of an observation of a particular operation across the Tennish-Chazicarian border. As these people sat in heated comfort, two Section 3 teams, callsigns Sword and Dog, and a company sized element of FRT soldiers, callsign Green, were crossing into Tenburg and into the town of Balaclara. Silence was the only constant as updates came in.
Just outside Balaclara, Tenburg
2315, January 19th, 2019
"Sword Actual, this is Sword 2. We're up. Eyes on Objective Alabaster, over."
"Two, Actual. Copy, what have you got?"
"Actual, we have eyes on eight dismounts, plus two trucks, break. Dismounts have rifles and the trucks appear to have MGs, over."
"Roger. Continue observation, Actual Out. Dog Actual, Sword Actual, eight rifles and two mounted MGs on Objective Alabaster. You're free to engage."
25 minutes later
"Dog Actual, Dog 1. We're set on Objective Alabaster, break. Eight dismounts killed, two mounted MGs destroyed, over"
"1, Actual. Copy, Sword is reporting that the garrison is mobilizing. Green is in position, be ready just in case stragglers make it through. Out."
15 minutes later
It had been a long walk from the border- a two day ruck through territory patrolled by Tennish troops with only the Chazicarian spooks as help. Of course, their reconnaissance abilities were unmatched by anyone in the FRT, and the passage had been free of engagements.
Now, though, things were going to change. The Tennish troops were reacting exactly as had been expected when the perimeter outpost just outside Balaclara had been wiped out. A column of light vehicles and troops had loaded up in minutes, impressively, and were now en route to engage whoever had attack their outpost. There was one primary road to that outpost however, and an entire 90-man company of FRT fighters were arrayed on that road equipped with rocket propelled grenades, three recoilless rifles, and a dozen light machine guns. Supporting the ambush was Dog 2 and Sword 1 who'd taken positions on a nearby hilltop with a perfect view of the engagement area- their anti-material rifles, marksmanship, and top-of-the-line night fighting equipment would give them and ability to virtually ignore the Tennnish troop's cover.
5 minutes later
The opening shots were two rounds from recoilless rifles, knocking out the two forward most vehicles in the column. Mere seconds later, a dozen machine guns opened on the rear vehicles, alongside rocket propelled grenades. Riflemen in the FRT unit kept precise fire on anyone that attempted to dismount from the vehicles, and a handful of men equipped with rifle-mounted grenade launchers threw 40mm HE projectiles at the unfortunate men below. From the thermal-optic-tinted perspective of the FRT rebels, their bullets were cascading against the black silhouettes of vehicles and men trying to react to the onslaught.
There was a violence of action that would not let up for anything less than an act of God. While one might expect tracers to be flying through the air like in the movies, there wasn't a single one leaving the barrel of any FRT weapon, for fear that the ambushed convoy would be able to see where the rounds were coming from. This was equally true of the 12.5x100mm rounds being thrown at supersonic speeds by the Section 3 marksman teams firing from the nearby hilltop.
For as long as this engagement was to last, the FRT and IRIS teams would make that road into a living hell for anyone on it.